CHICAGO

The 14-game losing streak is over.

Is it a turning point – or an aberration spurred by a lax Commanders effort?

The DB knows that the longest losing streak in NFL history ended late in 1977.  Two years and a month later, the Buccaneers were in the NFC Championship Game.

In 1989, the Cowboys went 1-15 and two years later began a 6-year playoff run with 3 Super Bowl titles.

Here is what three writers from CBSSports.com saw:

The Chicago Bears snapped the longest active losing streak in the NFL on Thursday night, as they defeated the Washington Commanders, 40-20. This was Chicago’s first win in 15 games, as the Bears’ last victory came on Oct. 24 of last year against the New England Patriots. D.J. Moore was the star of the show, as he caught eight passes for a career-high 230 yards and three touchdowns.

Much like last week against the Denver Broncos, the Bears jumped out to a huge lead early. This time, however, they were able to hang on. Chicago scored the first 17 points of the game, and established a 27-3 lead at the halftime break thanks to two touchdowns from Moore. The Commanders did put together a 17-3 run in the second half behind an impressive bounce-back from quarterback Sam Howell, but a Joey Slye missed field goal from 46 yards out with five minutes remaining in the fourth quarter sealed Washington’s fate.

Coming off of what was statistically a career performance, Fields registered another impressive outing in Week 5. The third-year signal-caller completed 15 of 29 passes for 282 yards and four touchdowns while adding 57 yards on the ground. Howell had a career-night as well, as the UNC product completed 37 of 51 passes for 388 yards, two touchdowns and one interception. He also led Washington in rushing with 19 yards.

Let’s take a look at what went down in Washington on Thursday night.

Why the Bears won

The Bears did not look like a team that hadn’t won a game in nearly a year. They didn’t look like a team that blew a double-digit lead in the fourth quarter just four days earlier, or a team with a defense that ranked in the bottom five of nearly every category. The Bears instead looked like an improved team with a dynamic duo on offense.

There are two reasons why the Bears won on Thursday night: Justin Fields and D.J. Moore.

Fields’ 282 passing yards are the fourth-most he’s recorded in a game, while his four passing touchdowns tied a career high. When’s the last time Fields threw four touchdowns in a game you ask? It was four days ago against the Broncos.

For the second straight week, Fields threw three touchdowns in the first half. Per CBS Sports’ Chris Trapasso, Fields has completed 28 of 37 passes (75.6%) for 420 yards (11.3 yards per attempt) 6 touchdowns and zero interceptions with a 152.0 rating over the last two first halves. Maybe he’s not exactly taking on the San Francisco 49ers’ defense, but talk about a turnaround for the young kid. I know the other teams haven’t played yet in Week 5, but as it stands entering NFL Sunday, Fields is tied for the NFL lead in passing touchdowns with 11.

As for Moore, he was incredible. His 230 receiving yards were obviously a career high, as were his three receiving touchdowns. Per Next Gen Stats, Moore gained 221 of his 230 receiving yards on hitches and go routes, the most yards on those two routes in a game over the last six seasons. He recorded +141 receiving yards over expected, the second-most in a game since 2018.

WR D.J. MOORE had a career day with 230 receiving yards and 3 TDs, but it was the 4^th TD that got away that somewhat bothered him after the game.  Michael David Smith of ProFootballTalk.com:

Bears wide receiver D.J. Moore scored three touchdowns in Thursday night’s win over the Commanders, but he was on his way to a fourth when the play was blown dead.

Moore was running along the sideline and had a path to the end zone when the officials ruled that he had stepped out of bounds. A frustrated Moore didn’t think he did.

“That really pissed me off because I was about to score. I could’ve had four touchdowns. The ref’s got to do his job, it is what it is, we got the win so I’m not too mad,” Moore said.

Replays didn’t show whether Moore was actually out of bounds or not, but once he was ruled out, a replay review couldn’t have overturned it. The questionable call didn’t have a big impact on a game that the Bears won 40-20, but Moore felt like he was robbed of a touchdown.

For a national game, the lack of a definitive replay was surprising.  Robert Zeglinski of USA Today:

Except the officials curiously blew the play dead. Why? They thought Moore stepped out of bounds. Uh … did he?

https://twitter.com/i/status/1710119549037859041

I know the initial camera angle isn’t entirely clear, but that felt like a pretty consequential play at the time. Is it really impossible to see another better view?

https://twitter.com/i/status/1710119528552693947

That wasn’t any better! There is someone literally standing in front of the camera at the key moment. Given that the Bears were trying to hold off the Commanders and this play grew in consequence as a result, it feels negligible that someone didn’t have another quality view of the play.

WASHINGTON

Commanders part-owner Magic Johnson thought the team was missing “fire” Thursday night.  No one disagrees.  John Keim of ESPN.com:

Washington Commanders limited partner Magic Johnson delivered harsh criticism of his new team following a 20-point loss to the Chicago Bears on Thursday night.

After the Commanders lost 40-20 to the previously winless Bears, Johnson tweeted in part that “the Commanders played with no intensity or fire. We didn’t compete in the first half. … It was too big of a hole to climb out of and that is why we ended up losing.”

Johnson, who attended the game, is one of 20 limited partners with new owner Josh Harris. Johnson has been highly visible as part of the franchise, between charitable events and attending games.

But this was his first critical tweet of his new team. And the players did not disagree with his assessment. After all, Washington fell behind 27-3 at halftime.

“I’d probably say that’s pretty fair,” Washington receiver Terry McLaurin said.

“Definitely,” defensive end Montez Sweat said. “We came out flat.”

The Bears scored on each of their five possessions in the first half, often because of missed tackles or blown coverages in the secondary. A defense that entered with two sacks recorded four. And an offense that averaged 298 yards in the first four games managed 451.

“We got our ass kicked,” Washington defensive tackle Jonathan Allen said.

Washington coach Ron Rivera said he couldn’t repeat his postgame message to the players but that in short he told them, “That’s not good enough.”

That’s why no one in the locker room was about to reject what Johnson tweeted. However, some said there were other factors.

“I mean, that’s perception when you’re down that quick, it looks like that,” Washington left tackle Charles Leno Jr. said. “I’m not going to say the guys did not have any intensity or urgency coming into the game. I would definitely say it was a lack of execution early offensively; when they put up seven on the defense, we need to respond.”

McLaurin said the Commanders’ intentions, of course, were not to start that way. However, he said, intentions don’t matter.

“It’s what you put on the field,” McLaurin said. “I know we don’t have a lazy bunch; I know we don’t have a non-intense group of guys. That showing is not reflective of us, but that’s who we are. We put that on tape. I’d say that’s a pretty fair assessment [by Johnson].”

Both teams were coming off difficult losses: Chicago had blown a 21-point lead at home to Denver; Washington had lost in overtime in Philadelphia. But one team was 2-2 and playing at home; the other was winless and traveling on a short week.

“I don’t know if we thought they was about to give us the game,” Sweat said. “But them guys was hungry. They came out with more fire than us.”

Johnson has been complimentary toward the Commanders after other games. He lauded their effort against Philadelphia, saying he was proud and that he hoped that effort would be “part of our DNA” all season. He tweeted after a comeback win in Denver about his excitement watching the rally live.

However, Thursday he opted for a different message — one that was echoed in the locker room.

“When you don’t get off to a fast start,” McLaurin said, “and a team that’s hungry like that, fighting for every play, every yard and they’re capitalizing, that’s what can happen. The record didn’t really matter. You don’t come to play, that’s what’s going to happen to you.”

– – –

This from ProFootballFocus:

@PFF_NateJahnke

The Washington Commanders dropped back to pass 55 straight times without a designed run tonight, from 8:49 in the 2nd quarter until the end of the game. That is the most for a team in game that PFF has data for (back to 2006)

So 29 rushing yards in the game, 359 net passing (388 yards passing for QB SAM HOWELL who was sacked 5 times).

ARIZONA

Dan Graziano of ESPN.com tries to figure out Arizona’s options with QB KYLER MURRAY:

Arizona Cardinals quarterback Kyler Murray was eligible to be activated from the physically unable to perform (PUP) list this week, yet the Cardinals did not activate him.

When exactly the Cardinals will activate Murray remains one of the league’s most intriguing mysteries — not just because Murray is recovering from a torn ACL in his left knee suffered last December, but also because his long-term future with the franchise is at least as interesting a question as his short-term outlook.

A new general manager and coaching staff took over in Arizona this offseason, and they have no history with nor loyalty to Murray. But they do have a mandate to rebuild the franchise from the ground up. They have amassed major 2024 draft capital, including two first-round picks, and have something like a blank slate on which to create the Cardinals’ future. But the reason the slate isn’t completely blank is Murray, who signed a whopper of a five-year, $230.5 million extension prior to the 2022 season and is under contract with the Cardinals through 2028.

Murray is only 26 years old and has proved himself capable of high-level performance. From 2019 — when he was the No. 1 overall pick in the draft — through 2022, he ranked 13th in the league in Total QBR (59.5), 11th in completion percentage (66.8%), 15th in passing touchdowns (84) and third in rushing touchdowns by quarterbacks (23). In other words, he’s a good, solid young player who has had some success. There’s certainly reason to think the Cardinals might wait out his injury rehab, build the roster around him and keep him as their franchise quarterback.

As is the case when any new administration takes over, there is also the possibility of drastic change — the possibility the Cardinals will move on from Murray and his contract and start anew with a 2024 rookie or some other quarterback option. Because of that uncertainty, we talked to people across the league and looked at the situation, where it stands, what might happen and how the idea of moving on from Murray would work. Because, thanks to the contract, the position he plays and the NFL’s salary cap rules … it’s complicated. We present it in three parts:

Should the Cardinals move on from Murray?

As outlined above, there are reasons not to move on. His age. His promising early-career performance. The ever-present worry of not being able to find someone better. It’s important to mention here that the Cardinals’ new administration has indicated the team is happy with Murray’s work and his presence in the building, and that it intends to bring him back and play him as soon as he’s healthy enough. That is the team’s official stance.

“We’ll get him going when he is physically and mentally ready to play,” coach Jonathan Gannon told reporters in late September. “I’d love to have him out there, he’s itching to be back, but we’ll take that one day at a time.”

But there are reasons that could turn out not to be the plan. Murray is recovering from a torn ACL, a process that sometimes takes a year or more. It’s possible he might not be ready to return until November or December, or even that he can’t make it back at all this season. Once he does return, this is a player whose running ability has been a massive part of his game and his value, averaging 5.8 yards per carry over his career. Will he be the same runner he was before the injury? And if so, how soon?

While we’ve heard nothing but positives about Murray from new general manager Monti Ossenfort and Gannon, it’s important to remember his history with the previous Cardinals regime wasn’t always the smoothest. There were the occasional reports about the team wanting him to be more mature and more of a leader. There was the bizarre clause in the original version of his contract extension in 2022 that allowed the team to void his guarantees if he didn’t do four hours of independent film study per week. That clause was eventually taken out of the contract after news of its existence became public and both sides were rightfully ridiculed for its inclusion, but the fact it was ever a thing in the first place indicates the team had concerns about committing to Murray long-term and was interested in building an off-ramp.

Murray’s talent is undeniable, and pre-draft concerns about his 5-foot-10, 207-pound size don’t seem to be as big of a deal now as they were at that time. He has proved he can be a good NFL starting quarterback. What Ossenfort and Gannon have to decide is whether Murray is the right quarterback to lead their franchise for the long term or they can find a better option.

A 2023 draft-day trade with Houston brought the Cardinals an extra first-round and third-round pick in the 2024 draft. Another deal with the Titans, when Tennessee decided to move up in the second round for Kentucky QB Will Levis, brought an additional third-rounder. So Arizona has five picks in the first three rounds of a draft that most teams believe will be teeming with quarterback talent.

This season, the Cardinals are off to a spunky start. After acquiring veteran QB Joshua Dobbs in a trade just before the season, they’ve played hard for Gannon and played well behind Dobbs, even upsetting the highly regarded Cowboys in Week 3. But in spite of that, they are 1-3 and could be headed for the kind of season that results in a very high pick. If it’s high enough to get USC’s Caleb Williams or North Carolina’s Drake Maye, that could factor significantly into their decision about Murray. Remember, a big reason teams don’t like to move on from quarterbacks is fear of not being able to get someone better. Having the first or second overall pick in next year’s draft is likely going to be enough to convince teams that they can. (ESPN’s Football Power Index projects the Cardinals’ first-rounders to be Nos. 4 and 15.)

Murray is scheduled to earn an average of $39.34 million per year from 2024 through ’28. It’s not considered high-end QB money anymore — Joe Burrow averages $55 million per year on his new deal — but it’s certainly a lot more than the Cardinals would have to pay Williams, Maye or any other QB on a rookie contract.

Add together the injury, the history of concerns the team has had about Murray, the contract and the draft capital stockpile, and it’s certainly possible to conclude the Cardinals would be better off hitting the reset button and moving on from Murray to another option.

Could the Cardinals move on from Murray?

Murray’s contract is not impossible to escape, but it is expensive and complicated. Let’s operate from the premise that the Cardinals won’t be able to do anything about him this season, since we still don’t know if or when he’ll play. Instead, let’s jump ahead to the offseason, when things could get moving.

Murray is scheduled to earn a $37 million base salary in 2024, of which $35.3 million is fully guaranteed. (He also has $850,000 in per-game roster bonuses, a $1 million workout bonus and up to $1.5 million in possible incentives, but let’s stick to the really big numbers that matter.)

In 2025, he is scheduled to earn $18 million in salary plus an $11.9 million roster bonus. If he is still on the Cardinals’ roster on the fifth day of the 2024 league year, that $29.9 million in 2025 money becomes fully guaranteed. So March 18, 2024, is a pretty important pivot point for all of this. If the Cardinals don’t want to be stuck with $29.9 million in 2025 guaranteed money for Murray, they would need to cut or trade him by then.

If they were to cut him and designate him as a post-June 1 release, their 2024 cap hit for him would be $48.3 million, and for 2025 would be $33.2 million. Pretty big numbers, even in an era in which the salary cap is climbing ever upward and teams are far more comfortable with dead money.

The other (cheaper) option would be to trade Murray, which would result in a $46.2 million dead-money charge on their 2024 cap but leave them free and clear after that (and also save them $35.3 million in 2024 cash, which in many cases matters more to teams than cap charges).

The trick would be finding a team willing to take on the $35.3 million in guaranteed money for 2024, and that’s where the decision on whether and when to bring him back from his injury gets interesting. I talked to several NFL front office people about the situation, and the vast majority of them said it would be difficult to imagine a team giving the Cardinals something of value for Murray if they didn’t know for a fact he was healthy, and that the only way to know for sure about his health would be to see him play at least a few games this season. So if the Cardinals are thinking about trading Murray, it would make sense to get him on the field at some point.

The problem with that? Putting him on the field also means risking he gets hurt again. And if that were to happen, they would be in a tough spot. That’s because $18 million of Murray’s 2025 compensation is guaranteed against injury, as is $22.835 million of his 2026 compensation. In other words, if Murray were to play this season and suffer a career-ending injury, the Cardinals could be on the hook for $76.135 million over the next three seasons for a player they can’t use.

So … if the Cardinals have decided they want to go in a different direction at quarterback, the key question will be whether to return Murray to the field once he’s healthy or sit him all season. The former choice could help their efforts to trade him if he plays, stays healthy and looks good. The latter would protect them against significant future financial risk but also potentially make him more difficult to trade.

Whatever the Cardinals decide, Murray is going to be expensive for them next year and possibly in 2025. But if they decide they want a different quarterback, trading him by March 18 next spring is the most fiscally prudent way to go.

(Something else worth noting: It’s also possible any acquiring team could look to rework Murray’s deal as a condition of the trade. Aaron Rodgers set a potential precedent for this when he accepted a significant pay cut after the Jets acquired him from the Packers this past spring. That’s a difficult thing for the Cardinals to count on when making their plans, however.)

Would the Cardinals move on from Murray?

Based on my conversations with various sources about this situation, I do not believe the Cardinals have decided what they will do with Murray after this season. And that’s obviously understandable. He’s still not healthy enough to play, they don’t know when he will be, and it’s too early in the season to know what their other options are for 2024 and beyond.

For his part, Murray has been attending meetings and practices, working out and rehabbing his knee on side fields while the team goes through practice. A few weeks ago, he posted a TikTok video of himself working out and said he was “itching to get back.” The post ended with the word “soon.”

The outside speculation — the word I get when talking to agents and executives from other teams — is that the Cardinals likely will move on after this season. Again, that’s speculation. But there are common-sense reasons to speculate that way.

The Cardinals’ impressive early-season competitiveness notwithstanding, they are off to a 1-3 start and have a roster that appears to need help in many areas. The two first-round draft picks should enable them to move up in the draft if they need to do so in order to get a guy they like, be it Williams, Maye or some other first-round QB prospect. Trading Murray would presumably land them other valuable picks that would help in that effort, as well as the larger effort to rebuild around whomever they have at QB. If they decide to move on from him, they’ll likely be in a position to convince themselves they have a strong alternative.

They’re also likely to have numerous potential trade partners, especially if Murray comes back and plays well in the latter part of this season. A partial list of teams that could conceivably be looking for new quarterbacks for one reason or another next offseason includes the Patriots, Jets, Titans, Raiders, Broncos, Commanders, Cowboys, Bears, Lions, Vikings, Buccaneers and Falcons. And teams will slide on and off that list as the season progresses and circumstances change.

The contract, for the acquiring team, would not be overly expensive for a healthy starting quarterback in this market. If the Cards could get a few teams interested and improve their return in a potential trade, that might make the decision to move on from Murray even easier.

There’s a long way to go in this whole saga, but Arizona’s looming decision on Murray will be a massive one for the future of its franchise — and potentially other franchises, as well. It’ll be fun to see Murray back on the field whenever that happens. But even if that happens this season, it would not be the end of the story.

“Numerous potential trade partners”?  $35.3 million guaranteed in 2024?

Would there be a market for him if he was on the street?  Sure.  But do teams want to acquire that contract for this player and his particular and unusual skill set?

Then again, we didn’t think there would be a market for QB DESHAUN WATSON.

LOS ANGELES RAMS

We know this is good for the Rams – but selfishly we wonder what the return of WR COOPER KUPP will mean for rookie sensation WR PUKA NACUA.  Diana Russini and Jake Ciely of The Athletic:

Los Angeles Rams wide receiver Cooper Kupp is expected to play Sunday against the Philadelphia Eagles barring any setbacks, according to team sources. Here’s what you need to know:

While the Rams are being cautious about keeping him on a count at practice, Kupp looks “sharp.” He’s felt good enough to extend for the football, even making a one-handed grab, per sources.

Kupp, 30, has started the season on injured reserve with a hamstring injury.

Los Angeles designated Kupp to return to practice Wednesday, and league sources said at the time that he was pushing to play Sunday.

Should fantasy owners start Kupp?

Even at 50 percent of the snaps, you’re starting Kupp everywhere. Put him in all lineups as a WR1 play. As for Puka Nacua, this isn’t the end. He’s still a top 20 receiver and near must-start, as we see plenty of teams with two top 20 options (Philadelphia Eagles, Cincinnati Bengals, Miami Dolphins, etc.).

The Rams are one of the highest-paced teams with one of the highest pass rates. Don’t worry about it either … but Tutu Atwell and Tyler Higbee are back to being risky. — Jake Ciely, senior fantasy writer

Backstory

Kupp has been dealing with hamstring issues since the summer, missing most of training camp. He saw a specialist in Minnesota to get more clarity on the issue, which flared up again after he participated in joint practices in Denver in mid-August.

When asked Wednesday how much Kupp’s own opinion and desire to play could factor into his return, coach Sean McVay said, “100 percent. It’s our dialogue.”

“I trust the way that he knows how to feel,” McVay added. “So, he’s practicing next week. We’re gonna see how he feels. Obviously, there are opinions that really matter. But he’s the one that matters the most, to me, because I know he knows his body.

“We’re not going to do anything that’s reckless. But I also have enough trust and confidence in our relationship, knowing how intentional he is about educating himself (and) using the information at his disposal. … If he feels good enough, and the situation (is) in alignment where we’re ready, we’re gonna get Cooper back and ready to compete for us.”

Last season, Kupp caught 75 passes for 812 yards and six touchdowns in nine games.

In his absence, Nacua has emerged as Los Angeles’ lead option, hauling in a league-high 39 passes for 501 yards in four games this year.

DENVER

The Broncos are bullish on RB JALEEL McLAUGHLIN.  Nick Kosmider of The Athletic:

The path to extra yardage appeared to be closed to Denver Broncos running back Jaleel McLaughlin during his two biggest plays of Sunday’s victory against the Chicago Bears.

Until it wasn’t.

The first example came on a first-quarter screen pass the rookie caught from Russell Wilson as the Broncos drove into the red zone. It was a well-designed play on third-and-7 that gave the Broncos a good shot at a first down, three defenders appeared in front of McLaughlin ahead of the marker, seemingly walling off the lane ahead. In a blink, McLaughlin planted his right foot like a point guard deploying a crossover, cut sharply between the Chicago players and blurred into the end zone for an 18-yard touchdown.

Fast forward to the third quarter, the Broncos trailing, 28-7, and in serious need of a spark. On first-and-10 from the Broncos’ 43-yard line, Wilson handed off to McLaughlin on a stretch play to the right side. With good blocking ahead of him, McLaughlin coasted untouched to the 45. He was greeted there by three defenders in position to shed their blocks and make the tackle. Once again, McLaughlin planted with his right foot, zoomed back inside and squeezed through the impossibly small crease in front of him. By the time he was done running through the daylight that had cleared, McLaughlin had gained 31 yards, the biggest play of the undrafted running back’s young career.

It was as if McLaughlin had scrunched his diminutive 5-foot-7, 187-pound frame until he momentarily disappeared.

“He teleports,” Broncos running backs coach Lou Ayeni said with a laugh Thursday. “He’s just got a knack and some guys have it. He’s just got an innate ability to run the ball.”

In featuring McLaughlin prominently Sunday for the first time — a decision at least partly necessitated by an injury to starter Javonte Williams — the Broncos unveiled an explosive element in the run game. It’s a dynamic that could help an already improving offense reach another level heading into a Week 5 matchup with a stout New York Jets defense. The Broncos got the ball to McLaughlin in numerous ways — outside toss, traps, stretch handoffs, screen passes — but the common thread was an ability to put the electric rookie in space on the edge of the field and let his instincts and quick-cut ability take over.

“Sometimes we’ll toss a play that we could hand off and there’s other plays where we’ll toss a play that has to be tossed, where we’re going around the defense,” Broncos head coach Sean Payton said. “It does move people and sometimes we want that relative to a cut or cutback. He’s handled the workload each week when he’s been in. I’m proud of how he’s playing and he’s one of those guys who is constantly eager to learn.”

The toss play has been a particularly effective weapon when McLaughlin has been in the backfield. His first NFL carry, in Week 2 against the Washington Commanders, came as he took a pitch to the left from Wilson on Denver’s opening drive and zoomed through the massive hole his blockers created. The Broncos this season have occasionally utilized the toss even on inside runs, a wrinkle popularized in recent seasons by Miami Dolphins head coach and former San Francisco 49ers offensive coordinator Mike McDaniel.

“Certainly, it stretches the defense and causes a lot of big people to run a lot further than what they’re usually supposed to do,” Broncos right tackle Mike McGlinchey, who played for McDaniel in San Francisco, said of the impact the toss play can have for Denver’s offense. “So it creates seams when you’re targeted the right way. When you have a back or backs like we do who are capable of moving well in space, it makes those things successful.”

The execution on outside runs, combined with McLaughlin’s second-level playmaking, helped the Broncos author their most efficient performance of the season against the Bears. Denver had a season-best 50 percent rush success rate, according to TruMedia, a measure of snap-by-snap efficiency. It averaged 5.1 yards per carry and McLaughlin averaged 10.3 yards on his seven carries. Notably, the Broncos stuck to the run even after falling into a three-touchdown deficit.

The challenge now is to build off what they showed against the Bears and do it against a Jets defense that ranks second in the NFL in defensive rush EPA.

LAS VEGAS

EDGE CHANDLER JONES is on the Non-Football Injury list and this report from Tashan Reed of The Athletic reveals some of the reasons why he has been placed there.

Former Las Vegas Raiders defensive end Chandler Jones’ arrest in Las Vegas on Sept. 29 came as a result of an alleged violation of a protection order that was granted to an unnamed woman after an incident that occurred on Sept. 12, according to police documents obtained by The Athletic on Thursday.

The protection order Jones is accused of violating was granted after officers responded to a report from a woman alleging she was a victim of domestic battery and that Jones, who she identified as her ex-boyfriend, was the offender, according to the report.

The woman said that Jones knocked on her door with a flashlight and no shoes on. She said he’d moved out of the residence in March, but she thought he was returning a vehicle he’d borrowed from her and opened her garage door. Jones opened the back door using a keypad while saying he was getting his shoes. When he went upstairs and tried to go into her room, she went to stop him and he shoved her into a railing, per the report.

She told police Jones was “rambling incoherently,” the report says, and she believed he was on drugs. He went downstairs and took his dog before leaving. When paramedics arrived, the woman refused care and said she was uninjured, but did report the domestic violence. The report states that there are phone recordings and surveillance videos.

Later that day, police contacted Jones and said that he denied the battery had occurred.

The protective order was valid from Sept. 14 through Dec. 13, according to the police report.

According to a second police report, on Sept. 28, officers were called to respond to a family disturbance. The caller said she had an active protection order against Jones, and he was currently inside her backyard and in violation of the order.

By the time officers arrived, the man she identified as Jones was gone. The protection order had been served to Jones earlier that day, and in response, he began to send the victim messages on Snapchat. Later that day, she saw on her home security footage that Jones was at her home, and that he went into the backyard and took items before leaving, according to the report.

Afterward, she said she received videos of Jones via Snapchat showing him burning the items. When officers were able to locate Jones, they arrested him and charged him with two counts of violating a temporary protection order for domestic violence. A court date has been set for Dec. 4.

An attempt to obtain police reports from both incidents was initially denied due to an injunction placed on the records after Jones filed a lawsuit based on privacy issues. The Athletic received the reports early in the evening Thursday.

The Raiders released Jones after his Sept. 29 arrest, which was the latest in a series of incidents that occurred in September involving the four-time Pro Bowler.

Earlier in September, he wrote in a social media post that he was recently hospitalized “against my will” by the Las Vegas Fire Department and later taken to a behavioral health center. Jones shared photos of what appeared to be journal entries and a patient bill of rights for a mental health facility. Jones went live on X, formerly known as Twitter, last week and made unsupported allegations about members of the Raiders organization during a 25-minute-long monologue.

Las Vegas placed Jones on the non-football illness list on Sept. 20 after he had already been away from the team for multiple weeks. He missed the team’s final training camp practice on Aug. 31 and, on Sept. 5, he accused the Raiders on Instagram of barring him from team headquarters, stating, among other things, he no longer wanted to play for Las Vegas and had an issue with coach Josh McDaniels and general manager Dave Ziegler. Jones said in a social media post the Raiders sent a crisis response team and police officers to his home in Las Vegas.

He also posted that representatives from the NFLPA had attempted to contact him. Jones has said multiple times he wants to play football but hasn’t been allowed to. Previously, he accused Raiders owner Mark Davis of having a “secret” that would reveal why Jones has been away from the team.

In a statement last week, the NFL said, “We have been closely monitoring the matter and have been in constant communication with the Raiders.”

Shortly after, the Raiders issued their own statement, their first time doing so since Jones’ time away from the team began.

“The Raiders are hopeful that Chandler Jones receives the care that he needs,” the statement read. “He, his family, and all those involved are in our thoughts. As this is now a legal matter, we will not be providing further comment.”

PITTSBURGH

The DB is not sure why what OC Matt Canada may or may not have said is so controversial.  Actually, no team is “built” to come from behind, or they shouldn’t be.

Steelers offensive coordinator Matt Canada expressed frustration Thursday with the CBS broadcast commentary from Sunday’s loss to the Texans, saying his words from a pregame conversation were “misconstrued.”

“One thing Matt Canada told us himself yesterday at their hotel: They’re not quite built to come back from big leads,” commentator Spero Dedes said during the broadcast when the Steelers trailed 13-0 in the second quarter. “And so the way they start games [is] so critical [with a] young quarterback.”

Canada, though, asserted that Dedes took his words out of context and said he was talking specifically about the offensive differences in the loss to the San Francisco 49ers and the win against the Las Vegas Raiders.

“The conversation was why we ran more runs and play-action against the Raiders versus the opening game,” Canada told reporters. “And why was that? As you look at a stat sheet, did it look that way? … You’re not going to stick to your running plan and the plan of running play-action when you’re down three scores. All we care about here is winning. So the conversation was, at that point, the plan wasn’t built to do that. Obviously, I believe we were going to win until the end. I kept throwing it to the point of our lineman had to do what, 46 dropbacks? Kenny [Pickett] had to do that. At no point was that conversation meant in that regard.”

Canada continued: “I certainly believe he knew that. And obviously it was taken wrong, if not. But of all the things we want to talk about and say, at no point do I doubt our players doubt where we are, doubt we can come back. No doubts. I was literally saying any football person would tell you you’re down three scores with, what’s that, 18 minutes to go, you got to start going faster. You got to start being in a two-minute mode. You have to score more points. That’s how that came out, and certainly everybody on the offense is well aware of that.”

The Steelers (2-2) have trailed in every game this season, but in the win against the Raiders, they trailed only for about a minute of the first quarter. In that victory, Pickett completed 6 of 8 play-action passes for 61 yards and a touchdown. Against the 49ers, Pickett attempted fewer than half the number of play-action passes, going 3-for-3. He attempted five play-action passes in a tight game against the Cleveland Browns, and in the loss to the Texans, Pickett went 3-for-4 for 8 yards on play-action, used on just 18.5% of his dropbacks.

“I just gave you exactly how the conversation went,” Canada said, “why didn’t we run the ball statistically more in the opener, compared to the stats against the Raiders, play-action and running. Those situations are more of a conversation I would certainly believe. I don’t think he was trying to take me off the record, just maybe it came out differently. I don’t know. I can’t respond to that for him. And I’m not trying to start anything with that. I’m just saying that’s exactly how it happened.”

Canada was also unequivocal in saying he believes in his team.

“I firmly believe we’re built to come from behind,” Canada said. “I firmly believe with 3 minutes still in the third quarter, we were still going to win the game.

“This is obviously talking all the way back to the opener. Again, we didn’t score enough points. We didn’t win the game. That’s the bottom line. But that was all that was said. I mean, I’ve stood up here for every time and said whatever it is, I’m not placing any blame anywhere but me. But I’ve said every time I believe 1000% in our players and our coaches.”

On Wednesday, Pickett was also asked about Dedes’ remark on Canada’s assessment of the offense. He, too, delivered a message similar to Canada’s.

“We got to be designed to put points up and win games, that’s kind of what I care about,” Pickett said. “I don’t care if we’re behind or we’re ahead or whatever the situation may be. It’s our job to put, you know, more points on the board than the other team does. So that’s what our goal and design needs to be.

“I think any game we’re in, we have a chance to win no matter what.”

JACKSONVILLE

Zac Kiefer of The Athletic on the growth of QB TREVOR LAWRENCE (story picked up in progress):

At that point, Tennessee led the division by three games. Five weeks remained.

“This isn’t over,” Lawrence told his teammates. “They’ve gotta play us twice. And we’ve gotta win every game we have left.”

That’s what they did. They won five in a row, beating the Titans twice, including in a winner-take-all Week 18 tilt that decided the division title.

Then, 19 minutes into their playoff opener against the Chargers, the Jags looked up and the score was 27-0.

At halftime, it was 27-7. Four of Jacksonville’s first six possessions ended with an interception. In the locker room, Lawrence was despondent.

So Kirk lightened the mood.

“Well, that’s officially the worst half of football you can possibly play,” the wideout said. “If you throw four more picks, we’re in the exact same spot.”

Lawrence shrugged, his eyes down, his frustration simmering.

“Might as well just rip it at this point,” Kirk told him.

Lawrence nodded. Then he relaxed. Then he heated up. The Jags scored every time they touched the ball in the second half.

“Honestly, if we let doubt creep in during those moments, why are we even out here?” Etienne says, looking back on that night.

Scoring margin since Week 14, incl. playoffs

1     San Francisco 49ers                  149

2      Buffalo Bills                               115

3-T   Kansas City Chiefs                   101

3-T   Philadelphia Eagles                  101

5   Dallas Cowboys                             91

6   Jacksonville Jaguars                     60

The Jags’ sideline knew it was over after Lawrence drilled Jones for a 39-yard touchdown late in the third quarter. Before the snap, the QB audibled, barking new instructions to his teammates from the line of scrimmage. Then he held the deep safety with his eyes, just long enough so Jones could find a sliver of space up the seam. The throw was perfect.

The score made it 30-21, but the Jags could feel it. Etienne jogged off the field with a grin on his face. This was the Lawrence he knew from Clemson.

“Dude’s on fire,” the running back told himself. “They can’t stop him.”

The sideline stayed silent. Confidence oozed. Kirk caught the final touchdown. The Jags won, 31-30.

“We all just knew, man, strange as that sounds,” Etienne says. “There was nothing he needed to say. Trevor just had us.”

This year, in a word, is about ownership. Taylor is calling plays for the first time, but he wants his third-year quarterback to be the one dictating the offense, picking the spots where they want to attack, speaking up when he doesn’t like a call or a look or a check.

“You have the football, you make the decisions,” Taylor often tells him.

An example: If Taylor dials up a deep shot off play-action, he doesn’t want Lawrence married to it. “I don’t want him telling himself, ‘Oh, they called a shot, I gotta throw it down the field,’” the coach says. “I want him to remind himself that, hey, it’s a great thing to be in second and 2.”

It’s similar to Kirk’s challenge to him late last season: Stop doing what you think you should do and start doing what the team needs, whether people like it or not. The veteran receiver knows accountability with Lawrence will never be the issue. He finds himself laughing after practice sometimes, reliving an incompletion he knows was his fault, not the quarterback’s.

“Man, that’s my bad, that was a terrible ball,” Lawrence will tell him.

“Are you kidding me?” Kirk will reply. “I ran a shitty route. That ball was literally perfect.”

Taylor knows that while Lawrence’s words might change, his demeanor won’t. “I’ve never seen him yell at a teammate, ever,” the coach says. “The way he wins people over is how he treats them.”

“He’s one of those guys,” Pederson said of Lawrence during training camp, comparing him to the best he’s been around at this stage of his career. “He’s not demanding or pounding his fists on the table, nothing like that.”

That sentiment has spread throughout the locker room, and a roster beaten down by Meyer’s belittling in 2021 has been reinvigorated by Pederson’s belief and Lawrence’s leadership. The Jags are 2-2 after rolling the Falcons in London last Sunday, 23-7, but have a stern test awaiting them this week in their second consecutive game across the pond: Josh Allen and the Bills.

Win that one, and Jacksonville will be impossible to ignore in the conversation of AFC contenders.

“Last year taught us that no matter what happens, we can find a way to win the game,” Lawerence says. “We can beat whoever lines up across from us. We have that belief now. And I think that’s something you have to have to be a championship team.”

More than that, Lawrence believes, the league is taking notice. Jacksonville is becoming an NFL destination, a city free agents seek out. For years, even decades, that wasn’t the case.

“This is a place people wanna be,” the quarterback says proudly. “Guys have told me that. We’re building something special, and I can feel that. I don’t have any doubts about where we’re going.”

A half-hour after their season-opening win against the Colts, Engram is asked why he re-upped with the Jags in the offseason. His response illustrates so much of what’s changed.

“You know why? Because I’m having fun again,” Engram says. A former first-round pick of the Giants whose run soured in New York, Engram was a part of the Jags’ 2022 free-agent haul that helped transform the franchise’s fortunes.

“Honestly, I was losing that a little bit before I came here,” he adds. “This team helped me find it.”

Then Engram shifts his gaze toward the corner of the locker room, where his quarterback is quietly slipping off his shoulder pads. The game felt like a continuation of the Jags’ 2022 season: trailing by four entering the final quarter, they scored the game’s last 14 points to win going away.

Engram singles out a 26-yard grab he caught amid the comeback.

“That dude right there, he’s a gamer,” he says, staring at Lawrence. “Confident. Humble. Accountable. That go-ball he threw me, we didn’t even run that play in practice this week. Not once. And in the game, in a big moment, he just let it rip.

“Now that’s why I’m here, to play with a guy like that.”

BUFFALO

What kind of pass rush will the Bills have for the Jaguars on Sunday in London?  Josh Alper of ProFootballTalk.com:

The Bills have made a call about the status of one edge rusher for Sunday’s game against the Jaguars, but it’s not Von Miller.

Head coach Sean McDermott said in a Friday morning press conference that Greg Rousseau has been ruled out for their game in London. Rousseau has not practiced this week because of a foot injury.

Rousseau had two sacks against the Dolphins in last Sunday’s win and he has nine tackles, three sacks and a forced fumble on the year.

McDermott said that Miller’s second practice of the week was better than his first, but the team has not decided yet whether to activate him from the PUP list to play this weekend. He added that missing Rousseau will not impact the call about whether or not to put Miller on the field.

NEW YORK JETS

And here we are – OC Nathaniel Hackett has a chance to make Broncos coach Sean Payton eat his words.  Can he beat Payton with the disparaged QB ZACH WILSON?

Rich Cimini of ESPN.com finds support for the OC in the locker room:

Trashed two months ago by Denver Broncos coach Sean Payton, New York Jets offensive coordinator Nathaniel Hackett finally gets his chance for revenge on Sunday. If you believe Hackett, it’s not even on his mind.

A tight-lipped Hackett downplayed the long-anticipated showdown, choosing Thursday to give only cursory responses to questions about Payton and his return trip to Denver.

The feeling among Hackett’s players is different. Center Connor McGovern believes Hackett was unfairly criticized by Payton, who told USA Today in late July that Hackett’s 15-game tenure last season was “one of the worst coaching jobs in the history of the NFL.” McGovern said they’d love for Hackett to get “payback” at Empower Field, where the two 1-3 teams meet.

“He got thrown under the bus — and then they tried to drag him under the bus,” McGovern told ESPN. “We wanted to rally around him from the start. He’s such a good guy. I don’t know how you want to say this — the opportunity he has — but we want to make the most of him being our playcaller.

“He’s a phenomenal coach, crazy smart, and he makes meetings really fun and easy to learn. So, he’s definitely a guy that you want to play hard for. Then to go to a place that was dogging a guy that’s so nice and so good at his job, and for him to get thrown under the bus and dragged through the mud, you definitely want to play that much harder.”

Hackett didn’t make it through one full season with the Broncos, who fired him with a 4-11 record. They finished last in scoring, as quarterback Russell Wilson produced a career-low QBR (38.8). Payton said there were “20 dirty hands” around Wilson, suggesting Hackett and his staff were responsible for his drop-off. Payton also was critical of Hackett’s coaching during his one season as a Fox Sports analyst.

McGovern said Hackett hasn’t mentioned the situation to players this week, which Hackett confirmed.

“That’s not the type of guy he is,” said McGovern, who played with the Broncos from 2016 to 2019. “He has put his head down to grind. He doesn’t let stuff affect him. But that organization did him dirty, and we definitely want to allow him to get some payback.”

Jets tackle Alijah Vera-Tucker said, “We rally behind Hack, regardless. I think this week there may be a little bigger chip on some of the guys’ shoulders just because the comments that were made before.”

Hackett had no interest in discussing Payton, who later admitted it was a “mistake” to call him out the way he did. Hackett said he hasn’t received an apology from Payton.

“Let’s put it this way, everyone,” Hackett told reporters. “This game is about those guys out on that field. This game is not about me, it’s about me helping them during the week. I just want the guys to go out there and play a great game.”

Hackett said there are “some people in that organization that I really care about a lot,” but he didn’t go much further than that, except to say he grew as a coach and a playcaller during his time in Denver.

The game would have more juice if quarterback Aaron Rodgers were healthy. It was Rodgers, in the wake of Payton’s comments, who rushed to Hackett’s defense. In training camp, Rodgers said the criticism was “way out of line, inappropriate, and I think he needs to keep my coaches’ names out of his mouth.”

Rodgers, three weeks removed from Achilles surgery, won’t be at the game. Zach Wilson, coming off the best game of his career, will start for the third straight week.

THIS AND THAT

DICK BUTKUS

ESPN.com on the passing of Dick Butkus:

Dick Butkus, arguably the fiercest Monster of the Midway, has died at age 80, the Chicago Bears announced Thursday.

Butkus became a Bears legend and Pro Football Hall of Famer in his nine-year career, which started in 1965. The middle linebacker was a vicious tackler whose intimidating presence put some players on their heels before the ball was even snapped.

In a statement released through the Bears, Butkus’ family said he “died peacefully in his sleep overnight” at his home in Malibu, California.

“Dick was the ultimate Bear, and one of the greatest players in NFL history,” team chairman George McCaskey said in a statement. “He was Chicago’s son. He exuded what our great city is about and, not coincidentally, what George Halas looks for in a player: toughness, smarts, instincts, passion and leadership.

“He refused to accept anything less than the best from himself, or from his teammates. … His contributions to the game he loved will live forever and we are grateful he was able to be at our home opener this year to be celebrated one last time by his many fans.”

The Bears took on the Commanders on Thursday night in Landover, Maryland, and a moment of silence for Butkus was held before kickoff.

Hall of Fame defensive end Deacon Jones once called Butkus a “maniac” and “well-conditioned animal.” Butkus appeared to want to send a message with every tackle.

“I want to just let ’em know that they’ve been hit, and when they get up, they don’t have to look to see who it was that hit ’em,” Butkus once told NFL Films. “It shouldn’t be any puzzle. When they come to, they got to say, ‘It must’ve been Butkus that got me.'”

In a game against the rival Green Bay Packers during the 1970 season, Butkus and teammate Willie Holman hit quarterback Bart Starr so hard Starr lost his helmet and began walking toward the wrong bench.

Said the Chicago Tribune: “[Starr] looked like Oscar Bonavena after Cassius Clay [Muhammad Ali] had finished with him.”

He made the Pro Bowl in eight of his nine seasons, but a chronic knee injury abruptly ended his career in 1974 at age 31.

“Dick Butkus was a fierce and passionate competitor who helped define the linebacker position as one of the NFL’s all-time greats,” NFL commissioner Roger Goodell said in a statement Thursday. “Dick’s intuition, toughness and athleticism made him the model linebacker whose name will forever be linked to the position and the Chicago Bears.

“… We send our deepest condolences to the Butkus family, the Bears organization and the many fans and people he impacted throughout his life.”

Butkus finished his career with 1,020 tackles and 22 interceptions. He was named first team All-Pro five times, won the George Halas Award in 1974 and was elected to the Pro Football Hall of Fame in his first year of eligibility in 1979.

He also was named to the NFL’s all-decade teams in the 1960s and 1970s and is a member of the league’s 75th and 100th anniversary all-time teams.

Butkus spent his entire football career in Illinois. Born on Dec. 9, 1942, as the youngest of eight children, he grew up on the city’s South Side as a fan of the Chicago Cardinals, the Bears’ crosstown rivals. He played high school football for Chicago Vocational High School, earning a high school player of the year award as a junior.

He went on to compete in college at Illinois, where he played both center and linebacker. He helped the Fighting Illini to an 8-1-1 record and Rose Bowl victory in 1963. In his senior season, he made the All-America team and finished third in Heisman Trophy voting.

That led to Butkus being selected by the Bears with the third overall pick in the 1965 NFL draft. He had to fill the big shoes of Hall of Fame linebacker Bill George, but Butkus quickly showed he was up to the task. He set career highs with five interceptions and seven fumble recoveries during his rookie season.

Butkus would hit runners high, wrap them up and drive them to the ground like a rag doll. Sports Illustrated once called him “The Most Feared Man in the Game.”

When the Detroit Lions unveiled an I-formation against the Bears at old Tigers Stadium, Butkus knocked every member of the “I” — the center, quarterback, fullback and halfback — out of the game.

Said teammate Ed O’Bradovich: “Just to hit people wasn’t good enough. He loved to crush people.”

“I wouldn’t ever go out to hurt anybody deliberately,” Butkus once replied tongue-in-cheek when asked about his on-field reputation. “Unless it was, you know, important… like a league game or something.”

Butkus played for only two winning teams with the Bears, however, and never made the playoffs. He came on during the end of the George Halas era, just missing the 1963 championship season. In his final season, the Bears went 3-11.

After he retired, Butkus sued the Bears for $1.6 million, contending he was provided inadequate medical care and owed the four years of salary remaining on his contract. The lawsuit was settled for $600,000, but Butkus and Halas didn’t speak for five years.

That divide healed, however, and he became a staunch public supporter of the franchise. A year ago, he even took over the team’s social media account for an evening, thrilling fans.

Through the Butkus Foundation, he helped establish a program at a Southern California hospital to encourage early screenings to detect heart disease. He promoted a campaign to encourage high school athletes to train and eat well and avoid performance-enhancing drugs.

The foundation oversees the Butkus Award, established in 1985 to honor college football’s best linebacker. It was expanded in 2008 to include pros and high school players.

“Dick had a gruff manner, and maybe that kept some people from approaching him, but he actually had a soft touch,” McCaskey, who is Halas’ grandson, said in his statement. “His legacy and philanthropy included a mission of ridding performance enhancing drugs from sports and promoting heart health.”

Many people knew Butkus more for his appearances in films — such as “Brian’s Song” in 1971 and “The Longest Yard” in 1974 — and on television (“My Two Dads” and “Hang Time”) after his playing days. He became a well-known pitchman in commercials. His Miller Lite commercials with Bubba Smith, in which they played off their menacing reputations, were especially well-known.

Butkus also was a sports broadcaster, even serving as a color analyst on Bears games.

The Pro Football Hall of Fame lowered its flags to half-staff in Butkus’ honor.

“Playing in an era when middle linebacker became one of the game’s glamour positions — and several of Dick’s contemporaries also would end up in the Pro Football Hall of Fame — his name most often was cited first as the epitome of what it took to excel at the highest level,” Hall of Fame president Jim Porter said in a statement.

Butkus is survived by his wife, Helen, and children Ricky, Matt and Nikki. Nephew Luke Butkus has coached in college and the NFL, including time with the Bears.