Peter King on the TV considerations that are promoting the game being played in Kansas City tonight and other Covid thoughts:

Why rush the Patriots-Chiefs game to tonight and have the league override its rule about not traveling on the day of a game? Three reasons. The league didn’t want to saddle Kansas City with a Tuesday-Sunday-Thursday (at Buffalo) stretch of three games in 10 days. (With the third game butting ratings heads with the second Trump-Biden debate, if it happens.) KC would have been open to move the game to Friday, but FOX doesn’t pay $60 million per game to play a sexy game (KC-Buffalo) on a bad night for prime time, Friday. And it fits New England better too. The Patriots wouldn’t have wanted to get home at 4 a.m. Wednesday to prepare for a Sunday game with Denver, when the Broncos would have had nine days to prep after a Thursday game the previous week.

Kansas City certainly would have been okay with moving the Thursday-nighter to the FOX Sunday doubleheader window in Week 6. Two problems: No team wants to add an extra short-week Thursday-night game, and every team has one already. And two, the FOX doubleheader game that week is Aaron Rodgers at Tom Brady. End of discussion.

And this:

I’ll tell you why the NFL hopes it doesn’t have to add a Week 18 and 19. If I had a dime for everyone who’s emailed or tweeted me with the why-not-just-push-postponed-games-to-January idea, well, I’d have about $3.10. The short answer is it might happen. The smart answer is this: There’s no good reason to decide that until you have to. And the NFL wants to avoid it if at all possible—and not just because it would push the Super Bowl back a week or two. (In February, Tampa, the Super site, is open. Wide open.)

Let’s say you have five or six games to make up at the end of the season. Say three teams have to make up two games each, and the NFL adds a Week 18 (Jan. 10) and Week 19 (Jan. 17), to ensure each team plays a 16-game regular season. That could mean the top seeds in each conference would play their final regular-season games on Jan. 3, and their divisional playoff game on Jan. 30 or 31. How fair would it be for the team that earned the bye to sit for a month before playing a playoff game? To me, it’s far better for two or three teams to play 14 or 15 games than to put your highest-achieving teams at the disadvantage of sitting for a month, then playing its most important game of the year.

But the overriding point is there might be three or four games with little meaning left to play at the end of the year. You just don’t know what you’ll face as this season runs on, so decide when you have to.

NFC NORTH

GREEN BAY

The Packers won’t let WR DAVANTE ADAMS play tonight per Davante Adams.  NFL.com:

Davante Adams won’t suit up for the Green Bay Packers against the Atlanta Falcons on Monday night.

The Pro Bowl receiver announced himself that he won’t play due to a nagging hamstring injury.

“Sorry fans and friends I won’t be on the field tonight,” Adams wrote on Twitter. “I’ve done everything I need to do and proved I’m ready but I guess I don’t know my body as well as others. Good luck out there my boys.” He later deleted the tweet.

Adams’ comment clearly underscores he’s unhappy with the team’s decision to hold him out another week. The star wideout missed last week’s win over the New Orleans Saints.

NFC EAST

The from Bill Barnwell of ESPN.com:

When the Eagles knocked away a Hail Mary attempt from third-string 49ers quarterback C.J. Beathard to hold on for a 25-20 victory in Santa Clara, California, on Sunday night, they did more than win a game. At 1-2-1, the Eagles are now in first place in the NFC East, a division in which four teams seem to be conspiring to lose football games. Philadelphia coach Doug Pederson’s decision in overtime of Week 3 to settle for a tie with the Bengals — who were the NFL’s worst team a year ago — helped push the Eagles into first place after four weeks.

The victory did more than help the Eagles, though; it saved the division from an ignominious fate. After four games, the NFC East is a combined 3-12-1. Since the AFL and NFL merged in 1970, there have been 344 divisional races. Philadelphia’s tie saved the 2020 edition of the NFC East from being the worst division in modern league history through four games.

Instead, this edition of the NFC East is merely the second-worst division of the past 50 years, coming in one-half game ahead of the 1984 AFC Central, which went a combined 3-13. Since the league went to its eight-division, 32-team format in 2002, no division had failed to combine for at least four wins across the first four weeks of the season before the Cowboys, Eagles, Giants and Washington joined up to be wasted by the rest of the league.

Even those small triumphs are embarrassing in their own way. Washington’s win came over the Eagles in Week 1 in the only case of NFC East-on-NFC East action this season. The Cowboys needed a miraculous comeback and a hypnotic onside kick to beat the Falcons in Week 2. The Eagles tied a team that had gone 3-23 in its past 26 games and then beat San Francisco, which is missing its starting quarterback and most of its defensive line.

This week’s games are:

EAGLES at Steelers

Rams at WASHINGTON

GIANTS at COWBOYS

So at least one win for the division.

DALLAS

The numbers are terrible for the Dallas D.  Albert Breer:

The Cowboys defense can be declared a disaster. Valiant comeback effort, but Dallas can’t play this way every week—they’ve allowed 39, 38 and 49 points over the last three weeks, and there’s very little fluky about it. They’ve allowed more than 500 yards three weeks in a row. They’ve allowed triple-digit passer ratings three weeks in a row. So the question is simple: What’s next? Mike Nolan’s a really great guy, and a good coach, but he hasn’t been a coordinator in six years and turns 61 years old in March. It’s hard to blame everything on Nolan—Leighton Vander Esch is hurt, Jaylon Smith hasn’t played great and Byron Jones did leave a hole at corner when he left in free agency—but the numbers are too much to ignore. If Mike McCarthy wants to make a change, he does have ex-Vikings defensive coordinator George Edwards on his staff. The head coach’s post-game comments (“Refuse to be a one-call defense, that’s not the path”) don’t seem to bode well for Nolan. And the thing is, it’d be pretty interesting to see where the team would go with even an average defense, because the offense, if it can get healthy on the line and get more consistent holding onto the ball, has a shot to be really good.

NEW YORK GIANTS

Bad blood between WR GOLDEN TATE and Rams CB JALEN RAMSEY.  NFL.com:

Rams cornerback Jalen Ramsey and Giants wide receiver Golden Tate sparked a heated altercation following Los Angeles’ 17-9 win over New York on Sunday.

The two approached one another near midfield after the game and exchanged blows before being separated by teammates.

Ramsey is the father of two of Tate’s nieces and the two have shared bad blood since Ramsey reportedly ended a long-term relationship with Tate’s sister during her pregnancy last year. Both players hail from Nashville.

Neither Ramsey nor Tate were made available to the media after the game. The league is set to review the scuffle, but as of now, no suspensions are anticipated, but fines could be coming, NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero reported.

They shared one memorable sequence within the Rams’ win, with the Pro Bowl corner slamming Tate to the ground after a short completion. Ramsey had five tackles, including one for a loss, to help lead a stellar defensive effort as the Giants were held to just three field goals. Tate recorded four catches for 20 yards.

Following the skirmish, Ramsey remained on the field for an extended period of time while on the phone and speaking to Rams personnel.

“We don’t want to have happen at the end of the game what happened,” Giants coach Joe Judge said afterward, per NJ.com. “That’s not the way we want to be as a team.”

PHILADELPHIA

Has a team ever won its first game of the season in Week 4 – and moved into sole possession of first place?  It happened Sunday.  Peter King:

The Eagles got their first win on Oct. 4, and they exit NFL Week 4 in sole possession of first place in the NFC East. Philly is 1-2-1 after the 25-20 upset in San Francisco, with Washington and Dallas 1-3 and the Giants 0-4. The once-mighty East is a combined 3-12-1 after a quarter of the season. The Eagles might be the favorite in the division. Dallas had the fluky win over Atlanta and is allowing 36.5 points a game. If Carson Wentz’s first step on the road to competence Sunday night is a sign of things to come, the Eagles could have a quarterback who’s good enough and a defense that can win against most offensive fronts. Imagine going 8-7-1, or maybe 7-8-1, winning the division, and playing a home wild-card game as the NFC’s four seed. Biggest problem there? The Eagles might have to host Tom Brady, Drew Brees or the fighting Garoppolos in the first playoff game.

The Eagles won despite this list of offensive line injuries compiled by King:

Since June 1, the Philadelphia Eagles have had:

• Three starting left tackles: Andre Dillard, Jason Peters and Jordan Mailata, who started his first NFL game Sunday night;

• Three left guards: Isaac Seumalo, Matt Pryor and Nate Herbig, who started his first NFL game at left guard Sunday night;

• One center: Jason Kelce, who has been in Philadelphia almost as long as the Liberty Bell;

• Four right guards: Brandon Brooks, Jason Peters, Nate Herbig and Matt Pryor, who started his first NFL game at right guard Sunday night;

• And two right tackles: Lane Johnson and Jack Driscoll, who started his first NFL game in Week 1 when Johnson was nicked.

The five Eagle starters Sunday night at the 49ers arrived in Philadelphia, from left to right, as the 233rd pick in the 2018 draft (Mailata), undrafted (Herbig), 191st pick in 2011 (Kelce), 206th pick in 2018 (Pryor), and fourth in 2013 (Johnson).

Dillard (biceps), Brooks (Achilles), Peters (toe) and Seumalo (knee) are on injured-reserve.

It’s NFL Week 4.

NFC SOUTH

ATLANTA

Hmmmmm.  Albert Breer:

In Atlanta, owner Arthur Blank has increased president Rich McKay’s influence over football ops. The former GM—he preceded Thomas Dimitroff in that role—was moved over from the football side when Dimitroff was hired in 2008.

– – –

Where does QB MATT RYAN stand in the NFL QB hierarchy in 2020?  Vaughn McClure of ESPN.com:

Whether the Atlanta Falcons’ Matt Ryan remains one of the NFL’s top quarterback depends on who you ask.

When 46 ESPN NFL experts predicted the Top 100 players coming into the season, they ranked Ryan 37th among all players and ninth among quarterbacks — although analyst Matt Bowen labeled Ryan overrated in relation to the list.

“Ryan is going to throw with volume in the Atlanta offense, which leads to productive numbers,” Bowen explained, “however, with declining arm strength and mobility, I think Ryan is ranked a little too high on this list.”

Ask coaches such as Pete Carroll of the Seahawks or Mike McCarthy of the Cowboys and they’ll tell you Ryan’s a top-tier talent, without question.

“I’m a fan of Matt’s,” McCarthy said. “I think anytime a quarterback has system changes and keeps playing at a high level speaks volumes. … He has the ability to make all the plays, make all the throws, and plays with great anticipation and ball placement. Obviously a veteran, established quarterback playing at a high level with excellent weapons.”

The creators of the Madden video game have mixed signals with Ryan’s overall rating at 87 — two points lower than last season — but his rank among quarterbacks is one spot higher at No. 7.

“I know what I’m capable of doing and what my ability is,” Ryan said. “… I think the longer I’ve played, the more I’ve learned that my Madden rating doesn’t really affect what I do on the field. That’s kind of how I sleep at night.”

Neither Ryan nor the Falcons should rest easy these days. They’re off to an 0-3 start heading into a Monday Night Football road matchup with Aaron Rodgers and the 3-0 Packers (8:50 p.m. ET, ESPN). The Packers are coached by Matt LaFleur, who was to be Ryan’s quarterbacks coach and is still Ryan’s friend. The hobbled Falcons, hit hard by the injury bug, are trying to avoid starting 0-4 for the first time since 1999 while attempting to save coach Dan Quinn’s job in the process.

This could be a pivotal juncture for 35-year-old Ryan. He certainly would silence doubters by rallying his team to an improbable road win at Lambeau Field and by pushing the Falcons back into the playoff picture over the coming weeks, particularly in a division that features all-time greats Tom Brady and Drew Brees. If the Falcons continue this free fall, questions will emerge about whether Ryan will ever win a title and help the Falcons get over that lingering hangover after Super Bowl LI, when they blew a 28-3 lead over the New England Patriots.

What’s happened since the Super Bowl

How soon folks forget Ryan was the league MVP in 2016, when he worked under then-offensive coordinator Kyle Shanahan and led the Falcons to a league-best 33.8 points per game. The road to the Super Bowl that season included a 392-yard, four-touchdown effort in which Ryan completed 71.1% of his passes in a 44-21 NFC championship victory over Rodgers and the Packers.

However, the Falcons are 24-27 since the Super Bowl run as Steve Sarkisian and Dirk Koetter succeeded Shanahan and had the unenviable task of trying to mirror Shanahan’s success and system. This is Ryan’s second year with Koetter and Koetter’s second stint with the Falcons, so most anticipated a smoother transition. Then again, that was the expectation for the Falcons as a whole after last year’s 6-2 finish after a 1-7 start.

Although defensive lapses, special-teams blunders and offensive inefficiency at inopportune times can all be blamed for this year’s failures, the Falcons aren’t pointing fingers. Ryan insisted the only way to move forward collectively was to look in the mirror, individually.

Sure, he entered Week 4 ranked highly in categories such as passing yards (ranks third with 961), first downs (fourth with 51) and passing touchdowns (tied for fifth with seven), but Ryan knows he has missed a few throws that could have changed the complexion of the first three games. He is 3-of-12 for 134 yards and one interception on throws of 25 or more air yards this season. (For comparison, Tom Brady is 10-of-16 for 361 yards with one TD and no picks on such throws through four games.) And Ryan was 3-of-11 for 31 yards with an interception — including seven consecutive incompletions — in the fourth quarter of last week’s 30-26 loss to the Bears.

“For me personally, it’s about giving our guys chances to make plays on balls,” Ryan said. “I think I’ve done it pretty good through the start, but it can always be better. That’s the thing I’m always striving for: to go through a game with excellent decision-making, making sure I’m going to the right spots with the ball, and ultimately giving our guys a chance. I think I can do that better for us as we move forward.”

No matter how outsiders critique his play, Ryan has full support from the organization.

“There’s always going to be people who take their shots and are critical because there isn’t a Super Bowl attached to him, as of yet,” Falcons general manager Thomas Dimitroff said. “Matt is a top-tier quarterback. We all know that. The [outside criticism] is unfortunate, but that’s not where he spends his time, worrying about how he’s rated. Nor do we.

“We believe that he can take us to a championship.”

Dissecting Ryan’s play

ESPN’s Dan Orlovsky was one of those analysts who left Ryan off his list of top 10 quarterbacks. It wasn’t out of disrespect for Ryan’s game, however.

Coming into the season, Orlovsky had serious concerns about how Ryan would perform behind what appeared to be a shaky offensive line. He also wondered what type of production Ryan would get from newcomer Hayden Hurst at tight end, and what type of assistance Ryan would receive from Todd Gurley and the running game.

Orlovsky never doubted Ryan’s ability.

“He’s still as good as there is in the NFL as just a natural thrower of the football,” Orlovsky said. “There are some guys that are up there that are very unnatural. I think he throws as wide receiver-friendly of a ball as we have in the NFL. … I would say he moves better in the pocket now than he did when he was young. I honestly believe that.

“Everything that you want your quarterback to do throwing-wise, he still does at a really, really big time, elite level.”

One AFC coach who has studied Ryan closely for years agreed about his ability to make all the throws. But that same coach pointed to one flaw: “He lacks deep ball strength if not thrown quickly and in rhythm.”

Ryan continues to search for ways to fine-tune his game. Falcons quarterbacks coach Greg Knapp said one of the primary areas of emphasis for Ryan entering the season was throwing deep crossing routes in a place where receivers such as Julio Jones and Calvin Ridley could catch them in stride and pick up more yards after the catch.

“We do so much play pass, the one thing he really wanted to improve upon is keeping those receivers from slowing down by hitting a certain marker on the field so they could get those extra yards,” Knapp said. “He really took it to heart, and I’ve seen it in practice. He’s been a lot more consistent getting that ball out in front.”

Knapp mentioned how Ryan has helped preserve his arm by limiting his pre-practice and pregame throws in warm-ups. Ryan instead goes through a routine he picked up on while working with former pitchers Tom House and Adam Dedeaux of 3DQB training in Los Angeles. It includes working with small weighted balls rather than throwing actual footballs and doing the now infamous “Dak Dance” during warm-ups.

“His routine to strengthen his shoulder and his torso without having to throw the ball a lot, no doubt in my mind it probably will help extend his career,” Knapp said. “I know, in a daily practice deal, he throws probably the least amount of throws I’ve had a quarterback make to warm up.”

Like Knapp, offensive coordinator Koetter sees a desire in Ryan to improve on the smallest details of his game. And yes, it irks Koetter when critics bash his quarterback, even if Koetter doesn’t want to admit it. He’s sees a player who was the second-fastest in NFL history to 50,000 passing yards. Ryan, with a 109-83 career record (4-6 in playoffs) currently sits ninth on the all-time passing list with 52,147 yards.

“My opinion is his numbers speak for themself,” Koetter said. “He’s been an MVP. He’s been in a Super Bowl. His numbers are pretty impressive.”

Koetter pointed to one throw from last season that showed why Ryan remains a top-tier quarterback. It was during the Falcons’ shocking 26-9 road win over the rival Saints when Ryan launched an 8-yard fastball to tight end Austin Hooper for a touchdown with two defenders hovering.

“He throws it the only place he could throw it to Hooper, who makes a really nice catch,” Koetter recalled. “Those are the kinds of throws in the red zone … that helped us get off to a good start. And that’s one of the plays that helped jump-start the second half of the year.”

Life after Ryan?

There were rumblings of an Aaron Rodgers/Jordan Love situation developing in Atlanta. The Packers shocked the NFL world by taking Love in the first round with Rodgers, 36, still playing at a high level.

Reports surfaced before the NFL draft about the Falcons and Dimitroff being interested in the top quarterback prospects. But nothing ever materialized in Atlanta in the end.

The Falcons, who selected cornerback A.J. Terrell with the No. 16 pick, met with top pick Joe Burrow (Bengals) and No. 5 pick Tua Tagovailoa (Dolphins) during the NFL combine. Those meetings raised questions within the organization about why those quarterback interviews were even necessary.

Dimitroff said it was due diligence, not disrespect toward Ryan.

“We were being mindful of making sure that we had our t’s crossed and our i’s dotted in regard to the next wave of quarterbacks — the next wave of top quarterbacks in this league,” Dimitroff said when asked about meeting with Burrow and Tua. “And we’ll continue to do that moving forward. We’ve always been mindful of it. But obviously, as times goes on, you have to be even that much more mindful.

“Again, we’re really happy with where Matt is. Matt takes care of his body so well. And we really believe that Matt is at the top of his game, and he’ll continue to be at the top of his game for a while. … That said, of course, we have to make sure that we are prepared for the future.”

Dimitroff said when drafting a top quarterback, the first eight to 10 years is focused on the evolution of that quarterback. The Falcons drafted Ryan at No. 3 in 2008, so he’s now in the midst of his 13th season. A look toward the future is inevitable at this point, although no one is sure who will be coaching the Falcons next season.

The only quarterback the Falcons have drafted since Ryan was Sean Renfree in the seventh round of 2013. They re-signed 2004 third-round draft pick, Matt Schaub, to be Ryan’s backup the past five seasons. They evaluated free-agent backup options during the offseason but decided to let youngsters Kurt Benkert and Danny Etling battle Schaub, with Benkert being able to stick on the practice squad.

Ryan has three years and $74.75 million remaining on a contract that runs through 2023. He is due to make $20.5 million this season, then will carry a cap number of $40,912,500 in 2021 after his contract was restructured to create cap space for this season.

Ryan told ESPN last year he thinks he can play into his 40s, following in the footsteps of Brady (43) and Brees (41). At the same time, he knows he can’t play forever.

When asked about the organization planning for the future at the position, Ryan shrugged it off.

“I mean, to be honest with you, I don’t worry about it too much,” he said. “My focus has always been on taking care of my business and doing the best that I can. I feel like I’m in a really good spot in my career. I feel like I’m playing at a high level. So, I worry about that. I worry about what I can control and taking care of my business.

“I haven’t had to deal with [the Rodgers-Love situation] yet in my career. Hopefully, I can continue to play at this level for a long time and be here for a long time, but no one knows what the future holds. So, I take it one year at a time and just do the best I can.”

CAROLINA

Carolina rising.  Peter King:

I think there’s a legit chance Carolina could be 4-2 in two weeks, with a games at Atlanta and home with Chicago coming up. I mean, with no Kuechly, no McCaffery, no Cam, no Olsen—this Matt Rhule can coach.

NEW ORLEANS

Albert Breer on the Saints’ scare in New Orleans:

The weirdest situation of all this weekend might’ve been what confronted the Saints.

Coming off consecutive losses for the first time since Weeks 1 and 2 of the 2017 season, New Orleans arrived in Detroit on Saturday afternoon facing a critical Sunday, at 1–2 and suddenly chasing Tom Brady and the Bucs in the NFC South, despite having beaten them in the season opener. And then, late into the night, news filtered through the team hotel that Burton’s last PCR test, taken Saturday morning in Louisiana, had returned positive.

Stressful? Probably, as long as you were awake for that.

“I woke up to a lot of text messages from people,” Emmanuel Sanders said, over his cell on the way to the airport after Sunday’s game. “The first couple things that I read was, ‘It’s canceled,’ and then they changed their mind as they went. Then I saw—I got the ESPN app on my phone—that it said the game was going to be played. So after I saw that, I was like, ‘What has occurred? What has occurred?’”

And for Sanders, there was another twist.

“Actually, I was sitting next to [Burton] yesterday at dinner, we were talking,” he said. “And so, when I first read that, I was like, ‘What the hell? I was just sitting next to this dude.’ But then when I saw it was a false positive, I was kind of excited about that, that I didn’t have anything to worry about.”

If it seems like Sanders did O.K. taking all this in stride—after sleeping through the initial news hit—it sure was reflected in his play. And eventually his whole team’s play, too.

Just as the Saints’ start at Ford Field illustrated a team a little discombobulated, their flourish thereafter showed one that was resilient, and determined to pull itself off the mat after prime-time losses to the Raiders and Packers. After falling behind 14 –0 in the game’s first five minutes, with Detroit touchdowns sandwiching a Drew Brees pick (intended for Sanders, no less), New Orleans shook off the cobwebs to rattle off 35 straight points.

They had to hang on at the end—they won 35–29—but they went to Detroit with a lot to prove. And given the circumstances, may have proven even more than that.

“I mean, we didn’t blink,” Sanders said. “Even when we were down 14, I knew we were going to be able to come back, because I know who’s at quarterback and I know what kind of players we’ve got. So we just took it one play at a time, drove down, cut the lead to seven. Then we got the ball back and were able to tie the game. Once we tied it up, I knew it was a wrap. I don’t really like how we finished, I felt like we could’ve kept our foot on their necks.

“But at the end of the day a win is a win. And it’s hard to win in this league. So we’ll add that to the win column and try to improve next week.”

So the first thing you take from this one, for the Saints, is what they went through to get that win.

From there, talking to Sanders, there were two other big points. One was the obvious—the team has heard its quarterback questioned plenty over the last few days. And this isn’t Sanders’s first rodeo with that sort of thing. He was in Denver down the stretch of Peyton Manning’s career, and remembers that, and this isn’t all that different.

“At the end of the day, it really doesn’t matter,” Sanders said. “And being in the National Football League so long, one thing I understand about this league is every week’s a wild week with the talk, with the fans, with the media. One week, they’re saying you’re the greatest thing since oxygen. Then you lose and they say you don’t have it no more. Then you come back and you throw for five touchdowns, and they say, ‘Oh, he’s still got it.’

“At the end of the day, that’s just how it is. The week is going to be like a rollercoaster. At the end of the year, we just want to be holding that Lombardi Trophy, we don’t really worry about the outside noise, that’s all we’re focused on.”

The second piece is just as interesting to me. The Saints have been without Michael Thomas since early in the Week 1 game against Tampa, leaving them a little out of sorts offensively. Sanders is new. Promising third-year man Tre’Quan Smith’s role has grown. And all that was an adjustment.

The hope is that, Sunday, a corner was turned. Sanders had six catches for 93 yards and told me he felt like Sean Payton was starting to scheme for him. “I could just feel that he was trying to get the ball in my hands, and that felt good,” he said. “The previous games, I can’t say that I felt that.” Smith scored twice on four catches (for 54 yards). And Brees, after his game-opening pick, went 19-of-24 for 246 yards and those two scores.

Now, the thought goes, Thomas should return to an offense with more balance around him.

“You’re talking about the best receiver in the world, in my opinion, getting him back,” Sanders said. “With me and Tre’Quan, getting our confidence up to be able to catch passes, I just feel like it’s going to make for an even more lethal offense.”

So maybe the Saints have finally found their stride in a most unusual way. Regardless, Sanders said the lesson from the scare overnight into game day was clear.

“Just seeing the reports that Cam has it and the Titans have it, all the shenanigans that’s going on, that’s enough reminder for me,” he said. “The goal is to try to get through a whole season. We all knew it was going to be challenging. Right now, we’re facing those challenges. Hopefully it gets better. I don’t know if it will. We’re going to take it one game by one game and see how it goes, see if we can grab the championship at the end of it.”

TAMPA BAY

Albert Breer on QB TOM BRADY’s big finish Sunday:

There’s very little question that Brady put a lot of folks on notice on Sunday.

Fourteen quarters of inconsistency and frustration to start the season were, at least for a day, washed away in an overwhelmingly dominant flourish from the 43-year-old. Brady completed 16 of his final 18 throws against the Chargers for 269 yards and four touchdowns. That, very quickly, turned a 24–7 deficit into a 38–31 win, and put Tampa all alone in first place in the NFC South, at 3–1.

“It just shows you a little bit about our team in general, offense and defense, and everybody, we put it together in that second half and showed everyone how good we can be and the potential that we have,” second-year receiver Scotty Miller told me Sunday night. “And then just as far as Tom goes, his fire and his willingness to compete means he doesn’t want to lose at anything he does, especially not a football game, and you really see that at halftime when you’re down 20-whatever, however much we were down.

“It’s really awesome to just follow his lead and try and make plays for him.”

Yes, for now, it’s just one half of football. But for Brady and Co., it felt like more than that—a culmination of the work they’ve put in since the spring, when they were holed up at local high school fields, and the ups-and-downs they went through over the season’s first three weeks.

NFC WEST

SAN FRANCISCO

Another costly defensive loss for the 49ers?  Nick Wagoner of ESPN.com

Of the many positions at which the San Francisco 49ers are dealing with injuries, perhaps none has been hit harder than defensive end. And, if the Niners’ fears are confirmed on Monday morning, they will have already lost one of the players brought in to replace their previously injured edge rushers.

Defensive end Ziggy Ansah was ruled out with an arm injury at halftime of the Niners’ 25-20 loss to the Philadelphia Eagles on Sunday night. The team’s early suspicion was that the injury was a torn biceps, which would require season-ending surgery.

“That’s what it sounded like,” coach Kyle Shanahan said. “Everything that I’ve heard in there sounds like that’s gonna happen. Pretty sure we’ll confirm that tomorrow but that’s what it sounded like.”

– – –

QB NICK MULLENS was not a good addition to one of the DB’s Fantasy teams.  Peter King on his Goat of the Week:

Nick Mullens, quarterback, San Francisco. It’s an unenviable spot, being a backup quarterback leading a banged-up team on prime-time television. For the majority of the game, Mullens was more than adequate in an offense that was heavily reliant on short passes and the running game. But his two fourth-quarter mistakes were glaring. First was a fumble that led to the Eagles’ go-ahead score. And Mullens followed up that mistake with the game-ender, an inexplicable throw straight into the arms of linebacker Alex Singleton, who took the easiest interception of his life right into the end zone. Mullens was yanked on the next drive in favor of C.J. Beathard.

LOS ANGELES RAMS

Praise for the new coordinators of the Rams.  Albert Breer:

It looks like Sean McVay got his coaching staff hires right. And I liked his logic in making them from the jump. We can start with the defense. McVay basically went to the scheme that gives him the most trouble—Vic Fangio’s—and tried to find a coach who fit his program, which is what led him to pluck Brandon Staley from Denver. And though Staley’s unit isn’t at the top of all the rankings like Indy’s is, the details show a group that’s making big, game-changing plays, which has always been a mark of Fangio’s units. In Week 1, rookie Jordan Fuller made a goal-line stop on fourth down to ice a win over Dallas. In Week 2, Darious Williams and Troy Hill registered crucial picks. In Week 3, Aaron Donald was overwhelming in leading a comeback that fell just short against Buffalo. And in Week 4, Williams had another huge pick, this one to put away the Giants. So there’s lots to be encouraged with there.

And then on offense, McVay wanted a coach to work closely with Jared Goff, who’d lost Zac Taylor and Matt LaFleur. So he got Kevin O’Connell, who was McVay’s eventual successor as Washington OC, a coach who played quarterback in the NFL and has background in personal coaching at the position. Goff, in turn, is on track for a career high completion percentage (70.0) and passer rating (109.6), and that’s after losing Brandin Cooks and Todd Gurley. Add all of this up, and the Rams are 3–1, with the arrow pointing up.

AFC WEST

LAS VEGAS

Nick Shook of NFL.com on where the Raiders came up short on Sunday against the Bills:

The last two weeks have been a reality check for the Raiders (2-2), who got off to a hot start, but are now back to .500 after two straight losses. Statistically, it wasn’t an ugly game for Las Vegas: The Raiders converted eight of 14 third-down attempts, flirted with 400 yards of total offense and were perfect on field-goal attempts, but the latter point helps explain the difference Sunday. Three of Las Vegas’ four trips into Buffalo territory produced field goals instead of touchdowns, and the two second-half fumbles in Buffalo territory made a close game into a doomed, uphill climb in the second half. The formula for success involves avoiding errors of significance, and unfortunately for Las Vegas, the last two weeks have seen them give the ball away five times — far too many to expect to win.

AFC NORTH

BALTIMORE

Peter King on how the Ravens won’t see a plane for seven weeks:

I think the Ravens won’t get travel fatigue anytime soon. In the 47 days between Sept. 21 and Nov. 6, Baltimore’s schedule includes two trips: the 43-mile bus ride south to FedEx field in the Washington burbs, and the 104-mile bus ride north to south Philadelphia.

CINCINNATI

Here is why QB JOE BURROW was one of Peter King’s players of the week:

Apologies to Joe Mixon, who was terrific too (181 total yards, three touchdowns), but Burrow deserves it after his first NFL victory, and his 25-of-36, 300-yard day, with one TD and one pick. Burrow, cool and kept surprisingly clean by the Bengals’ line (one sack), led consecutive second-half scoring drives of 75, 56, 37, 57 and 66 yards to put the game out of reach for the Men of Minshew.

More from NFL.com:

Joe Burrow got to savor his first victory as an NFL quarterback.

The No. 1 overall pick tossed for 300 yards with a TD and an INT, and Joe Mixon galloped for 151 yards and two TDs as the Cincinnati Bengals beat the Jacksonville Jaguars 33-25.

Burrow had one simple thought on his first pro victory:

@JoeyB

Winning is fun

It is indeed, Joe. It’s certainly better than last week’s tie.

En route to his first career victory, Burrow became the first rookie in NFL history with at least 300 pass yards in three consecutive games. He also earned the most completions (116) by a rookie QB in his first four games since 1970.

CLEVELAND

There was a cost to the win over the Cowboys, as RB NICK CHUBB will miss some time.  Mary Cabot of the Cleveland Plain Dealer:

From the look on Nick Chubb’s face when he went down with a right knee injury during Sunday’s 49-38 victory over the Cowboys, it looked like he might be out for the season with another torn ACL.

But an MRI performed on Monday revealed that Chubb suffered a sprained MCL and will miss at least “several weeks,” coach Kevin Stefanski said. He’ll go on injured reserve for at least three weeks, but the knee won’t require surgery and the Browns are hoping he’ll be back soon after that.

He suffered it late in the first quarter when defensive tackle Trysten Hill inadvertently rolled up on his leg. It’s not the same knee he had major reconstructive surgery on at Georgia.

As for a report by NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport that Chubb will miss about six weeks and be back in November, Stefanski said, “I really don’t know. We’re looking at several weeks. I don’t know the NFL Network, but I know the Browns. I know Nick Chubb, so I wouldn’t put a time frame on it just yet.”

– – –

So what is the over-under on how many passes Cleveland’s receivers throw this year?  It has to be above five after you read this from Peter King:

Should we be getting sucked into the Cleveland Browns again? They’re 3-1 for the first time in 19 years (don’t you long for the days of Butch Davis and Tim Couch?), and it’s hard to know if they can keep up the competence, particularly after giving up 566 yards in Dallas on Sunday. But maybe we should just enjoy it for however long it lasts. Cleveland 49, Dallas 38 was like a playground game—and it took playground plays to win it.

There was one play in the 12 games Sunday that took your breath away. It was the eighth play of the game in Dallas.

“I’ve had the play on my call sheet all season,” coach Kevin Stefanski said from his office post-game. “When I was making up the script for this game, I said, ‘I can’t let this game go by without calling it.’ I’ll tell you what we call it—if we call it again I’d have to change the name anyway.

“ ‘Bananas.’ “

“So you just call ‘Bananas?’ And everyone knows?” I asked.

“One word,” he said. “They all know.”

No score. Cleveland ball at the Dallas 37. Baker Mayfield took the snap under center, pitched to Nick Chubb flowing right, and here came Jarvis Landry split wide right coming back against the flow, and Chubb pitched to Landry reversing field to the left, and around the 45, Landry slowed and . . .

SOUTHPAW!

Landry let loose and fired a perfect spiral, 45 yards in the air, to a waiting Odell Beckham Jr. Question: Why isn’t there a pass in the game plan every week for Landry? He hadn’t thrown a ball in a game since a 63-yard completion in December 2018.

“Amazing arm, and he’s a lefty, which of course is rare,” Stefanski said. “I’ll tell you the amazing thing: Odell can throw it great too. And Odell can throw a great spiral either righty or lefty.”

– – –

This from Albert Breer:

I love where the Browns are right now. And it’s not just about record. It’s about identity. For the first time in forever, probably since Mike Pettine and Kyle Shanahan were together there, it feels like they’re laying groundwork for something lasting on the field. It’s most vivid in how the Shanahan-styled run game is producing, with Kevin Stefanski, OC Alex Van Pelt and, maybe most importantly, line coach Bill Callahan collaborating to devise it. Here are the results:

Week 1 at Baltimore: 27 carries, 138 yards.

Week 2 vs. Cincinnati: 35 carries, 215 yards.

Week 3 vs. Washington: 37 carries, 158 yards.

Week 4 at Dallas: 40 carries, 307 yards.

The going gets much tougher this week with that Colts defense coming to town. But what the evidence pretty clearly tells us through four weeks is that, no matter the opponent, Cleveland’s not going to waver in how it goes about its business this year—and maybe no matter the back, either. Bell cow Nick Chubb got rolled up on in pass protection after just six carries in Dallas (he’ll have an MRI on his knee Monday), was quickly ruled out, and the Browns didn’t back off in the slightest. D’Ernest Johnson (13 carries, 95 yards) and Dontrell Hilliard (5 carries, 19 yards) stepped right in behind Kareem Hunt and produced. Which is, really, a tribute to the job Callahan’s done rebuilding the line, the job Jedrick Wills has done stepping in at left tackle and the job guys like Wyatt Teller have done taking another step with their games. It’s helped the quarterback, too. Baker Mayfield is playing calmer, and that was a goal of the staff, to have him less frantic out there. That showed up big time on a handful of throwaways when plays weren’t there—throwaways the Browns don’t think would’ve happened last year. So, yeah, it’s early October. But so far, so good.

AFC SOUTH

HOUSTON

Is this just speculation or informed speculation from Peter King:

Bill O’Brien’s In Trouble. Pretty early to play what-if, but what if the 0-4 Texans (with Green Bay, New England, Indy twice and Tennessee twice still to play) can’t recover, and finish 5-11? That would place Houston somewhere near sixth in the 2021 draft, with maybe the sixth and 38th overall picks in the first two rounds. Problem: They traded both first- and second-round picks in 2021 in the Laremy Tunsil deal 13 months ago. Uh-oh. Not good for O’Brien the GM.

Now, give O’Brien credit. In four of his six seasons as head coach, the Texans have won the AFC South. Those who want to minimize winning four division titles since 2014 should realize the Eagles have won four since 2007, and the storied New York Giants have won four division titles in this century. But the Texans haven’t won more than a wild-card game in January, and O’Brien’s trade of DeAndre Hopkins will reverberate, particularly with Hopkins starring so far for Arizona.

Owner Cal McNair’s been more hands-off than his father, franchise founder Bob, but Cal McNair could have a decision to make after the season. Two, actually. O’Brien brought in smart and authoritative Jack Easterby to run the front office in April 2019. If O’Brien goes, could Easterby, his hand-picked front-office chief, stay in a revamped organization? I wouldn’t bet against it.

– – –

The Texans made some excuse about Covid protocols hindering the scheduling of free agent visits, but Jason LaCanfora of CBSSports.com has the scoop on why S EARL THOMAS never showed up.

Reports of the Texans’ desire to sign troubled safety Earl Thomas became very public by the middle of last week, but the team ultimately opted not to enter into any agreement with the free agent despite some close to him believing a signing was imminent. That’s because numerous Texans players expressed their displeasure about bringing Thomas into their locker room, team sources said, ultimately convincing coach/general manager Bill O’Brien to back off.

The Texans and Ravens played in Week 2, and sources said that several Texans players were well aware of Thomas’s behavior as the topic came up during warmups and pregame banter. The winless Texans have struggled on defense, and safety has been a concern after losing players like Tyrann Mathieu and Eric Reid in recent years, which led O’Brien to consider the addition of Thomas.

But once word of his potential workout, COVID-intake and signing leaked, players responded in an overtly negative fashion, sources said. O’Brien’s relationship with the locker room has long been in question, and the controversial trade of star receiver DeAndre Hopkins in the offseason only heightened the tension.

Recent practices have been tense and marked by occasional heated verbal exchanges between coaches and players, and the situation is fairly do-or-die with regards to salvaging a season that began with them defending a division title as they host the Vikings today.

INDIANAPOLIS

In an offensive league, the Colts have the best defense.  Albert Breer:

In this column, I always want to offer you something you might’ve missed—and I think I’ve got something that fits the bill for you here.

The Colts defense is ridiculous.

Check this out …

Total yards: 1st

Yards per play: 1st

Rushing yards/game: 4th

Rushing yards/play: 6th

Passing yards/game: 1st

Passing yards/play: 1st

Interception percentage: 1st

Sack percentage: 7th

First downs/game: 1st

Third down efficiency: 1st

Points/game: 1st

Now, it’s only been four games. But statistically, at least, Indy’s way out in front. And what’s more, the Colts’ players really felt like this was the way it would be before the fact.

“I kept saying it, I kept saying it—the pieces looked great,” linebacker Anthony Walker told me postgame. “But until you put the whole picture together, guys going out there, making plays together, flying around, we have to do it. You have to go out there and put the picture together. It looks good on paper, but when you put the pieces together and start playing, we gotta make it happen.”

They most certainly have.

TENNESSEE

Is the end of the epidemic in sight?  No new positive COVID tests for the Titans on Monday.

Jason LaCanfora of CBSSports.com says his secret sources say a practice squad signee brought the dreaded Covid-19 into the Titans facility.

The NFL began drawing data from contact tracing and all available sources on Tuesday when a host of positive test results began, with a total of eight players and staff among that initial group. Numerous sources who have been in contact with high-ranking NFL officials said that there were already concerns arising from the immediate data about potential infractions, with an expectation among other team executives who have been in contact with league officials that significant penalties could be forthcoming for the Titans.

Specifically, the investigation is looking to determine if there were any violations of protocol regarding the intake of defensive back Greg Mabin, who was signed to the team’s practice squad on Thursday and would later test positive for COVID-19 two days later. Sources said that the initial review of contract tracing indicated early in the week that this is when the virus entered the team facility.

Subsequently, given how the virus spread among both coaches and players — initially on the defensive side of the ball — there are also concerns that given contact tracing data outside linebackers coach Shane Bowen, who tested positive on Saturday, perhaps should not have been the only member of the staff not to travel with the team for the game in Minnesota. By Tuesday’s outbreak the NFL was already expanding the scope of its probe, requesting practice video and other materials to continue to gather information as to whether or not PPEs and facemasks were being used as per the protocols both in that facility and on the practice fields.

“Make no mistake, this is not an inquiry — it’s an investigation,” said a source with knowledge of the situation. “Was this preventable? Was this manageable? That’s where this is going. It would be fair to say there are some troubling signs on a multitude of levels … The violations aren’t just happening there — just look at what you see on team feeds on social media — but there is obviously heightened concern about this situation.”

Head coach Mike Vrabel said repeatedly in his remarks to the media last week that the team has diligently applied every aspect of the protocols and regulations throughout this process. “We’re following the 100 (COVID-19) memos (the NFL) sent out,” Vrabel said when addressing the matter with reporters. Some in the league office are concerned that management and ownership have not addressed the situation in a more public manner as well.

“Their building is on fire,” said another league source. “Were they doing everything possible to put it out?”

The NFL hopes to play the Steelers-Titans game in Week 7, but that remains in doubt as long as the team’s facility is closed. Three more positive tests came out of the Titans player and staff pool on Saturday and, while there is not an exact timeframe in place, league officials have said they would likely wait for a few days of no new positive tests before reopening a facility.

AFC EAST

MIAMI

QB RYAN FITZPATRICK offers a positive report on his successor QB TUA TAGOVAILOA thru Peter King:

“He’s a very interesting guy.” Fitzpatrick said. “He asks a lot of good questions, good football questions when we’re in the meeting room or even on the sideline during a game. You can tell that he’s very smart in that regard. Football-smart. I think he’s probably a little bit of an older soul, just in terms in some of the stuff that he’s into and some of the discussions we can have. It’s been a lot of fun getting to know him. He’s got a lively personality that makes everybody smile around the building.

“I know my job security really for me is a week-to-week proposition and I’ve got to go out there and prove it every single week. With Tua, just being able to slow down sometimes, to be able to take the extra minute to explain something—my thought process or to sit on the bench during a game and instruct and talk and answer questions—that stuff is maybe a little bit different than how it would go normally. But I know what my role is. I know that I’m keeping the seat warm for him. I know the talent that he has and I’m excited whenever he gets his opportunity. I feel like I’m going to play a big part in that.”

NEW ENGLAND

Peter King on what the Patriots are going through so that they can entertain you tonight:

As of 9:05 a.m. ET today, the news was good. One of two Patriots’ charters bound for Kansas City taxied down the runway at Boston’s Logan Airport, a clear sign the Patriots’ third day of rapid tests for COVID-19 came back negative…and a clear sign that the New England-KC game, set for 7:05 p.m. ET today, is on.

Around dawn in Foxboro, the approximately 130 in the New England travel party—60 or so players (including practice-squadders) and 70 members of the coaching staff and essential training, equipment, ownership and front-office staff—took point-of-care COVID-19 tests, the rapid tests, with results back within 15 to 30 minutes. The testing trends of the weekend—apparently all negative—continued in the right direction, and shortly before 8 a.m., the travel party proceeded into buses for trips to two airports, per ESPN. One travel party, the much larger one, was scheduled to take a Delta charter from Boston’s Logan Airport. The other travel party was scheduled to take a different Delta charter from T.F. Green Airport in Providence. Pro Football Talk reported Sunday that the second, smaller charter is comprised of those who were in close contact last week with Cam Newton, whose positive test for COVID-19 set the postponement of the game from Sunday to Monday into motion. They split up out of the proverbial abundance of caution.

I don’t know why the two planes would be departing from New England airports 60 miles apart. I just know they are. It’s just another piece of weirdness to throw onto the pile of 2020 empty-stadium/fake-noise/daily-testing/incubation-learning/mask-wearing/stay-at-home/new-rules weirdness. Kansas City players and staff, too, had to test this morning also, after a practice-squad quarterback tested positive for COVID last week. Barring unexpected last-minute flareups, it’ll be New England (2-1), with a glumly quarantined Newton watching from somewhere in Massachusetts, at Kansas City (3-0) tonight, 7:05 p.m. ET, on CBS, in the first game of a twinbill that was just invented Sunday morning. Game two: Falcons-Packers, 8:50 p.m., in Green Bay, which is suddenly, oddly, perhaps the hottest spot for COVID in America right now.

It was so perfect what one New England player said about this freaky situation over the weekend. So Belichickian.

“It is what it is,” the player said.

NEW YORK JETS

DL QUINNEN WILLIAMS is not a crook.  Josh Alper of ProFootballTalk.com:

The Jets haven’t won anything on the field this year, but one member of the team got a win off of it.

Defensive tackle Quinnen Williams had two felony gun charges dismissed on Monday. Williams faced charges after arriving at LaGuardia Airport in March with a firearm in his carry-on bag. The gun was licensed in Alabama, but not in New York.

“As we said from the outset, this matter has been resolved with no criminal charges,” Williams’ attorney Alex Spiro said in a statement, via Rich Cimini of ESPN.com. “This case was nothing more than a technical issue with the storing of a firearm, which is why the government gave Mr. Williams nothing more than a ticket.”

With the legal matter out of the way, Williams can now put his full attention on trying to help his team win for the first time this season. They will be in Arizona in Week Five.

THIS AND THAT

LOW-COST RUNNING BACKS

Michael David Smith of ProFootballTalk.com signs up as a believer in the Prisco Principle – you can always find a good running back on the cheap:

Before NFL General Managers spend a lot of money on a free agent running back in 2021, or spend a high pick on a running back, they may want to consider how the 2020 season has gone for teams that are giving the ball to bargain-basement running backs.

Several NFL teams are having success on the ground despite going from highly paid and/or highly drafted running backs to whatever running back they happened to grab to fill out the roster.

Yesterday the Browns’ starting running back, Nick Chubb, was lost with an injury after six carries. The Browns proceeded to rush for 307 yards, most in any NFL game in two years, in their win over the Cowboys. The Browns’ leading rusher in their 307-yard onslaught was D’Ernest Johnson, who was undrafted in 2018 and had to prove himself with the Orlando Apollos of the Alliance of American Football in 2019 before the Browns gave him a shot.

When former No. 2 overall pick Saquon Barkley was lost for the season with a knee injury, he had 34 yards on 19 carries. The two running backs who have replaced him, career backup Wayne Gallman and recent arrival Devonta Freeman, both have more yards on fewer carries.

The Lions have used two recent second-round picks on running backs, Kerryon Johnson and D’Andre Swift. Their leading rusher is 35-year-old Adrian Peterson, who arrived less than a week before the first game and has more yards from scrimmage than Johnson and Swift combined.

The Jaguars cut former No. 4 overall pick Leonard Fournette and replaced him with undrafted rookie James Robinson, who is on pace to finish this season with 1,140 yards rushing and 644 yards receiving, more yards from scrimmage than Fournette had in any season in Jacksonville.

The Dolphins traded for Matt Breida and signed Jordan Howard to a two-year, $9.75 million contract in free agency this offseason. Their leading rusher is Myles Gaskin, a 2019 seventh-round pick. Gaskin has both more rushing yards and more yards from scrimmage than Breida and Howard combined.

Carolina made Christian McCaffrey the highest-paid running back in the NFL this year. He got hurt after two games and was replaced by career backup Mike Davis, who has more yards from scrimmage than McCaffrey. The Panthers won both games Davis started after they lost both games McCaffrey started.

Across the league, the picture is clear: You don’t need a highly paid, highly drafted running back to get production out of the running back position. Better to use that cap space, and those high draft picks, elsewhere.