| NFC NORTH |
| DETROITThe Lions tuned in for a cool 52 points Sunday, even without the genius of former OC Ben Johnson who was on the other sideline. Eric Woodyard and Courtney Cronin of ESPN.com: – Lions defensive back Brian Branch described Sunday’s divisional game against the Bears as “personal” given it was the first between the teams since Ben Johnson left Detroit to take over as Chicago’s coach. “Very motivated. We knew coming into this game that this is personal,” Branch said. “Really, all these games personal, but this one we felt like we’d been betrayed from the staff to players. And we love Ben, we still love Ben. He’s a great coach. He’s a great mastermind but, yeah, it was time to get after him.” And the Lions very much did. As chants of “F— Ben Johnson!” echoed throughout Ford Field near the end of the fourth quarter, the Lions closed out a dominant 52-21 win a week after a lackluster season-opening effort in Green Bay. It marked the third time the Lions (1-1) scored at least 50 points under coach Dan Campbell. Before Campbell’s arrival in 2021, Detroit had only three other instances of 50-plus scoring games, per ESPN Research. Johnson was Detroit’s offensive coordinator for the past three seasons, with the team leading the NFL with 33.2 points per game in 2024. But he left for the NFC North rival Bears this past offseason. Branch said he certainly respects his ex-coach but didn’t agree with where he chose to go. “He could’ve went anywhere else, but he’s gotta see us again,” said Branch, who had six tackles, a sack and a forced fumble Sunday. At one point, Detroit’s defense taunted Johnson. After a second-quarter interception by All-Pro safety Kerby Joseph, Lions players recreated Johnson’s famous “stumble bum” trick play that he used against Chicago last season as an in-game celebration. On their seventh and final touchdown Sunday, which allowed them to surpass the 50-point threshold, the Lions had four straight run plays deep in Chicago territory. They then drew up a pass play on fourth-and-goal that resulted in a 4-yard touchdown throw from Goff to Amon-Ra St. Brown and a celebration from Detroit’s sideline. Asked about it after the game, Johnson said he didn’t feel that Campbell was trying to run up the score. “What’s he supposed to do?” Johnson said. “It’s fourth-and-goal, what do you want him to do? Yeah, he could have kicked the field goal. They don’t kick field goals; they go for it there. He was doing what he’s supposed to do. That’s what he does.” Lions quarterback Jared Goff, meanwhile, said he didn’t agree with how fans mocked Johnson in the home opener. “Yeah, I didn’t like that. He did a lot for us here,” said Goff, who threw for five touchdowns and 334 passing yards while going 23-for-28. “I don’t know if he deserved that.” Coupled with their Week 1 loss to the Vikings, the Bears are now one of 11 teams since division realignment in 2002 to start 0-2 with both losses in divisional games. None of the previous teams has gone on to make the playoffs. “It’s not demoralizing at all,” Johnson said of Sunday’s defeat. “We got to play better. Simple as that.” Detroit finished with 511 yards of total offense and averaged 8.8 yards per play. Campbell said he felt there was a heightened sense of urgency within the group throughout the week’s practices to clean up its mistakes after the Packers loss, while silencing any doubt about the changes in the organization. “I made it as simple as, ‘Let’s just clean up the mess we had last week.’ It’s really not more than that,” Campbell said. “There’s always going to be this, ‘we don’t have the rhythm offensively because we lost Ben or we’re not as good because we lost AG (former defensive coordinator and current Jets coach Aaron Glenn), or this player leaves.’ Ultimately, it’s, ‘Do you have the coaches? Yes. Do you have the players? Yes.’ We just got to clean a few things up.” Jameson Williams had two catches for 108 yards in the win, including a 44-yard touchdown. St. Brown had nine receptions for 115 yards and three TDs. He became the first Lions player with 100 receiving yards and three receiving scores in a game since Hall of Famer Calvin Johnson in 2010. “It’s still early, it’s Week 2, no overreactions,” St. Brown told ESPN. “Like, ‘Oh, they scored 50, they’re back.’ We’ve still got to put the work in every week, and we’ve got a good team coming up in Baltimore, so that’s gonna be another good test.” Ahead of his return to Ford Field, Johnson reminisced about his time with the Lions and his relationship with Campbell, whom he coached with in both Miami and Detroit. Johnson said he views Campbell as “family” and joked about their early years in the coaching profession “when I was just a young, snot-nosed computer punk as [Campbell] likes to call it in Miami.” There weren’t many interactions between Johnson and his former colleagues until the moments immediately after Sunday’s game, when he exchanged pleasantries, including with Campbell. “It’s always good to see Dan Campbell, but not when you are on the losing side like that,” Johnson said. |
| MINNESOTAQB J.J. McCARTHY’s fiancee had a baby on Thursday, but that was the only time he was involved in a successful delivery last week. Kevin Seifert of ESPN.com: There were no fourth-quarter heroics Sunday night for J.J. McCarthy. Instead, the Minnesota Vikings quarterback and the rest of his team’s offense slogged through 60 mostly rough minutes in a 22-6 loss to the Atlanta Falcons. McCarthy’s performance clarified a few facts about the Vikings, who entered the season with hopes of a deep playoff run. Most notably, players and coaches said afterward, the play around McCarthy needs to be much better. “This is going to be a process for our team,” coach Kevin O’Connell said. “Our young quarterback is going to make some plays. He’s going to make some unbelievable throws. … And then, other times, he’s going to have an attempt and just miss something a little long, and we will go back and try to fix it. Sometimes, the fundamentals are going to be right, the technique is going to be right, but he’s learning on the fly right now. The way you overcome that is by the full group’s execution level being to a certain standard that we can go try to compete and win with.” The Vikings scored 21 points in the fourth quarter of their Week 1 victory over the Chicago Bears, but they have just 12 points over the other seven quarters. McCarthy has taken nine sacks, including six Sunday night. The Falcons intercepted two of his passes, and he fumbled three times, including twice when he dropped the ball without being hit, and he lost one. His off-target rate was 28.6%, tied for the second-highest rate among qualified quarterbacks in Week 2. Over his first two NFL starts, McCarthy has completed 24 of 41 passes for 301 yards with 2 touchdowns and 3 interceptions. He has also rushed seven times for 50 yards and a touchdown, but his QBR of 20.4 ranks No. 32 of 33 qualified quarterbacks in the league. “We’ve got a lot to do,” McCarthy said. “I’ve got a lot to do personally. There’s a lot of things about this game that show up. It’s awesome to be part of such a great group where I know we’re going to grow together, I know we’re going to learn together. There’s a lot of love in that locker room. That’s what it comes down to. This is a long season. Everyone is telling me this is a frickin’ journey, and I believe them wholeheartedly.” McCarthy played most of the game behind a patchwork offensive line after center Ryan Kelly and left tackle Justin Skule left Sunday’s game early because of concussions. The Falcons pressured McCarthy on 36.7% of his dropbacks, but his average time before throwing was 3.35 seconds, the highest in the NFL in Week 2. The Vikings’ five turnovers are tied for the NFL lead, and their 30.4% conversion rate on third down ranks No. 29 in the league. As a result, the Vikings have the NFL’s lowest average number of plays per game (47.5), minimizing McCarthy’s development opportunities. Sunday night was only the fourth time McCarthy has lost a start dating back to his sophomore year in high school. His record over that period is 64-4. That’s a big reason players in the locker room said they are nowhere close to losing confidence. |
| NFC EAST |
| DALLASIt was crazy to watch a coach play the final minute as if he was content to try a tying FG in the mid 60-yard range. And then crazier when PK BRANDON AUBREY hit from 64 to tie it. Owen Crisafulli of Heavy.com: Not only is Aubrey incredibly accurate, but he also has range that not many other kickers have. Case in point, when the Cowboys needed to tie this game, Schottenheimer felt comfortable sending his kicker out for a 64-yard attempt. After the game, Schottenheimer revealed that Dallas feels they really only need to get the ball to the 50-yard line in order for Aubrey to have a shot at hitting a field goal. “We would try it from 70ish,” Schottenheimer admitted when asked about Aubrey’s range. “We’ve seen him make those before. We always want to try to get as close as we can, but he’s always like, ‘Yeah, I’m good.’ … The confidence that you see the guy kick with is incredible.” |
| NEW YORK GIANTSAfter a woeful opener, QB RUSSELL WILSON threw for his career-high 450 yards on Sunday in Dallas. Jordan Raanan of ESPN.com: Veteran quarterback Russell Wilson heard there had “been a lot of noise.” He knew he needed to play better, especially with rookie Jaxson Dart lurking on the New York Giants roster. All Wilson did on Sunday was throw for 450 yards and three touchdowns in a vintage performance during a 40-37 overtime loss to the Dallas Cowboys. It wasn’t just any old game. Instead, it perhaps saved the 35-year-old’s career as a starter. “This game meant a lot to me. It was time to answer the call,” Wilson said. “So that for me was important to do that. Not for anyone else, but for myself.” With Dart, a first-round pick earlier this year, waiting in the wings, there were a lot of outside opinions that the Giants needed to replace Wilson as the starter with Dart, if not this week, then sooner rather than later. But that was not the Giants’ preference. Sources told ESPN’s Adam Schefter this week there was “no sense of urgency” to bench Wilson in favor of Dart. The Giants prefer to continue to be patient, let Wilson play well and give Dart the time he needs to develop. Of course, that plan involved Wilson playing well, something he admittedly didn’t do in the opener against the Washington Commanders. He completed 46% of his passes in Week 1 and the Giants didn’t score a touchdown. His performance against Dallas was a complete 180, aside from a late interception. It should be enough to silence the critics, for now at least. “Russ is a dog. You all know it, New York media is not forgiving,” right tackle Jermaine Eluemunor said. “You’re here and everything is dissected, and they look at everything. If you play bad here or you have a bad play, it’s just blown up because it’s New York. So, Russ coming into Dallas today and doing everything he did, it was really cool to see.” The only knock on Wilson’s performance was the interception in overtime where he took a deep shot to star wide receiver Malik Nabers. The two weren’t on the same page on the play, and Dallas later kicked a field goal to send the Giants (0-2) home with another loss. Wilson and Nabers had connected on several other long balls throughout the contest, including for two touchdowns. One was a 48-yard strike with 25 seconds left in the fourth quarter that looked like it would be the winning score. One week after being asked if Wilson would remain the starter, coach Brian Daboll didn’t face any similar questions in his postgame news conference Sunday. “I don’t really think Russ worries about that to be honest with you,” Daboll said of him silencing the critics. “He’s done this for so long. He knows it’s going to come with the territory of being a quarterback in this league. Business as usual for him throughout the week — preparing, studying, doing all the things at practice. The other stuff that comes with it I don’t think he focuses on it.” It’s still hard to ignore how important it was for Wilson to play well. He seemingly let his guard down for a minute during his postgame news conference by insisting there had been a lot of noise. The Giants are Wilson’s fourth team in five years. It didn’t end all that well in Seattle, Denver and Pittsburgh. The 10-time Pro Bowler and Super Bowl winner signed a one-year deal this offseason with the Giants, who drafted Dart one month later. The rookie is already the team’s No. 2 quarterback, ahead of Jameis Winston. Dart even took his first three NFL snaps Sunday against the Cowboys in running situations. The presence of Dart has only amplified the public pressure on Wilson one week into the season. Not that he seems surprised. “Someone once told me the greater you are great, the more they are going to hate,” Wilson said. “I’ll never forget. My dad was on his deathbed. I was playing college football. I had a pastor in North Carolina, at NC State, tell me that one day. And I was going through a lot of tough stuff. My dad on his deathbed. I was playing well, and I was going through this and that and I was going through some of the highest moments, but also some of the toughest moments personally. I never forget he told me that. The greater you are great, the more they are going to hate.” |
| PHILADELPHIAIn addition to the fact that QB JALEN HURTS can be pushed back, then resume his forward progress as if it was not “stopped”, Scott Kacsmar was among those who identified a new weapon in the Eagles Tush Push arsenal: @ScottKacsmarIt’s bad enough they get unlimited forward progress, or that defenders can’t equally push their teammate forward. Now we’re not even calling false starts on this b.s.? On Sunday, it sure looked like both guards surged forward a tick before the center actually snapped the ball. More from Ryan Young of YahooSports.com: The Philadelphia Eagles got the best of the Kansas City Chiefs again on Sunday afternoon in their Super Bowl rematch. The Eagles, however, at least appeared to get away with a couple of early starts on some critical tush pushes late in the matchup. While it wasn’t the reason they lost by any means — the Eagles held on late to grab a 20-17 win at Arrowhead Stadium, which kept them undefeated and dropped the Chiefs to 0-2 on the season — it certainly drew plenty of attention. Even Chiefs head coach Andy Reid brought it up after the game. “You try to get penetration, is what you try to do, to be able to stop [the tush push],” Reid said. “They might’ve had a couple of ‘em that they got off early on, but we’ll look at that.” There was at least one replay from the contest that clearly showed a pair of Eagles linemen moving before the snap on a tush push from the game, as pointed out by Fox analyst Tom Brady on the broadcast. “The ‘Brotherly Shove’ is awfully impossible to stop,” Brady said on the broadcast. “When you get a false start penalty like that, it’s even harder to stop. They missed that one pretty bad.” There’s no doubt that the two linemen moved before the ball was snapped, which likely gave the Eagles a slight advantage in the trenches as they attempted to gain the last few inches needed for a touchdown. A replay from a different angle made that clear. That Jalen Hurts touchdown run gave the Eagles a 10-point lead late in the fourth quarter. The Eagles used a tush push to seal the game in the final minutes, too. They needed a yard to extend their drive and eventually get into a position to kneel out the rest of the clock. Chiefs in the pile were confident they had actually forced and recovered a fumble. A review determined that they didn’t, but Fox rules analyst Dean Blandino didn’t hesitate to rip the play in the process. “You can’t get all the calls right,” Chiefs defensive lineman Chris Jones said, via KMBC. “Just because we see it, sometimes the official is 15 to 20 feet away and sometimes they can miss those small things. We think he jumped multiple times. The official didn’t see it, so it wasn’t called. We just have to go play the next down.” Though the Eagles don’t own the rights to the tush push, they clearly are more effective at it than everybody else in the league. It’s a very difficult play to stop as it is, which makes it easy to understand why NFL team owners came close to banning it from the game this past summer. And this: @awfulannouncing“I am done with the tush push, guys. It’s a hard play to officiate.” – Fox rules analyst Dean Blandino, after the Eagles secure a win over the Chiefs |
| NFC WEST |
| ARIZONAEight teams are 2-0 (there will be one or two more by tomorrow), but the Cardinals with close wins over New Orleans and Carolina realize that their resumé is still a little light. The Cardinals had to sweat out the final minutes of their Week 1 win over the Saints, but it looked like they’d have an easier time finishing things out in their home opener against the Panthers on Sunday. They held a 27-9 lead with less than six minutes to play in the game, but the Panthers scored a touchdown and forced a quick three-and-out to create some home. Another touchdown cut the lead to 27-22 with two minutes to play and the Panthers recovered an onside kick to make the Week 1 sweat feel like a pleasant memory. The Cardinals committed four penalties over the next few plays — the Panthers had a couple of their own as well — before finally closing the door on a win that left tackle Paris Johnson said wasn’t “the way it feels” because of how the final minutes went. Head coach Jonathan Gannon said it’s on him to instruct players on “how to close games out” and quarterback Kyler Murray called it a “shitshow” that will feel much worse when a game ends with the Cardinals on the wrong side of the final score. “We could be 0-2, but we’re 2-0 with this issue,” Murray said, via the team’s website. “I don’t want to make it a thing, but at the same time, we have to finish games. That’s [the] bottom line. So, it didn’t bite us in the ass today, it didn’t bite us in the ass last week. But, you keep playing around, [you’ll] get bit. We have to be better.” Cleaning up problems at 2-0 is always better than the alternative and the Cardinals seem to realize that playing with fire will catch up with them if they keep allowing it to happen. They’ll try for a crisper 60 minutes against the 2-0 49ers next Sunday. |
| LOS ANGELES RAMSThe Rams victory in Nashville cost them the services of CB AHKELLO WITHERSPOON. Sarah Barshop of ESPN.com: Los Angeles Rams cornerback Ahkello Witherspoon broke his clavicle on Sunday, said head coach Sean McVay. Witherspoon left the Rams’ 33-19 victory over the Tennessee Titans in the second quarter and was ruled out for the game. McVay called the injury “unfortunate” for Witherspoon and “a big loss” for the Rams. In Week 1, the Rams rotated at cornerback between Witherspoon, Emmanuel Forbes and Cobie Durant. Veteran cornerback Darious Williams did not play in that game. On Sunday against the Titans, Williams played 26 defensive snaps (40.6%) after Witherspoon’s injury. “I thought it was awesome for [Williams] to be ready,” McVay said. “We said that we’ve got four starting corners. We feel that way. I feel terrible for Ahkello. Love him. Such a bummer. But you do feel fortunate to have the depth where a guy like D Will can step up to be able to supplement both Decobie [Durant] and Forbes.” Witherspoon, who signed a one-year contract during the offseason, has played for the Rams since 2023. In 13 games last season, Witherspoon had an interception, nine passes defended and 31 tackles. |
| SAN FRANCISCOQB MAC JONES navigated the 49ers past New Orleans and QB BROCK PURDY could return in Week 3. Charean Williams of ProFootballTalk.com: The 49ers still consider Brock Purdy week to week and do not yet know his status for the Week 3 game against the Cardinals. “I think there’s a chance, but we’ve got to see how the toe goes,” 49ers coach Kyle Shanahan said after Sunday’s 26-21 win over the Saints, via David Bonilla of 49erswebzone.com. “It’s very up to debate, so we’re just taking it a day at a time.” Purdy injured his left shoulder and a toe in the season opener against the Seahawks. It is the toe that kept him out against the Saints, with Mac Jones getting the start Sunday. A report indicated Purdy would miss 2-5 weeks, but the 49ers insist they haven’t set a definitive timeline for his return. “What we’re dealing with is kind of a week-to-week thing,” Lynch said last week. “That’s our information. Brock’s doing well, coming back from it, and we’ll just treat it as such. He’s doing a nice job, doing everything he can to get back out there as soon as possible. And so, that’s where we’re at.” Jones went 26-of-39 for 279 yards and three touchdowns in Purdy’s stead. |
| SEATTLEThe NFC West is now 6-0 in games outside the division, with the Seahawks (who lost the 49ers in the one division game) holding the most impressive win. TedZahn of FieldGulls.com wraps it up: That’s more like it! In a game that garnered significantly more importance than just trying to avoid starting the 2025 season 0-2, the Seattle Seahawks looked more like the team we saw in the preseason as they beat the Pittsburgh Steelers 31-17 on the road with an early kickoff. This was a statement game. Unlike the opener against the San Francisco 49ers, offensive coordinator Klint Kubiak didn’t give up on the run game, mixed in plenty of play action, and utilized his tight ends. It wasn’t always pretty with Sam Darnold throwing two interceptions. However, Seattle played complimentary football, keeping drives alive and letting their defense get some much needed rest. The offense made big plays on their second-to-last drive when they were up 24-17 with nearly half of the fourth quarter remaining, scoring a massive touchdown to go up by two scores. The Seahawks defense then kept their foot on Aaron Rodgers’ throat and choked him out like they had pretty much all game long. It was exactly how Mike Macdonald wants his team to play. |
| AFC NORTH |
| CINCINNATIIt is not just any old toe injury for QB JOE BURROW. ESPN: Star Cincinnati Bengals quarterback Joe Burrow is dealing with a turf toe injury that could require surgery, sources told ESPN’s Adam Schefter on Sunday night. Images of the injury to Burrow’s left toe, which he suffered in the second quarter of Sunday’s 31-27 home win over the Jacksonville Jaguars, are being sent to noted foot specialist Dr. Robert Anderson to be reviewed, sources told Schefter. If surgery is deemed necessary, it is expected to sideline Burrow for approximately three months. Burrow was hurt with 8:36 remaining in the second quarter when Jacksonville defensive end Arik Armstead sacked him. The play resulted in Burrow being under other players who had fallen on him. Initially, Burrow was limping as he tried to walk off the field. But after a couple of steps, he went down on the turf. Burrow had a lengthy evaluation in the blue injury tent. After several minutes, he attempted to walk back into the locker room. However, Burrow stopped roughly 15 feet short of the tunnel that leads beneath the stadium as he sought assistance from athletic trainers to make it back inside. Burrow was initially listed as questionable to return before he was ruled out. He never returned to the field and was in a walking boot and on crutches after the game. Ari Meirov: @MySportsUpdate#Bengals QB Joe Burrow NFL injury history: •2020: Torn ACL/MCL/PCL/Meniscus (missed rest of season) •2021: Dislocated pinky •2022: MCL sprain •2023: Torn wrist ligament (missed rest of season) 2025: Grade 3 turf toe (out 3 months) Some teams would be dead in the water after such an injury, but with Browning, the Bengals still have a pulse. Zachary Pereles of CBSSports.com: As such, his backup, Jake Browning, has significant experience and has fared reasonably well in them. That includes Sunday’s performance, when Browning overcame three interceptions to lead Cincinnati to a win, scoring the game-winning touchdown on a quarterback sneak with 18 seconds left. Still, there’s no doubting that this is a massive loss for the Bengals. Burrow was magnificent last season, finishing fourth in MVP voting even though the team missed the playoffs. His improvisation and accuracy are among the game’s very best. Browning is not that. But he is capable of keeping things afloat. Here’s what to know about the Bengals’ temporary starter: Who is Jake Browning?Browning, 29, spent four seasons at the University of Washington (2015-18). He is the Huskies’ all-time leader in passing yards, completions and touchdown passes. He finished sixth in Heisman Trophy voting as a sophomore in 2016, when he was also the Pac-12 Offensive Player of the Year and led the Huskies to the College Football Playoff. After going undrafted in 2019, he started his NFL career with the Vikings, spending one season in Minnesota. He was not on a roster in 2020 and joined the Bengals practice squad ahead of the 2021 season. He has been with Cincinnati ever since. Browning’s lone significant stretch of play came in 2023, when Burrow missed the final seven games of the season. During his cameo, Browning led the NFL with a 70.4% completion percentage. He threw for 12 touchdowns and seven interceptions, and Cincinnati went 4-3 during the stretch. Cincinnati rewarded him with a two-year deal during the 2024 offseason. Browning appeared in three games last year, but he did not throw a pass. Jake Browning play styleArguably the biggest things the Bengals lose with Burrow’s injury is negative play avoidance. Burrow manages tight pockets extremely well — and there are plenty of tight pockets behind an uneven Bengals offensive line — and takes very good care of the ball. Joe Burrow vs. Jake Browning since 2023 Burrow Browning Negative play rate 10.0% 12.9% Interception rate 1.4% 4.0% Sack rate 6.8% 8.6% Sack per pressure rate 19.7% 23.0% The interception rate reared its ugly head Sunday; the three picks against the Jaguars were forced balls into crowded areas downfield, though Ja’Marr Chase took responsibility for one. Historically, the Bengals have tried to alleviate some of Browning’s deficiencies (relative to Burrow) with short throws. Browning has thrown more than a quarter of his passes (25.6%) behind the line of scrimmage; Burrow was at only 17.7%. On Sunday against Jacksonville, Browning threw five passes behind the line of scrimmage, four of which went to Chase. However, Browning is also willing to push the ball downfield. In fact, he has thrown 21+ yards downfield at a higher rate than Burrow. Here’s one from Browning to Tee Higgins on Sunday. Still, Browning’s willingness to push the ball downfield has meant a tendency to put the ball in harm’s way. Browning is also similarly mobile to Burrow in terms of pure running ability — he ran a respectable 4.74 40-yard dash — and is willing to scramble when needed. Burrow’s consistency, though, is something Cincinnati will miss. He keeps Cincinnati on schedule. He can deliver precise, on-time passes and has tremendous chemistry with Chase and Higgins. Those things aren’t easily replicable. How does Jake Browning impact the Bengals’ offense?Chase has had some big performances alongside Burrow, including an 11-catch, 149-yard, one-touchdown performance against, coincidentally, the Jaguars in Browning’s second career start. Overall, though, Chase has been targeted at a slightly lower rate with Browning compared to when he’s alongside Burrow. One aspect to watch, however, will be Chase’s usage in the slot. In 2023, Chase played in the slot on about 25% of his snaps. That has jumped to 32% in the past two seasons, and we saw Browning getting the ball out quickly to Chase on Sunday on several occasions. Overall, the bigger issue for Chase and Higgins is that there will be fewer plays to connect on the out-of-structure plays that make Burrow so special. If the past is any indication, Browning will get them the ball early and give them shots down the field, too. What Cincinnati will want to avoid is deep dropbacks and long-developing routes. Chase Brown getting going on the ground would behoove Browning and, in turn, the Bengals’ offense. After emerging last year, Brown is off to a bit of a slow start. Entering Sunday Night Football, only two qualified running backs who had played two games — Dylan Sampson and Zach Charbonnet — were averaging fewer yards per carry than Brown’s 2.4. He’s also averaging an abysmal 0.14 yards per carry before contact. The offensive line has to be much better. It’s worth watching how Browning’s presence alters the very foundation of the offense. In 2023, Burrow was under center on just 8.4% of his snaps, the second-lowest rate in the league. Browning was at 23.9%, 21st in the league — still not a high rate, but a significant jump. Cincinnati has consistently been a heavy shotgun team under Zac Taylor, but one of the best ways to get a quarterback easy throws is with under-center, play action plays. We’ll see if Taylor and Co. lean back into that tendency. What is the Bengals’ upcoming schedule?Browning won’t find an easy landing spot. The Bengals head to the Vikings in Week 3, where Brian Flores’ multifaceted defense awaits. Then there’s a Monday Night Football visit to the Broncos, a home date with the Lions and a trip to the Packers, who might have the NFL’s most fearsome defense through two weeks. Burrow’s exact return timeline, it should be noted, is still TBD. Also notable: Brett Rypien appears likely to become Browning’s primary backup; Rypien is currently on the Bengals’ practice squad. |
| CLEVELANDRookie QB DILLON GABRIEL threw a late TD, but Kevin Stefanski says QB JOE FLACCO is still the starter. Ryan Young of YahooSports.com: At least for now, Joe Flacco gets to keep his starting job in Cleveland. Browns head coach Kevin Stefanski said after a blowout 41-17 loss to the Baltimore Ravens on Sunday that he’s not going to consider making a quarterback change. The Browns used rookie Dillon Gabriel briefly Sunday afternoon at M&T Bank Stadium in the end of the loss, and he looked good all things considered. Gabriel went a perfect 3-of-3 and found Dylan Sampson for an 8-yard touchdown pass in garbage time. Flacco, though, struggled throughout the contest. The 40-year-old veteran went 25 of 45 for 199 yards with a touchdown and an interception in the loss, though it really should have been two interceptions. His touchdown pass was nearly picked off by Marlon Humphrey, but somehow fell into the arms of Cedric Tillman in the end zone instead. The other interception was bad, too, and run back 60 yards to set up a Ravens touchdown. Flacco won the starting job after a large position battle through training camp. Shedeur Sanders, who the Browns also selected in the NFL Draft earlier this spring, earned the third-string job behind Gabriel. It’s likely that Gabriel or even Sanders is the Browns’ starting quarterback eventually, considering that Flacco is in his 18th season in the league this fall and nearing retirement. Deshaun Watson is amid a long recovery from an Achilles injury too, and could find his way back into the mix down the road. “I can’t worry about that stuff anyway,” Flacco said when asked about Stefanski’s decision not to make a change at quarterback, via ESPN’s Daniel Oyefusi. “It’s honestly not on my mind. I gotta go out there and just play my game, play the way I know how to lead this team the best I can.” Flacco and the Browns, now 0-2 on the season, will take the field next weekend when they host the Green Bay Packers. Even though he’s not ready to make a move just yet, Stefanski is sure to keep getting these questions as the season goes on, especially if the Browns keep struggling. |
| AFC SOUTH |
| INDIANAPOLISFirst, the Colts seemed content to try to beat the Broncos with a 60-yard FG try by a rookie kicker. Then the Broncos were deemed to have committed a 15-yard penalty to make it a 45-yard FG. Joel Erickson of USA TODAY lays it out: For a moment, a brief moment, it looked like Colts coach Shane Steichen had blown the franchise’s best chance at a 2-0 start since 2009. Steichen chose to run the clock instead, handing the ball off three times to Jonathan Taylor even though Shrader was staring at the longest kick of his career. When Taylor was dropped for a 2-yard loss with three seconds left, Shrader was forced to kick from 60 yards. A play-caller who typically leans aggressive, Steichen was given the ball and control of the clock at the Denver 43-yard-line with 1:44 to go, plenty of time to get another first down or two to close the distance for Spencer Shrader, a young kicker whose career long in the NFL is 48 yards. “We were in field-goal range there, felt good about it,” Steichen said. “And then on that third down, obviously, we went backwards.” Shrader missed. All things Colts: Latest Indianapolis Colts news, schedule, roster, stats, injury updates and more.Badly. Shrader lofted the ball wide to the right and short, an ugly ending for a Colts offense that has been in control throughout the first two games of the season. “The first kick, I felt the pressure coming from the other side of the ball, and I just felt like it kind of got in my routine a little bit,” Shrader said. “I felt that disappointment right after the kick, then I got hit after the play, so there was a lot of chaos going on, and then I saw the flag was thrown. Denver outside linebacker Dondrea Tillman had been flagged for a leverage penalty. “You’re not allowed to place your hand on an opponent or a teammate and push off to propel yourself into the air to block a kick,” referee Craig Wrolstad said after the game. “In this case, number 92 (Tillman) came across the line to the right guard, and he put his hands on the right guard and pushed off him to elevate himself in the air in order to try to block the kick. You’re not allowed to do that.” Dalton Tucker was lined up at right guard for the Colts. Everything happened too fast for him to know exactly what had happened. Tillman leaped over Tucker and reached down with his left hand, placing it in the middle of Tucker’s back, just below his helmet. “I just knew there were a lot of guys in there trying to get through that gap,” Tucker said. “Put my hand up, and went with it.” Tillman’s penalty gave Shrader a second chance. A second chance that was much easier. Tillman’s penalty cost the Broncos 15 yards, turning Shrader’s errant 60-yard attempt into a makeable kick at 45 yards. “Reset,” Shrader said. “Reset your mentality. You know you’re getting another opportunity. Whatever happened in the past, you’ve just got to flush it, and you’ve got to rethink your mentality. It’s, ‘Keep your eyes down, follow through straight and hopefully that thing goes through.’” Shrader hit the second one pure. “Bang,” Shrader said. “It’s just joy.” The kick sent the Colts into a frenzy, both on the field and in the locker room. But it is still unclear why Steichen ran off nearly two minutes of clock to play for a field goal that he had to assume would be more than 55 yards. The Colts had the ball, the offense was rolling and Daniel Jones had just made one of the biggest throws of his career, hitting Alec Pierce for seven yards and a first down in front of Patrick Surtain II, the 2024 NFL Defensive Player of the Year. From the stands, it looked like Steichen had every reason to keep the offense moving, playing for a kick closer to the 45-yarder Shrader would eventually make on the second try. The Colts head coach said he wanted to make sure there was no time left on the clock. “It’s the kickoff at the end,” Steichen said. “You don’t want to let them get a return there. That’s why. And then, obviously, you kick it out, we saw a situation like that already happen in the league.” Steichen did not get into much more detail on the decision. Shrader has shown a big leg in practice — he made a 64-yard field goal in training camp — but he hasn’t made a kick longer than 48 yards in six starts and 14 attempts at the NFL level. When Pierce got the first down, the Colts had the ball at the 43-yard line, a spot that would make it a 61-yard attempt for Shrader. Taylor’s first run picked up two yards, shortening it to 59 yards. Another run picked up one more yard, reducing it to 58. The longest field goal in Colts history is 58 yards. On the sidelines, Shrader said he was preparing to launch a bomb. “I always prepare like it’s going to be, I prepare like the situation is going to be the hardest thing possible, and then it can only get easier,” Shrader said. “I thought, alright, game-winner, really long kick, get yourself in that mentality, and then I just trust the coaches to do their thing, do the management, because I don’t know that much about football.” But the Colts could have tried to get Shrader more yards. Denver did not have any timeouts left, meaning Indianapolis could run the clock down at any point, a choice Steichen made after Taylor’s first two runs. The Colts had just 17 seconds left on third down and a timeout, meaning there would be little time left if Indianapolis threw an incomplete pass and Shrader tied the franchise record. Taylor was dropped for a 2-yard loss instead, leading to a wild turn of events where the Colts thought they’d lost, got a second chance thanks to a controversial call from the referee and capitalized on it. Bill Barnwell thinks the penalty was “clear and obvious”: That mistake came from the Broncos, who appeared to be escaping with a two-point win after a Spencer Shrader field goal miss from 60 yards, only for a long conference among officials to end with defender Dondrea Tillman getting flagged 15 yards for leverage. He attempted to dive over the center and instead hit him with an Ultimate Warrior-esque big splash. Teammate Eyioma Uwazurike clearly pushed down on long-snapper Luke Rhodes to help create more space for Tillman’s leap. It’s one of the more obscure rules in the NFL to decide a game in recent memory, but it is a clear and obvious foul. Shrader hit a 45-yarder with his ensuing kick to push the Colts to 2-0 and drop the Broncos to 1-1. – – -Three writers from The Athletic – Ted Nguyen, Mike Jones and Jordan Rodrigue – opine that the Colts may indeed be for “real” after their win over the Broncos put them at 2-0: The Colts are 2-0 for the first time since 2009? Are they for real? Nguyen: I think they are. Daniel Jones could be this year’s veteran reclamation project. I polled defensive coaches and coordinators about who they thought were the top 10 play callers in the league and Shane Steichen’s placement raised some eyebrows. But Indy’s head coach is showing why he belongs on the list, drawing up some great plays that Jones is executing at a high level. Rookie Tyler Warren already looks like a top tight end. There are a lot of weapons on this team and Jones is doing a great job of playing point guard. The Colts aren’t as talented on the other side of the ball, but this is the best group that defensive coordinator Lou Anarumo has had to work with in years. The Colts will often have the edge at play caller on both sides of the ball. The devastating Jones turnover is always a worry until he can prove otherwise, but so far, so good. Jones: Hard to believe it, but I think they are, too. They have all of the ingredients necessary for winning without elite quarterback play: a quality offensive line, a fantastic run game, an impactful defense. And with all of those elements, they’re able to support Jones and position him for success — and he’s delivering. He looks comfortable, he looks decisive and he’s playing within the framework of the offense rather than trying to do too much, at least for now. Could Jones turn back into a pumpkin? Sure. But as long as the Colts can avoid falling into early holes, they’ll be able to lean heavily on the rushing attack and stay in manageable down and distance situations, which helps Jones immensely. That’s a good recipe for success, especially in the wide-open AFC South. Rodrigue: I want to believe. So far, I think I do. Here’s what I know: Steichen is feeling good right now as a play caller, and you can see it all over his opening script and how he’s scheming bespoke plays for Warren, the rookie tight end who already looks like he belongs with the big names in the league at his position. (He had four catches for 79 yards on Sunday, including a 41-yard catch where he came out of the backfield on his route.) Anarumo’s defense is aggressive, attacks the ball and makes plays — how’s two picks in two weeks (and two choreographed celebrations) by free agent addition Cam Bynum? Part of the Colts’ magic is that nobody really knows what to expect from them. Part of their magic is that they have a combination of strong scheme and talent at key positions on both sides of the ball. With two weeks of tape out on this group, I’m extremely curious to see how teams next defend the Colts — and how they themselves adjust. |
| JACKSONVILLEYes, ATH TRAVIS HUNTER is playing on both sides of the ball. But as Bill Barnwell points out, he hasn’t been that good on either: The Bengals ultimately didn’t settle for three, but their drive also required two fourth-down conversions, including a 25-yard pass interference penalty on Travis Hunter that extended the game and served as Cincinnati’s biggest play. And if you want to treat what we saw as gospel, of course, the Bengals proved that Jacksonville kicking a field goal to go up six wouldn’t have made a difference, given that they marched downfield for a touchdown on a long field anyway. Hunter is off to a slow start as a pro. Through two games, he has nine catches for 55 yards on 14 targets as a receiver. An early injury to Jarrian Jones forced Hunter to play 60% of the defensive snaps on Sunday, and while he forced Andrei Iosivas out of bounds to prevent a catch, Hunter allowed a first down via illegal contact before the 25-yard pass interference call that extended the game. With Ja’Marr Chase and Tee Higgins on the other side, it seems telling that the Bengals were willing to put their game on the line with a fade to Iosivas, their third-best wideout, isolated against Hunter. It’s obviously too early to draw meaningful conclusions, but so far, Hunter hasn’t been a difference-maker on either side of the ball. |
| AFC EAST |
| BUFFALOIan O’Connor of The Athletic on QB JOSH ALLEN playing through a broken nose: Steam was rising out of the hissing showers nearby, and there was Josh Allen slumped on a stool in front of his locker, looking like a club fighter from Jersey who had picked the wrong opponent for a payday. Though the Bayonne Bleeder had actually won this bout by technical knockout, it sure didn’t seem that way. Dion Dawkins was standing across the room when he nodded toward the quarterback whose nose was starting to resemble a zombie film. “He’ll have two black eyes tomorrow,” the left tackle said. Hey, you should have seen the other guy. Dawkins has been protecting the reigning league MVP for his entire Buffalo Bills career, so not much can surprise him anymore. But when Allen lifted himself off the MetLife Stadium field after a run against the Jets, waved for backup Mitch Trubisky to immediately replace him, and then sprinted off the field as if he were being timed in the 40-yard dash, the four-time Pro Bowl tackle was downright scared. Dawkins didn’t know what had happened to the best player in football, because nobody in America did. “Oh my gosh, something’s wrong,” Tony Romo said on CBS. “This is not OK. He would never do this.” No, Josh Allen would never leave the field for any reason. He plays the game with zero regard for his 6-5, 237-pound body and yet never misses a game. As it turned out, the Jets’ Micheal Clemons had landed a left hook to Allen’s head on a tackle, and the quarterback’s nose opened up like a fire hydrant. “Obviously gushing blood,” Allen said. “I just wanted to try to get off the field and stop it.” Trubisky made a huge throw without the benefit of any warmups, but before anyone could start looking up the last time Trubisky made a huge throw of any kind, Allen was back in the huddle. His bodyguard didn’t say anything to him. “I just looked at him,” Dawkins said. “It shows Josh is not a fake. It shows he wears that MVP title. Anybody could have came out and sat on the sideline and said, ‘Yeah, take your time. My nose is bleeding. I’m not going back in.’ “Instead, he comes right back in with two bloody nose plugs, and he can’t even breathe. It shows the type of kid he is.” Plus. the Bills’ rushing attack takes some pressure off Allen and the passing game.It shows why Allen is a mesmerizing force of nature, even on a day when he is not scoring a touchdown with his arm or his feet. “Josh didn’t score?” Dawkins said incredulously. “Damn.” This from Allen in The Sporting News: While he came back in, he was constantly drying blood from his nose throughout the rest of the afternoon. Speaking to the media after the win, Allen provided a positive update on his injury. “We can breathe, so it’s good,” Allen said via Matt Parrino. “I pulled [the ball] when I probably should have handed it off. I tried to throw it and I saw him push, decided to tuck it. I don’t know what hit me, if it was a knee, a hand, it was somebody. [A] helmet just kind of came down right on the bridge of my nose and just started leaking.” |
| MIAMIUnlike Week 1, the Dolphins played with a pulse against New England. But in crunch time of a winnable game, they didn’t make the needed plays. Mike Florio of ProFootballTalk.com: The 0-2 Dolphins had a chance to win their Week 2 game against the Patriots. But they weren’t able to close out the final drive with a touchdown. After the 33-27 loss, quarterback Tua Tagovailoa was asked how frustrating it was to not emerge with a victory. “That was really frustrating,” Tagovailoa told reporters. “It was frustrating with the communication, with the guys inside the huddle and then what the personnel is, then the play for those guys. Do we have too many guys in, why do we have another guy running in? Just the whole operation of that was not up to standard, was not up to par and I’ve got to do a better job with our guys in that sense.” It’s clear that it’s not just Tua in that situation. “We have until the 15-second mark until it cuts off with the communication with [coach] Mike [McDaniel], so depending on what the personnel is, depending on what we were trying to do there, if it was a wristband call or if it was a call it in the headset; there’s a lot of things in that sense that play a role in if we’re getting to the right things or if we’re not getting to the right things,” Tagovailoa said. “That was sort of the mixup of communication there.” The mixups have to end. The margin for error is already disappearing. The Dolphins are 0-2, and they face the Bills in Buffalo on Thursday night. Ten years ago, Dolphins owner Stephen Ross fired coach Joe Philbin after he picked up his third loss. What happens if McDaniel picks up his third loss only three days from now? The Dolphins are already 12.5-point underdogs. Chances are, then, we’ll find out. |
| THIS AND THAT |
| BEWARE OF DRAFTING KICKERSMatt Barrow of The Athletic says PK JAKE MOODY, cut by the Ninners, is just the latest in a line of indifferent drafted kickers: Young kickers usually struggle in the NFL. Kickers who are drafted rarely remain with their original team. And the select few drafted early, well, they often have the roughest time of all. Jake Moody’s brief, bumpy stint with the San Francisco 49ers — the 2023 third-round pick was waived this week after an uneven Week 1 performance in Seattle — shouldn’t be a surprise. In fact, as thorny as his NFL introduction was, it went more smoothly than any of his highly drafted peers’ over the last decade. Roberto Aguayo, taken in the second round (No. 59) by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in 2016, was cut before his second season, after he finished last in the league in field goal percentage and was 4-of-11 on kicks of 40 yards or longer as a rookie. The whiff was so conspicuous that teams shied away from taking kickers as early as even the fourth round until 2022, when the Cleveland Browns drafted Cade York at No. 124. He was also cut after one season and is currently a free agent. Then came Moody, who every special teams expert agreed was the best prospect in recent memory. Unlike Aguayo, a Florida native who kicked at Florida State, Moody grew up kicking off frozen fields in Michigan, then became a high-pressure ace at the University of Michigan. Former Wolverines head coach Jim Harbaugh referred to the kicker as “Money Moody” and called him “a Michigan legend.” He was the rare youngster with a talented leg and a steely disposition. Wind, weather, hostile crowds, long-distance kicks — you couldn’t faze him, even when he first arrived on campus. “You don’t see a freshman kicker just come in and be good, which I think bodes well,” Harbaugh said in 2023. “Because you don’t see a lot of rookie kickers in the NFL be real good. It usually takes some time. There’s some history and evidence here that says Jake’s gonna be good right away.” Even Moody’s rare calm, however, was no match for the NFL. After going a respectable 21-of-25 on field goals as a rookie, he struggled in the back half of the 2024 season, which the 49ers said was because they allowed him to return too quickly from a severe Week 5 high-ankle sprain. Moody was wobbly in the recent preseason, then clanged a 27-yard attempt off the left upright in a tight game Sunday in Seattle. “When it gets to that point, you can see it affecting him from a mental (standpoint),” coach Kyle Shanahan said Wednesday. “Then you don’t have much choice. You’ve got to move on.” Joe Nedney, who kicked for 14 seasons, the final six in San Francisco, said he looks for two things when watching NFL kickers. The first is mechanical. He said that, like a lot of young kickers, Moody has flexible hips, which means he sometimes over-rotates on his attempts. When Moody misses, he tends to pull the ball. “Older kickers — maybe because they’re not as flexible — have a more compact swing,” he said. He also examines how they react to a miss. He said kickers have to convey a sense that they’re unbothered, that they’ll nail the next attempt. “And with Jake, I think we all teetered on, ‘Ooh, do I need to be worried?’” Nedney said. “When Jake missed, he didn’t have a demeanor of, ‘It’s OK, I’ve got it.’” All young kickers face challenges, beginning with sky-high expectations. When Nedney entered the NFL in 1995, kickers made 77.4 percent of their field goals. Last season, it was 85.7 percent, the third-highest all-time, with eight full-time kickers finishing with percentages in the 90s. Eddy Piñeiro, signed this week to replace Moody, has a lifetime average of 88.1 percent, the fourth-highest ever. “If you’re in the low 80s nowadays, it’s like, ‘What’s wrong?’” said 49ers punter Thomas Morstead, a 17-year veteran. “Then, when you have a rookie kicker that gets drafted super high? Those already irrational expectations can become even more irrational.” Brandon Kornblue, an ex-Michigan kicker who has worked with several NFL kickers, including Moody and Piñeiro, said those lofty expectations lead to impatience. Kornblue cited Daniel Carlson, a fifth-round pick by the Minnesota Vikings in 2018. He went 1-for-1 on field goals in his debut that season. The following week, he missed one attempt in regulation and two in overtime in a 29-29 tie with the Green Bay Packers. He was waived the next day — to the benefit of the Raiders. They picked him up, he went 16-of-17 the rest of that season, was a first-team All-Pro in 2022 and has been a Raider ever since. “A quarterback doesn’t get one or two games to show what he can do,” Kornblue said. “The leash is much shorter for a specialist.” Another challenge for young kickers is that only a handful of teams, including the Baltimore Ravens and Philadelphia Eagles, employ a full-time kicking specialist. The 49ers’ special teams coaches — coordinator Brant Boyer, assistant Colt Anderson and quality control coach Ronald Blair III — are former defensive players, with Boyer and Anderson having excelled at kick coverage during their NFL careers. During the offseason, kickers can work with a specialist like Kornblue. But once training camps start, they’re on their own. “To me, it’s one of the most baffling things that still exists in the NFL,” Kornblue said. “In the NFL, it’s unlimited resources, it’s unlimited coaching staffs. They should be able to put somebody in place there.” Finally, being drafted early adds another layer of pressure to a young kicker. Back in April 2023, the 49ers were immediately criticized for bucking the trend and choosing Moody in the third round. Even his preseason attempts were picked apart by reporters and critical fans. A 2024 encounter with Deebo Samuel, sparked by a series of Moody misses in Tampa, only intensified the spotlight. Entering the NFL the way most kickers do — going undrafted — brings its own challenges and certainly isn’t easy but in some ways is a better approach. Undrafted kickers often find themselves on the tryout circuit, meaning they’re one of five or so kickers brought in for a one-day audition when an incumbent kicker struggles or is injured. Nedney, for example, did that early in his career after going undrafted out of San Jose State. He might get a call to kick in front of Miami Dolphins coaches one week and for the Raiders’ the next, usually doing so along with the same batch of eager competitors. When Nedney failed to land a gig in his first two seasons, it led to a surprisingly harsh phone call from his agent, Bob LaMonte. “The phone’s gonna stop ringing if you don’t do something about it,” LaMonte told him. Nedney remembers being incensed. After all, wasn’t his agent supposed to be sympathetic and supportive? But he soon realized LaMonte was right. The excuses he’d been making for himself at the tryouts — no one was accustomed to holding for a left-footed kicker, the field was a mess, it was windy — didn’t matter. It was up to him. “It hardens you,” Nedney said of the high-tension tryouts. “You start to realize how fickle the job is.” That competition was missing for Aguayo, York and Moody during their rookie seasons, something Buccaneers general manager Jason Licht said he regretted about the Aguayo experience. “When we took him, we essentially anointed him,” Licht told Sports Illustrated’s Peter King in 2017. “If I could do it again, I would have gone back and brought in competition to challenge him. I look back on that a lot. Roberto is a great kid, but the magnitude of that position, and the pressure on a 21-year-old — his performance is affecting the lives of men who have families to support. That got tough.” The 49ers didn’t have any true competition for Moody, either. This past spring, they brought in veteran Greg Joseph to push Moody, but it didn’t end up being much of a battle. Joseph was released after nine practices because the 49ers were beset by injuries and couldn’t afford to keep two kickers. At the time, Joseph had been more accurate than Moody in their training camp competition. Perhaps that starts to explain why 20 of the players currently handling kicking duties for their teams went undrafted. Or why, since 2000, drafted kickers have made 82.1 percent of their field goals, while undrafted ones have made 83.3 percent. That is, it wasn’t easy for the undrafted kickers; they had to earn their spots. The question now becomes whether Moody turns out like Carlson, a gem for a different club from the one that drafted him (he is joining the Chicago Bears’ practice squad), or like Aguayo and perhaps York — never to be heard from again. “They are tough decisions, because (Moody) is a very talented young man and likely to go on elsewhere and have success,” general manager John Lynch said Thursday on KNBR radio. “And I hope that’s the case for him because he’s a great kid, and he handled it well. It’s tough, but you’ve got to make decisions in the best interest of the team.” |
