| Adam Schefter goes on Pat McAfee and touts three receivers that could be on the market: “If the Titans continue to struggle it would make sense for them to move DeAndre Hopkins.. Diontae Johnson is in the last year of his contract & if the Panthers lose a few more games why would they not be open to moving him & Adam Thielen” But – “As of right now I don’t see the Raiders trading Davante Adams.. The Raiders got multiple inquiries this summer and they didn’t even entertain the conversation”– – -There’s this: @NFL_Memes100,000 Giants and Jets fans went to MetLife Stadium this week and not a single one of them watched their team score a touchdown Actually, it might be considerably more than 100,000. Eight FGs, no TDs. |
| NFC NORTH |
| CHICAGOKevin Fishbain of The Athletic on how QB CALEB WILLIAMS got things done Sunday: At the end of the first half Sunday, Chicago Bears quarterback Caleb Williams took a shot for receiver DJ Moore down the right sideline in the end zone. The pass sailed several yards past Moore, who looked like he had beaten his guy, forcing the Bears to settle for a field goal. It seemed emblematic of what we had seen from the Bears in the previous 14 quarters of football. This field goal did give them a 10-6 lead, but Williams was only 8-for-13 for 71 yards. Moore had one catch for 6 yards. The offense went to the locker room with 97 yards. “Football’s about the adjustments,” wide receiver Rome Odunze said after the Bears’ 24-18 win against the Los Angeles Rams. “And coming into halftime saying, ‘I saw this,’ or, ‘Let’s do this next time.’” Moore and Williams talked. The veteran receiver took the blame. He said he wasn’t on the same page with Williams. When the Bears got the ball in the third quarter, clinging to a 10-9 lead, they engineered their best drive of the season, and ended it with a Williams-to-Moore connection — this one for a touchdown. “We’ve got a great relationship,” Moore said, “but we were hunting for that touchdown for a while now.” The drive had gone 11 plays and 65 yards, with the Bears picking up three first downs. The run game finally got going. Williams was taking advantage of D’Andre Swift’s ability as a receiver, hitting him twice for 18 yards. Then he faced a third-and-5 from the Rams’ 9-yard line. Williams saw a safety over the top on tight end Gerald Everett. He wondered if they’d double-team Moore or leave him one-on-one with the linebacker. “When you leave a ’backer on DJ, that’s the matchup that (we) want and (we) wish for throughout games,” Williams said. “That’s how it happened.” Moore went to the back of the end zone under the goal posts. Williams stayed in a collapsing pocket then floated the pass in the perfect spot. “One-on-one with the ’backer, had a little stick nod (route), Caleb placed the ball very well,” Moore said. “I just had to keep my feet in and make the catch. … He put it right where it needed to be, right at the back of the linebacker’s head.” |
| GREEN BAYA controversial officiating moment from the Crew of Bill Vinovich in Green Bay described here: @TrainIslandMatt LaFleur tries to call a timeout late in the 2nd quarter. Gets ignored, explodes, then gets a 15-yard unsportsmanlike conduct penalty and has to use that timeout ANYWAY to avoid a 10-second runoff https://x.com/i/status/1840461753534369963 LaFleur afterwards:’ Love completed his first pass near the goal to Doubs to get down to the Vikings one, but it appeared as though he may have caught the pass in the end zone. The officials decided he caught the pass just in front of the goal line, and since the play occurred with 39 seconds in the half, the onus is on the referees to decide if they wanted to review the play. They did not, which had Packers coach Matt LaFleur irate. He sprinted down the sideline to call timeout and get the referees to review the call. When they didn’t initially grant him either, he yelled at the officials about their decision, and the encounter escalated to a point in which the referees were no longer comfortable. That led to LaFleur being called for an unsportsmanlike penalty. “I’m absolutely embarrassed that I got an unsportsmanlike [penalty], and when you expect composure from your team, and then you’re doing that, that’s a bad look,” LaFleur said postgame on Sunday. “I think we can all be better: myself No. 1 at the forefront of that. This is a humbling league at times, and credit to them [the Vikings].” “He said I was too demonstrative,” LaFleur said. “I didn’t cuss at the official or anything like that, but he said I was too demonstrative. That’s what he called. … I don’t know. I guess I was trying to call timeout. I didn’t think they saw me, so it is what it is. They made the call.” LaFleur’s blood pressure likely settled down to a certain degree on the very next play when Love hit Packers wide receiver Jayden Reed on a beautiful wheel route for a 15-yard touchdown after the penalty on the coach. |
| MINNESOTAFrank Schwab on the greatness of QB SAM DARNOLD and the Vikings – hiding in plain sight in the offseason in what is now, at this moment, a division with three Super Bowl contenders: If there was any wonder about the Vikings’ standing in the NFL’s hierarchy after a 3-0 start, they erased it after what happened at Lambeau Field. The Vikings led the Green Bay Packers 28-0 in the first half, and while the Packers rallied in the fourth quarter, Minnesota was so dominant though three quarters that it didn’t matter. The Vikings won 31-29 on Sunday in a performance that was a lot more impressive than the final score indicates. Now the Vikings’ résumé looks a little different. No team has a trio of quality wins like the Vikings, and all three were unquestionable. The 49ers, Texans and Packers were all considered potential Super Bowl contenders, and the Vikings looked great against all three. That must make the Vikings Super Bowl contenders themselves. Vikings QB Sam Darnold has been fantastic. He had three touchdown passes before halftime on Sunday. He’s off to a blazing start and has done so without tight end T.J. Hockenson and with Jordan Addison missing two games. Addison returned Sunday and scored two first-half touchdowns. Darnold threw an interception and lost a fumble in the second half, which helped allow the Packers to cut the Vikings’ lead to 28-22 early in the fourth quarter. Maybe that’s a concern given Darnold’s turnover issues through his career. But there’s no real reason to believe he’s going to fall apart. Darnold struggled to start his career, but looking back, the story of his surge this season makes sense. He was a huge prospect out of USC. He went to a miserable situation with the New York Jets, then another bad situation with the Carolina Panthers. He spent a season with some competent coaching on the San Francisco 49ers, then went to another great coaching staff in Minnesota. He had the talent, just never the situation or the patience to let him develop. He looks like a new quarterback with head coach Kevin O’Connell calling plays. He’s just 27 years old and that’s not too late for a quarterback to have a career revival. The offense has been very good, with Darnold playing as well as anyone in the NFL. The defense has been way better than anyone expected, with defensive coordinator Brian Flores getting endless praise for his dizzying schemes that have made every quarterback look bad this season. The 49ers had seven points through three quarters in Week 2, the Texans were shut out until late in the third quarter last week and, despite having Jordan Love back in the lineup, the Packers had zero points until the Vikings muffed a punt right before halftime to give Green Bay the ball at Minnesota’s 3-yard line. That’s the only time the Packers scored in the first three quarters. The way the Packers moved the ball in the fourth quarter might have shown some cracks, or it’s more likely the Vikings let down and that was the biggest factor in Green Bay suddenly looking decent on offense. This Vikings team might be a massive surprise and it doesn’t look like a fluke. If you removed the preseason expectations and started with a clean slate in the opener, you’d see a highly efficient offense led by a quarterback who should get early MVP buzz, with a defense that has been arguably the best in the league. And it’s a team that has had decisive victories over three straight quality opponents. That looks like a championship contender. |
| NFC EAST |
| DALLASWe have now learned that DE DEXTER LAWRENCE has a Dreaded Lisfranc injury. Their unpredictable although the Cowboys are putting 4 to 8 weeks as the timeline. Charean Williams of ProFootballTalk.com: The dark clouds hanging over MetLife Stadium didn’t have all to do with the weather in East Rutherford, N.J., on Sunday. Following a 10-9 defeat against the visiting Broncos, Aaron Rodgers took some of the blame for a poor offensive performance that amounted to zero touchdowns and 248 yards of total offense, early season low points for a talented unit that entered 2024 with high expectations. “I can’t say I had a spectacular game,” Rodgers told reporters after the loss. “I missed some throws. The weather sucked, but so did some of my throws. We had some chances, but way too many mental mistakes, too many poor throws, and then we just missed some easy stuff, some protection stuff that should’ve been easy, some route-adjustment stuff that should’ve been easy. Our focus wasn’t as sharp as it’s been in the first three weeks.” More often than not, New York’s mental mistakes came pre-snap. The offensive line was flagged early and often with false starts, a good majority of the team’s 13 total penalties (90 yards) in the game. One of the more crucial of those instances was on a fourth-and-goal from the 1-yard line in the second quarter, which then forced the Jets to settle for a field goal in a game decided by one point. “We got to figure it out,” head coach Robert Saleh said of their pre-snap issues. “Whether or not we’re good enough or ready to handle all the cadence. Cadence had not been an issue all camp. Felt like our operation had been operating pretty good. Obviously, today took a major step back.” Rodgers said the pre-snap penalties were “way out of character” for his offense and hopes he can chalk it up to being an anomaly. Sunday was the first outing this season without starting right tackle Morgan Moses, who suffered a knee injury in Week 3’s dominant win over the New England Patriots, and rookie Olumuyiwa Fashanu started in the veteran’s place. “That’s one way to do it,” Rodgers said when asked of Saleh’s cadence comment. “The other way is hold them accountable. I mean, we haven’t had an issue; Morgan (Moses) had one false start, I believe, before this. It’s been a weapon; we use it every day of practice. We rarely have a false start and to have, I don’t know, five today, it seemed like – four or five. It seems like an outlier. I don’t know if we need to make mass changes based on kind of an outlier game.” The Jets’ offensive line also allowed five sacks of Rodgers, one of which ruining another red-zone opportunity that ended in a another chip-shot FG and another forcing a turnover on downs in the fourth quarter. Neither were they clearing opportune lanes for running backs Breece Hall and Braelon Allen, who combined for just 38 yards on 18 attempts. The lack of an efficient rushing attack made it all that more harder for Rodgers and Co. during what was a rain-soaked affair. Still, the Jets had an opportunity to erase an ugly day following a missed FG by the Broncos late in the fourth quarter. With 1:27 left to play and the ball on their own 40-yard line, the Jets had ample time to set up Greg Zuerlein for a potential game-winner. A pass interference call on Denver aided their effort, but the Jets were only able to gain 13 yards on five plays. Zuerlein’s 50-yard attempt sailed wide right. “The weather dictated some of that, for sure,” Rodgers said of the team’s struggling strategy. “I wish I would’ve made a different check on the last play there that we had. Yeah, this one was definitely frustrating.” Rodgers finished 24-of-42 passing for 225 yards with no touchdowns. Coming off a dominant prime-time win two Thursdays ago, the Jets’ poor offensive outing made Sunday all that more maddening, especially when the defense did its job. “When your defense holds them to 10, you got to win the game 100 percent of the time,” Rodgers said. “That’s on the offense, that’s on me. Yeah, not good enough.” The Jets (2-2) head to London to face the undefeated Minnesota Vikings in Week 5. Mike Sando of The Athletic says the quality of the Vikings 4-0 start is among the best ever for a team that wasn’t expected to be very good: This Minnesota team is one of 47 since 1989 to start 4-0 with a cumulative point differential of at least 50. Nearly 40 percent of these teams (18 of 47) reached the Super Bowl, as the table below spells out. Eight won it all. Of these 47 teams, only those 1999 “Greatest Show on Turf” Rams entered the season with a lower Vegas win total (5.5) than the 6.5 for Minnesota this season. That Rams team, with Mike Martz calling the offense and Kurt Warner taking over for the injured Trent Green at quarterback, were the most dominant of the 47 through four games, producing a plus-95 point differential. The 2009 Denver Broncos (6.5 Vegas total) were the only other team on the list with a preseason win total as low as Minnesota’s was entering this season. They finished 8-8 with Kyle Orton behind center. Here’s a comp Vikings fans will appreciate more than any including Orton: Minnesota’s 1998 team started 4-0 with a four-game point differential of plus-57, same as the current team. That Vikings team carried an 8.5-win Vegas total into the season. Cunningham had come out of retirement a year earlier and was 35 years old. He came off the bench to replace an injured Brad Johnson in Week 2 and stayed in the lineup. While Vikings fans remain free to dream, a more realistic outlook takes shape when we eliminate from our comparisons the 4-0 teams carrying the highest preseason Vegas win totals into their hot-starting seasons. |
| WASHINGTONQB JAYDEN DANIELS is breaking records for all players, not just rookies. Will Brinson of CBSSports.com sums things up: Jayden Daniels has arrived, and he brought revenge with him. The rookie quarterback has been just good the whole season, honestly, but Sunday’s follow up to his explosive performance in Week 3’s Monday upset of the Bengals was just as impressive. And it helped give the man who calls plays for him, Kliff Kingsbury, a chance to stick it to his old employer in the Cardinals during the 42-14 beatdown of the Cardinals. Kliff’s been in his bag the last two weeks, stretching the field a little more than the start of the season. The Commanders ripped off 16 straight scoring drives (not counting kneeldowns) tying the 2019 Ravens and 2018 Saints for the most since 2000. The Commanders’ 42 points were the most by the team since the 2016 season. It’s the first time Washington has scored 30 points in back-to-back weeks since 2017. It helps to have someone of Daniels’ talent pulling the trigger. A week after completing more than 90 percent of his passes, Daniels was locked in again this week, going 26 for 30 for 233 yards, including a laser beam touchdown throw to Terry McLaurin. That makes him the first quarterback in NFL history to complete 85 percent of his passes or more in back-to-back games. Daniels’ 82.1 completion percentage is the highest by ANY quarterback through four games since Tom Brady started with 79.2 percent in 2007. The Commanders are just the second team in NFL history with more scoring drives (23) than incompletions (19) through their first four games to start a season, joining the 1973 Rams. Those are some pretty wild stats to start a season and a career. Daniels also tacked on 47 yards and a score on the ground, but wasn’t called on to use his legs a ton thanks to a robust run game and a really strong performance from Brian Robinson. More importantly, Daniels looked incredibly composed and calm on the field Sunday. He just looks like he belongs and the game doesn’t look at all too fast for him. Now, it has to be said: The Commanders just played the Bengals and the Cardinals. There’s a non-zero chance those teams finish the year as bottom-five defenses and I would peg a bottom-10 finish as kind of likely for both. But the Commanders are in sole position of first place in the NFC East, sitting at 3-1 and looking like a viable threat to upend that division and the NFC playoff picture. And more importantly, they clearly found their franchise quarterback in Daniels. The DB was in the desert Sunday. We went into the weekend wondering if the Commanders had somehow been presented with a choice between CALEB WILLIAMS and Daniels, would they still have taken Daniels. We are now assured that the Commanders did not just take Daniels because Wiliams was gone, he was their top QB choice all the way. Dan Graziano of ESPN.com is buying into the Daniels hype: Jayden Daniels is going to be in the MVP conversationSix days after his dazzling “Monday Night Football” debut against Cincinnati, the Commanders rookie quarterback delivered a brilliant encore. Daniels was 26-for-30 passing for 233 yards and a touchdown and added 68 rushing yards and two more TDs in a 42-14 road victory over the Cardinals. It was the third straight win for the Commanders, who are 3-1 and in sole possession of first place in the NFC East. They are averaging 30.3 points and have scored more points each week than they did the week before. One of the most notable things that happened Sunday was that Washington punter Tress Way actually punted. Once. It was the first time the Commanders had punted since Week 1. Daniels has 218 rushing yards this season, which is the second most by a QB in his first four career games since the Super Bowl era began in 1966, per ESPN Research. First on the list is former Washington quarterback Robert Griffin III, who had 234 in 2012. Verdict: NOT AN OVERREACTIONWeird and unexpected things literally always happen in the NFC East. The Cowboys have major flaws. The injury-riddled Eagles seem to have a lot to figure out. The Giants are in Year 13 of their rebuild. Someone has to win the division. That’s a league rule. Why not Washington? Heck, the Commanders’ defense looked respectable Sunday for the first time all season, and with coach Dan Quinn running it, you had to think it would sooner or later. Daniels’ completion rate is 82.1%. And yes, that has to come down. After all, it is the highest rate over any four-game span in NFL history (minimum of 90 pass attempts), per ESPN Research. But if Daniels keeps delivering with his arm and legs and this team finds its way into the playoffs? You’re absolutely right he will be in the MVP conversation. The only rookie to win MVP was Jim Brown in 1957, so the odds are quite clearly against Daniels. But I think he’s for real — and for that reason, his team might be too. |
| NFC SOUTH |
| ATLANTATheir happy in Atlanta after PK YOUNGHOE KOO kicks a 58-yard FG. Grant Gordon of NFL.com: In an early window brimming with excitement, the Atlanta Falcons’ nail-biting 26-24 win over the archrival New Orleans Saints lacked little in drama. However, for winning quarterback Kirk Cousins it lacked plenty in terms of where he wants the Falcons to be. Thus, he’ll celebrate the victory, but he’ll also be hammering home a massive need to improve for his 2-2 squad. “There’s a lot to fix,” Cousins said, via ESPN’s Marc Raimondi. “And so, you come away saying, ‘I’m so glad we won,’ but I’m going to be voice memoing on the way home to the coaches with some thoughts and how I’ve got to be better and how we’ve got to build on it.” Atlanta was outgained (366-315), was nearly doubled up in first downs (25-14) and lost the time of possession battle by more than 11 minutes. Still, a pair of defensive touchdowns and four Younghoe Koo field goals, including the game-winning 58-yarder with nary two seconds remaining, earned Atlanta a victory. To Cousins’ point about needing improvement, it’s hardly a recipe for success. According to NFL Research, it’s just the second victory in Falcons chronicle in which Atlanta scored zero offensive touchdowns and multiple defensive or special teams TDs. The first time was in 1977. And it was the first time the Falcons have won a game without an offensive touchdown since Week 3, 2004. Perhaps putting it into better scope, the franchise is now 6-97 in games in which it doesn’t score an offensive TD. Cousins needs to look no further than the mirror when it comes to seeking better results. He was 21 of 35 for 238 passing yards and an interception. Thus, after 12-plus seasons with three teams and four Pro Bowl selections, Cousins knows he must be better. Just the same, the veteran also knows how arduous wins are to come by, so while he endeavors for improvement, he’ll also be happy to be improving with a win in his back pocket. “It’s great to find a way to win in this league,” Cousins said. |
| CAROLINAThe Panthers have now lost their two best defenders for the season. David Newton of ESPN.com: Carolina Panthers linebacker Shaq Thompson has suffered a season-ending injury for the second straight year. Thompson tore his Achilles during the fourth quarter of Sunday’s 34-24 loss to the Cincinnati Bengals at Bank of America Stadium. The 25th pick of the 2015 draft out of the University of Washington suffered a season-ending broken fibula last year during a Week 2 loss to the New Orleans Saints. Thompson indicated on his Instagram Story that he has no plans to retire. Thompson wrote, “Yall think ima retire!! Ahah yeah right! I’ll [be] back!” The Panthers also will be without linebacker Josey Jewell, who plays inside next to Thompson in the 3-4 scheme, for at least a couple of weeks with a hamstring/groin injury suffered in the fourth quarter. But Thompson’s injury, because of the severity of it and what he has meant to the team for a long time, hit the hardest. “Just sick for Shaq,” coach Dave Canales said. “A guy that really cares so much, plays with so much passion, a vocal leader, somebody’s who’s had my back throughout this process. [He’s one of those] people that I can ask to lead a charge for this thing that we’re looking to get more of. “So, a guy that stood for all those things, Panthers football all the way through and through.” Thompson was able to walk off the field under his own power Sunday but later was carted off to the locker room with a towel over his head and his head bowed. Thompson, 30, is in his 10th season. He and long-snapper JJ Jansen are the only remaining players from the 2015 team that had an NFL-best 15-1 regular-season record and made it to the Super Bowl. He has endured a stretch with only one winning season since then, though. The Panthers appear headed for a seventh straight losing season with the team 1-3 heading into Sunday’s game against the Chicago Bears. Thompson was having one of his best seasons, leading the team with 35 tackles. Canales said rookie Trevin Wallace and third-year player Chandler Wooten are first up to replace Thompson and Jewell. Thompson was one of four players voted team captain by the players for this season. The others were defensive lineman Derrick Brown, who suffered a season-ending knee injury in the opener, benched quarterback Bryce Young and safety Sam Franklin Jr., who began the season on injured reserve with a broken foot. It is not immediately known if the artificial turf at Bank of America Stadium impacted Thompson’s injury. But it was a noncontact injury, and no player has been more of an advocate for owner David Tepper to go back to natural grass. Thompson was particularly outspoken in 2022 for the switch after the turf was replaced by grass for an exhibition soccer match. “It’s probably going to take all of us to stop going to practice until we get grass,” Thompson said at the time. “I mean they make enough money off of us to maintain grass. I hate to say this, but with our last owner [Jerry Richardson] we had grass. … Listen to your players. We want to play on grass.” Canales declined to speculate on whether Thompson’s injury was turf related. “I’m not an expert on turf, so I’ve got to leave it up to them,” he said. |
| AFC WEST |
| KANSAS CITYFrank Schwab of YahooSports.com takes stock of the 4-0 Chiefs: Kansas City is 4-0 but Sunday might not end up being a happy day for the defending champs. Kansas City’s defense came up big against a shorthanded Los Angeles Chargers team, leading the way to a 17-10 win. The Chiefs put together a late touchdown drive to pull out the win. But the game might be remembered for an injury. Receiver Rashee Rice injured his knee, and if it’s serious then the Chiefs’ offense is perilously thin. Rice was doing most of the heavy lifting in the offense, which already had some players out, and his injury did not look good. In the win over the Chargers, running back Kareem Hunt emerged and ran the ball well for 69 yards, and Travis Kelce came alive with 89 yards. They’ll need more of that if Rice is out for a while. On Monday, Andy Reid outlined his plan (or the portion for public consumption) moving forward without Rice. Xavier Worthy at 21 years old suddenly finds himself as the Kansas City Chiefs’ top wide receiver after they’ve lost Hollywood Brown and Rashee Rice to injuries. Worthy, the Chiefs’ first-round draft pick, leads the team’s healthy wideouts in catches (9), yards (154) and touchdowns (2). Advertising But coach Andy Reid said the Chiefs plan to spread the ball around to all of their receivers rather than ask Worthy alone to make up for the lost production in the absence of Rice, who injured his right knee in the Chiefs’ win over the Los Angeles Chargers on Sunday. “We’ve got guys here that have experience of playing in the game,” Reid said. “It’s not that he’s the only one, doesn’t have to be the only one. We’ve got a good group of guys there that we can utilize, and we normally spread the ball around and that’s what we’ll continue to strive to do.” Reid said the Chiefs didn’t have all of the results from tests given to Rice to confirm the extent of the injury, but he ruled the receiver out for the game against the New Orleans Saints on Monday night. Sources told ESPN’s Adam Schefter on Sunday that Rice is feared to have suffered a torn ACL. Worthy had three catches for 73 yards against the Chargers. One was a 54-yard touchdown, the other a 15-yard reception on third down late in the game that allowed the Chiefs to run out the clock. “I thought Xavier showed what he could do,” Reid said. “He had a couple other potential opportunities there that we weren’t quite able to get to him, but you got a chance to at least see him operate out there and do some nice things as one of the primary receivers. Reid suggested JuJu Smith-Schuster and Skyy Moore were two wide receivers who could get more playing time. Smith-Schuster, the Chiefs’ leading wide receiver in 2022, re-signed with the Chiefs over the summer after being released by the New England Patriots. “Pat [Mahomes] has got a lot of trust in him,” Reid said. “He’s still a good football player.” Moore, a second-round draft pick in 2022, has yet to develop into a consistently reliable receiver. He’s dropped a number of passes, including one against the Chargers. “He’s given us some good downs,” Reid said. “He had the one drop yesterday on the third down that he knows he has to make, but he’s given us some good downs over these four games so we’re OK there.” Tight end Travis Kelce had his most productive game of the season against the Chargers, catching seven passes for 89 yards. “It was good to see that, which we knew was going to happen somewhere along here,” Reid said. “They played quite a bit of zone, allowed [Kelce] to work in zones, and they weren’t squeezing him on that.” The Chiefs, who are also missing injured running back Isiah Pacheco, also got a boost from Kareem Hunt, who played in his first game since signing. Hunt led the Chiefs in rushing with 69 yards. “We all had a lot of trust in Kareem since he had been here and we kind of know how he’s wired and he’s been able to pick stuff up pretty quick,” Reid said. “So, I think we’re OK there increasing [his workload].” |
| AFC NORTH |
| BALTIMOREAs has become abundantly clear RB DERRICK HENRY has plenty left in the tank of his well-used engine. And the Ravens, in this instance, were smart and many of the other 31 NFL teams, including the woebegone Titans, were not. Mike Florio is making a list: Last week, Cowboys owner Jerry Jones had to clumsily defend his failure to sign running back Derrick Henry. This week, everyone else should be doing so, too. Henry was arguably the steal of free agency. Still elite, the Ravens got him on a two-year, $16 million deal. While some teams can be forgiven because they have high-end running backs, anyone who needed a running back should be castigated for not calling King Henry. The Eagles get a pass, because they’ve done OK with Saquon Barkley. But the Giants, who signed Devin Singletary to a three-year, $16.5 million deal, might have been better served by pursuing Henry. Others who could have benefited from Henry include the Browns, the Texans (apologies to Joe Mixon), the Raiders, the Chargers (J.K. Dobbins has fallen off the last two games), the Broncos, the Packers (in lieu of Josh Jacobs), the Bears (in lieu of D’Andre Swift), and the Bucs. Having no one else in hot pursuit of Henry helped the Ravens get him for a bargain. His two-year base deal matches what they eventually paid receiver Odell Beckham Jr. for one year in 2023. Through four games, Henry leads the league with 480 rushing yards. In the last two games, he’s had 350 — thanks to the team’s offense pivoting toward its strengths and getting beyond an 0-2 start. If Henry keeps going, the Ravens will win plenty more games. And it will spark plenty more questions for the teams that didn’t give Henry a second glance. |
| AFC SOUTH |
| INDIANAPOLISAs the Browns fall to 1-3, the most beloved QB in recent Cleveland history gets a victory over NFC Central rival Pittsburgh for another team. Mike Florio of ProFootballTalk.com: The 2023 Comeback Player of the Year almost didn’t have a spot to come back to in 2024. Quarterback Joe Flacco, who reiterated in a post-game call to PFT that he plans to play as long as he can, came off the bench and got a win in relief of starter Anthony Richardson. Flacco explained that he was interested in the Colts because of his shared time in Philly with Indy coach Shane Steichen. More importantly, and as Flacco said, the phone wasn’t exactly ringing off the hook. It definitely didn’t ring from Cleveland. He said they made him no offer to return for 2024. The reason is obvious: Flacco did too well last year. This year, Browns fans would be clamoring loudly for Flacco, four games into another unimpressive showing from Deshaun Watson. It all flows back to Watson’s contract. The Browns had no choice but to continue to prop him up, even if there’s no clear evidence that he’s the guy he was in 2020, when we last saw him play at a high level on a consistent basis. And here is what Flacco did yesterday (as well as encouraging play from starter QB ANTHONY RICARDSON before his injury) from Colts.com: Anthony Richardson was cooking before sustaining a hip injury.The Colts scored touchdowns on their first two drives Sunday, racking up 14 points against a Pittsburgh Steelers defense that entered Week 4 allowing just 8.7 points per game. Richardson completed three of four passes for 71 yards, while he and Jonathan Taylor combined for 68 yards on 11 carries. The Steelers struggled to find answers against the Colts’ run game, and Richardson was letting things rip through the air in the passing game. “It felt like we might score 40 because they had to play AR in the pass and run,” tight end Mo Alie-Cox said. “JT was going early. And we were just marching don the field every time we had the ball. It felt great as an offense to just start fast. We haven’t started fast in any game yet this season, so it was just great to see.” The Colts hadn’t scored on their first offensive possession this season before Taylor punched in a two-yard touchdown to cap an 8-play, 70-yard drive sparked by Richardson’s game-opening 32-yard strike to wide receiver Michael Pittman Jr. “(Richardson) was on fire,” head coach Shane Steichen said. “He was on fire to start the game. So, obviously, see how the week goes and hopefully get him back and keep that momentum going.” Richardson, of course, exited the game late on the Colts’ second possession with a hip injury. The Colts aren’t sure if he’ll be ready to play next weekend against the Jacksonville Jaguars at EverBank Stadium, but the glimpse we saw of Richardson on Sunday was arguably as encouraging a two-drive stretch as the second-year quarterback has had all year. He threw with decisiveness, and while he only attempted four passes, those are something he and the Colts offense feel they can build on moving forward. “Everybody just trusted it,” Richardson said. “I trusted myself spinning the ball, I trusted my wideouts catching the ball, they trusted their routes. The preparation we put in all week, it was for that moment right there. The was us just trying to be on point and execute for the defense.” 2. Joe Flacco delivered in key moments.While the Colts’ run game slowed after Richardson exited – in total, the Colts gained 66 yards on 20 carries (3.3 yards/attempt) after he was ruled out – Flacco came off the bench and played well, particularly on third down. Flacco completed six of eight passes for 72 yards with two touchdowns on third down, and all six of those completions resulted in first downs. The Colts entered Week 4 with three third down conversions through the air all season; Flacco doubled that on Sunday. “When you work all week to defend Richardson and then you get Flacco it’s a little bit different,” Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin said. “And it probably took us a little too long to adapt and adjust in some areas.” That’s one way to look at it. Another way: Flacco, as we saw consistently through training camp, delivered the ball on time to the right pass-catcher based on the coverage in front of him. Wide receiver Josh Downs accounted for four of those six third down conversions, including Flacco’s first touchdown in a Colts uniform (he now has 247 career passing touchdowns, tied with Boomer Esiason for 28th in NFL history). “Joe just trusted me, trusted Pitt, trusted other guys,” Downs said. “He’s a Hall of Fame quarterback, very good player, makes our job easy.” Flacco finished the afternoon with 16 completions on 26 attempts for 168 yards with two touchdowns, no interceptions and a passer rating of 105.9. He took his shots downfield but didn’t connect on three attempts that traveled 20 or more yards beyond the line of scrimmage; in the absence of those explosive plays, he brought the sort of efficiency the Colts needed to hold on to the ball and hold off the Steelers on Sunday. And moments like this, where the Colts needed Flacco to draw even on the 2024 season with a 2-2 record, are why this team made signing him a priority in free agency back in March. “Veteran presence – obviously, he’s played a lot of football,” Steichen said. “Went in there and operated pretty darn good – threw two touchdowns, like you said. Moved the offense up and down the field. Did a nice job for us, for sure.” This on Flacco’s postgame interview for CBS from Ryan Phillips of SI.com: Joe Flacco doesn’t think he’ll ever be cool to fellow quarterback Anthony Richardson. On Sunday, Flacco led the Indianapolis Colts to a 27–24 win over the Pittsburgh Steelers, as he entered the game when Richardson left with a hip injury. Flacco was good in relief, completing 16 of 26 passes for 168 yards, with two touchdowns and no interceptions. After the game, sideline reporter Aditi Kinkhabwala caught up with Flacco and let him know Richardson told the CBS crew that the 39-year-old veteran was cooler than he thought he’d be. “He told me his mom is eight days older than I am so there’s no chance in the world he thinks I’m cool,” Flacco said while laughing. |
| JACKSONVILLECould Doug Pedersen get a mid-season axe? Dan Graziano is on the lookout: Doug Pederson will be the first head coach to lose his job this seasonThe Jaguars put forth a far more respectable effort Sunday in Houston than they did last week in Buffalo. But they still lost, and that means they’re 0-4. They’re also 1-9 since they won in Houston in November to improve to 8-3 last season. At that time, Trevor Lawrence & Co. looked poised to dominate the AFC South for years to come, and Pederson looked like he’d landed in the perfect spot to repeat the work he did in Philadelphia, where he coached the Eagles to their first and only Super Bowl title. At this point, after having given Lawrence a massive contract extension during the offseason that includes fully guaranteed money in each of the next four years, the Jaguars have to be wondering about their future. Jacksonville is 31st in point margin at minus-49, above only the Panthers (minus-56). This has been a sudden and shocking collapse, and a team owner who believed his team was a Super Bowl contender 10 months ago can’t be happy with where things stand. Verdict: NOT AN OVERREACTIONWe can argue all we want about whose fault this is, but the facts are that Pederson is supposed to be the kind of coach who develops quarterbacks and runs a top-level offense. Lawrence isn’t developing, and this offense is not very good. The Jaguars are 26th in offensive expected points added this season. So, fair or not, the blame falls on the coach in this league before it falls on the quarterback who just got extended at $55 million per year. Pederson has moved to the front of the hot seat line. And while we don’t have any information to indicate that he’s in any imminent trouble, if the Jaguars keep losing, this is the kind of situation where ownership decides it has to make some sort of change at some point. That could mean at the end of the season or even possibly sooner. The Jags have a home game against the Colts in Week 5 then back-to-back London games against the Bears and the Patriots. This is their get-right stretch, and they need to take advantage of it. Jonathan Jones of CBSSports.com with more on the topic: People around the league are bracing for changes in Jacksonville if the Jags can’t begin to right the ship soon, but several sources who spoke to CBS Sports this week issued words of caution regarding what moves, exactly, the team could make at this point. Much of the discussion around the Jaguars has centered on head coach Doug Pederson and offensive coordinator Press Taylor. While the relationship between those two has been strong for years, sources point to a strained relationship between Pederson and general manager Trent Baalke, as well as misalignment from owner to GM and head coach, as other causes of dysfunction. “If you fire Doug and Press, you have no one to run the team and build the game plan,” said one source. Taylor, believed to be the main offensive play-caller, began working with Pederson when the head coach took over in Philadelphia in 2016. Pederson’s loyalty to Taylor and refusal to fire him was part of the reasoning behind the Eagles firing Pederson after the 2020 season. And when Pederson got the Jaguars gig in 2022, he brought on Taylor as his offensive coordinator. The 2024 Jaguars have yet to score more than 17 points in a game, and they’ve registered four offensive touchdowns through 12 quarters of play with the 30th-ranked scoring offense. But the rushing attack has been effective when Jacksonville can go to it. They Jaguars are averaging 5.4 yards per carry, third-best in the league behind the Ravens and Packers, and a full yard above league average. But their 64 rush attempts are fourth-fewest in the league. Quarterback Trevor Lawrence signed a franchise-record five-year, $275 million contract in the offseason, but many agree his play has been holding the Jaguars back. He has struggled mightily with accuracy. His completion percentage over expectation, which looks at expected completions compared to actual completions, is negative 8.9%. That’s third-worst in the league among qualified passers and behind second-year quarterback Anthony Richardson and benched quarterback Bryce Young. “Normally when you give the quarterback the extension after year 3, they play with tremendous confidence the next year,” one source said. “It’s the team saying, ‘We believe in you, we’re buying into you. He’s not playing like they invested in him.” Said another source: “If you watch the games, there are situations where the balls are not on anybody.” Pederson could always take more control in play-calling — something he has been hesitant to do — but sources threw cold water on Taylor going anywhere because of how integral he is to the weekly preparation. “No one on staff can replace what Press does for him,” said one source. Indeed, whether it’s an interim head coach or a different coordinator, there is no obvious choice for either on the Jaguars staff. Former Chargers head coach Mike McCoy is on staff as the quarterbacks coach, but he hasn’t coordinated an offense since 2018 when he had the last-ranked Cardinals offense sputter to his own mid-season firing. “I understand everyone’s narrative would be to fire Press,” said a source. “But even from a practical standpoint, I don’t know how you successfully game plan if you fire him. You’re wasting [Lawrence’s] season by doing that.” Lawrence could also be feeling the effects of absences around him. Calvin Ridley signed with the Titans in the offseason, and Pro Bowl tight end Evan Engram has missed the last two games with a hamstring injury that will likely turn into a third missed game. The Jags defense has also struggled, giving up the fourth-most points in the league — though much of that came Monday night in the blowout in Western New York. Baalke has been the GM since 2021. He and Pederson navigated the post-Urban Meyer tenure to get the Jags to the playoffs in 2022, and moves like inking Christian Kirk to a market-beating deal and locking in Engram have helped the franchise. But his decision to take Travon Walker No. 1 overall in 2022 over Aidan Hutchinson has proved costly for the franchise. Since entering the league, Hutchinson ranks 10th in quarterback pressures (150) and is tied with T.J. Watt and Khalil Mack for the seventh-most sacks (27.5). Walker is tied for 37th in sacks with 15.5, and his 101 pressures rank outside the top 40. One source with knowledge of the dynamic between Pederson and Baalke called the working relationship “a marriage of convenience.” For as hands-off as Khan has appeared to be in his leadership of the organization, few NFL team owners have been as active in hiring and firing coaches as he. Since Khan took over at the end of the 2011 season, he has hired five different head coaches. Twice he has handed out pink slips within one season, including what is arguably the most disastrous single-season coaching tenure in modern NFL history with Meyer. Only the Browns and Broncos have had more head coaches since Khan became owner of the Jaguars. And Pederson will likely need to turn things around this season to avoid Jacksonville from pulling even with those two franchises for that distinction. |
| AFC EAST |
| NEW ENGLANDNow Dave Canales of the Panthers had a change of heart after a similar pronouncement, but Patriots Coach Jarod Mayo puts a hold on the thoughts of those who think the Dolphins at home on Sunday would be a good place for rookie QB DRAKE MAYE to make his start. Sean McGuire of NESN.com: Patriots head coach Jerod Mayo is responsible for a fair share of the jockeying with it comes to New England’s starting quarterback. Mayo was the one to say Drake Maye outplayed Jacoby Brissett in the preseason, which caught many off guard. Mayo also has been the one to use qualifiers like “right now” or “at this point” when he refers to Brissett as the starter. Well, Mayo tried to clear some of that up Monday. And in doing so, the first-year head coach sent a pretty clear message to the “Start Drake Maye” crowd. “I’m not trying to send mixed messages, and when I said, ‘The right to change my mind’ I’m talking about the entire team,” Mayo told reporters one day after New England’s 30-13 loss to the San Francisco 49ers. “Jacoby is 100% our starter. He’s 100% our starter and that’s how we’re going to look at this going forward.” Those sentiments from Mayo came shortly after his morning appearance on WEEI’s “The Greg Hill Show.” Mayo said he understood why some fans are pushing for Maye, but stressed the decision – his decision – is made with more than a few weeks in mind. “I think the hard part about it – look, all the fans, you guys here, media – they want to see the third overall pick play,” Mayo told the radio station. “And I understand the frustration from the fans, I understand the frustration from you guys in here (media). “What we’re doing is what we think is best. What I’m doing is what I think is best for the Patriots today and also in the future, and that’s how I have to look at these things. You guys look at these things on a week-to-week basis. I think there’s a combination of multiple things I have to deal with.” Mayo said the Patriots entered the season with a plan at the quarterback position and knew there would be bumps and bruises along the way. And the Brissett-led offense, which ranks dead last in yards and 31st in points scored, certainly has. But it seems that’s not going to prompt Mayo and company to stray off course. “Look, he’s (Brissett) done a good job doing what we’ve asked,” Mayo told reporters. “Are there a lot of plays we can do a better job with? Absolutely. But I would never question his toughness, dependability and leadership style for this team. That’s what we need right now.” Brissett has been under constant pressure, playing behind one of the worst pas-blocking offensive lines in the NFL. Brissett hasn’t been perfect himself, and his Week 4 performance in San Francisco was his worst of the season. His most recent outing is going to cause the outside noise to get a bit louder, no doubt. But Mayo tried his best to quiet it down – at least for right now. |
| NEW YORK JETSWe don’t know yet whether Sunday against Denver will be a part of another disappointing Jets season – or a critical loss impacting the team’s playoff seeding and chances as December/January arrives. But it sure wasn’t good as QB AARON RODGERS remarks that are part of this report from Michael Baca of NFL.com: The dark clouds hanging over MetLife Stadium didn’t have all to do with the weather in East Rutherford, N.J., on Sunday. Following a 10-9 defeat against the visiting Broncos, Aaron Rodgers took some of the blame for a poor offensive performance that amounted to zero touchdowns and 248 yards of total offense, early season low points for a talented unit that entered 2024 with high expectations. “I can’t say I had a spectacular game,” Rodgers told reporters after the loss. “I missed some throws. The weather sucked, but so did some of my throws. We had some chances, but way too many mental mistakes, too many poor throws, and then we just missed some easy stuff, some protection stuff that should’ve been easy, some route-adjustment stuff that should’ve been easy. Our focus wasn’t as sharp as it’s been in the first three weeks.” More often than not, New York’s mental mistakes came pre-snap. The offensive line was flagged early and often with false starts, a good majority of the team’s 13 total penalties (90 yards) in the game. One of the more crucial of those instances was on a fourth-and-goal from the 1-yard line in the second quarter, which then forced the Jets to settle for a field goal in a game decided by one point. “We got to figure it out,” head coach Robert Saleh said of their pre-snap issues. “Whether or not we’re good enough or ready to handle all the cadence. Cadence had not been an issue all camp. Felt like our operation had been operating pretty good. Obviously, today took a major step back.” Rodgers said the pre-snap penalties were “way out of character” for his offense and hopes he can chalk it up to being an anomaly. Sunday was the first outing this season without starting right tackle Morgan Moses, who suffered a knee injury in Week 3’s dominant win over the New England Patriots, and rookie Olumuyiwa Fashanu started in the veteran’s place. “That’s one way to do it,” Rodgers said when asked of Saleh’s cadence comment. “The other way is hold them accountable. I mean, we haven’t had an issue; Morgan (Moses) had one false start, I believe, before this. It’s been a weapon; we use it every day of practice. We rarely have a false start and to have, I don’t know, five today, it seemed like – four or five. It seems like an outlier. I don’t know if we need to make mass changes based on kind of an outlier game.” The Jets’ offensive line also allowed five sacks of Rodgers, one of which ruining another red-zone opportunity that ended in a another chip-shot FG and another forcing a turnover on downs in the fourth quarter. Neither were they clearing opportune lanes for running backs Breece Hall and Braelon Allen, who combined for just 38 yards on 18 attempts. The lack of an efficient rushing attack made it all that more harder for Rodgers and Co. during what was a rain-soaked affair. Still, the Jets had an opportunity to erase an ugly day following a missed FG by the Broncos late in the fourth quarter. With 1:27 left to play and the ball on their own 40-yard line, the Jets had ample time to set up Greg Zuerlein for a potential game-winner. A pass interference call on Denver aided their effort, but the Jets were only able to gain 13 yards on five plays. Zuerlein’s 50-yard attempt sailed wide right. “The weather dictated some of that, for sure,” Rodgers said of the team’s struggling strategy. “I wish I would’ve made a different check on the last play there that we had. Yeah, this one was definitely frustrating.” Rodgers finished 24-of-42 passing for 225 yards with no touchdowns. Coming off a dominant prime-time win two Thursdays ago, the Jets’ poor offensive outing made Sunday all that more maddening, especially when the defense did its job. “When your defense holds them to 10, you got to win the game 100 percent of the time,” Rodgers said. “That’s on the offense, that’s on me. Yeah, not good enough.” The Jets (2-2) head to London to face the undefeated Minnesota Vikings in Week 5. So, PK YOUNGHOE KOO makes a 58-yard FG and the Falcons are smiling about a two-point win despite no offensive touchdowns while Zeurlein misses a windy 50-yarder and Jets do not enjoy the same reprieve. As Mike Florio notes, Saleh backed off on Monday after the resistance of Rodgers: “We’re always going to push the envelope with cadence,” Saleh said, via Rich Cimini of ESPN.com. ” Always. But with regards to operation, getting in and out of the huddle, getting to the line of scrimmage, the communication that’s being had, those are all things that we can continue to look at and clean up. . . . But from a cadence standpoint, that’s part of what makes us who we are, and we’re going to continue to always push the envelope on that.” The Jets had five false starts on Sunday. Rodgers dismissed it as an aberration. |
| THIS AND THAT |
| BROADCAST NEWSFlexing is now available in certain packages and we saw this from NFL Nerd (adding RED to some that would seem to require Flex consideration): @NerdingonNFLPrimetime games that the NFL is allowed to flex off primetime this season: Sunday Night Football5 – DAL @ PIT6 – CIN @ NYG7 – NYJ @ PIT8 – DAL @ SF9 – JAX @ PHI10 – DET @ HOU11 – IND @ NYJ 12 – PHI @ LAR13 – SF @ BUF14 – LAC @ KC15 – GB @ SEA16 – TB @ DAL17 – MIA @ CLE Monday Night Football12 – BAL @ LAC13 – CLE @ DEN14 – CIN @ DAL15 – CHI @ MIN15 – ATL @ LV16 – NO @ GB17 – DET @ SF Thursday Night Football13 – MIA @ GB14 – GB @ DET15 – LAR @ SF16 – CLE @ CIN17 – SEA @ CHI Week 6 for Sunday Night FB will be decided this week. Possible replacements for CIN@NYG: Tampa Bay (3-1) at New Orleans (2-2) (1 pm, FOX) Washington (3-1) at Baltimore (2-2) (1 pm, CBS)Pittsburgh (3-1) at Las Vegas (2-2) (4:05, CBS) Looking online, we see some hype for a Washington at Baltimore move. But the NFL has been reluctant recently to exercise the Flex for early season games. Stand by.- – -And Tom Brady will not be returning to Foxboro with FOX on Sunday. Mike Florio: A week after Tom Brady called a game from his home away from home away from home in Tampa, he won’t be going to his home away from home in New England. He’ll simply be going home to the Bay Area. Per multiple reports, Brady’s Fox team will handle Cardinals-49ers in Week 5. It’s a 4:05 p.m. ET regional game. Also on the Fox schedule this week is Dolphins-Patriots at 1:00 p.m. ET. That would have been a perfect choice, seemingly, for Brady. Of course, the Patriots are 1-3, and the Dolphins could be in that same spot by tonight. The explanation might be as simple as Brady wanting to spend a week with his parents. Which, if that’s the case, is fine. The other Fox options were Panthers-Bears (1:00 p.m. ET), Browns-Commanders (1:00 p.m. ET), Raiders-Broncos (4:05 p.m. ET). |
| 2025 DRAFTJim Nagy, Executive Director of the Senior Bowl, on what he’s hearing about the 2025 first round: @JimNagy_SBSpoke to four NFL execs past week and all said same thing about upcoming 2025 draft, there’s an 𝙪𝙣𝙪𝙨𝙪𝙖𝙡𝙡𝙮 𝙨𝙢𝙖𝙡𝙡 𝙣𝙪𝙢𝙗𝙚𝙧 of sure-fire first rounders this year. Amount of Round 1 grades in most drafts is in mid-teens & good drafts tend to have low-20’s. Based on these convos, there’s less than 10 consensus first-rounders right now at this point of fall scouting process. @TheRealNole91Timing lines up with players who’s high school years were significantly impacted by Covid and NIL/open portal movement @JimNagy_SB💯 |
