| NFC NORTH |
| DETROITBen Johnson returns to Ford Field this week – and Lions Coach Dan Campbell. Jordan Dajani of CBSSports.com: The Detroit Lions begin somewhat of a new era in 2025, as coach Dan Campbell lost both offensive coordinator Ben Johnson and defensive coordinator Aaron Glenn this offseason. Both coordinators were considered two of the top assistants in the NFL, and the Lions certainly missed them in Week 1. The Green Bay Packers topped the Lions, 27-13, and Detroit looked like an entirely different team. This loss snapped a streak of 15 straight games scoring at least 20 points, and the 3.8 yards per play the offense averaged marked the fewest in a game for Detroit since 2021. Up next for the Lions, coincidentally, is the former architect of their offense in Johnson, who now leads the rival Chicago Bears. Campbell does not want to fall to 0-2 in this home opener, which is why he views this game against his former assistant as a must-win. “Ben’s my friend. He’s always going to be my friend. But nothing about that’s going to change,” Campbell said of facing Johnson, according to The Detroit News. “We’re going in, getting ready to play Chicago. We’re going to win this game. We have to.” According to CBS Sports Research, only 25.1% of teams that start 0-1 reach the postseason dating back to 1990. Teams that fall to 0-2 have made the playoffs just 12.2% of the time. Johnson’s Bears come off an embarrassing loss of their own, as they blew a 17-6 fourth-quarter lead at home to the Minnesota Vikings. Quarterback J.J. McCarthy scored three total touchdowns in the fourth quarter of his very first NFL start, while Johnson made several coaching errors down the stretch which hurt his team. Campbell and Johnson were an incredible tandem that dominated the NFL over the past couple seasons, but it remains to be seen if they can find success without each other. Sunday marks the first time the two coaches will face off on opposite sidelines. |
| MINNESOTAThe youngest captain in the NFL is a Viking. From Bleeding Purple: JJ McCarthy is not just the youngest QB in the NFL, he is now also the youngest Team Captain in the NFL (22 years old)!!! McCarthy, Aaron Jones, Brian O’Neill and Justin Jefferson were named offensive team captains this week!!! SKOL!!!!!– – -This on S HARRISON SMITH who did not play Monday night. Charean Williams of ProFootballTalk.com: Harrison Smith is on the Vikings’ active roster, but he did not play in the season opener because of a personal health issue. The safety practiced last Saturday for the first time since Aug. 11. He said he has made progress and expects to resume playing within three weeks. Smith, speaking for the first time since his issue began, would not elaborate on his health ordeal other than to say it’s physical and not mental. “I’m just trying to get my conditioning up,” Smith said, via Kevin Seifert of ESPN. “I’m going to go out there and see how much I can handle and go from there. I’ve already moved around, and I’m moving around well. It’s just volume and conditioning.” The Vikings did not place Smith on injured reserve, expecting him to return before the four-game minimum absence. He expects the same. “We’re kind of fluid with if I’m ready to go or not, and if I am going to help the team or not,” Smith said. “That all matters. But I expect to be back before [the four-week mark.]” The six-time Pro Bowler has missed only eight games since the start of the 2017 season. He played 16 of 17 games last season. |
| NFC EAST |
| DALLASCB DaRON BLAND recently signed a big money extension with money available after the EDGE MICAH PARSONS trade. Now, he has a calf injury. Todd Archer of ESPN.com: The Dallas Cowboys could be without cornerback DaRon Bland for a couple of weeks because of a right foot injury suffered in Monday’s practice, sources told ESPN. Bland did not practice Wednesday, but the injury is unrelated to the foot issue that limited him to seven games last season. Last year, Bland dealt with a stress fracture in his left foot that required surgery. This injury is not considered as serious, but his absence comes while Trevon Diggs is still ramping up his work after undergoing left knee surgery in January and the Cowboys lack proven depth at the position. Bland signed a four-year, $92 million extension on Aug. 31 that included $50 million guaranteed. He was credited with four tackles and a quarterback hurry in the season-opening loss to the Philadelphia Eagles on Sept. 4. Diggs played in 27 snaps against the Eagles, working in the sub-packages, which moved Bland into the slot. Diggs said after Wednesday’s practice that he could see more action in Week 2 against the New York Giants, if not a full workload. “Just a little bit more than last week, I feel like, is the best and smartest and safest thing to do,” Diggs said. “I feel like just increasing it a couple more plays and just working my way slowly.” Kaiir Elam, acquired in the offseason in a trade from the Buffalo Bills, is the other starter. The Cowboys had newcomers Reddy Steward and Trikweze Bridges active against the Eagles, but neither played a defensive snap in the game. Steward has experience in the system of defensive coordinator Matt Eberflus and can play the slot. It is possible the Cowboys could call up Zion Childress, who made the initial 53-man roster, from the practice squad this week against the Giants. |
| NEW YORK GIANTSWR MALIK NABORS was seen and heard with raised voice on the Giants sideline. No big deal he says now, citing his NBF. Jordan Ranaan of ESPN.com: New York Giants wide receiver Malik Nabers had a conversation with coach Brian Daboll about his sideline demeanor after the two were caught on camera with an animated exchange during Sunday’s 21-6 loss to the Washington Commanders. Both Nabers and Daboll said afterward that it was the result of two competitors trying to win. Nabers said he thought the energy wasn’t right and the Giants were lacking. Daboll said he was trying to get him the ball. The fiery exchange occurred after just one quarter of the season opener. Nabers said it prompted a talk with the coach afterward but added that the situation was being “blown out of proportion.” Nabers, a Pro Bowl player as a rookie, is the Giants’ top offensive playmaker and one of their biggest names. With that comes a lot of attention. “The cameras were just on me,” Nabers said. “I have to be more conscious of that, whether it’s stepping out of my box or talk to [Daboll] on the side. Just being overall aware of where I’m at.” The sideline conversations Sunday were a biproduct of the Giants’ offense looking awfully similar to when they struggled badly last season. They had just 231 total yards and didn’t score a touchdown in the opener. Nabers had five catches for 71 yards on 12 targets. His target share wasn’t the problem. “Just 12 targets and five catches. Not how I want to end the day off,” Nabers said Wednesday. “I know everybody was more focused overall on me getting mad I wasn’t getting the ball. It wasn’t at all what I was concerned about. I had 12 targets. Why would I argue about getting the ball if I had 12 targets?” Then what was it? “Just overall how I played,” he said. “I don’t think that is why I was frustrated. Like I said, I was trying to get the offense going. I was trying to get people to, ‘Let’s get rolling.’ The lights were on. The game was on. It was time to play. I feel that just got pushed over and everybody was talking about how I had an attitude and stuff like that. “I got an NBF. I got a natural b—- face. That is just what it is. That is my face. I don’t know. When you all talk to me, I look the same way every time. It’s just how I am. I guess I have to smile more.” |
| WASHINGTONWhy the Commanders rookie running back sensation is “Bill” although nothing resembling that word appears in any of his three given names: @MLFootballHILARIOUS: #Commanders Jacory Croskey-Merritt was given the nickname “BILL” because he resembled the cartoon character LITTLE BILL as a child. Jacory had a nearly bald haircut, like the the cartoon character & now goes by Bill in the #NFL. Jacory “Bill” Croskey-Merritt. Legend. |
| NFC SOUTH |
| TAMPA BAYThe Buccaneers with some good news on the injury front. Although the return to game action of WR CHRIS GODWIN and T TRISTAN WIRFS is unlikely to occur for a couple of weeks. Josh Alper of ProFootballTalk.com: Two rehabbing Buccaneers players are set for significant steps back toward the lineup on Tuesday. Ian Rapoport of NFL Media reports that wide receiver Godwin is expected to participate in practice for the first time since suffering a season-ending ankle injury in Week 7 last year. Rick Stroud of the Tampa Bay Times confirms that is the case and adds that left tackle Tristan Wirfs also plans to take part in the session. Godwin will be a limited participant in practice and Thursday’s workout is set to be the start of a ramping up process that will take some time. Word last weekend was that Godwin is targeting a Week 5 return to game action and his response to the increased activity will determine whether he’s back on the field at that point. Wirfs had knee surgery in July and will likely see a similar workload to Godwin as he gets back into playing shape. If all goes well, the Bucs should have both veterans in the lineup before too much more time has passed. |
| NFC WEST |
| SAN FRANCISCOThe report on QB BROCK PURDY’s health goes downhill with it now multiple weeks for multiple injuries. Nick Shook of NFL.com: Brock Purdy’s long-shot chance of playing in Week 2 has dropped to zero chance. The 49ers quarterback is expected to miss 2-5 weeks while dealing with a turf toe variant and an issue in his non-throwing shoulder, NFL Network Insider Ian Rapoport reported Thursday on Good Morning Football. Purdy’s status has grown increasingly less optimistic as the week has progressed, with 49ers head coach Kyle Shanahan opening the week on Monday by telling reporters Purdy’s toe was the greater issue. Later on Wednesday, Shanahan said Purdy’s hopes of playing Sunday in New Orleans were a “long shot” at best and it could be a multi-week issue. Now, we understand why Shanahan wasn’t more optimistic during the week. Though somewhat trivial in name, turf toe is known to be a nagging and incredibly limiting injury that requires time off to properly heal. If ever there were a time to allow Purdy to get healthy, it’s near the start of the season. Mac Jones will be expected to start in place of Purdy, bringing four years of NFL experience — including the 2024 season spent as a backup called into action for 10 games in Jacksonville — to the 49ers. San Francisco will already play the Week 2 game without tight end George Kittle, who suffered a hamstring injury in the second quarter of Sunday’s game and landed on injured reserve this week. With a wider window for a possible return, it’s fair to expect Purdy to remain on the active roster as he heals, although the 49ers will likely have to promote Adrian Martinez from the practice squad to serve as Jones’ backup on Sunday. |
| AFC WEST |
| DENVERSean Payton takes responsibility for QB BO NIX’s shaky outing against Tennessee. Jeff Legwold of ESPN.com: After a season opener that saw Denver Broncos quarterback Bo Nix throw two interceptions and lose his first fumble since 2021 when he was at Auburn, coach Sean Payton took time Wednesday to redirect any pointed fingers of blame. “I don’t know how many games I’ve called, but that’s one of those where I came away like, ‘Man, I’ve got to be a lot better,'” Payton said Wednesday. “… If you’re not careful, the game can be over and you’re on to the next game and you haven’t really … had the debrief properly. We’re really trying to pay attention to that.” Payton said he has reexamined the game plan from the 20-12 victory over the Tennessee Titans and what calls he sent in to Nix in a variety of situations. Aside from the turnovers, Nix was 25-of-40 passing for 176 yards. Denver trailed 12-10 early in the third quarter. Nix had 22 pass attempts by halftime, while the Broncos’ running backs had just seven carries for 24 yards in the first half. “If you looked at the down-and-distance, the hashmarks, some of the calls, from a timing standpoint, it’s more of some of the early plays, in the first half, Payton said. “And it’s cleaning up some of the details.” “You want to go out there and score points,” Nix said. “… I know I can be a lot better.” Including a fumble on special teams, the Broncos had four turnovers in the game. Payton noted that Denver was the only NFL team to win Week 1 while losing the turnover battle. The Titans had five possessions start inside the Broncos’ 50-yard line and were held to just three field goals. Nix said that he believed he might have been too aggressive on each of the interceptions but that he wanted to make sure he walked “the fine line” between taking care of the ball with a solid defense like the Broncos have and still be on the hunt for explosive plays in the offense. |
| LOS ANGELES CHARGERSAs Bill Barnwell explores in his much larger piece here, the AFC has been dominated in the last several years by the triumvirate of the mighty Chiefs and top vassals, Buffalo and Baltimore. But now ESPN’s FPI (and the naked eye) has identified another candidate to seize the AFC throne. Los Angeles ChargersFPI odds of winning 1-seed before Week 1: 8.1% (fifth)FPI odds of winning 1-seed after Week 1: 15.8% (third)Difference: plus-7.7 percentage points The team that has unsurprisingly risen up the AFC leaderboard is the Chargers, who nearly doubled their expectation by beating the Chiefs in Brazil. Even with the Broncos and Raiders winning in Week 1, FPI also has the Chargers as notable favorites to win the AFC West after the opener, as their 46% projection ranks favorably to those of the Chiefs (24.5%), Broncos (19.7%) and Raiders (9.8%). Why such a large boost? Well, FPI already liked the Chargers more than the Broncos and Raiders heading into the season. They were FPI’s eighth-highest-ranked squad. The Broncos were in 11th, while the Raiders started the year in 24th. Although the Broncos and Raiders won, they beat two of the worst projected teams in the NFL, with the Raiders topping the Patriots and the Broncos struggling on offense before eventually pulling away from the Titans. Beating the Chiefs is more meaningful, both because it’s topping stiffer competition and winning a game that the Broncos and Raiders still have to play. The Chargers face the league’s 17th-toughest schedule moving forward, while the Raiders go up against the 12th-toughest slate and the Broncos face the fifth-toughest stretch. Winning a one-score matchup with the Chiefs understandably surprised anyone who has watched a Chargers game over the past decade. How they won, though, shouldn’t have surprised anybody who was paying attention last season. Throughout the game, there was a focus on how often the Chargers were throwing the football and how that must have been an unexpected approach for the Chiefs to face given Jim Harbaugh’s history. Look at the raw numbers and you can understand why people feel that way. The Chargers threw only 510 pass attempts last season, the fifth fewest of any offense. Even if we treat scrambles as called pass plays, just 59% of Los Angeles’ plays last season were called passes in the huddle, the 10th-heaviest lean toward the run in the NFL. This was, on first glance, a team whose identity in 2024 was exactly what we think of when we envision a Greg Roman offense: pounding the rock. On closer inspection, though, those numbers are misleading. To start, the Chargers played at one of the slowest paces in the league, averaging nearly 31 seconds of possession time for every snap. They ran the fourth-fewest plays, which was always going to make it difficult to rack up significant passing totals. And then, to complicate things further, the Chargers spent much of the year playing from ahead. In early downs and neutral game scripts, the Chargers threw the ball at the sixth-highest rate in the NFL. They weren’t even a balanced offense in those spots; they were a very pass-friendly team while they were getting a lead and then ate up the clock once they were on top. Against the Chiefs, in a game where they led the entire way but never really had a dominant lead, it shouldn’t have been a surprise that Justin Herbert threw the ball a lot. The Chargers posted the third-highest early-down, neutral script pass rate in Week 1, trailing only the Chiefs and Patriots. Facing a Chiefs team that was getting used to life without Justin Reid and only had free agent addition Kristian Fulton for a handful of snaps, that approach seems entirely reasonable. It helps that Herbert had a great game, too, going 25-of-34 for 318 yards with three touchdown passes and no picks (and adding four scrambles for 36 yards). Only one of those scrambles produced a first down, but Herbert minimized his propensity for taking unnecessary sacks while extending plays and protecting the football. As Mina Kimes noted on “NFL Live,” while the Chargers didn’t do a ton of work running the ball, the threat of play-action was still enough to create throwing lanes for Herbert, who went 9-of-11 for 169 yards using play fakes against the Chiefs. After a frustrating end to their 2024 season and a topsy-turvy past couple of months, this had to feel like a great win. The Chargers will miss Rashawn Slater after he suffered a season-ending knee injury, but Joe Alt was excellent in his first NFL start at left tackle. He didn’t allow a single pressure on 42 dropbacks even while going one-on-one against Chiefs pass rushers roughly 83% of the time. Najee Harris played only 11 snaps in his Chargers debut after suffering an eye injury in an offseason fireworks accident, but rookie Omarion Hampton looked solid, albeit without generating many explosives in the run game. Those chunk plays were missing after Week 2 last season, and the shift from J.K. Dobbins and Gus Edwards to Hampton and Harris was partly informed by the hope that the younger, faster players could generate more big plays on the ground. Naturally, if you’re plotting a path to the top seed for the Chargers, it involves something close to an MVP-caliber season from Herbert. If there’s anybody outside of the usual suspects who has the talent to pull that off, Herbert would be one of the obvious choices. He doesn’t make as many highlight-reel plays as Jackson and Allen make outside of structure, but if the Chargers are winning and Herbert is dominating from inside the pocket, that might not matter. He’ll have his opportunities. The Chargers don’t have a particularly brutal schedule, but they get prime-time games against the Vikings, Steelers and Eagles, and it would be a shock if their Week 15 game against the Chiefs didn’t come under consideration to be flexed. After one victory, FPI believes the Chargers can top the Chiefs in the AFC West. From there, could Harbaugh repeat what he did in San Francisco and make it to the Super Bowl in his second season? |
| AFC NORTH |
| CINCINNATICoach Zac Taylor has not started a season 2-0 in his tenure with the Bengals. Nick Shook of NFL.com: As the offseason calendar flipped from June to July and the Bengals’ 2025 season outlook was discussed, most arrived at the same conclusion. The Bengals don’t play quality football early in the season. They always start slow under Zac Taylor. The numbers back these claims. Joe Burrow is 2-9 as a starter in Weeks 1-2 in his career. It’s been a point of focus for Cincinnati since they opened camp in July. After one week, they’re on the right foot. The Bengals outlasted the Browns in an ugly 17-16 win that counts in the standings, but also included plenty of issues that need fixing. On Sunday, Taylor can start 2-0 for the first time in his career as Bengals coach. He’s 0-5 in Week 2 and swung and missed in his last opportunity to start with two straight victories. It’s arguably even more important to him than going 1-0 every week. “Yeah, I just want to be 2-0,” Taylor admitted Wednesday. “I know I haven’t been 2-0 since I’ve been here. That I can tell you.” Cincinnati already crossed off one item on its season-long checklist by defeating a division opponent on the road, and now it’ll play in the friendly confines of Paycor Stadium for the first time in the 2025 regular season. They’ll welcome the Jacksonville Jaguars — also Week 1 winners — on Sunday, and regardless of opponent, Taylor knows it remains vitally important that his Bengals play well in Cincinnati. “For all the great things that we want to do this year, it starts with playing great at home,” Taylor said, “and that’s a collective effort from our players, our coaches, our fan base.” After missing the playoffs in each of the last two seasons — an outcome caused at least in part by slow starts — Taylor is coaching under a new level of pressure in 2025. The Bengals believe they’re built to chase a Super Bowl title but know the road to that end goal is much more difficult if they don’t take care of business in September. With this in mind, the focus remains the same: Win on Sunday. “What concerns us is starting out 1-0 at home and then that puts (our) best foot forward to do all the things we want to do in our division and so on,” Taylor said. If the Bengals do, it’ll end up being especially satisfying for Taylor — at least for a few hours. |
| PITTSBURGHAs the Seahawks head to Pittsburgh (having put 10 points on the board last week), Jori Epstein looks at WR DK METCALF who they no longer wanted around. The text message hit Aaron Rodgers’ phone last Tuesday. In it: a breakdown of the New York Jets’ defense, led by first-year head coach Aaron Glenn with his history of blitzes and man coverage, the latter particularly notable to the receiver sending the message. DK Metcalf remembered Rodgers’ request from weeks prior at training camp when the Pittsburgh Steelers’ new quarterback and their new receiver shared a bathroom and shower at training camp. Conversations arose, about football and beyond. “I told him way back a long time ago, I said, ‘Hey, give me a report on Monday of game week, Monday or Tuesday, how you see things and what you like,” Rodgers said after the Steelers’ 34-32 win over the Jets. “Kind of forgot about it. And then on Tuesday, guess what I got?” The text message “wasn’t a short one,” Rodgers said, praising his receiver whom he believed “put a lot of time into it.” The time appeared to pay off, with Metcalf posting a team-high 83 receiving yards on four receptions. Metcalf also led all NFL players in Week 1 with 16.8 yards after the catch per reception as Rodgers found his big-bodied, tough-to-tackle receiver in space with room to race up the sidelines. Rodgers and Metcalf still have room for growth in learning each other’s nuances, missing almost as many targets (three) as they connected on (four) — even with Metcalf somewhat lucking into a catch on a pass that Jets cornerback Sauce Gardner deflected before it ricocheted off three players and back into Metcalf’s hands. But as the Steelers host the Seattle Seahawks this Sunday, the team that selected Metcalf in the second round of the 2019 NFL Draft will have another chance to assess the player whom it traded after six seasons in March. The Steelers will take another step toward establishing their identity with Rodgers and Metcalf in house. That identity might not be what the Seahawks are used to. In Week 1, it wasn’t. “Not that similar,” Gardner told Yahoo Sports. “Not too, too similar. I feel like Aaron being the quarterback, Aaron runs his offense a different way. So he’s going to use players to their strengths. “And DK has many strengths.” Steelers traded for a receiver whom ‘there’s nobody like’In six seasons with the Seahawks, Metcalf caught 438 passes for 6,324 yards and 48 touchdowns. The 2019 second-round draft pick developed a well-earned reputation as a size and speed mismatch. How many other 6-foot-3, 228-pound receivers were running a 4.33 40-yard dash at the scouting combine? Metcalf didn’t check that speed and power at the door when he entered the league. “He’s a specimen, he’s a freak of an athlete, freak of a physique,” one NFC defensive assistant told Yahoo Sports. “He’s built like an outside linebacker that plays outside receiver and can move inside [as], for lack of a better term, a big dude just running at you. “There’s nobody like him in the league, when you think about it.” The Steelers sought that size and strength for their quarterback-to-be-named when they traded a second-round pick (and swapped late-round picks) for Metcalf in March, Pittsburgh also giving Metcalf a four-year extension worth $132 million with $60 million guaranteed. Tomlin said in March that competing against Metcalf three times showed him “there’s very little on the football field, from a wide receiver perspective, that he can’t do.” “He’s got short game, he’s got long game, he’s a combat catch guy,” Tomlin said March 31. “He’s got run after [the catch]. He’s a devastating run blocker. We’re really excited about the addition of DK Metcalf and we’re going to use all those talents.” In Week 1, the Steelers used some of those talents more than others. Offensive coordinator Arthur Smith and Rodgers leveraged the defensive attention Metcalf’s presence demanded — hi, Gardner on 30 of 33 routes — to scheme four of Metcalf’s teammates for touchdown catches. And while Metcalf muscled his way through defenders after the catch, especially down the sidelines, the Steelers did not prioritize Metcalf’s vertical threat. Instead, the 3.2 air-yard average per target was the fewest in Metcalf’s 98-game career, per Next Gen Stats. Metcalf picked up a full 73 of his 83 receiving yards after the catch. Gardner remembered that concept from practicing against Rodgers last season. “Aaron is one of those guys where like, if DK is right there with a cut split, Aaron is going to put the ball in his hands early because he knows he’s a big guy, fast, strong and he’s going to be a hard guy to tackle,” Gardner said. “But it’s Week 1. So I’m sure it’s going to change throughout the season depending on who they’re playing against and how the defense is scheming their offense and things like that. But he’s a guy that’s capable of being a vertical threat and being a guy you can just give him a quick screen or give him a quick slant. “Put the ball in his hands early and he‘s going to turn it into a huge explosive gain.” ‘Probably we can put 50 points on the board’One game into his Steelers career, Metcalf spoke of the improvement he sought in catching passes from Rodgers. He wasn’t celebrating his 23-yard gain on the first third-and-10 of the game so much as noting he wished it wasn’t necessary and he’d have caught the prior target on second down. Of the three targets that Metcalf didn’t catch, Pro Football Reference credited one as a drop. Two talent evaluators in the league say an inconsistent track record isn’t new for Metcalf — particularly on contested catches over the middle, like the target Metcalf missed with 3:22 to play in the third quarter. “He’s a Pro Bowl player who has to be used a certain way to be at his best,” one NFC talent evaluator told Yahoo Sports. “He’s tricky because he can’t run the full route tree like other high-level players.” The evaluator said hitch, stop, comeback and corner routes best cater to Metcalf’s strengths, while downfield one-on-one shots are also often effective. Another evaluator believed Metcalf’s consistency was less dependent on his field position and more dependent on his leverage. “When he looks like he’s running routes on air, meaning a defender’s on him but doesn’t get anything on him or play off on him, that’s probably where he’s at his best,” the evaluator said. “Those in-breaks when he’s catching on the run, not breaking stride — he’s a problem.” The Steelers face a Seahawks defense coming off a two-pick game of Brock Purdy, Tomlin crediting Seattle’s secondary as the strongest position group on the team. “They played as many as seven defensive backs in the game,” Tomlin said of the Seahawks’ opening personnel usage. “A very talented and deep group.” Pittsburgh will aim to position Metcalf to make even that talented secondary group miss the way that the Jets missed Metcalf on the first third down in the opener. “It’s our job to get him the ball in spaces where those talents show and sometimes it’s quick-hitting passes, particularly early in the game,” Tomlin said. “I think it was the first third down of the season: They pressured us, we were able to distribute the ball to him quickly. He was able to make a would-be tackler miss and go down the sideline for roughly 25 yards. “I think those are indications of why we acquired him.” |
| AFC SOUTH |
| JACKSONVILLEAs the Jaguars prepare for their second straight game against a team from a Queen City, former coach Rex Ryan offers some advice on ATH TRAVIS HUNTER. Matthew Nechsis in the UK Mirror: Former NFL head coach Rex Ryan was hardly impressed by Travis Hunter’s first attempt to play both ways at the professional level. In Week 1, Hunter played 44 snaps on offense and six on defense as part of the plan set out by Jaguars head coach Liam Coen. The 22-year-old put together a modest stat line during Jacksonville’s 26-10 win over the Carolina Panthers, amassing six catches for 33 yards as a wide receiver and one tackle at cornerback. The Jaguars appear fully committed to utilizing Hunter at more than one position, having given up significant draft capital to acquire his talents before awarding him the largest rookie contract for a non-quarterback who wasn’t a No. 1 overall pick. Yet according to Ryan, Jacksonville would be better off using the Colorado product solely on defense. “Hey, Jacksonville, what are you doing, man?” he asked on Monday’s episode of ‘Get Up.’ “It’s a hell of a lot harder to find a corner than it is a receiver. Put him as a starting corner and let’s make him special as a corner. “Forget all that other jazz about him playing both ways. We get it. You wasted an extra first round pick. Put him at corner and let him make a difference at corner.” As ESPN’s Adam Schefter noted, the Jaguars plan to switch up Hunter’s usage on a weekly basis and feature him more as a cornerback in the coming games. “Here’s what they’re doing. They’re going to be changing it up week to week,” Schefter chimed in. “This week, he might play more corner than wide receiver. This week, he might play both. Travis Hunter logged 44 snaps on offense and six on defense in Week 1Hunter logged 44 snaps on offense and six on defense in Week 1(Image: Getty Images) “They’re kind of easing him in, transitioning him in. The plan the first week was full-time receiver, situational corner. That’s what he did. We’ll see what they do.” Ryan, for one, was hardly in favor of the idea. “So in other words, you’re going to end up getting an average a– receiver in an average a– corner,” he clapped back. “Well, that’s what’s going to happen when you extend guys too much in this league. “No, it ain’t going to happen. And I don’t care who he is. You know, could you possibly do it? Yeah, I could possibly do it. Go line up there, all right. “But no, he’s not going to [make] the impact he should have on this football team unless you sell out, put him at corner, let him be a stud there.” Hunter, to his credit, proved that he is more than capable of handling multiple roles at the collegiate level. During the 2024 campaign, he played 713 offensive snaps and 748 defensive snaps — amassing 96 catches for 1,258 yards and 15 touchdowns along with 35 tackles and four interceptions en route to being awarded the Heisman Trophy. Assessing his performance on Sunday, Hunter told reporters: “I was just excited and ready to go out and win with my team and just bring the energy. “Like I say every day, every time you’re interviewing me, I’m trying to bring the energy, bring the guys up, and make sure we stay true to ourselves and just be the team we know we can be.” |
| AFC EAST |
| MIAMINFL Justice is now involved in trying to determine if WR TYREEK HILL deserves discipline for his alleged assaults on his ex-wife. Mike Florio: The NFL has begun a review of the recent domestic violence allegations against Dolphins receiver Tyreek Hill. Said the league in a Wednesday afternoon email to PFT: “It’s standard policy for the league to review a matter such as this.” Coach Mike McDaniel suggested earlier in the day that the in-house disciplinary process has been activated. It entails at some point an effort to interview the alleged victim. In this case, the alleged victim is Hill’s estranged wife, Keeta Vaccaro. She has accused Hill of eight instances of domestic violence in a court filing submitted in connection with a divorce case. If she does not cooperate (the league has no power to compel her cooperation), the review will go nowhere. If she does — and if the league believes her more than it believes Hill — he could end up being disciplined. If the league decides to seek punishment, and if there’s no resolution, the process culminates in a hearing before Sue L. Robinson, a retired judge. Hill would have appeal rights to the Commissioner or his designee. Ten years ago last month, Hill pleaded guilty to domestic assault and battery by strangulation, in an incident involving his then-pregnant girlfriend. That incident resulted in his dismissal from the Oklahoma State football team; he finished his career at West Alabama. That incident could become, under the Personal Conduct Policy, an aggravating factor in connection with any punishment Hill may face, if he is deemed to have violated the Personal Conduct Policy in his interactions with his estranged wife. The new domestic violence allegations emerged at a time when rumors were circulating as to the Steelers potentially trying to trade for Hill. The Chiefs, we’ve heard, were also interested. The current situation will necessarily complicate any effort by another team to make a deal, given the possibility of a suspension. |
| THIS AND THAT |
| BROADCAST NEWSMatt Yoder of Awful Announcing on the NFL’s big Week 1 ratings: The changes to Nielsen methodology in the new Big Data era is paying big dividends for the NFL. And ESPN’s Monday Night Football is the latest beneficiary. Week 1 saw huge ratings numbers across the spectrum for all of the NFL’s broadcast partners. NBC’s Thursday night season opener between the defending Super Bowl champion Philadelphia Eagles and Dallas Cowboys earned 28.3 million viewers with a weather delay that brought numbers down, good enough for the second highest opener ever. On Friday, YouTube saw 16.2 million viewers domestically and 17.3 million globally for the Chiefs-Chargers game in Brazil, an increase over the 14.2 million that watched the corresponding fixture on Peacock in 2024. Then on Sunday, both CBS and Fox had plenty to boast about with their Week 1 numbers. This year, things were switched up with CBS having a single national late afternoon window instead of the dual Fox and CBS 4:25 p.m. ET games we have seen in years past. The big-time Packers-Lions matchup saw CBS draw 23.8 million viewers. Both that game and overall numbers were the best for the network since 1998. Over on Fox, their single-header Week 1 coverage was the best for either network since 2015. NBC saw 24.7 million tune in for Bills-Ravens for its best Sunday Night Football opener in three years, although unfortunately it sounds like millions of viewers tuned out before Josh Allen and company led an epic comeback. ESPN was never going to be left out of the party with Monday Night Football. And to nobody’s surprise, the Vikings’ out-of-nowhere comeback over the Bears at Soldier Field was another big ratings winner. An average of 22.1 million viewers watched the inaugural MNF game of the 2025 season. It was ESPN’s second most-watched season debut since gaining the package in 2006. It was also an 8% increase over last season. Football ratings in the NFL and college football are increasing thanks to Nielsen’s more comprehensive approach to calculating viewership numbers. The new approach combines Nielsen’s traditional panel measurement with data from millions of set-top boxes and smart TVs. It was believed that this new era would produce bigger numbers for fall football, and those predictions have turned out to be true. Every other sports league can only hope they will reap similar rewards as well. |
| CHARLIE KIRK AND LAMAR JACKSONWe forgot that QB LAMAR JACKSON of the Ravens had an interaction with Charlie Kirk, who was assassinated on Wednesday. It happened just three weeks ago as Taylor Penley of FOX News reported: Turning Point USA founder Charlie Kirk is applauding Baltimore Ravens quarterback Lamar Jackson, saying the two-time NFL MVP showed “courage and conviction” after facing criticism for sharing Kirk’s faith-based post on X that read, “It’s all about Jesus.” “I just want to say to Lamar… you are more than welcome in this big movement that we are building…” the conservative influencer told “Fox & Friends” on Wednesday, referencing reports of a Christian revival in America. “You could be a Democrat, you could be on the left. I don’t care. Jesus is honestly the most important thing.” The quarterback’s X timeline is filled with religious content, with posts such as “God is Good” and Bible verses from other accounts. His political beliefs, however, remain unclear. Jackson faced criticism on Sunday after he re-shared Kirk’s post, drawing ire from those who disagree with Kirk’s politics. One wrote, “It’s not the message that is the problem, it’s the messenger. If Lamar Jackson was a plumber and not a NFL player, Charlie Kirk would call him a DEI hire he wouldn’t trust to work in his home.” Fox News Digital previously reached out to a Jackson rep for comment. Kirk said he believes the backlash stems from celebrities and star athletes not being “allowed” to share views that are considered conservative. “He’s a phenomenal talent, a once-in-a-generation, two-time MVP, and I’m just thrilled that he hasn’t apologized or backed down, to the best of my knowledge, for just retweeting a very simple Sunday message: ‘It’s all about Jesus,'” he said. “We are seeing Gen Z go back to church in record numbers. We are seeing a Christian revival. That should give everyone in this audience hope. It’s the greatest news happening in America right now, and God bless Lamar Jackson for having the courage and the conviction to repost that on his social media. “Who cares what the naysayers say? He’s standing firm for what matters most, which is the gospel of Jesus Christ.” So after Kirk’s death, Jackson appears to be the amazed and offended by the glee of some as he chimed in to a post from former NFL WR Torrey Smith (per Armando Salguero of Outkick): Jackson commented on Kirk’s death by reposting former teammate Torrey Smith, who said on X: “Celebrating the death of someone you don’t share the same beliefs as is wild. Seeing it play out in real time is disgusting.”– – -On the other hand, this from Joseph Person of The Athletic: The Carolina Panthers have fired a public relations employee for a social media post he made about the killing of right-wing activist Charlie Kirk. Charlie Rock, who joined the team as a PR intern last year before being promoted to football communications coordinator, posted a video on his personal Instagram account that showed a Kirk speaking engagement with the caption, “Why are yall sad? Your man said it was worth it …,” along with a screenshot of the Wu-Tang Clan song, “Protect Ya Neck.” A source briefed on the situation said Thursday that Rock is no longer with the organization. The Panthers released a statement on X addressing Rock’s actions. “The views expressed by our employees are their own and do not represent those of the Carolina Panthers,” the statement said. “We do not condone violence of any kind. We are taking this matter very seriously and have accordingly addressed it with the individual.” Rock did not immediately respond to a request for comment. |
