The Daily Briefing Tuesday, September 21, 2021

NFC NORTH

GREEN BAY

The Packers offensive stars were stars on Monday night against Detroit after being held in check in Week 1 by New Orleans.  Curtis Crabtree of ProFootballTalk.com:

Aaron Jones caught three touchdown passes from Aaron Rodgers and added a fourth score on the ground as the Green Bay Packers avoided an 0-2 start to the season with a 35-17 victory over the Detroit Lions.

Jones caught six passes for 48 yards and his three scores along with 67 rushing yards for the Packers. Rodgers completed 22 of 26 passes for 255 yards and four touchdowns despite rainy conditions at Lambeau Field.

Big News For Tampa Federal Retirees: You May Land Incredible Hearing Aids At No

The Lions had kept themselves fully in the game through the first half and took a 17-14 lead into the intermission. Rodgers hit tight end Robert Tonyan for a 22-yard touchdown to put the Packers back in front, 21-17, on the opening drive of the third quarter. It was the first of three straight touchdown drives for the Packers as they took command.

Jones scored on an 11-yard touchdown pass from Rodgers at the end of the third quarter to make it a 28-17 game. He would add his lone rushing touchdown from a yard out on the next drive as the Packers sealed away the victory.

Jared Goff completed 21 of 28 passes for 187 yards and had touchdown passes to Quintez Cephus and T.J. Hockenson in the first half for Detroit. De’Vondre Campbell intercepted Goff in the fourth quarter and lost a fumble as well.

Davante Adams had eight catches for 121 yards for the Packers.

In the course of the game, Rodgers moved past John Elway and into 10^th on the all-time career passing list.

And RB AARON JONES was thinking about his dad.  Adam Maya of NFL.com:

This one was for Aaron Jones’ father.

The Packers running back recently dedicated the rest of his career to Alvin Jones Sr., who passed away during the offseason due to complications with COVID-19. In his first game at Lambeau Field without his father in attendance, Aaron Jones had a night to remember.

The Pro Bowler scored four touchdowns in the Packers’ 35-17 dismantling of the Lions, becoming the first RB in the franchise’s storied history to score three receiving touchdowns and a rushing touchdown in a single game, per NFL Research.

The end zone was a resting place for Jones’ father, as well. Jones said afterward that he wore a chain with a football pendant containing his father’s ashes, but it fell off after his second touchdown. The grounds crew had yet to retrieve it at the time Jones conducted postgame interviews.

UPDATE: There’s good news out of Green Bay for running back Aaron Jones.

The running back has recovered the lost necklace that had a pendant filled with his father’s ashes. One of the Packers’ trainers found it well after the game had ended.

 “[He] found it, so we’re perfect,” Jones told 97.3 The Game, via Rob Demovsky of ESPN. “Thank you to him. He was out there until 1:45 [a.m. CT]. It shows how much they care about us.”

Back to the story:

“He’d be happy,” Jones said of his dad. “He’d be like, if you lose it any way, lose it in the end zone.”

It’s where Jones has made a living for the past two-plus years. Only Derrick Henry (38 TDs) has reached pay dirt more often than Jones (34) since the beginning of the 2019 season. His Week 2 outburst enabled Green Bay fans and Jones fantasy owners alike to R-E-L-A-X.

Overreaction was at a fever pitch last week after Jones, Aaron Rodgers and the Packers’ offense were stifled by the Saints. Jones tallied just 22 yards on seven touches in the season-opening stinker. It wasn’t a sign of things to come.

Jones carried the ball on the Packers’ first three plays from scrimmage Monday and promptly picked up 16 yards. He’d finish with 34 of 75 yards on the drive, which he punctuated by cleanly fielding a shovel pass and running around end for a touchdown.

Green Bay continued to feed its workhorse and he continued to eat — and score. Jones caught short touchdown passes in the second and third quarters, the latter giving the Packers a 28-17 lead. Soon after Jared Goff fumbled a snap deep in his own territory, Jones scored the old-fashioned way in the fourth quarter as he plowed into the end zone from one yard out to conclude the contest’s scoring.

Along with the four TDs, Jones finished with 115 yards from scrimmage and caught all six of his targets.

“He’s such a special human,” Rodgers said. “He’s been through a lot. When you watch the film, it’s just different with 33 back there. He’s a great guy to have on your team.”

MINNESOTA

Bill Barnwell of ESPN.com chastises Coach Mike Zimmer for not being up-to-date on the latest printouts:

Mike Zimmer isn’t anywhere as new to this sort of decision-making as Judge, but the story of what wrong for his Vikings in Week 2 is very similar to what befell the Giants. Most of Minnesota’s worst moments over the past 30 years can be blamed on one kicker or another, and on the simplest level, Sunday was no exception. Greg Joseph was in a position to hit a game winner from 37 yards out with four seconds to go and missed. Over the past decade, kickers have hit 88.2% of their kicks from 35 to 39 yards away. Blame (or cut) the kicker and move onto next week. Right?

Well, no. Zimmer actively hurt the Vikings with his decision-making Sunday. Edjsports tracks coaching decisions using its win expectancy model and found that three of the five worst decisions a coach made in Week 2 were Zimmer calls to punt, including the top two.

Facing a fourth-and-6 on his own 29-yard line with 2:52 to go and three timeouts while trailing by one point, Zimmer punted. This cost the Vikings 12.4 percentage points of win expectancy, more than twice as many as any other decision from Week 2.

In the third quarter, again trailing by one point, he punted on fourth-and-1 from his own 40-yard line.

In the second quarter, facing a fourth-and-1 from his own 34-yard line while up by six points, he had the Vikings punt.

With the latter call, I’ll give him an out and mention that Dalvin Cook was injured on the prior play. Cook was available on the fourth-and-1 in the third quarter, though, and if you’re going to pay a running back as much as the Vikings pay their talented starter, why aren’t you using him on fourth-and-short in a critical situation? Cook carried the ball 22 times for 131 yards, so it was hardly as if Minnesota should have been afraid of being overmatched.

Zimmer also chose to sit on his field position before that final kick. After a K.J. Osborn catch gave the Vikings a first down on the Arizona 19-yard line with 40 seconds remaining, they could have used the ensuing time to run at least one more play. There’s always the risk of turning the ball over with a bad snap or a fumble, but at some point, you have to trust the highest-paid players on your roster like Cook and Kirk Cousins to protect the football.

Joseph still should have hit his kick from 37 yards, but why not trust Cook to try to get a few more yards before using your final timeout? What if he scores a touchdown and you don’t have to worry about using your kicker at all? At 0-2, the Vikings are facing what amounts to a must-win against the Seahawks at home Sunday to avoid digging themselves an impossible hole.

NFC EAST

DALLAS

RB TONY POLLARD’s play has made it essential that he steal some snaps from RB EZEKIEL ELLIOTT.  Chase Goodbread of NFL.com:

Dallas Cowboys owner Jerry Jones is embracing the idea of a running back platoon between Ezekiel Elliott and Tony Pollard, as Pollard continues to impress with his increasing role in the backfield.

After Pollard posted the third 100-yard rushing game of his career Sunday, Jones acknowledged Tuesday that the offense needs the smaller, more explosive Pollard more involved.

“I see it as a great asset to this team. You don’t have an issue. We can have more carries or more touches by the running back, and in my opinion, will. Because both the players are outstanding out of the backfield as receivers, and quite a threat,” Jones said during his weekly radio interview at 105.3 The Fan. “When you see (Kellen) Moore, our coordinator, doing the job he did to neutralize (the Chargers) defense, you see what getting the ball out quick, getting the ball outside to those backs can do.”

Jones also provided an update on injured receiver Amari Cooper (ribs), saying that he’s “hopeful” the wideout will be comfortable enough to play against the Eagles on Monday Night Football. Cooper’s status could end up influencing how Moore decides to deploy his talented backfield.

Pollard was outstanding in Dallas’ 20-17 win over the Los Angeles Chargers, rushing 13 times for 109 yards for a per-carry average of 8.4 yards, four yards more than the incumbent starter Elliott.

It’s Elliott, of course, who has three Pro Bowls on his resume, and had a far bigger role than Pollard just a year ago (244 carries to 101). But Pollard’s ability to gain yardage in chunks on the perimeter with his speed and quickness is becoming an imperative in the Cowboys offense. Jones said the size of Elliott’s contract – he’s playing on a restructured deal that will count just $6.82 million against the salary cap in 2021, but will jump to more than $18 million in 2022 — has nothing to do with how playing time will be deployed.

“You don’t (weigh the contract) in terms of the ultimate decision. You do what makes the first down, or you do what makes the most yards. You do what wins the game. The facts are, we have an outstanding situation here,” Jones added. “Pollard gets up on them so fast and can really surprise the defense. He’s stronger than he looks. He’s so sudden, he’s got such a burst. And then Zeke, he’s as powerful, and his burst, he punishes the hell out of those defenders. Both of those (backs) are going to be a real staple for us as we get into the season.”

Through two games, Elliott has 31 touches (27 rushes, four receptions) and Pollard has 23 (16 and seven).

It’s not quite an even split, but as long as both players are healthy, consider it a two-back system in Dallas.

NEW YORK GIANTS

WR KENNY GOLLADAY says the cameras did not catch him yelling at QB DANIEL JONES.  Nope, it was Jason Garrett that had raised his ire.  Grant Gordon of NFL.com:

Kenny Golladay’s frustrations — which played out live on Thursday Night Football — were not directed at quarterback Daniel Jones, after all.

They were meant for New York Giants offensive coordinator Jason Garrett, Golladay said Monday while adding that he and Garrett have no issues.

“Really that just comes with me a little bit. Really, I’ve never done anything like that either — but really just passionate, just being a competitor,” Golladay said Monday, via team transcript, in explanation of the situation. “I love just doing anything I can to help the team. I let the emotions get the best of me.”

During the TNF broadcast, Golladay could be seen yelling in the direction of Jones, who was seated on the bench, but the former Lions wide receiver clarified he wasn’t upset in regard to wanting the ball more and subsequently clarified it was Garrett he was speaking to. Golladay had three catches for 38 yards on eight targets in the Giants’ 30-29 loss to the Washington Football Team.

“No, not so much that,” Golladay said when asked if the message was about getting him the ball more. “Pretty much just me talking to JG (Jason Garrett) a little bit and that’s two competitive guys right there. More so, just me wanting to do anything I can. Not so much, ‘Give me the ball more,’ though.”

Golladay noted that he and Garrett conversed after the loss and there was nothing to what happened on the sidelines in the heat of the game.

“I mean, that was literally right there during the game,” Golladay said. “Me and him spoke right after the game. It was literally nothing.”

Giants head coach Joe Judge downplayed the situation, stamping out any division between his wide receiver and quarterback, in particular.

– – –

Bill Barnwell of ESPN.com starts by wondering if NT DEXTER LAWRENCE was really offside and then goes off on Joe Judge:

“We will play fundamentally sound, we will not beat ourselves.”

That’s what Joe Judge said in 2020 in his initial news conference as Giants coach. In his 18th game, defensive tackle Dexter Lawrence jumped offside as Washington attempted a game-winning field goal. Dustin Hopkins missed that kick, but he hit his second attempt after being given another try, turning what looked to be a dramatic road victory into a crushing defeat. The Giants have now started 0-2 for the fifth consecutive season. At 18-48, they’re tied with the Jets for the NFL’s worst record since the start of the 2017 season.

The problem here goes beyond what happened at the end of the game, but let’s start there. Was Lawrence actually offside? All angles of the play itself don’t give a clear answer beyond suggesting that it was an extremely close decision. Lawrence is clearly looking at the long-snapper and moves before the rest of his team does. He also stops moving forward after his first step in a way that a defensive lineman stops when he’s afraid of a neutral-zone infraction. You could make a case that Lawrence timed it perfectly, but I also don’t believe that the video clearly suggests that the offside call was wrong.

I realize that’s an unsatisfying answer, but it’s also not really the only reason the Giants lost this game. They finished with 11 penalties. A neutral-zone infraction from Lorenzo Carter extended Washington’s game-winning drive. Darius Slayton dropped a would-be touchdown. A 58-yard touchdown run from Daniel Jones was wiped off the board by a downfield holding call on wideout C.J. Board. Consecutive false starts turned a third-and-5 in the fourth quarter into third-and-15. The Giants were almost bailed out by an impressive performance from Jones and an inexplicable fourth-quarter interception of Washington’s Taylor Heinicke, but the Lawrence call changed all that.

Lost in those incidents, though, is another problem for the Giants: Judge’s decision-making. In Week 1, he cost his team a timeout against the Broncos by throwing his challenge flag on the field after an Albert Okwuegbunam touchdown, a play that is automatically reviewed. Judge took responsibility for the decision after the game and suggested that he threw his flag to get the officials’ attention to review the play and look at the same replays the Giants had seen on the JumboTron, which apparently hinted at Okwuegbunam’s foot touching out of bounds before the score. (As it turned out, the call wasn’t particularly close.)

This week, Judge’s problems were more subtle. He repeatedly set the Giants back with conservative decisions on fourth downs. They kicked a field goal on fourth-and-2 from the 4-yard line in the second quarter to go up 10-7. Judge chose to punt on fourth-and-13 from the Washington 38-yard line in the first quarter, which suggested that he didn’t want to rely on Graham Gano from that distance, but then he attempted two lengthy field goals in the fourth quarter in the hopes of going up six points each time. Judge turned over the ball to Gano on fourth-and-3 from the 34-yard line on the third play of the quarter and on a fourth-and-4 from the 37-yard line with 4:55 to go.

Gano hit both kicks, but in the final few minutes of the game, kicking a field goal to go up six can be a curse. It incentivizes the opponent to go for a game-winning touchdown as opposed to a field goal to tie the score. Washington did the former, scoring a touchdown on just two plays to go up 27-26. The Giants then punted on their ensuing drive, but when Heinicke threw an awful interception to give them the ball on Washington’s 22-yard line with 2:22 to go, a Giants team that had almost entirely abandoned the run amid a great game from Jones ran the ball twice and threw an incomplete pass short of the sticks before Gano kicked a field goal to go up by two.

This is an organizationwide disconnect for the Giants. Judge used his introductory news conference to talk about how he wanted to have a blue-collar football team. General manager Dave Gettleman famously drafted running back Saquon Barkley with the No. 2 overall pick in 2018, followed it by taking Jones in the first round the following year and spoke of his devotion to “hog mollies” up front. Injuries have dulled Barkley’s impact, but the Giants had no faith in him in short-yardage or Jones on the game’s final drive last week. I was reminded of another quote from Judge’s initial news conference:

“I want the people that pay their hard-earned money and the neighborhoods of New York, North Jersey, South Jersey, to come to our games and know that the players on the field play with the same attitude they wake up with every morning. That is blue-collar, it’s hard work, it’s in your face. We’re not going to back down from anybody.”

What’s in your face about kicking 50-plus-yard field goals on fourth-and-short in the fourth quarter? How is taking the ball out of Jones’ hands at the end of arguably his most impressive NFL performance not backing down? The end of Thursday’s loss was wrenching for the Giants, but there’s a lot more to answer for than an ill-timed offside penalty. Judge and his team are still struggling to live up to the image he mapped out in January 2020. And if those comments were empty platitudes, it’s difficult to see what progress he has made over his first 18 games.

PHILADELPHIA

TE ZACH ERTZ has run afoul of COVID and its protocols.  Brandon Lee Gowton of Bleeding Green Nation makes his DB debut:

The Philadelphia Eagles placed veteran tight end Zach Ertz on the reserve/COVID-19 list on Monday afternoon, according to an official announcement from the team.

This news comes one day after Ertz played in the Eagles’ loss against the San Francisco 49ers.

It’s currently unclear if Ertz tested positive or was deemed a high-risk close contact with someone who did test positive. It’s also unclear if Ertz is vaccinated.

If Ertz did test positive and he’s vaccinated, he will need two negative tests at least 24 hours apart to return to the team. Again, it remains to be seen if that’s the case.

Ertz had a good training camp but it’s been a relatively slow start to the season for the 30-year-old. His 20.0 yards per game average is well below his 51.4 career mark. Then again, Jalen Hurts hasn’t exactly shown an affinity for throwing to tight ends. And Ertz has been dealing with a hamstring injury.

A potential silver lining is that the Eagles have more time before this week’s game against the Dallas Cowboys since it’s on Monday Night Football. It’s possible Ertz will be able to return to the roster before then but we’ll see.

UPDATE: Zach Ertz tested positive for COVID-19 but is vaccinated, according to Tom Pelissero. This means he can return to the 53-man roster if/when he produces two negative tests at least 24 hours apart. Thus, he still might be able to play against the Cowboys.

NFC SOUTH

NEW ORLEANS

A pressure washer (the machine, not the individual operating it) appears to have gone berserk and put the Superdome’s roof afire.  The AP:

Smoke and flames shot through the side of the Superdome’s roof on Tuesday as crews worked to clean and prepare the New Orleans sports and entertainment arena for painting.

The New Orleans Fire Department confirmed firefighters responded to flames on the building’s roof shortly after 12:30 p.m. The fire appeared to be under control a short time later.

New Orleans Emergency Management Services said on Twitter that they were transporting one person to the hospital for “minor burns.” Emergency officials called on people to stay away from the area.

Crews were power washing the roof this week to prepare it to be painted, officials said.

The fire happened in a section of Superdome roofing called the “gutter tub,” said ASM Global VP of stadiums Doug Thornton, speaking with The Times Picayune/The New Orleans Advocate. Thornton told the newspaper that they were assessing the damage but so far it did not appear that the structural integrity of the iconic New Orleans sporting and entertainment venue had been compromised.

A photo posted on the city’s emergency management Twitter feed showed firefighters in the trench that separates the Superdome roof from an outer wall as they sprayed down the fire-blackened walls.

ASM Global manages the Superdome. A spokesman did not immediately respond to a telephone call from The Associated Press.

“This afternoon a fire occurred on the exterior of the Caesars Superdome in the gutter tub of the roof,” ASM Global and the LSED said in a joint statement. “NOFD and venue first responders were dispatched immediately and extinguished the fire. Upon further investigation it appears that a pressure washer being used to clean the roof caught fire. Damage is still being assessed.”

NFC WEST

LOS ANGELES RAMS

Coach Sean McVay says the failure of WR DeSEAN JACKSON to do much so far is to be laid on the coach’s shoulders.  Michael David Smith of ProFootballTalk.com:

The Rams’ passing game has performed well this season, but wide receiver DeSean Jackson has not been a part of it. Rams coach Sean McVay says that needs to change.

Jackson has just two catches for 21 yards this season, and yesterday he played only three snaps in Indianapolis. McVay said today that Jackson isn’t injured and wasn’t benched, it was just that the Rams didn’t call for the right personnel groupings to get him on the field.

Jackson will turn 35 this season and has struggled to stay healthy in recent years, but the Rams still hope he can become a big-play threat in McVay’s offense.

AFC WEST

DENVER

Daniel Kaplan of The Athletic is hearing the Broncos will be sold within the next year – and he has thoughts:

There is a general consensus in NFL and sports-banking circles that the Denver Broncos will be for sale once the season concludes. One investment banker, who is advising a prospective buyer, assured he has been informed that an auction will commence early next year.

The seven heirs of the late owner Pat Bowlen, who died in 2019, must have a consensus on which one of them is the controlling partner to keep the club off the market based on his will, and that objective appears hopeless. Two of his daughters in July pulled a lawsuit that contested his will, appearing to pave the way for a sale.

The more interesting question is not so much whether the Broncos are destined for a sale, but would it become the first test of whether the NFL’s conservative ownership rules finally butt heads with skyrocketing valuations. Reports peg a Broncos sale at $4 billion, nearly double the last time an NFL team was sold — the Carolina Panthers in 2018. Even assuming the NFL bends its debt cap and allows, say, $1 billion of leverage, there aren’t many able and willing to come up with $3 billion in cash.

“You tell me who can write that kind of check,” asked one banker, who laid out the hypothetical $3 billion equity/$1 billion debt split. “That’s why it’s a fundamental issue.”

The first name that always pops up is Amazon founder Jeff Bezos (and there is no doubt he could cut the check). But Bezos showed no interest in the Washington Football Team last year when the league could have forced a sale during the partners’ dispute (Bezos also owns The Washington Post). And if he wants a team, he might want to wait to see if the trust that owns the Seattle Seahawks puts that team up for sale as the northwestern city is where Amazon is headquartered.

One factor to consider with Bezos: Wealthy individuals often buy sports teams because while successful, they are not well known. Sports team ownership grants instant name recognition. Bezos however is already one of the most well-known people on the planet.

Then there is Robert F. Smith, an equity fund titan whose net worth Forbes values at nearly $7 billion. His name’s been floated before, and the NFL clearly would be thrilled to have its first African American owner, and Denver is his hometown. Whether he wants to own a team, or has the liquidity, are questions. And last year, he agreed to pay the IRS $139 million for underpaying taxes.

Names floated such as Peyton Manning and John Elway are enticing, but in the end, they would only serve as the public face of an ownership group, and not the important money. And that raises another issue: Raising limited partnership money is going to be very tough for a few reasons. One is the traditional issue with LP money, which is that the investor is essentially buying seats with perks. The challenge of finding investors is more pronounced as the price goes up.

But secondly, the NFL in the past has looked skeptically at buyers who need LP money to seal the deal. Ben Navarro was a front-runner to buy the Panthers in 2018, but he needed financial partners to get him there. After much hubbub, fund billionaire David Tepper was the easy choice with his $2.275 billion bid, even though it was a lower offer than Navarro’s.

The Panthers were the most recent NFL sale, but one would have to go back to Dan Snyder’s 1999 purchase of the Washington Football Team to find an NFL purchase that had necessary LPs, meaning the controlling owner could not afford the team without their money. Arthur Blank’s 2002 Atlanta Falcons deal had some, but they certainly were not financially needed for the Home Depot co-founder. Team sales since — Steve Ross’ Miami Dolphins, Stan Kroenke and the St.Louis/L.A. Rams, Shad Khan and the Jacksonville Jaguars, and Terry Pegula and the Buffalo Bills — did not need LPs to make the math work.

This brings us back to the Broncos. To start, the NFL caps team debt at $500 million per club (the league can and does issue debt waivers allowing for more). What the NFL does not allow, like other leagues, is fund ownership of any size. One fund, Arctos, has already bought an LP in the San Antonio Spurs. The NBA only recently allowed fund ownership precisely because of the problem of finding LP investors in the era of high valuation. But there are no indications the NFL is ready to tack toward allowing funds to own pieces of teams.

“The NFL is going to have to allow funds at these valuations,” argued the investment banker who said the Broncos have already agreed to an auction. More precisely, the three-member trust that oversees the team, again according to this source, is expecting an auction.

During training camp, team president and trustee Joe Ellis said, “Our goal is a timely, responsible and orderly determination of ownership. What that will entail for us — there’s some things that we still need to work through — but our goal is to be able to lay out … for everybody a timeline to a transition of ownership that will take place next year prior to the start of the season. That’s important. It’s important to the organization. It’s important to the beneficiaries — Pat (Bowlen)’s children — to get it resolved and we’re moving forward on that. The team is not for sale.

“There are a few options out there as to what we can do. You’re probably aware of those. We’re going to get through this season. Our goal is to focus on that, have a good year and hopefully be competitive and be around for the postseason tournament once that begins. That’s where our focus is. Until the season’s over, you’re not going to hear a whole lot about the future of ownership of the team.”

If the trustees do move to sell the team, a second lawsuit needs to be resolved. The estate of Edgar Kaiser claims Bowlen gave a right of first refusal to the former partner in the event of a sale. A right of first refusal is a contractual right to match the high bid. Earlier this year, the team’s parent company sued ROFR Holdings, a Vancouver corporation Kaiser started. The trial is scheduled to start this week in Denver County Court.

KANSAS CITY

One of the Chiefs coaches, Greg Lewis, picked up a fine for shoving a Brown in Week One.  Charles Robinson of YahooSports.com:

The NFL Players Association said Monday that it has been informed that Kansas City Chiefs assistant coach Greg Lewis was fined for his part in a sideline altercation with Cleveland Browns safety Ronnie Harrison during their Week 1 game. This contradicts an NFL Network report last week that only Harrison would be fined for the incident.

“It has been communicated to us that the Chiefs coach was fined by the NFL,” union president J.C. Tretter told Yahoo Sports on Monday.

The sum of the fine wasn’t disclosed, but a second union source said the NFLPA was notified of the fine in a communication from a league executive. The league declined comment to Yahoo Sports.

Harrison was fined $12,128 for the exchange with Lewis, which began when the running backs coach shoved Harrison following a first-quarter sideline tackle of running back Clyde Edwards-Helaire. Video replay angles showed Harrison stepping away after tackling Edwards-Helaire, but then briefly planting a foot on the running back after Harrison had been bumped backward by a Chiefs offensive lineman.

In the replays, it appeared that Lewis was reacting to seeing Harrison step on Edwards-Helaire. Lewis reacted by forcefully pushing Harrison to the side, at which point Harrison turned around and responded with an open hand shove to the coach’s chin and neck area.

That exchange initially drew a 15-yard unsportsmanlike conduct flag on the Chiefs bench — but a replay review resulted in Harrison also being flagged and offsetting the Kansas City penalty. Harrison was also ejected for his contact with Lewis, while the coach remained on the sideline.

AFC NORTH

CLEVELAND

WR JARVIS LANDRY goes to IR as WR ODELL BECKHAM III prepares to return.  Michael David Smith of ProFootballTalk.com:

Browns wide receiver Jarvis Landry will miss at least the next three games.

The Browns placed Landry on injured reserve today, which under current NFL rules means he’ll have to miss at least Weeks 3-5.

Landry, who has six catches for 80 yards this season, suffered a sprained MCL on Sunday and has been described by the team as “week to week.”

The good news for the Browns is that receiver Odell Beckham may return this week.

PITTSBURGH

DT TYSON ALUALU has a fractured ankle.  Joe Rutter of the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review:

One day after fracturing his right ankle in the first quarter against the Las Vegas Raiders, Pittsburgh Steelers nose tackle Tyson Alualu was placed on injured reserve Monday.

Henry Mondeaux was promoted from the practice squad to take Alualu’s spot on the 53-man roster.

Alualu, who is in his fifth season with the Steelers and 12th in the NFL, was injured four plays into the Steelers’ 26-17 loss Sunday.

Alualu posted a photo on Instagram on Sunday night that showed the nose tackle lying in a hospital bed with his ankle wrapped and elevated. He was scheduled to undergo surgery Monday.

Mondeaux, a 26-year-old defensive tackle, appeared in 11 games with the Steelers last season, his first in the league. He took 88 defensive snaps and 182 on special teams.

Mondeaux initially made the 53-man roster, but was cut and re-signed to the practice squad after the Steelers acquired cornerback Akhello Witherspoon from Seattle.

And QB BEN ROETHLISBERGER has a problem with his pectoral muscle.  Mike Florio of ProFootballTalk.com:

The Steelers, already dealing with an injury to the most important player on their defense, have an injury to the most important player on their offense.

Coach Mike Tomlin told reporters on Tuesday that quarterback Ben Roethlisberger has a pectoral injury, via Ed Bouchette of TheAthletic.com. Per Aditi Kinkhabwala of NFL Media, Tomlin added that it’s on the left side, and that it will affect his ability to prepare for Sunday’s game.

The injury reports coming on Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday will surely reveal more about Ben’s status. The reality remains that he’s 39. Injuries may not heal as quickly.

Mason Rudolph is the backup, with Dwayne Haskins also in the mix.

AFC SOUTH

HOUSTON

Some hamstring injuries are worse than others, and QB TYROD TAYLOR has one of them.  Josh Alper of ProFootballTalk.com:

Texans head coach David Culley said on Monday that quarterback Tyrod Taylor is day-to-day with a hamstring injury, but the timeline for his return is reportedly considerably longer.

John McClain of the Houston Chronicle reports that Taylor could miss four weeks as a result of the injury. The Texans are set to face the Panthers at home on Thursday and then have a road game with the Bills, a home game against the Patriots, and a trip to Indianapolis.

A four-week timeline would also make Taylor a candidate for injured reserve as he’d be able to return after missing at least three games.

Culley said that the team will not activate Deshaun Watson this week, which leaves third-round pick Davis Mills in line to start against Carolina. Jeff Driskel is on the practice squad and will likely be elevated to serve as Mills’ backup.

And it is official – the DAVIS MILLS Era begins on a national stage.  Mike Florio ofProFootballTalk.com:

Before Justin Fields or Trey Lance make their first NFL start, Davis Mills will get his initial starting assignment.

The rookie third-rounder from Stanford becomes QB1 for the Texans on Thursday night against the Panthers. Coach David Culley announced the development on Tuesday, after explaining that normal starter Tyrod Taylor will miss the game with a hamstring injury.

Mills completed eight of 18 passes for 102 yards, one touchdown, and one interception in the second half of Sunday’s loss to the Browns. As Culley told reporters of Mills, “He is ready. He’s ready.”

He’ll be even more ready because he will have spent the week taking the first-string reps at practice. And if Taylor misses four weeks, as reported by John McClain of the Houston Chronicle, Mills will have plenty more reps, too.

Jeff Driskel presumably will be elevated from the practice squad to serve as the backup to Mills.

TENNESSEE

Mike Vrabel was a winner on Sunday in Seattle, but Bill Barnwell of ESPN.com still reads him the riot act for playing for overtime:

The Titans scored a touchdown with 32 seconds left to go in the fourth quarter and Mike Vrabel faced a dilemma of whether to tie the score with an extra point or attempt to win the game with a 2-point conversion. The officials had spent a couple of minutes reviewing the prior play after it had been ruled a Henry touchdown on the field, so Vrabel had plenty of time to consider his choice. He immediately elected to send his special teams out onto the field and play for overtime.

Yes, the Titans won in overtime. Still, Vrabel’s decision was clearly the wrong choice and they should have tried to win the game with a 2-point attempt. Why?

1. Underdogs want to shorten the game. Underdogs benefit from variance and smaller samples, while favorites are better off extending the game and getting as many opportunities as possible. To use an extreme example from the past, let’s say you’re playing Steph Curry one-on-one and you get the ball first. You’re almost definitely not going to win, but are your chances better if you play to one or 100? If it’s to one, you might toss up a prayer of a hook shot or some sort of rainbow and be lucky enough to have it drop in. If it’s to 100, you’re not going to get 100 miracles.

Vrabel’s Titans were 6.5-point underdogs heading into the game. They looked better than that in the second half, but they were playing a 12-win team from 2020 in what is regarded as one of the toughest places to win on the road in the NFL. Vrabel is not going to tell his team that it’s supposed to lose, but he needs to know in this situation that a shorter game is a better one for his chances of winning.

2. Going for it plays to your team’s strengths. Tennessee has been built around Henry and its power running game for the past few seasons. The Titans lost left tackle Taylor Lewan in warm-ups and guard Rodger Saffold at points during this game, but they were still very clearly comfortable with Henry as the focal point of the offense. Between Saffold leaving the game in the third quarter and Vrabel’s big decision, they gave Henry 15 carries, including successful rushes on third-and-1 and first-and-goal on the prior two plays.

Tennessee’s weakness, on the other hand, appears to be its pass defense. It has allowed opposing teams to average just over 10 yards per attempt through the first two weeks of the season, the fifth-worst mark in the league. The Seahawks were coming off two three-and-outs, but they scored four touchdowns and a field goal across their first 10 drives. They have a Hall of Fame quarterback and two devastating receivers. Would you rather face them in overtime or try to win with what your team does best before you get there?

3. It’s not likely to influence Seattle’s playcalling. In the Giants section, I mentioned that kicking a field goal up three points encouraged the other team to get aggressive and go for a touchdown. You could argue the same case here, where converting a 2-pointer and going up one would force the Seahawks to sell out and try to get in field goal range, while kicking the extra point to tie might encourage Seattle to take it easy and wait for overtime.

Here, though, I don’t think there’s the same incentive. The Seahawks had 29 seconds and two timeouts to work with before getting the ball. They knew that the Titans had only one timeout left, so the chances that they would be forced to punt and then lose before overtime were close to zero. The Seahawks’ personnel is built to succeed on taking shots downfield. Seattle also went for a regulation win in a virtually identical situation two years ago, when it tried to score with 46 seconds and a timeout to go against the Buccaneers and got in field goal range, only for Myers to miss a 40-yard field goal.

Of course, we know with hindsight that the Seahawks did try to score, although they weren’t very successful in moving the ball for getting to overtime. (They did send their receivers on deep routes on first and second down, although Russell Wilson wasn’t able to do much more than a short completion.) We also know that the Titans won the coin toss in overtime and that both teams were unable to score before Tennessee sacked Wilson at the 1-yard line and rode great field position and four more Henry carries to a game-winning field goal. In the end, the Titans got the win they desperately wanted.

In the big picture, though, I would be worried that Vrabel might not get the same results if he’s equally conservative next time around. Remember the wild-card playoff loss to the Ravens? Trailing 17-13 with about 10 minutes to go in the fourth quarter, Vrabel punted on fourth-and-2 from Baltimore’s 40-yard line. It cost the Titans 14 percentage points of win expectancy, per Edjsports. (To be fair, the same company did like Vrabel’s move yesterday to play for overtime, although I have questions about measuring each team’s relative strength and weakness and home-field advantage in Week 2.) Baltimore took nearly six minutes off the clock before kicking a field goal, and the Titans got only one more chance in regulation to score without any benefit of field position. I would have liked to see Vrabel go for the win before overtime on Sunday.

THIS AND THAT

PANIC

Lindsay Jones of The Athletic on which 0-2 teams should PANIC.

Welcome back to The Athletic’s NFL Panic Index, a periodic check-in to determine whether a team’s struggles are just a temporary setback (Panic Level 1) or reason for a full-fledged freak-out (Panic Level 5).

Today, we’re focusing on the NFL’s seven 0-2 teams. No team that lost its first two games made the playoffs in 2019 or 2020. And since 1990, less than 12 percent of the 258 teams with an 0-2 start made the postseason.

The math might look different in 2021, thanks to a 17-game regular season that could give teams more time to catch up after a slow start, and an expanded playoff field that includes an additional wild-card team in each conference.

That could help ease the sting of 0-2, but that doesn’t mean these teams don’t each have reasons for concern.

Detroit Lions

Panic Level: 1

Can you panic if there was no hope to begin with? The Lions were beating the Packers at halftime of the Week 2 “Monday Night Football” game at Lambeau Field, a week after nearly pulling off a wild comeback against San Francisco, and that was more than most of Detroit’s fans expected. (In the end, Green Bay won 35-17.)

The Lions aren’t bad, per se. But they aren’t good, either, and they won’t win many games this year. Still, they have looked competent, decently coached (though we’ll side with the Manning brothers, who criticized the fourth-and-1 pass call from Anthony Lynn late in the first half) and are interesting. And for now, that’s all we can really ask.

Jacksonville Jaguars

Panic Level: 2

We’re trying to keep expectations realistic for the Jaguars. Last week, they were a five-alarm dumpster fire. Sunday, they at least looked like a functional team in losing to Denver 23-13.

And let’s not obsess too much over Trevor Lawrence’s paltry passing stats. Sure, he had just 118 passing yards and threw two more interceptions, to bring his two-game total to five picks. He’s been aggressive, perhaps too much so at times in the second half as he repeatedly threw deep into double coverage, but he hasn’t been getting much help.

More concerning for the Jaguars is their defense, particularly the secondary. The Jags have allowed 100-yard receiving days in back-to-back weeks (to Houston’s Brandin Cooks, then Denver’s Courtland Sutton). Next up: DeAndre Hopkins and the Cardinals.

Minnesota Vikings

Panic Level: 2

The Vikings are the closest team to 2-0 on this list. They’ve now lost in overtime to the Bengals and 34-33 to the Cardinals after kicker Greg Joseph’s attempt at a game-winner sailed wide right.

Does this mean Minnesota is better than its record indicates? Probably, though that’s probably of little solace to Mike Zimmer, who must be almost out of patience for his team’s unforced errors.

The good news is that the Vikings’ offense looked like it was supposed to. Minnesota was led Sunday by running back Dalvin Cook, who had 96 of his 131 rushing yards in the first half. Kirk Cousins, meanwhile, was back on track. He had three touchdowns and no interceptions, and his connections with receivers Justin Jefferson, Adam Thielen and, surprisingly, K.J. Osborn, are thriving.

The key now for the Vikings is not letting the heartbreaking endings poison their potential. No one else has pulled away in the NFC North, and with a few better breaks, maybe Minnesota’s luck will turn.

Indianapolis Colts

Panic Level: 3

An 0-2 start is concerning enough, but now the Colts are back to worrying about Carson Wentz. The quarterback left Sunday’s game against the Rams late in the fourth quarter with an ankle injury that will be further evaluated this week. I suppose it’s good news that the issue wasn’t with Wentz’s surgically repaired foot, but ankles are tricky. We’ll be back to monitoring Wentz’s practice status and reps heading into next week’s game against Tennessee.

Wentz’s health takes on more urgency because he and the Colts’ offense finally started clicking against the Rams, and any absence is a setback at a critical time. It wasn’t perfect — and Wentz absolutely will not get a pass here after his left-handed, shovel-pass interception near the goal line — but it was progress after such an ugly offensive debut last week against Seattle.

Wentz withstood significant pressure from the Rams’ defense (L.A. was credited with 11 quarterback hits, including three by Aaron Donald) and was more aggressive in attempting to go downfield. He increased his average yards per attempt from 5.47 last week to 7.45.

The Colts’ defense improved throughout the game after struggling on the Rams’ opening touchdown drive. Indianapolis still hasn’t shown a consistent enough pass rush, but now there’s less concern about the ability to hold up in the secondary. That’s promising, but hardly a consolation for the only team on this list that entered this season as a legitimate playoff contender.

New York Giants

Panic Level: 3

The Giants became the league’s first 0-2 team after losing to the Washington Football Team on a last-second, 43-yard field goal Thursday night. A brutal offsides penalty on Dexter Lawrence gave Washington a mulligan after Dustin Hopkins initially missed from 48 yards. The Giants should have won this game, and the fact they didn’t is troubling.

Even when Daniel Jones plays well — and he largely did against Washington, throwing for 249 yards, with a touchdown and no turnovers — the Giants still haven’t been good enough.

New York Jets

Panic Level: 4

Did we hear boos at MetLife Stadium Sunday afternoon? So much for patience for this rebuild at the start of the Robert Saleh era. This was about as rough of a home debut as we could have imagined for Zach Wilson. The rookie quarterback threw four interceptions (in his first 11 passing attempts) and was sacked four times. The Jets’ only points in a 25-6 loss to the Patriots came on a pair of field goals.

It was ugly, and only made worse by the fact that Mac Jones, the rookie quarterback on the other sideline, was efficient if not spectacular. Sam Darnold has the Panthers at 2-0.

This isn’t so much an attack on Wilson, but rather a resetting of expectations in New York. The Jets are a flawed team, and merely swapping out the head coach and quarterback wasn’t going to be an instant fix. Now the Jets have to travel to Denver to play another team with a strong pass rush and deep secondary.

Atlanta Falcons

Panic Level: 5

For a few minutes in the third quarter, the Falcons made things interesting. They pulled within three points of the Bucs, with Matt Ryan running an option play — heavy emphasis on the word “running” — for a Cordarrelle Patterson touchdown. We started to wonder if maybe Atlanta could pull off an upset.

But just as quickly as the Falcons got our attention, they unraveled, with Ryan throwing two Pick Sixes in the fourth quarter. It was an epic meltdown, and a sign of just how frustrating this season is going to be for Falcons fans.

There are bright spots, like rookie tight end Kyle Pitts leading Atlanta in receiving, and Patterson’s surprising emergence as a rushing weapon. But this team lacks overall direction and if Ryan — the one player you’re counting on for consistency — is making unthinkable mistakes, it’s hard to find much about which to be excited.

THE RACIAL COMPONENT OF TAUNTING

Mike Freeman, writing in USA TODAY:

It was August when one of the most respected people in the NFL, and a member of the league’s competition committee, went full dork.

“We get kind of sick and tired of the taunting that does go on from time to time on the field,” said Giants co-owner John Mara.

I know dorks. I’m a dork. I sleep with a protractor under Star Trek posters. But even I’m hardly bothered by taunting. The idea that most fans are “sick and tired” of taunting likely just isn’t true. Most fans, I believe, think taunting is all in good fun, and the people who don’t like taunting, in my opinion, are humorless dorks who probably call the cops when a neighbor mows the lawn too early on Sunday morning.

In fact, fans would probably like more taunting as long as it was fun, and not over the top. We really don’t see players going too far with taunting.

The taunting rule was always going to be a massive problem after its emphasis emerged from the bowels of NFL owner diamond-cutting uptightness. This rule is what happens when khakis and mayonnaise have a baby.

It is, without question, one of the worst rules the NFL has ever passed. There are few moments when fans and players both agree something is stupid and this is one of those times.

The rule is also something else besides an error in judgment, and offensive to dorks, it’s about control. Specifically, and mostly, it’s about control of Black bodies.

The examples of the ridiculousness of the rule has been well covered. Why the league enacted the rule in the first place hasn’t been.

Control of the player base, which is 70 percent Black, has long been the mantra of NFL ownership and some front office members. Owners, mostly, don’t see the players as partners. They see them as something to dominate. They still see them as cattle, something stated blatantly by former Dallas Cowboys executive Tex Schramm.

There’s long been a racial component to this, and while the league has gotten better in how it treats Black players, it’s still, at times, Donald Trump adjacent. The way football essentially banished Colin Kaepernick for protesting social injustice is a perfect example of how the NFL uses control as weaponry. The league used Kaepernick as a cautionary tale. You can only protest in the way we deem appropriate. If you step outside of those boundaries, you’ll get the Kaepernick treatment.

Instead of, say, using Cole Beasley as an example, as he actively undermines the health and safety of players by pushing an anti-vax agenda, and embarrasses football with various ridiculous stunts, the NFL puts its muscle into a rule few want, need or asked for.

There’s a reason for that. It goes back to control. It’s more important to the league to wrangle its uppity players than it is to confront an anti-vaxxer who can actually do real damage.

I’ve heard various theories from players and agents over the past few weeks about why the NFL felt it necessary to emphasize this rule and some of them go beyond just simple control. One theory is that the league knew it might face potential backlash from conservatives over some of the social justice measures it planned to enact this season, and the taunting rule emphasis was a way to appease conservatives who don’t like the measures. The taunting rule is a sort of social justice counterbalance.

There are times when the NFL is racially The Land That Time Forgot, stuck somewhere in the 1950s. Then it surprises and does something progressive. Then it stumbles and does something absurd. Like push a taunting rule.

There are likely some Black players and coaches who don’t mind the rule. But I can tell you, with certainty, there is growing outrage among a large swath of the player base. It’s only a matter of time before numerous players speak out against the rule.

As they should.