COLTS FOOTBALL
COLTS RELEASE UNOFFICIAL DEPTH CHART FOR WEEK 2 GAME VS. DENVER BRONCOS
OFFENSE
- WR: Michael Pittman Jr., Ashton Dulin
- LT: Bernhard Raimann, Luke Tenuta
- LG: Quenton Nelson
- C: Tanor Bortolini, Danny Pinter
- RG: Matt Goncalves, Dalton Tucker
- RT: Braden Smith, Jalen Travis
- TE: Tyler Warren, Mo Alie-Cox, Drew Ogletree, Will Mallory
- WR: Josh Downs, Anthony Gould
- WR: Alec Pierce, Adonai Mitchell
- QB: Daniel Jones, Anthony Richardson Sr., Riley Leonard
- RB: Jonathan Taylor, Tyler Goodson OR DJ Giddens
- In his NFL debut, Warren had seven receptions for 76 yards against the Miami Dolphins.
- Jones was 22-of-29 for 272 two yards and a touchdown, with two rushing touchdowns of his own, in his Colts debut.
DEFENSE
- DE: Kwity Paye, Tyquan Lewis, JT Tuimoloau
- DT: DeForest Buckner, Neville Gallimore, Adetomiwa Adebawore
- NT: Grover Stewart, Eric Johnson II
- DE: Laiatu Latu, Samson Ebukam
- WLB: Joe Bachie, Cameron McGrone, Segun Olubi
- MLB: Zaire Franklin, Chad Muma
- CB: Charvarius Ward Sr. Johnathan Edwards
- FS: Camryn Bynum, Rodney Thomas II
- SS: Nick Cross, Daniel Scott
- N: Kenny Moore II, Mekhi Blackmon
- CB: Xavien Howard, Jaylon Jones
- Cross, Ebukam and Moore each recorded a sack during Sunday’s game; Moore’s was a strip-sack recovered by Howard.
- Bynum and Latu each snagged an interception in Sunday’s win.
SPECIALISTS
- P: Rigoberto Sanchez
- PK: Spencer Shrader
- H: Rigoberto Sanchez
- LS: Luke Rhodes
- KR: Anthony Gould, Ashton Dulin
- PR: Anthony Gould, Josh Downs
- Shrader made all four of his field goal attempts on Sunday.
COLTS TE TYLER WARREN NOMINATED FOR NFL ROOKIE OF THE WEEK FOR WEEK 1
Colts tight end Tyler Warren has been nominated for the NFL Rookie of the Week for Week 1. You can vote for Warren to receive the award by clicking here.
In his NFL debut on Sunday, Warren had seven receptions for 76 yards as the Colts beat the Miami Dolphins 33-8 in their first season-opening victory in 11 years. The 14th overall pick from the 2025 NFL Draft quickly made an impression as he was the target of two of quarterback Daniel Jones’ first three throws of the game.
Warren also demonstrated his impressive physicality throughout the game, earning an 88.6 Pro Football Focus run blocking grade on 24 snaps. It was the highest PFF run block grade among tight ends with at least 10 blocking snaps in Week 1.
Along with Warren, Washington Commanders running back Jacory Croskey-Merritt, Denver Broncos running back RJ Harvey, Cleveland Browns running back Dylan Sampson, Tampa Bay Buccaneers wide receiver Emeka Egbuka and Cincinnati Bengals linebacker Demetrius Knight Jr. were nominated this week. The Week 1 Rookie of the Week will be announced on Thursday.
COLTS SIGN DB KEYDRAIN CALLIGAN, S DARRICK FORREST TO PRACTICE SQUAD; RELEASE C MOSE VAVAO, S TREY WASHINGTON FROM PRACTICE SQUAD
Indianapolis – The Indianapolis Colts today signed cornerback Keydrain Calligan and safety Darrick Forrest to the practice squad. The team also released center Mose Vavao and safety Trey Washington from the practice squad.
Calligan, 6-0, 200 pounds, participated in 2025 training camp with the Seattle Seahawks. He also spent time with the Houston Texans during the 2025 offseason after originally signing with the team as an undrafted free agent on May 21, 2025. Collegiately, Calligan played one season at Southeastern Louisiana (2024) and compiled 39 tackles (29 solo), 2.5 tackles for loss, four passes defensed, one interception and one forced fumble en route to First Team All-Southland Conference honors. Prior to Southeastern Louisiana, he saw action in 10 games at Jackson State (2023) and registered 22 tackles (16 solo), 2.5 tackles for loss, two passes defensed and one interception. Calligan began his collegiate career at Louisiana-Monroe (2020-22), where he played in 25 games and totaled 45 tackles (28 solo), 1.0 tackle for loss, 1.0 sack and three passes defensed. His first name is pronounced kee-jrin.
Forrest, 5-11, 200 pounds, most recently participated in the Buffalo Bills’ 2025 offseason program and training camp. He saw action in 40 games (17 starts) in four seasons (2021-24) with the Washington Commanders and compiled 126 tackles (78 solo), 1.0 tackle for loss, nine passes defensed, four interceptions, two forced fumbles, one fumble recovery and 11 special teams stops. Forrest also appeared in two postseason contests and registered two special teams tackles. He was originally selected by Washington in the fifth round (163rd overall) of the 2021 NFL Draft out of Cincinnati. His first name is pronounced dare-ik.
Vavao, 6-2, 305 pounds, was originally signed by the Colts as an undrafted free agent on May 12, 2025. Collegiately, he started 54-of-58 career games at Fresno State (2020-24). Vavao registered starts at right guard (34), center (12) and left guard (eight).
Washington, 5-10, 205 pounds, was originally signed by Indianapolis as an undrafted free agent on May 9, 2025. Collegiately, he played in 52 career games (29 starts) at Mississippi (2021-24) and totaled 201 tackles (114 solo), 6.5 tackles for loss, 18 passes defensed, five interceptions, three forced fumbles and one fumble recovery.
WEEK 2 PREVIEW
INTERESTING STORY LINES:
Close games, dramatic comebacks and memorable performances highlighted an exciting Kickoff Weekend. Four teams – Buffalo, Pittsburgh, San Francisco and Tampa Bay – recorded game-winning scores in the final two minutes of the fourth quarter, with the Bills becoming the first team in NFL history to overcome a 15-point deficit in the final four minutes to win in regulation.
- All-Time Aaron: Making his Pittsburgh debut in Week 1, Steelers quarterback Aaron Rodgers recorded his 28th career game with at least four touchdown passes and no interceptions, tied with Tom Brady for the most in NFL history. Rodgers has 507 career regular-season touchdown passes and against Seattle (1 p.m. ET, FOX), can surpass Pro Football Hall of Famer Brett Favre (508 touchdown passes) for the fourth-most regular-season touchdown passes all-time. Additionally, Rodgers has 63,196 career regular-season passing yards and can surpass Philip Rivers (63,440 passing yards) for the sixth-most regular-season passing yards in NFL history.
- Super Bowl LIX Rematch: The Kansas City Chiefs host the Philadelphia Eagles on Sunday afternoon (4:25 p.m. ET, FOX) in a rematch of Super Bowl LIX. To end the 2024 season, the Eagles defeated the Chiefs, 40-22, as quarterback Jalen Hurts totaled 293 yards (221 passing, 72 rushing) and three touchdowns (two passing, one rushing) to earn Super Bowl MVP honors.
- Hurts rushed for two touchdowns in the Eagles’ Week 1 victory over Dallas, his 16th career regular-season game with multiple rushing touchdowns, the most among quarterbacks in NFL history.
- Kansas City was one of two teams, along with Buffalo, to go undefeated at home last season. Since Patrick Mahomes became the starting quarterback in 2018, Kansas City has the most home wins (45) and the highest home winning percentage (.776) in the NFL.
- Mahomes enters Week 2 with 292 career touchdown passes, including the playoffs, and can surpass Pro Football Hall of Famer Peyton Manning (293 touchdown passes) for the most touchdown passes by a player in his first nine seasons, including the postseason, in NFL history.
- Chiefs-Eagles will mark the 11th rematch of a Super Bowl in the following season all-time and the fourth to occur within the first two weeks of that season. The Super Bowl winning team has won seven of the 10 previous rematches.
| Super Bowl | SB Result | Rematch Date (Week) | Rematch Result |
| SB LIX | PHI 40, KC 22 | Sept. 14, 2025 (Week 2) | KC at PHI |
| SB LVIII | KC 25, SF 22 (OT) | Oct. 20, 2024 (Week 7) | KC 28 at SF 18 |
| SB LVII | KC 38, PHI 35 | Nov. 20, 2023 (Week 11) | PHI 21 at KC 17 |
| SB LI | NE 34, ATL 28 (OT) | Oct. 22, 2017 (Week 7) | ATL 7 at NE 23 |
| SB 50 | DEN 24, CAR 10 | Sept. 8, 2016 (Week 1) | CAR 20 at DEN 21 |
| SB XLVIII | SEA 43, DEN 8 | Sept. 21, 2014 (Week 3) | DEN 20 at SEA 26 (OT) |
| SB XXXI | GB 35, NE 21 | Oct. 27, 1997 (Week 9) | GB 28 at NE 10 |
| SB XXVII | DAL 52, BUF 17 | Sept. 12, 1993 (Week 2) | BUF 13 at DAL 10 |
| SB XIII | PIT 35, DAL 31 | Oct. 28, 1979 (Week 9) | DAL 3 at PIT 14 |
| SB XI | OAK 32, MIN 14 | Dec. 11, 1977 (Week 13) | MIN 13 at OAK 35 |
| SB IV | KC 23, MIN 7 | Sept. 20, 1970 (Week 1) | KC 10 at MIN 27 |
- Close games: The average margin of victory in Week 1 was 7.56 points, the third-lowest margin of victory in Week 1 since 1970, trailing only 1979 (6.79 points) and 1983 (7.00 points). On Kickoff Weekend, 12 games were decided by one score (eight points), tied with 2013 for the most such games in Week 1 all-time.
- Importance of Week 1 Results: Since 1990, history has shown that teams that are victorious in their season openers are more than twice as likely to advance to the playoffs as teams that lose their opener. During that span, 54.2 percent of teams (294 of 542) to win their opener have advanced to the playoffs, including both of last year’s Super Bowl participants – the Kansas City Chiefs and Philadelphia Eagles. However, an 0-1 start is not impossible to overcome, as 25 percent of teams (136 of 541) since 1990 that lost a season opener advance to the playoffs, including five teams in 2024 – the Baltimore Ravens, Denver Broncos, Green Bay Packers, the Los Angeles Rams and Washington Commanders
- Special Teams: In Week 1, 75.6 percent of kickoffs were returned (118 of 156), up from 33.1 percent in Week 1 in 2024 (57 of 172). Last week, there were 3,074 kickoff return yards, the most in a Week 1 all-time and the most in any week in 15 years (3,233 kickoff return yards in Week 15, 2010).
- 1-0 matchups: Four matchups this week showcase two teams that each earned wins to open the season.
- Washington (1-0) at Green Bay (1-0) on Thursday (8:15 p.m. ET, Prime Video): Set to meet for the first time since the 2022 season, both Washington and Green Bay earned home victories in Week 1 after qualifying for the postseason last year. The Commanders can begin 2-0 for the third time in the past 15 seasons (2011 and 2023) while the Packers look to begin 2-0 for the first time since 2020.
- Washington quarterback Jayden Daniels, in 11 career road starts (including the postseason), has 20 touchdowns (15 passing, five rushing) and a 104.6 passer rating, including at least two touchdown passes and a passer rating of 100-or-higher in six of those road starts.
- Green Bay defensive lineman Micah Parsons registered a sack in his Packers debut in Week 1. In eight career games against Washington, he has 10.5 sacks – including at least a half sack in seven of eight contests. Last season with Dallas, Parsons had two sacks in Week 12 and 2.5 sacks in Week 18 against the Commanders.
- Jacksonville (1-0) at Cincinnati (1-0) on Sunday (1 p.m. ET, CBS): Both Jacksonville and Cincinnati look to begin 2-0 for the first time since 2018.
- Jacksonville running back Travis Etienne ranked second in the NFL with 156 scrimmage yards (143 rushing, 13 receiving) in Week 1, his third-career game with at least 150 scrimmage yards.
- Cincinnati quarterback Joe Burrow passed for 2,338 yards (292.3 per game) and 23 touchdowns with a 116.9 rating in 8 home starts last season, including at least three touchdown passes and a passer rating of 110-or-higher in each of his final four home starts. In NFL history, only two players have had at least three touchdown passes and a passer rating of 110-or-higher in five consecutive home starts: Pro Football Hall of Famer Peyton Manning (six consecutive games in 2014) and Aaron Rodgers (five in 2011).
- Denver (1-0) at Indianapolis (1-0) on Sunday (4:05 p.m. ET, CBS): Denver looks to begin 2-0 for the first time since 2021 while Indianapolis can start 2-0 for the first time since 2009. Last season in Week 15, the Broncos defeated the Colts, 31-13, in Denver.
- After leading the NFL with 63 sacks last season, the Broncos defense recorded a league-high six sacks and allowed a league-low 133 total yards of offense in Week 1. It has been 26 seasons since a team recorded at least six sacks in each of its first two games of a season (Carolina and Seattle in 1998).
- The Colts defeated Miami, 33-8, in Week 1, marking their first season-opening win since 2013. They scored on all seven of their offensive possessions, becoming the first team in at least 47 years (1978 season) to score on every offensive possession of a game.
- Los Angeles Chargers (1-0) at Las Vegas (1-0) on Monday (10 p.m. ET, ESPN): The Los Angeles Chargers look to begin 2-0 in consecutive seasons for the third time since 1970 (2001-02, 1979-81) while Las Vegas can start 2-0 for the first time since 2021. The Chargers won both matchups against the Raiders last season (Weeks 1 and 18).
- Chargers quarterback Justin Herbert passed for 318 yards and three touchdowns with a 131.7 rating in the team’s Week 1 win over Kansas City in Brazil, the only quarterback with at least 300 passing yards and three touchdown passes on Kickoff Weekend
- Las Vegas tight end Brock Bowers recorded five receptions for 103 yards in the Raiders’ 20-13 victory over New England last week, his third career 100-yard game. Bowers has 1,297 receiving yards in 18 career games, the second-most by a tight end in his first 20 career games in NFL history, trailing only Pro Football Hall of Famer Mike Ditka (1,411 receiving yards).
- Washington (1-0) at Green Bay (1-0) on Thursday (8:15 p.m. ET, Prime Video): Set to meet for the first time since the 2022 season, both Washington and Green Bay earned home victories in Week 1 after qualifying for the postseason last year. The Commanders can begin 2-0 for the third time in the past 15 seasons (2011 and 2023) while the Packers look to begin 2-0 for the first time since 2020.
49ERS CUT JAKE MOODY, PLACE GEORGE KITTLE ON INJURED RESERVE, AP SOURCE SAYS
SANTA CLARA, Calif. (AP) — The San Francisco 49ers waived kicker Jake Moody on Tuesday after the 2023 third-round pick missed two field goals in the season opener, a person familiar with the move said.
The person spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity because the team hadn’t announced the move. The person also said the 49ers placed star tight end George Kittle on injured reserve with a hamstring injury, forcing him to miss at least the next four games.
Moody missed a 27-yard field goal on Sunday at Seattle and had a 30-yarder blocked, marking the first time San Francisco missed two field goals inside of 40 yards in the same game in 19 years. Coach Kyle Shanahan said after the game there was “no question” Moody would remain the kicker. But he softened the stance Monday and the team made a change on Tuesday.
The 49ers drafted Moody 99th overall in 2023 in hopes he would be a long-term solution at kicker but his inconsistency forced a change just one game into his third season.
Moody had an up-and-down rookie season, making 21 of 25 field goals in the regular season and missing only one extra point. But he missed a potential game-winning kick in a loss at Cleveland and missed field goals in playoff wins against Green Bay and Detroit.
Moody then made three field goals in the Super Bowl with two coming from more than 50 yards, but also had an extra point blocked in that game.
Moody made 13 of his first 14 field goals last season before injuring his ankle while attempting to make a tackle on a kickoff return in Week 5. He missed three games and then went 5 for 14 on attempts from at least 40 yards in the final nine games.
San Francisco brought in Greg Joseph as competition in the offseason, but cut him early in camp and went with Moody to start the season in hopes that his change from a three-step approach to a two-step approach would lead to success.
Moody was one of two kickers picked in the top 100 in the past 20 drafts with both turning out to be bad picks. Tampa Bay picked Roberto Aguayo 59th overall in 2016 and cut him after one season when he made just 71% of his kicks.
Kittle got hurt in the second quarter on Sunday. He had four catches for 25 yards and a TD before the injury. Jake Tonges replaced him and had his first three career catches, including the game-winning TD.
Kittle has dealt with several minor injuries in his career but has played at least 14 games in seven of his eight seasons. He has had four seasons with at least 1,000 yards receiving and led San Francisco with 78 catches for 1,106 yards and eight TDs last season.
The 49ers will likely bring up Brayden Willis from the practice squad this week as the third tight end along with Tonges and blocking tight end Luke Farrell.
STEELERS SIGN JABRILL PEPPERS TO BOLSTER SECONDARY AFTER DESHON ELLIOTT’S INJURY
PITTSBURGH (AP) — The Pittsburgh Steelers emerged from their season opener against the New York Jets unbeaten but not unscathed.
Enter Jabrill Peppers.
Coach Mike Tomlin said Tuesday the Steelers are signing the veteran safety while starter DeShon Elliott recovers from a knee injury suffered in the first half against the Jets.
Peppers, 29, became a free agent when he was cut by New England last month. Pittsburgh will be Peppers’ fourth NFL stop following stints with Cleveland (2017-18), the New York Giants (2019-21) and the Patriots (2022-24).
Tomlin pointed to Peppers’ versatility in the secondary and his ability to be a difference-maker on special teams as major factors in the signing.
“He’s a football player first, a positional player second,” Tomlin said.
Peppers could get an opportunity to play right away when the Steelers (1-0) host Seattle (0-1) in their home opener on Sunday.
Pittsburgh turned to veteran Chuck Clark — who was cut at the end of training camp before being signed to the practice squad — after Elliott left against the Jets, though Tomlin didn’t rule out Peppers being available quickly.
“We’ll see how we divide the labor up as we get into the week,” Tomlin said. “Their ability to communicate and execute obviously will be a major component of how we divide that labor up and go from there.”
Tomlin declined to say whether Elliott is a candidate for injured reserve, saying only that Elliott will definitely miss at least one week.
Elliott, who signed a contract extension through 2027 in June, was serving as the hub of communication for an overhauled secondary that now includes newcomers Jalen Ramsey and Darius Slay.
Where those duties will fall going forward is uncertain, though Pittsburgh’s defense did just enough down the stretch to avoid the upset against New York. While the Steelers gave up 394 yards (including 182 on the ground) to an offense led by former Pittsburgh quarterback Justin Fields, they also made a pair of critical late stops.
The Steelers forced a three-and-out on the Jets’ penultimate possession and Ramsey ended any last-gasp effort by drilling New York wide receiver Garrett Wilson on fourth down near midfield, sealing the victory.
It also, however, came only after the Jets had their way on both sides of the line of scrimmage for long stretches. Fields and running back Breece Hall found plenty of room to run and Pittsburgh’s young offensive line struggled to protect Aaron Rodgers.
The Steelers gave up four sacks total, with former first-round pick Broderick Jones struggling at left tackle. Jones, taken 14th overall in 2023, repeatedly had trouble with New York defensive end Will McDonald, who dropped Rodgers twice.
Tomlin declined to single out Jones specifically, saying “all of our performances could be better,” and defended the 24-year-old’s mental toughness.
“It’s football, you know?” Tomlin said. “You don’t get to the National Football League by being fragile, emotionally. There’s a lot of confident guys that I work with. You win some battles, you lose some battles. You come back fighting. That’s just the nature of the men that play this game at this level.”
Peppers would know. The 25th overall pick in the 2017 draft (taken five spots ahead of Steelers star outside linebacker TJ Watt) was traded to the New York Giants after two years in Cleveland, then moved on to the Patriots in 2022.
He turned a one-year contract with New England into a multiyear deal but spent the better part of two months of the 2024 season on the commissioner’s exempt list following his arrest on multiple charges stemming from a domestic incident. A jury acquitted Peppers in January, but his time with the Patriots ended in August when first-year head coach Mike Vrabel made Peppers among the team’s final cuts.
Tomlin said he did plenty of studying up on Peppers in the lead-up to the 2017 draft, and took note of how Michigan deployed him, including having him get time on offense during his final season with the Wolverines.
While that is not in play in Pittsburgh, Peppers’ ability to adapt has stuck with Tomlin through the years.
“He was just used in a real unique way in Michigan that really highlighted his talents, man,” Tomlin said. “I think he was even a two-way player at one point. … He returned kicks. He was just a well-rounded football player in all areas of the game.”
NOTES: Rookie defensive tackle Derrick Harmon (knee) is expected to miss his second straight game on Sunday. … Inside linebacker Malik Harrison (knee) is also out. … Outside linebacker Nick Herbig (hamstring) could return after sitting out the opener.
BEARS LOOK FOR CONSISTENCY FROM QB CALEB WILLIAMS AND OFFENSE AFTER LOSS TO VIKINGS
LAKE FOREST, Ill. (AP) — The process of getting to know his quarterback has Chicago Bears coach Ben Johnson looking for answers after only one game, along with overall offensive consistency.
Losing a 17-6 lead early in the fourth quarter of a 27-24 opening loss to the Minnesota Vikings showed Johnson both the strengths of second-year quarterback Caleb Williams and also problems he’s had since his rookie season.
“It was up and down,” Johnson said Tuesday. “We had mixed results. There were some things that he did that were top notch and I would put him up there with some of the best in the NFL.
“He had a couple throws with guys in his face that he delivered on target that were very tough. I thought he did a good job evading when he felt pressure and yet there were still some that we would like to have back. There were probably three or four of them that we counted on tape that, at a minimum, that we would want back.”
Going 21 for 35 for 210 yards with a touchdown wasn’t the issue as much as how it happened. Williams connected on his first 10 passes, led a drive to his first career touchdown run, and then the Bears couldn’t find the end zone again on offense until very late as his accuracy struggled.
Williams could’ve been helped by a better running game to balance out the attack. He wound up supplying the most rushing yards for the Bears with 58 on six scrambles.
“Any time you don’t rush for as many yards as you were hoping for, you look at the stat sheet and it said over 100 yards,” Johnson said. “But really, a lot of those were from Caleb. We need more from our runners, whoever that is, or our receivers in the running back room. It doesn’t matter.
“In the run game we were subpar overall.”
What’s working
The pass rush had been a bit of a question mark coming into the season and they thought they had it solved by adding edge rusher Dayo Odeyingbo in free agency. He had a sack in his first game. They sacked J.J. McCarthy three times.
However, the pass rush suffered from inconsistency. The Bears held the Vikings to 134 passing yards and 254 total yards and still were down 10 in the fourth quarter without committing a turnover.
What’s not
Offensive line blocking in the running game didn’t accomplish much. D’Andre Swift gained only 3.1 yards per carry with 53 yards on 17 carries and no other running back had a rushing attempt. Wide receiver DJ Moore had three carries out of the backfield and had just 8 yards.
This came after Chicago spent free agency signing center Drew Dalman and trading for guards Joe Thuney and Jonah Jackson to bulk up its offensive line.
Stock up
Cornerback Nahshon Wright, playing for injured Pro Bowl cornerback Jaylon Johnson, helped hold All-Pro Justin Jefferson to four catches and had his first career touchdown return, for 74 yards, after an interception in the third quarter for the 17-6 lead.
However, it wasn’t an entirely positive night for the former Cowboys and Vikings player. He had a pass interference penalty and allowed a long catch to set up two field goals.
Stock down
Johnson’s reputation took a hit as a decision-maker with a failed fourth down gamble, a wasted timeout they eventually needed on an unsuccessful challenge and not having kicker Cairo Santos kick off out of bounds to save time at the end for a drive to a tying field goal.
Instead, they had to start their final possession at their 20 with 9 seconds remaining.
He blamed the challenge and kicking decision, as well as a timeout burned in the first half before the failed fourth down gamble, all on himself.
“The timeout itself, I was late getting the call in and that’s my own issue,” he said. “But we knew we wanted to go for it. We felt good about that call.”
Key number
12 — Penalties in the first game. It was the most by the Bears since Nov. 8, 2021, against Pittsburgh. One of Johnson’s goals was to improve efficiency with his attention to detail at training camp.
Next steps
Work with Williams and the passing game to be ready for Johnson’s homecoming game at Ford Field against his former team on Sunday.
SHORT WEEK COULD LEAVE PACKERS AT LESS THAN FULL STRENGTH ON THEIR OFFENSIVE LINE THURSDAY
GREEN BAY, Wis. (AP) — The Green Bay Packers could be missing a couple of their starting offensive linemen when they host the Washington Commanders on Thursday night.
Right tackle Zach Tom and left guard Aaron Banks got hurt during the Packers’ 27-13 victory over the Detroit Lions on Sunday. Although the Packers only staged a walkthrough Tuesday, their injury report said neither player would have participated if there had been an actual practice.
Packers coach Matt LaFleur said neither player’s injury should be a long-term issue, but he was unsure of their availability for Thursday. Tom has an oblique injury, while Banks’ issues are with his ankle and groin.
“We’ll see,” LaFleur said Tuesday. “We’ll give them all the way up to game time to see where they’re at.”
Banks joined the Packers this offseason on a four-year, $77 million deal after spending four years with the San Francisco 49ers. Tom signed a four-year, $88 million contract extension this summer.
Tom’s injury forced Darian Kinnard into action less than two weeks after the Packers acquired him from the Philadelphia Eagles. The Packers sent a seventh-round pick to Philadelphia to acquire Kinnard.
Kinnard likely would step in again if Tom is unable to play Thursday. The Packers rotated Sean Rhyan and 2024 first-round pick Jordan Morgan at right guard on Sunday, so they could handle both guard spots if Banks is held out.
“I just approach it like every week, just approach it like I’m ready to play in the game — any point, any moment,” said Kinnard, who played 15 snaps on Sunday. “Whatever happens, happens.”
Green Bay’s offensive line didn’t allow any sacks in its season opener.
WHY SOME FOOTBALL COACHES ARE DITCHING COLLEGE JOBS FOR THE NFL
NEW ORLEANS (AP) — Saints first-year defensive backs coach Terry Joseph used to love working in college football, having spent the last 19 years at some of the biggest brands in the game.
His stops included LSU, Notre Dame, Texas A&M, Tennessee and most recently, Texas.
Earlier this year, Joseph joined the ranks of new NFL coaches who’ve seized opportunities to leave the college game behind, disillusioned by the effects of recent rule changes liberalizing player movement and payments.
Recruiting, an area where Joseph once thrived, isn’t what it used to be. It’s become an almost 24-7 grind that is more centered around player finances and retention than mentorship and development, he said.
“The part of recruiting that I really enjoyed was connecting with players and their families, really kind of talking about how they were going to develop from being this young man in high school to a grown adult,” Joseph said, adding that he’d pledge to recruits to “be a coach for the rest of your life.”
But in recent years, Joseph noted, “I kind of felt personally that the relationship building on recruiting was fading away because you had all of these external factors — the transfer portal; name, image and likeness — that were becoming so much bigger.
“I wanted to be a recruiter and a coach, not necessarily a financial planner, a tax-information person, or answering questions about when is the check coming,” he said.
So, when Saints first-year coach Kellen Moore offered a spot on his staff to Joseph, who also is a New Orleans native, leaving the Longhorns for the NFL was a “no-brainer,” he said.
Other coaches switch
Joseph isn’t the only Saints position coach who crossed over to the NFL from college this year. Bo Davis, who coached defensive line at LSU in 2024, also is now with New Orleans.
Davis has coached in the NFL before, but spent most of the past three decades working for college programs, including Alabama, Texas and earlier stints at LSU, where he also played.
The work-life balance in the NFL is better, Davis said, because he doesn’t have to constantly keep tabs on the players in his position group, never mind their families and representatives. And he doesn’t have to worry unceasingly about the various forces pulling at his players and their associates, promising more money and better opportunities elsewhere.
While NFL agents must register with the NFL Players Association and receive standard commissions of around 3% of playing contracts, representatives for college players essentially make their own rules and commissions range widely.
The larger the commission, the more incentive agents have to seek out increasingly higher bidders for their players, regardless of whether a more lucrative opportunity is in fact a better fit.
Some college player agents “don’t (care) about the kid,” Davis said. “They’re looking at the next dollar. … They’re not actually saying, ‘Is this guy in a good spot that he’s going to be successful?’”
Changing relationships
For Davis, seeing college players develop over three to five years “was always my reward,” he said. “That was always my goal as a position coach, to try to help that young man better his life.”
Now, “You don’t really have a real good bond with them because, it’s like, one-year-rental guys,” Davis said.
By the time Davis decided to leave college football, he felt like he was literally losing his religion. He couldn’t find time to attend church on Sundays because there always seemed to be a recruiting breakfast to attend.
He also felt he was missing out on important moments with his youngest child, who at age 15 is still at home, and his wife.
NFL coaches work long hours during the season and for significant stretches in the offseason. But when the calendar says they’re off, they’re off.
“Now I can spend time with my family. I can go to church” on those Sundays when there isn’t a Saints game, Davis said. “I can take my wife out to eat.”
College game today
LSU coach Brian Kelly said that while he understands why Davis went to the NFL, there’s still a lot of mentorship going on in college football.
“They’re still 18- to 21-year-olds,” Kelly said. “They still need coaches that are going to develop them in all areas.”
Those areas range from how they play to off-the-field associations, whom they trust for financial management and how their public persona affects their individual brands and endorsement opportunities.
“Many of them come from single-parent homes that never had this kind of wealth,” Kelly said. “That is a new part of college football that you have to decipher and manage, and if it’s not for you, I can see why you would go to the NFL.
“But, for me, the relationships are still what gets me up in the morning and developing these young men,” Kelly added. “There’ll be a couple (players) that you lose along the way because maybe he got offered more money, but you move on to the next kid.”
Meanwhile, the NFL is benefitting from a broader pool of coaching candidates, Moore said.
Long-time college coaches are “bringing an energy and different perspective which is really, really good,” said Moore, whose brother, Kirby, is a college offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach at Missouri.
“The college game is awesome,” Moore said. “But there’s a lot of uncertainty around it and the calendar is such that their season is really never over. There’s always something going on. So, I think the NFL calendar has a little bit more consistency.”
From big programs to major league
New NFL assistant coaches who’ve made similar moves include Joseph’s former fellow assistant at Texas, Tashard Choice, now the Detroit Lions’ running backs coach. Dallas Cowboys receivers coach Junior Adams and offensive line coach Conor Riley are in their first NFL seasons after two decades in the college ranks.
Buffalo Bills cornerbacks coach Jahmile Addae moved to the NFL in 2024 after 17 seasons as a college coach with West Virginia, Michigan, Cincinnati, Arizona, Minnesota, Georgia and Miami.
“I think I’m the start of a new wave,” Addae said. “Until recent years, I never really had the itch to coach pro ball.”
But college football “has changed so drastically from what it was when I got into it that it was almost” the same as the NFL, he said. If anything, he said, the NFL is more regulated than college now.
It was one thing to recruit high school players, Addae said. But “still having to re-recruit them consistently,” and “looking for the poachers” was an unsavory recipe for burnout.
“There probably wasn’t a whole bunch of thought put into what the universities, the coaches and so forth would have to deal with behind all of the new rule changes,” Addae said. “It’s forcing some guys to say, `You know what? If I’m going to deal with this here. Why not go to the highest level.”
That’s what second-year Green Bay Packers defensive coordinator Jeff Hafley decided to do after spending five seasons at the college level, including four as head coach at Boston College. Hafley left an NFL job to become Ohio State’s co-defensive coordinator in 2019, just a couple years before the NIL era began. By 2024, he was ready to come back to purely professional football.
“Certainly college football has changed and I do think that — I’m not gonna get on a soap box here today — but what I will say is I that do think there needs some things to change,” he said. “But it’s still a great game.”
BRONCOS ANNOUNCE PLANS FOR RETRACTABLE-ROOF HOME, EYE 2031 SEASON
The Denver Broncos have identified Burnham Yard as a preferred site for a privately funded, retractable-roof stadium, the team announced on Tuesday.
The stadium, which would be located less than a mile southeast of Empower Field at Mile High — the Broncos’ current venue — is tentatively planned to be completed in 2031, the Broncos said in a public letter.
The tentative opening day of the new stadium aligns with the expiration of the Broncos’ current lease at Empower Field at Mile High with the Metropolitan Football Stadium District.
“Today is a remarkable win-win-win for Denver,” mayor Mike Johnston said in a statement. “The Broncos are staying in Denver, we will finally open up the historic Burnham Yard neighborhood for development, and we get to reimagine the Mile High Stadium site as a thriving community in West Denver. The Walton-Penner Ownership Group’s private investment into building a world-class stadium in the heart of Denver will open up new possibilities — not just for Burnham Yard — but across the city.”
Although Broncos owner & CEO Greg Penner notes there is a “long way to go” before the team suits up for a game at the stadium, he’s welcoming the future.
“It’s our goal to have world-class facilities for this team and for our fans, obviously, with the rich tradition and history at Mile High, and find something that the fans would love as a site that had proximity to that and Denver,” Penner said. “We couldn’t be more excited about Burnham Yard as the preferred site to build a new stadium and an incredible year-round destination.”
Empower Field at Mile High opened on Aug. 11, 2001. Before that, the Broncos played at Mile High Stadium, which opened in 1948.
RULE CHANGE PROMPTS HIGHEST KICKOFF-RETURN RATE SINCE 2010
NFL teams returned 75.6 percent of the kickoffs in Week 1, the highest rate in the league in 15 years, after moving the touchback to the 35-yard line.
The rate last season with touchbacks spotted at the 30-yard line was just 32.8 percent.
The rate of 75.6 percent (118 of 156) was the highest since Week 17 of the 2010 season and the highest in a season-opening weekend since 2010 (78.1 percent), according to ESPN.
The league has altered the kickoff rules over the years to try to minimize the number of injuries resulting from high-speed collisions. Kickoffs now begin with most players standing downfield, unable to move until the ball touches the ground or a member of the return team.
NICK SIRIANNI: EAGLES DT JALEN CARTER FINED, NOT SUSPENDED FOR WEEK 2 AFTER SPIT-GATE
Philadelphia Eagles star defensive tackle Jalen Carter will be eligible for their Week 2 Super Bowl rematch at the Kansas City Chiefs after spitting on Dallas Cowboys quarterback Dak Prescott last week.
Carter was ejected from the Cowboys game Thursday when he spat on Prescott before the first play from scrimmage of the season opener. The NFL announced Tuesday that it will fine Carter his Week 1 game check and consider that his one-game suspension without pay. ESPN reported that Carter makes $57,222 per week.
“Because Carter was disqualified before participating in a single play, the suspension is considered to have been served in Week 1 and he will forfeit his game check,” the league said in a release.
Carter will not appeal the discipline and move on to face the Chiefs on Sunday.
Prescott gave his side of the story after the Eagles beat the Cowboys 24-20, saying that he spat on the ground while talking to a teammate and Carter believed the quarterback spat at him. The two exchanged words while there was a stoppage in play following the opening kickoff, before Carter spat on Prescott with an official nearby.
Carter, 24, apologized after the game and promised it wouldn’t happen again.
Carter was a Pro Bowler last season after racking up 4.5 sacks among his 12 tackles for loss, plus six pass deflections and two forced fumbles. He was the ninth overall pick in the 2023 NFL Draft, sliding after legal troubles cropped up around the time of the scouting combine.
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WEEK 2 POWER RANKINGS: DYNASTIES DON’T LAST FOREVER
The first off day of the NFL regular season arrived Tuesday and a collective deep breath could be in order.
A loss by the three-time defending AFC champion Kansas City Chiefs and the Baltimore Ravens’ lateral of a sure victory into the hands of the Buffalo Bills are no cause for immediate panic.
All three teams remain in the upper echelon of the AFC, but is the balance of power shifting conferences?
Philadelphia had its hands full with Dallas and wasn’t the most impressive team out of the gate. That gold star goes to the Green Bay Packers for a complete team effort in steamrolling the Detroit Lions out of Lambeau Field.
We take stock the bottom-to-top NFL pecking order after a first look at every team in Week 1.
32. New Orleans Saints (0-1)
Last Week: L, 23-20 vs. Arizona Cardinals
Up Next: vs. San Francisco 49ers, 1 p.m. ET
Surprisingly competitive in Kellen Moore’s debut, the Saints are still a QB away from being a contender in the NFC South.
31. Carolina Panthers (0-1)
Last Week: L, 26-10 at Jacksonville Jaguars
Up Next: at Arizona Cardinals, 4:05 p.m. ET
Subtracting security blanket Adam Thielen (now on Vikings) was a hit to Bryce Young, who also took the field without starting LT Ikem Ekwonu at Jacksonville.
30. New York Giants (0-1)
Last Week: L, 21-6 at Washington Commanders
Up Next: at Dallas Cowboys, 1 p.m. ET
No one returned to New York on Sunday night enthralled with the offense, but the Giants opt to stick with Russell Wilson on the road again this week.
29. Cleveland Browns (0-1)
Last Week: L, 17-16 vs. Cincinnati Bengals
Up Next: at Baltimore Ravens, 1 p.m. ET
Cleveland’s defense was more than good enough to win. The Browns held the Bengals to 141 yards — seven in the second half — and 2.0 yards per carry.
28. Tennessee Titans (0-1)
Last Week: L, 20-12 at Denver Broncos
Up Next: vs. Los Angeles Rams, 1 p.m. ET
Protecting Cam Ward was a problem at Denver, and life won’t get any easier this week. NFL-high four takeaways something to build on for Titans.
27. Miami Dolphins (0-1)
Last Week: L, 33-8 at Indianapolis Colts
Up Next: vs. New England Patriots, 1 p.m. ET
Mike Vrabel has some fixing to do or the Patriots’ pass defense will be the victim in a get-right week for Tua Tagovailoa.
26. New England Patriots (0-1)
Last Week: L, 20-13 vs. Las Vegas Raiders
Up Next: at Miami Dolphins, 1 p.m. ET
One of these teams exhales on Sunday night. The other starts hearing NFL draft talk. Drake Maye should be smiling after the Dolphins made Daniel Jones look the part of Unitas last week.
25. New York Jets (0-1)
Last Week: L, 34-32 vs. Pittsburgh Steelers
Up Next: vs. Buffalo Bills, 1 p.m. ET
Kudos to Justin Fields for the fight. Lost in the QB chatter was the sterling performance of the Jets’ maligned offensive line.
24. Las Vegas Raiders (1-0)
Last Week: W, 20-13 at New England Patriots
Up Next: vs. Los Angeles Chargers, 10 p.m. ET (Monday)
RB Ashton Jeanty ran for nine yards on his first carry, then 28 yards on his next 18. Teams are already scheming to take Jeanty away, inviting the Raiders to have QB Geno Smith counterpunch.
23. Dallas Cowboys (0-1)
Last Week: L, 24-20 at Philadelphia Eagles
Up Next: vs. New York Giants, 1 p.m. ET
Going scoreless in the second half spoiled a strong upset bid from the Cowboys. Trick will be getting same focus, effort from both lines consistently.
22. Indianapolis Colts (1-0)
Last Week: W, 33-8
Up Next: vs. Denver Broncos, 4:05 p.m. ET
Daniel Jones aced remedial test against turnover-happy Dolphins for Colts first Week 1 win since 2013. Denver’s toothy pass rush and secondary crank things up a notch.
21. Seattle Seahawks (0-1)
Last Week: L, 17-13 vs. San Francisco 49ers
Up Next: at Pittsburgh Steelers, 1 p.m. ET
No risk, no reward. Seahawks lost two fumbles, averaged 3.2 yards per carry and tried to survive with paper-airplane range pass completions.
20. Arizona Cardinals (1-0)
Last Week: W, 20-13 at New Orleans Saints
Up Next: vs. Carolina Panthers, 4:05 p.m. ET
Schedule-maker teed up the Cardinals with a shot at 2-0 before a trip to San Francisco.
19. Atlanta Falcons (0-1)
Last Week: L, 23-20 vs. Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Up Next: vs. Minnesota Vikings, 8:20 p.m. ET (Sunday)
Don’t look now, but the Falcons have lost seven of their past nine games. Those two wins came against Desmond Ridder (Raiders) and Drew Lock (Giants) last season.
18. Chicago Bears (0-1)
Last Week: L, 27-24 vs. Minnesota Vikings
Up Next: at Detroit Lions, 1 p.m. ET
Ben Johnson dropped his Bears debut, blowing an 11-point lead in the fourth quarter. Out of the frying pan and into the fryer? Lions will be riled up after a blowout loss at Packers.
17. Jacksonville Jaguars (1-0)
Last Week: W, 26-10 vs. Carolina Panthers
Up Next: at Cincinnati Bengals, 1 p.m. ET
There’s a whole lot of overreaction love for a Jacksonville win over the Panthers. We’re playing harder to get until seeing another inspired team effort.
16. San Francisco 49ers (1-0)
Last Week: W, 17-13 at Seattle Seahawks
Up Next: at New Orleans Saints, 1 p.m. ET
Has the physical bill come due on the 49ers’ run of success under Kyle Shanahan? Without George Kittle for at least a few weeks, the 49ers are not deep enough to dip down the depth chart at multiple positions.
15. Pittsburgh Steelers (1-0)
Last Week: W, 34-32 at New York Jets
Up Next: vs. Seattle Seahawks
Stat sheet says vintage Aaron Rodgers. He was pressured and accuracy was far from pinpoint. If Pittsburgh can’t dig out some running room, Week 1 was a major mirage. Steelers also allowed 182 rushing yards to Jets.
14. Houston Texans (0-1)
Last Week: L, 14-9 at Los Angeles Rams
Up Next: vs. Tampa Bay Buccaneers, 7 p.m. ET (Monday)
Offense sputtered and Texans managed only three field goals in Week 1. Home opener in primetime brings urgency.
13. Cincinnati Bengals (1-0)
Last Week: W, 17-16 at Cleveland Browns
Up Next: vs. Jacksonville Jaguars, 1 p.m. ET
Explosive offense went flat with 2.0 yard-per-carry average and one 20-yard pass play.
12. Denver Broncos (1-0)
Last Week: W, 20-12 vs. Tennessee Titans
Up Next: at Indianapolis Colts, 4:05 p.m. ET
No sleeping on the Broncos’ pass rush. Denver has five-plus sacks in three consecutive regular-season games.
11. Los Angeles Chargers (1-0)
Last Week: W, 27-21 vs. Kansas City Chiefs (Brazil)
Up Next: at Las Vegas Raiders, 10 p.m. ET (Monday)
A couple of extra days to prepare for the new-look Raiders sets up the Chargers to get to 2-0 before a surprising showdown with the Broncos on Sept. 21.
10. Minnesota Vikings (1-0)
Last Week: W, 27-24 at Chicago Bears
Up Next: at Atlanta Falcons, 8:20 p.m. ET (Sunday)
Scintillating comeback by J.J. McCarthy allows for a mulligan on the forgettable first half by the Vikings in Chicago.
9. Los Angeles Rams (1-0)
Last Week: W, 14-9 vs. Houston Texans
Up Next: at Tennessee Titans, 1 p.m. ET
Losing their first three games on the road last season might imply Week 2 a risky trap at Nashville for the Rams. But this defense will travel, and rookies rarely thrive under the type of duress the Rams’ front can pile on a QB.
8. Tampa Bay Buccaneers (1-0)
Last Week: W, 23-20 at Atlanta Falcons
Up Next: at Houston Texans, 7 p.m. ET (Monday)
Rookie Emeka Egbuka caught two TDs last week. His matchup with the stellar secondary of the Texans should be worth the price of admission.
7. Washington Commanders (1-0)
Last Week: W, 21-6 vs. New York Giants
Up Next: at Green Bay Packers, 8:20 p.m. ET (Thursday)
Picked up where they left off last season with 432 yards and a strong defensive effort.
6. Detroit Lions (0-1)
Last Week: L, 27-13 at Green Bay Packers
Up Next: vs. Chicago Bears, 1 p.m. ET
Are the Lions lost without Ben Johnson calling plays for Jared Goff? We’ll wait for this week, against Johnson and the Bears, to decide.
5. Baltimore Ravens (0-1)
Last Week: L, 41-40 at Buffalo Bills
Up Next: vs. Cleveland Browns, 1 p.m. ET
Fourth-quarter breakdowns led to 22 points for the Bills and a horrific loss in the opener. How do the Ravens respond?
4. Kansas City Chiefs (0-1)
Last Week: L, 27-21 vs. Los Angeles Chargers (Brazil)
Up Next: vs. Philadelphia Eagles, 4:25 p.m. ET
In last place in the AFC West for the first time in four years, maybe the last defense Patrick Mahomes wanted to see coming is at Arrowhead on Sunday.
3. Buffalo Bills (1-0)
Last Week: W, 41-40 vs. Baltimore Ravens
Up Next: at New York Jets, 1 p.m. ET
Busted up by big plays, the Bills have serious concerns on defense. They also have Josh Allen. Allen had four TD passes and two rushing touchdowns in a pair of wins over the AFC East rival Jets last season.
2. Green Bay Packers (1-0)
Last Week: W, 27-13 vs. Detroit Lions
Up Next: vs. Washington Commanders, 8:20 p.m. ET (Thursday)
Micah Parsons is the ship raising all boats on a dynamic Green Bay defense. Jordan Love being overlooked among top quarterbacks in the league.
1. Philadelphia Eagles (1-0)
Last Week: W, 24-20 vs. Dallas Cowboys
Up Next: at Kansas City Chiefs, 4:25 p.m. ET
To paraphrase Jalen Hurts, the Eagles don’t care about style points, only wins. The secondary and pass rush left plenty to be desired in the opener and Hurts didn’t connect with his top receivers. But the Super Bowl champions still beat the Dallas Cowboys.
