WEEK 3 PREVIEW
Entering Week 3, close, high-scoring games have been the norm around the NFL, and the dynamic kickoff is living up to its name.
Seventeen games have been decided by a touchdown (six points) or less, the most at this point in 12 years, and second-most all-time (20, 2013). Last week, teams combined to score 797 points, the highest scoring week in the NFL since Week 18, 2021 (817 points).
As for the dynamic kickoff, the kickoff return rate of 76.9 percent (256 of 333) is the highest through the first two weeks of a season in 16 years (77.7 percent in 2009, 241 of 310) and the average of 201.4 kick return yards per game is the most through Week 2 since 1970.
Here’s a look at a few interesting storylines entering Week 3:
2-0 teams: 10 teams have begun the season 2-0 (with at least one undefeated team in each division for the third time since 2002), including four teams – Arizona, Cincinnati, Indianapolis and San Francisco – that missed the postseason in 2024. For the second consecutive season, at least four teams started 2-0 the season after missing the playoffs.
L.A. Rams (2-0) at Philadelphia (2-0) (1 p.m. ET, FOX): In last season’s NFC Divisional playoffs, the Eagles defeated the Rams, 28-22, as running back Saquon Barkley became the sixth player ever with at least 200 rushing yards (205) and two rushing touchdowns in a postseason game. The teams also met in Los Angeles in Week 12 last season, a 37-20 Philadelphia victory in which Barkley became the fourth running back in the Super Bowl era with at least 300 scrimmage yards in a regular-season game [302 scrimmage yards – 255 rushing (ninth-most in a game in NFL history), 47 receiving].
Los Angeles can begin 3-0 for the fourth time since head coach Sean McVay was hired in 2017 (2018-19, 2021) while Philadelphia can begin the season with three consecutive victories for the third time in five seasons under head coach Nick Sirianni (2022-23).
In five of the past 10 seasons (2015-24), the reigning Super Bowl champion has begun 3-0 (2024 and 2020 Kansas City Chiefs, 2019 and 2015 New England Patriots, and 2016 Denver Broncos).
Last week, Philadelphia quarterback Jalen Hurts recorded his 45th career game with a rushing touchdown (including the playoffs), surpassing Pro Football Hall of Famer Steve Young (44 games) for the third-most such games by a quarterback in NFL history, including the postseason. Only Cam Newton (65 games) and Josh Allen (58) have more.
Los Angeles Rams wide receiver Davante Adams recorded his 33rd career game with at least 100 receiving yards and a touchdown reception last week, tied with Pro Football Hall of Famer Calvin Johnson (33 games) and Reggie Wayne (33) for the fifth-most such games since 1970.
Arizona (2-0) at San Francisco (2-0) (4:25 p.m. ET, FOX): Since 1970, the Cardinals have begun 3-0 on five previous occasions (1974, 2012, 2014-15 and 2021). San Francisco has begun a season with three straight wins five times since 1990 (1990, 1995, 1998, 2019 and 2023).
Cardinals defensive lineman Calais Campbell, appearing for Arizona for the first time since 2016, had two sacks in the team’s Week 2 win and became the fourth player age 39-or-older since 1982 to record multiple sacks in a game, joining James Harrison, Clay Matthews and Pro Football Hall of Famer Bruce Smith (three times).
San Francisco running back Christian McCaffrey, with a touchdown reception in Week 2, became the third player in NFL history with at least 50 rushing touchdowns and 30 touchdown receptions, joining Pro Football Hall of Famers Marshall Faulk and Lenny Moore. McCaffrey is one of three running backs (James Cook and Bijan Robinson) with at least 100 scrimmage yards in each of the first two weeks of the season.
Miami (0-2) at Buffalo (2-0) (Thursday, 8:15 p.m. ET, Prime Video): Buffalo can win their first three games for the second-consecutive season and for the fourth time since 2017, when head coach Sean McDermott was hired. The Bills have won 12 consecutive regular-season home games, the longest active home winning streak in the NFL.
Buffalo quarterback Josh Allen is 7-0 as a starting quarterback in Thursday games and can join Tom Brady (nine consecutive Thursday wins from 2002-15), Russell Wilson (nine from 2013-20) and Pro Football Hall of Famer Peyton Manning (eight from 2004-13) as the only quarterbacks ever to win eight consecutive Thursday starts.
Green Bay (2-0) at Cleveland (0-2) (1 p.m. ET, FOX): Green Bay can begin 3-0 for the third time (2019-20) since head coach Matt LaFleur was hired in 2019.
Packers running back Josh Jacobs has a rushing touchdown in 11 consecutive games (including the playoffs) since Week 11 of the 2024 season. On Sunday, he can become the fifth player all-time with a rushing touchdown in 12 straight games, including the postseason, and the first since Pro Football Hall of Famer LaDainian Tomlinson (12 consecutive games in 2004).
Browns defensive end Myles Garrett is one of two players (Carl Granderson) with at least 1.5 sacks in each of the first two weeks. Since 1982, when the individual sack became an official statistic, only four players have recorded 1.5-or-more sacks in each of their team’s first three games of a season: Mark Gastineau (1984 with the N.Y. Jets), Pro Football Hall of Famer Kevin Greene (1998 with Carolina), DeMarcus Lawrence (2017 with Dallas) and Haason Reddick (2021 with Carolina).
Cincinnati (2-0) at Minnesota (1-1) (1 p.m. ET, CBS): Cincinnati can begin a season with three consecutive wins for the first time since 2015. Among players with at least 50 career games played, Minnesota wide receiver Justin Jefferson (95.7 receiving yards per game).
and Cincinnati wide receiver Ja’Marr Chase (87.8 receiving yards per game) have the two highest receiving yards per game averages in NFL history.
Jefferson recorded his 500th career reception last week and tied Larry Fitzgerald (26 years and 90 days old) as the youngest player in NFL history to reach 500 career receptions.
Chase had 14 receptions for 165 yards and one touchdown in the Bengals’ Week 2 win and became the fourth player in NFL history with at least 14 receptions in three career games, joining Keenan Allen (six games), Antonio Brown (four) and Jason Witten (three).
N.Y. Jets (0-2) at Tampa Bay (2-0) (1 p.m. ET, FOX): Tampa Bay, who began 2-0 for the fifth consecutive season, look to win their first three games of a season for the first time since 2005. The Buccaneers are the first team since the 1970 merger to score a game-winning touchdown in the final minute of each of their first two games of a season.
Indianapolis (2-0) at Tennessee (0-2) (1 p.m. ET, CBS): Indianapolis looks to start 3-0 for the first time since 2009. In the first two weeks, the Colts became the first team in NFL history to score on each of their first 10 offensive possessions of a season and the first team in the Super Bowl era to not punt in either of their first two games in a season.
Indianapolis quarterback Daniel Jones is one of four players in NFL history with at least 270 passing yards, a touchdown pass and a rushing touchdown in each of his team’s first two games of a season, joining Jack Kemp (1965 with Buffalo), Kyler Murray (2021 with Arizona) and Cam Newton (2011 with Carolina).
Denver (1-1) at the Los Angeles Chargers (2-0) (4:05 p.m. ET, CBS): The Los Angeles Chargers can begin the season with three straight wins for the first time since 2002. With divisional wins over Kansas City and Las Vegas in the first two weeks, the Chargers can become the third team since realignment in 2002 to defeat division opponents in each of their first three games of a season, joining the 2006 Chicago Bears and 2003 Minnesota Vikings.
High powered offenses meet on Monday night: When the Detroit Lions visit the Baltimore Ravens on Monday Night Football (8:15 p.m. ET, ESPN/ABC), the two highest scoring teams from Week 2 and two of the most consistently prolific offenses will take the field. Last season, Detroit (409.5 yards per game) and Baltimore (424.9) had the top-two offenses in yards per game while the Lions ranked first (33.2 points per game) and the Ravens ranked third (30.5) in scoring average.
Since 2021, when the Lions acquired quarterback Jared Goff, Detroit ranks third in points per game (26.7) and fourth in yards per game (376.8).
With the Lions scoring an NFL-high 52 points in Week 2, Goff now has five career starts in which his team scored at least 50 points, tied with Pro Football Hall of Famer Peyton Manning (five) for the fourth-most such starts by a quarterback since 1950, trailing only Tom Brady (eight starts), Drew Brees (six) and Pro Football Hall of Famer Len Dawson (six).
Since 2018, when the Ravens selected quarterback Lamar Jackson in the NFL Draft, Baltimore ranks second in the NFL in both points per game (27.2) and yards per game (379.0).
Since Week 12 of the 2024 season and including the playoffs, Jackson has 10 consecutive games with at least two touchdown passes and a passer rating of 90-or-higher. In NFL history, only five quarterbacks have recorded longer such streaks, including the postseason: Aaron Rodgers (14 consecutive games from 2010-11), Pro Football Hall of Famer Peyton Manning (13 in 2004), Philip Rivers (13 from 2017-18), Tom Brady (12 from 2014-15) and Patrick Mahomes (11 in 2018).
THURSDAY NIGHT PREVIEW
MIAMI AT BUFFALO
All-Time Series History
Regular Season: MIA leads series, 61-56-1 (BUF won 12 of past 13)
Postseason: BUF leads series, 4-1 (Home team won past 3)
The Last Time…
Regular Season: 11/3/24: MIA 27 at BUF 30
Postseason: AFC-WC 1/15/23: MIA 31 at BUF 34
DOLPHINS NOTES:
QB TUA TAGOVAILOA completed 26 of 32 atts. (81.3 pct.) for 315 yards & 2 TDs vs. INT with 115.5 rating last week, 4th-career game with 80+ comp. pct. & 300+ pass yards, tied 3rd-most among active players. Has 70+ comp. pct. in 4 of his past 5 road starts. Completed 25 of 28 ats. (89.3 pct.) for 231 yards & 2 TDs vs. 0 INTs with 124.9 rating in last meeting. Aims for his 5th in row vs. division with 2+ TD passes & 100+ rating. • RB DE’VON ACHANE led team with 122 scrimmage yards (career-high 92 rec., 30 rush) & had TD catch last week. Is 1 of 2 RBs (Chuba Hubbard) with rec. TD in each of 1st 2 weeks of season. Aims for his 4th in row with 75+ scrimmage yards & TD. Has 467 scrimmage yards (116.8 per game) & 6 TDs (4 rush, 2 rec.) in 4 career games vs. Buf. Has TD catch in each of 2 career Thursday games. • WR TYREEK HILL had 6 catches for 109 yards in Week 2, 37th-career 100- yard game, 5th-most among active WRs. Had 80 rec. yards in last meeting & has 55+ rec. yards in 4 of his past 5 vs. Buf. Has 905 rec. yards (90.5 per game) & 7 rec. TDs in 10 career Thursday games. • WR JAYLEN WADDLE had 5 catches for 68 yards & 1st TD of season last week. Had TD catch in last meeting. • WR NICK WESTBROOK-IKHINE had TD catch in his last game vs. Buf. (10/20/24 w/ Ten.). • LB BRADLEY CHUBB is 1 of 6 LBs with sack in each of 1st 2 weeks of season. Has 7 sacks & 2 FFs in 3 career Thursday games, with 2+ sacks in each game. • LB JORDYN BROOKS had 8 tackles & 1st sack of season last week. Aims for 3rd in row with 8+ tackles & TFL. Has TFL in 10 of his past 11. • LB CHOP ROBINSON had 1st sack of season in Week 2. Had sack in last meeting. Aims for his 3rd in row vs. Buf. with TFL. • LB TYREL DODSON led team with 9 tackles last week. Aims for 3rd in row with 9+ tackles. Had 7 tackles in his last game vs. Buf. (10/27/24 w/ Sea.). • S MINKAH FITZPATRICK aims for 3rd in row with 7+ tackles.
BILLS NOTES:
BILLS can begin 3-0 for 2nd-consecutive season & 4th time under HC Sean McDermott. Lead NFL with 450 yards/game & rank 2nd with 35.5 points/game. Have won 12 straight reg. season home games, 2nd-longest streak in Buf. history. • QB JOSH ALLEN totaled 207 yards (148 pass, 59 rush) with 0 INTs last week. Has 0 INTs in 10 of his past 11 starts, incl. playoffs. Has 2+ TD passes in 14 of 15 career starts vs. Mia., with 90+ rating in each of past 8, incl. playoffs. Is 7-0 with 107.4 rating in 7 career starts on Thursday. • RB JAMES COOK rushed for 132 yards & 2 TDs last week, 5th game with 2+ rush TDs since 2024, tied-most in NFL. Is only player in NFL with 100+ scrimmage yards & rush TD in each of 1st 2 weeks of season. Has rush TD in 6 straight reg. season games, 2nd-longest active streak in NFL. Has 6 TDs (5 rush, 1 rec.) in his past 5 in primetime. Tied for NFL lead with 3 rush TDs in 2025. • WR JOSHUA PALMER led team with 47 rec. yards in Week 2. Aims for his 5th in row with 40+ rec. yards. Has TD catch in 2 of his past 3 on Thursday. • WR KEON COLEMAN aims for his 3rd in row at home in reg. season with rec. TD. • WR ELIJAH MOORE had 2nd-career rush TD last week. • TE DALTON KINCAID has 4 catches in 4 of past 5. • DE JOEY BOSA had career-high 2 FFs & sack last week, only player with 2 FFs in a game this season & only player with FF in each of 1st 2 weeks. Has sack in 2 of his past 3 on Thursday. • DE GREG ROUSSEAU had PD & half sack last week. Aims for his 4th in row in reg. season with PD. Had 3 TFL & sack in last meeting & aims for his 5th in row vs. Mia. with TFL. • DT ED OLIVER aims for 3rd in row at home in reg. season with sack. Has sack in 3 of his past 4 on Thursday. • DT DAQUAN JONES had 18th-career sack in Week 2. • S COLE BISHOP had 5 tackles & 1st-career sack last week.
DOLPHINS TRAVEL TO BUFFALO, WHERE THEY’VE LOST NINE STRAIGHT AND NOT BEATEN THE BILLS SINCE 2016
Miami (0-2) at Buffalo (2-0)
Thursday, 8:15 p.m. EDT, Amazon Prime Video.
BetMGM NFL odds: Bills by 12 1/2.
Against the spread: Bills 2-0; Dolphins 0-2.
Series record: Dolphins lead 62-60-1.
Last meeting: Bills beat Dolphins 30-27 on Nov. 3, 2024, in Orchard Park, New York.
Last week: Bills beat Jets 30-10; Dolphins lost to Patriots 33-27
Dolphins offense: overall (24t), rush (29), pass (15), scoring (25).
Dolphins defense: overall (26), rush (25), pass (24), scoring (31).
Bills offense: overall (1), rush (2), pass (2t), scoring (2).
Bills defense: overall (8), rush (31), pass (1), scoring (22).
Turnover differential: Dolphins minus-4; Bills plus-2.
Dolphins player to watch
RB De’Von Achane has been one of Miami’s best players through the first two weeks of the season. The third-year running back had the Dolphins’ only touchdown in Week 1, breaking several tackles on his way into the end zone. Achane again scored in Week 2 on a 29-yard pass from quarterback Tua Tagovailoa.
Bills player to watch
QB Josh Allen. After failing to throw, run or catch a touchdown for just the fifth full game of his career last weekend, Allen has a chance to get back on the board. His 37 touchdowns passing in 14 regular-season games against Miami are by far the most against any opponent, ahead of 19 versus New England.
Key matchup
Achane vs. Bills defense. The third-year player presents a dual-threat challenge to a defense missing two starters in defensive tackle Ed Oliver and linebacker Matt Milano. Though Buffalo limited the Jets to 154 total yards, New York still combined for 100 yards rushing. And this is a defense that allowed 432 total yards, including 238 rushing, in beating Baltimore in Week 1.
Key injuries
Dolphins: S Ifeatu Melifonwu is dealing with a calf injury and has not practiced this week. … TE Darren Waller (hip), C Aaron Brewer (hip) and RB Jaylen Wright (knee) were limited in practice. Bills: Oliver and Milano have been ruled out. … Nickel cornerback Taron Johnson (quadriceps) is trending toward returning after missing one game.
Series notes
The Bills have won 13 of the past 14 meetings, including playoffs, with their lone loss a 21-19 nail-biter in hot and humid conditions at Miami in September 2022. … The Bills have won the past nine meetings at home, including playoffs, in a streak that began in 2017, Sean McDermott’s first season as coach. … The Dolphins’ most recent win at Orchard Park was a 34-31 OT decision on Dec. 24, 2016, which led to Rex Ryan being fired as Bills coach a day later, with one week remaining in the season.
Stats and stuff
With the loss to New England, the Dolphins fell to 0-2 for the first time under Mike McDaniel. Tua Tagovailoa also fell to 0-2 for the first time in his career as a starter. … The Dolphins have turned the ball over four times in the first two games of the season and are tied for the worst turnover margin in the NFL. … Achane has 25 touchdowns (14 rushing and 11 receiving) since being drafted by Miami in 2023. He is one of only six active players to score 25-plus touchdowns in their first 30 games. … Tyreek Hill’s 47-yard reception in the third quarter against New England was his first catch of more than 30 yards since the 2024 opener. … Miami’s defense has allowed opponents to score on 13 of 17 possessions this season. … Bradley Chubb is one of six linebackers with a sack in each of the first two weeks of the season. He’s combined for seven sacks and two forced fumbles in three Thursday night appearances. … Buffalo has won 12 straight regular-season home games, three short of matching the team record set spanning the 1990-91 seasons. … Since 2020, the Bills are 12-7 in prime-time outings, including 5-1 in their past six. Overall, the Bills are 52-49 in night games, including a 41-40 season-opening win over Baltimore. … The Bills lead the NFL in scoring 30 or more points 46 times since the start of the 2020 season. … Allen has committed one turnover in his past 11 starts, including playoffs. His record is 39-10 when not throwing an interception or losing a fumble. … With 78 regular-season wins, Allen moved one ahead of Joe Ferguson for second on the franchise list, behind only Hall of Famer Jim Kelly (101). … RB James Cook has scored a TD rushing in six straight games, one short of matching O.J. Simpson’s team record run of seven in 1975. … Cook’s 19 TDs rushing since the start of last season lead the NFL. … Buffalo has won an NFL record 24 straight when winning the turnover margin. … DT Joey Bosa earned his first sack with Buffalo, and 73rd of his career, moving into a tie for 99th with Robert Burnett on the NFL list. He’s one shy of moving into a tie for 94th with Mark Gastineau, Jevon Kearse and Cliff Avril. … The 154 yards allowed against the Jets were the fewest by Buffalo since giving up 53 total yards in a 27-10 win over New York in the 2021 season finale.
Fantasy tip
This is likely a good week to bench Tagovailoa. The sixth-year player has had little success against the division rival Bills with a 1-8 record. Of the 47 interceptions he’s thrown, 10 have come against Buffalo — the most against any opponent.
COMMANDERS’ JAYDEN DANIELS WILL NOT PRACTICE EARLIER THAN FRIDAY BECAUSE OF INJURED KNEE
ASHBURN, Va. (AP) — Washington Commanders quarterback Jayden Daniels will not practice earlier than Friday while recovering from an injured knee, coach Dan Quinn said Wednesday.
Daniels went through a rehabilitation session and threw on the field Wednesday, but was not going to take part in that day’s work with teammates, Quinn added.
The Commanders (1-1) host the Las Vegas Raiders (1-1) on Sunday.
“As we get into Friday, I’ll give you an assessment where we’re at,” Quinn said.
Last season’s AP NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year was hurt in the fourth quarter of Washington’s 27-18 loss at the Green Bay Packers on Thursday night and later had an MRI exam that revealed the injury. Daniels was sacked four times and faced pressure throughout the game from a blitz-heavy Packers’ defense.
“We recognize the importance of the person, the player, what he means to the franchise, so we’re also going to be smart, not just fast, with this assessment,” Quinn said about his starting quarterback. “This is a player that’s absolutely wanting to do everything, all the time.”
Quinn said Daniels’ throwing and movement “looked good” while working on his own on Wednesday, while noting that it’s important to see him on the field with the rest of the team before playing in a game.
“But it was a good first step,” Quinn said.
If Daniels is held out of Sunday’s game, backup Marcus Mariota would be in line to make his first NFL start since 2022 with the Atlanta Falcons. Mariota appeared in relief of the starting QB in three games each in 2023 with the Philadelphia Eagles and 2024 with Washington.
“We have the utmost confidence in him,” Quinn said.
Daniels was one of several Commanders players injured against the Packers, and cornerback Jonathan Jones went on injured reserve Wednesday with a bad hamstring. Quinn said the team expects Jones to return to the roster at some point this season.
Running back Austin Ekeler and defensive end Deatrich Wise Jr. both were put on IR on Monday with season-ending injuries. Washington signed free-agent defensive end Preston Smith — who previously was with the club from 2015-18 — to replace Wise.
Quinn praised Smith’s “proven pass-rush ability, and we liked his size, too. … Felt like a good fit.”
VIKINGS PUT RB AARON JONES ON IR WITH HAMSTRING INJURY THAT WILL SIDELINE HIM MORE THAN A MONTH
EAGAN, Minn. (AP) — The ailing Minnesota Vikings placed running back Aaron Jones Sr. on injured reserve on Wednesday, requiring him to miss a minimum of four games with a hamstring injury suffered during a costly defeat in the home opener.
With quarterback J.J. McCarthy likely out for multiple weeks with a sprained ankle, the Vikings also signed Desmond Ridder, the starter in 2023 for the Atlanta Falcons, to the active roster for depth behind Carson Wentz and undrafted rookie Max Brosmer.
Jordan Mason, who was in an even share of the backfield load with the nine-year veteran Jones, will become the clear featured ball carrier with Ty Chandler and undrafted rookie Zavier Scott behind him on the depth chart. The Vikings also signed old friend Cam Akers to the practice squad, after acquiring the sixth-year running back in separate in-season trades in 2023 with the Los Angeles Rams and 2024 with the Houston Texans.
Akers, who was released at the end of training camp by the New Orleans Saints, became a favorite of Vikings coach Kevin O’Connell and offensive coordinator Wes Phillips during their time together with the Rams that ended with a Super Bowl trophy after the 2021 season. In 12 regular-season games last year for the Vikings, Akers had 64 carries for 297 yards for a career-best average of 4.6 yards per attempt. He also had 10 catches for 52 yards and totaled three touchdowns.
Ridder was a third-round pick by the Falcons in 2022 out of Cincinnati, whom he helped lead to a College Football Playoff semifinal berth. He passed for 12 touchdowns and 12 interceptions with a 64.2% completion rate and 2,836 yards in 2023, plus five rushing scores. The following year, when the Falcons signed Kirk Cousins and drafted Michael Penix Jr., he was traded to the Arizona Cardinals for wide receiver and return specialist Rondale Moore. Ridder was eventually signed off the practice squad by the Las Vegas Raiders in 2024 and made one start. He was cut at the end of training camp last month by the Cincinnati Bengals, who visit the Vikings on Sunday.
JETS QUARTERBACK JUSTIN FIELDS RULED OUT WITH CONCUSSION, TYROD TAYLOR TO START AGAINST BUCCANEERS
FLORHAM PARK, N.J. (AP) — New York Jets quarterback Justin Fields was ruled out Wednesday for the game at Tampa Bay with a concussion, and Tyrod Taylor will start against the Buccaneers on Sunday.
Coach Aaron Glenn announced the decision before the Jets’ first practice of the week. Fields remains in the concussion protocol after being hurt late in the Jets’ 30-10 loss to Buffalo last Sunday.
“I just know how these things are,” Glenn said, declining to say whether Fields has improved while in the protocol. “Just to my knowledge, this will be a week he’ll be out.”
Fields fell backward when he was sacked by Joey Bosa in the fourth quarter and the back of his helmet hit off the turf. He was down for a few moments before he was able to get up and walk off under his own power.
The 36-year-old Taylor will start for the first time since doing so in five games for the Giants in 2023.
“I have competed against him a number of times and there’s an element within him that we also have in Justin that I like a lot,” Glenn said, likely referring to how both are dual-threat quarterbacks.
“The fact that he’s been in this league for a long time, there’s no coverage, there’s no pressure that he hasn’t seen,” Glenn added. “That’s why I have confidence in him. He’s a very studious person, a good athlete. … There’s no better player that you would want as your backup quarterback than him at this point in time.”
Taylor missed the Jets’ three preseason games with a knee injury that required surgery, but Glenn isn’t concerned that Taylor will be compromised in any way. Taylor went 7 of 11 for 56 yards in place of Fields against the Bills, including a 5-yard touchdown pass to Jeremy Ruckert.
“He has over 14 years of reps,” Glenn said of Taylor. “So, he’s not new to this.”
Taylor, who signed a two-year deal with the Jets last year to be Aaron Rodgers’ backup, has 58 career starts in the NFL. He began his career as a backup with Baltimore from 2011 through 2014 before going to Buffalo, where he started 43 games over three seasons.
Taylor later started games for Cleveland (three in 2018), the Los Angeles Chargers (one in 2020), Houston (six in 2021) and the Giants (five in 2023). He has thrown for 12,310 yards and 69 touchdowns with 29 interceptions in 95 games over 14-plus seasons. Taylor also has rushed for 2,302 yards and 19 TDs.
It’s a tough break for Fields, who had a standout debut against Pittsburgh with a touchdown pass and two TD runs in the loss. But he struggled mightily against the Bills, going just 3 of 11 for 27 yards and running for 49 yards on five carries before leaving the game with the concussion.
It is believed to be the first documented concussion for Fields in the NFL.
Glenn said edge rusher Jermaine Johnson (ankle), safety Tony Adams (groin), nickel cornerback Michael Carter II (shoulder), defensive tackle Jay Tufele (illness), wide receiver Josh Reynolds (hamstring) and running back/kick returner Kene Nwangwu (hamstring) were being evaluated, but “a lot of those guys are trending in the right direction.”
CAN PATRICK MAHOMES AND THE CHIEFS DEFY HISTORY TO MAKE THE PLAYOFFS?
Each year after the second week of the NFL season, the long odds that teams face to make the playoffs after losing their first two games get bandied about.
The odds have hovered at just under 12% ever since the NFL expanded the season to 16 games and added a second wild-card team in 1978, with little fluctuation when additional playoff teams were added in 1990 and 2020.
None of those other teams have come off three straight Super Bowl appearances like Patrick Mahomes and the Kansas City Chiefs.
The oddsmakers at BetMGM Sportsbook have Kansas City as a favorite to make the postseason with an implied probability of about 65%, while some other projection models have it closer to a 50-50 proposition.
Since the playoffs expanded in 2020, only five of the 43 teams (11.6%) that started 0-2 made the postseason, but 31 of those teams missed the postseason the previous year. Out of the 12 returning playoff teams that started 0-2, three made the playoffs, with the Los Angeles Rams and Baltimore doing it last season and Cincinnati in 2022.
But the goals for the Chiefs are much loftier than getting into the postseason with the team seeking a fourth Super Bowl title in the Mahomes-Andy Reid era. Only three teams — Dallas in 1993, New England in 2001 and the New York Giants in 2007 — have won a Super Bowl following a 0-2 start and only 5% of the teams that have done it since the 1970 merger won their division.
Kansas City has won nine straight division titles — two shy of New England’s record set from 2009-19 — but now is two games behind the Los Angeles Chargers in the AFC West.
That has flipped the odds in the division at BetMGM, with the Chargers favored and the Chiefs at plus-250 odds to win the division. This is the first time since a three-week stretch midway through 2021 that Kansas City hasn’t been favored to win the AFC West by BetMGM, and the current odds are the longest for the Chiefs since they were plus-275 before the opener in 2018 when Mahomes began his first season as starter.
The only other team that is 0-2 after making the playoffs in 2024 is the two-time defending AFC South champion Texans, with both Houston and Kansas City losing a pair of one-score games.
There are 10 teams that have started the season 2-0, including four that missed the playoffs last season: Arizona, Cincinnati, Indianapolis and San Francisco. This is the second straight season four teams began the season 2-0 after missing the playoffs, with Minnesota and the Chargers making it to the postseason, while New Orleans and Seattle missed out.
Jackson and Mahomes show off dual-threat abilities
Lamar Jackson already had established himself as the NFL’s best running quarterback ever when he passed Michael Vick as the career leading rusher at the position.
Now he’s the most efficient passer as well.
After throwing four TD passes and no interceptions in a win over Cleveland on Sunday, Jackson improved his career passer rating to 102.65, narrowly moving ahead of Aaron Rodgers at 102.6 for the best rating ever among quarterbacks with at least 1,500 attempts.
Mahomes ranks third on that list at 101.8 but has had to rely more than usual on his legs this season. He ran for 66 yards on Sunday — his most ever in the regular season — and has 123 yards on the ground through two games this season.
Mahomes has accounted for 56.2% of the Chiefs’ yards on the ground this season, the third-highest share for any quarterback through two games in the Super Bowl era. Jackson has the highest mark at 62.4% in 2022 for Baltimore, with Colin Kaepernick the only other QB higher than Mahomes at 57.4% for San Francisco in 2013.
Aubrey’s long range kicks
Long field goals are becoming almost routine, with kickers making 75% of their tries from at least 55 yards so far this season. The 12 makes in 16 tries from at least 55 yards in two weeks equals the entire total from the 2013 season.
Kickers made less than half (49.1%) of their tries from at least 55 yards as recently as 2020.
No one is better at the long-range kicks than Dallas’ Brandon Aubrey, who kicked his second career 64-yarder on the final play of regulation against the Giants on Sunday before winning it with a 46-yarder with no time left in overtime. Aubrey became the first player to convert a tying field goal with no time remaining in the fourth quarter and a winning field goal with no time remaining in overtime in the same game.
Aubrey has half of the made field goals from at least 64 yards ever in the NFL, having also made a 65-yarder last season against Baltimore. Matt Prater was the first player to make a 64-yarder, doing so in 2013 at altitude in Denver, and Justin Tucker set the NFL record with a 66-yarder at Detroit in 2021.
His four field goals from at least 60 yards are tied for the most ever with Brett Maher.
Bumbling Bears
The optimism in Chicago brought on by the hiring of Ben Johnson as coach has dissipated quickly after a rough start to his first season.
The Bears blew an 11-point lead in the fourth quarter of the opener against Minnesota before falling 52-31 to the Detroit Lions on Sunday.
Only two other teams in NFL history started a season by allowing at least 50 points in one of the first two games and blowing a double-digit lead in the other.
The Jets did it in 1995 to start the Rich Kotite coaching era, losing their opener 52-14 to Miami and then squandering a 24-3 lead in Week 2 against Indianapolis before falling 27-24 in overtime. Kotite went 4-28 as Jets coach before getting fired.
Kotite and Johnson are the only coaches ever to begin a tenure with a team by doing it, according to Sportradar.
It happened one other time to start a season, with the Bears doing it in 1965 under Hall of Fame coach George Halas. Chicago lost the opener 52-24 to San Francisco and then blew a 19-point lead in Week 2 before losing 30-28 to the Rams.
Chicago recovered to go 9-5 that season but missed the playoffs.
PATRICK MAHOMES WELCOMES BACK XAVIER WORTHY AND JALEN ROYALS TO CHIEFS PRACTICE ON HIS 30TH BIRTHDAY
KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes celebrated his 30th birthday Wednesday by welcoming Xavier Worthy and Jalen Royals back to practice.
The two wide receivers have hardly played after Worthy hurt his shoulder in a collision with Travis Kelce early in their season opener, and Royals was left dealing with a knee injury from training camp. But after Worthy practiced a bit late last week, coach Andy Reid said Wednesday that neither would have any restrictions in preparing for Sunday night’s game against the New York Giants.
“I’m just excited to get those guys back and, you know, go out there and try to have some success on offense better than we did last week,” said Mahomes, who is off to one of the worst starts of his NFL career for the winless Chiefs.
Mahomes has completed just 58.8% of his passes and averaging 222.5 yards passing in losses to the Los Angeles Chargers and Philadelphia Eagles.
Spotty protection from an offensive line that the Chiefs have poured financial and draft resources into over the past few years is one of the problems. But another has been the absence of three wide receivers expected to make a big impact on the team.
Along with the injuries to Worthy and Royals, Rashee Rice is in the midst of a six-game suspension for violating the NFL’s personal conduct policy.
Few teams can withstand those kinds of losses, and the Chiefs have been no different. Marquise Brown is their only pass catcher with more than six receptions total, and that includes tight end Travis Kelce, who had a touchdown pass bounce off his hands for an interception at the goal line in their Super Bowl rematch against Philadelphia on Sunday.
It’s been reminiscent of last season, when the Chiefs had to withstand a season-ending knee injury to Rice and a shoulder injury to Brown that caused him to miss almost the entire regular season. In that case, Worthy stepped up with a rookie season that far exceeded most expectations, and that made him a focal point of the Chiefs’ offseason plans for the offense.
“I think more than anything,” Mahomes said, “having him out there is a threat in general. He can at any moment take a pass, short or long, and he can take it to the house. Having him on the practice field was very encouraging last week. Obviously we didn’t know after the injury in Brazil (how long he’d be out), but seeing him out there — he wanted to stay out there. We were kind of holding him back. Hopefully we can go through a good week of practice and have him out there.”
The same goes for Royals, whom the Chiefs picked in the fourth round of the draft out of Utah State.
While Worthy has game-breaking speed, Royals offers a similar kind of shifty quickness as Rice, which means he would have been a good option to take on some of the suspended wide receiver’s workload over the first six weeks of the season.
“We’ll just see how he does,” Reid said. “He’s been out for a while. We’ll see how he comes around.”
In the meantime, Mahomes didn’t sound as if he had many other birthday plans Wednesday. The fact that he’s on an 0-2 team for the first time since his sophomore year at Whitehouse High School in Texas has kind of put a damper on things.
“It’s always hard to have a birthday in general — especially this year with the losses — but being so early in the season, you’re so focused on football and trying to get going in the right direction,” Mahomes said. “We celebrated in the offseason. We went down and I hung out with my friends; we all grew up together. I’m a little ahead of them but all of them, their wives are pregnant, they are getting their jobs that they’re going to have for the rest of their life, stuff like that. So it’s cool to see.”
Besides, Mahomes said, “I’ve been saying, I’ve got kids, man. I’ve been 30 forever.’”
NOTES: DE Mike Danna (quad) and CB Kristian Fulton (ankle) did not practice Wednesday. … Reid brushed aside Wednesday any notion of “load management” for Kelce, who turns 36 next month, especially after his slow start. “I don’t think it’s an age thing or anything,” Reid said. “We try to keep an eye on him the best we can.”
CARDINALS PLACE CB GARRETT WILLIAMS AND DL L.J. COLLIER ON INJURED RESERVE IN HIT TO TEAM’S DEFENSE
TEMPE, Ariz. (AP) — The Arizona Cardinals placed defensive lineman L.J. Collier and cornerback Garrett Williams on injured reserve Wednesday, dealing a blow to a defense that’s played well over the first two games.
Collier (knee) and Williams (knee) were both hurt during the team’s 27-22 win over the Carolina Panthers on Sunday. Coach Jonathan Gannon said there’s a chance that both players could potentially return this season.
The Cardinals also announced Wednesday that they signed cornerback Darren Hall to the active roster from the practice squad.
The injury news wasn’t good for the Cardinals, but it also wasn’t as bad as initially feared.
Two other cornerbacks — Max Melton (knee) and rookie Will Johnson (groin) — also left Sunday’s game with injuries, but Gannon said both are day to day. Melton was on the field for Wednesday’s practice.
The Cardinals were down to their last two cornerbacks by the end of the Panthers game, with rookie Denzel Burke and Kei’Trel Clark pressed into more action. Gannon said he’s pleased with how they responded.
“I’m very confident in whoever we put out there, they’ll give us a chance to win,” Gannon told reporters.
BEARS, STAR CB JAYLON JOHNSON MULLING OPTIONS WITH SEASON-ENDING SURGERY POSSIBLE
LAKE FOREST, Ill. (AP) — The Chicago Bears and star cornerback Jaylon Johnson are mulling their options after the two-time Pro Bowler indicated this week he might have season-ending groin surgery.
Coach Ben Johnson had no update Wednesday, saying “nothing official has been decided yet.” The Bears (0-2) host Dak Prescott and the Dallas Cowboys on Sunday.
“I don’t see him being out there here this week, and hopefully we’ll have some clarity here in the near future,” Ben Johnson said.
Jaylon Johnson exited a blowout loss at Detroit on Sunday after he was hurt breaking up a pass. He said Monday in his weekly appearance on WSCR-AM that the groin “as a whole just needs to get repaired” and that he was “trying to see what’s the best option.”
Johnson missed training camp, the preseason and the season opener because of a groin injury. But he said he suffered a new one, in a different part of that region, against the Lions.
It happened early in the second quarter of a 52-21 loss, when he broke up a pass intended for Amon-Ra St. Brown. He stayed on his stomach after lunging to make the play.
Johnson previously injured his groin in what he recently described as a “freak accident” while working with some receivers in Las Vegas over the summer. He said he partially tore the adductor muscle from the pelvic bone, and he did not start practicing until the week leading up to the season-opening loss to Minnesota.
