The Saints' 26-21 loss to the San Francisco 49ers on Sunday was the latest example of a team still trying to figure things out under new coach Kellen Moore. In both games the Saints got off to slow starts and were left scrambling to try to mount comebacks. They also missed field goals in consecutive weeks and gave up several big plays.
Earlier in the calendar year, the Eagles won their second-ever Super Bowl with a lopsided 40-22 victory over the two-time reigning champions. That win came two years after the Chiefs defeated the Eagles in Super Bowl LVII. Sunday's game also made this season the fifth straight in which the two played one another. It was the first time since the 1970 merger that an NFC team and a AFC team met for that many consecutive seasons.
"I think it's always about the entire package. When you look at compensation, it's the body of work. It's what they're going to do for us," Vrabel said of Williams in March. "There's a high ceiling and a great vision about the person, the effort, the skillset, the speed in which he plays. There's power. Certainly, there's an aggressiveness. To be able to add him to our defensive line is something that was really exciting."
It's Jim Harbaugh versus Pete Carroll, a coaching rivalry that began when Harbaugh was at Stanford and Carroll was at USC, and continued with Harbaugh at the San Francisco 49ers and Carroll at the Seattle Seahawks. "You'd be friends," Harbaugh said. "You'd be almost like brothers if it wasn't for being on opposite sidelines. It's the kind of guy you'd send a Christmas card to, but you don't, because you're too busy trying to scratch each other's eyeballs out. Nature of the business. Dog-eat-dog."
Leading 24-17 with less than seven minutes to go, Darnold and the Seahawks faced a third-and-9 from their own 28, needing to move the chains if they didn't want to give Aaron Rodgers and the Steelers solid field position for a potential tying drive. Seattle got the shotgun snap off with one second left on the play clock but failed to pick up blitzing linebacker Patrick Queen.
The Washington Commanders could be without star quarterback Jayden Daniels for their Week 3 matchup with the Las Vegas Raiders because of a knee sprain. Daniels reportedly underwent an MRI following the Commanders' Week 2 loss to the Green Bay Packers last Thursday before having a final check-in with the Washington doctor on Monday. While checks on Daniels' knee did not reveal a long-term issue, the injury is serious enough to put Daniels' participation against the Raiders in jeopardy.
Fields suffered the injury during the second half of New York's blowout loss on Sunday. Rolling from the pocket, he was caught from behind around the waist by Bills defensive end Joey Bosa just as he got rid of the ball. As he was brought to the ground, Fields spun and his head thumped against the turf. He was checked out in the injury tent on the sideline, then walked to the locker room to be evaluated further.
Justin Herbert was given free rein to showcase his arm, firing pass after pass against the defending AFC champions. This approach hinged on trust; not necessarily in Herbert's ability, but in his receivers' capabilities. "It's all about having a clear mind and trust," Quentin Johnston said. "Trusting the play call, and then trusting yourself to get open. Trusting Justin that the ball will be in the right place when you get open."
Chicago Bears Pro Bowl cornerback Jaylon Johnson is out indefinitely with a groin injury, sources told ESPN's Adam Schefter and Courtney Cronin on Monday. Johnson exited the second quarter of the Bears' loss to the Detroit Lions on Sunday after sustaining the injury while breaking up a pass. He missed all of training camp, the preseason and Chicago's opener with a groin injury before returning and reaggravating it Sunday.
This was Fields' first documented concussion in the NFL, though he did have one at Ohio State. He finished Sunday's game with a career-low QBR (1.1). Glenn said it would be "hard for me as a coach" to start Fields if he has no practice reps on Wednesday and Thursday. The NFL has a five-step protocol for concussions, and the player must be cleared by an independent neurologist before he returns to action. The Jets are looking to avoid their first 0-3 start since 2021.
15 years ago, Rob Gronkowski arrived in the NFL seemingly straight out of central casting - almost the platonic ideal of a football player in the American psyche. He was all muscle and kinetic energy, a fearsome blocker and incredible receiver who was impossible to tackle, a selfless teammate on the field and the ultimate party animal off it. His touchdown celebrations - often a silly dance followed by a ferocious spiking of the football - summed up his spirit as well as anything.
