NFL - NEWS & NOTES

Philadelphia 32, Atlanta 6

The Falcons didn't play as well as the final score suggests.

 

Matthew Stafford shines in L.A. debut, Rams beat Bears 34-14



The Rams executed a trade for Matthew Stafford because they felt like he could be the missing piece to their offense.

It’s a small sample size, but the deal sure looks good after Week One.

He was on point from Los Angeles’ opening drive, hitting receiver Van Jefferson for a 67-yard touchdown on the third play. He was similarly efficient on the Rams’ first drive of the second half, hitting a wide open Cooper Kupp for a 56-yard touchdown on the fourth play of the possession.

Stafford finished 20-of-26 passing for 321 yards with three touchdowns — averaging 12.3 yards per attempt. His final pass of the night was a touchdown to Robert Woods with the receiver tapping his toes in the back of the end zone to remove all doubt for L.A.

Kupp led the team with seven receptions for 108 yards with one touchdown. He had another wiped off the board when he was ruled just short of the end zone in the third quarter. Tight end Tyler Higbee had five catches for 68 yards.

With Cam Akers out for the year, Darrell Henderson started at running back and took 16 carries for 70 yards with one touchdown.

While Chicago’s defense couldn’t stop Los Angeles, the offense had some decent moments throughout the night — but not nearly enough. Rookie Justin Fields played a handful of snaps at quarterback, rotating in with Andy Dalton. He completed his first NFL passing attempt for 9 yards and took a zone-read for a 3-yard score.

And the Bears were able to sustain some drives, netting 24 first downs and going 5-of-11 on third down. But the visitors finished 0-of-4 on fourth down, with two of those failed conversions consequentially coming in the first half.

Dalton finished 27-of-38 for 206 yards with an interception. Running back David Montgomery was a bright spot, gaining 108 yards on 16 carries with a score.

But Chicago was unable to spoil the grand opening of SoFi Stadium, with the Rams soundly winning their first game in front of fans at their new home.

The Rams are now 5-0 in season openers under head coach Sean McVay. They’ll travel to Indianapolis to face the 0-1 Colts next weekend.

The Bears will have their home opener against the 1-0 Bengals next Sunday.

PFT

 

Saints cornerback Marshon Lattimore has more to celebrate on Sunday than the team’s 38-3 win over the Packers.

According to multiple reports that PFT has confirmed, Lattimore has agreed to a five-year contract extension.

Lattimore was the 11th overall pick of the 2017 NFL Draft and was named the defensive rookie of the year. He’s made three Pro Bowls in his first four seasons and has started every game he’s played since joining the Saints.

Lattimore was credited with three tackles and a pass defensed in Sunday’s win. The new deal ensures he’ll be spending a lot more time in the Saints secondary in the years to come.

PFT

 

Lions cornerback Jeff Okudah‘s first game of the season will be his last.

Okudah suffered a ruptured Achilles tendon in Sunday’s loss to the 49ers and is out for the season, according to Tom Pelissero of NFL Network.

It’s a huge setback for Okudah, the third overall pick in the 2020 NFL draft. He struggled as a rookie last year, but the Lions’ new coaching staff reportedly thought he showed a lot of promise this offseason. Now he’ll have to wait until 2022 to show what he can do.

The Lions’ secondary didn’t look great even before Okudah got hurt, and now they’ll be scrambling to make up for the loss of a starter they had high hopes for.

PFT

 

Mekhi Becton to have surgery, miss 4-6 weeks



There have been a few updates on Jets left tackle Mekhi Becton‘s status since he left Sunday’s loss to the Panthers with a knee injury and the latest one gives some idea about how long Becton is going to be out.

Adam Schefter of ESPN reports that Becton will have arthroscopic surgery to clean up damaged cartilage in his knee. He is expected to miss four-to-six weeks as he recovers from the surgery.

 

Tough break for a young team looking to get a good foot forward.

I watched every snap of this game and thought that both teams played well in spurts, and both teams have a lot of room to grow.

That Panthers defense is going to keep them within striking distance in a lot of games.

 

It was one of the more competitive games. I thought Wilson and Darnold looked pretty good out there, but the Christian McCafrey threat and a good defense was too much for the Jets on that particular day.

Im curious, Tim, what did you think of the QB play in this game? I kinda thought the Panthers looked more balanced, but Zack made some nice plays too, but even had a few drops.

 

Zach is going to have some 'wow' moments and some 'wtf?!' moments, sometimes in back to back plays. lol

He'll be interesting to watch and chart throughout the season.

Sam is going to grow into a solid passer in Brady's system, IMO. I like the Panthers to be the team that sneaks up on some people this season before they realize how talented that roster and coaching staff really is.

 

49ers late round rookie RB Elijah Mitchell ended up playing yesterday and ran for 104 yards. That makes him the first rookie in SF franchise history to run for 100+ in his first game.

 

Derek Carr 31-yard touchdown pass to Zay Jones lifts Raiders to 33-27 OT win over Ravens



It took two “walk-off” touchdowns for the Las Vegas Raiders to finally earn a 33-27 victory over the Baltimore Ravens on Monday night.

Derek Carr hit Zay Jones for a 31-yard touchdown in overtime to finally give Las Vegas the win minutes after it appeared they had won the game on a pass from Carr to Bryan Edwards. Carr found Edwards for what appeared to be a 33-yard touchdown pass on the opening possession of overtime that had the two teams exchanging pleasantries on the field believing the game was over. Edwards was eventually ruled down at the 1-yard line and the Raiders couldn’t close the deal.

Carr was stuffed on a quarterback sneak, Alex Leatherwood false started and then Carr was intercepted in the end zone on a deflected pass intended for Willie Snead IV by Anthony Averett to give the Ravens life. However, Carl Nassib would sack Lamar Jackson and force a fumble on Baltimore’s next drive that gave the ball back to the Raiders for a second chance to seal away the game. The Raiders were going to attempt a field goal only for a delay of game to move them back to a slightly less comfortable yardage. Carr then hit Jones for the walk-off win.

Carr finished the night with 435 yards passing with two touchdowns and the overtime interception.

After jumping out to a 14-0 lead, the Ravens offense stagnated. On a Jackson scramble, Quinton Jefferson punched the ball free as Denzel Perryman recovered to give the ball back to the Raiders at the Baltimore 41-yard line.

Jacobs converted a third down and a check down to Kenyan Drake for 16 yards moved Las Vegas inside the red zone before Jacobs’ touchdown run brought the game back to level, 17-17, with 9:18 left to play. Jacobs finished with a pair of touchdowns for Las Vegas.

The Ravens immediately answered on the next drive as Jackson connected with Sammy Watkins on a 49-yard strike to move Baltimore to the Raiders’ 8-yard line. Just three days after signing with the Ravens, Latavius Murray scored from eight yards out to put the Ravens back on top.

Carr and the Raiders would counter punch as well. A 37-yard connection from Carr to Henry Ruggs on third-and-10 moved the Raiders to the Baltimore 10-yard line. Even a holding penalty on Leatherwood didn’t stall the drive as a 10-yard touchdown pass from Carr to Darren Waller again brought the game level at 24-24.

Jackson scrambled through the Raiders defense for 28 yards before Justin Tucker‘s 47-yard field goal put Baltimore back ahead, 27-24, with 37 seconds remaining. But Carr and the Raiders wouldn’t go quietly into the night.

Carr connected with Bryan Edwards on back-to-back throws for 20 and 18 yards, respectively, with a pair of spikes to stop the clock before Daniel Carlson drilled a 55-yard field goal with two seconds left to send the game to overtime.

Jackson finished 19 of 30 for 235 yards and a touchdown and two lost fumbles. He fumbled three times overall for Baltimore.

The Ravens had won their last five season openers prior to Monday night in Las Vegas.

PFT

 

Ravens played a lot more man coverage than I expected considering how young their secondary is. Cost them in this game.

 

49ers RB Raheem Mostert out eight weeks, CB Jason Verrett done for season

According to ESPN, San Francisco head coach Kyle Shanahan told reporters Monday that running back Raheem Mostert is going on injured reserve and is expected to be sidelined eight weeks with chipped cartilage in his knee. A player on IR is eligible to return after missing a minimum of three games, but that clearly won't be an option for Mostert this time around.


Additionally, Shanahan unveiled that cornerback Jason Verrett tore his ACL and is out for the season. Shanahan said shortly after Sunday's win that it was feared Verrett would be lost for the campaign with that exact injury.

Mostert had 20 yards on two carries in Sunday's outing before he suffered the setback. Rookie ball-carrier Elijah Mitchell took advantage of the opportunity and extra touches and gained 104 yards with a touchdown on 19 attempts.

Injuries limited Mostert to eight games last year.

The Niners play at the Philadelphia Eagles (1-0) this coming Sunday.

YardBarker

 

Broncos WR Jerry Jeudy out four to six weeks with high-ankle sprain

Denver Broncos head coach Vic Fangio told reporters Monday that wide receiver Jerry Jeudy will "miss some time" due to the high-ankle sprain he suffered in the third quarter of Sunday's win at the New York Giants.

ESPN's Adam Schefter reports Jeudy is expected to be out anywhere from four to six weeks. Meanwhile, Nick Shook of the NFL's website adds the Broncos could ultimately place Jeudy on injured reserve.

Just like last season, a player who lands on IR can return after he misses a minimum of three games.


Jeudy torched the Giants and led the Broncos with six receptions for 72 yards before he was injured, and quarterback Teddy Bridgewater finished the season-opening victory with 28 completions on 36 passes for 264 yards, two touchdowns and a 115.7 passer rating. Bridgewater connected with nine different receivers at MetLife Stadium, and the Broncos cruised to a comfortable 27-13 road win.

Denver next plays at the Jacksonville Jaguars (0-1) this coming Sunday and then welcomes the New York Jets (0-1) to town for its home opener on Sept. 26.

YardBarker

 

Browns head coach Kevin Stefanski: 'Possibility' Odell Beckham Jr. plays Week 2



Odell Beckham Jr. was a late scratch from the Week 1 matchup between the Cleveland Browns and the Kansas City Chiefs. Now, the focus shifts to whether the star wide receiver will be ready to go in Week 2 versus the Houston Texans.

"I think it’s a possibility (he could be ready for Week 2)," head coach Kevin Stefanski said via Cleveland.com.

Beckham, who hasn't played since last October due to a torn ACL, was already questionable to play in Week 1. He hadn't participated in certain team drills through the preseason, although Stefanski told the press he saw signs of a return. Beckham was spotted working out on the field just a couple of hours before kickoff on Sunday, but ultimately, he decided his knee just wasn't ready to take on the workload.

"He worked out before the game and didn’t feel like he could go a significant amount," Stefanski said after the game, "so we felt like it was the right thing to do to keep him inactive. We had four wide receivers up."

Being stocked up on receivers certainly takes the pressure off of Beckham to hurry back and risk re-injuring himself. Whenever Beckham is able to return, the Browns will be happy to have him out there.

"It’s a long season, we’ve got 16 more of these, and then whatever happens after that, so whenever he’s ready to come back and he feels he’s ready, we’re going to welcome him in with open arms," quarterback Baker Mayfield said.

YardBarker

 

I'M not holding my breath until he decides to grace us with his presence.

 

Saints have eight total positive COVID tests on Tuesday



Updating his prior report, ESPN.com’s Adam Schefter says that a total of eight people have tested positive for COVID. Six offensive coaches, a player, and a nutritionist will enter the COVID protocol.

It could get worse come Wednesday. The weekly testing protocol for vaccinated players and staff requires the tests to be divided over three days. More could return positive results on Wednesday.

None of the vaccinated players or staff who test positive can return until generating negative tests at least 24 hours apart. For unvaccinated players — who are tested daily — a positive test results in a minimum absence of 10 days.

PFT

 

49ers coach Kyle Shanahan announced Monday that Raheem Mostert would miss around eight games with chipped knee cartilage. After consulting with other doctors, though, the running back has pulled the plug on his season.

Mostert announced he will undergo season-ending surgery.

 

Colts sign Andrew Sendejo



Indianapolis is bringing in some veteran secondary help.

The Colts announced on Tuesday that they’ve signed safety Andrew Sendejo. As a corresponding move, the club waived cornerback Chris Wilcox.

Sendejo spent the 2020 season with the Browns, starting 14 games for the club. He recorded a pair of passes defensed, a forced fumble, and 67 total tackles.

Sendejo, 34, has spent most of his career with the Vikings, playing nine seasons for the club. In all, he’s appeared in 124 games with 75 starts, recording nine interceptions and 23 pass breakups.

The Colts had claimed Wilcox after the Buccaneers cut him when reducing their roster to 53 players. A seventh-round pick this year, Wilcox was inactive for Indianapolis’ Week One loss to Seattle.

Additionally, the Colts announced they’ve released safety Sean Davis from their practice squad.

PFT

 

wow he's still playing