NFL - NEWS & NOTES

Rams cover the +7.5 spread on a last second FG to lose 30-23.

 

Incredible ending in Denver... Commanders, 2-0

7, 0-2 teams now with 2 to play.

 

Patriots in their throwbacks. Im waiting for Sam Bam Cunningham to show up.

 

There are now 8 0-2 teams in the NFL with 2 more potentials after tonight. Its early, just seems odd to me. Or maybe Im just odd, could be both.

 

So far...

 

It looks like Puka Nacua, the Los Angeles Rams budding star rookie, didn’t get lucky in Week 1 after all.

Nacua, a fifth-round pick out of BYU by the Rams this past April, shocked the NFL world last week when he had 10 catches for 119 yards in Los Angeles’ win over the Seattle Seahawks. But Nacua followed it up with an even better performance that had NFL history tied to it.

Nacua hauled in 15 of his 20 targets from Stafford against the San Francisco 49ers on Sunday, totaling 147 yards. Those 15 receptions are the most by a rookie in a single game in NFL history.

The record, which was held by Washington’s Roy Helu, New York Giants’ Saquon Barkley and Pittsburgh’s Najee Harris jointly, was broken when Nacua hauled in a 17-yard catch late in the fourth quarter.

Nacua is also the first rookie to have double-digit receptions in each of his first two NFL games.

And that’s not all. Nacua’s 25 receptions on the year is a new league record for a rookie in his first two games. 49ers legend Earl Cooper had the record at 19 in 1980.

The Rams couldn’t capture another victory, though, despite Nacua’s efforts on offense. The 49ers were able to force crucial turnovers to eventually come away with a 30-23 win to move to 2-0, while the Rams fell to 1-1 in the early season.

FOX

 

It's mostly because it's early. If every game was 50/50, on average you would have 8 teams at 0-2 after tonight. Definitely some early surprises though too. Bengals and Vikings among the 0-2 starts? NFC South 4-0 in non-divisional play after two weeks?

 

Saints-Panthers Preview

CHARLOTTE, N.C. (AP) Bryce Young’s longest pass completion in Week 1 went for 14 yards.

Panthers coach Frank Reich knows that needs to change Monday night when Carolina hosts the division-rival New Orleans Saints.

Young, the No. 1 overall pick, was limited to 146 yards passing in a 24-10 loss to Atlanta and threw two interceptions and one touchdown in his pro debut.

The lack of what Reich deems “chunk plays” in the passing game - considered gains of 20 or more yards - contributed to those poor numbers, as the Falcons repeatedly keyed on short throws over the middle while daring Young to beat them deep.

“ We need more explosive plays,” Reich said. “That’s not going to be acceptable, so we’ll have to do a much better job there.”

That won't be easy Monday night, even with deep threat DJ Chark (hamstring) expected to make his season debut for Carolina in Week 2.

The Saints are coming off a hard-fought 16-15 win over the Tennessee Titans that was every bit as much of a struggle as the score suggests.

New Orleans allowed three chunk plays - one of those a 46-yard completion to running back Derrick Henry - but held the Titans out of the end zone. They also intercepted Ryan Tannehill three times.

Despite Young's lack of production in Week 1, Saints linebacker Pete Werner saw enough of the 2021 Heisman Trophy winner at the college level to know he's only going to get better.

“This is a team that you need to be on point, especially with a quarterback like this and how he’s got that big-play ability," Werner said.

Added Saints coach Dennis Allen of Young: “One of the best things he did (at Alabama) was his ability to create in terms of off-rhythm or off-timing throws, be able to escape the pocket, be able to climb and escape. ... For lack of a better term, some of the playground football that he’s able to create on the field was one of his best assets."

While the Panthers couldn't seem to get any big pass plays last Sunday, the Saints had no problem moving the football.

Derek Carr threw for 305 yards in his Saints debut and had five completions of 20 yards or more, including two for 40-plus yards.

NOT DOUBTING THOMAS

After two-time All-Pro Michael Thomas went out for most of last season with a foot injury, Chris Olave emerged as New Orleans’ leading receiver.

In Week 1, with Thomas back in the lineup, Olave was again the Saints’ most productive pass catcher with eight receptions for 112 yards. Thomas, still working his way back into form, was Carr’s second-most targeted receiver with eight passes intended for him. He caught five for 61 yards, including a 25-yarder.

This week, Olave surmised that the influence of Thomas’ return on the Saints’ passing game goes beyond the injury-plagued veteran’s statistics in his first game back.

“Every day he goes out there, he just looks better and better,” Olave said. “His presence and his competitive nature, I feel like it uplifts the whole offense.”

The Saints will face a Panthers secondary without top cornerback Jaycee Horn.

“They have multiple weapons on offense,” Panthers linebacker Shaq Thompson said.

BURNS READY TO ROLL

The Panthers waited most of last week to hear if star pass rusher Brian Burns would play amid a stalled contract renegotiation. The two-time Pro Bowl outside linebacker wound up playing against the Falcons and quickly proved why he's so valuable with 1 1/2 sacks, a forced fumble and another tackle for a loss on third down.

Burns, who will play against the Saints, said earlier this offseason he wants to have 10 sacks by the 10th game.

LOST EDGE

The Saints this week put defensive end Payton Turner, a 2021 first-round draft choice, on injured reserve because of a turf toe injury in Week 1 that will require surgery and could sideline him for two to three months.

The transaction could mean more playing time for last spring’s second-round draft choice, Isaiah Foskey from Notre Dame. He was a healthy scratch last week.

“An opportunity has opened up for him,” Allen said of Foskey, but added. “Obviously, we have a couple of options also on the practice squad.”

On Wednesday, defensive end Kyle Phillips was promoted to the active roster.

VALUABLE OPTION

Panthers kicker Eddy Pineiro has quietly put together an impressive streak of 20 straight made field goals.

His 94.3% field goal rate last year was the second highest both in the NFL and in team history for a single season, making him a valuable and reliable option for the Panthers.

The Saints are going with unproven Blake Grupe at kicker after trading veteran Wil Lutz to the Denver Broncos for a seventh-round draft pick. Grupe made all three field goals in Week 1, including a 52-yarder.

ON GUARD

The Panthers love to run the ball between the tackles, but they'll be without starting guards Austin Corbett and Brady Christensen, who are both on injured reserve.

Rookie Chandler Zavala and Cade Mays, who have started a combined three games in the NFL, are expected to start at the guard spots. Don't be surprised if the Saints run a number of stunts at the Panthers designed to confuse the young linemen.

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AP Sports Writer Brett Martel in New Orleans contributed to this report.

 

Browns-Steelers Preview

PITTSBURGH (AP) The Cleveland Browns have won in Week 1 before.

They've dominated opponents the way they dominated the Cincinnati Bengals last week before.

What they haven't done - at least not in the past 20 years during the regular season anyway - is beat the Pittsburgh Steelers on the road.

Coaches change. Quarterbacks change. Uniforms change. Cleveland's futility at Acrisure Stadium - save for that cathartic first-round playoff win in 2020 - does not.

The Browns (1-0) will walk onto the field looking to win in Pittsburgh (0-1) for the first time since 2003. And they'll do it under the lights of prime time with a chance to prove to a national audience their systematic beatdown of the Bengals in the opener was no fluke.

“It’s an awesome opportunity for us to be able to go out there and then show the world what we got, what we can be,” Deshaun Watson said.

Cleveland showed flashes of it while keeping Joe Burrow in check. Nick Chubb churned for 106 yards. Myles Garrett had a sack and debuted another in a seemingly endless supply of pass-rush moves - this one a p resnap crossover dribble with an invisible basketball - in the process.

Yet that was at home. In the rain. Against a rival whose star quarterback missed practically all of training camp with a calf injury.

That won't be the case in Pittsburgh, which is smarting after getting its “teeth kicked in” by San Francisco.

The Steelers trailed the 49ers by 20 points before getting a single first down in a game that saw star defensive tackle Cam Heyward and standout wide receiver Diontae Johnson go down with injuries that will have them sidelined for several weeks.

Pittsburgh will use a mix of players at both positions to fill in as it tries to avoid the franchise's first 0-2 start since 2019.

To do it the Steelers will need quarterback Kenny Pickett to look far sharper than he did against the 49ers, when he threw a pair of interceptions and never really got into a rhythm.

Asked what he needs to improve on and the second-year starter shrugged.

“Play better. I mean, it’s not a rocket science answer,” he said. “I can’t give you any magical answer there.”

The Steelers spent four quarters getting pushed around at times by the 49ers. They expect the Browns to try and do the same as it looks to end Pittsburgh's 20-game home winning streak on Monday night.

The Steelers' previous Monday night loss came on Oct. 14, 1991, against the New York Giants, or nearly four full years before Watson was born.

“We can’t focus on the past, and we have to try to break that tradition that they have going,” Watson said. “But it’s not going to be easy.”

HOLD THE LINE

The Steelers have spent the past couple of offseasons cultivating depth along the defensive line with Heyward approaching his mid-30s. That depth will be tested with Heyward out and the Browns almost certainly eying a chance to push Pittsburgh around the same way the 49ers did a week ago.

The new rotation will include rookie second-round pick Keeanu Benton and 2022 third-round pick DeMarvin Leal. Both lack Heyward's resume but have shown an ability to be disruptive in small spurts. Time to see how they handle taking on a significantly larger role.

“I think these guys now have an opportunity to prove themselves and to see if they can step up to the challenge,” Steelers defensive coordinator Teryl Austin said. “We like what we have, but until they get into games for an extended period of time, we won’t know.”

BIG CHALLENGE

Browns rookie tackle Dawand Jones is going from the proverbial football frying pan into the fire.

The fourth-round draft pick from Ohio State made an unexpected NFL debut last week, coming in to replace right tackle Jack Conklin, who suffered a season-ending knee injury in the first half.

The 6-foot-8, 375-pound Jones managed to hold his own against Cincinnati’s defensive front, but he’ll have a tougher task this week going against Steelers linebacker T.J. Watt, one of the NFL’s elite edge rushers and sack specialists.

Jones said he’s immersed himself in film of Watt and has been impressed by his relentlessness.

“He just does not quit,” Jones said. “He has a motor of just nonstop moves, and my major thing is if I get to limit him to some of them, using my length and my strength to my best ability, I can minimize whatever he has to throw at me.”

WHITE OUT

The Browns might not be unrecognizable Monday night.

With a nod to the franchise’s past, Cleveland will bench their traditional orange helmets in favor of white ones like the Browns wore in the 1950s.

They’ll also wear white jerseys and pants, perhaps a fashion faux pas after Labor Day but one the players are embracing.

“Super excited,” Watson said. “The unis are fresh, they’re pretty clean and it’s another excitement for us to go out there and perform.”

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AP Sports Writer Tom Withers in Cleveland contributed to this report.

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AP NFL: NFL Scores, News & Stats | Latest NFL News

 

Budda Baker on IR...

Jalen Waddle in Concussion Protocol...

 

New York Giants running back Saquon Barkley suffered an ankle sprain that will keep him out of Thursday night's road game versus San Francisco and perhaps even longer, NFL Network Insider Ian Rapoport reported Monday, per a source.

Rapoport adds that Barkley is considered week to week.

 

Steelers MacFarland (knee) will join WR Johnson on IR.

 

WEEK 2, Its In the Books.

 

STANDINGS AFTER WEEK 2

 

STANDINGS AFTER WEEK 2

 

T.J.Watt - Is now, Steelers All-Time Sack Leader...

 

DeShaun Watson actually shoved an official last night and got away with it, but I caught him... he owes me $15,000.

 

Check this out...

One way or another, it appears running back Cam Akers has played his final snaps with the Rams.

Head coach Sean McVay said on Sunday that Akers was inactive against the 49ers because it was best for the team and confirmed that the team was exploring a trade involving the running back. On Monday, McVay was asked if Akers would return to active duty with the team if a trade does not come together.

“That won’t be an opportunity,” McVay said, via a transcript from the team. “It’ll be an opportunity to make a move. . . . I feel good about the opportunity to move him, but we won’t go back and forth on it.”

Akers said on social media that he was confused about being inactive, but McVay said he thought the team had been “very clear” with Akers and his agent about the situation and that the team “felt good” about the dialogue they’ve had leading up to what appears to be the final days of their relationship.

NBC
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Moral of the story? Dont piss off Sean McVay, period.