Tag: NFL Week 3

C.J. Gardner-Johnson on beating Saints: ‘No contenders, they’re pretenders’

C.J. Gardner-Johnson relished beating his old Saints team. He was heard in the postgame locker room shouting, ‘They ain’t no contenders, they’re pretenders’

The New Orleans Saints’ loss to the Philadelphia Eagles was a tough one to swallow, and even more so after the late-game extracurriculars occurring between the teams after Derek Carr threw an interception in the final minute. That gave C.J. Gardner-Johnson cause for celebration after he gave up a lead-changing touchdown minutes earlier.

To rub more salt in the wound, NFL Network reporter Bridget Condon tweeted after the final whistle that Gardner-Johnson, the former Saint, was heard shouting in the locker room: “They ain’t no contenders, they’re pretenders. They have Derek Carr, remember that.”

Carr certainly had a hand in the Saints loss, there’s no doubt about that, and he has most certainly not been perfect since signing with the Saints. After the first two weeks it felt like he turned things around, and the pressure coming at him due to the loss of Erik McCoy early into the game did not help, but Carr did not look great regardless. Having a former Saints draft pick in the opposing locker room celebrating that after a tough loss does not feel great for anyone involved, presumably.

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Top storylines, players to watch for Commanders vs. Bengals in Week 3

Top players and stories to know before the Bengals host the Commanders in Week 3.

The Cincinnati Bengals face what could easily be classified as a must-win game against the Washington Commanders on Monday night.

There under the bright lights of primetime, the Bengals must avoid an 0-3 start to the season. Luckily for Joe Burrow and Co., they looked like a new team during the class loss in Kansas City last week.

Here’s a quick look at some key storylines and players of note.

 

The Tee Higgins impact

Higgins is finally back and one didn’t have to look far to see Ja’Marr Chase being all smiles about it. As he said, there will be fewer double teams coming his way now. So while Higgins might put up big numbers as he plays on the franchise tag, it’s even more reasonable to expect a big game from Chase against a sluggish Washington secondary.

 

Defensive middle

No Sheldon Rankins. Rookie Kris Jenkins Jr. will play with a club on his hand. Possibly no B.J. Hill. A 34-year-old Lawrence Guy signed off the street will get playing time. Ends will be asked to kick inside to help. And a Commanders team that loves to run the ball and would love to take pressure off rookie passer Jayden Daniels. If the middle of the line can’t hold up, Burrow and the offense might not see many chances to put points on the board.

 

The RB rotation

Coaches said this week that any split that seems lopsided in the backfield is unintentional. But the fact Zack Moss has 21 carries to Chase Brown’s seven and outsnaps him by quite a bit seems too notable to ignore. Perhaps it was just a result of the matchups with the two opponents so far, sure. But it will be interesting to see if Brown gets more looks, considering he’s averaged six yards per carry to Moss’ 3.7.

 

Erick All Jr.

The hype for the rookie tight end is already growing. He established some looks in the base offense during the preseason and has caught all four of his targets so far. Does he start to eat into the snaps given to the likes of Mike Gesicki while being a reliable safety valve?

 

Jermaine Burton

Speaking of hype for rookies, the conversation around Burton has completely flipped. He went from facing a possible redshirt season to making a huge play against the Chiefs and getting key praise from Burrow himself. Will he see the field at all now that Higgins is back and Andrei Iosivas has started to make his breakout?

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Bengals surge over Commanders in NFL Week 3 picks

Experts see the Bengals going over the Commanders in a big way on MNF.

The Cincinnati Bengals are big favorites to beat the Washington Commanders on “Monday Night Football”  in Week 3.

In fact, one has to look pretty hard to find a pick that says otherwise.

Over at USA Today, all six of the experts polled take the Bengals over the Commanders and only one of the score projections is within six points.

Similar story over at NFL.com, where all five of the experts polled take the Bengals — and the smallest margin of victory is by seven points.

Many picks follow the same theme. The Bengals are notorious slow-starters who kicked it into gear last week against Kansas City. Commanders rookie quarterback Jayden Daniels is the best of the rookie passers right now, but it’s not saying all that much. Home-field advantage on primetime is a big deal, too. And there’s the return of Tee Higgins, which means Ja’Marr Chase should have an easier time shaking loose against one of the league’s most suspect secondaries.

None of that guarantees a Bengals win, of course. But it’s not hard to see why the experts don’t have them as the upset special of the week, either.

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Lions inactives for Week 3 vs Cardinals: Anzalone out, 3 healthy scratches

Lions inactives for Week 3 vs Cardinals: Anzalone out, 3 healthy scratches including James Houston

The Detroit Lions have released their list of inactive players for the Week 3 matchup with the Arizona Cardinals.

Two players were already ruled out on the final injury report. Cornerback Ennis Rakestraw and safety Ifeatu Melifonwu are both out due to injuries, with Rakestraw’s coming in pregame warmups in Week 2.

Linebacker Alex Anzalone was questionable with a concussion, and No. 34 will sit this one out, too. Rookie wide receiver Isaiah Williams was also questionable with an abdominal injury that kept him limited in practices, and he also will not play.

That leaves three healthy scratches for Detroit in Arizona:

OL Colby Sorsdal

EDGE James Houston

OL Giovanni Manu

 

 

WATCH: Tyrann Mathieu gets career interception No. 35 in the end zone

Watch Tyrann Mathieu snag the 35th interception of his career — in the end zone. He’s now tied for second-most among active players:

The New Orleans Saints defense is off to a hot start so far, with Alontae Taylor getting his fourth sack of the season, and then Tyrann Mathieu getting the 35th interception of his career to save the Saints from at least a three-point play. He correctly read Jalen Hurts’ eyes and intercepted the Philadelphia Eagles quarterback in the end zone.

Mathieu is now tied for second among active players in career interceptions, tied with Harrison Smith at 35 and behind Patrick Peterson at 36 (pending an interception from either of the others or another one from Mathieu in Week 3). He has been exceptional for the Saints in his time here, and is a much playmaker addition to the safety group.

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WATCH: Alontae Taylor grabs his fourth sack of the season

Alontae Taylor grabbed his fourth sack of the season in Week 3. He’s almost halfway there to setting an NFL record:

Update: This story was updated to add new information. The NFL split this  sack between Alontae Taylor and Carl Granderson, so Taylor is at 3.5 sacks this season.

The New Orleans Saints pressure has been strong through the first few weeks of the season, especially so from defensive back Alontae Taylor, who snagged his fourth sack of the 2024 season already. He is already well on his way to the single-season sacks record for a defensive back, which is held by Jamal Adams, with 9.5 sacks back in 2020.

Taylor has gotten almost completely free on his blitzes, too, with no one covering him in multiple instances. If he can continue this pace, it could be an outstanding season for the young cornerback, and for the pass-rush unit as well. We’ve seen Dennis Allen blitz his nickel corners and safeties before but Taylor is quickly catching up on guys like Roman Harper.

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Saints featured Michael Jackson songs in pregame warmups after Derek Carr fine

The Saints catered their Week 3 pregame playlist to feature multiple Michael Jackson songs after Derek Carr was fined for last week’s TD celebration:

Shoutout to the New Orleans Saints’ gameday operations crew.  After Derek Carr was fined last week for a celebration paying tribute to the late “King of Pop” Michael Jackson (which the NFL promoted for millions of views), the Saints featured multiple Jackson songs during pregame warmups before kickoff with the Philadelphia Eagles.

These included “Don’t Stop ‘Til You Get Enough” and “Billie Jean,” which led to the amusement of many fans and media members alike. There was some alleged moonwalking from Philly reporters in the press box.

Carr ended up having to pay $14,069 for last week’s celebration, but maybe he will keep it going if he feels like having some fun and getting the fans hyped up each  week. Either way it was a fun gesture by the Saints.

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WATCH: Demario Davis delivers his Week 3 pregame speech

Demario Davis pumped up his teammates with a pregame speech before their Week 3 kickoff with the Philadelphia Eagles:

Demario Davis is back again with his charismatic pregame speech for Week 3’s game against the Philadelphia Eagles. The New Orleans Saints captain pumped up his teammates with words of encouragement before kickoff on Sunday.

His message for the team on Sunday: “Taking the high ground.”

Fittingly so, the team is in a position to claim their spot amongst the NFL’s elite. With a win  today against Philly, they would most certainly be placed in that category. Marching to 3-0 on the season while beating two of the leagues best in back-to-back weeks would solidify their spot at the top.

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Saints rookies Dallin Holker, Jaylan Ford make their season debut vs. Eagles

New Orleans Saints rookies Dallin Holker and Jaylan Ford are set to make their NFL debut on Sunday against the Philadelphia Eagles:

The New Orleans Saints have announced their Week 3 inactive list, and for the first time this season it will not include two of their rookies, who will both make their debut against the Philadelphia Eagles. Undrafted free agent Dallin Holker (a tight end from Colorado State) and fifth-round draft pick Jaylan Ford (a linebacker from Texas) have both been activated, and will hopefully get some decent playing time.

Ford had missed most of the summer recovering from a knee injury he sustained in late 2023, before playing in Week 1 of the preseason. He then dealt with a hamstring injury which held him out of the remaining preseason  games as well as the first two weeks of the regular season. He will now make his debut alongside a strong linebackers unit with Demario Davis, Pete Werner, Willie Gay Jr., Anfernee Orji, and Isaiah Stalbird also on the game-day roster. Watch out for Ford on special teams.

Holker has had a little different experience, as he was a healthy scratch for the past few weeks due to the logjam at tight end. Taysom Hill, Foster Moreau, and Juwan Johnson were all ahead of him. However, the chest injury to Hill will hold him out for the Week 3 contest, and this has provided Holker with an opening on the active roster to try and make an impact. Look for him to draw some targets and work to climb the depth chart.

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Buccaneers announce inactives ahead of Week 3 vs Broncos

No surprises but does show cause for concern on the defensive line in what could be considered a trap game for the Buccaneers.

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers announce inactives ahead of their Week 3 matchup against the Denver Broncos. It doesn’t feature any surprises but does show cause for concern on the defensive line in what could be considered an early-season trap game for the Buccaneers.

  • TE Devin Culp
  • T Luke Goedeke
  • WR Kameron Johnson
  • DT Calijah Kancey
  • OLB Jose Ramirez
  • DT Vita Vea
  • S Antonie Winfield Jr

Luke Goedeke will miss another game in concussion protocol, which puts Justin Skule back in the starting role, looking to recover from a rough outing, allowing 4.5 sacks to Aidan Hutchinson last Sunday. The good news is that while the Broncos blitz at the highest rate in the NFL on passing plays, Baker Mayfield is the 2nd best quarterback in the league against the blitz. Also, Skule will not have to block anyone near the same level as Hutchinson.

Clijah Kancey is a big miss after going down with a calf injury and missing practice all week, especially with Vea not suiting up and William Gholston missing practice on Wednesday with a knee and logging two limited practice designations on Thursday and Friday.