Tag: season opener

George Pickens stepped up in a big way in regards to the Aiyuk ultimatum

The Steelers didn’t land Brandon Aiyuk but George Pickens played big against the Falcons.

Many would agree that the amount of time and effort that the Pittsburgh Steelers spent on the Brandon Aiyuk trade would create a disastrous scenario for the wide receiver room if the trade fell through. 

However, 30 minutes before the Steelers’ game on Sunday, sports reporter Jay Glazer reported that Brandon Aiyuk was given an ultimatum by San Fransico head coach Kyle Shanahan.  This ultimatum was given to him on the day he signed his extension.  He was told that he would need to decide between being traded to the Pittsburgh Steelers, or signing the 49ers final contract offer, and this needed to be chosen before the end of practice that day. 

While to some, this left a number-one-wide-receiver shaped hole on the roster, to George Pickens, it presented an opportunity to show his growth as a top receiver. 

George Pickens had an impressive week 1 debut, going head-to-head with an elite shutdown corner, A.J. Terrell, and still hauling in 6 catches for 85 yards in the Steelers regular-season opener against Atlanta.  George Pickens not only filled the void left by Aiyuk but will look to continue to build off of this strong start as the proven wide receiver for the Pittsburgh Steelers. 

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Chiefs, TE Noah Gray agree on contract extension ahead of season opener

The Kansas City #Chiefs signed TE Noah Gray to a three-year contract extension just before their Week 1 matchup against the Baltimore #Ravens.

According to a report from ESPN’s Adam Schefter, the Kansas City Chiefs and tight end Noah Gray agreed on a three-year, $18 million contract extension ahead of the team’s season opener on Thursday night.

The Chiefs selected Gray in the fifth round of the 2021 NFL draft out of Duke University, where he earned second-team All-ACC and second-team All-American honors. Now in his third year with Kansas City, the two-time Super Bowl champion is set to serve as a backup to All-Pro tight end Travis Kelce.

With this extension, the Chiefs are committing to Gray for the long term, and will continue to lean on him when Kelce is on the sideline.

https://twitter.com/AdamSchefter/status/1831787812502565302

Though Gray’s new deal didn’t break the bank for Kansas City’s front office, Brett Veach’s decision to lock him up for the next three years could prove to be important if injuries play a factor for the Chiefs at the tight end position.

Expect Andy Reid to utilize Gray against the Baltimore Ravens on Thursday night as Kansas City looks to defend its newly won AFC Championship.

Cameron Jordan on planning for a new-look Carolina Panthers

The amount of offseason turnover in Carolina can make it hard to plan for Week 1, so Cameron Jordan says the Saints are focused on themselves:

Bryce Young may still be at the helm, but the Carolina Panthers have new players in pivotal positions and new leadership at the top with head coach Dave Canales. That’s going to mean new challenges for the New Orleans Saints in Sunday’s regular season kickoff game.

We may see a much-improved quarterback. Not only does Young have a year of experience under his belt, he also has a new offensive mind leading the way. Canales alone has the ability to change Young’s fortune. It worked for Geno Smith and Baker Mayfield under Canales’ leadership.

The Panthers also added Robert Hunt and Damien Lewis up front. Defensive end Cameron Jordan alluded to these signings ahead of the New Orleans Saints showdown with the Panthers in Week 1. Jordan said the Panthers have “Darn near a whole new offensive line. For sure a new offensive coordinator. Everything’s sort of different.”

With the changes there’s only one focus, themselves. Jordan knows they have to game plan for a different version of Carolina but feels, “At the same time it’s about us. We’re going to have to play our calls, play our techniques. We have to focus on what we know we can be successful at.”

That’s often the case in Week 1 because of offseason changes to each team. That emphasis multiplies when the team brings in a new head coach.

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Broncos among candidates to play in NFL’s 2024 season opener

The Broncos are among eight candidates to face the Chiefs in the NFL’s 2024 season opener.

As the defending Super Bowl champions from the 2023 season, the Kansas City Chiefs are now set to host the NFL’s season opener in 2024.

The Chiefs’ list of eight home opponents in 2024 obviously includes the AFC West. That puts the Denver Broncos among the candidates to travel to Kansas City in Week 1.

The Broncos just snapped a 16-game losing streak to the Chiefs last season, defeating their division rival 24-9 in late October. But the NFL will probably view other opponents on KC’s schedule as more intriguing candidates for the opener.

In addition to the Justin Herbert-led Los Angeles Chargers, the Chiefs will also host teams including the Baltimore Ravens (and 2023 NFL MVP Lamar Jackson), the Houston Texans (and young star C.J. Stroud), and the Cincinnati Bengals (and Joe Burrow) in 2024. Burrow is 3-1 against Kansas City in his career, including a 1-1 record in the playoffs.

Russell Wilson is facing an uncertain future in Denver and the Broncos are unlikely to have a QB matchup more intriguing than Jackson, Burrow or Stroud to face off against Mahomes in Week 1. Denver is a candidate for the opener, but probably not a favorite. Here’s the full list of teams the Chiefs are set to host during the 2024 NFL season.

3 observations from Chiefs’ loss to Lions in Week 1

Our @LazarczykLogan breaks down his top three observations from the #Chiefs’ loss to the #Lions on Thursday.

The Kansas City Chiefs suffered their first loss of the NFL’s 2023 season against the Detroit Lions on Thursday night. The absence of Travis Kelce and Chris Jones played a part in the Chiefs’ defeat, to be sure, but victory was within their grasp late in the fourth quarter and slipped through Kansas City’s hands in brutal fashion. 

While the team came up short against the Lions, the season is far from over. One loss hardly dooms the Chiefs to irrelevance in 2023, and even though the outcome of the game was disappointing, there remains plenty of time for Kansas City to get back on track to win its second-straight Super Bowl in February.

Good teams lose tough games, and with two of their best players out, the Chiefs were able to hang tough against the upstart Lions to lose by just one point at the end of the matchup.

Check out our top observations from the Week 1 loss:

Can Patrick Mahomes’ Week 1 excellence overcome absence of Chris Jones, Travis Kelce?

With Jones out and Kelce’s status unknown, will Mahomes’ excellence in season openers be enough to earn the #Chiefs a win against the #Lions?

Patrick Mahomes is the NFL’s best quarterback and the things he is able to do for the Kansas City Chiefs when he steps on the field border on the otherworldly.

His dominance in season openers is well-documented, but as he enters his sixth season as Kansas City’s starter, Mahomes faces an adversity he hasn’t yet dealt with to start a campaign; a lack of stars on both sides of the ball.

Defensive lineman Chris Jones is still holding out as he negotiates a new contract with Kansas City, and tight end Travis Kelce suffered an injury in practice on Tuesday. Mahomes’ excellent track record in Week 1 games was featured by Pro Football Focus on Twitter after the news of Kelce’s ailment broke, and it begs the question: Can the reigning MVP overcome without his All-Pro teammates?

Fans have often joked about how much help Mahomes needs to continue winning games at the torrid pace he has established since taking over under center for the Chiefs in 2018, and Thursday’s matchup against the Detroit Lions is sure to be a real test of his mettle.

But, if Mahomes has proven anything, it is that he is adaptable. For this writer’s money, the Super Bowl LVII champions don’t have much to fear unless Mahomes’ time on the field is compromised by injury or ejection.

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How the Chiefs should gameplan for Week 1 vs. Lions

How can the Kansas City #Chiefs come away with a Week 1 victory over the Detroit #Lions?

The regular season is finally here.

As we have in past seasons, we will take an in-depth look at the Kansas City Chiefs’ opponents and discuss what it will take for them to come out on top. Every team provides a unique challenge and will require a different game plan.

First up are the Detroit Lions. Check out our offseason report about the Lions, where you’ll find information about their offseason moves and key players.

Chiefs TE Travis Kelce’s status is in doubt for Thursday vs. Lions

Chiefs TE Travis Kelce’s status is in doubt for Thursday vs. Lions | @LazarczykLogan

Travis Kelce suffered a hyper-extended knee in practice, leaving his status for Thursday up in the air. Several correspondents have provided updates since the incident took place early Tuesday afternoon.

The Athletic’s Nate Taylor posted the background details surrounding the injury after speaking with Chiefs tight end Blake Bell.

“Blake Bell indicated that Travis Kelce’s injury occurred during a red zone period,” said Taylor in a post. “A usual part to the week’s final practice.”

NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport posted an update on Kelce and the team’s expectations moving forward.

“Chiefs star tight end Travis Kelce’s status is in doubt for Thursday night’s opener vs. the Lions because of his knee injury, but sources tell me and Tom Pelissero it’s not believed to be a long-term injury,” Rapoport reported. “They’ll wait for the swelling to go down and go from there.”

ESPN’s Adam Schefter followed up with early test results from Chiefs team doctors.

“After tests today, the Chiefs believe Travis Kelce’s ACL is intact, per source.” said Schefter in a post. “There is inflammation in his knee, and they will test it again Wednesday to determine his availability for Thursday night vs. the Lions.”

The news initially appears that Kelce is trending towards missing time, significantly diminishing the Chiefs’ chances of success. The positive outlook is that Kelce’s absence will not be prolonged, and he could return earlier than expected.

Alabama dominates Middle Tennessee State 56-7 in season opener

Crimson Tide race out to a 1-0 start after thrashing MTSU

Alabama’s highly anticipated season opener could not have gone any better as the Crimson Tide thrashed Middle Tennessee State 56-7 in Bryant-Denny Stadium Saturday evening. Now, all focus will be directed to Texas as the Longhorns come to town next weekend in what will be a top-10 matchup as well as the host of College GameDay.

The Tide’s new coordinators, Kevin Steele and Tommy Rees, both performed very strongly and seem to be a vast improvement from the coordinators Alabama had in 2022. The biggest takeaway of the evening is that Jalen Milroe is the guy. Whatever quarterback controversy there was heading into the evening, No. 4 slammed the door shut on it as he totaled 242 yards and five scores. The skill positions surrounding Milroe also showed a giant leap forward from what we saw a season ago.

The defense looked great for the most part as well as they only gave up one score on the evening. Grad transfer Jaylen Key got into the action early on as he forced the first turnover of the 2023 season before leaving the game with an injury. The status of Malachi Moore and Jaylen Key will be the big question marks heading into next week.

Contact/Follow us @RollTideWire on Twitter, and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Alabama news, notes and opinion. You can also follow Sam Murphy on Twitter @SamMurphy02.

Ranking Chiefs’ potential opponents for NFL season opener

Our @Nicolas_Roesch ranks the best potential opponents for the #Chiefs’ season opener.

The 2023 NFL schedule will be released on Thursday, May 11.

As the reigning Super Bowl champions, the Kansas City Chiefs will host the Thursday night season opener on September 7. With nine possible opponents to choose from, the league is tasked with picking the most intriguing matchup.

Let’s rank the best potential matchups for that opening game: