Tag: Week 1

PFF: Patrick Mahomes received third-highest grade among QBs in Week 1

Patrick Mahomes earned the third-best PFF grade among all starting quarterbacks in Week 1 after his dominant performance against the #Ravens.

The Kansas City Chiefs are heading into their Week 2 matchup against the Cincinnati Bengals with a full head of steam after defeating the Baltimore Ravens last Thursday.

The Chiefs were without wide receiver Marquise ‘Hollywood’ Brown, against Baltimore, but Mahomes was able to utilize rookie wideout Xavier Worthy and veteran pass catcher Rashee Rice to throw for almost 300 yards.

On Tuesday, Pro Football Focus released their Week 1 grades for quarterbacks, and the reigning Super Bowl MVP clocked in with a mark of 87.9.

San Francisco 49ers quarterback Brock Purdy and Minnesota Vikings quarterback Sam Darnold narrowly beat Mahomes by less than two points each.

As the Chiefs prepare for their next matchup against the Cincinnati Bengals on Sunday afternoon, Brown’s status is still unknown.

Nonetheless, Mahomes will almost certainly have a plan to exploit Cincinnati’s defense, which ranked 31st in yardage allowed in the 2023 regular season, with the talent available to him.

Leonard Williams loves being a Seahawk

Leonard Williams loves being a Seahawk

The Seattle Seahawks have quietly constructed a dominant defensive line. After years of the men up front being pushed around by opponents, Seattle finally pushed back. In Week 1 against the Broncos, all of Denver’s running backs were held to only 64 yards as a team.

This is in part due to the excellent play from rookie Byron Murphy II and veteran Leonard Williams. Seattle acquired Williams last year from the New York Giants, and kept him by extending him to a three-year deal worth $64.5 million dollar contract. The Seahawks were clearly happy with the kind of player they brought in, and it seems the feeling is mutual.

Prior to Seattle’s victory over the Broncos – a game where the defense ending up shining brightest – Williams was being asked pregame by CBS’ sideline reporter Aditi Kinkhabwala about the “magic” of playing in Lumen Field as a defensive player. Williams’ answer will surely bring a smile to the faces of 12’s everywhere.

“Honestly this is the most beautiful place — the most special place to play in the world, in my opinion.” Williams proudly proclaimed. “I got here in the middle of the season last year, and my very first home game I was like ‘wow, this is what football’s about, right here!’ It’s only pregame right now and it’s already loud in here. On the defense sometimes you gotta really be sure of what you’re communicating because you can barely hear the man right next to you. I love it here!” 

Kinkhabwala concluded her segment with Williams by mentioning the noise of Lumen Field once more, but in relation to what rookie quarterback Bo Nix will face. Williams responded with “that’s why it’s called the 12th Man, we’re gonna get in his head with the crowd.” 

The 12th Man certainly brought it, as well as the defense. Nix struggled all game long, throwing for only 138 yards on 42 attempts with no touchdown passes and two interceptions. Meanwhile, the Seahawks’ correct decision to re-sign Williams is already paying off. Williams recorded four quarterback hits in the game to help make life miserable for Nix.

More Seahawks Wire stories

Seahawks created $9.5m in cap space by restructuring DK Metcalf’s contract

Seahawks engineer 2nd half comeback, defeat Broncos 26-20 in Week 1

Around the NFL: Russell Wilson likely to miss 2nd-straight game

Mike Macdonald offers honest evaluation of OL play in Week 1

Steelers give update on Russell Wilson’s status ahead of Broncos game

Russell Wilson (calf) is sidelined, so the Steelers are preparing as if Justin Fields will start against the Broncos, Mike Tomlin said.

Russell Wilson (calf) might not get his revenge game against the Denver Broncos on Sunday.

Pittsburgh Steelers coach Mike Tomlin said that as of Tuesday, he is preparing as if Justin Fields will start in Week 2.

“I just visited with [Russell Wilson],” Tomlin told media members Tuesday, via NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero. “He feels better today than he did over the weekend. What that means, I don’t know as we sit here today. I know that we’re going to take the same approach that we take with a lot of people in terms of injury. We’ll first start with his participation and his level of participation, his quality of participation. Over the course of the week, we’ll be analyzing whether he’s capable of protecting himself, whether he’s capable of being productive.

“When we get to those points, that’s what we’ll ponder his inclusion or not, and when that happens will probably be a component of that equation. But as I sit here today, we’re preparing as if Justin [Fields] is going to be our quarterback. I think that’s the appropriate way to do it. Speculation is a waste of time. Russell’s hurt. He’s not available to us. So, as you guys know as a general practice, I focus my energy on those that are available and their readiness.”

Tomlin later said Wilson’s status will monitored “day to day,” and the coach did not rule out the possibility of Wilson participating later this week.

Wilson played for the Broncos from 2022-2023, posting an 11-19 win-loss record over two seasons. He was released by Denver this spring and quickly signed with the Steelers. Fields filled in for an injured Wilson in Week 1 and Pittsburgh defeated the Atlanta Falcons 18-10.

As things stand now, it’s looking like Fields could be in line to start again on Sunday. We’ll track Wilson’s status in the coming days on Broncos Wire.

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Yes, Bo Nix needs to improve, but he’s not alone

“We’ll get that cleaned up,” Broncos coach Sean Payton said of Bo Nix’s errors, “[but] we need to be better around him, and we will be.”

Denver Broncos rookie quarterback Bo Nix struggled in his NFL debut — the numbers and eye test attest to that fact.

Nix’s lowlights included poor footwork, inaccurate passes and bad decisions. After Sunday’s 26-20 loss to the Seattle Seahawks, Broncos coach Sean Payton pointed out that Nix needed more support from his teammates in Week 1.

Speaking to media members during a conference call on Monday, Payton acknowledged Nix’s room for improvement while also reiterating Sunday’s message.

“I just watched the play where he climbs the pocket,” Payton said. “There were some bloody looks and he’s off schedule, thrown off the wrong foot, but I would say doing what he has to on that play. In other words, there’s a dagger opened up, but we’re not good in protection. Certainly, when we watched this game tape and evaluate the cue, there’s a number of things that we’ll get cleaned up and corrected, but man, I said it yesterday [and] I’ll say it again. One of the key things that was important in this game is winning the run game battle, and we weren’t able to do that. We struggled and in that inefficiency on first and second down, it was one of our keys to victory and we were anything but.”

Payton noted that there are areas of Nix’s game that need to be “cleaned up,” but his overall point remains that other teammates need to step up.

“I didn’t see — certainly like I saw a three step and a hitch instead of a five and a hitch on a certain play,” Payton said. “We’ll get that cleaned up, but overall, when he’s climbing a pocket, or he’s on the move extending a play, there are times where the ball’s going to get away from you. My bigger concern today, No. 1, the first half provided that game early was there a little bit for the taking.

“We didn’t take advantage of the field position, the interception by Alex [Singleton]. We’re sitting there in a perfect position to really go up and we don’t take advantage of the field position there. Our red-zone offense wasn’t nearly as good as it needed to be, and we did have some drops early on. I think when I watch this tape offensively, we need to be better around him, and we will be.”

Nix and his teammates will get their first opportunity to bounce back when the Broncos host the Pittsburgh Steelers in Week 2.

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Broncos ranked 28th in USA TODAY’s NFL power rankings

The Broncos are ranked as the league’s fifth-worst team in USA TODAY’s NFL power rankings after Week 1.

Following a 26-20 road loss to the Seattle Seahawks in Week 1, the Denver Broncos are ranked 28th in Nate Davis’ first round of 2024 NFL power rankings for USA TODAY Sports. That makes the Broncos the fifth-worst team in the league, at least in Davis’ estimation.

Here is Davis’ commentary on Denver after one week of action:

If you thought QB Bo Nix’s age (24) was going to prevent him playing like a rookie in his debut … welp.

Nix went 26-of-42 for 138 yards with two interceptions in his NFL debut. He also rushed for 35 yards and a touchdown.

Elsewhere in the AFC West, the Kansas City Chiefs are ranked No. 1, the Los Angeles Chargers are ranked No. 18 and the Las Vegas Raiders are ranked No. 30. The Pittsburgh Steelers, who the Broncos will host in Week 2, are ranked No. 17 after their 18-10 win over the Atlanta Falcons (No 19).

The New York Giants are ranked No. 32 (last). To view the complete NFL power rankings, visit USATODAY.com.

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Broncos’ defense needs to close out games

After building a 13-9 halftime lead, the Broncos’ defense allowed 17 points in the second half of Sunday’s game. “We’ve just got to finish.”

The Denver Broncos‘ defense got off to a flying start against the Seattle Seahawks on Sunday.

On the first snap of the game, Broncos pass rusher Jonathon Cooper sacked Seahawks quarterback Geno Smith. On the next play, linebacker Alex Singleton grabbed an interception. Later in the first half, Denver’s defense forced a pair of safeties.

That takeaway and the two safeties helped the Broncos build a 13-9 halftime lead, but Denver squandered that lead in the second half, eventually losing 26-20. After two sacks, a takeaway and two safeties in the first half, the defense allowed 17 points in the second half.

So what happened? The offense struggled to stay on the field in the third quarter — did the defense get tired from being on the field too long?

“Yeah, I don’t know,” coach Sean Payton said after the loss. “That’s a good question. It’s a fair question. The time of possession, certainly we would have liked to have had a drive to start the second half. We were three-and-out and then I think we gave up a touchdown on that next drive, so the momentum shifted there early in the third quarter, and, yeah, we struggled at that point. Took a while to get it back.”

That third quarter proved to be costly as Denver was outscored 10-0 in a game decided by six points.

“[There’s] a lot to learn from,” Broncos linebacker Alex Singleton said. “Stuff that we preached in the offseason was there. Defensively, obviously, we want that third quarter back. I think it wasn’t how we wanted to play. We started fast, we finished. They went into four-minute mode early, but we did what we can to get the offense the ball back and give them opportunities to score like they did. Just building off that, I think. We just need to know that it’s week one and keep getting better.”

Denver cornerback Pat Surtain did not pin the second-half slump on being on the field for an extended period.

“Not necessarily,” Surtain said. “When we go out there, we expect to do our job no matter what the situation is. We’ve got to hold ourselves accountable at the end of the day. I mean, no one else is out there playing for us. But we’ve got to execute the calls and execute the scheme and play to the best of our ability. We’ve just got to finish off all four quarters of the game, all four phases. That’s the main thing.”

Next week, the Broncos will face a Pittsburgh Steelers offense that scored 18 points with Justin Fields in Week 1 (it’s unclear if Fields or Russell Wilson will play in Denver). Surtain is confident the unit will bounce back.

“[W]e’ve got a long season ahead,” Surtain said. “We [will] learn from this one game and just move forward.”

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Broncos teammates praise Bo Nix for never-quit mentality in Week 1

“I love a quarterback who continues to fight,” Broncos WR Josh Reynolds said of QB Bo Nix.

Denver Broncos quarterback Bo Nix will face deserved criticism for his poor performance against the Seattle Seahawks on Sunday, but nobody can question the rookie’s mentality.

“I love a quarterback who continues to fight,” wide receiver Josh Reynolds said after a 26-20 loss. “Our team continued to fight. We just have to clean up stuff and continue to execute plays.”

The numbers (26-of-42 passing for 138 yards and two interceptions) and eye test both attest that Nix struggled in his NFL debut, but the quarterback never quit. After Nix rushed for a touchdown late in the game, the Broncos drew within one score and had a chance to get the ball back.

“Even though he threw two picks, he came back and still gave us a chance to win the game at the end,” running back Javonte Williams said. “That’s good for him being a rookie showing that composure.”

Nix kept fighting, and his teammates took notice.

“The resiliency,” receiver Devaughn Vele said when asked what can be taken away from Nix’s first NFL start. “It showcases every time he steps on the field, I give a lot of credit to him. It’s big shoes for him to fill, but I feel like he’s learning, he’s getting better every single time, and we’re going to continue to trust him every single week.”

Nix, as usual, focused on the positives after the loss.

“Overall, I think, as poorly as we did, I think we gave ourselves a chance to win there at the end,” the rookie said. “Our special teams and defense played incredible. They really kept us in the game and gave us hope. They battled. I think, overall, you like the compete of our team. You like the look of we never quit. We battled.

“It could have got out of hand, but it didn’t. We were a possession away from having a chance essentially. Obviously not the original results you want, but I feel like we’re going to have a confident group and bounce back from it and continue to compete.”

Nix and Co. will now have an opportunity to bounce back when they host the Pittsburgh Steelers in Week 2.

“I have no doubts [Nix will bounce back],” Reynolds said. “I know what kind of character he’s got and what kind of guy he is. We’re going to come out next week and be firing on all cylinders.”

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Commanders snap counts: Playing time breakdown in Week 1 vs. Buccaneers

Which players played every snap for the Commanders? Here are the Week 2 snap counts.

The Dan Quinn era got off to a rough start on Sunday, with the Washington Commanders falling to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers 37-20.

Rookie quarterback Jayden Daniels had a solid debut, completing 17 of 24 passes for 184 yards, but he made his most significant impact as a runner. Daniels carried the football 16 times for 88 yards and rushed for two touchdowns.

Daniels wasn’t the only Washington rookie to see time in Sunday’s game. Left tackle Brandon Coleman and cornerback Mike Sainristil were among the team’s other rookies to see action in Week 1.

Here’s a breakdown of playing time, courtesy of the Commanders’ Week 1 snap counts:

Offense

Left guard Nick Allegretti, center Tyler Biadasz, right guard Sam Cosmi and right tackle Andrew Wylie joined Daniels as the offensive players who played every offensive snap.

Coleman split time at left tackle with veteran Cornelis Lucas, receiving 24% of the offensive snaps, while Lucas handled the remaining 76%.

No surprise, Terry McLaurin led the receivers, playing 81% of the snaps. Luke McCaffrey (61%) was next, followed by Dyami Brown (56%) and Olamide Zaccheaus (44%).

Zach Ertz led the tight ends, playing 42 of the 59 offensive snaps, with John Bates (47%) and rookie Ben Sinnott (22%) also seeing time.

Running backs Brian Robinson Jr. and Austin Ekeler were impressive on Sunday. Robinson paced the backs with 33 snaps, but Ekeler was right behind him with 31.

Defense

Linebacker Bobby Wagner and cornerback Benjamin St-Juste were the only two defensive players who participated on every snap. Sainristil played all but three defensive snaps in his NFL debut.

The Commanders rotated heavily on the defensive line. At tackle, Jonathan Allen (64%) led the way, followed by Daron Payne (62%). Phidarian Mathis and Sheldon Day each played 23 snaps.

Linebacker Frankie Luvu and free safety Quan Martin each participated in 92% of the defensive snaps.

At edge rusher, starters Dorance Armstrong (58%) and Clelin Ferrell (55%) played the most. But Dante Fowler Jr. (33%), rookie Javontae Jean-Baptiste (31%) and Jamin Davis (20%), in his first game at edge rusher, also saw playing time. Davis made the most of his time, beating All-Pro left tackle Tristan Wirfs on a play that stopped Tampa Bay for a six-yard loss.

Veteran Michael Davis was considered Washington’s third cornerback but did not play one defensive snap. He did participate in 12 snaps on special teams. Starter Emmanuel Forbes dealt with an injury and struggled. He played 35 snaps and was relieved by Noah Igbinoghene (44%) on the outside.

Safety Percy Butler also saw action on defense, playing 25 snaps.

Undrafted rookies Colson Yankoff and Tyler Owens each played 16 snaps on special teams.

Browns sign controversial ex-Chiefs WR after embarrassing Week 1 loss to Cowboys

The Cleveland #Browns signed former Kansas City #Chiefs WR Kadarius Toney after their brutal loss to the Dallas #Cowboys in Week 1.

The Cleveland Browns signed former Kansas City Chiefs wide receiver Kadarius Toney on Monday after their embarrassing 33-17 loss to the Dallas Cowboys in Week 1.

Toney, a fourth-year player who was a member of Kansas City’s last two Super Bowl rosters, is a dynamic but wildly inconsistent talent who will be a boom-or-bust acquisition for the lowly Browns.

Known for his inexplicable struggles with drops last season, Toney is set to get a fresh start on Cleveland’s practice squad, where he will fight for a chance to be elevated to the Browns’ active roster.

Cleveland’s offense was in total disarray against Dallas, and Toney’s signing with the Browns is interesting, given his erratic performance with the Chiefs.

During his five starts over two regular seasons in Kansas City, Toney made 41 catches for 340 yards and scored three touchdowns.

News of his acquisition by the Browns was far from the most concerning storyline coming out of Cleveland on Monday, and for now, it seems like the team is in an absolute free-fall.

Monday Night Football schedule: Is there a ‘ManningCast’ tonight?

Peyton and Eli Manning return tonight for the 2024 debut of the ‘ManningCast.’ They will be joined by Bill Belichick.

Peyton and Eli Manning have returned for a fourth season of the ManningCast with the two former quarterbacks set to provide commentary for 11 weeks of Monday Night Football games this fall.

The brothers released a funny 10-minute musical to promote the upcoming ManningCast season last week. The 2024 slate will kick off tonight with Peyton and Eli providing commentary on the New York Jets vs. San Francisco 49ers game.

Peyton and Eli will welcome new guests on the program each week, and Bill Belichick will be featured on each ManningCast this fall.

In addition to 10 weeks of regular-season action, Peyton and Eli will also provide commentary for a Wild Card game in January.

Check out the full schedule below.

ManningCast 2024 Schedule

NFL Week Date Game TV
1 Sept. 9 Jets @ 49ers ESPN2, ESPN+
2 Sept. 16 Falcons @ Eagles ESPN2
5 Oct. 7 Saints @ Chiefs ESPN2
6 Oct. 14 Bills @ Jets ESPN2
7 Oct. 21 Ravens @ Bucs ESPN2, ESPN+
7 Oct. 21 Chargers @ Cards ESPN+
8 Oct. 28 Giants @ Steelers ESPN2, ESPN+
9 Nov. 4 Bucs @ Chiefs ESPN2
11 Nov. 18 Texans @ Cowboys ESPN2
12 Nov. 25 Ravens @ Chargers ESPN2
14 Dec. 9 Bengals @ Cowboys ESPN2, ESPN+
Wild Card Jan. 13 TBD ESPN2, ESPN+

The ManningCast is televised on ESPN2. The primary MNF broadcast will continue to feature Joe Buck, Troy Aikman and Lisa Salters on ESPN.

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