Commanders QB Jayden Daniels named NFC Offensive Player of the Week

Jayden Daniels wins another big award after his historic performance on Monday night.

Washington Commanders quarterback Jayden Daniels continues to bring home the hardware. Daniels was named the Pepsi Zero Sugar Rookie of the Week for his performance in a Week 1 loss to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

On Wednesday, the rookie quarterback was named the NFC Offensive Player of the Week for his historic performance in the Commanders’ 38-33 win over the Cincinnati Bengals on Monday Night Football.

Daniels completed 21 of 23 passes for 254 yards with two touchdowns and also rushed for 39 yards and a touchdown. With him under center, the Commanders have scored on every offensive possession in the last two games, excluding kneel-downs. Washington hasn’t punted since Week 1.

https://twitter.com/Commanders/status/1838971784051249233

Daniels has rewritten the history books over three weeks. In the Monday night win in Cincinnati, Daniels’ completion percentage (91.3%) set a record for the highest completion percentage by a rookie (minimum 20 attempts) in a game in NFL history.

Through three NFL games, Daniels has completed 61 of 76 passing attempts (80.3%) for 664 yards (8.7 YPA) and two touchdowns. He has rushed for 171 yards (4.5 YPR) and three touchdowns. Daniels has not turned the ball over.

The Commanders are back on the road in Week 4, traveling to the desert to play the Arizona Cardinals.

 

Bills’ WR Khalil Shakir is the perfect fit for Joe Brady’s offense

Bills’ WR Khalil Shakir is the perfect fit for Joe Brady’s offense

Offensive coordinator Joe Brady has the Buffalo Bills offense humming through three weeks, and it’s not the in the typical Josh Allen-led ways. Brady has taken a lot of the weight off of Allen’s shoulders, using the run game, getting the ball out fast in the passing game, and letting receivers run after the catch. No player on the offense has benefitted more from this philosophy in the passing game than third-year wideout Khalil Shakir.

To say that Shakir has been reliable this year for Brady and Allen would be an understatement. His catch percentage currently sits at 100% (pretty good) as he has caught all 14 of his targets through three weeks. In fact, dating back to last year, Shakir has caught 27 consecutive targets, which ties an all-time NFL record.

Impressive from the 2022 fifth-rounder out of Boise State, right? But, what’s even more impressive is what Shakir is doing after completing those catches. Through three weeks he is fifth in the NFL in yards after the catch (117), and that’s on just 14 targets. He trails on Tyreek Hill, Chris Godwin, Malik Nabers, and Rashee Rice. Those are household names, and if Shakir isn’t a household name yet, then he should be soon at his current pace.

He has already scored two touchdowns this year on catch-and-runs, both breaking tackles to find the endzone. We have seen flashes from Shakir over his first two years in the league, but now he’s getting the chance to shine. Not only is he getting looks in the offense now, but they are quality looks. The ball is getting on him fast and there is room for him to run after the catch.

On the Green Light Podcast with Chris Long this summer, Josh Allen praised Shakir, saying, “I’m excited to see [Shakir] step into a larger role… very, very excited about his season coming up.”

People should have taken Allen’s words more seriously because Shakir is taking the world by storm. Shakir currently leads the NFL in receiving EPA at +22.6, and he leads the Bills in every major receiving stat. He’s the team leader in receptions (14), targets (14), receiving yards (168), receiving touchdowns (2), and receiving yards per game (56.0).

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John Franklin-Myers had a funny reaction to Broncos’ seven sacks in Week 3

“You get a sack, you get a sack, I wonder if this how Oprah feel?” John Franklin-Myers tweeted after the Broncos totaled seven sacks.

The Denver Broncos‘ defense dominated the Tampa Bay Buccaneers on Sunday with seven sacks and two takeaways.

Following a 26-7 victory on the road, Broncos defensive lineman John Franklin-Myers had a funny reaction to the team’s impressive sack total.

“You get a sack, you get a sack, I wonder if this how Oprah feel😂 VICTORY MONDAY!” Franklin-Myers tweeted on Sept. 23.

https://twitter.com/J_FranklinMyers/status/1838389156096979165

Denver’s defense ranks second in pass rush win rate this season (60%), according to ESPN (via Mile High Report’s Joe Mahoney). The team’s 11 sacks through three weeks are tied for fifth-most in the NFL.

Franklin-Myers has totaled seven tackles (two behind the line of scrimmage) and one sack through his first three games with the Broncos (66 snaps). JFM recorded his first sack as a Bronco against Baker Mayfield on Sunday.

JFM now has 20.5 sacks in his career. He totaled 17.5 sacks in four seasons with the New York Jets before being traded to Denver this spring. Franklin-Myers is now set to face his former team when the Broncos travel to New Jersey for Sunday’s showdown with the Jets.

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Bills’ Josh Allen is the favorite to win 2024 NFL MVP after three weeks

Bills’ Josh Allen is the favorite to win 2024 NFL MVP after three weeks

Through three weeks of the 2024 NFL season, Buffalo Bills quarterback Josh Allen has never looked better. As of Tuesday morning, the seventh-year signal-caller has surpassed Patrick Mahomes of the Kansas City Chiefs as the odds-on favorite to win the NFL MVP award.

After a slow start in the first half of Week 1’s comeback win over the Arizona Cardinals, Allen has played dominant, mistake-free football while spreading the ball all over the field to his teammates. The latest was his effort against the Jacksonville Jaguars on ‘Monday Night Football’ in which he threw four first-half touchdowns and posted the highest total QBR (98.3) for a QB since the 2021 season.

His play has him sitting atop the league’s very best:

A couple of statistics highlight just how excellent he has been. First off, Allen’s EPA per dropback is currently .62, which is far ahead of everyone else in the league and is the highest by any NFL QB through three weeks of the season since 2016. Secondly, Allen’s 92.6 total QBR is the very best the metric has seen through three weeks since it was introduced in 2006.

So far in 2024, Allen has thrown seven touchdowns to zero interceptions while completing 75.0% of his passes. On the ground, he has added two scores and run for nine first downs.

We got glimpses of what the pairing of Allen and offensive coordinator Joe Brady could accomplish in the back half of last year, but what they’re doing to start the season is more than impressive.

It seems it’s all coming together for Allen in his seventh year. He has a running game, he has a good offensive line, and he has a play-caller in Brady who is making the game simple for his quarterback. It has never all clicked like this at once for Allen except for maybe the two playoff games in 2021. But even then, the running game wasn’t a major threat to defenses.

We will have to see if Allen and company can keep it up for the rest of the season. Just last year, after the Bills blowout the Miami Dolphins to move to 3-1, Allen found himself as the MVP favorite. But, this year feels different. With Brady calling the shots, the offense seems less one-dimensional on more sustainable.

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After victory over Falcons, Andy Reid now has more wins with Chiefs than Eagles

After defeating the Atlanta #Falcons in Week 3, Andy Reid has more wins with the Kansas City #Chiefs than he had with the Philadelphia #Eagles

Patrick Mahomes wasn’t the only member of the Kansas City Chiefs to reach an impressive milestone in the defending champions’ win over the Atlanta Falcons on Sunday Night Football in Week 3.

After defeating Atlanta, Andy Reid reached 131 career wins as the Chiefs’ head coach, surpassing his win total of 130 with the Philadelphia Eagles.

Reid, who entered his 12th season with Kansas City in 2024, coached in Philadelphia for 14 seasons. He reached the 131-win mark with the Chiefs in 42 fewer games, having only coached 182 total in Kansas City compared to 224 with the Eagles.

Reid has also won three Super Bowls with the Chiefs, a task he was never able to accomplish in Philadelphia.

Affectionately known as “Big Red,” Reid is the winningest coach in Kansas City’s history, both in terms of win percentage and total games won.

Reid will have a chance to earn his 132nd victory when the Chiefs travel to face the Los Angeles Chargers in Week 4.

Justin Fields has ended the QB controversy: Former Pro Bowl Steelers’ safety agrees

Justin Fields made a strong case to be the Steelers’ starting quarterback after a standout performance in Week 3, earning support from former Steeler Ryan Clark.

The battle for the starting quarterback position began to take shape when the Pittsburgh Steelers traded with the Bears to acquire Justin Fields in the 2024 offseason. The Steelers, having signed quarterback Russell Wilson just a day prior, seemed to have a quarterback competition on their hands.

However, it was clear that Wilson was favored over the younger, less experienced Fields, as the veteran was getting first-team reps while Fields worked with second-team unit. All of this changed when a re-aggravated calf injury prevented Wilson from starting in the regular season.

Through the first two weeks of football, Fields looked uninspired and hesitant. However, his play took a significant leap in Week 3 against an elite defense, throwing for 245 yards and one touchdown, and recording a rushing touchdown as well.

Former Steelers legend, Super Bowl champion, and Pro Bowl safety Ryan Clark saw what we all saw and stated what most of us want: Mike Tomlin to name Justin Fields as the starter moving forward.

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PFF: Rashee Rice earned season-high grade in Chiefs’ win over Falcons

According to Pro Football Focus, #Chiefs WR Rashee Rice was Kansas City’s highest-graded player against the Atlanta #Falcons in Week 3.

Kansas City Chiefs wide receiver Rashee Rice has quickly cemented himself as Patrick Mahomes’ No. 1 target after three weeks of play.

After an impressive rookie campaign that saw Rice rack up 938 yards and score seven touchdowns, the SMU product is continuing his reign of dominance to begin the 2024 season.

Though Kansas City’s offense generally struggled to make plays against the Atlanta Falcons on Sunday Night Football, Rice made his presence felt throughout the matchup, finishing the game with 12 receptions for 110 yards and a touchdown.

On Monday, Pro Football Focused released their list of their highest-graded Chiefs from Sunday’s game. Rice led the pack for Kansas City with a season-high grade of 81.8, which narrowly beat out offensive guard Trey Smith for the top spot.

Rice has been a favorite target for quarterback Patrick Mahomes in all three games this season, and if the former All-AAC receiver can continue to put up stats like this, the reigning Super Bowl MVP will be looking for him even more.

2 Broncos players nominated for Rookie of the Week award

Broncos QB Bo Nix and OLB Dondrea Tillman have been nominated for the Rookie of the Week award. Go vote!

Two Denver Broncos players have been nominated for the Rookie of the Week award following a 26-7 win over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

Broncos quarterback Bo Nix (216 passing yards, no turnovers, 47 rushing yards, one rushing touchdown) and outside linebacker Dondrea Tillman (three tackles, two sacks) have been nominated for the award on NFL.com.

Nix secured the first win of his NFL career on Sunday and Tillman became Denver’s first player since at least 1970 to record two sacks in his NFL debut.

Nix and Tillman will face some tough competition in the voting:

  • QB Jayden Daniels: 293 yards, 3 TDs
  • WR Malik Nabers: 78 yards, 2 TDs
  • WR Rome Odunze: 112 yards, 1 TD
  • QB Caleb Williams: 363 yards, 2 TDs

Daniels won the award last week and New York Jets running back Braelon Allen won in Week 1. This is the first time this season the Broncos have had a player nominated for a weekly award.

Fans can vote for Nix and Tillman until Thursday morning on NFL.com.

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Broncos climb 8 spots in NFL power rankings after win

The Broncos jumped eight spots in NFL power rankings this week following their big win over the Bucs.

Following a 26-7 victory over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in Week 3, the Denver Broncos are now ranked No. 22 in Nate Davis’ latest NFL power rankings for USA TODAY Sports. That’s up eight spots from Denver’s No. 30 ranking last week.

Here is Davis’ commentary on the Broncos going into Week 4:

Maybe they’re due a little more respect after facing three teams with a combined 8-1 record, the lone loss the Broncos’ shocking shellacking of the Bucs on Sunday.

Elsewhere in the AFC West, the Kansas City Chiefs are ranked No. 1, the Los Angeles Chargers are ranked No. 16 and the Las Vegas Raiders are ranked No. 25. The Broncos are no longer considered the worst team in the division.

The New York Jets, who will host Denver on Sunday, are ranked 7. This week will be a huge test for the Broncos after their big win in Florida.

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

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Stars, studs and duds from Packers’ Week 3 win over Titans

The stars, studs and duds from the Packers’ Week 3 win over the Titans.

The Green Bay Packers used another dominant performance along the line of scrimmage and a handful of big plays from a re-tooled offense to win a second consecutive game with Malik Willis under center. Sunday’s 30-14 road victory over the Tennessee Titans improved the Packers to 2-1 through three weeks.

Considering the Packers tallied eight sacks and three takeaways, it’s hardly surprising that a number of standout individual performances came from the defensive side of the football.

Here are the stars, studs and duds from the Packers’ Week 3 win over the Titans:

Stars

CB Jaire Alexander: His pick-six turned the game on its head late in the first quarter. With eyes on the quarterback, Alexander reacted in a flash, made the catch with arms extended and high-stepped into the end zone for six. He also helped shut down No. 1 receiver Calvin Ridley, who caught only one pass on three targets, and he made four tackles without a miss.

QB Malik Willis: Less than a month after the Titans traded him away for next to nothing, Willis returned to Tennessee and was nearly perfect in a devastating takedown of his former team. He scored a pair of touchdowns, led five scoring drives, produced 275 total yards, averaged 10.6 yards per attempt and 12.2 per rush. Three times in the first half, Willis hit receivers for big plays on third downs from the pocket. He also used his legs to both escape the pocket and hurt the Titans on read options. Willis set career highs for passing yards and rushing yards. His passer rating was over 120.0 for the second consecutive start.

DE Kingsley Enagbare: His strip-sack of Will Levis was an important play. With the Packers up 13 and the Titans driving, Enagbare cleanly beat the right tackle with an inside move and stripped Levis, creating a game-turning takeaway. On one fourth quarter drive, Enagbare stuffed Tony Pollard after a short gain and then combined with Edgerrin Cooper for a drive-ending sack on third down. He played only 22 snaps but almost single-handedly killed two Titans drives in the second half.

Studs

RB Emanuel Wilson: His 85 total yards were a career-high, and he scored his first NFL touchdown on a well-devised and executed screen pass. He created two explosive plays, made defenders miss between the tackles and was excellent in pass protection. On one snap in the first half, Wilson moved to his right across the formation and blocked the blitzing linebacker, allowing Willis to escape the pocket and scramble for a first down.

DL Devonte Wyatt: The 2022 first-round pick is becoming a consistent disruptive force. He had a run stuff of Tony Pollard on the first drive and a sack of Will Levis on the opening drive of the second half. Later, he teamed up with Enagbare on a run stop on first down and then sacked Levis on second down, helping ruin a drive. He finished with three pressures and three stops.

WR Christian Watson: He won a contested catch for 30 yards on a slot fade, converting 3rd-and-6 on the first drive and setting up a touchdown. Later, his speed on a deep over route provided a throwing window for a 37-yard completion on third-and-long, setting up a field goal. Big plays from Watson helped create 10 points. Like usual, he gave maximum effort as a blocker.

S Xavier McKinney: He made a tackle covering a kickoff, a run stop of Tony Pollard and the game-sealing interception ranging to his right from a single-high alignment. His consistency in doing a variety of things in coverage is a big reason why the Packers have been so disruptive on defense to start the 2024 season. Jeff Hafley uses him as a chess piece to clutter the look pre-snap.

Duds

DL Kenny Clark: The Packers need more from their recently paid interior defender. He accomplished little as a pass-rusher despite good matchups and once again had issues in the run game. It’s been a quiet, ineffective start to 2024 through three games for Clark.

LT Rasheed Walker: His penalty fest to start the 2024 season continued. On the final drive of the first half, Walker had a 10-yard holding penalty and 10-yard illegal hands to the face penalty. Thanks to big third-down plays from Malik Willis, the Packers overcame both infractions and kicked a short field goal. Walker was solid against Arden Key in the passing game, however.

TE Luke Musgrave: He lacks punch both inline and as a move blocker in the run game, especially when contrasted with what Tucker Kraft brings as a blocker. In terms of movement and physicality, he too often looks like a big receiver. The Packers must find better ways of unlocking his playmaking ability in the passing game — he has two catches on four targets for nine yards through three games.

LS Matt Orzech: He missed a tackle while covering a punt return, and his high snap contributed to a missed field goal, although the miss from Brayden Narveson was negated by a penalty.