There is a touchdown in the first quarter that brings the lead to 26 0. There is a time and a place. The Indianapolis Colts beat the Denver Broncos in overtime on Thursday night to start the fifth season of the National Football League. The New York Giants beat the Green Bay Packers in London. The New Orleans Saints went on to beat the Seattle Seahawks. The Buffalo Bills defeated the Pittsburgh Steelers at home. Third-stringer Skylar Thompson took over for Teddy Bridgewater when he was ruled out with a concussion. Bailey Zappe was the first career starter for the Detroit Lions. York couldn't make a game-winning field goal in a loss to the Los Angeles Clippers. The Vikings scored a touchdown in the last minute to beat the Bears. Our reporters look ahead to what's next after this week's game, as they react to the biggest revelations. It's time to get to it. You can jump to a match.
IND-DEN | NYG-GB | PIT-BUF | LAC-CLE
CHI-MIN | DET-NE | SEA-NO | MIA-NYJ
ATL-TB | TEN-WSH | HOU-JAX
Josh Allen and the big-play passing attack gave the Bills control of the game from the third play to the end. Despite being without multiple starters on both sides of the ball, the Bills were able to hold the Steelers to zero points in the first drive and went on to win.
Can the Bills continue to pass the ball? The Bills had 13 passing plays of 20-plus yards this season, but big plays were the difference in the game. Buffalo had eight passing plays of 20-plus yards on Sunday, and Allen had a career high in yards per attempt. The Bills failed to score in the red zone in the previous two games. Learning from what worked against the PittsburghSteelers will go a long way, as targeting wide receiver Gabe Davis deep more often will go a long way.
The next game is at the Kansas City Chiefs. The time has not yet been determined.
The deep cracks that make up the foundation of the Steelers were exposed by the 38 3 thumping by the Bills. Even though he did what was asked of him in his first career start, the defense couldn't contain quarterback Josh Allen and his weapons. The offense came away with only three points, despite Pickett completing 34 of 52 passes. Allen played a career game against the Pittsburgh's secondary. In addition to T.J. Watt, two other defensive starters and three more were ruled out of the game due to injuries. Failures in every phase of the game made his play irrelevant. The 35-point margin of defeat is the worst for theSteelers in 25 years.
What is the location of the Pittsburgh Steelers from here? It's only the fifth week of the season, but theSteelers are already on their way to a losing season. The possibility of starting the season 1-8 is something that hasn't happened in Pittsburgh since 1969. This one is playing out because the Steelers don't believe in rebuilding.
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It means what it says. Watt, who is recovering from a torn pectoral and arthroscopic knee surgery, could be rested for the rest of the season, while allowing Pickett to learn on the job. Is it possible that they could change their coordinators in-season? Is it possible that they could start a fire sale of their limited assets to get more picks for the upcoming drafts in order to rebuild the team? Will they ignore the noise and keep doing what they're doing?
The next game is against the Bucs on Sunday. The time has not yet been determined.
It was the Texans' defense that carried them to the victory. The Texans became the first team to hold the Jags under 21 points when they held them under 26 points. It began by limiting Lawrence and intercepting him twice. The Texans rookies got their first career picks in the game. The pass rush of the Texans pressured Lawrence 14 times.
Dameon Pierce is in the running for the offensive rookies of the year award. He ran for 99 yards and the game-winning touchdown in the Texans' victory over the Jags. In the fourth quarter, he ran for 31 yards. 10 in rushing yards, and he is now averaging 4.8 yards per carry and has 3 rushing touchdown
The next game is at Raiders. The time has not yet been determined.
TheJaguars have a problem: Which Lawrence are they going to get each week? It's concerning that most of Lawrence's mistakes over the past two games were unforced, including an egregious pick-six in the end zone early in the second half Sunday. It's difficult to be confident when things start to go wrong because you don't know what your quarterback will do.
What happened to the things that went wrong? In the first three weeks, the Jags forced eight but have only one in the past two games. The bounce of the ball is different, but the defense's identity was getting turnovers. The offense could benefit from a few short fields if the Jags get things going on the defensive side of the ball again.
The next game is at the Colts. The time has not yet been determined.
The injuries along the offensive line are a concern for the team. Already down Taylor Lewan for the year, starting right guardNate Davis was inactive because of a knee injury Ryan Tannehill was constantly pressured by the Commander's front. Dennis was the first left tackle to have a bad game. Davis was the right guard and Brewer was the left guard. Washington sacked Tannehill more than once. The Commanders weren't able to do much with the playcalling.
The secondary should not be a concern for the TITANS. Another week, another quarterback passes for 300 or more yards, and this time it was the other way around. The Titans have allowed at least one play of 40 yards or more in each of the last six weeks. The pass has brought five of them. Brown caught a 30-yard pass. The big plays continue to be a problem. The Tennessee Secondary has three high draft picks. There is no reason for that group to struggle.
The next game is against the Colts. The time has not yet been determined.
Washington can't ask for patience anymore. The Commanders have not taken the step they were hoping for in Year 3 of Ron Rivera's regime. There was a potential game-winning drive that ended in an intercept. They aren't consistent. They can't create better situations for the game. The defense doesn't force turnovers. The offensive line is banged up, but they make too many mistakes.
The season may be lost. There is still time for Washington to turn things around. The Commanders have dug a hole in the east. Washington hasn't shown that it can survive an injury. The Commanders could play better if they are healthy. They might be too far back to seriously challenge for a playoff spot by that time. They need to show why they think it will get better. The Commanders needed to play better in the first half of the season in order to play better in the second half.
The next game is at Bears. The time has not yet been determined.
The coach almost backfired on him when he gambled. The man went for it on fourth-and-1 from his own 46-yard line. Cleveland had a chance to win the game with a field goal. This is the person who Staley is and the person who the Bolts are. The decision was favored by the model.
Can the team continue to run the ball? The team ranked 25th in rushing. The L.A. ground game exploded for 238 yards. The production took pressure off the quarterback and allowed the defense to stay out of harms way. If the team can keep running the ball, they will be a lot harder to defend.
The next game is against the Broncos on October 17th. The time has not yet been determined.
What to know is that the performance of the quarterback was spoiled by a costly late pick-six. Brissett had the chance to take the ball in for a touchdown after a key first-down scramble. He tried to find Cooper. A 54-yard field goal attempt by Cleveland was not successful. The last three minutes of the fourth quarter have been where all three of Brissett's picks have come.
What has happened to the kicker. The field goal by York was the game-winner in Cleveland's opener. The fourth-round pick has never recovered. He missed two field goals on Sunday. Without Deshaun, the defense is playing well and the team has little margin for error. It's concerning that York's accuracy issues are related to development.
The next game is against the Pats. The time has not yet been determined.
York missed a potential go-ahead 54-yard field goal that would have given the Indians the lead.
The Saints had a player with three rushing touchdown and a touchdown pass in the same game for the first time in franchise history in Sunday's game. The Saints figured out their offensive roles with a mix of Hill and Andy.
How do the Saints keep up their good fortune? The Saints have been moving in the right direction. They've got to figure out a way to keep the offensive momentum going, whether that's keeping Dalton at quarterback, continuing to utilize Hill in all areas or figuring out how to get Michael Thomas back in the lineup. There will still be questions as to whether or not Jameis Winston should return to the lineup or if they should stick with the other quarterback.
The next game is against theBengals on Sunday. The time has not yet been determined.
A strong day from Geno Smith and their offense wasn't enough to overcome the defense's continued disaster. After giving up 45 points in a win over Detroit, they were even worse against the Saints. Even though there was little mystery as to what the Saints were going to do when he lined up at quarterback, they allowed both to top 100 rushing yards. It's the second week in a row that Seattle's defense has been exposed by a team missing key pieces on offense. In each of the past two seasons, the Seahawks have turned around their defense after poor starts.
Is Kenneth Walker III up to the task? If the injury is serious, Walker will have to take over. After hurting his ankle,Penny hung his head on the sideline and was taken to the locker room. Walker had a quiet start to his career before he broke off a 69-yard touchdown run. He missed the opener after a hernia procedure and didn't seem to have a good grasp on the offense. Walker needs to speed up his learning curve ifPenny misses time.
The next game is against theCardinals. The time has not yet been determined.
In the fourth quarter, Hill gets his third touchdown of the game and the Saints are up by a point.
The Bucs were able to regain control of the line of scrimmage with better blocking, allowing them to run the ball more effectively and protect quarterback Tom Brady, who avoided his first three-game losing streak since Leonard Fournette had a career-high 10 catches for 83 yards, and he had a career-high 139 yards from scrimmage. The defensive front got back to what it does best: stopping the run and making plays behind the line of scrimmage.
There is a question as to what should be done with receiver Julio Jones. After leaving two plays into the second half last week with a knee injury, Jones was inactive for the third time this season. He was able to practice on a limited basis this week, but he wasn't able to play on Sunday. If they want to keep him for the season, they will need to keep an eye on his reps. It isn't ideal to have a player making $6 million sitting on the bench, but the Buccaneers didn't sign Jones for the regular season in order to avoid a repeat of last year when they had no healthy receiver. If they can put him down for a few weeks and allow him to heal, then they will be better off when they really need him.
The next game is at theSteelers. The time has not yet been determined.
Maybe it shouldn't be a surprise that the Atlanta offense struggled on Sunday, since the Falcons entered the game without a tight end or running back. It became clear how big of an issue it would be to their offense without those two key players. Without either of the two players, moving the ball and putting up points could be hard. It doesn't seem to be enough for Atlanta to have a complement to Drake London at receiver.
The Falcons have a running game. Tyler Allgeier had 13 carries in Atlanta's first game without Patterson. Over the next few weeks, that could be what this looks like. The backs didn't make much of a statement, and if Atlanta can get veteran Damien Williams off injured reserve, it should consider it. The Falcons are likely to look at a true running-back-by-committee situation for the rest of the season.
The next game is against the 49ers. The time has not yet been determined.
The Vikings have seen KirkCousins emerge as a late-game surgeon. In the past three games, he has made key plays in the fourth quarter. A 1-yard sneak for the winning touchdown was the result of two third-down conversions on the ground. He had set a team record by completing his first 17 passes. The Vikings are alone in first place in the NFC North thanks to the play of quarterback Kirk Cousin.
How did this game get so boring? The Vikings needed a late drive to win the game after they scored three times on their first three possessions. They are a work in progress as they convert to new offensive and defensive schemes. When they grow more efficient in running their schemes, it will bode well for their future success.
The next game is at the Dolphins. The time has not yet been determined.
The Bulls got aggressive in the second half and scored 19 unanswered points to take a 22-21 fourth-quarter lead after allowing KirkCousins to complete his first 17 attempts. The best drive of the season came in the third quarter. Velus Jones scored his first career touchdown. Bears coach Matt Eberflus was unstoppable in the second half. The team found an edge with its resilience and ability to adjust, even though it did not always work. Fields and the offense had a chance to win the game when they got the ball back, but Bears receiver Ihmir Smith-Marsette turned it over.
Is there a turn for the better? The Bears quarterback thought the passing game was starting to click against the Giants. If it wasn't for the illegal block in the back penalty on Smith-Marsette, his 52 yard touchdown run would have been the highlight of the game. Fields had a passer rating of 118.6%. This game could be a sign that the quarterback is getting back on track.
The next game is against the commanders. The time has not yet been determined.
The coach has been telling his players the importance of closing the gap in the east. The Jets took a step in the right direction, snapping a 12-game losing streak, but one game doesn't make up for years of incompetence. Since Week 15 of the 2020 season, the Jets had not won a wire-to-wire game. It's a step in the right direction for the team. It took a different mentality for the Jets to come from behind in two of their previous wins. It helped that the Dolphins had to use a third-string quarterback for most of the game.
How far can the duo take the Jets? The Jets have a great one-two punch in Hall and Carter. They failed to run a balanced offense in the beginning. The Jets have never had a rookies with 100 receiving yards and a touchdown in the same game. He ran for 97 yards from scrimmage and finished with over 200 yards from scrimmage. The Jets used Hall and Carter at the same time more than they have in the past.
The next game is at the Packers. The time has not yet been determined.
The Dolphins were the first team in the league to use the new concussion protocol. The first victim of the new rules might be the Dolphins, who were added to the protocol as a "no- go" symptom. Teddy was placed into concussion protocol after playing just one offensive snap in his first start. He passed his evaluation and was not diagnosed with a concussion, but a booth spotter thought he stumbled and forced him out for the rest of the game. The Jets put the game out of reach in the fourth quarter when freshman quarterback Skylar Thompson lost the ball on a strip sack. Sometimes players who are not concussed will be placed in the protocol, because the league promised to use an "abundance of caution". Dolphins fans won't like it, and understandably so, but it's better than allowing players with head injuries to return to a game.
Who is going to be the starting quarterback next week? If Tagovailoa is cleared for Sunday's game against the Vikings, it will be because he was not diagnosed with a concussion. If Tagovailoa clears protocol, is 17 days enough for the Dolphins to be comfortable playing him, or will they be more cautious? Either way, Thompson needs to process plays more quickly before he proves to be a capable starter; entering a game with Thompson and other quarterbacks is not ideal.
The next game is against the Vikings. The time has not yet been determined.
Williams got a big stiff-arm on Hill after picking up the fumbled ball. A short touchdown run would be the result.
The defense delivers. With Bailey Zappe making his first career start at quarterback after injuries to Mac Jones and Brian Hoyer, the Pats supported him with a suffocating defensive performance against a Lions offense that entered the day as the top-rated unit in terms of points scored. There were six stops on fourth down, an intercept by Jack Jones, a strip sack by Matthew Judon, and a touchdown by Kyle Dugger. It was the first time in two years that the Pats had not been scored on.
Mac Jones will be ready to come back. Jones' return still provides the most long-term upside for the team, even though they have shown they can win. Jones was limited in his participation in practices last week. The margin for error for the Pats is still thin even though they have more time for Jones to come back as close to full health as possible.
The next game is at Cleveland. The time has not yet been determined.
Detroit entered Gillette Stadium as the top-ranked offense, but struggled. New England's defense was too much for the quarterback to handle. The Lions failed to score in the opening half after having scored a touchdown in 12 straight quarters. Many of the fourth downs that the Lions failed to convert came in the New England area. They hope to get a boost from the return of running back D'Andre Swift after the bye week.
Do you think Dan Campbell is to blame for Detroit's poor start? Campbell has been a hit with players and fans. He's made questionable decisions in key moments before, including going for it on fourth-and-9 instead of attempting a second quarter, 49-yard field goal, which resulted in a scoop and score. The Lions' poor start to the season has been attributed to the questionable coaching decisions made by Campbell and his staff. If they want to be respectable in the last 12 games, they have to fix some things after the bye week.
The next game is at Cowboys. The time has not yet been determined.
The Giants showed something. They came back from 14 down in the first half against the Packers to win a huge game. Jones did it even though he wasn't 100 percent. It showed his strength on full display. In the second half, Jones went 13 of 14. He ran seven times and then knelt with the ball. Marcus Johnson, David Sills V, and David Slayton were at wide receiver. A lot of work.
The star running back came out of the game. The offense of the Giants is centered around him. He accounted for 42% of their total offense coming into the game, and said this week that he's good with whatever they throw at him. He left the game in the third quarter with a shoulder injury. He returned to the locker room after scoring the game-winning touchdown. Everyone will be paying attention to how Barkley feels this week.
The next game is against the Ravens. The time has not yet been determined.
The Packers are going to have to find a deep threat at some point. Either that or they should stop trying to run the ball more and just hope for the best. He tried to get in touch with Allen Lazard. He tried to catch him. Randall Cobb had a nice game, but he has never been a consistent deep threat. Rodgers was 0-of-5 on attempts of 20 or more yards in the air in the second half.
How has the Packers' defense changed? Green Bay was close to losing to Bailey Zappe. Jones received the Packers this week. It didn't matter that the Giants didn't have their top three players. The Packers have one of their best defenses in recent years, which was the topic of all the talk in the off-season. They still missed tackles and committed costly penalties. They let Jefferson destroy that in Week 1 and it hasn't gotten better since. The Giants scored on their first five drives after the first three-and-out.
The next game is against the Jets. The time has not yet been determined.
Russell Wilson is expected to come back from his injury.
The Colts' defense is legitimate. The Broncos' offense has some deep issues. The Indianapolis defense was successful because of the failures of Denver. The Colts dominated the line of scrimmage and that is an area where an advantage can make a difference. In its five games, Indianapolis has not given up a point in the fourth quarter or overtime.
Is the Colts' offensive line stable enough? They're working hard. The Colts made changes to their lineup for Thursday's game. They may not be done tinkering because it didn't work. They will be out of work for 10 days before Week 6. Unless linemen such as Quenton Nelson, Ryan Kelly and Braden Smith play at a decent level, nothing matters. It might be enough to allow Matt Ryan and the Colts to stay in the game. It's possible, maybe.
The next game is against the Jags. The time has not yet been determined.
The Broncos' offense has the look of a group that overreaches when it doesn't have to and overthinks when it shouldn't, as a result of the good intentions from the offseason. The Broncos don't score touchdown at a rate that is close to a playoff hopeful. They beat the Colts in overtime with two Wilson picks in Colts territory. When a conversion of a fourth-and-inches would have given them four chances at a game-winning touchdown, they decided to put Wilson in the shotgun and he threw an incompletion.
Russell Wilson is pressing. There are times when Wilson tries to push the ball down the field when he doesn't have to and it looks like he is trying to live up to the trade and his contract. His only 300-yard passing game of the young season was in the loss to Seattle, and it was his most efficient game of the season. The Broncos haven't protected him well enough, and running back Javonte Williams' season-ending knee injury will take some adjustment, but things aren't going to improve until Wilson settles down a bit. There is a partially torn lat near Wilson's throwing shoulder.
The next game is at the Padres. The time has not yet been determined.
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