Good morning. Both you and Justin Herbert were absent from Chargers practice yesterday. The 26-year-old quarterback has an ankle injury (but is expected to play this Sunday). What’s your excuse?
Today:
- Chiefs’ top challenger?
- Poll: Playoff vibes
- Jordan Love latest
- TNF preview
No. 1 Contender(s): Who can escape Kansas City’s shadow?
Plenty of ink has been spilled about Kansas City’s odds of a three-peat. The weapons in San Francisco — Christian McCaffrey, Deebo Samuel, etc. — made it easy to pencil in the 49ers for a Super Bowl appearance, too.The 2-0 Chiefs remain the favorite (+450 per BetMGM). But with San Francisco crippled by injuries and losing to the Vikings on Sunday, the battle for No. 1 contender status is wide open. Among the eight other 2-0 teams, two stand out as nominees:
Buffalo Bills: As I was scrolling the Week 3 Power Rankings, something caught my eye. There is a new No. 2: Buffalo. And it checks out. The Bills can always win through the air with Josh Allen, are tough to stop on the ground (their offense ranks second in EPA per play) and, as Joe Buscaglia explored, have an improved defense (sixth in EPA per play) that starts with a dominant line.
Houston Texans: They check every box. An ascending superstar in 22-year-old C.J. Stroud, who is QB3 — behind Mahomes and Allen — in our QB Rankings. An above-average defense (eighth in EPA per play), with a pass rush that leads the league in sack rate (13.8 percent). Add the league’s best receiver room and a talented OC, and it’s easy to see why it’s Super Bowl or bust in Houston.
But to make it out of the AFC, both teams will need to go through Patrick Mahomes. That’s one reason why BetMGM still has the 49ers (+600) as No. 2 overall.
And if I’d written this last week, the Ravens would’ve made the list. But their defense looks nothing like last year’s force, the one led by Mike Macdonald, now the head coach in Seattle. Through two weeks, the 0-2 Ravens have allowed the most passing yards in the NFL. Speaking of …
Poll: There can only be one 0-2 playoff team
Including Baltimore, nine teams have started this year 0-2. Since 2015, only one of every 10 teams to start 0-2 has made the playoffs. Who will it be this year? I’m taking my Bengals, but want to hear from you.Click here to vote. We’ll share the results tomorrow.
What Dianna’s Hearing: Could Love make it back by Sunday?
A great sign for the Packers: Jordan Love was back for the week’s most important practice as the team prepares for Sunday’s game against the Titans.The QB was limited, but I’m told he’s getting better by the day. Love is wearing a metal brace on his left knee and a black leg sleeve for added support. He tore his meniscus while at Utah State (in his right knee), so this isn’t his first time he’s quarterbacking with a brace.
I was told the most important factor as he works his way back isn’t so much how he feels while he’s on the field, but how the knee feels the following day after practice. At this point, the Packers are closely monitoring and hoping he can play.
Back to you, Jacob.
AFC East Battle: Can Aaron Rodgers bounce back tonight?
It wasn’t long ago — two years ago yesterday, to be exact — since Aaron Rodgers and Allen Lazard’s ayahuasca-themed touchdown celebration in Green Bay.That was Week 2, 2022, and the Packers were thinking Super Bowl after three consecutive 13-win seasons.
But 2022 didn’t go as planned. Rodgers broke his thumb in Week 5 and gutted out the season. He finished with a losing record, posting his lowest QBR since becoming a starter (41.3).
Things haven’t been great since, either. 2023 was a write off. In 2024, Rodgers is focused on improving the vibes in New York. He’ll need to improve his play, too: His 47.8 QBR ranks 18th, and he sports the sixth-lowest EPA score (3.4) among quarterbacks.
Tonight — just five days after his first win in 623 days — he gets another chance to improve, this time against a Patriots team missing their do-it-all captain, LB Ja’Whaun Bentley.
Two notes on tonight’s game, which kicks off at 8:15 p.m. ET on Amazon Prime Video:
- Rodgers will need to watch for Patriots DE Keion White, who went from Domino’s delivery to a breakout NFL star. Last year’s second-round pick is tied for second in the league in both sacks (four) and forced fumbles.
- As the Jets struggled to create pressure before losing Jermaine Johnson (7.5 sacks last season), the front office must call Haason Reddick, still holding out. They need him, badly. It gets more obvious each week. And as Reddick forfeits nearly $1 million with each game missed, he could use them, too.
Around the NFL
Bryce Young is benched. Tua Tagovailoa is on the IR after another concussion. Deshaun Watson faces another sexual-assault lawsuit. As The Athletic’s Mike Sando explores in his column, there is an underlying trend: billionaire owners’ big-risk bets on QBs.Pass protection could be one reason why Colts RB Jonathan Taylor was benched Sunday, not playing a snap in the fourth quarter. James Boyd investigates why HC Shane Steichen might be overthinking it.