Sports

There’s a new No. 1 in town, with Josh Allen playing better than anyone on the planet, and he’s got the Buffalo Bills on a mission very early in the season.

Plus, Patrick Mahomes hasn’t exactly looked like … Patrick Mahomes.

Though the Kansas City Chiefs star is on pace for a career high in completion percentage, he’s got five touchdowns against four interceptions — nearly as many picks as he had in all of 2019 (five) and 2020 (six) and putting him on pace for a career high. His 219.7 passing yards per game would be significantly lower than last year’s career worst of 261.4 and almost a football field shy of his career best of 318.6 in 2018.

This isn’t to say Mahomes is cooked or falling off the same cliff everyone wanted to shove Tom Brady off of in 2014. More than likely, Mahomes is working to see what will and won’t work as the season progresses, much like he did in 2023. They’re incorporating new elements to the offense, while perennial safety net Travis Kelce appears to finally be fading.

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All the while, the Chiefs are undefeated. They’ve got more room for error than any team in the NFL, especially with an upper-tier defense, so Mahomes doesn’t need to post record-breaking numbers every week like he did earlier in his career. He’s savvy enough to recognize that after winning three Super Bowls, there’s a long-term element at stake. Remember, the Chiefs looked vulnerable for most of last season before another epic playoff run.

Mahomes’ superlatives are still unmatched. And if the NFL started over with a fantasy draft, Mahomes would be the consensus top pick. Posting numbers or not, Mahomes is still a nightmare for defenses with the game or season on the line.

But Allen has been considerably better this season. He’s completed 75 percent of his passes for 634 yards, seven touchdowns and no interceptions. He’s also added 85 rushing yards and two scores on the ground.

Even after losing Stefon Diggs and key members of the defense, Allen’s Bills are the only team to start the season with three 30-point games, and he’s looking like the early MVP favorite.

This week in ‘why coaching matters …’

Sam Darnold, Justin Fields and Malik Willis have already smashed preseason expectations, and they’re all doing it with new teams.

Darnold, a backup or spot starter in recent years, was brought to Minnesota as a safety blanket for rookie J.J. McCarthy, who ended up tearing his meniscus in the summer. The 27-year-old has never looked better, and head coach Kevin O’Connell’s scheme is a major reason. Darnold never had an opportunity like this with the New York Jets or Carolina Panthers.

The Pittsburgh Steelers traded for Fields to push Russell Wilson, whose calf injury flared up in Week 1. Now Fields is orchestrating an offense that can highlight his mobility while sprinkling in smart, timely passing, and the defense is allowing a league-low 8.7 points per outing.

There’s absolutely no pressure for Fields to play outside his means, and he’s completing an astounding 73.3 percent of his passes with a single interception. If Fields didn’t have — at minimum — an above-average day with the Chicago Bears, they didn’t have much of a chance to win.

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The Green Bay Packers acquired Willis on Aug. 26 from the Tennessee Titans for a seventh-round pick to boost the backup spot. The Packers were essentially in regular-season mode by the time Willis arrived, so his practice opportunities were limited. The 2022 third-rounder had never thrown a touchdown pass before taking over when Jordan Love sprained his MCL in the opener.

Now Matt LaFleur is the early favorite to win NFL Coach of the Year with Willis leading the Packers to two victories while completing 25-of-33 passes for 324 yards, two touchdowns and no interceptions in two starts. He’s also got 114 rushing yards and a score.

TAKE IT YOURSELF, MALIK!#GBvsTEN pic.twitter.com/bHq0F4vB1g

— Green Bay Packers (@packers) September 22, 2024

Like Darnold and Fields, Willis entered the league with enough talent, but he wasn’t in a great situation due to the offense around him. All three were such unknowns in new situations that they debuted in the bottom 10 of the rankings. Now, with more evidence, they’re deservedly climbing, though Willis will eventually fall out when Love returns.

Remember this when labeling a quarterback a bust. There are situations every year when QBs — young and old — can’t succeed because they aren’t given the appropriate help.

And when they are given the necessary resources, it’s a thing of beauty.

This is 40

Aaron Rodgers delivered a vintage performance Thursday against the Patriots, completing 27-of-35 passes for 281 yards and a couple of touchdowns. He did whatever he wanted.

when you look up “poetry in motion” 🔥#NEvsNYJ on Prime Video
Also streaming on #NFLPlus pic.twitter.com/8X6nr01RCQ

— NFL (@NFL) September 20, 2024

To be fair, the Patriots didn’t offer a lot of defensive resistance. But aside from their poor tackling against the Jets, this had been a defense that league evaluators have described as tough, aggressive and well-coached, so credit Rodgers for making it look easy. He was in total control, delivering quick completions from the pocket or extending plays to give his receivers time to get open.

They’ve got a few more tough defenses coming up with the Denver Broncos, Vikings, Buffalo Bills and Steelers, so we’ll quickly discover how much of a threat Rodgers and the Jets can be in the AFC. But if Thursday was the start of something, the Jets have a chance to contend in the conference.

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No more scholarships

As mentioned in previous rankings, the standards can be different for certain players based on experience, past accomplishments, the situation around them, the potential for high ceilings or low floors and, of course, current performance. That’s why top pick Caleb Williams debuted at No. 19 and expected breakout candidate Anthony Richardson — the 2023 No. 4 pick who entered the season with four career starts — opened at No. 21.

So far, both ubertalented QBs have flashed but have been largely inconsistent. Those inconsistencies were on full display Sunday when they squared off and struggled throughout most of the game. Circumstances matter, like offensive line performance or play calling. The blame doesn’t usually fall squarely on the QB, not in these rankings anyway.

They both fell this week to their season lows in the rankings. It’s not indicative of their future. It’s entirely representative of their performance.

For Williams in particular, it looks like everything is still too sped up for him. He badly airmailed a go-route to an open Rome Odunze in the second half on a throw Williams is capable of making nine out of 10 times. However, he rushed his read and delivery, and the throw sailed as a result. That’s just one example.

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Once Williams and Richardson improve their consistency, they’ll fly up the rankings. It’s not out of the question that both could finish in the top 20, if not the top half. They just need experience.

Under protection

It’s become increasingly evident Patriots coach Jerod Mayo made the right call to start Jacoby Brissett and leave Drake Maye safe on the sidelines.

The Patriots have given up a sack on 12.5 percent of their dropbacks, the third-worst rate in the league this season and a mark that’s on pace to be the 14th worst since sacks became an official stat in 1982. The 1992 Eagles were the only team to give up such a high percentage of sacks and finish with a winning record.

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What’s more, Patriots wide receivers have combined to catch 21 passes for 169 yards and one touchdown through three games. There are five wideouts around the league who have exceeded that output by themselves.

While there were credible reasons to start Maye in Week 1, last week put things into perspective. The Panthers have, at best, set back Bryce Young’s development a couple of years. At worst, they’ll never get anything out of their heavy draft investment. This has been the result of starting Young without enough help around him and sinking his confidence to the point where they had to bench him.

The Patriots can’t afford to do that with Maye. Their quarterback play has been among the worst in the league in the post-Tom Brady era, as the veteran route with Cam Newton had a restricted ceiling and the development path with Mac Jones was an exercise in organizational self-sabotage.

The concern in the short term, though, is that Brissett has withstood an increased number of hits that have taken him longer to get back to his feet. It may only be a matter of time before one leads to an injury that forces him to the sideline. And Maye was sacked twice in 10 dropbacks Thursday during a relief appearance against the Jets.

While there’s value in watching and learning, there’s even greater value in keeping Maye out of harm’s way and maintaining his confidence until the Patriots can improve the entire operation around the quarterback.

The Brian Flores effect

Vikings defensive coordinator Brian Flores is on a heater. After stymying the struggling Giants in Week 1, Flores’ defense created constant headaches for Brock Purdy and C.J. Stroud, forcing two of the league’s best quarterbacks to look ordinary.

A market correction this week felt necessary for Purdy, who dropped from 10th to 12th after losing to the Vikings. We’ll continue to bookmark that thought when quarterbacks have substandard days against Flores, and he’s got some more doozies on the schedule. The Vikings face the Packers this week (so, Love or Willis) then take on Rodgers, Jared Goff, Matthew Stafford, Richardson and Trevor Lawrence to round out the first half of the season.

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Flores is looking like the NFL’s best defensive coordinator through three weeks. Just ask a couple of the league’s top QBs.

(Photo of Josh Allen: Kevin Sabitus / Getty Images)

Shohei Ohtani did not build this place. It only feels that way. Dodger Stadium existed long before he was born and figures to remain a beacon tucked in the canyons of Chavez Ravine long after his career ends. But the ballpark has, in its 63rd year, been remade in his image. New outfield billboards hawk Japanese spirits and Japanese probiotics and Japanese airlines. Pregame tours are flooded with visitors from abroad wearing crisp No. 17 jerseys. When the Dodgers handed out an Ohtani bobblehead, the throng sprawling down Vin Scully Boulevard assembled 10 hours before first pitch.

In his first season as a Dodger, Ohtani established himself as the center of the franchise’s universe. He thrived underneath the spotlight of his 10-year, $700 million contract. His boost to the financial bottom line made team officials giddy — “well beyond what we imagined,” team president Stan Kasten said. He compartmentalized after a shocking betrayal from his closest confidant and responded with a historic offensive season. He has done everything except the thing by which this entire endeavor will be judged: Win a championship.

“It’s going to really test his patience and discipline,” Dodgers manager Dave Roberts told The Athletic the day before the team clinched its 12th consecutive postseason berth last week. “Knowing that he’s waited his entire life, essentially, to be in the major-league postseason. It’s going to be fascinating to watch.”

Ohtani is no stranger to external obsession. Some in Japan describe him as “kanpeki na hito,” which roughly translates to “the perfect person.” The Dodgers do not seem to disagree. Roberts has suggested he may become the greatest player in the history of baseball. “One of one,” first-base coach Clayton McCullough called him. “I don’t see how there is anybody more talented who has ever played this game than him,” teammate Kiké Hernández said. Added reliever Daniel Hudson, “I feel pretty lucky to have a front-row seat for him every night.”

When Ohtani appears at Dodger Stadium, conversations cease, eyeballs widen and cameras click. One afternoon in early September, Ohtani climbed the dugout steps and walked into the outfield. He was trailed by his interpreter, Will Ireton, and a member of the training staff. A flock of 10 reporters hustled down the left-field line and aimed their lenses to record Ohtani completing the mundane act of having a catch. Because no act committed by Ohtani can be considered inconsequential, not as he moves closer toward pitching again. The Dodgers had insisted Ohtani would not take the mound in 2024 as he recovered from elbow surgery — at least until Roberts upgraded the goal this month from impossible to improbable. As Roberts told MLB Network radio, “It would be storybook.”

It is the sort of story that only Ohtani could write.

For the past four years, he has bent the game of baseball to his will. Even in 2024, despite being unable to showcase his two-way talents, he broke barriers. Recognizing the extra time on his hands, he concentrated on running the bases. In August he celebrated becoming only the sixth player to hit 40 home runs and steal 40 bases in the same season by throwing a bullpen session the next afternoon. Twenty-eight days later, he became the charter member of the 50-50 club, during a game in which he authored one of the most productive offensive days in baseball history. In November, he could become the first designated hitter to collect an MVP trophy.

The ultimate triumph, the validation of this partnership between trail-blazing player and storied franchise, will require more heroics from Ohtani. The Dodgers are likely to win the National League West but will not collect 100 victories for the first time in a full season since 2018. Injuries wrecked the starting rotation. There will be even more pressure on the offense — the unit led, both literally and figuratively, by Ohtani.

Ohtani has already redefined the public’s understanding of the limitations of athletic performance. Can he change the postseason fortunes of the Dodgers? Or will he fall victim to the same October spells that have hounded baseball’s model franchise?

The answer may not depend on whether Ohtani can best the competition. It may depend on whether Ohtani can be the best version of himself.

In the hours before the biggest game of his life, Shohei Ohtani gathered his teammates around him. The men of Samurai Japan clapped as he took the floor inside the home clubhouse at loanDepot Park in Miami. As the group prepared to face Team USA in the finals of the 2023 World Baseball Classic, Ohtani told his countrymen they needed to stow their reverence for their opponents, a collection of big-league All-Stars playing at the sport’s highest level.

“If you admire them,” he said, “you can’t surpass them. We came here to surpass them, to reach the top.”

Ohtani hoisted his team to the summit. After spending the first eight innings as the designated hitter, he trotted to the bullpen to warm up for the ninth. He inherited a one-run lead and a batting order kissed by serendipity: The hitter due up third was Angels teammate Mike Trout, the man Ohtani had supplanted as the sport’s supreme talent. The last pitch of the tournament was an 87-mph slider that swept across the heart of the plate and just beneath the arc of Trout’s bat.

Ohtani chucked his glove, spread his arms and roared. He called the victory “the best moment of my life.” Upon returning to Angels camp, he tried to project how it might feel to reach the MLB postseason. “The atmosphere was like, ‘Now this is baseball,’” Ohtani told reporters. “Honestly, I haven’t been to the World Series. So I can’t even imagine.”

Shohei Ohtani exulted after recording the final out of the World Baseball Classic. (Eric Espada / Getty Images)

The Angels never presented him an opportunity to sniff a wild card, let alone the World Series. In Ohtani’s six seasons in Anaheim, the club never won more than 80 games. The 2023 season encapsulated the futility with a 17-39 collapse after July. Unable to pitch after damaging his right elbow, Ohtani cleared out his locker in the middle of September, left the team and underwent surgery. Free agency beckoned.

In early December, Ohtani met with Dodgers officials at Dodger Stadium. Team chairman Mark Walter awakened Ohtani’s competitive spirit when the owner called his tenure running the club, which included perpetual postseason berths but only one championship, a failure. Ohtani stood in the dugout and gazed upon the 56,000-seat stadium, with the hills of Chavez Ravine beyond the outfield walls, the scenic continuum from the days of Sandy Koufax and Don Drysdale to Kirk Gibson and Orel Hershiser to Clayton Kershaw, Mookie Betts and Freddie Freeman.

A week later, Dodgers president of baseball operations Andrew Friedman received a text from Nez Balelo, Ohtani’s agent from CAA: “You got him. Shohei’s a Dodger.” The contract was heavily deferred so that Ohtani would only be paid $2 million annually during his 10 seasons. The deal kicked off a $1.2 billion spending spree adding Orix Buffaloes ace Yoshinobu Yamamoto and gifted but fragile right-hander Tyler Glasnow. The franchise prepared itself for a banner season: A proliferation of new sponsorships, a re-energized fanbase ready to pack the ballpark and a team projected to demolish the rest of the National League.

The giddiness ended hours before the season’s first game.

On his third night in Seoul, Kasten could not sleep. The jet lag from the 14-hour flight to South Korea for the season-opening series against San Diego had not yet faded. On March 19, his phone buzzed around 3 a.m.

“If you’re up,” the message from Walter read, as Kasten recalled, “call me.”

Walter had received word there might be a scandal brewing around Ohtani. The team was caught off guard, Kasten said. The initial details were alarming: A federal investigation into a Southern California bookmaker had turned up Ohtani’s name attached to wire transfers worth millions of dollars.

“For six to 12 hours, I wasn’t sure where we were,” Kasten said. “Was all of this going to go away? Like, all of this?”

Dodgers officials spent the subsequent day scrambling. The maelstrom swirled around Ippei Mizuhara, Ohtani’s interpreter since joining the Angels in 2018. Mizuhara operated as more than a work colleague. He was considered Ohtani’s close friend and had become something of a caretaker, with access to the worldwide star’s bank accounts. The control permitted Mizuhara to commit, as he later admitted in court, a massive swindle. In the moment, though, Mizuhara attempted another con. With the season about to begin that night, Mizuhara told ESPN he had accrued gambling debts without Ohtani’s knowledge and eventually implored his friend to pay them off. The Dodgers accepted Mizuhara’s initial story.

That night, after an Opening Day victory, Walter called a team meeting. Friedman informed the group that Ohtani had acted as a Good Samaritan to help his friend. Mizuhara called himself a gambling addict and apologized. When Mizuhara spoke, no one translated for Ohtani. Ohtani would later say he thought “something was amiss.”

Ohtani met with Mizuhara back at the team hotel. Mizuhara confessed to the fraud. A kinetic chain of panic followed. A crisis communications spokesman told ESPN that Mizuhara’s initial story was not credible. Mizuhara admitted to the outlet that he had lied. The Dodgers fired him. In the morning, they convened the team again.

“We had to now go to all the players at breakfast, who we had nine hours earlier told this story, and we had to say, ‘Cancel everything we said,’” Kasten said. “And they all go, ‘OK, what the f—?’”

Amid the confusion, Ohtani maintained his composure. “The next day, he showed up to the field, and it was like nothing was going on,” Hernández said. “To me, that was like, ‘Wow. This guy. Who are you, man? Is this normal?’”

It took time to suss everything out. At a news conference in Los Angeles on March 25, Ohtani insisted he had “never bet on baseball or any other sport” and called himself “beyond shocked.” Mizuhara eventually admitted to stealing $17 million from Ohtani and pleaded guilty to bank fraud and tax fraud, and is scheduled to be sentenced in December. He faces up to 33 years in prison.

Ippei Mizuhara departing federal court. (Frederic J. Brown / AFP via Getty Images)

The Dodgers replaced Mizuhara with Will Ireton, a longtime employee who had previously worked with Kenta Maeda. Members of the organization have suggested Ohtani appears more comfortable with them now that Mizuhara, who acted as a buffer, is gone. Ohtani appeared unfazed on the field: He posted a 1.017 OPS with seven homers in the season’s first month and never slowed down.

And the scandal did not diminish Ohtani’s reputation or money-making capacity. Dodger Stadium leads the sport in attendance yet again and no club draws more fans on the road. The team spent the spring and summer announcing new partnerships. Ohtani conducts all of his interviews in front of a makeshift backdrop featuring advertisements for All Nippon Airways, Daiso, Toyo Tires and Walter’s Guggenheim Partners. The Dodgers will open the 2025 season against the Chicago Cubs in Tokyo. The influx of interest from Japanese sponsors has been “way past anything we imagined, in terms of interest,” Kasten said.

Back in January, weeks after he signed with the Dodgers, Ohtani visited Dodger Stadium to test his surgically-repaired right elbow in the batting cage. As Ohtani took hacks off a tee, vice president of player performance Brandon McDaniel monitored the velocity of each swing. The data looked metronomic, the product of a player with precise control of his limbs, even in a wounded state. “It’s like 70 mph, 70, 70, 71, 71, 71,” McDaniel said. “It’s like he knows exactly where he’s at in space.”

That was one of the first inklings McDaniel had about what he called Ohtani’s “brain-to-body connection,” his will to athletic power. “It’s almost like when he puts his mind to something, he’s going to make it happen,” McDaniel said.

Before Ohtani joined the Dodgers, team officials did not consider him an adroit base runner. His jumps were substandard and his approach was unrefined. Yet the physical tools were there: Dodgers officials found that Ohtani combined fast-twitch explosiveness with power earned at the squat rack. (As the year progressed, several Dodgers could not help but notice, when congratulating Ohtani after his various feats, the firmness of his backside.) In spring training, McCullough, the running game coordinator, noticed Ohtani refining his acceleration and technique with strength coach Travis Smith. Unable to pitch, Ohtani recognized he would have energy to burn. “He was looking at this year as an opportunity to be more aggressive,” McCullough said.

The Dodgers didn’t consider Shohei Ohtani to be an elite base runner until seeing him in action this season. (Michael Owens / Getty Images)

Ohtani obsesses over larceny in 90-foot increments. He has only been caught four times all season. On the first day of each series, McCullough conveys to the hitters big-picture thoughts about running against the opposing team. Then he sits with Ohtani and Ireton to break down each pitcher. Then Ohtani pulls out his iPad. “He’s literally looking at the side view of the pitcher,” Hernández said. “He’s trying to get his timing and little tips that he can get.”

As Ohtani joined the 40-40 club and inaugurated the 50-50 club, he continued to rehabilitate his elbow. He started throwing bullpen sessions in August. He could face hitters in October, if not sooner. He was noncommittal when asked if he could pitch in the postseason. “I’m not sure,” he said last week. If the door is not exactly open, Ohtani has prevented it from closing.

“It’s been really impressive to see the diligence,” Kershaw said. “Every day, you’ve got to think about throwing. You’ve got to think about hitting. You’ve got to look at pitchers to see if you can steal off them. You’ve got to do hitters’ meetings. You’ve got to think about trying to throw a curveball. It’s just so much. And he does it all, really well.”

To Roberts, Ohtani will face a crossroads in October.

“I think it can go one of two ways,” the manager said.

One path, Roberts explained, is the route navigated by former Dodgers Corey Seager and Cody Bellinger in 2017. In the World Series, Houston preyed upon the overeagerness of the duo, who could not recognize that Astros pitchers would not challenge them in the strike zone. The other path is the one Seager took in World Series MVP performances for the Dodgers in 2020 and the Texas Rangers in 2023. Seager learned to control his at-bats, draw the opponent into his desired zone and take walks if the pitcher refused to engage.

Roberts chuckled.

“My hope” for Ohtani, he said, “is certainly the latter.”

Despite his penchant for the dramatic, Ohtani has been least effective in 2024 during the highest-leverage moments. He entered last weekend’s series against Colorado batting .250 with an .812 OPS with runners in scoring position, 50 points of batting average and nearly 200 points of OPS below his season averages. Some Dodgers officials, as Angels officials did before them, noted that Ohtani’s approach did not often waver. Every swing was designed for maximum damage rather than utmost effectiveness.

In October, Roberts expects opponents to try to exploit Ohtani’s zeal to astound on this new stage. Roberts plans to meet with Ohtani before the postseason. “I’m going to give him the answer key,” Roberts said. He wants Ohtani to learn from the example of Seager rather than suffer through similar growing pains. Against elite opponents, Roberts intends to remind Ohtani, selectivity matters as much as aggression.

“He’s the best hitter on the planet,” Roberts said. “In the postseason, people are going to take their chances with the guys behind him — even if it’s Mookie Betts and Freddie Freeman.”

Betts and Freeman could only gawk at Ohtani after a day like last Thursday in Miami, when Ohtani delivered six hits in six at-bats, 10 RBIs, homers No. 49, 50 and 51, plus stolen bases No. 50 and 51. “It was just unexplainable to witness history like that,” Betts said.

Shohei Ohtani was celebrated in Miami after becoming the charter member of the 50-50 club on Sept. 19. (The Yomiuri Shimbun via AP Images )

The victory clinched a postseason berth — a routine occurrence for the Dodgers, a first for Ohtani. It came near the end of a challenging campaign for the perennial overlords of the National League West. The Dodgers never ran away with the division. Betts broke his hand in June, missed two months and moved out of the leadoff spot to make room for Ohtani. (“Whatever Shohei says goes,” Betts said in August.) Yamamoto hurt his shoulder, then returned in September, but earlier this month Glasnow suffered a season-ending elbow sprain.

The vibes have not always been great. Roberts conceded that the pressure of being the Dodgers, where anything less than a championship can be considered a disappointment, saps joy out of the chase. Betts agreed. “People are going to mess up, but it shouldn’t be the end of the world,” he said earlier this month. “The expectations placed on us make it the end of the world.”

Yet Ohtani signed up for that burden because he had grown tired of languishing amidst mediocrity. He expressed his gratitude during a champagne toast in Miami. Then he and Ireton stood in front of the advertisement-laden backdrop to take questions from three dozen reporters. Someone asked about October. No active player has appeared in more games than Ohtani without ever participating in the postseason. That would soon change. “My goal has always been to make it to the playoffs,” Ohtani said. “It’s something that I’ve really worked hard (for), and I’m really happy to be able to make it. Now my goal is to deliver in a playoff situation.”

Back in the clubhouse, the celebration was subdued. An array of plastic flutes sat half-full next to a few bottles of Veuve Clicquot. The television flashed to footage recorded before a game earlier in the week, a reminder of the impossible dream that may only be improbable. On the screen, Ohtani occupied a bullpen mound.

He was pitching.

(Illustration by Dan Goldfarb / The Athletic; Getty; Rob Leiter / MLB Photos, Justin Casterline, Chris Coduto, Katelyn Mulcahy, Ric Tapia / Icon Sportswire)

We are about a quarter of the way through the college football season, and there has been no shortage of drama. Three of the 12 teams projected to make the College Football Playoff by my model in the preseason are no longer in the field, and three teams that were on the bubble have also fallen by the wayside. All of that in just four weeks.

When I wrote a stock report after Week 2, the teams that were trending up were Miami, Tennessee and USC. As it stands, Miami is the projected No. 3 seed as the team to beat in the ACC (72 percent chance to make the Playoff, 40 percent chance to win the ACC). Tennessee is coming off a road win at Oklahoma and is slotted as the 10 seed with a 73 percent chance to make the field. And despite a road loss to Michigan, USC is hanging on to a spot in the projected bracket as the 11 seed with a 45 percent chance. Miami and Tennessee have increased their projected seed since two weeks ago (up one spot each), while USC dropped one spot.

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On the other end, the three teams I wrote about who were trending down were Oregon, Notre Dame and Michigan. Oregon is still in the projected Playoff field as the No. 6 seed, and its Playoff odds have risen to 87 percent, even if its overall team rating has not increased in my rankings. Notre Dame has moved up on the bubble since two weeks ago after a crushing home defeat to Northern Illinois, but the Irish’s Playoff odds have risen only 5 percentage points to 37 percent.

As for Michigan? Yes, the Wolverines just earned a season-saving win against USC, but I’m not sold on the Wolverines yet, and neither is my model.

Stock up

Penn State

The Nittany Lions’ Playoff odds have gone up 8 percentage points over the past two weeks to 80 percent, sixth highest in the country. More importantly, their overall team strength has gone up 2.5 points (this is compared to an average FBS team). The defense has taken some bumps and bruises but still should be a top-20 unit. The major improvement has been the offense. Penn State ranks seventh in expected points added (EPA) per play on offense, 13th in offensive success rate and third in explosive play percentage, according to TruMedia. Sure, the Kent State game might be propping up these numbers a bit, but Penn State wiped the floor with West Virginia’s defense on the road and beat up on a solid Bowling Green team that just gave Texas A&M all it could handle in College Station.

The other thing that works out nicely for Penn State is its schedule. Penn State is projected to be favored in all but one game the rest of the year — and even in that one game at home against Ohio State, my model gives the Nittany Lions a 48 percent chance of winning. A road game at USC will be another tough task, but outside of that, the road trips to Wisconsin and Minnesota don’t look as daunting as they did at the start of the season.

My model has Penn State winning 10-plus games in 72 percent of simulations, which should get it into the Playoff.

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Drew Allar ranks second in the FBS in pass efficiency rating. (Matthew O’Haren / Imagn Images)

Boise State

Boise State was a couple of bounces away from taking down Oregon in Eugene, but despite the early blemish, the Broncos’ Playoff odds have increased by 13 percentage points, all the way up to 36 percent from two weeks ago. Now, I must say that the Group of 5 projection could be a little wonky, as I’m not sure how the committee will view each conference. But one thing the Broncos have going for them is that Memphis (Navy) and Texas State (Arizona State) lost in the past two weeks, and neither loss will be as good as a road loss to Oregon. A win against Washington State this week, in a game in which it’s favored by around a touchdown, would be a huge boost to Boise State’s resume.

Boise State has arguably the best running back in college football in Ashton Jeanty, who could be the first running back taken in next year’s NFL Draft. He ranks first nationally in EPA per rush and third in percentage of rushes that go 20-plus yards. Even if defenses stack the box, Jeanty can burn you. If there was a Heisman Trophy given to a non-Power 4 player, Jeanty would be the favorite. And he’s the biggest reason why Boise State has the best Playoff odds in the Group of 5.

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Stock down

Michigan

Yes, Michigan just beat USC, but it passed for only 32 yards and won through big runs and a pick six. That’s going to be a hard recipe to sustain against quality opponents. Sure, the Alex Orji move at quarterback is best for the team, but at the end of the day, the Wolverines appear to be just a more athletic/talented version of the Iowa teams of the past few years. Can they win eight or nine games? Yes. But a Playoff run? That’s unlikely.

Michigan still has Oregon at home as well as a trip to Ohio State. Don’t sleep on road trips to Washington, Illinois and Indiana, either. My model gave Michigan just a 2 percent chance to make the Playoff last week, and that number increased to just 5 percent after the USC win. Such a slight increase paints the picture of the long-term concerns.

It’s possible Orji allows the Wolverines’ run game to be more explosive than it was the first three weeks. Kalel Mullings seems to be their best running back, and they leaned on him late against USC. And running the ball efficiently while taking care of the football with a great defense has been successful in past years of the Big Ten. I’m just not sure it’s a recipe to become a Playoff team. With a loss already on the schedule and the tricky slate still ahead, I have had time seeing Michigan getting to double-digit wins.

GO DEEPER

Michigan finds the right formula: Final thoughts on a classic win over USC

LSU

I expected some regression on offense after LSU lost a Heisman Trophy quarterback in Jayden Daniels along with two first-round wide receivers, but I also expected some improvement on defense. To this point, LSU just isn’t good enough on defense. It ranks 83rd in EPA per play, 74th in defensive success rate and 82nd in yards per play on first down. It’s also played a tough schedule with USC and South Carolina, and the upcoming SEC slate isn’t easy with Alabama, Ole Miss, Texas A&M and Oklahoma. The front seven was thin to begin the year and just lost star linebacker Harold Perkins Jr. to a season-ending injury.

My projections had LSU at 24 percent to make the Playoff two weeks ago, and that number has fallen to just 12 percent heading into Week 5. Narrowly escaping South Carolina and being tied with a bad UCLA team at home going into halftime isn’t going to give my model any confidence in LSU. Could the offense carry the Tigers for a few games? Yes, of course. I’m actually bullish on the offense for the rest of the season behind Garrett Nussmeier. Unfortunately, LSU hasn’t made the strides necessary on defense to become a Playoff contender.

GO DEEPER

LSU star LB Harold Perkins out for season with torn ACL: Source

(Photo: Gregory Shamus / Getty Images)

The last week of the MLB regular season is upon us. While some postseason tickets have been punched, there are several spots left to claim and first-round byes to secure for the top two teams in each league. Let’s check in on the 15 teams still in the playoff picture to see what our writers are focusing on during this final stretch and how the most relevant tiebreakers line up for each team.

(Note: Y indicates a team has clinched a division title; X denotes a team has clinched a postseason berth.) 

National League

1. Los Angeles Dodgers (93-63) — x

So much is still in flux for the Dodgers in terms of seeding, including even landing a first-round bye. The Dodgers still have more than a 90 percent chance of winning the NL West again, according to FanGraphs, but one bad series against the Padres could make things quite interesting. The offense is explosive and dynamic (with Shohei Ohtani and Mookie Betts, in particular, being the drivers ahead of Freddie Freeman). The bullpen appears as deep as it’s been all season. The question, for the second year in a row, is the starting pitching. It’s likely that Jack Flaherty, Yoshinobu Yamamoto, Walker Buehler and Landon Knack will factor into the Dodgers’ rotation plans, which isn’t exactly how the organization pictured things this spring. — Fabian Ardaya

Remaining series: vs. Padres (three games), at Rockies (three games)

Tiebreakers: Philadelphia holds the tiebreaker over Los Angeles for seeding, but the Dodgers have the tiebreaker over Milwaukee. San Diego holds the tiebreaker over L.A. for the division title.

GO DEEPER

Dodgers takeaways: A big week ahead with postseason implications

2. Philadelphia Phillies (93-64) — y

The Phillies have guaranteed a postseason berth for the third consecutive season — only the third time that has happened in club history. They captured their first National League East title in 13 years with a win over the Cubs on Monday night; the next step is securing a first-round bye. That could be in hand before the weekend. They stumbled during a road trip to Milwaukee and New York — two teams the Phillies could see in October — but it was not because they didn’t pitch. This is a team built on its four-deep rotation and hard-throwing bullpen. If there is a fear, it’s that this boom-or-bust lineup filled with talent has a cold week in October. One thing to monitor: The Phillies have chased pitches out of the strike zone at a higher rate (34 percent) in September than any other month this season. — Matt Gelb

Remaining series: vs. Cubs (two games), at Nationals (three games)

Tiebreakers: Philadelphia holds tiebreakers over Los Angeles and Milwaukee.

GO DEEPER

Alec Bohm shows the boost he can give playoff-bound Phillies, who have ‘bigger goals’

3. Milwaukee Brewers (89-67) — y

The Brewers are the only team in baseball that has not endured a four-game losing streak all season. It took a shocking comeback Sunday against the Diamondbacks to keep that alive. Down eight runs in the third inning, the Brewers rallied for an eventual 10-9 victory. It was a needed win for a team that easily clinched the NL Central despite a 9-11 record so far in September. The Brewers’ odds of earning a first-round bye are down to about 1 percent. Milwaukee needs its lineup to start clicking if it wants to regain favor as a potential October spoiler. With players such as Sal Frelick slumping and Willy Adames hitting only .208 in September, the Brewers’ team wRC+ of 81 this month ranks 24th in MLB. — Cody Stavenhagen

Remaining series: at Pirates (three games), vs. Mets (three games)

Tiebreakers: Philadelphia and Los Angeles hold tiebreakers over Milwaukee.

GO DEEPER

‘We’ve been through a lot’: Diamondbacks closing in on return to postseason

Manny Machado and the Padres start a big series against the Dodgers on Tuesday. (Orlando Ramirez / Imagn Images)

4. San Diego Padres (90-66)

At the trade deadline, the Padres dramatically upgraded what might now be the best bullpen in the league. The returns have been as hoped; San Diego’s deep collection of high-leverage arms has been featured heavily amid a 40-17 second half. If there is a concern, it’s the pitch usage of Robert Suarez. The closer rode his fastball-reliant approach to his first All-Star appearance, but he has struggled to consistently miss bats since the first week of August. As the Padres try to chase down their first division title since 2006 — San Diego must finish at least 5-1 to have a chance — can Suarez make successful adjustments? And if he continues to falter, will manager Mike Shildt be more inclined to deploy another All-Star closer, Tanner Scott, in the ninth? — Dennis Lin

Remaining series: at Dodgers (three games), at Diamondbacks (three games)

Tiebreakers: San Diego holds the tiebreaker over Los Angeles for the division title. The Mets have the tiebreaker over the Padres for seeding, but San Diego owns the tiebreaker versus the Braves. The Padres-Diamondbacks tiebreaker is TBD (season series is tied).

GO DEEPER

Padres move closer to playoffs, but Robert Suarez’s role is up for ‘consideration’

5. New York Mets (87-69)

The Mets can clinch a playoff berth with a series win against the Atlanta Braves. Baseball’s best team since June, the Mets have earned their spot among the contenders because of their resilience and depth. Those are hallmarks of any quality club navigating injuries, but the Mets must lean further on those characteristics to overcome the absence of Francisco Lindor, who remains out with a back issue with no firm timetable for a return. Without Lindor, the Mets have continued to roll. Their lineup has received contributions from a host of players, and that has so far been enough, but they may need more from Pete Alonso and J.D. Martinez. Their defense has vastly improved since Jose Iglesias joined the team in late May. And their pitching staff has rounded into form. Since August, all five of the Mets’ starters own sub-3.50 ERAs. Will that continue as manager Carlos Mendoza acts more aggressively with a bullpen led by Edwin Díaz? — Will Sammon

Remaining series: at Braves (three games), at Brewers (three games)

Tiebreakers: New York holds the tiebreakers over San Diego and Arizona. The Mets-Braves tiebreaker is TBD (season series is tied).

GO DEEPER

This Week in Mets: For the Mets, it all goes through Atlanta — as it should

6. Arizona Diamondbacks (87-70)

All told, the Diamondbacks should make a second consecutive postseason appearance for only the second time ever. There are a few nagging caveats. They blew their largest lead — eight runs — in franchise history Sunday, further evidence of a rough September for their relievers, whose collective ERA has been dangerously close to 7.00 this month. Starting catcher Gabriel Moreno exited early with left adductor tightness one week after his return from a left adductor strain that put him on the injured list for a month-plus. Manager Torey Lovullo said Monday that Moreno is “day-to-day.” Then there’s pitcher Merrill Kelly, who left two of his last three starts prematurely with cramping. The Mets-Braves series will have direct ramifications on where the Diamondbacks land in the final standings. Currently, the Braves are 1 1/2 games back of the Diamondbacks, who are a half-game behind the Mets and 3 1/2 behind the Padres. — Noah Furtado

Remaining series: vs. Giants (two games), vs. Padres (three games)

Tiebreakers: New York and Atlanta hold tiebreakers over Arizona. The Padres-Diamondbacks tiebreaker is TBD (season series is tied).

GO DEEPER

With spark plug Corbin Carroll thriving again, surging Diamondbacks firing on all cylinders

7. Atlanta Braves (85-71)

If the Braves and Mets playing a critical series in Atlanta during the last week of the season seems familiar, it’s because they did it in 2022 with the division on the line. Atlanta swept that one, but it’s the Mets that enter with momentum and swagger now, while the injury-depleted Braves struggle to score and support their solid pitching. Chris Sale’s velocity reduction in his last start led the Braves to give him an extra day of rest; he’ll start Wednesday against New York rather than pitch twice this week, so rookie sensation Spencer Schwellenbach starts Tuesday. The Braves have won 11 of 19, but only two of the victories were against a winning team. They trail the Mets by two games and the teams have split their previous 10, so if New York wins the series, the best the Braves could do is finish with the same record, and the Mets would own the tiebreaker. Atlanta’s only other postseason route would require an Arizona collapse. — David O’Brien

Remaining series: vs. Mets (three games), vs. Royals (three games)

Tiebreakers: Atlanta holds the tiebreaker over Arizona. San Diego has the tiebreaker over the Braves. The Braves-Mets tiebreaker is TBD (season series is tied).

GO DEEPER

Braves takeaways: Chris Sale won’t start twice in final week, Matt Olson’s resurgence

American League

Aaron Judge and Juan Soto have the Yankees in the driver’s seat for the No. 1 seed in the AL. (Wendell Cruz / USA Today / Imagn Images)

1. New York Yankees (92-64) — x

Will the Yankees tip their hand regarding their preferred starter in left field? At this point, the division title is all but assured; they’ll need to finish the season 0-6 to miss out on winning the AL East. There are still a couple of postseason roster decisions to be made before October: Who will be their third starter in the ALDS? Does Marcus Stroman make the roster as a long reliever? And how will they use former closer Clay Holmes? But the most intriguing question is whether 21-year-old Jasson Domínguez, their top prospect, has done enough to unseat Alex Verdugo for the starting left field job. If Domínguez gets the majority of playing time in left field over these next six games, it could reveal how the Yankees feel about the rookie in October. — Chris Kirschner

Remaining series: vs. Orioles (3 games), vs. Pirates (3 games)

Tiebreakers: New York holds the tiebreaker over Guardians for seeding. The Yankees-Orioles tiebreaker is TBD. (New York is 4-6 against them this season.)

GO DEEPER

Yankees takeaways: How Juan Soto is influencing Jasson Domínguez; Aaron Judge on Shohei Ohtani

2. Cleveland Guardians (90-67) — y

Cleveland’s top priority this week is to sew up a first-round bye and the club would prefer to do that before the Astros, their primary competition for that bye, come to town for a regular season-ending series this weekend. Otherwise, there’s a lot to sort out with their playoff roster. They could pick names out of a hat to determine the rotation after Tanner Bibee. Will Alex Cobb be healthy? Will Gavin Williams be trustworthy? Do Ben Lively and Matthew Boyd deserve a shot? There are a couple of bench roles up for grabs as well. The Guardians are hoping to activate Steven Kwan from the injured list in the next day or two. He’ll have to replace someone on the roster, which could give us some insight into their thinking for October. — Zack Meisel

Remaining series: vs. Reds (two games), vs. Astros (three games)

Tiebreakers: New York holds the tiebreaker over Cleveland for seeding. The Guardians-Astros tiebreaker is TBD. (Cleveland is 1-2 against them this season.)

GO DEEPER

‘This is the coolest thing in the world’: Scenes from a Guardians champagne celebration

3. Houston Astros (85-72)

On June 18, the worst team in modern major-league history shut out the Astros, sending them seven games below .500 and 10 games behind the Seattle Mariners in the AL West. Houston has gone 52-31 since, seizing advantage of Seattle’s epic collapse to put itself on the precipice of a fourth consecutive division title. One win in the next two games against the Mariners will seal the Astros’ division title — and send them into uncharted territory. FanGraphs gives them just a 1.2 percent chance of clinching a first-round bye, but three games against the Guardians to end the season could give Houston a chance to avoid the wild-card round. First-year manager Joe Espada would then have to decide whether resting overworked second baseman Jose Altuve along still-injured cornerstones Kyle Tucker, Yordan Alvarez and Alex Bregman is more prudent than chasing a bye his team is unlikely to get. — Chandler Rome

Remaining series: vs. Mariners (two games), at Guardians (three games)

Tiebreakers: New York holds the tiebreaker over Houston for seeding, while the Astros-Guardians tiebreaker is TBD. (Houston is 2-1 against them this season.) The Mariners have the tiebreaker over Houston for the division title.

GO DEEPER

Justin Verlander’s struggles continue in possible final start at Minute Maid Park

4. Baltimore Orioles (86-70)

The Orioles are all but certain to be playoff-bound, but that’s about the only good thing going for them. They’ve lost 11 of 16 to basically destroy all hope of a second straight AL East crown. And the only reason they’re still likely to host the wild-card round is due to Kansas City and Minnesota having similarly rough September stretches. Adley Rutschman is hitting just .189 over his last 15 games, as part of a team-wide offensive downturn. They DFA’d reliever Craig Kimbrel last week, as the bullpen’s effectiveness remains in flux. The Orioles have the talent to be a World Series contender, but they have thus far saved their worst baseball for the worst possible time. — Sam Blum

Remaining series: at Yankees (three games), at Twins (three games)

Tiebreakers: Baltimore holds the tiebreaker over Kansas City. Detroit has the tiebreaker over the Orioles. The Yankees-Orioles tiebreaker is TBD. (Baltimore is 6-4 against them this season.)

GO DEEPER

Orioles designate Craig Kimbrel for assignment

5. Kansas City Royals (82-74)

On Sept. 14, the Royals improved to 82-67 and had a 98.8 percent chance to make the postseason, according to FanGraphs. Since then, they’ve lost seven straight games and, as of Monday, their playoff odds had plummeted to 68.6 percent. In all, the Royals are 7-14 since first baseman Vinnie Pasquantino exited with a broken thumb on Aug. 29. With Pasquantino sidelined and Salvador Perez slugging .324 in September, the offense has disappeared. Kansas City has scored just four runs in its last five games, including one in a three-game sweep by the San Francisco Giants. With the Tigers facing the Chicago White Sox in their final series, the Royals may need to take four of six games against the Washington Nationals and Braves — at least — to stay ahead of the Twins. — Rustin Dodd 

Remaining series: at Washington (three games), at Braves (three games)

Tiebreakers: Kansas City holds the tiebreaker over Detroit and Seattle, but the Orioles and Twins have the tiebreaker over the Royals.

GO DEEPER

Around Bobby Witt Jr., Royals build a new culture and enter MLB’s modern era

6. Detroit Tigers (82-74)

As of Monday afternoon, the Tigers’ playoff odds were up to 71 percent. They need to stay hot, especially in the upcoming series against the Tampa Bay Rays. But beyond that, it will be interesting to see if the Tigers can clinch a playoff spot — and whether they can push for the second wild card — entering Game 162 against the Chicago White Sox. Tarik Skubal will be slated to start that day, but Detroit might prefer to push him to the opening game of the Wild Card Series if possible. Otherwise, the Tigers would be without their ace on full rest for their first playoff series in a decade. — Cody Stavenhagen

Remaining series: vs. Rays (three games), vs. White Sox (three games)

Tiebreakers: Detroit has the tiebreaker over Seattle and Baltimore, but Kansas City and Minnesota have the tiebreaker over the Tigers.

GO DEEPER

As the Tigers surge toward the playoffs, here’s what it will take to finish the job

7. Minnesota Twins (81-75)

At this point, the Twins simply need wins to avoid completing one of the biggest collapses in team history. Minnesota was 70-53 in mid-August, with playoff odds around 95 percent. Since then, the Twins are 11-22 and have fallen out of playoff position for the first time since early May. They’re fortunate to finish at home, with three games against the last-place Marlins and three games against a likely playoff-bound Orioles team that may not have much at stake. Holding tiebreakers over the Royals, Tigers and Mariners provides a half-game boost, but that may not matter unless the Twins can go at least 4-2. It’s not asking a lot against two less-than-motivated foes, but the last time the Twins had at least four wins in any six-game stretch was Aug. 13-18, which also happens to mark the start of this free fall.

— Aaron Gleeman

Remaining series: vs. Marlins (three games), vs. Orioles (three games)

Tiebreakers: Minnesota holds tiebreakers over Detroit, Kansas City and Seattle.

GO DEEPER

Gleeman: Twins’ pitching collapse exactly what fans feared from payroll cut, inaction

8. Seattle Mariners (81-76)

It’s been a dozen years since a team led the majors in ERA and missed the playoffs (Tampa Bay, 2012), but that’s in play for Seattle, which finished the weekend outside the playoff mix with an MLB-low 3.52 ERA. The Mariners have scored more runs under new manager Dan Wilson and hitting coach Edgar Martinez, and Julio Rodríguez has finally come alive. But it’s hard to trust this group of hitters, and the Astros’ staff presents a challenge this week. Logan Gilbert and George Kirby are set to start the next two games in Houston, so that’s encouraging, but Luis Castillo is out with a hamstring strain and the bullpen has been shaky lately. This week will have to go almost perfectly for the Mariners to have a chance — and even then, they’ll need some luck, because they own none of the relevant tiebreakers. — Tyler Kepner

Remaining series: at Astros (two games), vs. A’s (three games)

Tiebreakers: Baltimore, Detroit, Kansas City and Minnesota hold tiebreakers over Seattle. The Mariners have the tiebreaker over Houston for the division title.

GO DEEPER

With the Mariners at a crisis point, Jerry Dipoto promotes Dan Wilson to manager

(Top image: Dan Goldfarb / The Athletic. Riley Greene: Matt Dirksen / Getty Images; Mookie Betts: Rich von Biberstein / Icon Sportswire / Getty Images)

By Ben Standig, Paul Dehner Jr. and Mark Puleo

In a battle of recent LSU Heisman Trophy-winning quarterbacks, the rookie upended the Pro Bowl veteran and, in the process, may have dashed the Cincinnati Bengals’ playoff hopes before the calendar hits October. The Bengals fell to 0-3 with their 38-33 loss to Washington on Monday.

For the Commanders, it was Jayden Daniels’ night to prove he’s the future as the No. 2 pick orchestrated long drive after long drive, leading Washington to five touchdowns. The fourth of those end zone trips came on a 1-yard lob to 320-pound offensive tackle Trent Scott for Daniels’ first career passing touchdown.

JAYDEN DANIELS’ FIRST CAREER TD PASS IS AN OFFENSIVE LINEMAN TD!

📺: #WASvsCIN on ABC
📱: Stream on #NFLPlus and ESPN+ pic.twitter.com/xOuWz3wiPa

— NFL (@NFL) September 24, 2024

The high-flying shootout kept Daniels and Joe Burrow busy but made for an exhausting night for the defenses and a boring night for the punters. Monday’s game marked the first contest since 1940 without a punt or takeaway.

For the Bengals, the loss punched a hole in the team’s preseason title hopes. Cincinnati entered 2024 with the sixth-best Super Bowl odds, per BetMGM, but faces a historically steep climb to make the playoffs. Since 1990, only four teams have made the playoffs after an 0-3 start.

The Daniels era is here

Little has fazed Daniels at the pro level. Monday night’s national television audience witnessed the rookie quarterback’s poise and compelling talent. In his first prime-time game, Daniels frustrated Cincinnati’s defense all night by evading one pass rusher and tackler after another.

He steadily delivered deep completions and chain-moving short tosses. Then Daniels showed his flair for dramatics by saving his best for last, a pinpoint 27-yard lob to Terry McLaurin for the quarterback’s second touchdown pass of the game and season. The future is unknown and yet the future is here right now for the Commanders in the form of a thrilling quarterback. — Ben Standig, Commanders beat writer

GO DEEPER

Jayden Daniels, out of central casting, looks like a leading man for Washington

Trent Scott celebrates after catching a touchdown pass in the third quarter, the first of Jayden Daniels’ career. (Dylan Buell / Getty Images)

The Burrow era hits rock bottom

Welcome to the nightmare scenario for the 2024 Bengals. Slow starts have followed them every year, yet they’ve quickly found ways to dig out of it before the season got too far away from them. It’s fair to wonder if they’ve already blown hope for the year after Daniels and Washington tore their defense apart.

The Steelers are already 3-0 and the Bengals gave away two home games against teams that drafted in the top five, hired a new coach and picked a quarterback. When you have Burrow and continuity in spades across the coaching staff, this type of disaster to start the year cannot happen. Between all the off-the-field mess and what’s happened on it, this ranks as one of the worst three-week spans of the Burrow era. — Paul Dehner Jr., Bengals beat writer

Kliff Kingsbury has Commanders cooking

The Commanders need more offensive playmakers. That is true, at least by fantasy football standards. What’s also accurate through three weeks is coordinator Kliff Kingsbury continues maximizing the options available.

Washington scored on all six full possessions against Cincinnati. That extended its streak to 14 consecutive scoring drives dating to Week 1, not including kneel-downs. Remarkable doesn’t begin to describe that efficiency. Running back Austin Ekeler powered the early attack and McLaurin carried the scoring burden after halftime. All occurred with Daniels running the show and Kingsbury calling intelligent plays.

When your skill players aren’t headliners, you look for any advantage. Daniels and Kingsbury were masterful in that regard. — Standig

Jayden Daniels had a historic MNF debut: 293 total yards, 91.3 comp%, 3 total TDs 🔥@JayD__5 | @Commanders pic.twitter.com/TMUHGzUjsw

— NFL (@NFL) September 24, 2024

Washington loses Ekeler in win

The Commanders ruled out Ekeler after he suffered a concussion in the second half, and coach Dan Quinn did not have an update on the running back’s status postgame.

Washington plays the Arizona Cardinals in Week 4. Rather than fly home, the Commanders will practice all week in Phoenix. Ekeler will not travel with the team.

He had 55 yards from scrimmage in Monday’s win, with 24 coming on a second-quarter touchdown run. Ekeler also had a kickoff return for 62 yards. — Standig

Bengals’ defense of old bites Cincinnati

The 2023 Bengals defense was awful and embarrassing in almost every way. Cincinnati found stability in two veteran safeties and thought that would be enough to leave all the problems and explosive plays behind. Through two weeks, it appeared the Bengals had.

On Monday, they didn’t just revert to the 2023 version, they were somehow worse. They allowed five touchdowns and a field goal. It wasn’t just giving up points, but they rarely forced third downs. The Commanders were in third-and-short if they ever actually made it to that down. Then when Cincinnati did force a fourth down, it never made the big play.

Instead, the Bengals allowed three conversions that kept drives alive. The Commanders’ offense is legit, but all the concerns of the lackluster Bengals defensive line and mounting injuries were obvious in full force and there’s no immediate fix in sight. — Dehner

GO DEEPER

How bad was the Bengals’ defense Monday night? Somehow worse than it looked

Bengals’ offense was solid, but needed to be perfect

The Bengals’ offense did enough to hold its own, but on a night with no room for error, there was error. Most of it came in the red zone. Cincinnati didn’t punt or commit a turnover all night, but two failed red-zone drives and a missed field goal were more than enough to open the door for Daniels and the Commanders. Burrow and his receivers didn’t appear on the same page on the two failed drives. A blemish on an otherwise solid night for the offense, which had 30 first downs as Burrow threw for 324 yards, three touchdowns and no interceptions.

When the defense is that bad, none of it matters. — Dehner

Required reading

(Photo: Cooper Neill / Getty Images)

It seems like college football fans are booing the home teams and players more often, which goes right along with college football players getting paid in the open and college athletic departments early in the stages of asking for even more money so they can share court-mandated revenue with the players on top of name, image and likeness.

First of all, boo until your voice is gone. If you pay hard-earned money for a ticket to a college football game, you should be allowed to let fly with any non-offensive utterance at the highest possible volume. And yes, that includes boos directed at individual players.

This has been most apparent in 2024 at Florida State games, where quarterback DJ Uiagalelei has struggled and has heard a lot about it. The exact sum he got to transfer from Oregon State hasn’t been reported, but as one of several high-profile quarterbacks who partook in this sport’s annual free agency, it’s fair to say it was ample. The Athletic’s Bruce Feldman reported an NIL team budget of about $12 million for the Seminoles this year, and with rare exceptions the quarterback’s pay will top every team’s list.

In a sport that has been the NFL’s minor leagues for a long time but now can’t argue otherwise, fans should not be expected to act like anything but professional sports fans. I would argue those loud noises should be aimed more at the $9.9 million-a-year coach who put this team together, Mike Norvell, but I’m sure that’s the intent of many. Hopefully most.

And if exercising their right to express disappointment in the most guttural way possible is all they’re doing, these fans are not a problem. There are attacks on college football’s labor pool that are more problematic. They come from management. Let’s head to Hugh Freeze’s postgame news conference after Saturday’s five-turnover, 24-14 home loss to Arkansas.

“I know that there’s people open and I know that we’re running the football. We’ve got to find a guy that won’t throw it to the other team and we’ve got to find running backs that hold on to it,” said Freeze, who picks and coaches the players at $6.5 million a year, who is 8-9 in his second season at Auburn, who got this opportunity despite being fired in 2017 at Ole Miss for what the school termed “a pattern of personal misconduct,” who cites scripture often but did not come off very forgiving here.

College football coaches at this moment have unprecedented challenges. But annual free agency and more players getting paid more money — as opposed to select players getting paid under the table — don’t shift a sliver of accountability away from them. The coach who tries to hand any of it off is doing the work of a million boo birds and must be called out for something so pathetic.

The same is true of the coach who attacks a kid on social media. Remember that from Deion Sanders last spring? His son, Colorado quarterback Shedeur Sanders, got into it on “X” with Xavier Smith, a safety who transferred to Austin Peay after Sanders took over the program and told The Athletic of the transition under Sanders: “He was destroying guys’ confidence and belief in themselves. The way he did it, it could’ve been done with a little more compassion.”

That led to a back-and-forth that eventually saw an Austin Peay teammate defend Smith and Deion Sanders post “Lawd Jesus” in reference to a post about that teammate’s stats.

Lawd Jesus https://t.co/WVIBSUE14X

— COACH PRIME (@DeionSanders) May 1, 2024

“I gotta do better on that and not ride with it, but I was bored,” Sanders later told USA Today. “I was bored, and I didn’t say nothing hurtful. I don’t attack people.”

Except that’s clearly an attack. On an Austin Peay player. From Colorado’s $5.7 million-a-year coach. Now let’s head to that coach’s news conference last week in which he was asked about going fishing with star player Travis Hunter.

“We talk about everything and he’s not the only one,” Sanders said, adding that “I genuinely love these kids” and then pivoting unprompted to commentary on media in the NIL age.

“Once upon a time, you guys never attacked college football players,” he said. “Now, they’re making more money than y’all. And some of y’all are envious and jealous about that. So you’re on the attack. It was hands off a college player because he’s an amateur. Remember that, guys? Now, it’s hands-on. Go at ’em. Any way you want. ‘They’re making more money than me and I’m mad about it. I’m upset about it.’”

Sure, that comment lacks self-awareness, historical perspective and accuracy. The attacks on Colorado are overwhelmingly reserved for Sanders, and in part because of how he has treated some kids. Sportswriters have covered college football players with fatter bank accounts going back well before Eric Dickerson and his gold Trans Am at SMU. Pro tip for would-be sportswriters: Don’t do it if you’re angry when around people who make more than you, because you’ll be in a constant rage.

But Sanders does bring up a point worth discussing. If it’s more acceptable for fans to boo in the NIL era, should sports media treat college players as pro players?

As a young reporter covering high school football ($25 a story, less than the weekly allowance of some kids, not mad about it), I once named a player who fumbled at a key moment. An editor took it out and explained it this way: We can say the team fumbled and name the player who recovered it, but we don’t need to publicly shame someone who isn’t on scholarship and isn’t paid.

College athletes have long lived in that in-between ground, on scholarship and perhaps headed toward riches but not compensated like pros. Now there are college quarterbacks confirmed as making more than San Francisco 49ers starter Brock Purdy, for one.

“I always look at pros as the highest level and I am more directly critical of them because of ownership of what they do, it’s their job,” ESPN analyst Booger McFarland said. “College kids, although they are the ones playing, I put the ownership on the coaches since it’s their job, so to speak. NIL hasn’t really changed my analysis of the players or the game. It will change my analysis of the coaches.  They are hand-picking these teams and deciding who gets the money.”

Here’s an idea: Treat everyone with fairness and as a human being, college and pro. Criticizing without getting personal is fine. Just as booing is fine. It’s also not entirely new.

A dozen years ago, I covered a Michigan State team that had multiple quarterbacks booed off the field. In a quick poll of a couple of longtime observers of Tennessee football, both chose the same two players as the most booed by the home fans at Neyland Stadium — pre-NIL quarterbacks Jonathan Crompton and Jarrett Guarantano.

Booing is fine. Sharing an athlete’s number on social media (happened last week to Tennessee Titans quarterback Will Levis) isn’t. Sharing a coach’s address on social media (happened recently to Detroit Lions coach Dan Campbell) isn’t. Online haranguing of players and coaches and especially of people close to them — such as Uiagalelei’s fiancée, reportedly insulted by some FSU fans — aren’t.

Get guttural. Don’t get personal. NIL has changed things in three years. But we’re on about year 15 and running of empowerment of the most pathetic people in sports, those who land anonymous attacks directly on a sports figure’s phone.

The Athletic’s Bruce Feldman contributed reporting to this story. 

(Photo: James Gilbert / Getty Images)

It’s only Week 4 in the NFL, and already the league has given us plenty of surprises. Some of them have been good (Hello, Seattle Seahawks). Some have been bad (Sorry, Trevor Lawrence).

This week the Power Rankings have dug deep to find something surprising on each team, and we’ll start the surprises right off the top because we’ve got a new No. 1.

Last week: 2

Monday: Beat Jacksonville Jaguars 47-10

Surprise: That all of their offseason losses haven’t hurt

In fact, some of them might have helped. The Bills scored touchdowns on their first five possessions Monday night and led 34-3 at halftime. As long as Josh Allen is still around, anything seems possible. On Monday, Allen posted his fourth career game with 250 or more passing yards, four or more passing touchdowns and 40 or more rushing yards. That’s more than anyone in NFL history, and Allen had done it before the fourth quarter started. He finished 23-for-30 for 263 yards and four touchdowns, and Damar Hamlin grabbed his first career interception to make the night just about perfect for the Bills.

Up next: at Baltimore Ravens, Sunday, 8:20 p.m. ET

Last week: 1

Sunday: Beat Atlanta Falcons 22-17

Surprise: Travis Kelce’s mortality

The Chiefs offense isn’t “The Chiefs Offense” and a lot of that is because Kelce has only eight catches for 69 yards. He’s 19th among tight ends in receiving yards and 22nd among tight ends in targets per route run (13.6 percent), according to TruMedia. Kelce saw a pass on 24.5 percent of his routes in the last six seasons, but this season he’s on pace for just 68 targets, his fewest since 2013, when he played only one game.

Up next: at Los Angeles Chargers, Sunday, 4:25 p.m. ET

GO DEEPER

Patrick Mahomes still not playing his best, but defense keeps Chiefs undefeated

Last week: 6

Sunday: Beat Arizona Cardinals 20-13

Surprise: That every team doesn’t run hook and ladder all the time

We’ve wondered about this for a while. Watch the play below and you will, too. Amon-Ra St. Brown caught seven passes for 75 yards Sunday, one of which he flipped back to Jahmyr Gibbs for a 21-yard touchdown. It was beautiful. It resulted in a touchdown with less than 30 seconds left in the half, and the day’s weirdest stat line: Gibbs, zero targets, zero catches, 20 receiving yards and a 21-yard receiving touchdown.

Up next: at Seattle Seahawks, Monday, 8:15 p.m. ET

Little hook n ladder shenanigans for the score 😈#DETvsAZ | 📺 FOX pic.twitter.com/EBUcoJeBn5

— Detroit Lions (@Lions) September 22, 2024

Last week: 7

Sunday: Beat Houston Texans 34-7

Surprise: Sam Darnold’s start

He might turn into a pumpkin by Halloween, but for now Darnold leads the NFL in touchdown passes (eight) while throwing only two interceptions. Given up on by the Jets, Panthers and 49ers, Darnold is third in the league in passer rating (117.3) playing for Vikings coach Kevin O’Connell. Darnold’s best passer rating in his first six seasons in the league was 92.6, but he outplayed Houston’s C.J. Stroud on Sunday by a wide margin, throwing four touchdown passes. One note on defense: The Vikings became the third team since 1990 to have at least five sacks in each of their first three games.

Up next: at Green Bay Packers, Sunday, 1 p.m. ET

GO DEEPER

Vikings, Packers coaches make the NFC North the NFL’s best division: Sando’s Pick Six

5. Houston Texans (2-1)

Last week: 4

Sunday: Lost to Minnesota Vikings 34-7

Surprise: C.J. Stroud is human

The Texans second-year quarterback had the second-worst game of his career as measured by passer rating (68.6) on Sunday. He threw multiple interceptions (two) for just the second time in his career. Getting running back Joe Mixon back from an ankle sprain, whenever that happens, would be a big help. Mixon had 159 of Houston’s 326 rushing yards this season in Week 1. In his first full game on the bench, the Texans had 38 rushing yards and averaged 2.7 yards per carry on Sunday in Minnesota, and Brian Flores’ blitzes rattled Stroud, which we were beginning to think was impossible.

Up next: vs. Jacksonville Jaguars, Sunday, 1 p.m. ET

6. Seattle Seahawks (3-0)

Last week: 10

Sunday: Beat Miami Dolphins 24-3

Surprise: This team leads the NFC West by two games

It’s not the 49ers. It’s not the Rams. It’s Geno Smith and first-year head coach Mike Macdonald. Smith is second in the league in completion percentage (74.8) and is playing as well as any passer in the league. Only four quarterbacks have more than his 823 passing yards. On top of that, the Seahawks defense is the stingiest in the league, allowing just 3.9 yards per play.

Up next: at Detroit Lions, Monday, 8:15 p.m. ET

Coach Matt LaFleur has guided the Packers to two wins in a row without quarterback Jordan Love. (Patrick McDermott / Getty Images)

7. Green Bay Packers (2-1)

Last week: 12

Sunday: Beat Tennessee Titans 30-14

Surprise: Matt LaFleur has never won coach of the year

Malik Willis has won more games as the starter in Green Bay than he did in two years in Tennessee, and he’s been with the Packers for less than a month. Willis, who took over when franchise quarterback Jordan Love was injured in the opener, had a 120.9 passer rating and 73 rushing yards Sunday. Willis had 350 passing yards in 11 games in Tennessee. He has 324 in two games in Green Bay. The credit goes to LaFleur, who has won 67.4 percent of his games as a head coach (11th best in NFL history). Green Bay is the fifth team since 1990 with at least 600 rushing yards in its first three games.

Up next: vs. Minnesota Vikings, Sunday, 1 p.m. ET

Last week: 15

Sunday: Beat Los Angeles Chargers 20-10

Surprise: Mike Tomlin doesn’t believe in surprises

Nobody expected the Steelers to be two games in front in the AFC North at this point except maybe their head coach. Opponents are scoring a touchdown on 16.7 percent of their trips into the red zone against Pittsburgh this year. It’s early, but that’s on pace to be the best rate in the NFL since at least 2000, according to TruMedia. That plus an offense that understands the assignment (108 team rushes versus 91 Justin Fields dropbacks) has been good enough.

Up next: at Indianapolis Colts, Sunday, 1 p.m. ET

GO DEEPER

In a battle of dominant defenses, Justin Fields was the difference for Steelers

Last week: 3

Sunday: Lost to Philadelphia Eagles 15-12

Surprise: Derek Carr, even after Sunday

An afterthought entering the season, Carr is third in the league in EPA per dropback in his 11th year in the league. His passer rating (115.7) is on pace to be the highest of his career even though Sunday was kind of a stinker — 14-for-25 passing for 142 yards and a 69.1 passer rating. First-year offensive coordinator Klint Kubiak may end up extending Carr’s career if he doesn’t get a head coaching job first.

Up next: at Atlanta Falcons, Sunday, 1 p.m. ET

10. Los Angeles Chargers (2-1)

Last week: 9

Sunday: Lost to Pittsburgh Steelers 20-10

Surprise: That Jim Harbaugh wasn’t coaching in the ’40s

The man who last week said, for some reason, “Like Moses, I’m going to die leaning on my staff,” is taking the Chargers and Justin Herbert back to three-yards-and-a-cloud-of-dust football. Herbert has played 65 NFL games. Three of his five lowest passing totals have come in the first three weeks of this season, and he’s averaging 133 yards per game. Sunday’s total was hurt when he left the game early after aggravating a high ankle sprain. If he’s out for a while, it might hurt the Chargers. Or it might not. Taylor Heinicke can handle 133 yards per game.

Up next: vs. Kansas City Chiefs, Sunday, 4:25 p.m. ET

GO DEEPER

Will anyone in the Chargers organization protect Justin Herbert from himself?

11. Philadelphia Eagles (2-1)

Last week: 11

Sunday: Beat New Orleans Saints 15-12

Surprise: That this team has won two games

Philadelphia is 31st in the NFL in turnover margin (minus-4). It has committed 28 penalties, more than all but four teams. Every fourth-down decision Nick Sirianni makes ends up being wrong. And yet the Eagles, the solo leaders in the NFC East, would be 3-0 if not for a late game-winning drive by the Falcons in Week 2. Tight end Dallas Goedert, who had 10 catches for 170 yards against the Saints, is responsible for the most recent win. It was the most yards in a game for an Eagles tight end.

Up next: at Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Sunday, 1 p.m. ET

4️⃣3️⃣ yards for 8️⃣8️⃣!@goedert33 | #FlyEaglesFly pic.twitter.com/tWiXsbsUsq

— Philadelphia Eagles (@Eagles) September 22, 2024

12. Tampa Bay Buccaneers (2-1)

Last week: 5

Sunday: Lost to Denver Broncos 26-7

Surprise: Mike Evans’ slow start

This is a Mike Evans appreciation post in disguise. He’s had 1,000 yards in each of his 10 seasons, which is remarkable, but the streak is in early danger. He has only 10 catches for 120 yards, and Chris Godwin has 10 more targets than Evans through three games. His lack of participation hadn’t hurt Tampa Bay until Sunday, when he was held to two catches for 17 yards by Patrick Surtain, and the Buccaneers were upset by the Broncos.

Up next: vs. Philadelphia Eagles, Sunday, 1 p.m. ET

13. San Francisco 49ers (1-2)

Last week: 8

Sunday: Lost to Los Angeles Rams 27-24

Surprise: That this team is last in the NFC West

Brock Purdy had a 137.1 passer rating and Jauan Jennings had 11 catches for 175 yards and three touchdowns, but it wasn’t enough to make up for Christian McCaffrey, Deebo Samuel and George Kittle being sidelined by injury. It should have been, though. The 49ers led by 10 points with 6:20 left. Purdy now has nine games with a passer rating of 130 or higher, more than any other quarterback in his first three seasons.

Up next: vs. New England Patriots, Sunday, 4:05 p.m. ET

GO DEEPER

The Rams, long the 49ers’ ‘get right’ foe, expose all their flaws

14. Baltimore Ravens (1-2)

Last week: 17

Sunday: Beat Dallas Cowboys 28-25

Surprise: It took three weeks to find Derrick Henry

It seems like someone should have remembered he was on the team earlier. Sunday, he ran over the Cowboys, breaking 12 tackles and gaining 151 yards and scoring two touchdowns on 25 carries. Henry had 45 yards over expected, according to Next Gen Stats. Lamar Jackson threw only 15 passes (completing 12) and ran for 87 yards. Still, the Ravens gave up 19 answered points in the fourth quarter and almost blew another late lead.

Up next: vs. Buffalo Bills, Sunday, 8:20 p.m. ET

Last week: 16

Thursday: Beat New England Patriots 24-3

Surprise: Braelon’s Allen debut

Aaron Rodgers had his second-highest passer rating (118.9) since September of 2022 against the Patriots, and that’s a relief for Jets fans, but it’s hardly a surprise. The man is a four-time MVP. What is a surprise is running back Braelon Allen. This was supposed to be Breece Hall’s backfield, but Allen, a rookie fourth-round draft pick, is averaging 5.1 yards per carry, almost a yard and a half more than Hall.

Up next: vs. Denver Broncos, Sunday, 1 p.m. ET

Aaron Rodgers’ TD pass to Garrett Wilson was the 480th of his career.

It was the first TD he’s thrown to a WR drafted in the 1st round. pic.twitter.com/5ZUE81lJQm

— NFL (@NFL) September 20, 2024

16. Dallas Cowboys (1-2)

Last week: 13

Sunday: Lost to Baltimore Ravens 28-25

Surprise: That kickers are so good this year

Brandon Aubrey made a 65-yard field goal, the second-longest in NFL history, in the first quarter and has hit 15 straight kicks from 50-plus yards. For the season, NFL kickers have hit 76.5 percent of their field goals from beyond 50 yards. Aubrey, though, couldn’t make up for a defense that has given up an NFL-worst 7.7 yards per play in the last two weeks.

Up next: at New York Giants, Thursday, 8:15 p.m. ET

GO DEEPER

Micah Parsons: ‘Trust is not there’ for Cowboys’ struggling defense

17. Arizona Cardinals (1-2)

Last week: 14

Sunday: Lost to Detroit Lions 20-13

Surprise: James Conner’s carry total

The Cardinals running back received only nine carries for 17 yards against the Lions on Sunday. Conner had 37 carries for 172 yards in the first two weeks. He had 21 carries for 122 yards in Week 2, and Arizona beat the Rams by 31 points. Kyler Murray led the Cardinals in rushing Sunday with five carries for 45 yards. That doesn’t seem like a winning formula.

Up next: vs. Washington Commanders, Sunday, 4:05 p.m. ET

18. Washington Commanders (2-1)

Last week: 29

Monday: Beat Cincinnati Bengals 38-33

Surprise: Just how good Jayden Daniels has been

Completion percentage is not the best indicator of quarterback success, but it’s still remarkable Washington’s rookie leads the NFL in that stat through three weeks (80.3 percent). Daniels, the No. 2 pick in the draft behind Caleb Williams, is second in the league in EPA per attempt (.43), which is a pretty good indicator of quarterback performance. On Monday night, Daniels was 21-for-23 for 254 yards and his first two NFL touchdown passes. Daniels, whose first scoring pass went to 320-pound offensive tackle Trent Scott, has yet to throw an interception.

Up next: at Arizona Cardinals, Sunday, 4:05 p.m. ET

19. Los Angeles Rams (1-2)

Last week: 26

Sunday: Beat San Francisco 49ers 27-24

Surprise: This win, that’s it

The Rams, who didn’t have Cooper Kupp, Puka Nacua and half their offensive line because of injury, had a 3.2 percent chance to win this game at one point in the fourth quarter. Then they scored three times in the final 6:15. Amid all the chaos in L.A., running back Kyren Williams just keeps plugging along. He had 116 yards from scrimmage and three touchdowns against the Niners.

Up next: at Chicago Bears, Sunday, 1 p.m. ET

GO DEEPER

Rodrigue: The chaos Rams are back, this time with lift from special teams and Matthew Stafford

20. Atlanta Falcons (1-2)

Last week: 19

Sunday: Lost to Kansas City Chiefs 22-17

Surprise: Darnell Mooney and Ray-Ray McCloud

The two newcomers to Atlanta’s offense have a combined 21 catches for 247 yards. Drake London and Kyle Pitts have 22 catches for 241 yards. The Falcons are 16th in the league in passing yards per game (199.7) so it hasn’t been a bad offense, but the prediction that Kirk Cousins would unleash the two highly drafted pass catchers hasn’t yet come to fruition. The most remarkable stat from Sunday: The Falcons went 2-for-9 on third down for the third straight game.

Up next: vs. New Orleans Saints, Sunday, 1 p.m.

Last week: 24

Sunday: Beat Chicago Bears 21-16

Surprise: That Indianapolis won in spite of Anthony Richardson

The Colts’ 22-year-old quarterback finished with a 39 passer rating and continues to confound his fan base by alternating amazing completions on impossible passes with maddening misses on easy passes. Richardson is completing less than 50 percent of his passes this season, the lowest number in the league, and his passer rating (55.9) ranks 29th. He’s played only seven career games so it’s way too early to panic, but this was a trend Richardson exhibited throughout his college career.

Up next: vs. Pittsburgh Steelers, Sunday, 1 p.m. ET

#Colts QB Anthony Richardson on why he keeps missing so many (seemingly) simple passes:

“I don’t know, man. I just gotta settle down and just let the ball spin. I just gotta give myself time and give myself some grace. I’m so hard on myself when I’m missing passes out there …” pic.twitter.com/P6GpWgVb2y

— James Boyd (@RomeovilleKid) September 22, 2024

22. Cincinnati Bengals (0-3)

Last week: 18

Monday: Lost to Washington Commanders 38-33

Surprise: The Jessie Bates falloff

Since Jessie Bates III left Cincinnati in free agency after the 2022 season, the Bengals are 28th in the NFL in EPA per 100 snaps and 31st in defensive success rate (55.2 percent), according to TruMedia. On Monday night, the Commanders and rookie quarterback Jayden Daniels marched up and down the field, gaining 357 yards and averaging 6.4 yards per play.

Up next: at Carolina Panthers, Sunday, 1 p.m. ET

23. New England Patriots (1-2)

Last week: 21

Thursday: Lost to New York Jets 24-3

Surprise: Jacoby Brissett is still walking upright

The Patriots have allowed pressure on a league-worst 45.8 percent of their dropbacks. New England has surrendered 11 sacks, which accounts for 12.5 percent of their dropbacks. This is why coach Jerod Mayo has been hesitant to start rookie Drake Maye, who got into the game in relief Thursday, completed 50 percent of his passes and got walloped on one sack.

Up next: at San Francisco 49ers, Sunday, 4:05 p.m. ET

Last week: 22

Sunday: Lost to Carolina Panthers 36-22

Surprise: That it took this long for a quarterback controversy

Controversy might be a strong word when the choices are Gardner Minshew and Aidan O’Connell, but here the Raiders are. O’Connell replaced Minshew in the fourth quarter Sunday and finished 9-for-12 for 82 yards and a touchdown. That might be enough to earn him a start, although coach Antonio Pierce didn’t sound happy with anybody after the game.

Up next: vs. Cleveland Browns, Sunday, 4:25 p.m. ET

Pierce said he believes some #Raiders players made “business decisions” later in the game. He said the team will make corresponding “business decisions” moving forward.

— Tashan Reed (@tashanreed) September 22, 2024

25. Carolina Panthers (1-2)

Last week: 32

Sunday: Beat Las Vegas Raiders 36-22

Surprise: That Carolina hasn’t already traded Bryce Young

The former No. 1 pick didn’t have much trade value after being benched to start this week. He might not have any now after how the Panthers looked with Andy Dalton at quarterback. Dalton became the first quarterback this season with three touchdown passes and more than 300 passing yards in a game, and they averaged 6.2 yards per play. Carolina was averaging 3.5 yards per play with Young at quarterback. Dalton’s passer rating Sunday (123.6) was 50 points higher than Young’s career average.

Up next: vs. Cincinnati Bengals, Sunday, 1 p.m. ET

GO DEEPER

In delivering Panthers’ stunning win over Raiders, Andy Dalton validated Dave Canales’ decision

26. Chicago Bears (1-2)

Last week: 23

Sunday: Lost to Indianapolis Colts 21-16

Surprise: Caleb Williams, even if it shouldn’t be

Not only has Williams not turned the Bears franchise around, but he hasn’t even gotten within shouting distance of good despite posting an NFL-season-high 363 passing yards Sunday. (While we’re on the subject, why did Chicago throw the ball 52 times against a team that gave up 473 rushing yards in the first two weeks?) Williams is 31st in the league in expected points added per dropback (minus-.27), 28th in passer rating (65.3) and 27th in completion percentage (59.3 percent). At least fellow rookie Rome Odunze had six catches for 112 yards against the Colts.

Up next: vs. Los Angeles Rams, Sunday, 1 p.m. ET

27. Miami Dolphins (1-2)

Last week: 20

Sunday: Lost to Seattle Seahawks 24-3

Surprise: That this team is last in scoring

Playing with backup quarterback Skylar Thompson was an issue Sunday, but even with Tua Tagovailoa, this team wasn’t clicking. The Dolphins are averaging 11 points per game. Just a season ago, they were second in scoring with 29.18 points per game. Miami, which was 1-for-12 on third down against the Seahawks, is the only team in the league to not lead a game with time on the clock this season, according to ESPN Stats & Info.

Up next: vs. Tennessee Titans, Monday, 7:30 p.m. ET

From @ESPNStatsInfo, the Dolphins are the only team in the NFL to not hold a lead for a single second this season

Their lone lead, Jason Sanders’ GW FG vs the Jaguars, came as time expired in Week 1

— Marcel Louis-Jacques (@Marcel_LJ) September 23, 2024

28. Denver Broncos (1-2)

Last week: 30

Sunday: Beat Tampa Bay Buccaneers 26-7

Surprise: Bo Nix was Sunday’s best rookie quarterback

And he’s been the second-best this season. The competition is not as tough as we imagined it would be in April, but still. Nix is second among all quarterbacks this season in rushing (107 yards) and was efficient from the pocket Sunday as Denver got its first win. With Caleb Williams’ struggles, Nix is behind only Jayden Daniels in terms of rookie quarterback value so far.

Up next: at New York Jets, Sunday, 1 p.m. ET

29. New York Giants (1-2)

Last week: 31

Sunday: Beat Cleveland Browns 21-15

Surprise: Malik Nabers’ start

Everyone thought the rookie wide receiver would be good, but this good was impossible to predict. He’s the only receiver in the league with more than 50 percent of his team’s air yards this season. On Sunday, he became the first player in NFL history with at least 20 catches and three touchdown catches in his first three games, and he’s fifth among all players with 271 receiving yards.

Up next: vs. Dallas Cowboys, Thursday, 8:15 p.m. ET

Malik Nabers was targeted 12 times on 34 routes for 8 receptions, 78 yards and 2 touchdowns, accounting for 56.9% of the Giants team air yards.

Nabers is the only receiver in the NFL to account for over half of his team’s air yards (57.6%) this season.

Powered by @awscloud pic.twitter.com/4H42o4zASW

— Next Gen Stats (@NextGenStats) September 22, 2024

30. Cleveland Browns (1-2)

Last week: 25

Sunday: Lost to New York Giants 21-15

Surprise: That they’re still trying this

Deshaun Watson has more dropbacks than any quarterback in the league this year (141) even though his EPA per dropback (minus-.28) ranks 32nd in the league. Watson’s passer rating was at least 98 from 2017-2020. He hasn’t topped 85 in a season since then, and he’s at a career-low 71.4 this year. A reminder: His salary-cap number for each of the next two seasons is $72 million.

Up next: at Las Vegas Raiders, Sunday, 4:25 p.m. ET

GO DEEPER

Browns’ offense hasn’t been just bad, it’s been borderline hopeless

31. Tennessee Titans (0-3)

Last week: 28

Sunday: Lost to Green Bay Packers 30-14

Surprise: It’s still that they fired Mike Vrabel

Soundly beaten Sunday by the quarterback they had as a third-stringer and traded away in the offseason, Tennessee turned the team over this season to first-year head coach Brian Callahan and second-year quarterback Will Levis, who has thrown four touchdown passes to Titans this year and two to their opponents. His EPA per dropback (minus-.31) ranks 33rd in the league. Vrabel might not have fixed the quarterback problem, but he probably would have won a game.

Up next: at Miami Dolphins, Monday, 7:30 p.m. ET

32. Jacksonville Jaguars (0-3)

Last week: 27

Monday: Lost to Buffalo Bills 47-10

Surprise: That Trevor Lawrence hasn’t been better

What’s going on in Jacksonville is not Lawrence’s fault. The No. 1 pick from the 2021 draft has been fine, but he hasn’t been much better than that. Since he entered the league, Lawrence is 31st among qualifying quarterbacks in passer rating (84.4), and his expected points added per dropback (minus-.01) ranks 27th. Only Josh Allen (47) and Patrick Mahomes (43) have thrown more interceptions since Lawerence (40) in that span, and those two quarterbacks have a lot more positives on their balance sheet. Lawrence was 21-for-38 for 178 yards, one touchdown and one interception in Monday night’s disaster effort before being replaced by Mac Jones when the game was out of reach.

Up next: at Houston Texans, Sunday, 1 p.m. ET

(Top photo of Zach Charbonnet and the Seahawks: Rio Giancarlo / Getty Images)

It had to be Rodri, didn’t it?

The man who, before this season, according to football data website Transfermarkt, had missed just five games through injury for Manchester City since joining the club in 2019, is out — and possibly for the rest of the season.

Why did it have to be Rodri who suffered a serious knee injury during the 2-2 draw against Arsenal on Sunday? Because football rarely fails to deliver cruel twists of irony and it was Rodri who, just last week, said players could be close to striking because they’re playing too much football.

Now, the man who never gets injured is badly injured, just weeks after being moderately injured (with a hamstring problem).

Has Rodri been felled twice in quick succession because he’s been overplayed in recent years, his body churned into mince by an unrelenting, never-ending football schedule that is full to bursting? Well, without access to Manchester City’s personalised load data and whether Rodri was already in the ‘red zone’ heading into the Arsenal game, it is impossible to be sure.

And, yes, players have always got injured and, yes, serious knee injuries aren’t always workload-related. Maybe it was just a case of bad luck, move on, nothing to see here.

What we do know, however, is that more football tends to lead to more injuries and a serious one to a player who many believe could win the Ballon d’Or next month will only amplify people’s concerns.

Within the sport, Rodri’s remarks had already garnered waves of support. “Rodri is right,” Real Madrid goalkeeper Thibault Courtois said in a conversation with Spanish streamer Ibai Llanos. “People say we earn a lot of money, that we can’t complain – and that’s true – but we have to find a balance because the best aren’t always going to be able to play.”

Thibaut Courtois backed Rodri’s calls for footballers to play less (Angel Martinez/Getty Images)

Chelsea head coach Enzo Maresca agreed. “In terms of games, it’s too much,” he said before the weekend game at West Ham. “I don’t think we protect players. For me, it’s completely wrong the amount of games that we have.”

They were not alone. Aston Villa captain John McGinn expressed similar reservations, as did Liverpool goalkeeper Alisson, City manager Pep Guardiola, La Liga president Javier Tebas and Barcelona’s Jules Kounde.

But while coaches and players are largely of one accord, the schedulers beyond the domestic leagues, like FIFA and UEFA, appear to have far less appetite to cut down on matches.

UEFA president Aleksander Ceferin told Gazzetta dello Sport two years ago: “It’s easy to attack FIFA and UEFA, but the thing is simple. If you play less, you get less money. Who should complain are the factory workers who get €1,000 (£843; $1,110) per month.”

Meanwhile, FIFA claims on its website that: “Of primary importance in football’s present and future is the protection of player health and wellbeing.

“The suggestion for an overhaul of the calendar could include mandatory rest and preparation periods with fewer matches, fewer travels and less time away from clubs and families as a result.”

Yet it is FIFA’s expansion of the Club World Cup to 32 teams at the end of July in the U.S. that has poured fuel on the schedule fire, particularly if you’re of a Manchester City or Chelsea persuasion.

City, who play Watford in the Carabao Cup tonight, 49 hours after the Arsenal game finished, could play up to 75 games this season if they reach the final of every competition they’re playing in, while Chelsea could play 74.

Throw in 10 internationals scheduled during the season and someone like Rodri (if he wasn’t injured) or Bernardo Silva has up to 85 matches scheduled between early August and mid-July, which works out at one every four days.

It is undoubtedly too much. Rodri estimated last week that 40-50 matches per season would be ideal, but anything above that leads to an inevitable drop in performance levels due to fatigue.

Rodri is facing a prolonged spell out (Michael Regan/Getty Images)

The immediate counterargument for this subject is often centred on the fact players are earning hundreds of thousands of pounds per week, so they have no right to complain about how much they are flogged.

It’s kind of a moot point given we are the ones who suffer, not just the players, if Rodri, Kevin De Bruyne or [insert players from your favourite team here] are in the treatment room rather than on the pitch. And besides, does money really excuse riding roughshod over player welfare? Is it OK to flog a player earning £200,000 a week, but not one banking £100,000 a week? Where is the cut-off point?

And we’re all complicit, too, right? Clubs are happy to take the money offered to them for extra games in UEFA or FIFA competitions without putting up a protest as to the welfare of their players, or will organise energy-sapping two-week-long pre-season tours to the U.S. or the Far East, which are purely exercises in making money. Or they’ll do post-season tours to Australia after a gruelling season and before a summer of two big international tournaments, a la Newcastle and Tottenham Hotspur.

And we, the media, or fans, we’re all complicit in that we just keep gobbling all the football up in our metaphorical goal mouths. We pay Sky Sports, TNT Sports, Amazon, CBS and whoever else to watch the games, we incessantly scour social media for football content, or play fantasy football, or download club apps.

The whole thing is disgustingly gluttonous. Brian Clough’s famous quote on football being screened on television (“You don’t want roast beef and Yorkshire pudding every night and twice on a Sunday”) became absolute decades ago.

And it’s not going to get any smaller anytime soon. The Champions League has expanded to 36 teams, the Club World Cup is going to 32 teams, the World Cup is growing from 64 matches to 104, women’s football gets bigger every year, there are more than 1,000 EFL games on UK television this season, and there’s even a new competition for non-League and Premier League under-21 teams.

What makes it stop? Player strikes would get decision-makers sat around a table, but it is hard to see anything other than the calendar being condensed so that more sustained breaks can be taken, i.e. at the end of a season or for a bigger mid-season winter break. Competitions, aside from perhaps the domestic top flights, are not going to decrease in size when they are currently getting bigger.

GO DEEPER

After Rodri’s comments, should footballers go on strike over workload? – The Debate

Dwindling audiences are probably the only thing that can slow football down. There are signs that the younger generation are less interested in watching live football and more bothered about highlights, given dwindling attention spans and the prohibitive cost of attending live matches, but we are talking about the kind of drop-off that takes a long time to make a tangible difference to the revenues of TV companies.

A tipping point will be reached at some point. It may take a deluge of injuries, or early retirements, or a drop in the standard of football owing to fatigue. Until then, money trumps everything else — we all feed the football money machine.

We’re all to blame.

(Top photo: Martin Rickett/PA Images via Getty Images)