Sports Al Dente

Buffalo Bills coach Sean McDermott announced on Monday that starting nickel cornerback Taron Johnson will not play in the game against Miami on Thursday. He also confirmed that quarterback Josh Allen is cleared to play after injuring his non-throwing left hand.

McDermott didn’t specify how long Johnson will be out after he injured his right forearm just seven plays into Arizona’s first drive in Buffalo’s 34-28 victory over the Cardinals. The team is still doing “further research” on Johnson’s injury.

Allen hurt his left hand with just under 9 minutes remaining in the game when he landed awkwardly while scoring a 6-yard touchdown after jumping over safety Budda Baker.

He was checked by medical staff on the sideline and had his hand wrapped before continuing to play.

McDermott said Allen is cleared for both practice and play after follow-up tests. Allen had a standout game, accounting for four touchdowns—two passing and two rushing—helping Buffalo overcome a 14-point deficit in the first half.

Regarding any possible limitations for Allen when taking snaps under center, McDermott said that since Allen was able to finish the game, “We’ll just see how it goes today more than anything.”

Defensive end Dawuane Smoot will miss practice and is expected to be out for a second game after injuring his toe on Thursday.

After the Saints celebrated their impressive 47-10 win over the Carolina Panthers in the Superdome, coach Dennis Allen reminded his players how rare such one-sided victories are in the NFL. He stressed this point for two reasons.

First, he wanted the team to enjoy their excellent performance. Second, he wanted them to stay realistic. The season is long, and the games ahead are expected to be more challenging.

“That was the whole message,” said receiver Rashid Shaheed, who scored a 59-yard touchdown on the opening series. “You know, not a lot of games turn out like this. … We’re going to be in a lot closer games.”

Indeed, three of New Orleans’ next four opponents were in the playoffs last season, including the defending Super Bowl champion Kansas City Chiefs.

“One game won’t define our season. So, obviously it’s one of those wins that you have to enjoy it, just because of the magnitude of it,” Saints safety Tyrann Mathieu said. “It was a big deal for us to have that kind of performance.

But I don’t think that performance has anything to do with what happens next week. We’ve got to come back to work, keep our head down, and just stay humble.”

Caleb Williams’ uneven NFL debut highlighted that the No. 1 pick in the draft still has a lot of development ahead of him. Meanwhile, the Chicago Bears are now worried about another high-profile rookie following their season-opening win over Tennessee.

Receiver Rome Odunze had an MRI on Monday due to a knee injury he sustained during the game against the Titans.

Coach Matt Eberflus mentioned that Odunze might have been injured while blocking on Sunday. He did not provide details about how serious the injury is or how concerned the team should be.

“I don’t have enough information yet,” Eberflus said. “We’ll see on Wednesday.”

Odunze, the No. 9 overall pick, had one catch for 11 yards on a field-goal drive late in the first half against the Titans. Williams tried to pass to DJ Moore in a crowded area, and the ball was deflected. Odunze caught it but fumbled before Chicago recovered at the Tennessee 10-yard line.

Odunze was targeted four times during the game and participated in 77% of the offensive plays. He was seen hopping to the sideline during D’Andre Swift’s 20-yard run with 4:22 left in the game.

Odunze was expected to be part of a strong trio in Chicago after leading the nation with a school-record 1,640 yards for Washington last season.

The Bears also made a big trade for a receiver for the second year in a row, bringing in six-time Pro Bowler Keenan Allen from the Los Angeles Chargers after acquiring DJ Moore from Carolina in 2023.

Despite the strong support around him, Williams’ debut was not smooth. The 2022 Heisman Trophy winner from Southern California overthrew several receivers and ended up completing 14 of 29 passes for 93 yards and taking two sacks.

Eberflus noted that Williams’ footwork was slightly off but believed the quarterback was reading the defenses well and making the right decisions.

“As the chemistry builds throughout the course of the season here as we stack these games up, it’s gonna get better,” Eberflus said. “He’s got a very accurate arm. His timing is good. And the chemistry with the receivers is gonna improve every week.”

The offense only gained 148 yards and did not score a touchdown. However, the Bears managed to win despite being down 17-0, thanks to their special teams and defense. Tyrique Stevenson returned an interception 43 yards for the game-winning touchdown.

Deshaun Watson didn’t hesitate last week when asked if he still sees himself as one of the NFL’s top quarterbacks.

“Of course,” he said. “No doubt.” However, there is growing evidence to suggest otherwise.

Watson’s performance on Sunday was far from impressive, showing none of the elite qualities expected and raising concerns that the Browns may have made a huge mistake by signing him to a $230 million, fully guaranteed contract.

He was uncertain, shaky, and inaccurate in his first game since breaking a bone in his throwing shoulder last November and undergoing surgery. The Browns suffered a 33-17 loss to the Dallas Cowboys.

Watson missed open receivers, held onto the ball too long on some plays, and left the pocket too early on others.

While it’s only one game, and Watson showed resilience by being sacked six times and hit 17 times, he did little to ease concerns that the Browns might need to consider other options if his performance doesn’t improve quickly.

In just his 13th start for Cleveland in three years, Watson struggled to find a rhythm in a new offensive system meant to highlight his strengths.

He ended the game with 24 completions on 45 attempts for 169 yards, one touchdown, two interceptions, and a low 51.1 rating—far from what the Browns need.

“It’s never a one-man show,” coach Kevin Stefanski said Monday, defending Watson more than the Browns’ offensive line did on Sunday.

The Browns decided to have Watson sit out the preseason games, a choice that remains questionable given his lack of playtime since 2020. But that decision can’t be changed now, and the team can only hope he improves starting in Week 2 against Jacksonville.

Physically, Watson’s shoulder seemed to handle the game against Dallas well, and Stefanski said the quarterback came out of the game in good shape.

“Tired, like all of our guys, but he’s good,” Stefanski said.

Mentally, Watson may be struggling. He played with a heavy heart after recently losing his father and a former teammate.

The Minnesota Vikings were in full control of the New York Giants in their season opener, and Byron Murphy Jr. ensured they stayed that way by batting away a fourth-down pass near the goal line late in the game, keeping their defense from allowing any touchdowns.

Defensive coordinator Brian Flores ran onto the field in a loud show of approval, cheering and pumping his fist as if the Vikings had just won a dramatic last-minute victory.

A new defensive scheme, combined with healthy and skilled players, made a big difference. “We did a lot of the things we wanted to do. We tackled well. We played well as a team.

A lot to build off of for sure,” said safety Harrison Smith, who added an end-zone interception in their strong performance against quarterback Daniel Jones and the Giants, leading to a 28-6 win on Sunday.

Jones completed 22 of 42 passes for 186 yards, took five sacks, and threw two interceptions.

One of those interceptions was returned 10 yards for a touchdown by Andrew Van Ginkel, which even got some defensive coaches celebrating in the end zone.

The Vikings held Jones to just 15 yards on six rushes, which was an improvement from their playoff game two years ago, where Jones had a standout performance.

“Guys were disciplined up front, playing unselfish, doing the right things,” Smith said, “and it made it easy for us on the back end to do our thing.”

In a game on January 15, 2023, the Giants had easily defeated the Vikings at home, ending their 13-win season with a first-round loss. In that game, Jones set records for the most passing yards, passing touchdowns, and rushing yards in a playoff game.

The Giants rewarded Jones with a big new contract, and the Vikings responded by firing defensive coordinator Ed Donatell after just one disappointing year.

Things won’t get any easier for Denver Broncos rookie quarterback Bo Nix for the rest of this month.

Mike Macdonald won his first game as Pete Carroll’s replacement in Seattle with a strong defense that shut down Nix, the 12th overall pick in the draft. Nix managed to score a touchdown in the closing minutes on Sunday, which made the Broncos’ 26-20 loss seem a bit more respectable.

Next up are the Pittsburgh Steelers, led by Mike Tomlin, who will visit Denver on Sunday. After that, Nix will face the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, coached by Todd Bowles, on the East Coast, and then the New York Jets, led by Robert Saleh.

Nix will be up against four of the NFL’s top defensive minds right away. He won the starting quarterback job this summer based on his strong performance in the preseason, where he led the Broncos on six scoring drives in seven possessions.

However, that was against backups and third-stringers from the Colts and Packers.

Welcome to the real NFL, Mr. Nix, where simple defenses don’t exist, road games are loud, and defensive coordinators work tirelessly to exploit inexperienced quarterbacks.

Broncos coach Sean Payton said after the game that the loss in Nix’s tough debut was as much about Denver’s poor supporting cast as it was about the rookie quarterback. Nix had started more college games — 61 at Auburn and Oregon — than any other quarterback in NCAA history.

The Broncos had issues with a weak offensive line, dropped passes early on, and running backs stumbling.

Payton described Denver’s pass protection as “average at best” and at one point went to the bench to urge the offense, saying, “Let’s go! … Let’s help this guy.”

After reviewing the game film on Monday, Payton continued to defend Nix and blamed his teammates for not supporting the rookie enough.

“We need to be better around him,” Payton said. “And we will be.”

However, Nix did struggle in his professional debut. He threw 42 passes, completing 26 for just 132 yards with no touchdowns, two interceptions — both into double coverage — and took two sacks, resulting in a low 47.5 passer rating.

Receiver Puka Nacua will be placed on injured reserve after re-aggravating his right knee injury during the Los Angeles Rams’ season-opening loss at Detroit.

Rams coach Sean McVay said on Monday that Nacua will be out for at least a month. “It’s unfortunate for him, and I’m bummed out for the person,” McVay said.

Nacua missed a lot of training camp and preseason because of a knee injury he sustained in an early workout.

He hurt the knee again in the second quarter against the Lions, briefly tried to return to the game, but then had to leave the field on a cart. Nacua had four catches for 35 yards before he left.

Nacua had an outstanding rookie season last year, setting records for receptions (105) and receiving yards (1,486).

He also added nine catches for a rookie playoff-record 181 yards in the Rams’ postseason loss to Detroit.

Nacua and Cooper Kupp were expected to be one of the top receiving duos in the NFL this season, especially since Kupp was either sidelined or slowed down for much of Nacua’s rookie year.

Kupp had a great game in the season opener, tying his career high with 14 receptions in the Rams’ 26-20 overtime loss.

McVay said the Rams will rely on Kupp, Demarcus Robinson, and Tyler Johnson while Nacua is out. Los Angeles is also facing several major injuries on the offensive line, with second-year guard Steve Avila likely headed to injured reserve with a sprained knee ligament.

Jayden Daniels will be the main focus for the Washington Commanders this season, but their reworked defense didn’t help the rookie quarterback or the team in their tough start to the season.

Baker Mayfield and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers put up 37 points — the second highest in the NFL through the first 15 games of Week 1 — and gained 392 yards. Although the pass rush put some early pressure on Mayfield, they only managed to sack him once, and the secondary had a hard time.

“If you (have) a 50/50 contested ball and they go up and get it, that’s football,” coach Dan Quinn said on a video call with reporters Monday. “What I do want to see better from us is our pre- and post-snap communication, and there were a few instances where that wasn’t as strong as it needs to be.”

Six of the 11 defensive starters are new, but Quinn didn’t want to use the changes and lack of experience as an excuse, pointing out that they had spent months preparing. A 37-20 season-opening loss was not what he and his staff had hoped for.

“Those are the moments that you do have to be in and fight through it because when you’re in it, in that moment and it doesn’t go your way, you stand taller, you fight stronger,” Quinn said. “Sometimes you have to go through the other end of that fire.”

The next chance for the defense to show improvement comes with a game against the offensively weak New York Giants on Sunday.

The quarterbacks have changed. The offensive coordinator has too. But the Pittsburgh Steelers’ way to win games hasn’t.

It still involves a little — sometimes very little — offense and a whole lot of T.J. Watt.

In Sunday’s 18-10 season-opening win against the Atlanta Falcons, the standout outside linebacker played at his energetic best and sealed the victory by sacking Kirk Cousins on the last play of the game.

Watt celebrated with his signature leg kick and a bow, which is typical for his performances, especially in Week 1s.

Watt started his career by getting two sacks and an interception in a 21-18 win over the Browns in 2017. Three years ago in Buffalo, he sacked Josh Allen twice and forced a fumble, helping the Steelers win a surprising game.

Two years ago in Cincinnati, he intercepted a pass and sacked Joe Burrow before leaving the game with a pectoral tear that caused him to miss half the season.

As the only player to lead the NFL in sacks three times since the stat became official in 1982, Watt looks as strong as ever, just a month before turning 30.

This is a good thing because the Steelers will likely need to rely on their defense until the offense, whether led by Justin Fields or Russell Wilson, gets better.

Watt is fine with this, as his 97 1/2 sacks are the most in franchise history and the highest by any player since he joined the league.

“This is the best job in the world,” Watt said. “It’s not hard for me to have a good time and want to play the best football that I possibly can.”

This style of football remains timeless, especially in Pittsburgh.

Even though the Steelers worked on improving an offense that has struggled for most of this decade, their identity is still closely linked to Watt’s remarkable talent.

Green Bay Packers coach Matt LaFleur says the team does not plan to put Jordan Love on injured reserve, which means the quarterback might come back soon.

Love hurt his left MCL (medial collateral ligament) in the last minute of the Packers’ season-opening 34-29 loss to the Philadelphia Eagles on Friday in Brazil. If the Packers had put Love on injured reserve, he would have to miss at least four games.

LaFleur was even more hopeful while discussing the Packers’ quarterback situation for Sunday’s game against the Indianapolis Colts (0-1). Although the MCL injury is expected to keep Love out for several games, LaFleur said Monday that the Packers would start Malik Willis with Sean Clifford as the backup “if Jordan’s not cleared.”

“I couldn’t give you a percentage, but if he gets cleared, we’ll give him every opportunity like we always will,” LaFleur said Monday. “I know he’s doing everything in his power.

I know he’s spending a lot of time trying to get back as soon as possible. But certainly we’re not going to put him in a position where if he can’t protect himself, that he’d go out there.”

Love’s injury happened on the third-to-last play of the Eagles game after he threw a backward pass to Josh Jacobs while facing heavy pressure from Philadelphia’s Jalen Carter and Josh Sweat. Carter was on the ground and holding Love’s left leg when Sweat pushed the quarterback down.

LaFleur admitted feeling relieved that Love’s injury wasn’t worse. Love, 25, signed a four-year, $220 million contract extension this summer after leading the NFL’s youngest team to a 10-9 record and an NFC divisional playoff appearance as a first-year starter last season.

“I felt a little confident since he was moving,” LaFleur said. “He said obviously he was in pain, but I wasn’t even going to go there in my mind until I knew one way or the other, and thankfully we got some relatively good news.”

Dak Prescott and CeeDee Lamb have new contracts that could keep the star quarterback and receiver together with the Dallas Cowboys for at least five more years.

The next player up for a big deal is pass rusher Micah Parsons, who aims to become the highest-paid defensive player in NFL history.

Prescott’s new contract is the richest guaranteed deal in the NFL, with a $60 million average per year and a total of $240 million over four years. This deal was finalized just before the Cowboys’ season opener, where they beat Cleveland 33-17 on the road.

The contract includes a record $231 million in guaranteed money, but owner Jerry Jones is confident that the Cowboys can continue to build competitive teams and aim for the playoffs.

“My assessment of where we’re going to be going in the future, we’re going to be able to handle this,” Jones said.

“We’re going to be able to get players around (Prescott) that give us a chance to compete for a Super Bowl. He was our best chance at getting one.”

The Cowboys haven’t advanced past the NFC divisional round of the playoffs since their last Super Bowl win in the 1995 season.

Prescott’s playoff record, now 2-5, includes a tough loss from last January. The 48-32 home wild-card defeat to Green Bay added to the criticism of Prescott, who had previously been compared to Tony Romo, a quarterback known for strong regular seasons but limited playoff success.

The lengthy negotiation for Prescott’s deal led to questions about whether he would prove to be a different story from Romo, who struggled to lead the Cowboys deep into the playoffs before Prescott took over.

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers are confident that they have the potential to build a strong offense.

Although it’s only one game, the Bucs only had to punt once during their 37-20 win over the Washington Commanders and scored on seven of eight possessions before backup quarterback Kyle Trask took a knee on the last two plays to end the game.

Trask’s presence at the end of the game, given he has only thrown 10 passes since joining the league in 2021, highlighted how well Baker Mayfield and the rest of the offense performed, especially against the NFL debut of No. 2 overall draft pick Jayden Daniels.

Mayfield completed 24 of 30 passes for 289 yards and four touchdowns. The Bucs also rushed for 112 yards, showing improvements after being last in rushing for the past two seasons.

Mayfield, receiver Chris Godwin, and coach Todd Bowles praised the play-calling of new offensive coordinator Liam Coen, who came from the University of Kentucky after former OC Dave Canales became the head coach of the Carolina Panthers.

“That’s a pretty hot first start, right, and again we left some meat on the bone out there. … But I think for our first game, I think Liam would probably say that he’s pretty happy with how he was calling things, and I think as players we are happy as well,” said Godwin, who caught eight passes for 83 yards and a touchdown.

“I think that we have the potential to be a really, really dominant offense, but it doesn’t mean anything if we do not go out there and put it on the field,” Godwin added.

“It was one game, and we are really happy with how many points we scored. But again, there were three possessions where we felt like we should have scored touchdowns.”