Sports Al Dente

For a first-time head coach, Mike Macdonald couldn’t have hoped for much more from his debut game.

The Seattle Seahawks played in many ways that Macdonald had hoped for. They were aggressive and played with intensity on defense. Their offensive talent showed at times. The Seahawks handled challenges and dealt with some self-made problems.

Most importantly, Seattle won the game, giving their new coach a chance to celebrate.

“A lot of family and friends were in town, so it was nice to take a breath, watch the rest of the Sunday night game, and enjoy each other’s company and the victory,” Macdonald said.

However, it’s hard to gauge where the Seahawks truly stand from their 26-20 win over Denver. They were expected to win against a team that is in transition and started a rookie quarterback.

The Seahawks did what was needed. Their defense made Bo Nix look like a rookie and forced three turnovers. Kenneth Walker III rushed for 103 yards and a touchdown, mostly during a strong third quarter.

On offense, the Seahawks struggled in the first half but showed some promise in the final 30 minutes under new offensive coordinator Ryan Grubb.

Despite the positive aspects of the win, it wasn’t a big test. It might take a few more weeks, maybe until they face Miami in Week 3, before the Seahawks face a team that will truly test their standing in the league.

“Obviously, we have a lot of room for improvement, but so far, so good,” QB Geno Smith said.

San Francisco All-Pro running back Christian McCaffrey missed the season opener against the New York Jets due to a sore calf and Achilles tendon, which has been bothering him all summer.

McCaffrey injured himself early in training camp and missed four weeks of practice before he was able to return last week. Although he was listed as questionable and expected to play Monday night, he was unexpectedly left out of the game.

“He didn’t have a setback. It was on and off throughout the week,” coach Kyle Shanahan explained. “He practiced during the week, but it was always bothering him to some degree.

Sometimes it eases up, sometimes it flares up. Today it was bothering him too much for us to feel comfortable with him playing.”

Jordan Mason stepped in for McCaffrey and rushed for 147 yards and a touchdown on 28 carries in San Francisco’s 32-19 victory.

Mason mentioned in a TV interview after the game that he was informed on Friday that he would start, even though McCaffrey was listed as questionable. However, Shanahan said the final decision was made on Monday.

Despite McCaffrey’s absence, Mason ensured it didn’t impact the game negatively.

“Not having Christian is huge, but we have a team that is really committed to running the ball,” Shanahan said. “We have 10 guys who block for whichever running back is in. Our running backs and receivers also know how to run effectively.”

McCaffrey led the NFL last season with 2,023 yards from scrimmage and was tied for the league lead with 21 touchdowns, earning the AP Offensive Player of the Year award.

San Francisco also added All-Pro left tackle Trent Williams to the 53-man roster after his long contract holdout, releasing Brandon Parker to make space.

In their season opener in Detroit, four of the top six offensive linemen for the Los Angeles Rams were injured or unavailable before halftime.

Receiver Puka Nacua, who has set records, also had to leave the game in the first half due to a re-injury of his knee. Despite these setbacks, the Rams pushed the game into overtime before losing 26-20, which is quite impressive.

However, the fact that the Rams are already struggling with injuries after just one game is definitely concerning.

Heading into Week 2, the Rams are winless for only the second time in coach Sean McVay’s career. They made several mistakes that contributed to their loss at Ford Field, even though they made a thrilling comeback with 17 consecutive points in the second half.

The Rams are expected to be short-handed when they travel to Arizona this weekend, as they are just trying to stay afloat until they can get healthier.

“We’re not going to sulk. We’re not going to say, ‘Why me?’” McVay said Monday. “You’re not going to see any pity from me.

There’s not going to be any excuses for me not to move forward the right way, but we’ve gone down that road before, and we’re not doing that again.”

McVay is likely thinking of the worst season of his NFL career, which was also the only losing season of his time with the Rams.

In 2022, the Rams were heavily affected by injuries during a tough season (5-12), which was the worst season for a defending Super Bowl champion in NFL history. McVay came out of that experience even more determined to guide the Rams to long-term success.

The Rams will face difficulties if their starting offensive line remains unavailable.

McVay mentioned that left guard Steve Avila is likely to be placed on injured reserve due to a sprained knee ligament, while swing tackle Joe Noteboom will be out for several weeks with a sprained ankle. Right guard Kevin Dotson also sprained his ankle but played through it, and McVay hopes it is not a serious injury.

Dan Campbell didn’t get much sleep on Sunday night. It could have been worse, though.

The Detroit Lions kicked off their season on Sunday night and needed overtime to secure a 26-20 win over the Los Angeles Rams in a game that wrapped up just before midnight.

“Look, it is hard to sleep after any game, especially when you get home at 1:00 or 2:00 or whatever that was,” Campbell said Monday afternoon. “Your mind is racing, thinking about all the different things that went right or wrong, and it is impossible to sleep no matter how tired you are.”

Defensive lineman Alim McNeill mentioned he didn’t fall asleep until 4 a.m., switching between watching game film and episodes of “Reba” on Netflix.

“He said he was doing what?” Campbell laughed. “I remember what it was like as a player, so I understand what Mac is talking about. You’re going through every play over again.”

The Lions didn’t look like a Super Bowl contender for much of the game. They were ahead 17-3 early in the third quarter, but Matthew Stafford led another comeback at Ford Field.

With a weakened offensive line and key wide receiver Puka Nacua out with a knee injury, Stafford threw a touchdown pass to Cooper Kupp, putting the Rams ahead 20-17 with 4:30 remaining.

“Stafford, man, it is almost like you don’t want to hit him, because I think that’s when he plays better,” Campbell said. “He just keeps making plays.”

The Rams had a chance to seal the game when the Lions went three-and-out, but Stafford overthrew Kupp on a pass that could have ended it. Given another opportunity, Jared Goff capitalized on a crucial Rams penalty to drive the ball deep into Los Angeles territory.

Bills’ new defensive coordinator Bobby Babich joked on Monday about finding a silver lining in watching Arizona quarterback Kyler Murray lead the Cardinals up and down the field in the first half of their season opener.

Despite the challenging experience, Babich gained valuable insight into Arizona’s offensive strategy and, more importantly, figured out how to adjust to it at halftime.

While much of the focus was on Josh Allen’s impressive four-touchdown performance, the quarterback’s ability to lead the Bills to a 34-28 victory was also due to the defensive coaching staff’s skill in making quick adjustments.

After letting the Cardinals take a 17-3 lead with two touchdowns and a field goal, converting 5 of 7 third-down attempts, and gaining 190 yards on their first 36 plays, the Bills’ defense tightened up in the second half.

Buffalo allowed the Cardinals only a field goal in the second half—their other score was a 96-yard kickoff return—and restricted them to just 80 yards over their last five possessions.

The two halves were so different that the Bills ended up winning the time of possession by 1 minute, despite the Cardinals having the ball for 20:06 in the first half.

“Hopefully, you’re doing the right things, you’re making the right adjustments and you’re seeing things clearly,” Babich said. “It’s like anything, if you get a chance to get a mulligan in the second half, and your answers aren’t good, it’s not good.”

Another positive was the players’ commitment.

“You’re going to go through adversity, period,” defensive back Cam Lewis said. “It’s going to be some ups and downs, but we stay together, keep playing as a team.”

After a disappointing offensive showing in their first game, the Cleveland Browns are adding former Kansas City wide receiver and Super Bowl standout Kadarius Toney to their practice squad, according to a source who spoke with The Associated Press on Monday.

Toney, who was a first-round draft pick by the New York Giants in 2021, was released by the Super Bowl-winning Chiefs in August after spending two seasons with them.

He will join the Browns’ practice squad this week, although the 25-year-old has not yet signed his contract. Toney visited the Browns on Friday. The Seattle Seahawks also showed interest in Toney.

In Super Bowl LVII, Toney made two key plays that helped the Chiefs defeat the Philadelphia Eagles. He caught a 5-yard touchdown pass and returned a punt 65 yards to set up another touchdown.

Toney did not play in the Chiefs’ Super Bowl victory last season. He might be able to help the Browns.

Quarterback Deshaun Watson and the Browns’ offense struggled in their 33-17 loss to Dallas on Sunday. They managed only one first down in the first half and never posed a serious threat to the Cowboys.

Toney could provide the Browns with additional depth behind receivers Amari Cooper, Jerry Jeudy, Elijah Moore, and Cedric Tillman.

Cleveland, which plays at Jacksonville this week, could also use another option for Watson, especially with Pro Bowl tight end David Njoku expected to be out for several weeks due to a sprained ankle.

In his NFL career, Toney has 82 receptions for 760 yards and three touchdowns in 32 games. His best season was his rookie year, with 39 catches for 420 yards.

Since Jim Harbaugh became the coach of the Los Angeles Chargers, his main focus has been on physical play.

He also had his team do “fourth-quarter finisher” conditioning drills during the offseason and training camp to emphasize that he wanted them to excel in the final 15 minutes of the game.

Both of these elements were evident on Sunday as the Harbaugh era began with a 22-10 win over the Las Vegas Raiders.

“I’ve said it before, this is the Los Angeles Chargers approach,” Harbaugh said on Monday. “There have been a lot of fourth-quarter finishers that have gone before us, and I felt our guys when they put up the four. They thought about it. We did a lot to put us in position.”

In the past, the fourth quarter was a challenging time during Mike McCoy, Anthony Lynn, and Brandon Staley’s coaching years, but Harbaugh has made it a priority to change that.

The Chargers scored both of their touchdowns in the fourth quarter in true Harbaugh fashion. The defense made important stops throughout the game, allowing the offense to get going.

A key example of good teamwork happened in the middle of the fourth quarter. The defense stopped the Raiders on a fourth-and-1 at the LA 43 and forced them to punt after successfully defending against short-yardage plays in the first half.

The offense then took over at their own 8-yard line and drove 92 yards in eight plays, ending with Ladd McConkey’s 12-yard touchdown catch to extend the lead to 12 points. J.K. Dobbins made a crucial play with a 61-yard run during the drive.

On the first play of the fourth quarter, Dobbins gave Los Angeles the lead with a 12-yard run off the right tackle.

Dobbins, who had a 46-yard run in the third quarter setting up Cameron Dicker’s third field goal, is the first Chargers running back to have two carries of at least 45 yards in a game since Michael Turner in 2007.

When Raiders coach Antonio Pierce chose to pass on going for it on fourth-and-1 twice in the fourth quarter on Sunday, his decisions reflected more than just his tendency to play it safe.

They also highlighted his lack of confidence in the Raiders’ run game against the Chargers.

The running game did not inspire much confidence for Pierce, ending the game with 71 yards on 22 carries and only one first down in the 22-10 loss at Los Angeles.

Zamir White gained 44 yards on 13 rushes and was stopped on a fourth-and-1 early in the first quarter, leading to a Chargers field goal. He also lost a fumble in the third quarter.

So when faced with a fourth-and-1 at the Chargers 14-yard line early in the fourth quarter and trailing by nine points, Pierce decided to send out the field goal unit to cut the deficit to 16-10.

On the next drive, the Raiders faced a fourth-and-1 at the LA 43-yard line, and this time Pierce chose to punt for field position. The Chargers then scored a touchdown after a 61-yard run by J.K. Dobbins, which put the game out of reach.

Pierce will need to be more aggressive in these situations if the Raiders want to achieve much this season. However, he will also need a dependable running game, meaning White needs to perform like he did in the final four games of last season when he rushed for 397 yards, and the offensive line must create more opportunities for him and the other running backs.

“The ability to run the ball, that’s critical late in ballgames,” Pierce said Monday. “We’ve got to do that and we’ve got to do a good job of finishing. It starts up front with our O-line.

Starts with our coaches as well. I’m going to keep going to our backs. We’ve got to run through contact, we’ve got to run with low pad level, we’ve got to run with a certain intent. We didn’t do that yesterday and it didn’t show up enough.”

Fill-in back Jordan Mason stole the spotlight in a game that was all about Aaron Rodgers’ return.

Mason ran for 147 yards and a touchdown while filling in for the injured Christian McCaffrey. The 49ers spoiled Rodgers’ comeback with a 32-19 win over the New York Jets on Monday night.

The former undrafted free agent pushed through New York’s well-regarded defense with his tough running style, helping the Niners score on eight consecutive drives.

“I thought he ran like he always does,” coach Kyle Shanahan said. “When you give him the ball, he breaks tackles and usually gains more yards than we block for. When we had good lanes, he always took advantage and gained a lot. But JP was great today.”

Rodgers threw for 167 yards and one touchdown but also had an interception. This was exactly one year after his debut with New York ended with a torn Achilles after just four plays.

Rodgers struggled to move around in the pocket but still showed the strong arm that helped him win four MVPs with the Green Bay Packers a few times in his first real game with the Jets.

“I can play better,” Rodgers said. “I missed a few throws. … I felt like I got the ball out well, but there were some chances I’d like to have back.”

Mason took full advantage of his first career start. He had only 83 carries in his first two seasons but used his chance as one of the few healthy backs for the Niners this summer to earn a bigger role, with McCaffrey still dealing with a sore calf and Achilles.

His 28 carries were the most by any Niners player in a regular season game in 13 years, proving he can handle a full-time role.

“I’m really excited for him,” quarterback Brock Purdy said. “He’s earned it. He’s the kind of guy who doesn’t get things handed to him. Seeing him perform like he did tonight makes me really happy for him.”

Deebo Samuel added a 2-yard touchdown run, and Jake Moody tied a franchise record with six field goals to lead the 49ers to their victory.

Many players had issues with their footing during the NFL’s opening weekend.

It started with Isaiah Likely’s touchdown being ruled out because of a toe-tap at the back of the end zone at Arrowhead Stadium and continued throughout a weekend where the Eagles and Packers struggled with slipping on the Corinthians Arena soccer field in Sao Paulo, as the league made its debut in Latin America’s largest country.

Even games played indoors saw their share of problems with footing. At Ford Field, the Lions had trouble with their footing and blamed themselves rather than the turf after barely winning against the Rams in overtime.

The Lions could have won the game in regulation if not for three slips during their final drive, which ended with a field goal.

Jared Goff missed a potential touchdown throw to Jahmyr Gibbs, who slipped while running open in the Rams’ secondary with about a minute left.

Amon-Ra St. Brown lost his balance on an incompletion two plays later, and Kalif Raymond fell during a third-down play before Jake Bates’ field goal tied the game.

After the Lions managed to win 26-20 in overtime, Detroit wide receiver Jameson Williams suggested that the issue wasn’t just a slippery field but also the team’s lack of practice. He noted that practicing on grass and having many veterans sit out the preseason meant it took some time to get used to the artificial turf.

The situation was worse in Brazil, where the soccer field turned into a patchy surface by halftime of Philadelphia’s 34-29 victory over Green Bay.

Saquon Barkley, who otherwise had a great game in his Eagles debut, lost 5 yards on his first carry for Philadelphia due to slipping.

Packers receiver Christian Watson missed catching a touchdown when he slipped in the end zone, and Green Bay running back Emanuel Wilson fell after gaining 14 yards when he tried to make a cut.

Jordan Love, who was playing his first game since signing a $220 million contract extension, got hurt. Backup Malik Willis came in for one last play but slipped in the pocket and was sacked by Zach Baun before he could throw a Hail Mary.

With players on both teams slipping on nearly every play, former NFL star J.J. Watt shared on social media: “Soccer fields are made for speed and agility. Smaller bodies gliding across the surface with minimal contact.

They are not properly conditioned to have the size & strength of NFL players cutting, pushing, and driving all game on them. This is common at international games.”

In Kansas City, where Taylor Swift and other Chiefs fans are hoping for a Super Bowl win, the opener ended because of a different kind of slipping issue.

Just as Ravens coach John Harbaugh was calling for a 2-point attempt to try to beat the reigning champions, video clearly showed Likely’s right big toe on the white endline.

Since he was wearing black cleats, his touchdown was invalidated with no time left, and the Chiefs won 27-20 in the 2024 NFL kickoff.

Patrick Mahomes had a lighthearted comment for Likely afterward. “You have to wear white cleats next time,” Mahomes joked.

If Likely had worn white shoes like his teammate Roquan Smith, the TV cameras would have likely still shown he was on the endline, but his black cleats made it clear he was out of bounds.

Chiefs wide receiver Marquise Brown is “getting close” to being able to play, coach Andy Reid said on Monday, but he did not confirm if the new free-agent signing would be ready for Week 2 against Cincinnati.

Brown dislocated the sternoclavicular joint in his shoulder during the Chiefs’ preseason opener. This injury is similar to the one then-Kansas City receiver Tyreek Hill had in Week 1 of the 2019 season, which kept him out for the next four weeks.

By the time the Chiefs face the Bengals on Sunday at Arrowhead Stadium, it will be about five weeks since Brown’s injury.

“Listen, everybody is different,” Reid told local reporters on a conference call. “I know he’s feeling better. We’ve got to just kind of see where it goes from here. They’ve been doing these periodic tests on him, making sure he’s headed in the right direction.”

Brown was at practice last week but did not participate before their 27-20 win over the Ravens on Thursday night.

The Chiefs still had strong performances from their wide receivers in their Week 1 win. First-round draft pick Xavier Worthy caught two passes for 47 yards and a touchdown, and also ran for another score on a 21-yard handoff.

“I thought he did a nice job there,” Reid said. “He can go down the field when needed — I know it was a busted coverage (on his touchdown catch). He does have speed and some versatility going across the middle; he had a nice grab across the middle. I think the teams we play will see that. If they didn’t know it before, they know it now.”

Second-year player Rashee Rice had seven catches for 103 yards, and Justin Watson made a 25-yard catch on his only target.

JuJu Smith-Schuster, who had just a couple of practices after being released by the Patriots and returning to Kansas City, had a chance to catch a pass at the goal line but couldn’t hold onto the ball.

Now, the Chiefs hope to see their offense perform at its full potential with “Hollywood” Brown back on the field.