Surprising Saints hunting 3-0 start vs. Eagles

Arguably no team has been a bigger surprise during the first two weeks of the NFL season than the New Orleans Saints.

The Saints (2-0) are one of nine undefeated teams as they prepare to host the Philadelphia Eagles (1-1) on Sunday afternoon.

Expectations for New Orleans (9-8 last season), which has missed the playoffs three consecutive seasons, were average at best before the current campaign started.

The Saints have defied the doubters so far with a 47-10 home win over the Carolina Panthers and a 44-19 road rout of the Dallas Cowboys.

“I think everybody took offense to how we were viewed, on the outside and in our own city,” New Orleans third-year head coach Dennis Allen said. “And rightfully so. We haven’t performed the way that I think we’re capable of and so it was really incumbent on us to make some changes and play better and that’s what we’re in the process of doing.”

Saints quarterback Derek Carr and the offense have thrived under first-year coordinator Klint Kubiak. New Orleans leads the NFL in scoring with 91 points, 22 more than the next closest team, the Arizona Cardinals.

Carr paces the league in passer rating (142.4) and running back Alvin Kamara is tops in scoring (five touchdowns) and yards from scrimmage (290).

The Saints’ defense has more than held its own, ranking fourth in scoring (14.5 points allowed per game), tied for fourth in yards allowed per play (4.5) and seventh in total yards allowed (273 per game).

“The focus for us is let’s not start patting ourselves on the back,” Allen said. “The focus for us is how are we going to improve because this is a long season and we’re only two games into it.”

While Allen is trying to prevent his players from feeling overconfident after just two games, Eagles coach Nick Sirianni is trying to keep his team from dwelling on a lost opportunity in its last contest against the visiting Atlanta Falcons.

Philadelphia had a chance to take a two-score lead with less than two minutes remaining, but running back Saquon Barkley dropped a third-down pass. The Eagles settled for a field goal and a six-point lead, and Atlanta needed just 65 seconds to score the winning touchdown in a 22-21 victory.

“My whole thing is, OK, we’ve got some adversity right now, but let’s have the right mindset and work hard and prepare the right way,” Sirianni said. “Have a positive mindset and know you’re going to get better from the things that you went through.

“What is in the past is in the past, and we can’t change that, but you can control your daily habits and the way you approach your process and put yourself in position to win the next game.”

The dropped pass marred what has otherwise been a strong start to Barkley’s first season in Philadelphia. The former New York Giant is seventh in yards from scrimmage (248) and has scored three touchdowns.

This will be the Eagles’ first Sunday game of the young season. They held off the Green Bay Packers, 34-29, on Sept. 6 in San Paolo, Brazil, then played their home opener on Monday night.

Philadelphia wide receiver A.J. Brown (hamstring) is out for the second consecutive game. Eagles safety C.J. Gardner-Johnson is questionable to play at New Orleans for the first time since the Saints traded him to Philadelphia in 2022.

New Orleans tight end Taysom Hill (chest) returned to practice and is expected to play. He’s listed as questionable.

–Field Level Media

Looking to avoid 0-3 start, Giants shift focus to Browns

The New York Giants are already in must-win territory when they visit the Cleveland Browns on Sunday.

The Giants (0-2) lost their first two games of the season to the Minnesota Vikings and Washington Commanders. If they lose to the Browns (1-1), things really get dicey. New York then has a short week before hosting the Dallas Cowboys next Thursday.

“I’m pissed because I hate losing with a passion,” Giants nose tackle Dexter Lawrence II said Wednesday. “I take that hard — losing. I really don’t like it. For me, it’s just something that I’m not going to keep accepting.”

The anxiety is growing as only two teams (out of 32) that started 0-2 over the past four seasons made the playoffs.

That 6.3 success rate raises the urgency. But Giants coach Brian Daboll said he doesn’t think desperation has set in.

“I want to see consistency like we talk about every week,” Daboll said. “Go in, prepare the right way, come out, play a good football game, do good in situations, play together. Each week is its own week, and we’ll just focus on the Browns this week.”

Cleveland split its first two games, getting routed by the Cowboys in its opener before posting an 18-13 road win over the Jacksonville Jaguars on Sunday.

“It wasn’t perfect, wasn’t always pretty, but it was gritty,” Browns coach Kevin Stefanski said of the victory. “And I thought the guys found a way there. And it’s certainly a learning experience. I think win, lose or draw, you gotta learn from these things.”

One area the Browns need to improve is penalties. Cleveland has committed a league-worst 24 penalties.

“I’m not going to ignore the fact that we have the most called penalties against us in the league,” Stefanski said. “We watched every single one of them as a team. We’re going to correct the ones that we can correct and we’re just going to play really clean with our technique, but it’s something that we’ll continue to address.”

The Browns averaged 17.5 points over their first two games, while New York is posting 12 per game.

Still, Stefanski is surprised the Giants are winless.

“That 0-2 is very misleading to me,” Stefanski said. “They lost at home in Week 1, which obviously we lost at home in Week 1. And then they go on the road, and they play good enough to win, and had some extenuating circumstances with the kicker.”

Veteran Graham Gano entered the game against Washington with a sore groin and then injured a hamstring while trying to chase down Austin Ekeler on a 98-yard opening kickoff return for touchdown that was negated by a Commanders’ penalty. Punter Jamie Gillan missed an extra point after New York’s first touchdown and the Giants later missed on two two-point conversion passes in the 21-18 loss.

The loss of Gano hurt the most when New York faced fourth-and-4 from the Washington 22-yard line with the score tied. The Giants went for it and failed to convert when rookie Malik Nabers dropped a pass that would have resulted in a first down. The Commanders took over with 2:04 left and won on Austin Seibert’s 30-yard field goal as time expired.

“Once you look back on the record, you are going to feel like one of those losses was mine,” said Nabers, who has 15 receptions in two games. “I’m going to continue to move forward, get better and work on how I cannot drop that pass again.”

Gano was placed on injured reserve on Tuesday and New York signed Greg Joseph off the Detroit Lions’ practice squad to handle the kicking.

Giants edge rusher Brian Burns (groin) was added to the injury report on Friday and is questionable. Inside linebacker Darius Muasau (knee) also is questionable while cornerback Nick McCloud (knee) will miss the game.

Cleveland tight end David Njoku (ankle) will miss his second straight game. Running back Pierre Strong (hamstring) also will sit out.

Browns right tackle Jack Conklin and left tackle Jedrick Wills Jr. are questionable for Sunday after missing the first two weeks with knee issues.

Star defensive end Myles Garrett (foot) returned to practice Friday on a limited basis and is set to play.

Browns standout cornerback Denzel Ward (shoulder, toe) played just 11 snaps against Jacksonville. He was a limited practice participant all week. His toe ailment was added to the report on Friday.

In the most recent meeting, the Browns recorded a 20-6 road win over the Giants in 2020.

–Field Level Media

Lions QB Jared Goff looks to be ‘better’ in visit to Arizona

Jared Goff signed a giant four-year extension during the offseason. But so far, the three-time Pro Bowler hasn’t played anything like a $212 million quarterback.

The Detroit Lions won their season opener in overtime against the Los Angeles Rams despite Goff being limited to 217 passing yards. Goff was intercepted twice and nearly got picked off twice more on Sunday, when the Lions lost to Tampa Bay 20-16.

The Lions will need their quarterback to be much sharper in their first road game against the Arizona Cardinals on Sunday in Glendale, Ariz.

Goff says it’s “uncharacteristic” for the Lions’ offense to have difficulty finishing drives.

“We were able to move the ball. We had quite a few yards,” he said. “I have to do a better job of taking care of the ball on some of those situations and keep us on the field, not put the ball in harm’s way. But overall, we did move the ball pretty well and I think building off that will be the way we want to go this week.”

The Lions haven’t lost two straight since a five-game slide during the first half of their 2022 schedule. Goff expects the Lions to bounce back in similar fashion from their latest setback.

“I do think it’s part of our identity and part of who we are,” he said. “It starts with (head coach) Dan (Campbell) and hopefully trickles down through all the leaders and the captains, but we do respond. We always do, and you never hope to lose two in a row. I think what we’ve done over the last two years is respond in those situations and hopefully do it again this week.”

The Cardinals’ offense, with quarterback Kyler Murray fully recovered from the torn ACL he suffered in December 2022, has looked explosive. They’ve already had a dozen plays of 20 or more yards via the pass or rush. Arizona (1-1) is also No. 1 in the league in third-down conversions (58.3 percent).

Murray has thrown four touchdown passes without an interception. First-round draft pick Marvin Harrison Jr., who was held to one reception in his debut, erupted for four catches for 130 yards and two touchdowns in a 41-10 romp over the Los Angeles Rams last week.

“He’s growing as he goes,” Campbell said of Harrison. “I think you just study what you see on tape, and we know what he is and, look, we’ve got — (CB Carlton Davis III) is an experienced corner. He’s long, he can run, so I like the matchup. And I like TA (CB Terrion Arnold), too. So, he’s getting better and hopefully he doesn’t catch fire against us.”

Keeping the pressure on Murray would help the Lions’ corners. Defensive end Aidan Hutchinson is coming off a monster performance in which he recorded 4 1/2 sacks.

“He is in a really good scheme; they give him some freedom and he’s got a skill set,” Cardinals coach Jonathan Gannon said. “Wherever he got drafted (No. 2 overall in 2022), you could tell why he got drafted that high.”

Murray isn’t worried about his team feeling content after thrashing the banged-up Rams.

“You can’t be hung over off the success we just had,” Murray said. “This league is ‘any given Sunday’ and we understand that.”

Detroit has a number of injury concerns. Arnold (illness), linebacker Alex Anzalone (concussion), guard Graham Glasgow (knee) and receiver Isaiah Williams (abdomen) are questionable to play, while the Lions have already ruled out cornerback Ennis Rakestraw (hamstring) and safety Ifeatu Melifonwu (ankle). However, top wideout Amon-Ra St. Brown (quad) is set to play after fully practicing all week.

For the Cardinals, offensive lineman Kelvin Beachum (hamstring), receiver Greg Dortch (hamstring) and defensive lineman Dante Stills (shoulder) were deemed questionable. Stills didn’t play against the Rams, while Beachum and Dortch appeared on the injury report midweek.

–Field Level Media

Bears, Colts eager to define identity as young QBs fight growing pains

If pressure makes diamonds, the Bears can speak in absolutes when referring to rookie quarterback Caleb Williams as a gem.

Williams and the Bears lick their wounds and take to the road for the second consecutive game with a short trek to Indianapolis on Sunday.

Chicago plans “no changes” to personnel protecting Williams, and head coach Matt Eberflus is confident the growing pains won’t be quite as literal moving forward. The Texans sacked Williams seven times Sunday night in Houston and hit him in the pocket on four other plays, not including the sideline blast at the chains by Houston linebacker Azeez Al-Shaair.

“There’s some great learning moments there in terms of the pressure,” Eberflus said.

Depending on who fields the question, Williams, the No. 1 pick in the 2024 draft, has lacked either the protection or the patience to utilize the array of weapons the Bears proudly assembled around him in the offseason. He enters Week 3 as the team’s leading rusher with 59 yards and has only one completion over 20 yards, no touchdown passes and was sacked nine times in his first two NFL games. After going 5-for-5 on the opening drive at Houston, the Texans sent heavy pressure. On plays he was pressured, Williams’ completion percentage dipped below 35 percent for a total of 33 yards with two interceptions.

“I’m a little bruised up still. Body-wise, moving all of that, I feel good throwing and running around,” Williams said Wednesday.

The Bears rallied from a 17-point deficit to beat the Tennessee Titans in the opener with just 148 yards total offense. New coordinator Shane Waldron has a 44-66 run-pass ratio through two games and the Bears are converting 26.7 percent of third downs. No. 1 wide receiver DJ Moore vented in the loss but said Wednesday he showed “too much frustration” on the sideline.

He emphasized the importance of the Bears “honing in on our identity, whether it’s going to be running the ball or passing the ball.”

Moore was not listed on the injury report for Chicago, but Keenan Allen (heel) is out for the second straight week and won’t travel with the team. Rookie wide receiver Rome Odunze (knee) is cleared to play.

The Colts could be ripe for the picking on the ground. Packers running back Josh Jacobs gained 151 yards in Week 2 and Indianapolis defensive tackle DeForest Buckner landed on injured reserve with an ankle injury.

“Obviously a huge blow,” Colts coach Shane Steichen said of Buckner’s injury. “Phenomenal teammate, phenomenal player for our football team, phenomenal player for the NFL. That guy is so freaking tough.”

With Buckner out, Indianapolis could lean more heavily on rookie defensive end Laiatu Latu to get to Williams. Latu began the week sidelined by a hip injury but is expecting to play.

Barring turnovers, the Bears are likely to test the Colts’ reconfigured defensive front. Indianapolis has been roasted for 474 rushing yards and 5.1 yards per carry this season.

Williams said the two “stupid mistakes,” referring to his interceptions last week, won’t happen again but admits he’s still adjusting to the NFL.

“Just getting used to getting hit again, it’s been a while. It’s been since Nov. 18 (his final game at USC) since the last time I got hit — like really hit,” Williams said.” Getting used to that, getting used to having games like that, there’s going to be games like that. It’s the NFL.”

The Bears’ health also would be a concern if guards Teven Jenkins (thigh) and Nate Davis (groin) miss the game. Jenkins was able to practice Friday and isn’t listed on the final injury report while Davis is questionable.

Eberflus, who is 11-25 as the Bears head coach, returns to his old stomping grounds at Lucas Oil Stadium. Before being hired by Chicago, Eberflus was the defensive coordinator of the Colts.

Indianapolis (0-2) lost to Houston in Week 1 and then dropped a 16-10 rock fight at Green Bay last week. The Colts’ prized passer, 2023 first-round pick Anthony Richardson, threw three interceptions at Lambeau Field and has a passer rating of 63.1 (Williams is at 53). Richardson was drafted fourth overall but makes just his seventh career start on Sunday.

Steichen said Richardson is making the right reads and isn’t going to overreact to a turnover-heavy game, following the same progression he used to help Justin Herbert develop as a rookie with the Chargers.

“Four games into it, maybe five, he was rolling,” Steichen said of Herbert’s development. “That’s the thing, as long as the ball is going to the right spot — with anything, it just takes time. It’s a process going through this thing with young quarterbacks. But, shoot, he’s a helluva football player and we’re excited to have him.”

Steichen, 9-10 as a head coach and in his second season with the Colts, would like to see the offense start faster. Prior to the fourth quarter in the first two games, Indianapolis has scored 16 total points. Wide receiver Josh Downs practiced all week and is cleared for his 2024 debut. The second-year target is a valuable slot receiver and outlet for Richardson.

“They had a good connection last year, it will definitely help having him back,” Steichen said.

The Colts are averaging 6.1 yards per carry this season and the running game could help counter Chicago’s aggressive front seven. Richardson has 10 carries for 93 yards and Jonathan Taylor has 151 rushing yards.

“They fly around pretty good. Got a lot of respect for ‘Flus,” Steichen said, noting the Bears’ four takeaways and punt block. “They do a lot with movement. We’ve got to be ready for them.”

This is the first meeting between the teams since the Colts beat the Bears 19-11 in Chicago in 2020.

–Field Level Media