Christian McCaffrey out again as 49ers battle Vikings

Christian McCaffrey was optimistic that he would make his season debut when the San Francisco 49ers play the Minnesota Vikings on Sunday afternoon in Minneapolis.

But the calf injury and Achilles tendinitis that caused him to sit out the 49ers’ season opener continues to flare up, and McCaffrey will sit out again in Week 2.

In fact, he might be placed on injured reserve after a setback in Thursday’s practice.

The developments of the week are much different than McCaffrey envisioned. Earlier this week, he said “my mindset is I’m going to play no matter what I’m going through on Wednesday or Thursday in practice.”

San Francisco (1-0) will stick with the backup plan, which was a sensational move in the opener. The 49ers turned to second-string running back Jordan Mason on Monday, and he had 28 carries for 147 yards and a touchdown in his NFL debut to lead the team to a 32-19 win over the visiting New York Jets.

Meanwhile, Minnesota (1-0) is looking to play the role of spoiler in its home opener. The Vikings are coming off a decisive 28-6 win over the New York Giants in Week 1 that marked the team debut for Sam Darnold at quarterback.

Darnold completed 19 of 24 passes for 208 yards, two touchdowns and one interception to register a 113.2 passer rating. He now will go up against the 49ers, with whom he played last season as a backup to starter Brock Purdy.

A season on the sidelines was a blessing in disguise, Darnold said.

“Being able to prepare and be ready like I was the starter, but just sit back and watch everything that was going on in the organization, how things were run there, (really helped),” Darnold said. “I really did learn a ton from Brock and the way he prepared, his quiet confidence that he had every single day.

“He’s not the rah-rah guy, not going to lead the team in breakdowns at the end of the year, but he’s just as steady as they come.”

Purdy proved steady last week as he completed 19 of 29 passes for 231 yards. He also had one rush for 11 yards in the victory.

Both teams’ defenses will look to repeat impressive performances in Week 2.

San Francisco held the Jets to 266 total yards and spoiled the opener for Aaron Rodgers, who passed for 167 yards, one touchdown and one interception. Leonard Floyd recorded a sack for San Francisco.

The Vikings also shined in defensive coordinator Brian Flores’ system. Free-agent acquisition Andrew Van Ginkel had an interception return for a touchdown, and veteran safety Harrison Smith baited Daniel Jones into another interception.

Minnesota racked up five sacks, including a pair from linebacker Patrick Jones II. Van Ginkel also notched a sack, as did rookie edge rusher Dallas Turner.

San Francisco wideout Brandon Aiyuk is hoping for better production in his second game back from a long delay over a contract dispute. Aiyuk caught two passes for 28 yards in Week 1 but said he felt like he was in good game shape.

“It felt good,” Aiyuk said. “(I felt) a little sore. (I was) solid though.”

Vikings wideout Jordan Addison was ruled out of Sunday’s game after he did not take part in practice because of a Week 1 right ankle injury. Addison had three catches for 35 yards before he left the game in the third quarter. Jalen Nailor will start opposite Justin Jefferson.

Safety Harrison Smith (hip), tackle Brian O’Neill (elbow) and guard Ed Ingram (tricep) were limited at practice on Friday and are listed as questionable for the game.

San Francisco listed safety Talanoa Hufanga (knee) as doubtful and linebacker Dee Winters (ankle) as questionable.

–Field Level Media

Bengals, aiming to bounce back, renew acquaintances with Chiefs

KANSAS CITY, Mo. — The Kansas City Chiefs will look to build upon their momentum from a dramatic opening-night win while the visiting Cincinnati Bengals will aim to forget a dismal showing in their opener when the teams meet Sunday.

The Chiefs (1-0) held on for a 27-20 win over the Baltimore Ravens when Isaiah Likely’s toe landed just out of bounds in the closing seconds, nullifying his would-be touchdown grab.

The Bengals (0-1) saw their offense sputter in a stunning 16-10 home loss to the rebuilding New England Patriots, with Joe Burrow completing 21 of 29 passes but only for 164 yards and no touchdowns.

The Chiefs and Bengals are certainly no strangers to each other. They are meeting for the sixth time in the last four seasons, with the Bengals winning three times, including the AFC Championship Game after the 2021 season in Kansas City.

The Chiefs returned the favor in the AFC Championship Game the following year, quarterback Patrick Mahomes’ first win over Burrow in four meetings.

Last season, the Chiefs topped the Bengals 25-17 in Week 17, a game Burrow missed with torn ligaments in his right wrist. Jake Browning started in Burrow’s place and the Bengals lost, eliminating them from postseason contention.

“Yeah, of course, you miss that,” Burrow said of sitting out last season’s matchup. “I just miss playing football. I miss being out there with the guys, so it’s a luxury right now to be criticized by all (the media) about how we played on Sunday, because I was sitting in the wings for seven weeks last year. So I’m just excited to be out there.”

Injuries could again play a key factor in Sunday’s outcome. On Wednesday, Burrow addressed his recovery from wrist surgery, as cameras caught him repeatedly flexing and rubbing his wrist during the Week 1 loss.

“It feels better this week than it did last week, than it did the week before, so it’s continually getting better,” Burrow said of the wrist.

Burrow was a full participant in practice all week and is good to go for the game.

Receiver Tee Higgins, who missed Week 1 with a strained hamstring, is listed as doubtful. Cincinnati ruled out defensive tackle Kris Jenkins (thumb), while tight end Tanner Hudson (knee) and right tackle Amarius Mims (pectoral) are doubtful.

Chiefs veteran receiver Marquise “Hollywood” Brown (shoulder) was placed on injured reserve on Friday and will undergo surgery.

In the Chiefs’ Week 1 win, Mahomes completed 20 of 28 passes for 291 yards, with a 35-yard pass to 21-year-old rookie Xavier Worthy, who also ran 21 yards for a score.

The Bengals, meanwhile, could get almost nothing going on offense, going three-and-out on their first three possessions, scoring just one touchdown and never holding a lead before a frustrated home crowd.

Kelce said on his “New Heights” podcast, “The Bengals are going to be ready for us. We’re going to be dialed up and have a great game plan. It’s going to be exciting to go up against one of the best teams in the league.

“I think they have a great defense. Their defensive coordinator (Lou Anarumo) always plays extremely tough. They’re very well coached. They got players all over the place, and great players all over the place. And sure enough, it’s one I would call rivals, now that we’ve actually won a few.”

After beating Mahomes and the Chiefs twice in the 2021 season and once in in the ’22 season, coach Zac Taylor and his Bengals have dropped the last two meetings, both in Kansas City, the site again of Sunday’s showdown.

Taylor said of going up against Mahomes, “He’s one of the greatest ever to do it. … He’s just a very aware player. He’s always in the moment. He’s got a lot of strengths, not a lot of weaknesses.”

–Mike Petraglia, Field Level Media

Bears, rookie QB Caleb Williams face gold standard in Texans’ C.J. Stroud

Early during his Wednesday presser, Bears coach Matt Eberflus was asked how the historic production Texans quarterback C.J. Stroud enjoyed as a rookie last season could be used as a template for Chicago rookie quarterback Caleb Williams, whose debut last Sunday against the Tennessee Titans could reasonably be described as inauspicious.

Eberflus adroitly sidestepped making a comparison that would only add to the already enormous expectations resting on Williams’ shoulders. While Stroud crafted one of the greatest seasons for a rookie quarterback in NFL history, Williams struggled in his first career start and relied on the Bears’ exceptional defense and special teams to steer the way to a 24-17 home win over the Tennessee Titans.

The Texans (1-0) will host the Bears (1-0) in a showdown on Sunday highlighting the standard Williams is charged with meeting. Stroud thrived in a 29-27 road victory over the Indianapolis Colts last Sunday, passing for 234 yards and two touchdowns with a 115.9 rating.

Williams, conversely, averaged 3.2 yards per attempt, threw for only 93 yards, posted a 55.7 rating and helmed an offense that didn’t score a touchdown. His handling of a middling performance struck Eberflus.

“He’s been really good,” Eberflus said. “Him and I watched the plays Monday morning. He comes into my office and was really good there. He’s really good with the players owning up to everything and taking responsibility for performance and accountability. That’s what you need from leaders on the football team, not just him.

“And then moving forward to coming in (Wednesday) morning and figuring out what we’re doing, how we’re doing it and having conversations with him. I think he’s in a good spot.”

The Bears were buoyed by a pair of touchdown returns, including a 43-yard interception return by cornerback Tyrique Stevenson with 7:35 left in regulation that sealed the win. Chicago sacked Titans quarterback Will Levis three times, picked him off twice and limited Levis to 4.0 yards per attempt.

The Bears might need another stifling performance against the Texans, not only to cover Williams as he develops but to help a Chicago offense that has a pair of receivers — Keenan Allen (heel) and Rome Odunze (MCL strain) — listed as questionable for Sunday.

Wins can mask warts. But Williams acknowledged that ample work remains for the offense.

“We’re here getting better,” Williams said. “Just getting back out here making sure we’re focused on the small things, the details. Whether it’s myself of footwork, drops … or whether it’s the routes, whether it’s the run game, hand placement, all these other things when blocking to make sure as an offense we’re successful.”

The Texans had no such problems offensively. Houston seamlessly inserted veteran newcomers Stefon Diggs (two touchdown catches) and Joe Mixon (30 carries, 159 yards and a touchdown) into their potent mix, with Mixon earning AFC Offensive Player of the Week honors for his efforts.

Stroud was sacked four times but did not commit a turnover and was in complete control even under duress, finding Nico Collins (six catches, 117 yards) when the moment was dire.

In the aftermath of its win, Houston had reason to be optimistic that more can be unlocked.

“I think watching the film from last week, there’s definitely a lot of play left on the field,” Stroud said. “We can clean up a lot of things. So, yeah, I definitely think that we barely showed what we’ve got. But it’s kind of cool because we still did kind of play pretty good once we stopped shooting ourselves in the foot.

“The plays that we ran good looked great. But the ones that we just barely missed on, it was just the little, little, small things. If we clean those up, man, I think we would’ve had a way better day, but definitely great to learn in a win.”

The Bears ruled out two players for the game, offensive tackle Ryan Bates (shoulder/elbow) and fullback Khari Blasingame (hand/knee). In addition to Allen and Odunze, Chicago listed defensive end DeMarcus Walker (foot) as questionable.

The Texans will be without safety M.J. Stewart (knee). Running back Dameon Pierce (hamstring) and center Juice Scruggs (groin) were considered questionable as of Friday.

–Field Level Media