Unbeaten Chiefs enjoying better fortune than 2-2 Saints

The Kansas City Chiefs have played four one-score games, while the New Orleans Saints are tied for largest scoring margin in the NFL.

Yet the Chiefs are 4-0 and the Saints are 2-2 as these teams prepare to meet Monday night in Kansas City.

The two-time defending Super Bowl champion Chiefs keep finding ways to win games that go to the wire while the Saints have lost their last two games by squandering leads in the final moments.

The Chiefs have overcome a series of injuries to key skill players on offense. Running back Clyde Edwards-Helaire has yet to play while on the non-football illness list, though he did return to practice Wednesday. Running back Isiah Pacheco (fibula) and wide receiver Hollywood Brown (back) are on injured reserve and were joined Wednesday by wide receiver Rashee Rice, who sustained a knee injury in a 17-10 victory against the Chargers last week.

“There’s not another Rashee,” Chiefs head coach Andy Reid said, “but there are other guys that are very good so we’ll be fine.”

First-round draft choice Xavier Worthy is averaging 17.1 yards per catch and has two touchdown receptions, tight end Travis Kelce is Kansas City’s leading healthy receiver and fellow veterans Justin Watson and JuJu Smith-Shuster give quarterback Patrick Mahomes confidence.

“Those guys do it the right way,” Mahomes said. “They’re always in the right position. They do what they’re supposed to do, and I think having those guys is a luxury because you know that they’re going to be there and they’re going to get open and they’re going to make plays when their numbers are called.”

The Chiefs have been one of the most productive offenses in the NFL since Mahomes became a starter in 2018, but this season they rank just 14th in scoring offense (23 points per game) and total offense (328.3 yards per game). Still, they’ve been productive enough to be undefeated, thanks in part to being No. 7 in scoring defense (18.0).

New Orleans, which is No. 1 in scoring (31.8) and No. 9 in yards (349.0), rolled to victories in its first two games, routing the Panthers 47-10 and the Cowboys 44-19.

But two weeks ago, after the Saints score a go-ahead touchdown with 2:03 left in the game, Philadelphia drove 69 yards on five plays to a touchdown with 1:01 left and prevailed 15-12. Then, last week, New Orleans scored a go-ahead touchdown with 1:00 left, but Atlanta drove to Younghoe Koo’s winning 58-yard field goal with two seconds remaining in a 26-24 victory.

“I’m encouraged that we’ve given ourselves an opportunity to win every single game,” Saints head coach Dennis Allen said. “We could be sitting here 4-0, but that’s not the case and that’s the discouraging thing.”

The loss to the Falcons was especially frustrating because the Saints defense didn’t allow a touchdown, but a series of mistakes cost them.

Rashid Shaheed muffed a punt that Atlanta recovered in the end zone for a touchdown, a deflected Derek Carr pass was intercepted and returned for a touchdown and a 30-yard defensive pass interference penalty on Paulson Adebo gave the Falcons all the yardage they needed for Koo’s winning kick.

“When you want to be a good team you’re going to play in a lot of tightly contested games,” Allen said, “and we’ve got to find ways to win those things.”

Five Saints starters missed practice Wednesday — tight end Taysom Hill (ribs), guard Cesar Ruiz (knee), center Shane Lemieux (ankle), linebacker Willie Gay Jr. (hand) and kicker Blake Grupe (hip). No one on the Chiefs’ active roster missed practice.

–Field Level Media

With star rookie Malik Nabers in question, Giants ready for Seahawks

The New York Giants have had a couple of extra days to prepare for Sunday’s game in Seattle.

But that still might not be enough for Malik Nabers.

The rookie, who leads the NFL in receptions, missed practice this week because of a concussion suffered late in a 20-15 loss against the visiting Dallas Cowboys on Sept. 26.

Nabers had a career-high 12 catches for 115 yards before being hurt.

“We’ll just take it day by day with him,” Giants coach Brian Daboll said of Nabers, the sixth overall pick of the 2024 NFL Draft out of LSU. “Really, other than that, I have no update other than he’s in the protocol and just hope he continues to get better.”

Through four games, Nabers has 35 receptions — five more than Houston’s Nico Collins. Nabers also is second in the league with 386 receiving yards and tied for third with three touchdown catches.

“There’s no doubt he’s been a big part of our offense so far and someone who we’ve counted on in a lot of spots,” Giants quarterback Daniel Jones said. “So, it’ll change a little bit. But the guys we got out there, we have a lot of confidence in them winning their matchups and getting open. I know we’ll play well.”

The Giants (1-3) could use all their weapons against a banged-up Seattle defense that was without five injured starters — and lost a sixth during the first half in safety Julian Love (quad contusion) — in a 42-29 loss Monday night at Detroit.

Wan’Dale Robinson, who is second on the Giants in receptions with 26, was limited in practice Wednesday and Thursday with a heel injury. Starting running back Devin Singletary (groin) didn’t practice either day. Cornerbacks Dru Phillips and Adoree’ Jackson, both with calf injuries, sat out Wednesday and were limited on Thursday. Linebacker Brian Burns (groin) was limited both days.

Daboll said second-year receiver Jalin Hyatt will get more practice time with Nabers and Robinson ailing.

“I think we got a lot of guys who can make plays,” Jones said. “We’ll see what happens with Malik through the week, but confident in all our guys.”

The NFC West-leading Seahawks (3-1) couldn’t keep up with Detroit despite a big night from quarterback Geno Smith. The veteran broke a franchise record for pass attempts (56), had the second-most completions in a game (38) and set a career high with 395 yards passing.

“I have no problem with (coach Mike Macdonald) putting the game in my hand. I’m actually hoping for that every time I go out there, and so, whenever that’s the situation, I just got to do what I got to do to make the right plays,” Smith said.

Kenneth Walker III overcame a slow first half to rush for 80 yards and three TDs on 12 carries and DK Metcalf added seven receptions for 104 yards.

But Macdonald’s defense allowed the Lions’ Jared Goff to go 18-of-18 passing, the most attempts without an incompletion in NFL history. Goff also made a TD reception.

“We have time to grow as a football team, we have a short week, we have to have a sense of urgency about it, and we need to take the next step,” Macdonald said. “But (Monday) just wasn’t good enough, especially on the defensive side of the ball. So, we’ve got to make it right and move forward.”

Macdonald said he was optimistic about Love’s return Sunday. In addition, injured linebackers Boye Mafe (knee) and Uchenna Nwosu (knee) and defensive tackle Leonard Williams (ribs) all took part in practice this week, while defensive tackle Byron Murphy II (hamstring) remained out.

–Field Level Media

49ers look to pick up steam in clash vs. NFC West-rival Cards

The San Francisco 49ers will try to string two wins together for the first time this season on Sunday when they host the Arizona Cardinals in Santa Clara, Calif.

The 49ers (2-2) used a strong defensive performance to stop a two-game slide with a 30-13 victory over the New England Patriots last Sunday.

Arizona (1-3) played its past three games at home, following up a decisive victory over the Los Angeles Rams with losses to the Detroit Lions and Washington Commanders.

The setback to the Commanders was a 42-14 rout at the hands of former Cardinals head coach Kliff Kingsbury, who now is Washington’s offensive coordinator.

“I told (the team), ‘You have a game like that and you think you’ve got to blow it all up, tear it all down and we’re so far away. We’re really not,'” Arizona second-year coach Jonathan Gannon said earlier this week. “We’re close but not there yet with how the last game went.”

Gannon mentioned two areas the Cardinals must correct: their third-down conversion attempts and stopping opponents on their third-down tries.

The Lions converted 50 percent of their third-down situations (6 for 12) in a 20-13 win over Arizona.

The Cardinals then allowed the Commanders a 75 percent success rate (9 for 12) on third down.

Arizona’s offense, conversely, went 1 for 9 (11.1 percent) on third-down attempts against the Lions and 4 for 11 (36.4 percent) versus the Commanders.

“I know that any offense — in Pop Warner to the NFL — has a better chance converting when it’s third-and-manageable, so we have to do a better job there,” Gannon said.

The promising news for the Cardinals is the 49ers’ defense is allowing the seventh-highest third-down conversion rate in the league at 46.0 percent.

Another encouraging development is rookie receiver Marvin Harrison Jr. reeling in 14 receptions for 239 yards and four touchdowns over the past three weeks.

The 49ers had six players fail to participate in practice on Wednesday.

The list included tight end George Kittle (ribs), linebackers Fred Warner (ankle) and Dee Winters (ankle), wide receivers Jacob Cowing (shoulder) and Chris Conley (oblique), and defensive lineman Yetur Gross-Matos (ribs).

Another four players were limited: defensive linemen Jordan Elliott (knee) and Kevin Givens (triceps), safety Talanoa Hufanga (ankle) and linebacker Demetrius Flannigan-Fowles (calf).

Defensive lineman Kalia Davis (knee) finally might play for the 49ers this week after the team opened the practice window Wednesday for the 2022 sixth-round draft pick.

Davis sustained a knee injury that required surgery in the preseason opener at the Tennessee Titans on Aug. 10.

Defensive lineman Nick Bosa said the possibility of Davis playing against the Cardinals is “huge,” especially after the news of the 49ers likely not having defensive tackle Javon Hargrave (partially torn triceps) the rest of the season.

“We needed a little help with depth,” Bosa said of the defensive line. “Hopefully, (Davis) works in slow, but I think if his body is in good shape, then we already know what he can do as a player.”

The 49ers’ defensive line was a significant factor in the win over New England.

Givens recorded 2.5 sacks, Maliek Collins added 1.5, and Evan Anderson and Bosa each had one.

“I thought the defense as a whole, and especially the D-line, really rose to the occasion for that game,” San Francisco coach Kyle Shanahan said.

–Field Level Media