Health concerns hit as Raiders, Browns eye improved QB play

When the Cleveland Browns go on the road to meet the Las Vegas Raiders on Sunday, a pair of starting quarterbacks return to their posts after Week 3 performances opened the door for doubt.

Raiders quarterback Gardner Minshew was benched for the final drive in a 36-22 home loss to the Carolina Panthers after throwing an interception in the fourth quarter. Aidan O’Connell took over and orchestrated a late 13-play, 70-yard touchdown drive.

Browns quarterback Deshaun Watson is down three starting offensive linemen this week. Cleveland’s revamped offense is limping to Las Vegas. Watson absorbed eight sacks during a 21-15 loss to the visiting New York Giants last week.

While Watson came out of the game fine physically, although the rough afternoon could bring about trust issues.

At the outset Sunday, it’s Minshew and the Raiders (1-2) against Watson and the Browns (1-2). Who else takes the field is up in the air.

“There’s no issue. Gardner Minshew is the quarterback,” Raiders head coach Antonio Pierce said this week.

Yet, it isn’t as if the Raiders are issue free. The Panthers handled the Raiders’ offensive and defensive lines in Week 3, with a frustrated Pierce saying afterward, when asked about the team’s effort: “… There were definitely some players that made business decisions.”

Top wide receiver Davante Adams (tied for the team lead with 18 receptions) was ruled out with a hamstring injury. The Raiders’ top defensive playmaker, pass rusher Maxx Crosby, is also out due to a left ankle injury that bothered him since Week 2.

The Raiders gave up 437 yards, including 306 passing, and allowed four touchdowns to a Carolina that was in the midst of a change from Bryce Young to Andy Dalton at quarterback. Crosby played well on a high ankle sprain, but his teammates failed to follow his lead. This week, they’ll need a new energizer to emerge.

“At 80 percent, (Crosby is) a lot better than any defensive end in the National Football League,” said Pierce.

Adams started the first three games and has 18 receptions for 209 yards and one touchdown. Rookie tight end Brock Bowers, the team’s co-leader in receptions, could become the primary target this week.

There is already a large target on Watson’s back.

With the offensive line in flux all around him, the Browns are on the road without Pro Bowl right guard Wyatt Teller (knee), starting left tackle Jedrick Wills Jr. (knee) and right tackle Jack Conklin. Conklin was “close” to making his 2024 debut but had what coach Kevin Stefanski said was a “minor setback” with a hamstring injury.

Watson went 21 of 37 for 196 yards with two touchdowns in the loss to the Giants as the Browns finished with just 217 total yards. Watson’s eight sacks cost Cleveland 48 yards, while the Browns also lost two fumbles. He has been sacked an NFL-worst 16 times and pressured more than any quarterback in the league (42) this season.

“When you’re talking about protection, it’s everybody,” Stefanski said. “… Everybody has a job to do in order to keep the quarterback clean. So, I got to do my part (as coach). It’s no secret we can’t let him get hit that many times. That’s not good enough and that will get fixed.”

The Browns are 31st in the 32-team NFL in total offense at 248.0 yards per game and 30th in passing at 152.3 yards per game. They have scored just 16.7 points per contest.

On defense, Pro Bowl defensive end Myles Garrett has been playing through foot, thigh and Achilles injuries, yet still has been good enough to record two sacks. forcing a fumble on both. Cleveland is 12th in total defense at 309.3 yards allowed per game. But Garrett said he will play this week and rest .

“He’s a warrior. He’s going to go out there and give it everything he has,” Browns defensive coordinator Jim Schwartz said. “Anything he’s able to do, he’s going to go out there and do it and when he’s on the field for us, he provides a big boost.”

Browns tight end David Njoku (ankle) will not play Sunday, missing his third consecutive game.

–Field Level Media

Ravens view Bills as perfect chance to prove they belong

Buffalo is one of five 3-0 teams in the NFL, while the Baltimore Ravens are hungry to prove they are still on par with teams like the Bills in the AFC.

When the teams meet on Sunday night in Baltimore, the Ravens will have at least one thing going for them: They are hosting their second annual “Darkness Falls” game, a college-style stadium blackout that has Lamar Jackson pumped.

“Hearing the ‘Flock,’ just seeing all black throughout the crowd, it’s like you can’t escape,” the quarterback said with a grin. “It’s something about it, man, I can’t really describe it. Like the dark side.”

The Ravens (1-2) didn’t need home cooking to defeat the Dallas Cowboys last Sunday, though they let a 22-point lead dwindle in the fourth quarter before winning 28-25. Baltimore has been outscored 32-7 in the fourth quarter of its past two games.

Derrick Henry racked up 151 of the Ravens’ 274 rushing yards vs. the Cowboys and scored the third and fourth touchdowns of his debut season in Baltimore. Jackson ran for 87 yards and a score, and Justice Hill added 33 yards on five carries.

“They are kind of a good 1-2 punch,” coach John Harbaugh said of Henry and Hill. “They play off each other really well. They run the same plays, too, but they also run different plays at times. I just think it’s a good change of pace for the defense.”

The Ravens continue to tweak their defense, adding pass rusher Yannick Ngakoue to their practice squad earlier this week. Ngakoue has totaled 69 career sacks for six teams, including nine games for Baltimore in 2020. Baltimore’s Kyle Van Noy is tied for third in the league with four sacks.

As for the Bills, there has been little to nitpick this year.

After creaming the Jacksonville Jaguars 47-10 on Monday night, the Bills have a plus-64 scoring differential, tops in the league. Their turnover differential is plus-5 — only Green Bay’s is better — and they rank in the top 10 in total defense (286.7 yards allowed per game), passing defense (168.3) and scoring defense (16 points per game).

Josh Allen leads an offense that is scoring 37.3 points per game, another league high. He picked apart the Jaguars for four passing touchdowns before halftime on Monday night.

Allen won AFC Offensive Player of the Week, one week after running back James Cook won the honor for his three-touchdown game against the Miami Dolphins. Buffalo’s Gregory Rousseau won AFC Defensive Player of the Week for a three-sack game in Week 1.

“It’s a shame our O-line can’t win Offensive Player of the Week,” Allen quipped, “because they play their tails off. And even going back to Week 2, James was able to win that because of what our O-line’s doing.”

Damar Hamlin grabbed his first career interception in the Jacksonville blowout. It was an emotional moment for Hamlin, who suffered cardiac arrest during a game against the Cincinnati Bengals less than 20 months ago.

“We keep it simple and everybody’s keeping the team first,” Hamlin said on “The Pat McAfee Show” on Tuesday. “Buffalo is a special place to be.”

The Bills have ruled out linebacker Terrel Bernard (pec) and cornerback Taron Johnson (forearm) for Sunday, and rookie offensive lineman Tylan Grable (groin) was placed on IR. Cornerback Kaiir Elam (neck) was a full participant in Friday’s practice and has no injury designation for the game.

The Ravens are dealing with a banged-up offensive line. Center Tyler Linderbaum (knee) missed Wednesday’s practice but worked his way back the rest of the week and is officially questionable. Left guard Andrew Vorhees (ankle) is doubtful and cornerback Jalyn Armour-Davis (hamstring) was ruled out.

The Bills have won two straight meetings with the Ravens, including a victory in the divisional round of the 2020-21 playoffs.

–Field Level Media

QBs get healthy, Aaron Jones leaps for Green Bay return with Vikings

Aaron Jones knows exactly what he will do if he scores a touchdown at Lambeau Field, where he spent the first seven years of his career.

“I’m definitely leaping up there,” Jones said this week.

Would Packers fans embrace him in his Lambeau Leap? Boo him? Maybe both?

Jones is in his first season with the rival Minnesota Vikings (3-0), who will visit the Green Bay Packers (2-1) on Sunday afternoon in an NFC North battle.

The Packers released Jones during the offseason and the Vikings wasted little time in adding him to their roster. He has responded with 325 yards from scrimmage and two touchdowns in his first three games for Minnesota, which is one of five remaining teams in the NFL that have yet to lose.

Green Bay has been nearly as impressive to start the season, particularly considering that it lost starting quarterback Jordan Love to a knee injury at the end of its season opener against the Philadelphia Eagles.

Backup Malik Willis has stepped in and helped Green Bay do more than just stay competitive. The Packers beat the Indianapolis Colts 16-10 in Week 2 before following that up last week with a 30-14 road win against the Tennessee Titans.

This week, Love said that his knee is feeling better and he is moving without as many limitations. He is officially listed as questionable for Sunday.

“I’m trying to push it, and I’ve been trying to get back as fast as I can no matter who the opponent was,” Love said. “But definitely, you look at this week — an NFC North opponent, 3-0 team, really good team — so definitely it would mean a lot to get back and push myself to get back for this game.”

Love practiced in full pads Wednesday, Thursday and Friday, a sign Packers coach Matt LaFleur called “encouraging.”

Willis has proved to be a capable backup plan. He posted a 120.9 passer rating last week against Tennessee, against whom he completed 13 of 19 passes for 202 yards and a touchdown.

The Vikings also have benefited from a comeback story at their most important position. Sam Darnold has thrived in his first season with the team, completing 67.9 percent of his passes for 657 yards, eight touchdowns and two interceptions.

Darnold briefly left last week’s contest against the Houston Texans because of a knee injury but returned one play later. He was back at practice without limitations by Thursday and did not appear on the final injury report Friday.

Vikings coach Kevin O’Connell said he was grateful that Darnold escaped serious injury.

“I’ve been very excited about the start that Sam has gotten off to,” O’Connell said. “I’m having an absolute blast coaching him. So when I saw him go down in the moment, there was the initial feeling. … And then he comes back in the game, and I’m holding the call sheet, so I can’t clap like everybody else did.”

Both teams also have benefited from playmakers on defense to start the season.

Patrick Jones II and Jonathan Greenard lead the Vikings with four sacks apiece. Teammate Andrew Van Ginkel has three sacks to go along with a pick-6.

Green Bay is led by Devonte Wyatt with three sacks. Safety Xavier McKinney also has shined in the secondary with an NFL-best three interceptions. The Packers do have starting cornerback Jaire Alexander (quadricep, groin) listed as questionable and corner Carrington Valentine (ankle) down as doubtful.

This will be the 128th all-time meeting between the rivals, including playoffs. Green Bay leads the series 66-58-3.

Jones cannot wait for the next matchup.

“I’m definitely excited to go back, that’s where it all started for me,” he said. “Just a moment of gratitude, a full-circle moment.”

–Field Level Media

Kliff Kingsbury’s proteges face off as the Commanders head to Arizona

As the first-year head coach of the Arizona Cardinals in 2019, Kliff Kingsbury’s mission was to develop a rookie quarterback with a Heisman Trophy on his resume, Kyler Murray.

Five years later, in his first year as offensive coordinator of the Washington Commanders, Kingsbury is doing the same with another Heisman Trophy-winning rookie quarterback in Jayden Daniels.

Sunday when the Cardinals (1-2) host the Commanders (2-1), it will be a look-in at Kingsbury pupils, past and present.

So far, the Kingsbury-Daniels collaboration has been a rousing success, as Daniels has shown improvement each week, culminating with a brilliant breakout performance Monday night in Cincinnati in the Commanders’ 38-33 win over the Bengals.

Daniels completed 21 of 23 passes for 254 yards and two touchdowns, including a stunning 27-yard game-clincher to Terry McLaurin as he was absorbing a huge hit from Cincinnati safety Geno Stone.

“Sometimes the bigger the challenge, the bigger the smile,” Washington head coach Dan Quinn said of the poise Daniels has shown.

“He is the answer,” Commanders defensive tackle Jonathan Allen added.

In hitting on 91.3 percent of his passes, Daniels had the highest completion rate ever in a game for a rookie quarterback.

In three games, Daniels has yet to commit a turnover. He has directed 17 straight drives that either ended in a score or a kneeldown, dating back to the last drive of the season opener. Pro Bowl punter Tress Way hasn’t had to kick since Week 1.

Daniels, who was the No. 2 overall pick in the 2024 draft, leads the high-flying Commanders to Arizona. The team flew directly there from Cincinnati because Quinn wanted “no outside voices,” to interfere with Washington’s preparation.

“One of the most challenging things for a young team to do is not to ride the roller coaster. It’s not easy because roller coasters are fun as hell,” Quinn said. “You can’t ride the highs and lows because both can be equally dangerous.”

A danger for Washington on Sunday is the Cardinals’ aerial combo of Murray and rookie wideout Marvin Harrison Jr. Of Murray’s five touchdown passes, three have been to the former Ohio State standout.

Harrison had a touchdown catch on the opening drive in the Cardinals’ 20-13 loss at home to the Detroit Lions on Sunday. But on its next 10 possessions, Arizona produced only two field goals.

There should be more opportunities against Washington, which ranks last in the NFL in passer rating defense (127.6) and has surrendered more passing touchdowns (nine) than any team.

Arizona coach Jonathan Gannon expects the Commanders to be a tough challenge.

“Monday night, they played extremely well,” Gannon said. “They’re 2-1 for a reason. Big-time test coming in here.”

The Cardinals will not have to deal with Washington running back Austin Ekeler, who suffered a concussion Monday night and has been ruled out, Quinn said on Wednesday. Defensive end Clelin Ferrell (knee) and wide receiver Jamison Crowder (calf) are also out.

Commanders guard Sam Cosmi will play Sunday after an Achilles injury sidelined him for Wednesday’s practice and limited him on Thursday.

Gannon reported on Wednesday that defensive lineman Justin Jones (triceps) will miss the rest of the season. Replacing him on the roster will be veteran Naquan Jones, who was with the Cardinals in the preseason before joining the practice roster of the Miami Dolphins.

Tight end Trey McBride (concussion) and defensive tackle Khyiris Tonga (knee) are both out for Arizona.

Safety Budda Baker (quad), linebacker Dennis Gardeck (finger), defensive tackle Dante Stills (shoulder) and Harrison (quad) will all play for the Cardinals after being limited in practice earlier in the week. Guard Isaiah Adams (thumb) and offensive tackle Kelvin Beachum (hamstring) are questionable.

– Field Level Media