On 4-game skid, Browns get Nick Chubb back vs. Bengals

Running back Nick Chubb will try to provide the Browns with an offensive spark when Cleveland faces the visiting Cincinnati Bengals on Sunday afternoon.

Chubb is expected to take the field for the first time since a Week 2 knee injury prematurely ended his 2023 season. He comes back in a time of need for Cleveland (1-5), which just traded wideout Amari Cooper to the Buffalo Bills on Tuesday and saw running back Jerome Ford sustain a hamstring injury during the first quarter of a 20-16 loss to the Philadelphia Eagles last Sunday.

Ford did not practice on Wednesday, while Chubb participated in full.

“Super nice to be able to have his presence, his energy, his work ethic, and just to have Chubb in the backfield,” Browns quarterback Deshaun Watson said. “He definitely means a lot, not just for this offense, but for this community and this organization.

“So definitely that excitement and hopefully that spark that we need to take it to another level.”

It might end up taking a lot more than Chubb to get Cleveland on the right track, though, as the Browns are averaging the third-fewest points per game in the NFL (15.8) and have dropped their past four contests.

“I just think with where we are, we need to play sound offensive football to help our team,” Cleveland coach Kevin Stefanski said. “Sound offensive football, we all know what it looks like. It’s taking care of the ball. It’s being efficient and explosive on first and second down, being good in those critical moments.”

Early-season struggles have plagued Cincinnati (2-4), too. The Bengals got off to an 0-3 start, but they have since won two of their past three games, most recently beating the New York Giants 17-7 in Week 6.

Cincinnati’s defense finally stepped up, holding an opponent under 24 points for the first time since a season-opening 16-10 setback against the New England Patriots.

However, Bengals defensive coordinator Lou Anarumo knows that containing the Browns at home likely won’t be nearly as easy. Cincinnati has a six-game losing streak in Cleveland and has yielded an average of 27.5 points per contest during that skid.

“I made everybody aware of it (Wednesday) morning in our defensive meeting room that we have yet to get on the bus happy,” Anarumo said. “They are aware of what that building presents, what that team presents to us and the challenges. We have to step it up and do better.”

The Bengals should have nearly everyone available when they attempt to shed the losing streak, as cornerback DJ Turner II was the only player affected by an injury during Wednesday’s practice. He was limited due to an ankle issue.

Safety Ronnie Hickman Jr. (ankle) and center Ethan Pocic (knee) joined Ford in missing practice for the Browns on Wednesday. Defensive end Myles Garrett (Achilles), cornerback Denzel Ward (hamstring) and running back D’Onta Foreman (groin) were among those limited.

Sunday marks Cleveland’s first division game of the season. The Browns went 3-3 against AFC North foes in 2023.

–Field Level Media

Pair of 1-5 teams seek better fate as Pats, Jags meet in London

The Jacksonville Jaguars are desperate for a victory, while the New England Patriots are looking to end a losing streak while overseeing the continued development of their rookie quarterback.

Each team will look to further those goals in their matchup Sunday in London, England, at Wembley Stadium.

The rebuilding Patriots (1-5) have dropped five in a row since upsetting Cincinnati in Week 1. The Jaguars (1-5) are playing their second consecutive game in London after failing to put together back-to-back wins last week in a 35-16 loss to Chicago.

Rookie Drake Maye is expected to make his second career start for New England after getting the nod in last week’s 41-21 loss at home against Houston.

Maye, the Patriots’ No. 3 overall pick out of North Carolina, completed 20 of 33 passes for 243 yards, three touchdowns, two interceptions and an 88.3 passer rating against the Texans.

“Excited. (We saw) a quick glimpse of what we can do,” Patriots wide receiver DeMario Douglas said this week. “When we put it all together, I feel like we can be scary.”

Maye’s performance injected life into the Patriots’ offense, which ranks 31st in yards per play (4.3) and yards per pass attempt (5.5).

The 21 points were a season high for New England.

Patriots first-year head coach Jerod Mayo said his team needs to get off to better starts and sees an opportunity to do just that in this week’s matchup.

New England has not scored on its first drive this season and has not picked up a first down in four of six opening drives.

Mayo hinted at starting lineup changes entering this week’s game as well.

“The common denominator is a lack of focus,” he said. “We’re in the middle of the season now and to have a penalty on the opening kickoff is unacceptable. It’s a lack of focus.”

Jacksonville is treating this as a must-win game.

After picking up their first win the prior week against the Indianapolis Colts, the Jaguars delivered a disappointing performance against another rookie quarterback. Bears starter Caleb Williams threw a career-best four touchdown passes against the Jaguars to break the game open in the second half.

Facing another promising rookie, Jaguars coach Doug Pederson hopes for more from his defense.

“He’s going to take what he did last week and he’s going to improve,” Pederson said of Maye. “… He’s got a big arm, he’s a smart kid, he’s athletic, he’s tough, he took some shots in that game against Houston the other day and came back.”

After a solid opening drive ended with a field goal, Jacksonville struggled to sustain any rhythm on offense. The Jaguars also remain one of the more generous defenses, allowing 6.0 yards per play (30th in NFL) and the second-most points (178).

“I mean, I think we’re scoring 18 or 19 points offensively,” Pederson said. “They’re looking at it the same way, if we can keep them under 20, first one to 20 might win the game. That’s the reality of it.”

The Jaguars could be without starting tailback Travis Etienne, whom Pederson considered week-to-week with a hamstring injury. Jacksonville would lean on Tank Bigsby primarily if Etienne is out and D’Ernest Johnson mostly on passing downs. Bigsby ran for only 24 yards on seven carries against the Bears with the team behind for most of the second half but rushed for 101 yards and two touchdowns vs. Indianapolis in Week 5.

No. 1 New England running back Rhamondre Stevenson (foot) did not practice Wednesday. Neither did offensive tackle Vederian Lowe (ankle) and cornerback Marcus Jones (groin/illness). Maye (knee) was a full participant.

Along with Etienne, defensive end Arik Armstead (shoulder), wide receiver Gabe Davis (knee), tight end Evan Engram (hamstring), offensive tackle Anton Harrison (knee) and cornerback Tyson Campbell (hamstring) were all limited at Wednesday’s Jaguars practice.

–Field Level Media

With Davante Adams in fold, Jets eye Steelers, possibly Russell Wilson

Last week, the New York Jets got a new head coach. This week, they obtained a new receiver.

Now the Jets (2-4) need to figure out how to add victories as they enter Sunday night’s road showdown against the Pittsburgh Steelers (4-2).

New York sacked coach Robert Saleh after the team’s loss against the Minnesota Vikings on Oct. 6. Then after falling 23-20 to the visiting Buffalo Bills on Monday night, the Jets acquired Davante Adams from the Las Vegas Raiders one day later to reunite him with quarterback Aaron Rodgers from their successful run with the Green Bay Packers.

Interim coach Jeff Ulbrich said Wednesday that Adams will play on Sunday when New York attempts to end a three-game slide.

“I’ll be able to roll,” Adams said Wednesday. “I’m feeling good right now. I was running around today. We had a walk-through practice, and it felt good running around.”

During Adams’ last six seasons in Green Bay, he caught 581 passes for 7,192 yards and 69 touchdown receptions as Rodgers’ go-to wideout. Adams was named to the Pro Bowl in his last five years with the Packers.

After being traded to the Raiders, he had two more big campaigns. This season, he had 18 catches for 209 yards and one touchdown in three games for the Raiders before missing the last three with a hamstring injury.

“He infuses a lot of energy into the team right away,” Rodgers said of Adams. “He is a proven star player, he’s an asset, he’s an incredible locker room presence.”

Despite having Rodgers, the Jets average just 18.8 points per game (tied for 22nd in the NFL) and 304.3 yards per game (also 22th). Rodgers has passed for 1,387 yards and nine touchdowns, with five interceptions.

Running back Breece Hall broke out against the Bills with 169 yards from scrimmage (113 rush, 56 receiving) for his top outing of the season.

“In my opinion, probably the best game Breece has had here as a Jet,” Ulbrich said of the third-year pro.

The Steelers could turn to Russell Wilson as the starting quarterback after the veteran took first-team practice repetitions ahead of Justin Fields on Wednesday.

Wilson hasn’t played this season due to a calf injury. But he did practice all last week to move closer to a return.

“Now it’s about knocking the rust off,” Steelers coach Mike Tomlin said. “He did some of that last week. He is in consideration this week. We’ll see where that leads us.”

Tomlin didn’t want to discuss why Wilson received the first-team reps over Fields, who started the first six games.

However, he indicated earlier this week that Wilson wouldn’t need a lot of time to be ready to go once he’s physically cleared.

“There’s also a totality of his resume as well that makes you more comfortable than guys with shorter resumes in that regard, in terms of the ability to play ball on a limited amount of exposure,” Tomlin said of Wilson, who will be starting his 13th NFL season. “I have that mentality about guys across positions, and we’ve had that discussion before — with veteran players, that comfort that comes with experience in some of those really sometimes uncomfortable discussions.”

Fields has completed 66.2 percent of his passes for 1,106 yards and five touchdowns, with one interception. He also has rushed for 231 yards and five scores.

Both players were acquired in the offseason — Wilson from the Denver Broncos and Fields from the Chicago Bears.

Wilson is no longer on Pittsburgh’s injury report. Players who sat out because of injuries Wednesday include running backs Najee Harris (ribs) and Cordarrelle Patterson (ankle), center Zach Frazier (ankle) and linebacker Nick Herbig (hamstring). Frazier and Herbig have been ruled out of Sunday’s game.

The Jets are ailing in the secondary. Cornerbacks Michael Carter II (back) and D.J. Reed (groin) didn’t participate Wednesday and could miss the game. In addition, safety Chuck Clark (ankle) was injured against Buffalo and placed on injured reserve.

Rodgers (ankle) missed the walk-through but is expected on the practice field on Thursday. Adams was a full-go Wednesday.

New York has won three of the past four meetings between the teams.

–Field Level Media

Quarterbacks’ health a major issue for Dolphins, Colts

The Miami Dolphins remain in a holding pattern as they await word on the future availability of standout quarterback Tua Tagovailoa.

In the meantime, Tyler Huntley will again guide the league’s lowest-scoring offense when the Dolphins (2-3) battle the host Indianapolis Colts (3-3) on Sunday.

Tagovailoa sustained a concussion in Week 2 against the Buffalo Bills and missed the past three games.

The Dolphins scored 3, 12 and 15 points in the full games Tagovailoa sat out and are averaging just 12 per game on the season. They did get a win during that span — 15-10 on the road against the New England Patriots on Oct. 6 prior to last week’s bye.

Miami coach Mike McDaniel is hopeful Tagovailoa will be cleared to practice later this month.

“There is still information that he’s seeking this week,” McDaniel said of Tagovailoa. “As far as timelines go, I know he’s not playing this week and I do expect to see him playing football in 2024. But where that is exactly, we’ll let the process continue since we still have time before you even could entertain anything.”

The Dolphins’ No. 2 quarterback, Skylar Thompson, started in Week 3 and sustained a rib injury. Huntley started the past two games and hasn’t thrown a touchdown pass while being intercepted once.

Part of the bye-week process was helping Huntley get more comfortable with the offense. The former Baltimore Ravens player known as “Snoop” didn’t join Miami until mid-September.

“It was just imperative that he could have more time on task to study and to review the footwork of some of our core concepts and core fundamentals, which he did a great job working through,” McDaniel said.

The upheaval in the passing game has hurt the production of standout receivers Tyreek Hill (23 catches, 286 yards) and Jaylen Waddle (21 for 258). Hill has one touchdown catch and Waddle has none.

Last season, the two players combined for 191 receptions, 2,813 yards and 17 scoring receptions.

Miami did have Raheem Mostert on the field for the first time in four weeks when he rushed for 80 yards against New England. Sidekick De’Von Achane, a full practice participant Wednesday, is hopeful of clearing the concussion protocol this week after getting hurt against the Patriots.

The Colts are experiencing their own quarterback quandary, and coach Shane Steichen said Anthony Richardson (oblique) would start unless he has a setback. Richardson missed the past two games, but he was a full participant in Wednesday’s practice.

“Because he’s a guy that touches the ball on every play, and it’s a long season, (just) wanted to make sure he’s 100 percent before he goes back out there,” Steichen said.

Joe Flacco replaced Richardson early in a Week 4 win over the Pittsburgh Steelers and started the past two games. He has thrown for 716 yards, seven touchdowns and one interception.

Flacco rallied the Colts to 10 fourth-quarter points in a 20-17 road win over the Tennessee Titans last week. He tossed a go-ahead 10-yard touchdown pass to Michael Pittman Jr. with 7:27 left in the game.

Pittman played through a painful back injury, and his perseverance impressed Flacco.

“When you have guys like that, you can go a long way,” Flacco said of Pittman. “That’s the kind of guys you need to play winning football. And he’s unbelievable for that.”

Colts star running back Jonathan Taylor (349 yards, four touchdowns) has missed the past two games due to an ankle injury, and he didn’t practice Wednesday.

Among other Indianapolis players to sit out Wednesday were Pittman and fellow wideout Josh Downs (toe), center Ryan Kelly (calf) and linebacker E.J. Speed (knee).

For Miami, safeties Jevon Holland (hand) and Jordan Poyer (shin) were among the limited participants.

The Colts have won three of the teams’ past four meetings.

–Field Level Media

Commanders vying to ‘sharpen’ play vs. lowly Panthers

Despite a 4-2 start, the Washington Commanders believe they have yet to display their true potential.

Their next chance to elevate their play comes Sunday against the visiting Carolina Panthers in Landover, Md.

“The focus is on us,” Commanders coach Dan Quinn said. “We’ve got plenty to work on. We are absolutely going to go sharpen our game as strong as we can. We’ve got a lot to sharpen.”

No. 2 overall pick Jayden Daniels has flourished over his first six games as Washington’s quarterback. The rookie leads the league in completion percentage (75.3 percent) and has rushed for 322 yards, second-most among all signal-callers.

“We have an excellent quarterback here,” Quinn said. “I love Jayden and what he brings to us.”

This is the second road game in a row that the Panthers will face a flourishing rookie quarterback.

No. 1 overall pick Caleb Williams carved up Carolina for 304 passing yards and two touchdowns in the Chicago Bears’ 36-10 win on Oct. 6. The Panthers lost to the visiting Atlanta Falcons 38-20 last Sunday.

Carolina coach Dave Canales said he knows his team has a tall task in defending Daniels.

He said providing tight coverage in the secondary is one way to help reduce Daniels’ impact as a dual-threat QB. Daniels has six touchdown passes and four rushing scores.

“Jayden has been making plays, extending (plays),” Canales said. “His game continues to grow.”

Daniels said he expects to have Brian Robinson Jr. back in action after the running back sat out last Sunday with a knee injury.

“How he’s able to run the ball and break tackles,” Daniels said, “it’s going to be helpful to have B-Rob back.”

The Commanders are seeking their first 5-2 start since 2018. Their four-game winning streak ended with last week’s 30-23 loss at the Baltimore Ravens.

The Panthers (1-5) have lost three straight and are the only NFC team with five losses.

Carolina running back Chuba Hubbard ranks third in the league with 485 rushing yards. Andy Dalton has thrown for 896 yards with seven touchdowns and four interceptions on 71.4 percent passing across four starts since taking over for Bryce Young.

Quinn is in his first year with Washington, but he faced the Panthers several times in divisional play when he was with the Atlanta Falcons.

“They do a nice job with the run game (and) the play-(action) pass,” Quinn said. “The addition of Andy has leveled out some of the things there.”

Commanders linebacker Frankie Luvu and safety Jeremy Chinn used to play for Carolina.

Despite their struggles, Canales said the Panthers are not looking to change their philosophy.

“We want to stay balanced as long as possible,” he said. “We have to be really disciplined in our commitment to our core.”

Carolina will try to take advantage of the absence of Washington defensive tackle Jonathan Allen, who sustained a season-ending pectoral injury last Sunday.

The Commanders also placed defensive end Javontae Jean-Baptiste (ankle) on injured reserve, and they’re waiting to learn the availability of defensive end Dorance Armstrong (ribs), who did not practice Wednesday.

Washington added defensive tackle Sheldon Day from the practice squad and free-agent defensive end Jalyn Holmes.

“It will certainly change the rotation,” Quinn said.

The Panthers are largely healing up, Canales said, but there are some uncertainties. Linebacker Jadeveon Clowney, who missed Sunday’s game with a shoulder injury, is listed as day-to-day.

“We’ll take whatever percentage of (Clowney) that we can get, to get him out there because he certainly is a help in all phases,” Canales said.

Carolina plucked linebacker Jacoby Windmon off the Pittsburgh Steelers’ practice squad on Tuesday.

The Commanders are 10-7 all-time against the Panthers, including a 6-3 record as the hosts.

–Field Level Media

49ers try again to solve Patrick Mahomes, Chiefs

Of course the 49ers want another shot at the Kansas City Chiefs, a replay of the Super Bowl in Las Vegas on what turned into a forgettable February afternoon for San Francisco.

The Chiefs are chasing a three-peat and are off to a 5-0 start, stringing together 11 consecutive wins dating to last Christmas through the postseason. Inarguably their greatest win in that batch was the 25-22 overtime victory in which the Chiefs overcame a 10-point deficit and captured the Lombardi Trophy in Super Bowl LVIII.

San Francisco is 3-3 after taking head coach Kyle Shanahan termed a “must win” in his locker room before an NFC West grudge match at Seattle on Oct. 10. He is not going quite that far this week, but there is no denying how important the 49ers believe Sunday could be to their 2024 season.

“I try to have the same conversation every week, just word it a little differently — I never want to say ‘must win,'” Shanahan said. “I see this game like I see all games. Every game matters. But I didn’t choose those words (must win) this week.”

While the 49ers are relatively rested from a 10-day window between games and want the rematch, the timing of rolling out the red carpet for the NFL’s crownbearer isn’t entirely perfect. Kansas City had last week off.

Chiefs coach Andy Reid owns the NFL’s highest winning percentage coming out of a bye week. He is 21-4 (.840), including an 8-3 record coming out of a bye week in the regular season with Kansas City.

In addition, the Niners aren’t exactly a picture of health. They are still without 2023 NFL Offensive Player of the Year Christian McCaffrey, and his backup, Jordan Mason, the No. 2 rusher in the NFL this season, left last week’s game with a sprained shoulder.

Also, 49ers wide receiver Jauan Jennings (hip) and kicker Jake Moody (right ankle sprain) did not practice Wednesday. Wideout Deebo Samuel Sr. (wrist) was limited.

Defensive end Mike Danna (pectoral) was the lone regular who didn’t practice out of the bye for the Chiefs.

Shanahan said shifts in scheme have been common in matchups with the Chiefs, altering tendencies on offense and defense in the fourth quarter particularly. The bottom line for all opponents trying to solve Kansas City is beating quarterback Patrick Mahomes.

“Everyone says ‘down year’ because their numbers aren’t just crazy. But Pat’s as good as it gets,” said Shanahan, who is 0-7 in his career against Reid as an assistant or head coach. “He’s been as good as it gets since the first year he got to play. All of their games except for one has come down to the last possession, and he’s as good as it gets in that situation.”

Shanahan’s record vs. Reid includes two defeats in 49ers-Chiefs Super Bowl matchups. Kansas City beat San Francisco 31-20 in February 2020.

Injuries are not an excuse the Chiefs are introducing. Though refreshed after a week off, Kansas City is far from full strength with 12 games to go in the regular season.

The Chiefs head West without No. 1 running back Isiah Pacheco (leg) and the team’s top two wide receivers Hollywood Brown (shoulder) and Rashee Rice (knee), who are all on injured reserve. Familiar faces rejoined the Chiefs in recent weeks and now find themselves in prominent roles alongside Mahomes. Kareem Hunt is working as the top running back again for the Chiefs, and Kansas City rediscovered JuJu Smith-Schuster, signed off the street in August, in a seven-catch, 130-yard effort in Week 5 vs. New Orleans.

The depth-chart roulette also invited Mahomes to reconnect with Travis Kelce. The tight end has 16 catches for 159 yards in the past two games, a major part of the Mahomes mentality not to lament who isn’t available for a given game.

“I’m just excited for the guys who continue to get better each and every week,” Mahomes said. “I think we’ve got the guys to do it.”

The offensive numbers are relatively modest to start this season from Mahomes’ best statistical seasons. He has as many TDs (six) as INTs in 2024. Kansas City enters the week 15th in scoring (23.6 per game), ninth in passing (236.8 yards per game) and 11th in total offense (354.6 yards per game).

Reid said avoiding penalties and turnovers was an emphasis after a self-scout during the bye week.

“We can do a better job of not stopping ourselves with things,” Reid said. “Whether it’s penalties or dropped balls, we’ve had a couple of those. Schematically, we go back and we hammer through that. We can help out the guys in some of the areas, too, just putting them in a little bit better position.”

The 49ers are thriving even with an evolving cast, averaging 27 points (ninth in the league), 420 total yards (second), 262 passing yards (second) and 158 rushing yards (third) entering Week 7. And only four teams have fewer defensive takeaways than the Chiefs (four).

However, as 49ers linebacker Fred Warner painfully framed this week, Mahomes has never lost to the 49ers. He is 4-0 with 1,356 pass yards (339 per contest), 11 TDs (10 pass, one rush) with a combined passer rating of 104.6 when facing San Francisco.

“They still got 15 back there. I have yet to beat him,” Warner said. “I have played against him maybe four times now and have yet to beat him. I think it’s an important game for us to try and get over that hump and get the win.”

With a win Sunday in Santa Clara, Kansas City would become the 10th defending Super Bowl champion to start the following season 6-0. The only times the Chiefs began 6-0 were 2003, when they finished 13-3 but lost in the AFC divisional playoffs, and 2013, when they went 11-5 and fell in an AFC wild-card game.

–Field Level Media