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

Broncos coach Sean Payton expecting emotional return to New Orleans

Neither Sean Payton’s former team nor his current one is having the kind of success he generally is accustomed to.

Payton and his Denver Broncos visit the New Orleans Saints, who Payton coached to nine playoff appearances and a Super Bowl title during his 15-season tenure, on Thursday night.

Both teams are coming off losses. The Broncos (3-3) lost to the visiting Los Angeles Chargers 23-16 last Sunday, ending a three-game winning streak. The Saints (2-4) fell to the visiting Tampa Bay Buccaneers, 51-27, their fourth consecutive loss under Dennis Allen, Payton’s former defensive coordinator who was promoted when Payton resigned after the 2021 season.

Regardless of the teams’ records, this game was always going to be primarily about Payton’s return to New Orleans, where he arrived in 2006 as a well-regarded offensive assistant but untested head coach as the city was recovering from Hurricane Katrina.

“It will be unique,” Payton said. “Certainly, there will be emotions going back there, but I do think that comes up quite a bit in our league with players and, in this case, certainly the amount of time I was there.”

Payton said he understands that the Saints fans probably won’t have “a lot of flowers and warm fuzzies for yours truly,” which they certainly will have at halftime when former quarterback Drew Brees is recognized for his induction into the Saints Hall of Fame earlier in the day.

Brees signed with the Saints as a free agent shortly after Payton was hired and went on to become one of the most prolific passers in NFL history before retiring a year before Payton resigned.

Payton is in his second season with the Broncos, who finished 8-9 last season, and he’s trying to show that he can adapt the offense within which Brees thrived to fit rookie No. 1 draft choice Bo Nix. But Nix has the 34th-highest passer rating (73.7) and is 23rd in total yards (1,082) in the NFL.

Most of Denver’s success so far has been because of its defense, which is ranked fourth in points per game (16) and yards per game (284.3).

Allen’s defense, meanwhile, has slipped to last in average yards (395.8) and 23rd in points allowed (24.5).

“(Payton) does a really good job with the offense — a lot of different personnel groups, a lot of different formations,” Allen said of his former boss. “And he does a really good job of identifying areas of weakness that he wants to try to attack.”

The Saints are less concerned about who’s coaching the opponent than they are about trying to end their losing streak as they complete a stretch of three games in 11 days.

“He’s going to be fired up,” New Orleans defensive end Cam Jordan said. “Everybody in this building knows who Sean Payton is, and if he sees blood in the water, he’s going to try and take advantage. We’re not helping to deter that at this point.”

Rookie fifth-round draft choice Spencer Rattler will make his second consecutive start in place of injured quarterback Derek Carr.

Rattler was good enough to rally his team from an early 17-0 deficit to a 27-24 halftime lead last week, but not good enough to prevent it from being shut out in the second half.

The Saints have ruled out wide receivers Chris Olave (concussion) and Rashid Shaheed (knee), guard Cesar Ruiz (knee) and linebacker Pete Werner (hamstring) after they did not participate in practice all week. Shaheed will require meniscus surgery. Quarterback Derek Carr (oblique) is listed as doubtful but did not practice all week and is not expected to be available.

One Denver starter, cornerback Pat Surtain II, is in the league’s concussion protocol and has been ruled out after missing practice all week. Offensive tackle Alex Palczewski (ankle), who was a limited participant earlier the week before sitting out on Wednesday, also won[t play.

–Field Level Media