After Week 1 win, Patriots aim to remain focused vs. Seahawks

There’s no more time for celebration for New England Patriots first-year coach Jerod Mayo.

Mayo came away with a victory in his debut, but he is far from content as New England prepares to face the Seattle Seahawks on Sunday afternoon in Foxborough, Mass.

The Patriots (1-0) stunned the Cincinnati Bengals last Sunday, holding them to 13 first downs and 224 yards of total offense in a 16-10 win. Rhamondre Stevenson shined for New England, rushing for 120 yards and a touchdown on 25 carries.

Although the Patriots made few mistakes against Cincinnati, Mayo believes there is plenty of room for improvement.

“From an individual perspective, the biggest jump you should see out of your players is from Year 1 to Year 2, or Week 1 to Week 2,” Mayo said. “I would say this week, not to look back at Cincinnati, but there are a lot of plays that we left out there. I think the players recognize that.

“Once you go to Week 2, we expect everyone to be better. … And I did let them know, ‘What got us the win in Week 1 won’t get us the win in Week 2 if we don’t continue to improve.'”

Taking things one step at a time is something that Seattle coach Mike Macdonald has also been emphasizing.

“It’s about each practice,” Macdonald said. “You can’t have a great Thursday if you don’t have a good Wednesday.”

Macdonald, also in his first season at the helm, coached the Seahawks (1-0) to a 26-20 victory over the Denver Broncos in Week 1. Like New England, Seattle leaned on its rushing attack, getting 103 yards and a TD on 20 carries from Kenneth Walker III. Quarterback Geno Smith also ran for a score.

Walker might struggle to get going against the Patriots, though, as New England allowed the third-fewest rushing yards in the league last week (70). That is of course if Walker plays, as the 23-year-old did not practice on Wednesday due to an oblique injury.

“Very well-coached, obviously, but they play tough, they have good players, they play hard,” Macdonald said of the Patriots. “All the fundamentals, just go right down the list — check, check, check. Play square, get off blocks, what it takes to play really good run defense. Numbers back it up, tape backs it up.

“So we got a great challenge ahead of us.”

With Sunday marking the home opener for New England, the Seahawks will also have to contend with a Patriots fan base that is starting to feel a renewed sense of optimism after sitting through a 4-13 season in 2023.

Still, Seattle enters the meeting with New England as the favorite.

“They don’t really talk about that,” Mayo said of his players discussing the Patriots’ underdog status. “This goes back to the whole motivation conversation. It’s about discipline.”

Guard Sidy Sow is dealing with an ankle injury and was the only player to miss New England’s practice on Wednesday. Running back Antonio Gibson (hip), safety Jabrill Peppers (hip), linebacker Joshua Uche (foot) and defensive end Deatrich Wise (shoulder) were among those limited.

Seahawks linebacker Uchenna Nwosu has already been ruled out for Sunday’s game due to a knee injury. Offensive tackle George Fant (knee) and linebacker Tyrel Dodson (shoulder) didn’t practice for Seattle on Wednesday.

Seven Seahawks were limited in practice, including receiver Tyler Lockett (thigh), tight end Noah Fant (toe) and cornerbacks Tre Brown (quadricep) and Riq Woolen (hamstring).

–Field Level Media

Deshaun Watson will start vs. Jags as Browns keep issues off field

NFL head coaches loathe distractions, but Cleveland Browns coach Kevin Stefanski is dealing with a major one in Week 2.

Several days after Deshaun Watson was accused of a vicious sexual assault four years ago, he will start at quarterback when the Browns visit the Jacksonville Jaguars on Sunday afternoon.

Stefanski said the organization never considered having Watson sit out against Jacksonville.

“We’ll let due process play out and follow the NFL guidelines,” Stefanski said Wednesday. “We are 100 percent focused on Jacksonville, 100 percent focused on going on the road against a good football team and trying to find a way to get a ‘W.'”

The latest incident involving Watson overshadows a contest between two teams that lost their opening game of the season.

The Jaguars dropped a 20-17 decision to the host Miami Dolphins for their sixth setback in the past seven regular-season games. The Browns were beaten 33-17 by the visiting Dallas Cowboys as Watson was intercepted twice and sacked six times while passing for 169 yards and one touchdown.

One day after Cleveland’s dismal loss, a civil suit was filed Monday in Houston, alleging that Watson exposed himself and sexually assaulted a woman in her home.

During Watson’s time with the Houston Texas, he faced 24 claims of sexual misconduct from women, stemming from massage sessions. All but one of the cases were settled out of court, with the last one still pending. The NFL suspended him for the first 11 games of the 2022 season and fined him $5 million.

Just as he did in the previous cases, Watson denied the latest accusation. He said he is focused on the upcoming game.

“I focus on keeping the main thing the main thing,” Watson said of football. “That’s when I walk into this building, focusing on being the best quarterback that I can be, on the game plan and trying to be better than we were last week so we can get a ‘W.'”

Jacksonville also will be seeking improvement after letting a 17-7 halftime lead get away against the Dolphins.

The Jaguars failed on all five of their third-down conversion attempts in the second half and had just one first down in the fourth quarter.

“We’re better than how we finished,” Jaguars tight end Evan Engram said. “We feel like we’re a great team and we’re going to work to be a great team. But great teams finish.”

Jacksonville quarterback Trevor Lawrence threw for 162 yards and a touchdown on 12-of-21 passing.

Lawrence said he has put the Miami loss in the rearview mirror and doesn’t want to see the Jags fall into a 0-2 hole.

“Don’t get too high or too low,” Lawrence said Wednesday. “You can’t be down in the dumps too much and beat yourself up and let it affect your confidence.”

The big challenge for the Jaguars is rebounding quickly. They open the season by playing four consecutive 2023 playoff teams. The following two games are both on the road, against the Buffalo Bills on a Monday night and the Houston Texans.

The Browns will be without tight end David Njoku, who injured an ankle in a loss to the Cowboys. Stefanski said the club is hopeful Njoku can avoid being placed on injured reserve.

Cleveland did put four defensive players on IR on Wednesday — defensive tackle Maurice Hurst II (ankle), linebackers Tony Fields II (ankle) and Mohamoud Diabate (hip) and safety Juan Thornhill (calf).

Starting offensive tackles Jedrick Wills (knee) and Jack Conklin (knee) are making progress after missing the Dallas games. Conklin practiced on Wednesday. Wills did not.

Cornerback Myles Harden (shin) also missed practice for Cleveland.

Jacksonville cornerback Tyson Campbell (hamstring) was the lone player on his squad to miss the Wednesday practice.

The Jaguars lead the series 12-7, but the Browns have won the past two. Last season, Cleveland never trailed while notching a 31-27 home victory in Week 14.

–Field Level Media

Saints, Derek Carr ride out storm, study dynamic Dallas D

For the first time in 364 days, Cowboys cornerback Trevon Diggs will sprint out of the tunnel at AT&T Stadium on Sunday.

Diggs and Dallas entertain the New Orleans Saints in a matchup of 1-0 teams and the All-Pro’s first game in his home stadium since Sept. 17, 2023. Four days later, Diggs tore the his left anterior cruciate ligament in practice and missed the rest of last season.

After grinding through rehab to return for Week 1, Diggs celebrated with his 19th career interception as the Cowboys dominated the Cleveland Browns 33-17.

“It felt good,” Diggs said. “Emotions were high. Just being able to go out there with my teammates and stuff, I missed them. So just being able to go out there and be able to compete, it just felt good to be back. I’m comfortable. Game 2, I’m going to be 100 percent better. That’s about getting better every day, every game and just keep growing.”

If Diggs picks off Saints quarterback Derek Carr on Sunday, Diggs would become the fourth cornerback since 1990 with 20 interceptions in his first 50 career games. The others are Hall of Famer Ed Reed (21 interceptions), Richard Sherman (20) and Marcus Peters (20).

Carr threw three touchdown passes and led New Orleans to points on nine consecutive drives in a 47-10 rout of the Carolina Panthers. The Saints then quickly shifted into storm preparation as New Orleans braced for Hurricane Francine.

“Everything was the same with (game) preparation, we just started earlier,” Carr said.

Late-week practices were in peril and subject to change, head coach Dennis Allen said. He and Carr were reviewing Dallas’ defensive effort at Cleveland, when the Cowboys had an NFL-high 24 quarterback hurries against Deshaun Watson.

“They’re just really good, really talented,” Carr said of the Dallas defense, pinpointing “11” or pass rusher Micah Parsons as the player to find pre-snap. “You turn on the tape and he reminds me of Von Miller with that explosiveness, that get-off. And he plays off the ball, too. He can really play off the ball, too. … For a guy to be able to do all of those things, he’s one of the better football players I’ve ever seen in my life.”

Dallas could have Pro Bowl tight end Jake Ferguson available after originally fearing he torn knee ligaments in Week 1.

“They went through a bunch of stuff, looked at it, did a couple more tests, and they were like, ‘It’s not ACL,'” Ferguson said Wednesday. “Thankfully, just a little bone bruise and MCL, but … I don’t even think it’s a Grade 1 (sprain).”

The Cowboys could hold Ferguson out as a precaution, but he said he was at zero pain level on a scale of 1-10 as of Wednesday.

Parsons said he felt he could’ve had four sacks of Watson. He totaled 11 pressures on the Cowboys’ coaching tape of the game and recorded one of the team’s six sacks. Then he arrived for practice on Wednesday and new defensive coordinator Mike Zimmer revealed a brand new set of pressure packages that sparked another flame in Parsons.

“I just want to test everyone’s water. I just want to test the pot,” Parsons said. “I want to see which guy I can, I feel like I can manipulate. But I really don’t care who it is. It’s just about me feeling like I’m the best and I can just go against whoever.”

Carr and Cowboys quarterback Dak Prescott are leaning on proven hands in the backfield. Alvin Kamara led the Saints with 15 carries and had a team-best five receptions in Week 1. Dallas started Ezekiel Elliott, back after one year with the New England Patriots, and he caught two passes and led the Cowboys with 10 carries for 40 yards and a touchdown.

“Definitely fresh,” said Elliott, who is 144 offensive snaps shy of 6,000 in his career. “Just got to continue to build on that and take care of my body. And we want to be feeling good in December and January.”

–Field Level Media

With QB situation unsettled, Packers take on Colts

Green Bay Packers coach Matt LaFleur says the door remains “pretty open” for quarterback Jordan Love to start the home opener Sunday against the Indianapolis Colts.

With Love reportedly suffering a sprained MCL late in a Week 1 loss to the Philadelphia Eagles in Brazil, an injury with a recovery timetable of three to six weeks, the same door might allow Malik Willis to enter the Packers’ plans at QB.

Willis took the final two snaps of Green Bay’s 34-29 defeat, throwing an incompletion and taking a sack.

Green Bay (0-1) acquired him from the Tennessee Titans for a seventh-round pick on the eve of final roster cuts in August.

LaFleur lauded Willis’ diligence and preparation to date. The third-year pro out of Liberty is 35-for-67 for 350 yards, zero touchdowns and three interceptions in 12 career games.

“It’s not like we’re dealing with a rookie here,” LaFleur said. “He’s got a process. I thought he did a great job in his three weeks, which feels like three months since he’s been here, of being dialed in.”

Barring an accelerated recovery, it’s likely the Packers will be minus Love for at least a handful of games, which naturally is a better prognosis than the entire season.

Love, who missed practice Wednesday and isn’t medically cleared to play, passed for 260 yards and touchdowns to Jayden Reed and Christian Watson as well as an interception before getting injured. Running back Josh Jacobs rushed 16 times for 84 yards in his team debut, with 32 yards coming on one carry.

After struggling to contain Eagles dual-threat quarterback Jalen Hurts, the Packers face a similar test in Colts QB Anthony Richardson.

Back under center for Indianapolis (0-1) after an injury-shortened rookie season, Richardson kept the Colts afloat in a season-opening 29-27 home loss to the Houston Texans despite inconsistency.

Richardson passed for 212 yards, two touchdowns and an interception, with both scores covering more than 50 yards.

“He’s got a huge arm that allows us to push the ball down the field, and then we’ve got the speed on the outside to go get it,” Colts coach Shane Steichen said. “I think when you’re explosive like that in the pass game, instead of having those 12-, 13-, 14-play drives, you get an opportunity to hit some big ones.”

Richardson rushed for a team-leading 56 yards, including a 3-yard TD with 2:14 that drew Indianapolis within the final margin.

The Colts endured a substantial injury of their own in Week 1, as starting cornerback JuJu Brents sustained a knee injury that landed him on injured reserve — a designation the Packers didn’t assign to Love.

Veteran Kenny Moore II looms as a possibility to start at the other corner opposite Jaylon Jones and says he’s ready to follow Steichen’s “next man up” mantra if summoned.

“It speaks true to always being ready,” Moore said, “always being prepared.”

Houston gained 417 yards of offense against Indianapolis, including a 213-yard effort on the ground.

If the Packers can duplicate that sort of success in the run game, Willis won’t need to be supernatural, although he admittedly is cramming to get up to speed.

“The reality is I just got here, so it’s gonna be a little bit in overdrive,” he said. “It’s been pretty much around the clock since I got here. You try to come in and be ready to go if you’re called upon.”

–Field Level Media

Ravens hope Derrick Henry rebounds vs. Raiders

BALTIMORE — Derrick Henry won’t be a player who gets the ball 30 times per game, according to Baltimore Ravens coach John Harbaugh, but the veteran back should get plenty of opportunities to run against the visiting Las Vegas Raiders in their Week 2 matchup on Sunday.

Henry had an underwhelming performance in a 27-20 loss to the host Kansas City Chiefs in the opener, carrying the ball 13 times for 46 yards with a 5-yard touchdown. The Raiders allowed 176 yards rushing in their 22-10 loss to the host Los Angeles Chargers in their Week 1 matchup, so the Ravens will be tempted to test Las Vegas’ front seven.

However, the key for the Raiders and defensive coordinator Patrick Graham will be shutting down Lamar Jackson, the NFL’s top dual-threat quarterback who accounted for 395 (122 rushing, 273 passing) of the Ravens’ 452 total yards against Kansas City.

Jackson missed practice on Monday but was back on Wednesday as the Ravens continued preparations for Las Vegas. Jackson did not appear on the injury report.

“He’s definitely as good as it gets, as dynamic as it gets,” Raiders defensive tackle Christian Wilkins said about Jackson. “The definition of a dual threat. He presents a great challenge to any defense in this league. Pat will work hard to get a good game plan together, so that way we can try and limit some of those things that he does. But even then, it’s different when you still got to go against him. But I believe in our guys, and I believe in our coaches and our scheme.”

The Ravens are trying to build an offense that can attack teams multiple ways and doesn’t rely too heavily on the running game, which ranked No. 1 in rushing yards in the NFL last season. The duo of Jackson and Henry should create some formidable matchups against the Raiders.

However, Harbaugh wants to beat teams downfield with a dynamic passing game that revolves around wide receivers Zay Flowers, Rashod Bateman and Nelson Agholor. Baltimore also has two of the best tight ends in the NFL with three-time Pro Bowl selection Mark Andrews and Isaiah Likely.

As a result, Harbaugh plans to have a different type of offense week-to-week, which could cause wrinkles in the Raiders’ defensive game plan if the Ravens can effectively execute their plays.

The bottom line is the Ravens don’t want to rely too heavily on Henry to carry the offense.

“We didn’t bring Derrick in here to be the guy that gets the ball 30 times a game,” Harbaugh said this week. “He’s done that before. That’s really not the plan. The plan is Derrick, Lamar, Mark, Isaiah, Zay, ‘Bate,’ and ‘Nelly.’ That’s kind of the plan in this offense going forward, so I think that evaluation will be best made throughout the season.”

The key for the Ravens is to contain the Raiders’ three-time Pro Bowl defensive end Maxx Crosby. In the teams’ last meeting in 2021, Crosby had two sacks, six tackles, five quarterback hits and two tackles for a loss in Las Vegas’ 33-27 overtime win.

“That guy, he’s a great edge rusher, man,” Jackson said. “My hat’s off to him. He was high motor. He was just going at it all game. I was like, ‘This man here …’ I was laughing with Maxx. He was trying to get after me, and I was talking trash back. He was like, ‘But I love your game, Lamar,’ and stuff like that. But he’s a great edge rusher. He’s definitely a great edge rusher.”

Las Vegas cornerback Decamerion Richardson (hamstring) and defensive end Tyree Wilson (knee) did not practice Wednesday.

The Raiders struggled to score against the Chargers and they might have even more trouble against the Ravens, who blitz the quarterback from multiple positions.

Las Vegas quarterback Gardner Minshew was 25 of 33 for 257 yards with a touchdown and interception (95.1 rating) against the Chargers. The Ravens sacked the mobile Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes twice and had seven quarterback hits so Minshew likely will be under pressure for much of the game.

“I thought the pass rush was good,” Harbaugh said. “You’re rushing Patrick Mahomes. “I’m a little disappointed (with) the couple of times he got out, but I really haven’t seen a game where he hasn’t gotten out, to some degree, to extend plays. I felt we pressured him a number of times.”

The Raiders could not get much going on the ground in Week 1 with Zamir White running for 44 yards on 13 carries. Baltimore held the Chiefs to just 72 yards on 20 carries.

–Todd Karpovich, Field Level Media

Chargers aim to build on opening win, keep Panthers down

The Los Angeles Chargers were encouraged by what happened in the first game of the season, which only serves to heighten their thirst to excel even more.

They’ll take on the host Carolina Panthers, who are trying to ensure better days are ahead, on Sunday afternoon.

The Chargers (1-0) topped the Las Vegas Raiders 22-10 in Jim Harbaugh’s debut as Los Angeles’ coach. That provided motivation to fix glitches and show improvement in the second week.

“Nothing like winning a game but still having a lot there on the table where you can get better,” Harbaugh said.

The Panthers (0-1) had the most-lopsided opening-week loss with a 47-10 blowout at New Orleans. That can’t be the focus, though preventing another downward slide is critical.

There’s no sense for Carolina to continue to dwell on the breakdowns.

“Hopefully, everyone can understand the discipline that is required to be in the moment, to be present in this week,” first-year coach Dave Canales said. “I have to be really cognizant of what I’m asking our team to do.”

The Panthers’ approach is geared toward building confidence for a team likely lacking it. Rather than worry about handling adversity, Canales has put the emphasis on other areas in preparing for the Chargers.

“There’s so much fundamental basic stuff to clean up for this game,” Canales said. “It’s a trust factor. … It starts with us combing through all of it to see if there’s a way we could help more.”

There are several reasons that Sunday’s assignment doesn’t appear to be a good matchup for the Panthers.

The Chargers are well-equipped at quarterback with Justin Herbert, while Carolina has questions with Bryce Young. The second-year pro had just 13 completions in the opener, while throwing two interceptions.

“I think he’s learning some of his (receivers),” Canales said. “We’ve got to keep accumulating those reps.”

The Chargers are bound to harass Young. Stars Joey Bosa and Khalil Mack are expected to lead that charge.

“You can tell as a defense they work really well together,” Young said. “Ton of respect for this and we want to focus on executing the best we can.”

Los Angeles was so overpowering on defense that the Raiders took only one snap in the red zone in the entire game.

And for Harbaugh, the best part might be what he has seen from his team as it gets ready for the cross-country trip. He knows the focus is on improving.

“The way they work,” he said. “It’s all about the team. It’s all about the work that they put in.”

Meanwhile, Herbert will test Carolina’s defense and should have plenty of help. J.K. Dobbins rushed for 135 yards on 10 carries in the opener.

“J.K.’s performance, I loved it in all ways,” Harbaugh said.

Herbert had only 144 passing yards, yet he’s bound to top that mark on most days.

The Panthers put standout defensive tackle Derrick Brown on injured reserve with a season-ending knee injury earlier this week.

Former Carolina center Bradley Bozeman plays along Los Angeles’ offensive front.

The Panthers have won six of seven meetings with the Chargers, who picked up their only win in the series in Charlotte in 2004.

–Field Level Media

Lions host Buccaneers in another playoff rematch

The Detroit Lions had to open the campaign against a team it eliminated from the playoffs last season. The second week of the season will be no different.

Following a 26-20 overtime win against the visiting Los Angeles Rams, the Lions host Tampa Bay on Sunday. Detroit ended the Bucs’ 2023 season with a 31-23 win in the divisional round of the NFC Playoffs.

Lions quarterback Jared Goff doesn’t want to overemphasize last year’s playoff game while preparing for Sunday’s rematch with the 1-0 Buccaneers.

“You can look at it. You can play the game all day long of, ‘OK, we did this, and they did that, so how are we going to counter this and then we’ve got to counter that.’ And that’s a long rabbit hole you can go down,” he said.

“So you just try to prepare for it like it’s another game and watch that tape as if it’s another game and understand there are some certain things that they were trying to take away from us. But at the same time, I’m sure they’ll try to take away something else this game, so we’ll have to adjust as we go.”

The Rams did a good job of taking away some of the Lions’ offensive weapons in Sunday night’s opener. Goff was held to 217 passing yards, with 52 coming on a touchdown heave to Jameson Williams. All-Pro Amon Ra St. Brown was held to 13 yards on three receptions and Sam LaPorta also had a relatively quiet night (four catches, 45 yards).

Detroit coach Dan Campbell expects the Bucs, like the Rams, to challenge for their division title.

“They are certainly going to be competitive and be right there in the race, and so this is a chance to get an early one,” he said. “You get an early one and you just don’t know what this is going to mean down the road and if you can put some money in the bank early in the season, it will pay big dividends for you down the road. So, I think that’s the way you have to look at it.”

Tampa Bay coach Todd Bowles says there’s “absolutely nothing” his team can take away from its last trip to Detroit.

“That was last year in the playoffs. They knocked us out,” he said. “We’re 1-0, we’re trying to win a ballgame to go 2-0.”

Bucs receiver Chris Godwin is looking forward to the challenge.

“Just more excited about the opportunity to go back there,” he said. “It’s a great environment. The fans, in that last game, they were rocking. They’re very excited about how good that team is, and they have a right to be. … As a competitor, it’s really fun to go into places like that.”

Godwin’s season got off to a strong start with eight receptions for 83 yards and a touchdown in the Bucs’ 37-20 win over Washington. Mike Evans added 61 yards and two TD grabs. Baker Mayfield completed 24 of 30 passes for 289 yards and four touchdowns.

Mayfield passed for 349 yards and three touchdowns in the playoff game but was also picked off twice and sacked four times. The Lions didn’t have a turnover while St. Brown and LaPorta combined for 17 receptions.

“They’re talented all the way around, no question about it,” Bowles said. “They can hurt you in a lot of ways.”

Safety Antoine Winfield Jr. missed Tampa Bay’s practice on Wednesday with a foot injury. Offensive tackle Penei Sewell (ankle) and safety Kerby Joseph (hamstring) were among the Lions who didn’t practice.

–Field Level Media