Can Raiders ditch drama in time for trip to Denver?

Las Vegas Raiders coach Antonio Pierce isn’t paying any attention to outside noise as he tries to get his team ready for a meeting with the host Denver Broncos on Sunday.

Multiple media outlets reported Tuesday that star wide receiver Davante Adams told the Raiders (2-2) that he wants to be traded. Adams will be sidelined again on Sunday due to a hamstring injury that kept him out of Las Vegas’ 20-16 victory over the Cleveland Browns last week.

Pierce added another layer to the situation when he liked an Instagram post that said it wouldn’t be surprising if Adams’ days in Las Vegas were over. Whether Pierce meant to give out the like is unknown. When asked about it, all he said was, “Yeah, I’m focused on Denver.”

Pierce added of the contest against the Broncos (2-2), “That’s my only focus. I get paid here to get ready each and every week for the opponent. I don’t blink. I don’t flinch. I’ve said it before: I’ve been through enough in my life with adversity and stuff that it doesn’t bother me. I just move forward.

“The next obstacle in front of me is the Denver Broncos, and that’s what I presented to my team.”

Denver poses quite the obstacle, boasting one of the best defenses in the league through the first four weeks of the season. The Broncos allow the third-fewest points per game (13.8) and third-fewest passing yards per game (146.0), which could spell trouble for an Adams-less Raiders offense.

One player who could see an expanded role for Las Vegas is rookie tight end Brock Bowers. While he has yet to find the end zone, the first-round pick out of Georgia is second among all tight ends in receptions (20) and receiving yards (216). He is coming off his quietest game as a pro, as he caught only two balls for 19 yards against the Browns.

With the help of its defense, Denver will try to snap an eight-game losing streak against Las Vegas that dates back to 2020. It’s a skid that doesn’t intimidate Broncos receiver Courtland Sutton.

“We’ve got a big game Sunday,” Sutton said. “The most important game is the one we’re about to get ready to go play. Whatever happened in the past is the past. The thing we can focus on is this team we have right now and the team we’re about to go play this year.”

Sutton hauled in three catches for 60 yards and was responsible for the only touchdown scored by either side in Denver’s 10-9 win over the New York Jets last Sunday.

Denver rookie Bo Nix completed 12 of 25 passes for 60 yards and the score — his first career touchdown pass — against the Jets, and he is looking forward to his first taste of the rivalry between the Broncos and Raiders.

“I don’t think you really truly understand it, I think, until you play in your first one,” Nix said. “I’m excited to play Sunday. I know it’s important for this organization.”

Las Vegas enters the game short-handed, as six players were ruled out on Friday due to injuries. The players unavailable on Sunday include Adams, running back Zamir White (groin), right tackle Thayer Munford Jr. (knee, ankle), linebacker Luke Masterson (knee), safety Trey Taylor (knee) and cornerback Decamerion Richardson (hamstring).

In addition, Raiders tight end Michael Mayer will be absent due to personal reasons for a second straight week. Defensive end Maxx Crosby (ankle) was listed as questionable.

Broncos running back Tyler Badie, who won’t play Sunday due to a back injury, was the only Denver player to miss practice on Friday.

–Field Level Media

Sam Darnold faces former club as Vikings, Jets head to London

Sam Darnold did not want to create any controversy.

The 27-year-old quarterback — who has led the Minnesota Vikings to a 4-0 start and is playing the best football of his career — was asked this week whether he thought that the New York Jets had failed him as a young quarterback. The question was timely because Darnold and the Vikings (4-0) will face the Jets (2-2) on Sunday in London.

“I had a lot of opportunities in New York,” Darnold said, “and I always felt like I could’ve played better there.”

Six years after the Jets drafted Darnold at No. 3 overall out of USC, the strong-armed signal-caller has found his footing. He has thrown for 932 yards, 11 touchdowns and three interceptions in his first four games with Minnesota. His touchdown total and passer rating (118.9) lead the league heading into Week 5.

A showdown against his former team will not inspire any ill will from Darnold.

“I’m not really thinking about that, to be honest,” Darnold said. “A lot of new faces over there. Still know a few players. I’m sure before the game, maybe after the game, (I’ll see) some of the people that I’ve built really good relationships with. That’s always the fun part about this league, being able to see people that you’ve worked with in the past.

“That’ll be good to see those guys, but other than that, (it’s a) pretty new defense since I’ve been there and a lot of new players.”

The list of new players starts with veteran quarterback Aaron Rodgers, who is in his second season with the Jets after spending 18 seasons with one of the Vikings’ biggest rivals in Green Bay.

This is set to be Rodgers’ 30th career game against Minnesota. He is 17-11-1 against the Vikings all time with 7,157 yards, 57 touchdown passes and eight picks in those 29 games.

The 40-year-old has had mixed results so far this season. He has thrown for 849 yards, five touchdowns and one interception, but his team has struggled to find consistency on offense.

Rodgers is expected to play Sunday after he was limited in Wednesday’s practice with a knee injury. He was a full participant on Thursday and Friday.

If Rodgers is still sore, however, that could prompt the Jets to turn more toward Breece Hall and their running game. Hall has rushed for 174 yards and two touchdowns on the season, while rookie teammate Braelon Allen has rushed for 130 yards and one score.

New York will be without right tackle Morgan Moses, who is expected to miss 1-3 more weeks with a sprained MCL he sustained in Week 3. Linebacker C.J. Mosley (toe) and defensive lineman Leki Fotu (hamstring) are both doubtful.

T.J. Hockenson is Minnesota’s only player who will miss Sunday’s game. The tight end was limited on Friday in his first practice since suffering a torn ACL on Dec. 24, 2023. Friday marked the start of Hockenson’s 21-day evaluation window.

The Vikings’ ground game is led by Rodgers’ old teammate in Green Bay, Aaron Jones, who has rushed for 321 yards and a touchdown to go with 143 yards receiving with a score. Justin Jefferson is the top threat in the passing game with 20 catches for 358 yards and four scores in four games.

Patrick Jones II (five sacks) and Jonathan Greenard (four) lead the Vikings’ defense.

The Jets’ pass rush is led by Will McDonald IV (five sacks), while Solomon Thomas and Michael Clemons are tied for second with 1.5 each.

The game will be played at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium in north London. The Vikings will serve as the host team.

The Vikings are 3-0 in London in their team history. They won in 2013, 2017 and most recently in 2022 when they held off the New Orleans Saints for a 28-25 victory.

The Jets are 1-1 in London. They beat the Miami Dolphins in 2015 and lost to the Atlanta Falcons in 2021.

–Field Level Media

Bills look to get swagger back against Texans in big early battle

The Buffalo Bills’ trip to face the Houston Texans on Sunday is arguably the marquee early game on the NFL schedule for Week 5.

Add in the opportunity for Stefon Diggs to get back at his most recent employer, and this one carries a level of intrigue that will make even casual fans want to tune in.

Diggs played from 2020-23 for Buffalo, tallying at least 103 receptions in all four seasons and catching a total of 37 touchdown passes. However, when the offense became more run-oriented late last year following the firing of offensive coordinator Ken Dorsey, Diggs made noises about his reduced role.

The Bills traded him along with two late-round picks to Houston on April 3 for a second-round pick in next year’s draft. They also swallowed $31 million of dead salary-cap money in the trade, the most a team has taken on to move a wide receiver.

So far, Diggs has 25 catches for 233 yards and two touchdowns while adding a rushing score, providing second-year quarterback C.J. Stroud with a veteran target and taking pressure off younger receivers such as Nico Collins. With Diggs attracting extra attention from opponents, Collins leads the league with 489 receiving yards.

“What makes Diggs a good fit is, first, he’s a smart player,” second-year Houston coach DeMeco Ryans said. “He can play multiple positions, so we’re able to move him around a lot to try to get him in favorable matchups.

“And he has some of the best hands that I’ve seen. He does a good job catching the ball, but just his ability to play multiple spots for us really opens the playbook up.”

Diggs caught five passes for 69 yards last week as the Texans (3-1) topped Jacksonville 24-20, enabling them to stay atop the AFC South by a game over the Indianapolis Colts.

Meanwhile, Diggs’ old team wore its first loss last week, getting routed 35-10 in Baltimore as Derrick Henry turned back the clock to his Tennessee Titans prime for 199 yards on 24 carries with two total touchdowns. Buffalo (3-1) was outrushed 271 yards to 81.

It was a striking result for the AFC’s highest-scoring offense (30.5 points per game), as the Bills managed only 236 total yards (to the Ravens’ 427) and picked up only 12 first downs to Baltimore’s 22.

The Bills’ defense also took a hit off the field Wednesday when linebacker Von Miller drew a four-game suspension for violating the NFL’s personal conduct policy. The active leader among NFL players in sacks with 126.5, Miller is tied for the team lead this season with three.

“The job is to move forward, right? I’ve really been proud of the way the guys have stepped up,” Buffalo coach Sean McDermott said. “They’ve had to deal with quite a few situations, injuries, now in this case the suspension with Von. So I expect the same, quite honestly.”

One thing that could help offset Miller’s absence would be the presence of Terrel Bernard on the field. Buffalo’s starting middle linebacker was out the past two games with a pectoral injury but returned to practice on a limited basis this week and is listed as questionable for Sunday.

The Bills’ leading receiver Khalil Shakir (18 catches, 230 yards, two touchdowns) as well as defensive tackles Ed Oliver and Austin Johnson and safety Taylor Rapp have been ruled out for Sunday’s game. Shakir (ankle), Johnson (oblique) and Rapp (concussion protocol) did not practice all week after sustaining their respective injuries in the loss to the Ravens. Oliver, however, sustained a hamstring injury during practice on Thursday.

The Texans have ruled out running back Joe Mixon (ankle) as well as defensive ends Derek Barnett (shoulder) and Jerry Hughes (hip). Running back Dameon Pierce (hamstring), who has played in only one game this season, was among six Houston players listed as questionable.

In better news, receiver Tank Dell, who missed last Sunday’s victory over the Jaguars because of bruised ribs, was a limited participant in practices Wednesday and Thursday. Dell practiced in full on Friday and was not given a designation.

The teams have split 10 regular-season meetings. Buffalo took a 40-0 win in the clubs’ last matchup three years ago in Orchard Park, N.Y.

–Field Level Media

Packers’ Jordan Love getting back to full strength with Rams up next

Green Bay Packers quarterback Jordan Love gladly sported a green home jersey instead of a red no-contact one at practice last week.

After missing two games with a knee injury sustained late in Week 1, Love welcomed everything associated with being under center, including the physicality.

“That was the big test going into the game, how I respond to getting hit,” Love said. “So, it definitely gives me more confidence. I know going into the game that it’s football. I’m going to get hit at some point.”

After nearly rallying from an early four-score deficit against the Minnesota Vikings, Love and the Packers will try to climb above .500 when they visit the banged-up Los Angeles Rams on Sunday in Inglewood, Calif.

Los Angeles (1-3) remains without top wide receivers Cooper Kupp (ankle) and Puka Nacua (knee).

The Rams entered the red zone four times in their Week 4 visit to Chicago but had just one touchdown to show for it in a 24-18 loss to the Bears.

Still, Rams quarterback Matthew Stafford, who was 20 of 29 passing for 224 yards and an interception, bolstered his connection with receiver Jordan Whittington, who had a team-high six receptions for 62 yards.

“He’s obviously done a really nice job stepping in with his opportunities,” Stafford said of Whittington. “Done a really nice job catching and running the last couple weeks. … You go out there and earn it, you know. You earn those opportunities, you earn the trust, you earn all that. And he’s come in with the right attitude since Day 1 and it’s showing.”

As the passing game adjusts, Kyren Williams continues to be a stabilizing presence in the backfield. Williams ran 19 times for 94 yards and a touchdown against Chicago. He has scored at least one TD on the ground in seven straight games dating back to last season.

Green Bay (2-2) fell behind 28-0 in the second quarter versus the Vikings. The Packers lost 31-29, though, as Love overcame struggles with accuracy and heavy blitzing from Minnesota to pass for a career-best 389 yards.

Love also had a career-high 54 passing attempts, completing 32, to go along with four touchdowns and three interceptions.

“It looks like he’s just getting back in the groove,” Packers coach Matt LaFleur said of Love. “Like I mentioned the other day, not that we want to throw 50-some odd times in a game, but I thought the more we threw, the better he got.”

The Packers likely will be without receiver Christian Watson, who left the Minnesota game with an ankle injury but won’t be placed on injured reserve. Watson did not practice Wednesday through Friday and was listed as doubtful for Sunday.

Green Bay defensive lineman Devonte Wyatt (ankle) was ruled out, while cornerback Jaire Alexander (groin), guard/tackle Elgton Jenkins (knee), tight end Luke Musgrave (ankle), defensive lineman Jonathan Ford (calf), linebacker Edgerrin Cooper (hip), tackle/guard Jordan Morgan (shoulder) and cornerback Carrington Valentine (ankle) were all listed as questionable.

Rams defensive end Larrell Murchison (forearm) is unavailable for Sunday.

The Packers have won eight of their past nine regular-season games against Los Angeles.

–Field Level Media

Trying to overcome 0-4 start, Jaguars collide with Colts

The Jacksonville Jaguars are the NFL’s only remaining winless team after four games, and a climb out of that big of a hole to reach the postseason has occurred just once in league history.

Jacksonville isn’t waving the white flag, but prospects of a turnaround will grow even bleaker if the Jaguars don’t defeat the visiting Indianapolis Colts in an AFC South clash on Sunday.

The 1992 San Diego Chargers are the lone 0-4 team to recover and reach the playoffs. That team started slowly while adjusting to new coach Bobby Ross and had strong leadership from Hall of Fame linebacker Junior Seau.

In Jacksonville, coach Doug Pederson is in his third season and is fielding questions about losing the locker room. His Jaguars have been outscored 109-60 to start the campaign.

“I talk to these guys every day. I see them every day. And no, I have not lost the locker room,” Pederson said Wednesday. “I think these guys have done everything I’ve asked. They continue to play and practice hard and battle.”

Pederson said the team will not make any excuses for the slow start that includes last week’s 24-20 road loss to the Houston Texans. Yet on the other hand, he seemed to point blame toward the players.

“We need our elite players to play elite. And that’s it,” Pederson said. “Sometimes, that’s what it comes down to. Are they going to be elite every week?”

Quarterback Trevor Lawrence is getting paid like he’s elite — he was given a five-year, $275 million extension in the offseason — but he’s not performing at that level.

Lawrence’s completion percentage of 53.3 is second worst in the NFL among qualifiers — only Anthony Richardson (50.6) of the Colts is lower.

Worse is that the Jaguars (0-4) have lost each of Lawrence’s past nine starts.

“I’ve dealt with a few of these (slumps) in my career unfortunately. It’s never fun,” Lawrence said Wednesday. “You have to be thick-skinned. You have to be persistent when you’re in a situation like this. Keep your head down and keep working.”

Indianapolis (2-2) has lost in each of its past nine visits to Jacksonville.

Colts coach Shane Steichen isn’t the least bit concerned with the Jaguars’ record.

“I don’t care that they’re 0-4,” Steichen said. “They’re a damn good football team. They’ve had some close games, obviously, that could have went either way. And we’ve got a division opponent that we gotta go beat.”

The Colts don’t know if they will have Richardson (hip) available after he exited last week’s 27-24 home victory over the Pittsburgh Steelers.

Richardson was a limited practice participant on Wednesday, Thursday and Friday with an oblique injury and was listed as questionable. Joe Flacco would start if Richardson cannot; Flacco completed 16 of 26 passes for 168 yards and two touchdowns against Pittsburgh.

“If (Richardson) feels good and he’s ready to go, he’ll be out there,” Steichen said.

Richardson played high school and college football (Florida) in Gainesville, which is approximately 75 miles from Jacksonville.

“It’s definitely an important game, a divisional game, and then going back to Florida, that’s my home state, so I always want to play down there,” Richardson said. “But like Coach said, I don’t have to necessarily practice to play. We’re just taking it day by day, just seeing how I’m feeling and seeing if I’m ready to roll out there on Sunday.”

Running back Jonathan Taylor injured an ankle against the Steelers and was ruled out after missing practice every day this week. Taylor is fifth in the NFL in rushing yardage (349) and missed practice on Wednesday. Trey Sermoin will start in Taylor’s place.

Defensive end Kwity Paye (quadricep) and cornerback Kenny Moore (hip) were ruled out, and center Ryan Kelly (neck) and tackle Braden Smith (knee) are questionable.

Jacksonville star defensive end Josh Hines-Allen (concussion) missed practice on Wednesday, but returned in a limited capacity Thursday and Friday.

Hines-Allen is questionable along with five of his teammates: tight end Evan Engram (hamstring), linebacker Yasir Abdullah (neck), linebacker Devin Lloyd (knee), safety Darnell Savage (quadricep) and safety Daniel Thomas (hamstring). Engram has missed the past three games.

–Field Level Media

Commanders’ Jayden Daniels out to continue historic start vs. Browns

Robert Griffin III captivated the nation’s capital with a stellar rookie season in 2012.

But Griffin, who was named Offensive Rookie of the Year and led Washington to the playoffs that season, didn’t deliver as much early success compared to the franchise’s current Heisman Trophy-winning rookie quarterback.

Thanks to a sterling first month, Jayden Daniels has the Commanders off to their best four-game start since 2011 as they prepare for a Week 5 clash against the Cleveland Browns in Landover, Md., on Sunday.

Washington (3-1) has won three straight since losing 37-20 to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in its season opener. The franchise started 2-2 with Griffin in 2012.

“I didn’t have any expectations,” Daniels said of how he thought his first season would begin. “For me personally, how much can I learn and keep going? How fast can I learn to become a pro and keep going from there.”

Drafted second overall out of LSU, Daniels, 23, has quickly emerged as a front-runner to win the same award Griffin did 12 years ago.

Daniels’ completion percentage (82.1) through four games is not only the best in the league, but it’s also the highest mark of all time during a four-game stretch (minimum 50 passing attempts).

Daniels has only tossed three touchdown passes (rushing for another four scores), but the Commanders’ offense has still flourished with him. Washington averages 30.3 points per game, third most in the league.

The touted rookie has led more scoring drives (23) than he has thrown incompletions (19). He has been intercepted on just one of his 106 pass attempts, with that pick coming in last Sunday’s 42-14 win over the Arizona Cardinals.

Daniels has shined on Sundays, but Commanders coach Dan Quinn is also impressed by how the first-year signal-caller prepares himself on the days leading up to gameday.

“If you’re around him, you feel this work ethic,” Quinn said. “There’s no magic pixie dust that we’re throwing into him. It is absolutely grinding, working, and a lot of confidence comes from that.”

While Washington has totaled 80 points in its past two games, Cleveland (1-3) has managed just 66 all season. The Browns are averaging the sixth-fewest points per game in the league (16.5).

Wide receiver Jerry Jeudy, in his first year with Cleveland after spending his first four seasons with the Denver Broncos, said the Browns’ offense has yet to jell.

“Collectively, as a unit, we just all have to be on the same page at the same time. That’s the biggest thing, for real,” Jeudy said. “Because as an offense, as a group, if one person messed up, the whole play is messed up.”

The Browns scored on their first two drives last Sunday to take a 10-0 lead against the Raiders in Las Vegas but sputtered after that. Rodney McLeod Jr. returned a fumble for a touchdown in the fourth quarter for Cleveland’s only other points.

“Little things do become the big thing,” Browns coach Kevin Stefanski said. “We’ve talked about that a lot. So, we focus, in this building, on things that we can control, things that we can get better at. And I think that’s the mindset, that sort of winning mindset, that we have where we’re going to get together and find a way to fix it.”

Star running back Nick Chubb was ruled out of Sunday’s game despite taking the practice field Wednesday for the first time since sustaining a season-ending knee injury in Week 2 of last season. Chubb, a 1,000-yard rusher in four straight seasons (2019-22), was a limited participant both Wednesday and Thursday.

Tight end David Njoku (ankle) was listed as questionable for Sunday’s game after being limited in practice Wednesday and not practicing Thursday.

Defensive end Myles Garrett (Achilles) didn’t practice Wednesday and was limited on Thursday. Linebacker Jordan Hicks (ribs/elbow/triceps) did not practice either day. Offensive tackle James Hudson III (shoulder) was limited on Wednesday and didn’t practice Thursday. Defensive end Alex Wright had season-ending surgery to repair his torn triceps on Thursday.

Commanders running back Brian Robinson Jr. is dealing with a knee injury that kept him out of practice Wednesday and Thursday, but Quinn said Friday he’s trending in the right direction but will be a game-time decision. Fellow running back Austin Ekeler cleared concussion protocol and will play, said Quinn, who added that wide receiver Noah Brown (groin) and defensive end Clelin Ferrell (knee) will be ruled out.

–Field Level Media

Run-happy Ravens visit Bengals for AFC North showdown

One of the fiercest rivalries in football renews on Sunday afternoon when the Baltimore Ravens visit the Cincinnati Bengals for both teams’ first AFC North battle of the season.

The teams have combined to win the past three division titles and five of the past six. Baltimore (2-2) dethroned two-time AFC North champion Cincinnati last year and is coming off two straight wins to level its record this season.

The Ravens scored a 35-10 win over the Buffalo Bills on Sunday night, a game that featured an 87-yard touchdown run from Derrick Henry on Baltimore’s first play from scrimmage. Henry enters Week 5 leading the NFL in rushing with 480 yards, while the Ravens are leading the league on the ground as a team at 220.3 rushing yards per game.

Henry is on the brink of two major milestones. The 30-year-old back needs just one touchdown to reach 100 for his career (includes rushing and receiving) and is 18 rushing yards shy of the 10,000-yard plateau.

“There’s a lot of things about Derrick that make him unique — talent is one of them for sure, and work ethic is another one for sure,” Ravens coach John Harbaugh said. “He’s just a very tough human being.

“Really, the proof is in the results, and you kind of go by what you see. So, when we were evaluating the possibility of bringing him in here, I just think we looked at how he’s been playing. And to see that continue on obviously is great, but we did expect him to play this way, and we’re excited about it.”

Behind a season-best 141 yards on the ground as a team and a pair of rushing scores from Chase Brown, the Bengals (1-3) earned their first win of the season last Sunday in Charlotte, a 34-24 decision against the Carolina Panthers. Cincinnati built a 17-point lead late in the third quarter, scoring a touchdown at the end of the first half and on the first possession of the second.

Ja’Marr Chase scored on a brilliant 63-yard catch-and-run while Joe Burrow completed 22 of 31 passes for 232 yards, two touchdowns and an interception. The Bengals have totaled 67 points in their past two games.

“We’re confident in our group. We’re rolling on offense right now,” Burrow said. “We’ve still left some points out there, which when you score 33, 34 back-to-back and you feel like you’ve left points on the board, that’s a good spot to be as an offense. We’re gonna continue to chase perfection, try to score on every drive. It’s a big opportunity. We thrive in these moments.

“We’re excited about it in front of our fans that we’re gonna need on Sunday. I hope they’re excited, too. We’re putting in the work this week to go out and put our best foot forward.”

The Ravens swept the season series between the teams in 2023 after the squads split a pair of games in 2022.

The Bengals hope to get some defensive reinforcements on Sunday. Defensive end Myles Murphy and defensive tackle McKinnley Jackson began practicing this week and could be activated in time for the game against Baltimore. Both practiced in full this week but are listed as questionable.

Star defensive end Trey Hendrickson (neck/back) returned to full practice Friday and will play Sunday, as will defensive tackle B.J. Hill, who returned to practice after a Week 2 hamstring injury. Defensive tackle Sheldon Rankins (hamstring) is doubtful and cornerback Mike Hilton (knee) is questionable after both sat out practice all week.

Ravens corner Arthur Maulet (knee/hamstring) was ruled out after not practicing Thursday or Friday. Linebacker Chris Board (ankle) returned to full practice Thursday and Friday and will play Sunday. Wide receiver Deonte Harty (knee), running back Rasheen Ali (neck) and offensive lineman Andrew Vorhees (ankle) are questionable despite full practices Friday.

–Field Level Media