George Kittle says his leg feels fantastic

Posted by Josh Alper on September 13, 2020, 9:13 PM EDT

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49ers tight end George Kittle didn’t have his best game in Sunday’s loss to the Cardinals, but the fact that he said that he avoided a serious injury counts as a silver lining.

Kittle went to the locker room ahead of the rest of the Niners at the end of the first half after suffering a leg injury. Kittle returned to action after the break, but didn’t catch any passes in the second half after grabbing four balls in the first half.

Kittle said he feels “fantastic” after the game while head coach Kyle Shanahan said the team will find out more on Monday.

“I know he went out with a lower leg injury,” Shanahan said, via 49ersWebzone.com. “They don’t get into specifics with me. At halftime, he told me he was good to go, so he returned. I’m sure we’ll find out a little bit more tomorrow morning when he comes in.”

The 49ers will be in New Jersey to face the Jets in Week Two and will then stay at the Greenbrier in West Virginia before returning to MetLife Stadium to meet the Giants in Week Three.

Gardner Minshew: Sunday’s win just a f—–g glimpse of what we can do

Posted by Josh Alper on September 13, 2020, 9:07 PM EDT

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Jaguars quarterback Gardner Minshew said he was “not going to let that crap happen” when asked about the Jaguars tanking the 2020 season and his actions on Sunday backed up those words.

Minshew went 19-of-20 for 173 yards and three touchdowns on the way to a 27-20 win over the Colts that flew in the face of the general consensus of the way the game would go down. In a video from the team’s locker room, Minshew told his teammates that he feels that Sunday’s performance was just a taste of what the team is capable of doing.

“That just shows what we can do right there,” Minshew said. “That’s just a f—–g glimpse. We ain’t even scratching the f—–g surface yet. Do not be satisfied with 1-0. We got another division game coming up so bring it this week in practice. Iron sharpens iron.”

The Jaguars have parted ways with a lot of veteran players since Minshew came to Jacksonville, but the team may not be lacking for leadership based on what he showed on and off the field

Joe Burrow: We should have put them away before kick

Posted by Josh Alper on September 13, 2020, 8:40 PM EDT

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The Bengals lost a 16-13 heartbreaker to the Chargers on Sunday and the final blow came when kicker Randy Bullock missed a 31-yard field goal that would have sent the game to overtime.

Bullock’s kick came at the end of a 14-play, 84-yard drive that saw first overall pick Joe Burrow complete a string of passes to put the Bengals in position to extend the game. After Bullock’s miss, Burrow said that a game the Bengals once led 13-6 should never have come down to a kick.

“It doesn’t matter what happened on the kick. We should have put them away a lot of times before that. . . . A lot of different plays affected the game,” Burrow said, via Ben Baby of ESPN.com.

Burrow almost won the game with a pass to A.J. Green in the end zone a play before Bullock’s kick, but Green was flagged for offensive pass interference. Burrow called it “a bang-bang play” before saying he made too many mistakes. The rookie gave himself a D for a game that saw him run for a 23-yard touchdown and complete 23-of-36 passes for 196 yards and an interception.

Others might go higher on their report cards, but the end result is still a loss with a quick turnaround before facing the Browns in Week Two.

Mitchell Trubisky: This is just one game

Posted by Josh Alper on September 13, 2020, 7:59 PM EDT

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When the Bears were down 23-6 to the Lions in the second half of Sunday’s game, it was easy to imagine chatter after the game about whether they erred by naming Mitchell Trubisky as their starting quarterback.

By the time the game was over, it was clear that such talk would not be on the table. Trubisky threw three touchdowns in the final quarter, including a 27-yarder to Anthony Miller that made the Bears 27-23 winners in Detroit.

After the game, Trubisky said he wasn’t going to make too much of the start to a long season.

“For me, it’s just one game at a time,” Trubisky said, via the Chicago Sun-Times. “This is only one game. I’ve got to continue to stay focused, to stay in this mental space that I’m in and just keep getting after it every single week. If you’re focused on writing the story while you’re going through it, then you kind of distract yourself. It’s better to just stay present, live in the moment. That’s exactly what I’m trying to do.”

Trubisky was 20-of-36 for 242 yards overall and 12-of-16 after halftime, so he saved his best for last on Sunday. He’ll try to keep that going against the Giants in Week Two.

Adrian Peterson to D’Andre Swift: Don’t let drop linger

Posted by Josh Alper on September 13, 2020, 7:46 PM EDT

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The Lions blew a 23-6 lead in the fourth quarter of Sunday’s 27-23 loss to the Bears, but they had a chance to win before time expired.

Their best shot at pulling out the victory came on a pass from Matthew Stafford to rookie running back D'Andre Swift in the end zone. Swift couldn’t make the catch and the game ended after another incompletion.

Head coach Matt Patricia walked up the tunnel with his arm around the second-round pick and veteran Adrian Peterson shared his message to his backfield mate.

“I just pulled him to the side and told him, ‘Hey, it’s all about how you respond to this. Don’t let this get you down,'” Peterson said, via the team’s website. “I can imagine how he feels in that situation, how he must feel. But at the end of the day, what he showed me today, is that he’s going to be able to help us. He’s going to win games for us going into the season. Just keep your head up, man. We have 15 more, and at the end of the day, do not let this bother you. Do not let this linger.”

Stafford noted his own turnover while saying that there were “so many plays in this game that caused it to go the way that it went.” After losing eight times when leading or tied in the fourth quarter last season, the Lions need to find a way to eliminate all of those plays in the future.

Demario Davis signed three-year extension with Saints

Posted by Josh Alper on September 13, 2020, 7:37 PM EDT

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There was some breaking news about Saints linebacker Demario Davis while Davis was playing against the Buccaneers in New Orleans on Sunday afternoon.

Erin Andrews of FOX Sports reported during the broadcast that Davis signed a three-year extension with the team on Saturday night. Per multiple reports, it is a $27 million deal for Davis with around $18 million in guaranteed money.

Davis signed a three-year deal with the Saints before the 2018 season and has been an integral part of the team’s defense. He has 221 tackles, nine sacks, two forced fumbles, an interception and a fumble recovery while playing in every game over the last two years. He has another 29 tackles and an interception in the postseason.

The Saints also signed running back Alvin Kamara to an extension just before the start of the regular season, which gave them plenty of reason to celebrate well before they started on what’s looking like a win over their NFC South rivals.

Randy Bullock misses late FG, Chargers get 16-13 win

Posted by Josh Alper on September 13, 2020, 7:27 PM EDT

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Joe Burrow‘s NFL debut ended in painful fashion.

Bengals kicker Randy Bullock was on to try a 31-yard field goal to tie the game as time ran out in the fourth quarter, but he pushed it far right while apparently pulling a muscle as he stepped into the kick. The miss meant the Chargers escaped with a 16-13 win.

They were down 13-6 as the fourth quarter got underway, but ran their way to a game-tying touchdown and then took the lead after a Joe Mixon fumble. Former Bengal and current Chargers linebacker Nick Vigil recovered the ball to set up Michael Badgley‘s third field goal of the afternoon.

The kick went in and the Chargers got a win on what was an up and down day offensively. Austin Ekeler and Joshua Kelley had 144 yards on 31 carries, but Tyrod Taylor was just 16-of-30 throwing the ball.

Burrow finished the day 23-of-36 for 193 yards and an interception. He also ran for a 23-yard touchdown in the first quarter.

Burrow’s touchdown run was by design and the team called a few other runs for him, but several of his eight carries came after he was flushed from the pocket. Pressure was an issue for much of the day as Burrow was sacked three times, hit six times and he threw his interception on an ill-advised attempt to avoid the pass rush by flipping the ball to Giovani Bernard.

That interception came with the Bengals down three and in field goal range in the fourth quarter, so the rookie will have to learn not to take such risks with potential points on the table. There was more to like about what happened after the pick.

Burrow completed 7-of-9 passes while working without any timeouts to take the Bengals from their 18-yard-line into scoring position in the final minute. Burrow spiked the ball to stop the clock with 18 seconds left to play in regulation and the Bengals on the 13-yard line before hitting Bernard for a 10-yard gain with 12 seconds left.

A try for A.J. Green in the end zone resulted in an offensive pass interference call, however, and the Bengals called on Randy Bullock to tie the game with seconds to play. Bullock missed and Burrow will have to wait at least one more week for his first NFL win.

T.Y. Hilton feels he lost game for Colts

Posted by Josh Alper on September 13, 2020, 7:05 PM EDT

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The Colts were heavy favorites over the Jaguars this week, but the scoreboard told a different story.

Jacksonville was the only team to have fans in attendance for Week One and they treated those who came out to a 27-20 win over their AFC South rivals. The Colts drove inside the Jaguars’ 30-yard-line in the final minute, but had three straight passes go incomplete to end their chances of tying the game.

Two of those passes were dropped by veteran wideout T.Y. Hilton, who said they were “just on me” while calling himself the reason why the Colts are 0-1.

“I lost the game,” Hilton said, via Michael McCleary of the Indianapolis Star.

Jaguars quarterback Gardner Minshew was 19-of-20 with three touchdowns, the Colts running game never got going and Philip Rivers threw two interceptions, so there’s plenty of blame to go around in Indy this Sunday.

Chargers draw even on Joshua Kelley’s first NFL TD

Posted by Josh Alper on September 13, 2020, 6:46 PM EDT

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The first overall pick of the 2020 NFL Draft scored the first touchdown of the day in Cincinnati and the second came from a fourth-round pick.

Chargers running back Joshua Kelley scored on a five-yard run in the fourth quarter. The score made it 13-13 with just over 12 minutes left to play in the game.

Kelley has eight carries for 49 yards in his debut and Austin Ekeler has posted 83 yards on 17 carries as the Chargers have tried to grind it out against the Bengals Defense. That has been a mixed bag, but they are in position to pull out a road win to kick off the season.

Bengals quarterback Joe Burrow, the aforementioned first overall pick, will have something to say about that, however.

D.J. Reader exits on cart, Bengals up 13-6

Posted by Josh Alper on September 13, 2020, 6:37 PM EDT

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Defensive tackle D.J. Reader‘s first game with the Bengals may have come to an early end on Sunday.

Reader went down after a three-yard gain by Chargers running back Austin Ekeler and stayed down as trainers came to have a look at him. Those trainers called for a cart and Reader is now being looked at in the back by members of the medical staff.

Reader signed a four-year, $53 million contract with the Bengals in free agency this offseason. He had four tackles before his injury.

Another free agent signing is also out for the Bengals. Guard Xavier Su'a-Filo is questionable to return with an ankle injury.

The injury came just before the end of the third quarter in Cincinnati. The Bengals kicked a pair of field goals to stretch their lead to 13-6, but the Chargers are on the move as the fourth quarter gets underway.

UPDATE 6:38 p.m. ET: Per the CBS broadcast, Reader is having cramps and is expected to return.

Adam Gase mad at himself for not pulling injured Le’Veon Bell sooner

Posted by Josh Alper on September 13, 2020, 6:31 PM EDT

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Jets running back Le'Veon Bell was at odds with head coach Adam Gase after Gase pulled him from a scrimmage this summer.

Gase said Bell’s hamstring was tight, Bell said it was fine and the two men said that they put the issue to rest a few days later. Bell’s hamstring is front and center once again, however.

Bell left Sunday’s 27-17 loss to the Bills in the second half with a hamstring injury that he appeared to suffer while making a 30-yard catch in the first half. Bell grabbed at his hamstring, but remained in the game until the Jets pulled him in the third quarter.

After the game, Gase said, via Ralph Vacchiano of SNY, that he was “mad at myself” for not pulling Bell out of the game when he was initially injured. He didn’t have an update as to the severity of the injury, but Frank Gore may be in line for his first Jets start in Week Two against the 49ers.

Brian Flores on DeVante Parker hamstring: We’ll see what it looks like Monday

Posted by Josh Alper on September 13, 2020, 6:21 PM EDT

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Dolphins wide receiver DeVante Parker got off to a good start in Sunday’s game against the Patriots, but he wasn’t available to finish the contest.

Parker sat out the second half of the game after catching four passes for 47 yards in the early part of the contest. Parker has been dealing with a hamstring injury and Dolphins head coach Brian Flores didn’t speculate on the wideout’s condition when he spoke to reporters after the game.

“He’s in there,” Flores said. “We’ll take a look at him over the course of the week. I don’t have a status update. Obviously he didn’t return, so we’ll see what it looks like tomorrow and in the coming days.”

Parker led the Dolphins in catches and yards despite missing much of the game, which underscores his importance to the offense in Miami.

Aaron Rodgers: Execution was pretty high on our side

Posted by Josh Alper on September 13, 2020, 6:04 PM EDT

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After an offseason that saw the Packers draft a quarterback in the first round and not draft a wide receiver at all, there were plenty of people waiting to see how Aaron Rodgers would kick off the year against the Vikings.

Rodgers said that playing in front of no fans at U.S. Bank Stadium was “one of the strangest experiences” of his life, but it seemed to suit him fine on the field. Rodgers was 32-of-44 for 364 yards and four touchdowns in a 43-34 victory over their NFC North rivals.

Rodgers said, via Lily Zhao of WITI, that “execution was pretty high on our side” when discussing the performance of the offense against the Vikings. He added that he felt like he was “in it from the start” and the results will make everyone around the team happy.

It’s the fifth time that Rodgers has thrown for at least 350 yards and at least four touchdowns without throwing an interception. That’s the kind of strange experience that the Packers will sign up for a few more times.

Bengals up 7-6 on Chargers at halftime

Posted by Josh Alper on September 13, 2020, 5:45 PM EDT

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The first half of Bengals quarterback Joe Burrow‘s NFL career featured his first rushing touchdown and an introduction to a professional pass rush.

Burrow didn’t get any preseason games to face a defense trying to plant him in the turf and the Chargers didn’t wait to introduce Burrow to that aspect of the game. The first overall pick was sacked three times and hit on six occasions by Chargers defenders over the course of the first half.

That didn’t stop the Bengals from heading into the locker room with a lead. Burrow’s 23-yard touchdown run put the Bengals up 7-0 in the first quarter and they are up 7-6 after a pair of Michael Badgley field goals in the second quarter.

When Burrow wasn’t being sacked, he was 9-of-14 for 51 yards as the Bengals have kept things pretty simple in the passing game. That may have been the case for the rookie under any circumstances, but the inability to keep the Chargers out of the backfield is likely also playing a role.

Tyrod Taylor has put the ball up more often and finished the half 10-of-20 for 158 yards. Austin Ekeler‘s added 57 yards on 11 carries, but the failure to translate those gains into touchdowns leaves them trying to come from behind in the final 30 minutes of action in Cincinnati.

Jamal Adams: I’m not used to seeing my offense score 38 points

Posted by Josh Alper on September 13, 2020, 5:30 PM EDT

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Safety Jamal Adams turned in a game like we’ve grown accustomed to seeing from him in his Seahawks debut, but Adams said he still experienced something new.

Adams led the team with 12 tackles, notched a sack and had two tackles for loss in a 38-25 win. None what Adams had to adjust to was on the defensive side, however.

It was the fact that the offense led by quarterback Russell Wilson put up that many points. It wasn’t something that happened a lot when Adams was with the Jets.

“I’m not used to it, it’s exciting,” Adams said.

Adams’ former team had a dreadful offensive day against the Bills in a 27-17 loss and he found another way to zing a member of the Jets. Adams said he wasn’t bored while filling the stat sheet, which was a reference to Jets defensive coordinator Gregg Williams’ comments after Adams was traded to Seattle this year.