How many rookie hazings can Caleb Williams take?
The Texans beat, and beat up, the Bears' rookie Sunday night, and there's 15 games left on the schedule.
Following tendencies, NBC billed Sunday night’s game as a duel between quarterbacks C.J. Stroud and Caleb Williams. If it had been that simple, Stroud and Williams wouldn’t be gulping Advil today.
Instead, the young Houston and Chicago quarterbacks had to face two snarling, hyperactive defenses that were looking for pelts on the wall. The Texans survived, 19-13, but unless something changes, Stroud and Williams won’t, at least not in terms of games played.
Houston sacked Williams, the rookie from USC, seven times, and did it with a little more fervor each time. The Bears had little idea how to deal with Will Anderson off the edge, Mario Edwards up the middle, and Danielle Hunter from everywhere. They hit Williams 11 times and had nine tackles for loss. The Texans had somewhat better luck shielding Stroud, who is an NFL sophomore, the reigning Rookie of the Year, and a more conventional pocket passer. But he still got sacked three times.
The caffeinated atmosphere of a rare Sunday Night game in Houston also favored the defenses. There was a Fight Club vibe about the whole night, particularly when Azeez Al-Shaair roughly tackled Williams in front of the Bears’ bench and immediately became a hostage, with angry orange jerseys all around. Al-Shaair didn’t back down, and at one point he nailed Roschon Johnson in the face. No penalty was called for any of that, incredibly.
Earlier, Houston receiver Nico Collins had his eye poked by Chicago’s Tyrique Stevenson. He answered with a punch to the face. The constables only saw the retaliation, of course, so they flagged Collins, who returned to normal action….but not before he took a 28-yard touchdown pass from Stroud and, as he dived into the end zone, shoved and slapped Stevenson.
Collins took eight catches 135 yards and was Stroud’s default choice whenever turbulence arrived. Williams was trying to establish the same thing with D.J. Moore, but the pressure wouldn’t let him, and the same fast footwork that befuddled Pac-12 opponents didn’t work here. He wound up with 174 yards and two interceptions, and hasn’t thrown a touchdown pass in his first two games. That’s not shameful. Stroud was bottled up by Baltimore in his debut last year. There’s little doubt that Williams has the arm talent and the toughness to become Chicago’s commanding officer for many years. But he has to maintain his molecular structure first.
The NFL, after two weeks, is becoming a land of 50-yard field goals, penalty flags and lost quarterbacks. Even Patrick Mahomes fell short of 200 yards Sunday. Rookie Bo Nix is having the same troubles in Denver, although Washington rookie Jayden Daniels is adjusting well. It appears that the gap between defensive athleticism and offensive pass protection is becoming an ocean, and when offensive coordinators ignore the run game and the necessity of providing a bodyguard to their quarterbacks, the pocket can become an octagon in a hurry.
Or the flip side might be that Houston gave us all the bait-and-switch. While hypnotizing us with Stroud’s brilliance, it has built the outline of a championship defense. Derek Stingley and Kamari Lassiter, the rookie from Georgia, had two pretty interceptions, and Jalen Pitre was a one-man House of Pain beside them. Anderson was the Defensive Rookie of the Year and hasn’t seen an offensive tackle that he can’t turn into a pylon. This won’t be the last prime-time game in Houston. The best news for Caleb Williams is that he doesn’t have to go back.
Other confetti:
Kansas City 26, Cincinnati 25
— Chamarri Conner stepped out of the crowd and into the hearts of Chiefs’ fans early in the fourth quarter. After Michael Danna and Tershawn Wharton sacked Joe Burrow, Conner picked up the loose football and went 38 yards to put the Chiefs (2-0) ahead, 23-22. And after Cincinnati (0-2) regained the lead, Conner sacked Burrow on third-and-six, forcing a punt with 2:35 left.
— Those who think NFL officials are on the Hunt family payroll thought they got more evidence on the next drive. Patrick Mahomes tried to convert a fourth-and-16 to Rashee Rice with :48 left. Raijahn Anthony, a 7th-round pick in 2023 from Ole Miss, broke it up from behind but was called for interference. That gave Harrison Butker a chance to win it from 51 yards out, which he did.
— Mahomes’ 151 yards passing represented a career low in a full game, and his 44-yard TD to Rice was KC”s only explosive play. Cincinnati didn’t have Tee Higgins, and Ja’Marr Chase, unhappy about his contract, caught four passes for 35 yards.
New Orleans 44, Dallas 19
— After two games, the runaway NFL Coach of the Year is an assistant. First-year offensive coordinator Klint Kubiak, son of ex-NFL coach and quarterback Gary, suddenly has a unit that ha scored 91 points, and is only the fifth in NFL history to top 40 in its first two games. The last to do it? The 2009 Saints, who won the Super Bowl.
— Alvin Kamara has 198 rush yards this season and four touchdowns, including three on Sunday, Derek Carr needed to throw only 16 times, but he hit Rashid Shaheed for a 70-yard touchdown. The Saints are 12 for 21 on third down so far, and their defense has seven sacks.
— The Cowboys (1-1) were overrun by the Saints, who scored touchdowns on their first six possessions. They never did get to the red zone. Their 33-17 win over Cleveland hid some question marks, like the running game, and the Cowboys’ offense has scored only three touchdowns in two weeks.
Minnesota 23. San Francisco 17
— The Vikings (2-0) were hanging onto a 13-point lead in the third quarter when San Francisco’s Brock Purdy threw an interception to Josh Metellus, who returned it to the 49ers’ 10. Sam Darnold’s subsequent touchdown pass to Jalen Nailor made it 20-7. In the fourth quarter, Darnold took the Vikings on a drive that consumed 6:46 and featured a 26-yard pass to Nailor on third-and-eight. This led to a field goal that put Minnesota up 23-14 with 3:30 left.
— The marquee play, however, was Darold’s 97-yard touchdown collaboration with Justin Jefferson, who ran more than 127 actual yards on the play. Darnold wound up 17 for 26 for 268 yards.
— Jordan Mason was again solid in place of Christian McCaffrey, getting 100 yards in 20 carries, and the 49ers (1-1) had seven explosive plays. But their 2-for-10 performance on third down did them in.
Tampa Bay 20, Detroit 16
— The Lions (1-1) have just recently kicked the habit of losing, and this loss was frustrating enough to get them back on the wagon. In the final 3:05 they snapped the ball 15 times inside Tampa Bay territory and got nothing. With 8:36 left they had a first down on the Bucs’ 22 and wound up with a holding penalty on Frank Ragnow and an interception of Jared Goff by Christian Izien.
— They lost a game in which Aidan Hutchinson had 4 ½ sacks, Amon-Ra St. Brown had 11 catches for 119 yards, and they more than doubled Tampa Bay’s yardage (463-216). A substitution mixup at the end of the first half cost Detroit either three or seven points, and coach Dan Campbell blamed himself for that, but it was more a matter of the Lions making every play but the biggest ones.
— It was also a matter of Baker Mayfield, continuing his delayed drive to elite status. He finished one drive himself with twin runs of 11 yards, and he withstood all those sacks and took advantage of one Lions’ coverage mistake to convert a 40-yard TD pass to Chris Godwin. The Bucs’ season ended in Detroit in last year’s Divisional Playoff, but this win makes them 2-0 and hungry to return..
Las Vegas 26, Baltimore 23
— The Ravens are 0-2, with both losses in the final 30 seconds. They had two 10-point leads in the second half. An interception by Robert Spillane set up one Raider touchdown, and Gardner Minshew marched the Raiders 70 yards for the score that tied it 23-23. Maxx Crosby began the Baltimore possession with a nine-yard sack of Lamar Jackson, setting up a fourth down and a 24-yard punt by Jordan Stout. The Raiders (1-1) won it on Daniel Carlson’s 38-yarder with :31 left.
— Crosby had a rough time with Chargers’ rookie Joe Alt in the opener, but had two sacks and four tackles for loss Sunday. Minshew, who beat out Aiden O’Connell late in training camp to earn the job, went 30 for 39 and survived five Baltimore sacks. The defense held Jackson to 20 rush yards.
— It was the fourth time since 2022 that Baltimore has lost a double-digit lead to lose in the fourth quarter. It’s also the first time the Ravens have been 0-2 in nine seasons.
Buffalo 31, Miami 10
– Tua Tagovailoa’s concussion was the main preoccupation after the Dolphins fell to 1-1 and lost for the 13th time in their past 15 Buffalo games. Tagovailoa was knocked out by Demar Hamlin, the Bills’ safety who nearly lost his life on the field at the end of the 2022 season in Cincinnati. At last report Tagovailoa is resisting widespread pleas for him to retire. He also had two concussions in 2022.
— The Bills (2-0) held Miami to one touchdown, and got three from James Cook, who ran 11 times for 78 yards. They had 10 tackles for loss in the game and had three explosive plays (20 yards or more) as opposed to one 21-yarder for Miami, known as the most dynamic team in the league.
— Skyler Thompson filled in for Tagovailoa, who had thrown three interceptions. He was 8 for 14 for 80 yards. Six-year pro Tim Boyle, from Eastern Kentucky, is the only other QB on the roster.
Pittsburgh 13, Denver 6
— The Steelers have scored one touchdown in two weeks and are 2-0. They also haven’t turned the ball over. Backup QB Justin Fields did not generate one explosive play, but kept the sticks moving, and the defense has given up 153 rush yards in both wins. It also got two more takeaways, to go with three last week.
— Rookie quarterback Bo Nix again was Denver’s leading rusher, with 25 yards. In the second quarter he had a first-and-goal on the Pittsburgh seven, and threw a second-down interception to Cory Trice, a 7th round pick from Purdue in 2023.
— Pittsburgh’s longest plays were a 16-yard run by Fields and a 16-yard pass from Fields to George Pickens. The Steelers had six punts and a field goal in their seven second-half possessions.
Green Bay 16, Indianapolis 10
— The Colts (0-2) haven’t had the football long enough to know if it’s blown up or stuffed. For the second straight week their opponent had it for at least two-thirds of the game. Green Bay put together two drives of 11 plays and another of 10. Indianapolis has allowed Houston and Green Bay to convert 17 of 31 third downs.
— Malik Willis was a first-round pick by Tennessee. The Liberty U. QB had some accuracy issues but also had the college experience and physical gifts. After Willis washed out in Nashville, Green Bay (1-1) signed him to back up Jordan Love, who was hurt on the final play of the opener. Willis was 12 for 14 Sunday with no turnovers, and he ran effectively for 41 yards. Mostly he handed off to Josh Jacobs, who had 32 carries, and the Packers pounded the Colts for 261 rush yards.
— One of those runs was supposed to be a pass, but center Josh Myers, who wasn’t feeling well, threw up on the football before he snapped it. Willis immediately realized it was better to tuck it and run, so he did. “First time I ever heard that,” said coach Matt LaFleur.
NY Jets 24, Tennessee 17
— There was no generation gap for the Jets on Sunday, not with 40-year-old Aaron Rodgers getting his first win outside Green Bay and with 20-year-old Braelon Allen running 20 yards for the go-ahead score. The oldest and youngest players in the NFL also collaborated on a 12-yard touchdown pass as the Jets did something very difficult — win a Sunday road game after losing a Monday night road game (at San Francisco).
— Allen graduated a year early from Fond Du Lac (Wis.) High and attended the U. of Wisconsin, where he put up nearly 3,500 yards in three years and scored 35 touchdowns. He lasted until the fourth round and, on Sunday, spelled Breece Hall in the Jets’ backfield.
— Tennessee (0-2) has a minus-four turnover ratio already and had trouble protecting Will Levis from the Jets’ Will McDonald, who sacked him three times. The third sack ruined the Titans’ bid to tie the game in the fourth quarter.
Washington 21, NY Giants 18
— The Commanders scored no touchdowns and still beat the Giants, who scored three. The game began tilting in pregame warmups, when Giants kicker Graham Gano pulled a groin. After punter Jamie Gillan missed an extra point, the Giants tried two-pointers after each of their next two touchdowns and came up empty. Meanwhile, new Washington kicker Austin Siebert was 7-for-7.
— Malik Nabers, the Giants’ first-round pick from LSU, was Daniel Jones’ target on 18 of his 27 passes. Nabers caught 10 for 127 yards but dropped a big one on fourth down in the fourth quarter. Jones was much improved over Week 1, notching a 100.0 fpasser rating.
— The Giants couldn’t handle Washington’s run game, particularly the 133 yards from Brian Robinson. Jayden Daniels, who played with Nabers at LSU last year, continued to prove he’s the right quarterback for the Commanders, playing through five sacks and hitting 23 of 29 passes with no turnovers.
Arizona 41, L.A. Rams 10
— The Rams were still reading the assembly instructors for their depleted offensive line, and they were also missing Puca Nacua, then lost Cooper Kupp with an ankle injury. An early deficit forced the Rams to forget the run game, and they wound up with 245 total yards. It’s the first time Sean McVay has had an 0-2 record coaching the Rams.
— Arizona (1-1) hit a rare gusher of offense, with a 158.3 passer rating for Kyler Murray, a 99-yard touchdown drive, and eight explosive plays. Marvin Harrison was a non-factor in his Week 1 debut, but picked up 115 yards and two touchdowns in his first three catches, winding up with 130 in four.
— The Rams went for a fourth-and-two on their first possession, at the Arizona 42, and Budda Baker stopped Kupp after one yard. The Cardinals jumped ahead 14-0 and got another TD on a 99-yard drive, facilitated when Quentin Lake committed defensive holding on a 2nd-and-19 play. A 32-yard pass to Harrison led to Murray’s TD pass to Elijah Higgins, a former 6th-round pick.
Seattle 20, New England 17 OT
== Safety Julian Love, who came from the Giants as a free agent, did winning things for the second straight week. He blocked Joey Slye’s field goal with four minutes to go, after Byron Murphy and Leonard Williams had sacked Jacoby Brissett on third down. That allowed the Seahawks to tie it on Jason Myers’ field goal with :58 left, and Myers won it on overtime after Jonathan Jones committed a borderline pass interference penalty.
— The Patriots (1-1) were ground-bound during this one, which almost worked. Antonio Gibson ran 11 times for 96 yards and Rhamondre Stevenson ran 21 times for 81 and scored on a direct snap. Of Brissett’s 15 completions, only three went to wide receivers.
— Jaxon Smith-Njigba and D.J. Metcalf were the targets of 30 of 43 of Geno Smith’s passes, and caught 22 between them, with Metcalf taking one 56 yards for a touchdown. Kenneth Walker was out, so Seattle shelved the running game. Seattle is 2-0 and leads the NFC West.
Cleveland 18, Jacksonville 13
— The Browns (1-1) shouldn’t have had to remind people of their defense, but they did, getting four sacks and nine tackles for loss. They did give up six explosive plays, including a 66-yard reception by rookie Brian Thomas, but they held Trevor Lawrence to 13 other completions and carried their own sputtering offense to victory.
— Lawrence has now lost seven consecutive regular-season starts. The Jaguars (0-2) were within 16-13, but Cleveland downed a punt on their two yard line, and on the next play Alex Wright sacked Lawrence for a safety.
— DeShawn Watson ran for a touchdown and had no turnovers for Cleveland, and he might be establishing some rapport with Jerry Jeudy, who caught five for 73 yards.
LA Chargers 26, Carolina 3
— Jim Harbaugh’s ground-based vision is taking shape. The Chargers (2-0) ran the ball 44 times Sunday for 219 yards, and JK Dobbins had a 43-yard touchdown and became the first runner in franchise history to have 100-yard games in his first two games with the club. They had nine third down conversions to Carolina’s one, and had the ball for 36:18.
— Quentin Johnston, the Chargers’ top 2023 draft choice from TCU, was a disappointment last year. Letting Keenan Allen and Mike Williams go and pushing Johnston into a major role seemed a gamble. But Johnson caught Justin Herbert’s two touchdown passes in Charlotte.
— The Panthers (0-2) may be worse than anybody dared think. In two games they have scored one touchdown, and they’ve converted two of 22 third downs. Bryce Young’s longest completion on Sunday went 12 yards, and the few remaining Panthers’ fans are beginning to call for veteran Andy Dalton to take over.
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