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MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — Minnesota Twins right-hander Ervin Santana may miss the rest of the season while receiving a series of platelet rich plasma injections in the middle finger of his pitching hand.Santana is 0-1 with a 8.03 ERA in five major league starts this season.“He had one done Carolina Panthers Customized Jerseys ,” Minnesota manager Paul Molitor said Saturday. “I think over a three-week period he’ll have that done three times.”Santana had surgery Feb. 6 to remove a calcium deposit on the finger. He made his first minor league injury rehabilitation appearance May 23 and didn’t make his season debut for the Twins until July 25.The two-time All-Star was still bothered by the finger and after five starts returned to the disabled list on Aug. 19.Santana, 35, is in the final guaranteed season of a $55 million, four-year contract. The Twins have a $14 million option for next year with a $1 million buyout.“I’m not really sure if the timing of when he picks up a ball will matter nearly as much as his ability to try to get through the winter and put himself in position to pitch again next spring,” Molitor said.Santana is 149-125 with a 4.06 ERA in 14 major league seasons. CHARLOTTE, N.C. (AP) Coach Ron Rivera received a text from Cam Newton immediately after the Carolina Panthers selected Maryland wide receiver D.J. Moore in the first round of the NFL draft that read: ”Thank you!”The Panthers gave Newton more help on offense Thursday night by selecting Moore 24th overall in hopes of upgrading a passing game that finished 28th in the league last season.Moore was the first wide receiver taken in the draft.Panthers general manager Marty Hurney said Moore’s best quality is his ability to make plays after the catch.”When he has the ball in his hands he turns into a running back Carolina Panthers T-Shirts ,” Hurney said. ”He breaks tackles and makes big plays. And still he has the speed to stretch the defense and go deep. He runs good routes and has a lot of strengths.”Newton apparently took notice.”Cam stays up on all of this stuff and he came right to us with all of the offensive guys,” Rivera said. ”He pays attention to it.”Newton isn’t the only one high on Moore.Steve Smith Sr., the Panthers all-time leader in most receiving categories, said he likes the toughness with which Moore approaches the game and thinks he can be a big time player.”To be truthful, they have never been able to replace me” said Smith, now an analyst for the NFL Network.Smith thinks Moore might finally be the receiver that can.”You get that guy and you’ve got instant grits all day long https://www.carolinapanthersfanshop.com/hats ,” Smith said.”For Steve to say that is high praise,” Rivera said. ”I’m pretty fired up. I believe D.J. is a guy who can come in and play all three of our wide receiver positions.”Moore is the latest skill position player selected early by the Panthers in the hopes of giving Newton more to work with on offense. Last year Carolina selected running back Christian McCaffrey in the first round and wide receiver Curtis Samuel in the second to take some of the pressure off Newton after he had a down season statistically in 2016.”It was nice to know that whatever I did in college did not go unnoticed,” Moore said.Moore joins what is becoming a crowded wide receivers room in Carolina.The Panthers traded with the Eagles for Torrey Smith and signed free agent Jarius Wright from the Vikings earlier this offseason. Devin Funchess returns as Carolina’s No. 1 receiver after a breakout season in 2017 and Samuel hopes to battle back following an injury-plagued rookie season.Moore said he had a good idea the Panthers were going to select him.”It was a sigh of a relief when I saw North Carolina (area code) come up on my phone,” Moore said. ”I was like, `OK, this my pick.’ They told me when I was on my draft visit they were going to (draft me) Carolina Panthers Hoodie , so they kept their promise.”Moore was the 2017 Big Ten Receiver of the Year and first-team all-conference selection. He had a school-record 80 receptions for 1,033 yards and eight touchdowns in 12 games last season for the Terrapins. He also led Maryland in receiving as a sophomore with 41 receptions for 637 yards and six touchdowns.Rivera said Moore could also contribute right away as a returner in addition to playing wide receiver.The 6-foot, 210-pound Moore said he feels like he can be a week one starter at wide receiver ”if I put the work in.”Moore is the first draft pick chosen by Hurney’s since 2012. Hurney was fired by the Panthers that year after conducting 11 drafts as GM, but returned to the team on an interim basis last summer and was hired full time in February.Hurney said he didn’t think Moore would drop to No. 24.He said Moore reminds him a little of Smith.”He has that play strength and that ability to break tackles and make yards after the catch,” Hurney said. ”That is a pretty high bar to set (comparing him to Smith) but there are a lot of things we liked about him.The Panthers have made the playoffs in four of the past five seasons, but were knocked out in the first round last season by division foe New Orleans. The Saints swept all three games from Carolina Julius Peppers Jersey , which made finding ways to match up better with them an offseason priority.Carolina’s offense stalled most of the season in 2017 and it was often the defense that had to bail them out.The move comes on the same day the Panthers gave three-time Pro Bowl tight end Greg Olsen a two-year contract extension.—

Bears vs. Dolphins: Snap counts Akiem Hicks Color Rush Jersey , stats, and more All statistics and snap counts are taken directly from the NFL’s Game Statistic and Information System, as we’re the snipped pics with the snap counts. The Chicago Bears lost a game that they could have, and should have, won. The Miami Dolphins kept plugging away at the Bears and they came back for a 31-28 win in overtime. Head coach and play caller, Matt Nagy, was inconsistent with his decisions. He was aggressive, but then conservative. He showed faith in his young offense, but then he got cautious. Nagy is five games into his job, and we’re going to have to deal with his growing pains too.With that being said, the offense still put up 467 yards. They still racked up 23 first downs. Their offense was 8 for 12 (67%) on third down conversions. Did they do enough to win?I guess that depends on your perspective. The Bears were shut out in the first half, there were some missed opportunities, and they only had 124 total yards in the first two quarters. Football is a 60 minute game, and if the offense was better in the first 30 minutes, there would have been no overtime. Chicago’s defensive coaches had an extra week to prepare for the ex-Bear think tank of Adam Gase (head coach), Dowell Loggains (offensive coordinator), and Jeremiah Washburn (o-line coach), yet they couldn’t figure out a way to slow down the Dolphins’ offense. The Dolphins sent extra help to their tackles and the Bears only manged 4 quarterback hits, and zero sacks. With so much extra attention going to Chicago's edges, where was the inside blitz? The heat and humidity got to the Bears (more on that later), and Chicago allowed 541 yards in the game. Miami also picked up 23 first downs while converting on 8 of 17 third down tries (47%). The Fins had the time of possession edge 36:35 to 33:25. The Bears were flagged 6 times for 58 yards, while the Dolphins got hit with 7 penalties for 67 yards. None of which were offensive holding. Let’s take a closer look at the playing time break downs for the Bears, and also some individual stats.OFFENSEThe playing time trend for Jordan Howard continues to shrink. The heat could have been a factor, but we won’t know until this next Sunday when the Bears host the New England Patriots. If it shrinks again, that’s a problem. Howard had 14 rushes for 69 yards, and a crucial fumble on the goal line. Tarik Cohen also had a crucial fumble in the game Bobby Massie Jersey , but he also had a rushing TD on 5 runs for 31 yards. He caught 7 of 9 targets for 90 yards. The other Bears’ turnover was a Mitchell Trubisky red zone interception on a horrible decision, but if you’re looking to blame this loss on him, then you might have some built-in biases that is leading you to an idiotic conclusion. He ended up throwing 31 passes while completing 22 of them for 316 yards and 3 TDs for a passer rating of 122.5. He fought back after a slow start (9 of 14 for 89 yards), which is what you need your quarterback to do. Trubisky completed 5 passes to Allen Robinson II and 5 to Taylor Gabriel. Robinson had 64 yards and a TD, while Gabriel had 110 yards. Gabriel also added a 9 yard run. Rookie wide out Anthony Miller was targeted 4 times and he caught one for a 29 yard TD. Tight end Trey Burton caught Trubisky’s other TD on a shovel pass. He had 4 receptions for 23 yards. Right tackle Bobby Massie was flagged twice for an illegal formation, but if you’re blaming him for those flags then you might be football-stupid. The Bears allowed 2 sacks, and 3 QB hits, and their overall yards per carry average was 5.3.DEFENSESo this happened yesterday...Could it be possible that this (Jahns’ tweet below) had an affect on that (Bowen’s tweet above)?I think so. Miami had 387 total yards in the second half and 154 total in the first. All that YAC helped Miami’s Brock Osweiler to a 94.9 passer rating. Roquan Smith led the Bears with 13 tackles. Fellow inside backer Danny Trevathan had 8 and a QBH. Leonard Floyd had 4 tackles, and 2 penalties. One for throwing a receiver to the ground that didn’t want to be tackled, and the another for grazing Osweilers helmet. Khalil Mack hurt his ankle early, and he ended up with 2 tackles.Defensive end Akiem Hicks, who finished with 7 tackles, 1 QBH, and a forced fumble, played too many snaps in my opinion. In that heat, at his size, that number should have been south of 75%. Eddie Goldman had 2 tackles and a fumble recovery and Jonathan Bullard had 3 tackles. Bilal Nichols had a tackle and Roy Robertson-Harris had a pass defended. Corner Kyle Fuller had 2 interceptions and 7 tackles. Prince Amukamara, who left after re-injuring his hammy, had 2 tackles, and nickleback Bryce Callahan had 7 tackles, a tackle for loss, and a QBH. Safety Adrian Amos had 9 tackles and a pass defended, and Eddie Jackson had 6 tackles. SPECIAL TEAMSThe above players listed only appeared in the third phase. Cody Parkey missed one kick on the afternoon; a 53 yard field goal in overtime. Pat O’Donnell punted twice for a 39.5 average and he put one inside the 20 yard line. To see the full statistical breakdown of the game, check out the ESPN box score and game recap.The pain of losing outweighs winning for Vic Fangio The Bears defense is currently first in Football Outsiders DVOA. They’re first in total yards allowed in the NFL. They have football’s first-ranked rushing defense, and are eighth-best against the pass. Only the Browns have forced more takeaways with 15 to the Bears’ 11. No one has forced more three-and-outs than Chicago. This is firmly, at least based on a four-game sample size https://www.thebearsfanshop.com/Adrian-Amos-Jersey , pro football’s best defense. None of that matters to defensive coordinator Vic Fangio. On Thursday at Halas Hall, reporters asked Fangio what he thinks of the Bears’ current defense, and whether he ebbs and flows with the team’s successes and failures. Knowing how the old school 60-year-old normally thinks in regards to his players and roster, the answers should have been predictable. “No,” said Fangio on whether he gets joy derived from the regular year. “It sounds like you guys already knew the answer to that,” as the press room laughed.Fangio has been around the NFL too long to let himself get caught up in the roller coaster emotions of a season on a week-to-week basis. If he did that, his NFL coaching career of over a quarter century with the Saints, Panthers, Colts, Texans, Ravens, 49ers, and now Bears wouldn’t nearly have lasted as long. It’s an even-keeled demeanor that’s served the veteran coach well. “I truly am a one-game-at-a-time guy,” Fangio continued. “I don’t get over-excited, over-anxious to play a division opponent, a conference opponent over an AFC opponent because I think they all count the same.”“The first order of business is your record. I think people sometimes lose sight of that. These games that you play, they all count the same.”It’s through looking at every matchup through the same prism that Fangio has become one of the NFL’s most highly-regarded defensive coordinators. It’s through a mentality of never being satisfied that he’s garnered any success, as striking as it may to be some on the outside. Even getting a nice winning streak going doesn’t get the juices flowing as much as falling in defeat. “I wish I did. Trust me,” said Fangio about his lack of thrills in winning consecutive games. “The pain of losing does not equal the excitement of winning.”The only way Fangio would likely ever be truly satisfied with the Bears and how his defense is playing, is if they won the Super Bowl. In light of that scenario, it’s fair to wonder if Fangio would actually finally put his feet up and relax. Of whether he’d do something like light a cigar and perhaps ... smile. A solid hunch says that Fangio would be more likely to continue working on preparations for next season, rather than revel in a title completely. The great ones all have their own strange but unique routines, after all. A routine of never being satisfied. Robert is the Editor-in-chief of The Blitz Network (subscribe here!), the managing editor of Windy City Gridiron, and writes for a host of other fine publications. You can follow him on Twitter @RobertZeglinski.

 after the Cowboys win over the Jaguars For the first five weeks of this season https://www.dallascowboysfanshop.com/Maliek-Collins-Jersey , Scott Linehan was scapegoated by some for the offensive malaise the Dallas Cowboys were suffering. His play-calling was seen as unimaginative by some of the fanbase who claimed he was simply unable to get the team on track. But things looked radically different in the win over the Jacksonville Jaguars. Any time an NFL team puts up 40 points on anyone it is significant, and when the defense in question is as highly ranked as the Jaguars were coming into that game, it is even more significant. We now have to see if things continue against Washington.All this year, there has been a serious question of just what the problem was on offense. Actually, it seemed to be a combination of things. Dak Prescott was not throwing the ball well, the receivers weren’t giving him as much help as it seemed they should, and the offensive line was still struggling a bit with trying to meld Connor Williams and Joe Looney into the mix, while Tyron Smith and La’el Collins were having their own struggles at tackle. That in turn made the running game not as effective at times as needed. All that led to the larger question of whether it was Linehan’s game plan and play selection, or the failure to execute by the players. Last Sunday seemed to tilt things toward the latter. So there is certainly an argument to be made for the condemnation of Linehan to have been a bit premature. Even though I kept asking about just where the problem really was, including the Brews and the Boys podcast following the disappointing loss to the Houston Texans, I was also starting to lose faith in Linehan. But now, I am back to believing that he is capable of finding a way to win with Prescott’s strengths and weaknesses, combined with the players around him. He certainly had all the answers the team needed last game. We still need to see that elusive consistency and a lot more competence on the road, but hammering Linehan just ignores the latest evidence we have. But that is my opinion. I threw the question out to my fellow writers here at BTB, and here are the responses I got.DannyPhantom: My opinion hasn’t changed about Linehan. I believed he was a good play caller and I still believe that. I’ve seen too many good things from him to suddenly start thinking the game has passed him up. The Cowboys have three seasons in franchise history with 13 wins and he’s a part of that. And that doesn’t even include his first year as the OC in 2014 where the Cowboys put up the second most points in franchise history (467). When I watch the film closely, I see a lot of clever things going on. There are many times where the defense goes the wrong way and that’s attributed to how Linehan uses the threat of Ezekiel Elliott in his game plan. From motioning to bootlegs, from fake pitches to reverses - he’s got them all turned around. These things have led to very successful plays for the Cowboys offense when the plays are executed correctly. And that’s what it really comes down to - execution . . . not the lack of creativity from Linehan. When it works, people love him, when it doesn’t - people want him fired. That doesn’t seem like a Linehan problem to me. Don’t get me wrong, there are always things that can improve and the coaching staff will be the first to tell you that, but when you see them calm and collective with no panic in their face, don’t interpret that as them being clueless and reluctant to change. Instead, recognize that as a measure of the belief they have in themselves and what this offense can do. The Cowboys always seem to have some position group that requires more time before it gets rolling. Last year, it was their secondary with all the new guys. This season, it’s both the wide receivers and tight ends. There is going to be a learning curve with these new changes and that’s a lot to put on the offense. So while it will be tough at times, it still feels good to see what this group is capable of doing. With Linehan Chris Jones Jersey , it’s there and it’s always been there.Dave Halprin: I’ve been pretty vocal in my beliefs that the Cowboys poor offensive showing has been roughly 75% on the players not executing and 25% on Jason Garrett/Scott Linehan. I would like to see the Cowboys use more rub routes at the point of release, and crossing routes that end up as natural pick plays, but that just doesn’t seem to be in Linehan’s plans. Using Prescott’s legs more would also be a good thing, some more read-options or draws. But as I’ve watched the film week after week, it’s pretty obvious plays are there to be had, the Cowboys players are just failing to execute. The majority of that falls on the shoulders of Dak Prescott. It almost always falls on the QB. He has to be more accurate which means better mechanics which means not being so jumpy and anxious in the pocket. He also needs to get past his tendency to lock on one side of the field, something he was better at in the Jaguars game when he scanned the field much better. The offensive line also needs to tighten up, something they seem to be doing as it looks like they are playing a little better as the season rolls on. Linehan can be better, but he’s certainly not the overriding problem. It’s on the players, and much of that is on Prescott. When he plays better, the offense can flow, and they can put up a 40-burger on a tough defense.One Cool Customer: I think people get caught up in semantics too much, and confuse creativity with effectiveness. As my fellow writers point out, Linehan’s offense was perfectly fine in 2016, and nobody at that time was complaining about a lack of creativity. But now that the offense is struggling to be effective, suddenly the narrative is all about the lack of creativity.Then again, when the offense got going against the Jaguars, it didn’t take long for Tony Romo to marvel at the creativity of Linehan’s offense, when in fact the offense hadn’t changed, it was just working more effectively.The Cowboys’ option offense doesn’t have a lot of complex schemes. But when those schemes are executed properly, the offense can be highly effective. It doesn’t often look like many of the Arena Football-type offenses currently en vogue, but executed properly, this offense can be nearly unstoppable.It’s on Linehan to ensure that his offense works effectively and the players execute properly, so we can’t simply say it’s all on the players, but there’s no reason to doubt that Linehan’s scheme can work. And as far as predictability and lack of creativeness goes, the Cowboys in the 90s were one of the most predictable and least creative offenses. Didn’t stop them from winning.Michael Sisemore: I’m not going to ding Scott Linehan for creativity but the troubling thing about he and Jason Garrett to an extent is the stubbornness. I’m not sure that these guys always have a grasp on their personnel and it’s not all just poor execution from the players themselves. With these receivers especially Terrance Williams Color Rush Jersey , the coaches have often called plays that rely on these receivers to win their matchups and that’s not conducive to the talent on the roster. At best, none of these receivers are more than complementary players. They may have fixed a few things with the Jaguars by using Cole Beasley all over the field but it’s also a product of how preoccupied the Jaguars were with stopping the running game.So there you have our takes. Let us know what you think in the comments - politely, of course.By trading for Amari Cooper, Cowboys give Dak Prescott his chance to succeed The Dallas Cowboys made a big splash on Monday afternoon, trading their 2019 first-round selection for two-time Pro Bowl wide receiver Amari Cooper. Cooper, who starred for the Alabama Crimson Tide before being taken with the fourth overall pick of the 2015 NFL Draft, was a star for Oakland to begin his professional career before slumping last year and into this season. The Cowboys, though, thought highly enough of his talent to warrant spending a premium pick.The price of a first-round pick is not ideal, and it does show just how desperate the front office was about adding a spark to this team. Dallas is undefeated inside AT&T Stadium this season, but things go sour when the Cowboys hit the road — posting an 0-4 record, while scoring an average of only 13.5 points per contest. Obviously, things needed to change — be it coaching staff or personnel.On what appeared to be a quiet bye week, Dallas made a big move for three reasons: one, they must not feel that the crop of wide receivers in the upcoming class is all that strong. The class features some quality options — such as D.K. Metcalf, A.J. Brown, and N’Keal Harry, but there isn’t a bonafide sure-thing at the receiver position. That only became a bigger issue when Metcalf injured his neck on kickoff coverage in a win over Arkansas, cutting his season short. The Cowboys are clearly hesitant about the strength of this class, especially at the top, hence the move to acquire a potential WR1 through trade rather than waiting and taking their chances with an unknown in the spring.Dane Brugler recently released his updated top-32 for the upcoming draft. Only one receiver made the cut (Brown), and you have to go all the way to number 28 to find him.Bucky Brooks makes a good point about why the Cowboys felt the need to go out and get a receiver now rather than waiting for one in the draft — after all, Cooper has made the Pro Bowl two times in his young career.The draft class likely had a huge say in what went down on Monday, but it likely was not the lone factor. For instance, the Cowboys are aware that the NFC East is still up for grabs: Washington beat the Cowboys this past Sunday, but Dallas was a penalty away from more-than-likely heading to overtime. The Philadelphia Eagles aren’t exactly off to a strong start https://www.dallascowboysfanshop.com/Brett-Maher-Jersey , either — blowing big fourth quarter leads to the Titans and the Panthers while also sitting with a 3-4 record. Oh, and the Giants are ... well, not good. By making a move now, Dallas has the opportunity to make things interesting within the division. This seems like a year where an 8-8 or 9-7 record will clinch the wildcard spot. With questions surrounding Washington and Philly, Dallas will have a chance to be in the thick of things — if they can figure out the offensive side of the ball.We heard the term “Dak-friendly” all offseason long as the Cowboys attempted to revamp the wide receivers room by parting ways with Dez Bryant and bringing in both Allen Hurns and Deonte Thompson in free agency and then Michael Gallup in this past year’s draft; unfortunately, it hasn’t gone as planned, as overhauling the receivers position has not been as smooth as when Dallas revamped the defensive backs. Now, the Cowboys have given Dak Prescott a potential number one, go-to wide receiver that can make life hard for defenses. Cooper isn’t a perfect receiver by any means — he is not a burner and he has had his struggles with drops — but his route-running and ability to get open are very attractive aspects of his game. Sanjay Lal was brought in to improve the route-running on this team, making Cooper an ideal fit. We already know Cole Beasley is as good as any with his routes, and Gallup has showed some promise in that regard as well.The third reason why the Dallas Cowboys made the decision to acquire the two-time Pro Bowl receiver is because of their desire to give their quarterback every possible chance to succeed. Dak Prescott has had his fair share of very high highs and very low lows. Nobody understands him better than those within the organization. Whatever your feelings are on Prescott, he is the unquestioned starting quarterback on this team and is well-respected within his own locker room. While he did have some critical mistakes in the loss to Washington, he was also one of the biggest reasons why Dallas had the opportunity to send the game to overtime in the first place. There is a lot to like with Dak — he is a leader, he has the charisma, he can make plays with his legs, and he seems to play his best in big moments. On the flip side, Prescott has also had his fair share of struggles with accuracy and anticipating plays developing. Some of that is who he is, while some of that can be fixed with more experience and more trust with the players around him. While the quarterback deserves to take a lot of blame when the team loses — especially when the offense struggles — there are other concerns on the offensive side of the ball, such as play-calling, the offensive line without Travis Frederick, and a receivers group that was ranked near the bottom of every list entering the season.Cole Beasley has had some strong moments this season, but it appears as if the others in the room are hot-and-cold: good one week, bad the next. What Cooper brings is a receiving target that has proven himself on the highest level: catching 225 passes for 3,183 yards, and 19 touchdowns in 52 career games while playing in a division that has featured the likes of Aqib Talib, Chris Harris Jeff Heath Jersey , Marcus Peters, Eric Berry, Casey Hayward, and Jason Verrett in the secondary.While Cooper hasn’t been as consistent over the past season-and-half as he was in years one and two, the circumstances surrounding him haven’t exactly been great, either. Derek Carr has not looked the same since suffering some ugly injuries over a 10-month span — such as a broken fibula that ended his season prior to the 2016-17 playoffs, a broken pinky finger on his throwing hand, and three broken bones in his back. Oakland also failed to capitalize on the playoff trip in Carr’s return from injury, posting a mediocre 6-10 record in 2017 before firing Jack Del Rio. Then, Oakland brought in Jon Gruden in hopes of turning things around and bringing excitement back to a passionate fan base. So far, Gruden hasn’t exactly been successful, as the Raiders sit at 1-5 and dead last in the AFC West through six games. Oh, and there was that Khalil Mack situation, too. The Raiders decided to part ways with a special talent in a move that the fan base appeared to be strongly against. Needless to say, there seems to be mess surrounding the Raiders organization right now. Perhaps a change of scenery will be good for Cooper.The Dallas Cowboys want to give Dak resources to succeed. Ezekiel Elliott is in his backfield. The defensive side of the ball has improved dramatically since hiring former Seahawks defensive coordinator Kris Richard. One way or another, the trade for Amari Cooper is going to tell Jerry Jones, Stephen Jones, and Jason Garrett if Dak is the long-term answer behind center. Either the struggles will continue throughout the remainder of the year and into next season, or Prescott will find the confidence that he played with for the first 25 games of his career and get back on track with a new toy to throw the ball to. On one hand, they will discover they were right about Dak; on the other, they will realize they need to go in a different direction — possibly as soon as the what-looks-to-be-loaded 2020 quarterback draft class.Either way, a decision on Prescott will be made.

 with Blake Bortles as their starting quarterback.Coach Doug Marrone made the announcement Monday Brandon Linder Color Rush Jersey , one day after benching Bortles early in the third quarter of a 20-7 loss to Houston.“I spoke to both quarterbacks this afternoon and told them Blake will be our team’s starting quarterback,” Marrone said in a statement. “I believe this gives us the best opportunity to win.”More Jacksonville Jaguars newsJaguars hope newcomer RB Carlos Hyde helps Blake Bortles get back on trackJaguars will be without A.J. Bouye, 2 more cornerbacks against Eagles in LondonJaguars view annual game in London as key component of franchise’s growthDespite slump, Jaguars sticking with Blake Bortles as starting QBTempers flare in Jaguars’ locker room after lopsided loss to TexansBortles fumbled on Jacksonville’s third play in each half, leading to 10 points for the Texans and prompting Marrone to switch to Cody Kessler. Marrone said after the game he would open up the QB job for the second time in as many years. He also benched Bortles in the 2017 preseason, only to give him back the job nine days later.Marrone took less than 24 hours to go back to Bortles this time, saying he will start Sunday’s game against Philadelphia (3-4) in London.The Jaguars (3-4) have lost three in a row and four of five, derailing a season that started with Super Bowl aspirations.Jacksonville seemingly reached a low point Sunday when the locker room erupted in fiery emotion following a third consecutive lopsided loss in which the offense failed to score in the first half. Calais Campbell was seen holding back fellow defensive end Yannick Ngakoue when the locker room briefly opened to the media. It was the final scene of frustration that also included screaming, shouting and finger pointing.Campbell, an 11-year veteran and one of six team captains, called a players-only meetings Monday to “talk about some issues.”“Will it help?” defensive tackle Malik Jackson said. “Hopefully so. Hopefully guys will speak up and not be silent, hopefully talk about some issues that they feel are bothering them.”The Jaguars have been mostly inept on both sides of the ball during the losing streak, trailing 23-0 at Kansas City, 24-0 at Dallas and 20-0 at home against the Texans.The injury-riddled offense can’t do what it’s built to do 鈥?run the football 鈥?and has a lackluster receiving corps dropping balls at inopportune times. The high-profile defense can’t stop the run and has allowed too many big plays.“People are strained,” Jackson said. “This is a business about producing, about winning, and we’re not producing or winning right now. This locker room is not going to tear apart for a few losses. Hell, we went 3-13 our first year here.”The expectations were much higher after advancing to the AFC title game in January Jalen Ramsey Jersey , which is why the locker room started to crack and crumble.“You can’t have little groups or little indecision of what is the right way or the proper way. You have to get everyone in the same boat,” Marrone said, pointing out the team is minus-12 in turnover differential. “We have done this to ourselves, and the only people going to be able to dig us out of it is ourselves. But we all have to have the same vision on how to do it.“My thing to the team is we can go in all of these different directions, but if these two things do not change, those two things do not change, those directions aren’t going to matter.”Bortles was the scapegoat Sunday, with Marrone making the move to “put everyone on notice.”Bortles completed 6 of 12 passes for 61 yards, fumbling twice on third-down scrambles.Kessler came off the bench and had a short touchdown pass to T.J. Yeldon, but he was sacked four times in five drives, plus threw an interception and fumbled.It’s really not that surprising Marrone stuck with Bortles. The team signed him to a three-year, $54 million contract in February with the belief he was good enough to lead the defensive-minded team back to the playoffs.Bortles played turnover-free football in the postseason, gaining top executive Tom Coughlin’s confidence and landing the new contract. He’s played with far less efficiency lately, managing two TD passes and eight turnovers in the three straight losses.NOTES: The Jaguars released veteran running back Jamaal Charles three days after acquiring Carlos Hyde from Cleveland. Hyde is expected to play a significant role against the Eagles. … Marrone said injured RB Leonard Fournette (hamstring) will travel to London. The Jacksonville Jaguars start the second quarter of the season at raucous Arrowhead Stadium against the Kansas City Chiefs at 1:00pm EST.For anyone not traveling to Kansas City for the game, we have a treat in the booth this week:UNIFORM WATCH: Debut of new white tops and black trousers for Sunday.Ed. Note: YaaaaaaaassssssssssOpponentRiding into week five with an undefeated record, the Chiefs are working on a short week after overcoming a ten-point fourth quarter deficit on the road against divisional rival Denver Broncos. The result probably works in favor of the Jaguars as the Chiefs will roll into this game with an air of invincibility, which is always dangerous from a sports psychology standpoint.Offensively, the Chiefs are playing chess while the rest of the NFL is playing checkers. Patrick Mahomes is 5-0 in his career as an NFL starter and has seemingly taken his Big 12 offense with him from Texas Tech as he is currently on pace for 56 touchdowns and 4 interceptions. When you factor in his computer-like processing https://www.jaguarsfanstore.com/Leonard-Fournette-Jersey , quick release, arm strength, and improvisational skills outside the pocket, Mahomes becomes almost impossible to stop and unlikely to contain. Combine these rare attributes with offensive weapons that include Tyreek Hill, Travis Kelce, Sammy Watkins, and Kareem Hunt out of the backfield, and the Chiefs are a recipe for explosive play headaches. There will be times in this game where Todd Wash will scheme up the ideal play call, it will be perfectly executed, and Mahomes will still find a way to complete a pass, which will be frustrating for fans and players alike. I expect the Jags to put Tashaun Gipson in man coverage on Kelce for most of the game and play press man on the outside to take advantage of their size at the cornerback position, jamming the receivers off the line to give the defensive line an extra second to apply pressure. This can be an extremely boom-or-bust game in regards to the defense compiling some sacks and takeaways, but their league-leading 14 points allowed per game will likely take a hit this week. My guy to keep an eye on this week? Tight end Demetrius Harris.While everyone in the country will be tuning in to see the top ranked offense against the top ranked defense, it’s actually the other units that will most likely decide this game. The Chiefs defense has been fairly miserable so far this season, allowing a league-high 451 total yards and 28 first downs per game. Nathanial Hackett and the Jaguars will need to continue to throw on first down to open up the run and allow T.J. Yeldon to add to Chiefs’ 5.7 allowed yards per carry average. Coming off a career high in passing yards, Blake Bortles will need to keep the momentum going against a secondary that likely won’t be able to keep up with the speed that the Jaguars have at wide receiver, and expect the Chiefs to attack with zone coverages to take away the Jaguars’ staple crossing routes. As poorly as the Chiefs defense has performed across the board, here is one interesting tidbit to keep in mind – they currently rank first in third down defense Keelan Cole Color Rush Jersey , and when the defense has had to make a stop to win the game (like a three and out to give Mahomes the ball back in the fourth quarter on Monday), they’ve answered the bell.For some thoughts from the Chiefs’ persepctive, check out Ryan O’Bleness’ crossover piece with Pete Sweeney of Arrowhead Pride.StorylinesOffense wins games, defense wins championships. Is that adage true?Well, in the last seven top ranked offense versus top ranked defense regular season match ups, the offensive team has won six of them. Not great for the Jaguars. With that being said, the NFL hasn’t really seen a defense like this in almost a decade.The Chiefs are also benefactors of playing in the loudest stadium in the NFL, and in a deafening environment like Arrowheard, the Jaguars are going to need be on the same page in regards to communication on the offensive line and snap counts. This is where it is crucial that veteran center and communication captain Brandon Linder suits up this week, and hopefully Hackett has a plan in place where they can mitigate the noise with silent snap counts. Don’t expect too many “Sunday, Sunday” (hand claps) from Bortles this week.The other major storyline for this week is the weather forecast, which is calling for 100% chance of rain. I can’t remember the last time Blake Bortles has had to play in extremely rainy conditions (perhaps someone can assist on this in the comments), but he struggled mightily last year in cold and windy conditions on the road in Tennessee. Conversely, Mahomes’ arm is so strong that it shouldn’t matter whether he is playing in rain or shine. Logically, the rain should favor the Chiefs, who can take advantage of some poor punts on special teams and benefit from the absence of Leonard Fournette to churn out tough, ugly yards. Key matchupsJalen Ramsey vs. Tyreek HillI understand that Ramsey won’t be traveling with Cheetah and they won’t be single-matched often, but the back-and-forth diatribe this week will make this must-see TV. My biggest concern when they are matched up is how aggressively Ramsey plays curl and hook routes Malik Jackson Jersey , anchoring and driving to break and make a play on the football. This mentality can really make Ramsey susceptible to a Hill double move, and if Ramsey bites, it will be over.Austin Seferian-Jenkins vs. Anthony HitchensNo Eric Berry yet this season means that the Chiefs have struggled mightily against tight ends so far this season. ASJ isn’t having a huge year statistically, but this might be his break out game for the Jaguars offense, and I would expect Hackett to try and attack the seams early while the Chiefs back seven are overly-concerned with short crossers underneath.Dede Westbrook vs. Orlando ScandrickScandrick has taken most of the slot reps in nickel and he has not played very well since signing his one-year deal in Kansas City. His lack of foot speed at this stage in his career has been glaring, and it wouldn’t be surprising in the least if the Chiefs match up their best cornerback in Kendall Fuller, who was one of the league’s best nickels in Washington, on Westbrook to even up the match up. Of course, doing this will weaken them on the perimeter for Donte Moncrief and Keelan Cole to challenge deep against one of the weaker starting safety duos in the league.Calais Campbell vs. Mitchell SchwartzSchwartz has played like the best right tackle in football across the first four weeks and Calais Campbell will have his hands full in trying to get to the quarterback. I would expect Campbell to slide inside next to Malik Jackson a ton this week in obvious passing situations and give Dante Fowler Jr.’s speed a go against Schwartz. The Jaguars will need to bring a ton of pressure to make Mahomes uncomfortable to have a chance. Josh Wells vs. Justin HoustonJosh Wells has performed admirably so far in relief duty for the injured Cam Robinson, but he hasn’t necessarily squared off against a world-beater edge rusher to this point. That will change this week against Justin Houston, and Dee Ford is no slouch either in the event they flip their outside linebackers. Ford has been dealing with a groin injury this season, but he was their most effective rusher last week. This will undoubtedly be Wells’ biggest test of the season.Final predictionI can hear Alfie’s voice now — “How are the Chiefs supposed to score 30 points?” I don’t know, but I wouldn’t be surprised if they do this week. I think the Jaguars will struggle containing Mahomes in the pocket similar to Marcus Mariota a few weeks ago, and the only difference is Mahomes has a howitzer of an arm compared to Mariota’s water gun. My feeling is that the Jaguars offense will get the ball in a two-minute drill situation where they need a touchdown and Bortles and company won’t be able to overcome the crowd noise and inclement weather.I think Chiefs win 30-24.

 and vice president of sports medicine and performance Rick Burkholder spoke in front of the local Kansas City media Wednesday morning to discuss all the Chiefs injury-related roster moves from Tuesday.He specifically discussed the injuries to linebacker Terrance Smith https://www.thechiefsfanshop.com/Terrance-Smith-Jersey , offensive lineman Jordan Devey and safety Daniel Sorensen. Smith and Devey were placed on injured reserve Tuesday. Sorensen returned to practice on Wednesday.Here’s the latest from Burkholder:LB Terrance Smith (torn ACL)OL Jordan Devey (torn pectoralis major)S Daniel Sorensen (returned to practice Wednesday from tibial plateau fracture) Chiefs head coach Andy Reid said that the team is going to let Sorensen “ease in.”“I haven’t thought of expectations right now at all other than he’s able to go out there and get acclimated again,” Reid said. “It won’t be with the first group—that’s not what he’s doing. He’ll work some scout team things and get himself acclimated and ease into getting back at speed.” On Monday, Kansas City Chiefs head coach Andy Reid stepped up to the podium for his usual day-after-the-game press conference following Sunday’s 37-23 defeat of the Cleveland Browns, and had quite a lot to say.Here are some of the key takeaways:Reid said that while they recognized the Browns were in a unique situation, the Chiefs approached the game as they usually do.Photo by Kirk Irwin/Getty Images“It was really a nothing-to-lose situation,” he said. “We just anticipated that anything and everything was possible. [But] we’ve tried to stay in tune with that against everybody as the season’s gone on. Maybe not necessarily the two-point plays — although we always practice that —- but some of those things on special teams like the fake punts and the onside kicks. Dave [Toub] has worked very hard on that.”Reid was also asked if the Chiefs’ ability to hold on all three of the Browns’ two-point conversions affected the momentum of the game.True to his usual form, Reid eventually got around to a food reference.“If you talk to the stat guys, they’ll tell you that there’s no such thing as momentum; that’s not part of the equation,” Reid said. “But I think there’s a little bit of that. When you’ve driven down, taken whatever time was needed to score a touchdown, and you don’t get the icing on the cake, that can be a little bit of a letdown.”Reid was asked about the upcoming home game against the Arizona Cardinals — another team with a poor record.Photo by Christian Petersen/Getty Images“We know they’re coming off a ten-day rest -- longer than that, it’s a bye week -- and we know that they’ll be fresh,” he said. “And they’re coming off a win. That’s also a positive for them. We also know that they’ve got some young players that are tremendous on the defensive side. They also have some veteran players that are playing out of their minds right now. We just have to make sure that we get ourselves ready to play.”For Reid, that includes figuring out a way to reduce the number of penalties being called against the Chiefs.On Sunday, the Chiefs were penalized 11 times for 86 yards.“We have way too many. I mean, we took half a game away from ourselves. If you have almost 500 yards of offense and take 90 yards away from that, that’s going the wrong direction. You have to go in there and keep disciplining yourself — whether it’s tight hands, whatever it might be.”As someone who spent years questioning former Chiefs head coach Marty Shottenheimer — whom reporters would often deliberately ask about penalties in a just-concluded game, knowing that Shottenheimer would scowl and say something like, “That is going to stop!” — I’m often amused by the contrast in Reid’s approach to this subject.”Some of these things I look at https://www.thechiefsfanshop.com/Cameron-Erving-Jersey , they’re close calls,” said Reid. “I try to look at the things where you can coach the guys up on — to try and make them better, so it doesn’t happen again. But some of them are jump balls.“If they’re going to block, you want to make sure that their hands are tight. They’re going to be OK normally,” Reid continued. “But it’s a subjective decision. That’s what’s great about it. We have officials. It’s not run by a machine or computer. This is what they see. So you have to look at the tape, but you also have to look at it from their angle. Sometimes you don’t get that from tape.”Reid was asked about Browns players who had told reporters preparing for the Chiefs offense was nothing like actually playing against it.Photo by Kirk Irwin/Getty Images“That’s a nice compliment from the team,” Reid responded. “I don’t know exactly what they’re looking at. We try to give them enough looks, and then we’ve got guys that can move around -- they can make little subtle adjustments -- and right now, the receivers and the the tight end have a good connection with Patrick [Mahomes]. And then [Kareem Hunt] is running very aggressively and hard. And he can also catch.”But it might be more than that.In response to another question, Reid said the players are doing a great job of being ready from the opening snap.“Our guys are coming out, and they’re ready to go,” he said. “They’re executing. [They’re] making plays when they’ve needed to make plays. You have to give credit to them for that — for being ready to go — and not easing into the situation.“We’re not coming out there and going, ‘Oh, OK, let’s see what they’re doing,’” he continued. “We come out and do what we do. They’re doing that. That’s how they’ve prepared themselves. It’s a tribute to the guys, and how they go about it. Eric Bieniemy stresses that like crazy. We have a meeting — I wish you all could be in there for it — on Saturday night, and when he cuts it loose, you might fear not coming out ready.”Reid was asked about the progress the team’s top three draft picks — Breeland Speaks, Derrick Nnadi and Dorian O’Daniel — are making.Photo by Kirk Irwin/Getty ImagesOn Sunday, the rookie trio combined for 129 defensive snaps — the most they’ve had together all season.“They’re getting better Kareem Hunt Jersey ,” Reid responded. “Brett [Veach] spends a lot of time with his crew finding these guys, then working it out where we can get them here — and then they’ve got good coaches, and they’re good players. They want to be good. They enjoy the game. [Speaks, Nnadi and O’Daniel] love playing the game, and they’re smart kids. It’s easy to coach [players with that] combination. But it takes a lot of effort to find those kinds of guys, and get them here.”Other notes from Monday’s press conference:During Sunday afternoon’s postgame press conference, Reid said that Sammy Watkins had “an ankle,” but was “going to be all right.”Watkins left Sunday’s game with what appeared to be an ankle injury, but later returned to the lineup. Even being out for a time, Watkins was on the field for 43 of 58 Chiefs offensive snaps. Reid had no additional injury information on Monday.On Sunday, Reid had praised Tyreek Hill and Anthony Hitchens — both of whom had been nursing injuries during the week — for “playing through” the game.Hill was on the field for all by two offensive snaps, and Hitchens was on the field for 51 of 73 defensive snaps.“He’s in a unique position as that middle linebacker,” Reid said of Hitchens. “All eyes are on you. You’re the transmitter between the back end and the front end. Guys rely on you. He’s in there now full time, and he feels that — he feels the responsibility there.It’s also important that we’re not putting him in a bind, because he wants to play. He always wants to play. We’ve had to spot him at times during the year, because he’s out there for a lot of snaps.”Reid said that Chiefs fans “travel well,” and the team appreciates their presence at road games. The head coach said there were many Chiefs fans at the hotel in Cleveland when they came out — and that at the stadiums, it’s always easy to tell how many Chiefs fans are in attendance.“You always know — right around the National Anthem — how many people are pulling for you on the road,“ Reid said.

Adam Jones is still getting used to the altitude in Denver Womens Jeff Heuerman Jersey , but it didn’t take him any time to acclimate to the winning culture.“Hard to breathe around here,” he laughed. “So, I’m getting used to the altitude. All in all, I feel good. I love the locker room - I love the guys in the locker room. I’m happy to be here.”The 34-year-old cornerback knows he is in the twilight of his NFL career - and he really has only one major goal.To win at least one playoff game. Spending eight of the last 11 years with the Cincinnati Bengals, Jones has been to five playoff games, only to be denied in each of them.“I’m about to turn 35 and the best thing I can do right now is at least win a playoff game,” he laughed. “I haven’t won a playoff game, and I’ve been in the league 12 years!”And the 5-foot-10 corner knows Denver is a good place to end that streak. Asked why he picked the Mile High city, Jones hilariously asked back, “why not?”“If you want to win, this is the place to be. Great coaching staff, great owner, great locker room, good team,” he said. “I don’t see any reason why not.And aside from the mutual need by the Broncos to have depth at the position, Jones has some history - good history - with coach Vance Joseph, who was the defensive backs coach in Cincy during some of Jones’ best years.“V.J. has been more of a big brother and a coach to me. He’s called and checked in on me over the years. Since he left, we’ve kept in touch,” Jones said. “I have a lot of respect for V.J.”Joseph has a lot of respect for his former player too, saying it took Jones a while to agree to changing his style of play in order to improve, but he eventually he did.“He wouldn’t change the way he played the first year. But, the second year, he really conformed and changed how he played, let me coach him and he made a Pro Bowl Womens Courtland Sutton Jersey , and he received a long-term contract with Cincy,” Joseph said. “I enjoyed coaching him because he is competitive. Every game we played, he was ready to go. Every day for work, he was ready to go.”Jones is probably known more for fighting on the field and getting in trouble off of it than by his Pro Bowl numbers in 2014 and 2015. But the past is the past, and Jones isn’t dwelling on it.“I’m one of the ones who don’t mind telling kids and people about my stories, the mistakes I’ve made. I don’t have a shield; my life is a glass life,” Jones said. “I’m not here to try to take any shine, I promise you guys that. I’m here to help and lead in the best way I can.”Broncos’ nose tackle Domata Peko played with Jones in Cincinnati, and he loves the signing.“I’m really excited about the signing. We’re kind dinged up a little bit in the cornerback position,” Peko said, noting that with the loss of Aqib Talib, Jones’ attitude on the field will be a great addition. “He brings a lot of energy, he brings a lot of attitude and toughness, and that’s what I really like about him. He’s someone that on Sunday you want him on your team. He’s definitely going to ride with the defense and bring a little attitude to that spot.”The head coach believes that whole-heartedly, distinguishing between Jones’ “football character” and his “personal character” - adding that the former has always been high and the latter has improved greatly, even if the hard way.“I’ve coached him for two seasons, and his football character is A-plus. He was a team captain for us, he made a Pro Bowl for me, he’s great in meetings, he’s great in the locker room, he’s a great leader. He’s played a long time in this league,” Joseph said. “Now, personal character, we all know the background. He would even acknowledge as a young guy he made some mistakes Authentic Emmanuel Sanders Jersey , but he’s paid for every mistake he’s made. This guy has been through a lot in his life—and obviously it was his own doings—but he’s paid for those mistakes. He’s matured...he’s here to help us win football games.”Jones believes he’s matured too - and is playing smarter on the field as well.“I’m playing a lot smarter now. When I was young, I played with all athletic ability. Now, I pretty much know everything about the game. I can tell you from splits what routes we’re going to get. I can tell you if it’s I-formation or if it’s max protection. If you release outside, you’re only going to get two routes: a comeback and a go,” Jones said, proving his football IQ. “Those things come with time and learning the game. But I would say that my mental part of the game has improved, and that’s what’s keeping me playing right now.”The one-year deal Jones signed on Sunday will see the cornerback third on the cornerback depth chart but a likely possibility for the punt return team too - at least occasionally.And the veteran is A-OK with that.“I’m very comfortable with it, and I love it. I have a knack for it,” he said. “I’m one of those guys that don’t believe that the first guy can ever catch me. We’ll see when my number is called, and I promise you I’ll lead by example.”Broncos vs. Jets: 5 things we learned As we stated all week long at Mile High Report, today’s game against the New York Jets was a must-win for the Denver Broncos. After three consecutive losses, the Jets were a struggling 1-3 team without a clear identity. It was never a gimme game, but today’s gridiron affair presented a prime opportunity for the Broncos to rebound after a heartbreaking loss to the Kansas City Chiefs.Unfortunately, the Broncos strolled into town on their endless “We Can’t Win on the Road Tour” and played with no sense of urgency and were a complete disaster. The Jets played inspired and curb-stomped the Broncos in epic fashion en route to a 34-16 victory. Here are five things we learned from today’s dreadful game.1. The 2018 Denver Broncos are an absolute disaster and it’s time to clean houseIf you are one of those fans in Broncos Country who are still optimistic about the rest of the year, you probably shouldn’t be. There is absolutely no reason for it.The team lacks consistency on offense, gives up too many plays on defense and perhaps most importantly, the coaching has been suspect all year long. Execution? That doesn’t exist in Denver. Throwing five yard passes on third and long? That’s routine. A premier group of pass rushers who can’t rattle young and inexperienced quarterbacks? Yeah, that’s a big problem.I could go on and on, but it’s quite simple — nothing about the 2018 Denver Broncos inspires confidence. It’s a damn shame how far this team has fallen after their Super Bowl victory just a handful of years ago. Today’s performance was appalling and made the Jets’ offense and Sam Darnold look like All-Pro’s. But if you think today was bad just wait and see what happens when the high-powered Los Angeles Rams do against the Broncos next week at Mile High. Hell, dare I say it’s even time for the Broncos to clean house? That means the coaching staff, a wide variety of underwhelming and over-priced players who aren’t performing and maybe even some of the leadership at the top. Hit the reboot button, because this franchise is going in the wrong direction.2. Bradley Roby had the worst game of his careerWhen you allow 21 points in one quarter, it’s awfully hard to rebound and win football games. That being said, the Broncos’ defensive effort in the second quarter was inexcusable. Most notably Womens Royce Freeman Jersey , atrocious effort of cornerback Bradley Roby.The first major breakdown was a complete lack of discipline by most every defender on Isaiah Crowell’s 77-yard touchdown, but Roby whiffed majorly on his tackle attempt near the sideline. The second occurred when Robby Anderson juked Roby out of his cleats and burned him for 76-yard touchdown. The Broncos’ defense was in Cover 1, with Darian Stewart playing deep in the center of the field. Unfortunately he got caught peeking at Darnold’s eyes and was mislead, resulting in being out of position to give help over the top. The third breakdown was when Darnold tossed a beautiful 35-yard pass to Anderson, who burned Roby again in the end zone at the end of the second quarter.I’ve been an advid supporter of Roby throughout his career. He has shown flashes of brilliance and I expected great things from him this season with the potential of a long-term deal. Alas, it is safe to say he this was the worst game of his professional career and arguably the worst game he has placed since Jared Abbrederis torched him in college in 2013.3. The Jets’ rushing attack was incredibleThe trench battle in today’s game was decisively in favor of the Jets, who controlled the pace of the game and the line of scrimmage on both sides of the ball. After having four yards for zero yards last week against the Jacksonville Jaguars, Isaiah Crowell had a record-setting performance against the Broncos’ defense that allowed over three hundred yards on the ground. You would probably have to dig deep into the history books to find the last time the Broncos’ defense was that horrendous against the run.4. The Broncos’ offensive line couldn’t handle the Jets’ blitzesAs I outlined in my Scouting the Enemy piece, Todd Bowles has a penchant for dialing up creative blitzes to get after the quarterback. Today was no different, with a handful of Jets defenders terrorizing Case Keenum and the Broncos’ offensive line throughout the game. Quite frankly, it didn’t even seem like the Broncos’ coaching staff did anything to help combat them. The Jets racked up 4 sacks in today’s game while the Broncos only had one. When will the Broncos’ offensive line improve and more importantly, when will their highly-touted group of pass rushers actually show up?5. Case Keenum delivered another underwhelming performanceAfter enduring several years of below-average quarterback play, the Broncos made a big move in free agency by signing Keenum to a lucrative two-year deal. Many fans across Broncos Country were skeptical about the transaction, wondering if his efforts last year with the Minnesota Vikings were an aberration from years of mediocrity. Count me in as someone who was hopeful Keenum would continue to play at a high level, but he certainly has fell short five games into his time with the Broncos.Whether it’s errant passes to nobody, holding on to the ball too long or making questionable reads, Keenum is clearly off and not the quarterback we were all hoping for. The Jets’ secondary was banged up and he still wasn’t able to take advantage of them when necessary. Please don’t remind me of the late fourth quarter touchdown to Demaryius Thomas when the game was already over or that it was his best statistical performance to date. He was far from the worst player on the field today, but nothing about his season to date screams franchise quarterback. Chalk that up as another long-term need for the franchise and soon enough, it might be time to start calling for Chad Kelly — because I have a hard time believing he would be much worse than Keenum has been to date.So Broncos Country, what were your five big observations from today’s game? Sound off in the comments section and make your voice heard!

after the Bears lost their second consecutive game but I think there needs to be some perspective:How many people can honestly say they marked down the Patriots game as a win before the season? Be honest Gale Sayers Jersey , if you have a receipt, post it, because I find it hard to believe many did. The Patriots have been the class of the league for going on 20 years, so how upset can you get when it was a game you already expected to lose?2) The second part of this is: I get the frustration with Mitch Trubisky’s ups and downs, especially when his accuracy isn’t where it’s expected to be for a QB with that supposed strength, but can we talk about the defense for a minute?How many times in Bears history have fans been upset at the offense for scoring 31 points and losing? I mean, seriously. I get that the rules are all geared towards the offense and the scoring has never been higher, but the Bears should be able to win games with the offense putting up 28 and 31 points, as they have the last week. Yes, 14 of those points Sunday came against special teams, but that is part of defense as well (look at your fantasy team, it’s rolled into one).The offense has done its part to get the team into position to win, but the defense is getting burned a little too much.3) Let’s turn to Patrick Mahomes for a minute. I understand everyone is hyped on the kid and I admit, he has become must-watch TV for me. What the Chiefs are doing is unreal and absolutely a blast to watch.I get that there will always be comparisons with him and Mitch, since they were in the same draft class and both had a lot of question marks around them.Mahomes had a full year, under an offensive minded staff, using the same system, to acclimate to the NFL. Trubisky is going to be fine and I think in another couple of years, we’ll be looking back at the QB class of 2017 and wondering why scouts thought that it was such a “down year” for QBs.Mahomes wouldn’t have panned out had he been drafted by the Bears. I staunchly believe that. He went to the perfect spot for him and got a season to watch, learn and break down NFL defenses. He also had a lot more experience in college.Mitch is on the right track, we’re seeing that. In their last three games https://www.thebearsfanshop.com/Mike-Singletary-Jersey , Mahomes has eight TDs and 5 INTs, while Mitch has 11 TDs and 3 INTs. The highs and lows are there, but sometimes you have to dive a little deeper.4) The Bears relinquished their first place standing in the NFC North Sunday, as the Vikings won to move to 4-2-1. Most pundits believed that the Vikings were the class of the division and the team to beat and despite a couple ugly losses and their tie with the Packers, they’veleveled out and won three in a row.Their road doesn’t necessarily get easier, with the 5-1 Saints coming to town on Sunday night. Then they face the Lions before going into their bye week. After the bye, though, they come to Chicago, host Green Bay, go to New England and go to Seattle. that’s a tough November.5) Part of the Vikings success has been the steady play of Kirk Cousins. who has a league-high 210 pass completions to go with 14 TDs and just 3 INTs. Adam Thielen is playing out of his mind (on pace for an unfathomable 153 receptions and nearly 1,900 yards) and Latavius Murray has re-surged to a 4.8 YPC average. The Vikings might not be able to count on Dalvin Cook as much as they have wanted, but they’re still clicking.6) Elsewhere in the division, the Packers are coming off their bye week with a big road trip out to Los Angeles to play the Rams.For those that like a little action on the games, the Packers are big road underdogs, by as much as 9.5 at some books. Granted, the Rams are going to test the Packers’ defense, something says Rodgers isn’t going to let it turn into too much of a blow out.If that wasn’t a tough enough match up, they the Packers turn around and travel to play the Patriots in New England after the Rams.Needless to say there isn’t going to be a lot of sympathy for them around here.7) The final team in the NFC North, the Lions, have now won two in a row, on either side of their bye week to get to .500 on the season. The Lions did what the Bears could not and defeated Brock Osweiler and the Dolphins in Miami. They come to Chicago in two weeks Dick Butkus Color Rush Jersey , but first play the Seahawks at home and go to Minnesota.The Bears play the Lions twice in a span of 11 days in November. I think it’s time for the Bears to exorcise some of their recent demons against the Lions. Can the Bears get a season sweep? It won’t be easy, for sure, especially with the Lions actually having a formidable running game. 8) The Raiders made another news wave yesterday when they traded two-time Pro Bowl receiver and former fourth overall pick Amari Cooper to the Cowboys for a 2019 first round draft pick.Now most questioned the Cowboys giving up that kind of capital for Cooper, who has been good but great or dominant, but the other side is that now Jon Gruden has three first round picks in the draft.I think the only one that will be in the top ten is the Raiders’ own pick, while Chicago’s will likely be in the 12-19 range and the Cowboys will be outside the top 10 as well.Could the Raiders unload Derek Carr and look to move up for a QB that is firmly Gruden’s Guy? Or will he spend his picks on other positions and work with Carr, or slip back to his old M.O. of trying to get the most out of a journeyman QB?9) Much has been made of Tom Brady’s success at age 41 and what Patrick Mahomes is doing in his first full season as a starter, with a league-leading 22 TDs, but getting a little bit overlooked is 39-year-old Drew Brees.Not only does he lead the league in completion percentage at 77.3 percent, but he also joined 500-touchdown passes club Sunday. Since it wasn’t a nationally televised game, like it was when he achieved the all-time pass completion record, or when Brady reached No. 500 just a couple weeks ago, I feel like it got overlooked a little bit.Brees has those achievements going for him and, after six games, has yet to throw an interception. That’s right, 13 TDs and a big ol’ goose egg in the INT line. In fact, he has no turnovers, he fumbled against the Falcons, but fell on top of it.Including his two rushing TDs, he’s accounted for 15 touchdowns and zero turnovers.10a) Looking ahead to the Bears this Sunday, they host the New York Jets.For those that like to look at the Vegas numbers William Perry Jersey , or bet themselves, the Bears are currently favored by a touchdown against Sam Darnold and Co. The O/U is sitting at 46, both numbers courtesy of Bovada.The Jets have been frisky, beating Denver and Indianapolis at home and, of course, surprising the Lions in Week 1 at Ford Field.I’ve been making picks and analysis on the Bears for Sports Bet Collective, a start up that’s geared for fans that want to bet their favorite team. Not to toot my own horn (but rooty toot toot), I’m 5-1 picking the Bears, including 3-0 picking the O/U. My official SBC pick isn’t due until Wednesday, but my early lean is to the Bears and the under, but I have a lot more research to do.10b) With half league closing in on eight games played, I count exactly half of the league either at or within a game of .500.It’s no wonder football has survived its various existential crises of the last couple of years, every year is full of surprises and a genuine feeling that any one can win any week. There is just one unbeaten team still standing (Rams) and they are the only team with a four-game division lead.It’s going to be another exciting November and December (yes, there is still another football week in October but this space will be turned back over to Lester by then so I wanted to look ahead while I had the platform).Sure, our Bears have struggled, but they have two winnable games and a real shot at being in the “relevant” conversation come Thanksgiving and it’s been YEARS since that happened.Enjoy it, folks.Bears Rush Report 2018: Week 7 vs the Patriots Another week, another loss, another poor performance from the Bears defense. Most teams inevitably struggle against Tom Brady and the Patriots offense, but this felt different. The game plan that defensive coordinator Vic Fangio employed was head-scratching, at best. The Bears best pass rusher https://www.thebearsfanshop.com/Mike-Ditka-Jersey , Khalil Mack, is clearly not 100% on that ankle he rolled against Miami. The thing that really sticks in my craw is the fact that Fangio, for some inexplicable reason, decided to use his best pass rushers (Mack and Leonard Floyd) in coverage and his best coverage linebacker (Roquan Smith) on the bench. This was not a pretty game and it wasn’t a fun one to watch tape on. There wasn’t much pressure to choose from, so this will be another short Rush Report. Week 6 vs the PatriotsSack 1 - Third quarter 8:29 (3rd & 1) - Roquan SmithThe Bears only sack of the game came on a blitz (surprise, surprise). It was a good thing it was a sack too, watch the safeties on this play. Both Adrian Amos and Eddie Jackson are completely clueless on this play. The key here is the double-team on Akiem Hicks. Aaron Lynch is lined up way outside to the left, gets a chip from the tight end, and the running back has him in pass protection. This allows the right tackle to double Hicks. Roquan Smith swings around the opening created between Lynch and Hicks and has a free shot at Brady. At the nose tackle spot, Bilal Nichols beats his man at the snap of the ball and likely would have had this sack if not for Smith, but I am giving this one to Roquan but the assist goes to Nichols for sure. Pressure of the WeekFourth quarter 6:31 (3rd & 2) - Roy Robertson-HarrisOne of the only other pressures that was worth discussing led directly to Kyle Fuller’s interception. Once again, the Bears brings 7-rushers and force Brady to make a poor throw. The Bears are in a 4-3 alignment here with both outside linebackers showing blitz. Danny Trevathan comes on a delayed blitz as well, but he doesn’t factor into the play. The Patriots use an interesting protection scheme here, but ultimately it fails. The left tackle takes Mack, the right guard picks up Eddie Goldman, which leaves Roy Robertson-Harris initially unblocked. The running back is supposed to take RRH, but his set is too wide and RRH gets pressure quickly. The center is what was interesting here as Floyd was initially unblocked as well, but the center pulls to the right and picks up Floyd. Who says pressure doesn’t lead to interceptions? Here’s how I have the individual* Rush Report after week 7.Khalil Mack - 4Team Sacks - 3Akiem Hicks - 2Roquan Smith - 2Roy Robertson-Harris - 1.5Aaron Lynch - 1.5Eddie Goldman - 1Danny Trevathan - 1Sherrick McManis - 1SINO - 1Bilal Nichols - 0.5Bryce Callahan - 0.5*These numbers do not reflect a players official statistics.

 Jay Novacek Color Rush Jersey , what is your darkest day as a Raiders fan? September 1, 2018. That date might become a new holiday in Chicago. For Raider Nation, it will be a day of mourning. NFL teams dream of the opportunity to draft a Khalil Mack type player when they are picking in the first-round of the NFL draft and the Oakland Raiders were one of those lucky teams to have that dream realized. The Raiders had won the lottery. They had a future first-ballot Hall of Famer who wanted to stay with the organization, was best friends with the franchise quarterback, never got in trouble and was one of the leaders in the locker room. But Oakland traded him. The meat of the deal involved the Raiders giving up Mack and a second-round selection to acquire two first-round picks. Here’s the full details of the trade. So now, Oakland gave up the best defensive player in the league in his prime for draft picks.Think about it this way, how many picks would it take in the first-round to find a player as good as Khalil Mack? There are 32 first round picks each year and none are likely to have a player similar to Mack.There is no denying Saturday was a dark day for Raider football. How does it compare to your darkest day as a Raiders fan?Maybe the worst day I’ve experienced before this was Derek Carr breaking his leg against the Indianapolis Colts. I was at the game, but as soon as the fracture occurred everyone knew the year was over and for the first time in my life I didn’t watch the remainder of a game. Another day day for me was under Hue Jackson in 2011 when Oakland was one win away from breaking its lengthy playoff drought. All they had to do is beat Philip Rivers and the San Diego Chargers at home who had nothing to play for. But the Raiders lost. The Super Bowl loss to Jon Gruden also must be up there.I know there are plenty more dark days for Raider Nation. So tell us one of your darkest days as part of Raider Nation in the comments below!Communication breakdown: Cowboys offensive stats on the road versus home are appalling Ezekiel Elliott was asked his opinion on why the Cowboys have struggled so much on the road https://www.dallascowboysfanshop.com/Bill-Bates-Jersey , he claims that it all comes down to communication:When you think about it, communication is the key to offensive success and the Cowboys are 0-3 on the road. Communication affects everything on offense and when you look at the Cowboys split statistics, it’s pretty clear that Zeke knows what he’s talking about. Let’s look at a few charts that show the sizable difference. First up, we’ll look at splits for total yards on offense and the quarterback’s passer rating.SplitsTotal YardsAvg. Pass YardsAvg. Rush YardsPPGQB Comp. %Passer RatingThe Cowboys, on the road, are leaving almost 90 yards of offense per game on the field and more than two scores as well. We can also see that more than half of that 90 is coming off their inability to run the ball as efficiently as they’re used to. Dak Prescott is also having trouble being accurate and efficient in the passing game. The Redskins are fourth-best in both passing and rushing defense. Most certainly, miscommunication up front with the offensive line has been a contributing factor and it must be corrected. Let’s look at penalties up front:SplitsTotal Pen.OffenseThey only have four more penalties away from home but those penalties on the road have often been drive-enders for this offense considering how poorly they move the ball. So, what about protection for the quarterback? When the quarterback has trouble setting the protection or a lineman fails to block a blitzing linebacker Charles Haley Jersey , bad things tend to happen:SplitsSacks AllowedSacks Per GameINTFUM LostThe Cowboys again just have ugly offensive performances when they travel, including more than doubling the average number of sacks, and turning the ball over. The Cowboys are lucky that the Redskins defense is tied for 26th in sacks and 20th in interceptions. Washington has forced eight fumbles, sixth-most this season. There are so many other factors here but they have to find better communication with setting the correct protection and Dak must protect the football. If they can’t get that under control, they have no shot at winning on the road.Let’s talk about third downs for this offense because that’s been the biggest contributor to drives stalling without points. Before they took their foot off the gas against the Jaguars, the Cowboys had converted six of nine third downs this past week. They went one of eight in the second-half but that was mainly because they were ahead and killing clock, they still scored 16 more points. In their last two home games, the Cowboys were over 40% on third down L. P. Ladouceur Color Rush Jersey , that puts them just in the top-half of the league. They haven’t even reached 30% in third downs away from home and it’s killing them.Splits1st Downs3rd Downs3rd Down Conv.3D%Despite facing one less third down on the road, they are converting 15% less than they have at home. The Cowboys will face a Redskins defense that is allowing a 43% conversion rate on third down, tenth-most this season, they have to find a way to take advantage of that. The last thing we need to look at is red-zone percentage. The Cowboys have just been abysmal at creating opportunities and capitalizing in the red-zone.SplitsTotal RZ PointsRZ TripsRZ TDRZ FGRZ TORZ TD Pct.They have just about doubled their success in the red-zone at home in every category versus on the road. That’s disturbing because they have faced two of the worst red-zone defenses in those away games. This week, Washington is allowing a 66.7% conversion rate, eighth-most in the NFL, another area where the Cowboys must take advantage. When Ezekiel Elliott mentions poor communication it translates in the evidence of their road performances. We’re in this position every week after the Cowboys come off of a victory asking whether this offense can take that next step. After completely dominating a legitimate defense like the Jaguars and scoring 40 points, we know that this offense can perform. Until they can show that they can find success on the road Taco Charlton Jersey , the Cowboys are not contenders. As Zeke mentioned, if they improve communication, they can beat anyone on the schedule.

 Wilds from the practice squad Tanner Lee Color Rush Jersey , making a roster move in case Leonard Fournette doesn’t play against the New England Patriots on Sunday.More Jacksonville Jaguars newsJaguars hope newcomer RB Carlos Hyde helps Blake Bortles get back on trackJaguars will be without A.J. Bouye, 2 more cornerbacks against Eagles in LondonJaguars view annual game in London as key component of franchise’s growthDespite slump, Jaguars sticking with Blake Bortles as starting QBTempers flare in Jaguars’ locker room after lopsided loss to TexansThe Jaguars made room for Wilds on the 53-man roster by releasing receiver Rashad Greene, a fifth-round draft pick in 2015. Greene was inactive for the season opener.Fournette strained his right hamstring in the first half against the New York Giants last week and missed practice all week.Fournette said Thursday he expected his status to be a game-day decision. Coach Doug Marrone expressed optimism Friday that Fournette would be able to play against the Patriots.If Fournette doesn’t play, T.J. Yeldon is expected to start in his place and get the majority of the work. Visceral blowback to the NFL’s updated rule that players can’t lead with their helmets to make contact is straight out of tough-guy football 101. Hard-hitting defensive backs say the league is destroying the physical element of the game or lament that it’s changing the sport entirely.“Do they want us to play flag football?” Dolphins cornerback Xavien Howard said. “It’s crazy.”Beyond the criticism from old-school players bristling at another rule change or point of emphasis is legitimate confusion as to how the enhanced聽regulations聽will actually be enforced. No longer can a player initiate contact with his head anywhere on an opponent’s body, penalized 15 yards or possibly by ejection in egregious cases, and players and coaches 鈥?offensive guys, too 鈥?are bracing for how it will be applied.“You just hope it’s not called as frequently, because if they are going to call it on every single offensive and defensive lineman, the game is going to be played at a snail’s pace,” 49ers cornerback Richard Sherman said. “It seems like they are neglecting the impact it is going to have on the game, and I don’t think they fully understand the scope and how huge it will be.”Contact to a player’s head and neck has been a penalty for some time now, but this rule was ramped up to take it a step further. A ball carrier or an offensive lineman can’t lower his head into a defender, and a defensive player can’t make any part of his helmet the primary point of contact when attempting to tackle.It’s similar to the NCAA rule that has been in place since 2013, though at the college level, “targeting” carries an automatic ejection, reviewable by replay. The league estimated that just two plays last season would’ve led to an ejection under the new rule that’s forcing players to adjust their approaches.“It’s really hard to change the way you’ve been playing after 20 years,” Cowboys safety Jeff Heath said. “You’re not always thinking about where you’re hitting somebody. You’re just trying to get them down. As soon as you start thinking, and second-guessing yourself, I think that’s when trouble happens. Hopefully it does the job in keeping players safe but doesn’t result in a lot of ejections.”As the NFL alters this rule and another to kickoffs in the name of safety, some players are willing to accept the reasons for changes. Denver’s three-time All-Pro linebacker Von Miller said, “They’ve put in rules to take care of all the players https://www.jaguarsfanstore.com/Blake-Bortles-Jersey , as well, so I’m good with all the rule changes.”Seahawks coach Pete Carroll said he used to fight the evolution of football “like an old dog,” but has come to accept changes in the name of doing the right thing for players. He expects there to be a wide application of the enhanced helmet rule and doesn’t consider it such a bad thing.“I think it’s across the board because it can happen multiple times on any play, where guys use the top of their helmet,” Carroll said. “We’re just getting out of it. It’s really about going back to really good shoulder-leverage play.”That’s how Josh Norman feels about it. The Washington Redskins cornerback knows he has accidentally made helmet contact with opponents, but as a player not known for those plays considers this a reminder about sound fundamentals.“Head up, bowed neck, tackle with your facemask,” Norman said. “It’s not with the crown of your head. Obviously injuries come. People get paralyzed like that. Nobody should play like that.”To get the message across, coaches Anthony Lynn of the Chargers, Doug Marrone of the Jaguars, Dan Quinn of the Falcons, Mike Vrabel of the Titans and Todd Bowles of the Jets each narrated a clip-by-clip video illustrating how the enhanced rule affects a different position group:聽running backs聽,聽offensive linemen聽,聽defensive linemen聽,聽linebackers聽and聽defensive backs聽. Hall of Fame running back聽Curtis Martin聽and linebackers聽Willie Lanier聽, also a Hall of Famer, and聽Willie McGinest聽taped minute-long videos explaining to players the importance of stance posture and technique to avoid unnecessary head contact.In the first test of the heightened emphasis on head contact, Baltimore linebackers Patrick Onwuasor and Kamalei Correa were each聽flagged聽for 15-yard penalties in the Hall of Fame game that opened the preseason. Watching that gave Denver coach Vance Joseph a glimpse of what effect the helmet rule will have, pointing out it’s not just on players to adjust.“Coaching that part, in my opinion, is going to be the tough part 鈥?not the defenders A.J. Bouye Color Rush Jersey ,” Joseph said. “That’s been taught and that’s been coached for a long time, with the offensive guys using their stiff arm and putting the ball in the proper hand, using their shoulders versus their head. It’s going to take teaching.”It’s going to take some trial and error in games for players and officials to realize how it will actually be called. Veteran Bills linebacker Lorenzo Alexander figures it could happen somewhere on the field on any play, so he and his teammates will try to toe the line between watching out for it and not thinking so much that it proves costly.“You can’t really change your mindset,” Buffalo safety Micah Hyde said. “That’s when you start playing passive, and you start giving up stuff. I don’t know, it’s kind of hard to explain, it’s kind of when your ankle’s hurt, you tape it, you’re thinking about it, and then you might hurt something else. It’s the same along those lines, you can’t really think about it: Just go out there and play football.”___AP Pro Football Writers Schuyler Dixon, Josh Dubow, Arnie Stapleton and Teresa M. Walker, and Sports Writers Genaro C. Armas, Tim Booth, Dave Ginsburg, Dennis Waszak Jr., John Wawrow and Steven Wine contributed.

 on the field at Arrowhead Stadium Sunday night Allen Bailey Color Rush Jersey , working out prior to the team’s matchup against the Cincinnati Bengals. Sorensen suffered a tibial plateau fracture during Chiefs training camp and was placed on injured reserve after the injury was repaired in mid-August.Sorensen was eligible to return to practice last week but the Chiefs training staff held him back. Sorensen can’t play in a game until after Week 8. Chiefs head coach Andy Reid was asked about Sorensen’s role when he gets back given the fact the safety picture is a bit different now than when he left. The Chiefs’ primary starters have been Ron Parker and Eric Murray, and Jordan Lucas has been making his own case for playing time recently.“We’ll just see when he gets back,” Reid said. “We’ll see where he’s at and how he’s moving and we know he can play, and he was wearing a lot of different hats there when he was playing—he covered a lot of different areas for us and at that time, and at that time, was an important ingredient to that defense. Let’s just see when he gets back and how that rolls. “A good problem to have though, right? I’m not sure exactly the answer for you. I want to see how he is when he gets back in there.”Reid said there’s “a chance” Sorensen could return to practice this week. The Kansas City Chiefs beat the Denver Broncos, 30-23, on Sunday to improve to 7-1 on the season.Here are the winners and losers from Sunday’s game:WinnersPhoto by Jamie Squire/Getty ImagesI believe it is already safe to call Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes elite Laurent Duvernay-Tardif Jersey , and though I realize that is still a subjective take, an objective fact is that Mahomes is officially among elite company after his four touchdowns Sunday make it 26 total on the season. Per NFL Research, four players in history have 26 touchdowns or more through the first eight games of the season: Mahomes, Tom Brady (30, 2007) and Peyton Manning (29, 2013; 26, 2004). Mahomes was 24 of 34 for 303 yards, four touchdowns and just one interception Sunday against the Broncos.Wide receiver Sammy Watkins had his best game since joining the Kansas City Chiefs, catching eight passes on nine targets for 107 yards and two touchdowns. It was the fifth multi-touchdown game of Watkins’ career and his first since Week 3 of 2017 as a Los Angeles Ram.Photo by Peter Aiken/Getty ImagesTight end Travis Kelce overcame some early drops https://www.thechiefsfanshop.com/Eric-Murray-Jersey , including one that would have been for a touchdown, to catch six passes for 79 yards and a touchdown on Sunday against the Broncos. It was a Kelce’s fourth touchdown of the season. Kelce has recorded at least one reception in 71 straight games, per the Chiefs’ public relations staff.Running back Kareem Hunt is making his case to be included in the conversation for the league’s top running back. He may not have the stats of the Rams’ Todd Gurley, but the elusiveness he showcased again on Sunday is special. Hunt had 16 carries for 50 yards and five catches for 36 yards and a touchdown on the day. Hunt quietly has 10 total touchdowns (five rushing, five receiving) on the season. Similar to referees, it is usually a good sign when you don’t particularly notice offensive linemen—and I didn’t recall noticing any miscues with Austin Reiter, the third-string center making his second career start on Sunday against the Denver Broncos. Another OL note—outside linebacker Von Miller recorded a half-sack Sunday, and former Chief Geoff Schwartz tweeted “Damn ... only took almost five games for Miller to beat Mitch.” The job Mitch Schwartz has consistently done against Miller, one of the best pass rushers in the game De'Anthony Thomas Color Rush Jersey , always deserves a spot in the winners’ section.Photo by Jamie Squire/Getty ImagesThe Chiefs defense wasn’t all pretty—the unit gave up 411 yards on Sunday—but the unit had some bright spots. Outside linebacker Dee Ford came into the game with a share of the league lead (36) for hurries, and he reached quarterback Case Keenum on three separate occasions Sunday. On two of the sacks, Ford forced a fumble. Ford now has a team-leading 8.0 sacks on the season.Rookie outside linebacker Breeland Speaks also recorded a sack, as did defensive lineman Chris Jones. Speaks and Jones officially tallied two quarterback hits apiece. Kendall Fuller had an interception on a flea-flicker attempt.The Broncos’ two-headed running back monster of Phillip Lindsay and Devontae Booker gave the Chiefs run defense problems all game long. Led by Lindsay’s 95 yards, the two combined for 27 carries for 173 yards and a touchdown in the game. LosersMark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY SportsBroncos defensive end Derek Wolfe, per The Athletic’s Nicki Jhabvala: “They beat us by a total of 10 points. I’m tired of losing, especially in Kansas City. I really hate Kansas City. really hate it. I don’t like coming here. I don’t like anything about them except for Travis (Kelce). Travis is the only one I like over there.” Yikes.The Chiefs’ discipline, when it came to taking penalties, was not on display at Arrowhead Stadium on Sunday. The Chiefs totaled seven penalties for 50 yards Travis Kelce Jersey , including four false start penalties (at home). Chris Conley had two false start penalties and right guard Andrew Wylie had one on a crucial fourth-and-goal at the 1. The Wylie penalty may have cost the Chiefs three points. Penalties may not have cost the Chiefs the game against the Broncos, but the Chiefs will need to be more disciplined to beat better teams in the league—such as the Los Angeles Rams or New England Patriots.Jay Biggerstaff-USA TODAY SportsChiefs safety Ron Parker struggled in the first half—giving up a big play to Emmanuel Sanders. He and Orlando Scandrick also gave up a 24-yard touchdown to some guy named Tim Patrick. It will be interesting to see if the Chiefs make a move to beef of the secondary before the Tuesday trade deadline.I unfortunately don’t think that Vance Joseph will be the head coach of the Denver Broncos the next time the Chiefs see them. Joseph is now 0-4 against Kansas City and 8-16 overall asDenver’s head coach.Jay Biggerstaff-USA TODAY SportsSimilarly, I’m not sure Broncos wide receiver Demaryius Thomas, who had just three catches on seven targets for 30 yards Sunday—makes it through the trade deadline. Thomas is a shadow of his former self and appears to be in need of a change of scenery.The other side of Ford’s monster day is that of Broncos left tackle Garrett Boles, who didn’t look like he belonged on the same field as Ford. On the other side of the ball, cornerback Bradley Roby was hardly capable of guarding Watkins.The Broncos mentality has been broken by the Chiefs. Denver cornerback Chris Harris Jr. called this a game with season-changing potential prior to Sunday. Here was his quote after the game: “This was one of the hardest losses that I have ever had in the regular season. You fight so hard and do whatever you can to win and it’s really upsetting.” And the crazy thing is the Chiefs didn’t even play all that well. Great teams find a way to win and that’s what the Chiefs are.Safety Eric Berry didn’t suit up for Chiefs-Broncos, meaning he officially missed the first half of the season and should have been on injured reserve instead of taking up a roster spot.