Jalen Hurts has yet to throw for 200 yards in a game this season. He’s tossed only two touchdown passes, and he has just 72 yards on 21 carries.
That doesn’t seem like much production for an quarterback who signed a five-year, $255 million contract extension in the offseason.
Oh, the Philadelphia Eagles are 2-0 and they should be 3-0 after playing Tampa Bay on Monday night.
Hurts wants everyone to know he’s focused on winning not stats. Winning the Lombardi Trophy is his only goal.
“When did winning not become the main thing? What I’m telling you is it’s not about me; it’s about us,” Hurts told reporters. “So if they are doing something there for me, we got 250 yards of rushing to do that. There are multiple ways to win.
“I always say, ‘keep the main thing the main thing where winning is the only thing that truly matters.”
How Trevon Diggs’ injury impacts Cowboys
The Dallas Cowboys didn’t play Thursday, but they suffered a huge loss when cornerback Trevon Diggs the ACL in his left knee.
No one has more interceptions than Diggs’ 18 since he entered the league four seasons ago.
That’s why Dallas rewarded him with a five-year, $97 million deal in the offseason.
He played well in the Cowboys’ first two games. The defense has allowed just 10 points, and Diggs had an interception, a forced fumble and three pass deflections.
DaRon Bland, a fifth-round pick last year, will move from the slot to Diggs’ spot. Jourdan Lewis will move to the slot. None of that should matter all that much against Arizona and quarterback Josh Dobbs, who has 360 yards passing and a touchdown.
Chargers, Brandon Staley face must-win vs. ‘brother’
Minnesota coach Kevin O’Connell and Los Angeles Chargers coach Brandon Staley are the best of friends.
That adds an intriguing twist to the game between a pair of 0-2 teams that started the season with high expectations.
Since the NFL expanded the field in 1990, only four teams have started 0-3 and still made the playoffs.
If the Chargers lose, Staley will spend next week answering all sorts of questions about his job security.
“He’s like a brother to me, but we’re going head-to-head on Sunday, so our friendship is going to be a distant second to us winning and losing,” Staley said. “I just have the utmost respect for him as a leader, as a coach.”
Run, Justin Fields. Run
You better believe Justin Fields will run the ball Sunday against Kansas City, something he didn’t do last week against Tampa Bay.
Fields complained this week about too much coaching making him play “robotic.”
Last week, he carried four times for three yards. That’s poor coaching.
We’re talking about a quarterback who rushed for 1,143 yards and eight touchdowns last season. Right now, it’s what he does best.
Fields averaged 7.1 per carry and had runs of 39, 39, 55, 61 and 67 yards in 2023.
The Bears have asked Fields to read the defense and be a pocket passer. They better let that man run or everyone is gonna eventually get fired.
With Nick Chubb out, it’s all on Deshaun Watson
Nick Chubb, one of the NFL’s best running backs, tore three ligaments in his knee last week and will miss the remainder of the season.
That means Cleveland’s game against Tennessee will be placed in Deshaun Watson’s hands even more than usual. He’s struggled as a passer the first two games of the season, and he needs to play considerably better.
Plus, Tennessee is among the best in the league at stopping the run. Tennessee has held eight straight opponents to less than 100 yards. They also have not allowed a 100-yard rusher in 18 consecutive games.
“We’ve been working and trying different things to make sure that I’m staying locked in,” Watson told reporters. “Blocking out the good, the bad, just staying focused on my tasks and my job. And it’s been helping.”
Watson is the epicenter of Cleveland’s offense. He must play better.
He’s heard the criticism.
“It’s impossible not to see it unless I just turn off my phone completely or turn off the TV completely,” he told reporters. “But it comes with the territory. It comes with the status and the standard that people hold me to.
“I don’t look at it as anything bad. I don’t look at it as anything personal. It’s part of the game. I look at it as, hey, people hold me to the standard. So I have to make sure I play to that standard. And if I’m not, then I have to continue to find ways to get better.”
Broncos say they’re not panicking, but maybe they should?
There’s no panic from Sean Payton or Russell Wilson just because the Denver Broncos are 0-2.
The Saints started 0-2 in 2017 and finished 11-5. Wilson started 0-2 in Seattle in 2015 and 2018, and the Seahawks made the playoffs each time.
This team, however, isn’t that good and Wilson is no longer an elite player.
“Definitely been to the playoffs before [after having] been down 0-2. The good thing is you’ve got more pitches coming, more games to play,” coach Sean Payton told reporters. “You don’t blink. I think the biggest thing is staying focused on the task and staying focused on progress and staying focused on the journey.”
Miami (2-0) is playing at a high level, and its offense is the best part of its team. Denver has scored one second-half touchdown.
Jean-Jacques Taylor is an NFL Insider for Sportsnaut and the author of the upcoming book “Coach Prime“, with Deion Sanders. Follow him on Twitter.