Rookie De’Von Achane, the third-round draft pick, was something of an afterthought for the Dolphins until today. They went after Dalvin Cook in free agency, and they buried Achane behind Raheem Mostert and Salvon Ahmed.
Achane had only one reception and one carry in the first two games.
But with Ahmed hurt and inactive, Achane is getting his chance.
Achane has a 26-yard run and two touchdowns so far. He scored on an 8-yard run and a 4-yard reception and has 59 yards on seven carries. Mostert has 32 yards on four carries.
The Dolphins have scored touchdowns on all three possessions, taking a 21-7 lead on the Broncos. They have 246 yards.
Things are not going well for the Jets in the second quarter of Sunday’s game against the Patriots.
Defensive tackle Quinnen Williams left the game to be examined in the sideline medical tent after a first down by Pats wideout Demario Douglas and the Patriots scored their first touchdown of the game one play later.
Mac Jones hit tight end Pharaoh Brown with a 58-yard touchdown to make the score 10-0 with over 11 minutes to play in the first half. Brown is the third Patriots tight end to catch a pass so far on Sunday and Jones is 6-of-11 for 125 yards through the raindrops at MetLife Stadium.
Zach Wilson has been far less effective. The Jets quarterback is 3-of-7 for 16 yards and he’s been sacked twice.
Regardless of who should be blamed — and the blame arguably extends much higher up the ladder than embattled offensive coordinator Matt Canada — the Steelers’ offense is struggling. It lacks identity. It has no rhythm. There’s no sense of a broader strategy to establish something/anything.
Again, it’s more than Canada. Mike Tomlin is the head coach. At some point, he’s in charge. He gets the bulk of the credit when everything goes well. He understandably should share at least a bit in the blame when the fans are not, as Tomlin put it on Tuesday, “fat, sassy, and spoiled.”
Obviously, efforts will be made to improve things. Last week, the Steelers gained minus-seven yards in the fourth quarter — and still erased a 22-19 deficit to win the game.
On Sunday night against the Raiders, the Steelers need to do two things. One, build the game plan around receiver George Pickens. Two, give more work to running back Jaylen Warren.
Pickens is special. He needs to have the ball in his hands, however they can do it. Long passes, short passes, intermediate passes. Bubble screens, jet sweeps, handoffs. The Steelers need to use Pickens so much that the Raiders devote extra resources to stopping him. Which will in turn open up the rest of the offense.
As to Warren, it’s simple. He has burst and explosion. Najee Harris doest not, at least not to the same extent.
In the Week 2 win over Cleveland, Harris was on the field for 31 snaps. Warren participated in 23. That number should be even. Harris had 11 touches, and Warren had 10. Warren should have more.
Could there be non-football reasons for not using Pickens more and/or not prioritizing Warren? Perhaps. Harris was a first-round pick; the Steelers naturally want him to thrive. As to Pickens (and as mentioned this week on PFT Live), there could be some organizational reluctance to letting him fully blossom, since he would then be in position to expect a massive new contract after the 2024 season, when he becomes eligible for a new deal.
It’s a simple fix. And it’s not just on Canada to make it. Tomlin coaches the team. Others are in positions of influence. If an idiot like me can figure out what needs to happen, surely the Steelers can, too.
The Broncos can’t stop the Dolphins, who have 156 yards and two touchdowns after two drives. So, if Denver wants to stay in the game, it is going to have to match them.
Denver’s first drive ended on a catch by Courtland Sutton on third-and-five. Officials ruled it incomplete, but replays showed Sutton did secure the pass and got his feet down inbounds. Sean Payton didn’t challenge it, though.
The Broncos’ second drive ended in the end zone.
After the Dolphins got a 54-yard touchdown from Tua Tagovailoa to Tyreek Hill and an 8-yard run by rookie De’Von Achane, Russell Wilson drove the Broncos 75 yards in 10 plays.
Facing third-and-six from the 12, Wilson bought time until finding Sutton in the back of the end zone.
That has pulled the Broncos within 14-7 at the end of the first quarter.
Hill has 81 yards and a touchdown on three receptions, and Achane has rushed for 41 yards and a touchdown on four carries. The Dolphins had seven rushes and seven passes in the first quarter.
The Bills are out to an early 10-0 lead in Washington.
One play after a good Deonte Harty punt return set the Bills up in Washington territory, quarterback Josh Allen and wide receiver Gabe Davis hooked up for a 45-yard touchdown late in the first quarter. It’s Allen’s fifth touchdown pass of the year and the second time that Davis has found the end zone.
The Bills drove for a field goal on their first drive, but the Commanders were able to force a punt the second time they had the ball. Their offense has not been able to do anything against the Buffalo defense, though.
Sam Howell has been sacked three times and he threw an interception to end their first possession. Linebacker Terrel Bernard has two of the sacks and the interception.
The Vikings have a turnover problem and the Chargers have taken advantage of it.
Minnesota was in a strong position to score the game’s first points against Los Angeles. But after making a catch for first-down yardage over the middle on third-and-8, tight end T.J. Hockenson had the ball ripped out of his arms by Chargers safety Alohi Gilman for a fumble.
It was Minnesota’s league-leading eighth giveaway.
The Chargers got down the field mainly due to Justin Herbert’s right arm with a 12-play drive. Herbert converted third-and-5 with a 7-yard pass to Keenan Allen. Then he converted third-and-7 with a 25-yard pass to Allen that got the club down to the 3-yard line.
On the next play, Herbert hit Donald Parham on the right side with a 3-yard touchdown.
Herbert has started the game 10-of-12 passing for 76 yards with a TD. With Austin Ekeler sidelined by an ankle injury, Joshua Kelley has ran it twice for 6 yards in the first quarter.
On Minnesota’s defense, cornerback Byron Murphy went into the locker room and the team announced he’s questionable to return with a hip injury. That would be a significant loss for the team’s defense if he isn’t able to return.
It is not too early to conclude that Texans quarterback C.J. Stroud can play.
Stroud, whose 626 yards ranked fourth in the NFL after two games, is 3-of-4 for 60 yards in two drives Sunday against the Jaguars.
He threw a 46-yard pass to Tank Dell to the Jacksonville 2-yard line.
Stroud ran for a yard to set up Dameon Pierce’s 1-yard touchdown run.
The Texans lead 7-0 with 7:35 remaining in the first quarter.
The Jaguars had good field position on their first drive and went 18 yards before Brandon McManus missed a 48-yard field goal. They punted on their second drive.
Jimmy Graham is back.
Graham, the veteran tight end who sat out the 2022 season but signed with the Saints this year, scored his first touchdown since December of 2021 today in Green Bay.
It was the 86th touchdown of Graham’s career. He’s been one of the best red zone threats in football for much of his career, and his eight-yard touchdown catch on a pass from Derek Carr in the first quarter today showed he still has something left.
The Saints have an early 7-0 lead in Green Bay.
Ravens quarterback Lamar Jackson had a strong second half in Week Two and he’s picked up right were he left off.
Jackson capped the first Ravens possession of Sunday’s game against the Colts with an eight-yard touchdown run. The score put the Ravens up 7-0 with 6:35 to play in the first quarter.
Jackson played a big hand in moving the Ravens down the field. He had three other carries for 18 yards and he hit on all five of his pass attempts.
Those passes netted 45 yards for the Ravens and the biggest of them was a 20-yarder to tight end Isaiah Likely a couple of plays ahead of the touchdown.
Jaylen Waddle remains out with a concussion, which theoretically should make the Broncos’ job easier defensively. But even though Tyreek Hill is the one player to stop for the Dolphins, the Broncos managed to let him get wide open.
Hill caught a pass from Tua Tagovailoa and went 54 yards to the end zone.
It is Hill’s fourth touchdown in three games.
Tagovailoa, who entered the game leading the league with 9.5 yards per attempt, threw his fifth touchdown of the season.
The Dolphins needed only three plays to go 75 yards, so it’s going to be a long day for the Broncos if they can’t put up more resistance.