Handshake snub sparks ‘ugly’ scenes; coach blows up at QB question — NFL Wrap

The Kansas City Chiefs are back. That is, if they ever went away in the first place.

But after starting the season 2-3 and coughing up a 14-point lead against the Jaguars last week, it felt like this was a result the Chiefs needed.

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Kansas City’s defence stepped up in a big way on Monday as the Chiefs outclassed the Detroit Lions 30-17.

Patrick Mahomes, who was at the centre of heated scenes at the end of Monday’s game, spread the ball around as he completed 22 passes for 257 yards and three touchdowns, although trusty tight end Travis Kelce was his main target with six catches for 78 yards.

Mahomes went to shake the hand of Brian Branch after the game but the Lions safety was having none of it, to the displeasure of Chiefs receiver JuJu Smith-Schuster.

Smith-Schuster then confronted Branch, who slapped him to the ground.

JETS COACH CLAPS BACK AT QB QUESTION AFTER UGLY LOSS

The statistically worst passing game in franchise history is not enough for Aaron Glenn to make a quarterback change.

After the Jets’ 13-11 loss to the Broncos in London, Glenn suggested he is sticking with Justin Fields as his starting quarterback.

He balked at even the idea of benching Fields.

“Come on man, what kind of question is that? Sometimes this league is [up-and-down]. There are guys who have bad games,” Glenn said.

“That doesn’t mean you just bench them. Come on, you know better than that.”

Fields signed a two-year, $40 million contract with $30 million guaranteed this past offseason.

Glenn’s questionable defiance comes after he opened his postgame press conference saying that the Jets’ passing game “was nonexistent.”

Fields completed just 9 of 17 passes for 45 yards, no touchdowns and no interceptions.

He was also sacked nine times, a plethora of which were the product of holding on to the ball too long.

When factoring in those nine sacks, Fields and the Jets had negative-10 net passing yards — the least by any team in the NFL in 27 years and lowest in Jets history.

He was also not much of a threat with his legs, recording 31 rushing yards.

As a team, the Jets mustered just 82 total yards of offence.

“It wasn’t good enough and it starts with me,” Fields said.

“I gotta get the ball out. They have a good d-line, they got to the backfield fast.”

Tyrod Taylor, Fields’ backup, started the Jets’ 29-27 road loss to the Buccaneers in Week 3 with Fields out due to a concussion.

Taylor completed 26 of 29 passes for 197 yards, two touchdowns and one interception.

The Jets also have rookie Brady Cook, who signed as an undrafted free agent this past offseason, on the practice squad.

For now, though, it doesn’t seem like Glenn is considering making a change.

“Offensively, they gave it to us,” Glenn said of Sunday’s showing.

“We all saw that. …Our passing game was nonexistent. That’s something we gotta get better at. Those guys did a really good job of pressuring our quarterback.”

— New York Post

‘HIS TALENT IS DYING THERE’: WASTED SUPERSTAR’S TENSE CLASH

Meanwhile, Fields’ quarterback play isn’t the only issue for Glenn.

The Jets’ two-minute debacle at the end of the first half in Monday’s loss left Garrett Wilson with a wide range of emotions.

Wilson could be seen having an animated conversation with Glenn while walking into the locker room at halftime during the Jets’ 13-11 loss to the Broncos in London.

“I just didn’t know what the plan was,” Wilson said after the game.

“Once I figured it out, I was disappointed, I’ll just say that.”

The Jets were facing a fourth-and-1 from their own 47-yard line with roughly 30 seconds left in the half and no timeouts, and subsequently let the clock run out without running another play.

“I didn’t know exactly what the plan was,” Wilson said.

“Once we converted the [fake punt earlier in the drive], I just thought we were going and trying to make a play. Obviously we get to another fourth down, it’s a tough spot to be in. In hindsight I get why they did that. But in the moment, I was just like ‘man,’ I don’t know.”

Glenn explained that he did not want to potentially give the Broncos the ball back before halftime, knowing the Jets were set to get the ball again to start the second half.

“At that point, we didn’t know if we got the first down or not [on third down],” Glenn said.

“One ref was saying yes, it was no. So once it got to fourth down, I’m not about to sit there and try to get a play off, and they will get the ball back, I think they had a timeout left, and give them a chance to kick a field goal.

“I don’t think that’s the smartest thing to do, so let’s just end the half, we get the ball back [in the second half] and see if we can get a chance to score.”

Wilson was drafted 10th overall by the Jets in 2022 and is one of the most talented receivers in the league but has been plagued by poor quarterback play since he entered the league, with former Ohio State teammate Justin Fields the latest in a long list of signal-callers to struggle in New York.

— New York Post

‘NOT SHOWING UP’: DOLPHINS’ PROBLEMS GO DEEPER THAN ON THE FIELD

Vibes aren’t great in New York, but the Jets aren’t the only team that are struggling for wins and with an under-pressure coach.

The hot seat is only getting warmer for Mike McDaniel after the Miami Dolphins fell to 1-5 with a 29-27 loss to the Los Angeles Chargers.

In a seesawing game which saw the lead change six times, it was the boot of Cameron Dicker that proved the difference with the Chargers kicker slotting a 35-yard field goal with five seconds remaining.

It was the fifth field goal of the day for Dicker, with Chargers safety Derwin James Jr. then sealing the victory with an interception on the final play.

It was Tua Tagovailoa’s third pick of the day and speaking after the game, the Dolphins quarterback revealed the issues at Miami go deeper than their struggles on the field.

“I think it starts with the leadership and helping articulate that for the guys,” Tagovailoa said. “And then what we’re expecting out of the guys, right? We’re expecting this, are we getting that, are we not getting that? We have guys showing up to player-only meetings late, guys not showing up to player-only meetings.

“There’s a lot that goes into that. Do we have to make that mandatory, do we not have to make this mandatory? So it’s a lot of things of that nature that we’ve gotta get cleaned up, and it starts with the little things like that.”

BREAKOUT PANTHERS STAR GETS HIS REVENGES

Where were you when Rico Dowdle went nuclear?

The Carolina Panthers running back has now rattled off back-to-back games with 200 or more yards from scrimmage after another monster effort in a 30-27 win against his former team.

George Pickens, who has been on a tear filling in as Dallas’ top option with CeeDee Lamb sidelined, had another big game as he hauled in nine passes for 168 yards.

But it was Dowdle who stole the headlines again, backing up last week’s career game against Miami with 30 carries for 183 yards to go with four catches, 56 yards and a receiving touchdown.

The Panthers started the season 0-2 and while Bryce Young struggled with turnovers early in the season, he is growing in confidence and found rookie receiver Tetairoa McMillan for a pair of touchdowns in the victory.

Carolina has now won three of its last four games after rookie kicker Ryan Fitzgerald slotted the 33-yard game-winning field goal as time expired.

While it is important to acknowledge that Carolina’s two most recent wins came against two of the worst defences in football (Miami and Dallas), the Panthers of old would have struggled to put up enough points to match either team.

Next week’s trip to New York to face the 0-6 Jets should be another chance for Carolina to add to the win column, but games against Buffalo and Green Bay follow.

55 YEARS OF HISTORY AGAINST RAVENS AFTER ANOTHER LOSS

The Ravens need to get healthy and, specifically, need Lamar Jackson back badly.

Baltimore entered the season as the popular tip to win the Super Bowl or, at very least, make it to the final game of the year.

Instead, they enter the bye week 1-5 after a 17-3 loss to the Los Angeles Rams. Since the 1970 merger, only four teams have started the season with that poor a record and made the playoffs.

What makes this result particularly frustrating for the Ravens is the fact the game was there to be won, with the Rams uncharacteristically sloppy early.

Matthew Stafford missed Davante Adams twice on a red-zone trip while the Rams also lost star receiver Puka Nacua to an ankle injury.

Nacua later returned in the third quarter but didn’t have much of an impact and his status for next week’s trip to London is uncertain.

Despite a less than perfect showing, Los Angeles cruised to victory with Kyren Williams scoring a rushing touchdown in the third quarter before Tyler Higbee added a score through the air following a Zay Flowers fumble.

Turnovers were a big issue for Baltimore once again, with Derrick Henry the only real consistent source of offence as Cooper Rush went 11 for 19 for 72 yards with an interception and a lost fumble before being benched for Tyler Huntley in the fourth.

DRAKE MAYE CONTINUES TO LOOK ELITE

Jayden Daniels was the unquestioned best rookie quarterback to come out of last year’s class, but Drake Maye is taking quite the leap in his second year in the league.

One week after leading New England to a statement win against Buffalo, Maye backed it up with another impressive showing to help the Patriots to a 25-19 victory over the New Orleans Saints.

Maye finished with 261 passing yards and three touchdowns, including a 53-yard strike to DeMario Douglas that was the longest of the young quarterback’s career.

Maye had another long touchdown to Douglas wiped off the board by a sketchy penalty, but also hit Kayshon Boutte for two touchdowns in the win.

COLTS STAR CONCUSSED IN BIZARRE PRE-GAME MOMENT

The Colts faced unexpected adversity before their Week 6 win over the Cardinals as both quarterback Anthony Richardson Sr. and cornerback Charvarius Ward were injured during pregame warmups.

Richardson, who lost the starting job to ex-Giants quarterback Daniel Jones before the season, suffered an orbital fracture when a resistance band used during warmups snapped into his eye.

The Colts quickly transported him to a local hospital, and he was ruled out for their game against the Cardinals — with head coach Shane Steichen telling reporters postgame that Richardson will miss some time.

Rookie Riley Leonard was elevated to No. 2 quarterback behind Jones, who has led the Colts to a surprising 5-1 record through the first six games.

Cornerback Charvarius Ward sustained a concussion during warmups following a collision with backup tight end Drew Ogletree.

This marked Ward’s second concussion of the season, after he previously missed a Week 2 win over the Broncos.

“We had to rally the troops to get us back into focus,” Steichen told reporters postgame, according to ESPN.

The Colts (5-1) now sit alone atop the AFC South as the Jaguars (4-2) lost, 20-12, to the Seahawks.

Jones went 22-for-30 with 212 yards, two touchdown passes, a rushing score and an interception on Sunday.

Through six games, Jones has completed 129 of 180 passes for 1,502 yards, eight touchdowns, three interceptions and four rushing TDs while stabilizing the offense after Richardson’s short-lived tenure as Indianapolis’ starter.

Richardson, selected No. 4 overall in 2023, made 15 starts across the 2023 and ’24 campaigns.

Ward, who was also a second-team All Pro that season, recorded five of his career 10 interceptions in 2023.

Previously, the 29-year-old was part of the Chiefs’ Super Bowl LIV squad in 2020.

— New York Post

NFL SCORES — WEEK 6

Giants 34 Eagles 17

Jets 11 Broncos 13

Jaguars 12 Seahawks 20

Dolphins 27 Chargers 29

Ravens 3 Rams 17

Colts 31 Cardinals 27

Panthers 30 Cowboys 27

Saints 19 Patriots 25

Steelers 23 Browns 9

Raiders 20 Titans 10

Buccaneers 30 49ers 19

Packers 27 Bengals 18

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