Patriots Offensive Coordinator Josh McDaniels Describes Team's 'All-Hands' Approach Without A.J. Brown originally appeared on NESN. Add NESN as a Preferred Source by clicking here.
Before the Patriots could get a feel for the impact A.J. Brown will have on their offense, they lost him to injury for weeks to come.
Brown will be out until at least Week 6 after being placed on IR on Friday, dealing with a high ankle sprain from his Week 1 exit vs. Seattle. Rather than bringing in any new receivers, it appears New England will be turning to some of its younger pass catchers to alleviate the offense.
Patriots offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels said Thursday on a radio show that the team will be taking "an all-hands-on-deck approach" to replacing Brown's production at wide receiver, which likely means more playing time for names like DeMario Douglas, Kyle Williams and Efton Chism III.
"Any injury that you get at this time of the season, you kind of approach it with an all-hands-on-deck approach," McDaniels said Thursday, per ESPN. "We got a lot of different skill guys that can do a lot of different things. There isn't one person on the roster that can replace anybody like A.J. -- in the middle of a game or a stretch of a season. So we'll band together and figure out what we can do well and then try to get guys in positions to play to their strengths."

#Patriots

Rams news: Dan Orlovsky rips LA, Matthew Stafford for 'total dud' vs. 49ers appeared first on ClutchPoints. Add ClutchPoints as a Preferred Source by clicking here.
The Los Angeles Rams got stomped 27-7 by the San Francisco 49ers in Week 1 down in Australia. It was an ugly performance from the entire team, but especially from Matthew Stafford. On Friday, ESPN's Dan Orlovsky ripped into the 38-year-old quarterback for his poor play in L.A.'s season opener.
During the latest episode of "Get Up," the former quarterback turned ******* yst called the Rams' loss one of the worst performances he's ever seen from Stafford and the team. There wasn't much Orlovsky was positive about, as he eviscerated nearly every portion of the roster in his rant.
"Rams, total dud," Orlovsky said. "Sluggish. We're not paid to talk about jet lag and travel plans. I have no idea. But I do know this. Matthew Stafford, coming off of the MVP season, one of the worst games that I've seen him in years. A statue in the pocket, terrible decision-making, forcing the football, refusing to move, could not find any rhythm. And this is an offense that should have been completely in sync, given what they've brought back off of last year. And the only part of their offense that played well was the interior offensive line…
Watch sports LIVE with fuboTV (free trial)

#stafford

New England Patriots star wide receiver A.J. Brown will be sidelined for the foreseeable future.
The team has placed Brown on injured reserve due to the high-ankle sprain he suffered in Wednesday's season-opening loss to the Seattle Seahawks, according to ESPN's Adam Schefter.
The move means Brown will miss at least four games.
Brown suffered the ankle injury during the third quarter and did not return, dealing an early blow to a Patriots offense that struggled to find consistency late in the game.
The Patriots appeared to be in control for much of the night, carrying a 10-point lead into the fourth quarter before Seattle mounted a comeback. The Seahawks scored 13 unanswered points to erase the deficit and spoil New England's season opener.

#ankle #season

Brock Purdy continues to prove doubters by exceeding his career expectations. And following the San Francisco 49ers' 2026 opener against the Los Angeles Rams in Australia on Thursday, he obtained another record to his collection.
Despite a slow start, Purdy had a great performance leading the offense. He completed 25 out of 34 passes for 205 yards and three touchdowns and one interception.
Purdy completed the 50th game of his career, including his 46th start. His passing accuracy has been remarkable, getting 68.1% of his throws to fellow receivers. This paved the way for him to make NFL history, via Real App.
When healthy, Purdy shines as one of the best quarterbacks in the league. He was the final pick in the 2022 draft, adding more lore to his resume as a player that defied expectations and achieved remarkable success in the NFL.
Aug 20, 2026; Inglewood, California, USA; San Francisco 49ers quarterback Brock Purdy (13) throws the ball against the Los Angeles Chargers in the first half at SoFi Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-Imagn Images Credit: IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect (Reuters)

#francisco #reuters

The Baltimore Ravens will begin the Jesse Minter era against an Indianapolis Colts team that scored 466 points and fielded a top-10 offense last season.
Here are five legitimate concerns entering Sunday's opener.
Taylor rushed for 1,585 yards and 18 touchdowns. Baltimore ranked 10th against the run, but its rebuilt defensive front must prove it can contain one of the league's most explosive backs.
Jovaughn Gwyn is scheduled to start at center, with rookie Vega Ioane at right guard. Their first **** ignment comes against DeForest Buckner and Grover Stewart.
Jones completed 68% of his passes, averaged 8.1 yards per attempt, and produced a 100.2 passer rating. Before his injury, he operated Shane Steichen's offense with timing and confidence.

#colts #here

Patriots news: Dre'Mont Jones grabs attention with NSFW shot at Seahawks appeared first on ClutchPoints. Add ClutchPoints as a Preferred Source by clicking here.
Dre'Mont Jones made sure New England Patriots fans had something to talk about. That's even after a brutal opening-night defeat to his former team. Following the Patriots' 13-10 Week 1 loss to the Seattle Seahawks, Jones took to Instagram. He posted an in-game photograph of himself driving Seattle QB Sam Darnold into the turf. The outside linebacker made the message unmistakable by tagging an account handle reading @f***_the_seahawks in the bottom-right corner of the post. The NSFW jab quickly spread across social media.
Jones spent the 2023 and 2024 seasons with Seattle after signing a three-year contract. However, his tenure ultimately ended with friction before he landed in New England. Now a key piece of Mike Vrabel's Patriots defense, Jones appears to have plenty of unfinished business with his former team. His latest post made that abundantly clear.
The Patriots' 0–1 start already carries plenty of frustration. New England's defense dominated for much of the opener. They limited Seattle and knocked Darnold from the game. However, the offense collapsed late as Drake Maye threw three second-half interceptions. The Patriots also lost prized wide receiver AJ Brown to an ankle injury. That added another concern to an otherwise highly anticipated campaign. With Christian Gonzalez recently securing a record-setting four-year extension, expectations remain high in Foxborough. New England now gets an extended mini-bye before hosting the Pittsburgh Steelers. Meanwhile, Jones has added another spark to a rivalry that suddenly feels far from settled.
Related: Patriots add former Bills defensive lineman on $6 million contract

#former #dre 'mont #nsfw

With 2.5 weeks remaining in the regular season, those in the fantasy baseball playoffs should be focused on adding players with favorable schedules in the coming days. The list this week includes hitters to stream this weekend (Henry Bolte, Jeff McNeil, Colt Keith) as well as those who should be added by Monday (Ty France, Mickey Moniak, Cole Carrigg).
The same can be said on the pitching side, as those who need a weekend streamer can skip to the bottom of this article.
Ty France, 1B, Padres, 31%: France has been one of baseball's best hitters in the second half, batting .324 with a .937 OPS. Unfortunately, he remains on waivers in many leagues, as managers opt to chase an influx of exciting rookies rather than adding a boring veteran. But that should change over the weekend, as France and his teammates will open next week with four games at Coors Field against a Rockies pitching staff that ranks last in baseball with a 5.50 ERA. Managers in deeper formats could also consider Jake Cronenworth (6%), who has hit second in the lineup of late, or catcher Luis Campusano (1%), who is working as a DH often enough to keep him in the regular lineup.
Mickey Moniak, OF, Rockies, 26%: Moniak has some similarities to France, as a boring veteran who is having his productive season overshadowed by a constant stream of youngsters on the waiver wire. The 28-year-old has been terrific at home (.957 OPS) and against right-handers (.835 OPS) this season, which makes him a potential league-winner next week when the Rockies play seven games at their hitter-friendly home park, including five versus right-handed starters. Those who cannot add Moniak can consider his teammate, Cole Carrigg (15%).
Henry Bolte, OF, Athletics, 30%: Bolte is the fastest runner in baseball and has a bit of pop, which has made him the Athletics regular leadoff hitter and one of baseball's most explosive players. He is batting .320 since the beginning of August, and during September he has already accumulated four homers and five steals. Like many Athletics hitters, Bolte has fared best at his offense-inducing home park, which is where he will play this weekend. It helps that the series will come against the Mariners, who surprising rank 28th in baseball with a 5.39 ERA since the All-Star break.

#moniak #Rockies #athletics #week

During a beach outing, then-5-year-old Terry Potter Hedden III — now "Trey" to NMSU teammates and fans — picked up a football and threw a perfect spiral to his stepmom. It was then Hedden was destined to be a quarterback with a supportive blended family. His parents and stepparents "made sure I made every tryout. They took me to camps. They helped me meet the coaches I wanted to learn from." And they attended every game, including during his two years at Furman and this season with the Aggies. After a 10-percentage-point jump in accuracy from his freshman season, Hedden entered the portal to "raise the ceiling a little bit" in pursuit of future pro opportunities. NMSU head coach Tony Sanchez's spread attack offered protection (312 pounds an O-lineman) and speedy targets. Slot receiver TK King has been GPS-clocked at nearly 23 mph and laser-timed at 20.74 seconds over 200 meters. "The biggest thing for me is I've got to remember that on game day, he's a little bit faster than he is in practice," Hedden said of King. "When he's running a route, you can throw it out there and he'll turn it on. We talk about it in the meeting room. Go make him run 100 meters to catch the ball." King's average target depth is 21 yards. He has catch-and-dashes of 46, 42 and 34 yards. The Aggies have sets of four and five receivers or up to two tight ends. Running back James Jones has no fumbles or negative-yard rushes in 30 carries. Jones also is an effective blocker who can roll into the flats. Hedden is 80% accurate on screens, hitches and check-down throws. "The quarterback in this offense is really a distributor," Hedden said. "We really focus on the things we're good at, and we repeat those things, and find new ways to do those things every week. It's really been a lot of fun to play in this offense with these coaches."
The Aggies' base is chaos, with shifts, movements and glove-to-glove combat in the trenches and running lanes. "When things get so cranky, like how many blitzes and stunts, it looks like Star Wars to us," weakside linebacker Sone Aupiu said. His first two NMSU seasons, Aupiu played middle linebacker. He moved to will linebacker last year but still trains at all second-tier positions, including jack, the stand-up edge defender. Helped by playing on the narrow side of the formation, Aupiu has freedom to jump lanes. "When it comes to gap schemes, that's what I love," he said. "Coming my way to the boundary, I'm looking to hit 'em." His father grew up in Samoa, his mother in New Zealand, where rugby was the favored sport. He said he aspires to play professional rugby. But for now, Aupiu said, "I chose a different route, which was football. Everybody else on my mom's side chose rugby." Aupiu received a few college offers. But after an official visit to Las Cruces, he decided to be an Aggie. He said he had to adjust to the culture change from Long Beach, Calif., such as green chili served with everything. And to fatherhood — he and his wife have a 3-yea

The Green Bay Packers are now preparing to move forward without knowing when Josh Jacobs might return. While MarShawn Lloyd is expected to handle the lead role in the backfield, Jacobs has entered a no contest plea to his misdemeanor charges. The NFL has also issued a disciplinary update, giving Green Bay a better idea of what could come next for its starting running back.
"With Josh Jacobs pleading no contest to misdemeanor charges of battery and criminal damage to property, the NFL said there is "no timetable" as to when he could be disciplined. A league official said: We have been closely monitoring all developments in the matter which remains under review of the personal conduct policy.
There is no change to his status as he remains on the Commissioner's Exempt list," ESPN's Adam Schefter wrote on his post on X (formerly Twitter).
Oct 19, 2025; Glendale, Arizona, USA; Green Bay Packers running back Josh Jacobs (8) celebrates against the Arizona Cardinals in the second half at State Farm Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images
Jacobs has been a productive part of the Packers offense over the past two seasons, scoring 28 touchdowns during that span. He totaled 929 rushing yards in 2025 while averaging 4.0 yards per carry. The seven year veteran now faces misdemeanor charges for battery and criminal damage to property, according to ESPN.
Green Bay will need to adjust its backfield if Jacobs remains unavailable, with Lloyd set to take over as the Packers' top running back. Chris Brooks will provide additional support behind him.

#josh #misdemeanor #back

It's been a long wait for this day to get here, but now we can finally turn the page to (I hope) more constructive play and move on from the UVA debacle. So what are we keeping our eyes on in the bigger picture tonight?
1.) Find at least the beginnings of an identity offensively. NC State's performance at Virginia was so bad as to look incoherent, and the offense wasn't on the field enough to develop a rhythm, much less discover its most important foundational aspects. Pretty much nothing worked, and what did—or could have—worked, often wasn't well-executed. The Pack has to take the opportunity presented by Richmond to start sorting itself out and establish concepts that work. Where's the bread and ***** er?
2.) To that end, who are the playmakers in this offense? We know that NC State would like to lean on Duke Scott and certainly he has better days ahead of him, but I'd like to see a more concerted effort to get Victor Snow the ball tonight. We learned next to nothing about the passing game in Week 0—well, nothing good, anyway—and still don't really know what we've got at receiver. It might end up essential for Snow to get 8-10 touches each week, and now's a good time to figure that out. I won't be surprised if Keenan Jackson is a focal point, either.
3.) What does this defense look like when it isn't in a bad position for 60 minutes? They were set up to fail by the offense in the first game, and Virginia never had to get out of its conservative comfort zone. Still the defense did some good things against actual handoffs, and needs to build on that. Richmond shouldn't have much of a downfield passing game to speak of, and I want to see how the defense performs against more regular passing downs.

#much #passing

The Yahoo Fantasy Football crew is ready to get bold for Week 1. Which one of these predictions will come true?
I know the quarterback situation in New Orleans is going to make people nervous, but this matchup has all the ingredients for the Chris Olave show. Alvin Kamara looks questionable, first-round rookie Jordyn Tyson will not play and the Saints are facing what many expect to be the best offense in the NFL.
Join a Yahoo Fantasy Football league for the 2026 NFL season
Detroit is going to score points. If New Orleans wants to keep up, Tyler Shough is going to have to throw the football and his easiest answer will be feeding Olave. Olave is coming off career highs with 100 catches, 1,163 yards and nine touchdowns on 155 targets. He finished as the WR7 in fantasy points per game and already showed us this exact ceiling with a 10-catch, 148-yard, two-touchdown performance last season.
I am calling for double-digit targets, more than 125 receiving yards and two touchdowns. There will be bigger names attached to better quarterbacks across the Week 1 slate, but very few receivers have a clearer path to dominating their team's passing volume. Olave takes advantage of the game environment and opens the season as the overall WR1. — Ray Garvin

#season #points

The Jacksonville Jaguars are facing the Cleveland Browns in Week 1 of the 2026 NFL season, and while experts are widely expecting the Jaguars to walk away with an easy win, that doesn't mean Jacksonville shouldn't take this game seriously.
The Jaguars have been extremely underrated this offseason, despite their success last year, and ***** ysts had already all but decided Jacksonville will not only not win the AFC South again, but will miss the playoffs altogether.
While the Browns may not pose much of a challenge in Week 1, the stretch of games following it are much tougher, which makes it all the more important for the Jaguars to send a strong statement to open the season. Here are five keys to a Jacksonville victory in the game.
The Jaguars' run game is one of the biggest question marks going into 2026, but pushing the run game will be more important than just proving Jacksonville still has a good running back room without Travis Etienne. Cleveland's defense was better against the pass than the run, so the Jacksonville offense should avoid playing into the Browns' strength. Jared Verse is an elite pass rusher, and he and the secondary will almost certainly be gunning for Trevor Lawrence.
Establishing the new look backfield will keep the offense out of obvious passing situations, and prevent Cleveland's pass rush and secondary from dictating the game.

#Browns #season #important

During the first 30 years of the Baltimore Ravens' story, they and the Indianapolis Colts have met 18 times. That includes three postseason matchups, but Sunday's opener carries a different feel. The Ravens are entering a new era under head coach Jesse Minter, while the Colts hope to prove they can contend in the AFC after last season's disappointing finish.
Most of the attention this week has focused on Lamar Jackson, Derrick Henry, Jonathan Taylor, Baltimore's revamped coaching staff, and what to expect on offense and defense. All of that will certainly influence the outcome, but several less-discussed storylines could play an equally important role. Here are five worth monitoring in Week 1.
Fair or unfair, Rashod Bateman enters the season under a microscope. The veteran receiver is attempting to move forward after a difficult 2025 campaign and an offseason that generated headlines for reasons unrelated to football.
A strong opener would immediately help shift the conversation back toward his on-field value. A quiet performance, however, could reignite many of the same questions that followed him throughout the offseason. One game should not define a season, but Week 1 often shapes perception. Bateman doesn't need a 100-yard performance to make an impact. He needs to remind everyone why the Ravens still believe in him.
Ja'Kobi Lane spent much of the summer generating excitement, while Vega Ioane appears poised to play a meaningful role immediately. They are not the only rookies worth watching. Pass rusher Zion Young could find himself in situations where a single splash play changes the trajectory of his debut.

#worth

Blake Roskopf threw five touchdown passes and Goodyear Desert Edge's defense stifled Scottsdale Notre Dame's offense in a 46-7 5A football rout on Thursday night, Sept. 10, at Desert Edge.
Roskopf quickly carved up Notre Dame's defense, finding open receivers all over the field. He threw two touchdown passes to Jhaheem Brown and two to Zerek Sidney, including a 61-yarder that gave the top-ranked Scorpions (3-0) a 40-7 lead with five minutes left in the third quarter.
Roskopf, a Washington commit, has quietly thrown 12 touchdown passes in Desert Edge's first three games.
But the story of its season so far has been the defense, led by electric junior edge rusher Jalanie George, who had another monster game.
When Notre Dame's Austin Bush ran 3 yards for a score with 7:21 left in the second quarter, it was the first time this season that Desert Edge allowed a touchdown. The score came after Desert Edge twice lined up offsides on two Notre Dame field-goal tries. With short yardage, the Saints picked up first downs both times, leading to the score and a 7-6 lead.

#notre #touchdown #first

Happy game week and we hope that you're ready for tomorrow's Penn State game at Temple. Ahead of this matchup, I sent a few questions to Steve Helwick of Underdog Dynasty to preview this game. Steve is a regular around these parts with our opponent Q and A and you should head to our sister site to read more about Temple – and the rest of their conference brethren. Here's what Steve had to say about tomorrow's game.
It's year two for K.C. Keeler at Temple. He went 5-7 in his first year in Philadelphia. What do you make of his fit at Temple and what are expectations for the Owls the rest of this season?
K.C. Keeler has already proven to be an excellent fit at Temple. His résumé speaks for itself, and he is a proven winner even with a lack of resources. He won FCS national championships at both Delaware and Sam Houston, but his 10-win season at Sam Houston in year two of FBS membership might be his magnum opus. Additionally, he's a great fit since he has publicly declared this will be his final job, which promises Temple players and staffers a sense of stability.
Keeler walked into Philadelphia last year and immediately turned Temple into a 5-win team, after the Owls hadn't won more than three games in the entire 2020s. Temple fell one point short of both service academies, and flipping either result would have pushed the program into the postseason.
Temple played incredibly sound football in Keeler's first season, only losing four turnovers the entire year. The Owls should have lofty expectations considering they didn't lose a single starter to the transfer portal. However, they lack experience at quarterback and replacing Evan Simon is no easy task, which could present some challenges offensively. I would label bowl eligibility as a reasonable and attainable goal for this 2026 team.

2. There's a quarterback controversy right now, including former Penn Stater Jaxon Smolik. Where does that stand now and what do you expect from the offense against Penn State?

#year #penn

Texas A&M football's toughest non-conference game is here, as Arizona State visits Saturday in a clash between the Southeastern Conference and the Big 12.
The Aggies got off to a slow start in Week 1 before demolishing the Missouri State Bears 50-0. A&M quarterback Marcel Reed threw for 233 yards and two touchdowns on 21-of-30 passing, while the defense forced three fumbles and gave up 67 yards of offense.
MORE: What Texas A&M must do to make the CFP
The Sun Devils should be a much bigger challenge. Head coach Kenny Dillingham has led his alma mater to a 19-8 record over the past two seasons, including a College Football Playoff appearance in 2024. Arizona State began its fourth year under Dillingham by crushing Morgan State 70-7, with quarterback Cutter Boley throwing for 387 yards and six touchdowns on 21-of-27 passing.
Texas A&M quarterback Marcel Reed (10) looks for an open receiver during the round one College Football Playoff game against Miami at Kyle Field on Saturday, Dec. 20, 2025 in College Station, Texas. (Aaron E. Martinez/Austin American-Statesman)

#texas #quarterback #arizona

It appears the Minnesota Vikings lit a top 10 draft pick on fire by selecting J.J. McCarthy. Remarkably, it might not matter.
Like in 2024, head coach Kevin O'Connell has a high profile reclamation project ready to lead his offense. Sam Darnold got his team to 14 wins that fall. Now Kyler Murray gets the opportunity to do the same. He'll be flanked by the league's best wide receiving corps and a defense stuck on "shaken hornets nest" at all times.
Murray is playing on a one-year prove-it deal. He'll test himself against one of the toughest and deepest divisions in the NFL. Let's take a look at how Minnesota got here and what its 2026 might look like.
There's still time for JJ McCarthy to embody the potential the Vikings saw in him when they made him the 12th overall pick of the 2024 NFL Draft. But, uh, hoooo buddy, it doesn't look good. His 66.5 percent on-target throw rate ranked 33rd of 33 qualified quarterbacks, nearly three full points below No. 32 Caleb Williams. Since Pro Football Reference began charting that stat in 2019, only one player has been worse: Anthony Richardson in 2019. Ooooof.
That leaves Murray with a path to redemption after his Arizona Cardinals career flamed out. He's been a nest made of vacated promise after his Pro Bowl 2021 season. His 0.097 EPA per dropback since then ranks 20th out of 33 quarterbacks to play at least 1,000 snaps, just behind a diminished Kirk Cousins. But this is his age 29 season. But he was a useful dual-threat presence as recently as 2024 (where, admittedly, Arizona went 8-9) and now gets the most talented supporting cast of his career.

#minnesota #Vikings #mccarthy #since

Throughout the offseason, Chiefs players and coaches have spoken with a lot of excitement about running back Kenneth Walker and what he can bring to the offense.
That trend continued on Thursday with quarterback Patrick Mahomes, who noted the versatility Walker has displayed in practice through training camp.
"You've got to use that guy," Mahomes said of Walker in his Thursday press conference. "I mean, he's a talented football player. He runs tough. He has speed. He can break a touchdown at any moment. He can catch the ball. He does kind of it all.
"And so, when you have those guys on your team, you find ways to get them the football. If that's either just handing the ball off to them or throwing it to them, you've got to and so we got him for a reason. He came in with the right mindset and mentality, and he's really attacked this offseason. And so, I think he's as excited as anybody to get out there in Arrowhead and have Chiefs Kingdom behind him, and so him as well as Emmett [Johnson] and Brashard [Smith], I mean, we've got a good running back room, and we'll utilize those guys within this offense."
The first chance we'll all have to see Walker with the Chiefs will be on Monday night when the club takes on the Broncos.

#walker #chiefs #back #offense

Heading into the 2026 NFL season, Joe Brady is the NFL's youngest head coach at the ripe old age of 36. And while he has spent the past few years working with Josh Allen and directing one of the league's highest scoring offenses, Brady says his primary focus has always been on connecting with his players through his authentic, energetic approach to leadership.
"I never thought my identity was, 'I want to be a head coach,'" Brady told BuffaloBills.com. "I just wanted to call plays."
After spending time as Buffalo's quarterbacks coach (2022-23), interim offensive coordinator (2023) and offensive coordinator (2024-25), Brady realized he was ready to take on the challenge of being a head coach.
Today's edition of Buffalo Rumblinks leads off by breaking down Brady's leadership and coaching style, discussing what motivates Brady and finding out how Brady is bringing a new energy to the Bills.
Check out the ***** sments below and then let us know your thoughts in the comments section.

#head #heading

The San Francisco 49ers opened their 2026 regular season with an emphatic win over the NFC West-rival Los Angeles Rams by a 27-7 final score.
The Niners effectively silenced doubters through Week 1, with a dominant performance that will undoubtedly reposition some stances taken with San Francisco and just how good it can be.
The defense allowed just one score and the offense scored 24 unanswered points after going down 7-3 early in the second quarter. Quarterback Brock Purdy completed 25 of 34 passes for 205 yards and three touchdowns.
"I mean, at the end of the day, it comes down to playing our style of ball, doing what coaches coach us up to do, and running our plays," Purdy said in a postgame interview with Netflix. "Obviously, you got to respect the other guys on the other side, and we know what they can do. But at the end of the day, man, it comes down to executing, protecting the ball, moving the ball, getting points on (the) board, keeping it simple."
It was an overall team effort that forces others to look closer at what's going on with San Francisco. Here's what we learned from the 49ers' Week 1 victory against the Rams:

#francisco #down #Purdy

The San Francisco 49ers came out firing on every cylinder to deliver a 27-7 beatdown Down Under of the Los Angeles Rams. From the decision to arrive early to their piling on late scoring, how well did Brock Purdy, Kyle Shanahan and the crew do in upsetting the Super Bowl favorites to start the season?
Offense: A-
The old guys ruled. And that Kaelon Black kid wasn't too shabby. A 30-something (Demarcus Robinson, Mike Evans, Deebo Samuel) accounted for their three TDs and an almost 40-something, Trent Williams, was the best of the bunch, because you and I had as many tackles, QB hits and sacks as Rams' All-Universe pass rusher Myles Garrett. Less happily, De'Zhaun Stribling and Jake Tonges were carted away in the second quarter. George Kittle was a rumor. Yet Brock Purdy didn't notice. Outside of a horrific interception, Purdy was terrific with his arm, legs and swaggy first-down celebrations. Does Christian McCaffrey finally have a caddy? Yes. Rookie Black looked excellent in a real game after resembling a third-round find in the spring and summer.
Defense: A+
Raheem Morris in 2028? The well-respected new defensive coordinator looked like Bill Belichick (the pre-2022 version) while his unit made the reigning NFL MVP Matthew Stafford look ordinary. Sorry, correction: not just ordinary, but awful. Having Nick Bosa, Fred Warner and Dre Greenlaw (combined games played for 49ers in 2025: 9) back together did give Morris some added IQ points. The LB duo turned out the lights on the Rams when Greenlaw held up Tyler Higbee and Warner peanut-punched the ball out. The 49ers didn't have a sack, but they made Stafford unsettled. Osa Odighizuwa had four of their eight QB hits, including a pressure that led to Stafford's INT.

#greenlaw

WATERBURY - High school football's double-wing offense is affectionately known by smashmouth running game enthusiasts as the "hammer."
Naugatuck was down 14 points in its season opener against Holy Cross on Thursday night at Municipal Stadium's Ray Snyder Sr. Field, but that changed once the visitors went to the hammer offense.
The Greyhounds scored three unanswered touchdowns, the last two runs of 15 and 4 yards by Brandon Andoh behind a monster offensive line, to stun the Crusaders 27-20.
Andoh's 4-yard score with 33.4 seconds left in the game and Gabriel Bello's third extra point in four attempts gave Naugatuck a 7-point lead, its first of the game.
The Greyhounds' defense made sure a last-ditch Hail Mary pass from Crusaders quarterback Brady Lombardo came up short of the end zone. That set off a massive celebration by Naugatuck and its student section.

#game #last

MIAMI GARDENS, Fla. — No. 7 Miami set a school record for yards and tied the mark for points in a game, with quarterbacks Darian Mensah and Luke Nickel each throwing three touchdown passes in a 77-7 victory over lower-division Florida A&M on Thursday night.
The Hurricanes finished with 856 yards, breaking the mark of 750 against Ball State in 2024. Miami had 77 points in a game twice previously, both against Savannah State. And the game was so one-sided that the teams agreed to shave five minutes off the fourth quarter, setting the clock for 10 minutes instead of the standard 15.
By then, it was 77-0. The Hurricanes (2-0) finished with 42 first downs — another school record.
"Pretty ridiculous," Mensah said when asked about a Miami offense that has scored 122 points in the season's first two games. "It's just a testament to the guys up front."
Florida A&M (1-2) scored on a 72-yard fumble return by Caleb McKenzie with 6:40 left.

#points #mensah #record

An early Los Angeles Rams celebration poking fun at a widely discussed travel debate backfired spectacularly against the 49ers when San Francisco responded with 24 unanswered points to secure a Week 1 win in Melbourne, Australia.
In the days leading up to this season-opening NFC West matchup, the discourse surrounding the game was less about the players on the field, and more about the way they'd get there from the United States. With the game set to take place in Melbourne on Friday morning local time, each team tried a different approach to account for the 17-hour time difference from California (where it was still Thursday afternoon). The Niners flew out of San Francisco last Wednesday to get acclimated to the new time zone and have a full week of practice. The Rams, meanwhile, did not fly in until the day before the game, with the thought of keeping their players' biological clocks on West Coast time.
It became clear that the Week 1 affair would be a referendum on the superior preparation approach, and, at first, it certainly looked like the Rams made the smarter choice. They were dominant early and scored the game's first touchdown. Los Angeles even made fun of the whole debate early in the second quarter after a bad Brock Purdy pick. The whole defense celebrated in the end zone with players taking a nap on the grass.
However, it proved to be a bit early to spike the proverbial football. The Rams followed up with an inexplicable interception of their own, and the Niners drove 86 yards down the field for their first touchdown of the game. From there, things completely fell apart for Los Angeles as the Raheem Morris-led Niners defense kept the Rams from doing anything, and Kyle Shanahan's offense somehow turned Myles Garrett - the biggest acquisition in the NFL this offseason - completely invisible. San Francisco scored 24 straight points, including seven from a 99-yard drive down the field, and even forced two more turnovers.
Linebacker Fred Warner even gave a response of his own, getting a Steph Curry-style night-night celebration off in his first game since fracturing his ankle last season.

#Rams #game #angeles

DELMAR - The Columbia football team opened a lot of eyes with its Week 1 victory over Queensbury. For those still wondering whether that win was an aberration, the Blue Devils showed Bethlehem Thursday evening that they are a force to be reckoned with.
Columbia shook off a slow start and registered another impressive all-around performance in posting a 31-0 Class A road victory over the Eagles.
It seemed apropos that Columbia senior two-way lineman Adam Burek departed the field after the game with a sledgehammer draped over his right shoulder. The Blue Devils sure brought the muscle Thursday.
The Blue Devils (2-0 overall, 2-0 Class A) were coming off a resounding 48-27 Week 1 triumph over Queensbury, a team that knocked Columbia out of the Class A playoffs in 2025 and 2024. Thursday, Columbia generated a 443-138 edge in offense and never allowed Bethlehem (0-2, 0-2) to reach the red zone.
"It feels great. We had a great offseason with all the guys. We had a good camp and we have really just brought it together the last two weeks," Burek said.

#blue #bethlehem #burek #team

Josh Norris makes his regular season pod debut as he joins Matt Harmon for our weekend preview pod. Norris identifies the six most pressing fantasy questions we want answered in Week 1 and Harmon reveals the 3 'sicko' games he's paying attention to for fantasy. The two end the show taking your mailbag questions about the players you are most nervous to start in Week 1.
(2:30) 49ers 27, Rams 7
(34:05) - Question 1: Can the Raiders function without Brock Bowers?
(44:30) - Question 2: What's the Packers plan for their backfield?
(51:10) - Question 3: Eagles were last in the NFL in terms of drives that went 3 and out last season, how does Sean Mannion's offense fix that?

#question #season #questions

MELBOURNE, Australia - The San Francisco 49ers defeated the Los Angeles Rams in convincing fashion in their season-opener Friday afternoon (Thursday night in the United States), 27-7, at Melbourne Cricket Ground.
After arriving in Australia a week before kickoff, the 49ers looked far more energized than the Super Bowl-favorite Rams, who touched down just more than 24 hours before the game and appeared visibly exhausted. Last year's NFL MVP, Matthew Stafford, looked helpless against a disruptive 49ers defense, while Brock Purdy diced up the opposition that was littered with big-time offseason acquisitions.
Here are immediate takeaways from the 49ers' commanding first win, in front of an announced crowd of 100,021.
Against a Rams defense that added defensive end Myles Garrett and cornerback Trent McDuffie, the 49ers had little trouble. They converted seven of 12 third downs and totaled 379 yards of offense. The ground game in particular was impressive, where San Francisco averaged 5.9 yards per attempt.
Rookie running back Kaelon Black added some zip to San Francisco's offense - and, as an added bonus, took much of the load off of 30-year-old Christian McCaffrey - rushing for 65 yards on 14 attempts. McCaffrey still featured in the offense, touching the ball 15 times, but his services weren't as needed once San Francisco went up 17 points in the third quarter.

#mccaffrey

The Los Angeles Rams time in Melbourne, Australia was short-lived and that might be for the best as LA suffered a 27-7 loss to the San Francisco 49ers on Thursday Night (Friday morning for others). Some might question the Rams decision to fly in the day before the game, although that did not seem to be a significant influence on the outcome in my opinion. Why did the Rams lose? Well here are 4 takeaways from Los Angeles's week one loss to their division rivals.
After picking off a Brock Purdy pass, Stafford turned the ball back over to the San Francisco 49ers on 3rd & 10 from the SF 35. Instead of taking his underneath option (Terrance Ferguson), Stafford tried to force a pass on a deep corner to Puka Nacua. The ball was underthrown; giving SF momentum and taking 3 points off the board for LA. Had the Rams kicked the field goal on 4th down, they would have had a 10-3 lead.
The other self-inflicted mistake was the turnover on downs with 3:46 left in the 3rd quarter. The Rams could not punch the ball in the endzone from 2nd, 3rd, and 4th & Goal (all within the 3 yard line). The latter being 4th & 1/2 yard. Those are simply must-have situations when down 10.
The Rams allowed 30 rushing attempts for 174 yards (5.8 yards per carry). The Rams won't beat a Kyle Shanahan offense with that type of formula. No, it wasn't because Aaron Donald was inactive. The Rams simply did not win the trenches getting pushed off the ball. Chris Shula will need to take a deep look at how to counter the 49ers usage of chips on his edge players as Myles Garrett was a non-factor in rushing the passer but also in defending the run.
The Rams offense was one of the best in 2025 because they were constantly in favorable down & distances. In this game against the 49ers, their 3rd down distances were: 5 yards, 2 yards, 6 yards, 10 yards, 13 yards, 1 yard, 2 yards, 15 yards, and 10 yards. The only true conversion was on 3rd & 2 via a Kyren Williams run. The other conversion was via defensive pass interference call late in the game.

#ball #game #pass #francisco

The Los Angeles Rams were blown out by the San Francisco 49ers by a score of 27-7, losing in the NFL's first-ever game in Melbourne, Australia. Here are five observations from the embarrassing defeat.
One has to hope that the reason why the Rams played as awfully as they did was the travel. I do not share that hope. Sean McVay and Chris Shula got outclassed by Kyle Shanahan and Raheem Morris. Shanahan relied on his usual tactics of targeting the Rams' underbelly with the pass, while softening up their interior with the run. After enough times, Shanahan pulled the defense in to take the top off.
Morris knows McVay like the back of his championship hand. It was the second straight year that Morris outmaneuvered every attack McVay threw at him. It's not surprising that Morris is behind the Rams' two ugliest losses in recent memory.
This is a third straight year that Shanahan has run the same thing against Shula and succeeded. When both sides are at full strength, the Rams lose, and relying on a battle of attrition to beat the 49ers over the course of the season isn't exactly an awful move, but it's one that reeks of defeatism. The Rams were defeated decisively. Aaron Donald isn't fixing this.
LaFleur left for Arizona, and it appears he took the Rams' short passing attack with him. The offense could not move the ball through the air at all, and despite the addition of Kliff Kingsbury and the elevation of Nate Scheelhaase, the McVay offense was pedestrian.

#shula

MILFORD – With the dynamic duo of wideout Eli Rosenberg and quarterback Vincent Loscerbo, the Milford High football team certainly delivered their opening statements convincingly Thursday night.
The senior co-captain hauled in five receptions for 147 yards and three touchdowns and the junior signal caller completed eight of 12 passes for 211 yards and three scores as the Scarlet Hawks amassed a total of 476 yards in offense en route to a 49-7 grounding of Framingham in a non-league, season-opening matchup at Milford High's turf field.
"Honestly I didn't know what to expect heading into the season,'' said veteran Milford ******* istant coach Dana Olson. "We have a very young team, and we're relying on sophomores and juniors to help carry this team. With the new MIAA rules, we didn't have a lot of time to prepare, and we only had one scrimmage, so we weren't really sure of how things were going to turn out, but I'm happy with the way the guys performed. Sure we made some silly mistakes and committed some penalties, but we'll work on correcting them as the season moves forward."
As the estimated crowd of approximately 2,000 spectators looked on, the Scarlet Hawks struck on the first play of the contest
On the game's first play from scrimmage at their own 39-yard line, the Scarlet Hawks drew first blood and grabbed a 7-0 lead just :12 into the contest. On a backwards pass from Loscerbo to sophomore reserve quarterback Logan Snaddon, who fired a perfect strike downfield to Rosenberg, who raced into the end zone untouched for the 7-0 lead.

#team #season #rosenberg #loscerbo