FLASHUPDATE WEEK 4 TEAM NOTES/Wednesday, 1 October, 2014
Compiled By FlashUpdate Editor Bob Harris

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ARIZONA CARDINALS
According to AZCardinals.com's Kyle Odegard, Carson Palmer's return to action against the Broncos on Sunday may not be a slam dunk.
While the Cardinals were encouraged after he threw passes last Wednesday before the bye week, the veteran quarterback's shoulder injury did not progress as well as hoped over the weekend.
"I was hoping to be throwing more than I am," Palmer said. "It's slowly improving. Nothing ever improves as fast as you want it to. I'll just continue to stay on what I have been doing and hopefully it continues to progress."
Palmer has missed the past two games after he hit the shoulder on the ground in the season-opening victory over the Chargers, which resulted in a nerve issue. He finished the game but hasn't done much throwing since.
Drew Stanton has gone 2-0 in his stead, completing 32-of-62 passes for 411 yards with two touchdowns and no interceptions in victories over the Giants and 49ers. Palmer has praised the job done by Stanton but hopes to return to action quickly.
"I'm always optimistic," Palmer said. "I wish I could predict the future. I wish I knew exactly what was going to happen. Just have to continue to do the rehab, it continues to progress and hopefully there are no bumps in the road."
The players had Tuesday off, and head coach Bruce Arians said the practices on Wednesday and Thursday are crucial to determine the likelihood of Palmer playing in Denver. When asked if he had a gut feeling on if Palmer will start, Arians said, "I quit trusting my gut a long time ago. ..."
Worth noting: FOXSports 910's Mike Jurecki reported early Wednesday afternoon that Palmer will seek a second opinion on the shoulder.
Stay tuned. This is obviously one I'll be following closely in coming days. Keep an eye on the Late-Breaking Updates section for more as the week progresses. ...
In a related note. ... ESPN.com's Josh Weinfuss reports that Arians saw enough of his quarterbacks diving head first during Arizona's first three games this season.
Last Wednesday, the trio of Palmer, Stanton and Logan Thomas worked on their feet-first, baseball-style slides with the help of some padding and quarterbacks coach Freddie Kitchens.
"We got better," Palmer said.
The quarterbacks' slides have become a topic this season because of Palmer and Stanton.
In Week 1, Palmer took on a San Diego safety shoulder first on a scramble, which led to the bruised nerves in his right shoulder. In Week 3, Stanton dived head first after scrambling in the second quarter, a play Arians would later say scared him.
Second-base style slides were emphasized Wednesday, in which the quarterbacks cross one leg under the other outstretched leg. Stanton slid like that in the third quarter Sunday against San Francisco but was hit high and drew a penalty. Because he slid, though, he was protected by NFL rules, which highlighted the importance of sliding.
However, during Wednesday's practice, Palmer chided Stanton's sliding.
"Drew was the worst and Drew's a great baseball player," Palmer said, referring to Stanton playing a year of college baseball at Michigan State. "He looked like a train wreck and that kind of makes sense why he goes head first because his feet-first slide is so bad.
"Logan was actually really good. He looked like a baseball player doing it and I was somewhere in the middle. ..."
Other notes of interest. ...According to the Sports Xchange, the team's rushing statistics have not been eye-popping to date. But they reveal efficiency: 317 yards in three games, a 3.9-yard average per rush. Starting running back Andre Ellington has been limited by injury, which has meant fewer explosive plays. But the offensive line is blocking better than it has in a decade, and the Cardinals have been able to close out two of three games on the ground.
And overall, Ellington has been surprisingly productive despite playing with a partially torn ligament in his foot. He should be healthier after a week off.
Tight end Rob Housler should be ready to play this week after missing Week 3 with a hip injury. Housler, one of two starting tight ends, has caught the ball well so far this season. 

DEPTH CHART AS OF WEDNESDAY AT 14:00 CT  
QB: Carson Palmer, Drew Stanton, Logan Thomas 
RB: Andre Ellington, Stepfan Taylor, Marion Grice 
FB: Robert Hughes 
WR: Michael Floyd, Larry Fitzgerald, John Brown, Ted Ginn, Jaron Brown, Walt Brown 
TE: John Carlson, Darren Fells, Robert Housler, Troy Niklas 
PK: Chandler Catanzaro 
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ATLANTA FALCONS
As Associated Press sports writer Charles Odum suggested on Tuesday, the Falcons' current stretch of road games would be a challenge even under ideal circumstances.
Given Atlanta's recent lack of success away from the Georgia Dome and its sudden crisis on the offensive line, the brutal travel schedule is especially imposing.
Sunday's 41-28 loss at Minnesota was the start of a stretch where the Falcons play six of seven games away from Atlanta, including next week's visit to the Giants. Their only game in Atlanta in that stretch is against the Bears on Oct. 12.
The Falcons are listed as the home team on Oct. 26 -- but it's their longest trip of all, in London against Detroit.
The loss at Minnesota left Atlanta 0-2 on the road this year. They have lost nine of 10 road games since the start of the 2013 season.
Strong wins at home have kept the Falcons (2-2) tied for first in the unimpressive NFC South. Head coach Mike Smith isn't deceived. He said he knows his team can't expect to make the playoffs without a turnaround on the road.
"That's something we have to address," Smith said Monday. "We've had conversations as a coaching staff; we've had conversations with players. It's hard to win on the road, but if you're going to be the type of team that every team is trying to be and that's play in the second season, you've got to at least split on the road.
"Right now we've not played anywhere close to be able to get the outcome we want. We'll continue to talk about it and address it as a staff and as a team."
Injuries are the most pressing concern.
Atlanta lost three starting offensive linemen -- center Joe Hawley (knee), right tackle Lamar Holmes (foot) and left guard Justin Blalock (back) -- to injuries in Sunday's game. Safety William Moore (shoulder) also left the game.
Hawley and Holmes left the stadium on crutches. Tight end Levine Toilolo had to play right tackle in the fourth quarter.
The team place Hawley and Holmes on injured reserve, ending their seasons.
The Falcons dressed seven offensive linemen in Minnesota as tackle Ryan Schraeder and rookie center/guard James Stone were inactive. Peter Konz finished the game at center for Hawley while Gabe Carimi finished at left guard for Blalock.
The Falcons announced they will promote guard Harland Gunn from the practice squad. The Falcons also worked out center/guard Leroy Harris on Tuesday.
"I think we just have to regroup," rookie left tackle Jake Matthews said. "We have to look back at the film and see what things we did well. Obviously, there was a lot that we needed to improve on. Losing three key guys like that is never easy. I've never been a part of a game where we're playing with just four offensive linemen."
Like Matt Ryan said, it significantly limited what the offense was able to accomplish in the fourth quarter as the Falcons tried to erase a 10-point deficit. Ryan was intercepted by Vikings safety Harrison Smith with 3 minutes, 30 seconds to play. He threw another interception on a desperation throw as time expired.
Now, the Falcons have to put this game behind and hope that the offensive line is healthy enough to move forward. According to ESPN.com's Vaughn McClure, Schraeder and Stone appear destined to be active for Sunday's game against the New York Giants.
Promoting guard Harland Gunn from the practice squad would be another option for more depth. And the team could look outside for help as well, if needed.
All that said, before being decimated by injuries along the offensive line, the offense posted 28 points and had 411 yards against the Vikings.
"This team was basically built offensively with all of our players," wide receiver Roddy White said. "In games like (the loss to Minnesota), we have to find a way to win on offense. Even when it is a shootout and we were able to take the lead, I felt like we need to score another touchdown or two."
Ryan agreed with White.
"Yeah, absolutely we can," Ryan said after being asked if the offense could win in shootout or high-scoring games.
Other notes of interest. ... According to the Sports Xchange, White tied wide receiver Terance Mathis for the franchise lead in receiving touchdowns when he caught his 57th career score on a 24-yard pass from Ryan. White finished the game with four catches for 73 yards and a score. His 57 touchdowns are the 12th most among active receivers and he trails RB Michael Turner (61) for the franchise record for overall touchdowns.
With his three-TD day against the Vikings, Ryan has thrown multiple touchdowns in five of his last six games dating back to last season. The Falcons lost for just the second time when he throws three or more touchdowns (20-2). ...
As Profootballtalk.com's Michael David Smith notes, Devin Hester continues to amaze. Hester continued to show that he's more than just a kick returner for the Falcons on Sunday, catching five passes for 70 yards and a touchdown.
But the reason he's a future Hall of Famer is that he's the greatest return man in history, and even though he didn't break any long returns on Sunday, he affects the game when he doesn't touch the ball because opposing teams are so concerned about kicking away from him that they kick the ball short. V
Vikings coach Mike Zimmer told the FOX broadcast team, "We don't want it anywhere near Devin Hester," and the Vikings' first punt went just 24 yards as a result. ...
Harry Douglas (foot) was expected to practice this week after sitting out last week's game, but he wasn't on the field Wednesday. Douglas injured his left foot in the win over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. He was listed as full participant in practice on Wednesday, but was limited to end the week. It sounds like he'll be ready this week, but I'll be following up. ...
The Falcons rushed for 123 yards on 22 carries. Antone Smith led the backs with 62 yards on four carries. Steven Jackson, who gave up on a few runs too early and cut back into traffic, rushed for 49 yards on 13 carries.
As McClure noted, it's hard not to acknowledge the efforts of Smith, who scored on a 48-yard touchdown run in the third quarter. It was Smith's third touchdown on the season on just 13 touches. He showed great explosion once again, although he has been battling a hamstring injury since preseason.
"To put it simply," McClure wrote, "the Falcons have to find a way to get Smith more involved instead of just talking about how he deserves more touches."
Worth noting: As McClure pointed out, as the Falcons get prepared for Sunday's road trip to face the New York Giants, they'll need to pack a stout run defense with them -- if that's at all possible.
Right now, the Falcons rank 28th in the league against the run, yielding 153.5 yards per game. The fact that they can't stop the run has contributed to them being unable to put opponents in third-and-long situations. As a result, they've been unable to get consistent pressure on opposing quarterbacks and rank second to last in the league in sacks per pass play.
A more focused rushing attack by Atlanta would solve some problems.
One last note here. ... The team placed safety William Moore on injured reserve with a designation to return. Moore will be eligible to return to the field in eight weeks. The Falcons promoted safety Sean Baker from the practice squad. 

DEPTH CHART AS OF WEDNESDAY AT 14:00 CT  
QB: Matt Ryan, T.J. Yates, Sean Renfree 
RB: Steven Jackson, Jacquizz Rodgers, Antone Smith, Devonta Freeman, Patrick DiMarco 
WR: Julio Jones, Roddy White, Harry Douglas, Devin Hester, Courtney Roby, Eric Weems 
TE: Levine Toilolo, Bear Pascoe 
PK: Matt Bryant 
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BALTIMORE RAVENS
According to Associated Press sports writer David Ginsburg, the most surprising aspect of Steve Smith's performance against the Panthers was that it didn't include taunts or bluster.
Smith opted to punish the Panthers through his play on the field, and by the end of the afternoon the 35-year-old receiver had made a definitive statement.
Smith burned his former team with seven catches for 139 yards and two touchdowns, leading the Baltimore Ravens to a 38-10 victory Sunday.
Smith spent 13 seasons with Carolina before he was released during the offseason in a cost-cutting move. Proving he's still got a knack for making the big play, Smith scored twice in the second quarter to help put Baltimore (3-1) in front 21-7 at halftime.
And he didn't get in the face of the defender on either occasion.
"I didn't have anything good, bad or indifferent to say. I just played. At the end of the day, honestly they didn't deserve anything I had to say that would be derogatory -- and I didn't need to," Smith said. "They didn't even deserve me to spin the ball on them. I just caught it and put it down and went about my business."
His first touchdown came on a pass that deflected off the right hand of teammate Owen Daniels. Smith caught the ball in stride and took it into the end zone to complete a 61-yard play.
Nothing the Panthers haven't seen before.
"He did some really good things," Carolina coach Ron Rivera said. "And that's who Steve is."
Smith also scored from 21 yards out with a diving reception. He celebrated in dignified fashion, taking the ball with him to the sideline for safekeeping.
It was also a huge day for Joe Flacco, went 22 of 31 for 327 yards and three touchdowns.
Before the game, it was evident to head coach John Harbaugh that Smith was going to keep his yapping to a minimum.
"He recognized the gravity of the situation," Harbaugh said, "the need to get control of those emotions."
Fantasy owners, of course, aren't all that interested in the emotions and bluster. We're interested in the numbers. And Smith has been killing it in that department.
Here's a look at the Flacco-Smith production by the numbers from ESPN.com's Jamison Hensley:
1 -- Number of multi-touchdown games for Smith with Flacco as his quarterback. It happened Sunday and marked Smith's first since Cam Newton's debut in Week 1 of 2011.
2 -- Touchdown catches of at least 60 yards by Smith this season. Flacco hasn't thrown that number of touchdown passes of at least 60 yards since 2009 with Derrick Mason, who also had two.
8 -- Smith's catches over 20 yards this season. Only Julio Jones has more with 11.
9 -- Fourth-quarter catches by Smith. Only Jimmy Graham has more with 10.
120.9 -- Flacco's passer rating when throwing to Smith. It's the fifth highest in the NFL.
122 -- Smith's receiving yards at halftime Sunday against his former team. The Panthers' receivers had 112 yards combined at the half.
127 -- Flacco's passing yards to Smith when he is under duress. That's the most to one receiver in such situations this season.
204 -- Smith's receiving yards on third downs this season, which leads the NFL.
429 -- Smith's receiving yards this season, which ranks third in the league. Only Jordy Nelson (459) and Jones (447) have more. ...
By the way, Smith now has 29 career catches of 50 or more yards, the most among active players.
In total, Smith's 429 yards receiving are the most by an NFL player over age 35 in the first four games of a season. Harbaugh was hoping Smith would be productive when the Ravens signed him in March. He saw Smith on tape making tacklers miss and covering a lot of ground with that long stride.
"But, the kind of production he's had, it would be pretty hard to predict that," Harbaugh said.
Owners who passed on Smith in their fantasy drafts would agree. ...
Other notes of interest. ... According to Hensley, whether Justin Forsett starts for a third straight week is up to the coaching staff. There's just no argument that the veteran journeyman has done everything he can to keep hold of the job.
Forsett totaled 97 yards and one touchdown against the Panthers. The impressive part isn't that he's the only Ravens running back to gain at least 70 yards total yards in every game this season. It's how he's gained those yards.
Known more his speed and catching ability, Forsett is showing he can grind out yards inside and break tackles downfield.
The problem for fantasy owners is obvious. It's become a weekly guessing game with the Ravens running backs because there's not much logic to it.
Forsett led the team in rushing in the season opener, and the Ravens started Bernard Pierce in Week 2. Pierce was active for Sunday's game, but Forsett got the start against Carolina.
After the game, Harbaugh said Pierce wasn't at full strength and won't get out on the field until he's 100 percent. Pierce was listed as probable with a thigh injury.
Still, Hensley wonders whether the Ravens will stick with Forsett because he's more durable than Pierce and more experienced than Lorenzo Taliaferro. Harbaugh was complimentary of Forsett after the game.
"He's making yards after the hit on his own. That's kind of how you measure a back," Harbaugh said. "I remember reading Woody Hayes' book when I was a kid, and he called it 'a string of pearls.' How many tacklers can you leave in your wake? That kind of is a measurement of a great back. And Justin is playing that way."
Overall, the Ravens rushed for 127 yards on 30 carries. Taliaferro contributed 58 yards and a touchdown run on 15 carries.
Forsett leads the Ravens with 255 yards on 44 carries and is averaging 5.8 yards per carry. He's on pace to finish with 1,020 yards for the season. ...
If there's been one shortcoming on the offense, it's that Jacoby Jones has only three catches and more than twice as many drops.
"I think he's pressing, I really do," Harbaugh said. "Jacoby's got a lot of pride. He made big, big plays in this league before and he wants to pick up where he left off. It hasn't happened for him. The key is persistence. Keep hammering. Don't get down on yourself. ..."
This marked the third straight game in which Flacco wasn't sacked. That gave Flacco plenty of time to throw three touchdowns, the 15th time he's done that in his career.
One last note. ... The Ravens begin a stretch in which they play four of their next five games on the road. Their first stop is Sunday at the Indianapolis Colts (2-2). 

DEPTH CHART AS OF WEDNESDAY AT 14:00 CT  
QB: Joe Flacco, Tyrod Taylor 
RB: Justin Forsett, Bernard Pierce, Lorenzo Taliaferro 
FB: Kyle Juszczyk 
WR: Steve Smith, Torrey Smith, Marlon Brown, Jacoby Jones, Kamar Aiken, Deonte Thompson, LaQuan Williams 
TE: Owen Daniels, Crockett Gillmore, Phillip Supernaw 
PK: Justin Tucker 
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BUFFALO BILLS
Head coach Doug Marrone benched starting quarterback EJ Manuel on Monday, one day after the former first-round draft pick completed less than half his passes and threw two interceptions in a loss to Houston.
Marrone said Kyle Orton will start Sunday's game against the Detroit Lions. The Bills signed Orton on Aug. 30 to back up Manuel.
Manuel was the Bills' first-round draft pick in 2013 and had started 14 games over the past two seasons.
He had a season-low quarterback rating of 59.4 and threw an interception to J.J. Watt that was returned for a momentum-changing touchdown Sunday during the Bills' 23-17 loss. Manuel has completed just 58 percent of his passes for Buffalo (2-2) through four games this year.
Orton, a nine-year NFL veteran, spent the past two seasons in Dallas before being cut by the Cowboys in mid-July after he skipped the team's offseason workouts amid reports that he was considering retirement.
As Associated Press sports writer Jonah Bronstein noted, while Manuel has size and mobility, his decision-making and leadership have been questioned. He acknowledged needing better command of the offense days before the season opener, and understood that he had plenty to prove in showing he's capable of being a bona fide starter.
Manuel also faced injury issues last year that hampered his development. He missed six regular season games and went 4-6 in 10 starts.
Manuel got off to an encouraging start in helping the Bills open with two wins this year. The familiar troubles, however, popped up in Buffalo's past two losses.
The Bills invested heavily to improve their offense this season in order to give Manuel every chance to succeed. It made its biggest splash in the draft when it traded next year's first-round selection to move up five spots and select dynamic receiver Sammy Watkins with the No. 4 pick. The Bills also used three of its seven selections on offensive linemen, and acquired wide receiver Mike Williams in a trade with Tampa Bay.
Marrone said as Orton began practicing with the team that the Bills first targeted Orton early in training camp as a backup, saying the need for a contingency plan emerged when former backups Thad Lewis and Jeff Tuel didn't show enough progress. ...
For the record, Orton, a ninth-year veteran, has not played since the 2013 season finale for Dallas on Dec. 29. That day he completed 30 of 46 passes for 358 yards with two touchdowns and two interceptions in a 24-22 loss to Philadelphia. He is 35-35 as an NFL starter.
Meanwhile, as Profootballtalk.com's Mike Florio reminded readers, Marrone was miffed that the front office decided to sign Orton. Marrone believed that the move would undermine the potentially fragile confidence of Manuel.
Now, Marrone feels differently.
Indeed, a league source told Florio the decision to bench Manuel in favor of Orton was Marrone's call. Presumably, Marrone realizes that new owners Terry and Kim Pegula will clean house unless the team is so good that the fans wouldn't tolerate change.
And so in a last-ditch effort to avoid change at the highest levels of the football operation, Marrone needed to change quarterbacks. ...
Other notes of interest. ... As ESPN.com's Mike Rodak pointed out, the Bills spent three first-round picks to acquire Manuel and Watkins. Given that sort of investment, those two players should be among the team's strengths. Instead, they've been Buffalo's greatest weaknesses through the first quarter of the season.
Now that Manuel won't be a weakness, what will that mean for Watkins?
Besides his eight-catch, 117-yard outing in Week 2, Watkins has been disappointing. His first two targets Sunday were dropped. One week ago, Watkins admitted he "took a play off" when he was unable to catch an accurate Manuel pass late in a loss to San Diego.
The Bills traded away their first-round pick next season to add Watkins, they spent a second-round pick last season on Robert Woods, and they shipped out a sixth-round pick for the troubled Williams.
Woods did not have a good day against the Texans. He was targeted 12 times but caught only three for 17 yards.
Orton's chances of getting something out of that group seems much better than Manuel's.
Remember, the Bills entered Week 4 as just one of two teams without a drop, according to ESPN Stats & Information. That changed quickly after Watkins dropped his first two targets Sunday from Manuel.
Even when the Bills' offense is down as a whole, Fred Jackson keeps on trucking. He led the team with six catches, the second consecutive game that he's topped the Bills' receiving charts. Jackson, the NFL's oldest running back at 33, added 33 yards on seven rushes.
But overall, the rushing attack wasn't great. C.J. Spiller rushed 15 times for 60 yards. That was it, against a run defense that wasn't very good and could be exploited. The Bills are normally a run-first team, but they weren't in this game, and it may have cost them. According to the Sports Xchange, the line was opening holes, but it struggled in pass protection, so shying away from the ground was quizzical. 

DEPTH CHART AS OF WEDNESDAY AT 14:00 CT  
QB: Kyle Orton, E.J. Manuel 
RB: Fred Jackson, C.J. Spiller, Anthony Dixon, Bryce Brown 
WR: Sammy Watkins, Robert Woods, Mike Williams, Marquise Goodwin, Marcus Easley, Chris Hogan 
TE: Scott Chandler, Lee Smith, Chris Gragg 
PK: Dan Carpenter 
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CAROLINA PANTHERS
DeAngelo Williams is "doubtful" for this weekend's game against the Bears, the latest setback for Carolina's ground game.
As Associated Press sports writer Steve Reed noted, Williams, who had just returned to the Panthers' lineup after missing the last two games with a bad hamstring, suffered an ankle injury during the second quarter of Sunday's game against the Baltimore Ravens.
"His foot's sore," head coach Ron Rivera said Monday. "It doesn't look like it's anything structural, but it's sore. So he's probably going to start this week off as 'doubtful."'
Williams, who Reed reports was seen in the locker room Monday wearing a walking boot on his left foot, will be reevaluated later this week, the coach said.
Worth noting, Williams told fans at a reception that he suffered a high ankle sprain. In addition, a photo that Williams posted to Twitter on Wednesday shows a little girl signing a pink cast on his lower right leg and the presence of that cast suggests that Williams is going to miss that game and possibly others as he tries to recover.
Whatever the case, his absence from the lineup, however long it may be, further hits a Panthers roster already thin at running back.
Pro Bowl fullback Mike Tolbert was put on short-term injured reserve last week with a hairline fracture in his left leg, and will not be eligible to return to the lineup until mid-November. Jonathan Stewart (sprained right knee) and Fozzy Whittaker (quadriceps) are out indefinitely, and backup fullback Richie Brockel hurt his ankle Sunday.
That leaves Charlotte with only two healthy running backs -- undrafted rookie Darrin Reaves, who had 26 yards on 12 carries against the Ravens, and free agent Tauren Poole, who fumbled on his first career carry last week.
"I'm sore, but I'm glad to be sore," said Reaves, who Rivera has said will be the starter against the Bears. "I hadn't played that much in a long time, but I'm feeling good. I couldn't let myself feel overwhelmed by the situation. It was like, 'Okay, it's my time, so let's go.' I had to go do it, because my team needed me.
"It feels good. I'm starting to be able to live my dreams out, and that's a good feeling. Not under the circumstances we have, with so many guys dinged up, but it's still a good feeling."
The effect of the injuries on the Panthers' offense was evident against Baltimore. Carolina finished with 67 rushing yards, the third straight game the Panthers have failed to gain at least 100 yards on the ground.
Rivera said that Panthers officials were considering bringing in a free agent to shore up Carolina's running game and they did just that later Tuesday, when they signed free agent Chris Ogbonnaya.
Ogbonnaya, 6-0 and 225 pounds, spent most of the past three seasons with the Cleveland Browns. In 2013, he played in 16 games with seven starts for the Browns, totaling 240 rushing yards on 49 carries and 343 receiving yards and two touchdowns on 48 receptions.
In his career, Ogbonnaya has played in 46 games with 12 starts, rushing 144 times for 660 yards and one touchdown. He has added 96 receptions for 714 yards and two touchdowns.
Poole was released to make room on the roster.
Meanwhile, Rivera said that Whittaker would return to practice on Wednesday. Stewart also returned to work. However, their status for this weekend's game, is still undecided. Brockel said his injury wasn't structural, and that he should be ready to play against the Bears.
"We'll see how (Stewart) is on Wednesday," Rivera said. "He did a little bit of work on Friday and Saturday, and didn't look as good as I was hoping. We'll see how he is come Wednesday when he does some more work.
"Fozzy did some good things for us (in the preseason), but he's coming off an injury, so I don't know how available he'll be. That's why hopefully Reaves will continue to get better, and if we end up having an emergency guy come it, hopefully that's the kind of guy who can pick it up. ..."
I'll obviously be following up on the situation as week progresses. ...
Other notes of interest. ... As Profootballtalk.com's Michael David Smith understated on Monday, Cam Newton is not the same.
Newton, who has been dealing with ankle and rib injuries, just isn't the same player as he was when healthy during his first three seasons. Newton averaged 677 rushing yards a season during his first three years. This year, Newton has just 33 yards a quarter of the way through the season.
Smith went on to explain that when Newton isn't a threat running the ball it's easier to rein him in as a passer, and as a result Newton is on pace for career lows in touchdown passes and passing yards as well. After Sunday's 38-10 loss to the Ravens, the Panthers have now been blown out two weeks in a row.
Smith summed up: "They need the Cam Newton of old, and they need him soon."
Fantasy owners are undoubtedly saying the same. So when will that change?
On Monday, Rivera admitted there is temptation to let Newton embrace his natural style of play.
"But we have to do things the right way," Rivera said on Monday. "You don't want to unleash him unless he's ready to be unleashed. We've got to listen to what the trainers and doctors are saying, and we've got to listen to what he's telling us."
"It's very hard," Rivera added. "You can see it. You just know he wants to cut loose and do certain things. You can feel it, and a lot of times you see him start to do it, but it's coming. We've got to do this the right way."
I suspect the right way doesn't mean the soonest way. ...
Looking for positives? As ESPN.com's David Newton suggests, there weren't many but Jerricho Cotchery, the veteran free-agent wide receiver the Panthers signed to replace Steve Smith, might have been one. He had five catches for 80 yards, including a 30-yarder near the sideline with the defender tight on him.
Cam Newton and receiver Kelvin Benjamin had their first touchdown connection, and Benjamin came within centimeters of scoring a second in the third quarter. Newton also threw two perfect passes to receiver Cotchery. Tight end Greg Olsen had a quiet game by his recent standards, catching two of his five targets for 30 yards.
Overall, Benjamin has 21 catches for 329 yards and three touchdowns. Cotchery and Jason Avant have been solid with a combined 23 catches. 

DEPTH CHART AS OF WEDNESDAY AT 14:00 CT  
QB: Cam Newton, Derek Anderson, Joe Webb 
RB: Jonathan Stewart, Darrin Reaves, Fozzy Whittaker, Chris Ogbonnaya, DeAngelo Williams 
FB: Richie Brockel, Mike Tolbert 
WR: Kelvin Benjamin, Jerricho Cotchery, Jason Avant, Philly Brown, Brenton Bersin 
TE: Greg Olsen, Ed Dickson, Brandon Williams, Richie Brockel 
PK: Graham Gano 
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CHICAGO BEARS
As ESPN.com's Michael C. Wright reminded readers, Aaron Rodgers told Packers fans to relax last week after his team's 1-2 start, but Jay Cutler stutter-stepped that approach, opting for reality on the heels of the Bears falling to 2-2 Sunday, after a 38-17 loss to the Packers.
"I'm not gonna tell them anything," Cutler said Monday during the "Jay Cutler Show" on ESPN Radio. "We've got to win games at home. Green Bay, a divisional opponent. ... We've just got to play better. There is a lot of football left. [Rodgers] does have a point. It's a long season. We've had a rough stretch."
After back-to-back victories on the road at San Francisco and against the New York Jets, the Bears returned Sunday to Soldier Field for the first time since the opener. The Bears sprinted out of the gate, marching 80 yards on 15 plays to start the game, only to sputter down the stretch as a result of two turnovers, shoddy play in the secondary and a pass rush that barely made Rodgers flinch as he tossed four touchdown passes.
Starting with a matchup Sunday at Carolina, the Bears play three of the next four on the road headed into their Nov. 2 bye. Cutler offered no assurances the club would bounce back. The club's three upcoming road opponents (Carolina, Atlanta and New England) currently hold a combined record of 6-5.
"We've had a rough stretch," Cutler said. "We're gonna go through a pretty rough stretch, like you guys were talking about earlier, the next four games. So we've just got to take it one game at a time."
The Bears rolled up 496 yards of offense and converted 64 percent of third downs. But a couple of Cutler interceptions, combined with the defense allowing Rodgers to throw for 302 yards and a passer rating of 151.2, doomed Chicago's prospects. In 28 pass attempts, Rodgers suffered only one sack, and head coach Marc Trestman said on Monday that the club blitzed very little in the loss.
Asked whether he remained confident for future meetings with the Packers after Sunday's loss, Cutler said, "Yeah, you saw the stats. I think we've got a really good bead on them now, with Trest[man] and this group. So hopefully we can start improving on that."
Cutler finished with a passer rating of 82.5 and two touchdown passes to go with the interceptions. Matt Forte was one of the club's few bright spots on offense. He rushed for 122 yards on 23 attempts.
Despite the shaky outing against the Packers, Cutler has completed 65.8 percent of his throws for 10 touchdowns and four interceptions and a passer rating of 94.7, which is promising, considering he entered the season with a career passer rating of 84.6.
Cutler owns a 1-9 record against the Packers, and he's 41-22 against the rest of the NFL. In games against Chicago's division rival, Cutler has completed 55.6 percent of his throws with a touchdown-to-interception differential of minus-8. Against the rest of the NFL, Cutler's completion percentage rises to 61.1 along with his touchdown-to-interception ratio plus-41.
Does the record against the Packers bother Cutler?
"Obviously, you want it to be better," Cutler said. "But there's not much I can do about it, the 1-9."
In evaluating his own play after the first month of the season, Cutler said, "You'd like to cut down some of those turnovers. A couple of them are pretty stupid. The last one was unfortunate. You clean some of that up, and I'd be happy. ..."
Other notes of interest. ... As Wright noted, Brandon Marshall is a star player. And star players all have something in common: They suit up almost every single week, regardless of aches and pains.
Perhaps even when they shouldn't.
While fantasy owners were pleased to see Marshall being active despite the nagging ankle sprain he's dealt with the last three weeks, it's fair to wonder how much the ankle is limiting his on-field production.
Marshall has three combined catches over the last two weeks, and he apparently failed to break off his route on Cutler's second interception. Maybe the lack of practice time is hurting Marshall's timing with Cutler.
The good news? Marshall was practicing fully on Wednesday. ...
Meanwhile, Martellus Bennett seems to have his act together.
After a controversial preseason, Bennett tops the Bears with 29 receptions for 295 yards and is second to Marshall (five) with four touchdown grabs. Bennett set career highs in catches (nine) and receiving yards (134) versus Green Bay. The most impressive part of Bennett's game is his refusal to go down after making a catch. It often takes two or three defenders to tackle Bennett. That kind of extra effort does not go unnoticed.
Bennett seems well on the way to a career year, but he remembers last year when he started well and then slowed.
"Last year I tore my MCL and separated my shoulder in the first three weeks of the season, so I played most of the year with a torn MCL and a separated shoulder so I was banged up the whole year," he said. "I think overall (the improvement) was just ... just looking at the offense and what's expected of me in the offense, what Jay wants, not what I want to do. What I want to do at work really doesn't matter.
"I always felt explosive, and I always felt strong and kind of beastly on the field, but I think right now it's really just getting a taste of success. ..."
As noted above, the ground game is just fine. In addition to Forte's strong show, rookie Ka'Deem Carey contributed 72 yards on 14 attempts. As a team, the Bears rushed for 235 yards and averaged 5.7 yards per carry. They played the matchups. This week, maybe the Bears will throw the ball 45 times.
That's simply the way the NFL works. But it was refreshing to see the Bears run the ball at will on Sunday. That should bode well for the team down the road. ...
And finally. ... The Bears waived two players off the roster and promoted a player from the practice squad on Tuesday, releasing wide receiver Rashad Ross and linebacker Terrell Manning and signing receiver/returner Chris Williams. 

DEPTH CHART AS OF WEDNESDAY AT 14:00 CT  
QB: Jay Cutler, Jimmy Clausen 
RB: Matt Forte, Ka'Deem Carey, Senorise Perry 
RB: Tony Fiammetta 
WR: Brandon Marshall, Alshon Jeffery, Santonio Holmes, Josh Morgan, Micheal Spurlock, Marquess Wilson 
TE: Martellus Bennett, Dante Rosario 
PK: Robbie Gould 
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CINCINNATI BENGALS
Through three games offensive coordinator Hue Jackson allowed wide receiver Mohamed Sanu to throw two passes and quarterback Andy Dalton to catch one. He's allowed 660 pounds of offensive tackles -- Andrew Whitworth and Andre Smith -- to line up in the slot and put star wide receiver A.J. Green just about everywhere.
Most every player on the offense has been molded into a versatile tool. This week, one of the most potent weapons in the league drops into the Jackson stew.
As Cincinnati Enquirer staffer Paul Dehner Jr. noted Monday, wide receiver Marvin Jones missed all but one practice in the preseason and every regular season game rehabbing a broken foot. He caught 10 touchdowns and ranked 21st in the league in yards per route run last season. He finished second on the Bengals with 712 receiving yards while also running eight reverses for 65 yards.
He's expected to return Sunday night against New England.
Likely somewhere in the halls of the Paul Brown Stadium offices the ominous laughter of a mad scientist bounces off the walls.
"Oh yes, I can't wait," Jackson said. "He can run and catch. Not only does he take the top off, he scores a lot of touchdowns, too. This is a fun part about our guys. We have a multitude of different guys that you can use."
How much should the Bengals realistically expect from a player who only practiced twice before this week since posting a franchise playoff record 130 yards receiving in the loss to San Diego?
Jones took part in two practices last week and should practice Monday. Easing him back into practice time comes easier than figuring out his contribution on game day.
"He's another one of our talented players," Jackson said. "We will just add him to the mix of A.J. and Mo and the rest of the guys and see how it fits."
Jones may fit right in the sweet spot of the Bengals' offensive itch. Through three games the Bengals attempted 11 field goals, more than any other team. This coming off a 2013 season when the Bengals kicked the fewest field goals of any team when Mike Nugent hit 18 of 22.
Jones quickly developed into a favorite red zone target last season for Dalton. Memories of touchdowns like holding on in the back of the end zone in Detroit despite injuring his shoulder or perfecting back-shoulder passes during his four touchdown game against the Jets provide a refreshing return.
Nine of his 10 touchdown receptions last season came in the red zone.
"With our great self-scout we are doing that is one area we have to score touchdowns," wide receivers coach James Urban said. "We can't keep settling for field goals. At some point quickly that becomes critical. The natural inclination last year with Marv scoring touchdowns, hopefully that helps. The plays are there, we have the players to make the plays we just haven't made them the way we should. Hopefully Marv can help us."
For those expecting a previously unseen contribution the moment Jackson finds an opportunity to use the third-year receiver, Jones doesn't necessarily see that as his role. At least, not considering how much the Bengals could use an assist throwing the ball near the goal line.
Of the six red zone touchdowns Cincinnati scored this season, five came via the run and one on the pass from Sanu to Dalton.
Still, to expect the expected from Jackson would mean disregarding the first three games.
"I would think (the role) will be the same as I've been doing," Jones said. "He does a lot of creative stuff. I've been used in different kind of stuff, too, reverses and that kind of stuff. So who knows? I'm ready to play and do what I always do, and that's go on the field and make those catches and those explosive plays for the team. Whatever he asks, whatever he has planned, I'm OK with any of it."
Does that mean Bengals fans should be prepared for Jones to reach back and throw a pass of his own?
"I'd rather be on the receiving end of it," Jones said with a laugh. "I'll let the professionals handle the throws."
Meanwhile, as Week 4 began, the Bengals still sat atop the rankings in one of the NFL's most important statistical categories.
They lead the league in scoring defense.
They are near the top of the list in several other defensive categories, too, but scoring defense shows how well a team prevents another team from getting in the end zone, and even getting in field position to make a field goal. Through three games, the Bengals were the best at denying their opponents' scoring opportunities.
After their first three games, against the Ravens, Falcons and Titans, the Bengals had allowed an average 11.0 points per game. That is nearly 16 points below the average of 26.7 the Bengals have scored this season. When you combine their scoring offense and scoring defense numbers, you see the Bengals have a league-leading plus-15.7 point margin.
"Look at the points," Bengals defensive coordinator Paul Guenther said last week. "That's the mark of a good defense."
Last season, the Bengals' third-ranked total defense ranked fifth in the league in scoring defense, allowing an average of 19.1 points per game. The unit also was impressive on third down, ranking second behind the Lions in percentage of third-down stops.
Those two areas will be important this week when Cincinnati travels to New England for the Week 5 Sunday night game. The Bengals' next contest will come nearly a year to the day when they held future Hall of Famer Tom Brady and his Patriots offense to just six points in Cincinnati's 13-6 win at Paul Brown Stadium.
It was the first time in 53 games that Brady did not complete a touchdown pass. ...
Other notes of interest. ... According to ESPN.com's Coley Harvey, as coaches spent the off week self-scouting their team through film review and other assessments, a number of issues came to the surface that probably aren't readily apparent to the rest of us. This might be a 3-0 team, but like everyone at this early stage of the season, the Bengals have their share of fixes and tweaks to make.
Chief among them offensively are figuring out ways to get running backs better production per carry.
There have been occasions when the Bengals' backs have broken long runs, but those moments haven't occurred as frequently as the team would like. Cincinnati is averaging 3.58 yards per carry, ranking 24th in the league. Second-year starter Giovani Bernard's average is even lower at 3.36 yards per carry. In an effort get Bernard's numbers up, along with rookie Jeremy Hill's, the Bengals are trying to figure out ways to get the pair to break bigger runs. Neither has a 20-yard-plus carry this season.
In addition, the team will focus on continuing to execute in the red zone is right at the top of that list.
Overall, however, they are only 6-for-10 in turning red-zone series into touchdowns. They also have hit four field goals from inside that area so far. When you include the drives in the season opener that stalled around the opposing 30 and just outside the red zone, the Bengals' scoring problems slightly more concerning.
In particular, it's been the passing game that has been notably absent from Cincinnati's red-zone offense.
Of the Bengals' six red-zone touchdowns only one, the 18-yard pass from receiver Sanu to Dalton, was the result of a pass. The others were carries in goal-line territory. In fact, the Bengals have only completed four passes inside the red zone through the first three games.
Only one of those passes has gone to a Bengals tight end.
Jermaine Gresham, a tight end who has been a key part of the Bengals' red zone game plan in years past, has only been targeted twice inside the 20 this year. He has just one catch; a 5-yard grab last week that didn't end up in the end zone. The other time he was thrown to near the goal line, Gresham for some reason got crossed up and stopped his route short of a for-sure walk-in touchdown. At the end of the drag, he simply stopped running as Dalton threw, trying to lead him into the end zone. Had Gresham continued running, he would have caught the wide-open pass as he stepped untouched into the end zone.
Before this season, Gresham had real impact inside the 20.
Among NFL tight ends, Gresham entered 2013 trailing only Rob Gronkowski, Vernon Davis and Jason Witten in red-zone touchdowns since 2010, the year his career began. Gresham had 11 red-zone scores.
Along with receiving a jolt next week from Jones -- 10 of his 11 career touchdowns came inside the red zone, perhaps the Bengals will soon discover ways to get Gresham more involved in the red zone once again.
One last note here. ... Linebacker Vontaze Burfict, who has missed all or parts of each game this season due to concussions, did not practice Monday, but head coach Marvin Lewis said he expects to have the Pro Bowler back this week. 

DEPTH CHART AS OF WEDNESDAY AT 14:00 CT  
QB: Andy Dalton, Jason Campbell 
RB: Giovani Bernard, Jeremy Hill, Cedric Peerman, Rex Burkhead 
WR: A.J. Green, Mohamed Sanu, Dane Sanzenbacher, James Wright, Brandon Tate, Marvin Jones 
TE: Jermaine Gresham, Ryan Hewitt, Tyler Eifert 
PK: Mike Nugent 
=========================

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CLEVELAND BROWNS
Ben Tate, who missed the past two games with a knee injury, was back on the practice field Monday in preparation for the Titans.
Tate, who suffered the knee injury on a long run in the opener in Pittsburgh, wore a brace on his right knee, but moved well in early offensive drills open to the public, and in agility drills with the other running backs.
It was the Browns first practice after four days off for the bye week, which gave Tate time to heal.
Head coach Mike Pettine told reporters on Wednesday that Tate would be limited in practice as part of normal progression. The hope is full participation later this week.
Running backs coach Wilbert Montgomery indicated last week that the fifth-year pro would be reinstalled as the starting tailback once healthy.
"That's what we brought Tate here for, to be the starter," Montgomery said. "He's the No. 1 running back in this offense. Right now, you can say we miss him. We miss his experience. We miss his leadership with the group. Speaking from that standpoint, we'll be open arms and welcome to have Ben back into the fold."
Part of the reasoning Montgomery gave was that Tate's experience as a pro gives him a significant edge over Terrance West and rookie Isaiah Crowell. The latter has game-breaking skills -- he was once Scout.com's top-rated prep running back -- and has tremendous long-term upside.
But while Montgomery expects Tate to return to his starting role, Crowell seems destined to receive a heavier workload.
What does Crowell need to improve in order to earn a bigger role in the Browns backfield?
"When Montgomery expounds on this subject, you understand two things: 1. As good a bruising runner with the football that Crowell is, he is far from a complete back. 2. The man who misses Tate the most is quarterback Brian Hoyer," wrote ESPNCleveland.com's Tony Grossi.
"In essentially the same offense last year in Houston, Tate had 34 receptions in part-time duty. In the 2 ½ games during Tate's absence, Crowell has one reception and West has four."
Crowell understands that he won't get third-down work until he can develop his pass-protection skills and how to release as a pass-catcher.
"I really think I need to improve on getting everything down pat, being better on my pass protections, being better with my checks," he said.
"[Releasing into pass routes] could be quicker," Crowell added. "That has all to do with the pass protections. Got to check the pass protection to be able to get out faster."
Tate has a long history of battling long-term injuries -- this season being no different -- so savvy fantasy owners will handcuff Tate with Crowell now. Hopefully if when Tate gets hurt again this season, Crowell will be ready to play on all downs.
"I'm eager for more," said Crowell, who has 27 carries for 141 yards (5.2 average) and three touchdowns. ... "I'm ready for it."
Pettine suggested Crowell's request will be met.
"If a guy's been productive, you find ways to get him on the field more," Pettine said. "That's a good problem to have. When you have a back, who before the season you weren't factoring in on being a big part of what you're doing, and he's being productive, you find ways to get him out there. ..."
Other notes of interest. ... Tight end Jordan Cameron expects to deal with sprained AC joint throughout season, but benefited from bye. "I feel good," he said Tuesday. "I feel healthy."
Pegged for a monster campaign in Kyle Shanahan's offense, the fourth-year pass-catcher -- in the final year of his rookie contract -- has struggled to make an impact this season.
Three games into last year, Cameron had 26 catches for 269 yards and four touchdowns en route to an 80-catch campaign and a Pro Bowl berth. Over two appearances in 2014, the former college basketball player has just three grabs for 70 yards. ...
Quarterbacks coach Dowell Loggains has been impressed with the way backup Johnny Manziel has handled himself this season, and he expects the celebrity rookie to maintain professionalism while the team takes a break Friday through Monday during its bye.
"We trust Johnny to do the right things," Loggains said Wednesday before practice. "He understands that."
Loggains insists he's thrilled about Manziel's development behind Hoyer.
"I'm pleased with where he's at right now," Loggains said. "I think he needs to continue to get better, and I think if he does, he's got talent. There's a reason why he's a first-round pick. We're excited to work with that skill set he has.
"I've been really pleased with how Johnny's worked in the classroom, how he's come out and run scout team. I think he's taken it very serious, and I have no complaints with that. … I think he's learned how to read coverages. He's learned how different the NFL game is from the college game."
But as Akron Beacon Journal staffer Nate Ulrich notes, Manziel is viewed as the future. Hoyer is the man now, and his passer rating of 97.5 ranks 10th in the NFL. Hoyer is playing remarkably better than he did in the preseason while competing with Manziel for the starting job.
"I think Brian is just more comfortable," Loggains said. "He's relaxed. He's not in the middle of a quarterback competition now. This is becoming his team. He's taking ownership in it, and I think that's why he's done the job he has."
Loggains praised Hoyer for his attitude. It's allowed the Browns (1-2) to present Manziel to opponents as a change-of-pace threat. Manziel has appeared in each of the past two games (five snaps, three handoffs, one incomplete pass, one 39-yard catch as a receiver on a play negated by penalty).
"I was part of [a two-quarterback system] in Tennessee with Kerry Collins and Vince Young, so I've had a little experience with it," Loggains said. "And Brian's maturity is a big factor in that because it does take an extremely unselfish person to be able to do that because he's a competitor. He doesn't want someone else to go in. He feels like it's his team, but he's done a great job with it."
The relationship between Hoyer and Manziel wasn't warm and fuzzy in the offseason, though it's evolving.
"It's become a good relationship," Loggains said. "I do think that they're friends. I do think that they work together well. I've seen it. I've seen [a difference] in how they interact now compared to when they first got here."
Andrew Hawkins has been steadiest among the Browns receivers. Hoyer will continue looking his way at least until Josh Gordon returns to the field from his 10-game suspension on Nov. 23 in Atlanta. Hawkins leads the Browns with 21 catches. Miles Austin is second with 14 receptions.
"Josh is an incredible receiver, one of the best receivers in this league," Hawkins said. "If I had my choice, he'd be with me right now because he's that much of a difference maker. Honestly, I can't wait to have Josh back. That's all I know."
Hawkins caught 12 passes while playing in only eight games with the Cincinnati Bengals last season. He missed half the season with an ankle injury. ...
One last note here. ... Wide receivers coach Mike McDaniel is convinced Gordon's most recent suspension has made him realize he must stay on the straight and narrow to return to the field.
"There's no question in my mind," McDaniel said. "Now do I think originally he understood the ramifications of his actions before he ever had a slip-up? Probably not, but it happens as it goes. That's one thing I've really been taken aback by is how much responsibility he's definitely taking, and he needs to continue to take.
"It doesn't sit well with him that he's in this situation. We were talking about the things we can improve on from his remarkable 14-game season the year before and then to be unable to play, I think all of this stuff has really put perspective into his eyes."
Gordon's season-long ban stemming from a positive marijuana test was cut to a 10-game suspension last week when the NFL and NFL Players Association adopted a new drug policy. With the ban lifted, Gordon reported to the team's headquarters late last week. He's permitted to work out and attend meetings there.
McDaniel checks in with Gordon daily.
"He wants to be great," McDaniel said. "So I support him in everything he does.
"He's frustrated with the fact that he put himself in this situation in the first place, and he's very accountable in that regard. He's relieved that he gets to be where he wants to be."
Gordon will be eligible to play in the final six games this season, beginning Nov. 23 at the Atlanta Falcons.
"To have him in the lineup is a very exciting thing to think about," McDaniel said. … "I kind of am pumped." 

DEPTH CHART AS OF WEDNESDAY AT 14:00 CT  
QB: Brian Hoyer, Johnny Manziel 
RB: Ben Tate, Isaiah Crowell, Terrance West 
WR: Miles Austin, Andrew Hawkins, Travis Benjamin, Taylor Gabriel, LaRon Byrd, Marlon Moore 
TE: Jordan Cameron, Gary Barnidge, Jim Dray 
PK: Billy Cundiff 
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DALLAS COWBOYS
The Dallas Cowboys improved to 3-1 with their 38-17 win against the New Orleans Saints at AT&T Stadium. Tony Romo completed 22 of 29 passes for 262 yards and three touchdowns. He was not intercepted. He was sacked just once. He had a career-long 21-yard run in the third quarter.
DeMarco Murray run for 149 yards and two touchdowns on 24 carries. Terrance Williams catch two touchdown passes. Eight players catch passes. The offensive line dominated.
"In my time in the NFL this is as complete a unit as I've been a part of, and I think you can almost simplify the game a little bit," Romo said after the game.
Fantasy owners would concur with that -- and a handful of the other platitudes Romo threw out in his postgame news conference.
On Murray: "I think he is better than a good back. I think he is a great back."
On play caller Scott Linehan: "Scott is as good as I've ever seen adjusting after a series."
On tight end Jason Witten: "Jason's incredible. I don't know in the history of the Dallas Cowboys you'd ever want to throw to another guy with the game in the balance than a guy like that."
As ESPN.com's Todd Archer put it, "the days of Romo having to carry the Cowboys are over."
It's now about Murray's legs and the blocking of the offensive line. That has allowed Romo to pick his spots.
And that's a good thing.
Romo did it in the Week 2 win against the Tennessee Titans, completing 6 of 9 passes on an 80-yard touchdown drive after the Titans closed the gap to 16-10 in the third quarter. He did it last week against the St. Louis Rams. With Dallas trailing 24-20 with 13:25 to play, Romo completed all four passes on an 84-yard touchdown drive that gave the Cowboys the lead for good.
He did it again Sunday against the Saints. Twice.
At the end of the first half he completed 5 of 7 passes for 63 yards, ending the drive with a perfect 23-yard back-shoulder touchdown throw to Williams to give the Cowboys a 24-0 lead. In the fourth quarter, he salted the game away with a huge 16-yard completion to Witten on third-and-9 from the New Orleans 38 and an 18-yard back-shoulder touchdown throw to Dez Bryant after the Saints threatened to make it a game.
"There are a lot of things that go through a quarterback's head during a football game," Romo said. "Obviously the execution of the play and going through the progressions, but there are many situational thoughts that are going through your head, remembering back to film study and your notes. These are the things that give you the advantages when you have a beat or a heads up leading into it."
Having so many options makes Romo more dangerous. Even more dangerous than 2007, when the Cowboys finished 13-3 and he had a franchise-record 36 touchdown passes. Back then he had Terrell Owens (15 touchdown catches) and Witten go for more than 1,000 yards. He had a running game pick up 1,746 yards, led by Marion Barber's 975 yards.
He had an offensive line that featured three Pro Bowlers: Flozell Adams, Andre Gurode and Leonard Davis.
Seven offensive players went to the Pro Bowl, including Romo, but not including kicker Nick Folk.
"You can make an argument about the No. 1 receivers being similar [to past teams], but I don't know if we've ever had the depth," Romo said. "Jason Witten is still Jason Witten. We have a very, very good slot receiver [Cole Beasley] who really has not been able to show a ton because we have other good players. Terrance on the outside has really turned into a player that gives defenses trouble. I haven't talked about the linemen and DeMarco, which changes the game if you're able to do it."
The game has changed for Romo. Changed for the better, so that he does not have to do everything to make things go.
In a related note. ... Romo showed that his surgically repaired back is coming along fine.
The Cowboys went up 31-3 in the third quarter when Romo broke free for 21 yards on third down and slid for the first down a play before Murray ran loose in the secondary, juked Jairus Byrd at the 10 and was pushed across the goal line by Corey White on a 28-yard score.
"It makes me feel old and the fact that I haven't gotten more than 21 yards is pretty pathetic," said Romo, whose previous long run was 17 yards despite a career known for scrambles that keep plays alive. "But other than that, it feels pretty great."
On other note on Romo. ... He did not practice Wednesday just as he hasn't practiced the last two Wednesdays. Worked out well then. Likely it will again. ...
Other notes of interest. ... As Archer noted on Tuesday, the Cowboys have been excellent on third down through the first four games of the season, so it isn't necessarily a problem they must fix. But it's an area in which they need to be particularly sharp when they face the Houston Texans on Sunday.
The Texans' opponents have the worst third-down conversion percentage this season (28.6). The Cowboys are tied for second in third-down success rate, converting 55.1 percent of the time (27-of-49).
The Cowboys' third-down production was awful last year -- they converted just 35 percent of the time and could not consistently help their defense by staying on the field longer. This year they are staying on the field more and keeping their defense rested. The Cowboys have held the ball for at least 31 minutes, 24 seconds in three of the first four games.
The biggest reason the Cowboys have been good on third down has been their work on first down. They have averaged 6 yards per rush on first down and 8.3 yards per pass on first down. Having the entire playbook open on second and third down has made life easier for Linehan.
With a pass-rusher like J.J. Watt, the Cowboys have to stay ahead of the chains and continue to win on first down. ...
Worth noting: Murray became the sixth back in NFL history to open the regular season with four straight 100 yards games, joining O.J. Simpson, Emmitt Smith, James Wilder, Stephen Davis and Terrell Davis. Murray leads the league in rushing with 534 yards.
On the injury front. ... Cornerback Morris Claiborne suffered a torn patella tendon against the Saints and will be placed on injured reserve, ending the season of the disappointing former 2012 first-round pick.
Linebacker Bruce Carter suffered a strained quad against the Saints and is listed as day to day. He is questionable for Sunday's game against the Texans. It was disappointing ending to what had been a solid game for Carter with six tackles and two pass deflections, including one that turned into an interception. 

DEPTH CHART AS OF WEDNESDAY AT 14:00 CT  
QB: Tony Romo, Brandon Weeden, Dustin Vaughan 
RB: DeMarco Murray, Lance Dunbar, Joseph Randle 
FB: Tyler Clutts 
WR: Dez Bryant, Terrance Williams, Cole Beasley, Dwayne Harris, Devin Street 
TE: Jason Witten, Gavin Escobar, James Hanna 
PK: Dan Bailey 
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DENVER BRONCOS
As ESPN.com's Jeff Legwold notes, a bye week in the NFL, at least under the current collective bargaining agreement, is essentially one extra day of meetings to go over the game that just happened, and two extra practices.
That's it. Yet, as the Denver Broncos were set to adjourn for their weekend off, head coach John Fox had a fairly lofty football goal for that bit of work.
"It's restoration," Fox said.
And Fox has said "we have a lot of things to work on." Before the season if most anyone had a list of questions about the Broncos' concerns, the team's offense was fairly deep down the list. After all, the Broncos set a league record last season with 606 points, quarterback Peyton Manningthrew a league-record 55 touchdown passes as the team topped 40 points six times and topped 50 points three times.
Though it's early, there is a general frustration about the team's offense. The Broncos have scored 75 points in three games, or 52 fewer points than they did in their first three games last season.
But last season might not be the best template for comparison. Last season's totals were all-time totals, as in likely to go unmatched for some time or at least until another rule or three get tweaked to boost the league's offenses even more.
Yes, the Broncos are frustrated with their offense. Manning, wide receiver Demaryius Thomas and offensive coordinator Adam Gase, among others have all pointed out some good things the team has done to go with some items they would like to be better.
But last season is not the comparison for this team, because the Broncos' 2013 season on offense might not be a comparison for any team. The 2013 team is the only 600-point team in league history.
The Broncos are, in the early going, more on a pace closer to 2012, or Manning's first season with the Broncos. That year the Broncos scored 77 points over their first three games, which included two losses, in Atlanta and to Houston.
They finished with 481 points, the second-highest total in the league that season.
There is no question there is a general unease about the team's performance among its faithful, with the usual "it's-the-play-calling" refrains. Folks want more points and the Broncos want more points, no question.
But to keep looking back at last season will only bring another round of frustration. Because if 606 points is where the bar is set, the Broncos, or anyone else for that matter, just won't meet that standard. ...
That said, there is legitimate room for criticism.
Although he had the game-tying two-point conversion catch at Seattle in Week 3, Thomas has struggled to get open, and has just 141 yards on 13 receptions through three games.
And as the Sports Xchange notes, with a sickly running game that ranks 27th in yardage per game and 29th in average per carry, the Broncos could look to make changes. But will they be at running back, on the offensive line or in play-calling? Starter Montee Ball indicated Monday that the tweaks could be in the type of running plays that are called.
"I believe that we made some changes and we're putting some plays in that are better for our type of running backs and I think it's going to work," he said.
But if the offensive line does not create more space in which to operate, none of the changes will matter. Ball has been hit in the backfield on 20 of 49 rushes so far this year, including seven of 14 against Seattle in Week 3. Overall, Broncos running backs have been hit before reaching the line of scrimmage on 25 of 63 carries.
"It's disappointing a little, but we're 2-1, so no matter what, the first two games, we found a way to win," said Ball. "We're going to have the same plan this week. No matter what, just beat them by one more point."
One last note here. ... Tight Virgil Green practiced Monday. He has gone through the league's post-concussion protocol after leaving the Sept. 21 game at Seattle with a concussion suffered in the second quarter. 

DEPTH CHART AS OF WEDNESDAY AT 14:00 CT  
QB: Peyton Manning, Brock Osweiler 
RB: Montee Ball, Ronnie Hillman, C.J. Anderson, Juwan Thompson 
WR: Demaryius Thomas, Emmanuel Sanders, Wes Welker, Andre Caldwell, Cody Latimer, Isaiah Burse 
TE: Julius Thomas, Jacob Tamme, Virgil Green 
PK: Brandon McManus, Matt Prater 
=========================

=========================
DETROIT LIONS
We all know how it played out. ... Calvin Johnson ran around a little, made a couple of plays and watched from the sideline a lot more than he's used to.
Two catches, 12 yards. And that was more than the Detroit needed.
Matthew Stafford threw two touchdown passes and ran for another score and the Lions overcame Johnson being limited by an ankle injury to beat the Jets 24-17 on Sunday.
"He had a couple of catches, but he obviously wasn't himself out there," Stafford said of his No. 1 receiver. "That's the kind of guy he is, to come out here and play for us and helping us out with depth. The other guys stepped up big."
Jeremy Ross and Eric Ebron caught scoring passes for the Lions, off to a 3-1 start for the second straight season. Johnson's ankle had him questionable entering the game, but Golden Tate did his best Megatron impersonation, catching eight passes for 116 yards.
"We knew Calvin was going to be limited today and we were hoping to not have to use him unless it was an emergency," Tate said. "I think we responded well."
Stafford finished 24 of 34 for 293 yards, and appeared unfazed by his top receiver shuttling in and out of the game.
The game was a matchup of Detroit's top-ranked defense and New York's No. 2. The Lions had the first big play of the game as Stafford found Ross for a 59-yard touchdown and a 10-3 lead over the Jets (1-3). Ross blew by converted safety Antonio Allen, and then Allen missed a late tackle attempt as Ross got into the end zone.
"This team is not the only team that's going to get lit up by a team throwing the football," Jets coach Rex Ryan said. "They do a pretty good job. They have a lot of weapons over there."
According to ESPN.com's Michael Rothstein, Johnson stood at his locker after the game and laughed at the suggestion. His coach, Jim Caldwell, had said that Johnson at 90 percent was better than a lot of players at full strength.
Except Johnson, when he was asked if 90 percent was a fair barometer for his status, was not there.
"Nah," Johnson said, laughing at the suggestion.
Indeed, against the Jets, Megatron rarely played two plays in a row. He didn't have his typical explosiveness or speed and after the game was still noticeably limping.
"Went out there. It was tough but I figured from moving around [on Saturday] that I'd be able to get on the field a little bit," Johnson said. "It's good to be out there with the fellas. It sucks to be on the sideline and not be able to play at all. It sucks to have injuries, too, but that's just part of the game."
There were times Sunday when Johnson would be in the huddle before a drive began, only to come off the field before the first play even started. He said after that was not a decoy or anything tricky by the Lions but a matter of the plays being called.
He said it was somewhat like when he was limited against Cleveland last season. Against the Browns that day, he had three catches for 25 yards and only ran 28 routes.
"They still had to account for him," Caldwell said. "We might not have done all of the things that we normally do with him. We just tried to make certain we stayed within the framework of what he could do physically."
That didn't appear to be too much Sunday and it isn't clear how much that will change heading into this week's game against the Buffalo Bills. Johnson did not practice Wednesday or Thursday and then was limited during Friday's practice.
Johnson said he improved throughout the week to get to the point he was at -- and he was expecting more of the same over the next seven days.
"Things have gotten better all week," Johnson said. "It was a struggle at first and as the week progressed it got better and better and expect the same thing this week."
It's safe to say I'll be keeping a close eye on Johnson, who told reporters on Wednesday he "definitely" feels better now that he did at this point last week, in coming days. That said, he did not practice Wednesday. ... Watch the Late-Breaking Updates section for more. ...
In a few related notes. ... According to Rothstein, part of Tate's effectiveness Sunday came because of the Jets' decision to run zone. When Tate lined up in the slot, this sometimes left a linebacker with the task of dealing with Tate. Of course, he was doing more than that. Anything the Jets threw at Tate on Sunday, he was able to squirt out of.
"He beat two men. He beat loaded coverages," Ryan said. "He beat a lot of different things. The game plan was to stop Calvin Johnson. That was the No. 1 priority.
"We recognize Golden Tate is a good football player."
Tate was reliable, too. Entering Sunday, he had nine third down catches on 11 targets for 122 yards. On Sunday, he had two more third down catches -- two of the six third downs the Lions converted -- for 46 yards, including a 35-yard catch-and-run on the Lions' first drive that led to a field goal.
It is those little things Tate is able to do that makes him so dangerous for the Lions as the second option behind Johnson.
"He has great hands," running back Reggie Bush said. "You guys saw it today. He's a huge playmaker for us. We've seen that throughout the season and you've seen that throughout his career.
"I'm glad he's on our team. That guy is a big spark for us. ..."
Also. ... With Joseph Fauria out with an ankle injury, Ebron had a breakout game as the Lions' No. 2 tight end.
The No. 10 overall pick in May didn't light up the stats sheet with three catches for 34 yards and a touchdown -- his first in the NFL -- but he helped pick up the slack left by Johnson being in and out of the lineup.
"I couldn't ask for anything more," Ebron said of his 16-yard TD. "I couldn't ask for a better throw or a better play call. ..."
Other notes of interest. ... According to the Detroit News, Stafford is fine after being banged up Sunday, but his minor injuries were the only ones Caldwell would address during his Monday news conference.
Joique Bell suffered a concussion in the game, but Caldwell refused to confirm the injury, just as he did after the game Sunday.
"I'm not going to talk about injuries in particular," he said when asked if Bell went through protocol for a brain injury. "I'll leave that up to our injury report. You can take a look at that when it does come out."
Bell was not on the practice field Wednesday.
Bell was on the field for the first play of the fourth quarter, a 1-yard touchdown run by Stafford, but went to the locker room shortly after with what the team called a head injury.
In the locker room after the game, the team prevented Bell from speaking with the media, which is consistent with the NFL's concussion protocol.
It's unclear when Bell suffered the injury as he did not incur any contact on his final play. Late in the third quarter, he led with his helmet on a block during Ryan Broyles' 21-yard reception. He also took hits from a few Jets defenders on his final run, a 1-yard gain on the last play of the quarter.
Worth noting; The Lions signed running back George Winn off their practice squad Tuesday, perhaps out of concerns that Bell won't be ready this week. ...
Stafford, meanwhile, received treatment on his throwing arm and was limping after the game, but Caldwell said those injuries were nothing atypical.
"He's OK," Caldwell said of the quarterback. "The game is a physical game, a lot of contact and, as you well know, collisions out there. So guys are going to sometimes come out of those games pretty sore from time to time. I doubt that there's anybody in this building that has played 65 plays like he played that doesn't come out of there with some issues."
Defensive tackle Nick Fairley limped off the field in the fourth quarter, and running backs Montell Owens (hamstring) and Theo Riddick (hamstring) missed the end of the game. Caldwell declined to update their status after the game Sunday, but Owens was placed on injured reserve Tuesday, ending his season.
In a semi-related note, the Lions worked out free agent RBs Tashard Choice and Alex Green on Tuesday. ...
One last note here. ... Fauria claims he suffered his ankle injury last Wednesday trying to stop his 3-month-old puppy from peeing on carpet. Fauria was wearing a boot on his left leg and using crutches Monday.
"Long story short, I was at home after I went to go hang out with my friends after (practice) on Wednesday night after a little volleyball event," Fauria said. "It wasn't until 11 o'clock, hanging out with my dog, and he kind of did something bad and ran away from me.
"I was running downstairs, but kind of was doing it a little faster than usual," he said. "I missed the last two steps, and my carpet goes to hardwood. And I was wearing socks, and I just put all my weight down on my left foot." 

DEPTH CHART AS OF WEDNESDAY AT 14:00 CT  
QB: Matthew Stafford, Dan Orlovsky, Kellen Moore 
RB: Reggie Bush, Joique Bell, Theo Riddick 
FB: Jed Collins, Montell Owens 
WR: Calvin Johnson, Golden Tate, Jeremy Ross, Corey Fuller, Kevin Ogletree, Ryan Broyles 
TE: Brandon Pettigrew, Eric Ebron, Joseph Fauria 
PK: Alex Henery 
=========================

=========================
GREEN BAY PACKERS
As the Sports Xchange suggests, considering how expediently effective Green Bay's previously sputtering offense was Sunday, the guys on that side might need little time to recover this week.
That's a good thing since the Packers have to jump right into playing again Thursday night, when they host the Minnesota Vikings.
"That's how we want to play," quarterback Aaron Rodgers said after Green Bay made quick work on the road of the Chicago Bears with a 38-17 victory.
"At one point (late in the game), we had (run) 44 plays and (scored) 38 points," Rodgers added. "That's pretty efficient. We'd obviously like to play as fast as possible, but when you're being very efficient with your yards per play and points per play, that's how we want to play."
One of the best passing performances in Rodgers' seven-year starting career fueled the Packers' runaway win. A week after it managed only 223 total yards in 51 plays in a 19-7 loss at the NFC North-leading Detroit Lions, Green Bay (2-2) scored on its first six possessions Sunday, including five touchdowns, as it amassed 358 yards in just 47 plays.
The Packers ran 30 fewer plays than the Bears did, while having possession of the ball for all of 23 minutes, 38 seconds to Chicago's 36:22.
"We produced, we scored points, we played our game," head coach Mike McCarthy said of Green Bay's no-huddle attack. "We were very basic in our approach. It starts up front with just the way we came in here. I thought the pass protection was very good.
"To come in and tilt that way (with the pass) was the mindset, and we just kept going. Pass protection, Aaron was excellent in throwing to the open guy, but I think just from a mindset standpoint we just wanted to come in and play fast."
Rodgers completed 22 of 28 passes for 302 yards and four touchdowns in a mistake-free game for Green Bay that also included no quarterback hits by a depleted Bears defense and no punts. Rodgers posted the second-highest passer rating of his career, a near-perfect 151.2, just seven days after he threw for only 162 yards against the Lions.
The performance earned him NFC Player of the Week honors.
"He played a great game (Sunday), but we know how Aaron is," Packers right tackle Bryan Bulaga said. "This is his offense, he runs it very well, and (Sunday) was a great example. When he's in control, it's fun to watch."
Jordy Nelson and Randall Cobb consumed most of Rodgers' attention for distributing the football against an undermanned Bears secondary. The top two wideouts were targeted a combined 21 times, and each had two touchdown catches.
Nelson finished with 10 receptions for 108 yards, and Cobb had seven catches for 113 yards.
The Packers, who notched the 700th regular-season win in team history, hardly had time to blink when the offense was on the field. Their five touchdown drives consumed all of 2:22, 3:47, 2:47, 3:01 and 1:41 in play time.
"Obviously, he did extremely well," Nelson said of Rodgers. "(He) ran our offense in full control, making checks, keeping the tempo up, made some great throws and does what he does nothing that surprises us.
Breaking it down even further, ESPN.com's Rob Demovsky notes that Rodgers was 6-of-6 overall when passing at least 15 yards downfield. He was 10-of-10 targeting Nelson in situations in which the Bears rushed four men or fewer at him.
Two of Rodgers' four touchdown passes were thrown more than 10 yards downfield. He had only one such touchdown pass in his first three games of the season.
He was also perfect on third down. Rodgers was 7 for 7 for 79 yards and four first downs (including two touchdowns) in third-down situations.
It helped that the Bears defense made things relatively easy for him. Rodgers was 18 for 20 when the Bears sent four or fewer pass rushers, with completions on each of his first 11 pass attempts.
Rodgers and the Packers offense scored on 6-of-7 offensive drives (86 percent). Only once since Rodgers became starter have the Packers scored on a higher rate of their drives (88 percent Week 8 last season against Vikings). ...
In a related note. ... Rodgers went over the 25,000 career passing yardage mark in the first half. He did so in his 98th career game, making him the fourth fastest to reach that mark in NFL history. ...
Other notes of interest. ... The good news is Eddie Lacy reached the end zone for the first time this season after setting a team record for a rookie with 11 rushing touchdowns last season. Lacy's two-yard blast started the scoring for the Packers.
Otherwise, the consistency of another horrid performance for running the football stayed with Green Bay.
As the Xchange noted, handing the football off to Lacy was almost an afterthought in the pass-centric game plan at the outset, as Lacy had just six carries for 21 yards in the first half. As the Packers' lead widened in the second half and they went more with the run to try to chew up clock, Lacy continued to sputter. He finished with a season-high 48 yards (long of 10) in 17 carries for a familiar feeble average of 2.8 yards per touch.
The only other running play for Green Bay resulted in an eight-yard keeper by Rodgers, boosting its per-average number to 3.1 yards, though the 56 yards is the new season low for a team that has yet to eclipse 80 yards on the ground in a game. ...
McCarthy was upset with himself for not getting running back James Starks a single carry at Chicago. "That shouldn't have happened," McCarthy told the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. "James Starks should touch the football every single game."
Starks is averaging 5.0 yards on his 15 carries this season.
Jarrett Boykin wasn't activated for the big win at Chicago on Sunday and won't be again this week. Boykin, the team's No. 3 receiver coming into the season, suffered a groin injury in practice last Thursday after he already was dealing with a knee injury following the previous game. He was officially ruled out for this week on Wednesday.
With Boykin out, receiver Jeff Janis made his NFL debut Sunday in the win at Chicago. Janis, though, played only one snap on offense as Davante Adams handled that No. 3 role. The rookie will continue to handle that role this week. ...
Rookie tight end Richard Rodgers, who was without a reception the first three games, pitched in right at the start of Green Bay's first series with two catches for 52 yards (long of 43).
On the downside, Aaron Rodgers had two would-be touchdown passes go for naught on an end-zone drop by Cobb and an impressive deep strike to Adams wiped out by the second holding penalty from rookie center Corey Linsley. 

DEPTH CHART AS OF WEDNESDAY AT 14:00 CT  
QB: Aaron Rodgers, Matt Flynn, Scott Tolzien 
RB: Eddie Lacy, James Starks, DuJuan Harris 
FB: John Kuhn 
WR: Jordy Nelson, Randall Cobb, Davante Adams, Jeff Janis, Jarrett Boykin 
TE: Richard Rodgers, Andrew Quarless, Ryan Taylor, Brandon Bostick 
PK: Mason Crosby 
=========================

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HOUSTON TEXANS
As the Houston Chronicle framed it: "Arian Foster returned to action Sunday.
"The Texans' running game did not. ..."
Foster was held to a season-low six yards on eight carries for an 0.8 average, while quarterback Ryan Fitzpatrick led the Texans with 14 rushing yards on six attempts. Rookie Alfred Blue rushed nine times for just nine yards.
Foster was more valuable as a wideout and decoy, catching a team-high seven passes for 55 yards and regularly used during the second half.
"I just wasn't 100 percent healthy out there (Sunday)," said Foster, who was initially a game-time decision. "I didn't feel 100 percent myself, so I got some third downs in at the end of the game, just to try to help out. I'm glad I could make my play when my number was called."
Head coach Bill O'Brien said the Texans spelled Foster, partially because of Blue's rise.
"We tried to manage (Foster's) snaps (Sunday), coming off of missing a week there," O'Brien said.
According to ESPN.com's Tania Ganguli, the team's 37 rushing yards marked the second-lowest total in the league during Week 4. Their 1.54 yards per carry was the lowest. They were the only team with negative rushing yards before contact (minus-2), which might indicate issues with blocking. The Texans ranked third to last in first downs per rush attempt, getting a first down only 8.3 percent of the time. Houston ran the ball 15 times on first down and gained only 12 yards.
By comparison, the league averages in Week 4 were 4.22 yards per carry, 74 rushing yards before contact, and 4.42 yards per carry on first downs.
They were playing an excellent run defense spearheaded by one of the best defensive fronts in football, featuring Mario Williams, Kyle Williams, Marcell Dareus and Jerry Hughes. Dareus had three tackles for loss.
This is their identity, though.
Being able to control the game on the ground wasn't necessary against the Bills because the Texans' defense was able to so thoroughly discombobulate quarterback EJ Manuel, who was benched a day later. Moving forward, though, it's an important part of who the Texans are.
O'Brien realizes the team's attack must return to form, with daily improvements peaking Sunday against the Cowboys.
"We have to look at our game plans and think about what our players do well and run those type of plays. ... We've just got to be more consistent in how we run the football," O'Brien said.
Foster remains day-to-day, O'Brien said. ...
It's safe to say I'll be following up via Late-Breaking Update as the week progresses. ...
Other notes of interest. ... As the Sports Xchange noted, Fitzpatrick was under a lot of pressure from Buffalo's defensive line. The pass protection was mediocre at best, but he finished with 25-of-37 for 268 yards, including a 35-yard touchdown to DeAndre Hopkins.
One of his two interceptions was on a deep ball to Hopkins.
Andre Johnson left Sunday's game against the Bills with an ankle injury. It doesn't look like it was a serious blow, however. Johnson, who had six catches for 71 yards in the win, said after the game that his ankle felt fine.
"I'm fine, I was more scared than anything because I felt a pop, so I went in and got checked," Johnson said.
As Profootballtalk.com suggests, that's good news for the Texans offense, which struggled to run the ball again this week. Hopkins is off to a strong start, but the team needs a healthy Johnson to perform at their highest level this season. ...
The Texans have signed cornerback Jumal Rolle off Green Bay's practice squad, John McClain of the Chronicle reports. To make room for Rolle on the roster, the Texans placed veteran running back Ronnie Brown on waivers. ...
Kicker Randy Bullock had a rough start to his career last season, but he showed growth during the season and has continued that trend this year. Against the Bills, Bullock hit field goals of 55 and 50 yards that kept the game just out of reach in the Texans' six-point win.
In case you didn't catch it, J.J. Watt was the most interesting thing happening in this game. He hit Manuel six times in the first half and became an even bigger problem in the second half when he jumped up and intercepted one of Manuel's throws, returning it 80 yards for a touchdown while mildly high-stepping and waving to the crowd as he crossed into the end zone.
Watt now has more touchdowns this season (2) than Foster and Johnson combined. Foster has rushed for a single touchdown, and Johnson has been limited to under 200 yards total from 16 receptions.
Watt is just the second player since the merger with a receiving touchdown and an interception return for a TD in the same season (Mike Vrabel, 2005). ...
And finally. ... Linebacker Jadeveon Clowney, who hasn't played since hurting his knee in the opener, has begun jogging as part of his rehab and expects to return "in a few weeks," reports the Chronicle. Clowney would not provide a more exact timetable. 

DEPTH CHART AS OF WEDNESDAY AT 14:00 CT  
QB: Ryan Fitzpatrick, Tom Savage, Ryan Mallett 
RB: Arian Foster, Alfred Blue, Jonathan Grimes 
FB: Jay Prosch 
WR: Andre Johnson, DeAndre Hopkins, Damaris Johnson, Keshawn Martin, DeVier Posey 
TE: Garrett Graham, C.J. Fiedorowicz, Ryan Griffin 
PK: Randy Bullock 
=========================

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INDIANAPOLIS COLTS
As the Sports Xchange noted, scoring 44 points at Jacksonville the previous week and 41 in Sunday's win over the Titans, Indianapolis posted consecutive 40-plus point games for the first time since 2004. The Colts did it four times that season.
Quarterback Andrew Luck has registered a league-leading 13 touchdown passes. He has thrown for eight TDs over the last two weeks.
"I think we're blessed with a bunch of great play-makers," Luck said. "Guys that need the ball in their hands and as a quarterback, that's what you want. You want guys that go out there and make plays.
"And then when you feel the defense is focusing on one guy, or two guys, we think our matchup can win every time whenever it is on the field. Being able to spread the ball and get everybody involved is important and it worked (Sunday)."
Head coach Chuck Pagano likes the way his team has played over the last two weeks. Except, that is, for one area. Too many penalties.
"I think we had 11 penalties (for 88 yards against Tennessee). We had four in the first half and then way too many in the second half. We've got to get that cleared up," Pagano said.
Indianapolis has not allowed a sack in two of its last three games (Philadelphia and Tennessee).
In the last two games, Indianapolis has combined for 1,027 yards of total offense (529 against the Jaguars and 498 vs. Tennessee). That's the most for the team in back-to-back games in franchise history
Now, with back-to-back wins over AFC South rivals Jacksonville and Tennessee now under their belts, the Colts will remain at home this week for a matchup with the Baltimore Ravens.
Losing a pair of close games to two of the National Football League's better teams, Denver and Philadelphia, to begin the season might be a cause for concern. It was the little things that had done in the Colts against the Broncos and Eagles.
Pagano, though, knew that Indianapolis had been down this road before. He considered the 0-2 start just a temporary blip before his team moved on with the rest of the schedule.
So just where is Indianapolis after the first four weeks of the season?
"We're headed in the right direction. Like where the team is at," the coach said.
Indianapolis' offense has come alive in its last two wins, but the Ravens will present other issues to deal with. Still, getting back to the .500 mark was the goal and they arrived there on an offensive roll. ...
Other notes of interest. ... As ESPN.com's Mike Wells notes, Reggie Wayne continues to prove that age and a torn ACL last season aren't going to slow him down. He caught seven passes for 119 yards and a touchdown on a day in which he moved past Isaac Bruce for seventh all time in receptions.
Wayne also became only the third Colts player to play in 200 games in his career, joining Peyton Manning and Johnny Unitas.
Wayne hasn't looked like a player who missed most of last season with a torn ACL, which is why he moved up in the record books on Sunday. He surpassed Isaac Bruce for seventh place on the NFL's all-time receptions list (1,029) and Henry Ellard for 10th on the most receiving yards list (13,873).
Wayne has proven through the first four weeks of the season that he still remains one of Luck's security blankets despite having players such as Nicks, T.Y. Hilton, Coby Fleener and Dwayne Allen as throwing options.
Six of Wayne's seven catches, including two on third down, were good enough for a first down or a touchdown. He's tied with Hilton for first down catches at 16 this season.
"I guarantee you I'm not the only one that's open," Wayne said. "I take pride in keeping the chains moving. Everybody wants to score touchdowns and make big plays, but I know third down is a money down. To get touchdowns you have to continue to keep the chains moving to get the first downs. When my number is called, I want to take advantage of it. My man 12 (Luck) has enough faith in me to throw me to throw the ball. I want to let him know I'm there for him. Not just him, the whole team. ..."
The Colts rushed for 105 yards as a team, just enough to keep the Tennessee defense honest and help open up the passing game. Trent Richardson ran for 47 yards in 20 carries while Ahmad Bradshaw added 32 yards in nine rushes. Richardson had a 1-yard TD run in the first quarter.
Bradshaw (ankle) left the Tennessee game briefly, had his ankle taped and returned to the game. He scored on a 15-yard pass play after re-entering the game. Bradshaw, though, had his ankle in a walking boot after the game. The injury is not considered to be serious. He was not practicing Wednesday, though that has been the norm this season. His availability for the Baltimore game won't be determined until the end of the week.
Hilton (hamstring) should be good to go this week. Hilton appeared to have tweaked his hamstring in the win over the Titans on Sunday. The injury is not expected to keep him out of the Ravens game although he may see a lighter workload in practice. ...
Receiver Da'Rick Rogers was waived from the 53-man roster after he was arrested for DUI early Monday morning on the IUPUI (Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis) campus. Rogers has been a game-day inactive for the first four weeks of the season due to the Colts' depth at wide receiver.
After the Colts got word of the arrest, Rogers was cut, and Pagano said, "We have released Da'Rick Rogers for conduct detrimental. We've released him. Would be inappropriate to speak further on that."
Rogers went undrafted in 2013 largely because of numerous off-field issues at Tennessee. He left there for Tennessee Tech. A local TV report in Indianapolis reported that Colts cornerback Loucheiz Purifoy was a passenger in the car that was pulled over at 3:35 a.m. ...
Meanwhile, safety LaRon Landry is the latest player busted for violating the NFL's performance-enhancing drug policy.
The league announced today that Landry has been suspended for the next four games for violating the PED policy. As is standard practice, the NFL did not announce the specifics of Landry's violation.
Landry will have to stay away from the team facility starting now and through Monday, October 27.
And finally. ... The Colts have signed linebacker Robert Mathis to a one-year contract extension through the 2016 season, the team announced Tuesday.
Mathis, who was under contract through 2015 before signing the extension, can make as much as $6 million in 2016 with the extension, according to a source.
He signed a four-year, $36 million extension with the Colts in 2012.
Mathis was suspended the first four games of the season for using performance-enhancing drugs, and his season ended when he tore his Achilles while working out in Atlanta during his suspension.
The 33-year-old Mathis is coming off a 2013 season in which he led the NFL in sacks with 19.5. 

DEPTH CHART AS OF WEDNESDAY AT 14:00 CT  
QB: Andrew Luck, Matt Hasselbeck, Chandler Harnish 
RB: Trent Richardson, Ahmad Bradshaw, Dan Herron, Dion Lewis 
FB: Mario Harvey 
WR: Reggie Wayne, T.Y. Hilton, Hakeem Nicks, Donte Moncrief, Griff Whalen 
TE: Dwayne Allen, Coby Fleener, Jack Doyle 
PK: Adam Vinatieri 
=========================

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JACKSONVILLE JAGUARS
According to ESPN.com's Michael DiRocco, what mattered most about the Jaguars' 33-14 loss to San Diego on Sunday wasn't the final score.
Nor was it that while the defense played a bit better, it still gave up big plays and more than 400 yards.
Or the fact that veteran receiver Cecil Shorts injured his left hamstring in the third quarter and likely will miss a week or two. Shorts characterized himself as "week to week" on Wednesday.
Those things do matter, of course, but they're secondary to the most important thing that happened at Qualcomm Stadium: The Jaguars appear to have hit with Blake Bortles.
DiRocco went on to note, the No. 3 overall pick turned in an up-and-down performance in his first career start, throwing for 253 yards and one touchdown but also tossing two costly interceptions. However, he was not shaken or overwhelmed by the situation of playing on the road against the NFL's 10th-ranked defense with a short-handed offense that got handcuffed even more when Shorts left the game.
"It was good to see," running back Toby Gerhart said. "He didn't get rattled at all. That's what we want to see out of our quarterback, to see he handled it well, not get shaken, first time on the road. It's a testament to him and I'm excited about the future with him."
As DiRocco put it: "Sunday's game was about the future."
The Jaguars needed to know if Bortles is the player who can transform the franchise. That's what GM David Caldwell believed when he drafted Bortles out of Central Florida in May. They liked what they saw during training camp and were even more convinced during the preseason.
But they didn't really know. They'd never publicly admit there was any doubt, but logically there had to be. This franchise hasn't hit on a quarterback since Mark Brunell (1995-2003). They missed on first-round picks Byron Leftwich and Blaine Gabbert. They rewarded David Garrard with a big contract and he turned out to be nothing special.
Physically, those guys had what it took to play in the NFL. Bortles measures up there, as well, but it's poise, confidence, playmaking ability and intangibles that set him apart from the Jaguars' past QB failures. Two plays he made against the Chargers are all the proof that anyone needs.
In each case, Bortles scrambled around to evade pressure and hit open receivers for big gains. He found Allen Hurns for a 44-yard gain to the San Diego 2-yard line in the second quarter and that led to Bortles' 2-yard touchdown pass to tight end Nic Jacobs and a 14-10 lead.
Bortles did it again in the fourth quarter. He was nearly sacked but spun out of trouble, rolled to his right, and found tight end Clay Harbor open for a 30-yard gain on third-and-17.
In each case, Bortles kept his composure, kept his eyes downfield, and turned a broken play into a big gain. He did it against Indianapolis last week, too, scrambling out of a sure sack and finding fullback Will Ta'ufo'ou open for a 26-yard gain.
Once is great. Twice is better. Three times is a trend.
"That's who he is," receiver Mike Brown said. "Poised, calm, all that."
The ability to do that during the chaos of a game was clearly something that Gabbert lacked. The ability to do that and keep a play alive and get something out of what should be nothing on top of that are the ingredients of what could be the answer to the franchise's QB problems of the past decade.
"It's a great thing to have," offensive tackle Luke Joeckel said. "Not every great quarterback has that."
As DiRocco summed up: "Bortles is far from a great quarterback right now, but he appears to have a few of the necessary ingredients."
And that's more than can be said of Chad Henne. ...
Other notes of interest. ... The Jaguars don't expect Shorts to play Sunday against Pittsburgh.
Head coach Gus Bradley all but ruled Shorts out Monday, a day after the fourth-year pro tweaked a muscle near his left hamstring.
Shorts missed the first two games of the season with a strained left hamstring. He started the last two, catching seven passes for 60 yards and a touchdown.
But now he's back on the sidelines. Although Shorts led the Jaguars in receiving the last two seasons, he has missed 13 games in four seasons because of various injuries.
Rookie Marqise Lee (hamstring) will also miss another game this week but fellow receiver Ace Sanders has been taken off the reserve/suspended list.
Rookie receiver Allen Robinson has been targeted 23 times over his past three games, according to DiRocco. He has 17 catches for 192 yards but has yet to score. Robinson figures to play a big role Sunday against Pittsburgh with Shorts all but officially ruled out and Lee already out.
Robinson has drawn the fourth-most targets among rookie wideouts. ...
If Shorts cannot play, the Jaguars will be left with Sanders, rookies Allen Hurns and Robinson, second-year player Mike Brown and recently acquired second-year player Tavarres King. Sanders, who caught 51 passes as a rookie last season, missed all of training camp while on a leave of absence. King spent most of the 2013 season on the Denver and Carolina practice squads and has yet to be active since the Jaguars signed him Sept. 16.
Otherwise. ... Denard Robinson saw extensive action at the running back spot, especially after Gerhart fumbled the ball away on the game's first play. Gerhart gained eight yards on the play but was held to 32 yards in 10 carries in the game.
Harbor was letter-perfect in his first action of the season. Out since suffering a calf injury on July 28, Harbor caught all eight passes that were directed his way for a total of 69 yards to lead the Jaguars in both departments. 

DEPTH CHART AS OF WEDNESDAY AT 14:00 CT  
QB: Blake Bortles, Chad Henne 
RB: Toby Gerhart, Denard Robinson, Jordan Todman, Storm Johnson 
FB: Will Ta'ufo'ou 
WR: Allen Robinson, Allen Hurns, Mike Brown, Tavarres Kings, Ace Sanders, Cecil Shorts, Marqise Lee 
TE: Clay Harbor, Mickey Shuler, Marcedes Lewis 
PK: Josh Scobee 
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KANSAS CITY CHIEFS
According to ESPN.com's Adam Teicher, Andy Reid started rattling off the things the Kansas City Chiefs did well in their Monday night thrashing of the New England Patriots and didn't really know where to stop. There were that many things the Chiefs did well in their 41-14 victory at Arrowhead Stadium.
Reid lingered a little longer in one area, and that was a pretty strong hint about his feelings. The Chiefs got 199 yards rushing, 28 more receiving, plus three touchdowns from running backs Jamaal Charles and Knile Davis, and this seemed to please Reid as much or more than anything.
"It's a heck of a thing to bring [Charles] off the bench as a relief pitcher," Reid said. "He's a pretty good player."
Charles was technically the starter and Davis the reserve Monday night, but beyond that the lines were blurred. They both played a lot early in the game, a rotation the Chiefs haven't used since Davis joined the team as a third-round draft pick last year.
There was much to like about the results, with Davis rushing for 107 yards on 16 carries and Charles 92 yards on 18 carries. What may be more meaningful to the Chiefs than the stats was this: They got as much from Davis as they did Charles.
"We knew before the game started that I was going to get some reps and Knile was going to get some reps," Charles said. "Knile is starting to believe in himself. He's starting to feel comfortable, and I'm happy for him."
As Teicher notes, the two players complement each other. Both are fast and big-play threats. Charles had the three touchdowns Monday night (one rushing, two receiving), Davis a 48-yard run.
But Davis is bigger, more powerful and wears down a defense faster. Charles has the ability to make defenders miss.
The Chiefs can use them from varying formations, something that makes them difficult to defend.
"They're both explosive players," Reid said. "They're completely different players, but they're both explosive players. That makes my job easy. Just give them the ball."
A rotation also allows the Chiefs to keep both players fresh. Charles is remarkable in that he's only 200 pounds but has shown little sign that the tremendous physical burden he's carried in recent seasons is taking its toll.
Within each game, though, he's bound to be better in the fourth quarter when he's sharing the load with Davis.
"You can keep throwing fastballs at the defense," Reid said. "It allows you to have two fresh backs in the fourth quarter."
The key is that the Chiefs aren't losing effectiveness when Davis enters the game. He rushed for 132 yards last week in Miami and was every bit as devastating to the Patriots as Charles was on Monday night.
The Chiefs were able to get Davis involved early. So even before the game got out of hand, the Chiefs had two backs who were carving up a defense.
"I had a few carries early in the game so I was able to get into a rhythm early," Davis said. "We both feed off each other. When he's in, I know he's going to do his thing. When I'm in, I'm going to do my thing."
Worth noting: Charles was named AFC Offensive Player of the Week for his efforts. ...
Meanwhile, with Charles excelling, that helped Chiefs quarterback Alex Smith use play fakes effectively.
Smith was 10-for-11 for 120 yards and a touchdown to tight end Travis Kelce on his play-action passes.
Smith went 8-for-9 for 93 yards when throwing to Kelce in this game.
Kelce led the Chiefs in receptions (eight) and receiving yardage (93). Smith was 20-of-26 for 248 yards and three touchdowns.
Next up, the Chiefs begin a two-game West Coast swing on Sunday with a game against the 49ers at the new Levi's Stadium.
On the injury front. ... Donnie Avery has an abductor strain. Charles' ankle was sore but "he's doing okay," Reid said.
And finally. ... The Chiefs placed RB Joe McKnight on injured reserve with a ruptured Achilles' tendon, ending his season. 

DEPTH CHART AS OF WEDNESDAY AT 14:00 CT  
QB: Alex Smith, Chase Daniel, Aaron Murray 
RB: Jamaal Charles, Knile Davis, De'Anthony Thomas, Cyrus Gray 
RB: Anthony Sherman 
WR: Dwayne Bowe, Donnie Avery, Junior Hemingway, Frankie Hammond, A.J. Jenkins, Albert Wilson 
TE: Travis Kelce, Anthony Fasano, Demetrius Harris 
PK: Cairo Santos 
=========================

=========================
MIAMI DOLPHINS
As Associated Press sports writer Steven Wine notes, the Dolphins have totaled 71 points in their two victories while scoring one touchdown in each of their two defeats, a roller-coaster pattern that offensive coordinator Bill Lazor finds easy to assess.
"We have a better chance if we score a lot," Lazor said Monday.
So that's what the Dolphins (2-2) will try to do in the final 12 games. A bye this week means extra time to figure out how to get more from a maddeningly unpredictable offense.
The Dolphins scored 33 points in their opening win over New England and totaled a season-high 435 yards in Sunday's 38-14 victory over Oakland in London. In each game they dominated despite committing three turnovers.
But in losses to Buffalo and Kansas City, the offense was awful.
"Consistency is what we're looking for," head coach Joe Philbin said. "Even in the two losses we had, I would argue there were periods in time where we had momentum in the second half of those games, but we certainly didn't sustain it. On Sunday, we just kind of kept playing. We grabbed some momentum and we never let up.
"Now we have to start playing at a consistently high level. It's time."
The Dolphins' final touchdown came at 5:30 a.m. Monday when they arrived on their return from London, and the long trip was well worth the trouble. The victory put the brakes on a skid in danger of accelerating out of control.
Had the Dolphins lost, they would have taken a three-game losing streak into the bye week, leaving plenty of time for questions about the job security of Philbin and quarterback Ryan Tannehill. Such talk was quelled -- for now, at least -- by Tannehill's best performance of the season, lifting Miami back into the mix in the AFC East.
Philbin, whose noncommittal public comments regarding Tannehill's status created a soap opera last week, had only praise for his quarterback Monday.
"He played very well," Philbin said. "The big thing is I thought his play speed was very good. His decision-making was good. And he threw the ball well. He had good velocity, the location was good. I think he was just kind of clicking."
As ESPN.com's James Walker pointed out, the perception Philbin created -- at least publicly -- was that the kid gloves were off; Tannehill could lose his job at any second with another poor performance. He was 1-4 in his previous five starts dating to last season, and that created a sense of urgency and focus. Tannehill was locked in from the beginning on Sunday and completed 17 of his first 19 passes. That sparked Miami's offense to score a season-high 38 points.
"As the week went on and everything, all the distractions, to finally leave the country, have a long flight and come over here and get ready for the game, I think I was more excited for this game than I've been for a game in a long time," Tannehill said.
Perhaps Tannehill's biggest asset is his physical toughness -- he's proved it on a weekly basis. Tannehill has been the NFL's most-sacked quarterback since 2012, and he has never complained or missed a start.
But Tannehill showed a different side of himself to coaches and teammates Sunday with his mental toughness. The pressure on Tannehill had never been higher, and Tannehill answered the call. Overcoming adversity is a major plus for any starting quarterback.
There will be no debating Tannehill's status as the Dolphins enter their bye week.
"I'm excited about the step that I took and that the offense took this week," Tannehill said. "But we have to build off of it. It's just a step."
Indeed, the highest-scoring performance in Philbin's 36-game tenure was a collective effort. Of the Dolphins' 278 yards passing, a season-high 151 came after the catch. And Miami totaled 157 yards rushing.
"With the receivers, you saw guys who were excited to have the ball in their hands and working hard to do something with it," Lazor said. "They started to develop an attitude of how they want to play with the ball in their hands. And our offensive line felt a kind of momentum that they could control the game up front."
With a revamped line, the Dolphins have allowed nine sacks, putting them well below last year's frightful franchise-record pace of 58. Improved blocking is also reflected in Miami's rushing average of 142 yards per game, which ranks fifth in the NFL.
After steamrolling winless Oakland, the challenge will be stiffer in the next game Oct. 12 against Green Bay. But the offensive line should receive a boost with the return of Pro Bowl center Mike Pouncey, who missed the first four games recovering from offseason hip surgery.
Also returning will be middle linebacker Koa Misi and safety Reshad Jones. Misi missed the past two games with an ankle injury, while Jones was suspended for the first four games for violating the NFL policy on performance-enhancing substances. ...
Other notes of interest. ... As the Sports Xchange notes, wide receiver Mike Wallace has three touchdown receptions in the season's first four games, which ties his career best over that span. He also accomplished that feat in 2012. Wallace's three touchdowns, by the way, are creeping up on his total of five touchdowns last season.
Brian Hartline now has 275 receptions, ninth-most in franchise history. Hartline, also trying to become the franchise first WR with three consecutive 1,000-yard seasons, had six receptions for 74 yards against Oakland.
Rishard Matthews (two receptions, 27 yards) came alive against Oakland, highlighted by a play near the goal line in which he ran over one player and nearly made it into the end zone. Matthews continues to be a solid, under-the-radar type of guy.
Lamar Miller was effective, but he also lost a fumble at the end zone that Oakland recovered. Still, the running game (157 yards) was strong, the line blocked well, and Tannehill and Daniel Thomas (each had 5 carries, 35 yards) provided a nice boost.
The Dolphins have nine turnovers in four games. Interestingly, all of Miami's games so far have been decided by 13 points or more. Turnovers were a factor in the two losses to the Buffalo Bills and Kansas City Chiefs, but were a non-factor in wins over the Raiders and New England Patriots.
One last note here. ... Former 49ers running back LaMichael James was signed to the team's practice squad, according to FOXSports. 

DEPTH CHART AS OF WEDNESDAY AT 14:00 CT  
The Dolphins are idle this week due to the NFL bye. 
=========================

=========================
MINNESOTA VIKINGS
The Vikings have not committed to quarterback Teddy Bridgewater playing at Green Bay on his sprained left ankle.
Two days after the injury he was "doing much better," according to head coach Mike Zimmer, but Bridgewater didn't participate in practice Tuesday and the team officially listed him as questionable on their final injury report in advance of Thursday night's game.
"If he can play, we'll play him," Zimmer said.
Christian Ponder would start if Bridgewater isn't cleared.
Ponder took the first-team reps Monday and Tuesday. "I'm preparing to play, but we're hoping the best for Teddy," Ponder told reporters.
"I've talked to Teddy. He's doing everything he can to prepare and be ready to play."
Zimmer said Bridgewater's work Tuesday would be more mental than physical. The team planned to have Bridgewater try running on the ankle he hurt against Atlanta in his first career start. Bridgewater said he had yet to throw the ball.
The Packers have said they're preparing for Bridgewater to play Thursday, and Zimmer said he doesn't have doubt about Bridgewater's availability. But the Vikings coach also said he's taking the rookie's status "one day at a time."
"Just depends on when we feel he's ready and when we feel he's not ready," Zimmer said.
Bridgewater said he's become well-acquainted with athletic trainer Eric Sugarman and his staff since he was hurt Sunday.
"I want to do what's best for the team. I'm sure the training staff and the coaching staff is going to do what's best for the team also," Bridgewater said.
Cleary, the team would love to get him back for this one.
Bridgewater passed for 317 yards and a key 2-point conversion and rushed for 27 yards and a touchdown in his first NFL start, a 41-28 victory over Atlanta that could hardly have been better for the first-round draft pick from Louisville until his left foot rolled underneath him during a short run early in the fourth quarter.
He had X-rays, which were negative, and returned to the sideline without crutches by the end of the game.
Ponder, the starter for the majority of the previous three seasons, took over but did not attempt a pass.
Ponder has started 35 games, but none with Norv Turner as offensive coordinator. It's a very different style of offense than what we've ran the previous three years," Ponder said. "Without Adrian [Peterson], it's different. Defenses play us differently without Adrian. I'm comfortable and fit well in it."
Worth noting: Bridgewater has experience recovering from injury in a shortened week. He broke his left (non-throwing) wrist and sprained his right ankle during a game in 2012 against Connecticut, and the Cardinals had to play at Rutgers five days later. Bridgewater didn't start the game, but he came off the bench to throw two second-half touchdown passes to lead a Louisville rally for the win and the Big East Conference's bid in the Bowl Championship Series.
"He's the toughest quarterback in the nation," one of his teammates, Preston Brown, said after that game.
The Vikings, after raving over the last several months about Bridgewater's poise, athleticism and grasp of the game, will now have their first true assessment of that toughness. With Matt Cassel out for the season with a broken left foot, Ponder is the only healthy quarterback on the active roster. McLeod Bethel-Thompson was signed to the practice squad last week, and Chandler Harnish was signed to the practice squad Monday.
The Falcons talked all week about needing to heed Bridgewater's ability to run with the ball, how that changes the entire dynamic of an offense, and he showed that on a few of his five carries.
"He's a special player," running back Jerick McKinnon said.
The Packers have struggled to stop the run, allowing a league-high average of 176 yards per game, and mobile quarterbacks like Colin Kaepernick and Russell Wilson have especially given them trouble in recent years. So the Vikings probably can't afford to be without one of their best assets against a Packers team that revived its offense Sunday in a 38-17 win at Chicago over the Bears. ...
Stay tuned. I'll have more on Bridgewater's status in advance of Thursday night's kickoff via Late-Breaking update. ...
Other notes of interest. ... As the Sports Xchange notes, Jerick McKinnon, a rookie third-round draft picked, entered Sunday's game with five carries for seven yards. He had 18 for 135 against the Falcons. His 55-yard rush on his first carry is tied for the fourth-longest run by a Vikings rookie. Peterson has the top three. They were touchdown runs of 73, 67 and 64 yards.
That said, Zimmer has made it clear that McKinnon will remain in a change-of-pace role behind starter Matt Asiata.
Asiata also had his best game of the season with a 3.9-yard average (20-78) and three powerful short touchdown runs, including one on fourth-and-goal from the 1. ...
McKinnon was limited in Monday and Tuesday's practice by a tender ankle; he is expected to be available Thursday night. ...
Receiver Jarius Wright, an underrated player in his third season, posted the first 100-yard receiving game of his career. He had game highs of eight catches and 132 yards. He had 50 more yards receiving than Atlanta's Julio Jones, who entered the game leading the NFL in receiving yards.
Cordarrelle Patterson was targeted only four times, catching two passes for 38 yards. His offensive touches have been an ongoing storyline since the season opener, but Sunday's low production was overshadowed by the win and the fact that Wright had a breakout game.
According to the Associated Press, Kyle Rudolph's recovery from sports hernia surgery remains on track for less than two months, reinforcing the team's decision to avoid designating him as the one player who can be put on injured reserve with intent to return each season. Rudolph said he was dealing with the injury since the beginning of training camp and had the muscle tear fixed on both sides of his abdomen.
"Just get it fixed now so in November, December, January, I'm playing at a high level," Rudolph said.
Finally this week. ... Before their win over the Falcons, the Vikings got a motivational message from a familiar source: Peterson.
The running back, who is on the league's exempt/commissioner's permission list and away from the team while he fights child abuse charges in Texas, sent a text message to Zimmer before Sunday's game, with a brief message that Zimmer read to players.
"The words that Adrian texted coach Zimmer were very deep," Bridgewater said. "One thing I took away from that message was, play each down like it's your last, because you never know when it's going to be your last opportunity. I think the guys got that message pretty well."
"We felt him in spirit," Asiata told 1500ESPN.com. "He gave us a text, a motivational speech in a text, and we came out punching."
"(Peterson) just sent it to Coach (Zimmer)," linebacker Gerald Hodges told 1500ESPN.com. "Him and coach were texting back and (Peterson) said he wanted to share some things. He just said he'd love to be out here, would be dying to be out here with us. But everything's out of his control. He just said go out there and play your hearts out like it's your last time playing." 

DEPTH CHART AS OF WEDNESDAY AT 14:00 CT  
QB: Teddy Bridgewater, Christian Ponder 
RB: Matt Asiata, Jerick McKinnon, Joe Banyard, Adrian Peterson 
RB: Jerome Felton 
WR: Cordarrelle Patterson, Greg Jennings, Jarius Wright, Rodney Smith, Adam Thielen 
TE: MarQueis Gray, Rhett Ellison, Kyle Rudolph 
PK: Blair Walsh 
=========================

=========================
NEW ENGLAND PATRIOTS
After his team took a 41-14 thrashing from the Chiefs, head coach Bill Belichick answered a lot of questions.
But he didn't have to answer the one about whether the quarterback position would be evaluated this week, after he pulled Tom Brady and let rookie Jimmy Garoppolo finish up.
According to Phil Perry of CSNNE.com, Belichick "was dismissive, chuckling briefly, at the question."
That's a reasonable response considering it's Brady, but the Patriots offense was a mess all night.
And Garoppolo was sharp, going 6-for-7 for 70 yards and a touchdown to Rob Gronkowski. It was nice outing, even if it started down 41-7.
Meanwhile, Brady turned it over three times, and passed for 159 yards.
Asked whether playing the rookie was "performance-related to Tom or skill-related," Belichick said: "We played everybody tonight."
"I think our team competed," he said. "I thought we competed there at the end. That's what they should do."
It was just hard to tell for most of the night.
"We need to do everything better offensively," Belichick said. "We had like five first downs in the first half or something like that? We did a lot of things wrong. And we turned the ball over in the second half. Pretty much we need to do everything better."
But as Profootballtalk.com's Mike Florio suggested, when reporters asked Belichick about a burgeoning quarterback controversy, he shouldn't have scoffed.
He should have been grateful.
The focus on Brady has kept many from looking at the guy squarely responsible for the current state of the team -- Belichick himself.
The head coach and de facto GM has been heralded as a genius for much of the last 13 years, and rightfully so. Belichick has found a way to keep the team competitive on a consistent basis in an age of parity and a salary cap.
But as Florio explained, the quality of the roster has eroded in recent years. The offensive line presently stinks. While the departure of long-time line coach Dante Scarnecchia likely played a role in the ability of the line to play its role the right way, the players aren't good.
Which makes the decision to dump guard Logan Mankins after he refused to take a pay cut even more bizarre. Belichick miscalculated the ability of the line to thrive without Mankins, and as a result the Patriots could miss the postseason for the first time since 2008.
No one can question Belichick's coaching ability. But when it comes to handling the personnel side of the operation, he's either losing his fastball or he needs more help. Because it's not enough to find ways to trade down or to draft backup quarterbacks lower than perhaps they should have gone. At some point, the players need to be good enough to play.
Right now, they're not. And that lands at the feet of the guy who runs the show. ...
Meanwhile, as ESPN.com notes, the Patriots host the Bengals in Week 5, one of two remaining unbeaten teams in the NFL this season (Cardinals) and the team allowing the fewest points per game this season (11.0). If the Patriots want to avoid a 2-3 start and a further slide in the rankings, they'll need better play from their offense, specifically their quarterback.
With the offense struggling, Brady's decline in play becomes the focal point.
Brady is on pace for his lowest completion percentage of his career. He has completed 59.1 percent of his passes (29th) and he has seen a league-leading 25.5 percent of his passes fall incomplete due to an over or underthrown pass.
Brady has also averaged just 5.8 yards per attempt (35th out of 36 qualified QBs), better than only Raiders rookie Derek Carr.
Contributing to the low completions and yards per attempt is the Patriots inability to stretch the field.
Brady has completed only one of 16 attempts thrown 20 or more yards downfield this season (6.3 percent). No other quarterback is below 15.0 percent completions on those passes this season.
Brady has completed 73.5 percent of his passes to Julian Edelman this season, but only 47.5 percent of his attempts to the rest of the Patriots wide receivers.
Inconsistency in the receiving corps has likely played a factor in that, as no receiver outside of Edelman has been on field for a bulk of the team's snaps.
As noted above, the pre-season trade of Mankins may be looking like a big mistake too. Brady has been pressured on 26 percent of his dropbacks, which would be the highest since that data became available in 2009.
He's also been sacked on 6.2 percent of his dropbacks, which would be his highest since 2001. This had led to three lost fumbles for Brady, same as he had in the previous two seasons combined.
As for how much blame Belichick deserves, in the past five drafts, the Patriots have taken more quarterbacks (two) than offensive linemen (one -- Nate Solder) in the first three rounds.
The Patriots have also drafted seven wide receivers total in the last five drafts. One of those receivers was Edelman, who has 200 career receptions. The other six have combined for 99 career receptions, but 25 of those weren't even for the Patriots. ...
Other notes of interest. ... Gronkowski continues to work himself into the mix. After playing 38, 28 and 42 snaps in the first three weeks, he was on for 31 of 49 snaps in this one.
The Patriots will get some help from the returns of cornerback Brandon Browner and wide receiver Brian Tyms this week.
Belichick was asked about how to integrate Browner and Tyms this week after they both missed the first four weeks of the season while on suspensions.
"I think that's a question we will have to address and ultimately answer this week. I don't know the answer to [that question] right now," Belichick said during a conference call on Tuesday. "Right, those two players have missed four weeks -- four games -- but all the practice time as well, and we will have to see where they are relative to the other players."
Tyms was one of the surprise stories of training camp as he emerged as a taller receiving target (6-3) who has good hands. He established a strong rapport with Brady and Garoppolo.
Tyms has a tough task of claiming a roster spot and could be a fit on the practice squad. Considering the Patriots' decision to make wide receivers Aaron Dobson and Kenbrell Thompkins inactive against Kansas City, Tyms may have an opportunity for a role on the 53-man roster. If he treats it like he handled his opportunity during training camp, Tyms could emerge as a receiving option. 

DEPTH CHART AS OF WEDNESDAY AT 14:00 CT  
QB: Tom Brady, Jimmy Garoppolo 
RB: Shane Vereen, Stevan Ridley, Brandon Bolden, James Develin, James White 
WR: Julian Edelman, Brandon LaFell, Danny Amendola, Kenbrell Thompkins, Aaron Dobson, Bryan Tims, Matthew Slater 
TE: Rob Gronkowski, Tim Wright, Michael Hoomanawanui 
PK: Stephen Gostkowski 
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NEW ORLEANS SAINTS
As the Sports Xchange noted, it hasn't happened very often since Sean Payton took over back in 2006, especially not since they won the Super Bowl after the 2009 season, but the New Orleans Saints were anything but competitive in Sunday night's loss to the Dallas Cowboys.
The Saints trailed 24-0 at halftime and 31-3 midway through the third quarter before fighting back a little in a 38-17 setback against the Cowboys, whom they drummed 49-17 last season in the Mercedes-Benz Superdome.
There have been worse losses on the scoreboard, but numbers alone don't tell how bad the Saints were after going into AT&T Stadium off their first win of the season a week earlier against the Minnesota Vikings.
But the good they did in that game to try and overcome an 0-2 start and have a chance to climb back to the .500 mark was undone early by the Cowboys, who dominated both sides of the line of scrimmage early and never let up.
While there have been a few stinkers interspersed here and there in the Payton era, few looked and smelled like what happened against the Cowboys after they piled up 445 yards of total offense including 190 yards on the ground.
The Saints had an uncharacteristically poor offensive showing in the first half of Sunday night's game.
They were shut out by the Cowboys with their best chance at points going by the wayside when Shayne Graham shanked a 41-yard field-goal attempt early in the second quarter when the Saints trailed just 7-0.
It was only the third time since Payton took over in 2006 that their high-powered offense failed to score in the first half of a game.
They trailed the Tampa Bay Bucs 21-0 at halftime of an eventual 31-14 loss on Sept. 16, 2007 at Tampa and also were down 17-0 at St. Louis in an eventual 31-21 loss to the Rams on Oct. 30, 2011.
Payton wouldn't liken it to a playoff loss, but knew that it was bad. He refused to blame any unit on his team and even pointed an accusing finger at himself and his coaching staff.
"We struggled offensively, defensively, kicking game, coaching," he said before heading to the airport for a long plane ride home. "There's not going to be much good to see on this (game) tape. We're 1-3 right now, and that's about how well we are playing. ...
Other notes of interest. ... The final passing numbers didn't look all that bad when you consider Drew Brees was 32 of 44 for 340 yards with a pair of TDs and one interception and a passer rating of 100.6.
But the first half was bad as they could only manage 84 passing yards with Brees hitting on 10 of 13 pass attempts.
His first-quarter interception helped drop his rating to 61.1 and the Saints found themselves in a 24-0 hole at halftime. The second half was more productive with Brees completing 22 of 31 attempts for 256 yards with two scores.
Jimmy Graham had eight catches for 86 yards and a 13-yard TD, while Travaris Cadet had 59 yards on six receptions. Tight end Josh Hill had a touchdown for the second straight game on a 12-yard catch.
According to ESPN.com's Mike Triplett, the Saints' lack of deep passes wasn't a huge concern before Sunday night because they had been making teams pay with underneath throws and a solid run game. But it was disconcerting to see the Saints couldn't count on the deep ball when it was sorely needed Sunday, while the underneath stuff wasn't getting the job done, either. The Saints showed glimpses of it during a late rally -- but not nearly enough.
Even punter Thomas Morstead couldn't find anyone open on an ill-fated (and ill-advised) fake punt attempt in the fourth quarter. ...
As for the rushing attack. ... The good news is that the Saints averaged 8.0 yards per carry. The bad: they had only 13 attempts because they had to all but abandon the run when they came out for the second half staring a 24-point deficit in the face.
The other bad news is that other than Khiry Robinson's 62-yard burst in the fourth quarter, the Saints had only 42 yards on 12 carries and averaged 3.5 yards a pop on those.
They finished with 104 yards, but only Pierre Thomas had more than one attempt and he had two for eight yards.
One last note here. ... A broken hand kept Mark Ingram sidelined for his second consecutive game in Dallas. However, it appears it won't be too long before he is back in game action.
"No Mark Ingram for the Saints tonite, obviously, but he is on pace to return after their Week 6 bye. Would be a boost for sure," tweeted Jason La Canfora of CBSSports.com.
The initial timeline that came out after he underwent surgery was that he'd miss at least a month, so he appears to be right on target.
In his first two games, Ingram totaled 165 yards and 3 TDs, while averaging 6.0 yards per carry. He should return as the lead option out of the Saints' multi-headed backfield, but Robinson has the chance to stake a claim to a larger role in the interim. 

DEPTH CHART AS OF WEDNESDAY AT 14:00 CT  
QB: Drew Brees, Luke McCown 
RB: Khiry Robinson, Pierre Thomas, Travaris Cadet, Mark Ingram 
FB: Austin Johnson, Erik Lorig 
WR: Marques Colston, Kenny Stills, Brandin Cooks, Joe Morgan, Robert Meachem, Nick Toon 
TE: Jimmy Graham, Ben Watson, Josh Hill 
PK: Shayne Graham 
=========================

=========================
NEW YORK GIANTS
As the Sports Xchange reminded readers, the Giants' preseason showing was worrisome, and rightfully so.
Eli Manning struggled with executing his new footwork, the receivers weren't on the same page, the offensive line was undergoing changes virtually every day in practice, and there were endless questions about the tight ends.
Thankfully, the preseason is in the past and the Giants offense has gotten back on the right track.
One of the impressive things about the offense's production, according to head coach Tom Coughlin, was its ability to covert when in the opponent's territory.
"In the last two games combined, we've had 10 drives start in the opponent's territory, six touchdowns and two field goals," Coughlin noted.
"The opponent has started zero drives in our territory, which tells you a little bit of something about doing a better job with ball security, taking care of the ball, and then also on the other hand, the takeaways have improved tremendously in the last two weeks," Coughlin said.
The Xchange went on to note one of the key developments in the offense's progress has been the play of the offensive line. In Week 1, the line gave up 2.0 sacks and nine quarterback hits to an aggressive Lions defense, who also held the Giants to 216 yards of offense.
In the three games since then, the offensive line has allowed four sacks, four quarterback hits, and has helped contribute to the Giants averaging 403 net yards per game on offense.
"We've played this one group together for a few weeks and they experienced a little bit of success a week ago, that has done a lot for them," Coughlin said of the offensive line's rapid jelling process.
The biggest and perhaps most surprising difference on the offense has been the emergence of second-year tight end Larry Donnell, who receiver Victor Cruz believes was key to the offense's turnaround following the 35-14 beat down by the Lions in Week 1.
"I think when Larry Donnell started to come on and catch the ball and make some plays for us, I think that is when things kind of shifted and things went in our way a little bit," Cruz said via conference call.
"It was definitely something that we needed to happen, someone to step up and make some big plays, and Larry Donnell has done that for us."
Donnell currently leads the Giants with four touchdowns, three of which came in the team's 45-14 blowout win over Washington last Thursday night.
He is also the team leader in receptions with 25, and his 236 receiving yards are just 63 behind Cruz's team-leading 299.
Coughlin always believed that because of Donnell's athleticism, he could be a special player if he worked at his craft. So far, the head coach has not been disappointed.
"There's a lot to have to accomplish, the blocking part of it, the knowledge of the game, the routes and how to run them from that inside position against defenders, whether they be big, strong linebacker types, safety types, whatever it might be," he said.
"There's a young, inexperienced player that's eager to learn and has athleticism, has speed, has outstanding hands, so we've always had a high level of expectation for this player and how he can develop. He has started along those lines. There's a long way to go, but it doesn't change what we think this player can be."
Cruz, who compared Donnell's skill set to Martellus Bennett, who was with the Giants in 2012 before leaving via free agency to join the Bears, said it was just a matter of time before Donnell, who is in his second season, came into his own.
"I know exactly what type of athlete he is. I see him in practice every day. I see the type of plays that he makes, and I know it is just a matter of him getting his opportunity and him making the best of it," he said.
Cruz noted that Donnell, a former basketball player, has a certain athleticism about his play that allows him to be successful in this style of offense.
"I think he understands how to go up and get the ball wherever it is and understand how to position his body. I think that is because of his basketball background," he said.
The 6-6, 265-pound Donnell, who wasn't heard from much last season largely because he fell behind in his learning thanks to a broken foot that kept him out of the offseason workouts, has caught the league by storm.
According to the stats kept by Pro Football Focus, Donnell has caught 80.6 percent of the passes thrown his way, tops of all tight ends who have played in 75 percent of their team's offensive snaps.
As ESPN.com notes, his four touchdown catches tie him with Bennett for second in the NFL among all tight ends, and are one behind league leader Julius Thomas of the Broncos
"I knew once he got it this year, with the style of offense that we have, it definitely makes well for an athletic tight end to do some positive things," Coughlin said. "I think he filled that void for us."
No doubt about that. ... He's a major reason the Giants' offense is ascending. In addition to putting up 75 points the past two weeks, Manning threw for 300 yards and four touchdowns against the Washington Redskins, his 10th career game with at least four TD passes. And Cruz has posted back-to-back 100-yard receiving games.
The offense has certainly changed under Ben McAdoo -- Manning is throwing many more shorter passes, as opposed to taking lots of deep shots down the field. But it seems to be working, and Cruz certainly likes it.
"It's a ton of fun to be able to run all different types of routes, and catch the ball in different parts of the field," he said.
Cruz has even gotten to line up in the backfield on occasion, a new wrinkle we haven't seen before.
"I love it," Cruz said. "I've caught the ball twice from the backfield already. It's a good chance to give me the ball and operate in some space."
Next up? The Atlanta Falcons, who don't have a defense that's going to strike fear in the hearts of opponents. ...
Other notes of interest. ... The suddenly-potent offense may soon have another weapon for Manning.
First-round draft pick Odell Beckham, did a little more during Monday's workout and was on the field again Wednesday. In fact, Beckham told reporters he practiced fully, ran full speed and even caught a deep pass for a TD late in practice.
"It was a great feeling," he said.
There is an outside chance the speedy receiver may make his NFL debut Sunday.
Beckham pulled a hamstring early in training camp and missed all five preseason games and the first quarter of the regular season. Every time he practiced, he aggravated the injury.
The LSU product recently returned to practice on a limited basis and he is starting to show signs that he will be ready to play. ...
Worth noting: Donnell isn't the only tight end getting it done. Daniel Fells has now caught a touchdown pass in each of his last three games as a Giant while Adrien Robinson recorded his first career NFL reception against the Redskins.
In addition, Manning probably should have had a fifth touchdown pass against Washington to receiver Rueben Randle, but the play was ruled an interception despite the fact that it appeared Randle had secured the ball in the end zone as he made a move forward. ...
Also against Washington, the rushing attack did not put up the gaudy numbers they did in Week 3, but that wasn't the game plan given the short-turnaround. Instead, they got solid production from the tandem of Rashad Jennings (4.4 yards per carry) and rookie Andre Williams (4.2 yards per carry), both of whom combined for 121 of the Giants' 154 yards on the ground.
Williams, who finished as the Giants' rushing leader with 15 carries for 66 yards, also scored his first NFL touchdown, on a one-yard run in the fourth quarter.
One last note here. ... The Giants released wideout Mario Manningham with an injury settlement. Manningham was on injured reserve due to a calf injury he suffered earlier this year. 

DEPTH CHART AS OF WEDNESDAY AT 14:00 CT  
QB: Eli Manning, Ryan Nassib 
RB: Rashad Jennings, Andre Williams, Peyton Hillis 
RB: Henry Hynoski 
WR: Victor Cruz, Rueben Randle, Preston Parker, Corey Washington, Odell Beckham 
TE: Larry Donnell, Daniel Fells, Adrien Robinson 
PK: Josh Brown 
=========================

=========================
NEW YORK JETS
Well this can't be good. ... Geno Smith and the rest of the New York Jets' offense got together and huddled up.
Behind closed doors. No coaches. No media.
According to Associated Press sports writer Dennis Waszak Jr., during an offensive players-only meeting Monday, the quarterback and his teammates spoke about what has gone so wrong, why they're 1-3 and what needs to change.
"Myself and a few other guys just expressed our feelings," Smith said, "and ways to move forward."
According to Waszak, there was no finger pointing or passing blame. The Jets realize they've got themselves in a tough spot, with games at San Diego, home against Denver and at New England coming up.
If they don't get things turned around fast, Rex Ryan's team could be facing a full-blown crisis.
"No grievances," Smith said of the meeting. "I understand the semantics are a huge thing in this market, but no grievance. I don't want you guys to get that misunderstood. No one's hanging their head around here, no one's sad, no one's down on themselves. We're ready to go out and play."
That came a day after the Jets lost 24-17 to Detroit, Smith lashed out at a heckler using an expletive, and defensive lineman Sheldon Richardson said fans calling for a quarterback switch to Michael Vick should "shut up."
It was an ugly end to a lousy loss, and Smith made headlines more for what he said walking off the field than for anything he did -- or didn't do -- on the field. He and Ryan spoke about how he lost his cool, something he had managed to avoid all during a shaky rookie season and up until the scoreboard clock hit zero Sunday on the Jets' third straight loss.
"It should never happen, I know that," Smith said.
Smith wouldn't disclose what the fan said to him, but is aware that he faces a fine from the NFL for his actions.
"Whatever the ramifications will be," Smith said, "I will accept it."
Smith has taken a lot of the blame for the Jets' early-season struggles, and much of the wrath is focused on his seven turnovers: five interceptions, two lost fumbles.
Some fans and media have suggested Smith has taken a step back in his development, a regression that has compromised the offense.
"You guys try to make it about something else, but it's football," Smith said. "When you play football, you understand that there are going to be a lot of ups and downs throughout a game and through a season. The key thing is that in this locker room, we're sticking together, we're going to get better from this and we're going to continue to move forward."
As Waszak reported, chants of "We Want Vick!" echoed throughout MetLife Stadium at times Sunday, and several players complained about that after the game. Many of his teammates have publicly backed Smith, and so has Ryan, who did so again Monday.
"Because I believe in him," Ryan said. "I believe that we're going to get it done and I believe that he's going to be one of the main reasons we get it done and get it turned."
The Jets signed Vick in the offseason to give themselves a veteran backup who could get the offense back on track if Smith struggled. Vick didn't play a down Sunday.
"I'm only one person," Vick said when asked if he thinks he could be a solution. "I can't answer the question until I actually go out there and play three or four games and then maybe we can talk about it. As of right now, I can't just say I'll be the difference maker."
If Smith struggles again at San Diego, Vick might get that opportunity. He insists, though, that Smith hasn't lost any confidence and just needs to stay patient.
For the Jets and Smith, their season could depend on it.
"I don't anticipate us as a team continuing to struggle," Ryan said. "I think this team needs a win in the worst way, and I think that will help us more than anything. We have guys that believe in each other and I think, to a man, that our team believes in Geno. ..."
Other notes of interest. ... According to Profootballtalk.com's Michael David Smith, the Jets' play calling makes no sense.
Smith went on to explain, on the first drive of Sunday's game in New York, Chris Ivory was amazing: He ran nine times for 51 yards against a Detroit rush defense that previously hadn't allowed any running back to gain 50 yards in an entire game all season.
So, clearly, offensive coordinator Marty Mornhinweg had found something that worked and would stick with it, right?
Wrong.
Mornhinweg instead abandoned Ivory and didn't call for him to run the ball even once on the Jets' next two drives, both of which would go three-and-out. In the end, Ivory ran the ball just eight more times the rest of the game after that phenomenal performance on the first drive.
"There are a lot of things that contribute to that," Ryan said when asked about the play calling. "You don't know if a back is winded or if you're trying to keep some guys fresh. One of the strengths we have is that we have three backs that we feel good about. We want to play all three."
Ivory finished with 84 yards on 17 carries. Chris Johnson rushed for 44 on six carries, including a 35-yard touchdown -- his longest run since 2012.
According to ESPN.com's Rich Cimini, the day got off to a rousing start for Eric Decker, who watched his wife -- county singer Jessie James Decker -- deliver a rousing rendition of the national anthem. After that, the Jets' receiver hit a couple of good notes (an 11-yard touchdown reception), but also a couple of bad ones -- two dropped passes. Recovering from a hamstring injury, Decker has missed a lot of practice time.
"It's hard for a quarterback when he doesn't have his guys out there working with him," Decker said. "I had a couple of drops. That never helps out. For me, when I get repetitions during the week -- when I catch the ball, moving around -- it makes it easier during the game. Unfortunately, I haven't allowed myself to do that with the injury."
Fullback Tommy Bohanon broke his collarbone on Sunday and his season could be in jeopardy. Ryan says Monday that Bohanon played the entire second half with the injury, and the fullback is seeking another medical opinion before deciding whether to have surgery. In the meantime, the Jets re-signed John Conner, a punishing, fifth-year pro nicknamed The Terminator, because he shares a name with the main character from that movie.
The Jets drafted Conner in 2010, in the fifth round out of Kentucky. He played two and a half seasons for them, before being cut. The Bengals picked him up in December 2012, and cut him in August 2013. The following month, the Giants signed him. Conner was released by the Giants in this year's final cuts.
According to ESPN.com, there was no sign of wide receiver David Nelson at practice Wednesday. Nelson suffered a sprained left ankle in the game.
On Monday, yan said he was unsure of the extent of the injury, but the fact that Nelson didn’t finish the game was a bad sign.
Decker and tight end Jeff Cumberland were on the sideline for the start of practice, but both also took part in individual drills.
And finally. ... The Jets made some moves to shake up their receiving corps on Monday.
Fourth-round pick Jalen Saunders was dumped from the roster so the team could sign former Bills third-rounder T.J. Graham and the team announced a bit later in the day that they have also signed former Buccaneers wideout Chris Owusu.
Owusu was released by the Bucs last week when they signed Louis Murphy, ending a tenure with the team that stretched back to the 2012 season. Owusu played 17 games for the Bucs over that span, catching 16 passes for 158 yards and a touchdown. 

DEPTH CHART AS OF WEDNESDAY AT 14:00 CT  
QB: Geno Smith, Michael Vick 
RB: Chris Ivory, Chris Johnson, Bilal Powell 
RB: John Conner, Tommy Bohanon 
WR: Eric Decker, Jeremy Kerley, Greg Salas, David Nelson, Saalim Hakim, Walter Powell. T.J. Graham, Chris Owusu 
TE: Jeff Cumberland, Jace Amaro, Zach Sudfeld 
PK: Nick Folk 
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OAKLAND RAIDERS
Reggie McKenzie believes he put together a roster capable of competing for a playoff spot. When that roster got off to an 0-4 start and wasn't even competitive in two games, the general manager decided he needed to fire coach Dennis Allen.
McKenzie replaced his hand-picked coach by promoting offensive line coach Tony Sparano on an interim basis Tuesday with the hopes that can spark a turnaround for a team that has lost 10 straight games dating to last season.
"Yes, I do believe what we put together this offseason was a roster that could win," McKenzie said. "I'm not going to get into all the particulars of why it didn't work for Dennis. But the bottom line is it didn't work. For whatever reason, not only the 0-4 start but our play did not represent what we were capable of. That's the bottom line."
Allen was the first head coach hired by Oakland after Al Davis' death in October 2011. His 8-28 record is the worst for the franchise since before Davis arrived in 1963. His contract was set to run through next season.
McKenzie made the decision to fire Allen and then let owner Mark Davis know his plans. Davis supported McKenzie's call but now pressure turns to the general manager whose additions have not led to a better record.
Allen is the third coach fired during the season by Oakland since Al Davis arrived. Mike Shanahan was fired after four games in 1989 and Lane Kiffin was let go four games into the 2008 season.
"In my analysis, I think we do have players that can play in this game," Davis said. "I just think that there may be some changes in how the schemes are utilized."
As the Associated Press notes, Sparano becomes Oakland's eighth coach in the past 12 seasons. The Raiders have not made the playoffs or had a winning record since winning the 2002 AFC championship.
Sparano had a 29-32 record as head coach in Miami from 2008-11. He took over a one-win team in 2008 and led the Dolphins to an 11-5 record and an AFC East title. That was his only winning season and he was fired with three games remaining in 2011.
Sparano said he was still working out particulars about play-calling and other details and would talk to his players on Wednesday about what changes he planned to make.
While he was not ready to offer specifics on Tuesday, he did say there would be a philosophy change when the team returns from the bye week to play its next game at home against San Diego on Oct. 12.
"We need to make sure we're asking our football players here as coaches to do the things that they do best," Sparano said. "We have some good football players here, a lot of them. They do a lot of good things. We need to let them do what they do best."
Allen and McKenzie were hired after the team finished 8-8 under coach Hue Jackson in 2011, falling one game short of a playoff bid.
They were expected to steady a franchise that fell into disarray during Al Davis' final years as owner. Instead, the team has only gotten worse, posting back-to-back four-win seasons before getting off to the 0-4 start this year despite adding players like Justin Tuck, LaMarr Woodley, Maurice Jones-Drew, Carlos Rogers, Tarell Brown, James Jones, Antonio Smith and Matt Schaub in the offseason.
Even worse, the Raiders have looked overmatched at times. They fell behind 27-0 after three quarters of their only home game against Houston and trailed by 31 points after three quarters against the Dolphins.
In all, Allen had more losses by at least 20 points (nine) than wins. It was performances like those that Mark Davis said he no longer wanted to see in Allen's third season and that ultimately led to his downfall.
"To me, that's not what the Raiders are," Davis said. "And we're still trying to get to be what the Raiders are."
Davis cited this year's draft class led by linebacker Khalil Mack, quarterback Derek Carr and guard Gabe Jackson as players who could form the foundation.
But he was not willing to commit long-term to McKenzie, who has two years remaining on his contract, or Sparano. Davis said he would have more involvement in the hiring of the new coach than last time when he let McKenzie pick Allen.
He also said he might reach out to former coach Jon Gruden about a possible return.
"That's the future and I'm not going to talk about future coaches," Davis said.
Sparano has 12 games to show that he should be that guy. ...
And if he's not?
Gruden coached the Raiders from 1998 to 2001 and then beat the Raiders in the Super Bowl after Davis's father traded Gruden to the Buccaneers. Gruden has long been viewed as the first choice for Mark Davis as the person who could come back and turn the franchise around.
But it remains to be seen whether Gruden is interested in the job. Publicly, Gruden has always insisted that he loves working as a commentator and has a contract that ties him to ESPN for years to come. But few people believe Gruden would turn down the right opportunity to return to coaching.
The question, then, is whether he views Oakland as the right opportunity. As Profootballtalk.com's Mike Florio suggested, if Davis were to offer Gruden significantly more money than ESPN is paying him, and offer Gruden the authority to oversee the personnel department and pick his own players, it could pique Gruden's interest.
Don't be surprised if Davis makes a run at Gruden. ...
Other notes of interest. ... The Raiders could be without their starting quarterback when they return from the bye. Carr left the game in the third quarter after injuring his left ankle and knee on a scramble.
Carr has been one of the few bright spots this season as he has looked comfortable in the pocket and shown flashes that he could be a quarterback the Raiders can build their team around in the future.
Third-string quarterback Matt McGloin finished the game. Schaub has missed the past two games due to a family situation. ...
The Raiders made a surprise move by not activating receiver Denarius Moore for Sunday's game against the Dolphins in London.
McKenzie told the San Francisco Chronicle that Moore was a healthy scratch. Oakland's bid to tie the game in the final moments in New England ended when the Patriots intercepted a ball that bounced off of Moore's hands at the 10-yard line. Moore has been inconsistent throughout his career.
But with starter Rod Streater out for an extended period of time with a fractured foot, Moore being inactive is a surprise. Andre Holmes started with James Brown and newly signed Vincent Brown is the rotation against the Dolphins. 

DEPTH CHART AS OF WEDNESDAY AT 14:00 CT  
The Raiders are idle this week due to the NFL bye. 
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PHILADELPHIA EAGLES
As Associated Press sports writer Rob Maaddi framed it, "Needing only a yard to score the go-ahead touchdown late in the fourth quarter, the Philadelphia Eagles failed twice.
"Not so prolific. ..."
Don't fantasy owners know it. ...
Nick Foles struggled, LeSean McCoy hasn't been a factor and the rest of an offense that previously scored at will suddenly looks ordinary. A 26-21 loss to San Francisco on Sunday underscored many of Philadelphia's problems.
"I think some people are pressing and trying to make things out of something that isn't there right now at every position," head coach Chip Kelly said Monday. "I think everybody has just got to kind of settle down and go back to playing football."
Two special teams touchdowns and one defensive score gave the Eagles a 21-10 lead they couldn't hold against the 49ers because an offense that averaged 33.7 points in the first three weeks was shut out.
The Eagles didn't even cross into San Francisco territory in the first 55 minutes. That's when they drove to the 1 only to have Foles throw two incomplete passes on third and fourth down.
McCoy, an All-Pro last year, didn't even get a crack at the end zone after his 4-yard run to the 1. Kelly figured his makeshift offensive line wasn't going to get a strong push after seeing it get knocked around all game.
"We weren't really getting a ton of push at the point of attack," Kelly said. "I didn't think we were going to be able to pound it in in that situation."
And he's right.
The biggest concern for fantasy owners is McCoy, who after winning the league rushing title last season, set his sights this season on 2,000 yards.
He dropped weight and got himself into the best shape of his life. But three games in, things haven't exactly gone as he had hoped.
The star running back is pleased with the team's record, but not so much with the fact that he's averaging just 2.9 yards per carry.
As the Sports Xchange notes, last year, McCoy ran behind the same five offensive linemen the entire season. The Eagles' five starters missed a total of 90 snaps in 16 games.
This year? Well, right tackle Lane Johnson is serving a four-game PED suspension, left guard Evan Mathis injured his knee in Week 1 and is out until Week 10. And indispensible center Jason Kelce had sports hernia surgery Monday that's going to keep him on the shelf for 4 to 8 weeks.
"As a competitor, you want to make plays," McCoy said. "But I can't be selfish. We're winning games. That's what's most important. If I'm pissed off that we're not running the ball well but we're winning, what does that look like? I want to win, I really do. That's what's most important."
For what it's worth, ESPN.com's Phil Sheridan notes that McCoy was evaluated for a concussion during the Washington game and was cleared to play. He had a toe injury late in the preseason, but has said that wasn't bothering him. Kelly also said McCoy is healthy and isn't receiving treatment for any injuries. ...
Meanwhile, Foles led the NFL in yards passing through the first three games, but continues to miss open receivers. He had two interceptions and now has thrown four picks, doubling his season total from last year. The line has had trouble protecting him and he has taken several hard hits.
"We're going to be fine," Foles said. "You're going to go through things like this in life. You're going to have a rough game, and I have all the confidence in the world because I know my teammates. I know the guys that are on the O-line, and we're going to learn and we're going to be better for it because they're not going to beat themselves down. They're going to look at this as an opportunity to get better."
Johnson, the No. 4 overall pick in 2013, returns this week. If the other starting linemen were healthy, he may have eased his way back. Now, the Eagles need him to jump right in.
"We haven't seen him for a month," Kelly said. "He told me he was in Dallas working out. He looked good, so it's just the unknown. We haven't seen him in four weeks, so where is he at and how does he process things, how quickly does he get back into the swing of things, where is he from a health standpoint?"
Apparently, he was in pretty good shape. According to the Philadelphia Inquirer, the team plugged Johnson in at first-team right tackle during Tuesday's practice. Johnson's return allowed Todd Herremans to return to right guard. Matt Tobin remained at left guard, and David Molk is still the center. Johnson is slated to start Sunday's game against the St. Louis Rams -- even if it will take him some time to return to form.
"I don't care what people say; the only way to get in football shape is playing football," Johnson said in his first public comments since the suspension. "I'm in decent shape. I'm not exactly where I want to be, but I'm good enough."
Johnson is around 315 pounds. He reported to the offseason program in April at 317 pounds, which was 10 pounds more than last season. Johnson said he focused on reducing his body fat during the past few weeks, trying to avoid sugar and Gatorade. ...
Other notes of interest. ... Darren Sproles, who was previously named the NFC offensive player of the week after a big day as a receiver out of the backfield in a win in Indianapolis, has now been named the NFC special teams player of the week after a big day as a returner in a loss in San Francisco.
In Sunday's loss, Sproles had an 82-yard punt return for a touchdown that gave the Eagles a 21-10 second-quarter lead -- one they obviously couldn't hold.
Sproles is leading the league with 200 punt return yards and his 519 all-purpose yards put him on pace to top 2,000 this year for the fifth time in his career. ...
Riley Cooper led the way in San Francisco with six catches, but his per catch average was 9.0 yards and he dropped a makeable catch in the end zone that would have given the Eagles the lead late in the game.
Cooper has three drops on the season and has the lowest yards receiving per route run among NFL receivers with more than 25 targets this season.
Jeremy Maclin is the Eagles' other outside receiver, but he's having a strong start and is among the league leaders in catches, receiving yards and touchdowns. Jordan Matthews has been playing strictly as the starting slot receiver. Jeff Maehl has been the first outside receiver off the bench, but has been playing sparingly on offense. Brad Smith has been the fourth active receiver and has hardly gotten snaps on offense.
Meanwhile, rookie Josh Huff said that he's going to try and earn his way onto the active game day roster by practicing hard.
"In practice, I just got to bust my [butt], which I've been doing since I've been fully go," Huff said. "It's just a matter of the numbers game, I guess, and seeing where I can get in at."
Matthews has 15 catches for 141 yards and two TDs after a relatively quiet game against San Francisco.
Kelly said on Wednesday that Matthews will remain in the slot-role only, leaving Cooper as the outside receiver opposite Maclin because Kelly "wants that big, physical" slot presence. ...
Maclin was not practicing Tuesday, according to CSNPhilly.com, after tweaking a hamstring Sunday. Kelly told reporters on Wednesday, however, that Maclin will practice this week and is on target to play Sunday against the Rams. 

DEPTH CHART AS OF WEDNESDAY AT 14:00 CT  
QB: Nick Foles, Mark Sanchez, Matt Barkley 
RB: LeSean McCoy, Darren Sproles, Chris Polk 
WR: Riley Cooper, Jeremy Maclin, Jordan Matthews, Brad Smith, Jeff Maehl, Josh Huff 
TE: Zach Ertz, Brent Celek, James Casey, Trey Burton 
PK: Cody Parkey 
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=========================
PITTSBURGH STEELERS
Coming off one of their most disappointing losses in the 14-year history of Heinz Field, the Steelers head to winless Jacksonville not quite knowing what to expect.
Tampa Bay picked up its first victory of the season by coming back from seven points down behind backup quarterback Mike Glennon, who passed for 245 of his 302 yards in the second half.
Pittsburgh's offense will have to step it up more than it did on Sunday because there are going to be plenty more games like that against the Steelers defense. Their cornerbacks are weak and they are getting little pass rush one sack on Sunday. No pressure and poor cornerback play is a deadly combination.
"That's something that we have to do better at if we want to win," defensive end Brett Keisel said. "We have to get consistent pressure on the quarterback. ... Rush and coverage work together and we have got to pin our ears back and get to him if we expect to win."
Pittsburgh plays at Jacksonville Sunday and the Jaguars are 0-4. Then the Steelers play at Cleveland.
Tampa Bay was supposed to be the start of a soft schedule that would allow the Steelers to perhaps reverse their 2-6 start of last season by going 6-2. Those next two games, though, look as though they are must wins at this point if they want to entertain making the playoffs for the first time since 2011.
"We've got work to do, obviously," Keisel said. "And I hate saying that, but we do. We got to cut out the mistakes, that's what's beating us, mistakes against ourselves. We can't go out and expect to play and beat an NFL team and beat ourselves as well.
"It's too hard. ..."
Worth noting: The Steelers piled up 125 penalty yards against the Buccaneers, and six of their flags were of the 15-yard variety. Two of those penalties were for taunting and unsportsmanlike conduct by running back Le'Veon Bell and wide receiver Antonio Brown, respectively.
Another unsportsmanlike penalty was called on defensive end Cameron Heyward, who took issue with a missed holding call on Doug Martin's 3-yard touchdown run early in the third quarter.
The Steelers are averaging 11 penalties per game, and head coach Mike Tomlin acknowledged after a 37-19 win at Carolina last Sunday that the rash of flags would become "problematic" if his team didn't start playing smarter.
That explained why Tomlin was so upset and called his players "undisciplined."
"The defining factor in determining the outcome of that football game is that we were way too highly penalized," Tomlin said. "It's ridiculous."
His players largely agreed with him.
But they also said the usual after a loss, that they have to watch the film from the game and make the necessary corrections.
"Post-play penalties are ridiculous," Tomlin said. "That we have full control over. ..."
Other notes of interest. ...Ben Roethlisberger threw for 314 yards and three touchdowns against the Buccaneers. As ESPN.com notes, he should have had a fourth touchdown but Brown dropped a perfectly thrown pass off a flea-flicker in the fourth quarter with the Steelers leading 24-20.
Bell, who entered the game with an NFL-best 461 yards from scrimmage, managed just 63 rushing yards on 19 carries. And he had the above-mentioned taunting penalty after a 16-yard run, his longest one of the game.
Brown had a huge game with seven catches for 131 yards and two touchdowns. But he also had the inexplicable drop. Justin Brown couldn't hang onto what should have been a touchdown pass early in the game. Why is he playing over Lance Moore as the Steelers' No. 3 wide receiver?
Moore caught his first pass with the Steelers, for 12 yards in Sunday's loss. He returned from a groin injury to play one snap in the third game but played more often against Tampa Bay. ...
Roethlisberger couldn't have placed an early pass any better than if he had walked up to Heath Miller and put it in his hands. The normally reliable Miller inexplicably dropped the pass at a time when the Steelers were tripping themselves, but the 10th-year veteran more than made up for it.
Miller caught the next eight passes that Roethlisberger threw his way, including a 5-yard touchdown that snapped a 17-17 tie. Miller's nine catches for 80 yards were both season highs, and he moved into eighth place on the Steelers' list for career yards from scrimmage. Miller now has the fourth-most receiving yards in franchise history.
The Steelers made it through the game relatively unscathed, a welcome development after losing three defensive starters to significant injuries in the third quarter alone last Sunday. Roethlisberger appeared to bang his throwing hand against a helmet in the second quarter -- it was announced that he had hurt his right arm -- but he was fine.
Tomlin says he is not optimistic that Ryan Shazier (knee) will be able to play this week. ...
A few milestones this week. ... Roethlisberger became just the 12th player in NFL history to throw for at least 35,000 yards with the same team and he helped pull the Steelers out of an early stupor. With the offense doing nothing and the Steelers facing a 10-point deficit and a third-and-10 deep in their own territory, Roethlisberger completed a 32-yard pass to wide receiver Markus Wheaton, taking a serious shot after releasing the ball.
Brown set a NFL record by catching at least five passes for 50 yards in 20 consecutive games. Laveranues Coles and Brown had been tied.
Shaun Suisham extended his club-record of 24 consecutive field goals made without a miss until he missed one from 50 yards in the first half.
Getting back to the penalties, the Steelers have now committed 44 for 387 yards, second most in each category in the NFL. 

DEPTH CHART AS OF WEDNESDAY AT 14:00 CT  
QB: Ben Roethlisberger, Bruce Gradkowski, Landry Jones 
RB: Le'Veon Bell, LeGarrette Blount, Dri Archer 
FB: Will Johnson 
WR: Antonio Brown, Markus Wheaton, Lance Moore, Justin Brown, Darrius Heyward-Bey, Martavis Bryant 
TE: Heath Miller, Matt Spaeth, Michael Palmer 
PK: Shaun Suisham 
=========================

=========================
ST. LOUIS RAMS
As ESPN.com's Nick Waggoner noted, when the NFL first released the 2014 regular-season schedule in April, there was an eight-game stretch after the team's Week 4 bye that looked to be among the toughest any team would face.
Now that stretch is here.
The eight games awaiting the Rams after the bye are, in order: at Philadelphia, home against San Francisco on "Monday Night Football," home against Seattle, at Kansas City, at San Francisco, at Arizona, home against Denver and at San Diego.
That's a group comprised of seven games against 2013 playoff teams and the Cardinals, who finished last year 10-6 and are off to a 3-0 start this season. With the exception of Kansas City and San Francisco, all are off to good starts this season, though it can be hard to judge off just three games.
Even though the Rams are falling in line with the take-it-one-week-at-a-time cliché used around the league, they are aware of what's coming next.
"We have to focus on Philly, we really do," head coach Jeff Fisher said. "None of that matters. We have to focus on Philly. But, yeah, when the schedule came out and you looked at it and you saw those consecutive weeks where there's six, seven or eight against playoff teams and Arizona, who was 10-6 last year. But, one of those teams that we play after Philly is 1-2 right now. So, things change and you can't dwell or spend too much time on the schedule. It really is a very simple process. It's pay attention to who you're playing next."
Next up is an Eagles team that looks much different from most teams in the NFL, let alone the grind it out ethos of the Rams' NFC West counterparts.
At 1-2, the Rams can't afford to let things slip away from them; part of the reason it was important for them to fare better than 1-2 in the first three games. Since they didn't, they'll have to pull off some upsets over the back part of the schedule.
Of course, upsets shouldn't be ruled out when it comes to the Rams. Last season, St. Louis went into Indianapolis and won in a blowout and pulled off home victories against the Chicago Bears and New Orleans Saints.
And the Rams have been particularly salty coming out of the bye in two years under Fisher. In 2012, they went to San Francisco and came away with a tie in a game that was there for the taking before blowing past Chicago last year.
"I know our next opponent is Philly and they're a pretty good ballclub," end Robert Quinn said. "We'll get an early jump this week and try to get ready to get on to next week with a head start. We've got a tough schedule after the bye week but I think guys are ready for it. We have got our minds set already and where we've got to go to and make that push."
Other notes of interest. ... As the Sports Xchange suggested, Austin Davis has been a revelation in two starts, although Fisher has insisted Shaun Hill will start when he's healthy.
Davis has completed 72.3 percent of his passes and has an impressive 8.02 average per attempt to go with a 93.1 passer rating. The blips are three interceptions, including one returned for a touchdown at a crucial point in the Week 3 loss to Dallas.
On Wednesday, Fisher announced that Davis will make another start this week. I'll have more on that when Late-Breaking Updates crank up early Thursday. ...
Brian Quick is making an impact, and has a team-leading 14 receptions for 235 yards (14.7-yard average). The Rams are still having issues finding a way to get the ball in Tavon Austin's hands for significant yardage. He did suffer a knee injury in Week 2, but prior to that had just three receptions for 34 yards.
Wide receiver Stedman Bailey was in for only 10 plays on offense against Dallas in his first contest back since the final two games of his four-game NFL drug suspension were rescinded. That wasn't necessarily the plan, Fisher said.
"It's how the game went, but it's his first week back," Fisher said. "He'll be much more involved as we move forward. ..."
Zac Stacy is averaging a decent 4.3 yards per carry, he has just 181 yards and a score after three games. But No. 2 man Benjamin Cunningham is averaging just 3.3 YPC on his 20 carries. As a team, the Rams rank 23rd in the NFL with an average of 104 rushing yards per game.
Since the Rams are struggling on the ground, will they begin to work rookie third-rounder Tre Mason into the mix when they come out of their Week 4 bye?
"With the Rams on a bye week, Fisher used practice time (last) Wednesday and Thursday this week to get some of the younger players some additional reps," wrote Joe Lyons of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch. "In fact, Fisher mentioned Mason by name twice this week when talking about the team's practice plans.
"On Monday, the coach said, 'Got to get Tre Mason involved, not only more in the offense, but also more on special teams.'"
"After Wednesday's workout, Fisher said, 'We're working him in. He's doing a nice job on special teams right now, so he's got a pretty good feel for what we're doing.'" 

DEPTH CHART AS OF WEDNESDAY AT 14:00 CT  
QB: Austin Davis, Shaun Hill, Case Keenum 
RB: Zac Stacy, Benny Cunningham, Chase Reynolds, Trey Watts, Tre Mason 
WR: Brian Quick, Kenny Britt, Tavon Austin, Austin Pettis, Stedman Bailey, Chris Givens 
TE: Jared Cook, Lance Kendricks, Cory Harkey, Alex Bayer, Justice Cunningham 
PK: Greg Zuerlein 
=========================

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SAN DIEGO CHARGERS
As Associated Press sports writer Bernie Wilson framed it: "Philip Rivers can't do everything for the San Diego Chargers offense.
"He can't run the ball. Then again, neither can the Chargers' running backs. ..."
Although the Chargers pulled away to a 33-14 victory against winless Jacksonville on Sunday, they ran only 20 times for 42 yards, a paltry 2.1 yards per carry.
After four games, the Chargers are the NFL's second-worst running team. On Sunday, the Chargers (3-1) host the New York Jets (1-3), who have the NFL's stingiest run defense.
Rivers has carried the Chargers so far with his accurate passing. But head coach Mike McCoy says the Chargers still have to be able to run the ball in certain situations.
"The big thing is the running game. It's nowhere where it needs to be," McCoy said Monday. "There's no excuses about it. We're not running it well enough. We're not blocking well enough. Whatever we're running isn't working. We've got to figure out as coaches and players how to get it done.
"You want to have balance in any game," McCoy added. "You want to win time of possession. And that helps with a running game. You want to gain 4 yards a carry, grind it out, and when you throw it the way we're throwing the football right now, we're going to minimize the number of possessions a team gets. We're moving the ball. We just need to do it more efficiently."
McCoy said the Chargers have the talent to run the ball, even with Danny Woodhead out for the season with a broken lower right leg and Ryan Mathews out indefinitely with a right knee injury.
"We have plenty of talent to run the football. It's the execution," McCoy said.
Donald Brown carried 10 times for 19 yards Sunday. Rookie Branden Oliver carried nine times for 23 yards.
A week earlier, the Chargers gained 85 yards on 37 carries, an average of 2.3 yards per carry. Brown carried 31 times for 62 yards in that game.
"It's a collective effort. It starts with me," Brown said. "I need to make more guys miss. It doesn't matter who's blocked or unblocked, and just make more plays. It's going to come. We just have to be patient. You can't do anything out of the ordinary. We're not going to re-invent the wheel. We're just going to keep continuing with what we do, work on our craft and it's going to come."
Mathews could be out for several weeks more with a sprained right knee.
"I'm not going to speculate on when people are coming back," McCoy said. "They're all working hard. The sooner the better for all those guys. As soon as they're ready I'd love to have them back. ..."
While Rivers isn't going to run, he can carry this offense.
As ESPN.com's Eric D. Williams noted, Rivers played as you would expect an elite quarterback to against one of the worst pass defenses in the NFL. He finished 29-of-39 (74.4 percent) for 377 yards and three touchdowns in a 33-14 victory over the Jacksonville Jaguars Sunday. Rivers was sacked twice, did not throw an interception and posted a 130.0 passer rating.
It's the second straight week that Rivers posted at least a 130.0 passer rating (131.4 against Buffalo last week). He threw a touchdown pass for a 24th consecutive game, a new franchise record. Rivers' 300-yard performance was the 35th of his career. He completed passes to six different receivers and finished with six passing plays of 20-plus yards.
While not regularly considered a part of the list when naming the top quarterbacks in the NFL -- Peyton Manning, Tom Brady, Aaron Rodgers and Drew Brees -- a quarter of the way through the season Rivers deserves inclusion in the MVP conservation.
Just ask his teammate, defensive co-captain Eric Weddle.
"You look what he can do when he's protected, and it's no different than the other top quarterbacks in the league," Weddle said. "Just because they've won Super Bowls and he hasn't, doesn't mean he's not at the same stature. Look at what he's doing.
"I know what he can do. I see him every day in practice, and I play against the top quarterbacks in the league. No disrespect to them, but I think he's on par with them."
Through four games, Rivers has completed 70 percent of his passes for 1,155 yards, nine touchdowns and one interception. He's been sacked five times, posting a 114.5 passer rating.
But most important to Rivers, his lights-out play has resulted in a three-game winning streak and a half-game lead over the Denver Broncos in the AFC West.
"I think if you would have told us we were going to be 3-1 after the first quarter, we would have all said we'll take that deal," Rivers said. "We let that one get away [at Arizona], but I think it's made us tough and stronger. Hopefully we can keep it going."
But back to the MVP race, No. 2 QB Kellen Clemens believes his teammate deserves a place at the table.
"It's Week 4. I don't know what other guys are doing, but he should certainly be in the conversation, for what he's done," Clemens said. "You look at the completion percentage, the touchdowns and he's having a good year. Hopefully he can keep it going."
Added Weddle: "When he's playing that way and we can protect them, he can do anything those other guys can do. And if you don't think that, then people just don't know football. ..."
Other notes of interest. ... Slot receiver Eddie Royal created some big plays on offense, with touchdown catches of 43 and 47 yards. He's the first Charger with two touchdown receptions of 43-plus yards in a game since Jeff Graham on Nov. 19, 2000. Royal finished with five receptions and 105 receiving yards, including the two touchdown catches.
According to the Sports Xchange, Royal's big day against the Jags was no fluke. He said film study and the ability of coordinator Frank Reich and staff to anticipate the Jaguars' coverages were the keys.
"All the coaches did a great job in game planning," said Royal. "We saw some things on film that we wanted to take advantage of. We worked so hard on them doing the week and it's just good to see us get touchdowns and big plays out of those."
Royal finished with five catches for 105 yards
Keenan Allen was another Chargers wide receiver with a solid outing. Allen still hasn't scored this season, but he set career highs in receptions (10) and receiving yards (135). "I felt like every catch was a big catch," Allen said. "I just got in the mood, got in the zone and Philip just kept throwing it."
For the record, Ladarius Green (hamstring) was active, but he didn't get a snap.
With Green dealing with a hamstring injury and David Johnson out with a shoulder issue, the Chargers leaned more on three-wide receiver sets.
Green was not practicing Wednesday. ...
San Diego's red zone woes continued. The Chargers finished 0-of-4 inside the 20-yard line, settling for four Nick Novak field goals. ... 

DEPTH CHART AS OF WEDNESDAY AT 14:00 CT  
QB: Philip Rivers, Kellen Clemens 
RB: Donald Brown, Branden Oliver, Shaun Draughn, Ryan Mathews 
WR: Keenan Allen, Malcom Floyd, Eddie Royal, Dontrelle Inman, Seyi Ajirotutu 
TE: Antonio Gates, Ladarius Green, David Johnson, John Phillips 
PK: Nick Novak 
=========================

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SAN FRANCISCO 49ERS
FrankGore has assured his coaches and teammates he'll do anything, as much as needed or as little.
He will help groom rookie Carlos Hyde, he will block and sit more plays out even though he'd rather take part in every snap.
Against the Eagles, he came closer to the latter.
As Associated Press sports writer Janie McCauley noted, Gore produced his biggest day so far this season to get the San Francisco 49ers back on track, catching a career-best 55-yard touchdown pass and running for his first 100-yard game in a 26-21 comeback win against the previously unbeaten Philadelphia Eagles on Sunday.
Gore came in with just 35 carries and 139 yards through the first three games, including only six rushes for 10 yards in last Sunday's loss at Arizona. He finished with 119 on Sunday.
But the highlight was the catch, on which Kaepernick threw off-balance, across his body and across the field.
Even head coach Jim Harbaugh didn't see that coming as his 49ers (2-2) avoided their first three-game skid in his four seasons and handed the Eagles (3-1) their first defeat.
"Kap did a great job keeping his eyes up field. I had no idea. When he stopped, pulled it up and started to throw, I didn't know where he was going with the ball," Harbaugh said. "The speed, the angle, the way he got into the end zone was something. I didn't think he was going to get it in."
Not that Kaepernick was planning it that way.
"I don't think I've ever had one quite like that," Kaepernick said. "It was a great job by Frank."
"Great job by Kap," Gore offered, standing next to his quarterback on the postgame podium.
As CSNBayArea.com suggested, Gore's demeanor was noticeably more upbeat after the victory than the previous week, when he could barely talk after a game the 49ers lost to the Arizona Cardinals.
On Sunday, he continued to prove he is still an elite running back and he continued to prove that he still drives the 49ers' offense.
"I think we did a nice job, especially getting the running game going," 49ers receiver Anquan Boldin said. "Going back to Frank, that's a guy we have to stick with. He's Frank Gore. He's a guy you want to see with the ball in his hands. ..."
Other notes of interest. ... A pair of offensive standouts named Davis returned to the field, then got hurt again.
49ers tight end Vernon Davis came back after missing one game with a left ankle injury, then left with a back injury in the third quarter. He was still experiencing spasms after the game but said an X-ray was negative.
Right tackle Anthony Davis made his season debut after nursing an injured hamstring for the preseason and first three games, but he also exited. Kaepernick was sacked and fell into the back of Davis' left knee.
Harbaugh had no updates on either player afterward.
"I'll be all right," said Vernon Davis, who had two catches before the injury.
Davis had two catches for eight yards and helped the 49ers roll up some of their 218 rushing yards as a blocker before departing on Sunday.
I'll be following up on his status via Late-Breaking Update as the week progresses. ...
According to the Sports Xchange, Kaepernick is the leading rusher in the NFL among quarterbacks with 33 carries for 187 yards this season. Only 20 running backs (before the Monday night game) have rushed for more yards. He's rushed for 50 or more yards in three consecutive games, becoming only the third quarterback in 49ers history (joining Billy Kilmer in 1961 and Steve Young in 1992) to accomplish that feat.
With his 119 yards, Gore reached triple digits for the 36th time in his career. Only one active running back (the Minnesota Vikings' Adrian Peterson with 42) has topped 100 yards in a game more often. Gore's 174 total yards in the game (including a 55-yard touchdown reception) were his most since Oct. 12, 2012. ...
Fullback Bruce Miller was on the field for 49 of the 49ers' 83 plays Sunday, demonstrating the team's increased desire to run the football. The 49ers recorded more rushing yards (218) than passing yards (189) in the win, allowing them to record their biggest time of possession (42:17) since 2011.
According to ESPN Stats & Information, against the Eagles, the 49ers ran outside of the tackles 14 times and picked up 148 yards, the second-most yards they've gained there in a game since at least 2006. And it was the most rushing yards a team has had outside the tackles since the start of the 2013 season. ...
Stevie Johnson recorded his first touchdown reception as a 49er in Sunday's win. The 12-yard catch in the third quarter also pushed him over the 4,000-yard mark in his career. ...
One last note. ... Harbaugh has no time for Deion Sanders, Trent Dilfer or others who question whether the fourth-year coach has lost his locker room or the faith of his players.
In an NFL Network show Sunday, Sanders said of 49ers players: "They want him out. They're not on the same page."
"Personally I think that's a bunch of crap," Harbaugh responded Monday. "People say what they say."
Analyst Dilfer offered Monday on ESPN Radio that, "I do think it's become almost toxic."
Harbaugh dismissed that, too, by saying, "I haven't seen Trent or Deion around much."
"When you're talking about unnamed sources, if somebody's got a good story to tell, they ought to put their name to it," Harbaugh said. "If I had a good story to tell, I'd want to put my name to it, so I don't put a lot of credibility into the unnamed source."
Harbaugh is in the fourth season of his original $25 million, five-year contract he signed in January 2011 when he left Stanford to become the 49ers coach.
Harbaugh has said he has an open-door policy and hasn't heard from CEO Jed York or general manager Trent Baalke that there have been complaints from players. And Harbaugh said players have voiced "nothing specifically" in terms of concerns with how things are going. 

DEPTH CHART AS OF WEDNESDAY AT 14:00 CT  
QB: Colin Kaepernick, Blaine Gabbert, Josh Johnson 
RB: Frank Gore, Carlos Hyde 
FB: Bruce Miller 
WR: Michael Crabtree, Anquan Boldin, Steve Johnson, Quinton Patton, Bruce Ellington, Kassim Osgood, Brandon Lloyd 
TE: Vernon Davis, Vance McDonald, Derek Carrier 
PK: Phil Dawson 
=========================

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SEATTLE SEAHAWKS
So what is it that makes running back Marshawn Lynch so good in "Beast Mode?"
As ESPN.com's Terry Blount suggested, you might guess his physically battering running style. But if you go by what head coach Pete Carroll thinks, maybe Lynch should go on "Dancing With The Stars." Carroll said it's all about the feet, even comparing him to a world-class Alpine skier.
"He has extraordinary control of his ability to move his feet," Carroll said of Lynch. "There were really a couple of cool runs [against Denver last weekend] where you see him hop over a guy.
"He's like a slalom skier, almost. He can hop out and get back on, sometimes the outside foot, sometimes his inside foot. He will hop from the same foot back on the same foot. It's really unusual footwork that you don't see many guys have command of. It makes him unusually shifty."
Of course, it's isn't just his footwork that has enabled to Lynch to get off to a fast start this season with 234 yards rushing (a 4.5-yard average) and five touchdowns (three receiving and two running).
"And then he's a load and he's tough and he's aggressive," Carroll said. "He has run so physically, consistently tough in all these starting games. He's really on it."
Lynch (5-11, 215 pounds) is a powerful runner who dishes out as much punishment as he receives, but it leads to questions about how long he can continue to play at a high level.
He had 901 carries the previous three seasons for more than 4,000 yards. He is on pace for 277 carries and 1,248 yards rushing this season, but that might be low considering he only had six carries in the loss at San Diego.
"It's great we get him to the break now," Carroll said. "He will come back and should be in great shape when we return for the Washington game [Monday night, Oct. 6]. It takes marvelous instincts and savvy to do what he does. He also has this ability to move laterally and to navigate through issues that very few people do."
He's also underrated as a receiver. Lynch is third on the team with eight receptions, averaging 10 yards per catch. And he might be the best blocker of any premier running back in the league.
Using receiver Percy Harvin on the jet sweep is a big asset this season for Lynch. If quarterback Russell Wilson sees the defense is keying on Harvin getting the ball as he comes across the backfield, he can fake a handoff to Harvin and give it to Lynch, who often finds running room from the spots vacated by defenders who were looking at Harvin.
It means the Seahawks have three dangerous running options in the backfield with Harvin, Wilson and Lynch, the man with the magic feet.
Coming off the bye, Seattle has entered its week of preparation for Monday night's game at Washington pretty healthy.
"We wanted to maximize the chance to get our guys as fresh as possible for this big push here through the season so we did bye, at this point, really successfully," Carroll said. "We will find out if the result was good when we go out and play on Monday night.
One issue?
Tight end Zach Miller had the surgery last week to fix an issue that had apparently been bothering him for a while, though he had been playing through it in fact, he was on the field for 71 of 78 snaps in the win a week ago Sunday against the Broncos.
"It's been bothering him for a number of weeks," Carroll said of Miller, an eight-year veteran who is in his fourth season with the Seahawks.
"He's been playing with it and we just don't want him to have to tolerate it any longer. We want to see if we can fix him up and hopefully he'll have a speedy recovery. It's just a clean-up kind of thing. But he had some loose bodies in his ankle that were bothering him and it was very, very uncomfortable."
Carroll said Miller is likely to miss "a couple of weeks" but could conceivably return at any point after that.
While Miller is out, second-year player Luke Willson will fill in, as he did for two games last season when Miller was out because of a hamstring injury.
Willson is regarded as a solid receiver but probably not quite the blocker of Miller, who is generally considered one of the better blocking tight ends in the NFL. The Seahawks also have Cooper Helfet, a third-year player who saw his first action in a game against Denver on special teams, as a backup tight end.
Other notes of interest. ... According to the Sports Xchange, Christine Michael has recovered from a hamstring issue that helped hold him out of the first three games. Now it's just finding a way onto the active roster on game day.
"Yes, he's ready to go," Carroll said. "He has been for a week now. It's good to get him back more than just for some time. We got to get accustomed to him being out here and getting him the reps. It's hard to get on the roster right now for guys, we're in pretty good health; we're fortunate for that but he's really ready to get going and wants to play badly as you can imagine. So we'll see what happens. ..."
Doug Baldwin and Jermaine Kearse do not have a touchdown catch yet, but Ricardo Lockette has been the biggest surprise on the team so far with two long scoring receptions. And Harvin is everything fans expected him to be in a full-time role.
Using him on the jet sweep has defenses reeling, whether he gets the ball or is a decoy. And he had a 51-yard touchdown run at San Diego (he appeared to step out of bounds but it wasn't called) when he lined up at tailback and took a pitch to the left.
Rookie receiver Paul Richardson hasn't played much and rookie Kevin Norwood has yet to suit up.
Steven Hauschka had a rare miss on a 46-yard field-goal attempt against Denver, but his kickoffs this season have been exceptional. Eleven of 16 were touchbacks and no kickoff has been returned past the 30.
One last note here. ... Seattle hasn't lost on Monday night since a 43-39 loss to Dallas on Dec. 6, 2004. Since then it has won eight in a row on Monday night including two games last season, the last a 34-7 win over New Orleans at home.
Seattle is also 10-1 in prime time games under Carroll and has won the last six since a 13-6 loss at San Francisco on Oct. 18, 2012. 

DEPTH CHART AS OF WEDNESDAY AT 14:00 CT  
QB: Russell Wilson, Tarvaris Jackson 
RB: Marshawn Lynch, Robert Turbin, Christine Michael 
FB: Derrick Coleman 
WR: Percy Harvin, Doug Baldwin, Ricardo Lockette, Jermaine Kearse, Paul Richardson, Kevin Norwood, Bryan Walters 
TE: Luke Willson, Cooper Helfet, Zach Miller
PK: Steven Hauschka 
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TAMPA BAY BUCCANEERS
As Associated Press sports writer Fred Goodall reported, head coach Lovie Smith wasn't ready Monday to deal with the inevitable questions about his starting quarterback.
On the day after his first victory as coach of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, he certainly said nothing to rule out Mike Glennon. He who threw for 302 yards Sunday, 46 of them in the final 40 seconds of a 27-24 win at Pittsburgh.
"You do judge quarterbacks on what they do late," Smith said, "and he was at his best at the end, right up until the last throw."
Starting in place of the injured Josh McCown, Glennon completed a five-yard touchdown pass to Vincent Jackson for the game-winning TD with seven seconds left.
McCown broke his right thumb during a 56-14 loss at Atlanta on Sept. 18, Tampa Bay's third straight loss.
Rick Stroud of the Tampa Bay Times reports that this week's evaluations have led to no change in McCown's status. He's not scheduled to have surgery and is reportedly getting better, but is still considered unlikely to play against the Saints this week.
Not that Smith will make any snap decisions.
"I look at who's available at the time and at who gives us the best chance to win at all positions," he said. "We'll do the same when Josh gets back. He's not back yet, though."
Glennon started 13 games as a rookie last season, but the Bucs signed the 35-year-old McCown to a two-year, $10 million contract in March.
"I don't have any regrets. We let things play out," Smith said. "I tell guys you start off with a group and eventually, wherever you belong, that's where you'll end up.
"When you're labeled the quarterback of the future, that's what you're supposed to do when you come out. The future was in front of us a little earlier than the initial plan, but you need to be ready at all times. How (Glennon) handled it right there at the end, having to make that final throw, kind of said it all."
The return of defensive linemen Gerald McCoy and Michael Johnson were large factors in the Bucs' 10-day turnaround from embarrassment to their first win, Smith said, and it left them with a different outlook. With 12 games left, they are one game out of the NFC South lead.
"Yes, 1-3 is disappointing, but in the big scheme of things there are a lot of disappointed teams in the league," Smith said. "For us, we're one game away and we have another chance to get a division road game. What better position for us to be in? We're getting some of our injured players back, and our guys can see where we can go."
Safety Dashon Goldson left the Steelers game early with an ankle injury and wide receiver Mike Evans left with an injured groin. Johnson re-injured his ankle in the game and McCoy was adjusting to playing with a cast on his broken left hand.
McCown remains unable to grip on a football properly, which makes a quick return unlikely, especially after Glennon's performance Sunday.
"As I look at quarterbacks, I look at decision-making, and he made good decisions throughout the day," Smith said. "If he couldn't find a guy, he put the ball where no one could get it. That's a good game to build on, but he'll (Glennon) tell you there's a lot of plays he left on the field, and we left on the field too."
For now, what matters most is that Glennon, who started 13 games as a rookie last season, didn't let his benching get him down.
Glennon had four victories as a starter last year. But Glennon said Sunday's win felt better than any of last year's victories. It should: Sunday's winning drive in a hostile environment was the most impressive thing Glennon has done so far in the NFL.
"I understand that in the NFL, stuff like that happens," Glennon said. "I took the mindset of preparing like the starter. Even though I wasn't always the guy out there taking reps on game day, I was still studying and preparing like I was the starter because, if an opportunity arose, I wanted to make sure I was ready for it."
Despite Smith's failure to commit going forward, Glennon should probably try to stay ready. ...
Other notes of interest. ... According to FOXSports' Mike Garafolo, Evans is expected to miss 2-3 weeks. The Buccaneers have a Week 7 bye, which means we might not see the rookie again until Week 8. Evans was having the best day of his young career with four catches for 65 yards and a touchdown.
Evans leads the team in receptions (17) and receiving yards (203). Both totals rank third among NFL rookie wide receivers. ...
Evans' replacement, Louis Murphy, was swarmed by the media after the game. There was a good reason for that. Murphy, whom the Bucs cut at the end of preseason, was brought back last week. After Evans went down in the third quarter, Murphy was unstoppable.
He finished with six catches for 99 yards, and he had a catch to set up the winning touchdown. ...
Austin Seferian-Jenkins (foot) was not practicing Wednesday, most likely getting a day to rest his foot after a busy game against the Steelers in which he played every offensive snap. ...
As the Sports Xchange notes, the Bucs weren't very committed to the run Sunday. Doug Martin returned to the lineup and had 40 yards on 14 carries and a touchdown.
And finally. ... The Bucs had trouble getting offensive plays in on time Sunday. Part of the problem was the communicator in Glennon's helmet went out. But they also had back-to-back delay of game penalties in the second half as the play came in late.
"We just didn't handle some situations as well as we needed to, the clock snuck up on us a few times and we have to clean that up," Smith said. 

DEPTH CHART AS OF WEDNESDAY AT 14:00 CT  
QB: Mike Glennon, Josh McCown, 
RB: Doug Martin, Bobby Rainey, Mike James, Charles Sims 
RB: Jorvorskie Lane 
WR: Vincent Jackson, Louis Murphy, Robert Herron, Russell Shephard, Mike Evans 
TE: Austin Seferian-Jenkins, Brandon Myers, Luke Stocker 
PK: Patrick Murray 
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TENNESSEE TITANS
According to Associated Press sports writer Teresa M. Walker, head coach Ken Whisenhunt doesn't believe the NFL did his team any favors by scheduling Tennessee to play three of its first four games on the road.
Not that his Titans have helped their first-year coach much either.
The Titans (1-3) have lost three straight after opening the season with a win at Kansas City and been outscored 100-34 in this skid. They have fallen behind by double digits in the first half of each game, though the Titans at least managed 10 points before halftime of their latest loss in Indianapolis for their first points in the first half since that opening win.
"We played four pretty good teams, three of them on the road, and it was difficult," Whisenhunt said Monday. "That coupled with the fact that new systems, new things, new ways of doing things, we've had some not so good games. I mean I'm stating the obvious of course, but we're going to get it going in the right direction. I have every confidence in that."
Whisenhunt blamed growing pains along with a lack of discipline for the Titans' struggles. He said Arizona went through a similar learning curve when he took over as head coach there in 2007 and also last season when he was offensive coordinator in San Diego.
"There's some things we're doing, we're just not doing enough often enough," Whisenhunt said.
Other three NFL teams have scored fewer than the Titans' 60 points this season. The Titans played without Jake Locker in Sunday's 41-17 loss in Indianapolis, and the quarterback was back at practice Wednesday with his sore right wrist. According to Nashville Tennessean staffer Jim Wyatt, Locker appeared to be throwing with "no issues."
At his Monday news conference, Whisenhunt said he's optimistic about his starting quarterback.
"He's further along, hopefully we'll see Wednesday that he will be able to practice and see where that is," Whisenhunt said.
Whisenhunt also said the coaches looked Monday at streamlining the offense, hoping to allow the Titans to play faster. He is seeing the Titans make mistakes across the board in details such as receivers running the right split or precise depth on routes.
They started their latest loss with a fumble on the opening drive followed by an interception off the hands of receiver Justin Hunter on the second. They followed that with a three-and-out and finished holding the ball for only 7 minutes, 33 seconds of the first half and only 17:39 for the game.
As ESPN.com's Paul Kuharsky noted, the way the team is constructed, the way resources have been allocated, this needs to be an offensive football team. But the offense has turned it over seven times in four games. The quarterbacks have been sacked 11 times when pass protection should be a given, considering the investment in the offensive line. The run game is producing 5 yards a carry, but the Titans are trailing too much to be able to get into a ground-game rhythm.
On Sunday, the three non-plays by receivers were huge.
"At this level, those guys are supposed to catch a football," Whisenhunt said. "Theirs did."
While he said everyone wasn't productive enough, the coach paid special attention to Hunter. There seems to be a feeling he got caught up in a good preseason and thought he'd progressed to where he needs to be.
"We all got on the Justin Hunter bandwagon in the preseason, and one of the things I said or cautioned was there are a lot of little details that he's got to get better at," Whisenhunt said. "Justin still has a chance at becoming a good player and he will be a good player for us."
Some lineup changes might be considered. Left guard Andy Levitre has struggled early this season, ranking second among the Titans for penalties. Tackle Taylor Lewan, the 11th pick overall out of Michigan, practiced at left guard during training camp while Levitre recovered from an appendectomy.
Tight end Delanie Walker has been the most consistent player for Tennessee with a team-high 22 catches for 317 yards and three touchdowns. He said Monday he doesn't know if there will be any changes to the lineup or scheme.
"I'm pretty sure it will happen," Walker said. "When you're 1-3, changes will be made."
Walker could be limited in practice again this week with his injured left shoulder. His arm was in a sling on Monday and he was not practicing Wednesday. ...
The schedule does get easier for the Titans in October. They host the Cleveland Browns (1-2) on Sunday followed by a visit from Jacksonville (0-4), a trip to Washington (1-3) and then Houston (3-1) comes to Nashville before Tennessee's bye.
Whisenhunt said players and coaches hear what people say and this start is tough. He also helped hype expectations by saying this team's goal is hosting a home playoff game. But he also believes he has some coaches and players who have played through rough starts to seasons will help keep the Titans focused on improving.
"This isn't an easy thing to go through," Whisenhunt said. "Once again, I'll say this. I believe our guys are working hard, and we'll get through this."
Other notes of interest. ... With Locker sidelined by an injured right wrist, Whisenhunt stayed in the proper order and played backup Charlie Whitehurst against the Colts. And though Whitehurst was hardly great, he played well enough that he isn't at, or near, the top of the list of the Titans' problems.
Whitehurst wasn't great, but he managed to be average. He hit on 12 of 23 passes for 177 yards, a touchdown and a pick (not his fault) to go with three sacks and a 74.0 passer rating. He took a couple of big shots and delivered the long run of the game, a 23-yard scamper.
Whisenhunt gave rookie Zach Mettenberger his first taste of the regular-season NFL in the fourth quarter, with the Titans down 24 points and with 7:26 left in the game.
Mettenberger finished 2-for-5 for 17 yards with the pick. He had a passer rating of 10.0.
"It was a good opportunity for me to get some playing time," Mettenberger said. "It's not the situation you want to be in as a team. Honestly, I've got to do better with my opportunity. I expect more of myself. That's really just not the way you want to go in. Hopefully, offensively, we can just get better, I can get better and the next opportunity I get, I can play better."
Mettenberger acknowledged the Colts had a lot of backups in the game by the time he took the field and said that was probably part of why the speed of the game wasn't so different from what he experienced in the preseason.
Clearly, he is the Titans' quarterback with the most upside. But there is no reason to rush him into another game. ...
Rookie running back Bishop Sankey got the bulk of his work in a short span with two catches for 23 yards and four carries for 25 more and a touchdown. He had just two touches outside of that series. For two consecutive weeks, he's delivered on a second-half drive. Which begs a question: Why not use him more earlier?
As Kuharsky pointed out, all sorts of circumstances have prevented the Titans from running the ball often early in games this season. As they prepare for the Browns on Sunday, the team should examine its rushing offense.
The Titans have been falling behind, and they haven't had the ball much. Per ESPN Stats & Information, they've run the ball just 19 times in the first quarters of their four games combined. Only Miami and Seattle have run fewer times in the first 15 minutes of games.
On those 19 runs, Tennessee has averaged 6 yards. But the Titans have not been able to force the issue.
No matter when in the game or when they've run, they've run well. They are fifth in the NFL at 5.03 yards per rush, but 20th with only 95 rush attempts.
The good news for Sankey owners?
Whisenhunt suggested on Tuesday that the rookie will be busier this week. I'll have more on that when Late-Breaking Updates crank up early Thursday. 

DEPTH CHART AS OF WEDNESDAY AT 14:00 CT  
QB: Jake Locker, Charlie Whitehurst, Zach Mettenberger 
RB: Shonn Greene, Bishop Sankey, Leon Washington, Dexter McCluster 
FB: Jackie Battle 
WR: Kendall Wright, Nate Washington, Justin Hunter, Derek Hagan, Kris Durham 
TE: Delanie Walker, Craig Stevens, Taylor Thompson, Chase Coffman 
PK: Ryan Succop 
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WASHINGTON REDSKINS
As the Sports Xchange noted, Kirk Cousins hit FedEx Field last Thursday as the most popular athlete in the nation's capital who doesn't play for the National League East champion Washington Nationals.
Five turnovers four interceptions and a fumble at his 24-yard line later, Cousins left the stadium as shell-shocked as any of his teammates after a 45-14 beatdown by the New York Giants with whom the Redskins had been tied for third in the NFC East at 1-2.
"I was trying to get everything back in one play and you can't do that," Cousins said after being pick-pocketed by the previously poor Giants defense. "I was trying to force things and trying to do too much and just didn't stay true to my reads and stay patient."
The Xchange went on to note that Washington fans aren't known for their patience with quarterbacks. Just ask Robert Griffin III, the toast of the town when he led the Redskins to the NFC East title while winning Offensive Rookie of the Year honors. Griffin had a shaky second season and was off to a similar start this year when he dislocated his left ankle in the first quarter of the home opener against Jacksonville.
Enter Cousins, who sparkled in that day's triumph and threw for 427 yards in the subsequent 37-34 loss at Philadelphia.
But almost as fast as the freakishly athletic Griffin was brushed aside in popular opinion and pocket passer Cousins was anointed as the right quarterback for new coach Jay Gruden's offense, the latter's poor game against the Giants has some wondering if either is the correct choice.
Of course, it's way too early to decide about either third-year man, especially as Griffin rehabs and Cousins adapts to a new offense. Gruden said that Cousins stared down his target on two of the picks, made a poor throw on another and didn't see the defender on the fourth.
"Young guys playing the position at this level will tend to make mistakes from time to time," said Gruden, a star quarterback in the Arena League. "(Kirk) hasn't played a lot of football in the NFL. He started (three) games last year and this (was) his second one this year. One of the biggest traits you have to have as a quarterback, you've got to be mentally tough. You're going to have some ... rocky throws, rocky performances, and the great ones will bounce back."
Cousins, who entered the Giants' game with a 105.8 passer rating but posted a 53.0 rating against them to slide that number to 87.4, has the toughest possible foe in his chance for redemption a week from Monday: reigning Super Bowl Seattle and its formidable secondary.
After the loss to the Giants, Gruden said the lopsided defeat should serve as a wake-up call.
As ESPN.com's John Keim suggested, how the Redskins needed a wake-up call is a bit curious. But Gruden said there were some who did. Maybe even himself.
"I just think sometimes you need a beating like this to let people know you have a lot of work to do," he said. "When you're in close games like that and win 41-10 and get 10 sacks and then 500 yards of offense the next week, people tend to think they might be better than they are, coaches included. Now that we're 1-3, the reality check has come in, in full force. We don't have a choice now. No wasted reps now. We have dug ourselves into a hole and we have to get out of it quickly."
His players echoed the wake-up call sentiment.
"We know we have a good team, but we have to show up every day," running back Alfred Morris said. "We didn't show up. It's good that it happened to us like, hey, we're good but we're not as good as we think we are. We've still got a lot of work to be done."
The Redskins have lost 16 of their past 20 games, which makes these comments interesting. But Morris said he was speaking more about the offense.
"We were on a high horse," he said. "Got a lot of weapons in the offseason, we were able to do decent in the preseason and in the first few games we were able to do very well. We put up big points on offense and we were feeling good about ourselves. This is a smack in the face and we needed that."
I suspect they'll get another smack in the face from Seattle's defense. ...
Other notes of interest. ... Niles Paul began the season as a backup, but the fourth-year tight end has become the first Redskins tight end to accumulate at least 60 yards in four straight games since Pro Bowl pick Chris Cooley in 2007. However, Paul, who has 21 catches for a team-leading 313 yards, suffered a concussion on his final grab when he was slammed by Giants safety Quentin Demps and didn't return.
Gruden said that Paul has entered the NFL's concussion protocol and is day-to-day for the Seahawks.
Paul had been filling in for Jordan Reed, who missed the final six games of 2013 with a concussion, and has been sidelined since the first quarter of the opener against Houston with a hamstring injury.
Reed returned to practice Tuesday, albeit in a limited role, but it at least provided a glimmer of hope that he might return for Monday's game against Seattle.
Reed has not played since early in the season opener against Houston because of a strained hamstring. He said he's still day to day. But, Tuesday, he participated in individual drills for the first time since injuring his leg.
"It felt all right," Reed said. "I didn't do too much to try and test it so I can't say if I'm 100 percent yet or not. The closer we get to the game they'll test it more."
The Redskins could be thin at tight end if Paul is unable to recover from his concussion. That puts Reed in a spot where he knows time is the best antidote for a hamstring, but the Redskins need help now. "It's really frustrating, man," he told Keim. "Hamstrings can be reoccurring if you don't let it heal all the way. So it's a frustrating situation. The tight end position is short right now so it's more trying to get out there faster."
Paul said he was feeling "pretty normal" after suffering his injury. He did see a replay of the hit, which occurred on a throw down the middle, over the linebacker's head but with two safeties converging.
"It was pretty brutal," he said. "I like to pride myself on being a tough guy and you just shake that off. When I woke up the first thing I asked [Darrel Young] was, ‘Did I make the catch?' He told me I did."
Tackle Trent Williams was sidelined against the Giants with patellar inflammation in his right knee, but Gruden said that he should be "OK" to play against the Seahawks.
Williams did not need an MRI Friday, but said doctors told him there was a slight dislocation in his right knee. They also told him nothing was torn.
"That gives me confidence to know that if I do get a chance I can get back out there," he said.
Gruden said there was no need for some of the banged-up players to practice Tuesday. Thursday, when they practice again, will provide a better barometer. 

DEPTH CHART AS OF WEDNESDAY AT 14:00 CT  
QB: Kirk Cousins, Colt McCoy, Robert Griffin 
RB: Alfred Morris, Roy Helu, Silas Redd 
FB: Darrell Young 
WR: Pierre Garcon, DeSean Jackson, Andre Roberts, Aldrick Robinson, Ryan Grant, Santana Moss 
TE: Logan Paulsen, Jordan Reed, Niles Paul 
PK: Kai Forbath 
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