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FLASHUPDATE WEEK 6 TEAM NOTES/Wednesday, 8 October, 2014Compiled By FlashUpdate Editor Bob Harris

=========================ARIZONA CARDINALSThe Arizona Cardinals lost seven players due to injury in Sunday's loss at Denver, and one of them -- starting outside linebacker Matt Shaughnessy -- will go on injured reserve designated to return.

Shaughnessy, who has knee cartilage damage, cannot play in a game for eight weeks, meaning he could come back for the final four games of the season.

Defensive end Calais Campbell, injured in what coach Bruce Arians called "the dirtiest play" he's seen in his 37 years in the NFL, has no structural damage. Arians said Campbell is out one to three weeks with an MCL strain.

There is great uncertainty at quarterback, with a chance Carson Palmer and/or Drew Stanton could be back for Sunday's game against Washington. But Arians said "there's a good chance neither one of them" will play.

The damaged nerve in Palmer's throwing shoulder responded to treatment he received from a specialist in Denver. The quarterback, injured in Arizona's season-opening win over San Diego, threw 20 passes from a distance of 10 yards on Sunday and will throw more on Tuesday, Arians said.

"Carson is feeling much better today," Arians said at his Monday news conference. "No residual effects from throwing, so he's continued on his treatment and is on the way back. So he and Drew are possible for this ball game."

Stanton is going through the NFL-mandated concussion protocol.

On Tuesday, Arians updated Palmer's status, telling Sirius XM NFL Radio that the veteran QB was able to throw some. The coach added that Wednesday would be a critical day for his evaluation. If all goes well, Palmer could practice Thursday or Friday.

In order for Palmer to play against the Redskins, he would have to go through a full practice and be able to make all his normal throws, Arians said.

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According to Darren Urban of the team’s official website, both Palmer and Stanton were planning to work on a limited basis Wednesday.

With rookie Logan Thomas the team's only healthy quarterback, the Cardinals could be looking to sign someone. Anyone the team signs, Arians said, hopefully would be familiar with the team's offensive system. Any new signee would be a backup to Thomas, Arians said.

In light of that, the Cardinals signed former Steelers, Ravens, Bills and Eagles quarterback Dennis Dixon. The 29-year-old Oregon product spent time with Arians in Pittsburgh and knows how to run his system if need be.

I'll be following up on Palmer and Stanton via Late-Breaking Update in coming days; watch there for all the latest developments right up through kickoff.

No matter who plays quarterback, they will need more help from receivers than either Stanton or Thomas received in Denver.

Arians counted seven dropped passes, most coming in critical situations. It was unusual for a receivers group that is normally sure-handed

Meanwhile, second-year pro Alex Okafor will start in place of Shaughnessy, the coach said. A combination of players, including rookie Karim Martin, will fill in for Campbell.

Asked how Martin played on Sunday, the coach said, "Not so good."

The NFL issued a statement on Monday verifying that Campbell was injured by a chop block by Broncos tight end Julius Thomas in violation of a league rule. Thomas blocked Campbell "in the area of the thigh or lower" while Ryan Clady engaged the big Arizona defensive lineman "simultaneously" with a high block, the statement said. The play drew a 15-yard penalty.

NFL spokesman Michael Signora said "a decision on a possible fine will be made later this week."

"You'll never convince me it wasn't premeditated," Arians said.

Arians said the proper punishment would be to suspend the culprit as long as Campbell is out "but that's not the way it is."

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"To set somebody up there and another guy chops you, I haven't seen that one ever," he said.

Arians said he brought up the play in his brief postgame conversation with Broncos coach John Fox.

"He had no clue," that the play had occurred, other than it drew a penalty, Arians said. "I respect John."

Inside linebacker Larry Foote said "current players, ex-players, they should be disgusted with that play."

"I'm waiting to see what the league does," Foote said. "That looked like 'Karate Kid,' 'Sweep the legs, Johnny.' It was ugly. That's a black eye to football -- period. Even their own players knew it. Yeah, they said something, even the linemen. Hopefully it isn't coming from the sidelines. I don't want to play that game. But that should be dealt with. It don't get no uglier than that."

Cornerback-special teams player Justin Bethel has an AC sprain but "should be able to go this week," Arians said, while cornerback Patrick Peterson has a low ankle sprain and "should be fine."

Punter Dave Zastudil reinjured his groin against the Broncos and was placed on injured reserve Tuesday; this lead to a return of Drew Butler from the practice squad.

Rookie tight end Troy Niklas has a high ankle sprain and probably will not practice Wednesday. According to the Sports Xchange, Niklas could miss significant time. The Cardinals have some depth at tight end, so the injury shouldn't be very damaging.

Other notes of interest. ... The Cardinals gained just 37 yards on 19 carries. The offensive line didn't get any push, nor did it open holes. There was nowhere for Andre Ellington to go. The longest gain was six yards.

So the seven dropped passes against Denver (and GM Steve Keim counted nine) were even more critical.

Regardless of the actual number, ESPN.com's Josh Weinfuss notes the number needs to decline significantly against Washington on Sunday if the Cardinals are to avoid dropping two games in a row. The Redskins are giving up an

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average of 7.32 passing yards per play (22nd in the NFL), while the Cardinals are averaging 6.48 passing yards per play (21st).

That number would've been better had Ted Ginn not dropped two passes, and John Brown Rob Housler, Larry Fitzgerald, Michael Floyd and Andre Ellington all not dropped one.

The replay of Housler's drop in the first quarter shows that Stanton's pass was thrown slightly behind him, but it should've been caught. It went right through his hands. Brown had two chances to make plays in the first half -- the first was a missed touchdown that went off his fingertips, a pass that may have been slightly too long, but he had a chance to come down with it. On the second pass, the replay shows Denver cornerback Bradley Roby hitting his hands while making the play, a potential pass interference penalty.

Better concentration is important for this weekend, as is not trying to make plays and head up field before the ball is secured.

It's safe to assume that will be an area of emphasis this week. 

DEPTH CHART AS OF WEDNESDAY AT 14:00 CT  QB: Logan Thomas, Carson Palmer, Drew Stanton 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 =========================

=========================ATLANTA FALCONSAccording to ESPN.com's Vaughn McClure, the last thing a sulking Roddy White wanted to hear was anything about how he guaranteed that he would score a touchdown against the New York Giants.

Especially after the Falcons' offense missed out on two red zone opportunities in the first half, then got stuck in neutral for the final 30 minutes of a 30-20 loss Sunday.

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A couple touchdowns instead of field goals and maybe we're talking about ending a road losing streak at four instead of extending it to five. A pair of touchdowns and maybe the (Met)life is sucked out of the Giants' home crowd.

"It hurt us," White said of the missed opportunities. "It hurt us down the stretch. When you get short fields and you get turnovers, you've got to score touchdowns in this league, especially on the road, with how hard it is to win on the road. When we were kicking field goals, we gave them an opportunity, a chance."

The Falcons entered Sunday's game with the league's best red zone touchdown percentage, scoring touchdowns on eight of nine trips. Sunday, they managed just one such score in three attempts, looking more like the team that ranked 22nd in red zone efficiency last season.

"Those are red zone situations that we would like to have put the ball in the end zone," head coach Mike Smith said. "And we know against a good offense and a good quarterback like Eli Manning that when you kick field goals when you get down there, you really put yourself behind."

The first failure came on a third-and-4 right at the beginning of the second quarter, a drive that began after Eric Weems recovered a fumble on special teams at the Giants' 21-yard line. Quarterback Matt Ryan delivered a shovel pass to touchdown-maker Antone Smith, but Smith managed just a yard. The Falcons settled for Matt Bryant's 20-yard field goal.

Then with 11 seconds remaining before halftime, the Falcons faced a third-and-goal at the 2-yard line. White ran a slant but couldn't come up with the ball as Giants linebacker Jameel McClain and cornerback Prince Amukamara converged on him. The Falcons again had to be content with a Bryant 20-yard field goal and 13-10 halftime lead.

"We had a chance right there to put them away," White said. "We didn't handle our business on offense because we didn't convert in the red zone. We didn't get those touchdowns that we needed."

Speaking specifically about his red zone chance, White said it led to a discussion about what could have been done differently.

"We didn't run any fade routes today, but we talked about it on the sideline," White said. "We talked about it [happening] if we got another opportunity down there, but unfortunately we didn't get down there."

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And the Falcons' chances of winning slowly faded away as they surrendered a 10-point third-quarter lead and failed to build momentum off Smith's 74-yard catch-and-run touchdown. The defensive pressure was missing, as usual. And third-down was a problem on both sides, with the offense converting just 2 of 13 chances (15 percent) and the defense surrendering 9 of 15 third-down chances (60 percent) to the Giants.

But even Ryan had to revert back to the red zone misses.

"It came down to we weren't as efficient as we needed to be in the red zone," Ryan said. "And obviously, we were not as good as we wanted to be on third down."

The Falcons return home to face the Chicago Bears next Sunday in a game that will mark Devin Hester's first matchup against his former team. It also will be an interesting battle of receivers with Julio Jones and White against Brandon Marshall and Alshon Jeffery.

For what it's worth, the Sports Xchange notes the Falcons were built to be an explosive offensive team.

At home in the Georgia Dome this season, they have averaged 42.5 points over two games.

On the road, in outdoor stadiums, they have averaged only 19.3 and have lost all of those games.

After the Falcons host the Bears this weekend, their next four games are at Baltimore, against Detroit in London, at Tampa Bay and at Carolina. ...

Other notes of interest. ...

As McClure suggested, Antone Smith deserves more touches, period. Smith scored on a 74-yard catch-and-run in the third quarter, his fourth touchdown of the season in limited action. Smith has averaged 53.5 yards on those touchdowns. It's too bad he was pretty much the offense in the second half as the Falcons struggled to get anything substantial going.

Maybe they needed to use Smith more on third down.

"His production speaks for itself," Ryan said. "He has played really well for us this year."

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Despite making big play after big play, the Falcons have not been able to increase his touches through five games. He had just one carry for two yards and caught three passes for 83 yards against the Giants. The former special teams maven has been ripping off big plays since cracking the lineup last season.

For a team looking for points, it would seem that he's earned a bigger role in the offense.

"That's up to the coaches," Ryan said. "They put those guys in. I've said it all along, (offensive coordinator) Dirk [Koetter] does a great job of scheming to get all of our guys involved. Antone made a huge play for us today at a critical time. I thought it was going to give us some momentum going into that fourth quarter."

Smith had a 48-yard touchdown run against Minnesota. He had a 38-yard touchdown run against Tampa Bay. He had a similar 54-yard touchdown catch against New Orleans.

In 2014, Smith has posted 121 yards on 11 carries (11.0 yards per carry) while adding 156 yards on six receptions this season. He is averaging 16.3 yards per touch.

"We need to have more plays designed for Antone," Mike Smith said. "Antone, when he touches the ball, he makes plays. ..."

Worth noting: According to Pro Football Focus notes, Jones was targeted 11 more times than White.

But the Falcons stalled after moving away from Jones in the second half. He had no explanations as to why that happened.

Jones tied his career-high with 11 catches and compiled 105 yards, but he only had three receptions for 17 yards in the final 24 minutes. With Jones stifled by double teams, the Falcons didn't have enough other offensive options. ...

Overall, Jones has amassed 552 yards on 40 receptions with three touchdowns through five games. Jones has eclipsed the 100-yard mark 15 times in his career.

White recorded his 700th career reception, becoming the 43rd player in NFL history to accomplish that feat. He is one of 11 active players with 700-or-more

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receptions. White finished the game with two catches for 26 yards. Since 2008, his 559 catches are the fourth-most in the NFL. ...

Steven Jackson scored his second rushing touchdown of the season and his eighth rushing TD as a Falcon against the Giants. He has scored 73 total touchdowns during his career (64 rush & nine rec.) which ranks tied for seventh among active players. ...

Reserve wide receiver Drew Davis, who had foot surgery and started the season on the physically unable to return list, is close to returning to practice, Falcons coach Mike Smith said.

The Falcons are also hopeful that they'll get guard Justin Blalock (back) and wide receiver Harry Douglas (foot) back for the game this week. ...

Davis has been a top special-teams player for the Falcons since signing as a college free agent in July 2011.

He started three games for the Falcons in 2013 after injuries to Jones and White thinned out the position and had 12 receptions for 216 yards and two touchdowns.

And finally. ... The Falcons added wide receiver Freddy Martino to the active roster from the practice squad, releasing wide receiver Courtney Roby in a corresponding move.

Martino joined the Falcons as an undrafted free agent in May. Roby caught one pass for 11 yards in his four games with the team. 

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, Freddy Martino, Eric Weems TE: Levine Toilolo, Bear Pascoe PK: Matt Bryant =========================

=========================BALTIMORE RAVENS

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As ESPN insider Tom Carpenter noted this week, because they were trailing most of Sunday's game with the Colts, the Ravens largely abandoned the run. They ended up with a season-low 90 yards on 15 carries. Nonetheless, how they split their backfield carries reflected how they have been approaching their rushing attack with a full blown running back by committee.

Starter Justin Forsett had six carries for 42 yards and a score, Lorenzo Taliaferro had five carries for 18 yards and Bernard Pierce had four carries for 30 yards.

Will the Ravens continue with the RBBC approach to their backfield?

Here is what coach John Harbaugh said when asked if he'd like one back to establish himself as a feature back.

"I don't really care," Harbaugh said, per the Baltimore Sun. "It doesn't matter. I just want to get yards. Five yards a carry would pretty much lead the league. To do that, we have to rip off some long runs and lets be good with three different guys. That's what we need to do. So, we'll roll those guys in there."

So far, this approach has worked pretty well.

"They've combined for 607 yards and five touchdowns, and the Ravens are the lone NFL team with three backs with over 30 carries," noted Aaron Wilson of the Sun. "Forsett is the leading rusher with 297 yards and three touchdowns on 50 carries, followed by Taliaferro (38 carries, 167 yards, two touchdowns) and Pierce (32 carries, 143 yards).

"The Ravens rank 12th in rushing offense with an average of 125.6 rushing yards per game, ninth in rushing average with 4.7 yards per carry."

It's possible that one of this trio of running backs will separate himself from the pack and earn a feature role, but for the time being, it looks like the Ravens will stick to their RBBC approach. ...

Overall, however, it wasn't a good day for the offense.

Baltimore's 9 percent conversion rate on third downs is the lowest for a Colts opponent dating to Nov. 28, 2010, against San Diego. The Chargers were 0-for-8.

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Joe Flacco was scrambling most of the day trying to buy time in the pocket. He was sacked four times. Prior to the game, the Ravens offensive line had not allowed a sack in three consecutive games. It was the most sacks Baltimore allowed in a game since Dec. 22, 2013, against New England when it allowed four.

Flacco completed 22 of 38 attempts for 235 yards with an interception. The four sacks cost the Ravens 38 yards.

Steve Smith had an uncharacteristic fumble on the Ravens first play from scrimmage, which set the tone for the offense the entire day. The Colts had the ball for 38:43, compared to just 21:17 for the Ravens.

"It started with the first play out of the gates, we made too many mistakes," Flacco said. "We didn't convert first downs and I don't think we put ourselves in very good positions to convert a handful of those; there were some longer situations."

Among the issues: Torrey Smith had a high-profile drop in the final minutes of the game. Smith sat there on the ground and pounded both fists on the turf.

Smith declined to talk to reporters after the game but posted on Twitter: "I'm sick right now...never been in this position before...very trying times for me on and off the field but I will be better from this"

As ESPN.com's Jamison Hensley noted, Smith, the Ravens' leading receiver a year ago, is on pace for career lows. He is currently fifth on the team with 11 receptions and trails Dennis Pitta, who hasn't played the past two games.

At this point, it's a question of whether his struggles are mental. There's a lot of pressure on Smith because this is a contract year.

The Ravens have repeatedly expressed confidence in Smith, and Flacco called him a 100-catch receiver a few weeks ago. Defenses still respect Smith's speed, and he's drawn an NFL-leading six pass interference penalties this season.

Flacco showed his trust in Smith by going to him twice on the final drive. Smith was unable to catch a third-and-3 pass from Flacco even though he got both hands on the low pass. After the Ravens converted a fourth down with an 18-yard pass to tight end Owen Daniels, they faced another fourth down with 39 seconds remaining.

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Flacco had two options: Steve Smith on an 8-yard stop route against press coverage or Torrey Smith on a deep route.

"If they wanted to play man or if they wanted to give us a shot, we had to take it," said Flacco. "At that point in the game, you were really looking to get a shot like that and take it. It's not necessarily we have to convert the fourth down. But if we converted, we still had to get to a point where they would allow us to take some kind of shot. So that was just as good of a chance as ever and we just didn't make the play."

Smith, who had problems holding onto the ball as a rookie, had only five drops last season (tied for 38th in the NFL), according to Pro Football Focus. He had two drops before failing to pull in the last pass from Flacco.

"It was catchable. I mean it was a tough catch," Harbaugh said of the Ravens' final play. "It was a challenging play to make. Very challenging play to make. Those are not plays you see made every play in the National Football League."

It certainly wasn't made this time. ...

For what it's worth, Harbaugh said it's a focus of the team is to get Torrey Smith going.

"We're working to do that," Harbaugh said. "I'm very confident we can get that done. We get Torrey going, it's going to be a big plus for us. ..."

Other notes of interest. ... Flacco was sacked four times Sunday, more than he was in his first four games combined.

He was under duress on a season-high 26 percent of his dropbacks against the Colts, according to ESPN Stats & Information research. He was 1-of-7 for 26 yards in those situations.

"When they come after us, there was a spot to go with the ball and we weren't quite able to make those plays," Flacco said. "You've got to credit those guys for having the confidence to come after it and cover in the back end and do their thing. We wished we could have hurt them a little bit more because they did come after us a little bit and you want to take advantage of that."

Meanwhile, as ESPN.com's KC Joyner pointed out last week Flacco is due to face defenses in Week 6 (Tampa Bay) and Week 7 (Atlanta) that have suspect

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secondaries. This type of matchup won't guarantee a 25-point performance out of Flacco, but it sure does increase the odds he will get close to that number.

Once those matchups are out of the way, Flacco has only one more game of that caliber the rest of the season, so this is another instance of keeping a player for the big games, then ditching him. ...

After four straight weeks of more than 100 receiving yards, Steve Smith came spiraling back to the ground against the Colts. Smith had five catches for 34 yards and had the above-mentioned fumble on the Ravens first drive of the game. ...

One last note here. ... The Ravens claimed tight end Ryan Taylor off waivers from the Packers; they cut Phillip Supernaw to create a roster spot for Taylor. 

DEPTH CHART AS OF WEDNESDAY AT 14:00 CT  QB: Joe Flacco, Tyrod Taylor RB: Justin Forsett, Lorenzo Taliaferro, Bernard Pierce FB: Kyle Juszczyk WR: Steve Smith, Torrey Smith, Jacoby Jones, Marlon Brown, Kamar Aiken, Deonte Thompson, LaQuan Williams TE: Owen Daniels, Crockett Gillmore, Ryan Taylor PK: Justin Tucker =========================

=========================BUFFALO BILLSAs ESPN.com's Mike Rodak notes, the Bills snapped their two-game losing streak with a 17-14 victory against the Detroit Lions on Sunday. But they had another drought that traced back to the Ryan Fitzpatrick era in Buffalo.

For 27 games prior to Sunday -- not since Fitzpatrick tossed for 337 yards in Week 10 of the 2012 season -- the Bills failed to pass for at least 300 yards, the NFL's longest streak. It took just one game for new starter Kyle Orton to top that mark after he completed 30 of his 43 passes for 308 yards in Sunday's win.

Orton started slow and was hardly perfect; throwing an interception that was returned for a touchdown by Rashean Mathis that put the Bills in an early 14-0 hole. But the veteran got better as the game went on, allowing the Bills' offense to finally hold up its end of the bargain after another stellar defensive performance.

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That's exactly what coach Doug Marrone needed when he benched second-year quarterback EJ Manuel in favor of Orton last week.

Players noticed a difference between Orton and Manuel in Orton's first practices at the helm -- rookie receiver Sammy Watkins remarked on Orton's abilities to read a defense "different" than Manuel and also said the veteran was quicker on his throws -- and those changes held true Sunday.

"It carried over a lot," Watkins said. "He had his mistakes but he had his veteran time where he lifted us up and moved the ball and had a couple of reads where he saw the coverage and shot it in there."

The key read for Orton came on a two-point conversion attempt with 9:23 remaining in the fourth quarter.

Orton had just connected with seldom-used tight end Chris Gragg on a two-yard touchdown but the Bills still trailed, 14-12. The initial play call was for a pass, but Orton checked out of that call into a Fred Jackson run to tie the game.

"That's just preparation he has in practice. He's got a crazy memory," Watkins said of Orton. "The way he reads things and the way he studies, it's definitely a veteran move."

"He saw the defense that we gave us and he thought we could run it in," Jackson said. "He called my number and I was able to get the job done."

While it's an audible that Manuel might have also made, Orton's offensive teammates praised his ability to command the offense through the entire game.

"It's great. As far as EJ making passes, he can do everything Kyle [is] doing," Watkins said. "But just the presence and how he leads the group. ... We just have to keep getting better on both sides of the ball."

"He checked us out of a lot of plays," Jackson explained. "Put us in the right plays. It's great to have a veteran out there who has seen a lot. He's able to bring that to the game today."

Orton proved to be an improvement over Manuel in passes targeting wide receivers. After Manuel completed just 33 percent of his throws to wide receivers in his last two games as the starter, Orton went 14-of-21 to his wideouts Sunday, a 67 percent rate.

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The Bills' defense had mostly done its job in the first four games of the season and that continued against the Lions. The NFL's second-best run defense entering Sunday allowed 69 yards on 20 carries by Detroit and sacked Matthew Stafford six times, including a career-high three sacks fromMarcell Dareus.

Instead, it was a sputtering offense that bared most of the blame as the Bills dropped to 2-2. Orton turned that around and snapped a few streaks in the process.

Not bad for his first day.

Meanwhile, as Pro Football Focus noted, Watkins needed to bounce back after a three-drop game against the Texans and he did to the tune of seven receptions (on 12 targets) for 87 yards. The stat line doesn't record ridiculous catches, though, and Watkins had two of them. The first was a one-hander on an in-route which Orton put too far out in front of him. Watkins settled the pass with his right hand before managing to corral it with his left with a defender draped all over him.

The best, though, was yet to come.

With the game on the line and just 21 seconds on the clock Orton fired a deep pass to Watkins which was overthrown. The ball looked as if it would fall harmlessly incomplete and overtime would ensue, but, out of nowhere, Watkins was able to reach up with his right arm and bat the pass into his path while running at full speed. The play picked up 20 yards and Dan Carpenter had his shot at the game-winner.

With positive contributions as a blocker (in the screen and run game) this was a complete performance by Watkins.

Other notes of interest. ... Before his 58-yard game winner, Carpenter missed a 50-yard field goal in the third quarter. He was visibly upset after the kick, speaking to referee Craig Wrolstad until officials directed him back to the sideline. Now we know why: Marrone said after the game that there was a laser pointer in the stands that distracted Carpenter. The Bills reported it to NFL security and had a photo of it; the laser apparently came from a fan.

For what it's worth, Carpenter's 58-yarder was the longest game-winning field goal in Bills history. He also made 25- and 45-yarders. ...

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C.J. Spiller was ineffective Sunday, rushing nine times for 7 yards. The Bills turned away from Spiller in the middle of the game; he didn't record a touch from early in the second quarter until late in the third quarter. Jackson, who rushed for 50 yards and added seven catches, was used more often. Spiller did, however, have three catches for 25 yards.

According to the Sports Xchange, one way to help Spiller is for offensive coordinator Nathaniel Hackett to scrap the two-tight end sets, as well as the fullback leads in the I-formation, because it's clear Spiller doesn't operate well in those situations.

This season, Spiller is averaging 1.5 yards on runs up the middle. When the Bills have only two wide receivers on the field, meaning fullback Frank Summers is on the field, or there are two tight ends on the field, Spiller has carried 20 times for an average of two yards.

When the Bills spread it out with three or four receivers and Spiller is the lone back, he's carried 30 times for an average of 6.7 yards per attempt. ...

Jackson, the workhorse of the Bills' offense so far this season, said he suffered a right ankle sprain late in the game. "It's sore. X-rays were negative," Jackson said. "I'll be all right. Just do some rehab and get back out there next week." Jackson said he re-entered the game after the injury.

He was limited Wednesday. ...

Cornerback Ron Brooks had a scary moment in the second quarter when he was flipped and landed on his head while covering a punt. He was carted off the field strapped to a backboard, and taken to a hospital where he was evaluated for a neck injury and admitted overnight. He was released on Monday.

Receiver Marcus Easley remains sidelined with a knee injury and he probably won't return for at least a couple more weeks. ...

One last note here. ... After playing three of their first five games away from Ralph Wilson Stadium, the Bills will make two only road trips in the next eight weeks. They begin a two-game homestand this Sunday against the New England Patriots, their second AFC East game of the season. 

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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 FB: Frank Summers WR: Sammy Watkins, Robert Woods, Mike Williams, Marquise Goodwin, Marcus Easley, Chris Hogan TE: Scott Chandler, Lee Smith, Chris Gragg PK: Dan Carpenter =========================

=========================CAROLINA PANTHERSAs ESPN.com's David Newton framed it: "No huddle. No problem for Carolina Panthers quarterback Cam Newton. ..."

Carolina trailed 21-7 when it went to the no-huddle offense on its final drive of the first half and first drive of the second half of Sunday's 31-24 victory against the Chicago Bears.

The Panthers scored touchdowns on each drive, tying the game at 21-21.

Newton was particularly efficient during those drives, completing 8 of 11 passes for 124 yards and a touchdown. He was 8-for-24 for 131 yards and a touchdown the rest of the game.

Newton threw to six different receivers during the no huddle drives, with five different receivers making a catch. Rookie wide receiver Kelvin Benjamin was targeted twice, getting turned around and unable to make a play on the ball while open in the end zone on the first drive.

He dropped a pass on the second drive. He also dropped a touchdown on the second drive, but was let off the hook when officials called defensive pass interference.

Had Benjamin made a couple of plays, Newton's numbers would have been more impressive. Regardless, the no-huddle attack was key to the comeback.

"Man, that was one of our best drives of the season," tight end Greg Olsen said of the drive before the half. "Went down ... bang, bang. Cam was in an awesome groove there. From that point on he was on fire. That kind of sparked us going into halftime."

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Newton said there was no sense of panic when Carolina went to the no-huddle.

"We've been in these particular situations before, either with the lead or without it," he said. "And guys responded, and that's what you want to see."

The Panthers have used the no-huddle in other games to get Newton and the offense into a rhythm. They used it on their first three drives of a Week 4 loss at Baltimore.

Newton was 8-for-12 for 135 yards and a touchdown on those drives. He was 6-for-13 for 62 yards the rest of the game. Were it not for an offensive pass interference penalty and sack, the Panthers likely would have come away with at least a field goal on the first drive.

"He reacts to a lot of things and he makes a lot of good decisions when we put it in his hands like that," head coach Ron Rivera said of Newton in the no huddle. "That's something he thrives on."

The Panthers don't run the no-huddle to speed the game up as some teams do. They typically use most of 40 seconds between plays and the 25 seconds after the ball is declared ready for play before making the snap.

They run it in much the same way as Peyton Manning does at Denver, letting Newton make adjustments at the line and giving the defense no opportunity to substitute.

Still, as David Newton pointed out, it's a shift in philosophy for a Carolina team that last season used more "real time" -- 42.7 seconds -- between plays than any other team, according to ESPN Stats & Information.

"When you look at us running the no huddle, it's not us trying to run fast," Cam Newton said. "It's just trying to tempo the defense. We can't allow the defense to pin their ears back and stay fresh on every down.

"We have as athletic of offensive linemen as I've been around. We have great endurance, so we use that as our edge for each and every game."

But Newton is the key.

As Pro Football Focus suggested, "The raw stats don't impress, but Newton's play was so much more than the numbers on Sunday. ..."

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In a related note. ... Newton didn't make the Panthers' injury report this week, but he did have minor surgery Tuesday.

"I had my wisdom teeth taken out," Newton said Sunday's game. "I've been under the scope so much this season; I guess it's just catching up with me."

Newton had his ankle surgically repaired in March and suffered fractured ribs in August that kept him from playing in the opener at Tampa. But having his four wisdom teeth taken out hurt as badly as anything he's been through.

"It's been kind of kicking me in the nuts with the hurting, but it'll be all right," the two-time Pro Bowler said.

The dentist recommended taking one wisdom tooth out but told Newton all four would need to come out eventually. Newton said he likes his dentist, but he didn't want to keep coming back.

"So I told him to take all four out," Newton said. "Day 1, good. Day 2, good."

Day 3 wasn't so great, but Newton never let anybody know he was hurting -- at least publicly. The teeth didn't seem to bother him against Chicago.

"Cam Newton probable for next week," he said with a smile. ...

All the Panthers better be ready. Over the next five weeks, they face five teams that made the playoffs last season, and four are in first place or tied for first place in their division this season.

Rivera is only worried about one of them -- Cincinnati, which will host the Panthers on Sunday.

"If you want me to repeat the mantra, this is the next most important game we play because it is the next one," said Rivera, repeating the line he used weekly during last season's 12-4 run.

The next four games will be against Green Bay, New Orleans, Seattle and Philadelphia. ...

Other notes of interest. ... The Panthers were able to beat the Bears with Darrin Reaves and Chris Ogbonnaya running the ball, with Fozzy Whittaker in reserve.

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Soon, they might actually have some running backs back whom you've heard of.

Rivera told reporters Monday that Jonathan Stewart wasn't 100 percent certain to be ready to practice Wednesday after missing time with a knee injury, but that he's closer than DeAngelo Williams coming off an ankle injury.

He indicated some degree of optimism about Stewart, while saying Williams was out of a full cast and into a walking boot.

Whatever the case, Stewart was no practicing Wednesday.

Still, as Profootballtalk.com's Darin Gantt suggests, getting Stewart back this week would be a boost, as the Panthers head to play a Bengals team that was susceptible to inside running last night against the Patriots.

Reaves and Ogbonnaya combined for a pedestrian 19 carries for 59 yards against the Bears, but they didn't fumble or do anything stupid and Ogbonnaya even scored a touchdown. ...

As the Sports Xchange notes, a week after former Carolina receiver Steve Smith burned the Panthers for two touchdowns, former Olsen scored twice, including a game-winning 6-yard catch with 2:18 to go.

"It was very similar to the touchdown we scored against Tampa Bay," Olsen said. "We felt good about it all week and (offensive coordinator Mike Shula) did a great job dialing it up at the right time. We needed a touchdown there. I think everyone didn't feel great about settling for another field goal. (Shula) played aggressive and we got a big touchdown out of it."

Olsen, who also scored on a 14-yard reception seconds before halftime, finished with a team-high six catches and 72 yards against the team that drafted him in 2007 and then traded him four years later.

"I've said all week; this wasn't about me. This wasn't about me versus the Bears. That was a long time ago," Olsen said. "This was not a revenge. This was not about me trying to prove to them that they made it mistake. That's not how I operate. Every game, I try to play as well as I can. ..."

The coaches keep saying wide receiver/return specialist Philly Brown has something special. As David Newton notes, Brown definitely showed good awareness after being leveled on a punt return before the ball even arrived.

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With officials throwing flags and the players in a scrum, Brown scooped up the loose ball and ran 79 yards down the left sideline to give Carolina a 7-0 lead. It marked the first punt return for a touchdown by Carolina in 164 games, ending the longest streak in the NFL.

The last came by Steve Smith in 2003. Brown also dropped a punt and looked lost on a couple of others to go with two rushes for 22 yards. He remains a work in progress.

As spectacular as Benjamin looks on some catches, he's still making rookie mistakes. He had a fumble and a couple of drops, none bigger than the one inside the 15 with 4½ minutes remaining. He had another pass where he got turned around in the end zone and never made a play on the ball.

Benjamin, who caught just three of his 11 targets, finished with a career-low 38 receiving yards.

And finally. ... The Panthers put tight end Richie Brockel (ankle) on injured reserve, ending his season, and re-signed cornerback James Dockery, the team announced. Dockery played in five games for Carolina last year and was cut right before this season. 

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 =========================

=========================CHICAGO BEARS"On one hand," the Sports Xchange noted this week, "head coach Marc Trestman says Jay Cutler shouldn't have thrown Brandon Marshall's way on a key interception in Sunday's 31-24 loss to the Carolina Panthers.

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"On the other hand, he wants to find out why Marshall isn't being targeted enough by Cutler after the team's star receiver was thrown to only 11 times in two games as the Bears dropped to 2-3 with two straight losses. ..."

The Xchange went on to suggest it's just one aspect of a Bears passing game that seems to have run into the kind of roadblock it never encountered last year when the team finished second in scoring.

"I think that he's been targeted certainly," Trestman said about Marshall. "We're going to go back and do some work on that to make sure we're doing all the right things in that regard.

"We targeted him (Sunday). He had a lot of calls. They took it away and Jay did the right thing by going other places. We want him obviously to have more productivity.

"When he touches the ball, good things happen and over the last couple of weeks we haven't been able to get that done. It's certainly something that we have to continue to work on to get him back involved where he can get more touches that will result in bigger plays."

Trestman said different circumstances have often resulted in Marshall not getting the ball enough.

"An example might have been early on in the game we had a hook route down in the red zone I think we eventually scored," Trestman said. "Jay took a sack on it or he got back to the line of scrimmage.

"We just had a minor breakdown where an inside receiver got an edge and he was wide open on an initial hook route. Again it's the continuity factor of putting it all together and everybody doing their job."

On another play, Marshall was the target near the goal line, but Cutler ran in for a touchdown when Cutler found Marshall blanketed.

"I take responsibility for that, for trying to find different ways for him to get the football where he can touch it and not just be the target," Trestman said.

"It's great that he's the primary receiver, but we've got to make him the primary receiver when has the opportunity to catch the ball, and we'll work at that. We've got some work to do on that, especially based on the last couple weeks."

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Marshall spoke only in broader terms after the game without shedding light on his situation in the offense.

"First half we had a little bit of rhythm," Marshall said. "Second half there was no rhythm at all. First half, it was pretty smooth out there and second, I don't know what happened."

Marshall had three touchdown catches in Week 2 against San Francisco, and 13 total catches the first two weeks. But since that game has made only six receptions for only one touchdown.

Part of the problem initially was an ankle injury that kept him out of practices, but he returned for a full week of practice last week.

"For the most part Brandon has done well," Trestman said. "We've had an open line of communication. We talked this morning about it. We talked last week about it in terms of trying to create that environment and we're going to continue press on and do that.

"I kind of looked at it at times as a little bit of a batting slump for a hitter. We don't get as many opportunities as those hitters get certainly, but we've got to do a better job of getting him more swings at the plate and allowing him to take more shots."

The Bears have had two straight second-half collapses on offense. Cutler's passer rating in those two second halves is 44.0, with 22 completions in 33 attempts for 192 yards and three interceptions.

Trestman gave him the blame largely for the first interception he threw, in the first half, in an attempt to force the ball deeper to Marshall.

The other Cutler interception Sunday was targeting Santonio Holmes, but Cutler said it "got away" from him. Both were actually throws deeper and over the middle.

"High and over the middle of the field is never good," Cutler said. "And it happened twice (Sunday)."

Throwing high over the middle, though, hasn't consistently been a Cutler problem in the last two weeks. In fact, he appeared more reluctant Sunday to attempt to make plays down the field in the second half against Carolina's shell zone coverage.

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Nor could the Bears really blame it on any one aspect of their offense.

"We had one breakdown here, one breakdown there," said Trestman, who doesn't want Cutler to have to shoulder the entire burden of a struggling offense.

"He's been tremendous. You've looked at where he is. He completed over 77 percent of his passes (Sunday). He's almost at 70 percent. This year his rating is much higher.

"The thing that he knows that he's got to do and we know that we've got to help him do it and I've got to help him do it is take it one step farther in making the right decisions at the right times to stay out of that mode.

"And I know he's going to work really hard at it. He has worked tremendously hard to get to this point but we've got to take care of the football and that starts with me."

What the Bears have to address as they head into another difficult road matchup in Atlanta is whether not getting it to their bread-and-butter receiver enough is what's leading to breakdowns in the other areas of the offense. ...

In a related note. ... ESPN.com's Michael C. Wright put it like this: "Cutler looked to be in complete control in Carolina. He made great checks at the line, established terrific rhythm with Matt Forte and Alshon Jeffery, and even scrambled three times for 22 yards and one touchdown. But just when you think Cutler has completely turned the corner, he makes a bad decision that alters the course of the game. Cutler's second interception paved the way for the collapse, followed by Forte's fumble -- the final nail in the coffin.

"For the most part, Cutler is having a really good year. But the turnovers are killers. And they still seem to happen at the most inopportune times. ..."

Other notes of interest. ... Forte squandered away the game with his fourth-quarter fumble, but you can't deny his contributions in this loss. Coming off his first 100-yard rushing performance of the season, Forte rushed for 61 yards and contributed a team-high 105 yards and a touchdown as a receiver out of the backfield. The touchdown marked Forte's first of the season.

Overall, the Bears ran the ball 22 times for 85 yards and one touchdown versus the Panthers' 27th-ranked rushing defense. Forte averaged just 3.6 yards per rush. Cutler actually had the most success on the ground with three scrambles

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for 22 yards and a touchdown. Rookie Ka'Deem Careycarried the ball only twice for 2 yards. ...

Martellus Bennett caught 21 passes for three touchdowns in the three games prior to Sunday. But the Bears used the tight end extensively as a blocker against the Panthers due to left tackle Jermon Bushrod missing the game because of a knee injury.

Bennett caught just three passes for 17 yards.

"I had to block a lot today," Bennett said. "I ended up chipping a lot this game and helping out the tackles, staying in for protections. I felt like I blocked well today. I'm a classic tight end."

And finally. ... The Bears tried out veteran kick returner Trindon Holliday Tuesday, Aaron Wilson of the National Football Post reported.

Holliday was last with the New York Giants. They released him from injured reserve Monday.

Holliday is a dynamic return specialist who has previous stints with the Texans and Broncos. 

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 =========================

=========================CINCINNATI BENGALSWe'll get the bad news out of the way first. ... According to Geoff Hobson of the team's official website, A.J. Green left the practice field on a golf cart Wednesday after apparently aggravating the toe injury that has bothered him throughout the year.

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Green has only missed one game this year, but the injury has hampered him throughout the season. His slow start against the Patriots Sunday appeared to be more about Darrelle Revis covering him than anything injury related, but clearly something's amiss.

Marvin Jones is also out of practice, leaving the Bengals thin at receiver heading into this week's game against the Panthers. ... Stay tuned. I'll have more on this when Late-Breaking Updates begin later tonight. ...

Meanwhile, safety Reggie Nelson overheard a Bengals teammate trying to provide some insight about how it all went so wrong in Foxboro. He decided that maybe Patriots coach Bill Belichick had the best idea.

When everything goes wrong, just move on.

"I'm on to the next team," Nelson said, channeling the hoodie-clad coach.

As Associated Press sports writer Joe Kay noted, given how soundly the Bengals were beaten, it was tempting to just forget about the whole thing. Every phase of the team fell apart at times during a 43-17 loss on Sunday night that left no teams in the NFL unbeaten.

The Bengals (3-1) played their worst game in years with everyone watching to see if they're for real. It's not the first time that's happened.

"We won't have another chance to right this wrong in terms of primetime until our next primetime game," safety George Iloka said on Monday. "Like I said last week, I feel we haven't showed up in the big games in terms of primetime or the playoffs or whatever."

Something about the high-stakes games makes Cincinnati fold.

The Bengals fell to 3-13 on Sunday night and have a poor record in night games overall. They haven't won a playoff game since the 1990 season, going 0-5 with first-round losses each of the last three seasons.

And now this.

"Sometimes you can allow all the talk of the primetime thing to become, 'We all need to do something different, or we all need to do this or that,"' left tackle Andrew Whitworth said. "The truth is, we've got a very good team so there's no reason for us not to show up and play well."

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The Patriots dominated from the opening drive, piling up 505 net yards on a defense that was ranked No. 3 in the league last year. It's the first time the Bengals allowed 500 yards in a game since a 51-45 loss at Cleveland on Sept. 16, 2007, when they allowed 554 net yards, according to STATS.

It was so bad that when the Patriots went to an up-tempo approach, the Bengals had trouble getting lined up in time to defend.

"By the time we got the call, they were already lined up so guys were like scattering trying to get lined up and that contributed to a few of the blown coverages," Iloka said.

The offense wasn't much better. Tight end Jermaine Gresham dropped a pass in the end zone, one of several drops in the game. Andy Dalton overthrew open receivers on deep sideline routes. And the Bengals had three fumbles, including one on a kickoff that was returned for a touchdown.

"A lot of things to correct," head coach Marvin Lewis said on Monday.

The Patriots were coming off a 41-14 loss at Kansas City that raised questions about whether they were good enough to contend for a title this season. They responded by dominating from the opening play.

"It's kind of one of those things -- you can feel it from the first snap almost," Whitworth said. "It was their day and it was going to be that way."

The Bengals get to settle into the favorable part of their schedule. They host Carolina (3-2) on Sunday at Paul Brown Stadium. Four of their next five games are at home, with the only road game at nearby Indianapolis.

They'll have two more night games during the regular season. They host the Browns in a Thursday night game on Nov. 6 and Denver in a Monday night game on Dec. 22.

The dismal showing on Sunday night reinforced perceptions that the Bengals aren't yet ready to take the next step and win high-profile games, stalling Cincinnati's bandwagon.

It'll be interesting to see if they can get back on track against the Panthers. ...

Other notes of interest. ... According to the Sports Xchange, Dalton was sacked for the first time this season, but had an efficient evening despite the blowout

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loss, throwing for 204 yards and two touchdowns with no interceptions. His passer rating of 117.4 was the highest of his career in a loss.

Giovani Bernard rushed for a season-high 4.8 yards per carry but only logged a season-low 13 attempts.

According to Pro Football Focus, after dropping 10 passes in 2012, last night's drop was Gresham's first since Week 11 last season and only his fourth since the beginning of last season. 

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, Brandon Tate, James Wright, Marvin Jones TE: Jermaine Gresham, Ryan Hewitt, Tyler Eifert PK: Mike Nugent =========================

=========================CLEVELAND BROWNSAs ESPN.com's Pat McManamon, noted, the greatest comeback in Cleveland Browns history now belongs to Brian Hoyer.

The greatest road comeback in NFL history? Also Hoyer's.

Clearly, many were involved in Sunday's 29-28 Browns win over Tennessee, but it will always go down that Hoyer was the quarterback. And it will go down that his approach mattered, a lot.

"I think his poise was pivotal for us," head coach Mike Pettine said.

"He stays poised, he's focused, relentless," running back Ben Tate said. "He doesn't give up."

The roots of this comeback by Hoyer were set in Pittsburgh, when he brought the Browns back from 24 down to nearly steal a win in a place the Browns win once every decade.

Because of that near comeback, the Browns knew they had a chance in Tennessee even though they were downright awful in the first half. The Browns

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had their share of mistakes and breaks in LP Stadium, but they walked out with what they needed most at this point of the season: A win.

"Hopefully none of the [the fans] are in the ER right now," Hoyer quipped.

His coach might be headed there, though.

"I have an EKG scheduled for tomorrow," Pettine said, "because my heart can't take many more of these."

The Browns erased a 25-point deficit, scored the game's final 26 points and overcame two second-half drives that ended with no points. They won on Hoyer's touchdown pass to Travis Benjamin with 1:09 left.

Overall, Hoyer had excellent accuracy and production on passes thrown outside the numbers and downfield. He missed on only 4 of 15 throws toward the sideline, totaling 161 yards and two touchdowns, including the game winner. Throwing in between the numbers, Hoyer completed just 10 of 22 passes.

He connected on 11 of 17 passes thrown at least 11 yards downfield, gaining 238 yards, while completing only 10 of 20 passes thrown 10 or fewer yards in the air. He also completed seven passes that traveled at least 15 yards in the air, a single-game career high.

If you're going to lead the way to great comebacks, as Hoyer did, you're going to have to make big throws. Efficient midrange passes won't erase a 25-point deficit. Hoyer quickly has gained a reputation as pressure performer. Of his five career victories, three have featured fourth-quarter comebacks.

In the post-game locker room, Hoyer and his teammates danced with a passion that hasn't been seen in some time with this team.

"That's what an NFL quarterback is supposed to do," Pettine said.

He referred to the comeback, not the dance. ...

This week, the Browns return home for a rematch against the Steelers. The Steelers won the opener 30-27 in Pittsburgh on a last-play field goal.

Other notes of interest. ... As the Sports Xchange notes, Tate returned to the lineup after missing 21/2 games with a knee injury and reminded everyone why

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he was the starter before the injury in the first half of the opener sidelined him. He rushed for a career high 123 yards on 22 carries.

Rookies Terrance West and Isaiah Crowell combined for 50 yards on 13 carries. The Browns had 10 running first downs. The Browns mixed the run with the pass in the fourth quarter to keep the Titans off balance.

Hoyer has done many things well this season.

One of his best traits has been to not force the ball, which explains why he did not throw an interception until the fourth quarter of the fourth game. Andrew Hawkins was Hoyer's favorite target in the first three games (21 catches), but the Titans did a decent job defending Hawkins so Hoyer completed four passes to Taylor Gabriel, one for 49 yards, and four to Benjamin, two of them for touchdowns.

According to ESPN.com's Jeremy Fowler teammates were legitimately happy for Benjamin, who overcame a rough four-game stretch of punt returning to seal the game with two fourth-quarter scores. Benjamin expressed relief that his punt drop for a turnover in the third quarter was reversed by a Titans penalty.

"Like a kid going to Disney World," Benjamin said. ...

The Browns claimed a receiver on waivers Friday and waived another receiver off the roster, adding ex-Viking Rodney Smith and releasing LaRon Byrd, the club said.

Smith has appeared in five regular season games, all with Minnesota (2013-14). A Florida State product, Smith (6-5, 220) played in the Vikings' season-opening win at St. Louis, logging two snaps on special teams and one on offense. The Vikings waived the 24-year-old Smith on Thursday to add quarterback Chandler Harnish to back up Christian Ponder with Teddy Bridgewater out with an ankle injury.

Byrd, 25, appeared in the Browns' season opener (seven special teams snaps).

The Browns are at the 53-player limit. They have six wide receivers, with Hawkins and Miles Austin the starters.

A few final notes here: Pettine considers cornerback Joe Haden (hip) "iffy" to play against the Steelers. Losing Haden would force the Browns to give first-round pick Justin Gilbert more action.

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Starting defensive end Phillip Taylor "underwent a minor scope procedure on his knee" and likely will miss "at least a few games," according to the Cleveland Plain Dealer. Taylor injured his knee in the first half at Tennessee. 

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, Rodney Smith, Marlon Moore TE: Jordan Cameron, Gary Barnidge, Jim Dray PK: Billy Cundiff =========================

=========================DALLAS COWBOYSAs ESPN.com's Todd Archer noted on Monday, DeMarco Murray is on pace to tie Larry Johnson's single-season NFL record for carries in a season with 416, and head coach Jason Garrett hopes Murray does not come near it.

Garrett said he would like to lessen the load on the NFL's leading rusher going forward after handing it to Murray 130 times for 670 yards in the Cowboys' first five games.

Murray carried a career-high 31 times for 136 yards in the Cowboys' 20-17 overtime win against the Houston Texans on Sunday, three weeks after posting a career-high 29 carries against the Tennessee Titans. Murray has had at least 22 carries in the first five games, which is the most he has had in any five-game span of his career. He had four straight games with 20 carries as a rookie in 2011.

Emmitt Smith holds the Cowboys' record for carries in a season with 377 in 1995.

"DeMarco was out there and we think that's probably too many carries in the game, week in and week out," Garrett said. "He ended up with 31 so we'd like to get that number lower. We'd really just like to get the other guys an opportunity. I don't see any wear and tear in DeMarco but having said that, we want to make sure we create a rotation and we'll focus on doing that in the next few weeks."

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Murray has not had more than 217 carries in a season with ankle, foot and knee injuries knocking him out of 11 games in his first three seasons. Backup running backs Joseph Randle and Lance Dunbar have combined for 22 carries for 88 yards in the first four games.

Randle had just two carries for 4 yards against the Texans. Dunbar has not had a carry in three straight games.

While Garrett acknowledged certain games in which the Cowboys lead by a lot or trail by a lot will play a part in Murray's touches, he said the coaches have to be mindful of the carries.

"We've got to make sure we take care of him over the course of the season, but we'd do that with any player," Garrett said.

We'll see. ... While it makes sense to limit Murray's touches to some degree, his personal success has been a big factor in the team's success.

With 136 yards on 31 carries in Sunday's overtime win over Houston Texans, Murray is one of three backs in NFL history to rush for at least 100 yards in the first five games of the season. The others are a pair of Hall of Famers: Jim Brown (1958) and O.J. Simpson (1973, 1975).

"Those are pioneers at the running back position," Murray said. "They did a lot of great things for the position and the NFL. A lot of respect for those guys.

"I'm just trying to come out here and play and get wins."

Murray, who prefers to praise his blockers to pump himself up, has consistently maintained that he isn't that interested in his individual statistics. He has promised that he won't get caught up in chasing the NFL rushing title or any records.

Nevertheless, Murray's numbers so far this season aren't just noteworthy. They are historic.

A sampling of Murray's most impressive stats:

Murray's 670 rushing yards are the most through five games in franchise history. He bumped 1995 Smith (638 yards), 1981 Tony Dorsett (592 yards) and 1988 Herschel Walker (526 yards) down the list.

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Murray has the fifth most rushing yards through five games in NFL history. The only backs with more yardage through five games in NFL history are Simpson (823 yards in 1975, 813 yards in 1973), Brown (787 in 1963) and Jamal Lewis (742 yards in 2003).

Murray is the first back in franchise history to have five consecutive 100-yard rushing games.

Murray is on pace to rush for 2,144 yards. The NFL single-season record is 2,105 by Eric Dickerson in 1984. The franchise record is Smith's 1,773 yards in 1995.

Murray is on pace to get 416 carries. That would match Johnson's league record set in 2005.

Of course, as Pro Football Focus noted, the entire Cowboys offensive line was instrumental in Murray's big day, opening holes for their running back on a consistent basis.

It'll be interesting to see if they can keep that up this week, when the Cowboys take on the defending Super Bowl champion Seattle Seahawks at CenturyLink Field.

The Cowboys' last two trips to the Northwest have left bad memories. On Sept. 16, 2012, they were thoroughly dominated in a 27-7 loss.

One last Murray-related note: He fumbled for the fourth time in five games. Even though he leads the league in rushing and is on pace to break the single season rushing record, the Cowboys are concerned about the fumbles. "You just have to take care of the ball," Garrett said. "Whatever style of runner you are, you have to take care of the football. Those are the things that really contribute to losing more than anything else.

"And nobody knows that more than DeMarco Murray and we've just got to continue to focus on getting it right."

Other notes of interest. ... As the Sports Xchange notes, Tony Romo was at his best, completing 28 of 41 passes for 324 yards with two touchdowns and an interception. His ability to avoid a sack and toss a 43-yard touchdown to Terrance Williams was a thing of beauty.

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Still, as PFF pointed out, it was feast or famine with Williams, as he combined a terrific touchdown catch with a couple of drops. He caught just 2-of-6 targets, albeit for 71 yards and a touchdown.

Receiver Dez Bryant made the play of the game with a miraculous catch in overtime to set up the game winning field goal. ...

Jason Witten became the third tight end in NFL history to join the 10,000-yard receiving club when he caught a 34-yard pass from Romo in the third quarter. He now stands with Tony Gonzalez (15,127) and Shannon Sharpe (10,060) in the exclusive club.

Witten entered the game needing only 45 yards to reach the milestone. He finished the game with four catches and 59 receiving yards.

The 10,000-yard receiving club also includes 38 wideouts. Jerry Rice holds the NFL record with 22,895 career yards.

As Archer suggested, the fact that Dan Bailey missed a 53-yard field goal attempt on the final play of regulation was stunning. Bailey had made a team-record 30 straight field goals with a 33-yarder in the second quarter and has been among the most clutch kickers in the NFL since 2011.

In overtime, the Cowboys were content to let him attempt a 49-yarder and he had the ninth game-winner of his career, which is also a team record.

"Have you watched our football team for the last few years?" Garrett said when asked whether his confidence in Bailey dipped after the regulation miss. "The guy's pretty damn good."

For the record, Romo participated in a walk-through but did not practice on Wednesday; it has become the norm over the last four weeks.

A few final notes. ... Linebacker Bruce Carter missed Sunday's game because of a strained thigh and remains iffy for this week's match up against the Seahawks. Garrett said he is day to day. Fellow linebacker Rolando McClain aggravated a groin injury against the Texans and is also uncertain for Sunday's game against the Seahawks.

Still the Cowboys have seen enough from McClain to begin thinking about signing him to a contract extension. 

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DEPTH CHART AS OF WEDNESDAY AT 14:00 CT  QB: Tony Romo, Brandon Weeden, Dustin Vaughan RB: DeMarco Murray, Joseph Randle, Lance Dunbar FB: Tyler Clutts WR: Dez Bryant, Terrance Williams, Cole Beasley, Dwayne Harris, Devin Street TE: Jason Witten, Gavin Escobar, James Hanna PK: Dan Bailey =========================

=========================DENVER BRONCOSAs NFL.com framed it: "Denver's high-octane offense is preparing for the loss of its so-called bell-cow back."

According to Denver Post staffer Mike Klis, running back Montee Ball will not require surgery to repair the strained groin he suffered during a non-contact play Sunday against the Arizona Cardinals.

However, Ball is expected to be sidelined a couple weeks, two sources told Klis. ESPN's Ed Werder went further, suggesting a four-week absence.

It's been a trying season for Ball since the team promoted him to No. 1 running back during the offseason. First, Ball underwent an emergency appendectomy on Aug. 4, three days before the Broncos' first preseason game.

Ball was sidelined two weeks, and although he did not miss any regular-season playing time, he hasn't seemed like the same back who averaged 4.7 yards per carry as a rookie backup to Knowshon Moreno last season.

Ball was averaging 3.1 yards per carry this season when he went down in the third quarter Wednesday. Although he finished his game against the Cardinals with only 7 yards on six carries, he had a 5-yard run on the play before his injury.

During a Peyton Manning 20-yard completion to Emmanuel Sanders, Ball initially stayed back to help throw a chip block on an outside Arizona pass rusher, then started to take off in the flat for a possible checkdown pass.

But as Ball was planting to take off, he went down. And stayed down for several minutes until the Broncos' medical staff helped him off the field.

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Ball left the locker room on crutches.

In his absence, Ronnie Hillman steps into the lead role ahead of undrafted rookie Juwan Thompson and second-year runner C.J. Anderson. Hillman looked better on Sunday than Ball has at any time all season, racking up 64 yards at 4.3 yards per carry.

"When (Hillman) has the ball in his hands, he can make the one cut and burst for that 12- or 15-yard gain," Manning said after the win. "It's just a matter of Ronnie being consistent."

On Thompson, Peyton opined: "The game's not too big for him."

Of course, as fantasy owners already know, Ball hasn't lived up to his off-season and pre-season hype.

His loss hurts the Broncos, but with Hillman and Thompson on the field together against the Cardinals, Denver threw for 194 yards and ran for 88 over the final two quarters. That balance kept Arizona honest against the run, helping Manning to pile up an outrageous 476 passing yards on the afternoon.

And don't count Anderson out of the equation, despite the fact he was a healthy scratch against the Cardinals. That may have had more to do with special teams needs than anything else.

Worth noting: Thompson did not practice Wednesday after tweaking his knee against the Cardinals. He later returned to the game to score an eight-yard touchdown. But missed practice time could work further in Anderson's favor. ...

Meanwhile, Demaryius Thomas finally showed up for the Broncos -- and fantasy owners.

Thomas finished Sunday's victory with a single-game best 226 yards on his eight receptions, and scored two touchdowns.

In fact, as ESPN.com's Jeff Legwold notes, Thomas was just one penalty flag away from the sixth 300-yard receiving game in NFL history. A 77-yard touchdown pass from Manning to Thomas in the third quarter was wiped out because of offsetting penalties that included a chop-block penalty on tight end Julius Thomas.

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Asked following the game if had crossed his mind how close he came to a 300-yard game, Thomas said: "Yeah, it already had. Only thing that matters to me is getting the win."

Thomas has been as frank in assessing his play in the season's early going. Because he was playing more in the slot during Wes Welker's suspension, Thomas said he was thinking too much, letting the dropped passes get to him too often.

Thomas dropped four passes in the Broncos' first three games after dropping five in all of last season. The day after the Broncos loss in Seattle, and just before the team went on its bye week, Thomas went to the Broncos complex before the team's meetings began that day and caught 250 balls.

Manning said he didn't put any extra pressure on Thomas.

"Yeah, somebody asked me, ‘Did y'all challenge Demaryius?' Demaryius challenged himself during the bye week," Manning said. "He knew he wasn't playing up to his capabilities. He has high goals and high standards and for whatever reason, I think he's been thinking a lot."

Sunday's victory was also a glimpse of what the Broncos offense can be as they move forward this season. Sanders, who leads the team in catches (32) and receiving yards (435), doesn't have a touchdown catch yet, nor does Welker.

"My confidence has never failed," Thomas said. "I know I am able to go out and make big plays and able to have great games. It was just getting back and concentrating and not letting one play bother me. ..."

Thomas was named AFC Offensive Player of the Week for his effort.

In a related note. ... The last time Julius Thomas caught a slice of history, he tossed the ball aside before being told it would be a good idea to retrieve a record-setting touchdown ball from Manning. Thomas made a mental note then, and when he caught Manning's 500th career touchdown pass to close out the Broncos' opening drive Sunday, he held it close before handing the ball off to the team's equipment staff.

"This time I remembered," said Thomas, who also caught Manning's record-setting 51st touchdown pass of the 2013 season. "This time, no way was I going to forget. I'm just fortunate to have been on the receiving end to the kind of plays people will remember about Peyton Manning."

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These days, Manning seems to reach another "remember when" threshold each time he throws a pass. And when he tossed the 7-yard scoring pass to Thomas with 4 minutes, 43 seconds left in the first quarter Sunday, it made him one of two players in league history to reach the 500-touchdown milestone. Brett Favre, who holds the NFL record with 508 touchdown passes, is the other.

It meant Manning also reached the milestone in just 244 regular-season games. He also finished with that career-high 479 yards passing and four touchdowns.

For what it's worth, the second scoring strike to Demaryius Thomas went for 86 yards, tied for longest touchdown pass of Manning's career, according to ESPN Stats & Information.

Other milestones?

Sure ... Welker had seven catches, moving him up to 854 in his career and making him the all-time leader in receptions among undrafted players. Former Bronco Rod Smith caught 849 passes before he retired, which had been the record.

"Anytime you can break a record held by Rod Smith -- I followed him growing up," Welker said. "I didn't know he was undrafted until I came up. He was so good, you wouldn't have thought."

The 2004 draft saw Larry Fitzgerald go third overall, but the first round also saw Roy Williams, Reggie Williams, Lee Evans, Michael Clayton, Michael Jenkins and Rashaun Woods come off the board.

There were 32 receivers drafted over seven rounds that year and Welker's been better than all but Fitzgerald, which explains why Manning called it a "ha-ha moment for scouting" while suggesting that Welker should get a letter of apology from that year's general managers.

And while we're discussing the passing attack, it's worth noting that Julius Thomas has now scored a touchdown in 14-of-18 games since taking over as Denver's primary tight end in Week 1 of last season.

Through four games this year, Thomas is on pace for 80 receptions, 904 yards and 28 touchdowns.

Bottom line? Start anybody even remotely associated with the Broncos' offense until further notice.

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That's certainly true this week as the Broncos take their pass-first show on the road against New York Jets' battered secondary. As Legwold noted, the Chargers, with an offensive playbook in part penned by former Broncos offensive coordinator Mike McCoy, piled up the points on the Jets Sunday, including two touchdowns by San Diego tight end Antonio Gates.

Other notes of interest. ... Receiver Andre Caldwell was walking without crutches in the locker room Monday, one day after he left the game with a knee injury.

Linebacker Danny Trevathan played all but three snaps in his return from a left tibial impaction fracture. He gave himself a grade of B for his work, which included a team-leading seven tackles.

Brandon McManus sent every kickoff into the end zone and hit 2-of-3 field-goal attempts in his first game after the release of Matt Prater. McManus is 5-of-6 on field goals this season.

And finally. ... The Broncos on Tuesday worked out former Lions running back Mikel Leshoure and LaRod Stephens-Howling, both of whom left team headquarters without contracts.

LeShoure, 24, a former Lions second-round draft pick, rushed for 807 yards and nine touchdowns in three seasons with Detroit. He was released on Aug. 30.

Stephens-Howling spent four seasons with the Arizona Cardinals from 2009-12 at running back after being drafted in the seventh round in 2009. He played one game for the Pittsburgh Steelers in 2013. He has 188 carries for 670 yards and five touchdowns. 

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

=========================

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DETROIT LIONSHead coach Jim Caldwell said Monday he considered sitting Calvin Johnson last week against Buffalo and will consider sitting the wide receiver this week against Minnesota to help heal his ailing right ankle.

"Just being straightforward, I'm going to think about it again this week," Caldwell said. "Strongly. So we'll see."

On Wednesday, Johnson confirmed that he is dealing with a high-ankle sprain but still hopes to play this week, according to Dave Birkett of the Detroit Free Press.

But Megatron also seemed to hint that he could take the week off, saying there are "some injuries that require rest" and that he'll need "a lot of treatment" this week in order to play Sunday.

The whole week off thing might be the best possible approach for all involved, including fantasy owners.

Johnson appeared to re-injure the ankle on the second play of the third quarter against Buffalo after catching a 7-yard pass from quarterback Matthew Stafford. It was Johnson's only reception and target of the game. He clutched his leg after the play ended and hobbled off the field.

He soon went into the locker room and did not return. After the game, Caldwell said Johnson took a "pretty good whack" on his leg and that he would be evaluated further Monday. On Monday, Caldwell declined to give any information about Johnson's further evaluation.

As ESPN.com's Michael Rothstein reminded readers, Johnson has missed Wednesday and Thursday practices the past two weeks, has practiced both Fridays and has been limited Sundays against the Jets and the Bills.

Last Friday, Caldwell said the "possibility always exists" that he would sit Johnson for a game if the ankle didn't heal.

"Just kind of depends on how one progresses during the course of the week," Caldwell said Friday. "There are some times that they move forward enough that they won't have any significant setbacks and other times you don't feel that way. You have to wait until the end of the week and react accordingly."

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For what it's worth, SI.com's Peter King has speculated that Johnson will miss at least one and possibly two games. ...

In addition, Caldwell declined to give an update on running back Reggie Bush, who injured his ankle Sunday and did not return.

According to Rothstein, Bush said he "feels good," and that he is planning on preparing as if he will be available against the Vikings on Sunday. He said his ankle injury is "day-to-day" right now, but once again he was walking around the locker room Monday pretty good.

Bush said he didn't realize he injured his ankle until he was getting ready for the next play. He said he had further tests on the ankle, but he had not received the results.

Caldwell did say, though, he was hopeful Detroit's other main running back, Joique Bell, would be available on Sunday. Bell missed the game against Buffalo as he recovered from a concussion suffered against the Jets.

"Certainly we're hoping so, but obviously he has to be evaluated this week," Caldwell said. "Protocol that has to be followed and we'll see how that goes."

Bell said he hopes to play Sunday -- but he hopes to play every week.

The concussion he sustained came when he was blocking in pass protection on a completion to Ryan Broyles late in the third quarter. He had two carries after he took the hit before leaving the game.

"I didn't really know," Bell said. "I came to the sideline. They ran a couple tests and that's when they kind of knew what it was and we took it from there."

Bell said he feels normal again. He was cleared for physical activity last week but is unsure what his next step is because he has not gone through this before.

Johnson has 22 catches for 348 yards and two touchdowns. Bush has 45 carries for 161 yards and one touchdown along with 20 catches for 142 yards. Bell has 48 carries for 152 yards and a touchdown and nine receptions for 73 yards.

Bell and Riddick were on the practice field Wednesday. Bush and Johnson were not.

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Stay tuned. ... I'll be following up on all three men via Late-Breaking Update as the week progresses. ...

Needless to say, the injuries have created issues for the offense.

"We had our limitations, obviously with personnel," Stafford said. "But that was a good defense that we played, well-coached and had a good scheme coming in. They have a good front and a good back end. They're a very well-rounded defense."

Consider -- at one point on Detroit's final drive it went with a four-receiver, one-tight end package of Corey Fuller, Jeremy Ross, Ryan Broyles, Golden Tate and Brandon Pettigrew. Other than Tate and Pettigrew, none of the players out there have significant late-game experience.

Rookie tight end Eric Ebron was mostly a non-factor, catching two passes for eight yards.

If Johnson can't play, the Lions will rely heavily on Tate again.

Tate set a career-high in Sunday's game with 134 receiving yards on seven catches. For the first time in his five NFL seasons, Tate eclipsed the century mark in back-to-back games after gaining 116 yards in Week 4.

On the Lions' second-to-last drive, Tate had a 55-yard reception, gaining 50 after the catch, to set up a 50-yard field goal that would've given the Lions the lead with 21 seconds left, but Alex Henery missed it.

Which brings up another point. ... The Lions finally have themselves a reliable kicker.

The team on Tuesday signed former Broncos kicker Matt Prater after he beat out free agent Jay Feely for the job.

The Lions released Henery on Monday after he went an ugly one of five over two games since joining the team following his August release by the Eagles. Lions kickers are a disastrous one of nine overall this season on kicks of 30-plus yards.

Prater was released by the Broncos last week on the heels of a four-game suspension for violating the NFL's substance abuse policy. With his ban out of the way, he'll start right away for Detroit.

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Prater, 30, earned a Pro Bowl nod in 2013 and has been one of the NFL's most effective kickers over the past few seasons. With one of the league's more powerful and accurate legs, it's no surprise to see the former Denver star find a new gig.

The signing turns a burning weakness for the Lions into a legitimate strength. 

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

=========================GREEN BAY PACKERSAs the Sports Xchange noted, for as decisive as a 42-10 outcome in the Packers' favor looked on a rainy Thursday night against the rival Minnesota Vikings at Lambeau Field, Aaron Rodgers had reservations.

"A lot to improve on, I think," said Rodgers, seconds into his postgame news conference. "Offensively, we were a little stagnant tonight. We didn't have a lot of attempts in the passing game, didn't execute very well on third down.

"I think we have some considerable improvements to make moving forward."

That's saying a lot considering Rodgers directed the offense to 73 points this week alone. Green Bay was coming off a 38-17 win at the Chicago Bears on Sunday, when it put up points (highlighted by five touchdowns) in its first six possessions and didn't punt in the game.

On Thursday, Rodgers staked the Packers to a comfortable 28-0 halftime lead with three touchdown passes, to go along with veteran linebacker Julius Peppers' 49-yard interception return for another score.

Yet, when Green Bay wasn't reaching the end zone on offense -- Eddie Lacy tacked on a pair of touchdown runs in the third quarter -- its offense didn't stay on the wet turf long. The Packers' other five possessions before Rodgers

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gave way to backup Matt Flynn in the fourth quarter ended with three-and-out punts.

Rodgers attempted only 17 passes, completing 12 of them, for a season-low 156 yards. However, he was interception-free for the fourth straight game and delivered a 66-yard deep ball to an open Jordy Nelson for an early touchdown.

"A play like that, you have to give the play caller credit because other than the (play-action run) fake and coming off and trying to find an open window to throw it, not a whole lot you do there (as the passer)," said Rodgers, praising head coach Mike McCarthy. "It's not like you made some spectacular read. I put the ball where I wanted to, but Jordy ran a good route -- thankfully, had the right coverage for that."

Rodgers has 200 touchdown passes in regular-season play, reaching the milestone in his 99th career game. Only Hall of Fame quarterback Dan Marino of the Miami Dolphins threw for 200 touchdowns faster, doing so in 89 games.

What gave Rodgers some comfort with regard to the offense is the Packers finally came to life with their rushing attack Thursday.

A run-oriented game plan by McCarthy paved the way for Lacy to rack up 105 yards in just 13 carries for a hefty per-carry average of 8.1 yards.

Lacy came into the game with all of 161 rushing yards and a meager per-rush average of three yards after four games.

The Packers rushed for 156 yards as a team, nearly double their previous season high of 80 yards, which they attained twice. James Starks spelled Lacy for a few series and contributed 46 yards in 12 carries after he didn't have a rushing attempt in two of the previous three games.

"It's important to get Eddie and James going," Rodgers said. "You have to have two backs in this league.

"Eddie, he's going to be a guy continuing to lay on people and be more of a force as the weather continues to turn here."

As ESPN.com's Rob Demovsky noted, the indecisiveness that Lacy showed early this season, when his first four games produced just 161 yards and a 3.0-yard-per-carry average, was nowhere to be found. On the first carry of the

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Packers' second series, Lacy ran off right tackle and accelerated around the end for 18 yards.

On the next play, it was much the same, except this time it went around left tackle for 29 yards. On consecutive carries, he had his two longest runs of the season.

So what changed?

It might have started with a conversation between Lacy and running backs coach Sam Gash earlier in the week.

"One thing that I noticed that I did, and coach Gash pointed out, was when I made my decision, I made it," Lacy said. "I just got my pad level down and just drove it and made whoever had to hit me make it a tough hit on their behalf instead of slowing down and hitting the air brakes, as he said."

There were cut-back runs, too, like his 11-yard touchdown in the third quarter. The play, on which Lacy ran into left tackle David Bakhtiari, looked like so many others early in the season that had gone nowhere. But this time, Lacy quickly changed his course and found a hole to the right.

"It was just a natural reaction just to run the other way," Lacy said. "I didn't know what was there or who was there, but it ended up working. ..."

For what it's worth. ... There are 10 active quarterbacks with at least 200 career touchdown passes and only Rodgers, Brady, San Diego's Philip Rivers and Dallas' Tony Romo had fewer than 100 interceptions at the time they reached that touchdown milestone (see accompanying chart).

As for Rodgers' predecessor, Brett Favre, when he threw his 200th touchdown pass in the middle of the 1998 season, he had 111 career interceptions. ...

Other notes of interest. ... Last week's blowout afforded McCarthy the opportunity to get several backups some extended work. Matt Flynn was 3-of-5 passing for 22 yards with an interception on a screen pass intended for Starks while playing the entire fourth quarter.

Davante Adams caught his first career touchdown, an 11-yard slant in the second quarter (which was Rodgers' 200th). ... Rookie Jeff Janis caught two passes for 16 yards late in the game for his first NFL receptions. ... Tight end Brandon Bostick also got his first snaps on offense this season. ...

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Nelson, the NFL's receiving leader entering the week, was targeted a season-low three times and the 66-yard touchdown in the first quarter was his only catch. ... Randall Cobb's 8-yard touchdown catch in the first quarter was his sixth of the season and eighth in his past six regular-season games dating to Week 17 of last season. That leads the NFL over that stretch. ...

And finally. ... Jarrett Boykin missed a second straight game last Thursday because of a lingering groin injury. Boykin's status for this week's game against Miami is up in the air. He was not on the field for Wednesday's practice and could miss his third straight game this weekend.

Adams will continue to handle the WR3 role until further notice. 

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, Brandon Bostick PK: Mason Crosby =========================

=========================HOUSTON TEXANSAccording to Associated Press sports writer Kristie Rieken, Arian Foster isn't a fan of Thursday night games, and doesn't think anyone else is either. Foster was asked what he thought about the midweek games as the Houston Texans prepare to meet AFC South foe Indianapolis in the weekly matchup this Thursday.

"Thursday night football is pretty -- it's annoying for players," he said. "I don't know one player that likes it. I really don't know a fan that likes it, either. I think it's just the league's way of trying to generate more revenue."

And Houston's star running back, who is coming off a season-high 157 yards rushing in an overtime loss to the Cowboys, didn't stop there.

"They emphasize concussions when they start getting hit with lawsuits and they care about the players' safety, but Thursday night football is putting every player on the football field in danger," he said, referring to the NFL. "Nobody

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is ready to play physically after a Sunday game. But you've got to go out there and do it.

Players around the league have long criticized the Thursday games and Green Bay offensive lineman Josh Sitton said he hated the game days before his team faced Minnesota in last week's Thursday night game.

Since there is such a negative sentiment for the games around the league, the question becomes whether the NFL Players Association plans to approach the league about eliminating these games. Foster doesn't think that would help.

"Union and the league kind of same thing, man," Foster said. "So they do what they told."

NFLPA President Eric Winston, who played for the Texans from 2006-2011, said that he would never discourage Foster from speaking out, and that he hopes he becomes more involved in the union. He also addressed Foster's comment about the NFLPA and Thursday night games.

"We don't take health and safety things lightly, and we always address such protocols as we see fit," Winston said in an interview with Rieken. "We will always go with the medical data. If a majority of players say we need to get rid of this, it is not good, we are going to listen to this, and look into if it is time to make a change."

Meanwhile, first-year head coach Bill O'Brien is trying to find ways to limit the stress on his players and their bodies this week. He noted that his team isn't special and the Texans really can't complain about midweek games since every team in the league has to do it once a year.

"You have to do a good job of making sure they get the proper amount of rest," O'Brien said. "You really can't have a very physical week as far as the practice field is concerned. It's much more of a mental type of (preparation); trying to get ready for the game."

The game is Houston's first this season against a divisional opponent and with both teams entering the game with 3-2 records, the winner will have an early leg up on the AFC South race. Veteran left tackle Duane Brown agreed that the quick turnaround is tough, but said playing Indianapolis on Thursday should help.

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"The good thing about the Colts is that we're very familiar with them," Brown said. "Of course you have a different game plan than we've had in years past, but as far as the personnel and things like that we kind of know what to expect. So that makes it a little bit easier, but it's never easy. ..."

A few more Foster related notes. ... According to Pro Football Focus, among his 157 yards rushing, Foster managed 81 yards after contact, and forced three missed tackles.

Foster has accounted for 29.7 percent of the Texans' offense despite missing a game because of a hamstring injury and rushing for only six yards in another game. He's provided 503 of the team's 1,690 yards.

While the hamstring injury has been a concern the last three weeks, ESPN.com's KC Joyner notes that Foster and the Texans face three favorable rushing matchups over the next four weeks. Adding even more value potential to Foster is that Houston has only two unfavorable rushing matchups the rest of the year and three favorable run defenses in the final four weeks of the season.

Those potential upside plays can win fantasy games in the case of someone like Foster, so it is worth taking a chance on either acquiring him or staying patient with him until he heals.

Speaking of his health. ... O'Brien fully expects Foster to start Thursday's game.

"Oh yeah," was his response when asked if Foster would be ready on a short week. ...

Other notes of interest. ... As the Sports Xchange notes, Ryan Fitzpatrick threw one interception on which Foster ran the wrong route. He didn't have a touchdown pass. With the exception of the fourth quarter when he was 8-of-9 for 93 yards, he didn't play well.

Slow starts have become routine. He was protected well for most of the game and wasn't sacked.

Overall, Fitzpatrick is 23-of-40 for 210 yards, one touchdown, two interceptions and a 59.4 rating on third down. ...

Andre Johnson caught five passes for 58 yards against the Cowboys, but he still doesn't have a touchdown reception. He also continues to nurse a tender

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ankle. He played through it last week, but he is unlikely to practice fully in advance of Thursday's game. ...

Fitzpatrick is on the injury report with a calf issue, but practicing in full while Alfred Blue (knee) was limited. ...

On a more positive note. ... By the end of the first half, the Texans already had as many takeaways through five games as they had in all of the 2013 season.

As ESPN.com's Tania Ganguli pointed out, last year was a franchise low, but the fact that the Texans surpassed last that total in just the first half of the fifth game of the season shows how the defense has changed. The number of yards they're giving up is a bit troubling and something that became a problem against the Cowboys. 

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 =========================

=========================INDIANAPOLIS COLTSThe Colts are in for a quick turnaround following a 20-13 home win over the Baltimore Ravens on Sunday.

Usually, head coach Chuck Pagano refers to the 24-hour rule. Celebrate a win for 24 hours and then start to get ready for the next opponent on the schedule.

However, with a huge AFC South matchup against the Houston Texans coming up quickly on Thursday night, Pagano called for the 24-minute rule. Nice win, great job, and now start getting ready for the Texans.

To that end, the Indianapolis coaching staff spent Sunday night back at team headquarters breaking down Houston game tape.

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According to the Sports Xchange, while there had been some advance work done already, Pagano and the Colts went right to work hours after the completion of the Baltimore game and began gearing up for Houston.

"We've got some stuff to clean up (from the Baltimore game). But (Monday's practice) was a good start for our preparations for Thursday night," Pagano said.

"Always a challenge on a short week bringing guys in. To play the kind of game we played (against the Ravens) a very physical game, and then to have a short turnaround. It's a challenge to get your guys back."

Pagano isn't worried about working in an offensive and defensive game plan despite a short work week.

"The mental part is probably the easiest," Pagano said. "But physically just getting your body back, that's the biggest challenge. But we've moved on and we're ready to get to continue prep for the Texans."

The Colts had a limited practice session on Monday and then will have a full workout on Tuesday. Following a brief walkthrough on Wednesday morning, Indianapolis will leave for Houston.

"You try to do as much work in advance as you possibly can," Pagano said. "So you've got to get ahead. And guys came in. I think most everybody, 90-95 percent of the guys, came in (to the team's facility) right after the game. Like we said, it was the 24-minute rule and not the 24-hour rule. The guys came right in and went to work.

"Had most of the leg work. It's a difficult task. It's hard on everybody. But it is what it is. The game's going to be played Thursday night. So we've just got to deal with it accordingly."

Keeping the players as fresh as possible and allowing them to get their legs back is crucial.

"We want to make sure that we don't ankle weight them," Pagano said. "It's going to be tough enough to get them back from a physical standpoint. You want to keep them fresh. And from a mental standpoint, you want to make it easy as possible. But you can't be so vanilla that you that you have any bullets in the chamber, so to speak. We've got to do our due diligence and make sure these guys can play fast. ..."

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Meanwhile, ESPN.com's Tania Ganguli reminded readers the last time these teams play in Houston, the Texans had a three-touchdown lead in the first half before losing the game 27-24.

Quarterback Andrew Luck was a big part of that Colts comeback.

"He can be dreadful (for a defense) from any way," Texans safety Kendrick Lewis said. "With his feet, from him throwing the ball, he believes he can make every throw and get his playmakers the ball."

This season Luck's tied a team record for passing touchdowns in the first five games of the season (14), tying Peyton Manning in 2004.

What he's doing with his legs makes him even more dangerous, and the Texans will be mindful of it. Luck ranks ninth among quarterbacks in rushing yards with 65 (just ahead of Texans quarterback Ryan Fitzpatrick, who ranks 10th) and he ranks fifth among quarterbacks in rushing yards after contact with 20 (just below Fitzpatrick, who ranks 4th).

"This guy's a strong runner," Texans linebacker Brooks Reed said. "He's not just fast, but he's strong, too. He's very smart about when he can run and when to slide. It's his last option and a lot of the time it works out for him. Sometimes that's how they convert on third downs."

Pagano would really rather Luck stop giving opponents all the opportunities to put licks on him.

"He knows the position that he's playing and all that stuff; he's gotta be available," Pagano said. "We talk to him all the time about it. Instincts take over, competes take over. ... That's how Andrew's wired. We spend an awful lot of time trying to work on self-preservation."

Luck sees a positive end to his precarious means.

"I think I've gotten better at it," he said. "They're coaches, they coach ya. If they think I took an unnecessary hit, yeah, they'll tell me to slide or get out of bounds or throw it away. If it was necessary, big third down or fourth down, whatever it is, then they're OK with it. ..."

Fantays owners are pretty much on board with anything Luck does at this point. ...

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Other notes of interest. ... The Colts ran well enough last week. Ahmad Bradshaw had a game-high 68 yards in 15 carries while Trent Richardson added 37 yards in nine carries. Luck rushed for a TD on a scramble in the fourth quarter. As a team, the Colts averaged 3.9 yards on 30 rushing attempts.

Dwayne Allen continues to impress. Allen caught a touchdown pass against Baltimore on Sunday. He has now registered a TD catch in five of his last six games dating back to the start of last season. Allen was sidelined for most of 2013 with a hip injury.

T.Y. Hilton caught nine passes for 90 yards while Reggie Wayne added seven receptions for 77 yards. 

DEPTH CHART AS OF WEDNESDAY AT 14:00 CT  QB: Andrew Luck, Matt Hasselbeck 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 =========================

=========================JACKSONVILLE JAGUARSAs ESPN.com's Michael DiRocco wrote on Monday: "It's obvious by now that rookie quarterback Blake Bortles definitely has the ability to be the franchise quarterback the Jacksonville Jaguars have been seeking since Mark Brunell's heyday in the late 1990s and early 2000s.

"But it's just as clear that he's going to need a lot more help than he got on Sunday to get there. ..."

True enough. And there's plenty of shortfalls to overcome.

Bortles wasn't perfect in the Jaguars' 17-9 loss to the Steelers. He threw two interceptions, including one that was returned for a touchdown, and fumbled two shotgun snaps. But he didn't get much of an assist. An offense that featured four other rookies in the starting lineup self-destructed all afternoon.

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"There were some plays out there that we left on the field," head coach Gus Bradley said. "We had some dropped balls that I know we've made in practice and now we've got to bring it to the game and make those plays. As a team we need to finish better."

Playing with a rookie quarterback virtually guarantees mistakes. There will be misreads, bad throws, and instances of "what was he thinking?" That means mistakes made elsewhere are going to be magnified. But when some of your other key players are rookies, you know they're going to make mistakes, too.

Rookie receiver Allen Hurns had three drops, a holding penalty that wiped out a 9-yard run, and missed a block on a screen pass that resulted in a 2-yard loss the play before the pick six.

Rookie center Luke Bowanko had a holding penalty that wiped out a 20-yard catch by Hurns and fired off a shotgun snap slightly above Bortles' head that resulted in a 6-yard loss.

Tight end Clay Harbor had a drop as well, plus second-year left tackle Luke Joeckel had a holding penalty that wiped out a 30-yard run to the Pittsburgh 3-yard line by Jordan Todman on the Jaguars' first possession.

That kept the Jaguars from getting into the end zone and managing three field goals against a defense that gave up 10 fourth-quarter points to Tampa Bay at home.

"That's all on us," Joeckel said. "The offensive line, the receivers, everyone has to be accountable for that. That's all stuff we can control and stuff we can fix. That's things we'll see on film and right away we should be able to knock all that stuff out. That stuff happens in the game sometimes but we can control that part."

Expect things to be like this the rest of the season. Drops, penalties, turnovers, blown assignments, missed blocks. Bortles is going to continue to make bad reads and bad throws. That's not a pessimistic approach. That's realistic considering there are seven rookies that will play significant roles on offense the rest of the season: Bortles, Bowanko, guard Brandon Linder, Hurns, receiver Allen Robinson, receiver Marqise Lee (who missed the game with a hamstring injury), and running back Storm Johnson.

As DiRocco suggested, "It's going to be a mess at times, but the Jaguars are hopeful it's going to pay off in 2015."

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"I think it's cool," Bortles said. "I think it's cool to go through it as a group, as a unit, obviously, like you said, with a bunch of rookies. We're learning and getting better each week. That's a cool process. You're playing football. Go play football."

And give him some help.

That might mean some opportunity for under the radar players. ... For example, Bradley said during the preseason that Johnson had the best instincts of all the team's running backs. That seemed to be on display in Sunday's loss.

In his first action of the season, Johnson ran four times for 27 yards, an average of 6.8 per carry. That doesn't include a 9-yard run called back because of a holding penalty. Johnson also had a 20-yard run, which is the longest by a Jaguars running back this season. Next longest is a 13-yard gain by Toby Gerhart, who has 48 carries.

"I thought he did a good job," Bradley said of Johnson. "I know he came out with his ankle [slightly hurt] but I think they re-taped it, but we got him some more reps in there [after getting the ankle re-taped]. His objective is we've got to gain trust in him. He had a couple of good weeks of practice. We gave him an opportunity and we'll evaluate it from here on."

The 6-foot, 216-pound Johnson, the team's seventh-round pick, is still a liability when it comes to blocking and pass protection, but he might be the team's best option to kick-start the running game. Gerhart had 9 yards on four carries, though he did tweak an ankle early in the game, andDenard Robinson had 6 yards on three carries.

Worth noting, Gerhart's snap total -- he was on the field for 10 plays -- was a season low.

According to DiRocco, that was partly due to a foot sprain that he suffered on his second carry but also because the Jaguars wanted to get Johnson involved. Gerhart said the injury robbed him of the ability to be explosive and he had been looking forward to the game because it was the best he's felt since the season opener. He suffered an ankle sprain in that game. …

The run game got a boost from the return of right tackle Austin Pasztor from a broken right hand, and the offensive line played its best game of the season against the Steelers. Still, Johnson appears to be the Jaguars' best fit at running back right now. ...

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I will, of course, be watching for more on the team's backfield in coming days. In addition to Gerhart's foot, Johnson and Jordan Todman came out of the game with minor ankle injuries. ...

Other notes of interest. .. Bradley said the Jaguars had 22 running plays called against the Steelers, but Bortles checked to passes on seven of those plays. Bortles completed five of those passes, threw one incompletion, and had the other pass intercepted and returned for a touchdown.

Bradley said Bortles did a good job with the checks, but also said he'd like to see more runs called where there isn't an option to check out.

Hurns, signed as an undrafted rookie free agent out of Miami, got his career off to a sensational start in Philadelphia when he became the first receiver in NFL history to catch two touchdown passes in the first quarter of his NFL debut.

As the Sports Xchange notes, he has experienced some ups and downs since then. He later dropped two passes in Philadelphia and dropped a long pass in Washington. He bobbled but then hung on to a 44-yard pass in San Diego, and he had three drops against Pittsburgh, boosting his total to six in five games.

He wound up with four catches for 26 yards against the Steelers. In his first five games, he has 16 catches for 280 yards.

Hurns said, "What you did the first week and the week after that doesn't matter. You've got to prove yourself every week."

With both Cecil Shorts and Lee out, the Jaguars really didn't have the option of pulling Hurns. They started Hurns and Robinson, and the only two other receivers active were Mike Brown and Ace Sanders, who was making his debut after being suspended for the first few games.

Hurns doesn't use being a rookie as an excuse for the drops.

"Drops are not allowed," he said. "I don't feel like as a rookie.

Hurns leads the Jaguars in receiving yards and touchdowns (three).

Sanders caught two passes for 12 yards. He also returned three punts for an average of 4.7 yards.

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Shorts and Lee both hope to return this week. The Florida Times-Union reported that Lee could work on a limited basis Wednesday and be available for "spot duty" against the Titans. Shorts did not practice Wednesday.

Nobody should get too excited about that possibility until we have some evidence both men are truly working at full speed. 

DEPTH CHART AS OF WEDNESDAY AT 14:00 CT  QB: Blake Bortles, Chad Henne RB: Toby Gerhart, Storm Johnson, Denard Robinson, Jordan Todman FB: Will Ta'ufo'ou WR: Allen Robinson, Allen Hurns, Cecil Shorts, Marqise Lee, Ace Sanders, Mike Brown, Tavarres Kings TE: Clay Harbor, Mickey Shuler, Marcedes Lewis PK: Josh Scobee =========================

=========================KANSAS CITY CHIEFSAs ESPN.com's Adam Teicher understated, "It's beyond argument that Jamaal Charles is the Kansas City Chiefs' best player. It's certainly reasonable to suggest that when it comes to their second-best skill player another running back, Knile Davis, is a strong consideration. ..."

No doubt about that.

"So, Teicher continued, "of course when the Chiefs needed a few yards at some important junctures in Sunday's game against the San Francisco 49ers, they went elsewhere with the ball. You're reading that correctly. The Chiefs had seven third-down plays in which they needed four yards or less to convert.

"And they failed to get the ball to either Charles or Davis one time."

According to Teicher, those were only some of the strange coaching decisions made by Andy Reid in the Chiefs' 22-17 defeat. The Chiefs declined a chance to kick a long field goal late in the third quarter that would have put them ahead by four points, an important margin given the rate at which the 49ers themselves were kicking field goals.

Reid and his staff also failed at simple arithmetic in the fourth quarter, with the 49ers ahead by two points and in formation to try a 53-yard field goal. The

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Chiefs sent 12 players on the field for the kick and the resulting first down allowed San Francisco to chew two additional minutes off the clock with the 49ers eventually making a much shorter field goal.

"I'll take the responsibility for that," Reid said of the 12th player. "I've got to make sure I count the guys and make sure that down the stretch everybody knows what they're doing there and they do it."

Football games move at a rapid rate and sometimes, in the heat of things, mistakes are made. That can explain 12 players on the field to defend a field goal, though not at such a crucial point in the game.

But how do the Chiefs not get the ball to Charles, or even Davis, on third-and-short? The Chiefs passed all seven times in those situations.

"They're normally a big-man team in short yardage," Reid said. "We thought we had some decent things for that. It didn't work as well as we needed it to."

The Chiefs could have countered the 49ers' muscle with some big players of their own. They like their three-tight end formations that include Anthony Fasano, Travis Kelce and Demetrius Harris. They used 345-pound defensive lineman Dontari Poe as a fullback in last Monday night's game against New England.

Instead of muscling up and going with a strength, the Chiefs threw the ball with varying results. In all, they threw 31 passes and ran 19 times, a large imbalance for a team that was in the lead for much of the game.

That's two games, if you're counting, that the Chiefs didn't use Charles as they should have. The Chiefs are 2-3 and now have to play catch-up with the Chargers and Broncos in the AFC West, in part, because their best player has been a spectator too many times this season.

Charles, ever the team player, wouldn't be critical of his coach.

"He calls he plays," Charles said. "Whatever he says, that's what we've got to do."

If it's any consolation, Reid realizes he needs to do better.

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"If we had that to do over again, and this is hindsight, but I'd probably come back and hand it to him and give him an opportunity to make that play," Reid said.

The Chiefs got the ball back just once more and by then, they were in desperation mode. A little more than two minutes remained but they were out of timeouts and behind by five points.

Charles had only seven carries in the season-opening loss to the Tennessee Titans. The next day, Reid said it was "negligence on my part" that Charles didn't get the ball more.

Let's hope he'll take some time over the off week to think about his shortcomings when it comes to keeping his most dangerous weapon busy.

Meanwhile, ahead on the schedule after the bye is another big road game, as the Chiefs travel to San Diego to face the Chargers on October 19. After playing at home only once in what will be a six-week period, they return for three out of four games at Arrowhead Stadium, starting on Oct. 26 against St. Louis.

After the Rams come the New York Jets and Seattle. The next road trip after going to Southern California will be to Buffalo on Nov. 9.

Five weeks into the season they are two games behind San Diego and Denver. After the bye week, they should get safety Eric Berry back from his ankle injury; he's missed the last 14 quarters and another week of rehab is expected to get him on the field again. ...

Other notes of interest. ... Charles moved into second place on the Chiefs' all-time rushing list behind Priest Holmes. Charles can pass Holmes with 53 yards in Kansas City's next game on Oct. 19 against the Chargers in San Diego, but said the mark wouldn't mean much to him if the Chiefs don't win.

As the Sports Xchange notes, it was a long time coming, but Chiefs rookie running back-receiver-returner De'Anthony Thomas got his first chance to play in a regular-season NFL game when he was active against San Francisco. After missing the season's first four games with a hamstring injury, the diminutive draft choice from the University of Oregon got the ball in his hands three times.

It was hardly a giant sampling of his abilities, but it was production for the Chiefs offense and special teams that was badly needed against the 49ers.

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Reid liked what he saw on Sunday.

"We weren't exactly sure how much we'd get out of him, just from the setbacks that he's had," said Reid. "I thought he did a nice job when given the opportunity to make plays for us."

According to Pro Football Focus, if Alex Smith was looking for a game to break free from the "game manager" label, and he's had a few through the years, this was not one of them.

Only three of his 17 completions went beyond 10 yards and his two touchdowns were more about scheme (Travis Kelce walking in on a wide receiver screen) or outstanding work from his playmakers (Thomas breaking a tackle and outrunning the defense on a running back screen).

Smith did flash his quick release and decision making throughout the game, but when it came time to make big plays, he just didn't do enough in this one.

Smith's best work came in the quick game as he used pop passes and quick slants to keep the 49ers off balance.

Also according to PFF, Kelce played on 31-of-52 snaps (59.6 percent) in Sunday's loss at San Francisco. He ran just 19 pass routes and saw three targets, pulling in two of them. It's a reminder that he's still a bit of a fantasy risk -- albeit it one with great potential reward. 

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

=========================MIAMI DOLPHINSHealthier than they've been since the season began, the Dolphins should benefit from a wave of reinforcements Sunday against Green Bay.

According to Associated Press sports writer Steven Wine, as many as six players might rejoin the starting lineup, and all practiced Monday when the Dolphins reconvened following their bye week.

Running back Knowshon Moreno practiced for the first time since he was sidelined by an elbow injury in Week 2. Also back are two starters expected to

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play Sunday for the first time this season, safety Reshad Jones and Pro Bowl center Mike Pouncey, whose comeback could involve a switch to guard.

Others returning from injuries are middle linebacker Koa Misi (ankle), defensive tackle Randy Starks (back) and guard Shelley Smith (knee).

"The bye came at a pretty good time," receiver Mike Wallace said. "It's going to be good for our team. We haven't seen these guys together like this in a long time. I'm excited; I know our whole team is excited."

Absent on Monday was reserve defensive lineman Derrick Shelby, suspended indefinitely in the wake of his weekend arrest on misdemeanor charges of resisting arrest and trespassing at a nightclub. Cornerback Cortland Finnegan and receiver Brandon Gibson (groin) also sat out.

Even so, there was a dramatic net gain in manpower, which is especially welcome as the Dolphins (2-2) prepare for perhaps their toughest opponent so far. Green Bay (3-2) has won its past two games by a combined score of 80-27.

The reinforcements mean lots of depth-chart reshuffling this week.

"You want to get these guys up to speed as quickly as you possibly can," head coach Joe Philbin said. "Some look great, some not so much. We've got to see where they are and how much they can be used in a game."

Moreno practiced with an elbow brace and said he'll wear it in a game if necessary. His return buoys a ground game that has been a strength even in his absence.

"It felt good to get out there on the field and work out a little of the rust," he said.

Moreno led the NFL with 134 yards rushing in Week 1.

"It's disappointing because you just want to be out there helping your team out, but it's part of the game," Moreno said of his absence. "Those things happen. I just have to fight back and do whatever you have to do in the training room to get back on the field, and once you are on the field just do what you have to do."

There was a report last week Moreno expects to miss four more weeks. But Moreno returning to practice Monday is a strong indication it won't be that long

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before he returns to the field. The Dolphins also released backup running back Orleans Darkwa on Monday (Darkwa was signed to the practice squad on Wednesday), which could be another indication of Moreno returning sooner than later.

Philbin said the next few days would also provide the team with a better idea of how Moreno can play with the bulky brace he's wearing because the team won't put him out there if they don't think he can do everything required of him.

Miller will likely be the starter and the primary ball carrier this week against Green Bay, but offensive coordinator Bill Lazor told reporters on Tuesday he had yet to decide how the workload might be divided with Moreno back.

As ESPN.com's James Walker notes, Miami's running game has remained strong even with Moreno out of the lineup. The Dolphins are ranked fifth in the NFL in rushing at 142.3 rushing yards per game. Miller is averaging 5.7 yards per carry and Damien Williams contributed off the bench.

"They are doing their thing," Moreno said of his fellow running backs. "The work they put in throughout the week prepares them for each week to go out, try to have a balanced offense, compete and try to come out with a win. They are doing a good job and everyone is working hard just to get better than we were the last few weeks."

Pouncey, returning from hip surgery in June, should help an offensive line that is much improved over last season. His replacement, Samson Satele, has played well enough to prompt speculation he'll remain at center while Pouncey moves into the lineup at guard.

"Whatever position I'm playing, it's going to be for the better of the team," Pouncey said. "We'll see. It's coach Philbin's decision."

Pouncey played mostly guard for the Florida Gators but has been at center since being drafted by the Dolphins in 2011.

"Guard is my position," Pouncey said. "I was kind of forced to play center when I got drafted here."

Meanwhile, Walker noted this week that the Dolphins are still trying to figure out third-year quarterback Ryan Tannehill, despite the fact he has 36 starts under his belt.

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Tannehill is 17-19 as a starter, which isn't great but not awful, either. He has split four games this year, and there already was speculation that Tannehill could be pulled entering Week 4, But he responded with his best game of the season (278 yards, two touchdowns) in a blowout win over the Oakland Raiders to quiet those rumblings.

Miami's starting quarterback has done enough to keep his job the past three seasons but not enough to convince the Dolphins he is a franchise quarterback and the team's long-term solution.

There are several strengths and weaknesses in Tannehill's game. But the one statistic that has stood out is Tannehill's win-loss record based on pass attempts.

Tannehill is 1-8 (11.1 winning percentage) in games in which he has 40 or more pass attempts. Conversely, Tannehill is 16-11 (59.2 percent) with fewer than 40 attempts.

This is a telling statistic that proves less is more for Tannehill. It has rarely worked the past three seasons when the Dolphins put the game on Tannehill's shoulders -- hence the 1-8 record. But when Tannehill is asked to manage the game and reduce the amount of risk involved, the Dolphins win nearly 60 percent of the time.

I've said during the preseason that Tannehill's ceiling is closer to Alex Smith than it is an elite quarterback such as Aaron Rodgers. Tannehill has good athleticism and a solid arm, but there are too many holes in his game to expect him to become one of the dominant players in the league. But if Tannehill is coached properly, surrounded with quality talent and manages the game, you can win with his tools.

Last week's blowout victory against Oakland was a perfect example. Tannehill threw the football just 31 times. He completed 23 and had a lot of confidence-building throws in the first half. Miami's running game also added 157 yards and the defense forced four turnovers. The Dolphins didn't put too much on Tannehill's shoulders to go win the game.

Statistics show this is the best way to manage Tannehill going forward. But Tannehill does not significantly improve, is this level of quarterback play enough for Miami to commit long term?

Probably not. ...

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Other notes of interest. ... As ESPN.com's KC Joyner pointed out last week, Miami has three consecutive favorable matchups against run defenses coming up. Once those contests are over, the Dolphins the going gets tougher of the remainder of the season.

Also according to Joyner, Tannehill's job status should continue to remain strong in Weeks 7 and 8 when the Dolphins square off against the abysmal defenses of Chicago and Jacksonville. Things will get much tougher after that, as Miami has zero matchups of that caliber after Week 8, but look for Tannehill to put up fantasy numbers in the 15- to 20-point level in the aforementioned contests.

Tannehill began the week as the NFL's 25th-ranked passer with a rating of 81.2. Those who think touchdowns and interceptions are a quarterback's most important stat should be aware Tannehill has six touchdowns and three interceptions.

Damian Williams, who was cut the day after the 53-man roster was set, was re-signed Monday. Williams, a fifth-year player, could also be used as a punt returner. 

DEPTH CHART AS OF WEDNESDAY AT 14:00 CT  QB: Ryan Tannehill, Matt Moore RB: Lamar Miller, Knowshon Moreno, Daniel Thomas, Damien Williams WR: Mike Wallace, Brian Hartline, Brandon Gibson, Jarvis Landry, Rishard Matthews TE: Charles Clay, Dion Sims, Gator Hoskins PK: Caleb Sturgis =========================

=========================MINNESOTA VIKINGSThere wasn't a whole lot more to be said about the Minnesota Vikings offensive meltdown under third-string quarterback Christian Ponder in Thursday's 42-10 loss to the Packers in Green Bay. But head coach Mike Zimmer and his defenders had plenty to gripe about defensively going forward.

First, the offense.

Because of the short week, rookie quarterback Teddy Bridgewater was inactive because of a sprained left ankle. That forced Ponder to become the

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third different starting quarterback in as many weeks. And things didn't go well, to say the least.

"It was embarrassing playing like that," said Ponder, who had two second-quarter interceptions, including a pick-six, and a 13.4 passer rating when the Packers led 28-0 at halftime. "I feel bad putting the team in this position."

According to the Minneapolis Star Tribune, Bridgewater returned to practice Tuesday. Bridgewater suffered the injury in the Week 4 win over the Falcons and only practiced once -- on a limited basis in a closed practice -- last week before the team decided to hold him out in Green Bay.

"He's fine," Zimmer said. "Yeah, he's alright."

Star-Tribune staffer Matt Vensel wrote: "I'm not an athletic trainer, but Bridgewater didn't seem to be too bothered by the ankle today during the individual drills we were allowed to watch. The quarterbacks were more or less warming up while practice was open to media, but Bridgewater wasn't grimacing or showing signs of discomfort."

The Vikings were, however, without safety Harrison Smith, who sprained his left ankle on Thursday night against the Packers and left the practice facility on crutches on Friday. Zimmer would not talk about Smith's status, since the Vikings aren't required to release an injury report until Wednesday.

Wide receiver Jarius Wright also missed practice because of a personal matter, but told reporters he would be back at practice on Wednesday. The Vikings were also without linebacker Chad Greenway (broken ribs/broken hand) and tight end Kyle Rudolph (sports hernia). Greenway, who has missed the Vikings' last two games, said he will see later in the week if he has a better shot of playing on Sunday against the Lions.

"I'll just take it day-by-day and see how it feels," Greenway said. "I think with the ribs, it is sort of (a pain tolerance thing), barring the fact that you'd puncture a lung or something, I guess. That would probably be bad. It's more of being able to do my job when I'm out there, really. ..."

Meanwhile, adding to the quarterback issues in the inability to get receiver Cordarrelle Patterson involved in the offense on a consistent basis. Patterson caught just two of the four passes thrown to him for just eight yards before a hip injury sidelined him in the second half.

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"We need to get him more involved than what we are but actually I thought he did some good things (Thursday) night," Zimmer said. "He didn't obviously catch as many balls as we would've liked or anything like that, but I thought he improved on being a receiver."

As the Sports Xchange reminded readers, the failure to get Patterson involved was a popular point for those who didn't care for then-offensive coordinator Bill Musgrave last season. It was quieted early this season when new offensive coordinator Norv Turner opened with a creative plan at St. Louis in Week 1. Patterson had three carries that day for 102 yards and a 67-yard touchdown run.

It was overshadowed last week when he touched the ball twice in a 41-28 upset of the Falcons. But a 42-10 loss at Green Bay has jump-started the argument again after Patterson caught two of the four passes thrown to him for just eight yards before a hip injury sidelined him in the second half.

Zimmer was asked whether it was coaching or Patterson's notoriously raw skills as a receiver that were to blame.

"It's a little of both," Zimmer said. "We need to get him more involved than what we are but actually I thought he did some good things last night. He didn't obviously catch as many balls as we would've liked or anything like that, but I thought he improved on being a receiver (Thursday)."

Patterson suffered a hip injury returning the second half kickoff. He ended up playing only 41 of the team's 79 offensive snaps, but isn't expected to miss any time in the Lions game a week from Sunday. ...

Other notes of interest. ... The Vikings averaged 4.4 yards per carry against the Packers, but they strayed from the run early and couldn't go back to it because of the score. Matt Asiata had 72 yards on 15 carries (4.8), but had no carries longer than 11 yards. ...

It didn't take the Vikings long to decide they preferred Chandler Harnish to McLeod Bethel-Thompson.

So it only makes sense they made the roster move they made.

According Vensel, the Vikings re-signed Harnish to the practice squad, and got rid of Bethel-Thompson to make the move.

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Bethel-Thompson had been there two weeks longer, but when the Vikings needed an emergency backup last Thursday, they promoted Harnish after he had been there two days.

They're confident starter Bridgewater is going to be well enough to play this week, so they can lean on Ponder as their backup. ...

One last note here. ... A spokeswoman for running back Adrian Peterson's attorney said Tuesday the NFL player plans to plead not guilty to a child abuse charge during his first court appearance in Texas since his indictment last month.

Peterson was scheduled to be in court Wednesday in Conroe, located north of Houston. Mary Flood, a spokeswoman for Peterson's attorney, Rusty Hardin, said that if asked at the hearing, Peterson will plead not guilty to a charge of injury to a child.

Profootballtalk.com's Mike Florio, citing a source with knowledge of the situation, Peterson's lawyer, Rusty Hardin, hopes to emerge from court with a December 1 trial date.

Peterson hopes to get the case resolved as soon as possible, so that he can return to football this year. Anything other than a full exoneration makes a return to football unlikely in the 2014 season. If he goes to trial on December 1 and is acquitted that week, he could in theory return to action on December 7, when the Vikings take on the Jets.

Such a quick and cut-and-dried outcome seems unlikely, however. That said we'll follow up as needed. 

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, Adam Thielen TE: Rhett Ellison, MarQueis Gray, Chase Ford, Kyle Rudolph PK: Blair Walsh =========================

=========================

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NEW ENGLAND PATRIOTSTom Brady fired a pass for a 20-yard gain on the very first play.

As Associated Press sports writer Howard Ulman wrote, "It was like a dart that punctured the criticism that followed him after his offense's awfulness in the previous game.

"Over-the-hill? An offensive line that can't protect him? Receivers who can't get open?

"New England Patriots 43, the no-longer-unbeaten Cincinnati Bengals 17.

"Take that, Brady seemed to be saying from the start of Sunday night's rout.

And his teammates never doubted he would make that statement.

"He's still a young buck and he has a lot in his tank left," tight end Rob Gronkowski said of the 15-year veteran. "I'm proud to be playing with him."

But what about all that criticism Brady took after a the second biggest loss of his career just six days earlier, 41-14 to the Kansas City Chiefs?

"I didn't criticize him," right tackle Sebastian Vollmer said to a round of laughter.

After that first completion to Brandon LaFell, Brady pointed to the receiver in recognition. Three plays later on his second pass, he connected with Tim Wright for a 30-yard gain. On the next play, Brady abandoned his reluctance to run and scrambled up the middle for 6 yards.

"We were all ready to go out there and play a great game of football," Brady said.

The drive finished with a 1-yard touchdown run by Stevan Ridley. The second possession ended with a 17-yard scoring pass from Brady to Wright.

Brady went to the sideline and broke into a big smile after Wright came up from behind and hugged him. In Kansas City, Brady had slumped on the bench with a look of frustration.

A 27-point loss one week, a 26-point win the next.

"We played two different teams," head coach Bill Belichick said.

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After two surprising results, the Patriots (3-2) know another one could be coming Sunday when they visit Buffalo. So they're not taking anything for granted after the Bills upset the Detroit Lions 17-14.

"Big win for Buffalo on Sunday, came back on the road against Detroit," Belichick said. They "really showed some impressive mental toughness as a team and so I'm sure there will be a lot of energy in the stadium this weekend."

Just as there was in Gillette Stadium on Sunday night against the Bengals.

Fans roared after the first touchdown. They chanted Brady's name after the second. That touchdown came one play after Brady's 27-yard completion to Gronkowski made him the sixth quarterback to throw for 50,000 yards in his career.

"I think we've played hard a lot this year, but we were able to execute things a little bit better," Belichick said. "Of course, there was more emotion and energy as we were making plays, especially in the first -- well, throughout the game -- but especially in the first quarter."

The Patriots' priority was to get off to a strong start against a team that trailed for just 48 seconds this season and had allowed only 11 points per game. With more than three minutes left in the first quarter, the Patriots already led 14-0.

"When you had the result that we had (against the Chiefs) as a team, I think everybody rallied around each other," Belichick said. "I mean, who else is there to rally around? That's all we have: guys that can go out there and play and make a difference."

The Patriots gained 505 yards and held the Bengals to 320.

Brady threw for 292 yards. Ridley's 113 yards led a 220-yard ground game. Stephen Gostkowski kicked five field goals. Kyle Arrington returned a fumbled kickoff 9 yards for a touchdown.

The team that couldn't do much right in Kansas City got solid performances in every phase of the game.

"You can just see the intensity that we had as the offense went out first," cornerback Darrelle Revis said. "We kind of handled that on the defensive side as well."

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It all started with the quarterback. Now we need to see if he can carry that effort over to this week. ...

In a few related notes. ... Gronkowski and Brady connected on their 45th touchdown pass and tied a Patriots record for most touchdown connections between a quarterback and a tight end on a 16-yard touchdown pass in the third quarter. Drew Bledsoe and Ben Coates also connected on 45 touchdown passes.

The 45 TD connections are tied for second in NFL history, behind the 65 touchdown connections between Phillip Rivers and Antonio Gates.

Gronkowski finished with 100 yards on six receptions for his 13th career game with 100 or more receiving yards. It was the first time since Dec. 21, 2013 that Gronkowski had 100 or more receiving yards.

According to Pro Football Focus, coming out firing from his first throw Brady was in control of the Cincinnati defense, doing all of his damage between the numbers with only six completions for 38 yards coming outside the numbers on 11 targets.

A 141.3 passer rating on play action passes was boosted by his touchdown pass down the seam to Wright at 03:15 in the first, exploiting a hole in the Bengals' zone behind the linebackers.

One last Brady-related item. ... The QB on Monday further refuted an ESPN report that said there's tension between him and the Patriots' coaching staff this season, saying that his input into offensive game plans and pre-snap adjustments has not been diminished.

"I've always had input and there's not one play that's ever been called in the game that I've said, 'Look I don't want to run that play or that's not the way it works,'" Brady said in his weekly interview on Boston sports radio station WEEI on Monday.

"I've always had input on what we do," Brady added. "I think that's what has been so great for me being here is I've always had the opportunity to say how I feel and what I think. Those are very personal discussions that I have with my coaches and they have so much respect for me and I have so much respect for them. I certainly don't feel that way. I would never say that."

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Sources told ESPN's Chris Mortensen before Sunday night's game that Brady and the coaching staff have had issues this season and that those issues might influence whether the future Hall of Famer finishes his career in New England. ...

Other notes of interest. ... Ridley was on the field for 50 of the team's 84 offensive snaps; Shane Vereen got 32 as he chipped in with a few nice change-of-pace runs. By night's end, the Patriots had churned out 46 attempts for 220 yards (4.8 average). Ridley led the way with 27 carries for 113 yards, including a late 43-yard rumble down the left sideline that was the longest run of his career. Vereen added 90 yards on his nine carries.

According to ESPN.com's Mike Reiss, you have to give Ridley a lot of credit, as his hard-nosed running created a spark for the offense. He was effective between the tackles and also bouncing some runs outside, with his presence making the offense more physical. He had only played 11 snaps Monday night in Kansas City. The idea of letting him string together some snaps also seemed to help him get going a bit. ...

Wright has been in New England for just more than a month, arriving Aug. 26 in the trade that sent Logan Mankins to the Buccaneers. Wright had been quite quiet in his contributions to the passing game through four weeks, with only four catches for 35 yards. But he broke out a little bit in the Sunday night blowout of the Bengals, catching all five balls thrown his way for 85 yards, including the 17-yard touchdown.

As Reiss notes, LaFell, on the field for 77 of the team's 84 snaps, is now the top outside receiver, playing almost every snap. Danny Amendola's numbers were down because the Patriots didn't use a lot of three-receiver sets in the game. Aaron Dobson was sprinkled in -- five snaps in the first half and six in the second.

Amendola left the first quarter of the win over the Bengals with a head injury but returned to finish the game.

Receiver Brian Tym's roster exemption expired and he joined the Patriots 53-man roster Oct. 6 a week after he concluded his four-game league drug suspension. The former undrafted journeyman had an impressive summer in New England making plays in practice and preseason action as a deep threat on the outside, something the team has been lacking the last two seasons. ...

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And finally. ... When the New England Patriots released second-year wide receiver Kenbrell Thompkins Saturday, Belichick hoped Thompkins would clear waivers and return to the Patriots' practice squad. Unfortunately for New England, Thompkins was claimed by the Oakland Raiders.

"Oakland will be getting a young, hard-working player," Belichick said Tuesday. "I think KT has a future in the NFL. We have a depth issue at linebacker and we're heavy at wide receiver, so something had to give."

Thompkins was the casualty of a move to add depth at linebacker, as Ja'Gared Davis was promoted to the active roster amid an injury to Dont'a Hightower that kept Hightower out of Sunday night's win over the Cincinnati Bengals. 

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, Aaron Dobson, Bryan Tims, Matthew Slater TE: Rob Gronkowski, Tim Wright, Michael Hoomanawanui PK: Stephen Gostkowski =========================

=========================NEW ORLEANS SAINTSAccording to the Sports Xchange, the bye week couldn't have come at a better time for the Saints, who are limping into a week away from the field with a number of key injuries on both sides of the line of scrimmage.

After losing free safety Jairus Byrd to a season-ending knee injury when his leg buckled without contact in Thursday's practice, which resulted in a torn lateral meniscus, the Saints had All-Pro tight end Jimmy Graham and starting center Jonathan Goodwin go down in Sunday's 37-31 overtime win against the Tampa Bay Bucs.

Graham caught two passes before suffering what NFL.com reported was a sprained right shoulder in the first period. He tried to return, but later was taken to the locker room for X-rays and was held out the rest of the game.

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"The key is being able to function at full speed," head coach Sean Payton, who would not offer any specifics in his weekly news conference on Monday, said after the game. "I think we were smart and got a chance to take a peek (at the X-ray) and decided we were going to wait."

ESPN insider Adam Schefter has reported that Graham's sprain isn't severe.

Nonetheless, he Saints signed veteran tight end Tom Crabtree on Tuesday -- a move which adds to the uncertainty over Graham's health status. The Saints worked out both Crabtree and veteran tight end Kellen Davis on Tuesday, among several workouts happening at several positions.

The Saints had only two other tight ends on the active roster -- Benjamin Watson and Josh Hill.

Crabtree (6-4, 245 pounds) is a fifth-year veteran who spent the bulk of his career with the Green Bay Packers from 2009-2012 before playing seven games with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers last season. He began his career as an undrafted free agent with the Kansas City Chiefs in 2009.

Crabtree was a core special teams player for the Packers, but also chipped in as an underrated receiver. Crabtree has 25 career catches for 341 yards and six touchdowns, including the playoffs. ...

Goodwin said Monday the knee injury he suffered, which came after ankle and neck injuries in recent weeks, is not serious. He said he couldn't push off the leg well enough to be effective and decided to come out of the game.

A simple 8-yard completion to running back Travaris Cadet in the first quarter of Sunday's game against the Bucs gave quarterback Drew Brees another milestone in his 14-year career.

With that toss, Brees reached 40,000 passing yards with one team faster than any quarterback in NFL history. He did it in his 132nd game with the Saints, whom he signed with prior to the 2006 season.

Brees easily bettered the old mark of 153 regular-season games by Dan Marino during his Hall of Fame career with the Miami Dolphins.

Brees now has 40,307 yards with the Saints and 52,655 yards for his 14-year career when you throw in his first five seasons with the San Diego Chargers. ...

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Other notes of interest. ... As ESPN.com's Mike Triplett notes, Pierre Thomas and Khiry Robinson ran through (and over) the Buccaneers' defense to seal a 37-31 overtime victory.

Robinson had five carries for 34 yards on the final TD drive and finished with 21 carries for 89 yards, plus one catch for 8 yards.

Meanwhile, Thomas emerged as the Saints' go-to guy in regulation, with a huge 27-yard touchdown run early in the fourth quarter and the return of some of his vintage screen passes (including a 15-yard touchdown in the second quarter and gains of 19 and 13 in the fourth).

As Pro Football Focus put it: "Routinely underrated because of his lack of fantasy production, Thomas showed us Sunday what a quality tailback looks like. He caught all eight targets for 77 yards and broke four tackles on four carries for 35 more yards on the ground. His performance is all the more impressive when you consider he played just one third of the Saints 93 offensive snaps in the game."

PFF added that Thomas averaged 4.25 yards after contact and broke six tackles.

Asked about wanting the ball in his hands down the stretch, Thomas said, "Definitely, you've gotta have that mindset. All great athletes think like that, 'Hey. I'm gonna win this game for us.' A lot of guys had that mindset. And Khiry had a heck of a run at the end of the game and sealed the deal.

"I'm happy for him, and I'm glad it was a run call that sealed the deal at the end of the game. ..."

One last note here. ... Mark Ingram, who's missed the past three games with a fractured hand, could be on track to return following the Saints' bye week. 

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

=========================NEW YORK GIANTSRiding a three-game winning streak, the New York Giants are feeling pretty good about themselves.

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As Associated Press sports writer Tom Canavan notes, the west coast offense is working. Eli Manning isn't turning the ball over and he finally has a deep threat in first-round draft pick Odell Beckham. On the other side, the defense has recorded 10 takeaways during the streak and it held the NFL's top-ranked offense to 15 percent on third-down conversions and 20 points in beating the Falcons on Sunday.

Sounds like the Giants (3-2) are back and ready to make a run at the playoffs for the first time in three seasons.

Canavan added, "The next two weeks should tell the story."

Indeed, the team has statement games against NFC East rivals and division co-leaders Philadelphia (4-1) and Dallas (4-1) on the road.

Coach Tom Coughlin refused to put more emphasis on the upcoming games, saying every one is a test. However, he knows Sunday night's contest against the defending NFC East champion Eagles is important.

"We know what that challenge is about and we are excited about preparing and having the opportunity to play against the Eagles in our division," Coughlin said Monday. "That's what I'm embracing, if that's the word."

The Giants got big lifts from a couple rookies.

Playing in his first NFL game, Beckham caught a go-ahead 15-yard touchdown pass from Manning and drew a pass interference call that eventually led to a 3-yard touchdown run by fellow rookie Andre Williams. The score ignited the 20-point second-half run.

According to Pro Football Focus, "As debuts go, [Beckham's] was pretty great. On the surface of it four receptions for 44 yards and a touchdown don't jump off the page at you, but it was his ownership of Robert Alford that drew four penalties and kick started the Giants recovery. There's more tape on him now so expect future opponents about to be a little more ready for what he can do."

Beckham played 38 snaps, running 24 routes of which he was targeted five times (second most on the team).

As the Sports Xchange notes, the addition of Beckham yielded exactly the results the Giants hoped for, as the Falcons had to remove a safety from the box

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in order to cover the deeper end of the field. That opened a number of opportunities underneath, and Manning and the Giants took full advantage.

Williams, who gained 65 yards on 20 carries on Sunday, is going to be an important piece of the puzzle the next few weeks. Starting halfback Rashad Jennings has an injury to the medial collateral ligament in his left knee.

Coughlin listed him as day to day on Monday, but the way he was moving in the locker room raised doubts about his availability.

Jennings had been excellent prior to the injury -- third in the NFL in rushing yards (341) entering the day, and with 10 carries for 55 yards against the Falcons before exiting the game.

"He's a guy that came in and kind of has been under my wing as soon as he stepped in the door, so I'm happy to see him get his feet wet and continue to grow," Jennings said of Williams. "He's going to be a dominant player in this league."

Jennings wasn't the only teammate complimenting Williams after the game.

"He came in, ran hard and ran over some guys," Manning said. "He caught the ball well, which he hadn't done much in college, catching the ball. He had two catches, so I think that's good for him to see and good for him to get a little confidence."

As ESPN.com's Dan Graziano reminded readers, the Giants believed Williams was an NFL-ready ball carrier when they drafted him.

The questions about him are the same as they'd be about almost any rookie back -- whether he can handle pass protection and whether he can follow his blockers and spot the holes in the zone run schemes the Giants are running. An honest and earnest young man, Williams admits that he's had some problems with both of those things, but he believes he's shown improvement.

"I'm getting used to the no-huddle parts of the offense, picking up the pass protection calls," Williams said. "It's taken some time, but with a little more experience and preparation, I know I'll get better."

Is he ready to handle the load?

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"I think I'm as ready as I'm going to be," Williams said. "There's no time to analyze whether I am or not [anyway]."

Veteran Peyton Hillis will back up Williams, the fourth-round draft pick from Boston College who led FBS halfbacks last season with 2,177 yards rushing.

The Giants also signed running back Michael Cox off their practice squad.

"The heart of this team is the team itself, it's not the backfield," Jennings said. "The offensive line -- very productive. The quarterback room- very productive, the tight end and wide receiver room, too."

The defense also has an injury that will be a concern heading to Philadelphia.

Cornerback Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie has a leg injury that has forced him to leave games at times the past few weeks. Coughlin said the injury starts at his ankle and extends to his hip and it was being evaluated Monday, as was a hamstring injury to backup linebacker Spencer Paysinger.

Cornerbacks Trumaine McBride and Zack Bowman have filled in.

Linebacker Jon Beason (foot/toe) remains status quo. When asked why they deactivated Beason, who last week expressed optimism that he would be able to go on Sunday after missing the two prior games, Coughlin said it was a joint decision.

Punter Steve Weatherford's left ankle also was little sore after he to extend himself pushing Devin Hester out of bounds on a first-quarter return.

However, he intends to be ready for the Eagles.

"The implications of this, even though it's early in the season, are huge," Weatherford said. "If we can hand them their second loss and pick up our fourth win, it's huge. We're just going to keep doing what we are doing and trust the process, coach Coughlin's plan."

Other notes of interest. ... Coughlin said the Falcons did a good job of taking away Victor Cruz (3 catches for 22 yards) and making things difficult for tight end Larry Donnell, who did not have a catch but still leads the team with 25 receptions.

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Prior to Sunday's game, Donnell has at least five catches in every game. But the Falcons clearly had a plan to shut him down. ... The good news? ESPN.com's KC Joyner notes that Donnell has five favorable matchups the rest of the year. 

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

=========================NEW YORK JETSAs the Sports Xchange reminded readers, last Wednesday head coach Rex Ryan was his usually optimistic self when he was peppered with questions about whether or not quarterback Geno Smith would play the entire game against the San Diego Chargers on Sunday, and whether or not Ryan would be the one to make the decision if Smith had to be benched.

"I think he will finish the game," Ryan said. "I think we will play well. I think Geno will play well. I think our whole team will play well."

In the baseball parlance Ryan often likes to invoke, he went 0-for-4 and whiffed, swinging from his heels, on 12 pitches.

Smith didn't finish the game and the Jets played anything but well in an embarrassing 31-0 loss to the Chargers. By every measure except margin of defeat, it was the worst loss of the Ryan era one that dropped the Jets to 1-4 for the first time under Ryan and may have signified the beginning of the end of one of the longest head coaching tenures in Jets history.

The Jets, who were the first NFL team to be shut out this season, were outgained 439-151. The Jets didn't reach San Diego territory until there was 7:35 left in the game, and they only got there via a penalty.

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Smith was yanked at halftime after going 4-of-12 for 27 yards and one interception. Michael Vick technically did a bit better (8-of-19 for 47 yards) but had just one completion in his first five series.

The Jets recorded 11 first downs, six of which they earned on their final two drives. While the Jets were 1-of-12 on third downs, the Chargers were 12-of-18.

The Chargers held the ball for 38:54. The Jets did outdo the Chargers in something collecting penalties, a "battle" the Jets won easily, 12-5.

"They always say, well, it's never as bad as what you think, it's never as good as what you think," Ryan said during a conference call Monday afternoon. "Trust me. It wasn't very good."

The only impressive performance by the Jets came from Ryan in the post-game press conference, during which he repeatedly took all the blame for the loss.

"First of all, I apologize to our fans, those that are left," Ryan said. "This is on one person. It's certainly not a quarterback or anybody else. It's on me. Clearly got outcoached. Thought we had a good plan going in and obviously that wasn't the case."

According to the Xchange, the falling-on-the-sword act is sure to impress owner Woody Johnson, who is easily swayed by Ryan's verbosity. It also sounded like an assertive, give-me-one-more-chance plea directed at general manager John Idzik, who should probably be the one falling on his sword for putting together such a flawed roster.

But Idzik isn't expected to emerge from hiding to offer non-answers until at least the Jets' bye week in November. So Ryan's best hope is to boldly take the slings and arrows for Idzik while trying to fix the Jets' many issues in time to piece together a run in a mediocre AFC East.

While Ryan's contract was extended following last season's surprising 8-8 finish, is not guaranteed beyond 2015, so he is basically coaching on a year-to-year basis. Failing to even reach .500 or come close would almost surely lead Idzik to fire Ryan.

"I'm not used to getting my butt whipped," Ryan said Sunday. "I've been beat before, but not like that. Complete beatdown. But again, I ain't quitting. Shoot, we're gonna find out what we're made of."

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He may not like the answers especially with the Jets hosting the Denver Broncos and visiting the New England Patriots over the next two weeks. Worse yet, the games take place in a span of four days.

"I just have to go back and do a better job and ask what am I asking my players to do?" Ryan said. "And somewhere, it's not good enough right now, clearly not good enough. So that's what we're going to do. ..."

In a few related notes. ... This was the second time in Smith's career that he was pulled at halftime.

"How are you supposed to be feel?" Smith said. "Obviously, I didn't like it and never want to be pulled from a game, but I just had to adjust my mindset and try to support the guys."

Smith delivered the money quote, the quote that could've come from any player in the locker room: "It was definitely a pathetic showing on my part."

That said, Smith, without top receiver Eric Decker and without a running game, was almost helpless in the pocket. His passer rating was a career-low 7.6.

Adding to the furor, Smith missed Saturday's positional meeting. According to Manish Mehta of the New York Daily News, Smith's absence was noted by teammates, who were not pleased.

A team spokesperson tells PFT that Smith's mistake was an honest one, and that he had never missed a meeting previously. He got the time confused and arrived five to 10 minutes after the meetings ended, and then caught up the information covered with offensive coordinator Marty Mornhinweg and quarterbacks coach David Lee.

The Jets keep players on east coast time during west coast road trips, but Smith's cell phone converted to west coast time and he didn't make the adjustment until half an hour into a movie.

Whatever the case, he looked unprepared when the game started, making the tardiness a bigger issue than it otherwise would have been. ...

Other notes of interest. ... Decker (right hamstring) was inactive for the Jets' 31-0 loss to the Chargers on Sunday. Decker has been hampered by the hamstring injury all season and aggravated in practice last week, when he was held out of

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the Thursday and Friday sessions. Decker has 14 catches for 204 yards and two touchdowns this season.

His status for this week will be determined in coming days. ...

And finally. ... As the Xchange put it, the Titans are 1-4, same as the Jets, but they clearly knew what the Jets didn't: Chris Johnson is done.

Johnson (seven carries for 24 yards) ended any hopes the Jets had of a comeback when he fumbled on the play after CB Philip Adams picked off a pass in the end zone. Appropriately, the game ended with Johnson recording his only catch of the game for negative-two yards.

Chris Ivory had nine carries for 44 yards, including three carries for eight yards before the Jets fell behind by two scores, prompting the Xchange to ask: "Why, why, why a thousand times why aren't the Jets using him more?" 

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, David Nelson, Jeremy Kerley, Greg Salas, Saalim Hakim, Walter Powell. T.J. Graham, Chris Owusu TE: Jeff Cumberland, Jace Amaro, Zach Sudfeld PK: Nick Folk =========================

=========================OAKLAND RAIDERSWith four straight losses to open the season and the head coach having already been fired, there are plenty of negatives to dwell on for the Oakland Raiders.

That's why interim coach Tony Sparano decided to focus on some of the positives when he met with his team before his first practice on Monday.

According to Associated Press sports writer Josh Dubow, Sparano showed them what plays have been successful. He praised the strong red zone defense, a lack of sacks allowed, a major reduction in penalties and told the players they have often been a play or two away from winning a game.

That message resonated with a team desperate for any kind of success.

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"He knows what this team can do good. I think he also knows what we have done bad, and if you focus on all the bad you can do they got this thing called the tank that you go in, and you stop caring about winning or losing and you just come to work every day," defensive tackle Antonio Smith said. "That's not in my DNA and I don't think it's in nobody on this team's DNA. He's just making sure that we're going to have none of that on this team."

Offensively, they have their work cut out for them. The Raiders are ranked 26th in the NFL in passing yardage and last in yards per attempt at 5.7. They have only seven completions of 20 yards or more, tied for the worst in the league, and are ranked 27th with five touchdown passes. Through four games, Raiders quarterbacks have been sacked just four times three by rookie starter Derek Carr and once to second-year player Matt McGloin.

James Jones (21 receptions, 272 yards, two touchdowns) has been the lone reliable target.

The Raiders are dead last in the NFL averaging 61.5 yards per game on the ground, are 28th in yards per carry at 3.4 and are one of four teams with just a single rushing touchdown to their credit. Leading rusher Darren McFadden has 151 yards on 45 attempts with a long gain of 12 yards.

The only run from scrimmage longer than 12 yards was a read-option by Carr that went for 41 yards.

The Raiders were off last week after returning from London, where they lost 38-14 to Miami for their 10th straight defeat dating to last season. That led to coach Dennis Allen being fired last Tuesday and Sparano held only a brief meeting with the team before the players left for the bye week.

"I think you rarely want a bye week this early because then you have to run off so many straight games. But for us it kind of came at the right time where we get a chance to break up all the stuff, clear our minds of everything," running back Maurice Jones-Drew said. "We had a week to just get that out of our system and get back to playing football. That's all we're here for and all we care about."

Sparano introduced a few changes already.

He altered the practice schedule to have players come in later for a more intense Wednesday practice before tapering off later in the week. He added

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periods to practice to work on fundamentals and increased the tempo at practice.

He moved a handful of players around in the locker room to create a new dynamic. And he promised a stronger commitment to the run game on a team that has passed on a league-high 68.4 percent of offensive plays.

That all came from four days of self-scouting to see what worked well, what didn't work and determine what changes needed to be made when the team returned.

"That's really important right now as we go forward, because the things that we're not doing well we're just not going to continue to do," he said. "There's no sense in putting a square peg in a round hole right now. We won't do those things and we'll get on to some of the things we do well."

Sparano said he plans on coordinator Greg Olson to continue to be the play-caller.

Sparano also got a little assistance from a coach with a Super Bowl pedigree. General manager Reggie McKenzie invited former Green Bay and Seattle coach Mike Holmgren in to watch film and share ideas.

Holmgren had previously talked to owner Mark Davis about a possible role in the organization and Sparano said he welcomed the opportunity.

"It's all part of this self-analysis, looking at all of us," he said. "Reggie wanted to bounce some things off of him himself and I enjoyed getting a chance visiting with him, and some of my coaches visited with him a little bit and he got a chance to watch some tape. It's just good to get a different set of eyes, another perspective, somebody that's been there before that's been part of these type of things. ..."

Meanwhile, Carr practiced Monday after leaving the last game with left ankle and knee injuries. Carr was limited in practice but appeared to be moving well and looks as if he'll be ready to start Sunday against San Diego. ...

LB Nick Roach (concussion), LB Kaluka Maiava (hamstring), RB Marcel Reece (undisclosed) and OL Khalif Barnes (knee) did not practice. LB Sio Moore (ankle) worked out on the side.

Sparano would only call Reece's injury a "strain. ..."

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Other notes of interest. ... Matt Schaub, brought in to be the starting quarterback in the offseason only to lose his job to Carr, the second-round pick from Fresno State, missed the Raiders' 38-14 loss to Miami because of a personal matter. Whether Schaub regains his footing as the backup or falls to No. 3 behind second-year player Matt McGloin is an open question.

"That's one of the things I won't give up," Sparano said. "We'll keep that information to us as we move forward. Both those guys got equal time during the course of practice, which was good for us."

The Raiders claimed receiver Kenbrell Thompkins off waivers from New England. Thompkins had six catches for 53 yards this season. ...

This after the team placed receiver Rod Streater on injured reserve with the designation to return last Thursday.

Streater fractured his foot in Week 3 at New England. He had surgery to place screws in his foot Wednesday.

Streater is eligible to return to practice Nov. 13 and eligible to return to the active roster Nov. 27. He has nine catches for 84 yards this season.

Andre Holmes has taken his spot in the starting lineup. Even with Streater out in London, Denarius Moore was a healthy scratch. 

DEPTH CHART AS OF WEDNESDAY AT 14:00 CT  QB: Derek Carr, Matt McGloin, Matt Schaub RB: Darren McFadden, Maurice Jones-Drew, Latavius Murray FB: Marcel Reece, Jamize Olawale WR: James Jones, Andre Holmes, Vincent Brown, Brice Butler, Denarius Moore, Kenbrell Thompkins TE: Mychal Rivera, David Ausberry, Brian Leonhardt PK: Sebastian Janikowski =========================

=========================PHILADELPHIA EAGLESAs ESPN.com's Phil Sheridan suggested, late in the game, when you're protecting a lead, is when you need your top running back to do his thing. Any maybe the Eagles had just that with Darren Sproles running in the fourth quarter Sunday.

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Of course, LeSean McCoy is the Eagles' top running back. He did lead the NFL in rushing last season. But McCoy hasn't enjoyed quite the same success this season. When he took himself out of the game in the fourth quarter of the Eagles' 34-28 win over the St. Louis Rams, head coach Chip Kelly wasn't all that concerned about it.

"I think we're all comfortable that, if he comes out and Darren goes in, I don't change play calling-wise," Kelly said Monday. "We don't change anything we're doing. I don't think it's a big deal. When he knows we need a rest, he comes out for a play or two. Darren goes in and then we roll. He feels comfortable that the guy behind him, there's not a drop-off."

The Eagles got the ball with 4:41 left on the clock. McCoy ran the ball twice, picking up seven yards, before going to the sideline. On his first carry, Sproles burst up the middle for 25 yards. It was the biggest gain for the Eagles in the entire game.

That begs the question of whether Sproles' style -- hitting the hole quickly, little horizontal movement -- is more effective behind this Eagles offensive line.

"He's got a knack of understanding (the blocking scheme)," Kelly said. "He's a real smart football player. He really is a talented, talented running back. He has great vision and understands what we're doing from a blocking scheme standpoint. And a lot of people don't see him. There's some advantages to how he plays the game and how he fits in terms of how we run the ball."

People "don't see" Sproles because of his height, of course. McCoy can't do much about being five inches taller than Sproles. Ultimately, Kelly said, all he cares about is whether he can call the plays he wants with the personnel on the field. If so, he doesn't spend much time worrying about whether it's Sproles or McCoy.

"I'm not concerned with who the running back is," Kelly said. "I don't sit there and say, 'How come this guy isn't in or this guy isn't in?' They're both playing very well, they're both running the ball very well. I'm happy with both those guys."

Offensive coordinator Pat Shurmur shot down any ideas of concern over McCoy's removal on Tuesday, calling it a "non-issue."

All that said, McCoy had his best game in weeks. However, it was still un-Shady like.

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He finished with 81 yards on 24 carries for an average of 3.4 yards per carry (not great, but well more than his 1.5 the previous two games). McCoy has yet to break 100 rushing yards in a game this season -- a number he reached seven times in 2013.

For the record, McCoy's story about leaving the game evolved on Monday.

"They called me out. (Running backs coach) Duce (Staley) pulled me out," McCoy said on WIP-FM Monday night, per the Philadelphia Daily News. "For the most part, if I'm tired, I come out. Then Sproles has his different packages, he has his plays to come in, but the majority of the time, it's just how I'm feeling.

"That was kind of the first time -- well, every once in a while, Duce might pull me out and let Sproles get in. One thing about Duce, I trust his judgment. If he feels like I'm tired ... he pulled me out for a reason. I didn't argue it, because I trust him. He's been with me here since Day 1. It worked out."

Regardless of who did the actual pulling, it's interesting that last season's leading rusher would get pulled on the most pivotal running scenario of the game. But as things have gone for the Eagles all season, even without McCoy at his best, the team still won. ...

Meanwhile, McCoy wasn't the only one not at his best.

Kelly said Monday that there's nothing wrong with quarterback Nick Foles that a little film room and practice field tinkering won't cure.

He did complete 24 of 37 pass attempts against the Rams, but he had two more turnovers a fumble and an interception, and once again was inconsistent with his throws and his decision-making.

Kelly acknowledged Monday that Foles has been throwing off his back foot even when there hasn't been a need to. Foles has taken some pretty good shots in the first five games, but has been sacked just once in the last 18 quarters.

"I think sometimes when that happens, there's a rush and he's trying to slide to the right or left and not setting his feet when he slides, in terms of staying on top of it and staying on a good platform to throw the ball," Kelly said. "That's one of the things you look at with some of the movement stuff within the pocket where he's got to be a little bit firmer with his feet."

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As the Sports Xchange notes, Foles' passing numbers are down dramatically from a year ago when he posted the third best passer rating (119.2) in NFL history. He had 27 touchdown passes and just two interceptions in 317 attempts last season.

After five games, he is 23rd in the league in passing (82.5), has a sub-60 completion percentage (59.1) and has turned the ball over eight times five interceptions and three lost fumbles.

Kelly said Foles' problems are very fixable.

"It's just a matter of drill work, fundamentals, do a lot of movement drills," he said. "Bill (Musgrave, the Eagles' quarterbacks coach) does a really nice job with him from that standpoint. We just have to get him to where he's really comfortable in there. Sometimes the guys are coming clean or coming off at times that you didn't expect, and it may have been a three-technique (tackle) that beat the guard, so he's got to slide.

"Usually, you kind of understand that when there's a blitz coming and you know where the unblocked guy is coming from. But sometimes you think (the protection) is going to be solid, but you feel a little bit of pressure and you're stepping to your right or to your left. You just need to do a little better job of getting your feet set before you throw the football."

Foles might also want to work on his sliding technique. He fumbled the ball away in the fourth quarter after a 14-yard run. Instead of sliding, which would end the play as soon as he begins to slide, Foles dove forward. He lost the ball, the Rams recovered and went on to score a touchdown to cut the Eagles' lead to 34-21.

"I was just trying to keep it going and get a couple of extra yards," Foles said. "In that situation, when you break and you start sliding, you're down. It's a great learning experience for me."

It was Foles' third lost fumble of the season. He also threw his fifth interception, three more than he threw all of last year. ...

Bottom line? Foles led the NFL in passer rating last season. He is 38th in the league after five games in 2014. ...

The Eagles host the New York Giants in an important NFC East matchup. The teams split last year, with each of them winning on the road.

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The Giants appear to be coming around after starting the season 0-2. Three consecutive wins have them in position to catch the Eagles in the division race next week. After the Giants game, the Eagles have their bye week, followed by a tough stretch against Arizona, Houston, Carolina and Green Bay -- three of those on the road.

Other notes of interest. ... Running back Chris Polk reinjured his hamstring Sunday. Polk missed all of the preseason and the first two regular-season games with the injury. There was no update Monday on his condition, but it's unlikely he'll play against the Giants. Nolan Carroll or Sproles likely would replace him on kickoff returns.

Josh Huff was activated for the first time Sunday. The rookie third-round pick had been sidelined much of the preseason and the first four weeks of the regular-season with a shoulder injury. He played about 10 snaps and had one reception for four yards. He may return kicks Sunday against the Giants if Polk can't play (hamstring).

Also. ... According to the Philadelphia Inquirer, the Eagles ruled wide receiver Brad Smith out for Sunday's game because of a groin injury. The team will likely turn to Jeff Maehl and Huff to cover for Smith's absence. 

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 =========================

=========================PITTSBURGH STEELERSAs ESPN.com's Scott Brown noted this week, the Steelers are fourth in the NFL in total offense (404 yards per game) but just 18th in scoring (22.8 points per game) because they seem to break out in the football equivalent of hives when they get near the end zone.

The Steelers have scored touchdowns just 44 percent of the time they have had the ball inside their opponents' 20-yard line, and their red-zone offense is what

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needs to be fixed the most with an AFC North game looming Sunday in Cleveland.

"We have to execute better, we have to look at our play selection and we'll do both," head coach Mike Tomlin said Tuesday at his weekly news conference.

Tomlin said, in retrospect, the Steelers should have run more from inside the Jacksonville Jaguars' 20-yard line last Sunday.

And that is an understatement.

The first three times after the Steelers had moved inside the Jaguars' 20-yard line, they attempted 10 passes. They did not try one running play even though Le'Veon Bell has emerged as one of the best backs in the NFL.

The only time the Steelers didn't try to pass when they reached the red zone was at the end of their 17-9 win when quarterback Ben Roethlisberger took a knee on three consecutive plays to run out the clock.

And the Steelers moved inside the 20-yard line late for a fourth and final time after a pass play that has some folks in a tizzy.

"I don't think a finger can be pointed at anyone in particular, just executing better," Roethlisberger said Tuesday on 93.7 The Fan about the play calling. "We knew going in that we were going to try to throw the ball against them, and that included the red zone."

Roethlisberger said on his weekly radio show that he wishes he could have a couple of plays back when the Steelers were in the red zone. The 11th-year veteran did not fault offensive coordinator Todd Haley's play calling for the offense's continued struggles from inside the opponents' 20-yard line.

Roethlisberger said the Steelers are close to fixing what has been a season-long problem.

"It's a yard off here, two yards off there and we can make those corrections and get better this week in practice so we don't make those (mistakes) again," he said.

Remember, the Steelers didn't score a touchdown against the NFL's worst defense until late in the second quarter, and the methodical 10-play, 70-yard drive followed an unlikely script.

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Roethlisberger completed 5 of 6 passes for 51 yards but didn't connect with any of his wide receivers. Fullback Will Johnson looked like a wide receiver while making a 12-yard grab, his first catch of the season.

Tight end Michael Palmer capped the drive with a 1-yard scoring catch, his first touchdown as a Steeler. Play-action set up the easy third-down throw from Roethlisberger to Palmer.

According to Pro Football Focus, it wasn't a perfect performance by Roethlisberger, with his grade reflecting poor ball security as he exited the pocket leading to a fumble, but as a passer he was good enough to take advantage of what the Jaguars were giving him. When the offensive line kept him free from pressure, he completed 75 percent of his passes for 240 yards and a touchdown.

Roethlisberger had a passer rating of 103.1 Sunday. The Steelers are 53-7 when his passer rating is 100 or more.

This week, the Steelers visit the Browns.

The Steelers are 11-2 at Cleveland since 2001 but have twice lost the road games to the Browns during Tomlin's tenure.

Other notes of interest. ... As the Sports Xchange notes, Antonio Brown extended his NFL record by catching at least five passes for 50 yards in 21 consecutive games. He led the Steelers with five catches for 84 yards and his 4,072 career yards moved him into ninth in team history.

Bell ran 15 times for 82 yards, 29 on one of them, but overall there was not the kind of ground game they might have expected against the Jaguars. As a whole, they gained 111 yards and averaged 4.0 a carry with no touchdowns. ...

Also according to Scott Brown, the Steelers were playing pretty disciplined from a penalty standpoint until the third quarter. Then within a span of four minutes they were flagged for an illegal block in the back, delay of game and illegal use of the hands. Special teams captain Robert Goldenbacked the Steelers up to their 10-yard line with a penalty during a punt return, his second one of the game. An illegal use of hands to the face called on left tackle Kelvin Beachum negated a 17-yard catch by Antonio Brown and helped kill a promising drive. In between those flags wide receiver Lance Moore was flagged for a delay of game after the nine-year veteran flipped the ball following a 26-yard catch.

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Tomlin had vowed to put an end to those kinds of penalties and he gave Moore an earful on the sidelines after the delay of game call. Moore, however, was back in the game on the next play. The Steelers had seven penalties for 50 yards. 

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 RAMSAccording to ESPN.com's Nick Wagoner, for Austin Davis, there was nothing different about Sunday's game against the Eagles.

Making his first start since head coach Jeff Fisher named him the regular starter, Davis didn't change his routine or his mindset. It was another game just like the two starts that preceded it. "I really tried to approach it the same," Davis said. "There's no difference in preparing if you're the [No. 1] or the [No. 2]. You've still got to be ready to roll. I felt about the same. I had normal pregame jitters and after that first hit, you are playing ball."

Davis took no shortage of hits in the first half of his team's 34-28 loss to the Eagles. One of those hits was a fumble on a sack that resulted in an Eagles touchdown on a play that Davis pinned on himself. As the Rams searched for answers in pass protection, Davis took shot after shot, coughing up another fumble and missing on five of his first six pass attempts.

"They brought more than we had and I've got to get it pushed and I held on to the ball too long," Davis said. "That's one of those big plays that can't happen and something I've got to learn from."

By the time Davis' blockers offered some measure of protection, the Rams were down 34-7 and on their way to a blowout loss similar to the season opener -- a 34-6 drubbing against Minnesota.

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But Davis remained unflappable, leading a comeback charge that actually put the Rams in position to pull off a victory in the closing moments. It was the same unrelenting, fiery approach that has won over coaches and teammates since the moment Davis stepped into the lineup.

"It's pretty awesome," tight end Jared Cook said. "He just carries himself with a different type of attitude that we've never seen before. He leads us and does it well."

From the moment the Rams went down 34-7 with 2:15 to go in the third quarter, Davis was 14-for-21 for 195 yards and two touchdowns with a pair of scrambles for 19 yards. The argument, of course, can be made that the Eagles were playing a prevent defense with such a big lead but that doesn't really explain how the Rams were able to score three touchdowns on consecutive drives that totaled 7 minutes, 20 seconds.

Davis finished with his second consecutive 300-yard game, going 29-of-49 for 375 yards with three touchdowns and no interceptions, making him the third quarterback to hit those numbers in a game this season and the first to do it on the road.

"He was calm and collected and so focused on what he needed to do," Fisher said. "He was not flustered at all. He took some hits and we've got to get that corrected. But he knows the position is difficult to play and he can overcome that mistake. I think that's the mark of a fine young quarterback."

The only thing Davis couldn't do Sunday was complete what would have been one of the most miraculous comebacks in franchise history. Starting the game's final drive from the Rams 7, Davis promptly hit receiver Brian Quick for a gain of 43 yards down the right sideline. In that moment it looked like the Davis magic circa Tampa Bay in a come-from-behind Week 2 win would reappear.

But a couple of drops by receiver Austin Pettis, a false-start penalty and a miss on a deep throw for Quick on fourth down ended any comeback hopes.

"I thought they were at a little bit of a loss, didn't know what to call and everything they did we were able to find the completion and move the ball down the field. So, I had no doubts in my mind we'd win the ball game, 35-34, to be honest with you," Davis said. "And it just didn't happen."

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While Davis has impressed in his first three starts, he's done it against the soft defenses of the Buccaneers, Dallas and now Philadelphia.

Things are about to get tougher.

The Rams dive into NFC West play for the first time this week, hosting the San Francisco 49ers on "Monday Night Football" followed by a short week before hosting the Seattle Seahawks. It's only getting tougher from here.

Other notes of interest. ... Pettis was visibly upset after the costly drops on the team's potential game-winning drive. Pettis has stuck on the roster because of his sure hands and ability to come through late like he did in Week 2 against Tampa Bay but was unable to haul in a pair of catchable balls on second and third down in Eagles territory.

"It's the end of the game, there's going to be a lot of contested balls, and there's no excuses on any of them," Pettis said. "I had the ball in my hands long enough to get the catch. I've just got to hold on to it."

Running back Zac Stacy coughed up a costly fumble in Rams territory late in the third quarter, which led to a Philadelphia touchdown two plays later. Stacy did not return to the game, leaving many to wonder if he had been benched because of the turnover. Fisher said after the game that isn't the case and that Stacy suffered a calf injury on the play.

Fisher added, "I think, preliminary evaluation is it doesn't look like he's going to miss the game. But, we'll see."

Benny Cunningham (11-42) and Stacy (7-47) combined for 89 yards on 18 attempts for a 4.9-yard average. Cunningham scored on a 14-yard run. ...

Tavon Austin was active after missing the Sept. 21 game against Dallas because of a knee injury. Austin played 22 snaps and had two receptions for 33 yards and two punt returns for just seven yards.

Chris Givens was a healthy inactive for the game Sunday against Philadelphia. Tre Mason, the team's third-round pick this year, was a healthy inactive for the fourth game this season. 

DEPTH CHART AS OF WEDNESDAY AT 14:00 CT  QB: Austin Davis, Shaun Hill, Case Keenum 

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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 =========================

=========================SAN DIEGO CHARGERSAccording to San Diego Union-Tribune staffer Kevin Acee, Branden Oliver already knew he could do this. The rookie running back given that impression for months.

But this was different.

"It was against the No.1 rushing defense in the league," Oliver said, clearly appreciative of the level on which he is now performing.

And there also was the validation from someone Oliver has repeatedly said he would love to emulate, someone he knows has lived his story.

After his second touchdown Sunday, Oliver was approached by another player who came into the league as an undrafted free agent.

"You belong in this league," Antonio Gates said to him. "Whoever told you that you didn't belong in the league was sadly mistaken. You deserve to be in this league."

That was actually every team on draft day and for the two weeks that followed, until the Chargers signed the former University at Buffalo standout.

In this season of "next man up" for the Chargers, whose injury misfortune continued like a runaway train Sunday, that May 21 signing may prove to be one of the most prescient moves of all.

What Oliver did in Sunday's 31-0 victory over the New York Jets, running 19 times for 114 yards and a touchdown and catching four passes for 68 yards and a TD, was as big a reason as any to think the Chargers can continue to pile up victories even as their wounded keep piling up.

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As Acee suggested, Oliver probably won't be that guy every week. But he may need to be the guy for a while.

Remember when the Chargers had a three-man backfield with seemingly unlimited potential? Turns out, fortunately, it was a legitimate four-man backfield.

Already down Ryan Mathews (out probably at least another week and more likely two with a knee sprain) and Danny Woodhead (lost for the season to a fractured leg), the Chargers had to rely on Oliver on Sunday after Donald Brown suffered a concussion.

This wasn't unexpected.

Chargers veterans actually began talking about Oliver during offseason practices. "I can't wait to see him in the preseason," backup quarterback Kellen Clemens said at the time.

Then came a big performance in the preseason opener, and the comparisons began in earnest to another diminutive man who wore the number "43" here.

"He reminds me so much of (Darren) Sproles," Gates said again Sunday. "And I played with Sproles so many years. It's crazy. He's Sproles, with a little bit more power."

"Yes," Acee wrote, "Sproles with a dash of Mike Tolbert."

Of course, the 5-8, 210-pound Oliver still has a ways to go to be either Tolbert or Sproles.

Nonetheless, Oliver's 182 total yards were most by a Chargers running back since a guy known by two letters was the Chargers' face and the league's biggest force. LaDainian Tomlinson had 177 yards rushing and 20 yards receiving on Dec. 2, 2007.

Oliver's 52-yard run in the third quarter was the longest by a Charger in 34 games, since Jackie Battle also went for 52 in a 27-3 loss to the Atlanta Falcons in September 2012.

Sunday's long run, one yard longer than any in Mathews' career, came after Oliver's 50-yard gain on a short dump-off from Philip Rivers in the second quarter. He was the first Charger since Lionel James in 1985 to have a

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reception and a run of over 50 yards in the same game and the first NFL rookie to accomplish that double since Clinton Portis in 2002.

Oliver also more than doubled the Jets' total of 90 yards from scrimmage.

Perhaps most significantly, in playing it forward, Oliver became the first Chargers back to average more than 3.3 yards in a game this season.

"He's capable of being at that position and helping us win," Gates said. "He's answered so many questions."

He'll need to continue. But, certainly, what he did Sunday has made that statement. ...

From a fantasy perspective, those who snagged him up off their waiver wires might have a reasonable expectation for extended shelf life. Mathews will return, but Oliver appears to be more than capable of handling the receiving/change-of-pace role that Woodhead did.

And more. ...

In a related note. ... The 32-year-old Ronnie Brown signed with the Chargers Tuesday, a week after he was cut by the Texans in a move that looked like it could have been the last transaction of his career. Brown gained just four yards on six carries in three games before the Texans cut him.

An important aspect of the Chargers bringing Brown on board is that he already knows the offense. He played for the Chargers in 2012 and 2013 and had some good moments as a backup, including a 58-yard touchdown run that helped the Chargers beat the Bengals in the playoffs.

Brown, picked second overall by the Dolphins in 2005 NFL draft, has 1,267 carries for 5,332 yards and 38 touchdowns in his career.

The Chargers also announced that they signed center Trevor Robinson, added safety Adrian Phillips to the practice squad, placed center Doug Legursky on injured reserve, released linebacker Kevin Reddick and put DJ Adams on the practice squad injured list. ...

Other notes of interest. ... Rivers had another solid day, finishing 20-of-28 passing for 288 yards and three touchdowns. Rivers did throw his second interception of the season, and his first since a season-opening loss at Arizona.

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He continued to crush it on third downs.

Rivers finished 11-of-14 (78.6 percent) for 211 yards, with two touchdowns and no interceptions on third down. Rivers was not sacked, and posted a 158.3 passer rating. ... For the season in third down, Rivers is 41-59 (69.5 percent) for 599 passing yards, seven touchdowns and just one interception. He's been sacked twice, posting a 134.8 passer rating on third down. ...

The Chargers finished with five plays from scrimmage of 28 yards or more against the Jets. ... Gates has been targeted five times, with four touchdown catches in the red zone this season.

Malcom Floyd, San Diego's vertical threat, struck again with a 49-yard reception that set up an 8-yard touchdown catch by Gates in the opening quarter. Floyd now has three catches of 40-plus yards, and five catches of 20-plus yards this season.

Floyd (calf) will be monitored this week, but the injury doesn't seem to be serious. 

DEPTH CHART AS OF WEDNESDAY AT 14:00 CT  QB: Philip Rivers, Kellen Clemens RB: Branden Oliver, Shaun Draughn, Ronnie Brown, Donald Brown, 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 =========================

=========================SAN FRANCISCO 49ERSStill wondering if the San Francisco 49ers have truly re-established their identity?

As ESPN.com's Paul Gutierrez suggested, "Sure, they want to be multiple in their attack -- who doesn't? -- but in going back to their roots under coach Jim Harbaugh as a power-running team, the Niners were able to control the tempo of the game and hold on for the 22-17 victory over the Kansas City Chiefs on Sunday. ..."

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The stats bear that out.

Frank Gore carried the ball 18 times for 107 yards and, according to ESPN Stats & Information, it was the first time he had consecutive games of at least 100 yards since 2011, when he did it in five straight games (between Weeks 4 through 9, with a bye mixed in).

"We some dogs," Gore said with a huge smile. "Our O-line, they played great. We have to give it up to them. Like I said, 49er football, do whatever it takes. We knew that we had to eat up the clock and we did."

Rookie Carlos Hyde added 43 rushing yards on 10 carries and 106 of the 49ers' 171 rushing yards came in the second half.

Per Pro Football Focus, eight of Gore's carries came outside of left tackle, which garnered 53 yards, and eight of Hyde's 10 attempts were between the "A" gaps, up the middle.

"Well, like I said before, we're willing to do whatever it takes," Gore said. "If we have to run the ball, pass the ball, we all are going to fight for each other, and we made plays in both. So, that's a great thing for this team."

One problem?

That would be the team's continuing issues once they cross the opponents' 20-yard line, where they're having to settle for field goals rather than punching it in for touchdowns.

"As long as we win," said quarterback Colin Kaepernick, "that's all that matters."

True. But the rest of us would like some touchdowns.

Coming into the game, the 49ers had scored touchdowns on 50 percent of their red-zone attempts, which ranked tied for 20th in the 32-team NFL. This a year after the Niners were 11th in red-zone offense and 21st in 2012.

Obviously, if the 49ers knew what went wrong on the shorter field, they would fix it. But can Gore put his finger on it?

"I can't answer that," he said. "We have to get better. Watch the tape and clean up whatever it is. We just have to get better."

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Added left tackle Joe Staley: "We've got to do better at that. We're definitely not coming away with enough touchdowns. It's definitely something we will improve on. We have to."

Against the Chiefs, the 49ers' red-zone trips resulted in a 31-yard field goal on their first offensive possession, a 9-yard Kaepernick touchdown pass to Stevie Johnson, a 27-yard field goal and a 30-yard field goal.

"No expiration date on Phil Dawson," head coach Jim Harbaugh said of his 39-year-old kicker, who made five field goals.

"He made some real strong, important kicks today that won us the football game. If he doesn't make those, it changes the game, changes the field position. He stood up there and knocked them down like a Hall of Famer. I feel awesome for Phil. He can stand in front of the mirror and say, ‘I'm Phil Dawson; I'm a football player."

One other time, the Niners got to the Chiefs' 20-yard line but never got closer and had to settle for a 52-yard field goal. ... By Phil Dawson, football player.

"We always want to finish with seven points," Kaepernick said. "But when Phil comes on the field, we're confident we got three."

And on this day, five Dawson field goals and a touchdown were enough.

But as Gutierrez summed up, "Keep this in mind: On top of their red-zone woes, the 49ers have yet to score a touchdown in the fourth quarter this season. ..."

For the record, Dawson drilled field goals from 31, 55, 52, 27 and 30 yards. It's the first time he has two FGs of at least 50 yards in the same game since 2011, per ESPN Stats & Information research. His career long is a 56 yarder, at Buffalo in 2008 and at Arizona in last year's regular-season finale.

Dawson was named NFC Special Teams Player of the Week for performance.

Other notes of interest. ... According to PFF, "the roller coaster ride continues for Kaepernick who constantly flashes the ability to make plays few other quarterbacks can make, but is also alarmingly bad at some of the 'simple' throws.

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"He was still a little quick to feel pressure on occasion, one week after that being a major issue against the Eagles."

PFF went on to note the QB also had a similar mishap from the previous week as he telegraphed a slant route in similar fashion to his pick-6 to Eagles free safety Malcolm Jenkins. This time it was FS Ron Parker breaking on the ball and merely deflecting it as Kaepernick was fortunate that it didn't go 90 yards the other way.

It was another game of "wow" throws mixed with head scratchers for Kaepernick.

Brandon Lloyd, the fourth-round pick of the 49ers in the 2003 draft who sat out all of last season, had three catches for 76 yards, including an acrobatic 29-yarder down the left sideline on third-and-10. He looked reborn, rather than 33 years old. He entered the game with three catches for 33 yards on the season.

As noted above, Johnson recorded the 49ers' only touchdown against Kansas City. Johnson also caught a touchdown pass in the previous week's win over the Eagles.

Vernon Davis did not play on Sunday because of back spasms. Davis was not able to practice at all during the week leading up to his second absence of the season. The 49ers hope to have him back at practice this week. Vance McDonald started in Davis' place Sunday and did not catch a pass.

McDonald was making his first appearance since sustaining a knee injury in the Week 2 win over the Chicago Bears. ...

The 49ers announced a pair of roster moves on Wednesday, according to CBSSports.com. The team waived wide receiver Kassim Osgood and signed special-teams standout Raymond Ventrone. ...

And finally. .. Last Sunday brought Deion Sanders's report that players in the 49ers locker room wanted Harbaugh out, a report that the coach called "a bunch of crap."

This past Sunday brought another report that casts doubt on Harbaugh's future in San Francisco.

Jay Glazer of FOXSports reports that he sees "no way" that Harbaugh remains the coach of the 49ers in 2015 even if the team were to win the Super Bowl in

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January. Per Glazer, Harbaugh's style has "worn thin" in the organization and the situation isn't one that will hold beyond this season. How the 49ers and Harbaugh might part ways with a year left on his contract wasn't addressed.

Harbaugh, usually one to fall back on a previously used answer or deflect a query entirely if he does not find it to his liking, entertained a question about the latest reports that have him leaving San Francisco at the end of the season due to player unrest.

"It's my job to love them," he said. "It's their job to love each other ... the better you do, the more people try to trip you up."

And he added the following: "My destiny lies between these walls with these men."

Niners CEO Jed York used a national forum on "The Rich Eisen Show" on DirecTV to dispute Glazer's report. York labeled the report "categorically not true." 

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, Brandon Lloyd, Steve Johnson, Quinton Patton, Bruce Ellington TE: Vernon Davis, Vance McDonald, Derek Carrier PK: Phil Dawson =========================

=========================SEATTLE SEAHAWKSAccording to Associated Press sports writer Tim Booth, of all the reactions Russell Wilson triggered under the lights -- from disbelief, to amazement, to "No way he actually did that" -- the most meaningful came from the team he tormented for more than three hours.

"We got beat by, as far as I'm concerned this weekend, the best player in the NFL," Washington safety Ryan Clark told reporters.

Booth went on to note the Seahawks made enough mistakes to turn what should have been a blowout of Washington on Monday night into an uncomfortably

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close affair. Thanks to Wilson, none of the 13 penalties or missed assignments mattered.

Whether he used his feet or his arm, Wilson overcame all of Seattle's sloppiness in its 27-17 win over Washington, leaving the Seahawks at 3-1 heading into Sunday's home showdown with Dallas (4-1).

Wilson threw for 201 yards and two touchdowns and ran for a career-best 122 yards and a touchdown. He burned Washington with designed runs, beat them with improvised scrambles and when he had the time, threw darts to open receivers.

Couple the performance with a national TV audience and it's no surprise everyone was praising Wilson -- or that he was named NFC Offensive Player of the Week.

"Russell is a hell of a player," Washington coach Jay Gruden said. "He kept a lot of plays alive, obviously that play at the end of the game was unlike I've seen in a while. He's won a lot of games for them because of that. He's a heck of a player."

Wilson became the second quarterback, along with Michael Vick, to have two regular-season games in his career with 200 or more yards passing and 100 or more yards rushing, according to STATS LLC. Wilson also had 200-plus passing and 100-plus rushing last season against Indianapolis.

Wilson's 122 yards rushing were the most ever by a quarterback in a Monday night game and fifth most by any quarterback in a regular-season game in the past 10 seasons.

"I don't think running is ever part of the game plan for me really. It just kind of happens," Wilson said. "We want to hand the ball off to Marshawn Lynch and Robert Turbin and those guys. If something is not there I just try to take off and get something positive and keep the drive alive. I thought we fought really well. ... To win that game on the road with all the penalties we had."

About those penalties.

The 13 penalties were the most committed by Seattle since 2012 when it had 14 against Green Bay. It was the fifth time under head coach Pete Carroll that the Seahawks have been flagged that many times in a game. The surprising

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counter: Seattle is now 4-1 in games under Carroll when it was penalized at least 13 times.

While penalties are up across the league, Carroll said the Seahawks need to avoid following the trend.

"We're not going to go that way. We're not going to give in to that," he said. "There was eight of them that happened before the ball was snapped. That's us. That has nothing to do with officiating."

Lost in Wilson's performance and the concern with penalties was a stout defensive effort against one of the top running backs in the league. Alfred Morris entered Monday night averaging 4.5 yards per carry and nearly 80 yards per game on the ground. The Seahawks limited Morris to 29 yards and 2.2 yards per carry.

While they have yet to create turnovers or get to the quarterback at nearly the same rate they did a year ago, the Seahawks are doing even better in stopping the run this season. Through Week 5, Seattle is the only team in the league allowing less than 3 yards per carry. Last season, Seattle ranked seventh in the league giving up 3.8 yards per rush.

"The line of scrimmage was really well-coordinated. We were fired up and we played their run game," Carroll said. "We respect the heck out of what they do and Alfred (Morris) and all that they can do and it was just sharp. There was only a couple plays that had any space at all. ..."

Worth noting, Lynch did not play in the first series of the game, a 65-yard TD drive for the Seahawks. He was seen on the stationary bike on the sideline. He came in the game on the second play of Seattle's next series and played the rest of the way.

Carroll indicated Lynch was suffering from back tightness at the beginning of the contest.

Lynch was on the injury report leading up to the Seahawks' Week 3 game against. Denver with a back ailment, but he took part in the Broncos' 26-20 OT win, playing 57 snaps. Lynch has received one practice off in each of the last two game weeks, and with Seattle (3-1) having a shortened week of preparation leading into Sunday's matchup against Dallas, a veteran rest day Wednesday wouldn't be a surprise for the star tailback.

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Remember, Lynch has missed only one game with Seattle since being acquired in a trade from the Buffalo Bills in October 2010. He was a scratch from Seattle's 6-3 loss to the Cleveland Browns in 2011 after having back spasms before the game. ...

Up next, what looked like an easy game when the season started now looks a lot different.

The Seahawks return home to play the red-hot Dallas Cowboys, who have won four consecutive games. And the Cowboys catch the Seahawks on a short week after having to travel cross-country. But the Cowboys have lost their past two trips to Seattle, including the infamous fumbled snap byTony Romo in the 2006 wild-card game that allowed the Seahawks to escape with a one-point victory.

Other notes of interest. ... As ESPN.com's Terry Blount understated, "If you had Percy Harvin on your fantasy team, you are not a happy camper."

Three TDs, zero points for Harvin in the game.

Two came on back-to-back plays in the second quarter. Harvin scored on a 16-yard run around left end, but it was called back by a holding call on guard James Carpenter. Then Harvin did it to himself on the next play. He broke a tackle and scored on a 26-yard hitch pass, but Harvin was flagged for a false start.

Harvin got behind the Washington defense for a 41-yard TD catch in the fourth quarter, but Carpenter was called for a personal foul on a questionable late hit.

"I couldn't believe it," Harvin told reporters, after also admitting to a bit of frustration. "Everybody on the sideline was saying they've never seen that happen. We just had so many penalties tonight for whatever reason. We have to clean that up."

Did he feel snake bit?

"The first one, I was cool, I was like, 'OK.' And when the second one happened, I was like, 'Wow.' And then when the third one happened, I just flipped my hands down, I couldn't believe it," Harvin told reporters. "But at the same time, penalties are part of football. We would definitely like to have them back. Today, the penalties kind of got the best of us." 

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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 =========================

=========================TAMPA BAY BUCCANEERSLovie Smith says his Tampa Bay Buccaneers are improving, even if their record doesn't reflect it.

As Associated Press sports writer Fred Goodall noted, the Bucs yielded 511 yards on defense, were flagged 15 times for 113 yards in penalties, and squandered an 11-point fourth-quarter lead in their latest loss, however Smith reiterated Monday that much of what undermined the team in an overtime setback at New Orleans can -- and will -- be corrected.

Sunday's collapse left Tampa Bay (1-4) with sole possession of last place in the NFC South, with three of its four losses coming within the division.

The Bucs have finished a three-game road swing. They're home next this against the Baltimore Ravens.

"As a football team we're getting better, if that makes sense. But it seems like each week we go out and are putting a better product on the field," Smith said, summarizing a 37-31 loss to the Saints, drove 80 yards in 12 plays to score the winning touchdown of the opening possession of OT.

"We're disappointed we had an 11-point lead," and couldn't hold it, the coach added. "You have to be a pretty good team to get an 11-point lead on the road like that, which we are. We will tighten up these things that I've talked about. ... And eventually we'll start winning football games consistently."

On the encouraging side, Mike Glennon delivered another solid performance in his second start since replacing the injured Josh McCown at quarterback, Vincent Jackson had a big day with eight receptions for 144 yards, and linebacker Danny Lansanah returned one of the defense's three interceptions off Drew Brees for a touchdown.

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Offensively, however, the Bucs are still having difficulty running the ball. The Saints outrushed them 140 to 66, with Doug Martin being limited to 45 yards on 14 carries.

"We are not where we want to be and our record says that," Glennon said after the game. "Maybe we are getting better, but better isn't good enough if you aren't winning. We need to keep working and to keep staying together, and I am sure those wins will come."

Smith said many of the costly mistakes, including Lansanah being penalized for unsportsmanlike conduct while celebrating his TD, are careless and inexcusable.

The Bucs, who are in their first season under Smith, have been penalized 35 times for 273 yards in the past three games.

"Normally, things like that, put you in that 1-4 category. These are things that I'd say we can correct, but they're happening right now," the coach said.

"I'm not going to say we're a young program. We're a program that hasn't figured all those things out," Smith added. "But eventually we will."

Smith wasn't ready to say if Glennon, who led a game-winning TD drive in the close minutes of the team's lone victory at Pittsburgh two weeks, has earned the No. 1 quarterback job.

McCown sprained the thumb on his throwing hand during a 42-point loss at Atlanta, and is sidelined indefinitely.

"I don't know why we have to go there, right now," Smith said.

"This is what I'll say about Mike. Mike has played two great games, and odds are Mike will start for us this week," at home against Baltimore, the coach added. "He's had two opportunities to play and he's played well. ... I've been excited about everything he has done, but we go from day-to-day. ... The quarterback position isn't really one I'm concerned about."

Vincent Jackson had eight catches for 144 yards and Louis Murphy had a TD. The Bucs allowed only one sack.

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But the Bucs can't run the football with Martin or Bobby Rainey. They were held to 61 yards on 22 carries. The longest gain was one carry of 16 yards by Martin. ...

That doesn't bode well going forward. ...

Other notes of interest. ... As Pro Football Focus put it, "There's the Vincent Jackson we've come to know and love."

After five drops in his first four games, Jackson hauled in all eight catchable targets Sunday and broke a career high four tackles. It's clear that when things break down, Glennon likes to give Jackson a chance to make a play and Jackson rewarded that faith against the Saints.

As ESPN.com's Pat Yasinskas noted, after recovering from an ankle injury, rookie tight end Austin Seferian-Jenkins was in the starting lineup. He was getting open but still had trouble producing. He had two drops in the first quarter. In the second, Seferian-Jenkins negated a first down as he was called for a facemask penalty.

The Bucs think Seferian-Jenkins can be a special player, but he has to start holding on to the ball and avoiding penalties to fully earn the trust of the coaching staff and his quarterback. Seferian-Jenkins also didn't score any points when he was a minute late for the team bus Sunday morning.

Rookie Robert Herron caught a 9-yard touchdown pass from Glennon to give the Bucs a 31-20 lead with 13:28 remaining. It was the kind of play Herron wasn't making in the preseason.

But things have changed for Herron. He's getting more comfortable with the offense.

"I'm just trying to stay in my playbook," Herron said. "When the opportunities come, I've got to capitalize on them."

Herron was active in large part because fellow rookie Mike Evans was out with a groin injury. But Herron made the most of his opportunity and that might help him stay active for the remainder of the season. Ideally, the Bucs would like to use Herron as their slot receiver. That's what he was drafted for.

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Herron admitted he wasn't ready for that role when the season started. But Herron said he's started feeling more comfortable after getting some good advice from people who have been around.

"Everybody's taken a part," Herron said. "[Fellow receiver] Russell Shepard and I have gotten very close since I've been here. My receiver coach [Andrew Hayes-Stoker], Josh McCown always says a few words to me to keep my head in it. I feel once I got settled in a little, my confidence went up."

And the Bucs are hoping Herron's confidence keeps growing.

Worth noting: Evans returned to the practice field on Wednesday, according to the Tampa Bay Times. Evans suffered a groin strain in Week 4 against Pittsburgh and sat out Week 5 against New Orleans. As CBSSports.com noted, he was initially expected to miss 2-3 weeks with the ailment.

According to Times staffer Greg Auman, Evans wasn't testing injured groin at full speed, but was in full pads, catching passes, going through drills at a jog.

I'll be following his status closely in coming days.

Also, Jackson was not practicing on Wednesday. He's been dealing with a fractured bone in his wrist that clearly hasn't kept him from catching the ball in games. I'll follow up on Jackson as well. 

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, Mike Evans, Louis Murphy, Robert Herron, Russell Shephard TE: Austin Seferian-Jenkins, Brandon Myers, Luke Stocker PK: Patrick Murray =========================

=========================TENNESSEE TITANSAccording to Associated Press sports writer Teresa M. Walker, head coach Ken Whisenhunt has shaken off the disbelief of what he calls a surreal finish, watching the Titans blow the biggest home lead in NFL history. Now

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he's focusing on how they jumped out to a 28-3 lead and just needed a play to win.

To him, those are signs of progress even with the Titans mired in a four-game skid.

"It gives us an opportunity to learn from it, and if we get in that situation again and we win a game because of it, it doesn't leave a mark," Whisenhunt said Monday.

The 29-28 loss to Cleveland on Sunday also marked the biggest blown lead in the regular season in franchise history. The only game worse was Jan. 3, 1993, when the then-Houston Oilers lost in overtime after being up 35-3 in Buffalo in the playoffs. That team shook that off and won its division the next season.

This team still hasn't been to the playoffs since 2008 and is on its third head coach since then. The task got tougher Monday with confirmation that safety Bernard Pollard, who led Tennessee in tackles last season, tore his right Achilles tendon. Pollard will have surgery Tuesday morning and wrote on Twitter that this will be his first time on injured reserve.

Whisenhunt said quarterback Jake Locker "doesn't appear" to have any structural or long-term damage to his right thumb after the player's hand hit against a helmet in the second quarter.

According to Walker, Locker's hand appeared swollen Monday night at a fundraiser for his Pass It On Foundation, and he shook hands only using his left hand. Locker said his hand is sore and will be examined a little bit more Tuesday to get a better idea of the extent of the injury. Locker added he was relieved the injury wasn't worse.

"Always thankful for that," Locker said. "Prayers were answered for sure."

The Titans (1-4) had many opportunities to win that they ruined with penalties or mistakes, including two turnovers wiped out.

Whisenhunt called the flag on Marqueston Huff a bad call. The rookie was flagged for not getting back in bounds quickly enough on a muffed punt late in the third quarter. Whisenhunt said officials didn't flag the Browns who did the same thing twice, only staying out of bounds longer and farther than Huff.

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Jason McCourty returned his interception in the fourth quarter 59 yards to the Cleveland 1 but had it erased by his own illegal contact penalty. Whisenhunt defended McCourty for playing as coached. The cornerback had established his position inside 5 yards from the line of scrimmage before the Browns receiver pushed off McCourty 7 yards deep.

Special teams also cost the Titans, allowing a blocked punt for a safety when leading 28-13 in the fourth quarter.

Left guard Andy Levitre committed what his coach called an "unacceptable" penalty in the third quarter that turned a first-and-10 near midfield into second-and-23. The Titans punted two plays later.

Yet the Titans still had a chance at a first down that could have sealed the win on fourth down with half a yard to go. Backup quarterback Charlie Whitehurst was stopped inches short on a sneak, and Whisenhunt said it would have worked if blocked correctly.

"We weren't ready," Whisenhunt said. "We didn't have a sense of urgency there. That's something we've got to learn from."

The Titans now host the winless Jaguars (0-5) on Sunday. They also have to show they can win on their own field after losing seven of their last eight and their first two under Whisenhunt.

"I fully believe that we're going to be a good football team," Whisenhunt said. ...

But they aren't that right now. ...

Worth noting. ... Locker not only hit the thumb on a helmet, he also took a shot from Browns linebacker Chris Kirksey after he had already run into the end zone for a touchdown. He was decked by a forearm, drawing a penalty on Kirksey. However, Locker and the Titans believed it was a cheap shot from the Browns linebacker.

"I thought I was clearly in the end zone. I wasn't expecting to get hit. I kind of thought that was a cheap shot," Locker said.

Whisenhunt agreed that the play was a cheap shot, though he said he would let the league sort out what discipline Kirksey should receive. ...

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Locker did not practice Wednesday; I'll have more on his status via Late-Breaking Update in coming days. ...

Other notes of interest. ... The Titans ran 30 times for 149 yards, but those numbers are deceiving as receiver Kendall Wright gained 38 yards on a jet sweep, Locker had 34 yards and a TD on scrambles, and when they needed to run late to hold on to a lead, they couldn't.

Wright has yet to live up to his reputation as a dominant PPR-league wide receiver -- although his two TD catches against the Browns were promising.

However, ESPN.com's KC Joyner believes Wright's fortunes could start to see a turnaround in Weeks 6 to 8, as he is due to face a trio of favorable matchups against less-than-impressive cornerbacks Dwayne Gratz, Bashaud Breeland and Kareem Jackson.

Wright hits a bye week after that and the going gets tougher for him in Weeks 10 through 17, so consider keeping him for that favorable three-game stretch and selling at a high price under the auspices of letting him go because of the bye in Week 9. ...

Justin Hunter moved into the starting lineup and responded well.

As Pro Football Focus notes, Hunter led the Titans wideouts by playing on 68 of the team's 70 offensive snaps.

Wright played 57 snaps and Nate Washington got 48.

Hunter targeted five times and caught three of them for 99 yards and touchdown. ...

According to the Nashville Tennessean, Shonn Greene was limited in practice Wednesday with a leg problem.

As CBSSports.com notes, Greene has also been limited in terms of recent production. He has managed just 43 yards rushing in 13 carries over the last two games combined.

Tight end Craig Stevens left the game in the first series with a quadriceps injury and did not return. His status for this week is uncertain, but Whisenhunt did not sound overly optimistic.

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Tight end Taylor Thompson revealed that he has a partially torn PCL that has kept him out for the past two games. Thompson is close to returning to practice, however.

And finally. ... The Titans placed safety Bernard Pollard (Achilles) on injured reserve, ending his season, and signed cornerback Brandon Ghee. George Wilson will replace Pollard in the starting lineup, according to Profootballtalk.com. 

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, Justin Hunter, Nate Washington, Derek Hagan, Kris Durham TE: Delanie Walker, Craig Stevens, Taylor Thompson, Chase Coffman PK: Ryan Succop =========================

=========================WASHINGTON REDSKINSAs the Associated Press reported, the old-as-sports-itself debate over how hard to take a loss became Topic A with the Redskins on Tuesday, with first-year coach Jay Gruden saying he will look into the laughing and joking among some of his players following the team's latest defeat.

"I'm hoping that nobody was jovial after a loss," Gruden said.

Offensive captain Trent Williams and receiver Pierre Garcon were among players contributing to a surprisingly light atmosphere in parts of the locker room Monday night minutes after the Redskins fell 27-17 to the Seattle Seahawks.

Gruden didn't witness the scene -- he was at his own news conference -- but he got wind of it Tuesday. He said he had already discussed it with veteran safety Ryan Clark and will "have to think long and hard how to approach" the matter.

"Hopefully it was taken out of context or what have you, but I have no idea what it was like," Gruden said. "If it was upbeat, it shouldn't be, and that is disappointing that it was because they played their hearts out. They played

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hard, I thought. We lost the game. No reason to be upbeat, though, whatsoever."

Gruden said when he spoke to the players immediately after the game, they were "exhausted" and "dejected" and that he tried to "bring 'em up a little bit" because they had improved from a 31-point blowout in the previous game.

That said, it was still a loss.

"When you do lose, you want people to be sick about it," Gruden said. "And you want people to try to bounce back from it and move on to the next week and learn from their mistakes and make sure it doesn't happen again and not ever, ever be satisfied after a loss."

It's well known, of course, that everyone handles losing differently. Gruden said the great players "can't stand to lose" and have that mantra in their DNA.

"For me," Gruden said, "I haven't smiled since two days ago, I think."

Gruden inherited a team that went 3-13 last season and has finished last in the NFC East in five of the last six years. If nothing else, they know losing, and the new coach has to make sure it hasn't become acceptable.

Part of the task is to have team leaders to self-police the locker room. The retirement of longtime captain London Fletcher at the end of last season has seemingly left a void.

"We have guys that have leadership qualities," Gruden said. "We just haven't had that guy stand up and really take charge."

This is the last thing Gruden needs. The Redskins are 1-4 and face a short practice week ahead of a long road trip to face the Arizona Cardinals on Sunday.

"This season is starting to shrink down on us right before our eyes," he said. "And we're at a point in time where if we don't flip the script, we'll be playing for nothing the rest of the season. ... Our sense of urgency has to be Code 1 right now. ..."

Meanwhile, as ESPN.com's John Keim noted, the Redskins once again failed in a key area that continues to haunt the offense: third downs. Quarterback Kirk Cousins in particular has struggled in this area.

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Quarterbacks earn their money in the red zone and on third down. Too often, though, that's been a troubling down as Cousins ranks last in the NFL among quarterbacks who have appeared in at least three games with a 49.8 passer rating on this down. Cousins has completed 21-of-37 passes for 204 yards, no touchdowns and two interceptions.

In three starts last season, Cousins had a 64.5 passer rating -- that was 25th in the NFL during that stretch. He completed 24 of 39 passes for 224 yards, one touchdown and two interceptions.

So it's been an issue. Some of it is too many third-and-longs: Of their 12 third downs Monday, eight were for 5 yards or more. The problem is that teams will blitz Washington more on third down. Cousins has faced a blitz on 19 of his 37 third-down throws. He's completed eight of those 19 passes for 55 yards and an interception.

Which brings us to this week's opponent: Arizona.

The good news for Washington: The Cardinals allow the opposition to convert on 45.5 percent of third downs. The quarterbacks they've faced: Philip Rivers, Eli Manning, Colin Kaepernick and Peyton Manning. A pretty good group.

But it's the pressure on third down that will be worth watching. The Cardinals have blitzed an NFL-high 33 times on third down. It usually works: Quarterbacks have completed 16 of 30 passes for 242 yards, one touchdown and two interceptions on those plays. The yards per attempt (8.37) ranks 21st in the league, so there's a potential payoff -- but that means Cousins and the rest of the offense must handle this scenario better than they have in the past.

Other notes of interest. ... Receiver DeSean Jackson made a few sloppy plays and dropped a couple of throws early. But Jackson then did what the Redskins brought him to Washington to do: make plays. He sparked the offense by getting open for a 60-yard score, then caught a 57-yard pass to open the second half. He accounted for more than half of Washington's offensive total.

Robert Griffin III isn't ready to return to the practice field and Gruden isn't sure when that will actually happen.

Griffin is still recovering from a dislocated left ankle suffered in Week 2 against Jacksonville. There was no initial timetable placed on his return, though

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speculation centered around eight weeks. All Gruden would say is that knowing Griffin he would try to return as soon as possible.

Griffin stretched with the team Saturday and an NFL Network report Sunday stated his goal was to return for the Oct. 27 game at Dallas. But if that's the case, then Griffin would need to be back to practice probably by next week to give him enough time to shake off rust and prepare.

"We'll get him out there when the time is right," Gruden said. "I don't envision that anytime soon."

That said, CBSSports.com reports that Griffin took to the practice field again for stretching before the start of Wednesday's session. Griffin was held out of position drills. Instead, he joined the rehabbing players on the side of the field for individual workouts. He is expected to do some running this week. 

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 =========================Copyright© 2014 Fantasy Sports Publications, Inc.