Saints shutting out Eagles in 3-0 defensive contest

Chargers quarterback Justin Herbert entered today’s game recovering from a high ankle sprain he suffered last week. He just exited the game in the third quarter and was replaced for at least one play by Taylor Heinicke after appearing to aggravate the injury.

Sam Darnold is now up to three touchdowns on the day.

It’s the first career touchdown for Emanuel Wilson.

Wow.

Philadelphia tried to convert a 4th-and-3 on its first drive after halftime, and Jalen Hurts was sacked for five yards. That’s the second straight failed fourth-down conversion for the Eagles.

Philly has moved the ball reasonably well and dominated the time of possession against the Saints, but the Eagles have no points to show for it.

The Eagles’ offense is already struggling today, and now they will be without one of their key players.

Right tackle Lane Johnson is out for the rest of today’s game against the Saints with a concussion.

Minnesota leads Houston 14-0 at halftime, and its defense has dominated.

The Texans are averaging only 3.8 yards per play. And phenom quarterback C.J. Stroud had thrown for only 94 yards and a pick.

As great as Sam Darnold has been so far this year, Vikings defensive coordinator Brian Flores deserves credit as well. This is the second straight week he’s faced a serious offensive challenge and Minnesota’s defense has been up to the task.

Malik Nabers is having himself a game. He has two touchdowns before halftime.

This was the biggest game of the early window, and it’s been a surprisingly defensive-minded contest.

The Saints had the hottest offense in the NFL through two weeks but have only three points in the first half. The Eagles have had a little more success moving the ball, but Jalen Hurts has two turnovers. Philadelphia also turned the ball over on downs right before the half, trying to convert a 4th-and-1 instead of kicking a short field goal.

Philly’s defense has really stepped up. New Orleans has only 71 yards at half and is averaging a meager 2.6 yards per play. Derek Carr has thrown for 51 yards, a far cry from the video game numbers he put up in the first two weeks.

The Bucs finally get on the board before halftime.

What a catch by Malik Nabers to give the Giants the lead in Cleveland.

The Colts broke a scoreless tie in Indy.

Jalen Hurts has an interception and a fumble today. He turned the ball over three times in Week 1, and threw a pick in Philly’s Week 2 win.

While Hurts has looked better physically at times — he ran the ball really well last week — the turnovers are troubling. He had only 6 interceptions in 2022 when the Eagles made it to the Super Bowl. He’s over halfway to that total this year through less than three full games.

The Steelers’ offense scores its second touchdown of the season.

Sam Darnold already has two touchdown passes today.

Will Levis’s weekly devastating turnover leads to a Green Bay touchdown.

Will Levis’s latest interception was not only a pick six, it was his sixth turnover of the season and the Titans haven’t played three full games yet. Tennessee hasn’t been a pushover early in the season. At the same time, Levis hasn’t exactly inspired confidence, with some baffling giveaways in each game so far.

The 0-2 Broncos have a two-touchdown lead on the 2-0 Buccaneers. This is a much needed bounceback from Denver, which looked so bad early in the season people were beginning to loudly question Sean Payton.

Bo Nix is keeping things pretty clean, he’s 5-of-6 for 72 yards. He’s rushed for a score and hasn’t made any mistakes.

The Chargers are on the board first in Pittsburgh.

The Titans have tied it up in Tennessee.

Minnesota takes an early lead in a battle of undefeated teams.

Denver has an early lead on the undefeated Bucs.

Malik Willis has a rushing touchdown against his former team.

After a Giants fumble on the opening kick, the Browns scored on their first play from scrimmage.

After losing wide receiver Puka Nacua (knee) in Week 1, the Rams will now be without Cooper Kupp (ankle) for an “extended period of time” after he suffered an injury in Week 2. The Rams are now missing their top two receivers, three offensive linemen in Jonah Jackson (shoulder), Steve Avila (knee), Joe Noteboom (ankle), safety John Johnson III (shoulder) and cornerback Darious Williams,

“We’ve had some unfortunate breaks,” head coach Sean McVay said. “It’s nothing like I’ve been exposed to. This is unique, but this is an opportunity for us to be what we say we want to be.”

You can go home again in the NFL.

Ravens QB Lamar Jackson has owned the NFC in his NFL career… he is 20-1 all- time in 21 starts vs the NFC, including eight straight wins in games he’s started at QB (5-0 in 2023).

New Orleans is undefeated after dominating the Panthers in Week 1 and then shocking the Cowboys in Week 2. In both matchups, they scored more than 40 points while allowing fewer than 20 points.

The Saints scored on each of their first 15 possessions this season. The team is seeing resurgent starts from veteran QB Derek Carr and Alvin Kamara, who scored four touchdowns (3 rushing, 1 receiving) last week. Kamara leads the NFL in scores through two weeks.

“I know it’s not going to be perfect, but I was going to exhaust everything that I could begin to imagine to try and be better this year,” Carr told reporters this week.

The Ravens have only started 0-3 one time in franchise history (2015) but it could happen again Sunday when Baltimore takes on Dallas.

“We’ve got to keep pounding the rock, and the rock is going to crack,” Ravens coach John Harbaugh said. “That’s our job to keep pounding, not get discouraged, not think all is for nothing. Continue to work and our reward will be out there in our future… We’re not going to be defined by everyone that’s saying we’re not any good, or that the season is over after two games.”

After appearing at practice in a limited capacity during the week, Packers quarterback Jordan Love is OUT for today’s game against the Titans.

Here are some other notable actives/inactives:

With new offensive coordinator Greg Roman leading the way, the Chargers have 395 rush yards this season (second-most in the league through two games behind the Packers), including more than 175 rush yds in back-to-back games for the first time since 2007.

Offseason addition RB J.K. Dobbins is leading the NFL in rushing entering Week 3 with 266 yds (averaging 9.9 yards a carry).

Tennessee’s starting QB is having an up and down start to the season. Levis has two passing touchdowns and five turnovers (the most in the NFL) in the first two games of the season.

Cameras caught Titans head coach Brian Callahan yelling “what the f— are you doing?” after he fumbled in a Week 2 loss to the Jets.

“I don’t regret my feelings about it and how I felt in the moment,” he said Monday. “I just think I can do a better job. Just like I ask my players to control their emotions, I probably should control mine a little bit.”

The Titans are looking to avoid starting 0-3 for the 1st time since 2009.

The undefeated Buccaneers have thrived this season thanks largely to Mayfield. The former No. 1 pick now has six total touchdowns (five passing) with just one pick.

“Building chemistry and building this resiliency and the culture that we want,” he said after his team upset the Lions in Detroit in Week 2. “This is a huge win for us, and so we have to continue to build on that.”

Mayfield and Tampa Bay are 8-2 over the last 10 games (including playoffs) dating back to 2023.

Through two weeks, the Bears have the fewest passing yards, the second-fewest total yards (behind the Panthers) and the fifth-fewest rushing yards in the NFL.

“When it finally connects and we’re all in the same cylinder, it’s going to be good,” receiver DJ Moore said this week. “Right now, we’re still building… Until we get that puzzle fully complete, it’s going to be an up-and-down road.”

Caleb Williams, the No. 1 pick in the 2024 NFL Draft, was hit 11 times in Week 2.

“I’m a little bruised up,” he admitted after the game.

If New York is going to get into the win column, they’ll have to take advantage of rookie stud receiver Malik Nabers. The former LSU star, picked No. 6 overall, had 10 receptions for 127 yards and a score in Week 2. His 18 targets was the most by a Giant in a single game since 2016.

His 25 targets this season is tied for the second most in the league.

The Browns rank in the middle of the NFL in passing yards per game at 179.5.

Week 2 was not good for many stars. Check out this list of players set to miss at least multiple weeks of the season, via NBC Sports:

• Dolphins QB Tua Tagovailoa (concussion) — placed on IR
• Chiefs RB Isiah Pacheco (fibula) — out 6-8 weeks
• Rams WR Cooper Kupp (ankle) — out “an extended period of time”
• Eagles WR A.J. Brown (hamstring) — out “a couple of weeks”
• 49ers WR Deebo Samuel (calf) — will miss “a couple” of weeks
• Jets DE Jermaine Johnson (Achilles) — out for the season