Denver Broncos

Much was expected of the Broncos this year after trading for quarterback Russell Wilson and handing him a huge new contract.

The calendar looked kind through two weeks, starting against Wilson's former team the Seattle Seahawks and then welcoming the Texans.

But Denver, under first-time coach Hackett, lost in farcical fashion in Seattle and only scraped past the Texans 16-9 to recover to 1-1.

The crowd were far from happy with what they saw from their team in Week 2, and those sentiments were echoed by Hackett, the subject of boos.

"I would be booing myself," Hackett said. "I was getting very frustrated.

"We get down to the red zone two times, don't get another touchdown, which is unbelievably frustrating. I don't think we have scored in there yet.

"That's something where all of our guys have to step it up. Whether we run the ball more, whatever we're doing, we just have to execute at a higher level."

The Broncos inexplicably ran down the clock against the Seahawks before sending on kicker Brandon McManus to miss a vital field goal rather than putting the ball in Wilson's hands on fourth and five.

And timekeeping was again an issue against the Texans, with slow play-calling prompting the Denver fans to count down the play clock in a loud chant.

"I think I just need to be sure I clean up exactly what I'm hearing, where I'm going with it, and make sure I'm on the same page for Russ," Hackett explained. "I think that will make us more efficient."

Wilson, who completed just 14 of 31 passes for 219 yards with one touchdown and one interception, was reticent to criticise the crowd as he skirted around the issue.

"I guess [the countdown] was helpful if needed," he said. "I guess they do that in basketball sometimes.

"This crowd was amazing tonight. Once again, how they were especially when the defense was out there with the game on the line... I know how hard that is as a quarterback hearing all of that noise and all that tenacity.

"That was great that our fans were really into it and just a great football crowd, for sure."

Manning joined the Broncos from the Indianapolis Colts in 2012 and led the NFL franchise to Super Bowl 50 glory before retiring at the end of the 2015 season.

The Broncos could reportedly be sold next year if the children of late Pat Bowlen, who died in 2019, cannot agree who should be the majority owner.

Manning, however, is currently not interested in returning to the Broncos in an ownership capacity.

"I haven't had any serious conversations with anyone,'' two-time Super Bowl champion Manning said on Sunday. "Certainly, there's some people who have called me and said 'Hey, what do you think is going to happen with the Broncos? Are you going to try to own the team? I keep looking for that $3billion in my pocket, I can't find it, I think it's in a hidden account somewhere. That's not really on my radar.

"People are obviously interested, they're curious,'' Manning added. "I care because I live here and I go to the games, and I want to know what's going to happen like everyone else. But I have no relationship or agreement with anybody."

Manning – who was honoured before Sunday's 17-10 win over the Washington Football Team – added: "Even if I'm offered an opportunity, I haven't decided if I would even do it. I actually like what I'm doing now. I get to stay close to the game... I get to coach [son] Marshall's flag football team, I went to a doubleheader softball game to see [daughter] Mosley play.

"I'm just taking everything on a one-year-at-a-time basis, next year who knows how I'll feel... But I'll always be a part of the Broncos, I'll say that."

Despite the final result, it was a bright start for Broncos quarterback Russell Wilson, who completed all 10 of his passes in the first quarter, including a 39-yard touchdown to rookie tight end Greg Dulcich to lead 10-0 at quarter-time.

Whatever adjustments the Chargers made during the first break seemed to have an immediate effect, with Wilson only completing five of his next 18 passes as the Broncos could only muster a pair of field goals the rest of the way while committing 151 yards of penalties – a Monday Night Football record since penalty yardage began being tracked in 2000. 

The Chargers also only had one touchdown in the game, opening the second quarter with a 15-play drive capped off by a six-yard Austin Ekeler touchdown run.

A field goal from either side in the final minute of the half had the Broncos up 13-10, and they continued to trade field goals the rest of regulation, with Hopkins nailing his third of the night to tie the game at 16-16 with four minutes remaining.

Neither team was able to mount a game-winning drive late in the fourth quarter, and things looked headed for the tie after overtime started with four consecutive three-and-out punts. But the fourth was unsuccessfully fielded by Broncos punt returner Montrell Washington after a blocking teammate was pushed into him, resulting in a fumble and turnover.

After again failing to get a first down, the Chargers called on Hopkins to end it, and while playing with an injury, he sealed the win with his fourth field goal from four attempts.

Chargers quarterback Justin Herbert completed 37 of his 57 passes for 238 yards and one interception, while Wilson finished 15-of-28 for 188 yards and one touchdown. Ekeler was the top skill-position player, rushing 14 times for 36 yards and a touchdown while catching 10 of 16 targets for 47 receiving yards.

Flores has launched a class action lawsuit, alleging the NFL is rife with racism and has a "disingenuous commitment to social equity".

In the suit, Flores alleges that when he interviewed for the role of head coach with the Broncos in 2019, Elway and former Denver executive Joe Ellis were late and appeared "completely dishevelled" from an evening of heavy drinking.

Flores is suing the league along with teams from which he alleges he has personally experienced racism, naming the Dolphins and the Broncos along with the New York Giants as defendants, together with "John Doe Teams 1 through 29".

The suit, filed at the United States District Court for the Southern District of New York, demands a jury trial. The NFL said Flores' claims "are without merit", adding that it would put up a defence. The three teams named by Flores have also rejected his allegations.

The NFL has a 'Rooney Rule' in place that requires all teams seeking a new head coach "to interview at least one or more diverse candidates".

It is alleged in the lawsuit that Flores "was interviewed only because of the Rooney Rule" by the Broncos and was never intended to be "a legitimate candidate", while also criticising the interview board.

The Broncos described the various claims against the franchise as "blatantly false" and "baseless and disparaging", to which Flores responded on ESPN's Get Up! show on Wednesday, saying: "I deal in truth, that's my reaction. I deal in truth. Honesty, integrity is important to me, and hopefully, there's a day we find out the truth on that one."

Elway released a statement on Thursday to further deny the claims made by Flores, saying: "While I was not planning to respond publicly to the false and defamatory claims by Brian Flores, I could not be silent any longer with my character, integrity and professionalism being attacked.

"I took Coach Flores very seriously as a candidate for our head coaching position in 2019 and enjoyed our three-and-a-half-hour interview with him. Along with the rest of our group, I was prepared, ready and fully engaged during the entire interview as Brian shared his experience and vision for our team.

"It's unfortunate and shocking to learn for the first time this week that Brian felt differently about our interview with him.

"For Brian to make an assumption about my appearance and state of mind early that morning was subjective, hurtful and just plain wrong. If I appeared 'dishevelled,' as he claimed, it was because we had flown in during the middle of the night - immediately following another interview in Denver - and were going on a few hours of sleep to meet the only window provided to us.

"I interviewed Brian in good faith, giving him the same consideration and opportunity as every other candidate for our head coaching position in 2019."

The Broncos recently appointed Green Bay Packers offensive coordinator Nathaniel Hackett as their new head coach, having parted company with previous head coach Vic Fangio, who was hired in 2019.

Fangio achieved a 19-30 record during his three seasons with the franchise, failing to reach the playoffs throughout his tenure.

Wilson completed 21 of 39 passes for 274 yards and two interceptions in Thursday's game, with the second interception proving especially costly late in the fourth quarter.

With less than two and a half minutes remaining, leading 9-6, the Broncos opted to pass the ball to try to seal the game, but instead Wilson took a shot at the endzone and was picked off by former defensive player of the year Stephon Gilmore.

The Colts ended up driving down the field to tie the game as time expired, before kicking another field goal on the first drive of overtime to put the pressure back on the Broncos.

Wilson completed long passes to Jerry Jeudy and Mike Boone to move inside the 10-yard line, but when faced with a fourth-and-one at the five-yard line, they decided to go for it instead of kicking for the tie.

The final throw of the game was broken up once again by Gilmore in the endzone, relegating the Broncos to a 2-3 record with one of the worst offenses in the NFL in the first year of Wilson's five-year, $242million contract.

Speaking after the game, Wilson did not hide from his struggles, saying he needs to figure it out in a hurry.

"It's very simple, at the end of the day I've got to be better, I've got to play better," he said. "This team, our defense played their butts off tonight, we had some key, good drives and we moved the ball into the red zone, but we didn't get to capitalise on some of them.

"At the end of the day, those two interceptions can't happen. Can't happen. I let the team down tonight, but the good thing is, one thing I know about myself is I'm going to respond – I don't know any other way.

"I always believe in myself, I always believe in this team and what we can do, and what I can do.

"When you play this game, the one thing you know is you're going to go through adversity, and with adversity you get a choice. I'm always going to choose to understand that adversity is just temporary, and you're going to overcome the obstacles and battles.

"We're all working together, we're all still together and focused on trying to do whatever it takes. It starts with me, and I'll make sure I do that."

Touching on the final play, Wilson said it was the right decision to go for it.

"We had a good play-call on, we went to Courtland [Sutton] there and the guy [Gilmore] made a good play," he said.

"I was ready to move around if we needed to – we came up with a big fourth-and-two a couple drives before – so we went for it.

"We didn't want to end in a tie, we wanted to try and win the game. That was our mentality. I think coach made a good call, I think I've got to find a way to make a play, whatever it takes.

"The thing about close games… is it comes down to finding a way. We've found a way before, but this time we didn't."

Broncos head coach Nathaniel Hackett also accepted blame for Wilson's struggles, saying he needs to figure out how to get his star quarterback into a rhythm and get points on the board.

"We want to always try to get him into a rhythm, and I didn't feel like we were able to get him into that," Hackett said. "It starts with me, to be able to get him into that rhythm with the receivers and tight ends.

"There were a couple of opportunities – we had a couple of drops again, and a couple of penalties – we keep continually hurting ourselves, and I think that's the thing that's frustrating.

"We need to address it as an offense, and we need to fix that, because the performance from the defense was spectacular, and we're wasting those great opportunities to go win a football game."

Hackett also said he did not regret his final play-call, calling it "a good decision".

"We wanted to win the game," he said. "We hadn't moved the ball very well the whole night, and I thought we had a spectacular drive to get all the way down there.

"It ended up being fourth-and-one, we got the 'go' to go for it, and I thought that was a good decision. We wanted to put the ball in Russell's hands and call a play that we know he really likes – and it didn't work out.

"The timeout before was to get a feel for what they were doing, and the run did not look as good as we hoped it would have, and it gave us a chance with Russell. That's all you can ask for in that situation to win the game."

The two-time Pro Bowler signed a two-year, $16million contract in Denver after leaving the Los Angeles Chargers, who he will now meet twice a season in the AFC West.

Gordon did not start his 2019 season until Week 5 after a tense contract holdout failed to land him the lucrative long-term extension he was looking for, not helped by Austin Ekeler's fine displays in his absence.

If he had his time again, Gordon would not hold out, but his focus is on proving people wrong in the 2020 season and bouncing back from a year that saw him average 3.8 yards per carry.

"Oh, it's huge," Gordon said of the chip on his shoulder in a conference call with reporters.

"I just feel like a lot of people just doubt my talent as a back. During the holdout, a lot of people were saying, 'Oh, he's an average back, he's not this, he's not that’.

"Just this year, people are like, 'Well, he's not the back that he was’. No one takes into account that I didn't have my center, or I didn't have my left tackle. We had guys that were hurt and just in and out.

"I didn't have really my starting linemen, my best linemen. No one cares about that, and nor should they, but some players they give that excuse for.

"Some players they give them an excuse - 'Well, they didn't have their line, but he's still a great player'.

"Then you have some players that are in my position where they don't care if you have a good line, or if your line is hurt or not. You're not what you are. You're an average player.

"I'm going to take that and I'm going to use it as fuel, because I know what type of player I am. I want to show that and I am going to show that. I'm going to show everybody that I'm better than just average."

Asked if he would hold out again, Gordon said: "I probably would come back.

"Just because my legacy of what I'm trying to do as a player and the mark that I'm trying to leave. Obviously, those are games I can't get back.

"I started out slow and being able to catch my stride toward the end of the season, but then it's too late.

"It was tough [after coming back], I definitely felt like I ruined some relationships. At times it definitely was difficult.

"I kind of felt some tension walking around, but I just tried my best to keep a smile on my face and just show up for work every day. Obviously, I can't take back what I did, it was done. And now I'm here."

Left tackle Williams did the damage when he was blocking Broncos defensive end Bradley Chubb during the third quarter and Denver defensive lineman D.J. Jones fell across his right leg.

On the same play, quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo stepped out of the end zone for an ultimately costly safety.

Niners head coach Kyle Shanahan revealed after the game nine-time Pro Bowler Williams, who was replaced by Jaylon Moore, was likely to have sustained a high right ankle sprain.

Right tackle McGlinchey said: "[Trent is] as important to our football team as anybody is. Colton [McKivitz] stepped up, and he's had an unbelievable last year and some change, and he's ready for that.

"Jaylon Moore is capable of playing in that role. We have guys to fill the spot, which is a good thing; but obviously, it's impossible to replace a Trent Williams, and that hurts our football team, for sure."

Garoppolo said: "It's tough. Trent's a warrior. Hopefully, he bounces back fast, but it's always tough when you lose a guy like that, especially the leadership that he brings to this team.

"The poise and everything that he brings, it will be tough to replace that. But we've got to."

Shanahan felt the 49ers could have no complaints after a loss at Empower Field at Mile High that left them at 1-2 early in the season.

"We had our opportunities, but we definitely didn't do enough offensively in the second half," he said.

"I thought we made way too many mistakes. We had our opportunities in the first half, where I thought we should have been a lot more than we were.

"We missed those. Came back in the second half and I thought the defense kept it going, offense had a chance early and started out with a fumbled snap, then we never got it going after that."

Any one team can beat another, and that means at this stage of the season, with the first snap still to be taken, every team can have Super Bowl aspirations.

Sort of.

The Cincinnati Bengals, for example, may have been slightly surprising contenders in 2021, but there remain some teams whose title hopes are so remote as to be non-existent.

For some, this is because they have missed their shot at glory in recent years; for others, the plan is to challenge in seasons to come.

So, this leads us to draw up a preseason tier system, ranking all 32 teams by their Super Bowl windows with the help of Stats Perform AI predictions...

Nowhere near

This is unlikely to be a season to remember for the teams grouped in this category, for a variety of reasons.

The Houston Texans won the AFC South in 2018 and 2019, but the Deshaun Watson saga and two down years have them looking at a rebuild, with the data forecasting just 4.8 wins this year. That at least ranks them ahead of the Atlanta Falcons (3.6 projected wins) and the New York Giants (4.2), while the Texans did gain draft assets in the Watson trade.

The Chicago Bears are the fourth and final team projected to earn fewer than six wins (4.9), with second-year quarterback Justin Fields receiving little help on offense and playing behind an offensive line ranked 31st in pass protection.

Meanwhile, the Washington Commanders rank 31st in terms of skill players – better only than the Falcons – with faith in Carson Wentz long since having diminished. In Baker Mayfield and Sam Darnold, the Carolina Panthers have two high-draft-pick QBs unlikely to trouble the postseason. The New York Jets are in a similar boat, even if Zach Wilson is still young.

The Detroit Lions might argue they do not deserve to keep such company after a 3-3 finish to last season, but nobody could seriously argue they are title contenders.

Entering contention

If that first group was a mixed bag, so too is the second.

Anyone who has paid any attention to the New England Patriots' preseason would suggest they are very fortunate to be given any hope of success in the near future, but they finished with 10 wins in 2021 – even if that number is projected to shrink to 7.7. Despite a trade for Tyreek Hill, that still ranks the Patriots comfortably ahead of the Miami Dolphins (7.0), although the losing team in their Week 1 meeting will face a long slog of a season.

At the other end of the spectrum, the Philadelphia Eagles are forecast to have 11.9 wins – the second-most in the NFL – after a very strong offseason. But Jalen Hurts, for now, is unproven in the postseason, so Philly fans may have to stay patient.

The San Francisco 49ers are even younger at QB after promoting Trey Lance to a starting role, which explains why the prediction model looks so unfavourably on a team many consider contenders right now. Just 7.1 projected wins speaks to the potentially low floor Lance brings.

NFC West rivals the Arizona Cardinals have to be considered among this group of future hopefuls, with Kyler Murray hugely talented and now committed long term but frustratingly inconsistent, while the Jacksonville Jaguars will hope Trevor Lawrence can follow in the footsteps of the Bengals' Joe Burrow – the number one pick the year before him.

The Los Angeles Chargers, with 9.8 projected wins, have Justin Herbert to lead their charge, while the Cleveland Browns might have been contenders already if not for Watson's suspension, which is enough to limit them to a still strong 9.3-win forecast.

In their prime

The Chargers may have Herbert, but they also have three division rivals who intend to win and intend to win now. Indeed, all four AFC West teams rank in the top half of the league in terms of projected wins, with the Chargers second – behind the Kansas City Chiefs (11.5) and just ahead of the Denver Broncos (9.7) and the Las Vegas Raiders (9.2).

The Chiefs lead the AFC in this regard, although their playoff win over the Buffalo Bills last season came down to a coin flip, and the two are set to be similarly tough to separate this year. Buffalo are down for 11.1 wins.

The two teams coming off a Super Bowl run are of course prominent among the contenders, even if the model has far greater optimism for a Los Angeles Rams repeat than for another Bengals charge. The Rams are backed for a league-leading 12.4 wins and given a 15.3 per cent shot at defending their title, while the Bengals are actually projected to dip below .500 with 8.2 wins.

The Bengals' route to the Super Bowl will be complicated not just by the AFC West and the Bills but also by any return to form for the fit-again Lamar Jackson's Baltimore Ravens, who are counted among nine teams on course for 10 or more wins (10.4).

Also in that group are NFC pair the Dallas Cowboys (11.0) and the Minnesota Vikings (10.9), who may not even be the best teams in their divisions but might be nearing a point when they must seriously challenge or start again, which brings us to...

Last chance saloon

As long as Tom Brady and Aaron Rodgers are the QBs for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and the Green Bay Packers, those teams are in with a chance. The question is how long that will remain the case.

Brady is 45, briefly retired this offseason and then missed a chunk of the preseason. Rodgers is 38, has repeatedly been linked with a move away from Green Bay and lost top target Davante Adams ahead of the new season. Still, the Buccaneers rank eighth for projected wins (10.7), with the Packers up in third (11.5).

They are not the only ageing teams in the NFL, however.

The Indianapolis Colts hope they have upgraded in moving from Wentz to Matt Ryan, yet the former MVP is now 37 and last played in the postseason in 2017 – when Wentz's Eagles took the title.

Tennessee Titans QB Ryan Tannehill is a little younger at 34, but of greater concern would be Derrick Henry's durability after the injury that limited to eight games last regular season. The Titans need to make the most of any seasons they have left of the superstar running back going at full tilt.

Missed their chance

Russell Wilson, Ben Roethlisberger and Drew Brees won Super Bowls with the Seattle Seahawks, the Pittsburgh Steelers and the New Orleans Saints respectively, but with all three having now moved on, it is difficult to see those teams plotting a path to the title.

For the Seahawks and the Steelers, this will be their first year without their stalwart QBs, even if things had already gone stale in 2021. Wilson dipped below the .500 mark for a season for the first time in his career, while Pittsburgh were attempting to stay competitive in spite of Roethlisberger rather than because of him.

Still, with both gone – Wilson to Denver and Roethlisberger to retirement – there is a void under center that has not been suitably filled. Seattle also rank 32nd in pass protection, likely leaving Geno Smith hopelessly exposed.

The Saints have had another 12 months to come to terms with Brees' exit, albeit they spent it juggling Jameis Winston, Trevor Siemian and Taysom Hill at QB. Winston's season-ending injury doomed the Saints' hopes of contention last year, and New Orleans' outlook for 9.5 wins with the entertaining but erratic former number one pick is at least far more positive than that of the Seahawks (6.2) or the Steelers (7.0).

Regardless, each of these three teams have provided an example in how not to do succession planning. They all could have won additional honours with their departed veterans and now face long waits for further title tilts.

Desperate for a result after an 0-3 start, the Raiders largely played a risk-averse style as they trusted Jacobs to carry the ball 28 times for 144 yards and two touchdowns, while quarterback Derek Carr posted 188 yards and no touchdowns.

The Raiders led 19-16 at halftime after Russell Wilson completed first-half touchdown passes to both Courtland Sutton and Jerry Jeudy, but when starting running back Javonte Williams was forced to leave the game with an injury, the offense began to stall.

A pair of field goals gave the Raiders a 25-16 lead, which was trimmed to 25-23 when Wilson was able to scamper in for a three-yard rushing touchdown.

But the Raiders would not be denied, marching down the field one more time and punctuating it with Jacobs' second touchdown

The Broncos were yet to concede 100 rushing yards to any player in a single game this season, which was broken by Jacobs, and also had not faced a 100-yard receiver, which was broken by Davante Adams as he collected nine catches for 101 yards.

K.J. Hamler led the Broncos in receiving yards, and all 55 of his yards came on one catch as Wilson completed 17 of 25 passes for 237 yards and two scores.

Dynamic duo deliver for the Packers in overtime

Arguably the best running back duo in the league, Aaron Jones and A.J. Dillon were both strong in the Green Bay Packers' 27-24 overtime win against the New England Patriots.

After backup Patriots quarterback Brian Hoyer suffered an injury in the first quarter, it was up to rookie fourth-round pick Bailey Zappe to lead New England the rest of the way, and he was more than respectable. He completed 10 of 15 passes for 99 yards and a touchdown, leading two touchdown drives in the second half to force overtime.

Rookie Packers receiver Romeo Doubs was the man to tie the game at 24-24 with his 13-yard touchdown catch, giving him touchdowns in back-to-back games as he tries to establish himself as Rodgers' top target.

In overtime, the Packers mounted a 13-play, 77-yard game-winning drive that featured seven runs, with Jones reaching 110 yards on 16 carries while Dillon had 73 yards on 17 carries.

Rodgers finished with a solid line of 21 completions from 35 attempts with 251 yards, two touchdowns and one interception.

The Broncos confirmed they had picked up their team options on the contracts of Miller, linebacker Todd Davis and kicker Brandon McManus on Friday.

The extension ensures Miller reaches the fifth season of the six-year, $114million deal he signed ahead of the 2016 season.

The 30-year-old, who recorded eight sacks in 2019, will enter a 10th season with Denver.

Those expected moves came as the Jaguars retained control of one of the NFL's other prominent pass-rushers in Ngakoue.

Ngakoue, 24, expressed his wish to leave the Jags earlier this month, tweeting he had no interest in signing a long-term contract in Jacksonville.

But the team were expected to tag him and have now officially done so in a move that will lock him up for one season at a cost of more than $19m.

Had he reached the open market, Ngakoue was likely to have drawn considerable interest, having racked up 37.5 sacks in four seasons.

Hall was taken off in the second quarter of the Jets' 16-9 win over the Denver Broncos, and coach Robert Saleh said: "The initial diagnosis is not good," before confirming it was likely to be an ACL injury.

It puts a dampener on an excellent start to the season for the 5-2 Jets and for Hall, who has totalled 681 scrimmage yards and scored five touchdowns (four rushing, one receiving) in seven games.

That included a 62-yard TD run in the first quarter against Denver, making the 21-year-old the first Jets player since 2009 to have a rushing touchdown in four straight games.

However, just two carries later he was tackled near the sideline and appeared to land awkwardly, before being carted off the field for the remainder of the contest.

"He's a heck of a football player," Saleh said. "When you lose great football players, it's not good."

There were further injury concerns for Saleh as right tackle Alijah Vera-Tucker (elbow) and wide receiver Corey Davis (knee) were also unable to finish the game, with quarterback Zach Wilson saying afterwards: "I didn't even know what was going on, but I'm just in the huddle like, 'Where they at?'

"It's tough because all of those guys are great players. They're all balling. But unfortunately, it's part of the NFL, right?"

Browns running back D'Ernest Johnson stole the show in his first career start, scoring the first touchdown after only five plays and finishing the game with 22 carries for 146 yards.

Case Keenum, making his first Browns start in place of the injured Mayfield, completed 21 from 33 attempts for 199 yards including one touchdown pass.

The result improves Cleveland to 4-3, while it means the Broncos have lost four in a row, sliding to a 3-4 record.

The Browns led 10-0 at half-time after Chase McLaughlin's 52-yard attempt, before the Broncos rallied with Melvin Gordon diving in at the corner from Teddy Bridgewater's touchdown pass to narrow the deficit.

Keenum found Johnny Stanton with a short touchdown pass to restore Cleveland's 10-point lead in the third quarter.

The Broncos scored late from a 17-play drive as Bridgewater, who completed 23 from 33 attempts for 187 yards but had one interception, found Javonte Williams for his second touchdown pass of the game.

Wednesday's deadline to sign franchise-tagged players to new contracts passed without Simmons and the Broncos coming to terms.

It means the 2019 second-team All-Pro will earn $11.4million on the franchise tender this coming season and could hit the open market in 2021.

"If the Broncos wanted to get a deal done, they would've," Simmons said on NFL Network's 'Good Morning Football'.

"And so the reality is another year on the franchise tag is like a contract year all over again. Year two in [head coach] Vic's [Fangio] system with all the weapons that we have, I'm more than confident in myself and what I can do.

"Moving forward, we'll just have to see. It's a business decision on both ends. Whatever's in my best interest and my family's best interest is always what I'm going to do."

The Broncos are seen by many as a team that could take a step forward in 2020, which will be quarterback Drew Lock's first full season as a starter.

However, Denver face a difficult challenge in an AFC West division that contains the Super Bowl-champion Kansas City Chiefs.

But Simmons is confident the Broncos have the personnel, particularly on defense, to contend.

"You're talking about Von Miller, Bradley Chubb is coming back, Jurrell Casey, we've got Shelby Harris, Alexander Johnson, Todd [Davis], myself, Kareem [Jackson], A.J. Bouye, Bryce [Callahan] is coming back," he added.

"We've just got so many weapons around the board. And we're talking about year two, guys feeling comfortable in the system. I can't say enough good things about our defense.

"You talk about a motivated defense at that. Guys willing to prove themselves. I'm excited. The season can't get here fast enough. We just need to get back to some football."

Cleveland emerged from Thursday Night Football with a 17-14 home win despite playing without injured starting QB Baker Mayfield.

Star running back duo Nick Chubb and Kareem Hunt were also ruled out, putting the Browns under huge pressure as they looked to rebound from consecutive losses to the Los Angeles Chargers and Arizona Cardinals.

Defeat could have left the Browns – who are targeting a postseason run in 2021 – floundering, but instead they improved to 4-3, as Keenum played a clean game with 199 yards, one touchdown and no turnovers and ran for a key redzone fourth-down conversion in the second half.

"Case fought like he always does," Stefanski said after Keenum claimed his first NFL win since 2019.

"I thought he orchestrated the operation. He took care of the football and that was a huge play in the end zone there on fourth down. 

"Just to make a play, fighting for extra yardage. He did a great job fighting."

D'Ernest Johnson stepped in for Chubb and Hunt to record 146 rushing yards and his first career touchdown, while the Browns' defense was impressive with Myles Garrett getting 1.5 sacks and John Johnson intercepting Teddy Bridgewater.

"Unfortunately, some people are going to get hurt," said Keenum. "At the same time, you love other young guys getting chances.

"I felt calm and poised. It was a great first drive there. Kevin put together a great first 15 and the offensive line did a great job.

"Defense played really, really well. To hold those guys to what they did in some pretty clutch moments was big.

"It feels pretty good, it was a lot of fun. We have a great group of guys and they fought their tails off."

Mayfield has a shoulder fracture and a torn labrum but still hopes to be back for the Halloween clash against AFC North rivals the Pittsburgh Steelers in Week 8.

For the Broncos (3-4), pass-rusher Von Miller will undergo an MRI scan on Friday due to an ankle injury he suffered after colliding with a team-mate in the second quarter.

But head coach Vic Fangio believes Miller has just suffered a sprain while the player himself said he thinks he has "dodged a bullet".

"My pride is hurt more than anything," said the former Super Bowl MVP.

The Rams were cooking early, jumping ahead in the first quarter when quarterback Matthew Stafford decided to feed newly acquired wide receiver Allen Robinson II for a one-yard touchdown.

Their 7-0 lead was doubled to 14-0 when Darrell Henderson rushed one in from eight yards out, and after a Falcons field goal, the Rams added their third touchdown of the half with a three-yard fade to the back corner of the endzone for Cooper Kupp.

Reigning Offensive Player of the Year Kupp nabbed his second of the game after half-time, getting on the end of a 10-yard pass to make it 28-3. He went on to finish with 11 catches from 14 targets for 108 yards and two touchdowns, after snagging 13 catches for 128 yards and a touchdown in Week 1.

While the game appeared dead, nobody told the Falcons as they began to march back into the contest.

The first receiver taken in this year's NFL Draft – Drake London, at pick eight – gave the Falcons their first touchdown of the night, and the first of his career, when he reeled in a four-yard pass from Marcus Mariota.

Another field goal for the Rams would extend their lead to 31-10, which was cut to 31-17 when Olamide Zaccheaus found some space for an 11-yard touchdown reception with eight minutes remaining.

The Rams clearly felt they had done enough for the win, and were content to punt the ball away on their next drive, only for the punt to get blocked, scooped up and run in by Lorenzo Carter for a Falcons touchdown, with a two-point conversion cutting the deficit to 31-25.

Atlanta would get a chance to drive down and win the game after Kupp coughed up an uncharacteristic fumble, but Mariota's pass into the endzone was picked off by Jalen Ramsey, allowing the Rams to run out the clock, even taking an intentional safety in the process to drain the time.

Stafford completed 27 of 36 passes for 272 yards, three touchdowns and two interceptions, and with Falcons running back Damien Williams placed on injured reserve, Cordarrelle Patterson and Tyler Allegier split the carries with 10 each.

Wilson's Broncos ride to choppy first win

New Denver Broncos quarterback Russell Wilson heard boos in his first home game in Empower Field at Mile High, but did enough to earn an unimpressive 16-9 win against the Houston Texans.

The Broncos trailed 6-3 in the final seconds of the first half, and with fourth-and-goal at the one yard line they opted to trot out the kicker, which was met with a chorus of boos for the coaching decision.

After an interception on the opening drive of the second half, Wilson himself was met with boos as he had only completed six-of-18 passes up until that point, but a touchdown pass to Eric Saubert at the start of the fourth quarter was enough to get the Broncos over the line.

Wilson ended up completing 14 of his 31 passes for 219 yards, one touchdown and one interception, and he relied heavily on receiver Courtland Sutton, who reeled in seven of his 11 targets for 122 yards.

Tight end Henry was set to become one of the top offensive players on the open market but will now remain under the control of the Chargers, who released Thomas Davis and Brandon Mebane on Friday.

The 25-year-old's one-year tag is expected to be worth just over $11million as he remains on a team in transition after they moved on from quarterback Philip Rivers.

Henry has overcome two serious injuries in his first four seasons after being drafted in the second round in 2016.

He missed the entire 2018 regular season but bounced back with 652 yards and five touchdowns in 2019.

The Broncos made the same move by applying the franchise tag to Simmons, who was an All-Pro last year after racking up four interceptions and 15 passes defensed, playing every defensive snap.

"We remain focused on reaching a long-term contract agreement with Justin, and he's a big priority for us," general manager John Elway said of the 2016 third-round pick, whose tag will cost around $12.75m.

"This is a placeholder in that process and our goal is the same - to make sure that Justin is a Bronco for a long time."

Earlier, the Baltimore Ravens franchise tagged Matthew Judon, as teams make their intentions clear with free agency set to begin on March 18.

Bell – a multi-time All-Pro and Pro-Bowl running back – joined the Ravens on September 7 and is set to play for Baltimore for the first time when they face the unbeaten Denver Broncos on Sunday.

If Bell does matchup against the Broncos, it would be his first game since appearing for the Kansas City Chiefs in their Divisional Round clash with the Cleveland Browns last season.

Bell had two carries for six yards in a Kansas City win, while he was also active for Super Bowl LV but did not play as Tom Brady's Tampa Bay Buccaneers reigned supreme.

The former Pittsburgh Steelers and New York Jets RB tallied 64 carries for 254 yards and two scores, as well as 13 receptions for 99 yards, in nine regular-season appearances for the Chiefs.

Baltimore (2-1) defeated the Detroit Lions 19-17 last week behind Justin Tucker's record-setting, 66-yard field goal as time expired.

Tucker is a perfect 21-for-21 in his career when kicking to tie the game or take the lead in the last minute of the fourth quarter or in overtime – six of his last seven such kicks have come from over 45 yards.

Baltimore and Denver (3-0) have split their 12 meetings all-time, but the home team is 10-2 in this series.

The Ravens' lone road win against the Broncos came in Week 3 of 2001 (20-13), which happened to be Hall-of-Fame tight end Shannon Sharpe's only career game played in Denver as an opposing player.

The 25-year-old has been acquired by the Seahawks as part of a deal that saw Wilson head the opposite way to the Denver Broncos.

Lock appeared in just six games for the Broncos last season, starting only half of those, but he is hopeful of getting his career back on track in a new chapter in his career.

"I was ready for something to happen, and then when I found out that this is what happened, I was really, really excited," he said.

"I'm excited for a fresh start, excited to come in and compete for a starting job and do everything I can to show this organisation and show this league what I'm capable of doing.

"I've got new team-mates, new coaching staff, new energy, new this, new that, new feel, whatever it may be, a new practice field, it's just the true definition of a fresh start.

"You get to make a new identity for everything, you get to come in and show these people how hard you want to work, how bad you want it, how bad you want to win games. 

"There's just a lot of good that can come from a new chair in a meeting room. There's a lot that goes into all this, and a fresh start for me is really, really exciting."

Lock is competing for a starting spot with Jacob Eason, the only other QB on the Seahawks' roster, and is confident of adapting to Shane Waldron's offensive system.

"I obviously know a little bit about coach Waldron's system, which is similar to the one I ran my rookie year when I first got in the league," Lock said.

"We won four of the five games, and I played efficient football, took care of the ball, scored in the red zone, hit the deep shots when they were there.

"When we start talking and getting into the deep details of his offense, we'll put it all together and end up being able to put a good offense together that makes my skill set shine. 

"I can throw the deep ball, I can move around in the pocket, I can play-action. Whatever you might need me to do, I'll be able to do it."

Lock will wear the number two jersey with the Hawks as a sign of respect for the departing Wilson, who spent nine years with Seattle.

Wilson threw for 37,059 passing yards, 292 touchdowns and 87 interceptions during his Seahawks career and he averaged 7.83 pass yards per attempt.

That is a tally only Deshaun Watson (8.32), Patrick Mahomes (8.10) and Peyton Manning (7.89) bettered among quarterbacks across that period.

He also ranked fourth in touchdown percentage (6.2) and third in passing plays of 25 yards or more (323), leaving a massive void to be filled in the 2022 season.

But while Lock is full of respect for what Wilson achieved with the Seahawks, he is out to write his own chapter at Lumen Field.

"As long as football goes on, Russell Wilson will be very special to this place, very special to Seattle," he said. 

"I know what it takes to, kind of build a legacy. You wouldn't go wear 18 in Indianapolis, you wouldn't go wear 12 in Green Bay. It's a sign of respect for him from me.

"But also at the same time, I want to write my own story here. I want to see what two does for us. I want to make that me. 

"I don't want to fight against Russell, he's done so many great things for this place and so many great things for the city of Seattle and the state of Washington. 

"I want two to be Drew, and that's just kind of been my mindset on it. 

"I have the utmost respect for him and that was a move in showing that."

Mahomes found Travis Kelce with 28 seconds remaining as Super Bowl champions the Chiefs prevailed against the Raiders in Las Vegas on Sunday.

The Indianapolis Colts completed a memorable comeback against the Green Bay Packers 34-31 following overtime, while Justin Herbert celebrated a career day for the Los Angeles Chargers.

MAHOMES PUTS ON A SHOW

Cometh the hour, cometh the man.

Mahomes was faced with a 31-28 deficit inside the final two minutes after Raiders quarterback Derek Carr threw a touchdown pass to Jason Witten.

Chiefs star Mahomes stepped up to the plate, leading a seven-play, 75-yard drive in 75 seconds with a 22-yard throw to Kelce as Kansas City (9-1) reigned supreme at the death.

Mahomes finished 34 of 45 for 348 yards, two touchdowns and an interception, while he rushed for 16 yards on four carries.

Carr – who joined Russell Wilson as the only players in NFL history with 25,000 passing yards and fewer than 70 interceptions in their first seven seasons – was 23-of-31 passing for 275 yards, three TDs and an interception.

COLTS EDGE RODGERS AND PACKERS

It was not pretty but the Colts got the better of the Packers in Week 11.

Rookie kicker Rodrigo Blankenship nailed a 39-yard field goal to lift the Colts – who scored 20 of the final 23 points – past the Packers in OT, having trailed 28-14 at half-time.

Rodgers led the Packers (7-3) down the field in less than 90 seconds to level the game and force overtime in Indianapolis, where AFC South leaders the Colts (7-3) stayed ahead of the Tennessee Titans.

The result marked Philip Rivers' 13th career start in which his team rallied from 14-plus points down to win, per Stats Perform. It is the second-most 14-plus point comeback wins by a QB in NFL history, only behind Peyton Manning (16).

Rivers was 24 of 36 passing for 288 yards, three touchdowns and an interception, while Packers counterpart Rodgers finished 27 of 38 for 311 yards, three TDs and an interception.

HERBETS SETS ROOKIE MARK

Chargers quarterback Herbert enjoyed a memorable outing as his team held off the beleaguered Jets 34-28.

Herbert – who was 37 of 49 for 366 yards and three touchdowns – became the first rookie in NFL history to throw for 350-plus yards while completing at least 75 per cent of his passes in a game, according to Stats Perform.

He also recorded his fifth game of three-plus touchdown passes this season – the most by a rookie in a season in the Super Bowl era, per NFL Research, as the Chargers condemned the Jets to a 0-10 record.

Herbert connected with Keenan Allen, who set a single-game Chargers record with his 16th reception in the fourth quarter, becoming the first of four wide receivers in the Super Bowl era with two career 15-plus reception games.

TUA BENCHED AS DOLPHINS LOSE

Tua Tagovailoa was replaced by Ryan Fitzpatrick in the fourth quarter of the team's 20-13 loss to the Denver Broncos.

The Dolphins trailed 20-10 when Tagovailoa was benched, though Miami head coach Brian Flores said the rookie quarterback remains starter.

Tagovailoa – promoted following Week 7 – went 11-of-20 passing for 83 yards and a touchdown

"Tua wasn't injured. We just felt like it was the best move at that point of the game – we had to get in two-minute mode and we felt like [Fitzpatrick] gave us the best chance to win the game and we had an opportunity at the end to tie it," Flores said.

Meanwhile, the Dallas Cowboys snapped a four-game skid by topping the Minnesota Vikings 31-28 to move back into the NFC East race.

Cowboys quarterback Andy Dalton and tight end Dalton Schultz connected for a touchdown in the win, marking the first TD pass in NFL history in which the passer's last name is an exact match with the receiver's first name, according to NFL Research.

Week 11 scores:

Tennessee Titans 30-24 Baltimore Ravens (OT)
Carolina Panthers 20-0 Detroit Lions
Cleveland Browns 22-17 Philadelphia Eagles
Houston Texans 27-20 New England Patriots
Pittsburgh Steelers 27-3 Jacksonville Jaguars
New Orleans Saints 24-9 Atlanta Falcons
Washington Football Team 20-9 Cincinnati Bengals
Denver Broncos 20-13 Miami Dolphins
Los Angeles Chargers 34-28 New York Jets
Indianapolis Colts 34-31 Green Bay Packers (OT)
Dallas Cowboys 31-28 Minnesota Vikings
Kansas City Chiefs 35-31 Las Vegas Raiders

Reigning Super Bowl champions the Chiefs needed overtime to see off the Los Angeles Chargers 23-20 in Week 2.

Lamar Jackson and the Ravens powered past the Houston Texans 33-16 on the road.

Meanwhile, Kyler Murray dazzled for the high-flying Arizona Cardinals and Russell Wilson sparked the Seattle Seahawks.

MAHOMES' CHIEFS OUTLAST CHARGERS

Patrick Mahomes and the Chiefs stayed perfect thanks to Harrison Butker's 58-yard field goal with less than two minutes remaining in OT.

Butker drilled three field goals for the day as he tied a Chiefs record for distance, while becoming the second kicker in NFL history to make a pair of 58-yard kicks in the same game.

It completed a rally for the Chiefs, who overturned a 17-6 deficit in the third quarter to survive an impressive NFL debut by Chargers rookie Justin Herbert.

Herbert threw 311 yards to become the ninth player since the merger to top 300 in his first game. He was 22 of 33 for a touchdown and interception.

As for former MVP and last season's Super Bowl MVP Mahomes, the Chiefs quarterback finished 27 of 47 for 302 passing yards and two touchdowns and rushed for 54 yards.

RAVENS PRESERVE UNBEATEN RUN

The Ravens overcame a slow start to extend their regular-season winning streak to 14 games – the longest run since the Carolina Panthers reeled off 18 successive victories in 2014-15.

Reigning MVP Jackson threw for 204 yards and a touchdown, while he rushed for 54 yards in Houston, where the Ravens led 20-10 at half-time.

The Ravens rushed for 230 yards compared to the Texans' 51 as Mark Ingram II had 55 and a touchdown.

"We feel like we have the best backfield in the league. We just try to prove that, week in, week out," Ingram said.

MURRAY HAS CARDINALS SOARING

Murray continues to show why the Cardinals were so desperate to draft him with the number one pick last year after inspiring a 30-15 victory against the Washington Football Team.

Second-year quarterback Murray finished with 286 yards and a touchdown, while he ran for two TDs in a stunning display.

Murray – a dual-threat – put on a show as he ran with the ball and went for 14 and 21 yards to help the Cardinals improve to 2-0.

"As soon as I leave the pocket I survey the field," Murray said. "Seeing how the blocks were set up, they were set up pretty perfectly. Once I get a guy one on one, I like my chances."

Cardinals star DeAndre Hopkins had eight catches for 68 yards and a touchdown.

Meanwhile, Wilson fuelled the Seahawks to a 35-30 win over the New England Patriots.

Wilson was 21-of-28 for 288 yards and five touchdowns as the Seahawks made it two victories from two games.

It condemned Can Newton and the Patriots to their first loss of the season after Tom Brady's QB replacement in New England finished 30 of 44 for 397 yards, a touchdown, interception and a sack in Seattle.

Week 2 scores:

Chicago Bears 17-13 New York Giants 
Dallas Cowboys 40-39 Atlanta Falcons 
Green Bay Packers 42-21 Detroit Lions 
Tennessee Titans 33-30 Jacksonville Jaguars 
Indianapolis Colts 28-11 Minnesota Vikings 
Buffalo Bills 31-28 Miami Dolphins 
San Francisco 49ers 31-13 New York Jets 
Los Angeles Rams 37-19 Philadelphia Eagles 
Pittsburgh Steelers 26-21 Denver Broncos 
Tampa Bay Buccaneers 31-17 Carolina Panthers
Arizona Cardinals 30-15 Washington Football Team
Kansas City Chiefs 23-20 Los Angeles Chargers
Baltimore Ravens 33-16 Houston Texans
Seattle Seahawks 35-30 New England Patriots