Former Super Bowl-winning head coach Sean Payton says he would be interested in returning to the NFL as a head coach in 2023 if the "right situation presented".

Payton, 58, led the New Orleans Saints to victory in Super Bowl XLIV in the 2009 season but stepped down from the franchise at the end of last season after 16 campaigns at the helm.

The 2006 AP Coach of the Year is working in the media with Fox Sports as an NFL analyst in 2022, but revealed he remains interested in coaching.

"If the right situation presented itself, I would definitely be interested," Payton told the NewOrleans.Football podcast.

"And there's no utopia, if you will, when it comes to teams, but if I felt like it was the right situation, I would have an interest in that. That all being said, that could come in a year, that could come in two years.

"The most important element is functional ownership [and] front office… because there's a handful of teams that aren't, and those teams, regardless of what takes place, they can win on Sunday but they have trouble winning long term.

"The opportunity to win consistently and the willingness to build the correct culture and all those things."

Payton's record with the Saints was 152-89 – the 13th-best of all time (minimum 100 games) – along with a 9-8 postseason record, forming a great partnership with quarterback Drew Brees with the highlight being the Saints' 31-17 Super Bowl win over the Indianapolis Colts.

Payton was suspended for the entire 2012 season after the Saints' 'Bountygate' scandal blew up, with players said to have been rewarded by fellow team members for injuring and knocking opponents out of games. He returned to lead the team with distinction again, albeit unable to secure a return to the Super Bowl.

The 58-year-old is under contract through 2024 with the Saints, meaning any new franchise hiring him would need to pay compensation to New Orleans.

Los Angeles Chargers quarterback Justin Herbert was limited in practice Wednesday and remains day to day after suffering fractured rib cartilage last Thursday.

Herbert was more of a bystander during the portion of practice open to the media, performing some handoffs to running backs, but did not do any throwing.

Chargers coach Brandon Staley said Herbert is day-to-day as one of three players listed as a limited participant on the team’s practice report. The star quarterback was injured by a hard hit in the fourth quarter of last week’s 27-24 loss to the Kansas City Chiefs.

Herbert only missed one play after taking a hit from Kansas City defensive lineman Michael Danna on a completion to Gerald Everett on Thursday, but was clearly in discomfort for the remainder of the contest.

''He's had a lot of rest since the last game, but I think the nature of the week is truly going to be a case-by-case, day-by-day basis,'' Staley said. ''We're just going to see where his comfort level is, and truly trust him and let him be the guide of where we're at, and make sure that we are prepared either way.''

Staley said the decision to play Herbert Sunday against the Jacksonville Jaguars begins with the quarterback himself.

"It will start with him and then obviously him feeling good about what the medical team feels like is best, him weighing the options and then us making a good decision," Staley said.

The Chargers have had issues with injured quarterbacks before.

The doctor caring for Herbert is being sued for medical malpractice by former Chargers quarterback Tyrod Taylor, who is seeking at least $5 million in damages.

In 2020, Taylor suffered a rib injury against the Cincinnati Bengals and a team doctor then punctured Taylor’s lung while attempting to give him a pain-killing injection. Taylor was taken to a hospital and Herbert was thrust into his first NFL start less than a minute before kickoff, with Taylor never recapturing his starting role.

The lawsuit was filed in Los Angeles County Superior Court in May 2021 and a trial was scheduled to begin in November, but has been moved to June 2023.

Chase Daniel would be in line to start if Herbert could not go. The 13-year veteran has six career starts, most recently in 2019 for the Chicago Bears.

In two games this season, Herbert is 59-of-82 for 613 yards with six touchdowns and one interception.

Kenny Golladay is making an average of $18million per season as part of the four-year, $72m deal he signed with the New York Giants prior to 2021 – and he wants his playing time to reflect it.

Under those terms, the Giants paid him roughly $500,000 for each of the two snaps he played in Sunday’s 19-16 win over the Carolina Panthers.

The Giants' previous ownership paid Golladay like a true number one wide receiver, but he barely saw the field this past week after playing 42 snaps (77 per cent) in Week 1.

Against the Panthers, after head coach Brian Daboll made it clear he plans on rotating his wide receivers based on week-to-week matchups and game-planning, it was David Sills V – who is on a one-year contract, with two career catches and is making $825,000 this season – who assumed Golladay's Week 1 role, 

"I don’t agree with it," he said Wednesday, via video from SNY. "I came here to play. I didn’t like the decision whatsoever."

Golladay said the decision to keep him on the sidelines was particularly perplexing because all the feedback he has been getting from ownership and coaches is that he has a good work ethic, and additionally there hasn’t been any friction between himself and Daboll.

The Giants, who are 2-0 for the first time since 2016, host the Cowboys on Monday night, though it’s uncertain what kind of role will be given to the wide receiver with the highest salary cap hit in the league this season.

"I’m preparing like I’m going to be playing, but who knows," he said. "The GM, head coach, all these coaches keep saying, 'you do everything right; you handle yourself the right way'. It’s a little confusing."

In his first year with the Giants, Golladay led the team with 521 receiving yards on 37 receptions. This year he is tied for fifth on the Giants with two receptions going for 22 yards.

Richie James, who signed a one-year, $1.065million deal over the offseason, leads New York with 10 catches for 110 yards.

"I should be playing regardless," Golladay said. "That’s a fact."

The NFL has upheld Tampa Bay Buccaneers wide receiver Mike Evans' one-game suspension for his actions during last week's game against the New Orleans Saints.

Evans was deemed to have violated unnecessary roughness and unsportsmanlike conduct rules when he knocked Saints cornerback Marshon Lattimore to the ground during the fourth quarter of Tampa Bay's 20-10 win. He was ejected along with Lattimore, who provoked the incident by getting in the face of Bucs quarterback Tom Brady before Evans intervened with a blindside shove that prompted a brief melee between the teams.

The four-time Pro Bowler will miss Sunday's game at the Green Bay Packers after appeals officer and former NFL wide receiver James Thrash denied Evans' request to overturn the penalty.

Evans' absence further depletes a Buccaneers receiving corps that was already shorthanded last week with Chris Godwin and Julio Jones both inactive. Godwin is reportedly expected to miss multiple games after injuring his hamstring in Tampa Bay's season-opening win at the Dallas Cowboys, while Jones sat out the New Orleans game with a knee injury and is uncertain to return against the Packers.

The Buccaneers did sign veteran slot receiver Cole Beasley to the practice squad on Tuesday, though it is unclear if he'll be ready to help out immediately.

Evans, the only player in NFL history to begin his career with eight consecutive seasons of 1,000 or more receiving yards, leads Tampa Bay with eight catches and 132 receiving yards through two games.

The 29-year-old was previously suspended one game in 2017 for a similar confrontation with Lattimore.

In this latest incident, NFL vice president of football operations Jon Runyan determined that Evans' actions were excessive and unnecessary and broke league safety and sportsmanship rules.

"After a play had ended, you were walking toward your sidelines. When you noticed your team-mates engaged in a confrontation with Saints' players, you ran toward that area on the field and violently threw your body into and struck an unsuspecting opponent who was part of that confrontation," Runyan wrote in a letter to Evans informing him of the decision.

"You knocked your opponent to the ground and a melee ensued involving players from both teams. Your aggressive conduct could have caused serious injury to your opponent and clearly does not reflect the high standards of sportsmanship expected of a professional."

"Anticipation has the habit to set you up for disappointment."

That refrain from The Arctic Monkeys song 'The View From The Afternoon' applies perfectly to the world of fantasy football, where high expectations are often not reflected by the end result.

While it is too early in the NFL season to be writing off teams and players who have not lived up to their hype as yet, there will already be fantasy owners getting impatient with certain players they drafted to help their team to glory.

Fans of the Las Vegas Raiders will certainly be irritated by their winless start while two offensive stars in the NFC West have yet to deliver much for differing reasons.

Keep that theme and that division in mind as Stats Perform dives into this week's edition of fantasy picks.

Quarterback: Derek Carr, Las Vegas Raiders @ Tennessee Titans

Is it time to panic in Vegas after an 0-2 start? It certainly will be if the Raiders do not get it done against the also winless Titans.

Recent evidence quite clearly points to the Raiders' quarterback putting Las Vegas in a position to finally get up and running against a Tennessee defense that was shredded by the Buffalo Bills in Week 2.

The Titans are giving up seven yards per pass play, the seventh-most in the NFL, while the six passing touchdowns they have conceded are the third most.

Las Vegas' offense may not be on the same level as that of Buffalo, but the Raiders should have more than enough to consistently take advantage of a Titans defense that has been hit by injuries and reward fantasy players willing to give Carr a shot.

Running Back: Miles Sanders, Philadelphia Eagles @ Washington Commanders

The Eagles' offense is built around quarterback Jalen Hurts, with his ability to thrive running the ball a critical component of their early success this year.

But Sanders' 20 touches in the win over the Minnesota Vikings illustrated that he too is a key part of the attack.

Through two weeks, he is averaging 88 yards per game on the ground and this week gets to face a Commanders defense allowing 7.48 yards per rush, the highest average in the NFL.

Sanders should, therefore, be a high-floor fantasy play at running back this week, though Hurts' involvement in the ground game somewhat limits his ceiling.

Wide Receiver: Allen Robinson, Los Angeles Rams @ Arizona Cardinals

The highly anticipated return to form for Robinson following his move to Los Angeles has yet to come to fruition, though he did find the endzone last week against the Atlanta Falcons.

In Week 3, he has a clear opportunity to build on that showing against a Cardinals team whose failures should not be masked by their incredible comeback win over the Raiders.

The Cardinals have allowed 7.65 yards per pass play in the first two games and seven passing touchdowns, the most in the NFL.

In other words, the Rams should have little problem moving the ball on Arizona, putting Robinson in position to have a big day as a mismatch in the red zone.

Tight End: George Kittle, San Francisco 49ers @ Denver Broncos

The Niners should get Kittle back from a groin injury this week, and the fact the Jimmy Garoppolo has had to step in for the injured Trey Lance is unlikely to have any negative impact on his production.

Kittle's chemistry with Garoppolo is well-established and, though theoretically he has a tough matchup against a stingy Broncos defense, there is room for optimism he will immediately hit the ground running in his season debut.

That optimism stems from the Broncos' performance against the Seattle Seahawks in Week 1, when Denver allowed eight catches for 102 yards and a touchdown to tight ends, an average of 12.75 yards per reception.

If Kittle is allowed to do similar damage, then arguably the best yards after catch threat at his position could make it a long night for Denver and a great one for fantasy players with him on their roster.

Defense/Special Teams: Carolina Panthers vs. New Orleans Saints

OK. Listing the 0-2 Panthers here might elicit a double take, but there's logic behind this pick, believe it or not.

The Panthers may be heading to a complete teardown come the end of the year, but the defense is not the reason behind their struggles.

They have given up just 4.31 yards per play, the fourth-best average in the NFL, and just three offensive touchdowns.

Yes, the Saints are the better team, but they are also starting a quarterback in Jameis Winston who has four fractures in his back.

A low-scoring struggle is the most likely outcome in this NFC South matchup and, for that reason, the Panthers are a defense worthy of streaming for fantasy players in a bind at that spot.

Buffalo Bills offensive lineman Bobby Hart has been suspended for one game after hitting a Tennessee Titans coach.

The NFL confirmed the ban for an action at the end of the Bills' 41-7 victory over the Titans on Monday.

Hart was deemed to have taken a swing at an opposing player and missed, making contact with a coach instead, although the NFL did not identify either Titan.

In a letter to Hart, NFL vice president of football operations Jon Runyan wrote: "As both teams were heading to the tunnel, you walked directly across the field to seek out your opponent.

"You approached him near the end zone and a coach had to hold you back as others shook hands.

"Once you and your opponent were in the end zone near the tunnel, you confronted him and immediately swung at him with a closed fist, striking the head of a Tennessee coach.

"Your aggressive conduct could have caused serious injury and clearly does not reflect the high standards of sportsmanship expected of a professional."

ESPN reported Hart, who played three games for Tennessee last year before joining the Bills, would appeal against the suspension.

Having played in a quarter of Buffalo's offensive snaps during Monday's game, Hart is eligible to return to their active roster following Week 3, in which the Bills play the Miami Dolphins.

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers are expected to sign veteran wide receiver Cole Beasley to their practice squad, according to sources.

With Mike Evans facing a one-game suspension, and the duo of Chris Godwin (hamstring) and Julio Jones (knee) dealing with injuries, Tampa Bay will add Beasley, a 10-year veteran who spent the past three seasons with the Buffalo Bills. It is expected that he will be elevated to the active roster in the near future.

Beasley was released by the Bills in March despite matching a career high with 82 receptions in 16 games last season. He had been granted permission to seek a trade before he was released but was eventually let go in a move that created roughly $6.1million in salary-cap space.

Tampa Bay will likely enter this Sunday’s Week 3 showdown against the Green Bay Packers without Evans, unless the suspension for his role in a brawl with the New Orleans Saints on Sunday is overturned. Godwin and Jones, meanwhile, both missed the 20-10 victory and are questionable to face the Packers.

Evans’ appeal of his suspension was heard Tuesday, sources told ESPN, and a ruling is expected possibly as soon as Wednesday.

Beasley has been a reliable slot receiver during his career with the Bills and Dallas Cowboys, accumulating 550 catches for 5,709 yards with 34 touchdowns in 149 games.

With the Cleveland Browns still reeling from their 31-30 loss to the New York Jets in Week 2, star running back Nick Chubb stepped forward to take his share of the blame for the blown lead.  

Chubb scored a touchdown with 1:55 remaining from 12 yards out, putting the Browns up 30-17. The Jets, however, were out of timeouts, and if Chubb had gone down voluntarily, Cleveland could have knelt to bleed the rest of the clock.  

Instead, Chubb’s third touchdown of the day left the Browns up 13 points, and the Jets pulled off a historic comeback.  

"Yeah, I probably shouldn't have scored right there," Chubb said Tuesday. "Honestly, looking back at it, it cost us the game.  

"A lot of things went wrong, not just one thing. But collectively as a unit, as a team, we could've all done things different. But it's only a problem because we didn't win. So, I probably should've went down."

Cleveland coach Kevin Stefanski also took his share of the blame for failing to instruct his players on the appropriate strategy.  

"That's something that's my responsibility to communicate to that huddle," Stefanski said. "Putting yourself up potentially 14 points inside of two minutes, you should close out that game.  

"Yes, I wish I had said that to Nick, and Nick would've done it. But it does not change the fact that we had plenty of opportunities to win that game." 

Among the other factors that led to the Browns’ collapse were a missed PAT after Chubb’s ill-timed touchdown, Cleveland’s defense allowing two touchdowns in the span of a minute and the Jets recovering an onside kick, a play with just a 16.1 per cent success rate last season.   

The loss dropped the Browns to 1-1 on the season. The Pittsburgh Steelers visit Cleveland on Thursday night to kick off Week 3.  

Kevin O'Connell accepted the blame for Kirk Cousins' three-interception performance in the Minnesota Vikings' 24-7 loss to the Philadelphia Eagles.

Cousins and the Vikings' offense endured a dismal night in Philadelphia as Minnesota crashed back down to earth following their Week 1 win over the Green Bay Packers.

Picked off twice by Darius Slay and once by Avonte Maddox, Cousins was sacked twice and hit a further seven times during a game in which he ended up having completed 58.7 per cent of his passes for 221 yards.

All three of his interceptions came inside the Eagles' 30-yard line and saw the Vikings miss out on the chance to score points, with the two from Slay each coming on throws to the endzone.

Despite Cousins' critical mistakes, it was head coach O'Connell who took responsibility after a game in which his quarterback came under heavy fire.

"I thought Kirk battled tonight," O'Connell said. "Put him in some tough spots, and I think our overall offensive philosophy, when we do not succeed in activating those things, it puts a lot of pressure on the quarterback, and that's where I once again put this one 100 per cent on me."

For his part, Cousins felt the Vikings falling 14 points behind in the second quarter and 24-7 down at half-time contributed to a less balanced offensive approach, which he believed was behind the disappointing display.

"I think that getting behind early we probably had to throw a little more often than we would have liked, and didn't stay as balanced as we'd like to be," he said.

"It's probably more just the nature of how the game went, and we certainly want to be balanced as best we can."

The Vikings went three-and-out on four of their five offensive series in the first half, the sole exception a drive that ended with a touchdown throw to Irv Smith Jr.

"Part of the challenge is we didn't stay on the field, we didn't run enough plays, and so those three-and-outs early aren't how we want to start," Cousins added.

"I think their defense deserves credit. They did a good job with rush and with coverage, and the combination made it tough for us."

Coach Sean McDermott said he and his team were praying for Dane Jackson after the Buffalo Bills cornerback suffered a worrying neck injury in Monday's win over the Tennessee Titans.

The 25-year-old Jackson was taken away in an ambulance for scans at the Erie County Medical Center.

He suffered the injury in a collision with a team-mate, linebacker Tremaine Edmunds, near the end of the first half.

McDermott said in a post-game press conference: "We're still waiting word. We're praying for Dane. Dane Jackson has, I think, full movement in his extremities, which is good.

"You go from being a coach to being a human when you're watching him being loaded into the ambulance. That's a real moment. It's an unfortunate situation.

"The game's important and trying to win a game is important, but there's bigger things, especially at that moment when their team-mate's down there.

"I saw him in the ambulance at half-time. I had a chance to talk to him real quick before they headed out."

The blow to Jackson took some of the attention away from a fine win for the Bills, which saw Josh Allen and Stefon Diggs connect for three touchdowns.

Wide receiver Diggs had 12 receptions for 148 yards, and he savoured seeing the Bills move to 2-0 for the third time in the past four seasons.

He said: "As a receiver, you want to be able to do everything, especially if you consider yourself a wide receiver one.

"You've got to be everything for your quarterback. If your quarterback wants to throw a bomb, you better be able to catch it. [Same for] if he wants to carve things up in the middle.

"I've got a quarterback that can do everything, so I've just got to do everything. If I do my job, I'm all right, giving my quarterback that comfortable feel, that safety play, so he's out there not thinking too much, just trusting I'm going to be open and I'll make a play for you."

Week 3 will see the Bills tackle the Miami Dolphins, AFC East rivals who have also begun with two wins.

"That's definitely going to be another test for us, and it's something we look forward to," Diggs said. "They're in our division, so we've got to get a win.

"I feel like they're a good-ass team, they've got a hell of a defense, they call on the right plays on offense, and they're having a lot of success."

Josh Allen and Stefon Diggs connected for three touchdowns as the Buffalo Bills moved to 2-0 for the third time in the past four seasons with a 41-7 win over the Tennessee Titans on Monday.

The Bills blew away the Titans after leading 10-7 in the second quarter, with Allen finishing the game with four touchdown passes, completing 26 of 38 passes for 317 yards with no interceptions.

Diggs got on the end of three of those, including a 46-yard third-quarter hand cannon, having 12 receptions for 148 yards. Allen has contributed to four or more TDs in each of his past four games, including playoffs.

Buffalo's win means they have won six straight regular-season games, which is the longest active streak in the NFL. It is also the Bills' NFL-best 13th 14-point-plus win over the past two seasons, with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers next best with eight.

Titans QB Ryan Tannehill, who was benched late, threw 11 of 20 passes for 117 yards with no touchdowns and two interceptions, including a Matt Milano pick six. The Bills face the 2-0 Miami Dolphins in Week 3, with three of their next four games on the road.

The Philadelphia Eagles joined the Bills with a 2-0 record after a 24-7 triumph over the Minnesota Vikings led by Jalen Hurts who had a major hand in all three of their touchdowns.

Hurts threw for one touchdown (finishing with 26-of-31 passing for 333 yards), while he ran in two TDs (57 yards from 11 carries), helping the Eagles open up a 24-7 half-time lead, with neither side scoring in the second half. Hurts landed a 53-yard pass for Quez Watkins' TD.

The Eagles defense managed three interceptions from Vikings quarterback Kirk Cousins, who completed 27 of 46 passes for 221 yards with one touchdown to Irv Smith Jr.

Police in Las Vegas are investigating allegations that a fan struck Arizona Cardinals quarterback Kyler Murray in the aftermath of Arizona’s 29-23 overtime victory over the Raiders on Sunday.

Video showed that Murray was giving high-fives to fans in the front row of Allegiant Stadium when a man appeared to reach down and strike Murray in the face with an open hand.

Murray was not injured but appeared shocked by the act on video.

A Las Vegas police spokesperson confirmed that a battery complaint was filed Sunday. Murray’s name was not explicitly mentioned by the spokesperson, who said the allegation was that "a spectator at the stadium struck a professional football player."

Police have not yet identified a suspect.

Arizona head coach Kliff Kingsbury said he has not seen the video but was made aware of the incident on Monday.

"I was just told about it," Kingsbury said. "But I think that guy's a lowlife, whoever did it, and I hope they arrest him, he gets fired and can never go to another game."

The Cardinals trailed 23-7 at halftime but stormed back to force overtime, thanks in large part to Murray tallying a passing and a rushing touchdown, along with two two-point conversions to force overtime.

Arizona won the game when Byron Murphy Jr. returned a Hunter Renfrow fumble 59 yards for a touchdown in the extra session.

Since entering the NFL in 2020, Tua Tagovailoa has had more doubters than believers.

With a stellar college career at Alabama ended by a hip dislocation, there were plenty of concerns around Tagovailoa ahead of the 2020 draft, and they persisted after the Miami Dolphins put them to one side to select him fifth overall.

A rookie year in which he rotated with Ryan Fitzpatrick and a surge in the second half of last season fuelled largely by the Dolphins' reliance on the run-pass option did little to dissuade the sceptics, with plenty still questioning his ability to be the long-term answer at quarterback for a franchise that has not had one since Dan Marino rode off into the sunset.

Those doubts evidently existed within the Dolphins' organisation, one which was reportedly very interested in striking a trade for Deshaun Watson last year.

But two games into an undefeated start to a make-or-break year for Tagovailoa it is clear he has the belief of the most important person in the building – his head coach.

And on Sunday, as the Dolphins remarkably stormed back from a 35-14 fourth-quarter deficit to stun the Baltimore Ravens 42-38 on the road, Mike McDaniel's faith in one of the most scrutinised quarterbacks in the NFL enabled Tagovailoa to deliver one of the most incredible results in recent league history.

The Dolphins became the first team to overcome a 21-point fourth-quarter deficit since the Philadelphia Eagles achieved that feat in Week 15 of the 2010 season against the New York Giants.

For those who aren't familiar with that game, it required a 65-yard punt return from Desean Jackson as time expired for the Eagles to complete the comeback and became known as the Miracle at the New Meadowlands. That's how unlikely such turnarounds are.

Yet McDaniel instilled calm in the Dolphins as they went into the second half trailing 28-7, and his relaxed approach and his belief in his quarterback yielded astonishing dividends.

McDaniel's understated inspiration

"I just challenged them to say 'who cares what the score is?' It's about how we play football together, so this is an opportunity, it's a tough one but that doesn't even matter, let's get something out of this game to feel good about in the second half and we'll worry about the score some time in the fourth quarter," McDaniel said.

"I didn't care about the outcome of the game at that point, at half-time it was a huge opportunity for us to show who we are and play good football for each other."

In regards to Tagovailoa, McDaniel was delighted he succeeded in getting his quarterback to play with a short memory in a game where he threw two interceptions in the first half.

"Now maybe Tua will finally listen to me," added McDaniel. "It's awesome to be critical of yourself, it's good. He has a high standard for himself. After the first game I just wanted to see the guy enjoy playing football, and understand that yes 'you want to make the perfect read and the perfect throw every time, but who cares?'

"If you just get better at one thing a game you're going to be pretty good at the end of the season. So let's just press forward.

"The absolute worst thing could have happened for him at the beginning of the game [on the first interception], where we get a contested ball, that's not really his fault, and then he starts pressing and throws it up for a second interception. 

"This is huge because he stopped worrying about the last play and he went and played and took his responsibility seriously to his team-mates about 'hey I'm going to lead this team confidently'.

"It is what you get into sports for. I think it was a moment that he'll never forget, that hopefully he can use moving forward because we basically had to play perfect complementary football to come back from a deficit like that against a really good team. His team-mates learned a lot about him and I think he learned something about himself."

That short memory allowed Tagovailoa to complete 36 of his 50 pass attempts for a career-high 469 yards and six touchdowns. The only other two Dolphin quarterbacks to throw six touchdowns in a game are Marino and Bob Griese.

And, with two of those scores coming on deep shots 48 and 60 yards to Tyreek Hill, Tagovailoa may feel he has gone some way to quieting a narrative that has persisted throughout the build-up to this campaign. 

Deep ball questions answered?

The offseason in Miami was defined in part by questions about Tagovailoa's ability to throw the deep ball. Last season, he had one completion of 20 yards or more for a touchdown. Through two games in 2022, he has three.

In addition to producing an immediate improvement on where he was last year in completing passes downfield, Tagovailoa also made strides from his performance in the opening week of the season against the New England Patriots.

Week 1 saw Tagovailoa deliver an accurate, well-thrown ball on 71.9 per cent of his passes, according to Stats Perform data. Against the Ravens, his well-thrown rate was up to 80 per cent.

Tagovailoa's performance saw him enter the NFL record books as the third-youngest player with six touchdown passes in a single game and the fourth-youngest with at least 450 passing yards and five touchdowns in the same game at the age of 24 years and 200 days.

His success came in part through heeding the words of his coach and getting significantly better in one area than he was in the previous week, but his career day was not simply the product of better accuracy and motivation from McDaniel.

Play-calling mastery

Indeed, it was also a result of having two receivers with the speed to terrify any defense and a play-caller who knows how to deploy them and set his team up for success, as well as two massive coverage mix-ups by Baltimore that allowed Hill to tie the game with two deep receptions.

While he only produced a burn – which is when a receiver wins his matchup with a defender on a play where he is targeted – on seven of his 13 targets (a ratio of 53.8 per cent that was below the average of 58.7 for the week as of Monday), only five receivers targeted at least five times in Week 2 averaged more burn yards per target than Hill's 14.62.

With fellow speedster Jaylen Waddle winning 13 of his 19 matchups for an impressive burn rate of 68.4, Tagovailoa was targeting two pass-catchers adept at creating separation who presented the perfect duo with which to attack a Ravens secondary battling injuries, Hill and Waddle becoming the first pair of team-mates in NFL history to record at least 10 receptions, 150 receiving yards and two touchdown receptions in the same game.

And McDaniel made the most telling illustration of his impact on the final drive. Schooled in the Kyle Shanahan offense, the first-year head coach showed the value of his long apprenticeship under the league's pre-eminent play-caller on two game-deciding calls.

The first was his call for a split-zone run with Chase Edmonds on second-and-one from the Ravens' 35-yard line with 46 seconds left.

It is a situation where most would have expected another shot at big passing play. Instead, McDaniel created an explosive move with the run, using the snap motion to take the nickel defender at the second level over to the far side of the field, before safety Chuck Clark, playing down in the box, reacted to tight end Mike Gesicki peeling back across the formation to block linebacker Patrick Queen by following him away from the direction of the play, his vacation of his previous alignment and well-executed blocking by Miami creating a huge hole for Edmonds to rumble 28 yards to the seven-yard line.

Two plays later, McDaniel again used motion to help the Dolphins complete the comeback, this time with Waddle going across the field and being followed in man coverage by former Alabama team-mate Jalyn Armour-Davis. At the snap, Trent Sherfield ran a slant that essentially served as a pick play, the collision between Armour-Davis and Daryl Worley leaving the former out of position for long enough for Waddle to create separation with his pivot route and allowing Tagovailoa, having superbly navigated the pocket, to find him with a high throw on the move.

At Alabama, Tagovailoa was playing for college football's powerhouse, a program that serves as a ceaseless production line of NFL talent and the perfect incubator in which a young quarterback can thrive at that level.

In other words, he was in the ideal situation. Across his first two seasons in Miami, he was in anything but.

As the hugely improbable fightback against the Ravens demonstrated, Tagovailoa – with two game-breakers at receiver and a head coach with the mindset and the play-calling acumen to accentuate the strengths of his quarterback and his surrounding talent – is in a substantially better spot.

McDaniel, Tagovailoa and Co. combined to achieve the near-impossible and, after a fourth-quarter turnaround for ages, the quarterback whom so many were willing to write off should be the subject of burgeoning belief.

The NFL has suspended Kansas City Chiefs linebacker Willie Gay for four games for violating the league's personal conduct policy.

The suspension was revealed on Monday and stems from an arrest in January, when the 24-year-old was charged with misdemeanour criminal property damage at the home of the mother of his son.

He started in both of Kansas City's playoff games last January following the arrest, and agreed to a pre-trial diversion program over the summer to conclude the case.

Gay has started both games for the 2-0 Chiefs this season and is tied with L'Jarius Sneed for second on the team with 16 tackles. He also has two tackles for loss, two passes defended and one quarterback hit.

It is uncertain if Gay will appeal the suspension in an effort to get it reduced, but as it stands, he will miss games against the Indianapolis Colts, Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Las Vegas Raiders and Buffalo Bills, and will be eligible to return against the San Francisco 49ers in Week 7.

San Francisco 49ers starting quarterback Trey Lance underwent successful surgery on his broken ankle on Monday and is expected to make a full recovery.

The 49ers revealed in a statement that Lance had a fibula fracture and a ligament disruption in his right ankle.

Lance's first season as San Francisco's starter is over only two games in after the 2021 No. 3 overall pick suffered the injury in Sunday's win over the Seattle Seahawks.

Lance's right leg bent awkwardly when tackled by two Seattle defenders on a designed run on just the 49ers' second drive of the game. He was carted off after having his leg placed in an air cast and quickly ruled out of the contest.

Head coach Kyle Shanahan confirmed the fracture following his team's 27-7 victory.

"It's always tough, especially when it's a big one like that," Shanahan stated. "It's a very sad moment, but you don't have time to sit there and think about it.

"We were real happy about the win, but it was a little sombre once you got in the locker room and you see him."

Lance spent his rookie season as the backup to veteran Jimmy Garoppolo, but was declared the team's starter this offseason.

The 22-year-old did struggle in last week's 19-10 road loss to the Chicago Bears, completing just 13 of 28 passes for 164 yards and an interception in a game played in rain-soaked conditions.

Lance took to Twitter to post a message to thank fans for their support on Monday, writing: "Truly appreciate all of the messages and prayers. Surgery was a success and I am ready to attack this rehab process.

"We will never understand why, but I trust that it's all a part of His plan. I will be back better than ever. This chapter is going to make the story even greater!"

Garoppolo replaced Lance in Sunday's win and threw for 154 yards and a touchdown, with no turnovers on 13-of-21 passing.

"I thought he did a real good job coming off the bench, made some real key throws," Shanahan said. "I'm real proud of Jimmy and how he came in and was ready for the moment and helped us get a win."

Garoppolo did not practice at all during training camp as he recovered from shoulder surgery and spent the summer the subject of trade rumours.

The nine-year veteran ultimately remained with the 49ers on a reworked contract that slashed his 2022 salary from $24.2million to a $6.5m base, though he can earn close to an additional $9m in incentives.

The 49ers have had considerable past success with Garoppolo at the helm, as he owns a 31-14 record in 45 regular-season starts since joining the team in a trade with the New England Patriots during the 2017 season.

Garoppolo helped San Francisco reach the Super Bowl during the 2019 season and led them to last season's NFC Championship Game. The 30-year-old threw for 3,810 yards and 20 touchdowns with 12 interceptions in 15 starts in 2021.