Patrick Mahomes feels he has not played his best football in the early stages of the season, despite the Kansas City Chiefs being 3-0 after Sunday's victory over the Atlanta Falcons.
The Chiefs – who are targeting a historic Super Bowl three-peat this term – opened their campaign with dramatic victories over the Baltimore Ravens and Cincinnati Bengals.
They were handed another stern test by the Falcons in Sunday's late game, relying on their defense to produce two big fourth-down stops in the closing minutes of a 22-17 win.
The Falcons, who impressively dispatched the Philadelphia Eagles in Week 2, had multiple chances to score a go-ahead touchdown, only for Kirk Cousins to throw a pair of incompletions in the end zone with just over four minutes to play.
Mahomes threw for 217 yards including touchdown passes to Rashee Rice and JuJu Smith-Schuster, though he also threw a pick to Justin Simmons, who now has six career interceptions against the three-time Super Bowl champion.
"I feel like I haven't played very well and that's not a stats thing," Mahomes said after the game.
"I just feel like I'm missing opportunities whenever they're out there and not throwing the ball in the exact spot I want it to be at.
"I'm not playing my best football and we're still getting wins, so I've got to get better to make the offense better."
Mahomes' 659 passing yards for the season ranks 10th among all quarterbacks, while his passer rating of 89.9 is just the 17th-best in the league.
Ahead of a challenging Week 4 visit to the Los Angeles Chargers, Mahomes is determined to step things up.
"It's about me getting back to my fundamentals, putting our guys in the right positions, and then we've got to execute at a higher level offensively," he said.
"If teams are going to make us drive the field, we have to prove that we're able to do that, and I'm sure we'll get a lot of the same this next week with the Chargers."
NFL suspends Houston Texans linebacker Al-Shaair three games
Houston Texans linebacker Azeez Al-Shaair has been suspended three games without pay for his latest violations of NFL rules following his illegal hit to the head of Jacksonville Jaguars quarterback Trevor Lawrence.
Jon Runyan, the NFL vice president of football operations, issued the suspension on Tuesday, notifying Al-Shaair of the punishment in a letter, noting "repeated violations of rules intended to protect the health and safety of players and promote sportsmanship."
Al-Shaair is reportedly appealing the suspension.
Al-Shaair's latest offence occurred with 4:20 remaining in the second quarter of Sunday's 23-20 win at Jacksonville, when Lawrence scrambled on a second-and-7 play. Lawrence began to slide, but Al-Shaair delivered a forearm shot to Lawrence's head, which led to a concussion.
"Video shows you striking the head/neck area of Jaguars' quarterback Trevor Lawrence after he clearly goes down in a feet-first slide," Runyan wrote. "You led with your forearm and helmet and delivered a forceful blow to the head/neck area of your opponent when you had time and space to avoid such contact."
Following the egregious hit, Lawrence's team-mates came to his defence, which escalated into a brawl.
Al-Shaair's actions during the ensuing fight also factored into the suspension.
"After the illegal hit, you proceeded to engage in a brawl, which you escalated when you pulled an opponent down to the ground by his facemask," Runyan wrote. "After the referee announced that you were disqualified for the hit and your unsportsmanlike acts, you removed your helmet and reengaged with your opponent while walking down and across the field, which started another physical confrontation near the end zone."
This is the third time this season Al-Shaair has been punished by the NFL.
Last week, he was flagged and fined for a late hit on Tennessee Titans running back Tony Pollard, and back in Week 2, he punched Chicago Bears running back Roschon Johnson during a scuffle that was began after Al-Shaair's hard hit on quarterback Caleb Williams.
"Your lack of sportsmanship and respect for the game of football and all those who play, coach, and enjoy watching it, is troubling and does not reflect the core values of the NFL," Runyan wrote. "Your continued disregard for NFL playing rules puts the health and safety of both you and your opponents in jeopardy and will not be tolerated."
If Al-Shaair's suspension is upheld, he will miss games against the Miami Dolphins (5-7), Kansas City Chiefs (11-1) and Baltimore Ravens (8-5), and won't be eligible to return until the season finale at Tennessee.
At 8-5, the Texans are atop the AFC South, two games ahead of the second-place Indianapolis Colts.
NFL: Broncos stay hot with win over Browns
Ja'Quan McMillian's 44-yard interception return touchdown, the second of two pick-sixes against Jameis Winston, locked up a wild 41-32 victory for the red-hot Denver Broncos over the Cleveland Browns on Monday.
Denver (8-5) was able to earn a third consecutive win despite Winston throwing for a Browns franchise-record 497 yards and four touchdowns and a huge night as well for former Bronco Jerry Jeudy, who racked up 235 yards and a touchdown on nine catches in his first meeting with his ex-team since being traded to Cleveland in the off-season.
Winston also threw three interceptions, however, with two coming back for touchdowns. McMillian's score came with 1:48 remaining and the Browns (3-9) threatening while trailing by just two points, 34-32.
Bo Nix was picked off twice for Denver while completing just 18 of 35 passes for 294 yards, though the rookie did connect with Marvin Mims for a 93-yard touchdown that gave the Broncos a 28-17 lead early in the third quarter.
Cleveland answered with a long touchdown pass of its own a mere 11 seconds later, as Winston hit a wide-open Jeudy in stride on a deep ball for a 70-yard score. The duo then teamed up for a successful 2-point conversion that brought the Browns within 28-25.
After Wil Lutz gave Denver some breathing room with a 36-yard field goal, Winston led the Browns on a nine-play, 72-yard drive culminating with his 5-yard touchdown pass to Nick Chubb that put Cleveland up 32-31 with 8:57 left.
The Broncos responded with an 11-play series that Lutz finished with a go-ahead 27-yard field goal with 2:54 remaining. McMillian then sealed the outcome by taking Winston's ill-advised pass the other way on the following possession.
WInston's first interception of the night was returned 71 yards for a touchdown by Nik Bonitto to stake Denver to a 21-10 advantage late in the second quarter. The veteran quarterback quickly rebounded, though, by engineering an 11-play, 70-yard drive that ended with his 4-yard touchdown pass to David Njoku with 13 seconds left until half-time.
Njoku also had a touchdown catch in the first quarter and finished with nine receptions for 52 yards. Elijah Moore added 111 yards on eight catches for Cleveland.
Mims and Courtland Sutton both eclipsed 100 receiving yards for Denver, with Mims totalling 105 on three catches and Sutton accumulating 102 on six receptions.
San Francisco 49ers star running back McCaffrey headed to IR
Christian McCaffrey's 2024 season looks to be over less than a month after it started.
San Francisco 49ers coach Kyle Shanahan said Monday that McCaffrey will be placed on injured reserve after the star running back suffered an injury to his posterior cruciate ligament in Sunday night's 35-10 loss to the Buffalo Bills.
McCaffrey won't need surgery, but will miss at least six weeks.
The 49ers only have five games remaining and with a 5-7 record, the defending NFC champions are in danger of missing the play-offs, as they sit two games behind the NFC West-leading Seattle Seahawks.
San Francisco will also be without Jordan Mason for the rest of the season after the team's backup running back sustained a high-ankle sprain against the Bills.
This marks the second time this season McCaffrey will be on injured reserve after he missed the first eight games with Achilles tendinitis.
He made his season debut in Week 10, and totalled 202 rushing yards with 146 receiving yards without a touchdown in the four games he played.
This came after McCaffrey was named the 2023 AP Offensive Player of the Year with an NFL-best 2,023 yards from scrimmage. He also tied with Raheem Mostert for the league lead at 21 touchdowns.
Mason stepped up in place of McCaffrey this season, rushing for 789 yards with an average of 5.2 yards per carry, but the 49ers will now rely on rookie Isaac Guerendo in the backfield.
In limited work, Guerendo has a solid average of 5.9 yards per rush, totalling 246 rushing yards and two touchdowns.
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