Man QBs Brady and Rodgers face off
Old
Hey old-timer, what are you still doing on an NFL field?
Guaranteed no one is asking that question to the quarterbacks in the bays: 43-yearold Tom Brady in Tampa and 36-year-old Aaron Rodgers in Green Bay. The two future residents of Canton, Ohio — at least their busts in the Pro Football Hall of Fame, that is — spice up today’s PackersBuccaneers game in Tampa.
And who says these quarterbacks are old? Certainly not Buccaneers coach Bruce Arians, who has worked with some of the best — young or old — throughout the decades.
“Barring major injury, I think these guys can play until they’re 45, as long as their arm holds up,” he says. “With sports science and all the stuff that these guys are doing to stay in shape and keeping their arms strong, I don’t see — unless their legs go —why they couldn’t play until they’re 45.”
Rodgers, whose Packers (4-0) have been the most fundamentally sound team in the NFL so far on both sides of the ball, is 1-1 against Brady. He’s a big fan of Brady’s.
“He’s kind of always been ahead of the field with his footwork and just his dedication to what he’s doing,” Rodgers says. “He really cares about it obviously. He cares about taking care of himself and trying to get to 45, it looks like. And he’s gonna get there.”
Cleveland (4-1) at Pittsburgh (4-0)
Here’s a rarity: A matchup of these AFC North archrivals that draws headlines. It’s the first time they both are at least three games over .500 when they meet since 1994.
The Browns have won four straight and are 4-1 for the first time since that year, but have lost 16 straight games at Heinz Field to the Steelers.
Kansas City (4-1) at Buffalo (4-1), Monday
Much uncertainty surrounded when this game would be played, not because of anything the Bills or Chiefs had done but because of Tennessee’s COVID-19 outbreak.
Both come off losses and displayed leaky defenses in those defeats. That makes the prospect of slowing Kan
sas City’s Patrick Mahomes or Buffalo’s Josh Allen not exactly enticing.
L.A. Rams (4-1) at San Francisco (2-3)
Key (and weird) stats time:
San Francisco is 2-0 at
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the Meadowlands, 0-3 at home.
Los Angeles is 4-0
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against the NFC East.
San Francisco has a
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league-low 38 catches and 480 yards receiving from wideouts.
Arizona (3-2) at Dallas (2-3), Monday
A Big D homecoming of sorts. Arizona quarterback
Kyler Murray and coach Kliff Kingsbury will make their first NFL appearances in their home state. Both are quite familiar with the home of the Cowboys: Murray has a 6-0 record at AT&T Stadium from his high school and Oklahoma days. Kingsbury coached there six times with Texas Tech, going 2-4 vs. Baylor.
Cowboys QB Andy Dalton will make his first start in place of the injured Dak Prescott.
Houston (1-4) at Tennessee (4-0)
Romeo Crennel replaced Bill O’Brien as Texans coach and the team promptly won for the first time. That was against weak Jacksonville. The Titans, despite their COVID19 issues in recent weeks, are a much more formidable foe.
Look for Derrick Henry toting the ball. He ranks third in the NFL with 376 yards rushing and ran for 211 yards and three touchdowns in the previous meeting with Houston.
Atlanta (0-5) at Minnesota (1-4)
Raheem Morris, like Crennel a former head coach now serving in an interim role, gets his chance to emulate Crennel. Morris was promoted after the firing of Dan Quinn last Sunday.
The Falcons have their worst start since losing their first eight games in 1996.
Baltimore (4-1) at Philadelphia (1-3-1)
Philly begins a three-game homestand against a team that will not make things comfortable at the Linc — even if the Ravens are 0-2 in Philadelphia.
Baltimore has won eight straight road games. Lamar Jackson has 18 TD passes and five INTs during that streak.
Detroit (1-3) at Jacksonville (1-4)
Even though Detroit has scored on its opening drive in each game this season, it can’t stay in front. The Lions are the first team in NFL history to lose six consecutive games in which they led by double digits.
Jacksonville, hoping to get back three defensive starters from injuries, has lost four straight.
Cincinnati (1-3-1) at Indianapolis (3-2)
The Colts had four positive coronavirus tests Friday morning, but the retests came back negative.
The Bengals have allowed 16 sacks in the past three weeks and have given up a league-high 22 this season.
Chicago (4-1) at Carolina (3-2)
Improbably, given the rebuilding going on in Carolina, the Panthers have won three straight games after losing 10 in a row going back to 2019. Teddy Bridgewater has completed 75 of 102 passes (74%) for 824 yards with five TDs and one INT during the team’s threegame win streak.
With Nick Foles now at QB, Chicago’s Allen Robinson tied a career high with 10 receptions for 90 yards in last week’s win over Tampa.
Washington (1-4) at N.Y. Giants (0-5)
Things are looking up slightly with the Giants, who nearly knocked off Dallas last weekend. Coach Joe Judge seeks his first victory as the head man, and New York has won the past three meetings.
N.Y. Jets (0-5) at Miami (2-3)
A year ago the Dolphins had been outscored by 138 points after five games. This year they’ve outscored opponents by 23, including beating San Francisco 43-17 last week.