By Nick Shook
NFL.com
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John Fox needed just one month to move on from his bridge quarterback to his team’s future.

His explanation was simple:

Trubisky trots into the starting lineup in a bear of a situation (pun unintended), a home game against a menacing Minnesota Vikings defense (T-9th in the NFL in sacks with 11) on Monday Night Football. The moment won’t be too big for him, he said. Continue reading →

By Nick Shook
NFL.com
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Alex Smith and the Kansas City Chiefs survived a Monday night clash in a 29-20 win over the Washington Redskins. Here’s what we learned:

1. It’s time we give Alex Smith his due credit and not saddle it with a “well, he can’t go deep” knock on the way out the door. Smith engineered an excellent drive with less than a minute left, completing passes of 4, 37 and 10 yards to set up rookie kicker Harrison Butker for the winning field goal. Smith was sharp for a majority of the night, completing 27 of 37 passes for 293 yards and one touchdown, and rushing seven times for 56 yards and another score. The quarterback overcame early pressure that clearly frazzled Kansas City’s usually well-paced offense, and the Chiefs went back to what worked for them last season, shortening attempts to establish a rhythm that got the offense back on track. The result was a close victory that kept the Chiefs reigning atop the league as its only undefeated team at 4-0.

2. Washington spent the majority of the second half doing everything it could to lose the time of possession battle by a wide margin, but thanks to its defense, had a chance to either tie or win the game in the final minutes. Dustin Hopkins drilled the game-tying field goal, but a drive that could have been the game’s last possession left too much time on the clock for Smith and Co., which took advantage of a Washington secondary that was missing Josh Norman because of a fractured rib. The Redskins have shown through four games that they have enough to compete, but need to limit the quick possessions. Continue reading →

By Nick Shook
NFL.com
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The Seahawks are going to be without one of their best rushers for a good amount of time.

Defensive end Cliff Avril will be out “a while,” due to a neck injury, Seattle coach Pete Carroll said Monday. Avril is experiencing some numbness down his arm, NFL Network Insider Ian Rapoport reported. Continue reading →

By Nick Shook
NFL.com
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The oldest rivalry in pro football is renewed Thursday in primetime, when the Chicago Bears travel to Green Bay to take on the Packers on Thursday Night Football.

(You can watch the game in a myriad of ways: on CBS, NFL Network and Amazon Prime Video. Click here to learn more.)

As division rivals, the two teams meet twice a year, but the Packers took their TNF meeting 26-10 last season over a punchless Bears team that lost Brian Hoyer to a broken left arm. Aaron Rodgerscompleted 39 of 56 passes in the win.

This season, the quarterback position looks totally different in Chicago. Learn about that and more of what we’ll be watching for on Thursday evening when these two teams meet at Lambeau Field: Continue reading →

By Nick Shook
NFL.com
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One of the more surprising questions emerging from the first quarter of the season originates in Pittsburgh, and revolves around quarterback Ben Roethlisberger.

Where’s that explosive, high-flying Steelers‘ offense we all expected?

Roethlisberger, like the veteran star he is, has shouldered much of the blame, saying “we lost the game because of me, because I didn’t play well enough.” Baltimore Ravens linebacker Terrell Suggs isn’t buying it. Continue reading →

By Nick Shook
NFL.com
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Golden Tate‘s near-touchdown and Detroit’s resulting loss were correctly called.

That’s the word from Alberto Riveron, NFL senior VP of officiating, who appeared on NFL Total Accesson Tuesday to review specific calls from Week 3. Riveron broke down the way the play unfolded: first, the catch, possession, contact that would rule him down and the eventual knee, with the ball short of the goal line. Riveron also reiterated the 10-second runoff rule, and why, by rule, the game was over. Continue reading →

By Nick Shook
NFL.com
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Kenjon Barner is back in midnight green.

The Philadelphia Eagles signed the running back to a one-year contract on Tuesday, the team announced. Continue reading →

By Nick Shook
NFL.com
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The Cowboys are 2-1 after three weeks. Plenty of teams would like to be in their position.

But what’s up with Dez Bryant? Continue reading →

By Nick Shook
NFL.com
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The Dallas Cowboys‘ high-flying offense hit its stride in the second half of a 28-17 victory over the Arizona Cardinals on Monday night. Here’s what we learned from the game:

1. Dak Prescott had one of his best games throwing on the run of his young career. The second-year passer connected twice with Brice Butler, first for a touchdown and later for a massive gain on a drive that ended in a touchdown run from Ezekiel Elliott that crushed Arizona’s comeback hopes. Prescott also rushed for a touchdown, front-flipping over a defender and the goal line in one of his most complete games of the season. He did get some help on a gutsy, 15-yard TD catch by Dez Bryant in the third quarter (coach Jason Garrett said after the game the catch showed how Dez is “all about scratch, claw, battle”). While other components of Dallas’ offense (and defense) still work on putting things together, Prescott is showing his rookie season was no fluke.

2. Dallas found unusual success with base rushes against Arizona’s offensive line, which struggled mightily on the edges and forced Palmer to constantly step up to avoid being sacked. Demarcus Lawrence was a terror off the edge, recording three sacks and getting to Palmer many more times than that. With 6.5 sacks in three games, Lawrence is in the middle of the race for the sack crown as we near the quarter pole. Maliek Collins was right behind Lawrence on Monday night with two sacks of his own. Continue reading →

By Nick Shook
NFL.com
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The NFL returns to London on Sunday when the Jacksonville Jaguars make their fifth trip overseas to meet the Baltimore Ravens at Wembley Stadium. We’re as excited for an incredibly early kickoff as you are. We’re also here to break down what to watch for as you sip coffee and wipe the sleep from your eyes. Wake up! Football is on!

Viewers can catch all of the action via Yahoo’s live stream. For more information on how to live stream the game, click here.

1. Who wins the race out of the gate? Baltimore has allowed just five points per game in its two contests, and if two games of tape hold true, it won’t be much easier for the Jaguars, even with the trip overseas. This presents a rather large issue for Jacksonville, which has shown in its two games that it needs an early lead to have a good shot at a win. That comes by the Jaguars forcing turnovers to position Blake Bortles in advantageous situations, where chance of success is high and damage inflicted by mistakes is minimal. Sunday isn’t setting up like that, at least on paper. Continue reading →