As the 2018 NFL season rolls on into Week 5, NFL.com's network of reporters collects the hottest news and notes from across the league, including:
-- Why Hayden Hurst can't wait to get back to it.
-- How the Giants are planning to shake their offensive funk.
-- What Doug Pederson has to say to anyone getting nervous about the Eagles.
But first, James Palmer talks to the Jaguars about trying to stop Patrick Mahomes ...
JACKSONVILLE, Fla. -- Jaguars linebacker Telvin Smith, a defensive captain, walked to the podium for his weekly Wednesday press conference with the kind of grin on his face you only see from a man who might know something that you don't.
"Why are you smiling so much?" a reporter asked, as Smith continued laughing and smiling several minutes into his press conference.
"Listen. Listen. Ask me that after the game," Smith said, laughing throughout his response. "Ask me, 'Why were you smiling? What was so funny?' "
You could tell by the way Smith talked about Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes that the defense in Jacksonville is well aware of the hype. Mahomes was named AFC Offensive Player for the month of September -- his first month as a starter in the NFL.
"He's showtime," Smith said of Mahomes. "I'm telling you guys, he's amazing, man. Did you see the left-hand (throw to convert on third down against the Broncos on Monday)? The guy is amazing. He's the hottest quarterback out right now. You know what I mean? It's insane. This guy is a baller."
Earlier in the day, during his pre-practice press conference, Jaguars head coach Doug Marrone raved about Mahomes, to the point where he sounded like a proud father gushing about his prized pro-football-playing son to a stranger at an airport bar.
"Right now, he is playing better than any quarterback has ever played," Marrone said. "He is an MVP quarterback. The question is, what he can't do. I don't know. I don't think words can really put in perspective how great he is playing. That is really all there is to it.
"You are talking about someone that is a combination of a lot of the greatest players that ever played that position with the way he is playing."
Have you ever heard a head coach compliment an opposing starting quarterback like that before -- especially a first-year starter? I haven't. Did Marrone praise him like that because Mahomes is really this good? Or could this all just be a mind game leading into the biggest contest of Week 5?
The members of Jacksonville's defense don't lack confidence, and they don't hide it. We're all well aware of All-Pro cornerback Jalen Ramsey's openness when it comes to publicly evaluating opposing players.
So maybe it is a mind game. Maybe it's a small-market team that feels like, despite starting 3-1 behind the most dominant defense on the planet and coming within a win of its first Super Bowl appearance last season, it isn't getting the attention it deserves. Maybe it's a team trying to get in the head of an inexperienced starting quarterback who is flying high and is the talk of the league through four games. Maybe it's for show. Maybe ... it's nothing.
What we do know is this: On Sunday afternoon at Arrowhead Stadium, the No. 1 offense in the league will face off against the NFL's No. 1 defense. Kansas City is averaging 4.5 offensive touchdowns per game this season -- tops in the NFL. Jacksonville has allowed just four offensive touchdowns through four games -- also tops in the NFL.
So will Mahomes' dominance continue against the toughest defense he's ever faced in his life?
On "Monday Night Football" in Denver, Mahomes notched the first come-from-behind win of his career. He showed the poise of a veteran despite being down 10 in the final minutes of the fourth quarter.
"There's nothing he can't do, man," Chiefs running back Kareem Hunt told me on the field Monday night. "He can throw on the run. He can run. Man, I don't know; he can throw with his left hand. What else are you going to ask for?"
Mahomes scrambled so often and extended plays to the point Broncos All-Pro cornerback Chris Harris Jr. needed not one but two IVs during the game as a result of exhaustion after being stuck in coverage for so long, play after play. While evading the rush and getting outside the pocket, Mahomes totaled 197 passing yards while on the run Monday night -- more than any other quarterback in over two years -- according to Next Gen Stats.
The Jags plan to avoid a repeat of that scenario.
JaguarsPro Bowl defensive tackle Malik Jackson, who won a Super Bowl with the Broncos in 2015, had a few opinions about not only how to stop Mahomes, but also where his former team came up short.
"I think we tackle better than Denver," he told me in the Jaguars locker room after their Wednesday practice.
(He may not be wrong. The Broncosdid allow Hunt to rack up 93 rushing yards after contact.)
Jackson also bluntly talked about how the Broncos weren't able to stop the first-year starter from getting outside the pocket.
"You have to keep contain. It's the simplest [expletive] ever, but it's hard as [expletive]. He's a beast," Jackson said of Mahomes. "He likes to leave the pocket. It's hard, but it's what we have to do to win.
"As a defensive lineman, once you watch [the Chiefs' offensive line], that quarterback is running for his life a lot. On Monday, he should have got sacked at least six times. As a defensive lineman, I'm like licking chops."
On the reverse side, you could also praise Mahomes' ability to consistently get rid of the ball before getting hit or sacked. There isn't a quarterback who has started all four games this season and been sacked less than Mahomes (five).
"It's pretty rare for a guy that young," Chiefs right tackle Mitchell Schwartz told me after Monday night's game, in which he held Von Miller in check. "I think it's a combination of just natural ability and game feel, that you can only coach so much of. There's the element of preparation, (former Chiefs quarterback) Alex (Smith) last year showing him stuff. And also Pat understands and sees it coming, and he can drift away from it; he knows where his hots are, and he can get the ball out."
Will Mahomes be able to escape the grasp of a Jacksonville pass rush that finished one sack short of the league lead last season? What complicates the issue is Mahomes' arm strength. He has the ability to throw the ball anywhere on the field while scrambling to his right or left.
"I was about to say Aaron Rodgers," Pro BowlJaguars cornerback A.J. Bouye said to me in the locker room when I asked about a quarterback who has that same ability to throw across his body while on the move. "Aaron Rodgers is the best at extending time and still looking downfield. I remember that from the first time I played him. You see some of the same things from Mahomes."
Sunday is shaping up to be the perfect storm. Mahomes has 14 touchdown passes and has yet to throw an interception this year. Jacksonville finished one interception behind the Ravens for the league lead last season. The Jaguars have perhaps the most talented secondary in football -- but its members have yet to intercept a pass this season. The end of one streak or the other is long overdue.
Bouye told me the coaching staff pointed out to them this week that teams have not attacked Bouye and Ramsey this season, in turn limiting their ability to make game-changing plays. The feeling in the secondary is that they should stop pressing and wait for someone to test them. Then the picks will come in bunches.
If the Jaguars take down the only undefeated team in the AFC, I'll track down Telvin Smith after the game, and my first question will be, "So tell me, what was so funny?"
If Jacksonville loses, it might be Mahomes who has the last laugh.
NOTES FROM AROUND THE REST OF THE LEAGUE
NFL: Scoring and throwing like never before. With a quarter of the season over, the NFL is enjoying a scoring and passing boomlet, something that league officials watch closely because of the feeling that high-scoring games and high-performing quarterbacks attract fans.
Consider the barriers that were broken in the first four weeks:
-- 3,030 points scored is the most to this point in NFL history.
-- 344 touchdowns is the most to this point in NFL history.
-- 228 touchdown passes are the most to this point in NFL history, an increase of almost 12 percent over the previous high -- 205 -- set in 2013. (Patrick Mahomes leads the league with 14 touchdown passes, and six other quarterbacks also already have at least 10.)
Teams are averaging 24 points per game, which is particularly noteworthy because scoring dropped last season below an average of 22 points for the first time since 2009. And quarterbacks are averaging 7.5 yards per attempt, which, if it stands up for the rest of the season, would be the highest since 1965 -- or before the 1970 merger.
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BALTIMORE RAVENS: Hurst eager to get to work.Joe Flacco and the Ravens' offense have gotten off to an impressive start, despite losing their top draft pick to foot surgery in training camp.
Rookie tight end Hayden Hurst told me on Thursday it's been "a long five weeks in the training room" since he underwent surgery in August to repair a stress fracture in one of his feet. But he kept his upper body going during rehab, has gotten his legs back under him in practice this week and said, "I'm ready to just play," starting Sunday at Cleveland.
When I asked how quickly the chemistry he was developing in camp with Flacco has come back, Hurst pointed out where the ball has been going in his absence: 12 catches for tight end Maxx Williams, 10 for tight end Mark Andrews and nine for tight end Nick Boyle.
"He's got a love for the tight ends and he finds you if you're open," said Hurst, a 25-year-old former pro baseball player who caught 92 passes over his last two seasons at South Carolina. "I'm just trying to get open for him."
Ravens cornerback Jimmy Smith also returns this week after serving a four-game suspension for violating the league's personal conduct policy -- a boost for a defense that still hasn't allowed a second-half touchdown this season.
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GREEN BAY PACKERS: Defense gets boost of confidence after pitching shutout. The Green Bay Packers entered the 2018 season with many changes. On the defensive side of the ball, the first change being leadership at the top in first-year GM Brian Gutekunst and new defensive coordinator Mike Pettine. And though the group is young and developing, it got an extra boost of confidence in Week 4, pitching a 22-0 shutout against the Buffalo Bills.
The Packers' defense is coming off it's best showing yet. The goose egg was in fact the Packers' fewest yards allowed (145) in a game since Week 16 of 2014 -- just their third shutout since 2008, when quarterback Aaron Rodgers took over as the teams full-time starter.
How much confidence did the group derive from the performance as it gets ready to face divisional-foe Detroit and Matthew Stafford on Sunday?
"You draw as much as you can," cornerback Tramon Williams told me this week. "We know that a shutout is rare in this league, so anytime you get that, you know you're playing good football. We knew that we wanted to play one of our better games because we hadn't played our best game -- and yeah, it was against a rookie quarterback (Josh Allen), but he was looking good against a really good defense (versus Minnesota in Week 3) -- so I think we got a lot of confidence from that."
As for how the Pack's defense is continuing to evolve under Pettine, Williams told me they're improving across the board: "I'd say we've got strength in the front-end and back-end. ... We've got a good front seven that can get pressure on the quarterback."
As for the back-end, the 13-year veteran continued, "We're young, yes, but a lot of young guys have come in and taken the right approach to being a professional. These guys are listening, they're in the playbook, and I think we've gelled well together.
"It's not how talented you are at all times, but if you can gel well with a group. It can change things, and I think we've got a little bit of that going on in the back-end."
Green Bay's sixth-ranked defense, a unit that also ranks tied for 10th-best in shutting down big plays with just 23 allowed (runs of 10-plus yards and passes of 20-plus yards), will look to slow down Stafford and an offense that has amassed 28 big plays through four weeks, tied for ninth-best in the NFL.
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KANSAS CITY CHIEFS: A surge in production coming for Hunt? The Kansas City Chiefs realize the more star quarterback Patrick Mahomes thrives, the more opposing defenses will try to take him away. That means more opportunities for running back Kareem Hunt, who produced 175 total yards in a "Monday Night Football" win over Denver after amassing only 173 combined yards in his first three games. Chiefs coaches believe more efforts like that lie ahead for the man who led the NFL in rushing last season.
"I know the numbers haven't shown, but he hasn't changed," said Chiefs offensive coordinator Eric Bieniemy. "I know I am about to say a bad word, but he has been running his ass off. He has been working his ass off. Good things come to those who prepare and work as he does. Was I surprised? No. Was I happy? Yes. He showed he can play up to the level everyone is expecting him to. We have to make sure we continue the trend."
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NEW YORK GIANTS: How can they get the offense going? It is inconceivable that the Giants -- with Odell Beckham Jr., Sterling Shepard and Saquon Barkley -- have scored a measly seven offensive touchdowns in four games and average 18.3 points a game (29th in the league).
"We've got to be more explosive, more efficient, and we've got to score more points," coach Pat Shurmur said. "That's the reality of it. Whether you throw the ball 60 yards or you work the ball down the field, we need to score touchdowns."
It likely won't be by the 60-yard rainbow. The downfield game for the Giants has all but disappeared. Eli Manning's air-yards-per-attempt figure of 6.3 ranks toward the bottom of the league, as the Giants quarterback has favored checkdowns over risk-taking.
When I asked Shurmur at his press conference Monday if Manning needs to "be a little bit more of a gunslinger," he said: "It's important to take shots; you need to be aggressive and not reckless. I think that's fair."
He didn't say no.
Collins playing hard in crucial season.Landon Collins, on the fourth and final year of his rookie contract, is making $1.26 million and is, apparently, playing it out. The Giants safety had his best game of the season in Week 4, when he covered a lot of ground and finished with 14 tackles against the Saints. Collins also shares an agency, Athletes First, with Seahawks safety Earl Thomas, and he knows there is an injury risk whenever he takes the field.
"It's always in the back of your head," said Collins, a finalist for the 2016 NFL Defensive Player of the Year award. "You don't want to get hurt, definitely in contract season. You want to be secure. I play football and I love this game, and I'm going to play hard."
Especially in the New York market, it's amazing how little attention the Collins contract situation has generated. That's largely because of how Collins has handled it -- without much comment at all.
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NEW YORK JETS: Darnold determined to get back on track. On a conference call with Jets media, Von Miller called rookie quarterback Sam Darnold "the best offensive player in the draft" and said he's been "playing really well." Yes, Miller and the Broncosplay the Jets on Sunday at MetLife Stadium.
Darnold's reply: "That's high praise from a really talented player, probably one of the best players in the league. ... (I'm) looking forward to going against him."
In his last three games, Darnold has thrown two touchdowns and four interceptions while completing 54 percent of his passes.
"As a team, I feel like we are really close, and for me personally, I feel like I'm just on the edge" of a breakthrough, Darnold said.
Darnold worked out for the Broncos before the draft. Though he wouldn't divulge specifics, Darnold said he enjoying meeting GM John Elway and hearing "his perspective on football and life, what he dealt with as a rookie and all of that stuff." Darnold was asked if he followed Elway's playing career. No, he said, that was "a little too early." Another reminder that Darnold is only 21.
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OAKLAND RAIDERS: Rookie renaissance flowering on the O-line. The decision to place veteran tackle Donald Pennon injured reserve after he sustained a groin injury in Oakland's victory over the Browns on Sunday has a significant impact on multiple fronts for the club -- and for Penn.
The Raiders will go with rookie Brandon Parker at right tackle, who was drafted in the third round out of North Carolina A&T to eventually be the starter at right tackle. Parker held his own against the Browns and was especially effective in the ground game, which was his specialty in college, where he once blocked for Bears standout running back Tarik Cohen.
Of course, the Raiders' left tackle, Kolton Miller, is also a rookie. Miller, a first-round pick, has started at left tackle since training camp, occupying the spot that once belonged to Penn. Miller has been getting progressively better, and if Parker follows a similar curve, Oakland may have nailed the draft and found a pair of bookend tackles to grow together for years.
So where does that leave Penn, 35, who missed most of training camp while recovering from foot surgery and now is hurt again? Although Penn could return before the end of the season, if Parker plays well, it would be hard to see him supplanting the rookie.
That's tough for a former Pro Bowler, but don't forget, the Raiders pretty much told him to take a pay cut or get cut during training camp. Penn adjusted his contract. Before getting injured, Penn told me that he plans to play at least one more season, depending on how his body feels. As I mentioned, that was before he got hurt.
The switch to right tackle after spending years at left tackle was still a work in progress, according to Penn, and the fact that he now has to rehab instead of continuing to grow into the role is a setback. The 14th-year pro is one of the most well-liked guys in the NFL, but this injury could make it tough for him to ever regain the status he once held.
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PHILADELPHIA EAGLES: Pederson calls for calm. A vocal segment of Eagles fans seems to have moved on quickly from the franchise's first Super Bowl victory. Judging by the tenor of sports talk radio in and around the City of Brotherly Love, the Eagles' mediocre start is cause for considerable concern. Which means the Eagles coaches and players are answering for it.
"The sky is not falling. The sun came up today," coach Doug Pederson said after his team lost in overtime to the Titans. "We're 2-2. We're still in good position, we control our own destiny, a lot of football ahead of us, and there's no panic. So, as coaches, we prepare our players, and we prepare them extremely well. We have confidence in all our guys moving forward, and so with that, we just continue to coach and get our guys ready for Sunday."
Quarterback Carson Wentz: "Just to tack on what Doug said, the sky is not falling."
Perhaps a rematch of the NFC Championship Game will make Philly fans feel better. Minnesota visits on Sunday.
