Around the NFL: Giant let down could open door to Irishman Jude McAtamney in New York

Burrow/Mahomes rivalry throws up another classic

Key moments define great rivalries, and the Joe Burrow v Patrick Mahomes battle delivered another great chapter on Sunday evening.

There is a growing perception that the Kansas City Chiefs get a lot of favourable calls from officials. This is typical of teams that are serial winners, as the two-time reigning Super Bowl champions are. But one crucial late call in particular is dividing opinion.

Mahomes had the ball on fourth and forever, well inside his own half, just enough time to run one play in hope of getting within field goal range. The ball is thrown downfield to Rashee Rice, a receiver who already scored a touchdown in a game that at that point stood at 25-23 in favour of the Cincinnati Bengals.

But Cincinnati defender Daijahn Anthony made some contact mid-air with Rice, not a tackle but not insignificant, doing so just before the ball reached their end of the field. The referee threw down the flag: pass interference, the ball placed at the spot of the foul – a spot in perfect range for Harrison Butker to hit the winning field goal in the game’s final play.

The CBS commentators thought the call was fair. Many observers did not, crying about the Chiefs seemingly getting every call.

It leaves the Chiefs with a 2-0 record and the Bengals on 0-2, but this early in the season can we expect such fine margins to count?

Well, yes.

Firstly, the Bengals have been the one team to consistently be a thorn in the Chiefs side in the Mahomes era, with Burrow 3-1 against Mahomes ahead of this match-up. Shutting the Bengals down is always welcome, any time of day, any week of the year.

It also means that should both teams have similar records at season’s end, the Chiefs would again welcome the Bengals to Arrowhead Stadium in a play-off clash, should both sides get that far, as they likely will.

More importantly, it gives the Bengals ample opportunity to utilise a technique the Chiefs used so well last year – defeat a rival with siege mentality.

Last year, the Chiefs fell to rival Buffalo Bills by three points after a refereeing decision did not go their way, scratching off a winning touchdown. They went on to defeat the Bills in the post-season.

Use this defeat wisely, and it could be just what Burrow and Co needs to knock the Chiefs off their perch.

Saints steamroll Cowboys

How bout dem Cowboys? A $60m-a-year deal with quarterback Dak Prescott was confirmed last week before they put the Cleveland Browns away, but his homecoming to Jerryworld was a thrashing no amount of money can reverse.

Derek Carr, the mid-level quarterback who moved to the New Orleans Saints last year and took a while to get going, came choogling into this game after a big win over Carolina the previous week. His sharpshooting style continued against opposition many expected more from, dominating the game in sensational fashion.

Carr has now led a scoring drive in all 15 possessions he has taken this season, with two passing touchdowns in the Saints’ 44-19 victory over the Cowboys – although Carr only attempted 16 passes as the running game did its job.

With every defeat the Cowboys take, the ridicule grows, the analysis and hot takes spiral, and the talk of Jerry Jones swooping for Bill Belichick to take over on the sidelines starts growing louder – even though ol’ Bill seems quite content to be on TV these days.

One odd thing, by the way, with the Cowboys season – both of their games have had Tom Brady in the commentary booth, and the coming game against the Baltimore Ravens will also see TB12 on commentary. Do Cowboys fans, the largest fan group in America, not deserve some variety? After all, they’ve had the same owner, quarterback and playoff impotence for years.

Vikings bury underdog status

Kevin O’Connell is rightly regarded as one of the most talented head coaches in the NFL and his ability to get the most out of bad personnel situations on offence has been a keystone to his acclaim as Minnesota Vikings play caller.

Back-up QB Sam Darnold has now led the Vikings to two straight victories, Sunday doing so against the favoured San Francisco 49ers. Bran Flores, too, the Vikings defensive coordinator, can also take some credit for how his team exploited the fact that the 49ers were missing Christian McCaffrey, holding the Niners down long enough for the Vikings to win 23-17.

Darnold for his part threw two touchdowns for one interception, broke the 250-yard barrier and did not lose control when star wide receiver Justin Jefferson had to leave the game. A job well done for the 2-0 Vikings.

Giant let down could open door to McAtamney

You are a team that scored three touchdowns. Your opponents could only score field goals. Surely you win this one, right?

Not for the New York Giants. The Washington Commanders hit seven field goals to score 21 points, the Giants could only muster 18 from their three touchdowns. The missing scores are the one-pointers usually tagged on after touchdowns, but the Giants’ kicker Graham Gano, who was carrying a knock going into this game, pulled his hamstring and so could not kick any of those conversions.

The Giants are now 0-2 and have found a new way to lose, and the pressure will really be heaped on head coach Brian Daboll and general manager Joe Schoen for oversight on the Giants’ roster needs.

But there may be an emerald light at the end of this tunnel. The Giants have another kicker on their practice squad, Derryman Jude McAtamney. It is yet to be seen this week whether the powers that be in New York trust McAtamney to do the job, and whether Gano recovers in time for this coming Sunday. But the prospect of another Irishman in the NFL is growing – and it could be in New York sooner than we think.

What you missed on Sunday Night Football

Ka’imi Fairbairn booted four field goals – including three that went for 50-plus yards – and the host Houston Texans rode a stifling defensive performance to a 19-13 victory over the Chicago Bears on Sunday night.

Bears rookie quarterback Caleb Williams threw two interceptions and absorbed seven sacks, with Texans defensive ends Danielle Hunter and Will Anderson Jr. combining for three of those to pace the suffocating attack. Williams passed for 174 yards as the Bears (1-1) totaled just 205 yards of offence.

Texans quarterback CJ Stroud passed for 260 yards and a touchdown to Nico Collins, who finished with eight catches for 135 yards. Houston (2-0) extended its lead to 19-10 with 13:39 remaining when Fairbairn drilled a 53-yard field goal after Derek Stingley Jr intercepted Williams’ pass.

Not the start that Caleb wants then.