Giardi: NFL Notebook - Patriots rookie WR already making an impact; plus, Vegas reunion going poorly

Kyle Williams is already making an impact on gameday. It's just that the stat sheet isn't showing it...yet.

The rookie had multiple reps in Primetime on Sunday night in Buffalo, where he was open and could have been responsible for explosive plays.

After reviewing the film, Williams' snap count increased in the second half once the Patriots realized the run game wasn't happening (again). While he did not receive a single target, he still made an impact, which could open the door for something greater in New Orleans or the following week against Tennessee. The only reason I hedge on Sunday is because the Saints go to great lengths to keep everything in front of them, even if that means giving up one 8-yard gain after another.

"Every week, I'm hoping for it," Williams told me. "You know, I never guarantee it. I never try to stamp it, but every week my eyes are open, and hopefully it comes. I know it will, and when it does, I'm gonna make the most of it."

It's not as if the Pats have buried him. In fact, Williams should have earned a target late in the first quarter. Josh McDaniels dialed up a wide receiver screen for him, but Tre'Davious White sniffed it out, leading Drake Maye to turf the throw. Williams rarely saw the field for the rest of the half, but that was largely due to the overall approach and plan, rather than anything Williams did. The second half proved that.

At the 9:08 mark of the third quarter, the 22-year-old had a terrific release against cover two (disguised as press coverage). He took the inside route, but quickly widened to the sidelines, and was more open than Kayshon Boutte on that hole shot on the game-winning drive. Maye chose his favorite target instead, hitting Stefon Diggs underneath Williams' route (that sliding catch of a low throw) for a 16-yard gain.

Less than two minutes later, Williams got open on a backside dig versus zone. But that was the play Maye bailed from the pocket, directed traffic, and hit Diggs with a beautiful throw (and catch) inside the 5-yard line. The Pats scored on the next play to take a 13-10 lead.

If you want proof that the 3rd round pick isn't letting the lack of touches impact his effort, he did a nice job at the tail end of the quarter blocking for Pop Douglas on a 7-yard completion that was a glorified swing pass. As they say in the building, you won't get the rock if you don't block.

I'll give you one more example of Williams' unseen impact. It came on that dagger concept that Maye delivered a 25-yard strike to Hunter Henry. Williams was lined up on the short side and was pressed at the line of scrimmage. He didn't win immediately, but that speed came into play, and he started to gain separation on a go route, drawing the attention of the safety playing over the top. That opened up enough space for Maye to squeeze the ball into Henry (the safety was a split-second late). That drive resulted in the Pats' final touchdown of the game, increasing the lead to 10 points, 20-10.

"I don't have my head down or pout about it. I mean, everything happens for a reason. And I know if I'm not getting the ball, somebody else is getting the ball. I'm happy when we're extending drives and we're finishing in the end zone and we're winning games. I mean, I can honestly care less about what goes on (with me). I'm just worried about the success of the team.".

Williams is helping already, and there is much more to come.

ACCEPTING RESPONSIBILITY

Monday night, Trevor Lawrence led the Jacksonville Jaguars on a game-winning drive in the final minutes, capping it with the stumbling, bumbling one-yard scoring run with just 23 seconds left. 

But once you got past the Jags improving to 4-1, it was hard not to notice Chris Jones on KC's final defensive play. The leader of that Chiefs defense looked like a spectator for the entirety of the play.

When you're that close to winning a third straight after an 0-2 start, you'd hope your best player is giving full effort and understanding of the situation. That was not the case there, but to his credit, Jones didn't hide from the criticism.

“It’s a teaching point for me, a little adversity,” he said. “I can’t think the play is over, you know what I mean? It’s a learning lesson. I thought it was over. I thought we had him down, so I kind of stopped and was about to celebrate, and then realized that he wasn’t down. A teaching lesson for me is, ‘Don’t stop.’ ”

Jones told reporters he didn't apologize to teammates because, “I think they understand that I thought the play was over with, and they understand I don’t quit. It was just one of those instances where I thought he was down, and I thought we were about to get him down again. And, ‘Oh my God, he is not down.’ So they understand - they understand that. It won’t happen again.”

Jones and the Chiefs have lost some of their margin for error with this slow start, and the schedule doesn't offer a layup this week. They played the red-hot Lions Sunday night at Arrowhead.

"From now on, I’ll make sure I finish."

HAVING FUN YET, PHILLY?

I had a feeling I'd be compelled to write about the Eagles again this week. That choke job on Sunday against Denver, at home, highlights the numerous problems the offense is having. For instance, somehow in a game Philly was winning by two touchdowns, Saquon Barkley finished with just six carries. Yeah, the same Saquon who nearly eclipsed the 2,000-yard mark a season ago. Make that make sense.

So it should come as no surprise that Barkley, quarterback Jalen Hurts, and wide receiver A.J. Brown met on Monday, spending nearly two hours together in an effort to fix what's broken.

“I feel like that conversation is meant to stay between us,” Barkley said when approached about what was discussed. “The focus was all about the team, and I think it was a good thing.”

Hurts added the three men were “talking about the collective, talking about taking ownership for what we can, talking about how we move forward as a team so we can continue to find ways to win games.”

Guess what? It didn't solve a damn thing. After putting up 17 points in the first on Thursday night at MetLife, the Eagles were blanked the rest of the way, and Barkley was once again forgotten, getting just 12 carries.

In the postgame, Brown denied he was a part of the Monday meeting, then, when asked if they were still in search of their identity, stated, “It’s safe to say."

First-time offensive coordinator Kevin Patullo is under fire from all corners for how he's handled his cache of weapons, and there is no question that he deserves some heat for his struggles to find the right balance between Barkley and a passing attack that features Brown, Devonta Smith, and Dallas Goedert. 

But perhaps the real root of the Eagles' issue lies with that previously unassailable offensive line. Barkley is averaging just .98 yards per run pre-contact, the lowest number of his career. For a group that has just one new starter (RG Tyler Steen for Mekhi Becton), this is a surprise. But All-Pro right tackle Lane Johnson (35 years old) and left guard Landon Dickerson have been battling injuries, and all four of the returnees are having lesser seasons metric-wise than a season ago. Combine that with the stress Patullo is under to find touches for all his skill players - generally a good problem to have - and you have an unhappy 4-2 football team. 

“It’s frustrating," Johnson said last night. "You see the guys that we have - on the offensive side of the ball, we should be doing a lot more to help our defense out. It’s frustrating, but nothing we can’t turn around.”

“Last year, do you think we were predictable? Everybody knew we were going to run the ball,” Barkley said. “We still got it off. I also think we got to get back to the attitude, the mindset of, not really giving a f— what people are trying to do.”

The Eagles recovered from an early-season malaise in 2024-25. Can they do it again one year later?

IS IT HALLOWEEN?

Who had Joe Flacco getting traded on Tuesday and then being named the Bengals starter on Wednesday? Anyone? The guy has more lives than Jason in 'Friday the 13th.'

Flacco was benched by the Cleveland Browns less than a week before the deal. He was sent packing in an exchange of day three picks. Cincinnati felt it had no other choice after their backup, Jake Browning, looked like he belonged in a spring football league, not the National Football League. 

Bengals' pass catchers were showing visible frustration on the field, and the number of misreads by Browning had become untenable. Ja'Marr Chase's on-field conversation with head coach Zac Taylor a couple of weeks ago may have been just the tip of the iceberg for a team that began the year with playoff dreams, but since the injury to Joe Burrow, they have fallen to 32nd in DVOA.

Flacco will have to operate behind a leaky offensive line, an odd marriage considering the 40-year-old essentially operates from the pocket wearing cement shoes. He has been sacked 80 times in his last 32 starts. That is both abhorrent and impressive at the same time. How does one survive that?

The Bengals are clearly operating out of desperation. They've been outscored by 76 points in the last three games, all losses. But a look at their schedule reveals plenty of other teams on the low-end of the DVOA scale, and perhaps Flacco could have a similar surge to the one he had in Cleveland a couple years back, and keep Cincy's head above water until (if?) Burrow returns. 

"They just see that we've got a chance," Chase said. "Defense is doing a good enough job to help us out (editor - umm, really?). Our playmakers gotta make plays in space. That's what they see. That's what they want - is to keep going. They're just giving us an opportunity to make more of those plays happen."

The Bengals play the Packers. Flacco already started against them earlier this season (58.3%, 142 yards, 1 INT) in a 13-10 Browns win.

LOVE LOST IN VEGAS?

After beating the Patriots in the season opener, the Raiders have lost four straight games and are struggling offensively, especially at the quarterback position. 

New GM John Spytek - with input from minority owner Tom Brady - traded for Geno Smith, and then handed him a contract extension. But since lighting the Pats up like a Christmas tree. Smith has been turnover-prone, leading to rumblings that his job might be in jeopardy. But if you listen to Pete Carroll this week, offensive coordinator Chip Kelly may shoulder a fair amount of the blame.

“We've gotta run the football better, and more, and we're going to continue to work at it and see if we can continue to bring it to life," Carroll said. "The running game has looked well... we need to get more of it. That's part of it. That's just mixing football. That's how you do it. We don't want to ever rely on the quarterback to do the whole show and sit in shotgun and throw the football. Never coach that way.

"And then, we've gotta make sure we're calling all the best stuff in the situations. (Smith is) not calling the plays. We've gotta call them and we've gotta make sure to get him in the right spots and give him the best chance to stay out of harm's way."

Kelly was unfazed by those comments, responding to the run game question by saying, "I mean, that's what our game plan is every game, unless you get into, you know, we talked about it in the Chargers game, when you get in the second half, that skews. But we had 25 attempts last week in the game. There was real balance in the first half of the football game, when it was a close game."

As for the quarterback play, Kelly backed Smith - "I think Geno is playing really well for us" - and pointed out that both his interceptions last week were not his fault. Smith also expounded on that.

"Six of the interceptions this year were tipped in the air, Johnny-on-the-spot, defensive guy. Am I going to look at that and say, 'Well, don't throw it to the guy who we're supposed to throw to?" I'm gonna throw it to the guy I'm supposed to. And at times, things happen. I know again, man, people get caught up in results, and they want to look at statistics and try to place blame, because that's just how life goes, right? When you're in my position. But I'm a lot smarter than that. I'm aware of the process, and I know exactly what I'm doing out there."

Unlike Carroll and Kelly, Smith and Carroll have a history, which is another good reason the Raiders made the move to acquire the 35-year-old signal caller. In fact, Smith credits Carroll with giving him his first real opportunity in this league. However, their reunion is going about as well as David Lee Roth's second tour of duty with Van Halen, and a home loss this weekend to the Titans might lead to a breakup sooner rather than later.

NERD NUMBERS

- Drake Maye has been sacked 17 times in 2025 (2nd most in the NFL, Cam Ward 19 sacks taken). Per Next Gen Stats, the Pats have allowed pressure on 36.7% of dropbacks in 2025 (21st in NFL) and allowed pressure on 40.9% of dropbacks in 2024 (last in NFL)

- Derrick Henry had more rushing yards in Week 1 (169) than he has had in his last four games combined (148 rush yards from Weeks 2-5).

- The Ravens defense has allowed 13 passing TDs in 2025 (most in the NFL).

- Matthew Stafford had 375+ passing yards and three passing TDs in back-to-back games (Weeks 4-5). Only two QBs since 1970 have had three straight games with 375+ yards and 3+ TDs: Tom Brady and Ryan Fitzpatrick (no QB has achieved this in four consecutive games).

- The Cowboys have the NFL’s #1 total offense but the last-ranked total defense in 2025. The only team in the Super Bowl era to finish 1st in total offense and last in total defense was the 1985 Chargers (finished 8-8, missed playoffs).

- The Colts have punted 7 times in 2025 (fewest punts by any team in their first five games of the season since 1950).

- Tyler Warren leads all TE with 307 receiving yards in 2025 (15 rec 1st downs, 2nd among TE). He is the first TE since the 1970 merger with 300+ yards and 2+ TDs in his first five career games.

- Sam Darnold has a 114.8 passer rating in 2025 (3rd in NFL). His 9.3 pass yards/att leads the NFL.