AFC West

Denver Broncos running back Javonte Williams reportedly tore his ACL during Sunday's 32-23 loss to the Las Vegas Raiders, according to the NFL Network's Tom Pelissero, ending his season.

Ian Rapoport of the NFL Network added that Williams also suffered a "torn LCL and posterior lateral corner."

The sophomore back had rushed 47 times for 204 yards this season, adding 16 catches for 76 yards.

Williams suffered the injury in the third quarter of Sunday's matchup with the Raiders.

"Obviously seeing Javonte go down, that hurt," quarterback Russell Wilson told reporters.

The 22-year-old was a second-round pick of the Broncos in the 2021 NFL draft and rushed for 903 yards and four scores as a rookie, combining with Marvin Gordon III to give the Broncos a solid one-two punch at running back.

Since his debut in 2021, #Broncos Javonte Williams leads all running backs in yards after contact per rush (min. 200 carries). His 2.51 avg. better than Johnathan Taylor, Nick Chubb,
Derrick Henry and Aaron Jones, who rank next, per @ESPNStatsInfo https://t.co/9ugpB3VPIz

— Ed Werder (@WerderEdNFL) October 3, 2022

He added 43 catches for 316 yards and three touchdowns last season.

Those two backs remained in something a platoon this season, though Williams had seen 18 more touches through the first four games.

Javonte Williams played 23 of 25 snaps in the first half

— Nathan Jahnke (@PFF_NateJahnke) October 3, 2022

"He runs his butt off," left guard Dalton Risner told reporters. "He's a special dude. Of course, we are going to miss him."

Gordon has struggled, meanwhile, fumbling four times on the year and losing two of them, including one in the second quarter on Sunday that was returned for a touchdown. When Williams went down, third-stringer Mike Boone initially replaced him, though Gordon saw some work as well.

"I have to (bounce back) for the team," Gordon told reporters after Sunday's loss. " ... I made a mistake, first guys over there to cheer me up, to get me back right, them boys believe in me, I just got to be better."

Gordon and Boone will lead Denver's backfield with Williams done for the year, though the Broncos could also look to upgrade the position via free agency or a trade.

As Tom Brady's legendary career winds down, he got a front-row seat for Patrick Mahomes at the apex of his powers Sunday night.

Mahomes threw for 249 yards and three touchdowns against an interception to lead the Kansas City Chiefs to a 41-31 victory over Brady's Buccaneers, earning plaudits from the future Hall of Famer in the process.

"I like Patrick a lot. Had a chance to be around him a little bit and obviously think he's a great player," Brady said after the game. "He's doing a great job for that team, and he's got a great career ahead of him. I'm always here to help anybody that I can. Anyone who is looking for advice. I've certainly seen a lot in the game, and I'm always happy to pass on information to others to hopefully see those guys maximize their potential."

"I like Patrick a lot...He's got a great career ahead of him."

Tom Brady on his relationship with Patrick Mahomes. pic.twitter.com/7872iISXl0

— CBS Sports HQ (@CBSSportsHQ) October 3, 2022

Mahomes broke out a little bit of everything in the Super Bowl LV rematch, including a jaw-dropping flip-pass touchdown to Clyde-Edwards Helaire in the second quarter:

MAHOMES IS UNREAL 🤯

(via @NFL)pic.twitter.com/rwsDTey5ah

— Bleacher Report (@BleacherReport) October 3, 2022

The victory won't completely atone for Mahomes' disappointing performance in the Super Bowl two years ago but likely provided some small measure of revenge. He was able to carve up Todd Bowles' defense with a series of well-thrown passes underneath to Travis Kelce and did not make a mistake until a garbage-time interception.

Brady threw for 385 yards and three touchdowns in his best passing performance of the season, but he found himself playing a game of desperate catchup and was never within single digits after the first quarter.

"You want to not like Tom, but he's just like the best guy," Mahomes told NBC's Maria Taylor prior to the game. "So, it's hard; it's hard to not like him. But to be able to play in golf tournaments, and him give me kind of advice and stuff like that. I mean, he's the GOAT. You want to learn from the best, and it's really cool to have that relationship with him."

Kansas City Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce is well on his way to becoming one of the best to ever play the position, and he continued his ascent up the record books on Sunday.

After making a catch in the second quarter against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Kelce moved past Rob Gronkowski for the fifth-most career receiving yards by a tight end:

*5th most.

— Chiefs Communications (@ChiefsPR) October 3, 2022

Kelce set the mark for most single-season receiving yards by a tight end with 1,416 in 2020. His six consecutive 1,000-yard seasons are also the most by a player at his position.

At 32 years old, Kelce's best days could still be ahead of him.

The Denver Broncos may have suffered significant losses on both sides of the ball Sunday.

ESPN's Jeff Legwold reported that running back Javonte Williams and defensive end Randy Gregory are set to undergo MRIs on Monday morning after suffering knee injuries in Sunday's loss to the Las Vegas Raiders. Legwold added that Williams was seen leaving the locker room on crutches.

According to Ian Rapoport of NFL Network, Williams is believed to have suffered a "serious knee injury" and there is "not a lot of optimism" regarding the situation.

Williams suffered his injury on the first play of the second half. He stayed down on the field after a one-yard rush, and trainers helped him to the sideline to examine him in the medical tent. Gregory also was injured in the second half and didn't return to the game.

Williams was visibly unable to put his full weight on his right leg as he made his way off the field. The second-year speedster was then carted back to the locker room. He had 28 yards on 10 carries at the time of his exit.

A second-round pick in the 2021 draft, Williams entered Sunday's game as Denver's leading rusher with 37 carries for 176 yards, though he hadn't reached the end zone. He was also second on the team through the first three weeks with 15 receptions.

Broncos quarterback Russell Wilson finished as the team's leading rusher in Sunday's loss with 29 yards and a touchdown on four carries. Veteran Melvin Gordon III, who usually splits carries with Williams, only had three touches for eight yards after coughing up a fumble in the second quarter that was returned 68 yards for a touchdown.

Fifth-year running back Mike Boone carried the ball for the first time this season and finished with 20 yards on three rushes.

Despite the quiet game, Gordon should be expected to take over as the featured back if Williams is forced to miss time. The Broncos will have a quick turnaround, as they take on the Indianapolis Colts on Thursday Night Football.

Los Angeles Chargers defensive end Joey Bosa is expected to miss eight-to-10 weeks after undergoing surgery Thursday for a groin tear, according to ESPN's Adam Schefter.

Schefter reported Bosa is unlikely to "continue operating as a top-flight edge rusher" if and when he comes back later this season.

This is another setback for Bosa after he played just seven games in 2018 and 12 in 2020.

When healthy, the 27-year-old is one of the best pass-rushers in the NFL.

His resume includes a Defensive Rookie of the Year, four Pro Bowl selections and four seasons with double-digit sacks, including 51 tackles, 10.5 sacks and seven forced fumbles in 2021.

The Ohio State product had seven tackles and 1.5 sacks through the first three weeks of the season.

Los Angeles will need to rely more on Khalil Mack and Morgan Fox to anchor the pass rush with Bosa out. Chris Rumph II and Kyle Van Noy are also expected to help pick up the slack.

Los Angeles Chargers star wide receiver Keenan Allen appeared to be in line to return from a two-game absence this week, but he may have suffered a setback.

Jeff Miller of the Los Angeles Times reported that Allen left Thursday's practice early with a trainer. The 30-year-old has been dealing with a hamstring injury.

Allen suffered the injury in Los Angeles' Week 1 win over the Las Vegas Raiders. He recorded four catches for 66 yards before exiting the game.

While Allen has been sidelined, the Chargers have lost back-to-back games. The team's offense particularly struggled this past Sunday in a 38-10 loss to the Jacksonville Jaguars. Los Angeles quarterback Justin Herbert completed 25 of 45 passes for 297 yards, a touchdown and an interception.

Allen has managed to stay healthy in recent years, playing 16 games in four of the last five seasons. A five-time Pro Bowl selection, he is the most reliable target in the Chargers passing attack. If Allen misses more time, it will be detrimental to a Los Angeles team that is already reeling from injuries.

Herbert is playing through fractured rib cartilage. Star edge-rusher Joey Bosa was placed on injured reserve Wednesday after suffering a groin tear against the Jaguars that requires surgery. Pro Bowl offensive tackle Rashawn Slater tore his biceps and is likely to miss the remainder of the season. Cornerback J.C. Jackson (ankle) and center Corey Linsley (knee) are considered questionable after missing the game against Jacksonville.

The Chargers are looking to bounce back Sunday when they take on the Houston Texans.

Things did not exactly go as planned for the Kansas City Chiefs during their Week 3 loss to the Indianapolis Colts, but offensive coordinator Eric Bieniemy doesn't think his heated exchange with quarterback Patrick Mahomes as they were headed into the halftime locker room was a big deal.

"So the exchange that we had?" he asked reporters Thursday. "Who cares? It really doesn't matter. Because when it's all said and done with, we're going to talk a minute or two later—and talk about exactly what we need to do. So there is no personal issue. You just keep it moving forward."

This exchange between Pat Mahomes and OC Eric Bieniemy 👀🍿

(via @NFLonCBS)pic.twitter.com/tvOMDPC9dl

— Bleacher Report (@BleacherReport) September 25, 2022

He wasn't the only one to downplay the situation.

"If you heard the words, that wasn't—I don't know how it looked to you guys but that wasn't a confrontation at all," head coach Andy Reid told reporters. "That's not what it was."

It was easy to speculate that Mahomes was unhappy with Kansas City's decision to run out the clock instead of airing it out in an effort to score near the end of the first half. The Chiefs held a 14-10 lead at the time but ended up losing by three in the 20-17 defeat, so points at the end of the half would have proven useful.

For his part, Mahomes confirmed he wanted to be more aggressive, per ESPN's Adam Teicher:

"I wanted to go try to score. That's just who I am. We were in a tough situation. I believe it was second- or third-and -20, something like that, and probably the smart decision was to go to halftime. But I'm always going to want to score. I pretty much just said, 'Let me have a chance at it,' and he was just like, 'Let's get to the locker room and get to the next half.'

"I don't know if that's an altercation. That was the end of the conversation."

Yet Kansas City made a number of mistakes that likely contributed to the loss more than any lack of aggression at the end of the half.

Mahomes threw an interception on the team's final offensive snap, Matt Ammendola missed a chip-shot field goal in the fourth quarter and the offense turned it over on downs in Indianapolis territory in the third quarter.

In all, Mahomes ended up 20-of-35 for 262 yards, one touchdown and one interception in an uncharacteristically mediocre offensive performance for the entire team.

The Chiefs will look to bounce back Sunday in a high-profile showdown against Tom Brady and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

Denver Broncos linebacker Bradley Chubb made his feelings about the Las Vegas Raiders abundantly clear to reporters as his team's Week 4 road matchup with the Silver and Black looms Sunday.

Mike Klis of 9NEWS provided Chubb's comments.

"I hate 'em, to be honest with you," he said. "I hate 'em. There's only a few teams in the league I hate and they're one of them. Because every time we go there it seems like it hasn't [gone] in our favor. It's always a tough game.

"I always know it's going to be a good matchup, I always know it's going to be—I'm not going to say dirty but they talk and stuff, we talk and stuff and it's going back-n-forth. ... We know they're looking at it the same way we are."

As Chubb referenced, the Broncos have encountered significant trouble when going to either Oakland (2018 and 2019) or Vegas (2020 and 2021) since he entered the NFL with Denver four years ago.

The Broncos are 0-4 in that span after defeats featuring 27-14, 24-16 loss, 37-12 and 17-13 scores. They haven't won on the road against the Raiders since 2015, marking six straight defeats.

This matchup has significant importance for both teams.

Denver has started 2-1, but the Broncos haven't exactly played inspiring football to start the season. Their 14.3 points per game rank second-worst in the NFL, despite the offseason acquisition of nine-time Pro Bowl quarterback Russell Wilson.

The defense has been tremendous, though, and that's led to a pair of wins over the Houston Texans and San Francisco 49ers over the past two weeks.

Chubb has been an instrumental part of the defensive effort as usual. His three sacks lead the NFL, and his five quarterback hits co-lead the Broncos with Randy Gregory.

A motivated Chubb will now look to lead his team to a big road win over the reeling Raiders, who have started 0-3 despite wholesale offseason changes that include a new head coach (Josh McDaniels) and No. 1 wide receiver (Davante Adams). The NFL's only winless team has lost its three games by a combined 13 points.

Kickoff from Las Vegas' Allegiant Stadium will go down Sunday at 4:25 p.m. ET.

Denver Broncos quarterback Russell Wilson fired back at Eli Manning for his joke from earlier this week.

During the ManningCast of the Monday Night Football game between the Dallas Cowboys and New York Giants, Eli quipped that the Broncos should've paid punter Corliss Waitman the $250 million they paid Wilson after he punted the ball 10 times in Sunday's 11-10 win over the San Francisco 49ers.

While speaking to reporters Wednesday, Wilson was asked about Manning's comments and responded, "I'm 3-0 against Chad Powers," referring to Manning's viral character.

Manning clarified to Michael McCarthy of Front Office Sports that he wasn't intending to take a shot at Wilson, but rather just attempting to be funny.

"No, I don't think we're trying to be critical. I think we always try to support the guys that are in the game. I think sometimes, 'Hey, it's live TV.' I never try to take a real shot at somebody," he explained. "I think that was obviously a very outrageous joke—because a punter had 10 punts. Nothing against Russell. He's going to do great."

Wilson made it clear that he didn't find Manning's comments offensive, and he doesn't have any ill feelings toward either of the Manning brothers.

"I think it's part of the game, those guys are just having fun," Wilson said. "I have a lot of respect for Peyton and Eli, I've always looked up to those guys, so I'm not stressed about it."

While Wilson was able to laugh off the zinger from Manning, Denver's offensive woes this season are no laughing matter. The Broncos rank second-to-last in the NFL with 14.3 points per game through the first three weeks. It's clearly not what the team expected when it acquired Wilson in a blockbuster trade with the Seattle Seahawks and then signed him to a five-year, $245 million contract extension.

Wilson is still getting used to his new surroundings. He's completed just 59.4 percent of his passes for 743 yards, two touchdowns and an interception.

The Broncos will try to turn things around when they travel to face the Las Vegas Raiders on Sunday.

The NFL confirmed Sunday's Week 4 game between the Kansas City Chiefs and Tampa Bay Buccaneers remains on track to take place at Raymond James Stadium in Florida despite Hurricane Ian.

Jeff Miller, the league's executive vice president of communications, provided the update Wednesday and noted the Sunday Night Football matchup would be moved to the Minnesota Vikings' U.S. Bank Stadium if local authorities determine it should be relocated, per Ian Rapoport of NFL Network.

The Bucs are spending the practice week at the Miami Dolphins' facilities after they relocated to the southeastern part of Florida on Tuesday.

Hurricane Ian, which has nearly reached Category 5 status, was on track to make landfall on Florida's west coast on Wednesday, according to CNN.

The Weather Channel forecast calls for rain and wind in Tampa on Thursday before conditions start to clear throughout Friday. A mostly sunny weekend is expected.

With weather conditions slated to improve, the ability to play Sunday's game at Raymond James Stadium likely depends on the extent of the damage after the hurricane moves out.

"Our thoughts and hearts go out to everybody in Tampa that's still here," Bucs head coach Todd Bowles told reporters Wednesday. "Hoping they recover well and it doesn't hit them very hard. That's the biggest thing. What we do is really small entertainment for people that go through a lot of rough things."

It's unclear why the game would be moved to Minnesota over Hard Rock Stadium in Miami. Andy Slater of Fox Sports 640 reported Monday the Dolphins' home stadium was made available to the NFL as an option for Sunday night.

The Dolphins are on the road the next two weeks, facing the Cincinnati Bengals and New York Jets. The next event at their stadium is a college football game between North Carolina and Miami on Oct. 8.

Regardless, U.S. Bank Stadium is also available Sunday with the Vikings in London to face the New Orleans Saints.

The NFL didn't provide a timetable for a final decision about the Bucs-Chiefs game, which features a premier quarterback matchup between Tom Brady and Patrick Mahomes.