quarterback Patrick Mahomes than what they face Sunday night.Beat the Patriots in Foxborough and all that excitement in Kansas City might be validated.Remember White Dion Dawkins Jerseys , though, that the Chiefs, with Alex Smith, went into Gillette Stadium and won the 2017 kickoff to the season. They went on an up-and-down ride the rest of the way, lost in the wild-card playoff round, while the Patriots straightened out and made the Super Bowl before losing to Philadelphia.Mahomes, of course, has looked immune to any sort of high-stakes pressure in leading the Chiefs (5-0) to the top of the AFC. He embraces this challenge and trying to outdo Tom Brady.“It is going to be a great opportunity,” says Mahomes, who has a league-best 14 touchdown passes. “He is one of the greatest quarterbacks, if not the greatest to ever play. I am going against their defense, but as a team we are going to go in and try to compete. They are a good team in the AFC every single year. Just to compete against one of the best teams in the league is going to be an awesome opportunity.”How familiar is Mahomes with three-time league MVP Brady, whom he has never met?“I definitely watched a good amount of him in college (at Texas Tech),” he says. “Coach (Kliff) Kingsbury actually played with Tom at one point. He liked to show me some things that he did where he was in the pocket, his pocket movements and things like that. I have definitely taken some things from him. He does it at such a high level, it’s something you have to strive to be like.”New England (3-2) is striving to be, well, New England. After a 1-2 start, the Patriots appear to have gotten back on their usual winning path.The weekend began with Philadelphia’s 34-13 road victory over the New York Giants. Carson Wentz threw a season-high three touchdown passes for the Eagles (3-3). They beat the Giants (1-5) for the fourth straight time and seventh in eight games.Off this week are Detroit (2-3) and New Orleans (4-1)Pittsburgh (2-2-1) at Cincinnati (4-1)One of the NFL’s most vicious and yellow-tinted rivalries . As in:—These teams combined for four penalties for unnecessary roughness, one for unsportsmanlike conduct, one for taunting, one for roughing the passer Dion Dawkins Jerseys 2019 , and two 15-yard penalties for grabbing a facemask in their previous meeting.—Cincinnati set a club record with 173 yards in penalties in that messy affair, when the Steelers overcame a 17-0 deficit to win.More numbers of note:—The Steelers have won the past six games in this series, nine of 10 and 14 of 17.—The Bengals are 8-24 vs. the Steelers under coach Marvin Lewis—Lewis is 2-15 at Paul Brown Stadium against Pittsburg.— Steelers QB Ben Roethlisberger is 24-4-1 in his native Ohio, including the postseason. He’s 13-2 at Paul Brown Stadium with 23 TDs, 10 interceptions.Los Angeles Chargers (3-2) at Cleveland (2-2-1)When last they met in Cleveland, the Browns won in their 15th game to avoid a perfect season on the wrong side of the ledger. So they lost every game in 2017, including at the Chargers.“Not to speak too much of last year, but I could not believe and I did not feel like they were an 0-16 team or 0-14, whatever they were when we played them last year,” says Chargers quarterback Philip Rivers. “It was a good football team. They just did not find ways to win and so many (games) they had opportunities.”They’ve got two wins already and lead the NFL with 15 takeaways, two more than in the entire 2017 season.Baltimore (3-2) at Tennessee (3-2)Two clubs coming off down weekends: Tennessee was punchless at Buffalo, Baltimore was inept offensively at Cleveland.Both can play D, though, so don’t expect a lot of end zone activity in Music City.The Ravens are playing a third straight road game, then have four of the next five at home. They lead the NFL in scoring defense, allowing 15.4 points per game, with no TDs in a second half.The Titans have allowed seven points in the first quarter and lead in red zone defense, allowing three TDs in 13 possessions for a 23.1 percent success rate by opponents.Chicago (3-1) at Miami (3-2)The Bears have won three in a row and come off a bye. They haven’t earned four straight wins since 2012.With Khalil Mack revitalizing the defense, Chicago ranks No. 1 against the run and second overall. If second-year quarterback Mitch Trubisky truly has found the passing rhythm — his six TD throws in a rout of Tampa Bay tied for second most in an NFL game — the Bears needs to be taken seriously.Miami was taken seriously until it laid eggs at New England and Cincinnati, where it blew a 17-0 lead. The Dolphins rank third worst in yards and fifth worst in points. They have been outgained by 94 yards per game, which ranks third worst.Carolina (3-1) at Washington (2-2)Washington was on the wrong end of the record-setting Brees blitz through the air in New Orleans, and was damaged as much by penalties as inefficient defense. The usually precise Alex Smith threw an interception and was generally off-target.Now comes Carolina White Shaq Lawson Jerseys , which has seven picks, is plus-5 in turnovers, and has nine sacks. The Panthers also have the NFL’s top rushing offense, in part because quarterback Cam Newton is such a weapon on the ground. Newton is 4-0 with nine TDs and zero picks for a 115.4 passer rating vs. Washington, along with two rushing scores.Washington has lost five straight to Carolina.Los Angeles Rams (5-0) at Denver (2-3)While Denver’s defense has been getting Orange Crushed recently, LA’s offense has looked unstoppable. Jared Goff leads the league with 1,727 yards passing and ranks second with a 119.7 passer rating. In the past month, Goff is averaging 374 yards per game.Todd Gurley tops the NFL with seven TD runs and ranks second with 645 scrimmage yards. Of concern for the impressive receiving group is that Brandin Cooks and Cooper Kupp each left last week’s win at Seattle with concussions.Denver star LB Von Miller has gone sackless the past three weeks. The Broncos yielded 323 rushing yards to the Jets, so, yes, that has caught Gurley’s attention.Jacksonville (3-2) at Dallas (2-3)Oddly, Dallas has never won its first three home games at Jerry World.With RB Leonard Fournette still hurt, the showpiece matchup with Ezekiel Elliott disappears. Elliott has been the prime weapon for Dallas and is averaging 154 yards from scrimmage per game in the past three. But the passing game is 30th as Dak Prescott struggles without a topnotch receiver.He’ll face the stingiest defense in the NFL.Seattle (2-3) vs. Oakland (1-4) at LondonWonder if the Raiders will have as many fans in Wembley as they did in StubHub Center. They could really use the support as Jon Gruden’s return season spirals out of control.“I’m going to continue to emphasize the good and do everything I can to fix the things that are bad, because most of the things that are bad, my fingerprints are all over,” Gruden said.Such as a defense, minus the traded Mack of course, that ranks 30th. Oakland has the fewest QB pressures in the league (29), tied for fewest sacks (six), and is tied for third-fewest takeaways (five).Seattle makes its first regular-season overseas appearance. Worth watching:—Pete Carroll seeks his 91st win with the team to pass Mike Holmgren as winningest coach for the franchise.—Russell Wilson is 25-6 after a loss, the best record of any quarterback since the merger.—Seahawks kicker Sebastian Janikowski spent 18 seasons with the Raiders, holding the franchise record for points (1 Shaq Lawson Jerseys 2019 ,799) and games (268).Indianapolis (1-4) at New York Jets (2-3)If any team needed the long layoff from a Thursday nighter it was the Colts. They went into New England undermanned and then got hammered with more injuries, giving them little chance against the Patriots.Assuming they are somewhat healthier, this is a far better chance for Indy to straighten out its season. Andrew Luck’s arm looks strong, but who does he have to throw to if T.Y. Hilton isn’t in the lineup?New York opened up its offense in a win over Denver, letting Sam Darnold occasionally fling the ball downfield and it led to some huge plays. The Colts are vulnerable to that.Buffalo (2-3) at Houston (2-3)Each team comes off a tight victory in which the offenses were stagnant, while the defenses and kicking games were decisive.Houston wants things more open when it has the ball, with Deshaun Watson connecting on throws to DeAndre Hopkins. Buffalo’s solid second-year cornerback Tre’Davious White, will be tested.Apparently fully healthy after two tough years, Texans DE J.J. Watt is tied for the NFL lead with six sacks. Watt had an 80-yard interception return for a score in his previous game against the Bills in Houston, a 23-17 win in 2014.Arizona (1-4) at Minnesota (2-2-1)What could be a mismatch — Arizona has the NFL’s worst offense and has scored all of 65 points — has one intriguing element. Cardinals WR Larry Fitzgerald, a likely Hall of Famer, returns to his hometown for the sixth time in his 15-year career, with an average of 87.4 receiving yards and no touchdowns at Minnesota.On the other side, wideout WR Adam Thielen leads the league in receptions (47) and is second in yards (589). He’s also first in third-down catches (14). Thielen is the third player in NFL history with five 100-yard games to start a season, the first since 1961.San Francisco (1-4) at Green Bay (2-2-1), Monday nightFollowing a stinker at home to hand Arizona its first win, the Niners go to the prime-time showcase against Green Bay, which is following a stinker of its own at Detroit.Both teams struggle to protect the ball, and the 49ers can’t find ways to take it away from opponents; they have a league-low one interception and have forced three turnovers.Of special interest for the Pack: Mason Crosby went 1 for 5 on field goals and missed his only extra-point try at Detroit.Tampa Bay (2-2) at Atlanta (1-4)No one played worse the past two weeks than the Bucs. But the Falcons were close.Bucs QB Jameis Winston gets back his starting job following a bye; he was suspended for the first three games, when Ryan Fitzpatrick was either magical or mediocre. Tampa’s defense has been dreadful.Then again, so has Atlanta’s, which is ravaged by injuries. It ranks worst in points allowed and worst in third-down percentage. The offense struggles to protect Matt Ryan and to generate a running game. Maybe the Ravens should have drafted another quarterback long ago.While Lamar Jackson is still playing a very small role in their offense White Adolphus Washington Jerseys , his addition appears to have made a big difference in the way the incumbent quarterback’s playing.Veteran Joe Flacco threw for 363 yards and two touchdowns, and the Ravens played their traditional kind of timely defense to beat the Steelers 26-14 on the road.Flacco is throwing the ball downfield more, and hitting more of those plays. That’s what the Ravens offense has wanted to be based on through a number of versions. His yards per attempt and yards per completion numbers last year (5.7 and 8.9, respectively) were grotesque, but now he has a bit more confidence downfield (8.6 and 13.0 against the Steelers).Meanwhile, Jackson had four carries for 17 yards and didn’t throw a pass. At some point, the Ravens will want to diversify his role (if he doesn’t throw a pass, the element of surprise is lessened), but it’s hard to take the ball out of Flacco’s hands right now.Especially with the Ravens creating turnovers on defense, it’s a formula that’s working, and it starts at the top.Here are five more things we learned during Sunday Night Football.1. The Steelers can spin it however they like, but there’s no denying the fact they’re not remotely the same offense without running back Le'Veon Bell.Bell still hasn’t shown up because of his contract unhappiness, and coach Mike Tomlin has declared he didn’t want to talk about him. Any efforts to trade him haven’t gotten anywhere, which makes it reasonable to wonder if he’s movable considering the contract limitations (anyone who trades for him can’t renegotiate his deal).But without him, there’s no balance to the Steelers offense, no matter how much they try to force James Conner into a lead role. Conner had nine carries for 19 yards Sunday, as the Steelers threw 47 passes and had 11 rush attempts as a team.Bell coming back, if he comes back, will help get that back to where it needs to be. But at the moment, the debate is about the balance between receivers JuJu Smith-Schuster and Antonio Brown, and that’s not to the benefit of anyone there.Quarterback Ben Roethlisberger threw for 224 yards in the first half. He finished with 274. As good as he is, relying on him to be the entire offense isn’t sustainable.2. John Brown has always shown hints of being an explosive receiver.He just hasn’t been able to keep it going.The Ravens wideout finished with three catches for 116 yards and a touchdown Youth Taron Johnson Jerseys , with a 33-yard touchdown reception and another 71-yarder.In a perfect world, he’d provide the Ravens with the consistent deep threat they need to take full advantage of Flacco’s skills. But he hasn’t been consistent over the course of his career.He caught 65 passes for 1,003 yards and seven touchdowns in 2015 for the Cardinals, but fell off sharply after that, and they seemed willing to walk away from him.Brown can make big plays, he just needs to make them more often.3. Steelers fans have a visceral reaction to tight end Vance McDonald, and rightfully so.But he brings out big reactions from people who aren’t even in the stadium as well.McDonald got the home fans lathered up in the second quarter by rolling attempted Ravens tacklers backward during their touchdown drive before the half. It wasn’t as violent as his stiff-arm of Bucs safety Chris Conte last week, but honestly, what is?But Conte seemed to enjoy an earlier play, when McDonald had the ball taken away from him by safety Tony Jefferson, and then was blasted out of the frame by Ravens linebacker C.J. Mosley.“A wise man once said…’What goes around comes around.'” Conte replied to a Twitter commenter who forwarded video of the play to him.Conte’s on injured reserve now, after he tried to play with a torn knee ligament, and it didn’t work.4. As the Steelers continue to try to improve on defense, they’ve taken to rotating cornerbacks聽Coty Sensabaugh and Artie Burns, opposite veteran Joe Haden.While it might be hard to discern any advantage without a close look at tape (do they make me an honorary coach for saying that?) Sensabaugh made some of the visible plays that could keep him on the field.He and safety Sean Davis were responsible for the Alex Collins fumble near the goal line, stopping a play that would have given the Ravens a 21-3 lead in the first half.Haden is so solid on the other side that the other Steelers corner is going to see a lot of traffic, so finding the right mix will be crucial.5. The Ravens secondary played an incredible game.They’re about to get their best cover player back.Cornerback Jimmy Smith will return from his four-game suspension for violating the personal conduct policy next week, giving them another playmaker in the back seven.Brandon Carr will be the odd man out when Smith returns, as 2017 first-rounder Marlon Humphrey isn’t going anywhere. But that gives them depth at a position where many teams are looking for two qualified starters.