A matchup of two former first-round quarterbacks, Justin Fields and Anthony Richardson, is the headliner in this week’s Caplin News NFL Preview. The Pittsburgh Steelers and Indianapolis Colts will play this Sunday at Lucas Oil Stadium with high expectations on both sides.
The surprising Steelers, with Fields leading the way in his first season with the team, are unbeaten at 3-0 and sit in first place in the AFC North. The Colts come into the game in second place in the AFC South at 1-2.
In Week 3, both teams won, with Fields and Richardson taking center stage. The Steelers defeated the Los Angeles Chargers, 20-10, and the Colts posted a 21-16 win over the Chicago Bears.
Steelers coach Mike Tomlin is preparing Fields to start at quarterback against the Colts, making it his fourth consecutive start, while Russell Wilson, the presumed starter during training camp, continues to be limited by his calf injury.
“Fields is doing an awesome job, doing what we’re asking him to do, playing and planning to win, so that’s appreciated,” Tomlin said.
And overall, the veteran coach has expressed how his club has shown a focused mindset amid injuries.
“I like our general demeanor throughout,” he added. “It hasn’t been fluid the whole way, but I don’t feel anyone’s blinked, or anybody’s running away from the challenge. I just feel guys leaning in on the challenge, and obviously we’re going to have to reproduce that as we move forward. It is good to be 3-0 as we sit here, obviously, we’ve sustained some injuries and so forth. But, that’s ball and life.”
The Colts might be surprising from the other side in how they are still finding their fit. Richardson has not put up the type of numbers that is expected from a second-year quarterback, but coach Shane Steichen remains committed to him.
“I’ve got all the confidence in the world in him just to keep getting the repetitions in practice and keep getting going,” the coach said. “He is a young player, but he’s super positive on the sidelines. I mean every time we’ve have a bad series, he’s like ‘we’re good, we’ll get it on the next drive,’ and you need that at the quarterback position for sure.”
The teams play at 1 p.m. on Sunday.
MINNESOTA VIKINGS (3-0) AT GREEN BAY PACKERS (2-1), 1 P.M.
This year’s first installment of this NFC North division rivalry is also generating buzz this week, as the Vikings prepare to visit the Packers at Lambeau Field in Green Bay.
The Vikings, like the Steelers, come into the week with a surprising unbeaten record. A 34-17 win over the Houston Texans has them at 3-0, and Sam Darnold, their backup quarterback, is making most of his chances this season.
Indeed, Darnold, himself a former first-round pick, has become the talk of the league, and is proving he can be a full-time starter. In Minnesota’s last game, in fact, Darnold avoided a serious knee injury, accounted for four touchdowns, and is now ready to play the Packers.
Meanwhile, Green Bay is making news at the quarterback position, as well. Backup Malik Willis, pressed into duty because of an injury to Jordan Love, is now 2-0 as a starter. And last week, he led a 30-14 win over his former team, the Tennessee Titans.
Packers coach Matt LaFleur continues to be impressed by Willis, as Love heals.
“I think a change of scenery can be good for some guys, and I just cannot articulate the job that he’s done in a short period of time,” he said of Willis. “People can’t fathom it, I promise you. You guys don’t get it. I know you think you got it, but you don’t get it. What he has been able to do … I’ve never seen something like this. So, hats off to him, hats off to everybody around him.”
This will be an intense match for both teams. The Vikings want to continue their unbeaten record, and the Packers want to tie their rivals in first place at 3-1.
Minnesota coach Kevin O’Connell, in his weekly press conference, described how he feels about his surging team headed into the rivalry.
“We have a lot of respect for everybody we play. We know that every Sunday in the NFL, you’re going to line up against teams that can be explosive. Teams that can try to come at you and dominate the line of scrimmage,” O’Connell said. “Our guys are answering the challenge, and is a collective group effort with total scheme ownership.
“I asked the team, last week, ‘Are we willing to do the things that we thought it would take to win games? Are we willing to kind of prove some early-season discipline of handling some success and a physical football game? Finding a way to prepare and show up and do it again?’ I think this has been a good benchmark for our team to develop some real confidence in our process.”
DENVER BRONCOS (1-2) AT NEW YORK JETS (2-1), 1 P.M.
A unique matchup of young and old is also in store for Sunday. In fact, a rookie quarterback and a former Super Bowl-champion quarterback will be head to head at MetLife Stadium in New Jersey.
Quarterback Bo Nix, 24, is a 2024 first-round pick, and had a breakout game last Sunday when he achieved his first career win as the starter of the Denver Broncos. He threw for 216 yards, completing 25 of 36 pass attempts in defeating the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. He also notched his first touchdown run in the first quarter, and the Broncos never looked back, cruising past the Buccaneers, 26-7.
“I say this, and I mean this, and it’s so important — and I include myself and the offensive coaching staff — to paint a perfect picture for this player,” Denver coach Sean Payton said. “And if we do that — and when we do that — this guy is going to be something.”
The Jets are 2-1 after last week defeating the New England Patriots, 24-3. Among the favorites to win the Super Bowl, the Jets are only going to go as far quarterback Aaron Rodgers takes them. Now 40 years old, he has led the Jets to two straight wins, and his team has been built around him to make it happen this year.
The star quarterback threw two touchdown passes against the Patriots, while hearing his name being chanted by the adoring New York fans. Rodgers finished 27 of 35 for 281 yards in the win.
Jets coach Robert Saleh expressed his confidence in Rodgers after the last game, and that won’t change this week against the Broncos.
“That’s just his instinct,” he said of Rodgers, who still moves well behind the line of scrimmage. “He felt the pocket collapsing [against the Patriots], and felt like there was space. And you’re not always asking him to do that stuff in a perfect world, but he throws with time and rhythm. And guys are getting open for him, and I think it’s good for him to show that he still has plenty of juice in his legs.”
