Denver Broncos: General manager John Elway didn't mince words on Monday when discussing the team's loss to the Rams, the Broncos' fourth straight following a 2-0 start. Speaking with the team's radio partner, Orange and Blue 760, Elway said, "At some point in time we have to play better football ... we're still making the mistakes we shouldn't make to beat good football teams like the Rams." Elway finished the interview saying he hopes the team can "take a mentality into [Thursday's game at Arizona] where we're fighting for our lives.'' Head coach Vance Joseph did not shy away from the suggestion that he is fighting for his own job. "Absolutely, absolutely," he told reporters. "That's every coach in this league every week. If you don't feel that way, you're missing something."
Kansas City Chiefs: Despite a poor start Sunday night in Foxborough that included a pair of interceptions, Patrick Mahomes rallied the Chiefs from 15 points down to a fourth-quarter lead before Kansas City ultimately fell to the Patriots by three points. Head coach Andy Reid was impressed with the second-year starter's resolve, he told reporters Monday. "He's a young guy, and for him to be able to overcome those things during the game tells you a little bit about him," Reid said. "On the other hand, we need to get better at those things and we need to start better. He's the type that will do that, and he knows that every day isn't going to be perfect, but he needs to keep battling, and that's what he does. I appreciate that about him."
Los Angeles Chargers: A big-play specialist, wide receiver Tyrell Williams caught three passes for 118 yards and two scores on Sunday, including a leaping grab amid three Cleveland Browns defenders for a 45-yard touchdown. He told reporters Monday that contested catches and high-pointing the football were major focuses for him entering the season. "I've still been working on it and I work on it every day, being one of the things I really wanted to get better at," Williams said. "It's nice to see it come to fruition in a game." The fourth-year pro has 16 catches for 310 yards (19.4 average, third in NFL) and three touchdowns as he prepares to hit unrestricted free agency after the season.
Oakland Raiders: Many Raiders fans were thrilled by the return of head coach Jon Gruden, but after the team's 1-5 start, some have apparently already turned on the man who signed a reported 10-year, $100 million deal to again lead the team. A website has emerged at the domain "isgrudengoneyet.com" featuring only a title (Is Gruden gone yet?), an answer (an extra large "NO"), a ticking clock (counting the years, weeks, days, hours, minutes and seconds left in Gruden's deal) and an updating counter of how much money Gruden has made and is still owed as part of his contract. The site's emergence comes after the Raiders lost 27-3 to the Seahawks in London and amid rumors that recent first-round picks Amari Cooper and Karl Joseph are on the trade block.
--Field Level Media