No Cam Newton, no audience probably, I’m going to watch and you’ll wish you did when March hits and you’re jonesing for football so bad you hope Vince McMahon reboots the XFL. The Tampa Bay Buccaneers (1-3) take on the Carolina Panthers (1-3) in Charlotte. It’s Monday Night Football. Let’s wee what kind of crazy pops out of Jon Gruden’s mouth tonight.
As always, scroll on down for the live blog. Keep reading for this week’s press release from the NFL.
WHAT TO LOOK FOR – WEEK 5
STILL IN THE MIX: Since the current playoff format (12 teams) was instituted in 1990, 27 teams have rebounded from a losing record after four weeks to qualify for the postseason. Four of those clubs advanced to their Conference Championship Games, including the 2001 New England Patriots (1-3) en route to a Super Bowl XXXVI victory. Buccaneers. Panthers.
MARVELOUS MANNING: New York Giants quarterback ELI MANNING, who looks to earn his 100th regular-season win on Sunday, has 298 touchdown passes in his 13-year career. Buccaneers. Panthers.
With two touchdown passes on Sunday night at Green Bay, Manning will become the eighth quarterback in NFL history with 300 touchdown passes.
FANTASTIC FRANK: Indianapolis running back FRANK GORE has 12,293 rushing yards in his 12-year career.
With 20 rushing yards on Sunday against Chicago, Gore will surpass Pro Football Hall of Famer JIM BROWN (12,312) for the ninth-most rushing yards in NFL history.
DAZZLING DAK: Dallas rookie quarterback DAK PRESCOTT has completed 89 of 131 pass attempts (67.9 percent) for 1,012 yards and three touchdowns with no interceptions in four starts this season. Prescott’s 131 pass attempts without an interception are the most pass attempts by a rookie without an interception to begin a career.
Philadelphia rookie quarterback CARSON WENTZ has completed 102 passes without an interception in three career games, second only to Prescott (131) for the most pass attempts by a rookie without an interception to begin a career.
Prescott, with 32 pass attempts and no interceptions on Sunday against Cincinnati, will surpass TOM BRADY (162) for the most pass attempts without an interception to start a career. He is currently tied with Pro Football Hall of Famer WARREN MOON (131).
FAST STARTER: Denver quarterback TREVOR SIEMIAN has led the Broncos to a 4-0 start. Siemian, who made his first career start in Week 1, has passed for 824 yards with six touchdowns for a 99.6 passer rating this season.
With a win on Sunday against Atlanta, the Broncos would become the fourth team in the Super Bowl era to start 5-0 with a quarterback who had never previously started a game entering the season.
– “I think we learned what Bill Belichick’s focus was in the offseason: it was let’s play good defense, let’s run the football. I think this is going to be how they’re going to play regardless of Tom [Brady] coming back or not.” – Marshall Faulk on the New England Patriots in the absence of Tom Brady
– “This is the team to beat in the NFC.” – Michael Irvin on the Minnesota Vikings
– “He makes the big play for this team. They’re not asking him to make all of the plays, but he makes the big play, something that I don’t think Teddy Bridgewater was quite ready to do.” – Kurt Warner on Minnesota Vikings quarterback Sam Bradford
The game is on ESPN at 8:15 p.m. Watch it with me.
