Indianapolis Colts receiver Michael Pittman is used to leading the squad in targets. He has done so again through three matches of the 2024 season with 20 looks his way. What is he used to? Those targets led to little production, something he said cannot affect him or the Colts plans of winning.  “Yeah, you have to fight it because if that gets to you, then you start playing bad,” Pittman said, via Fox59’s Mike Chappell. “You start doing too much. You’ve gotta fight that off and just know that it is a team sport. As long as we win games, it’s good. You have to put [the frustrations] aside. “Obviously, we want to do more. I want to do a lot more. But you have to do what you’re asked to do and just be a good teammate.” So far in the new season, Pittman’s 20 targets are almost double of the next Colts player (Alec Pierce, 12).  He has turned that into only 88 yards on 11 catches. His 8.0 yards per reception comes in 1.3 yards off his worst-ever season total. His 55.0 catch percentage is currently 10.6% lower than his 2020 rookie season, his worst in that category.  Pittman’s numbers across the board are far off from his career rates, not to mention down from last season. He has a 109-catch, a 1,152-yard campaign that is his best to date. This led to his three-year, $70 million extension over the summer.  Pittman surpassed his present three-game yardage total in five different standalone contests last season, one of which came during Anthony Richardson’s first start as a rookie.  Although, this year, the connection hasn’t been there as Richardson greatly struggled with his precision. He only made four starts in 2023 before he lost his campaign to an injury. He has not completed more than half his passes in any tournaments this term, plus he leads the NFL with six interceptions.  The Colts’ have enjoyed more success on the ground behind Richardson’s scrambles and running back Jonathan Taylor’s steady contributions, surpassing 100 yards rushing as a team weekly.  During their first win of the year in Week 3 over the Chicago Bears, the scales heavily swung that way, as the offense scored 33 run plays compared to 20 passes.  Pittman knows that will be the winning formula sometimes. “I think Travis Kelce said it the best,” he said. “You have to be unselfish with the type of team we are right now. Just knowing we’re going to do what is going to win us games and we’re going to do whatever that is. “Some games it could be a passing attack. Some games it could be a run attack. Man, it’s all about winning the game. As long as we’re winning games, you kind of put your head down and just keep going.” He also understands that there is enough football ahead to correct his current lull. The Colts will figure out their best balance to stay competitive, with more chances hopefully leading to more ease for Richardson behind center. That in turn could lead to better days ahead for the fifth-year wide receiver, who has consistently proven that he can adjust to change and deliver. “We’re just being patient,” Pittman said. “We are committed to getting better each day and opportunities are going to come. When they do, we have to make the most of them.”

The Baltimore Ravens are bringing back a familiar face to bolster its pass rush. They signed edge rusher Yannick Ngakoue to their practice squad, according to the NFL’s transaction wire.  ESPN reported the news first.  Ngakoue, had been wasting on the free-agent market all offseason and three weeks into the 2024 season. The ninth-year defensive end appeared in 13 matches for the Chicago Bears in 2023, totaling four sacks, six tackles for loss and seven QB hits.  Joining the Ravens will be Ngakoue’s sixth change in residence in five years; he has played for the Jaguars, Vikings, Ravens, Raiders, Colts, Bears and is now back to Baltimore since 2019. His last stint with the Ravens was only for nine games in 2020, when he recorded three sacks for John Harbaugh and Co. after a midseason transfer from Minnesota.  Ngakoue will want to bring spice to a 2024 Baltimore defense currently ranking 17th in sack rate and 32nd in passing yards permitted per match (291.7).  He said in May that he wanted to “re-establish’’ himself as one of the best pass rushers in the NFL and wait for the “perfect opportunity’’ to arise. Ngakoue seems to have found one with the Ravens.  League enthusiasts expect to see him make his debut for Baltimore this week when they host the Buffalo Bills (2-0) on Sunday Night Football on September 29th. 

Over his first three weeks at the NFL, Malik Nabers has become a must-watch talent. The rookie WR has swiftly risen in the ranks as one of the league’s most spectacular wide receivers. It turns out Nabers is enjoying his time with the New York Giants as much as fans tuning in to watch his awe striking catches and historic feats.  “I’m having a lot of fun, a dream come true,” Nabers said Tuesday, via team transcript. So far, he has been a dream come true for a stagnant Giants offense, giving fans something to be thrilled about and a long absent dynamic delivery.  Even when New York dropped their first two matches of the term, Nabers was delivering highlights and receiving attention. Now, the Giants have secured their first victory of the term, a 21-15 win over the Cleveland Browns where Nabers racked in eight catches for 78 yards and a couple of touchdowns.  The rookie became the youngest WR in NFL history with two TD catches in a match, according to NFL Research. In those eight receptions were two outstanding grabs: the first when he skied above Cleveland cornerback Martin Emerson to pull a 28-year again along the sideline; the second an excellent 3-yard score where he skied for the ball before twisting his body to get  both feet inside the end zone.  “They were good catches, but I’ve made some way better catches than that,” said Nabers, the 2024 NFL Draft’s sixth-overall selection. “I’m not surprised by it, it’s just how I play, it’s how I am.” Following his latest showing, Nabers enters Thursday night’s Week 4 opener against the Dallas Cowboys with 23 catches, 271 receiving yards and a league-high three TD grabs. Those numbers make him the first player in league history with 20-plus catches and three or more TD grabs in his first three career matches, according to NFL Research.  Now he is ready for his prime-time debut, but to him it is just another match against another team.  “It’s a regular game,” he said of playing on Thursday night. And it all the same competing against the Cowboys, too, no matter how high-profile they might be.  “It’s football,” he said. “A game is a game. Every time I go out there, a game is a game. No matter what day it is, a game is a game.”