It is understandable that in a game where the Chicago Bears managed just three points, star tight end Colston Loveland had a quiet performance. Where it becomes head-scratching, though, is that it followed a Week 1 outing in which Loveland went without a single catch. That begs the question of whether this is simply a slow start or if there is reason for concern about his season-long outlook.

Entering the season, Loveland would have been among the last tight ends one would expect to tally just a single catch for three yards across two games. He ranks 76th at the position in receiving yards despite the fact that his team exploded for 59 points in the season opener. Mind you, this is a tight end who last year was the fourth-best in yards per route and who closed the campaign on a tear.

Loveland’s rookie season had its peaks and valleys, so perhaps his second year with the Bears will eventually resemble that 2025 picture. Anyone talented enough to rack up 28 catches, 378 yards and two touchdowns in the final four games of his debut season ought to be capable of stringing together a similar stretch a year later, right?

Here is what went wrong for Loveland in the first two games of 2026 and a few reasons why the best is still ahead for the former No. 10 overall draft pick.

Why Colston Loveland lacks targets through two games

Loveland’s five targets rank 31st most among tight ends. That is an unimaginably low number for a player who commanded 10 or more targets in the final two games of the 2025 regular season and both of the Bears’ playoff contests. The reason behind that downturn appears to be twofold.

First, Loveland is not getting nearly as much separation on his routes this year as he did as a rookie. He generated an average of 3.7 yards of separation in 2025 compared to just 2.1 yards in Weeks 1 and 2. The most logical explanation is that defenses are keying in on him. They had all offseason to dial up coverage schemes, knowing that they would face him early in the year.

What’s more, in the instances where Loveland does break free from his defender, quarterback Caleb Williams does not feed him the ball. Against the Carolina Panthers and Minnesota Vikings, on numerous routes where Loveland found himself in open space, Williams had already locked in on or thrown to another receiver, was in escape mode or found himself in the arms of a pass rusher.

Colston Loveland deployed as a pass-blocker in Week 2

It is not as though the Bears scrapped Loveland as a route-runner, but they did utilize him more at the line of scrimmage against the Vikings than in most other games. Loveland took on one of the largest pass-blocking roles of his career against Brian Flores’ vaunted Minnesota defense. His pass-blocking rate, in fact, was higher in Week 2 than at any point in the second half of last season, per PFF.

This makes quite a bit of sense considering the opponent. Not only does Minnesota dial up blitzes at the highest rate of any defense in the NFL, but it does so by an extreme margin. The Vikings blitzed on 75.3% of pass plays in their first two games, while the next-most aggressive team did so at just 46.6%. Chicago responded by enhancing its protection with Loveland stepping in to aid the offensive line.

Perhaps the Bears overused Loveland as a blocker, though. The most questionable decision in that regard came on the final play of the game. Chicago needed a touchdown, had the ball on the 12-yard line and instead of sending its star tight end to the end zone, it held him back in pass protection. Not only did this take a tall and physical weapon out of play downfield, but it also resulted in Loveland’s assignment getting home for a game-sealing sack of backup quarterback Tyson Bagent.

Loveland’s past blocking rates suggest this was a one-time uptick against an aggressive defense. The result of the final play against the Vikings should also serve as a reminder to Ben Johnson and the coaching staff that the star tight end is best used down the field rather than in the trenches.

The bigger red flag is that Chicago might not trust its offensive line to protect Williams in its toughest matchups. The less time Williams has to operate in the pocket, the less time Loveland has to get downfield. That could hold him back from replicating the tremendous per-route yardage numbers he logged as a rookie.

Opportunities still abound for Colston Loveland

Loveland’s blocking duties in Week 2 should not cast doubt on his usage moving forward. More likely than not, it was a product of playing against a formidable defensive front. Look no further than the previous week for reassurance about Loveland’s role as a receiver, because he ran a team-high 33 routes against the Panthers. It may not have resulted in a single catch, but Chicago was more adamant about getting Loveland downfield than any other player on the offense.

Not even his reduction in opportunities last week was enough to unseat Loveland as the Bears’ most active route-runner. Below are the Bears’ five leaders in routes run through two games.

1. Colston Loveland, 61
2. Rome Odunze, 57
3. Luther Burden III, 55
4. Kalif Raymond, 53
5. Cole Kmet, 32

Two games is a small sample size. After two more weeks, Loveland could look up at the stat sheet and find himself as the Bears’ season-long receiving leader. The fact that Raymond — not Loveland, Odunze nor Burden — is the team’s most productive receiver is likely nothing more than early-season noise.

Jameis Winston‘s initial thoughts when he first saw Jaxson Dart go down to injury in the first quarter on Monday night were just to pray.

“Lifting him up, hoping that everything would be fine,” Winston said.

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Things, of course, didn’t end up being fine for Dart and the Giants though as the young quarterback would be ruled out for the contest due to a knee injury.

So Winston was quickly thrust into the QB1 spot, and it didn’t quite go as planned.

“We didn’t execute,” head coach John Harbaugh said.

Winston certainly looked the part of a backup as he missed open receiver after open receiver, under throwing several seemingly makable throws.

He completed just 11-of-27 passes for 111 yards and threw a bad interception in the red zone, forcing a throw on third-and-seven to end what was shaping up to be a successful drive.

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“We had one-on-one coverage,” the QB explained. “They got pressure up the middle and I gave our guy a chance and the corner slipped underneath — he saw the ball coming out of my hand before the receiver and made a play on it.”

Unfortunately for Winston that became a common theme throughout the night.

New York failed in their only other red zone opportunity for the contest, putting just six points on the board while also finishing an ugly 3-for-14 on third down.

“We have to execute better,” Winston said. “We are focusing on being in better down-and-distance — we were in third-and-long a lot, so we have to execute better — I have to execute better on first and second down.”

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And the Giants will certainly need him to be better very quickly, as Dart is expected to be sidelined for about 2-to-4 weeks, sources tell SNY NFL Insider Connor Hughes.

While Dart may push to be back sooner, that likely means Winston will be back as QB1 in Week 3 against the Titans.

“My role is to keep him lifted up, keep this team motivated and put this game behind us,” Winston said. “Find ways to be solution-oriented and have a better week of preparation, a better game of efficiency, and to get a win.”

Former Real Madrid defender Nacho Fernandez named attacker Vinicius Junior as the player who receives unfair treatment despite playing a key role in the club’s recent success.

Vinicius, 26, has played over 380 times across competitions for Los Blancos since arriving from Flamengo in the summer of 2018, contributing 129 goals and 103 assists and winning three La Liga and two UEFA Champions League titles.

The Brazil international has had a slow start to the season, though, scoring once in eight games across competitions. Having signed a contract extension this summer, Vinicius has attracted criticism for his underwhelming returns. Nevertheless, Nacho lauded the Brazilian for being the hardest worker in the team (as per Cadena SER):

“Vinicius has been getting unfair treatment lately. He’s won so much at Real Madrid and given so much to the club. Every player has moments when they’re below their best.

“Besides, I know Vinicius personally, and I have no doubt that he’s the hardest worker, for sure. We need to find a way to get them both to perform at their peak during the most important part of the season.”

Nacho and Vinicius played together at the Santiago Bernabeu for six seasons, between 2018 and 2024, before the Spaniard left for Al-Qadsiah.

Nacho Fernandez lauds Real Madrid legend Cristiano Ronaldo

Nacho Fernandez had words of praise for Real Madrid legend Cristiano Ronaldo, who’s still going strong despite turning 41 earlier this year. The Portugal captain was at the Santiago Bernabeu between 2009 and 2018 before leaving for Juventus.

Ronaldo scored a club record 450 goals in just 438 games across competitions, winning two La Liga and four UEFA Champions League titles, including an unprecedented three-peat in the competition between 2016 and 2018.

Now at Al-Nassr in Saudi Arabia, where he arrived on a free transfer in December 2022, Ronaldo has amassed over 100 goals for his side. Nacho lauded Ronaldo for still playing at a high level (as per CADENA SER):

“What Cristiano does is out of this world; it’s crazy to reach that age still competing. I’m definitely not going to reach that age.”

Ronaldo won four of his five Ballon d’Or awards while at the Santiago Bernabeu and became the first player to win the Champions League five times, which he achieved in 2018.