Colston Loveland — Week 1: No Catches, and a Pick That Did Not Count
2026 NFL Season · Half-PPR Scoring · Monday, Sep 14
Loveland was thrown to twice Sunday, both in the third quarter, both incomplete — deep middle from the Chicago thirty-five and short middle from the Carolina eleven. A third throw his way, second and one at the Carolina one with seven twenty-one left in the fourth, was intercepted in the end zone and wiped out by a defensive offside penalty; Jahdae Walker caught the touchdown two snaps later. Cole Kmet caught two of three targets for thirty-five yards and a score in a 59–37 win over the Panthers.
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The throw that would have been Colston Loveland's worst moment Sunday does not count. Second and one at the Carolina one, seven 21 left in the fourth quarter, Chicago up 45 to 31: Caleb Williams short middle, intended for Loveland, intercepted in the end zone and returned to the one — and Carolina had been offside, so there was no play. Two snaps later Williams threw a one-yard touchdown to Jahdae Walker. Because it was wiped out, that throw does not count against him; the two that do count were both incompletions.
The first was first and 10 at the Chicago 35 with nine oh two left in the third, tied 31 to 31, deep middle, 19 yards in the air. The second was first and 10 at the Carolina 11 with four 59 left in the same quarter, still tied, short middle. That drive ended in a D'Andre Swift touchdown anyway. Two targets, no catches, −1.0 expected points added — expected points added is what a play was worth given down, distance and field position — and 30 air yards. Nothing before halftime. The play-by-play has him once more, a holding penalty on a Swift run from the 11 with four 55 left in the third that turned second and 10 into second and 20.
The tight-end room split five targets: three to Cole Kmet, two to Loveland. Kmet caught the 22-yard touchdown deep left on first and 10 at the Carolina 22 with 14 oh five left in the second quarter, Chicago up 14 to seven, and 13 yards on third and two in the fourth. Kalif Raymond was thrown to nine times, Luther Burden five, Rome Odunze three, and Chicago ran 39 times against 31 pass plays, so there was not a great deal of volume to go around after Raymond.
Back in June the preview's read on Loveland was a rookie tight end at a TE1 price — TE12 as a rookie across 16 games, a real role in Ben Johnson's offense, and the open question was whether that rested on target volume or touchdown variance. Sunday ran against the read on both halves: two targets, no catches, and the tight-end touchdown went to Kmet. One game, in an offense that threw 29 times and scored six times on the ground, is not a role verdict. Chicago is home to the Vikings on Sunday the twentieth. Watch the split with Kmet.
_Data via nflverse._
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