Archive for October, 2017

NFL 2017 Week 8 Recap

Sunday, October 29th, 2017

NFL 2017 Week 8 Recap

Miami Dolphins at Baltimore Ravens was the Thursday night game. Sometimes a pair of boring teams can come together for a thrilling game. This was not that game. A short punt had the Ravens starting at the Miami 40. On 3rd and 4, Joe Flacco went deep to Jeremy Maclin for a 34 yard touchdown to make it 7-0 Ravens. In the second quarter Justin Tucker blasted long field goals of 55 and 48 yards to make it 13-0 Bills. A 50 yard Miami field goal try was no good, and the Ravens were rolling. With 4 minutes left in the half, Baltimore had 3rd and 10 at the Miami 20. Flacco scrambled for 9 yards and then gave himself up. Kiki Alonso hit Flacco late and in the head. Flacco was knocked out of the game with a concussion. The Ravens thought it was a cheap shot. Ryan Mallett played the rest of the way. On 3rd and goal at the 2, Mallett hit Watson for the score and the 20-0 Ravens lead at the half.

The second half was unnecessary. After a scoreless third quarter, Miami needed three touchdowns from Matt Moore to win the game. Moore delivered ouchdowns in the fourth quarter, but they went to the Baltimore defense. Mosley returned an interception 63 yards for a touchdown. Then from the Miami one, Mallett fumbled, but Moore recovered it in the end zone for a gift Baltimore touchdown. Moore was then intercepted by Smith, who returned it 50 yards for another defense touchdown to complete the blowout. John Harbaugh was glad to take the win but is more concerned about Flacco, who will miss at least one game. 40-0 Ravens

Minnesota Vikings at Cleveland Browns in London. An early interception of Case Keenum had the Browns at the minnesota 37, Isaiah Crowell ran for a 26 yard touchdown to make it 6-0 Browns after the failed extra point. The Browns then fumbled a punt, giving the Vikings the ball at the Cleveland 46.  Kai Forbath hit a 35 yard field goal to get the Vikings within 6-3. A field position game had the Vikings taking over at their own 40 with 6 minutes left in the half. Keenum threw an 18 yard touchdown pass to Adam Thielen to make it 9-6 Vikings in a game where nobody wanted to make an extra point.

At the 2 minute warning, the Browns faced 3rd and 12 at their own 16. DeShaun Kizer went deep to Louis for a 37 yard gain and then hit Crowell for a 38 yard gain down to the 6. On 3rd and goal at the one, Kizer got in to make it 13-9 Browns with only 34 seconds left in the half. From the Minnesota 22, Keenum hit McKinnon for gains of 20 and 16 yards. With 8 seconds left from the Cleveland 37, Keenum hit Treadwell for 21 yards. Forbath hit the 34 yard field goal as the Vikings were only down 13-12 at the break.

On the opening play of the third quarter, Crowell fumbled and the Vikings took over at the Cleveland 30. The defense held and Forbath hit from 43 to make it 15-13 Vikings. After an exchange of punts, the Browns took over at their own 40. They moved to a 1st and goal at the 6, but a one yard run was followed by Kizer throwing incomplete. Gonzalez hit from 23. With 5 1/2 minutes left in the third quarter, the winless Browns had a 16-15 lead. They were winless in the United States, but this was England. Could the Browns finally get Hue Jackson a win this year?

After a touchback, the Vikings got going. From their own 42, Keenum went to Thielen for 25 yards. From the Cleveland 15, defensive pass interference put the ball on the one. McKinnon got in and also ran in the 2 point conversion to make it 23-16 Vikings after three quarters. In the fourth quarter the Vikings moved 84 yards. On 3rd and 10 from their own 27, Keenum hit Thielen for 16 yards, with 15 more tacked on for roughing the passer. On the next play, defensive pass interference meant 30 more yards. Keenum hit Kyle Rudolph for a 4 yard touchdown to make it 30-16 Vikings with 10 minutes left in regulation. After that Mike Zimmer’s defense clamped down. Forbath added a 51 yard field goal with 1:15 left, as the Browns dropped to 0-8 at the halfway mark. 33-16 Vikings

Chicago Bears at New Orleans Saints — Both of these teams are improved. The Saints moved 81 yards in the first quarter and Kamara ran for an 8 yard touchdown to make it 7-0 Saints. In the second quarter the Bears moved 67 yards in 10 plays and 5 1/2 minutes. They settled for a 27 yard Conor Barth field goal to trail 7-3, but they kept the game a slugfest. The Saints would move 80 yards and Mark Ingram scored on a one yard touchdown to make it 14-3 Saints at halftime.

In the third quarter the Bears had the ball at their own 3 yard line. JoJo Howard ran for a 44 yard gain. On 3rd and 10 from their own 47, Mitchell Trubisky found McBride for 22 yards. On 3rd and 10 from the saints 25, Trubisky went deep to Zach Miller for the touchdown. The officials reviewed the play and called it an incomplete pass. Miller was injured on the play. Barth hit a 44 yard field goal to get the Bears within 14-6 with 6 minutes left in the third quarter. A field position game had the Saints taking over in the fourth quarter at their own 47. Drew Brees found Thomas for a 22 yard gain. Will Lutz hit a 45 yard field goal with 13 minutes left in regulation to put the Saints up 17-6.

The Saints moved from their 24 to the Chicago 19 with a chance to put the game away. A pass to Ingram lost 6 yards. On the next play Ingram fumbled, and the Bears took over at their own 28. On 3rd and 10, Trubisky came up short but offsetting penalties gave the Bears another chance. This time Trubisky ran for a 26 yard gain. On 3rd and 7 from the Saints 23, Trubisky hit wright for 10 yards. On 3rd and 7 from the saints 10, Trubisky hit Sims for the first down with a facemark putting the ball on the one. Cohen got in. The 2 point try failed but the Bears were only down by 5 with 4 minutes left.

At the 2 minute warning, the Bears faced 3rd and 1 at their own 39. Trubisky threw incomplete and the Bears had to go for it. Trubisky threw incomplete again on 4th and 1. The Bears held on defense but Lutz hit a 49 yard field goal to put the Saints up by 8 with 90 seconds left. The Bears got a major break when they returned the ensuing kickoff 46 yards with a horse collar tackle adding 15 more. Despite taking over at the Saints 43, there would be no comeback. Trubisky was intercepted as Sean Payton saw his squad win 5 straight games after an 0-2 start. Brees was 23 of 28 for 299 yards in the win. 20-12 Saints.

Atlanta Falcons at New York Jets — Atlanta is not the same team as last year. Their offense is sputtering. In the first quarter the Jets moved 75 yards and Josh McCown threw a 20 yard touchdown to Tomlinson for a 7-0 Jets lead. The Falcons came back 64 yards. Matt Ryan hit Hooper for a one yard score and a 7-7 ballgame. Late in the first quarter the Falcons took over at their own 6 yard line. From their own 18, Ryan fumbled and the Jets recovered at the Atlanta 20. The Atlanta defense held to start the second quarter, but Chandler Catanzaro hit a 43 yard field goal to make it 10-7 Jets. The Falcons moved 70 yards in 12 plays and 6 minutes but could not close the deal. Matt Bryant hit from 23 to make it 10-10.

A field position game and a short punt had the Jets taking over at the Atlanta 43. On 3rd and 4 from the Atlanta 24, Josh McCown went deep to Anderson for the touchdown to make it 17-10 Jets. With 2 1/2 minutes left in the half. From the Atlanta 20, the Falcons moved to a 1st and 10 at the Jets 19 with 28 seconds left in the half. Ryan threw incomplete twice and was sacked for an 8 yard loss. Bryant hit the 45 yard field goal as the half ended with the Falcons trailing 17-13.

The Falcons quickly moved 61 yards in the third quarter but again bogged down in the red zone. Bryant hit from 37 to get the Falcons within 17-16. The fourth quarter began with Cantazaro trying a 48 yard field goal. The kick was no good, and the Falcons took over at their own 38. Coleman broke free for a 52 yard gain. On 3rd and goal at the 8, Ryan hit Mohammed Sanu for the touchdown. The 2 point try failed but the Falcons led 22-17 with 12 1/2 minutes left in regulation. The Jets took over at their own 20. From their own 31, a short pass from McCown to Anderson gained 24 yards, with 15 more tacked on for roughing the passer. Catanzaro hit from 46 to get the Jets within 22-20 with 8 1/2 minutes to play.

The Falcons punted, and the Jets fumbled the punt. Todd Bowles could only watch in frustration as the Falcons took over at the Jets 13. Yet gang Green had an inspired defensive stand. Bryant hit a 29 yard field goal. With 5 1/2 minutes left, the Falcons led by 5 but the Jets had life. The game appeared over when the Falcons returned a punt 80 yards for a score, but an illegal block nullified the score. By the time the Jets got the ball back, only one minute remained and the Jets were at their own 4 yard line. With 2 seconds left the Jets were at their own 38. They would never get a chance at a Hail Mary as a false start led to a 10 second runoff. These are the Jets. 25-20 Falcons

Carolina Panthers at Tampa Bay Buccaneers — Both teams have been out of sync, especially on offense. In the first quarter the Panthers had a staggering 17 play, 82 yard drive that consumed over 8 1/2 minutes off the clock. Stewart got the last yard to make it 7-0 Panthers. Graham Gano tacked on a 28 yard field goal in the second quarter as the Panthers took a 10-0 lead into the locker rooms. In the third quarter Murray hit a 41 yard field goal to finally get the Buccaneers on the board. With 11 1/2 minutes left in regulation and facing 3rd and 7 at their own 33, Jameis Winston was intercepted. The Panthers took over at the Tampa Bay 48. On 3rd and 16 from the Tampa 25, Newton went deep to Kelvin Benjamin for the touchdown. Carolina’s defense did the rest to win this ugly game. 17-3 Panthers

San Francisco 49ers at Philadelphia Eagles — Doug Peterson has a 6-1 Eagles squad, while the 49ers are winless. Yet San Francisco has a defense, and most of their losses have been very close. A 40 yard field goal by Elliott had the Eagles up 3-0 in the first quarter. With 5 minutes left in the half, a short punt had the Eagles taking over at their own 44. From the Frisco 44, Carson Wentz went deep o Hollins for a 24 yard gain. On 3rd and 15 from the San Francisco 25, Wentz threw incomplete. However, defensive pass interference put the ball on the one. Wentz hit Zac Ertz for the touchdown to make it 9-0 Eagles after the failed extra point. CJ Beathard was then intercepted by Jaylon Mills, who zig zagged across the entire field and eventually made his way for a 37 yard defensive touchdown. The 2 point conversion had the Eagles up 17-0 at halftime. Elliott tacked on a 51 yard third quarter field goal to make it 20-0 Eagles. Wentz made one mistake all day, an interception that gave the 49ers a short field for a touchdown. Wentz bounced right back, throwing a 53 yard touchdown to Alshon Jeffery to make it 27-7 Eagles. LaGuarette Blount ran for a 12 yard touchdown in the fourth quarter to complete the blowout, make it 33-7 Eagles, and get the Eagles to 7-1, and keep the 49ers 0-8 at the halfway mark. The 49ers inspired the football world by kicking a field goal. 33-10 Eagles

Oakland Raiders at Buffalo Bills — After a thrilling win at home against Kansas City, the Raiders had 10 days to prepare for Buffalo. The temperature was 46 degrees at kickoff with light rain. The Raiders quickly faced 3rd and 6 at their own 23. Derek Carr found Amari Cooper for 13 yards. On 3rd and 12 from the Oakland 44, Carr hit Crabtree for 11. On 4th and 1 from the Buffalo 45, Jack Del Rio decided to go for it. Jamies Olawale got the first down by half the length of the football. Carr then went deep to Michael Crabtree and Smith for a pair of 21 yard gains down to the one. Olawale banged in for a 7-0 Raiders lead to complete the 13 play, 81 yard, 5 1/2 minute drive.

The Bills moved after a touchback to a 3rd and 10 at the Oakland 42. Tyrod Taylor went deep to Mathews for a 27 yard gain, but offensive pass interference killed the drive. The Raiders took over at their own 18 and Carr went deep to Crabtree for a 40 yard gain. Yet offensive holding ended that drive as the Raiders offense did little for long stretches again. In the second quarter, Buffalo faced 2nd and 5 at their own 41. Taylor went deep to Jones for a 22 yard gain. On 3rd and 2 from the Oakland 12, Taylor hit former Raiders receiver Andre Holmes for a 6 yard gain. Taylor went back to Holmes for the 6 yard touchdown and a 7-7 game.

At the 2 minute warning, a punt had the Raiders pinned at their own one yard line. They had a drive going and were at their own 34 when disaster struck. Carr completed a pass to Deandre Washington, who got blasted at the Oakland 40 by Johnson. This was a helmet right on the ball, and it popped straight into the arms of Matt Milano, who returned it 40 yards for a score. With only 30 seconds left in the half, the defensive touchdown had the Bills up 14-7. With 2 seconds left, the Raiders had the ball at the Buffalo 47. Rather than throw a Hail Mary, Carr completed a pass to Jalen Richard for a 15 yard gain that did nothing.

The Raiders self-destructed in the third quarter. Jalen Richard fumbled a punt, giving the Bills the ball at the Oakland 14. Offensive holding had the Bills settling for a 35 yard Steve Hauschka field goal, but the Bills led 17-7. The Raiders quickly faced 3rd and 9 at their own 21. Carr had a pass over the middle deflected by a defender and intercepted by Micah Hyde. The Bills took over at the Oakland 41. Hauschka hit a 44 yarder as the Bills led 20-7.

The Raiders had no offense and the Bills got it back at their own 18. McCoy gained 18 yards. Offensive holding had the Bills facing 2nd and 20 at their own 28. Taylor threw to Golden Tate, who avoided pathetic attempts at tackling for a 24 yard gain. On 3rd and 13 just shy of midfield, Taylor avoided another sack and went deep to a wide open Holmes for a 36 yard gain. The fourth quarter began with Sean McDermott deciding to go for it with the Bills facing 4th and goal at the one foot line. Taylor kept the ball, got rocked backward, and the Raiders celebrated a goal line stand. Their celebration lasted a few seconds as officials ruled Taylor broke the plane of the goal before getting knocked back. The touchdown had the Bills up 27-7, rendering the rest of the game irrelevant.

After doing nothing since early in the game, the Raiders tried to make the score look respectable. Operating out of the hurry up offense after a touchback, Carr hit Washington for a 4 yard touchdown. The Raiders were down 27-14 with 11 minutes left in regulation. The only thing left was for them to show a complete lack of heart on both sides of the ball. The defense let the Bills wind 6 minutes off the clock. The offense moved from their own 19 to a 2nd and 3 at their own 48. Carr then threw 3 straight incompletions. One play later McCoy raced for a 48 yard touchdown. The Raiders moved from their own 25 to the Buffalo 26, where Carr was intercepted again. Taylor was only 20 of 27 for 165 yards, 1 touchdown and 0 interceptions. Carr was 31 of 49 for 313 yards and one touchdown, but 2 interceptions. The Raiders are 3-5 and were one miracle play away from 6 straight losses. The Bills at 5-2 may finally be ready to end their league leading 18 year playoff drought. 34-14 Bills

Indianapolis Colts at Cincinnati Bengals — A pair of bad teams played a bad game as both kickers managed a 29 yard field goal. Randy Bullock hit it for the Bengals in the first quarter and Adam Vinatieri responded in the second quarter for a 3-3 game. That kick was set up by a blunder. The Bengals began the second quarter by fumbling a punt, giving the Colts the ball at the Cincinnati 27. The defense held. However, the defense would not hold when the Colts got it back at their own 48. On 3rd and 8 from the Cincy 13, Jacoby Brissett hit Doyle for the touchdown and a 10-3 Colts lead. The Bengals came back 91 yards and Red Rifle Andy Dalton threw an 8 yard touchdown pass to AJ Green for a 10-10 game. The Colts moved 65 yards at the end of the half and Vinatieri hit from 33 as the Colts led 13-10 at halftime.

In the third quarter, the Bengals moved 77 yards in 11 plays and 6 minutes. Dalton found Malone for a 25 yard touchdown to make it 17-13 Bengals. The Colts then moved 88 yards in 13 plays and 7 minutes. Brissett threw a 24 yard touchdown pass to Marlin Mack to put the Colts back in front 20-17. Late in the third quarter a fumble by Joe Mixon had the Colts taking over at the Cincy 37. Vinatieri hit again from 29 with 11 1/2 minutes left to make it 23-17 Colts. Midway through the fourth quarter, Brissett completed a short pass to Dunlap, who plays defense for the Bengals. Dunlap returned the interception 16 yards for a touchdown to put the Bengals in front by a point. With 2:42 left the Colts began their final drive at their own 24. With 1:22 left the Colts faced 4th and 4 at the Cincy 48. Brissett got blasted as he threw the ball, a wounded duck that fell incomplete as Marvin Lewis defeated Chuck Pagano in the coaches hot seat bowl. 24-23 Bengals

Los Angeles Chargers at New England Patriots — New England is back in Super Bowl form, while the Chargers are trying to replicate the 1992 team that began 0-4 and then made the playoffs. Early on Melvin Gordon raced for an 87 yard run and a 7-0 Chargers lead against a stunned home crowd. In the second quarter the Patriots finally settled down. They moved 77 yards in 14 plays and 6 1/2 minutes. Tom Brady threw a 2 yard touchdown pass to Rob Gronkowski to tie the game 7-7. The Patriots would punt and Travis Benjamin fumbled the ball at his own 8 yard line. Trying to make something happen, Benjamin went backward and was tackled in the end zone for a safety and a 9-7 Patriots lead.

After that Stephen Gostkowski took over. The Patriots got it back and moved 51 yards in 11 plays and 5 minutes. Gostkowski hit a 51 yard field goal to make it 12-7 Patriots. New England then moved 73 yards late in the half and Gostkowski hit from 36 to make it 15-7 at halftime. In the third quarter the Patriots moved 52 yards in 12 plays and 5 1/2 minutes. Gostkowski hit from 43 to make it 18-7 Patriots. With 9 1/2 minutes left in the game, this time from 43 yards out Gostkowski was no good.

After the miss, the Chargers struck quickly from their own 33. Defensive pass interference put the ball on the New England 37. Philip Rivers threw a 24 yard touchdown pass to Travis Benjamin. The 2 point try failed but the Chargers were only down 18-13 with 8 1/2 minutes left in regulation. With just over one minute to play, Gostkowski hit from 26 as the Patriots had an 8 point lead. The Chargers had one final chance from their own 21. With one second left, the Chargers were at the New England 23. Rivers fired to the end zone and was intercepted at the goal line by Jones. 21-13 Patriots

Houston Texans at Seattle Seahawks — During the week the attention was on comments made by Bob McNair and how the players would throw a temper tantrum protest. That has nothing to do with football. The game featured two big plays early on. DeShaun Watson threw a 59 yard touchdown pass to Fuller for a 7-0 Texans lead. Yet the Legion of Boom struck back in a big way. Watson was intercepted by Earl Thomas, who returned it 78 yards for a touchdown and a 7-7 game. The Texans were not rattled, coming back 82 yards. Miller ran for a 3 yard touchdown to make it 14-7 Texans. The Seahawks came back 75 yards and Russell Wilson threw a 20 yard touchdown pass to Paul Richardson for a 14-14 tie after a thrilling first quarter.

In the second quarter the Texans moved 84 yards in 11 plays and 5 minutes. Watson went to Fuller for a 20 yard touchdown and a 21-14 Texans lead. Seattle came back again 75 yards and Wilson connected with Richardson for a 7 yard touchdown as this very exciting game was tied 21-21 at halftime. The game slowed considerably in the third quarter. Both teams drove into the red zone again but not to the end zone this time. Fairbairn hit a 31 yard field goal for the Texans and Blair Walsh responded from 21 yards as the game was tied for the fourth time 24-24. The Seahawks had 2nd and 1 from the Houston 3 but twice could not pick up the yard. Watson was then intercepted by Richard Sherman, who returned it 19 yards. Unnecessary roughness had Seattle with 1st and goal at the 8. Yet again Seattle could not convert. For the second time from the 3 yard line, Wilson threw incomplete. Walsh hit again from 21 to make it 27-24 Seahawks. In the fourth quarter the game revved back up again.

With 11 1/2 minutes left in regulation, the Texans took over at their own 29. Watson went deep to DeAndre Hopkins for a 34 yard gain and then to Fuller for a 36 yard gain down to the 2 yard line. Watson avoided a sack and fired to Miller for the touchdown to make it 31-27 Texans. After a touchback, Wilson went deep to Tyler Lockett for a 54 yard gain. On 3rd and 8 from the 19, Wilson went to Richardson for a 9 yard gain. On 2nd and goal from the 7, a touchdown pass from Wilson to Richardson was nullified by an offensive chop block penalty. On 2nd and goal at the 22 Wilson threw incomplete, but defensive pass interference put the ball on the one. Wilson then went to Jimmy Graham for the touchdown, and this time it stood. The Seahawks had a 34-31 lead with 5 1/2 minutes to play.

Two plays later the Texans were back in front again. A short pass from Watson to Hopkins are Hopkins cut threw the middle of the field and outrace everyone for a 72 yard touchdown. With 5 minutes left, the Texans led 38-34. After a touchback, Wilson went right to work. He ran for 11, and hit Vannett for an 8 yard gain. H found Richardson for a 15 yard gain and then scrambled again for a 21 yard gain to the Houston 20. On the next play, Wilson was intercepted by Mario Williams. With 2:50 left, from their own 8 yard line, the Texans tried to run out the clock and get the road win. On 3rd and 4 from the Houston 26, Bill O’Brien played it very safe. Miller only gained 2 yards and the Seahawks took their final timeout with 1:49 to play.

A 63 yard punt had the Seahawks taking over at their own 20. Rather than just move the chains, Wilson immediately went bombs away. Richardson out jumped the defender for a 48 yard gain. After a false start, Wilson went to Tyler Lockett for a 19 yard gain down to the Houston 18. On the next play, Wilson fired over the middle to a wide open Graham for the touchdown. With 21 seconds to play, the Seahawks had the 3 point lead. The Texans took over after a touchback with 2 timeouts left.

Watson was then sacked with 16 seconds left. Watson then went deep and was again intercepted by Richard Sherman. Two teams known for defense played a shootout. Watson was 19 of 30 for 402 yards. Wilson was 26 of 41 for 452 yards. Both quarterbacks threw 4 touchdown passes. Yet Wilson was intercepted only once, while Watson was picked off 3 times. 41-38 Seahawks

Dallas Cowboys at Washington Redskins — On the first play from scrimmage after a touchback, Ezekiel Elliott fumbled and the Redskins recovered at the Dallas 29. The defense held and on 4th and 1, Jay Grudend decided not to gamble. Nick Rose hit the 38 yard field goal to make it 3-0 Redskins. The Cowboys came right back. On 1st and 15 from their own 20,  Das Prescott hit Jason Witten for 16 yards and Swaim for 18 more. A deep ball to Williams gained 25 yards and Elliott atoned for his fumble with a 13 yard rumble for a touchdown and a 7-3 Cowboys lead. After a touchback the Redskins came back. On 3rd and 3 from their own 32, Kirk Cousins hit Grant for 5 yards with roughing the passer adding 15 more. Cousins then went deep to Jamieson Crowder for a 41 yard gain. Kelley got in from one yard out to make it 10-7 Redskins after the first quarter.

In the second quarter Mike Nugent missed a 49 yard field goal that would have tied the game. Rose hit again from 42 yards out to make it 13-7 Redskins. With 3 minutes left in the half Rose had another opportunity from 36 that would have made it 16-7 Redskins. Instead the kick was blocked by Crawford and picked up by Orlando Scandrick. Scandrick raced 86 yards to set up Dallas at the Washington 2 yard line. Elliott gained a yard and then gained another yard for the score as the Cowboys led 14-13 at halftime.

The second half was the Mike Nugent show. In the third quarter on 3rd and 9 from midfield, Cousins was sacked and fumbled. The Cowboys took over at the Washington 45. Nugent hit from 36 to make it 17-13 Cowboys. The Redskins fumbled the ensuing kickoff, and the Cowboys recovered at the Washington 26. Nugent hit from 48 to make it 20-13 Cowboys. Dallas got it back at their own 43. On 3rd and 6 Prescott found Switzer for 7 yards. The drive stopped at the 9 yard line but Nugent hit from 27 to make it 23-13 Cowboys after three quarters. Dallas held it for 5 minutes Nugent hit from 37 to make it 26-13 Cowboys with 8:45 to play.

Needing 2 scores, the Redskins finally had a decent second half drive. 75 yards in 14 plays led to a critical 4th and 10 at the Dallas 23 with 4:44 left. Cousins threw incomplete, but defensive pass interference put the ball on the one. Cousins hit Doctson for a one yard touchdown to get the Redskins within 7 with 4 1/2 minutes left. With the rain coming down hard, the extra point was missed. With 1:49 left the Cowboys faced 3rd and 3 at the Dallas 43 and the Redskins out of timeouts. Prescott kept it himself but was stopped one yard short of the first down. Jason Garrett took no chances as the Cowboys punted. With 55 seconds left the Redskins took over at their own 12 yard line. Cousins quickly had a pass deflected high in the air and intercepted by Byron Jones. Jones raced 16 yards to the end zone to put the game away. 33-19 Cowboys

Pittsburgh Steelers at Detroit Lions was the Sunday night game. For most of the first half, the offenses were able to move the ball but not all the way to paydirt. Chris Boswell hit a 34 yard field goal for the Steelers and Matt Prater answered with a 48 yarder for a 3-3 game after the first quarter. In the second quarter Prater hit from 37 to make it 6-3 Lions. After a touchback, the Steelers faced 3rd and 9 at the Detroit 45 with 5 minutes left in the half. Ben Roethlisberger went deep to Antonio Brown for a 40 yard gain. On the next play LeVeon Bell ran it in for a 5 yard touchdown and a 10-6 steelers lead. After a touchback, Matthew Stafford went deep to TJ Jones for a 25 yard gain and to Agnew for 12 more. Prater drilled a 51 yarder to get the Lions to within 10-9 with 2:15 left in the half. The Steelers quickly moved after a touchback to a 3rd and 1 at the Detroit 23. Bell got the yard but then coughed up the football. With one minute left the Lions took over at their own 21. Stafford went deep to Marvin Jones for 18 yards, TJ Jones for 24 more, and Golden Tate for another 11 down to the Pittsburgh 16 with 30 seconds left. Three incompletions led to Prater coming in for a 34 yarder. His fourth field goal had the Lions up 12-10 at halftime.

A shanked 19 yard punt only 90 seconds into the third quarter may have been partially blocked. The Steelers set up shop at the Detroit 48. On 3rd and 4, Roethlisberger hit Juju Smith-Schuster for 18 yards. On 3rd and 8 from the Detroit 22, Roethlisberger threw incomplete but defensive unnecessary roughness moved the ball to the 11. A 9 yard touchdown pass to Brown was nullified by offensive pass interference. Boswell hit a 38 yard field goal to put the Steelers back on top 13-12. From the Detroit 17, Stafford hit Jones for 18 with unnecessary roughness adding 15 more to midfield. A 23 yard completion to Jones meant 1st and goal at the 4. On 2nd and goal at the one, Stafford threw incomplete. On 3rd and goal Washington got stopped. Jim Caldwell decided to go for it. On 4th and goal Stafford tried the quarterback draw and lost a yard.

After the goal line stand, the Steelers soon faced 3rd and 9 at their own 3 yard line. Mike Tomlin went for it all and Roethlisberger went deep to Smith-Schuster for a 97 yard touchdown in front of a stunned home crowd. Neither Roethlisberger or Juju-Smith-Schuster are Jewish. With 3 minutes left in the this quarter, the Steelers led 20-12. After a touchback, Theo Riddick ran for gains of 10 and 7 to midfield and caught a pass for 23 more yards. On the first play of the fourth quarter, Stafford hit Golden Tate for 17 yards to set up 1st and goal at the 4 again. On 3rd and goal at the 2, Washington only gained one yard. With 13 minutes left in regulation, on 4th and goal at the 1, this time Caldwell had seen enough. He sent in Prater to kick the 19 yard field goal as the Lions trailed 20-15.

The Steelers went 3 and out and the Lions took over at their own 29. From their 40, Stafford went deep to Tate for a 34 yard gain. Yet Tate inexplicably lost the ball without being touched. Burns recovered the fumble for the Steelers at their own 24 with 10 minutes left. The Lions got the ball back again with 5 minutes left at their own 15 yard line. On 3rd and 3, Stafford went to Eric Ebron for 14 yards. A deep ball was intercepted, but Stafford knew he had a free play since the defense jumped offsides. On 2nd and 1 from the Detroit 45, a completion to Ebron went for 44 yards with 3 minutes left. The Steelers took a timeout on defense. At this point Stafford had thrown for 418 yards without a touchdown. On 3rd and 5 from the 6, a draw play was blown up in the backfield for a 2 yard loss as the clock hit the 2 minute warning. Jim Caldwell went for it. Under heavy pressure Stafford was nearly intercepted as the Lions again turned it over on downs.

The Lions still had all 3 timeouts on defense. In a surprising move, on 2nd and 6 the Steelers passed the ball. An incomplete pass stopped the clock and saved a timeout for the Lions. Another incomplete pass on 3rd and 6 had the crowd pumped, but a killer defensive pass interference penalty on the play gave the Steelers a new set of downs with 1:40 left. The Lions took their last timeout with 90 seconds left as everything came down to the Steelers facing 3rd and 1 at their own 32. Operating out of the shotgun, a perfectly executed shovel pass from Roethlisberger to Smith-Shuster gained 4 yards as the Steelers got to 6-2 with the win. 20-15 Steelers

Denver Broncos at Kansas City Chiefs was the Monday night game. Nobody wins ugly like the Kansas City Chiefs. Their offense moves the chains without mistakes. The defense gives up a ton of yards but forces turnovers. Former Chiefs running back Jamaal Charles fumbled against his old team and Marcus Peters scooped it up and raced 45 yards for a Chiefs defensive touchdown. Alex Smith the. Threw a 29 yard touchdown pass to Travis Kelce to make it 14-0 Chiefs after the first quarter.

Then came the field goal kickers. In the second quarter Brandon McManus hit from 27, but Harrison Butker answered from 25. In the third quarter Butker hit from 32 to make it 20-3 Chiefs, and McManus countered from 34 to get the Broncos within 20-6.

Devontae Booker did score on an 8 yard touchdown run as the Broncos only trailed 20-13 after three quarters. However, the Chiefs clamped down in the fourth quarter. Butker hit from 43, 51 and 42 and the defense did the rest to make it 29-13 Chiefs. Denver did get a touchdown with 1:55 left but the 2 point try failed and Denver was done. Denver is 3-4 while the Chiefs at 6-2 have a stranglehold on the AFC West, making Andy Reid one happy Walrus Lite. 29-19 Chiefs

NFL 2017 Week 8 Prequel

Sunday, October 29th, 2017

NFL 2017 Week 8 Prequel

https://www.commdiginews.com/sports/nfl/football-2017-week-8-nfl-preview-bettors-guide-95316/

NFL 2017 Week 7 Recap

Sunday, October 22nd, 2017

NFL 2017 Week 7 Recap

Kansas City Chiefs at Oakland Raiders was the Thursday night game. These teams have hated each other since 1960, but this may have been the craziest game in the history of the franchise. It also ranked as one of the greatest, most insane finishes in NFL history. Al Davis and Lamar Hunt are gone, but this was an old-time AFL type of game where the bombs rained down and the defenses hung on for their lives. Alex Smith and Derek Carr both threw 3 touchdown passes without an interception. The Chiefs came in having lost after starting 5-0 while the Raiders had lost 4 straight after a 2-0 start. The Chiefs had beaten the Raiders 5 straight times, and a Chiefs win would effectively end the Raiders season.

This was a game of big plays, and the Chiefs moved from their 25 to a 2nd and 8 at the Oakland 35. The much-maligned Oakland defense forced Smith into a pair of incompletions. Harrison Butler nailed a 53 yard field goal to get the Chiefs on the board first. After a touchback, the Raiders struck very quickly. Their offense has been out of sync for a month, with Amari Cooper especially struggling. He exploded in this game. Carr hit Cooper for 12 yards and then went to Jared Cook for a 24 yard gain. From the Chiefs 38, Carr handed off to Marshawn Lynch, who pitched it back to Carr. The perfectly executed flea flicker saw Carr go deep to Cooper for the touchdown and a 7-3 Raiders lead.

The Chiefs came right back. On 2nd and 4 from their own 24, Kareem Hunt broke free for a 34 yard gain. On 3rd and 10 from the Oakland 42, Smith completed a pass for only 4 yards. Yet a roughing the passer penalty meant 1st and 10 from the Oakland 23. Smith hit Hunt for 13 yards and then threw a 10 yard touchdown pass to Travis Kelce for a 10-7 Chiefs advantage. The Raiders soon faced 3rd and 4 at their own 31. Carr hit Cordarelle Patterson for 9 yards. On 3rd and 3 from the Oakland 47, Carr hit Michael Crabtree for 5 yards. Carr then went deep again to Cooper, who split the defenders and raced for a 45 yard touchdown. The Raiders led 14-10 after a wild first quarter.

Oakland finally got a defensive stop as the Chiefs went 3 and out, and the Raiders moved from their 18 to a 1st and 10 at the Chiefs 45. However, an offensive unnecessary roughness penalty killed the drive. A great punt by Marquette King had the Chiefs pinned at their own 1 yard line. Yet the terrible Oakland secondary was as bad as ever on this night. Smith went deep to Robinson for a 33 yard gain. Two plays later Smith went bombs away to Tyreeq Hill for a 64 yard touchdown. 99 yards took only 3 plays as the Chiefs led 17-14.

The Raiders moved from their own 25 to a 1st and 10 at the Chiefs 43. On 3rd and 10, tempers flared. Carr gained only one yard, and then took a late hit from defender Marcus Peters. The Raiders were given an automatic first down at the Chiefs 29. Yet unfortunately, the melee after the play would hurt the Raiders before the next snap. Nobody in the league is as bizarre as Marshawn Lynch. He ran off the bench and entered the fray. Lynch was actually trying to play peacemaker and break up the fight. He did not throw any punches. However, what made things even more strange was that he was actually trying to rescue Peters from the Raiders offensive line. While Peters plays for the Chiefs, he is from Oakland and is Lynch’s cousin. So Lynch case real family over his football family. Lynch also messed up by putting his hand on an official. Lynch was in his own strange way trying to help, but the rules are what they are. Lynch was ejected from the game. Ever the strange personality, rather than leave the stadium as is customary, Lynch snuck into the stands wearing a disguise and watched much of the game with the fans. For touching the official, he was suspended one game in addition to the rest of this one.

Because of the penalty to Lynch, the Raiders had 1st and 25 instead of 1st and 10. They moved into position for Georgia Tavecchio to try a 53 yard field goal to tie the game, but the kick was blocked with 5 minutes left in the half. The Chiefs moved from their 43 to a 2nd and 3 at the Oakland 21. Hill got stopped and Smith threw incomplete. With one minutes left in the half Butler hit a 39 yard field goal for a 2014 Chiefs lead. After a touchback, Carr needed only 20 seconds to move the Raiders to a 1st and 10 at the Chiefs 31. Carr threw incomplete twice and on 3rd and 10 completed a pass to Cooper for only 4 yards. On the last play of the half, a 45 yard field goal try by Tavecchio was again no good. Rather than a 20-20 tie game, the Raiders were down by 6 points.

Rather than be deflated, the Raiders came out storming in the third quarter from their own 15. DeAndre Washington ran for an 11 yard gain and caught a pass from Carr for 10 more. Carr then went to Cooper for 12 yards to midfield. Carr went deep to Cooper and drew a defensive pass interference penalty to set up 1st and goal at the 4. On 2nd and goal Washington got in for a 21-20 Raiders lead. After a touchback, the Chiefs caught a major break. On 3rd and 12 from their own 37, Smith went deep to Wilson. The ball floated and should have been easily intercepted. Instead it bounced right off the defender’s fingers straight into Wilson’s arms, resulting in a 63 yard fluke touchdown and a 27-21 Chiefs lead.

The Raiders punted and the Chiefs soon faced 3rd and 6 at their own 30. A completion from Smith to Robinson was marked short of the sticks. Walrus Lite Andy Reid challenged the spot, and the call was reversed to a first down. On the next play Smith went deep to Hill for a 33 yard gain. The Raiders desperately needed a stop. On 2nd and 8 from the Oakland 19, Smith threw incomplete twice. Butler hit from 37 yards as the Chiefs led 30-21 after three quarters.

After a touchback, the Raiders began the fourth quarter with a pair of Carr incompletions to set up 3rd and 10 at their own 37. Carr hit cook for 13 yards and Jalen Richard for 17 more. A pass to Cooper gained 21 yards. Yet on 3rd and 6 from the Chiefs 8, Carr threw incomplete. Tavecchio hit the 26 yarder as the Raiders got to within 30-24 with 12 minutes left in regulation. The Chiefs got it back at their own 9 yard line and held the ball for 6 minutes. A field goal would al but ice the game. Yet on 3rd and 4 from the Oakland 45, Smith threw incomplete. The Chiefs punted and pinned the Raiders at their own 8 yard line with 6 minutes left in regulation. The Raiders went 3 and out when a 3rd and 5 pass g gained only 2 yards. Now the clock was a factor. With 2:46 left the Chiefs faced 3rd and 4 at their own 40. Another first down would all but kill the Raiders. Smith had not been sacked all day, but Khalil Mack and Autry got to him for an 11 yard loss. Last week the Raiders never got the ball back. This time they did at their own 15 with 2:25 left and one timeout. They had life.

Carr hit Cooper for 15 yards as the clock hit the 2 minute warning. An offensive holding penalty had the Raiders facing 2nd and 20. Carr then went deep to Cooper for a 39 yard gain to set up 1st and 10 at the Chiefs 41 with 1:14 left. Had Tavecchio made his earlier field goals the Raiders would have needed only a field goal to win. He didn’t so, it was score a touchdown or die. With 41 seconds left, the Raiders were down to their last gasp, 4th and 11. Carr fired a laser over the middle to Cook for 13 yards as the Raiders took their last timeout with 33 seconds left. A pair of incompletions meant 3rd and 10 with only 23 seconds to play. The first 59 1/2 minutes were exciting. The final 30 seconds were historic. When people say they had never seen an ending like this, they meant it.

Carr went deep to Cook, who made a circus catch and fell down across the goal line for a miracle touchdown. The Raiders went wild and the home fans exploded in joy. With 16 seconds left, the Raiders were an extra point away from a fantastic finish. However, it was not to be. Officials reviewed the call and made a reversal. Cook landed inside the one yard line and was touched before he broke the plane of the goal. This meant that the clock would actually have continued to run. Since the Raiders were out of timeouts, they were also assessed a 10 second runoff. That was the exact call that cost Detroit a win over Atlanta a few weeks earlier. A touchdown was changed to down at the one, and since Detroit had 0 timeouts left and only 8 seconds remained, the 10 seconds runoff ended the game in front of a shellshocked crowd. The 10 second runoff is because that is about the time it would take a team to run up to the line and spike the ball to stop the clock. Because 18 seconds remained when Cook hit the ground, the Raiders still had 8 seconds left. The touchdown had been taken off the board and the clock was about to start running again. However, the Raiders had a second chance.

If the Raiders had a timeout, they could have run the ball. They did not, and it also did not help that Lynch was out of the game disqualified. They had to pass. Carr snapped the ball and immediately fired to Crabtree for the touchdown with three seconds remaining. Again the Raiders and their fans erupted in joy. Again it was not to be. Crabtree was called for offensive pass interference. Both players tangled arms, and it was a tricky tack call. Yet instead of the win, the Raiders were now backed up from the one to the 10. Twice the winning touchdown had been overturned. With 3 seconds left, the Raiders seemed to be down to their final play and a third chance to win the game.

Carr fired over the middle to Cook. The throw was a little high but certainly catchable. Yet it bounced off of Cook’s fingertips out of the back of the end zone incomplete. Now the Chiefs were celebrating and the Raiders were preparing to again explain why the league and the officials hate them. The clock read double zeroes. However, this time it was the Raiders who were bailed out the officials. There was another penalty flag, and this time it was defensive holding against the Chiefs. Pass interference would have put the ball back on the one, but since it was only holding the ball was moved from the 10 to the 5. A game cannot end on a defensive penalty, so the Raiders were given one untimed down. This would be the fourth chance to win the game.

Carr fired high to the back of the end zone, and Patterson came down with it. The Raiders, celebrated, but the officials ruled that Patterson did not come down inbounds. He was pushed out, but the force out rule no longer exists. The play was ruled incomplete. The Chiefs then celebrated. Except the game was still not over. Again, their was a penalty flag, and again it was on the Chiefs for defensive holding. Pass interference would have put the ball on the one, but holding put it on the 2 yard line. Twice the Raiders had a touchdown overturned. Twice the Chiefs had a defensive stand overturned. The Raiders would get another untimed down. The craziest ending in NFL history saw the supposed final play be run 5 times. The fifth chance would be it.

Carr rolled to his left and fired a dart to the corner of the end zone. Crabtree cradled it, and his knee clearly came down inbounds with the ball past the plane of the goal. This time it was a touchdown, and on further review the touchdown counted. The Raiders and their fans again exploded in joy, and this time it counted. However, that only tied the game 30-30. Tavecchio had already missed 2 field goals, and extra points are now 33 yard tries. It was not pretty, but Tavecchio snuck it inside the upright. The Raiders had a win that had everything but John Faced waxing poetic and Bill King screaming “Holy Toledo.”

Smith finished 25 of 36 for 342 yards, but that includes the 63 yard fluke touchdown. Nevertheless, he was sensational until his final offensive snap when he was taken down. Carr was magnificent. 2 weeks after injuring his back, he threw 52 passes and completed 29 of them for 417 yards. The Chiefs at 5-2 still lead the AFC West. The Raiders at 2-5 would have been dead. Instead at 3-4 they are very much alive. It was just another heart-stopping win in the Jack Del Rio era. This was a Silver and Black win for all time and certainly the game of the year. Just win baby. 31-30 Raiders

Tennessee Titans at Cleveland Browns — Somebody, somewhere cared about this game. Tennessee held the ball for 11 plays and 6 1/2 minutes and Ryan Succop hit a 43 yard field goal to make it 3-0 Titans. In the second quarter the Browns recovered a fumble. Gonzalez hit a 31 yard field goal for a 3-3 game that was every bit as dull as expected. The Titans moved 70 yards in 14 plays and 7 minutes, settling for a 23 yard Succop field goal. The Titans led 6-3 at recess, and league rules prevented the second half from being canceled. In the third quarter the Browns moved 70 yards in 10 plays and 5 minutes. Gonzalez hit from 47 for a 6-6 game. Succop began the fourth quarter with a 46 yard field goal to make it 9-6 Titans. With 12 1/2 minutes left and the Browns facing 4th and 3 at the Titans 37, Hue Jackson decided to go for it rather than try a 55 yard field goal. Cody Kessler threw deep incomplete. With 8:45 to play Succop missed from 53. With 6 1/2 minutes left Kevin Byerd intercepted Kessler for the third time on the day. With 47 seconds left, Gonzalez drilled a 54 yard field goal for a 9-9 tie. If ever a game did not deserve overtime, this was it. The Browns punted twice and Tennessee began their second possession just past midfield. With 2 minutes left in overtime, Succop hit from 47 to keep the Browns winless. 12-9 Titans, OT

Jacksonville Jaguars at Indianapolis Colts — Don’t look now, but the Jaguars are above the .500 mark. The Andrew Luckless Colts are horrendous, and Jacksonville took advantage early. A 12 play, 75 yard, 5 1/2 minute drive culminated in Chris Ivory running it in from one yard out to make it 7-0 Jaguars. Jacksonville got it back and quickly moved 70 yards. Blake Bortles hit Mercedes Lewis for a 5 yard touchdown and a 14-0 Jaguars advantage. In the second quarter the Jaguars moved 67 yards in 12 plays and 6 1/2 minutes. Josh Lambo hit a 42 yard field goal to make it 17-0 Jaguars. Jacksonville got it back and Bortles went to Hurns, who shook terrible attempts at tackles for a 50 yard gain. Lambo hit from 33 to make it 20-0 Jaguars as Chuck Pagano wondered why he didn’t take early retirement. The anticlimactic second half continued for the Colts misery. The Jaguars moved 91 yards and TJ Yeldon shook off an earlier fumble to run for a 58 yard third quarter touchdown to complete the blowout. Doug Marrone has a real football team and Captain Grumpy Tom Coughlin was so pleased he almost smiled. 27-0 Jaguars

Baltimore Ravens at Minnesota Vikings The first half belonged to the field goal kickers. Justin Tucker hit from 48 yards out to put the Ravens on the board first. Kai Forbath answered from 52 for a 3-3 game. In the second quarter Forbath hit from 51 and Tucker blasted one from 57 for a 6-6 tie. Minnesota moved 60 yards in 15 plays and 7 minutes and Forbath hit from 43 to make it 9-6 Vikings at the half. In the third quarter Forbath again hit from 43 for a 12-6 Vikings lead. A 19 yard punt return had the Vikings taking over at the Baltimore 45. Murray ran for a 29 yard touchdown. Finally the end zone was cracked but the extra point doinked off the upright no good as the Vikings led 18-6. Tucker hit a 47 yard field goal to get Baltimore within 18-9. In the fourth quarter Forbath hit his fifth and sixth field goals from 34 and 32 as the Vikings won Mike Zimmer-style with suffocating defense. Baltimore finally reached the end zone with a garbage touchdown on the final play to make the score seem closer than it really was. 24-16 Vikings

New York Jets at Miami Dolphins — The Jets are not as bad as advertised while the Dolphins somehow got a road win last week despite long stretches of listless offense. The Jets dominated the earlier game and now sought a season sweep. The Jets moved 75 yards and Josh McCown hit Jermaine Kearse for a 29 yard touchdown to make it 7-0 Jets. The Dolphins responded 75 yards and Jay cutler hit Landry for a 4 yard score and a 7-7 game. The Jets came back 75 yards again as neither team showed interest in defense. McCown hit Anderson for an 18 yard touchdown to make it 14-7 Jets. In the second quarter the Dolphins moved 70 yards in 10 plays and 5 minutes. Cutler hit Anthony Fasano for a 4 yard touchdown and a 14-14 game.

Late in the half from his own 7, Cutler had a pass tipped in the air and intercepted. The Jets took over at the Miami one yard line and McCown snuck in for a 21-14 Jets lead. Cutler took a shot to the chest and left the game. The Jets took over at the Miami 45. On 3rd and 9 from the Miami 10, McCown hit Austin Sefarian-Jenkins in the back of the end zone for a touchdown and a 28-14 Jets lead. An 11 yard punt return had the Dolphins taking over at the Jets 42. On 3rd and 7 from the 28, Matt Moore went deep to Kenny Stills for a touchdown to get the Dolphins within 28-21 with 11 1/2 minutes left in regulation. The Dolphins soon got it back at their own 46. On 3rd and 10 from just past midfield, Moore hit Landry for 17 yards and went deep to Landry again for a 29 yard gain. Moore threw a 2 yard touchdown pass to Kenny Stills for a 28-28 tie with 6 1/2 minutes left.

The Jets took over at their own 15 with 47 seconds left in regulation. All they had to do was not make a spectacular mistake. McCown was quickly intercepted, setting the Dolphins up at the Jets 27. Cody Parker came in with 26 seconds left for the 39 yard try to win it. The kick was good. J-E-T-S, just end the season. Meanwhile, even if Cutler is ready to return, the team may wish to stick with Moore. 31-28 Dolphins

Tampa Bay Buccaneers at Buffalo Bills — The first quarter belonged to the field goal kickers. Murray hit from 50 for the Buccaneers. Steve Hauschka answered from 25 to tie the game and Murray also hit from 25 to make it 6-3 Buccaneers. In the second quarter there was finally an end zone sighting. The Bills moved 78 yards in 12 plays and 6 minutes. LeSean Shady McCoy got the last yard for a 10-6 Bills lead. An interception of Jameis Winston gave the Bills the ball at the tampa Bay 26 with 23 seconds left in the half. With 11 seconds left in the half the Bills had 2nd and 2 at the 18 without a timeout. A 36 yard field goal was easily doable. Instead Tyrod Taylor threw a 2 yard pass in the field of the play as the clock ran out. The Bills have not made the playoffs since 1999, which is when the West Coast Offense stopped being revolutionary.

The Bills shook off the blunder in the third quarter, moving 75 yards. Taylor hit Thomas for a 22 yard touchdown to make it 17-6 Bills. The Bucs came back 75 yards as Winston hit Howard for a 7 yard touchdown to get the Buccaneers within 17-13. Early in the fourth quarter Hauschka hit from 52 to make it 20-13 Bills. Yet the usually tough Bills defense could not get a stop on the next series. On 3rd and 12 form the Tampa Bay 42, Winston hit Chris Brate for 13 and then went deep to OJ Howard for a 33 yard touchdown to tie the game 20-20 with 10 minutes left in the game.

With 9 1/2 minutes left, McCoy fumbled and the Buccaneers took over at their own 46. On 3rd and 6 from the Buffalo 24, Winston hit Brate for 7. On 3rd and 10 from the Buffalo 17, the Bills jumped offsides. Winston then hit Mike Evans for a 12 yard touchdown to make it 27-20 Buccaneers with 3:20 to play. After a touchback, Buffalo responded right away. Taylor went deep to Thompson for a 44 yard gain with 15 more tacked on for a horse collar tackle. McCoy atoned for his fumble by running for a 7 yard touchdown and a 27-27 game with 2 1/2 minutes left. On the next play from scrimmage after a touchback, it was the Buccaneers who blundered. A short pass by Winston was fumbled by Humphries, setting up the Bills at the Tampa Bay 33. On 3rd and 8 Taylor hit Jones for 11 yards. With 18 seconds left, Haushka came in for the 30 yarder to win it. The kick was good as the Bills are now a 4-2 team under Sean McDermott. 30-27 Bills

Carolina Panthers at Chicago Bears — Mitchell Trubisky won hit first NFL game last week. Early on it was Cam Newton moving the Panthers from their 25 to the Chicago 24. Newton out of the shotgun then pitched the ball. The pitch was fumbled, and Eddie Jackson returned it 75 yards for a defensive touchdown and a 7-0 Bears lead. On the first play of the second quarter, Conor Barth had a 52 yard field goal try blocked. It didn’t matter. Jackson struck again, intercepting a deflected pass and returning it for another 75 yard touchdown and a 14-0 Bears lead. The Panthers finally got on the board with a 36 yard Graham Gano field goal. Trubisky then then went deep to Cohen for a 70 yard gain. Yet on 2nd and goal at the one, Howard lost a yard. On 3rd and goal at the 2, a touchdown run by Trubisky was reversed to a one yard gain. John Fox likes to run the ball, but he had seen enough. On 4th and goal at the one he played it safe. Barth hit from 19 to close out the half. John Fox likes to run the ball and play defense. He happily took the Bears back to the stone age in a scoreless second half. The difference between a 3-3 game was 2 defensive touchdowns by Eddie Jackson. That has the Bears with consecutive wins and trending upwards with the ugly but beautiful win. 17-3 Bears

New Orleans Saints at Green Bay Packers — Aaron Rodgers is done for the year with an injured collarbone, but Brett is available. No, not Favre. Hundley. Pass-happy Mike McCarthy had to go to the running game, and a 75 yard drive was capped off with Jones running for a 46 yard touchdown to make it 7-0 Packers. In the second quarter the Saints moved 53 yards. Mark Ingram ran for a 12 yard touchdown and a 7-7 ballgame. The Packers came back 75 yards and Hundley ran for a 14 yard touchdown. He endeared himself to the hometown faithful by slamming into defenders at the one and getting into the end zone and doing the Lambeau Leap.

In the third quarter the Saints moved 59 yards. Drew Brees hit Coleman for a 22 yard touchdown. The extra point was blocked as the Saints trailed 14-13. New Orleans got it back and moved 74 yards in 10 plays. Will Lutz hit from 28 to make it 16-14 Saints. The fourth quarter began with Crosby hitting from 46 to make it 17-16 Packers. Lutz responded from 44 to make it 19-17 Saints with 11 minutes left in regulation. The Saints got it back at their own 45 with 8 1/2 minutes left. From midfield, Ingram ran for 23 yards with a horsecollar tackle adding 15 more. On 3rd and 2 at the 5, Brees hit Ingram for 3. On 3rd and goal at the one, Brees snuck in to give the Saints a 9 point cushion with 5 minutes left. Hundley went deep and was quickly intercepted. The Saints remained above .500 for Sean Payton while the Packers could be in very deep trouble. 26-17 Saints

Arizona Cardinals at Los Angeles Rams in London. The Rams are progressing and the Cardinals are going in the other direction. Early on the Rams moved 73 yards in 14 plays and 6 minutes. Greg Zuerlein hit a 23 yard field goal to make it 3-0 Rams. In the second quarter Zuerlein hit from 33 for a 6-0 Rams lead. With 6 minutes left in the half, Palmer was intercepted on a deep ball and injured on the play. Joyner returned the interception 29 yards to the Arizona 18. One play later Gurley went straight up the middle for a touchdown to make it 13-0 Rams. Drew Stanton came replaced Palmer.

The Rams got it back and soon faced 3rd and 9 at their own 13 with 1:53 left in the half. A neutral zone infraction made it 3rd and 4. Goff then hit Woods for 15 yards and Gurley for 35 more. On 3rd and 3 from the Arizona 25, Goff hit Cooper Kupp for 16 yards. On the next play Goff took it himself for the 9 yard touchdown and a 20-0 Rams lead with only 41 seconds left in the half. One play later Stanton was intercepted, setting up the Rams at the Arizona 28. Zuerlein drilled a 53 yard field goal to make it 23-0 Rams at the intermission. The second half was a formality. Zuerlein connected again from 34 in the third quarter for a 26-0 Rams mauling. In the fourth quarter the Rams had a staggering 16 play, 80 yard drive that consumed almost 10 1/2 minutes off the clock. Goff hit Cooper Kupp for one final touchdown to complete the shutout. The Rams are for real and the Cardinals are a real mess. Bruce Arians said after the game that Palmer had a broken arm and would miss 8 weeks. 33-0 Rams

Cincinnati Bengals at Pittsburgh Steelers — The Steelers moved 75 yards in 5 1/2 minutes. Ben Roethlisberger hit Antonio Brown for a 7 yard touchdown to make it 7-0 Steelers. The Bengals came back 53 yards and Red Rifle Andy Dalton hit Brandon LaFell for a 6 yard touchdown and a 7-7 tie. In the second quarter the Steelers came back 75 yards. Roetholisberger found a wide open Juju Smith-Schuster for a 31 yard touchdown and a 14-7 Steelers lead. The Bengals came back 75 yards in 12 plays and 5 1/2 minutes. Dalton hit Kroft for a one yard touchdown and a 14-14 game. After that, Steelers kicker Chris Boswell took over.

The Steelers went 75 yards in 12 plays and 5 1/2 minutes. However, they bogged down inside the 5 yard line. Boswell hit a 22 yard field goal to make it 17-14 Steelers. The Steelers got it back at their own 23 with 90 seconds left in the half. A 34 yard defensive pass interference call meant 1st and goal at the 5 with 16 seconds left. With 12 seconds left, the Steelers still had one timeout left. So Mike Tomlin called a run and LeVeon Bell was tackled with 8 seconds left. Despite screaming for a timeout, officials did not stop the clock until 3 seconds remained. An angry Tomlin argued unsuccessfully for more time to be added back to the clock so the Steelers could run another offensive play. The Steelers settled for a 24 yard Boswell kick to lead 20-14 at halftime. In the third quarter the Steelers went 54 yards in 11 plays and 6 minutes. Boswell hit from 41 to make it 23-14 Steelers. An interception of Dalton led to Boswell hitting his fourth field goal for a 26-14 Steelers advantage. Later on a perfectly executed fake punt called by Mike Tomlin led to Boswell hitting his fifth field goal to end things. 29-14 Steelers

Dallas Cowboys at San Francisco 49ers — 25 years ago these teams played for everything. They honored tradition by playing for almost nothing as the underachieving Cowboys took on the winless Santa Clara 49ers of San Francisco. The 49ers fumbled a punt, giving the Cowboys the ball at the Frisco 20. Ezekiel Elliott still has not been suspended, and he ran for 14 yards, 5 more, and then the last yard to make it 7-0 Cowboys. The Cowboys got it back at their own 26. On 3rd and 7 from their own 42, Das Prescott threw incomplete. Yet defensive pass interference meant 17 more yards and a first down. Elliott ran for a 25 yard touchdown to make it 14-0 Cowboys. The 49ers did get a 42 yard field goal from Robbie Gould, but in the second quarter Dallas struck again. A 12 play, 86 yard, 5 minute drive culminated in Prescott finding Jason Witten in the back of the end zone for a touchdown. Dan Bailey was injured during the game, so Dallas went for 2 rather than try an extra point. The attempt failed but the Cowboys led 20-3.

On Dallas’s first play from scrimmage in the third quarter, a short pass from Prescott to Elliott went for a 72 yard touchdown. With a backup trying extra points, the kick doinked off the upright and was good as the cowboys led 27-3. The Cowboys got it back and moved 80 yards in 13 plays, taking nearly 8 minutes to do it. Prescott got the last 2 yards. Despite another missed extra point, the Cowboys were winning a laugher 33-3. On the last play of the third quarter Beatherd was sacked and fumbled. The Cowboys began the fourth quarter at the Frisco 29. On 3rd and goal at the 2, Prescott fired to Dez Bryant in the back of the end zone. Bryant caught it with one hand between two defenders and somehow came down with it for a 40-3 Cowboys lead. The only thing that would have made this game exciting would have been had George Teague decked Terrell Owens again. They both are retired, and so is the season for the winless 49ers. They did get one garbage touchdown in a garbage season. 40-10 Cowboys

Seattle Seahawks at New York Giants — In the first quarter the Seahawks had a 9 minute drive. On the first play of the second quarter, they faced 4th and goal at the one. Pete Carroll decided to go for it. Russell Wilson went to Jimmy Graham, but Eli Apple ripped the ball out at the last moment for an incompletion and a Big Blue goal line stand. The Seahawks got it back at their own 41 and Thomas Rawld immediately fumbled. Landon Collins returned the fumble 32 yards to the Seattle 17. Eli Manning hit Evan Engram for a 5 yard touchdown as the Giants led 7-0. With one minute left in the half the Seahawks faced 3rd and 10 at the giants 27. A touchdown pass from Russell Wilson to Tyler Lockett was nullified by offensive pass interference. On 3rd and 20 Wilson found McKissick for 16. Blair Walsh hit a 39 yard field goal as the Seahawks trailed 7-3 at halftime.

Midway through the third quarter, the Seahawks took over at their own 41. A short completion from Wilson to Graham went for 29 yards. A deep ball to Richardson went for 23 yards. Yet on 1st and goal at the 7, unnecessary roughness pushed the Seahawks back. On 2nd and goal from the 22, Wilson went deep to Doug Baldwin for the touchdown and the 10-7 Seahawks lead. The fourth quarter began with Alex Rosas trying a 47 yard field goal to tie the game. The kick was no good. With 10 minutes left from the Giants 41, Manning was sacked and fumbled. The Seahawks took over at the Giants 38. One play later, Pete Carroll went to the bag of tricks. Wilson pitched it to McKissic, who pitched it back to Wilson. The perfectly executed flea flicker saw Wilson go deep to Richardson. Landon Collins insisted he intercepted it, leading some to scream Fail Mary II. This was a touchdown, and the Seahawks led 17-7. Midway through the fourth quarter the Seahawks took over at midfield. Wilson took 6 minutes off the clock and threw a one yard touchdown to Graham to put the game away. 24-7 Seahawks

Denver Broncos at Los Angeles Chargers — In the first quarter the Chargers quickly got to 1st and goal at the one. Melvin Gordon got it 3 straight times, and got stopped 3 straight times. Anthony Lynn went for it. Gordon got it a 4th straight time and was stopped a 4th straight time. The heroic goal line stand effort by the defense was wasted by the offense and special teams as Travis Benjamin returned a punt 65 yards for a touchdown and a 7-0 Chargers lead. In the second quarter the Chargers moved 65 yards in 6 minutes. Rovers hit Ekeler for a one yard touchdown to make it 14-0 Chargers. The defense clamped down in the second half. Late in the game the Chargers moved 92 yards in 10 plays and 7 minutes. Rivers found Travis Benjamin, who evaded everyone for a 42 yard touchdown to put the game on ice. 25 years after the Chargers started 0-4 and made the playoffs, they are now 3-4 and very much alive. Meanwhile, the once solid Broncos are now struggling. 21-0 Broncos

Atlanta Falcons at New England Patriots is the Sunday night game. The Super Bowl rematch gave the Falcons a chance to atone for the biggest choke job not involving Hillary Clinton. The Falcons also blew a 17-0 halftime lead last week at home. They also blew a 17-0 halftime lead at home in the NFC Title Game five years ago. In this game they moved from their own 29 to a 1st and 10 at the New England 19. That included a 9 yard scramble by Matt Ryan on 4th and 7 from the New England 48. Yet Dan Quinn’s gutsy call went for naught. A run went nowhere, Matt Ryan threw incomplete twice, and Matt Bryant’s 37 yard field goal try was blocked.

The second quarter began with the Patriots facing 3rd and 16 at their own 20. Tom Brady went to Chris Hogan for 25 yards and Dion Lewis gained 25 more. From the Atlanta 31, Brady went deep and was intercepted in the end zone. However, a questionable roughing the passer penalty kept the Patriots going. Brady hit Brandon Cooks for an 11 yard touchdown to make it 7-0 Patriots. In the second quarter the Patriots moved from their own 26 to a 1st and 10 at the Atlanta 11. On 3rd and 9 Brady threw incomplete. Stephen Gostkowski hit the 28 yard field goal to make it 10-0 Patriots. At the 2 minute warning, the Falcons again decided to go for it on 4th and 6 at the Patriots 47 yard line. The gamble backfired when Ryan threw incomplete. Brady did what he does. From the Atlanta 29, he hit Cooks for 18 yard. With 22 seconds left in the half, Brady threw a 2 yard touchdown pass to White to make it 17-0 Patriots at halftime.

Atlanta’s misery continued in the third quarter. They moved from their 28 to a 2nd and 7 at the New England 17. Ryan threw incomplete and Bryant’s 36 yard field goal doinked off the upright no good. The Patriots moved from their 26 to a 3rd and goal at the one, taking up 6 minutes. Mike Gillislee got the carry and lost 2 yards. Gostkowski hit from 21 to make it 20-0 Patriots with 4 minutes left in the third quarter. The Falcons moved from their 24 to a 3rd and goal at the one as the fourth quarter began. An incompletion set up 4th and goal at the one. The Falcons went for it and a lateral running play was blown up in the backfield for a 4 yard loss. The Patriots drove 74 yards in 10 plays and 5 minutes. Gostkowski hit from 38 to make it 23-0 Patriots.

The Falcons moved 88 yards in 11 plays and 5 minutes. With 4 minutes left a pass to the end zone appeared to be intercepted by Malcolm Butler. Yet Julio Jones ripped it out of Butler’s hands for the one yard touchdown to avoid the shutout. The onside kick failed. On 3rd and 1 from the Atlanta 40, both teams took their final timeout. Brady snuck for the first down as the Patriots ran out the clock. 23-7 Patriots

Washington Redskins at Philadelphia Eagles was the Monday night game. Early on this was a battle in the trenches. Rose hit a 27 yard field goal for the Redskins in the first quarter. Elliott answered from 50 yards out in the second quarter for a 3-3 game. The offenses then finally got going. The Redskins moved 81 yards and Kirk Cousins hit Thompson for a 7 yard touchdown and a 10-3 lead. The Eagles had been bottled up all game, but Carson Wentz launched a bottle rocket to Hollins for a 64 yard touchdown and a 10-10 game. The Eagles got it back at their own 20 with 1:52 left in the half. Wentz ran for 11 yards and then went deep to zac hertz for a 46 yard gain. On 3rd and 3 from the Washtington 11, Wentz through incomplete but defensive pass interference put the ball on the one. After a run lost 3 yards, Wentz hit Ertz for a 4 yard touchdown as the Eagles took a 17-10 lead into the locker rooms.

The Eagles kept rolling in the third quarter, moving 81 yards in 10 plays and 5 1/2 minutes. On 3rd and 3 from the Washington 48, Wants ran around the end for a 21 yard gain and then hit Ertz for 21 more yards. On 3rd and goal at the 9, Wentz went to Clement for the touchdown to make it 24-10 Eagles.

The Redskins would take over after a punt at their own 48. On 3rd and 11 from the Philly 25, Cousins found Reed for 20 and then again for the 5 yard touchdown to get the Redskins within 24-17.

In the fourth quarter the Eagles moved 75 yards as Wentz hit Nelson Agholor for a 10 yard touchdown and a 31-17 Eagles lead with 11 minutes left.

After a touchback disaster struck Washington on 3rd and 6 from their own 39. The Eagles took over at the Washington 26 and Elliott hit the 42 yard field goal with 6 1/2 minutes left.

The Redskins did get one more touchdown while the Eagles missed a field goal long after the suspense was over. Doug Pederson has a 6-1 football team that is getting quality wins and team football. 34-24 Eagles

NFL 2017 Week 7 Prequel

Sunday, October 22nd, 2017

NFL 2017 Week 7 Prequel

https://www.commdiginews.com/sports/football-nfl-2017-week-7-preview-bettors-guide-95074/

NFL 2017 Week 6 Recap

Sunday, October 15th, 2017

NFL 2017 Week 6 Recap

Philadelphia Eagles at Carolina Panthers was the Thursday night game. A pair of good football teams with good defenses played a game that started out every bit of the slugfest it was expected to be. Philadelphia reaches the Carolina 35 before Carson Wentz was hit and fumbled the ball away. On the second Philly drive they reached the Carolina 32, aided along by a 21 yard Wentz run. Elliott hit a 50 yard field goal for a 3-0 Eagles lead. However a 21 yard defensive pass interference call on the Philly defense led to a 39 yard Graham Gano field goal and a 3-3 ballgame.

The second quarter began with McCaffrey returning a punt 25 yards to give the Panthers a short field at the Philadelphia 43. Cam Newton ran for a 16 yard touchdown to make it 10-3 Panthers. Late in the half the Panthers faced 3rd and 5 at their own 14. Newton was intercepted to give the Eagles gift field position. On 4th and inches from the 3, Doug Pederson decided to go for it. Wentz gained 2 on the sneak and threw a 1 yard touchdown pass to Zac Ertz for a 10-10 deadlock. With 2 1/2 minutes left in the half. With 5 seconds left and the Panthers facing 4th and 12 at the Philly 40, Riverboat Ron Rivera opted against the 58 yard field goal try and the Hail Mary. A pass past the first down marker was incomplete.

The third quarter began disastrously for Carolina. A simple screen pass on 3rd and 4 was bobbled by Stewart and intercepted. The Eagles again took over inside the red zone at the 17. On the next play Wentz had a pass batted high in the air. Yet Wentz smartly batted the ball down incomplete. On the next play Wentz fired over the middle to Ertz for the touchdown and the 16-10 Eagles lead. A defensive penalty on the extra point is normally assessed on the kickoff. Doug Pederson decided to instead go for 2 points from the one. With star Carolina defender Luke Kuechly out injured since late in the first half, the Eagles rammed it in for the 18-10 lead.

Newton then went bombs away into double coverage and was intercepted for the third time. However, a 40 yard defensive pass interference penalty instead gave Carolina 1st and 10 at the Philly 25. Despite 1st at the 5, Carolina could not tie the game. On 3rd and goal a pass in the flat led to a perfect tackle. On 4th and goal at the 2, Ron Rivera played it safe. Gano hit from 20 to get the Panthers within 18-13.

After a touchback, the Eagles moved to a 4th and 1 at the Carolina 30. Pederson decided not to gamble this time. Elliott hit from 48 to make it 21-13 Eagles. Carolina moved the ball again. After Newton barely avoided his third interception again, Gano hit his third field goal from 46 as the Panthers trailed 21-16 after three quarters.

After a touchback, Wentz torched the Panthers. A 20 yard completion to Hollis was followed with a 37 yard deep rainbow to Alshon Jeffery. On the first play of the fourth quarter, Wentz fired a laser to Nelson Agholor, who split the seams and raced untouched for a 24 yard touchdown and a 28-16 Panthers lead.

Carolina kept coming back. On 3rd and 8 from the Philly 4, Newton scrambled up the middle for 9 yards. On 3rd and 10 from the 25, a delay of game penalty should have meant 3rd and 15. Yet long after the whistle blew, a couple defenders leveled Newton. The defensive personal foul put the ball on the 12. Newton scrambled again and at the 3 dove for the pylon. Officials ruled him out at the one, but replay clearly showed the ball broke the plane past the pylon before Newton landed out of bounds. Ron Rivera challenged the call unsuccessfully. Newton then fired to McCaffrey for the score to cap the 7 minute drive. The Panthers were within 28-23 midway through the fourth quarter, but Carolina burned a timeout on losing the challenge.

Carolina held on defense and got the ball back with 6 minutes left. On 4th and 2 at the Philly 45 with 3 1/2 minutes left, Rivera decided to go for it. Yet the Panthers burned a second timeout. Newton fired a sideline pass to McCaffrey for 3 yards. On the next play Newton went for it all. For the third time, he should have been intercepted for the third time. The defender dropped it. Another deep ball was incomplete. On 3rd and 10, another deep ball over the middle finally was intercepted. With 3 minutes left, the Eagles had the ball at their own 11 and the Panthers had only one timeout.

Despite 2nd and 3, another run was blown up in the backfield. On 3rd and 7, a pass to Ertz was dropped. The Eagles would have had the first down. The Panthers got it back at their 31 without a timeout. However, 2:03 remained when the Eagles downed the ball rather than let the clock hit the 2 minute warning.

Newton fired to Kelvin Benjamin for 12 yards. Newton’s 49th pass barely avoided his fourth interception. On 4th and 1 from the Philly 48 with 1:22 left, Newton threw a pass that was caught, but review showed it bounced. The incompletion ended it. The Eagles has 10 penalties for 126 yards. The Panthers had one penalty for one yard. Yet the Panthers fell to 4-2 while the Eagles are a 5-1 team. The only Eagles loss came to unbeaten Kansas City and Walrus Lite Andy Reid. Rivera and Pederson are Reid protégés, which explains the success. 28-23 Eagles

Cleveland Browns at Houston Texans — Both teams have a rookie quarterback, but only Houston gave their starter an ounce of help at other positions. Cleveland benched their rookie, as if that will help his development. Early on Fairbairn hit a 40 yard field goal for the Texans and Gonzalez connected from 41 for a 3-3 game. Then reality set in. The Texans moved 87 yards and DeShaun Watson threw a 39 yard touchdown pass to Will Fuller for a 10-3 Texans lead.

Hogan is now playing quarterback for Cleveland. He found Joseph in the second quarter, but Joseph plays defense for Houston. The 82 yard interception return for a touchdown made it 17-3 Texans and the route was on. Houston got it back and moved 71 yards. A one yard touchdown pass from Watson to Miller made it 24-3 Texans at halftime. For some reason the second half was played. Something about league rules.

In the third quarter Hogan was sacked for a safety. Watson then went to Dustin Hopkins for a 3 yard touchdown to cap a 13 play, 65 yard, 6 minute drive. The Texans led 33-3 after three quarters as Hue Jackson wondered what he had to do to win a game before December. The Browns did get a pair of fourth quarter garbage touchdowns, including one on an interception return for a score. It was Watson’s only mistake but did not overshadow his three touchdown passes. Flip the script for Hogan, who had three interceptions that far overshadowed his garbage touchdown. 33-17 Texans

New England Patriots at New York Jets — The Patriots have won 211 games since Tom Brady took over full-time in 2000. The Jets have won 211 games since 1989. The Patriots were supposed to go 16-0 this year and the Jets were supposed to go 0-16. Cue ESPN user-announcer Chris Berman: “THAT’s why they play the games.” Early on the Jets moved 88 yards in 13 plays and 6 minutes. On 3rd and 10 from their own 12, Josh McCown hit Anderson for 23 yards. On 3rd and 8 from the Jets 37, McCown scrambled for 16 yards. On 3rd and 6 from the New England 31, McCown went deep to Jeremy Kerley for a 30 yard gain. On 3rd and goal at the one, McCown found Sefarian-Jenkins for the touchdown. The Jets led 7-0, and were smelling upset.

The Patriots in the second quarter moved to a 1st and 10 at the Jets 27. Mike Gillislee gained 5 yards and then fumbled the ball away. The Jets moved from their own 22 to a 3rd and 5 at the New England 47. McCown went to Kearse for 16 yards and then threw a dart to Kerley, who split the seams and raced for a 31 yard touchdown. The Jets led 14-0. Then reality set in and order was restored.

The Patriots took over with 10 minutes left in the half at their own 7. Brady went deep to Gronkowski for 25 yards. On 3rd and 7 from their own 38, Brady went to Danny Amendola for 17 yards. From the Jets 25, defensive pass interference put the ball on the one. Dion Lewis got in to get the Patriots within 14-7. The Jets soon faced 3rd and 1 at their own 36. McGuire got the carry and lost a yard. The Patriots got it back at their own 21 with 3:17 left in the half. Brady went deep and was intercepted, but the Jets went 3 and out. The Patriots then saw Stephen Gostkowski miss a 47 yard field goal.

The Jets were getting every possible break. With 40 seconds left in the half, the Jets had 2nd and 12 just past midfield. McCown was then intercepted to set the Patriots up at their own 37 with 35 seconds left. With 22 seconds left in the half the Patriots were only at the Jets 44. Brady then went deep to Brandon Cooks for a 42 yard gain. Brady hit Rob Gronkowski for the 2 yard touchdown with 9 seconds left in the half. The game was tied 14-14, but it was a back-breaker for the Jets.

As expected, the Patriots took the second half kickoff after a touchback and marched 75 yards. Again, the way they did it was crippling. On 3rd and 13 just shy of midfield, Brady hit Cooks for 19 yards. On 3rd and 11 from the Jets 33, Brady went to Gronkowski, who took it all the way for the touchdown and the 21-14 Patriots lead. The Jets moved from their own 14 to a 3rd and 1 at the New England 34. Matt Forte got the carry and got stopped. Tod Bowles decided to go for it. On 4th and 1, McCown was intercepted. The Patriots moved from their own 28 to the Jets 6, but offensive pass interference killed the drive. Less than one minute into the fourth quarter, Gostkowski hit from 28 to make it 24-14 Patriots. 24 unanswered points appeared to put the game away, but the Jets were resilient.

The Jets moved from their 25 to the Patriots 4 yard line. With 8 1/2 minutes left in regulation they had a chance to get right back in it. McCown hit Sefarian Jenkins for the touchdown, and the home crowd celebrated. Yet on further review, the officials ruled that Sefarian-Jenkins lost the ball before it broke the plane of the goal. Instead of a touchdown, it was a fumble and a touchback. The Jets got it back at their own 35 with 6 1/2 minutes left. McCown quickly went deep to Kearse for a 44 yard gain. On 3rd and 6 from the 7, a pass to Forte lost 3 yards. Chandler Catanzaro hit the 28 yard field goal, but the Jets trailed by 7 with 3 1/2 minutes left.

The Jets held on defense and got it back at their own 27 with 1:53 to play and one timeout. A sack of McCown forced the Jets to take their last timeout. With 1:12 to play the Jets were facing 4th and 12 at their own 25. McCown went deep to Anderson for a 32 yard gain. With 44 seconds left, on 3rd and 10, McCown was sacked. This time on 4th and 16 his deep ball fell incomplete. Evil Hoodie got another win over the Jets to get the Patriots to 4-2 while the Jets saw their 3 game win streak snapped to drop to 3-3. Brady finished 20 of 38 for 257 yards while McCown was 31 of 47 for 354 yards. Both quarterbacks threw 2 touchdown passes but Brady was intercepted once while McCown was picked off twice. 24-17 Patriots.

Miami Dolphins at Atlanta Falcons — This one was a shocker. The Falcons were expected to easily dispatch Miami and its anemic offense. Early on Matt Bryant kicked a 50 yard field goal for the Falcons. Atlanta got it back at their own 10 and easily moved 90 yards. Matt Ryan threw a 40 yard touchdown pass to Hall as the Falcons led 10-0 after the first quarter. In the second quarter the Falcons quickly moved 61 yards. Trevor Coleman ran it in from 6 yards out as the Falcons were coasting 17-0 at halftime. Matt Bryant did miss a 59 yard field goal to end the half, but it was at the time not a concern. The second half left the home crowd as shellshocked as they were when the Falcons blew a 25 point lead in the Super Bowl.

The Dolphins marched 75 yards in the third quarter. They ran 15 plays and held the ball for nearly 9 minutes. Jay Cutler, as maligned a quarterback as any in the league, threw an 11 yard touchdown pass to Kenny Stills on 3rd and 7 to get the Dolphins on the board. Atlanta went 3 and out and a shanked punt had the Dolphins just shy of midfield On 3rd and 9, defensive pass interference meant 26 yards.An interception of Cutler was then nullified by a roughing the passer call. Cutler threw a 7 yard touchdown pass to Landry as the Dolphins only trailed 17-14 after three quarters.

With 12 minutes left in regulation the Falcons set up to punt on 4th and 19 at the Miami 42. The snap was fumbled, and the Dolphins recovered at their own 48. On 4th and 2 from the Atlanta 44, Adam Game decided to go for it. Cutler hit Landry for 9 yards. Cody Parker hit a 49 yard field goal to tie the game 17-17 with 8 1/2 minutes left in regulation. Atlanta went 3 and out. Miami took over at their own 34. Jay Ajayi ran for a pair of 18 yard gains. On 3rd and 9 from the Atlanta 29, Cutler found Landry for 10. With 2 1/2 minutes left in regulation, Parkey hit from 38 to give the Dolphins the 3 point lead. The Matty Ice moved the Falcons from their 13 to the Miami 26 with 47 seconds left. They were well within Bryant’s range. Matty Ice then went ice cold, throwing an interception at the 6 yard line. Dan Quinn’s defending NFC champions will face a hostile media after this unforgivable home loss. 20-17 Dolphins

Detroit Lions at New Orleans Saints was ridiculous from start to finish. Early on the Lions faced 3rd and 8 at their own 4 yard line. Matthew Stafford was sacked in his own end zone, fumbled, and Vaccaro recovered for a Saints touchdown and a 7-0 New Orleans lead. The Lions came back and soon faced 3rd and 4 at the Saints 45. Stafford found Golden Tate, who outraced everyone for the touchdown and a 7-7 game. After a touchback, Mark Ingram raced around the end for a 51 yard gain. On 3rd and 6 from the Detroit 20, Drew Brees hit Ted Ginn for the touchdown and a 14-7 Saints lead.

The Saints got it back at their own 8 and Brees did what he does. He found Ginn for 9, Hoomanawanui for 25 and Ginn for 24 more. The drive died at the Detroit 23, but Will Lutz hit a 41 yard field goal to make it 17-7 Saints after the first quarter. With the Lions just past midfield, Stafford was sacked and fumbled. The Saints took over at the Detroit 31. On 3rd and 4, Brees hit Snead for 11 and Ginn for 13. Ingram got in from the one to make it 24-7 with 11 minutes left in the half.

After a touchback the Lions moved to a 3rd and 1 at the Saints 22. Zac Zenner got the carry and got nothing. Jim Caldwell decided not to gamble on 4th and 1. Matt Prater hit the 41 yard field goal to get the Lions within 24-10. Yet the Saints offense kept rolling like it was the glory days of a few years ago. On 4th and 1 from the Detroit 41, Sean Payton decided to go for it. Kamara got around the end for a 6 yard gain. Brees went to Coleman for a 20 yard gain. With 1:48 left in the half, Ingram got in from 2 yards out as the Saints were winning a laugher 31-10.

Lutz hit the ensuing kickoff out of bounds to give the Lions the ball at their own 40. With 26 seconds left in the half the Lions had 1st and goal at the 5. After 3 incompletions left 16 seconds on the clock, Jim Caldwell decided to go for it rather than take the field goal. Stafford hit Darren Fells, who was stopped one yard short of the end zone as the Lions got nothing. In the third quarter Brees shook off an interception as the Saints got the ball back at their own 46. Brees hit Hoomanawanui for a 2 yard touchdown. The Saints led 38-10. Two plays later from the Detroit 27, Stafford was intercepted by Lattimore. He was not the defender in Varsity Blues, but he did return the interception 27 yards for a touchdown. The Saints led 45-10 with 8 1/2 minutes left in the third quarter. This game was far from over as the second half was even wilder than the first. Yes, a 45-10 game was not over.

After a touchback, Stafford went to Jones for 38 yards. On 3rd and 4 from the Saints 22, Stafford went deep to Jones for the touchdown as the Lions trailed 45-17. The onside kick failed, but on 3rd and 11 from the Detroit 45, a short completion from Brees to Ingram was fumbled. The Lions got it back at their own 39. On 3rd and 5, Stafford hit Jones for 14 yards. On 3rd and 10 from the saints 42, Stafford found Theo Riddick for 12 more. On 3rd and 17 from the Saints 22, Stafford went deep to Fells for the touchdown as the Lions were within 45-24.

With 11 minutes left in regulation, the Saints punted from their own 16. Agnew returned it 74 yards as the Lions were now within 45-31. With 6:47 to play, the Saints faced 2nd and 14 at their own 1 yard line. Brees had his short pass intercepted by Robinson for a 2 yard defensive touchdown. W28 straight points had the Lions within 45-38. The biggest comeback in NFL history was 32 points. The Lion were trying to come from 35 points down and were now within 7 points.

With 5 minutes left in regulation, a fumbled punt by the Lions had them pinned at their own one yard line. They were 99 yards away from a tie game. Stafford went back to pass in his own end zone, and had the ball intercepted by Jordan for the saints second defensive touchdown. Down by 14, 3 plays latter from the Saints 35, Stafford was intercepted again by Vaccaro. Stafford finished 25 of 52 for 312 yards, 3 touchdowns, and 3 interceptions. Brees finished 21 of 31 for 186 yards,2 touchdowns, and 2 interceptions. 52-38 Saints

Green Bay Packers at Minnesota Vikings — With Aaron Rodgers, the Packers can beat anybody. Midway through the first quarter, Rodgers got drilled by Martellus Bennett. It was a clean hit, and Bennett landed on Rodgers’s throwing shoulder. Brett Hundley played the rest of the way as Case Keenum helmed Minnesota in place of the injured Sam Bradford. The first quarter ended with an interception of Hundley. On the first play of the second quarter, Keenum went to McKinnon for a 27 yard touchdown and a 7-0 Vikings lead.

A shanked 26 yard punt then had the Vikings starting at the Green Bay 22. McKinnon gained 20 yards, but on the next play he fumbled the ball away. Clay Matthews picked it up and rumbled 63 yards to the Minnesota 18. On 3rd and 6, Hundley hit Devontae Adams for the touchdown.  Instead of a 14-0 Vikings lead, it was a 7-7 tie.

From the Minnesota 16, Keenum went deep and drew a 42 yard defensive pass interference call. Keenum then hit Adam Thielen for 11 and Kyle Rudolph for 16 more. McKinnon ran it in to make 14-7 Vikings. With 4 minutes left in the half, Keenum was intercepted to set the Packers up at the Minnesota 38. On 3rd and 6 HUndley found jordy Nelson for 26 yards to set up 1st and goal at the 8. On 3rd and goal, HUndley found Montgomery for the touchdown. Yet on further review the play was reversed to incomplete. Mason Crosby hit the 26 yard field goal with 1:50 left in the half to get the Packers within 14-10. After a touchback the Vikings moved to a 1st and 10 at the Green Bay 30 with 48 seconds left. Yet an offensive facemark followed by an offensive illegal blindside block had the Vikings facing 1st and 40. They would punt.

The second half was all defense. The Vikings moved after a touchback 57 yards in 12 plays and 5 1/2 minutes. Yet on 1st and 10 from the Green Bay 18, the drive just died. Kai Forbath hit the 36 yard field goal to make it 17-10 Vikings. The Packers soon faced 3rd and 1 at their own 46. Jones got the carry and got stopped. The Vikings got it back at their own 17. Keenum Found Treadwell for a 25 yard gain. On the first play of the fourth quarter with Minnesota facing 4th and 1 at the Packers 17, Mike Zimmer played it safe. Forbath hit from 34 to make it 20-10 Vikings. Another interception of Hundley led to Forbath hitting from 53 with 11 minutes left. On 3rd and 11 from the Minnesota 12 with 21 seconds left, Hundley was intercepted again. Mike McCarthy has more to worry about than a loss. He lost Rodgers for the season with a broken collarbone as all of Wisconsin wept. 23-10 Vikings

Chicago Bears at Baltimore Ravens — Mitchell Trubisky played well enough in his very first start last week, a loss on the final play. Baltimore appeared to right the ship last week. Early on Chicago moved the ball well. After a scoreless first quarter, 60 yards in 10 plays led to a 24 yard Connor Barth field goal for the Bears. The Ravens faced 3rd and 6 at the Chicago 26, when a completion to Williams was fumbled away. With the Ravens facing 3rd and 4 at their own 44, Joe Flacco was intercepted. Callahan returned it 52 yards. On 2nd and 11 from the Baltimore 21, John Fox went to the bag of trucks. A halfback option pass from Cohen to Zach Miller went for the touchdown and a 10-0 Bears lead.

With 1:40 left in the half, the Ravens moved from their own 36 to a 1st and goal at the 9 with 23 seconds left. Flacco threw 3 straight incompletions. Justin Tucker hit the 27 yard field goal as the Ravens trailed 10-3 at the break. In the third quarter the Bears moved from their 34 to a 3rd and 7 at the Baltimore 27. Trubisky calmly went deep to Sims for the touchdown as the bears had the surprising 17-3 lead. Yet 14 seconds later the Ravens were in the end zone as Rainey returned the ensuing kickoff 96 yards for a touchdown to get within 17-10.

With the third quarter ending, Cohen fumbled to set the Ravens up at the Chicago 39. despite 1st and goal at the 9, the Ravens again bogged down close. Tucker hit from 31 to get the Ravens within 17-13 with 11 1/2 minutes left in regulation. With 9 1/2 minutes left, the Bears faced 3rd and 8 from the Baltimore 43. Trubisky was sacked and fumbled and the Ravens took over at their own 43. Two plays after a fourth down conversion, from the Chicago 30, Flacco went deep and was intercepted by Amos. Amos raced 90 yards the other way for a defensive touchdown. Instead of a Baltimore lead, the Bears led 24-13 with 5 1/2 minutes to play.

The Ravens after a touchback desperately moved to a 4th and 4 at the Chicago 31. Needing 2 scores with 3 minutes left, John Harbaugh opted for the field goal. Tucker hit the clutch kick from 50 as the Ravens got within 24-16. John Fox likes to win by running the ball and playing defense. Howard gained 1 and then 8 more as the 2 minute warning came with the Bears facing 3rd and 1 at the Chicago 26. Howard got the carry and lost 2 yards. The Ravens called their final timeout with 1:55 left. Campanaro returned the punt 77 yards for a touchdown. The successful 2 point conversion had the Ravens tie the game 24-24.

The Bears nearly gave the game away in regulation when Campanaro returned another punt 16 yards to the Baltimore 44 with 12 seconds left. Flacco hit Wallace for 16 more yards to the Chicago 40, but the clock ran out before the Ravens could try a winning kick or Hail Mary. In overtime each team punted and the Bears took over at their own 7. Howard went off tackle for a 53 yard gain. On 3rd and 11 from the Baltimore 41, Trubisky found Wright for an 18 yard gain. With 2:11 left in overtime, Barth came in for the 40 yard field goal try to win it. The kick was good, as the Bears got another win against an AFC North squad and the first win for Trubisky. 27-24 Bears, OT

San Francisco 49ers at Washington Redskins — Nobody loses close games like the 49ers. The Redskins moved 75 yards and Kirk Cousins hit Doctson for an 11 yard touchdown to make it 7-0 Redskins. In the second quarter the Redskins moved 64 yards in 10 plays and nearly 6 minutes. Cousins hit Perine for a 3 yard touchdown and a 14-0 Redskins lead. Bryan Hoyer was benched Washington got it back and moved 55 yards. Dustin Hopkins hit a 48 yard field goal as the Redskins led 17-0. They were on their way to a blowout win.

Late in the half the 49ers moved 75 yards in 11 plays. Carlos Hyde got the last yard to get the 49ers within 17-7 at the break. In the third quarter the 49ers held the ball for nearly 5 1/2 minutes and 12 plays. Robbie Gould hit a 52 yard field goal to get the 49ers within 17-10. The 49ers would miss a chance to get even closer when Gould missed from 47 yards out. With 3 1/2 minutes left in the third quarter from the Washington 37, a short pass by Cousins was fumbled by Vernon Davis. Jihad Ward returned it 44 yards for a defensive touchdown. On further review, Ward was ruled down at the one. Hyde got in on the next play and the 49ers had come all the way back for a 17-17 tie.

The Redskins regrouped and mounted a staggering 16 play, 72 yard drive that took 7 1/2 minutes off of the clock. On 2nd and goal at the 2, a run lost a yard and Cousins then threw incomplete. Hopkins hit from 21 as the Redskins reclaimed the lead 20-17 with 10 1/2 minutes left in regulation. Washington held on defense and got it back at their own 16 with 8 1/2 minutes left. From the Washington 27, Cousins went deep to Davis for a 51 yard gain. Cousins ran for a 7 yard touchdown. The extra point was no good, but with 3 1/2 minutes left the Redskins led 26-17.

On 3rd and 8 from the San Francisco 27, Beatherd found Taylor for 10. Beatherd then went deep to Robinson for a 45 yard touchdown at the 2 minute warning. The 49ers were down 2 and they still had 2 timeouts. The onside kick failed but the 49ers held on defense and got the ball back at their own 20 with 52 seconds left. Without a timeout, they needed only a field goal to win. With 28 seconds left the 49ers had 1st and 10 at the Washington 40. They were on the verge of field goal range. A critical offensive pass interference call killed the 49ers. On 4th and 20 with 9 seconds left, Beatherd went deep and was intercepted to drop the 49ers to an 0-6 mess. 26-24 Redskins

Los Angeles Rams at Jacksonville Jaguars — Both of these teams are up one week, down the next. The Rams lost a heartbreaker at home to Seattle last week while the Jaguars stunned Pittsburgh as their defense racked up 5 interceptions. This was a game of big plays. Pharrell Cooper returned the opening kickoff 103 yards for a touchdown and a 7-0 lead only 14 seconds into the game. After a touchback Leonard Fournette took a handoff 75 yards for a touchdown and a 7-7 game after only 25 seconds of play.

Later on a shanked 16 yard punt set up the Rams at the Jacksonville 45. Jared Goff threw incomplete on 3rd and 2, but Greg “The Leg” Zuerlein nailed a 56 yard field goal to make it 10-7 Rams. After a touchback, Blake Bortles hit Alex Hurns for an 18 yard gain. Marques Lee ran for 17 and Fournette gained 18 more. Bortles went to Chris Ivory for a 22 yard touchdown and a 14-10 Jaguars lead. With 3 1/2 minutes left in the half the Rams took over at their own 34. Goff went to Woods for 22 yards and sammy Watkins for 11 more. On 3rd and 5 from the Jacksonville 23, Goff hit Cooper Kupp for 13. With 22 seconds left in the first quarter, Goff hit Everett for a 4 yard touchdown and a 17-14 Rams lead. The opening quarter saw 31 points. The game drastically slowed over the final three quarters.

With 2 1/2 minutes left in the half, the Jaguars punted from their own 19. Littleton blocked it and Brown recovered it at the Jacksonville 8 yard line. Brown rumbled into the end zone with it for a 24-14 Rams lead . The Jaguars missed a chance to get closer when Myers missed a 54 yard field goal at the end of the half. In the third quarter a Rams fumble gave the Jaguars the ball at their own 48. Myers would hit a 41 yard field goal to get the Jaguars within 24-17 with 5 minutes left in the the third quarter.

The defenses controlled the final 45 minutes. From the Rams 32 midway through the fourth quarter, the Rams did just enough. On 3rd and 6 from the Rams 46, Goff hit Cupp for 22 yards. After 12 plays and 5 minutes, Zuerlein hit a 29 yarder to give the Rams a 27-17 cushion with only 2 1/2 minutes left. Needing 2 scores, Myers came in for another 54 yard field goal try with 1:12 left. Again he missed it and Jacksonville was done. 27-17 Rams

Tampa Bay Buccaneers at Arizona Cardinals — A pair of wildly inconsistent teams played a wildly inconsistent game. Adrian Peterson played his first game for the Cardinals after being traded from New Orleans after only five games. Peterson was under-utilized in New Orleans, but early on in Arizona he was a bell cow. He ran for 8, 8 more, 11 more, and a 27 yard touchdown to cap a 75 yard drive and make it 7-0 Cardinals. The Cardinals got it back and easily moved 86 yards. Own 3rd and 5 from their own 19, Carson Palmer hit Larry Fitzgerald for 29 yards and John Brown for 15 more. After Peterson gained 6 and 17, Palmer hit Niklas for a 14 yard touchdown to make it 14-0 Cardinals.

On 4th and 4 from the Arizona 39, the Buccaneers decided to punt, pinning the Cardinals back at their own 5 as the first quarter ended. On 3rd and 7 from their own 28, Palmer threw incomplete but defensive offsides gave them another chance. On 3rd and 2, Palmer found Brown for 30 yards, to Fitzgerald for 26 more, and to Fitzgerald for the 11 yard touchdown to make it 21-0 Cardinals. The Cardinals got it back at their 30 and easily moved to 1st and goal at the one. Palmer then fumbled the snap for a 2 yard loss. Two more plays lost a few more yards. Phil Dawson hit the 28 yard field goal for a 24-0 Cardinals lead. with 5 1/2 minutes left in the half, Jameis Winston was pulled for Ryan Fitzpatrick. Fitzpatrick moved the Buccaneers from their 25 to a 1st and goal at the 7 with 29 seconds left in the half. On 4th and goal at the 5 Dirk Koetter decided to go for it and Fitzpatrick threw incomplete.

On the second play of the third quarter, Fitzpatrick was intercepted by Antoine Bethea to set up the Cardinals at the Tampa Bay 33. Palmer hit Brown for a 17 yard touchdown. Only 3 minutes into the third quarter, the Cardinals were winning a laugher 31-0. There was no way the Buccaneers could come back. Or could they? After a touchback Fitzpatrick hit DeSean Jackson for 27 yards. On 3rd and 12 from midfield, Fitzpatrick hit Mike Evans for 17 yards. Muscle Hamster Doug Martin gained 27. On 3rd and goal at the 4, Fitzpatrick hit Jackson for the score. The 2 point try failed but the Buccaneers were on the board. They trailed 31-6 after three quarters, but Fitzpatrick was just getting started.

On the last play of the third quarter, Fitzpatrick went deep to Evans for a 41 yard gain to the Arizona 10. On 3rd and goal Fitzpatrick hit Brate for the touchdown. Again the 2 point try failed as the Buccaneers were within 31-12. The Cardinals quickly faced 1st and 20 at their own 15. A short pass from Palmer to Fitzgerald was fumbled. David picked it up and raced 21 yards for a defensive touchdown. With 13 minutes left in regulation the Buccaneers were within 31-20.

The Cardinals reached the Tampa Bay 32 when offensive holding killed the drive. Midway through the fourth quarter, the Buccaneers were pinned at their own one yard line. Fitzpatrick was intercepted, giving the Cardinals the ball at the one. Peterson banged in to make it 38-20 Cardinals. Yet the game was still not over.

The Buccaneers moved from their 30 to a 4th and goal at the one. Martin got in but again the 2 point try failed. The Buccaneers were within 38-26, but only 3 minutes remained. The onside kick failed, but on 4th and 2 at the Tampa Bay 35, Bruce Arians decided to go for it rather than try the long field goal. Palmer threw incomplete. On 2nd and 9, Fitzpatrick hit Humphries for 27 yards and Evans for a 37 yard touchdown. With 2:02 to play the Buccaneers had cut a 31 point deficit to 5 points. However, the onside kick again failed and with the Bucs out of timeouts, Palmer took three knees and Arizona survived an epic scare. Both quarterbacks threw 3 touchdown passes. Fitzpatrick was 22 of 32 for 290 yards, but he was intercepted twice. Palmer was an efficient 18 of 22 for 283 yards, with one interception. Peterson was the difference, with 26 carries for 134 yards, 2 touchdowns, and one big statement to the rest of the league that he was back. 38-33 Cardinals

Pittsburgh Steelers at Kansas City Chiefs — Kansas City came in the long unbeaten team, while Pittsburgh got shellacked at home last week due to 5 Ben Roethlisberger interceptions. Last year the Steelers beat the Chiefs twice, including a playoff game in Kansas City where the Steelers hit the Chiefs in the mouth. The Chiefs wanted revenge, but Mike Tomlin again had the Steelers revert to their smash mouth form. Early in the game a shotgun snap sailed over Alex Smith’s head, resulting in a safety for the Steelers. Yet there was confusion on the free kick as the Steelers treated it like a punt rather than a kickoff. The Chiefs recovered the live ball. They ere unable to move, but Butker hit a 46 yard field goal to make it 3-2 Chiefs after the first quarter.

After that the Steelers defense took over. In the second quarter Pittsburgh moved 75 yards in 12 plays and 6 1/2 minutes. LeVeon Bell ran for a 3 yard touchdown and a 9-3 Steelers lead. The Steelers got it back at their own one yard line. They moved 93 yards in 12 plays and almost 7 more minutes. They settled for a 24 yard Chris Boswell field goal and a 12-3 halftime lead, but Pittsburgh was clearly winning in the trenches.

After a scoreless third quarter, the resilient Chiefs came back. They just find ways to win games. 82 yards came quickly as Alex Smith found Thomas for a 57 yard touchdown. Just like that, the Chiefs were only down 12-10. Yet the Steelers this time also struck quickly. 75 yards culminated in Roethlisberger throwing a 51 yard touchdown pass to Antonio Brown. With 3 1/2 minutes left, the Steelers were back up by 2 scores.

From the Chiefs 33, Smith went deep to Hunt for a 29 yard gain and Travis Kelce for 23 more. Yet despite 1st and 10 at the Pittsburgh 15, Smith threw 3 straight incompletions. Butker hit the 33 yard field goal. The Chiefs were down by 6 but they had all 3 timeouts. With 2:17 to play, Walrus Lite Andy Reid decided to kick it deep rather than go onsides kick. The gamble appeared to pay off, especially when Tyreeq Hill returned a punt 32 yards. With 1:42 left, the Chiefs were at their own 44 with one timeout left. On 3rd and 10 from the Pittsburgh 40, Smith was sacked. On 4th and 18 with one minute left, Smith threw deep incomplete. For the third straight time, the Steelers just out-physicaled the Chiefs. The 1972 unbeaten Miami squad popped their champagne corks much earlier than usual this year. 19-13 Steelers

Los Angeles Chargers at Oakland Raiders — The Chargers started 0-4 before finally being gifted a win over the 0-5 Giants. The Raiders after a 2-0 start had lost 3 straight. Derek Carr came back after missing one game due to an injured back. If there was ever a game the Raiders could win, this was it. After a Chargers punt, the Raiders took over at their own 10. The first play from scrimmage saw Marshawn Lynch go Beast Mode for a 15 yard gain. The second play saw Carr go deep and get intercepted. The offense has been out of sync for a month. The Chargers are just bad. Despite starting at the Oakland 30, a run went nowhere, Philip Rivers threw 2 incompletions, and Nick Novak missed a 48 yard field goal. This would truly be a battle of who wanted it least.

The Raiders took over at their own 38 and went straight to the ground. Lynch gained 4, 5 and 5 more on 3rd and 1. On 3rd and 6 from the Chargers 34, Carr hit Michael Crabtree for 7 yards. On 3rd and 6 from the Chargers 23, Carr went back to Crabtree, who got to the corner and beat the pylon for a touchdown and a 7-0 Raiders lead. After a touchback the Chargers moved to a 4th and 3 at the Oakland 34. Anthony Lynn decided to go for it, and Rivers threw incomplete.

The Raiders were playing terribly on offense, and the only thing saving them was that they were playing the Chargers. Even that luck runs out eventually. With the Chargers facing 3rd and 7 at their own 21, Rivers went deep to Keenan Allen for 28 yards. The Raiders have an awful secondary, and on 3rd and 8 just past midfield, Rivers hit Ekeler for just enough. On 3rd and 9 from the Oakland 22, Rivers hit Allen for 12. On 3rd and goal at the 6, Rivers hit Henry, who was tackled inches shy of the goal line. Anthony Lynn decided to go for it. On 4th and goal from inches away, Melvin Gordon leapt over the top like Marcus Allen used to do in Los Angeles for the Raiders. The 15 play, 82 yard, nearly 7 minute drive tied the game 7-7.

Cordarelle Patterson took the kickoff at the one and returned it 39 yards to the Oakland 40 with 1:34 left in the half. After offensive holding set up 1st and 20 at the Oakland 43, defensive pass interference gave the Raiders 12 yards and 1st and 10 at the Chargers 34. With 8 seconds left on 3rd and 2, Carr went to the end zone incomplete. Georgio Tavecchio hit the 44 yard field goal as the Raiders took a 10-7 lead into the locker rooms.

The Raiders had every chance to put the game away. In the third quarter the Raiders moved from their own 36 in 14 plays. They took nearly 7 minutes off the clock. On 2nd and 7 from the Chargers 15, disaster struck. A short pass from Carr to Lynch bounced off his hands and was intercepted by Pullard. Again, the Raiders had squandered a scoring chance. On their next offensive series on 3rd and 2 from their own 30, a short pass from Carr to Patterson gained only one yard. The Chargers faced 3rd and 9 at their own 31. Rivers hit Williams for 14 yards, but he was hit and fumbled. The Raiders took over just past midfield. On the last play of the third quarter, a 3rd and 5 pass from Carr to Crabtree gained only 3 yards. On the first play of the fourth quarter Jack Del Rio decided to go for it on 4th and 2 from the Chargers 41 rather than punt and play field position. Carr threw incomplete.

This time the Chargers took full advantage of the Raiders ineptitude on offense. Rivers hit Henry for 10 and Williams for 11. On 3rd and 6 from the Oakland 34, Rivers hit Williams for 15 yards. On 3rd and 5 from the 14, Rivers hit Melvin Gordon for 8 yards. Rivers threw a 6 yard touchdown pass to Gordon as the Chargers led 14-10 with 10 1/2 minutes left in regulation.

This time the Raiders came back quickly. On 3rd and 4 from their own 41, Carr went deep incomplete but the defense jumped offsides. An end around by Patterson saw him out-juke everyone for a 47 yard touchdown. With 8 minutes to play the Raiders retook the lead. Yet long snapper Condo delivered a very high snap and Tavecchio missed the extra point. Tavvecchio has been stellar in place of the injured Sebastian Janikowski, but that missed extra point was a killer. The Raiders led 16-14, but the end was inevitable.

The Raiders held on defense and got the ball back at their own 26 with 6 minutes left. Running down the clock would mean a win. On the first play Carr went to Amari Cooper for 19 yards, but an illegal formation penalty wiped out the gain. On 3rd and 12 the Raiders tried a hook and lateral, but it came up 2 yards short of the sticks. From their own 34, the Raiders punted. Marquette King had been averaging 57 yards per punt on the day, and he delivered a beauty. The Chargers were pinned at their own 8 yard line with 4 minutes left. The Raiders have an awful secondary, but the defense had been carrying the offense all day. Yet when the Raiders needed the defense most, the expected meltdown happened.

Rivers went deep to Henry for a 34 yard gain and back to Henry for 23 more yards. From the Oakland 33, a heavy dose of Gordon buried the helpless and heartless Raiders. He gained 7, 4, 3, and 4 more. The Raiders took their last timeout with 1:40 to play and the Chargers facing 3rd and 3 at the Oakland 15. One stop would at least give the Raiders the ball back with just under one minute to play. Instead, Gordon gained 5 and the Chargers took the clock down to 3 seconds left. From 32 yards out, Novak was perfect. Both teams are 2-4, but the Chargers have won 2 straight and the Raiders have lost 4 straight. The Raiders are a mess in every phase of the game. After going 12-4 last year, they are a shell of what they were. The play-calling is terrible on both sides of the ball. Carr is not getting any help from anyone, anywhere. The Raiders went from Super Bowl aspirations to the AFC West cellar. 17-16 Chargers

New York Giants at Denver Broncos was the Sunday night game. Last week the 0-4 Giants could not even beat the previously 0-4 Chargers at home. Now the 0-5 Giants had to go on the road and take on a very good Denver team. This should have been a blowout. There is no explanation for the early results. The Giants held the ball for 13 plays and 7 minutes, moving 69 yards. Although they settled for a 25 yard Rosas field goal, they established the tone early. In the second quarter the Giants moved 75 yards. Eli Manning hit Evan Engram for a 5 yard touchdown as the Giants led 10-0 in front of a stunned home crowd in the Mile High City. The normally reliable Brandon McManus missed a 35 yard field goal for the Broncos in the first quarter, and a second quarter drive into Giants territory saw Trevor Siemian get intercepted in the red zone.

Midway through the second quarter the Broncos took over at their own 20. Siemian went to Victor Green for 24 yards. Offensive holding had the Broncos facing 2nd and 20 at their own 39. Siemian hit Denarius Thomas for 11. On 3rd and 9 from midfield, Siemian went deep to Thomas in double coverage for a 40 yard gain. Yet 3 incompletions later and the Broncos settled for a 28 yard McManus field goal to trail 10-3. With one minute left in the half and the Broncos facing 3rd and 10 at their own 38, Siemian threw a sideline route. Jenoris Jenkins jumped the route and raced 43 yards for a defensive touchdown in front of a shocked home crowd. Not only did the Giants lead 17-3, but Siemian got hit on the play and walked to the locker room with a bum shoulder. Brock Osweiler finished the half.

The Giants defense continued to clamp down in the second half despite Siemian returning. From the Giants 39, Manning went to Engram for a 21 yard gain. Rosas hit a critical 51 yard field goal to make it 20-3 Giants. Denver moved to a 3rd and 8 at the Giants 35. After an incompletion, McManus came in for a 53 yard field goal try. He missed it wide by a mile. Rosas then had a 49 yard try partially blocked. On the first play of the fourth quarter, the Broncos decided to go for it on 4th and 5 from the Giants 45. Siemian hit Thomas for a 6 yard gain, but Thomas had the ball ripped out of his hands by Jenkins. Ei Apple recovered the fumble for the Giants. The Giants punted, Denver fumbled that, and were lucky to retain possession.

With 10 minutes left the Broncos were down to their last gasp, facing 4th and 15 from the Giants 45. Siemian went deep on a play that had no chance. Thomas deliberately drew a defensive pass interference call to give the Broncos 1st and goal at the 8. On 3rd and goal at the 5, a completion to a completion to Bennie Fowler at the goal line saw him wrapped up by 2 defenders. On 4th and goal at the one, Anderson got the carry and got stopped cold. A fired up Steve Spagnuolo praised his defense for the goal line stand with 8 1/2 minutes left. Vance Joseph challenged the call, but replays showed that there was no angle to even see the ball. The call stood.

The Broncos caught a break when the Giants fumbled the ball back to Denver at the Giants 20. However, officials reversed the call and ruled that the runner’s knee was down. Replay confirmed this.  Denver got it back and again entered the red zone as the clock ticked down. From the Giants 13, Siemian fired a perfect pass through double coverage to Heuerman. A sure interception was somehow caught for the touchdown. The Broncos were still down by 10 and only 4 minutes remained.

The onside kick failed and Ben McAdoo played it very safe. On 3rd and 9 from the Denver 40, Darkwa got the carry, broke off the left tackle side, and gained 19 yards. On the next play the Giants fumbled the handoff but retained possession as the clock reached the 2 minute warning. Rosas tacked on one more field goal to complete the dominating win. When the dust settled, it was the winless Giants who were no longer winless in the biggest upset of the year. Without injured O’Dell Beckham and suspended Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie, the Giants won with heart and guts. For Denver, this was just a head-scratcher. Siemian threw for 375 yards, but it was all in desperation mode. In 1986, the Giants blasted the Broncos in the Super Bowl. In 1998, the 13-0 Broncos saw their unbeaten season go up in flames at a 5-8 Giants team. Every decade or so the Giants just beat them up. 23-10 Giants

Indianapolis Colts at Tennessee Titans was the Monday night game. Sometimes a pair of bad teams can come together and play a thriller for the ages. This was not that game. Ryan Succopy hit a 48 yard field goal to get the Titans on the board first. Adam Vinatieri hit from 36 and Succop responded from 32 to give the Titans a 6-3 lead after the first quarter. In the second quarter the Colts moved 73 yards and Jacoby Brisett hit Doyle for an 8 yard touchdown and a 10-6 lead. Each team then mounted a 12 play drive as Succop hit from 40 and Vinatieri answered from 25 to give the Colts a 13-9 lead at the break.league rules required that the second half not be cancelled.

In the third quarter Marcus Mariota was intercepted by simon,  who returned it 26 yards for a defensive touchdown. The extra point was no good but the Colts led 19-9. Succop hit from 48 to get the Titans within 19-12. A Colts fumble set the Titans up at the Colts 31. Mariota connected with Ryan Mathews for a 27 yard gain. Despite 1st and goal at the 4, the Titans again did nothing. Succop’s fifth field goal from 23 yards out got the Titans within 19-15. In the fourth quarter the Titans embarked on an 87 yard, 15 play drive that ate up 8 1/2 minutes. Finally they cracked the end zone as DeMarco Murray got in from 3 yards out for a 22-19 Titans lead. Despite returning the ensuing kickoff 60 yards to the Titans 40, the colts settled for a 52 yard Vinatieri field goal and a 22-22 tie midway through the fourth quarter.

After a touchback, Mariota hit Eric Decker for gains of 10 and 11. Mariota then went deep to Taylor for a 53 yard touchdown. With 5 1/2 minutes left, the Titans had a 29-22 lead. After a touchback the Colts moved to the Tennessee 22. On 2nd and 10, a fumble was recovered by the Titans. On further review, the call was reversed to an incomplete pass. With 2 1/2 minutes left, on 4th and 1 at the Titans 13, Chuck Pagano called a naked bootleg. Brissett rolled out. While he was tackled short of the marker, he shifted the ball and stretched it past the marker before going out of bounds. The officials ruled him short, Pagano challenged the call, and the call stood. At the 2 minute warning on 2nd and 8, Derrick Henry gained just enough. Everything came down to the Titans facing 3rd and 5 at their own 28 with one minute left and the Colts out of timeouts. Henry got the first down, tight-roped the sideline, stayed inbounds, and raced all the way for a 72 yard touchdown to put the game away. 36-22 Titans

NFL 2017 Week 6 Prequel

Thursday, October 12th, 2017

NFL 2017 Week 6 Prequel 

https://www.commdiginews.com/sports/nfl-2017-week-6-preview-and-bettors-guide-94823/

NFL 2017 Week 5 Recap

Sunday, October 8th, 2017

NFL 2017 Week 5 Recap

New England Patriots at Tampa Bay Buccaneers was the Thursday night game. The Patriots may not be the same team as in past years, but did anyone really expect them to roll over and drop to 2-3? In the first quarter Tom Brady shook off an early interception to move the Patriots from their own 2 to a 3rd and 5 at the Tampa Bay 9. Brady threw incomplete but Stephen Gostkowski hit the 27 yard field goal for a 3-0 Patriots lead. 13 plays, 89 yards and 7 minutes came up short of the end zone.

I the second quarter the Buccaneers moved 68 yards in 11 plays and 5 minutes. Muscle Hamster Doug Martin got in from the one to make it 7-3 Buccaneers. The Patriots came back 75 yards and Brady hit Chris Hogan for a 9 yard touchdown to make it 10-7 Patriots. With 2 1/2 minutes left in the half Danny Amendola returned a punt 40 yards, with 15 more tacked on due to unsportsmanlike conduct against the Buccaneers. The Patriots took over at the Tampa Bay 27. On 3rd and goal at the 6, Brady only gained one yard. Gostkowski hit from 23 to make it 13-7 Buccaneers at the intermission. From the Tampa 22 with only 35 seconds left, Jameis Winston did enough to give Nick Folk a 56 yard field goal try to close out the half, but it was no good.

In the third quarter the Patriots moved from their own 6 to a 2nd and 4 at the Tampa 27. Brady threw incomplete twice but Gostkowski hit his third field goal from 45 yards out to make it 16-7 Buccaneers. Much of the second half was hideous and unwatchable. Yet the Buccaneers moved in the fourth quarter from their own 3 yard line to a 3rd and goal at the 3. Winston ran for the touchdown but it was nullified by offensive holding. With 5 1/2 minutes left and needing 2 scores, the home crowd was shocked when Folk missed a 31 yard field goal.

New England quickly went 3 and out and the Bucs got it back at their own 26. On 3rd and 15 from the New England 47, Winston hit DeSean Jackson for 29 yards and Chris Brate for the 18 yard touchdown. With only 2:09 left, the Buccaneers were within 16-14. The onside kick failed, and the Patriots took over at the Tampa 37. The Buccaneers only had one timeout plus the 2 minute warning, but they held on defense. Gostkowki hit the 48 yard field goal. The Patriots led by 5 with 1:10 to play after a touchback, but the Buccaneers had a chance to pull off the upset.

Winston quickly went to Jackson for 24 yards. On 2nd and 15 from their own 44, Winston hit Humphries for 20 nd Brate for 17 more. Winston spiked the ball as 3 seconds remained with the Buccaneers at the New England 19. With everything on the line, Winston threw over the middle into traffic at the goal line. The ball was well defended and fell incomplete. Winston finished 26 of 46 for 334 yards and one touchdown without being intercepted. Brady finished 30 of 40 for 303 yards, one touchdown, and 0 interceptions. With the win, Brady tied Peyton Manning and Brett Favre for most regular season wins of all time. 19-14 Patriots

Los Angeles Chargers at New York Giants — In 2004, Eli Manning refused to play for the Chargers. This was a desperate attempt to create a story line for anyone to care about. A pair of winless, witless teams played as the San Diego Orange County Chargers of Los Angeles played the New York Giants in New Jersey. In the first quarter with the Chargers facing 3rd and 7 from their own 7, A fumbled shotgun snap went out of the end zone for a safety and a 2-0 Giants lead. Later in the quarter the Giants moved 64 yards. Darkwa ran to daylight for a 23 yard touchdown to make it 9-0 Giants. In the second quarter the Chargers moved 77 yards. Philip Rivers hit Melvin Gordon for a 6 yard touchdown to get the Chargers within 9-7.

Late in the half Rivers threw a bomb to a wide open receiver, who dropped the ball in the end zone. After a couple more dropped touchdown passes, a field goal was tried. South Korea phenom Koo is gone, and Nick Novak returned to his former team. Novak hit from 20 to make it 10-9 Chargers at halftime in the Stupor Bowl. In the third quarter the Chargers moved down the field. Rivers went to the end zone and was intercepted for a touchback. The Giants came back 80 yards. Eli Manning threw a 29 yard touchdown to Lewis for a 16-10 Giants lead.

The Chargers came back 92 yards in 12 plays and 6 minutes. Rivers hooked up with Henry for a 25 yard touchdown. Novak doinked the extra point off the upright but it went through good to make it 17-16 Chargers after three quarters. The Giants quickly came back 75 yards. Early in the fourth quarter Manning went to O’Dell Beckham Jr. for a 48 yard touchdown. The 2 point conversion try failed but the Giants led 22-17.

The Giants went 3 and out and the Chargers got it back with 9 minutes left at their own 39. Melvin Gordon ran for 16 yards. With 6 minutes left on 3rd and 10 from the Giants 23, Rivers hit Keenan Allen for 15 yards. Yet despite 1st and goal at the 8, Rivers threw 3 incompletions. With 5 minutes left, Anthony Lynn decided not to go for it. He went for the field goal and decided to trust his defense. After a false start Novak hit from 31 to get the Chargers within 22-20.

With 4 minutes left the Giants faced 3rd and 7 at their own 23. All the Giants had to do was not give the game away. In the Stupor Bowl, they did exactly that. Manning was sacked and fumbled. The Chargers took over and quickly faced 3rd and 9 from the Giants 10. Rivers hit Gordon for the touchdown. anthony Lynn surprisingly decided not to go for the 2 point conversion as the Chargers led by 5 with 3 minutes left. The Giants moved from their 24 to a 1st and 10 at the Chargers 48. On 4th and 10 with 49 seconds left, Manning was intercepted. The Chargers finally have a win while Bob McAdoo has an 0-5 squad. To add insult, O’Dell Beckham Jr. was carted off the field in the fourth quarter with a severe leg injury. 27-22 Chargers

Buffalo Bills at Cincinnati Bengals — Red Rifle Andy Dalton threw a 77 yard touchdown pass to AJ Green for a 7-0 Bengals lead. Steve Hauschka then hit a 31 yard field goal to get the Bills on the board. Randy Bullock countered from 30 in the second quarter to make it 10-3 Bengals. With 5 minutes left in the half, Dalton was intercepted by Micah Hyde, who returned it 13 yards to the Cincy 23. On 3rd and 10 from the 12, Tyrod Taylor hit Brandon Tate for the touchdown and a 10-10 ballgame. In the third quarter the Bengals dodged an interception of Dalton but not a fumble by Green in the red zone. The Bills moved from their 29 in position for a 38 yard Hauschka field goal and a 13-10 Bills lead.

The Bengals came back 75 yards and Joe Mixon ran for a 5 yard touchdown on the first play of the fourth quarter to make it 17-13 Bengals. With 10 1/2 minutes left in regulation, Brandon Tate returned a punt 40 yard to the Cincy 24. Unsportsmanlike conduct on the Bengals had the Bills starting on the Cincinnati 12 yard line. The Cincinnati defense had an inspired stand, holding the Bills to a 28 yard Huaschka field goal as the Bills still trailed 17-16 with 9 minutes left. The Bengals moved 59 yard in 11 plays and 5 1/2 minutes. Bullock hit from 29 to put the Bengals up by 4 with 3 1/2 minutes left. On 3rd and 15 from the Buffalo 20, Taylor was intercepted to get Marvin Lewis and the Bengals a desperately needed win. 20-16 Bills

New York Jets at Cleveland Browns — On the last play of the half, Chandler Catanzaro nailed a 57 yard field goal for a 3-0 Jets lead in a game that deserved no further explanation. NFL rules required the second half be played. Hue Jackson benched Shawn Kizer for Kevin Hogan, who led a 75 yard third quarter drive. Hogan threw a 21 yard touchdown pass to Njoku for a 7-3 Browns lead. The Browns got it back at their own 21, but the momentum they had quickly shifted when Hogan was intercepted. The Jets took over at the Cleveland 13. Josh McCown threw a 2 yard touchdown pass to Sefarian-Jenkins for a 10-7 Jets lead.

The Browns again moved the ball and had a 4th and 2 at the Jets 4 with 13 minutes left in regulation. Hue Jackson decided to go for it. Isaiah Crowell got the carry and gained only one yard. The Jets then moved 97 yards. McCown hit Jermaine Kearse for a 24 yard touchdown to make it 17-7 Jets in a game that should be forgotten forever. The Browns moved 86 yards and struck quickly when Johnson took a screen 41 yards for a touchdown with 1:49 left. The Browns were out of timeouts, and when the onside kick failed the Browns dropped to 0-5. Meanwhile, the Jets who were supposed to go 0-16, won their third straight to get to 3-2 under Todd Bowles. 17-14 Jets

Jacksonville Jaguars at Pittsburgh Steelers — Despite being a preseason Super Bowl contender, the Steelers have struggled against inferior teams this year. The inconsistent Jaguars should have been a tuneup. Chris Boswell hit a 29 yard field goal for the steelers in the first quarter, but Jacksonville’s defense toughened up. Late in the first quarter an interception of Ben Roethlisberger was returned 15 yards to the Pittsburgh 47. In the second quarter Leonard Fournette ran for a 2 yard score to make it 7-3 Jaguars. Boswell hit a 34 yard field goal in the second quarter as the Steelers surprisingly trailed 7-6 at break time. In the third quarter the Steelers moved 73 yards in 14 plays and 6 minutes. Yet on 3rd and goal at the 2, Big Ben threw incomplete. Boswell hit from 20 as the Steelers led 9-7. Yet the rest of the game produced a shocker.

Pittsburgh got it back and from their own 33, Roethlisberger was intercepted by Smith, who returned it 28 yards for a Jacksonville touchdown. The extra point was no good but the Jaguars led 13-9. Pittsburgh then faced 3rd and 17 at their own 34. Roethlisberger had a pass deflected and intercepted again by Church, who returned it 51 yards for another defensive score and a 20-9 Jaguars lead. The Jaguars got it bak at their own 4 yard line to start the fourth quarter. They moved 67 yards in 13 plays, and took 8 minutes off the clock. Jason Myers hit a 47 yard field goal in the rain to make it 23-9 Jaguars.

After another Roethliberger interception, the defense held and the Steelers moved from their own 14 to the Jacksonville 28 with 3 1/2 minutes left. Roethlisberger went to Antonio Brown for the touchdown, but offensive holding killed the Steelers. Two plays later Roethlisberger was intercepted at the goal line again. The Jaguars too over at their own 2 yard line. On 3rd and 2 at the 2 minute warning, Leonard Fournette raced up the middle for a 90 yard touchdown in front of a shellshocked home crowd. Mike Tomlin is not used to seeing his squad get blown out, especially at home. The win was so thorough that Captain Grumpy Tom Coughlin almost smiled. Blake Bortles threw only 14 passes, completing 8 of them for 95 yards, 0 touchdowns and one interception. Roethlisberger finished 33 of 55 for 312 yards, 0 touchdowns, and 5 interceptions. 30-9 Jaguars

Tennessee Titans at Miami Dolphins — The Dolphins barely avoided consecutive shutouts due to an anemic offense, but Tennessee gave up 57 points last week. Something had to give. DeMarco Murray fumbled to give the Dolphins the ball at the Tennessee 42. That was enough for Parkey to hit a 41 yard field goal to make it 3-0 Dolphins. Matt Cassel was in for an injured Marcus Mariota, and Cassel spent his time getting belted. A sack of Cassel resulted in a fumble that was returned 38 yards by Jones for a Miami touchdown. Replay showed that Cassel’s arm appeared to be going forward but the call stood for a 10-0 Dolphins lead. In the second quarter Jay Ajayi fumbled and the Titans took over at the Dolphins 24. Miami lost 3 yards and Ryan Succop hit a 45 yard field goal to get the Titans within 10-3. In the third quarter the Titans moved 69 yards. Cassel hit Supernaw for an 11 yard touchdown and a 10-10 game.

The third quarter ended with the Dolphins taking over at their own 42. On 3rd and 10 from the Titans 20, Jay Cutler hit Thomas for a 15 yard gain. On 3rd and goal at the 6, Cutler hit Landry for the touchdown. The extra point was no good but the Dolphins led by 6 with 10 1/2 minutes left in regulation. After that the defense clamped down. With 19 seconds left the Titans took over at their own 7. Two plays left them 74 yards short of the end zone. Cassel finished 21 of 32 for 141 yards and one touchdown without an interception. Cutler was 12 of 26 for 92 yards and one touchdown and one interception. The game film was burned for the sake of football. 16-10 Dolphins

San Francisco 49ers at Indianapolis Colts — Sometimes a pair of bad teams can come together for a thrilling game. This was not that game. Adam Vinatieri hit a 52 yard field goal for the Colts and Robbie Gould countered from 28 for a 3-3 game in the first quarter. In the second quarter Vinatieri hit from 23 and Gould answered from 43 for a 6-6 game at the half. For some reason, the second half was not cancelled. In the third quarter Vinatieri hit from 38 to make it 9-6 Colts. The Colts got it back at their own 40 and finally the game saw a touchdown. Mack ran for a 22 yard score to make it 16-6 Colts. In the fourth quarter Gould hit his third field goal from 40 yards out, but the Colts struck again. A 75 yard drive was capped off with Jacoby Brissett running for a 3 yard touchdown to make it 23-9 Colts.

The 49ers came back 79 yards. Brian Hoyer hit Juszczyk for a 6 yard touchdown to get the 49ers within 23-16 midway through the fourth quarter. The 49ers got it back at their own 11 with 5 1/2 minutes left. Hoyer went to Kittle for a 27 yard gain. Om 3rd and 10 from their own 38, Hoyer hit Pierre Garcon for 13 yards. On 3rd and 1 from the Indy 40, Carlos Hyde got stopped cold. Kyle Shanahan had to go for it with 2:47 left. Rather than run the ball, Shannon called a high risk pass play. Hoyer hit Kittle for 19 yards. With 24 seconds left, on 4th and goal at the 5, Hoyer hit Kittle for the touchdown as Chuck Pagano wondered why he wanted to bother with this Andrew Luck-less squad.

If ever a game did not deserve overtime, this one was it. The Colts began overtime and quickly faced 3rd and 9 at their own 26. Brissett threw incomplete but defensive holding kept the drive going. On 3rd and 10 from the Indy 31, Brissett hit Dante Moncrief for 15 and TY Hilton for a 46 yard bomb to set up 1st and goal at the 8. Brissett was then intercepted in the end zone by Armstrong, who ran it back to the San Francisco 28 yard line. The Colts held on defense and soon faced 3rd and 4 at their own 24. Brissett hit Moncrief for 7. Marlin Monster Mack broke free for a 35 yard gain. With 1:43 left in the extra session, Vinatieri came in for a 51 yard field goal try to win it. The most clutch kicker of all time was good as the 49ers remained winless. 26-23 Colts, OT

Arizona Cardinals at Philadelphia Eagles — Arizona is not the same team from two years ago. They are older, creakier, and in trouble. Philadelphia jumped all over them from the start in the Carson Bowl. A 10 play, 54 yard, 5 1/2 minute drive was capped with Carson Wentz hitting Burton for a 15 yard touchdown to start the deluge. Warner then returned a punt 76 yards to the Arizona 15. On 3rd and 6, Wentz threw an 11 yard touchdown to Zac Ertz to make it 14-0 Eagles. Wentz then threw a 59 yard touchdown pass to Troy Smith to make it 21-0 Eagles.

In the second quarter the Cardinals woke up. A 10 play, 75 yard drive saw Carson Palmer throw a 13 yard pass to John Brown to get the Cardinals within 21-7. A chance to get closer saw a 51 yard field goal try by Phil Dawson blocked to end the half. The second half was a formality. Elliott hit a 36 yard field goal to make it 24-7 Eagles. Wentz then hooked up with Nelson Agholor for a 72 yard touchdown and a 31-7 Eagles lead. Elliott added a 28 yard field goal as Wentz finished 21 of 30 for 304 yards and 4 touchdown passes with one interception. Doug Peterson has quietly assembled a good football team in the NFC East. 34-7 Eagles

Carolina Panthers at Detroit Lions — The defenses dominated early as Matt Prater hit a 30 yard field goal for the Lions and Graham Gano answered from 21 for a 3-3 ballgame. In the second quarter the Lions moved 78 yards in 5 1/2 minutes, helped along by defensive penalties. Zenner got in from the one to make it 10-3 Lions. The Panthers soon faced 3rd and 1 at their own 34 when Cam Newton went deep to Ed Dickson for 57 yards. Newton then hit McCaffrey for a 6 yard touchdown and a 10-10 deadlock.

Carolina got it back and went 73 yards in 11 plays. Newton hit Devon Funchess for a 10 yard touchdown and a 17-10 Panthers advantage. In the third quarter the Panthers moved 75 yards as the Panthers broke the game open. Newton hit Kelvin Benjamin for a 31 yard touchdown to make it 24-10 Panthers. Matthew Stafford was then sacked and fumbled, setting up Carolina at the Detroit 23. Gano hit a 44 yard field goal to make it 27-10 Panthers.

Stafford did throw a 4 yard touchdown pass to Darren Fells to cap a 69 yard drive with 6 minutes left in regulation to get the Lions within 27-17.  The Lions got it back with 4 minutes left and struck quickly. On 3rd and 2 from the Carolina 45, Stafford hit Abbrederis for 25 yards. On 3rd and 10 from the Carolina 20, Stafford hit Fells for the touchdown as the Lions got within 3 points. With 2 1/2 minutes left and the Lions out of timeouts, everything came down to Carolina facing 3rd and 9 at their own 24. Riverboat Ron Rivera decided not to run the ball, punt and play defense. Newton found Benjamin for a 17 yard completion to let the Panthers run out the clock. Rivera has a 4-1 football team while Jim Caldwell saw his squad drop to 3-2 with the loss. 27-24 Panthers

Seattle Seahawks at Los Angeles Rams — Both teams have solid defenses and the Rams offense is much better than in past years. After a scoreless first quarter, the Rams struck in the second quarter. 79 yards in 10 plays saw Tavon Austin run for a 27 yard touchdown. The Rams fumbled a punt to set the Seahawks up at the Rams 30, but from the 15, Russell Wilson was intercepted. Johnson returned the interception 69 yards to the Seattle 19. The defense held but Greg Zuerlein hit from 35 to make it 10-0 Rams. The Seahawks then moved 75 yards in 15 plays and 7 1/2 minutes. Wilson hit Jimmy Graham for a 4 yard touchdown to get the Seahawks within 10-7. Despite the ensuing kickoff going out of bounds, the Rams went nowhere from their own 40 and the Seahawks took over at their 25 with 1:34 left in the half. On 3rd and 12 from midfield, Wilson hit Thomas Rawls for 14 yards. Blair Walsh hit a 48 yard field goal to end the half in a 10-10 tie.

In the third quarter Walsh hit a 49 yard field goal to put the Seahawks up 13-10. In the fourth quarter turnovers killed the Rams. With 6 minutes left from just past midfield, Jared Goff was intercepted. The defense held. With 3 minutes left from the Rams 43, Goff was sacked and fumbled. Sheldon Richardson returned the fumble 20 yards to the Rams 20. With 1:12 left, on 4th and 2, Pete Carroll called a timeout and then lined up to go for it rather than kick the field goal. It was a bluff, the Rams did not bite, and the false start meant a 35 yard field goal try for Walsh. The kick was good and the Seahawks led by 6.

After a touchback the Rams had one last chance. Goff went deep to Higbee for a 35 yard gain and to Woods for 20 more to the Seattle 20. Goff spiked the ball with 17 seconds left. On 3nd and 10 Goff fired to the end zone to a wide open Cooper Kupp. It bounced off of his fingertips with 8 seconds remaining. Kupp should have caught the ball as it was now 4th and 10. One play, Goff vs the Legion of Boom. Goff went to the end zone into double coverage. It was not even close as it fell incomplete. Both teams are 3-2 as the NFL learned that the improved Rams are not at the next level yet and the former champion Seahawks are not finished yet. 16-10 Seahawks

Baltimore Ravens at Oakland Raiders — The Raiders without Derek Carr are an 0-16 team. He willed the Raiders to a 12-4 record last year, papering over a horrendously bad secondary and questionable schemes by Defensive Coordinator Ken Norton Jr. With EJ Manuel out in place of Carr, it was over from the start against a Baltimore team getting blown out by everyone else. On the first play from scrimmage, Joe Flacco went deep to Mike Wallace for a 52 yard gain. Mayle ran for a 2 yard touchdown to make it 7-0 Ravens. On 1st and 10 from the Oakland 42, Manuel completed a swing pass to Jared Cook. Cook fumbled it and Smith returned the fumble 47 yards for a defensive touchdown and a 14-0 Ravens lead less than 4 minutes into the game.

The Raiders after a touchback finally got going and moved to a 1st and 10 at the Baltimore 12. A run lost 2 yards and a pair of incompletions ended the drive. After 6 minutes, the Raiders settled for a 32 yard Georgio Tavecchio field goal to trail 14-3. The Ravens kept rolling, as 75 yards came easily. The Ravens began the second quarter facing 3rd and 5 at the Oakland 16. The defense expected a pass, and instead Allen rushed for just enough with help from a very generous spot. On 3rd and 1 from the 2, Allen got the yard and on the next carry got the other yard to make it 21-3 Ravens.

The Raiders soon faced 3rd and 4 at their own 31. Manuel hit Cook for 17. Olawale rumbled for 11 more. Manuel went deep to michael Crabtree for a 41 yard touchdown as the Raiders were within 21-10. Yet the defense had no answers. From the Baltimore 38, Flacco went deep to Wallace again for a 54 yard gain. On 3rd and goal at the 5, Flacco threw incomplete. Justin Tucker hit the 22 yard field goal as the Ravens led 24-10.

This time, on 3rd and 9 from the Oakland 26, Manuel got belted for an 8 yard loss. The Ravens got it back at their own 37 with 2 1/2 minutes left in the half and all 3 timeouts. With 33 seconds left in the half, Justin Tucker came in for a 61 yard field goal try as the Raiders took a timeout on defense. John Harbaugh changed his mind on 4th and 7 and decided to punt. With the Raiders pinned at their own 5 yard line, they were lucky to get to the half only down 14 points. They would get the ball to start the second half.

In the third quarter each team went 3 and out twice. The Raiders then faced 3rd and 5 at their own 40. Manuel went to Seth Roberts for a 22 yard gain. On 3rd and 7 from the Baltimore 21, Manuel hit Crabtree, who stretched the ball just past the first down marker. On 3rd and 9 from the 13, Manuel scrambled and shook off a hit to gain 10 yards. On the next play Marshawn Lynch banged in from 3 yards out to get the Raiders within 24-17 with 3 1/2 minutes left in the third quarter.

The Ravens soon faced 3rd and 3 at their own 32, Flacco got belted but only after completing a 13 yard pass to Brad Perriman. On 3rd and 8 from the Baltimore 47, Flacco went deep to Wallace for a 27 yard gain. At this point Wallace had 3 catches for 133 yards, because the Raiders have no secondary. One minute the crowd is back in the game and just like the, the Raiders were on their heels again to start the fourth quarter. Yet on 3rd and goal from the 3, Flacco threw high out the back of the end zone incomplete. Tucker hit from 21 to culminate the 12 play, 72 yard, 5 1/2 minute drive and make it 27-17 Ravens.

The Raiders soon faced 3rd and 8 at their own 27. Manuel hit Seth Roberts for 12 yards. On 3rd and 3 from the Baltimore 44, Manuel’s pass to Jared Cook was dropped. With 9 minutes left, down 2 scores, and a defense not playing well, Jack Del Rio demoralized the home crowd by punting. After a touchback, the Ravens repeatedly ran the ball up the middle against the pathetic Oakland defense. 54 yards, 13 plays and 6 1/2 minutes led to a 44 yard Tucker field goal an a 13 point lead for Baltimore. The Raiders took over without a timeout and only 2 1/2 minutes left.

The Raiders will not go 0-16 because of their 2 wins to start the season. However, 3 straight losses have this team reeling at 2-3. With Carr in the lineup, the Raiders have plenty of problems. The secondary is awful, Marshawn Lynch is not getting the yards, the offensive line is not blocking well, and the receivers especially Amari Cooper drop far too many passes. Without Carr, despite Manuel playing reasonably well, the Raiders have zero chance to beat anybody. Last year people said the Raiders were no longer losers. This year, at this moment, the Raiders are losers. 30-17 Ravens

Green Bay Packers at Dallas Cowboys — Last year Aaron Rodgers outdueled Dak Prescott in a 34-31 Green Bay playoff thriller in Dallas. The rematch saw the Cowboys drive 75 yards in 12 plays and 6 1/2 minutes. Prescott hit Cole Beasley for a 2 yard touchdown to make it 7-0 Cowboys. After a touchback, the Packers came back 75 yards. Rodgers hit Devontae Adams for a 10 yard touchdown. The extra point failed as the Packers were within 7-6. In the second quarter the Cowboys moved 75 yards in 11 plays and 5 1/2 minutes. Prescott hit Beasley again for a 5 yard touchdown to make it 14-6 Cowboys. A sack of Rodgers had the Packers punting on 4th and 26 from their own 9. The Cowboys took over at their own 43. On 3rd and 5, Prescott scrambled for 21 yards. On 3rd and 1 from the Green Bay 20, Ezekiel Elliott got stopped Jason Garrett decided to go for it. Prescott gained 2 yards. Prescott hit Dez Bryant for a 10 yard touchdown to make it 21-6 Cowboys.

The Packers moved 75 yards in 13 plays and over 5 minutes. Jones ran for a 7 yard touchdown. The extra point failed but the Packers were within 21-12. In the third quarter after a touchback the Packers moved to a 1st and goal at the 3. Jones lost a yard and Rodgers threw incomplete twice. Mason Crosby hit the 22 yard field goal to get the Packers within 21-15. Green Bay got it back and moved 88 yards in 14 plays and nearly 8 minutes. On the first play of the fourth quarter, Rodgers hit Jordy Nelson for a 10 yard touchdown to put the Packers up 22-21.

Now it was time for Dallas to regroup. They moved 50 yards, and Dan Bailey hit a 43 yard field goal with 11:45 left in regulation for a 24-22 Cowboys lead. The Cowboys quickly got it back but disaster struck. On 2nd and 7 from the Dallas 15, a short pass bounced off of Terrence Williams’s hands straight into the arms of Randall. Randall returned the interception 21 yards for a touchdown. The 2 point try failed but the Packers led 28-24 with 10 minutes left in regulation.

The Cowboys stayed calm and patiently played smash mouth football. With 3 minutes left in the game, the Cowboys faced 3rd and 5 at the Green Bay 24. Prescott hit Cole Beasley for what was called a first down. Mike McCarthy challenged the spot, and the call was reversed to 4th and 1 at the 20. Elliott got the carry and appeared stopped short. Yet this time Jason Garrett challenged the spot, and it was again reversed to a first down as the clock hit the 2 minute warning. On 3rd and 2 from the Green Bay 11, a perfectly executed fake handoff saw Prescott keep it himself for the touchdown. The staggering 17 play, 79 yard drive took 8:45 off the clock. The Cowboys led by 3 points but the Packers had Rodgers, 1:13 left, and one timeout to work with.

After a touchback, Rodgers hit Devontae Adams for 14 yards and Martellus Bennett for 14 more. With 45 seconds left from the Dallas 47, Mike McCarthy shocked everyone by calling a draw play. Jones ran for 15 yards and got out of bounds with 39 seconds left. Now the Packers were in field goal range. Yet on 2nd and 10 McCarthy tried another running play that gained only 2 yards, forcing the Packers to take their last timeout with 30 seconds left. On 3rd and 8, Rodgers was nearly sacked, which would have pushed the Packers out of field goal range. Yet he escaped, gained 18 yards to the Dallas 12, and got out of bounds with 21 seconds left. Rodgers did it again. A perfectly thrown pass to Adams was the winning touchdown with 11 seconds left. The only thing better than this game with 5 fourth quarter lead changes would be a rematch in the playoffs. 35-31 Packers

Kansas City Chiefs at Houston Texans was the Sunday night game. In the first quarter the Chiefs went 64 yards in 15 plays and took 8 minutes. Butker hit a 35 yard field goal. In the second quarter the Chiefs went 65 yards in 11 plays in 6 1/2 minutes. Butker hit from 42 to make it 6-0 Chiefs. The Chiefs got it back and moved 62 yards. On 3rd and 11 just shy of midfield, Alex Smith hit Travis Kelce for 20 yards. On 3rd and 4 from the 8, Smith hit West for the touchdown to make it 13-0 Chiefs early in the second quarter. A Houston fumble set up the Chiefs at the Houston 26. Butker hit from 41 to make it 16-0 Chiefs.

The Texans repeatedly tried to make a game of it and the Chiefs repeatedly countered. The Texans moved 75 yards and DeShaun Watson hit Deandre Hopkins for a 6 yard touchdown to get the Texans within 16-7. After a touchback, the Chiefs took over with 1:49 left in the half. From the Chiefs 44, Smith hit Kelce for a 26 yard gain with 15 more tacked on for unnecessary roughness. Smith hit West for a 4 yard touchdown as the Chiefs took a 23-7 lead into the locker rooms.

In the third quarter the Texans moved 78 yards. Watson hit Fuller for a 9 yard touchdown. The 2 point try failed as the Texans trailed 23-13. In the fourth quarter the Chiefs moved 58 yards in 10 plays. Butker hit his fourth field goal from 35 yards out to make it 26-13 Chiefs. The Texans came back 70 yards. A 48 yard touchdown bomb from Watson to Fuller had the Texans only down 26-20 with 12 minutes left in regulation.

There would be no comeback as the Chiefs turned out the lights. The Chiefs moved 70 yards as Smith hit Thomas for a 10 yard touchdown. The 2 point try failed but the Chiefs led 32-20. The backbreaker came when the Texans punted and Tyreeq Hill returned it 82 yards for a touchdown to make it 39-20 Chiefs With 3 1/2 minutes left. Fuller returned the ensuing kickoff 49 yards. On 3rd and 7 from the Chiefs 34, Watson went deep too Hopkins for another touchdown to get the Texans within 39-26 after the failed 2 point conversion. The onside kick failed, and the Chiefs tacked on Butker’s fifth field goal from 49 yard out to make it 42-26 with just over one minute left.

Houston did get one more touchdown on the game’s final play to make the score look close. Watson finished 16 of 31 for 261 yards and 5 touchdowns while Smith was 29 of 37 for 324 yards and 3 touchdowns. Neither signal caller was intercepted. The Chiefs remained the only unbeaten team in the NFL at 5-0, rendering Andy Reid one happy Walrus Lite. For the Texans it was misery. This game featured injuries on both sides, including to a Chiefs player on the opening kickoff. The worst injury was a broken leg to J.J. Watt, who is now out for the year. 42-34 Chiefs

Minnesota Vikings at Chicago Bears wasthe Monday night game. Mitchell Trubiaky got his first NFL start and Sam Bradford played injured. The first half was as hideous as it gets. In the first quarter Bradford was sacked for a safety to make it 2-0 Bears. Just before the 2 minute warning with the Bears at their own 20, Trubisky fumbled the ball away. Kai Forbath hit a 26 yard field goal for a 3-2 Vikings lead at the half. For some reason, the second half was not canceled.

In the third quarter the game finally improved as Bradford was benched for Case Keenum. The Vikings moved 75 yards and Keenum threw a 13 yard touchdown to Kyle Rudolph to make it 10-2 Vikings.

The Bears needed some trickery to spark life into their team. On 4th and 6 from the Minnesota 38, John Fox called a fake punt. O’Donnell hit Cunningham for the touchdown to cap the 75 yard drive as the Bears were within 10-9.

Minnesota took over at their own 18 and struck quickly. McKinnon raced for a 58 yard touchdown to make it 17-9 Vikings after three quarters.

From their own 21 the Bears came back again. Trubisky threw a 20 yard touchdown to Zach Miller early in the fourth quarter. Trubisky rushed for the 2 point conversion himself for a 17-17 ballgame.

Late in the game from the Chicago 10, Trubisky was intercepted, giving the Vikings a short field. Forbath hit the 26 yarder to win it with only seconds left. 20-17 Vikings

NFL 2017 Week 5 Prequel

Thursday, October 5th, 2017

NFL 2017 Week 5 Prequel

https://www.commdiginews.com/sports/nfl/nfl-2017-week-5-preview-and-bettors-guide-94597/

There is no solution regarding Las Vegas

Thursday, October 5th, 2017

There is no solution regarding Las Vegas

https://www.commdiginews.com/politics-2/the-aftermath-to-las-vegas-the-answer-is-to-do-nothing-94591/

NFL 2017 Week 4 Recap

Sunday, October 1st, 2017

NFL 2017 Week 4 Recap

Chicago Bears at Green Packers was the Thursday night game. In protester news, nobody cares about overprivileged spoiled brats. Now back to football. The real news is not news at all. The Packers are a good team and the Bears are a bad team. Sometimes a bad team can go on the road and shock a good team in a thrilling upset. This was not that game. The Packers easily moved 75 yards in 10 plays and 5 minutes. Aaron Rodgers threw a 5 yard touchdown pass to Devontae Adams for a 7-0 Packers lead. One play after the ensuing kickoff touchback, Mike Glennon was sacked and fumbled. The Packers took over at the Bears 3 yard line. On 3rd and goal at the 2, Rodgers hit Randall Cobb for the touchdown and the quick 14-0 Packers lead. In the second quarter Glennon was intercepted by Haha Clinton-Dix, giving the Packers the ball at their own 40 yard line. Rodgers went deep to Jordy Nelson for a 58 yard gain. One play later Jones got in from 2 yards out to make it 21-0 Packers. For some reason, John Fox did not quit given that his team certainly had.

Despite dominating the game, the Packers got bored during the 2 minute drill and eased up. From the Chicago 28, Glennon hit Thompson for 14 and Zach Miller for 29 more. With 12 seconds left in the half, the Bears faced 3rd and 2 at the Green Bay 5 yard line. Glennon hit Wright for the touchdown to get the Bears within 21-7. In the third quarter the Bears moved from their 28 to a 1st and 10 at the Green Bay 29. After 3 Glennon incompletions, a missed 47 yard field goal try kept wasted the drive.

The Packers took over at their own 37. On 3rd and 8 from the Chicago 40, Rodgers hit Bennett short of the sticks. Mike McCarthy decided to go for it on 4th and 1 at the Chicago 33. Rodgers hit Nelson for a 5 yard gain.On 3rd and 1 from the 19, Jones got around the end for an 11 yard gain. On 3rd and goal at the 6, a touchdown pass from Rodgers to Adams was nullified by offensive holding. Yet on 3rd and goal at the 16, a give-up short pass saw the Bears commit a mindless defensive unnecessary roughness penalty. On 1st and goal at the 4, Rodgers hit Nelson for the touchdown for a 28-7 Packers lead. The Bears quickly faced 1st and 20 at their own 39. Glennon was intercepted by Brice, setting up the Packers at the Chicago 42. On 3rd and 6 Rodgers went deep to Cobb for a 26 yard gain. On the first play of the fourth quarter the Packers faced 3rd and 6 at the Chicago 8. Rodgers hit Nelson for the touchdown for a 35-7 Packers blowout lead.

The Bears then turned to ball control, moving 75 yards in 15 plays. They took 9 minutes off the clock. It would have been perfect had they not been down by 28 points. When the Bears cut the gap to 21 points, Rodgers was benched. Actually, Mike McCarthy just wanted to see what the back up quarterback could do up by 21 with 6 minutes left. Rodgers finished 18 of 26 for 179 yards, 4 touchdowns and 0 interceptions. 35-14 Packers

 

New Orleans Saints at Miami Dolphins was the Sunday morning London game. A hideous football game may make the bored British return to soccer. With just over one minute left in the half of a scoreless game, the Dolphins punted on 4th and 20 from their own 12 and the Saints took over at midfield. Will Lutz hit a 43 yard field goal on the last play of the half for a 3-0 Saints lead. For some reason the second half was played. In the third quarter the Saints moved 77 yards in 11 plays and 6 minutes. Drew Brees hit Thomas for a 3 yard touchdown and a 10-0 Saints lead after three quarters. In the fourth quarter Lutz hit from 45 and Brees led an 11 play, 87 yard, 5 1/2 minute drive. Brees hit Kamara for a 12 yard touchdown to complete a game that deserves not one more word of description. 20-0 Saints

Carolina Panthers at New England Patriots — The defenses dug in early on as Stephen Gostkowski hit a 41 yard field goal for the Patriots and Graham Gano countered from 32 for a 3-3 game. In the second quarter the Patriots moved 74 yards in 11 plays and 5 1/2 minutes. Tom Brady hit Chris Hogan for a 2 yard touchdown and a 10-3 Patriots lead. The Panthers quickly came back 75 yards as Cam Newton hit Fozzy Whitaker for a 28 yard touchdown and a 10-10 tie. The Patriots moved 57 yards in 12 plays for 5 minutes, but settled for a 35 yard Gostkowski field goal and a 13-10 Patriots lead.

Carolina took over at their own 16 with 4 1/2 minutes left in the half. On 3rd and 8 from their 18, Newton hit Devon Funchess for 13 yards. On 3rd and 9 from the Carolina 43, Newton went deep to Kelvin Benjamin for a 43 yard gain. Newton hit Funchess for a 10 yard touchdown with 30 seconds left in the half for a 17-13 Panthers lead. 26 seconds was enough time for Tom Brady after a touchback. With 11 seconds left the Patriots faced 3rd and 1 from their own 34. Brady went deep to Hogan for a 26 yard gain. Gostkowski then leveled a 58 yard field goal as the Patriots were down 17-16 at the intermission.

Any momentum the Patriots had quickly evaporated once the third quarter started. The Panthers moved 68 yards in 11 plays and 6 1/2 minutes. Newton hit Funchess for a 16 yard touchdown. The extra point was no good as the Panthers led 23-16. The Panthers got the ball back and began the fourth quarter facing 3rd and 4 at their own 42. Newton went deep to Benjamin for a 39 yard gain. Newton ran the final 7 yards himself up the middle as the Panthers and the 30-16 lead.

After a touchback, the Patriots were down to their last gasp as they faced 4th and 3 at the Carolina 38 with 10 minutes left. Brady hit Rob Gronkowski for 13 yards and Dorsett for 17 more. Dion Lewis raced around the end and got to the corner pylon for an 8 yard touchdown to get the Patriots within 30-23. Carolina went 3 and out and a 35 yard punt had the Patriots taking over just past midfield. The Patriots moved to a 2nd and goal at the one where Mike Gillislee was stopped and Brady threw incomplete. With 3:14 to play on 4th and goal at the one, Brady found Danny Amendola for the touchdown and a 30-30 game.

With 2:23 to play the Panthers faced 3rd and 7 at their own 27. Newton was sacked for an 11 yard loss as the jubilant Patriots got ready for another comeback win. Yet defensive illegal use of hands instead kept the Panthers going. Jonathan Stewart gained 15 yards. With 1:05 left and the Panthers facing 3rd and 3 at the New England 46, Newton hit Funchess for 5 yards. Defensive holding added 5 more yards. With 4 seconds left Graham Gano came in for a 48 yard field goal try to win it. Gano? Ga-Yes! Brady finished 32 of 45 for 307 yards and 2 touchdowns without an interception. Newton went 22 of 29 for 316 yards, 3 touchdowns and one interception. Yet it is Ron Rivera with a 3-1 Panthers football team while Bill Belichick only has a 2-2 squad. 33-30 Panthers

Los Angeles Rams at Dallas Cowboys — Early on the kickers led the scoring as Dan Bailey hit from 34 for the Cowboys and Greg Zuerlein responded from 49 for a 3-3 ballgame. In the second quarter the Cowboys moved 81 yards in 15 plays and took 8 minutes to do it. Das Prescott hit Ezekiel Elliott on 3rd and 7 for a 10 yard touchdown and a 10-3 Cowboys lead. Cooper returned the ensuing kickoff 66 yards to the Dallas 35. However the offense squandered the field position. Zuerlein hit from 44 to get the Rams within 10-6.

After a touchback, Alfred Morris raced for a 70 yard gain to the Rams 5. Elliott ran for the one yard touchdown to make it 17-6 Cowboys. The Cowboys were in control until they fumbled a punt and the Rams recovered at the Dallas 18. Jared Goff hit Cooper Kupp for a 7 yard touchdown to get the Rams within 17-13. Dallas came back 75 yards and Prescott hit Brice Butler for a 10 yard touchdown to make it 24-13 Cowboys. After a touchback the Rams took over with 1:51 left in the half. With 18 seconds left in the half and the Rams facing 3rd and 1 at the Dallas 37, Todd Gurley gained 6 with a rare defensive delay of game penalty tacked on. Zuerlein hit from 44 to end the half with the Rams within 24-16.

The Rams were kicking field goals rather than scoring touchdowns, but when Zuerlein hit his fourth field goal from 30 yards out, the Rams were only down 24-19. The Los Angeles defense got a stop and the Rams took over at their own 10. Gurley ran for gains of 16 and 7. Goff hit Brown for 14. On the next play Goff went deep to Gurley for a 53 yard touchdown and a 26-24 Rams lead after three quarters. The fourth quarter began with the Rams facing 3rd and 11 at their own 11. Goff hit Woods for 19 yards and Kupp for 15 more. Defensive pass interference added 25 more yards and Goff hit Kupp for another 24. Yet despite 1st and goal at the 10, Goff threw 3 incompletions. With 12 minutes left in regulation Zuerlein hit his fifth field goal from 28 yards out to make it 29-24 Rams.

Dallas quickly faced 3rd and 9 at their own 32. Prescott was sacked and fumbled as the Rams took over at the Dallas 29. The defense held but Zuerlein hit his sixth field goal from 43 yards out as the Rams led 32-24 with over 9 1/2 minutes left. After a touchback the Cowboys struck quickly. Prescott hit Cole beasley for 12, Dez Bryant for gains of 12 and 18, and Hanna for a 28 yard touchdown to get the Cowboys within 32-30. Chaos ensued on the 2 point conversion try. Prescott ran it in, but offensive holding nullified the score. Prescott then threw incomplete, but defensive holding nullified the stop. On the third try, Prescott was intercepted and this time it stood.

The Rams held the ball for 12 plays and over 5 minutes. They moved from their own 17 to a 3rd and 4 at the Dallas 14 with 2:12 to play. A touchdown would put the game out of reach. Gurley got the carry and lost a yard as the clock reached the 2 minute warning. Greg “The Leg” Zuerlein hit his seventh field goal, a 33 yarder, to put the Rams up by 5 points. With 36 seconds left, the Cowboys faced 4th and 10 at the Rams 48. Prescott hit Elliott, but he was tackled inches short of the sticks as the Rams turned it over on downs. Michelin Man Wade Phillips celebrated a win against one of his many former teams. Despite having to turn over most of their game checks to pay California taxes, the Rams will take the win. Jerry Jones is debating whether to blow up Jerryworld Stadium for the insurance money. 35-30 Rams

Detroit Lions at Minnesota Vikings — A defensive struggle meant a scoreless first quarter. In the second quarter the Lions moved 82 yards in 15 plays, taking 8 minutes to do it. Detroit settled for a 29 yard Matt Prater field goal and a 3-0 Lions lead. The Vikings moved 81 yards in 11 plays and Cook ran it in from 5 yards out as the Vikings took a 7-3 lead into the locker rooms. The Detroit defense took over the third quarter. They forced a fumble and took over at the Minnesota 47. That was enough for Prater to hit from 37 to get the Lions within 7-6. On the ensuing play from scrimmage, another fumble had the Lions taking over at the Minnesota 29. Abdullah got in from 3 yards out. Matthew Stafford hit Jones for the 2 point conversion to put the Lions up by 7. After that the Detroit defense clamped down. With 2 1/2 minutes left the Vikings faced 3rd and goal at the 3. Case Keenum was sacked for an 11 yard loss and then threw incomplete. Jim Caldwell was so pleased with the win that he almost made a facial expression. 14-7 Lions

Tennessee Titans at Houston Texans — This game on paper looked exciting In reality it was a blowout from the start. On the third play of the game with the Titans facing 3rd and 6 at their own 26, March Mariota was intercepted. The Texans took over at the Titans 43. DeShaun Watson went deep to Ellington for a 35 yard gain and Miller ran for a 2 yard touchdown to make it 7-0 Texans. Houston got it back and moved for a pair of 76 yard drives. Watson hit Hopkins for an 8 yard touchdown and in the second quarter hit Fuller for a 16 yard touchdown as the Texans raced to a 21-0 lead.

The Titans finally woke up and moved 75 yards. Mariota ran for a 34 yard touchdown as the Titans trailed 21-7. Houston responded by holding the ball for 6 minutes and 12 plays. Fairbairn hit a 50 yard field goal to make it 24-7 Texans. Tennessee came back 75 yards and Mariota ran for a 2 yard touchdown as the Titans were only down 24-14. The ensuing kickoff was taken at the goal line and returned to the Houston 42. From the Tennessee 46, a deep ball drew defensive pass interference and put the ball at the one. With 1:20 left in the half, Watson got in himself. The extra point was no good as the Texans led 30-14. Both quarterbacks traded interceptions before the half ended.

Things got worse for the Titans as Mariota left the game with a hamstring injury. Meanwhile, The Texans moved 75 yard in 14 plays, taking 8 minutes off the clock. Watson hit Fuller for the 10 yard touchdown to make it 37-14 Texans. In the fourth quarter the blowout turned into a carpet-bombing. The Texans moved 73 yards and Watson hit Miller for an 8 yard touchdown and a 44-14 Texans lead. Fairbairn added a 40 yard field goal and Cole returned an interception of Matt Cassel 25 yards for a touchdown to make it 54-14 Texans. Another turnover in the red zone could have led to 60 points, but perhaps the Texans engaged in the mercy rule. Fairbairn hit from 33 to complete the biggest win in Texans history. 57-14 Texans.

Jacksonville Jaguars at New York Jets — The Jaguars moved 61 yards in 10 plays and 5 minutes as Blake Bortles hit Leonard Fournette for a 10 yard touchdown and a 7-0 Jaguars lead. One play later the game was tied in controversial fashion. Powell ran for a 75 yard touchdown. It appeared he was tripped up by a defender, fell down, got up and ran untouched. The refs ruled that Powell was never touched, and there was no whistle. The score was upheld for a 7-7 game. The Jaguars came back 75 yards in 13 plays and more than 7 minutes. Jacksonville settled for a 30 yard Jared Myers field goal for a 10-7 Jaguars lead. Chandler Catanzaro hit a 45 yarder for a 10-10 tie. With 12 seconds left in the half, Catanzaro came in for another 45 yard try but this one was no good.

In the third quarter McGuire raced for a 69 yard touchdown run as the Jets had the 17-10 lead. With the Jaguars at their own 31, Blake Bortles was intercepted by Ealy, giving the Jets the ball at the Jacksonville 7 yard line. The Jets went nowhere but Catanzaro hit the 26 yarder to make it 20-10 Jet after three quarters. The fourth quarter began and the Jaguars soon faced 3rd and 2 at the Jets 29. Bortles completed a pass to Grant, which lost 5 yards. Myers missed a 52 yard field goal.

The Jets quickly moved from their 42 to a 1st and 10 at the Jacksonville 14 with a chance to put the game away. A swing pass was dropped, but there was no whistle. The ball was thrown backward, making it a lateral and a live ball. Jack picked it up and raced 81 yards for a defensive touchdown. These are the Jets. With 10 1/2 minutes left, the Jaguars were within 20-17. With 3 1/2 minutes left and the Jets facing 3rd and 6 at their own 34, Josh McCown was intercepted to give the Jaguars the ball at the Jets 35. These are the Jets. At the 2 minute warning, from the Jets 23, Bortles hit Leonard Fournette, who raced to the end zone. Yet offensive holding nullified the touchdown. These are the Jaguars. Despite 1st and 3…yes 1st and 3…from the Jets 16, the Jaguars could not crack the end zone. On 3rd and goal from the 4, Bortles threw incomplete. Myers hit the 22 yard field goal with 45 seconds left. With 21 seconds left McCown fumbled in his own territory but the Jets retained possession.

If ever a game did not deserve overtime, this one was it. With 1:50 left in overtime, the Jaguars punted on 4th and 11 at their own 2. Justin Kerley fielded it at the Jacksonville 47 and gained 7 yards to have the Jets starting at the Jacksonville 40 yard line. Yet after the play, the boneheaded move of the week was the difference. An unsportsmanlike conduct penalty for taunting on Paul Posluszny instead had the Jets starting at the Jacksonville 25. On 4th and 8 with 32 seconds left, Catanzaro came in to win it from 41 yards out. The kick was good as Posluszny prepared for the wrath of Shad Khan and Captain grumpy Tom Coughlin. Meanwhile, Todd Bowles was supposed to have an 0-16 team that would tank the season. The Jets are 2-2. There is no tanking in football. 23-20 Jets, OT

Cincinnati Bengals at Cleveland Browns — Those insisting on boycotting professional football can still watch this game, since there is nothing professional about these winless teams. Naturally, the opening quarter was scoreless. Shawn Kizer had a pass deflected and intercepted to give the Bengals a short field. On the first play of the second quarter with the Bengals facing 3rd and 6 at the Cleveland 7, Red Rifle Andy Dalton hit AJ Green for the touchdown and the 7-0 Bengals lead. The Bengals got it back and moved 88 yards in 13 plays and 7 1/2 minutes. Dalton hit Kroft for a 3 yard score and a 14-0 Bengals lead. A simple swing pass from Dalton to Giovanni Bernard went for a 61 yard touchdown and a 21-0 Bengals lead. In the first half Dalton was 17 of 18 for 215 yards, 3 touchdowns, and 0 interceptions.

There was no reason to play the second half but NFL rules required it. Randy Bullock hit a 41 yard field goal to extend the lead. The Bengals then moved 83 yards in 10 plays and 6 1/2 minutes. Dalton hit Kroft for a 16 yard touchdown as the Bengals led 31-0. Dalton finished 25 of 30 for 286 yards, 4 touchdowns and 0 interceptions. Kizer finished 16 of 34 for 118 yards, 0 touchdowns and one interception. Kizer came out, Hogan came in, and led the Browns to a garbage touchdown. Hue Jackson is 1-19 as Browns coach, including 0-4 this year. Marvin Lewis finally saw the Bengals win this year, but they only get to play the Browns once more this year. 31-7 Bengals

Pittsburgh Steelers at Baltimore Ravens — The Steelers held the ball for a staggering 16 play, 84 yard drive that took 10 1/2 minutes off the clock. Yet Pittsburgh had to settle for a 30 yard Chris Boswell field goal for a 3-0 Steelers lead. In the second quarter the Ravens punted on 4th and 16 from their own 4, giving the Steelers the ball at the Baltimore 46. Boswell hit from 49 to make it 6-0 Steelers. The Ravens then fumbled the ball away to give the Steelers the ball at the Baltimore 28. On 3rd and 2 from the Baltimore 7, LeVeon Bell ran for 6 and then banged out the final yard to make it 13-0 Steelers. A tight game was blown open when the Steelers moved 70 yards late in the half. Ben Roethlisberger hit Smith-Shuster for an 11 yard touchdown. The 2 point conversion try failed but the Steelers led 19-0 as the Ravens missed a 62 yard field goal try to end the half.

The Steelers began the third quarter facing 3rd and 6 at their own 20. Big Ben was intercepted, giving the Ravens the ball at the Pittsburgh 18. On 3rd and 10 Joe Flacco was sacked. The Ravens settled for a 42 yard Justin Tucker field goal to finally get on the board. The Steelers wasted a drive when Boswell missed a 44 yard field goal try. From the Baltimore 34, Collins ran for a 50 yard gain. Flacco then hit former Pittsburgh speedster Mike Wallace for the 16 yard touchdown. Initially West’s 2 point conversion run was ruled good but on further review he was short as the Ravens trailed 19-9. They would get no closer. The Ravens moved from their 14 to a 4th and 12 at the Pittsburgh 47. Flacco was then intercepted, giving the Steelers the ball just past midfield. Bell did the rest, gaining 7, 21, and eventually the last yard with 2 1/2 minutes left to lock up the win. Mike Tomlin and John Harbaugh have played defensive thrillers over the years, but right now Pittsburgh is just the better team. 26-9 Steelers

Buffalo Bills at Atlanta Falcons — Buffalo’s defense came ready to play as the first quarter was scoreless. Matt Bryant hit a 28 yard field goal for a 3-0 Falcons lead, but then the Buffalo offense finally got going. Tyrod Taylor threw a 9 yard touchdown pass to Matthews to cap a 77 yard drive and make it 7-3 Bills. The Falcons moved 78 yard and Devonta Freeman ran it in from one yard out for a 10-7 Falcons lead at halftime. In the third quarter with the Falcons facing 3rd and 9 at their own 47, Matt Ryan was sacked and fumbled. White picked it up and raced 52 yards for a defensive touchdown and a 14-10 Bills lead. The Bills then led the most mind-numbing drive of the year. 19 plays. 82 yards. 11 1/2 minutes off the clock. With 12 minutes left in regulation on 4th and goal at the one, Sean McDemott decided to go for it. Then came the killer false start. After all of that, they settled for a 24 yard Steve Hauschka field goal to make it 17-10 Bills.

After a touchback, Coleman gained 26 yards. Freeman gained 16 and 4 and Ryan hit Coleman for a pair of 10 yard gains. Midway through the fourth quarter on 3rd and goal at the 3, Ryan hit Hardy for the touchdown and a 17-17 game. After a touchback, Taylor went deep to Clay for a 34 yard gain. With 4:48 to play on 4th and 7 from the Atlanta 38, McDermott took a big gamble. He brought Hauschka in for a 56 yard field goal knowing a missed kick would set up Atlanta for the win. Hauschka nailed it and the Bills led 20-17.

The Falcons appeared right back in it when Roberts returned the ensuing kickoff 61 yards to the Buffalo 42. Yet on 3rd and 17, Ryan was intercepted. Micah Hyde returned the interception 37 yards to the Atlanta 35 with 3 1/2 minutes left. The Bills went nowhere and the Falcons used their 3 timeouts on defense. On 4th and 12, McDermott again trusted Hauschka with a 55 yard pressure kick. Again Hauschka rewarded McDermott’s trust. With 3 minutes left the Bills had a 6 point lead, but left the door open for Matty Ice.

On 4th and 4 from their own 31, Ryan hit Williams for 8 yards. With 54 seconds left, on 3rd and 1 from the Buffalo 10, Ryan threw incomplete. With 49 seconds left and everything on the line on 4th and 1, Ryan threw incomplete again. Buffalo in consecutive weeks got quality wins from supposedly superior teams. Dan Quinn saw the last unbeaten NFC team of down to defeat in a stunning home loss. 23-17 Bills

New York Giants at Tampa Bay Buccaneers — Early on this game was all Buccaneers. A field position game had the Bucs starting at their own 44. From the Giants 42, Rodgers ran for 36 yards and Jameis Winston hit Mike Evans for a 6 yard touchdown to make it 7-0 Buccaneers. The Giants moved from their own 25 to a 4th and 4 at the Tampa Bay 30. Ben McAdoo decided to go for it and Eli Manning threw incomplete. Winston hit Rodgers for 12 and then went deep to Howard for a 58 yard touchdown. Nick Folk missed the extra point but the Buccaneers led 13-0. The Buccaneers were on their way to a route in the second quarter when Folk missed a 46 yard field goal. After that momentum slowly changed.

The Giants moved from their 36 to a 3rd and 1 at the Tampa Bay 12. Shane Vereen got the carry and got nothing. This time McAdoo took no chances. Rosas hit the 30 yard field goal try as the Giants were finally on the board down 13-3. Big Blue got it back at their own 38. Manning hit O’Dell beckham for 15 yards. On 3rd and 7 from the Tampa Bay 39, Manning hit Sam Shepard for 19 yards. Manning then ran for a 14 yard touchdown to get the Giants within 13-10 with 3 1/2 minutes left in the half.

The Buccaneers soon faced 3rd and 9 at their own 37. Winston hit Humphries for 10 yards. On 3rd and 3 from the Giants 32, Winston went to Evans for the touchdown. Yet on further review, the Bucs had to settle on 1st and goal at the one with 48 seconds left. Rodgers lost a yard and Winston threw incomplete twice. On 4th and goal at the 2, Dirk Koetter opted for the field goal. Folk hit from 20 as the Buccaneers led 16-10 at the break.

The Bucs moved in the third quarter after a touchback to a 3rd and 4 at the Giants 30. After fumbling the snap and retaining possession, Folk’s nightmarish game continued as he missed a 49 yard field goal try. From the Giants 39, three straight short third down conversions led to Manning hitting Gallman for a 4 yard touchdown. With 4 1/2 minutes left in the third quarter, the Giants led 17-16. A chance to extend the lead as the fourth quarter began failed when Rosas missed a 43 yard field goal try for the Giants. With 10 1/2 minutes left in this ugly game, the Buccaneers faced 4th and 2 at the Giants 35. With Folk having already missed 2 field goals and an extra point, Koetter decided to go for it. Winston threw incomplete.

With 9 1/2 minutes left in regulation, a shanked 15 yard punt had the Buccaneers taking over at their own 43. On 2nd and 5, Winston connected with Humphries on a 38 yard gain. Winston then went to Brate for the 14 yard touchdown. The 2 point try failed but the Buccaneers led 22-17 midway through the fourth quarter. After a touchback, Manning went deep to Beckham for a 42 yard gain. On 3rd and 5 from the Tampa Bay 28, Manning hit Evan Engram for 10 yards. On 3rd and goal at the 2, Manning hit Ellison for the touchdown. The 2 point try failed but the Giants had a 23-22 lead with 3:15 to play. The Buccaneers took over at their own 25.

Winston hit Humphries for 6, ran for 7, and hit Evans for 14. With 90 seconds left and the Buccaneers facing 3rd and 1 at the Giants 39, Winston went deep to Brate for a 26 yard gain. The Buccaneers bled the clock and brought in Folk for a 34 yard try to win the game. Folk tried to miss it, but somehow got it just within the upright. The Giants fell to 0-4 with the loss. 25-23 Buccaneers

Philadelphia Eagles at Los Angeles Chargers — Early on it was all Eagles. The Eagles moved 68 yards and Carson Wentz hit Alshon Jeffery for an 8 yard touchdown to make it 7-0 Eagles. A pair of 11 play, 5 1/2 minute drives of 65 and 58 yards saw Elliott hit field goals of 45 yards in the first quarter and 40 yards in the second quarter to make it 13-0 Eagles. One play later the Chargers were right back in it as Philip Rivers connected with Williams for a 75 yard touchdown to get within 13-7. After that Elliott hit from 53, Koo responded from 28, and Elliott hit from 47 in the third quarter to make it 19-10 Eagles after three quarters.

In the fourth quarter both teams moved 75 yards. Ekeler ran for a 35 yard touchdown to get the Chargers within 19-17, but Smallwood responded from 3 yards out on 3rd and goal to put the Eagles back up 26-17 with 9:15 to play. After a touchback the Chargers soon faced 3rd and 10 at their own 39. Rivers hooked up with Keenan Allen for a 50 yard gain. Rivers hit Henry for a 4 yard touchdown as the Chargers were back within a deuce with 6:45 to play.

One defensive stop would give the Chargers a chance to win their first game. I was not meant to be. On 2rd and 2 from the Philly 47, Clement got just enough. On 3rd and 1 at the Chargers 42, Clement gained 4. On 3rd and 1 from the Chargers 29, LaGuerrette Blount gained 15 as the Eagles ran out the clock. The only team to start 0-4 and make the playoffs was the Chargers. However, on the 25th anniversary of that team, it is important to remember that they were in San Diego, not Los Angeles. 26-24 Eagles

San Francisco 49ers at Arizona Cardinals — The only two players to show up for most of this awful game were the two field goal kickers. Robbie Gould hit from 49 in the first quarter for the 49ers. In the second quarter Phil Dawson hit from 29, Gould responded from 39, and Dawson answered from 43 for a 6-6 halftime game. The second half was just as awful. In the third quarter Gould hit from 47, Dawson answered from 50, and Gould countered from 48. In the fourth quarter Dawson answered from 32 for a 12-12 game. The 49ers got the ball to start overtime and held the ball for 17 plays and 7 1/2 minutes. They moved 73 yards but settled for Gould’s fifth field goal. The 49ers led by 3 but the Cardinals had one chance with the ball. After a touchback, Carson Palmer hit Ellington for a pair of 11 yard gains and to John Brown for gains of 17 and 28. A 25 yard touchdown pass to Brown was ruled out of bounds. Brown’s toe landed on the white chalk. Offensive holding meant 2nd and 20, but on the next play defensive pass interference meant 1st and 10 from the Frisco 27. With 30 seconds left in overtime, Palmer went over the middle to Larry Fitzgerald for the only touchdown of the game. Fitzgerald is a Hall of Famer on and off the field, and he did it again to keep the 49ers winless. 18-15 Cardinals, OT

Oakland Raiders at Denver Broncos — One week after the Oakland offensive line spent more time on protesting than blocking, a road game against their hated rival was just as awful. After each team went 3 and out, the Broncos faced 2nd and 11 at their own 11. Trevor Siemian hit Benny Fowler for a 17 yard gain. On 3rd and 7 from the Denver 31, Siemian hit Fowler for 18 yards, Derby for 29, and Derby again for the 22 yard touchdown and the 7-0 Broncos lead against the hideous Oakland secondary. The Broncos got it back at their own 11 and Siemian continued to torch the Raiders. On 3rd and goal at the 5, a false start killed the drive. Brandon McManus hit the 28 yard field goal to make it 10-0 Broncos.

In the second quarter the Raiders moved from their 32 to a 4th and 1 at the Denver 31. Jack Del Rio became a hero in 2016 with his gambling ways, but the 2017 team is just not coming through for him. Marshawn Lynch got stopped cold. The Raiders got the ball back at their own one yard line. Derek Carr hit Smith for 11 yards. On 3rd and 6 from their own 16, Carr hit Jalen Richard for 20 yards. On the next play, Al Davis had to be smiling somewhere as Carr went deep to Johnny Holton for a 64 yard touchdown bomb. It was not Jim Plunkett to Cliff Branch, but the thoroughly outplayed Raiders were only down 10-7 at halftime.

The Denver defense dominated the second half and knocked Carr out of the game with an injured back. Without Carr, the Raiders are an 0-16 team. He was walking around, so hopefully it will not be a repeat of the 2016 nightmare. McManus hit field goals of 36 and 46 in the third quarter and surprisingly doinked a 29 yarder off the upright in the fourth quarter no good after the Raiders had a fake punt blown up. The Broncos led 16-7, while the Raiders with EJ Manuel had no chance.

Or did they? With 8 1/2 minutes left and the Raiders at their own 7, Manuel hit Cordarelle Patterson for 11, Jared Cook for 28, Seth Roberts for 22, Amari Cooper for 8, and Patterson for 4 to set up 1st and 10 at the Denver 20. Then came 3 straight incompletions, because Cooper and Jared Cook dropped perfectly thrown balls. Cook dropped a touchdown pass. Meanwhile, the Raiders also burned their final timeout. Georgio Tavecchio hit the 38 yard field goal to get the Raiders within 16-10 with 5 1/2 minutes left.

The Raiders held on defense and got the ball back at their own 42 with 4:16 to play. A 9 yard completion to Olawale saw him bang over a pair of defenders. On 3rd and 1 from the Denver 38 saw Olawale will his way to 2 yards at the 2 minute warning. After a false start and a near interception, Manuel went deep to Cooper, who was double covered. The ball was intercepted by Simmons and the Raiders were dead. Denver got to 3-1, Oakland dropped to 2-2, and the good news was that the Raiders would now play 3 straight home games. The bad news is if Carr is unable to play, it will not matter. 16-10 Broncos

Indianapolis Colts at Seattle Seahawks is the Sunday night game. Although both of these teams came in 1-2, there was no way the Colts with backup quarterback Jacoby Brissett was going to go on the road and take down the Legion of Boom. Cue ESPN user-announcer Chris Berman: “THAT’s why they play the games.” Defense dominated early as a 44 yard Blair Walsh field goal got the Seahawks on the board first. Later on Russell Wilson tried to pass from his own end zone and barely got rid of the ball before going down. Chuck Pagano challenged the call and on further review, Wilson’s knee was down for a sack, a safety, and the Colts getting within 3-2. In the second quarter Brissett threw a perfect pass to Justin Coleman, who plays defense for Seattle. The 28 yard interception return touchdown made it 10-2 Seahawks.

Yet the Colts responded with a 12 play, 80 yard, 7 minute drive. On 3rd and 13 from their own 48, Brissett found TY Hilton for just enough. On 3rd and 1 from the 2, Robert Turbin got the yard. On the next play Turbin got the final yard for the score. The 2 point conversion failed but the Colts were within 10-8. With 3 1/2 minutes left in the half, Wilson was intercepted to give the Colts the ball on their own 45. On 3rd and 1 from the Seattle 46, Turbin gained 2. On 3rd and 6 from the Seattle 40, Brissett hit Turbin for just enough. Brissett hit Dante Moncrief for an 18 yard touchdown as the Colts had the surprising 15-10 with 23 seconds left in the half. With 13 seconds left and the Seahawks at their own 44, Wilson went deep to Percy Richardson for a 37 yard gain. It was all for naught as Walsh missed a 37 yard field goal to end the half.

The Seahawks began the third quarter facing 2nd and 12 at their own 14. Wilson threw incomplete but defensive illegal use of hands gave Seattle new life. A defensive unnecessary roughness penalty followed by a 21 yard completion to Richardson led to a 3rd and 2 at the Indy 34. Carson gained 11 yards. On 3rd and 10 from the Indy 23, Wilson scrambled up the middle for a 23 yard touchdown to make it 17-15 Seahawks. A defensive illegal formation on the extra point had Pete Carroll taking the extra point off the board to try a 2 point conversion from the one. A perfectly executed play action pass had Wilson hit a wide open Doug Baldwin for an 18-15 Seahawks lead. Seattle got it back on their own 6. On 3rd and 7 from their own 36, Wilson was intercepted by Hooker, who returned it 29 yards to the Seattle 24. The defense held but a 40 yard Adam Vinatieri field goal had the Colts had the game tied 18-18.

After a touchback the Seahawks faced 3rd and 2 at their own 33. Wilson hit Carson for 7 yards and Jimmy Graham for 33 more. McKissic ran around the end for a 30 yard touchdown and a 25-18 Seahawks lead. On the next play from the Indy 22, disaster struck the Colts immediately. Brissett was sacked and fumbled. Bobby Wagner returned the fumble 21 yards for a defensive touchdown and a 32-18 Seahawks lead after three quarters. The Seahawks began the fourth quarter facing 3rd and 9 at their own 27. Wilson went deep to Tyler Lockett for a 41 yard gain. On 3rd and 8 from the Indy 20, Wilson hit Graham for 14 and non-relative Luke Willson for a 6 yard touchdown to turn a tie game into a blowout. Seattle added the exclamation point with an 84 yard, 11 play, 7 minute drive that was capped off by a 27 yard touchdown pass from Wilson to McKissic. 46-18 Seahawks

Washington Redskins at Kansas City Chiefs was the Monday night game. Nobody wins ugly like the Chiefs. The Redskins went right to work after a touchback. Kirk Cousins threw a 44 yard touchdown bomb to Terrelle Pryor for a 7-0 Redskins lead only 3 minutes into the game. The Chief went 3 and out, lost 7 yards, and punted to give the Redskins the ball near midfield. They moved easily and had 2nd and goal at the 2. Kelley got stopped, and on 3rd and goal Cousins only gained one yard. On 4th and goal at the one, Jay Gruden opted for the field goal to make it 10-0 Redskins. Yet after 14 plays and 7 1/2 minutes to only go 50 yards, it was a victory for the Chiefs defense.

The Chiefs moved from their 17 to a 3rd and 7 at the Washington 31. Alex Smith was sacked to push the Chiefs out of field goal range. The Redskins moved to a 3rd and 2 at the Chiefs 42, but Cousins threw incomplete. With 5 minutes left in the half the Chiefs took over at their own 27. On 3rd and 8 from the Chiefs 41, the Redskins jumped offsides. On 3rd and 3 Smith hit West for 9 yards. From the Washington 38, Smith hit Conley for 21 yards at the 2 minute warning. On the next play Smith hit Travis Kelce for the 17 yard touchdown. Despite being dominated, the Chiefs were only down 10-7.

Things got even more bizarre when the Chiefs got the ball back with 1:05 left at their own 17. On 3rd and 7 from their own 20 with 36 seconds left, Smith fumbled the snap out of the shotgun. Smith picked it up and raced 37 yards. Smith then hit Kelce for 20 yards to make it 1st and 10 at the Washington 28 with 20 seconds left. Smith threw incomplete twice. With 10 seconds left on 3rd and 10 and without a timeout, Walrus Lite Andy Reid opted for the field goal rather than try one more play. From 46 yards out, Butker was no good.

The Chiefs did not lose momentum despite the miss. They began the third quarter at their own 21. From the Chiefs 46,  defensive horse collar tackle followed by a 20 yard completion to Kelce and 9 more yards for roughing the passer meant 1st and goal at the 9. On 3rd and goal at the 1, Smith threw incomplete. Yet the defense jumped offsides and gave the Chiefs another try. This time Smith got in himself. Defensive penalties killed Washington as the Chiefs led 14-10. After a touchback the Redskins struck very quickly. Cousins went deep to Vernon Davis for a 69 yard gain. Cousins hit Grant for the 3 yard touchdown to make it 17-14 Redskins.

After a touchback the Chiefs led a 13 play, 68 yard drive that took 7 1/2 minutes. Yet on 3rd and 9 from the Washington 13, Smith threw one of his famous West Coast Offense dink and dunk passes short of the marker. Butler hit the 26 yard field goal as the third quarter ended with the teams tied 17-17. The Chiefs quickly got it back at their own 20 with 13 minutes in regulation and led an even longer drive, going 14 plays and 66 yards in over 8 minutes. On 3rd and 5 from the Washington 14, Smith again threw one of his famous West Coast Offense dink and dunk passes that gained 0 yards. Butler hit the 32 yard field goal to make it 20-17 Chiefs with only 5 minutes remaining.

After a touchback the Redskins soon faced 3rd and 8 at the Washington 43 with 3 1/2 minutes left. Cousins scrambled for 10 yards. With 1:15 to play, the Redskins were sitting pretty with 2nd and 2 at the Chiefs 22. Thompson gained nothing and the Redskins burned a timeout with 57 seconds left rather than let the clock run down. Cousins then threw to the end zone for Doctson. It was the winning touchdown, or it would have been had Doctson not dropped it when he came down in the end zone. It was right there and the Redskins didn’t take it. Dustin Hopkins hit the 40 yard field goal for a 20-20 ballgame. However, the Redskins left 47 seconds on the clock. The entire football world knew what would happen next.

From the Chiefs 29, Smith went to wilson for a 37 yard gain and to Conley for 10 more. With 8 seconds left, Reid again brought his kicker in on 3rd down to try a 43 yarder rather than try and run one more play. This time Butler nailed it and the Chiefs had the win. just for good measure, the Redskins fumbled on the hook and laterals on the kickoff. Justin Houston picked up the fumble and returned it 13 yards for a touchdown. The Chiefs win ugly, but at 4-0 they are the only unbeaten team in the NFL. Andy Reid is not a Supermodel. He does not care about style points. At 4-0, he is one happy Walrus Lite. 29-20 Chiefs