NFL 2017 Week 10 Recap
Seattle Seahawks at Arizona Cardinals was the Thursday night game. This NFC West game came at a heavy price. In the first quarter a field position game had Seattle taking over Just shy of midfield. On 3rd and 3 from the Arizona 6, Russell Wilson threw a touchdown pass to Jimmy Graham to make it 7-0 Seahawks. After a touchback, the Cardinals faced 3rd and 6 at the Seattle 46. Drew Stanton threw incomplete but defensive pass interference kept the drive going at the Seattle 40. On 3rd and 8 at the Seattle 38, Stanton threw incomplete but defensive holding again kept the drive going. On the first play of the second quarter, Stanton hit Gresham for a 14 yard touchdown and a 7-7 ballgame. After that, the Legion of Boom took over.
With 11 minutes left in the half, a punt had the Cardinals pinned at their own one yard line. Adrian Peterson, who fumbled in the first quarter, got tackled in the end zone for a safety and a 9-7 Seahawks lead. Midway through the second quarter, the Seahawks moved from their own 9 to a 3rd and 6 at the Arizona 15. At the 2 minute warning Wilson threw incomplete. Blair Walsh shook off 3 misses last week to hit the 33 yarder to make it 12-7 Seahawks. With 52 seconds left in the half, Bruce Arians decided to go for it on 4th and 9 from the Seattle 38. Stanton threw incomplete. Wilson then went deep to Paul Richardson for a 43 yard gain. Walsh hit a 43 yard field goal for a 15-7 Seahawks lead at halftime.
In the third quarter after a touchback, the Cardinals faced 3rd and 6 at their own 40. Stanton threw incomplete but illegal use of hands kept the drive going. On 3rd and 6 just shy of midfield, Stanton threw incomplete. DefensivSeattle defense gave the Cardinals an automatic first down by penalty. Phil Dawson hit a 43 yard field goal to complete the 11 play, 6 1/2 minute drive and get the Cardinals within 15-10. With 5 1/2 minutes left in the third quarter, the Cardinals faced 3rd and 12 at their own 16. Stanton went to Brown for an 18 yard gain. Without being touched, Richard Sherman crumpled to the ground. He ruptured his achilles tendon and is now out for the rest of the season.
90 seconds into the fourth quarter, the Seahawks faced 2nd and 21 at their own 44. Wilson hit Doug Baldwin on a short pass that went for a 54 yard gain. On the next play Wilson threw a 2 yard touchdown pass to Graham to complete the 80 yard drive and make it 22-10 Seahawks. Arizona moved from their own 19 to a 4th and 8 at the Seattle 15, taking 5 minutes to do it. Only 4:20 remained, and Stanton threw incomplete. Arizona finally got in the end zone again on a one yard touchdown run by Andre Ellington with 20 seconds to play. After the extra point was blocked, the onside kick failed and the Cardinals were done. Arizona is pretty much don while Seattle is very much alive in the playoff chase. However, Pete Carroll was in no mood to celebrate as the team knows it will have to try and win another Super Bowl without its emotional leader Richard Sherman. 22-16 Seahawks
Pittsburgh Steelers at Indianapolis Colts — After a scoreless opening quarter, the second quarter began with Jacoby Brissett going bombs away to Donte Moncrieff for a 66 yard touchdown to make it 7-0 Colts. In the second quarter the Colts moved 63 yards in 13 plays and held the ball over 7 minutes. Adam Vinatieri hit a 48 yard field goal as the Colts had a surprising 10-0 lead. The Steelers did get a 41 yard Chris Boswell field goal before the half to get on the board. In the third quarter, the Colts took over at their own 25 and struck quickly. Brissett went for it all and hit Rogers for a 61 yard touchdown to make it 17-3 Colts. The Steelers finally rubbed the sleep out of their eyes and got going, moving 78 yards in 5 minutes. Ben Roethlisberger hit Juju Smith-Schuster for a 7 yard touchdown. Neither player is Jewish as the Steelers trailed 17-9. The extra point was blocked and was being run back the other way for a 2 point play for the Colts. However, a saving tackle inside the Pittsburgh 5 yard line prevented the score.
The fourth quarter began with the Colts facing 3rd and 8 at their own 13 and disaster immediately struck. A short pass by Brissett bounced off the receiver’s hands and was intercepted by Shazier to set the Steelers up with 1st and goal at the Indy 10. On 3rd and goal at the 7, Roethlisberger hit McDonald for the touchdown. Roethlisberger hit Martavius Bryant for the 2 point conversion for a 17-17 tie with 12 minutes left in regulation. Indy went backward and the Steelers got it back at their own 47. With 6:20 to play Boswell came in for the 37 yarder to give the Steelers the lead. He doinked it off the upright no good.
The Steelers got it back at their own 15 with 3:10 to play. On 3rd and 2, Roethlisberger hit Rogers for just enough. Chuck Pagano unsuccessfully challenged the spot and lost the challenge and a timeout as the clock hit the 2 minute warning. LeVeon Bell was blown up in the backfield for a 7 yard loss, but on 2nd and 17 Roethlisberger hit Bell for 13 yards to set up 3rd and 4 t the Pittsburgh 31 with 53 seconds left in the game. Big Ben hit Bryant for 19 yards to midfield. On the next play a short pass from Roethisberger to Brown went for 32 yards. With 4 seconds left, Boswell came in for a 33 yarder to redeem himself and win the game. It was good, and the Steelers are now 7-2. Mike Tomlin knows good teams find a way to win games when they don’t play their best football. Bad teams find a way to lose, and that is what the 3-7 Colts did. 20-17 Steelers
Cleveland Browns at Detroit Lions — Detroit got a big road win over Green Bay and was supposed to easily dispatch winless Cleveland at home. Yet 3 offensive plays all lost yards and Detroit punted on 4th and 23 from their own 12, allowing the Browns to take over at the Detroit 47. DeShaun Kizer immediately went deep to Coates for a 38 yard gain. Kizer threw incomplete on 3rd and goal at the 5, but Gonzalez hit a 23 yard field goal to make it 3-0 Browns. With the Lions facing 3rd and 5 at their own 30, Matthew Stafford was intercepted, giving the Browns another short field at the Detroit 31. Kizer hit Kenny Britt for a 19 yard touchdown as the Browns had a surprising 10-0 lead.
After touchback the Lions ran the ball easily. Amir Abdullah gained 20, Stafford picked up 10, and Theo Riddick gained 21 more. The drive then stalled and Matt Prater hit a 46 yard field goal to get the Lions on the board. In the second quarter the Lions moved 90 yards. Abdullah ran for an 8 yard touchdown and a 10-10 deadlock. With 4 minutes left in the half, from the Cleveland 34, Kizer hit Devalve for a 9 yard gain. Ye Devalve fumbled it and Lawson returned it 44 yards for a defensive touchdown to make it 17-10 Lions.
17 unanswered points had everyone thinking the Browns were done, but Cleveland came to play. They moved 85 yards in the third quarter and Isaiah Crowell ran for a 6 yard touchdown to tie the game 17-17. The Browns got it back and moved 80 yards in 10 plays and 6 minutes. Kizer snuck in from the one as the Browns led 24-17 late in the third quarter. After a touchback the Lions immediately came back. Stafford hit Kenny Golladay for a 14 yard gain and then went deep to Golladay for 50 yards. Stafford hit Riddick for an 8 yard touchdown and a 24-24 tie. As the third quarter was ending and the Browns facing 2nd and 11 at their own 24, Kizer got belted and stayed down. He was hurt on the play and Cody Kessler came in to play the fourth quarter for the Browns.
Detroit began the fourth quarter at their own 39. On 3rd and 2 Stafford hit Golden Tate for 5 yards. On 3rd and 8 from the Cleveland 46, Stafford hit Washington for 10 yards. On 3rd and 3 from the Cleveland 29, Stafford went deep to Eric Ebron for the touchdown as the Lions reclaimed the lead 31-24 with 11 minutes left in regulation. With 5 minutes left a 30 yard punt return had the Lions starting at the Cleveland 44. On 3rd and 6, Stafford hit Tate, who split the seams and raced all the way for the touchdown to seal the game. The Browns were game, but they are still winless as the Lions avoided the upset of the year at home. 38-24 Lions
Green Bay Packers at Chicago Bears — For the first time since 1991, neither Brett Favre or Aaron Rodgers are quarterbacking against Chicago. The Bears have had over 20 quarterbacks during that time. In the first quarter Mason Crosby hit a 40 yard field goal for the Packers and Conor Barth answered from 45 for a 3-3 game. In the second quarter the Packers took over at their own 21. Brett Hundley threw deep incomplete but defensive pass interference meant a 29 yard gain to midfield. On 2nd and 11 Hundley hit Jordy Nelson for 14 yards. Ty Montgomery then raced for a 37 yard touchdown to make it 10-3 Packers. The Bears moved from their 23 to a 3rd and 13 at the Green Bay 25. Trubisky appeared to complete a 23 yard pass to Cunningham to set up 1st and goal at the 2 as Cunningham fumbled the ball out of bounds. John Fox challenged the call, thinking it was a touchdown. The challenge blew up in his face as it was reversed to a fumble out the back of the end zone for a touchback. The ball came loose just before Cunningham hit the pylon. The Bears did move from their 35 to the Green Bay 26 in the final 1:37. Barth hit from 44 to get the Bears within 10-6.
With Vince Lombardi and George Halas watching from above, these teams continued their defensive battle in the second half. Crosby hit from 24 in the third quarter and from 50 in the fourth quarter to make it 16-6 Packers. The Bears moved 70 yards and Trubisky went deep to Josh Bellamy for a 46 yard touchdown to get the Bears within 16-13 with plenty of time left. Yet the Packers came back again 75 yards. Hundley hit Devontae Adams for a 19 yard touchdown as the Packers led 23-13 with only 5 1/2 minutes left in regulation. Needing two scores, the Bears moved quickly from their 20 to a 1st and 10 at the Green Bay 35 with 4:13 left. After a pair of incompletions, a short pass set up a critical 49 yard field goal try by Barth. He hit it and the Bears were within 7.
With 2:12 to play and the Packers out of timeouts, they faced 3rd and 10 at their own 35. Hundley went deep to Adams for a 42 yard gain. The Bears took their last timeout. With 1:07 left, Crosby came in for a 35 yarder to put the game out of reach. The kick was way wide no good, and the Bears were alive at their own 25. With 42 seconds left, the Bears faced 4th and 10 at their own 36. A short apss gained only 5 yards and then the ball was lateraled to a lineman who did not get the first down. Hundley got his first NFL win as a starter and the Packers finally beat the Bears without a Hall of Fame caliber signal caller. 23-16 Packers
New York Jets at Tampa Bay Buccaneers — After losing 5 straight, Jameis Winston is injured as Ryan Fitzpatrick started for the Buccaneers against his old team. The Buccaneers had a staggering 17 play, 77 yard drive that consumed 8 minutes. They settled for a 29 yard Patrick Murray field goal for a 3-0 Buccaneers lead. In the second quarter the Jets needed an almost equally ridiculous 16 plays to go 51 yards in 7 1/2 minutes. They settled for a 47 yard Chandler Catanzaro field goal for a 3-3 game. For some reason the second half was played. In the third quarter Murray hit field goals of 49 and 37 yards to make it 9-3 Buccaneers. In the fourth quarter the Bucs moved 75 yards in 15 plays, taking 7 1/2 minutes. The game finally had a touchdown as Ryan Fitzpatrick hit Charles Sims for a 6 yard score as the Buccaneers led 15-3 with 6 minutes left after the failed 2 point try.
The Jets moved from their own 10 to a 4th and 6 at the Tampa Bay 25 with 2 1/2 minutes to play. Josh McCown threw deep to Anderson, but he could not get both feet down in the back of the end zone. The Jets did get it back and McCown hit Anderson for a 38 yard touchdown, but at that point only 28 seconds remained. The onside kick never had a chance and neither did the Jets. This was Buc Ball, but even uglier. 15-10 Buccaneers
Minnesota Vikings at Washington Redskins — Washington moved 75 yards and Kirk Cousins threw a 36 yard touchdown bomb to Maurice Harris for a 7-0 Redskins lead. Harris, who was just signed off the practice squad, made a gorgeous one-handed catch. After a touchback, Case Keenum threw a 51 yard bomb to Sean Diggs down to the Minnesota 2 yard line. Latavius Murray, who had a 14 yard run on the drive, needed two more carries to get the last 2 yards for a 7-7 game. Washington then aced 3rd and 6 at their own 42. Cousins threw incomplete but roughing the passer kept the drive going. On 4th and 2 at the Minnesota 35, Mike Zimmer decided to go for it. Cousins went deep to Thompson for a 27 yard gain. The drive stalled and Nick Rose hit a 28 yard field goal to make it 10-7 Redskins. In the second quarter the Vikings moved 75 yards. Keenum hit Diggs for a 3 yard touchdown to make it 14-10 Vikings. The Redskins came back 60 yards in 13 plays and 7 minutes. Cousins barely snuck across the plane of the goal on 3rd and goal from the one for the touchdown and a 17-14 Redskins lead.
After that, the Vikings exploded. With 4 1/2 minutes left in the half, the Vikings moved from their own 29. From their 40, Keenum went deep to Adam Thielen for a 38 yard gain and again to Thielen for 17 more. Keenum hit Thielen for a 7 yard touchdown as the Vikings led 21-17 with 1:50 left in the half. After a touchback, Cousins was quickly intercepted to set up Minnesota at the Washington 23. Keenum hit McKinnon for 9 and Murray ran for 14 down to the one. Keenum hit Morgan for the touchdown as 2 scores in the final 2 minutes of the half made it 28-17 Vikings. In the third quarter from their own 28, Minnesota kept moving. From the Minnesota 39, Kennum went deep to Thielen for 49 yards. On 3rd and 5 from the 7, Keenum hit Wright for the touchdown as 21 unanswered points in less than 5 minutes had the Vikings cruising 35-17. Then the game changed again.
Washington soon faced 3rd and 5 at their own 33. Cousins hit Vernon Davis for 8 yards. On 3rd and 4 from the Minnesota 39, Cousins went deep to Crowder for a 36 yard gain. Yet despite 1st and goal at the 3, dropped passes killed Washington. Josh Doctson dropped one and then Crowder dropped a sure touchdown. On 3rd and goal the pass was well defended but Crowder had it in his hands and could not hold on to it. Rose hit the 21 yard field goal as the Redskins trailed 35-20. Minnesota moved from their 25 to a 3rd and 8 at the Washington 39. Looking to put the game away, Keenum was hit as he threw and was intercepted by DJ Swearinger at the Washington 19. The Redskins moved from their 20 to a 4th and 6 at the Minnesota 32. Jay Gruden opted against a 50 yard field goal try and Cousins threw incomplete as the third quarter ended.
It didn’t matter as Keenum was quickly intercepted again to start the fourth quarter, again by Swearinger. Swearinger returned it 31 yards to the Minnesota 2. Swaeringer fumbled the ball out of bounds, but before the pylon soWashington retained possession. On 2nd and goal from the 2, chaos ensued. Cousins ran himself stretched the ball to the pylon, and thought he had a touchdown. He fumbled the ball, and it was picked up by Sendejo in the end zone for Minnesota. Sendejo then raced 100 yards the other way as both teams thought they had a touchdown. The whistle had not blown, so Sendejo was right to return it. However, the officials confirmed that Cousins did get the ball over the plane of the goal before losing it, so it was an offensive touchdown. Rather than a 42-20 Vikings blowout, the Redskins were within 35-27.
The Vikings then embarked on a 13 play, 7 minute drive. Midway through the fourth quarter, Kai Forbath hit a critical 53 yard field goal to give the Vikings some breathing room up 38-27. Washington moved from their 24 to a 3rd and 1 at the Minnesota 33. Thompson got the carry and got stopped. On 4th and 1, again needing 2 scores with 4:48 to play, Jay Gruden again decided to go for it rather than kick the field goal. Thompson got blown up in the backfield for a 4 yard loss. Washington got it back with 3:43 to play at their own 22 and moved to a 1st and 10 at the Minnesota 23 with 1:58 left. On 3rd and 10 after a pair of incompletions, Cousins got rocked for a 14 yard loss. Rose leveled the 55 yard field goal to get the Redskins within 8 with 1:20 left. Yet the onside kick failed and the Redskins were toast. Cousins finished 26 of 45 for 327 yards, one touchdown, and one interception. The Vikings are 7-2 and it is Case Keenum…not Sam Bradford or Teddy Bridgewater, but Case Keenum…who was 21 of 29 for 304 yards, 4 touchdowns, and 2 interceptions. Bridgewater was finally dressed on the sideline for the first time in 2 years, but this day belonged to Keenum. 38-30 Vikings
Los Angeles Chargers at Jacksonville Jaguars — This was not the worst game ever played, but it was a seriously unserious battle of who wanted it least. With 30 seconds left in a scoreless opening quarter, the Jaguars were punting on 4th and 7 from their own 44. Doug Marrone called a fake punt and Grant raced up the middle for a 56 yard touchdown. Former Chargers kicker Josh Lambo had his extra point try blocked as the Jaguars led 6-0. In the second quarter the Chargers moved 87 yards. Philip Rivers hit Austin Ekeler for a 28 yard touchdown as the Chargers led 7-6 at the intermission. The second half was even more hideous. In the third quarter the Chargers moved 76 yards and Rivers hit Ekeler for a 22 yard touchdown to make it 14-6 Chargers. The Jaguars came back 84 yards in 11 plays. Blake Bortles hit Marques Lee for a 6 yard touchdown and again for the 2 point conversion as the game was tied 14-14 after three quarters. In the fourth quarter the Chargers moved from their 23 to a 4th and 6 at the Jacksonville 32. With 10 1/2 minutes left in regulation, Nick Novak hit the 50 yard field goal. The Chargers led 17-14, but with everything on the line late in the fourth quarter, both teams tried extra hard to lose.
At the 2 minute warning from the Jacksonville 47, Blake Borltes did what he does. He was intercepted and it appeared the game was over. The Chargers took over at their own 42. Then came a false start. Then a simple run up the middle was fumbled into a pile. It slid over to Gipson, who returned it 35 yards for a defensive touchdown. Just like that it seemed the Jaguars were up 21-17. These are the Chargers. Yet the referees had their say. Gipson did recover the fumble, but was ruled down by contact. The whistle never blew, and it appeared to be horrendous call. Gipson was not touched. The touchdown was taken off the board. Bortles threw incomplete, but defensive pass interference meant 1st and 10 at the Chargers 22 with 1:38 left. These are the Chargers. Then an incompletion saw a stupid offensive unsportsmanlike conduct penalty on Marques Lee for taunting. These are the Jaguars. Now practically out of field goal range, Borltes did what he does. He threw into traffic, had the tip drill go on, and was intercepted. These are the Jaguars.
The Jaguars had all of their timeouts, and from the Chargers 10 yard line, Anthony Lynn took no chances. Melvin Gordon carried three straight times into the line, and the Jaguars took their timeouts. The Jaguars got it back at their own 48 with 58 seconds to play. These are the Chargers. On 3rd and 4, Bortles hit Mickens for 11 yards. From the Chargers 35, Bortles threw incomplete but roughing the passer on Joey Boss meant 1st and 10 at the Chargers 20 with 20 seconds left. These are the Chargers. On 3rd and 6 with 7 seconds left, Doug Marrone had seen enough. Lambo came in for a 34 yard field goal to tie it. The kick was good. If ever a game did not deserve overtime, this was it.
The Jaguars punted, and the Chargers faced 3rd and 9 at their own 11 with 5 1/2 minutes left in overtime. Rivers went deep for Travis Benjamin into double coverage. Benjamin caught it, but had it ripped out of his hands for an interception instead. These are the Chargers. AJ Bouye returned the interception 51 yards all the way to the Chargers 2 yard line. These are the Chargers yet another mindless taunting penalty on Jacksonville’s Colvin moved the ball back to the Chargers 17. Rather than just run it in, the Jaguars were further away. These are the Jaguars. This time it was Doug Marrone’s turn to play it safe before his own players could do any more damage. A pair of runs up the middle and Bortles centering the ball led to Lambo coming in for a 30 yarder to win it. Lambo was good and got revenge against his own team. Despite being 7-3, this might be the first time where team president Tom Coughlin or any other executive would consider firing his own team after a win. The Chargers fell to 3-6 by losing a game the Jaguars tried to give away but the Chargers refused to take. Different city, same Chargers. 20-17 Jaguars, OT
New Orleans Saints at Buffalo Bills — The 6-2 Saints have won 6 straight and have the offense while the 5-3 Bills have the defense. After an opening touchback, the Bills moved to a 1st and 10 at the Saints 19. A run gained almost nothing and a pair of incompletions by Tyrod Taylor had the Bills settling for a 37 yard Steve Hauschka fIeld goal to lead 3-0. This concluded Bills highlights as they were blasted into little pieces in front of a shellshocked home crowd. After a touchback the Saints quickly went to work. On 4th and 1 at the Buffalo 30, Sean Payton decided to go for it. Mark Ingram raced up the middle for a 25 yard gain. Ingram got the last yard to make it 7-3 Saints. The Saints got it back and moved from their 45 to the Buffalo 9 yard line but fumbled the ball away. In the second quarter the Saints took over at the Buffalo 48. On 3rd and 13, Brees fired a laser to Coleman, who split the seams for a 30 yard gain. On 3rd and 1 from the Buffalo 12, Kamara gained 9. Ingram ran for a 3 yard touchdown to make it 14-3 Saints. Late in the half the Saints moved 75 yards in 10 plays. Will Lutz hit a 23 yard field goal as the Saints took a 17-3 lead to the locker rooms.
In the second half the Saints just carpet-bombed the Bills. A 75 yard drive was wrapped up on the ground. Ingram ran for 16 yards and Kamara ran for 19 and then ran it in from 5 yards out to make it 24-3 Saints. On 3rd and 12 from the Buffalo 23, Taylor had a pass bounce off a receiver’s hands straight into the arms of Rankins, who returned it 27 yards to the Buffalo 3. Ingram scored on the next play to make it 30-3 Saints after the missed extra point. New Orleans got it back at their own 6 and 94 yards came easily. Brees did not have to throw a single pass as the Saints ground the Bills defense into the ground. Brees himself almost threw a pass, but instead scrambled for a 7 yard touchdown to make it 37-3 Saints. In the fourth quarter Lutz tacked on a 53 yard field goal and Edmunds ran for a 41 yard touchdown to make it 47-3 Saints. The Bills have lost 2 straight to fall to 5-4 while the Saints with their 7th straight win are 7-2 and looking as scary on offense as they ever did. Buffalo was unbeaten at home but made up for it in the worst way. They did get one garbage touchdown. 47-10 Saints
Cincinnati Bengals at Tennessee Titans — The Titans moved 84 yards in 10 plays and 5 1/2 minutes. DeMarco Murray ran for a 2 yard touchdown to make it 7-0 Titans. The Bengals came back 75 yards as Red Rifle Andy Dalton threw a 37 yard touchdown to Brandon LaFell. The extra point was no good as the Bengals trailed 7-6. In the second quarter the Titans moved from their own one yard line to a 1st and 10 at the Cincy 29. On 2nd and 10 Derrick Henry gained 6 yards, but a killer offensive unnecessary roughness penalty on DeMarco Murray killed the drive. Ryan Succop missed a 48 yard field goal as 6 minutes with the ball led to nothing. Yet with the Bengals facing 3rd and 11 at their own 37, Dalton was sacked and fumbled. The Titans took over at the Cincy 27. On 2nd and goal from the 9, Mariota only gained a yard, but Bengals head case Vontaze Burfict acted like Vontaze Burfict. He was the player whose unsportsmanlike conduct penalty cost the Bengals a home playoff win a couple years ago. This time the unsportsmanlike conduct penalty for bumping an official got him ejected and gave the Titans 1st and goal at the one. Murray got the yard for a 14-6 Titans lead.
The Bengals moved from their 24 to a 1st and goal at the 9 at the 2 minute warning. Dalton fumbled, and the Titans recovered at their own 13. On the next play a short pass by Mariota was intercepted as the Titans gave it right back. The Bengals took over with 1st and goal at the 3 and Joe Mixon ran it in to get the Bengals within 14-13. The Titans got it back at their own 20 with 1:37 left in the half. They moved to the Cincy 27 and Succop hit a 44 yard field goal to make it 17-13 Titans at halftime. The second half was far uglier. 90 seconds into the fourth quarter on a drive that began at their own 35, the Titans moved to a 3rd and 4 at the Cincy 20. Mariota hit Davis, who leapt for the pileon and appeared to have a touchdown for a 24-13 Titans lead. Yet on further review it was ruled that Davis lost the ball before hitting the pylon. It went out the end zone and instead was a touchback.
With 5:44 to play, the Bengals took over at their own 18. Dalton hit Giovanni Bernard for 12 yards. On the next play Dalton hit AJ Green, who got away from everyone for a 70 yard touchdown. With 5 minutes left the Bengals led 20-17. The Titans took over at their own 27. From their own 40, Mariota hit Eric decker for 10 and Delanie walker for 20 more to the Cincinnati 30. On 3rd and 5, MAriota threw incomplete, but defensive holding with 1:55 left gave the Titans a new set of downs. With 42 seconds left everything came down to the Titans facing 3rd and goal at the 7. Mariota went to Murray for the touchdown and the Titans had the 4 point lead. With 36 seconds left after a touchback, the Bengals moved to their own 45 with 3 seconds left. Dalton’s Hail Mary was far short of the end zone and incomplete. The Titans are 6-3 and the Bengals are 3-6 as Marvin Lewis why he bothers coaching players like Vontaze Burfict. 24-20 Titans
Houston Texans at Los Angeles Rams — Houston vs Los Angeles in a sport that is not boring. Early on the Texans faced 2nd and 8 at their own 39. Tom Savage was sacked and fumbled. The Rams began their first drive at the Houston 12. The defense held, and the Rams settled for a 27 yard Greg Zuerlein field goal to lead 3-0. Early in the second quarter a 34 yard Fairbairn field goal try to tie the game was no good. From the rams 24, a neutral zone infraction was followed by a 43 yard pass from Jared Goff to Todd Gurley. Again the Houston defense held, and Zuerlein hit from 33 to make it 6-0 Rams. The Texans soon faced 3rd and 8 from their own 27. Savage hit Anderson for 17 yards. On 3rd and 4 from the Rams 26, Savage found Ellington, who raced to the end zone for a touchdown. The Texans led 7-6 with 6 1/2 minutes left in the half. With 3 1/2 minutes left, Sean McVay gambled on a fake punt with the Rams facing 4th and 7 at their own 32. Punter Johnny Hekker completed the pass to Cooper, but the rams came up one yard short. Houston took over at the Rams 38 and had 1st and 10 at the 13 at the 2 minute warning. On 2nd and 17, Savage was intercepted by Barron, who returned it 15 yards to the Rams 25 with 1:35 left. On 3rd and 2, Goff hit Woods for 7. On 3rd and 4 from their own 46, Goff hit Tyler Higbee for 15. Zuerlein hit from 50 to end the half with the Rams up 9-7.
Despite a moribund offense, the second half was all Rams. Savage had an interception returned 48 yards for a defensive touchdown by Alex Ogletree, and was lucky that defensive holding on Ogletree nullified the play. The reprieve was short-lived. Facing 2nd and 8 from their own 6, all of a sudden the Rams channeled their inner Mike Martz and turned into the Greatest Show on Turf. From his end zone, Goff went bombs away to Woods for a 94 yard touchdown. The Rams led 16-7, but the stout defense of the Texans had been broken. Special teams was a dagger as a 27 yard punt return by Cooper had the Rams staking over late in the third quarter at Houston 36. Goff hit Sammy Watkins for a 24 yard gain and went back to Watkins for a 17 yard touchdown to make it 23-7 Rams. On the next play after a touchback Savage was again sacked and fumbled. The Rams again took over at the Houston 12. One play later Goff hit Woods for the score to make it 30-7 Rams. Zuerlein tacked on a 33 yarder in the fourth quarter as 27 unanswered points turned a defensive struggle into a blowout. The Rams are 7-2 and McVay has a legitimate case for coach of the year so far. Houston did defeat Los Angeles in baseball, which somebody somewhere cares about. 33-7 Rams
New York Giants at San Francisco 49ers — In 1990 these teams played 2 of the greatest defensive games ever played, including the most brutal NFC Title Game of all time. In 2002 they played a playoff thriller that was a shootout. In 2017, they played the Stupor Bowl as the 1-7 Giants took on the 0-9 49ers. A hideous game early on saw the 49ers sore first with a 43 yard field goal by Robbie Gould and the Giants answering with kicks of 47 and 42 from Rosas for a 6-3 Giants lead. Things actually got interested in the second quarter. After the teams exchanged fumbles, the 49ers faced 3rd and 8 at their own 17. CJ Beathard went deep to Goodwin for an 83 yard touchdown to make it 10-6 49ers. The Giants soon aced 3rd and 2 at their own 33. Eli Manning went deep to Sam Shepard for a 24 yard gain. Manning hit Evan Engram for a 9 yard touchdown to make it 13-10 Giants with just over 2 minutes left in the half. After that the Giants just wilted.
From the San Francisco 24, Bethard ran the 2 minute drill went. On 3rd and 8 from their own 44, Beathard found Celek for 9 yards. On the next play, boatyard went deep to Celek for a 47 yard touchdown as the 49ers led 17-13 at halftime. A tight game after a scoreless third quarter was broken open in the fourth quarter. The 49ers held the ball for 11 plays and 6 minutes, moving 61 yards. On the first play of the fourth quarter, on 3rd and 2 from the Giants 11, Beathard ran around the end for a score to make it 24-13 49ers. The 49ers quickly got it back and faced 3rd and 5 at their own 43. Beathard found Louis Murphy for 8 yards. Breida then ran for a 33 yard touchdown to ice the game with 9 1/2 minutes left. The New York Giants may finally be asked to claim New Jersey as their home as the Santa Clara 49ers of San Francisco may have blown the top draft pick. The Giants got a garbage touchdown in a garbage game between garbage teams. 31-21 49ers
Dallas Cowboys at Atlanta Falcons — Ezekiel Elliott has finally been suspended for 6 games as the 5-3 Cowboys tackled the 4-4 Falcons. The Falcons faced 3rd and 7 at their own 13 when Matt Ryan was intercepted by Woods. The Cowboys took over at the Atlanta 21. On 3rd and 7, Prescott hit Smith for just enough. On the next play Prescott scrambled for an 11 yard touchdown. The Cowboys led 7-0, but after that the Falcons gradually dominated the game. A 50 yard Matt Bryant field goal on the last play of the opening quarter started things. In the second quarter the Falcons moved 80 yards and Coleman got the last yard for a 10-7 Falcons lead at halftime. In the third quarter the Falcons moved 75 yards in 11 plays and 6 1/2 minutes. Ryan hit Hardy for a 3 yard touchdown. After three quarters the Falcons only led 17-7, but they put the game away in the fourth. They moved 72 yards and Ryan hot Hooper for a one yard touchdown. Bryant tacked on a 29 yard field goal. The exclamation point came from Adrian Clayborn, who had six sacks of Prescott and a forced fumble. 27-7 Falcons
New England Patriots at Denver Broncos was the Sunday night game. Two years ago Brock Osweiler led a miracle comeback against New England. That was why the AFC Title Game was played in Denver instead of New England, and the only reason Peyton Manning went on top and denied Tom Brady a sixth ring. Two years later after flaming out elsewhere, Osweiler is back and starting in place of the benched Trevor Siemian as the Broncos try to stop a 4 game slide. The Patriots went 3 and out, but the Broncos fumbled the punt return and the Patriots took over at the Denver 24. Brady quickly hit Rex Burkhead for 10 yards and Rob Gronkowski for a 7-0 Patriots lead less than 90 seconds into the game before Osweiler touched the ball.
From the Denver 21, Osweiler went deep to Emanuel Sanders for a 31 yard gain. On 3rd and 4 from the New England 42, Osweiler found Sanders for 13 yards. On 3rd and 2 from the New England 21, Osweiler threw incomplete. Brandon McManus hit the 39 yard field goal to get the Broncos within 7-3. Only 15 seconds later the Patriots led 14-3 as Dion Lewis took the ensuing kickoff 103 yards for a touchdown. Denver soon faced 3rd and 5 at their own 26. Osweiler connected with Sanders for a 38 yard gain. CJ Anderson gained 21 yards to set up 1st and 10 at the New England 15. A run went nowhere and Osweiler threw incomplete twice. McManus hit from 33 as the Broncos trailed 14-6.
After a touchback the Patriots kept rolling. 4 days ago Marcellus Bennett was cut by the Packers for failing to disclose an injury. The Patriots claimed him off waivers and he played in this game. A short pass from Brady to Bennett went for 27 yards. On 3rd and 2 from the Denver 40, Brady hit Jaleel White for 8 yards. On 3rd and 1, Brady’s quarterback sneak came up just short. On 4th and inches from the Denver 23, Bill Belichick decided to go for it. Burkhead banged off tackle for a 3 yard gain. Brady fired to Gronkowski for 12 yards. The second quarter began with defensive pass interference, setting New England up at the two. On 3rd and goal, Brady was sacked. Gostkowski hit the 25 yard field goal to make it 17-6 Patriots.
Things got worse for Denver. They punted on 4th and 9 from their own 41, Dixon’s punt was blocked by Burkhead, setting up New England at the Denver 30. Brady hit Dorsett for 11. Brady then fired to Gronk in the end zone. Although it looked like Gronk got his hands under the ball, officials ruled it incomplete. Bill Belichick initially decided not to challenge the call. Then after taking a timeout to avoid a delay of game penalty, Belichick changed his mind and did challenge the call. The call stood. A draw play on 3rd and 4 to White came up inches short. This time Belichick decided not to gamble. Gostkowski hit from 28 to make it 20-6 Patriots.
Denver moved from their 19 to a 3rd and 7 at the New England 20. A short pass to Derby gained only 2 yards, and offensive pass interference for a pick play would have nullified a first down anyway. McManus hit the 36 yard field goal as the Broncos trailed 20-9 with 2 1/2 minutes left in the half. After a touchback, New England ran the ball so well that Brady barely needed to throw. On 1st and 10 from the Denver 33, 1:11 still remained. Brady went to Gronkowski for a 22 yard gain. Brady then fired to Allen for the 11 yard touchdown with 25 seconds left in the half as the Patriots were winning a laugher 27-9.
The Broncos began the third quarter quickly facing 3rd and 10 at their own 25. Osweiler went back to pass, was hit as he threw, and saw a wounded duck helplessly float in the air. Somehow it was caught by Denarius Thomas for a 17 yard gain. In 3rd and 1 just past midfield, Janovich gained 3 yards. On 3rd and 5 from the New England 31, Osweiler hit Sanders for a 23 yard gain. Osweiler threw a 7 yard touchdown to Thomas to cap the 13 play, 75 yard, 7 minute drive. One lucky break that could have ended the game instead had the Broncos within 27-16. Any momentum was quickly erased. On 2nd and 11 from their own 24, Brady found Gronkowski for 26 and Brandon Cooks for 25 more. From the Denver 20, Lewis did the rest, running for a pair of 6 yard gains and out of the hurry up offense an 8 yard touchdown run up the middle to make it 34-16 Patriots.
The Patriots took over at their own 6 and carved up Denver’s defense like a Thanksgiving Turkey. A staggering 16 play, 94 yard, 7 1/2 minute drive led to a 3rd and 3 at the Denver 6. Brady fired to White for the touchdown with 9 minutes left in regulation to officially make the game a blowout. Denver lost their 5th straight to drop to 3-6 and New England is now 7-2. Osweiler was a pedestrian 14 of 24 for 190 yards and one touchdown while Brady was a lights out 25 of 32 for 266 yards and 3 touchdowns. Neither quarterback was intercepted. 41-16 Patriots
Miami Dolphins at Carolina Panthers was the Monday night game. Sometimes a bad team can go on the road and shock a good team. This was not that game. In the first quarter Carolina got a 40 yard field goal from Graham Gano to start the scoring. In the second quarter the Panthers moved 85 yards in 12 plays and 6 1/2 minutes. McCaffrey rn it in from 4 yards out to make it 10-0 Panthers. The Dolphins came back 75 yards in 10 plays and 5 minutes. Jay Cutler hit Thomas for a 2 yard touchdown to get the Dolphins within 10-7. With 47 seconds left in the half from the Miami 20, Cutler did what he does. The interception set Carolina up at the same spot. Cam Newton hit Samuel for 10. On 3rd and goal from the 7, Newton hit Dickson for the touchdown to make it 17-7 Panthers at halftime.
Carolina broke the game open in the second half. In the third quarter the Panthers moved 78 yards. Newton hit Devon Funchess on 3rd and 10 for a 28 yard touchdown to make it 24-7 Panthers. On 4th and 1 just shy of midfield, Adam Game tried to go for it to spark the Dolphins. Williams got the carry and lost a yard. With a short field, Artis-Payne ran for a 12 yard touchdown to make it 31-7 Panthers. The Dolphins soon faced 3rd and 1 at their own 34. Drake broke off tackle for a 66 yard touchdown run to get the Dolphins within 31-14. Carolina took over at their own 13. Newton himself on the ground ran for a 69 yard gain. Newton hit McCaffrey for a 2 yard touchdown to make it 38-14 Panthers after three quarters. In the fourth quarter the Panthers moved 83 yards in 11 plays and 7 minutes. On 3rd and 8 from the Miami 32, Newton went deep to make it 45-14. Miami added one garbage touchdown. Ron Rivera has a 7-3 Carolina team with a defense as nasty as any in the league. 45-21 Panthers