THE TYGRRRR EXPRESS

https://www.commdiginews.com/sports/nfl/nfl-4-preview-bettors-brady-v-belichick-the-nfls-newest-blood-feud-140465/

NFL 2021 Week 3 Recap

Carolina Panthers at Houston Texans was the Thursday night game. The Panthers were 2-0 after defeating a pair of weak teams. The Texans had Deshaun Watson inactive due to his personal legal issues and Tyrod Taylor out injured. David Mills was starting his very first NFL game, and the Carolina defense took advantage. The Panthers began their second drive at their own 12. Christian McCaffrey got the drive started with a 9 yard gain. On 3rd and 1 from their own 21, Sam Darnold gained 3 yards. On 3rd and 9 from their own 25, Darnold went deep to DJ Moore for 29, to Marshall for 12, and to Moore for 26 more. Darnold ran for the 5 yard touchdown himself to cap the 10 play, 88 yard, 6 minute drive and make it 7-0 Panthers. The Panthers got it back at their own 14 and moved 81 yards in 14 plays and 8 minutes. Yet on 4th and 1 from the Houston 5, the Panthers missed a chance to extend the lead. Matt rule went for it and Hubbard carried the ball for no gain. Despite dominating the game, the Panthers still only led 7-0.

The Texans did nothing for the first 28 minutes. With 1:37 left in the half the Texans took over at their own 36. At this point Mills had only 16 total yards passing. Yet in the 2 minute drill Mills hit Brandin Cooks for gains of 8 and 30. Mills then went to Akins for 10 and Cooks for 11 down to the one. The Texans took their last timeout with a full 30 seconds remaining. Mills hit Anthony Miller for a one yard touchdown. The extra point was no good, but after being dominated the entire half, the Texans went to the half only down 7-6.

In the third quarter the Panthers took over at their own 9. Darnold went to Moore for 10. Two plays later a defensive unnecessary roughness penalty added 15. Darnold then went to Moore for 16. Freeman gained 13. Darnold hit Erickson for 25. Tommy Tremble ran for a 7 yard touchdown to finish the 91 yard drive and make it 14-6 Panthers. The Panthers got it back at their own 41 and moved 56 yards in 10 plays, taking another 6 1/2 minutes off the clock. With 13 minutes left in regulation, the Panthers faced 4th and 1 at the Houston 3. This time on the road, Matt rule went with the field goal to make it a 2 score game. Zane Gonzalez hit from 21 to make it 17-6 Panthers. 

After a touchback, the Texans moved to a 3rd and 5 at the Carolina 31. Mills was sacked for a 4 yard loss. With 9 minutes left and needing 2 scores, David Culley brought in Joey Slye for a 53 yard field goal try. Slye was good and the Texans were within 17-9. Yet the Panthers kept grinding down the clock with a 12 play, 75 yard, 5 minute drive. On 3rd and 10 just shy of midfield, Darnold hit Arnold for 11 and Marshall for 23. Hubbard ran for 14. On 3rd and goal at the one, Darnold got in himself with to complete the scoring with 4 minutes left. Darnold finished 23 of 34 for 304 yards without a touchdown or interception. Yet Darnold also ran for 2 touchdowns. The Panthers became the first 3-0 team this year. 24-9 Panthers

Indianapolis Colts at Tennessee Titans — Carson Wentz did start as imbecilic owner Jim Irsay blamed Wentz’s injuries over the years to went being unvaccinated. Remember, Irsay has done drugs in his life and may still be hallucinating. Early on the Titans had the advantage. On 3rd and 3 from their own 36, Ryan Tannehill gained 17. On 3rd and 4 from the Indy 41, Tannehill threw incomplete. Mike Vrabel decided to go for it. Tannehill hit Julio Jones for 15. Derrick Henry rumbled for 19. On 3rd and goal from the 6, Tannehill hit Chester Rogers for the touchdown to make it 7-0 Titans. The Titans got it back at their own 26 and moved to a 3rd and 7 at the Indianapolis 45 as the first quarter ended. Tannehill was then intercepted as the Colts took over at their own 47. On 3rd and 3 from the Titans 46, Wentz hit Taylor for 8 and Pittman for 8 more. On 3rd and 1 from the Tennessee 29, Taylor gained 2. Wentz hit Pittman for 12. Nyheim Hines ran for a 9 yard touchdown to tie the game 7-7. 

After a touchback, Tannehill went deep to Julio Jones for 25. Derrick Henry ran for 4 and 8. On 3rd and 1 from the Indy 26, Henry gained 8. Tannehill hit Westbrook for an 18 yard touchdown to put the Titans back up 14-7 with 6 minutes left in the half. The Titans got it back at their own 17 and moved to a 3rd and 9 at the Indy 26 with 49 seconds left in the half. Tannehill was intercepted by Moore, who returned it 32 yards to the Titans 47. Wentz was sacked and then threw incomplete, but illegal contact on the defense kept the drive going. Went then went to Pittman for 18. Rodrigo Blankenship hit a 43 yard field goal to end the half with the Colts trailing 14-10. After a touchback to start the third quarter, the Colts moved on a mind-numbing 17 play, 68 yard drive that consumed 8 1/2 minutes. On 4th and 1 from the Titans 41, mike Vrabel went for it and Taylor gained 5. On 4th and 1 from the Titans 15, Vrabel gambled again. Taylor gained 6. Yet on 1st and goal at the 9 and the running game working, Wentz threw 3 straight incompletions. Blankenshuo hit from 28 to get the Colts within 14-13. 

The Titans moved from their own 18 to a 1st and 10 at the Indy 19. Tannehill hit Westbrook for 13, but Westbrook fumbled and the Colts recovered. The Titans got it back at their own 41 as the third quarter ended. Henry ran for 10 and 9. Tannehill went deep incomplete but defensive pass interference meant a 30 yard gain. On 3rd and goal from the 10, Tannehill hit Jeremy McNichols for the touchdown. Mike Vrabel for some reason got aggressive and went for an unnecessary 2 point conversion. Henry ran it in and the Titans had a 2 score lead up 22-13. The Colts moved after a touchback to a 3rd and goal at the 5. Wentz threw incomplete. Needing 2 scores and with 10 1/2 minutes left in regulation, Frank Reich opted for the field goal. Blankenship hit from 24 to get the Colts within 22-16.

The Titans played smash mouth on a 14 play, 87 yard drive that took 7 1/2 minutes. They moved from their own 19 to a 1st and 10 at the Indy 17. yet Henry then got stopped, Tannehill threw incomplete, and a 3rd and 10 completion gained only 3 yards. With 3 minutes left, Randy Bullock came in for a 32 yard field goal to put the Titans back up by 9 and make it a 2 score game. Bullock was good. In desperation mode after a touchback, the Colts moved to a 2nd and 7 at the Tennessee 33. Wentz threw incomplete twice. With one minute left and needing 2 scores, Frank Reich opted for the field goal. From 51 yards out, Blankenship was no good. The Colts fell to 0-3 while the Titans have won 2 straight after their awful opener. Give credit to Mike Vrabel. His 2 point conversion call put the game out of reach. 25-16 Titans

Atlanta Falcons at New York Giants — Daniel Jones fumbles a lot but throws a great deep ball. The Giants took over at their own 20. On 3rd and 4 from their own 40, Jones went deep to Board for 38 yards. Yet on 2nd and goal from the 8, Jones was sacked for an 11 yard loss. Graham Gano hit a 25 yard field goal to make it 3-0 Giants. In the second quarter the Giants embarked on a typical Giants drive. 15 plays, 73 yards and 7 1/2 minutes led to 1st and 10 at the Atlanta 17. Jones then fumbled again, resulting in an 11 yard loss. Gano hit a 31 yard field goal as the Giants led 6-0. 

The Giants on their next series punted on 4th and 9 from their own 4. The Falcons took over with a short field at the Giants 44 with 2:09 left in the half. Matt Ryan hit Davis for 12 and Zaccheaus for 14 with unnecessary roughness adding 8 more. On 3rd and goal at the 4, Ryan hit Zaccheaus for the touchdown as the Falcons led 7-6 in a game virtually nobody cared about. The Giants could not even get to the half without more bungling. On 2nd and 10 from their own 25, Jones hit Evan Engram for 14 but Engram fumbled and the Falcons recovered at the Giants 36 with one minute left. Luckily for them Ryan was sacked and fumbled the ball back. For some reason, league rules prohibited the second half from being canceled.

The third quarter was scoreless as both teams remained winless and worthless. With 3 minutes left in the third quarter the Giants took over at their own 29. Jones ran for 11. Squon Barkley ran for 4 and caught passes for 12 and 3. Jones hit Johnson for 7 as the Giants began the fourth quarter facing 3rd and 5 at the Atlanta 29. Jones hit Johnson for just enough and then hit kenny Golladay for 16. Defensive pass interference on the next play meant 7 more yards down to the one. Barkley got in for the touchdown. Joe judge went for the 2 post conversion and Jones got in. With 13 minutes left in regulation, the Giants had a 14-7 lead after the 10 play, 71 yard, 5 1/2 minute drive.

The Falcons took over and soon faced 3rd and 8 form their own 30. Ryan hit Pitts for 10. Ryan then went to Cordarelle Patterson for 25. on 3rd and 4 from the Giants 25, Ryan hit Sharpe for 5. On 2nd and 16 after a sack of Ryan, he hit Zaccheaus for 14. On 3rd and 2 from the Giants 11, Ryan hit Calvin Ridley for 4. On 3rd and goal at the 6, Ryan threw incomplete but defensive pass interference meant 5 yards and 1st and goal at the one. Ryan hit Lee Smith for the touchdown. The 10 play, 72 yard drive took over 8 1/2 minutes off the clock and had the game tied 14-14 with 4 minutes left. The Stupor Bowl would come down to who wanted it least. 

The Giants punted and the Falcons took over at their own 20 with 1:50 left. A short pass from Ryan to Patterson gained 28. Ryan then hit Pitts for 25. With 9 seconds left on 3rd and 6 from the Giants 21, Matty Ice took a knee to center the ball. With 3 seconds left, Younghoe Koo came in for a 40 yard field goal try to win it. If ever a game did not deserve overtime, this one was it. Koo spared us all and made the kick to make the Giants the worst team in the league. Giants fans will insist they are better than the Jets. 17-14 Falcons

Los Angeles Chargers at Kansas City Chiefs — The Chiefs took over at their own 5 yard line and easily moved 83 yards in 10 plays. Yet on 2nd and 6 from the Chargers 29, a pass from Patrick Mahomes bounced off the receiver’s hands and was intercepted by Asante Samuel at the Chargers 3 yard line. The Chiefs got it back at midfield and moved to a 1st and 10 at the Chargers 21. A sack of Mahomes lost a yard. Then a completion to Tyreek Hill gained 8 yards but Hill fumbled. The Chargers Davis returned the fumble 20 yards, with 15 more yards added due to an illegal block penalty on the Chiefs. The Chargers took over just shy of midfield. On 3rd and 1 from the Chiefs 42, Justin Herbert gained 2. Herbert hit Williams for 11 and began the second quarter by hitting Parham for 19. Herbert hit Keenan Allen for the 4 yard touchdown to make it 7-0 Chargers. 

The Chiefs after a touchback moved to a 1st an 10 at the Chargers 36. Carl Edwards-Helaire was the goat last week in fumbling the ball alway and costing the Chiefs a win. He was also guilty of the earlier illegal block penalty in this game. His struggles continued when he gained 7 yards and then fumbled the ball away again. Again it was Davis, returning it 14 yards to his own 47. Walrus Andy Reid vowed never to run the ball ever again. Herbert hit Williams for 20 and 8 and Keenan Allen for 6. On 2nd and 12 from the Chiefs 16, herbert found a wide open Austin Ekeler in the flat. With no defender anywhere near him, Ekeler easily raced for the 16 yard touchdown. The Chargers had the 14-0 lead in front of a stunned Arrowhead home crowd thanks to 3 straight Kansas City turnovers.

Then reality set in. With 2 1/2 minutes left in the half, the Chiefs took over at their own 14 and moved to a 1st and 10 at the Chargers 17 with 41 seconds left. A false start followed by incompletions killed the drive. After 11 plays and 75 yards, the end zone was elusive. Harrison Butker hit from 34 as the Chiefs trailed 14-3 at the half. The Chiefs went right to work after a third quarter touchback. Mahomes hit Robinson for 11 and Edwards-Helaire for 10. On 3rd and 6 from midfield, Mahomes hit Hill for 12, Travis Kelce for 8 and Mecole Hardman for 10. On 3rd and goal at the 2, Mahomes hit Fortson for the touchdown. This time the 12 play, 75 yard, 6 minute drive was finished as the Chiefs were within 14-10. 

The Chiefs got it back at their own 30. On 3rd and 10 from their own 40, Mahomes hit Kelce for 23. On the next play, defensive unnecessary roughness added 15 more. On 1st and 10 from the Chargers 20, Mahomes raced for 18 yards down to the 2 but fumbled the ball. The Chiefs recovered to avoid their 4th turnover. However, offensive holding meant 1st and 20 from the Chargers 30. Mahomes quickly hit Hill for 18 and Edwards-Helaire for the 10 yard touchdown. The 10 play, 70 yard drive had the Chiefs up 17-14 with 3 1/2 minutes left in the third quarter.

This time rather than fold, the Chargers proved resilient. On 3rd and 1 from their own 34, Herbert hit Cook for 21 and Allen for 11. On 3rd and 4 from the Chiefs 28, Herbert hit Allen for no gain. as the third quarter ended. Brandon Staley began the fourth quarter by deciding to go for it. Herbert hit Allen for 9 and Williams for the 20 yard touchdown to put the Chargers back in front 21-17 after the 11 play, 75 yard, 5 minute drive. From their own 28 the Chiefs came back. Edwards-Helaire had gains of 12 and 7. Williams had a pair of 5 yard gains followed by gains of 7 and 4. Mahomes went to Hill for 11 and Hardman for the 8 yard touchdown. The 12 play, 75 yard, 7 minute drive had the Chiefs back on top 24-21 with 6:43 to play.

After a touchback, the Chargers moved to a 1st and goal at the one with 3:19 to play. After a run got stopped, Herbert hit Nabers for the touchdown. Yet an illegal shift nullified the score. From the 6, Herbert threw incomplete twice. Tristan Vizcaino came in for a 24 yard field goal try to tie the game. With 2:14 left, Vizcaino was good and the game was tied 24-24. Yet the Chiefs had Mahomes. The ending was inevitable. He would drive the Chiefs down the field and Butker would kick the winning field goal. 

Not this time. On 3rd and 8 from his own 27 under heavy pressure, Mahomes went deep and was intercepted. With 1:55 left the Chargers took over at their own 41. On 3rd and 2 just shy of midfield, Herbert hit Allen for 15 and Cook for 6. On 3rd and 4 from the Chiefs 30, Herbert threw incomplete. A field goal for the lead with 51 seconds left would be 48 yards, certainly makeable. After a timeout, Brandon Staley decided to go for it. His logic was that Mahomes would tie the game, but you have to kick the field goal in this situation. After all of that, a false start made it 4th and 9 and now a 53 yard try. Staley decided again to go for it. This was an insane risk, but he wanted to leave no time for Mahomes. If the Chargers didn’t make it, Mahomes would be in prime field position. It was all or nothing. Herbert threw incomplete, but defensive pass interference meant a 15 yard gain. Herbert then hit Williams for 16 down to the 4 yard line. staley still would not kick a field goal by taking the clock down. Herbert hit Williams for the 4 yard touchdown with 32 seconds left. Vizcaino made things interesting by missing his second extra point of the day, as the Chargers led by 6 instead of 7. 

After a touchback, Mahomes quickly scrambled for 21 yards with defensive holding adding 5 more and stopping the clock. With 13 seconds left the Chiefs had 1st and 10 just past midfield. A pair of incompletions left 5 seconds. Then came the Hail Mary, and it also fell incomplete. In an absolute shocker, the Chargers are the 2-1 team while the back to back AFC Champion Chiefs are a head-scratching 1-2. This makes Andy Walrus a most concerned Walrus indeed. On a more serious note, Reid was physically ill after the game and had to be taken to the hospital. Thankfully he seems to be ok and is in stable condition. Meanwhile, Brandon Staley is off to a very impressive beginning in his rookie season. 30-24 Chargers 

Cincinnati Bengals at Pittsburgh Steelers — Joe Burrow threw into triple coverage and was intercepted. Ben Roethlisberger threw a duck as he was being sacked that was also intercepted. The Bengals had a short field and soon faced 3rd and 8 at the Pittsburgh 40. Burrow hit Chase for 15. On 3rd and 2 from the Pittsburgh 17, Burrow hit Tyler Boyd for the touchdown to make it 7-0 Bengals. In the second quarter the Steelers took over at their own 14. On 3rd and 2 from their own 22, Roethlisberger hit Freiermuth for 3. On 2nd and 15 from their own 20, Roethlisberger hit Juju Smith-Schuster for 16. On 1st and 17 from their own 29, Harris ran for 20. Roethlisberger hit Chase Claypool for 12. On 3rd and 4 from the Cincinnati 33, Roethlisberger hit Harris for 6 at the 2 minute warning. On 3rd and 5 from the Cincy 22, Roethlisberger hit Harris for 18. Big Ben then hit Freiermuth for the 4 yard touchdown. The 15 play, 86 yard drive took 8 1/2 minutes off the clock. With one minute left in the half, the game was tied 7-7. Then came the shocks. 

After a touchback, Burrow hit Boyd for 7. On the next play roughing the passer added 15. Burrow then hit Thomas for 19. Burrow then went deep to Jamarr Chase for a 34 yard touchdown. Just like that, the Bengals led 14-7 at the half. The Bengals began the third quarter at their own 20. They moved to a 2nd and 7 at the Pittsburgh 20 when offensive holding killed the drive. Yet Evan McPherson hit a 43 yard field goal to cap the 10 play, 55 yard, 5 minute drive and make it 17-7 Bengals. 3 plays later on 3rd and 4 from his own 34, Roethlisberger was intercepted. Wilson returned it 13 yards to the Pittsburgh 19. Burrow hit Chase for a 9 yard touchdown as the Bengals led 24-7 after three quarters in front of a shellshocked home crowd at Heinz Field. 

Things got worse for the Steelers. They moved from their own 24 to the Cincy 24. Yet 3 straight Roethoisberger incompletions was followed by Chris Boswell missing a 42 yard field goal try. The Steelers got it back and moved from their own 4 yard line to a 1st and goal at the 3. The drive of the year lasted 18 plays, went 88 yards, and took 9 minutes off the clock. Yet ball control is not good when down by three scores. Worse, offensive holding made it all for naught. Boswell hit a 26 yard field goal but the Steelers still trailed by 14 midway through the fourth quarter. The Steelers had the experience, so it was up to the youthful Bengals to see if they could finish off a big road win. 

The Steelers got it back with 6 1/2 minutes left and soon faced 3rd and 10 at their own 15. Roethlisberger hit White for 11, Claypool for 17, Harris for 5, Claypool for 29, and Harris for 9 and 3,. Yet with 4 minutes left in the game on 1st and 10 from the Cincy 11, Roethlisberger was sacked for an 8 yard loss. On 3rd and 10, Roethlisberger threw incomplete. With 3 minutes left on 4th and 10, one of the worst calls in steelers history took place. Mike Tomlin is a great coach, but why on 4th and 10 would Roethlisberger throw a dump off pass in the flat that lost a yard? The home crowd booed, as they should have. The Steelers got the ball back again with 1:54 left at their own 27 and both teams out of timeouts. On 4th and 2 from their own 35, Roethlisberger threw incomplete. After starting last year 11-0, the Steelers this year are 1-2 with consecutive home losses. This was a big win for the Bengals and especially for Burrow. 24-10 Bengals 

Chicago Bears at Cleveland Browns — Early on the Browns gambled on 4th and 5 from the Chicago 38 as Matt Nagy passed up a 56 yard field goal try. Baker Mayfield was sacked. The Bears took over at their own 47. On 3rd and 2 from the Cleveland 29, David Montgomery was stopped. Cairo Santos hit from 47 to make it 3-0 Bears. The Browns after a touchback moved to a 4th and 1 at the Chicago 20. Again Kevin Stefanski went for it. Again Mayfield was sacked. The Bears did not capitalize. After that the Browns took over. The Browns began at their own 23. Mayfield went to Karim Hunt for gains of 3 and 18. The Browns moved to a 3rd and 5 at the Chicago 29. Hunt gained 7 but offensive holding killed the drive. Stefanski brought in Chase McLaughlin to try a 57 yard field goal. It was good and the game was tied 3-3 early in the second quarter. 

With 3 minutes left in the half the Browns took over at their own 11. On 3rd and 5 from their own 16 at the 2 minute warning, Mayfield hit Donovan Peoples-Jones for 18. Hunt ran for 11 and caught a pass for 17. With 36 seconds left in the half the Browns had 3rd and 1 at the Chicago 19. Chubb ran for 6 and Mayfield spiked the ball with 23 seconds left. Mayfield then went to Austin Hooper for the 13 yard touchdown as the Browns led 10-3 at the intermission. A 23 yard punt return in the third quarter had the Browns taking over at the Chicago 44. On 3rd and 7 from the Chicago 41, Mayfield hit O’Dell Beckham Jr. for 26. Yet offensive holding followed by a sack had the Browns backed up to 3rd and 30. A safe completion gained 12 yards, allowing McLaughlin to hit a 41 yard field goal to make it 13-3 Browns.

The Bears took over and moved from their own 31 to a 2nd and 5 at the Cleveland 7. Justin Field was sacked for an 8 yard loss. On 3rd and 13 from the Chicago 15, Fields hit Montgomery for 11. Matt Nagy decided not to gamble on 4th and 2 from the 4 on the road needing 2 scores. Santos hit the 22 yard field goal as the Bears only trailed 13-6 after three quarters. After a touchback, the Browns turned out the lights. Mayfield hit Beckham for 16 and Hunt for 23. The fourth quarter began with the Browns facing 3rd and 3 at the Chicago 29. Hunt broke free all the way fo the touchdown to make it 20-6 Browns. The Bears anemic offense had no answers. Fields finished the day completing only 6 of 20 passes for 68 yards. McLaughlin tacked on field goals of 52 and 28 as Cleveland’s defense did the rest and kept the Dawg Pound rocking. 26-6 Browns 

Baltimore Ravens at Detroit Lions — In 1970, the Lions had a 17-16 lead with seconds remaining and time for one more play. New Orleans brought in kicker Tom Dempsey to try a 63 yard field goal, which would be an NFL record. Despite having only half a foot on his kicking foot, Dempsey made the field goal for a 19-17 win over the Lions. Dempsey’s record was tied by a few kickers and finally broken in 2013 when Matt Prater connected from 64. By the time  this game was over, the Lions would again be part of history. Again, it would be painful for the Detroit faithful.

Justin Tucker had made 27 straight field goals on the road. In the first quarter of this game, the streak ended as Tucker missed from 49. As Andrew Siciliano of NFL Network reminds us, there is no such thing as a broadcaster jinx. In the second quarter Tucker did hit from 39 for a 3-0 Ravens lead in a game that was far more difficult than they expected. The Ravens got it back at their own 35. Lamar Jackson ran for 8 and Latavius murray added 8 more. Jackson went deep to Brown for 37. On 3rd and 18 from the Detroit 19, Jackson hit Devin Duvernay for the touchdown as the Ravens led 10-0 at the half. They would have led by more except Marquise Hollywood Brown dropped 3 passes, including 2 bombs that would have been touchdowns. After a touchback, the Ravens in the third quarter moved to a 1st and 10 at the Detroit 32. Jackson threw a pair of incompletions sandwiched around a run that gained nothing. Tucker hit from 50 as the Ravens were dominating up 13-0. 

After a touchback, the Lions finally woke up. Jared Goff hit TJ Hockensen for 5, Raymond for 12 and D’Andre Swift for 11. On 3rd and 1 just past midfield, Swift gained 2. Goff then hit Swift for 14 and 19 and Hidge for 9. Swift ran for a 2 yard touchdown to get the Lions within 13-7. The Ravens after a touchback moved 61 yards in 10 plays. On 3rd and 5 from the Detroit 14, Jackson threw incomplete. Tucker hit the 32 yard field goal. The Ravens had a comfortable 16-7 lead after three quarters, but by the end of the game they were anything but comfortable.

On 2nd and 13 from his own 22, Goff threw deep incomplete but defensive pass interference meant a 28 yard gain to midfield. On 3rd and 7 from the Baltimore 47, Goff hit Raymond for 11. Williams ran for 12 and 4. On 3rd and 6 from the Baltimore 20, Goff hit Swift for 9. swift then ran for 4 and caught another pass for 6 down to the one. Jamaal Williams got in for the touchdown as the Lions were only down 16-14 midway through the fourth quarter. After a touchback, the Ravens moved to a 1st and 10 at the Detroit 45. Yet on 3rd and 10, Jackson went deep and was intercepted. 

With 5 1/2 minutes left in regulation, the Lions took over at their own 21. Goff hit Fells for 24, Raymond for 19 and Raymond again for 22. At the 2 minute warning, the Lions had 1st and 10 at the Baltimore 14. The Lions were completely in the driver’s seat. Yet the Ravens had all 3 of their timeouts. Dan Campbell went ultraconservative, running the ball 3 straight times. The Ravens took their timeouts on defense. Santos hit the 35 yard field goal to give the Lions the 17-16 lead, but they left one minute on the clock. 

With 26 seconds left, the Ravens were down to their last gasp. They were facing 4th and 19 at their own 16 with 0 timeouts. They needed a miracle. Jackson went deep to Sammy Watkins for a 36 yard gain. Jackson then spiked the ball to stop the clock with 7 seconds left. Jackson then threw incomplete, leaving 3 seconds. John Harbaugh could have gone for the Hail Mary, but instead he opted to trust the most accurate kicker in NFL history. Justin Tucker is phenomenal, but this would be a 66 yard field goal try. It would be more than just a kick for a win. It would be NFL history. From 65 yards out, the kick would have easily been good. From 67 yards out, Tucker would have been short. His 66 yard kick was dead center and hit the crossbar. Then it made it over. it was good. Are? You? Kidding? Me!!!!!!! A 66 yard field goal. once again, the Lions were on the losing end of a 19-17 game that saw a kicker make NFL history. The Lions are 0-3, but this game was about Tucker. He is now immortalized in NFL history. 19-17 Ravens

New Orleans Saints at New England Patriots — Drew Brees is retired and Tom Brady is in Tampa. The Saints took over at their own 31. On 3rd and 10 from their own 45, Jameis Winston hit Harris for 12 and Kenny Stills for 17. On 3rd and 7 from the New England 11, Winston hit Alvin Kamara for the touchdown to make it 7-0 Saints. The Saints got it back and moved 51 yards in 10 plays and 5 minutes. Yet they came up empty when Aldrick Rosas missed a 52 yard field goal. In the second quarter the Patriots punted from midfield and Bailey had his punt blocked. The Saints took over just past midfield. Yet Rosas missed again from 36. The Patriots moved from their 26 to a 3rd and 10 at the New Orleans 44. Under heavy pressure as he was being hit, Jones through a wounded duck that was intercepted by Williams, who returned it 46 yards to the New England 9 yard line. On 3rd and goal, Winston hit Callaway for a 7 yard touchdown to make it 14-0 Saints.

After a touchback, the Patriots had only 1:44 left to work with. From their own 25, they moved to a 3rd and 1 from the Saints 22 with 1:08 left. Bolden got stopped for no gain. Bill Belichick decided to go for it on 4th and 1 but a false start killed that notion. Nick Folk hit a 45 yard field goal to get the Patriots on the board. Yet on the first play of the third quarter after a touchback, Jones had a pass bounce off a receiver’s hands for another interception. Malcolm Jenkins returned the interception 34 yards for a touchdown for a 21-3 Saints advantage. 

The Patriots then embarked on a mind-numbing drive. 16 plays and 72 yards took 9 minutes off the clock. They moved from their own 20 to a 1st and 10 at the Saints 11. Yet a pair of runs went nowhere. On 3rd and 11, Jones completed a 4 yard pass. With 90 seconds left in the half and down by 18, Bill Belichick opted for a field goal. Folk hit from 26 to get the Patriots within 21-6. A field position game in the third quarter gave the Patriots a short field at the Saints 44. On 2nd and 10 Jones threw incomplete, but defensive pass interference meant a 10 yard gain. Jones then ran for 12 and went to Kendrick Bourne for a 22 yard touchdown. The Patriots were back in it down 21-13 with 9 1/2 minutes left in regulation. 

The Saints then slammed the door shut. On 3rd and 7 from their own 28, Winston hit Harris for 12. Kamara ran for 11 and 3. Winston hit Harris for 7. Taysom Hill came in for a direct snap and Sean Payton’s wild card ran for 14 yards. On 3rd and 1 from the New England 16, Winston gained 2. with 2:50 to play, Hill came in for consecutive plays. On 2nd and 5 from the 9, Hill gained 5. On the next play he ran for the 4 yard touchdown to put the game on ice. The Saints got to 2-1 while the Patriots are 1-2 on the year. 28-13 Saints

Arizona Cardinals at Jacksonville Jaguars — A 27 yard punt return had the Cardinals taking over at their own 44. Kyler Murray hit Mike Williams for 7, ran for 5, and hit kirk for 28. Murray hit Kirk for 9 and ran for the one yard touchdown himself to make it 7-0 Cardinals. With 3 1/2 minutes left in the half, the Jaguars took over at their own 26. Trevor Lawrence hit Shenault for 7 and 9 as the clock hit the 2 minute warning. Carlos Hyde ran for 18. On 2nd and 16 from the Arizona 42, Lawrence hit Shenault for 12 and on 3rd and 4 found Jones for 13. With only 26 seconds left in the half, Lawrence hit DJ Chark for a 12 yard touchdown. The game was tied 7-7, but there was plenty of excitement before the end of the half. After a touchback, the Cardinals moved to midfield with 2 seconds left. Kliff Kingsbury brought in Josh Lambo to try and NFL record 68 yard field goal. Lambo’s kick was dead center but short. Jamal Agnew was back deep for that very scenario. Last week he returned a kickoff for a touchdown. This week he returned the missed field goal, escaped some tacklers, got to the sideline, and strutted in for an NFL record-tying 109 yard missed field goal return touchdown. After trailing for 29 1/2 minutes, the Jaguars somehow led 13-7 at the half. The extra point was no good. 

In the third quarter the Cardinals moved from their 25 to a 1st and 10 at the Jacksonville 43. Murray went for it all deep and was intercepted. The Cardinals got it back at their own 16. Murray went deep to AJ Green for 34 yards. On 3rd and 2 from the Jacksonville 26, Murray threw incomplete. Kliff Kingsbury decided to go for it. On 4th and 2, Murray hit Kirk for 3 yards. On 3rd and 10 from the Jags 23, Murray hit Edmonds for 7. On 4th and 3, Kingsbury decided not to gamble. Matt Prater hit a 34 yard field goal to get the Cardinals within 13-10. After a touchback, Robinson gashed the Arizona defense for gains of 17, 8, 10, 21, 6, and finally the 4 yard touchdown. With 3 1/2 minutes left in the third quarter, the Jaguars had the stunning 19-10 lead. Lambo missed his second extra point on the day. 

After a touchback, Murray went to Edmonds for 9 and Kirk for 18. James Conner ran for 11. Murray then went deep to Kirk for 33. Conner ran for the 4 yard touchdown. with 80 seconds left in the third quarter, the Cardinals were within 19-17. Two plays later on 2nd and 6 from his own 25, Trevor Lawrence was intercepted by Byron Murphy. Murphy returned the interception 29 yards for a defensive touchdown. Just like that, it was the Cardinals leading 24-19 after three quarters. Early in the fourth quarter the Cardinals took over at their own 35. Murray hit Green for 13. On 3rd and 9 just shy of midfield, Murray went deep to Green for 36. On 3rd and 8 from the Jags 13, Murray hit Edmonds for 7. midway through the fourth quarter, Kliff Kingsbury went for the kill shot. On 4th and 1 from the Jags 6, Murray gained 2. Conner ran for a 1 yard touchdown to put the game on ice with 6:49 left. Lawrence fumbled the ball away twice in the final 2 1/2 minutes. The Cardinals got to 3-0 while the 0-3 Jaguars have lost 18 straight games dating back to last year. Urban Meyer is a great college football coach. He still has not won a pro football game. 31-19 Cardinals 

  

Washington Confused Unknowns at Buffalo Bills — 30 years ago these teams met in the Super Bowl back when Washington had a team name. This time the Bills scored first. On 3rd and 15 from their own 20, Josh Allen hit Davis for 23, Emanuel Sanders for 11, Stefan Diggs for 13, and Sanders for a 28 yard touchdown to make it 7-0 Bills.  The Identity Crisis soon faced 3rd and 8 from their own 37. Taylor Heinicke hit Logan Thomas for 17, but in trying to get one more yard Thomas fumbled. The Bills recovered and took over at their own 48. On 3rd and 8 from midfield, Allen threw incomplete but defensive pass interference meant 8 yards and a first down. Allen hit Moss for 17 as the first quarter ended. Early in the second quarter on 3rd and 4 from the Washington 7, Allen hit Moss for the touchdown to make it 14-0 Bills. After a touchback on 2nd and 6 from their own 39, Heinicke was intercepted by Poyer. Moye returned it 28 yards to the Washington 17. On 3rd and 7, Allen fired to the end zone and Knox made a leaping catch for the 14 yard touchdown to make it 21-0 Bills. 

2 plays later the Non-Redskins were on the board. On 2nd and 8 from their own 27, a short pass from Heinicke to Alex Gibson saw Gibson split the seams and outrace terrible tackling attempts for a 73 yard touchdown. The Non-Redskins were down 21-7 and things got stranger on the ensuing kickoff. Nobody for the Bills fielded it. After it bounced around, Non-Redskins kicker Dustin Hopkins ended up falling on it at the Buffalo 24. On 3rd and 4 from the Buffalo 18, Heinicke hit Thomas for 14.. Heinicke scrambled himself for the 4 yard touchdown as the Non-Redskins were right back in it down 21-14 midway through the second quarter.

The Bills got it back at their own 42 with 3 1/2 minutes left in the half. Allen went deep to Sanders for a 41 yard gain. Yet on 2rd and goal at the 3, Allen threw incomplete. Tyler Bass hit a 21 yard field goal to put the Bills up 24-14 with 1:40 left in the half. The Bills got it back at their own 20 with 25 seconds left. Allen hit Diggs for 13, Cole Beasley for 22, Diggs for 11 and Knox for 5. With 2 seconds left, Bass hit from 48 as the Bills took a 27-14 lead to the locker rooms.

In the third quarter the Bills pounded the non-Redskins into submission. From their own 7 yard line, Allen hit Beasley for 11 and Diggs for 9. On 3rd and 5 from their own 35, Allen hit Beasley for 6 and Diggs for 13. On 3rd and 3 from the Washington 39, Allen hit Beasley for 10 and Knox for 11. On 3rd and 3 from the Washington 11, Moss gained 5. Allen hit Sanders for the 5 yard touchdown. The drive was staggering. 17 plays. 93 yards. Nearly 9 1/2 minutes off of the clock. The extra point was no good but the Bills were romping again up 33-14. An interception of Heinicke set up a 29 yard Bass field goal to make it 36-14 Bills. In the fourth quarter after the No-Names turned it over on downs at their own 22, Allen hit Knox for 19 and ran for a 2 yard touchdown himself. The Bills were carpet-bombing the No-Names 43-14. Washington got a garbage touchdown to complete the scoring as the Bills won consecutive blowouts after stumbling in their opener. 43-21 Bills

New York Jets at Denver Broncos — The Broncos began their second drive at their own 25. Runs and short passes had the Broncos facing 3rd and 9 at midfield. Teddy Bridgewater hit Hamler for 28. Melvin Gordon had gains of 4 and 11 down to the one. Javonte Williams got the last yard to make it 7-0 Broncos. In the second quarter the Broncos moved from their 36 to a 3rd and 4 at the Jets 27. Bridgewater threw incomplete but Brandon McManus hit from 45 at the start of the second quarter to make it 10-0 Broncos. With under 3 minutes left in the half the Broncos faced 3rd and 10 at their own 36. Bridgewater ran for 13. Bridgewater hit Patrick for 27 and ran for 6. On 3rd and 10 from the Jets 20, Bridgewater threw incomplete, but defensive pass interference in the end zone meant 1st and goal at the one. Gordon got in as the Broncos led 17-0 at the break. The second half was pointless. McManus hit from 47 in the third quarter and from 21 and 36 in the fourth quarter after a pair of Zach Wilson interceptions. The Broncos are 3-0 but have beat 3 teams with a combined 0-9 record. Vic Fangio’s defense is for real. 26-0 Broncos

Miami Dolphins at Las Vegas Raiders — Last year the Raiders lost a gut-wrenching home game to the Dolphins 26-25. With 19 seconds left and 0 timeouts, the Dolphins were down by 2 at their own 15 yard line. Ryan Fitzpatrick completed a Hail Mary while having his helmet twisted off. That led to Jason Sanders kicking the winning field goal for the Dolphins as time expired. Fitzpatrick and his magic beard are no longer on the team, and Tua Tagovailoa was out with fractured ribs. Jacoby Brissett got the start. The Raiders were 2-0, but again a wild game against the Dolphins came down to the final play. Last year the Raiders were 6-2 on the road and 2-6 at home. This year the Raiders had fans in the stands. What they did not have was Josh Jacobs, which again had Jon Gruden stubbornly trying to run the ball to avoid being one-dimensional. Yet again at home they got off to a bad start. 

The Raiders moved from their own 15 to a 2nd and 5 at the Miami 21. Under pressure Carr threw a short pass that was intercepted by Roberts, who rumbled 85 yards for a defensive touchdown. Just like that, the Dolphins led 7-0. The Raiders soon faced 3rd and 1 from their own 34. without Jacobs, it was up to Peyton Barber, who ran into the teeth of Brian Flores’s tough defense for no gain. Jon Gruden then lost his mind and decided to go for it on 4th and one. Barber again got the carry and again got blasted for no gain. The Dolphins took advantage of the short field. On 3rd and 5 from the Raiders 29, Brissett hit Waddle for just enough. Brown then raced for a 24 yard touchdown. For the second straight home game, the Raiders trailed 14-0 as the Dolphins were dominating. 

Another problem the Raiders faced all game was high snaps from the center when Carr was in the shotgun. Last year the Raiders had the best center in the game in Rodney Hudson. This year before the preseason Andre James was ranked the worst starting center. Carr repeatedly had to jump to catch some high snaps. On 3rd and 10 from their own 35, Carr went to Hunter Renfrow for 25 yards. Yet on the next play a high snap over Carr’s head lead to an intentional grounding penalty and an 18 yard loss. The Raiders finally got a break when punter AJ Cole hit a 49 yard punt that was downed at the Miami one yard line. 

With the Raiders offense malfunctioning, the defense got them on the board. Rather than run the ball to create breathing room, Frank reich called for a West Coast Offense sideways pass. Brissett fired to Jaylen Waddle, who would have been better off dropping it. Instead he was tackled in the end zone by Casey Hayward for a safety. The Raiders trailed 14-2 after the first quarter, but Henry Ruggs returned the free kick 15 yards to the Raiders 37. On 3rd and 6 from their own 41, Carr went to Ruggs for 18. Yet on 3rd and 4 from the Miami 25, Carr was sacked for a 7 yard loss. Daniel Carlson bailed the offense out with a 50 yard field goal as the Raiders got within 14-5.

The Raiders got the ball back at their own 5 yard line. Carr hit Barber for 5 with defensive unnecessary roughness adding 15. Carr then went deep to Ruggs for 23 and hit Darren Waller for 12. On 3rd and 3 from the Miami 29, Carr hit Ruggs for 21 with defensive unnecessary roughness adding 4 more yards. On 1st and goal from the 4, Barber gained 2 yards, got belted, and coughed up the football. Fullback Alec Ingold recovered it and gained another yard as the Raiders avoided disaster. At the 2 minute warning, Carr hit Ingold for the quick touchdown pass as the Raiders were right back in it down 14-12. Gruden then made another bad decision by taking timeouts on defense to try and get the ball back. That strategy almost always backfires. A sack of Brissett had the Dolphins facing 2nd and 23 from their own 16. These timeouts should not be taken by the defense until 4th down. Gaskin gained 14 and the Raiders took their last timeout. On 3rd and 9, Brissett gained 10. Brissett ended up moving the Dolphins into position for Sanders to try a 48 yard field goal to end the half. Gruden’s decision backfired but the Raiders dodged a bullet as Sanders dunked the kick off the upright no good.

The Raiders began the third quarter at their own 28 and finally got rolling. Barber gained 14. On 3rd and 6 from their own 46, Carr hit Zee Jones for 15 with defensive unnecessary roughness adding 15 more. Determined to keep running the ball, Ruggs gained 7 and Barber added 4. Carr hit Foster Moreau for 11, but offensive pass interference on Moreau meant 2nd and 19 from the Miami 22. Carr went to Renfrow for 10. On 3rd and 9, Carr fired to Renfrow again for the 12 yard touchdown. Midway through the third quarter the Raiders had their first lead up 19-14. 

The Raiders got it back at their own 16. Barber ran for 19 and 3. Carr then went to Barber for 23 more. Barber then gained another 12. On 3rd and 13 from the Miami 42, Carr went to Waller for 23 yards. The fourth quarter began with the Raiders facing 3rd and 8 at the Miami 17. Carr went to Kenyan Drake for 16 yards down to the one. Barber got in for the touchdown. Yet in another ominous foreshadowing event, Carlson missed the extra point. Last year his missed extra point was the difference in the gut wrenching 26-25 home loss to Miami. This year the Raiders led 25-14. 25 unanswered points had the Raiders in firm control. Now they needed to close the door. The Raiders still do not know how to finish games. After all this time, they just cannot make it easy on themselves. The fourth quarter showed the Raiders at their worst. 

With 13 minutes left in regulation, the Dolphins faced 3rd and 5 at their own 30. Gaskin gained just enough. On 2nd and 7 from the Raiders 48, Brissett scrambled for 19. On 3rd and 4 from the Raiders 23, Brissett was sacked. Sanders hit the 46 yard field goal to get the Dolphins within 25-17. The missed extra point by Carlson meant it was now a one score game again. With 8 1/2 minutes left in regulation, the Raiders offense could not take time off the clock. On 3rd and 3 from their own 32, Carr threw incomplete. After using only 90 seconds, the Raiders punted. The Dolphins soon faced 3rd and 7 at their own 33. Brissett went deep incomplete but a mindless roughing the passer penalty by Maxx Crosby gave the Dolphins 15 yards and new life. It was an unnecessary hit well after the ball had been released. The defense redeemed themselves on this drive. On 3rd and 1 from the Raiders 43, Brown got stopped cold for no gain. With 4 1/2 minutes left, Frank Reich went for it. Brissett got stopped cold. The Raiders defense had come up big. Now the offense needed to close the door.

With excellent field position, the Raiders offense failed and went 3 and out for the second straight drive. Making matters worse, on 3rd and 11, Carr was sacked for a 15 yard loss. This totally shifted field position. AJ Cole again bailed the Raiders out with a 67 yard punt as the Dolphins took over at their own 18 with 3:22 to play and one timeout. With 2:18 left the Dolphins were down to their last gasp facing 4th and 8 from their own 35. One defensive stop would end the game. Instead Brissett hit Davante Parker for 15 at the 2 minute warning. Brissett then went to Matt Gesicki for gains of 10 and 9. On 2nd and 1 from the Raiders 27, Brissett went deep to the end zone into double coverage and drew a defensive pass interference call. Now it was 1st and goal at the one with 1:09 left. 

The Raiders defense tried to hang tough Brown was dropped or a one yard loss. Then he was stopped again for no gain as the Dolphins called their last timeout with 35 seconds left. The Raiders were also out of timeouts. On 3rd and goal at the 2, Brissett, got stopped again after a one yard gain as the clock ticked down. On 4th and goal at the one, it was all on the line. Brissett scrambled, evaded tacklers, and made it to the end zone. Only 2 seconds remained. Now the dolphins needed the 2 point conversion to tie the game. Brissett fired to Will Fuller in the front corner of the end zone. The Raiders collapse was pretty much complete. Carlson’s missed extra point for the 2nd straight year loomed large. Yet last year it meant a 26-25 loss. This year the game was tied 25-25. The game was going to overtime.

The Raiders won the toss. After a touchback, Barber gained 6. Carr then hit Ruggs for 16 and went deep to bryan Edwards for a 32 yard gain. A touchdown would end the game. Yet on 2nd and 9 from the Miami 20, Carr threw incomplete twice. Carlson came in for a 38 yard field goal to give the Raiders the lead. Carlson was good and the Raiders led 28-25. The Dolphins would still have a chance to win. Offensive holding and incompletions again had the Dolphins down to their supposed last gasp. They faced 4th and 20 from their own 15. One defensive stop would end the game. Instead Brissett avoided the pressure and hit Gesicki for a 27 yard gain. The Raiders were on the verge of an epic collapse. On 3rd and 7 from their own 45 and the Raiders expecting a pass, Gaskin ran for 15. On 3rd and 3 from the Raiders 33, a completion by Brissett only gained one yard. The defense finally got a stop, but the Dolphins were in field goal range. Sanders came in for a 50 yard try. Again, the Raiders shot themselves in the foot by failing to close the door. Sanders was good. The only consolation was that the game was tied 28-28. The Dolphins did not win. 

The Raiders took over at their own 25 with 2:49 left in overtime. A false start meant 2nd and 15 from their own 20. Carr went deep to Edwards for a 34 yard gain. Barber then gashed the miami defense for gains of 27, 8, one, and on 3rd and 1 from the 10, a critical four yards. Jon Gruden’s stubborn determination to run the football finally broke the stout Miami defense. On 1st and goal at the 6 and the Dolphins out of timeouts, Carr took a knee to center the ball. The Raiders took their last timeout with 3 seconds left. Carlson’s kick would only be 22 yards. Carlson was good and the Raiders had their second straight wild overtime win. Carr was lights out for the 3rd straight game, going 26 of 43 for 386 yards, 2 touchdowns and the early interception. Also of importance is that even without Jacobs, the Raiders rushed for 140 yards. Barber carried 23 times for 111 yards. 

It was not pretty for long stretches. It was the epitome of the Al Davis mantra. Just win baby. For the first time since 2002, the Raiders are 3-0. All 3 teams they have beaten won at least 10 games last year. The last time the Raiders started 3-0, they went to the Super Bowl. It is way too early to think that way, but this is a resilient team with character, guts and heart that twice has overcome 14 point deficits to win. Nothing ever comes easy for the Raiders. They got to 3-0 the hard way, the hardest of the hard way. The wins count. 31-28 Raiders, OT

Seattle Seahawks at Minnesota Vikings — After blowing a 14 point lead in a stunning loss against Tennessee, the Seahawks looked to rebound against the winless Vikings. The Seahawks again started hot. After a touchback, Russell Wilson hit DK Metcalf for 17. On 3rd and 1 just past midfield, Chris Carson gained 4. on 3rd and 3 from the Minnesota 38, Wilson hit Metcalf for 28 and again for a 10 yard touchdown to make it 7-0 Seahawks. The Vikings took over at their own 30. Kirk Cousins hit Mattison for 20, Conklin for 17, and Justin Jefferson for 8 and 10. Cousins went to Conklin for a 7 yard touchdown to tie the game 7-7.

The Seahawks soon faced 3rd and 7 from their own 28. Wilson hit Swain for 10 and Metcalf for 12 to midfield. Carson ripped off a pair of 8 yard gains. On 2nd and 9 from the Minnesota 33, Wilson hit Tyler Lockett for 9 but an illegal block nullified the play and killed the drive. Jason Myers buried a 53 yard field goal to make it 10-7 Seahawks. The Seahawks got it back at their own 24 to start the second quarter. Swain gained 11. Wilson went to Metcalf for 21. Carson did the rest, rushing for 8, 3, 3, and then a 30 yard touchdown. The Seahawks had a 17-7 lead, but for the second straight week, a double digit lead was squandered through offensive malfunctions and defensive lapses uncharacteristic of the Pete Carroll era.

The Vikings soon faced 3rd and 3 from their own 22. Cousins was sacked, but defensive holding kept the drive going. Cousins then hit Mattison for 23 to midfield. From the Seattle 38, Cousins hit Jefferson for 26 and Conklin for 7. On 3rd and 13 from the Seattle 15, Cousins hit Adam Thielen for the touchdown. With 5 1/2 minutes left in the half, the Vikings were within 17-14. The Seahawks moved from their own 21 to a 3rd and 3 at the Minnesota 26. Wilson threw incomplete. Jason Myers then missed a 44 yard field goal try. The Vikings took over at their own 34 with 3:14 left in the half. On 3rd and 1 from their own 43, Ham gained 2 at the 2 minute warning. Mattison then gained 12. On 3rd and 4 from the Seattle 37, Cousins hit Thielen for 7. On 3rd and 8 from the Seattle 28, Cousins hit Jefferson for 9 and Conklin for 16. With 16 seconds left in the half, Cousins hit Jefferson for the touchdown to give the Vikings the 21-17 lead.

The Vikings have won through most of Mike Zimmer’s tenure with hard-nosed defense. Last year that defense slipped, but this year they seem to have returned. They clamped down and shut out the Seahawks in the second half. Last week Greg Joseph was the goat, missing a 37 yard field goal at the gun in a heartbreaking one point loss. This week Joseph put the game on ice. He hit from 43 in the third quarter and from 34 and 20 in the fourth quarter. Both teams are 1-2 on the year, a big surprise to fans in Seattle. 30-17 Vikings

Tampa Bay Buccaneers at Los Angeles Rams — The Buccaneers are the defending champs, but the Rams beat them last year. This time they met in the new SoFi stadium with Matthew Stafford at quarterback. Each team punted twice and the Rams began their 3rd drive at their own 5. On 3rd and 4 from their own 11, Stafford hit Tyler Higbee for 12, Cooper Kupp for 22, Jefferson for 11, and Higbee for 5. On 3rd and 1 from the Tampa 35, Sony Michel gained 4. The second quarter began as the Rams faced 3rd and 3 at the Tampa 19. Stafford hit Robert Woods for 6. On 3rd and 3 from the Tampa 6, Stafford hit Higbee for the touchdown to make it 7-0 Rams. The 14 play, 95 yard drive took 8 minutes off the clock. 

The Buccaneers came back 15 plays, 76 yards and 8 minutes of ball control themselves. On 3rd and 7 from their own 27, Tom Brady hit Bernard for just enough. on 3rd and 6 from their own 38, Brady hit Chris Godwin for 7. On 2nd and 15 from their own 40, Brady hit Mike Evans for 17. On 3rd and 1 from the Rams 34, Jones gained 3. Brady then hit Rob Gronkowski for 26 yards down to the 5. Godwin ran for a 2 yard touchdown to tie the game 7-7 with 4 minutes left in the half. After a touchback, Stafford Kupp for 9. On 3rd and 4 from their own 44. Stafford hit Higbee for 11, Jefferson for 21 nd Kupp for 22 down to the 2 with 50 seconds left. Stafford hit Kupp for the touchdown as the Rams led 14-7. The Buccaneers quickly moved from their own 25 to a 3rd and 8 at the Rams 37 with 3 seconds left. Ryan Succop came in for a 55 yard field goal try to end the half, but it was no good. 

Sean McVay kept his foot on the gas as the Rams scored lightning quick in the third quarter. On 3rd and 10 from his own 25, Stafford went deep to Jackson for a 75 yard touchdown. Just like that, the Rams led 21-7. The Buccaneers soon faced 1st and 15 from their own 20. Brady hit Evans for 20, Gronk for 15, Evans for 11, Gronk for 6, Leonard Fournette for 7 and Cameron brace for 17 down to the one. Brady got the last yard himself to get the Buccaneers within 21-14. The Rams soon faced 3rd and 10 at their own 25 again. Stafford went to Woods for 20. On 3rd and 5 rom midfield, Stafford went to Jackson for 40 and to Kupp for the 10 yard touchdown. Midway through the third quarter, the Rams led 28-14. 

The Buccaneers then went backward and punted on 4th and 24 from their own 22. A shanked punt went only 15 yards to give the Rams a short field at the Tampa 37. On 3rd and 8 a completion only gained 5 yards. Matt Gay hit the 48 yard field goal to put the Rams up 31-14. After a touchback the Buccaneers soon faced 1st and goal at the 8. Brady threw 3 straight incompletions. Needing 3 scores, Bruce Arians opted for the field goal. Succop hit from 26 as the Buccaneers were within 31-17 after 3 quarters. 

In the fourth quarter the Rams played ground and pound. A 13 play, 67 yard drive consumed 8 minutes. Sony Michel ran for 11. Stafford hit Kupp for 17 and 6. On 3rd and 1 from the Tampa 36, Michel got the yard. On 3rd and 2 from the Tampa 27, Stafford hit Jefferson for 10. On 3rd and 4 from the Tampa 11, Stafford hit Kupp for only 3. On 4th and 1 from the Tampa 8, Sean McVay put his emotions aside. A 26 yard field goal would make it a 3 score game. Gay delivered and the Rams led 34-17. The Buccaneers got a garbage touchdown with just over one minute left, no more. The Buccaneers lost their first game this year while the Rams remained 3-0 with a big statement win. Brady was a ridiculous 41 of 55 for 432 yards and one touchdown. It was the first time Brady passed for over 400 yards without an interception and still lost. Stafford was 27 of 38 for 343 yards and 4 touchdown passes. Neither quarterback was intercepted. 34-24 Rams

Green Bay Packers at San Francisco 49ers was the Sunday night game. Two years ago the Packers got belted twice in San Francisco, the latter game in the NFC Title Game. The 49ers were injured last year but were healthy this year. After having to play home games in Arizona last year due to Covid, the 49ers were back at Levi Stadium for this game. This time Aaron Rodgers got off to a hot start. The Packers quickly moved from their own 25 to a 1st and 10 at the San Francisco 15. then a short pass lost 4 yards and an offensive facemask lost 15 more.Then a run lost 4 more. On 3rd and 33 from the San Francisco 38, a completion only gained 2 yards. Matt LaFleur brought in Mason Crosby, who bailed out the offense with a 54 yard field goal to make it 3-0 Packers.

The Packers got it back at their own 20. Rodgers hit Devontae Adams for 12 and then went deep to marquis Valdes-Scantling for 47. On 3rd and 6 from the Frisco 15, Rodgers hit Adams for 14 and then again for the one yard touchdown. The Packers led 10-0 after the opening quarter. An interception of Jimmy Garoppolo gave the Packers a short field at the San Francisco 32. On 3rd and 4 from the Frisco 6, Rodgers hit Aaron Jones for only 3 yards. Matt Lafleur went for it on 4th and 1 from the 3 and Rodgers threw incomplete. The Packers got it back and soon faced 3rd and 6 from their own 17. Rodgers went deep incomplete but defensive pass interference meant a 32 yard gain. On 3rd and 3 from the San Francisco 44, Rodgers hit Adams for 15 at the 2 minute warning. Rodgers hit Adams for 19. On 2nd and goal at the 3, Jones ran for the touchdown. The Packers were dominating 17-0 with one minute left in the half, but they relaxed too early.

The Cannon took the ensuing kickoff at the goal line and brought it back 68 yards to the Green Bay 32. Garoppolo hit George Kittle for 10 and Mohammed San for 11. On 3rd and 5 from the Green Bay 6, Garoppolo threw incomplete but defensive pass interference meant 1st and goal at the one with 19 seconds left. Incompletions meant 3rd and goal at the one with 7 seconds left. Kyle Shanahan took Garoppolo out and brought in Trey Lance. Lance got around the end for the one yard touchdown as the 49ers were only down 17-7. The 49ers began the third quarter at their own 17 and soon faced 3rd and 1 from their own 26. Lance came in again for one play and Kyle Juszczyk gained 2.  Garoppolo then hit Deebo Samuel for 19. Sermon gained 16. On 3rd and 9 from the Green Bay 24, Garoppolo hit Samuel for 16. On 3rd and goal from the 8, Garoppolo hit Aiyuk for the touchdown as the 49ers only trailed 17-14 midway through the third quarter. The 13 play, 83 yard, 7 1/2 minute drive had the 49ers right back in it.

The Packers took over at their own 14. Rodgers hit Adams for 9, Dillon for 6, Adams for 7. Dillon gained 6 and 2. On 3rd and 2 from the Green Bay 46, Rodgers threw deep incomplete but defensive pass interference meant a 24 yard gain. Jones gained 12 as the Packers began the fourth quarter at the 49ers 18 yard line. On 3rd and 4 from the Frisco 12, Rodgers hit Valdes-Scantling for the touchdown. 90 seconds into the fourth quarter, the Packers led 24-14 after the 10 play, 86 yard, 6 minute drive. The 49ers soon faced 3rd and 14 from their own 15. Garoppolo threw incomplete but defensive pass interference meant a 35 yard gain. Garoppolo then hit Sanu for 16. Garoppolo hit Juszczyk for 9. Lance came on 2nd and goal at the 3 and threw incomplete, but defensive holding meant 1st and goal at the one. Garoppolo came back in and Sermon got in. Midway through the fourth quarter, the 49ers were again right back in it down 24-21. 

The 49ers got it back and moved from their own 26 to a 2nd and 10 at the Green Bay 44. Garoppolo went back to pas and fumbled without being touched. His arms as going forward but he threw the ball backward, so it was a fumble. The Packers took over at the Frisco 38 with a chance to ice the game. Yet on 3rd and 4 from the Frisco 20, Rodgers threw incomplete. Crosby hit the 38 yard field goal to put the Packers up 27-21, but 2:43 still remained. 

The 49ers soon faced 3rd and 10 from their own 25. Garoppolo hit Kittle for a 39 yard gain. On 3rd and 10 from the Green Bay 36, Garoppolo hit Samuel for 12, Kittle for 12, and Juszczyk for the 12 yard touchdown. with 37 seconds left, the 49ers had the 28-27 lead. Yet 37 seconds was an eternity for Aaron Rodgers, even without a timeout. Rodgers hit Adams for 25 to midfield and then spiked the ball with 20 seconds left. On 3rd and 10 from midfield, Rodgers hit Adams for 17 and everyone raced to the line. Rodgers spiked the ball again with 3 seconds left. The 49ers took their final timeout. The Packers were already out of timeouts. Crosby came in for a 51 yard field goal try as the entire game hinged on his leg. Crosby was good. Rodgers got the monkey off his back and beat the 49ers in San Francisco. Or in Santa Clara. Either way, it was a big road win. 30-28 Packers

Philadelphia Eagles at Dallas Cowboys was the Monday night game. These division rivals were mismatched as the Cowboys went right to work. Dak Prescott went to Schultz and Ezekiel Elliott for a pair of 8 yard gains. Elliott also ran for 9. Prescott then went deep tp Ceedee Lamb for a 44 yard gain down to the one. Elliott got the last yard to put the Cowboys up 7-0. On the first play after a touchback, Jalen Hurts connected with Dallas Goedert for a 38 yard gain. Yet 2 plays later Hurts went deep and his under thrown ball was intercepted by Brown at the one yard line. 2 plays later Prescott was sacked in his own end zone and fumbled. Cox recovered in the end zone for a defensive touchdown and a 7-7 game. The Cowboys moved from their own 25 to a 4th and goal at the one. Mike McCarthy went for it. Rather than run a West Coast Offense play, McCathy actually did the right thing and had Prescott keep it. However, Prescott got stopped cold by the Eagles defense. 

The Cowboys got the ball back at midfield and Tony Pollard ran for 6, 5 and 7. Prescott hit Schultz for 12 and again for a 19 yard touchdown. The Cowboys led 14-7 after the first quarter. The Cowboys got it back in the second quarter and faced 3rd and 7 from their own 38. The defense jumped offside. On 3rd and 2, Prescott hit Schultz for 8. Elliott ran for gains of 9 and 8. On 3rd and 1 from the Philadelphia 26, Prescott hit Jarwin for 5. On 3rd and goal at the 3, Elliott got in. The extra point was no good but the Cowboys led 20-7 after the 13 play, 85 yard, 8 minute drive. After the third quarter touchback, it was more of the same. Hurts started with a 28 yard completion to Goedert. Then he hit Diggs for a 59 yard touchdown. Problem: Diggs plays for the Dallas defense. His interception at the sideline had him practically coasting the distance as the Cowboys led 27-7.

The Eagles tried to make a game of it. On 3rd and 8 from their own 12, Hurts went deep to Watkins for 41 yards. Hurts then ran for 9 and then hit Zac Ertz for 27. On 3rd and 2 from the Dallas 3, Hurts hit Ertz for the touchdown . The 90 yard drive had the eagles within 27-14 midway through the third quarter. The Cowboys came back 61 yards in 12 plays and over 6 minutes to turn out the lights. From his own 39, Prescott hit Amari cooper for 13. On 3rd and 5 from the Philly 43, Prescott hit Schultz for 11. Elliott ran for gains of 4 and 8. On 3rd and goal at the 12, a completion only gained 7. However, the defense jumped offside. On 3rd and goal at the 7, Prescott gained only 5. Despite getting stopped earlier, Mike McCarthy again gambled on 4th and goal from the 2. Prescott hit Cedric Wilson for the touchdown and the 34-14 Cowboys lead with 11 1/2 minutes left in regulation. After a touchback, the Eagles moved to a 4th and 10 at their own 43. Hurts was sacked for a 12 yard loss. With a short field from the Philly 31, the Cowboys put the dagger in. On 3rd and 1, Prescott hit Schultz for the 22 yard touchdown to make it 41-14 Cowboys. The Eagles got a garbage touchdown and no more. 41-21 Cowboys

https://www.commdiginews.com/sports/nfl/nfl-week-3-preview-will-raiders-continue-their-2-0-streak-140293/

NFL 2021 Week 2 Recap

New York Giants at Washington Identity Crisis was the Thursday night game. Sometimes a pair of unspectacular teams can come together for a spectacular game. This actually was that game. After the No-Names went 3 and out, The Giants took over at their own 21. Daniel Jones hit Kyle Rudolph for 12 and Kenny Golladay for 18. On 3rd and 10 from the Washington 46, Jones hit Sterling Shepard for 13. Jones then ran for 15. On 2nd and 12 from the Washington 16, Jones threw incomplete but roughing the passer meant 1st and goal at the 8. Jones ran for a 6 yard touchdown to cap the 11 play, 75 yard, 6 minute drive and make it 7-0 Giants. The Giants got it back at their own 24 and Saquon Barkley broke off a 41 yard run. Yet on 3rd and 2 from the Washington 27, a false start made it 3rd and 7. Then Jones, who makes far too many mistakes, was sacked for a 6 yard loss. Joe Judge decided to punt rather than try a 56 yard field goal. Graham Gano has the leg, but it was still a terrible decision by Jones that cost the Giants a chance to expand their lead.

Late in the first quarter the Burgundy Arrow people took over at their own 10. Taylor Heinicke hit Brown for 22 and Terry McLaurin for 12. On 3rd and 1 from the Giants 39 to start the second quarter, Gibson got stopped. Riverboat Ron Rivera went for it rather than try a 57 yard field goal. Heinicke took the quarterback sneak 2 yards. On 3rd and 1 from the Giants 28, Gibson got the yard. Heinicke hit McLaurin for 16 and again for the 11 yard touchdown to culminate the 13 play, 90 yard, 7 minute drive and make it a 7-7 ballgame. 

Midway through the second quarter the Giants faced 3rd and 1 from their own 31. Penny gained 3. Yet despite moving from their own 22 to a 2nd and 8 at the Washington 11, Saquon Barkley got stopped and Jons hit Shepard for only 6 yards. On 4th and 2 from the Washington 5, Joe judge opted for the field goal. Gano hit from 23 to make it 10-7 Giants. The 10 play, 73 yard drive would be one of many on the night where the Giants did not reach the end zone and settled for a field goal.

The No-bames took over at their own 16 with 4 minutes left in the half. Gibson gained 10. Heinicke then hit Logan Thomas for 24 and Humphries for 12 and again for 7 as the clock hit the 2 minute warning. On 3rd and 1 from the Giants 27, JD McKissic gained 2. Heinicke hit McLaurin for 10. With 21 seconds left in the half and both teams out of timeouts, the No-Names faced 3rd and 1 from the Giants 2. McKissic ran it in for the touchdown as the Washington Riveras led 14-10 at the half. The first half was fairly quiet. The second half was far from quiet.

After a touchback to start the second half, Jones hit Shepard for 17. On 2nd and 2 from midfield, Jones gained 9. On 3rd and 7 from the Washington 38, a completion gained only 5 yards. Yet defensive holding meant an automatic first down. On 1st and 10 from the Washington 33, Barkley got trapped in the backfield for a 6 yard loss to kill the drive. Gano hit a 47 yard field goal. The Giants were within 14-13, but again they bogged down when it mattered.  The Giants got it back but soon faced 3rd and 13 from their own 32. Jones threw incomplete but defensive pass interference meant 13 yards and a 1st down. On 3rd and 7 from the Giants 48, Jones found Shepard for 19. Jones then went to Darius Slayton for a 33 yard touchdown. With 4:40 left in the third quarter, Joe Judge opted against the 2 point conversion. It was the right call, as the extra point put the Giants up 20-14. 

The game then turned into a battle of field goals. Dustin Hopkins hit from 49 in the third quarter to get Washington within 20-17. Gano hit from 52 only 90 seconds into the fourth quarter to put the Giants up 23-17. Hopkins hit from 37 with 9 minutes left to get The Burgundy Arrow team within 23-20. After a touchback, the Giants soon faced 1st and 10 from the Washington 43. Jones went bombs away and Slayton had his man beat. Slayton was wide open. The throw was there. It bounced off of Slayton’s fingertips incomplete. He just dropped it. On 3rd and 5 from the Washington 38, the Giants were called for consecutive false starts. On 3rd and 15, Jones ran for 11. With 4:50 to play, Gano came in for a 55 yard field try. Gano drilled it. His 4th field goal on the day put the Giants up 26-20. Yet again, the Giants did not finish a drive. 30-20 might have put the game out of reach. 26-20 did not, making for a thrilling finish.

One play after a touchback, Heinicke went deep to McKissic for a 56 yard gain. One play after that, Heinicke went to Ricky Seals-Jones for a 19 yard touchdown. The No-Names now had the 27-26 lead with 4 1/2 minutes to play after needing only 17 seconds to score. Again, Joe Judge’s decision not to go for 2 was the right call. Chasing points usually backfires. The real problem was too many field goals and too few touchdowns, with Slayton’s drop looming large. The Giants appeared in trouble when they went 3 and out, but a good punt pinned the No-Names back at their own 8 yard line. 

With 3:13 left to play, Gibson ripped off an 11 yard gain. Gibson ran for 3 more and the Giants called their 1st timeout with 2:22 left. With washington facing 2nd and 7 at their own 22, it was obvious they were going to keep running the ball. Ron Rivera is a good coach and Heinicke had played a mistake-free game. That was about to end. Rivera called a pass play even though you do not throw the ball in this situation. You certainly do not throw the ball over the middle of the field where there is traffic. It never ends well. Just ask Marshawn Lynch. In a stunning turn of events, Heinicke was intercepted by Bradberry. One minute the Giants were on the ropes. All of a sudden, they were in the driver’s seat. 

The Giants took over at the Washington 20 with 2:16 left. Yet if Rivera was too aggressive, Joe Judge was far too conservative. He had Barkley run the ball twice for a total of 3 yards. Then on 3rd and 7, Jones threw incomplete. Gano hit his 5th field goal on the night from 35 yards out. The Giants had the 29-27 lead at the 2 minute warning. Yet 2 minutes still remained. The Giants again settled for a field goal, again failed to close the door, and left way too much time on the clock. 

After a touchback, Washington took over with one timeout left. On 3rd and 8 from their own 27, Heinicke hit McKissic for only 7. With 1:16 to play on 4th and 1 from the Washington 34, McKissic gained 4 to keep the drive alive. Again, the Giants failed to close the door. On 2nd and 1 from their own 47, the Giants jumped into the neutral zone. The Giants took their 2nd timeout with 39 seconds left. With 28 seconds left, both teams took their final timeout as the No-Names faced 3rd and 5 at the Giants 43. Heinicke hit Humphries for 7. Again, the Giants failed to close the door. Heinicke then hit McLaurin for 6 and spiked the ball to stop the clock with 5 seconds left. Hopkins came in for a 48 yard field goal to give the Washington Identity Crisis the win. The kick was no good, wide right. The Giants celebrated, which was a mistake on a night filled with them. The Giants jumped offside. Hopkins would get another shot from 5 yards closer. From 43 yards out, Hopkins tried to miss it again but snuck it inside the right upright good. The game was a thriller, but the Giants are 0-2 for obvious reasons. This game was played on Yom Kippur. The Giants players, whether Jewish or non-Jewish, should atone and apologize for blowing this game. 30-29 No-Names Identity Crisis

New England Patriots at New York Jets — Even with rookie Mac Jones, Evil Hoodie sought to beat the Jets for the billionth time. Rookie Zach Wilson was quickly intercepted, setting up the Patriots at the Jets 35. The defense held as nick Folk hit a 46 yard field goal to make it 3-0 Patriots. Wilson was then intercepted again on a deep ball as the Patriots took over at their own 28. Jones hit White for 28 yards and then went to Smith for 19 more. White ran for 7 and then another 7 for the touchdown to make it 10-0 Patriots. In the second quarter the Jets moved from their own 38 to a 3rd and goal at the 2. Johnson got the carry and lost  yard. Ammendola hit a 21 yard field goal to get the Jets on the board. With 2:09 left in the half the Patriots took over at their own 31. They moved to a 3rd and 2 at the Jets 21 with 22 seconds left in the half. An intentional grounding call killed the drive. Folk nailed a 49 yard field goal as the Patriots took a 13-3 lead to the locker rooms.  

The Jets misery continued in the third quarter. On 2nd and 28 from his own 24, Wilson was intercepted for the 3rd time. Devin McCourty returned the interception 22 yards to the Jets 35. Two plays later Harris ran for a 26 yard touchdown. The extra point was no good but the Patriots led 19-3. The Jets tried to get back in it, but a 10 play, 55 yard, 6 minute drive ended when Ammendola missed a 53 yard field goal. From their own 43, the Patriots easily moved into the red zone. They settled for a 32 yard Folk field goal to lead 22-3 over the hapless Jets. For those looking for inspiration, look elsewhere. The Jets tacked on one more fourth quarter field goal and the Patriots added one more of their own. 25-6 Patriots

Denver Broncos at Jacksonville Jaguars — Denver’s defense is back into form and the Jaguars have a rookie quarterback and coach. Yet early on from their own 17, it was the Jaguars going right to work. On 3rd and 2 from their own 25, Trevor Lawrence hit J O’Shaughnessy for 24 yards. On 3rd and 6 from the Denver 47, Lawrence threw incomplete but illegal contact on the defense meant an automatic first down. On 3rd and 13 from the Denver 25, Lawrence hit Jones for the first down and the touchdown as the Jaguars led 7-0. After a touchback the Broncos moved to a 2nd and 8 from the Jacksonville 10. Teddy Bridgewater was then sacked for a 16 yard loss to kill the drive. Brandon McManus hit the 32 yard field goal to get the Broncos within 7-3. Yet the 13 play, 61 yard, 9 minute drive could not reach the end zone. 

Midway through the second quarter, the Jaguars missed a chance to extend the lead when Josh Lambo missed a 52 yard field goal. With 6 minutes left in the half, a sack of Teddy Bridgewater had the Broncos facing 2nd and 16 from their own 14. Bridgewater hit Williams for 10 and on 3rd and 6 hit Sutton for 16. Bridgewater went deep to Sutton for 33 yards and Hinton for 15 more. With 1:54 left in the half, Bridgewater went to Patrick for the 12 yard touchdown for the 10-7 Broncos lead. The Jaguars moved after a touchback to a 1st and 10 at the Denver 30 with 39 seconds left in the half. Lawrence then threw 3 straight incompletions. From 48 yards out to tie the game, Lambo was again no good. Only 19 seconds remained, and with 2 seconds left the Broncos faced 4th and 1 from their own 47. Rather than try the Hail Mary, Vic Fangio opted for the hook and laterals. Bridgewater found Melvin Gordon for 30 yards, but no more. 

The Broncos made it look easy to start the third quarter. Bridgewater went deep to Sutton for a 55 yard gain. Bridgewater then went to Fast for a 14 yard touchdown to make it 17-7 Broncos.  In the third quarter an interception of Lawrence set up a 46 yard McManus field goal to make it 20-7 Broncos. In the fourth quarter another interception of Lawrence led to another McManus field goal from 40 to make it 23-7 Broncos with 5 1/2 minutes remaining. Jamal Agnew returned the ensuing kickoff 102 yards for the Jaguars only touchdown on the day. The 2 point try was no good and the Broncos ran the final 5 1/2 minutes off of the clock. The Broncos may have beaten a pair of very bad teams, but their 2-0 record still counts in the standings. 23-13 Broncos

Buffalo Bills at Miami Dolphins — Despite a brutal home loss to Pittsburgh, the Bills came out and took it to the Dolphins in Miami. A 20 yard punt return had the Bills taking over at the Miami 46. Singletary then ran for a 46 yard touchdown to make it 7-0 Bills. The Dolphins moved from their own 25 to a 4th and 2 at the Buffalo 48. Brian Flores decided to go for it and Tua Tagovailoa threw incomplete. Tagovailoa was injured on the play. On 3rd and 5 from the Miami 47, Josh Allen ran for 6 yards. Allen then went deep to Sanders for a 35 yard gain. On 3rd and goal at the 5, Allen hit Stefan Diggs for the touchdown to make it 14-0 Bills. 

With Tagovailoa injured and Ryan Fitzpatrick and his magic furry beard being shipped to Washington, it was up to Jacoby Brissett to lead the Dolphins. The Bills defense smothered him. First Brissett was intercepted. Then on the next Dolphins drive they moved from their own 21 to a 3rd and 6 at the Buffalo 11. Brissett threw incomplete. On 3rd and 6 Brissett hit Grant for 5, but Grant fumbled and the Bills recovered. Josh Allen was intercepted to set up the Dolphins at the Buffalo 24. On 4th and 2 from the Buffalo 16, Brian Flores went for it and Brown only gained one yard. Tyler Bass missed a 53 yard field goal that would have extended the Buffalo lead. The Bills had chance after chance to blow the game wide open and didn’t do it. Yet in the second half, they did.

After a touchback to start the third quarter, Allen hit Cole beasley for 22 and Emanuel Sanders for 13. Allen went to Singletary for 6 with a defensive facemask adding 15 more. On 3rd and 6 from the Miami 15, Allen hit Diggs for 7. Allen hit Dawson Knox for the 8 yard touchdown to make it 21-0 Bills. From their own 20, the Dolphins soon had 2nd and 2 from their own 41. Brissett threw incomplete twice yet Brian Flores went for it. On 4th and 2, Brissett threw incomplete again. On 3rd and 2 from the Miami 33, moss gained 5. On 3rd and 1 from the Miami 19, Gilliam got stopped. Sean McDermott went for it. On 4th and 1 Allen gained 2. After a defensive unnecessary roughness penalty set up 1st and goal from the 7, Zack Moss ran it in from the air for another score and a 28-0 Bills lead early in the fourth quarter. The Bills got it back at their own 38 and Allen went deep to Diggs for a 41 yard gain. Moss ran for a one yard touchdown to complete the blowout. After getting smacked around at home, Buffalo went on the road and humiliated the Dolphins. The Dolphins are one fluke fumble recovery away from being an 0-2 team. 35-0 Bills 

San Francisco 49ers at Philadelphia Eagles — The Eagles moved from their own 21 to a 3rd and 3 at the San Francisco 26. Jalen Hurts threw incomplete. Jake Elliott his the 45 yard field goal to put the Eagles up 3-0. The Eagles got it back at their own 17 and moved to a 3rd and 1 at the San Francisco 27. On the first play of the second quarter, Sanders got the carry and lost 2 yards. Elliott came in for a 45 yard field goal try to extend the lead, but the kick was blocked. After that momentum changed and the 49ers defense clamped down. 

The game then became a defensive slugfest. With 4:20 left in the half the 49ers took over at their own 3 yard line. On 3rd and 3 from their own 10, Jimmy Garoppolo hit Deebo Samuel for 5. Runs and short passes had the 49ers facing 3rd and 1 at their own 45 with 28 seconds left in the half. Garoppolo gained 4 and the 49ers took their 2nd timeout. The Philadelphia defense had been stout for 29 1/2 minutes. Then they had one meltdown. A short pass from Garoppolo to Samuel to get in field goal range instead went for a 40 yard gain. On the next play Garoppolo hit Jennings for the 11 yard touchdown with 12 seconds left in the half. The 49ers led 7-3 at the break. 

With 5 minutes left in the third quarter, the 49ers took over at their own 8. Garoppolo hit Samuel for 6 and mitchell gained 10 and 2. On 3rd and 2 from their own 32, Garoppolo hit Brad Aiyuk for 6. The fourth quarter began with the 49ers facing 3rd and 7 at their own 41. Garoppolo hit Samuel for 15. On 3rd and 1 from the Philly 35, Garoppolo gained 4. Hasty then ran for 21. On 3rd and goal at the 3, Garoppolo threw incomplete but defensive pass interference meant 1st and goal at the one. Garoppolo snuck in for the score as the 49ers had the 14-3 lead with 11 minutes left in regulation. The staggering 16 play, 92 yard drive consumed 9 minutes and seemed to finally break the tough Philadelphia defense for good. 

The 49ers tacked on a field goal with 5 minutes left in regulation to lead 17-3. After a touchback, Jalen Hurts went into desperation mode. He hit Gainwell for 9, and then ran for gains of 9 and 27, with 15 more tacked on for defensive unnecessary roughness. Hurts hit Dallas Goedert for 14 and ran in the last yard himself. For some strange reason the Eagles went for 2 and Gainwell ran it in. The Eagles needed only one minute to score, getting them within 6 with 4 minutes still remaining.  The 49ers took over at their own 14 and the Eagles were out of timeouts. With 2 1/2 minutes left, everything came down to the 49ers facing 3rd and 1 from their own 23. Garoppolo went p the middle for 3 yards and then took 3 knees to seal the win. The 49ers got to 2-0 with both wins on the road. 17-11 49ers

Los Angeles Rams at Indianapolis Colts — The Colts got shipped at home by Seattle and now faced a Rams team with Super Bowl aspirations. The Colts started out hot and moved from their own 41 to a 1st and goal at the one. Taylor went up the middle 3 times, and 3 times the Rams defense stopped him. Frank Reichd decided to go for it on 4th and goal at the one. Reich called a pass play and Carson went was sacked for a 10 yard loss. After the goal line stand, Matthew Stafford went to Robert Woods for 16, Darrell Henderson for 23, Jefferson for 14. Cooper Kupp for 13, and Kupp again for a 16 yard touchdown. Stafford’s passing clinic had the Rams up 7-0.

After a touchback the Colts moved to a 3rd and 3 at the Rams 30. On the first play of the second quarter, Wentz threw incomplete. Rodgrigo Blankenship hit the 48 yard field goal to get the Colts within 7-3. The Rams took over at their own 22 and Stafford was quickly intercepted to set up the Colts at the Rams 42. The Colts moved to a 2nd and goal at the 3. Taylor got stopped for no gain. On 3rd and goal Wentz was intercepted. Two goal line stands had the Rams defense fired up. The Rams took over at their own 5. Stafford led a staggering 16 play, 79 yard drive that took nearly 8 1/2 minutes. Yet on 3rd and 9 from the Indy 16 at the 2 minute warning, Stafford threw incomplete. Matt Gay hit the 34 yard field goal to make it 10-3 Rams.

The Colts took over at their own 17 with1:51 left in the half. They moved to a 1st and 10 at the Rams 28 with 16 seconds left. Wentz went deep incomplete twice. On 3rd and 10 with 7 seconds left, Frank Reich settled for the field goal. Blankenship hit from 46 as the Colts trailed 10-6 at the intermission. The Rams began the third quarter at their own 26. Stafford immediately went deep to Kupp for a 43 yard gain. Woods gained 9 and Henderson did the rest, gaining 10, 6, 4, and the  2 yard touchdown to make it 17-6 Rams. 

The Colts fought back from their own 26. Wentz scrambled for 14. On 3rd and 2 from their own 48, Wentz hit Jacob Doyle for 12 and Pittman for 23 more. On 3rd and 1 from the Rams 8, the Rams jumped into the neutral zone. On 3rd and goal at the 8, Wentz hit Zach Pascal for the touchdown. The 11 play, 74 yard, 5 1/2 minute drive followed by a successful 2 point conversion had the Colts within 17-14 less than one minute into the fourth quarter. The Rams began the fourth quarter pinned at their own 7 yard line. On 4th and 6 and attempting to punt, disaster struck the Rams. Ashton Dulin recovered the ball in the end zone for a Colts touchdown and a 21-17 Colts lead.

From their own 30, the Rams quickly came right back. Stafford hit Woods for 11 and then went deep to Cupp for a 44 yard gain. Stafford went back to Kupp for the 10 yard touchdown. With 13 minutes left in regulation the Rams had retaken the lead 24-21. After a touchback the Colts methodically moved to a 3rd and 5 at the Rams 17. Wentz threw incomplete but Blankenship hit the 35 yard field goal. midway through the fourth quarter the game was tied 24-24. After another touchback Stafford hit Woods for 14. On 3rd and 1 from their own 48, Stafford hit Kupp for 3. Sony Michel then gashed the Indy defense for gains of 10, 5, 11, 6 and 2. On 3rd and 2 from the Indy 15, Kupp got taken down for a 5 yard loss. Gay came in for a 38 yard field goal try to give the Rams the lead. The kick was good and the Rams led 27-24 with 2:23 left. Two plays after a touchback Wentz was quickly intercepted. The Colts got it back at their own 10 with 24 seconds left and 0 timeouts. From their own 20 with 13 seconds left, the hook and laterals reached the Indy 35 and no further. The Colts may be a very good 0-2 team, but they’re still 0-2. Meanwhile, the rams are 2-0 and looking like it. 27-24 Rams 

  

Las Vegas Raiders at Pittsburgh Steelers — After an emotional overtime win over Baltimore, the Raiders were expected to come out flat on the road for an early game at the Steelers. Making matters worse, the Raiders were without Josh Jacobs. Yet the Raiders held on defense to start the game. A good punt had the Steelers beginning their second drive at their own 8 yard line. On 3rd and 10 from his own 22, Ben Roethlisberger went deep and was intercepted by Trayvon Mullin, who returned it 15 yards to the Pittsburgh 39. From the Pittsburgh 28, the drive collapsed. On 1st and 10, Carr was sacked and fumbled but the Raiders retained possession for a 4 yard loss. Then Carr fumbled the snap but fell on it for another short loss. Then came a false start. Daniel Carlson bailed the offense out for a 46 yard field goal to make it 3-0 Raiders.

The Steelers moved from their own 22 to a 3rd and 4 at the Raiders 38. Roethlisberger went deep for Chase Claypool in the end zone, but at the last minute it was broken up by Hayward incomplete. Mike Tomlin decided to go for it. On 4th and 4 under heavy pressure, Big Ben threw incomplete right before getting belted by Maxx Crosby. On 2nd and 6 from their own 42, Carr scrambled for 5 but defensive unnecessary roughness on a helmet to helmet hit added 15 more. The Raiders actually had 1st and 5 at the Pittsburgh 18 but could not finish the drive. On 3rd and 2 from the 15, Carr threw incomplete. Carlson hit the 33 yard field goal to make its 6-0 Raiders, but again they did not finish. 

After a touchback, Roethlisberger hit Johnson for 13. Najee Harris ran for 14. On 3rd and 8 from the Raiders 48, Big Ben went deep to Diontae Johnson for a 41 yard gain. Juju Smith-Schuster took a handoff 3 yards for an easy touchdown. The Steelers led 7-6 with 6 1/2 minutes left in the half. The Raiders were kicking field goals. The Steelers got a touchdown. The Steelers finished their drive. The Raiders did not. 

After a touchback, Carr hit Henry rugs for 13, Hunter Renfrow for 10 and Foster Moreau for 25. On 3rd and 4 from the pittsburgh 21, Carr hit renfrow for just enough at the sticks. On 3rd and 9 from the Pittsburgh 16, Carr hit Darren Waller for 8. Tired of the field goals, Jon Gruden decided to go for it with 1:38 left in the half. Without Josh Jacobs, Carr kept it on 4th and 1 from the Pittsburgh 8 and the quarterback sneak gained 2 yards. Yet on 2nd and goal at the 2 with 22 seconds left, a false start pushed the Raiders back. They took their 2nd timeout to avoid a 10 second runoff. Carr fired over the middle to the back of the end zone and found Bryan Edwards for the touchdown. Yet offensive holding negated the score. Again, the Raiders were self-destructing. After a deep incompletion, 2nd and goal at the 2 was now 3rd and goal at the 17 with 12 seconds left. A short give up completion couldn’t even be done right. An illegal man downfield pushed the Raiders back to 3rd and goal at the 22 with 6 seconds left. Carlson came in for a 41 yard field goal try. The kick was good as the Raiders led 9-7 at the half. Yet the Raiders offense had plenty to be frustrated out.

After an exchange of punts to start the third quarter, the Raiders took over at their own 18. Carr hit Edwards for 18 and Kenyan Drake for 9. Yet on 2nd and 1 from their own 45, the Raiders did not even try to run the ball. With Ajcobs out the running game was dead and both teams knew it. Carr was sacked for an 8 yard loss. On 3rd and 9 from their own 37, Carr fired over the middle to Renfrow for a 23 yard gain. Carr then went deep to Henry Ruggs for 30 more. Carr then fired to Foster Moreau for the 9 yard touchdown. This time the Raiders finished the drive as they led 16-7 with 5 minutes left in the third quarter.

With 132minutes left in regulation the Steelers faced 2nd and 7 from their own 23. Big Ben went deep to Chase Claypool. aFTER claypot caught it, the defender ran by him and didn’t even bother to tap him down. Claypool got backed up and juked another defender for a 52 yard gain. On 3rd and 10 from the Raiders 25, one defensive stop was not meant to be. A short pass from Roethlisberger to Harris followed by terrible tackling allowed Harris to get through and leap past the pylon for the touchdown. With 11 minutes left the Steelers were right back in it down 16-14. After a touchback Carr hit Derek Carrier for 4 and Darren Waller for 10. On 3rd and 10 from his own 39, Jon Gruden summoned up the ghost of Al Davis. Henry Rugs was drafted for the bomb, and that’s exactly what Carr delivered. Ruggs escaped a tackle and raced for a 61 yard touchdown. With 9 1/2 minutes left, the Raiders had slight breathing room up 23-14.

The Steelers soon faced 3rd and 6 at their own 29. Roethlisberger hit Freiermuth for only 5. With 8 1/2 minutes left and the Steelers facing 4th and 1 from their own 34, Mike Tomlin ignored the angry home crowd and opted to punt and trust his defense. The Raiders took over at their own 24. Despite having no running game all day, Jon Gruden was determined to pound the rock when it mattered. Pierre Barber gained 11 yards. Drake then gained 5 and Barber added 2. Yet on 3rd and 3 from their own 42, Barber got blown up in the backfield for a 4 yard loss. With 6 minutes left, the Steelers took over at their own 32. Roethlisberger hit Freiermuth for 9, Harris for 5 and 4, and Johnson for 12. Despite 1st and 10 at the Raiders 38, a run went nowhere and Roethlisberger threw incomplete twice. He got belted after his third down throw. With 3:42 to play and needing two scores, Mike Tomlin gambled on a 56 yard field goal try. There were no swirling winds at Heinz Field on this day, and Chris Boswell delivered the longest kick in stadium history and in his career. The Steelers were within 23-17. 

With 3 1/2 minutes left the Raiders took over at their own 27. On 2nd and 7 from their own 30 and the Steelers defense expecting another run, Jon Gruden gambled big and won. Carr went deep to Darren Waller for a 25 yard gain. Then it was back to pounding the rock as Barber banged through tacklers for a 13 yard gain. At the 2 minute warning, the Raiders had 1st and 10 at the Pittsburgh 32. Barber ran for one yard as the Steelers took their last timeout. At this point Jon Gruden played it safe as Barber banged ahead for gains of 3 and one. With 20 seconds left Carlson came in for a 45 yard field goal try to lock up the win. A miss would set up the Steelers with a chance to win it. Carlson was good. 

The Raiders are 2-0 after wins over 2 of the best teams in the league. They won without Jacobs and without Richie Incognito. Gus Bradley has vastly improved the defense. Carr was magnificent, going 28 of 37 for 382 yards, 2 touchdowns and 0 interceptions. This was a big win. The Raiders on a short week traveled to the East Coast, played an early game, and hit a very good Pittsburgh team in the mouth. It could be a coincidence, but in Week 2 of the 2002 season, the Raiders went into Pittsburgh and beat a very good Steelers team. That year the Raiders went to the Super Bowl. 26-17 Raiders

Cincinnati Bengals at Chicago Bears — Matt Nagy ignored the critics and stuck with Red rifle Andy Dalton. On 3rd and 8 from his own 27, Dalton hit Mooney for 10 and again for 17 more. On 3rd and 12 from the Cincinnati 48, Dalton went deep incomplete but defensive pass interference meant a 32 yard gain. On 3rd and 5 from the Cincy 11, Dalton hit Robinson for the touchdown to make it 7-0 Bears. After that the defenses clamped down. With 1:50 left in the half, Nagy finally caved. Dalton was out and rookie Justin Fields came in. Midway through the third quarter, McPherson nailed a 53 yard field goal to get the Bengals on the board. The Bengals fumbled on their next series and the Bears had a short field at the Cincy 39. On 3rd and goal at the 5, a false start ended the third quarter. A Fields incompletion began the fourth quarter. Cairo Santos hit the 28 yard field goal to make it 10-3 Bears. With 10 minutes in regulation came the back-breaker. On 3rd and 3 from the Chicago 48, Joe Burrow was intercepted by Raquon Smith, who returned it 53 yards for a defensive touchdown and a 17-3 Bears lead. Two plays later Burrow was intercepted again. The Bears had 1st and goal at the 9 but could not punch it in. Santos hit a 22 yard field goal to have the Bears cruising 20-3 with 10 minutes left in regulation. 

The game appeared over but the Bengals fought back. After a touchback, Burrow hit Trevor Boyd for 5 and Tee Higgins for 10. On 3rd and 7 from their own 43, Burrow hit Boyd for 15. Burrow then went to Ja’Marr Chase for a 42 yard touchdown. With 4 1/2 minutes left in regulation, the Bengals were within 20-10. The Bears soon faced 3rd and 7 from their own 23. Fields was quickly intercepted by Wilson, who returned the interception 18 yards to the Chicago 7.  One and play and 4 seconds later, Burrow hit Higgins for the touchdown. With 3 1/2 minutes left, the Bengals were within a field goal. The Bears soon faced 3rd and 9 from their own 26. Fields shook off his interception and ran for a 10 yard gain and a critical first down. On 2nd and 4 from their own 42 at the 2 minute warning, Montgomery ran for just enough. The Bengals took their last timeout but it didn’t matter. Fields took 3 knees and Nagy was allowed to keep his job for another week. 20-17 Bears

Houston Texans at Cleveland Browns — Houston rocked Jacksonville last week while Cleveland had a heartbreaking loss at Kansas City. Early on the Texans fumbled a punt and the Browns recovered at the Houston 35. Baker Mayfield went to Bryant for 29. Janovich went up the middle for a one yard touchdown to make it 7-0 Browns.  The Texans took over at their own 16. Tyrod Taylor went to Collins for a 32 yard gain. On 3rd and 9 just shy of midfield, Taylor hit Cooks for 12. Taylor hit Lindsay for a 22 yard touchdown to tie the game 7-7. After a touchback, the Browns moved to a 1st and 10 at the Houston 42. Mayfield hit Peoples-Jones for 15, but Peoples-Jones fumbled and the Texans recovered. 

The Browns got it back at their own 20 early in the second quarter and moved to a 3rd and 13 at the Houston 45. Mayfield was intercepted by Reid, who returned it 24 yards to the Cleveland 47. On 3rd and 1 from the Cleveland 47, Taylor hit Cooks for 22. On 3rd and 9 from the Cleveland 15, Taylor ran around the end and breezed in for the touchdown as the Texans had the surprising 14-7 lead on the road. midway through the second quarter after a touchback, Nick Chubb ripped off a 21 yard run. Chubb added runs of 7, 5 and 10. Karim Hunt added runs of 8 and 5 as Kevin Stefanski went smash mouth. With 1:18 left in the half on 3rd and 4 from the Houston 5, Mayfield ran for the touchdown. The game was tied 14-14 at the intermission. 

In the third quarter the Browns took over at their own 29. Mayfield hit Higgins for 13. A defensive facemask a few plays later added 15 more. On 2nd and 19 from the Houston 33, Mayfield connected with Felton, who escaped all the way for the touchdown to make it 21-14 Browns. The Texans soon faced 3rd and 10 from their own 8. Mills was in for Taylor. Mills was intercepted, setting the Browns up at the Houston 18. Yet on 3rd and 3 from the Houston 11, Hunt lost a yard. Chase McLaughlin hit the 30 yard field goal for a 24-14 Browns advantage. 17 unanswered points had the Brows up by 10 with 4:40 left in the third quarter.

After a touchback, Mark Ingram ran for 8 and Lindsay added 5. On 3rd and 7 from their own 41, Mills hit Akins for 17 yards and a 1st down. Yet a taunting penalty on Akins after the play moved the Texans back 15 yards. It was still 1st and 10, not 1st and 25. On 3rd and 13 from the Houston 40, Mills went to Johnson for 14. The fourth quarter began with the Texans facing 3rd and 6 from the Cleveland 42. Mills went deep incomplete but defensive pass interference meant a 27 yard gain. On 3rd and 1 from the Cleveland 6, Ingram gained 3. On 3rd and goal at the 2 after a run lost a yard, Mills hit Cooks for the touchdown. The mind-numbing 16 play, 75 yard, 8 minute drive had the Texans within 24-21 with 11 1/2 minutes left to play.

The Browns soon faced 3rd and 2 at their own 26. Mayfield ran for 4 and then hit Felton for 18 more. Hunt ran for 5 and 6. Chubb added 14 and then ran for a 26 yard touchdown. With 6 minutes left the Brows had breathing room again up by 10. After an exchange of punts the Texans got it back at their own 12 with 3 1/2 minutes left. They quickly moved to a 1st and 10 at the Cleveland 21 with 2 1/2 minutes left. An incompletion and a sack followed by another incompletion set up 4th and 12 from the Cleveland 23. Needing 2 scores, Texans coach David Culley brought in Joey Slye for a 41 yard field goal try with 2:03 left. The kick was no good and the Texans were toast. 31-21 Browns

New Orleans Saints at Carolina Panthers — After demolishing Green Bay, the Saints opened up flat against the Panthers. Not helping matters was the fact that Sean Payton lost 8 assistant coaches to a Covid outbreak. He was practically coaching the team himself. 3 minutes into the game, the Panthers took over at their own 25. Sam Darnold went to Christian McCaffrey for a 32 yard gain. Darnold then hit DJ Moore for 20 and Zylstra for the 20 yard touchdown to quickly make it 7-0 Panthers. With 5 minutes left in the opening quarter the Panthers took over at their own 34. They moved to a 3rd and goal at the one early in the second quarter. Yet McCaffrey got tackled for a one yard loss. The 15 play, 63 yard drive took 9 minutes off the clock, but Matt rule decided not to gamble. Zane Gonzalez hit the 20 yard field goal to make it 10-0 Panthers. The Panthers got it back and soon faced 3rd and 6 at their own 32. Darnold hit Moore for 16. McCaffrey ran for 16 more. Darnold hit Arnold for 17. On 3rd and goal at the 2, Darnold hit Moore for the touchdown. With 1:55 left in the half, the Panthers were dominating up 17-0. A 55 yard field goal try by Gonzalez to extend the lead in the third quarter was blocked.

An interception of Darnold set up the Saints at the Carolina 18. On 3rd and goal at the 8 to start the fourth quarter, Jameis Winston ran it in to get the Saints within 17-7. After that the Panthers closed the door. On 2nd and 10 from their own 47, an 8 yard loss instead became a 15 yard gain thanks to roughing the passer. On 3rd and 10 from the Saints 38, Darnold hit Marshall for 11. Darnold then hit Robby Anderson for 16. McCaffrey ran for an 11 yard touchdown to make it 23-7 Panthers with 6 minutes left. The extra point wa no good but it didn’t matter. The Saints turned it over on downs to set up Gonzalez from 42 to close out the scoring. Winston was intercepted for a second time as the Panthers got a dominant win. The Saints will hopefully for their sake have a coaching staff. 26-7 Panthers

  

Minnesota Vikings at Arizona Cardinals — Last week the Vikings lost a heartbreaker in overtime while the Cardinals went into Tennessee and belted them. Two plays after a touchback and the Vikings were already on the board. Dalvin Cook gained 11 and Kirk Cousins went to KJ Osborn for a 64 yard touchdown and a 7-0 Vikings lead. The Cardinals took over at their own 27. Edmonds gained 14. Kyler Murray hit Deandre Hopkins for 16. On 3rd and 6 from the Minnesota 24, Murray gained 9. On 3rd and 10 from the Minnesota 15, Murray went to hopkins for the touchdown and a 7-7 ballgame. 

After a touchback, Cook gashed the defense for gains of 16 and 14 and caught a pass from Cousins for 14 more. Cousins hit Adam Thielen for 5 and then ran for 6. Cousins threw a 7 yard touchdown pass to Thielen for a 14-7 Vikings lead. The Vikings got it back to start the second quarter at their own 16. Cook gained 15. Cousins hit Conklin for 9 and then scrambled himself for a 29 yard gain. Cousins hit Justin Jefferson for a 14 yard touchdown. Greg Joseph missed the extra point but the Vikings led 20-7. 

After a touchback, Murray went to Williams for a 34 yard gain. On 3rd and 16 from the Minnesota 32, Murray went to Kirk for 19. On 2nd and 2 from the 5, the Cardinals fumbled and the Vikings recovered. On further review, it was reversed and ruled that the ball went out of bounds for a 4 yard loss. On the next play Murray ran for a 12 yard touchdown. With 3:15 left in the half the Cardinals were within 20-14. With 90 seconds left in the half the Cardinals got it back at their own 23. One play and 13 seconds later they had the lead. Murray went to Rodale Moore for a 77 yard touchdown and a 21-20 Cardinals lead.

After a touchback, the Vikings moved to a 3rd and 10 at the Arizona 40 with 30 seconds left in the half. Cousins hit Osborn for only 6. Joseph nailed the 52 yard field goal try to give the Vikings the 23-21 lead. A short kickoff followed by a 14 yard return had the Cardinals at their own 34. Yet only 16 seconds remained. Murray ran for 4 yards to leave only 10 seconds. Murray then hit Moore for 18 yards. Kliff Kingsbury brought in Matt Prater to try a 62 yard field goal. Prater holds the NFL record with a 64 yard field goal. Prater levied the kick as the home crowd erupted. The Cardinals took a 24-23 lead to the locker rooms, with the missed extra point by Joseph being the difference. 

On the second play of the third quarter, the Cardinals faced 2nd and 2 from their own 32. Murray was intercepted by Nick Vigil, who returned it 38 yards for a defensive touchdown and a 30-24 Vikings lead. Mike Zimmer was right to not try the 2 point conversion and chase points. After a touchback, Conner gained 9 and 3. From his own 47, Murray hit Edmonds for 13. Murray then went to Williams for 25 and AJ Green for the 9 yard touchdown. This thriller now had the Cardinals up 31-30 and there was still 9 minutes left in the third quarter.

The Cardinals got it back and moved from their own 18 to a 2nd and 9 at the Minnesota 38. Murray went deep and was intercepted at the 4 yard line by Xavier Woods, who returned it 27 yards to his own 31. The Vikings went 3 and out and punted on 4th and 7 from their own 34. A roughing the kicker penalty allowed the Vikings to retain possession. On 3rd and 10 just shy of midfield, Cousins hit Jefferson for 13. On 3rd and 4 from the Arizona 32 to start the fourth quarter, Cousins was sacked and fumbled but retained possession after a 4 yard loss. Joseph again nailed the 52 yard field goal to put the Vikings up 33-31 less than one minute into the fourth quarter.

After an exchange of punts the Cardinals took over at their own 36 with 9 minutes left. Murray hit Williams for 17 yards. On 3rd and 5 from the Minnesota 41, Murray threw incomplete. A field goal would be 59 yards, and Prater already hit from 62. Yet with 6 minutes left to play, Kliff Kingsbury opted to go for it. Murray went to Kirk for a 35 yard gain. Despite 1st and goal at the 6, a run lost 3 yards and Murray threw incomplete twice. Prater hit the 27 yard field goal as the Cardinals retook the one point lead with 4 1/2 minutes left.

After another exchange of punts, the Vikings got it back at their own 26 with 2:09 to play. Cook gained 9 and Cousins hit Thielen for 17. On 3rd and 10 from the Arizona 48, Cousins hit Thielen for 12 and Osborn for 9 and 8. The Vikings now were in the driver’s seat with 1st and 10 at the Arizona 19. A field goal try would be only 37 yards. Although 40 seconds still remained, Mike Zimmer decided not to run another play. He let the clock tick down to 4 seconds. It was hard to argue with his logic. Greg Joseph had already hit from over 50. This was a chip shot. Now it was time to for him to redeem himself for the missed extra point that was the difference in this game. With everything on the line, Joseph’s kick was no good wide right. He just missed it as the Vikings lost a heartbreaker on the final play for the second straight week and the Cardinals lucked their way to a 2-0 record. 34-33 Cardinals

Atlanta Falcons at Tampa Bay Buccaneers — Matt Ryan insists that playing against Tom Brady does not bring back the nightmares from 5 years ago when Ryan’s Falcons blew a 28-3 second half lead and lost the Super Bowl. Now Ryan is just the leader of a bad team while Brady is again the defending Super Bowl champion. After a touchback to start the game, the Buccaneers went right to work. Brady hit Mike Evans for gains of 20 and 25. On 3rd and 8 from the Atlanta 20, Brady went to Rob Gronkowski for the touchdown. Barely 2 1/2 minutes into the game, the Buccaneers led 7-0. Late in the first quarter the Falcons faced 4th and 1 from their own 45. Arthur Smith decided to go for it and Matt Ryan’s quarterback sneak gained nothing. 

With a short field, the Buccaneers began the second quarter facing 3rd and 2 at the Atlanta 38. Brady went to Chris Godwin for 8. Leonard Fournette gained 8 more. Defensive pass interference on the next play added 21 yards down to the one. Brady hit Gronk for the touchdown as the Buccaneers led 14-0. A short kickoff was returned 19 yards to the Atlanta 34 as the Falcons tried to make a game of it. Ryan hit Gage for 5, Cordarelle Patterson for 23. and Pitts for 24 more. Patterson ran for a 10 yard touchdown to get the Falcons within 14-7. 

The Buccaneers took over at their own 15. Brady went deep to Godwin for 26, to Antonio Brown for 17, and to OJ Howard for 21. Brady hit Evans for a 3 yard touchdown to put the Buccaneers up 21-7. Another short kickoff was returned 14 yards to the Atlanta 35. With only 40 seconds left in the half, Ryan went to Pitts for 14. Three straight defensive penalties added 25 yards. Yet 1st and 5 from the Tampa 18 came with only 10 seconds left. Ryan threw incomplete to leave 5 seconds. Younghoe Koo hit the 36 yard field goal to get the Falcons within 21-10. The Falcons began the third quarter at their own 12. On the second play from scrimmage from their 20, Ryan was intercepted to set up the Buccaneers at their own 18. On 3rd and 2 from the Bucs 10, Brady gained 6. Brady hit Evans for a one yard touchdown to make it 28-10 Buccaneers.

The Falcons tried to make a game of it. Ryan hit Calvin Ridley for 3, Ryan Gage for 8 and Ridley again for 14. On 3rd and 6 from the Tampa 46, Ryan hit Patterson for 23. On 3rd and 8 from the Tampa Bay 21, Ryan hit Zaccheaus for 12 and Gage for 8 more. On 2nd and goal from the one, Patterson took the direct snap and fumbled. The Falcons retained possession after a 9 yard loss. On 3rd and goal at the 10, Ryan hit Pitts for 7. Arthur Smith decided to go for it on 4th and goal at the 3. Ryan hit Ridley for the touchdown as the Falcons got within 28-17 with 6 1/2 minutes left in the third quarter. The Buccaneers punted on 4th and 25 from their own 8 and the Falcons took over with a short field at the Tampa Bay 46. On 3rd and 7, Matty Ice hit Ridley for 22. On 2nd and 9 from the Tampa 20, a run gained 5 but a facemask on the defense added 8 more. Ryan hit Patterson for the touchdown. After three quarters, the Falcons were right back in it down 28-25. Yet the fourth quarter again brought a cold dose of reality. 

The Falcons punted from their own 10 and a shanked 33 yard punt gave the Buccaneers a short field at the Atlanta 43. Brady went to Evans for 26, to Leonard Fournette for 5, and to Godwin for the 12 yard touchdown to make it 35-25 Buccaneers. The Falcons soon faced 3rd and 4 from their own 31. Ryan found Mike Edwards, who plays defense for the Buccaneers. Edwards returned the interception 31 yards for a defensive touchdown and a 41-25 Buccaneers lead after the missed extra point. After a touchback the Falcons soon faced 4th and 1 from their own 44. They went for it and Ryan threw incomplete. The Falcons got it back at their own 34 and Ryan again found Edwards, who still plays defense for the Buccaneers. Edwards returned this interception 34 yards for a second defensive touchdown to complete the blowout. Ryan was 35 of 46 for 300 yards. He threw 2 touchdowns to each team as part of his 3 interceptions. Brady was 24 of 36 for 276 yards, 5 touchdowns and 0 interceptions. 5 years later, same fourth quarter meltdown or comeback depending on which angle you look at it from. 48-25 Buccaneers

Tennessee Titans at Seattle Seahawks — The Seahawks were coming off an opening week road win at Indianapolis while the Titans were humiliated by Arizona in a 25 point home loss. In the first quarter the teams exchanged field goals as Jason Myers hit from 31 for the Seahawks and Randy Bullock answered from 33 for the Titans for a 3-3 game. In the second quarter the Titans had 3rd and goal at the 5, but Ryan Tannehill was sacked. Myers hit again from 31 to make it 6-3 Titans, but the Seahawks obliterated them for most of the rest of the half.

The Seahawks took over at their own 17. Russell Wilson hit DK Metcalf for 16 and then went deep to Tyler Lockett for a 63 yard touchdown and a 10-6 Seahawks lead with 6 1/2 minutes left in the half. 2 plays later on 2nd and 8 from their own 18, Tannehill was sacked and fumbled. The Seahawks took over at the Tennessee 6. Two plays later Chris Carson ran for a 2 yard touchdown to make it 17-6 Seahawks. The Titans moved from their own 31 to a 3rd and 5 at the Seattle 6. Tannehill hit Jones for the touchdown, but on further review it was reversed to an incomplete pass. Bullock hit his 3rd field goal from 24 yards out. With just over one minute left in the half the Titans were within 17-9. Yet they were kicking field goals. The Seahawks were scoring touchdowns. After a touchback, Wilson hit Metcalf for 11. Collins ran for 25. Defensive pass interference meant a 10 yard gain down to the one. Carson got in for the score with 17 seconds left in the half. The Seahawks were dominating 24-9. For the second straight week it appeared the Titans would get blasted.

The Titans began the third quarter at their own 20. Derrick Henry gained 11. On 3rd and 1 from their own 40, Henry gained 4. Tannehill then hit AJ Brown for 15. On 2nd and 12 from the Seattle 43, Tannehill hit Pruitt for 15 with defensive unnecessary roughness adding 14 more. After the defense jumped offside, Henry ran for a 9 yard touchdown to get the Titans within 24-16. The Titans got it back at their own 5 yard line and moved 66 yards in 12 plays and 5 1/2 minutes. On 3rd and 5 from the Seattle 26, Tannehill threw incomplete. From 44 yards out, Bullock’s field goal try was no good wide right as the third quarter ended. The Seahawks began the fourth quarter at their own 34. On 3rd and 12 from their own 32, Wilson went to Freddie Swain for a 68 yard touchdown. With 13 minutes left in regulation, the Seahawks were in total control up 30-16. The extra point was no good, but this game appeared over. The Seahawks had too much firepower.

2 plays later after a touchback, the Titans were right back in it. Tannehill hit Brown for 15. Henry then bulldozed past everyone for a 60 yard touchdown run to get the Titans within 30-23. The Titans got it back at their own 18 and moved 53 yards in 10 plays and 5 minutes. On 4th and 2 from the Seattle 29 with 6 minutes left, mike Vrabel decided to go for it and Tannehill threw incomplete. Yet the Seahawks offense went 3 and out for a 2nd straight time. With 4:12 to play, the Titans took over at their own 32. Offensive holding meant 1st and 20 from their own 22. Tannehill hit Julio Jones for 10, Henry for gains of 14 and 4. Mcnichols caught a pass from Tannehill for 9, ran for 3, and caught another reception for 12. At the 2 minute warning the Titans had 1st and 10 at the Seattle 26. Henry gained 8 and 4 and caught a pass for 4 more. On 3rd and 1 from the Seattle 5, Henry ran for 4 and then for the one yard touchdown. With 30 seconds left, the Titans had come back to tie the game 30-30. 

The Seahawks got it back at their own 28 with 24 seconds left. With 10 seconds left the Seahawks faced 3rd and 7 at their own 31. Wilson scrambled for 12 yards. 2 seconds remained. From their own 43, Wilson had the arm for a Hail Mary. Yet Pete Carroll opted for the hook and laterals instead. Wilson hit Lockett for 27 yards but no more as the game headed to overtime. The Titans got the ball first and punted. The Seahawks nearly gave the game away on a safety when Wilson was sacked dangerously close to his own goal line. The Seahawks punted on 4th and 22 from their own one. The Titans took over with a short field at the Seattle 39 and Henry did most of the rest. Henry ran for 12, 4, one, and on 3rd and 5 from the Seattle 22, 4 more. On 4th and 1 from the Seattle18 midway through overtime, Mike Vrabel took no chances. Bullock had made 3 of 4 field goals, and this one was from 36 yards out. The kick was good as the Titans stunned Seattle and the 12th man home crowd. The Seahawks dominated the game but did not slam the door shut. To paraphrase ESPN’s Swami Chris Berman, that’s why they play the ENTIRE game. 33-30 Titans, OT   

Dallas Cowboys at Los Angeles Chargers — The Chargers survived a win against Washington while the Cowboys lost a heartbreaker on the final play at defending champion Tampa Bay. The Cowboys started hot out of the gate. On 3rd and 3 from their own 29, Ezekiel Elliott gained 10. On 3rd and 2 from their own 47, Elliott only gained one. Mike McCarthy decided to go for it. Dak Prescott threw incomplete but defensive pass interference meant a 4 yard gain. On 3rd and 1 from the Chargers 39, Tony Pollard gained 5. On 2nd and 12 from the Chargers 36, Prescott hit Jarwin for 20. On 3rd and 5 from the Chargers 11, Prescott hit Amari Cooper for 7. Pollard ran for the 4 yard touchdown. the 15 play, 78 yard, 7 minute drive had the Cowboys up 7-0. 

Justin herbert was intercepted, but then Prescott threw an interception right back, and Samuel’s 26 yard return had the Chargers at the Dallas 45. Yet on 2nd and 3 from the Dallas 27, a run lost a yard and Herbert on 3rd and 4 threw incomplete. Tristan Vizcaino hit a 46 yard field goal to get the Chargers within 7-3. After a touchback Pollard ran for gains of 16 and 6 and caught a pass from Prescott for 12 more. CeeDee Lamb ran for 13 and caught passes of 10 and 13 from Prescott. Elliott ran for a 5 yard touchdown as the Cowboys led 14-3 at the end of the first quarter.

The Chargers stayed resilient in the second quarter. After a touchback, Austin keeper ran for 16. Justin Herbert hit Keenan Allen for 14. An interception of Herbert was nullified by defensive pass interference, resulting in a 13 yard gain. On 3rd and 11 from the Dallas 48, Herbert hit Cook for 12. On 3rd and 13 from the Dallas 39, Herbert hit Mike Williams for 27 and again for the 12 yard touchdown. Brandon Staley went for the 2 point conversion and Ekeler got in to get the Chargers within 14-11. Although 10 minutes remained in the half, neither team would reach the end zone in the final 40 minutes as the defenses dug in.

The Cowboys moved from their own 23 to a 4th and 5 at the Chargers 41. Mike McCarthy went for it and Prescott threw incomplete. The Chargers moved from their own 41 to a 2nd and 3 at the Dallas 21 with 17 seconds left in the half. A false start was followed by a pair of Herbert incompletions. A 44 yard field goal try by Vizcaino to tie the game was no good. with 3 seconds left. From just shy of midfield, Mike McCarthy opted against the Hail Mary in favor of the hook and laterals. Prescott hit Lamb for a 34 yard gain down to the Chargers 17, but nothing else. In the third quarter after a touchback the Chargers moved 61 yards in 13 plays and 5 1/2 minutes. Brandon Staley even gambled on 4th and 1 from his own 34. Herbert snuck for 3 yards. Yet on 3rd and 11 from the Dallas 14, Herbert threw incomplete. This time Trizcaino was good from 32 and the game was finally tied 14-14. 

The Chargers got it back at their own 9 and moved 82 yards in 11 plays and 5 minutes. On the last play of the third quarter after an incompletion, the Chargers faced 3rd and 6 from the Dallas 9. A  field goal would give the Chargers the lead, but Herbert was intercepted in the end zone for a touchback. The Chargers began the fourth quarter at their own 20 and Pollard ran for 28. On 2nd and 9 from the Chargers 10, Prescott threw incomplete. On 3rd and 9 he was sacked and fumbled. The Cowboys were lucky to retain possession with only a 6 yard loss. Greg Zuerlein hit from 34 to put the Cowboys back up 17-14 with 10 1/2 minutes left in regulation. 64 yards and 10 plays could not reach the end zone.

After a touchback it was the Chargers turn to go 64 yards and 12 plays and eat up 6 1/2 minutes. Guyton gained 9 and Herbert hit Williams for 15. Jackson ran for gains of 7 and 4. Herbert went to Allen for a 30 yard gain to set up 1st and goal at the 2. Herbert hit Cook for the touchdown but an offensive illegal shift nullified the score. After an incompletion, Herbert was sacked for an 18 yard loss. On 3rd and goal at the 25, Herbert hit Ekeler for 14 as both teams faltered in the red zone. Vizcaino hit from 29 as the game was tied again 17-17 with 4 minutes left in regulation.

The Cowboys thanks to an illegal block penalty on the kickoff took over at their own 13. On 3rd and 4 from their 19, Prescott hit Elliott for 7. On 3rd and 1 from their own 35, Elliott gained 3. Prescott hit Elliott for 5 and Cooper for 12. With 33 seconds remaining on 2nd and 6 from the Chargers 41, pass-happy Mike McCarthy went ultra-conservative. Pollard ran for 3. A field goal from this distance would be 56 yards. Greg “The Leg” Zuerlein could hit that, but it was 3rd and 3 from the Chargers 38. There was plenty of time for another play or even 2 or 3 if the Cowboys gained a first down. Instead McCarthy opted not to run another play. He led the clock tick down to 4 seconds as the Cowboys took their last timeout and the Chargers took their first. Zuerlein came in and leveled the kick through the uprights. Jerry Jones celebrated. Jerry will allow beleaguered Mike McCarthy to come back next week and coach. 20-17 Cowboys 

Kansas City Chiefs at Baltimore Ravens was the Sunday night game. Both teams played heart-stoppers last week, with the Ravens losing in overtime at the Raiders and the Chiefs barely surviving at home against Cleveland. Patrick Mahomes and Lamar Jackson are two of the best quarterbacks in the game, winning the league MVP in 2018 and 2019, respectively. Yet their rivalry has been one-sided, with the chiefs winning the last 3 matchups. Mahomes has been to 2 Super Bowls, winning one. Jackson finally won a playoff game last year but has not reached the AFC Title Game. Nevertheless, these 2 phenoms put on a show for the ages in a thrilling football game from start to finish. 

On the third play of the game, it was the defense that got the scoring going. On 3rd and 8 from his own 27, Jackson was intercepted by Tyrann Mathieu. The player nicknamed Honey Badger returned the interception 34 yards for a touchdown to make it 7-0 Chiefs only 50 seconds into the game.  After a touchback, Jackson came right back. Latavius Murray gained 6 and Williams added 5. Jackson hit Brown for 11. Williams gained 12 and Freeman ran for 31 more. Williams ran for 9 down to the one, got belted, fumbled, and the ball fortuitously popped in the air right to teammate Kevin Duvernay, who got the final 2 yards. The Ravens did it the hard way sandlot style, but the game was tied 7-7. This was a Ravens team that lost their top 3 starting running backs to injury for the season. John Harbaugh kept running.

The Chiefs took over at their own 8. Carl Edwards-Helaire ran for 9. Mahomes then hit Mecole Hardman for 6, Tyreek Hill for 7, and Hartman again for 19. On 3rd and 2 from the Baltimore 43, Mahomes hit Travis Kelce for 10 and Demarcus Robinson for a 33 yard touchdown to make it 14-7 Chiefs. The Ravens moved from their own 25 to a 1st and 10 at the Chiefs 24. On 3rd and 14 from the chiefs 28, Jackson went to the end zone and was intercepted a second time. The game briefly settled down in the second quarter as the Chiefs punted twice and Ravens punted once. The Ravens took over at their own 28 and Jackson ran for 21. Jackson then hit Brown for 20 and Andrews for 8. On 3rd and 6 from the Chiefs 12, Jackson hit Williams for 7. Murray ran for the 5 yard touchdown. The 72 yard, 5 1/2 minute drive tied the game 14-14 with 3 1/2 minutes left in the half. The action was far from done.

The Chiefs took over at their own 33. Carl Edwards-Helaire ran for 9. Mahomes hit Hill for 4, Kelce for 14, and at the 2 minute warning, Bell for 20. Mahoems hit McKinnon for 14. With 52 seconds left in the half, Williams ran it in for the 2 yard touchdown to make it 21-14 Chiefs. After a touchback, Jackson hit Sammy Watkins for 11. On 1st and 25 from their own 21 after consecutive penalties, Williams gained 20. Jackson hit Andrews for 12 and ran for 14. Despite 2nd and 10 from the Chiefs 33 with 26 seconds left, an 8 yard completion left only 11 seconds left. Justin Tucker is the most accurate field goal kicker in NFL history, and he hit from 43 to get the Ravens within 21-17 at halftime. This game was nowhere close to being settled.

The Chiefs began the third quarter at their own 26. From their own 43, Mahomes went to Burton for 11. Mahomes went to Byron Pringle for a 40 yard touchdown and a 28-17 Chiefs lead. After a touchback, Jackson hit Brown for 27 yards. On 2nd and 24 from their own 38, Jackson hit Andrews for 20. On 3rd and 4 from the Chiefs 42, Jackson went deep to Brown for the touchdown. The Ravens were back within 28-24, but every time they got close, the Chiefs pulled away again.

After a touchback, Hill gained 15. On 3rd and 4 from their own 46, Mahomes only gained 3 but defensive holding meant a 5 yard gain. Mahomes then connected with Kelce for a 46 yard touchdown. Just like that, the Chiefs led 35-24 midway through the third quarter. After a touchback, the Ravens soon faced 3rd and 8 from their own 35. Jackson was sacked for a 9 yard loss. Then offensive holding on the punt meant a second punt on 4th and 27. The Chiefs got it back with a short field just past midfield. Up by 11, the Chiefs had a chance to break the game wide open with 3 1/2 minutes left in the third quarter.

Instead it was the Chiefs turn to blunder. On 3rd and 12 just shy of midfield, Mahomes was intercepted. The Ravens still had life at their own 44. Jackson ran for 20 and hit Watkins for 19. The fourth quarter began with the Ravens facing 2nd and 4 at the Chiefs 11. Jackson hit Oliver for 9. Jackson ran for the 2 yard touchdown himself. With most of the entire fourth quarter to play, John Harbaugh made the very questionable decision to go for the 2 point conversion. It appeared to be the wrong call, and Jackson threw incomplete. The Ravens were within 35-30, but they would be chasing points.

The Chiefs took over at their own 23. On 3rd and 9 from their own 36, Mahomes went deep incomplete. The Baltimore defense had held again. Now they finally had a chance to take the lead. They took over at their own 32. Jackson gained 8 and Murray added 5. On 3rd and 1 from the Chiefs 46, , Ricard gained 2. A sack of Jackson was nullified by defensive illegal contact. Jackson hit Andrews for 10. Williams gained 11. On 3rd and 5 from the Chiefs 12, Jackson gained 9. On 3rd and goal at the one, Jackson got in for the touchdown. The 14 play, 68 yard drive took 8 minutes off the clock. Yet because of the failed 2 point try earlier, the Ravens had to go for 2 again. Jackson threw incomplete. This is the danger of chasing points. The Ravens led by one point with 3:18 to play, but a field goal would win it for the Chiefs. 

  

After a touchback, Mahomes immediately hit Pringle for 23 and Kelce for 13 as the clock hit the 2 minute warning. Mahomes hit Kelce for 7 more as the clock ticked down to 90 seconds. The Ravens could only watch helplessly from the sideline. The inevitable would happen. Tucker would hit the winning field goal. Pass-Happy Walrus Andy Reid only started running the ball 2 years ago, and it got him a Super Bowl trophy. So on 2nd and 3 from the Baltimore 32, all the Chiefs had to do was run down the clock. The Ravens couldn’t stop it. Edwards-Helaire got the carry, and in a shocking turn of events, Owen forced a fumble and then recovered it for the Ravens. 

The Ravens took over at their own 34, but the Chiefs had all 3 timeouts. On 3rd and 7, rather than run, Jackson passed over the middle and it was caught by Watkins for 6. The Chiefs took their last timeout with 1:05 left. The Ravens had 4th and 1 at their own 43. A first down would end it but if they didn’t make it, the Chiefs would have a short field and an all but guaranteed win. Normally this situation calls for a punt, but with Patrick Mahomes that would be foolish. 30 seconds without a timeout is one thing. An entire minute is an eternity. John Harbaugh grabbed his big balls of steel and went for it in his own territory with the entire game on the line. Everyone knew Jackson would keep the ball himself. He did, and he gained 2 yards as the Ravens sideline erupted in celebration. Jackson took a knee and ended it. The loss made Andy Reid a most displeased Walrus indeed, but this night was about John Harbaugh coaching the biggest game of his life since the Super Bowl nearly a decade ago. Jackson finally got the Kansas City Monkey off of his back in a thrilling win. 36-35 Ravens

Detroit Lions at Green Bay Packers was the Monday night game. Aaron Rodgers suffered the worst beating of his career last week in a 35 point loss. He skipped the entire offseason acting like a prima donna. He told the Packers fans to relax, and in the past he has been proven right. Yet a loss at home to the hapless Lions and their rookie head coach would set off plenty of panic buttons. The Lions got the ball first, and early on there was plenty of reason for the Cheeseheads to panic. On 3rd and 1 from his own 34, Jared Goff went deep to Quinton Cephus for a 46 yard gain. Goff then hit TJ Hockensen for 9 and Cephus again for a 5 yard touchdown to make it 7-0 Lions. 

For all of his whining, Rodgers still knows how to play football. Matt LaFleur also still knows how to coach, and he decided to start with the ground game. Aaron Jones ran for 3, 6, and on 3rd and 1 from his own 34, 7 more. Rodgers then hit Adams for 18. On 2nd and 12 from the detroit 37, Rodgers hit Robert Tonyan for 19. Jones ran for 9, 4 and one and then caught the 4 yard touchdown pass from Rodgers. The 11 play, 75 yard, 7 minute drive had the game tied 7-7.

In the second quarter the Lions took over at their own 39. From the Green Bay 48, a defensive facemask added 15 yards.Goff hit Raymond for 10 and Hockensen for an 8 yard touchdown. Midway through the second quarter, the Lions led again 14-7. A 41 yard kickoff return by Hill had the Packers starting at their own 44. Dillon ran for 4 and Jones had gains of 8 and 6. Rodgers then hit Adams for 6 and Jones for 9. On 2nd and 6 from the Detroit 14, Rodgers hit Jones for 13 at the 2 minute warning. Rodgers went back to Jones for the one yard touchdown. The 10 play, 56 yard, 5 1/2 minute drive tied the game again 14-14 with 1:52 left in the half.

Igwebuike returned the kickoff 33 yards to the Detroit 41. Swift ripped off gains of 12 and 2. Goff hit Hockensen for 20. Yet on 1st and 10 from the Green Bay 25 with 23 seconds left, the drive died. A pass that would have been better off dropped gained one yard. Goff then went deep incomplete twice, leaving 7 seconds. Seibert hit the 43 yard field goal to give the Lions the 17-14 halftime lead. The Packers went right to work in the third quarter from their own 13. Jones caught a pass from Rodgers for 10 and ran for 8 more. A sack of Rodgers had the Packers facing 3rd and 12 from their own 24. Rodgers went deep to Adams for a 50 yard gain. On 3rd and 6 from the Detroit 22, Rodgers went to Robert Tonyan in the end zone. Tonyan caught the ball between two defenders and hung on. The Packers had their first lead of the game up 21-17 as the rain started coming down.

The Lions kept moving the ball well, going from their own 25 to a 3rd and 8 at the Green Bay 32. Goff hit St. Brown for 7 to set up 4th and 1 at the Green Bay 25. With 6 minutes left in the third quarter, Dan Campbell decided to go for it. Rather than play smash mouth, a pass play saw Goff throw incomplete. The Packers soon faced 3rd and 14 at their own 21. Rodgers went to Randall Cobb for just enough at the sticks. On 1st and 20 from their own 25 after an offensive holding penalty, Rodgers threw deep incomplete. Yet defensive pass interference meant a 25 yard gain. On 3rd and 7 from the detroit 47, Rodgers hit Cobb for 9 and Adams for gains of 5 and 22. Another offensive holding call had the Packers facing 1st and 20 from the Detroit 21, but defensive holding on the next play meant 1st and 10 from the Detroit 11. Rodgers went to Jones for the touchdown as the third quarter was ending. The 11 play, 75 yard, 6 minute drive had the Packers up 28-17.

The rain was now coming down heavier. On the first play after the touchback before the third quarter ended, Goff fumbled the snap and the Packers recovered. The first turnover of the game had the Packers taking over at the Detroit 23. Rodgers hit Tonyan for 11. On 3rd and goal at the 5, Rodgers threw incomplete. Yet defensive pass interference meant 4 yards and 1st and goal at the one. Jones got in as the Packers broke the game open with 12 1/2 minutes left in regulation. The fourth quarter was pointless. Time will tell if last week’s beating at the hands of New Orleans was an aberration or this week’s beating up woeful Detroit was. 35-17 Packers.

https://www.commdiginews.com/sports/nfl/nfl-2021-week-2-preview-atonement-and-bettors-guide-140114/

https://www.commdiginews.com/sports/nfl/carl-nassib-is-a-winning-member-of-the-raiders-who-happens-to-be-gay-140108/

NFL 2021 Week 1 Recap

Dallas Cowboys at Tampa Bay Buccaneers was the season opening Thursday night game. The National Anthem was perfect. The jets flying over were perfect. The honoring of September 11th was perfect. Then it was time for the 2021 NFL season to begin. Tom Brady handed the ball off twice and on 3rd and 2 was flushed out of the pocket for a long incompletion. The first exciting play of the season came on special teams as a 65 yard punt went out of bounds at the Dallas 2 yard line. From his own end zone with an empty backfield, Dak Prescott went bombs away to Amari Cooper for a 27 yard gain. Then on 3rd and inches Ezekiel Elliott lined up at fullback instead of halfback. Elliott got the carry anyway and after appearing stopped, willed his way up the gut past the marker. Consecutive drops by Cee Dee Lamb followed by a false start had the Cowboys facing 3rd and 15 from the Tampa Bay 45. Prescott threw incomplete. Despite moving the ball 58 yards, the Cowboys got no points out of their drive. 

This time it was the Buccaneers starting at their own 7 yard line. At that point Brady put on a clinic. He hitMike Evans for 10, Rob Gronkowski for 19, Antonio Brown for 28 and 16, Chris Godwin for 8, and back to Godwin over the middle for a 5 yard touchdown. The 93 yard drive had the Buccaneers up 7-0 with 5 minutes left in the first quarter. Then after a touchback Prescott came right back. He hit Pollard for 11, Michael Gallup for 8 and 12, Pollard for 7, Gallup for 8, Brad Jarwin for 7, and Lamb for a redemptive 22 yard touchdown. The game was tied 7-7 after the opening quarter. 

A field position game in the second quarter had the Buccaneers taking over at midfield. On 3rd and 3, Brady went to Godwin for 19 and 17 and then to ground for a 2 yard touchdown and a 14-7 Buccaneers lead. The Cowboys after a touchback moved all the way to a 3rd and 3 at the Tampa 13. Prescott then threw incomplete and greg Zuerlein missed a 31 yard field goal try. One play and 8 seconds later the Buccaneers fumbled the ball back to the Cowboys at the Tampa 27. Prescott hit Cooper for a 5 yard touchdown. Zuerlein’s awful night continued as he doinked the extra point off the upright no good. The Cowboys were within 14-13. On the very next play from scrimmage from the Tampa 20, a screen pass from Brady bounced off of Leonard Fournette’s fingers and was intercepted by Diggs. . Despite taking over at the Tampa 21, the Cowboys could not reach the end zone. A pair of incompletions by Prescott had the Cowboys settling for a 35 yard field goal by Zuerlein. This time he was good and the Cowboys led 16-14. 

With only 3 minutes left in the half, the Buccaneer struck back quickly this time. Mickens returned the kickoff 41 yards to the Tampa 43. Brady hit Godwin for 10 and then went bombs away to Brown for a 47 yard touchdown. Just like that the Buccaneers led 21-16. With 20 seconds left in the half, Mike McCarthy gambled on Zuerlein trying a 60 yard field goal despite already missing a 31 yarder and an extra point. Zuerlein’s kick was very close but no good. This gave Brady a chance at a Hail Mary from midfield. The throw reached the end zone and was intercepted by Lewis. Then decided to try and go coast to coast, returning it from 8 yards deep in his own zone. He actually made it 66 yards but was finally tackled at the Tampa 42 to end the half. It was the third Buccaneers turnover of the first half.

The Cowboys marched right down the field after a touchback to start the third quarter. A 13 play drive took nearly 6 minutes. Everything came down to one play, 3rd and goal at the 2. Prescott pitched it to Elliott on the read option and Elliott had one man to beat for the score. Adams made a spectacular open field tackle, flinging  Elliott to the ground for a loss. Zuerlein almost missed the 21 yard field goal try, sneaking it inside the upright to get the Cowboys within 21-19. The Cowboys got the ball back with a chance to take the lead. Prescott threw a well thrown ball between three defenders straight into the hands of Lamb. Lamb’s awful night continued as it bounced off of his hands and was intercepted at midfield. The Buccaneers took over at the Dallas 35.

Brady hit Gronk for 20.  On 3rd and 6 from the Dallas 11, Brady fired over the middle to Gronkowski again for the score. The Buccaneers led 28-19 with 6 1/2 minutes left in the third quarter. The Cowboys had plenty of chances, but they were kicking field goals while the Buccaneers were scoring touchdowns. The Cowboys after a touchback went 75 yards in 10 plays and 6 minutes. Elliott got things going with a 13 yard run. On 3rd and 1 from the Tampa 33, Prescott hit Schultz for a critical 6 yard gain. On 3rd and 4 from the Tampa 21, Prescott threw a fade to the end zone and Cooper hauled it in for a touchdown. After three quarters, the Cowboys were right back in it down 28-26. The Cowboys led in plays 63-37, time of possession 30 minutes to 15, and in yards by about 100. The Cowboys even led the turnover battle. Yet the Buccaneers still had the lead. 

With 12 minutes left in regulation the Buccaneers had 3rd and 10 at the Dallas 47. Brady went for it all and Godwin had the defender beat. The ball was well thrown.and could have been a touchdown. Around the 5 yard line, Godwin just dropped it. The Cowboys had dodged a bullet. Lamb decided to fair catch the punt at his own 6 yard line. The Buccaneers would take over at their own 37 and march 66 yards in 10 plays and 6 minutes. With 5 minutes left they had 1st and 10 at the Dallas 13 and were preparing the knockout blow. Brady hit Godwin for an 11 yard, but at the 2 yard line Godwin got hit by Kazee and fumbled the ball. Lewis recovered for the Cowboys in the end zone, but rather than take a knee for a touchback, he tried to run it out. Rather than start at their own 20, the Cowboys took over at their own 10. 

With 3 1/2 minutes left the Cowboys faced 3rd and 6 at their own 14. The Buccaneers then jumped into the neutral zone. On 3rd and 1, Prescott found Lamb for 6 and Cooper for 11 more. On 2nd and 10 from the Dallas 36, a 24 yard completion from Prescott to Lamb was wiped out by offensive holding. On 2nd and 20, Prescott hit Wilson for 9 as the clock hit the 2 minute warning. On 3rd and 11, Prescott fired to Lamb, who had been having a miserable night. When it mattered most, Lamb made the catch, spun away from defenders, and raced for a 31 yard gain to the Tampa 34. The cowboys were in long field goal range with 1:51 left. At this point the goals were to take the lead and not leave Tom Brady any time for a comeback. 

On 3rd and 6 from the Tampa 30, it was the worst of all possible worlds for the Cowboys. A swing pass gained nothing, and offensive holding pushed the Cowboys out of field goal range. On 3rd and 16, Prescott played it safe and hit Cooper for 10 to get the Cowboys back in field goal range. With 90 seconds left, Zuerlein came in for a 48 yard try. Zuerlein was dead center. The Cowboys had the 29-28 lead, but there was still 1:24 to play. The Cowboys had scored way too early. The Buccaneers still had 2 timeouts. Was there any doubt what would happen?

Dan Quinn’s Dallas defense had played well enough, but now it mattered most. On 3rd and 2 from their own 33, Brady hit Bernard for 4. A false start forced the Buccaneers to take their 3rd and final timeout rather than face a 10 second runoff. 55 seconds remained. Brady went to Grinkowski for gains of 6 and 20 to the Dallas 42. Brady then threw a deep bomb out of bounds to stop the clock with 24 seconds left. With everything on the line, Brady went to Godwin for 24 yards as the defender fell down. There was no call for offensive pass interference. Godwin clearly pushed off. 18 seconds remained and the Buccaneers were well within field goal range at the Dallas 18. Brady threw a pair of incompletions out of bounds just to burn time. With 10 seconds left on 3rd and 10, Brady threw a 3rd deliberate incompletion out of bounds. 7 seconds remained. Ryan Succop came in for a 36 yard field goal try to win it. Succop nailed it. 

21 years later, the deal Tom Brady made with the devil was still in force. Rather than squib kick it, Bruce Arians had his kicker drill it through the back of the end zone. The Cowboys had one play and 2 seconds to go 75 yards. There would be no miracle. Both quarterbacks were brilliant, throwing the ball at least 50 times. Brady was 32 of 50 for 379 yards, 4 touchdowns and the 2 interceptions Prescott was 42 of 58 for 403 yards, 3 touchdowns and one interception. Bruce Arians won at age 68 and Brady won at age 44. The biggest winners were NFL fans, who saw the NFL 2021 season start with a fine, fine football game. 31-29 Buccaneers

Jacksonville Jaguars at Houston Texans — The Texans may be the league’s worst team. Deshaun Watson was a healthy scratch due to the controversies surrounding him. Tyrod Taylor got the start, a small measure of consolation given that he lost his last starting job due to a medical error by the team trainer. The Texans moved 84 yards in 14 plays and 7 minutes. On 3rd and 9 from the Jacksonville 42, Taylor went deep to Brandon Cooks for 40 yards. On 3rd and goal at the one, Mark Ingram got in to make it 7-0 Texans.

The Urban Meyer and Trevor Lawrence era did not start out too badly, as the Jaguars reached a 2nd and 5 at the Houston 37. Yet Lawrence then threw incomplete twice. Meyer gambled on Josh Lambo and a 55 yard field goal try. The kick was long enough but wide left no good. The Texans took over at their own 45 and Taylor went right to work, hitting Conley for 17 and Brown for 25. On 3rd and 4 from the Jacksonville 7, Taylor hit David Johnson for the touchdown and the 14-0 Texans lead. 

After a touchback the Jaguars began the second quarter facing 3rd and 17 from their own 29. Trevor Lawrence went to DJ Chark for 27 yards. On 3rd and 19 from the Houston 40, Lawrence threw incomplete but roughing the passer kept the drive going. Lawrence then threw his first NFL touchdown pass, a 22 yarder to Chris Manhurtz. The Jaguars were within 14-7, but after that the Texans turned out the lights. 

The Texans moved from their own 24 to a 3rd and 3 at the Jacksonville 22. Taylor threw incomplete but Joey Slye hit a 40 yard field goal to make it 17-7 Texans. Lawrence followed up his first NFL touchdown with his first NFL interception. He followed that up with his second NFL interception, setting the Texans up at the Jacksonville 7 yard line. Despite 2nd and goal at the 2, offensive pass interference killed the drive. Slye hit from 26 to make it 20-7 Jaguars with one minute left in the half. The Jaguars went 3 and out and gave the ball back to the Texans at their own 31 with 37 seconds left. With 25 seconds left the Texans faced 3rd and 1 at their own 40. Taylor went deep to Cooks for a 52 yard gain as the Texans took a timeout with 12 seconds left. Taylor then went to Danny Amendola for the touchdown as the supposedly awful Texans led 27-7 at halftime. 

The Texans moved to put the game away midway through the third quarter. On 3rd and 2 from their own 40, Johnson gained 3. On 3rd and 1 from the Jags 34, Taylor went deep to Brown for 29 yards. Ingram took the direct snap on the next play and handed it to Lindsay, who ran around the end for the 5 yard touchdown to make it 34-7 Texans. Lawrence did throw a 41 yard touchdown pass to Chark, but this game was never close. After the Texans tacked on a fourth quarter field goal, Lawrence threw his third interception. Lawrence added his third touchdown pass in garbage time with 5 seconds to play. Lawrence threw the ball 51 times in his debut, completing 28 for 322 yards with 3 touchdowns and interceptions apiece. Lawrence and Urban Meyer lost their debut. Some nondescript man named David Culley, who happens to be the Texans rookie head coach, won his very first NFL game in convincing fashion. 37-21 Texans

 

Los Angeles Chargers at Washington Mystery Meat II — The Chargers went right down the field 75 yards in 10 plays and 6 minutes. Justin Herbert put on a clinic, hitting Guyton for 10, Jared Cook for 5 and Mike Williams for 9 and 11. On 3rd and 10 from the Washington 15, the defense jumped into the neutral zone. On 3rd and 5, Herbert hit Keenan Allen for 7. Austin Ekeler ran for the 3 yard touchdown to make it 7-0 Chargers. 

Washington then turned to Ryan Fitzpatrick’s furry beard. While it seems like he has started for all 32 teams, this was the 6th team he started for. Dustin Hopkins then hit field goals of 30 in the first quarter and 43 in the second quarter to get the No-Names within 7-6. With 9 minutes left in the half Fitzpatrick was injured. Taylor Heinecke played he rest of the way. Tristan Vizcaino hit second quarter field goals of 33 and 27 to put the Chargers up 13-6. The latter kick with 45 seconds left in the half after a staggering 18 play drive did not reach the end zone. A roughing the passer call allowed Hopkins to hit a 48 yarder as time expired to get the Mystery Meat team within 13-9. Respect for the game of football prevents any further elaboration of a battle of who wanted it least.

The Washington Identity Crisis took over in the third quarter at their own 19. Heinecke ran for 5 and hit Gibson for 11. Heinecke hit Terry McLaurin for gains of 9 and 2. On 3rd and 6 from the Chargers 45, Heinecke went deep to McLaurin for 34. Heinecke then went to Logan Thomas for the 11 yard touchdown and the 16-13 lead for the No-Names. After this came a truly ugly stretch of football. 

The Chargers after a touchback went 68 yards in 12 plays and 5 1/2 minutes. Yet on 2nd and goal from the 7, Justin Herbert was sacked and fumbled. The non-Redskins took over at their own 43 and held the ball for 12 plays and over 6 1/2 minutes. The fourth quarter began with the No-Names facing 3rd and 5 at the Chargers 26. A false start was followed by a completed pass that let 2 yards. Then a 51 yard field goal try by Hopkins was no good. The Chargers moved from their own 41 to the Washington 20. Herbert went for it all and was intercepted at the 4 yard line. Washington then fumbled the ball right back to give the Chargers 1st and goal at the 3. On 3rd and goal, Herbert hit Williams for the 3 yard touchdown. With 11 1/2 minutes left in regulation, the Chargers had bungled their way into a 4 point lead.

The No-Names moved after a touchback to a 2nd and 5 at the Chargers 38. A clipping penalty on the offense was a killer. The Chargers took over at their own 18 with 6:43 to play. On 3rd and 16 from their own 12, Herbert found Allen for 17. On 3rd and 3 from their own 36, Herbert hit Hill for 19. On 3rd and 7 from the Washington 42, Herbert went to Williams for 20 as the clock hit the 2 minute warning. With 1:50 left and the No-Names down to their last timeout, the Chargers faced 3rd and 4 from the Washington 16. Herbert hit Allen for 9 and then took 3 knees. Brandon Staley is the nondescript guy who coaches the Chargers. He won his first ever game as an NFL head coach. Riverboat Ron Rivera is inspirational, but he can’t do it all himself. 20-16 Chargers 

Seattle Seahawks at Indianapolis Colts — The Carson Wentz era began in Indianapolis with Wentz leading a mind-numbing 14 play, 72 yard drive that took nearly 9 1/2 minutes off the clock. Yet on 3rd and goal at the 10 after a run lost 3 yards, a Wentz pass gained only 7 yards. Blankenship hit the 21 yard field goal to make it 3-0 Colts. The Seahawks came back 81 yards with a statement. On 3rd and 9 from his own 20, Russell Wilson ran for 11. On 3rd and 1 from his own 40, Chris Carson ran for 33. Then on 3rd and 6 from the Indy 23, Wilson went deep to Tyler Lockett for the touchdown and the 7-3 Seahawks lead. The Seahawks got it back at their own 39 in the second quarter. Wilson went to Everett for 11 to midfield. From the Indy 35, Wilson went to Disney for 22 and Everett for the 9 yard touchdown to make it 14-3 Seahawks. 

The Colts took over at their own 32. Wentz found Campbell for 24. On 3rd and 1 from the Seattle 35, Taylor got the yard. Wentz hit Taylor for 10, Michael Pittman for 14, and Zach Pascal for the 10 yard touchdown. Wentz’s first touchdown pass with the Colts had them within 14-10. Yet the Seahawks came back 83 yards with one big strike. On 2nd and 20 from their own 31, Wilson went bombs away and found Lockett in stride for a 69 yard touchdown and a 21-10 Seahawks lead. 

The second half was uneventful. The Colts faced 4th and 1 at the Seattle 31 and fumbled the ball away in a scoreless third quarter. The Colts then moved 59 yards in 14 plays and 5 1/2 minutes. With 10 minutes left Frank Reich decided to go for it on 4th and 2 from the Seattle 18. Wentz was sacked as the Colts again turned it over on downs. From their own 27 Wilson went deep to Metcalf for 30 yards. Wilson would throw a 15 yard touchdown pass to Metcalf to make it 28-10 Seahawks with 6:41 to play. Wentz managed a garbage touchdown just before the 2 minute warning but nothing more. After all these years, Pete Carroll and Russell Wilson are still doing it. Despite only 254 yards passing, Wilson had 4 touchdown passes. 28-16 Seahawks

New York Jets at Carolina Panthers — Robert Saleh became the first Muslim to ever be the head coach in an NFL game. It was emotional coming the day after the 20 year anniversary of 9/11. Saleh’s brother was in the Second Tower as a Morgan Stanley trainee but got out alive. Perhaps the Jets were fortunate to be playing on the road and away from all the emotion. It was Zach Wilson’t first NFL game. Meanwhile, Sam Darnold’s first game with the Panthers was against his old team. Removing all the emotion, a pair of bad teams started out playing bad football. The Panthers moved 76 yards in 11 plays. On 4th and 1 from the Jets 4, Matt Rhule decided to go for it. Darnold fumbled the snap. The Jets recovered and moved from their own 9 to the Carolina 49. Wilson was then intercepted by Thompson, who returned it 29 yards to the Jets 32. 

The Panthers managed to move to a 2nd and goal at the 3, but Darnold threw incomplete twice. Santoso hit the 22 yard field goal to make it 3-0 Panthers. The Jets after a touchback moved to a 3rd and 1 at the Carolina 32. Wilson threw incomplete. Robert Saleh went for it and decided to play basic smash mouth. Coleman went up the middle and got smashed for a one yard loss. 

With 4 minutes left in the half of a hideously ugly game, the Panthers finally got going. Immediately after the defensive stand, two former Jets burned their old team. Darnold went deep to Robby Anderson for a 57 yard touchdown. The extra point was no good but the Panthers led 9-0. The Panthers got it back at their own 38 with 2 1/2 minutes left in the half. Darnold hit Christian McCaffrey for 14 and 4, Arnold for 5, and on 3rd and 1 from the Jets 38, hit Marshall for 11. Darnold then hit McCaffrey for 22 and ran for the 5 yard touchdown to make it 16-0 Panthers.

The Jets fought back in the second half. With 6 minutes left in the third quarter the Jets took over at their own 30. Wilson went to Davis for 20. On 3rd and 2 from the Carolina 41, Wilson hit Griffin for 8. Wilson threw his first NFL touchdown pass, a 22 yarder to Corey Davis. Robert Saleh went for 2 and Wilson ran it in himself to get the Jets within 16-8. The Panthers then moved 52 yards in 12 plays and nearly 8 minutes, eating up half of the fourth quarter. On 4th and 2 from the Jets 6, Matt rule decided to go for it. A false start killed that thought. Santoso hit the 29 yard field goal to give the Panthers breathing room up 19-8 with 8:42 to play. 

With 4 1/2 minutes left and the Jets still needing 2 scores, a punt had them pinned at their own 7 yard line. Wilson hit Berrios for 15. With 3:20 left the Jets were down to their last gasp facing 4th and 8 at their own 25. Wilson hit berries for 25 to midfield. Wilson then went to Mims for 40. On 3rd and goal at the 8, Wilson hit Davis for the touchdown. The 2 point try failed but with 1:56 left the Jets were within 5. The onside kick failed and McCaffrey ran for an 18 yard gain. Darnold took 3 knees to get the revenge win. Robert Saleh lost his first game as an NFL head coach. The Jets have now lost games with head coaches who were Jewish, Catholic, Christian and Muslim. 19-14 Panthers

 

Minnesota Vikings at Cincinnati Bengals — Mike Zimmer went against his former team, but he has been beloved by both franchises. Last year the Vikings got away from the hard-nosed running and defense Zimmer is known for. After a scoreless first quarter, the Vikings began the second quarter at their own 9 yard line. Dalvin Cook ran for 17. On 3rd and 6 from his own 30, Kirk Cousins hit Cook for 9. From midfield, Cousins hit Justin Jefferson for 17 and Osborn for 11. On 3rd and 24 from the Cincinnati 36, a short pass from Cousins to Osborn went for 25 yards. These are the Bengals. On 2nd and 9 from the Cincy 10, Cousins was sacked for a 10 yard loss. Yet defensive holding meant 1st and goal at the 5. These are the Bengals. Cousins hit Adam Thielen for the touchdown on the next play to cap the 14 play, 91 yard, 8 1/2 minute drive and make it 7-0 Vikings.

After a touchback the Bengals finally got going. Joe Burrow hit Joe Mixon for 12. On 3rd and 9 from his own 38, Burrow hit Chase for 17. Perine ran for 13 and Burrow hit Chase for 13 more. From the Minnesota 29, Burrow went deep incomplete but defensive pass interference meant a 26 yard gain. Burrow hit Higgins for a 2 yard touchdown and a 7-7 ballgame with 1:51 left in the half. The Vikings went 3 and out and the Bengals got it back at their own 25 with 1:11 left. Burrow hit Higgins for 14, Mixon for 2 and Tyler Boyd for 9 to midfield. 35 seconds remained. Burrow went for it all and hit Chase for the 50 yard touchdown to make it 14-7 Bengals. In the third quarter the Bengals moved 75 yards in 11 plays and 6 minutes. On 3rd and 1 from their own 34, Burrow out of the shotgun hit Mixon for 4 and again out of the shotgun hit Higgins for 28 more. On 4th and 1 from the Minnesota 25, Zac Parsons decided to go for it. Burrow gained 2. Burrow hit Higgins for 14 down to the 2 and Nixon ran it in from there. The Bengals were up 21-7 and about to break the game open.

With 3 minutes left in the third quarter momentum changed when Parsons made the boneheaded decision to go for it on 4th and 1 from his own 30. Somewhere else, Barry Switzer was telling him not to do it. Mixon got stopped cold for no gain. The Vikings soon faced 4th and 4 at the Cincy 24, and Mike Zimmer decided to go for it. Cousins went to Adam Thielen for the first down and the touchdown as the Vikings were within 21-14. After a touchback Mixon gashed the defense for gains of 5, 10 and 19. Yet on 3rd and 4 from the Minnesota 35Burrow threw incomplete. This time Parsons opted for a 53 yard field goal try rather than go for it. Evan McPherson bailed him out as the Bengals had breathing room up 24-14 less than one minute into the fourth quarter.

The Vikings came back 75 yards in 10 plays and 5 minutes. On 3rd and 5 from their own 30, Cousins threw incomplete but defensive illegal use of hands kept the drive going. On 3rd and 8 from their own 48, Cousins went to Cook for 9, Osborn for 8, and Jefferson for 34 yards down to the one. Cook got the last yard as the Vikings were within 24-21 with 9 1/2 minutes to play. With 1:47 left the Vikings began their last gasp at their own 5 yard line. Cousins hit Cook for 7 and Conklin for 27. With 37 seconds left the Vikings were down to 4th and 4 at their own 45. Cousins hit Osborn for 6 and then 6 more and then found Thielen for 14. Cousins spiked the ball to stop the clock with 3 seconds left. Joseph came in for a 53 yard field goal to tie the game. On the road in the high pressure situation, the kick was good. The game was headed to overtime. 

Overtime appeared destined to be a tie as the Bengals punted twice and the Vikings once. With 3:40 left in overtime the Vikings took over at their own 37. At the 2 minute warning the Vikings were at the Cincinnati 38. A few more yards would mean a field goal try for the win. The Vikings never got the chance. Cook got the carry and fumbled. The Bengals took over at their own 39 with 1:47 left. With 1:11 left the Bengals had 3rd and 1 at their own 48. Mixon got the carry and got stopped for no gain. With 39 seconds left, Zac Parsons took the mother of all gambles. In his own territory, he went for it knowing another stop would give the vikings a short field and one first down away from field goal range. Burrow threw a short pass to Ozumah that went for a 32 yard gain. All of a sudden it was the Bengals in short field goal range. With 5 seconds left and the Bengals facing 3rd and 5 from the Minnesota 15, McPherson came in for the 33 yard try to win it. The kick was good and the Bengals were in the win column. 27-24 Bengals, OT

Arizona Cardinals at Tennessee Titans — The Cardinals moved from their own 39 to a 1st and goal at the 9, but consecutive offensive penalties had them settling for a 34 yard Matt Prater field goal and a 3-0 Cardinals lead. Two plays later  on 2nd and 11 from their own 19, Ryan Tannehill was sacked and fumbled. The Cardinals recovered at the Tennessee one yard line. The Cardinals did it the hard way, but on 3rd and goal from the 5 Kyler Murray rolled out and fired to Deandre Hopkins in the back of the end zone. Somehow Hopkins got both feet down as the Cardinals led 10-0. The second quarter began with the Cardinals having the ball back and facing 3rd and 2 at their own 28. Murray threw incomplete but defensive pass interference meant 17 yards. Murray ended up connecting with Hopkins for a 17 yard touchdown as the Cardinals had the surprising 17-0 lead. 

After a touchback the Titans soon faced 2nd and 8 at their own 39. Tannehill went to Anthony Firkser for 11 to midfield. Earlier in the game Mike Vrabel ran a successful fake punt in a drive that went nowhere anyway. This time Vrabel called a flea flicker, and Tannehill hit Rogers for 39 yards. On 3rd and 10 from the 11, Tannehill hit Westbrook-Ikhine for just enough down to the one. Derrick Henry was stopped twice. On 3rd and goal at the one, Tannehill ran a draw play and got in the end zone to get the Titans on the board. The extra point was no good as the Titans trailed 17-6. 

Yet the Cardinals kept rolling, answering the 11 play, 75 yard drive with a 12 play, 75 yard, 5 minute drive of their own. On 3rd and 10 from their own 25, Murray went to Moore for 18. On 3rd and 6 from the Tennessee 41, Murray hit Kirk for 22. On 2nd and 10 from the Tennessee 19, a short completion became 1st and goal at the 8 thanks to a defensive facemask. Murray ran for a 2 yard touchdown to make it 24-6 Cardinals with 1:48 left in the half. Tennessee’s misery continued after they moved from their own 25 to a 3rd and 1 at the Arizona 28 with 24 seconds left in the half.Tannehill threw incomplete. Mike Vrabel played it safe with 18 seconds left, but Mike Badgley followed up his missed extra point with a 46 yard field goal try that was no good. The Cardinals even had a Hail Mary try from their own 48, but instead Murray went with the short pass to Edmonds, who had a wall of blockers. Edmonds gained 36 yards before finally being tackled at the Tennessee 16 as the half ended. 

In the third quarter Murray got greedy and made his only mistake of the game. A deep ball was intercepted to set up the Titans at the Arizona 32. Tannehill quickly hit AJ Brown for 19 and then the 13 yard touchdown to get the Titans within 24-13. They would get no closer. After a touchback, Murray quickly redeemed himself. Murray went to Moore for 29 yards. On 3rd and 3 from the Tennessee 26, Murray went to Christian Kirk for the easy touchdown and the 31-13 Cardinals lead. The Titans turned the ball over on their next two series with an interception and a fumble. The latter turnover set up the Cardinals at the Tennessee 33. Edmonds ran for 16. On 3rd and 4 from the Tennessee 11, Murray hit Kirk to complete the blowout as the fourth quarter was scoreless. Kliff Kingsbury and Kyler Murray were initially dismissed as gimmicky. Mike Vrabel had a smashmouth team. Yet it was the Cardinals who went into Tennessee and belted the Titans. Chandler Jones had 5 sacks in a game that was never in doubt. 38-13 Cardinals 

San Francisco 49ers at Detroit Lions — Jimmy Garoppolo is counting the days until he gets benched in favor of Trey Lance. Garoppolo started by fumbling the ball away. The Lions recovered and responded by missing a 51 yard field goal try. Midway through the first quarter, Lance came in for one play and then Garoppolo came back in. The Hydra approach Kyle Shanahana employed in the preseason was being used in the regular season. On 3rd and 5 from the Detroit 12, it was Garoppolo hitting Mohammed San for 7. Yet on the next play it was Lance throwing the 5 yard touchdown to Sherfield to make it 7-0 49ers. 

Jared Goff now leads the Lions, who took over at their own 18. It was Williams who ran for 20 and 7, with 15 tacked on the next play due to roughing the passer. On 2nd and 20 from midfield, Goff hit Swift for 12. On 3rd and 8, Goff hit TJ Hockensen for 12. On 4th and 1 from the 17, rookie Lions coach Dan Campbell decided to go for it. Goff hit Williams for 7 as the first quarter ended. The second quarter began with the Lions facing 3rd and goal at the 6. Goff hit Hockensen for the score to make it 7-7 and cap the 13 play, 82 yard, 7 minute drive. The 49ers responded quickly. On 2nd and 7 from their own 25, Garoppolo hit Deebo Samuel for 29 and 8. Mitchell then took a pitchout and broke through terrible tackling attempts for a 38 yard touchdown run and a 14-7 49ers lead. The Lions after a touchback reached the San Francisco 33 but then began moving backward. Seibert did hit a 49 yard field goal to get the Lions within 14-10, but after that the 49ers took over. 

After a touchback Garoppolo hit Kyle Juszczyk for 7 with roughing the passer adding 15 more. Mitchell ran for 11 and Garoppolo hit Samuel for 23. Hasty ran up the middle for the 3 yard touchdown to make it 21-10 49ers with 2 1/2 minutes left in the half. The Lions took over at their own 20. On 3rd and 8 from their own 32, Goff found Greenlaw. Problem: Greenlaw plays defense for the 49ers. Greenlaw returned the interception 39 yards for a touchdown to make it 28-10 49ers. The 49ers got it back at their own 28 with 44 seconds left in the half. Garoppolo hit Samuel for 14 with a defensive facemask adding 15 more. Garoppolo hit Sherfield for another 18. Robbie Gould hit a 40 yard field goal to end the half with the 49ers cruising 31-10. Gould missed a field goal from 52 in the third quarter but it did not seem to matter. The 49ers got it back at their own 9 and made it look easy. On 3rd and 8 from their own 21, Garoppolo connected with Samuel for a 79 yard touchdown. midway through the third quarter the 49ers were winning a laugher up 38-10. Yet they would not be laughing by the end of the game.

In desperation mode, Dan Campbell had to go for it on 4th and 1 from his own 34. Williams gained 6 yards. Goff then went to Williams for gains of 11 and 6 and finally to D’Andre Swift for a 43 yard touchdown. With 4 1/2 minutes left in the third quarter the Lions were still down 38-17. A field position game had the 49ers taking over at their own 47. On 3rd and 10 Garoppolo hit Hasty for 15. Gould hit a 52 yard field goal. With 10 minutes left in regulation, the 49ers were up 41-17. When the Lions turned it over on downs the game appeared over. The Lions had reached a 1st and 10 at the San Francisco 17 at the 2 minute warning. They were down by 24 points with 2 minutes left. There was no way the 49ers would mess this up.

This is your reminder that Kyle Shanahan’s awful play calling caused his teams to lose 2 Super Bowls. The 2016 Falcons blew a 28-3 second half lead because Shanahan refused to run the ball. The 2019 San Francisco 49ers blew a 20-10 fourth quarter lead because Shanahan refused to run the ball. Shanahan is a brilliant play caller for 3 quarters, but his West Coast Offense obsession with the sink and dunk passing game kills his teams in the fourth quarter. He refuses to play power football and run out the clock. Based on this game, he has learned nothing. 

Goff fired incomplete but defensive pass interference put the ball on the one. Jamaal Williams got in for the touchdown. Goff hit Hockensen for the 2 point conversion. With 1:53 left the Lions were within 41-25. The onside kick succeeded and the Lions kept the ball at their own 41. Goff hit Benson for 11 and Hockensen for 13. Goff hit Raymond for 20 and Quintez Cephus for the 2 yard touchdown. Goff found Cephus again for another 2 point conversion. With 1:07 to play the Lions were within 8 points. None of this could be blamed on Shanahan, but what happened next was absolutely his fault. 

With 58 seconds left the 49ers faced 3rd and 13 at the Detroit 46. The Lions had one timeout left. The entire football world knows you run the ball and force the defense to take their last timeout. Then you punt and let the opposing offense have to travel the entire length of the field. Yet Shanahan refuses to run the ball. Garoppolo fired over the middle to Samuel, who gained 11 yards. Samuel was then hit and fumbled. The Lions recovered at their own 30. With 52 seconds remaining, they were still alive. Shanahan needs to learn how to run the football in the fourth quarter.

Goff hit Anthony St. Brown for 20 to midfield and Raymond for 25 more. With 32 seconds left the Lions were 25 yards away from potential tying the game. Goff threw incomplete, scrambled for one yard, and threw incomplete again. With 17 seconds left it came down to 4th and 9 at the San Francisco 24. Goff threw incomplete again. Garoppolo only threw 25 passes, completing 17 of them for 314 yards. Goff threw the ball 57 times, completing 38 for 338 yards. Yet most of that was when the game was a blowout. Despite Shanahan’s bungling, the 49ers survived to spoil Dan Campbell’s debut. 41-33 49ers

Pittsburgh Steelers at Buffalo Bills — This may be Big Ben Roethlisberger’s final season, but the opening strike came when Isaiah McKenzie took the opening kickoff at his goal line and returned it 75 yards. Yet with a short field, the Bills could not capitalize. Tyler Bass hit the field goal to make it 3-0 Bills. After that Mike Tomlin and Sean McDermott’s defenses dug in. With 6 minutes left in the half the Bills took over at their own 9. Allen hit Knox for 12. On 3rd and 5 from their own 27, Allen hit Davis for 37 yards. Allen found Stefan Diggs for 11 and Cole Beasley for 8. On 3rd and 1 from the Pittsburgh 9, Josh Allen gained 3. With 22 seconds left in the half, it all came down to 3rd and goal at the 3. Allen out of the shotgun found Davis for the score as the Bills took a 10-0 lead t the locker rooms.

The Steelers tried to get some offense going in the third quarter, moving 69 yards in 10 plays. Yet on 3rd and 4 from the Buffalo 6, Roethlisberger threw incomplete. Chris Boswell hit the 24 yard field goal to get the Steelers on the board. The Bills after a touchback moved to a 3rd and 8 at the Pittsburgh 35. Allen threw incomplete and Sean McDermott decided to go for it rather than try a 53 yard field goal. Allen threw incomplete again. The Steelers moved from their own 36 to a 1st and goal at the 4. Then the Buffalo defense clamped down again. On 3rd and goal at the 6, a completion from Roethlisberger to Harris only gained 4. On 4th and goal at the 2, Mike Tomlin took no chances. Boswell hit the 20 yard field goal to get the Steelers within 10-6. Momentum was shifting. The Bills moved from their own 25 to a 4th and 1 at the Pittsburgh 41. Sean McDermott again went for it and Matt Breida was blown up for a 7 yard loss. 

The Steelers soon faced 3rd and 7 just past midfield. Roethlisberger threw incomplete but defensive pass interference meant a 26 yard gain. Then Harri gained 18. With 11 1/2 minutes left in regulation, Big Ben hit Johnson for a 5 yard touchdown. The Steelers had their first lead of the game up 13-10. The Bills went 3 and out and had to punt on 4th and 12 from their own 23. The punt was blocked and recovered by Ulysses Gilbert III for a touchdown. 20 unanswered points had the Steelers up 20-10 with 9:45 left.

The Bills moved from their own 26 to a 3rd and goal at the 6. Yet a swing pass ended up being fumbled out of bounds for a one yard loss. Bass hit the 25 yard field goal to get the Bills within 20-13, but only 5 1/2 minutes remained. After a touchback, on 2nd and 7 from their own 33, Big Ben found Juju Smith-Schuster for 24. Despite it being the Jewish holiday season, neither Ben Roethlisberger or Juju Smith-Schuster are Jewish. On 3rd and 8 from the Buffalo 41, Big Ben hit Chase Claypool for 14. With 2:47 left, Boswell came in for a 45 yard field goal try to give the Steelers some breathing room. The kick was good and the Steelers led 23-13.

Needing 2 scores, the Bills were down to their last gasp with 2:19 left facing 4th and 10 at their own 36. Allen hit Sanders for 14 to midfield. With 54 seconds left the Bills had 1st and 10 at the Pittsburgh 14. Allen threw incomplete and offensive holding pushed the Bills back. Sean Mcdermott opted to immediately kick the field goal to preserve the clock. Bass hit from 42 to get the Bills within 7. The onside kick failed and that was it. Last year the Steelers started 11-0 before collapsing down the stretch and suffering a humiliating home playoff loss in the first round. The Bills advanced to the AFC Title Game and were a preseason Super Bowl pick. This was a statement game. The Steelers went on the road and hit a very good Bills team in the mouth. Mike Tomlin still knows how to coach football. 23-16 Steelers

 

Philadelphia Eagles at Atlanta Falcons — The Falcons moved 72 yards in 14 plays and 5 minutes. Yet despite 2nd and goal at the 3, Matt Ryan threw incomplete twice. Younghoe Koo hit the 21 yard field goal to make it 3-0 Falcons. The Eagles are a team in flux. Non-descript Doug Pederson is out only 3 years after winning the franchise’s only Super Bowl. Some guy named Nick Sirianni is the equally nondescript new coach. Carson Wentz is gone. Nick Foles is gone. Jalen Hurts is the starting quarterback. After a touchback Hurts hit Watkins for 10 with defensive unnecessary roughness adding 15 to midfield. Hurts hit Watkins for 11 and then ran for 13. Hurts threw an 18 yard touchdown pass to Smith to put the Eagles up 7-3. The Falcons again moved the ball on a 15 play, 74 yard, 5 1/2 minute drive. Yet again the Falcons melted down near the goal line. 1st and goal at the 2 was followed by a pair of offensive penalties. The second quarter began with Koo hitting a 27 yard field goal to get the Falcons within 7-6. The first 28 minutes was a hideous slog. The final 32 minutes were a forgettable blowout.

The Eagles took over at their own 38 with 1:37 left in the half. On 3rd and 1 from their own 47, Gainwell gained 3. On 3rd and 5 from the Atlanta 45, Hurts ran for 11. On 3rd and 5 from the Atlanta 16, Hurts hit Dallas Goedert for 12 A touchdown was nullified by illegal man downfield. The Eagles were 9 yard away and only 9 seconds remained. Hurts hit Goedert for the touchdown. After a penalty on the defense on the kick, Nick Sirianni decided to go for the 2 point conversion with the ball on the one. Sanders ran it in as the Eagles led 15-6 at halftime. The second half served no purpose. Late in the third quarter the Eagles took over at midfield. On 3rd and 1, Sanders gained 6. Hurts hit Sanders for 25. Gainwell ran for the 8 yard touchdown to make it 22-6 Eagles. In the fourth quarter Hurts hit his fellow Jalen Reagor for a 23 yard touchdown. The Eagles added one more field goal to complete the blowout. Nick Sirianni won his very first NFL game as a head coach while the rookie coach of the Falcons lost his debut. His name is Arthur Smith, who may or may not be the offspring of Falcons owner Arthur Blank and former Falcons Coach Mike Smith. 32-6 Eagles

Cleveland Browns at Kansas City Chiefs — Last year the Chiefs knocked off the Browns in a playoff game that was more competitive than expected, although Patrick Mahomes did play injured. This was a great football game with plenty of surprises but a predictable inevitable result. The Browns exploded out of the gate after a touchback. Nick Chubb ran for 2, caught a pass from Baker Mayfield for 8, and ran for 6 more. Mayfield went to Austin Hooper for 14 and ran for 7. On 3rd and 3 from the Chiefs 38, Mayfield hit Schwartz for 16. On 4th and 3 from the Chiefs 15, Kevin Stefanski stunned everybody by going for it on the road in front of a hostel Chiefs crowd. You kick the field goal in that situation. Mayfield hit Hooper for 5, which is why Stefanski is coach and I am not. Chubb ran for 6 and then for the 4 yard touchdown. After the Chiefs committed encroachment, Stefanski decided to go for 2. Former Chiefs running back Karim Hunt ran it in to make it 8-0 Browns.

The Chiefs from their own 19 moved 71 yards in 10 plays and 6 minutes. On 3rd and 6 from the Cleveland 14, an offensive holding call was a killer. On 3rd and 11, a completion only gained 9. On 4th and 2 from the Cleveland 10, Walrus Andy Reid played it safe. Harrison Butker hit the 28 yard field goal to get the Chiefs within 8-3. After a touchback, mayfield immediately went deep to Schwartz for a 44 yard gain and to Bryant for 17 more. On 3rd and 5 from the Chiefs 9, Hunt gained only 4. Kevin Stefanski was aggressive all day, figuring the game would be a shootout. On 4th and 1 from the 5, Jarvis Landry spun around defenders like a pinwheel and just barely broke the plane of the goal for a touchdown. Early in the second quarter, the Browns had the 15-3 lead in front of a stunned crowd at Arrowhead. 

The Chiefs soon faced 3rd and 1 at their own 34. Burton gained 2. On 3rd and 7 from their own 39, Mahomes hit Tyreek Hill for 11. On 3rd and 4 from the Cleveland 44, Mahomes went to Hill for 22 and Travis Kelce for 19. Mahomes ran for a 5 yard touchdown to cap the 12 play, 75 yard, 7 minute drive and get the Chiefs within 15-10. The Brows soon faced 1st and 15 at their own 14. Mayfield hit Schwartz for 9. Schwartz then took an end around 17 more. Mayfield hit Chubb for 10 and Landry for 9. Stefanski then went to the bag of tricks.. Mayfield threw a backward pass to Landry, who has thrown several option passes in his career. He played quarterback in college. This time Landry smartly saw nobody was open and took off running. He gained 8, with 15 more added on for defensive facemask. Chubb raced untouched for an 18 yard touchdown. With 3 minutes left in the half the Browns led 22-10 in front of a home crowd on the verge of shellshocked. The Browns were just hitting the Chiefs in the mouth.

The Browns got it back at their own one yard line with 90 seconds left in the half. Hunt ran for 5 and 15 and Mayfield then went deep to Njoku for 43 yards. Yet on 3rd and 10 from the Chiefs 36, an offensive holding penalty pushed the Browns out of long field goal range. A sack of Mayfield had the Browns facing 4th and 31 as the clock was ticking down. Yet rather than let the half expire, Kevin Stefanski kept going big. He called timeout with 3 seconds left and set up for a Hail Mary from his own 43. Instead, Stefanski went with the hook and laterals. Mayfield hit Landry for 32 yards, and he lateraled to Mayfield for 11 more. Yet around the Chiefs 10 yard line, the defense finally got the stop. The Browns were dominating, but everyone knew the Chiefs would come back. 

The Chiefs began the third quarter facing 3rd and 3 at their own 32. Mahomes went to Hill for 6. Mahomes hit Mecole Hardman for 7 and kielce for 12. On 3rd and 7 from the Cleveland 36, Mahomes ran for 8. Mahomes hit Kelce for an 11 yard touchdown to cap the 14 play, 75 yard, 7 1/2 minute drive. The Chiefs were within 22-17. After a touchback the Browns quickly moved to a 1st and 10 at their own 48. Yet Chubb fumbled and the Chiefs recovered at their own 47. On 3rd and 1 from the Cleveland 44, a direct snap to Bell went for 2. On 3rd and 2 from the Cleveland 34, Mahomes hit Carl Edwards-Helaire for 14. Yet on 3rd and 10 from the Cleveland 20, a false start was followed by an incompletion. Butker hit from 43 to get the Chiefs within 22-20 after three quarters.

The Browns did not fold. After a touchback Mayfield hit Landry for 11 as the fourth quarter began. Mayfield hit Landry for 9 more and then found Njoku for 30. Chubb bruised ahead for gains of 7, 6 and 2. Hunt got the last 2 for the score. With 10 1/2 minutes left in regulation, the Browns had breathing room up 29-20. One play and 14 seconds later that breathing room evaporated. Mahomes rolled out and went bombs away to Hill, who-out jumped the defender and coasted into the end zone. Just like that, the Chiefs were within 29-27. The Browns had played smart all day but one breakdown killed them. They were punting on 4th and 12 from their own 23. Punter Gillian fumbled the snap and had no chance of getting the punt off. He got taken down at his own 15 yard line. On 3rd and 3 from the Cleveland 8, Mahomes went to Kelce for the touchdown. The 2 point try failed but the Chiefs had their first lead of the game up by 4 points midway through the fourth quarter. 

The Browns failed to gain a first down and punted with 5 1/2 minutes left. With 4 minutes left the Chiefs faced 3rd and 2 at their own 35. Mahomes hit Kelce for 14. Yet pass-happy Walrus Andy Reid kept passing, which allowed incompletions to stop the clock. On 3rd and 10 just shy of midfield, Mahomes was sacked for a 9 yard loss. The Browns were very much alive, taking over at their own 17 with 3 minutes left. With 1:16 left a 19 yard completion had the Browns at their own 48. Mayfield played well all game, but when it mattered most he got reckless. Under heavy pressure, rather than take the sack, he tried throwing a ball as he was going down. It was underthrown and intercepted. Mayfield was a red hot 21 of 28 for 321 yards without a touchdown pass. Mahoems was 27 of 36 for 337 yards and 3 touchdowns. Yet Mahomes was not intercepted, while Mayfield had the one killer interception that was part of 3 second half Cleveland turnovers. The win made Andy Reid a most relieved Walrus indeed. 33-29 Chiefs

Green Bay Packers at New Orleans Saints — Although this was a home game for the Saints, it was played in Jacksonville, Florida due to damage to the Superdome from Hurricane Ida. Last year Aaron Rodgers and Drew Brees both had home playoff games against Tom Brady. Brady slayed them both en route to his 7th Super Bowl trophy. Rodgers and Brees had only one each, and Brees decided to retire. Rodgers decided to spend the entire offseason bitching and complaining and acting like a prima donna. Despite consecutive 13-3 seasons and trips to the NFC Title Game, Rodgers threatened to retire because he did not have enough talent around him. He was unhappy that Jordan Love was drafted, oblivious to the fact that Brett Favre was not thrilled with Rodgers being drafted. After losing the NFC Title Game at home, Rodgers began this season against a Saints team that started Jameis Winston rather than Brees. Bruce Arians was not able to fix Winston, although to be fair he got rid of him for Brady. If Sean Payton could not fix Winston, nobody could Well apparently Payton can. His first game without Brees was quite successful. This potential NFC Title Game matchup was never competitive. 

The Saints moved from their own 25 to a 2nd and 7 at the Packers 26. Winston threw incomplete twice. Aldrick Rosas hit a 44 yard field goal to make it 3-0 Saints. The Saints got it back and soon faced 3rd and 1 at their own 33. Taysom Hill did not get the starting quarterback job, but he still comes in for special plays. This time he gained 2 for the first down. Winston hit Harris for 17. On 3rd and 8 from the Green Bay 35, Winston did not force anything as he has in the past. The former top overall pick scrambled for 10 yards. On 3rd and 2 from the Green Bay 17, Alvin Kamara gained just enough. Winston began the second quarter by hitting Kamara for a 3 yard touchdown. The 15 play, 75 yard, 8 minute drive had the Saints up 10-0 and set the tone for the day. 

The Saints got it back and had an even longer mind-numbing drive. 15 plays. 80 yards. 10…yes 10…minutes off the clock. Jones had 3 straight runs for 5, 9 and 3. Kamara added 11 more. On 4th and 7 from the Green Bay 41, Sean Payton decided to go for it. He kept his foot on the gas. Winston hit Johnson for 12. Kamara busted off runs of 6 and 14. On 3rd and goal at the 2, Hill came in. Yet this time he lost a yard. On 4th and goal at the 3, Payton again decided to go for it. Maybe he was just trying to draw the Packers defense offside. Either way, they complied, moving the ball to the one. Winston hit Juwan johnson for the touchdown. With one minute left in the half the Saints led 17-0. The Packers did manage a field goal to end the half, but all that did was end the shutout. In the second half the Saints blasted the Packers to pieces. 

The Packers began the third quarter after a touchback moving all the way to a 2nd and 7 at the Saints 9. A touchdown would get the Packers within 17-10. Instead, Rodgers was intercepted by Adebo, who returned it 33 yards to the Saints 40. The Packers got it back and soon faced 3rd and 7 at their own 8. Rodgers got desperate, and laughed a bomb wit no receivers in sight. It was intercepted by Williams, who returned it 53 yards to the Green Bay 12. On 3rd and 8, Winston hit Chris Hogan for the 10 yard touchdown to make it 24-3 Saints. Matt LaFleur made a desperate move of his own, deciding to go for it on 4th and 1 from his own 22. Again, consult with Barry swather before doing this. Rodgers threw incomplete. On 3rd and 9, Winston appeared to make his only mistake of the game, getting intercepted in the end zone. Yet a horrendous roughing the passer call gave the Saints 1st and goal at the 10. The hit on Winston was completely clean. Yet on the first play of the fourth quarter, Winston hit Johnson for an 8 yard touchdown to make it 31-3 Saints.

The Saints got it back at their own 34. Kamara ran for 4 and 7. Winston then went to Deonte Harris for a 55 yard touchdown to complete the carpet-bombing. The final 11 minutes saw Matt LaFleur pull Rodgers for his own safety and give Love some action. With one minute left down by 5 touchdowns, the Packers had 1st and goal at the 5. Yet even a garbage touchdown was too much to ask. Love was sacked and fumbled to end the humiliating defeat. Rodgers was awful, going 15 of 28 for 133 yards, 0 touchdowns and 2 interceptions. Winston was magnificent. He only threw 20 passes, completing 14 of them. He only had 148 yards passing. This is because the Saints ran the ball 39 times for 171 yards. Even with such small numbers in the air, Winston still had 5…yes 5…touchdown passes. More importantly, he had 0 interceptions. This is your umpteenth reminder that Winston was the top overall pick a few years ago. Sean Payton can still coach. Aaron Rodgers skipped all of training camp throwing his temper tantrum. Maybe it is not his lack of help. Maybe other quarterbacks are just better at making their teammates better. On this day, Rodgers played horrendous. 38-3 Saints 

Denver Broncos at New York Giants — Vic Fangio had never won a September football game. Daniel Jones can’t stop fumbling. Something had to give. The Giants began facing 3rd and 5 at their own 28. Jones went deep to Slayton for a 42 yard gain to the Denver 30. That was his game highlight. His next pass lost 6 yards followed by a run that lost 2 more yards. The Jones let the play clock run out as the Giants were out of field goal range. The Broncos began their second drive at their own 33. They took over at their own 33 and moved 62 yards in 15 plays and over 8 1/2 minutes. Teddy Bridgewater was the starter over Drew Lock, and on 4th and 7 from the Giants 37, Fangio decided to go for it. Bridgewater hit Patrick for 15 yards. The drive died at the 5 but Brandon McManus hit a 23 yard field goal early in the second quarter to make it 3-0 Broncos. 

After a touchback, Jones hit Kenny Golladay for 17. On 3rd and 7 from their own 45, Jones threw incomplete but defensive pass interference meant 5 yards and an automatic first down. On 3rd and 5 from the Denver 45, Jones hit Sterling Shepard for 8. Jones then went back to Shepard for a 37 yard touchdown. The Giants led 7-3. The Broncos moved from their own 25 to a 2nd and 7 at the Giants 10. Bridgewater hit Okwuegbunam for 6, but the man with the impossible to spell last name fumbled the ball. The Giants recovered at their own 4 yard line. Yet the Giants went 3 and out and the Broncos got it back at their own 43 with 2 1/2 minutes left in the half. On 4th and 2 just past midfield, Vic Fangio decided to go for it. Bridgewater hit Cortland Sutton for 14 and Jerry Jeudy for 17. Despite it being the Jewish New Year a few days earlier, Jeudy is not Jewish. Bridgewater then went to Tim Patrick for 16 down to the 2 yard line with 13 seconds left in the half. With everything on the line, Bridgewater hit Patrick for the touchdown. The Broncos only led 10-7 at the break, but the damage was done.

The Broncos had the ball to end the first half and began the second half with a staggering 16 play, 75 yard drive that took over 8 minutes. On 3rd and 5 from their own 30, Bridgewater hit Hamler for 10. On 3rd and 6 from their own 44, Bridgewater hit Okwuegbunam for just enough to midfield. On 3rd and 4 from the Giants 44, Bridgewater hit Fast for 8. On 3rd and 7 from the Giants 33, Bridgewater hit Jeudy for 20. Jeudy was injured on the play and did not return. Early reports were grim. On 4th and 1 from the Giants 4, Vic Fangio decided to go for it. Again with everything on the line, the Giants defense broke. Bridgewater hit Okwuegbunam for the touchdown as the Broncos led 17-7. 

The Giants defense was gassed. They needed a rest. After a touchback, Jones did move the Giants 60 yards in 10 plays. Yet on 1st and 10 from the Denver 22, Jones did what he does. He scrambled for 7 yards and then fumbled the ball away. The Broncos took over at their own 13 and moved 69 yards in 10 plays and 5 minutes. On 3rd and 8 from their own 15, Bridgewater went to Hamler for 22. Williams ran for 12 and unnecessary roughness on the defense 2 plays later added 15 more. With 13 minutes left in regulation, McManus hit a 36 yard field goal to make it 20-7 Broncos.

The Giants then moved 69 yards in 14 plays and 6 1/2 minutes. On 4th and 4 from the Denver 46, Joe Judge decided to go for it. Jones scrambled for 8 yards. On 3rd and 4 from the Denver 13, Jones threw incomplete but a defensive facemask meant a new set of downs. Yet on 3rd and goal at the 6, Jones threw incomplete. with 6 1/2 minutes left in regulation, the field goal made little sense. Joe Judge lwent for it. Jones threw incomplete again and the entire drive again came up snake eyes. The Broncos put the dagger in quickly. On 3rd and 4 from their own 12, Bridgewater went to Melvin Gordon for only 3 yards, but a roughing the passer call meant 15 more yards. On the next play Gordon sliced through the exhausted giants defense and raced untouched for a 70 yard touchdown. The Broncos led 27-7. The Giants managed one garbage touchdown. Vic Fangio got his first September win. Bridgewater looked good and Jones was awful. Daniel Jones is already the new Dave Brown, only with more fumbles. 27-13 Broncos 

Miami Dolphins at New England Patriots — After 20 years of coexisting with Tom Brady, Bill Belichick got rid of Cam Newton after one year. Newton has his theory why, but refuses to consider that maybe he is washed up. Either way, rookie Mac Jones is now the Patriots starting quarterback. The Dolphins are built around defense while Tua Tagovailoa remains a question mark. For the first time in about 8 billion years, the Patriots did not win their division, make the playoffs, or even have a winning record in 2020. Blame the pandemic, but several players on their defense did opt out last year. They returned this year. Belichick does not offer excuses, so it would be interesting to see if he could defeat his protege Brian Flores at home.

The Patriots did move from their own 25 to a 1st and 10 at the Miami 30. Yet Jones made a rookie mistake, and was sacked and fumbled. The result was a 13 yard loss. On 4th and 17 from the Miami 37, Belichick opted against a 55 yard field goal try. The Patriots punted. The Dolphins tool over at their own 20. Tagovailoa hit Waddle for 17. On 3rd and 3 from their own 44, Gaskin gained 15. Tagovailoa hit Smythe for 9 and Ahmed for 18. Tagovailoa ran for a 3 yard touchdown to make it 7-0 Dolphins. The Patriots took over at their own 26. From their own 39, Jones hit Stevenson for 9, but Stevenson fumbled and the Dolphins recovered. The Patriots got it back again at their own 26 and this time moved 65 yards in 14 plays and 7 minutes. Yet on 2nd and 10 from the Miami 14, offensive holding killed the drive. Nick Folk hit the 27 yard field goal to get the Patriots within 7-3 with 10 minutes left in the half.

With 6 minutes left the Patriots took over at their own 37. Jones hit Harris for 8 and Nelson Agholor for 25 more. On 3rd and 1 at the Miami1 7, Jones was sacked. However, a roughing the passer call instead meant 1st and goal at the 8. Jones then hit Agholor for a 7 yard touchdown to make it 10-7 Patriots with 2 1/2 minutes left in the half. After a touchback, Tagovailoa went deep to Waddle for 36 yards. With 19 seconds left in the half after an incompletion, it came down to 3rd and 5 at the New England 23. Tagovailoa was sacked. Sanders hit a 48 yard field goal as the teams went to the intermission deadlocked 10-10. 

The Dolphins began the third quarter facing 3rd and 8 at their own 27. Tagovailoa went deep to Parker for 30. Gaskin then caught a pass from Tagovailoa for 12 and ran for 15 himself. Tagovailoa hit Waddle for a 3 yard touchdown to make it 17-10 Dolphins. The Patriots had a pair of long 14 play drives but could not finish them. In the third quarter they moved 67 yards, taking 8 minutes off the clock. In the fourth quarter it was 57 more yards and 6 1/2  more minutes off the clock. Yet all the Patriots could muster was Nick Folk field goals from 42 and 33 to get the Patriots within one point with 10 1/2 minutes left in regulation. 

The Dolphins after a touchback moved to a 3rd and 7 at the Miami 43. Tagovailoa under pressure threw a terrible pass that was intercepted. The Patriots took over at midfield and moved to a 1st and 10 at the Miami 11 with 3 1/2 minutes to play. They were in total control Then Harris got the carry, and fumbled. The Dolphins took over at their own 9. On 2nd and 1 from the 18, Brown gained 2 off a direct snap as the Patriots took their first timeout with 2 1/2 minutes left. The Patriots took their last timeout as the entire game came down to 3rd and 1 from the Miami 29. Jacoby Brissett came in for Tagovailoa for one play. Brian Flores did this because Brissett is much bigger. Brissett took the quarterback sneak and gained 2 yards. Tagovailoa came back in and took 3 knees. The evil empire of football led by Evil Hoodie Bill Belichick may finally see his deal with the devil expiring. 17-16 Dolphins  

Chicago Bears at Los Angeles Rams is the Sunday night game. This was the first game ever at the 2 billion dollar Stan Kroenke Los Angeles palace known as SoFi Stadium. Jared Goff is gone and Matthew Stafford is here. He is supposed to be the last piece of the puzzle for a Rams team primed to win it all. Sean McVay has a complete team while Matt Nagy decided to start Red Rifle Andy Dalton over Nick Foles and rookie Justin Fields. The Bears Herbert returned the opening kickoff 50 yards to the Rams 43. The bears quickly moved to a 3rd and 1 at the Rams 3 yard line. Then came the false start. Then Dalton went to the end zone and was intercepted for a touchback. After that early on the Rams made it look easy. Taking over at their own 20, they needed only 3 plays. From their own 33, Stafford went bombs away to Jefferson for a 67 yard touchdown and a 7-0 Rams lead. 

The Bears moved from their own 24 to a 4th and 4 at the Rams 41. Matt Nagy decided to go for it. Dalton threw incomplete. The Rams moved to a 3rd and 5 at the Chicago 35. Stafford threw incomplete. Sean McVay went with the 53 yard field goal try and Matt Gay delivered to make it 10-0 Rams. The Bears moved from their 25 to a 4th and 4 at the Rams 38. Nagy again decided to go for it and Dalton was sacked and fumbled. The Rams took over at their own 42 and moved 54 yards in 10 plays. Yet despite 1st and goal at the 2, a run lost two yards and Stafford threw incomplete twice. With 11 1/2 minutes left in the half, Gay hit from 22 to make it 13-0 Rams.

The Bears took over at their own 45 with 4:42 left in the half. Dalton hit Ket for 10. Montgomery ran for 10 more. Dalton hit Robinson for gains of 9 and 8 and then scrambled for 9 more to set up 3rd and 1 from the Rams 3 with 34 seconds left in the half. Montgomery ran it in as the Bears only trailed 13-7 at halftime. In the third quarter the Rams again struck quickly. On 3rd and 10 from their own 25, Stafford hit Robert Woods for 19. Stafford then went deep to Cooper Kupp for a 56 yard touchdown to make it 20-7 Rams. 

The Bears knew their only chance was to slow the game and keep the Rams offense off the field. The Bears embarked on a staggering 16 play, 81 yard drive that consumed her 9 1/2 minutes. On 3rd and 3 from their own 26, Dalton hit robinson for 7. On 3rd and 2 from their own 43, Dalton hit Ket for 3. Dalton then hit Goodwin for 10. On 3rd and 8 from the Rams 14, Dalton hit Graham for 11. Matt Nagy then brought Justin Fields in for one play. Fields ran for the 3 yard touchdown to get the Bears within 20-14. The Rams soon faced 3rd and 5 from their own 30. Stafford hit Tyler Higbee for 6. Stafford then went deep to Higbee for 37 more. Stafford hit Kupp for 6 to set up 3rd and 1 at the Chicago 18. Stafford hit Kupp for 17 down to the one. Darrell Henderson got the last yard for the touchdown as the Rams led 27-14 after three quarters.

The Bears were dominating statistically. They led the time of possession 30 minute to 15. They reached opposing territory on all of their first 7 drives. Yet the Rams just had too much speed. The Bears had another 13 play drive that took almost 6 1/2 minutes off the clock. Yet they came up empty. On 1st and 10 from the Rams 25, Dalton was sacked for a 15 yard loss. With 10 minutes left in regulation, Nagy went for it on 4th and 15 from the Rams 30. Dalton threw incomplete. Sean McVay switched from Greatest Show on Turf redux to smash mouth. He understand the need to run the ball in the fourth quarter. Henderson ran for 5, 8, 9, 5 and 2. On 3rd and 13 from the Chicago 36, Stafford hit Kupp for 15. On 3rd and 9 from the Chicago 20, Henderson gained 15. The Rams held the ball for 13 plays and took nearly 7 minutes off the clock. With 3 1/2 minutes left, the Bears took their second timeout with the Rams facing 3rd and goal at the 2. Stafford delivered the dagger, firing over the middle to Woods in the back of the end zone. Some how Woods got both feet down. The Rams have Super Bowl aspirations. In their opening night, they played like it. Stafford was red hot, going 20 of 26 for 321 yards, 3 touchdowns and 0 interceptions. 34-14 Rams    

Baltimore Ravens at Las Vegas Raiders was the Monday night game. The Raiders got the ball first. Although Derek Carr was the starter, Jon ngruden employed some trickery early on. On 3rd and 1 from their own 34, Marcus Mariota came in and lined up in the shotgun, not Carr. Mariota took the snap and raced up the middle 31 yards. On 3rd and 9 from the Baltimore 34, Carr fired over the middle to Darren Waller for 13 Despite 1st and 10 at the Baltimore 21, the Raiders self-destructed. An offensive holding call moved them back. They were still in field goal range facing 3rd and 17 from the Baltimore 28. Yet Carr was in the shotgun totally unprepared for the snap. It sailed past him. He fell on it for a 15 yard loss, pushing the Raiders out of field goal range. A good punt pinned the Ravens at their own 8 yard line. It was time to see if the defense had finally improved under first year defensive coordinator Gus Bradley.

Lamar Jackson is a pinball machine, and he ripped off an 18 yard gain. The Ravens moved to their own 41, but then the defense finally dug in. Maxx Crosby chased Jackson again and again, forcing an incompletion, leading a run to go virtually nowhere, and on 3rd and 13, corralling Jackson and letting Philyon finish him off for the sack. The Raiders got it back at their own 24 but Carr threw 3 straight incompletions. He had an open receiver on 3rd and 10 and just misfired, barely avoiding an interception. The Ravens took over at their own 35. On 3rd and 7 from the Raiders 41, Jackson threw a short pass that gained 6. On 4th and 1 from the Raiders 35, John Harbaugh decided to go for it despite having the best kicker in the game in Justin Tucker. Williams got the carry and the raiders defense was simply awful. Tyson Williams got the first down and the touchdown. Unlike John Higgins in the Super Bowl, Williams did not even have to break a tackle as the Ravens led 7-0. Williams was the fourth string running back, given that Baltimore lost their top three running backs to injury. The starting Raiders defense got thrashed by a fourth string running back.

This was not the 2000 AFC Title Game, where 7-0 was enough for the Baltimore defense to suffocate their way to a win. Nevertheless, it was up to the Raiders offense to win the game. The defense was not going to get it done.From their own 15, Josh Jacobs kicked things off with a 13 yard run. Yet Carr continued to be off the mark, adding a couple more incompletions. The only bright spot for the riders was punter AJ Cole, as the Ravens took over at their own 20. This time the defense held and the Raiders got it back at their own 31. Despite 3rd and 4, a false start and a sack of Carr meant another punt. The Ravens took over at their own 32. Jackson went deep to Brown for a 29 yard gain. On 2nd and 14 from the Raiders 43, Jackson hit Sammy Watkins for another 29 yards. on 3rd and 6 from the Raiders 10, Jackson hit Brown for the touchdown as the Ravens led 14-0 over the lifeless Raiders with 9 minutes left in the half. 

After a touchback the Raiders finally got going. Carr hit Alec Ingold for 5, Kenyan Drake for 6, Hunter Renfrow for 12 and Darren Waller for 9. On 3rd and 1 from the Baltimore 43, Carr went deep to Waller for 24 and again for 8. On 3rd and 2 from the Baltimore 11, Carr threw incomplete but defensive pass interference meant a 9 yard gain. From the 2, Josh Jacobs banged his way straight up the gut and in. With 4:14 left in the half the Raiders were within 14-7. The Ravens moved easily after a touchback to a 3rd and 3 at the Raiders 38. Williams got the carry and gained only 2 yards. John Harbaugh again passed up a field goal try and went for it on 4th and 1 from the Raiders 36. Former Raiders running back Latavius Murray got the carry and KJ Wright came all the way from the backfield to tackle him for no gain. 

After the inspired defensive stand, Carr had 1:12 to work with. He found Zee Jones for 15 yards.On 3rd and 10 just past midfield, Carr hit Renfrow for 13. On 3rd and 3 from the Baltimore 29, Carr threw incomplete but a defensive personal foul for unnecessary roughness meant 1st and 10 at the Baltimore 14. However, only 10 seconds remained. The Raiders still had one timeout left. Carr looked for a receiver but nobody was open. Rather than force it, Carr took a loss of 2 yards and called timeout with 3 seconds left. Daniel Carlson hit the 34 yard field goal as the Raiders were within 14-10 at the intermission. 

The Ravens got the ball to start the third quarter at their own 25. Jackson hit Andrews for 10. Jackson threw a pair of deep bombs incomplete, but defensive illegal use of hands on Trayvon Mullin meant 5 yards and an automatic first down. On 3rd and 6 from their own 44, Jackson got hit as he threw, resulting in an incompletion. A good punt had the Raiders pinned at their own 7 yard line. On 2nd and 8, a short pass to Waller saw the usually reliable Waller drop it. Them On 3rd and 8 Carr went back to Waller for a 22 yard gain, but a very questionable offensive pass interference call on Waller negated it. Then the play clock ran out. On 3rd and 14 from their own 3, a give up run to just create some space gained only one yard. Duvernay returned the punt 32 yards as the Ravens began with a short field at the Raiders 36. Jackson ran for an 11 yard gain but after that the defense held. On 3rd and 5 from the Raiders 22, Jackson threw incomplete. Tucker hit the 40 yard field goal for a 17-10 Ravens lead.

The Raiders soon faced 3rd and 2 from their own 28. Carr went deep incomplete, but defensive pass interference meant a 32 yard gain. Jacobs busted up the middle for 8 yards, but offensive holding negated it. On 1st and 20, Carr calmly found Drake for 12 and Waller for 16. On 3rd and 5 from the Baltimore 17, a completion from Carr to Renfrow gained only 4. Jon Gruden decided to go for it. For all the talk of Gruden as a play-calling guru, he often calls terrible plays in this situation. He will complain about the execution, but it’s often the play call. This time he had Carr lined up in the shotgun rather than under center. Sometimes Gruden gets too cute by half. Sometimes the obvious call is the right call. Line up, play smashmouth, and get the damn yard. out of the shotgun, Jacobs never had a chance. He was tackled for no gain as a golden opportunity to tie the game was wasted.

Jackson immediately ran for 15. Yet on 3rd and 8 from his own 30, Jackson was sacked for a 5 yard loss as the third quarter ended. After years of Carr and the offense having to do all the work, on this night the defense was keeping the Raiders in the game. The offense needed to finish one drive to tie the game. The Raiders began with excellent field position at their own 41. first came a dropped pass. Then came a false start. Then came a sack and a 13 yard loss. Now the Raiders were facing 3rd and 28. Carr did hit Drake for 21, but the damage was done and they wasted another opportunity. The Ravens took over at their own 19. Jackson immediately completed a pass for 13 yards. On 2nd and 6 from their own 36, Jackson took off running and was belted by Jefferson, forcing a fumble. Perryman recovered it for the Raiders. The defense came through in the biggest possible way. The Raiders took over with a short field at the Baltimore 41. 

Carr hit Waller for 4 and Ingold for 5. On 3rd and 1 from the Baltimore 32, Gruden was again in the shotgun. Again it was a terrible decision. This time Jacobs bailed Gruden out with a phenomenal second effort for a gutty one yard run off-tackle. The Ravens took their first timeout on defense with 10 minutes left in regulation. Carr then hit Drake for 16 down to the Baltimore 15. Jacobs then showed his value in the biggest possible way. In the fourth quarter, when the defense is starting to wear down, all those 3 and 4 yard runs early…even the 1 and 2 yard runs…matter. Jacobs went straight up the gut and evaded tacklers for a 15 yard touchdown run. The Raiders had fought back and tied the game 17-17 with 9:18 to play.

Baltimore soon faced 3rd and 2 at their own 33. Marquise Brown gained 6. On 2nd and 5 from their own 43, Jackson went for the home run ball and found Watkins for a 49 yard gain. With 6 1/2 minutes left and the clock running, the Ravens had 1st and goal at the 8. Making matters worse, Gerald McCoy was injured on the play and was taken off on a cart. Yannick Ngakoue was on the sideline with a pulled hamstring. The Raiders pass rush was decimated. Murray got the carry and breezed into the end zone. The touchdown had the Ravens up 24-17, but 6 minutes still remained. 

After a touchback, Carr hit Waller for 9, Renfrow for 7, and Henry Ruggs for 9. Yet a pair of incompletions had the Raiders facing 3rd and 10 from the Baltimore 47. The Ravens looked like they were going to bring the house and Carr went for it all. For those wondering when Ruggs would ever catch another deep ball, the answer was when it mattered most. Carr hit Ruggs for 37 to set up 1st and goal at the 10. Then came the offensive holding penalty. Carr hit Waller for 10 to set up 2nd and goal at the 10. Carr fired over the middle to waller, who spun around 2 defenders to get the ball over the plane of the goal for the touchdown. The game was tied again 24-24 with 3:44 to play. now the defense had to figure out how to stop Jackson with everything on the line.

After a touchback, Jackson hit Ricard at the sticks for a first down. Crosby blew up a run as the clock hit the 2 minute warning with the Ravens facing 2nd and 10 at their own 35. Jackson then ripped off a 28 yard gain. The Raiders took their first timeout on defense with 1:40 left. The Raiders took their last timeout with 90 seconds left as the Ravens faced 3rd and 4 at the Raiders 31, already in field goal range. The entire world knows in this situation you run the football to take more time off the clock. You have to be out of your mind to throw it. Jackson rolled out like he was going to throw, but he was bluffing. On 4th and 2 from the Raiders 29, Tucker came in for a 47 yard field goal try to give the Ravens the lead. 42 seconds remained. The snap was not good but the hold was and the kick was. The Ravens had the 27-24 lead. 

The Raiders would have 37 seconds from their own 25 with no timeouts. Carr hit Brian Edwards for 20 and spiked the ball to stop the clock with 22 seconds. He then fired to Waller for 18 and spiked the ball again with 7 seconds left. Without a timeout, running one more play was a major risk. Yet a field goal would be 55 yards. Gruden opted for the field and Daniel Carlson came in for the biggest kick of his professional life. Carlson drilled it dead center with room to spare. This thriller at the Death Star was going to overtime tied 27-27. The Raiders won the coin toss and would have the ball first in the extra session. It was vital to score a touchdown so Jackson would not see the field again. 

After a touchback, Carr hit Edwards for 11. Carr then found Renfrow on the sideline, but Renfrow somehow stayed inbounds, evaded tacklers, and came back inside for a 27 yard gain. On 3rd and 4 from the Baltimore 33, Carr went deep to Edwards, who had single coverage. Edwards out-jumped the defender and rammed through the tackle to stretch the ball past the pylon for the winning touchdown. The Raiders erupted in celebration, the players of both teams hugged each other, and media people were on the scene to do interviews. There was just one problem. The game was not over. 

Jon Gruden on the sideline saw the replay and he knew it. Edwards’s knee was down before he stretched the ball. The Raiders would have the ball first and goal from 1/2 a yard away. Anyone who has ever watched a Raiders game knew there was a chance for self-destruction. Carr took the quarterback sneak, but he came up about 6 inches short. Now it was second down. Then came the inevitable nightmare. A false start pushed the Raiders back to the 5. The Raiders should have stayed under center and run the ball, but Gruden had Carr back in the shotgun ready to pass. Carr threw incomplete. Now it was 3rd and goal at the 5. A field goal would not end the game. The Raiders found that out in their regular season finale loss last year against the Chargers. The Raiders picked a field goal and gave up a touchdown. This time the result was even worse. Carr threw a pass to Willie Snead. It went through his hands and bounced off a defender’s helmet high in the air. Carr could only helplessly watch as the ball was intercepted. One moment the Raiders had won. the next moment they had found a way to lose. Jackson was coming back on the field and would surely torch a deflated defense. 

Jackson immediately hit Watkins for 10. On 3rd and 7 from their own 33, a play that will forever be remembered by both teams added to the craziness. Maxx Crosby had been harassing Jackson all night. On this play he was double teamed. This left an unblocked Carl Nassib to strike straight at Jackson. Nassib pulled off the trifecta. He sacked Jackson, forced the fumble, and recovered it. The roller coaster of emotions had now turned back again in the direction of the silver and black. The Raiders took over at the Baltimore 27. This time the only needed a field goal to win it. The plan was simple Run three times into the line and kick a field goal. Better yet, run it only twice and kick the field goal on third down. The Raiders never do anything the conventional way. The question is if they would self-destruct again.

Drake got the carry and gained one yard. Good enough. Now run one more time to center the ball and kick it. Jon Gruden decided to kick ons second down. That is not a bad decision per se, but another run would take another 45 seconds off of the clock. 4 1/2 minutes remained in overtime. In case of a miss, the less time left for Jackson the better. Nevertheless, kicking on second down is justifiable. Yet Carlson was busy practicing kicking into the kicking nets. By the time he got on the field, there was not enough time to set up the kick. The Raiders had already burned both of their overtime timeouts and were out of timeouts. Rather than snap the ball and spike it into the ground, the Raiders took a delay of game penalty. Now it was 2nd and 14. Instead of a 44 yard try, it would be 49 yards. Carlson had already hit from 55, but a disgusted Gruden waived his kicker back to the sideline and Carr back out on the field. Carr was expected to hand off one more time and then the Raiders would kick on third down. Carlson never got a chance to kick. The Raiders never do things the easy way.

With the entire football world expecting Carr to hand the ball off, Carr noticed that the Ravens were in a zero blitz defense formation. That was the formation that allowed the Raiders to beat the Jets last year with a miracle bomb. Rather than hand it off, Carr saw Zee Jones blow past the lone defender in the region, Carr faded back and threw a bomb to a wide open Jones, who caught it and breezed into the end zone as the shellshocked Ravens looked on. This time the score counted. The game was over. On the night the Al Davis forced was lit for the first time this season, it was only fitting that a bomb would win the game. 

Carr was magnificent. Anyone who has ever questioned his talent, guts and heart (which sadly includes too many Raiders fans) should be permanently silenced on the issue. Carr was masterful against one of the best defenses in the league. He threw the ball 56 times, completing 34 of them for 435 yards, 2 touchdowns, and the one freak interception. He also made the 2 big completions in the final 37 seconds of regulation without a timeout. Jackson was 19 of 30 for 235 yards and one touchdown without being intercepted. Yet Jackson also rushed for 86 yards on 12 carries. 

Another notable name was Carl Nassib. A few weeks ago Carl Nassib of the Las Vegas Raiders became known as the 1st openly gay NFL player. My message to Mr. Nassib at the time was simple: While I was happy that he found inner peace, my main request of him was that he take opposing quarterbacks and knock them on their @sses. He was a Raider, and the only thing I saw was Silver and Black. From now on, Mr. Nassib is no longer just the first gay player. He is just the hero of this Monday Night Football game who forced and recovered the winning fumble and helped the Raiders win a tough contest against Baltimore. He is forever etched in the history books of Raiders who made big time plays in the biggest moments.

Mr. Nassib is a great football player & Monday night’s hero (who happens to be gay). 

This was an Al Davis win in every sense of the word, and Mark Davis was pumping his fist the way his father used to do. Jon Gruden after the game pointed out that while it was far from perfect, it was one of the wildest and craziest games he had ever been a part of. That says a lot given the history of the Raiders. ngruden summed it up best with Al Davis’s mantra: Just win baby. They did. With character, guts, and plenty of heart. 33-27 Raiders, OT 

https://www.commdiginews.com/sports/nfl-2021-week-1-cdn-preview-and-bettors-guide-139939/