THE TYGRRRR EXPRESS

NFL 2023 Week 8 Recap

Tampa Bay Buccaneers at Buffalo Bills was the Thursday night game. The Bills moved from their own 4 yard line to a 3rd and 5 at the Tampa Bay 19. A completion went for no gain. Tyler Bass hit a 37 yard field goal to make it 3-0 Bills. The Buccaneers missed a chance to tie the game when Chase McLaughlin’s kick from 50 yards out was no good. The Bills moved from their own 40 to a 3rd and goal at the one. Latavius Murray got stopped for no gain. Sean McDermott gambled. On 4th and goal from the one to start the second quarter, Allen threw incomplete. The goal line stand was all for naught as the Bills returned a punt 24 yards right back to the Tampa Bay 23. On 3rd and 1, Allen gained 3. Allen ran for a 13 yard touchdown to make it 10-0 Bills. 

After a touchback, the Buccaneers moved to a 3rd and 9 at the Buffalo 39. Baker Mayfield threw incomplete but McLaughlin drilled a 57 yard field goal to get the Buccaneers on the board. On the first play from scrimmage after a touchback, Allen was intercepted to set up the Buccaneers at the Buffalo 23. Mayfield went to White for 20. Mayfield went to Chris Godwin for a 3 yard touchdown and a 10-10 deadlock.

After a touchback, Cook ran for 18. Allen then went to Davis for 14. On 3rd and 3 from the Tampa Bay 36, Cook gained 4. Allen went to Stefan Diggs for 12. On 3rd and 12 from the Tampa Bay 22, Allen went to Kincaid for the touchdown to put the Bills back up 17-10. After a third quarter touchback, Allen went to Kincaid for 18 and Shakir for 9. Allen ran for 8 with defensive holding adding 5 more. Allen went to Davis for 11 and Diggs for 3 and 14. Allen went to Davis for a 4 yard touchdown to make it 24-10 Bills.

With a 10 minutes left in regulation, the Buccaneers faced 2nd and 14 at their own 4. Mayfield went to White for 20. On 3rd and 4 from their own 30, Mayfield went to White for 9, Jarrett for 9 more, Cade Otton for 6, and Palmer for 7. On 4th and 10 from the Buffalo 46, Mayfield threw incomplete with 4 minutes left. Yet the Buccaneers were rescued by an illegal contact penalty on the defense. Given a new set of downs, the Buccaneers were soon down to their last gasp again. On 4th and 8 from the Buffalo 39, Mayfield was sacked. Yet the Buccaneers were saved again due to a defensive facemask penalty. The Buccaneers faced a third do or die scenario on 4th and 10 from the Buffalo 24. Mayfield went to Mike Evans for the touchdown. Another defensive penalty on the play meant a 2 point try from the one. Mayfield hit Otton and the Buccaneers were within 6 points with 2:44 left. Yet by the time the Buccaneers got the ball back at their own 20, only 21 seconds remained. From his own 45 with 4 seconds left, Mayfield’s Hail Mary was a good one. Godwin had a legitimate shot at it but never saw the ball go right by him, falling incomplete. The Bills made it harder on themselves than necessary. The Buccaneers gave them a scare but fell short. 24-18 Bills

New England Patriots at Miami Dolphins — The Patriots re a bad team, but enjoyed a win over Buffalo last week. When the Patriots were a dynasty, they still struggled in Miami no matter how bad the Dolphins were. These Dolphins are very good. An early interception of Tua Tagovailoa had the Patriots at the Miami 30. Three plays later on 3rd and 4, Mac Jones went to Kendrick Bourne for a 24 yard touchdown to make it 7-0 Patriots. After that, reality set in. After a touchback, Tagovailoa went to Jalen waddle for 9. Wilson ran for 11. Tagovailoa went deep to Tyreek Hill for a 42 yard touchdown and a 7-7 game. The Dolphins got it back in the second quarter at their own 47. On 4th and 4 from the New England 42, Mike McDaniel decided to go for it. Tagovailoa gained 8. Tagovailoa hit Hill for 14. On 4th and 1 from the New England 8, McDaniel gambled again. Tagovailoa hit Hill for 2. On 3rd and goal at the 6, Tagovailoa threw incomplete but defensive pass interference meant 1st and goal at the one. Tagovailoa hit Wilson for the touchdown to cap the 14 play, 53 yard, 7 1/2 minute drive and make it 14-7 Dolphins. An interception of Mac Jones set up the Dolphins at the New England 40. Jason Sanders hit a 30 yard field goal to make it 17-7 Dolphins. 

On the first play from scrimmage after a third quarter touchback, Tagovailoa out of the shotgun fumbled and the Patriots recovered at the Miami 19. The Patriots went backward but Ryland hit a 38 yard field goal to get the Patriots within 17-10. The Dolphins took over at their own 23. Tagovailoa went to Hill for 22. On 3rd and 9 from their own 46, Tagovailoa went to Waddle for 23 and Chase Claypool for 15. Raheem Mostert ran for a one yard touchdown to make it 24-10 Dolphins. The Patriots took over at their own 19 in the fourth quarter. Ezekiel Elliott ran for 5 and 17. Runs and short passes had the Patriots facing 1st and goal at the 3. Jones threw a pair of incompletions wrapped around a run that went nowhere. Bill Belichick had to go for it, and on 4th and goal Jones hit Juju Smith-Shuster for the touchdown. The Patriots were within 24-17 with 8 1/2 minutes left in regulation. After a touchback, Mostert ran for 10. On 3rd and 9 from their own 41, Tagovailoa hit Hill for just enough. On 3rd and 1 from the New England 31, Tagovailoa went deep to Waddle for the touchdown to ice the game. 31-17 Dolphins

New York Jets at New York Giants — The Giants are allowed to go 1-15 as long as they don’t lose to their little brothers, the Jets. This was not the worst game ever played, but it was so bad that the loser of this game should be downgraded from New York to New Jersey. The Jets fumbled early on. The Giants took over at the Jets 19. They settled for a 31 yard Graham Gano field goal to make it 3-0 Giants. The Jets took over at midfield late in the first quarter. Zach Wilson went to Breece Hall for a 50 yard touchdown to make it 7-3 Jets. In the second quarter Gano missed a 47 yard field goal try. After a scoreless second quarter and a third quarter touchback, Saquon Barkley ran for gains of 6 and 34. Defensive unnecessary roughness added 15. On 3rd and 6 from the Jets 16, Barkley got the 6. On 3rd and goal at the 10, a run gained nothing but defensive unnecessary roughness meant 1st and goal at the 5. On 3rd and goal at the 6, Devito ran it in to make it 10-7 Giants. 21 minutes still remained, but most of it was unwatchable.

With 90 seconds to play, the Jets were down to their last gasp with 4th and 10 at their own 41. Wilson was sacked for a 15 yard loss. The Giants had 1:26 to kill and 1st and 10 at the Jets 26. On 3rd and 3 from the Jets 19, Barkley only gained 2. With 28 seconds remaining, the Giants had 4th and 1 at the Jets 17. A first down would end the game. Brian Daboll inexplicably decided on a field goal try. Even a 13-7 game would still give the Jets a chance at a long kickoff return and a win. Things got worse when Gano missed the 35 yard chip shot. The Jets took over at their own 25 with only 24 seconds left and no timeouts. Wilson went to non-relative Greg Wilson for 29 with 5 more tacked on for the defense jumping offside. The penalty was a gift, stopping the clock. Wilson went deep to Allen Lazard for 29 more. The Jets furiously raced to the line and Wilson spiked the ball to stop the clock with one second left. Greg Zuerlein hit the 35 yard field goal. If ever a game did not deserve overtime, this was it. Yet at 10-10, that’s where it went. The Giants went 3 and out in overtime. The Jets soon faced 3rd and 11 from their own 39. Wilson went to non-relative Wilson for 11. On 3rd and 5 from the Giants 45, Wilson went deep incomplete but defensive pass interference meant a 30 yard gain. Robert Saleh went for the field goal on 1st down, and Zuerlein’s kick from 33 was good. The Giants are now New Jersey. 13-10 Jets

Jacksonville Jaguars at Pittsburgh Steelers — The 5-2 Jaguars took on the 4-2 Steelers. The first half belonged to the kickers and the defenses. Brandon McManus hit from 50 and 51 in the first quarter to make it 6-0 Jaguars. The Jaguars had a chance to do much more int eh second quarter, but on 1st and goal at the 6, Trevor Lawrence was intercepted in the end zone. The Steelers moved from their own 2 to a 2nd and goal at the 5. Kenny Pickett completed a pass for no gain and then threw incomplete. Chris Boswell hit from 22 to get the Steelers within 6-3. McManus answered from 38 with one minute left in the half to make it 9-3 Jaguars. Boswell’s attempt from 61 to end the half was no good.Worse for the Steelers, Pickett was injured late in the half. Mitch Trubisky played the second half. One play broke open the game with 5 minutes left in the third quarter. From his own 44, Lawrence went deep to Travis Etienne for a 56 yard touchdown to make it 17-3 Jaguars after Etienne rushed in the 2 point conversion. After a touchback, Trubisky hit Johnson for gains of 11 and 12. Trubisky went to George Pickens for a 22 yard touchdown to get the Steelers within 17-10 after three quarters. Yet in the fourth quarter, an interception of Trubisky allowed McManus to hit a 37 yard field goal with 4 1/2 minutes left in regulation to lock up the win. Trubisky threw in one more interception for a good measure. 20-10 Jaguars

Atlanta Falcons at Tennessee Titans — After nearly 30 years, the Houston Oilers finally played football again. The “Luv ya blue” crowd saw the Tennessee Titans break out the retro Oilers uniforms complete with the helmets. They even painted Oilers on their home field. Somewhere in heaven, Bum Phillips had to be smiling. The only things missing were Earl Campbell running and Billy White Shoes Johnson doing the funky chicken. With Ryan Tannehill out with an injured ankle, Will Levis started his first game. On the 4th play from scrimmage, Malik Willis came in for Levis and fumbled a shotgun snap. The Falcons took over at the Tennessee 28 and moved to a 2nd and 5 at the Tennessee 7. Desmond Ridder threw incomplete and then was sacked. Younghoe Koo hit from 29 to make it 3-0 Falcons. The Titans got it back late in the first quarter and faced 3rd and 1 from their own 48. Levis Hit Derrick Henry for 5. Levis then went deep to Deandre Hopkins for a 47 yard touchdown to make it 7-3 Titans. With 6 minutes left in the half, a sack of Ridder forced a fumble. The Titans recovered at the Atlanta 33. Levis went to Hopkins for a 16 yard touchdown to make it 14-3 Titans. 

The Falcons tried to get back in the game but could not reach the end zone. Ridder sat after halftime and Taylor Heinecke came in. Arthur Hill after the game insisted it was an injured issue with Ridder and not a benching. Koo hit third quarter field goals of 49 and 39 to get the Falcons within 14-9. After a touchback, Henry ran for 14. Levis then went deep to Hopkins for a 61 yard touchdown to make it 21-9 Titans. After a touchback, Heinecke hit Hodge for a 52 yard gain. The fourth quarter  began with Brian Robinson running for a 13 yard touchdown to get the Falcons within 21-16. The Titans would face 3rd and 4 at their own 21. Levis hit Olonkwo for 10. Spears ran for 23. Levis went to Westbrook-Ikhine for a 23 yard touchdown. Midway through the fourth quarter, the Titans led 28-16. The Falcons soon had to go for it on 4th and 1 from their own 34. Heinecke ran for 11. Tyler Allgier ran for 9. Heinecke hit Mack Hollins for 29. Heinecke went to Miller for an 8 yard touchdown. With 3:46 to play, the Falcons were back within 5 points. The Falcons got it back but on 4th and 1 from their own 22 with 90 seconds left, Heinecke threw incomplete. As for Ryan Tannehill, an unwritten law says players do not lose their jobs to injury. Drew Bledsoe would disagree with how that was applied. So might Tannehill. Levis threw 4 touchdown passes with 0 interceptions. The Oilers looked and played great even without an Ernest Givens Electric Slide, while the history books will count this as a win for the Titans. 28-23 Titans

Houston Texans at Carolina Panthers — Last week was supposed to be the inaugural match between Bryce Young and Anthony Richardson, but Richardson was injured. This week Bryce Young did play for the first time against CJ Stroud as the winless Panthers looked to finally get a victory. The Texans began a rive at their own 8. Stroud hit Collins for 15. On 3rd and 7 from their own 26, Stroud hit Boone for 11. On 3rd and 3 from the Carolina 42, Stroud hit Collins for 8. On 3rd and 4 from the Carolina 28, Stroud hit Brown for 4. The second quarter began with the Texans facing 3rd and 10 at the Carolina 24. Stroud hit Brown for 22. Beck ran for a one yard touchdown. The staggering 17 play, 92 yard drive took nearly 9 1/2 minutes off the clock and made it 7-0 Texans. The Panthers soon faced 3rd and 10 at their own 40. Young was sacked but defensive holding meant 5 yards and an automatic first down. Young went to Sullivan for 13, DJ Shark for 20, and Marshall for 9. On 3rd and goal at the one, Tommy Tremble got in. Eddie Pineiro missed the extra point as the Panthers trailed 7-6. 

In the third quarter Pineiro hit field goals of 46 and 37, the latter set up by a Texans fumble. The Panthers led 12-7. The Texans soon faced 3rd and 8 at their own 27. Stroud went to Schultz for 9.  Damien pierce ran for 16. Stroud went to Brown for 31. Singletary ran for 9 and 7. On 2nd and goal at the one, a pair of runs got stopped short. Demeco Ryans went for it. On 4th and goal at the one, Stroud got in. The 2 point try failed but the Texans led 13-12 after three quarters. The defenses dug in. With 6 1/2 minutes left in regulation, the Panthers took over at their own 9 yard line. Young hit Chuba Hubbard for 12. Defensive offside and pass interference on consecutive plays added 14. On 4th and 2 from the Houston 47, Young hit Adam Thielen for 3 and Hubbard for 14. With 3 seconds left, Pineiro came in for redemption from 38 yards out. His missed extra point was why the Panthers were losing. Consecutive defensive penalties in a desperate attempt to block the kick failed and turned his attempt into a 23 yard try. The mind-numbing 19 play, 88 yard drive took all 6 1/2 minutes left off the clock. Pieniro was good, as Young got his first NFL victory and the Panthers got their first win of the season. 15-13 Panthers

Los Angeles Rams at Dallas Cowboys — The Cowboys began facing 3rd and 11 from their own 24. Dak Prescott was sacked, but illegal contact on the defense meant a new set of downs. After another sack, Prescott hit CeeDee Lamb for 17 and 5 and Michael Gallup for 14. On 3rd and 6 from the Rams 37, Prescott hit Cooks for 19 and Jake Ferguson for an 18 yard touchdown to make it 7-0 Cowboys. The Rams did get a 33 yard field goal from Havrisik, but this game was never a contest. Aubrey leveled a 58 yard field goal to make it 10-3 Cowboys. One play after a touchback, Matthew Stafford was intercepted by Dalton Bland. Bland returned the pick 30 yards for a defensive touchdown to make it 17-3 Cowboys. The Rams began the second quarter punting on 4th and 12 from their own 23. Williams blocked the punt out the back of the end zone for a safety and a 19-3 Cowboys lead. Turpin took the free kick and raced 63 yards to the Rams 13. Two plays laterPrescott hit Lamb for a touchdown and a 26-3 Cowboys lead. The Cowboys got it back at their own 37. Prescott went to Schoonmaker for 13 and Lamb for 26. On 3rd and 8 from the Rams 22, Prescott went to Lamb for the touchdown. The Cowboys were winning a mauling 33-3. The Rams managed a touchdown before the half and another one to start the third quarter, but this game was over. The Cowboys tacked on a third quarter field goal and another fourth quarter touchdown for a 43-17 lead. The Rams added a meaningless field goal as the Cowboys got to 5-2 on the year. 43-20 Cowboys

Minnesota Vikings at Green Bay Packers — Early on Greg Joseph missed a 42 yard field goal try for the Vikings. The Vikings got the ball back at their own 23. Cam Akers gained 9 and 2. Defensive unnecessary roughness on the next play added 15. Roughing the passer on the very next play added 15 more. On 3rd and 1 from the Green Bay 27, Cousins went to TJ Hockenson for 23. Akers after a false start ran for 3 and then the 6 yard touchdown to make it 7-0 Vikings. The Vikings soon moved from their own 20 to a 4th and 3 at the Green Bay 7. Jopseh hit the 25 yard field goal to make it 10-0 Vikings. The Packers managed a field goal to end the half, but the Vikings quickly put the game away in the third quarter. On 3rd and 9 from their own 26, Cousins hit KJ Osborn for 32, 8, and on 3rd and 1 from the Green Bay 33, 12 and 8 more. On 4th and 1 from the Green Bay 12, Kevin O’Connell went for it. Cousins gained 2. On 3rd and goal at the 2, cousins hit Hockenson for the touchdown. The 13 play, 75 yard, 5 1/2 minute drive made it 17-3 Vikings. Metelius then intercepted a Jordan Love pass and took it 43 yards to the Green Bay 20. One play later Cousins went to Addison for the touchdown. The Vikings were cruising 24-3 but Cousins kept getting hit. The Packers scored one more touchdown and even blocked a field goal, but the fourth quarter was scoreless. Yet it was a hollow victory for the Vikings. In the fourth quarter Cousins went down and the worst scenario developed. He ruptured his ankle and is out the rest of the season. The Vikings in an act of desperation traded for Arizona’s quarterback Joshua Dobbs. 24-10 Vikings

New Orleans Saints at Indianapolis Colts — Jonathan Taylor got things going from his own 19 by gashing the defense with runs of 6, 14 and 42. On 4th and 6 from the New Orleans 15, Shane Steichen opted for a 33 yard field goal. The kick was good, but an illegal formation penalty on the defense instead meant 4th and 1. Steichen gambled by taking the points off the board and going for it on 4th and 1 from the 10. Gardner Minshew hit Pittman for the touchdown to make it 7-0 Colts. The Saints soon faced 3rd and 6 from their own 29. Derek Carr went deep to Michael Thomas for 31. On 3rd and 1 from the Indianapolis 31, Taysom Hill gained 13. Carr then hit Alvin Kamara for an 18 yard touchdown to make it 7-7. After a touchback, the Colts moved to a 2nd and 1 at the New Orleans 2 as the first quarter ended. Jonathan Taylor got stopped and Minshew threw incomplete to start the second quarter. On 4th and 1 from the 2, Steichen was not in a gambling mood. Matt Gay hit the 20 yard field goal to make it 10-7 Colts. A sack of Carr then forced a fumble to set yo the Colts at the New Orleans 30. On 3rd and 9, Minshew hit Downs for 12. On 2nd and 5 from the New Orleans 12, a run lost yards but a defensive facemark meant 1st and goal at the 6. Zack Moss ran for 5 and then the one yard touchdown to make it 17-7 Colts.

After a touchback, Carr hit Michael Thomas for 15. On 3rd and 1 from the Indianapolis 48, Williams gained 5. Carr hit Chris Olave for 15. Hill ran for a 20 yard touchdown to get the Saints within 17-14. The Saints got it back at their own 37 and struck quickly. Carr went deep to Shaheed for a 58 yard touchdown and a 21-17 Saints lead. The Colts managed a field goal before the half but the Saints offense kept rolling in the third quarter. An interception of Minshew by Adebo was returned 27 yards to set up the Santa at their own 29. Carr hit Olave for 9, Hill for 14 and Kamara for 25. Kamara ran for a 16 yard touchdown to make it 28-20 Saints. The saints got it back at their own 24. Kamara ran for 6 and 11. Hill went deep to Shaheed for 44. Hill ran for 12. Hill got the last yard as a 28-3 run made it 35-20 Saints with 11 minutes left in regulation. The Colts soon faced 2nd and 13 at their own 22. Minshew hit Pierce for 15. Defensive pass interference on the next play added 15. Minshew went to Downs for 13 and to Alex Ogletree for a 33 yard touchdown. Midway through the fourth quarter the Colts were within 35-27. With 4 minutes left the Saints began at their own 33 and moved to a 2nd and goal at the 9. Rather than try and score a touchdown, the Saints bled the clock. Grupe hit a 27 yard field goal with 24 seconds left to lock up the win. 38-27 Saints

Philadelphia Eagles at Washington Commanders — The Eagles barely escaped with a 34-31 overtime win over the Commanders, and the rematch in Washington was just as harrowing. The Commanders took over at their own 38. Sam Howell hit Samuel for 7. Robinson ran for 29. Howell went to Terry McLaurin for a 26 yard touchdown to make it 7-0 Commanders. The Eagles after a touchback moved to a 1st and 10 at the Washington 35. Jalen Hurts threw a pair of incompletions and on 3rd and 10 completed a pass for only 2 yards. Jake Elliott hit a 51 yard field goal to get the Eagles on the board. After a touchback, Howell hit McLaurin for 9, Logan Thomas for 8 and Robinson for 11. The second quarter began with the Commanders facing 3rd and 4 at the Philadephia 41. Howell went to Thomas for 16 and Gibson for 10. On 2nd and 16 from the Philadelphia 21, Howell went to Dotson for the touchdown to make it 14-3 Commanders early in the second quarter. The Eagles after a touchback moved to a 1st and goal at the 3, but Kenneth Gainwell coughed it up and the Commanders recovered the fumble. 

The Commanders moved from their own 7 to a 4th and 1 at the Philadelphia 35. Riverboat Ron Rivera went for it and Howell threw incomplete. The Eagles faced 3rd and 2 from their own 43. Hurts hit Gainwell for 8. Hurts went to Smith for gains of 15 and 18 and to AJ Brown for a 16 yard touchdown. With 34 seconds left in the half the Eagles were within 14-10. After a touchback, Howell hit Gibson for 2, Crowder for 8, and Dotson for 13 and 14. On the last play of the half, Joey Slye buried a 61 yard field goal to put the Commanders up by a 17-10 margin. In the third quarter after a touchback the Eagles moved to a 4th and 3 at the Washington 32. Nick Sirianni went for it. Hurts went deep incomplete but defensive pass interference meant 1st and goal at the one. The Eagles are known for their tush push, but this time Hurts kept it up the middle on the sneak and fumbled the ball away. Twice the Eagles coughed it up at the goal line to squander 14 points. Yet the Eagles held and got the ball back, soon facing 4th and 4 at the Washington 45. Sirianni went for it again. Hurts hit Smith for 17. On 3rd and 7 from the Washington 25, Hurts went to Brown for the touchdown. The game was tied 17-17 with 4 minutes left in the third quarter. The fourth quarter was ridiculous.

The Commanders soon faced 3rd and 6 form their own 29.  Howell hit Dotson for 9 and Crowder for 14. On 3rd and 1 from the Philadelphia 39, Howell gained 2 as the third quarter ended. Howell began the fourth quarter by hitting Bates for 17. On 3rd and 4 from the Philly 14, Howell gained just enough. On 3rd and goal at the 7, Howell hit Thomas for the touchdown to make it 24-17 Commanders in the fourth quarter. The Eagles soon faced 2nd and 14 at their own 21. Hurts went to Brown for 17. On 3rd and 2 from their own 46, Hurts went to Dallas Goedert for 18. Hurts went to Smith for a 38 yard touchdown and a 24-24 game. Howell was then intercepted by Rod Blankenship, who returned the pic 17 yards to the Washington 15 with unnecessary roughness during the return making it 1st and goal at the 7. Hurts hit Jones for an 8 yard touchdown to give the Eagles the 31-24 lead midway through the fourth quarter. The Commanders turned it over on downs, got the ball back, an soon faced 4th and 5 at their own 25 with 2:13 to play. Howell was sacked as the Commanders turned it over on downs again. From the Washington 16, Deandre Swift ran for 7, 2, and on 3rd and 1, the 7 yard touchdown. With 1:50 left, 21 straight points had the Eagles up 38-24. The Commanders needed only 30 seconds to sore again. Howell hit Crowder for 9, McLaurin for 18, Crowder for 19, and Crowder again for the 26 yard touchdown. Yet the onside kick failed as the Eagles got to 7-1 on the year with a sweep of Washington the hard way. 38-31 Eagles

Cleveland Browns at Seattle Seahawks — Both of these teams came in a surprising 4-2 on the year and offered an exciting finish. The Seahawks early on faced 3rd and 4 at their own 26. Geno Smith went to Tyler Lockett for 13. Kenneth Walker III ripped off a 45 yard gain. On 3rd and 8 from the Cleveland 14, Smith went to Lockett for 11. Bobo ran for a 3 yard touchdown to make it 7-0 Seahawks. The Browns quickly fumbled the ball away and the Seahawks took over at the Cleveland 41. Smith went to Lockett for 17 and Smith-Nigba for 19. On 3rd and goal at the 12, Smith went to Lockett for the touchdown to make it 14-0 Seahawks. After a touchback, the Browns got back in it. PJ Walker went to Kareem Hunt for 12, to Strong for 41, and to David Njoku for an 18 yard touchdown to get the Browns within 14-7. After a touchback, the Seahawks moved to a 1st and 10 at the Cleveland 12. Three plays lost a yard. Jason Myers hit a 32 yard field goal as the Seahawks led 17-7 after the first quarter. 

After that the Cleveland defense dug in. In the second quarter the Browns faced 3rd and 1 at their own 42. Walker ran for 7. On 4th and 2 from the Seattle 43, Kevin Stefanski went for it. Walker threw incomplete but defensive pass interference meant a 6 yard gain. Walker went to Amari Cooper for 24. Hunt ran for a one yard touchdown to get the Browns within 17-14 at the break. The Browns twice moved in the third quarter inside the Seattle 10 yard line. Twice the Browns ended short of the end zone. Dustin Hopkins hit from 25 to tie the game and from 27 to put the Browns up 20-17 gayer three quarters. The Browns took over at their own 11 with 6 minutes left in regulation. With 2:04 to play, the Browns faced 3rd and 3 at their own 41. A first down would bring them closer to putting the game away. Walker had been managing the game well but at the worst possible time, he was intercepted. The Seahawks took over at their own 43. Smith went to Lockett for 7, DK Metcalf for 9, and Noah Want for 27. With 38 seconds left, Smith hit Smith-Nigba for the 9 yard touchdown to give the Seahawks a 4 point lead. After a touchback, Walker threw incomplete twice, was sacked, and on 4th and 19, threw incomplete again. 24-20 Seahawks

Baltimore Ravens at Arizona Cardinals — The Ravens are a very good team. The Cardinals are a very bad team. The Cardinals began facing 3rd and 4 at their own 31. Joshua Dobbs was sacked but illegal contact instead meant a first down. Dobbs went to Wilson for 10. Dobbs ran for 8. Dobbs hit McBride for 7. On 3rd and 4 from the Baltimore 19, Dobbs threw incomplete but defensive pass interference meant 18 yards and first and goal at the one. Dobbs got the yard to make it 7-0 Cardinals. The Ravens soon faced 3rd and 9 at their own 26. Lamar Jackson hit Mark Andrews for 10. On 3rd and 1 from their own 45, Edwards gained 4. Jackson ent deep to Bateman for 29. Defensive pass interference on an incompletion added 19. Jackson hit Andrews for a 5 yard touchdown to cap the 10 play, 75 yard, 5 1/2 minute drive and make it 7-7. 

Then things got ugly. Jonathan Gannon gambled on 4th and 1 from the Baltimore 44. A run got stuffed. Justin Tucker saw a 53 yard field goal try doink off the upright no good. The Cardinals then faced 4th and 1 at the Baltimore 36. Gannon gambled again and saw a run get stuffed again.In the second quarter an interception of Dobbs set up the Ravens at the Arizona 43. Jackson went to Hill for 24 and Andrews for 12. Edwards got the last yard with 20 seconds left in the half to make it 14-7 Ravens. Late in the third quarter an interception of Dobbs set up the Ravens at the Arizona 23. Jackson hit Likely for 10. Edwards ran for a 7 yard touchdown to make it 21-7 Ravens after three quarters. In the fourth quarter the Ravens moved from their own 33 to a 4th and 3 at the Arizona 30. Justin Tucker hit from 38 to make it 24-7 Ravens.

After a touchback, Dobbs hit Malcolm Brown for 8. On 3rd and 2 from his own 45, Ingram gained 14. Dobbs went deep to Wilson for 29. On 3rd and 15 from the Baltimore 17, Dobbs hit Trey McBride for the touchdown. Dobbs ran in the 2 point try himself to get the Cardinals within 24-15 with 6 1/2 minutes left in regulation. The Ravens soon faced 3rd and 1 from their own 34. Edwards ran for 3. Bateman gained 18. Jackson added 13. On 3rd and 7 from the Arizona 17, defensive pass interference meant 16 yards down to the one. Edwards got the yard. With 2:50 left, the Ravens led 31-15. The Cardinals mounted a furious rally. They moved 75 yards and got a one yard touchdown pass from Dobbs to Marquise Brown. The 2 point conversion try failed as the Cardinals trailed 31-21 with 1:14 left. The onside kick succeeded but the Cardinals needed two scores. Matt Prater hit a 47 yard field goal with 26 seconds remaining to get the Cardinals within 7 points. Yet trying to get 2 consecutive onside kicks was too much to ask. The next one failed and the Cardinals settled for a score that was more respectable than the actual game. Dobbs was not the problem, but the 1-7 Cardinals need plenty of help. Dobbs was traded after the game. The 6-2 Ravens are playing well in all three phases of the game. 31-24 Ravens 

Kansas City Chiefs at Denver Broncos — The Chiefs had beaten the Broncos 16 straight times. While the Chiefs have not been playing spectacular football, the Broncos have been downright awful. Patrick Mahomes entered this game battling the flu, but the Chiefs still had far more talent. Two minutes into the game the Chiefs moved backward and a 31 yard punt had the Broncos starting out at the Kansas City 39. On 3rd and 6, McLaughlin gained 9. On 3rd and 1 from the Kansas City 17, Russell Wilson gained 2 and 5. Wilson hit Williams for a 4 yard touchdown to make it 7-0 Broncos. The Chiefs after a touchback moved to a 3rd and 2 at the Denver 3. Mahomes swung a pass to Rice but it lost a yard. Harrison Butker hit a 23 yard field goal to get the Chiefs within 7-3. In the second quarter the Chiefs were on the move but they fumbled the ball away. The Broncos took over at midfield. Wilson went to Jerry Jeudy for 39 and again for an 11 yard touchdown to put the Chiefs up 14-3. The Chiefs moved from their own 40 to a 3rd and 2 at the Denver 13. Yet again they bogged down as a run lost 3 yards. Butker hit from 34 to get the Chiefs within 14-6. With 9 seconds left in the half, the Broncos faced 3rd and 4 just shy of midfield. Wilson was sacked and fumbled. The Chiefs recovered at the Denver 48. Mahomes hit Jerick McKinnon for 11 and Butker leveled a 56 yard field goal to end the half. The Broncos basically gave away 3 points as the Chiefs were only down 14-9.

In the third quarter the Broncos held the ball for 8 1/2 minutes, moving 55 yards in 13 plays. On 3rd and 9 from the Kansas City 13, Wilson was sacked. Wil Lutz came in for a chip shot 38 yard field goal try. His kick was blocked. The Denver offense did little, but it didn’t have to. The Broncos showed up on defense and special teams. After a scoreless third quarter, the key play came with 11 minutes left in regulation. The Chiefs fumbled a punt and the Broncos recovered at the Kansas City 10 yard line. Wilson hit Cortland Sutton for a 6 yard touchdown to make it 21-9 Broncos. Mahoems was harassed all game, throwing a late interception with the outcome not in doubt. Lutz hit a 28 yard field goal with 30 seconds left as the Broncos finally got a small measure of revenge against their tormenters. The Chiefs fell to 6-2, still far ahead in the AFC West. 24-9 Broncos

Cincinnati Bengals at San Francisco 49ers — The 1980s are long gone, and this was a tale of teams moving in the opposite direction. Both are legitimate Super Bowl contenders who have struggled at different points in the year. The Bengals took over at their own 15. Joe Burrow went to JaMarr Chase and Tee Higgins for a pair of 8 yard gains. On 3rd and 10 from his own 31, Burrow went to Higgins for 10. Burrow hit Chase for gains of 8 and 15. Joe Mixon ran for 20. Burrow hit Boyd for a 7 yard touchdown to make out 7-0 Bengals. After a touchback, Brock Purdy hit Christian McCaffrey for 13. On 3rd and 8 from their own 40, Purdy ran for 16. Purdy went deep to Brandon Aiyuk for 31. McCaffrey ran for a 2 yard touchdown to make it a 7-7 ballgame.

A 41 yard kickoff return had the Bengals taking over at their own 42. Burrow hit Mixon for 12. Burrow went to Boyd for 22. Mixon ran for 11. Burrow hit Iosivas for a 2 yard touchdown to make it 14-7 Bengals. The Bengals missed a chance to extend the lead in the second quarter when Evan McPherson missed a 50 yard field goal try. The defenses dominated the next two quarters as the 49ers could only muster a 36 yard Moody field goal before the half. The Bengals managed a 56 yard McPherson field goal early in the third quarter and led 17-10 after three quarters.The 49ers moved from their own 24 to a 1st and goal at the 8 late in the third quarter. Yet Purdy was intercepted. 

Early in the fourth quarter Purdy was intercepted again, with Wilson returning the pick 16 yards to the San Francisco 17. One play and 4 seconds later Burrow hit Chase for the touchdown and a 24-10 Bengals lead. After a touchback, Purdy hit McCaffrey for 9 and Aiyuk for 25. On 3rd and 5 from the Cincinnati 33, Purdy went to Aiyuk for 15. On 3rd and 6 from the Cincy 14, purdy hit Kittle for 10 and McCaffrey for a 4 yard touchdown. Midway through the fourth quarter, the 49ers were within 24-17. The Bengals took over at their own 22. Burrow went to Irwin for gains of 3 and 21 and to Chase for 20. Burrow ran for 10 and Mixon added 9. Mixon ran for 3 and then for the 5 yard touchdown with 3 minutes left to ice the game. After starting 1-3, the Bengals have won 3 straight. After starting 5-0, the 49ers have lost 3 straight. 31-17 Bengals 

Chicago Bears at Los Angeles Chargers was the Sunday night game. Despite a rare win last week, the Bears lacked the talent to keep up with the fast-paced Chargers. Despite losing to better teams, the Chargers have enough talent to beat bad teams. The Chargers from their own 8 went to work. On 3rd and 5, Justin Herbert hit Keenan Allen for a 6 yard gain. Herbert went to Austin Ekeler for 8 and 13. Herbert went back to Ekeler for a 39 yard touchdown to cap the 10 play, 92 yard, 5 1/2 minute drive and make it 7-0 Chargers. A fair catch interference penalty had the Chargers taking over again at their own 45. Herbert hit Palmer for 9 and then 9 more.Herbert hit Ekeler for 13. On 3rd and 3 from the Chicago 9, Herbert hit Fehoko for the touchdown as the Chargers led 14-0 after the first quarter. An interception of Bagent had the Chargers at their own 43. Cameron Dicker hit a 43 yard field goal to make it 17-0 Chargers. The Bears managed a touchdown with one minute left in the half, but this game was never competitive. After a touchback, Herbert went to Johnston for 11 and 12, Ekeler for 23, and Allen for 7. On 3rd and 3 from the Chicago 17, Herbert hit Johnston for 6. Herbert hit Donald Parham for an 11 yard touchdown with 4 seconds left int eh half to make it 24-7 Chargers. The second half was pointless. The Chargers tacked on a pair of third quarter field goals to lead 30-7. The Bears got one garbage touchdown in a garbage season. 30-13 Chargers 

Las Vegas Raiders at Detroit Lions was the Monday night game. Both teams got walloped last week, but the Lions lost to a Baltimore team with Super Bowl aspirations. The Raiders lost to Chicago, who might be the worst team in the league. Chicago win with a rookie quarterback starting his very first game. The Raiders were humiliated by 18 points. They were expected to get blasted by the Lions, but the game was competitive as each team tried to give the game away. Frustration with Josh McDaniels reached a fever pitch, so on Thursday he held a meeting with the players that most likely accomplished nothing. The Lions moved easily from their own 20 to a 2nd and 8 at their own 26. A run went nowhere and on 3rd and 8 Jared Goff threw incomplete. Riley Patterson hit the 44 yard field goal to make it 3-0 Raiders. 

The Lions got the ball back and fumbled the ball away. The Raiders had 1st and 10 at the Detroit 26. All they had to do was run the ball. Heck, they could have taken a knee 3 times and kicked the tying field goal. Yet Josh McDaniels refuses to establish the run. He also relies too much on dink and dunker Jimmy Garoppolo’s dinking and dunking. Garoppolo has no arm strength, and everyone knows it. So rather than do the smart thing, McDaniels went for it alll. Garoppolon threw into double coverage. The ball was naturally underthrown. It was intercepted for a touchback. The defense held and the Raiders got the ball back with excellent field position at their own 41. On 3rd and 1 at midfield, McDaniels made the right call in giving the ball to Jacobs. Yet instead of going up the gut, an off-tackle run lost a yard. The Raiders offensive line doesn’t block.Knowing all of that, McDaniels gambled on 4th and 2. Garoppolo threw incomplete. 

The Lions moved from just past midfield to 2nd and goal at the 6. Offensive holding killed the drive. Patterson hit from 31. The Lions only led 6-0. The Lions got it back at their own 22 and moved to a 2nd and 1 at the Raiders 7. A trick play was blown up for an 8 yard loss. Dan Campbell got too cute and it backfired. Yet Patterson hit from 33 and the Lions led 9-0. 

After a touchback, the Raiders offense finally got going. Garoppolo hit Austin Hooper for 8. Jacobs ran for 9 and 4 with a defensive penalty for a low block adding 15. Garoppolo hit Hooper for 11. Jacobs ran for 7, 6, 6 and 3. On 3rd and 1 from the Detroit 6, Garoppolo gained 3. Jacobs ran for the 3 yard touchdown. With 3 minutes left in the half, despite being totally outplayed, the Raiders were only down 9-7. Yet now that the offense had finally done something right, the defense had to take its turn to malfunction. From their own 21, Goff went to Williams for 22 and Jahmyr Gibbs for 14. Gibbs ran for 7. Goff hit St. Brown for 6. On 3rd and 6 from the Raiders 26, Goff hit Sam Laporta for 8 and again for an 18 yard touchdown. With 27 seconds left in the half, the Lions led 16-7.   

The Raiders did nothing to start the third quarter, and the Lions quickly moved from their own 44 to the Raiders 28. Goff went to the sideline and disaster struck. Marcus Peters jumped the route and took off the other way. The 75 yard interception return touchdown had the Raiders right back in it down 16-14. The Lions moved from their own 21 to a 1st and goal at the 4. After a run went nowhere, another run saw more disaster as the Lions fumbled the ball away. The Raiders took over at their own 3 yard line needing only a field goal to take the lead. 

Instead they punted the ball right back to the Lions, who took over just shy of midfield and made it look easy. Gibbs gained 6. Defensive pass interference on an incompletion added 18. Gibbs then rushed for a 27 yard touchdown to make it 23-14 Lions. The Lions in the fourth quarter moved from their own 11 to the Raiders 34. Patterson hit a 52 yard field goal to put the Lions up 12 with 10 minutes left in regulation. The Raiders muffed the ensuing kickoff, taking over at their own 2 yard line. After getting to their own 36, Garoppolo was sacked twice in a row. On 3rd and 28, Garoppolo actually completed a pass. Yet on 4th and 10, for the third time in four plays, Garoppolo was sacked. Patterson made 4 field goals but somehow missed a 26 yarder to give the Raiders a tiny ray of hope. Yet another sack of Garoppolo had the Raiders facing 4th and 18 from their own 32. Naturally, Josh McDaniels had Garoppolo throw another West Coast Offense dink and dunk pass rather than throw past the first down marker. Garoppolo added 12 yards to his stats while snuffing out any flicker of hope. The Lions are 6-2. They have a coach and a quarterback. The Raiders are 3-5. They don’t have either. 26-14 Lions

NFL 2023 Week 8 Prequel

Thursday, October 26, 2023, 8pm

Tampa Bay Buccaneers at Buffalo Bills (-8 1/2) — The Bills on paper have Super Bowl potential but have been struggling. Yet at home against the Buccaneers, they have more than enough firepower. Baker Mayfield is not playing that badly, but the Bills have more talent on both sides of the ball. Bills cover

Sunday, October 29, 1pm

New England Patriots at Miami Dolphins (-9 1/2) For 20 years of Patriots dominance, they frequently lost games in Miami no matter how bad the Dolphins were. Now the Dolphins are good and the Patriots are awful. Yet just when the Patriots were declared dead, they shocked Buffalo. Nevertheless, the Patriots like to run the ball. The Dolphins have too much speech on offense. If the Dolphins grab an early lead, that removed the ability to New England to grind it out. Dolphins cover

New York Jets (-3) at New York Giants — The Jets are technically the road team, giving them an extra home game in their own stadium. One rule of the Giants is to never ever lose to the Jets. Tyrod Taylor is playing well in place of Daniel Jones. The jets have the better defense, but the Giants are not defensive slouches. It is still not a wise move to trust Zach Wilson. Upset special, Giants win outright. 

Jacksonville Jaguars (-2 1/2) at Pittsburgh Steelers — The Steelers have been inconsistent while the Jaguars have been slowly building something special. Doug Pederson likes to innovate on offense while Mike Tomlin likes stone age football. Trust Trevor Lawrence over Kenny Pickett. Jaguars cover

Atlanta Falcons (-2) at Tennessee Titans — These teams are both inconsistent. Yet at home, Derrick Henry should be able to get going. This allows Mike Vrabel to play smash mouth and not rely on Ryan Tannehill to do too much. Upset special, Titans win outright

Houston Texans (-3) at Carolina Panthers — The Texans have been a pleasant surprise. The Panthers have been winless and awful. This is the first contest between Bryce Young and CJ Stroud, the top two picks in the 2023 NFL Draft. So far Stroud has had more success. Stroud has Jonathan Taylor to take the pressure off. The Texans have the better defense. Texans cover

Los Angeles Rams at Dallas Cowboys (-6 1/2) — The Cowboys have been exposed as overrated, but they are still better than the struggling Rams. Sean McVay and Mike McCarthy both know offense. Matthew Stafford is better than Dak Prescott, but the Cowboys have the better defense and more weapons on offense. The Rams are rebuilding but fighting hard. Cowboys win but fail to cover

Minnesota Vikings at Green Bay Packers (-1) — Both teams are surprisingly bad, but the Vikings got a big emotional win over San Francisco. The Packers have been pathetic, losing to lowly Denver. Jordan Love is simply not getting it done. Kirk Cousins knows he could be trade bait right before the deadline, so expect him to play like a man who wants to stay. For years, the home team won this game, but the Packers are just uninspiring. Upset special, Vikings win outright

New Orleans Saints at Indianapolis Colts (-1) — The Colts lost a one point heartbreaker to Cleveland due to controversial calls from the officials. Yet the Saints have underachieved. Derek Carr is getting frustrated, with some justification. The Saints have the better defense, but until the offense stops dropping passes, it is hard to give them the benefit of the doubt. Colts cover

Philadelphia Eagles (-6 1/2) at Washington Commanders — The Eagles bounced back from their only loss with a decisive win over a very good Miami team. The Commanders looked pathetic in losing to an equally bad Giants team last week. These teams tend to play close games, so throw out the records. Eagles win but fail to cover

4pm

Cleveland Browns at Seattle Seahawks (-3) — With help from a pair of controversial calls, the Browns won a thriller over Indianapolis last week. A letdown would be normal, especially against a Seattle team that is well coached, at home, and seeing Geno Smith play competently. The Seahawks have solid receivers. The Browns have a decent defense, but go with the letdown angle. Seahawks cover

Baltimore Ravens (-8 1/2) at Arizona Cardinals — The Ravens blasted a very good Detroit team last week. Now they play an awful Cardinals team. Yet the spread is high for a road team given that the Cardinals have been losing close games. The Ravens win by running the ball and playing defense, with help from a phenomenal kicker. The Cardinals lack the offensive firepower. Ravens win but fail to cover. 

Kansas City Chiefs (-8) at Denver Broncos — The Chiefs have beaten the Broncos 16 straight times. Despite a win over lowly Green Bay, the Broncos are still awful. Patrick Mahomes has yet to see his offense gel as easily as in past years, but the Chiefs are still winning. The spread is high for a road team in a division game, and the Broncos have some talent on defense. A garbage touchdown at home could beat this spread. Chiefs win but fail to cover

Cincinnati Bengals at San Francisco 49ers (-5 1/2) — After a 5-0 start, the 49ers have lost two straight games. Worse, Brock Purdy is missing his first game since he is in concussion protocol. Yet even with backup Sam Darnold, the 49ers can run the ball with Christian McCaffrey. The 49ers have too many weapons and the Bengals are not the same team from the last couple of years. The 49ers have a nasty defense as well. 49ers cover

8pm

Chicago Bears at Los Angeles Chargers (-8 1/2) — The Bears throttled the Raiders, but this week they come back to earth. The Chargers consistently underachieve, but they gave Kansas City a run for their money last week in a loss. The Chargers are much better than the Bears, but the Chargers do not blow anybody out. Chargers win but fail to cover

Monday, October 30, 8pm

Las Vegas Raiders at Detroit Lions (-8) — The Raiders got blasted by a horrendous Chicago team last week. Now they travel to face a good Lions team angry over a humiliating loss last week. Yet the Lions lost on the road to a very good Baltimore team. The Lions have speed. The Raiders have an inept offense and have not fixed the secondary in a decade. The spread is high but this is the week the Raiders finally quit on Josh McDaniels. Lions cover

NFL 2023 Week 7 Recap

Jacksonville Jaguars at New Orleans Saints was the Thursday night game. After an opening touchback the Jaguars went right to work. Trevor Lawrence hit Evan Engram for 21 and Travis Etienne for 15. Lawrence ran for 9. On 3rd and 7 from the New Orleans 23, Lawrence hit Christian Kirk for 7 and Agnew for 14. Etienne ran in the 2 yard touchdown to complete the 10 play, 75 yard, 5 minute drive and make it 7-0 Saints. After a touchback, the Saints moved to the Jacksonville 32. They failed to get on the board when Grupe missed a 51 yard field goal try. The Saints got another break when the Jaguars fumbled a punt and the Saints recovered at the Jacksonville 17. On 2nd and goal at the 5, Derek Carr threw incomplete twice.  Grupe hit a 23 yard field goal to get the Saints within 7-3. The Jaguars soon faced 3rd and 3 at their own 32. Lawrence hit Kirk for 9 to end the first quarter and to Agnew for 9 to start the second quarter. Lawrence ran for 28 with defensive holding adding 5 more. Etienne got around the end for a 17 yard touchdown run to make it 14-3 Jaguars. 

A field position game in the second quarter gave the Saints a short field at the Jacksonville 46. Yet on 2nd and 8 from the Jacksonville 20, Carr’s incompletion was followed by him running for only 3. Grupe hit from 35 to get the Saints within 14-6 at the 2 minute warning. That was enough time for the Jaguars after a touchback to move to a 3rd and 2 at the New Orleans 25. Lawrence through incomplete but Brandon McManus hit from 43 to make it 17-6 Jaguars with 30 seconds left. The Saints after a third quarter touchback moved to a 1st and 10 at the Jacksonville 23. Yet offensive holding killed the drive. Grupe hit a 42 yard field goal to get the Saints within 17-9. Things got ugly for the Saints when they got the ball back and faced 3rd and 10 from their own 13. Carr was intercepted by Oluokun, who returned the pick 24 yards for a defensive touchdown to make it 24-9 Jaguars. 

The Saints got it back after a touchback and finally began to show signs of life. Carr went to Michael Thomas and Alvin Kamara for a pair of 8 yard gains. Carr went to Shaheed for 12 and to Taysom Hill and Olave for 7 apiece. On 4th and 2 from the Jacksonville 25, Kamara got around the end for a 10 yard gain. On 3rd and 3 from the Jacksonville 8, out of the shotgun Hill gained 4. The fourth quarter began with the Saints facing 4th and goal at the one. Hill got in for the touchdown. The 16 pay, 75 yard, 7 1/2 minute drive had the Saints within 24-16. midway through the fourth quarter Doug Peterson gambled on 4th and 1 from the New Orleans 47. Etienne got stuffed for no gain. The Saints struck quickly as Carr hit Thomas for 17, Hill for 19, and Thomas again for the 17 yard touchdown. Carr hit Kamara for the 2 point conversion. With 6 1/2 minutes left the game was tied 24-24 and the Saints had all the momentum.

A field position game set up by a short 39 yard punt gave the Jaguars gift field position at the New Orleans 46 with 3:45 to play. Two plays later, Lawrence connected with Christian Kirk for a 44 yard touchdown. The Jaguars had the lead with 3 minutes left. After a touchback, the Saints calmly moved down the field to a 1st and goal at the 6 with 40 seconds to play. The Saints had all 3 timeouts. They could run any plays they wanted. They had 4 shots at the end zone. Carr threw 4 straight incompletions. The third down throw was a perfect pass to a wide open Foster Moreau, who just dropped it. The Saints are underwater at 3-4 while the Jaguars escaped to get to 5-2 on the year. 31-24 Jaguars

Detroit Lions at Baltimore Ravens —This was supposed to be a battle between two very good teams, but only one of them showed up. After an opening touchback, Lamar Jackson went to Odell Beckham for 11 and to Zee Flowers for 46. On 4th and 1 from the Detroit 7, John Harbaugh gambled. Jackson got the first down and the touchdown to make it 7-0 Ravens. The Ravens got it back and soon faced 3rd and 7 at their own 35. Jackson went to Batemen for gains of 16 and 20. On 3rd and 2 from the Detroit 22, Jackson gained 3. On 3rd and 3 from the Detroit 12, Jackson went to Nelson Agholor for the touchdown to make it 14-0 Ravens. The Ravens got it back at their own 8. Jackson went to Beckham for 20. On 3rd and 11, Jackson went to Flowers for 22. On the first play of the second quarter, Jackson went to Ricard for 28, Mitchell for 9, Flowers for 3, and Mark Andrews for an 11 yard touchdown to make it 21-0 Ravens. The Ravens got it back at their own 20. Jackson gained 9. Edwards added 20. Hill gained 27. Jackson hit Andrews for 22. Edwards got the last  2 yards. 4 drives meant 4 touchdowns  and a 28-0 Ravens lead. The second half was pointless. In the third quarter the Ravens took over at their own 6. Jackson connected with Edwards for an 80 yard gain and with Andrews for an 8 yard touchdown to make it 35-0 Ravens. The Lions got a fourth quarter touchdown to avoid the shutout. Justin Tucker tacked on a field goal for the Ravens to complete the scoring. 38-6 Ravens

Las Vegas Raiders at Chicago Bears — Everyone outside of Josh McDaniels’s own family knew that the 3-3 Raiders were frauds. They had won 2 straight, but their wins came against 3 of the worst teams in the league. Before a brutal stretch of games against good teams, the Raiders had won more easy game. They just needed to beat the worst team in the league. They call themselves the Chicago Bears, but they had playing like the Bad News Bears. The Raiders had a chance to get their third straight win and get to 4-3. Matt Eberflus is uber-flustered against everyone else. Without Justin Fields, The Bears started a quarterback named Bagent who had never started NFL game before. Until last week, he had never played in an NFL game. This was the game for the Raiders to win. Instead, the Raiders made the Bad News Bears look like the 1985 Bears. 

Josh McDaniels gets plenty of things wrong, but he started out doing two things right. With Jimmy Garoppolo out injured again, McDaniels resisted the urge to start rookie Aidan O’Connell. Bryan Hoyer is a veteran with a stronger arm than Garoppolo. McDaniels also went with a heavy run-first offense with Josh Jacobs. McDaniels has been fairly criticized for 2 years for not doing this. On this day, he did. It is not McDaniels’s fault that Jacobs got no help from his blockers. The offensive line was awful. Hoyer had little time to throw. When he did, he was uncharacteristically off the mark on too many throws. The Raiders had plenty of chances early. The Bears quickly went 3 and out when they dropped an easy third down pass. An 18 yard punt return had the Raiders starting at their own 43. They moved to a 3rd and 4 at the Chicago 23. Hoyer threw incomplete. Normally reliable kicker Daniel Carlson missed a 41 yard field goal try. None of this was McDaniels’s fault.

The Bars soon faced 3rd and 1 at their own 40. Donta Foreman gained 4. Bagent hit Scott for 13. Foreman gained 13 more. Bagent ran for 10. Foreman gained 9. Foreman ran for a 2 yard touchdown. The 12 play, 69 yard, 6 1/2 minute drive made it 7-0 Bears. In the second quarter Hoyer was intercepted to set up the Bears at the Raiders 34. On 3rd and 1, Scott gained 6. Bagent hit Marcedes Lewis for 16. Foreman ran for a 3 yard touchdown to make it 14-0 Bears. After a touchback, the Raiders moved to a 2nd and 6 at the Chicago 21 at the 2 minute warning. Hoyer threw incomplete twice. Carlson hit a 40 yard field goal to get the Raiders on the board. In the third quarter the Raiders offense kept malfunctioning. The Bears faced 1st and 15 at their own 7, but then moved forward. Foreman ran for 14 and 9. Bagent ran for 12. Bagent hit Foreman for 17. On 3rd and 6 from the Raiders 25, Bagent hit Evans for just enough. Bagent hit Foreman for 9. On 3rd and goal at the 5, Bagent hit Foreman for the touchdown. With 4 minutes left in the third quarter, the Bears were dominating 21-3. This was not Jim McMahon and Walter Payton. This was a 1-5 team gashing the pathetic Raiders defense for big gains on almost every play. 

After a touchback, the Raiders moved 60yards in 15 plays and nearly 7 minutes. The fourth quarter began with the Raiders facing 2nd and 4 at the Chicago 9. Rather than feed Jacobs, it was Zamir White getting the carry and getting nothing. Then on 3rd and 4 Hoyer appeared to hit Jaocbs for the touchdown. Yet on further review it was reversed to an incompletion. Since most of the entire fourth quarter remained, a field goal decision would have been justified. Yet the normally ultra-conservative McDaniels decided to go for it. It was the right decision. Hoyer hit Davante Adams for just enough. On 1st and goal at the 5, an ill-advised pitchout to Jacobs lost 5 yards. On 3rd and goal at the 6, Hoyer had an open Adams in the end zone. Adams just dropped it.It bounced right off his fingertips. Now with 12 1/2 minutes left in regulation, going for it was the right call. Why bother going for it before only to give up now? Yet McDaniels makes gutless decisions, and again he surrendered. It was a horrendous uninspiring decision. He has no confidence in his offense down by the goal line. Yes, the offense is inept. Yet it’s his offense. Carlson hit the 25 yard field goal to get the Raiders within 21-6, but that was it. 

The Beats from their own 27 at cup 7 minutes of clock on a 12 play drive against the pathetic Raiders defense. Cairo Santos hit a 54 yard field goal with 6 minutes left to put the game out of reach. On the very next play from scrimmage, Hoyer was intercepted by Jaylon Johnson, who returned it 39 yards for a defensive touchdown. The extra point was blocked, but the Bears were winning a 30-6 beatdown. with the gan out of reach, Hoyer was benched and O’Connell was thrown to the wolves. He was then also intercepted by Johnson. The Raiders did get a 9 yard garbage time touchdown pass from O’Connell to Jakobi Meyers with one minute left, but this game was an embarrassment. Somehow, Josh McDaniels was not fired after the game. Any chance of the Raiders being a playoff team are done, and the season is not even half over. McDaniels’s job is to prepare his team. They were woefully unprepared, and it obviously showed. 30-12 Bears

Cleveland Browns at Indianapolis Colts — This game became an instant classic. On the third play of the game on 3rd and 2 from their own 31, Ford ran for a 69 yard touchdown to make it 7-0 Browns. The Colts came right back. On 3rd and 3 from their own 32. Gardner Minshew went to Downs for 6. On 3rd and 7 from their own 41, Minshew went deep to Downs for a 59 yard touchdown for a 7-7 game. The Colts got it back at their own 43. Minshew went to Jonathan Taylor for 18. Minshew ran for 8 with defensive holding adding 5 more. On 3rd and 2 from the Cleveland 17, Minshew ran for the first down and the touchdown to make it 14-7 Colts.The Colts got it back but Minshew was sacked and fumbled. The Browns took over at the Indianapolis 36. Kareem Hunt gained 11 and 5. Goodwin ran for 17. The second quarter began with Hunt running for one and then the 2 yard touchdown for a 14-14 game. 

Deshaun Watson was injured in the second quarter. PJ Walker finished the game. After a touchback the Colts moved to a 3rd and 3 at the Cleveland 26. Minshew gained 7 but offensive holding wiped out the gain. A short pass then lost 6 yards. Shane Steichen decided to have Matt Gay try a 60 yard field goal, a ridiculous decision at this point in the game. The kick was blocked. The Browns took over at the Indianapolis 26 and went nowhere. Dustin Hopkins hit a 44 yard field goal for a 17-14 Browns lead. The Colts soon faced 3rd and 8 at their own 27. Minshew went to Downs for 34 yards. Taylor ran for 24. On 3rd and 7 from the Cleveland 12, Minshew hit Pittman for 8. Minshew ran for a 4 yard touchdown to make it 21-17 Colts. 

The Colts got it back at their own 11. Minshew was sacked. On 2nd and 15 from their own 6, Minshew was sacked again, this time forcing a fumble. The Browns recovered in the end zone for a defensive touchdown to make it 24-21 Browns. The Browns got it back at their own 30 with 1:17 left in the half. Walker hit Ford for 8, David Njoku for 5, Moore for 9, and Ford again for 12. Hopkins ended the half with a 54 yard field goal for a 27-21 Browns lead. In the third quarter on 3rd and 2 from his own 41, Minshew was intercepted. Ward returned the pick 20 yards to the Indianapolis 42. Hopkins hit another 54 yard field goal for a 30-21 Browns advantage.

After a touchback, Minshew hit Downs for 20. Minshew hit Pittman for 7 with defensive holding adding 5. Taylor gained 9 and 6. On 3rd and 4 from the Cleveland 35, Taylor gained just enough. Minshew hit Taylor for 20. Taylor gained 6 and then ran for the 5 yard touchdown to get the Colts within 30-28.  The Browns after a touchback moved to a 2nd and 2 from the Indy 41. A pair of runs went nowhere. Kevin Stefanski went for it. On 4th and 2, Walker fumbled and the Colts took over at midfield. Gay hit a 27 yard field goal one minute into the fourth quarter to put the Colts back up 31-30. A deep ball by Walker was intercepted but it pinned the Colts at their own 2. The defense held and the Browns got it back at their own 43. With 6 1/2 minutes left in regulation, Stefanski gave Hopkins a shot at a 58 yard field goal try to put the Browns back in front. Hopkins delivered for a 33-31 Browns lead. 

Two plays after a touchback, Minshew connected with Pittman for a 75 yard touchdown. Just like that, the Colts led 38-33. With 2 1/2 minutes left, the Browns faced 3rd and 10 from their own 20. Walker went deep to Moore for 30. Strong gained 13. Walker hit Donovan Peoples-Jones for 17. On 3rd and 4 from the Indy 13 with 47 seconds left, chaos ensued. Walker was sacked and fumbled. He tried to argue that his arm was going forward but it was clearly the empty hand rule. It was definitely a fumble. The Colts recovered all the way back at their own 39 and began celebrating. Yet it was all for naught as illegal contact on the defense meant 5 yards, an automatic first down, and 1st and goal at the 8. Walker threw incomplete but defensive pass interference meant 7 yards and 1st and goal at the one. 3 straight Walker passes were all incomplete. It all came down to 4th and goal at the one with 15 seconds left. Hunt got the carry and was stopped right at the goal line. Both sides celebrated, thinking they had won. It was close, but officials got the call right. Hunt barely got the nose of the ball across the plane of the goal. That is all that is required. The touchdown gave the Browns the one point lead. The 2 point try failed but the Colts needed a miracle. Minshew was sacked and fumbled to end the game. Brian Sipe and the 1980 Browns are long retired, but this was a Cardiac Kids classic. 39-38 Browns

Buffalo Bills at New England Patriots — The Bills are a very good team. The Patriots are awful. Rumors have been swirling that Evil Hoodie Bill Belichick’s 24th season in New England would result in his being fired after the season. The Patriots were 1-5 and getting worse. The Bills could put the final nail in the coffin of their hated rivals. After an opening touchback, the Patriots moved to a 3rd and 4 at the Buffalo 14. A run out of the shotgun gained only 2 yards. Belichick decided not to gamble on 4th and 2. Ryland hit the 30 yard field goal to make it 3-0 Patriots. On the very next Buffalo play from scrimmage, Josh Allen was intercepted to give the Patriots a short field at the Buffalo 45. Mac Jones hit Buffalo for 10. On 3rd and 1 from the Buffalo 26, Jones went to Douglas for 16. Ezekiel Elliott gained 8 and then the 2 yard touchdown to make it 10-0 Patriots. After a touchback, the Bills moved to a 3rd and 7 at the New England 8. On the last play of the first quarter, a touchdown pass from Allen to Dawson Knox was nullified by offensive pass interference. The second quarter began with Allen throwing incomplete. Tyler Bass hit a 36 yard field goal to get the Bills on the board. Ryland answered with a 24 yard field goal to make it 13-3 Patriots. The Bills missed a chance to get closer when Bass missed from 42. 

The Bills began the third quarter facing 2nd and 12 at their own 17. Allen went to Stefan Diggs for 17, Kincaid for 8, and Harty for 10. Roughing the passer on an incompletion added 15 more. James Cook ran for 20. Allen hit Knox for 10. On 3rd and goal from the 8, Allen hit Cook for the touchdown. The 10 play, 81 yard, 5 minute drive got the Bills within 13-10. The Patriots after a touchback moved to the Buffalo 25. A completion lost 2 yards and Jones was sacked to ill the drive. Ryland hit from 49 to make it 16-10 Patriots.The Bills after a touchback moved to a 4th and 2 at the New England 33. Sean McDermott gambled on a 4th and 1 earlier in the drive, which the Bills converted. He went for it again. This time Allen threw incomplete. Jones quickly went to Brown for 26. On 3rd and 3 from the Buffalo 33, jones was sacked and fumbled. Yet defensive illegal contact gave the Patriots a new set of downs. Elliott lost one, gained 10, and on 3rd and 1 from the Buffalo 29, got the tough yard. Jones went to Douglas for 19. Jones hit Kendrick Bourne for a 4 yard touchdown The 2 point conversion try failed but the Patriots were winning a shocker up 22-10 midway through the fourth quarter.

After a touchback, Allen went to Kincaid for 12 and Diggs for 7. Roughing the passer added 15 more. Allen went to Sherfield for 5, Shakir for 11, and Diggs for a 25 yard touchdown to get the Bills within 22-17. The Patriots quickly faced 2nd and 15 from their own 20. Jones hit Bourne for 9 but Bourne fumbled and the Bills recovered at the New England 29. Allen hit Shakir for 13. On 4th and 2 from the New England 8 with 2:40 to play, the Bills could have kicked a field goal and played defense. That is gutless football. Either you trust your offense to make 2 yards by the goal line or you don’t. Sean McDermott trusts his players. Allen hit Kincaid for 4. On 3rd and goal at the one, Allen got in. Allen hit Knox for the 2 point conversion. At the 2 minute warning, the Bills had stormed back for a 25-22 lead. New England put up a fight, but they were about to go to 1-6 on the year. 

After a touchback, a short completion from Jones to Raimondre Stevenson went for 34 yards. On 3rd and 8 from the Buffalo 39, Jones went to Hunter Henry for 14. Jones hit Parker for 8, Stevenson for 10, and Douglas for 6 down to the Buffalo one yard line. 15 seconds remained. After an incompletion, Jones hit Mike Gesicki for the touchdown. With 12 seconds left, the Patriots had the miracle 4 point lead. After a touchback, Allen ran for 7 yards but then fumbled the ball away as the clock hit double zeroes. In thrilling fashion, Bill Belichick won his 300th regular season game and 331st overall win. Belichick is 16 games behind the late Don Shula for most overall wins. As ESPN uber-announcer Chris Berman reminds us, “THAT’s why they PLAY the GAMES!” 29-25 Patriots 

Washington Commanders at New York Giants — Sometimes a pair of bad teams can come together and play a thrilling game for the ages. This was not that game. Early on Graham Gano missed a 42 yard field goal for the Giants. In the second quarter, Tyrod Taylor hit Robinson and Darrius Slayton for a pair of 22 yard gains. Taylor hit Darren Waller for 13. Taylor ran for 20. On 3rd and goal at thE 15 to start the second quarter, Taylor hit Waller for the touchdown to make it 7-0 Giants. An interception of Sam Howell gave the Giants a short field at the Washington 48. Taylor hit Waller for 16 and Saquon Barkley for a 32 yard touchdown to make it 14-0 Giants. The Giants were in total control in the third quarter until they fumbled a punt. The Commanders recovered at the Giants 21. On 4th and 1 from the Giants 12, Riverboat Ron Rivera went for it. Howell went to Dotson for 8. Robinson ran for a 4 yard touchdown. The Commanders were down by 7 and had a full 25 minutes left in the game to tie it. Early in the fourth quarter, Rivera decided not to go for it on 4th and 3 from the Giants 9. Joey Slye’s 27 yard field goal try was blocked. The Giants moved from their own 20 to a 1st and goal at the 10. Barkley gained 3 and then fumbled the ball away. This was the Stop or Bowl. The Commanders from their own 8 embarked on a 17 play drive. On 3rd and 5 from the Giants 7 with one minute to play, Howell threw incomplete twice. May the tape of this game be burned. It was a battle of who wanted it least. 14-7 Giants

Atlanta Falcons at Tampa Bay Buccaneers — Early on Todd Bowles gambled on 4th and 5 from the Atlanta 41. Baker Mayfield threw incomplete. Desmond Ridder quickly hit Hodge for 19, Smith for 7, and Smith again for 18. On 3rd and goal at the 2, Ridder got in to make it 7-0 Falcons. The Buccaneers took over at their own 33. Mayfield hit Cade Otton for 11. On 3rd and 1 from the Atlanta 42, Mayfield gained 2. Mayfield then went deep to Mike Evans for a 40 yard touchdown and a 7-7 game. Each team scored a touchdown in the first quarter. Each team failed to reach the end zone in the final three quarters. In the second quarter, Younghoe Koo hit a 24 yard field goal for the Falcons. Chase McLaughlin answered for the Buccaneers from 24. When not exchanging field goals, the teams exchanged turnovers twice. Koo hit from 41 late in the third quarter. Mclaughlin hit from 36 with 45 seconds remaining in regulation. The game was tied 7-7 after one, 10-10 at the half, and 13-13 in the final minute. After a touchback, Ridder went deep to Pitts for a 39 yard gain. With 4 seconds left, Koo came in for a 51 yard field goal try for the win. If ever a game did not deserve overtime, this was it. Koo spared the viewers. His kick was good. 16-13 Falcons

Pittsburgh Steelers at Los Angeles Rams — The first quarter was a scoreless defensive bonelock. Brett Maher’s 53 yard field goal try for the Rams doinked off the upright no good. The second quarter began with Chris Boswell hitting his 53 yard field goal try to make it 3-0 Steelers. Maher did hit a 41 yarder for a 3-3 game. The Rams faced 3rd and 3 from their own 19 with 2 1/2 minutes left in the half. Matthew Stafford went to Nacua for 36. On 3rd and 1 from the Pittsburgh 36, Darrell Henderson went for 5. Stafford went to Tutu Atwell for a 31 yard touchdown. The extra point was no good but the Rams led 9-3 with 17 seconds left in the half. Yet on the first play of the third quarter from his own 26, Stafford was intercepted by TJ Watt. He returned the pick 24 yards to the Rams 7. On 3rd and goal at the one, Kenny Pickett got in for a 10-9 Steelers lead. The Rams soon faced 3rd and 3 from their own 32. The defense jumped offside. Stafford went deep to Nacua for 32. On 3rd and 7 from the Pittsburgh 28, Stafford went to Nacua for 20. On 3rd and goal at the one, Henderson got in. Sean McVay went for the 2 point conversion and Stafford connected with Cooper Kupp for a 17-10 Rams lead after three quarters.

Late in the third quarter the Rams had a chance to go up 20-10, but from 51 yards out Maher missed again. The Steelers began the fourth quarter facing 3rd and 8 from their own 43. Pickett went to Johnson for 39. Warren ran for 5 and then for the 13 yard touchdown for a 17-17 tie. The Steelers got it back and faced 3rd and 1 from their own 32. Pickett gained 2. Pickett hit George Pickens for 21. Harris gained 10. Pickett hit Johnson for 11 and Hayward for 11 more. Harris ran for the 3 yard touchdown to put the Steelers up by 7 midway through the fourth quarter. The Steelers got the ball back at their own 14 with 5 1/2 minutes left. On 3rd and 3, Pickett went deep to Pickens for 31. Everything came down to the Steelers facing 4th and 1 at the Rams 39 with the Rams out of timeouts. Mike Tomlin went for it. Pickett got the yard and then took 3 knees. This was shrouded in controversy as Pickett appeared short of the first down. He was given a very generous spot by the officials. Sean McVay could not challenge the spot because the Rams were out of timeouts. Just like the 1979 season when these teams met in the Super bowl, the Rams led after three quarters but the Steelers won the fourth quarter 14-0 and the game. By next week, that statistic will be useless and this game will be forgotten. 24-17 Steelers

Arizona Cardinals at Seattle Seahawks — In the first quarter from their own 39, the Seahawks made it look easy. Geno Smith hit Tyler Lockett for 8. Kenneth Walker III ran for 25. Smith hit his non-relative Smith-Nigba for a 28 yard touchdown to make it 7-0 Seahawks. The Seahawks soon fumbled a punt and the Cardinals recovered at the Seattle 30. On 3rd and 6, Joshua Dobbs threw incomplete. Matt Prater hit a 44 yard field goal to get the Cardinals within 7-3. The Cardinals got it back at their own 20. From their 33, Demercado gained 18. On 3rd and 7 from the Seattle 46, Dobbs hit Wilson for 11. Moore gained 15. An interception of Dobbs was wiped out by roughing the passer. Dobbs ran for a 25 yard touchdown to have the Cardinals up 10-7 in the second quarter. The Seahawks took over at their own 24. Smith hit non-relative Smith-Nigba for gains of 12 and 13. On 3rd and 10 from the Arizona 46, Smith hit Lockett for 15. On 3rd and 5 from the Arizona 26, Smith went to Lockett for 8 and to Jake Bobo for an 18 yard touchdown to put the Seahawks up 14-10. After a touchback, the Cardinals reached 2nd and 2 at the Seattle 27 with 37 seconds left in the half. Offensive holding and a sack pushed them out of field goal range. The second half was an unwatchable slog. Jake Myers hit field goals of 21 in the third quarter and 48 late in the fourth quarter to lock up the win. The Cardinals missed a third quarter field goal and turned the ball over twice on downs on the fourth quarter. The Cardinals are a 1-6 mess. 20-10 Seahawks 

Green Bay Packers at Denver Broncos — Sometimes a pair of bad teams can come together and play a thrilling game for the ages. Again, this was not that game. However, it was interesting late. Wil Lutz hit field goals of 32 in the first quarter and 29 and 35 in the second quarter to give the Broncos a 9-0 halftime lead in a game deserving no further elaboration. Anders Carlson missed from 43 late in the half to set up Lutz’s last kick. Carlson did hit from 29 in the third quarter. After a touchback, Russell Wilson went to Jerry Jeudy for 18. Williams ran for 21 and 9. On 3rd and 4 from the Green Bay 18, Wilson went to Cortland Sutton for the touchdown. with 6 minutes left in the third quarter, the Broncos had a comfortable 16-3 lead. 

After a touchback, Jordan Love went deep to Watson for 23. On 3rd and 6 from the Denver 48, Love threw incomplete but defensive holding meant an automatic first down. On 3rd and 7 from the Denver 40, Love went to Reed for 12. Aaron Jones gained 11. Love went to Romeo Doubs for a 16 yard touchdown to get the Packers within 16-10. The Packers got it back at their own 24 to start the fourth quarter. Love went to Musgrave for18 with a defensive personal foul resulting in a disqualification and 15 more yards. On 4th and 1 from the Denver 29, Matt LaFleur went for it. Love went to Sims for 2. AJ Dillon gained 15. Love gained 10. With 8 1/2 minutes left in regulation the Packers faced 4th and 2 from the Denver 4. LaFleur went for it again. Love hit Reed for the touchdown to put the Packers up 17-16. After a touchback, the Broncos moved to a 2nd and 5 at the Green Bay 34. Wilson threw incomplete and got tackled for no gain. Lutz hit a key 52 yard field goal to put the Broncos up by 2 with 4 minutes left. After a touchback, the Packers moved to a 1st and 10 at the Denver 44 with 2:22 left. A few more yards would mean long field goal range and a shot at the lead. Offensive holding was a killer. On 4th and 20, Love went deep and was intercepted. 19-17 Broncos

Los Angeles Chargers at Kansas City Chiefs — The Chiefs moved from their own 17 to a 3rd and 7 at the Chargers 17. Patrick Mahomes threw incomplete. Harrison Butker hit a 35 yard field goal to make it 3-0 Chiefs. After a touchback the Chargers moved to a 2nd and 8 at the Kansas City 24. Justin Herbert was sacked to kill the drive. Cameron Dicker nailed a 55 yard field goal for a 3-3 game. In the second quarter the game turned into a track meet. 

After a touchback, Mahomes went to Toney for 13. The second quarter began with the Chiefs facing 3rd and 3 at their own 45. Mahomes went to Travis Kelce for 9 and deep to Marques Valdes-Scantling for a 46 yard touchdown and a 10-3 Chiefs lead. The Chargers soon faced 3rd and 8 at their own 27, Herbert went to Donald Parham for 9. Kelley ripped off a 49 yard touchdown for a 10-10 game. The Chiefs came right back. On 2nd and 7 from their own 28, Mahoems went to Kelce for 13 and again for 53. Mahomes went to Rice for a 6 yard touchdown to make it 17-10 Chiefs. After a touchback the Chargers struck back just as fast. Herbert went deep to Palmer for a 60 yard gain. On 3rd and goal at the 7, Herbert hit Everett for a touchdown and a 17-17 deadlock. 

With 2:48 left in the half, the Chiefs were pinned at their own 4 yard line. Rather than run the ball, Walrus Andy Reid went big and bold. Mahomes connected with Rice for 37 and Kelce for 15 and 5. Mahomes went to Valdes-Scantling for 28. On 2nd and 23 from the Chargers 24, Mahomes went deep incomplete but defensive pass interference meant 1st and goal at the one with 15 seconds left in the half. Mahoems hit kielce for the touchdown as the Chiefs led 21-14 at the intermission. After a second quarter explosion, the second half was all defense. One play made the difference. With 6 minutes left in regulation, a 60 yard punt return gave the Chiefs a short field at the Chargers 35. Mahomes went to Rice for 12. On 3rd and 6 from the Chargers 14, Mahomes hit newly reacquired Mecole Hardman for just enough. Mahomes went to Pacheco for an 8 yard touchdown with 3 1/2 minutes left to lock up the win. The Chiefs are 6-1 and already running away with the AFC West for the 8th straight year, making Andy Reid a most happy Walrus indeed. 31-17 Chiefs. 

Miami Dolphins at Philadelphia Eagles was the Sunday night game. A potential Super Bowl matchup between a pair of 5-1 teams offered a good football game. The Eagles took over at their own 23 and moved 71 yards in 12 plays and 7 minutes. On 1st and goal at the 6, a sack and a pair of failed runs ended the drive. Jake Elliott hit a 24 yard field goal to make it 3-0 Eagles. The eagles got it back and faced 3rd and 8 from their own 33. Jalen Hurts was sacked and fumbled. The Dolphins recovered at the Philadelphia 23. On 2nd and goal at the 7, a swing pass from Tua Tagovailoa to Tyreek Hill lost 5 yards. On 3rd and goal at the 12, a touchdown pass from Tagovailoa to Hill was nullified by offensive holding. After an incompletion, Sanders hit a 40 yard field goal for a 3-3 game. 

The Eagles took over at their own 39. The second quarter saw the Eagles get stopped on 3rd and 1 at the Miami 37. Nick Sirianni went for it on 4th and 1. Hurts gained 2. Roughing the passer on an incompletion added 15. Hurts went to Dallas Goedert for a 19 yard touchdown to make it 10-3 Eagles. The Eagles got it back at their own 20. Hurts went to AJ Brown for 10. On 3rd and 4 from their own 36, Hurts gained 5 with defensive holding adding 5 more. Hurts hit Smith for 13. On 4th and 3 from the Miami 33, Nick Sirianni gambled. Rather than just move the chains, Hurts went deep tp Brown for a 32 yard gain down to the one. Hurts got in as the Eagles led 17-3 with 3 minutes left in the half.

The Dolphins soon faced 3rd and 18 from their own 20. Tagovailoa went deep to Wilson for 29 and Hill for 15. On 3rd and 8 from the Philadelphia 27, Tagovailoa went deep to Hill for the touchdown. With 40 seconds left in the half the Dolphins were within 17-10. In the third quarter the Dolphins moved from their own 36 to a 4th and 3 at the Philadelphia 21. Mike McDaniel passed up a 39 yard field goal try and went for it. Tagovailoa threw incomplete. Yet on the very next play, Hurts was intercepted by Baker. Baker returned the pick 22 yards for a defensive touchdown and a 17-17 game.

After a touchback, Hurts kept going. He ran for 12 and went deep to Smith for 25. On 3rd and 7 from the Miami 24, Hurts went to Goedert for 10. Hurts went to Brown for a 14 yard touchdown to make it 24-17 Eagles after three quarters. In the fourth quarter the Dolphins moved from their own 31 to a 3rd and 8 at the Philly 24. Tagovailoa went for it all to tie the game and was intercepted by Darrius Slay at the one yard line. Slay returned the interception 16 yards to his own 17. With 10 minutes left in regulation, Nick Sirianni appeared to lose his mind. He went for it on 4th and 1 from his own 26. Everyone from Barry Switzer to Brandon Staley to even Bill Belichick have been roasted for this. Yet nobody does the tush push like Hurts, and he gained 2. Midway through the fourth quarter Sirianni played with fire again, gambling on 4th and 1 from his own 37. Another tush push by Hurts gained 2. On 3Hurts then went deep to Brown for 42. rd and 4 from his own 45, the defensive jumped offside. Kenneth Gainwell ran for 5 and then the 3 yard touchdown to put the game out of reach with 5 minutes left. 31-17 Eagles

San Francisco 49ers at Minnesota Vikings was the Monday night game. The 49ers were knocked from the unbeaten ranks last week but were expected to steamroll the faltering Vikings. The Vikings got the ball first. On the third play from scrimmage, Kirk Cousins threw an interception. The 49ers moved from the Minnesota 48 to the Minnesota 15. Christian McCaffrey got the carry and fumbled the ball back to the Vikings. The Vikings soon faced 3rd and 12 from their own 9. Cousins hit TJ Hockenson for 16 and Jordan Addison for 11. From midfield, Cousins went to Hockenson for 22. On 3rd and 2 from the San Francisco 20, Cousins went to Addison for the touchdown. The 10 play, 89 yard, 6 minute drive made it 7-0 Vikings. After a touchback, the 49ers moved 53 yards in 10 plays and 5 minutes. On 2nd and 5 from the Minnesota 22, a pair of plays went nowhere. The second quarter began with Moody missing a 40 yard field goal try. The Vikings from their own 30 moved 67 yards in 13 plays and 7 1/2 minutes. On 1st and goal at the 2, Mattison lost a yard and Cousins threw incomplete twice. Greg Joseph hit a 24 yard field goal to make it 10-0 Vikings.

THE 49ers soon faced 3rd and 7 from their own 28. Brock Purdy hit Brandon Aiyuk for 25. On 3rd and 1 from the Minnesota 38, McCaffrey gained 3. On 3rd and 1 from the Minnesota 26 at the 2 minute warning, McCaffrey gained 8. Purdy hit Dwelley for 12. McCaffrey ran for 3 and then for the 3 yard touchdown. The 12 play, 75 yard, 6 1/2 minute drive had the 49ers right back in it down 10-7 with one minute left in the half. After a touchback, the Vikings faced 3rd and 6 at their own 40 with 17 seconds left. What came next was not the Minneapolis Miracle, but it still had Paul Allen and Skol fans going crazy. Forget the field goal. Cousins went to Addison for a 60 yard touchdown. The extra point was no good but the Vikings led 16-7 at halftime in front of an electrified home crowd. Despite a relatively low score, neither team punted in the first half. The 49ers began the third quarter with their first and only punt of the game. The Vikings from their own 21 moved 77 yards in 11 plays and 5 minutes. Despite 1st and goal at the one, a run got stopped followed by a false start. On 3rd and goal at the 2, Cousins threw incomplete. Kevin O’Connell was not in a gambling mood. Joseph hit the 20 yard field goal to make it 19-7 Vikings. 

After a touchback, the 49ers struck quickly. Purdy hit McCaffrey for 12, George Kittle for 28, and McCaffrey again for a 35 yard touchdown. The 49ers were right back in it down 19-14. The Vikings took over at their own 14 and moved 50 yards in 10 plays and 5 1/2 minutes. Joseph nailed a 54 yard field goal to put the Vikings up 22-14 after three quarters. The 49ers began the fourth quarter quickly moving from their own 32 to the Minnesota 37. Yet on 2nd and 6, Purdy threw incomplete twice. Kyle Shanahan decided not to go for it, trusting Moody with a 56 yard field goal try. Moody delivered to get the 49ers within 5 points. The Vikings took over at their own 28 and moved to a 3rd and 4 at the San Francisco 42. Cousins threw incomplete. Kevin O’Connell was not in a gambling mood in going for it or trying a 60 yard field goal. For the first and only time all game, the Vikings punted. The 49ers moved from their own 20 to just past midfield. Purdy went deep and was intercepted at the Minnesota 30. The Vikings moved to a 4th and 6 at the Minnesota 32 with 1:16 to play. Jospeh came in for a 50 yard field goal try to make it an 8 point game. His kick was no good. The 49ers took over at their own 40 needing a touchdown to win. From the Minnesota 40 with 30 seconds left, Purdy went deep and was intercepted again. The 49ers lost their second straight. 22-17 Vikings 

NFL 2023 Week 7 Prequel

Thursday, October 19, 2023, 8pm

Jacksonville Jaguars at New Orleans Saints (-1 1/2) — Both teams have good defenses, solid running backs, and very competent quarterbacks. Doug Pederson has a coaching advantage over Dennis Allen. Both teams have been less than consistent. In an evenly matched game, go with the more imaginative coach. Upset special, Jaguars win outright

Sunday, October 21, 1pm

Detroit Lions at Baltimore Ravens (-2 1/2) — Two very good football teams that are well coached face off. Lamar Jackson is better than Jared Goff. dustin Tucker made NFL history in Detroit with a record 66 yard field as time expired. The Lions are for real, but the Ravens at home are a tough team to beat. Ravens cover

Las Vegas Raiders (-3) at Chicago Bears — The Bears are horrendous, but the Raiders are not nearly as good as their 3-3 record. They try to lose games but sometimes get bailed out by a more inept opponent. As bad as Josh McDaniels is, Matt Eberflus may be worse. Bryan Hoyer has a stronger arm than Jimmy Garoppolo. Justin Fields gets little help. In a close game, Daniel Carlson could be the difference. It’s hard to trust a Raiders team that excites nobody, but the Bears are that bad. Raiders cover

Cleveland Browns (-2) at Indianapolis Colts — The Colts are young and improving but the Browns have a serious defense. They shocked previously unbeaten San Fransisco even without Deshaun Watson. The Browns do not have much offensive firepower, but the Colts do not either. The Brown could face a major letdown after such an emotional win, but give them one chance to show last week was not a fluke. Browns cover

Buffalo Bills (-8 1/2) at New England Patriots — The Bills are very good and the Patriots are horrendous. The Bills have far more talent on both sides of the ball. The home field will not matter. Yet the Bills barely survived a bad Giants team at home. The spread is too high for a Bills team that plays down to the level of their competition. Bills win but fail to cover

Washington Commanders (-2) at New York Giants — The Commanders are worse than their 3-3 record would indicate. The Giants are awful but nearly pulled off a shocker at Buffalo. Three tries to gain one yard on three separate drives was too much to ask. Tyrod Taylor filled in admirably for the injured Daniel Jones. The Giants defense was stout last week. This is the week the Giants finally get another win. Upset special, Giants win outright

Atlanta Falcons at Tampa Bay Buccaneers (-2 1/2) — Despite being kept out of the end zone last week at home against Detroit, the Buccaneers are an improved team. Baker Mayfield is no scrub. Expect the Buccaneers to rebound against an Atlanta team still finding its way. Buccaneers cover

4pm

Pittsburgh Steelers at Los Angeles Rams (-3 1/2) — Both teams are up and down. They are both well coached. Sean McVay knows his team is rebuilding, while nobody gets more out of less than Mike Tomlin. Matthew Stafford is better than Kenny Pickett, but Pickett is good enough. The Steelers run the ball hard. After the impressive road win at Baltimore, trusting the Steelers at an average Rams team is reasonable. Upset special, Steelers win outright 

Arizona Cardinals at Seattle Seahawks (-8) — The Cardinals are awful. The Seahawks are punching above their weight limit. Pete Carroll is ageless. He has worked wonders with Geno Smith. After a solid first half, the Cardinals looked listless in the second half at the Rams. The Seahawks are slightly better than the Rams. Seahawks cover

Green Bay Packers (-1) at Denver Broncos — The Packers are bad but the Broncos are worse. Jordan Love has not played well. Russell Wilson is having a nightmarish season. The Broncos are on the verge of blowing it all up before the trade deadline and starting over. Love throws too many interceptions to trust him though. This is the week the Broncos finally get relief from their pain. Upset special, Broncos win outright

Los Angeles Chargers at Kansas City Chiefs (-5 1/2) — Nobody loses close games like the Chargers. The Chiefs are winning, but not by wide margins they are used to. The Chargers have an offense to keep pace with the Chiefs. The biggest gap is coaching. Andy Reid is among the best. Brandon Staley is among the worst. The Chiefs are not blowing anyone out, making the spread a concern. Chiefs win but fail to cover

8pm

Miami Dolphins at Philadelphia Eagles (-2 1/2) — Both teas are 5-1 and thinking Super Bowl. The Eagles suffered a shocking loss at the Jets to knock them from the unbeaten ranks. The Eagles will be angry at home. Tua Tagovailoa is firing to Tyreek Hill and others at will, The Dolphins are a legitimate contender, but go with the home field and an angry team looking to rebound. Jalen Hurts will correct himself and get it done. Eagles cover

Monday, October 22, 8pm

San Francisco 49ers (-7) at Minnesota Vikings — The 49ers suffered  stunning loss at Cleveland to knock them from the undefeated ranks. The Vikings have just not been playing week. Trading away Dalvin Cook looks like a dumber move by the week. The 48ers have a suffocating defense. The spread is high for a road team, and the Vikings are desperate enough to make it a closer game than oddsmakers believe. 49ers win but fail to cover

NFL 2023 Week 6 Recap

Denver Broncos at Kansas City Chiefs was the Thursday night game. The Broncos are a mess. The Chiefs are good. This was expected to be a blowout. After an opening touchback, the Broncos moved to a 4th and 3 at the Denver 38. Seam [ayton decided to go for it rather than try a 56 yard field goal. Russell Wilson was sacked. The Chiefs moved from their own 41 to a 3rd and 3 at the Denver 17. Patrick Mahomes threw incomplete. Harrison Butker hit a 35 yard field goal to make it 3-0 Chiefs. Wilson was intercepted as the Chiefs moved to a 3rd and 8 at the Denver 15. Mahomes then threw an interception right back. The Chiefs got it back at their own 43 to start the second quarter and moved to a 3rd and 2 at the Denver 6. Mahomes threw incomplete. Walrus Andy Reid gambled on a fake field goal. Gray took the direct snap and only gained one yard. The Chiefs had moved deep into Denver territory in consecutive possessions only to come up snake eyes.

The Chiefs got it back at their own 38. Mahomes hit Travis Kelce for 13. Pacheco ran for 15. Mahomes went to Kelce for 19. On 3rd and goal at the 3, Mahomes hit Toney for the touchdown. The third straight trip to the red zone was the charm. With 4 minutes left in the half the Chiefs finally found the end zone to lead 10-0. With 28 seconds left ni the half, the Broncos had 3rd and 5 at their own 44. Wilson was then sacked. Then a shanked 29 yard punt had the Chiefs taking over at their own 39 with 14 seconds left. Mahomes hit McKinnon for 6 and ran for 13 himself. butler leveled a 60 yard field goal at the gun as the Chiefs took a 13-0 lead to the locker rooms. After a third quarter touchback it was more of the same. The Chiefs drove all the way to a 3rd and goal at the Denver 7. Mahoems threw incomplete. Butker hit from 25 to make it 16-0 Chiefs. In the fourth quarter the Broncos took over at their own 39. Wilson went to Cortland Sutton for 21. On 3rd and 5 from the Kansas City 22, Wilson threw incomplete but roughing the passer meant 11 yards. Wilson went to Sutton for an 11 yard touchdown. Williams ran in t he 2 point try. With 6 minutes left the Broncos were only down 16-8. Yet after a touchback, the Chiefs ket doing just enough to put the game out of reach. At the 2 minute warning, Butker hit from 52 to prevent any hope of a comeback. It was ugly, but the Chiefs are 5-1. At 1-5, the Broncos have it far uglier. 19-8 Chiefs

Baltimore Ravens at Tennessee Titans was the Sunday early morning game from London. Early on it was a battle of field goals as Justin Tucker hit from 41 for the Ravens and Nick Folk answered from 26 for the Titans for a 3-3 game. After that the Ravens took over for awhile. Tucker hit from 28 to make it 6-3 Ravens after the first quarter. Tucker hit again from 23 in the second quarter to make it 9-3 Ravens. The Ravens got it back at their own 20. Lamar Jackson hit Mark Andrews for 20. Hill gained 10. On 3rd and 2 from the Tennessee 34, Edwards gained 4. Defensive unnecessary roughness dded 15. Jackson hit Zee Flowers for a 10 yard touchdown. The 2 point try failed but the Ravens led 15-3. Tucker ended the half with a 29 yard field goal to make it 18-3 Ravens.

In the third quarter the Titans tried to claw their way back into it but both teams found the red zone frustrating. Folk hit from 27 to get the Titans within 18-6. An interception of Jackson set up the Titans at the Baltimore 25. Derrick Henry ran for a 15 yard touchdown to get the Titans within 18-13. The Titans got the ball back with a chance to take the lead. On the first play of the fourth quarter on 3rd and 1 from the Baltimore 48, Ryan Tannehill went deep and was intercepted. The 24 yard return by Stone set up the Ravens at their own 44. The Ravens moved to a 3rd and goal at the 3, but Jackson only gained on yard. John Harbaugh played it safe all day, and did so again. Tucker hit his fifth field goal from 20 to make it 21-13 Ravens with 13 minutes left in regulation. The Ravens got it back at their own 10 and moved to a 3rd and 1 at the Tennessee 19. A wildcat run out of the shotgun came up inches short. With Tucker as a safety valve, Harbaugh was going ultra-conservative. Tucker hit his sixth field goal from 36 with 4:16 to play to salt it away. Needing 2 scores, the Titans reached the Baltimore one yard line before consecutive sacks of tannehill killed the drive. Folk hit a 38 yard field goal with 38 seconds left but the onside kick failed. The Ravens have a history of winning ugly with running and defense. With the best kicker in the game, the Ravens stayed true to this formula. 24-16 Ravens

Washington Commanders at Atlanta Falcons — A pair of uninspiring teams played an uninspiring game. After an opening touchback, the Commanders moved to a 4th and 6 at the Atlanta 19. Joey Slye hit the 37 yard field goal to make it 3-0 Commanders. The Falcons soon faced 3rd and 8 at their own 27. Desmond Ridder hit Kenny Pitts for 9, London for 20, and Mack Hollins for 16. On 3rd and 8 from the Washington 26, Ridder hit London for 11. Ridder went to Pitts for a 9 yard touchdown to make it 7-3 Falcons. The Commanders got a jolt when Crowder returned a punt 61 yards to the Atlanta 11. Sam Howell hit Antonio Gibson for a one yard touchdown to make it 10-7 Commanders. After a touchback, the Falcons moved to a 4th and 3 at the Washington 48. Arthur Hill went for it and Ridder threw incomplete. Riverboat Ron Rivera in turn went for it on 4th and 1 from the Washington 43. Howell gained 4. Gibson ran for 9. Howell went to Terry McLaurin for 18. Howell hit Curtis Samuel for a 7 yard touchdown to make it 17-7 Commanders.

After a touchback the Falcons moved to a 1st and 10 at the Atlanta 26. An intentional grounding penalty on Ridder killed the drive. Younghoe Koo hit the 47 yard field goal to get the Falcons within 17-10 at the intermission. After a touchback, the Falcons soon faced 3rd and 7 at their own 45. Ridder was intercepted by Kyle Fuller, who returned the pick 23 yards to the Atlanta 27. Two plays later, Howell went to Robinson for a 24 yard touchdown to make it 24-10 Commanders. The Falcons tool over at their own 19. Ridder ran for 13. Ridder hit Smith for 13 and 17. On 3rd and 6 from the Washington 30, defensive pass interference on an incompletion added 9. The fourth quarter began with the Falcons facing 3rd and 1 from the Atlanta 12. Robinson lost 3 yards. On 4th and 4, Arthur Hill went for it and Ridder hit Hollins for 7. Ridder hit Jonnu Smith for a 2 yard touchdown. A pointless 2 point conversion try failed and the Falcons were down 8 with 12 1/2 minutes left in regulation. 

The Falcons got it back and moved from their own 11 to a 2nd and goal at the 2 with a golden opportunity to tie the game. After an incompletion and a delay of game, Ridder went to the end zone and was intercepted for a touchback. The Falcons got it back and soon faced 4th and 9 at their own 44 with 2 1/2 minutes left. Ridder threw incomplete. The Falcons took their timeouts on defense as only 30 seconds came off the clock. They got the ball back at their own 7 yard line with 2mmintues left. The Falcons quickly moved all the way to a 3rd and 1 at the Washington 34. Ridder was then intercepted as the third and final chance to tie the game was snuffed out. 24-16 Commanders

Minnesota Vikings at Chicago Bears — A pair of bad NFC North teams started the game with field goals. Greg Joseph hit from 53 for the Vikings. Cairo santos answered from 22 in the second quarter for the bears. Jospeh hit again from 51 and Santos answered again from 53 for a 6-6 game. An interception of Justin Fields gave the Vikings the ball at their own 23 with 1:47 left in the half. Kirk Cousins hit Powell for 9 and TJ Hockenson for 21. On 3rd and 3 from the Chicago 34, Cousins went to Hockenson for 12. With 12 seconds left in the half, Cousins found Jordan Addison for the touchdown and the 12-6 Vikings lead. The extra point was blocked. In the third quarter Fields was sacked and injured. Bagent came in,, was hit, and fumbled. Hicks picked it up and raced 43 yards for a defensive touchdown to make it 19-6 Vikings. In the fourth quarter the bears got the ball at their own 23. Bagent went to Moore for 18 and again for 24. Bagent ran for a one yard touchdown to get the Bears within 6 points. The Bears got the ball back at their own 24 and calmly moved to a 1st and 10 at the Minnesota 35 with 1:51 left and a chance to win. Bagent went deep and was intercepted by Murphy. 19-13 Vikings

Seattle Seahawks at Cincinnati Bengals — After an opening touchback, Geno Smith hit Tyler Lockett for 10. Smith went to Kenneth Walker III for 15. On 3rd and 4 from the Cincinnati 32, Smith hit Smith-Nigba for 12.Walker ran for a one yard touchdown to cap the 11 play, 75 yard, 6 1/2 minute drive and make it 7-0 Seahawks. The Bengals soon faced 3rd and 6 at their own 35. Joe Burrow hit Joe Mixon for 11. On 4th and 2 from the Seattle 46, Zac Taylor gambled. The Seahawks jumped into the neutral zone. Burrow went to Tyler Boyd for 9 and 5, Tee Higgins for 9, and Boyd again for an 8 yard touchdown. The 13 play, 69 yard, 6 minute drive made it 7-7. The Bengals got the ball back at their own 27. Burrow went deep to JaMarr Chase for 31 to end the first quarter and again to Chase for 23 more to start the second quarter. On 3rd and 2 from the Seattle 7, Mixon ran for 4. Burrow hit Iosivas for a 3 yard touchdown to make it 14-7 Bengals. All of a sudden, the game turned from a track meet to a street fight. The final 48 minutes would not see a touchdown. Josh Myers hit from 55 late in the half and from 23 in the third quarter to get the Seahawks within 14-13. With 12 minutes left in regulation, an interception of Smith was returned by Taylor-Britt 24 yards to the Seattle 34. Evan McPherson hit a 52 yard field goal to put the Bengals back up by 4. The Seahawks moved from their own 36 to a 4th and goal at the 6 with 2:08 to play. Going for the win, Smith was sacked. The Seahawks got it back again at their own 40 and moved to a 3rd and 8 at the Cincy 9 with 44 seconds left. Smith threw incomplete twice as the Cincinnati defense came up big. 17-13 Bengals

San Francisco 49ers at Cleveland Browns — The Browns have a good defense but the 49ers are the complete team. Dispatching the Browns would keep alive their undefeated season. The 49ers took over at their own 16 and made it look easy on the ground. Deebo Samuel gained 8 and Christian McCaffrey ran for 24 with defensive unnecessary roughness adding 15 more. Brock Purdy hit McCaffrey for a 13 yard touchdown to make it 7-0 49ers less than 3 minutes into the game. PJ Walker was in for an injured Deshaun Watson, and Walker was intercepted by Fred Warner. Warner returned the pick 32 yards to the Cleveland 26. It appeared the rout was on but the 49ers then went backward and Moody missed a 54 yard field goal. Dustin Hopkins also missed a 47 yard try for the Browns. In the second quarter the 49ers moved 65 yards in 11 plays and 6 1/2 minutes from their own 17 to a 4th and 3 at the Cleveland 7. Moody hit from 25 to make it 10-0 49ers.Then the game changed.

From his own 17, Walker went deep to Amari Cooper for a 58 yard gain. On 3rd and 1 from the San Francisco 16, Karim Hunt took the direct snap all the way for the touchdown. The Browns were only down 10-7 at the half. Hopkins hit field goals of 42 and 46 as the Browns led 13–10 after three quarters and were smelling upset. Early in the fourth quarter Walker was intercepted by Lenoir, who returned the pick 28 yards to the Cleveland 8 yard line. One play later, Jordan Mason ran it in for the touchdown to make it 17-13 49ers. The Browns got within 17-16 when Hopkins hit a 50 yard field goal with 3:20 to play. If there is one weakness in Kyle Shanahan’s coaching, it’s his stubborn refusal to run the ball with a lead late. He is a West Coast Offense worshipper, which prefers finesse over smash mouth. 3 straight passes lost one yard. The Browns moved from their own 26 to the Cleveland 11. Hopkins hit from 29 to give the Browns a 2 point lead, but the 49ers still had 1:40 to work with. After a touchback, they calmly moved to the Cleveland 23 with 9 seconds left. Shanahan opted to kick the field goal on 3rd down. From 41 yards out, Moody’s kick was wide right no good. in an absolute stunner, the 49ers undefeated season was gone. 19-17 Browns

New Orleans Saints at Houston Texans — The Saints missed a chance to get on the board first when Grupe missed a 52 yard field goal try. CJ Stroud has been an impressive rookie who had not thrown an interception at all. His very first interception proved harmless as the Saints fumbled the ball back on the return to give the Texans the ball near to where they started at their own 41. Singletary ran for 3 and 17. Stroud went deep to Brown for 34. Stroud hit Dalton Schultz for a one yard touchdown to make it 7-0 Texans. After a touchback from their own 35, Derek Carr hit Michael Thomas for 16 and 8. On 3rd and 7 from the Houston 34, Carr went to Shaheed for the touchdown to make it 7-7 after the first quarter.

After a touchback, the Texans moved to a 3rd and 3 at the New Orleans 5. Stroud threw incomplete. Kaimi Fairbairn hit the 24 yard field goal to make it 107 Texans. The texans got the ball back at their own 35. Stroud went to Collins for 28. Singletary ran for 11, 7, 2, and on 3rd and one from the New Orleans 17, 3. Singletary added 4 more. On 3rd and goal from the 6,, Stroud hit Robert Woods for the touchdown to make it 17-7 Texans with 3 minutes left in the half. Grupe hit a 48 yard field goal to get the Saints within 17-10, but this game belonged to the Houston defense. Fairbairn hit from 22 in the third quarter to make it 20-10 Texans. Grupe answered from 45. Yet in the fourth quarter group missed a 29 yard try, deflating the Saints. The Saints got it back and moved from their 14 to a  3rd and 3 at the Houston 14. Alvin Kamara lost a yard. On 4th and 4 with 4 1/2 minutes left, Carr completed a pass to Kamara for only 2 yards. Dennis Allen loves his West Coast Offense dink and dunk passes. The saints got it back at their own 15 an moved to a 1st and 10 at the Houston 24 with 35 seconds left. The Saints and plenty of time to tie or win. Carr threw 3 incompletions. On 4th and 10 he went for it all and was intercepted. 20-13 Texans

Indianapolis Colts at Jacksonville Jaguars — After an opening touchback, the Colts moved to a 2nd and 5 at the Jacksonville 10. Gardner Minshew threw incomplete twice. Matt Gay hit a 28 yard field goal for a 3-0 Colts lead. In the second quarter the Jaguars exploded. On 3rd and 1 from their own 34, Bigsby gained 2. Doug Pederson gambled on 4th and 1 from their own 45. Travis Etienne got around the end for a 7 yard gain. On 3rd and 4 from the Indianapolis 42, the defense jumped into the neutral zone. Trevor Lawrence hit Strange for 17. Etienne ran for a 2 yard touchdown to make it 7-3 Jaguars. On the next play from scrimmage after a touchback, Minshew was sacked and fumbled. The Jaguars took over at the Indianapolis 22. One play later, Etienne took the direct snap for the touchdown to make it 14-3 Jaguars. An interception of Minshew had the Jaguars soon facing 3rd and 1 at their own 44. Etienne got the yard. On 3rd and 6 from the Indy 36, Lawrence hit Calvin Riddley for 7. Lawrence went deep to Christian Kirk to a 29 yard touchdown to make it 21-3 Jaguars with 1:40 left in the half. The Colts managed another field goal before the half, but tis game was over.

A third quarter interception of Minshew led to a 48 yard Brandon McManus field goal to make it 24-6 Jaguars. The Jaguars got it back and faced 3rd and 1 at their own 40. Defensive pass interference eon an incompletion meant a 4 yard gain. Johnson gained 19. Defensive pass interference again added 14 more. Lawrence hit Kirk for 14. On 3rd and goal at the 10, Lawrence went to Strange for the touchdown to make it 31-6 Jaguars. The Colts managed a pair of fourth quarter touchdowns to get within 11 points, but the Jaguars added a pair of field goals to salt away a game that was not competitive. 37-20 Jaguars

Carolina Panthers at Miami Dolphins — The winless Panthers were at a high-flying Dolphins team. Sometimes a really bad team can go on the road and shock a good team in an upset for the ages. tHE panthers in the first quarter took over at their own 36. Bryce Young went to Adam Thielen for 27. On 3rd and 6 from the Miami 33, Young hit Thielen for 7. Chuba ran for 19 and then for the 6 yard touchdown to make it 7-0 Panthers. The Panthers got it back at their own 26. Young hit Tommy Tremble for 21 and Thielen for 11. Blackshear gained 9 and Hubbard added 4, 7 and 4. On 3rd and 3 from the Miami 13, the Miami defense was caught with too many men on the field, gifting the Panthers a first down. Young hit Thielen for an 8 yard touchdown to make it 14-0 Panthers. Then in the second quarter reality set in.

After a touchback, Tua Tagovailoa went to Tyreek Hill for 27 yards. On 3rd and 3 from the Carolina 41, Tagovailoa hit Braxton Berrios for 10 and Hill for 11. Tagovailoa went to Jalen Waddle for 14 and to raheem Mostert for a 3 yard touchdown to get the Dolphins within 14-7. After a touchback, Frank Reich gambled on a fake punt on 4th and 8 just shy of midfield. Punter Johnny Hekker has quarterback experience, and he completed a pass to Shenault for 7 yards, but Shenault came up one yard short. From their own 43, Miami struck quickly. Mostert ran for 49 yards. Tagovailoa hit Waddle for a 4 yard touchdown to make it 14-14. The Dolphins got it back and soon faced 3rd and 10 at their own 28. Tagovailoa found Waddle for 17. On 3rd and 8 from their own 47, Tagovailoa hit Mostert for just enough. On 3rd and 6 from the Carolina 41, Tagovailoa went deep to Hill for the touchdown and the 21-14 Dolphins lead. The Panthers ended the half deflated when Eddie Pineiro missed a 43 yard field goal try.

The Dolphins took over in the third quarter at their own 9 yard line. Mostert gained 9 and 4. On 2nd and 5 from their own 27, Tagovailoa went deep to Hill for 47 yards. Tagovailoa hit Waddle and Ahmed for a pair of 9 yard gains. Mostert ran for 4 and then for a 4 yard touchdown to make it 28-14 Dolphins. The Panthers after a touchback moved to a 4th and 2 at the Miami 24. Frank Reich went for it and Young threw incomplete. The Dolphins got it back at their own 24. Tagovailoa went deep to Hill for 24. On 3rd and 8 from the Carolina 43, Tagovailoa hit Berrios for 10. Mostert ran for 11, 13 and 8. On 3rd and goal at the one, Mostert got in to cap the 12 play, 76 yard, 5 minute drive and make it 35-14 Dolphins. With 5 minutes left in regulation Tagovailoa was taken out for his own safety. Mike White came in and immediately threw a 61 yard touchdown to the Carolina defense. Yet after the onside kick failed, the Dolphins had a short field at the Carolina 37. While did not have to even lift his arm. Brooks ran for 28. On 3rd and goal at the 9, Ahmed got in to complete the blowout. 42-21 Dolphins 

New England Patriots at Las Vegas Raiders — These teams have played some heart-stopping games, from the 1976 Sugar Bear Hamilton controversy to the 2001 Tuck Rule game. The 2022 game in Las Vegas was insane. On the last play of a tie game, the Patriots inexplicably went for the hook and laterals rather than just go to overtime. Chandler Jones flattened Mac Jones on his way to scoring a touchdown that featured everything but the marching band. One year later, Derek Carr is gone and Chandler Jones is facing jail after suffering a mental breakdown. Bill Belichick and his mini-me opposition Josh McDaniels are still there. Jimmy Garoppolo and Mac Jones are both dink and dunk West Coast Offense game managers with little to no arm strength. Yet Belichick at least prefers to run the ball and play defense. He gets bold on fourth down. McDaniels plays gutless finesse football and refuses to take fourth down chances even near the goal line. Yet the Patriots came in with the most horrendous team since Belichick took over in 2000. They had been outscored 72-3 in their past two games. Yet if anyone can make a bad team look average or even good, it’s the Raiders led by McDaniels. This game was no exception.

After an opening touchback, the Raiders moved 69 yards in 10 plays and 8 minutes. Yet on 3rd and 5 from the New England 6, Garoppolo threw incomplete. Daniel Carlson hit the 25 yard field goal to make it 3-0 Raiders. A short 34 yard punt gave the Raiders the ball back at their own 40. They moved to a 1st and 10 at the New England 19. Yet after a run gained only one yard, Josh McDaniels did what he always does…he abandoned the run. On 2nd and 9, Garoppolo threw a pass to Davante Adams that looked like a reception. Yet Adams got blasted and the ball popped in the air and was intercepted. The Raiders had 2 trips to the red zone and came away with a total of 3 points. Yet the Patriot offense has been pathetic, and a sack of Jones had them punting on 4th and 18 from their own 6. The Raiders faced 3rd and 6 from their own 45. Garoppolo went to Mayer for 32 yards. The second quarter saw the Raiders facing 3rd and 5 at the New England 18. Garoppolo hit Jakobi Meyers fo 6. Garoppolo went back to Meyers for a 12 yard touchdown. The Raiders had the 10-0 lead and all the momentum. Yet the Raiders never win easily. 

The Patriots moved from their own 19 to a 3rd and 5 at the Raiders 24. Jones threw incomplete. Ryland hit the 43 yard field goal to get the Patriots within 10-3. Rather than establish the run, Josh mcDaniels insisted on more dinking and dunking. On 3rd and 5 from his own 30, Garoppolo threw incomplete. The Patriots moved from their own 27 to a 2nd and 5 at the Raiders 30. Jones was the intercepted by Terry Moehrig who returned the pick 22 yards to his own 34. This was becoming a battle of who wanted it least. The Raiders moved from their own 34 tp a 4th and 4 at the New England 19 with 10 seconds left in the half. Carlson hit the 37 yard field goal. The Raiders led 13-3 at the midpoint. Again, they had all the momentum. They were up against a team that had not seen the end zone in ages.

After a third quarter touchback, the inevitable happened. Raimondre Stevenson broke off a 15 yard run. Ezekiel Elliott added 8. Jones hit Brown for 15. Elliott gained 6. The 10 play, 75 yard, 6 minute drive featured pure smash mouth running. Elliott took a direct snap for a 2 yard touchdown. The Patriots were right back in it down 13-10. The Raiders did not immediately fold. They also got a break that was supposed to be a disaster but was not. Garoppolo was injured in the second quarter and did not play in the second half. Bryan Hoyer took his place. Hoyer is a better quarterback. He has a stronger arm. On 3trd and 4 from their own 31, Hoyer went bombs away to Tucker for a 48 yard gain. Garoppolo does not do that. The Raiders moved moved 63 yards in 10 plays and 5 minutes. Yet on 1st and 10 from the New England 11, offensive holding killed the drive. Carlson hit a 39 yard field goal to make it 16-10 Raiders. The Raiders got it back at their own 35 and Hoyer immediately went deep to Adams for 21. Early in the fourth quarter the Raiders had 3rd and goal at the 6. Hoyer threw incomplete. The Raiders moved the ball all game but could not convert in the red zone. Carlson hit from 24. With 13 minutes left in regulation, the Raiders led 19-10. Again the anemic offense of the Patriots, this game should have been over. The Raiders don’t finish games.

After a touchback, the Patriots embarked on a 17 play, 75 yard drive that took 9 1/2 minute off he clock. On 3rd and 1 from their own 34, Kendrick Bourne gained 4. On 3rd and 1 from their own 47, Stevenson gained 7. Ib 3rd and 6 from the Raiders 42, Jones threw incomplete but defensive holding meant a new set of downs. On 3rd and 9 from the Raiders 36, Jones hit Bourne for 15 and again for 4. Jones went t Ty Montgomery for 8. On 3rd and goal at the 7, Jones hit Bourne for only 4 but a very questionable roughing the passer call on Maxx Crosby killed the Raiders. The Patriots needed 2 scores. On 4th and goal at the 3, Bill Belichick might have kicked the field goal. Instead, it was 1st and goal at the one. Stevenson got in. The Patriots were within 19-17. There was still 3 1/2 minutes left. The Raiders were collapsing again.

After a touchback, the Raiders tried to run out the clock and were even aided by an 11 yard defensive pas interference call. With 2 1/2 minutes left, the Raiders faced 3rd and 2 at their own 46. One more first down would pretty much end the game. Josh McDaniels actually made the right call. Yet Josh Jacobs got belted for a one yard loss. Punter AJ Cole hit a beauty that pinned the Patriots at their own 9 yard line. They had 2 1/2 minutes left and needed only a field goal to win. On 2nd and 4, Stevenson gained 5 but offensive holding instead meant 2nd and 11. Jones then went deep to Davante Parker with a perfectly thrown bomb that beat the double coverage. The Patriots would have been in field goal range. The Raiders blew it again. Yet the Raiders were saved from their own ineptness when Parker dropp the ball. It just bounced off his fingertips.

A delay of game penalty after an incompletion had the Patriots facing 3rd and 15 at their own 4. Then came the play of the game and major redemption. Crosby atoned for his earlier mistake by leveling Jones in the end zone for a sack and a safety. For the first time all year, the Raiders had more than 20 points. They also took the free kick, which New England tried to turn into an onside kick but failed. Hoyer took 3 knees. It was hideously ugly, but the Raiders played a team dumber than they were. Nevertheless, they have won 2 straight and are 3-3. They are far from good but the defense is slowly and slightly improving. The red zone offense is still awful, but Bryan Hoyer deserves serious consideration to be the starter. When the Raiders get away from dinking and dunking, their offense actually looks pretty good. 21-17 Raiders 

Detroit Lions at Tampa Bay Buccaneers — The Lions are for real, but the Buccaneers are playing better than expected under Baker Mayfield. An early interception of Mayfield gave the Lions gift field position at the Tampa Bay 12. Yet on 3rd and 8, a surprise run out of the shotgun fooled nobody and lost 2 yards. Riley Patterson hit a 30 yard field goal to make it 3-0 Lions. A field position game saw the Buccaneers take over at their own 42 in the second quarter. They moved to a 2nd and 3 at the Detroit 15, but Mayfield threw incomplete twice. Chase McLaughlin hit from 33 for a 3-3 game.  After a touchback, Jared Goff hit David Montgomery for 19 and Reynolds for 21. On 3rd and 13 from the Tampa Bay 27, Goff went to St. Brown for the touchdown to make it 10-3 Lions. After Patterson missed a 52 yard third quarter field goal try, the good field position allowed McLaughlin to hit from 36 to get  the Buccaneers within 10-6. The Lions soon faced 3rd and 4 at their own 33. Goff hit St. Brown for 11. On 3rd and 11 from their own 43, Goff hit Raymond for 12. On 3rd and 10 from the Tampa 45, Goff went deep to Williams for the touchdown. The Lions led 17-6. They are known for having a high-powered offense, but this game was about their defense. The Lions tacked on a fourth quarter 36 yard Patterson field goal and the defense did the rest. 20-6 Lions

Arizona Cardinals at Los Angeles Rams — The Rams are average at best while the Cardinals are a mess. The first half was a hideous battle of field goals. in the first quarter Matt Prater hit from 55 for the Cardinals. Brett Maher answered from 29 for a 3-3 game. Prater hit from 32 and 27 in the second quarter with a fumbled punt setting up the first one to give the Cardinals the 9-3 lead. Maher hit from 35 to end the half with the rams within 9-6. After a third quarter touchback, Williams gashed the Arizona defense for gains of 17, 6, 14 and 10. On 3rd and 2 from the Arizona 20, Williams gained 6. On 3rd and 9 from the Arizona 13 after 9 straight runs, Matthew Stafford hit Cooper Kupp for the touchdown to make it 13-9 Rams. Maher added on a 25 yard field goal to make it 16-9 Rams. After a touchback, the Cardinals began the fourth quarter facing 1st and 10 at the rams 12 looking to tie the game. Joshua Dobbs was intercepted. On 3rd and 3 from his own 19, Stafford hit nacho for 6. On 3rd and 9 from his own 26, Stafford hit Kupp for 21. Karen Williams ran for 27, 4, and then the 5 yard touchdown to make it 23-9 Rams. An Arizona fumble gave the Rams a short field. Maher hit from 43 to turn a tight game at halftime into a blowout. 26-9 Rams 

Philadelphia Eagles at New York Jets — The Jets have a decent enough defense, but the Eagles are a complete team. Their undefeated season would continue once they plowed through the Jets. The Eagles began at their own 9 yard line and embarked on a 19…yes, 19…play drive. They gobbled up 91 yards and bled nearly 10 minutes off the clock. On 3rd and 8 from their own 11, Jalen Hurts hit AJ Brown for 10. On 3rd and 7 from their own 24, Hurts hit Deandre Swift for 8 and Smith for 11. On 3rd and 2 from the Jets 38, Hurts hit Boston Scott for 14, Swift for 6 and Dallas Goedert for 6. On 4th and goal at the 3, Nick Sirianni made the surprising decision to go for it. Hurts got in as the Eagles led 7-0. The Jets after a touchback also mounted a long drive. On 3rd and 8 from the Philadelphia 20, a false start and an incompletion by Zach Wilson killed the drive. Greg Zuerlein hit from 41 to get the Jets within 7-3. Hurts was intercepted, but when Robert Saleh gambled on 4th and 5 from the Philly 40, Wilson completed a 4 yard pass, coming up one yard short. The Eagles took over at their own 36. Hurts went to swift for 11. A short pass from Hurts to AJ Brown went for 49 yards. Hurts went to Swift for a 9 yard touchdown to give the Eagles a comfortable 14-3 lead.

The Eagles would not be comfortable for long. The Jets offense was unable to reach the end zone, but Zuerlein kept them in the game. He hit from 42 with 2 1/2 minutes left in the half. After a Philadelphia fumble, Zuerlein hit from 35 to end the half. He hit again from 39 as the third quarter was ending to have the Jets right back in it down 14-12. The Eagles could not finish it off in the fourth quarter. Hurts was intercepted, but the Jets did not capitalize. The Eagles then moved from their own 18 to a 3rd and 6 at the Jets 15. Hurts was sacked. Jake Elliott’s 37 yard field goal try was no good. The eagles got it back and moved from their own 20 to a 3rd and 9 at their own 46. Only 1:50 remained. One more first down would ice the game. Even a give up run followed by a punt would leave the Jets maybe 45 seconds left. Since the Jets needed only a field goal, Nick Sirianni went big and bold, knowing an incomplete pass would save the Jets 45 seconds of precious clock. Then came the shock. Hurts’s short pass was intercepted by Adams, who returned it 45 yards to the Philly 8 yard line. On the next play Bre Hall ran it up the middle for the touchdown. Wilson hit Randall Cobb for the 2 point conversion to put the Jets up by 6 points. After a touchback, the eagles still had 1:46 left to work with. On 4th and 8, Hurts threw deep incomplete. 17 unanswered points allowed the Jets to deliver a stunner and knock the Eagles from the ranks of the unbeaten. 20-14 Jets

New York Giants at Buffalo Bills was the Sunday night game. The Bills are very good. The Giants are awful. With Daniel Jones out with an injured neck, Tyord Taylor started for the Giants. The first three quarters were a defensive boneblack. Neither team had anything resembling offense. A Buffalo fumble in the first quarter led to a 29 yard Graham Gano field goal for the Giants. Tyler Bass missed from 52 in the second quarter, giving the Giants great field position. That led to Gano hitting again from 43. Instead of 3-3, the Giants led 6-0. An interception of Josh Allen allowed the Giants to move from their own 41 to a 1st and goal at the one with 14 seconds left in the half. The Giants were out of timeouts, but they had time for 3 or maybe even 4 pass attempts. Then came a critical blunder. Brian Daboll decided on a running play despite not having a timeout. Saquon Barkley got stopped cold and the clock ran out. Daboll seemed angry at Taylor, but this was failure all around. Instead of a 9-0 lead, the Giants came up with nothing on the last play. The third quarter was scoreless as the Giants defense preserved the 6-0 lead.

The Bills took over in the third quarter at their own 11. After defensive holding, Jared Cook ran for 5 and 10. Allen went to Dawson Knox for 10. On 3rd and 2 from just past midfield, Allen hit Shakir for 13. On 3rd and 6 at the Giants 32, Allen hit Stefan Diggs for 7. Latavius Murray ran for 12 and 5. On 3rd and 2 from the Giants 5, Murray gained 3. On the first play of the fourth quarter, on 3rd and goal at the 3, Allen hit Deorte for the touchdown. The staggering 17 play, 89 yard drive took 10 minutes off the clock and gave the Bills the 7-6 lead. The Giants fought back and moved from their own 10 to a 3rd and 1 at the Buffalo 11. This time Brian Daboll went with a pass play rather than try banging it with Barkley. Taylor threw incomplete. On 4th and 1, Daboll had a major decision to make. On the road against a hostile crowd, Daboll played it safe. Gano hit the 29 yard field goal to put the Giants up 9-7 with 10 1/2 minutes left in regulation.  

The Bills soon faced 3rd and 7 at their own 28. Allen gained 6 but defensive holding added 5 more and an automatic first down. Allen went to Diggs for 14 and 5 interspersed with Cook runs of 6, 5 and 4. On 3rd and 2 from the Giants 24, Allen hit Diggs for 5. Allen went to Morris for a 15 yard touchdown. With 3:48 to play, the Bills had a 5 point lead. Yet the game was far form over. After a touchback, the Giants faced 4th and 8 from their own 38. Taylor threw incomplete. Only 1:45 remained. Sean McDermott took no chances, playing it ultra-conservatively. 3 straight runs gained a total of one yard. Bass came in for a 53 yard field goal to try and make it a 17-9 game. His kick was wide right no good. The Giants were very much alive at their own 43 with 1:24 left. Taylor took the right down the field. On 4th and 5 from the Buffalo 27 with 22 seconds left, Taylor hit Hyatt for 12. 

With 2 seconds left, the Giants had one chance on 3rd and 4 from the Buffalo 9. Taylor threw incomplete but defensive pass interference meant 1st and goal at the one and one untimed down. For the third time in the game, the Giants needed one yard. at the end of the first half, Barkley was stopped stone cold. So this time Brian Daboll called a pass. Taylor fired over the middle of the end zone where Darren Waller and Taron Bernard jostled for position. Waller had his hands on it but Bernard won the battle, knocking it away incomplete. The Giants howled that there was defensive holding on Bernard. There was. The officials this time did not call it. Three tries to gain one yard came up snake eyes. It was a bitter defeat for the Giants as the Bills breathed a sigh of relief after surviving. 14-9 Bills

Dallas Cowboys at Los Angeles Chargers is the Monday night game. This was the battle of perpetually overhyped teams. The Cowboys are overhyped every year by owner Jerry Jones. The Chargers are overhyped every year by the media. The Cowboys are often overrated. The Chargers just perpetually underachieve. The Cowboys got blasted last week at San Francisco. Nobody loses close games like the Chargers, especially with Brandon Staley making miserable fourth quarter decisions. A 26 yard punt return gave the Chargers the ball at the Dallas 42. Justin Herbert went to Greg Everett for 15 and Austin Ekeler for 28. On 3rd and goal at the one, Gerbert went to Keenan Allen for the touchdown to make it 7-0 Chargers. After a touchback, Dak Prescott went to CeeDee Lamb for gains of 11 and 23. On 3rd and 3 from the Chargers 34, Tony Pollard gained 7. On 3rd and 5 from the Chargers 22, Prescott gained only 4. Mike McCarthy gambled on 4th and 1. Prescott kept it and got the first down and the 18 yard touchdown to make it a 7-7 ballgame after the first quarter.

The next two quarters were a defensive slog. In the second quarter the Cowboys moved from their own 22 to a 3rd and 3 at the Chargers 15. Prescott hit Pollard for only 2. Mike McCarthy gambled on 4th and 1 again. This time Prescott kept it and got stopped cold for no gain. The Cowboys got the ball back at their own 29 with one minute left in the half. They moved to a 1st and 10 at the Chargers 17 with 14 seconds left. A pass gained only 3 yards and for some reason the Cowboys let the clock tick down from 8 or 9 seconds to only 3 seconds before calling timeout. It was a wasted opportunity. Brandon Aubrey hit a 32 yard field goal to make it 10-7 Cowboys. After a third quarter touchback, the Chargers moved 68 yards in 13 plays and 7 1/2 minutes. On 4th and 1 from the Dallas 7, Brandon Staley went for it rather than settle for a tie game. Herbert threw incomplete. Yet the Cowboys punted it back on 4th and 12 from their own 5 and the Chargers took over just past midfield. The Chargers need 10 plays and 5 minutes to go only 43 yards. On 3rd and goal at the 6, Herbert threw incomplete. Cameron Dicker hit the 24 yard field goal for a 10-10 deadlock after three quarters.

The Cowboys began the fourth quarter facing 3rd and 11 at their own 24. A short pass from Prescott to Pollard went for a 60 yard gain. On 2nd and 12 from the Chargers 18, Prescott hit Lamb for 15. Prescott went to Brandon Cooks for a 2 yard touchdown. With 11 1/2 minutes left in regulation, the Cowboys led 17-10. The Chargers under a hail of offensive penalties punted on 4th and 10 from their own 30. The Cowboys fumbled the punt and the Chargers recovered at the Dallas 20. Defensive pass interference added 15 more. yards. On 3rd and goal at the 3, Herbert hit Ekeler for only 2 yards. Midway through the fourth quarter, it was totally appropriate for Brandon Staley to go for it on 4th and goal at the one. Herbert hit Everett for the touchdown and the 17-17 tie. After a touchback, the Cowboys moved on a brilliant 14 play drive that bled 5 minutes off the clock. On 1st and 10 from the Dallas 21, a pair of runs gained nothing. With 2 1/2 minutes left and the Chargers out of timeouts, a run would take the clock down to the 2 minute warning. Yet that would still be plenty of time for Herbert. Mike mcCarthy went for it all, but Prescott’s throw to the end zone was just overthrown incomplete. Aubrey hit the 39 yard field goal. The Cowboys had the 3 point lead. After a touchback, the Chargers had 2:20 to work with. Herbert was protected well all game. Yet on 2nd and 2, he was belted to the ground for an 8 yard loss. On 3rd and 10 he threw over the middle just before getting belted again. He was intercepted. The Chargers had another agonizing loss. 20-17 Cowboys

NFL 2023 Week 6 Prequel

Thursday, October 12, 2023, 8pm

Denver Broncos at Kansas City Chiefs (-10 1/2) — The Broncos are awful. The Chiefs have been winning but not blowing anyone out. On paper, this should be a blowout. Given that the Broncos lost by 50 point at Miami and by 10 points at home to the Jets, trust the better team. Chiefs cover

Sunday, October 15, 9:30am

Baltimore Ravens (-3 1/2) at Tennessee Titans — The Titans are just too inconsistent to trust. Yet the Ravens losing at Pittsburgh was a surprise. Both of these teams play physical defenses. Lamar Jackson is better than Ryan Tannehill, but the Titans could put up a fight if derrick Henry gets going. Ravens win but fail to cover

1pm

Washington Commanders at Atlanta Falcons (-2 1/2) — The Commanders are playing bad football. The Falcons are average. Getting blown out by previously winless Chicago is not ok. Falcons cover

Minnesota Vikings (-3) at Chicago Bears — The Bears finally got a win, but the emotion of losing legend Dick Butkus played a factor. The Vikings have more talent but have been underachieving. Trust Kirk Cousins over Justin Fields. Vikings cover

Seattle Seahawks at Cincinnati Bengals (-3) — Pete carroll finds ways to get the most out of his players. Despite winning at lowly Arizona, it is too soon to say the Bengals are back on track. Joe Burrow is better than Geno Smith, but Smith is playing better than his days before Seattle and Burrow still does not look completely healthy. Upset special, Seahawks win outright

San Francisco 49ers (-4 1/2) at Cleveland Browns — The Browns are not terrible, but the 49ers look like the most complete team in football. Their defense is nasty. They are in Super bowl mode. 49ers cover

New Orleans Saints (-2 1/2) at Houston Texans — After a pair of big road wins, the Texans lost at Atlanta. The Saints went on the road and throttled New England 34-0. Dennis Allen’s defense is playing lights out and Derek Carr is in a groove. Saints cover

Indianapolis Colts at Jacksonville Jaguars (-5) – Anthony Richardson is out again. Gardner Minshew is a very capable backup. After two weeks in London, the Jaguars actually play in Jacksonville. The Jaguars got a big win over Buffalo, but do not expect a letdown at home. Minshew is competent enough to keep it close. Jaguars win but fail to cover

Carolina Panthers at Miami Dolphins (-14) — The Dolphins are awesome and the Panthers are awful. Sometimes it really is that simple. The Dolphins beat Denver by 50. They can beat hapless Carolina by 14. Dolphins cover

4pm

New England Patriots at Las Vegas Raiders (-3) — These teams have played insane games from Sugar Bear Hamilton to the Tuck Rule. Yet last year’s Stanford Marching Band gone wrong game was one for the ages. Chandler Jones was the hero. Now he has been cut by the Raiders. Derek Carr led the comeback, and he is gone. These are not the same Patriots. Mac Jones has regressed. It’s hard to trust Josh McDaniels on anything, but he seems to only coach well against his former teams. Raiders cover

Detroit Lions (-3) at Tampa Bay Buccaneers — The hype around the Lions is real. The Buccaneers are decent enough, and Baker Mayfield is playing well. Yet Dan Campbell has the Lions jacked up to another level. These Lions are hungry, and their offense is explosive. Lions cover

Arizona Cardinals at Los Angeles Rams (-6) — The Rams are below average but the Cardinals are awful. Yet it is hard to trust the Rams given their inconsistency. These division rivals play each other tough, so a garbage touchdown is certainly possible. Rams win but fail to cover

Philadelphia Eagles  (-6 1/2) at New York Jets — Beating lowly Denver does not make the Jets a good team. The Eagles are legitimate Super Bowl contenders. Yet the Eagles are winning close games, not blowing teams out. Eagles win bu fail to cover

8pm

New York Giants at Buffalo Bills (-14 1/2) — The Bills are the far superior team. They will be angry coming off a loss in London to Jacksonville. The Giants are horrendous. This could get ugly early. The Giants lost at home to Dallas 40-0 in the opener. Daniel Jones could give the Bills a defensive touchdown. Bills cover

Monday, October 16, 8pm

Dallas Cowboys (-2) at Los Angeles Chargers — The Cowboys will be angry after being humiliated at san Francisco by 32 points. The Chargers hav won two straight over bad teams despite trying hard to lose them. Brandon Staley makes boneheaded decisions. The Chargers are not as good as the preseason hype, but they are certainly better than the Chargers. Cowboys cover

NFL 2023 Week 5 Recap

Chicago Bears at Washington Commanders was the Thursday night game. Sometimes a football game is bigger than football. The New York Giants played inspired after 9/11. The New Orleans Saints rocked the Superdome in their first home game back after Hurricane Katrina. The Raiders came together the day after Al Davis died. On November 7th, 1999, the Bears were expected to get blown out on the road against the heavily favored Green Bay Packers. Yet there were larger forces at work. Earlier that week, legendary Bears running back Walter Payton had died at age 45 of cancer. It was the biggest gut punch the franchise since Brian Piccolo. Late in the fourth quarter, the inspired Bears led 14-13. Yet the Packers led by Brett Favre stormed down the field in the final moments. The Packers only needed to make a chip shot 28 yard field goal. Ryan Longwell’s kick was blocked by defensive lineman Bryan Robinson, and the Bears had the stunning upset. After the game, Robinson refused to be the hero. In answering a reporter’s question, Robinson agreed that an angel named Walter lifted him up to block the kick. As Robinson humbly insisted, “I can’t jump that high.” 

24 years later, the focus of the Bears was supposed to be on the worst team in football blowing a 21 point lead late at home last week to the second worst team. The winless Bears were expected to get blown out on the road against an average Washington Commanders team. They were supposed to be worse than the Bad News Bears. Yet only hours before the game, legendary Chicago Bears Hall of Fame linebacker Dick Butkus died. This was no longer just a football game for the Bears. It was a rallying cry to win one for one of the greatest men to ever play for Papa Bear George Halas. This was bigger than football. 

The Bears began facing 3rd and 9 at their own 26. Justin Fields went deep to Moore for 58 yards. On 3rd and 14 from the Washington 20, Fields went deep to Moore again for the touchdown. 3 minutes into the game, the Bears led 7-0. The Bears got it back and moved from their own 26 to a 4th and 1 at the Washington 4. Matt Eberflus was not in a gambling mood. Cairo Santos hit the 22 yard field goal to make it 10-0 Bears. The Bears got it back at their own 31. Fields went to Moore for 39 yards. Johnson ran for 5 and 10. The second quarter began with Fields hit Moore for an 11 yard touchdown to make it 17-0 in front of a stunned home crowd in DC. 

The Commanders did manage a 51 yard Joey Slye field goal, but the Bears kept coming. After a touchback, a 13 play, 57 yard, 6 minute drive moved them to a 3rd and 4 at the Washington 18. Fields threw incomplete but santos hit from 36 to make it 20-3 Bears. One play after a touchback, Sam Howell was intercepted. The Bears took over at the Washington 36. On 3rd and 7, Khalil Herbert ran for 16 and 4. Fields ran for 9. With 24 seconds left in the half, Fields hit Cole Kmet for a 4 yard touchdown. The Bears were winning 27-3 at the half. Last week the Bears blew a 21 point second half lead at home. This time they were up by 24 points on the road. 

After a third quarter touchback, the Commanders struck fairly quickly. Howell hit Robinson for 24 and 7, Logan Thomas for 5, and Gibson for 12. Defensive pass interference added 25 yards. Howell hit Thomas for a 2 yard touchdown. Howell ran in the 2 point conversion to get the Commanders within 27-11. The Commanders got it back at their own 17 and moved to a 4th and 2 at the Chicago 13. Riverboat Ron Rivera was not in a gambling mood. Slye hit from 32 to get the Commanders within 27-14. 

The Bears after a touchback moved to a 3rd and 4 at the Washington 25. Fields threw incomplete. Santos hit from 43 to start the fourth quarter to put the Bears up 30-14. After a touchback, Howell ran for 5 and hit Terry McLaurin and Byron Pringle for a pair of 10 yard gains. Howell hit Crowder for 11. On 3rd and 10 from the Chicago 39, Howell hit Brown for 11 and Curtis Samuel for 25. On 3rd and goal from the 3, Howell hit Samuel for the touchdown. With 11 minutes left, a 2 point conversion would make it a one score game. Yet this time, Howell was sacked. The Bears were within 30-20. The Commanders got it bak again at their own 20 and moved to a 1st and 10 at the Chicago 23. A pair of incompletions were sandwiched around a swing pass that lost 5 yards. With 5 minutes left and needing 2 scores, Slye came in for a 46 yard field goal. There was plenty of time for the Bears to collapse. Yet Slye’s kick was no good.

The Bears soon faced 3rd and 2 at their own 44. 4 minutes remained. Matt Eberflus has taken plenty of flack this year, but he won’t going to play it safe. Not in the game. He wanted it. The whole team needed this win. He went after it. Fields went to Moore for a first down and the 56 yard touchdown. The extra point had the Bears up 37-20 to put the game on ice. Santos hit a 37 yard field goal right after the 2 minute warning to complete the scoring. This was not the 1940 Monsters of the Midway Bears beating Washington 73-0, but this game mattered. This game was bigger than football. On this night, with Halas, Payton and Butkus watching in heaven, the Bears got it done. 40-20 Bears

Jacksonville Jaguars at Buffalo Bills was the Sunday early morning game in London. Although the Bills were technically the home game, London is the home away from home for the Jaguars, who were playing their second straight game there. Early on the Jaguars took over at their own 27. Calvin Ridley ran for 11. Trevor Lawrence went deep to Christian Kirk for 30. Travis Etienne ran for a pair of 9 yard gains. On 3rd and 6 from the Buffalo 10, Lawrence threw incomplete but defensive illegal use of hands meant a new set of downs On 3rd and goal at the 6, Lawrence went to Zee Jones for the touchdown. Doug Pederson arbitrarily decided on a 2 point conversion try. Etienne got in to make it 8-0 Jaguars. The Jaguars got it back at their own 30 and moved to a 3rd and 4 at the Buffalo 25. A run lost a yard. Brandon McManus hit a 44 yard field goal to make it 11-0 Jaguars.

With 5 minutes left in the half the Bills faced 3rd and 6 at their own 18. Josh Allen went to Hardy for 19 and Jared Cook for 18. On 3rd and 1 from the Jacksonville 36, Allen gained 5. On 3rd and 4 from the Jacksonville 25, Allen went to Gabriel Davis for 10 and to Stefan Diggs for a 15 yard touchdown. The Bills trailed 11-7 at the half. The third quarter was scoreless. Early in the fourth quarter an interception of Allen on a deep ball had the Jaguars taking over at their own 7 yard line. 

Lawrence went to Ridley for 20. On 3rd and 5 from their own 32, Lawrence went to Etienne for 10. Defensive pass interference added 26. On 3rd and 5 from the Buffalo 27, Etienne ran for 10, 11, and a 6 yard touchdown to make 18-7 midway through the fourth quarter. On 1st and 20 from their own 15, Allen went deep to Gabriel for 24. Allen ran for 9 and hit Dawson Knox for 11, Cook for 7, and Diggs for 8. Roughing the passer added 15. On 3rd and 1 from the Jacksonville 18, a sack of Allen was wiped out by another roughing the passer. On 2nd and goal from the Jacksonville 19, Allen hit Davis for the touchdown. The 2 point try failed but the Bills were within 18-13 with 4 minutes left in regulation. 

The Jaguars soon faced 3rd and 4 at their own 31. Lawrence were deep to Ridley for 32. After the Bills took their final timeout with 3 minutes left, Etienne broke the defense with a 35 yard touchdown run to make it 25-13 Jaguars. After a touchback, the Bills struck quickly. Allen went to Harty for 43 and to Davis for 29. Allen ran for a 3 yard touchdown. With 2:11 to play, the Bills were back within 5 points. By the time the Bills got the ball back at their own 6 yard line, only 30 seconds remained. The hook and laterals failed. One week after a big win over Miami, the Bills had lost again. 25-20 Jaguars 

Tennessee Titans at Indianapolis Colts — Both of these teams have been uneven. The Titans moved from their own 16 on a tough 16 play, 75 yard, 8 1/2 minute drive. Yet on 3rd and 6 from the Indianapolis 9, Ryan Tannehill threw incomplete. Nick Folk hit a 27 yard field goal to make it 3-0 Titans. After a touchback, the Colts soon faced 3rd and 1 from their own 44. Zack Moss did the rest, running up the middle for a 56 yard touchdown to make it 7-3 Colts. Matt Gay hit a 43 yard second quarter field goal to extend the lead for the Colts, but Nick Folk hit again from 53 to get the Titans within 10-6 with 4 1/2 minutes left in the second quarter. On the first play after a touchback, Anthony Richardson ran for 4 yards and again left the game injured. Gardner Minshew played the rest of the way. Minshew moved the Colts to a 4th and 1 at the Tennessee 5 with 15 seconds left. Shane Steichen went for it, but the Colts were out of timeouts. Minshew’s pass fell incomplete.

After a third quarter touchback, the Titans struck quickly. Tannehill went to Deandre Hopkins for 16 and again for 36. Spears ran for a 19 yard touchdown to make it 13-10 Titans. After a touchback, Minshew went to Mo Alie-Cox for 17. Moss ran for 11. Defensive pass interference added 22. Moss ran for 3, 6, and on 3rd and 1 from Tennessee 9, 3 more. Moss then ran for the 3 yard touchdown to make it 17-13 Colts. It was back to the kickers as Folk hit from 34 to get the Titans within 17-16 after three quarters. Gay hit from 35 early in the fourth quarter to put the Colts up 20-16. After a touchback, the Titans moved to a 4th and 1 at the Indianapolis 5 midway through the fourth quarter. Mike Vrabel went for it and Derrick Henry got stopped cold. The Colts then moved 84 yards in 14 plays, taking 7 minutes off the clock. With one minute left on 4th and 2 from the Tennessee 10, Shane Steichen decided not to gamble. Gay hit the 28 yard field goal to put the Colts up by 7. After a touchback, the Titans soon faced 3rd and 10 at their own 40 with 30 seconds left. Tannehill went deep and was intercepted. 23-16 Colts 

New Orleans Saints at New England Patriots — Derek Carr and the Saints suffered a humiliating home loss last week to Tampa Bay, but the once proud Patriots are now a bad football team. Midway through the first quarter, the Patriots faced 3rd and 6 at their own 24. Mac Jones was intercepted by Terrence Mathieu, who returned the pick 27 yards for a touchdown and a 7-0 Saints lead. The closest the Patriots came to any offense was an early missed field goal. The Saints soon faced 3rd and 11 at their own 37. Carr went deep to Michael Thomas for 26. and to Shaheed for 25. The second quarter began with the saints facing 3rd and goal at the 2. Alvin Kamara got in to make it 14-0 Saints. The Saints got it back at their own 41. Carr went to Miller for 33. Taysom Hill ran for 12. Carr hit Chris Olave for a 5 yard touchdown to make it 21-0 Saints. The Patriots fumbled on their first series of the third quarter. Grupe hit a 54 yard field goal to make it 24-0 Saints. An interception of Jones gave the Saints defense a short field at the New England 31. Carr hit Kamara for 12 and Foster Moreau for a 6 yard touchdown to make it 31-0 Saints. Bill  Belichick benched Jones in favor of Bailey Zappe. Grupe hit one more field goal from 53 to complete the scoring. Dennis Allen’s defense pitched a shutout, leaving the Evil Hoodie searching for answers. Carr with the Raiders beat the Patriots in a wild one last year. This time, with a great defense helping him, his squad won easily. 34-0 Saints

Baltimore Ravens at Pittsburgh Steelers — This was a typical AFC North head-knocker between these hated rivals. A field position game early on had the Ravens taking over at their own 41. Lamar Jackson hit Nelson Agholor for gains of 12 and 14. Edwards ran for 6 and 11. Hill ran for a 14 yard touchdown to make it 7-0 Ravens. The Ravens got it back at their own 32 and moved 64 yards in 15 plays and 7 1/2 minutes. On 1st and goal at the 4, Jackson completed a pass for no gain and then threw incomplete twice. Justin Tucker hit a 23 yard field goal to make it 10-0 Ravens early in the second quarter. The Ravens had all the momentum but fumbled the ball away with 5 1/2 minutes left in the half. Chris Boswell hit a 43 yard field goal to get the Steelers within 10-3. After a touchback, the Ravens moved to a 4th and 2 at the Pittsburgh 23 with 13 seconds left in the half. The choice seemed simple. Tucker can make a 41 yard field goal in his sleep with 20 yards to spare. John Harbaugh inexplicably went for it and Jackson threw deep incomplete. 

The defense dominated and the third quarter was scoreless. Neither team had any offense going but one break on special teams changed the game. With 11 minutes left the the Ravens punted on 4th and 16 from their own 14. The punt was blocked by Killebrew out the back of the end zone for a safety. Down 10-5, the Steelers returned the free kick 24  yards to their own 44. They moved to a 1st and goal at the 5. A run lost 2 yards and Kenny Pickett threw incomplete twice. Boswell hit from 25 to get the Steelers within 10-8. The Ravens got a major break when the Steelers fumbled a punt with 5 1/2 minutes left and the Ravens recovered at the Pittsburgh 7 yard line. Yet on 3rd and goal at the 5, Jackson went to the end zone and was intercepted. On 3rd and 9 from their own 21, Pickett went to Robinson for 10. On 3rd and 4 from their own 37, Pickett went to George Pickens for 21. Pickett then went deep to Pickens for a 41 yard touchdown. The 2 point try failed, but with only 1:17 to play, the Steelers led 14-10. Two plays after a touchback, Jackson was sacked and fumbled the ball away. The Baltimore defense held but Boswell hit a 42 yard field goal to put the Steelers up by 7 with 49 seconds left. With 15 seconds left on 4th and 7 from his own 28, Jackson was sacked again. This was a slobber-knocker, and Mike Tomlin’s defense gutted out a win. 17-10 Steelers

Houston Texans at Atlanta Falcons — The Falcons started out 2-0 but then lost two straight to return to earth. The Texans started 0-2 but then won big games against Jacksonville and Pittsburgh. A field position game had the Texans with a short field at the Atlanta 47. On 3rd and 1 from the Atlanta 19, Damien Pierce got stopped for no gain. Demeco Ryans decided not to gamble. Kaimi Fairbairn hit the 38 yard field goal to make it 3-0 Texans. After a touchback, Desmond Ridder hit Smith for 13. Then London threw a pass to Smith for 22. Robinson gained 13. Ridder went to Pitts for 16. Ridder ran for a 7 yard touchdown to make it 7-3 Falcons. The next two quarters belonged to Fairbairn. He hit from 43 early in the second quarter, from 28 to end the half, and from 42 in the third quarter as the Texans led 12-7. 

Late in the third quarter from their own 26, Ridder hit Pitts for 13. On 3rd and 6 from their own 46, Ridder hit London for 8. The fourth quarter began with the Falcons facing 3rd and 1 at the Houston 37. Tyler Allgeier gained 3. On 3rd and 3 from the Houston 27, Ridder hit Pruitt for 22. Ridder hit Robinson for a 6 yard touchdown. Ridder went to Allgeier for the 2 point conversion to make it 15-12 Falcons. The Falcons got it back and moved to a 1st and 10 at the Houston 13. A run lost a yard and Ridder threw incomplete twice. Younghoe Koo hit from 33 to make it 18-12 Falcons midway through the fourth quarter. 

After a touchback, Pierce ran for 13 CJ Stroud hit Pierce for 16. On 3rd and 1 from the Atlanta 36, Stroud gained 2. Stroud hit Woods for 12. On 3rd and 9 from the Atlanta 18, Stroud hit Dalton Schultz for the touchdown. With 1:49 to play, the 11 play, 75 yard, 5 minute drive had the Texans up 19-18. After a touchback, Ridder hit Robinson for 6, London for 5, London again for 6, and Pitts for 4. Ridder then went to London for 23 yards. The Falcons took the clock all the way down to 2 seconds left. Koo came in for the 37 yard try to win it. His kick was good. 21-19 Falcons

Carolina Panthers at Detroit Lions — The Panthers came in winless while the Lions are playing good football. Sometimes a bad team goes on the road and shocks a good team in a major upset. This was not that game. The Lions took over at their own 19. Jared Goff went to Raymond for 23 and to Marvin Jones for 16. David Montgomery ran for a 42 yard touchdown to make it 7-0 Lions. Bryce Young was soon intercepted to set up the Lions at the Carolina 20. On 3rd and goal at the 4, Goff went to Sam LaPorta for the touchdown to make it 14-0 Lions. 

The Panthers tried to make a game of it. On 3rd and 4 from their own 31, Young went to Adam Thielen for 8. Young went back to Thielen for gains of 6 and 13. On 3rd and 1 from the Detroit 20, Dalton got the yard. Shenault gained 11. On 3rd and goal at the one, Young hit Tommy Tremble for the touchdown to get the Panthers within 14-7. The Panthers got it back at their own 37 but quickly fumbled the ball away. The Lions had another short field at the Carolina 38. On 4th and 1 from the Carolina 29, Dan Campbell went for it. Montgomery gained 3. On 3rd and 6 from the Carolina 22, Goff hit Montgomery for 11 and Raymond for 10 down to the one. Goff hit Reynolds for the touchdown to make it 21-7 Lions. On the next play from scrimmage, Young was intercepted. The Lions had another short field at the Carolina 31. One play and 8 seconds later, Goff hit Laporta for the touchdown to make it 28-7 Lions. 

The Panthers managed a field goal before the half but this game was over. The third quarter was scoreless. The Lions got the ball back just shy of midfield. Goff hit Reynolds for 21.On 3rd and 6 from the Carolina 14, Montgomery ran for 10 and 3. On the first play of the fourth quarter, Goff snuck in to make it 35-10 Lions. Young did manage a 15 yard touchdown pass to DJ Shark but this game was over. After a touchback, the Lions kept coming. Goff hit Reynolds for 27. Reynolds ran for big gains of 17, 7, 19, and the 5 yard touchdown to make it 42-17 Lions. The Panthers managed one more garbage touchdown after the 2 minute warning but this game was never competitive. 42-24 Lions

New York Giants at Miami Dolphins — Again, sometimes a bad team can go on the road and shock a good team. Again, this was not that game. Goliath beat up David and took his lunch money. The Dolphins took over at their own 11. Achane ran for 24. Tua Tagovailoa hit Tyreek Hill for 6, Jalen Waddle for 20, Wilson for 23, Raheem Mostert for 5, Hill for 9, and Waddle for a 2 yard touchdown to make it 7-0 Dolphins. The Giants missed a chance to get on the board when Graham Gano missed a 55 yard field goal try on the first play of the second quarter. The Dolphins got the ball back at their own 6 yard line and made it look easy. Tagovailoa hit Hill for 18. Achane raced for a 76 yard touchdown to make it 14-0 Dolphins.

After a touchback, the Giants moved to a 3rd and 9 at the Miami 25. Daniel Jones was sacked. Gano hit a 49 yard field goal to get the Giants on the board. After a touchback, the Dolphins moved to a 3rd and goal at the 4. With 1:40 left in the half, the Dolphins had a chance to go up 21-3 and put the game away. Instead Tagovailoa was intercepted by Pinnock, who returned it 102 yards for a spectacular defensive touchdown. The Giants were only down 14-10. 

Yet despite the 14 point swing, there was no change in momentum. The Dolphins quickly moved from their own 28 to the Giants 9 yard line with 4 seconds left. Jason Sanders hit the 40 yard field goal to make it 17-10 Dolphins at the half. The Dolphins quickly struck in the third quarter. On 3rd and 4 at their own 31, Tagovailoa went deep to Hill for a 69 yard touchdown to make it 24-10 Dolphins. After a third quarter field goal by the Giants, the Dolphins after a touchback moved to ice the game. Achane ran for 8 and caught a pass for 14 from Tagovailoa. Mostert ran for 11 and 23. Achane added 6 and 5. Mostert ran for 6 and then for the 2 yard touchdown to make it 31-13 Dolphins after three quarters. The Giants managed another field goal in the fourth quarter but nothing more. 31-16 Dolphins

Cincinnati Bengals at Arizona Cardinals — Both of these teams came in with 1-3 records, but the Bengals were supposed to be good. The Bengals took over at their own 36. Joe Burrow hit Irwin for 9, JaMarr Chase for 13, Chase for 13, and Joe Mixon for 8. On 3rd and goal at the 2, Burrow went to Chase for the 2 yard touchdown to make it 7-0 Bengals. A 28 yard punt return gave the Bengals the ball back with a short field at the Arizona 48. On 3rd and goal at the 7, Burrow was sacked. Evan McPherson hit a 40 yard field goal to make it 10-0 Bengals.

After a touchback, Joshua Dobbs hit McBride for 13. On the first play of the second quarter, Dobbs went to Malcolm Hollywood Brown for 18 and to Swaim for 11. On 3rd and 9 from the Cincinnati 25, Dobbs went to Brown for the touchdown to get the Cardinals within 10-7. A defensive penalty on a punt return gave the Cardinals the ball back just past midfield. James Conner ran for 35. Dobbs hit Swaim for 11 and Zac Ertz for a 4 yard touchdown to make it 14-10 Cardinals. Late in the half the Bengals moved from their own 29 to a 3rd and goal at the one. Mixon got stuffed. Zach Taylor went for it. On 4th and goal from the one, Mixon got stuffed again for no gain. 

The Arizona defense had an inspired goal line stand, but their offense made it meaningless. Dobbs was quickly intercepted by Taylor-Britt, who returned it 11 yards for a touchdown to put the Bengals back up 17–14. The Bengals struck quickly in the third quarter after a touchback. On the third play from scrimmage, Burrow went bombs away to Chase for a 63 yard touchdown to make it 24-14 Bengals. 

The Cardinals soon faced 3rd and 1 at their own 34. Dobbs gained 2. On 3rd and 4 from their own 42, Dobbs went to Moore for 19 and Brown for 10. Demercado gashed the defense for 8, 9, and the 11 yard touchdown. The extra point was no good but the Cardinals were within 24-20. An interception of Burrow allowed the Cardinals move from their own 34 to a 4th and 1 at the Cincinnati 16 late in the third quarter. Jonathan Gannon went for it and Dobbs got blasted for a one yard loss. 

Mixon gained 7 and 4 and Burrow added 10 and 4. On 3rd and 3 from their own 45, Burrow hit Chase for 5. On 3rd and 1 from the Arizona 41, Williams gained 5. On 2nd and 13 from the Arizona 26, Burrow hit Chase for 14. Defensive pass interference added 11 down to the one. After a loss, Burrow hit Chase for a 3 yard touchdown to make it 31-20 Bengals midway through the fourth quarter. One play after a touchback, Dobbs was sacked and fumbled. McPherson tacked on a 40 yard field goal to complete the scoring. Dobbs threw in one more interception for good measure. 34-20 Bengals

Philadelphia Eagles at Los Angeles Rams — The two most recent NFC champions squared off, but only the Eagles have Super Bowl aspirations. After an opening touchback, Jalen Hurts hit Quez Watkins for 5 and Dallas Goedert for 12 and 19. Hurts went to AJ Brown for 7 and Goedert for 8. Hurts ran for 10. On 3rd and goal at the 6, Hurts went to Goedert for the touchdown to wrap up the 12 play, 75 yard, 6 1/2 minute drive and make it 7-0 Eagles. The Rams soon faced 3rd and 4 at their own 31 Matthew Stafford went to Cooper Kupp for 17. On 3rd and 8 from the Philadelphia 39, Stafford hit Kupp for just enough. On 3rd and 1 from the Philadelphia 22, Stafford threw incomplete. Sean McVay went for it on 4th and 1. Stafford hit Kupp for 12. On 3rd and goal at the 3, Stafford hit Atwell for the touchdown. The 14 play, 75 yard, 6 1/2 minute drive made it 7-7. 

In the second quarter the Eagles moved from their own 28 to a 3rd and 2 at the Rms 15. A completion lost a yard. Jake Elliott hit the 34 yard field goal to make it 10-7 Eagles. After a touchback, Stafford hit Tyler Higbee for 8, Nacua for 6, and Kupp for 39. On 3rd and 10 from the Philadelphia 22, Stafford went to Nacua for the touchdown. With only 32 seconds left in the half, the Rams led 14-10. With 17 seconds left, the Eagles faced 3rd and 1 from their own 34. Hurts went deep to Brown for 38 with 14more tacked on for a horse collar tackle. Defensive pass interference added 13 more down to the one. 2 seconds remained, time for one play. Nick Sirianni went for it all. Hurts took the quarterback sneak for the touchdown. The eagles led 17-14 at the half. The second half was all defense. Elliott hit a pair of 26 yard field goals in the fourth quarter to salt away the victory. 23-14 Eagles 

New York Jets at Denver Broncos — Last week the Broncos overcame a 21 point second half deficit to finally get the first win in the Sean Payton era. Early on the Broncos fumbled a punt and the Jets took over at the Denver 20. The defense held. Greg Zuerlein hit a 30 yard field goal to make it 3-0 Jets.The Broncos soon faced 3rd and 8 at their own 27. Russell Wilson ran for 16. McLaughlin got around the end for a 38 yard gain. On 1st and 20, illegal contact on an incompletion meant an automatic first down. On the next play, Wilson went to McLaughlin for the 22 yard touchdown to make it 7-3 Broncos. The Broncos got it back at their own 6 yard line and disaster immediately struck. Wilson was called for intentional grounding in the end zone for a safety. The Jets got within 7-5 but self-destructed after the free kick.

The Jets punted on 4th and 34 from their own 9. The Broncos got it back at their own 43 and moved to a 1st and goal at the 5. A pass lost 2 yards. On 3rd and goal from the 5, Wilson was tackled for no gain. Wil Lutz hit the 23 yard field goal to make it 10-5 Broncos. After a touchback, the Jets moved to a 3rd and goal at the 8. Zach Wilson threw incomplete. Zuerlein hit from 28 to get the Jets within 10-8. After a touchback, consecutive defensive penalties gifted the Broncos offense 20 yards. McLaughlin ran for 21. Yet on 2nd and goal at the 5, a run lost 3 yards. On 3rd and goal at the 8, a completion gained only 4. Lutz hit from 22 to make it 13-8 Broncos.

Early in the third quarter the Jets took over at their own 28. One play and 10 seconds later the Jets had the 15-13 lead as Breece Hall ran for a 72 yard touchdown. The Jets got the ball back just past midfield. On 3rd and goal at the 5, Wilson was sacked. Zuerlein hit the 27 yard field goal to make it 18-13 Jets. The Jets fumbled a punt and the Broncos recovered, but two plays later the Broncos fumbled the ball right back. The Jets took over just shy of midfield. They settled for a 22 yard Zuerlein field goal to make it 21-13 Jets with 12 minutes left in regulation. The Jets got it back and moved from their own 28 to a 4th and 1 at the Denver 31. Robert Saleh was not in a gambling mood. Zuerlein hit the 49 yard field goal as 16 unanswered points had the Jets up 24-13 midway through the fourth quarter. 

The ending became a battle of who wanted it least. The Broncos faced 3rd and 11 from their own 24. Wilson went deep to Jerry Jeudy for 23 with roughing the passer adding 15 more. Wilson then went to Perine for 29. Wilson hit Adam Trautman for a 3 yard touchdown. Sean Payton went for 2 and Burton ran it in. With 4:44 to play, the Broncos were within 24-21. After a touchback the Jets moved to a 3rd and 5 at the Denver 27. Wilson went deep and was intercepted by Patrick Surtain. With 2:14 to play, the Broncos were pinned at their own 3 yard line but needed only a field goal to tie the game. The Broncos moved to their own 41 with 30 seconds to play. Wilson was sacked and fumbled and Bay Hall returned it 39 yards for a defensive touchdown to ice the game. 31-21 Jets

Kansas City Chiefs at Minnesota Vikings — The Chiefs have been winning while the Vikings finally got their first win last week, but both of these teams have been playing close games. On the first play from scrimmage after a touchback, the Vikings fumbled the ball away and the Chiefs began with a short field. On 3rd and 2 at the Minnesota 37, Pacheco gained 5. On 3rd and 1 from the Minnesota 12, Pacheco gained 11. Pacheco then got the last yard to make it 7-0 Chiefs. The kickers then got into the act as Greg Joseph hit from 40 to get the Vikings on the board. In the second quarter Harrison Butker hit from 38 for the 10-3 Chiefs advantage. 

Joseph answered from 29 as the Vikings were within 10-6 midway through the second quarter. Fair catch interference on a punt gave the Vikings great field position at their own 44. On 4th and 2, Kevin O’Connell gambled on a fake punt. Metelius took the direct snap, handed it to Chandler, and saw Chandler get around the end for 15. On 3rd and 1 from the Kansas City 24, , Cousins gained 2. Cousins hit Addison for 15. Cousins hit Addison for a 5 yard touchdown. With 1:39 left in the half, the Vikings led 13-10.  

After a touchback, the Chiefs quickly moved to the Minnesota 22. Butker hit from 40 for a 13-13 deadlock at the  break. The Chiefs began the third quarter with a sack of Mahoems and 3rd and 18 at their own 17. Mahomes went to Watson for 33, Rice for 13, Ross for 8, and Marques Valdez-Scantling for 12, On 3rd and goal at the 8, Mahomes hit Rice for the touchdown to make it 20-13 Chiefs. The Chiefs got it back and faced 3rd and 7 at their own 29. Mahomes went to Travis Kelce for 14. On 3rd and 1 from the Minnesota 48, Pacheco got stopped. Walrus Andy Reid went for it on 4th and 1. Mahomes threw deep incomplete but defensive pass interference meant a 31 yard gain. On 3rd and 8 from the Minnesota 15, Mahomes went to Kelce for 11 and again to Kelce for a 4 yard touchdown. Late in the third quarter, the Chiefs led 27-13.

After a touchback, Cousins went to KJ Osborn for 11 and TJ Hockenson for 19. On 3rd and 1 from the Kansas City 35, Cousins gained 2 as the third quarter ended. On 3rd and 1 at the Kansas City 24, Cousins got the yard. On 4th and 6 from the Kansas City 19, Cousins hit Addison for 10 and Mattison for the 9 yard touchdown. With 12 minutes left in regulation, the Vikings were within 7 points. The Vikings got it back at their own 20 and moved to a 4th and 7 at the Kansas City 19 with 5 minutes left. After a delay of game, on 4th and 12 Cousins threw incomplete. The Vikings got it back at their own 19 with 1:07 left. With 5 seconds left, the vikings had one Hail Mary chance form the Kansas City 38. Cousins was sacked. 27-20 Chiefs

Dallas Cowboys at San Francisco 49ers was the Sunday night game. The 49ers are a legitimate Super Bowl contender. The Cowboys are repeatedly overhyped but were exposed as pretenders in an embarrassing loss at Arizona. This would be a real measuring stick. After an opening touchback, the Cowboys immediately committed a defensive facemark penalty. Brock Purdy went to Brandon Aiyuk for 9 and 11. Purdy went to George Kittle for a 19 yard touchdown to make it 7-0 49ers. Early in the second quarter the Cowboys punted on 4th and 8 from their own 4. A 14 yard return had the 49ers at the Dallas 38. One play and 10 seconds later, Purdy went to Kittle for the touchdown to make it 14-0 49ers.

The Cow boys did manage an 11 play, 78 yard, 5 1/2 minute drive and a 26 yard touchdown pass from Dak Prescott to Turpin. After that the 49ers blasted them to pieces. After a touchback, Purdy went to Aiyuk for 15. On 3rd and 4 from their own 46, Purdy threw incomplete but defensive unnecessary roughness kept the drive going. On 2nd and 12 from the Dallas 41, Purdy went to McCaffrey for 19. Mason ran for 8 and 4.. Purdy went to Deebo Samuel for 9 down to the one. McCaffrey got in to make it 21-7 49ers. The Cowboys managed a third quarter field goal but nothing else. 

On 1st and 15 from their own 20, Brady went to Aiyuk for 23. On 3rd and 33 from their own 40, Purdy went to Samuel for 42. On 3rd and 2 from the Dallas 10, Purdy went to Kittle for the touchdown to make it 28-10 Cowboys. An interception of Prescott set up the 49ers at their own 38. A 12 play, 62 yard, 6 1/2 minute drive led to Purdy hitting Kyle Juszczyk from one yard out to start the fourth quarter. Another Prescott interception was followed one play later by a 26 yard touchdown run by Mason to complete the blowout. Prescott then threw his third interception on his third consecutive drive. The Cowboys may be better than average, but the 49ers are the real deal. 42-10 49ers

Green Bay Packers at Las Vegas Raiders is the Monday night game. The Raiders lose games because Josh McDaniels has no confidence in his own offense. In the loss to Pittsburgh, he settled for a field goal late rather than try and make 4 yards in the red zone. This game exposed two teams trying to lose. The packers at least tried to run the ball. The Raiders kept setting for West Coast Offense dink and dunk passes. In the first quarter the Packers moved from their own 7 to a 3rd and 8 at the Raiders 18. Jordan Love threw incomplete but Anders Carlson hit a 37 yard field goal to make it 3-0 Packers. 

The Raiders took over at their own 38 in the second quarter. Josh Jacobs gained 9. On 3rd and 11 just shy of midfield, Jimmy Garoppolo hit Amir Abdullah for just enough. On 3rd and 5 from the Green Bay 35, Garoppolo hit Jakobi Meyers for 10.on 3rd and 1 from the Green Bay 16, Josh Mcdaniels refused to plow ahead with Jacobs. Meyers took an end around and got stopped cold. McDaniels was right to go for it on 4th and 1 but was wrong in not just giving Jacobs the ball. Carter got around the end for 3. Garoppolo hit Meyers for the touchdown To cap the 14 play, 62 yard, 8 1/2 minute drive. The Raiders led 7-3 with 4 1/2 minutes left in the half. 

One play after a touchback, Love was immediately intercepted. The Raiders had gift field position with 1st and goal at the 7. Yetafter Jacobs got stopped on first down, Josh McDaniels immediately abandoned the run. Garoppolo threw incomplete twice. Daniel Carlson hit the 26 yard field goal. The raiders led 10-3, but it was a completely wasted opportunity. he Packers went 3 and out, but McDaniels inexplicably did not take a timeout before getting the ball back. With 55 seconds left in the half, the Raiders took over at their own 24. Yet they could have had as much as 1:40. They moved to a 3rd and 3 at the Green Bay 35. Garoppolo then threw incomplete. Carlson’s 53 yard field goal try was partially blocked as the Raiders wasted another opportunity. 

After a third quarter touchback, the Raiders again refused to establish the ground game. On 2nd and 13 from their own 37, Garoppolo was intercepted by Ford at that spot. On 4th and 2 from the Raiders 29, Matt LaFleur went for it. AJ Dillon got 3 straight up the gut. These are the plays Josh McDaniels refuses to run. Dillon then gained 6, 11, 4, and the 5 yard touchdown. Pure power football had the game tied 10-10. The Packers got it back at their own 17. Love went deep to Watson for a 77 yard gain. Yet on 3rd and goal at the 4, Love threw incomplete. Carlson hit the 22 yard field goal. With 5 minutes left in the third quarter, the Packers led 13-10. 

After a touchback, this time Josh McDaniels ran the ball. Jacobs gained 24 and 6. On 3rd and 4 from the Green Bay 45, Garoppolo hit Meyers for 8. Garoppolo hit Davante Adams for 21. On 3rd and 2 from the Green Bay 9, Garoppolo hit Adams for 7. On the first play of the fourth quarter, Jacobs busted straight up the gut for a 2 yard touchdown. The Raiders led by 4 points but refused to put the game away. The Packers rater a touchback moved to a 1st and 10 at the Raiders 40. Love was sacked. On the next play he was intercepted. The Raiders had gift field position but squandered it by refusing to run the ball. 

With 5 1/2 minutes left in regulation, the Raiders took over again at their own 33. They moved to a 4th and 1 at the Green Bay 34 at the 2 minute warning. One yard would end the game. The entire football world knows that you hand the ball to Jacobs. Josh McDaniels again refused to trust his offense to even gain one yard. He brought in Carlson for a 52 yard field goal try. Even if it was good, the Packers could still win. The kick doinked off the upright no good. McDaniels gives games away. The Packers took over at their own 42 and moved to a 1st and 10 at the Raiders 35. After a pair of incompletions, 44 seconds still remained. Love went for it all to the end zone and was intercepted for the third time for a touchback. Amik Robertson was the hero. The entire defense led by Maxx Crosby got a desperately needed win. The Raiders bailed out their coach, but they shouldn’t have to do that. 17-13 Raiders