THE TYGRRRR EXPRESS

 NFL 2024 Week 4 Recap

Dallas Cowboys at New York Giants was the Thursday night game. The Cowboys suffered consecutive embarrassing home losses. A loss to the Giants could cause Jerry Jones to fire everyone immediately. The Giants moved from their own 15 to a 4th and 4 at the Dallas 34. Greg Joseph hit a 52 yard field goal to make it 3-0 Giants. The Cowboys soon faced 2nd and 5 at their own 30. Dak Prescott went to CeeDee Lamb for 11. On 3rd and 3 from their own 48, Prescott hit Luepke for 11. Lamb gained 10. Prescott hit Luepke for 7 and Lamb for 11. On 3rd and 3 from the Giants 23, Prescott hit Brandin Cooks for 16. On 3rd and goal from the 15 after offensive holding, Prescott hit Dowdle for the touchdown. The 12 play, 75 yard 7 minute drive made it 7-3 Cowboys. The Giants moved from their own 23 to a 4th and 6 at the Dallas 22.  Joseph hit from 41 to get the Giants within 7-6 in the second quarter. 

The Cowboys soon faced 4th and 1 at their own 39. Mike McCarthy, figuring Jerrah was going to fire him anyway, decided to go for it. Luepke gained 6. Prescott then went deep to Lamb for a 55 yard touchdown to make it 14-6 Cowboys. The Giants took over at their own 28 and moved to a 3rd and 4 at the Dallas 16 with one minute left in the half. Daniel Jones was sacked. Joseph hit from 38 to cap the 15 play, 52 yard, 8 minute drive. The Giants were kicking field goals and giving up touchdowns as the Cowboys led 14-9 at the break. The Giants in the third quarter moved from their own 28 to a 3rd and goal at the 8. Jones hit Robinson for only 5. Joseph finished the 11 play, 77 yard, 6 1/2 minute drive by hitting from 38 to get the Giants within 14-12. 

After a touchback, the Cowboys moved to a 3rd and 1 at the Giant 32. Offensive holding was a killer, but the Dallas kicker has a cannon of a leg. Brandon Aubrey hit from 60 to make it 17-12 Cowboys. A field position game in the fourth quarter had the Giants taking over at their own 48 and moving to a 1st and 10 at the Dallas 20. Yet again the Giants failed to crack the end zone. A pass completion lost a yard and a run lost 3 more. Joseph hit his fifth field goal to get the Giants within 17-15 with exactly 11:11 left in regulation. The Cowboys after a touchback moved to a 2nd and 6 at the Giants 21. A run lost a yard and Prescott threw incomplete. Aubrey hit from 40 to put the Cowboys back up by 5 midway through the fourth quarter. Yet the Cowboys did not close the door. Far from it. The Giants had plenty of time to pull out the upset win.

After a touchback, the Giants soon faced 4th and 6 at their own 45. A run went nowhere and Jones threw incomplete. Brian Daboll went for it on 4th and 6 with 3 1/2 minutes left. Jones threw incomplete. The Cowboys took the clock down to 32 seconds but had to settle for a 51 yard field goal attempt by Aubrey. The kick was wide right no good. The Giants only had 28 seconds to work with, but they were at their own 41. After a pair of incompletions, Jones tried a Hail Mary on 3rd and 10. It was intercepted at the 4 yard line. The Giants were game, but they had another loss. As for the Cowboys, this win was more a sigh of relief than anything else. They are really struggling. 20-15 Cowboys

New Orleans Saints at Atlanta Falcons — Division rivals put on a good quality football game. Yet early on it was not quality as the Saints fumbled a punt and the Falcons recovered in the was zone for a gift touchdown and a 7-0 Falcons lead. After a touchback, Derek Carr went to Chris Olave for 18 yards. On 3rd and 2 from the Atlanta 44, Taysom Hill gained 5. Alvin Kamara gained 13. Rashad Shaheed added 13 more. Hill took the direct snap for the 2 yard touchdown to tie the game 7-7. An interception of Kirk Cousins gave the Saints great field position at their own 47. On 4th and 1 from the Atlanta 27, Dennis Allen went for it. Hill gained 7. The Saints began the second quarter facing 3rd and 5 at the Atlanta 15. Carr hit Tipton for 6. Hill ran for a 5 yard touchdown to make it 14-7 Saints.

The Falcons moved from their own 23 to a 4th and 1 at the New Orleans 30. Raheem Morris decided to go for it but a false start killed the try. Younghoe Koo hit a 53 yard field goal to get the Falcons within 14-10. After a touchback, the Saints soon faced 2nd and 9 at their own 43. Carr found Anderson. Problem: Anderson plays defense for Atlanta. Anderson returned the interception47 yards for a defensive touchdown and a 17-14 Falcons lead midway through the second quarter. In the third quarter the Falcons moved from their own 10 to a 2nd and 4 at the New Orleans 22. Cousins threw incomplete and then completed a pass to Mooney that lost 4 yards. Koo hit a 44 yard field goal to make it 20-14 Falcons.

The Saints moved from their own 25 to a 4th and 5 at the Atlanta 25. Blake Grupe hit a 43 yard field goal to get the Saints within 20-17. The Falcons moved from their own 19 on a 57 yard, 11 play, 7 minute drive. On 1st and 10 from the New Orleans 19, Cousins hit Robinson for a touchdown. Yet offensive holding nullified the score and killed the drive. Koo hit from 42 to put the Falcons up 23-17 with 10 minutes left in regulation. The Saints after a touchback moved 63 yards in 12 plays and 6 minutes. On 1st and goal at the 5, a run went nowhere and Carr threw incomplete. On 3rd and goal Kamara got tackled for a 2 yard loss. With 4 m minutes left, a field goal would cut the game to 23-20. Yet Dennis Allen decided to go for it. Carr threw incomplete. 

The Saints got a big defensive stand and a 17 yard punt return gave the Saints the ball back only 30 seconds later with 3 1/2 minutes left at their Atlanta 42. On 3rd and 6, Carr hit Olave for 13. On 3rd and 2 from the Atlanta 17, Carr hit Olave for 16 down to the one. On 3rd and goal, Kamara got the yard. With one minute left, the Saints had the 24-23 lead. After a touchback, Cousins threw deep incomplete with 30 seconds to play. A critical defensive pass interference call had the Falcons at the New Orleans 40. After a spike, Cousins threw incomplete twice. Koo came in with 2 seconds left for a mammoth 58 yard field goal try for the win. Koo had made 3 other field goals, but this was a big one. With everything on the line for both teams, Koss belted the ball through the uprights good. From South Korea to Atlanta, Koo had his fans beaming with pride. 26-24 Falcons 

Cincinnati Bengals at Carolina Panthers — The Bengals came in a head-scratching 0-3 while the Panthers finally got a win last week when former Bengals quarterback Red Rifle Andy Dalton replaced Bryce Young. qThe Panthers after a touchback moved to a 2nd and goal at the one. Dalton threw incomplete and Chuba Hubbard got stopped for no gain. Dave Canales gambled on 4th and goal at the one. Hubbard got the carry again and got stopped cold again. The Panthers got the ball back at their own 20 and soon faced 3rd and 8 at their own 34. Dalton was intercepted by Bell, who returned the pick 32 yards to the Carolina 16. Joe Burrow hit Tee Higgins for 12. On 3rd and goal at the 3, Brown took the carry up the gut for the touchdown to make it 7-0 Bengals. 

After a touchback, the second quarter began with the Panthers on the move. On 4th and 3 from the Cincinnati 40, Dave Canales decided t go for it. Dalton hit Johnson for 4. Dalton hit Sanders for 11. Hubbard got around the end for a 17 yard gain. Hubbard barreled in from 3 yards out to cap the 11 play, 70 yard, 5 1/2 minute drive and make it 7-7. 

The Bengals took over at their own 19. On 3rd and 3 from their own 37, Burrow connected with JaMarr Chase for a 63yard touchdown to make it 14-7 Bengals. The Panthers after a touchback soon faced 3rd and 10 at their own 30. Dalton was intercepted, but defensive holding nullified the pick and kept the drive going. Runs and short passes led to 3rd and 3 at the Cincinnati 47. Dalton hit Johnson for 5. Dalton hit Xavier Leggett for 17. Sanders got around the end for 14. Dalton hit Leggett for an 8 yard touchdown to tie the game 14-14. 

The Bengals took over at their own 34 with one minute left in the half. On 3rd and 5, Burrow hit Higgins for 11. Burrow then went deep to Iosivas for 29. Defensive pass interference added 17 more. On 3rd and goal at the one, Burrow hit Moss for the touchdown with one second left to make it 21-14 Bengals. The Bengals began the third quarter at their own 29. Burrow hit Alt for 10. Brown gained 8 and 20. Burrow added 10. Burrow hit Brown for 8 and Chase for 11 down to the one. Brown got the yard as a close game had been broken open for a 28-14 Bengals lead. With 5 1/2 minutes left in the third quarter, Dave Canales gambled on a fake punt on 4th and 3 from his own 35. Punter Johnny Hekker played quarterback in college. This time his pass was incomplete. The Bengals with a short field lost 3 yards but Evan McPherson drilled a 56 yard field goal to make it 31-14 Bengals.

After a touchback, the Panthers tried to make a game of it. Hubbard ran for a 38 yard gain. On 3rd and 2 from the Cincinnati 24, Sanders gained 3. Dalton hit Johnson for a 21 yard touchdown to get the Panthers within 31-21. An interception of Burrow gave the Panthers great field position at their own 41. They moved to a 3rd and 3 at the Cincinnati 30. Dalton threw incomplete. Eddie Pineiro hit a 48 yard field goal to get the Panthers within 31-24 midway through the fourth quarter. With 4 1/2 minutes left the Bengals took over at their own 37. They moved to the Carolina 28. With 1:15 left in regulation, McPherson came in for a 46 yard field goal try to lock up the win. His kick was good. Dalton failed to get a win against the team that jettisoned him while the Bengals finally got their first win of the year. 34-24 Bengals

 

Los Angeles Rams at Chicago Bears — A pair of struggling teams faced off. The Rams in the first quarter took over at their own 5 yard line and moved 68 yards in 13 plays and 7 1/2 minutes. On 1st and 10 from the Chicago 30, a sack of Matthew Stafford killed the drive. Harty hit a 46 yard field goal to make it 3-0 Rams. In the seance quarter the Rams moved from their own 26 to aa 3rd and 3 at the Chicago 18. Stafford threw incomplete. Harty hit from 37 to make it 6-0 Rams.The Rams got the ball back at their own 20 and disaster immediately struck. Stafford was hit and fumbled, and the Bears recovered at the Rams 16. On 3rd and 9, defensive pass interference on an incompletion  put the ball on the one. Johnson got the yard as the Bears led 7-6. The rams after a touchback moved to a 2nd and 5 at the Chicago 15. Offensive pass interference killed the drive and Harty missed a 43 yard field goal try that would have given the Rams the lead again.

The Bears took over at their own 33 with one minute left in the half. They moved to a 1st and 10 at the Rams 17. A sack of Caleb Williams killed the drive, but Cairo Santos hit a 40 yard field goal to put the Bears up 10-6 at the break. After a touchback, the Rams moved to a 3rd and goal at the 7. Stafford threw incomplete. Krty hit from 25 to get the Rams within 10-9. The Bears took over at their own 26. Williams hit Cole Kmet for 10. Swift ran for 9 and caught a pass from Williams for 11. On 3rd and 3 from the Rams 33, Johnson gained 8. On 3rd and 5 from the Rams 9, Williams went to DJ Moore for the touchdown to make it 17-9 Bears. After a touchback, Stafford hitWhittington for 16 and Tutu Atwell for 25.  Williams ran for 7, 14 and 5 to end the third quarter and for a 3 yard touchdown on the first play of the fourth quarter. The 2 point conversion try to tie the game saw Stafford throw incomplete as the Rams trailed 17-15.  

After a touchback on 2nd and 10 from their own 42, Williams went deep to Kmet for 22. Swift then ran for a 36 yard touchdown to put the Bears up 24-15 with 12 1/2 minutes left in regulation. The Rams after a touchback moved to a 4th and 8 at the Chicago 34. Needing 2 scores with a full 9 minutes left, the decision was easy. Harty hit from 52 to get the Rams within 6 points. The Rams began their final drive with one minute left at their own 8 yard line. Stafford was intercepted as the Bears got to 2-2 while the Rams were a surprising 1-3 on the year. 24-18 Bears

Minnesota Vikings at Green Bay Packers — The 1998 Vikings may be the best team to never win it all. They started 3-0 and went into Green Bay against a good Packers team. The Vikings manhandled the Packers, letting the league know they were very good. Randall Cunningham and Randy Moss are long retired, but this 2024 Vikings team started 3-0 and went into Green Bay against a good Packers team. Jordan Love was back from injury. This would test how good both teams really were. The Vikings went right to work from their own 27. Sam Darnold hit former Green Bay running back Aaron Jones for 12. On 3rd and 14 from their own 40, Darnold went deep to Naylor for 31. Darnold then went deep t Jordan Addison for a 33 yard touchdown to make it 7-0 Vikings. After a touchback the Packers moved 51 yards in 10 plays and 5 minutes. On 3rd and 8 from the Minnesota 14 looking to tie the game a false start was followed by Love throwing incomplete. Then Narveson’s 37 yard field goal try doinked off the upright no good.

The Vikings again took over at their own 27. Jones gained 17 with a defensive facemask adding 15 more. On 3rd and 1 from the Green Bay 32, Darnold gained 9. On 3rd and 2 from the Green Bay 15, Darnold threw incomplete but defensive pass interference meant a 12 yard gain. Darnold went to Josh Oliver for a 2 yard touchdown to make it 14-0 Vikings. An interception of Love gave the Vikings a short field at the Green Bay 46 to start the second quarter. Darnold hit Mundt for 9 and Sherfield for 8. Darnold found Jones for 12. Addison ran for a 7 yard touchdown to make it 21-0 Vikings. The Packers saw Narvson miss a second field goal form 49 and Love throw another interception. Griffin returned the interception 28 yards to the Green Bay 4 yard line. After offensive holding, Darnold hit Justin Jefferson for a 14 yard touchdown. With 5 1/2 minutes left in the half, the Vikings were winning a blowout 28-0. 

The Vikings were in complete control of the game when the Packers punted with 40 seconds left in the half. The Vikings fumbled the punt and the Packers recovered at the Minnesota 3 yard line. An unsportsmanlike conduct penalty against Green Bay head coach Matt LaFleur pushed the Packers back to the Minnesota 15. Love went to Reed for the touchdown. The Packers still trailed 28-7, but they had life. A scoreless third quarter saw the Packers take over late at their own 11. Love went to Reed for 12 and to Josh Jacobs for 8. The Packers began the fourth quarter after an incompletion facing 3rd and 2 at their own 31. Jacobs gained 11. Love went to Melton for 28. Love hit Heath and Jacobs for a pair of 9 yard gains. On 3rd and 1 from the Minnesota 6, Love went to Wicks for the touchdown to get the Packers within 28-14 with 11 1/2 minutes left in regulation. Two plays after a touchback, Darnold was sacked and fumbled. The Packers took over at the Minnesota 20. Two plays later Love hit Kraft for a 13 yard touchdown. Matt LaFleur inexplicably went for a 2 point conversion. Love went to Kraft again. All of a sudden, the Packers were right back in it down 28-22. 

The Viking were collapsing, but after a touchback they finally got going again. Darnold went to Jefferson for big gains of 17 and 27. On 2nd and 2 from the Green Bay 10, a run lost 5 yards and Darnold threw incomplete. Reichard hit a 33 yard field goal that was huge in terms of significance. Midway through the fourth quarter, the Vikings had breathing room up 31-22. The Packers cooled off, turning the ball over on consecutive possessions with Love throwing an interception followed by a Green Bay fumble. With 2:21 to play the Vikings faced 4th and 1 at the Green Bay 4 after getting stopped on third down. Kevin O’Connell went for it and Nailor got nailed for no gain. The Packers quickly went 96 yards, with Love hitting Wicks for a 17 yard touchdown. With 56 seconds left, a 28 point deficit had been whittled down to 2 points. Yet the onside kick failed. The Packers mounted a furious rally, but the Vikings survived to get to 4-0 on the year. 31-29 Vikings

Jacksonville Jaguars at Houston Texans — The Jaguars were in free fall since last season, starting 0-3. The Jaguars got a break early when the Texans fumbled a punt and the Jaguars recovered at the Houston 2 yard line. Trevor Lawrence hit Thomas for the touchdown to make it 7-0 Jaguars. The Texans after a touchback soon faced 3rd and 4 at their own 36. CJ Stroud hit Nico Collins for big gains of 18, 12 and 19. On 3rd and 2 from the Jacksonville 6, Stefan Diggs ran for the touchdown and a 7-7 game. The Jaguars moved from their own 23 to a 1st and 10 at the Houston 24. A false start killed the drive. Chase Little hit a 41 yard field goal to make it 10-7 Jaguars.  

In the second quarter the Texans faced 2nd and 16 at their own 20. Stroud went to Stover for 27 and to Woods for 10. On 3rd and 8 from the Jacksonville 41, Stroud hit Dare Ogunbowale for 9. Stroud went to Diggs for 20. On 3rd and 12 from the Jacksonville 14, Stroud threw incomplete but defensive holding meant 5 yards and 1st and goal. On 3rd and goal at the 3, Stroud found collins for the touchdown to cap the 12 play, 74 yard, 7 1/2 minute drive and make it 14-10 Texans midway through the second quarter. The Jaguars moved from their own 27 to a 3r and 1 at the Houston 34. Lawrence threw incomplete. Doug Pederson decided not to gamble on 4th and 1. Little hit the 52 yard field goal to get the Jaguar within 14-13. After a touchback the Texans moved to a 1st and 10 from the Jacksonville 11 with 10 seconds left. An incompletion left 5 seconds. Kaimi Fairbairn hit the 30 yard field goal to make it 17-13 Texans. 

In the third quarter the Jaguars took over at their own 26. Travis Etienne gained 12 and 3. Lawrence went deep to Thomas for 32. Thomas gained 13. On 3rd and 4 from the Houston 8, Lawrence went to Kirk for the touchdown. With 6 minutes left in the third quarter the Jaguars led 20-17. The Jaguars got it back and moved from their own 12 to a 3rd and goal at the one. On the last play of the third quarter, Lawrence threw incomplete. The fourth quarter began with Doug Pederson going for it on 4th and goal at the one. A touchdown would put the Jaguars up 27-17. Instead, Lawrence got stopped for no gain. After the goal line stand, both defenses dug in. With 3 minutes left the Texans began their final drive from their own 31. Stroud ra for 11. Stroud went deep to Collins for 26. With one minute left, the Texans had 3rd and 3 at the Jacksonville 8. Stroud hit Dalton Schultz for 6. With 18 seconds left in regulation, Stroud hit Ogunbowale for the touchdown. The Jaguars took over at their own 10 with 12 seconds left. The hook and laterals went backward as the Jacksonville season of misery continued. The Texans got to 3-1 on the year. 24-20 Texans

Pittsburgh Steelers at Indianapolis Colts — The Steelers came in 3-0 despite having scored only 3 total touchdowns in 3 games. After an opening touchback, Anthony Richardson on the first play from scrimmage found Pittman for a 32 yard gain. Jonathan Taylor gained 14. On 3rd and 6 from the Pittsburgh 20, Richardson gained 9. On 3rd and 1 from the Pittsburgh 2, Taylor ran it in for the touchdown to make it 7-0 Colts. The Colts got it back at their own 14. Richardson went deep to Pittman for 28. Richardson hit Downs for 11. Richardson ran for 14 more but got hit and fumbled. The Colts retained possession but Richardson was injured on the play. Veteran Joe Flacco came in and hit Taylor for 10. Taylor then ran for 13. Richardson returned after 2 plays on the sideline. On 1st and goal at the 6, Richardson kept it himself, gained one yard and got injured again. The young quarterback has shown plenty of talent but his style of play got him injured for most of last year. He left the game after only 12 minutes of play and did not return. Flacco played the rest of the way. On 3rd and goal at the 4, Flacco hit Downs for the touchdown to make it 14-0 Colts. After a touchback, a desperate Mike Tomlin gambled on 4th and 1 from his own 39. Justin Fields got stopped for no gain. With the short field, Flacco moved the Colts to a 2nd and 7 at the Pittsburgh 14. Flacco threw incomplete twice. Matt Gay hit a 33 yard field goal to make it 17-0 Colts.

The Steelers took over at their own 4 yard line and moved 91 yards. On 1st and 10 from the Indianapolis 15, Fields hit George Pickens for 10, but Pickens fumbled and the Colts recovered at their own 3 yard line. The Steelers got it back at their own 25 and moved to Indianapolis 31 with 4 seconds left on the clock. Chris Boswell hit a 50 yard field goal to finally get the Steeler son the board. In the third quarter with the Steelers facing 3rd and 10 at the Indianapolis 33, Fields ran for his life, lost 20 yards, and fumbled the ball away.The Colts took over at the Pittsburgh 42 looking to deliver the knockout blow, but they gained only 6 yards. Gay’s 54 yard field goal try was no good. The Steelers took over at their own 44. Fields went deep to Pickens for 38. On 3rd and goal at the 5, Fields ran for the touchdown. Instead of being down 20-3, the Steelers were only down 17-10 with 3 minutes left in the third quarter. 

After a touchback, the Colts faced 3rd and 10 from their own 30. Flacco hit Pittman for 12. Defensive unnecessary roughness on an incompletion added 15. On 3rd and 7 from the Pittsburgh 40, Flacco hit Downs for 25 as the third quarter ended. On 3rd and 10 from the Pittsburgh 15 to start the fourth quarter, Flacco hit Ogletree for the touchdown to make it 24-10 Colts. After a touchback from his own 43, Fields hit Najee Harris for 32 with 13 more added on for roughing the passer. On 3rd and 1 from the Indy 3, Harris got the yard. Fields ran for a 2 yard touchdown. With 11 1/2 minutes left in regulation, The Steelers were back in it down 24-17.

After a touchback, the Colts moved 64 yards in 10 plays and 5 1/2 minutes. On 3rd and 3 from the Pittsburgh 14, a run lost 2 yards. Gay hit the 35 yard field goal to put the Colts comfortably ahead 27-17 with 6 minutes left. Yet after a touchback, the Steelers kept coming. On 3rd and 2 from their own 38, Fields went to Pickens for 27 and to Jefferson for 12. On 3rd and 5 from the Indy 8, Fields went to Pat Freiermuth for the touchdown. With 3:40 to play, the Steelers had cut a 17 point deficit to a field goal. Pittsburgh held on defense and got the ball back at their own 17 with 2:40 left. The Steelers moved to a 1st and 10 at their own 42 with 1:43 to play. A couple of first downs would mean long field goal range and a chance at overtime. Yet after the shotgun, a Fields fumble meant a 12 yard loss. On 4th and 11 with 37 seconds left, Field threw deep incomplete. The valiant comeback fell short as the Steelers were knocked from the unbeaten ranks. It was a sweet win for old man Flacco, but the Colts know their season depends on Richardson being healthy. 27-24 Colts

Denver Broncos at New York Jets — The overhyped Jets had more to contend with than the media market this week as hard rain made the game a slog. On the 3rd play from scrimmage on 3rd and 18 from his own 22, a Jets fumble set up the Broncos at the Jets 30. The Broncos lost 14 yards and punted. Later on a Denver fumble set up the Jets at the Denver 34. a pair of runs went nowhere and Rodgers threw incomplete. Robert Saleh began the second quarter gambling on 4th and goal at the one. Yet a false start killed the attempt. Greg Zuerlein hit a 23 yard field goal to make it 3-0 Jets. Zuerlein hit again from 35 to make it 6-0 jets at the half. In the third quarter from their own 13, the Broncos moved 87 yards in 11 plays and 5 1/2 minutes. On 3rd and 7 from the Jets 8, Bo nix went to Cortland Sutton for the game’s only touchdown and a 7-6 Broncos lead. The rest of this awful game saw Zuerlein hit from 40 less than 90 seconds into the fourth quarter to make it 907 Jets. Wil Lutz answered from 47 to put the Broncos back up 10-9. With 90 seconds left in regulation, a 50 yard attempt by Lutz to expand the lead was wide left no good. The Jets took over at their own 40 and moved to the Denver 32 with 47 seconds left. Zuerlein came in for a 50 yard try to win it. His kick was also no good in a game that deserves no further description. 10-9 Broncos

Philadelphia Eagles at Tampa Bay Buccaneers — Last year in Tampa the Buccaneers knocked the Eagles out of the playoffs. These longtime rivals both came in 2-1 on the year. The Buccaneers went right to work from their own 21. Baker Mayfield went to Mike Evans for 8. White ran for 17. On 3rd and 1 from the Philadelphia 46, Mayfield found Chris Godwin for 7. On 3rd and 2 from the Philadelphia 30, Mayfield went to White for 22. Mayfield found Evans for a 2 yard touchdown to make it 7-0 Buccaneers. The Buccaneers got it back at their own 20. Mayfield hit Cade Otton for 16, Godwin for 28, Evans for 17, and Palmer for a 15 yard touchdown to make it 14-0 Buccaneers. The Eagles then fumbled a punt, and the Buccaneers recovered at the Philadelphia 22. The second quarter began with Mayfield throwing incomplete on 3rd and goal at the one. Todd Bowles went for it and Mayfield got in to make it 21-0 Buccaneers. The Buccaneers got it back at their own 20 and moved 77 yards in 12 plays and 6 1/2 minutes. On 2nd and goal at the 3, Mayfield fumbled but the Buccaneers kept the ball at the same spot. On 3rd and goal Mayfield threw incomplete. Chase McLaughlin hit the 21 yard field goal. Midway through the second quarter, the Buccaneers were winning a laugher 24-0.

After a touchback the Eagles faced 3rd and 6 at their own 34. Jalen Hurt gained 7. Saquon Barkley gained 7 and 3. On 3rd and 1 from the Tampa Bay 35, Hurts gained 2. Hurts hit Dallas Goedert for gains of 9 and 18. 

On 3rd and goal at the 2, Barkley got half if it as the clock hit the 2 minute warning. Nick Sirianni all but had to go for it on 4th and goal at the one. Hurts hit Campbell for the touchdown to get the Eagles on the board. After a third quarter touchback, Barkley on the first play from scrimmage ripped off a 59 yard gain. On 3rd and 1 from the Tampa Bay 2, Hurts got the yard. Hurts then got the last yard. Now the Eagles were only down 24-14. 

After a touchback the Buccaneers faced 3rd and 7 from their own 33. Mayfield ran for 10. On 3rd and 11 from their own 42, Mayfield hit Godwin for 15. Irving ran for 8, 7, 5, one, and on 3rd and goal at the one, the last yard. An extra point would put the Buccaneers up 31-14. Instead, the extra point was blocked and returned all the way the other way for a two point defensive score. The Eagles only trailed 30-16. The Eagles moved from their own 27 to a 1st and 10 at the Tampa Bay 19. Hurts was sacked and fumbled. The Buccaneers moved from their own 24 to the Philadelphia 34. McLaughlin hit a 52 yard field goal early in the fourth quarter to make it a 3 score game and lock up the win. 33-16 Buccaneers 

Washington Commanders at Arizona Cardinals — A long opening kickoff return was fumbled by the Cardinals but they retained possession at their own 45. James Conner had runs of 6, 10 and 16. On 3rd and 1 from the Washington 2, Conner got stopped for no gain. Jonathan Gannon gambled and on 4th and 1, Kyler Murray hit Marvin Harrison Jr for the 2 yard touchdown to make it 7-0 Cardinals. After that the Commanders took over. After a touchback the Commanders faced 3rd and 4 at their own 36. Jayden Daniels hit Zaccheaus for 16. On 3rd and 2 from the Arizona 40, Robinson gained 17 and 9. Robinson ran for the 6 yard touchdown to tie the game 7-7. The Commanders got it back at their own 7 yard line. On 3rd and 4, Daniels hit Zaccheaus for 5. Daniels went to Terry McLaurin for 11. The Commanders began the second quarter facing 3rd and 2 at their own 37. Daniels hit McLaurin for 5. Daniels hit McLaurin for 5 and Zaccheaus for 14. On 3rd and 1 from the Arizona 35, Robinson gained 2. McNichols ran for a 27 yard touchdown to make it 14-7 Commanders.

The Cardinals moved from their own 30 to a 4th and 1 at the Washington 35 with 34 seconds left in the half. Jonathan Gannon passed up a 53 yard field goal try and went for it. Murray was sacked. The Commanders took over at their own 42 with 30 seconds left and moved to the Arizona 27 with 3 seconds left. Austin Seibert hit the 45 yard field goal. Instead of only being up 14-10, the Commanders led 17-7. After a third quarter touchback, Daniels went to Bates for 9. Defensive pass interference on a bomb meant a 47 yard gain. On the next play Daniels ran for a 9 yard touchdown to make it 24-7 Commanders. The Commanders got it back at their own 40 and moved to a 4th and 4 at the Arizona 19. Seibert hit from 38 as 27 unanswered points had the Commanders up 27-7. The Cardinals did manage one more touchdown in the third quarter, but the Commanders struck two more times in the fourth quarter to complete the blowout. Daniels hit McLaurin for a 10 yard score and McNichols ran for a 7 yard touchdown. It was sweet vindication for Washington offensive coordinator Kliff Kingsbury, who was fired as head coach of the Cardinals one year ago. He received the game ball from Washington head coach Dan Quinn, who has a long-suffering squad at 3-1. Meanwhile, Daniels has completed over 82% of his passes in his first 4 NFL starts, an NFL record for any quarterback in the history of the game.  42-14 Commanders

New England Patriots at San Francisco 49ers — Both teams came in 1-2, which was a surprise for fans of the defending NFC champion 49ers. In the first quarter the 49ers moved from their own 7 to a 3rd and goal at the 3. Brock Purdy threw incomplete. Jake Moody hit from 22 to get the 49ers on the board. One play after a touchback, Raimondre Stevenson fumbled and the 49ers recovered at the New England 30. Mason gained 16 and 5. On 3rd and 4 from the New England 8, Purdy thew incomplete. Moody hit the 26 yard field goal to make it 6-0 49ers. The Patriot began the second quarter facing  3rd and 5 at their own 35. Jacoby Brissett was intercepted by Fred Warner, who returned the pick 46 yards to the house for a 13-0 49ers lead. The Patriots after a touchback moved to a 4th and 1 at the San Francisco 20. Jerod Mayo went for it and Stevenson got stuffed for no gain. Purdy went to George Kittle for 11 and Jennings for 32. Purdy hit Mason for 14 and Kyle Juszczyk for 12. On 3rd and 10 from the New England 12 after 2 touchdowns were nullified by penalty, Purdy hit Kittle for the touchdown that stood. With 3 minutes left in the half, the 49ers led 20-0. 

The Patriots managed a field goal before the half and a touchdown set up by a third quarter San Francisco fumble to get within 20-10, but this game was over. After a touchback Purdy went deep to Deebo Samuel for 53 and Mason for 13. Mason ran for a 4 yard touchdown to make it 27-10 49ers. The final 25 minutes were all defense. New England managed a fourth quarter field goal and so did San Francisco to complete the scoring. 30-13 49ers.

Kansas City Chiefs at Los Angeles Chargers — The 2 time defending champion and unbeaten Chiefs faced a tough test from the Chargers, who lost their first game last week. The Chiefs fumbled the ball away on their first possession and the Chargers took over at their own 26. On 3rd and 1, Gus Edwards gained 5. JK Dobbins gained 12. Herbert hit Will Dissly for 22 and mcConkey for 15. Herbert hit McConkey for a 7 yard touchdown to make it 7-0 Chargers. An interception of Patrick Mahomes set up the Chargers at the Kansas City 20. A pair of offensive penalties cost the Chargers 25 yards but Cameron Dicker hit the 50 yard field goal to make it 10-0 Chargers. 

The Chargers defense was lights out for nearly the first 26 minutes. Then with 4 minutes left in the half, one play changed the game. Mahomes went bombs away to Xavier Worthy for a 54 yard touchdown to get the Chiefs within 10-7. Harrison Butker missed a 65 yard field goal try to end the half, but Dicker missed from 55 in the third quarter. Butker hit from 37 in the third quarter for a 10-10 deadlock. Early in the fourth quarter Jim Harbaugh gambled on 4th and 1 from the Kansas City 3 rather than kick the field goal and take the lead. Herbert threw incomplete. Midway through the fourth quarter the Chiefs took over at their own 40. Mahomes hit gray for 29. Perine ran for a 2 yard touchdown with 6 minutes left in regulation to give the Chiefs the 7 point lead. The Chargers punted with 3 1/2 minutes left, pinning the Chiefs at their own 4 yard line. On 3rd and 6, Mahomes hit Worthy for 15 and then took 3 knees. It was a street fight, but the Chiefs are 4-0, making Andy Reid a most happy Walrus indeed. 17-10 Chiefs

Cleveland Browns at Las Vegas Raiders — A pair of 1-2 teams with a history of being dumb had a contest to see who wanted to win least. The Raiders were without Davante Adams and Maxx Crosby. They were also humiliated at home last week by previously winless Carolina, and that was with Adams and Crosby playing. The Browns were playing badly, with Deshaun Watson in particular not living up to his potential, his previous play, or his contract. Yet nobody makes struggling players look like Hall of Famers like the Raiders. After an opening touchback, runs and short passes had the Browns facing 3rd and 10 at the Raiders 42. Watson hit Moore for 11 with roughing the passer adding 15 more. On 3rd and 2 from the Raiders 24, Watson hit former Raiders receiver Amari Cooper for just enough. On 3rd and 3 from the Raiders 5, Ford ran for 4. Watson hit Whiteheart for the one yard touchdown. The 15 play, 70 yard drive took 9 1/2 minutes off the clock. The Browns punched the Raiders in the mouth and led 7-0. 

The Raiders began with a penalty on the ensuing kickoff to start out at their own 16. On the first play from scrimmage, Gardner Minshew found a wide open Brock Bowers for what would have been a big game. Bowers dropped the ball. Then came an offensive holding call. The Raiders punted and actually suffered an unsportsmanlike conduct penalty and had to punt again on 4th and 21 from their own 5. These are the Raiders. The Browns had a short field at the Raiders 46. The defense held Cleveland to a 56 yard Dustin Hopkins field goal, but the Browns led 10-0. 

After a touchback, Bowers took an end around 12 yards out. The second quarter began with the Raiders facing 3rd and 6 at their own 46. Minshew found Tre Tucker for 14 and then 14 more. Zamir White gained 8 and McAllister added 10. On 3rd and goal at the 3, Tucker took the end around and beat the defense to the corner pylon. The Raiders have struggled with conventional running, but the trick-lays were working as the Raiders were within 10-7. The Raiders got the ball back and moved from their own 21 to a 1st and 10 at the Cleveland 34. Offensive holding stalled the drive. Daniel Carlson nailed a 52 yard field goal for a 10-10 game with 3 minutes left in the half.

After a third quarter touchback, Minshew went to Jakobi Meyers for 19. On 3rd and 9 from midfield, Minhew threw incomplete but roughing the passer gifted the Raiders 15 yards. These are the Browns. On 3rd and 4 from the Cleveland 15, Minshew went to Meyers, who dropped it. These are the Raiders. Carlson hit the 34 yard field goal to put the Raiders up 13-10. The Browns from their own 26 to a 2nd and 8 at the Raiders 47. Then came a key play in the game. Watson went to Cooper for what should have been a big gain. The ball hit Cooper right in his chest. It bounced off his chest in the air and was intercepted by Moehring, who returned the interception 16 yards to his own 48. These are the Browns. Minshew hit Meyers for 13. On 3rd and 9 from the Cleveland 34, Mattison gained 16. DJ Turner then got around the end and dodged and weaved his way for an 18 yard touchdown. after three quarters, the Raiders led 20-10. 

The Raiders began the fourth quarter with the ball, the lead, and all the momentum from 20 unanswered points. All they had to do was run down some clock. The Browns had little to no offense. The Raiders had 3rd and 1 at their own 33. They only needed one yard. At worst, if they again failed to gain a yard, they could punt. All the Raiders had to do was not give the game away. Rather than play power football because they can’t, a lateral run was blown up in the backfield. Worse, it forced a fumble. Far worse, the fumble was returned 25 yards for a defensive touchdown by Rodney McLeod. The Browns were right back in the game. These are the Raiders. Yet the usually reliable Hopkins missed the extra point. The Brown trailed by 4 points instead of 3. These are the Browns.

The Raiders moved from their own 26 to a 3rd and 2 just shy of midfield. Unable to effectively run the ball in critical short yardage situations, a pass play was called. Minshew was sacked. These are the Raiders. A great punt pinned the Browns at their own 5. From their own 18, Watson escaped a sack and found a wide open Cooper. There was no defense anywhere near him. Cooper raced for an 82 yard touchdown to give the Browns the lead. These are the Raiders. Yet the touchdown was nullified by offensive holding. These are the Browns. 

With 3:17 left in regulation, the Browns began their final drive from their own 21. Helped along by a 35 yard Ford run, the Browns faced 1st and 10 at the Raiders 16 at the 2 minute warning. The Raiders defense was melting down. Watson then fumbled a snap. These are the Browns. The Browns were lucky to retain possession. With 40 seconds left, everything came down to the Browns facing 4th and 2 at the Raiders 9. The missed extra point loomed large. A field goal would not force overtime. With everything on the line for both teams, Watson rolled out and looked for an open receiver. The ball never left his hand as he was sacked. These are the Browns. 

The Raiders won in the ugliest manner possible, but they did it without their best player on each side of the ball. They got to 2-2 the hard way and for now saved their season. If ever there was a game that represented Al Davis’s maxim, this was it. Just win baby. They did. 20-16 Raiders

Buffalo Bills at Baltimore Ravens was the Sunday night game. The Bills came in 3-0 while the Ravens won their first game last week after 2 agonizing losses. The Ravens took over at their own 13 yard line. Derrick Henry burst through the line for an 87 yard touchdown run to make it 7-0 Ravens. The Bills did get a 50 yard Tyler Bass field goal, but this game was not a contest. After a touchback, Lamar Jackson went to Zay Flowers for 10 and Justice Hill for 9. Defensive unnecessary roughness added 15. Jackson hit Hill for 14. On the first play of the second quarter, Jackson hit Henry for a 5 yard touchdown to make it 14-3 Ravens. The Ravens got it back at their own 19. Jackson went to Likely for 26. On 3rd and 11 from their own 44, Jackson went to Nelson Agholor for 12. Hill ran for 11. On 3rd and 14 from the Buffalo 37, Jackson went to Hill for 15 and again for a 19 yard touchdown. Midway through the second quarter, the Ravens led 21-3.

The Bills briefly grabbed momentum when Josh Allen threw a 52 yard bomb to Shakir. Johnson ran for a 3 yard touchdown to get the Bills within 21-10. Yet on the next Buffalo drive, Allen got sacked and fumbled. Baltimore took over at their own 41. Henry ran for 5 and 25. On 3rd and 7 from the Buffalo 26, Jackson hit Hill for 17. Jackson ran for a 9 yard touchdown to make it 28-10 Ravens. Down 3 scores, Bass missed a 48 yard field goal try to start the fourth quarter. The Ravens took over at their own 38. Jackson ran for 19. Henry ripped off a 38 yard gain. On 3rd and goal at the one, Henry fumbled but an offensive lineman fell on it in the end zone for a touchdown on a night when everything was going right. 35-10 Ravens

Tennessee Titans at Miami Dolphins was the early Monday night game. The Titans came in winless while the Dolphins came in a mess after losing Tua Tagovailoa to a concussion. Tyler Huntley is the backup Dolphins quarterback who got the start in this game. Early on this game was ugly as Will Levis threw an interception and Huntley fumbled the ball back. Late in the first quarter Levis got hit and left the game injured. Mason Rudolph played the rest of the way in this battle of backups. 

Nick Folk hit a 53 yard field goal early in the second quarter to make it 3-0 Titans. Mike MacDaniel gambled on 4th and 1 from the Tennessee 48. Speedster Tyreek Hill took the end around and got stopped cold for no gain. Folk hit again from 52 to make it 6-0 Titans. Jason Sanders hit a 44 yarder for the Dolphins, but Folk ended the half with a 47 yarder as the Titans took a 9-3 lead to the locker rooms. In the third quarter Sanders hit from 56 to get the Dolphins to within 9-6 in a game deserving no further elaboration.

After a touchback the Titans faced 3rd and 4 at their own 36. Rudolph threw incomplete but defensive pass interference added 15 yards. Pollard broke free for a 41 yard run. Spears ran for a 7 yard touchdown to make it 16-6 Titans. Folk hit a 51 yard field goal late in the third quarter to make it 19-6 Titans. Early in the fourth quarter Mike MacDaniel gambled on 4th and 1 form his own 39. Achane lost a yard. Folk hit his 5th field goal to make it 22-6 Titans. The Dolphins got a garbage touchdown with 3 1/2 minutes left in regulation and got the ball back one minute later. Yet offensive holding in the end zone gave the Titans a safety and the free kick. just trying to run out the clock, Tony Pollard scored on a 4 yard touchdown with 24 seconds left to complete the blowout. The Titans finally won. 31-12 Titans 

Seattle Seahawks at Detroit Lions was the late Monday night game. The Seahawks came in a surprising 3-0, but a tough game at Detroit would show how good they really are.  The Lion took over at their own 7 yard line. David Montgomery ran for 11 and 4. Jared Goff hit Williams for 10. Goff went to Amra St Brown for 17.Gibbs gained 20. On 3rd and goal at the one, Montgomery got in to cap the 12 play, 93 yard, 7 1/2 minute drive and make it 7-0 Lions. A fumble by DK Metcalf was picked up by Davis, who rumbled 49 yards the other way to the Seattle 14. Goff hit Wright for 10. On the first play of the second quarter, Gibbs ran for a 3 yard touchdown to make it 14-0 Lions.

After a touchback the Seahawks soon faced 3rd and 6 at their own 34. Geno Smith hit his non-relative Smith-Nigba for 10. On 3rd and 7 from their own 47, Smith only gained 2 but defensive holding meant 5 yards and a first down. Smith went to Kenneth Walker for 10. Smith went to Metcalf for 29 yards down to the one. Walker got the yard to get the Seahawks on the board. After a touchback, the Lions offense kept roaring. Goff hit St. Brown for 8 and Sam LaPorta for 9. Gibbs gained 3 and 9. On 3rd and 3 from the Seattle 19, Goff hit LaPorta for 13. Gibbs ran for a one yard touchdown to make it 21-7 Seahawks. The Seahawks missed a field goal to end the first half.

In the third quarter Mike MacDonald gambled on 4th and 1 from his own 34. Smith gained 2. On 3rd and 6 from his own 38, Smith hit Metcalf for 10. Smith found Fant for 16. Defensive pass interference on an incompletion added 21. Smith hit Barner for a 9 yard touchdown to cap the 10 play, 75 yard, 5 minute drive and get the Seahawks within 21-14. After a touchback, Goff went to Montgomery for 40 yards and t Patrick for 23 more. A trick play by Dan Campbell saw St. Brown throw a 7 yard touchdown pass to Goff to make it 28-14 Lions.

Every time the Seahawks tried to close the gap, the Lions opened it up again as the game was now a track meet. The Seahawks took over at their own 20. Walker ran for 28. On 3rd and 8 from midfield, Smith went to non-relative Smith-Nigba for 11. Smith found Tyler Lockett for 29. Smith hit Bobo for 10 down to the one. Walker got the yard. Mike MacDonald inexplicably went for a 2 point conversion and Smith threw incomplete as the Seahawks trailed 28-20. Yet one play and 11 seconds after a touchback, the Lions were in the end zone again. Goff went to Williams for a 70 yard touchdown that made it 35-20 Lions. 

After a touchback, Smithbhit Walker for 7 and Lockett for 5. Walker ran for 23. Smith hit Shenault for 18 and the third quarter ended. The fourth quarter began with walker running for a 21 yard touchdown. 7 straight touchdown drives, 4 by the Seahawks and 3 by the Lions had the Seahawks within 35-27. The Seattle offense finally cooled down and was unable to tie the game. The Lions took over at their own 20 with 9 minutes left in regulation. Goff hit Patrick for 29. Gibbs gained 3 and 8. Goff hit Laporta for 30. On 3rd and goal at the 8, Goff hit St. Brown for the touchdown to make it 42-27 Lions with 5 1/2 minutes left in regulation. 

The Seahawks after a touchback moved to a 1st and goal at the 3 with 2 1/2 minutes left. A game with all offense finally saw some defense as Smith threw 4 straight incompletions. The Seattle defense forced a safety to get with 42-29, but wasted the free kick opportunity when Smith was intercepted again in the end zone for a touchback with one minute left. The Seahawks were game but the Lions at home were hungrier as both teams are 3-1 on the year. 42-29 Lions

NFL 2024 Week 4 Prequel

Thursday, September 26, 2024, 8pm

Dallas Cowboys (-5 1/2) at New York Giants — The Cowboys have been horrendous the last couple of weeks, but playing the Giants might be just the tonic they need. If the Cowboys lose this game, Jerrah may blow the whole thing up before October. Cowboys cover

Sunday, September 29, 2024, 1pm

New Orleans Saints at Atlanta Falcons (-1 1/2) — Both of these teams lost at home in tough games against good teams that could have gone either way. Now that the invincibility of the Saints offense has been punctured, go with the home team. Falcons cover

Cincinnati Bengals (-4 1/2) at Carolina Panthers — There is no papering over how bad the Bengals are, especially on defense. The Panthers looked like a high school team until Red Rifle Andy Dalton took over for Bryce Young. On paper the Bengals are the better team, but until they win, they don’t get the benefit of the doubt. Upset special, Panthers win outright

Los Angeles Rams at Chicago Bears (-2 1/2) — The Rams looked horrendous against Arizona but then pulled off a stunning fourth quarter comeback win against San Francisco. Sean McVay is a far better coach than Matt Eberflus. There is no reason for the Bears to be favored. Upset special, Rams win outright

Minnesota Vikings at Green Bay Packers (-2 1/2) — Malik Willis played well in place of the injured Jordan Love, but the Vikings are playing on another level. It is way too early to declare this Vikings team like the 1998 team, but they are very good. They re red hot. A road win over a hated rival playing well would cement the Vikings as a legitimate Super Bowl contender. Upset special, Vikings win outright

Jacksonville Jaguars at Houston Texans (-7) — The Jaguars 2023 collapse has spilled over into 2024. It is hard to believe a team coached by Doug Pederson and quarterbacked by Trevor could be this bad, but the Jaguars are awful. The Texans are the better team at home. Until the Jaguars show signs of life, they do not get the benefit of the doubt. Josh Allen torched the Jacksonville defense. CJ Stroud should as well. Texans cover

Pittsburgh Steelers (-1 1/2) at Indianapolis Colts — This is an interesting matchup. Anthony Richardson has shown flashes of brilliance, especially with the long ball. Yet the Steelers are unbeaten and playing Mike Tomlin smash mouth Steelers football. The Colts lack the defensive firepower to win a game in the trenches. Steelers cover

Denver Broncos at New York Jets (-7 1/2) — The Broncos looked very impressive in a road win at Tampa Bay. The Denver defense throttled Tampa. The hype around the Jets has long been overblown, but their defense shut down New England. It is too soon to declare Aaron Rodgers the same quarterback who recently won consecutive league MVPs. The spread is too high until the Jets show they are a juggernaut. Jets win but fail to cover

Philadelphia Eagles (-2 1/2) at Tampa Bay Buccaneers — The Eagles won a street fight at New Orleans. Meanwhile, Tampa Bay suffered a humiliating home loss against a previously winless Denver team. Baker Mayfield is a good quarterback, but Jalen Hurts is better. The Eagles won respect last week while the Buccaneers lost some. Eagles cover

4pm

Washington Commanders at Arizona Cardinals (-3) — The Commanders did get a road win against Cincinnati, but the Cardinals seem like an improved team. Yet the Cardinals did lose at home to a good Detroit team. Go with the home field. Jayden Daniels is playing well, but Kyler Murray has shown what he can do when healthy. Cardinals cover

New England Patriots at San Francisco 49ers (-9 1/2) — Despite blowing a double digit lead against the Rams, the 49ers have far more talent than the Patriots. The Patriots do not have enough defensive weapons to slow down the various playmakers the 49ers have on offense. The spread is high, but this is a mismatch. 49ers cover

Kansas City Chiefs (-8 1/2) at Los Angeles Chargers — The Chargers are improved, but they were beaten up in a tough game last week at unbeaten Pittsburgh. Now they face the unbeaten Chiefs. While the chiefs are barely winning every week, they have not even come close to reaching their offensive potential yet this year. However, the spread is too high for a road team that wins their games in harrowing fashion. Chiefs win but fail to cover

Cleveland Browns at Las Vegas Raiders (-1) — Both of these teams are awful. The Raiders looked pathetic at home against a bad Carolina team. The Raiders have a weak offensive line and an ineffective running game. This will be a battle of who wants it least. The Raiders have no home field advantage, but their defense could allow them to eke out a win with just enough offense. Raiders cover

8pm

Buffalo Bills at Baltimore Ravens (-2 1/2) — The Ravens nearly blew a 22 point lead at Dallas to avoid falling to  0-3. Now they get an undefeated Bills team that just blasted Jacksonville by 37 points. The Ravens have plenty of talent, and are expected to turn things around. They can still run the ball, and Lamar Jackson has not forgotten how to play quarterback. John Harbaugh has not forgotten how to coach. A Bills win would have their fans thinking a deep playoff run. Yet the Ravens will be desperate. Go with the desperate team at home. Upset special, Ravens win outright

Sunday, September 30, 7:30pm

Tennessee Titans at Miami Dolphins (-1) — The Titans are winless while the Dolphins are a mess without Tua Tagovailoa. The Dolphins have a good coach in Mike McDaniel. The Dolphins are at home, and the Titans have shown very little fight. Dolphins cover 

8pm

Seattle Seahawks at Detroit Lions (-4) — The Seahawks are a surprising 3-0, while the Lions righted the ship last week with a quality win at Arizona. Geno Smith is playing well, but Jared Goff is better and has more weapons. The Seahawks have been overachieving, and the Lions need to show that their peak was not last year. Lions win but fail cover

NFL 2024 Week 3 Recap

New England Patriots at New York Jets was the Thursday night game. The Jets have been unimpressive so far. This game against a hated rival would see if they are just overhyped. The Jets in the first quarter moved from their own 27. Allen ran for 11 and 5. Aaron Rodgers hit Ruckert for 11. Defensive unnecessary roughness added 15. Breece Hall ran for 10. Rodgers hit Gipson for 11 and Allan Lazard for a 10 yard touchdown to make it 7-0 Jets. The second quarter began with the Jets facing 3rd and 6 at their own 13. Rodgers went to Lazard for 27 and Hall for 14. On 3rd and 5 from the New England 30, Rodgers hit Wilson for 9. On 2nd and 17 from the New England 28, Rodgers hit Conklin for 22. On 3rd and goal at the one, Hall got in to make it 14-0 Jets. The Patriots managed a field goal while the Jets missed one. In the third quarter the Jets moved 66 yards in 11 plays and 7 minutes. Rodgers hit Wilson for a 2 yard touchdown to make it 21-3 Jets. This game was about the Gang Green defense. They forced a fumble to set up a 28 yard fourth quarter Greg Zuerlein field goal to complete the scoring. 24-3 Jets

Philadelphia Eagles at New Orleans Saints — The Eagles blew a fourth quarter lead last week while Derek Carr has the Saints rolling like Drew Brees was still in the Big Easy. Dennis Allen knows defense, but over two weeks the Saints have had a high octane offense. Yet rather than a shootout, this game was a street fight. A 34 yard Blake Grupe field goal on the Saints first drive was all the scoring through three quarters as the Saints nursed a 3-0 lead heading into the fourth quarter. The Saints had a chance to get in the end zone when they blocked a punt late in the third quarter. On the first play of the fourth quarter, the Saints faced 4th and 1 at the Philadelphia 16. Rather than kick the field goal and extend the lead, Allen gambled. Alvin Kamara got the carry and ran into a Philadelphia brick wall for no gain.

A few plays later, momentum drastically changed. Dennis Allen runs a high risk, high reward defense. When those aggressive defenses have a breakdown, they break down in the worst way. From their own 35, the Eagles handed the ball to Saquon Barkley, who found a seam off tackle and raced for a 65 yard touchdown. Just like that, the Eagles led 7-3. After a touchback, the Saints moved to a 4th and 6 at the philadelphia 20. Grupe hit from 38 to get the Saints within 7-6. The Eagles moved from their own 24 to the New Orleans 41. With 6:47 to play, rather than punt and play field position, Nick Sirianni brought in Jake Elliott to try a 60 yard field goal. The kick was wide right no good.

The Saints soon faced 3rd and 4 at the Philadelphia 44. Kamara gained 5 yards, but offensive unnecessary roughness after the play moved the Saints back 15. Carr went deep to Chris Olave for 29. Carr went to Olave for the touchdown. The 2 point conversion try failed by the Saints led 12-7 with 2:03 to play. The Eagles took over at their own 31. With 1:15 to play the Eagles were facing desperation with a 3rd and 16 at their own 35. Yet again a very aggressive defensive call by Dennis Allen backfired. He was not wrong to make the call, but Jalen Hurts was ready. He found Dallas Goedert in the flat, and Goedert rumbled down the sideline for a 61 yard gain. Barkley ran for a 4 yard touchdown. Barkley then ran the 2 point conversion straight up the gut and in to give the Eagles a 3 point lead with one minute left. After a touchback, Carr threw deep over the middle into traffic and was intercepted. This was a bare knuckle bawl, and a playoff rematch would be worth it. 15-12 Eagles

 

Los Angeles Chargers at Pittsburgh Steelers — Both teams came in unbeaten. A field position game for the first 10 minutes had the Chargers taking over at their own 41. Justin Herbert hit McConkey for 13. JK Dobbins ran for 5 and 13. Herbert went to Quentin Johnston for 27 yard gain. The Steelers soon faced 3rd and 5 at their own 35.. Justin Fields went to George Pickens for just enough. The second quarter began with the Steelers at the Chargers 48. Fields went to Pat Freiermuth for 10. On 3rd and 4 from the Chargers 32, Fields went to Miller for 20. Fields ran for a 5 yard touchdown to make it 7-7 with 10 minutes left in the half.

After a touchback, the Chargers drove to a 2nd and 7 at the Pittsburgh 9. A run lost a yard and Herbert threw incomplete Cameron Dicker hit from 28 to make it 10-7 Chargers. Chris Boswell tried a 62 yarder on the last play of the half to tie it but was no good. Boswell did hit from 38 in the third quarter for a 10-10 deadlock. Less than one minute into the fourth quarter, Boswell hit again from 30 for a 13-10 Steelers lead. The Steelers got the ball back at their own 16 with 10 minutes left in regulation. Fields hit Pickens for 14. Harris ran for 10. Midway through the fourth quarter, Fields connected with Austin for a 55 yard touchdown to lock up the win. Jim Harbaugh lost his first game as chargers coach while Mike Tomlin has the Steelers unbeaten. 20-10 Steelers

 

New York Giants at Cleveland Browns — The Giants were trying to show that they are not the worst team in the league. The Browns wanted to show that the preseason hype around them was not a mirage. The Giants fumbled the opening kickoff and the Browns took over at the Giants 24. On the first play from scrimmage, Deshaun Watson went deep to Amari Cooper for the touchdown. Only 11 seconds into the game, the Browns led 7-0. The Giants took over at their own 19 and Daniel Jones was intercepted. Yet roughing the passer nullified the interception. Brian dabble, figuring he had nothing to lose, went for it on 4th and 1 at his own 43. Nabers gained 2. On 2nd and 16 from his ow 39, Jones went to Robinson for 20. Jones then hit Tracy for 12. On 3rd and 3 from the Cleveland 27, Jones went to Darrius Slayton for 7 and Devin Singletary for 23. Singletary then ran for 3 and finally for the one yard touchdown. The 13 play, 81 yard, 8 minute drive made it 7-7.

In the second quarter a punt pinned the Giants at their own 7 yard line. On 3rd and 2, Jones hit Robinson for 10. On 3rd and 5 from their own 43, Jones went to Nabers for 14. Jones went to Nabers again for 28 and back to Robinson for 10. On 3rd and goal at the 3, Jones went to Nabers for the touchdown. The 14 play, 93 yard, 7 minute drive made it 14-7 Giants with 1:44 left in the half. With 38 seconds left in the half, Watson was sacked and fumbled. The Giants recovered at the Cleveland 30. Jones hit Nabers for a 5 yard touchdown with 11 seconds left in the half. The Giants led 21-7.

After a scoreless third quarter that saw the Browns miss a 53 yard field goal try, a field position game had the Browns just past midfield one minute into the fourth quarter. Ford ran for 12 and Watson added 14. Watson hit Jerry Jeudy for 12. Watson went to Jeudy for a 6 yard touchdown. Kevin Stefanski went for a 2 point conversion try that was unnecessary. Watson hit Jeudy again as the Browns trailed by 6 with 11 1/2 minutes left in regulation. The Browns had 3 more chances with the ball. On 1st and 10 from the Giants 44, Watson fumbled the ball away. On 4th and 1 from their own 29 with 4 minutes left, Watson was stopped short. That put Greg Joseph in position for a 48 yard field goal with 3 minutes left to ice the game. His kick was no good. The Browns then had a golden chance to win it with 2nd and 4 at their own 44. Watson threw 3 straight incompletions as the Giants finally got a win. 21-15 Giants

Chicago Bears at Indianapolis Colts — Caleb Williams is a rookie. Anthony Richardson is technically in his second year but missed most of last year injured. Cairo Santos missed a 56 yard field goal try for the Bears in a scoreless opening quarter. In the second quarter the quarterbacks traded interceptions. The Colts took over at their own 30. Richardson went deep to Granson for 40. Jonathan Taylor out of the shotgun raced for a 29 yard touchdown to make it 7-0 Colts. The Bears moved from their own 23 to a 3rd and goal at the one. Khalil Herbert got stopped for no gain. Matt Eberflus went for it. The Bears lined up in the shotgun. Every team that does this at the goal line should be hated until they stop doing it, line up behind the center, and play smash mouth. Anyway, on 4th and goal at the one, Deandre Swift lost 2 yards, leaving Matt Ebeerflustered and the Bears scoreless.

On the first play from scrimmage in the third quarter, Richardson was intercepted. Santos hit a 53 yard field goal to get the Bears on the board. The Bears got it back, Williams was intercepted, and the Colts turned it over on downs when a 4th and 3 gamble only gained one yard. The Colts on their next drive had to punt on 4th and 2 from their own 28 when the Bears jumped into the neutral zone. That killer penalty was followed by Richardson hitting Taylor for 25. Taylor then ran for 21. Sermon gained 15. Sermon ran for a one yard touchdown to make it 14-3 Colts after three quarters.

After a touchback, Williams hit Swift for 11 as the Bears began the fourth quarter at their own 41. On 3rd and 5 from the Indianapolis 42, Williams hit Odorize for 14. On 3rd and 7 from the Indy 25, Williams hit Cole Kmet for 10. On 3rd and 6 from the Indy 11, Williams went to Kmet for 8. Williams hit Odunze for the one yard touchdown. The 2 point conversion try failed but the Bears were within 14-9 with 8 1/2 minutes left in regulation. The Bears quickly got the ball back and Williams was quickly sacked and fumbled. The Colts recovered at the Chicago 16. Richardson ran for 13. On 3rd and goal at the one, Taylor got in to make it 21-9 Colts with 5 1/2 minutes left in regulation. The Bears after a touchback moved to a 4th and 1 at the Indianapolis 6. Williams went to Kmet for the touchdown just before the 2 minute warning to get the Bears back within 5 points. Matt Eberflus decided to kick it deep and trust his defense rather than go onside. This was odd given that the Bears only had one timeout plus the 2 minute warning. Taylor broke off a 13 yard run and Richardson then took 3 knees as the Colts got their first win of the year. 21-16 Colts

Houston Texans at Minnesota Vikings —Both of these teams came in unbeaten, but one of them showed they were in Super Bowl mode. On the second play from scrimmage, CJ Stroud was intercepted to set up the Vikings at the Houston 21. On 3rd and gal at the 6, Sam Darnold hit Justin Jefferson for the touchdown to make it 7 -0 Vikings. Kaimi Fairbairn missed a 54 yard field goal try for the Texans to give the Vikings excellent field position at their own 44. Darnold went to Jefferson for 28. On 3rd and 2 from the Houston 8, Darnold went to Aaron Jones for the touchdown to make it 14-0 Vikings. For some reason, the final three quarters were played. After a scoreless second quarter, the Vikings began the third quarter at their own 23 and moved to put the game away. Darnold went to Naylor for 18. Darnold was sacked and fumbled but Powell picked it up for the Vikings and turned a loss into an 18 yard gain. Defensive pass interference added 28 yards. Darnold threw a 4 yard touchdown pass to Nailor to make it 21-0 Vikings. The Texans managed a third quarter touchdown to avoid the shutout but in the fourth quarter Reichard hit field goals of 35 and 58 sandwiched around Darnold’s fourth touchdown pass, a 2 yard toss to Mundt. 34-7 Vikings

 

Denver Broncos at Tampa Bay Buccaneers — The Broncos came in winless and had tot ravel on the road cross country for an early morning game at the unbeaten Buccaneers. This was a blowout, but not what fans expected. After a touchdown, Bo Nix hit Cortland Sutton for 22, Adkins for 6, and Reynolds for 31. On 3rd and 2 from the Tampa Bay 3, Nix ran for the touchdown to make it 7-0 Broncos. An interception of Baker Mayfield was returned by Jones 37 yards to the Tampa Bay 9. On 3rd and goal at the one, Williams got stopped for no gain. Sean Payton went for it. On 4th and goal, McLaughlin got in to make it 14-0 Broncos. Wil Lutz hit a 43 yard second quarter field goal to make it 17-0 Broncos. The Buccaneers managed one touchdown just past the 2 minute warning, but after that the Denver defense turned out the lights. Lutz hit from 38 to end the half and from 53 and 43 in the fourth quarter to complete the scoring. On this day, the Broncos resembled the 1977 Orange Crush while the Buccaneers resembled the 1976 and 1977 Orange Creamsicles. 26-7 Broncos

 

Green Bay Packers at Tennessee Titans — With Jordan Love still out injured, Malik willis got the start against his former team. On the first play from scrimmage after a touchback, Willis went to Reed for 30 yards. On 3rd and 6 from the Tennessee 36, Willis went to Watson for 30 more. Willis ran for a 5 yard touchdown to quickly make it 7-0 Packers. After a touchback, Will Levis went to Whyte for 23. On 3rd and 9 from the Green Bay 35, Levis went to Boyd for 20. On 3rd and 8 from the Green Bay 13, Levis was sacked but the defense jumped offside. On 3rd and 3, Levis hit Whyte for 7. Levis went to Vannett for a one yard touchdown and a 7-7 ballgame. After that, the Packers took over.

After a touchback, the Packers moved to a 3rd and goal at the 3. Willis threw incomplete. Narveson hit a 21 yard field goal to make it 10-7 Packers. The Titans took over at their own 31. On the first play from scrimmage, Levis found Jaira Robinson. Problem: Robinson plays defense for the Packers. The 35 yard pick six had the Packers up 17-7. Narveson tacked on a 25 yard field goal to have the Packers coasting 20-7 at the midpoint. In the third quarter rookie coach Brian Callahan gambled on 4th and 2 from his own 37. Levis got taken down for no gain. With the short field, Willis hit Emanuel Wilson for a 30 yard touchdown to make it 27-7 Packers. The Titans managed one third quarter touchdown but nothing more. Narveson hit a 47 yard fourth quarter field goal to complete the scoring and keep the Titans winless. 30-14 Packers

 

Carolina Panthers at Las Vegas Raiders — The Raiders overcame a 10 point fourth quarter deficit to pull off an inspired road win at Baltimore. Now they could get to 2-1 on the year with a win at home against the worst team in the NFL. The Panthers benched Bryce Young in favor of veteran Red Rifle Andy Dalton, but the Raiders were still expected to beat up the lifeless Panthers. The Panthers began facing 3rd and 2 from their own 38. Dalton hit Adam Thielen for 5. Dalton went to Dio Johnson for 17. Chuba Hubbard ran for 8 and 5. Dalton went to Tremble for 20. Dalton went to Hubbard, who bowled over defenders for a 6 yard touchdown to make it 7-0 Panthers. The Raiders after an exchange of punts took over at their own 3 yard line. On 3rd and 4, Gardner Minshew hit Mattison for 11. Mnshew went deep to Tre Tucker for 54. On 3rd and 4 from the Carolina 6, Minshew ran for just enough. Mattison ran for a 2 yard touchdown to tie the game 7-7. The 10 play, 97 yard, 5 1/2 minute drive was impressive, but after that the game changed.

The second quarter began with the Panthers at their own 25 and Hubbard gaining 3 and 8. On 3rd and 14 from their own 32, Dalton went to Johnson for 23 and Leggett for 35. On 3rd and goal at the 5, Dalton went to Johnson for the touchdown. The 10 play, 75 yard, 6 minute drive made it 14-7 Panthers. The Raiders moved from their own 40 to a 4th and 4 at the Carolina 39. Antonio Pierce gambled and Minshew threw incomplete. With 44 seconds left in the half, the Panthers were facing 3rd and 8 at their own 34 in a still close game. Dalton quickly went to Johnson for 35 and deep to Thielen for a 31 yard touchdown. Just like that, the Panthers led 21-7. A 57 yard Daniel Carlson field goal try to end the half was no good. Eddie Pineiro hit 5 field goals from 43 and 35 in the third quarter to make it 26-7 Panthers. The Panthers then moved 84 yards. Sanders ran for a one yard touchdown 90 seconds into the fourth quarter. 26 unanswered points made it 33-7 Panthers. The Raiders would get a pair of garbage touchdowns sandwiched around one more Pineiro field goal. with the game out of hand, Antonio Pierce had Minshew take a seat and let Aidan O’Connell get some mop up work. O’Connell led one touchdown drive. This was an embarrassment and Pierce lashed out at his team after the lifeless home effort. 36-22 Panthers

 

Miami Dolphins at Seattle Seahawks — With Tua Tagovailoa out concussed and Skylar Thompson replacing him, this game was never a contest. Jake Myers hit a 56 yard field goal to start things off for the Seahawks. A 57 yard try by Jason Sanders to tie the game was no good. The Seahawks took over at their own 47. Charbonnet gained 13. Geno Smith hit Fant for 11. Smith went to DK Metcalf for 22. Charbonnet ran for a 4 yard touchdown to make it 10-0 Seahawks. An interception of Smith gave the Dolphins 1st and goal at the 6. They gained all of 2 yards and Sanders hit a 23 yard field goal. That concluded any semblance of offense for the Dolphins. The Seahawks took over at their own 29. One play and 11 seconds later, the Seahawks led 17-3. Smith hit Metcalf for the 71 yard touchdown to end the first quarter. The second and third quarters were scoreless. In the fourth quarter the Seahawks delivered a 98 yard drive for one final gut punch. Charbonnet ran for a 10 yard touchdown to complete the scoring. The Seahawks are a surprising 3-0 on the year under their rookie head coach. In the Mike Mac Bowl, Mike MacDonald defeated Mike McDaniel. 24-3 Seahawks

 

Detroit Lions at Arizona Cardinals — After a surprising home loss, the Lions looked to right the ship against a Cardinals team that was no pushover. After an opening touchdown, Montgomery got the Lions going with runs of 11 and 6. On 3rd and 6 from their own 45, Jared Goff went to Sam LaPorta for 12. Montgomery broke off runs of 9 , 14 and the one yard touchdown to make it 7-0 Lions. The Cardinals soon faced 3rd and 2 at their own 38. Kyler Murray went to Wilson for 5 Murray then ran for 13 and found Harrison for 16 more. On 1st and 20 from the Detroit 38 after offensive holding, Murray ran for 21. Murray hit Harrison for a 10 yard touchdown to make it 7-7.

The Lions soon faced 3rd and 1 from their own 39. Jahmyr Gibbs gained 3. Goff went to Amon-Ra St. Brown for 11. On 2nd and 15 from midfield, Goff hit St. Brown for 20. The Lions began the second quarter facing 3rd and 3 at the Arizona 23. Gibbs gained 14 and 5. On 3rd and goal from the 5, Goff hit St. Brown for the touchdown. The extra point was no good but the Lions led 13-7. The Lions got it back at their own 28. Goff went to LaPorta for 24. On 3rd and 12 from midfield and the defense smelling pass, Gibbs ripped off a 14 yard run and then 6 more. With 30 seconds left in the half, Gibbs raced for a 21 yard touchdown to have the Lions up 20-7. The rest of the game was all defense. The Cardinals managed a field goal before the half and another one with 4 minutes left in regulation. With 2:20 left and the Arizona defense desperately needing a stop, on 3rd and 12 from their own 28, Goff went to St. Brown for 16. Goff scrambled for 8 more and took a pair of knees to lock up the win. 20-13 Lions

 

Baltimore Ravens at Dallas Cowboys — Both teams suffered stunning home losses las week. The Ravens blew a 10 point fourth quarter lead and lost to the Raiders. The Cowboys and their highest paid player quarterback Dan Prescott and highest paid receiver Ceedee Lamb got blasted by 25 points against New Orleans. The loser of this game would be indeed trouble early in the season. The Ravens took over at their own 29. Lamar Jackson ran for 12. Justice Hill added 17. Jackson went to Kolar for 30. Jackson ran for a 9 yard touchdown to make it 7-0 Ravens. The Cowboys were desperate for points and Mike McCarthy was desperate to fire up his team. He brought in Brandon Aubrey to try a 65 yard field goal. The kick was good. The home crowd erupted as the Cowboys were down 7-3. Yet Aubrey’s kick was still one yard shy of the NFL record held by opposing kicker Justin Tucker.

The euphoria over Aubrey’s kick did not last long. On 3rd and 2 from their own 38, Jackson gained 3. Jackson then connected with Nelson Agholor for a 56 yard gain down to the Dallas 2. Derrick Henry gained one and then got the other yard for a 14-3 Ravens lead. The Cowboys moved down the field and began the second quarter facing 2nd and goal at the 9. Lamb caught a pass and fumbled the ball away. With 3 minutes left in the half the Ravens took over at their own 12. Henry bulldozed for gains of 12 and 13. Jackson went to Hill for 13 and Henry for 23. Jackson went to Bateman for a 14 yard touchdown to put the Ravens up 21-3 with 25 seconds left in the half. That was enough time for Aubrey to hit a 51 yard field goal to get the Cowboys within 21-6. The Ravens began the third quarter facing 3rd and 1 at their own 39. Henry ran for 29. On 1st and 20 from the Dallas 42 after offensive holding, Jackson ran for 16. Henry then ran for a 26 yard touchdown. The Ravens led 28-6 as Jerry Jones debated whether to blow up his stadium metropolis for the insurance money and fire everyone before the game ended.

With 10 1/2 minutes left in regulation, Tucker missed a 46 yard field goal. Yet with the Ravens up by 22, it did not seem to matter. Soon, it did. Prescott gets most of his yards and scores during garbage time. From his own 36, he found Ferguson for 16, Tolbert for 19 and Turpin for 23 down to the one. Prescott got the yard. The 2 point conversion try failed but the Cowboy were within 28-12 with 9 minutes left in regulation. The onside kick succeeded and the Cowboys took over at their own 44. On 3rd and 4 from the Baltimore 39, Prescott hit Brooks for 24. Prescott hit Tolbert for a 15 yard touchdown. The 2 point try failed again but the Cowboys were within 28-18 midway through the fourth quarter. The Cowboys got the ball back at their own 9 yard line with 5 1/2 minutes left. On 3rd and 2, Prescott hit Luepke for 24. On 3rd and 5 from his own 46, Prescott threw incomplete but defensive illegal contact meant a new set of downs.Roughing the passer added 15 more. Prescott hit Dowdle for 18. On 3rd and 10 from the Baltimore 16, Prescott hit Turpin for the touchdown. Now the Cowboys were within a field goal with 3 minutes left. One defensive stop would make this a comeback for the ages. With 2:18 left and the Ravens facing 3rd and 6 at their own 25, Jackson hit Bay Flowers for 9. Jackson then ran for 10 and took a couple knees to ice it. The Ravens will not be 0-3. Meanwhile, Jerrah will make sure nobody is happy at Happy Valley this week. and beyond. 28-25 Ravens

 

San Francisco 49ers at Los Angeles Rams — The 49ers always seem to have the Rams number, and with the Rams losing Cooper Kupp, this was expected to be another 49ers win. The one big win the Rams got over the 49ers was in 2021 when the 49ers blew a 10 point fourth quarter lead. Sadly for the 49ers faithful, that was the NFC Title Game. The Rams won the Super Bowl in a year the 49ers felt was their year to win it all. After an opening touchback, Brock Purdy went to Brandon Aiyuk for 11. A defensive facemark added 15 more. On 3rd and 3 from the Rams 31, Mason gained 7 and 4 and then caught a pass from Purdy for 7. Purdy went to Jennings for a 13 yard touchdown to make it 7-0 49ers.

The 49ers got it back and faced 3rd and 8 at their own 25. Purdy went deep incomplete but defensive holding gave the 49ers a new set of downs. On 2nd and 15 from their own 25, Purdy went deep to Jennings for 34. On 3rd and 7 from the Rams 38, Purdy again went deep incomplete and again defensive illegal contact gifted the 49ers another first down. On 3rd and 4 from the Rams 27, Purdy again threw incomplete and this time defensive pass interference meant 14 more yards. On 3rd and goal at the 4, Purdy went to Jennings for the touchdown and the 14-0 49ers lead.

The Rams finally got going in the second quarter from their own 13. On 3rd and 8, Matthew Stafford hit Tutu Atwell for 24. The Rams had to punt on 4th and 6 from their own 43. Sean McVay desperately needed to spark his team and called a fake punt. Rivers took the direct snap and gained 7 yards to midfield. On 3rd and 2 from the San Francisco 21, Williams gained 5 Stafford went to Williams for a 15 yard touchdown to get the Rams within 14-7. In the third quarter the 49ers took over at their own 9 yard line. On 3rd and 1, Purdy gained 2. Mason gained 14. On 3rd and 1 from their own 46, Mason got around the end for 18. On 3rd and 5 from the Rams 31, Purdy went to Jennings for the touchdown. The 49ers led 21-7 midway through the third quarter.

After a touchback and a false start, Stafford went deep incomplete. Yet defensive pass interference meant a 48 yard gain. On 3rd and 9 from the San Francisco 26, Stafford went to Atwell for 11. On 3rd and 1 from the Frisco 6, Stafford threw incomplete but defensive holding meant 1st and goal at the 3. Williams ran it in one play later to get the Rams within 21-14. After a touchback, the 49ers moved 62 yards in 13 plays and 6 minutes. Early in the fourth quarter after one fourth down conversion, the 49ers faced 3rd and 1 at the Rams 7. A touchdown would all but ice this game. Mason got the carry and lost a yard. With 12 minutes left in regulation on 4th and 2 from the Rams 8, Kyle Shanahan decided not to gamble. Jake Moody hit the 26 yard field goal to have the 49ers up 24-14.

After a touchback, the Rams moved 55 yards in 13 plays and 5 1/2 minutes. After a successful fourth down conversion set up 1st and goal at the 8, Stafford threw a pair of incompletions sandwiched around him getting sacked. Harty hit from 33 to get the Rams within 24-17 with 6:15 to play. The 49ers after a touchback moved to a 4th and 5 at the Rams 37. With 2:47 left, Moody was brought in for a 55 yard field goal try to put the game in ice. Moody’s kick was no good. The Rams had life. From his own 45, Stafford quickly went bombs away to Atwell for 50. Williams ran for a 4 yard touchdown. With 1:51 left, the game was tied 24-24. The 49ers offense ended up punting and Xavier Smith raced up the sideline 38 yards to midfield. Stafford went deep incomplete and drew a 25 yard defensive pass interference call. The Rams took the clock down to 5 seconds. Harty came in for the 37 yard field goal try to win it. His kick was good and the Rams had another double digit fourth quarter comeback win over their hated rivals. The 49ers have won most of these matchups in recent years, but the Rams have a recent Super Bowl ring. The 49ers do not as Kyle Shanahan has lost several of the biggest games with a fourth quarter double digit lead. 27-24 Rams

Kansas City Chiefs at Atlanta Falcons was the Sunday night game. The Chiefs came in unbeaten after winning a pair of games by razor thin margins. The Falcons started hot after a touchback as Kirk Cousins hit Mooney for gains of 9 and 26. Cousins went to McCloud for 15. On 3rd and 3 from the Kansas City 14, Cousins went to London for the touchdown to make it 7-0 Falcons. The Chiefs took over at their own 11 and embarked on a staggering 17 play, 75, 8 1/2 minute drive. Yet on 2nd and 8 from the Atlanta 14, Patrick Mahomes went to end zone and was intercepted by Simmons for a touchback. The Chiefs got the ball back and faced 3rd and 1 at their own 30. Mahomes went to Travis Kelce for 3. Mahomes went to Rice for 12. Perine ran for 9, 8 and 2. On 3rd and 8 from the Atlanta 33, Mahomes went to Watson for 13. On 3rd and 3 from the Atlanta 13, Mahomes went to Rice for the touchdown to cap the 13 play, 79 yard, 6 minute drive to make it a 7-7 ballgame in the second quarter. The Falcons soon faced 3rd and 6 at their own 34. Cousins threw deep incomplete but roughing the passer kept the drive going. Cousins then went deep to Pitts for 50 yards down to the one. Robinson got the yard to put the Falcons up 14-7.

The Chiefs moved from their own 35 to a 3rd and 2 at the Atlanta 35. Perine got the carry and got stopped. Harrison Butker hit a 53 yard field goal to get the Chiefs within 14-10. The Falcons got aggressive with only 40 seconds left in the half and it cost them. oasis had a pass intercepted and returned 12 yards to put the Chiefs at the Atlanta 34. Butker hit from 44 to get the Chiefs within 14-13 at the intermission. After a third quarter touchback, the Chiefs moved to a 2nd and goal at the one. A run lost 2 yards and Mahomes then threw incomplete. Butker hit from 21 as the Chiefs now led 16-14. The Chiefs got it back and faced 3rd and 1 at their own 29. Steele gained 2. Mahomes went to Rice for 27. Mahomes ran for 15. Steele gained 8 and 2. On 3rd and 7 from the Atlanta 13, Mahomes went to Juju Smith-Schuster for the touchdown to cap the 11 play, 80 yard, 6 minute drive. The extra point was no good, keeping it a one score game. Yet 15 unanswered points had the Chiefs up 22-14 after three quarters.

The Falcons moved from their own 15 to a 2nd and 7 at the Kansas City 36 early in the fourth quarter. Cousins threw incomplete twice. Younghoe Koo hit the 54 yard field goal to get the Falcons within 5 points. The Falcons got it back at their own 11 and moved 93 yards in 15 plays and 7 1/2 minutes. On 3rd and 5 from the Kansas City 6, Cousins threw incomplete. 4 minutes remained. Raheem Morris made the very questionable decision to go for it rather than kick the field goal and trust his defense. Cousins threw incomplete. The Falcons got the ball back with 2 1/2 minutes left t their own 35. They moved to a 3rd and 1 at the Kansas City 13 with one minute left. Had the Falcons kicked the earlier field goal, they could win it with another field goal. Yet they needed a touchdown. They had 2 plays to gain one yard. Tyler Allgeier got stopped for no gain. On 4th and 1, rather than try smash mouth again, the Falcons tried to run laterally and got blown up for a 3 yard loss. The Chiefs again barely survived, but they are 3-0, making Andy Reid a most happy Walrus indeed. 22-17 Chiefs

Jacksonville Jaguars at Buffalo Bills was the early Monday night game. The Bills came in unbeaten while the Jaguars came in winless. After an opening touchback, Josh Allen went to Cook for 19. On 4th and 3 from the Jacksonville 44, Sean McDermott gambled early. Allen went to Shakir for 12 and again for 12 more. On 3rd and 5 from the Jacksonville 15, Allen gained 9. Cook ran for a 6 yard touchdown to cap the 10 play, 70 yard, 5 1/2 minute drive. The extra point was blocked but the Bills led 6-0. The Bills got it back at their own 35. Allen hit Samuel for 10. On 3rd and 3 from the Jacksonville 48, Allen went to Kincaid for 28. On 4th and 1 from the Jacksonville 11, McDermott gambled again. Allen gained 2. On 3rd and goal at the 6, Allen hit Kincaid for the touchdown to finish the 11 play, 65 yard, 5 minute drive to make it 13-0 Bills.

The Jaguars managed a second quarter field goal, but the Bills then blasted them to pieces. On 3rd and 1 from their own 41, Alen went to Cook for 8 and again for 17. On 3rd and 11 from the Jacksonville 35, Allen gained 11. Allen went to Coleman for a 24 yard touchdown to make it 20-3 Bills. An interception of Trevor Lawrence gave the Bills a short field at the Jacksonville 41. On 3rd and 9 from the Jacksonville 27, Allen went to Shakir for the touchdown to make it 27-3 Bills just before the 2 minute warning. The Bills got it back at their own 36 with 1:12 left. On 2nd and 5 from the Jacksonville 46, Allen hit Shakir for 6 with defensive unnecessary roughness adding 15. Allen went to Johnson for a 16 yard touchdown to have the Bills up 34-3. League rules prevented the cancellation of the second half. The Jaguars managed one third quarter touchdown. Tyler Bass hit field goals of 27 in the third quarter and 43 in the fourth quarter to make it 40-10 Bills. The Jaguars threw in a fourth quarter fumble for good measure that the Bills recovered at the Jacksonville 21. Davis ran for a 3 yard touchdown. The Bills are unbeaten and the Jaguars are still in the free fall that began down the stretch of last season. 47-10 Bills

Washington Commanders at Cincinnati Bengals was the late Monday night game. The Bengals again started 0-2 but then usually get their act together. A home game against the lowly Commanders was expected to be the tonic. The Bengals began facing 3rd and 1 at their own 38. Joe Burrow gained 4. Moss gained 15. Burrow went deep to JaMarr Chase for a 41 yard touchdown to make it 7-0 Bengals. The Commanders after a touchback moved to a 3rd and 1 at the Cincinnati 31. Jayden Daniels was tackled for a one yard loss. Dan Quinn gambled on 4th and 2. Daniels hit McCaffrey for 30. Robinson ran for a one yard touchdown to make it 7-7. The Bengals moved from their own 23 to a 3rd and 11 at the Washington 30 to start the second quarter. Burrow threw incomplete. A 48 yard field goal try by Evan McPherson to give the Bengals the lead was no good.

The Commanders took over at their own 38. Daniels went to Brown for 16. Daniels hit McCaffrey for 11. Austin Ekeler ran for a 24 yard touchdown to make it 14-7 Commanders. The Bengals after a touchback moved to a 1st and goal at the 8. Burrow was sacked to kill the drive. McPherson hit from 28 to get the Bengals within 14-10. The Commanders soon faced 3rd and 1 at their own 34. Robinson gained 2 Daniels went deep to Terry MLaurin for 55 yards. Daniels ran for a 4 yard touchdown to make it 21-10 Commanders just before the 2 minute warning. McPherson hit a 31 yard field goal before the half, but in the third quarter the Commanders kept coming. A 62 yard return of the second half kickoff by Ekeler set up the Commanders at the Cincinnati 33. Daniels hit Scott for a one yard touchdown to have the Commanders up 28-13. Every time the Bengals offense tried to get back in it, the Commanders would torch the Cincinnati defense.

The Bengals took over at their own 22. Brown gained 16. On 3rd and 10 from their own 38, Burrow hit Tee Higgins for 16. On 3rd and 1 from the Washington 37, Moss gained 6. Burrow hit Moss for 11. Brown gained 12. On 3rd and goal at the 2, Burrow threw incomplete. Zac Taylor had to go for it and on 4th and goal Burrow hit Iosivas for the touchdown. The Bengals ere within 28-20. After a touchback the Commanders moved to a 3rd and 5 at the Cincinnati 24. Daniels threw incomplete. Despite converting on 4th down earlier in the drive, this time Dan quinn was not about to gamble. Selbert hit a 42 yard field goal to make it 31-20 Commanders.

After a touchback, Burrow hit Mike Gesicki for 7, Iosivas for 16, Gesicki for 11, and Chase for a 31 yard touchdown. The 2 point try failed but the Bengals were within 31-26 with 10 minutes left in regulation. After a touchback, Daniels hit Zac Ertz for 12. On 3rd and 2 just past midfield, Daniels hit McLaurin for 4. On 4th and 4 from the Cincinnati 39 with 4 1/2 minutes left, Dan Quinn passed up a 57 yard field goal try and a punt and decided to go big and bold. Daniels hit Ertz for 9. On 3rd and 7 from the Cincinnati 27, Daniels went to McLaurin for the touchdown. With 2:10 to play, the Commanders led 38-26. The Bengals quickly moved 70 yards, and Moss scored on a one yard touchdown run to get the Bengals back within 5 points with 40 seconds left. The onside kick failed. Daniels took one knee to end the game and the only second half drive not resulting in a score. There is no sugarcoating that the Bengals are 0-3 and in trouble. 38-33 Commanders

NFL 2024 Week 3 Prequel

Thursday, September 19, 2024, 8pm

New England Patriots at New York Jets (-6) — The Jets have far too much hype around them that is undeserved until proven otherwise. These teams play ugly close games. Jets win but fail to cover

Sunday, September 22, 1pm

Philadelphia Eagles at New Orleans Saints (-2 1/2) — The Eagles bungled away the game last week. The Saints are a pinball machine, and no, drew Brees did not return. This is the week to see if the saints can handle prosperity. Saints cover

Los Angeles Chargers at Pittsburgh Steelers (-1 1/2) — Both of these teams are unbeaten but neither one has played a true quality opponent yet. The Chargers have the advantage at quarterback with Justin Herbert. Upset special, Chargers win outright

New York Giants at Cleveland Browns (-6 1/2) — The Giants find new ways to be awful, but the spread is too high to trust a Browns team that has not done much. Browns win but fail to cover

Chicago Bears at Indianapolis Colts (-1 1/2) — Caleb Williams may one day be a star, but he has not done anything yet. Anthony Richardson is showing promise after missing last year injured. Go with the home field and the established quarterback. Colts cover

Houston Texans (-2) at Minnesota Vikings — The Vikings looked fantastic against a pretty good San Francisco team. Justin Jefferson is ridiculous. CJ Stroud is for real, but the Vikings are playing on another level. Upset special, Vikings cover

Denver Broncos at Tampa Bay Buccaneers (-6 1/2) — The Buccaneers got a quality road win at Detroit. Baker Mayfield playing well. Bo nix has had a rough start to his NFL career. The spread is high given that the Broncos have a decent defense. Buccaneers win but fail to cover

Green Bay Packers at Tennessee Titans (-2) — Malik Willis is not Jordan Love, but he was adequate enough in helping the Packers win last week. The Titans are just not very good. The Packers will continue to rally around their backup quarterback. Upset special, Packers win outright

1pm

Carolina Panthers at Las Vegas Raiders (-5) — The Raiders had an inspired road win at Baltimore, and now they get the worst team in the league at home.Yet the Raiders have decades of experience playing down to their competition. They will make it tougher on themselves than it needs to be. Raiders win but fail to cover

Miami Dolphins at Seattle Seahawks (-4) — with Tua Tagovailoa injured, the Seahawks should be able to handle business at home. Geno smith has matured, and he has the same receivers he is comfortable with. seahawks cover

Detroit Lions (-3) at Arizona Cardinals — The Lions suffered a surprising home loss to Tampa Bay, while the Cardinals obliterated the Rams. The Cardinals are better than expected, but the Lions will look to rebound. Lions cover

Baltimore Ravens (-1) at Dallas Cowboys — Both teams suffered stunning home losses last week/ The ravens blew a 10 point fourth quarter lead against the Raiders while the Cowboys got blasted to pieces by New Orleans. The Ravens are desperate not to go 0-3, but the Cowboys are also desperate. Lamar Jackson is better than Dad Prescott, and the Ravens run the ball better. Ravens cover

San Francisco 49ers (-7) at Los Angeles Rams — Both teams had surprising road losses last week, with the Rams getting blasted. The rams lost Cooper Kupp to injury. The 49ers always seem to have the Rams number, but the spread is high. 49ers win but fail to cover

8pm

Kansas City Chiefs (-3 1/2) at Atlanta Falcons — The Falcons got a stunning road win at Philadelphia. The Chiefs win close games. The Chiefs are the better team, but they do not blow teams out. Chiefs win but fail to cover

Monday, September 23, 7:30pm

Jacksonville Jaguars at Buffalo Bills (-5) — The Jaguars are not playing well. The Bills are. This has mismatch all over it. Go with the home crowd and Josh Allen. Bills cover

8pm

Washington Commanders at Cincinnati Bengals (-7 1/2) — Forget the records. The Bengals are the far better team and they are at home. Joe Burrow will torch the Washington defense. Bengals cover

NFL 2024 Week 2 Prequel

Buffalo Bills at Miami Dolphins was the Thursday night game. The Bills swept the season last year to steal the division from Miami. Tua Tagovailoa was intercepted on his first drive. Ingram returned the pick 25 yards to the Buffalo 37. On 2nd and 2 from the Miami 16, Allen threw incomplete. Then on 3rd and 2 Johnson lost a yard. Rather than kick an easy 35 yard field goal, Sean McDermott took a big gamble and went for it. Allen hit cook for the 17 yard touchdown to make it 7-0 Bills. After a touchback, Tagovailoa hit Smith for 15 and Tyreek Hill for 10. Achane ran for 14 and 8. On 3rd and 4 from the Buffalo 18, Tagovailoa hit Jalen waddle for 17. After a false start, Tagovailoa hit Achane for a 5 yard touchdown to cap the 10 play, 70 yard, 6 12 minute drive and make it 7-7.

Tagovailoa was intercepted again to give the Bills a short field at the Miami 44 as the first quarter was ending. In the second quarter the Bills moved to a 2nd and 7 at the Miami 25. Allen threw incomplete twice. Tyler Bass hit a 43 yard field goal to make it 10-7 Bills. The Bills got it back at their own 15. Allen went deep to Shakir for 21 with 15 more tacked on for defensive unnecessary roughness. Davis gained 8 and 10. On 3rd and 12 from the Miami 34, Allen went to deep to Johnson for a 33 yard gain down to the one. Cook got the last yard to make it 17-7 Bills. After a touchback, the Dolphins moved to a 3rd and 1 at the Buffalo 44. Alec Ingold got the carry and lost a yard. Mike McDonald decided to go for it on 4th and 2. Tagovailoa was sacked. The Bills took over just past midfield. One play and 9 seconds later, the Bills were in the end zone again. Cook raced for the 49 yard touchdown to make it 24-7 Bills with 3 1/2 minutes left in the half.

After a touchback, The Dolphins moved to a 2nd and 3 at the Buffalo 16 with 12 seconds left in the half. Tagovailoa threw incomplete but wasted 8 seconds in doing so. Instead of a pair of shots at the end zone, the Dolphins on 3rd and 3 only had 4 seconds to work with. Mike McDaniel opted for the field goal. Sanders hit from 34 to get the Dolphins within 24-10. In the third quarter the Dolphins took over at their own 11 and moved to a 3rd and 5 at their own 30. Tagovailoa found Ingram. Problem: Ingram plays defense for Buffalo. He returned the interception 31 yards for a defensive touchdown to have the Bills dominating up 21. Making matters worse, Tagovailoa was injured on a drive later in the third quarter. He sustained a concussion and did not return. As talented as Tagavailoa is, he has a history of bad concussions in his short career. Thompson came in and moved the Dolphins to a 1st and goal at the 7. The defense dug in. On 4th and goal at the 8, Thompson was sacked. 31-10 Bills

Las Vegas Raiders at Baltimore Ravens — The Ravens lost a heartbreaker at Kansas City by a toe. The Raiders lost badly in their opener and were expected to get blown out in this game. Their defense is much better but their offense is much worse. The Ravens began at their own 45 and Justin Tucker hit a 48 yard field goal to make it 3-0 Ravens. The Raiders hung tough and moved from their own 28 to a 3rd and 3 at the Baltimore 32. A run lost 3 yards. Daniel Carlson hit a 53 yard field goal in the second quarter for a 3-3 game. Tucker hit again from 42 to give the Ravens a 6-3 lead. Minshew was then intercepted, but the Raiders dodged a bullet when all world Tucker missed from 56. Carlson hit from 51 to tie the game 6-6 with only 1:37 left in the half. That was enough time after a touchback for the Ravens to move to a 3rd and 2 at the Raiders 14 with 7 seconds left in the half. The Raiders dodged a bullet when John Harbaugh opted not to run another play since the Ravens were out of timeouts. Tucker hit from 32. The Ravens led 9-6, but this supposed blowout was a street fight.

After a third quarter touchback, the Ravens sought to break the game open. Hill ran for 14. Lamar Jackson hit Mark Andrews for 16. Derrick Henry ran for 29. Jackson hit Bay Flowers for an 8 yard touchdown. Now the Ravens led 16-6. Their defense would surely finish off the overmatched Raiders. After a touchback, the Raiders moved to a 4th and 2 at the Baltimore 25. Needing 2 scores and still only midway through the third quarter, a field goal made sense. Yet Antonio Pierce wanted more. Rather than move the chains, Minshew threw deep incomplete. Yet the Raiders got a break and got the ball back when Jackson was intercepted. On 3rd and 7 from the Baltimore 43, Minshew went to Jakobi Meyers for 13. On 3rd and 8 from the Baltimore 28, Minshew went deep to rookie Brock Bowers for 27 down to the one. Mattison got the yard. After three quarters, the Raiders were only down 16-13.

The Ravens took over at their own 24. On 2nd and 11 from their own 32, Jackson went deep to Bateman for 18 to end the third quarter. The Ravens began the fourth quarter at midfield. Jackson hit Isaiah Likely for 15. Henry ran for 17. Henry ran for a 3 yard touchdown. With 12 minutes left in regulation, the Ravens led 23-13. At this point the game was over. The Raiders had lost 49 straight games when trailing by 10 or more points in the fourth quarter. The Baltimore defense was a buzzsaw.

After a touchback, a sack of Minshew was negated by a defensive facemark. Minshew nearly had his head taken off, but the Raiders were at their own 45. They moved to a 3rd and goal at the 6, where Minshew threw incomplete. 9 1/2 minutes remained and the Raiders still needed 2 scores. This time Antonio Pierce played it safe. Carlson hit the 24 yard field goal to get the Raiders within 23-16. The Ravens then faced 3rd and 1 at their own 29. A false start killed the drive as the defense forced Jackson to throw incomplete. The Raiders took over at their own 30. Minshew went deep to Davantae Adams for 29 and to Bowers for 15. On 3rd and 5 from the Baltimore 20, Minshew went to Bowers for 11. A sack of Minshew meant 3rd and goal at the 17. Minshew then threw incomplete but defensive pass interference meant 16 yards and 1st and goal at the one. Minshew hit Adams for the one yard touchdown. The Raiders tied the game 23-23 but 4 minutes still remained. That was plenty of time for the Ravens to handle business and get a win.

Instead Jackson was blasted for a 9 yard loss. With 2 1/2 minutes left, the Ravens punted on 4th and 16 from their own 24. Stout shanked a 24 yarder. Making matters worse, a penalty on Baltimore gave the Raiders gift field position at the Baltimore 43. One first down would mean long field goal range. Zamir White gained 8 and Minshew hit Meyers for 8 more. The Ravens took their last timeout with 1:57 left. Antonio Pierce played it very conservatively, running safe runs up the middle twice. With 30 seconds left, Carlson came in for a 38 yard field goal try to give the Raiders the lead. Carlson was good, but the Ravens still had 27 seconds to work with. After a touchback and an 11 yard gain, the Ravens were already at their own 41. They had the best kicker in the game. Another 20 yards would be enough to force overtime. After a spike, Jackson threw incomplete twice. One second remained. Rather than try a Hail mary, Jackson ran up the middle for 25 yards and lateraled the ball. The Ravens did get as far as the Raiders 29 yard line, but no further. 13 unanswered points gave the silver and black a shocking come from behind victory and left the Ravens an even more shocking 0-2 on the year. Just win baby. 26-23 Raiders

Cleveland Browns at Jacksonville Jaguars — Both teams lost their openers. The Browns were crushed at home while the Jaguars had a lead on the road and gave the game away. The Browns took over at their own 11. On 3rd and 5 from their own 33, Deshaun Watson hit Moore for 22. On 2nd and 20 from their own 45, Watson hit newly acquired Jerry Jeudy for 21 and again for 9. On 3rd and 14 from the Jacksonville 16, Watson hit Bell for 12. Watson ran for a one yard touchdown to cap the staggering 16 play, 89 yard drive that took nearly 9 1/2 minutes off the clock and put the Browns up 7-0. The Browns got it back at their own 24 and marched 12 plays in eating up another 6 1/2 minutes. Dustin Hopkins hit a 53 yard field goal to make it 10-0 Browns. The Jaguars after a touchback moved to a 1st and goal at the 2 in the second quarter but could not punch it in. A run lost 2 yards and Trevor Lawrence threw incomplete twice. Little hit the 22 yard field goal to get the Jaguars on the board, but Hopkins hit from 38 in the second quarter and from 44 in the third quarter to make it 16-3 Browns. Things got worse for the Jaguars when Little doinked a 43 yard try off the upright no good.

The Jaguars finally got back in the game late in the third quarter from their own 28. Lawrence went deep to Thomas for a 66 yard gain. Travis Etienne ran for 2 and then for the 4 yard touchdown to get the Jaguars within 16-10. The Jaguars got the ball back at their own 10 and moved 83 yards in 13 plays and nearly 7 minutes. On 2nd and goal at the 2, a touchdown pass by Lawrence that would have given the Jaguars the lead was nullified by an illegal shift. Lawrence then threw a pair of incompletions. Little hit the 25 yard field goal to get the Jaguars within 16-13 midway through the fourth quarter. The Browns after a touchback moved to a 1st and 10 at the Jacksonville 24. Yet a 15 yard run by Foreman that would have meat 1st and goal was wiped out by an offensive facemask penalty and consecutive offensive holding calls. On 3rd and 36…yes, 3rd and 36…a give up run gained only 9 and did not get the Browns into field goal range. Yet a terrific punt pinned the Jaguars at their own 2 yard line just past the 2 minute warning. There would be no 98 yard drive. Instead the defense forced a safety to lock up the win. 18-13 Browns

New York Jets at Tennessee Titans — Both teams looked awful in their season opening loss. The Titans took over at their own 32. On 3rd and 5 from their 42, Will Levis hit Calvin Ridley for 15. Spears gained 6 and 7. On 2nd and 11 from the Jets 22, Levis hit Whyte for 12. Ridley ran for a 10 yard touchdown as the 6 1/2 minute drive put the Titans up 7-0. The defenses dug in. Midway through the second quarter, the Titans took over at their own 25. Levis went deep and was quickly intercepted. The Jets took over at their own 27. On 3rd and 8, Aaron Rodgers hit Lazard for just enough. Rodgers hit Allen for 11. Rodgers went to Wilson for 16. On 3rd and 2 from the Tennessee 28, Rodgers hit Wilson for 6 and Conklin for 10. Rodgers went to Allen for a 10 yard touchdown to cap the 12 play, 73 yard, 5 minute drive and make it 7-7 with 1:47 left in the first half.

The Titans took over at their own 26 and moved to a 1st and 10 at the Jets 17 with 20 seconds left in the half. Levis was then sacked to kill the drive. Nick Folk hit a 41 yard field goal to make it 10-7 Titans. The Jets began the third quarter facing 3rd and 15 at their own 25. Rodgers threw incomplete but a 15 yard roughing the passer penalty was a killer. Breece Hall then took an end around 30 yards. Rodgers then went deep to Hall for a 26 yard touchdown to make it 14-10 Jets. The Jets then blocked a punt to take over at the Tennessee 30. Yet on 2nd and 6 from the Tennessee 15, Rodgers threw incomplete twice. Greg Zuerlein hit a 33 yard field goal for a 17-10 Jets advantage.

The Titans soon faced 3rd and 1 at their own 38. Levis gained 21. Levis went deep to Ridley for a 40 yard touchdown and a 17-17 tie after three quarters. Midway through the fourth quarter, the Jets faced 3rd and 1 at their own 35. Rather than just move the chains, Rodgers went deep to Wilson for 26. On 2nd and 16 from the Tennessee 45, Rodgers went deep to Williams for 19. Braelon Allen ran for a 20 yard touchdown to put the Jets back up by 7 with 4 1/2 minutes left in regulation. After a touchback, the Titans moved the ball down the field. They took their first timeout on 2nd and goal at the 8 with 35 seconds left. Levis threw incomplete and was then sacked as the Titans took another timeout with 23 ticks left. On 4th and goal at the 14, Levis threw incomplete. The final defensive stand was the difference as Aaron Rodgers got his first win with his new team. 24-17 Jets

San Francisco 49ers at Minnesota Vikings — Both teams won their home openers, but not much stock was put into Minnesota’s own at the woeful Giants. The defending NFC Champion 49ers would present a far sterner test. A defensive first quarter saw the 49ers punt from midfield and the Vikings block it. Jackson picked up the blocked punt and race 37 yards to the San Francisco 24. Yet on 3rd and goal t the 4, Sam Darnold threw incomplete. Reichard hit a 22 yard field goal to make it 3-0 Vikings. The 49ers took over at their own 10 yard line and methodically moved 88 yards in 15 plays and nearly 9 1/2 minutes. On 4th and goal at the 2 in the second quarter, Kyle Shanahan decided to go for it. Everyone knows Shanahan hates running the ball. Darnold threw incomplete and the 49ers came up snake eyes. The Minnesota defense produced a goal line stand and their offense gave NFL fans the play of the year so far. Darnold went bombs away to Justin Jefferson, who crisscrossed the field for a 97 yard touchdown as the Vikings led 10-0. The 49ers after a touchback moved to a 4th and 2 at the Minnesota 43. Shanahan went for it again and Brock Purdy was only able to scramble for one yard.

The Vikings had all the momentum and a 1st and 10 at the San Francisco 21 with less than 5 minutes left in the half. Darnold was intercepted by Fred Warner, who returned the pick 25 yards to his own 35. Purdy went deep to Deebo Samuel for 28. Mason ran for 7 and 22. Purdy hit George Kittle for a 7 yard touchdown. With 1:53 left in the half the 49ers were within 10-7. After a touchback, the Vikings moved to a 3rd and 10 at the San Francisco 38 with 11 seconds left. Darnold scrambled for 18 and the Vikings took their last timeout with 3 seconds left. Rather than from 57 yards out, Reichard’s field goal try was a more manageable 39. He was good and the Vikings took a 13-7 lead to the locker rooms. In the third quarter, Purdy was intercepted by Meteilus, who returned it 12 yards to the Frisco 10. One play and 4 seconds later, Darnold hit Naylor for the touchdown to make it 20-7 Vikings.

The 49ers fumbled the ball away, and the Vikings had a chance to deliver the knockout blow. From the San Francisco 20, Darnold hit Jones for 18. Yet Jones got hit at the 2 yard line and fumbled the ball back. The 49ers took over at their own one yard line as the third quarter ended. Purdy came out throwing, hitting Samuel for 9 and 17, Conley for 4, and Brandon Aiyuk for 7. On 3rd and 10 from their own 42, Purdy hit Kittle for 14 with roughing the passer adding 15 more. Purdy went to Samuel for 13. After all of those passes, Mason ran for 5 and then for the 10 yard touchdown to cap 12 play, 99 yard drive. Instead of being left for dead down 27-7, the 49ers were very much alive only down 20-14 with 10 minutes left in regulation.

After a touchback, the Vikings moved 62 yards in 14 plays and took nearly 7 minutes off the clock. The Vikings settled for a 27 yard Reichard field goal but led comfortably 23-14 with 3 1/2 minutes left. After a touchback, the 49ers moved to a 3rd and 1 at the Minnesota 4 at the 2 minute warning. An end around by Samuel was blown up by the defense for a 9 yard loss. Needing 2 scores, Kyle Shanahan opted for the field goal. Moody delivered from 31 to get the 49ers back within 6. The onside kick failed and Darnold took a pair of knees to end it. 23-17 Vikings

 

Los Angeles Chargers at Carolina Panthers — The Panthers looked like the worst team in the league, getting carpet-bombed by 37 points in their season opener. Meanwhile, the Chargers had a new attitude under new coach Jim Harbaugh. The Chargers began the game facing 3rd and 2 at their own 41. JK Dobbins followed up his 5 yard run with gains of 11 and 3. Justin Herbert went to Quentin Johnson for a 29 yard touchdown. The extra point was no good but the Chargers led 6-0. In the second quarter the Chargers faced 3rd and 1 at their own 44. Dobbins followed up his 9 yard run with a 7 yard gain. Herbert added 8 more. On 3rd and goal at the 5, Herbert went to Johnston for the touchdown to make it 13-0 Chargers. An interception of Bryce Young led to the Chargers facing 3rd and 1 at the Carolina 43. Dobbins got around the end for the first down and the touchdown as the Chargers led 20-0. League rules prevented the second half from being canceled. Eddie Pineiro hit a 38 yard third quarter field goal to prevent the shutout. Cameron Dicker hit from 46 in the third quarter and 42 in the fourth quarter to complete the scoring. The Panthers have been outscored 73-13 in 2 games as the Chargers are 2-0 on the year. 26-3 Chargers

Seattle Seahawks at New England Patriots — Neither Bill Belichick or Pete Carroll coached this game. Tom Brady and Marshawn Lynch were also retired. Nevertheless, both teams won their opener. A 15 yard punt return gave the Patriots the ball at their own 40. Jacoby Brissett hit Hunter Henry for gains of 8 and 12 sandwiched in-between Raimondre Stevenson runs of 9 and 6. On 3rd and 2 from the Seattle 23, Brissett hit Henry for 17. Brissett hit Polk for a 5 yard touchdown to make it 7-0 Patriots. The Seahawks took over at their own 28. From their 44, Geno Smith went deep to DK Metcalf for a 56 yard touchdown to tie it 7-7.

After a touchback, the Patriots moved to a 3d and 8 at the Seattle 11 in the second quarter. Brissett threw incomplete. Joey Slye hit the 29 yard field goal to make it 10-7 Patriots. The Seahawks soon faced 3rd and 4 at their own 36. Smith went to Smith-Njigba for 19. On 4th and 1 from the New England 36, rookie coach Mike MacDonald went for it. Smith gained 2. Smith then hit Smith-Njigba for 16. On 3rd and 5 from the New England 13, Smith threw incomplete but defensive pass interference meant a 12 yard gain and 1st and goal at the one. Charbonnet got the yard to make it 14-10 Seahawks.

The Patriots after a touchback moved to a 3rd and 9 at the Seattle 10. Brissett threw incomplete. Slye hit from 28 to get the Patriots within 14-13. A 23 yard punt return gave the Seahawks the ball back just shy of midfield with 27 seconds in the half. On 3rd and 7 from the New England 48, Smith hit Fast for 14 and Metcalf for 9. Jason Myers hit a 44 yard field goal to end the half with the Seahawks up 17-13.

Late in the third quarter the Patriots took over at their own 34. Stevenson ran for 18 and 7. On 3rd and 4 from the Seattle 42, Brissett hit Gibson for 7. On the last play of the third quarter, Brissett went to Henry for an 11. The fourth quarter began with the Patriots facing 3rd and 2 at the Seattle 3. Stevenson gained 2 and then took a direct shotgun snap for the one yard touchdown to put the Patriots back on top 20-17. The Patriots got the ball back at their own 20 and moved to a 3rd and 6 at the Seattle 21. Brissett was sacked. Slye’s 48 yard field goal try to extend the lead was no good.

The Seahawks took over at their own 38 and moved to a 3rd and 1 at the New England 15. Smith got the carry and got stuffed for no gain as the clock ticked down to one minute left in regulation. On 4th and 1, rookie coach Mike MacDonald was not in a gambling mood. Myers hit the 38 yard field goal to tie the game. The Patriots got the ball first in overtime and punted. The Seahawks moved from their own 16, aided by a 20 yard defensive pass interference call. On 2nd and 1 from the New England 13, MacDonald wasn’t taking any chances. Myers came in for a 31 yarder to win it. Myers was good as MacDonald got to 2-0 as a first time head coach, handing Jerod Mayo his first loss. 23-20 Seahawks, OT

New Orleans Saints at Dallas Cowboys — Both teams blasted inferior opponents in Week 1, but the Saints were expected to come back down to earth in Week 2. The Cowboys had the highest paid player in the league in Dak Pescott and highest paid receive in CeeDee Lamb. This game was never competitive. The Saints began facing 3rd and 2 at their own 28. Derek Carr hit Rashid Shaheed for 17 and again for 9. Carr went deep to Chris Olave for 39. Alvin Kamara ran for a 5 yard touchdown to make it 7-0 Saints. The Cowboys did get a 52 yard field goal from Brandon Aubrey, but the Saints offense kept rolling. One play and 9 seconds after a touchback, Carr went to Shaheed for a 70 yard touchdown to make it 14-3 Saints.

The Cowboys moved from their own 39 to a 3rd and 10 at the New Orleans 15. Prescott was sacked. Aubrey hit from 38 to get the Cowboys within 14-6. Yet after a touchback, the Saints kept coming. Carr went to Kamara for a 57 yard touchdown to make it 21-6 Saints. The Cowboys soon faced 3rd and 2 at their own 30. Dowdle gained 5. On the next play, Prescott connected with Lamb for a 65 yard touchdown to get the Cowboys within 21-13.

It didn’t matter. The Saints offense was unstoppable. After a touchback, the Saints soon faced 3rd and 6 at their own 45. Carr went to Olave for 10. Kamara ran for 6 and 15. Kamara ran for a 12 yard touchdown to make it 28-13 Saints with 2:48 left in the half. With one minute left in the half, an interception of Prescott saw Adebo return the pick 47 yards to the New Dallas 20. Carr hit Olave for 19 and got the last yard himself as the Saints poured it on up 35-13.

Aubrey hit field goals of 48 to end the half and 40 in the third quarter to get the Cowboys within 35-19, but they would get no closer. They kicked field goals while the Saints scored touchdowns. The last Dallas field goal came because on 3rd and 8 from the New Orleans 9, Prescott was sacked. Dennis Allen’s defense was eating up Mike McCarthy’s offense, but now Allen also had an offense. After a touchback, the Saints moved 70 yards in 12 plays and 8 minutes. Kamara scored again, this time from 7 yards out. The extra point was blocked but the Saints were up 41-19. The Cowboys went for it inside their own red zone and turned it over on downs. Grupe hit a 26 yard field goal to complete the scoring.

The Saints have outscored opponents 91-29 in two games. Carr certainly doesn’t look washed up. It’s early, but right now he looks like an MVP. The Saints have yet to punt the ball or turn it over this season. They have scored every single time they had the ball, with 10 touchdowns and 4 field goals. Meanwhile Jerry Jones was a most unhappy man at Happy Valley. Jerrah may fire everyone and blow the whole thing up if the Cowboys don’t fix things now. 44-19 Saints

New York Giants at Washington Commanders — Both teams looked awful in season opening losses. This was expected to be the Stupor Bowl. Austin Ekeler returned the opening kickoff 98 yards for a Washington touchdown, but offensive holding nullified the touchdown. The Commanders would reach a 4th and 1 at the Giants 6. Dan Quinn tied to go for it, but a false start killed the attempt. Austin Seibert hit a 27 yard field goal, a common theme on the day. Siebert was a lone bright spot as the Commanders led 3-0. A 28 yard kickoff return with 15 more yards tacked on for unsportsmanlike conduct had the Giants taking over at their own 47. Daniel Jones went to Nabers for 28. Devin Singletary ran for a 7 yard touchdown. The extra point was no good as the Giants led 6-3.

In the second quarter, Siebert hit field goals of 45 and 26. The Commanders again bogged down in the red zone but led 9-6 with 1:45 left in the half. The Giants took over at their own 31. Jones hit Malik Nabors for 13, Robinson for 11, and Darrius Slayton for 11. Jones hit Nabers for 21. Jones ran for 9. On 3rd and 1 from the Washington 4 with 8 seconds left in the half, Jones hit Nabers for the touchdown. The 2 point conversion try failed but the Giants led 12-9 at the midpoint.

The Giants fumbled the ball away in Washington territory in the third quarter. Again the Commanders moved the ball deep, only to bog down in the red zone. Seibert hit from 27 for a 12-12 game. It was Deja vu all over again as the Commanders settled for a 29 yard Seibert field goal and a 15-12 lead. After a touchback, Jones hit Nabers for 13. Singletary ran for 18 and 4. The fourth quarter began with the Giants facing 4th and 3 at the Washington 31. A 49 yard field goal would tie the game, but Brian Daboll went for it. Jones hit Nabers for 4. On 3rd and goal at the 7, Jones hit Robinson for the touchdown. Again Daboll went for 2 and again the Giants failed to convert. Instead of a 21-15 lead, the Giants only led 18-15. Yet they were scoring touchdowns while the Commanders were only kicking field goals.

It didn’t matter. The ensuing kickoff failed to reach the landing zone, setting up the Commanders at their own 40. They moved to a 1st and goal at the 6, but a pair false starts killed the drive. Seibert hit the 33 yarder to tie the game 18-18 midway through the fourth quarter. The Giants moved from their own 32 to a 4th and 4 at the Washington 22. A 40 yard field goal try would give them the lead with 2:04 left. Yet Brian Daboll for whatever reason decided to go for it and gamble on 7 when he only needed 3. Jones threw incomplete. Rookie Jayden Daniels did not throw a touchdown pass in this game. The Commanders could not score a touchdown the whole game. Yet Seibert hit 7…yes, 7…field goals, one shy of the NFL record in a game. His 7th and final field goal was from 30 yards out. It came on the last play of the game as the clock hit double zeroes to keep the Giants winless, witless and worthless. 21-18 Commanders

 

Tampa Bay Buccaneers at Detroit Lions — The Buccaneers are a decent team with Baker Mayfield, but the Lions were supposed to steamroll them after barely missing out on the Super Bowl last year. After a touchback to start, the Buccaneers moved to a 3rd and goal at the 3. Mayfield was sacked and fumbled, but the Buccaneers retained possession. Chase Mclaughlin hit a 30 yard field goal to make it 3-0 Buccaneers. One play after a touchback, Jared Goff was intercepted. The Buccaneers had a short field at the Detroit 44. They settled for a 55 yard McLaughlin field goal for a 6-0 Buccaneers lead. Then it was the Lions turn to move after a touchback to a 3rd and goal at the 3. Goff threw incomplete. Bates hit from 22 to get the Lions on the board. Bates would hit again from 35 in the second quarter for a 6-6 game.

The Buccaneers soon faced 3rd and 10 at their own 30. Mayfield went to Chris Godwin for 17, again for 11, and finally deep to him for a 41 yard touchdown. The game’s first end zone visit had the Buccaneers up 13-6. Bates would hit a 32 yard field goal early in the third quarter to get the Lions within 13-9. The Lions got it back and faced 3rd and 10 at their own 32. Goff went to Williams for 13. Gibbs gained 16. On 3rd and 4 from the Tampa Bay 27, Goff hit Sam LaPorta for 7. On 3rd and 8 from the Tampa Bay 18, Goff hit Amra St Brown for 17 down ti the one. Montgomery got in to put the Lions up 16-13. After a touchback, a defensive facemark penalty was followed by Mayfield hitting McMillan for 21. On 3rd and 4 from the Detroit 22, Mayfield gained 11. Mayfield then ran for an 11 yard touchdown to put the Buccaneers back up by 4 after three quarters. The defenses dominated the fourth quarter. First Goff was intercepted. Then twice the Lions turned it over on downs. After spiking the ball to stop the clock with 14 seconds left, Goff had 3 chances from the Tampa 26. Three incompletions later, the Buccaneers had the upset road win. 20-16 Buccaneers

 

Indianapolis Colts at Green Bay Packers — In useless trivia news, both of these teams were terrible 30 years ago when Lindy Infante coached them. In more serious news, Malik Willis would have to lead the Packers after the injury to Jordan Love in the final seconds of their opening week loss in Brazil. Narveson hit a 46 yard field goal on the opening drive to make it 3-0 Packers. The Packers got the ball back at their own 18. Reed gained 22. Josh Jacobs gained 2, 5 and on 3rd and 3, another 5. On 3rd and 2 from the Indianapolis 40, Wilson gained 4. On 3rd and 4 from the Indianapolis 14, Willis went to Wicks for the touchdown to make it 10-0 Packers. After a scoreless second quarter, Colts coach Shane Steichen in the third quarter gambled on 4th and 4 at his own 46. Anthony Richardson threw incomplete. Narveson hit a 42 yard field goal to have the Packers up 13-0.

The Colts finally got on the board in the third quarter when Matt Gay hit a 34 yard field goal. Yet early in the fourth quarter fro 50, Gay was no good. Narveson added a 34 yard field goal but after an interception of Richardson, Narveson would miss from 45 as the Packers led 16-3. With 4 minutes left from his own 35, Richardson tried to lead a rally. Richardson hit Pierce for 18 and Pittman for 11. At the 2 minute warning the Colts faced 4th and 11 at the Green Bay 15. The Colts needed a miracle and got one when Richardson scrambled for just enough. Richardson the hit Pierce for a 4 yard touchdown tog et the Colts within 6 with 1:47 left. The onside kick failed but the Colts took their timeouts on defense. A perfect punt pinned the Colts at their own 5 yard line with 42 seconds left. They reached their own 41 with 4 seconds left. Richardson’s Hail Mary was intercepted at the one yard line. 16-10 Packers

 

Los Angeles Rams at Arizona Cardinals — Both teams lost heartbreaking openers, but the Rams were expected to plow through the Cardinals without much trouble. This game was never a contest. Sean McVay gambled on 4th and 2 from the Arizona 41. Matthew Stafford completed a pass for only one yard. James Conner then ran for 16 to have the Cardinals in business. Kyler Murray went to Harrison for a 23 yard touchdown to make it 7-0 Cardinals. A 17 yard punt return gave the Cardinals great field position again at their own 40. One play and 10 seconds later, the Cardinals led 14-0 as Murray hit Harrison for a 60 yard touchdown. The next time the Cardinals got the ball, they were pinned at their own one yard line. Murray went to Harrison for 15. On 2nd and 19 from their own 7, a run only gained 3 yards but defensive holding meant a new set of downs. Murray went to Harrison for 32. On 3rd and 5 from the Rams 18 early in the second quarter, Murray hit Higgins for the touchdown to make it 21-0 Cardinals.

The rest of the game was pointless. Harty hit a 29 yard field goal for the Rams and Matt Prater answered from 48 to make it 24-3 Cardinals at the half. After a second half touchback, the Cardinals moved to ice the game. On 2nd and 15 from their own 41, Murray ran for 26. Conner added 22. Conner ran for a 5 yard touchdown to make it 31-3 Cardinals. Prater drilled a 57 yard field goal to make it 34-3 Cardinals. The Rams did manage to reach the end zone late in the third quarter, but in the fourth quarter the Cardinals scored in the luckiest way to cap a 70 yard drive. Conner fumbled near the goal line but the Cardinals recovered it in the Rams end zone anyway. In a stunner, the Cardinals blasted the Rams to pieces. Making matters worse for the Rams, star wide receiver Cooper Kupp was injured and will miss several weeks. He was placed on injured reserve. 41-10 Cardinals

 

Pittsburgh Steelers at Denver Broncos — The Steelers won ugly in their opener on the road as Justin Fields prepared to sub in for the injured Russell Wilson fort he seconds straight week. Meanwhile, Bo Nix had a rocky start to his NFL career. This was another ugly game for both teams. In the first quarter the Steelers faced 3rd and 5 at their own 27. Fields hit George Pickens for 13. Fields ran fro 16. On 3rd and 3 from the Denver 37, the Denver defense jumped into the neutral zone. Jalen Warren ran for 3 and 11. Fields hit Pat Freiermuth for 14. Fields went to Washington for a 5 yard touchdown. The 12 play, 78 yard, 7 1/2 minute drive made it 7-0 Steelers. The rest of this game was too hideous for details. Chris Boswell hit a 22 yard field goal to end the half and a 53 yarder after a third quarter interception of Nix to make it 13-0 Steelers. In the fourth quarter Wil Lutz hit field goals of 35 and 29 to get the Broncos back within 7 with 1:54 to play in regulation. By the time the Broncos got the ball back at their own 19, only 9 seconds remained. From his own 34, Nix’s Hail Mary was 40 yards short of the end zone and intercepted. 26 yard Hail Marys will not get it done. Sean Payton is an offensive wizard but these things take time to gel. Meanwhile, nobody wins ugly smash mouth like Mike Tomlin. 13-6 Steelers.

 

Cincinnati Bengals at Kansas City Chiefs — These teams have played some instant classics in some of the biggest games, including a pair of AFC Title Games. This one was a wild one as well. The Bengals began at their own 38 and moved to a 2nd and goal at the 4. Joe Burrow threw incomplete twice. Evan McPherson hit a 22 yard field goal to make it 3-0 Bengals.After a touchback the Chiefs had a staggering 16 play, 69 yard drive that chewed up 8 1/2 minutes. Yet despite 1st and goal at the 2, a pair of runs by Isaiah Pacheco went nowhere and a pass on 3rd and goal from Patrick Mahomes to Pacheco gained only one yard. On 4th and goal at the one, Walrus Andy Reid went conservative. Harrison Butker hit the 19 yard field goal for a 3-3 game.

An interception of Mahomes by Davis-Gaither was returned 12 yards to end the first quarter as the Bengals took over at the Kansas City 31. On 3rd and goal at the 4, Burrow Iosivas for the touchdown as the Bengals led 10-3 early in the second quarter. After a touchback, the Chiefs moved quickly. On 3rd and 4 just past midfield, Mahoems gained 5. On the next play, Mahomes went deep to Rice for a 44 yard touchdown and a 10-10 ballgame.

After a touchback, the Bengals moved to a 1st and 10 at the Kansas City 12. Burrow threw incomplete twice and was then sacked. McPherson hit from 33 to put the Bengals up 13-10. The Chiefs then fumbled the ball away to give the Bengals a short field at the Kansas City 46. McPherson hit a 48 yard field goal to have the Bengals up 16-10 at the midpoint.

After a third quarter touchback, Mahoems went to rookie Xavier Worthy for 12. On 3rd and 1 from the Cincinnati 37, Pacheco got stopped. Rather than try a 55 yard field goal, this time Walrus Andy Reid went for it. Out of the shotgun, Steele gained 5. Mahoems ran for 7 and hit Pacheco for 13. Mahomes hit Morris for a one yard touchdown as the 13 play, 70 yard, 6 1/2 minute drive had the Chiefs up 17-16.

After a touchback, Burrow went deep to JaMarr Chase for 47 yards. On 3rd and 2 from the Kansas City 15, Burrow gained 4. On 3rd and 1 from the Kansas City 2, Burrow got the yard. After a loss and an incompletion set up 4th and goal at the 3, a gimme field goal seemed sensible. There was still 2 minutes left in the third quarter. Yet Zac Taylor rolled the dive. Burrow hit Iosivas for the touchdown. McPherson missed the extra point. The Bengals led 22-17, but missed extra points often loom very large.

The Bengals appeared in the driver’s seat after an interception of Mahoems to end the third quarter. Yet form his own 34, the fourth quarter began disastrously for Burrow and the Bengals. After a pair of incompletions, on 3rd and 10 Burrow was sacked and fumbled. Conner recovered it for the defense and rumbled 38 yards the other way for a touchdown. The 2 point conversion try failed but the Chiefs led 23-22. The Bengals moved from their own 32 to a 1st and 10 at the Kansas City 33. Offensive holding killed the drive but McPherson nailed a 53 yard field goal. With 9 1/2 minutes left in regulation the Bengals led 25-23.

The Cincinnati defense forced a punt, and the Bengals offense tried to run out the clock. Yet on 3rd and 6 from their own 42, Burrow was sacked. The Chiefs took over at their own 25 needing only a field goal to win and a full 2 1/2 minutes to work with. With 53 seconds left on 4th and 6 from their own 45, Mahomes hit Rice for 21. Yet illegal use of hands on the offense had the Chiefs facing 4th and 16 from their own 35. This was their last gasp. Mahomes threw high and incomplete. The Bengals celebrated, but it was all for naught. Defensive pass interference meant a 29 yard gain. The Bengals howled at the call. It was close, but it appeared the defender arrived a fraction of a second early. The call could have gone either way. The ball appeared high and possibly uncatchable. Nevertheless, the call stood. Butker came in for a 51 yard field goal try to win it. He was good. While nobody should care which pop stars or social media stars celebrated with or without each other, the game itself would make for an incredible AFC Title Game rematch. The Bengals are 0-2, while the Chiefs are 2-0, making Andy Reid a most happy Walrus indeed. 26-25 Chiefs

 

Chicago Bears at Houston Texans was the Sunday night game. Rookie Caleb Williams began his second ever game in prime time, while CJ Stroud showed what a rookie could do last year. Kaimi Fairbairn hit a 56 yard field goal early on for the Texans, while Cairo Santos answered from 53 for a 3-3 game. The Texans took over at their own 23. Stroud went to Nico Collins for 18. On 4th and 1 from midfield, Demeco Ryans gambled. Stroud hit Stover for 18. Dell ran for 1 8 more. Offensive unnecessary roughness had the Texans facing 2nd and 24 from the Chicago 28 to start the second quarter. stroud calmly went to Collins for the touchdown to make it 10-3 Texans. Fairbairn would tack on a 47 yard field goal to make it 13-3 Texans.

A field position game had the Bears taking over just past midfield. On 3rd and 3, Williams went to Moore for 16. On 3rd and 14 from the Houston 30, Williams threw incomplete but defensive pass interference meant a 24 yard gain. On 3rd and goal at the 2, Khalil Herbert got in to get the Bears within 13-10 with only 32 seconds left in the half. Yet that was enough time for the Texans to move from their own 35 to the Chicago 41 with one second left. Fairbairn leveled a 59 yard field goal to have the Texans up 16-10 at the break. The second half was hideously ugly. An interception of Moore led to a 53 yard Fairbairn field goal early in the fourth quarter to make it 19-10 Texans. Williams was the intercepted again. The Texans moved from the Chicago 45 to a 1st and goal at the 4. On the verge of turning out the lights, Cam Akers fumbled and the Bears recovered. The bears moved from their own 3 yard line to a 3rd and 4 at the Houston 36. Williams threw incomplete. Needing 2 scores, Matt Eberflus opted for the long field goal. Santos delivered from 54 to get the Bears within 6 with 2:51 to play. The Bears held on defense and got the ball back at their own 20 with 1:37 left. Yet on 4th and 17 from their own 40 with 34 seconds left, Williams threw incomplete. 19-13 Texans

Atlanta Falcons at Philadelphia Eagles was the Monday night game. One week after barely surviving the first ever NFL game in Brazil on a rare Friday Night Football edition, the Eagles were in prime time again on Monday night. They were expected to handle the Falcons, who looked awful at home in their opener. After a scoreless first quarter, the Falcons in the second quarter moved from their own 27 to the Philadelphia 21. Younghoe Koo hit a 39 yard field goal to make it 3-0 Falcons. After a touchback, Jalen Hurts hit Smith for 18. On 4th and 3 from the Atlanta 41, Nick Sirianni decided to go for it. Hurts scrambled for 23. On 3rd and 11 from the Atlanta 19, Hurts gained 15. hurts hit Smith for a 7 yard touchdown to make it 7-3 Eagles. The Falcons took over at their own 14 with 5 minutes left in the half and used it all. They moved to a 1st and goal at the 3 with 22 seconds left in the half. A run lost a yard and kirk Cousins threw incomplete twice. Koo hit from 22 to end the half with the Falcons only down 7-6. After a third quarter touchback, the Falcons moved to a 3rd and 4 at the Philadelphia 8. Cousins was sacked. Koo hit again from 34 to make it 9-7 Falcons. After another touchback the Eagles moved to a 3rd and 3 at the Atlanta 6. Hurts threw incomplete. Both teams moved deep but not to the end zone. Jake Elliott hit from 29 to make it 10-9 Eagles.

After a touchback, the Falcons soon faced 4th and 4 at their own 47. The obvious call was to punt. Raheem Morris thought otherwise. Cousins hit McCloud for 12. Cousins then went deep to Mooney for a 41 yard touchdown. The 2 point try failed but the Falcons led 15-10. After a touchback, the Eagles mounted a mind-numbing 17 play, 70 yard drive that took a whopping 9 1/2 minutes off of the clock. The fourth quarter began with the Eagles facing 3rd and 4 at their own 46. Out of the shotgun, Hurts hit Covey for 9. On 4th and 1 at the Atlanta 46, Nick Sirianni went for it and Hurts took the tush push for 3 yards. On 3rd and 2 from the Atlanta 35, Hurts gained 12 yards. On 3rd and 3 from the Atlanta 5, Hurts went to Saquon Barkley for 4. It was another tush push as Hurts got the one yard touchdown. Barkley ran in the 2 point conversion to put the Eagles up 18-15 with 6:47 left in regulation.

One minute later, on 4th and 1 from his own 39, Raheem Morris went for it rather than punting and playing field position. Robinson got stuffed for no gain. The Eagles moved to a 3rd and 3 at the Atlanta 10. Only 1:46 remained. The Falcons were out of timeouts. A run would take the clock down to one minute. For some crazy reason, Nick Sirianni called a pass play. Hurts threw it right to Barkley, who just dropped it. Yes, Barkley dropped it. Yet it was still a strange call that preserved 40 to 45 precious seconds of clock. Elliott hit the 29 yard field goal to put the Eagles up 21-15, but they did not close the door.

After a touchback, Cousins hit Pitts for 11. Cousins then went to Mooney for monster gains of 21 and 26. On 3rd and 5 from the Philadelphia 7, Cousins hit London for the touchdown. The Falcons now had a one point lead with only 34 seconds left. After a touchback from his own 43, Hurts went deep and was intercepted. While Cousins earned his $100 million contract on this night, the Eagles were left to wonder what could and should have been. 22-21 Falcons

 

NFL 2024 Week 2 Prequel

Thursday, September 12, 2024, 8pm

Buffalo Bills at Miami Dolphins (-2 1/2) — The Dolphins looked listless for large stretches last week until mounting a comeback. The Bills also fell behind early before righting the ship. The Bills swept the season series last year and stole the division from Miami at the last moment. The Bills have the better defense. Until the Dolphins show they can beat the Bills, they don’t get the benefit of the doubt. Upset special, Bills win outright                                     

Sunday, September 15, 1pm

Las Vegas Raiders at Baltimore Ravens (-8 1/2) — The Raiders defense is improved. Their running game is terrible, affecting their whole offense. The Ravens lost their road opener at Kansas City by the length of one toe. The Ravens will be angry. Lamar Jackson is tough to corral. Ravens cover

Cleveland Browns at Jacksonville Jaguars (-3) — The Browns looked like the same old Browns in a blowout home loss against Dallas. The Jaguars were on the verge of building a 17 point lead when they gave the game away at Miami. Trevor Lawrence has shown he can play. Deshaun Watson has not shown he can return his old form. Jaguars cover

New York Jets (-4) at Tennessee Titans — Both teams looked awful in their opening week losses. Aaron Rodgers is obviously better than Will Levis, and the Jets have the better defense. Yet it is hard to trust the Jets with such a high spread on the road until they prove themselves. Jets win but fail to cover

San Francisco 49ers at (5 1/2) Minnesota Vikings — Both teams won last week, but a victory over the Giants might not count. The 49ers obliterated what was supposed to be a good football team, and they did it without McCaffrey. The spread is high for a road team. 49ers win but fail to cover

 

Los Angeles Chargers (-6) at Carolina Panthers — The Jim Harbaugh tea began with a win, and now they face off against perhaps the worst team in the league. The Panthers are a total mess. Expect Justin Herbert to throw the ball at will. Chargers cover 

Seattle Seahawks (3 1/2) at New England Patriots — Pete Carroll and Bill Belichick are gone, but both teams got impressive wins in their opener. The Seahawks have more talent on offense while the Patriots had solid defensive performance in their road win at Cincinnati. Go with the home crowd absent any compelling storylines. Upset special, Patriots win outright

New Orleans Saints at Dallas Cowboys (-6 1/2) — The Saints put up 47 points last week, but Carolina is awful. The Cowboys are expected to make a deep playoff run and they won easily at Cleveland last week. The spread is high but this week will tell us if the saints are for real and if the cowboys really are that good as advertised. Cowboys cover

New York Giants at Washington Commanders (-1 1/2) — This is the Stupor Bowl. League rules prevent this game from  being canceled. After losing by 22 points at home, the Giants do not deserve the benefit of the doubt even against the lowly Commanders. Commanders cover

Tampa Bay Buccaneers at Detroit Lions (-7 1/2) — The Lions showed guts and heart in surviving the Rams in overtime at home.Yet the spread is too high against a Buccaneers team that is not bad. Baker Mayfield can play, and he has solid wide receivers to throw to. Jared Goff should fare well enough to win, especially with Dan Campbell willing to go big and bold when needed. Lions win but fail to cover

Indianapolis Colts (-2 1/2) at Green Bay Packers — Both of these teams were awful when Lindy Infante coached them 30 years ago. Jordan Love suffered an injury in the final seconds of the loss in Brazil, and the oddsmakers are not impressed with Malik Willis. Anthony Richardson looked impressive. If he can stay healthy, he will light up the league. Yet it’s hard to bet against the Packers at home, especially since the team has enough talent at the skill positions to rally around Willis. Upset special, Packers win outright

4pm

Los Angeles Rams at Arizona Cardinals (-1) — The Cardinals put up a fight at Buffalo in a loss. They are an improved team with a healthy Kyler Murray, but the Rams are a superior team. Despite their loss at Detroit, it is tough to go against an offense led by Sean McVay. The Rams have more offensive weapons. Upset special, Rams win outright

Pittsburgh Steelers (-2 1/2) at Denver Broncos — The Steelers won on the road las week without scoring a touchdown. Justin Fields filled in for the injured Russell Wilson and will again. The Broncos lost last week. Neither team is that good or that bad. So in a battle of average teams with great coaches, go with the home crowd. Upset special, Broncos win outright

Cincinnati Bengals at Kansas City Chiefs (-5 1/2) — The Bengals looked awful in a home loss to New England, but they traditionally get off to slow starts before ramping up. The Chiefs barely survived their home opener by a toe. These teams play each other tough. Joe Burrow and Patrick Mahomes have different styles but both get the job done. The Bengals have had success in Arrowhead. The spread is too high for a Chiefs team that often was close games. Chiefs win but fail to cover

8pm

Chicago Bears at Houston Texans (-6 1/2) — This really does not deserve to be a prime time game, but the league wants to showcase Caleb Williams. Last week the Bears came back and won despite having no offense. CJ Stroud led the Texans to a thrilling road win at Indianapolis. Stroud proved himself in his rookie season. Williams has not proven anything yet. DeMeco Ryans has proven himself as a coach. Matt Eberflus has not. Go with the better team at home. Texans cover

Monday, September 16, 8pm

Atlanta Falcons at Philadelphia Eagles (-6 1/2)

NFL 2024 Week 1 Recap

Baltimore Ravens at Kansas City Chiefs was the season opening Thursday night game. Last years AFC Title Game saw rain come down. The Chiefs went into Baltimore and stunned the Ravens 17-10. The Chiefs won their second straight Super Bowl and began this year in search of football immortality. No team has ever won three straight Super Bowls. The rematch was in Kansas City, and of course it was raining. 

As good as the Ravens were last year, they got better with the addition of bruising running back Derrick Henry. The chess match between Walrus Andy Reid’s offense and John Harbaugh’s defense is well known. Yet Chiefs defensive coordinator Steve Spagnuolo always brings a few  new wrinkles as well. 

After the first kickoff of the season under the strange new NFL kickoff rules, the Ravens got the ball first. The kickoff was a touchback, which now meant the offense started at their own 30. On 3rd and 11, Lamar Jackson calmly found Justice Hill for 18 yards. On 3rd and 9 from his own 48, Jackson went deep over the middle to Zee Flowers for 19. On 3rd and 1 from the Kansas City 24, Jackson faked the handoff to Henry and gained 11. After Jackson gained 8 more, Henry took it right up the gut for a 5 yard touchdown. The 15 play, 70 yard drive took nearly 7 minutes off the clock and put the Ravens up 7-0.

The Chiefs took over at their own 33. Patrick Mahomes went to Rashad Rice for 11. On 3rd and 6 from his own 48, Mahomes found Rice for a 16 yard gain with 15 more tacked of for a horse collar penalty. On the next play, Worthy took an end around, split the defense, and raced for a 21 yard touchdown to make it 7-7.

The second quarter began with the Ravens taking over after a punt at their own 20. Jackson went back to pass, the pocket collapsed, and Jackson got hit and fumbled. The Chiefs recovered at the Baltimore 14. On 3rd and 9, Mahomes fired to Juju Smith-Schuster at the goal line. Smith-Schuster was well-defended. The ball was in his hands but when he hit the ground the ball popped out for an incompletion. Harrison Butker hit the 32 yard field goal to make it 10-7 Chiefs. 

The Ravens on their next drive faced 4th and 3 at midfield. John Harbaugh went for it. Yet a West Coast Offense Dink and Dunk Pass gained only one yard as the Ravens turned it over on downs. On 3rd and 12, Mahomes escaped a sack and found Travis Kelce for a 23 yard gain. His girlfriend celebrated. Nobody cares. She has nothing to do with football, and will not be alluded to again. On 3rd nd 5 from the Baltimore 31, Mahomes threw a jump ball that was well defended and nearly intercepted before falling incomplete. Butker hit from 31 to make it 13-7 Chiefs with 6 minutes left in the half. 

Things got worse for the Ravens when the normally reliable Justin Tucker missed a 53 yard field goal try wide left with 1:50 left in the half. Yet one play later, Mahomes suffered an interception when smith made a diving grab and got his hands under the ball for the pick. The Ravens took over just shy of midfield. The Ravens moved to a 3rd and 1 at the Kansas City 10 with 18 seconds left. Hill gained 3 but only 13 seconds remained and the Ravens had to take their last timeout. A pair of incompletions left 5 seconds. On 3rd and goal from the 7, John Harbaugh wasn’t taking any chances. Tucker has never missed a field goal try from under 30 yards. He was good from 25 as the Ravens got within 13-10.

The Chiefs began the third quarter at their own 19. On 2nd and 5, Mahomes hit Rice for 33 and Watson for 25. On 2nd and 20 from the Baltimore 28 after offensive holding, Mahomes threw incomplete. Yet a roughing the passer call instead meant 1st and 10 from the Baltimore 14. Mahomes hit Gray for 13 down to the one. Pacheco got the carry and appeared stopped, but his entire offensive line practically carried him over the goal line. The 10 play, 81 yard drive made it 20-10 Chiefs.

The Ravens moved from their own 20 late in the third quarter. The fourth quarter began with the Ravens facing 2nd and 17 just past midfield. Jackson dropped back to pass and was flushed out of the pocket. He rolled to his right and found Likely down the field. Likely picked up a great block, faked defenders down the sideline, and strutted into the end zone for a 49 yard touchdown. just like that, only 13 seconds into the final quarter, the Ravens were right back in it down 20-17.

The Chiefs took over at their own 30. Mahomes hit Rice for 8 and Gray for 13. On 3rd and 3 from the Baltimore 39, Mahomes got around the end for a critical 4 yard gain. On 2nd and 10 from the Baltimore 35, Mahomes rolled out and found Worthy all by himself. The defensive breakdown led to an easy touchdown as the Chiefs had breathing room up 27-17 with 10 1/2 minutes left in regulation.

After a touchback, the Ravens moved from their own 30 to a 3rd and 6 at the Kansas City 16. Jackson scrambled but only gained 2 yards. After 14 plays and 5 1/2 minutes, the Ravens had to settle for a 32 yard Tucker field goal. The Ravens still trailed 27–20 with 5 minutes left in regulation. After a touchback, the Chiefs moved to a 2nd and 8 at their own 42. A run lost 2 yards as John Harbaugh took his last timeout with 2 1/2 minutes to play. On 3rd and 10, a first down would end the game. With everything on the line, Mahomes’s pass was batted high in the air. Mahoems out jumped two defenders to catch his own pass and prevent an interception. Yet while the Chiefs avoided disaster, the play only gained one yard. The clock ticked down to the two minute warning, but the Chiefs had to punt. The Ravens had life. 

The Ravens took over at their own 13 with 1:50 to play. Jackson put on a clinic in the two minute drill. He moved the Chiefs to a 1st and 10 at the Kansas City 48 with 43 seconds left. A deep bomb to Bateman gained 38 yards, but Bateman didn’t get out of bounds. the Ravens took way too long to get ready for the next play, which should have been a spike into the ground. By the time Jackson snapped the ball, only 19 seconds remained. Then rather than spike it Jackson danced around before finally throwing an incompletion. This wasted another 9 seconds. Now it was 2nd and goal at the 10 with only 10 seconds left. Barring any defensive penalties, the Ravens would have only two more shots at the end zone rather than three. 

Jackson had a wide open Zee Flowers in the end zone, but Jackson’s throw was far off the mark an incomplete. Now only five seconds remained. Jackson scrambled around and fired to the back of the end zone. Likely made a leaping catch for the touchdown. John Harbaugh immediately pulled out his steel balls and decided to go for the two point conversion and the win rather than overtime. 

Yet the Ravens never got the chance at the 2 point conversion. Replay showed that the very tippy toe of Likely was on the chalk. The force out rule was repealed years ago. Officials ruled Likely out of bounds, an incomplete pass, and game over. This would make for a fantastic rematch in another AFC Title Game, but for now, this rivalry is one-sided. It was a tough home escape, but Mahomes and the Chiefs beat Jackson and the Ravens yet again. The Chiefs are one win closer to their three-peat, making Andy Reid a most happy walrus indeed. 27-20 Chiefs

Green Bay Packers at Philadelphia Eagles was a special Friday night game from Brazil. For the first time ever, an NFL game was played in South America. Early on the Eagles were plagued by turnovers. on 3rd and 15 from his own 5, Jalen Hurts went deep and was intercepted. McKinney returned the pick 17 yards to the Philadelphia 19. On their next series on 3rd and 6 from their own 20, Hurts fumbled the shotgun snap and the Packers recovered at the Philly 13. Yet despite starting twice in the red zone, the Packers had to settle for Narveson field goals of 31 and 23 to lead 6-0.

After that the Eagles settled down. On 3rd and 1 from their own 39, Hurts hit AJ Brown for 8. Hurts then went to Devonta Smith for gains of 8 and 9. The second quarter began with Hurts throwing incomplete on 2nd and 1 and getting stopped on the tush push on 3rd and 1. on 4th and 1 from the Green Bay 34, Matt LaFleur gambled. The defense bit on the hard count and encroached Hurts then went to Saquon Barkley for an 18 yard touchdown to make it 7-6 Eagles.

After a touchback, Wilson gashed the defense for gains of 14, 5 and 18. Reed got around the end for a 33 yard touchdown. Josh Jacobs got stopped on the 2 point conversion try, but without a single pass on the drive, the Packers led 12-7. 

The Eagles soon faced 3rd and 8 at their own 32. Hurts hit Brown for 20 and Smith for 25.  On 3rd and 1 from the Green Bay 13, this time Hu its took the tush push for 2. On the next play Barkley ripped off an 11 yard touchdown run to make it 14-12 Eagles. This time the Packers struck quickly. On 3rd and 10 from their own 30, Jordan Love went bombs away to Reed for a 70 yard touchdown to put the Packers back in front 19-14. The Eagles moved from their own 23 to a 1st and 10 at the Green Bay 14 with 30 seconds left in the half. A sack of Hurts and a false start killed the drive. Jake Elliott hit a 38 yard field goal to get the Eagles within 19-17 at the intermission. 

The third quarter opened with a bang. On the second play from scrimmage after a touchback, Hurts went deep to Brown for a 67 yard touchdown to put the Eagles up 24-19. The Packers came back. On 3rd and 1 from their own 39, Love threw incomplete but roughing the passer meant 15 yards. Love hit Kraft for 29. On 3rd and 9 from the Philadelphia 15, Love threw incomplete but defensive pass interference meant a 13 yard gain. Love hit Watson for the 2 yard touchdown to put the Packers back in the lead 26-24. 

An interception of Love with 6 minutes left in the third quarter set up the Eagles at the Green Bay 24. Barkley ran for 5, 9, and for the 2 yard touchdown to put the Eagles back on top 31-26. The Packers after a touchback moved to a 1st and 10 at the Philadelphia 25 with a golden chance to take the lead back in this topsy-turvy game. Then a run went nowhere, a completed pass gained nothing, and Love on 3rd and 10 threw incomplete. From 43 yards out, Narveson’s kick was no good. 

The Eagles took over at their own 33. Barkley ripped off a 34 yard gin to end the third quarter. In the fourth quarter from the Green Bay 33, Hurts hit Calcaterra and Brown for a pair of 11 yard gains. Yet on 3rd and 13 from the Green Bay 14 with a chance to possibly lock up the win, Hurts was intercepted. The Packers took over at their own 13. Jacobs ripped off a 32 yard run as the Packers moved 79 yards in 10 plays and 5 minutes. The Packers again had a chance to reclaim the lead. On 2nd and 5 from the Philly 8, Love threw incomplete twice. Narveson hit the 26 yard field goal to get the Eagles within 31-29 midway through the fourth quarter. 

The Eagles after a touchback embarked on a staggering 16 play, 67 yard drive that consumed 7 1/2 minutes. On 3rd and goal at the one with 1:11 left, the Eagles were a tush push away from icing the game. Instead Hurts fumbled the snap. The Eagles were lucky to retain the ball after a 2 yard loss. The Eagles took the clock down to 30 seconds and took their last timeout. Nick Sirianni had a major decision to make on 4th and goal at the 3. A touchdown would end it, but a failed attempt would leave the Packers needing only a field goal to win it. Sirianni opted for the field goal. Elliott hit from 21 to put the Eagles up by 5.

Only 27 seconds remained. A touchback would have put the Packers at their own 30. Yet Nixon tried to be a hero. He took the kickoff deep in his end zone and was stopped at his own 16 yard line. Now only 22 seconds remained. Because of Narveson’s earlier miss, the Packers needed a touchdown rather than a field goal to win it. Love immediately went deep to Reed for a 33 yard gain just shy of midfield. On the next play, a surprise end around fooled almost nobody as only went for 4 yards. Making matters much worse, the clock ticked down to 6 seconds. Even worse than that, Love was injured on the play. With everything on the line, Malik Willis had to come in. After a quick incompletion left 3 seconds, Willis tried the Hail Mary. The ball never left his hand as he was sacked. 

The first game ever in South America was a thriller, but the Packers had bigger problems than the loss. Love had his ankle rolled up on and he writhed in pain. The entire Green Bay community waited to hear word on how bad he was hurt. As for the Eagles, it was a sigh of relief to win a tough game against a very good team. 34-29 Eagles

Pittsburgh Steelers at Atlanta Falcons — Russell Wilson won the starting job in the preseason but then suffered a strained calf muscle before the regular season started. That meant Justin Fields got the start. The Falcons signed Kirk Cousins to a 9 figure contract, but he can’t do it all by himself. Both teams moved the ball well in the first quarter but could not finish their opening drive. Younghoe Koo hit  a 24 yard field goal for the Falcons and Chris Boswell leveled a 57 yarder for the Steelers to tie the game 3-3. An interception of Cousins gave the Steelers the ball just shy of midfield. Boswell connected from 51 to make it 6-3 Steelers early in the second quarter. 

With 4 minutes left in the half the Falcons were backed up to their own 10 yard line. Cousins hit McCloud for gains of 9 and 20. On 3rd and 4 from their own 48, Cousins hit Robinson for 5 and again for 14 followed by a 16 yard completion to McCloud. Cousins was sacked and fumbled, but the defense was ruled offside. Cousins then hit Pitts for a 12 yard touchdown to make it 10-6 Falcons with 32 seconds left in the half. 

After a touchback, the Steelers were still at their own 42 with 9 seconds left in the half. Fields went bombs away to George Pickens for a 33 yard gain. Boswell nailed a 44 yard field goal to get the Steelers within 10-9 at the midpoint. In the third quarter the Falcons took over just shy of midfield and moved to the Pittsburgh 32. Cousins fumbled and the Steelers recovered at their own 38. Boswell drilled a 56 yard field goal. His fourth kick on the day and third over 50 yards had the Steelers up 12-10. Boswell hit his fifth field goal late in the third quarter for a 15-10 Steelers lead. 

In the fourth quarter the Steelers had a chance to put the game away, moving from their own 22 to a 4th and 1 at the Atlanta 6. Mike Tomlin went for it and a run up the gut got stuffed. With 2:47 left in the game from the Pittsburgh 47, Cousins was intercepted by Jackson, who returned the pick 49 yards to the Atlanta 18. Boswell hit his sixth field goal on the day from 25 yards out to put the Steelers up by 8. After a touchback, only 28 seconds remained. On 3rd and 3 with 12 seconds left, Cousins was sacked as the clock ran out. Despite not scoring a touchdown, six Boswell field goals got the job done. 18-10 Steelers

Arizona Cardinals at Buffalo Bills — The Bills enter the season in Super Bowl or bust mode. All they needed to do was step over the lowly Cardinals and their rookie head coach. Even with Kyler Murray healthy, this should have been a mismatch. Instead, the Cardinals exploded out of the gate. Murray hit James Conner for gains of 22 and 9. On 3rd and 6 from the Buffalo 30, Murray hit Dortch for 8. On 3rd and 13 from the Buffalo 25, Murray only gained 6 but defensive unnecessary roughness added 10 more. On 3rd and goal at the 5, Murray hit Wilson for a 5 yard touchdown. The 13 play, 70 yard, 7 minute drive had the Cardinals up 7-0.. 

A 53 yard kickoff return gave the Bills a short field at the Arizona 45. Yet from the Arizona 19, Josh Allen was sacked and fumbled. The Cardinals took over at their own 29 and moved 60 yards in 10 plays and 5 1/2 minutes. On 3rd and 6 from the Buffalo 11, Murray completed a pass for only 2 yards as the first quarter ended. Matt Prater began the second quarter with a 29 yard field goal to make it 10-0 Cardinals. The Bills after a touchback moved to a 2nd and goal at the 4. After a run went nowhere, Allen on 3rd and goal ran for the touchdown. Yet it was nullified by an offensive facemark penalty that killed the drive. Tyler Bass hit a 37 yard field goal to get the Bills on the board. 

The Cardinals from their own 29 kept rolling. On 3rd and 6 from their own 44, Murray ran for 12. On 3rd and 5 from the Buffalo 39, Murray hit Dortch for 14. Conner ran for a 3 yard touchdown. With 2:40 left in the half after the 13 play, 71 3rd, 7 minute drive, the Cardinals were dominating 17-3 in front of a stunned Buffalo crowd.

After a touchback the Bills faced 3rd and 6 at their own 34 with 1:23 left in the half. Allen hit Shakir for 19. Consecutive defensive penalties for holding and roughing the passer gifted the Bills 20 yards. Allen ran for a 7 yard touchdown with 19 seconds left in the half to get the Bills within 17-10. Prayers second half kickoff under the new rules failed to reach the landing zone, giving the Bills the ball at their own 40. On 3rd and 11, Allen went to Cook for 25 and Davis for 14. Davis ran for 13. On 3rd and 10 from the Arizona 11, Allen went to Mack Hollins for the touchdown. The 10 play, 60 yard, 5 minute drive tied the game 17-17.

Later in the third quarter a sack of Murray forced a fumble that the Bills recovered at the Arizona 21. On 3rd and 2, Johnson only gained one. Sean McDermott gambled on 4th and 1 at the Arizona 12. Allen got the yard. Allen hit Shakir for an 11 yard touchdown as 21 unanswered points made it 24-17 Bills. 

The Cardinals after a touchback moved down the field. The fourth quarter began with the Cardinals facing 3rd and 4 at the Buffalo 12. An end around by Conner gained nothing. Prater hit the 31 yard field goal to get the Cardinals within 24-20. After a touchback, Allen hit Marques Valdes-Scantling for 19. On 3rd and 14 just past midfield, Allen hit Shakir for 12. On 4th and 2 from the Arizona 37, Sean McDermott again gambled rather than try a 55 yard field goal. Allen gained 5. Allen then went deep to Coleman for 28. Allen ran for a 6 yard touchdown. With 9 minutes left in regulation, a 28-3 explosion had the Bills up 31-20.

13 seconds later, the Cardinals were right back in it. The new rules appeared to make kickoffs boring, but DJ Dallas returned the ensuing kickoff 95 yards for a touchdown. Conner ran in the 2 point conversion to get the Cardinals within 31-28.

The defenses dug in, and with 4 1/2 minutes left, a shanked 28 yard punt gave the Bills another short field at the Arizona 42. On 3rd and 2 from the Arizona 20, the Bills were trying to close out the game. Yet Allen lost a yard. The clock clicked down to the 2 minute warning. This time on 4th and 3, Sean McDermott would not be gambling. Bass hit the 39 yard field goal to put the Bills up by 6, but the Cardinals were still very much alive. Bass even then hit the ensuing kickoff out of bounds to give the Cardinals the ball at their own 40 with a full 1:56 left. The Cardinals moved to a 4th and 7 at the Buffalo 29 with 32 seconds left. The Cardinals took their first timeout at that time. Rather than just move the chains with 2 timeouts remaining, Murray went for it all deep and threw incomplete. It was tougher than expected, but the Bills survived. 34-28 Bills

Tennessee Titans at Chicago Bears — The Titans were a team with a new coach, a quarterback named Will Levis, and without Derrick Henry, who they traded away. Shockingly, Matt Eberflus was still coaching the Bears. Rookie phenom and top overall pick Caleb Williams was starting his very first game. Eberflus was now out of excuses. After nearly 10 minutes of wretched football, the Titans began moving from their own 21. Tony Pollard ran for 7 and 14. Pollard ran for a 26 yard touchdown to make it 7-0 Titans. The Bears fumbled the ensuing kickoff and the Titans recovered at the Chicago 23 as the first quarter ended. One minute into the second quarter, Nick Folk hit a 40 yard field goal to make it 10-0 Titans. The Titans got the ball back and faced 3rd and 15 from their own 22. Levis went to Calvin Ridley for 22. On 3rd and 1 from the Chicago 47, Spears gained 5. On 4th and 3 from the Chicago 35, rookie coach Brian Callahan passed up a 53 yard field goal try and gambled. Levis hit Boyd for 3. Levis ran for 15. On 3rd and 5 from the Chicago 12, Levis threw incomplete but the defense jumped offside. After a pair of offensive penalties, Levis hit Okonkwo for a 17 yard touchdown. With 3:44 left in the half, the Titans were cruising 17-0. It was another long losing season for the Bears. Maybe Eberflus would be fired at halftime.

With the Bears offense doing nothing, their special teams gave them a jolt. Carter returned the ensuing kickoff 67 yards to the Tennessee 34. On 2nd and goal at the 6, Williams threw incomplete twice. Cairo Santos hit the 24 yard field goal to get the Bears on the board. The Titans were still in control of the game with 9 minutes left in the third quarter. Then the Bears special teams came through in a big way. Stonehouse went back to punt and Hardy blocked it. Owens caught the bounce and raced 21 yards for a touchdown. Now the Bears were only down 17-10. The Bears offense was pathetic, but Williams did lead them into position for Santos to hit a 50 yard field goal to start the fourth quarter. Levis was then sacked and fumbled. The Bears took over at the Tennessee 31, did nothing on offense, and Santos hit his third field goal from 48 yards out. The Titans were trying to give the game away and the Bears were within 17-16 with a full to minutes left in regulation. After a touchback, the Titans faced 3rd and 6 at their own 45. On the verge of being sacked, Levis tried to shuffle a pass that ended up being intercepted. Stevenson cruised down the sideline 43 yards for a defensive touchdown. Despite no offense, 24 unanswered points had the Bears up by 7. With 2:20 left the Titans began their last drive at their own 18. On 4th and 10 from their own 40 with 1:15 left, Levis was intercepted again. Williams has never lost an NFL game. Eberflus is a genius. 24-17 Titans

New England Patriots at Cincinnati Bengals — After 24 years at the helm, Evil Hoodie Bill Belichick was not on the Patriots sideline. He was busy with his 24 year old girlfriend one third his age. Jerod Mayo was the new coach. The Bengals were at home with a healthy Joe Burrow. Jacoby Brissett started for the Patriots. Brissett midway through the first quarter hit Austin Hooper for 16. On 3rd and 8 just past midfield, Brissett hit Douglas for 9. On 3rd and 5 from the Cincinnati 24, Brissett ran for 16. The second quarter began with the Patriots facing 3rd and goal at the 3. Stevenson got in to cap the 14 play, 80 yard, 7 1/2 minute drive and make it 7-0 Patriots. The Bengals began a subsequent drive at their own 35 and moved 63 yards in 13 plays and 6 1/2 minutes. On 3rd and 11 from the New England 15, Burrow hit Hudson for 13. Yet just when it appeared Hudson was going in for the tying touchdown, he had the ball chopped out of his hands. The Patriots recovered the fumble at their own one yard line and returned it 17 yards to their 18. The Patriots moved 68 yards in 12 plays and 5 minutes. Joey Slye hit a 32 yard field goal to end the half with the Patriots up 10-0. In the third quarter the Bengals fumbled a punt and the Patriots recovered at the Cincinnati 24. Slye tacked on a 35 yard field goal to make it 13-0 Patriots. The Bengals after a touchback moved to a 3rd and 2 at the New England 36. Burrow threw incomplete. Zac Taylor passed up a 54 yard field goal try and went for it on 4th and 2. Burrow completed a pass for only one yard.

The Bengals got the ball back at their own 10 yard line. A deep incompletion drew a pass interference call that gave the Bengals 20 yards. Moss gained 7 and 16. Burrow hit Jamarr Chase for 10 and Iosivas for 13. Moss ran for a 5 yard touchdown with one minute left in the third quarter. The 90 yard drive had the Bengals actually in the game down 13-7. After a touchback the Patriots moved 52 yards and 12 plays and 7 1/2 minutes. Slye hit a 37 yard field goal with 9 minutes left to give the Patriots breathing room up 16-7. The Bengals after a touchback needed 2 scores. They got one when Evan McPherson hit a 51 yard field goal to get the Bengals back within 6 points. The Bengals got the ball back but faced 4th and 5 at their own 15 with 2 1/2 minutes left. Zac Taylor opted to punt and trust his defense. A booming 70 yard punt had the Patriots taking over at their own 25. Stevenson ran for 5 and 9 as the Bengals began taking their timeouts on defense. On 2nd and 7 from their own 47 with 1:52 left, Stevenson ran for 9 more to slam the door shut. Brissett took 3 knees. Unlike Belichick,  Mayo is undefeated as a head coach. The Patriots are only a few Super Bowl wins away from another dynasty. The Bengals seem to start slowly every year, and have done so again. 16-10 Patriots

Houston Texans at Indianapolis Colts — CJ Stroud and Anthony Richardson were supposed to start a new rivalry last year, but Richardson early in his rookie year got injured out for the season. Stroud went on to lead the Texans to the playoffs. This time fans got to see both quarterbacks in action as a healthy Richardson tried to show what he could do. The Colts began at their own 27 and moved to a 4th and 1 at the Houston 46. Shane Steichen went for it and Richardson threw incomplete. The Texans moved to a 4th and 1 at the Indianapolis 32. DeMeco Ryans opted not to gamble. Kaimi Fairbairn hit the 51 yard field goal to make it 3-0 Texans. The Colts took over at their own 27 and struck quickly. Richardson tossed a 60 yard touchdown to Alec Pierce to make it 7-3 Colts.

After a touchback, the Texans moved to a 3rd and 5 at the Indianapolis 27. Stroud was sacked. Fairbairn hit a 50 yard field goal to get the Texans within 7-6. The Texans got it back at their own 19 to start the second quarter. On 3rd and 1, newly acquired Joe Mixing gained 3. Stroud went deep to Nico Collins for 55 yards. On 3rd and 6 from the Indianapolis 9, Stroud hit Stefan Diggs for the touchdown. DeMeco Ryans went for 2 but Nixon could not get in as the Texans led 12-7. After a third quarter touchback, the Texans moved to a 4th and 2 at the Indy 33. This time Ryand played it safe. Fairbairn hit from 51 to make it 15-7 Texans.

Midway through the third quarter, momentum shifted when the Colts blocked a Texans punt and recovered it at the Houston 5 yard line. On the next play Jonathan Taylor ran it in to get the Colts within 15-13. This time it was Shane Steichen going for 2, but this time Taylor got stopped. The fourth quarter was a track meet, with the teams combining for as many points as the first three quarters combined. 

After a touchback, Nixon ran for 13 and 4. On 3rd and 14 from midfield, Stroud hit Collins for 19. Mixon gained 10 as the Texans began the fourth quarter with 1st and goal at the 8. On 3rd and goal, Stroud was intercepted, but a defensive holding penalty killed the Colts. Mixon ran for  3 yard touchdown to put the Texans up 22-13 one minute into the fourth quarter. After a touchback the Colts soon faced 3rd and 2 at their own 43. Taylor gained 3. On the next play Richardson went bombs away to Ashton Dulin for a 54 yard touchdown to get the Colts within 22-20. 

After a touchback, Stroud hit Mixon for 11. Mixon ran for 8 more and Dell ran for another 17. Damien Pierce added 9 and 3. With 4:442 left in the game, the Texans faced 4th and goal at the 2. A field goal would not lock up the win. Demeco Ryans went big and bold. Stroud hit Diggs for the touchdown to give the Texans breathing room up 29-20. The Colts soon faced 3rd and 15 from their own 27. This did not faze Richardson at all. He has a cannon and he unleashed it unloaded it again with a 57 yard bomb to Pierce. Richardson then ran for 10. On 3rd and goal at the one, Taylor got blown up for a 2 yard loss. With only 2:14 left, the Colts needed 2 scores. Going for the field goal would have been acceptable. Yet form that close, Shane Steichen went for the touchdown on 4th and goal at the 3. Richardson got in the end zone to get the Colts within 2 points again. They needed a defensive stop to get the ball back. 

At the 2 minute warning the Texans had 3rd and 11 at their own 29. Stroud hit Collins for 12. Everything came down to 3rd and 3 at the Indy 48 with 1:48 left and the Colts out of timeouts. Mixon gained 9 and Stroud took 2 knees. Despite the loss, Richardson showed why he was drafted. It will be years before this can rise to the level of Brady vs Manning, but Stroud vs Richardson is off to a promising start. The AFC South now has a real rivalry led by two solid quarterbacks. 29-27 Texans

Jacksonville Jaguars at Miami Dolphins — Both of teams started very strong last year before collapsing down the stretch. The 8-3 Jaguars saw Trevor Lawrence injure his shoulder. The Jaguars fell to 9-8 to blow the division and miss the playoffs in the final week. The Dolphins also  fell apart late in the season, blowing the division and staggering into the playoffs for a quick elimination. A subplot occurred when Tyreek Hill was arrested during a traffic stop before the game. He was released in time to make it to the stadium, and he played in the entire game. 

In the first quarter the Jaguars took over at their own 4 yard line. Bigsby ran for gains of 17 and 7. Lawrence went deep to Davis for 20. Lawrence went for it all and Jalen Ramsey was called for defensive pass interference. The 40 yard gain put the ball on the one. Travis Etienne got in to cap the 96 yard drive and make it 7-0 Jaguars. The Jaguars got the ball back at their own 45. On 3rd and 8, Lawrence went deep to Christian Kirk for 30. On 3rd and 11 from the Miami 14, Lawrence went to Thomas for the score to make it 14-0 Jaguars with 6 1/2 minutes left in the half.

After a touchback, the Dolphins finally got going. Tua Tagovailoa hit Achane for  16. Tagovailoa then ran for 11. Tagovailoa hit Jalen Waddle for 20. On 3rd and 5 from the Jacksonville 16, Tagovailoa hit Tyreek Hill for 10. On 3rd and goal at the one, Achane got in. The 10 play, 70 yard, 5 1/2 minute drive got the Dolphins within 14-7 with one minute left in the half. That was enough time for Lawrence to lead the Jaguars from their own 23 to a 2nd and 5 at the Miami 34 with 12 seconds left in the half. Lawrence threw incomplete twice. Little hit a 53 yard field goal to end the half with the Jaguars up 17-7.

The defenses dug in deep in the third quarter. With 5 1/2 minutes left in the third quarter, the Jaguars took over at their own 3 yard line. They moved easily to a 1st and 10 at the Miami 13, on the verge of delivering the knockout blow. Etienne got the carry up the gut and was steamrolling toward the end zone. At the last moment he had the ball chopped out of his hands. The pigskin rolled into the end zone where a Dolphins defender fell on it for a touchback. One play and 11 seconds later, the Dolphins were right back in it. Hill may not be able ti outrun the Miami Police Department, but he can certainly outrace the Jacksonville defense. Tagovailoa hit him in stride for an 80 yard touchdown bomb. Instead of being left for dead down 24-7, the Dolphins after three quarters only trailed 17-14.

The Jaguars quickly faced 3rd and 1 at their own 32. Bigsby got the carry and got stopped cold. In a moment of either panic or insanity, Doug Pederson turned into the product of Brandon Staley and Barry Switzer. He gambled on 4th and 1 in his own territory. On the first play of the fourth quarter, Etienne got the carry and got blown up for a 2 yard loss. Yet despite starting at the Jacksonville 30, the Dolphins came up snake eyes. On 3rd and 3, Raheem Mostert lost a yard. Then Jason Sanders hit the 42 yard field goal try wide left no good. 

The Dolphins got the ball back at their own 8 yard line with 11 minutes left in regulation. They moved 73 yards in 12 plays and 7 minutes. With 4 1/2 minutes left, Sanders came in for another try to tie the game, this time from 37 yards out. This time Sanders was good and the game was tied 17-17. The Jaguars went backward after consecutive sacks of Lawrence. The Dolphins got the ball back with 2:09 to play at their own 35. Tagovailoa hit waddle for 13 and Achane for 10. With 4 seconds left, Sanders came in for a 52 yard try to win it. There would be no overtime. Sanders was good. It was a gutty comeback win for the Dolphins. For the Jaguars, it was a stunning loss that was a microcosm of their entire 2023 season. 20-17 Dolphins

Carolina Panthers at New Orleans Saints — Dennis Allen was supposedly a respected defensive coordinator unable to field an offense. Derek Carr was supposedly either overrated or washed up. Bryce Young has had far less success than the other top quarterbacks from the 2023 Draft. The Panthers are a mess. The first two statements are false, while the latter two are true. The Saints began at their own 24. On the fifth play from scrimmage, Carr went bombs away to Rashad Shaheed for a 59 yard touchdown to make it 7-0 Saints. On the very next play from scrimmage, Young was intercepted. Grupe nailed a 57 yard field goal to make it 10-0 Saints. The Saints got it back at their own 21. Alvin Kamara ran for 9 and 5. Taysom Hill added 12. Carr hit Chris Olave for 17. Hill gained 9 and 5. Kamara ran for 17. Carr hit Foster Moreau for a 3 yard touchdown to make it 17-0 Saints.

In the second quarter the Saints moved from their own 26 to a 4th and 3 at the Carolina 26. Grupe hit a 44 yard field goal to make it 20-0 Saints. Two plays the Panthers fumbled to give the Saints a short field. Grupe hit a 52 yarder just before the 2 minute warning to make it 23-0 Saints. The Panthers then punted and Shaheed returned it 47 yards to the Carolina 16. One ply later, Carr went to Johnson for the touchdown and the 30-0 Saints lead. The Panthers managed a field goal before the half, but the second half was pointless. Young began the third quarter with another interception. The Saints moved 57 yards and Kamara ran for a one yard touchdown to make it 37-3 Saints. The Panthers managed one touchdown but in the fourth quarter Grupe hit a 39 yard field goal and Williams ran for a 14 yard touchdown to complete the carpet-bombing. 47-10 Saints

Minnesota Vikings at New York Giants — The Vikings lost Kirk Cousin in the offseason and were expected to regress with Sam Darnold leading them. Yet the Giants appeared on paper to be one of the worst teams in the league. Barring shocking improvement, Daniel Jones would be playing his final season with the Giants. An early Vikings fumble gave the Giants gift field position at the Minnesota 20. Yet on 3rd and goal at the 5, Jones was tackled for no gain. The Giants led 3-0, but then reality set in. The Vikings faced 3rd and 8 from their own 37. Darnold went deep incomplete and drew a 36 yard defensive pass interference penalty. Darnold then went deep to Oliver for 22. Aaron Jones ran for a 3 yard touchdown to make it 7-3 Vikings. 

In the second quarter the Vikings took over at their own one yard line. Darnold hit Chandler for 10. Darnold went deep to Justin Jefferson for 44 yards and to Jordan Addison for 16 and 13. On 4th and 2 from the Giants 3, Kevin O’Connell decided to go big and bold. Darnold hit Jefferson for the touchdown to cap the 11 play, 99 yard, 7 minute drive and make it 14-3 midway through the second quarter. After a third quarter touchback, the Vikings faced 3rd and 16 from their own 24. Darnold hit Mundt for 9 with a defensive facemark adding 15 more. Jones gained 12 and 19. Darnold hit Naylor for a 21 yard touchdown to make it 21-3 Vikings. The Giants managed another field goal, but Jones then threw a 10 yard touchdown pass to Van Ginkel. Problem…Van Ginkel plays defense for the Vikings. 28-6 Vikings

Las Vegas Raiders at Los Angeles Chargers — Last year in Las Vegas the Raiders walloped the Chargers. The Raiders led 49-0 at halftime, led by as much as 63-7, and won 63-21. Brandon Staley was fired, and Antonio Pierce went from being the interim Raiders coach to the full time head guy. Yet the Chargers won the offseason by getting Michigan Coach Jim Harbaugh to return to the NFL. The Chargers went from laughingstocks to having instant credibility. Meanwhile, Pierce had a lot of hype building around him in the offseason. The defense was vastly improved, but the offense had regressed. One year after losing Derek Carr, the Raiders allowed Josh Jacobs to leave in free agency. Gardner Minshew beat out Aidan O’Connell for the starting quarterback job and Zamir White was the starting running back. The Chargers acquired the talented but injured running back JK Dobbins from Baltimore. Both teams would instantly know what they were made of in the loaded AFC West. 

The defenses dominated early. The Raiders faced 2nd and 1 from their own 30. White got the carry and went  nowhere. On 3rd and 1 White got the carry and went nowhere. After 9 minutes of scoreless football, Antonio Pierce made a pair of head-scratching decision. The Raiders got the ball back and faced 4th and 1 at their own 41. It should have been 1st and 10 but Pierce did not challenge the spot. Then after accepting what appeared to be a bad spot, he gambled against a defense that had stopped the Raiders twice on the previous drive for that one yard. This time the result was the same. Making matters even worse, he had Minshew line up in the shotgun rather than directly under center. As expected, White got blown up for a one yard loss. The Raiders gifted the Chargers a short field. Cameron Dicker hit a 53 yard field goal to make it 3-0 Chargers.

The Raiders soon faced 3rd and 4 at their own 39. Minshew hit Davante Adams for 18. On 3rd and 9 at the Chargers 42, Minshew hit Adams for 11. Minshew then found Mattison, who outraced everyone for a 31 yard touchdown. The Raiders led 7-3 after the first quarter. They have a habit over the years of getting one early touchdown and then trying to win games with field goals. With less than 90 seconds left in the half, the Raiders had moved from their own 34 to a 1st and 10 at the Chargers 48. The Raiders were one first down from long field goal range. Minshew went back to pass, and without anyone else near him, he inexplicably fumbled the ball. It just slipped out of his hands. The Tuck Rule no longer exists. Former Raiders standout Khalil Mack recovered the ball and rumbled 22 yards to the Raiders 12 yard line. Somehow the Raiders defense made another stand. The Chargers settled for a 25 yard Dicker field goal. 

For over a decade, the Raiders had a terrible defense. Now they have a very good defense that was getting no help from the offense. The Chargers offense only had 2 first downs in the entire first half. The Chargers should have had 0 points on the board. Yet the Raiders essentially cited the Chargers a fair of field goals so the Raiders only led 7-6 at the break. In the third quarter the Chargers moved from their own 20 to a 2nd and goal at the 6. Justin Herbert threw incomplete twice. Again, the Raiders defense came up big. Dicker hit his third field goal from 24 yards out to give the Chargers a 9-7 lead. The Raiders after a touchback moved to their own 45. White got the carry and gained 8 yards. Yet Joey Bosa forced a fumble and the Chargers recovered. The Raiders got the ball back at their own 20 and moved to a 3rd and 7 at the Chargers 31. Minshew threw incomplete. Star kicker Daniel Carlson came in for a 49 yard field goal try to give the Raiders

the lead. The normally clutch kicker missed wide right. The Raiders were giving the game away. As expected, the exhausted Raiders defense finally broke. 

The Chargers moved from their own 39. Herbert went deep to Hurst for 27 yards. On 3rd and 9 from the Raiders 33, Herbert hit Palmer for 11. Edwards ran for 10. On the first play of the fourth quarter, Dobbins ran for a 12 yard touchdown to make it 16-7 Chargers. The Raiders after a touchback moved to a 4th and 1 at the Chargers 14 yard line. Again, Antonio Pierce made a very questionable coaching decision. Yes, the Raiders needed 2 scores. Yes, White had been stopped short 3 times trying to gain one yard. Yet Pierce surrendered and opted for the field goal. Carlson hit from 32 to get the Raiders within 16-10. The defense held and the Raiders got the ball back at their own 48 with a chance to take the lead. Yet on 4th and 1 from the Chargers 43 midway through the fourth quarter, Pierce again made the maddeningly frustrating decision to punt rather than go for it. He wanted to trust his defense and play field position, but his defense needed rest. AJ Cole did his job and pinned the the Chargers at their own 8 yard line, but it didn’t matter.

On 3rd and 2 from their 16, Dobbins gained the deuce. Dobbins then broke off a 61 yard run. On 3rd and 6 from the Raiders 10, Herbert hit McConkey for the touchdown with 3:40 to play to ice the game. Now in desperation mode the Raiders moved from their own 30 to a 3rd and 2 at the Chargers 32 with 1:50 to play. Minshew was intercepted. Time will tell if the feel good vibes from last year’s strong finish to the season were just a mirage. The Raiders had a chance to hire Jim Harbaugh but went with Antonio Pierce. Pierce has potential but Harbaugh is a proven winner. Minshew had a bad game, but even at his best he is no Herbert. The Raiders need a quarterback, and next year’s draft is the only solution. Until then, it might be a long season. As for the Chargers, they are definitely improved. 22-10 Chargers

Denver Broncos at Seattle Seahawks — The Denver Broncos were beginning the Bo Nix era while the Seattle Seahawks no longer had Pete Carroll on the sidelines. The first quarter saw will Lutz hit a 35 yard field goal for the Broncos and Jason Myers respond from 50 for the Seahawks for a 3-3 game. The Broncos moved down the field in the second quarter but saw their drive end when Nix was intercepted by Love at the one yard line. Yet on the very next play, the Seahawks were called for offensive holding in the end zone. The safety gave the Broncos a 5-3 lead. The Broncos did nothing with the free kick, but the Seahawks fumbled the punt and the Broncos recovered at the Seattle 9 yard line. The Broncos moved backward but Lutz hit a 30 yard field goal to make it 8-3 Broncos. 

The Seahawks after a touchback faced 3rd and 2 at their own 47. Geno Smith hit Tyler Lockett for 19. Smith then ran for a 34 yard touchdown. The 2 point conversion try failed but the Seahawks led 9-8. Another Denver punt pinned the Seahawks back at their own one yard line again. Charbonnet then got tackled in the end zone for a safety. It was a very rare occurrence of 2 safeties in one game as the Broncos took the 10-9 lead the hard way without a touchdown. The Seahawks on their next drive were backed up to their own 2 yard line but escaped with a punt. The Broncos were set up at their own 47 with 30 seconds left in the half. On 3rd and 9 Nix hit Reynolds for 25. That was enough for Lutz to hit a 46 yard field goal at the gun as the Broncos took a 13-9 lead to the locker rooms. 

The Seahawks took over in the third quarter at their own 39. Smith went to Lockett for 13. Kenneth Walker did the rest, gaining 6, 15, 4, and finally a 23 yard touchdown to put the Seahawks up 16-13. A Broncos fumble then gave the Seahawks a short field at the Denver 47. On 1st and goal at the 6, Walker ran it in for the touchdown but offensive holding wiped out the score and killed the drive. Myers hit a 28 yard field goal to make it 19-13 Seahawks.The Seahawks got it back at their own 20. Walker ran for 12. Smith hit Lockett for 16, DK Metcalf for 11, and Lockett again for 11. On the first play of the fourth quarter, Smith went deep to Charbonnet for a 30 yard touchdown to make it 26-13 Seahawks. Nix tried to rally the Broncos but he was intercepted with 5 1/2 minutes left. Nix did get the Broncos in the end zone on a 4 yard run with 2:09 left. The Denver defense needed a stop. With the Seahawks facing 3rd and 11 from their own 29, a completion by smith only gained 9. Yet the defense jumped offside to give the Seahawks another chance on 3rd and 6. Smith hit Lockett for 9 and then took 3 knees. 26-20 Seahawks 

Dallas Cowboys at Cleveland Browns — Before the game started, Jerry Jones put his money where his mouth is and gave Dad Prescott a 4 year, $240 million contract extension. At $60 million per year, Prescott is the highest paid NFL player for the moment. There is a sentiment that Prescott is overrated, and that many of his yards come in garbage time. Jerrah has a tendency to fall in love with shiny objects and overpay his stars. His dear friend Al Davis used to do this. With Mike McCarthy on the hot seat despite three straight 12 win seasons, this was the year for the Cowboys to either make a deep playoff run or get blown up in the offseason. The Browns would rise or fall depending on whether or not Deshaun Watson would get back to his pre-suspension form. Before the game it was announced that he was now facing a civil lawsuit for some sexual issues, although the criminal charges were dropped awhile back. A 28 yard punt return gave the Browns a short field at the Dallas 46. Dustin Hopkins hit a 51 yard field goal to make it 3-0 Browns. After that reality set in.

After a touchback, CeeDee Lamb took an end around 10 yards. Prescott then went deep to Lamb for 34. Prescott went deep to Brandin Cooks for a 21 yard touchdown to make it 7-3 Cowboys. In the second quarter the Cowboys took over at their own 22. Ezekiel Elliott left Dallas last year but was reacquired by the Cowboys for this season. He ripped off a 9 yard gain. On 3rd and 1 from their own 31, Prescott gained 3. Lamb took another end around for 12. On 3rd and 1 from the Cleveland 45, Dowdle gained 6. Prescott hit Brooks for 18. Elliott ran for a 3 yard touchdown to make it 14-3 Cowboys. The Cowboys got it back at their own 44, and Brandon Aubrey hit a 57 yard field goal to make it 17-3 Cowboys with 2:06 left in the half. Watson was quickly intercepted to set up the Cowboys at the Cleveland 23. Aubrey hit from  4o to make it 20-3 Cowboys at the intermission. 

The second half was pointless. Kavontae Turpin returned a punt 60 yards for a touchdown to make it 27-3 Cowboys. The Browns did manage a third quarter touchdown, Aubrey tacked on field goals of 50 in the third quarter and 46 in the fourth quarter to make it 33-10 Cowboys. The Browns added a garbage touchdown. 33-17 Cowboys

Washington Commanders at Tampa Bay Buccaneers — Dan Quinn began hit first game as the Commanders head coach, replacing the fired Ron Rivera. Meanwhile, Todd Bowles is somehow still coaching the Buccaneers. Chase McLaughlin hit first quarter field goals of 56 and 34 to make it 6-0 Buccaneers. Cade York missed a 47 yard try for the Commanders as the first quarter ended. The Buccaneers began the second quarter facing 3rd and 7 at their own 40. Baker mayfield hit Chris Godwin for 11, Palmer for 19, and Roddy White for 19 more. Mayfield went to Mike Evans for a 17 yard touchdown to make it 13-0 Buccaneers. 

The Commanders finally got going from their own 26,Jaydon Daniels ran for 16. Daniels hit Auston Ekeler for 22. Daniels ran for 12 with defensive unnecessary roughness adding 11 more. Robinson ran for a 7 yard touchdown to get the Commanders within 13-7. York then hit the ensuing kickoff out of bounds to set up the Buccaneers at their own 40. The Buccaneers ran 13 plays and held the ball for 7 minutes. On 3rd and 3 from the Washington 6, a false start killed the drive. Mclaughlin hit from 29 with 16 seconds left in the half for a 16-7 Buccaneers advantage. 

A long third quarter driveway the Commanders  to get back in the game was wasted when York’s 56 yard field goal try was wide right no good. The Buccaneers took over at their own 46. White ran for 15. Defensive pass interference added 22. Mayfield hit Godwin for a 4 yard touchdown to make it 23-7 Buccaneers. Daniels did run for a one yard touchdown to cap a 60 yard drive and get the Commanders within 23-14, but after that the Buccaneers turned out the lights. From their own 28, Mayfield hit White for a 32 yard gain. On the first play of the fourth quarter on 3rd and 7 from the Washington 32, Mayfield went deep to McMillan for the touchdown to make it 30-14 Buccaneers. The Buccaneers got it back at their own 9 yard line. Irving ran for 8 and 21. On 3rd and 18 from their own 40, Mayfield hit Godwin for 24. Irving ran for 11. On 3rd and goal at the one, Mayfield hit Evans to make it 37-14 Buccaneers. The Commanders added a garbage touchdown.  As for York, he was cut the day after the game. 37-20 Buccaneers

 

Los Angeles Rams at Detroit Lions was the Sunday night game. We all know the big trade that swapped Jared Goff and Matthew Stafford. Both quarterbacks thrived in their new environments as Stafford led the Rams in 2920 to a Super Bowl title and Goff in 2023 led the long-suffering Lions to the NFC Title Game. That playoff run included a 24-23 home win by the Lions that knocked out the Rams. The Rams began with a 13 play, 67 yard, 6 1/2 minute drive from their own 10 yard line. They reached a 1st and 10 at the Detroit 19, but a sack of Stafford and a false start killed the drive. Harty hit a 41 yard field goal to make it 3-0 Rams. The Lions responded after a touchback with a 15 play, 63 yard, 7 1/2 minute drive. The Lions easy in the second quarter faced 2nd and goal at the 6. A run lost a yard and Goff threw incomplete. Bates hit the 25 yard field goal for a 3-3 game. The Rams responded with a 12 play, 55 yard, 6 minute drive. Surprisingly, Sean McVay passed up a 41 yard field goal and went for it on 4th and 4 at the Detroit 23. Stafford threw incomplete. 

Goff then went to Williams for a 36 yard gain. Goff went to Gibbs for 14. Wiliams got around the end for 13. On 3rd and 1 from the Rams 5, Gibbs gained 2. From the one, Gibbs got in for the touchdown just past the 2 minute warning for a 10-3 Lions lead. After a touchback, Stafford took the Rams to a 1st and goal at the 8 with 25 seconds left in the half. After an incompletion, Stafford went to the end zone to tie the game. Instead, Stafford was intercepted. In the third quarter, a field position game had the Lions taking over at their own 41. On 3rd and 3, Goff went deep to Williams for a 52 yard touchdown. The Lions appeared to be running away with the game up 17-3. 

The Rams soon faced 3rd and 10 from their own 30. Stafford hit Cooper Kupp for gains fo 13 and 21. On 3rd and 4 from the Detroit 30, Williams only gained one yard. Down by 14, Sean McVay went for it. Stafford hit Robinson for 14. On 3rd and 6 from the Detroit 11, Stafford threw incomplete but defensive pass interference meant a 9 yard gain. Williams ran for a 2 yard touchdown to get the Rams within 17-10. The Lions moved from their own 16 to a 1st and goal at the one, ever so close to icing the game. Williams got stopped for no gain. Then Whittington got in, but offensive pass interference nullified the score. Harty hit a 26 yard field goal to get the Rams within 17-13 with 12 1/2 minutes left in regulation. After a touchback, the Lions moved to a 2nd and 3 at the Detroit 23. First came a false start. Then Gotf was intercepted by Johnson to set the Rams up at their own 20. 

The Rams soon faced 3rd and 1 at their own 29. Stafford hit Johnson for 13. On 3rd and 1 just past midfield, Williams gained 2. Stafford then hit Kupp for 20Robinson for 14, and Kupp for a 9 yard touchdown. 17 unanswered points by the Lions was encountered with 17 unanswered points by the Rams. The Rams held a 20-17 lead with 4 1/2 minutes left in regulation. With 2:11 left, the Lions got the ball back at their own 31. At the 2 minute warning on 3rd and 5, Goff hit Sam Laporta for 18 with defensive unnecessary roughness adding 15 more. On 3rd and 2 from the Rams 23, Gibbs gained 4. With 24 seconds left, the Lions had 3rd and 5 at the Rams 24. Goff threw incomplete. Bates hit a 32 yard field goal as the game went into overtime. The Lionswon the coin toss in overtime and Dan Campbell went full smash mouth. After a touchback, Raymond gained 12. Montgomery added 21 and 9. Goff hit Gibbs for 10. On 3rd and 1 from the Rams 9, Montgomery after a 6 yard run added 8 more. Halfway through overtime, Montgomery crashed in for that last yard as the Rams never saw the ball. This would make for a great rematch in the NFC Title Game. To start the season, it a fine, fine football game. 26-20 Rams

New York Jets at San Francisco 49ers was the Monday night game. Aaron Rodgers was supposed to be the savior for the Jets, but last year he lasted all of 4 snaps. This  year he was healthy, but the hype around the team still seemed odd. After all, when he was in Green Bay he was frequently losing to the 49ers. Their defense simply overwhelmed him. The 49ers made it to the Super Bowl but lost in overtime. Jets fans considered this a possible Super Bowl preview, but realistic football fans expected the 49ers to handle business and easily defeat their former defensive coordinator. A Jets fumble 3 minutes into the game gave the 49ers a short field at the Jets 32. The Jets do have a defense, and the 49ers settled for a 46 yard Moody field goal to lead 3-0. The Jets soon faced 3rd and 8 at their own 32. Rodgers hit Wilson for 16. On 3rd and 7 just past midfield, Rodgers went to Wilson for 14 and to Breece Hall for 13. On 3rd and 7 from the San Francisco 19, Rodgers went to Wilson for 8 and then 8 more. Hall got in for a 3 yard touchdown. The 12 play, 70 yard, 7 minute drive had the Jets up 7-3. Then reality took over. 

The 49ers after a touchback moved to a 3rd and 5 at the Jets 29 to start the second quarter. Kyle Shanahan went to his bag of tricks and had Deebo Samuel line up in the shotgun instead of Brock Purdy. The play was blown up for a 4 yard loss. Moody hit a 51 yard field goal to get the 49ers within 7-6. The 49ers got the ball back at their own 33. Purdy ran for 11. Mason ran for 5, 6 and 9. On 2nd and 19 from the Jets 39 after offensive holding, Purdy hit Jennings for 22. Mason ran for 11. Samuel got the final 2 yards on the ground to cap the 12 play, 67 yard, 6 minute drive to make it 13-7 49ers. The 49ers go the ball back at their own 12 and moved 75 yards in 12 plays over 5 minutes. The 49ers had 1st and 10 at the Jets 13 with 24 seconds left in the half. A completion went nowhere and Purdy then threw incomplete twice.  Moody hit a 31 yard field goal to end the half with the 49ers up 16-7. 

After a third quarter touchback, the 49ers quickly moved to end what little suspense remained. Purdy hit Samuel for 10. On 3rd and 4 rom their own 47, Purdy hit Jennings for 5. On 3rd and 2 from the Jets 40, Mason gained 8. Purdy went deep to Kyle Juszczyk for 34. Mason ran for a 5 yard touchdown to finish the 11 play, 70 yard, 7 1/2 minute drive and make it 23-7 49ers. Rodgers was intercepted to give the 49ers the ball back at their own 39. They moved to a 3rd and 2 at the Jets 35. Purdy threw incomplete. Moody hit a 53 yard field goal to put the 49ers up 26-7. The Jets managed a touchdown, but the 49ers salted it away with Moody fourth quarter field goals of 23 and 42 yards to make it 32-13 49ers. The Jets added one more garbage touchdown. The 49ers are in Super bowl mode. The Jets are not. 32-19 49ers

NFL 2024 Week 1 Prequel

The agony is over. The waiting is over. The miserable existence known as the NFL offseason is over. Pro football is back, thank God. Here is the NFL 2024 Week 1 Prequel, with point spreads provided by CBS.com and all times Eastern.

Thursday, September 5, 2024, 8pm

Baltimore Ravens at Kansas City Chiefs (-3) — The Chiefs are the two time defending champions, but they were very vulnerable last year. They staggered to a championship. They loses pieces every year but Walrus Andy Reid and Kermit the Frog Patrick Mahomes are still there. John Harbaugh is as solid as ever. Lamar Jackson is a great regular season quarterback but he just can’t seem to beat Mahomes and the Chiefs. The Ravens might be the better team, but go with the trend. Chiefs cover

Green Bay Packers at Philadelphia Eagles (-2 1/2) in Brazil — The very first ever NFL game in Brazil makes for a rare special Friday night football game not involving high school or college. The Eagles were cruising toward their second straight NFC Championship until a late season collapse doomed them. The Packers overachieved and shocked Dallas on the road in the Wildcard playoffs. The Packers now have bruiser Josh Jacobs. Jordan Love just signed a monster contract, but Jalen Hurts is better. Nick Sirianni is already on the hot seat. The Eagles have a chip on their shoulder, especially newly acquired Saquon Barkley. Expect them to rally around their embattled coach, especially early on.Eagles cover

Houston Texans (-2 1/2) at Indianapolis Colts — Last year CJ Stroud and Anthony Richardson were two of the newest faces of the NFL. Yet Richardson went down early in the season with a bad concussion and other injuries, delaying this rivalry a year. Stroud established himself as the real deal. Because Richarsdon remains an unknown, so do the Colts. Go with the known commodity who is very good. The Texans knocked the Colts out of the playoffs to win the division last year. Their momentum will continue Texans cover

Jacksonville Jaguars at Miami Dolphins (-3) — The Jaguars began last year 8-3 before Trevor Lawrence suffered an injured shoulder. The team collapsed. Now Lawrence and Doug Pederson look to build on consecutive nine win seasons with a deep playoff run. The Dolphins also were red hot most of the year before bungling away the division and home field advantage in the playoffs against Buffalo. Tua Tagovailoa took the next step last year. Both of these teams need to right the ship from promising seasons gone wrong. The Dolphins have the better defense. Dolphins cover

Carolina Panthers at New Orleans Saints (-4) — This year could be the swan song for Dennis Allen and Derek Carr if they don’t get it done. They start against an awful Panthers team that saw top pick Bryce Young overshadowed by other quarterbacks. The Saints swept the Panthers last year. The Saints still have running back Alvin Kamara to ease the pressure on Carr. The Saints have a good defense. Go with the defense and the home field. Saints cover

Minnesota Vikings (-1) at New York Giants — The Vikings lost Kirk Cousins in free agency. They still have Justin Jefferson, but nobody knows if Sam Darnold is washed up. Meanwhile, the Giants are a dumpster fire. Daniel Jones was never that good, and now Saquon Barkley is gone. It will be a long season for Big Blue. Vikings cover

Las Vegas Raiders at Los Angeles Chargers (-3 1/2) — Forget the 63 points the Raiders put up on the Chargers late last year. There is a new sheriff in town. If Jim Harbaugh cannot motivate the perpetually underachieving Chargers, nobody can. Antonio Pierce did well enough as an interim coach, but now he has his first season as the true head man. The Raiders have Gardner Minshew starting over the stiff Aidan O’Connell. The Raiders defense has improved. Harbaugh will develop the Chargers into a nasty defense. The question is if the turnaround can begin in his first game. The Raiders looked awful in preseason. Los Angeles is a de facto home game for the Raiders. Zamir White is good enough, but the Raiders will regret losing Josh Jacobs. Going against Harbaugh is foolish. Chargers cover

Denver Broncos at Seattle Seahawks (-5 1/2) — Russell Wilson now plays for neither team. Pete Carroll is gone. Nobody knows what to make of the Seahawks now. Sean Payton found a gem of a quarterback in Bo Nix. The 12th man is not what it was. Go with the experience of Payton in his second season. Upset special, Broncos win outright

Dallas Cowboys at Cleveland Browns (-2 1/2) — Both teams are loaded, but can they finally get it done? The Cowboys kept their star players. The Browns have the better defense. Mike McCarthy is on the hot seat as Jerry Jones declares this season Super Bowl or bust for the umpteenth straight year. The Brows added several wide receivers to compliment their defense. Dan Prescott is overrated, but nobody knows what to make of Deshaun Watson after his long absence. The Cowboys are desperate desperadoes. Go with them in a battle of two hungry teams. Cowboys cover

Washington Commanders at Tampa Bay Buccaneers (-3) — The Commanders are a mess. The Buccaneers somehow still have Todd Bowles as the head coach. The Buccaneers still have Baker Mayfield and Mike Evans, who will put points on the board. The Buccaneers have the better defense. Buccaneers cover

Los Rams at Detroit Lions (-3 1/2) — The Lions went from perennial doormats to a couple fluke plays from the Super Bowl. Sean McVay and Dan Campbell are stud coaches in different ways. They both have the big balls to make the gutsy calls in big situations. The Rams are not what they were, and Jared Goff badly wants to beat the team and coach who gave up on him. Expect Matthew Stafford to do the same against his former team. Expect Campbell to pull out all the stops. This could be a track meet. Lions win but fail to cover

New York Jets at San Francisco 49ers (-4) — If Aaron Rodgers can play more than four snaps, the Jets may have a very good season. Yet Rodgers always struggled against the Green Bay defense. Brock Purdy has come into his own and Christian McCaffrey is a beast. The Jets match up well against the 49ers. Robert Saleh is on the hot seat. Kyle Shanahan should beat his former defensive coordinator by unleashing his own defense on Rodgers. The 49ers were oh so close to winning the Super Bowl last year. They will be as motivated as it gets. 49ers cover