THE TYGRRRR EXPRESS

NFL 2024 Week 11 Prequel

Thursday, November 14, 2024, 8pm

Washington Commanders at Philadelphia Eagles (-3 1.2) — These division rivals are both good football teams. The Commanders lost a tough one point game to Pittsburgh. The Eagles have the edge at home but they never seem to put teams away. They frequently break out to big leads and then barley hang on. That makes the point spread too high. Go with the home field. Eagles win but fail to cover

Sunday, November 17, 1pm

Baltimore Ravens (-3) at Pittsburgh Steelers — This is why we watch football. For years, these teams have been mirror images of each other. John Harbaugh and Mike Tomlin love smash mouth football with hard running and tough defense. Home field matters little if anything. Lamar Jackson is better than Russell Wilson and has better offensive weapons. In a close one, go with the better quarterback and the better kicker. Ravens cover

Jacksonville Jaguars at Detroit Lions (-13) — Forget the high spread. This game could be over by halftime. The Lions have won 7 straight while the Jaguars are reeling. Lions cover

Los Angeles Rams (-4 1/2) at New England Patriots — These teams starred in two epic Super Bowls. Now they are just bad teams. Yet the Patriots did go into Chicago and get a big win. The Rams have the better talent, but they aren’t playing well enough to justify the spread as a road team. The Patriots may have carry-over momentum from last week. Go with the home field. Upset special, Patriots win outright

Cleveland Browns at New Orleans Saints (-1)  — Both teams are awful, but the Saints got a jolt with a new interim coach. Derek Carr rebounded. They beat a good Atlanta team. If they want to save their season they need to beat a Cleveland team even worse than they are at home. Saints cover

Indianapolis Colts at New York Jets (-4) — The Jets are a mess. They keep looking good on paper and playing terribly on the field. Joe Flacco is old but keeps the Colts competitive. This is the very last time to give the Jets the benefit of the doubt. If they can force Flacco into a couple of turnovers, they should be able to capitalize. Colts win but fail to cover

Minnesota Vikings (-5 1/2) at Tennessee Titans — The Titans are awful but the Vikings are eking out wins that earlier in the season came easy. The spread is too high for a road team that failed to muster one touchdown against lowly Jacksonville. Vikings win but fail to cover 

Las Vegas Raiders at Miami Dolphins (-7 1/2) — The Dolphins are better with Tua Tagovailoa back on the field, but they are still not very good. Yet the Raiders are a mess. The Dolphins have little offense but the Raiders have none. The exhausted Raiders defense eventually breaks. The Raiders usually get one early touchdown and then try and win with field goals. The spread is too high given the Dolphins lack of offense and the Raiders good defense. Dolphins win but fail to cover 

Green Bay Packers (-6) at Chicago Bears — After some promise earlier in the year, the Bears have regressed again. Losing badly at home to New England was not acceptable.The Packers have more talent. The spread is high for a road team. This is the last time to give the Bears the benefit of the doubt. Packers win but fail to cover

4pm

Atlanta Falcons at Denver Broncos (-2 1/2) — Both teams lost last week, but the Falcons lost to lowly New Orleans. The Broncos took unbeaten Kansas City to the limit, A blocked field goal on the final play prevented the upset win. Go with the home field and the better defense. Broncos cover

Seattle Seahawks at San Francisco 49ers (-6 1/2) — The 49ers are an average team, but the Seahawks are too inconsistent. The 49ers have the better quarterback and the better running back. Go with the home field as well. 49ers cover

Kansas City Chiefs at Buffalo Bills (-2 1/2) — This is also why we watch football. This is the game of the year so far as the 9-0 Chiefs take on the 8-2 Bills. Last year the Chiefs went into Buffalo in the playoffs and won when the Bills missed the tying field goal on the final play. The Bills are burning for revenge. Do not be fooled by the Chiefs undefeated season. They are barely scraping by. They needed a block blocked field goal on the final play to survive Denver at home. The Bills will get their revenge. Bills cover

8pm

Cincinnati Bengals at Los Angeles Chargers (-1 1/2) — The Chargers have been playing decent football while the Bengals still have not overcome their regression from last year. Joe Burrow and Justin Herbert can both sling it. There is no home field advantage in Los Angeles for the Chargers. The Bengals took Baltimore to the limit before a two point conversion try for the win failed. The Bengals are desperate. Expect them to pull out all the stops to save their season. Upset special, Bengals win outright 

Monday, November 18, 8pm

Houston Texans (-7 1/2) at Dallas Cowboys 

NFL 2024 Week 10 Recap

Cincinnati Bengals at Baltimore Ravens is the Thursday night game. A pair of rivals put on an exciting football game. After an opening touchback Joe Burrow hit Brown for 7 and JaMarr Chase for 6. On 3rd and 9 from their own 44, Burrow went to Chase for 26. On 3rd and 4 from the Baltimore 24, Burrow went to Iosivas for 19. On 2nd and goal t the 2, Burrow threw incomplete twice. Zac Taylor gambled. on 4th and goal, Burrow threw incomplete but a killer defensive holding call made it 1st and goal at the one. Brown got in to cap the 12 play, 70 yard, 5 1/2 minute drive and make it 7-0 Bengals. In the second quarter the Bengals moved from their own 10 to a 2nd and 3 at the Baltimore 41. Burrow threw incomplete and Taylor gambled again rather than try a 59 yard field goal or punt and play field position. This time Burrow went deep and threw incomplete again. Despite doing nothing for 27 minutes, the Ravens offense with the good field position finally got going. On 2nd and 11, Lamar Jackson hit Mark Andrews for 17. On 3rd and 1 from the Cincinnati 34, Mitchell got stopped for no gain but a defensive penalty for too many men on the field meant 5 yards and a first down. Jackson then hit Bay Flowers for 11 as the first quarter ended. The second quarter began with the Ravens facing 3rd and 4 at the Cincinnati 12. Jackson hit Justice Hill for 6 and then went to Nelson Agholor for the 6 yard touchdown to make it 7-7.

With 4 minutes left in the half the Bengals took over at their own 27. Burrow went to Mike Gesicki for 13. From just past midfield at the 2 minute warning, Burrow went to Chase for 13 and to Brown for 17. On 3rd and 5 from the Baltimore 14, Burrow went to Burton for 11. Burrow went to Hudson for a 3 yard touchdown with 30 seconds left in the half to make it 14-7 Bengals. The Bengals struck quickly in the third quarter. On their first play from scrimmage, Burrow went deep to Chase for a 67 yard touchdown bomb to make it 21-7 Bengals. The Bengals got the ball back at their own 8 and moved to a 2nd and 5 at their own 27. Another score might put the game away. Then momentum swing the other way.

Brown fumbled and the Ravens recovered at the Cincinnati 31. Derrick Henry ran for 11 and Jackson added 10. Henry got the last yard to get the Ravens within 21-14. The Ravens got the ball back at their own 8 to begin the fourth quarter. On 3rd and 2, Jackson connected with Dylan Wallace for an 84 yard touchdown. Justin Tucker surprisingly missed the extra point as the Ravens trailed 21-20. The Bengals moved after a touchback to a 3rd and 2 at the Baltimore 34. Burrow threw incomplete. Trying to spark his team on 4th and 2, Zac Taylor gambled again. Burrow threw incomplete again. Jackson went to Wallace for 10 and Andrews for 11. Henry gained 9. Jackson added 6 and 3. On 3rd and 9 from the Cincinnati 18, Jackson went to Andrews for the touchdown. John Harbaugh went for 2 to make up for the missed extra point and Jackson ran it in himself. 21 unanswered points on 3 consecutive touchdown drives now had the Ravens up 28-21.

Yet one play and 13 seconds after a touchback, the game was tied again. Burrow again went bombs away to Chase for a 70 yard touchdown and a 28-28 game. After a touchback the Ravens soon faced 3rd and 6 from their own 34. Jackson went to Bateman for 12 and Flowers for 19. Henry ran for 8 and 3.Jackson hit Bateman for 16. On 3rd and goal at the 5, Jackson went to Bateman for the touchdown. The Ravens had the lead again 35-28 with 1:49 left to play. After a touchback, 3 straight Burrow incompletions had the Bengals down to their last gasp. On 4th and 10, Burrow went to Iosivas for exactly 10. Burrow then threw incomplete but a defensive facemark penalty added 15. Burrow then went to Chase for 21 with roughing the passer adding 15 more. The Baltimore defense was killing themselves. On 3rd and 3 from the Baltimore 5 with 38 seconds left, Burrow went to Hudson for the touchdown. The Bengals were an extra point away form tying the game and possibly forcing overtime. Instead, Zac Taylor gambled again with everything on the line. A trend in recent years is coaches going for 2 and the win on the road. This rend needs to stop. Kick the extra point and go to overtime. Taylor gambled and everyone at the Big Crabcake held their breaths. Burrow threw incomplete. Cincinnati dropped to 4-6 while the Ravens got to 7-3 the hard way. 35-34 Ravens 

New York Giants at Carolina Panthers is the Sunday early morning game from Munich, Germany. Sometimes a pair of terrible teams can come together and play a thrilling game for the ages. This was not that game. The Panthers took over at their own 10 early in the first quarter. Bryce Young went to Leggett for 23. Chuba Hubbard ran for 26. On 3rd and 1 from the Giants 32, Hubbard ripped off another 26 yard gain. On 3rd and goal at th 5, Young hit Sanders for the touchdown to make it 7-0 Panthers. The Panthers got it back at their own 9 and moved to a 3rd and 3 at the Giants 30. Then came a false start and Young threw incomplete. Eddie Pineiro hit a 53 yard field goal on the first play of the second quarter to make it 10-0 Panthers. Graham Gano missed a 43 yard field goal for the Giants and Daniel Jones led a red zone drive that ended with him throwing an interception. The Giants began the third quarter facing 3rd and 2 at their own 43. Tracy gained 4. On 3rd and 1 from the Carolina 44, Jones got the yard.  On 3rd and 4 from the Carolina 37, Jones hit Robinson for 5. Tracy ran for a 32 yard touchdown to cap the 10 play, 65 yard, 6 minute drive and get the Giants within 10-7. The Panthers soon faced 3rd and 1 from their own 29. Hubbard gained 25. On 2nd and 11 from the Giants 17, Young went to Moore for 13. On 3rd and goal at the one, Hubbard got in to make it 17-7 Panthers.

The Giants began the fourth quarter at their own 4. On 3rd and 9, Jones hit Johnson for 10. Jones then found Robinson for 23 and Nabers for 19. Singletary ran for 14. On 3rd and 3 from the Carolina 21, Jones ran for 8. Ezeudu ran for a 2 yard touchdown to get the Giants within 17-14 with 8 1/2 minutes left in regulation. The Panthers got the ball back at their own 8 and quickly fumbled the ball away. The Giants were given gift field position at the Carolina 22. On 3rd and 7 from the Carolina 8 and needing only a field goal to tie it, Jones was intercepted. The Giants got it back at their own 21 with 2:23 left and moved to a 3rd and 7 at the Carolina 24 with 13 seconds left. Jones threw incomplete. From 42 yards out, Gano was good with 5 seconds left. If ever a game did not deserve overtime, this was it. The Giants began overtime at their own 26. On the first play from scrimmage, Tracy fumbled. The Panthers took over at the Giants 23. Three safe carries up the gut by Hubbard led to a 36 yard try for the win. Pineiro was good as the Panthers got their second straight win. 20-17 Panthers, OT

Denver Broncos at Kansas City Chiefs — The NFL’s lone unbeaten team was at home. While the Broncos have improved, they were not expected to be a problem for the Chiefs. Then the game started, and the Broncos were a problem. Late in the first quarter the Broncos took over at their own 20. Mims gained 14. Estime gained 8 and 6. Bo Nix hit Vele for 12. On 2nd and 15 from the Kansas City 45,  Nix went to Adam Trautman for 34. After a scoreless first quarter, the second quarter began with the Broncos facing 3rd and 5 at the Kansas City 6. Nix went to Vele for the touchdown to make it 7-0 Broncos. The Chiefs after a touchback moved to a 3rd and 7 at the Denver 19. Patrick Mahomes was only able to gain one yard. Harrison Butker hit a 36 yard field goal to get the Chiefs within 7-3. After a touchback, Estime gained 10. Nix went to Humphrey for 20. On 3rd and 2 from the Kansas City 32, Nix went to Cortland Sutton for the touchdown to make it 14-3 

Broncos. After a touchback, Mahomes went to Travis Kelce for 22, to Gray for 5, and to Deandre Hopkins for 9. On 3rd and 9 from the Denver 33, Mahomes was sacked, but a killer defensive illegal contact penalty meant a new set of downs. Mahomes went to Karim Hunt for 19. On 2nd and goal at the 2, a run went nowhere and Mahomes threw incomplete. Walrus Andy Reid gambled on 4th and goal at the 2. Mahomes went to Kelce for the touchdown to get the Chiefs within 14-10. On the last play of the half, Wil Lutz missed a 60 yard field goal try for the Broncos. The second half was a street fight. Neither team scored a touchdown. Butker hit from 28 late in the third quarter to get the Chiefs within 14-13. With 6 minutes left in regulation, the Chiefs had moved to a 4th and goal at the 2. This time Reid was not in a gambling mood. Butker hit the 20 yard field goal to have the Chiefs up by 2 points. Yet Butker’s ensuing kickoff failed to reach the landing zone, setting up the Broncos at their own 40. With one second left in regulation, Lutz came in for a 35 yard chip shot field goal try for the shocking upset win. Blocked! Lutz’s kick was blocked  as the Chiefs escaped. The 1972 Dolphins will have to put the champagne back on ice. It was harrowing, but the Chiefs are 9-0, making Andy Reid a most happy and relieved Walrus indeed. 16-14 Chiefs

Pittsburgh Steelers at Washington Commanders — Two good football teams gave fans a good game. After an early touchback, Defensive pass interference gave the Steelers 14 yards. Najee Harris ran for 7 and 6. Jalen Warren gained 12. Roughing the passer added 15 more. Wilson went to George Pickens for a 16 yard touchdown to make it 7-0 Steelers. The Steelers got it back and soon faced 4th and 15 from their own 16. Mike Tomlin is not afraid to take risks, but calling for a fake punt from that spot is just plain crazy. Killebrew threw incomplete to give the Commanders gift field position. Jayden Daniels hit Zaccheaus for 8. Austin Ekeler did the rest, gaining 6 and then the one yard touchdown for a 7-7 game. 

Special teams played a key role again in the second quarter as well. This time the Commanders fumbled a punt and the Steelers  recovered at the Washington 14. On 3rd and goal at the 3, Russell Wilson hit Pat Freiermuth for the touchdown to make it 14-7 Steelers. After a touchback, the Commanders moved to a 1st and 10 at the Pittsburgh 26. A pair of plays lost yards. Zane Gonzalez hit a 48 yard field goal to get the Commanders within 14-10. The Commanders got it back at their own 6 yard line with 5 1/2 minutes left in the half. A sack of Daniels was negated by a 15 yard defensive facemark penalty. On 3rd and 1 from their own 40, Ekeler gained 4. on 3rd and 4 from the Pittsburgh 38, Daniels went to McCaffrey for 23. Ekeler gained 8 and 4. Ekeler ran for the one yard touchdown to put the Commanders up 17-14 with 16 seconds left in the half. On the first play of the third quarter from their own 29, Daniels went bombs away to Terry McLaurin for 54 yards. On 3rd and 10 from the Pittsburgh 17, Daniels went to McLaurin for 16 down to the one. McNichols got the yard to have the Commanders up 24-14. 

The Steelers took over at their own 25. On 3rd and 8 from their own 38, Wilson went to Warren for 26. On 2nd and 20 from the Washington 36 after a sack, Wilson went to Pickens for 34. Harris ran for a one yard touchdown to get the Steelers within 24-21. The Steelers got it back and faced 4th and 9 from their own 8. A shanked 34 yard punt gave the Commanders gift field position from the Pittsburgh 42. Yet on 3rd and 11 from the Pittsburgh 30, a completion only gained 7 yards. Gonzalez hit the 41 yard field goal to make it 27-21 Commanders. The Steelers turned it over on their next 2 drives with an interception and a fumble, but the Commanders failed to capitalize and put the game out of reach. A great punt pinned the Commanders at their own one yard line. They punted from their three and a 17 yard return gave the Steelers a short field at the Washington 46. On 3rd and 3, Wilson went to Freiermuth for 6. On 3rd and 9 from the Washington 32, Wilson went to Mike Williams for the touchdown. The Steelers had a one point lead with 2:22 left. The Commanders took over at their own 35 needing only a field goal to win. On 2nd and 9 from midfield, Daniels threw incomplete twice. With 90 seconds left on 4th and 1, Daniels completed a pass for 8 yards, one yard short. The Steelers are 7-2 and the Commanders with the loss are 7-3 on the year. Mike Tomlin and Dan Quinn should be in the running for coach of the year. A rematch of this game would be well worth it. 28-27 Steelers  

Minnesota Vikings at Jacksonville Jaguars — Despite struggling the last 3 weeks after a 5-0 start, the Vikings were expected to steamroll the lowly Jaguars. Trevor Lawrence was out with an injured shoulder. Mac Jones started in his place. The Vikings did not manage a single touchdown. Early in the game Romo hit a 45 yard field goal to make it 3-0 Vikings. After a touchback, Jones went to Strange for 23. Travis Etienne ran for 18. On 3rd and 4 from the Minnesota 20, Jones went to Davis for 19 down to the one. On 3rd and goal, Jones got the yard to make it 7-3 Jaguars. That was the only touchdown of the game for either team. Sam Darnold threw 3 interceptions in the next 4 drives as the second quarter was scoreless. An equally hideous second half saw the Vikings then kick field goals on 3 straight drives. Romo hit from 33 late in the fourth quarter, from 34 midway through the fourth quarter, and from 29 with 4 1/2 minutes left to put the Vikings up 5 points. The Jaguars turned the ball over on their final 3 drives, with Jones fumbling once and then throwing a pair of interceptions. His final interception at the 2 minute warning was a bomb to the end zone that went for a touchback and sealed Jacksonville’a fate. It was ugly, but the Vikings got to 7-2 on the year. 12-7 Vikings

Atlanta Falcons at New Orleans Saints — The Falcons came in having won 4 straight. The Saints entered having lost 7 straight. Dennis Allen was fired. Darren Rizzi started his very first game as interim coach of an NFL team. This had blowout written all over it. A field position game in the first quarter had the Saints taking over at their own 44. They moved to a 1st and 10 at the Atlanta 23. Offensive holding killed the drive. After a scoreless first quarter, Blake Grup began the second quarter with a 38 yard field goal to make it 3-0 Saints. Younghoe Koo missed a 53 yard field goal that would have tied the game. The Saints took over at their own 40. On 3rd and 5 from the Atlanta 40, Derek Carr went bombs away to Marquis Valdez-Scantling for the touchdown to make it 10-0 Saints. 

The Falcons took over at their own 27. Kirk Cousins hit Mooney for 19. Tyler Allgeier ran for 9 and 7. Cousins went to Mooney for 33 down to the one. 3 times Allgeier got the carry and 3 times Allgeier got denied. Raheem Morris went for it on 4th and goal at the one. Bijan Robinson got the carry and got the yard to get the Falcons within 10-7. The Saints took over after a touchback and Carr immediately went for it all. His bomb to Valdes-Scantling went for a 67 yard gain down to the 3. On 3rd and goal at the 2, Carr went to Valdes-Scantling for the touchdown to make it 17-7 Saints. Late in the half, Koo missed again, this time from 35 yards out. 

In the third quarter Koo did connect from 27. Grupe countered from 26 to have the Saints up 20-10. The Falcons soon faced 3rd and 7 from their own 40. Cousins went to Pitts for 23. Robinson got around the end for a 37 yard touchdown. After three quarters, the Falcons were within 20-17. The Falcons had 3 chances in the fourth quarter. With 6:43 to play, Koo’s nightmarish game continued as he doinked a 46 yard field goal off the right upright no good. With 2:07 to play from his own 44, Cousins was intercepted. The Falcons got it back with 1:35 left at their own 14. With 6 seconds left the Falcons faced 4th and 4 at the New Orleans 43. With Koo having already missed 3 field goals, letting him try a 61 yarder with the game on the line was not an option. A Hail Mary made sense, but Raheem Morris went for the hook and laterals. A short pass lost a yard. Darren Rizzi won his very first NFL start and is now unbeaten as a head coach. As ESPN uber-announcer Chris Berman reminded us, “THAT’s why they PLAY the GAMES!” 20-17 Saints 

San Francisco 49ers at Tampa Bay Buccaneers — In the first quarter the 49ers faced 3rd and 7 from their own 32. Brock Purdy threw incomplete but defensive holding meant a new set of downs. On 2nd and 5 from the Tampa 46, Purdy went to Ricky Pearsall for the touchdown to make it 7-0 49ers. In the second quarter the 49ers moved from their own 13 to a 2nd and 9 at the Tampa Bay 10. Purdy threw incomplete twice. Jake Moody hit a 28 yard field goal to make it 10-0 49ers. After a touchback the Buccaneers moved to a 3rd and 5 at the San Francisco 9. At the 2 minute warning, a pass from Baker Mayfield lost yards. Chase McLaughlin hit a 30 yard field goal to get the Buccaneers on the board. Moody missed a 49 yard field goal try before the end of the half. In the third quarter the 49ers fumbled a punt and the Buccaneers recovered at the San Francisco 21. Mayfield hit White for a 9 yard touchdown for a 10-10 game.

After a touchback, the 49ers moved to a 1st and goal at the 9. A sack of Purdy killed the drive. Moody hit a 33 yard field goal to make it 13-10 49ers. After a touchback, on 2nd and 9 from their own 43, White caught a pass from Mayfield for 10 and ran for gains of 6 and 5. The fourth quarter began with the Buccaneers facing 3rd and 2 at the San Francisco 26. Irving gained 14 and then ran for the 12 yard touchdown to make it 17-13 Buccaneers. Moody then missed a 50 yard field goal for the 49ers. The 49ers got it back at their own 36. Purdy went to Jennings for 11 and then went deep to Christian McCaffrey for 30. Defensive unnecessary roughness added 12. Purdy went to Kittle for an 11 yard touchdown to put the 49ers up 20-17 midway through the fourth quarter. 

With 3:13 to play Moody missed again on a 44 yard field goal try that would have extended the lead. The Buccaneers took over at their own 34 and moved to a 2nd and goal at the 5 with 53 seconds left in regulation. A run lost 3 yards and Mayfield then threw incomplete. McLaughlin hit the 26 yard field goal. The Buccaneers tied the game 20-20, but they left 40 seconds on the clock. A penalty on the kicking team on a touchback had the 49ers starting at their own 35. With 3 seconds left, Moody came in for a 44 yard try to win it. He had already missed 2 kicks. This one was good. 23-20 49ers

Buffalo Bills at Indianapolis Colts — The Bills are a potential Super Bowl team. The Colts are not. Joe Flacco again started in place of the injured Anthony Richardson. The Colts began at their own 9 yard line. On their first play from scrimmage, Flacco completed a pass to Taron Johnson. Problem: Johnson plays defense for the Bills. Johnson’s 23 yard interception return touchdown made it 7-0 Bills. On the next Colts possession, Flacco was intercepted again. The Bills took over at their own 47 and moved to a 3rd and 8 at the Indianapolis 11. Josh Allen threw incomplete. Tyler bass hit a 29 yard field goal to make it 10-0 Bills.

After a touchback the Colts moved to a 1st and goal at the 9. A run went nowhere and Flacco threw incomplete twice. Matt Gay hit a 27 yard field goal to get the Colts on the board. After a touchback the Bills moved to a 3rd and 3 at the Indianapolis 28. Allen threw incomplete. A 46 yard field goal try was well within Bass’s range, but Sean McDonough decided to go for it. Allen threw incomplete again. The Colts began the second quarter facing 3rd and 7 at their own 31. Flacco went to Mitchell for 18, to Pierce for 16, and to Downs for 8. Jonathan Taylor ran for 13 and 3. On 3rd and 7 from the Buffalo 11, Flacco threw incomplete but defensive illegal contact meant a new set of downs. On 3rd and goal at the 2, Flacco hit Goodson for the touchdown for a 10-10 game. One play after a touchback, Allen was quickly intercepted. The Colts took over at the Buffalo 33. They settled for a 23 yard field goal and a 13-10 Colts lead with 6 1/2 minutes left in the half. 

The Colts soon faced 2nd and 16 from their own 24. Allen went to Mack Hollins for 16. On 3rd and 4 from their own 46, Allen went to Shakir for 6. Allen went deep to Dawson Knox for 54. Allen ran for a 13 yard touchdown to make it 17-13 Bills with 2:14 left in the half. The Bills got it back at their own 11 with 1:10 left. With 18 seconds left the Bills still faced 3rd and 10 from their own 27. Allen went deep to Hollins for 44.  That was enough for Bass to hit a 47 yard field goal for a 20-13 Bills lead at the midpoint. An ugly scoreless third quarter saw Flacco get sacked and fumble only to have Allen throw an interception one play later. Shane Steichen gambled on 4th and 2 from the Buffalo 20 rather than kick a field goal. Flacco was sacked. From their own 30, the Bills moved to a 1st and goal at the 10. A pair of runs went nowhere and Allen on 3rd and 10 threw incomplete. Bass hit a 28 yard field goal to give the Bills breathing room up 23-13 with 11 minutes left in regulation. Flacco was intercepted yet again. The Bills from their own 16 moved 84 yards in 13 plays and 7 minutes. James Cook ran for a 2 yard touchdown as 20 unanswered points made it 30-13 Bills. The Colts got a garbage touchdown with 2 seconds left. The Bills are 8-2 and looking good. 30-20 Bills

New England Patriots at Chicago Bears — The Bears are an improving team who came in 4-0 at home. The Patriots are a bad team. This was expected to be a mismatch, though not quite on the 1985 Bears Super Bowl level. A hideously ugly game saw Joey Slye hit a 30 yard first quarter field goal for the Patriots and Cairo Santos answer from 33 midway through the second quarter for a 3-3 game. On 3rd and 3 from their own 37, Drake Maye hit Douglas for 17 and again for 7. On 3rd and 1 from the Chicago 37, Maye hit Austin Hooper for 24. Raimondre Stevenson ran for 9 and on 3rd and 1 from the Chicago 4 gained 2 more. Maye hit Polk for a 2 yard touchdown to make it 10-3 Patriots with 1:46 left in the half. That was the only touchdown for either team. Slye hit a 37 yard field goal to end the half and connected on fourth quarter field goals of 25 and 33 to complete the scoring. Jerrod Mayo’s defense did the rest. 19-3 Patriots

Tennessee Titans at Los Angeles Chargers — The Chargers were expected at home to easily dispatch with the overmatched Titans. After an opening touchback, the Chargers moved to a 4th and goal at the 2. Jim Harbaugh played it safe. Cameron Dicker hit the 21 yard field goal to make it 3-0 Chargers. The Titans took over at their own 28. Tony Pollard ran for 7 and 4. Will Levis ran for 12. Levis hit Calvin Ridley for 11. Levis went deep to Ridley for a 41 yard touchdown to make it 7-3 Titans. In the second quarter the Chargers moved from their own 38 to a 3rd and 5 at the Tennessee 19. Herbert threw incomplete. Dicker hit a 37 yard field goal to get the Chargers within 7-6. Nick Folk missed a 49 yard field goal try for the Titans. From their own 39, Herbert went deep to Palmer for 36. On 3rd and 1 from the Tennessee 16, Haskins gained 3. On 3rd and 2 from the Tennessee 5, a run gained only one yard at the 2 minute warning. Jim Harbaugh gambled on 4th and 1. Herbert ran for the 4 yard touchdown for a 13-7 Chargers. 

After a third quarter touchback, the Titans moved to a 3rd and 3 at the Chargers 8 with a chance to take the lead. Levis threw incomplete. Folk hit a 27 yard field goal to get the Titans within 13-10. A 56 yard kickoff return had the Chargers starting at the Tennessee 43. Herbert went to Ladd McConkey for 15. Edwards gained 9. On 3rd and 1 from the Tennessee 19, Herbert got the yard. On 3rd and 8 from the Tennessee 16, Herbert went to Johnson for the touchdown to make it 20-10 Chargers. The fourth quarter began with the Chargers starting at their own 5 yard line. Herbert went to McConkey for 37. Herbert ran for 8 and Edwards added 10. Herbert ran for 8 more and JK Dobbins added 12. Defensive pass interference on an incompletion added 8 more. Haskins ran for a one yard touchdown to have the Chargers cruising 27-10 midway through the fourth quarter. The Titans got a garbage touchdown in the final minute to make the score look respectable. 27-17 Chargers

Philadelphia Eagles at Dallas Cowboys — Dak Prescott is out for the season. Cooper Rush got the start. The Eagles had a chance to put the dagger in their most hated rival. An early fumble by Rush gifted the Eagles the ball at the Dallas 17. On 3rd and 6, Jalen Hurts went to Saquon Barkley for 12. Hurts got the tush push one yard touchdown to make it 7-0 Eagles. A strong kickoff return had the Cowboys at their own 40. The Cowboys moved to a 3rd and 4 at the Dallas 28. Rush threw incomplete. Brandon Aubrey hit a 46 yard field goal. After both teams exchanged fumbles, the Cowboys took over with 1st and goal at the 6. Yet on 3rd and goal at the 3, a run lost 2 yards. The Cowboys wasted the opportunity as Aubrey hit the 23 yard field goal. The Cowboys were only down 7-6 with 1:48 left in the half, but after that the Eagles blasted the Cowboys to pieces. 

The Eagles took over at their own 16. Hurts went to AJ Brown for 14. On 3rd and 5 from their own 35, Hurts went to Brown for 18. Hurts ran for 24. Hurts hit Kenneth Gainwell for 9 and Dallas Goedert for a 14 yard touchdown for a 14-6 Eagles halftime lead. A 31 yard third quarter punt return had the Eagles starting at the Dallas 37. Barkley gained 7 and 4. Gainwell picked up 13. On 3rd and goal at the 5, Hurts went to Wilson for the touchdown to make it 21-6 Eagles. The Eagles got it back at their own 17. Hurts went deep to Brown for 44. Barkley gained 8, 11, 2 and 9. Hurts ran for an 8 yard touchdown to make it 28-6 Eagles. The fourth quarter saw Trey Lance take over for Rush and turn it over on 3 straight possessions. 2 Lance fumbles led to Jake Elliott field goals of 39 and 38 to complete the scoring. Lance threw an interception for good measure. The Eagles are flying high at 7-2 while Mike McCathy’s coaching seat is red hot. No word on whether Jerry Jones will blow up his Jerrahworld metropolis for the insurance money. 34-6 Eagles

New York Jets at Arizona Cardinals — The Cardinals have been quietly improving while the overrated Jets keep getting worse. This game was never a contest. After a touchback Kyler Murray went to Marvin Harrison Jr for 18. Murray went to James Conner for 44 down to the one. Conner got the last yard to make it 7-0 Cardinals only 2 minutes into the game. After a touchback the Jets moved to a 3rd and 6 at the Arizona 7. Aaron Rodgers threw incomplete. Shrader hit a 25 yard field goal to put the Packers on the board. After a touchback Murray went to Harrison for 17. Benson ran for 13. Murray hit McBride for 18. Defensive pass interference added 15. On 3rd and goal at the one, Murray got in to make it 14-3 Cardinals. The Jets managed a 45 yard Schrader field goal in the second quarter, but nothing else. On 3rd and 7 from the Arizona 33, Murray went to McBride for 17 and Conner for 11. Murray hit Higgins for 11. On 3rd and 10 from the Jets 22, Murray hit McBride for 13 and Harrison for a 9 yard touchdown to make it 21-6 Cardinals. Ryland tacked on a 37 yard field goal to end the half. In the second half Jonathan Gannon’s defense pitched a shutout. The Jets last chance came on their first drive of the third quarter. On 4th and goal at the 3, Rodgers was sacked and fumbled. Murray capped an 88 yard drive with a 12 yard touchdown run. The Cardinals quietly got to 6-4 while the Jets are a 3-7 mess. 31-6 Cardinals 

Detroit Lions at Houston Texans was the Sunday night game. The Lions entered 7-1 for the first time since the Bobby Layne era of the 1950s. They went into Minnesota and Green Bay and beat up very good division rivals. Now they faced off against a good 6-3 Houston team that has a good defense and was angry after a loss. Yet Dan Campbell’s Lions play angry every week. This game will be talked about for a very long time, especially because of Jared Goff. Two minutes into the game, Goff completed a pass to Ward. Problem: Ward plays defense for the Texans. The Texans began at the Detroit 33. On 3rd and 10, CJ Stroud hit Tank Dell for 13. On 3rd and 16 from the Detroit 26, Stroud went to Metchie for 16. Joe Mixon ran for an 8 yard touchdown to make it 7-0 Texans. The Texans got it back at their own 43 and moved to a 1st and goal at the 3. Offensive holding killed the drive. Kaimi Fairbairn hit a 34 yard field goal to have the Texans up 10-0. After a touchback the Lions faced 3rd and 16 from their own 24. Goff went to Williams for 23 to end the first quarter. The second quarter had the Lions facing 3rd and 6 just past midfield. Goff hit Williams for 13. On 3rd and 1 from the Houston 27, Goff gained 2. Goff hit Sam LaPorta for a 2 yard touchdown to get the Lions within 10-7.

After a touchback the Texans moved to a 1st and 10 at the Detroit 35. A run went nowhere and an incompletion was followed by a 3rd and 10 run that lost 3 yards. Demeco Ryans went with a 56 yard field goal try and Fairbairn delivered to make it 13-7 Texans. 2 plays after a touchback, Goff found To’Oto. Problem: They were not in Kansas anymore and To’Oto plays defense for the Texans. The Texans took over at the Detroit 36 and moved to a 1st and 10 at the Detroit 11. A run went nowhere and Stroud threw incomplete twice. Fairbairn hit from 29 to make it 16-7 Texans with 4 minutes left in half. With 54 seconds left the Texans got it back at their own 34. Stroud hit Metchie for 9 and again for 25. Stroud found Dalton Schultz for 17. With 12 seconds left in the half on 3rd and 10 from the Detroit 15, Stroud went to Metchie for the touchdown. The Texans led 23-7. After a touchback, the Lions moved into position for a Hail Mary. The ball was caught by Lassiter. Problem: Lassiter plays defense for the Texans. The Texans were walloping the Lions but this Dan Campbell group gives new meaning to the word pride. 

One play after a third quarter touchback, Stroud was immediately intercepted. The Lions had great field position at the Houston 31. From the Houston 20, Goff went to the goal line and again found Lassiter. Problem: Lassiter still plays defense for the Texans. Yet pinned at their own one yard line, the Texans gained only one yard and punted. A 14 yard punt return had the Lions with a short field at the Houston 44. Goff went deep to LaPorta for 37. David Montgomery ran for a 3 yard touchdown. The 2 point conversion try failed but the Lions were within 23-13. The Texans missed a chance to pad the lead again when Stroud went to the end zone and was intercepted for a touchback. 2 plays later, Goff went to Bullock. Problem: Bullock plays defense for the Texans. With 8 1/2 minutes left in the third quarter, Goff had already thrown 5 interceptions. Yet Dan Campbell kept him in there. 

The fourth quarter began with the Lions taking over at their own 36. Goff hit Am-ra St. Brown for 9, Williams for 17, Montgomery for 24, and St, Brown for a 9 yard touchdown. With 11 1/2 minutes left in regulation the Lions were within 23-20. The Lions got it back at their own 17 with 8 1/2 minutes left. They moved to a 2nd and 4 at the Houston 33. A run by Gibbs lost 7 yards. With 5 minutes left, Dan Campbell trusted his kicker with a 58 yard field goal try. Bates drilled it and the game was tied 23-23. After a touchback the Texans moved to a 3rd and 4 at the Detroit 40 at the 2 minute warning. Stroud threw incomplete. Demeco Ryans trusted his kicker to also make a 58 yard field goal to give the Texans the lead. Yet Fairbairn was no good. The Lions took over at their own 48. On 3rd and 6, Goff went to St. Brown for 11. With 4 seconds left Bates came in again for a 52 yard field goal try for the win. Bates was good again. 19 unanswered points had the Lions at 8-1 and winning big road games against good teams. They have won 7 straight games. The Texans lost their second straight to drop to 6-4. Yet the Texans choked, but the Lions have tough character led by Goff. He shook off 5 interceptions to lead the comeback win. 26-23 Lions 

Monday, November 11, 8pm.

Miami Dolphins at Los Angeles Rams was the Monday night game. Neither team is good, but both teams got back injured players they needed. Tua Tagovailoa returned for the Dolphins and the Rams had Cooper Kupp and Puka Nacua back. After an opening touchback, Tagovailoa hit Jalen Waddle for 19. On 3rd and 13 from their own 46, Tagovailoa went to Waddle for 36. Washington ran for an 18 yard touchdown to make it 7-0 Dolphins. The first half was hideous. An interception of Matthew Stafford led to a 50 yard Jason Sanders field goal to make it 10-0 Dolphins in the second quarter. Tagovailoa was intercepted. One play later the Rams fumbled the ball back. Four plays later Tagovailoa was sacked and fumbled the ball back. Karty did hit field goals of 34 and 55 as the Rams only trailed 10-6 at the break. In the third quarter from 57, Karty was no good.

The Dolphins took over at their own 47. Tagovailoa hit Smith for 10. On 3rd and 3 from the Rams 34, Tagovailoa went to Smith for 33 down to the one. Tagovailoa hit Tyreek Hill for the touchdown to make it 17-6 Dolphins with 5 1/2 minutes left in the third quarter. The fourth quarter was a hideous battle of field goals. Karty began the fourth quarter by hitting from 53. Sanders answered from 37. Karty hit again from 22. Sanders countered from 50. Needing 2 scores, Karty hit from 31 to get the Rams back within 8 with 39 seconds left in regulation. Yet the onside kick failed. 5 field goals and 0 touchdowns did not get the job done for the Rams at home. 23-15 Dolphins

NFL 2024 Week 10 Prequel

Thursday, November 7, 2024, 8pm

Cincinnati Bengals at Baltimore Ravens (-6) — The Bengals are not as good as in recent years. The Ravens are. Lamar Jackson has more help from the running game than Joe Burrow does. The Ravens have the better defense. Ravens cover

Sunday, November 10, 9:30am

New York Giants (-6 1/2) at Carolina Panthers — This is the Stupor Bowl. The game is in Germany, perhaps because no American stadium wanted to host it. The Panthers won last week. The spread is way too high for either team, especially a Giants team with no offense. Daniel Jones is a turnover machine. Upset special, Panthers win outright. 

1pm

Denver Broncos at Kansas City Chiefs (-7 1/2) — The spread is high, especially since the Broncos have improved and the Chiefs are winning close games. The chiefs are unbeaten and have a stranglehold on the division, but the Broncos despite getting blown out at Baltimore last week have been competitive this year. A garbage touchdown is certainly possible as well. The Chiefs win ugly. Chiefs win but fail to cover

Pittsburgh Steelers at Washington Commanders (-3) — Both teams are good, but the Commanders have a rock star in Jayden Daniels. This is a game to just take the home field and the better quarterback. Commanders cover

Minnesota Vikings (-4 1/2) at Jacksonville Jaguars — The Jaguars have been losing, but they have been fighting hard. The Vikings righted the ship last week after a couple of losses. The Vikings are the better team, but the Jaguars have the potential to keep this game close at home. Vikings win but fail to cover

Atlanta Falcons (-3 1/2) at New Orleans Saints — The Falcons are 6-3 and the Saints just lost 5 straight and fired Dennis Allen. The Falcons should win but teams often rally around intermission coaches, especially in their first game. Also, Derek Carr does have weapons to throw to. These division games are often close. Falcons win but fail to cover

San Francisco 49ers (-6) at Tampa Bay Buccaneers — The spread is far too high for a road team that has played subpar football and is a shell of what they were last year. The Buccaneers are nothing special, but they are competing hard. They took unbeaten Kansas City to overtime last week. Baker Mayfield knows how to spread the ball around. Upset special, Buccaneers win outright

Buffalo Bills (-4) at Indianapolis Colts — The Bills are in Super Bowl mode, and the Colts keep losing Anthony Richardson to injury. The Bills have the better defense and a stud quarterback in Josh Allen. Bills cover

New England Patriots at Chicago Bears (-6 1/2) — The Patriots are awful, and even lost to lowly Tennessee. The Bears are the much better team. This could be over by halftime if Caleb Williams spark the Bears to an early lead. Bears cover

Tennessee Titans at Los Angeles Chargers (-7 1/2) — This is another mismatch. The Chargers are nothing special but the Titans are terrible. Justin Herbert should be able to throw at will. Chargers cover

Philadelphia Eagles (-7) at Dallas Cowboys — The Cowboys are the underachievers of the year. Now Dak Prescott is out four games injured. Yet the Eagles win close games. They get big leads and then let up, often coming in danger of collapsing. The spread is way too high for a road team without a killer instinct against a desperate division rival. Eagles win but fail to cover

New York Jets at Arizona Cardinals (-1) — The Jets finally won a game last week, but the Cardinals offense has been clicking the last couple of weeks. Kyler Murray is exciting and James Conner runs like a beast. Aaron Rodgers has talent around him, but for the most part the Jets have not gelled into a team. Cardinals cover

Detroit Lions (-3 1/2) at Houston Texans — The Texans are a good team but the Lions are a great team. The Texans lost to the Jets last week and will be angry at home. Yet the Lions just went into Green Bay and steamrolled them. While a letdown is possible, Dan Campbell seems to keep the team focused. The Texans have enough talent to keep it close. Lions win but fail to cover 

Miami Dolphins at Los Angeles Rams (-1) — Both of these teams were devastated by injuries. Yet the Dolphins got back Tua Tagovailoa and the Rams got back Cooper Kupp and Puka Nacua from injury. Both Mike McDonald and Sean McVay have offensive minds, but McVay has more weapons. Go with the home field and the team with more offensive talent. Rams cover

NFL 2024 Week 9 Recap

Houston Texans at New York Jets was the Thursday night game. The Texans came in 6-2 while the Jets were a 2-6 mess. The first half was an embarrassment to humanity. The Jets gave away a touchdown on the first play of the second quarter when the running back pulled a Leon Lett and let go of the ball just before crossing the goal line. Instead of a touchdown, it was a touchback. The Texans mounted a 14 play, 98 yard, 8 1/2 minute drive in the second quarter. Joe Mixon ran for a 3 yard touchdown as the Texans took a 7-0 lead to the locker rooms. After halftime the Jets took their heads out of their hides. In the third quarter on 3rd and 1 from their own 39, Allen gained 4. Aaron Rodgers hit Wilson for 8 and Davante Adams for 12. Rodgers hit Garrett Wilson for a 21 yard touchdown to make it 7-7. The Texans moved from their own 44 to a 1st and 10 at the Jets 24. A run lost a yard. On 3rd and 11, CJ Stroud was sacked. Kaimi Fairbairn hit a 54 yard field goal to make it 10-7 Texans. 

The Jets after a touchback came back with a 12 play, 70 yard, 6 1/2 minute drive. Rodgers hit Breece Hall for 13. Jeff Ulbrich gambled on 4th and 1 from the Houston 48. Rodgers hit Adams for 17. On the first play of the fourth quarter, Ulbrich gambled again on 4th and 1 from the Houston 22. Rodgers threw incomplete but defensive illegal contact meant 5 yards and a first down. On 3rd and 19 from the Houston 26,  Rodgers went to Wilson for the touchdown to make it 14-10 Jets. Midway through the third quarter the Texans blew an opportunity. On 2nd and 7 from the Jets 9, a run went nowhere and Stroud threw incomplete. Fairbairn’s 27 yard field goal try doinked off the left upright no good. From their 20, Hall ran for 2 and 13. On 3rd and 1 from their own 44, Rodgers hit Yeboah for 12. On 3rd and 3 from the Houston 37, Rodgers went to Adams for the touchdown to make it 21-10 Jets with 3 minutes left in regulation. Needing 2 scores, the Texans moved to a 1st and goal at the 3 with 52 seconds left. Yet Stroud was sacked. On 3rd and goal from the 11, the decision was made to kick the field goal right away. Fairbairn hit from 29 but the onside kick failed. The Jest may have saved their season but they still have a big hole to climb out of. 21-13 Jets

Miami Dolphins at Buffalo Bills — The Bills on paper came in as the much better team. The return of Tua Tagovailoa briefly sparked the Dolphins last week, but they lost anyway. The Bills were looking to put a stranglehold on the division while the Dolphins were just trying to save their season. In the first quarter Tyler Bass hit a 40 yard field goal for the Dolphins. Jason Sanders responded from 39 for the Bills for a 3-3 game. After a touchback, the Bills in the second quarter moved to a 1st and 10 at the Miami 11. Josh Allen was intercepted by Jalen Ramsey at the 3 yard line. Raheem Mostert ran for big gains of 16 and 12. Tagovailoa hit Smith for 10. Devon Achane ran for 10. Tagovailoa hit O’Dell Beckham Jr for 6 and Achane for 8. On 3rd and 2 from the Buffalo 14, Achane gained 5. Tagovailoa hit Achane for a 14 yard touchdown to cap the 14 play, 97 yard, 8 1/2 minute drive to make it 10-3 Dolphins. 

After a touchback, the Bills moved to a 1st and 10 at the Miami 11 with 41 seconds left in the half. Yet consecutive holding penalties killed the drive, especially the latter which wiped out a 21 yard touchdown run by Allen. On 1st and 30, Allen threw 3 straight incompletions. Bass hit from 49 to end the half with the Bills within 10-6. The Dolphins fumbled in the third quarter and the Bills took over at their own 36. Cook ran for gains of 8 and 2. Johnson added 17. Allen hit Shakir for 13. On 3rd and goal at the one, Allen threw incomplete. Sean McDermott went for it. On 4th and goal, Allen hit Mack Hollins for the touchdown to put the Bills up 12-10, Bass missed the extra point. 

After a touchback, the Dolphins moved to a 4th and 4 at the Buffalo 5. Sanders hit the 23 yard field goal to make it 13-12 Dolphins. After a touchback, the Bills struck quickly. Allen went to Ray Davis for a 63 yard touchdown. Allen hit Coleman for the 2 point conversion to wash away the earlier missed extra point and put the Bills up 20-13. After a touchback, Wright ran for 5 and 7. Tagovailoa went to Tyreek Hill for 27 as the third quarter ended. The fourth quarter began with Mike MacDaniel gambling on 4th and 4 from the Buffalo 25. Tagovailoa ran for just barely enough. Tagovailoa hit Smith for 13. Achane ran for an 8 yard touchdown to have the game tied 20-20 with 12 minutes left in regulation.

After a touchback, Allen hit Cook for 11, Coleman for 21, and Shakir for 14. On 3rd and 1 from the Miami 15, Johnson gained 4. On 3rd and 6 from the Miami 7, Allen threw incomplete but defensive holding meant 4 yards and an automatic first down. Allen went to Morris for a 2 yard touchdown. With nearly 6 1/2 minutes left in regulation, the Bills led 27-20. The Dolphins took over at their own 19. Achane gained 12. Tagovailoa hit Hill for 19 and Achane for 9. On 3rd and 7 from the Buffalo 35, Tagovailoa hit Jalen Waddle for 12. Tagovailoa went to Achane for 18. With 1:38 left in the game, Tagovailoa hit Waddel for the 7 yard touchdown to tie the game 27-27. 

After a touchback, the Bills faced 3rd and 14 from their own 26. The Miami defense jumped into the neutral zone. On 3rd and 9, Allen threw incomplete but defensive unnecessary roughness meant 15 yards and another first down. These consecutive penalties gifted the Bills 20 yards. On 3rd and 3 from the Miami 47, Allen went to Hollins for 4 and spiked the ball to stop the clock with 21 seconds left. Yet Allen then threw a pair of incompletions. On 4th and 10 from the Miami 43, a field goal try would be 61 yards. Allen had the arm for a relatively short Hail Mary. Both came with risks. An incomplete Hail Mary would leave the Dolphins enough time to perhaps try their own Hail Mary or even one short pass to try a long field goal. McDermott sent out Bass to try the field goal knowing a miss would also give the Dolphins a few seconds to try and win. From 61 yards out, Bass nailed the field goal good. The Dolphins are 2-6 and the Bills are 7-2, but this one was a nail-biter that ended in spectacular fashion. 30-27 Bills 

Denver Broncos at Baltimore Ravens — Both teams came in 5-3 but the Ravens were an angry bunch after seeing their five game win streak snapped by lowly Cleveland. On the second play from scrimmage after a touchback, Bo Nix was intercepted. The Ravens took over at the Denver 36. Yet on 3rd and 5, Lamar Jackson was sacked for an 11 yard loss to push them out of field goal range. Technically, 60 yards well within Justin Tucker’s range, but John Harbaugh decided to punt and play field position. The Broncos from their own 2 moved to a 3rd and 1 at the Baltimore 44. Nix got stopped short. Sean Payton gambled on 4th and 1. Williams got the yard, but Harbaugh challenged the spot. Officials reversed it to short of the sticks and a turnover on downs.

On 2nd and 12 from their own 41, Lamar Jackson hit Nelson Agholor for 29 and Bateman for 15. Derrick Henry did the rest, running for 7 and then for a 7 yard touchdown to make it 7-0 Ravens. The second quarter began with Sean Payton passing up a 51 yard field goal try to gamble on 4th and 4 from the Baltimore 33. Nix threw incomplete.  Justin Tucker would hit a 33 yard field goal to make it 10-0 Ravens. 

after a touchback from their own 40, Nix hit Franklin for 19. On 3rd and 5 from the Baltimore 36, Nix ran for 15. Nix then hit Cortland Sutton for 10. Defensive pass interference added 10 more. On 4th and goal form the 2, Sean Payton not only went for it but went to his bag of tricks. It was Bo Nix as the receiver and Cortland Sutton as the passer, and it went for the touchdown to get the Broncos within 10-7. The Ravens took over at their own 37 and Jackson hit Bay Flowers for 23 and Justice Hill for 24. On 3rd and goal at the 7, Jackson went to Flowers for the touchdown to make it 17-7 Ravens. The Broncos after a touchback moved to a 2nd and 7 at the Baltimore 9. A touchdown was nullified by offensive holding and the drive was dead. Wil Lutz hit a 37 yard field goal to get the Broncos within 17-10 with one minute left in the half, but after that the Ravens turned out the lights.

After a touchback, the Ravens had only 16 seconds left from their own 47. Jackson went deep to Flowers for a 53 yard Hail Mary bomb to make it 24-10 Ravens. That broke the Broncos backs, as the second half was just icing. After a third quarter touchback, Jackson went to Mark Andrews for 10. On 3rd and 10 from the Denver 47, Jackson ran for 11. Henry added 20. Henry ran for a 6 yard touchdown to make it 31-10 Ravens. The Ravens got it back and moved 79 yards for another score. Jackson hit Ricard for a 3 yard touchdown to make it 38-10 Ravens. Tucker added a 37 yard fourth quarter field goal to complete things. 41-10 Ravens

Los Angeles Chargers at Cleveland Browns — The Browns got a stunning victory over Baltimore, so a letdown was expected. Early on a 53 yard punt return set up the Chargers at the Cleveland 30. On 3rd and 7 Justin Herbert went to Ladd McConkey for 10. On 3rd and 21 from the Cleveland 28, Herbert went to Palmer for the touchdown to make it 7-0 Chargers. Dustin Hopkins hit a 38 yard field goal for Cleveland in the second quarter, but this game was never close. The Chargers after a touchback soon faced 3rd and 6 from their own 34. Herbert went to Quentin Johnston for a 66 yard touchdown to make it 13-3 Chargers after the missed extra point. The Chargers got it back and soon faced 3rd and 6 at their own 44. Herbert hit Johnston for 21 and McConkey for 19. JK Dobbins ran for a 16 yard touchdown to make it 20-3 Chargers. Jameis Winston threw 3 second half interceptions and the Chargers blocked a field goal. Dobbins ran for a 7 yard touchdown with 4 minutes left in regulation to make it  27-3 Chargers. The Browns got a garbage touchdown to close the scoring. 27-3 Chargers

New Orleans Saints at Carolina Panthers — The Saints came in losers of 6 straight but Derek Carr was back from injury. They were playing the lowly Panthers. The Saints moved into the red zone twice in the first quarter and settled for 29 and 33 yard Blake Grupe field goals to lead 6-0. The second quarter began with a shanked Saints punt that set up the Panthers at the New Orleans 40. On 3rd and 5 Bryce Young hit Moore for 11. On 3rd and 7 at the New Orleans 21, Young hit Coker for 18. Young hit Leggett for a 3 yard touchdown to make it 7-6 Panthers. 

The Saints took over at their own 22 and defensive pass interference added 15. On 2nd and 11 just shy of midfield, Carr went to Taysom Hill for 15 and to Wilson for 18. On 3rd and 1 from the Carolina 9, Hill gained 2. Hill ran for a 7 yard touchdown to make it 13-7 Saints. A 14 yard punt return with 15 more yards tacked on for unnecessary roughness had the Panthers taking over at the New Orleans 28 with 1:17 left in the half. On 3rd and 7, Young was sacked. Eddie Pineiro hit a 48 yard field goal to get the Panthers within 13-10. The Panthers began the third quarter at their own 14. Young went to Sanders for 46. On 3rd and 4 from the New Orleans 33, Young went to Sanders for 21. Young ran for 9 and Chuba Hubbard got the last yard for a 17-13 Panthers lead.

After a touchback the Saints faced 4th and 1 from their own 39. Dennis Allen gambled on a fake punt. Hayball gained 11. On 4th and 1 from the Carolina 41, Allen gambled again and out of the shotgun Hill gained 3. On 3rd and 5 from the Carolina 33, Hill threw incomplete. This time Allen played it safe. Grupe hit a 51 yard field goal to get the Saints within 17-16. The Saints got it back and soon faced 3rd and 2 at their own 38. Carr went to Alvin Kamara for 20. The fourth quarter began with the Saints facing 3rd and 7 at the Carolina 39. Carr hit Hill for 9. On 3rd and 7 from the Carolina 17, Carr went to Foster Moreau for the touchdown. The 2 point try failed but the Saints led 22-17 with 12 minutes left in regulation. 

With 3 1/2 minutes left in regulation, the Panthers took over at their own 36. On 3rd and 10, Young went to Leggett for 26. Defensive pass interference on the next play added 22. Hubbard ran for a 16 yard touchdown. The 2 point try failed but the Panthers reclaimed a one point lead with 2:18 left. With 1:09 left the Saints faced 4th and 4 at their own 46. Carr threw deep incomplete. The Saints lost their 7th straight game. The day after on Monday, ownership fired Dennis Allen. 23-22 Panthers

Las Vegas Raiders at Cincinnati Bengals — The 2021 Raiders made the playoffs and on the road took the eventual AFC Champion Bengals to the limit. Then Mark Davis got rid of a good interim coach for a horrendous coach who gutted the team. The Raiders jettisoned their quarterback, their running back and their top receiver all for inferior players. Every Raider game is the same. The offense scores an early touchdown. Then they try to win the rest of the way with field goals and defense. The exhausted defense eventually breaks. If the game is completely out of hand, the offense gets a garbage touchdown. Every single week, exactly the same. After an opening touchback, on 3rd and 10, Gardner Minshew threw incomplete but defensive pass interference meant a 16 yard gain. Minshew went to Brock Bowers for 9 and Jakobi Meyers for 22. On 3rd and 3 from the Cincinnati 5, Mattison gained 3. Zamir White ran for a one yard touchdown. The 11 play, 70 yard, 5 1/2 minute drive had the Raiders up 7-0, but for the umpteenth week in a row the offense decided to take much of the rest of the day off. 

After a touchback Brown ran for a pair of 5 yard gains. Joe Burrow went to Brown for 13. On 4th and 3 from the Raiders 20, Zac Taylor passed up a 38 yard field goal try and went for it. Burrow hit Hudson for 11. On 3rd and goal at the one, Burrow hit Brown for the touchdown. The 13 play, 70 yard, 8 minute drive tied the game 7-7. The Bengals got it back at their own 10 in the second quarter and moved 64 yards in 14 plays and 6 1/2 minutes. On 1st and 10 from the Raiders 26, Burrow threw 3 incompletions. Evan McPherson hit a 44 yard field goal to make it 10-7 Bengals. The Raiders after a touchback moved to a 1st and 10 at the Cincinnati 26. A completion lost yards and then Minshew was sacked to kill the drive. Daniel Carlson hit a 46 yard field goal to tie the game 10-10. With 3 minutes left in the half, the Raiders had a chance. 

On 1st and 15 from their own 25, Burrow went to Mike Gesicki for 24. Defensive unnecessary roughness added 14. Brown ran for 12. Burrow hit JaMarr chase for 11. Burrow went to Iosivas for a 10 yard touchdown to put the Bengals up 17-10 with 30 seconds left in the half. After a third quarter touchback, Burrow ran for 10. Brown ran for 21. Burrow went to Pryor for 9 and Chase for 6. Defensive pass interference added 17. On 3rd and goal at the 2, Burrow went to Sample for the touchdown to make it 24-10 Bengals. After a touchback the Raiders moved to a 3rd and 3 at the Cincinnati 45. Minshew fumbled a shotgun snap and the Bengals recovered it and returned it 10 yards all the way to the Raiders 21 yard line. On 3rd and 1, Burrow gained 2. Burrow went to Gesicki for an 11 yard touchdown. 21 unanswered points had the Bengals cruising 31-10. Now the game was out of reach. Now the Raiders could get their garbage points. Minshew was benched again. With Aidan O’Connell injured, it was newly acquired 3rd stringer Desmond Ridder who played the rest of the way.

Early in the fourth quarter Burrow was intercepted by Jack Jones, who returned the pick 29 yards for a touchdown to get the Raiders within 31-17. The Raiders got it back at their own 33 and moved to a 3rd and 4 at the Cincinnati 28. Ridder was sacked. On 4th and 12, Ridder threw incomplete. On 4th and 2 from their own 44, the Bengals set up to punt. The Raiders jumped into the neutral zone. On 3rd and 6 from the Raiders 47, Burrow went to Gesicki for the touchdown to make it 38-17 Bengals. One play after a touchback, Ridder was sacked and fumbled. The Bengals recovered at the Raiders 13. McPherson hit a 27 yard field goal to make it 41-17 Bengals. The Raiders got one more garbage touchdown in a garbage season. The Raiders lost their 5th straight game. After the game. Antonio Pierce fired offensive coordinator Luke Getsy and two other offensive assistants. Norvelous Norv Turner was brought out of retirement to be an offensive consultant to the team. His first advice should be to hire offensive talent. 41-24 Bengals

Washington Commanders at New York Giants — After winning  on a miracle Hail Mary last week, the Commanders were expected to easily steamroll the lifeless Giants. Daniel Jones got sacked and fumbled early on, setting up the Commanders at the Giants 31. Defensive pass interference added 22 yards. Jaydon Daniels hit Terry McLaurin for a one yard touchdown to make it 7-0 Commanders. The Giants soon faced 3rd and 1 at their own 36. Singletary got the yard. On 3rd and 1 from their own 46, Jones got the yard. On 3rd and 2 from the Washington 45, Singletary gained 6. On 3rd and 5 from the Washington 34, Washington jumped into the neutral zone as the first quarter ended. The second quarter began with the Giants facing 3rd and 1 from the Washington 30. Jones gained 2. Jones then gained 12. Slayton ran for 11. Jones went to Manhertz for a 2 yard touchdown. The staggering 16 play, 73 yard drive took 10 minutes off the clock and tied the game 7-7.

After a touchback, Daniels ran for 9. Daniels went tp Brown for 16. Austin Ekeler ran for 20. On 4th and 1 from the Giants 12, Dan Quinn gambled and Daniels gained 6. Ekeler gained 5 and then got the last yard to make it 14-7 Commanders. The Commanders got it back at their own 13. On 2nd and 11 from their own 25, Daniels went to Brown for 31. On 4th and 1 from the Giants 35, Dan Quinn went for it again. Ekeler barely got the yard. On 3rd and 18 from the Giants 42, Daniels hit Brown for 24. Daniels found McLaurin for an 18 yard touchdown with 6 seconds left in the half to make it 21-7 Commanders. The Giants began the third quarter at their own 21 and embarked on another mind-numbing drive of 16 plays, 66 yards and 8 1/2 minutes. On 4th and 1 from the Washington 3 a touchdown pass by Jones was nullified by offensive pass interference, killing the drive. McAtamney hit the 31 yard field goal to get the Giants within 21-10. Yet the Commanders after a touchback moved 57 yards in 10 plays and 5 minutes. On 3rd and 4 from the Giants 13, Daniels threw incomplete. Austin Seibert hit the 31 yard field goal to make it 24-10 Commanders.

The Giants began the fourth quarter facing 3rd and 9 from their own 32. Jones went to Nabers for 13. On 3rd and 5 from midfield, Jones threw incomplete but defensive pass interference meant an 8 yard gain. On 3rd and 9 from the Washington 41, Jones went to Nabers for 10. Jones went to Slayton for 23. Jones ran for a 2 yard touchdown. Brian Daboll went for a pointless 2 point conversion that failed, keeping the Giants down 24-16 with 9 1/2 minutes left. The Commanders moved from their own 35 to a 3rd and goal at the 2. Daniels threw incomplete. Seibert hit the 20 yard field goal to give the Commanders breathing room up  27-16 with 3:45 left. It took only one minute for the Giants to move 74 yards. Jones hit Theo Johnson for a 35 yard touchdown. Another failed 2 point conversion had the Giants down by 5. Rather than grind down clock, Daniels went to Zaccheaus for 42. With 1:41 left, the Commanders faced 3rd and 1 from the Giants 2 yard line. Rodriguez got the carry and one yard. On 1st and goal at the one and the Giants out of timeouts, Dan Quinn decided not to run up the score or risk a fumble. Daniel took 3 knees to get the Commanders to 7-2 on the year. 27-22 Commanders

Dallas Cowboys at Atlanta Falcons — The Falcons are rising and the Cowboys are sinking. Brandon Aubrey did hit a 34 yard first quarter field goal to make it 3-0 Cowboys, but the Falcons were resilient. From their own 22, Kirk Cousins hit Mooney for 22. Robinson gained 16. Cousins hit London for 18. On 3rd and 4 from the Dallas 16, Cousins went to Robinson for 7 and to London for a 9 yard touchdown to make it 7-3 Falcons. The Falcons fumbled in the second quarter and the Cowboys gambled on 4th and 1 from the Atlanta 44. Ceedee Lamb got blown up for a 3 yard loss. From their own 47, Cousins went to Robinson for 10. On 4th and 3 from the Dallas 36, Raheem Morris went for it rather than try a 54 yard field goal. Cousins went to Mooney for the first down and the touchdown as the Falcons led 14-3. 

After a touchback, Dowdle gained 2 and 11. Lamb gained 18. On 2nd and 15 from the Atlanta 39, Dak Prescott ran for 22. Dowdle ran for 15. Prescott ran for a 3 yard touchdown to get the Cowboys within 14-10. In the third quarter Mike McCarthy gambled on a fake punt on 4th and 2 from his own 38. Anger threw incomplete. With the short field, Robinson gashed the defense for gains of 8, 7 and 14. Cousins found McCloud for an 11yard touchdown to make it 21-10 Falcons. The Cowboys moved from their own 39 to a 1st and 10 at the Atlanta 39. Offensive holding killed the drive but Aubrey drilled a 57 yard field goal on the last play of the third quarter to get the Cowboys within 21-13. The Falcons began the fourth quarter at their own 34. Cousins went to Robinson for big gains of 11 and 29. On 3rd and 1 from the Dallas 6, Tyler Allgeier ran it in for the touchdown. The 2 point try failed but the Falcons led 27-13 with 11 minutes left in regulation. Dak Prescott went out injured and Cooper Rush finished the game. Rush hit Jalen Tolbert for a 4 yard touchdown with 90 seconds left, but the onside kick failed. The Falcons quietly got to 6-3 while the Cowboys are 3-5. Worse for them, Prescott was placed on injured reserve Monday and will miss 4 weeks. 27-20 Falcons

New England Patriots at Tennessee Titans — A pair of bad teams played an inconsequential game. The Titans began at their own 25. Mason Rudolph went to Westbrok-Ikhine for 10. On 3rd and 12 from their own 34, Rudolph ran for 13. Rudolph hit Whyte for 12. Pollard ran for 32. Rudolph went to Vannett for a 9 yard touchdown to make it 7-0 Titans. Joey Slye missed a 56 yard field goal for the Patriots. In the second quarter Slye hit from 52 to get the Patriots within 7-3 after an ugly first half. The Patriots began the third quarter facing 3rd and 15 from their own 25. Drake Maye ran for 22. Maye went deep to Douglas for 21. On 2nd and 16 from the Tennessee 38, Maye ran for 13 with defensive holding adding 5. On 3rd and goal at the 6, Maye threw incomplete but a defensive facemark meant 3 yards and a new set of downs. Raimondre Stevenson ran for a one yard touchdown to make it 10-7 Patriots midway through the third quarter. After a touchback the Titans moved to a 4th and goal at the 3. Nick Folk hit the 21 yard field goal as the third quarter ended with a 10-10 deadlock. 

The Patriots moved from their own 9 to a 3rd and 13 at their own 32. Maye was sacked and fumbled. The Titans recovered at the New England 26. Pollard ran for 11. On 3rd and goal at the 6, Rudolph went to Westbrook-Ikhine for the touchdown. With 4 1/2 minutes left in regulation, the Titans led 17-10. A 25 yard punt return at the 2 minute warning gave the Patriots hope at midfield. Maye hit Boutte for 11 and Stevenson for 9. Maye ran for 7. With 21 seconds left the Patriots were down to their last gasp facing 4th and 2 at the Tennessee 15. Maye went to Hunter Henry for 10 and spiked the ball to stop the clock with 8 seconds left. An incompletion left 4 seconds. On 3rd and goal at the 5 as the clock hit double zeroes, Maye hit Stevenson for the touchdown. The game was headed to overtime tied 17-17. The Titans got the ball first at their own 22 and moved 72 yards in 13 plays, eating up 7 1/2 minutes off the clock. On 3rd and 2 from the New England 7, Rudolph fumbled the snap but averted disaster by recovering it. On 4th and 1 at the 6, Brian Callahan was not in a gambling mood. Folk hit the 25 yard field goal. The Titans and the lead, but the Patriots had 2 1/2 minutes to tie or win. After a touchback from his own 41, Maye went for a deep bomb and was intercepted. 20-17 Titans, OT

Chicago Bears at Arizona Cardinals — Dennis Green is gone, but the words of the late Arizona Cardinals coach will live forever. “The Bears are who we thought they were! Crown their @ss! We let ‘em off the hook!”  The Bears lost a heartbreaker at Washington last week on a Hail Mary while the Cardinals each week are a mystery as to which team will show up. A 27 yard punt return in the first quarter had the Cardinals with a short field at the Chicago 41. James Conner ran for 15. On 3rd and 1 from the Chicago 17. Murray went to McBride for 15. McBride ran for a 2 yard touchdown to make it 7-0 Cardinals. Cairo Santos hit second quarter field goals of 29 and 53, the latter said up by an Arizona fumble to get the Bears within 7-6. 

After a touchback, Benson ran for 17. Conner was a one man wrecking crew, catching a pass from Kyler Murray for 8 and running for gains of 9, 16, 4, 6 and 4. On 3rd and goal at the 6, Murray was sacked. Ryland made the 32 yard field goal, but a leverage penalty on the defense caused Jonathan Gannon to take the points off the board. It was now 1st and goal at the 7. Conner ran for 6 and Benon got the last yard. The killer penalty had the Cardinals up 14-6 instead of 10-6. Santos made a 53 yard field goal to have the Bears within 14-9 with only 26 seconds left in the half. Yet for the second straight week, the Bears defense melted down in that situation, After a touchback, The Cardinals faced 3rd and 5 from their own 47 with 15 seconds left. Emari Demarcado ripped off a 53 yard touchdown run to make it 21-9 Cardinals at the intermission. The second half belonged to the Arizona defense. Ryland hit field goals of 29 in the third quarter and 55 in the fourth quarter extended the lead and a safety completed the scoring. 29-9 Cardinals

Jacksonville Jaguars at Philadelphia Eagles — Doug Pederson helped the Eagles win their first and only Super Bowl. Yet for some reason he was fired. He started hot with the Jaguars but this season has been rough. A fumbled punt in the first quarter set up the Eagles at the Jacksonville 20. Jalen Hurts from that spot went to Saquon Barkley for the touchdown to make it 7-0 Eagles. The Eagles in the second quarter moved from their own 7 yard line and moved 68 yards in 15 plays while taking 9 minutes off the clock. On 3rd and 6 from the Jacksonville 16, Hurts was sacked. Jake Elliott hit a 43 yard field goal to make it 10-0 Eagles. An interception of Lawrence gave the Eagles a short field at the Jacksonville 42. On 3rd and 17 from the Jacksonville 19, Barkley ran for the touchdown. Nick Sirianni likes pointless 2 point conversion tries. This one failed but the Eagles led 16-0 at the half. The Eagles took over at their own 22 in the third quarter. On 3rd and 1, Hurts got the yard. Hurts went deep to Dotson for 36. Hurts ran for an 18 yard touchdown. Another 2 point conversion try failed but the Eagles were cruising 22-0 in the third quarter. Yet the Eagles never seem to win big. Close games are their thing. 

The Jaguars took over at their own 39. Travis Etienne ran for 16. Trevor Lawrence went to Trammell for 18. On 3rd and 12 from the Philadelphia 27, Lawrence went to Washington for the 12 needed. Lawrence went to Evan engram for 14 down to the one. Lawrence got the yard. Lawrence went to Thomas for the 2 point conversion to get the Jaguars within 22-8. One play after a touchback, Barkley fumbled and Walker returned it 35 yards for a defensive touchdown. Lawrence hit Engram for another 2 point conversion. Just like that the Jaguars were within 22-16. In the fourth quarter the Eagles took over at their own 9. Barkley gained 21. On 3rd and 6 from their own 34, Hurts hit Smith  for 7. Hurts went deep to Smith for 46.  On 3rd and 22 from the Jacksonville 25, Hurts went to Smith for the touchdown. The 2 point try failed but the Eagles led 28-16 midway through the fourth quarter. After a touchback Lawrence went to Washington for 18. Bigsby ran for 10. On 4th and 12 from the Philly 44, Lawrence went to Thomas for 16. and Engram for 24. Lawrence ran for a 5 yard touchdown to get the Jaguars back within 5 points with 4 minutes left in the game. With 2:16 left,  a 57 yard field goal try by Elliott to extend the lead was no good. The Jaguars moved from their own 47 to a 1st and 10 at the Philly 13 with 1:42 left. An epic comeback for the Jaguars and an epic collapse for the Eagles was on the horizon. Lawrence went to the end zone for the lead and was intercepted for a touchback. Again, the Eagles hung on for a win that was tougher than necessary. 28-23 Eagles

Detroit Lions at Green Bay Packers — This was a big one. Earlier in the year the Lions went into previously unbeaten Minnesota and got a win. Now the 6-1 Lions were at the 6-2 Packers. For 30 years, playing the Lions at home in Green Bay was practically an automatic win for the Packers. Then in the 2022 regular season finale, the Lions went into Green Bay and hit the Packers in the mouth. The Lions came in having won two straight in Green Bay. The Packers moved from their own 25 to a 3rd and 5 at the Detroit 12. Jordan Love threw incomplete. Brandon McManus hit a 30 yard field goal to make it 3-0 Packers.After that the Lions took over. 

After a touchback, David Montgomery ran for 8, 4 and 11.  On 2nd and 5 from the Green Bay 41, Jared Goff hit Sam LaPorta for 19. On 3rd and 5 from the Green Bay 17, Montgomery ran for 9. The second quarter began with a Dan Campbell gamble. The Lions had 4th and goal at the 5. A field goal was the obvious choice but Campbell had the Lions line up to go for it. It may have been a bluff, but it worked. The defense encroached. On 4th and goal at the 3, Campbell did go for it for real. Goff hit Amra St. Brown for the touchdown toecap the 13 play, 70 yard, 7 minute drive and make it 7-3 Lions. The Packers missed a chance to get closer when McManus missed a 46 yard try. The Lions moved from their own 36 to a 2nd and goal at the 7. A run lost a couple yards and Goff threw incomplete. Bates hit from 27 to make it 10-3 Lions. After a touchback, Love was intercepted by Karl Joseph. Joseph returned the pick 27 yards for a defensive touchdown to make it 17-3 Lions with 30 seconds left in the half. The Lions began the third quarter at their own 29. Goff went to St. Brown for 11. On 3rd and 6 from their own 44, Goff threw incomplete but defensive holding meant a new set of downs. Goff went to LaPorta for 9. Gibbs gained 18. On 4th and 1 from the Green Bay 15, Campbell went for it again. Gibbs got the first down and the touchdown to make it 24-3 Lions. The Lions coasted from there. The Packers managed a third quarter field goal and a garbage touchdown with 4 minutes left to make the game seem closer than it really was. This was a statement win. The Lions are 7-1 for the first time since the 1950s. 24-14 Lions

Los Angeles Rams at Seattle Seahawks — After a scoreless first quarter, the Rams in the second quarter took over at their own 37 and moved to a 1st and 10 at the Seattle 18. Matthew Stafford threw a pair of incompletions and then fumbled a snap that he recovered for a loss. Harty hit a 38 yard field goal to make it 3-0 Rams. After a touchback Geno Smith went to Tyler Lockett for 13. At the 2 minute warning the Seahawks faced 3rd and 2 at the Rams 37. Kenneth Walker gained 4. On 3rd and 7 from the Rams 30, Smith went deep to Lockett for the touchdown to make it 6-3 Seahawks. An interception of Stafford set up the Seahawks at their own 40. On 1st and 20, Smith went deep to non-relative Smith-Nigba for 46. Smith went back to Smith-Nigba for a 24 yard touchdown to make it 13-3 Seahawks with 5 seconds left in the half.

The Rams began the third quarter at their own 25. From their own 41, Stafford hit Robinson for 21. On 3rd and 1 from the Seattle 29, Williams gained 2. On 2nd and goal from the 15, defensive pass interference meant a 13 yard gain and a new set of downs. Stafford went to Robinson for a one yard touchdown to get the Rams within 13-10. The Rams got it back at their own 35 and moved to a 2nd and goal at the one. A run lost 2 yards and Stafford then threw incomplete. Harty hit a 21 yard field goal to tie the game 13-13 after three quarters.

In the fourth quarter the Seahawks moved from their own 31 to a 1st and goal at the 6 with 11 minutes left in regulation. Smith went to the end zone and found Kamren Kinchens. Problem: Kinchens plays defense for the Rams. kitchens went coast to coast for a 103 yard interception return touchdown. The score was 20-13, but it was the Rams in the lead. The Rams got it back and had to punt. The punt was blocked and the Seahawks took over at the Rams 19. Yet on 2nd and goal at the 4, Smith was intercepted again by Kinchens. The Seahawks got it back at their own 27 with 1:54 left. After a sack set up 2nd and 24, Smith went to White for 28. Smith ran for 11. On 4th and 5 from the Rams 43 with one minute left, Smith went to Smith-Nigba for 29. Smith then went back to Smith-Nigba for a 14 yard touchdown and a 20-20 game. 

The Seahawks got the ball first in overtime. After a touchback they moved to a 3rd and 1 at the Rams 16. Walker got stopped for no gain. Mike Macdonald could have gone for the 34 yard field goal try to give the Seahawks the lead, but the Rams would get a chance with the ball. So instead, Macdonald went for it in the hopes that a touchdown would end it. On 4th and 1, Walker got stopped again for no gain. From that spot, Stafford quickly went to Johnson for 24 and to Tutu Atwell for 16. Stafford then went deep to Robinson for a 39 yard touchdown. Just like that, the game was over and the Seahawks lost for the 5th time in 6 games after a 3-0 start. Meanwhile, the Rams after a miserable start now have their key pieces back healthy and are winning games. 26-20 Rams, OT

Indianapolis Colts at Minnesota Vikings was the Sunday night game. The Vikings were coming off 2 losses after a 5-0 start. Joe Flacco started for the Colts again as Anthony Richardson was injured again. The first half was hideous as neither offense scored. The teams exchanged turnovers in a scoreless first quarter. In the second quarter from his own 47, Sam Darnold was sacked and fumbled.vMoore picked up the fumble and returned it 38 yards for a defensive touchdown to make it 7-0 Colts. Will Reichard missed a 53 yard field goal try for the Vikings. Matt Gay from 53 missed for the Colts. With 17 seconds left in the half, Reichard from 31 doinked it off the upright no good. 

After a third quarter touchback, Darnold went to Justin Jefferson for 21 and TJ  Hockenson for 19.. On 3rd and 9 from the Indianapolis 14, Darnold went to Jordan Addison for 10. Darnold went back to Addison for a 4 yard touchdown to make it 7-7. The Vikings took over at their own 20. Darnold went to Oliver for 11. Darnold ran for 11. On 3rd and 2 from the Indianapolis 42, Darnold went deep to Jefferson for 41 down to the one. On 3rd and goal from the 7, Darnold went to Nailor for the touchdown to make it 14-7 Vikings after three quarters. 

Both quarterbacks threw fourth quarter interceptions, with Cross returning his pick of Darnold 20 yards to the Minnesota 25. On 3rd and 8, Flacco threw incomplete. Gay hit from 42 to get the Colts within 14-10. The Colts got it back at their own 21 and moved to a 4th and 2 at the Minnesota 40 with 5 1/2 minutes left in regulation. Jonathan Gannon did not want to try a 58 yard field goal. He went for it and Flacco threw incomplete. Darnold from that spot went to Addison for 21. Aaron Jones gained 10. On 3rd and 1 from the Indy 19, Jones gained 6. Darnold went tom Oliver for a 14 yard touchdown to have the Vikings up 21-10 with 2:05 left. The Colts after a touchback moved to a 1st and 10 at the Minnesota 36 but only 30 seconds remained. Needing 2 scores, Gannon immediately went for the 54 yard field goal try. Gay delivered the field goal but not the onside kick. 21-13 Vikings

Tampa Bay Buccaneers at Kansas City Chiefs was the Monday night game. The Chiefs looked to stay unbeaten but have been winning close games. This one was played in a driving rain. A 30 yard punt return by Mecole Hardman set up the Chiefs at their own 45. They moved to a 1st and 10 at the Tampa Bay 20. An end around by Xavier Worthy was blown up for a 10 yard loss to kill the drive. Harrison Butker hit a 40 yard field goal to make it 3-0 Chiefs. After a touchback the Buccaneers faced 3rd and 6 at their own 34. Baker Mayfield was sacked but defensive holding meant 5 yards and a first down. The Buccaneers began the second quarter facing 3rd and 1 at their own 48. Shepard got around the end for 19. On 3rd and 9 from the Kansas City 20, Mayfield went to Shepard for 13. White ran for a 7 yard touchdown to cap the 11 play, 70 yard, 7 minute drive and make it 7-3 Buccaneers. After a touchback the Chiefs faced 2nd and 11 from their own 29. Patrick Mahomes went to Watson for 12. On 3rd and 10 from the Kansas City 41, Mahomes went to Watson for 19. On 3rd and 8 from the Tampa Bay 38, Mahomes went deep to Hopkins for 35. On 3rd and goal at the one, Mahomes went to Hopkins for the touchdown to make it 10-7 Chiefs. 

A strong second half kickoff return had the Buccaneers in the third quarter just shy of midfield. On 3rd and 1, Tucker gained 5 with 15 tacked on for a horse collar penalty. Mayfield went to Jarrett for 9 and Cade Otton for an 11 yard touchdown to make it 14-10 Buccaneers. A field position game had the Buccaneers with excellent field position at the Kansas City 41. Yet on 1st and 10 from the Kansas City 28, an offensive facemark penalty killed the drive. Chase McLaughlin hit a 47 yard field goal with make it 17-10 Buccaneers. After a touchback, Karim Hunt ripped off gains of 7, 9 and 4. On 3rd and 6 from midfield, Mahomes went to Hardman for 7. Hunt ran for 15, 8 and 4. The fourth quarter began with then Chiefs facing 3rd and goal at the 7. Mahomes went to Perine for the touchdown. The 12 play, 70 yard, 6 1/2 minute drive had the game tied 17-17.

The Chiefs got it back and soon faced 3rd and 2 at their own 30. Mahomes went to Travis Kelce for 7. Despite getting stopped on 3rd and 1 from his own 46, Walrus Andy Reid gambled in his own territory with 9 minutes left in regulation. Hunt gained 3. On 3rd and 5 from the Tampa Bay 34, Mahoems went to Watson for 12. Hunt ran for 13. On 3rd and goal at the 5, Mahomes went to Hopkins for a 5 yard touchdown. The 15 play, 78 yard, 8 1/2 minute drive put the Chiefs up 24-17 with 4:17 left in regulation. With 2:08 left the Buccaneers faced 1st and 20 at their own 29. Mayfield went to Palmer for 14 and Shepard for 18. On 3rd and 1 from the Kansas City 40, White gained 9. Mayfield went to Shepard for 8 and Palmer for 19 down to the one. With 27 seconds left in regulation, Mayfield went to Miller for the one yard touchdown. With the weather bad, Todd Bowles was not going to try a 2 point conversion on the road. The game went into overtime tied 24-24.

After an opening touchback, Mahomes went to Hunt for 11. Mahomes went to Hopkins for 15. and Kelce for 15 more. On 3rd and 1 from the Tampa Bay 2, Hunt got the first down and the touchdown. The Buccaneers never saw the ball in overtime. The Chiefs got to 8-0 the hard way to make the Chiefs the only unbeaten NFL team in their quest for a three-peat. This makes Andy Reid a most happy Walrus indeed. 30-24 Chiefs, OT 

NFL 2024 Week 9 Prequel

Thursday, October 31, 2024, 8pm

Houston Texans at New York Jets (-1 1/2) — The Texans are good. The Jets are bad. They have been overrated all season. They just lost at a New England team that had lost 6 straight. The Jets are at home. Aaron Rodgers and Davante Adams do practice together. This is the very last time to give the Jets the benefit of the doubt. Jets cover

Sunday, November 3, 1pm

Miami Dolphins at Buffalo Bills (-6) — Tua Tagovailoa’s return briefly sparked the Dolphins, but they lost last week anyway. The Bills are a much better team and they are at home. This could get ugly early. Josh Allen should be able to run his offense at will. Bills cover

Denver Broncos at Baltimore Ravens (-9 1/2) — The Broncos are improved, but the Ravens will be an angry bunch at home after seeing their 5 game win streak snapped by lowly Cleveland. Lamar Jackson will rebound, and the Baltimore defense is one of the better ones Bo Nix has faced. The spread is a bit high given that the Broncos are far from scrubs. They can play defense as well, which keeps games manageable. Ravens win but fail to cover

Los Angeles Chargers (-2) at Cleveland Browns — The Browns got a shocking win over Baltimore and are due for a letdown. The Chargers are the better team. Justin Herbert is a better quarterback than anyone Cleveland starts. Chargers cover

New Orleans Saints (-7) at Carolina Panthers — These are two of the worst teams in the league, but the Saints should get a lift from the return of Derek Carr from injury. The spread is too high for a road team that has lost five straight, even if Carr is rusty. Saints win but fail to cover

Las Vegas Raiders at Cincinnati Bengals (-7) — Three years ago, the Raiders made the playoffs and took the eventual AFC Champion Bengals to the limit. Yet Mark Davis inexplicably blew up the coaching staff, and hired a horrendous coach in 2022 who gutted the team. The Raiders are still picking up the pieces. They have lost four straight. These Bengals are not nearly as good as in recent years, but they are good enough to steamroll the Raiders. This could be over by halftime. The Raiders normally fight hard and then the exhausted defense collapses in the fourth quarter. This time they won’t have to wait. Bengals cover

Washington Commanders (-3 1/2) at New York Giants — The Commanders dominated chicago last week for 59 minutes, lost the lead in the final minute, and won on a spectacular Hai Mary. Jayden Daniels is the real deal. Daniel Jones is not. He fumbles a lot. These teams often play close games, but do not expect the Giants and their untalented roster to defeat a better Commanders team. Commanders win but fail to cover

Dallas Cowboys at Atlanta Falcons (-2 1/2) — Both of these teams are vastly overrated, but the Cowboys play worse at home. On the road, they have enough offensive talent to get the win. Kirk Cousins is not getting much help. Dak Prescott will get a strong running game this week to allow him to do less. Cowboys cover

New England Patriots at Tennessee Titans (-3 1/2) — This is the stupor bowl. Two of the worst teams play because league rules prevent the NFL from canceling the game. The Patriots snapped their six game losing streak last week. Drake Maye has shown flashes of promise. This should be a close game in a battle of who wants it least. Go with the home field. Titans win but fail to cover

4pm

Chicago Bears at Arizona Cardinals (-1) — Somewhere in football heaven, Dennis Green is screaming that “The Bears are who we thought they were!” That just never gets old. This Bears team is good despite losing on a Hail Mary last week. They showed grit at Washington in coming back to begin with. The Cardinals are inconsistent. At home, give the Cardinals the benefit of the doubt because Caleb Williams is still not getting the maximum help from his offense. Kyler Murray can run around too. Cardinals cover

Jacksonville Jaguars at Philadelphia Eagles (-7 1/2) — Doug Pederson led the Eagles to their only franchise Super Bow victory. Then Jeffrey Lurie fired Pederson. The Jaguars still haven’t recovered from their late season collapse last year. The Eagles are playing better football but not blowing teams out. Their 20 point win at Cincinnati last week is deceptive. The game was tied until late. A garbage touchdown is certainly possible but an upset is doubtful. Eagles win but fail to cover

Detroit Lions (-3 1/2) at Green Bay Packers — This is a big one as the 6-1 Lions take on the 6-2 Packers. The Lions went into Minnesota and hit them in the mouth. The 30 year reign of the Packers automatically beating the Lions is over. The Lions have twice gone into Green Bay and whipped them. Jordan Love is playing well but Jared Goff has more offensive weapons. This could be an NFC Title Game preview. It is hard to bet against a good Packers team at home, but Dan Campbell has turned the Lions into a roaring beast. Lions win but fail to cover

Los Angeles Rams (-1 1/2) at Seattle Seahawks — Neither team is playing good football although the Rams did get a quality win over Minnesota last week. Now they have Puka Nacua and Cooper Kupp back from injury. Home field is not what it was during the Legion of Boom days, but Geno Smith does have plenty of offensive weapons. Matthew Stafford has his weapons back but they might still be rusty. Go with the home field. Upset special, Seahawks win outright

8pm

Indianapolis Colts at Minnesota Vikings (-5 1/2) — The Vikings lost two straight after a 5-0 start but should handle the Colts. Anthony Richardson is healthy and Jonathan Taylor can run the ball, but Minnesota has so many weapons. An early Vikings lead could make Taylor a non-factor. Go with the home crowd and expect the Vikings to bounce back. Vikings cover

Monday, November 4, 8pm

Tampa Bay Buccaneers at Kansas City Chiefs (-9) — The Buccaneers lost at home to Atlanta. Now they take on the two time defending world champions who are unbeaten and looking to make three-peat history. The Chiefs do not blow teams out and the Buccaneers have offensive talent. A garbage touchdown to defeat the spread is very realistic. Chiefs win but fail to cover

NFL 2024 Week 8 Recap

Minnesota Vikings at Los Angeles Rams was the Thursday night game. The Vikings were knocked from the unbeaten ranks last week and faced a wounded Rams team. Early on the game was a track meet. After an opening touchback, Sam Darnold hit Justin Jefferson for 10 and for a pair of 17 yard gains. Darnold found Oliver for a 5 yard touchdown to make it 7-0 Vikings. After a touchback, Matthew Stafford went to Pua Nacua for 13 and again for 21. Nacua had been out injured all year and was finally healthy. Stafford found Williams for a 5 yard touchdown to make it 7-7. Both teams then mounted identical 10 play, 70 yard drives that consumed about 5:45 off the clock. The Vikings after a touchback saw Darnold hit Jordan Addisonfor 14 and Jefferson for 19. On 3rd and 1 from the Rams 22, Darnold gained 2. Darnold hit Sherfield for a 10 yard touchdown to make it 14-7 Vikings. After a touchback Stafford hit Nacua for 16. The Rams began the second quarter facing 3rd and 7 just shy of midfield. Stafford threw incomplete but defensive holding meant an automatic first down. Williams gained 17. Stafford hit Nacua for 14. On 3rd and 7 from the Minnesota 11, Stafford threw incomplete but defensive pass interference meant 5 yards and an automatic first down. In addition to Nacua, the Rams finally have Cooper Kupp back from injury. Stafford went to Kupp for a 7 yard touchdown. Both teams had the ball twice and scored a touchdown twice for a 14-14 game. The game slowed considerably after this.

After a third quarter touchback, the Rams moved to a 3rd and 6 at the Minnesota 46. Stafford went deep and was intercepted. The Vikings took over at their own 27 and moved to a 3rd and goal ate the 5. Darnold threw incomplete. Will Reichard hit a 23 yard field goal to make it 17-14 Vikings. After a touchback, Stafford hit Parkinson for 9, Tutu Atwell for 18 and Nacua for 19. Stafford went deep to Robinson for a 25 yard touchdown to make it 21-17 Rams. The Vikings after a touchback moved to a 3rd and 4 at the Rams 17. Darnold threw incomplete. Reichard hit from 35 to get the Vikings within 21-20 with 13 minutes left in regulation. After a touchback, Stafford went to Corum for 9 and Long for 18. On 3rd and 1 from the Minnesota 29, Williams got stopped for no gain. Sean McVay gambled on 4th and 1 and this time Williams gained 3. Stafford threw incomplete but defensive pass interference added 11 yards. Stafford went to Robinson for a 10 yard touchdown to have the Rams up 28-20 with 6 1/2 minutes left. With 1:36 left the Vikings had one last chance to tie the game. They were pinned at their own 5 yard line. Darnold was sacked in the end zone for a safety as the Rams locked up their 2nd straight win. The refs missed a clear facemark penalty on the safety call. Darnold had his mask twisted. The refs just blew it. After starting 5-0, the Vikings have lost 2 straight. 30-20 Rams

Baltimore Ravens at Cleveland Browns — The Ravens came in winners of 5 straight. The Browns came in losers of 5 straight. The ravens were expected to roll over the Browns. As ESPN uber-announcer Chris Berman reminds us, “THAT’s why they PLAY the GAMES!” The Ravens began at their own 23 and moved to a 4th and 1 at the Cleveland 7. Derrick Henry got the direct snap and was blown up by the Dawg Pound for a 2 yard loss. With Deshaun Watson out for the season injured, Jameis Winston got the start. Winston is know for completing a ton of passes to both teams. The Browns from their own 10 held the ball for 8 minutes and moved to a 3rd and 6 at the Cleveland 9. Winston completed a pass for no gain. Dustin Hopkins hit the 28 yard field goal to make it 3-0 Browns. The Ravens in the second quarter moved from their own 29 to a 1st and 10 at the Cleveland 20. A run went nowhere and Lamr Jackson was sacked. Justin Tucker hit a 49 yard field goal for a 3-3 game. The Browns took over at their own 33 and moved to a 2nd and 7 at the Baltimore 14. A run lost a yard and Winston threw incomplete. Hopkins hit from 33 to make it 6-3 Browns.

With 1:15 left in the half the Browns faced 3rd and 15 at their own 37. Winston was sacked and fumbled. The Ravens took over at the Cleveland 25. Jackson hit Nelson Agholor for 14 and again for an 11 yard touchdown to make it 10-6 Ravens. After a third quarter touchback, Winston hit Jerry Jeudy for 14. On 3rd and 4 from midfield, Winston hit Moore for 17. On 3rd and 1 from the Baltimore 24, Winston got the yard. Winston then went deep to David Njoku for a 23 yard touchdown to make it 13-10 Browns The Ravens took over at their own 38. Jackson went deep to Zay Flowers for 25. On 3rd and 6 from the Cleveland 33, Jackson went to Isaiah Likely for 25. Jackson went to Mark Andrews for a 7 yard touchdown to make it 17-13 Ravens. The Browns took over at their own 28 and Chubb ran for 8 and 7. Winston went to Jeudy for 30. On 3rd and 5 from the Baltimore 22, Winston went to Tillman for the touchdown. The 4th lead change of the game had the Browns up 20-17.

The Ravens moved from their own 29 to a 2nd and 8 from the Baltimore 32. Jackson threw incomplete twice. With 13 minutes left in regulation, Tucker’s 50 yard field goal try to tie the game was no good. The Browns moved from their own 38 to a 3rd and 2 at the Baltimore 29. Chubb got the carry and lost a yard. Hopkins hit from 48 to put the Browns up 23-17 with 5 minutes left. A penalty on the kickoff had the Ravens backed up to their own 9 yard line. Jackson ran for gains of 22 and 6. Jackson went deep to Flowers for 29, to Andrews for 9, and back to Flowers for 23. Henry ran for a 2 yard touchdown. With just over 2 1/2 minutes to play, the 5th lead change had the Ravens up 24-23. 

The Browns took over at their own 31. Winston hit Tillman for 12 and Jeudy for 11. On 3rd and 7 from the Baltimore 40, Winston hit Moore for just enough. With 1:08 on the clock came the key play. Winston threw a a pass straight to the defender. The Defender had it in his hands and his bread basket and somehow bobbled it and dropped it. The interception would have sealed the 6th straight win for the Ravens and the 6th straight loss for the Browns. Instead, the Browns still had life. On the very next play, Winston went deep to Tillman for a 38 yard touchdown. The 2 point try failed, but with one minute left the 6th lead change had the Browns up 29-24. After a touchback, the Ravens moved to the Cleveland 24 as Jackson spiked the ball to stop the clock with 22 seconds left. Jackson threw short incomplete, leaving time for 2 shots to the end zone. Both fell incomplete as the Browns pulled off the stunner of the year. 29-24 Browns 

Tennessee Titans at Detroit Lions — The Titans are one of the worst teams in the league. The Lions are among the best. Sometimes a bad team can go on the road and shock a good team in an upset for the ages. This was not that game. Goliath beat up David and stole his lunch money. An early interception of Mason Rudolph set up the Lions at the Tennessee 23. David Montgomery ran for 9 and for a 7 yard touchdown to make it 7-0 Lions. The Titans began at their own 25. Rudolph hit Whyte for 33 and Calvin Ridley for 26. Rudolph ran for an 11 yard touchdown and a 7-7 game. One play and 10 seconds after a touchback, the Lions were in the end zone again. Gibbs ran for a 70 yard touchdown to make it 14-7 Lions. The Titans after a touchback soon faced 2nd and 18 at their own 22. Rudolph went to Ridley for  47 yard gain. Rudolph hit Ridley again for 12 more. Rudolph found ridley a third time for 14. The second quarter began with Rudolph hitting Nate Westbrook-Ikhine for a 5 yard touchdown. The game was tied 14-14. After that, reality set in.

Dorsey returned the ensuing kickoff 72 yards to the Tennessee 25. On 3rd and 6, Jared Goff threw incomplete but 2 defensive penalties on the same play added 13 yards and a first down. Goff went to Wright for an 8 yard touchdown to make it 21-14 Lions. One play after a touchback, Rudolph was intercepted by Karl Joseph, who returned the pick 33 yards to the Tennessee 12 yard line. On 3rd and 7, Goff went to Sam LaPorta for 8. Goff went to Amra St. Brown for a one yard touchdown to make it 28-14 Lions. Raymond then returned a punt 64 yards to again set up the Lions with excellent field position at the Tennessee 22. Gibbs ran for 9, 2 and 7. Montgomery ran for a 3 yard touchdown to make it 35-14 Lions,. In the final 2 minutes of the half the Titans moved after a touchback to a 1st and goal at the one. With 33 seconds left, at least one run was doable. Yet Rudolph threw 3 straight incompletions. Brian Callahan went for it and Rudolph threw his 4th straight incompletion.

NFL rules prohibited the second half from being canceled. Special teams obliterated the Titans as Raymond returned a third quarter punt 90 yards for a touchdown to make it 42-14 Lions. A Tennessee fumbles recovered by the Lions at the Tennessee 26. Goff went to Raymond for a 7 yard touchdown to make it 49-14 Lions. Bates tacked on a 52 yard field goal to complete the carpet-bombing as the fourth quarter was scoreless. 52-14 Lions

Indianapolis Colts at Houston Texans — With Anthony Richardson back in the lineup, it was a highly anticipated face-off between him and CJ Stroud and their teams. A strong opening kickoff return had the Texans set up at their own 43. They moved to a 4th and 5 at the Indianapolis 16. Kaimi Fairbairn hit a 35 yard field goal to make it 3-0 Texans. Ashton Dulin returned the ensuing kickoff 55 yards to the Houston 40. Despite the short field, after one first down to the Houston 28, Richardson threw 3 straight incompletions. Matt Gay hit from 46 for a 3-3 game. Late in the first quarter the Colts took over at their own 19. From their 31, Richardson went bombs away to Josh Downs for a 69 yard touchdown and a 10-3 Colts lead. After a touchback, Stroud went to Dalton Schultz for 16 to end the first quarter. Stroud began the second quarter by hitting Joe Mixon for 8 and Stefan Diggs for 7. On 3rd and 11 from the Indianapolis 38, Stroud hit Woods for 13 and Mixon for 11. Mixon ran for a 14 yard touchdown for a 10-10 game.

With 23 seconds left in the half the Colts faced 3rd and 3 at their own 12. Shane Steichen should have just run the ball and punted if necessary. He got big and bold in the worst possible situation. Richardson was intercepted by Pitna, who returned the pick 10 yards to the Indianapolis 7 yard line. 17 seconds remained but Stroud only needed 6 of them. One play was enough for him to hit Tank Dell for the touchdown and the 17-10 Texans halftime advantage, The third quarter belonged to the defenses and the field goal kickers. Fairbairn hit from 35 to put the Texans up 20-10. Gay answered from 37 to get the Colts back within 20-13. Fairbairn hit from 34 to put the Texans up 23-13 with 12 1/2 minutes left in regulation. After a touchback, Richardson hit Pittman for 16 and Downs for 13. On 3rd and 6 from the Houston 36, Richardson went to Pierce for 11. On 3rd and 10 from the Houston 25, Richardson went to Downs for 24. Jonathan Taylor got the last yard to have the Colts within a field goal with 8 1/2 minutes left in regulation. The Colts got the ball back but had to punt at the 2 minute warning on 4th and 23 from their own 5. The Colts got it back with 50 seconds left at their own 9 and moved to a 1st and 10 just past midfield. Richardson spiked the ball with one second left to stop the clock. Richardson’s Hail Mary never happened as he was sacked. The Texans got to 6-2 with a solid grip on the division lead. 23-20 Texans

Green Bay Packers at Jacksonville Jaguars — The Packers were expected to roll over the lowly Jaguars, but the Jaguars came ready for a fight. The first quarter was scoreless. Early in the second quarter on 2nd nd 12 from his own 4, Trevor Lawrence was intercepted to set up the Packers at the Jacksonville 28. On 3rd and 6, Jordan Love drew a 21 yard defensive pass interference call. Josh Jacobs ran for a 3 yard touchdown to make it 7-0 Packers. The Packers got it back at their own 20 and moved to a 1st and goal at the 9. An illegal shift was followed by a pair of Love incompletions sandwiched around a run that went nowhere. Brandon McManus hit a 31 yard field goal to make it 10-0 Packers.

After a touchback, Lawrence went to Christian Kirk for 33 and Thomas for 18. Bigsby ran for 14. Lawrence ran for a 6 yard touchdown to get the Jaguars within 10-7 with 2 1/2 minutes left in the half. The Packers managed a 38 yard McManus field goal to go up 13-7, but they left 54 seconds on the clock. That was enough time for Chase Little to respond from 39 to get the Jaguars within 13-10 at the break. Early In the third quarter Love was injured. Malik Willis finished the game. The Jaguars took over at their own 7. Lawrence went to Jones for 20. Bigby ran for 16. Bigsby got stopped short on 3rd and 1 from the Green Bay 48. Doug Pederson went for it and Lawrence gained 2. Lawrence went to Kirk for 26. Lawrence hit Thomas for a 14 yard touchdown to put the Jaguars up 17-13 with 5 minutes left in the third quarter. 

The Packers soon faced 3rd and 1 from their own 29. Jacobs after gaining 5 and 4 got the critical 2. On 3rd and 4 from the Jacksonville 37, Willis hit Wicks for 5. Willis ran for 20 and Jacobs ripped off a 38 yard touchdown run to have the Packers up 20-17 after three quarters. The Jaguars began the fourth quarter facing 3rd and 7 from their own 14. Lawrence was sacked and fumbled. The Packers took over at the Jacksonville 6. Willis hit Kraft for a 3 yard touchdown to make it 27-17 Packers. 

The Jaguars proved resilient. They moved with 9 1/2 minutes left from their own 20 to a 3rd and 3 at the Green Bay 27. Lawrence out of the shotgun fumbled the snap but fell on it for a 2 yard loss. Needing 2 scores with 5 1/2 minutes left in regulation, Doug Pederson opted for the field goal. Little hit from 47 to get the Jaguars within 27-20. The Jaguars got it back at their own 13 with 3:50 to play. Lawrence hit Evan Engram for 12, Washington for 15 and Johnson for 20. On 3rd and 5 from the Green Bay 35, Lawrence went to Strange for 21 at the 2 minute warning. Lawrence went to Engram for a 14 yard touchdown. The game was tied 27-27, but 1:48 still remained on the clock. Willis went deep to Reed for a 51 yard gain and then bled the clock. On 3rd and goal at the 6 with 2 seconds left, McManus came in for the 24 yard chip shot. McManus was good. The Jaguars were game but fell to 2-6 while the Packers got to 6-2 on the year the hard way. Doug Pederson failed to beat the team he played backup quarterback for. 30-27 Packers

Arizona Cardinals at Miami Dolphins — The Cardinals are an inconsistent team with flashes of excitement while the Dolphins have been horrendous without Tua Tagovailoa. Yet he returned to the lineup from injury, and it sparked the team for much of the game. In the first quarter the Dolphins took over at their own 36. Devon Achane ran for 11. Tagovailoa hit Alec Ingold for 16. On 3rd and 9 from their own 36, Tagovailoa hit Tyreek Hill for 13. Achane ran for 9 and caught a pass from Tagovailoa for 6. The Dolphins fumbled the ball but were lucky to retain possession. Raheem Mostert ran for a one yard touchdown to make it 7-0 Dolphins. The Dolphins got it back at their own 25 and moved to a 4th and 4 at the Miami 35. Jason Sanders hit the 53 yard field goal to make it 10-0 Dolphins. 

After a touchback, Kyler Murray hit Marvin Harrison Jr for 25. Benson began the second quarter by running for 10.Murray went to McBride for 12. On 3rd and goal at the 6, Murray went to Wilson for the touchdown to get the cardinals within 10-7. The Dolphins moved from their own 5 yard line to a 2nd and 4 at the Arizona 6 with 26 seconds left in the half. A run lost a yard and Tagovailoa threw incomplete. Sanders hit the 25 yard field goal to put the Dolphins up 13-7 at the intermission. After a third quarter touchback, the Cardinals moved to a 1st and 10 at the Miami 33. A shotgun run by Conner was blown up for a 10 yard loss. The Cardinals settled for a 57 yard Ryland field goal to get the Cardinals within 13-10. After a touchback, Achane got around the edge for a 47 yard gain. On 3rd and 9 from the Arizona 22, Tagovailoa ran for 13. Tagovailoa found Achane for a 12 yard touchdown to have the Dolphins comfortably ahead 20-10. 

Thee game changed when the Dolphins faced 2nd and 10 from their own 13. Out of the shotgun, the ball sailed over Tagovailoa’s head. To avoid giving the Cardinals a gift touchdown, Tagovailoa batted the ball out of the end zone. The safety had the Cardinals within 20-12. The Cardinals took the free kick at their own 25. Conner ran for 13. Murray hit McBride for 17. On 3rd and 6 from the Maimi 41, Murray hit Dortsch for 9. Murray went to Harrison for a 22 yard touchdown. The 2 point conversion try to tie the game failed but the Cardinals were within 20-18. After a touchback, Tagovailoa hit Jalen Waddle for 20. Mostert ran for 13. The fourth quarter began with the Dolphins facing 3rd and 5 at the Arizona 28. Tagovailoa hit Waddle for 15. On 3rd and 3 from the Arizona 6, Mostert got around the end for the touchdown to have the Dolphins back up 2 scores with a 27-18 lead.

After a touchback the Cardinals soon faced 3rd and 4 from their own 36. Murray went to Harrison for 16 and again for 22. Murray went to McBride for 16. Conner ran for a 2 yard touchdown. With 9 minutes left in regulation the Cardinals were within 27-25. The Dolphins could not close out the game. With 6 minutes left the Cardinals took over at their own 11. On 3rd and 1, Murray went to McBride for 17. On 2nd and 15 from their own 32, Murray found Harrison for 18. Conner ran for 17. The Cardinals took the clock down to one second. On 4th and 6 from the Miami 16, Ryland came in for a 34 yard field goal to win it. Ryland was good as Miami’s season of misery continued. Twice the Dolphins led by 10 and once late led by 9. It was not enough. 28-27 Cardinals

New York Jets at New England Patriots — Tom Brady and Bill Belichick are gone. The Patriots had lost 6 straight.. Robert Saleh was gone, Aaron Rodgers was healthy, and Davante Adams was back. The Jets were out of excuses and ready to finally get a much needed win over a hated rival to save their season. The Patriots took over at their own 23. Drake Maye hit Douglas for 9. On 3rd and 5 from their own 46, Maye went to Hunter Henry for 11. Maye ran for 11. Maye ran for a 17 yard touchdown to make it 7-0 Patriots. After a touchback a pair of end arounds by Breece Hall gained 9 and 16. On 3rd and 9 from the New England 39, defensive pass interference on an incompletion gained 17 yards. On 3rd and 3 from the New England 15, another defensive pass interference call on another incompletion added 13. Rodgers went to Tyler Conklin for a 2 yard touchdown. The extra point was no good as the Jets trailed 7-6. 

The Jets got the ball back at their own 40 in the second quarter. Rodgers went to Ruckert for 12. On 3rd and 2 from the New England 40, Allen gained 3. Rodgers went to Wilson for 27 down to the one. Rodgers went to Xavier Gipson for the one yard touchdown to make it 13-7 Jets. The defenses dug in and Maye left the game injured with 9 minutes left in the half. Jacoby Brissett played the rest of the way. The Patriots got a break in the third quarter when Jones ran back a punt 62 yards to the Jets 26. On 3rd and 1 from the Jets 3, Raimondre Stevenson ran it in for the score to have the Patriots up 14-13. After a touchback, Rodgers went deep to Wilson for 35. On 2nd and 1 from the New England 11, a run went nowhere and Rodgers then threw incomplete. On 4th and 1, interim Jets coach Jeff Ulbrich decided not to gamble. Greg Zuerlein hit the 29 yard field goal to have the Jets up 16-14. With 12 1/2 minutes left in regulation, Zuerlein’s 44 yard try to extend the lead was no good. The Patriots took over at their own 34 and were helped along by a 15 yard roughing the passer call. On 2nd and goal at the 2, a fumbled snap out of the shotgun saw the Patriots retain possession. On 3rd and goal at the 5, Brissett threw incomplete. Joey Slye hit the 23 yard field goal. The 4th lead change of the game had the Patriots up 17-16 midway through the fourth quarter.

After a touchback the Jets soon faced 3rd and 1 from their own 39. Allen gained 9. Rodgers went to Wilson for 22. Hall gained 13. Rodgers hit Adams for 16. Allen ran for a 2 yard touchdown. The 2 point conversion try failed but the 5th lead change had the Jets up 22-17 with 3 minutes left in the game. After a touchback, Brissett hit Henry for 12. On 3rd and 9 from their own 43, Brissett ran for 14. On 3rd and 10 from the Jets 43,  Brissett went deep to Boutte for 34. With 25 seconds left, everything came down to 4th and goal at the one. Stevenson got in. Brissett hit Stevenson for the 2 point conversion. The 6th lead change had the Patriots back up by 3. After a touchback the Jets needed about 15-20 yards to give the King of the Hail Mary Rodgers a chance to do it again. Rodgers hit Adams for 16 but there would be no Hail Mary as the clock hit zeroes before the next snap. Both teams are 2-6. The Patriots finally broke their losing streak while once again J-E-T-S stands for Just End The Season. 25-22 Patriots

Atlanta Falcons at Tampa Bay Buccaneers — An early Buccaneers fumble set up the Falcons at the Tampa Bay 43. On 3rd and 3, Kirk Cousins threw incomplete. Raheem Morris gambled early on and Cousins went deep to Pitts for the touchdown to make it 7-0 Falcons. After a touchback Todd Bowles gambled on 4th and 1 just shy of midfield. Baker Mayfield took the quarterback sneak, fumbled, and recovered his own fumble for a 2 yard gain. Irving gained 15. On 3rd and 4 from the Atlanta 28, White gained 5. Irving added a pair of 8 yard gains.On 3rd and goal at the 5, Mayfield hit Cade Otton for the touchdown and a 7-7 game.

The Buccaneers got the bay back at their own 3 yard line. Mayfield hit Otton for 11 and Tucker for 12. The second quarter began with the Buccaneers facing 3rd and 8 at their own 28. Mayfield hit Otton for 29. On 3rd and 6 from the Atlanta 27, Mayfield hit Otton for 9. Mayfield went to White for an 18 yard touchdown to cap the 12 play, 97 yard, 7 minute drive and make it 14-7 Buccaneers. After a touchback, Robinson gained 7, 2, and on 3rd and 1 from his own 39, 2 more. Cousins then went to Kyle Pitts fora  49 yard touchdown for a 14-14 game. 

The Falcons got the ball back at their own 39. Cousins hit London for 13. On 3rd and 6 from the Tampa Bay 30, Cousins went to Mooney for the touchdown and the 21-14 Falcons lead. After a touchback the Buccaneers moved to a 4th and 3 at the Atlanta 34 with one minute left in the half. This time Raheem Morris decided not to gamble.Chase mcLaughlin hit from 52 to get the Buccaneers within 21-17. That was enough time for the Falcons to move after a touchback to a 3rd and 8 at the Tampa Bay 26. Cousins threw incomplete. Younghoe Koo hit the 39 yard field goal to have the Falcons up 24-17 at the midpoint. Late in the third quarter Todd Bowles gambled on a fake punt on 4th and 3 from his own 38. The play lost 2 yards. Cousins went to Robinson for 10. McCloud gained 17. Cousins went to Robinson for a 6 yard touchdown to have the Falcons up 31-17 after three quarters. 

Mayfield was intercepted twice in the third quarter. The Falcons were backed up to a 2nd and 11 at their own one. Cousins fumbled and the ball went out the end zone for a safety to get the Buccaneers within 31-19. The Buccaneers took the free kick.at their own 27. Mayfield went to McMillan for 11. on 3rd and 4 from the Atlanta 44, Mayfield gained 10. Mayfield hit Jarrett for 19.Myfield hit Otton for a 4 yard touchdown to have the Buccaneers back within 5 points midway through the fourth quarter. With 1:06 left, Koo missed a 46 yard field goal try that would have made it an 8 point game. The Buccaneers from their own 36 to the Atlanta 33 as Mayfield spiked the ball to stop the clock with 9 seconds left. Mayfield’s Hail Mary fell incomplete as the Falcons survived. 31-26 Falcons 

Philadephia Eagles at Cincinnati Bengals — The Eagles keep winning ugly, but those wins count. After an opening g touchback the Bengals faced 3rd and 1 from their own 39. Joe Burrow hit Mike Gesicki for 7. on 3rd and 8 from their own 48, Burrow hit JaMarr Chase for 12. On 3rd and 6 from the Philadelphia 36, Burrow hit Moss for 9. On 3rd and 2 from the Philadelphia 19, Burrow hit Chase for 3. On 3rd and 6 from the Philly 12, Burrow hit Gesicki for 9. Burrow hit Chase for a 2 yard touchdown to cap the coma-inducing 17 play, 70 yard drive that consumed over 10 minutes off of the clock and make it 7-0 Bengals. 

The Eagles moved from their own 27 to a 1st and 10 at the Cincinnati 16 as the first quarter ended. Offensive holding killed the drive. Jake Elliott hit an early second quarter 39 yard field goal to get the Eagles within 7-3. The Bengals after a touchback moved to a 3rd and 3 at the Philadelphia 9. Burrow threw incomplete. Evan McPherson hit the 27 yard field goal to make it 10-3 Bengals. With 5 minutes left in the half McPherson missed  54 yarder to extend the lead. The Eagles soon faced 3rd and 1 at the Cincinnati 47. Jalen Hurst did the tush push and got the yard. Hurts went to Calcaterra for 19. On 3rd and 16 from the Cincinnati 33, Hurts went to AJ Brown for 17. Hurts gained 12. On 3rd and goal at the one with 22 seconds left in the half, it was another Hurts tush push into the end zone for a 10-10 tie. 

After a third quarter touchback the Eagles soon faced 3rd and 5 at their own 35. Hurts went to Smith for 15 and to Calcaterra for 28. On 3rd and 3 from the Cincy 15, Saquon Barkley gained 8. Hurts ran for a 7 yard touchdown to make it 17-10 Eagles. After a touchback the Bengals soon faced 3rd and 6 from their own 34. Burrow hit Gesicki for 7. On 3rd and 8 from his own 43, Burrow got just enough. Burrow hit Moss for 9 and Chase for 13. Burrow hit Chase again for 12. Brown ran for  4 yard touchdown. With 4 minutes left in the third quarter, the game was again tied 17-17.

After a touchback Hurts hit Brown for 23. Hurts then went to Smith for a 45 yard touchdown. Just like that the Eagles led 24-17. A key decision came early in the fourth quarter when Zac Taylor gambled on 4th and 1 from his own 39. Out of the shotgun, Burrow completed a pass for a 2 yard loss. Jake Elliott hit a 34 yard field goal 90 seconds into the fourth quarter to put the Eagles up 27-17. A Burrow bomb was intercepted to give the Eagles the ball back at their own 15. Barkley gained 11 and 5. On 3rd and 7 from their own 29, Hurts hit Smith for 9.Barkley ran for 4 and 19. Hurts hit Calcaterra for 11. Barkley ran for 17 down to the one. Once again it was tush push time and Hurts got in for a 34-17 Eagles lead. An immediate fumble after a touchback led to a 47 yard Elliott field goal to complete the scoring.  20 unanswered points turned a close game into a blowout as the Bengals struggles continued. 37-17 Eagles

New Orleans Saints at Los Angeles Chargers — The Saints came in having lost 5 straight after a 2-0 start and Derek Carr was still out injured. Early on the Chargers tried to punt on 4th and 8 from their own 5. They fumbled the snap and fumbled the ball again out of the end zone for a safety and a 2-0 Saints lead. The Chargers eventually moved from their own 16 to a 4th and 3 at the Saints 28. On the first play of the second quarter, Cameron Dicker hit a 46 yard field goal to make it 3-2 Chargers. The Chargers got it back at their own 10. Justin Herbert hit Will Dissly for 16. Herbert hit Ladd McConkey for 15. JK Dobbins ran for 9. Defensive pass interference added 17. On 3rd and goal at the one, Dobbins got in to make it 9-2 Chargers. The extra point was no good. The Saints after a touchback moved to a 2nd and 7 at the Chargers 22. Specer Rattler threw incomplete twice. Blake Grupe hit the 40 yard field goal as the Saints trailed 9-5 at the intermission.

In the third quarter Herbert went deep to McConkey for a 60 yard touchdown to make it 16-5 Chargers. Grupe hit a 43 yard field goal to get the Saints within 16-8 after three quarters, but no closer.Dicker hit from 29 with 12 minutes left in regulation to put the Chargers up 19-8. Grupe’s 44 yard try to make it a one score game midway through the fourth quarter was no good. Herbert led a 66 yard drive and hit McConkey for a 9 yard touchdown to make the game a blowout. The Saints have lost 6 straight games. 26-8 Chargers 

Buffalo Bills at Seattle Seahawks — The Bills are thinking Super Bowl whole the Seahawks have been inconsistent after a 3-0 start. Early on the Bills took over at their own 10. Josh Allen found Dawson Knox for 23. On 3rd and  4 from their own 39, Allen hit Kincaid for 6. On 3rd and 1 from the Seattle 46, Allen gained 3.On 3rd and 8 from the Seattle 41, Allen hit Coleman for 25. Cook gained 11. On 3rd and goal at the 2, Allen hit Coleman for the touchdown to finish the 14 play, 90 yard, 9 minute drive and make it 7-0 Bills.The Seahawks in the second quarter moved from their own 9 to a 1st and goal at the 2. A fumbled snap out of the shotgun resulted in a one yard loss. A wild shotgun snap resulted in a 19 yard loss. Then came a delay of game. Jason Myers hit a 38 yard field goal to get the Seahawks on the board. 

An interception of Allen was returned 33 yards to give the Seahawks 1st and goal at the 7. On 3rd and goal at the one, Kenneth Walker got stopped for no gain. Mike Macdonald went for it. Geno Smith tried to go up the middle and got blasted for a 6 yard loss. The Bills on 3rd and 5 from their own 12 saw Allen get sacked and fumble, but Johnson picked it up at the 10 and ran it forward for the offense for a 13 yard gain. On the next play Allen hit Cook for 18 and Shakir for 16. On 3rd and 3 from the Seattle 36, Allen gained 9. On 3rd and 7 from the Seattle 24, Allen threw incomplete but roughing the passer meant a 12 yard gain. Allen went to Kincaid for a 12 yard touchdown to make it 14-3 Bills. 

In the third quarter the Bills moved from their own 23 to a 3rd and goal at the 8. Allen through incomplete. Tyler Bass hit the 27 yard field goal to make it 17-3 Bills. An interception of Smith had the Bills just shy of midfield.  On 3rd and 5 from the Seattle 36, Allen went to Coleman for 21. Cook ran for 13 and then for the 2 yard touchdown to make it 24-3 Bills. Sean McDermott was so confident that he even gambled on 4th and 1 from his own 36. Allen gained 2. Allen went deep to Knox for 27. Defensive pass interference added 11. Cook ran for 12 and for the 7 yard touchdown. With 11 minutes left in regulation, 24 unanswered points had the Bills up 31-3. The Seahawks got a garbage touchdown but Buffalo cruised to 6-2 on the year. 31-10 Bills

Chicago Bears at Washington Commanders — The very first game between the top 2 drat picks Caleb Williams and Jayden Daniels will be talked about for a very long time. Yet rather than a shootout, the first 59 minutes produced a defensive slugfest. Austin Siebert hit field goals of 27 and 30 in the first quarter, from 28 in the second quarter, and from 47 with 6 minutes left in the third quarter to have the Commanders up 12-0. one play very late in the third quarter changed momentum. Deandre Swift got around the end for a 56 yard touchdown to get the Bears within 12-7. Siebert’s 51 yard field goal try early in the fourth quarter was no good. With 4 minutes left in regulation the Bears faced 3rd and 10 from thrown 38. Williams hit Odunze for 16. Williams hit Allen for 22. With 35 seconds left in the game, the Bears faced 4th and 3 at the Washington 12. Williams threw incomplete but defensive pass interference meant an 11 yard gain. Roschon Johnson got the last yard and Williams hit Cole Kmet for the 2 point conversion. With 25 seconds left, the Bears had pulled off the shocking 15-12 upset. The Commanders only had 12 seconds left after an incompletion from their own 24. Daniels hit Terry McLaurin for 13. With 6 seconds left from their own 48, there was time for a Hail Mary. Williams ran around all over the place and unleashed the bomb. Receivers and defenders went up for it short of the end zone. It was batted high in the air. Only one man was standing all by himself in the end zone waiting for the tip. Noah Brown came down with the miracle touchdown as the home Washington crowd erupted in celebration. The Commanders got to 6-2 the hardest of the hard ways. 18-15 Commanders

Carolina Panthers at Denver Broncos — The Broncos are up and down while the Panthers are just awful. Red Rifle Andy Dalton went back to the bench as Bryce Young got his job back. An early Denver fumble gave the Panthers good field position just past midfield. Chuba Hubbard gained 8 and 7. On 3rd and goal at the 6, Young hit Legette for the touchdown. The Panthers led 7-0 early on, but after that reality set in. A field position game had the Broncos taking over at their own 45. On the last play of the first quarter, Bo Nix went to Adam Trautman for 37. On 3rd and 3 from the Carolina 11 in the second quarter, Nix hit Vele for just enough. On 3rd and goal from the 3, Nix hit Adkins for the touchdown to make it 7-7. The Broncos got the ball at their own 8. On 3rd and 2, Nix hit Humphrey for 5. Nix went deep to Cortland Sutton for 37 and to Trautman for 17. Nix went to Trautman again for a 19 yard touchdown to make it 14-7 Broncos. With 4 1/2 minutes left in the half, Dave Canales went for it on 4th and 2 just shy of midfield. A completion lost a yard. Nix hit Sutton for 16. On 3rd and 8 from the Carolina 30, McLaughlin gained 10. Nix hit Trautman for 12. On 3rd and goal at the one, Nix got in to make it 21-7 Broncos. In the third quarter Canales gambled on a fake punt on 4th and 6  from his own 24. Johnny Hekker threw incomplete. On 3rd and 1 from the Carolina 14, McLaughlin gained 5. Nix went to mclaughlin for a 9 yard touchdown as 28 unanswered points made it 28-7 Broncos after three quarters. The Panthers finally reached the end zone again with 15 seconds left in the game. 28-14 Broncos. 

Kansas City Chiefs at Las Vegas Raiders — Last year the Raiders went into Kansas City on Christmas Day and physically beat up the Chiefs. It ruined Christmas for Travis Kelce and his prima donna singer girlfriend. Yet the 2024 Raiders are a mess. Every game is the same. The offense gets on early touchdown, then tries to win with field goals the rest of the way and defense. The exhausted defense eventually breaks. When the game is out of hand, the offense occasionally gets a garbage touchdown. It’s tough to win games with no offensive line, no quarterback and no running back. They also traded their top receiver to the Jets. Now the Raiders had to try and beat the NFL’s only unbeaten team with only half a team themselves. The Chiefs began the game facing 3rd and 7 from their own 33. Patrick Mahomes hit Hopkins for 13. and Kelce for 25. On 3rd and 5 from the Raiders 24, Mahomes hit Perine for 21. Karim Hunt ran for a one yard touchdown for a 7-0 Chiefs lead. 

The Raiders after a touchback soon fced 3rd and 5 from their own 35. Gardner Mnishew hit Jakobi Meyers for 11. Minshew hit Tre Tucker for 20. On 3rd and 7 from the Kansas City 27, Minshew hit Brock Bowers for 8. Minshew hit Meyers for a 7 yard touchdown. The Raiders shocked the football world with a 12 play, 70 yard, 7 1/2 minute drive to tie the game 7-7. Yet the Raiders rarely build off of their one early touchdown. The Raiders got the ball back at their own 14 and moved well in the second quarter. They gained 50 yards in 10 plays and 6 minutes. On 2nd and 9 from the Kansas City 33, Zamir White lost 3 yards. Minshew threw incomplete. Daniel Carlson nailed a 54 yard field goal. The Raiders scored on both of their first 2 possessions and actually had a 10-7 lead.

After a touchback, the Chiefs faced 3rd and 2 at their own 38. Mahomes hit Xavier Worthy for 7. Mahomes hit kielce for gains of 8 and 11. On 3rd and 6 from the Raiders 32, Mahomes hit Gray for 10. On 3rd and goal at the 5 at the 2 minute warning, Mahoems hit Kelce for the touchdown and the 14-10 Chiefs advantage. The Raiders had 2 minutes to try and retake the lead. Even a decent drive could have meant a field goal. Even a couple of first downs could have gotten them to the half down 4 points. Yet the Raiders had to go 3 and out with terrible play calls. The Chiefs got the ball back with one minute left at their own 20. With 12 seconds left the Chiefs were at the Raiders 40. A field goal from that distance would have been 58 yards. Instead, Mahomes hit Hopkins for 16. Now it was only a 42 yard try for Harrison Butker, which he made easily. The Chiefs led 17-10. The Raiders give points away and eventually they give games away.

The Raiders were gifted a major special teams break in the third quarter when Turner returned a punt 17 yards and unnecessary roughness against Kansas City tacked on 15 more yards. The Raiders started with excellent field position at the Kansas City 28. On 3rd and 7, a completion only gained 4 but defensive holding gave the Raiders another gift in the form of 5 yards and a new set of downs. The Raiders moved to a 1st and goal at the 4. They were on the verge of tying the game. Yet this team cannot run the ball in obvious running situations. Instead of lining up behind the center and playing smash mouth, they line up in the shotgun, an act of gutlessness. Mattison lost 4 yards. Then Minshew completed a pass for nothing. Then Minshew was sacked.Carlson hit the 32 yard field goal but the Raiders trailed 17-13.

Despite the typical offensive malfunctions, the Raiders defense was playing very well. The Chiefs after consecutive offensive holding penalties were backed up to a 1st and 16 at their own 2 yard line. Mahomes threw a pass over the middle that was intercepted by Moehrig, who returned it 12 yards to the Kansas City 3 yard line. Yes, the Raiders offense started with 1st and goal at the 3. They were 3 yards from taking the lead. Would they finally try to line up behind the center and run the damn ball? Of course not. Out came the gutless shotgun. 4 of the worst play calls perhaps in team history if not league history were on the horizon. On 2nd and goal at the one out of the shotgun, Mattison was stopped for no gain. On 3rd and goal at the one, rather than go straight ahead, the Raiders tried to run laterally. Mattison lost 2 yards, Again, the offense squandered what the defense served up on a silver and black platter. On 4th and goal at the 3, the only sensible decision was to kick a field goal. If the Raiders could not gain one yard in 2 tries, how they possibly gain 3 yards in one play. Rather than get within 17-16, Anthony Pierce went for it. Minshew was sacked. 2 drives inside the opponent’s 5 yard line and all the Raiders could muster was a combined 3 points. Instead of leading 24–17 or even 20-17, they still trailed 17-13. 

The Chiefs from their own 8 yard line led a coma-inducing drive. 19 plays. 87 yards. They took nearly 10 minutes off the clock. With 9 minutes left in regulation, the Chiefs had a chance to deliver the dagger. On 3rd and goal at the 5, Mahomes threw incomplete. The Raiders defense bent but did not break. Butker hit the 24 yard field goal. The Chiefs led 20-13, but with 9 minutes left in regulation the Raiders were one drive from tying or winning the game. On 2nd and 3 from their own 37, Minshew was hit and fumbled. The Chiefs took over at the Raiders 38. On 3rd and 2, Hunt gained 3. On 3rd and 2 from the Raiders 19, Mahomes went to Kelce for 11. Mahomes went to Butker for a 9 yard touchdown. With 5 minutes left, the exhausted Raiders defense finally broke. The Chiefs led 27-13. As expected the Raiders managed a garbage time touchdown just before the 2 minute warning. The onside kick was a good one but it was not good enough. The Chiefs recovered and Mahomes took 3 knees. The Raiders are 2-6 and have lost 4 straight games. They have no offense. The Chiefs are 7-0 and looking Super, making Andy Reid a most happy walrus indeed. 27-20 Chiefs

Dallas Cowboys at San Francisco 49ers was the Sunday night game. For decades this game had Super Bowl implications. Yet this contest was just a pair of playoff teams from last year that are playing miserably this season. Most of the first half as hideous. Anders Carlson hit a 50 yard first quarter field goal to make it 3-0 49ers. The Cowboys faced 3rd and 9 from their own 36. Turpin gained 11. The second quarter began with the Cowboys facing 3rd and 4 at the San Francisco 46. Dak Prescott hit CeeDee Lamb for 15. Ezekiel Elliott ran for 11. On 3rd and 10 from the San Francisco 20, Prescott fired to Ferguson for 11. Defensive pass interference added 9. Elliott got the last yard to make it 7-3 Cowboys. Kyle Ferguson gambled on 4th and 3 at the Dallas 33. Brock Purdy threw incomplete. The good field position led to Brian aubrey hitting a 29 yard field goal to make it 10-3 Cowboys. Carlson connected from 44 to have the 49ers trailing 10-6 at the intermission. 

The third quarter kickoff was short of the landing zone to set up the 49ers at their own 40. On 3rd and 1, purdy gained 4. Purdy went to George Kittle for 43. Guerendo ran for a 4 yard touchdown to make it 13-10 49ers. An interception of Prescott had the 49ers at the Dallas 32. Purdy hit Guerendo for 12. On 3rd and 3 from the Dallas 13, Purdy ran for 6. On 3rd and goal at the 2, Purdy went to Kittle for the touchdown. to make it 20-10 49ers. The 49ers got it back at their own 25. Pursy ran for 16 and found Kittle for 27. On 3rd and 7 from the Dallas 25, Derby went to Deebo Samuel for 16. On 3rd and goal at the 2, Purdy got in. 24 unanswered points including 3 third quarter touchdowns had the 49ers up 27-10. 

After a touchback, the Chargers tried to make a game of it. On 3rd and 10, a defensive pass interference penalty added 19 yards. On 4th and 4 from the San Francisco 45, Prescott hit Turpin for 16. Prescott hit Lamb for 15. Prescott went back to Lamb for a 7 yard touchdown to get the Cowboys within 27-17. Carlson hit a 41 yard field goal to put the 49ers up 30-17 with 4 1/2 minutes left in regulation. After a touchback, Prescott went to Lamb for big gains of 21, 29, and the 20 yard touchdown. Just like that, the Cowboys were within 6 points with 3 1/2 minutes left. The Cowboys got it back only 30 seconds later with a chance to pull off the miracle comeback. From their own 25, Prescott threw 4 straight incompletions, 30-24 49ers

New York Giants at Pittsburgh Steelers was the Monday night game. The Giants are wretched. The Steelers are good but they win ugly. An unwatchable first half saw field goals. In the first quarter Chris Boswell hit from 31 for the Steelers. Greg Joseph hit from 24. Boswell hit from 25. In the second quarter Joseph hit from 39. Boswell hit from 27 to put the Steelers up by a  field goal for the 3rd time. Joseph countered from 44 as the game was tied for a 3rd time at 9-9 at the half. With 4 1/2 minutes left in the third quarter, one special teams play changed the game. Austin returned a punt 73 yards for a touchdown to make it 16-9 Steelers. The Steelers got it back and faced 3rd and 7 from their ow 23. Russell Wilson hit Pat Freiermuth for 11. On 3rd and 11 from their own 33, Russell Wilson went deep to Van Jefferson for 36 as the third quarter ended. On 3rd and 8  from the Giants 29, Wilson went to Austin for the touchdown to make it 23-9 Steelers. 

The Giants tried to make a game of it. A strong kickoff return had the Giants facing 3rd and 16 from their own 39. Jones went to Nbers for 16. Tracy ran for a 45 yard touchdown. The 2 point try failed but the Giants were within 23-15. Boswell gave the Steelers breathing room up 26-15. Joseph answered from 48 to get the Giants back within 8. The Steelers fumbled and the Giants  had a short field at the Pittsburgh 37. With 3 minutes left a sack of Daniel Jones killed the drive as he fumbled the ball away. The Giants got it back one more time at their own 7 yard line with 1:53 left.  Jones was intercepted with 34 seconds left. 26-18 Steelers

NFL 2024 Week 8 Prequel

Thursday, October 24, 2024, 8pm

Minnesota Vikings (-3) at Los Angeles Rams — The Vikings will be angry coming off their first loss. The rams are wounded and the Vikings have enough firepower to win going away. Vikings cover

Sunday, October 27, 1pm

Baltimore Ravens (-8 1/2) at Cleveland Browns — The Browns are awful. They were bad with Deshaun Watson and will be worse with him out injured. The Ravens have won 5 straight. The spread is high but so is the difference in these teams. Ravens cover

Tennessee Titans at Detroit Lions (-11) — A very bad team is on the road against a possible Super Bowl contender. This game could be over by halftime. Lions cover

Indianapolis Colts at Houston Texans (-5) — The Texans will be angry coming off a last second road loss at Green Bay. They have a better defense. CJ Stroud is playing well. Anthony Richardson has to prove he can stay healthy. Texans cover

Green Bay Packers (-4)  at Jacksonville Jaguars — After an emotional win, the Packers have to guard against a letdown. The Jaguars lack the talent to keep up. Packers cover

Arizona Cardinals at Miami Dolphins (-3 1/2) — Kyler Murray is playing well. Tua Tagovailoa is trying to come back but one more concussion could end his career. The spread is too high for an inconsistent Cardinals team despite the Dolp[hins being wretched. Cardinals win but fail to cover

New York Jets (-7) at New England Patriots — As bad as the Patriots are in losing 6 straight, the Jets are 2-5 and overrated on all levels. The spread is too high given their lack of production. Jets win but fail to cover 

Atlanta Falcons (-2 1/2) at Tampa Bay Buccaneers — The loss of Chris Godwin for the season will hirt the Buccaneers emotionally and from a productivity standpoint. This game could go down to the final play. Go with the home team who will rally around their fallen receiver. Upset special Buccaneers win outright

Philadephia Eagles at Cincinnati Bengals (-2 1/2) — The Eagles have been winning ugly while the Bengals have won 2 straight after a 1-4 start. The Eagles have not put up impressive enough often give numbers to give them the benefit of the doubt against a Bengals team that may have turned a corner. Bengals cover

4pm 

New Orleans Saints at Los Angeles Chargers (-7 1/2) — The Chargers offense is malfunctioning but the Saints have lost 5 straight and have a backup quarterback getting pummeled. This is the week the Chargers break out and perhaps push Dennis Allen to the unemployment line. Chargers cover

Buffalo Bills (-3) at Seattle Seahawks — The Bills are in Super bowl or bust mode. The Seahawks no longer have an automatic home field advantage. The Seahawks are not a bad team, but the acquisition of Amari Cooper before the trade deadline is ready paying big dividends. Bills cover

Chicago Bears (-2 1/2) at Washington Commanders — Both teams are playing good football, so it seems odd to have the Commanders as underdogs at home. Jayden Daniels is not definite to play seeing as he has sore ribs. If he plays, the Commanders win. Either way, the Commanders at home deserve the benefit of the doubt. Upset special, Commanders win outright

Carolina Panthers at Denver Broncos (-10) — The Broncos are not that special but the Commanders are hideously awful. This game could be over by halftime as the Denver defense overwhelms the anemic Carolina offense. Broncos cover

Kansas City Chiefs (-10) at Las Vegas Raiders — The Chiefs are unbeaten and the Raiders are horrendous. Yet the Chiefs usually win close games. As awful as the Raiders are, and given their lack of home field advantage, the defense is playing well enough to keep this game close until the defense falls apart. Chiefs win but fail to cover

8pm

Dallas Cowboys at San Francisco 49ers (-4) — For decades this was an epic matchup. Now ti is a battle of two average at best underachieving teams. Both teas lost at home last week. This could be a close game, so go with the home field. 49ers win but fail to cover

Monday, October 28, 8pm

New York Giants at Pittsburgh Steelers (-6 1/2) — The Giants are awful and the Steelers are good. The Giants have no offense. This game could be over by halftime. Steelers cover

NFL 2024 Week 7 Recap

Denver Broncos at New Orleans Saints was the Thursday night game. The Broncos were embarrassed at home by the Chargers last week while the Saints gave up 51 points at home to Tampa Bay to cap their fourth straight loss. With Derek Carr still injured, Spencer Rattler started again. The Broncos started at their own 20 and moved to a 4th and 3 at the New Orleans 28. Wil Lutz hit the 46 yard field goal to make it 3-0 Broncos. Rattler got rattled and fumbled to settle Broncos up at their own 45. They moved to a 3rd and 1 at the New Orleans 8 early in the second quarter. Bo Nix threw incomplete. Sean Payton lined up to go for it but a delay of game penalty killed the drive. Lutz hit from 32 to make it 6-0 Broncos. The Broncos got the ball back at their own 14. Williams ran for 20. Nix hit Williams for 9 and Franklin for 30. Williams ran for an 8 yard touchdown to make it 13-0 Broncos. The Saints managed a second quarter field goal but Lutz answered from 52 to end the half and from 38 in the third quarter to make it 19-3 Broncos. The Broncos got it back at their own 31 and Nix hit Krull for 23 Nix ran for 32. Williams ran for a 5 yard touchdown to make it 26-3 Broncos. In the fourth quarter a New Orleans fumble was returned 52 yards by Cody Barton for a defensive touchdown and a 33-3 Broncos lead. The Saints managed one garage touchdown as their 5th straight loss had Dennis Allen’s hot seat white hot. 33-10 Broncos

New England Patriots at Jacksonville Jaguars was the Sunday early morning game in London. While both teams are bad, the Jaguars have a quasi-home field advantage there. The Patriots began the game facing 3rd and 3 at thrown 39. Drake Maye hit Douglas for 9. Maye went to Hunter Henry for 18. On 3rd and 3 from the Jacksonville 27, Raimondre Stevenson gained 11. On 3rd and 10 from the Jacksonville 16, Maye hit Hasty for the touchdown. The 11 play, 68 yard, 6 1/2 minute drive made it 7-0 Patriots. The Patriots got it back at their own 15 and moved to a 2nd and 7 at the Jacksonville 22. A run went nowhere and Maye threw incomplete. Joey Slye hit the 41 yard field goal to make it 10-0 Patriots early in the second quarter. 

The Jaguars took over at thrown 32. Trevor Lawrence hit Gabriel Davis for 13 and Christian Kirk for 24. Johnson ran for 10 and Bigsby gained 13. On 3rd and goal at the 6, Lawrence hit Thomas for the touchdown to get the Jaguars within 10-7. The Jaguars got the ball back at thrown 18. Lawrence went deep to Thomas for 58. Bugsby did the rest, running for 10, 7, and the one yard touchdown to make it 14-10 Jaguars. With 90 seconds left in the half the Patriots punted and Washington returned it 96 yards for another Jacksonville touchdown. Doug Pederson inexplicably went for 2 and Lawrence hit Thomas to make it 22-10 Jaguars. The second half was pointless. Chase little tacked on a 21 yard third quarter field goal as 25 unanswered points made it 25-10 Jaguars. In the fourth quarter the Jaguars capped a mind-numbing 17 play, 84 yard, 11 1/2 minute drive that led to 0 points. Yet the Jaguars did not need them. The Patriots managed one more touchdown with 8 1/2 minutes left in regulation but Jerod Mayo also went for a pointless 2 point try that failed and kept it a 2 score game. At the 2 minute warning on 4th and 26 from their own 10, Maye threw incomplete. Bigsby ran for a 4 yard touchdown to give the Patriots their 6th straight loss. 32-16 Jaguars

Seattle Seahawks at Atlanta Falcons — The Seahawks came in having lost three straight while the Falcons had won three straight. The Seahawks began at their own 24 and moved to a 1st and 10 at the Atlanta 13. Kenneth Walker ran for the touchdown, but offensive holding nullified the score and killed the drive. Jason Myers hit a 38 yard field goal to make it 3-0 Seahawks. Younghoe Koo missed a 54 yard try in the second quarter that would have tied the game. The Seahawks soon faced 3rd and 7 at their own 47. Geno Smith went to Fant for 28. Walker ran for a 20 yard touchdown and this time it counted as the Seahawks led 10-0. After a touchback, Robinson gashed the Seattle defense for gains of 26, 5, 7 and 5. On 3rd and 2 from the Seattle 24, Kirk Cousins went to London for 12. Robinson did the rest, running for 5, 2, and on 3rd and 3 from the Seattle 5, the touchdown. The Falcons were within 10-7. 

With one minute left the Seahawks took over at their own 32. Smith went to Tyler Lockett for gains of 15 and 16 and to Fant for 11. With 10 seconds left in the half, the Seahawks had 3rd and 15 at the Atlanta 31. Rather than a quick throw to set up  short field goal, Smith went for it all. DK Metcalf came down with the ball in the end zone for a touchdown and a 17-7 Seahawks lead in front of a stunned Atlanta home crowd. The Falcons began the third quarter at their own 21. Cousins went to Robinson for 26. On 3rd and 4 from the Seattle 47, Cousins went to Mooney for 5. On 3rd and 3 from the Seattle 18, Cousins went to Mooney for 4. On 4th and 1 from the Seattle 5, Raheem Morris went for it and Robinson got the touchdown. Midway through the third quarter, the Falcons were within 17-14. 

The Seahawks took over at their own 37. On 4th and 1 from the Atlanta 44, Mike MacDonald went for it. Charbonnet gained 7. On 3rd and 5 from the Atlanta 32, Smith threw incomplete but roughing the passer meant a 15 yard gain. On the next play Smith went to Walker for a 17 yard touchdown to make it 24-14 Seahawks. The Falcons began the fourth quarter at their own 23 and quickly moved to a 3rd and 9 at the Seattle 48. Cousins went back to pass and got blown up and fumbled the ball. Hall recovered the fumble and raced 36 yards for a defensive touchdown to put the game on ice. In desperation mode, Cousins was then intercepted twice. Three straight fourth quarter turnovers by Cousins doomed the Falcons.  Jason Myers tacked on a 59 yard field goal to complete the scoring. 34-14 Seahawks

Tennessee Titans at Buffalo Bills — These teams have played a pair of epic playoff games, but this regular season game seemed to be David at Goliath. The Titans are awful and the Bills are good.Will Levis was out injured so longtime Pittsburgh backup Mason Rudolph started for the Titans. In the first quarter the Titans moved from their own 32 to a 4th and 3 at the Buffalo 7. Brian Callahan played it safe and Nick Folk hit a 25yard field goal for a 3-0 Titans lead. The Titans got it back at their own 25. Rudolph went to Okonkwo for 26. Pollard ran for 14 to have the Titans facing 2nd and 1 at the Buffalo 40 to start the second quarter. Rudolph went to Whyte for 12. On 3rd and 3 from the Buffalo 21, Rudolph threw incomplete but defensive unnecessary roughness gave the Titans 10 yards. On 3rd and 3 from the Buffalo 4, Rudolph hit Westbrook-Ikhine for the touchdown to make it 10-0 Titans. Then came the reality check.

The Bills took over at their own 39. On 2nd and 4, Josh Allen went deep to Coleman for a 44 yard gain. Cook ran for an 11 yard touchdown to get the Bills within 10-7. The Titans began the third quarter facing 3rd and 1 at their own 45. Pollard took the direct snap and lost a yard. Brian Callahan decided to gamble on 4th and 2 and Pollard got taken down for a 3 yard loss. With gift field position at the Tennessee 41, the Bills took advantage. Allen hit Coleman for 14. On 3rd and 12 from the Tennessee 29, Allen went to Kincaid for 17. Allen went to newly acquired Amari Cooper for the 12 yard touchdown. Fresh off the boat from Cleveland, Cooper’s touchdown put the Bills up for good at 14-10. The Bills got it back at their own 26 and moved to a 2nd and 7 at the Tennessee 10. Allen threw incomplete twice. Tyler Bass hit a 28 yard field goal to make it 17-10 Bills. In the fourth quarter the Bills turned out the lights. 

A 14 yard punt return had the Bills taking over at their own 44. Allen went to Cooper for 27. On the first play  of the fourth quarter, Allen hit Johnson for the touchdown to make it 24-10 Bills. The Bills got it back and moved from their own 29 to a 3rd and 3 at the Buffalo 12. Allen threw a touchdown but it was reversed to an incompletion. Bass hit a 30 yard field goal to make it 27-10 Bills. An interception of Rudolph had the Bills at their own 16. Allen went to Coleman for 57 yards. Davis ran for a 16 yard touchdown just past the 2 minute warning to complete the blowout. 34 unanswered points had the Bills 5-2 on the year and dropped the Titans to miserable 1-5 on the season. 34-10 Bills

Cincinnati Bengals at Cleveland Browns — The Dawg Pound was rocking with the news that Nick Chubb was finally back on the field after a devastating knee injury a year ago. Yet 12 seconds into this game, the Bengals led 7-0 as Jones took the opening kickoff 100 yards for a touchdown. Dustin Hopkins missed a 49 yard field goal try for the Browns. With about 4 1/2 minutes left in the half, the Browns faced 3rd and 1 at their own 31. Deshaun Watson gained 2. Watson hit David Njoku for 13, Moore for 8 and Akins for 21. Yet late in the first quarter, Watson went down to the ground without being touched, his leg being injured. He left the game injured, and it was the worst case scenario. For the second straight year, Watson will be on injured reserve out for the season. The Browns kicked Baker Mayfield out of town and gave Watson 230 million in guaranteed money. Dorian Thompson-Robinson entered the game on 3rd and 8 from the Cincinnati 23. He threw incomplete but defensive pass interference meant a 22 yard gain down to the one. After Chubb got stopped on 3rd and goal at the one, Kevin Stefanski gambled. On 4th and goal at the one, Chubb got the carry again and this time got in. Yet Hopkins then missed the extra point as the Browns trailed 7-6. 

In the third quarter the Browns moved from their own 8 to a 4th and 2 at the Cincinnati 35. A field goal try would be 53 yards to give the Browns the lead,, but Hopkins had already missed one field goal and an extra point. Kevin Stefanski went for it and Thompson-Robinson threw incomplete. Brown then got the Bengals going with a 27 yard run. Joe Burrow hit Moss for 19. Burrow went to JaMarr Chase for an 18 yard touchdown to make it 14-6 Bengals. A 15 yard penalty for lowering the head to initiate contact on a punt set up the Bengals up at midfield. Burrow hit Tee Higgins for 19. On 3rd and 4 from the Cleveland 25, Burrow hit Higgins for the touchdown. The Bengals led 21-6 after three quarters. After another interception by Thompson-Robinson, he was benched. third stringer Jameis Winston came in with 3:43 left in regulation and needing to lead 2 touchdown drives. Winston did throw an 8 yard touchdown pass to Njoku along with a successful 2 point conversion to get the Browns within 7 with 90 seconds left. Yet the onside kick failed. The Browns are an awful 1-6 and now are without Watson. The Bengals have won 2 straight after a 1-4 start. 21-14 Bengals 

Houston Texans at Green Bay Packers — A pair of good football teams played an exciting game. Early on the Packers faced 3rd and 3 from midfield. Jordan Love was intercepted by Hewitt, who returned the pick 45 yards to the Green Bay 11. Yet on 3rd and 4, CJ Stroud threw incomplete. Kaimi Fairbairn hit the 23 yard field goal to make it 3-0 Texans. The Packers got it back at their own 8 yard line. Love hit Kraft for 11. Josh Jacobs ran for 13 and 3. Love went to Romeo Doubs for 11. On 3rd and 5 from the Houston 45, Love hit Melton for 6. The second quarter began with the Packers facing 2nd and 14 from the Houston 41. A completion gained only 6, but defensive unnecessary roughness added 15 more. On 3rd and 4 from the Houston 14, Love hit Kraft for the touchdown to make it 7-3 Packers. The Texans got a big break when they punted, the Packers fumbled, and the Texans recovered at the Green Bay 11 yard line. Joe Mixon ran for 9 and then for the 2 yard touchdown to make it 10-7 Texans.

The Packers after a touchback faced 3rd and 3 from their own 37. On 2nd and 11 from their 40, defensive pass interference on a deep incompletion added 30 yards. Love then went to Wicks for a 30 yard touchdown to make it 14-10 Packers. A strong kickoff return by Damion Pierce had the Texans at their own 43. They moved to a 1st and 10 at the Green Bay 32. A pair of Stroud incompletions were sandwiched around a completion that lost yards. Fairbairn hit from 52 to get the Texans within 14-13. On the next play from scrimmage, Love was intercepted to set the Texans up at their own 45. Mixon broke off a 32 yard run. Mixon ran for 10 more. Mixon ran for a 4 yard touchdown, The 2 point try failed but the Texans led 19-14. After the teams combined for 30 points in the second quarter, the defenses dominated the second half.

In the third quarter the Packers took over at their own 29. Love went to Doubs for 11. Jacobs gained 2, 10, and 27. Love hit Doubs for 12. Love hit Jacobs for an 8 yard touchdown to make it 21-19 Texans. Despite a stellar running career with plenty of receptions, it was the very first touchdown reception for Jacobs. The defenses dug in. Midway through the fourth quarter the Texans began a drive at their own 38. They moved to a 1st and 10 at the Green Bay 12. Yet a pair of runs lost yards. Fairbairn hit a 35 yard field goal to make it 22-21 Texans with 1:44 left. Yet after a touchback, the Packers moved to the Houston 28 with 3 seconds left. McManus entered the game for a 46 yard try to win it. With everything on the line, McManus was good. Both teams are 5-2 on the year. 24-33 Packers

Miami Dolphins at Indianapolis Colts — Tyler Huntley again started for the Dolphins in place of the injured Tua Tagovailoa. Yet Joe Flacco was back on the bench as Anthony Richardson returned from injury for the Colts. Early on the Dolphins faced 3rd and 3 just shy of midfield. Huntley threw incomplete but the defense jumped offside. On 3rd and 1 from the Indianapolis 37, Huntley gained 2. Huntley hit Smith for 18. On 3rd and goal at the 10, Huntley went to Smith for the touchdown to make it 7-0 Dolphins. The rest of the half was hideous. Jason Sanders hit a 33 yard field goal for the Colts with 22 seconds left. That was enough time for Richardson to complete a 33 yard pass to Pittman. Matt Gay hit from 52 to end the half with the Dolphins up 10-3. A third quarter fumble by Mostert was returned 18 yards to set up the Colts at the Miami 28. Richardson ran for 12. Dulin ran for 12 more. Goodson ran for a 7 yard touchdown to have the game deadlocked 10-10 after three quarters. The fourth quarter came down to the kickers as Huntley was benched in favor of Boyle. Gay hit from 22 for the Colts. From 54 to tie the game, Sanders was no good. Gay hit from 38 to put the Colts up by 6 with 1:51 left. After a touchback the Dolphins moved to a 2nd and 1 at the Indy 32. A completion lost a yard and then came a spike to stop the clock. On 4th and 2 with 11 seconds, Boyle threw incomplete. 16-10 Colts  

Detroit Lions at Minnesota Vikings — This was a heavyweight fight and one of t he most important regular season games ever bet ween these NFC North rivals. The 4-1 Lions were taking on the only unbeaten team in the NFC. Early in the game on 4th and 7 from his own 33, Dan Campbell tried a fake punt. It only gained one yard as the Vikings took over at the Detroit 34. From that spot, Aaron Jones ran for the touchdown to make it 7-0 Vikings. The Vikings got the ball back at their own 20 and moved to a 4th and 7 at the Detroit 39. Will Reichard nailed a 57 yard field goal to have the Vikings up 10-0 after the first quarter. The second quarter was a different game entirely. 

The Lions took over at their own 31 and began the second quarter facing 1st and 10 at the Minnesota 45. Gibbs got around the end and all the way for the touchdown to get the Lions within 10-7. The Lions got the ball at their own 17. Jared Goff went to Amra St. Brown for 17 with 15 more tacked on for roughing the passer. Goff hit St. Brown again for 12. Goff then went deep to St. Brown for a 35 yard touchdown to make it 14-10 Lions. An interception of Sam Darnold had the Lions at their own 28. Gibbs ran for 8, caught a pass from Goff for 19, and ran for 8 more. Goff went to Sam LaPorta for 25. On 3rd and 8 from the Minnesota 8, Gibbs ran for the touchdown with 26 seconds left in the half. 21 unanswered points had the Lions up 21-10 at the midpoint.

The Vikings began the third quarter at their own 20. Darnold hit Justin Jefferson for 15. On 3rd and 2 from their own 43, a pass from Darnold to Nailor was initially ruled a fumble and a defensive touchdown for Detroit. On further review it was reversed to an 11 yard gain. Jones ran for 9 and 10. On 3rd and 8 from the Detroit 25, Darnold went to Jefferson for the touchdown to get the Vikings within 21-17. After a touchback, Goff went to David Montgomery for 14. On 3rd and 9 from their own 46, Goff went to Raymond for 13. On 2nd and 15 from the Minnesota 47, Goff went to Patrick for 22. On 3rd and 6 from the Minnesota 21, Goff went to Raymond for the touchdown.to have the Lions top 28-17 after three quarters. 

After a touchback, the Vikings moved to a 2nd and 7 at the Detroit 21. On the last play of the third quarter, Darnold was sacked. Reichard hit a 42 yard field goal to start the fourth quarter to get the Vikings within 28-20; The Vikings got the ball back at their own 9 and moved to a 2nd and 7 at the Detroit 29. Darnold got taken down for no gain and was then sacked. Reichard hit the 48 yard field goal to get the Vikings within 28-23. Two plays after a touchback, disaster struck the Lions. Montgomery fumbled and Pace returned the fumble for the defense 36 yards for a touchdown, The 2 point conversion try failed but the Vikings led 29-28 with 6 minutes left in regulation. With 2 1/2 minutes left, the Lions took over at their own 30. Gibbs ran for 14. Goff hit Gibbs for 16 and St. Brown for 14. The Lions took the clock down to 19 seconds. Bates came in for a 44 yard field goal try to give the Lions the lead. Bates was good. After a touchback, Darnold hit Nailor for 20. With one second left, the Vikings were at their own 45. Darnold never got the Hail Mary off as he was sacked. Both teams are 5-1. An NFC Title Game rematch would be a worthy follow up to this fine, fine football game. 31-29 Lions

Philadelphia Eagles at New York Giants — The Eagles have been winning ugly while the Giants have been losing ugly. After a scoreless first quarter, the Eagles in the second quarter took over at their own 26. Saquon Barkley raced for a 55 yard gain. Kenneth Gainwell gained 12. Barkley ran for a 3 yard touchdown to make it 7-0 Eagles. The eagles got the ball back at their own 42. Jalen Hurts hit Gainwell for 11. On 4th and 3 from the Giants 41, Nick Sirianni decided to go for it. Rather than just move the chains, Hurts went for it all and hit AJ Brown for the touchdown to make it 14-0 Eagles. The Giants managed a field goal just before the half, but nothing else. NFL rules prohibited the cancellation of the second half. In the third quarter the Eagles moved 77 y yards. On 4th and 2 from the Giants 5, Sirianni gambled again and Hurts gained 4. Hurts got the last yard tush push style for a 21-3 Eagles lead. In the fourth quarter the Eagles embarked on a 10 play, 92 yard, 6 minute drive. On 4th and goal at the one, it was again tush push time. Hurts got in to complete the scoring. It was sweet revenge for Barkley against the team that let him go in free agency. to a division rival. 28-3 Eagles

Las Vegas Raiders at Los Angeles Rams — The Raiders play the same game every week. The offense scores one early touchdown, relies on field goals the rest of the way, and the exhausted defense bends until it finally breaks. This week against a wounded Rams team, the Raiders did not score a touchdown the whole game. A scoreless first quarter saw Aidan O’Connell go down with a fractured thumb. He will be out several weeks. Gardner Minshew played the rest of the way, Daniel Carlson hit a 38 yard field goal early in the second quarter to make it 3-0 Raiders. With 5 minutes left in the half the Raiders faced 3rd and 9 at their own 41. The offense had done nothing but they didn’t give the game away. Then they did. Minshew was intercepted to give the Rams a short field at the Raiders 47. Williams ran for 9 and 2. Matthew Stafford hit Parkinson for 23. Williams ran for a 13 yard touchdown to make it 7-3 Rams. After a touchback on 2nd and 10 from his own 44, Minshew got blown up and fumbled the ball. Curl returned the fumble 33 yards for a defensive touchdown. Just like that the Rams led 14-3.

Carlson managed a 47 yard field goal to end the half to get the Raiders within 14-6, but on 3rd and 6 from his own 24, Minshew’s 3rd turnover was another interception. The Rams rook over at the Raiders 31. Smith ran for 24 and Williams ran for the 2 yard touchdown. The extra point was no good but the Rams led 20-6. The Raiders are dumb, but the Rams are almost as dumb. Carlson 3rd field goal from 38 got the Raiders within 20-9. Then Stafford was intercepted by Nate Hobbs and returned 35 yards to give the Raiders 1st and 10 at the Rams 14. The fourth quarter began with Minshew throwing incomplete on 3rd and 5. Carlson hit his 4th field goal from 27 to get the Raiders within 20-12. With 10 minutes left in regulation Joshua Kary’s 35 yard field goal try was no good. The Raiders took over at their own 25 and mounted a 15 play, 66 yard, 7 1/2 minute drive. It’s fine to play ball control when you’re winning, but why grind out the clock when you’re losing? On 1st and goal at the 4, Minshew threw incomplete twice and completed a pass for no gain. Anthony Pierce decided to go for it but then came a false start. A disgusted Pierce opted for the field goal. Carlson’s 5th field goal got the Raiders with 5 points with 2:46 left. The Raiders got the ball back at their own 11 with 1:39 left. One touchdown would win the game. The defense did its job. Minshew offered his 4th turnover in the form of his 3rd interception. Just lose baby. 20-15 Rams 

Carolina Panthers at Washington Commanders — Sometimes a really bad team can go on the road and shock a really good team in an upset for the ages. This was not that game. Goliath beat up David and stole his lunch money. Early on Red Rifle Andy Dalton on 3rd and 9 from the Washington 25 completed a pass to Dante Fowler. Problem: Fowler plays defense for the Commanders. Fowler returned the interception 67 yards for a defensive touchdown to make it 7-0 Commanders. The Commanders got it back at their own 10 and moved to a 2nd and goal at the 5. A run lost 3 yards and killed the drive. Austin Seibert hit the 23 yard field goal to make it 10-0 Commanders. Dalton was intercepted again. Yet Daniels was injured on the previous series. In the second quarter the Commanders took over at their own 41 with Marcus Mariota under center. Robinson gained 8 and 7. Defensive pass interference added 29 yards. Robinson ran for 7 and then for the 8 yard touchdown to make it 17-0 Commanders. The Panthers had 4th and 1 at their own 40. Dave Canales gambled and Chuba Hubbard got stopped for no gain. Seibert hit from 49 to make it 20-0 Commanders. With 2:22 left in the half, the Commanders got it back at their own 8. Mariota hit Terry Mclaurin for gains of 18 and 15. Mariota went to Brown for 23 and to Zac Ertz for a 12 yard touchdown with 10 seconds left t in the half. The Commanders led 27-0. For some reason the NFL refused to cancel the second half. Mariotta capped a 59 yard third quarter drive with a 3 yard touchdown toss to Sinnoff to make it 34-0 Commanders. Seibert tacked on a third quarter field goal from 31 and a 29 yarder in the fourth quarter. The Panthers managed one touchdown early in the fourth quarter to prevent the blowout from becoming a shutout. 40-7 Commanders

Kansas City Chiefs at San Francisco 49ers — Twice Kyle Shanahan and the 49ers had double digit Super Bowl leads over Walrus Andy Reid and Patrick Mahomes. Twice the Chiefs won the Super Bowl and the 49ers lost. Anders Carlson did hit a 55 yard field goal to put the 49ers up 3-0 after the first quarter, but after that the Chiefs took over. After a touchback, Mahomes went to Gray for gains of 11 and 20 as the Chiefs began the second quarter at the San Francisco 39. Mecole Hardman gained 20. Kareem Hunt ran for a one yard touchdown to make it 7-3 Chiefs. Hardman then returned a punt 55 yards to the San Francisco 30. On 3rd and 5, Mahomes went to Xavier Worthy for 8. On 3rd and 2 from the Frisco 9, Mahomes hit Hunt for 3. Hunt ran for a 6 yard touchdown to make it 14-3 Chiefs. 

The 49ers moved from their own 10 with 1:40 left in the half to a 2nd and 1 at the Kansas City 5. Brock Purdy threw incomplete and a run on 3rd and 1 lost a yard. Kyle Shanahan on 4th and 2 opted for the field goal. Carlson hit from 24 to get the 49ers within 14-6. The third quarter began with the Chiefs facing 3rd and 8 at their own 31. Mahomes was intercepted by Lenoir, who returned the pick 33 yards to the Kansas 23. On 4th and 1, Purdy got the yard. Purdy ran for a one yard touchdown. Kyle Shanahan decided against a 2 point conversion to tie the game. Yet Carlson missed the extra point as the 49ers trailed 14-12. The 49ers got it back at their own 20 and moved to a 3rd and 6 at the Kansas City 34.  With a chance to take the lead, Purdy was intercepted and the 49ers still trailed after three quarters of football.

The Chiefs took over at their own 21. Hunt ran for 4 and 13. On 3rd and 6 from the San Francisco 47, Mahomes went to Travis Kelce for 7. Mahomes ran for 33. On 4th and goal at the one to start the fourth quarter, Walrus Andy Reid went for it. Mahoems got the yard to put the Chiefs up 21-12. After a touchback, the 49ers moved to a 2nd and goal at the 3. A run lost 2 yards. Then Purdy went to the end zone and was intercepted for a touchback. Hunt ran for a pair of 6 yard gains. Steele ran for 7, 2, and on 3rd and 1 from his own 41, 2 more. On 3rd and 8 from their ow 45, Mahomes went to Gray for 9. On 3rd and 4 from the San Francisco 40, Mahomes went to Perine for 22. Hardman ran for an 18 yard touchdown to put the Chiefs up 28-12 with 3 minutes left. The 49ers got a garbage touchdown with one minute left, but the 2 point try and the onside kick both failed. The 49ers are 3-0 while the Chiefs are the NFL’s only unbeaten team at 6-0, making Andy Reid a most happy Walrus indeed. 28-18 Chiefs

New York Jets at Pittsburgh Steelers was the Sunday night game. With Robert Saleh out of the building and Davante Adams now in the building, the Jets were out of excuses. Meanwhile, Justin Fields went back to the bench as Russell Wilson overcame injury to start his first game of the year for the Steelers. After an opening touchback, the Steelers moved to a 3rd and 5 at the Jets 28. Wilson threw incomplete. Chris Boswell hit a 46 yard field goal to make it 3-0 Steelers. The Jets took over at their own 18. A run lost a yard but defensive unnecessary roughness meant a 15 yard gain. Aaron Rodgers went to Breece Hall for 18 and Adams for 9. On 3rd and 4 from the Pittsburgh 44, Rodgers went to Allen Lazard for just enough. Rodgers went to Hall for 13 and Wilson for 12. Hall ran for a 13 yard touchdown to make it 7-3 Jets. 

In the second quarter the Steelers moved from their own 31 to a 2nd and 5 at the Jets 6. A run lost 5 yards and Wilson threw incomplete. Boswell hit from 39 to get the Steelers within 7-6. The Jets took over at their own 28. Rodgers went to Adams for 11.Rodgers connected with Hall for a 57 yard gain. On 3rd and goal at the one, Rodgers went to Conklin for the touchdown. Jeff Ulbrich inexplicably went for 2 and Rodgers hit Wilson to put the Jets up 15-6. The Jets got it back at their own 7 and with 1:15 left in the half faced 2nd and 4 at their own 36. The Jets were in total control. Rodgers then completed a pass to Bishop. Problem: Bishop plays defense for Pittsburgh. 

The Steelers took over at their own 46. Wilson went to Van Jefferson for 11. Wilson went deep incomplete, but defensive pass interference meant a 29 yard gain. Wilson went to George Pickens for an 11 yard touchdown. With 27 seconds left in the half, the Steelers were within 15-13. In the third quarter the Steelers moved from their own 21 to a 1st and goal at the 3. A run went nowhere and Wilson threw incomplete twice. Boswell hit from 21 to put the Steelers in front 16-15. Rodgers then found Bishop, who still plays defense for Pittsburgh. This time Bishop returned the pick 41 yards down to the one. Wilson got the yard to make it 23-15 Steelers. Late in the third quarter the Jets had moved from their own 26 to a 1st and 10 at the Pittsburgh 17. With a chance to tie the game, Rodgers threw 3 straight incompletions. Greg Zuerlein’s 35 yard field goal try was blocked. The Steelers soon faced 3rd and 8 from their own 27. Wilson hit Jalen Warren for 11. The Steelers began the fourth quarter at midfield. Najee Harris ran for 34, 4 and 7. On 3rd and goal at the 4, Wilson hit Jefferson for the score. Harris tacked on a 10 yard touchdown with 26 seconds left to complete the blowout. 31 unanswered points had the Steelers at 5-2. Meanwhile, Adams lost to the same team in 2 straight weeks, before and after being traded. 37-15 Steelers 

Baltimore Ravens at Tampa Bay Buccaneers was the early Monday night game. After an opening touchback, the Buccaneers faced 3rd and 3 at their own 37. Baker Mayfield hit White for 18. On 4th and 1 from the Baltimore 36, Todd Bowles went for it and McMillan gained 11. Mayfield went deep to Mike Evans for a 25 yard touchdown to make it 7-0 Buccaneers. The Buccaneers got it back at their own 20 and moved to a 4th and goal at the 5. Chase McLaughlin hit the 23 yard field goal. The Buccaneers dominated the first quarter and led 10-0. After that the game drastically changed.

After a touchback, Lamar Jackson hit Kolar for 14. The second quarter began with Bay Flowers running for 19, Jackson adding 11, and Derrick Henry tacking on 7. Jackson hit Isaiah Likely for 10 and Mark Andrews for a 9 yard touchdown to get the Ravens within 10-7. The Buccaneers after a touchback moved to a 2nd and goal at the 3. Mayfield went to the end zone and was intercepted for a touchback. Henry ran for 13 and Jackson went deep to Bateman for 59. On 2nd and goal from the 18, Jackson went to Justice Hill for the touchdown. Rather than trailing 17-7, the Ravens led 14-10. After a touchback on 3rd and 13 from his own 42, Mayfield was intercepted again. The Ravens moved from their own 40 to a 1st and goal at the 8. Consecutive offensive holding penalties killed the drive. Justin Tucker hit the 28 yard field goal to make it 17-10 Ravens. 

Tucker hit a 52 yard third quarter field goal to make it 20-10 Ravens. From 55 yards out, McLaughlin doinked his kick off the upright no good. The Ravens took over at their own 45. Jackson went deep to Bateman for a 49 yard touchdown to make it 27-10 Ravens. The Ravens got it back at their own 8. Henry got around the end for an 81 yard gain. On 4th and 3 from the Tampa Bay 4, John Harbaugh decided to pour it on. Jackson hit Andrews for the touchdown. 34 unanswered points had the Ravens up 34-10 after three quarters. 

The Buccaneers forced a Baltimore fumble in the fourth quarter and took over at the Baltimore 30.  Mayfield hit White for an 11 yard touchdown and hit Shepard for the 2 point conversion to get the Buccaneers within 34-18. Yet there would be no rally. After a touchback, Henry ripped off a 39 yard gain. On 3rd and 6 from the Tampa Bay 24, Jackson went to Bateman for 8. On 3rd and 7 from the Tampa 13, Jackson hit Henry for the touchdown. The Ravens led 41-18 with 6 1/2 minutes left in regulation. 

The Buccaneers managed a touchdown, a successful onside kick, and another touchdown. Yet they still trailed by 10 points at the 2 minute warning. The next onside kick try failed. The Buccaneers got it back at their own 25 and moved to a 3rd and 10 at the Baltimore 43 with 13 seconds left. Mayfield ran for 12 and the clock ran out. The Ravens won their 5th straight game as the man dubbed King Henry ran for 169 yards on 15 carries. As for the Buccaneers, it was a devastating loss. With 43 seconds left in the game, Chris Godwin suffered a broken ankle and is out for the rest of the season. 41-31 Ravens 

Los Angeles Chargers at Arizona Cardinals was the late Monday night game. Kyler Murray and Justin Herbert are exciting, but a game between 2 teams formerly coached by Don “Air” Coryell turned out to be a defensive slugfest. After a scoreless first quarter, Cameron Dicker hit a 59 yard field goal to make it 3-0 Chargers in the second quarter. The Cardinals soon faced 3rd and 1 from their own 30. Tune gained 2. Murray went to James Conner for 18 and McBride for 11. Conner gained 14. Murray hit Dortch for a 5 yard touchdown to make it 7-3 Cardinals. Dicker hit again from 50 to close the half with the Chargers within 7-6. Dicker hit again from 28 in the third quarter to make it 9-7 Chargers. After a touchback, Murray hit Wilson for 15. The fourth quarter began with Murray hitting Harrison for 10. Murray then ran for a 44  yard touchdown to make it 14-9 Cardinals. Dicker hit from 47 early in the fourth quarter and from 40 to put the Chargers up 15-14 with 1:54 left. After a touchback, a defensive unnecessary roughness penalty was a killer. Murray then hot Connor for  33 yard gain. Dicker made 5 field goals, but Ryland made the biggest one. His only field goal from 32 yards out on the last play of the game gave the Cardinals the win. 17-15 Cardinals

NFL 2024 Week 7 Prequel

Thursday, October 17, 2024, 8pm

Denver Broncos (-2) at New Orleans Saints

Sunday, October 20, 9:30am

New England Patriots at Jacksonville Jaguars (-5 1/2) — The London game is an unofficial home game for the Jaguars in this battle of bad teams. The Patriots have lost 5 straight but both teams have won only one game. Trevor Lawrence has more experience than rookie Drake Maye. Doug Pederson has more experience than Jerod Mayo. In a battle of bad teams, expect a close game. Jaguars win but fail to cover

1pm

Seattle Seahawks at Atlanta Falcons (-2 1/2) — The Seahawks are reeling. Kirk Cousins has settled in comfortably with the Falcons. The Falcons have the home field and the momentum. Falcons cover 

Tennessee Titans at Buffalo Bills (-8 1/2) — These teams have played instant classics over the decades, but this game is shaping up to be a horrible mismatch. The Bills are a good team at home. The Titans are an awful team on the road. Josh Allen is clicking, and has too many weapons for this game to be competitive. Bills cover

Cincinnati Bengals (-5 1/2) at Cleveland Browns — Both of these teams are bad, but the Browns are worse. Deshaun Watson has been awful. Joe Burrow is not getting enough help, but they went on the road and beat the Giants. They should not have a problem beating the Browns. The Bengals are not doing enough on offense to justify a high spread for a road team. Bengals win but fail to cover

Houston Texans at Green Bay Packers (-2 1/2) — Both teams are playing good football and have young solid quarterbacks in CJ Stroud and Jordan Love. This is one where the home field matters. Go with the Cheeseheads in a battle of good teams. Packers cover

Miami Dolphins at Indianapolis Colts (-3 1/2) — The Dolphins are awful without Tua Tagovailoa. Joe Flacco can still sling the ball. The Colts are an average team at best, but that is enough to beat the Dolphins and their anemic offense. Colts cover

Detroit Lions at Minnesota Vikings (-2 1/2) — For the first time in decades, this game is a very big deal. The Lions are the defending NFC North division champions who just went on the road and throttled Dallas by 38 points. The Vikings are the only unbeaten team in the NFC. Jared Goff and Sam Darnold are playing far better than they did a few years ago. Detroit has a ton of talent, but go with the home crowd. Vikings cover

Philadelphia Eagles (-3 1/2) at New York Giants — The Eagles barely survived against an awful Cleveland team. The Giants were dreadful at home against a previously one win Cincinnati team. The Eagles win close games. The Giants are bad, but the Eagles are not playing well enough to justify the extra half point of the spread. Jalen Hurts is far better than Daniel Jones, and Saquon Barkley is ready to humiliate his former team. Eagles win but fail to cover

4pm

Las Vegas Raiders at Los Angeles Rams (-6 1/2) — Both teams are bad, but the Raiders have officially given up on the season. They traded away Davantae Adams. In the last 2 years they have gotten rid of a good quarterback, an elite running back, a good offensive line, and now the best wide receiver in the game. The Rams are not good, but they have not quit either. The Raiders on offense have. Matthew Stafford is far better than anyone playing quarterback for the Raiders. The spread is high given that this is practically a Raiders home game, but the Raiders offense seems to have no heart. Rams cover

Carolina Panthers at Washington Commanders (-7 1/2) — Despite losing at Baltimore, the Commanders put up a tough fight and remain a good football team. The Panthers are awful. Forget the spread. The Commanders will be angry, at home, and ready to unleash Jayden Daniels on an overmatched Carolina team. Commanders cover

Kansas City Chiefs t San Francisco 49ers (-1 1/2) — This is the long anticipated rematch of the Super Bowl. It is odd that the 49ers are favored given that the Chiefs are unbeaten and the 49ers are struggling. Betting against Patrick Mahomes is a fool’s errand. The 49ers have plenty of talent, but when it mattered most, the Chiefs made one more play. They always seem to make just one more play. Upset special, Chiefs win outright

8pm

New York Jets (-1 1/2) at Pittsburgh Steelers — On paper it made no sense for the floundering Jets to be favored, but the trade for Davantae Adams is a game changer and a potential season changer. Rodgers has not forgotten how to throw a football, especially a Hail Mary. Expect the Jets to rally around interim coach Jeff Ulbrich. The Steelers can pound the ball, but the Jets defense is better than its recent struggles would indicate. Jets cover

Monday, October 21, 8pm

Baltimore Ravens (-3 1/2) at Tampa Bay Buccaneers — Both teams are playing good football. The Ravens have won four straight games and look like a legitimate Super Bowl contender. The Buccaneers went on the road at New Orleans and put 51 points on the board. Lamar Jackson is elite, while Baker Mayfield is highly underrated. The Ravens do not blow teams out, but this is a case of good Buccaneers team and a great Ravens team. Ravens win but fail to cover

9pm

Los Angeles Chargers (-2 1/2) at Arizona Cardinals — Both of these teams are up and down. The Chargers got a good quality win at Denver in a game that was not as close as the final score indicated. The Cardinals went on the road and stunned San Francisco. Jonathan Gannon is an inexperienced head coach. Jim Harbaugh is a proven winner. Kyler Murray and Justin Herbert have different styles but are both very talented. The Cardinals are too inconsistent to trust, and neither of these teams truly ever has a red home field advantage. Chargers cover

NFL 2024 Week 6 Recap

San Francisco 49ers at Seattle Seahawks was the Thursday night game. Both teams looked to right the ship after embarrassing home losses to inferior teams. The Seahawks moved at the start from their own 36 to a 3rd and 5 at the San Francisco 25. Geno Smith went deep and was intercepted. The 49res took over at their own 3 yard line and moved 90 yards in 13 plays and 7 1/2 minutes. On 2nd and goal at the 7, Brock Purdy threw incomplete twice. Wright hit the 25 yard field goal to make it 3-0 49ers. The 49ers took over in the second quarter at their own 24 and needed only one play and 12 seconds to break the game open. Purdy went deep to Deebo Samuel for a 76 yard touchdown to make it 10-0 49ers The Seahawks fumbled the ensuing kickoff and the 49ers recovered at the San Francisco 29. On 3rd and 4, Purdy threw incomplete. Wright hit from 51 to make it 13-0 49ers. The 49ers got it back at their own 6 yard line and moved 77 yards in 14 plays, taking nearly 8 minutes off the clock. Wright hit a 35 yard field goal to make it 16-0 49ers.The Seahawks managed a field goal before the half ended, but this game was not a contest. After a touchback, Purdy went deep to George Kittle for 29 Guerendo ripped off a pair of 6 yard gains. On 3rd and 3 from the Seattle 10, Purdy went to Kittle for the touchdown to make it 23-3 49ers.

The game appeared over, but then Shenault returned the ensuing kickoff 97 yards for a Seahawks touchdown. Just like that, the Seahawks were within 23-10. The Seahawks got the ball back at their own 6 yard line. Smith hit Barner for 13. On 3rd and 8 from their own 21, Smith hit Tyler Lockett for 37.. Smith went to Fant for 12 and Kenneth Walker for 8. On 3rd and 3 from the San Francisco 19, Smith went to DK Metcalf for 8. Walker got the last yard to get the Seahawks within 23-17 after three quarters. The Seahawks got the ball back midway through the fourth quarter with all the momentum and a chance to take the lead. Yet on 1st and 20 from their own 15, Smith was intercepted. Green returned the interception 20 yards to the Seattle 15. On 3rd and 4, Purdy went to Kittle for the 9 yard touchdown with 6:20 left. The 2 point try failed but the 49ers led 29-17. After a touchback, Smith hit Fant for 12. On 3rd and 10 from his own 43, Smith went to Bobo for 11. On 3rd and 7 from the San Francisco 43, Smith hit Walker for 11 and Lockett for 13. On 4th and goal at the 9, Smith went to Lockett for the touchdown. The Seahawks were within 29-24 with 1:44 to play. The Seahawks had all 3 timeouts so Mike Macdonald decided to kick it deep rather than go onside. The 49ers took over at their own 19 yard line. Guerendo quickly broke the back of the defense with a 76 yard run. Guerendo ran for a 6 yard touchdown to put the game on ice.. Both teams are 3-3, with the Seahawks having lost 3 straight. 36-24 49ers

Jacksonville Jaguars at Chicago Bears was the Sunday early morning game in London. It has been tough to gauge the Bears because they have played bad teams, but at some point it may just be that top overall draft pick Caleb Williams is good. The Jaguars finally got a win last week. In the first quarter the Jaguars had a solid 14 play, 67 yard, 8 minute drive from their own 21 that reached 1st and goal at the 8. A false start killed the drive. Chase Little hit a 30 yard field goal for a 3-0 Jaguars lead. In the second quarter the Bears took over at their own 19. Deandre Swift ran for 12. Williams ran for 10. on 3rd and 6 at their own 48, Williams went to Johnson for 17 and to Cole Kmet for a 31 yard touchdown to make it 7-3 Bears. Williams would throw an interception but the Bears defense held and the Bears got it back at their own 15 with 3 minutes left in the half. Swift ran for 10. Williams added 23. Williams hit Odunze for 12. On 3rd and 5 from the Jacksonville 34, Williams went to Allen for 10. Williams ran for 19. Williams hit Kmet for a 2 yard touchdown with 13 seconds left in the half to make it 14-3 Bears. On the first play from scrimmage in the third quarter from their own 34, Trevor Lawrence hit Evan Engram for 24 yards. Yet Engram fumbled and the Hicks returned it 19 yards for the Bears to the Jacksonville 41. On 3rd and 8, Williams went to Allen for 11. Williams hit Swift for 19. On 3rd and goal at the 9, Williams hit Allen for a touchdown to make it 21-3 Bears.

The Jaguars tried to make a game of it as Lawrence led a 70 yard drive. A 21 yard touchdown pass from Lawrence to Davis got the Jaguars within 21-10. It didn’t matter. After a touchback on 3rd and 8 from their own 42, the defense got penalized for 12 men on the field. Then on 3rd and 3 Williams threw incomplete but defensive holding meant a first down. Swift ran for 17. On 3rd and 10 from the Jacksonville 31, a completion gained only one yard but defensive holding meant another first down. The Jaguars were killing themselves with defensive penalties. Swift ran for 19 and 4. On the first play of the fourth quarter, Williams hit Allen for a 3 yard touchdown to make it 28-10 Bears. 3 plays after a touchback on 3rd and 13 from his own 32, Lawrence was intercepted. Blackwell returned the pick 10 yards to the Jacksonville 36. Williams hit Kmet for 27. Swift ran for a 1 yard touchdown to make it 35-10 Bears. The Jaguars got a garbage touchdown but nothing else. The 4-2 Bears may be good. Caleb Williams was sensational, completing 23 of 29 with 4 touchdown passes and running for another 56 yards on 14 carries. 35-16 Bears

Houston Texans at New England Patriots — The Texans are a good team. The Patriots are a bad team. Yet the Patriots replaced Jacoby Brissett with their rookie draft pick Drake Maye. CJ Stroud went right to work from his own 35, hitting Dalton Schultz for 8, Tank Dell for 20 and Stuff Diggs for 11. On 3rd and 5 from the New England 18, Stroud hit Diggs for 13. On 3rd and goal at the 5, Stroud threw incomplete but defensive pass interference meant now downs; Stroud hit Dell for a 2 yard touchdown to make it 7-0 Texans. A 19 yard punt return gave the Texans a short field at the New England 45. On 3rd and 6, Stroud went to Dell for 12. Joe Mixon ran for 25. Stroud added 8. On 3rd and 9 from the New England 16, Stroud threw incomplete but defensive pass interference meant 6 yards and an automatic first down. On the next play Stroud hit Mixon for the touchdown to make it 14-0 Texans.

An ugly second quarter saw both quarterbacks intercepted and the Texans miss a field goal. With 53 seconds left in the half the Patriots took over at their own 16. Maye went to Douglas for 22. Defensive pass interference added 13. Maye went deep to Boutte for a 40 yard touchdown with 11 seconds left. Just like that after being dominated for 29 minutes, the Patriots were right back in it down 14-7. It was Maye’s first ever NFL touchdown pass. Yet the Patriots on the second play from scrimmage in the third quarter from their own 22 saw Maye get sacked and fumble. The Texans recovered at the New England 10. Two plays later Stroud hit Diggs for the 10 yard touchdown to make it 21-7 Texans. Field goal of 39 and 45 yards by Kaimi Fairbairn sandwiched around a New England fumble had the Texans cruising up 27-7.

The Patriots moved 70 yards and Maye found Hunter Henry for a 6 yard touchdown to get within 27-14. Yet in the fourth quarter the Texans turned out the lights. May was intercepted to set up the Texans at the New England 26. Mixon ran for a 20 yard touchdown to make it 34-14 Texans. May threw a 35 yard touchdown pass to Douglas to get the Patriots within 34-21, but they would get no closer. On 3rd and 5 from their own 35, Stroud hit Dell for 11. Dameon Pierce rushed for a 54 yard touchdown to complete the blowout. The Texans have very quietly gotten to 5-1 while the Patriots are 1-5 after 5 straight losses, having not won since opening day. 41-21 Texans

Washington Commanders at Baltimore Ravens — The Commanders have turned around under Dan Quinn and his rookie quarterback Jayden Daniels. Yet they would have a very tough test on the road against a good Ravens team. An early interception of Lamar Jackson was returned 35 yards by Sainristil just past midfield. The Commanders reached a 3rd and 7 at the Baltimore 13, but Daniels was sacked. Austin Seibert hit the 42 yard field goal to make it 3-0 Commanders. The Ravens after a touchback moved to a 3rd and 7 at the Washington 23. Yet a fumbled shotgun snap lost yards. Justin Tucker hit the 45 yard field goal to tie the game 3-3.

In the second quarter the Ravens took over at their own 7 yard line. On 3rd and 5, Jackson hit Bateman for big gains of 13 and 23. Derrick Henry gained 15. Jackson hit Bay Flowers for 23. On 3rd and 10 from the Washington 14, Jackson threw incomplete but defensive pass interference meant 11 yards. Henry ran for a 3 yard touchdown to make it 10-3 Ravens. After a touchback, Daniels hit Brown for 15. On 3rd and 6 just shy of midfield, Daniels hit Terry McLaurin for 8. Daniels hit Austin Ekeler for 25 and Brown for 11. Daniels went to McLaurin for a 10-10 tie with 4 minutes left in the half.

The Ravens took over at their own 22. Jackson went to Flowers for 10. Jackson went back to Flowers for 13 and to Nelson Agholor for 25. On 3rd and 5 from the Washington 30, Jackson hit Flowers for 15. On 3rd and 8 from the Washington 13, Jackson went to Mark Andrews for the touchdown. With one minute left in the half, the Ravens led 17-10. Seibert missed a 52 yard field goal for the Commanders to end the half, but he hit from 55 early in the third quarter to get the Commanders within 17-13. Tucker answered back from 32 to make it 20-13 Ravens. The Ravens got the ball back at their own 6 yard line. Henry ran for 2 and 12. Jackson hit Andrews for 15. On 3rd and 5 from the Baltimore 40, Jackson threw incomplete but defensive pass interference meant 10 yards and a first down. Jackson went deep to Andrews for 38. Henry ran for 5 and then for the 7 yard touchdown to have the Ravens up comfortably 27-13 after three quarters.

After a touchback, Daniels hit Zac Ertz for 11 and again fo 24 as the third quarter ended. The Commanders began the fourth quarter at the Baltimore 27. Daniels hit McLaurin for 14. On 3rd and 10 from the Baltimore 13, Daniels went to Ertz for 12. A failed run, an illegal formation and a pair of incompletions turned 1st and goal at the one to 4th and goal at the 6. Daniels hit McLaurin for the touchdown. With 12 minutes left in regulation, the Commanders were very much alive down 27-20. The Ravens moved from their own 22 to a 4th and 2 at the Washington 21. With 6 1/2 minutes left in regulation, John Harbaugh was not in a gambling mood. Tucker hit from 39 to give the Ravens breathing room up 30-20. After a touchback, the Commanders moved to a 4th and 5 at the Baltimore 30 with 2:48 to play. Needing 2 scores, Dan Quinn played it safe as well. Seibert hit from 49 to get the Commanders within 7. Now the Commanders needed a defensive stop. After a touchback, Henry ripped off a 27 yard gain. Everything came down to 3rd and 1 from the Washington 32 when the Commanders took their last timeout on defense. Jackson gained 2 and took a pair of knees. Both teams are 4-2, and the Ravens have won 4 straight. 30-23 Ravens

Cleveland Browns at Philadelphia Eagles — The struggling Eagles were expected to easily get a win over the inept Browns. Instead, a hideously ugly first quarter ended scoreless. Early in the second quarter, Jake Elliott hit a 49 yard field goal to get the Eagles on the board. The Eagles got it back at their own 16. Hurts went to Calcaterra for 34. Hurts then hit AJ Brown for 16. On 4th and 1 from the Cleveland 26, Nick Sirianni gambled. Hurts did the Philadelphia tush push and got the yard. On 3rd and 7 from the Cleveland 22, Hurts went to Brown for the touchdown to make it 10-0 Eagles. The Browns after a touchback finally showed signs of life at the 2 minute warning with a 43 yard Dustin Hopkins field goal. The Eagles moved from their own 28 to a 3rd and 1 at the Cleveland 31 with 30 seconds left in the half. Hurts was sacked. Now a 49 yard field goal try would be 57 yards. Elliott came in to try and extend the lead. Instead, insanity broke out in front of a shellshocked home crowd at Lincoln Financial Field. Myles Garrett pulled the Bobby Wagner move and jumped over the offensive line on the field goal try. The rule is now that if you make contact, it’s a personal foul and another try 15 yards closer for the offense. Yet Garrett cleared the line cleanly, stuck the landing perfectly, and blocked the field goal. McLeod picked it up and raced 50 yards the other way. Instead of being down 13-3, the Browns had tied the game 10-10 at the half. The second half was even uglier.

In the third quarter, Hopkins came in for a 52 yard field goal try to give the Browns the lead. His kick was wide right no good. Elliott came in for a 44 yard try that was good. From 49 yards out with 10 minutes left in regulation, Hopkins was good as the game was tied for the third time at 13-13. After a touchback, one play changed the game. From his own 43, Hurts hit Brown for 12. Then a short pass from Hurts to Devonta Smith somehow turned into a 45 yard touchdown. One defensive breakdown had the eagles up 20-13 midway through the fourth quarter. After a touchback, the Browns moved to a 3rd and goal at the 3 with 4 minutes left. Then came a false start followed by Deshaun Watson throwing incomplete. Then came another false start. Kevin Stefanski decided on 4th and goal at the 13 to kick a field goal and trust his defense. Hopkins hit from 31. The Eagles faced 3rd and 2 from their ow 32 with 3 minutes left. Hurts gained 6. On 2nd and 9 from his own 39, Hurts hit Doctson for 10. Then at the 2 minute warning on 2nd and 11 from his own 48, one play made the difference. Instead of a safe run, Hurts went bombs away to Brown for a 40 yard gain. Hurts took 3 knees as the Eagles escaped. 20-16 Eagles

Arizona Cardinals at Green Bay Packers — A field position game early had the Cardinals punting from their own 9 and the Packers taking over with a short field at the Arizona 44. Josh Jacobs ran for 14 and Melton added 16. On 3rd and goal at the 5, Jordan Love hit Jalen Reed for the touchdown to make it 7-0 Packers. The Packers got it back at their own 20 and Love hit Romeo Doubs and to Wilson for a pair of 19 yard gains. On 3rd and 3 from the Arizona 35, Love hit Wicks for 9. On 3rd and 10 from the Arizona 15, the defense jumped into the neutral zone. On the first play of the second quarter on 3rd and 5, Love hit Doubts for a 10 yard touchdown to make it 14-0 Packers. The Packers got it back at their own 10 and moved to a 3rd and 6 at the Arizona 18. Love threw incomplete. Narveson hit a 36 yard field goal to make it 17-0 Packers. A 39 yard punt return again had the Packers starting at the Arizona 44. One play and 7 seconds waa enough for Love to go deep to Watson for the score. With 4 1/2 minutes left in the second quarter, the Packers were dominating 24-0. They coasted the rest of the way. The Cardinals did manage a touchdown and a field goal before the half and another third quarter field goal to get within 24-13, but this game was over. The Packers after a touchback saw Love on 3rd and 5 run for 6. Love hit Jacobs for 14 and Sims for 10. On 3rd and 4 from the Arizona 20, Love went to Doubs for another touchdown to make it 31-13 Packers. The Cardinals fumbled 3 times in the fourth quarter alone. Narveson tacked on a 41 yard field goal to complete the blowout. 34-13 Packers

Tampa Bay Buccaneers at New Orleans Saints — With the devastation of Hurricane Milton in the background, the Buccaneers were fortunate to be playing a road game. Many of the players had to evacuate from their homes. Football was a welcome respite from the pain. This game was insane. With Derek Carr our injured, Spencer Rattler got his first NFL start. The Buccaneers started at their own 26. Baker Mayfield hit Mike Evans for 12. On 3rd and 5 from their own 43, Mayfield hit Chris Godwin for 7, Shepard for 9, and Evans for 22. Irving ran for 15. Mayfield hit Godwin for a 4 yard touchdown to make it 7-0 Buccaneers. After a touchback Rattler quickly got rattled. After completing a 27 yard pass, he fumbled a snap. On the next play the Saints fumbled, and Antoine Winfield returned the fumble 58 yards to paydirt. The defensive touchdown had the Buccaneers up 14-0. The Buccaneers got it back at their own 21 and moved to a 3rd and 3 at the New Orleans 8 yard line. Mayfield threw incomplete. Chase Mclaughlin hit a 26 yard field goal to make it 17-0 Buccaneers. The game was shaping up to be a blowout. The second quarter was ridiculous.

The Saints got the ball at their own 20 and moved to a 3rd and 3 at the Tampa Bay 25. A run only gained one yard. Dennis Allen decided not to gamble. Blake Grupe hit a 42 yard field goal to get the Saints on the board. The Buccaneers went backward and had to punt on 4th and 27 from their own 7. Rashad Shaheed returned the punt 54 yards for a touchdown to get the Saints within 17-10. The Buccaneers went backward again. On 2nd and 17 from their own 18, Mayfield was intercepted. Adebo returned the pick 20 yards to set up the Saints at the Tampa Bay 28. On 3rd and 7 from the Tampa Bay 11, Rattler was taken down for no gain. Grupe hit a 29 yard field goal to have the Saints within 17-13. Two plays later from his own 28, Mayfield was intercepted. Jonathan Abram returned the pick 30 yards to the Tampa Bay 10 yard line. One play and 4 seconds later, Rattler hit Means for Rattler’s first NFL touchdown pass. 20 unanswered points had the Saints up 20-17. 8 1/2 minutes still remained in the half, and the second quarter got crazier.

The Buccaneers soon faced 2nd and 13 at their own 21. Mayfield connected with Miller for a 39 yard gain. On 3rd and 6 from the New Orleans 36, Mayfield went to Sean Tucker for the touchdown. With 5 1/2 minutes left in the half, the Buccaneers retook the lead 24-20. After a touchback the Saints soon faced 3rd and 5 at their own 35. Rattler hit Means for 14. Rattler then went deep to Foster Moreau for a 41 yard gain. Alvin Kamara did the rest, running for 3 and then for the 4 yard touchdown. With 3 minutes left in the half, the Saints were back in front 27-24. Mayfield threw his third interception of the half. After failing to score in the first quarter, the Saints put 27 point on the board in the second quarter alone.

In the third quarter the Buccaneers began a drive at their own 8 yard line. Runs and short passes had the Buccaneers facing 2nd and 5 from their own 45. Mayfield connected with Godwin for a 55 yard touchdown. With 4 1/2 minutes left in the third quarter, the 92 yard drive brought the fourth lead change of the game as the Buccaneers led again 31-27. Yet while the game had moved from a blowout to a shootout, by the end it would again turn out to be a blowout.

On the first play of the fourth quarter, Rattler was intercepted to set up the Buccaneers at their own 42. Irving got around the end for a 31 yard gain. Tucker got around the end for 18 more. On 3rd and goal at the 8, Mayfield hit Cade Otton for the touchdown. The 2 point try failed but the Buccaneers led 37-27 with 12 1/2 minutes left in regulation. The Buccaneers got it back at their own 29. Shepard got around the end for 24. Tucker added gains of 13 and 8. On 3rd and 16 from the New Orleans 26, Mayfield hit Irving for 18. Irving ran for 7 and then for the one yard touchdown to make it 44-27 Buccaneers. Another interception of Rattler had the Buccaneers at their own 36. Tucker ran for a 36 yard gain. On 3rd and 7 from the New Orleans 25, Tucker gained 12. Tucker ran for the 5 yard touchdown just past the 2 minute warning to complete the scoring. Despite 27 second quarter points, the Saints were shut out in the other three quarters. After looking unstoppable the first 2 weeks, the Saints have lost 4 straight. Meanwhile the Buccaneers are 4-2. Todd Bowles is known for defense, but apparently he learned a lot from Bruce Arians about offense. Dennis Allen is known for defense, but right now his defense is awful. 51-27 Buccaneers

Indianapolis Colts at Tennessee Titans — Joe Flacco started again in place of injured Anthony Richardson as the Colts took on a woeful Titans team. After an opening touchback, the Colts faced 3rd and 1 at their own 39. Sermon gained 4. On 3rd and 2 just past midfield, Sermon gained 5. On 3rd and 10 from the Tennessee 44, Flacco went deep to Mo Alie-Cox for 22. Flacco then went deep to Downs for the other 22 and the touchdown to make it 7-0 Colts. On his next series, Flacco was intercepted. Hooker returned the pick 30 yards to the Indianapolis 27. Will Levis hit Boyd for 8 and Tony Pollard ran for 10. Levis hit Nate Westbrook-Ikhine for a 9 yard touchdown to make it 7-7. A quiet second quarter saw Nick Folk hit a 44 yard field goal for the Titans and Matt Gay answer from 26 with 19 seconds left in the half for a 10-10 deadlock.

After a third quarter touchback, Pollard ran for 6 and 5. On 3rd and 9 from the Tennessee 47, the defense jumped into the neutral zone. On 3rd and 4, Levis hit Okonkwo for 5. On 4th and 1 from the Indianapolis 34, Brian Callahan passed up a52 yard field goal try and gambled. Levis hit Burks for 10. Ridley added 9. On 3rd and 19 from the Indianapolis 23, a give up run by Pollard went all the way for a touchdown and a 17-10 Titans lead. After a touchback, the Colts moved to a 2nd and goal at the 2 with a chance to tie the game. Sermon got stopped for no gain and then on 3rd and goal got blown up for a 2 yard loss. With the entire fourth quarter to play, Shane Steichen decided not to gamble. Gay hit the 22 yard field goal to get the Colts within 17-13. The Colts got it back and faced 3rd and 7 from their own 28. Flacco hit Downs for just enough.
Flacco hit Downs again for 11. Defensive pass interference on an incompletion added 33 yards. On 3rd and 9 from the Tennessee 10, Flacco hit Pittman for the touchdown. Midway through the fourth quarter, the Titans led by a field goal. With 5 minutes left, Levis was intercepted. With 2 1/2 minutes left, the Titans punted on 4th and 7 from their own 25. The Titans got it back at their own 3 yard line with 12 seconds left. Needing 97 yards, the hook and laterals came up 87 yards short. 20-17 Colts

Los Angeles Chargers at Denver Broncos — In the first quarter an interception of Bo Nix had the Chargers at their own 31. They moved to a 4th and goal at the 2. Jim Harbaugh decided not to gamble on the road. Cameron Dicker hit the 20 yard field goal to make it 3-0 Chargers. The Chargers got it back and soon faced 3rd and 9 at their own 18. Justin Herbert hit Palmer for 24. JK Dobbins ran for gains of 8 and 12. Herbert went to Vidal for a 38 yard touchdown to make it 10-0 Chargers. In the second quarter the Chargers from their own 9 embarked on the drive of the year. 20…yes, 20…plays. 78 yards. They took 10 1/2 minutes off the clock. yet on 1st and goal at the 7, a run lost a yard. Then after an incompletion, Herbert was sacked. Dicker hit the 33 yard field goal to make it 13-0 Chargers. The Broncos then fumbled the ball away to set up the Chargers at their own 44. On 3rd and 9, Herbert hit McConkey for 12. Herbert hit Will Dissly for 20. On 3rd and 1 from the Denver 14, Dobbins gained 2. On 3rd and 2 from the Denver 4, Dobbins got in to make it 20-0 Chargers. 4 scores on 4 drives had the Chargers dominating. The the third quarter the Chargers moved from their own 9 yard line to the Denver 29. Dicker hit from 46 as the Chargers were winning a laugher up 23-0 after three quarters.

The Broncos mounted a furious fourth quarter rally. They took over at their own 5 yard line. Nix hit Humphrey for 8. Estime gained 11. Nix hit Franklin for 29. On 4th and 2 from the Chargers 39, Nix connected with Vele for a 37 yard gain. Nix hit Franklin for the 2 yard touchdown. The Broncos were still down 23-7 with 10 minutes left in regulation. The Broncos got it back at their own 36. Nix hit Cortland Sutton for 20 and Vele for 17. On 4th and 5 from the Chargers 21, Nix gained 6. Nix hit Sutton for a 15 yard touchdown. The 2 point conversion try failed but the Broncos were within 23-13 with 5 1/2 minutes left in regulation. The Broncos got it back at their own 4 yard line with 2 1/2 minutes left and quickly moved to a 1st and 10 at the Chargers 22 yard line. Yet only one minute remained and the Broncos needed 2 scores. Sean Payton decided to kick the field goal immediately. Wil Lutz hit from 40 as the Broncos were within 7 points. The onside kick failed. The Broncos were game, and the Chargers blew several chances to close out the game early. Yet it was the Chargers with the tough road win against a division rival. 23-16 Chargers

Pittsburgh Steelers at Las Vegas Raiders — Gardner Minshew was benched and Aidan O’Connell replaced him. This was already a white flag of surrender before the game started. O’Connell is immobile, and a terrible offensive line and lack of a running game hurt matters. Davante Adams and Zamir White were both injured, giving o’Connell nobody to run or throw to. It didn’t matter since the people in front of him don’t block very well. Chris Boswell got the Steelers on the board first with a 52 yard field goal to make it 3-0 Steelers. After a touchback, short runs and safe conservative short passes moved the Raiders to the Pittsburgh 21. O’Connell then went to Mattison for 19. Mattison ran for a 3 yard touchdown to make it 7-3 Raiders. Last week the Raiders looked good on one offensive drive and then called it a day. Today was more of the same. They seem to think that the first team to 7 points wins.

In the second quarter Boswell hit again from 49 to get the Steelers within 7-6. With less than 3 minutes left in the half, the Raiders defense was keeping them in the lead. The offense was doing nothing but if they did not give the game away, they had a puncher’s chance. On 2nd and 7 from their own 30, Laube fumbled the ball. The Steelers recovered at the same spot. With 40 seconds left in the half, the Steelers faced 4th and 1 at the Raiders3 yard line. Of course Mike Tomlin went for it. He knew the Raiders defense would break at some point. That point was now. Fields ran for the touchdown. The 2 point conversion try failed but the Steelers led 12-7. In the third quarter the Raiders punted on 4th and 17 from their own 34. AJ Cole is one of the best punters in the league, but his punt was blocked. The Steelers had 1st and goal at the 9. The Raiders defense got a great stand and held the Steelers to a third Boswell field goal. The Steelers did get a touchdown pass from Fields but it was nullified buy a penalty on Fields for an illegal forward pass. The Steelers led 15-7.

The Steelers got the ball back at their own 20. Najee Harris ran for 26. On 3rd and 18 from their own 38, a completion gained only 6 but roughing the passer meant 15 yards and an automatic first down. Harris then ran for a 36 yard touchdown as the Steelers were winning a laugher up 22-7. After a touchback, the Raiders tried to make a game of it. The third quarter ended with an O’Connell touchdown pass being nullified by an offensive penalty for an illegal man downfield. The fourth quarter began with Amir Abdullah running for 10 to set up 3rd and goal at the one. This is where the Raiders are at their most terrible. They cannot run in short yardage situations. Abdullah got blown up and fumbled the ball away. The Raiders got the ball back and O’Connell was sacked to set up 3rd and 19 from their own 4. O’Connell was intercepted to give the Steelers 1st and goal at the 7. Fields again needed one play to run it in to have the Steelers up big. 26 unanswered points made it 29-7 Steelers. As expected, the Raiders got one garbage touchdown before surrendering Boswell’s fourth field goal.

Everything that is wrong with the Raiders over the last 2 decades was summed up in this one game today. Insanity is doing the same thing over and over and expecting a different result. Every Raider game is the same. The offense gets one early touchdown. Then they kick field goals the rest of the game and put all the pressure on their defense. The exhausted defense cracks and finally breaks. Sometimes the Raiders get a garbage touchdown long after the game is out of hand.

The Raiders will never win consistently until:
1) They get a real quarterback. They had one in Derek Carr. They got rid of him. He was never the problem.
2) We need an offensive line. We had one. We gutted it. To save a few bucks.
3) We need a bruising running back, a battering ram. On 3rd and one when the defense knows you’re going to run, you run at them anyway straight up the gut to send a message. We had that running back. Josh Jacobs. We lost him to free agency rather than pay him what an elite player deserves.

The Raiders had a playoff team in 2021. That team was gutted by a coach who should never have been hired. Now his replacement is trying to win games with scrubs. Throw in an untested coach and a city with no real home field advantage, and the results are as terrible as they are expected. 32-13 Raiders

Detroit Lions at Dallas Cowboys — The Cowboys have gotten blown out at home more than once this season, while the Lions will not be able to sneak up on anyone after last year. This game sent a message to the league by both teams. After a touchback, the Cowboys moved to a 2nd and 8 at the Detroit 16. Dak Prescott threw incomplete twice. Brandon Aubrey hit a 34 yard field goal. The Cowboys led 3-0, but after that the roof caved in. After a touchback, the Lions faced 3rd and 5 at their own 35. Jared Goff went to Patrick for 42. David Montgomery did the rest, running for 7 and then for the 16 yard touchdown to make it 7-3 Lions. The Cowboys after a touchback moved to a 3rd and 5 at the Detroit 7. Looking for the lead, Prescott was intercepted in the end zone for a touchback. The Lions from their own 20 moved to a 1st and 10 at the Dallas 22. The drive died there but Bates hit a 40 yard field goal to make it 10-3 Lions in the second quarter. The Lions got it back at their own 37 and struck quickly. Goff went to Amra St. Brown for 11 and then went deep to Sam LaPorta for a 52 yard touchdown to make it 17-3 Lions. The Lions got it back at their own 31 and moved to a 2nd and 9 at the Dallas 22. Goff threw incomplete and then was sacked. Bates hit from 48 to make it 20-3 Lions. In an act of desperation, Mike McCarthy gambled on 4th and 2 at his own 38. Prescott threw incomplete. Goff hit Patrick for 18. Montgomery ran for a one yard touchdown to make it 27-3 Lions in a laugher. Jerry Jones was ready to blow up Jerrahworld stadium for the insurance money.

The Cowboys managed a field goal before the half, but the Lions kept rolling. After a third quarter touchback, Gibbs ran for 11. Goff went to Gibbs for 20. On 3rd and 8 from the Dallas 37, Goff went deep to Williams for another touchdown to make it 34-6 Lions. Aubrey hit a 50 yard field goal, but Bates hit from 33 in the third quarter and again from 33 in the fourth quarter, the latter set up by a Dallas fumble. With the Lions up 40-9, Prescott was intercepted again and benched. Branch returned the interception 47 yards to the Dallas 4 yard line. One play later Goff hit St. Brown for the touchdown. Cooper Rush came in for mop up work and was intercepted. Then on his next drive the Cowboys tossed in another fumble for good measure. It was a costly victory for the Lions. Superstar defender Aidan Hutchinson suffered a broken leg in the third quarter. He fractured his tibia and fibula and will be out several weeks. Nevertheless, the Lions are a tough football team built in the image of their hard-nosed coach Dan Campbell. As for the Cowboys, Mike McCarthy’s seat is now white hot. Prescott and CeeDee Lamb are the highest paid players at their position, with Prescott being the highest paid player in the league. Jerrah knows he is not getting his money’s worth. The Lions are 4-1. The Cowboys have suffered multiple embarrassing blowout losses at home. 47-9 Lions

Atlanta Falcons at Carolina Panthers — The Falcons are an improved team. The Panthers are awful. In the first quarter the Panthers faced 3rd and 1 at their own 42. Chuba Hubbard gained 3. On 2nd and 12 from their own 43, Red rifle Andy Dalton went to Johnson for 17 and again for 19. On 3rd and 7 from the Atlanta 18, dalton was intercepted but the defense jumped offside to nullify the pick. On 3rd and 2, Sanders got just enough. On 3rd and 9 from the Atlanta 10, Dalton went to Johnson for the touchdown to cap the 12 play, 67 yard, 6 1/2 minute drive and make it 7-0 Panthers. After a touchback the Falcons faced 3rd and 9 at their own 31. Kirk Cousins went to Mooney for 12. On 3rd and 5 from their own 48, Cousins threw incomplete but defensive pass interference meant a 14 yard gain. Tyler Allgeier gained 7, 9, 9 again, and one. On 3rd and 3 from the California 5, Robinson got in for the touchdown. The 13 play, 70 yard, 5 1/2 minute drive made it 7-7.

An Atlanta fumble in the second quarter gave the Panthers a short field at the Atlanta 41. On 3rd and goal at the 5, Dalton threw incomplete. Eddie Pineiro hit the 24 yard field goal to make it 10-7 Panthers. The Falcons took over at their own 24. On 2nd and 6 from their own 41, Cousins went deep to Pitts for a 52 yard gain. Robinson ran for a 7 yard touchdown. A defensive penalty for low block moved the extra point to the one yard line, allowing for a 2 point conversion try. Allgeier got in to make it 15-10 Falcons. A shanked 15 yard punt by Johnny Hekker gave the Falcons gift field position at the Carolina 27. Cousins hit London for 15. On 3rd and goal at the 3, Cousins hit London for the touchdown to make it 22-10 Falcons with 1:42 left in the half.

From their own 24, the Panthers fought back. Dalton went to Coker for 15 and Sanders for 21. Dalton ran for 18. Dalton hit Leggett for a 7 yard touchdown with 7 seconds left in the half to get the Panthers within 22-17. The third quarter belonged to the field goal kickers. Younghoe Koo hit from 21 for the Falcons. Pineiro answered from 40 for the Panthers to get them within 25-20. Koo hit again from 31 to make it 28-20 Falcons after three quarters. In the fourth quarter the Panthers moved from their own 12 to a 2nd and 9 at the Atlanta 32. Dalton was then intercepted. The Falcons took over at their own 16. Allgeier gained 18 and 3. Cousins hit Pitts for 14. Robinson gained 15 and 7. Allgeier added 5, 20, and finally the 2 yard touchdown to make it 35-20 Falcons with 5 1/2 minutes left in the game. Koo added a 35 yard field goal just before the 2 minute warning to complete the scoring. The Falcons are 4-2 on the year. 38-20 Falcons

Cincinnati Bengals at New York Giants was the Sunday night game. Both of these teams are bad but so many people believe the Bengals are better than their record. As former Giants coach Bill Parcells said, you are what your record says you are. Sometimes bad teams can come together and play a seat game for the ages. This was not that game. The Bengals began facing 3rd and 6 at their own 35. Joe Burrow ran for 10. Burrow hit Tee Higgins for 11. On 3rd and 18 from the Giants 47, Burrow got around the end and ran all the way for the touchdown to make it 7-0 Bengals. Both offenses then took the remaining 26 1/2 minutes of the first half off. A Cincinnati fumble gave the Giants the ball at their own 21 in the third quarter. On 3rd and 1, Daniel Jones gained 2. On 4th and 2 from his own 40, Brian Daboll went for it. Tracy gained 4. On 4th and 1 from the Cincinnati 35, Daboll gambled again and Tracy gained 5. Defensive pass interference meant an 18 yard gain down to the one. Tracy got the yard for a 7-7 game. After a touchback, the Bengals moved to 3rd and goal at the one. A touchdown run was nullified by offensive holding. Then Burrow was sacked. Evan McPherson hit a 37 yard field goal to make it 10-7 Bengals. With 10 1/2 minutes left in regulation, a 47 yard field goal try by Greg Joseph to tie the game was no good. The Giants got it back and with 3 minutes left faced 4th and 2 at the Cincy 36. Daboll passed up a 54 yard field goal try to tie the game and went for it. Jones threw incomplete. On 3rd and 12 from their own 34, Burrow went deep to Iosivas for 29. Chase Brown then ran for a 30 yard touchdown to lock up the win with 1:52 left. For good measure, with one minute left and needing 2 scores, Joseph missed again from 45 yards out to end this hideous effort. 17-7 Bengals

Buffalo Bills at New York Jets was the Monday night game. The underachieving Jets fired Robert Saleh. This was interim coach Jeff Ulbrich’s first game as an NFL head coach. After an opening touchback, the Jets moved to a 3rd and 4 at the Buffalo 16. Aaron Rodgers threw incomplete. Greg Zuerlein hit a 34 yard field goal to make it 3-0 Jets. After a touchback, Johnson gained 12. Josh Allen hit Kincaid for 14. Davis gashed the defense for big gains of 14, 6, 5, and 15, and 5 down to the one. Josh Allen got the last yard to make it 7-3 Bills. After another touchback, Rodgers went to Breece Hall for 21 and Ruckert for 8. Hall ran for 24. On 3rd and goal at the 5, Rodgers went to Garrett Wilson for the touchdown to have the Jets up 10-7 after the first quarter.

In the second quarter the Bills took over at their own 10 yard line. Allen went deep to Davis for 42. On 3rd and 6 from the Jets 29, Allen hit Shakir for 9. Defensive pass interference on an incompletion added 10 more. On 3rd and goal at the 8, Allen went to Mack Hollins for the touchdown. The extra point was no good but the Bills led 13-10. The Bills got it back at their own 20. Davis caught a pass from Allen for 8 and ran for 8 more. On 3rd and 1 from the Buffalo 45, Allen gained 2. Defensive pass interference on an incompletion added 23. Allen hit Kincaid for 9 and another defensive pass interference penalty added 8. On 3rd and 11 from the Jets 12, Allen went to Dawson Knox for the touchdown as the Bills led 20-10 with only 21 seconds left in the half.

After a touchback, Rodgers completed a 4 yard pass that left only 14 seconds. Rodgers then hit Wilson for 14, but with 8 seconds left the Jets were still at their own 48. Then Rodgers did it again. The greatest Hail Mary tosser in NFL history heaved a bomb to the end zone and Allen lazard came down with it for a 52 yard miracle touchdown. Just like that, the Jets were within 20-17. Neither team reached the end zone again in a horrendous second half. In the third quarter Tyler Bass followed up his missed extra point with a missed 47 yard field goal try. On 4th and goal at the 2, Jeff Ulbrich at home decided not to trust his offense, an understandable decision. Zuerlein hit the 20 yarder for a 20-20 game. The jets had multiple chances to take the lead but Zuerlein missed a 32 yard chip shot late in the third quarter and a 43 yarder that doinked off the upright with 10 minutes left in regulation.

In the battle of who wanted it least, the Bills had 4th and goal at the 3 with 3:43 to play. Sean McDermott was not taking any chances. Bass hit from 22 to put the Bills up by 3. After a touchback, the Jets faced 3rd and 16 at their own 40 at the 2 minute warning. Rodgers went bombs away again and had a wide open receiver. The receiver slipped and fell but was still in position to make another miracle catch. At the last moment Johnson stepped in to grab the ball away.Johnson ripped it out of the receiver’s hands and the play was ruled an interception rather than a reception. The Bills took over at their own 18 but the Jets had all 3 timeouts. On 3rd and 4 with everything on the line, Allen scrambled and gained 6. Allen then took 3 knees as the Bills escaped to get to 4-2 on the year. 23-20 Bills