THE TYGRRRR EXPRESS

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Dedicated to the late Dennis Green.

eric

NFL 2021 Week 12 Recap

Chicago Bears at Detroit Lions was the Thanksgiving Thursday morning game. The Bears ownership denied that Matt Nagy would be fired after the game regardless of who won. The Bears came in losers of 5 straight while the Lions remained winless. Justin Fields was injured as Red Rifle Andy Dalton got the start. Jared Goff came back from injury. The Lions began facing 3rd and 2 from their own 39. Goff hit Deandre Swift for 6 and Reynolds for 16. Goff then went deep to Reynolds for a 39 yard touchdown. The Lions led 7-0, concluding all Lions highlights for the first half. 

The Bears moved from their own 16 to a 2nd and 8 at the Detroit 10. Dalton threw incomplete twice. Cairo Santos hit the 28 yard field goal to get the Bears within 7-3 early in the second quarter. The Lions took over at their own 33 and found a new way to engage in futility. They embarked on a 10 play drive that took 8 minutes off the clock. Yet somehow they only moved the ball 17 yards to midfield. They did actually reach a 1st and 10 at the Chicago 29 but a hail of penalties had them facing 3rd and 32. A give up run gained one yard and they punted in what may have been the worst 8 minute drive ever. From their own 31, the Bears needed only 2 plays and less than one minute. Dalton went deep to Mooney for 52 yards and then hit Jimmy Graham for a 17 yard touchdown to make it 10-7 Bears. After the teams exchanged turnovers, Santos hit a 43 yard field goal to put the Bears up 13-7 at the half. 

In the third quarter, the Bears moved from their own 43 to a 3rd and 6 at the Detroit 25. A holding call meant Santos would be kicking from 53 rather than 43. His field goal try was dead center but short, no good. The Lions took over at their own 21 with 5 minutes left in the third quarter. Goff hit Raymond for 17 and Hockensen for 8. Igwebuike ran for 11. Goff went to St. Brown for 11 and to Hockensen for a 17 yard touchdown. After three quarters, the Lions had a 14-13 lead. The Lions managed to face 3rd and 32 for the 2nd time in the same game, and the Bears got it back at their own 21 with 8 1/2 minutes left in regulation. The Lions never saw the ball again as the Bears had their drive of the year. 18 plays took them 69 yards. The Lions showed why they are winless.At the 2 minute warning they began taking their timeouts on defense, a smart move. Yet Dan Campbell called 2 consecutive timeouts without a play being run in between. This is a defensive delay of game penalty. instead of 3rd and 9 from the Detroit 16, it was 3rd and 4 from the 11. Dalton hit Byrd for 7 yards, which allowed the Bears to take the clock down to one second. On the last play of the game, Cairo Santos from 28 yards was dead center. Again, the Lions lost on the final play. 16-14 Bears

Las Vegas Raiders at Dallas Cowboys was the Thanksgiving Thursday afternoon game. The Raiders had lost 3 straight and the Cowboys lost 2 straight. The Cowboys were without CeeDee Lamb and Amari Cooper. The Cowboys actually went 3 and out when on 3rd and 4 from their own 31, a completion gained only one yard. Hunter Renfrow returned the punt 21 yards and the Raiders took over at their own 29. Derek Carr went to Darren Waller for 12. Carr then went deep to Desean Jackson, who out jumped the defender and outraced everyone along the sideline for a 56 yard touchdown. Just like that, the Raiders led 7-0. The Raiders did everything right on defense, on special teams, and on offense. Yet there were still nearly 57 minutes left to play. 

After a touchback, Prescott hit Tony Pollard for 6 and Brown for 15. On 3rd and 1 from the Raiders 35, Pollard gained 3. Prescott then went to Wilson for 17 and to McKeon for a 10 yard touchdown. The extra point was no good but the Cowboys were within 7-6. The Raiders then went 3 and out, so they had their defensive and offensive breakdown. However, they had yet to fail on special teams as AJ Cole hit a 68 yard punt that pinned the Cowboys back to their own 7 yard line. The defense held and the Raiders took over at their own 40. A defensive penalty even gave them 1st and 5 at their 45. The Raiders went backward but then on 3rd and 10 an incompletion saw the Raiders get bailed out by defensive pass interference for 11 yards. On 3rd and 8 from the Dallas 47, Carr fired over the middle to Bryan Edwards for 12. On 3rd and 6 from the Dallas 31, Carr went deep for Jackson and drew a defensive pass interference penalty in the end zone for 30 yards and 1st and goal at the one. Jacobs got the last yard off tackle for the score as the Raiders led 14-6 after the first quarter.

The Cowboys soon faced 2nd and 9 from their own 17. Prescott threw high incomplete but defensive pass interference gave the Cowboys an 8 yard gain and a first down. The ball was uncatchable but the officials called the penalty anyway. On 1st and 10 from their own 25, Pollard busted up the middle for a 31 yard gain, but offensive holding instead meant 1st and 20 as miscues plagued both teams early on. The second quarter began with the Cowboys facing 3rd and 10 from their own 25. A well thrown ball over the middle at the sticks was just dropped. On 3rd and 7 from their own 25, Carr fired over the middle incomplete, but defensive holding again bailed out the Raiders and gave them a new set of downs. On 3rd and 10 from their own 30, Carr fired over the middle to Zee Jones for 12. Waller then fired over the middle again to Waller for 23 more, but Waller limped off the field after the catch with a bum leg. A screen pass from Carr to Jacobs gained 17 more. Jacobs gained 9 and 4 to set up 1st and goal at the 7. Marcus Mariota came in for one play and gained 2 yards. On 3rd and goal at the 3, Carr fired incomplete. The 13 play, 74 yard, 6 minute drive went unfinished, a problem for the Raiders all season. Daniel Carlson hit the 22 yard field goal to make it 17-6 Raiders. 

After a touchback, Prescott hit Michael Gallup for 9 and Schultz for 14, with 15 tacked on for a helmet to helmet hit. Yet on 3rd and 7 from the Raiders 40 under heavy pressure, Prescott threw incomplete. Mike McCarthy brought in Greg “The Leg” Zuerlein for a 59 yard field goal try. The kick was long enough but doinked off the left upright no good. That gave the Raiders great field position just shy of midfield. Carr immediately got hit and fumbled, but the Raiders retained possession. On 3rd and 7, Carr went to Jones on the sideline for a gorgeous 27 yard gain, but offensive illegal use of hands nullified the catch and killed the drive. The Cowboys took over at their own 14.  Prescott went deep to Wilson for a 51 yard gain. Brown gained 8 as the Cowboys had 1st and 10 at the Raiders 25 at the 2 minute warning. On 3rd and 2 from the Raiders 14, Prescott found Pollard open in the flat for a 13 yard gain down to the one. Ezekiel Elliott crashed in for the score with 25 seconds left in the half to get the Cowboys within 17-13. 

After a touchback, Jacobs got stopped for no gain and the Cowboys took a timeout on defense. On 2nd and 10, Jacobs ran for 10 and got out of bounds with 14 seconds left. Jacobs gained another 5, but at this point from their own 40 with timeouts, Rich Bisaccia decided to let the clock run out rather than try a Hail Mary or get in position for a field goal. The Raiders got the ball to start the second half, but to not even try and get some more at the end of the first half was a questionable decision. The Raiders began the third quarter in terrible fashion. On 2nd and 5 from their own 30, Jones took an end around and had plenty of open space before tripping over his own man after a 4 yard gain. On 3rd and 1, rather than go straight ahead, the Raiders tried running laterally and and lost 4 yards. A fight broke out after the punt and Cowboys rookie cornerback and Raiders safety Roderic Teamer were both ejected. 

The Cowboys took over at their own 17 and Pollard immediately gained 12.  On 3rd and 10 from their own 29, Prescott threw incomplete but defensive holding meant a new set of downs. On 3rd and 10 from their own 34, a short pass gained only 7 yards. A rare illegal block in the back on the kicking team rather tan the receiving team had the Raiders at their own 25 rather than their own 15. Carr immediately hit Renfrow on a crossing route over the middle for a 31 yard gain. Carr then evaded traffic and hit Renfrow over the middle for 11 more. Another 15 yards was tacked on for roughing the passer as Carr took a shot to the head and neck. Jacobs gained 6 and then 6 more to set up 1st and goal at the 3. Mariota came in again as Carr lined up at wide receiver. Mariota faked the handoff and kept it himself for the touchdown. midway through the third quarter, the Raiders led 24-13. They were able to finish a key drive. The question was if they could finish a game. 

13 seconds later the Cowboys were right back in it as Pollard returned the ensuing kickoff 100 yards for a touchdown. The Raiders had now officially had their special teams meltdown to have a failure in all 3 phases of the game. This is your reminder that Rich Bisaccia is a special teams coach. The Cowboys were right back in it down 24-20. The Raiders were called for a defensive leverage penalty on the extra point try. Mike McCarthy opted to put the ball on the one and go for a 2 point conversion instead of enforcing the penalty on the kickoff. McCarthy got too cute by half as a handoff to Elliott was lateraled and blown up in the backfield. So despite a pair of special teams screwups, the Raiders 24-20 lead was now 24-19 instead. 

After a touchback, Carr hit a wide open Jacobs over a middle, but Jacobs dropped it. A swing pass lost a yard. On 3rd and 11 from their own 24, Carr rolled out, could not find anyone, and raced along the sideline for a 22 yard gain. The Cowboys took a timeout on defense. On 3rd and 8 from his own 48, Carr threw deep incomplete, but defensive pass interference meant a 17 yard gain.  On 3rd and 6 from the Dallas 31, a completion to Renfrow gained only 4. Rich Bisaccia took no chances on 4th and 2 from the Dallas 27. Carlson hit the 46 yard field goal as the Raiders led 27-19 with 3 1/2 minutes left in the third quarter. The defense forced a 3 and out when Prescott threw incomplete on 3rd and 3 form his own 32. Yet a 58 yard punt pinned the Raiders at their own 9 yard line. 

A perfectly executed curl route from Carr to Jones gained 35 yards. Carr hit Kenyan Drake for 10 more. The Raiders then after a deep incompletion for some reason burned a timeout with 2 seconds left in the third quarter. After that came a swing pass that lost 5 yards as the Raiders began the fourth quarter facing 3rd and 15 from the Dallas 47. a pass in the flat was slightly off the mark and dropped. The Cowboys took over at their own 11. Prescott hit Brown for gains of 15 and 7 and then went deep to Gallup for a 41 yard gain. Prescott then hit Elliott for 12. On 3rd and 3 from the Raiders 7, Prescott fired over the middle to Schultz in the end zone for the touchdown. Yet offensive holding instead meant 3rd and 13 from the 17. A short completion gained only 6 yards. With a full 12 minutes left in regulation, Mike McCarthy was not in a gambling mood on 4th and 7. Zuerlein hit the 29 yard field goal as the Cowboys were within 27-22. 

After a touchback, Carr hit Jackson for 16. Offensive holding on the next play had the Raiders facing 1st and 20. Yet before the Raiders could be accused of a meltdown, Carr on the next play with all kinds of time went bombs away to Renfrow for a 54 yard gain. On 2nd and 6 from the Dallas 11, offensive holding again pushed them back. An incompletion had the Raiders facing 3rd and 16 from the Dallas 21. A completion to Renfrow gained only 9 yards. Carlson made the 30 yard field goal, but the Cowboys were called for an illegal formation on the defense. because it was only a 5 yard penalty and not an automatic 1st down, Rich Bisaccia decided to decline the penalty and take the points rather than take points off the board and gamble on 4th and 2. With 8 1/2 minutes left in regulation, the Raiders led 30-22. They had led all game but had not put the game away. It was still only a one score game. The offense could not finish the game, so it was up to the defense to try.  

The Cowboys soon faced 3rd and 5 from their own 30, Prescott was sacked by Yannick Ngakoue. The 3 and out forced a punt. The Raiders midway through the fourth quarter had a chance on offense to finish the game. One drive and a field goal would do it. They took over at their own 25. A completion from Carr to Jones on 2nd and 8 gained 9 and kept the clock moving. On 2nd and 6 from their own 40, a 4 yard run by Jacobs was nullified by offensive holding that pushed them back and stopped the clock. On 3rd and 12, Carr went for it all and was lucky to escape with an incompletion. Then came a delay of game penalty. The Cowboys got the ball back at their own 31 with 3:40 to play. The offense again did not finish, so again the pressure was on the defense. Prescott then somehow despite getting decked unloaded a 32 yard completion to Gallup. Prescott then went over the middle to Schultz for the 32 yard touchdown. For the first time since 0-0, the Cowboys had tied the game 30-30. The defense had melted down. It was up to the offense with 3 minutes left after a touchback to avoid a complete collapse. 

Carr went deep to Jackson for a 30 yard gain. On 2nd and 5 from the Dallas 40, all the Raiders had to do was let the clock go down to the 2 minute warning. Instead, the Raiders tried to rush a play to get the Cowboys to jump offsides and instead took a killer false start that stopped the clock with 2:04 left. A 7 yard completion from Carr to Renfrow had the Raiders facing 3rd and 3 at the Dallas 38 at the 2 minute warning. Carr then threw incomplete as the Cowboys escaped another defensive pass interference call. A field goal try would be 56 yards. Rich Bisaccia trusted Carlson, and Carlson delivered. The Raiders had the 33-30 lead with 1:52 to play. The offense certainly did not close the door, but they gave the Raiders the lead. The defense had to make a stop. 

Prescott hit Gallup for 11, Brown for 5, Elliott for 3, and on 3rd and 2 from his own 44, Gallup for 17. Prescott then hit Wilson for 10 as the Raiders and to take a defensive injury timeout. With 37 seconds let, each team had one timeout left. An incompletion left 3rd and 8 from the Raiders 27 with 28 seconds left. Prescott threw incomplete again. Zuerlein came in for a 46 yard try with 24 seconds left. Zuerlein was good and the game was tied 33-33 with 19 seconds left. Again, the Raiders could not put a game away. After a touchback, Carr took a knee and the game went to overtime. The Raiders did not trail the entire 60 minutes, yet they did not get the win in regulation either. Naturally, the Cowboys won the overtime coin toss.

A penalty on the kick had the Cowboys taking over at their own 7 yard line. On 3rd and 4 from their own 13, Prescott was flushed out of the pocket and threw incomplete. Yet a 59 yard punt with an illegal block against the Raiders tacked on, the Raiders got the ball at their own 22. A swing pass to Jacobs gained 8. Jacobs then broke free on the ground for a 21 yard gain. From just past midfield, a run lost a yard. Then Carr was sacked. On 3rd and 18 from their own 43, Carr went for it all and Anthony Brown was called for a 4th…yes 4th… defensive pass interference penalty. The 33 yard gain made it 1st and 10 at the Dallas 24. Already in field goal range, Rich Bisaccia played it very safe. 3 straight runs gained 8 yards. On 4th and 2, Carlson came in for a 34 yard field goal try to win it. The kick was good, but a false start instead made it 4th and 7. Now it was a 39 yard try. Then the cowboys jumped offsides. Now it was a 34 yard try again. This time the Cowboys jumped way offsides as the kick hit the upright. This gave the Raiders a first down. Carr wanted to go back on the field, but Bisaccia kept Carlson out there for a 29 yard try.

Carlson was good. There were no flags on the field. The 4 game losing streak of the Raiders was over. or the 3rd time on the year, the Raiders won in overtime to get to 6-5. The Cowboys have lost 3 straight, all of them to AFC West teams. At 7-4 they are still in a strong position in the NFC Least. Carr was 24 of 39 for 373 yards and one touchdown. Prescott was 32 of 47 for 375 yards and 2 touchdowns. Neither quarterback was intercepted in a game with 0 turnovers. The Raiders ran the ball 35 times for 143 yards, 4 yards per carry. Jacobs led rushers with 87 yards on 22 carries, also 4 yards per carry. Gallup and Wilson both had over 100 yards receiving, and Renfrow led all receivers with 134 yards. Jackson also had over 100 yards. Both teams had 14 penalties, with the Raiders giving up 110 yards and the Cowboys giving up a whopping 166 yards. The Raiders dominated the time of possession 39 minutes to 26 1/2 minutes. The Raiders racked up 509 yards of total offense to 437 for the Cowboys. Carlson was 5 for 5 on field goals and also made 3 extra points. This was an instant classic. It was far from pretty at times, but it was definitely an Al Davis type of win. Just win baby. 36-33 Raiders 

Buffalo Bills at New Orleans Saints was the Thanksgiving Thursday night game. The Saints came in having lost 3 straight to be 5-5 while the 6-4 Bills recent losses had them out of first place in the AFC East. The Bills began their first drive at their own 35. Josh Allen hit Stefan Diggs for 14. Allen ran for 6 and hit Diggs for 9. Matt Breida had runs of 9, 5 and 2. On 3rd and 3 from the Saints 14, Allen ran for 8. Allen then hit Dawson Knox for a 7 yard touchdown. The 10 play, 65 yard, 6 minute drive had the Bills up 7-0, but both offenses slept for much of the half. In the second quarter Sean Payton gambled on 4th and 2 from the Buffalo 41. Jones got blown up for a 5 yard loss. The short field led to a 34 yard Tyler Bass field goal to make it 10-0 Bills. Allen was intercepted twice in the second quarter, but the Saints had no offense. The Bills began the third quarter facing 3rd and 7 from their own 28. Allen ran for 10. On 3rd and 2 from their own 46, Allen hit Cole Beasley for 14. Singletary ran for 11 and defensive pass interference added 9 more. Singletary ran for 15 more. Allen hit Diggs for a 5 yard touchdown to cap the 11 play, 75 yard, 6 minute drive and make it 17-0 Bills. The Bills got it back at their own 47. Allen hit Davis for 21. On 4th and 2 from the Saints 24, Sean McDermott decided to go for it. Allen went to Knox for the first down and the touchdown as the Bills were romping up 24-0. The Saints scored a fourth quarter touchdown to avoid the shutout but Allen threw a 23 yard touchdown pass to Breida to maintain the blowout. Allen finished 23 of 28 with 4 touchdown passes. The Saints have lost 4 straight. 31-6 Bills

Tampa Bay Buccaneers at Indianapolis Colts — The Buccaneers came in 7-3. The Colts started 0-3 but have gone 6-2 since, with the only 2 losses being in overtime. This is the Tony Dungy Bowl, although he and Peyton Manning are both retired. Tom Brady and Carson went are not retired, but early on this game belonged to the defenses. Early on a shanked 14 yard punt had the Colts taking over at the Tampa 30. Yet all the Colts could muster was a 45 yard Mike Badgley field goal to lead 3-0. A Colts fumble gave the Buccaneers a short field at the Indianapolis 34. Brady hit Rob Gronkowski for 10, Leonard Fournette for 8, and Cameron Brate for 7. The second quarter began with the Buccaneers facing 3rd and 1 at the Colts 3. Fournette gained 2 and then got the last yard for a 7-3 Buccaneers lead.

After a touchback, the Colts struck back quickly. Carson Wentz went bombs away to Dulin for a 62 yard touchdown to make it 10-7 Colts. 3 plays later from his own 46, Brady went bombs away but was intercepted by Rodgers at the Indianapolis 10 yard line. Wentz hit Nyheim Hines for 10 and Jacob Doyle for 14. Defensive pass interference on the next play added 24 more yards. Taylor ran for 12 and 6. On 3rd and 2 from the Tampa Bay 19, Taylor only gained one. Frank Reich gambled on 4th and 1 and Wentz took the quarterback sneak up the gut for 3 yards. Wentz then went to Doyle for a 5 yard touchdown to cap the 90 yard, 6 minute drive and make it 17-7 Colts lead with 5 minutes left in the half. 

The Buccaneers took over at their own 16. Brady hit Chris Godwin for 7, Gronk for 15 and Johnson for 9. Fournette ran for 6 and 12. Brady went deep to Gronk for 26 and to Fournette for 5 at the 2 minute warning. Gronk then hit Fournette again for a 4 yard touchdown to get the Buccaneers within 17-14. After a touchback, Wentz ran the 2 minute drill brilliantly. He hit TY Hilton for 9 and 5. On 3rd and 15 from his own 34, Wentz rolled out and scrambled for 16. Wentz hit Pittman for 12. On 3rd and 10 from the Tampa 35, Wentz hit Doyle for 22. On 3rd and 1 from the Bucs 4, Wentz threw incomplete as 22 seconds remained in the half. Frank Reich gambled again and Wentz fired to Hilton for the touchdown and the 24-14 Colts lead. 

After a touchback to start the third quarter, the Colts moved to a 1st and 10 at the Tampa 20 with a chance to make it a 3 score game. Then came the play that changed the game entirely. Wentz was sacked and fumbled. The Buccaneers took over at their own 35. On 3rd and 8, Brady hit Gronk for 11. Defensive pass interference on the next play added 37 yards. Brady hit Brate for 10. Fournette ran for a 4 yard touchdown to get the Buccaneers within 24-21. After another touchback, the Colts moved to a 2nd and 3 at the Tampa 46. Wentz went deep for it all and was intercepted. Antoine Winfield returned the interception 30 yards to the Tampa 35. Ronald Jones ran for 5, 8 and 8. Brady went deep to Gronk for 32. On 3rd and 8 from the Indy 10, Brady threw incomplete but defensive pass  interference meant 1st and goal at the one. Jones got in for the score as the Buccaneers now led 28-24. In the fourth quarter the Colts fumbled a punt and the Buccaneers took over at the Indy 19. Now it was the Bucs who had a chance to put the game away. Yet on 2nd and goal at the 6, Brady threw incomplete twice. Ryan Succop hit a 25 yard field goal as 3 turnovers gifted the Buccaneers 17 points and a 31-24 lead with 10 minutes left in regulation. 

After a touchback, Taylor ran for 5, 15, 5, 10, 15, 4, and 3. On 3rd and 6 from the Tampa  Bay 14, Wents hit Hilton for 10. Taylor ran for the 4 yard touchdown to make it 31-31 with 3 1/2 minutes remaining. After a touchback, Brady hit Evans for 3 and Godwin for 8. Fournette ran for 11. Brady hit Brate for 6 and Fournette for 13. Fournette ran for 8 as the the Colts took their 2nd timeout with 1:07 left. The goal was to take the clock down to a few seconds and kick the winning field goal. Instead, Fournette broke free for a 28 yard touchdown. The Buccaneers led by 7 but 20 seconds still remained. Things got even crazier when Rodgers took the ensuing deep kickoff 4 yards deep in the end zone, broke to the sideline, and had a chance to go 104 yards for a shocking tying touchdown. Rodgers was eventually pushed out of bounds after a 72 yard return. The Colts had 10 seconds to work with from the Tampa 32. An incompletion left 5 seconds. Wentz threw the relatively short Hail Mary that was intercepted at the one yard line. 38-31 Buccaneers

New York Jets at Houston Texans — League rules prevented a cancellation between a pair of 2-8 teams, but the Texans won a shocking road game at Tennessee last week after getting Tyrod Taylor back. This week the Jets got Zach Wilson back. The Texans took over at their own 21 and moved 62 yards in 12 plays and 6 minutes. Yet on 2nd and 9 from the Jets 17, Taylor was intercepted by Franklin-Myers, who returned it 32 yards to the Houston 37. On 3rd and goal at the 4, Wilson was sacked. Matt Ammendola hit the 31 yard field goal to make it 3-0 Jets. On the next Jets series they faced 3rd and 17 from their own 18. Wilson was intercepted to set up the Texans at the Jets 24. On 3rd and 10 from the Jets 19, Taylor threw incomplete but defensive pass interference meant 10 yards. On 3rd and goal from the 13 to start the second quarter, Taylor hit Jordan for the touchdown to make it 7-3 Texans. The Texans got it back and faced 3rd and 2 from their own 41. Taylor hit Rex Burkhead for 20. On 3rd and 11 from the Jets 40, Taylor went deep to Brandon Cooks for the score and the 14-3 Texans lead.

The Jets eventually took over at their own 30, and a roughing the passer penalty had the Jets at midfield. Wilson hit Moore for 11. On 3rd and 9 from the Houston 26, Wilson hit Griffin for 10. Walter did the rest, running for 12, 2, and the 2 yard touchdown. Robert Saleh went for the 2 point conversion and Josh Johnson ran it in to get the Jets within 14-11 with one minute left in the half. After a third quarter touchback, Wilson went to Moore for 22 and 16. On 3rd and 3 from the Houston 43, Coleman gained 8 and 6. Johnson added 11. On 4th and 8 from the Houston 16, Ammendola hit the 34 yard field goal to tie the game. Yet the defense was called for an unsportsmanlike conduct leverage penalty. Robert Saleh took the points off the board. On 1st and goal at the 8, Wilson was sacked but the defense jumped offside. Wilson then rushed for a 4 yard touchdown to make it 18-14 Jets. 

Then this game got every bit as ugly as expected. Early in the fourth quarter, Ammendola missed a 42 yard field goal try to extend the lead. The Texans soon took over at the Jets 37 and went nowhere. Kiami Fairbairn’s 55 yard field goal try was no good. The Jets took over at their own 45 and embarked on a 13 play drive that took 6 minutes off the clock. On 4th and 1 from the Houston 15, Moore gained 7. Yet on 1st and goal at the 8, offensive holding killed the drive. Ammendola hit from 37 to put the Jets up by 7 with 3 1/2 minutes left. With 2:10 left the Texans faced 4th and 2 at their own 39. Taylor threw incomplete. The Texans got it back at their own 20 with 20 second left. On 3rd and 4 from their own 26 with 6 seconds left, Taylor completed a 5 yard pass as the Texans celebrated a first down and another loss. 21-14 Jets

Philadelphia Eagles at New York Giants — An NFC Least battle was as ugly as expected. The Giants just fired offensive coordinator Jason Garrett, allowing them to have even less offense. In the first quarter Graham Gano hit a 35 yard field goal to make it 3-0 Giants. The Eagles moved from their own 26 to a 3rd and 5 at the Giants 20. Jalen Hurts was intercepted. The Giants moved in position for a 51 yard field goal try, but this time Gano was no good. The Eagles used up the last 6 minutes of the first quarter by moving from their own 7 on a 15 play, 92 yard drive. On 3rd and goal from the 9, Hurts was intercepted again. In the third quarter after a touchback the Eagles moved to a 4th and 2 at the Giants 40. Kevin Siriani went for it and Hurts threw incomplete. Daniel Jones then hit Evan Engram for 10. On 3rd and 7 from the Philadelphia 46, Jones hit Booker and Slayton for a pair of 17 yard gains. On 3rd and goal at the 5, Jones threw incomplete but defensive pass interference meant 1st and goal at the one. Jones hit Myarick for the touchdown to make it 10-0 Giants. Hurts then went deep for his 3rd interception. 

The Eagles got it back at their own 34. Hurts ran for 12. On 3rd and 1 from the Giants 45, Hurts ran for a pair of 13 yard gains as Boston Scott added 5 and 12. On the first play of the fourth quarter, Scott ran for a one yard touchdown to complete the 10 play, 66 yard drive as the Eagles were very much alive down 10-7. The Giants moved on a 12 play, 70 yard drive that took 7 1/2 minutes off the clock. On 3rd and 2 from the Philly 16 looking to close the door, a false start was followed by an incompletion. Gano hit the 39 yard field goal with 3 minutes left, but the Giants up by 6 had not closed to door. The Eagles moved from their 30 to just past midfield. Scott then fumbled and the Giants recovered at their own 37. Only 1:34 remained but the Eagles had all 3 timeouts and took them on defense. The Eagles got it back at their own 41 with 1:11 left. Hurts hit Kenneth Gainwell for 14 and 11 and spiked the ball to stop the clock with 37 seconds left. From the Giants 27, Hurts had 3 chances to win it and his receivers kept dropping his passes. One final dropped pass on 4th and 10 was the difference. 13-7 Giants

Carolina Panthers at Miami Dolphins — The 1-7 Dolphins quietly won 3 straight by playing teams as and as they are. In the first quarter the Panthers punted on 4th and 6 from their own 9. The punt was blocked and returned 2 yards by Coleman for a 7-0 Dolphins lead. The Panthers soon faced 3rd and 6 from their own 29. Cam Newton went deep to DJ Moore for a 64 yard gain. On 3rd and goal at the one, Newton got in for a 7-7 game.  Newton was intercepted on his next 2 drives, and the second one set up the Dolphins at the Carolina 9 yard line. On 3rd and goal, Tua Tagovailoa hit Jalen waddle for the 9 yard touchdown and the 14-7 Dolphins advantage. The Dolphins got it back at their own 27. A completion from Tagovailoa to Waddle went for 57 yards. On 3rd and 1 from the Carolina 5, Tagovailoa got around the end for a 2 yard gain. Myles Gaskin took the direct snap for a 3 yard touchdown to make it 21-7 Dolphins. 

With 12 seconds left in then half the Dolphins were in field goal range facing 2nd and 3 at the Carolina 27. Tagovailoa fumbled and Luvu picked it up for the Panthers the other way 28 yards to the Miami 23. The clock appeared to run out, but Matt Rhule demanded one second be added as Brian Flores protested otherwise. Officials gave the Panthers the one second. Zane Gonzalez hit a 41 yard field goal to get the Panthers within 21-10. In the third quarter the Dolphins faced 3rd and 1 from their own 29. Ahmed gained 16. On 3rd and 6 just shy of midfield, Tagovailoa hit Waddle for 11 and Smythe for 11 more. On 2nd and 18 from the Carolina 37, Gaskin gained only 4 but a taunting penalty on the defense meant 15 yards and new downs. Gaskin took a another direct snap 3 yards for another touchdown. The extra point was no good but the 13 play, 80 yard, 7 1/2 minute drive had the Dolphins dominating 27-10. Newton was a miserable 5 for 21 for 92 yards, 0 touchdowns and 2 interceptions. Matt Rhule benched Newton in the third quarter for PJ Walker, who threw an interception. Sanders hit field goals of 46 and 33 in the fourth quarter to complete the scoring. Both teams are 5-7, but it is the Dolphins who have won 4 straight. 33-10 Dolphins

Tennessee Titans at New England Patriots — In the 2019 playoffs, Mike Vrabel’s Titans won a slugfest over his former boss Bill Belichick’s Patriots in Tom Brady’s final game in New England. These teams are mirror images that rely on hard-nosed running and defense. The Titans punted on 4th and 16 from their own 5 and a 15 yard return gave the Patriots a short field at the Tennessee 37. On 3rd and 10 from the Tennessee 19, Mac Jones hit Bolden for 11. On 3rd and goal at the 4, Jones hit Kendrick Bourne for the touchdown to make it 7-0 Patriots. The Titans took over at their own 26. On 3rd and 3 from the New England 48, Ryan Tannehill hit Rodgers for only 2. Vrabel went for it on 4th and 1. Tannehill gained 2 and then 11 more. Tannehill hit Hollister for 14 and 8. The second quarter began with the Titans facing 3rd and goal at the one. Tannehill hit Westbrook-Ikhine for no gain, but Vrabel challenged the spot and officials reversed it to a touchdown. Randy Bullock’s extra point try to tie the game doinked off the upright no good as the Titans trailed 7-6.

The Patriots moved from their own 21 to a 3rd and goal at the 4. Jones threw incomplete. Nick Folk hit a 22 yard field goal to make it 10-6 Patriots. Randy Bullock’s 44 yard field goal try to get within 10-9 was no good. Folk hit again from 37 to make it 13-6 Patriots. The Titans quickly moved after a touchback to the New England 38, but then fumbled the ball away. The Patriots moved from their own 32 to a 3rd and 7 at the Tennessee 26. Jones threw incomplete. Folk’s 3rd field goal from 44 made it 16-6 Patriots. The Titans soon faced 3rd and 3 from their own 32. With Derrick Henry gone for the year and Adrian Peterson released, it was Dontrell Hilliard breaking free for a 68 yard touchdown to get the Titans within 16-13. The half ended with Folk missing a 53 yard field goal.

With snow flurries coming down, the Patriots took over the second half. Folk hit his 4th field goal from 28 yards out to make it 19-13 Patriots. On 2nd and 4 from their own 24, Foreman raced for a 30 yard gain for the Titans but then fumbled the ball away. Later in the third quarter the Patriots took over at their own 44. On 3rd and 6 from the Tennessee 41, Jones hit Bourne for a touchdown and a 26-13 Patriots lead. The Titans after a touchback mounted a 14 play, 73 yard, 8 minute drive. On 4th and goal at the 2 needing to go for it, Tannehill went to the end zone and was intercepted for a touchback. The Patriots ran 10 plays of their own and burned 6 minutes of clock. Folk hit his 5th field goal in 6 tries from 52 yards out to make it 29-13 Patriots in the fourth quarter. With 5 1/2 minutes left in regulation on 4th and 14 from their own 21, Tannehill threw incomplete. Harris ran for 7 and then the 14 yard touchdown to turn the close game into a blowout. Both teams are 8-4 as the Titans lost their grip on the top seed in the AFC. The Patriots have won 6 straight. 36-13 Patriots

Pittsburgh Steelers at Cincinnati Bengals — The Steelers came in 1/2 game behind the 6-4 Bengals, but the Steelers are the big brother who always beat up the little brother Bengals. After a touchback, runs and short passes had the Bengals facing 3rd and 1 at the Pittsburgh 29. Joe Mixon gained 3. Mixon added gains of 6 and 3 and Joe Burrow ran for an 8 yard touchdown to culminate the 10 play, 75 yard, 5 1/2 minute drive and make it 7-0 Bengals. Eli Apple returned an interception of Ben Roethlisberger 50 yards to the Pittsburgh 5. The Bengals settled for a 31 yard Evan McPherson field goal to lead 10-0. The Steelers managed a 40 yard Chris Boswell field goal to get within 10-3, but in the second quarter the Bengals blasted the Steelers into little pieces.

On 2nd and 4 from their own 31, Burrow hit Tee Higgins for 16. The second quarter began with Burrow hitting Jamarr Chase for 12 and Higgins for a 32 yard touchdown to make it 17-3 Bengals. The Bengals got it back and faced 3rd and 12 from their own 25. Burrow hit Higgins for 16. On 3rd and 5 from their own 46Burrow hit CJ Uzomah for 7. Mixon ran for 9, 8, 9, and on 3rd and 1 from the Pittsburgh 21, 9 more. Mixon then ran for 5 and then the one yard touchdown to make it 24-3 Bengals with 2:43 left in the half. With 30 seconds left, an interception of Burrow gave the Steelers the ball at their own 21. Mike Tomlin decided to get aggressive rather than take a knee. Big Ben was immediately intercepted by Hilton for a 24 yard defensive touchdown and a 31-3 Bengals halftime lead. The Bengals added a third quarter field goal and a fourth quarter touchdown from Mixon who ripped off a 32 yard run and took it in from one yard out. Down 41-3, the Steelers managed one garbage touchdown. The little brother hit back today in a big way. 41-10 Bengals 

Atlanta Falcons at Jacksonville Jaguars — Somewhere in the Southeast, somebody cared about this game. In the first quarter the Falcons faced 3rd and 13 at their own 16. Matt Ryan hit Davis for 18. Cordarelle Patterson got around the end for 19. Gallman ran for 15. Ryan hit Sharpe for 13. Patterson did the rest, getting around the end again for 13 and running for a 7 yard touchdown to make it 7-0 Falcons. The Jaguars turned it over on their next possessions on an interception and a fumble. The fumble set up the Falcons at the Jacksonville 29. On 4th and 6 from the Jags 25, Arthur Smith went for a 43 yard field goal try. Younghoe Koo was good, but the defense was called for unsportsmanlike conduct due to leverage. Smith took the points off the board as it was now 1st and 10 at the Jags 12. One play later Patterson ran for the touchdown to make it 14-0 Falcons.

The Jaguars did move from their own 27 on a 14 play, 70 yard, 6 minute drive. On 3rd and goal at the 11, Trevor Lawrence hit Treadwell for only 8. Matthew Wright hit the 22 yard field goal to get the Jaguars within 14-3 with 45 seconds left in the half. Ryan was quickly intercepted as the Jaguars took over at midfield with 19 seconds left. Yet on 2nd and 1 from the Atlanta 41, Lawrence threw incomplete twice. Urban Meyer opted for the Hail Mary rather than a 59 yard field goal try. Lawrence threw deep incomplete again. Early in the third quarter the Falcons took over at their own 12. Ryan went to Gage for 15, Smith for 10, Patterson for 20, Pitts for 19, and Xacceaus for 5. On 3rd and 4 from the Jacksonville 12, Ryan went to Russell Gage for the touchdown. Midway through the third quarter, the Falcons led 21-3. 

The Jaguars took over at their own 28. Lawrence went to Treadwell for 14. Robinson gained 12 and on 3rd and 3 just shy of midfield, Robinson gained 7 then 9 more. On 3rd and 1 from the Atlanta 35, Lawrence gained 7. Lawrence then went deep to James O’Shaughnessy for 21. Lawrence hit Tavon Austin for the 7 yard touchdowN. Urban Meyer went for 2 and Lawrence hit O’Shaughnessy for the conversion as the Jaguars were within 21-11. The Jaguars got it back at their own 10 with 13 minutes left in regulation and moved 74 yards in 14 plays and 6 1/2 minutes. On 1st and goal at the 6, offensive holding killed the drive as Lawrence then threw 3 straight incompletions. Wright hit the 34 yard field goal with 6 1/2 minutes left. The Jaguars got it back with 2:13 left at their own 18. From their own 29, Lawrence threw 4 straight incompletions. 21-14 Falcons

Los Angeles Chargers at Denver Broncos — The 6-4 Chargers took on the 5-5 Broncos in a critical AFC West matchup that was all about defense. A field position game had the Broncos taking over at midfield. Teddy Bridgewater went to Tony Patrick for 19. On 3rd and 4 from the Chargers 14, Bridgewater hit Sutton for 5.Bridgewater ran for an 11 yard touchdown to make it 7-0 Broncos. The Broncos got it back at their own 25. Bridgewater hit Patrick for 7 and Okquegbonam for 12. On 3rd and 3 just past midfield, the Broncos fumbled but retained possession. Williams gained 12 as the second quarter began with the Broncos at the Chargers 32. Melvin Gordon ran for 8 and 16. On 3rd and goal at the 9, Williams ran it in to make it 14-0 Broncos. The Chargers then held the ball for 10 plays and 6 minutes, but Brandon Staley’s decision to gamble on 4th and 3 from the Denver 35 saw Justin Herbert throw incomplete. 

The Broncos were totally in control with 1:16 left in the half and facing 2nd and 8 from the Chargers 48.Drew Lock was intercepted and the Chargers took over at the Denver 47. On 3rd and 7, Herbert went to Keenan Allen for 18 and 14. With 30 seconds left, Herbert hit Austin Ekeler for the 12 yard touchdown to get the Chargers within 14-7. Midway through the third quarter, a 52 yard field goal try for the Chargers was no good. The Chargers got it back at their own 25 and moved to a 1st and 10 at the Denver 19. On 3rd and 9 to start the fourth quarter, Herbert hit Ekeler for 12 but an  ineligible man downfield instead meant 3rd and 14. Herbert was then intercepted by Pat Surtain for a touchback. 

On 3rd and 7 from his own 23, Bridgwater hit Sutton for 12. On 3rd and 10 from his own 35, Bridgewater hit Williams for 14. Bridgwater then connected with Williams on a 42 yard completion with roughing the passer adding 5 more. On 3rd and goal at the one, Bridgwater hit Saubert for the touchdown to put the Broncos up 21-7. After a touchback from his own 37, Herbert was intercepted again by Surtain, and this one was a dagger as Surtain returned it 70 yards for a defensive touchdown and a 28-7 Broncos lead. The Chargers got the equivalent of a Hail Mary miracle when Herbert found Cook in the end zone for a 16 yard touchdown. Cook out-jumped 5 or 6 other players to get the Chargers within 15 after an inexplicable 2 point try failed. The onside kick slo failed. The Broncos, Chargers and Raiders are all 6-5, one game back of 7-4 Kansas City in the AFC West. 28-13 Broncos. 

Los Angeles Rams at Green Bay Packers — Both teams started 7-1 but the Rams have lost 2 straight and the Packers 2 of 3 in a key NFC showdown. In the first quarter the Rams fumbled and the Packers took over at the Rams 6 yard line. On 3rd and goal from the one, Aaron Rodgers got around the end and in for the score to make it 7-0 Packers. Sean McVay then summoned his inner Barry swather and went for it on 4th and 1 from his own 29. Darrell Henderson got stopped cold. The short field was enough for Mason Crosby to hit a 45 yard field goal to make it 10-0 Packers in the second quarter. 

3 plays later the Rams were on the board. On 3rd and 8 from his own 21, Matthew Stafford went bombs away. Van Jefferson out-jumped the defender, shook the tackle, maintained his balance, and coasted to a 79 yard touchdown to get the Rams within 10-7. The Packers soon faced 3rd and 3 at their own 32. Rodgers went deep to Randall Cobb for a 54 yard gain.  Yet on 2nd and 5 from the Rams 9, a run went nowhere and Rodgers then threw incomplete. Crosby hit from 28 to make it 13-7 Packers. The Rams then punted and the Packers fumbled it away. The Packers took over at the Rams 25. Sean McVay went to the bag of tricks. From Stafford, Cooper Kupp threw the halfback option pass to Van Jefferson for the touchdown. Yet on further review, Jefferson did not get both feet in bounds, resulting in an incompletion. On 3rd and 3 from the Packers 18, Stafford threw incomplete. Matt Gay hit the 36 yard field goal to get the Rams within 13-10.

The Packers took over at their own 11. Rodgers went to Cobb for 27. On 3rd and 2 from his own 46, Rodgers went deep to Devonta Adams for 43. Rodgers hit Cobb for a 7 yard touchdown to make it 20-10 Packers. After a touchback, Stafford hit Sony Michel for 11. Michel ran for 5 and 7. Stafford went to Kupp for 22 and again for 19. With 90 seconds left in a very exciting first half, Stafford went to Henderson for a 6 yard touchdown to get the Rams within 20-17. An illegal blindside block on the first play of the third quarter had the Packers facing 1st and 22 from their own 13. Rodgers went to Dillon for 8 and deep to Marques Valdes-Scantling for 28. Dillon gained one, 8, and on 3rd and 1 from the Rams 42, 2 followed by 5 more. Dillon then caught a pass from Rodgers for 6. On 3rd and 2 from the Rams 21, Rodgers threw incomplete. Matt LaFleur went for it. On 4th and 2, Rodgers hit Deguara for 12. Dillon ran for 4 and then the 5 yard touchdown. The 13 play, 75 yard, nearly 8 minute drive had the Packers up 27-17 midway through the third quarter. 

Things got worse for the Rams when they fumbled a punt and the Packers recovered at the Rams 27. On 3rd and 6 from the Rams 11, Rodgers threw incomplete. Crosby hit the 29 yard field goal to make it 30-17 Packers. 3 plays later the Packers put in the dagger. The Rams on 3rd and 7 from their own 28 saw Stafford intercepted by Douglas, who returned it 33 yards for a defensive touchdown. A 2 point conversion try failed but the Packers led 36-17. The Rams soon faced 3rd and 1 from their own 29. Henderson gained 5. On 3rd and 1 from their own 43, Henderson gained 3. On the first play of the fourth quarter, Stafford went bombs away to O’Dell Beckham for a 46 yard touchdown. Stafford hit Kupp for the 2 point conversion as the Rams were within 36-25. The Packers did miss another field goal that would have extended the lead, but the Rams still needed 2 scores. They got the field goal with 18 seconds left but got no closer as the onside kick failed. 36-28 Packers

Minnesota Vikings at San Francisco 49ers — A pair of 5-5 teams fighting to make the playoffs played a competitive game. An early interception of Jimmy Garoppolo had the Vikings taking over just past midfield. Kirk Cousins hit Dalvin Cook for gains of 2 and 11. Cousins went to Adam Thielen for 29. On 3rd and goal at the 2, Cousins threw incomplete. Mike Zimmer went for it and on 4th and goal, Cousins fired to Thielen for the 2 yard touchdown to make it 7-0 Vikings. The 49ers still faced 3rd and 13 from their own 22. Garoppolo went deep to Brandon Aiyuk for 37. Mitchell ran for 6 and 15 and Deebo Samuel ran around the end for a 20 yard touchdown and a 7-7 game. 

The Vikings began the second quarter facing 3rd and 2 from their own 28. Cousins went deep to Justin Jefferson for 30 and again to Jefferson for 15. Cousins then went to Thielen for a 20 yard touchdown to make it 14-7 Vikings. with 8 1/2 minutes left in the half, the 49ers took over at their own 15. Mitchell ran for 9 and 3. Garoppolo hit Woerner for 11. Mitchell ran for 4 and 10. On 3rd and 8 from the Minnesota 44, Patrick play lost 3 yards but defensive holding meant 5 yards and an automatic first down. On 3rd and 2 from the Minnesota 31, Garoppolo got the deuce. On 3rd and 11 from the Minnesota 30, Garoppolo went to Aiyuk for 24. With 18 seconds left in the half, Garoppolo hit Jennings for the 3 yard touchdown to culminate the 15 play, 85 yard, 8 1/2 minute drive. The game tied after the first quarter was now tied air halftime 14-14. 

After a touchback to start the third quarter, Garoppolo hit Mitchell for 13. Samuel got around the end for a 49 yard gain. Samuel ran for the 3 yard touchdown as the 49ers had their first lead up 21-14. On the first play from scrimmage from his own 21, Cousins was intercepted. Al-Shaair returned the interception 24 yards to the Minnesota 2. One play later Mitchell got in to make it 28-14 49ers. The Vikings battled back. After a touchback, Cook ran for 30. Cousins hit Jefferson for 15. Mike Zimmer then went for the trick play and Cousins lateraled to Jefferson, who threw the halfback option pass to Cook for 24. Mattison then ran for the 6 yard touchdown. Greg Joseph missed the extra point as the Vikings trailed 28-20. 

The 49ers after a touchback moved to a 1st and 10 at the Minnesota 29. Two runs gained one total yard and on 3rd and 9, Garoppolo threw incomplete. Robbie Gould hit the 46 yard field goal to make it 31-20 49ers. Yet 12 seconds later the Vikings were in the end zone again. Kene Nwangwu took the ensuing kickoff 99 yards for a touchdown. The 2 point conversion trie failed but the Vikings were within 31-26. The Vikings held on defense but one play after a touchback fumbled the ball away. The 49ers took over at the Minnesota 9. A run lost 6 yards and a 15 yard touchdown to put the game away was reversed to an incompletion. On 3rd and goal from the 15, Garoppolo hit Kyle Juszczyk for only 11. Gould hit the 22 yard field goal to put the 49ers up by 8 after three quarters. 

A touchback had the Vikings at their own 25 to start the fourth quarter. Cousins hit Ham for 16. On 3rd and 8 from their own 43, Cousins went deep incomplete but defensive pass interference meant a 22 yard gain. On 3rd and 9 from the Frisco 34, Cousins hit Conklin for 17. On 3rd and goal at the 3, Cousins threw incomplete. With 9 minutes left in regulation, Mike Zimmer went for it. Cousins threw incomplete again. The 49ers from their own 3 yard line went on a time consuming drive that took down the clock. On 3rd and 4 from their own 10, Garoppolo hit Sherfield for 5. Garoppolo then went deep to Juszczyk for 26. Mitchell went for 6, 7 and 9. On 3rd and 3 from the Minnesota 25, a run gained only one yard as the clock hit the 2 minute warning. Kyle Shanahan opted for the field goal. From 42 yards out to lock up the win, Gould was no good wide right. The Vikings had life at their own 32 with 1:56 left. On 4th and 8 from the Minnesota 38 with 50 seconds left, Cousins threw incomplete. 34-26 49ers 

Cleveland Browns at Baltimore Ravens was the Sunday night game. This was an old-fashioned AFC North street fight. In the first quarter Chase McLaughlin missed a 46 yard field goal for the Browns. Justin Tucker hit a 52 yard field goal to make it 3-0 Ravens. In the second quarter the Ravens mounted a staggering 17 play, 59 yard drive that took over 8 1/2 minutes. John Harbaugh gambled on 4th and 1 from his own 44 and Lamar Jackson got the yard. On 3rd and goal at the one, Jackson threw incomplete. Harbaugh again went for it but on 4th and goal, a false start killed the try. Tucker hit a 25 yard field goal to make it 6-0. Ravens. The last 4 minutes of the half were insane. The Browns fumbled, but then Jackson was intercepted. McLaughlin hit a 46 yard field goal to get the Browns within 6-3. Jackson was then intercepted again. The Browns fumbled a second time and Jackson was intercepted a 3rd time. 5 turnovers in the final 3:14 of the half had both teams at a standstill.

After a touchback to start the third quarter, the Ravens soon faced 3rd and 6 at their own 35. Jackson hit Hollywood Brown for 7. On 3rd and 4 from their own 48, Jackson went deep to Mark Andrews for 39. On 3rd and 10 from the Cleveland 13, Jackson went to Andrews for the touchdown to cap the 10 play, 75 yard, 5 minute drive and give the Ravens a 13-3 lead. Late in the third quarter the Browns took over at their own 13. Mayfield went deep to Jarvis Landry for 38. Mayfield went to David Njoku for 8 and roughing the passer on the next play added 15. Mayfield went to nook for a 20 yard touchdown as the Browns only trailed 13-10 after three quarters. Jackson then went bombs away and was intercepted for the fourth time. Yet the defenses dug in. With 6 1/2 minutes left in regulation the Ravens moved from their own 24 on an 11 play drive that took nearly 5 1/2 minutes. Tucker nailed a 49 yard field goal to put the Ravens up by 6 with 1:10 to play. After a touchback, the Browns had a chance to win. Yet 3 incompletions later, it was now down to 4th and 10. The Ravens defense brought the house, and Mayfield’s completion to Njoku only gained 7 yards. This was a bare-fisted slobberknocker, as the Ravens defense carried them to 8-3 while the Browns at 6-6 are fighting for survival. 16-10 Ravens

Seattle Seahawks at Washington Stuffed Turduckens was the Monday night game. Early on the No-Names embarked on a 15 play, 68 yard drive that took 9 1/2 minutes off the clock. The drive bogged down at the 5 yard line. On 3rd and goal, Taylor heinicke hit JD McKissic for no gain. Joey Slye’s 23 yard field goal had the No-Names up 3-0. The Seahawks responded quickly. On 3rd and 1 from their own 34, Russell Wilson hit Tyler Lockett deep for 55 yards. On 3rd and 9 from the Washington 6, Wilson hit Greg Everett for the touchdown to make it 7-3 Seahawks. In the second quarter saw the No-Names move from their own 9 to the Seattle 41 before Heinicke was intercepted at the Seattle 11. Wilson went to Lockett for 39 and Alex Collins for 13, but Collins fumbled and the No-Names took over at their own 27. 

Heinicke went to Logan Thomas for 14 and Gibson for 9. On 3rd and 1 from midfield, Gibson got the yard as the clock hit the 2 minute warning. On 3rd and 9 from the Seattle 48, Hence threw incomplete but defensive holding meant a new set of downs with 90 seconds left. Heinicke then went to Carter for 16 with roughing the passer adding 14 more. With one minute left in the half, Heinicke hit McKissic for the touchdown to make it 9-7 No-Names. Then came the chaos. The extra point was blocked and returned all the way the other way for a 2 point play. The No-Names had dominated statistically but not on the scoreboard. Rather than the No-Names leading, the game was tied 9-9 at the half. Making matters worse for the No-Names, Slye pulled a hamstring on the play and was lost for the rest of the game. 

In the third quarter, the No-Names took over at their own 27. Heinicke hit Terry McLaurin for 20. On 3rd and 2 from the Seattle 45, Heinicke hit Carter for just enough. On 3rd and 1 from the Seattle 34, McKissic gained 3. Heinicke hit Gibson for 11 and Gibson ran for 10 more. Mckissic ran for the 10 yard score to finish the 11 play, 73 yard, 5 minute drive. After the touchdown, Riverboat Ron Rivera had nobody to kick the extra point. With Slye out, Rivera had to go for two. Gibson banged it in up the gut for a 17-9 No-Names lead. In the fourth quarter, the No-Names from their own 13 embarked on a staggering 16 play, 84 yard, 8 1/2 minute drive. 

On 3rd and 12 from the Seattle 30, a completion from Heinicke to McKissic only gained 8. With 3 1/2 minutes left on 4th and 4 from the Seattle 22, a field goal of 40 yards would lock up the win. Yet Ron Rivera did not have a kicker. He had to go for it. Heinicke fired over the middle to Carter for 15. On 3rd and goal at the 5, Rivera took no chances. A run gained only 2 yards, and even worse, Gibson was driven out of bounds. With 2:25 left, Rivera again had to go for it. Under heavy pressure on 4th and goal from the 3, Heinicke fired over the middle to Thomas for the touchdown. However, on further review, the ball hit the ground for an incompletion. 

The Seahawks had 2:19 to go 97 yards. On 3rd and 5 from their own 21 at the 2 minute warning, Wilson threw incomplete but defensive pass interference meant a 19 yard gain. On the next play Wilson was sacked for an 11 yard loss. On 3rd and 6 from their own 44, Wilson hit DK Metcalf for 13 with one minute left. On 3rd and 6 from the Washington 39, Wilson hit a Dallas for 7 as the clock ticked down and kept running. Rather than spike the ball, Wilson calmly went to the line and fired over the middle to a wide open Swain for a 32 yard touchdown. With 15 seconds left, the 10 play, 97 yard drive had the Seahawks within a 2 point conversion of tying the game. Wilson fired over the middle in the end zone and appeared to have the completion. At the last moment, the ball was intercepted. 

The No-Names celebrated, and did so too early. A perfectly executed onside kick was recovered by the Seahawks at their own 45. Yet this time the Seahawks celebrated too early. Pete Carroll watched helplessly as officials ruled the ball did not go 10 yards before being touched. The officials were wrong. It did. The Seahawk tried another onside kick from their 30 rather than their 35, but this one was recovered by the No-Names. Instead of getting a chance at a field goal and a shocking comeback, the Seahawks valiant effort went down to defeat as they dropped to 3-8. It was far from pretty, but the No-Names at 5-6 would be in the playoffs if the regular season ended today. It doesn’t, and they aren’t. However, they have won 3 straight and even teased that soon they will even have a team name announcement. 17-15 Stuffed Turduckens. 

https://www.commdiginews.com/sports/nfl/nfl-2021-thanksgiving-and-hanukkah-week-12-preview-and-bettors-guide-141350/

NFL 2021 Week 11 Recap

New England Patriots at Atlanta Falcons is the Thursday night game. Five years ago the Falcons blew a 28-3 third quarter lead over the Patriots in the Super Bowl and have been in a tailspin ever since. Early on it was a close game, The only score in the first quarter was a 32 yard Nick Folk field goal for the Patriots. The Patriots got it back at their own 24 and Damien Harris ripped off gains of 14 and 17. The second quarter began with Mac Jones hitting Harris for 9 and Nelson Agholor for a 19 yard touchdown and a 10-0 Patriots lead. The Falcons missed a field goal late in the half, and Folk hit again from 44 as the Patriots led 13-0 at the break. The second half of this game was even worse for the Falcons than the second half of that Super Bowl. The Falcons managed 4 interceptions in the final 12 minutes on 4 consecutive possessions with 3 different quarterbacks. The first 2 interceptions courtesy of Matty Ice led to field goals of 53 and 33 to make it 19-0 Patriots. With 1:40 left, Josh Rosen came in for mop up. He threw one completion, one incompletion, and one interception that was returned 35 yards by Kyle Van Not for a defensive touchdown. Rosen lasted 23 seconds. Feleipe Franks came in for 4 seconds and one play, an interception.. Rather than blow a 25 point lead, this time the Falcons fell behind by 25 and stayed there for their first home shutout loss since 1988. Their 3 quarterbacks threw 3 interceptions in a 4 minute span. The Patriots have won 5 straight games and at 7-4 are making a playoff push. 25-0 Patriots. 

Green Bay Packers at Minnesota Vikings — Mason Crosby hit a 54 yard field goal for the Vikings and Greg Joseph responded from 51 for a 3-3 game. The Vikings eventually faced 3rd and 4 at their own 22. Kirk Cousins went to Adam Thielen for 18 and then went deep to Justin Jefferson for 56 yards down to the one. Dalvin Cook walked in up the middle for the touchdown. Greg Joseph missed the extra point as the Vikings led 9-3. After a touchback, the Packers moved in the second quarter 81 yards in 12 plays and 5 1/2 minutes. On 2nd and 9 from the Minnesota 14, , Aaron Rodgers threw incomplete twice. Mason Crosby’s 32 yard field goal try doinked off the upright no good. The Vikings took over at their own 22. Cousins hit Conklin for 15. Defensive pass interference added 37 more. On 3rd and 5 from the Green Bay 19, Cousins was intercepted. Yet roughing the passer nullified the interception and gave the Vikings 10 more yards. On 3rd and goal at the 10, Cousins hit Thielen for the touchdown to make it 16-3 Vikings.

The Packers took over at their own 26 with 4:18 left in the half. Rodgers hit St. Brown for 17. On 3rd and 8 from their own 45, Rodgers hit Randall Cobb for 15. On 3rd and 5 from the Minnesota 25, Rodgers went to Josiah Deguara for the touchdown with 30 seconds left in the half to get the Packers within 16-10. After a touchback to start the third quarter, Cousins hit Conklin for 15. Cook ran for 7 and 4. On 3rd and 1 from the Green Bay 40, Cook gained 5. Cook then gained 13 and caught a pass for 7. On 3rd and 1 from the Green Bay 13, Cook gained 4. On 3rd and goal at the 9, Cousins hit Justin Jefferson for the touchdown to culminate the 14 play, 75 yard, 6 1/2 minute drive and make it 23-10 Vikings. 

The Packers soon faced 1st and 20 from their own 15. Rodgers hit Dillon for 13 and Davante Adams for 12 and 17. Rodgers then ran for 18. St. Brown gained 11. Rodgers hit Adams for the 10 yard touchdown to get the Packers within 23-17 late in the third quarter. The Packers got it back to start the fourth quarter at their own 6 yard line. Dillon gained 7 and 6. On 3rd and 6 from their own 23, Rodgers hit Adams for 13 and St. Brown for 25. On 3rd and 1 from the Minnesota 29, Dillon gained 7. On 3rd and 6 from the Minnesota 18, Rodgers went to Adams for the touchdown. The Packers now led 24-23 after the 12 play, 94 yard, 7 minute drive thanks to the earlier Minnesota missed extra point.

The Vikings took over at their own 21 midway through the fourth quarter. Cousins went to Osborn for 19. Runs and short passes led to a 3rd and 3 at the Green Bay 33. Cousins hit Thielen for just enough. On 3rd and 3 from the Green Bay 23, Cousins went to Jefferson for the touchdown to finish the 12 play, 79 yard, 5 1/2 minute drive. Mike Zimmer went for 2 and Cook ran it in to have the Vikings up 31-24 with 2:17 to play. One play and 9 seconds after a touchback, the game was tied again. Rodgers went bombs away to Marques Valdes-Scantling for a 75 yard touchdown and a 31-31 game. On 1st and 5 from their own 30, Cousins went deep and was immediately intercepted. Savage returned the interception 26 yards to the Minnesota 37. Before the Packers could celebrate, officials reversed the call and ruled the ball hit the ground for an incompletion. The Vikings dodged a bullet. Cousins then hit Jefferson for 6, Cook for 19, and Thielen for 26. Cook ran for 12 as the Packers took their second timeout on defense. On 1st and goal at the 7, Cousins took a couple knees to take the clock down to 2 seconds. Joseph came in for a 29 yard field goal try for the win. Joseph was good and the Packers fell tom 8-3 while the Vikings at 5-6 are still alive. 34-31 Vikings

Detroit Lions at Cleveland Browns — The Lions did not lose their last game. They tied. Now Tim Boyle gets his first start in place of an injured Jared Goff. Early on Baker Mayfield and Boyle traded interceptions as the Browns took over at their own 16. Nick Chubb caught a pass from Mayfield for 9 and ran for 12. Mayfield hit Njoku for 21 and Austin Hooper for 20. On the first play of the second quarter, Jarvis Landry took the direct snap and weaved his way up the middle through traffic for a 16 yard touchdown to make it 7-0 Browns. The Browns missed a chance to extend the lead when a 46 yard Chase McLaughlin field goal try was no good. The Browns got it back at their own 24 and soon faced 3rd and 13 at their own 29. Mayfield went to Higgins for 17. On 3rd and 2 from just past midfield, Felton got stopped. Kevin Stefanski went for it and on 4th and 2 Mayfield threw incomplete again. Yet defensive illegal use of hands kept the drive going. Mayfield then hit Hooper for 20. On 3rd and 5 from the Detroit 14, Mayfield threw incomplete but defensive pass interference meant a 9 yard gain. Chubb ran for a 5 yard touchdown with one minute left in the half. The extra point try was blocked as the Browns led 13-0.

Late in the third quarter the Lions took over at their own 22. Swift ran for 19 and then gashed the defense for a 57 yard touchdown run. Just like that, the Lions were within 13-7. Mayfield played the whole game injured, and it showed. The Browns had to rely on the Dawg Pound and the defense. On 3rd and 10 from his own 15, Mayfield was intercepted. The Lions took over at the Cleveland 34 with 11 minutes left in regulation. On 3rd and 2, Swift only gained one. With 9 minutes left, Dan Campbell decided not to gamble on 4th and 1. Aldrick Rosas hit the 43 yard field goal to get the Lions within 3 points. The Lions got it back at their own 16. On 4th and 9 from their own 41 with 2 1/2 minutes left, Campbell decided again to punt and trust his defense. At the 2 minute warning, the Browns faced 3rd and 3 at their own 27. Chubb gained 11 and then 15 more. With 90 seconds left the Browns faced 3rd and 2 at the Detroit 39.  Chubb gutted out 3 yards and Mayfield took a pair of knees for the brutal win. 13-10 Browns  

Baltimore Ravens at Chicago Bears — Lamar Jackson was out with an illness that was not Covid. Tyler Huntley saw his very first NFL start in a defensive slugfest that saw nearly 28 minutes of scoreless football. Cairo Santos missed a 40 yard field goal for the Bears early on. Justin Tucker hit a 35 yard field goal just before the 2 minute warning to make it 3-0 Ravens. The Bears could not even get to the half, giving the Ravens the ball back at their own 36 with 1:05 left. Tucker hit again from 27 to end the half with the Bears up 6-0. Early in the third quarter while scrambling, Fields was hit and injured. When the Bears got it back at their own 17, Red Rifle Andy Dalton was in the game. He had immediate success, hitting Jimmy Graham for 23 and then going bombs away to Darnell Mooney for a 60 yard touchdown. Just like that, the Bears led 7-6.

Early in the fourth quarter Matt Nagy gambled on 4th and 1 just shy of midfield. Out of the shotgun, Montgomery took the direct snap and got stopped cold. The Ravens moved to a 1st and 10 at the Chicago 22 in easy field goal range to take the lead. Yet Huntley was intercepted at the Chicago 14. The Bears then went 3 and out and a shanked 28 yard punt gave the Ravens a short field at the Chicago 45. On 3rd and 1 from the Chicago 36, Latavius Murray got the yard. On 3rd and 5 from the Chicago 30, Freeman only gained 2. Tucker came in for a 46 yard field goal try with 3:41 to play. The most accurate kicker in NFL history was good and the Ravens led 9-7.

After a touchback, Dalton hit Ket for 12. With 2:41 to play the Bears were down to their last gasp facing 4th and 1 at their own 46. Dalton hit Mooney for 6. With 1:48 left it was do or die again as the Bears faced 4th and 11 just past midfield. Dalton went for it all and found a wide open Marquise Goodwin for a miracle 49 yard touchdown. The 2 point conversion try failed but the Bears led 13-9. The Ravens took over at their own 28 with 1:33 to play. Huntley threw incomplete but defensive pass interference meant a 21 yard gain. Huntley then went deep to Duvernay for 21 more. With 35 seconds left, the Ravens faced 3rd and 2 at the Chicago 22. Huntley threw incomplete and the Ravens were also called for offensive holding. Matt Nagy took the yardage. So rather than 4th and 2, the Ravens faced 3rd and 12 from the Chicago 32. Huntley then went deep to Sammy Watkins for 29 yards. Devonta Freeman ran in the 3 yard touchdown to put the Ravens up by 3 with 22 seconds left. After a touchback, a completion gained 23 and left 3 seconds. Dalton’s Hail Mary from his own 48 never happened as he was sacked for an 18 yard loss. Huntley won his first NFL game as the Ravens got to 7-3 and the Bears fell to 3-7 on the year. 16-13 Ravens 

Indianapolis Colts at Buffalo Bills — The Bills entered the game atop the AFC East but struggled today in a game played in hard rain. The Colts got the ball first and soon faced 3rd and 2 at their own 43. Jonathan Taylor gained 3 and 10. On 2nd and 14 from the Buffalo 40, Carson Wentz hit pittman for 18. Taylor did the rest, running for 6, 10, 3, and finally the 3 yard touchdown to make it 7-0 Colts. The Bills moved after a touchback to the Indianapolis 35. Josh Allen was then intercepted to set up the Colts at their own 43. Taylor ran for 11. Wentz hit Jacob Doyle for 18, Pittman for 5, and Taylor for a 23 yard touchdown as the Colts had the surprising 14-0 lead. 

The Bills took over at their own 27. Allen went to Davis for 20 and began the second quarter by hitting Dawson Knox for 18. On 3rd and one from the Indy 13, Allen hit Cole Beasley for 13. Allen was lucky that an interception was ruled an incompletion, allowing the drive to continue. Allen hit Stefan Diggs for a 6 yard touchdown to cap the 11 play, 73 yard, 6 minute drive and get the Bills within 14-7. After a touchback the Colts moved 58 yards in 15 plays and 8 1/2 minutes. Yet on 1st and 10 from the Buffalo 16, a run lost a yard and Wentz threw incomplete twice. Mike Badgley hit a 36 yard field goal just before the 2 minute warning to make it 17-7 Colts. Yet 9 seconds later the Colts had the ball back as the Bills fumbled the ensuing kickoff. TJ Carrie returned the fumble 14 yards to the Buffalo 2 yard line. One play later Taylor got the carry and went airborne over the top for the score as the Colts led 24-7. On the last play of the half, Tyler Bass tried a 57 yard field goal for the Bills. It doinked off the upright no good. Midway through the third quarter from 49 yards out, Bass was again no good. 

The Colts soon faced 3rd and 2 from their own 47. Wenta hit Doyle for 3. Taylor then ran for 40 and again for a 10 yard touchdown to make it 31-7 Colts. An interception of Allen set up the Colts at the Buffalo 24. Taylor ran for 9. On 3rd and 1 from the Buffalo 15, Taylor gained 3. Taylor ran for his 5th touchdown, a one yarder to make it 38-7 Colts after three quarters. The Bills did manage a fourth quarter garbage touchdown and the Colts added one more field goal to complete the scoring. Allen threw on another interception for good measure. The 6-4 Bills are now out of the division lead since they are 1/2 game behind, of all teams, New England. The 6-5 Colts are only a game back of the division lead. The Colts started 0-3 but have gone 6-2 since, with both losses coming in overtime. 41-15 Colts

Washington Build Back Badly at Carolina Panthers — Cam Newton is back with the Panthers as they faced off against former coach Riverboat Ron Rivera. After a touchback to start the game, the Panthers soon faced 4th and 1 at midfield. Matt Rhule decided to go for it. Christian McCaffrey gained 15 with 15 more tacked on for a horse collar tackle. Newton then hit DJ Moore for 13 and again for a 10 yard touchdown to make it 7-0 Panthers. The second quarter began with the Non-Redskins facing 3rd and 9 at their own 35. Taylor Heinicke went deep to Terry McLaurin for 39 yards. McKissic ran for 15. Heinicke hit Sims for a 6 yard touchdown to make it 7-7. 

The Panthers took over at their own 30. Newton hit Tremble for 19. A defensive facemask 2 plays later added 15 more. Newton then got around the end for a 24 yard touchdown to make it 14-7 Panthers. The No-Names took over at their own 29. McKissic gained 11. On 3rd and 1 just shy of midfield, McKissic gained 3. On 3rd and 1 from the Carolina 39, Patterson got stopped. Riverboat Ron Rivera gambled on 4th and 1, but then came a false start. Rivera surprisingly went for it anyway on 4th and 5. Heinicke hit Carter for 18. With 19 seconds left in the half, the No-Names faced 3rd and 9 at the Carolina 24. Heinicke hit Humphries for 12 and then went to McLaurin for the 12 yard touchdown as the teams went to the half tied 14-14. 

The No-Names began the third quarter at their own 34. On 3rd and 5 from midfield, Heinicke hit Sims for 13. Antonio Gibson ran for 11 and 20. On 3rd and goal at the 4, Heinicke hit Deandre Carter for the touchdown. The 10 play, 66 yard, 5 1/2 minute drive had the No-Names up 21-14. The Panthers began the fourth quarter at their own 9. On 3rd and 3 from their 16, Newton gained 6. Newton then hit Moore for 10 with defensive unnecessary roughness adding 15 more. Newton ran for 10. Matt Rhule then went to the bag of tricks. A lateral was then lateraled back across the field to Newton, who then hit Tommy Tremble for 16. On the next play Newton went to McCaffrey for a 27 yard touchdown. With 10:44 left in regulation, the game was tied for the third time 21-21. 

After a touchback, the No-Names soon faced 3rd and 21 from their own 39. Heinicke hit Humphries for 18. It was Riverboat Ron Rivera time. Midway through the fourth quarter in a tie game, Rivera gambled on 4th and 3 from the Carolina 43. Heinicke hit Bates for 6. On 2nd and 12 from the Carolina 39, Heinicke gained 14. On 2nd and 7 from the Carolina 22, Heinicke threw incomplete twice. Even though the Panthers then jumped into the neutral zone, this time Rivera decided not to gamble on 4th and 2. Joey Slye hit the 36 yard field goal to give the Non-Nomenclatured the 24-21 lead with 4:13 to play. With 3 minutes left Matt Rhule went for it on 4th and 3 from his own 32. Newton hit McCaffrey for only 2 yards. Taking over at the Carolina 34, the no-Names faced 3rd and 10 at the Carolina 18 at the 2 minute warning. Gibson only gained 7. Slye hit again from 29 to put the No-Names up by 6, but they left the door open. After a touchback, the Panthers faced 4th and 3 just past midfield with 1:11 left. Out of the shotgun, Newton was sacked. It was Ron Rivera and not Newton who would get the revenge win. 27-21 Build Back Badly

Houston Texans at Tennessee Titans — The Texans came in 1-8 on the road against the 8-2 Titans. Even with Tyrod Taylor returning from injury for the Texans, this was supposed to be the blowout of the year. Again, cue ESPN uber-announcer Chris Berman. “THAT’s why they PLAY the GAMES!” Then throw in hard rain. The Texans went 62 yards on 14 plays in 7 minutes on their opening drive. Kaimi Fairbairn hit a 43 yard field goal to make it 3-0 Texans. The Titans moved from their 20 to a 3rd and 6 at the Houston 18. Tannehill was then intercepted by Grugler-Hill, who rumbled 82 yards before running out of gas and being caught from behind at the Tennessee 6 yard line. The Texans began the second quarter there and got nothing else as Fairbairn hit from 43 to make it 6-0 Texans. 

The Texans got it back at their own 24. Taylor hit Conley for 13. Defensive pass interference on the next play added 15. Taylor hit Cooks for 10 and David Johnson for 5, with a defensive facemask adding another 15. On 3rd and 1 from the Tennessee 12, Rex Burkhead gained 2. Taylor ran for a 7 yard touchdown. The extra point was no good but the Texans had a shocking 12-0 lead at the half. In the third quarter a Texans punt accidentally hit the foot of the return man and was recovered by the Texans at the Tennessee five yard line. On 3rd and goal, Taylor took it himself and banged through a tackler to get to the pylon for a touchdown and a 19-0 Texans lead. 

The Titans soon faced 3rd and 4 at their own 28. Tannehill hit AJ Brown for 11. On 3rd and 9 from their own 40, Tannehill hit Westbrook for 16. On 3rd and 3 from the Houston 23, Tannehill threw incomplete. Mike Vrabel went for it with 3 minutes left in the third quarter. Tannehill hit Hilliard for 5. Tannehill then went to Des Fitzpatrick for an 18 yard touchdown. The extra point was no good but the Titans were on the board down 19-6. There was plenty of time left for the Texans to collapse but they refused to do it. With the Titans facing 4th and 6 at the Houston 24, Mike Vrabel went for it and Ryan Tannehill threw incomplete. The Titans got it back and moved from their own 17 to a 1st and 10 at the Houston 25. Tannehill went deep and was intercepted at the one yard line with 11 minutes left in regulation.

Yet the Texans ent nowhere on offense and a short punt had the Titans getting the ball back with 10 minutes left at the Houston 36. On 3rd and 4 from the Houston 30, Tannehill hit Fitzpatrick for 5, Westbrook for 9 and Hilliard for 9. On 1st and goal from the 7 on a day when everything went wrong, the Titans did it the hard way. They fumbled the ball but somehow Anthony Firkser recovered in the end zone for a touchdown. midway through the fourth quarter the Titans were within 19-13. The Titans got it back at their own 16. With 4 minutes left in the game on 3rd and 13 from their own 26, Tannehill was intercepted again. King returned the interception by 25 yards to the Tennessee 16. David Culley played it extra safe, and 3 conservative runs gained one total yard. Fairbairn came in with 3 1/2 minutes left for a 37 yard field goal to make it a 2 score game. Fairbairn was good. With 2:20 left on 3rd and 4 from the Houston 47, Tannehill threw one final interception. 5 turnovers including 4 interceptions of Tannehill made the difference. This was not Super Bowl III, but it was an absolute shocker. This game deserves a second dose of Chris Berman. AGAIN, “THAT’s why they PLAY the GAMES!” 22-13 Texans

San Francisco 49ers at Jacksonville Jaguars — Last week the 49ers had the drive of the year, going 19 plays and eating up over 11 minutes off the cock. This week they had an even more mind-numbing drive to start the game. 20 plays. 87 yards. 13…yes, 13…minutes. Yet on 2nd and 1 from the Jacksonville 2, Jimmy Garoppolo threw incomplete. On 3rd and 1, Wilson got stopped cold. Kyle Shanahan inspired the football world on 4th and 1 by capping a 20 play drive with a 20 yard Robbie Gould field goal to make it 3-0 49ers. The 49ers got it back at their own 20 and Garoppolo hit Brandon Aiyuk for 34. On 3rd and 2 at the Jacksonville 38, Garoppolo gained 3. Wilson gained 11 and Deebo Samuel out of the shotgun got around the end for a 25 yard touchdown run and a 10-0 49ers lead. The Jaguars only needed one play and 8 seconds after a touchback to fumble the ball away to set up the 49ers at the Jacksonville 35. On 3rd and 2 from the Jags 27, Samuel got stopped for a one yard loss. Yet a mindless defensive penalty for throwing a punch led to a disqualification penalty and 14 yards for the offense. On the next play roughing the passer meant 7 more yards as the Jaguars were just giving yards and points away. On 3rd and goal at the 6, Garoppolo under heavy pressure fired over the middle to the back of the end zone and found Aiyuk for the touchdown to make it 17-0 49ers. 

The Jaguars did move 67 yards in 12 plays and 6 1/2 minutes, but settled for a 30 yard Wright field goal at the 2 minute warning. That was enough time for Gould to end the half with a 48 yard field goal for a 20-3 49ers lead. The Jaguars first drive of the third quarter lasted 3 plays and 26 seconds as the 49ers got it back at their own 23. Garoppolo hit Samuel for 15, Aiyuk for 7, and Kittle for 13. Samuel gashed the defense for gains of 11 and 21. On 3rd and goal at the one, Garoppolo threw incomplete. Kyle Shanahan went for it. On 4th and goal at the one, Garoppolo hit Kittle for the touchdown to finish the 11 play, 77 yard, 6 minute drive and make it 27-3 49ers. A pointless fourth quarter saw Gould tack on a third field goal from 45 and the Jaguars finally get a garbage touchdown in a garbage game in a garbage season. 30-10 49ers

Miami Dolphins at New York Jets — The Stupor Bowl featured the 3-7 Dolphins at the 2-7 Jets, with Joe Flacco starting for Gang Green. The Dolphins took over at their own 17 to start and went right to work. Tua Tagovailoa went to Mike Gesicki for a 26 yard gain. On 3rd and 1 from the Jets 31, Tagovailoa hit Shaheen for 19. On 3rd and 4 from the Jets 6, Tagovailoa hit Laird for 5. Myles Gaskin got the last yard to cap the 11 play, 83 yard, 6 minute drive and make it 7-0 Dolphins. Tagovailoa was intercepted on his next series to give the Jets a short field at the Miami 40. Carter ran for 39 down to the one. On 3rd and goal at the 2, Flacco threw incomplete. With nothing to lose, Robert Saleh went for it. On 4th and goal, Flacco found a wide open Jamison Crowder in the flat for an easy touchdown and a 7-7 ballgame.   

A hideous end to the half saw Ammendola miss a 55 yard field goal for the Jets and Jason Sanders doink a 32 yard try off the upright no good for the Dolphins. In the third quarter the Dolphins took over at their own 10. On 2nd and 14 from their own 6, Gaskin ripped off a 20 yard run and then 9 more. Tagovailoa then went bombs away to Hollins for a 65 yard touchdown. The defensive breakdown had the Dolphins up 14-7. The Jets soon faced 3rd and 2 at their own 31. Flacco hit Moore for 9 and again for 23 and then hit Griffin for 5 with defensive unnecessary roughness adding 15 more. On 2nd and 4 from the Miami 11, an intentional grounding call on Flacco meant an 11 yard loss. Ammendola then missed again from 40 yards out. The Jets got it back and this time responded quickly. Flacco is old, but he still has a cannon of an arm. On 3rd and 8 from his own 38, Flacco went to Elijah Moore for a 62 yard touchdown. After three quarters, the game was tied again 14-14. 

After a touchback, Tagovailoa hit Jalen Waddle for 15. On 3rd and 7 from their own 43, Tagovailoa hit Waddle for 8. The fourth quarter began with tagovailoa hitting Smythe for 18. On 3rd and 1 from the Jets 18, Tagovailoa hit Hollins for 7. On 3rd and 4 from the Jets 5, , Tagovailoa threw incomplete but roughing the passer meant 1st and goal at the 2. On 3rd and goal from the 5, Tagovailoa hit Gaskin for the touchdown. The 14 play, 75 yard, 8 minute drive had the Dolphins up 21-14 with 10:15 left in regulation. The Dolphins got it back just shy of midfield, and bled the clock of 7 minutes on a 12 play drive. At the 2 minute warning, Brian Flores decided to go for it on 4th and 1 from the Jets 2. A false start killed the try, but Sanders hit a 24 yard field goal to put the Dolphins up 24-14. In desperation mode the Jets moved from their own 29 to a 1st and 10 at the Miami 17 with 23 seconds left. An incompletion left 15 seconds. Needing 2 scores, Robert Saleh went for the field goal. Ammendola hit from 35 but the onside kick failed. 24-17 Dolphins

New Orleans Saints at Philadelphia Eagles — An early interception of Trevor Siemian set up the Eagles at the Saints 39. Jalen Hurts hit Dallas Goedert for gains of 4, 16 and 14 down to the one. Hurts got the last yard himself for a 7-0 Eagles lead. The Eagles got it back at their own 42 and Miles Sanders ran for 20. Hurts ran for gains of 4 and 20. On 3rd and goal at the 3, Hurts scrambled and got past the pylon for a 14-0 Eagles lead after a drive that featured not one single pass attempt. The Eagles got it back at their own 4 yard line and immediately fumbled the ball away. The Saints took over at the Philadelphia 6 and moved backwards. On 3rd and goal at the 19, Siemian hit Trautman for the touchdown. The Saints were within 14-7 in the second quarter, but after that the Eagles turned out the lights. 

Jake Elliott nailed field goals of 50 and 37 to make it 20-7 Eagles. With 30 seconds left in the half the Saints faced 3rd and 5 at their own 41. Siemian found Darrius Slay on the sideline. Problem: Slay plays defense for the Eagles. He returned the interception 51 yards for a dagger touchdown as the Eagles led 27-7 at the intermission. In the third quarter a 13 yard punt return gave the Eagles a short field at the Saints 40. On 3rd and goal at the 8, Hurts was sacked. Elliott hit again from 33 as the Eagles were dominating 30-7. Two plays after a touchback, Mark Ingram fumbled and the Eagles had another short field at the Saints 41. Elliott hit his fourth field goal from 47 to make it 33-7 Eagles. The Saints tried to make the score look respectable in the fourth quarter. They managed a pair of touchdowns and a field goal, missing out on a 2 point conversion and a regular extra point along the way. With 4 minutes left on 3rd and 6 from the Saints 24, Hurts ran for the first down and the touchdown to make it 40-22 Eagles. The Saints added one more garbage touchdown. 40-29 Eagles 

Cincinnati Bengals at Las Vegas Raiders — Both teams started 5-2 and have since lost 2 straight. After a touchback to start the game, the Bengals soon faced 3rd and 6 at their own 40. Joe Burrow was sacked and fumbled. Leavitt picked it up and returned it 30 yards. The Raiders started their first offensive drive with 1st and goal at the 9. Three plays netted one total yard. Daniel Carlson hit a 26 yard field goal to make it 3-0 Raiders, but their ineptness on offense was about to be matched by their ineptness on defense. After a touchback, the Bengals soon faced 3rd and 6 from their own 43. Button threw incomplete. Yet an idiotic unnecessary roughness penalty on Yannick Ngakoue meant 15 yards and a new set of downs. On 3rd and 4 from the Raiders 36, Burrow threw incomplete. Yet instead of a punt, the dumb personal foul a few plays earlier meant a 54 yard field goal by Evan McPherson meant a 3-3 game. The Raiders were far from done making dumb errors. 

The Raiders took over at their own 15 and Derek Carr hit Darren Waller for 25 yards. Yet on 3rd and 4 from the Cincinnati 44, Carr threw incomplete and the Raiders punted. The Raiders got it back and moved from their own 39 to a 3rd and 3 at the Cincinnati 29. Carr again threw incomplete. Daniel Carlson hit a 47 yard field goal and the Raiders led 6-3 in the second quarter, but the offense for the third straight week was not finishing drives. The Bengals soon faced 3rd and 13 from their own 25. Burrow hit Boyd for 14 and Jamarr Chase for 9. On 3rd and 12 from their own 47, Burrow was belted for a 13 yard loss and fumbled the ball away to the Raiders. Yet again the Raiders were too dumb on both sides of the ball to enjoy prosperity. The defense lined up in the neutral zone, nullifying the play. It was completely unconnected to the play. On 3rd and 7 Burrow hit Boyd for 14. Chase gained 10. On 3rd and 11 from the Raiders 25, Burrow hit Boyd for only 3 yards. Yet another defensive unnecessary roughness penalty meant another 11 yards and an automatic first down. The Raiders were giving the game away. Joe Mixon ran for an 11 yard touchdown to put the Bengals up 10-6. 

After a touchback, Carr hit Waller for 21 yards. Yet on 2nd and 6 from midfield, Carr threw incomplete. On 3rd and 6 a completion to Drake only gained 3 yards. Stretching the field was gone. The Raiders were back to dinking and dunking with Derek. The Raiders strategy of getting the ball at the end of the first half and the start of the second half was useless since they got nothing out of either drive. In the third quarter on 3rd and 1 from their own 31, an end around to Bryan Edwards gained nothing. The Bengals moved from their own 15 to a 3rd and 9 at the Raiders 27. Burrow was sacked for an 8 yard loss. McPherson hit a 53 yard field goal to make it 13-6 Bengals. The next Raiders drive was more of the same. After a touchback, the first play went well as Josh Jacobs gained 18. Then came the inevitable 2 yard dink and dunk pass followed by a swing pass that lost 4 yards. Carr was throwing horizontal rather than vertical passes. This falls on offensive coordinator Greg Olson. The Bengals moved from their own 21 on a 10 play drive that ate up 5 1/2 minutes. McPherson hit a 51 yard field goal early in the fourth quarter. The Bengals were leading 16-6 because they were playing power football and pounding the rock while the Raiders were throwing dink and dunk passes.

The Raiders finally decided to change their tempo after three quarters of lazy boring football. Carr began throwing deeper passes and it immediately paid off. He hit Waller for 25 and again for 31. Carr then went to Foster Moreau for a 31 yard touchdown. The Raiders were within 16-13 and a full 11 1/2 minutes remained in regulation. Yet for the second straight week, the Raiders finally woke up on offense to get within 3 points only to have the defense melt down. The Bengals took over at their own 38. Burrow hit Higgins for 9.  and Thomas for 12. Mixon then gained 19. On 3rd and 1 from the Raiders 10, Perine got the yard. On 3rd and goal at the 6, one defensive stop would keep it a one score game. Instead, Burrow hit Chase for the touchdown as the Bengals led 22-13 with 5 minutes left. The only thing left for the Raiders to do was completely self-destruct.

Two plays after a touchback on 2nd and 3 from their own 25, Carr was intercepted by Eli Apple. Making matters worse, another defensive unnecessary roughness penalty had the Bengals taking over at the Raiders 27. It’s called unnecessary roughness for a reason. Mixon quickly ran for 7 and then the 20 yard touchdown. With 4 minutes left the Bengals led 29-13. The Raiders in desperation mode moved from their own 25 to a 1st and 10 at the Cincinnati 17 at the 2 minute warning. Then Carr was sacked for a 4 yard loss. Then he was sacked again and fumbled. The ball bounced to Hubbard, who returned it 43 yards to the Raiders 31. McPherson hit a 47 yard field goal to complete the scoring. 

The Raiders have lost 3 straight. After losing at the 2-6 Giants, they got blasted by 27 points and 19 points at home. They are 5-5 and have only 4 days before their next loss at Dallas on Thanksgiving. They have no chance. The team lacks discipline, guts, and saddest of all, heart. Say what you want about Jon Gruden, but he has been the only Raiders coach in the last couple decades who got the Silver and Black to cut out the penalties. He wanted to pound the rock and unleash Carr. Yes, losing Henry Ruggs was a blow but teams lose players all the time. The Raiders offense is one-dimensional, boring and predictable. Carr has been reduced from a thoroughbred to a West Coast Offense Captain Checkdown. Gus Bradley was brought in to fix the defense. They commit too many completely unnecessary stupid penalties, especially on 3rd and long. They extend drives for the other team. The offense kicks too many field goals. The Raiders need to be far more aggressive on offense and far more disciplined on defense. If Rich Bisaccia cannot fix this, a once promising season will just end up being more of the same. In 3 weeks the Raiders have gone from the top to the bottom of the AFC West. 32-13 Raiders

Dallas Cowboy at Kansas City Chiefs — The Chiefs went from 3-4 and the bottom of the AFC West to 6-4 and on top of the division. The Cowboys at 7-2 led the NFC East but suffered a shocking home loss to Denver 2 weeks ago. before the bye week. The Chiefs began at their own 14. Carl Edwards-Helaire ran for 6 and 8. Patrick Mahomes hit Tyreek Hill for 10. Hill ran for 33. On 3rd and 2 from the Dallas 20, the defense encroached. Mahomes ran for 11. Travis Kelce took the direct snap and ran for the 4 yard touchdown. The extra point was no good but the Chiefs led 6-0. The Cowboys then fumbled and the Chiefs took over at the Dallas 22. On 2nd and 7 Mahomes threw incomplete twice. Harrison Butker hit a 37 yard field goal to make it 9-0 Chiefs. The Cowboys after a touchback moved to a 3rd and 5 at the Chiefs 10. After a false start, Dak Prescott threw incomplete. Greg Zuerlein hit a 33 yard field goal to get the Cowboys on the board. The Chiefs soon faced 3rd and 4 at their own 41. Mahomes hit Hill for 8 and then went deep to Byron Pringle for 37. The second quarter began with Mahomes hitting Mycole Hardman for 13 down to the one. Edwards-Helaire got the last yard as the Chiefs built a 16-3 lead.

Most of the rest of the game belonged to the defenses and the field goal kickers. A third quarter interception of Mahomes gave the Cowboys a short field at the Chiefs 36. Yet on 2nd and 5 from the Chiefs 12, Prescott threw incomplete twice. Zuerlein hit from 30 to get the Cowboys within 16-6. Butker answered from 53 to have the Chiefs up 19-6 after three quarters. Zuerlein hit from 48 to get the Cowboys within 19-9 with 13 minutes left in regulation. With 10 1/2 minutes left, Butker missed from 51. It didn’t matter. Needing 2 scores with just over one minute left, Prescott was intercepted at the Chiefs 7 yard line. A game featuring Prescott and Mahomes featured 0 touchdown passes. 19-9 Chiefs

Arizona Cardinals at Seattle Seahawks — Although the Cardinals were 8-2 and the Seahawks were 3-6, this was the first home game for Russell Wilson back from injury. Last week at Green Bay he was shyt out fr the first time in his 10 year career. The Cardinals meanwhile were without Kyler Murray again as Colt McCoy started his third straight game. The Cardinals early on faced 3rd and 6 from their own 22. McCoy hit Moore for 8 and James Conner for 17. On 3rd and 3 from the Seattle 46, McCoy hit Benjamin for 5. On 3rd and 10 from the Seattle 41, McCoy hit Moore for 11. On 3rd and 8 from the Seattle 16, McCoy threw incomplete but defensive pass interference meant a 14 yard gain down to the 2. McCoy hit Zac Ertz for a one yard touchdown to make it 7-0 Cardinals. 

In the second quarter the Cardinals got it back and punted on 4th and 11 at their own 4. A short punt gave the Seahawks a short field at the Arizona 45. On 1st and goal at the 9, a run went nowhere and Wilson threw incomplete twice. Mason Myers hit the 27 yard field goal to get the Seahawks on the board. The Cardinals took over at their own 8 and soon faced 3rd and 5 from their own 13. McCoy went deep to AJ Green for 31. On 3rd and 1 from the Seattle 47, James Conner got stopped. Kliff Kingsbury went for it and on 4th and 1, Conner got the yard. McCoy hit Conner for 12 and Ertz for 25 down to the one. McCoy hit Ertz for a 2 yard touchdown, The extra point was no good as the Cardinals led 13-3 at the 2 minute warning.

The Seahawks quickly moved from their 23 to a 2nd and 6 at the Arizona 9. Wilson threw incomplete twice but Myers hit another field goal to get the Seahawks within 13-6. On the last play of the half, Matt Prater surprisingly missed a 39 yard field goal try. The Seahawks kicked the second half kickoff out of bounds to set up the Cardinals at their own 40. This time Prater was good from 53 as the Cardinals led 16-6. The Cardinals got it back at their own 15 and mounted a 14 play, 67 yard drive that consumed 7 1/2 minutes. On 3rd and 5 from the Seattle 18, McCoy threw incomplete but offsetting penalties meant a do-over. McCoy threw incomplete again. Prater missed again from 36.

The Seahawks took over at their own 26 and Wilson went deep to Tyler Lockett for 48 yards. On 3rd and 1 from the Arizona 17, Dallas gained 15 and then ran for the 2 yard touchdown. Midway through the fourth quarter, the Seahawks were right back in it down 16-13. The Cardinals took over at their own 33. McCoy ran for 6 and then hit Wesley for 12. On 3rd and 7 from the Seattle 39, McCoy hit Ertz for 20. McCoy then ran for 11. On 3rd and goal at the 4, McCoy threw incomplete but defensive pass interference meant 1st and goal at the one. Conner got in with 2 1/2 minutes left to put the game on ice. At 3-7, this was the worst start to a Seahawks team in the Pete Carroll era. At 9-2, the Cardinals are 6-0 on the road and again have the best record in the NFL. 23-13 Cardinals

Pittsburgh Steelers at Los Angeles Chargers was the Sunday night game. The Steelers had their 4 game win streak snapped last week as they could barely muster a tie with winless Detroit. Yet Ben Roethlisberger was out last week due to Covid. Big Ben got clearance to play in this game the day before. After a starting touchback, The Steelers moved 57 yards in 13 plays and 6 1/2 minutes. Yet on 2nd and 5 from the Chargers 18, Big Ben threw incomplete twice. Chris Boswell hit the 36 yard field goal to make it 3-0 Steelers, but then the Chargers offense took the field. The Chargers soon faced 3rd and 14 from their own 23. Justin Herbert went deep to Mike Williams for 22, to Jared Cook for 5, to Keenan Allen for 11, and to Austin Ekeler for 6. On 3rd and 2 from the Pittsburgh 31, Ekeler gained 3. On 3rd and 3 from the Pittsburgh 21, Herbert hit Williams for 17. Ekeler ran for a 6 yard touchdown to cap the 12 play, 73 yard, 6 1/2 minute drive to make it 7-3 Chargers.

The Steelers responded with an identical 12 play, 73 yard, 6 1/2 minute drive of their own with one difference. The Chargers had taken over at their own 27 and only needed 73 yards. The Steelers needed 75 yards. On 2nd and goal at the 2 in the second quarter, Najee Harris got stopped. On 3rd and goal Roethlisberger threw incomplete. Brandon Staley is a gambler, and he went for it again. Yet on 4th and goal from the 2, Big Ben inexplicably threw a completion over the middle for no gain. The goal line stand fired up the Chargers. From his own 2, Ekeler ran for 10. Herbert hit Allen for 5 and McKitty for 7. On 3rd and 6 from his own 28, Herbert ran for 18. Herbert then hit Donald parham for 10. Herbert then ran for 18 again and hit Allen for 18 more. Herbert hit Ekeler for a 10 yard touchdown to cap the 12 play, 98 yard, 7 minute drive. With 3:42 left in a rapidly moving first half, each team only had the ball twice. Each team reached the red zone twice. The Chargers led 14-3 because they finished their drives and the Steelers did not. 

The Steelers took over at their own 36. Harris ran for 12. Roethlisberger hit Johnson for gains of 22, 7, 9, and finally for the 19 yard touchdown. With 1:15 left in the half, the Steelers were within 14-10. After a touchback, Herbert quickly hit Allen for 14. Twice, Herbert was sacked. Twice, those sacks were nullified by defensive penalties. Herbert hit Cook for 10 as the Chargers took their second timeout facing 1st and 10 at the Pittsburgh 31 with 27 seconds left in the half. Herbert hit Guyton for 18. Herbert completed 15 of his first 16 passes, with the only incompletion being a well-thrown ball that was just dropped. With 10 seconds left, the Chargers faced 3rd and 4 from the Pittsburgh 7. Herbert fired over the middle. His receiver was well-defended but the ball was right in the receiver’s bread basket and dropped. Dustin Hopkins hit the 30 yard field goal. Each team only had the ball thrice in the first half. Each team reached the red zone thrice. The Chargers led 17-10 because of the one goal line stand.

The Chargers began the third quarter facing 3rd and 13 at their own 27. Herbert went deep to Allen for 30 and again for 14. Ekeler ran for 12 and Herbert then went to Ekeler for a 17 yard touchdown to make it 24-10 Chargers. The Steelers soon faced 3rd and 8 from their own 27. Roethlisberger threw incomplete, bringing on the first punt of the game for either team. The Chargers from their own 26 went on an 11 play, 51 yard, 6 1/2 minute drive. On 3rd and 3 from the Pittsburgh 18, Herbert ran for 15. Yet offensive holding moved the Chargers back and killed the drive. Hopkins hit from 41 yards out as the Chargers led comfortably after three quarters up 27-10. 

After a touchback, the Steelers moved to a 3rd and 4 at the Chargers 18 to start the fourth quarter. Roethlisberger threw incomplete. Needing 3 scores, Mike Tomlin opted for the field goal. Boswell hit from 36 to get the Steelers within 27-13. On 3rd and 3 from their own 32, Herbert threw incomplete. After scoring on their first 5 possessions, the Chargers in the fourth quarter finally had to punt for the first time. Disaster struck the Chargers as the Steeles blocked the punt. The Steelers took over with 1st and goal at the 3. Nothing came easy. On 3rd and goal at the 5, Roethlisberger threw incomplete. Brandon Staley went for it. On 4th and goal at the 5, Roethlisberger threw incomplete but the Steelers were bailed out by defensive pass interference. On 1st and goal at the one, Harris got in over the top. With 11 1/2 minutes left in regulation, the Steelers were within 27-20.

After a touchback, Herbert hit Parham for 11 and 12. On 3rd and 5 from the Pittsburgh 47, Herbert scrambled for a 36 yard gain. Ekeler then ran for a 5 yard touchdown. With 9 minutes left, the Chargers led 34-20. The Steelers soon faced 3rd and 3 at their own 32. Roethlisberger hit McCloud for 4. On 3rd and 5 from their own 41, Roethlisberger hit Diontae Johnson on a crossing route. Johnson turned on the afterburner for a 32 yard gain. Roethlisberger then found Eric Ebron for 18 more yards. Roethlisberger went back to Ebron for a 5 yard touchdown. With 5 minutes left, the Steelers were back within 34-27.

Two plays after a touchback, the game got even crazier. Rather than run down clock, the Chargers were still passing. After an incompletion, Herbert had his pass on 2nd and 10 batted sky high in the air. It hung up there forever and was finally intercepted by a diving Sutton. The Steelers took over at the Chargers 11 yard line. On the next play, roughing the passer on Joey Bosa moved the ball to the 6. Roethlisberger fired sideways to Pat Freiermuth, and followed great blocking into the end zone for a 5 yard touchdown. With 4 1/2 minutes left in regulation, 2 touchdowns in 30 seconds had the game tied 34-34. In the history of the Steelers franchise, they had never won a game when trailing by 17 points in the fourth quarter. They were a combined 0-230-1. 

The Chargers soon faced 3rd and 14 at their own 21. Herbert found Cook in the flat, and Cook gained 13 yards. On 4th and inches from his own 34 yard line With 3:48 to play, Brandon Staley summoned his inner Barry Switzer and went for it. Ekeler got the carry and ran into a brick wall. The Steelers took over already in long field goal range. On 3rd and 3 from the Chargers 27, Roethlisberger threw incomplete. Boswell hit the 45 yard field goal. Now it was the Steelers who scored on 5 straight possessions. 27 fourth quarter points had the Steelers up 37-34 with 3 1/2 minutes left. After a touchback, Herbert hit Parham for 5 and Ekeler for 17. Herbert then went deep to Williams, who raced down the sideline for a 53 yard touchdown. Just like that, the Chargers led again by 4 points. After a touchback, the Steelers had 2:09 to work with. A pair of sacks, an incompletion and a delay of game on the offense had the Steelers facing 4th and 32 from their own 3 yard line with 1:20 left. Roethlisberger threw incomplete. Herbert took 3 knees to end this wild game. The Chargers got to 6-4 while the Steelers are 5-4-1 with the loss. 41-37 Chargers

New York Giants at Tampa Bay Buccaneers was the Monday night game. The Buccaneers took over at their own 27 and went right to work. Tom Brady hit OJ Howard for 10 and Chris Godwin for 8. Godwin ran for 7 and Mike Evans added 10. Brady hit Cameron Brate for 15 and Godwin for a 13 yard touchdown for a 7-0 Buccaneers lead. The Giants after a touchback moved 56 yards in 13 plays and 7 minutes. Yet on 3rd and 9 from the Tampa 14, a false start followed by an incompletion had the Giants settling for a field goal. Graham Gano hit from 37 to get the Giants within 7-3. The Buccaneers took over at their own 14 and embarked on a mindnumbing 18 play drive that went 79 yards and 8 minutes. On 3rd and goal from the 7 in the second quarter, Brady threw incomplete. Ryan Succop hit from 25 to make it 10-3 Buccaneers. The Buccaneers got it back at their own 15 and Brady had a pass batted up in the air and intercepted by Jackson, who returned it 10 yards to the Tampa 5. Daniel Jones threw a 2 yard touchdown to Andrew Thomas. The game was deadlocked 10-10, but after that reality set in.

The Patriots soon faced 3rd and 3 at their own 36. Brady went deep to Rob Gronkowski for 35. Brady hit Brate for 12 and Ronald Jones ran for a 6 yard touchdown to make it 17-10 Buccaneers. In the third quarter the Giants moved from their 25 to a 4th and 1 at the Tampa 25. Joe Judge went for it and Jones threw incomplete. On 3rd and 11 from their own 25, Brady hit Evans for 17, Perriman for 14, Leonard Fournette for 29, Gronkowski for 14, Godwin for 18, and Fournette for 4. On 3rd and goal at the 5, Brady hit Evans for the touchdown. The 10 play, 74 yard, nearly 5 minute drive made it 24-10 Buccaneers. An interception of Jones led to a Buccaneers field goal in the third quarter. In the fourth quarter it was deja vu all over again as another interception of Jones meant another field goal to complete the scoring. 30-10 Buccaneers 

https://www.commdiginews.com/sports/nfl/nfl-week-11-preview-and-bettors-guide-its-not-age-but-the-fight-within-141230/

NFL 2021 Week 10 Recap

Baltimore Ravens at Miami Dolphins was the Thursday night game. The 6-2 Ravens were expected to steamroll over the 2-7 Dolphins. Then the game started. In the first quarter Justin Tucker hit a 46 yard field goal for the Ravens. Later in the quarter, the most accurate kicker in NFL history missed from 48. The Dolphins in the second quarter reached the Baltimore 5 yard line but a sack of Jacoby Brissett killed the drive. Jason Sanders hit a 31 yard field goal for a 3-3 game. With 51 seconds left in the half the Dolphins took over on their own 12. Brissett went to Ford for 19 and then went deep to Ford again for a 52 yard gain. Brissett hit Shaheen for 11 to set up 1st and goal at the 4 with 12 seconds left. A pair of incompletions left 3 seconds. Sanders hit the 22 yard field goal as the Dolphins had the stunning 6-3 halftime lead. On the third play of the third quarter, Brissett left the game injured and was replaced with Tua Tagovailoa, battling a ifinger injury himself. After a scoreless third quarter, the Dolphins moved from their own 36 to a 1st and goal at the one. Mike Gesicki got stopped, Tagovailoa threw incomplete and the on 3rd and goal came a false start and another incompletion. Sanders hit from 29. Early in the fourth quarter the Dolphins led 9-3.

After a touchback the Ravens faced 3rd and 10 at their own 42. The Ravens then fumbled and Xavier Howard returned it 49 yards for a defensive touchdown. The 2 point conversion try failed but the Dolphins led 15-3. Midway through the fourth quarter, a great punt pinned the Ravens at their own one yard line. Lamar Jackson hit Hollywood Brown for 7 with 15 more added on the next play for defensive facemasl. Jackson hit Devin Duvernay for 8, ran for 5 himself, hit Mark Andrews for 4, hit Bateman for 8, and benefitted from another 15 yard toughing the passer penalty. On 3rd and 3 from the Miami 30, Jackson through incomplete, but defensive holding kept the drive going. Jackson then hit Bateman for 20 and Andrews for the 5 yard touchdown. The 99 yard drive helped along by 35 penalty yards had the Ravens within 15-10 with 4:12 to play. Surely the Dolphins would blow this game. Except they didn’t. Rather than grind down clock, Brian Flores went aggressive and Tagovailoa hit Wilson deep for a 64  yard gain. On 3rd and 2 from the Baltimore 3, Gaskin gained the 2 yards as the Ravens took their last timeout with 2:24 left. On the next play Tagovailoa got the one yard touchdown to seal the shocking upset win. Cue ESPN uber-announcer Chris Berman: “THAT’s why they PLAY the GAMES!” 22-10 Dolphins

Atlanta Falcons at Dallas Cowboys — Last week during bizarro week, the Cowboys were embarrassed and blown out at home by Denver. Former Falcons coach Dan Quinn is now the defensive coordinator for the Cowboys. On the second play from scrimmage from their own 30, a short completion from Dak Prescott to CeeDee Lamb went for 37 yards. On 3rd and 5 from the Atlanta 28, Prescott hit Michael Gallup for 11. Prescott went to Lamb again On 3rd and 6 for a 13 yard touchdown to make it 7-0 Cowboys. The Falcons drove deep but had to settle for a 35 yard Younghoe Koo field goal to trail 7-3. The Falcons got it back and moved from their own 32 to a 2nd and 7 from their own 32 to a 2nd and 7 at the Dallas 32. Matt Ryan threw incomplete twice. Arthur Hill gambled on 4th and 7 rather than try a 50 yard field goal. Matty Ice went ice cold incomplete again. After that the Cowboys romped. 

Prescott hit Pollard for 9 and McKeon for 12. On 4th and 5 from the Atlanta 33, Mike McCarthy went for it rather than try a 51 yard field goal. Prescott hit Lamb for 21 to end the first quarter. In the second quarter on 3rd and 1 from the Atlanta 3, Ezekiel Elliott gained 2 and then banged up the gut on 2nd and goal at the one to make it 14-3 Cowboys. Deja vu all over again had the Cowboys again taking over at their own 32. Prescott hit Brown for 18. Elliott ran for 9 and Pollard added 9 and 2. On 4th and 3 from the Atlanta 25, McCarthy again gambled and Prescott hit Gallup for 23. Zeke banged in again up the gut from 2 yards out to have the Cowboys up 21-3. The Cowboys got it back at their own 41. On 3rd and 1 from midfield, Zeke got the yard. Prescott hit Elliott for 4, Lamb for 9, Gallup for 8, and Amari Cooper for 16. On 3rd and 7 from the Atlanta 9, Prescott hit Lamb for the touchdown to make it 28-3 Cowboys. With 37 seconds left in the half the Falcons tried to punt but the Cowboys blocked it and recovered it in the Atlanta end zone for a touchdown. The Falcons had 12 men on the field for the extra point so the Cowboys went for 2 and made it. A 29 point second quarter explosion had the Cowboys up 36-3 at halftime. Ryan threw 3 third quarter interceptions, one of which led to a 4 yard Prescott touchdown run on 4th and 2 to complete the annihilation. 43-3 Cowboys

New Orleans Saints at Tennessee Titans — The Saints lost a home heartbreaker last week to Atlanta while the Titans made a statement by going into Los Angeles and stomping the Rams to get to 7-2. In the first quarter the Titans moved from their own 20 to a 3rd and 5 at the Saints 10. Ryan Tannehill threw incomplete. A 28 yard Randy Bullock field goal had the Titans up 3-0. The Saints soon faced 3rd and 6 at their own 29. Trevor Siemian went deep to Harris for a 46 yard gain. Siemian hit Trequon Smith for an 11 yard touchdown early in the second quarter to make it 6-3 Saints. The extra point was no good. The Titans got it back at their own 23 and moved to a 3rd and 4 at the Saints 19. A completion only gained one yard. Another field goal by Bullock from 36 tied the game 6-6. 

A field position game had the Titans taking over at their own 44 with 5 minutes left in the half. Tannehill hit Johnson and AJ Brown for a pair of 16 yard gains. On 3rd and 1 from the Saints 15, Brown got around the end for 7.  Tannehill went to the end zone and was intercepted. Yet a horrendous roughing the passer penalty gave the Titans 1st and goal at the 5. On 3rd and goal Tannehill threw over the middle incomplete. Yet defensive pass interference meant 1st and goal at the one. Tannehill got in as the Titans took a 13-6 lead to the locker rooms. The Saints fumbled the second half kickoff and the Titans took over at the Giants 19. On 3rd and 2 from the Saints 11, Tannehill hit Johnson for 10 and Mycole Pruitt for a 2 yard touchdown to make it 20-6 Titans.

The Saints would eventually faced 3rd and 4 from their own 19. Siemian hit Smith for 21, Trautman for 8, Hill for 15, and Mark Ingram for 10, On 3rd and 4 from the Tennessee 13, Ingram ran for the touchdown. Down 20-12, Sean Payton decided to chase the points and go for 2 to make up for the earlier missed extra point. The try failed. The Titans moved from their own 27 on an 11 play, 55 yard, 6 1/2 minute drive. Despite 1st and goal at the 9, a sack and a delay of game killed the drive. With 10 minutes left in regulation Bullock hit from 36 to put the Titans up 23-12. The Saints moved from their own 32 to a 3rd and goal at the one. Siemian threw incomplete. Needing 2 scores with 5 1/2 minutes left, Sean Payton surprisingly opted for the 20 yard field goal rather than go for it. Brian Johnson got the Saints back within 23-15. 

The Saints got it back at their own 29. Siemian hot Callaway for 22 with defensive unnecessary roughness adding 15 more. Siemian hit Ingram for 5 and Harris for 12 more. On 3rd and 13 from the Titans 15, Siemian hit Callaway for the touchdown. With 1:16 left, it came down to a 2 point conversion to tie the game. Siemian threw incomplete as the earlier decision to chase points proved fatal. The onside kick failed as the Titans survived to get to 8-2 on the year atop the conference. 23-21 Saints.  

Buffalo Bills at New York Jets — Last week was bizarro week as the Bills lost at Jacksonville. Ironically, Josh Allen had a terrible game against a defender also named Josh Allen. In this game, Buffalo’s Josh Allen had the Bills taking over after a punt at their own 42. Allen hit Emanuel Sanders for 11 and Dawson Knox for 17. Singletary ran for 15 and Allen threw a 15 yard touchdown pass to Matt Breida to make it 7-0 Bills. An interception of Mike White had the Bills on the move again from the Jets 43. On 3rd and 7 from the Jets 10, a pass to the end zone was just beyond the receiver and bounced off the fingertips. A field goal made it 10-0 Bills. The Jets managed a second quarter field goal, but after that the Bills obliterated them. On 1st and 15 from their own 20, Allen went deep to Stfan Diggs for  57 yards. Moss ran for 11. Allen went back to Diggs for a 12 yard touchdown. The Bills only led 17-3 at the half, but they turned out the lights in the third quarter.

After a touchback tobstart the second half, Allen hit Diggs for 23. Singletary ran for 7 and 13. Sanders ran for 24. Isaiah McKenzie ran for the 8 yard touchdown to make it 24-3 Bills. One p[lay after a touchback, White was intercepted again to set up the Bills at their own 36. Allen went deep to Davis for 49 yards and Breida ran for a 15 yard touchdown to make it 31-3 Bills. Another interception of White meant another short field for the Bills at the Jets 45. On 3rd and 2 from the Jets 37, Allen went to Davis for 36 down to the one. Moss got in to have the Bills up 38-3 after three quarters. The entire fourth quarter was garbage time as the Jets finally managed two touchdowns sandwiched around the Bills scoring another one of their own as well. The Bills at 6-3 are still atop the AFC East while J-E-T-S already stands for Just End the Season for a team that gave up 45 for the second straight week. 45-17 Bills 

Tampa Bay Buccaneers at Washington Mystery Men — Both teams had last week off. Last year Taylor Heinicke gave Tom Brady a surprisingly competitive playoff game before the Buccaneers won en route to their championship. This year the Buccaneers were 6-2 and the N-Names were a woeful 2-6. 90 seconds into the game the Non-Redskins took over at their own 40. They moved to a 3rd and 4 at the Tampa 28. Heinicke threw incomplete. Joey Slye hit a 48 yard field goal to make it 3-0 No-Names.  Two plays after a touchback an interception of Brady set the No-names up at the Tampa 28. On 2nd and 6 from the Tampa 12, a run lost 8 yards. Sly hit a 28 yard field goal to make it 6-0 No-Names. Brady was then intercepted again off of a batted pass up in the air. The Mystery Men had another short field at the Tampa 46. On 3rd and 7 from the Tampa 43, Heinicke hit Antonio Gibson for 8. On 3rd and 6 from the Tampa 20, Heinicke hit DeAndre Carter for the touchdown as the non-Redskins had a surprising 13-0 lad early in the second quarter

After a touchback, the Buccaneers moved 68 yards in 13 plays and 5 1/2 minutes. Yet on 2nd and goal at the 7, Brady threw incomplete twice. Ryan Succop hit from 25 to get the Buccaneers on the board. The No-Names after a touchback responded 64 yards in 11 plays and 6 minutes. Yet on 1st and 10 from the Tampa 14 at the 2 minute warning, a run lost 5 yards. Slye hit his third field goal from 29 as the No-Names led 16-3 with one minute left in the half. The Buccaneers took over at their own 30 and with 2 seconds left in the half faced 4th and 6 from the Washington 47. Rather than try the Hail Mary, Brady went to Evans for only 22 yards. Yet a completely unnecessary defensive facemask penalty added 15 yards and gave the Buccaneers one untimed down. That allowed Succop to hit a 31 yard field goal. The gift had the Buccaneers within 16-6 at the break. In the third quarter the No-Names punted on 4th and 16 from their own 2 yard line and the Buccaneers took over at the Washington 43. Brady hit Chris Godwin for 14, Leonard Fournette for 15, Godwin for 8 and Cameron Brate for a 6 yard touchdown. The Buccaneers were right back in it down 16-13.

Yet every time the Buccaneers came back, the No-Names answered. From their own 29, Heinicke hit Milne for 15. On 3rd and 4 from midfield, Heinicke hit Bates for 18. Gibson ran for 12 and 9. Defensive pass interference added 13 down to the one. Gibson got in as the No-Names led 23-13 with 4 minutes left in the third quarter. The No-Names got it back at their own 17 to start the fourth quarter and moved to a 3rd and 9 at their own 40. Hence hit Milne for 9 but Milne fumbled and the Buccaneers recovered at the Washington 47. Three plays later on 3rd and 3, Brady went deep to Mike Evans for a 40 yard touchdown to get the Buccaneers within 23-19 with 11 minutes left in regulation.  The extra point was no good. The No-Names then mounted the drive of the year. 19 plays. 80 yards. 10 1/2 minutes off the clock. On 3rd and 2 from their own 28, Heinicke gained 3. Heinicke hit McLaurin for 16. On 3rd and 1 from the Tampa 33, Gibson gained 2. On 3rd and 4 from the Tampa 25, Heinicke hit Humphries for 5. On 3rd and 5 from the Tampa 15, Heinicke hit McLaurin for 6. On 3rd and goal at the 4, Gibson gained 3 as the clock ticked down to 30 seconds to play. On 4th and goal at the one, Riverboat Ron Rivera went for it figuring even Brady could not go 99 yards in 30 seconds without a timeout. Gibson crashed in and the No-Names had the shocking win. Cue ESPN uber-announcer Chris Berman: “THAT’s why they PLAY the GAMES!” 29-19 Mystery Men

Jacksonville Jaguars at Indianapolis Colts — The Jaguars won a shocker over Buffalo last week. Now it was back to reality, sort of. On the Colts first play from scrimmage from their own 32, Jonathan Taylor broke off a 34 yard run. On 3rd and 3 from the Jacksonville 5, Carson Wentz threw incomplete. A 24 yard Mike Badgley field goal made it 3-0 Colts. A blocked punt was then returned 12 yards for a touchdown by the appropriately named EJ Speed for a 10-0 Colts lead. The Colts then got it back at their own 47. Taylor ran for 20, 5, 8, 4, and the 4 yard touchdown and a 17-0 Colts lead. Yet the Jaguars did not fold. Quite the opposite. On 3rd and 10 from their own 22, Trevor Lawrence hit Jones for 12. Jamal Agnew then broke off a 66 yard touchdown run. The extra point was no good but the Jaguars trailed 17-6 after the first quarter. Both defenses then dug in. With 1:43 left in the half, Mike Badgley hit a 29 yard field goal to make it 20-6 Colts. 

After an exchange of punts the Jaguars took over at their own 30 with 36 seconds left. Lawrence went to Arnold for 24. Wright nailed a 56 yard field goal to end the half with the Jaguars within 20-9. Wright missed from 51 early in the third quarter, which was scoreless. The Jaguars began the fourth quarter facing 3rd and 10 at their own 35. Lawrence went to Jones for 23. James Robinson ran for 18. On 3rd and 11 from the Indy 16, Lawrence hit Arnold for 14. Robinson ran for a one yard touchdown.  Urban Meyer went for 2 and Lawrence hit Arnold successfully. With 10 1/2 minutes left in regulation, the Jaguar were only down 20-17. Midway through the fourth quarter after an exchange of punts, the Colts moved from their own 17 on an 11 play, 68 yard, 5 minute drive. The Colts settled for a 37 yard Badgley field goal. The Jaguars got the ball back at their own 25 with 2:17 left, 2 timeouts, and a chance at a major comeback win. With 50 seconds left, the Jaguars had 1st and 10 at the Indy 46. Lawrence was sacked and fumbled and the Colts recovered. The win got the Colts to 5-5 after a rough start to their season. 23-17 Colts

Detroit Lions at Pittsburgh Steelers — Ben Roethlisberger tested positive for Covid the day before the game and was out. Backup Mason Rudolph got the start against the winless Lions, who were coming off a bye week. The Steelers entered with a 4 game win streak including a heart-stopping Monday night win on the final play. Rain made the conditions difficult in this game, but at home the Steelers were still expected to handle an awful Lions team. Again, ESPN uber-announcer Chris Berman’s maxim applies. “THAT’s why they PLAY the GAMES!” The Steelers made it look easy on their opening drive. From their own 17, Mason Rudolph hit James Washington for 6 and McCloud for 11. On 3rd and 3 just shy of midfield, Rudolph threw incomplete but defensive pass interference meant a 29 yard gain. Harris gained 11 more. On 3rd and 8 from the Detroit 9, Rudolph hit Washington for the touchdown to cap the 10 play, 83 yard, 5 1/2 minute drive and make it 7-0 Steelers. The second quarter began Raymond returning a punt 48 yards to the Pittsburgh 39. Three plays later Jermar Jefferson ran for a 28 yard touchdown and a 7-7 tie. 

Both teams then had long, time consuming drives that ate up the rest of the half. Both teams had 3rd and goal at the 8, Both teams ran a play that only gained 6 yards. Both Mike Tomlin and then Dan Campbell decided not to gamble on 4th and goal at the 2 in bad weather. Both Chris Boswell for the Steelers and then Santoso for the Lions to end the half hit their respective 20 yard field goals for a 10-10 deadlock. The Lions began the third quarter at their own 15. Less than 3 minutes later they had the lead. Swift gained 16. On 3rd and 9 from their own 32, Swift gained 12. Godwin Igwebuike gained 14 and then ran for a 42 yard touchdown. The extra point was no good but the Lions had the surprising 16-10 lead. The Steelers took over at their own 26 and marched 69 yards in 13 plays. Yet on 1st and goal at the 5, rather than run the ball in bad weather, Tomlin opted to pass. Rudolph threw 3 straight incompletions. Boswell hit a 23 yard field goal. The Steelers trailed 16-13 midway through the third quarter in worsening rain. The game became a slog.

A field position game had the Steelers beginning the fourth quarter at midfield. On 3rd and 5 from the Detroit 33, offensive pass interference moved the Steelers back. Yet Boswell came through again. Heinz Field is normally a tough place to kick in, and the rain made it even tougher. Yet Boswell hit from 31 for a tie game with 11 1/2 minutes left in regulation. The offenses did nothing else and the game went to overtime. The Steelers fumbled and the Lions took over at their own 45. On 3rd and 4 from the Pittsburgh 28, offensive holding was a killer. With 4 minutes left in overtime, Santoso came in for a 48 yard field try to give the Lions their first win of the year in shocking fashion. Santoso was no good. After an exchange of punts, the Steelers took over at their own 11 with 1:37 left in overtime. With 8 seconds left, the Steelers had 1st and 10 at the Detroit 39. A field goal from that distance would be 57 yards. Mike Tomlin ran one more play. Inexplicably, it was a completion for one yard. Making matters worse, Freiermuth fumbled the ball and the Lions recovered at their own 38. Now they had time for a miracle. Yet rather than try a Hail Mary, the hook and lateral gained only 14 yards. The Lions will not go 0-17. They did not win, but they tied. Ironically, 19 years ago a 5-3 Steelers team at home had a tie game that would leave them 1/2 game behind other playoff teams. This was the first tie game of the 2021 NFL season. 16-16 tie, OT

Cleveland Browns at New England Patriots — A pair of 5-4 teams faced off in the first game for the Brown since they traded away Odell Beckham Jr. Baker Mayfield had only 36 yards passing in the first half.  The Browns from their own 16 marched 84 yards in 11 plays and 5 minutes. Mayfield hit Austin Hooper for 6 and Bryant for 13 to midfield and Johnson ran for 10, 24 and 19.  On 3rd and goal at the 2, Mayfield threw incomplete. Kevin Stefanski gambled on 4th and goal at the 2. Mayfield hit Hooper for the touchdown to make it 7-0 Browns. That concluded Browns highlights. After that the Patriots took over.

The Patriots mounted a 15 play, 83 yard drive that took 9 1/2 minutes off of the clock. The Patriots soon faced 3rd and 8 at their own 19. Mac Jones hit Hunter Henry for 12. On 3rd and 6 from their own 35, Jones hit Meyers for 7. On 1st and 20 from their own 32, Kendrick Bourne ran for 15 and Stevenson added 9. Jones hit Nelson Agholor for 11 and Stevenson ran for 13 and 4. On 3rd and 13 from the Cleveland 23, Jones hit Bolden for 20 and Henry for a 3 yard touchdown. The game was tied 7-7 after the opening quarter.

The second quarter began with Baker Mayfield being intercepted by Kyle Duggar, who returned it 37 yards to the Cleveland 5 yard line. One play later Remondrae Stevenson ran it in. The Patriots led 14-7 and never looked back.

The Patriots got it back at their own one yard line. Stevenson ran for 5, 4, and on 3rd and 1 form their own 10, 18 yards. On 3rd and 5 from their own 33, Jones hit Bourne for 12. On 3rd and 9 from their own 46, Jones hit Meyers for 26 and Bourne for a 23 yard touchdown. The 11 play, 99 yard, 6 minute drive had the Patriots up 21-7. The Patriots then moved from their own 33 to a 1st and 10 at the Cleveland 16 with 42 seconds left in the half. An 11 yard run was nullified by illegal use of hands on the offense, but Nick Folk hit a 38 yard field goal to make it 24-7 Patriots at the intermission. In the third quarter the Patriots took over at their own 8 and blasted the Browns to pieces. Jones hit Agholor for 10 and Henry for 19. Bolden ran for 22 and caught a pass for 17. Bourne gained 17. Stevenson ran for the 2 yard touchdown to cap the 92 yard drive and make it 31-7 Patriots. In the fourth quarter the Browns turned it over on downs at their own 47. On 3rd and goal at the 3, Jones hit Henry for the touchdown to make it 38-7 Patriots. After drives of 99 and 92 yards, the Patriots capped the carpet-bombing with a 95 yard drive. Bryan Hoyer was now in the game and he threw an 11 yard touchdown to Meyers to complete the carpet-bombing. 45-7 Patriots  

Minnesota Vikings at Los Angeles Chargers — 40 years ago these teams played a wild thriller where the Vikings trailed by 7, scored a touchdown late, missed the extra point, recovered a crazy onside kick, and kicked a field goal for a 33-31 win. This game was less insane but was still interesting. After a scoreless first quarter, the offenses gradually got going. The Vikings from their own 13 moved 59 yards in 10 plays and 6 minutes. The second quarter began with Greg Joseph hitting a 46 yard field goal to make it 3-0 Vikings. The Chargers after a touchback moved to a 3rd and 4 at the Minnesota 27. Justin Herbert threw incomplete. Dustin Hopkins hit from 46 for a 3-3 game. The Vikings took over at their own 39 and moved 50 yards in 11 plays and nearly 5 minutes. On 2nd and goal at the one, Kirk Cousins threw incomplete. On 3rd and goal Cousins hit Ham for the touchdown, but offensive holding nullified the score. Joseph hit a 30 yard field goal to make it 6-3 Vikings with 6 1/2 minutes left in the half. 

The Chargers took over at their own 12 and Herbert was immediately intercepted to set up the Viking at the Chargers 31. On 2nd and 20, Cousins hit Justin Jefferson for 21. Cousins hit Tyler Conklin for a 5 yard touchdown as the Vikings had the 13-3 lead with 3 1/2 minutes left in the half. After a touchback, Herbert hit Mike Williams for 7 and ran for 17 himself. On the next play defensive pass interference meant a 28 yard gain. On 3rd and 1 from the Minnesota 6, Herbert hit Williams for 5. Larry Roundtree for the lat yard as the Chargers only trailed 13-10 at the half. After a touchback to start the third quarter, Herbert hit Keenan Allen for 22, Donald Parham for 17, and Williams for 11. On 3rd and 5 from the Minnesota 17, Herbert hit Cook for 10. On 3rd and goal at the 2, Herbert hit Austin Ekeler for the touchdown. The 10 play, 75 yard drive had the Chargers up 17-13.

The Vikings took over at their own 34 and Cousins went to Jefferson for 27. On 3rd and 10 from the Chargers 36, Cousins threw incomplete but defensive pass interference meant an 11 yard gain. Cousins then hit Adam Thielen for 19. On 3rd and goal at the one, Cook got stopped. Mike Zimmer gambled, and on 4th and goal Cousins hit Tyler Conklin for the touchdown as the Vikings led 20-17 after three quarters. The Vikings got it back and soon faced 3rd and 5 from their 37. Cousins hit Jefferson for 12 and Cook for 15. On 3rd and 9 from the Chargers 28, Cousins hit Thielen for 16. Cook then ran for 5, 2, and on 3rd and 3 from the Chargers 5, 4 more. Cook got the last yard to cap the 12 play, 68 yard, 7 minute drive and give the Vikings some breathing room up 27-17 with 9 1/2 minutes left in regulation.

After a touchback, the Chargers moved 69 yards in 12 plays and 5 minutes. On 3rd and 4 from the Minnesota 8, a completion only got half of it. On 4th and 2 from the 6 and needing 2 scores, the biggest gambler in the NFL Brandon Staley played it safe. Hopkins hit from 24 to get the Chargers back within 7 with 4 1/2 minutes left. With 3 minutes left the Viking faced 3rd and 6 at their own 29. One defensive stop would give the Chargers the ball back. Instead Cousins hit Jefferson for 27 yards. On 3rd and 20 from their own 48, Cousins hit Thielen for 18 as the Chargers took their last timeout on defense with 2 1/2 minutes left. On 4th and 2 from the Chargers 36, a 54 yard field goal would ice the game. Yet Mike Zimmer decided to go for it. With everything on the line, Cook gained 4. The Chargers never got the ball back as Cousins took 3 knees. 27-20 Vikings

Carolina Panthers at Arizona Cardinals — With Sam Darnold injured and playing badly, the prodigal son returned home. Cam Newton is back with the Panthers and was active in this game as a backup but saw plenty of action. For the second week in a row, Kyler Murray and Deandre Hopkins were out. Colt McCoy started again. Even without their stars, the Cardinals went on the road and throttled San Francisco last week. Surely the 8-1 Cardinals would roll over a Panthers team that had lost 5 of their last 6 games and was starting Walker. 90 seconds into the game on the third play from scrimmage on 3rd and 5 from his own 32, McCoy was sacked and fumbled. The Panthers took over at the Arizona 15. On 3rd and 9, Walker hit Christian McCaffrey for 13. From the 2, Newton came into the game. He ran for a 2 yard touchdown to make it 7-0 Panthers. Kliff Kingsbury then decided to gamble on 4th and 1 from his own 42. McCoy got stopped cold for a one yard loss. Walker then hit Anderson for 17. McCaffrey gained 11 and 13 down to the 2. Newton came in again. This time he threw the touchdown pass to Robby Anderson to make it 14-0 Panthers. An interception of McCoy then led to a 44 yard Zane Gonzalez field goal to make it 17-0 Panthers. In the second quarter Gonzalez added field goals of 48 and 49 to end the half with the Panthers dominating 23-0. The game was never competitive. The Cardinals managed a third quarter field goal. The Panthers responded with a 5 yard Chuba Hubbard touchdown and a 2 point conversion to make it 31-3 Panthers. The Cardinals managed a garbage touchdown in the fourth quarter followed by one more Gonzalez field goal. It was a sweet homecoming for Newton. Again, remember ESPN uber-announcer Chris Berman’s maxim: “THAT’s why they PLAY the GAMES!” 34-10 Panthers

Seattle Seahawks at Green Bay Packers — Russell Wilson returned after missing several weeks with an injured finger. Aaron Rogers returned after missing one week due to Covid. Yet at the frozen Tundra of Lambeau Field, the first snow game of the season was a defensive boneblack. The first three quarters were brutal. Mason Crosby missed a 42 yard field goal try early. Crosby made a 27 yarder in the second quarter. In the third quarter both quarterbacks threw into the opposing team’s end zone for an interception and a touchback as the Packers clung to a 3-0 lead after three quarters. In the fourth quarter the Packers managed to get fro their own 38 to a 2nd and 5 at the Seattle 44. An unsportsmanlike conduct penalty on the defense gave the Packers a critical 15 yards. On 3rd and goal at the 3, AJ Dillon rushed for the first touchdown of the game to cap the 11 play, 62 yard, 5 1/2 minute drive as the Packers led 10-0 with 10 1/2 minutes left in regulation. Midway through the fourth quarter from the Green Bay 43, Wilson went for another bomb to the end zone and was intercepted again for another touchback. The Packers then turned out the lights with a 10 play, 80 yard, 6 minute drive. On 3rd and goal at the 2, Dillon got in again with 1:56 left. Wilson was shut out for the first time in his 10 year career. This was not Fail Mary or Hasselbeck’s failed guarantee, but it was a tough old-school snow football game. 17-0 Packers

Philadelphia Eagles at Denver Broncos — The Broncos went into Dallas last week and built a shocking 30-0 lead, winning 30-16. Now they only had to beat a much weaker Eagles team at home. The Eagles after a touchback marched to a 3rd and 6 at the Denver 12. Jalen Hurts threw incomplete but Jake Elliott hit a 30 yard field goal for a 3-0 Eagles lead. The Eagles got it back and faced 3rd and 2 at their own 28. Howard gained 3 yards. On 3rd and 12 from their own 29, Hurts went to Dallas Goedert for 24.Hurts then went to DeVonta Smith for a 36 yard touchdown to make it 10-0 Eagles. After a touchback, Williams gained 9, 11 and 2. On 3rd and 2 from their own 45, Teddy Bridgewater hit Patrick for 7 with a 15 yard penalty added on for defensive taunting. The second quarter began with the Broncos at the Philadelphia 23. Melvin Gordon did the rest, running for 15, 7, and the one yard touchdown to get the Broncos within 10-7. The Broncos got it back at their own 28 and a short pass from Bridgewater to Okwuegbunam went for a 64 yard gain. Yet on 3rd and goal at the 3, Bridgewater threw incomplete. Brandon McManus hit from 21 for a 10-10 deadlock. The Broncos were right back in it, but would soon be out of it again.

After a touchback, Howard ran for 11 and Hurts scrambled for a 31 yard gain. On 3rd and 2 from the Denver 35, Boston Scott gained 3. On 3rd and 3 from the Denver 15, Hurts hit Watkins for 6. On 3rd and goal at the 5, Hurts hit Smith for the touchdown to make it 17-10 Eagles with 3 minutes left in the half. The Broncos went 3 and out and the Eagles got it back at their own 15 with 1:49 left. They moved to a 1st and 10 at the Denver 34 with 25 seconds left. Hurts threw 3 straight incompletions. Elliott nailed a 52 yard field goal to end the half with the Eagles on top 20-10. In the third quarter the Broncos sought to get back in it with a 22 yard McManus field goal, but the chip shot was blocked. With 5 minutes left in the third quarter, McManus was good from 28 to get the Broncos within 20-13. An interception of Hurts gave the Broncos golden field position to tie the game at their own 47. On 4th and 1 from the Philly 23 on the last play of the third quarter, Vic Fangio went for it. The resulting fumble was returned 83 yards for a defensive touchdown by the appropriately named. Darrius Slay. Instead of a tie game, the Eagles led 27-13. Elliott tacked on a 23 yard field goal midway through the fourth quarter to put the game out of reach. 30-13 Eagles

Kansas City Chiefs at Las Vegas Raiders was the Sunday night game. Last year Derek Carr matched Patrick Mahomes blow for blow as these teams split the season series. This year the Raiders were much better and the Chiefs were worse. The Raiders had added DeSean Jackson to replace Henry Ruggs. Despite losing to the pitiful Giants last week, the Raiders were at home against a wounded Chiefs team that barely survived at home against Green Bay playing a backup quarterback in his very first start. The stars were finally aligned for the Raiders to take sole control of the AFC West. The Raiders defense even forced a punt on the first Kansas City series. The Raiders offense moved from their 30 to a 3rd and 2 at the Chiefs 48. Yet a completion from Derek Carr to Josh Jacobs gained only one yard. Rich Bisaccia was prepared to gamble on 4th and 1, but a false start by beleaguered rookie Alex Leatherwood killed the opportunity and the Raiders punted. After struggling at tackle, this was Leatherwood’s first game at guard.

The Chiefs took over at their own 11 and this time Mahomes got rolling. He hit Travis Kelce for 7, Damien Williams for 5. On 3rd and 5 from his own 28, Mahomes hit Kelce for 11, Darrell Williams for 22, Kelce for 19, and Tyreek Hill for 8. On 3rd and 1 from the Raiders 11, Bell took the direct snap for 3. Mahomes then hit Hill for an 8 yard touchdown to cap the 11 play, 89 yard, 6 minute drive and make it 7-0 Chiefs. The Raiders got a break when the Chiefs fumbled a punt and the Raiders recovered at midfield. Carr went deep to Bryan Edwards for 27. On 3rd and 6 from the Kansas City 19, Carr threw incomplete but defensive pass interference meant a 14 yard gain. Carr hit Hunter Renfrow for a 6 yard touchdown and a 7-7 tie early in the second quarter.  

The Chiefs responded after a touchback by moving to a 1st and 10 at the Raiders 21. Mahomes threw a pair of incompletions sandwiched around a completion that lost a yard. Harrison Butker hit a 40 yard field goal to make it 10-7 Chiefs. The Raiders punted and an unsportsmanlike conduct penalty on the Raiders for being chucked out of bounds and not returning to the field of play fast enough gave the Chiefs the ball at their own 42. On 3rd and 7, Mahomes hit Kelce for 16 and Mycole Hardman for 27. On 3rd and 5 from the Raiders 7, the defense jumped offsides. On 3rd and 1 from the 3, Williams got stopped at the 2 minute warning. Walrus Andy Reid went for it and Williams gained 2. Mahomes threw a one yard touchdown pass to Hill with 1:39 left in the half to make it 17-7 Chiefs. The Raiders went 3 and out and only took 30 seconds, allowing the Chiefs to move into field goal position at the end of the half. The Raiders dodged a bullet when Butker was no good from 46. The Raiders came out firing after a third quarter touchback. Carr ran for 9. Then he hit Renfrow for 5, Bay Jones for 22, and Edwards on a perfectly thrown deep strike for a 37 yard touchdown. Barely into the second half, the Raiders were right back in it down 17-14.

Then came the collapse. Mahomes torched the Raiders on third down. On 3rd and 4 from their own 24, Mahoems hit Robinson for 13. Williams then got tackled for a loss, but defensive unnecessary roughness on Maxx Crosby gave the Chiefs 15 more yards. Mahomes then found Williams for 17 and Hill for 5 and 10. On 3rd and goal at the 9, one defensive stop would give the Raiders a chance to take the lead. Instead Crosby jumped offsides. Crosby is a great player who had a miserable drive. On 3rd and goal at the 4, Hardman gained 3. Walrus Andy Reid went for it on 4th and goal at the one. Everyone kn new he would go for it and everyone knew the pass-happy fella would throw the ball. Everyone that is, except the Raiders defense. Mahomes hit Noah Gray for the touchdown as the 13 play, 82 yard, 5 minute drive had the Chiefs up 24-14. The Raiders got it back at their own 18 and Carr went deep to Jackson for a 40 yard gain. Yet instead of just going down, Jackson tried to out-juke 3 defenders for one more yard and ended up fumbling the ball away. Mathieu returned the fumble 14 yards as the Chiefs took over at their own 27. The Chiefs moved to a 3rd and 10 at the Raiders 17. Mahomes threw incomplete. Butker hit a 35 yard field goal for a 27-14 Chiefs lead.

Three plays later the Raiders faced 3rd and 7 from their own 28. A desperate Carr rolled out for his life and threw a deep ball into coverage that was intercepted. The Chiefs took over at their own 44. They quickly went 3 and out and the fourth quarter began with the Chiefs punting on 4th and 7 from their own 47. Despite offensive and defensive breakdowns, the Raiders were still alive. They had a chance. Then came the special teams breakdown that finished off their complete breakdown in all 3 phases of the game. Walrus Andy Reid called a fake punt, and punter Townsend hit Kemp for a 16 yard gain. Mahomes then delivered a 38 yard touchdown dagger to Williams for a 34-14 Chiefs lead. The Chiefs got it back at their own 20 and turned the game into a blowout. On 3rd and 2 from their own 45, Mahomes hit Kelce for 30 and Byron Pringle for a 22 yard touchdown to complete the scoring. In garbage time the Raiders moved 59 yards in 15 plays and 6 minutes, only to turn 1st and goal at the 8 into 4th and goal at the 25. Carr threw incomplete. 

The Raiders have lost 2 straight to fall to 5-4. The offensive line is not giving Carr enough time to throw. Carr has not forgotten how to throw a football. He just is not getting the protection he needs. The Raiders lack a deep threat to stretch the field. Jackson cannot be expected to understand the offense fresh off the plane. Also, he is a 34 year old replacing a 23 year old burner. From Antonio Brown to Henry Ruggs, the Raiders have twice failed in getting the deep threat they need. The team that once had James Jett, Alexander Wright and Rocket Ismail on the same team have been reduced to dinking and dunking with Derek. The offensive line is also not creating enough holes for Josh Jacobs. The defense is better, but certainly not good. The turmoil of this season has been tremendous, but excuses only satisfy those giving them. The problem with the Raiders are football problems on the field. They are fixable. As for the Chiefs, they at 6-4 are somehow now leading the AFC West again where 5-5 is last place. This makes Andy Reid a most relieved Walrus indeed.

Los Angeles Rams at San Francisco 49ers is the Monday night game. Both of these teams got smacked in the mouth at home last week. Yet the rams came in 7-2 while the 49ers were 3-5. Even stranger, the Rams were 4-0 on the road while the 49ers were 0-4 at home. Yet this is not one of those times where you apply ESPN uber-announcer Chris Berman’s maxim “THAT’s why they PLAY the GAMES!” With these division rivals, throw out the records. Besides, the 49ers came in having beaten the Rams 5 straight times. Also, last week the rams lost receiver Robert Woods for the rest of the year with a torn ACL. After a touchback and 4 plays from scrimmage from their own 42, Matthew Stafford went bombs away and was intercepted at the San Francisco 7 yard line. The 49ers then mounted the drive of the year. 18 plays. 93 yards. A mind-blowing 11 minutes off the clock. On 3rd and 6 from thrown 22, Jimmy Garoppolo hit George Kittle for 18. On 3rd and 1 from the Rams 41, Garoppolo gained 2. On 3rd and 4 from the Rams 33, Garoppolo hit Kittle for 7. On 3rd and 6 from the Rams 8, Garoppolo hit Kittle for the touchdown to make it 7-0 49ers. 4 plays later after a touchback the Rams faced 3rd and 11 from their own 24. A short pass by Stafford bounced right off of the receiver’s hands into the arms of Ward, who stumbled 27 yards for a defensive touchdown and a 14-0 49ers lead.

After a touchback the Rams woke up. Stafford hit Van Jefferson for 16. The second quarter began with the Rams at their own 47. Stafford went deep to Cooper Kupp for 29 and to newly acquired Odell Beckham for 13. On 3rd and 9 from the San Francisco 10, Stafford went to Tyler Higbee for the touchdown to get the Rams within 14-7. Yet the 49ers gashed the Rams with another long drive from their own 9 yard line. On 3rd and 2 from their own 17, Mitchell lost 2 yards. However, the defense jumped offsides to keep the drive going. Garoppolo then hit Kittle for 10. On 3rd and 7 from their own 36, Garoppolo hit Deebo Samuel for 20. Mitchell ran for 13 and 2. Garoppolo hit Brandon Aiyuk for 21. Samuel got around the end for an 8 yard touchdown run to culminate the 11 play, 92 yard, 8 minute drive and make it 21-7 49ers. The Rams took over at their own 21 with 5 1/2 minutes left in t he half and used virtually all of it. Yet the drive stalled in the red zone. With 18 seconds left, it was time for a 35 yard field goal try. Sean McVay called a fake field goal, since punter Johnny Hekker was the holder and has quarterback experience. Yet the 49ers were not fooled and Hekker’s completion only gained 2 yards. The second half belonged to the 49ers defense. In the third quarter Robbie Gould capped a 10 play, 6 minute drive with a 50 yard field goal. In the fourth quarter Garoppolo connected with Samuel for a 40 yard touchdown to make it a blowout 31-7 49ers. With 4 minutes left on 4th and goal at the 19, Sean McVay inspired the football world with a 37 yard field goal. 31-10 49ers

https://www.commdiginews.com/sports/nfl/nfl-2021-week-10-cdn-preview-and-bettors-guide-141125/

NFL 2021 Week 9 Recap

Shocking upsets were the norm at the midpoint as inferior road teams shocked better home teams. Pete Rozelle’s lifelong dream of competitive balance lives on. If ever there was a week that embodied ESPN uber-announcer Chris Berman’s maxim, this was it. “THAT’s why they PLAY the GAMES!”

New York Jets at Indianapolis Colts was the Thursday night game. The Jets shocked Cincinnati last week when Mike White threw for 405 yards in his very first NFL game in place of injured Zach Wilson. This week was the reality check. The Colts took over at their own 12 and Jonathan Taylor began his gashing of the Jets defense with runs of 9, 3 and 4. On 3rd and 6 from their own 30, Carson Wentz hit Michael Pittman for 9, Taylor for 8, Dulin for 6, and Nyheim Hines for 13. Hines then went over right tackle, bounced off of one of his own offensive linemen, veered through the middle all the way to his left, got to the sideline and the end zone for a 34 yard touchdown and a 7-0 Colts lead. The Jets soon faced 3rd and 10 from their own 25. White hit Cole for 12 and 15, Moore for 26, and Moore again for a 19 yard touchdown. The game was tied 7-7 after the first quarter, but after that reality set in.

The Colts soon faced 3rd and 5 at their own 29. Wentz hit Pittman for 13 and Hines for 9. On 3rd and 1 just past midfield, Taylor gained 12. The Colts began the second quarter at the Jets 37. Taylor did it all, running for 3, 13, and then the 21 yard touchdown to make it 14-7 Colts. Mike White had played well for 5 quarters, but he was injured in the first quarter with a bad hand. Now the Jets were down to third string quarterback Josh Johnson. Robert Saleh tried some trickery on 3rd and 15 from his own 20. Johnson lateraled to Crowder, who fired back across the field to Carter for 23 yards. Yet two plays later on 2nd and 5 from the Jets 43, Johnson ran for 3 yards and fumbled. The Colts recovered at the Jets 46 and made it look easy.

Taylor ran for 20. Wentz hit Pittman for 12. On 3rd and 1 from the Jets 4, Taylor got stopped. Frank Reich went for it on 4th and 1 and Wentz gained 2. Wentz hit Jacob Doyle for a one yard touchdown to make it 21-7 Colts with 5 minutes left in the half. After a touchback the Jets moved to a 2nd and 8 at the Indianapolis 15. Johnson threw incomplete twice. Matt Amendola hit a 33 yard field goal to get the Jets within 21-10. After a touchback the Colts still had 1:45 to work with. Wentz hit Hines for 10 and Dulin for 17. Wentz ran for 9 to set up 3rd and 1 at the Jets 37. Hines gained 11. Wentz hit Zach Pascal for 3 and 12. With 15 seconds left in the half, Wentz hit Pittman for what appeared to be a touchdown, but at the last moment Pittman had it knocked out of his hands incomplete. Yet officials took a second look, and ruled that Pittman had possession and took two steps plus a football move before the ball was knocked out. The Colts led 28-10 at the half.

The Colts in the third quarter moved from their own 28 to a 4th and goal at the 2. Frank Reich went for it and Taylor got stopped after a gain of one. Yet despite the goal line stand, the Jets were just delating the inevitable. The Jets went 3 and out and then committed an unsportsmanlike conduct penalty on the punt return to set up the Colts at the Jets 40. Hines ran for 25 and Taylor added 10. Wentz hit Pinter for a 2 yard touchdown and a 35-10 Colts lead. The Colts got it back at their own 22 and Taylor broke free for a 78 yard touchdown. With 6 minutes left in the third quarter the Colts were winning a laugher up 42-10. The Jets tried to mount a rally and did end up scoring 3 touchdowns. This would have helped had they not been down by 5 touchdowns. The Colts also tacked on one more field goal. The Jets faced a 32 point deficit, but Frank Reich was coaching the other team rather than playing quarterback. The Jets got it down to 15 points and faced 1st and goal at the 7 with 45 seconds left. Johnson was intercepted. The Colts had 260 yards rushing, including 172 yards on 19 carries by Taylor. Wentz complete passes to 10 different receivers. 45-30 Colts

Atlanta Falcons at New Orleans Saints — With Drew Brees retired and Jameis Winston out for the season injured, it was up to Trevor Siemian and Taysom Hill to carry the load. The 5-2 Saints were coming off an emotional home win over Tampa Bay and faced a bad Atlanta team. The first half was all defense. Younghoe Koo managed a 32 yard first quarter field goal for the Falcons. With 5 1/2 minutes left in the half the Falcons took over at their own 8 yard line. Runs and short passes had the Falcons facing 3rd and 1 at their own 27. Out of the shotgun, Matt Ryan gained 4. On 3rd and 5 from their own 36, Ryan hit Pitts for 16. On 3rd and 2 from the Saints 40, Ryan hit Gage for 20, Pitts for 7 and Cordarelle Patterson for 6. Ryan hit Olamide Zaccheaus for a 3 yard touchdown with 6 seconds left in the half as the 15 play, 92 yard, 5 1/2 minute drive made it 10-0 Falcons. 

The Saints began the third quarter at their own 23 and moved 60 yards in 12 plays and 5 1/2 minutes. Despite 2nd and 7 from the Atlanta 17, Siemian threw incomplete twice. Brian Johnson hit a 35 yard field goal to get the Saints on the board. The Falcons took over at their own 19, Ryan hit Sharpe for 12 and then went deep to Zaccheays for 49 yards. Ryan then hit Hurst for 16 down to the one. Ryan got the last yard himself as the Falcons led 17-3 after three quarters. The Saints took over at their own 21 and kept the ball for 11 plays and 5 1/2 minutes. On 4th and 1 from their own 44, Sean Payton gambled even though both teams had turned it over on downs earlier in the game. The defense encroached and the drive continued. Yet on 2nd and 8 from the Atlanta 34, Siemian threw incomplete twice. The fourth quarter began with Johnson hitting from 52 to get the Saints within 17-6. Yet with 11 minutes left in regulation on 1st and 15 from the Atlanta 47, Siemian was sacked and fumbled. Means returned it 32 yards all the way to the Saints 6 yard line. One play and 7 seconds later, Ryan hit Zaccheus for the touchdown. The Falcons were winning 24-6. The first nearly 50 minutes were boring. The last 10 1/2 minutes were ridiculous.

The Saints took over at their own 34. Siemian hit Alvin Kamara for 9, Austin Trautman for 7 and 6, Callaway for 5, and Trautman for 9. On 3rd and 1 from the Atlanta 30, Siemian hit Trautman for 25 and Callaway for the 5 yard touchdown to get the Saints within 24-13 midway through the fourth quarter. The Falcons went 3 and out and committed unnecessary roughness son the punt to set up the Saints at their own 46. Defensive pass interference added 27 more yards. On 3rd and 10, Siemian was sacked but roughing the passer meant 14 more yards and new downs. Kamara ran for a 2 yard touchdown. Sean Payton opted for a 2 point conversion that did not work. With 4 1/2 minutes left the Saints were within 24-19. The Falcons again could not close out the game and a 26 yard punt return had the Saints at the Atlanta 43. Siemian hit Kenny Stills for 22, Harris for 8, and Stills again for an 8 yard touchdown. Again the 2 point conversion failed but 3 touchdown passes in the fourth quarter turned a 17 point deficit into a 25-24 Saints lead with one minute to play in the game. 

Yet those 2 point conversion tries were a big deal. Rather than lead by 3, the Saints only led by one. That came back to haunt them only one play after a touchback. Matt Ryan is nicknamed Matty Ice, and he calmly went deep to Patterson for a 58 yard gain. From the Saints 11, Davis got the carry and fumbled. Yet the Falcons managed to recover the ball at the 9. At this point Arthur Smith had seen enough. With the Saints out of timeouts, Ryan took a couple knees to take the clock down to 3 seconds. Koo came in for a 29 yard field goal try. Koo was good. Ryan and Siemian each threw 2 touchdown passes and neither signal caller was intercepted. Ryan was 23 of 30 for 343 yards. The Falcons blew a big lead, but their offense bailed them out when it mattered most. 27-25 Saints

Denver Broncos at Dallas Cowboys — The 7-1 Cowboys were riding high as they got a win with backup Cooper Rush. Now Dak Prescott was back in the saddle, as the Cowboys were expected to blow out an inferior Denver team. Twice Mike McCarthy gambled on 4th down in the first quarter in Denver territory and twice the Cowboys came up snake eyes. The Broncos then faced 2nd and 13 from their own 17. Williams gained 11 and on 3rd and 2 gained 20. Teddy Bridgwater then went to Jerry Jeudy for 26. Williams gained 7 and Melvin Gordon added 13. On 3rd and goal at the 9, Bridgewater threw incomplete but defensive pass interference meant an 8 yard gain. Gordon ran for a 3 yard touchdown. The extra point was no good but the Broncos led 6-0. The Broncos got it back at their own 20 and Williams gained 8 and 18. On 3rd and 10 from his pwn 45, Bridgewater hit Tim Patrick for 11 and then again for a 44 yard touchdown. In the second quarter, the Broncos led 13-0. A 7 minute drive led to a 53 yard McManus field goal. McManus hit again from 27 as the Broncos had the 19-0 lead midway through the third quarter.

The Broncos got it back and faced 2nd and 17 at their own 8. Gordon ran for 14. On 3rd and 3, Bridgewater hit Jeudy for 16. Gordon ran for 6, 7, 6, and 4. On 3rd and 14 from the Dallas 43, Bridgewater hit Kendall Hinton for 40. On 3rd and goal at the one, Bridgewater got in. Vic Fangio for some reason tried a 2 point conversion and Bridgewater hit Sutton successfully as the Broncos led 27-0. An interception of Prescott gave the Broncos a short field at the Dallas 39. McManus hit from 42 as the Broncos led 30-0 in front of a shellshocked home crowd. The Cowboys avoided the shutout with a pair of touchdown and 2 point conversions to make the score look respectable. Yet only one minute remained, and once the onside kick failed. the Cowboys were done. This one was a shocker that defies explanation. 30-16 Broncos

New England Patriots at Carolina Panthers — Both teams came in 4-4 but the Patriots started 1-3 while the Panthers 3-0 start is long gone. The last time these teams played, Steve Smith told Aqib Talib “Ice up, son!” The Patriots ended a scoreless first quarter by fumbling, allowing the Panthers to set up at the New England 33. Zane Gonzalez hit a 39 yard field goal to make it 3-0 Panthers. After a touchback, Mac Jones hit Kendrick Bourne for 9 and Stevenson for 41 more. On 3rd and 2 from the Carolina 16, Stevenson gained 13. Damien Harris ran for a 3 yard touchdown to make it 7-3 Patriots. An interception of Jones gave the Panthers another short field at the New England 34. Gonzalez hit again from 49 to get the Panthers within 7-6. Once the Patriots stopped giving free points to the Panthers, the Patriots took over the game. 

With 3 minutes left in the half, the Patriots faced 3rd and 5 at their own 30. Jones hit Bolden for 28. On 3rd and 3 from the Carolina 35, Bolden ran for gains of 11 and 12. On 3rd and 5 from the Carolina 7, Jones hit Hunter Henry for the touchdown as the Patriots took a 14-6 lead to the locker rooms. The third quarter was all about Sam Darnold, who kept completing passes to the New England defense. With a chance to tie the game in the red zone, Darnold was intercepted by JC Jackson, who returned it 88 yards for a score to make it 21-6 Patriots. Another interception of Darnold led to a 37 yard Nick Folk field goal to complete the scoring. Darnold threw in another interception that led to a missed field goal as the Patriots got above .500 on the year. 24-6 Patriots

Minnesota Vikings at Baltimore Ravens — The Ravens came in 5-2 while the Vikings were under water with close losses. After touchback, Mike Zimmer gambled on 4th and 2 from his own 49. Lamar Jackson lost 3 yards, but a horse collar tackle meant 15 yards and a first down. Justin Tucker hit a 37 yard field goal for a 3-0 Ravens lead. The Vikings responded quickly from their own 21. Justin Jefferson gained 11 and Dalvin Cook added 15 more. On 3rd and 7 from midfield, Kirk Cousins went to Jefferson for the touchdown and a 7-3 Vikings lead. The Vikings got it back at their own 6 yard line. On 3rd and 1 from their own 15, Cook got around the end for a 66 yard gain. On 3rd and 6 from the Baltimore 15, Cousins hit Jefferson for 7. The second quarter began with the Vikings facing 3rd and goal at the 2. Cook got stopped for nothing. Mike Zimmer went for it. On 4th and goal Cousins threw incomplete but defensive pass interference meant 1st and goal at the one. Cousins got in for a 14-3 Vikings lead. An interception of Jackson was returned 27 yards by Bynum to the Baltimore 16. Yet a run lost a yard and Cousins threw incomplete twice. Greg Joseph did hit a 36 yard field goal as the Vikings were winning 17-3 in front of a stunned home crowd at the Big Crabcake in Baltimore.

The Ravens took over at their own 25 with 1:25 left in the half. With 35 seconds left, the Ravens faced 3rd and 3 at their own 42. Jackson gained 11 and the Ravens took their second timeout with 30 seconds left. Jackson went for it all and was intercepted, but defensive pass interference meant a 42 yard gain and 1st and goal at the 5 with 23 seconds left. Jackson hit Devonta Freeman for the touchdown to get the Ravens within 17-10. Only 13 seconds into the third quarter, the Vikings were up 24-10 when Kene Nwangwu returned the second half kickoff 98 yards for a touchdown. 

The Ravens came storming back, but it took a very bold gamble by John Harbaugh. He went for it on 4th and 2 from his own 36. Freeman gained 8, with unsportsmanlike conduct on the defense adding 15 more. Jackson then hit Patrick Ricard for 22. On 3rd and goal at the 4, Jackson hit Hollywood Brown for only 3. Harbaugh any went for it on 4th and goal at the one. Jackson hit Ricard for the touchdown as the 10 play, 72 yard, 6 1/2 minute drive had the Ravens within 24-17. The Ravens got it back at their own 18 and mounted the drive of the year. A staggering 18 plays went 82 yards and took nearly 10 1/2 minutes off the clock. Harbaugh risked it all by going for it on 4th and 1 from his own 27. Jackson got the yard. Runs and short passes set up 3rd and 2 at the Minnesota 39. Jackson gained 6. On 3rd and 15 from the Minnesota 38, Jackson hit Brown for 18, Bateman for 11, and Devin Duvernay for a 5 yard touchdown. With 9 1/2 minutes left in regulation, the game was tied 24-24. The Ravens got it back at their own 39 and Jackson immediately connected with Brown for 22. Freeman gained 8 and Leveon Bell ran for 7, 8 and 5. Jackson ran for 10 and Bell got the last yard. 21 straight points had the Ravens up 31-24 with 3 1/2 minutes left in regulation.

The Vikings soon faced 3rd and 3 at their own 32. Cousins went deep to Ham for 27. Cook ran for 24 more. With 1:15 to play the Vikings were down to their last gasp facing 4th and 9 at the Baltimore 16. Cousins hit Jefferson for 12. Cousins hit Adam Thielen for a one yard touchdown. The game was tied 31-31, but one minute still remained. With 22 seconds left the Ravens took their last timeout on offense. They had moved after a touchback to a 3rd and 3 just past midfield. Yet offensive holding and a sack killed the chance and the game went into overtime. The Ravens got the ball first in overtime and moved from their own 25 to a 2nd and 6 at the Baltimore 33. In long field goal range, Jackson was intercepted. Yet the Vikings went 3 and out and the Ravens got it back at their own 10 midway through overtime. Jackson went to Brown for 20. On 3rd and 1 from their own 39, Jackson hit Tomlinson for 7. Freeman ran for 19. On 3rd and 2 from the Minnesota 31, Bell gained 12. The Ravens took the clock down to 16 seconds. Tucker came in for a 36 yard field goal try to win it. The most accurate kicker of all time was good. 34-31 Vikings 

Cleveland Browns at Cincinnati Bengals — The battle of Ohio saw a pair of up and down teams duke it out. The Bengals began the game at their own 22 and moved 75 yards and 11 plays and 6 1/2 minutes.  On 3rd and goal from the 3, Joe Burrow went to the sideline. Denzel Ward jumped the route and returned the interception 99 yards for a defensive touchdown and a 7-0 Browns lead. The 11 play, 75 yard, 6 1/2 minute drive did not go as planned. After a touchback, the Bengals marched down the field again. On 2nd and 5 from his own 30, Burrow hit Sample for 19 and Thomas for 16. On 3rd and 7 from the Cleveland 29, Burrow hit Sam Perine for 9 and Tee Higgins for 9 more. Joe Mixon ran for an 11 yard touchdown and a 7-7 game. 

After 11 minutes, the Browns offense finally touched the ball. From their own 25, Nick Chubb ran for 11 and caught passes from Baker Mayfield for 3 and 23. Mayfield then hit Hooper for 22. The second quarter began with the Browns facing 3rd and 4 at the Cincinnati 7. Mayfield through incomplete but defensive pass interference meant 6 yards and first and goal at the one. Chub got in as the Browns led 14-7.  The Bengals moved from their own 26 to a 3rd and 3 at the Cleveland 40. Burrow through incomplete and Zac Taylor went for it. Burrow threw incomplete again. One play and 8 seconds later the Browns were in the end zone again as Mayfield hit Donovan Peoples-Jones for a touchdown and a 21-7 Browns lead. The Bengals then moved from their own 18 to their own 39 but fumbled the ball away. A 16 yard return had the Browns at the Cincinnati 40. On 3rd and 1 from the Cincy 4, Jarvis Landry fumbled. The Browns retained possession but lost 6 yards. Chase McLaughlin hit a 28 yard field goal but a close game had been blown wide open for a 24-7 Browns lead.

The Bengals took over at their own 23 with 4 minutes left in the half. they continued to move the ball well, going 68 yards in 10 plays. Yet they got no further than 4th and 3 at the Cleveland 9 with 5 seconds left. This time Zac Taylor settled for the field goal. Evan McPherson hit from 27 to get the Bengals within 24-10. They would get no closer a the Browns turned out the lights in the third quarter. The Browns took over at their own 30 midway through the third quarter and Chubb destroyed the defense for a 70 yard touchdown run and a 31-10 Browns lead. Another interception of Burrow was returned by Johnson 31 yards to the Cincy 6. A false start on 3rd and goal at the one prevented another touchdown, but McLaughlin’s 24 yard field goal made it 34-10 Browns. The Bengals did manage a fourth quarter touchdown but the 2 point conversion try failed. The Browns would miss a field goal but get another touchdown of their own to complete the blowout. 41-16 Browns

Buffalo Bills at Jacksonville Jaguars — The 5-2 Bills were expected to stomp all over the pathetic 1-6 Jaguars. This was a shocker. In the first quarter Matthew Wright hit a 39 yard field goal for the Jaguars. Tyler Bass responded from 24 for the Bills for a 3-3 game. In the second quarter Bass hit from 41 and Wright drilled a 55 yarder for a 6-6 halftime tie. The game was tied after the first, second and scoreless third quarters. With 6 minutes left in the third quarter, an interception of Josh Allen gave Wright a 42 yard field goal try to give the Jaguars the lead. No good. Another interception of Allen gave Wright a chance at redemption from 21. This time he was good. With 5:40 to play on 3rd and 2 from the Jacksonville 37, Allen fumbled the ball away. With 1:17 left on 3rd and 7 from the Jags 39, Allen was sacked for a 9 yard loss. On 4th and 16 he threw incomplete. This was an absolute stunner. In an ironic twist. Josh Allen was sacked, fumbled, and saw a fumble recovery and an interception by a Jaguars player also named Josh Allen. 9-6 Jaguars

Houston Texans at Miami Dolphins — The Stupor Bowl featured a pair of 1-7 teams. Sometimes a pair of awful teams can come together and play a thrilling game for the ages. This was not that game. The Texans moved from their own 28 to a 3rd and 1 at the Miami 16. Davis Mills went to the end zone for an interception and a touchback. The Dolphins soon faced 3rd and 1 from their own 29. Myles Gaskin gained 2 as Jacoby Brissett started in place of the injured Tua Tagovailoa. Brissett then hit Jalen Waddle for 17, Mike Gesicki for 18, and Waddle for 12. On 3rd and 2 from the Houston 9, Brissett Gaskin for 3. Gaskin ran for a 6 yard touchdown to make it 7-0 Dolphins. The next 2 Miami drives led to an interception and a lost fumble. The latter set up the Texans at the Miami 33, leading ro a 31 yard Kaimi field goal in the second quarter. The Dolphins then fumbled a punt, setting up the Texans at the Miami 23. Fairbairn hit again from 40 to get the Texans within 7-6. Jason Sanders countered with a 42 yarder to make it 10-6 Dolphins with 1:08 left in the half. That was enough time for Mills to throw an interception as the Dolphins got the ball at the Houston 26. On 3rd and goal at the 5, Brissett hit Mack Hollins for a touchdown an a 17-6 Dolphins lead. An even more hideous second half saw more interceptions by each team and the Texans mount a 14 play, 92 yard, 6 minute drive that led to 4th and goal at the one. David Culley inspired everyone by going with the field goal. With 11 1/2 minutes left, Fairbairn hit from 20 as the Texans trailed by 8. Each team fumbled again, as the Texans gave it away with 2 1/2 minutes left. This game featured a combined 9 turnovers. League officials burned the tape. This is NOT why they play the games. 17-9 Dolphins

Las Vegas Raiders at New York Giants — The 5-2 Raiders had 2 weeks to prepare for the 2-6 Giants. Yet only one month after the Jon Gruden Debacle, the Raiders were rocked by the news of Henry Ruggs. He was driving drunk at 156 miles per hour and struck and killed a woman named Tina Tinton as well as her dog. This accident at 3:40am Tuesday morning led to Ruggs immediately being cut from the tea that night. Ruggs in a flash of blinding speed similar to what he displayed on the field ended one life and destroyed his own. He will most likely do several years in prison. The Raiders kept talking about being heartsick for the victim, maintaining their love for Ruggs, and compartmentalizing everything to focus on football. Easier said than done. Whatever the reason, the Raiders were awful when it mattered. They moved the ball at will all game and collapsed in the red zone.

After a touchback to start the game, the normally inept Giants offense made it look easy. On 3rd and 1 just shy of midfield, Booker gained 16. Two plays later Daniel Jones went to Evan Engram for a 30 yard touchdown and a 7-0 lead. From their own 27, the Raiders responded. Josh Jacobs ran for 11. Derek Carr then hit Jacobs for 6 and Waller for 6 more. From midfield, Jacobs ran for 6. On 3rd and 4 from the Giants 44, Carr went to Hunter Renfrow for 20 and Alec Ingold for 6. Jacobs ran for 13 and 3. Carr hit Renfrow for the 2 yard touchdown. The game was tied 7-7 as each team scored a touchdown on their opening possession. Yet over the final 50 minutes, neither offense would reach the end zone again in a battle of who wanted it least. 

Late in the first quarter from his own 34, Jones did what he does. He was hit and fumbled. The Raiders took over at the Giants 30 and their red zone nightmares began. The second quarter began with the Raiders facing 2nd and goal at the 6. Carr threw incomplete twice. Daniel Carlson hit a 25 yard field goal for a 10-7 lead. A field position game had the Giants later on taking over at their own 40. Graham Gano hit a 35 yard field goal for a 10-10 with 3 1/2 minutes left in the half. The Raiders took over at their own 30 and moved 55 yards in 10 plays. Yet on 2nd and 3 from the Giants 14, Carr again threw incomplete twice. Again the Raiders settled for a 32 yard Carlson field goal to end the half leading 13-10.

Carr has played brilliantly all season. Yet the second half of this game was a nightmare for him. The team leader who does virtually everything right got almost nothing right when it mattered. On the third play of the third quarter with the Raiders facing 3rd and 7 at their own 35, Carr threw a short sideline route and Xavier McKinney jumped the route for a 41 yard defensive touchdown and a 17-13 Giants lead. The Raiders moved from their own 8 yard line on a 15 play, 85 yard, 8 minute drive. Yet on 3rd and 3 from the Giants 7, Carr threw incomplete. For the third time in the red zone, the Raiders settled for a 25 yard Carlson field goal to trail 17-16. 

The Giants after a touchback moved 62 yards and 13 plays in 6 minutes. The fourth quarter began with the Giants facing 3rd and 3 at the Raiders 13. This time it was the Giants offense that bogged down as Jones threw incomplete. Gano hit from 32 to make it 20-16 Giants. The Raiders from their own 23 and moved to a 3rd and 6 at the Giants 10. This time Carr completed his pass, but ir only gained 3 yards. For the fourth time in the red zone, it was time for Carlson to kick a 25 yard field goal. with 9 1/2 minutes left in regulation. This time he missed it. It was a shocking miss and the shortest miss of his career. The Raiders got it back at their own 12. Yet from their own 24 with 5 minutes left, Carr went deep and was intercepted by McKinney again at  midfield. The Raiders defense held the Giants to a 38 yard Gano field goal for a 7 point Giants lead with 3:20 to play. After a touchback Carr led the Raiders down the field again. With 50 seconds left, the Raiders had 1st and 10 at the Giants 13. After an incompletion, Carr went back to pass and was sacked and fumbled. The Giants recovered as the dazed Raiders blew a golden chance to lead the AFC West. 6 red zone trips produced one touchdown, 3 field goals, one missed field goal, and one of Carr’s three turnovers. It was Rich Bisaccia’s first loss as interim head coach. 23-16 Giants. 

Los Angeles Chargers at Philadelphia Eagles — A pair of average teams played a competitive game. In the first quarter the Chargers managed a 98 yard drive that did not produce a score. 15 plays and 7 minutes saw them go from their own one to 1st and goal at the 2. Justin Herbert threw incomplete twice sandwiched around a run that went nowhere. Brandon Staley gambled on 4th and goal at the 2 and Herbert hit Keenan Allen for only one yard. Yet the Chargers held on defense and got the ball back at the Philly 38. Herbert hit Jared Cook for 9 and again for 23. This time Herbert hit Stephen Anderson for a 2 yard touchdown at the end of the first quarter for a 7-0 Chargers lead. After a touchback, Jordan Howard ran for 8, 18 and 4. Jalen Hurts then hit Smith for 27. On 3rd and 3 from the Chargers 11, Hurts gained 4. On 3rd and goal at the 4, Howard ran it in for a 7-7 game. 

The Chargers moved from their own 24 to a 4th and 2 at the Philly 27. Brandon Staley gambled again and lost again as Kelley only gained one. The Eagles from their own 26 went on a staggering 16 play, 68 yard, 7 minute drive. Yet on 3rd and goal at the 6, Hurts threw incomplete. Jake Elliott hit a 24 yard field goal to end the half with the Eagles on top 10-7. The Chargers began the third quarter by moving from their own 31 to a 1st and 10 at the Philly 13. Ekelr gained nothing, Herbert threw incomplete, and on 3rd and 10 Herbert gained one yard. Dustin Hopkins hit the 30 yard field goal for a 10-10 game.  

The Chargers got it back at their own 34. Herbert hit Williams deep for 49 and Keenan Allen for 8. On 3rd and 1 from the Philadelphia 8, Herbert hit Donald Parham for the touchdown to make it 16-10 Chargers. The extra point was no good. The Eagles came back from their own 15. Hurts hit Smith for 23 and 19 and Dallas Goedert for 21. On 3rd and 8 from the Chargers 15, Hurts ran for 12. Kenneth Gainwell ran for 2 and then for the one yard touchdown as the Eagles led 17-16 after the 10 play, 85 yard drive.

The Chargers soon faced 3rd and 5 at their own 44. Herbert threw incomplete but defensive holding kept the drive going. The fourth quarter began with the Chargers facing 3rd and 9 at midfield. Herbert hit Allen for 18. On 3rd and 6 from the Philly 28, the defense jumped into the neutral zone. On 3rd and 1, Herbert got the yard. Austin Ekeler ran for 14 and Herbert ran for the 8 yard touchdown. Brandon Staley went for 2 and Herbert hit Cook successfully. The Chargers led 24-17 with 11 1/2 minutes left in regulation after the 10 play, 61 yard, 6 1/2 minute drive. Both offenses were moving at will as the Eagles took over at their own 22. On 2nd and 16 from their own 16, Hurts hit Smith for 19. Boston Scott ran for 10. On 3rd and 4 just past midfield, Hurts got just enough. On 3rd and 4 from the Chargers 39, Hurts gained 11. Hurts then went to Devonta Smith for a 28 yard touchdown. For the third time on the day, the game was tied 24-24. 

6 minutes remained in the game after a touchback, and the Chargers used it all. Ekeler gained 14. With 2:48 left the Chargers faced 4th and 1 at the Philly 39. A field goal try would be 57 yards. Brandon Staley gambled again and Ekelr gained 2 yards. With 1:45 to play the Eagles took their last timeout on defense as the Chargers faced 4th and 1 at the Philly 28. This time a field goal would only be 46 yards. Again Staley went for it. This seemed crazy, but he apparently had no faith in his defense. Herbert got the yard. The Eagles were helpless to stop the clock and get the ball back. Both teams were out of timeouts, and the Chargers almost got too cute by half. Ekeler ripped off a 16 yard run, but the clock was ticking. Herbert got everyone to the line and spiked the ball to stop the clock with 5 seconds left. Hopkins came in for a field goal try to win it, and instead of 57 or 46, it was only from 29 yards out. Hopkins was good as the Chargers at 5-3 got back into a first place tie in the AFC West. 27-24 Eagles. 

Green Bay Packers at Kansas City Chiefs —The Packers had won 7 straight after their opening day humiliation to look like a 7-1 powerhouse while the Chiefs were uncharacteristically struggling after eking out a home win against the lowly Giants to get to .500. Yet the big news was Aaron Rodgers catching Covid and being put in protocol for at least 10 days. Rodgers was unvaccinated, leading to mass analysis that has nothing to do with football. From a football perspective, it meant Jordan Love got his very first NFL start. It was brutal, as was the entire game. The Chiefs faced 4th and 1 at their own 45 and Walrus Andy Reid decided to go for it. Damien Williams gained 11, 7 and 7 again. On 3rd and 8 from the Green Bay 18, Patrick Mahomes hit Tyreek Hill for 8. On 3rd and 4 from the Green Bay 7, Williams gained 6. On 3rd and goal at the one, Mahomes hit Travis Kelce for the touchdown. The 15 play, 64 yard, 8 minute drive had the Chiefs up 7-0 in a game that featured virtually no offense the final 51 minutes.

The first quarter ended with Mason Crosby missing a 40 yard field goal. Then in the second quarter Crosby’s  37 yard try was blocked. The Packers then fumbled a punt to give the Chiefs 1st and goal at the 10. Andy Reid tried to go for it on 4th and goal at the one, but a false start killed the chance. Harrison Butker hit a 24 yard field goal to make it 10-0 Chiefs with 1:51 left in the half. The Packersquickly moved from their own 22 to a 4th and 5 at the Chiefs 38 with 30 seconds left. Rather than try a 56 yard field goal, Matt LaFleur went for it. Love threw incomplete. 27 seconds was enough for Mahomes from his own 38. He went deep to Kelce for 25. Butker drilled a 55 yard field goal as the Chiefs led 13-0 at the break.The difference was the Chiefs made their field goals and the Packers did not.

The defenses dominated the second half as the third quarter was scoreless. In the fourth quarter the Packers moved from their own 8 yard line on a 14 play, 68 yard, 7 minute drive. With 9 minutes left on 3rd and 10 from the Chiefs 24, Love went deep and was intercepted. The Packers finally got on the scoreboard when Love hit Allen Lazard for a 20 yard touchdown with 5 minutes remaining. Down by 6, the Packers needed a defensive stop against a Chiefs offense that had done virtually nothing. At the 2 minute warning with the Packers out of timeouts, everything came down to the Chiefs facing 3rd and 10 at the Green Bay 48. You run the ball in this situation and punt. Every. Single. Time. Yet Andy Reid did not go from Walrus Lite to full Walrus status by playing it safe or conventional. He trusted the best player in the game to make a play knowing an incompletion would stop the clock. Mahomes rolled out to his right and other heavy pressure somehow fired a laser to Hill for 13 yards and a first down. Mahomes took a couple knees. In a season where nothing has come easy, the Chiefs got to 5-4 the hardest of the hard ways, making Andy Reid a most relieved walrus indeed. The Packers at 7-2 will wait to see if Rodgers, who might be eligible to return to the team Saturday, actually does. 13-7 Chiefs

Arizona Cardinals at San Francisco 49ers — The 1972 Dolphins popped champagne corks as the Cardinals last week became the last unbeaten team to lose. Yet at 7-1 they would have to play this game without Kyler Murray or Deandre Hopkins. For those wondering who Murray’s backup is, another question was finding out whatever happened to Colt McCoy. Connect the dots, as McCoy faced off against a struggling San Francisco team that took Arizona to the limit in the desert earlier this year. The rematch was no contest. An early 49ers fumble gave the Cardinals the ball at they own 43. On 3rd and 1 from the San Francisco 48, James Conner gained 4. McCoy hit Zac Ertz for 9, Kirk for 9, and Moore for 8. On 3rd and 1 from the San Francisco 17, Conner gained 4 and then ran for the 13 yard touchdown to make it 7-0 Cardinals. The Cardinals got it back and faced 3rd and 18 at their own 12. McCoy went to Conner for 21 and Kirk for 17. On 3rd and 9 just past midfield, McCoy was sacked but a defensive facemask meant 15 yards and a first down. Kliff Kingsbury then went to the bag of tricks. Kirk took the lateral and threw the halfback option pass to Wesley for a 33 yard gain down to the one. Conner got in as the Cardinals led 14-0 after the first quarter. 

The 49ers moved down the field but fumbled the ball away at the Arizona 7. In the second quarter the Cardinals moved 85 yards in 14 plays and 8 1/2 minutes. The Cardinals settled for a 26 yard Matt Prater field goal but still led 17-0. After a touchback, Jimmy Garoppolo hit Mitchell for 11 and Kyle Juszczyk for 10. Defensive pass interference on the next play added 19. Mitchell ran for 14 and 6. On 3rd and 11 from the Arizona 24, Garoppolo hit Brandon Aiyuk for 16. With 16 seconds left in the half, Garoppolo hit George Kittle for a 6 yard touchdown to get the 49ers within 17-7. Three plays into the third quarter, the Cardinals turned out the lights. From their own 28, McCoy hit Wesley for 25 and Conner for a 45 yard touchdown and a 24-7 Cardinals lead. The Cardinals got it back at their own 29. Conner ran for a 35 yard gain. On 4th and 1 at the Frisco 27, Kliff Kingsbury went or the kill shot. McCoy got the yard. Eno Benjamin ran for a 21 yard touchdown to make it 31-7 Cardinals midway through the third quarter. The 49ers did manage a third quarter touchdown and a fourth quarter field goal to get within 14, but no closer. with 3 minutes left on 3rd and 5 from his own 25, Garoppolo was intercepted by Buddha Baker for the final dagger. They are not unbeaten, but the 8-1 Cardinals again reclaimed the NFL’s best record with a sweep of the 49ers. 31-17 Cardinals

Tennessee Titans at Los Angeles Rams was the Sunday night game. In 1999, these two best NFL teams met in a regular season classic won by the Titans. The rematch in the Super Bowl saw “the tackle” at the one yard line for a Rams triumph. 22 years later, the 6-2 Titans took on the 7-1 Rams in a legitimate Super Bowl preview. Yet the Titans were without derrick Henry for the year, as Adrian Peterson joined the roster in time for this game. The Rams already looked dominant before acquiring Von Miller before the trade deadline. Miller was inactive for this game due to injury, but this seemed like a case of a good Titans team taking on a great Rams team. An early interception of Ryan Tannehill had the Rams at their own 35. The 10 play, nearly 5 minutes drive led to a 3rd and 4 at the Tennessee 16. Matthew Stafford threw incomplete. Matt Gay hit the 34 yard field goal to make it 3-0 Rams.

The game changed drastically in the second quarter when a punt pinned the Rams at their own 4 yard line. On 3rd and 4 from their 10 under heavy pressure, Stafford made a bad mistake. He thought he was about to be sacked for a safety, although forward progress would have allowed the Rams to punt from inside their own one yard line. There is no way in that situation to expect a quarterback to know that in the moment. To avoid the supposed safety, Stafford threw a duck that was intercepted by Long, who returned it 6 yards to the Rams 2 yard line. On the next play Tannehill hit Geoff Swaim for the score to make it 7-3 Titans. On the very next play from scrimmage from his own 21, Stafford’s pass to the sideline was intercepted by Kevin Byard, who returned it 24 yards for another defensive touchdown. 2 touchdowns in 15 seconds had the Titans up 14-3 without any offense.

The Titans got it back at their own 36. Tannehill went to Julio Jones for 10. On 3rd and 9 from their own 47, the defense jumped into the neutral zone. On 3rd and 4, Tannehill hit Westbrook for 14. A defensive facemask added 15 more. On 3rd and 9 from the Rams 17, Tannehill hit Jones for 8. Mike Vrabel went for it on 4th and 1 from the 9. Tannehill gained 2. On 3rd and goal from the one, Tannehill threw incomplete. Vrabel went for it again. On 4th and goal, Tannehill got the yard for a 21-3 Titans lead just before the 2 minute warning.

The Rams tried to fight their way back in it but did not succeed. In the third quarter they moved from their own 12 to a 2nd and goal at the 4. Stafford threw incomplete. On 3rd and goal he hit Higbee for the touchdown. On further review, Higbee was ruled to have stepped out of bounds, resulting in an incompletion. Sean McVay settled for a 22 yard Gay field goal. The Rams moved from their own 29 to a 3rd and 6 at the Titans 30. Stafford was sacked. On the first play of the fourth quarter, Gay drilled a 54 yard field goal but the Rams still trailed 21-9. The Rams got it back at their own 17 and moved to a 4th and 1 at the Titans 40 with 6 1/2 minutes left. Stafford threw incomplete. The Titans faced 3rd and 3 from their own 48 and Tannehill threw incomplete. Yet roughing the passer was a dagger. Another roughing the passer call was followed by a 16 yard completion from Tannehill to AJ Brown. On 3rd and goal at the one, Peterson got in to make it 28-9 with 3 minutes left. The Rams finally got their only touchdown of the game with 24 seconds left. Both teams are 7-2, but this was a statement win. The Titans played pure smashmouth and just belted the Rams in the mouth. 28-16 Titans

Chicago Bears at Pittsburgh Steelers was the Monday night game. The Steelers were 1-3 but then won 3 straight. Mike Tomlin teams are resilient and hard hitting, and Rocky Bleier and Pittsburgh native Bret Michaels had the terrible towels waving at kickoff. A field position game early had the Steelers starting at their own 41. On 3rd and 7 just shy of midfield, Ben Roethlisberger went to Chase Claypool for 26. Washington ran for 12 and Najee Harris ran for the 10 yard touchdown to make it 7-0 Steelers. An interception of Justin Fields had the Steelers with a short field at the Chicago 36. On 3rd and 1 from the Chicago 27, Harris got stopped. Tomlin set the tone and the attitude, went for it, and fed Harris again on 4th and 1. This time Harris gained 2 as the first quarter ended. Roethlisberger hit Johnson for 11. On 3rd and goal at the 4, Big Ben hit Freiermuth for the touchdown. 90 seconds into the second quarter, the Steelers had the 14-0 lead.  

With 3 minutes left in the half Matt Nagy decided to go for it on 4th and 1 from his own 45. The Steelers encroached and the drive continued. With 30 seconds left in the half the Bears had 2nd and goal at the 7. An incompletion came when Jimmy Graham had the ball knocked out of his hands at the last moment. This was followed by a false start and another incompletion. Cairo Santos hit the 30 yard field goal as the Bears trailed 14-3. In the third quarter the Bears took over at their own 7. They moved to a 2nd and goal at the one. Fields hit Graham for the touchdown. Yet a low block on the offense nullified the score and killed the drive. Santos hit a 22 yard field goal to cap the 10 play, 89 yard, 5 minute drive and get the Bears within 14-6 midway through the third quarter. After a touchback, Roethlisberger went deep to Washington for 42. On 3rd and 1 from the Chicago 24, Harris got stopped. Mike Tomlin went for it again and fed Harris again. Harris on 4th and 1 got the yard. Chase Claypool gained 11. On 3rd and 8 from the Chicago 10, Roethlisberger fired high over the middle Freiermuth, who came down with it for the touchdown. The extra point was no good but the Steelers led 20-6 after three quarters.

The Bears took over at their own 18. Montgomery gained 12. Fields gained 5 and then hit Mooney for 20. The fourth quarter began with the Bears facing 2nd and 8 at the Pittsburgh 43. Fields went deep to Graham for 28. Montgomery then took the direct snap and ran for a 15 yard touchdown. Despite being dominated all game, the Bears were only down 20-13. After a touchback, Big Ben went deep incomplete and drew a 30 yard defensive pass interference call. On 2nd and 1 from the Chicago 36, Johnson got stopped. On 3rd and 1, Harris got stopped. This was another 4th and 1 and Mike Tomlin surprised a lot of people by bringing in Chris Boswell for a 54 yard field goal. Heinz Field is not the easiest place to kick, but Boswell delivered to give the Steelers some breathing room up 23-13 with 12 minutes left in regulation.

Things got worse for the Bears when Grant returned the kickoff 32 yards but coughed it up. Boswell of all people recovered it for the Steelers at the Chicago 42. Things got worse for the Bears when Grant returned the kickoff 32 yards but coughed it up. Boswell of all people recovered it for the Steelers at the Chicago 42. Yet the Chicago defense held. With 6 1/2 minutes left and down by 10, Matt Nagy chose to punt on 4th and 7 from his own 23. The Steelers would win this game easily unless they gave it away. McCloud then got hit on the punt return and fumbled the ball. Houston-Carson picked it up and strolled 25 yards for a touchdown. Just like that, the Bears were right back in it down 23-20.

The Steelers after a touchback moved to a 2nd and 8 at their own 47. Roethlisberger fumbled again and it was returned for a touchdown in front of a stunned home crowd. Yet on further review it was an incomplete pass. Big Ben’s arm was clearly going forward. The call was completely correct, but on the next play officials blew it in the worst possible way at the worst possible time. On 3rd and 8 Roethlisberger was belted for a sack by Cassius Marsh to set up 4th and 15. Yet after the play, Marsh was called for taunting. This was a horrendous call. Marsh did not taunt anyone. He did not even say anything. Rather than get the ball back with 3 1/2 minutes left down by 3, the Steelers kept the ball. The Chicago defense kept coming even without Khalil Mack and other stars in the lineup. On 2nd and 7 from the Chicago 36, Roethlisberger was belted for a 9 yard loss. On 3rd and 16 from the Chicago 45, a completion to Johnson gained 11. Boswell drilled a 52 yard field goal. Despite being dominated all game, the Bears after a touchback got the ball back down by 6 with a full 2:52 to play.

 Fields hit Allen Robinson for 9 although forward progress should have given Robinson the first down. On 2nd and 1 Fields went for the bomb and just barely overthrew the receiver’s outstretched fingertips. On 3rd and 1, Fields faked the handoff, kept it himself, and gained and got out of bounds with 2:14 to play. At the 2 minute warning, the Bears faced 3rd and 2 at their own 45. They still had one timeout left. Time was not a factor. Every Mike Tomlin critic on earth was calling him out for the billionth time for being too conservative. The critics are wrong. Meanwhile, Matt Nagy has faced equally harsh criticism for the same reason. His critics are usually right, but this time his patience and trust in his defense paid off. Now it was up to his anemic offense. Fields went deep again and hit Robinson for a 39 yard gain. Fields then then rolled to his left and fired to the end zone. Somehow with a man draped all over him, Fields hit Mooney in the end zone. Mooney somehow got both feet down for the touchdown. The Bears had trailed all game but had their first lead 27-26 with 1:46 left. 

The Steelers took over at their own 25 with one timeout left. In the history of the franchise, the Steelers had never kiosk a home game after leading by 14 points at home. They were 214-0 with 2 ties. One of those ties came when their opponent completed multiple Hail Marys. Roethlisberger hit Harris for 4 and McCloud for 12. Then the defense jumped into the neutral zone for 5 more. Big Ben then hit Johnson for 22 to get the Steelers in long field goal range. On 3rd and 2 from the Chicago 24, Roethlisberger kept it and came up inches short. A first down would have let the Steelers take the clock down to 3 seconds and then kick it. Instead on 4th and inches there was no debate. Boswell came in for a field goal try for the lead from 40 yards out. Matt Nagy made a horrendous decision to take his last timeout on defense to try and ice the kicker, which virtually never works. Boswell was good and the Steelers led by 2. The Bears got it back at their own 25 without a timeout and only 25 seconds left. With 2 seconds left from the Pittsburgh 47, Matt Nagy decided against a Hail Mary or hook and lateral. Santos came in for a 65 yard field goal try. The kick was down the middle but a few yards short. The Steelers barely survived to get their fourth straight win and get to 5-3 on the year. 29-27 Steelers

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