THE TYGRRRR EXPRESS

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NFL 2021 Week 5 Recap

Los Angeles Rams at Seattle Seahawks was the Thursday night game. One week after getting humbled at home by Arizona, the Rams traveled to Seattle. The first half was almost all defense. Late in the first quarter, the Seahawks faced 4th and 2 from the Rams 29. Pete Carroll went for it and Collins lost a yard. Matthew Stafford and Russell Wilson then traded interceptions. In the second quarter, the Seahawks took over at their own 17. Wilson hit Hart for 14. Defensive pass interference on a deep ball meant a 47 yard gain. Wilson then went to DK Metcalf for a 19 yard touchdown to make it 7-0 Seahawks. 

The Rams took over at their own 24 and moved 63 yards in 14 plays and 8 minutes. On 4th and 1 from the Seattle 23, Sean McVay went for it and Sony Michel gained 2. On 3rd and 1 from the Seattle 12, Michel lost a yard. With just over one minute left in the half, this time McVay settled for the field goal. Matt Gay hit from 31 to get the Rams within 7-3. Wilson worked the final minute perfectly, but Jason Myers missed a 35 yard field goal that would have extended the Seattle lead.

The Rams owned the third quarter despite taking over at their own 4 yard line. On 3rd and 3 from their 11, Stafford hit Robert Woods for 9. On 3rd and 10 from their own 20, Stafford went deep to Desean Jackson for 68 yards. Darrell Henderson ran for 7 and then the 5 yard touchdown. The extra point was no good but the Rams led 9-7. The Rams got it back at their own 18. Stafford hit Woods for a pair of 20 yard gains. Henderson ripped off a 29 yard gain. Stafford hit Tyler Higbee for a 13 yard touchdown to make it 16-7 Rams. 

Stafford was playing the entire game with an injured finger. After Wilson collided hands with Aaron Donald, he too had an injured finger. Yet Stafford was able to play the whole game while Wilson had to sit out the fourth quarter. Geno Smith took his place and did quite well. The Seahawks began the fourth quarter at their own 2 yard line. A defensive pass interference call gave the Seahawks 13 yards. Smith then hit Metcalf for 17 and Dissly for 8. On 3rd and 1 from the Rams 47, Dallas gained 2. Smith went to Disney for 21 and then to Metcalf for a 23 yard touchdown. with over 9 minutes to play, the 10 play, 98 yard, 6 1/2 minute drive had the Seahawks within 16-14. 

The Rams took over at their own 27 and stayed aggressive. Stafford went to Woods for 24 and to Cooper Kupp for 33 more. Stafford hit Kupp again for 13. Michel ran for the 2 yard touchdown to give the Rams breathing room up 23-14 with 6 minutes left. In addition to missing an extra point, Gay twice on the night kicked a kickoff out of bounds to set the Seahawks up at their own 40. With just over 3 minutes to play the Seahawks had 1st and 10 at the Rams 14. Smith threw 3 straight incompletions. Needing 2 scores, Myers hit the 32 yard field goal to get the Seahawks within 23-17. The Seahawks held on defense and got the ball back at their own 16 with 2:09 left and a chance to win it. Smith was immediately intercepted. The Rams took over at the Seattle 32. With 24 seconds left, Gay came in for a 47 yard field goal try to lock up the win. A miss would give the Seahawks a chance at a miracle. Gay atoned for his earlier misses and snuck this kick inside the upright good as the Rams got to 4-1 on the year. 26-17 Rams 

New York Jets at Atlanta Falcons is the Sunday early morning London game. The NFL did not explain why it hates the British people so much that it delivered them such a terrible matchup. The Falcons were less awful than the Jets, jumping all over Gang Green from the start. The Falcons moved from their own 25 to a 4th and 1 at the Jets 40. Cordaderelle Patterson gained 12 yards. 14 plays, 62 yards and 6 minutes led to a 31 yard Younghoe Koo field goal to make it 3-0 Falcons. The Falcons got it back at their own 8 yard line. On 3rd and 1 from their own 25, Matt Ryan hit Sharpe for 14, Pitts for 18, Smith for 22, Patterson for 16, and Pitts for a 2 yard touchdown. The 10 play, 92 yard, 5 minute drive made it 10-0 Falcons. The second quarter had the Falcons starting at their own 23. Ryan hit Patterson for 13 and 5. On 3rd and 1 from their own 46, Ryan hit Pitts for 22 with roughing the passer adding 15. On 3rd and 10 from the Jets 17, Ryan went to Hurst for the touchdown to make it 17-0 Falcons. 

The rest of the second quarter was pointless. Zach Wilson was intercepted but the Falcons fumbled the ball back. Ammendola hit a 31 yard field goal with 2:18 left in the half to finally get the Jets on the board. Koo hit a 52 yard field goal to end the half with the Falcons cruising 20-3. The Jets got a spark to start the third quarter when Trevor Coleman returned the second half kickoff 66 yards to the Atlanta 29. Carter gained 7 and 8. On 3rd and 4 from the Atlanta 8, Johnson gained 6, one, and then the one yard touchdown. The extra point doinked off the upright no good as the Jets trailed 29. The rest of the third quarter was also pointless. With 9 1/2 minutes left in regulation the Jets took over at their own 10. Wilson hit Crowder for 7 and Cole for 23. On 1st and 20 from their own 30, Wilson hit Mims for 27. Defensive pass interference on the next play meant a 41 yard gain down to the Atlanta 2. Carter got in for the score. Robert Saleh went for 2 and Wilson hit Crowder for the conversion. Midway through the fourth quarter, the Jets were within 20-17.

After a touchback, the Falcons finally began moving again.  Ryan went deep to Pitts for 39 yards. On 3rd and 13 from the Jets 39, Ryan hit Zaccheaus for 15. On 3rd and 2 from the Jets 15, , Ryan hit Patterson for 7. Davis gained 6 and then got the 3 yard touchdown. With 2:19 to play, the Falcons led 27-17. The Jets quickly moved from their own 25 to a 1st and 10 at the Atlanta 14 with 30 seconds left. Wilson was sacked for a 17 yard loss. Needing 2 scores, Robert Saleh immediately went with the field goal try. Ammendola hit from 49 but the onside kick try failed. For some reason, the Jets are being allowed back to the United States despite our begging Britain to keep them. 27-20 Falcons

    

Detroit Lions at Minnesota Vikings — The winless Lions took on a Vikings team that won once. The Lions got on the board first with a 39 yard Austin Siebert field goal. Greg Joseph responded from 38 for a 3-3 game after the first quarter. A Lions fumble led to another 38 yard Joseph field goal and a 6-3 Vikings second quarter lead. The Vikings  got it back at their own 12. Alexander Mattison ran for 11 and 3 Kirk Cousins hit Justin Jefferson for 14 and 22. Roughing the passer on the next play added 15 more. Cousins hit Mattison for a 15 yard touchdown to make it 13-3 Vikings with 2 1/2 minutes left in the half. After a touchback, the Lions soon faced 3rd and 8 from their own 37. Jared Goff hit Cephus for 21 and Seibert hit a 52 yard field goal as the Lions trailed 13-6 at halftime. The third quarter was scoreless as each quarterback was intercepted. The Vikings moved from their own 20 on a 10 play drive that took 5 minutes off the clock. With 4 1/2 minutes remaining, Joseph buried a 55 yard field goal to give the Vikings a 16-6 lead. The Lions moved from their own 25 to a 3rd and 3 at the Minnesota 45. An 18 yard gain was wiped out by offensive holding. On 4th and 15, Goff was sacked. With 3:43 left, this game seemed completely over. 

The Vikings took over at the Detroit 34. All they had to do was run down the clock. On 3rd and 7, Cousins threw incomplete. With 3:22 left, Joseph came in for a 49 yard field goal try to extend the lead. The kick was no good. The Lions took over at their own 39. Goff hit Brown for 18 and Swift for 21. On 1st ant 10 from the Minnesota 22, Goff threw 3 straight incompletions. Needing 2 scores, Seibert came in for the 40 yard field goal try. The Lions trailed 16-9 with 2 1/2 minutes left. The Vikings took over on their own 18. The 2 minute warning came with the Vikings facing 3rd and 7 at their own 21. The Lions were out of timeouts One first down would end the game. Even a run that came up short would give the Lions the ball back with only one minute left. Mattison got the carry and fumbled. The Lions recovered at the Minnesota 20. They Lions had been given a miracle. This crazy game was about to get even crazier. 

Goff hit St. Brown for 10. Then Swift ran for a 7 yard touchdown. Rather than tie the game, Dan Campbell went for the win on the road. The Lions were winless. They had literally nothing to lose. Goff hit Hodge for the 2 point conversion. The Lions led 17-16 with only 37 seconds remaining. Now from their own 18 with 2 timeouts left, the Vikings needed a miracle of their own. Cousins went to Adam Thielen for 21, Westbrook for 6 and Thielen for 19. Cousins spiked the ball with 3 seconds left. Joseph came in for a 54 yard field goal to try and win it for the Vikings. The Lions lost at home a couple weeks ago 19-17 when Justin Tucker made a 66 yard field goal for Baltimore. Yet Joseph had missed a 36 yard field goal that cost the Vikings a win early in the season. Something had to give. Joseph was good, and the lions remained winless after another heartbreaking loss. 64 years later, the curse of Bobby Layne continues to haunt the Lions. 19-17 Vikings

New Orleans Saints at Washington Debt Ceilings — An early interception of Jameis Winston set up the N-Names at the Saints 31. Dustin Hopkins hit a 45 yard field goal for a 3-0 lead for the No-Names. 3 plays later after a touchback the Saints faced 3rd and 7 from their own 28. Winston went deep to Harris for a 72 yard touchdown bomb and a 7-3 Saints lead. The No-Names came back 72 yards in 12 plays and nearly 6 1/2 minutes. From their own 23, the No-Names moved to a 2nd and goal at the 5. Taylor Heinicke threw incomplete twice. Hopkins hit from 23 as the No-Names only trailed 7-6. 

Three plays later after a touchback, Winston was sacked and fumbled to give the No-Names a short field at the Saints 44. The No-Names punted on 4th and 15 but a roughing the kicker penalty gave the No-Names 1st and 10 at the Saints 34. Defensive pass interference on the next play gave the No-Names 16 more yards. A sack had the No-Names facing 2nd and 17 from the Saints 25. Henicki ran for 13. The second quarter began with the No-Names facing 3rd and 4 from the Saints 12. Heinickie hit Seals-Jones for 7. Gibson ran for the 5 yard touchdown put the N-Names up 13-7. 

After a touchback, Winston went to Taysom Hill for 11 and Callaway for 10. Winston went deep incomplete to Hill, who suffered a helmet to helmet hit. The unnecessary roughness flag gave the Saints 15 yards, but Hill was taken to the locker room on the golf cart. Winston went to Alvin Kamara for 12 and Kamara then ran for a 23 yard touchdown. The extra point was no good as the game was tied 13-13. The No-Names had plenty of chances but squandered them. They moved from their own 25 to a 2nd and 7 at the Saints 16. Heinicke was intercepted at the 2 yard line. Washington got it back with a short field at the Saints 47. On 1st and 10 from the Saints 35, Heinicke threw 3 straight incompletions. Riverboat Ron Rivera went for it rather than try a 53 yard field goal. Henicke threw a 4th straight incompletion. With 19 seconds left in the half, the No-Names punted on 4th and 5 from their own 6. A 13 yard return by Kamara gave the Saints enough time for one play from just past midfield. Jameis Winston rolled to his right, through the Hail Mary to the end zone, and the prayer was answered by Marquez Callaway for the touchdown as the Saints took a 20-13 lead to the locker rooms. 

In the third quarter the No-Names faced 3rd and 1 from their own 34. Gibson gained 6 and 16. Patterson had gains of 9 and 2. Carter gained 11. Yet on 2nd and goal at the 4, Gibson lost 2 and then Heinicke threw incomplete. Hopkins hit the 24 yard field goal as the No-Names trailed 20-16 after three quarters. Early in the fourth quarter the No-Names faced 3rd and 10 from their own 2 yard line. Heinicke went deep and was intercepted Williams. The Saints had a short field at the Washington 26. Winston hit Trautman for 11. On 3rd and 7 from the Washington 12, winston hit Callaway for the touchdown. With 12 minutes left in regulation the Saints led 27-16. 

After a touchback and a 4 yard defensive pass interference e penalty, Heinicke went deep to Humphries for a 25 yard gain. On 4th and 14 just past midfield with 10 minutes left, ron Rivera again went for it. Heinicke went deep to Carter for 26 and then ran for 16 more. A 4 yard defensive pass interference call 2 plays later meant 1st and goal at the one. Gibson got in. The 2 point try failed but the No-Names were within 27-22 midway through the fourth quarter. The Saints soon faced 3rd and 1 from their own 34. Winston got stopped. Ron Rivera has the riverboat nickname but Sean Payton called an onside kick in the Super Bowl to start the second half. With 6:12 to play, Payton risked it all by going for it in his own territory. On 4th and 1, Winston gained 2. On the next play  Winston went deep to Trautman for 32. Kamara gained 11. Winston went to Kamara for the 19 yard touchdown with 3 minutes left to ice the game. Cody Parkey, the king of the double doink, doinked the extra point off the upright no good. 33-22 Saints

 

New England Patriots at Houston Texans — The Patriots have struggled this year but 2 plays late were the difference in them being 1-3 rather than 3-1. All they had to do was beat the Texans, who were quarterbacked by the lowest rated quarterback in the league in Davis Mills. So naturally Mills came out looking like a Hall of Famer. He began by leading the drive of the year. 18 plays. 79 yards. 10 minutes off the clock. From their own 21, Mark Ingram ran for 8, one, and on 3rd and 1 from their own 30, one more. On 3rd and 8 from their own 33, Mills threw incomplete but defensive pass interference meant a 10 yard gain. On 3rd and 1 from the New England 48, Mills gained 2. On 3rd and 5 from the New England 41, Johnson gained 2. David Culley decided to go for it rather than try a 56 yard field goal. . On 4th and 2 from the Patriots 38, Mills hit Johnson for 8 and again for 10. On 3rd and 1 from the New England 11, Mills hit Auclair for the touchdown. The extra point was no good, which would be common in this game as the Texans had the 6-0 lead.

After missing the extra point, Kaimi Fairbairn hit the ensuing kickoff out of bounds to set up the Patriots up at their own 40. On 3rd and 2 from their own 48, Mac Jones hit Kendrick Bourne for 15. Bourne then ran for 12. On 3rd and 3 from the Houston 18, Jones hit Nelson Agholor for 11. The second quarter began with the Patriots facing 3rd and goal from the one. Diontae Harris took the direct snap and got in. Nick Folk missed the extra point as well for a 6-6 game. 3 plays after a touchback, the Texans faced 3rd and 2 from their own 33. Mills went deep to Moore for a 67 yard touchdown. Fairbairn again missed the extra point but the texans led 12-6. The Patriots fumbled and the Texans took over at their own 20. On 3rd and 17 from their own 25, Mills hit Johnson for 16. David Culley gambled on 4th and 1 from his own 42. Mills hit Brandon Cooks for 6. At the 2 minute warning the Texans had 1st and goal at the 2. Then came a false start and a pair of sacks by Judon. Fairbairn hit the 33 yard field goal, which coincidentally is as long as the 2 missed extra points. The 15 play, 65 yard, 7 minute drive had the Texans up 15-6. 

The Patriots took over at their own 24 with 90 seconds left in the half. Jones hit Hunter Henry for 5, Bourne for 7, Henry again for 16, and Meyers for 9. Nick Folk buried a 52 yard field goal to end the half with the Patriots within 15-9. Yet on the second play of the third quarter on 2nd and 10 from their own 27, Jones was intercepted. The Texans had a short field from the New England 44. Two plays later Mills hit Chris Conley for a 37 yard touchdown as the Texans had the shocking 22-9 lead. With 10 1/2 minutes left in regulation and the Texans in total control, David Culley got too cute for his own good. On 4th and 2 from his own 36, he decided to punt. He then had his punter move up to the line and pretend like it was a fake punt. Then after all of that, Johnston was supposed to punt it anyway. The Texans outfoxed themselves as Johnston’s punt bounced off the helmet of a New England player. Technically it went in the books as a blocked punt for 0 yards. 

Houston’s defense kept them in the game as Jones’s 3rd and 10 pass gained only 3 yards. Folk again hit from 52 to get the Patriots within 22-12. The Patriots got it back at their own 39. Jones went to Henry for 21 and Agholor for 20 more. On 3rd and 12 from the Houston 18, a completion only gained 4 yards. Folk hit again from 32 as the Patriots trailed 22-15 after three quarters. The Texans moved from their own 22 to a 3rd and 7 at the Pats 41. A completion only gained 3 yards. David Culley gambled on a 56 yard field goal to give the Texans some breathing room 90 seconds into the fourth quarter. Fairbairn had already missed 2 extra points, and this kick was no good as well. The Patriots took over at their own 46. Harris gained 7. Jones hit Henry for 10. Harris gained 5 and 15. On 3rd and 5 from the Houston 13, Jones hit Henry for the touchdown. With 9 1/2 minutes left in regulation, the game was tied 22-22.

The Patriots got it back midway through the fourth quarter at their own 13. Jones hit meyer for 24. On 3rd and 18 from their own 29, Jones threw deep incomplete but a killer roughing the passer penalty kept the drive going. On 3rd and 6 from their own 48, Jones hit Henry for 10. Bolden ran for 24. Stevenson added 9. Jones gained 3 to set up 1st and goal at the 6 at the 2 minute warning. Stevenson ran for 2 yards as the Texans took their final timeout. Stevenson ran for a 4 yard touchdown but it was nullified by an illegal shift. The Texans would have been better off had he scored. Helpless to stop the clock, New England fell forward 

a couple times and took the clock down to 17 seconds. On 4th and goal from the 3, Folk came in to be the hero. Last week he had a 56 yard field goal to win it doink off the upright no good. This one was only from 21. Jones had led a 15 play, 84 yard drive that took 7 minutes off the clock. Folk was good, and the Texans collapse at home was complete. 25-22 Patriots

 

Miami Dolphins at Tampa Bay Buccaneers — A battle of Florida had the Dolphins move from their own 25 to a 2nd and goal at the 5. Myles Gaskin got stopped and Brissett threw incomplete. Jason Sanders hit the 23 yard field goal. to make it 3-0 Dolphins. The Buccaneers took over at their own 20. Tom Brady hit OH Howard for 9 and Mike Evans for 26. Leonard Fournette ran for 17. Brady hit Chris Godwin for 13. On 3rd and 6 from the Miami 10, Brady hit Giovanni Benard for the touchdown and the 7-3 Buccaneers lead. After a touchback, Brissett hit Gaskin for gains of 9 and 12 and Hollins for 10. Defensive pass interference 2 plays later added 12 more yards. Brissett hit Shaheen for 5 and Gaskin for a 24 yard touchdown. The Dolphins led 10-7 after the first quarter, but in the second quarter reality set in.

The Buccaneers moved from their own 25 to a 3rd and 6 at the Miami 14. Brady was sacked for a 10 yard loss. Ryan Succop hit a 42 yard field goal for a 10-10 game. The Buccaneers got it back at their own 30 and only needed 3 plays. On 3rd and 2 from their own 38, Brady connected with Antonio Brown, who split the seams for a 62 yard touchdown and a 17-10 Buccaneers lead. The Buccaneers got it back at their own 23. Brady hit Fournette for 6, Howard for 10 and Fournette for 10 and 11. On 3rd and 3 from the Miami 10 at the 2 minute warning, Brady threw incomplete but defensive pass interference meant a 7 yard gain. Brady hit Brown for a 4 yard touchdown to cap the 13 play, 77 yard, 6 1/2 minute drive to make it 24-10 Buccaneers.

 The Dolphins after a touchback moved to a 2nd and 2 at the Tampa 30. Brissett was sacked and fumbled and the Buccaneers took over at their own 34 with 45 seconds left. Succop missed a 60 yard field goal to end the half. In the third quarter the Dolphins took over at their own 13. Gaskin ran for 13 Brissett went to Gesicki for 23. On 3rd and 1 from the Tampa 36, Brissett hit Gaskin for 2. On 3rd and 1 from the Tampa 17, Brissett threw incomplete but defensive pass interference meant 1st and goal at the one. Gaskin got in as the 11 play, 87 yard, 6 minute drive had the Dolphins within 24-17 midway through the third quarter.

The Buccaneers soon faced 3rd and 10 at their own 25. Brady hit Brown for 12. On 3rd and 1 from the Maimi 42, Brady hit Godwin for 12 and Fournette for 16. On 3rd and 2 from the Miami 5 to start the fourth quarter, Fournette got in to make it 31-17 Buccaneers. The Buccaneers got it back at their own 39 and moved quickly. Brady hit Jones for 15, Brown for 7, and Mike Evans for a 34 yard touchdown to make it 38-17 Buccaneers. Brissett was soon intercepted to give the Buccaneers a short field at the Fins 41. Brady hit Evans for a 22 yard touchdown to turn a close game into a blowout. Brady was phenomenal, finishing 30 of 41 for 411 yards, 5 touchdowns and 0 interceptions. 45-17 Buccaneers

Green Bay Packers at Cincinnati Bengals — This game will be talked about for a very long time. Announcer Paul Maguire once said, “I hate kickers. They should be paid $50 a game.” This game explained why. Both teams came in 3-1, as Joe Burrow hoped to outduel Aaron Rodgers. Early on Rodgers was intercepted, leading to nothing. With 6 minutes left in the opening quarter, the Bengals took over just shy of midfield. On 4th and 3 from the Green Bay 44, Zac Taylor went for it. Burrow hit Perine for 5. Joe Mixon gained 10. Burrow hit Sample for 6, Uzomah for 7, Mixon for 2, Perine for 10 and Perine again for a 4 yard touchdown. The 10 play, 51 yard, 5 minute drive had the Bengals up 7-0 after the first quarter.

After a touchback, Rodgers hit Davante Adams for 17. On 3rd and 12 from their own 40 to start the second quarter, Rodgers went deep to Adams for 34 and to Lewis for 14. Rodgers hit Dillon for a 12 yard touchdown. Mason Crosby doinked the extra point off the upright no good as the Packers trailed 7-6. The Packers got it back at their own 38. Rodgers hit Dillon for 13 and Adams for 24. The drive stalled but Crosby hit a 44 yard field goal to make it 9-7 Packers. The Packers got it back and soon aced 3rd and 6 from their own 23. Rodgers hit Adams for 15. and Dillon for 24. At the 2 minute warning from the Cincinnati 35, Rodgers hit Adams for 22. With one minute left in the half Rodgers hit Adams for a 5 yard touchdown and a 16-7 Packers lead. 

Only 2 plays after a touchback, the Bengals were right back in it. On 2nd and 5 from their own 30, Burrow went deep to Jamarr Chase. The defender mistimed the jump, and Chase had the 70 yard touchdown as the Bengals got within 16-14. In the third quarter Burrow went deep and was intercepted at the Green Bay 18. The Packers moved to a 3rd and 9 from the Cincy 28. Rodgers hit Adams for a 2 yard gain. After 12 plays, 66 yards and 7 1/2 minutes, the Packers settled for a 44 yard Crosby field goal to lead 19-14 with 6 minutes left in the third quarter. 

The Bengals moved from their own 25 to a 3rd and 2 at the Green Bay 30. Burrow threw incomplete and Zac Taylor decided to go for it. On 4th and 2, Burrow gained 5 but offensive holding killed the chance. The Bengals punted. The Packers began the fourth quarter at their own 15. From their own 35, Rodgers went deep to Adams for 59 yards. Yet on 3rd and goal from the Cincy 4, Rodgers threw incomplete. Crosby hit the 22 yard field goal to put the Packers up 22-14 with 11 1/2 minutes left in regulation. 

After a touchback, Perine gained 11. On 3rd and 5 from their own 40, Burrow went to Higgins for 10. On 3rd and 1 from the Green Bay 41, Perine lost a yard. On 4th and 2 midway through the fourth quarter, Burrow got just enough. On 3rd and 5 from the Green Bay 36, Burrow went to Chase for 19. Perine gained 9 and Mixon ran for the 8 yard touchdown. Burrow went to Tee Higgins for the 2 point conversion. The game was tied 22-22 with 3 1/2 minutes left. The rest of this game was indescribable. 

After a touchback, Jones ripped off a 57 yard gain. A run then gained nothing and Rodgers threw incomplete twice. With 2:14 left, Crosby came in for a 36 yard field goal to give the Packers the lead. Crosby had missed an extra point earlier. Crosby’s kick was no good. The Bengals took over at their own 26. Burrow led the Bengals to a 3rd and 5 at the Green Bay 42 with 30 seconds left. A completion gained only 3 yards. McPherson came in for a 57 yard field goal try to give the Bengals the lead. The kick doinked off the upright no good. This gave the Packers gift field position at their own 47 with 21 seconds left. Rodgers hit Adams for 20 and spiked the ball to stop the clock with 4 seconds left. Crosby had a chance at redemption from 51 yards out. Again, Crosby was no good. This game was headed to overtime. 

The Bengals got the ball to start overtime. On the first play from scrimmage after a touchback, Burrow was intercepted. Campbell returned it 13 yards to the Cincy 17. This game was all but over. 2 runs lost 5 yards and Matt LaFleur had seen enough. Despite 2 missed field goals and an extra point, Crosby came in for a 40 yard try to win it. Crosby was no good. The Bengals soon faced 3rd and 2 from their own 38. Burrow went to Chase for 21. On 3rd and 2 from the Green Bay 33, Mixon only gained one. On 4th and 1 Zac Taylor decided not to gamble. MacPherson came in for a 49 yard field goal try for his second try to win it. The kick was up, and McPherson jumped into the arms of his holder in celebration. The Bengals celebrated. Yet this was odd, since McPherson was again no good. They thought he made it. They thought wrong. 5 missed field goals in 8 minutes kept the game going. 

The Packers took over at their own 39. Rodgers hit Lewis for 20. On 3rd and 16 from the Cincy 47, Rodgers hit Randall Cobb for 15. With 1:55 left in overtime, Matt LaFleur had a big decision to make. Crosby had already missed 4 kicks, including 3 field goals and an extra point. This kick would be 49 yards. Going for it would possibly allow for a shorter kick or give the Bengals good field position. LeFleur went with his shaky kicker. Crosby was…good! It was less a celebration than a sigh of relief. Despite his miserable game, he helped his team win. 25-22 Packers, OT

Denver Broncos at Pittsburgh Steelers — The Steelers looked great in their opener and then lost 3 straight. The Broncos won 3 against teams that started 0-9 before losing badly at home last week. The Steelers soon faced 3rd and 1 from their own 24. Ben Roethlisberger has played poorly this season, but he hit Chase Claypool for 23. On 3rd and 7 from midfield, Big Ben went deep to Johnson for a 50 yard touchdown and a 7-0 Steelers. The Steelers got it back at their own 17 and held the ball for 6 minutes and 10 play. Yet on 2nd and 13 from just shy of midfield, Roethlisberger was sacked and fumbled. The Broncos took over at the Pittsburgh 29. Yet on 3rd and 12, a completion only gained 10. Vic Fangio decided not to gamble on 4th and 2. Brandon McManus hit from 39 to get the Broncos within 7-3. The Steelers responded from their own 25 by moving to a 1st and 10 at the Denver 27. Yet a run lost 3 yards and Roethlisberger threw incomplete twice. Early in the second quarter, Chris Boswell hit a 48 yard field goal to make it 10-3 Steelers.

In the second quarter the Broncos moved from their own 40 to a 2nd and goal at the 5. Bridgewater was sacked for a 12 yard loss. On 3rd and goal from the 17, a completion gained only 6 yards McManus hit from 29 to get the Broncos within 10-6 with 6 minutes left in the half. The Steelers soon faced 2nd and 7 from their own 28. Roethlisberger connected with Claypool who weaved past defenders for a 59 yard gain. On 3rd and 16 from the Denver 18, Roethlisberger threw incomplete but defensive pass interference in the end zone meant 1st and goal at the one. Harris got in for the touchdown as the Steelers led 17-6 with 2:12 left in the half. 

In the third quarter the Steelers began at their own 14. Harris gained 5 and 18. On 2nd and 17 from their own 30, Big Ben hit Harris and Claypool for a pair of 14 yard gains. On 3rd and 2 from the Denver 34, Roethlisberger hit Freiermuth for 3. On 4th and 12 from the Denver 33, Chris Boswell made a 51 yard field goal. Yet the Denver defense was called for a leverage penalty. Mike Tomlin took the points off the board as the 15 yard penalty made it 1st and 10 from the Denver 18. On 3rd and 10, Roethlisberger went to Claypool for the touchdown. The 14 play, 86 yard, nearly 7 1/2 minute drive meant a 24-6 Steelers lead. 

After a touchback, Teddy Bridgewater went to Patrick for 19. On 3rd and 15 from their own 39, Bridgewater hit Patrick for 10 as the third quarter ended. On 4th and 5 to start the fourth quarter, Bridgewater hit Patrick for just enough. Williams gained 10. On 3rd and 11 from the Pittsburgh 37, Bridgewater hit Noah Fast for 9. On 4th and 2, Bridgewater hit Sutton for 25. On 3rd and goal at the 2, Bridgewater threw incomplete. On 4th and goal, Bridgewater went to Kendall Hinton for the touchdown. With 10 minutes left the Broncos were within 24-13 after the 14 play, 75 yard, 7 1/2 minute drive. The Broncos got it back at their own 28. Bridgewater went to Patrick for 15 and Cortland Sutton for 9. Bridgwater then went to Sutton for a 39 yard touchdown. The 2 point try failed but the Broncos were within 24-19 with nearly 6 minutes to play.

After a touchback, Roethlisberger went to Johnson for 22 and Claypool for 16. On 3rd and 5 from the Denver 30, Bennie Snell only gained 4. On 4th and 1 from the Denver 26 with 2 1/2 minutes left, Mike Tomlin decided not to go for it. Boswell hit from 43 to put the Steelers up by 8. After a touchback, Bridgewater hit Patrick for 23, Fant for 6, Williams for 9 and Fant for 5. On 3rd and 5 from the Pittsburgh 32, Bridgewater went deep to Hinton for 23 yards. With one minute left the Broncos had 1st and goal at the 9. On 3rd and goal at the 3, Bridgewater threw incomplete. 22 seconds remained. The Broncos were down to their last chance. On 4th and goal, Bridgewater was intercepted in the end zone for a touchback. 27-19 Steelers       

Philadelphia Eagles at Carolina Panthers — The Panthers were knocked from the unbeaten ranks last week, but the Eagles had lost 3 straight after an opening day win. Zane Gonzalez hit a 48 yard field goal to get the Panthers on the board first. On the Panthers next series, Sam Darnold was intercepted to give the Eagles golden field position with 1st and goal at the 10. On 4th and goal at the 2, Kevin Sirianni went for it. jalen Hurts hit Smith for the touchdown, but it was nullified by offensive pass interference. Jake Elliott hit the 30 yard field goal for a 3-3 game. 

The Panthers got it back at their own 38. Darnold hit Thomas for 13. Hubbard ran for 26. On 3rd and 7 from the Philadelphia 20, Darnold hit DJ Moore for 14. On 3rd and goal at the 5, Darnold hit Tommy Tremble for the touchdown to make it 10-3 Panthers. The rest of the half was mostly defense. A shanked punt of only 16 yards had the Panthers taking over at the Philly 40 with 6 minutes left in the half. On 3rd and 10 from the Philly 18, Darnold was sacked. Gonzalez hit from 43 to make it 13-3 Panthers with 2 1/2 minutes left in the half. The Eagles took over at their own 11 and disaster immediately struck. A shotgun snap sailed past Teddy Bridgewater and out the back of the end zone for a safety and a 15-3 Panthers lead. 

The Eagles got it back at their own 16 with 30 seconds left in the half. Hurts hit Reagor for 15 and Smith for 17. Elliott buried a 58 yard field goal to end the half with the Eagles down 15-6. A hideous third quarter saw the Eagles fumble the ball away and then throw an interception with the Panthers returning the favor with an interception of their own. Late in the third quarter the Eagles took over at their own 20. Hurts hit Smith for 13 and 5. On 3rd and 10 from their own 37, Hurts went deep to Watkins for a 53 yard gain. Defensive pass interference on the next play meant 1st and goal at the one. Hurts got in as the Eagles only trailed 15-13 after three quarters.

The fourth quarter began with the Panthers taking over after a touchback. On 3rd and 1 from their own 34, Hubbard gained 6 and 11. On 3rd and 2 from the Philly 30, Freeman lost a yard. Gonzalez hit a 50 yard field goal to give the Panthers an 18-13 lead with 8 1/2 minutes left in regulation. Yet 11 lays and 6 1/2 minutes did not close the door. The Eagles moved from their 25 to a 3rd and 4 at the Carolina 39. After Hurts threw incomplete, Kevin Sirianni decided to go for it with 5 1/2 minutes left. Hurts threw incomplete again. The Panthers went 3 and out and had to punt on 4th and 3 from their own 46. The punt was blocked, giving the Eagles golden field position at the Carolina 27. Hurts hit Dallas Goedert for 20 and ran for the 6 yard touchdown himself. Hurts hit Smith for the 2 point conversion to put the Eagles up by 3 with 2 1/2 minutes left. The Panthers soon faced 3rd and 15 at their own 20. Darnold hit Robby Anderson for 25. Yet the next play brought offensive holding. An interception of Darnold at the 2 minute warning sealed Carolina’s fate as special teams did them in. 21-18 Eagles

 

Tennessee Titans at Jacksonville Jaguars — The Jaguars are an 0-4 mess and Coach Urban Meyer is now under a cloud for an off the field incident that could cause him to be fired well before his rookie season ends. On the third play from scrimmage on 3rd and 10 from their own 25, Trevor Lawrence completed a short pass that was fumbled and returned by Byard for a 30 yard touchdown. One minute into the game, the Titans led 7-0. Yet the Jaguars fought hard in this game. After a touchback, Robinson ran for 5 and then broke off a 58 yard run Carlos Hyde ran for 7 and 4 and Robinson got the last yard. The extra point doinked off the upright no good as the Jaguars trailed 7-6. 

The Titans later on faced 3rd and 6 from their own 25. Ryan Tannehill hit McNichols for 25 to midfield. On 3rd and 5 from the Jacksonville 46, Tannehill threw incomplete but defensive pass interference meant an 8 yard gain. On 3rd and 5 from the Jags 33, Tannehill hit Johnson for 10 and AJ Brown for 22 down to the one. On the first play of the second quarter, Derrick Henry got in to make it 14-6 Titans. The Jaguars soon faced 3rd and 3 from their own 37. Lawrence went deep to Jones for 25, to Agnew for 7, and to Austin for 22. On 3rd and goal at the one, Robinson got stopped. With absolutely nothing left to lose, Urban Meyer went for it. Lawrence hit Hollister for the touchdown as the Jaguars were within 14-13. After that the Titans took over.

After a touchback, Tannehill went to Johnson for 22 and Reynolds for 8. Rogers ran for 9. Henry added 5 and Batson gained 11. Tannehill hit Pruitt for the 14 yard touchdown to make it 21-13 Titans. The Jaguars moved from their own 24 to a 3rd and 8 at the Titans 34. Lawrence threw incomplete. Wright came in for a 53 yard field goal try. With 2 12 minutes left, his kick was no good. The miss allowed the Titans to take over at their own 4. Tannehill hit Rogers for 26. Despite 1st and 10 from the Jags 16, a pair of incompletions sandwiched around Tannehill being taken down for no gain meant a field goal try. Randy Bullock hit from 34 to make it 24-13 Titans. The Titans began the third quarter facing 3rd and 4 from their own 31. Tannehill hit Johnson for 20. On 3rd and 4 from the Jacksonville 43, Tannehill hit Brown for 6. On 3rd and 2 from the Jaguars 29, Tannehill gained 7. Henry gained 13 and then ran for the 9 yard touchdown to have the Titans up 31-13 only 5 minutes into the second half. 

The Jaguars tried to make a game of it. From their own 20, Robinson gained 10, 8 and 9. Lawrence went to Arnold for 18. The Jaguars began the fourth quarter at the Tennessee 22. Defensive unnecessary roughness on the next play meant 1st and goal at the 10. Lawrence ran for the 4 yard touchdown. The 2 point try failed but the Jaguars were within 31-19 only one minute into the fourth quarter. The Jaguars got it back at their own 30. Lawrence went deep to Shenault for 58 yards. On 3rd and 7 from the Tennessee 9, Lawrence was intercepted. Yet defensive holding meant 1st and goal at the 5. On 3rd and goal after a pair of incompletions, Lawrence ran it in. Yet on further review, Lawrence was ruled down short of the end zone. On 4th and goal at the one, Hyde got the carry and got knocked on his hide for a 3 yard loss. With less than 2 minutes to play, Henry ran for a 10 yard touchdown after the Jaguars turned it over on downs. Lawrence threw in one more interception for good measure. The Jaguars are 12 losses from 0-17, with or without Urban Meyer. 37-19 Titans 

Cleveland Browns at Los Angeles Chargers — This was the game of the year as the 2 teams combined for over 1,000 yards of offense. It was as if Paul Brown and Don “Air” Coryell were coaching. The Browns took over at their own 8 and moved 75 yards in 10 plays and 6 1/2 minutes. On 4th and 5 from the Chargers 12, Kevin stefanski decided to go for it. Yet a false start killed the chance. The Browns settled for a 35 yard Chase McLaughlin field goal and a 3-0 lead. The Chargers came back 85 yards in 10 plays and 5 minutes. From their own 15, Austin Ekeler ran for 2 and 8. Justin Herbert hit Ekeler for 18 and Mike Williams for 6 and 8. Herbert ran for 11. On 3rd and 8 from the Cleveland 30, Herbert threw incomplete. Yet illegal contact on the defense meant an automatic first down. Herbert hit Donald Parham for a 22 yard touchdown to make it 7-3 Chargers. 

The Browns took over at their own 28. Baker Mayfield hit Njoku for 31 yards. Nick Chubb ran for 7 and 5. Mayfield went to Donovan Peoples-Jones for 12 as the Browns began the second quarter at the Chargers 17 yard line. On 3rd and 10, Mayfield threw incomplete but defensive pass interference meant a 9 yard gain and first down. Mayfield went to Rashard Higgins for a 7 yard touchdown to make it 10-7 Browns. From their own 18, the Chargers came back quickly. Herbert ran for 10. On 3rd and 10 from their own 28, Herbert went to Williams for a 72 yard touchdown. Just like that, the Chargers led 13-10. The extra point was no good. The Browns moved from their own 20 to a 3rd and 7 at the Chargers 22. A completion gained only 5 yards. Kevin Stefanski gambled on 4th and 2 from the Chargers 17 and Mayfield threw incomplete. 

The Chargers punted on 4th and 20 from their own 7. The Browns took over at their own 47. Chubb gained 6, 2, and on 3rd and 2, 6 more. On 3rd and 4 from the Chargers 33, Kareem Hunt gained 5. Mayfield hit Higgins for 16. Chubb gained 8, one, and on 3rd and 1, nothing. On 4th and 1 from the Chargers 3, Kevin Stefanski again decided to go for it with one minute left in the half. Hunt got in for the touchdown to make it 17-13 Browns. This was the 4th lead chance of the first half. The Chargers took over at their own 15 and disaster immediately struck. Herbert went to Ekelr for 8, but Ekeler fumbled and the Browns recovered at the Chargers 22. With 9 seconds left in the half on 3rd and 1 from the Chargers 13, Mayfield threw incomplete. Kevin Stefanski this time decided not to gamble. McLaughlin hit the 31 yard field goal as the Browns led 20-13 at the intermission. The Browns struck quickly in the third quarter after a touchback. On 3rd and 1 from their own 34, Mayfield hit Peoples-Jones for 8. Chubb ran for 6 and then ripped off a 52 yard touchdown run. 17 unanswered points had the Browns up 27-13.

The Chargers soon faced 3rd and 9 from their own 17. Herbert hit Parham for 7. Brandon Staley is very aggressive, but he seemed to lose his mind going for it on 4th and 2 from his own 24. He ignored the ghost of Barry Switzer and Ekelr gained 9. Herbert hit Williams for 7 and Kelley gained 14. On 3rd and 3 from the Cleveland 34. Defensive pass interference added 9 more yards. On 2nd and 7 from the Cleveland 22, Herbert threw incomplete twice. Staley again gambled on 4th and 7 and Herbert hit Keenan Allen for 12. Herbert ran for the 9 yard touchdown. Staley for some reason went for a 2 point conversion and Herbert hit Parham successfully. With 6 1/2 minutes left in the third quarter, the 12 play, 84 yard, 5 1/2 minute drive had the Chargers within 27-21. For 3 quarters this was a fairly normal football game with 48 points total scores. The fourth quarter was a pinball machine as the teams combined for another 41 points.

The Chargers took over at their own 39 with 13 minutes left in regulation. On 3rd and 5, Herbert went to Guyton for 14 and then to Williams for a 42 yard touchdown. The 5th lead change had the Chargers up 28-27 with 11 1/2 minutes left. 2 plays later brought the 6th lead change. On 2nd and 3 from their own 29, Mayfield went to Njoku for a 71 yard touchdown. Kevin Stefanski went for 2 and mayfield hit Austin for the conversion. With 10 1/2 minutes left, the Browns led 35-28. The Chargers dodged a bullet when the Browns returned a fumble for what appeared to be a touchdown and a 42-28 lead. Yet it was ruled an incomplete pass. On 3rd and 10 from their own 25, Herbert hit Williams for just enough. On 3rd and 4 from their own 41, Herbert threw incomplete. Brandon Staley gambled yet again and on 4th and 4 Herbert threw incomplete. However, defensive pass interference meant a 33 yard gain. On 3rd and 8 from the Cleveland 24, Herbert threw incomplete. Yet for the 4th time, Staley gambled and for the 4th time, his gamble paid off. O 4th and 8, Herbert hit Allen for 20. Ekeler ran for the 2 point conversion as the game was tied 35-35 midway through the fourth quarter after the 11 play, 75 yard drive.

After a touchback, Mayfield went to Hunt for 13 with a facemask adding 15 more. Chubb an for 8 and 24. Hunt ran for 7 and then the 8 yard touchdown. With 4:45 to play the Browns led 42-35. The Chargers soon faced 3rd and 5 from their own 30. Herbert went deep to Allen for 37 and to Guyton for 21. On 2nd and 17 from the Cleveland 19, Herbert went to Ekeler for the touchdown. Yet Tristan Vizcaino missed the extra point. With 3:1 to play, the Chargers trailed 42-41. This time the Browns went 3 and out. A 12 yard punt return had the Chargers with a short field at the Cleveland 48 with 2:02 to play. Herbert went to Jared went to Cook for 29. On 3rd and 2 from the Cleveland 11, Ekeler ran for 8 and then the 3 yard touchdown. The 2 point try failed but the 7th lead change had the Chargers up by 5 with 90 seconds to play. The Browns faced 3rd and 1 from their own 34. Mayfield hit Hunt for 2 and Njoku for 10. After spiking the ball, Mayfield threw incomplete twice. With 18 seconds left, it came down to the Browns facing 4th and 10 from their own 46. Mayfield went to the end zone and the Hail Mary landed in the end zone incomplete without being touched. Everyone just missed it. Mayfield was 23 of 32 for 305 yards and 2 touchdowns. Herbert was 26 of 43 for 398 yards and 4 touchdowns. Neither quarterback was intercepted. The Browns rushed for 230 yards on 35 carries, yet somehow lost. A playoff rematch would be highly anticipated. 47-42 Chargers

Chicago Bears at Las Vegas Raiders — Despite falling from the unbeaten ranks, the Raiders had enough firepower to take down the lowly Bears, especially at home. The Bears had a good defense but no offense, and quarterback Justin Fields was starting his third game. Jon Gruden was dealing with fallout from comments he made a decade ago while working at ESPN. this overshadowed the 10 year anniversary of Al Davis’s death. Whether the Raiders were distracted or took the Bears too lightly, they played miserably all game. Early on the Bears inept offense did nothing as they punted twice and the Raiders did once. The Raiders began their second drive at their own 19. Derek Carr hit Bryan Edwards for 12. On 3rd and 9 from their own 32, Carr hit Darren Waller for 29. On 3rd and 7 from the Chicago 16, Kenyan Drake gained 8. Yet on 2nd and goal at the 2, a touchdown run by Josh Jacobs was nullified by offensive holding. Despite a 13 play, 69 yard, 6 minute drive, the Raiders settled for a 31 yard Daniel Carlson field goal.

The Bears were a mess, but the turning point of the game came late in the first quarter. The Bears faced 2nd and 22 from their own 16. Fields hit Robison for only 4 yards, but a mindless roughing the passer penalty on Yannick Ngakoue kept the drive going. Fields the got into a rhythm, hitting Williams for 18. Williams ran for 5 and Herbert added 11. Williams gained 14 as the second quarter began with the Bears facing 1st and goal at the 10. Then came another roughing the passer call to make it 1st and goal from the 5. Then came illegal use of hands to make it 1st and goal at the 2. Fields hit Horsted for the touchdown. The 10 play, 72 yard, 6 minute drive had the Bears up 7-3. 

The Raiders took over at their own 18. Carr went deep to Henry Ruggs for 29. Defensive pass interference added 17 more. Yet on 3rd and 1 from the Chicago 27, Carr got stopped. Jon Gruden is obsessed with running the ball but it’s tough to do behind a patchwork offensive line. Gruden gambled on 4th and 1 an Jacobs got stopped cold for no gain. The Bears soon faced 3rd and 2 from their own 22. Williams gained 8. On 3rd and 1 from their own 39, Fields hit Mooney for 15. Fields was briefly knocked out of the game on the next play, and Red Rifle Andy Dalton came in. On 3rd and 7 from the Raiders 43, Dalton hit Goodwin for 8. Fields came back in. On 3rd and 7 from the Raiders 32, Fields hit Robinson for 12 as the Raiders could not stop either quarterback on 3rd down. Damien Williams ran for a 4 yard touchdown with 1:56 left in the half. The Bears led 14-3. They would not score a touchdown the rest of the game. They would not need to.

The Raiders offense never got going. On 3rd and 2 from their own 33 to start the third quarter, Carr went bombs away to Bryan Edwards for what would have been a 50 or 60 yard gain. Edwards just dropped it. There was nobody near him. He blew it. The Raiders got it back and faced 3rd and 4 from their own 27. A deep ball from Carr went threw Zee Jones’s hands and was intercepted. The Raiders got it back at their own 26. Carr hit Ruggs for 18. On 3rd and 5 from the Chicago 47, the Bears jumped into the neutral zone. Yet it was still ruled short. 

The fourth quarter Began with the Raiders facing 3rd and inches from the Chicago 43. Carr snuck for 2 yards, but he got his bell rung and left the game. Nathan peterman briefly replaced him. On 3rd and 2 from the Chicago 33, Peterman only gained one. With a backup quarterback and a line that struggles to run block, Jon Gruden again gambled on 4th and inches. Peterman barely got the first down as Matt Nagy unsuccessfully challenged the spot. Carr came back in and defensive unnecessary roughness added 14 yards. On 3rd and 3 from the Chicago 5, Carr fired over the middle to Willie Snead for just enough. On 2nd and goal fro the 3, Carr threw incomplete but defensive unnecessary roughness meant 1st and goal at the one. Jacobs leapt over the top. The ball came out but replay showed the ball barely crossed the plane of the goal for the touchdown. With 9 minutes left Jon Gruden went for 2 and Carr was sacked. The Raiders were within 14-9. The defense had kept the Raiders in the game. The offense finally became functional. Yet the Raiders just could not keep it together long enough.

From their own 15, Fields threw incomplete but defensive pass interference meant a 14 yard gain. On 3rd and 12 from their own 27 midway through the fourth quarter, one stop would have given the Raiders a chance to win. Instead, Fields hit Mooney for 13 and Kmet for 14. On 3rd and 5 from the Raiders 29, Fields only gained one yard. The Raiders took their first timeout with 2:50 left. Cairo Santos hit a 46 yard field goal to make it 17-9 Bears. The Raiders had plenty of time for a comeback, but went backward due to a sack and a false start. On 3rd and 17 from their own 18, Carr hit Hunter Renfrow for 12 at the 2 minute warning. On 4th and 5 from their own 30, Carr had Edwards open and overthrew him. The Bears went nowhere but didn’t need to. Santos hit another field goal from 46 with one minute left to ice the game and send the Raiders to their 2nd straight loss. For 2 straight games, the raiders high octane offense has collapsed under their inability to run the football. Yet things got worse for the Silver and Black far beyond this game. By Monday night, in the wake of more private emails being published, Jon Gruden resigned as coach. Special teams coach Rich Bisacci was labeled the interim coach. Even in the crazy world of the Raiders, this was a gut punch. 20-9 Bears 

San Francisco 49ers at Arizona Cardinals — The 4-0 Cardinals came in the NFL’s only unbeaten team. The 49ers gave them all they could handle. Yet despite Kyle Shanahan and Kliff Kingsbury being offensive gurus, this game was all defense. Trey Lance was intercepted early on by Buddha Baker, who returned it 17 yards to his own 34. On 3rd and 1 from their own 43, James Conner gained 4. From the San Francisco 40, Kyler Murray hit AJ Green for 13. Rondale Moore gained 26 yards down to the one. Conner got in to make it 7-0 Cardinals. The 49ers after a touchback moved to a 4th and 2 at the Arizona 34. Shanahan went for it and Trey Lance only gained one. The 49ers got it back at their own 6 and moved all the way to a 3rd and goal at the one. Lance threw incomplete. Shanahan went for it again and Lance rolled to his right, headed toward the pylon, and got rocked by 2 defenders just short of the goal line. 13 plays, 93 yards and 6 minutes led to nothing. 

The Cardinals took over at their one and faced 3rd and 7 from their own 4. Murray went to Deandre Hopkins for 23. From his own 47, Murray hit Moore for 33. Yet the Cardinals managed to move 96 yards without scoring a touchdown. On 2nd and goal from the 3, Murray threw incomplete twice. Matt Prater hit the 21 yard field goal to make it 10-0 Cardinals with 5 1/2 minutes left in the half. The Cardinals got it back at their own 30 and moved to a 1st and 10 at the San Francisco 31 with 1:22 left in the half. Then came aa false start and a sack of Murray that lost 15 yards. Prater’s 61 yard field goal try at the gun was no good. With 5 minutes left in the third quarter, the 49ers took over at their own 41. On 2nd and 25 from their own 26 after a pair of penalties, the 49ers finally got a break. Lance hit Aiyuk for 28 with defensive unnecessary roughness adding 15 more. Lance gained 7, Mitchell added 12, and Deebo Samuel ran for a 13 yard touchdown. After three quarters, the 49ers were only down 10-7.  

In the fourth quarter the 49ers moved from their own 20 to a 4th and 1 at the Arizona 48. Again Shanahan gambled and Kyle Juszczyk took the direct snap for no gain. Yet 2 plays later the Cardinals fumbled and the 49ers took over at their own 46. Yet on 3rd and 4 Lance threw incomplete. Again Shanahan gambled and for the fourth time came up empty as Lance threw incomplete again to turn it over on downs. Murray ran for 10. Murray then hit Hopkins for 30 and again for the 9 yard touchdown. With 5:13 to play, the Cardinals led 17-7. The 49ers quickly moved after a touchback to a 2nd and 3 at the Arizona 29. Lance threw incomplete twice. needing 2 scores and having failed 4 times on 4th down, Shanahan opted for the field goal. Joey Slye hit from 47 to get the 49ers within 7 with over 4 minutes to play. On 2nd and 8 from their own 27, Kliff Kingsbury stayed aggressive. Murray hit Hopkins for 11 and Conner gained 8 as the 49ers took their final timeout. On 2nd and 2, Conner gained 4 to midfield as the clock hit the 2 minute warning. With the 49ers out of timeouts, Murray took 3 knees. The Cardinals are 5-0 for the first time since 1974 when Don “Air” Coryell coached them. 17-10 Cardinals

New York Giants at Dallas Cowboys — The Cowboys are a good team and the Giants are terrible. Sometimes a bad team can go on the road and shock a good team in an upset for the ages. This was not that game. Dad Prescott did throw an early interception, which led to the Giants missing a field goal. The Cowboys moved from their 44 to a 3rd and 7 at the Giants 12. Prescott threw incomplete. Greg Zuerlein hit from 31 to make it 3-0 Cowboys. The Cowboys then fumbled but the Giants did not capitalize. In the second quarter the Cowboys took over at their own 35. Ezekiel Elliott gained 14. On 3rd and 8 just past midfield Prescott went deep to CeeDee Lamb for a 49 yard touchdown to make it 10-0 Cowboys. 

The Giants on 3rd and 10 from their own 25 saw Daniel Jones go deep to Toney for 38 yards. Yet on 3rd and 6 from the Dallas 33, Jones threw incomplete. Graham Gano hit a 51 yard field goal to get the Giants within 10-3. The Giants got it back and faced 3rd and 4 at their own 18. Jones went to Toney for 9. Jones hit Evan engram for 18 to midfield. Booker ran for 14 and 2. On 3rd and 4 from the Dallas 20, Jones went to Toney for 28. On 3rd and goal at the one, Jones got stopped. He left the game with a concussion and did not return. Joe Judge went for it on 4th and goal at the one. Devontae Booker got in. With less than 3 minutes left in the half, the game was tied 10-10. Yet reality would soon set in for the Giants.

On 3rd and 1 from their own 34, Prescott went to Amari Cooper for 21. On 3rd and 4 from the Giants 39, Prescott hit Schultz for 15. Prescott then went to Amari Cooper for a 24 yard touchdown with 36 seconds left in the half for a 17-10 Cowboys lead. The Giants after a touchback to start the third quarter had Mike Glennon under center. He moved the Giants to a 3rd and 4 at the Dallas 24. Glennon could not handle the shotgun snap, resulting in a 9 yard loss. Gano hit a 51 yard field goal to get the Giants within 17-13, but they’d get no closer. After a touchback, Prescott hit Lamb for 11. O 3rd and 6 from their own 40, Prescott went deep to Schultz for 30 and Cooper for 15. On 3rd and 3 from the Giants 5, Prescott threw incomplete but defensive pass interference meant 1st and goal at the 2. Prescott hit Elliott for a 4 yard touchdown as the Cowboys led 24-13 midway through the third quarter.

One play after a touchback, Glennon was intercepted on a deep ball. Diggs returned it 18 yards to the Dallas 41. Zuerlein tacked on a 38 yard field goal to make it 27-13 Cowboys. The Giants after a touchback moved 73 yards in 10 plays. Yet on 4th and goal at the 2 early in the fourth quarter, Joe Judge decided to go for it. Glennon threw incomplete. The Cowboys took over at their own 2. Elliott ran for 10 and 2. Unnecessary roughness added 15 on the next play. Mike McCarthy then went to the bag of tricks. Prescott lateraled to Wilson, who threw the halfback option pass to Brown for 22 yards. On 3rd and 1 from their own 48, Prescott went to Wilson for 35. Elliott ran for a 13 yard touchdown to have the Cowboys winning a blowout 34-13 midway through the fourth quarter. 

The Giants moved 75 yards in 11 plays and faced 4th and goal at the 3. Glennon hit Booer for the touchdown. The Giants were within 34-20, but only 3:17 remained. The onside kick failed and Zuerlein hit a 31 yard field goal with 1:53 left to put the Cowboys up 37-20 and lock up the win. Glennon threw another interception for good measure that was returned 45 yards by Anthony Brown for a defensive touchdown exclamation point. The Giants lost more than the game and Jones. Saquon Barkley also hurt his ankle and left the game. The Cowboys remain very good and the Giants remain awful. 44-20 Cowboys

Buffalo Bills at Kansas City Chiefs is the Sunday night game. The Chiefs knocked off the Bills in the AFC Title Game, and the Bills would have to go into Arrowhead if they wanted revenge. The Chiefs began with a mind-numbing 17 play drive that took 6 1/2 minutes off the clock. They only moved 56 yards. On 2nd and 7 from the Buffalo 14 after multiple 3rd down conversions, a false start was followed by a pair of Patrick Mahomes incompletions. Harrison Butker hit a 38 yard field goal to make it 3-0 Chiefs. The Bills soon faced 3rd and 2 from their own 33. Josh Allen ran for 22 yards. Allen then went to Dawson Knox for 23 yards. Allen ran for another 11 yards and then for the 9 yard touchdown to make it 7-3 Bills. Byron Pringle fumbled away the ensuing kickoff, but the Bills did not capitalize. The Chiefs took over at their own 20. From their 30, Mahomes hit Travis Kelce for 15. On 3rd and 5 from midfield, Mahomes threw incomplete but defensive holding kept the drive going. Mahomes hit newly reinstated Josh Gordon for 11, McKinnon for 9, Tyreek Hill for 7 and Mecole Hardman for 8. Mahomes hit Pringle for a 5 yard touchdown as the 12 play, 80 yard, 8 minute drive had the Chiefs up 10-7 with 10 minutes left in the half. 

The Bills took soon faced 3rd and 2 from their own 33. Allen hit Stefan Diggs for 8, Zack Moss for 24, and Emanuel Sanders for a 35 yard touchdown to make it 14-10 Bills midway through the second quarter. The Bills got it back and faced 3rd and 8 at their own 28. Allen went deep to Diggs for a 61 yard gain. Yet on 1st and 10 from the Chiefs 11, a run lost one yard and Allen threw incomplete twice. Tyler Bass hit a 30 yard field goal to make it 17-10 Bills with 3:16 minutes left in the half. Bass kicked the ensuing kickoff out of bounds. The Chiefs moved from their own 40 to a 4th and 5 at the Buffalo 32. Walrus Andy Reid went for it and Mahomes threw deep incomplete. The Bills had 1:50 to work with from their own 32. They needed only 34 seconds and 2 plays. Allen hit Moss for 15 and went deep to Knox for a 53 yard touchdown. 17 unanswered points had the Bills up 24-10 in front of a stunned home crowd at Arrowhead.

After a touchback, Mahomes had 1:16 to work with. He hit Hardman for 6 and ran for 9 himself. Mahomes went to Hardman for 20. Butker nailed a 54 yard field goal to end the half with the Chiefs trailing 24-13. The rain began to come down hard and the second half was delayed more than an hour by a lightning storm. After an exchange of punts, the Chiefs took over at their own 8. On 3rd and 5 from their own 24, a short pass from Mahomes to Hill bounced off Hill’s fingertips right into the arms of Micah Hyde, who returned it 26 yards for a defensive touchdown. The Bills led 31-13 midway through the third quarter. The Chiefs were in desperation mode when Andy Reid decided to go for it on 4th and 3 from their own 32. Mahomes fired to Hardman, who just dropped it. Yet the Chiefs were bailed out by a roughing the passer penalty. The Chiefs moved to a 1st and goal at the 8 and were ready to get right back in the game. Mahomes had his pass batted in the air and intercepted by big defensive lineman Rousseau to kill the drive. 

Yet the Bills did nothing with the turnover and went 3 and out. A short 35 yard punt had the Chiefs with excellent field position at their own 48. Mahomes hit Damien Williams for gains of 6 and 8 and Hardman for 5. Defensive pass interference on the next play added 15. a 5 yard completion to Hill had the Chiefs starting the fourth quarter facing 2nd and 5 from the Buffalo 10. On 3rd and inches from the Buffalo 5, Williams gained 4. Mahomes took the quick snap and threw a 2 handed shovel pass to Travis Kelce for the touchdown. With heavy rain coming down again, the Chiefs were within 31-20 barely more than one minute into the fourth quarter.

The Bills soon faced 3rd and 9 from their own 16. Allen somehow escaped the pressure and raced for a 10 yard gain. Yet offensive holding nullified it. On 3rd and 17 from their own 8, many coaches would just run the ball and punt Sean McDermott stayed aggressive. Allen threw a deep ball that was intercepted at the Chiefs 41. Yet this time it was a roughing the passer call that nullified the penalty and kept the Bills on the move. The Bills took their first timeout while facing 3rd and 4 from their own 40. Allen rolled out to his left and went for the sticks on a designed quarterback run. With a defender in the way, Allen hurdled the defender cleanly and got the 4 yards. A screen pass from Allen to Moss went for 16 yards. Allen then fired over the middle and had his pass slightly deflected but somehow still caught by Gabriel Davis for 16 more. Allen then took off on another deliberate quarterback draw up the middle for 12 more yards. Allen then fired to sanders for a 9 yard touchdown. The 12 play, 85 yard drive took 8 minutes off the clock and put the Bills up by 18 with only 6 minutes remaining.

The Chiefs moved quickly from their own 23to a 1st and 10 at the Buffalo 15. A shot gun snap was mishandled by Mahomes, who then bumped into his own offensive lineman trying to pick it up. The Bills eventually recovered the ball all the way at their own 35. With 3 1/2 minutes left, the Chiefs had finally turned the ball over one too many times. The Chiefs took their timeouts on defense and were out of timeouts with 3 minutes left. On 3rd and 2 from the Chiefs 45, Moss gained 3. Allen took 3 knees to end it. The Bills are 4-1. The 2 time defending AFC champion Chiefs are a surprising 2-3 at the bottom of the AFC West, making Andy Reid a most displeased Walrus indeed. 38-20 Bills

Indianapolis Colts at Baltimore Ravens was the Monday night game. The Ravens were expected at home to dispatch with the overmatched Colts without much difficulty. 2 minutes into the game, the Colts faced 3rd and 15 from their own 24. A perfectly executed screen pass from Carson Wentz to Jonathan Taylor 

saw Taylor follow a couple of perfect blocks, split the seams, and outrace everyone for a 76 yard touchdown to make it 7-0 Colts. The Colts got it back at their own 16 and embarked on an 11 play, 76 yard drive that ate up over 7 1/2 minutes off the clock. The Colts were in total control. On 2nd and 6 from the Baltimore 15, Wentz was sacked and fumbled. Brandon Williams recovered it for the Ravens at their own 19. The first half was all defense until late when the Ravens moved from their own 15 to a 3rd and 4 at the Indianapolis 5 with 1:45 left. Lamar Jackson threw incomplete and slammed his helmet to the ground on the sideline. Justin Tucker hit a 23 yard field goal to get the Ravens within 7-3. After a touchback, 

Wentz used the last 96 seconds wisely. Rod Blankenship hit a 37 yard field goal as the Colts led 10-3 at the intermission. The Colts struck immediately in the third quarter. From his own 27, Wentz hit Zach Pascal for 31 yards and then went deep to Pittman for  42 yard touchdown. Blankenship missed the extra point but the Colts led 16-3. The Ravens took over at their own 9 and moved 88 yards in 13 plays and nearly 7 1/2 minutes. Yet on 1st and goal at the one, Jackson fumbled and the Colts recovered. From their own 19, the Colts moved again. Wentz hit Pittman for 21. Taylor ran for 15 and 13. Wentz hit Mo Alie-Cox for 24. Taylor ran for the 4 yard touchdown. Frank Reich went for 2. Wentz was intercepted but the Colts still led 22-3 with 3 minutes left in the third quarter. The Colts were on their way to a big upset in a big way.

After a touchback, Jackson came alive in a big way. He hit Mark Andrews for 15, Williams for 7, and Hollywood Brown for a 43 yard touchdown. John Harbaugh went for 2 and Jackson got stopped. Yet the Ravens were within 22-9 after three quarters. The Colts from their own 20 kept the pressure on. Marlon Mack had gains of 8 and 22 and Wentz hit Alie-Cox for 18. On 3rd and 6 from the Baltimore 25, Wentz threw incomplete. Blankenship hit the 43 yard field goal to put the Colts comfortably in front 25-9 with 12 minutes left in regulation. The Ravens got it back at their own 22. Jackson went to Andrews for 27, Andrews for 18, Brown for 7, Oliver for 6, Freeman for 15, and Andrews for the 5 yard touchdown. With 9 1/2 minutes left the Ravens had to go for 2. Jackson hit Andrews for the conversion to get the Ravens within 25-17.

The Colts kept the pressure on, moving from their own 20 to a 3rd and 8 at the Baltimore 15. Taylor got the carry and lost 4 yards. As the clock ticked down to 4 1/2 minutes, Blankenship came in for a 37 yard field goal that would all but lock up the win. The kick was blocked. The Ravens had life. From their own 25, Jackson hit Brown for 17 and Freeman for 10 and 5. Jackson hit Brown for 20 and Williams for 8 as the 2 minute warning came with the Ravens facing 2nd and 2 at the Colts 5. Jackson gained 4 to set up 1st and goal at the one and then lost 3. On 2nd and goal from the 4, Jackson went to Johnson for the touchdown. The ravens still needed the 2 point conversion to tie the game. Jackson hit Andrews and the game was knotted up 25-25 with 45 seconds left.

After a touchback, the Colts still had 39 seconds and 2 timeouts. Wentz went to Campbell for 23. On 2nd and 20 from his own 38, Wentz hit Zach Pascal for only 2 yards. Yet a mindless defensive unnecessary roughness penalty on Young added 15 more yards. Only 13 seconds remained. Wentz hit Pascal for 15 as the Colts took their second timeout with 6 seconds left. Wentz took a knee to center the ball as the Colts took their last timeout with 4 seconds left. Blankenship came in for a 47 yard try to win it. The kick was no good. The Ravens won the COIN toss in overtime and never looked back.

The Ravens began the extra session from their own 32. Jackson hit Andrews for 14, Proche for 4, Brown for 11 and Oliver for 6. Halfway through the extra session, Jackson hit Brown for a 5 yard touchdown. Frank Reich has the greatest comeback in NFL history, trailing by 32 points in the third quarter of a playoff game to come back and win in overtime. This time Reich was on the losing side of a spectacular comeback. Both quarterbacks were magnificent. Wentz was 25 of 35 for 402 yards and 2 touchdowns. Problems in the kicking game when it mattered were not on Wentz. Jackson was a ridiculous 37 of 43 for 442 yards and 4 touchdowns, with all of them coming after nearly thee quarters had been played. Neither quarterback was intercepted. It was bitter loss for the Colts, who at 1-4 need another miraculous Reich comeback to give us a playoff rematch. As for the Ravens, it was another heart-stopping game decided on the final play, this time in their favor. 31-25 Ravens

NFL 2021 Week 5 Prequel

https://www.commdiginews.com/sports/nfl/2021-week-5-preview-and-bettors-guide-a-silly-nfl-season-140587/

NFL 2021 Week 4 Recap

Jacksonville Jaguars at Cincinnati Bengals was the Thursday night game. Last week the Bengals went into Pittsburgh and hit them in the mouth. There was a concern of a letdown after that emotional road win. The Jaguars may be the worst team in the league. This was supposed to be easy for the Bengals. As ESPN uber-announcer Chris Berman reminds us, “THAT’s why they PLAY the GAMES!” The Bengals moved from their own 9 to a 3rd and 8 at the Jacksonville 25. A 13 yard completion was nullified by offensive pass interference. A 43 yard field goal try was no good. The Jaguars took over at their own 33. Agnew gained 11Trevor Lawrence went to Austin for 8 and then ran for 11 himself. James Robinson ran for 12. Lawrence hit Arnold for 17. Robinson ran for a 6 yard touchdown to make it 7-0 Jaguars. 

In the second quarter from their own 20, Lawrence hit Arnold for 12. On 3rd and 2 from his own 40, Lawrence gained 5. Lawrence hit Jones for 10 and Robinson gained 20.  On 3rd and 2 from the Cincinnati 17, Lawrence gained 3. On 3rd and 3 from the Cincy 7, Lawrence ran it in to cap the 12 play, 80 yard, 7 minute drive and make it 14-0 Jaguars. The Jaguars got it back at their own 38 with 2 1/2 minutes left in the half. lawrence went deep to Shenault for a 52 yard gain. On 3rd and goal from the 8, Lawrence hit Shenault for 7. With one minute left in the half, Urban Meyer decided to go for it on 4th and goal at the one. The Jaguars were one yard from a 21-0 lead. They didn’t get it as Lawrence got stopped. The Bengals were dominated the entire first half but were still alive.

The Bengals began the third quarter at their own 31 and quickly got back in the game. Joe Burrow went deep to Jamarr Chase for 44 yards. Burrow then went to CJ Uzomah for a 22 yard touchdown to get the Bengals within 14-7. The Bengals got it back at their own 14. Joe Nixon ran for 9 and 4. Burrow then hit Irwin for 25 and Boyd for 12. Mixon ran for 11 and 5. On 3rd and 4 from the Jacksonville 19, Burrow went to Boyd for 11. Mixon ran for  7. On 3rd and goal at the one, Mixon got in. The 12 play, 85 yard, 6 1/2 minute drive had the game tied 14-14 with 5 minutes left in the third quarter.

The Jaguars did not fold so quickly. On 2nd and 6 from their own 27, Lawrence went deep to Agnew for 27. on 3rd and 2 from the Cincinnati 38, Lawrence threw incomplete. Rather than try a 56 yard field goal, Urban Meyer decided to go for it. On 4th and 2, Lawrence hit Shenault for 5. On 3rd and 3 from the Cincy 26, Lawrence hit Shenault for 20. The fourth quarter began with the Jaguars facing 2nd and goal at the 8. Lawrence was sacked for a 10 yard loss but defensive holding instead meant 1st and goal at the 4. Robinson ran it in to put the Jaguars back on top 21-14 only 30 seconds into the fourth quarter to cap the 11 play, 77 yard, 5 1/2 minute drive. 

After a touchback, the Bengals soon faced 3rd and 6 from their own 41. Burrow hit Boyd for 8 and Chase for 12 and 7. On 3rd and 3 from the Jags 31, Burrow went to Uzomah for the touchdown. The 10 play, 75 yard, 5 1/2 minute drive tied the game 21-21 with 9 minutes left in regulation. After a touchback, the Jaguars soon faced 3rd and 4 at midfield. With 6 minutes left, Lawrence threw incomplete and the Jaguars punted. The Bengals from their own 10 milked the entire 5 1/2 minutes off the clock. Burrow hit Boyd for 12. On 3rd and 1 from their own 31, Burrow was sacked but defensive holding kept the drive going. On 1st and 15 from his own 31, Burrow hit Perine for just enough. With 1:09 left on 2nd and 13 from the Jacksonville 46, Burrow hit Uzomah for 25. With 4 seconds left, McPherson came in 35 yard field goal try to win it. Atoning for his earlier miss, this time McPherson was good. The Jaguars were game, but did not finish off the Bengals when they had the chance. Good teams find ways to win and bad teams find ways to lose. 24-21 Bengals

Tennessee Titans at New York Jets — The Titans dominated the winless Jets early on but could not reach the end zone. Randy Bullock hit field goals of 44 in the first quarter and from 46 and 36 in the second quarter for a 9-0 Titans lead. The last field goal was set up by an interception of Zach Wilson. The Jets finally got going on 3rd and 10 from their own 25. Wilson hit Davis for 13 and again for 30. On 3rd and 4 from the Tennessee 26, Wilson hit Johnson for 6. McCarter ran for 6 and then for the 2 yard touchdown as the Jets only trailed 9-7 at the half. Late in the third quarter the jets moved from their own 13 to a 3rd and 5 at the Tennessee 9. Wilson threw incomplete but Matt Amendola hit a 27 yard field goal. After three quarters the Jets had the shocking 10-9 lead. After three quarters of smashmouth, the game heated up significantly in the fourth quarter.

After a touchback, Ryan Tannehill hit Pruitt for 14 to start the fourth quarter. Derrick Henry ripped off gains of 18 and 9. McNichols gained 11. Henry gained 22 and then got the one yard touchdown. Mike Vrabel went for the 2 point conversion and Tannehill hit Pruitt to make it 17-10 Titans. From their own 23, the Jets responded quickly. Defensive pass interference on a deep incompletion meant a 43 yard gain. Wilson then hit Crowder for 29 yards. Wilson hit Jamison Crowder for the touchdown to tie the game 17-17. The Jets got it back at their own 47 and needed only one play and 10 seconds to take the lead. Wilson went to Corey Davis for a 53 yard touchdown to make it 24-17 Jets with 9 minutes left in regulation. The Titans moved from their own 35 to a 4th and 4 at the Jets 20 after an incompletion. Mike Vrabel went for it with 3:45 left and Tannehill threw incomplete again. With 2:09 to play, the Titans got it back at their own 26. 

With 1:49 to play after a pair of incompletions, the Titans were down to their last gasp facing 4th and 10 at their own 26. Tannehill threw incomplete again but defensive pass interference meant a 22 yard gain and new life. These are the Jets. Tannehill hit McNichols for 15 and Reynolds for 12 and 11 as the Jets took their last timeout on defense with 1:11 left. Tannehill hit Batson for a 2 yard touchdown with 16 seconds left in regulation to tie the game. These are the Jets. If ever a game did not deserve overtime, this was it. The Jets in overtime soon faced 3rd and 1 from their own 34. Coleman gained 2. On 3rd and 2 from their own 44, Wilson went to Keelan Cole for 29 yards. On 3rd and 3 from the Titans 20, Wilson hit Crowder for 11. Wilson then hit Coleman for 8. Halfway through overtime, the Jets faced 3rd and goal at the one. A touchdown would end the game. One yard would give the Jets their first win. Rather than play smashmouth, an end around by Wilson was blown up for a 4 yard loss. Ammendola hit the 22 yard field goal to give the Jets the lead, but the Titans would get the ball. These are the Jets. 

The Titans soon faced 3rd and 21 from their own 14. Tannehill hit Rogers for 20. On 4th and 1 from their own 34, Henry gained 13. These are the Jets. On 3rd and 11 from their own 46, Tannehill hit Rogers for 9. On 4th and 2 from the Jets 45, Henry got banged before the marker but fell forward for the necessary 2 yards. These are the Jets. With less than 30 seconds remaining in overtime, the Titans after an incompletion faced 3rd and 5 from the Jets 26. A delay of game meant 3rd and 10. Then Tannehill threw incomplete. Bullock came in for a 49 yard field goal try. The Jets would not lose this game, and a made field goal would mean a tie. The kick was no good! Bullock hit it wide. Robert Saleh became the first Muslim to win an NFL game as a head coach. The Jets will not be 0-17. Put away those “Just End The Season” signs for now. They are a jersey juggernaut. 27-24 Jets

Kansas City Chiefs at Philadelphia Eagles — The Walrus Bowl commenced as Andy Reid took on the team dumb enough to fire him. Reid’s Chiefs were a surprising 1-2 but were expected to roll over the Eagles. After a touchback to start, Jalen Hurts hit Zac Ertz for 13, Smith for 22 and Dallas Goedert for 21. Yet on 3rd and 8 from the Kansas City 16, Hurts only gained 5. Jake Elliott hit the 29 yard field goal  to make it 3-0 Eagles. The Chiefs soon faced 3rd and 1 from their own 32. The defense jumped offside. Patrick Mahomes then hit Carl Edwards-Helaire for 11. On 3rd and 1 from the Philadelphia 42, Burton gained 5. Mahomes then found Tyreek Hill, who turned on the afterburner and broke the plane of the goal for a 37 yard touchdown and a 7-3 Chiefs lead.

The Eagles got it back at their own1 6. Gainwell gained 11 and Reagor added 12. Hurts hit Watkins for 12 and Sanders for 10. On 3rd and 7 from the Chiefs 25, Hurts hit Ertz for only 5. Kevin Siriani went for it and Hurts hit Gainwell for 12. Offensive holding on the next play set up 1st and goal at the 18. Hurts hit Gainwell for 15 and Goedert for the 3 yard touchdown to put the Eagles back in front 10-7. The Chiefs took over at their own 17. A sack of Mahomes was nullified by illegal contact on the defense. Consecutive offensive penalties had the Chiefs facing 3rd and 12 from their own 24. Mahoems scrambled and got just enough. Mahomes went to Mecole Hardman for 9 and Byron Pringle for 19. On 1st and 20 from the Philly 42, Mahomes went deep to Hill for 32 yards. On 3rd and goal from the 6, Mahomes hit Hill for the touchdown to culminate the 12 play, 83 yard, 7 1/2 minute drive and make it 14-10 Chiefs in the second quarter.

The Eagles after a touchback moved 68 yards in 13 plays and 6 minutes. Yet despite 1st and goal at the 3, the Eagles could not finish. A pair of incompletions by Hurts were sandwiched around a run that lost 4 yards. Elliott hit the 25 yard field goal to get the Eagles within 14-13, but 3 1/2 minutes remained in the half. After a touchback, that was plenty of time for the Chiefs offense. Surprisingly, Andy Reid did it on the ground. Carl Edwards-Helaire ran for 15. Hardman gained 24. Edwards-Helaure ran for 17 more. On 2nd and 10 from the Philly 15, Mahomes hit Damien Williams for 9 and roughing the passer adding 3 more yards and a 1st and goal from the 3. Mahoems hit Fortson for a 2 yard touchdown to put the Chiefs up 21-13 at the intermission.

The Chiefs early in the third quarter saw Mahomes under heavy pressure throw an interception to give the Eagles a short field just past midfield. Yet after reaching 1st and goal at the 7, ineptitude took over. A delay of game penalty had the Eagles trying a 24 yard field goal. The kick was good, but the defense jumped offside. 4th and goal from the 6 was now 4th and goal at the 3. Ken Siriani decided to go for it. Hurts hit Ertz for the touchdown but offensive pass interference for a pick play nullified the score. Elliott was good again from 31 as the Eagles were within 21-16. Yet field goals were not going to beat Kansas City.  

The Chiefs soon faced 3rd and 2 from their own 33. Mahomes hit travis Kelce for 3 and Hill for 14 to midfield. Williams ran for 9 and 3, caught a pass for 7, and ran for 10. Mahomes then hit Kelce for 10 and Edwards-Helaire added 10 more. Williams got the last yard as the Chiefs led 28-16 with less than one minute left in the third quarter. Reagor returned the ensuing kickoff 44 yards to his own 48. Hurts hit Goedert for 4 and 14 as the third quarter ended. The fourth quarter began with defensive unnecessary roughness. On 3rd and goal from the 7, Kenneth Gainwellran it in. With 12:42 to play, the Eagles were within 28-23.

The Chiefs soon faced 3rd and 1 fro their own 34, Williams gained 2. On 3rd and 6 from their own 40, the defense entered the neutral zone. On 3rd and 1, Mahomes hit Hill for 5. Mahomes ran for 12 and Edwards-Helaire added runs of 9 and 16. Mahomes then hit Hill for the 12 yard touchdown to make it 35-23 Chiefs with 6:44 to play. The Eagles after a touchback moved to a 1st and 10 at the Kansas City 34. Hurts went deep with 5 1/2 minutes left and Smith caught it for the touchdown. Unfortunately for the Eagles, Smith briefly stepped out of bounds before reentering the field and catching the ball. Instead of a score, it was an incompletion. On 3rd and 11, Hurts threw incomplete. With 4 1/2 minutes left on 4th and 11, Hurts threw incomplete again. 

The Chiefs soon faced 3rd and 4 from their own 41. Mahomes hit Hill for 11. On 3rd and 6 from the Philly 44 and the Eagles out of timeouts, a defensive stop was necessary for the Eagles to have a chance. Instead. Mahomes went to Hill for the touchdown with 2 1/2 minutes left to put the game on ice. The Chiefs led 42-23. A garbage touchdown at the end of the game completed the scoring. Hurts was very good, going 32 of 48 for 387 yards, 2 touchdowns and 0 interceptions. Mahomes was ridiculous, going 24 of 30 for 278 yards, 5 touchdown passes and one interception. Andy Reid is 3-0 against the team that fired him. He is also the first NFL coach to win 100 games with two different franchises, making him a most happy Walrus indeed. 42-30 Chiefs

Carolina Panthers at Dallas Cowboys — The Cowboys took over at their own 30 on their second drive and Ezekiel Elliott gained 19. On 1st and 20 from their own 39 after offensive pass interference, Dak Prescott scrambled and got the 20 yards. Elliott had gains of 8 and 7 sandwiched around an 18 yard completion from Prescott to Schultz. On 3rd and goal at the one, Elliott got in to make it 7-0 Cowboys. After a touchback Hubbard gashed the Dallas defense for gains of 14 and 13. Sam Darnold hit DJ Moore for 9 and again for 29. On 3rd and goal at the one, Darnold got in for a 7-7 ballgame.  

After a touchback, Prescott hit Schultz for 12. On 3rd and 1 from their own 46, Tony Pollard got stopped for no gain. Mike McCarthy opted to go for it. On 4th and 1, Prescott got around the end for a 21 yard gain. The second quarter began with the Cowboys at the Carolina 32. Prescott hit Amari Cooper for 14 and Brad Jarwin for the 18 yard touchdown. The extra point was no good but the Cowboys led 13-7. The Panthers soon faced 3rd and 12 at their own 23. Darnold threw incomplete but a defensive facemask penalty kept the drive going. On 3rd and 11 from their own 35, Darnold ran for 14. Darnold hit Robby Anderson for 6, Moore for 5 and Smith for 17. Darnold ran for an 11 yard touchdown to make it 14-13 Panthers midway through the second quarter. 

Early in the third quarter zane Gonzalez came in for a 54 yard field goal try to extend the lead. The kick was no good and the Cowboys quickly moved from their own 44. Elliott gained 11, 5 and 5. Prescott then went deep to Amari Cooper for a 35 yard touchdown to make it 20-14 Cowboys. The Cowboys got the ball back at their own 34 and again moved quickly. Elliott broke free for a 47 yard gain. On the next play Prescott hit Schultz for a 6 yard touchdown. The 2 point try failed but the Cowboys led 26-14 midway through the third quarter. An interception of Darnold gave the Cowboys a short field at the Carolina 37. Prescott hit Cedric wilson for a 23 yard touchdown to make it 33-14 Cowboys. Another interception of Darnold meant another short field for the Cowboys at the Carolina 29. On 3rd and 1 from the 20, Elliott got stopped. The fourth quarter began with Mike McCarthy playing it safe. Greg Zuerlein hit the 37 yard field goal as 23 unanswered points had the Cowboys up 36-14.

The Panthers soon faced 4th and 1 from their own3 4 and had to go for it. A stop would end the game. Freeman gained 2 and the Panthers took their last timeout with 12 minutes left. Defensive unnecessary roughness on the next play added 15 yards. Darnold hit Hubbard for 11, Smith for 4 and 7, Anderson for 13, Zylstra for 8 and Moore for a 6 yard touchdown. With 9 minutes left the Panthers were within 36-21. The Panthers got it back at their own 20 and with 5 minutes left faced 4th and 8 from their own 32. A short completion from Darnold to Zylstra went for a 55 yard gain. Darnold went to Moore for an 8 yard touchdown. With 4 1/2 minutes left the Panthers were back within 8 points. The Cowboys took over at their own 19. Pollard ran for 18 and Elliott added 8. At the 2 minute warning, everything came down to 3rd and 1 at the Carolina 41. Pollard gained 5 and Prescott took a pair of knees to end it. The Panthers lost for the first time. Prescott was only 14 of 22 for 188 yards, but he had 4 touchdowns and 0 interceptions. The Cowboys gashed Carolina for 245 rushing yards, with Elliott leading the way with 143 yards on 20 carries. 36-28 Cowboys. 

New York Giants at New Orleans Saints — The Saints had a difficult time with the winless Giants. The Saints turned it over on downs, the Giants missed a field goal, and the Saints missed a field goal. After 21 minutes of hideous football, one play got the Giants on the board. Daniel Jones throws a gorgeous deep ball and he found John Ross for a 52 yard touchdown to make it 7-0 Giants. The Saints soon faced 3rd and 1 from their own 34. Alvin Kamara gained 3. On 3rd and 2 from their own 44, Jameis Winston hit Johnson for 5. On 3rd and 9 from the Giants 35, Winston went to Montgomery for 19. On 3rd and 6 from the Giants 15, Winston went to Johnson for the touchdown with 23 seconds left in the half and the game deadlocked 7-7.

 On the first play of the third quarter after a touchback, Winston went deep to Callaway for a 58 yard gain. Two plays later Hill ran for an 8 yard touchdown to make it 14-7 Saints. The Giants came back 70 yards in 10 plays and nearly 5 minutes, but on 2nd and goal at the 2, a run by Evan Engram lost 3 yards. Jones then threw incomplete. Graham Gano hit the 23 yard field goal to get the Giants within 14-10. Winston was then intercepted, but the Giants could not capitalize. The Saints got it back at their own 37. Winston hit Hill for 15. Kamara had a pair of 9 yard gains as the Saints began the fourth quarter after a false start facing 2nd and 6 from the Giants 23. On 3rd and 2 from the 19, Taysom Hill came in and gained 3. On 3rd and 2 from the Giants 8, Sean Payton brought Hill in again, and Hill ran for the touchdown to make it 21-10 Saints with 12 minutes left in regulation.

A 26 yard punt return gave the Giants the ball at their own 46 midway through the fourth quarter. Jones went deep to Saquon Barkley for a 54 yard touchdown. Joe Judge went for the 2 point conversion and Jones ran it in to get the Giants within 21-18. The Giants got the ball back with 3 minutes left at their own 11 with 2 timeouts and the 2 minute warning. Jones hit Engram for 8 and Toney for 5. With one minute left on 3rd and 7 from their own 38, Jones hit Kenny Golladay for 28 as the Giants took their second timeout with 48 seconds left. On 3rd and 10, Barkley gained only 4. With 30 seconds left, Graham Gano came in for a 48 yard field goal to tie the game. The kick was good and the game was tied 21-21. 

The Giants got the ball in overtime after a touchback. Jones went to Ross for 17 and 8. On 2nd and 14 from their wn 48, Jones hit Barkley for 18. On 3rd and 5 from the Saints 29, Jones hit Golladay for 23. Halfway through overtime, Barkley ran it in for the 6 yard touchdown. to end the game. The Saints would never see the ball in overtime. 17 unanswered points meant a shocking upset, ruining the first game back at the Louisiana Superdome since Hurricane Ida. The Giants won their first game of the year. 27-21 Giants, OT

 

Cleveland Browns at Minnesota Vikings — To start the game after a touchback, kirk Cousins hit Justin Jefferson for 9 and Dalvin Cook gained 11. On 3rd and 7 just shy of midfield, Cousins hit Jefferson for 11 and Adam Thielen for 22. On 3rd and 2 from the Cleveland 10, Cook only gained one. Mike Zimmer went for it and on 4th and 1, Ham got the yard. On 3rd and goal from the 12, Cousins hit Jefferson over the middle for the touchdown. The 14 play, 75 yard, 7 1/2 minute drive made it 7-0 Vikings. The Vikings would face 4th and 6 at the Cleveland 36. Mike Zimmer went for it but Cousins threw incomplete. The Browns were shut out for over 28 minutes. On 3rd and 1 from their own 45, Karim Hunt gained 2. Mayfield hit Felton for 9 and Hunt for 8. On 3rd and 8 from the Minnesota 29, Mayfield hit Hunt for 9. The final 2 minutes of the half were chaos. 

On 3rd and goal at the 3, Nick Chubb only gained one. Kevin Stefanski went for it. On 4th and goal from the 2, Mayfield threw incomplete but defensive holding meant 1st and goal at the one. On 3rd and goal from the one, Hunt got in. The defense had 12 men on the field, so a 2 point conversion try put the ball on the one instead of the two. Stefanski went for it and Mayfield hit Janovich. With 1:15 left in the half, the Browns led 8-7. The mind-numbing 18 play, 64 yard drive took 8 1/2 minutes off the clock. The Vikings went 3 and out and the Browns took a pair of timeouts on defense. With 35 seconds left in the half the Browns faced 3rd and 20 from their own 26. A give up run by Hunt went for 33 yards. Chase McLaughlin hit a 48 yard field goal to end the half with the Browns up 11-7. The defenses dominated the second half. With 6 minutes left in regulation, McLaughlin hit a 53 yard field goal to put the Browns up by 7. One play after a touchback, Cousins was intercepted. The Vikings last chance came on 4th and 3 from their own 33 with 90 seconds left. Cousins was threw incomplete as the Dawg Pound reveled in the ugly defensive win. 14-7 Browns

Detroit Lions at Chicago Bears — Andy Dalton is out with a bad knee so Justin Fields gets to start again. The Lions are recovering from the shellshocked of losing last week on an NFL record 66 yard field goal. Early on after a touchback to start the game, Matt Nagy gambled on 4th and 1 from his own 47. David Montgomery gained 9. Fields then went deep to Mooney for 21. Williams gained 4 and 10 and Montgomery ran for a 4 yard touchdown to make it 7-0 Bears and cap the 12 play, 75 yard, 6 minute drive. The Lions moved from their own 27 to a 1st and goal at the 8. Out of the shotgun, Jared Goff fumbled the snap and the Bears recovered. On 2nd and 11 from their own 10, Fields went deep to Mooney for a 64 yard gain. On 3rd and 4 from the Detroit 20, Fields ran for 11. On the first play of the second quarter, Montgomery ran for a 9 yard touchdown to make it 14-0 Bears. 

The Lions after a touchback moved to a 4th and goal at the 5. Rookie head coach Dan Campbell went for it and Goff threw incomplete. This act of desperation would haunt the Lions later on. The Lions got it back at their own 45 and moved to a 3rd and goal at the 3. Goff was sacked by Robert Quinn and fumbled. Khalil Mack recovered it and ran another 12 yards. For the third time in the half the Lions drove down deep and came up empty. Fields was then intercepted but the Lions did not capitalize. Early in the third quarter the Bears moved 77 yards easily. Mooney gained 10. Fields hit Alan Robinson for 28 and Mooney for 32. Williams ran for the 4 yard touchdown to make it 21-0 Bears.

A penalty on a punt return had the Lions getting the ball back with a short field at the Chicago 44. On 3rd and goal at the 4, Goff hit Raymond for the touchdown to finally get the Lions on the board. After a touchback, Montgomery ran for 24 and Fields hit Robinson for 27 more. Cairo santos hit a 33 yard field gal to have the Bears comfortably ahead 24-7 after three quarters. The Lions did reach the end zone again with 11 minutes left in regulation, but nothing more. with 4:15 to play and facing 4th and 1 from the Chicago 8, Goff threw incomplete. 4 times the Lions drove deep and 4 times they came up empty to remain winless. Meanwhile, Matt Nagy will be allowed to kepis job for another week. 24-14 Bears  

Houston Texans at Buffalo Bills  — With heavy rain coming down, miscues began the game. Josh Allen was intercepted, but the Texans turned it over on downs. David Mills was then intercepted to give the Bills the ball at their own 31. Singletary ran for 4, caught  pass from Allen for 7, and ran for 3 more. On 3rd and 2 from midfield, Gilliam only gained one. Sean McDermott decided to go for it and on 4th and 1, Allen got around the end and gained 16. On 3rd and 2 from the Houston 25, Allen went to Dawson Knox for the touchdown to make it 7-0 Bills. The Texans punted on 4th and 21 from their own 8, giving the Bills the ball back at midfield to start the second quarter. 

Allen hit Stefan Diggs for 31. Yet on 3rd and 5 from the Houston 15, Allen threw incomplete. Early in the second quarter, Tyler bass hit a 33 yard field goal to make it 10-0 Bills. The Bills got it back with another short field just past midfield. Miss gained 17 and the Bills moved to a 3rd and 1 at the Houston 3. Moss tried the end around and lost 5 yards. Bass hit from 26 to make it 13-0 Bills. The Bills got it back and soon faced 4th and 3 at the Houston 40. Sean McDermott went for it but Allen threw incomplete. Yet the Texans self-destructed. On 1st and 25 from their own 25, Mills was intercepted. Despite yet another short field from the Houston 43, the drive died near the goal line. On 3rd and goal from the 2, Allen threw incomplete. McDermott again opted for the field goal and Bass hit from 21 to make it 16-0 Bills. The Texans were a mess, finishing with only 4 total rushing yards in the first half. The third quarter was more of the same. The Bills moved from their own 25 to a 1st and goal at the 10. Yet on 3rd and goal Allen threw incomplete. Bass hit his fourth field goal from 28 to make it 19-0 Bills.  

The rain poured down and the Bills poured it on. An 11 play, 84 yard, 7 minute drive in the fourth quarter ended with Allen hitting Alie-Cox for a one yard touchdown to make it 26-0 Bills. A Texans fumble put Buffalo on the Houston 27. Zack Moss ran for a 4 yard touchdown and a 33-0 Bills lead. Mills was intercepted. Allen went to the bench and mitchell Trubisky was given some map up work in relief. Trubisky moved the Bills 53 yards and ran for a 4 yard touchdown to complete the blowout shutout. Mills ended the game by throwing his fourth interception. 40-0 Bills

Indianapolis Colts at Miami Dolphins — The Dolphins sought to forget about their heartbreaking overtime loss against the Raiders with a home stand against the winless Colts. Early on the Colts fumbled a punt and the Dolphins had a short field at the Colts 27. Jacoby Brissett got the start against his old team. Yet on 3rd and 3 from the Indy 20, Brissett threw incomplete. Sanders hit the 38 yard field goal to mark it 3-0 Dolphins. The defenses took over after that. Midway through the second quarter the Colts faced 3rd and 9 from their own 21. Carson Wentz hit Campbell for 12. The Colts punted on 4th and 3 from their own 40, but the defense jumped offside. The killer mistake was followed by Wentz going deep to Mo Alie-Cox for 28. Taylor then ran for a 23 yard touchdown to cap the 10 play, 80 yard, 5 minute drive and put the Colts up 7-3 with under 3 minutes left in the half. 

The Colts went right to work in the third quarter from their own 16. Taylor got around the end for a 38 yard gain. Went hit Dulin for 17 more. On 3rd and 11 from the Miami 14, the defense entered the neutral zone. On 3rd and 6, Wentz hit Pittman for 8. On 3rd and goal from the 3, Wentz hit Alie-Cox for the score. The 11 play, 84 yard, 6 1/2 minute drive made it 14-3 Colts. The Indianapolis defense shut down the Miami offense for long stretches. Rodgrigo Blankenship hit a 34 yard field goal at the end of the third quarter and a 43 yarder set up by a Miami fumble early in the fourth quarter. The Colts led 20-3. 

The Dolphins moved from their own 25 to a 2nd and goal at the one. Brissett got stopped and so did Brown. Needing 3 scores, Brian Flores went for it. On 4th and goal from the one, Brissett hit Mike Gesicki for the touchdown. With 10 1/2 minutes left in regulation, the Dolphins were within 20-10. The kickoff was kicked out of bounds to set up the Colts at their own 40. Wentz went deep to Zach Pascal for 41 yards. On 3rd and goal from the 13, Wentz was sacked but a defensive facemask meant 1st and goal at the 6. On 3rd and goal from the 11, Wentz hit Alie-Cox for the touchdown to make it 27-10 Colts with 6:15 to play. The Dolphins after a touchback faced 4th and 2 from the Miami 3 with 4 1/2 minutes left. Brissett hit DeVante Parker for the touchdown, but the Dolphins would not get the ball back. On 3rd and 4 from their own 46, Wentz went to Jacob Doyle for 24. On 3rd and 14 from the Miami 34, Wentz hit Pittman for 20 as the Colts ran out the clock to get their first win of the year. 27-17 Colts 

Washington Confusion at Atlanta Falcons — The Falcons began with a 15 play, 68 yard, 8 minute drive. Yet despite 1st and goal at the 9, a run gained only 2 yards and Matt Ryan threw incomplete twice. Younghoe Koo hit the 25 yard field goal to make it 3-0 Falcons. Early in the second quarter, the No-Names faced 4th and 1 at the Atlanta 36. Riverboat Ron Rivera went for it and out of the shotgun, Gibson gained nothing. Willie Gallman gained 10 and on 1st and 15 from his own 46, Ryan hit Hurst for 12. On the next play Ryan went deep to Cordarelle Patterson for a 42 yard touchdown to make it 10-0 Falcons.

The No-Names soon faced 2nd and 7 from their own 26. Taylor Heinicke hit Brown for 19 and Terry McLaurin for 21. On 3rd and 8 from the Atlanta 33, Henicki went deep to McLaurin for a 33 yard touchdown to get the Confusion within 10-7. The No-Names got the ball back at their own 37. Heinicke ran for 8 and Antonio Gibson had a pair of 6 yard gains. Heinicke hit Seals-Jones for 16 and ran for 20. Gibson ran for the 2 yard touchdown. The extra point was no good but the No-Names led 13-10.

The Falcons soon faced 3rd and 8 from their own 27. Ryan threw incomplete but defensive pass interference meant a 28 yard gain. On 3rd and 5 from the Washington 40, Ryan went to Calvin Ridley for 8. On 3rd and 13 from the Washington 35 with 30 seconds left in the half, Ryan hit Ridley for 17. On 3rd and 4 from the Washington 12 with 19 seconds left in the half, Ryan went to Patterson for the touchdown as the Falcons took a 17-13 lead to the locker rooms. The No-Names were back on top 13 seconds into the third quarter when DeAndre Carter returned the second half kickoff 101 yards for a touchdown. Dustin Hopkins missed his 2nd extra point of the game as the Confusion led 19-17.

The Falcons took over at their own 32. Ryan hit Zaccheaus for 15. Defensive pass interference on the next play added 27 yards. On 3rd and 3 from the Washington 18, Ryan hit Hurst for 7. On 3rd and 13 from the Washington 14, Ryan hit Patterson for the touchdown. The 2 point conversion failed but the Falcons led 23-19. After a touchback the No-Names moved 73 yards in 14 plays and 5 1/2 minutes. On 4th and 5 from the Atlanta 39, Riverboat Ron Rivera went for it and Heinicke hit Samuel for 10. On 3rd and goal at the 2, Heinicke threw incomplete. With 5 1/2 minutes left in the third quarter, this time Rivera decided not to gamble. Hopkins hit the 21 yard field goal to get the Confusion within 23-22. 

The Falcons soon faced 3rd and 7 from their own 20. Ryan went to Pitts for 14. On 3rd and 1 from their own 43. Ryan hit Ridley for 7 to midfield. On 3rd and 2 from the Washington 42, Ryan threw incomplete. Arthur Smith went for it and Ryan was sacked. Yet roughing the passer meant a 15 yard gain. Patterson gained 13 and 5. The fourth quarter began with the Falcons facing 3rd and 3 at the Washington 7. Ryan hit Mike Davis for the touchdown and the 30-22 Falcons lead. 

The No-Names took over at their own 30 after an exchange of punts. On 2nd and 14, Heinicke threw incomplete but defensive illegal contact kept the drive going. Heinicke then hit Patterson for 11 and ran for 10 himself. On 2nd and 16 just shy of midfield, Heinicke hit Terry McLaurin for 28. On 3rd and 9 from the Atlanta 27, Heinicke hit JD McKissic for 10 and McLaurin for the 17 yard touchdown. The 2 point conversion try to tie the game failed but the No-Names were within 30-28 with 4 minutes left. The Falcons went 3 and out and the Confusion took over at their own 24 with 1:43 to play. Heinicke went deep to Carter for 24 and Humphries for 19. On 3rd and 7 from the Atlanta 30, the Atlanta defense had a complete breakdown as Heinicke went to McKissic for the touchdown. The 2 point try failed but the 5th lead change of the game had the No-Names of by 4 points with 33 seconds left. After a touchback, Ryan hit Ridley for 21 and ran for 17. With one second left, Ryan had one Hail Mary chance from the Washington 37. It was well defended and knocked incomplete. 34-30 Confusion 

Seattle Seahawks at San Francisco 49ers — Early on the 49ers took over at their own 29. Jimmy Garoppolo hit Kyle Juszczyk for 9, George Kittle for 8, Deebo Samuel for 21, Mohammed San for 9, Kittle for 18, and Ross Dwelley for 21. Garoppolo’s passing clinic had the 49ers up 7-0. After that the Seattle defense clamped down. The 49ers faced 3rd and 3 from their own 36, and Garoppolo was intercepted. The 49ers got it back and moved from their own 9 to a 4th and 8 at the Seattle 23. Yet Robbie Gould was injured before the game started, so all kicking duties were handled by punter Wishnowsky. His first NFL field goal try from 41 yards out was no good. 

In the second quarter the Seattle offense finally got going. From his own 20, Russell Wilson hit Alex Collins for 28. On 3rd and 1 from the San Francisco 43, Wilson hit DK Metcalf for another 28. Wilson went to Metcalf again for a 12 yard touchdown. Despite being blanked for 28 minutes, with 1:54 left in the half the Seahawks tied the game 7-7. In the third quarter after a few punts the Seahawks took over at their own 34. Wilson hit Tyler Lockett for 19. Chris Carson ran for 6 and 8. Wilson hit Metcalf for 9. Wilson ran for a 60 yard touchdown to put the Seahawks up 14-7 with 5 1/2 minutes left in the third quarter. The 49ers fumbled the ensuing kickoff and the Seahawks recovered at the Frisco 14. Two plays later Wilson threw a 13 yard touchdown pass to Freddie Swain to make it 21-7 Seahawks.

The 49ers took over at their own 11 without Garoppolo. He stayed in the locker room with an injured leg. Trey Lance played the second half. On 3rd and 1 from their own 20, Lance gained 4. On the next play Lance went to Samuel for a 76 yard touchdown. Wishnowsky missed the extra point as the 49ers trailed 21-13 after three quarters. The Seaahwks took over at their own 19. Wilson went to Metcalf for 16 and Collins for 6. Collins then ran for 6 and 4. On 3rd and 6 just past midfield to start the fourth quarter, the defense jumped offside. On 3rd and 1, Carson gained 3. On 3rd and 10 from the Frisco 41, defensive pass interference meant a 23 yard gain. Collins ran for 4 and then for the 14 yard touchdown. With 12 minutes left in regulation, the Seahawks had the 28-13 lead.

The 49ers got the ball 3 more times. The first time they punted. Then they moved from their own 20 to a 4th and 2 at their own 48. Kyle Shanahan went for it and Samuel got stopped after a one yard gain. With 4 1/2 minutes left and needing 2 scores, the 49ers took over at their own 20. They moved 80 yards in 13 plays. On 4th and 6 from the Seattle 28, Lance hit Sanu for 7. On 4th and 10 from the Seattle 21, Lance scrambled for 13 yards. Lance hit Samuel for an 8 yard touchdown to get the 49ers within 7 points. The Seattle defense failed to close out the game for Pete Carroll, but his good hands team on special teams did. The onside kick failed as Seattle got the tough road win. 28-21 Seahawks

Arizona Cardinals at Los Angeles Rams — Both teams came in 3-0, but it was the Rams who were seen as the Super Bowl contender and the Cardinals as second tier. The Rams moved from their own 25 to a 2nd and 5 at the Arizona 23. Matthew Stafford threw incomplete twice. Matt Gay hit the 42 yard field goal to make it 3-0 Rams. The Rams got it back but Stafford was intercepted on a deep ball. The Cardinals took over at their own 13. Edmonds ran for 19. Kyler Murray hit Williams for 8. On 2nd and 12 from their own 30, Murray went to Deandre Hopkins for 25. On 3rd and 6 from the Rams 41, Murray went to AJ Green for the touchdown and the 7-3 Cardinals lead. After a touchback, Darrell Henderson gained 15. On 3rd and 1 just shy of midfield, Stafford gained 2. Henderson gained 9 and 15 and Sony Michel added runs of 9 and 2. Stafford hit Van Jefferson for a 14 yard touchdown as the Rams led 10-7 after the first quarter. 

The Cardinals began the second quarter facing 3rd and 4 at their own 31. James Conner gained 10. On 3rd and 2 from the Rams 37, Murray hit Edmonds for 7. On 2nd and 13 from the Rams 14, Murray hit Maxx Williams for the touchdown and the 14-10 Cardinals lead. One play after a touchback Michel fumbled and Buddha Baker recovered for the Cardinals at the Rams 21. On 3rd and 16 from the Rams 27, Murray scrambled for 18. Conner ran for 8 and then for the one yard touchdown as the Cardinals had the surprising 21-10 lead. The Rams did move from their own 48 to a 2nd and goal at the 4, but Stafford threw incomplete twice. With 3 1/2 minutes left in the half, Gay hit from 22 to get the Rams within 21-13. After that the Arizona defense turned out the lights. 

A staggering 17 plays moved the Cardinals 70 yards. With 20 seconds left in the half the Cardinals had 1st and goal at the 5. Conner got stopped and Murray threw incomplete twice. Matt Prater hit the 23 yard field goal to put the Cardinals up 24-13 at the break. The Cardinals continued in the third quarter after a touchback, moving to a 1st and 10 at the Rams 35. On 3rd and 9, Murray was sacked for a 3 yard loss. Prater leveled a 55 yard field goal to put the Cardinals up 27-13. After a touchback the Rams moved to a 3rd and 4 at the Arizona 27. Stafford threw incomplete. Gay’s 46 yard field goal try was no good. The Cardinals took over at their own 36. On 3rd and 2 from the Rams 45, Murray hit AJ Green for 12 and Williams for 25. On 3rd and goal from the one, Conner got in to have the Cardinals winning a blowout 34-13. 

In the fourth quarter in desperation mode, the Rams moved 73 yards to a 3rd and goal at the one. Stafford took the quarterback sneak and got stopped. On 4th and goal at the one, Stafford threw incomplete. The Cardinals then broke the back of the Rams defense with a 12 play, 94 yard, 8 1/2 minute drive. They settled for a field goal, but led 37-13. The Rams got a garbage touchdown but nothing else. Sean McVay’s squad was trounced because the Cardinals hit the Rams in the mouth. The Cardinals are 4-0. They are for real. 37-20 Cardinals

Pittsburgh Steelers at Green Bay Packers — 13 years ago, Aaron Rodgers bested Ben Roethlisberger in the Super Bowl. Big Ben had already won the big game twice, while neither quarterback has been back to the Super Bowl since. Mike Tomlin is still coaching the Steelers, in his 15th season. The Steelers started out hot in this game. After a touchback, Najee Harris ran for 10. On 3rd and 1 from their own 47, Harris gained 2. On 3rd and 4 from the Green Bay 45, Ben Roethlisberger went to Diontae Johnson for a 45 yard touchdown and a 7-0 Steelers lead. The Packers faced 3rd and 3 from their own 43 and Dillon gained just enough. Aaron Rodgers went to Dillon for 16 moreOn 3rd and 6 from the Pittsburgh 34, Rodgers hit Cobb for 8. The second quarter began with the Packers facing 3rd and 4 at the Pittsburgh 20. Rodgers hit Cobb for 12. Rodgers ran for the 4 yard touchdown to tie the game 7-7. 

The Steelers soon faced 3rd and 6 from their own 29. Roethlisberger was sacked and fumbled, and the Packers took over at the Pittsburgh 23. On 3rd and 10, Rodgers went to Cobb for the touchdown to make it 14-7 Packers. The Steelers after a touchback held the ball for 5 minutes and 10 plays, but gained only 41 yards. Chris Boswell nailed a 52 yard field goal to get the Steelers within 14-10. The Packers from their own 16 answered with a 13 play, 76 yard, 5 1/2 minute drive. With 30 seconds left in the half, the Packers had 1st and 10 at the Pittsburgh 13. Rodgers threw 3 straight incompletions. Mason Crosby came in for a 31 yard field goal try. The kick was blocked my Minkah Fitzpatrick, who thought he had the trifecta when he picked the ball up and raced 75 yards for a special teams touchdown. Yet officials ruled that the Steelers did not perfectly time the snap. They were ruled offside. The call could have got either way, but Crosby got a second chance with 8 seconds left from 5 yards closer. From 26 yards out, Crosby was good. Rather than trailing 17-14, the Packers led 17-10 at the half. 

The Packers took over in the third quarter. On 3rd and 7 from their own 28, Rodgers went to Cobb for 25. On 3rd and 1 from the Pittsburgh 38, Dillon got the yard. Yet 1st and goal at the 5 was followed by a pair fo 3 yard losses and an incompletion. Crosby hit from 29 to finish the 12 play, 64 yard, 5 1/2 yard drive and make it 20-10 Packers. A shanked 20 yard punt gave the Packers the ball back with a short field at the Pittsburgh 40. Rodgers hit Adams hit Adams for 11. Dillon ran for 25. Rodgers hit Cobb for the one yard touchdown to make it 27-10 Packers. The Steelers moved from their own 36 to a 3rd and 4 at the Green Bay 32. Roethlisberger threw incomplete. With 2 1/2 minutes left in the third quarter and down by 17, Mike Tomlin decided to go for it. On 4th and 4, a horrendous play call saw Big Ben throw a sideways pass that went for a one yard loss. 

The Packers fumbled the ball back to give the Steelers the ball at their own 35. The Steelers moved to a 3rd and 4 at the Green Bay 37 to start the fourth quarter. Again Mike Tomlin went for it and another short pass went for no gain at all. On 4th and 4 Tomlin went for it rather than try a 56 yard field goal. Then came the false start. On 4th and 9, Tomlin opted to punt. The Steelers got it back and moved from their own 37 to a 3rd and 5 at the Green Bay 47. Big Ben threw incomplete. Again Tomlin went for it and again a head-scratching West Coast Offense dink and dunk pass went for only a 2 yard gain. Throwing the ball past the marker is a good idea. It’s called a forward pass. Walter Camp invented it 100 years ago. The Steelers would finally reach the end zone with 4 minutes left, but any hopes of a comeback were snuffed out when Roethlisberger was intercepted with 1:17 to play. The Steelers looked great in their opener but have lost 3 straight. The Packers looked dreadful in their opener but have won 3 straight. 27-17 Packers

Baltimore Ravens at Denver Broncos — The Broncos came in 3-0, but with wins against 3 teams that were a combined 0-9. A win over Baltimore would silence some of the critics. Early on both defense dominated. Late in the opening quarter the Broncos took over at their own 43. Defensive unnecessary roughness moved the broncos 15 yards. Williams broke off a 31 yard run. The second quarter began with the Broncos facing 3rd and goal at the 3. Teddy Bridgewater hit Noah Fant for the touchdown. The Broncos led 7-0, but after that Baltimore defense took over the game. After a touchback, Lamar Jackson hit Proche for 12. On 3rd and 5 from their own 46, Jackson gained 7. Jackson then went to Mark Andrews for big gains of 24 and 12. Latavius Murray ran for a 12 yard touchdown to make it 7-7. The Ravens got the ball back at their own 40. Jackson went to Sammy Watkins for 9 and then went deep to Hollywood Brown for a 49 yard touchdown to make it 14-7 Ravens midway through the second quarter. The Ravens knocked Bridgewater out of the game as Drew Lock played the second half and did nothing. Justin Tucker last week hit an NFL record 66 yard field goal. This week he hit from 40 to end the half and from 46 and 20 in the fourth quarter to ice the game. This was old school John Harbaugh Ravens football, with tough running and even tougher defense. 23-7 Ravens

Tampa Bay Buccaneers at New England Patriots was the Sunday night game. Emotions ran very high as Tom Brady and Evil Hoodie Bill Belichick squared off for the first time their divorce two years ago. Robert Kraft made sure Brady was given a classy welcome back, as the crowd cheered Brady before the game. Yet beyond the obvious main storyline, the game itself and important subplots. Pouring rain came down throughout the game, and the Buccaneers were without injured Rob Gronkowski. He would not get to face off against his old team. In the first quarter the Buccaneers moved from their own 18 to a 1st and 10 at the New England 42. To Brady went to Mike Evans for a 28 yard gain and with that pass entered the history books. Brady is now the all time NFL leader in passing yards, breaking the record set last year by Drew Brees. Yet on this drive, a pair of incompletions and the Buccaneers settling for a 29 yard Ryan Succop field goal to lead 3-0. An interception of Mac Jones gave Succop another chance from 36 to start the second quarter, but that kick was no good.

The Patriots soon faced 2nd and 19 from their own 17. Jones hit Kendrick Bourne for 16 and on 3rd and 3 hit Meyers for 15. On 3rd and 5 from the Tampa 47, Jones threw incomplete but defensive pass interference on newly acquired Richard Sherman meant a 10 yard gain. On 2nd and 20 from his own 47, Jones hit Bourne for 16 and on 3rd and 4 hit Bolden for 7. On 2nd and 10 from the Tampa 24, Jones threw incomplete but defensive pass interference meant another 10 yard gain. Jones hit Hunter Henry for an 11 yard touchdown. The 11 play,74 yard, 6 1/2 minute drive had the Patriots up 7-3. A well placed punt had the Patriots pinned at their own 5 yard line with 1:49 left in the half. Yet Bruce Arians stayed aggressive given his “no risk it, no biscuit” philosophy. Brady hit Antonio Brown for 4, Chris Godwin for big gains of 28 and 26, and Cameron Brate for 11. On 1st and 10 from the New England 26, Brady threw 3 straight incompletions. With 18 seconds left, Succop’s 44 yard field goal try was good as the Buccaneers trailed 7-6 at the midpoint. 

A field position game had the Patriots punting on 4th and 27 from their own 6 and the Buccaneers taking over at their own 48 midway through the third quarter. Brady hit Leonard Fournette for 11. Fournette ran for a pair of 7 yard gains. On 3rd and 1 from the New England 11, Jones gained 3. Jones then ran for the 8a yard touchdown. Bruce Arians wisely opted against the 2 point conversion as the Buccaneers led 13-7 with 3 1/2 minutes left in the third quarter. The Patriots took over at their own 23. Jones hit Harris for 21, Nelson agholor for 13, Meyers for 5, Harry for 10, Smith for 12, and Bolden for 15 down to the one as the third quarter ended. On the first play of the fourth quarter, a perfectly executed play action pass by Jones went to Smith for the touchdown as the Patriots reclaimed the lead 14-13 only 3 seconds into the fourth quarter.

The Buccaneers soon faced 3rd and 3 from their own 31. Brady hit Antonio Brown for 7. on 3rd and 6 from his own 42, the 44 year old Brady escaped up the middle for just enough. A short pass from Brady to Fournette gained 23. On 3rd and 9 from the New England 24, Brady hit Brate over the middle for 18. On 3rd and goal from the 8, Brady threw high out the back of the end zone incomplete. Succop hit the 28 yard field goal to cap the 15 play, 68 yard, 7 minute drive and put the Buccaneers back on top 16-14 midway through the fourth quarter.

After a touchback, Jones hit Agholor for 12, Meyers for 3 and Meyers again for 21. At that point Jones had 19 straight completions, the longest stretch for a rookie in 30 years. It also tied Brady’s longest completion streak. On 1st and 10 from the Tampa 39, Bill Belichick went to the bag of tricks. Jones handed it off, and then it was lateraled to Meyers. Meyers then went deep to a wide open Agholor for a 30 yard gain and 1st and goal at the 9. Jones had been brilliant all game, but a pair of incompletions included a dropped pass by the defender that would have been an interception for a touchdown. Jones dodged a bullet. On 3rd and goal from the 9, a completion by Jones went for no gain. Folk hit the 27 yard field goal to put the Patriots back on top 17-16 with 4 1/2 minutes left in regulation.

After a touchback, Brady was going to try and use up the entire clock so that the Patriots would not get the ball back. Defensive pass interference on a deep ball meant a 31 yard gain. Two plays later, offensive pass interference on Evans had the Buccaneers facing 2nd and 17 from the New England 41. Brady went back to Evans for 11. On 3rd and 6 from the New England 40, Brady hit Brown for 8 and a key first down that moved the Buccaneers into field goal range. On 2nd and 8 from the New England 30, Brady went for it all and Brown lost in the night sky incomplete. On 3rd and 8 Brady again went to the end zone and Brown juggled it but could not haul it in as it fell incomplete again. Succop came in for a key 48 yard field goal to give the Buccaneers the 2 point lead again. The kick was good and the Buccaneers led with 1:57 to play. 

Now it was time to see whether Brady or Belichick still had their deal with the devil intact. Jones would show as a rookie whether he could beat his legendary predecessor. The Patriots dynasty began in 2001 when Adam Vinatieri made a 45 yard field goal with 5 inches of snow coming down. Now Folk was being asked to try a 56 yard field goal in a rainstorm. It seemed like an insane decision. Folk had made 36 field goals in a row, but the conditions were miserable. There was plenty of time to throw a 3 yard completion. Belichick went with the veteran kicker over the rookie quarterback. Succop’s kick was long enough and started dead center but curved at the end. It doinked off the upright no good. As the entire media world watched afterward, Belichick gave Brady a very quick hug and then ran away without saying a word. Jones showed great poise, but Brady got the win. His critics can claim it was luck, and a successful field goal by Succop would have changed the outcome. Brady does not care. He won. He stayed around to hug many of his former teammates. Brady and Belichick have both often been classless in victory and defeat, but this time Brady did it the right way. Meanwhile, the Buccaneers are 3-1 and the Patriots are a 1-3 team. 19-17 Buccaneers 

Las Vegas Raiders at Los Angeles Chargers is the Monday night game. The Raiders were 3-0 for the first time since their 2002 run to the super Bowl. The Chargers were technically the home team, but the Raider Nation traveled to the game en masse. Nothing ever comes easy for the Raiders, and the start of this game was delayed for over 30 minutes by a lightning storm. The Chargers got the ball first and shredded the Raiders defense. From their own 25, runs and short passes had the Chargers facing 2nd and 6 from their own 41. Justin Herbert then went to Cook for 22. Austin Ekeler ran for 18. On 3rd and 4 from the Raiders 14, Herbert hit Justin Jackson for 7. On 3rd and goal at the 4, Herbert fired over the middle to Donald Parham for the touchdown. The 12 play, 75 yard, 7 minute drive had the Chargers up 7-0. 

The Raiders had literally zero offense in the first quarter, failing to gain a single yard. Late in the first quarter Brandon Staley gambled on a fake punt on 4th and 12 from the Raiders 41. The punter had a wide open receiver, but at the last moment Hunter Renfrow came up and blasted the ball out of the receiver’s hands for an incompletion. Yet the Raiders could not take advantage, again failing to gain a first down. Renfrow later returned a punt 17 yards, with 15 more tacked on for a facemask. The Raiders began the drive at the Chargers 44. Yet on 3rd and 2,  Josh Jacobs lost a yard. The second quarter saw the Raiders face 3rd and 5 from their own 20. Derek Carr hit Darren Waller for 21 yards. Yet despite the Raiders finally getting a first down after 21 minutes, it was all for naught. A taunting penalty on Waller after the play moved the Raiders back 15 yards. 

The Chargers took over at their own 20 midway through the second quarter. Herbert hit Williams for 11Herbert then went to Anderson for a 34 yard gain. On 3rd and 8 from the Raiders 10, Herbert hit Jared Cook for the touchdown. With less than 4 1/2 minutes left in the half, the Chargers led 14-0. Jon Gruden wanted to get to the half without any more damage, so he tried to run the ball to eat up the clock. Jacobs ran for 5 and 4 to set the Raiders up with 3rd and 1 at their own 17. Jacobs barely got the yard, but Brandon Staley challenged the spot. The spot was overturned and the Raiders had another 4th down and another punt. The Chargers took over at their own 31, and 2:44 was more than enough time. Herbert hit Keenan Allen for 2 and Ekeler for 9. Ekeler ran for 11. On 3rd and 6 from the Raiders 47, Herbert hit Allen for 7, Parham for 13, Guyton for 9, and Ekeler for a 14 yard touchdown. With 30 seconds left in the half, the Chargers were dominating 21-0. Herbert was 20 of 25 for 175 yards, 3 touchdowns and 0 interceptions, and that was only the first half. 

The Raiders began the third quarter at their own 22. Carr threw a sideways pass to Jacobs, who got blasted for no gain. On the next play Carr somehow avoided a sack scrambled for his life, and found Willie Snead for a 15 yard gain with another 15 tacked on found defensive unnecessary roughness. Carr hit Waller for 8 and Jacobs banged up the middle for 10. On 3rd and 1 from the Chargers 14, Carr snuck through for 2 yards. On 3rd and 8 from the Chargers 10, Carr fired over the middle to Renfrow for the touchdown. The 11 play, 78 yard, 6 minute drive had the Raiders within 21-7. 

The Raiders held on defense and took over at their own 19. Carr hit Jacobs sideways, who avoided a tackle for a loss and gained 9. Carr then went deep to Henry Ruggs and drew a 46 yard defensive pass interference penalty. Carr then went to Waller for 18. Jacobs ran for 6 up the gut. On 3rd and goal at the 3, Carr looked around, avoided the pressure, and threw a jump ball to Waller. Waller out jumped the defender for the touchdown as the Raiders were only down 21-14 with 2 minutes left in the third quarter. The Raiders got it back at their own 14. Carr went bombs away to rugs for a 51 yard gain. Yet on 3rd and 3 from the Chargers 28, Carr was sacked for a 6 yard loss. Daniel Carlson then missed the 52 yard field goal try as the Raiders wasted the opportunity. 

Once the offense folded it was inevitable the Raiders defense would cave as well. The Chargers soon faced 3rd and 2 from midfield. Herbert threw incomplete. Brandon Staley is a very aggressive coach, and he made the key play of the game in going for it. Herbert hit Cook for 13. At this point the running game just ripped the Raiders apart. Ekeler gained 6 and Roundtree added 9. Herbert scrambled 6 and Ekelr ran for an 11 yard touchdown. The 10 play, 58 yard, 5 1/2 minute drive had the Chargers up 28-14 with 5 1/2 minutes left. 

On 3rd and 5 from their own 30, Carr hit Edwards for only 4. On 4th and 1 from their own 34, Carr rolled out and hit Renfrow for 3. Carr rolled out again and went deep but overthrew Ruggs. Defensive unsportsmanlike conduct after the play had the Raiders facing 1st and 10 at the Chargers 48. Carr then fired to the sideline was intercepted. with 3:14 to play, the Raiders were knocked from the ranks of the unbeaten. 28-14 Chargers

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

NFL 2021 Week 3 Recap

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

  

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

NFL 2021 Week 2 Recap

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

  

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

  

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

  

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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