THE TYGRRRR EXPRESS

NFL 2023 Week 12 Recap

Green Bay Packers at Detroit Lions was the Thanksgiving Thursday morning game. For most of the last 30 years, the Packers have beaten up the Lions. Then in regular season finale last year, momentum shifted. The Lions went into Green Bay and hit the Packers in the mouth. The Lions repeated this in the season opener this year at Green Bay. This Thanksgiving, the Lions came in 8-2 while the Packers were a relatively weak team. Dan Campbell has changed the culture in Detroit. For the first time since 1991, The Lions were ready to stomp all over the 4-6 Packers on Thanksgiving. 

On the first play from scrimmage after a touchback, Jordan Love went deep to Watson for a 53 yard gain. Love hit Watson again for 8 and went to Reed for a 10 yard touchdown. Less than 3 minutes in the game, the Packers led 7-0. The Lions soon faced 3rd and 7 at their own 30. Jared Goff went to Williams for 13. Defensive pass interference added 16. Goff went deep to Sam LaPorta for 31 and again for a 7 yard touchdown. Riley Patterson missed the extra point as the Lions trailed 7-6.

After a touchback, love went to Heath for 16. On 3rd and 8 from the Green Bay 47, Love hit Watson for 9 and Dillon for 11. Reed ran for 15. On 3rd and 1 from the Detroit 9, Love went to Kraft for the touchdown. The 10 play, 75 yard, 5 1/2 minute drive made it 14-6 Packers. The Lions soon faced 2nd and 12 at their own 23. Goff was sacked and fumbled. Owens picked it up and ran it 27 yards for a defensive touchdown. Anders Carlson missed the extra point but the Packers led 20-6. The Lions fumbled the ball away on their next drive as well. In the second quarter, Carlson tacked on a 43 yard field goal. He also missed from 63 yards out on the last play o the half. The Packers led 23-6 in front of a stunned Ford Field home crowd. 

The Lions began the third quarter at their own 28 and immediately sought to claw their way back. Gibbs got around the end for 23. Goff went deep to Amra St Brown for 28. On 3rd and 1 from the Green Bay 12, Montgomery ran for 6 and then for the 6 yard touchdown. A curious decision by Dan Campbell to go for a 2 point conversion saw Goff barely get in. He fumbled the ball, but after he broke the plane of the goal as the Lions were within 23-14. The Lions got the ball back but a great punt pinned them very deep. Dan Campbell takes some pretty bold gambles, and they often work. Yet a fake punt on 4th and 4 from his own 23 seemed a bit much. It didn’t work as the runner was swarmed for no gain to give the Packers a very short field. 

On 3rd and 3 from the Detroit 16, Love went to Watson for the touchdown. Matt LaFleur went for a 2 point conversion to try and put the game out of reach but a double reverse was blown up for a loss as the Packers led 29-14 late in the third quarter. tHE lions overcame a double digit lead in the final minutes last week but not this time. They got a garbage touchdown with 40 seconds to play but the onside kick failed. It would be totally unfair to say “Same Packers, same Lions.” These are not the same Lions, and they still have a big division lead. They simply stumbled at home in a game they should have won. 29-22 Packers

Washington Commanders at Dallas Cowboys was the Thanksgiving Thursday afternoon game. The Cowboys were expected to steamroll over the overmatched Commanders. The Cowboys in the first quarter faced 1st and 15 at their own 5 yard line. Dak Prescott went deep to Ferguson for 35 yards. On 3rd and 4 from their own 46, Prescott hit CeeDee Lamb for 8. On 3rd and 7 from the Washington 43, Tony Pollard ran for 14. Prescott hit Rico Dowdle for a 15 yard touchdown to cap the 11 play, 90 yard, 5 minute drive and make it 7-0 Cowboys. After a touchback, the Commanders in the second quarter moved to a 1st and 10 at the Dallas 19. A swing pass by Sam Howell lost 8 yards to kill the drive. Joey Slye hit a 43 yard field goal to get the Commanders on the board. 

The Cowboys moved easily after a touchback. Prescott ran for 10. Prescott then hit Schoonmaker for 12, Lamb for 16, and Brandon Cooks for a 31 yard touchdown to make it 14-3 Cowboys. After a touchback, Howell hit Logan Thomas for 13. On 3rd and 1 from his own 47, Howell threw incomplete but defensive pass interference meant a 3 yard gain. On 2nd and 12 from the Dallas 41, Howell hit Terry McLaurin for 12. On 3rd and 10 from the Dallas 29, Howell hit Jahan Dotson for 15. Howell went to Curtis Samuel for 13 down to the one. Howell kept the option and dove in for the touchdown to finish the 13 play, 75 yard, 6 1/2 minute drive get the Commanders within 14-10 with 1:51 left in the half. 

That was plenty of time for the Cowboys offense to keep rolling. After a touchback, Prescott hit Cooks for 8, Brooks for 24, andTolbert for 31. Pollard ran f=for a 7 yard touchdown with 26 seconds left. The extra point doinked off the upright no good but the Cowboys had a 20-10 lead. After a scoreless third quarter, Brandon Aubrey hit a 52 yard field goal early in the fourth quarter to make it 23-10 Cowboys. The Cowboys defense was stingy throughout the game. When Riverboat Ron Rivera went for it on 4th and 1 from the Dallas 39, Robinson got stopped for a 2 yard loss. When Rivera went for it again on 4th and 1 from his own 34 with 12 minutes left in regulation, Howell was sacked for a 10 yard loss. Prescott quickly went to Cooks for 8 and Lamb for a 15 yard touchdown to make it 31-10 Cowboys after a successful 2 point conversion. 

The Cowboys got it back at their own 35 and made it look too easy. Pollard ran for 27. On 3rd and 6 from the washington 34, Prescott went deep to Turpin for the touchdown to make it 38-10 Cowboys. With 4 1/2 minutes left, Cowboys cornerback DaRon Bland made NFL history. He intercepted Sam Howell and returned the pick 63 yards for the final touchdown to finish the carpet bombing. It was his 5th interception for a touchdown in a single season. He stands alone, with 6 games still remaining to extend his own record. The Cowboys are 8-3 and in strong playoff position. The day after the game, Ron Rivera fired Defensive coordinator Jack Del Rio and another defensive coach. 45-10 Cowboys

San Francisco 49ers at Seattle Seahawks was the Thanksgiving Thursday night game. First place in the NFC West was on the line as the 7-3 49ers took on the 6-4 Seahawks. The 49ers took over at their own 29. Brock Purdy went to Christian McCaffrey for 14. On 3rd and 1 from the Seattle 48, McCaffrey ran for 5 and then 27 more. Purdy went to Deebo Samuel for 10. Samuel ran for a 2 yard touchdown to make it 7-0 49ers. The Seahawks got a jolt when Eskridge returned the ensuing kickoff 66 yards to the San Francisco 33. Yet the Seahawks wasted the opportunity and settled for a 51 yard Jason Myers field goal. 

A field position game had the Seahawks backed up to their own one yard line and the 49ers getting the ball back with a short field at the Seattle 45. McCaffrey ran for 16. On 3rd and 7 from the Seattle 26, Purdy hit Jennings for 7. The 49ers began the second quarter facing 3rd and 7 from the Seattle 16. Purdy was taken down but illegal contact on the defense meant 5 yards and a new set of downs. McCaffrey caught a pass from Purdy for 5, ran for 5, and then ran for the one yard touchdown to make it 14-3 49ers. The 49ers got it back at their own 42. Purdy went to Brandon Aiyuk for 22. On 3rd and 9 from the Seattle 35, Purdy went to George Kittle for 11. On 3rd and 6 from the Seattle 20, Purdy went to Samuel for 12. McCaffrey ran for an 8 yard touchdown to make it 21-3 49ers. At the 2 minute warning the Seahawks fumbled a punt and the 49ers took over at the Seattle 22. Moody hit a 39 yard field goal to make it 24-3 49ers with 40 seconds left in the half. The Seahawks got no breaks as Myers missed a 53 yard field goal to end the half.

Early in the third quarter the 49ers were backed up to their own 4 yard line. Purdy was intercepted by Brooks, who returned hit 12 yards to pay dirt. The Defensive touchdown was followed by the Seahawks moving from their own 10 to a 2nd and goal at the 7. Yet Geno Smith threw incomplete and then was sacked. With 3 minutes left in the third quarter, Pete Carroll opted for the field goal. Myers hit from 30. The Seahawks were within 24-13 after three quarters, but they would get no closer. In the fourth quarter the 49ers took over at their own 36 and turned out the lights. McCaffrey ran for 12. Mitchell ran for 9, 5 and 3. Purdy went to Aiyuk for a 25 yard touchdown to put the game away and give the 49ers a 2 game division lead. 31-13 49ers

Miami Dolphins at New York Jets was the Friday afternoon game. The 7-3 Dolphins looked to take down the 4-6 Jets, who would be starting Tim Boyle in place of the benched Zach Wilson. The first half was all defense. In the first quarter the Dolphins moved form their own 15 to a 4th and 2 at the Jets 4. Mike McDaniel went for it and Tua Tagovailoa threw incomplete. The Dolphins got it back at their own 44 and moved to a 3rd and 1 at the Jets 20. Tagovailoa threw incomplete. At this point McDaniel was not a gambling mood on 4th and 1. Jason Sanders hit a 38 yard field goal to make it 3-0 Dolphins. A 19 yard punt return gave the Dolphins the ball back at their own 40 to start the second quarter. On 3rd and 5, Tagovailoa went to Jalen Waddle for 11. On 3rd and 5 from the Jets 39, Tagovailoa went to Wilson for 7. On 3rd and 6 from the Jets 28, Tagovailoa hit Waddle for 20. Tagovailoa went to Tyreek Hill for a 7 yard touchdown. The 11 play, 60 yard, 6 minute drive made it 10-0 Dolphins. After 29 minutes of normal football, the final minute was crazy.

With one minute left in the half, the Dolphins took over at their own 27. On the first play from scrimmage, Tagovailoa hit Echols. Problem: Echols plays defense for the Jets. Echols returned the interception 30 yards for a touchdown to get the Jets within 10-6. The extra point was no good. The Dolphins got it back at their own 13 and moved to their own 45.Tagovailoa hit Reed. Problem: Reed plays defense for the Jets. Reed allowed the Jets to take over just shy of midfield with 2 seconds left. That was enough time for a Hail Mary. Boyle went bombs away and found Holland. Problem: Holland plays defense for the Dolphins. Rather than just go to the ground, Holland returned the interception 99 yards for a defensive touchdown. In front of a shellshocked Metlife Stadium home crowd, the Dolphins led 17-6.

After a third quarter touchback, the Dolphins moved to a 3rd and 4 at the Jets 30. Tagovailoa was sacked. Sanders hit from 54 to make it 20-6 Dolphins. The Dolphins got the ball back at their own 8 yard line and slowly grinded the Jets into dust. The 15 play, 92 yard drive took 9 minutes off the clock. On the first play of the fourth quarter, Raheem Mostert ran for a 13 yard touchdown to make it 27-6 Dolphins. The Jets managed a garbage touchdown with 4 1/2 minutes left. The onside kick failed and with a short field, Mostert ran for a 34 yard touchdown to complete the beating. The Dolphins got to 8-3 on the year as the Jets fell to 4-7 and sinking fast. 34-13 Dolphins

Pittsburgh Steelers at Cincinnati Bengals — With Joe Burrow out for the rest of the year, Miss Alabama’s husband AJ McCarron returned to the team from a different league he was playing in. He is the backup as Browning got the start. The Steelers moved from their own 11 to a 1st and 10 at the Cincinnati 23. Najee Harris got stopped for no gain and Kenny Pickett threw incomplete twice. Chris Boswell hit a 41 yard field goal early in the second quarter to make it 3-0 Steelers. A 46 yard kickoff return had the Bengals set up at their own 47. Browning went to Hudson for 6, Jamarr Chase off a deflection for 31, and Sample for an 11 yard touchdown to make it 7-3 Bengals. After a third quarter touchback, the Bengals moved to a 3rd and 7 at the Pittsburgh 18. Browning was intercepted as the Steelers took over at their own 21. 

Pickett hit Warren for 15. On 3rd and 5 from their own 41, Pickett hit Austin for just enough. On 3rd and 4 from the Cincinnati 48, Pickett hit Pat Freiermuth for 9 and George Pickens for 10. On 3rd and 6 from the Cincinnati 25, Pickett hit Freiermuth forn8. Warren ran fr 9 and 3 and Harris ran for the 5 yard touchdown. The 14 play, 79 yard, 8 minute drive represented a 14 point swing. Instead of trailing 14-3, the Steelers led 10-7 after three quarters. If it seems like every AFC North game is a barefisted slobberknocker, it’s because they frequently are. This game was no exception. Boswell hit fourth quarter field goals of 34 and 33 for a 16-7 Steelers lead with 2:50 to play. Evan McPherson hit from 47 to get the Bengals within 6 with 2:04 to play. With the Bengals out of timeouts, the onside kick failed and used up 4 seconds to get to the 2 minute warning. Pickett took 3 knees to end it as the Steelers gutted their way to 7-4 on the year. 16-10 Steelers

Jacksonville Jaguars at Houston Texans — The Jaguars moved from their own 13 to a 4th and 3 at the Houston 22. Brandon McManus hit a 40 yard field goal to make it 3-0 Jaguars. The Jaguars got it back and faced 3rd and 1 at their own 41 early in the second quarter. Johnson gained 3. Trevor Lawrence went to Johnson for a 42 yard gain. On 3rd and goal at the 5, Lawrence threw incomplete but defensive pass interference meant 1st and goal at the one. Lawrence got the yard to make its 10-0 Jaguars. After a touchback, CJ Stroud went to Woods for 26, ran for 8, went to Singletary for 33, and hit Dell for a 7 yard touchdown. The Texans were within 10-7. The Jaguars moved after a touchback to a 1st and 10 at the Houston 25. A run lost 6 yards to kill the drive. McManus hit form 48 to make it 13-7 Jaguars. Matt Amendola missed a 50 yard field goal try for the Texans. With 10 seconds left in the half, a 57 yard completion had the Jaguars facing 1st and goal at the one with one second left. Doug Pederson gambled and Etienne got blown up for a goal line stand to end the half. 

A third quarter interception of Lawrence was returned 14 yards to set up the Texans at the Jacksonville 46. On 3rd and 1, Stroud went to Collins for 22. Singletary ran for 14. On 3rd and goal at the one, Stroud got in to put the Texans up 14-13. After a touchback, Lawrence went deep to Ridley for a 45 yard gain. On 3rd and 3 from the Houston 23, Lawrence threw incomplete but defensive pass interference added 15 yards. On 3rd and goal from the 5, Lawrence threw incomplete but defensive pass interference meant 1st and goal at the one. On 3rd and goal at the one, Lawrence went to Ridley for the touchdown. Doug Pederson went for 2 and Lawrence hit Ridley again to make it 21-14 Jaguars. The Jaguars got it back at their own 11 and moved to a 4th and 1 at the Houston 30. Lawrence gained 2 but an illegal formation instead meant 4th and 6. McManus hit from 53 to give the Jaguars breathing room up 24-14 with 11 1/2 minutes left in regulation. Midway through the fourth quarter, McManus missed from 55. 

The great field position at their own 45 led to Stroud hitting Hutchinson for 34. On 3rd and 6 from the Jacksonville 17, Stroud hit Collins for the touchdown. The Texans were within 3 points with 5:15 to play. The Texans got it back at their own 11 with 3 minutes left. They moved to a 1st and 10 at the Jacksonville 37 with 1:18 left. Stroud took a killer sack. With 34 seconds left, Amendola came in for a 58 yard field goal try. He has never made one over 50 in his NFL career. This one was dead center and doinked off the crossbar and bounced back, no good. The first place showdown had the Jaguars walk away with a 2 game division lead. 24-21 Jaguars

Tampa Bay Buccaneers at Indianapolis Colts — The Buccaneers after a touchback moved to a 1st and goal at the one. Baker Mayfield took the quarterback sneak and got stopped short. He also got injured on the play. Kyle Trask came in for Mayfield and the immediate result was a false start. On 3rd and goal at the 3, Trask threw incomplete. Chase Mclaughlin hit a 21 yard field goal to cap the 15 play, 72 yard, 7 1/2 minute drive for a 3-0 Buccaneers lead. The Colts after a touchback moved to a 1st and 10 at the Tampa Bay 19. Gardner Minshew threw incomplete twice and was then sacked. Matt Gay hit a 46 yard field goal for a 3-3 game. After that Mayfield returned. 

An interception of Mayfield gave the Colts a short field at the Tampa Bay 41. Minshew went to Pittman for 17. Jonathan Taylor ran for 17 more and then for the 4 yard touchdown to make it 10-3 Colts. In the second quarter the Colts faced 4th and 1 from their own 47. Shane Steichen went for it and Minshew hit Pittman for 24 and again for 12. Minshew hit Downs for 13. On 3rd and goal at the 2, Minshew got in to make it 17-3 Colts. An interception of Minshew gave the Buccaneers gift field position at the Indianapolis 16. Mayfield went to Durham, who made an acrobatic catch for 12. Mayfield hit Mike Evans for a one yard touchdown to get the Buccaneers within 17-10. 

Gay missed a 58 yard field goal try to end the half that would have extended the lead, Gay hit from 36 in the third quarter to make it 20-10 Colts. The Colts got it back at their own 20 and moved to a 4th and 6 at the Tampa Bay 40. Shane Steichen went for it and Minshew threw incomplete. On 3rd and 8 from their own 42, Mayfield ran for 14. On 4th and 10 from the Indy 44, Mayfield went to Chris Godwin for 19. Mayfield went to Evans for a 23 yard touchdown to get the Buccaneers within 20-17 early the fourth quarter. After a touchback, Minshew went to Pittman for 16. On 4th and 1 just past midfield, Steichen gambled again. With everyone bunched up the middle, Minshew floated a pass over the middle to a wide open Mo Alie-Cox for 30 yards. Taylor did the rest, running for 8, 10, and the one yard touchdown to give the Colts breathing room up 27-17.

After a touchback, the Buccaneers moved to a 3rd and goal at the 5  with 5 minutes left. Mayfield was sacked as the Buccaneers ket 45 seconds off the clock. Needing 2 scores, McLaughlin hit from 24 to get the Buccaneers within 7 with 4 minutes left. The Buccaneers held on defense and faced 3rd and 4 at their own 41 with 90 seconds left. Mayfield was sacked and fumbled. The Colts recovered to hang on. 27-20 Colts

New Orleans Saints at Atlanta Falcons — The Saints moved from their own 16 as Derek Carr went bombs away to Chris Olave for a 51 yard gain. On 2nd and goal at the 7, Carr threw incomplete twice. Grupe hit a 25 yard field goal for a 3-0 Saints lead. The Saints got it back at their own 32 and moved to a 3rd and 3 at the Atlanta 12. Carr went to the sideline, and Bates jumped the route in a big way. Bates returned the interception the other way for a 92 yard defensive touchdown and a 7-3 Falcons lead. After a touchback and a defensive taunting penalty, the Saints were at their own 44. They moved to a 3rd and 7 at the Atlanta 34 to start the second quarter. Carr threw incomplete. Grupe hit a 52 yard field goal to get the Saints within 7-6. The Falcons took over at their own 22. Desmond Ridder hit London for 19. Ridder ran for 15. On 3rd and 9 from the New Orleans 41, Ridder went to Pitts for 11. Ridder ran for 12. Robinson ran for a 10 yard touchdown to culminate the 10 play, 78 yard, 5 1/2 minute drive and make it 14-6 Falcons. After  touchback the Saints moved to a 2nd and 9 at the Atlanta 23. Carr threw incomplete twice. Grupe hit from 41 to get the Saints within 14-9. 

In the third quarter the Saints moved from their own 8 to a 1st and 10 at the Atlanta 15. A false start and offensive holding killed the drive. Grupe hit his 4th field goal from 45 to get the saints within 14-12. An interception of Ridder gave the Saints great field position at their own 46. On 1st and 10 form the Atlanta 19 with a chance to take the lead, Taysom Hill gained 10 but then fumbled the ball away. The Falcons took over at their own 5 yard line. Robinson gained 5 and Tyler Allgeier added 6 and 7. Ridder went to London for 3 and 15. On 3rd and 6 from their own 45, Ridder went to London for 29. Ridder went to Robinson for a 26 yard touchdown and a 21-12 Falcons lead with 10 minutes left in regulation. The Saints after a touchback moved to a 3rd and 6 at the Atlanta 21. Carr completed a pass for no gain. Needing 2 scores, Grupe hit his 5th field goal from 39 to get the Saints within 21-15. Yet after a touchback, the Falcons bled the clock. Younghoe Koo hit a field goal from 39 to put the Falcons up by 9 again with 1:47 left. In desperation mode, despite making 5 field goals, Grupe missed from 54 with 30 seconds left. 24-15 Falcons

New England Patriots at New York Giants — Sometimes a pair of awful teams can play a game for the ages. This was not that game. This game was the Stupor Bowl. The first quarter was scoreless. In the second quarter the Patriots took over at their own 8 yard line. They moved 69 yards in 12 plays and 6 1/2 minutes. On 3rd and 4 from the Giants 23, Mac Jones was intercepted by Okereke, who returned the pick 55 yards to the New England 26. On 3rd and 8, Danny Devito’s cousin Tommy hit Hyatt for 12. On 3rd and 10 from the New England 12, Devito went to Hodgins for the touchdown. After over 28 minutes of scoreless football, the Giants led 7-0. Randy Bullock hit the second half kickoff out of bounds to set up the Patriots up at their own 40. Mac Jones was benched yet again after 3 first half turnovers. Bailey Zappe came in. Rhamondre Stevenson ran for 13. On 4th and 1 from the Giants 38, Bill Belichick went for it. Stevenson took the direct snap and gained 3 yards. On 3rd and 6 from the Giants 31, Zappe hit Douglas for 9. Zappe hit Thornton for 15. Stevenson ran for a 7 yard touchdown. The 11 play, 60 yard, 7 minute drive tied the game 7-7. With 12 1/2 minutes left in regulation, an interception of Zappe gave the Giants gift field position at the New England 32. Randy Bullock hit a 42 yard field goal to give the Giants the lead. With 6 seconds left, Ryland came in for a 35 yard field goal try to tie the game. If ever a game deserved overtime, this was not it. Luckily for fans everywhere, Ryland missed. League officials burned the tape of this game. 10-7 Giants

Carolina Panthers at Tennessee Titans — This game was Stupor Bowl II. The Titans took over at their own 9 yard line. Mike Vrabel gambled on 4th and 1 from his own 30. Derrick Henry gained 3 yards. On 3rd and 3 from his own 40, Will Levis hit Moore for 12, While for 11, Westbrook-Ikhine for 7, and Okonkwo for 25 down to the one. Henry bulldozed his way past the plane of the goal to cap the 15 play, 81 yard, 9 1/2 minute drive and make it 7-0 Titans. The Panthers in the second quarter moved from their own 21. On 4th and 3 from the Tennessee 37, Frank Reich went for it. Bryce Young hit Sullivan for 13. Yet on the next play, offensive holding killed the drive. Eddie Pineiro hit a 50 yard field goal to get the Panthers on the board. The Panthers got it back but a sack of Young forced a fumble. The Titans took over at the Carolina 15. Henry ran for a 10 yard touchdown to make it 14-3 Titans. The Titans got it back at their own 38 with 27 seconds left in the half. Levis hit Okonkwo for 9 and Westbrook-Ikhine for 18. Nick Folk hit a 53 yard field goal as the Titans took a 17-3 lead to the locker rooms.

The Panthers began the third quarter facing 3rd and 8 at their own 35. Young threw incomplete but defensive holding meant a new set of downs. On 3rd and 4 from their own 46, Young gained 6. Defensive pass interference added 14 more. Young hit Chuba Hubbard for 25. On 3rd and 1 from the Tennessee 4, Chuba Hubbard got rocked for a one yard loss. Frank Reich gambled on 4th and 2. Hubbard banged ahead for the 5 yard touchdown to get the Panthers within 7 points. 22 minutes of football remained. After a ton of punts, the Panthers last chance came on 4th and 6 from their own 24 with 1:55 left. Young completed a pass to DJ Shark for no gain. With a 1-10 record, Reich was fired the day after the game. A pair of assistant coaches were also fired. 17-10 Titans 

Los Angeles Rams at Arizona Cardinals — A pair of bad teams played. The Rams began facing 3rd and 8 from their own 27. Matthew Stafford went deep to Tutu Atwell for 42 yards. On 4th and 1 from the Arizona 22, Sean McVay went for it. Williams gained 8. Stafford went to Cooper Kupp for 7 and Tyler Higbee for a 7 yard touchdown to make it 7-0 Rams. After a touchback, the Cardinals soon faced 3rd and 7 at their own 39. Kyler Murray went to Malcolm Hollywood Brown for 17, to McBride for 12, and to Dortch for 14. James Conner ran for 14. On 3rd and goal at the 2, Kyler Murray got in. A defensive penalty on the extra point moved the ball to the one as Jonathan Gannon went for 2. Tune ran it in for an 8-7 Cardinals lead. 

The Rams got the ball back to start the second quarter just shy of midfield. Freeman ran for 14 and 3. Stafford went to Atwell for 13. Stafford hit Higbee for a 5 yard touchdown to put the Rams up 14-8. Havrisik missed a 50 yard field goal try that would have extended the lead. Jonathan Gannon gambled on 4th and 2 from his own 48 at the 2 minute warning. Murray threw incomplete. Stafford went to Higbee for 7, to Kupp for 5, to Atwell for 21, and to Williams for a 15 yard touchdown. With one minute left the Rams led 21-8. A pointless second half saw the Rams turn out the lights.

Havrisik hit a 24 yard field goal to make it 24-8 Rams. Matt Prater missed a 56 yard try for the Cardinals. From his own 46, Stafford went to Nacua for 14. On 3rd and 5 from the Arizona 35, Stafford went to Robinson for 7. On 3rd and 5 from the Arizona 23, Stafford hit Kupp for 6. The fourth quarter began with Williams running for 9 and 3. On 3rd and goal at the 3, Stafford hit Williams for the touchdown to make it 31-8 Rams. The Cardinals punted on 4th and 28 from their own 7 and the Rams took over at the Arizona 38. On 4th and 1, Sean McVay went for it and Williams gained 6. On the next play Freeman ran fora  23 yard touchdown. The extra point was no good but the Rams led 37-8. The Cardinals managed one garbage touchdown but nothing more. 37-14 Rams

Cleveland Browns at Denver Broncos — Early on the Broncos faced 3rd and 1 at their own 29. Wilson got the yard. On 3rd and 10 from their own 30, Russell Wilson threw incomplete deep but defensive pass interference meant a 34 yard gain. On 3rd and 8 from the Cleveland 34, Wilson went deep to Sortland Sutton for 31. Perine ran for the 3 yard touchdown to make it 7-0 Broncos. The Broncos got it back and faced 3rd and 4 at their own 26. Perine gained 6. Perine ran for 15. The broncos began the second quarter facing 3rd and 7 at the Cleveland 45. Wilson went to Mims for 16. Wilson ran for 19. Wilson ran for a 2 yard touchdown to cap the 13 play, 80 yard, 6 minute drive and make it 14-0 Broncos. 

Dustin Hopkins hit field goals of 36 and 24 to get the Browns within 14-6 at the half. The Browns in the third quarter faced 3rd and 8 at their own 23. Dorian Thompson-Robinson hit Amari Cooper for 11. Ford ran for 13. Thompson-Robinson hit David Njoku for 16 and again for 17. On 3rd and 7 from the Denver 11, Thompson-Robinson threw incomplete but defensive unnecessary roughness meant 6 yards and a new set of downs. Ib 4th and goal at the 2, Kevin Stefanski went for it. Thompson-Robinson hit Harrison Bryant for the touchdown to cap the 13 play, 79 yard, 6 1/2 minute drive. The 2 point try failed but the Browns were within 14-12. 

The Broncos after a touchback moved to a 3rd and goal at the 2. A run out of the shotgun was blown up in the backfield for a 3 yard loss. Wil Lutz hit the 23 yard field goal to make it 17-12 Broncos. The Browns then fumbled the ball away on the first play of the fourth quarter to give the Broncos gift field position at the Cleveland 20. Mims ran for 11. On 3rd and goal at the 8, Wilson hit Adam Trautman for the touchdown to make it 24-12 Broncos. The Browns have an elite defense but little to no offense with a backup quarterback. The Broncos have an elite defense and an offense. Lutz tacked on a 34 yard field goal with 4 minutes left. Just before the 2 minute warning, PJ Walker was sacked in his own end zone for a safety. The Browns are 7-5 while the 6-5 Broncos have won 5 straight after a 1-5 start. 29-12 Broncos

Kansas City Chiefs at Las Vegas Raiders — The Raiders have drastically improved the culture of the team under Antonio Pierce, but the Chiefs are the ultimate measuring stick. There is a difference between being improved and being good. After a touchback, Josh Jacobs ran for 7 and one. On 3rd and 2 from their own 33, Aidan O’Connell went to dDavante Adams for a 33 yard gain. Jacobs added 4 and 3. On 3rd and 3 from the Kansas City 27, O’Connell went to Jakobi Meyers for 4. On 3rd and 5 from the Kansas City 18, O’Connell went to Meyers for the touchdown to make it 7-0 Raiders. On the first Chiefs play from scrimmage after a touchback, a screen pass by Patrick Mahomes was blown up for an 11 yard loss. The Chiefs went 3 and our. The Raiders from their own 19 moved 69 yards in 14 plays and 7 1/2 minutes. As the first quarter was ending, the Raiders faced 4th and 1 from the Kansas City 12. Antonio Pierce decided to play it safe. The Raiders had all the momentum, but it seemed to evaporate when Daniel Carlson missed a 30 yard field goal try. Yet the Raiders got it back at their own 23 and quickly exploded. O’Connell hit Davante Adams for 14. On the next play Jacobs banged through the line and was off to the races for a 63 yard touchdown. The Raiders led 14-0 early in the second quarter, but at this point the inevitable happened.

The Chiefs took over at their own 29. Mahomes hit Travis Kelce for 12. Mahomes hit Gray for 12 and Moore for 18. On 3rd and 8 from the Raiders 16, Mahomes went to Rice for 10. On 3rd and goal at the one, Pacheco got in. The 12 play, 71 yard, 6 minute drive had the Chiefs within 14-7. The Chiefs got it back at their own 21 with 3 1/2 minutes left in the half. Mahomes went to Pacheco for 10 and Rice for 9. Mahomes went to Kelce for big gains of 27 and 23. On 3rd and goal at the 3, Mahomes went to Watson for the touchdown and a 14-14 tie with 25 seconds left in the half. After a third quarter touchback, the Chiefs kept rolling. Mahomes hit Kelce for 8 and Gray for 13. On 3rd and 1 from the Raiders 41, Pacheco gained 6. Mahomes went to Rice for 19 and Pacheco for 14 down to the one. Pacheco got in on the next play. The 10 play, 75 yard, 6 minute drive had the Chiefs up 21-14. 

The Raiders defense finally got a stop as Maxx Crosby sacked Mahomes. The Raiders moved from their own 24 to a 2nd and 6 at the Kansas City 16. Jacobs got stopped for no gain and O’Connell on 3rd and 6 threw incomplete. Carlson hit the 34 yard field goal to get the Raiders within 21-17 with 2 minutes left in the third quarter. After a touchback, Mahomes went to Kelce for 16. Mahomes went to Pacheco for 10. The fourth quarter began with the Chiefs facing 3rd and 6 at the Raiders 39. Mahoems went to Rice, who weaved through and past everyone for a touchdown and a 28-17 Chiefs lead.

The Raiders after a touchback moved to a 1st and 10 at the Kansas City 44. O’Connell threw 3 straight incompletions. With 9 1/2 minutes left in regulation, Antonio Pierce decided to punt. The Raiders got the ball back at their own 10. On 4th and 1 from his own 19 with 6 1/2 minutes left, this time Pierce decided to go for it. Jacobs never had a chance. Zero attempts at blocking allowed the Kansas City defense to bury Jacobs for a 2 yard loss and set up the Chiefs at the Raiders 17. On 3rd and goal at the 13, a swing pass lost a yard. Harrison Butker hit the 32 yard field goal as a 31-3 rampage gave the Chiefs the comfortable win. Again, the Raiders are improved. The Chiefs are good. That is a big difference. 31-17 Chiefs

Buffalo Bills at Philadelphia Eagles — The Eagles after an emotional win at Kansas City came in an NFL best 9-1. The Eagles on 2nd and 12 from their own 25 saw Jalen Hurts hit Devonta Smith for 14. On 3rd and 10 from their own 39, Hurts threw incomplete but defensive holding meant a new set of downs. On 4th and 1 from the Buffalo 47, Nick sirianni went for it. With everyone expecting the tush push, the defense encroached to give the Eagles the first down. Hurts then ran for 16. Gainwell gained 23 down to the one. Hurts got in to cap the 10 play, 73 yard, 5 1/2 minute drive to make it 7-0 Eagles.

The Bills after a touchback in the second quarter moved to a 4th and 7 at the Philadelphia 30. Tyler Bass hit a 48 yard field goal to get the Bills within 7-3. An interception of Hurts set up the Bills at the Philadelphia 29. On 3rd and 9, Josh Allen went to Gabriel Davis for 19. Allen ran for a 9 yard touchdown to make it 10-7 Bills. With 90 seconds left in the half, Bass missed a 34 yard field goal try that would have extended the lead. Yet 3 plays later Hurts fumbled the ball away. The Bills took over at the Philly 36 with one minute left. Allen ran for 19. On 3rd and 6 from the Philly 13, Allen went to Stefan Diggs for the touchdown. The Bills led 17-7 at the break. 

The Bills moved from their own 31 to a 1st and 10 at the Philadelphia 30. The Bills had all the momentum but Allen threw 3 straight incompletions. Bass missed a 48 yard field goal try. From their own 38, Deandre Swift ran for 36. On 3rd and 2 from the Buffalo 18, Hurts went to Still for 14. Hurts hit AJ Brown for a 3 yard touchdown. With hard rain coming down, the Eagles were within 17-14 midway through the third quarter. The Bill soon faced 3rd and 4 at their own 36. Allen gained 7. Allen hit Cook for 29. Johnson gained 8 and 4. On 3rd and 11 from the Philadelphia 16, Allen ran for the touchdown to make it 24-14 Bills.

After a touchback, Hurts went deep to Smith for 33. On 3rd and 4 from the Buffalo 32 to start the fourth quarter, Hurts ran for 12. Hurts fired over the middle to Smith for a 15 yard touchdown to get the Eagles within 24-21. Two plays after a touchback, Allen was intercepted. Three plays later on 3rd and 15 from the Buffalo 29, Hurts went deep to Zaccheaus for the touchdown. With 11 minutes left in regulation, the Eagles led 28-24. Midway through the fourth quarter, the Bills took over at their own 26. Cook ripped off a pair of 11 yard gains. Latavius Murray ran for 12 and 7. On 3rd and 3 from the Philadelphia 33, Allen hit Murray for 6. Allen hit Diggs for 14. On 3rd and 4 from the Philadelphia 7, Allen went to Davis for the touchdown. With 1:52 to play, the Bills had the 31-28 lead. After a touchback, Hurts went to Brown for 9, Gainwell for 4, Brown for 11, Gainwell for 6, and Smith for 11. On 3rd and 12 from the Buffalo 36, a second false start was a killer and pushed the Eagles out of realistic field goal range. 30 seconds remained. The Eagles were out of timeouts. A 59 yard field goal try in the rain seemed incredibly unrealistic, but that was the choice. Elliott came in to try and hit a miracle. The miracle was delivered as this thrilling game was headed to overtime.

After a touchback, the Bills moved 53 yards in 12 plays. On 3rd and 6 from the Philly 22, Allen threw incomplete. Bass hit the 40 yard field goal. With 6 minutes left in overtime, the Bills led 34-31. Yet the Eagles would get one chance with the ball. After a touchback, Hurts gained 8. Hurts went to Smith for 17. On 3rd and 3 from the Buffalo 39, Hurts hit Smith for 11. Swift ran for 16. Time was no longer a factor. With 2 1/2 minutes left, there was plenty of time for the eagles to calmly go for the win or the tie. Hurts took a perfectly executed draw play up the middle for the 12 yard touchdown as the drenched home Philadelphia crowd erupted. The Bills fell to 6-6 while the Eagles still have the best record in the NFL at 10-1 after winning this instant classic. 37-34 Eagles, OT

Baltimore Ravens at Los Angeles Chargers was the Sunday night game. Nobody loses close games like the Chargers. nobody wins ugly like the Ravens. Meanwhile the Ravens sought to keep pace with the top teams in the AFC. After an opening touchback, the Chargers moved to a 2nd and 9 at the Baltimore 11. A sack of Justin Herbert killed the drive. The 12 play, 54 yard, 6 minute drive finished with Cameron Dicker hitting a 39 yard field goal. The Chargers led 3-0 but their offense took much of the rest of the night off.

The Ravens got it back after an offensive penalty and faced 1st and 20 at their own 12. Lamar Jackson hit Likely for 18, O’Dell Beckham Jr. for 11, Mitchell for 14 and Beckham for 14. On 3rd and 9 from the Chargers 26, Jackson went to Bateman for 12. Jackson ran for a 3 yard touchdown to cap the 12 play, 78 yard, 6 minute drive and make it 7-3 Ravens. Justin Tucker hit field goals of 42 in the second quarter and 48 in the third quarter for a 13-3 Ravens lead. Both field goals were set up by Chargers turnovers. The Chargers even wasted a mind-numbing 19 play drive that took 9 minutes by fumbling the ball away in the red zone. 

A 23 yard punt return gave the Chargers the ball at their own 40 with 11 1/2 minutes left in regulation. Herbert hit Keenan Allen for 7. Herbert ran for 35. On 3rd and goal at the 3, Herbert hit Everett for the touchdown. With 8 1/2 minutes left, the Chargers were right back in it down 13-10. The Ravens after a touchback moved to a 4th and 1 at the Chargers 26. a very conservative John Harbaugh decided not to gamble. In an even bigger surprise, reliable kicker Tucker missed a 44 yard field goal try. The Chargers moved from their own 34 to a 3rd and 6 at the Baltimore 46. Needing only a field goal, Herbert threw incomplete and was then sacked. With 1:36 left and the Chargers down to one timeout, everything came down to the Ravens facing 3rd and 3 from the Chargers 37. Zee Flowers took an end around for a first down and all the way for the touchdown to put the game on ice. 20-10 Ravens 

Chicago Bears at Minnesota Vikings was the Monday night game. The Vikings had their 4 game winning streak snapped last week. This wretched game saw Cairo Santos missed a 48 yard first quarter field goal try and make a 25 yarder in the second quarter for a 3-0 Bears lead. Greg Joseph hit from 34 to end the half. Santos hit from 39 in the third quarter and from 55 to make it 9-3 Bears early in the fourth quarter. The Bears defense intercepted Joshua Dobbs 4 times, mostly off of deflected balls, and wasted the opportunities. From the Minnesota 22 with a chance to put the game away, Justin Fields fumbled the ball away. On 3rd and 3 from his own 30, Dobbs hit Powell for 18, Addison for 14, TJ Hockenson for 16, and Hockenson again for a 17 yard touchdown. The Vikings led 10-9 with 6 minutes left in regulation. Fields fumbled the ball away again with 3 1/2 minutes left. The Bears got it back at their own 22 with 2 1/2 minutes left. The key play of the game came on 3rd and 10 from midfield with one minute left. Fields went to Moore for 36 yards.  Fields took 3 knees to take the clock down. Santos hit the 30 yarder with 10 seconds left to give the Bears the win. 12-10 Bears

NFL 2023 Week 12 Prequel

Thanksgiving Thursday, November 23, 2023, 9:30am

Green Bay Packers at Detroit Lions (-7 1/2) — The balance of power has shifted. The Packers are bad. The Lions are very good and playing with a chip on their shoulders. The Lions have hit the Packers in the mouth twice in a row in Green Bay. At home indoors, their offense will click on all cylinders. Lions cover

1:30pm

Washington Commanders at Dallas Cowboys (-11) — The Commanders looked awful at home against the lowly Giants. The Cowboys have found their groove. They sometimes play down to the level of their competition, but that will be very hard in this case. The Cowboys have too many weapons on offense. Cowboys cover

5pm

San Francisco 49ers (-6 1/2) at Seattle Seahawks — First place in the NFC West is on the line. The Seahawks stubbed their to in blowing a 13 point second half lead last week at the Rams. The 49ers have more talent on offense and their defense is nastier. Yet the Seahawks have the home field. Seattle has not bee invincible at home in years, but the 12th man should be jacked up for this one. Nevertheless, go with the better team. 49ers win but fail to cover

Black Friday, November 24, 3pm

Miami Dolphins (-10) at New York Jets — A special edition of Friday football gives the Dolphins a chance to run away with the division. Both teams have good defenses, but the Jets finally benched Zach Wilson. Tim Boyle gets the start. He will be a deer in the headlights. The spread is a high for a road team, and again Gang Green does have a solid defense. The Dolphins have enough speed to break the Jets, but a garbage touchdown is possible. Dolphins win but fail to cover

Sunday, November 26, 1pm

Pittsburgh Steelers (-1) at Cincinnati Bengals — Both of these teams are fighting for position in a crowded AFC North. The Steelers are favored because Joe Burrow is now out for the rest of the year injured. Home field has never mattered in these matchups. The Pittsburgh offense went nowhere last week at Cleveland, and Cincinnati still has a decent defense. This one could come down to the final play. Expect the Steelers to pound d the ball. This could go down to the final play. Steelers cover

Jacksonville Jaguars (-1 1/2) at Houston Texans — Both teams are improved under Doug Pederson and Demeco Ryans, respectively. Trevor Lawrence is a generational talent and CJ Stroud has taken the league by storm. Right now Stroud has the hot hand. Go with the home field when all else seems equal. Upset special, Texans win outright

Tampa Bay Buccaneers at Indianapolis Colts (-2 1/2) — The Buccaneers have talent on paper, but games are not played on paper. Gardner Minshew has filled in capably in place of the injured Anthony Richardson. Indoors at home, expect Jonathan Taylor to run well enough to make a difference. Until the Buccaneers stop underachieving, they don’t get the benefit of the doubt. Colts cover

New Orleans Saints at Atlanta Falcons (Pick) — Normally the Saints would be favored, but they have been battered by injuries. Derek Carr is still in concussion protocol. Michael Thomas is out. Jameis Winston throws touchdown passes to both teams. Nevertheless, the Falcons are not that special and Dennis Allen runs a great defense. Saints win

New England Patriots (-3) at New York Giants — This is the Stupor Bowl. The Patriots are awful. So are the Giants, and starting Danny Devito’s third cousin Tommy does not help matters. Yet the Giants have a decent defense. Devito was sacked nine times last week and the Giants still won on the road. Mac Jones is playing badly. In an ugly game, go with the Giants defense. Upset special, Giants win outright

Carolina Panthers at Tennessee Titans (-3 1/2) — Both of these teams are having a miserable season. Derrick Henry should be ok at home to run over a Carolina defense that is far from great. At home, the Titans should get the win. Yet until they prove themselves against the worst team in the league, they do not get the benefit of the doubt regarding the point spread. Titans win but fail to cover

4pm

Los Angeles Rams at Arizona Cardinals (Pick) — The Cardinals are simply a different team with Kyler Murray in the lineup. The Rams gutted out a win over Seattle at home after overcoming a 13 point deficit. Yet at home, Murray knows he is playing for his future in Arizona. Expect Murray to run all over the place. Cardinals win

Cleveland Browns at Denver Broncos (-2 1/2) — Both teams have really good defenses. Yet the Broncos also have Russell Wilson. With Deshaun Watson out for the rest of the year, the Browns will have to win with their defense. The Broncos have won four straight, including a victory over Minnesota, who had won five straight. The Broncos are a whole team. The Browns are half a team. Browns cover

Kansas City Chiefs (-9 1/2) at Las Vegas Raiders — The Chiefs were one dropped pass in the rain from beating Philadelphia. Dropped passes have killed the Chiefs this year. Yet while the Raiders are improved, Aidan O’Connell is no Patrick Mahomes. Interim Coach Antonio Pierce is determined to run the ball. If Josh Jacobs can get going, the Raiders can keep from getting blown out. The Raiders defense played Miami tough. The Chiefs are not blowing teams out as in years past. Chiefs win but fail to cover

Buffalo Bills at Philadelphia Eagles (-3 1/2) — The Eagles got a big emotional win over Kansas City, but do not expect a letdown. At home, the Eagles are very tough. The Bills are playing far below their talent level. The Bills did blow out the Jets, and the Jets are the only team this year to have beaten the Eagles. That was a fluke. Josh Allen is turning the ball over far too often. Eagles win but fail to cover

8pm

Baltimore Ravens (-4) at Los Angeles Chargers — Nobody loses close games like the Chargers. Lamar Jackson is playing lights out football. John Harbaugh is a far better coach than Brandon Staley. Justin Herbert is talented enough to keep the Chargers in the game, but trust the team that finds ways to win over the team that consistently underachieves when it matters. Ravens win but fail to cover

Monday, November 27, 8pm

Chicago Bears at Minnesota Vikings (-3 1/2) — Both teams blew a fourth quarter late lead last week. Yet the Vikings had their five game winning streak snapped at a Denver team that has won four straight. The Bears have been awful all year. They lack the talent to compete. The Vikings have not been blowing anyone out, and the Bears could get a garbage touchdown. Vikings win but fail to cover

NFL 2023 Week 11 Recap

Winnipeg Blue Bombers vs. Montreal Allouettes was the 110th Grey Cup from Canada. 28-24 Allouettes.

Now back to the National Football League.

Cincinnati Bengals at Baltimore Ravens was the Thursday night game. Both of these good teams surprisingly lost at home last week. The Ravens went right to work after the opening touchback. Lamar Jackson hit Mark Andrews for 14 and Zee Flowers for 33. On 3rd and 4 from the Cincinnati 21, Jackson ran for 8. Edwards ran for a 3 yard touchdown to make it 7-0 Bengals. After a touchback the Bengals moved to a 3rd and 6 at the Baltimore 31. Joe Burrow threw incomplete. Evan Mcpherson hit a 50 yard field goal to get the Bengals on the board. The Bengals got it back at their own 42 and moved to a 1st and 10 at the Baltimore 34. Burrow was sacked to kill the drive. On the first play of the second quarter, McPherson’s 53  yard field goal try was wide left no good. The Bengals got it back and soon faced 3rd and 4 at their own 24. Burrow went to Hudson for 21 and Sample for 13. On 3rd and 4 from the Baltimore 33, Burrow went to Boyd for 13 and Joe Mixon for 9. Burrow hit Mixon for a 4 yard touchdown to cap the 12 play, 82 yard, 7 1/2 minute drive and make it 10-7 Bengals with 6 minutes left in the half. 

After that, momentum changed. On 3rd and 5 from their own 30, Jackson hit O’Dell Beckham for 29. On 3rd and 6 from the Cincinnati 37, Jackson went to Nelson Agholor for the touchdown to make it 14-10 Ravens with 2:20 left in the half. Burrow was out at this point with an injured wrist. Browning took his place. The Ravens got it back at their own 20 with 90 seconds left. On 3rd and 10, defensive pass interference on an incompletion meant 13 yards. On 1st and 20 from their own 38 after offensive holding, defensive pass interference again meant 28 yards. Jackson went to Beckham for 21. On 3rd and 7 from the Cincinnati 10, Jackson went to Bateman for the touchdown. With 23 seconds left in the half, the Ravens led 21-10.

After a third quarter touchback, the Bengals moved 67 yards in 10 plays and 5 minutes. On 3rd and 5 from the Baltimore 8, Browning threw incomplete. McPherson hit from 26 to get the Bengals within 21-13. After a touchback, the Ravens moved to a 4th and 4 at the Cincinnati 7. Justin Tucker hit a 25 yard field goal to make it 24-13 Ravens. The Ravens got it back at their own 44 and moved to a 2nd and 4 at the Cincinnati 29. Jackson threw incomplete twice. Tucker hit from 47 to make it 27-13 Ravens. In the fourth quarter the Ravens from their own 32 moved to salt the game away. Jackson went deep to Beckham for 51. On 3rd and 2 from the Cincinnati 8, Edwards ran for 5 and then the 3 yard touchdown for a 34-13 Ravens lead. The Bengals managed one garbage time touchdown with one minute left, but they have far bigger concerns. Burrow is out for the rest of the season. The Ravens did not escape unscathed either. Andrews was injured in the first quarter and is also out for the rest of the season. 34-20 Ravens

Dallas Cowboys at Carolina Panthers — A very good Dallas team traveled to take on a very bad Carolina team. The Cowboys took over at their own 17. Dak Prescott went to Tony Pollard for 12. Turpin ran for 13. On 3rd and 1 just past midfield, Pollard gained 3. On 3rd and 4 from the Carolina 40, Pollard gained 22. Prescott went to Schoonmaker for an 18 yard touchdown to cap the 10 play, 83 yard, 5 minute drive and make it 7-0 Cowboys. The Cowboys got it back at their own 20 and moved 69 yards in 12 plays and 5 minutes in the second quarter. On 2nd and 9 from the Carolina 11, Prescott threw incomplete twice. Aubrey hit a 30 yard field goal to make it 10-0 Cowboys.  The Panthers took over at their own 26 and moved to a 1st and 10 at the Dallas 13. A run lost yards and Bryce Young was sacked. Eddie Pineiro hit a 42 yard field goal to to get the Panthers on the board at the 2 minute warning. 

Pineiro hit the ensuing kickoff out of bounds to set up the Cowboys at their own 40. Prescott went to Michael Gallup for 19. On 3rd and 10 from the Carolina 41, Prescott only gained 3 but defensive unnecessary roughness added 15. On 3rd and 16 from the Carolina 29 after a sack, Prescott hit CeeDee Lamb for only 10 but another defensive unnecessary roughness penalty added 10 more yard. On 3rd and goal at the 5 with 24 seconds left in the half, Prescott hit Lamb for the touchdown and the 17-3 Cowboys lead. The Panthers got back in the game in the third quarter from their own 30. On 4th and 7 from their own 44, the Panthers punted but a running into the kicker penalty made it 4th and 2 just shy of midfield. Frank Reich decided to gamble. Young hit Adam Thielen for 16. On 4th and 3 from the Dallas 28, Reich gambled again and Young hit Thielen for just enough. On 4th and 1 from the Dallas 16, Reich gambled a 3rd time and Sanders gained 3. On 3rd and 1 from the Dallas 4, Young hit Tommy Tremble for the touchdown. The mind-numbing 17 play drive with three 4th own conversions went 70 yards and took 9 minutes off the clock. After three quarters, the Panthers only trailed 17-10.

The upset to be was not going to happen. The Cowboys turned out the lights in the fourth quarter. After a touchback, the Cowboys soon faced 3rd and 5 from their own 40. Prescott went deep to Ferguson for 24 as the third quarter ended. One minute into the fourth quarter, Pollard ran for a 21 yard touchdown to make it 24-10 Cowboys. One play and 10 seconds after a touchback, the Cowboys were in the end zone again. Dalton Bland returned an interception of Young 30 yards for a touchdown to make it 30-10 Cowboys. The extra point was no good but it didn’t matter. A sack of Young forced a fumble that led to a 27 yard Aubrey field goal to complete the blowout. The Cowboys are 7-3 on the year while the Panthers have the worst record in the NFL. 33-10 Cowboys

Pittsburgh Steelers at Cleveland Browns — The Browns lost Deshaun Watson for the rest of the year and would have to win with Dorian Thompson-Robinson at the helm. Yet the Browns have a nasty defense, and the Dawg Pound is always geared up for Pittsburgh. This game was a typical AFC North barefooted slobberknocker. Early on the Steelers were pinned at their own one yard line and punted to set up the Browns at midfield. Thompson-Robinson went to David Njoku for 18. Ford gained 13. On 3rd and goal at the one, Ford was ruled short but Kevin Stefanski successfully challenged the call. Ford got in to make it 7-0 Browns. At the end of the half the Browns moved 17 plays and 77 yards in 5 1/2 minutes. Despite 2nd and goal at the Pittsburgh 6 with 16 seconds left, Thompson-Robinson threw incomplete twice. Dustin Hopkins hit the 25 yard field goal as the Browns took a 10-0 lead to the half.

The Cleveland defense had stymied Pittsburgh the entire first half, but that was about to change. On the second play from scrimmage after a third quarter touchback, Jaylen Warren broke free for a 74 yard touchdown run. Just like that, the Steelers were back within 10-7. Yet just like that, both defenses dug in again as neither team reached the end zone again. The Steelers began the fourth quarter at their own 28 and moved 62 yards in 13 plays and 7 minutes. The Steelers reached 1st and 10 at the Cleveland 15, but a run lost yards and Kenny Pickett was sacked. Chris Boswell hit a 28 yard field goal for a 10-10 deadlock midway through the fourth quarter. The defenses dug in again as the Browns took over at their own 35 with 1:18 to play in regulation. Thompson-Robinson hit Moore for 15, Kareem Hunt for 5, Amari Cooper for 8, and David Njoku for 11. With 5 seconds left, Hopkins came in for a 34 yard field goal try for the win. Hopkins was good and the 1980 Browns are witnessing the Cardiac Kids 43 years later. The Browns are 7-3 while the Steelers dropped to 6-4 on the year. 13-10 Browns

Chicago Bears at Detroit Lions — A very bad Chicago team traveled to take on a very good Detroit team. After an opening touchback, Justin Fields ran for 11 and 7. Fields hit Moore for 14, Cole Kmet for 11, and St. Brown for 13. Fields ran for 10. Donta Foreman ran for a one yard touchdown to finish the 10 play, 75 yard, 5 1/2 minute drive and make it 7-0 Bears. Jared Goff threw interceptions on his first 2 drives but the Bears did not capitalize. The bears fumbled the second pick right back to set up the Lions at the Chicago 34. On 3rd and 3, Gibbs gained 14. On 3rd and 5 from the Chicago 8, Goff hit St Brown for 6. Gibbs ran for a 2 yard touchdown for a 7-7 game in the second quarter. The Bears moved 62 yards in 15 plays and 7 1/2 minutes after a touchback. Yet on 3rd and 6 from the Detroit 13, Fields threw incomplete. Cairo Santos hit a 31 yard field goal to make it 10-7 Bears with 1:47 left in the half. After a touchback, Goff lit up the 2 minute drill. He hit St. Brown for 10 and 13 and Gibbs for 9. On 3rd and 1 from the Chicago 43, Goff went to Williams for 12 and Gibbs for 8 and 14. On 3rd and goal at the 7 with 11 seconds left in the half, Goff went to St. Brown for the touchdown and a 14-10 Lions lead.

In the third quarter the Bears took over at their own 15. A 10 play, 50 yard, 6 1/2 minute drive led to a 53 yard Santos field goal to get the Bears within 14-13. The Lions fumbled the ensuing kickoff to set up the Bears at the Detroit 40. Fields ran for 12. On 2nd and 21 from the Detroit 39 after an offensive penalty, Fields went deep to Moore for the touchdown to put the Bears up 20-14 after three quarters. An interception of Goff led to Santos hitting a 40 yard field goal to extend the lead. The Bears got it back at their own 9 and moved 70 yards in 14 plays and nearly 9 minutes. On 3rd and 7 from the Detroit 23, a surprise run gained only 2 yards. Santos hit his 4th field goal from 39 as 16 unanswered points had the Bears up 26-14 with only 4:15 to play in regulation. 

The Lions soon faced 3rd and 2 at their own 33. Goff hit St Brown for 16, Sam LaPorta for 6, Gibbs for 13, and Williams deep for a 32 yard touchdown. The Lions were within 26-21 but only 3 minutes remained. A couple of first downs for the Bears would ice the game. Instead, a pair of runs netted only one yard as the Lions took a pair of timeouts on defense. On 3rd and 9 from his own 26 with 2:50 to play, Matt Eberflus went for the win rather than run the ball again. A first down would all but end it. Instead, Fields threw incomplete, allowing the Lions to preserve their last timeout. The Lions got it back at their own 27. Goff hit David Montgomery for 13 and 12 as the clock  hit the 2 minute warning. Goff then went to Gibbs for 6, LaPorta for 8, and Montgomery for 9. Montgomery ran for 10. The Lions took their last timeout with 43 seconds left. On 3rd and 2 from the Chicago 7, Gibbs gained 6 as the Bears took their first timeout on defense. Montgomery ran it in to give the Lions the lead. Goff went to LaPorta for the 2 point conversion. The Lions led 29-26 with 30 seconds left. A short kickoff was fair caught, but pinned the Bears at their own 8 yard line. On the very first play fro scrimmage, disaster struck the Bears. Fields was sacked and fumbled. A member of the Bears offensive line accidentally kicked the ball out the back of the end zone for a safety to ice the game. 17 unanswered points left Eberflus uberflustered. Dan Campbell was his typical amped up self, but with his Lions at 8-2, he has a right to be. This was gritty, not pretty, but the Lions got it done. 31-26 Lions

Los Angeles Chargers at Green Bay Packers — The Chargers consistently underachieve while the Packers are just not as good as they were in past years. The Chargers from their own 14 moved 79 yards in 12 plays and 6 1/2 minutes. On 3rd and 5 from the Green Bay 7, Justin Herbert threw incomplete. Cameron Dicker hit a 25 yard field goal to make it 3-0 Chargers. The Packers took over at their own 31. Reed ran for 15. On 3rd and 8 from their own 48, Jordan Love went to AJ Dillon for 20. On the first play of the second quarter, Reed ran for a 32 yard touchdown to make it 7-3 Packers. The Chargers soon faced 3rd and 5 from their own 30. Herbert went to Erickson for 12. On 3rd and 3 just shy of midfield, Herbert went deep to Smartt for a 51 yard touchdown to make it 10-7 Chargers.

Anders Carlson missed a 52 yard field goal try that would have tied the game. Carlson did hit form 28 to tie the game 10-10 to end the half. The Chargers in the third quarter moved from their own 22 to a 2nd and goal at the 4. A completion lost yards and Herbert then threw incomplete. Dicker hit from 26 to make it 13-10 Chargers. The Packers got the ball back at their own 30. Love went deep to Wicks for 27 and to Kraft for 27 more. Love hit Watson for an 11 yard touchdown. The extra point by Anders was wide no good as the Packers led 16-13. 

With 11 minutes left in regulation, the Chargers took over at their own 37. On 3rd and 8, Herbert went to Donald Parham for 12 and Keenan Allen for 11. On 1st and 20 from the Green Bay 48 after offensive pass interference, Herbert went to Allen for 17. Herbert ran for 9. Herbert added 11 more. On 3rd and 9 from the Green Bay 10, Herbert went to Allen for the touchdown. The 11 play, 63 yard, 5 1/2 minute drive had the Chargers up 20-16 with 5 1/2 minutes left to play. The Packers soon faced 3rd and 20 at their own 15. Love threw deep incomplete but the Packers were saved by a 24 yard defensive pass interference penalty. Love then went to Wicks for 35 yards. Love then went deep to Romeo Doubs for a 24 yard touchdown. With 2 1/2 minutes left, the Packers led by a field goal. 

At the 2 minute warning, the Chargers faced 4th and 20 at their own 15. Brandon Staley is crazy, but this time at the 2 minute warning he decided to be sane. The Packers soon faced 3rd and 6 at their own 45. Matt Lafleur took absolutely no chances. A short run forced the Chargers to take their last timeout. The Chargers got the ball back at their own 20 needing only a field goal to tie the game. They moved to a 4th and 1 at their own 35 with 23 seconds left. Rather than just move the chains, Herbert threw perfect deep ball to a wide open receiver. The receiver dropped it incomplete as the Chargers continued their recent history of losing close games. They also lost Joey Bosa on the 4th play of the game to a foot injury. His season might be over. 23-20 Packers

Arizona Cardinals at Houston Texans — The Cardinals were an NFL bottom feeder without Kyler Murray but his return last week sparked the Cardinals to a win in the final seconds. After an opening touchback, the Cardinals struck quickly. Murray hit McBride for 13. James Conner ran for 9. Murray went deep to Moore for a 48 yard touchdown to make it 7-0 Cardinals. The Texans after a touchback moved to a 4th and 2 at the Arizona 15. Demeco Ryans went for it and Boone got stopped for no gain. Yet the Texans soon got the ball back at their own 39 and went right to work. CJ Stroud went deep to Dell for 20 and Woods for 17. On 3rd and 6 from the Arizona 20, Stroud went to Schultz for the touchdown and a 7-7 game. The Cardinals got another jolt when Matt Prater leveled a 57 yard field goal to make it 10-7 Cardinals. 

The Texans soon faced 3rd and 2 at their own 33. Stroud went to Woods for 14. as the first quarter ended. Singletary began the second quarter with big gains of 8 and 11. A sack of Stroud had the Texans facing 2nd and 20 from the Arizona 44. Stroud hit Sims for 23 and Collins for 10. Singletary ran for an 11 yard touchdown to cap the 10 play, 75 yard, 5 minute drive and make it 14-10 Texans. One play after a touchback, Murray went deep and was intercepted. The Texans drove from their own 25 to the Arizona 11, but Stroud was intercepted for a touchback. The Texans got it back at their own 26 with 2:15 left in the half. On 3rd and 1, Stroud hit Dell for 6, Collins for 7, Schultz for 12, and Dell deep for a 40 yard touchdown with 26 seconds left. The Texans led 21-10.

The Texans held the ball for 6 minutes in the third quarter but Matt Amendola missed a 48 yard field goal that would have extended the lead. The Cardinals took over at their own 38. Conner ran for 11. Murray hit Swaim for 8 and McBride for 11. On 3rd and 5 from the Houston 23, Murray gained just enough with a facemark adding 9 more yards. Murray on 3rd and goal at the 10 ran for 9 more. Jonathan Gannon went for it on 4th and goal at the one. Murray got in to finish the 12 play, 62 yard, 6 1/2 minute drive and get the Cardinals within 21-16. Gannon went for 2 but Murray got stopped. 

The Cardinals got it back at their own 32 and moved to a 4th and 3 at the Houston 23 early in the fourth quarter. Gannon went for it and Murray’s completion gained only 2 yards. The Texans got a break when the Cardinals fumbled a punt and the Texans recovered at the Arizona 25. Yet from the Arizona 13, Stroud was intercepted by Barnes, who returned the pick 46 yards to just shy of midfield. The Texans got it back at their own 25 and moved to the Arizona 25. Stroud was intercepted again. The Cardinals last chance moved them from their own 19 to a 3rd and 8 at the Houston 27 with 40 seconds left. Murray threw incomplete twice. The Cardinals were game, but fell just short. 21-16 Texans

Tennessee Titans at Jacksonville Jaguars — Last week the Jaguars were humiliated at home in a 31 point loss to San Francisco. The Titans have been ravaged by injuries. The Jaguars unleashed their defense. A first quarter fumble by Will Levis set up the Jaguars at their own 43. On 3rd and 3, Trevor Lawrence threw incomplete but defensive pass interference added 9. Lawrence went to Christian Kirk for 20 and Farrell for 7. Travis Etienne ran for 7. On 3rd and goal at the 3, Lawrence went to Calvin Ridlet for the touchdown and the 7-0 Jaguars lead. In the final 3 minutes of the half, the Jaguars twice faced 4th and 2 deep in the red zone. Both times, Doug Pederson played it safe as can be at home. Brandon McManus hit field goal of 30 and 25 as the Jaguars took a 13-0 lead to the locker rooms. 

The Jaguars began the third quarter at their own 27 and immediately looked to put the game away. Johnson ran for 9. Lawrence hit Farrell for 14. On 4th and 4 the Tennessee 40, this time Doug Pederson gambled. Lawrence went to Johnson for a 34 yard gain. After a loss, Lawrence ran for a 9 yard touchdown to make it 20-0 Jaguars. The Jaguars got it back at their own 20. Etienne ran for 2 and 11. Lawrence went to Ridley for 26, to Christian Kirk for 18, and to Ridley for a 20 yard touchdown to make it 27-0 Jaguars. The Titans managed a touchdown, but this game was over. Early in the fourth quarter the Titans fumbled a punt and the Jaguars recovered at the Tennessee 36. On 3rd and 7, Lawrence went to Evan Engram for 13. On 4th and 1 from the Tennessee 11, Pederson moved to ice things. Bigsby gained 3. Lawrence ran for a 5 yard touchdown to make it 34-7 Jaguars. The Titans got one more garbage touchdown as the Jaguars rebounded to get to 7-3 on the season. 34-14 Jaguars.  

Las Vegas Raiders at Miami Dolphins — The Raiders came in all smiles and cigars in winning their first 2 games since Antonio Pierce replaced Josh McDaniels. Yet those 2 wins came over the hapless Jets and Giants. Both of those wins were at home. Now the Raiders had a real test as they traveled to Miami to take on a Dolphins team that put up 70 points a few weeks ago. The Raiders got a break early when the Dolphins fumbled and the Raiders recovered at the Miami 30. On 3rd and 7, Aidan O’Connell went to Michael Mayer for 12. Yet offensive pass interference on the next play killed the drive. Daniel Carlson hit a 34 yard field goal to make it 3-0 Raiders. After a touchback, the Dolphins soon faced 3rd and 11 at their own 35. Tua Tagovailoa was sacked, but defensive holding gave the Dolphins an automatic first down. Tagovailoa made the defense pay, hitting Tyreek Hill for 18 and again for a 38 yard touchdown to make it 7-3 Dolphins.

After a touchback, the Raiders shocked the football world by moving 75 yards easily. O’Connell went to Tucker for 17. On the last play of the first quarter, O’Connell went deep to Davante Adams for a 46 yard touchdown and a 10-7 Raiders lead. The Dolphins in the second quarter after a touchback moved 68 yards in 12 plays and 6 minutes. On 4th and 1 from the Raiders 3, Mike mcDaniel went for it. A swing pass from Tagovailoa to Hill was blown up for a 4 yard loss. Yet the valiant goal line stand was wasted as the Raiders offense went 3 and out and gave the Dolphins the ball back at their own 37. Tagovailoa went to Jalen Waddle for gains of 9, 12 and 15 and to Chosen for 9. On 3rd and 10 from the Raiders 11, Tagovailoa went to Salvon Ahmed for the touchdown. With 2 1/2 minutes left in the half, the Dolphins led 14-10. Neither team would reach the end zone as the game became a slugfest.

With one minute left in the half, the Raiders got another break when the Dolphins fumbled again and the Raiders recovered at the Miami 32. Yet O’Connell after a short run threw incomplete twice. Carlson hit a 47 yard field goal to end the half. The Raiders only trailed 14-13, but their offense was no match for the Miami defense. On the first play of the third quarter after a touchback, Tagovailoa went deep and was intercepted. The Raiders went 3 and out. The Dolphins moved from their own 21 to a 3rd and 7 at the Raiders 31. Tagovailoa threw incomplete and Jason Sanders then missed a 50 yard field goal try. Yet despite great field position at his own 40, O’Connell was immediately intercepted. Sanders hit a 41 yard field goal to make it 17-13 Dolphins. Sanders tacked on a 51 yard field goal for a 7 point lead after three quarters.

The Raiders defense was doing everything to keep the game close. Their defense gave up nothing in the fourth quarter. One touchdown from the offense would force overtime. They got 4 chances. The first time after a touchback, they moved to a 3rd and 3 at their own 43. Then O’Connell was sacked. A short 34 yard punt gave the Raiders the ball back at midfield. They moved to a 4th and 3 at the Miami 31. Rather than kick a field goal to get within 4 points, Antonio Pierce went for it. O’Connell threw deep incomplete. The Raiders got it back at their own 13 and moved to a 3rd and 6 at the Miami 24. An incompletion left 3:16 on the clock. Antonio Pierce again decided to go for it rather than kick a field goal and try and get the ball back. It was a perfectly reasonable call but O’Connell, on the verge of being sacked, threw an interception. The Raiders got it back one final time at their own 7 yard line with 0 timeouts at the 2 minute warning. They moved to a 1st and 10 at the Miami 39 with 36 seconds left. After an incompletion, O’Connell went for it all. He threw into double coverage and was intercepted in the end zone by Jalen Ramsey for a touchback. The Dolphins are 7-3 and playing fierce football. Despite losing, the Raiders culture really has changed. They went on the road against a Super Bowl contender and took them to the limit, falling just short. 20-13 Dolphins  

New York Giants at Washington Commanders — The Commanders are nothing special, but the Giants are a horrendous team led by Danny Devito’s 3rd cousin Tommy. The Commanders turned the ball over on their first two possessions with an interception and a fumble. The latter set up the Giants at the Washington 45. On 3rd and 13, Devito went to Darrius Slayton for 24 and to Saquon Barkley for a 24 yard touchdown  to make it 7-0 Giants. The Commanders after a touchback moved to a 1st and goal at the 5. A run went nowhere and Sam Howell threw incomplete twice. Joey Slye hit from 23 to get the Commanders within 7-3. The Giants got it back in the second quarter at their own 38. On 3rd and 8, Devito hit Robinson for 11 On 3rd and 1 from the Washington 40, Devito went deep to Slayton for the touchdown and the 14-3 Giants lead. 

After a touchback, Robinson gained 4 and 6. Howell hit McLaurin for 8. Rodriguez gained 9. Howell hit Bates for 8. Robinson gained 11. Howell ran for a 7 yard touchdown. Slye missed the extra point with 90 seconds left in the half, but the Commanders were within 14-9. The Commanders took over at their own 8 yard line in the third quarter. They moved 68 yards in 12 plays and 7 1/2 minutes. Slye hit a 42 yard field goal to get the Commanders within 14-12. The Commanders got it back at their own 23 and moved to a 1st and 10 at the Giants 35. In field goal range to take the lead, the Commanders fumbled the ball away. 

The Giants took over at their own 32. On the last play of the third quarter, Barkley got around the end for a 36 yard gain. On the first play of the fourth quarter, Devito went to Bellinger for 26. On 3rd and goal at the 5, Devito went to Barkley for the touchdown to make it 21-12 Giants. An interception of Howell set up the Giants at their own 36. They moved to a 2nd and 7 at the Washington 15 before a run was blown up for a 4 yard loss. Randy Bullock hit a 36 yard field goal to make it 24-12 Giants midway through the fourth quarter.

After a touchback, Howell went to Jahan Dotson for 12. On 4th and 10 from their own 40 with 4 minutes left, the Commanders were down to their last gasp. Howell hit Robinson for 21. The Commanders again were down to their last gasp on 4th and 1 from the Giants 30 with 3 minutes left. The defense jumped offside. Roughing the passer gave the Commanders 13 more yards. The Commanders fumbled, but maintained possession. Howell hit Dotson for an 8 yard touchdown. With 2:16 to play, the Commanders were within 24-19. The Commanders took 2 timeouts on defense and got the ball back at their own 19 with 1:49 left. With 30 seconds left they had reached 1st and 10 at the Giants 43. After a false start, Howell went to the sideline and Simmons jumped the route. Simmons took the interception back 54 yards for the clinching touchdown and a big win in an otherwise forgettable season. 31-19 Giants 

Tampa Bay Buccaneers at San Francisco 49ers — After throttling Jacksonville, the 49ers looked to take down overmatched Tampa Bay. The 49ers took over in the first quarter at their own 20. Brock Purdy hit Deebo Samuel for 15. On 3rd and 7 just past midfield, Purdy hit Christian McCaffrey for 11 McCaffrey ran for 14. Purdy hit Brandon Aiyuk for 14. McCaffrey ran for 9, 8 and 2 and then caught a 4 yard touchdown pass from Purdy. The 12 play, 80 yard, 7 minute drive made it 7-0 49ers. The Buccaneers held the ball 6 minutes in moving from their own 15 to a 1st and 5 at the San Francisco 33 in the second quarter. Baker Mayfield was sacked and fumbled. The 49ers took over at their own 35 and moved to a 2nd and 7 at the Tampa Bay 19. A sack of Purdy killed the drive. Moody hit a 37 yard field goal to make it 10-0 49ers. 

After a touchback, Mayfield hit Durham for 8 and Palmer for 17. On 3rd and 2 from the San Francisco 39, Mayfield ran for 3. On 2nd and 19 from the San Francisco 45 after a sack, Mayfield went deep to Cade Otton for 27 at the 2 minute warning. Thompkins ran around the left end for 17 down to the one. Mayfield hit Mike Evans for the touchdown. The Buccaneers only trailed 10-7, but after that the 49ers turned out the lights. The 49ers moved from their own 29 in the final 1:43 of the half to a 3rd and 3 at the Tampa 10 with 24 seconds left. Purdy threw incomplete. Moody hit a 28 yard field goal to make it 13-7 49ers. 

In the third quarter the 49ers took over at their own 2 yard line. Purdy went to George Kittle for 21. Purdy then went deep to Aiyuk for a 76 yard touchdown and a 20-7 49ers lead. The 49ers got it back at their own 21. McCaffrey ran for 12. Purdy went to Kittle for 11. Pn 2nd and 14 from their own 40, Purdy went deep to Samuel for 40. On 3rd and 1 from the Tampa 11, McCaffrey gained 5. Purdy went to Kittle for a 3 yard touchdown for a 27-7 49ers lead. The Buccaneers managed one more touchdown one minute into the fourth quarter but nothing else. With 6:45 left on 4th and 3 from the San Frisco 12, Mayfield threw incomplete. With 4 1/2 minutes left, a 51 yard punt return had the Buccaneers at the San Francisco 13. On 3rd and 6 from the Frisco 9, Mayfield was intercepted in the end zone for a touchback. The Buccaneers turned it over on downs with one minute left. They had their chances, but the 49ers clamped down when it had to as the 49ers got to 7-3 on the year. 27-14 San Francisco 49ers

New York Jets at Buffalo Bills — The Jets overcame a 10 point deficit to defeat the Bills in overtime in the season opener. The rematch in Buffalo was never a contest. The Jets fumbled the opening kickoff away. Their defense tried to keep is manageable. Tyler Bass hit field goals on the first 3 Buffalo drives of 48, 30, and in the second quarter, 33. The Bills led 9-0. An interception of Zach Wilson had the Bills at the Jets 23. The Jets defense finally broke. Cook ran for 12. Josh Allen went to Cook for a 5 yard touchdown for a 5 yard touchdown to make it 16-0 Bills. The Jets managed to move 84 yards in the final 3 minutes of the half, helped along by a fake punt and another fourth down conversion. The Jets were within 16-6 but the 2 point conversion try failed. The Bills clamped down in the second half. After a third quarter touchback, Allen went to Stefan Diggs for 10 with 15 more tacked on for defensive unnecessary roughness. Allen went to Cook for 15. On 4th and 1 from the Jets 28, Sean McDermott went for it. Allen went to Johnson for the first down and the touchdown as the Bills led 22-6. The Bills got it back at their own 14 and quickly ended things. Allen went deep to Shakir for an 81 yard touchdown and a 29-6 Bills lead. The Jets turned the ball over twice in the fourth quarter and the Bills added one more field goal to complete the blowout. 32-6 Bills

Seattle Seahawks at Los Angeles Rams — The Seahawks began their first drive at their own 12 yard line. On 3rd and 6, Geno Smith went to Tyler Lockett for 9 with defensive unnecessary roughness adding 15. On 3rd and 1 just shy of midfield, Charbonnet gained 3. On 3rd and 5 from the Rams 43, Smith went to non-relative Smith-Nigba for 9. Smith went to DK Metcalf for 7, to Tyler Lockett for 11, and back to Metcalf for an 8 yard touchdown. The 14 play, 88 yard drive took 8 minutes off the clock and made it 7-0 Seahawks. The Rams after a touchback moved to a 2nd and goal at the 2. A pair of runs went nowhere. Sean McVay went for it and Matthew Stafford threw incomplete. The Seahawks moved 62 yards in 16 plays and 8 1/2 minutes. Jason Myers hit a 54 yard field goal to make it 10-0 Seahawks. The Seahawks got it back at their own 32. A 53 yard bomb from Smith to Metcalf led to 2nd and goal at the 5. A run lost 6 yards and intentional grounding killed the drive. Myer hit from 43. With 5 minutes left in the half, the Seahawks were dominating 13-0.

After a touchback, Freeman ran for 6 and 15. Stafford went to Trammell for 14 and 12 and to Tutu Atwell for 17. On 3rd and goal from the 4, Stafford hit Nacua for the touchdown with 9 seconds left. The Rams trailed 13-7. A 15 yard penalty in the third quarter on a punt return had the Seahawks with a short field at the Rams 46. Myers hit a 52 yard field goal to make it 16-7 Seahawks. An injury to Smith on the last play of the third quarter had Drew Lock starting the fourth quarter. The Rams took over at their own 32. Stafford went to Robinson for 23, to Darrell Henderson for 14, to Tyler Higbee for 17, and to Nacua for 11. On 3rd and goal at the 5, Stafford threw incomplete but defensive pass interference meant 4 yards down to the one. Henderson got in to have the Rams within 16-14 midway through the fourth quarter. Lock went deep and was intercepted. The Rams took over at their own 21 and moved 75 yards in 14 plays and 5 minutes. On 1st and goal at the 7 with 1:52 left, a run went nowhere, Stafford threw incomplete, and a completion gained only 3 yards. Havrisik hit a 22 yard field goal. With 90 seconds left, the Rams led by one point. After a touchback, the Seahawks moved to the Rams 37 with 3 seconds left. Myers came in for a 55 yard field goal try to give the Seahawks the win. His kick was wide right no good. 17-16 Rams

Minnesota Vikings at Denver Broncos was the Sunday night game. The Broncos came in having won 3 straight after a 1-5 start. The Vikings came in having won 5 straight after a 1-4 start. Joshua Dobbs has become a sensation. The Vikings on the third play  from scrimmage fumbled the ball away and the Broncos recovered at the Minnesota 30. Yet both defenses played well on this night. The Broncos settled for plenty of field goals. A 31 yarder by Wil Lutz made it 3-0 Broncos. The Vikings took over at their own 35. Tyson Chandler had gains of 6, 7 and 7. On 3rd and 1 from the Denver 27, Alexander Mattison gained 15. 8 and one. On the first play of the second quarter on 3rd and 1 from the Denver 3, Dobbs went to Oliver for the touchdown to cap the 10 play, 65 yard, 5 minute drive and make it 7-3 Vikings. The Vikings got it back at their own 29 and moved to a 2nd and goal at the 3. Yet Mattison lost 2 yards and Dobbs was then sacked. Greg Joseph hit a 34 yard field goal to make it 10-3 Vikings. 

The Broncos responded with Lutz field goals of 31 and 52 to end the half to get the Broncos within 10-9. The Vikings in the third quarter began at their own 31. Mattison gained 9. Dobbs went to Jordan Addison for 18. Mattison added a pair of 7 yard gains. On 3rd and 13 from the Denver 31, Dobbs was intercepted and Patrick Surtain returned it 70 yards to the Minnesota 15. Yet defensive pass interference on Surtain instead meant a 19 yard gain for Minnesota. On 3rd and 8 from the Minnesota 10, Dobbs ran for the touchdown to put the Vikings up 17-9 midway through the third quarter. The Vikings got it back at their own 20 and moved to a 1st and 10 at the Denver 34. They were on the verge of putting the game away. Yet again they failed to build a 2 score lead as they fumbled the ball away. 

The Broncos moved to a 3rd and 1 at the Minnesota 12. Then came an illegal formation followed by a sack of Russell Wilson. Lutz hit his 4th field goal from 37 yards out early in the fourth quarter. One play after a touchback, Dobbs was intercepted. McMillan returned the pic 9 yards to the Minnesota 9 yard line. Yet while the Vikings were self-destructing with turnovers, the Broncos could not reach the end zone. An offensive facemark killed the drive. Lutz hit his 5th field goal from 28 to get the Broncos within 17-15 with 10 1/2 minutes left. Yet while the Broncos could not reach the end zone, the Vikings could not put the game away. After a touchback, a 14 play, 63 yard, 7 1/2 minute drive propelled along by a fake punt led to a 1st and 10 at the Denver 12. A pair of runs went nowhere and Dobbs on 3rd and 10 threw incomplete. Joseph hit from 30 to make it 20-15 Vikings, but the Broncos still had 3:17 to work with.

The Broncos were down to their last gasp facing 4th and 3 at their own 32 with 2 1/2 minutes left. Wilson went to Cortland Sutton for 13 and to Perine for 10, 17 and 6. On 3rd and 4 from the Minnesota 22, Wilson went to Perine for 7. Wilson then went to Sutton for a 15 yard touchdown. It took 59 minutes, but the Broncos sole trip to the end zone had them up 21-20. The 2 point conversion try failed. After a touchback, the Vikings had one minute and all 3 timeouts needing only a field goal to win. Yet this time there was no Dobbs miracle magic. The Denver defense was stout all night, and from his own 36, Dobbs threw incomplete twice followed by an intentional grounding call. With 16 minutes left on 4th and 25 from his own 21, Dobbs went deep incomplete. 23-21 Broncos

Philadelphia Eagles at Kansas City Chiefs was the Monday night game. The Chiefs beat the Eagles 38-35 in a thrilling Super Bowl XLVII. Now it was time for the eagerly anticipated rematch between 2 teams that both had a very realistic chance of returning to the big game. The Eagles came in 8-1 and the Chiefs entered at 7-2. This was Ali-Frazier. Adding to the drama was a pouring rain that drenched the Arrowhead crowd. In the first quarter the Chiefs took over at their own 20. Pacheco ran for 3 and 24. Toney added 14. On 3rd and 7 from the Philadelphia 36, Patrick Mahomes went to Toney for just enough. Toney received a generous spot, and Nick Sirianni decided not to challenge the spot. Mahomes went to Rice for 14. On 3rd and goal at the 3, Mahomes went to Justin Watson for the touchdown to cap the 10 play, 80 yard, 5 1/2 minute drive and make it 7-0 Chiefs. After a touchback, Jalen Hurts went to Devonta smith for 20. Deandre Swift ran for 7. Hurts added 6. Hurts hit Smith for 11. Swift ran for 17 and then for the 4 yard touchdown. The game was tied 7-7 after the first quarter.

The teams traded interceptions but a 21 yard punt return with 4 minutes left in the half set up the Chiefs at the Philadelphia 45. On 3rd and 7, Mahomes threw deep incomplete but the defense jumped offside. On 3rd and 2, Pacheco gained 12. Mahomes ran for 14. On 3rd and 3 from the Philadelphia 4, Mahomes went to Travis Kelce for the touchdown. With 1:45 left in the half, the Chiefs led 14-7. The Eagles punted again and a 16 yard return by Toney gave the Chiefs another short field at the Philly 46 with 44 seconds left. Harrison Butker hit a 43 yard field goal to end the half with the Chiefs up 17-7.

Midway through the third quarter, the Eagles faced 3rd and 1 at their own 48. Hurts gained 2. Swift then ripped off a 35 yard gain. On 3rd and 5 form the Kansas City 10, Hurts ran for the touchdown to get the Eagles within 17-14. The defenses dug in, and the Eagles took over at their own 20. Hurts went to Swift for 20. On 3rd and 5 from their own 45, Hurts went to Smith for 13. Hurts then went for a deep bomb to Smith. The ball was slightly under thrown but caught for a 41 yard gain down to the one. The entire football world knew the tush push was coming, and Hurts snuck in successfully. With 6:20 to play, the Eagles had the 21-17 lead. 

The Eagles held on defense and got the ball back at their own 44 with a chance to put the game away. Yet the Chiefs held on defense. The Chiefs got it back at their own 9 yard line with 2:49 left. With 2:18 left the Chiefs faced 4th and 2 at their own 17. Mahomes hit Kelce for 4. Mahomes then went to Kelce for 13 with 15 more tacked on for roughing the passer at the 2 minute warning. The Chiefs had 1st and 10 just shy of midfield. After an incompletion by Mahomes, 2 plays offered the biggest swing of emotions possible. On 2nd and 10, Mahomes went for it all. Marquis Valdes-Scantling beat the defender. The bomb was perfectly thrown. Valdes-Scantling dropped it. On 3rd and 10, Mahomes was called for intentional grounding. On 4th and 25, a desperate Mahomes fired a pass that was beyond the first down marker and could have been caught. It was well-defended but went through the receiver’s hands incomplete. The Chiefs fell to 7-3 while the Eagles got to 9-1 after winning a fine, fine football game. 21-17 Eagles    

NFL 2023 Week 11 Prequel

Thursday, November 16, 2023, 8pm

Cincinnati Bengals at Baltimore Ravens (-3 1/2) — Both teams suffered surprising home losses last week. Both teams have great quarterbacks and solid defenses. This is one to go with the home field. In a close game, trust Justin Tucker every time. Ravens win but fail to cover

Sunday, November 19, 1pm

Dallas Cowboys (-10 1/2) at Carolina Panthers — The Cowboys have started to turn it on, and yes, the Panthers are awful. Yet the spread is too high for a road team that sometimes plays to the level of its competition. Cowboys win but fail to cover

Pittsburgh Steelers at Cleveland Browns (-2 1/2) — The Browns got a big emotional win at Baltimore only to find out after the game that Deshaun Watson was out for the season. Nevertheless, the Dawg Pound wins games with defense. This will be a typical AFC North slobberknocker. Kenny Pickett is not elite. PJ Walker will manage the game. Expect the Browns to rally around Walker. Both teams want to run the ball and play defense. Give the Browns the benefit of the doubt at home. Browns cover

Chicago Bears at Detroit Lions (-9) — The Lions are very good.. The Bears are awful. The Lions offense is unstoppable. The Bears offense is anemic. This game could be over by halftime. Lions cover

Los Angeles Chargers (-3) at Green Bay Packers — The Chargers consistently underachieve while the Packers are a shell of what they were. Justin Herbert is better than Jordan Love. The Green Bay weather will not be a factor, allowing Herbert to spread the ball around. It is hard to ever trust the Chargers, but they have more weapons on offense. Chargers cover

Arizona Cardinals at Houston Texans (-4) — The return of Kyler Murray gave the Cardinals a jolt last week. The Texans went on the road and stunned Cincinnati. The Texans have the better defense. CJ Stroud is playing lights out football. Yet with Murray back, the Cardinals could be competitive. The texans do not blow teams out when they win. Texans win but fail to cover

Tennessee Titans at Jacksonville Jaguars (-6 1/2) — After getting humiliated at home by 31 points against San Francisco, the Jaguars will be an angry bunch. The Titans just are not as good as they were before the roof caved in last year. If Derrick Henry can get going, the Titans can shorten the game and keep it close. The Texans will right the ship, but it will not be a cakewalk. Jaguars win but fail to cover

Las Vegas Raiders at Miami Dolphins (-12) — Yes, the Raiders are 2-0 since Josh McDaniels was fired. Do not be fooled. While Antonio Pierce is a major upgrade, the Raiders beat a pair of beatable teams at home. Now they face a real test on the road against one of the fastest offenses in the league. The Raiders are improved, but that does not mean they are good. Tua Tagovailoa is far better than Aidan O’Connell. Tyreek Hill can light it up, and a quick Dolphins lead would remove Josh Jacobs as a factor. Dolphins cover

New York Giants at Washington Commanders (-9 1/2) — The Giants are a mess, but the Commanders are not that special. The Giants have an adequate defense but an inept offense. The Giants could get a garbage touchdown. Commanders win but fail to cover

4pm

Tampa Bay Buccaneers at San Francisco 49ers (-11 1/2) — The 49ers finally returned to form last week in a 31 point blowout win at a good Jacksonville team. Having Deebo Samuel back made a world of difference for the 49ers. Yet the Buccaneers have some playmakers. Baker Mayfield is no slouch. Neither are his receivers. Neither is the defense, although the 49ers have a better defense. A garbage touchdown is very realistic. 49ers win but fail to cover

New York Jets at Buffalo Bills (-7) — Josh Allen is far better than Zach Wilson, but Allen has not been playing well in recent weeks. The Bills turn the ball over far too often. A loss at home last week to Denver led to the firing of Buffalo’s offensive coordinator. Both teams are 5-5 and have very good defenses. Yet in a battle for survival, go with the better quarterback at home. Bills win but fail to cover

Seattle Seahawks (-1) at Los Angeles Rams — The Seahawks are an overachieving team. The Rams are in rebuilding mode. Geno Smith is playing well. Pete Carroll and sean McVay are both great coaches, but right now Carroll has more to work with. Seahawks cover

8pm

Minnesota Vikings at Denver Broncos (-2 1/2) — Both of these teams were left for dead and then got red hot. The Broncos started 1-5 but have won three straight including a stunner last week at Buffalo. The Vikings started 1-4 but have won five straight. Joshua Dobbs has played well in place of the injured Kirk Cousins. The Broncos have the better defense and the home field. Broncos cover

Monday, November 20, 8pm

Philadelphia Eagles at Kansas City Chiefs (-3) — The rematch of Super Bowl XLVII is finally here. Both of these teams have a legitimate chance at getting back to the Super Bowl. Patrick Mahomes and Jalen Hurts are both elite. This is one of those games where the hot field could make the difference. In a battle of evenly matched great teams, go with the crowd at Arrowhead. Chiefs cover

NFL 2023 Week 10 Recap

Carolina Panthers at Chicago Bears was the Thursday night game. Two of the worst teams in football played a game that will be forgotten by…it already has. The one truly exciting play in the first quarter came when Smith-Marsette returned a punt 79 yards for a touchdown to make it 7-0 panthers. Then came a bunch of field goals. Cairo Santos hit from 54 to get the Bears on the board. In the second quarter, Eddie Pineiro hit from 33 to make it 10-3 Panthers. Santos hit from 36 with 3 minutes left in the half and again from 39 to end the half with the Bears only down 10-9. In the third quarter the Panthers punted on 4th and 15 from their own 4 to give the Bears excellent field position at the Carolina 38. Bagent hit Moore for 9 and D’Onta Foreman ran for 11. On 3rd and 1 from the 5, Cole Kmet took the direct snap and got the yard. Foreman ran for a 4 yard touchdown to make it 16-10 Bears with 6 1/2 minutes left in regulation. Pineiro hit a 39 yard field goal to get the Panthers within 3. The Panthers got the ball back midway through the fourth quarter at their own 9 yard line. They converted twice on 4th down to set up 1st and 10 at the Chicago 41 at the 2 minute warning. Bryce Young threw 3 straight incompletions. From 59 yards out to tie the game with 1:40 left, Pineiro’s kick was short no good. 16-13 Bears 

Indianapolis Colts at New England Patriots was the Sunday early morning game in Germany. The Colts are improving while the Patriots are collapsing. The Patriots moved from their own 20 on their opening drive to a 3rd and 6 at the New England 14. Mac Jones was sacked. Ryland hit a 37 yard field goal to make it 3-0 Patriots. The Colts soon faced 3rd and 6 form their own 29. Gardner Minshew hit McKenzie for 30. Jonathan Taylor ran for 10, 5, 4, and on 3rd and 1 from the New England 22, 2. Taylor then ran for 6, 3, and on 3rd and one from the New England 11, just enough. After 8 straight Taylor carries, Minshew hit Pittman for 10. Minshew got stopped on 3rd and goal at the one. Shane Steichen went for it. Taylor got in to cap the 14 play, 75 yard, 7 minute drive to make it 7-3 Colts. The second and third quarters were scoreless and deserve no mention. The Patriots moved from their own 6 yard line on a 15 play, 89 yard, 8 minute drive. On 2nd and goal at the 5, Ezekiel Elliott got stopped for no gain and Jones then threw incomplete. Ryland hit a 24 yard field goal to get the Patriots within 7-6 with 13 minutes left in regulation. A 42 yard kickoff return had the Colts at their own 47. Matt Gay hit a 51 yard field goal to put the Colts up by 4 again with 9 minutes left. The Patriots after a touchback moved to a 1st and 10 at the Indianapolis 13. A run lost a couple yards. Jones was then intercepted with 4 1/2 minutes left. A disgusted Bill Belichick benched Jones for Bailey Zappe when the Patriots got it back at their own 14 with 1:52. They moved to a 1st and 10 at their own 40 with 36 seconds left. Zappe went deep and was intercepted. The Patriots are 2-8 as rumors swirl around evil Hoodie Belichick. 10-6 Colts  

Houston Texans at Cincinnati Bengals — The Texans are much improved but the Bengals came in having won 4 straight in impressive fashion. After an opening touchback and a roughing the passer call, the Bengals soon faced 3rd and 8 from their own 42. Joe Burrow went to Hudson for 13 and 8. On 3rd and 1 from the Houston 36, a run lost 2 yards. Zac Taylor gambled on 4th and 3. Burrow hit Hudson for just enough. On 3rd and 7 from the Houston 32, Burrow went deep to Irwin for the touchdown to make it 7-0 Bengals. Yet in the second quarter, the game completely changed. 

The Texans took over at their own 34. Dell ran for 13. CJ Stroud hit Dell for 17. Stroud hit Noah Brown for 9 with a facemark adding 6. Stroud went to Dell for a 6 yard touchdown to make it 7-7. Late in the half the Texans moved from their own 12 to the Cincinnati 27. With Kaimi Fairbairn injured, newly acquired Matt Amendola hit the 45 yard field goal to make it 10-7 Texans at the half. After a third quarter touchback, the Texans moved 72 yards in 11 plays and 5 1/2 minutes. On 2nd and goal at the 3, Stroud threw incomplete twice. Amendola hit from 22 to make it 13-7 Texans. A field position game had the Texans get it back at their own 41. Defensive pass interference on a deep ball added 42 yards. Stroud hit Singletary for 11. Singletary ran for a 6 yard touchdown as 20 unanswered points made it 20-7 Texans midway through the third quarter.

After a touchback, the Bengals moved to a 3rd and 5 at the Houston 24. Burrow was sacked. Evan McPherson hit from 50 to get the Bengals within 20-10. The Bengals got it back at their own 27. On 2nd and 12 from their own 36, Burrow went bombs away to JaMarr Chase for a 64 yard touchdown. The Bengals only trailed 20-17 after three quarters. After a touchback to start the fourth quarter, Stroud went deep to Brown for 34. Hutchinson ran for 17. Singletary gained 11. Stroud ran for an 8 yard touchdown to give the Texans some breathing room up 27-17 with 13 minutes left in regulation. Burrow was then intercepted on 2 consecutive possessions as the Bengals fate appeared sealed with 4 minutes left in the game. 

Yet with the Texans facing 3rd and 2 at their own 28, Stroud, who had been playing brilliantly, blundered. He was intercepted by Taylor-Britt, who returned the pick 30 yards to the Houston 4 yard line. Mixon ran for a one yard touchdown to get the Bengals within 27-24 with 3:18 to play. The Bengals held on defense and got the ball back at their own 29 with 2:10 to play. Burrow connected with Boyd for a 64 yard gain. Yet on 1st and goal at the 7, Burrow was sacked. McPherson hit a 31 yard field goal for a 27-27 tie game, but 90 seconds still remained. The Texans faced 3rd and 6 at their own 29 with 42 seconds left. Stroud went to Dalton Schultz for 25 and to Brown for 22. With 3 seconds left, Ammendola came in for the 38 yard field goal try for the win. Ammendola was good. Stroud is having a great rookie season as both teams are 5-4 on the year. 30-27 Texans

Green Bay Packers at Pittsburgh Steelers — The Steelers are winning ugly and the Packers are losing ugly. After an opening touchback, Kenny Pickett went to George Pickens for 5 and to Hayward for 13. On 3rd and 3 from the Green Bay 45, Pickett threw incomplete but defensive pass interference meant a 17 yard gain. Jalen Warren ran for 12. Harris ran for 6 and then for a 4 yard touchdown to make it 7-0 Steelers. The Packers soon faced 3rd and 3 from their own 38. Jordan Love hit Watson for 14 and Wicks for 23. Love on 3rd and 7 from the Pittsburgh 8 hit Watson for the touchdown to make it 7-7. Carlson hit the ensuing kickoff out of bounds to set up the Steelers at their own 40. On 3rd and 1, Pickett got the yard. On 3rd and 1 from the Green Bay 41, Harris gained 11. On 3rd and 3 from the Green Bay 23, Pickett hit Warren for just enough. The second quarter began with Warren running for a 16 yard touchdown to make it 14-7 Steelers. The Steelers got it back and Chris Boswell hit from 42 to put the Steelers up 17-7. 

The Packers took over at their own 13. Defensive pass interference added 7. On 3rd and 1 from their own 29, Aaron Jones gained 2. AJ Dillon ripped off a 40 yard gain. On 3rd and 16 from the Pittsburgh 35, Love went to Jayden Reed for the touchdown. The extra point try was blocked as the Packers trailed 17-13. The Packers in the third quarter twice moved into the red zone and twice settled for Carlson field goals of 31 and 28 yards for a 19-17 Packers lead. Boswell hit from 49 to put the Steelers up 20-19 after three quarters. Boswell hit again from 35 to put the Steelers up by 4 with 5 minutes left in regulation. The Packers after a touchback moved to a 2nd and 9 from the Pittsburgh 14 with a golden chance to take the lead. love went to the end zone and was intercepted with 3:20 left. The Packers got it back with one minute left at their own 19. With 3 seconds left, the Packers had moved all the way to the Pittsburgh 16. The missed extra point meant a field goal would not tie the game. The Packers had to go for the end zone. Love was intercepted again as the Steelers quietly got to 6-3 on the year. 23-19 Steelers 

Tennessee Titans at Tampa Bay Buccaneers — The Titans after an opening touchback moved to a 1st and goal at the 9. A Derrick Henry run lost yards and Will Levis was sacked. Nick Folk hit a 38 yard field goal. The Titans led 3-0, but their offense took most of the rest of the game off. Folk missed a 51 yard try that would have extended the lead in the second quarter. The Buccaneers took over at their own 15. Baker Mayfield hit Mike Evans for 15. On 3rd and 1 from their own 41, Mayfield went to Evans for 15. Mayfield connected with White on a 43 yard touchdown as the Buccaneers took a 7-3 lead to the locker rooms. In the third quarter the Buccaneers moved after a touchback to a 2nd and goal at the 7. Mayfield threw incomplete twice. Chase McLaughlin hit a 25 yard field goal to make it 10-3 Buccaneers. The Buccaneers got it back and faced 3rd and 5 at their own 25. Mayfield hit Evans for 27, Chris Godwin for 17, and Palmer for 6. On 3rd and 5 from the Tennessee 22, Mayfield went to Evans, who dragged tacklers the final 5 yards into the end zone. The Buccaneers led 17-3 after three quarters. The Titans managed a fourth quarter field goal and nothing else. The Buccaneers tacked on one more field goal as well. 20-6 Buccaneers

Cleveland Browns at Baltimore Ravens — This game was ridiculous as the 5-3 Browns and their top ranked defense took on the 7-2 Ravens and the vaunted Baltimore defense. On the second play from scrimmage, Deshaun Watson had his short swing pass batted up in the air by Hamilton, who made an acrobatic interception and waltzed 18 yards for a defensive touchdown. Only 40 seconds into the game, the Baltimore defense had the Ravens up 7-0. The Ravens got it back at their own 21 and made it look easy. Lamar Jackson went to Mark Andrews for 8 and to Bateman for 18. Mitchell raced for a 39 yard touchdown to make it 14-0 Ravens less than 5 minutes into the game. The remaining 55 minutes seemed pointless. The Browns did manage a 36 yard Dustin Hopkins field goal to get on the board, but Justin Tucker answered from 37. The Ravens led 17-3 after the first quarter. 

The Browns tried to get back into the game. Hopkins hit field goals of 28 and 23 sandwiched around a 55 yard try by Tucker that was blocked. The Browns only trailed 17-9 at the half. Yet in the third quarter the Ravens from their own 22 looked to put the game away. Jackson hit Bateman for 7, ran for 9 himself, and hit Zee Flowers for 18. On 3rd and 6 from the Cleveland 40, Jackson went to O’Dell Beckham for the touchdown. The Ravens had their biggest lead of the game comfortably up 24-9. 

The Browns tried to claw their way back in it. On 3rd and 4 from their own 31, Watson went to Amari Cooper for 5. On 4th and 1 from their own 45, Kevin Stefanski went for it and Bryant gained 2. On 3rd and 11 from the Baltimore 44, Watson hit David Njoku for the exact amount and then for 9 more. Kareem Hunt ran for 13. On 3rd and 2 from the Baltimore 3, Hunt got in the end zone. Stefanski went for a 2 point conversion and Watson got in. The mind-numbing 17 play, 75 yard drive took 10 minute off the clock. After three quarters, the Browns trailed 24-17. The fourth quarter began after consecutive sacks of Jackson and the Ravens punting on 4th and 26 from their own 45. The Browns fumbled the punt and the Ravens recovered at the Cleveland 12. On 3rd and 9, Jackson threw incomplete but defensive holding meant a new set of downs. On 3rd and goal at the 10, Jackson was intercepted but another defensive holding call meant 1st and goal at the 5. Edwards ran for 4 and then the one yard touchdown. With 11 1/2 minutes left in regulation the Ravens had a 31-17 lead.

Yet the Browns would not go quietly. On 2nd and 15 from their own 20 after a sack, Watson went to Cooper for 25 and to Njoku for 23. Defensive pass interference added 19. Watson hit Elijah Moore for a 10 yard touchdown. The Browns were within 31-24 and 9 minutes still remained. Two plays after a touchback came a shocker. Jackson was intercepted by Greg Newsome, who returned the pick 34 yards for a defensive touchdown. Yet then Hopkins missed the extra point. Instead if a tie game, the Browns trailed 31-30. The Browns got the ball back at their own 20 with 5 minutes left. On 3rd and 1, Watson hit Ford for 2. On 3rd and 2 from their own 39, Ford gained 6. Watson ran for 16. Ford gained 12. The Browns moved 58 yards in 12 plays and used up the entire clock. The Ravens never got the ball back. With 3 seconds left, Hopkins came in for a 40 yard field goal try to redeem himself and get the win. Hopkins was good as the Browns had the shocking road win. 16 unanswered fourth quarter points was the difference between being left in the dust and being only half a game out of the division lead. Yet the victory came at a high cost. Watson suffered a severe shoulder injury and is now out for the rest of the season. 33-31 Browns

San Francisco 49ers at Jacksonville Jaguars — The 49ers after a 5-0 start lost 3 straight. Now they had to take on the 6-2 Jaguars. An expected clash of titans was never a contest. A field position game early on had the 49ers taking over at their own 43. Christian McCaffrey ran for 6. Brock Purdy hit McCaffrey for 9, George Kittle for 29, and Brandon Aiyuk for a 13 yard touchdown to make it 7-0 49ers. Moody tacked on a 39 yard first quarter field goal for the 49ers. Brandon McManus hit a 37 yard second quarter field goal for the Jaguars, but all that did was avoid the shutout. Moody hit from 35 to end the half with the 49ers up 13-3. The 49ers quickly moved to put the game away at the start of the third quarter. On the second play from scrimmage after a touchback, Purdy went deep to Kittle for a 66 yard touchdown and a 20-3 49ers lead. The Jaguars turned the ball over on the next 3 possessions with 2 interceptions sandwiched around a fumble. The fumble led to the 49ers taking over at their own 19. On 3rd and 9, Purdy went to Aiyuk for 21 and Kittle for 21 more. McCaffrey ran for 14 and Deebo Samuel ran for a 23 yard touchdown to make it 27-3 49ers. The last interception set up the 49ers at the Jacksonville 49. McCaffrey ran for 15. Purdy went to Kyle Juszczyk for a 22 yard touchdown early in the fourth quarter to complete the blowout. Both teams are 6-3 but this was a stunner. 34-3 49ers

New Orleans Saints at Minnesota Vikings — A pair of 5-4 teams jockeying for position played a quiet first quarter. Greg Joseph hit a 40 yard field goal for the Vikings. Grupe answered from 48 for the Saints in a 3-3 game. The Vikings exploded in the second quarter. After a touchback, Chandler ran for 11. An interception of Joshua Dobbs was wiped out by the defense jumping offside. The second quarter began with the Vikings facing 3rd and 1 from their own 45. Dobbs gained 11. Dobbs hit Powell for 11 more. On 3rd and 5 from the New Orleans 28, Dobbs went to TJ Hockenson for 24. Chandler ran for a 2 yard touchdown to make it 10-3 Vikings. The Vikings got it back at their own 18. Dobbs went deep to Addison for 29. On 3rd and 6 just past midfield, Dobbs went to Hockenson for 13 and again for 21. On 3rd and 6 from the New Orleans 7, Dobbs ran for the touchdown to make it 17-3 Vikings. The Vikings got it back at their own 24 with 1:47 left in the half. Chandler ran for 13. Dobbs hit Hockenson for 13. Dobbs ran for 10. Dobbs went back to Hockenson for gains of 9, 6, and the 28 yard touchdown. With 16 seconds left in the half, the Vikings were winning a laugher up 24-3. Joseph nailed a 33 yard field goal to make it 27-3 Vikings in the third quarter.

Midway through the third quarter, Carr got rocked and left the game injured with a concussion and a messed up right shoulder. Backup Jameis Winston played the rest of the way and showed his best and his worst. Carr had moved the Saints from their own 25 to a 3rd and 1 at the Minnesota 36 when Winston entered. Winston completed a pass for no gain, but Dennis Allen had to go for it on 4th and 1. Alvin Kamara gained 2. Winston went to Chris Olave for 20 and again for a 14 yard touchdown. Kamara ran in the 2 point conversion as the Saints were within 27-11 in the third quarter. On the first play of the fourth quarter, Joseph missed a 54 yard field goal try that would have all but iced the game. The Saints took over at their own 44. On 3rd and 10, Winston threw incomplete but defensive illegal use of hands meant 5 yards and a new set of downs. On 4th and 2 from the Minnesota 43, Winston went to Olave for 26. On 3rd and 8 from the Minnesota 15, Winston went to AT Perry for the touchdown. Kamara ran in the 2 point try as the Saints were only down 8 with 11 1/2 minutes left. Yet after leading 2 touchdown drives, Winston threw 2 interceptions in the final 3 1/2 minutes. The Saints actually got the ball back one more time with 6 seconds left at the Minnesota 48, but Winston’s Hail Mary fell incomplete. The Vikings were a preseason pick to go far but started 1-4. Since then they have won 5 straight. 27-19 Vikings

4pm

Atlanta Falcons at Arizona Cardinals — The Cardinals came in a 1-8 dumpster fire, but with one major change. For the first time since the middle of last year, Kyler Murray was back on the football field. His return was a shot of adrenaline. Early on from his own 4 yard line, he led the Cardinals on a 15 play, 63 yard drive that took nearly 8 minutes. They reached a 1st and 10 at the Atlanta 18. A pair of penalties killed the drive but Matt Prater hit a 51 yard field goal for a 3-0 Cardinals advantage. After a touchback, Taylor Heineke hit Pitts for 8. Tyler Allgeier ran for 7. On 3rd and 8 from their own 42, Heinecke threw incomplete but roughing the passer kept the drive going. Brian Robinson gained 3 and 17. On 3rd and 3 from the Arizona 16, Allgeier gained 10. Early in the second quarter, on 3rd and goal at the 2, Heinecke went to Miller for the touchdown to cap the 12 play, 75 yard, 6 1/2 minute drive and make it 7-3 Falcons. After a touchback, th Cardinals drove to a 3rd and 4 at the Atlanta 28. Murray threw incomplete. Prater hit from 40 to get the Cardinals within 7-6. 

The Falcons soon faced 3rd and 2 at thrown 33. Cordarelle Patterson gained 5. Heinecke hit Robinson for 11. On 3rd and 3 from the Arizona 34, Heinecke threw incomplete but illegal contact kept the drive going. On 3rd and 10 from the Arizona 21, Heinecke scrambled for 16. Robinson ran for a 5 yard touchdown to make it 14-6 with 4 minutes left in the half. After a touchback, Murray went to Moore for 12 and to Malcom Hollywood Brown for 28. James Conner gained 9 and on 3rd and 1 from the Atlanta 20 gained 5 more. On 3rd and 1 from the Atlanta 6, Murray ran it in with 10 seconds left in the half. Jonathan Gannon went for the 2 point conversion and Murray threw incomplete. The Cardinals trailed 14-12 at the half.

In the third quarter the Cardinals moved from their own 24 to a 1st and 10 at the Atlanta 30. Consecutive offensive holding penalties killed the drive but Prater drilled a 56 yard field goal to put the Cardinals back in front 15-14. The Cardinals got it back at their own 25 and Murray was immediately intercepted. Landman returned the interception 25 yards to the Arizona 14. Yet on 3rd and 6, Heinecke was sacked. Younghoe Koo hit a 36 yard field goal to give the Falcons the 17-15 lead. 

Late in the third quarter, a 49 yard punt return had the Cardinals with gift field position at the Atlanta 21. Murray hit Wilson for 15 down to the one. Tune got the yard as the Cardinals led 22-17 after three quarters. The Falcons after a touchback moved 64 yards in 15 plays and 7 1/2 minutes. Early in the fourth quarter during the drive, Heinecke was injured while scrambling. Desmond Ridder, who had been benched a few weeks ago, finished the game. Midway through the fourth quarter, Arthur Hill went for it on 4th and 1 from the Atlanta 21. Ridder got stopped cold. Yet the Falcons got the ball back at their own 26 with 6 minutes left in regulation. On 3rd and 8, Ridder went to London for 11. Robinson gained 14. Defensive pass interference added 32 yards. On 3rd and 4 from the Arizona 9, Ridder ran for the touchdown. The 2 point try failed but the Falcons led 23-22 with 2 1/2 minutes left. After a touchback, Murray hit Moore for 8. Conner gained 9. On 3rd and 10 from his own 42, Murray ran for 13. Murray went deep to mcBride for a 33 yard gain. Conner gained 7. The Cardinals had 2nd and goal at the 2, but purposely did not score a touchdown. After the Falcons took their last timeout, Murray took a knee. Prater came in with 2 seconds left. His 23 yard field goal was good. The Cardinals are simply a different team with Murray in the lineup. 25-23 Cardinals

Detroit Lions at Los Angeles Chargers — Dan Campbell and Brandon Staley both take big gambles bordering on reckless. They both brought high octane offenses and no defense to this game. Picture Bobby Layne facing off against Air Coryell and Dan Fouts. The Lions moved from their own 25 to a 2nd and 8 at the Chargers 10. A touchdown pass from Jared Goff to Williams was nullified by a low block penalty. Riley Patterson hit a 33 yard field goal to make it 3-0 Lions. The Chargers moved after a touchback to a 3rd and 2 at the Detroit 30. Justin Herbert threw incomplete. Staley actually decided to play it safe for once. Cameron Dicker hit a 48 yard field goal for a 3-3 game. Yet after these field goals, the game quickly turned into a track meet. 

After a touchback, Goff hit Amon-Ra St Brown for 7. Defensive pass interference added 16. Gibbs gashed the defense for gains of 5, 11, 35, and finally the one yard touchdown to make it 10-3 Lions. An interception of Herbert set up the Lions at the Charges 33. Yet on 2nd and goal at the one, David Montgomery got stopped twice. Dan Campbell gambled on 4th and goal at the one. Goff threw incomplete. Yet the Lions got the ball right back at their own 40. Goff went to Gibbs for 24, Williams for 13, and St. Brown for 14. On 3rd and goal at the one, Goff threw incomplete. Campbell gambled again. On 4th and goal at the one, Gibbs got in as the Lions led 17-3.

The Chargers soon faced 3rd and 4 at their own 31. Justin Herbert went t Austin Ekeler for 15. On 3rd and 7 just shy of midfield, Herbert went to Keenan Allen for 11. On 3rd and 1 from the Detroit 31, Herbert gained 2. Herbert then went to Keenan Allen for a 29 yard touchdown to get the Chargers within 17-10. One play and 14 seconds after a touchback, the Lions were in the end zone again. David Montgomery ripped off a 75 yard touchdown for a 24-10 Lions lead. 

After a touchback, Ekeler ran for 9. Herbert went to Allen for gains of 7 and 13. On 3rd and 3 from the Detroit 39, Herbert went to Allen for 28. On 3rd and 1 from the Detroit 2, Herbert threw incomplete. Brandon Staley went for it. On 4th and 1, Ekeler ran it in for the touchdown to get the chargers within 24-17 with 23 seconds left in the half. Early in the third quarter, he Chargers took over at their own 8 yard line. Defensive pass interference added 15. Herbert went to Donald Parham for 16. On 3rd and 8 just past midfield, Herbert went to Allen for 12. On 3rd and 3 from the Detroit 30, Herbert went to Allen for 12 and Guyton for an 18 yard touchdown. The 92 yard drive tied the game 24-24 midway through the third quarter.

The Lions soon faced 3rd and 3 at their own 32. Goff went to Reynolds for 7. On 3rd and 2 from their own 47, Goff went to St Brown for 33 and again for a 20 yard touchdown and a 31-24 Lions lead. The Chargers soon faced 3rd and 5 at their own 30. Herbert ran for 13. On 3rd and 11 from their own 42, Herbert threw incomplete but roughing the passer kept the drive going. Defensive pass interference added 14 more. Ekeler ran for 17. Herbert went to Quez Johnston for 17. The fourth quarter began with Ekeler getting stopped cod on 3rd and goal at the one. Brandon Staley went for it. Herbert threw incomplete but defensive pass interference meant 1st and goal at the one again. Herbert got stopped twice and then Ekeler got stopped. After being stopped at the one on 5 consecutive plays, Staley again went for it. This time on 4th and goal from the one, Herbert hit Johnston for the touchdown. The game was tied 31-31 with 11 1/2 minutes left to play.

After a touchback, Goff went to Gibbs for 14. On 3rd and 2 from their own 47, Goff went to Sam LaPorta for 19. On 3rd and 1 from the Chargers 25, Goff went to Wright for the touchdown to make it 38-31 Lions midway through the fourth quarter. The Chargers took over at their own 32. Herbert hit Guyton for 11. Herbert hit Johnston for 9. On 3rd and 1 from the Detroit 38, Ekeler got stopped for no gain. Brandon Staley went for it again. On 4th and 1, rather than move the chains, Herbert went for it all and hit Allen for the touchdown. The game was tied for the 4th time at 38-38 with 3 1/2 minutes left.

After a touchback, Goff immediately connected with Raymond for a 41 yard gain. Things came to a head with 1:47 to play as the Lions faced 4th and 2 at the Chargers 26. A field goal try for the lead would only be from 44 yards out, very makable. Yet Dan Campbell went for it. This decision seemed insane. Turning the ball over on downs would practically guarantee a Chargers victory. Yet Campbell was telling the football world that he had no confidence in his defense. With everything on the line, Goff hit LaPorta for 6. That forced the Chargers to take their final timeout with 1:40 left. Goff then took 3 knees to get the clock down to 2 seconds. Campbell was not giving the Chargers even one play with the ball. From 41 yards out, Patterson was good. Nobody loses close games like the Chargers, but this was more about a Lions team tat is 7-2 and dominating the NFC North. Their offense is torching the league. 41-38 Lions

New York Giants at Dallas Cowboys — In the season opener, the Cowboys went on the road and obliterated the Giants 40-0. The rematch saw the Giants down to their 3rd string quarterback, rookie Tommy Devito. They would have been better off with Danny Devito. The Cowboys after a touchback moved to a 2nd and goal at the 2. Dak Prescott threw incomplete twice. Mike mcCarthy went for it. On 4th and goal at the 2, Tony Pollard only gained one. The goal line stand only delayed the inevitable. The Giants punted on 4th and 14 from their own 2. The Cowboys took over at the Giants 46. Prescott went to Ferguson for 16. On 3rd and 6 at the Giants 26, Prescott gained 7 with defensive holding adding 5 more. CeeDee Lamb took an end around for a 14 yard touchdown to make it 7-0 Cowboys. The second quarter began with an interception of Prescott to set up the Giants at the Dallas 12. Brian dabble went for it on 4th and 2 from the Dallas 4. Saquon Barkley got stopped for no gain, as any chance of the Giants making this a game evaporated.

From his own 4, Prescott hit Cooks for 9, Cooks again for 25, Lamb for 30, and Brooks for 11. Pollard ran for 15. Prescott went to Ferguson for a one yard touchdown. The 96 yard drive made it 14-0 Cowboys. The Cowboys got it back at their own 46. Pollard ran for 12. Dowdle added 9 and 17. Prescott hit Cooks for a 10 yard touchdown to make it 21-0 Cowboys. The Cowboys got it back at their own 15.Prescott went to Cooks for 34, Brooks for 7, Cooks for 16 and Lamb for 17. On 3rd and 9 from the Giants 10, Prescott ran for the touchdown to make it 28-0 Giants with 16 seconds left in the half. For some reason, league rules prevented the second half from being canceled. The Giants did manage a third quarter touchdown, but the Cowboys came back 86 yards. Prescott went to Michael Gallup for a 41 yard touchdown to make it 35-7 Cowboys. An interception of Devito had the Cowboys marching again. On 2nd and 14 from their own 19, Prescott went to Cooks for 37. On 3rd and 10 from the Giants 44, Prescott went to Cooks for 32. Prescott hit Lamb for a 12 yard touchdown to make it 42-7 Cowboys after three quarters. The Giants kicked a fourth quarter field goal, but the Cowboys came back 75 yards again. Dowdle scored form one yard out to make it 49-10 Cowboys. The Giants managed one more garbage touchdown in a garbage season. The Cowboys racked up over 600 yards of offense. Prescott threw for 404 yards passing and 4 touchdown passes. 49-17 Cowboys

Washington Commanders at Seattle Seahawks — The Commanders began the game at their own 35 and struck quickly. Sam Howell went to Bates for 12. Howell then connected with Brian Robinson for a 51 yard touchdown. Joey Slye missed the extra point but the Commanders led 6-0. The Seahawks after a touchback moved to a 4th and 1 at the Washington 21. Pete Carroll went for it but a delay of game penalty killed the try. Jason Myers hit a 45 yard field goal to get the Seahawks within 6-3. Slye hit from 39 in the second quarter for a 9-3 Commanders lead, but Myers hit from 43 and 33 for a 9-9 deadlock at the half. 

Slye hit from 47 in the third quarter for a 12-9 Commanders lead. Yet 2 lays after a touchback, the Seahawks had the lead. Geno Smith went to DK Metcalf for 11 and to Kenneth Walker III for a 64 yard touchdown and a 16-12 Seahawks lead. Myers hit from 45 early in the fourth quarter to extend the Seahawks lead to 19-12. The Commanders took over at their own 27. Robinson ran for big gains of 15 and 12. On 3rd and 3 from the Seattle 39, Howell hit Logan Thomas for 4. Howell went to Robinson for 16 and to Gibson for a 19 yard touchdown for a 19-19 game midway through the fourth quarter.

After a touchback from their own 36, Smith went to Tyler Lockett for 20. On 4th and 5 from the Washington 39, Pete Carroll did not feel like punting or trying a 57 yard field goal. So he went for it. Smith threw incomplete but defensive pass interference meant 6 yards and a first down. Smith went to Lockett for 16. With 3:47 left, Smith went to Lockett for a 5 yard touchdown and a 26-19 Seahawks lead. The Commanders soon faced 3rd and 2 at their own 37. Howell went to Terry McLaurin for 11. With 90 seconds left the Commanders faced 4th and 1 at the Seattle 43. Howell went to McLaurin for 8. On 3rd and 10 from the Seattle 35, Howell went to Brown for the touchdown. The game was tied 26-26, but the Commanders scored too early. After a touchback, the Seahawks still had 52 seconds to work with. On 3rd and 4, Smith hit Metcalf for 17 and again for 27. With 3 seconds left in regulation, Myers came in for a 43 yard try to win it. For the 5th time on the day, Myers was good. 29-26 Seahawks

8pm

New York Jets at Las Vegas Raiders was the Sunday night game. 55 years ago, a thrilling game between the Raiders and Jets was interrupted with 65 seconds to play because of the movie Heidi. 55 years later, the actress told the audience that NBC would show the full game on this night, and not to blame her if anything went wrong. As for the game itself, it was ugly. The Raiders smoked too many cigars after trouncing the Giants last week. Yes, it was their best game of the year. Yes, the entiire football world bid good riddance to Josh McDaniels. Yet now Antonio Pierce had to coach against a better team with a very good defense. Both defenses played well for long stretches, with quarterbacks Zach Wilson and Aidan O’Connell being the weak links. One thing Pierce got right was insisting on using Josh Jacobs as a battering ram. Yes, Robert Saleh has given the Jets a great defense. Pierce didn’t care. He was going to play smash mouth. The end zone proved elusive for 3 quarters as both kickers did their jobs. Greg “The Leg” Zuerlein hit from 47 to start the scoring. Daniel Carlson answered from 41 for a 3-3 game. Zuerlein hit from 53 and again from 30 in the second quarter after an interception of O’Connell. The Jets were dominating, but only led 9-3. Carlson hit from 54 to end the half and from 40 late in the third quarter for a 9-9 bonelock after three quarters.

A field position game had the Raiders taking over at their own 47. Jacobs had been bottled up most of the game, but he finally broke off a big 40 yard run. Yet these Raiders cannot handle prosperity. Jacobs had the ball chopped out of his hands. He was lucky that the ball was fumbled out of bounds. The fourth quarter began with the Raiders facing 3rd and 4 from the Jets 7. O’Connell hit Michael Mayer for the game’s first touchdown and the 16-9 Raiders lead. Yet again the Raiders could not handle prosperity. After a touchback, Wilson hit Breece Hall for 35 and non-relative Garrett Wilson for 12. After that the defense stiffened. Zuerlein hit his 4th field goal from 45. With 12 minutes left in regulation, the Jets were within 4 points. The Raiders after a touchback went into pure smash mouth mode. A 10 play, 50 yard drive took 6 minutes off the clock. With 8 1/2 minutes left in regulation, the Raiders faced 4th and inches at their own 44. Their defense was playing well enough, so a punt made perfect sense. Antonio Pierce went crazy and decided to go for it. The decision seemed insane given that a quarterback sneak with an untested 3rd string rookie into the teeth of the Gang Green defense was not even close to a sure thing. Yet pierce dialed up a great play call. Carter took an end around 15 yards. The Raiders were in short field goal range. The Jets defense was tired. The running game was working. Then it wasn’t. On 1st and 10 from the Jets 29, Jacobs gained 4 yards and fumbled. The Jets recovered. Again, the Raiders had blown a chance to put a game away. 

The Jets from their own 24 moved the ball easily. The offense had given the ball away and now the defense was going to melt down and give the game away for good. This could not be blamed on Josh McDaniels. With 1:22 to play, the Jets faced 2nd and 8 at the Raiders 20. The Raider Nation could be forgiven for wishing Heidi would show up and cancel the rest of the game. The ending was a roller coaster. Wilson was intercepted by Robert Spillane, who retuned it 25 yards to his own 40. There were no flags on the field. The interception stood. The Raiders celebrated, but there was one problem. The Jets still had all 3 timeouts to use on defense. The Raiders needed to grind out a first down.. The defense did their job. Now the offense had to learn how to close out a game. On 3rd and 5 from his own 45, Antonio Pierce again appeared to lose his mind. Rather than run the ball, he risked a pass. Again, he does not have a Hall of Fame signal caller. He has a rookie who has barely played. Asking O’Connell to be the hero is too much to ask. O’Connell’s pass was knocked down incomplete. This stop the clock and allowed the Jets to save their last timeout. After a punt touchback, the Jets took over at their own 20 with 52 seconds left. Wilson went to Conklin for 9. On 3rd and 1 from their own 29, Wilson went to Conklin again for 27. Bad clock management had the Jets waiting until only 13 seconds remained to take their last timeout. This gave them 2 legitimate Hail Mary chances from the Raiders 44. The first one was thrown out of bounds. The last one was well thrown to the end zone. Several players had shot at it but it fell incomplete. The Raiders survived. It was ugly, but Jcobs rushing for 116 yards on 27 carries was clearly a correct change in coaching philosophy. The Raiders are 2-0 under Pierce, but now the schedule gets much tougher. Nevertheless, the silver and black have clawed their way back to 5-5. Just win baby. 16-12 Raiders. 

Monday, November 13, 8pm

Denver Broncos at Buffalo Bills was the Monday night game. The Bills were supposed to be the better team, but they fumbled the ball away on the first play from scrimmage. The Broncos took over at the Buffalo 28 but settled for a 40 yard Wil Lutz field goal to lead 3-0. After a touchback, the Bills moved to a 3rd and 4 at the Denver 28. Josh Allen was then intercepted. A 17 yard punt return in the second quarter had the Broncos taking over at their own 48. Defensive unnecessary roughness gifted the Broncos 15 yards. Russell Wilson went to Jerry Jeudy for 11. On 4th and 2 from the Buffalo 7, Sean Payton took a big gamble and went for it rather than just kick the field goal. Wilson went to Cortland Sutton for the touchdown. Lutz’s extra point try doinked off the upright no good but the Broncos led 9-0.

The Bills took over at their own 19. Allen hit Cook for 8. Cook then ran for 13. On 3rd and 2 from their own 48, Latavius Murray got the deuce to midfield. Allen went to Stefan Diggs for 14. Murray gained 14 more. Allen went to Kincaid for a 22 yard touchdown. The defense jumped offside, moving a 2 point conversion try from the two to the one. Allen hit Gabriel Davis successfully. Instead of trailing 10-7, the Bills were within 9-8.  Yet the Bills continued to self-destruct. Lutz hit a 49 yard field goal with 45 seconds left in the half. Then Allen was intercepted again, allowing Lutz to hit again from 40 to end the half with the Broncos up 15-8. In the third quarter Sean McDermott gambled on 4th and 1 from his own 48. Out of the shotgun, Allen went deep incomplete. Yet the Broncos did not capitalize. On 3rd and 6 from the Buffalo 43, a short completion was fumbled away. The Bills took over at their own 46. Cook gained 11. Allen went to Shakir for 24. On 3rd and 2 from the Denver 8, Murray gained 5 and then the 3 yard touchdown. Midway through the third quarter, the game was tied up at 15-15. The Bills got it back at their own 11 and moved to the Denver r48, but Allen fumbled a shotgun snap for the fourth Buffalo turnover on the night.

With 12 1/2 minutes left in regulation, a 27 yard punt return by Mims had the Broncos taking over at their own 46. On 3rd and 10 Wilson hit Jeudy for 19. On 3rd and 7 from the Buffalo 32, Wilson hit Perine for 9. On 3rd and 4 from the Buffalo 17, Wilson went to Sutton for just enough. Williams gained 11. Wilson went to Williams for the touchdown. The 12 play, 54 yard, 7 1/2 minute drive had the Broncos up 21-15. Yet the hold on the extra point was fumbled, keeping the Broncos up by 6 instead of 9, 5 minutes still remained. After a touchback, Cook gained 7. Cook on his next carry fumbled the ball, got a lucky bounce right back to him, and kept running for a 38 yard gain. Cook ran again for 13. Allen ran for a 6 yard touchdown. The extra point was good. Despite 4 turnovers and getting outplayed all game, the Bills led 22-21 with 1:55 left. After a touchback, Wilson went to Perine for 18. On 3rd and 6 from his own 47, Wilson went to Perine for 8. Then came the biggest plays that would decide the game.

On 2nd and 4 from the Buffalo 39, a field goal try from that distance would be 57 yards. Sean McDermott brought the entire house. Wilson was sacked. The Broncos took their final timeout with 35 seconds left. Now a field goal try would be 63 yards. Yet it was only 3rd and 10. McDermott brought the house again. Wilson threw an underthrown ball that fell incomplete. Yet blatant defensive pass interference by Taryn Johnson meant a 28 yard gain. Judea had to come back for the ball, and Johnson did not turn around in time. Wilson took 3 straight knees to force the Bills to use their timeouts. With 4 seconds left, Lutz came in for a 41 yard field goal try to win it. With everything on the line and both teams holding their breath, Lutz’s kick was just barely wide right no good. Yet the Bills celebrated too early. On a night of miserable blunders, their last one doomed them. The Bills had 12 men on the field. Replay clearly showed that 12 men tried to stop the field goal. Lutz was given another chance from 36 yards out. He had already missed an extra point and saw a second extra point go down from a bad snap. This time the snap, hold and kick ere all good. The Bills were supposed to be a Super bowl contender. Instead they are 5-5. The Broncos started 1-5 under Sean Payton but have won 3 straight. 24-22 Broncos

NFL 2023 Week 10 Prequel

Thursday, November 9, 8pm

Carolina Panthers at Chicago Bears (-4) — Both of these teams are terrible. In a battle of terrible teams, a 4 point spread is simply too high. Bears win but fail to cover

Sunday, November 12, 9:30am

Indianapolis Colts (-1 1/2) at New England Patriots — This game is in Germany, so it is not a true home game for the Patriots. Gardner Minshew is playing better than Mac Jones. The Patriots offense outside of Rhamondre Stevenson is lacking. Jonathan Taylor runs well as well. Go with the better quarterback. Colts cover

1pm

Houston Texans at Cincinnati Bengals (-7) — The Bengals have won four straight and are back to being the elite team of the last couple seasons. They are also at home. CJ Stroud had a game for the ages last week, but the Buffalo defense is formidable. After watching the Bengals easily handle Buffalo, they should keep rolling. Bengals cover

Green Bay Packers at Pittsburgh Steelers (-3 1/2) — The Steelers are not that special, but they still know how to win a street fight. They gutted out a tough home win over Tennessee last week. The Packers are a bad team. Jordan Love is not getting it done. If the Steelers can continue to pound the rock, they will win ugly again. Steelers win but fail to cover

Tennessee Titans at Tampa Bay Buccaneers (-1) — Both of these teams suffered heartbreaking losses last week. The Titans lost a brutal defensive boneblack at Pittsburgh while the Buccaneers were shocked at Houston in a shootout decided in the final seconds. Baker Mayfield is playing well enough to expect him to win at home. He has better receivers that the Titans have. Buccaneers cover

Cleveland Browns at Baltimore Ravens (-6) — The Browns are good but the Ravens are very good. The Ravens formula of running the ball and playing great defense still works. DeShaun Watson has not regained his early career for yet. Lamar Jackson is playing well. Ravens cover

San Francisco 49ers (-3) at Jacksonville Jaguars — This spread is odd given that the 49ers have lost three straight. They have talent, a great defense and a great coach, but the Jaguars are no slouches either. Trevor Lawrence knows how to sling the ball around. At home, give the Jaguars the benefit of the doubt. The 49ers do not get that until they turn it around. Upset special, Jaguar win outright

New Orleans Saints (-2 1/2) at Minnesota Vikings — Joshua Dobbs showed plenty of heart in a comeback win at Atlanta last week. Derek Carr has more weapons and the Saints have a much better defense. Dennis Allen will have several new wrinkles for Dobbs to contend with. Saints cover

Atlanta Falcons (-1 1/2) at Arizona Cardinals — The Cardinals are a complete and total mess. The falcons are nothing special, but in games like this they do not have to be. Falcons cover

Detroit Lions (-3) at Los Angeles Chargers — The Lions overachieve and the Chargers underachieve. Yet the Chargers are at home. Jared Goff and Justin Herbert are both solid. The Lions have the better defense and are more physical. Both coaches take bold gambles, but Brandon Staley is too reckless. This is one of those games to just trust the home field. Upset special, Chargers win outright

New York Giants at Dallas Cowboys (-16 1/2) — Yes, the spread is insane. However, the Cowboys beat the Giants 40-0 in the opener. Now the rematch is in Dallas. The Cowboys will be angry after a crushing loss in the final moments at Philadelphia. The Giants are down to their third string quarterback. The Giants gave up eight sacks last week. Micah Parsons will be licking his chops. Cowboys cover

Washington Commanders at Seattle Seahawks (-6 1/2) — The Seahawks lost by 34 points last week, but are at home against an average at best Washington team. Yet the Commanders play hard for Ron Rivera, and this game does not look like a blowout. Seahawks win but fail to cover

New York Jets (-1) at Las Vegas Raiders — The Raiders responded well in their first game without Josh McDaniels, but the Jets have a far better defense than the Giants. The Giants were playing wit a third string quarterback. Zach Wilson has not proven anything, but neither has Aidan O’Connell. The Raiders could come out flat, but interim coach Antonio Pierce seems too intense for that. Raiders cover 

Denver Broncos at Buffalo Bills (-7 1/2) — The Bills lost at Cincinnati. The Bills will be angry and at home against a Denver team that is atrocious. Josh Allen will want redemption, and he will get it in spades. The Bills have the better defense. Yet the Broncos have been more competitive in recent weeks, so a garbage touchdown is possible. Bills win but fail to cover

NFL 2023 Week 9 Recap

Tennessee Titans at Pittsburgh Steelers was the Thursday night game. Both teams came in uneven, but Will Levis was sensational in his rookie debut with Ryan Tannehill injured. Levis got the start again. The Steelers began facing 3rd and 6 at their own 26. Kenny Pickett went to Robinson for 10 and Warren for 9. pickett went to Hayward for 11. On 3rd and 2 from the Tennessee 29, Pickett went to Johnson for 19. Najee Harris ran for the 10 yard touchdown to make it 7-0 Steelers. The Titans moved from their own 10 to a 3rd and 5 at the Pittsburgh 10. After an incompletion, Levis was sacked. Nick Folk hit the 36 yard field goal to make io get the Titans within 7-3. The Titans got it back at their own 27 in the second quarter. Levis hit Deandre Hopkins for 17. On 3rd and 13 from their own 41, Levis went to Westbrook-Ikhine for 23. On 3rd and 3 from the Pittsburgh 29, Levis hit Hopkins for 5. Derrick Henry ran for 15 and 5. On 3rd and goal at the 2, Henry got in to cap the 11 play, 73 yard, 6 1/2 minute drive and make it 10-7 Titans.

After that it became a battle of the kickers. Chris Boswell hit a 29 yard field goal to tie the game 10-10 with 1:16 left in the half. Nick Folk hit from 36 to put the Titans up 13-10 as the half ended. Boswell hit from 30 in the third quarter to again tie the game 13-13. Folk hit from 48 to make it 16-13 Titans after three quarters. With 9 minutes left in regulation the Steelers took over at their own 8 yard line. Harris gained 7 and 4. On 3rd and 1 from their own 28, Warren gained 13. On 3rd and 6 from their own 45, Pickett went deep to Johnson for 32. Warren gained 22. Pickett threw a 3 yard touchdown to Johnson. The 11 play, 92 yard, 5 minute drive had the Steelers up by 4 points with 4 minutes left in regulation. The Titans got an immediate spark when a short kickoff was returned 29 yards to set up the Titans at their own 48. On 3rd and 4, a run went nowhere. On 4th and 4, Levis threw incomplete. The Titans got it back at their own 15 with 1:44 left. They moved all the way to a 3rd and 5 at the Pittsburgh 19 with 6 seconds left. With everything on the line, Levis went to the end zone and was intercepted in the end zone for a touchdown. It was harrowing, but the Steelers survived. 20-16 Steelers

Miami Dolphins at Kansas City Chiefs was the Sunday early morning game from Germany. A pair of very good 6-2 teams faced off in a potential AFC Title Game preview. After a touchback, Patrick Mahomes immediately went to Marques Valdes-Scantling for 21.On 3rd and 2 from the Miami 46, Mahomes hit Moore for 10, Gray for 25, and Watson for an 11 yard touchdown and a 7-0 Chiefs lead. In the second quarter the Chiefs took over at their own 5 yard line. On 3rd and 5, Mahomes hit Rice for 6. Run and short passes led to a 2nd and 12 from the Miami 47. Mahomes went to Moore for 23. On 3rd and 3 from the Miami 17, Mahomes went to McKinnon for the touchdown. The 11 play, 95 yard, 8 1/2 minute drive made it 14-0 Chiefs. After a touchback the Dolphins moved to a 2nd and 7 at the Kansas City 30. A swing pass from Tua Tagovailoa to Tyreek Hill was blown up for an 8 yard loss and resulted in a fumble. Edwards picked it up for the defense, lateraled it to Cook, and cook took it 59 yards for another touchdown and a 21-0 Chiefs lead.

In the third quarter the Dolphins finally got going from their own 20. Tagovailoa hit Wilson for 12, SMythe for 6 and Hill for 7. On 3rd and 3 from the Kansas City 47, Tagovailoa hit Smythe for 6. Tagovialoa went deep to Wilson for a 31 yard touchdown to get the Dolphins within 21-7. The Chiefs then fumbled to give the Dolphins gift field position at the Kansas City 27. On 3rd and 20, Tagovialoa went to Wilson for only 10, but defensive unnecessary roughness added 14 more and an automatic first down. On the next play Raheem Mostert ran for a 13 yard touchdown to get the Dolphins within 7 points. The defenses dug in for the rest of the game. In the finally 2 1/2 minutes the Dolphins moved from their own 25 to a 1st and 10 at the Kansas City 31. Tagovialoa threw 3 straight incompletions. With one minute left on 4th and 10, a shot gun snap was fumbled for a loss, killing the comeback and making Andy Reid a most Happy Walrus indeed. 21-14 Chiefs

Seattle Seahawks at Baltimore Ravens — The Seahawks are a good team, but the Ravens are a very good team. The first quarter was scoreless, but the second quarter was a different story. The Ravens late in the first quarter took over at their own 19. Lamar Jackson hit Likely for 17. On 3rd and 5 from their own 46, Jackson went to O’Dell Beckham for 8. On 3rd and 1 from the Seattle 17, Hill gained 5. The Ravens began the second quarter at the Seattle 32. Jackson ran for 10, hit Mark Andrews for 9, and ran for 9 more. Edwards ran for a 4 yard touchdown to make it 7-0 Ravens. The Ravens after an exchange of turnovers and a punt got the ball back at their own 16. Mitchell ran for 11. Jackson went to Beckham for 13. Mitchell ran for a pair of 9 yard gains. Jackson ran for 12. Mitchell ran for 8. Jackson hit Zee Flowers for 11. Edwards ran for a 3 yard touchdown to make it 14-0 Ravens with 2 1/2 minutes left in the half. The Seahawks managed a field goal with one minute left in the half, but this game was over. Justin Tucker hit a 37 yard field goal to end the half and connected from 45 and 31 in the third quarter to make it 23-3 Ravens. The Ravens got it back at their own 40 and struck quickly. Jackson hit Bateman for 15. Mitchell ran for 5 and then ripped off a 40 yard touchdown run to make it 30-3 Ravens. In the fourth quarter Jackson sat down so Tyler Huntley could get some mop up work. The Ravens moved 78 yards. On 3rd and goal at the 6, Huntley hit Beckham for the touchdown as the Ravens got to 7-2 on the year. 37-3 Ravens

Arizona Cardinals at Cleveland Browns — The Browns are an above average team with a good defense. The Cardinals are a mess. They traded away Joshua Dobbs at the trade deadline. With Kyler Murray still not recovered, they went with rookie third stringer Tune. Despite a scoreless first quarter, this game was a blowout. In the second quarter, the Browns took over at their own 28. Deshaun Watson went deep to Amari Cooper for 59yards. Dustin Hopkins hit a 30 yard field goal to make it 3-0 Browns. The Browns got it back just past midfield. On 4th and 1 from the Arizona 40, Kevin Stefanski went for it and Kareem Hunt gained 2. Watson ran for 10 and Hunt added 10. On 3rd and 2 from the Arizona 15, Hunt gained 3. Watson went to Cooper for an 11 yard touchdown to make it 10-0 Browns. Hopkins tacked on a 45 yard field goal to end the half. A third quarter sack of Tune forced a fumble to set up the Browns at the Arizona 11. Watson hit David Njoku for a 5 yard touchdown to make it 20-0 Browns. In the fourth quarter the Browns faced 3rd and 6 at their own 48, Johnson went deep to Cooper for 49. Hunt ran for a 3 yard touchdown to complete the scoring as the defense pitched a shutout. 27-0 Browns

Tampa Bay Buccaneers at Houston Texans — A pair of 3-4 teams put together an instant classic. The Texans fumbled on the third play from scrimmage, giving the Buccaneers a short field at the Houston 42. Baker Mayfield quickly hit Cade Otton for 24. Chase McLaughlin hit a 35 yard field goal to make it 3-0 Buccaneers. After a touchback, CJ Stroud hit Schultz for 21 and Dell for 15. On 3rd and 9 from the Tampa 35, Stroud went to Brown for 6 with roughing the passer adding 15 more. Stroud went to Collins for a 14 yard touchdown to make it 7-3 Texans. After a touchback, Mayfield went to White for 33. On 3rd and 2 from the Houston 34, Mayfield went to Evans for 10. On 3rd and 8 from the Houston 22, Mayfield was sacked but defensive unnecessary roughness added 14. On 4th and 1 from the Houston 4, Todd Bowles went for it. White gained 3. Mayfield hit Otton for a 3 yard touchdown to cap the 13 play, 75 yard, 7 minute drive and make it 10-7 Buccaneers. An unsportsmanlike conduct penalty on a punt return in the second quarter gave the Buccaneers another short field at the Houston 40. Mayfield went to Mike Evans for 16. White gained 11. On 3rd and 7 from the Houston 10, Mayfield hit Rashaad White for 9. White got the last yard as the Buccaneers built a 17-7 lead.

Kaimi Fairbairn managed a 50 yard field goal to get the Texans within 17-10 at the half. Yet an injury to Fairbairn left him unable to kick in the second half. The Texans would go for 2 point conversions after touchdowns. Running back Dare Ogunbowale handled kickoffs. McLaughlin responded from 49 in the third quarter to have the Buccaneers up 20-10. Then the Texans offense exploded. After a touchback, Stroud went to Noah Brown for a 75 yard touchdown. The 2 point try failed but the Texans were within 20-16. McLaughlin hit a 55 yard field goal to make it 23-16 Buccaneers. The Texans took over from their own 22. Stroud went to Collins for 22. On 3rd and 11 from the Houston 45, Stroud went to Schultz for 26 and to Tank Dell for a 29 yard touchdown. The 2 point try again failed but the Texans were within 23-22. The Texans got the ball back at their own 48. Stroud went to Schultz for 13. Hutchinson ran for 15. Stroud hit Schultz for 11. The fourth quarter began with the Texans facing 4th and goal at the 9.

Normally this would be an easy 27 yard field goal try. Yet without a kicker, Demeco Ryans had to go for it. Stroud hit Schultz for the touchdown. Stroud ran in the 2 point conversion. The Texans led 30-23, but this wild fourth quarter was just getting started. After a touchback, Mayfield went to Otton for 9. White gained 11. Mayfield went deep to Evans for a 53 yard gain down to the one. White got in for a 30-30 tie with 12 minutes left. After a touchback, the Texans moved to a 1st and goal at the 10. The drive stalled. With 8:45 to play, Ryans had a major decision to make. On 4th and goal at the 11, he decided to let Ogunbowale try a 29 yard field goal. The kick was good and the crowd was pumped up with the Texans up 33-30.

The Buccaneers took over with 4 1/2 minutes left in regulation at their own 39. With 1:13 to play the Buccaneers faced 4th and 2 at the Houston 41. Mayfield ran for 5. Mayfield went to Palmer for 15 yards but Palmer fumbled. Yet Evans saved the day for his teammates and the Buccaneers kept the ball. On the next play Mayfield went to Otton for the touchdown. With only 46 seconds left to play, The Buccaneers led 37-33. After a touchback, Stroud hit Schultz for 14 and 6 and Brown for 14. Stroud went deep to Dell for 26 with 16 seconds left. Stroud went to Dell again for the 15 yard touchdown. With 6 seconds left, the Texans had pulled off a miraculous comeback. Stroud had a game for the ages and is now in the NFL record books. He finished 30 of 42 for 470 yards, a rookie record. He threw 5 touchdowns and 0 interceptions. 39-37 Texans

Chicago Bears at New Orleans Saints — Mike Ditka once coached both of these teams. After an opening touchback, Bagent went to Mooney for 13 and Moore for 16. On 4th and 1 from the Saints 37, Matt Eberflus went for it and Bagent gained 5. Foreman ran for 13. Bagent went to Cole Kmet for a 16 yard touchdown to make it 7-0 Bears. An interception of Bagent on the next series gave the Saints a short field at the Chicago 45. On 3rd and 7 from the Chicago 30, Derek Carr went to Chris Olave for 11 and Shaheed for 9. On 3rd and goal at the 8, Carr went to Olave for the touchdown and a 7-7 game. In the second quarter after a touchback, Bagent went to Moore for 18. On 3rd and 12 from the New Orleans 21, Bagent scrambled for just enough. Bagent went to Kmet for a 9 yard touchdown to make it 14-7 Bears. After a touchback, Carr went to Foster Moreau for 23. On 3rd and 8 from midfield, Carr went to Kamara for 13. Taysom Hill ran for 14. On 3rd and 6 from the Chicago 19, Carr hit Johnson for 14. On 3rd and goal at the 2, Carr went to Hill for the touchdown. The 11 play, 75 yard, 7 minute drive made it 14-14.

Cairo Santos missed a 40 yard field goal try for the Bears late in the half. In the third quarter a Chicago fumble set up the Saints at the Chicago 39. Grupe nailed a 55 yard field goal to make itn17-14 Saints. After a touchback, the Bears moved to a 3rd and 7 at the New Orleans 13. Bagent threw incomplete. Santos hit from 31 to make it 17-17. The game was deadlocked after the first quarter, the second quarter, and the third quarter. A 14 yard punt return had the Saints starting the fourth quarter at the Chicago 47. Carr went to Johnson for 6 and Shaheed for 12. Hill ran for 13 and Kamara added 13 more. Hill came in and threw a 3 yard touchdown to Johnson to put the Saints up by 7 with 11 minutes left in regulation. Bagent was intercepted, but the Saints failed to take advantage. On 4th and 1 from the Chicago 17, Dennis Allen went for it rather than go with a 35 yard field goal try and a 10 point lead. Carr got stopped. Bagent was intercepted again. With 2 1/2 minutes left, a 47 yard field goal try by Grupe to lock up the win was no good. Yet Bagent was then sacked and fumbled. 3 turnovers on his final 4 drives doomed the Bears as the Saints defense secured the win. 24-17 Saints

Minnesota Vikings at Atlanta Falcons — With Kirk Cousin now out for the rest of the year injured, the Vikings acquired Joshua Dobbs from Arizona at the trade deadline. Arizona was 1-7, but Dobbs made his debut in Minnesota memorable. The Falcons were without Desmond Ridder. Taylor Heinecke and Hall both played quarterback, with Hall getting injured and Heinecke playing most of the game. Younghoe Koo hit a 52 yard field goal for the Falcons. After a touchback, the Vikings moved to a 1st and goal at the one. A run lost 3 yards. On 3rd and goal, Hall got the 3 yards back. Yet on 4th and goal at the one, Kevin O’Connell played it safe. The home crowd didn’t like it, but Greg Joseph hit the 19 yard field goal for a 3-3 game. The second quarter began with the Vikings facing 3rd and 12 at their own 5. Dobbs was sacked in the end zone for a safety as the Falcons led 5-3. The Falcons took the free kick at their own 38 and moved to the Minnesota 25. The drive stalled but Koo hit from 43. Dobbs was then sacked and fumbled. the Falcons took over with 1st and goal at the one. On 2nd and goal, a run went nowhere. On 3rd and goal, a run lost 4 yards. Koo hit from 23 to make it 11-3 Falcons.

The Vikings soon faced 3rd and 8 at their own 27. Dobbs went to Osborn for 13 with defensive unnecessary roughness added 15 more. On 3rd and 11 from the Atlanta 35, Dobbs went to Addison for 22. On 3rd and 10 from the Atlanta 13, Dobbs gained 11. Dobbs hit Mattison for a 2 yard touchdown to get the Vikings within 11-10. In the third quarter another sack of Dobbs forced another fumble. The Falcons took over at the Minnesota 30 and lost yards. Koo hit his fourth field goal from 54 as the Falcons led 14-10. The Viking after a touchback moved to a 3rd and 9 at the Atlanta 14. Dobbs threw incomplete. Joseph hit from 32 to get the Vikings within 14-13. The Falcons soon faced 3rd and 10 at their own 25. Heinecke hit Hodge for 20. Heinecke then connected with Smith for a 60 yard touchdown. The Falcons finally reached the end zone and led 21-13 midway through the third quarter.

The Falcons got the ball back at their own 18 but disaster struck immediately. Robinson ran for 14 but fumbled the ball away. The Vikings recovered at the Atlanta 40. On 3rd and 8, Dobbs went to TJ Hockenson for 9. Mattison gained 6 and 5. Dobbs ran for an 18 yard touchdown. Dobbs went to Jackson for the 2 point conversion and a 21-21 game. After a touchback, the Falcons again needed only one play from scrimmage to turn the ball over as Heinecke was intercepted. Murphy ran for the interception back 18 yards to the Atlanta 24. The Vikings settled for a 31 yard Jospeh field goal and a 24-21 lead less than one minute into the fourth quarter.

With 9 minutes left the Falcons took over at their own 21. Heinecke went to Van Jefferson for 14. Robinson gained 3, 4, and on 3rd and 3 from his own 42, 9. On 3rd and 9 from the Minnesota 48, Heinecke ran for 13. On 3rd and 3 from the Minnesota 28, Tyler Allgeier gained 9. Allgeier ran for a 5 yard touchdown. The 13 play, 79 yard, 7 minute drive had the Falcons up 28-24 with 2:08 left. The Vikings faced 3rd and 1 at their own 34 with 1:38 left. Dobbs hit Hockenson for 5. Dobbs went to Addison for 24. On 4 and 7 from the Atlanta 34, the Vikings were down to their last gasp with 51 seconds left. Dobbs ran for 22. On 3rd and 4 from the Atlanta 6, Dobbs went to Brandon Powell for the touchdown with 22 seconds left. This was not Brett Favre to Greg Lewis, but it was still good enough to make Vikings radio announcer Paul Allen go insane. Welcome to Minnesota, Dobbs. As for the Falcons, after a touchback they reached their own 41 before the Hail Mary fell incomplete. 31-28 Vikings

Los Angeles Rams at Green Bay Packers — A pair of great teams two years ago are now bad teams. Brett Rypein started for the Rams in place of the injured Matthew Stafford. Late in the first quarter, Rypien was sacked and fumbled. The Packers had a short field at the Rams 41. Aaron Jones ran for 7 and AJ Dillon added 12. The second quarter began with the Packers facing 3rd and 3 at the Rams 8. Jones gained 5 and then ran for the 3 yard touchdown to make it 7-0 Packers. Late in the half Havrisik hit a 52 yard field goal for the Rams to begin and end their offensive output for the day. Carlson missed a 48 yard try for the Packers to end the half. The Packers fumbled on their first 2 drives of the third quarter with no consequences. Havrisik missed a 49 yard field goal try. Carlson hit from 26 to make it 10-3 Packers after three quarters. An interception of Rypien led to a 34 yard Carlson field goal to make it 13-3 Packers. The Packers got it back at their own 28 with 8 1/2 minutes left and turned out the lights. On 3rd and 6, Jordan Love went to Romeo Doubs for 10. On 3rd and 12 from their own 40, Love went to Watson for 37. Love went to Musgrave for a 220 yard touchdown to complete the scoring. 20-3 Packers.

Washington Commanders at New England Patriots — Early on Bill Belichick went for it 4th and 3 from the Washington 39. Mac Jones threw incomplete. The resulting good field position led to a 37 yard Joey Slye field goal to make it 3-0 Commanders. The Commanders got ti back and faced 3rd and 7 at their own 23. Sam Howell went to Byron Pringle for 26 and Gibson for 10. The second quarter began with the Commanders facing 3rd and 1 at the New England 32. Gibson gained 9. Brian Robinson ran for a 9 yard touchdown to make it 10-0 Commanders. The Commanders got it back but fumbled in their own territory to set up the Patriots at the Washington 25. Jones hit Hunter Henry for a 14 yard touchdown to get the Patriots within 10-7. The Patriots got it back at their own 16. Jones went to Juju Smith-Schuster for 20. Rhamondre Stevenson ripped off a 64 yard touchdown run as the Patriots were now on top 14-10. Ryland tacked on a 43 yard third quarter field goal to make it 17-10 Patriots.

After a touchback, Howell went to Logan Thomas for 7 and Gibson for 12. Gibson ran for 12 more. Howell went deep to Jahan Dotson for a 33 yard touchdown and a 17-17 game midway through the third quarter. The Commanders got it back at their own 24 and moved to a 2nd and 9 at the New England 11. Howell threw incomplete twice. Slye hit a 30 yard field goal to give the Commanders a three point lead after three quarters. The fourth quarter was all defense, as each team punted three times. At the 2 minute warning, the Patriots began their final drive at their own 9 yard line. They moved to a 2nd and 8 at the Washington 41 with 30 seconds left. A field goal try from that distance would be 59 yards, but they only needed a few more yards for a more realistic try to force overtime. Instead, Jones was intercepted. The 2-7 Patriots have their worst record in the 24 years under Bill Belichick. Rumors before the game had him being fired by the Patriots and coaching the Commanders. Riverboat Ron Rivera is getting more out of less than anyone in the league, including Bleichick. 20-17 Commanders

Indianapolis Colts at Carolina Panthers — With Anthony Richardsonstill injured, Gardnew minshew got the nod against Bryce Young. The Panthers finally got their first win last week on the final play. This game was scoreless after the first quarter, but the Colts exploded in the second quarter. The Colts from their own 18 moved 75 yards in 15 plays and 7 1/2 minutes. The second quarter began with the Colts facing 2nd and goal at the one. A run lost a yard followed by a false start and an incompletion. Matt Gay hit a 26 yard field goal to make it 3-0 Colts. The Colts got it back and faced 3rd and 2 at their own 44. Jonathan Taylor gained 9. Minshew hit Alex Ogletree for 19. On 3rd and 7 from the Carolina 25, Minshew threw incomplete but defensive unnecessary roughness added 13 yards. Minshew went to Taylor for a 10 yard touchdown to make it 10-0 Colts. Eddie Pineiro hit a 35 yard field goal for the Panthers, but Gay drilled a 57 yard field goal to make it 13-3 Panthers. After a touchback, the Panthers had 1st and 10 just shy of midfield with 20 seconds left in the half. Young was intercepted by Kenny Moore, who returned the pick 49 yards for a defensive touchdown. The Colts led 20-3 at the half in front of a shellshocked home crowd. Young did throw a touchdown pass in the third quarter for the Panthers, but he then threw his second interception for a touchdown to the Colts. Again it was Moore, this time racing 66 yards the other way for a 27-10 Colts lead in the fourth quarter. The Panthers added a meaningless field goal. 27-13 Colts

New York Giants at Las Vegas Raiders — On Tuesday, Josh McDaniels and Dave Ziegler were fired. So was offensive coordinator Nick Lombardi. Jimmy Garoppolo was benched. Champ Kelly was promoted to interim General Manager. Antonio Pierce was promoted to interim head coach. Pierce won a Super Bowl as a player with the Giants. Rookie Aidan O’Connell was given the starting job for as long as he can keep it. The Raiders were out of excuses. The McDaniels reign of error was over. Now they had to show they were a decent team with a bad coach rather than a bad team. They were at home against the Giants, a truly bad team. Gone was the West Coast Offense dinking and dunking. Pierce was determined to pound the rock and unleash Josh Jacobs. The Raiders had not scored more than 21 points all season, and the one time they reached 21 was because of a late safety. The entire Raider Nation awaited the first game free of McDaniels.

Early on, Brian Daboll made a desperate decision to go for it on 4th and inches from his own 29. The Raiders defense stayed disciplined and a false start killed the opportunity as the Giants punted. The Raiders began at their own 33 and Jacobs pounded out runs of 5, 10 and 8. O’Connell connected with Jakobi Meyers for a 24 yard gain. Jacobs ran for 5 and Meyers took an end around 17 yards for a touchdown. The Raiders led 7-0 and made it look easy. Yet in plenty of games this season, they get one early touchdown and go to sleep on offense the rest of the game. The Giants moved from their own 28 to a 4th and inches at the Raiders 34. Brian Daboll gambled again. Daniel Jones kept it for the quarterback sneak and ran into a silver and black brick wall for no gain.

The defense was playing well but the offense did little as each team punted twice. On the first play of the second quarter, disaster struck the Giants, On 2nd and 17 from his own 46 after a sack, Jones was sacked again. He hurt his knee on the play and left the game injured. With backup Tyrod Taylor on injured reserve, the Giants had to turn to 3rd string rookie Tommy Devito. He was about as ready for the pass rush as Danny Devito. The Raiders followed up the consecutive sacks of Jones with 6 more of Devito for a total of 8 sacks.

In the second quarter, the Raiders got going again from their own 35. Jacobs ran for 2, 6, and on 3rd and 2 from their own 45, 9. Jacobs then ran for 15. On 2nd and 11 from the Giants 34, O’Connell went to Hunter Renfrow for 19 and again for 13. Jacobs banged in the last 2 yards for a 14-0 Raiders lead. Three plays after a touchback, Devito went bombs away and was intercepted by Amik Robertson at the goal line. Robertson returned the interception to his own 40. Everyone on the Raiders played hard and laid it all out for Antonio Pierce. Forget the dinking and dunking. O’Connell went bombs away to Tucker, who made a leaping diving catch for a 50 yard gain. On 3rd and goal at the one at the 2 minute warning, Jacobs banged it in for a 21-0 Raiders lead.

One play after a touchback, Devito was intercepted again. Nate Hobbs returned the tip drill pick 10 yards to the Giants 25. On 4th and 1 from the Giants 5, Antonio Pierce made the right call, playing it safe. Daniel Carlson hit the 24 yard field goal to make it 24-0 Raiders to end the half. After a third quarter touchback, the Raiders moved 47 yards in 14 plays and 6 1/2 minutes. Carlson hit a 46 yard field goal to make it 27-0 Raiders. The Giants did reach the end zone on the second play of the fourth quarter, there would be no comeback. On 4th and 4 from their own 29 with 10 1/2 minutes left, Devito threw incomplete. Carlson hit a 41 yard field goal to complete the scoring. The Giants turned it over on downs on their final 3 possessions.

The Raiders did get a big win. The offense scored 30 points. O’Connell managed the game, not making any mistakes. Jacobs briefly had over 100 yards, but a loss on his last run pushed him down to 98 yards on 26 carries. The Raiders ran for 125 yards overall. The Raiders beat a horrible team playing a 3rd string rookie making his first ever NFL start. They ere at home. Yet the margin of victory was significant. Next week the Raiders are at home against a reeling Jets team. A win would get the Raiders back to .500 before the brutal part of their schedule kicks in. Time will tell if this is fools gold, but the Raiders finally have a ray of hope. Like Art Shell before him, Antonio Pierce won his first ever NFL game as a head coach, taking over in the middle of a season. Shell got his win over the Jets. Pierce has fire and passion. One win is not a season, but the very early signs are promising. 30-6 Raiders

Dallas Cowboys at Philadelphia Eagles — This division rivalry could be an NFC Title Game preview. The Eagles on their first drive faced 4th and 1 at their own 32. Nick Sirianni took a major gamble and Jalen Hurts took the Philadelphia tush push quarterback sneak for 2 yards. On 3rd and 6 from their own 38, Hurts went to Zaccheaus for 8. Hurts went to AJ Brown for 20. On 4th and 3 from the Dallas 27, Sirianni gambled again. Hurts went to Dallas Goedert for 15. Kenneth Gainwell ran for a 12 yard touchdown. The 13 play, 77 yard drive consumed 8 minutes and made it 7-0 Eagles. A strong kickoff return by Kevontae Turpin had the cowboys at their own 47. On 3rd and 3, Dak Prescott ran for 4. On 4th and 1 from the Philadelphia 33, it was Mike McCarthy’s turn to roll the dice in a big way. Rather than just move the chains, Prescott went deep to CeeDee Lamb for a 29 yard gain. Prescott went to Ferguson for a 4 yard touchdown and a 7-7 game.

The Cowboys began the second quarter facing 3rd and 2 at their own 26. Prescott went deep to Ferguson for 40. On 3rd and 14 from the Philadelphia 38, Prescott went to Lamb for 20. Defensive pass interference on the next play added 10. On 3rd and goal at the 5, Prescott went to Turpin for the touchdown to make it 14-7 Cowboys. Aubrey kicked the ensuing kickoff out of bounds to set up the Eagles at their own 40. On 3rd and 9, Hurts went to Smith for 19 and Smith for 20. On 3rd and 3 from the Dallas 13, Gainwell gained just enough. Defensive holding led to 3rd and goal at the one. Hurts got in for the 14-14 tie with 5 minutes left in the half.

Aubrey hit a 51 yard field goal with one minute left in the half for a 17-14 Cowboys lead, but the Eagles dominated the third quarter. A facemark on the kickoff again had the Eagles starting at their own 40. On 3rd and 2, Hurts gained 4. Swift ran for 8 and 11. Hurts went deep to Smith for a 29 yard touchdown and a 21-17 Eagles lead. The Eagles got it back and faced 3rd and 1 from their own 22. Hurts gained 2. Defensive pass interference added 17 yards. Defensive holding meant 1st and goal at the 4. Hurts went to Brown for the touchdown as the Eagles led 28-17 after three quarters.

This game was far from over. The Cowboys took over at their own 28 and in the fourth quarter moved 71 yards in 13 plays and 6 minutes. With 10 minutes left in regulation, the Cowboys faced 4th and goal at the one. Mike McCarthy went for it. Prescott went to Schoonmaker for the touchdown, but on further review officials reversed the call to short of the goal line. The goal line stand inspired the Eagles defense, but not their offense. The Cowboys got the ball back at their own 48 with 8 1/2 minutes left in regulation. From midfield, Prescott went to Lamb for 16 and deep to Tolbert for 32. Prescott went to Robert for a 7 yard touchdown and this time the score stood. The 2 point conversion try failed but the Cowboys were within 5 points with 6 1/2 minutes left in regulation.

The Eagles offense did nothing in the fourth quarter as their defense tried to hang on. The Cowboys moved from their own 26 to a 4th and 8 at the Philadelphia 29 with 1:22 left. The Eagles took their final timeout on defense. Prescott threw incomplete. Yet the Cowboys had all 3 timeouts left and used them on defense. Nick Sirianni played it ultra-conservative and 3 straight runs netted only 2 total yards. The Cowboys took over at their own 14 with 46 seconds left. Defensive pass interference on a deep ball immediately meant 36 yards and the ball at midfield. Roughing the passer on a 10 yard completion had the Cowboys at the Philly 25. With 27 seconds left fans on both sides were biting their nails as the Cowboys faced 2nd and 5vat the Philly 6 yard line. First came a false start. The Prescott was sacked. After an incompletion came a delay of game on the offense. With 5 seconds left, it was desperation as the Cowboys faced 3rd and 26 from the Philly 27. Prescott went deep to Lamb for a 23 yard gain, but Lamb was tackled by 3 Eagles defenders. 4 yards separated victory from defeat. The rematch will be eagerly anticipated, but for now the 8-1 Eagles have a big lead in the NFC East. 28-23 Eagles

Buffalo Bills at Cincinnati Bengals was the Sunday night game. One year ago on Monday Night Football, the Bengals at home led the Bills 7-3 in the first quarter. Then on a routine tackle, Bills safety Damar Hamlin went into cardiac arrest. He was not breathing for 9 minutes. Players and coaches cried as the game was canceled. Yet Hamlin’s survival was a miracle. He is back playing football. So while this game certainly had a storyline bigger than football, there was also a football storyline. In the playoff rematch in Buffalo last year, all the emotion, home crowd and snow did not deliver a fairy tale win. The Bengals dominated 27-10. Now the game was back in Cincinnati. If the Bills are going to be a Super Bowl contender, games like this are a big deal.vThe Bengals went right to work from their own 24. Joe Burrow hit Joe Mixon for 8 and 15. on 3rd and 2 from the Buffalo 45, Burrow hit Hudson for 6 and Tee Higgins for 19. Burrow went to Smith for 11 and again for a 7 yard touchdown to make it 7-0 Bengals. The Bills soon faced 3rd and 5 from their own 20. Josh Allen hit Stefan Diggs for 9 and again for 34. Allen went to Shakir for 22 and Kincaid for 13. Allen ran for a 2 yard touchdown and a 7-7 game.

The Bengals took over at their own 31 and gained 15 from a roughing the passer call. Burrow hit Iosivas for 9. On 3rd and 10 from the Buffalo 42, Burrow went to Boyd for 15, Hudson for 13, and Higgins for 12. On 3rd and goal at the 2, Mixon ran it in to make it 14-7 Bengals after the first quarter. The game then turned from a track meet to a defensive grind. The Bills punted on 4th and 11 from their own 8 to set up the Bengals up at the Buffalo 45. On 4th and 1, Burrow hit JaMarr Chase for 11. On 3rd and 7 from the Buffalo 22 with 1:37 left in the half, Burrow went to Sample for the touchdown. Now the Bengals had a 21-7 lead. A brutal second half saw Tyler Bass hit a 34 yard third quarter field goal for the Bills and Evan McPherson answer from 20 midway through the fourth quarter for a 24-10 Bengals lead.

After a touchback, Allen hit Kincaid for 9, ran for 7, and hit Shakir for 9. On 3rd and 1 from midfield, Latavius Murray ran for 2. Allen ran for 11. On 3rd and 1 from the Cincinnati 17, Allen went to Diggs for the touchdown. With 3 1/2 minutes remaining in regulation, Sean McDermott made the strange decision to go for 2 unnecessarily. Coahces are starting to do things, and coaches copycat each other whether it makes sense or not. Yet Allen hit Diggs successfully to get the Bills within 6 points. After a touchback, rather than grind out clock, Zac Taylor went big and bold. Burrow went deep to Boyd for a 32 yard gain. At the 2 minute warning, everything came down to 3rd and 3 at the Buffalo 36. The Bills were out of timeouts. Mixon got around the end for a 5 yard gain. Burrow took 3 knees. For the second time in 12 months, the result was the same in both stadiums. After a 1-3 start, the Bengals have won 4 straight. 24-18 Bengals

Los Angeles Chargers at New York Jets was the Monday night game. Both of these teams are overrated and underachieving. 2 minutes into the game, Derius Davis returned a punt 87 yards for a touchdown to make it 7-0 Chargers. The Jets fumbled on their next 2 possessions, with a sack of Zach Wilson forcing the second one. The Chargers took over at midfield. On 3rd and 6, Justin Herbert went to Austin Ekeler for 17. On 3rd and 2 from the Jets 21, Ekeler ran for 20. Ekeler got the last yard to make it 14-0 Chargers after the first quarter. For some reason, the final three quarters were played. Greg Zuerlein kicked a 47 yard second quarter field goal for the Jets. Cameron Dicker responded from 55 to end the half with the Chargers up 17-3. Zuerlein hit from 46 for the Jets in the third quarter, but Gang Green did not reach the end zone. Dicker hit from 38 in the fourth quarter to make it 20-6 Chargers. Wilson was sacked again dn fumbled again. Gilman retuned the fumble 48 yards to the Jets 2 yard line. Ekeler ran it in one play later to complete the scoring. Both teams are 4-4 on the year. 27-6 Chargers

NFL 2023 Week 9 Prequel

Thursday, November 2, 2023, 8pm

Tennessee Titans at Pittsburgh Steelers (-2 1/2) — Will Levis was very impressive in his NFL debut, throwing four touchdowns. Going into Pittsburgh is a tougher test. Both Mike Vrabel and Mike Tomlin like to win with a punishing physical style. This is one game where the home field could be key in a close game. Go with the home crowd. Steelers cover

Sunday, November 5, 1pm

Miami Dolphins at Kansas City Chiefs (-2 1/2) — The Chiefs suffered a surprising beating at Denver last week. Now they face a Miami offense that is clicking on all cylinders. Yet the Chiefs have the better defense. Patrick Mahomes was not healthy last week. Andy Reid was designing a powerhouse offense while mike Mcdaniels was still in school.  As well as the Dolphins are playing, look for the Chiefs to rebound, especially at home. Chiefs cover

Seattle Seahawks at Baltimore Ravens (-5 1/2) – Both of these teams are playing very good football. The Seahawks seem to be overachieving. Geno Smith is competent, but he is not Lamar Jackson. The Ravens run the ball well. The Seahawks could make this a close game. Ravens win but fail to cover

Arizona Cardinals at Cleveland Browns (-7) — The Cardinals are awful. They just traded Joshua Dobbs to Minnesota. The Browns have a seriously good defense. The Dawg Pound will be fired up, but the spread s too high given that the Browns tend to play close games. Browns win but fail to cover

Tampa Bay Buccaneers at Houston Texans (-2 1/2) — The Texans lost on the final play to a previously winless Carolina team. The Buccaneers have a leader in Baker Mayfield. CJ Stroud is competent. The teams both have a decent enough defense. The home field will not matter. The Buccaneers have better receivers. Upset special, Buccaneers win outright

Chicago Bears at New Orleans Saints (-6 1/2) — The Saints have the better defense. Derek Carr can stretch the field. Alvin Kamara runs well. The Bears have far less talent. Saints cover

Minnesota Vikings at Atlanta Falcons (-4) — The Vikings season went down in flames went Kirk Cousin tore his ACL and is out for the season. The Vikings traded for Joshua Dobbs, a downgrade. The Falcons are uneven, but should take advantage of a dejected Minnesota squad. Yet the Falcons do not blow anyone out, even when they win. Falcons win but fail to cover

Los Angeles Rams at Green Bay Packers (-2 1/2) — Both of these teams are playing bad football. Matthew Stafford is better than Jordan Love. The weather is not cold enough to be a factor. The Rams got obliterated last week at Dallas, falling behind by 30 points in the second quarter. The Packers are losing my closer margins. Go with those trends. Packers cover

Washington Commanders at New England Patriots (-2 1/2) — Both of these teams are losing, but the Commanders have been more competitive. Sam Howell is playing decent enough football. Mac Jones is not. Jones has regressed since last year. The Patriots run the ball well with Raimondre Stevenson. If the running game can get going early at home, the Patriots should be ok. Patriots cover

4pm

Indianapolis Colts (-2 1/2) at Carolina Panthers — The Panthers finally won a game last week. The first matchup between Bryce Young and Anthony Richardson will have to wait as Gardner Minshew fills in for the injured Richardson. Minshew is capable and Jonathan Taylor is running well. The Colts are young and improving, and they have enough to return the Panthers back to the loss column. Colts cover

New York Giants at Las Vegas Raiders (-3) — Both of these teams have been dreadful, especially on offense. The Giants committed the unforgivable sin of losing to the Jets. Yet the Raiders finally fired Coach Josh McDaniels and General Manager Dave Ziegler. That should provide a spark for one week as the team rallies together for the interim coach. Yet Jimmy Garoppolo has been benched. Aidan O’Connell is starting, which means the Raiders have quit on this season. The Raiders have not scored more than 21 points all season. Home field will not matter. Josh Jacobs and Davante Adams will light a fire under their team with everyone playing for their jobs. Raiders cover

Dallas Cowboys at Philadelphia Eagles (-3) — The Eagles are 7-1 and winning close games. The Cowboys blasted the Rams to pieces last week. The Eagles have the better defense. The home field matters in this rivalry. Jalen Hurts is better than Dak Prescott. The Cowboys have been exposed on the road against good teams. Eagles cover

8pm

Buffalo Bills at Cincinnati Bengals (-2) — These teams played two of the most emotional games in NFL history last year. The first game was suspended in the first quarter due to the Damar Hamlin scare. Yet in the rematch in the playoffs, the Bengals went into snowy Buffalo and won convincingly. The Bengals got off to a slow start, but their win over San Francisco was impressive. The Bills are a complete team, but go with the home field. This could be an AFC Title Game preview. Bengals cover

Monday, November 6, 8pm

Los Angeles Chargers (-2) at New York Jets — Justin Herbert is far better than Zach Wilson. The Jets have the better defense. Robert Slash is a real football coach. Brandon Staley makes terrible decisions. Nobody loses winnable games like the Chargers. The Chargers on paper are the better team, but the Jets are winning some games in miraculous fashion. Upset special, Jets win outright

NFL 2023 Week 8 Recap

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

NFL 2023 Week 8 Prequel

Thursday, October 26, 2023, 8pm

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

Sunday, October 29, 1pm

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

4pm

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

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

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

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

8pm

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

Monday, October 30, 8pm

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