THE TYGRRRR EXPRESS

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NFL 2020 Week 13 Recap

Detroit Lions at Chicago Bears — The Lions fired Matt Patricia while the Bears came in on a 5 game losing streak after a 5-1 start. The Bears got a jolt to start the game when Cordarelle Patterson returned the opening kickoff to his own 46. Mitchell Trubisky hit Robinson for 16. On 3rd and 2 from the Detroit 26, Montgomery lost a yard. Cairo Santos hit a 45 yard field goal to make it 3-0 Bears. The Lions moved from their own 20 to a 4th and 1 at the Chicago 29. Interim coach Darrell  Bevell went for it and a completion gained nothing. Trubisky hit Robinson for 17 and Patterson took a pair of end arounds for 12 and 13. Montgomery ran for 8 and then for the 13 yard touchdown. The extra point was blocked but the Bears led 9-0. 

The Lions soon faced 3rd and 10 from their own 28. Stafford went to Jones for 15 and Cephus for 14. Adrian Peterson ran for 15, 4 and 2. On 3rd and 4 from the Chicago 18, Stafford hit TJ Hockenson for 14. On 3rd and goal at the 3, Peterson ran it in. Offensive holding on the extra point meant a second try from 43 yards out. Matt Prater doinked it off the upright no good as the Lions trailed 9-6 after the 12 play, 75 yard, 6 minute drive. The Bears soon faced 3rd and 6 from their own 29 to start the second quarter. Trubisky went to Robinson for 21 and Mooney for 10. Trubisky hit Sims for 13. Montgomery gained 4 and 10. Patterson ran for the 5 yard touchdown to cap the 10 play, 75 yard, 5 minute drive and make it 16-6 Bears. 

The Lions soon faced 3rd and 12 from their own 26. Stafford went deep to Jones for 25 and then deep again to Quintez Cephus for a 49 yard touchdown to get the Lions within 16-13. The Bears took over at their own 32. Trubisky hit Robinson for 10 and Miller for 15 at the 2 minute warning. Trubisky went to Miller again for 19 and 9. Montgomery ran for a 4 yard touchdown as the Bears led 23-13 at halftime. In the third quarter the Lions took over at their own 34. Stafford went to Jones for 12 and 7. On 3rd and 10 from the Chicago 44, Stafford hit Hockensen for only 9. On 4th and 1 Darrell Bevell went for it and Stafford got the yard. Stafford went deep to Hockensen for 24 and to James for a 9 yard touchdown. The 10 play, 66 yard, 5 minute drive had the lions within 23-20 with 4 minutes left in the third quarter. The Bears took over at their own 28. Patterson ran for 13. On 3rd and 6 from their own 45, the defense jumped into the neutral zone. On 3rd and 1, Trubisky gained 2. The fourth quarter began with the Bears facing 3rd and 7 at the Detroit 45. Trubisky went to Mooney for 21. On 3rd and 4 from the Detroit 18, Trubisky went to Patterson for just enough. Trubisky went to Kmet for the 11 yard touchdown. The 12 play, 75 yard, 7 1/2 minute drive had the Bears up 30-20 with 11 1/2 minutes left in regulation. 

With 4 1/2 minutes left the Lions got the ball back at their own 4 yard line with 4 1/2 minutes left. Stafford went to Hockensen for 14, to Danny Amendola for gains of 22 and 17, to Jones for 5, to Hockensen for 13, and to Jones for a 25 yard touchdown. 96 yards came quickly as the Lions were within 30-27 with a full 2:18 to play. The Bears got it back at their own 11. On 3rd and 4, Trubisky was sacked and fumbled. The Lions recovered the gift at the Chicago 7 yard line. Peterson did the rest, running for 2 and then for the 5 yard touchdown. The Lions had the 4 point lead with 1:37 to play. After a touchback it was up to Trubisky to try and redeem himself. Trubisky hit Montgomery for 16 with a horse collar tackle penalty adding 15 more. Trubisky went to Montgomery for 14 and Kmet for 5. With 22 seconds left on 3rd and 5 from the Detroit 24, Trubisky hit Robinson for 4. Only 16 seconds remained. The Bears had timeouts so they could run the ball. On 4th and 1 from the Detroit 20, Matt Nagy called a run and Montgomery got stopped. The Bears have lost 6 straight. The calls for Trubisky’s head will become deafening. As for Darrell Bevell, history will always remember him as the guy who did not hand the ball to Marshawn Lynch. This time he did hand the ball to Adrian Peterson and got his first win as an NFL head coach. 34-30 Lions

Cincinnati Bengals at Miami Dolphins — Ryan Fitzpatrick and his magic beard were back on the bench as Tua Tagovailoa returned to the lineup. Meanwhile, Late in the first quarter the Bengals faced 3rd and 2 from their own 28. Backup quarterback Brandon Allen connected with Trevor Boyd, who outraced everyone for a 72 yard touchdown and a 7-0 Bengals lead. The Bengals defense stymied the Dolphins for most of the first half. Jason Sanders hit a 25 yard field goal to get the Dolphins on the board. With one minute left, Randy Bullock missed a 53 yard field goal try. That gave the Dolphins good enough field position for Sanders to hit a 48 yard field goal to end the half with the Dolphins only down 7-6. In the third quarter after a touchback, Tagovailoa hit Gesicki for 17, Parker for 14 and Gaskin for 35 yards down to the 5. Tagovailoa hit Gesicki for the 5 yard touchdown to put the Dolphins up 13-7. Sanders hit chip shot field goals of 23 yards in the third quarter and 19 yards in the fourth quarter. Brian Flores’s defense did the rest. It was far from pretty, but the Dolphins are 8-4 with a shot at the AFC East for the first time since the 2008 season. 19-7 Dolphins

Indianapolis Colts at Houston Texans — The Colts took over at their own 33. Philip Rives hit TY Hilton for 18. Taylor ran for 12 and Rivers went to Doyle for 12 more. On 3rd and 6 from the Houston 21, Rivers went to Hilton for the score to make it 7-0 Colts. The Texans soon faced 3rd and 10 from their own 25. Deshaun Watson went deep to Coutee for a 64 yard gain. On the next play Watson ran for an 11 yard touchdown to make it 7-7. The Texans got it back at their own 40 and Watson hit Brandon Cooks for 11. Johnson gained 7 and 3. On 2nd and 7 from the Indy 34, Watson threw incomplete twice. Kaimi Fairbairn hit a 52 yard field goal to make it 10-7 Texans. 

The Colts soon faced 3rd and 9 from their own 29. Rivers threw incomplete, but Frank Reich challenged the call and it was reversed to a 21 yard gain to Hilton. On 2nd and 5 from from the Houston 45, a defensive facemask added 15.  Rivers then hit Zach Pascal for 11 and Hilton for 13 more. Hines ran for a 5 yard touchdown as the Colts led 14-10 after a wild first quarter. The Texans missed a chance to close the gap when Fairbairn missed from 53. Taking over at their own 43, Rivers went to Hilton for 10 and Hines for 9. On 3rd and 1 from the Houston 36, a run lost 3 yards. Rather than try a 57 yard field goal, Frank Reich opted to go for it. On 4th and 4, Rivers hit Taylor for the first down and the 39 yard touchdown as the Colts led 21-10. 

The Texans soon faced 3rd and 8 from their own 27. Watson went deep to Hansen for 28 yards and to Cook for 13 more. On 3rd and 12 from Indy 15, Watson only gained 11. Yet defensive holding on the play meant 1st and goal at the 6 rather than 4th and 1. On the next play David Johnson ran it in to get the Texans within 21-17. Rodrigo Blankenship hit a 42 yard field goal with 1:12 left in the half to make it 24-17 Colts. Fairbairn answered from 34 to get the Texans within 24-20 at halftime. The first half was all offense. The second  half was all defense. With 6 minutes left in regulation the Texans faced 3rd and 11 from their own 4. Watson went back to pass and was sacked in the end zone by Justin Houston for a safety. The Colts led by 6 but could not take advantage after the free kick. The Texans got it back at their own 20 and moved right down the field. With 90 seconds to play the Texans faced 2nd and goal at the 2. Romeo Crennel decided to have Watson operate out of the shotgun rather than go smashmouth. The snap was fumbled and the Colts recovered. The Texans had it. They choked it away. The Colts got to 8-4 and Frank Reich’s team still has a good shot to win the AFC South. 26-20 Colts 

Jacksonville Jaguars at Minnesota Vikings — The Jaguars came in losers of 10 straight but started hot against a Minnesota team that had won 4 of their last 5 games. After a touchback, Mike Glennon hit O’Shaughnessy for 24 and Robinson for 8. Robinson then ran for 9 and 6. Glennon went deep to Shenault for a 28 yard touchdown. The extra point was no good but the Jaguars led 6-0. The Jaguars got it back at their own 30 and moved to a 1st and goal at the 6. A completion gained a yard and a run gained only one more. On 3rd and goal at the 4, Glennong threw incomplete. McLaughlin hit the 22 yard field goal to make it 9-0 Jaguars. In the second quarter the Jaguars moved from their own 25 to a 1st and 10 at the Minnesota 21. The Jaguars had all the momentum, but then came a false start. Then Glennon was intercepted by Danzler. 

The Vikings took over at their own 22. Kirk Cousins hit Adam Thielen for 14 and Dalvin Cook for 11. Cousins ran for 10. Cousins then hit Thielen for 12 and Cook for 20. Cousins capped the 10 play, 78 yard, 5 minute drive with a 3 yard touchdown pass to Thielen. The extra point was no good as the Vikings trailed 9-6 at the break. The Vikings got a break to start the second half when the kickoff went out of bounds, setting up the Vikings at their own 40. Yet on the first play from scrimmage, Cousins was intercepted by Schobert, who returned it for a 43 yard defensive touchdown and a 16-6 Jaguars lead. 

After a touchback Cousins came right back, hitting Cook for 10. On 3rd and 10 from his own 36, Cousins hit Thielen for 11. Offensive holding had the Vikings facing 1st and 20 from their own 37. Cousins went to Justin Jefferson for 11 and back to Jefferson on a deep ball for a 40 yard gain. Cousins went to Ham for a 12 yard touchdown to get the Vikings within 16-13. The Vikings got it back at their own 10 yard line. Cook gained 10. Cousins hit Thielen for 9 and ran for 2. Roughing the passer on the next play gave the Vikings 15 more yards. On 3rd and 9 from their own 47, Cousins went to Thielen for 12. Defensive pass interference 2 plays later added 18. Cousins went to Jefferson for a 20 yard touchdown. Late in the third quarter, the Vikings had their first lead of the game up 19-16. Again Dan Bailey missed the extra point.

The Jaguars soon faced 3rd and 5 at their own 30. Glennon came up short and fumbled. The Vikings recovered at the Jags 34. The Vikings began the fourth quarter facing 1st and goal at the one and a chance to put the game out of reach. Cousins fumbled and the Jaguars recovered at their own 2. Yet on 3rd and 8 from their own 4, Glennon was sacked by Ifeadi Odenigbo for a safety as the Vikings led 21-16. The Jaguars then fumbled and the Vikings took over at the Jags 44. On 2nd and 7 from the Jacksonville 30, Cousins threw incomplete twice. Bailey hit the 48 yard field goal to make it 24-16 with 3:50 to play. After a touchback, Glennon hit Cole for 7, Robison for 4, Tyler Eifert for 10 and Conley for 9. On 3rd and 6 from midfield, Glennon hit DJ Chark for 22 at the 2 minute warning. Glennon went to Johnson for 21. Robinson ran for a one yard touchdown. With 1:08 to play, the Jaguars still needed a 2 point conversion to tie the game. Glennon hit Johnson and the game was knotted up 24-24. 

The Vikings after a touchback quickly moved to a 3rd and 1 at the Jacksonville 33 with 23 seconds left. Cousins threw incomplete. It was time for Bailey, who had already missed 2 extra points, to be the hero from 51 yards out. The kick was no good. The Jaguars took over at their own 41 with 18 seconds left. With everyone expecting a pass, Doug Marrone called a run and Robinson gained 15. Glennon spiked the ball with one second left. Now it was up to Chase McLaughlin, who had missed an extra point of his own, to be the hero from 62 yards out. He was also no good as the game went into overtime. In the extra session, the Jaguars soon faced 3rd and 8 from their own 20. Glennon went deep and was intercepted by Smith. The Vikings had a short field at the Jacksonville 46. Cousins hit Thielen for 9 and Conklin for 10. On 3rd and 6 from the Jags 28, Cook gained 10. On 3rd and 3 from the 11, Cook gained 6. With 1:53 left in overtime, on 3rd and goal at the one, a false start moved the Vikings back to the 5. Mike Zimmer had seen enough. Bailey came in for the 23 yard field goal try. It was good and the Vikings got to 6-6 after a 1-5 start. Meanwhile the Jaguars lost their 11th straight. 27-24 Vikings, OT 

Las Vegas Raiders at New York Jets — The Raiders began last year 6-4, lost to a bad Jets team 34-3, and finished 1-5 down the stretch. This year they started 6-3, lost 2 straight including a 43-6 drubbing at Atlanta, and now again travel to take on the winless Jets. The Raiders were without Josh Jacobs and Jonathan Abram. On the second play of the game, Damon Arnette collided with Frank Gore and both players went out injured. The Raiders secondary got even more depleted while the Jets lost their workhorse back.The Jets began facing 3rd and 8 from their own 28. Sam Darnold found a wide open Brad Perriman over the middle for a 22 yard gain to midfield. Johnson gained 9 and one. Darnold went to Crowder for 9 more. on 3rd and 1 from the Raiders 20, Darnold hit Mims for 17. On 3rd and goal at the 3, Darnold hit Crowder for the touchdown. The 12 play, 74 yard, 6 minute drive had the Jets up 7-0 and the Raiders looking s heartless as ever on defense. Darnold did not throw a touchdown pass since September, but the Raiders can’t stop anyone. 

Last week Derek Carr had his worst game as a pro. This week after a touchback the Raiders moved to a 2nd and 1 at the Jets 32. Carr threw a short pass to Henry Ruggs. The ball bounced off of Ruggs’s hands and was intercepted by Maulet, who returned it 20 yards to his own 45. This time the Jets went 3 and out without gaining a yard. The Raiders soon faced 3rd and 3 at their own 28. Carr threw deep incomplete but defensive holding kept the drive going. Carr then went back to Ruggs, who atoned for his earlier mistake with a 28 yard gain. Carr went to Darren Waller for 28 more and back to Waller for a 9 yard touchdown and a 7-7 game after the first quarter. 

The Jets got it back at their own 33 and the pathetic Raiders secondary continued to make Darnold look like a Hall of Fame. Darnold hit Crowder for 16 and Griffin for 13. Adams gained 25. On 3rd and 3 from the Raiders 6, Darnold fired to Crowder for the touchdown. The extra point was no good but the Jets led 13-7. The Raiders after a touchback moved to a 2nd and 7 at the Jets 40. Yet Carr threw incomplete twice and the Raiders had to punt rather than try a 58 yard field goal. The Jets were pinned at their own 9 yard line but 

Darnold hit Mims for 23 yards. Just when it looked like the Raiders were collapsing again, the game turned.

Darnold was sacked and fumbled and the Raiders recovered at the Jets 31. The Raiders offense wasted the opportunity as a run gained one yard and Carr threw incomplete twice. Daniel Carlson hit the 48 yard field goal to get the Raiders within 13-10. The Jets after a touchback easily moved to a 2nd and 3 at the Raiders 38. Yet a short pass resulted in Trayvon Mullen breaking inside and making a one-handed interception. The Raiders took over at their own 34. Carr went to Nelson Agholor for gains of 13 and 14. Carr then went to Waller, who broke tackles along the sideline for a 38 yard touchdown to make it 17-13 Raiders with 1:12 left in the half. The Jets after a touchback began with a false start. On 2nd and 15 from their own 20,  Darnold went to Berrios for gains of 25 and 8. Johnson gained 12. With 34 seconds left in the half the Jets had 1st and 10 at the Raiders 35. Yet Darnold was sacked again and fumbled again. The Raiders took over at their own 40 with 28 seconds left. Carr hit Hunter Renfrown for 18. Yet a sack of Carr took the Raiders out of field goal range. 9 seconds remained as the Raiders faced 3rd and 18 from midfield. Carr was sacked again to end the half. 

The Raiders threw the ball 26 times for 210 yards and ran it only 8 times in the first half for 14 yards. Yet on the first play of the third quarter after a touchback, Davante Booker gained 14 yards. On 3rd and 7 from their own 42, Carr fired to Renfrow short of the marker. Yet Renfrow alertly rolled over a couple times for an 8 yard gain. Carr found Waller in the flat for 19 yards. Waller had 123 receiving yards in the first half and was still rolling. Booker ran for 6, 3, and on 3rd and 1 from the Jets 19, 4 more. Carr hit Waller for 9. On 2nd and goal from the 2, Carr rolled to his right, could not find anyone, and raced to the corner. He stretched the ball over the pylon just with his feet still inbounds for the touchdown. The 13 play, 75 yard, 7 minute drive had the Raiders up 24-13. 

The Raiders do not put games away and their defense cannot stop anyone. These two problems have been true for years. Up by 11 with 1st and 10 at their own 40, a pair of runs set up 3rd and 5. With a chance to turn out the lights, Carr threw incomplete. A great punt had the Jets pinned at their own 4 yard line. It didn’t matter Adams gashed the Raiders defense for gains of 12 and 18 to start the fourth quarter. Darnold hit Crowder for 11. Adams ran for 6, Darnold added 17, and Johnson slashed the Raiders for gains of 16, 5 and 7. Darnold ran for a 4 yard touchdown. 96 yards came easy as 85 of it came on the ground. The Jets did not face a single third down on the entire drive. On the 2 point conversion. Darnold was intercepted. Yet defensive pass interference gave the Jets another chance. This time Darnold hit Mims for the conversion. With 10 1/2 minutes left in regulation the Jets were right back in it down 24-21. 

The Raiders soon faced 3rd and 6 at their own 34. Carr hit Ruggs for 12 but Ruggs had the ball chopped out of his hands. The Jets recovered at the Raiders 46. With 9 minutes left, it was up to the Raiders defense to completely self-destruct as Paul Guenther’s defense always does. A run gained 5 with a defensive personal foul adding 15. Darnold went to Griffin for 18. On 3rd and goal at the one, Johnson easily got in. The winless Jets were beating the heartless Raiders 28-24 with 5 1/2 minutes left. The rest of the game will be remembered forever as an epic battle of who wanted it least. 

After a touchback Carr hit Jalen Richard for 6 and Agholor for 7. On 3rd and 10 from their own 38, Carr found Waller for a 29 yard gain. On 3rd and 5 from the Jets 28, Carr threw incomplete but defensive holding meant 5 yards and a new set of downs. These are the Jets. With 2:11 left on 4th and 8 from the Jets 21, Carr threw incomplete but defensive holding meant a new set of downs. These are the Jets. With 1:55 left on 3rd and 3 from the Jets 9, Carr threw incomplete. On 4th and 3, Carr threw to Renfrow in the end zone for the touchdown. Yet offsetting penalties nullified the score. On 4th and 3 again, Carr went to Agholor and Agholor slipped and dropped the ball, but there was clear defensive pass interference. It was not called. These are the Raiders. They had found a way to lose to a winless team. With 1:37 left, all the Jets had to do was run out the clock. A pair of short gains followed by the Raiders taking their timeouts on defense meant 3rd and 6 for the Jets at their own 13. With 1:28 left, a first down would end the game. Rather than run straight ahead, Adam Gase called a sweep. Johnson gained one yard but was thrown out of bounds to stop the clock. These are the Jets. Yet somehow the officials declared Johnson had gone down inbounds. The entire football world saw Johnson go out of bounds, but the clock kept ticking. The Jets punted, but the Raiders got the ball back at their own 39 with 0 timeouts. Rather than have 80 seconds left, they only had 35. The Silver and Black needed a miracle.

Carr hit Waller for 15 and then spiked the ball to stop the clock with 19 seconds left. Most defensive coordinators play prevent defense and rely on stopping the Hail Mary. Gregg Williams runs an aggressive defense that relies on heavy pressure. It is feast or famine. The logic is simple. Don’t even let the ball leave the quarterback’s hands. Williams went for it all, and Carr got the throw off. The bomb went to the end zone and Agholor had beaten his man. The ball was overthrown incomplete. 13 seconds remained. On 3rd and 10 from the Jets 46, Gregg Williams dialed up a zero blitz. He sent everyone at Carr. Center Rodney Hudson and the rest of the offensive line gave Carr enough time to step up and throw down the sideline. Ruggs had beaten his man. The miracle was answered. Ruggs caught the 46 yard bomb with 5 seconds left. There were no flags on the field. The touchdown counted. The Raiders were so busy celebrating their miracle win that they forgot about the final 5 seconds. An attempt to squib kick the ball backfired when the Jets fell on it at midfield. They would have time for one Hail Mary of their own. Darnold avoided a sack and somehow got the ball off. It was short of the end zone and knocked down incomplete.

This game will be shown on Raiders highlight videos forever. They were all but dead. Only a team with a defense as bad as theirs could blow an 11 point fourth quarter lead to a winless team. Calls for Paul Guether’s firing would have reached a crescendo had the Raiders lost. Only a winless team could lose this team, and the Jets did to fall to 0-12 to continue the chants of Just End The Season. Somehow Adam Gase is still employed despite being on pace to have a worse record than Rich Kotite. Needing a scapegoat, defensive coordinator Gregg Williams was fired on Monday. The Jets gashed the Raiders defense for 206 yards on 34 carries. Without Jacobs, the Raiders rushed for only 72 yards on 25 carries. Yet Carr was 28 of 47 for 381 yards, 3 touchdowns, and the one early interception. Waller was magnificent, with 200 receiving yards on 13 receptions. Ruggs was the hero. As John Madden used to say, speed kills. Al Davis has been gone for nearly a decade, but Ruggs is the epitome of an Al Davis player. One play took a dead team at 6-6 and instead kept them very much alive at 7-5. This was an Al Davis Hanukkah miracle. Just win baby. 31-28 Raiders 

New Orleans Saints at Atlanta Falcons — The Falcons started 0-5 but are 4-2 under interim coach Raheem Morris. The 9-2 Saints looked to maintain their lead atop the NFC. The Saints faced 3rd and 7 from their own 16 when Taysom Hill threw incomplete. Yet roughing the passer kept the drive going. A sack of Hill had the Saints facing 2nd and 20 from their own 21. Hill hit Michael Thomas for 14. On 3rd and 6 from their own 35, Hill hit Cook for 7. Hill then scrambled for a 43 yard gain. Hill then went to Smith for a 15 yard touchdown to make it 7-0 Saints. The Falcons after a touchback moved to a 2nd and 6 at the Saints 33. A completion lost 2 yards and on 3rd and 8 Matt Ryan threw incomplete. Younghoe Koo hit the 53 yard field goal to get the Falcons within 7-3. The Saints missed opportunities to extend the lead. A 15 play, 53 yard, 7 minute drive came up empty on 4th and 4 from the Atlanta 17. After a delay of game, Wil Lutz missed a 40 yard field goal. The Saints got it back at their own 32 and moved to a 4th and 7 at the Atlanta 36. Sean Payton went for it and Hill threw incomplete. 

On the next play Matty Ice went to Jones for a 35 yard gain. On 3rd and 7 from the Saints 26, Smith gained 15. Yet from the Saints 11, a run lost a yard and Ryan threw incomplete twice. Koo hit from 30 to get the Falcons within 7-6. After a touchback Alvin Kamara ripped off a 37 yard gain. On 3rd and 8 from the Atlanta 36, Hill went to Emanuel sanders for 18. On 3rd and 3 from the Atlanta 11, Hill went to Jared Cook for the touchdown to make it 14-6 Saints with 1:45 left in the half. After a touchback, Ryan went to Powell for 9 and to Calvin Ridley for 31 more. On 3rd and 9 from the Saints 24, Ryan threw incomplete but defensive pass interference meant 14 yards and 1st and goal at the 10 with 16 seconds left. Ryan threw incomplete, wasting 11 seconds. Another incompletion left only one second. Koo hit the 28 yard field goal to get the Falcons within 14-9 at the half.

After a touchback to start the second half, Hill went to Thomas for 18 and 10 and to Sanders for 5. On 3rd and 5 from the Atlanta 40, Hill gained 4. Sean Payton gambled on 4th and 1 and Hill gained 2. On 3rd and 7 from the Atlanta 31, Hill hit Cook for 10. Kamara did the rest, running for 10 and then the 11 yard touchdown. The Falcons were kicking field goals while the Saints were scoring touchdowns as the 12 play, 75 yard, 6 minute drive had the Saints up 21-9. The fourth quarter began with the Falcons fumbling deep in their own territory and the Saints recovering at the Atlanta 18. One more score would put the game away. Yet on 2nd and goal from the 5, rather than play smashmouth, Hill went back to pass and was sacked. He fumbled and the Falcons got the ball back at their own 15.

The Falcons were alive and they took advantage. Ryan went to Russell Gage for 24 and 14 and to Hurst for 9. On 3rd and 1 from the Saints 32, Gurley gained 2 with defensive unnecessary roughness adding 15 more. Ryan hit Gage for a 10 yard touchdown. Midway through the fourth quarter, the Falcons were right back in it down 5. The Falcons got it back at their own 15 with 5 minutes left. On 3rd and 3 from their own 22, Ryan went to Ridley for 27. Gurley gained 13. On 3rd and 11 from the Saints 39, Ryan went to Jones for 18 at the 2 minute warning. With 1:49 left the Saints began taking their timeouts on defense as the Falcons faced 2nd and 2 from the Saints 13. Gurley got stopped. Then on 3rd and 2 Gurley got trapped for a 7 yard loss. On 4th and 9, Ryan threw incomplete. It was brutal, but the Saints won their 9th straight to get to 10-2 atop the NFC. With the win, the Saints became the first NFL team to clinch a playoff berth. 21-16 Saints

Cleveland Browns at Tennessee Titans — Both teams came in 8-3. The Browns moved from their own 25 to a 3rd and 5 at the Titans 8. Yet a false start was followed by a completion that only gained 4 yards. Cody Parkey hit a 27 yard field goal to make it 3-0 Browns. The Titans moved from their own 28 to a 3rd and 1 at the Cleveland 42. Ryan Tannehill threw incomplete and Mike Vrabel went for it. On 4th and 1, Derrick Henry got stopped. Vrabel unsuccessfully challenged the call. On 1st and 15 from their own 36, Baker Mayfield went to Nick Chubb for 26. Chubb ran for 8 more. On 3rd and 2 from the Titans 30, Mayfield pitched it to Jarvis Landry, who then threw a forward pass back to Mayfield for a 6 yard gain with 12 more tacked on for roughing the passer. On 3rd and 6 from the Titans 8, Mayfield hit Higgins for 7. Mayfield fired a 2 yard touchdown pass to Landry to put the Browns up 10-0. The Titans quickly fumbled the ball and the Browns recovered at the Titans 21. Mayfield went to Higgins for 8. On 3rd and 3 from the Titans 14, Mayfield hit Landry for 7. The second quarter began with the Browns facing 3rd and goal at the one. Mayfield hit Lamm for the touchdown as the Browns had the shocking 17-0 lead.

The Titans took over at their own 26 and finally got going. Tannehill hit AJ Brown for 12 and then went deep to Brown for a 40 yard gain. Tannehill hit Davis for a 17 yard touchdown to get the Titans within 17-7. Yet 10 seconds later the Browns were in the end zone again. Mayfield on a perfect play action pass went deep to Peoples-Jones for a 75 yard touchdown as the Browns led 24-7. The Browns got it back at their own 10. Mayfield went to Hunt for 11. On 3rd and 10 from their own 21, Mayfield went deep to Higgins for 21 with 15 more tacked on for defensive unnecessary roughness. On 3rd and 3 from the Titans 36, Mayfield got just enough. Mayfield went to Landry for 12 and to Higgins for a 17 yard touchdown as the Browns were up big 31-7 after the 11 play, 90 yard, 5 1/2 minute drive. The Browns got it back again at their own 35. Mayfield hit Peoples-Jones for 17 and Landry for 13. Another defensive unnecessary roughness penalty added 14 yards on the next play. On 3rd and goal at the one, Chubb got in as the Browns were obliterating Tennessee 38-7 at halftime. Yes, the Browns are for real.  A few weeks ago the Browns led a road game at Dallas by 27 points, yet nearly blew the game before winning by 11. Surely this time a 31 point halftime lead would mean the game was over.

Not so fast. After a touchback to start the second half, the Titans needed barely more than one minute to get in the end zone. Derrick Henry ran for 10. Tannehill hit Davis for a 43 yard gain. Tannehill hit MyCole Priott for a 22 yard touchdown. The 2 point try failed but the Titans were within 38-13. The Titans got the ball back at their own 39. Tannehill went to Davis for 18 and again for 22. Tannehill hit Brown for an 18 yard gain down to the one, but Brown fumbled the ball. By sheer luck, Pruitt picked it up for the Titans at the 3 and took it into the end zone. The Titans got the touchdown the hard way. The freak play was followed by a 2 point conversion. Only 6 minutes into the second half, the Titans were within 38-21. The Browns soon faced 3rd and 12 from their own 23. Mayfield hit Austin Hooper for 16. Nick Chubb raced for 29 more. On 3rd and 3 from the Titans 25, Mayfield threw incomplete. Pakrey hit a 43 yard field goal. With 5 1/2 minutes left in the third quarter, the Browns were up comfortably 41-21. The Titans took over at their own 24. Tannehill was immediately intercepted, but unsportsmanlike conduct on the defense kept the drive going. The Titans moved 59 yards in 13 plays and 5 1/2 minutes. On 4th and 12 from the Cleveland 33, Tannehill threw incomplete but defensive holding kept the drive going. On 4th and 4 from Cleveland 22, Tannehill threw incomplete. Mike Vrabel challenged the call and it was reversed to a completion and a 5 yard gain. Yet from the Cleveland 17, it was all for naught. Tannehill was intercepted again and this time the call stood. Down by 20 after three quarters, this game was over. 

With 5:43 to play the Titans were still down by 20 and pinned at their own 9. This game was over. On 3rd and 5 from their own 14, Tannehill went to Anthony Firkser for 6, to McNichols for 4, to Firkser for gains of 14, 6 and 11, and to Jeremy McNichols for 8. On 3rd and 2 from the Cleveland 37, McNichols only gained one. One defensive stop would put this game on ice. On 4th and 1 rom the Cleveland 36, Tannehill went to Davis for 10 but offensive holding nullified the play. On 4th and 11, Tannehill hit Davis for 18 and 14 and Humphries for 9. McNichols ran for a one yard touchdown. The Titans were within 41-28, but only 1:23 remained. The onside kick failed. This game was over. On 3rd and 2 from the Titans 37, Karim Hunt only gained one. The Titans took their final timeout on defense with one minute left. On 4th and 1 a punt would have been fine but a first down would have ended it. Things then got bizarre Mayfield snuck across for the first down. The game was over. Except Mayfield had the ball jarred loose. Kenny Vaccaro picked it up and raced 53 yards the other way to the Cleveland 13. On 4th and 5 from the 8, Tannehill hit Cameron Watson for the touchdown. The Titans had reduced a 31 point deficit to 6 points. 28 seconds remained. The Titans needed one more miracle. 

They did not get it. The onside kick failed. Mayfield finally took a knee. The game was finally over. The Browns are 9-3 and the Titans are 8-4. Tannehill was 29 of 45 for 389 yards, 3 touchdowns and one interception. Mayfield backed up all his talk over the last 3 years. He was 25 of 33 for 334 yards, 4 touchdowns and 0 interceptions. He was helped by a ground game that carried the ball 36 times for 118 yards. Kevin Stefanski might just win coach of the year. The Cleveland Browns are no longer losers. Whatever happens the rest  of the season, they are winners. They have not been to the playoffs since 2002, but they are knocking on the door. 41-35 Browns

New York Giants at Seattle Seahawks — The Giants started 1-7 but have won 3 straight over bad teams. Yet Daniel Jones was out injured and backup Colt McCoy surprised people by still being in the league. The Giants were not going to go on the road and beat the 8-3 Seahawks. Cue ESPN uber-announcer Chris Berman: “THAT’s why they PLAY the GAMES.” Throughout the decade, the Giants have won games with defense. Today was no exception. The Seahawks moved from their own 30 to a 1st and 10 at the Giants 13. Russell Wilson threw 3 straight incompletions. Jason Myers hit a 31 yard field goal to make it 3-0 Seahawks, but then the Giants clamped down. With 30 seconds left in the half, the Giants had to punt on 4th and 4 from their own 11. It was blocked out of the end zone for a safety as the Seahawks clung to a 5-0 halftime lead. 

In the third quarter the Giants took over at their own 20. Wayne Gallman got around the end for a 60 yard gain. Alfred Morris ran for 13 and then the 4 yard touchdown. McCoy hit Sterling Shepard for the 2 point try as the Giants led 8-5. The Seahawks soon faced 4th and 1 from their own 48. Pete Carroll went for it and Wilson threw incomplete. Gallman ran for 3, 13 and 23. McCoy hit Morris for a 6 yard touchdown as the Giants led 14-5 after three quarters. With 11/2 minutes left in regulation, Wilson was intercepted to give the Giants a short field at the Seattle 39. On 4th and 1 from the Seattle 30 with 10 minutes left, Joe Judge did not gamble. Graham Gano hit the 48 yard field goal to make it 17-5 Giants in a shocker. 

The Seahawks soon faced 3rd and 1 from their own 27. Chris Carson gained 5. On 3rd and 5 from their own 37, Wilson hit Tyler Lockett for 21 and Carson for 12. On 3rd and 15 from the Giants 33, Wilson threw incomplete but defensive holding kept the drive going. Wilson went deep to Carson for a 28 yard touchdown to get the Seahawks within 5 with 6 minutes left. The Seahawks got it back at their own 20 with 1:48 left. With one minute left the Seahawks had 1st and 10 at the Giants 46. Wilson was going to do it again. After a pair of incompletions, on 3rd and 10, Wilson was sacked. Everything came down to 4th and 18. Wilson scrambled for his life and his prayer was knocked away incomplete. The Giants have won 4 straight and lead the NFC Least while the 8-4 Seahawks can still win the NFC West. 17-12 Giants

Los Angeles Rams at Arizona Cardinals — An NFC West showdown produced a wild one in the desert. The Cardinals early on faced 3rd and 9 from their own 26. Kyler Murray was sacked but a defensive facemask kept the drive going. Murray went deep to Arnold for a 59 yard touchdown to make it 7-0 Cardinals. The Rams soon faced 3rd and 3 from their own 22. Jared Goff hit Tyler Higbee for 4. On 2nd and 12 from their own 24, Goff hit Higbee for 16 as the first quarter ended. Goff hit Jefferson for 5, Woods for 9 and Jefferson for 8. On 3rd and 2 from the Arizona 38, Goff hit Higbee for 3. On 3rd and 4 from the Arizona 29, Goff hit Cooper Kupp for 12 with roughing the passer adding 8 more. Cam Akers ran for a 9 yard touchdown to make it 7-7. The Rams got it back at their own 44 and moved to a 1st and goal at the 9. Akers gained 4, 3, and on 3rd and goal at the 2, only one. Sean McVay went for it and Akers lost a yard. Despite the goal line stand, the Arizona offense had to punt on 4th and 11 from their own one, giving the Rams a short field at the Arizona 45. Goff hit Robert Woods for 18 and 4. On 3rd and 10 from the Arizona 27, Goff hit Woods for 10 and 6 to the 2 minute warning. On 3rd and goal at the one with 50 seconds left in the half, Goff hit Higbee for the score to make it 14-7 Rams. On the last play of the half, Zane Gonzalez missed a 48 yard field goal for the Cardinals.

After a touchback to start th third quarter, Goff hit Darrell Henderson for 19. On 3rd and 7 from their own 47, Goff hit Malcolm Brown for 30. On 3rd and 7 from the Arizona 20, an 8 yard completion from Goff to Woods was nullified by offensive pass interference on Woods. Matt Gay hit a 39 yard field goal to make it 17-7 Rams. After a touchback Murray hit Kenyan Drake for 8, Deandre Hopkins for 6 and 10 and Johnson for 6. On 3rd and 1 from the Rams 42, Murray ran for 4. After a pair of incompletions, Kliff Kingsbury decided to go for it on 4th and 12 from the Rams 40. Murray hit Johnson for the precise amount. Murray ran for 7 and Edmonds gained 13 and 3. On 3rd and goal at the 4, Murray hit Hopkins for the touchdown. With 4 minutes left in the third quarter, the 15 play, 75 yard, 6 1/2 minute drive had the Cardinals within 17-14. 

The Rams soon faced 3rd and 1 from their own 34. Goff hit Akers for 22, Everett for 6, Cupp for 13, and Jefferson for 9. On 2nd and goal at the 3 to start the fourth quarter, Goff threw incomplete but defensive holding put the ball on the one. Goff got it to make it 24-14 Rams. The Cardinals got right back in it when they punted and the Rams fumbled it. The Cardinals took over at the Rams 15. Drake ran for 11 and then for the 4 yard touchdown. With 13:20 left in regulation, the Cardinals were right back in it down 24-21. 

The Rams soon faced 3rd and 11 from their own 23. Goff went to Everett for 22, Woods for 10 and Cupp for 7. The Rams got in the end zone for a 31-21 lead. The Cardinals then fumbled the ball away but dodged  a bullet when a short field goal was no good. Yet 3 plays later on 3rd and 9 from their own 28, disaster struck the Cardinals. Murray was intercepted by Troy Hill, who returned it 35 yards for a defensive touchdown. with 4 1/2 minutes left, the Rams had a comfortable 38-21 lead. Needing 3 scores on 4th and goal at the 2 with 2:04 to play, Murray hit Arnold for the touchdown. Yet the Cardinals did not get the ball back. Goff was 37 of 47 for 351 yards and one touchdown without an interception. The Rams added 199 yards rushing on 31 carries. The Cardinals lost their third straight to fall to 6-6 while the Rams at 8-4 are tied for the NFC West lead and hold the tie-breaker. 38-28 Rams

Philadelphia Eagles at Green Bay Packers  — Sometimes a bad team can go on the road and shock a good team. This was not that game. Jake Elliott hit a 52 yard field goal as the Eagles actually led 3-0 after the first quarter. Then reality set in. The Packers in the second quarter moved from their own 12. Rodgers hit Devonta Adams for 24, Lazard for 10, Adams for 12 and Lazard for 9. Jones ran for 6, one, and on 3rd and 3 from the Philadelphia 17, 8. On 3rd and goal from the one, Rodgers threw incomplete. Matt Lafleur decided to go for it. Rodgers hit Adams for the score as the Packers led 7-3 and never looked back. The Packers got it back at their own 18. Rodgers hit Lewis for 36, Taylor for 14, and Williams for 5. On 3rd and 4 from the Philly 25, Rodgers went deep to Tonyan for the touchdown. The Packers led 14-3 with one minute left in the half. 

In the third quarter the Packers were pinned at their own one yard line. Rodgers went bombs away with a dangerous ball thrown into double coverage. Somehow Adams came down with it for a 42 yard gain. On 3rd and 3 from midfield, Rodgers went to Lazard for 31 more yards. Jones gained 7 and 3. Rodgers hit Adams for a 9 yard touchdown. The extra point doinked off the upright no good but the Packers were cruising up 20-3. After moving 99 yards, the Packers got it back at their own 6 and moved 72 yards in 14 plays and nearly 7 1/2 minutes. On 3rd and 6 from the Philly 22, Mason Crosby hit a 40 yard field goal. With 11 1/2 minutes left in regulation the Packers were cruising up 23-3.

Doug Pederson had had enough. Carson Wentz was benched and Jalen Hurts. From his own 27,, Hurts immediately ran for gains of 10 and 13. On 3rd and 4 from the Green Bay 44, Hurts hit Zach Ertz for 20 in the first NFL hurts to Ertz combination.Midway through the fourth quarter the Eagles were down to their last gasp facing 4th and 18 from the Green Bay 32. One stop would end it. Instead Hurts went deep to Ward for the touchdown. The Eagles were within 23-10. With 6 1/2 minutes left the Packers punted on 4th and 12 from their own 21. Reagor fumbled the punt, picked it up, and evaded everyone along the way for a 73 yard touchdown. The extra point was no good but the Eagles were within 23-16. With 2:50 to play the Packers faced 2nd and 7 from their own 23 as the Eagles took their first timeout. 2 more stops would give the Eagles a chance to tie it. Instead Jones got the carry, followed his blockers perfectly, and ran for a 77 yard touchdown to put the game on ice. At 9-3 the Packers are in a strong playoff position. The 3-8 Eagles can still win the NFC Least but Doug Pederson is on the hot seat. Even worse, he now has a quarterback controversy. 30-16 Packers

New England Patriots at Los Angeles Chargers — The Patriots started 2-5 but have won 3 of 4 to cling to life in the playoff picture. The Chargers have lost a ton of close games, but nothing was close about this game. After a touchback Cam Newton hit Harris for 15. Harris ran for 7, 8 and 11. Newton added 14. On 3rd and 5 from the Chargers 15, Newton only gained 3. Bill Belichick decided to go for it. On 4th and 2 from the 12, Newton got just enough. On 3rd and goal at the one, Newton barely got in. The 13 play, 75 yard, 7 minute drive made it 7-0 Patriots. Then came the Chargers special teams. A 12 play, 45 yard, 6 1/2 minute drive came up empty when Mike Badgley missed a 46 yard field goal. In the second quarter, it was back to the Chargers special teams. They punted from their own 21. Olszewski fielded it at the sideline, broke through several awful attempts at tackling, and straddled the sideline for a 70 yard touchdown return to make it 14-0 Patriots. 

Olszewski returned the next punt 14 yards to his own 46. Newton gained 9 and Harris added 12 and 3. On 3rd and 19 from the Chargers 29, Newton only gained one yard. Yet illegal use of hands on the defense kept the drive going. On 3rd and 4 from the Chargers 17, Moncrief got just enough. On 3rd and 4 from the Chargers 7, Sony Michel got just enough. Newton ran for a 2 yard touchdown. With 50 seconds left in the half, the Patriots led 21-0. It all came down to Chargers special teams. On the last play of the half Badgley lined up for a 58 yard field goal try. It was blocked and returned 44 yards for a touchdown by Devon McCourty. The Patriots led 28-0. The second half was a formality. Justin Herbert was intercepted to give the Patriots a short field at the Chargers 32. On 3rd and goal from the 5, Newton hit Harry for the score to make it 35-0 Patriots. Herbert was then intercepted again. Jarret Stidham played the fourth quarter with the Patriots up 35. More Chargers special teams saw Gunner Olszewski return a punt 61 yards to set up a field goal. Stidham threw a 38 yard touchdown pass to Olszewski to complete the blowout shutout. The Chargers fell to 3-9 as the Patriots at 6-6 are still alive. Anthony Lynn is on the red hot coaching seat after the worst loss in the 60 year history of the Chargers.

The deal that Evil Hoodie Bill Belichick made with the devil has not expired yet. 45-0 Patriots

Denver Broncos at Kansas City Chiefs was the Sunday night game. The Chiefs have all but wrapped up the AFC West at 10-1. The Broncos played an NFL game last week without a quarterback and got throttled. Drew Lock is back from COVID and will start for the Broncos. The Chiefs got a scare when 7 players tested positive for COVID, but those tests turned out to be false positives. The Chiefs came in having beaten the Broncos 10 straight times. On 3rd and 7 from their own 28 on the third play of the game, Lock went deep to Noah fant for 37 yards. Lock then went deep again and was intercepted at the 9 yard line. It was Lock’s 7th consecutive game with at least one interception. The Broncos would strike first with a 53 yard Brandon McManus field goal. Harrison Butker responded from 35 for the Chiefs for a 3-3 game. 

A bizarre event occurred in the second quarter. On 3rd and 10 from the Denver 40, Patrick Mahomes went bombs away and Tyreek Hill had a step on the defender. Hill briefly had it but the defender appeared to knock it away at the last moment incomplete. The Chiefs punted, but their sideline exploded when replay showed that Hill caught the ball. Walrus Andy Reid never challenged the call. Apparently Hill did not even realize he caught it. The ball was knocked out of his hands but landed against his body without ever hitting the ground. The Chiefs gave up a touchdown once the ball was snapped to punt. 3 plays later the Broncos faced 3rd and 3 from their own 17. Melvin Gordon broke through the middle and raced for a 65 yard gain. Lock hit Fant for 10. Gordon bulldozed up the middle for 6, getting stopped inches short of the goal line. Gordon got in on the next carry but an illegal shift nullified the score. Lock then found Patrick in the flat, and he got to the corner and past the pylon in time for a 10-3 Broncos lead with 6 1/2 minutes left in the half. 

After a touchback Leveon Bell gained 6 with 15 more tacked on for a horse collar tackle penalty. Hill then ripped off a 30 yard gain and Mahoems added 20 more. Yet on 2nd and goal at the one, Bell got stopped. On 3rd and goal, Mahomes lateraled to Hill, but the Denver defense strung out the play for a 5 yard loss. Butker hit from 24 but with 2:45 left in the half, the Chiefs were still down 10-6. With 33 seconds left in the half, Vic Fangio gambled on a 57 yard field goal try. McManus was long enough but wide no good. Leaving Mahomes 28 seconds from his own 47 is dangerous. Mahomes hit Mecole Hardman for 15 and Travis Kelce for 28 to set up 1st and goal at the 10. Mahomes hit Hill for 5 as 7 seconds remained. Mahomes fired over the middle and had the ball barred down with 3 seconds left. Butker hit from 23 but instead of trailing 13-6 or leading 13-10, the Chiefs trailed 10-9. In the third quarter after a touchback, Bell gained 16 and 3. Mahomes went to Kelce for 20, Hill for 12, and Keizer for 15. Yet on 3rd and goal at the 8, Mahomes was sacked. Butker hit his 4th field goal from 31 to make it 12-10 Chiefs.

The Broncos soon faced 3rd and 7 from their own 31. Lock went to Hamler for 8, to Patrick for 21 and to Cleveland for 11. On 3rd and 1 from the Chiefs 15, Lock got the yard. On 2nd and 10 from the Chiefs 14, Lock threw incomplete but defensive pass interference meant a 4 yard gain. Lock threw a 10 yard touchdown to Patrick. Vic Fangio went for 2 but Lock threw incomplete. The 11 play, 72 yard, 6 1/2 minute drive had the Broncos up 16-12 with 4 minutes left in the third quarter. After a touchback Mahomes went deep to Hill for a 30 yard gain. Mahomes then went to Kelce for 14 and Sammy Watkins for 5. On 3rd and 5 from the Denver 26, Mahomes ran for 6. Mahomes went deep to Kelce for a 20 yard touchdown. After three quarters the Chiefs led 19-16. 

The Chiefs got it back and moved from their own 26 to a 1st and 10 at the Denver 48. Mahomes hit Kence for 18 but on further review it was reversed to an incompletion. On 3rd and 10 Mahomes went for it all and found a wide open Hill for the touchdown. Yet offensive holding nullified the score and killed the drive. With 6 minutes left the Broncos after an incompletion faced 4th and 3 just shy of midfield. Vic Fangio decided not to gamble. The Chiefs got it back at their own 15. Williams gained 6 and Mahomes hit Watkins for 17. Williams gained 12 and 4. Mahomes hit Watkins for 9 and another first down at the Denver 32 as the Broncos took their final timeout on defense with 2 1/2 minutes left. At the 2 minute warning, the Chiefs faced 3rd and 12 from the Denver 34. A first down would end it, yet an incomplete pass would stop the clock. Yes, Mahomes is superhuman. In this situation you run the ball every single time. Naturally, pass-happy Walrus Andy Reid called a high risk pass play. Mahomes completed it, but for only 9 yards. Butker hit the 43 yard field goal but the Chiefs were called for delay of game. Butker tried again from 48 and again was good. With 1:04 to play the Chiefs led by 6. With 33 seconds left the Broncos faced 4th and 5 from their own 30. Lock was intercepted at midfield. The Broncos were game, but the Chiefs at 11-1 have all but locked up the AFC West, making Andy Reid a most happy Walrus indeed. 22-16 Chiefs  

Washington Gridlock at Pittsburgh Steelers was a Monday afternoon game rescheduled from Sunday due to COVID. The unbeaten Steelers were supposed to steamroll over lowly Washington. After a scoreless first quarter, the Steelers appeared to break the game open in the second quarter. From their own 28, Ben Roethlisberger hit Eric Ebron for 13 and 4 and Johnson for 5. On 3rd and 1 from midfield, Bennie Snell gained 2. On 3rd and 12 from midfield, Roethlisberger hit Johnson for 17. On 3rd and 6 from the Washington 29, Roethlisberger hit Ebron for 15 and Johnson for 8. On 3rd and 7 from the Washington 11, Big Ben hit Chase Claypool for 8 and Johnson for the 3 yard touchdown. The 14 play, 72 yard, 6 minute drive had the Steelers up 7-0. Riverboat Ron Rivera gambled on 4th and 1 from his own 34 and Mckissic got blown up for a 3 yard loss. The Steelers with a short field reached 2nd and goal Roethlisberger threw incomplete but defensive unnecessary roughness meant 1st and goal at the one again. Snell got stopped twice and Roethlisberger on 3rd and goal threw incomplete. Mike Tomlin gambled on 4th and goal at the one and Snell got belted trying to go airborne. Despite the inspired goal line stand, the Gridlock offense punted the ball right back and the Steelers took over at midfield. One play later Roethlisberger connected with Washington for a 50 yard touchdown. With 4 minutes left in the half the Steelers were up 14-0 and thinking blowout.

With 50 seconds left in the half, a relatively short 40 yard punt had the Non-Redskins taking over at their own 41. Alex Smith hit Sims for a 30 yard gain and McKissic for 11 more. Consecutive sacks of Smith ended the drive but Dustin Hopkins hit a 49 yard field goal to end the half with the No-Names within 14-3. The No-Names after consecutive penalties to start the third quarter faced 1st and 23 from their own 5. On 3rd and 14 from their own 14, Smith hit Wright for a 31 yard gain. On 3rd and 6 from the Pittsburgh 38, Smith hit Sims for 9. On 2nd and 12 from the Pittsburgh 31, Smith went deep to Thomas for a 30 yard gain down to the one. McKissic got stopped and Smith threw incomplete twice. On 4th and goal at the one, Riverboat Ron Rivera went for it. Smith threw incomplete but defensive holding meant 1st and goal at the one again. Pierre Barber got in. The 14 play, 82 yard, 7 minute drive had the Non-Redskins within 14-10 midway through the third quarter.

The Steelers got it back at their own 18 with 4 1/2 minutes left in the third quarter. McFarland gained 9. Roethlisberger hit Johnson for 14. On 3rd and 14 from their own 37, Roethlisberger hit Johnson for 16. On 3rd and 2 from the Washington 39, Roethlisberger threw incomplete but defensive pass interference meant a 14 yard gain. On 3rd and 9 from the Washington 24, Roethlisberger hit Ebron for only 5 yards. Wright was in place of the injured Chris Boswell, and he hit from 37 on the first play of the fourth quarter. The 11 play, 63 yard drive had the Steelers up 17-10. With 12 1/2 minutes left in regulation, the Steelers had to punt on 4th and 12 from their own 8. The No-Names got it back at their own 47. On 3rd and 1 from the Pittsburgh 44, Barber gained 2. McKissic caught passes from Smith for 16 and 8 sandwiched around his running for 3 yards. Smith went to Thomas for a 15 yard touchdown. With 9 minutes left in regulation this supposed blowout was deadlocked 17-17.

The Steelers took over at their own 38 and moved to a 3rd and 1 at the Washington 28 with 5 minutes left. Roethlisberger threw incomplete. A field goal to give the Steelers the lead would be from 46 yards out. Mike Tomlin instead decided to go for it. Roethlisberger went deep incomplete. Smith hit McKissic for gains of 7 and 6. On 3rd and 4 from their own 44, Smith went deep to Sims for 29 yards. The drive died at the Pittsburgh 27. with 2:07 left, Hopkins came in for a 45 yard field goal try. It was good and the No-Names had the 20-17 lead. One play after a touchback, Roethlisberger had a short pass over the middle batted in the air and intercepted by Jeff Bostic. From the Pittsburgh 25, three safe runs took the clock down to 21 seconds. On 4th and 12 from the Pittsburgh 27, there was too much time left just to run around and kill clock. A field goal could be blocked and returned. Ron Rivera trusted his kicker and from 45 Hopkins delivered again. Down by 6 with 17 seconds left, the Steelers needed a miracle. After  touchback, Roethlisberger hit Ebron for 22. However, Claypool could not get out of bounds and the clock ran out.  

Washington at 5-7 is still tied atop the NFC Least. The 1972 Dolphins popped their champagne corks as the last NFL unbeaten of 2020 went down to defeat. They had the No-Name Defense who beat Washington in the Super Bowl, and the 2020 Steelers lost to the No-Name Football Team of Washington. Any Given Sunday is now Any Given Monday as well. Again, cue ESPN uber-announcer Chris Berman: “THAT’s why they PLAY the GAMES!” 23-17 Gridlock

Buffalo Bills at San Francisco 49ers was the Monday night game. The 49ers actually play in Santa Clara near San Jose and an hour south of San Francisco. Due to a total COVID lockdown in Santa Clara, the 49ers are now playing home games in the Arizona Cardinals stadium in Glendale near Phoenix. The Bills came in 8-3 atop the AFC East and the 49ers were 5-6. The Bills started after a touchback by moving 74 yards in 11 plays and 6 minutes. On 4th and goal at the one, Sean Mcdermott went for it. Josh Allen threw incomplete. The 49ers moved 97 yards in 13 plays and 8 minutes. Yet on 3rd and goal at the one, Kyle Juszczyk got stopped just short. Kyle Shanahan went for it. Wilson got stuffed as both teams had a goal line stand. Yet one play later out of the shotgun, the handoff exchange was fumbled. The 49ers recovered at the Buffalo 3. Raheem Mostert got stopped twice but there would be no third goal line stand in the same quarter. On 3rd and goal at the 2, a well executed play action pass over the middle from Nick Mullens to Aiyuk went for the touchdown and the 7-0 49ers lead the hard way. The Bills got it back at their own 23. Allen went to Stefan Diggs for 12, Cole Beasley for 35, Davis for 22, Smith for 7, and finally to Beasley for a 5 yard touchdown and a 7-7 game early in the second quarter.

The Bills got it back at their own 31. From their own 43, Allen had a pass deflected and intercepted. However, illegal contact instead gave the Bills a 4 yard gain. On 3rd and 1 from the San Francisco 44, Allen gained 2. Allen hit Knox for 8, McKenzie for 8 and Beasley for 12. On 3rd and 1 from the 5, Allen tried the quarterback sneak and got stopped. Sean McDermott again went for it. Singletary went around the end and just barely got past the marker. On the next play Allen rolled to his right and fired to Knox for a 4 yard touchdown. The 14 play, 69 yard, 8 minute drive put the Bills up 14-7 with 2:40 left in the half. With 1:05 left the Bills got it back at their own 10. Singletary gained 8. Allen hit Beasley for 7 but with 30 seconds left the Bills were still at their own 25. Allen hit Diggs for 18, Beasley for 20 and Davis for 18. With 4 second left, Tyler Bass came in for the 37 yard field goal try. It was good, and the Bills took a 17-7 lead to the locker rooms. 

The 49ers took over in the third quarter at their own 25. Mullen went to Dwelley for 17. On 1st and 15 from their own 37, Wilson gained 18. Mullens hit Aiyuk for 20. A sack ended the drive but Robbie Gould hit a 45 yard field goal to get the 49ers within 17-10. The Bills soon faced 3rd and 1 from their own 34. Singletary gained 2. Allen hit Knox for 12, Beasley for 6 and Stefan Diggs for 11. On 2nd and 18 from the San Francisco 39, Allen threw incomplete but roughing the passer meant 15 more yards and a first down. Allen then went deep to McKenzie for a 23 yard touchdown. The 11 play, 75 yard, 5 1/2 minute drive made it 24-10 Bills. 2 plays after a touchback things got worse for the 49ers. Mullens threw over the middle to Aiyuk, who juggled it twice. It then bounced off of a defender’s leg and was eventually intercepted by Micah Hyde. Hyde returned it 28 yards to the San Francisco 5 yard line. On the verge of being obliterated, the 49ers defense made another big stand. On 3rd and goal from the 2, a pair of offensive penalties killed the opportunity. Bass hit the 28 yard field goal to make it 27-10 Bills with 3 minutes left in the third quarter. 

This time the 49ers came back fairly quickly. On 3rd and 2 from their own 33, Mullens hit Samuel for 12. Mullens then went deep to Aiyuk for a 49 yard gain. Mullens then went to Kyle Juszczyk for a 6 yard touchdown. After three quarters the 49ers were back in it down 27-17. After a touchback, Singletary ran for 15. The Bills began the fourth quarter at their own 40. Allen was sacked and fumbled, but the Bills retained possession. On 2nd and 15, Allen hit Diggs for 10. On 3rd and 5, Allen went back to Diggs for 12 more. On 3rd and 1 from the Frisco 34, Zach Moss lost a yard. With 11 12 minutes left in regulation, Sean McDermott got very aggressive on 4th and 2. Allen fired over the middle to Diggs for 7. Two plays later Allen found a wide open Davis for the easiest 28 yard touchdown he will ever catch. The 10 play, 75 yard, 5 1/2 minute drive had the Bills dominating 34-17 with 10 minutes left. 

After a touchback Mullens went deep to Samuel for 22, Worner for 15 and Samuel again for 9. Mostert ran for 10. Mullens hit Woerner for 18 down to the one. Coleman then got blasted for a 2 yard loss. Mullens fired to Kendrick Bourne, who as he was being tackled barely got the ball across the plane of the goal. Replay showed his knee came down before the ball crossed. On 3rd and goal, Mullens tried to quarterback sneak and got stopped. The 49ers were lucky that Mullens was called for a false start. So instead of 4th and goal at the one, it was 3rd and goal at the 5. Mullens fired to the end zone and thought he had a touchdown, but Tradavius White ripped it out of Wilson’s hands for a spectacular interception. Midway through the fourth quarter the Bills took over at their own 2 yard line. The 49ers would get a garbage touchdown with 43 seconds left but it was far too little too late. Mullens did not play badly. He went 26 of 39 for 316 yards and 3 touchdowns, but with 2 killer interceptions. Allen was a lights out 32 of 40 for 375 yards, 4 touchdowns and 0 interceptions. The Bills at 9-3 remain one game ahead in the AFC East race. 34-24 Bills 

Dallas Cowboys at Baltimore Ravens was a Tuesday night game rescheduled from last Thursday night due to COVID. The 3-8 Cowboys came in with a shot to win the NFC Least while the 6-5 Ravens were clinging to playoff life. The Ravens welcomed Lamar Jackson back after he missed last week with COVID. The Ravens took over at their own 16 and soon faced 3rd and 6 from their own 33. Jackson was intercepted and the Cowboys had a short field at the Baltimore 34. On 3rd and 4 from the Dallas 13, Red Rifle Andy Dalton threw incomplete. Greg “The Leg” Zuerlein hit the 31 yard field goal. The Cowboys led 3-0, but most of this game would be a nightmare for Zuerlein. After a touchback, John Harbaugh went to the ground game. Edwards gained 7, Jackson added 5 and JK Dobbins gained 18. On 3rd and 14 just past midfield, Jackson hit Willson fr only 12. On 4th and 2, John Harbaugh passed up a 55 yard field goal try and decided to go for it. Jackson went up the middle and raced for a 37 yard touchdown to make it 7-3 Ravens after the first quarter. 

The Cowboys got a jolt when Tony Pollard returned the ensuing kickoff 66 yards to the Baltimore 28. The second quarter began with Dalton hitting CeeDee Lamb for 14 and Michael Gallup for a 13 yard touchdown to make it 10-7 Cowboys. The Ravens after a touchback moved to a 4th and 4 at the Dallas 13. Justin Tucker hit the 31 yard field goal, but a false start meant he had to try again from 36. The kick was no good. The Ravens still trailed 10-7, but after that they took over with help from Dallas self-destructing.

The Cowboys took over at their own 26. From their own 37, Dalton was intercepted to give the Ravens a short field at the Dallas 38. One play and 7 seconds later the Ravens had the 14-10 lead as Jackson went deep to Boykin for the touchdown. The Cowboys after a touchback moved 53 yards in 12 plays and 6 minutes. On 4th and 4 from the Baltimore 17, Zuerlein came in for a 35 yard field goal try. A delay of game moved it back. From 40 yards out, Zuerlein was no good with 2:06 left in the half. The Ravens took over at their own 30. Defensive pass interference added 18 to midfield. Dobbins ran for 30. On 3rd and 7 from the Dallas 17, Jackson threw incomplete. Tucker hit from 35 to make it 17-10 Ravens with 42 seconds left in the half. The Cowboys quickly moved from their own 10 to a 4th and 6 at their own 45 with 7 second left. Mike McCarthy went with the Hail Mary and John Harbaugh became the anti-Gregg Williams. Harbaugh sent zero…yes, zero…rushers. Dalton had ages of time to throw a Hail Mary that Lamb had his hands on. Harbaugh was lucky it fell incomplete. 

In the third quarter Zuerlein missed again from 53 and the Ravens took over at their own 43. On 3rd and 6 from their own 47, Jackson gained 7. Dobbins ran for 7, 5 and 5 more. On 3rd and 10 from the Dallas 34, Jackson ran for 14 and threw a 20 yard touchdown to Brown for a 24-10 Ravens lead with 4 1/2 minutes left in the third quarter. The Cowboys took over at their own 22 and moved 44 yards in 12 plays and 5 1/2 minutes. Yet early in the fourth quarter, Zuerlein from 51 yards out missed his third field goal of the game. That gave the Ravens the ball at their own 42. Jackson hit Ricard for 9. Edwards gained 21 and Jackson added 9 more. Ingram gained 6 and 5. On 2nd and goal at the 4, a run went nowhere and Jackson threw incomplete. Tucker hit from 22. The 11 play, 54 yard 6 minute drive had the Ravens comfortably ahead 27-10 midway through the fourth quarter. After a touchback the Cowboys moved to a 1st and goal at the one with 5 1/2 minutes left. Yet 3 runs by Ezekiel Elliot netted negative one yard and took 90 seconds off the clock. Dalton did hit Amari Cooper on 4th and goal at the 2 for the touchdown, but by then only 4 minute remained. The onside kick failed. With a short field, the Ravens put the game away. Dobbins ran for a 5 yard touchdown to end it. The Cowboys fell to 3-9 and 2 games back in the NFC Least. The 7-5 Ravens have playoff life. 34-17 Ravens

https://www.commdiginews.com/sports/nfl/nfl-2020-week-13-preview-and-bettors-guide-134447/

NFL 2020 Week 12 Recap

Houston Texans at Detroit Lions was the Thanksgiving Thursday morning game. In the first quarter the Lions faced 3rd and 9 from their own 16. Matthew Stafford went to TJ Hockensen for 10. On 2nd and 4 from their own 32, Stafford went deep to Hockensen for 51 yards. Defensive pass interference on the next play meant 15 more yards down to the 2. Adrian Peterson ran for a one yard touchdown to make it 7-0 Lions. After that the Lions self-destructed. From their own 25, Stafford was intercepted by JJ Watt, who returned it 19 yards for a defensive touchdown. The extra point was no good but the Texans were within 7-6. The Lions got it back at their own 23 and immediately fumbled. The Texans took over at the Detroit 30. Deshaun Watson hit Johnson for 14. Defensive pass interference on the next playa dded 15 more. Watson hit DJ Prosise for a 2 yard touchdown to make it 13-7 Texans. 

The Lions then moved from their own 22 to a 2nd and 3 from the Houston 27 to start the second quarter. Yet for the 3rd consecutive possession, they turned the ball over. This time it was a fumble that the Texans recovered at their own 21. The Lions dodged a bullet when the Texans immediately fumbled the ball back. The Lions took over at the Houston 26. Stafford hit Johnson for 14. Peterson ran for a one yard touchdown to put the Lions up 14-13. Yet the Lions were just delaying the inevitable.

The ensuing kickoff was kicked out of bounds to set up the Texans at their own 40. Defensive pass interference added 15. Watson ran for 11. Johnson gained 5, 4, and on 3rd and 1 from the Detroit 25, a critical 2. One play after a touchdown was nullified, on 1st and 20 from the Detroit 33, Watson went to Johnson for the touchdown anyway as the Texans led 20-14. The Texans got it back at their own 20 and moved to a 2nd and 6 at the Detroit 9 with 2:10 left in the half. Watson went to Fuller for 4, but offensive pass interference killed the drive. Kaimi Fairbairn hit a 42 yard field goal to make it 23-14 Texans. In the third quarter the Lions moved 68 yards in 14 plays and 7 1/2 minutes. From their own 21, the Lions moved to a 3rd and 4 at the Houston 11. Stafford threw incomplete. Matt Prater hit a 29 yard field goal to get the Lions within 23-17. Midway through the third quarter, the game was still manageable. It would not end up that way.

After a touchback the Texans moved to a 1st and goal at the 9. A run gained one yard and Stafford threw incomplete twice. Fairbairn hit the 28 yard field goal to make it 26-17 Texans. In the fourth quarter the Texans took over at their own 15. Watson went to Cooks for gains of 19 and 18 and to Coutee for 9. On 3rd and 1 from the Detroit 39, Akins gained 4. On 1st and 15 from the Detroit 40, Watson went to Will Fuller for the touchdown. Romeo Crennel went for the 2 point conversion to try and put the game out of reach. Watson hit Coutee and the Texans led 34-17 with 12 minutes left in regulation. The Lions soon faced 4th and 1 from their own 34 with 10 1/2 minutes left. Matt Patricia went for it Cabinda got stuffed for no gain. One play and 7 seconds later the Texans scored again as Watson went to Fuller for a 34 yard touchdown. The Texans led 41-17. The Lions got a garbage touchdown, but the damage was done. Matt Patricia inherited a 9-7 team and turned it into nearly three seasons of losing. Martha Ford finally lost patience and fired Matricia and the Lions general manager on Saturday. 41-25 Texans

Washington Giblet Stuffings at Dallas Cowboys was the Thanksgiving Thursday afternoon game. Although both teams came in 3-7, the winner of this game would actually lead the NFC Least. For three quarters this was a good football game. The Cowboys took over at their own 28 and moved 57 yards in 11 plays. On 3rd and 5 from the Washington 15, Red Rifle Andy Dalton threw incomplete. Greg Zuerlein hit a 33 yard field goal to make it 3-0 Cowboys. The Non-Redskins soon faced 3rd and 1 from their own 34. Pierre Barber gained 2. Ron Rivera then went to the bag of tricks. Alex Smith pitched to Logan Thomas, and he threw the halfback option to Terry McLaurin for 28 yards. On 3rd and 4 from the Dallas 30, Smith threw incomplete but defensive holding meant 5 yards. On 3rd and 5 from the Dallas 20, Smith threw incomplete but illegal contact again meant 5 yards. Antonio Gibson ran for a 5 yard touchdown to cap the 12 play, 75 yard, 7 minute drive to make it 7-3 Non-Redskins.

After a touchback, Dalton hit Amari Cooper for 10. The second quarter began with the Cowboys facing 3rd and 1 from their own 44. Pollard gained 2. On the next play Dalton went to Amari Cooper for a 54 yard touchdown to make it 10-7 Cowboys. The No-Names took over at their own 28 and moved 67 yards in 14 plays and 7 minutes. Yet on 3rd and goal at the 5, Smith threw incomplete and this time there was no defensive penalty to bail him out. Dustin Hopkins hit the 23 yard field goal for a 10-10 deadlock. The Cowboys soon faced 3rd and 1 from their own 34. Dalton completed a pass to Cee Dee Lamb for no gain. Mike McCarthy then decided to lose his mind and go for it. Yes, from his own 34 in a tie game with 5 minutes left in the half, he gambled from his own 34. Dalton threw incomplete. Adding insult to injury was an unnecessary roughness penalty on the Cowboys after the play. The No-names took over at the Dallas 19. On 3rd and 9 from the Dallas 18, Smith hit McKissic for 12 and Thomas for a 5 yard touchdown to make it 17-10 Giblet Stuffings. 

After a touchback, the Cowboys had 2 1/2 minutes to work with. On 4th and 1 from midfield, McCarthy gambled again. Dalton gained 2 yards. On the next play defensive pass interference meant a 28 yard gain. On 3rd and 5 from the Washington 15 with 30 seconds left, a completion gained only one yard. Zuerlein hit a 32 yard field goal to get the Cowboys within 17-13. The Cowboys began the third quarter facing 2nd and 4 at their own 31. Ezekiel Elliott fumbled and the Identity Crisis recovered at the Dallas 33. On 3rd and 1 from the Dallas 13, Smith was sacked for a 5 yard loss. Hopkins hit from 36 to put the Giblet Stuffings up 20-13. The Giblet Stuffings got it back at their own 5 yard line and moved to a 3rd and 10 at midfield. Smith threw one of his west Coast Offense swing passes, and Jason Smith made an acrobatic play to bat the ball, recover it in the air for an interception, and race 43 yards down to the Dallas 4 yard line. Terry McLaurin chased down Smith and saved the tying touchdown. The Cowboys self-destructed, went backward, and on 3rd and goal at the 10, Dalton threw incomplete. Zuerlein hit from 28. The Cowboys were within 20-16 after three quarters, but the fourth quarter will be talked about in Dallas for some time.

With 13 minutes left in regulation, the Cowboys set up to punt on 4th and 10 from their own 24. Mike McCarthy made a call that made his earlier call seem sensible. McCarthy actually in this situation called a fake punt. It was blown up for a one yard loss. The No-Names needed only one play and 6 seconds to put the dagger in. Gibson raced for a 23 yard touchdown to make it 27-16 No-names. The Non-Redskins got it back at their own 24 and moved 76 yards in 10 plays and 6 minutes. On 4th and 1 from the Dallas 43, Riverboat Ron Rivera went for it and  Barber got the yard. On 3rd and 6 from the Dallas 37, Gibson ran for the touchdown to make it 34-16 Non-Redskins. One play after a touchback, Smith tried to throw another West Coast Offense pass and again he was intercepted. Montez Sweat ran it back for a 15 yard touchdown to make the game a blowout. In 1995, Barry Switzer gambled on 4th and 1 from his own 29 and cost the Cowboys the game. At least Switzer won a Super Bowl that year. Mike McCarthy is in the first year of a five year contract, so he will not be fired. However, Jerry Jones may decide to blow up his Metropolis stadium for the insurance money. 41-16 Giblet stuffings

Miami Dolphins at New York Jets — The Dolphins were 6-4 and the Jets were 0-10, but the return of Sam Darnold gave Gang Green hope. Meanwhile, it was Ryan Fitzpatrick’s beard starting the game and not Tua Tagovailoa due to a thumb injury. After a touchback, Darnold hit Crowder for 15. Frank Gore ripped off a pair of 5 yard gains. On 3rd and 9 from their own 45, Darnold went deep to Perriman for a 37 yard gain. On 3rd and 3 from the Miami 11, Darnold was sacked. Casillo hit the 38 yard field goal to make it 3-0 Jets. Late in the first quarter the Dolphins faced 3rd and 2 from their own 37. Fitzpatrick hit Gesicki for 22 yards. On 2nd and 5 from the Jets 36, Fitzpatrick threw incomplete twice. Jason Sanders nailed a 54 yard field goal for a 3-3 game. 

The Dolphins got it back in the second quarter at their own 12. Fitzpatrick hit Parker for 11 and Hollins for 7. on 2nd and 3 from his own 33, Fitzpatrick threw incomplete but illegal contact meant 5 yards. Fitzpatrick then went to Washington for 6 and 5 and to Parker for 19. On 3rd and 8 from the Jets 13, Fitzpatrick hit Gesicki for the touchdown. The 10 play, 88 yard, 5 minute drive made it 10-3 Dolphins. Sanders tacked on a 51 yard field goal to make it 13-3 Dolphins. The Jets on the last play of the half saw Castillo miss a 29 yard chip shot. Fitzpatrick threw a 7 yard touchdown pass midway through the fourth quarter to complete the scoring. Brian Flores has a 7-4 team while the 0-11 Jets remain winless, witless and worthless. Somehow, Adam Gase is still employed. 20-3 Dolphins

Arizona Cardinals at New England Patriots — On the third play from scrimmage the Patriots faced 3rd and 6 from their own 29. Cam Newton got hit as he threw and the ball was intercepted by Jordan Hicks. The Cardinals took over at the Patriots 23. Kyler Murray hit Andy Isabella for 19 yards. Kenyan Drake ran for 3 and then the one yard touchdown to make it 7-0 Cardinals. The Cardinals got the ball back at their own 3 yard line. Drake ran for 14. Murray hit Williams for 4, Christian Kirk for 8 and Edmonds for 5. On 1st and 5 from the Arizona 46, Murray went to Deandre Hopkins for 16 and 9. On 1st and 10 from the Patriots 27, a run lost a couple yards and Murray threw incomplete twice. Zan Gonzalez hit the 47 yard field goal to cap the 12 play, 68 yard, 5 1/2 minute drive and make it 10-0 Cardinals.

The Patriots got a spark when Moncrief returned the ensuing kickoff 53 yards to the Arizona 46. On 2nd and 7 Newton hit Meyers for 13 with 15 more tacked on for the defender lowering the head to initiate contact. On 3rd and 3 from the Arizona 8 to start the second quarter, a run gained only one yard. Bill Belichick went for it. On 4th and 2 from the 7, James White got the first down and the touchdown to get the Patriots within 10-7. The Cardinals got it back at their own 28 and moved to a 3rd and goal at the 8. Murray hit Johnson for the touchdown, but it was reversed to a 7 yard gain and 4th and goal at the one with 3 seconds left in the half. Kliff Kingsbury went for it. Drake got the carry and got stopped. The Cardinals insisted he broke the plane of the goal, but the goal line stand stood. The 15 play, 71 yard, 7 minute drive came up snake eyes. 

Early in the third quarter Olzewski returned a punt 82 yards for a Patriots touchdown. Yet a horrendous illegal blindside block penalty on the Patriots nullified the score. The block was clearly legal, but the Patriots took over at the Arizona 39. Despite 2nd and goal at the 4, a run went nowhere and Newton threw incomplete. The game was tied 10-10. The Cardinals soon faced 3rd and 3 from their own 32. Murray was intercepted and the Patriots took over with another short field at the Arizona 31. Harris gained 18 and 6 and Newton added 6. On 3rd and goal at the one, White got around the end and in as the Patriots led 17-10 with 3 1/2 minutes left in the third quarter.

The Cardinals bean the fourth quarter facing 2nd and 5 from their own 25. Murray hit Hopkins for 8. On 3rd and 3 from their own 40, Murray gained 4 and then 15. Drake ran for 4, caught a pass for 6, and ran for 13 and 6. On 2nd and 4 from the New England 12, Drake threw incomplete twice. With 10 minutes left in regulation, Kliff Kingsbury decided to go for it. Murray threw incomplete again but defensive holding meant a 5 yard gain. On 3rd and goal from the 4, Murray threw incomplete but defensive holding again meant 1st and goal at the 2. Drake gained one and then one more for the touchdown and a 17-17 midway through the fourth quarter.

After a touchback the Patriots moved to a 1st and 10 at the Arizona 42. Then came a false start and a failed run. Newton was intercepted by Kirkpatrick, who returned it 13 yards to the New England 47 with 4 1/2 minutes left. At the 2 minutes warning the Cardinals faced 3rd and 2 at the New England 28. Drake only gained one as the Patriots took their final timeout on defense with 1:52 left. Kliff Kingsbury took no chances. Gonzalez came in for the 45 yard field goal to give the Cardinals the lead. It was no good. From their own 35, the Patriots went backward on successive plays. However, Kliff Kingsbury gambled big and lost. With the Patriots facing 3rd and 13 from their own 32, Kingsbury took his final timeout on defense rather than let the clock run down. Newton ran for a 14 yard gain with 15 more tacked on for defensive unnecessary roughness. With 3 seconds left Folk came in for a 50 yard field goal try for the Patriots. The kick was good. 20-17 Patriots. 

Tennessee Titans at Indianapolis Colts — Both teams came in 7-3 in this AFC South battle for the division lead. A few weeks ago the Colts went into Tennessee and thrashed the Titans 34-17. After a touchback, Derrick Henry gained 6. Ryan Tannehill hit Davis for 12. Henry ran for 9, caught a pass for 4, and ran for 12. On 3rd and 1 from the Colts 20, Tannehill hit Swain for 8. Henry ran for a 12 yard touchdown. The 10 play, 75 yard, 6 minute drive had the Titans up 7-0. The Colts responded after a touchback. Philip Rivers went to Hyheim Hines for 12. On 3rd and 3 from their own 46, Wilkins only gained 2. Frank Reich Gambled on 4th and 1 from his own 48. Jacoby Brissett gained 2. Rivers went to Wilkins for 21 and Burton for 12. On 3rd and 7 from the Titans 11, Rivers went to Burton for the touchdown. The 12 play, 75 yard, 6 1/2 minute drive made it 7-7. 

After a touchback, the Titans struck quickly. On 1st and 15 from their own 31, Tannehill went to AJ Brown, who split the seams and outraced everyone for a 69 yard touchdown to make it 14-7 Titans. After a touchback Rivers hit Burton for 19, Hines for 19 and 10, and Pittman for 14. Defensive pass interference meant 9 yards and put the ball on the one. Brissett got in for the score. Each team had the ball twice and scored a touchdown twice. The game was 14-14 early in the second quarter, but by halftime this shoot out would be a blowout. 

The Titans took over at their own 35. Tannehill hit Swaim for 12. Henry gained 10 and 5. On 3rd and 5 from the Indy 38, Tannehill threw incomplete but defensive pass interference added 13 yards. Tannehill went to Davis for 21. On 3rd and goal at the 3, , Tannehill was sacked but illegal use of hands meant 1st and goal at the one. Henry got in to make it 21-14 Titans with 6 minutes left in the half. The Titans got it back with 4 1/2 minutes left at their own 14 and Henry gashed them for gains of 31, 8 and 5. With 1:52 left in the half the Titans faced 3rd and 1 at the Indy 16. Watson took the direct snap and gained 5. The Colts kept taking timeouts on defense to preserve time for their offense. The strategy blew up on them. Henry ran for an 11 yard touchdown to make it 28-14 Titans. The Colts went backward and punted on 4th and 19 from their own 16. A disqualification penalty against the Colts on the return gave the Titans the ball back again less than 30 seconds later, taking over at the Indy 44 with 1:13 left. On 3rd and 4 from the Indy 38, Tannehill threw incomplete. Mike Vrabel went for it rather than try a 56 yard field goal. On 4th and 4, Tannehill went deep to Davis for a 37 yard gain down to the one and took their last timeout with 22 seconds left. Tannehill got in as the Titans led 35-14 at the break.    

Late in the third quarter Stephen Gostkowski nailed a 49 yard field goal to make it 38-14 Titans. The Colts did manage a couple touchdowns to get within 38-26 with 2 1/2 minutes left, but AJ Brown put the dagger in by returning an onside kick attempt 42 yards for one more Titans touchdown. The Titans got to 8-3 and the AFC South lead as each of these teams won on the road of the other one. 45-26 Titans

Carolina Panthers at Minnesota Vikings — The Vikings started out strong from their own 32 an Kirk Cousins hit Calvin Cook for 5 and 12. On 3rd and 4 from the Carolina 45, the Vikings jumped into the neutral one. on 3rd and 1 from the Carolina 31, Cook gained 6. On 3rd and 8 from the Carolina 23, Cousins gained 9. On 3rd and 8 from the Carolina 12, Cousins went to Justin Jefferson for the touchdown. The 13 play, 68 yard, 7 1/2 minute drive had the Vikings up 7-0. The Panthers moved from their own 35 to a 1st and 10 at the Minnesota 11. On 3rd and 11, Teddy Bridgewater was intercepted. The Panthers got it back at their own 19 and Bridgewater went to Moore for 18 and Davis for 10. On 3rd and 2 from their own 45, a completion only gained one yard. Matt Rhule went for it on 4th and 1  and Davis gained 2. On 3rd and 1 from the Minnesota 43, Davis gained 3. After 28 minutes, the Panthers had zero points. 

Yet on 3rd and 11 from the Minnesota 41, a Bridgewater completion to Robbie Anderson went for a 41 yard touchdown. The 11 play, 81 yard, 5 1/2 minute drive meant a 7-7 game. After a touchback the Vikings had 1:52 to work with. Cousins hit Beebe for 9 and Cook for 7. Cousins ran for 11 and hit Kyle Rudolph for 12. A pair of false starts killed the drive but Dan Bailey buried a 53 yard field goal to end the half with the Vikings up 10-7. Yet the start of the third quarter was disastrous for the Vikings. On 3rd and 8 from their own 27, Cousins was sacked and fumbled. Jeremy Chin picked it up and raced 17 yards for a defensive touchdown and a 14-10 Panthers. One play after a touchback, it was deja vu all over again. Cook fumbled, and again Jeremy Chin recovered it and again raced 28 yards for another score. 2 defensive touchdowns by Chin in 8 seconds meant a 21-10 Panthers lead. The Panthers missed a chance to extend the lead when a 28 yard field goal try by Joey Slye was blocked with 5 1/2 minutes left in the third quarter. 

The Vikings moved 72 yards in 13 plays and 5 1/2 minutes. The fourth quarter began with the Vikings facing 1st and goal at the 7. A run gained one yard and Cousins threw incomplete twice. Bailey hit the 25 yard field goal to get the Vikings within 21-13. The Panthers after a touchback moved to a 3rd and 10 at the Minnesota 31. A completion from Bridgewater to Samuel gained only 9 yards. With 11 1/2 minutes left in regulation and facing 4th and 1 at the Minnesota 22, Matt Rhule played it safe. Slye hit the 40 yard field goal to give the Panthers some breathing room up 24-13. 

After a touchback the Vikings soon faced 3rd and 10 from their own 25. Cousins went to Johnson for 17 and Rudolph for 5. Cook gained 14 and 3. On 3rd and 1 from the Carolina 30, Cook got stopped. The Panthers took their last timeout on defense with 6:43 to play. On 4th and 1 and down to their last gasp, Cook gained 3. Cousins then went to Johnson for 17 and Jefferson for the 10 yard touchdown. Cousins completed the 2 point conversion pass as the Vikings were within 24-21 with 5 1/2 minutes left. After a touchback, the Panthers moved to a 1st and 10 at the Minnesota 47. Then a run lost 4 yards. Rather than grind down more cook, Bridgwater threw incomplete twice. With 2:18 left, the Panthers had to punt. Disaster struck the Vikings when Beebe fumbled the punt and the Panthers recovered at the Minnesota 9 yard line. 

A touchdown would ice the game. The Vikings took their final timeout on defense with 1:56 to play and the Panthers facing 3rd and goal at the 3. In this situation you have to run the ball to take the clock down to about one minute. Instead, Bridgewater threw incomplete. Joey Slye hit the 21 yard field goal, but the Panthers only led 27-21. The Vikings were still alive and they had 1:51 to work with after a touchback. Cousins went to Jefferson for 15, Beebe for 6, Rudolph for 7, Beebe for 12, Rudolph for 25, and Beebe for a 10 yard touchdown. With 46 seconds left the Vikings had come all the way back to tie the game. The Panthers had a moment of celebration when the extra point was blocked. Yet the Panthers jumped offside. Given a second chance, Bailey’s kick was good and the Panthers led by a point. The Panthers took over at their own 13 with 43 seconds left. Bridgewater went deep to Samuel for 35 yards and got a tremendous break when an injury to the Vikings stopped the clock with 28 seconds left. Bridgewater hit Davis for 4 and Anderson for 12. Bridgewater spiked the ball with 6 seconds left. Slye came in for a 54 yard field goal try to win it for the Panthers. He missed it by a Carolina mile. It was a scare, but Mike Zimmer’s Vikings have won 4 of 5 to get to 5-6 on the year. 28-27 Vikings

Cleveland Browns at Jacksonville Jaguars — The 7-3 Browns faced the 1-9 Jaguars. The Browns went backward and faced 3rd and 17 from their own one. They punted on 4th and 9 from their own 9 and the Jaguars got it at midfield. Mike Glennon was the starter for the Jaguars. On 3rd and 14 from the Cleveland 44, Glennon hit Tyler Eifert for 8. Aldrick Rosas nailed a 54 yard field goal to make it 3-0 Jaguars. A strong kickoff return had the Browns taking over at their own 45. Baker Mayfield hit Jarvis Landry for 21, Carlson for 11, and back to Landry for a 5 yard touchdown to make it 7-3 Browns. After a touchback the Jaguars moved to a 1st and goal at the 8. A run gained only 2 yards and the Glennon threw incomplete twice. Rosas hit from 24 to cap the 11 play, 69 yard, 5 minute drive and get the Jaguars within 7-6 in the second quarter. The Browns after a touchback answered with a 14 play, 69 yard, 6 1/2 minute drive. On 1st and goal at the 5, Mayfield threw a pair of incompletions sandwiched around a run that lost a yard. Cody Parkey hit from 24 to make it 10-6 Browns. 

The Jaguars got it back at their own 23. Glennon hit Kenneth Cole for 20. On 3rd and 1 from the Cleveland 48, Glennon gained 2 and then went deep to Johnson for a 46 yard touchdown and a 13-10 Jaguars lead with 4 1 /2 minutes left in the half.  The Browns took over at their own 16 and the defense jumped offside. Nick Chubb ran for 6 and 9. Mayfield hit Landry for 23. On 3rd and 6 from the Jags 37, Mayfield hit Landry for 15. Hunt gained 13. Mayfield went to Austin Hooper for a 9 yard touchdown. With 1:10 left in the half, the Browns retook the lead 17-13. After a touchback the Jaguars moved to a 4th and 1 at the Cleveland 36 with 4 seconds left. From 54 yards out, Rosas was no good.

On the first play from scrimmage after a touchback to start the third quarter, Mayfield hit Bryant for 13 and Bryant fumbled the ball away. Wingard returned the fumble 17 yards to the Cleveland 30. On 4th and 1 from the Cleveland 21, Doug Marrone decided to go for it. Glennon hit Robinson for 14. Glennon hit Tyler Eifert for a 2 yard touchdown. Marrone then inexplicably went for a 2 point conversion. Glennon threw incomplete. The Jaguars led 19-17, but Marrone’s bizarre decision would prove costly. The Browns took over at their own 36. On 3rd and 16 from their own 41, Mayfield hit Higgins for 15. On 4th and 1 from the Jacksonville 44, Kevin Stefanski went for it. Mayfield hit hodge for 10. On 3rd and 2 from the Jags 26, Mayfield threw incomplete. Cody Parkey hit the 45 yard field goal and the Browns led 20-19. 

The Browns got it back at their own 10. Chubb gashed Jacksonville for gains of 13 and 29. Mayfield went to Landry for 14. Hunt got around the end for 27 yards. On 3rd and goal at the one, Chubb got in. Less than one minute into the fourth quarter, the Browns led 27-19. The Browns got it back at their own 2 yard line and moved 76 yards in 10 plays and 6 1/2 minutes. On 3rd and 1 from the Jacksonville 22, Mayfield threw incomplete. A 40 yard field goal would pretty much put the game out of reach. Yet Kevin Stefanski went for it and on 4th and 1 Hunt got stopped. The Jaguars had 5:42 to mount a comeback. Glennon hit O’Shaughnessy for 10 and Johnson for 17. Robinson gained 27 yards. With 3:43 to play on 4th and 10 from the Cleveland 24, Glennon was sacked. Yet a defensive penalty for lowering the head to initiate contact instead meant a 12 yard gain. On 3rd and 2 from the Cleveland 4, James Robinson ran it in. Yet because of Doug Marron’s earlier decision, the Jaguars had to go for 2. Glennon threw incomplete. 

With 2:14 left and all 3 timeouts and the 2 minute warning, Marrone opted to kick it deep. With 1:37 left the Browns faced 3rd and 12 from their own 35. One stop would give the Jaguars the ball back and a chance to win it. With the Jaguars out of timeouts, a safe run would take the clock down under one minute. Kevin Stefanski went high risk, and Mayfield hit Chubb for a 13 yard gain and then took 3 knees to end it. The Jaguars were game but lost their 10th straight game after an opening day win. The Browns are no longer losers. They are 8-3. They have not been to the playoffs since 2002, but they are in strong contention to end that streak. 27-25 Browns

New York Giants at Cincinnati Bengals — Joe Burrow is out for the season. The Giants took over at their own 24 and soon faced 3rd and 2 from their own 43.  Daniel Jones went deep to Evan Engram for a 53 yard gain. On 3rd and goal from the one, Wayne Gallman got stopped. Joe Judge decided to go for it. This time Gallman got in to make it 7-0 Giants. 11 seconds later the game was tied as Wilson returned the ensuing kickoff 103 yards for a touchdown to make it 7-7. Most of the rest of the game was a hideous slog that only a field goal kicker could love. Randy Bullock hit from 44 with 3 1/2 minutes left in the half to make it 10-7 Bengals. Graham Gano hit from 49 with 26 seconds left in the half, from 22 in the third quarter, from 39 with 11 1/2 minutes left in regulation, and from 32 with 4 minutes left to make it 19-10 Giants in a game requiring zero elaboration. Needing 2 scores, Allen threw a one yard touchdown to Higgins with 2 1/2 minutes left. Despite having only one timeout and the 2 minute warning, Zac Taylor chose to kick it deep. The defense held and the Bengals got the ball back at midfield with one minute left. They had plenty of time to set up for the winning field goal. Instead, Allen was sacked and fumbled and the Giants recovered to end a game that should never be watched again. 19-17 Giants 

Los Angeles Chargers at Buffalo Bills — The Bills took over at their own 37. From their own 48, Josh Allen went deep and a defensive pass interference call meant a 47 yard gain down to the 5. Allen went to Knox for a 2 yard score to make it 7-0 Bills. The Chargers soon faced 2nd and 5 from their own 26. Justin Herbert hit Johnson for 8 and Keenan Allen for 11. Austin Ekeler ran for 3 and 15 and caught a pass for 9. On 3rd and 10 from the Buffalo 22, Herbert went to Ekeler for 14. On 3rd and goal from the 5, Herbert went to Allen for the touchdown. The extra point was no good but the Chargers were within 7-6. 

In the second quarter the Bills faced 3rd and 8 from their own 26. Allen went to Singletary for 14. Roughing the passer on an incompletion added 15 more. Singletary gained 21. Sean McDemott then went to the bag of tricks. Allen lateraled to Beasley, who threw the option pass to Davis for a 20 yard touchdown to make it 14-6 Bills. The Bills got it back at their own 14 and moved to a 1st and 10 at the Chargers 15. On 2nd and 10, Matt Barkley came in for one play and was sacked. Tyler Bass hit a 45 yard field goal as the 12 play, 60 yard, 5 minute drive had the Bills up 17-6 at the half. A 38 yard kickoff return to start the second half had the Bills starting the third quarter at their own 43. Singletary gained 8 and 6. On 3rd and 2 from the Chargers 35, Allen gained 7. On 3rd and 4 from the Chargers 22, Allen went to Stefan Diggs for 8. Allen ran for 7 with a facemask adding 4 more. Allen ran for a 3 yard touchdown. The 12 play, 57 yard, 5 1/2 minute drive had the Bills comfortably up 24-6.

The Chargers took over at their own 33 and slowly clawed back. Herbert hit Henry for 13 and 10. On 4th and 1 from the Buffalo 45, Anthony Lynn went for it and Herbert hit Williams for 4. Kelley then gained 33 yards. On 3rd and goal at the 10, Herbert went to Ekeler for 9. On 4th and goal at the one, Anthony Lynn went for it. with 5 minutes left in the third quarter. Kelley got the yard. Herbert went to Allen for the 2 point conversion and  the Chargers were within 24-14. The Chargers got it back at their own 20 and and began the fourth quarter facing 4th and 1 at the Buffalo 25. Anthony Lynn went for it and this time Kelley lost a yard. The Bills took over at their own 26. From their own 37, Singletary gained 8 and fumbled the ball. The Chargers took over at the Buffalo 46. They moved to a 3rd and 1 at the Buffalo 7. Kelley lost 3 yards. With 10 minutes left in regulation, Mike Badgley hit a 27 yard field goal to get the Chargers within 24-17.

Midway through the fourth quarter the Bills faced 2nd and 12 from their own 38. Allen was intercepted and the Chargers had golden field position at their own 44 with 6 minutes left. Yet 3 plays later on 3rd and 5 from their own 48, Herbert was intercepted. The Bills took over at their own 31. Moss gained 31 yards, but unsportsmanlike conduct on Moss wiped away half of it. Singletary gained 24. On 3rd and 9 from the Chargers 24, Allen gained 12 but offensive holding nullified the play. Bass did hit a 43 yard field goal with 3 1/2 minutes left to put the Bills up by 10. Needing 2 scores the Chargers took over at their own 12.  and get the Bills to 8-3 on the year. On 4th and 2 from their own 20, Herbert hit Guyton for 11. On 4th and 17 from the Buffalo 47, Herbert completed the Hail Mary for a 46 yard gain at the one. Yet offensive pass interference nullified it. On 4th and 27 from their own 43 with one minute left, Herbert connected with Johnson for a 55 yard gain down to the 2. Yet the clock kept ticking as the Chargers raced down the field to get to the line of scrimmage. By the time they snapped the ball, only 24 seconds remained. Making matters worse, Anthony Lynn inexplicably called a running play that got stopped after one yard and the clock ticked down further. The final insult was Herbert throwing incomplete and then trying to run it in and getting stopped. There would be no onside kick try. This is why the Chargers lose the games. 27-17 Bills

Las Vegas Raiders at Atlanta Falcons — Both teams came in with a terrible pass defense. The Falcons were also without Julio Jones. The Falcons committed an offensive holding penalty on the first play and went downhill from there. The Raiders began from their own 36 and the Falcons jumped offside. Yet on 1st and 5 from their own 41, the Raiders offense was inept. A 3rd and 3 completion gained only 2 yards, reminding everyone why they should hate the West Coast Offense. Jon Gruden gambled on 4th and 1 from his own 45. Rather than run straight ahead, the pitchout to Jacobs saw him go laterally and lose a yard. On 3rd and 2 from the Raiders 37, Matt Ryan hit Calvin Ridley for 16. Yet from the Raiders 21, a run gained only a yard and Ryan threw incomplete twice. Younghoe Koo hit the 38 yard field goal. The Falcons led 3-0. The Raiders got it back at their own 26 and immediately fumbled the ball away when Derek Carr was stripped. The Falcons took over at the Raiders 21. On 2nd and 11, Ryan threw a perfect fade to a wide open receiver in the end zone. Zaccheaus dropped it. It went right through his fingers. On 3rd and 11, with all the time in the world, the receiver fell down and Ryan threw it out the back of the end zone. Koo hit the 39 yard field goal. Despite having a short field both times, the Falcons only led 6-0. 

The Raiders offense continued to misfire. On 2nd and 5 from their own 30, a swing pass to Jacobs saw him bulldoze a defender at the sticks for a 9 yard gain. Instead of the first first down of the game, the Raiders were hit a 15 yard penalty on Jacobs for lowering his head to initiate contact. At least this time the Raiders were allowed to punt and the Falcons started at their own 29. On 3rd and 5 from their own 34, Ryan went to Zaccheus for 11 and Hurst for 12. The Falcons were about to make this game a blowout but the Raiders defense came up big. On 1st and 10 from the Raiders 43, Ryan went over the middle and had his pass deflected and intercepted by Jonathan Abram. Despite being dominated the entire quarter, the Raiders were only down 6-0 and starting at their own 38. 

Carr fired a quick pass to Hunter Renfrow, who weaved his way for a 16 yard gain. The Raiders finally has a first down and had crossed midfield. On 2nd and 10 after dinking and dunking the entire quarter, Carr went bombs away to a wide open Darren Waller. Yet the ball was slightly under thrown incomplete. On 3rd and 10 from the Atlanta 46, a quick pass to Nelson Agholor only gained 7 yards. Jon Gruden gambled again on 4th and 3 from the Atlanta 39. Rather than throw a 2 yard pass, Carr went for the bomb. Henry Ruggs out-jumped the defender for a 36 yard gain to set up 1st and goal at the 3. Nothing was coming easy. An ncompletion followed by offensive holding and offensive illegals hands to the face had the Raiders collapsing and facing 2nd and goal from the 22. Jacobs then fumbled the ball and the Falcons recovered. Jacobs appeared down before the ball came out and officials reversed the call. Daniel Carlson hit a 29 yard field goal and the Raiders were within 6-3.

The Falcons soon faced 3rd and 5 from their own 23. Ryan hit Blake for 17 and Hurst for 12. On 1st and 10 from the Raiders 45, Ryan had another pass deflected and intercepted by Nick kwiatkowski. Yet a facemask on the Raiders instead meant 15 yards. These are the Raiders. Ryan then it Gage for 14. On 2nd and 10 from the Raiders 16, Ryan had all kinds of time but eventually was sacked by Kwiatkowski. The defense had held. Koo then missed a 40 yard field goal. Yet a roughing the kicker penalty long after the miss instead gave the Falcons 1st and goal at the 11. These are the Raiders. It appeared Leavitt was pushed into Koo, but the call stood. On 3rd and 11 from the Raiders 12, a short pass followed by several awful attempts at tackling meant an 8 yard gain. On 4th and 3 at the 4, with Koo possibly hurt, Raheem Morris kept the offense on the field. Ryan had a man in his face and fired over the middle to the back of the end zone, where Ridley caught it for the touchdown. The Falcons led 13-3 with 2:17 left in the half. These are the Raiders.

The Raiders soon faced 2nd and 9 from their own 26. Carr went to Agholor for 13 and Waller for 11 to midfield. On 3rd and 5 from the Atlanta 45, Carr hit Edwards for 15. Yet on 1st and 10 from the Atlanta 30, Carr got belted from the blind side and fumbled again. With one minute left in the half the Falcons took over at their own 39. On 3rd and 2 from their own 37, Smith appeared short when his knee came down but officials gave him the first down. Ryan then went to Hurst for 10 as the Falcons took their last timeout with 26 seconds left in the half. after an incompletion, a mindless roughing the passer penalty long after the throw meant another 15 yards. These are the Raiders. On 3rd and 10 from the Raiders 26, Ryan went to Hurst, who hurdled a defender and got out of bounds for a 14 yard gain. Koo hit the 30 yard field goal dead center as the Falcons led 16-3 over the completely hapless Raiders. 

Whatever pep talk Jon Gruden gave his team at halftime didn’t work. The Raiders went 3 and out. The Falcons had to punt it back on 4th and 5 from their own 15. The Raiders finally got a break when the punt was partially blocked and went only 20 yards. The Raiders had gift field position at the Atlanta 36. On 1st and 10 Carr had a wide open receiver in the flat and threw low and incomplete. On 2nd and 10 with a man in his face, Carr threw an off target pass that was intercepted by Jones and returned 67 yards for a defensive touchdown and a 23-3 Falcons lead. The Raiders after a touchback moved to a 1st and 10 at the Atlanta 20. Carr went deep to Renfrow at the one yard line, but Renfrow got blasted and lost the ball incomplete.  Carr went to Agholor for 15 yards to set up 1st and goal at the 5. Carr threw incomplete twice and then completed a pass for a one yard loss. Carlson hit the 24 yard field goal but the 12 play, 69 yard, 5 minute drive still had the Raiders far behind down 23-6. 

The Raiders were failing in every phase of the game. The Falcons took over at their own 12 yard line. On 3rd and 6 from their own 16, Ryan threw incomplete but defensive pass interference meant a 25 yard gain. Ryan went to Gage for 12 and Ridley for 11. Roughing the passer on an incompletion added 15 more. On 3rd and 7 from the Raiders 11, Ryan found a wide open Ridley in the flat for just enough. On 3rd and goal at the 4, Ryan hit Powell for the touchdown to make it a 30-6 Falcons lead. The Raiders continued to turn the ball over. From their own 10, Jacobs ran for a 16 yard gain but in fighting for another yard fumbled for the second time on the day. The Falcons recovered at the Raiders 27 and Koo hit a 29 yard field goal to make it 33-6. 3 plays after a touchback from their own 44, Carr was sacked and fumbled for the third time on the day. He actually lost the ball when he bumped into his own offensive lineman. The Falcons took over at the Raiders 35. Smith ran for 24. On 3rd and 7 from the 8, Smith ran right up the gut for the touchdown. 

With 11 minutes left in regulation, the Raiders were getting blasted to pieces. Jon Gruden pulled his starters to avoid any further injuries. Last year the Raiders were 6-4 and faced a road game against a 3-7 Jets team. The Raiders got destroyed 34-3 and went 1-5 down the stretch to finish 7-9. Last week the Raiders were 30 seconds left from being 7-3 before losing and ending up 6-4. They faced a 3-7 Falcons team. They got blasted again and even gave up another field goal with 5 minutes left. Koo nailed it from 54 yards out. Next week the Raiders face…the Jets. Again it will be a road game for the Raiders, and this time the Jets will be 0-11. The Raiders are now 6-5, and next week will determine if they have any desire to go to the playoffs. This week they committed 5 turnovers. Last year they showed no heart down the stretch. Jon Gruden said this team is different. After consecutive losses, next week will show if this team has heart. Carr is the leader of the team, and one of his best games as a pro was followed by his worst. The Raiders had 141 penalty yards. The Jets are winless, but teams that lose by 37 points take nothing for granted. 43-6 Falcons

San Francisco 49ers at Los Angeles Rams — The 49er were 4-6, but they beat the 7-3 Rams earlier in the year. Early on the Rams fumbled and the 49ers threw an interception right back to them. Matt Gay hit a 48 yard field goal to make it 3-0 Rams, but after that the 49ers took over for a long stretch of the game. On 2nd and 5 from their own 30, Nick Mullens went to Deebo Samuel for big gains of 33 and 26 yards Raheem Mostert ran for an 8 yard touchdown to make it 7-3 49ers. The Rams threw an interception and the 49ers fumbled the ball right back one play later. With 30 seconds left in the half, the Rams fumbled. To end the half, Robbie Gould missed a 50 yard field goal try to extend the lead. The start of the third quarter saw the Rams face 2nd and 8 from their own 27. Goff was intercepted by Kinlaw, who returned it 27 yards for a defensive touchdown and a 14-3 49ers lead. The 49ers got it back and moved from their own 17 to a 3rd and 3 at the Rams 28. Mullens threw incomplete. Gould hit a 46 yard field goal. With 4 1/2 minutes left in the third quarter, the 49ers were dominating up 17-3. 

After a touchback, the Rams finally got going. Jared Goff hit Robert Woods for 5, Cooper Kupp for 33 and Reynolds for 14. On 3rd and 9 from the Frisco 22, Goff threw incomplete. Gay hit from 41 and the Rams were within 17-6. One play after a touchback, disaster struck the 49ers. Mostert got hit and fumbled. Hill recovered it and returned it 20 yards for the score. Both teams had a defensive touchdown as the Rams were only down 17-13. The Rams got the ball back at their own 32. Akers raced for a 61 yard gain as the third quarter ended. The Rams began the fourth quarter with 1st and goal at the 7. Akers ran for 6 and then for the one yard touchdown. 17 points in a 3 minute span had the Rams out of nowhere up 20-17. 

With 8:45 to play the 49ers took over at their own 26. Mullens hit Samuel for 4, Reed for 6, Samuel for 3, Kendrick Bourne for 12 and Kyle Juszczyk for 20. On 3rd and 6 from the Rams 25, Mullens threw incomplete. Gould hit the 44 yard field goal to tie the game 20-20 with 3:11 to play. After a touchback the Rams soon faced 2nd and 5 from their own 44. Yet Goff threw incomplete twice. The 4oers got it back at their own 20 with 2:10 to play. On 3rd and 2 from their own 28, Mullens hit Samuel for 24 and again for 8. The Rams took their timeouts on defense. On 3rd and 1 from the Rams 39, Wilson got stopped. A 57 yard field goal try was high risk. A miss would give the Rams great field position and a chance to win. Kyle Shanahan opted to go for it. Juszczyk initially appeared stopped but somehow got 2 yards. Mullens hit Samuel for 4 and Mostert gained 4 more. With 4 seconds left Gould came in for a 47 yard try to win it. In a desperate attempt to block it, Jalen Ramsey jumped offside. Gould would now have a 42 yard try. The kick was good. The 49ers swept the season series and gave the Rams their first home loss in their new stadium. 23-20 49ers

New Orleans Saints at Denver Broncos — Kendall Hinton played wide receiver in college, but he is a wide receiver from the Broncos practice squad. He was the starting quarterback for the Broncos due to a bizarre situation where they had no active quarterbacks on the roster. Jeff Driskel tested positive for COVID. All of the other quarterbacks including Drew Lock, Blake Bortles and a practice squad emergency quarterback were all in contact with Driskel. Because this all occurred on Saturday and the Saints had already arrived in Denver, it was too late for the NFL to reschedule the game. The Broncos did not forfeit, but again, they had to play an entire game with a practice squad wide receiver at quarterback. Meanwhile, Taysom Hill was making his 2nd NFL start for the Saints. The game was actually scoreless after the first quarter, but after that the Saints took over.

Late in the first quarter the Saints faced 4th and 1 from their own 35. Sean Payton opted to go for it, a fairly insane decision. Out of the shotgun, the Saints got the Broncos to jump into the neutral zone. Sean Payton went to the ground game. Latavius Murray gained 7 and Alvin Kamara added 15. Murray gained another 4 and Kamara tacked on another 14. On 3rd and 4 from the Denver 14, Hill gained 5. Murray gained 2 and 6 and on 3rd and goal at the one, Hill got in. 10 straight running plays capped a 13 play, 74 yard, 8 minute drive and made it 7-0 Saints. The Broncos were hanging tough and faced 3rd and 1 from their own 45 with 2:22 left in the half. Out of the shotgun, a horrendous snap was recovered by Alexander, who returned it 20 yards for the Saints to the Denver 13. On 3rd and 7 from the 10, Hill hit Trautman for 8. Hill ran for a 2 yard touchdown to make it 14-0 Saints with one minute left in the half. With 12 seconds left in the half from his own 27, Hinton went deep and was intercepted by Janoris Jenkins, who returned it 14 yards to the Denver 41. Hill hit Michael Thomas for  24 yards and Wil Lutz hit a 40 yard field goal to put the Saints up 17-0.

The second half was a formality. In the third quarter Hinton was intercepted again. Hill threw an interception right back. Brandon McManus leveled a 58 yard field goal, but all that did was help the Broncos avoid the shutout. The Saints took over at their own 18. Murray ran for 3, Kamara added 11, and Murray added 8 more. On 3rd and 1 from the Saints 41, Hill gained 2. Hill hit Sanders for 17. Murray rushed for a 36 yard touchdown to make it 24-3 Saints. In the fourth quarter the saints moved 77 yards in 11 plays and 7 minutes. From the Denver 26, Murray ran for 11, 6, one, and on 3rd and 3 from the Denver 8, the touchdown to complete the scoring. The Saints got to 9-2 and remain atop the NFC. Hill completed only 16 passes all game, completing 9 of them for 78 yards and one interception. That was a juggernaut compared to Hinton, who threw 9…yes 9…passes the whole game. He completed…exactly one pass for 13 yards and 2 interceptions. Yes, 2 of his 3 completions went to the defense. Noah Fant had the lone reception. Hinton had a passer rating of 0. The Saints were powered by 229 yards on the ground, with Murray gaining 124 on 19 carries. NFL teams don’t make excuses, but if anyone had a right to it would be Vic Fangio. The Broncos never had a chance, and Hinton and Fant will one day become a trivia question. 31-3 Saints

Kansas City Chiefs at Tampa Bay Buccaneers — Last year on his third try, the Chiefs went into New England and Patrick Mahomes finally out-dueled Tom Brady after 2 losses on the final play. Early on this game was all Chiefs. On the first play from scrimmage after a touchback, Mahomes went to Tyreek Hill for 34 yards. Mahomes went back to Hill for 23 more. On 2nd and goal at the one, pass-happy Walrus Andy Reid kept passing and Mahomes threw incomplete twice. On 4th and goal at the one, Reid went for the field goal. Harrison Butker hit from 19 and the Chiefs led 3-0. The Chiefs got it back at their own 25 and needed one play and 10 seconds to score. Mahomes launched a rocket to Hill for a 75 yard touchdown to make it 10-0 Chiefs. The Chiefs got it back at their own 10. Mahomes went to Hill for 19 and Travis Kelce for 14. On 3rd and 8 from the Tampa Bay 44, Mahomes went to Hill for another touchdown as the Chiefs were dominating 17-0 after the opening quarter. The game would not end up 68-0 as the Buccaneers tried to come back.

The Chiefs began the second quarter at their own 22 and moved 65 yards in 12 plays and 6 1/2 minutes. The Chiefs had 1st and goal at the 8, and ere about to go up 24-0. Yet Mahomes was sacked and fumbled, and the Buccaneers recovered at their own 14. On 3rd and 1 from their own 21, Brady hit Antonio Brown for 2. From their own 34, Brady went to Rob Gronkowski for 29 and then to Ronald Jones for a 37 yard touchdown as the Buccaneers were within 17-7. After a touchback the Chiefs moved 64 yards in 13 plays. With 36 seconds left in the half the Chiefs had 1st and 10 at the Tampa Bay 11. Mahomes threw 3 incompletions. Butker hit from 29 as the Chiefs led 20-7. The Buccaneers were lucky it was not much more. In the third quarter after a touchback, the Buccaneers moved to a 2nd and goal at the 4, helped along by Brady completions to Gronk of 8 and 48. Yet a pass then lost 4 yards and Brady threw incomplete. Ryan Succop hit a 26 yard field goal to get the Buccaneers within 20-10. After a touchback, Mahomes went to Hill for 21. On 3rd and 1 from the Bucs 43, Mahomes gained 17. Mahomes went to Hill for 6 and again for a 20 yard touchdown. Brady was then intercepted on consecutive drives but the chiefs did not capitalize. However, the Chiefs led 27-10 after three quarters.

The Buccaneers began the fourth quarter facing 2nd and 4 from their own 31. Brady hit Cameron Brate for 14 and 9 and Chris Godwin for 8. On 4th and 3 from the Chiefs 31 and needing 3 scores, Bruce Arians decided to go for it. One stop would effectively end the game. Brady went to Mike Evans for the touchdown and the Buccaneers were within 27-17 with 13 minutes left in regulation. The Buccaneers got it back with 6 1/2 minutes left and soon faced 3rd and 5 from their own 32. Brady went to Godwin for 7. Then came a roughing the passer penalty and 15 more yards. Brady went to Fournette for 6 and 10. On 2nd and 13 from the Chiefs 25, Brady hit Godwin for 11 with another roughing the passer penalty adding 7. Brady hit Evans for a 7 yard touchdown. With 4 minutes left the Buccaneers were within a field goal.

After a touchback, on 2nd and 3 from their 32, Mahomes gained 4 for a key first down. On 2nd and 6 from his own 40, Mahomes scrambled for his life, ran for 8 yards, and slid inbounds to keep the clock rolling. At the 2 minute warning the Chiefs faced 2nd and 9 just shy of midfield. With the Buccaneers out of timeouts, the Chiefs had to run the ball to take the clock down to about 30 seconds. Pass-Happy Walrus Andy Reid refused. A pass that was almost dropped gained 2. On 3rd and 7 just past midfield, given another chance to run, another pass was called. An incompletion would stop the clock and save Brady 45 seconds. Mahomes fired to Hill for 8 yards, and Hill slid down inbounds. Brady never got the ball back. This is why Andy Reid is a Super Bowl winning Walrus and I am not. The Buccaneers dropped to 7-5. Mahomes was ridiculous, going 37 of 49 for 462 yards, 3 touchdowns and 0 interceptions. Hill caught 13 passes for 269 and 3 touchdowns. The Chiefs are 10-1 and have all but locked up the AFC West, making Andy Reid a most happy walrus indeed. 27-24 Chiefs

Chicago Bears at Green Bay Packers was the Sunday night game. After starting 5-1 the Bears came in losers of 4 straight. They faced the 7-3 Packers. Nick Foles was out with a concussion, so it was back to Mitchell Trubisky. The Packers dominated from the start. After a touchback to start the game, Aaron Rodgers hit Lewis for 11. Aaron Jones ran for 14. On 3rd and 7 from the Chicago 47, Rodgers went to Lazard for 8. Jones ran for 9, 8 and one. On 3rd and 1 from the Chicago 16, Williams ran for 4. On 3rd and 10 from the Chicago 12, Rodgers went to Devonta Adams for the touchdown. The 14 play, 75 yard, 7 1/2 minute drive had the Packers up 6-0 after the missed extra point. The Bears soon faced 2nd and 7 from their own 35. Montgomery ripped off a 57 yard gain. Yet on 1st and goal at the 8, a run lost a yard and Trubisky threw incomplete twice. Cairo Santos hit a 27 yard field goal to get the Bears on the board.

After a touchback Rodgers hit Adams for 8 and st. Brown for 15. Roughing the passer on the next play added 15 more. On 3rd and 4 from the Chicago 28, Rodgers gained 10. Rodgers hit Adams for 11 on the last play of the first quarter. On the first play of the second quarter, Rodgers hit Lewis for the touchdown to make it 13-3 Packers. The Bears moved from their own 21 to a 1st and 10 at the Green Bay 38. Trubisky went for it all into double coverage and was intercepted for a touchback. The Packers soon faced 3rd and 2 from their own 28. Rodgers went to Adams for 8. Rodgers hit Adams for 15. On 3rd and 4 from the Chicago 30, Rodgers only gained 2. Matt LaFleur decided to go for it. On 4th and 2 from Chicago 28, Rodgers hit Tonyan for 14. Jones gained 5 and 7. Rodgers hit Lazard for a 2 yard touchdown to make it 20-3 Packers. 3 plays after a touchback the Bears faced 3rd and 17 from their own 18. Trubisky was sacked again and fumbled. Smith returned it 14 yards for a defensive touchdown and a 27-3 Packers lead.

The Bears did get a touchdown before the half, but this game was over. In the third quarter the Bears faced 3rd and 11 from their own 25. Trubisky was intercepted and the Packers took over at their own 47. Jones ran for 4, 8 and 2. Rodgers went deep to Tonyan for a 39 yard touchdown to make it 34-10 Packers. The Packers got it back and faced 3rd and 10 from their own 34. Rodgers hit St. Brown for 24. Williams ran for 17, 4, 4 and one. On 4th and 1 from the Chicago 16, Matt Lafleur went for it again. Williams gained 3 and then ran for the 13 yard touchdown. After three quarters, the Packers led 41-10. The Bears scored a couple of further quarter garbage touchdowns to make the score look respectable, but this was a blowout. With 2:45 left the Packers faced 4th and 2 at the Chicago 39 and the Bears out of timeouts. Rodgers hit Tonyan for 8 to extinguish any last Chicago hopes. The Bears lost their 5th straight to fall to 5-6 while the Packers at 8-3 were in command of the NFC North. 41-25 Packers

Seattle Seahawks at Philadelphia Eagles was the Monday night game. The Seahawks came in 7-3 with a chance to take sole possession of the NFC West. The Eagles at 3-6-1 with a win would lead the horrendous NFC Least. The Seahawks dominated the first half yet kept getting stymied when it mattered. The Seahawks from their own 35 to a 4th and goal at the 2. Pete Carroll went for it and a completion was blown up for a 5 yard loss. The Seahawks got it back with a short field and soon faced 4th and 2 at the Philadelphia 37. Carroll again gambled and Russell Wilson was sacked. In the second quarter the Seahawks took over at their own 32. Wilson hit Tyler Lockett for 18. On 3rd and 13 from their own 37, Wilson went deep to DJ Metcalf for a 52 yard gain down to the one. Wilson hit Moore for the touchdown to make it 7-0 Seahawks. The Seahawks got it back at their own 34. A horse collar tackle had the Seahawks just shy of midfield. Chris Carson ran for 7 and Carlos Hyde added 8. Wilson hit Metcalf for 17. Carson ran for a 16 yard touchdown to make it 14-0 Seahawks with 5 1/2 minutes left in the half.

The Eagles fought back an inch at a time. On 2nd and 16 from their own 19, Carson Wentz ran for a 20 yard gain. Wentz then hit Boston Scott for 10 and Reagor for 8. On 3rd and 2 from the Seattle 43, Went hit Sanders for just enough.On 3rd and 5 from the Seattle 31, Wentz gained 13. On 3rd and 4 from the Seattle 12, Sanders gained 6. With 12 seconds left in the half, Wentz hit Dallas Goedert for a 3 yard touchdown to cap the 15 play, 75 yard, 5 minute drive. The extra point was no good but the Eagles after being dominated the entire half only trailed 14-6. In the third quarter the Eagles faced 3rd and 7 from their own 31. Wentz hit Alshon Jeffery for 9. On 3rd and 1 just shy of midfield, Wentz got the yard. Wentz then went to Rodgers for 17 and Goedert for 16. Yet on 1st and 10 from the Seattle 17, a completion gaining nothing was followed by an incompletion and a sack of Wentz. Jake Elliott hit from 42 and the Eagles after the 12 play, 48 yard, 6 minute drive only trailed 14-9.

After that the Seahawks defense clamped down.  The Seahawks drove from their own 22 to a 4th and 1 at the Seattle 26. This time Pete Carroll played it safe. Jason Myers hit a 44 yard field goal to make it 17-9 Seahawks. The Eagles after a touchback moved to a 4th and 2 at the Seattle 48 early in the fourth quarter. Doug Pederson went for it and Wentz threw incomplete. With a short field, Wilson hit Metcalf for 31. A 17 yard touchdown run by Hyde was wiped out by offensive holding. Myers hit from 33 with 11 minutes left to make it 20-9 Seahawks. The Eagles then moved from their own 23 to a 4th and 4 at the Seattle 15. Wentz went to the end zone and was intercepted for a touchback. With 4 minutes left the Eagles got it back at their own 12 and moved to a 1st and 10 at their own 46. Yet a sack and an offensive holding call had the Eagles facing 3rd and 30. Doug Pederson is a West Coast Offense guy, so he called a sideways pass that lost a yard. On 4th and 31 from his own 24 with 2:20 left, this time Wentz threw a forward pass, but it was incomplete. Myers tacked on one more field goal with 1:14 left for good measure to make it 23-9 Seahawks. After failing to crack the end zone the entire game, a 40 yard kickofff return was followed by a 33 yard Hail Mary that was caught off a deflection by Scott in the end zone with 12 seconds remaining. Doug Pederson inexplicably went for a 2 point conversion, and Sanders ran it in. Yet the onside kick failed and the Seahawks finally won a game that was nowhere near as close as the score. 23-17 Seahawks 

Baltimore Ravens at Pittsburgh Steelers was the Wednesday afternoon game rescheduled from Thanksgiving Thursday night due to COVID. A massive outbreak among the Ravens delayed this game to sundae, then Tuesday, and finally Wednesday afternoon. Lamar Jackson was ineligible. His backup Robert Griffin III is a shell of the rookie sensation who dazzled the league several years ago. Yet Baltimore still has a defense. Despite the Ravens being 6-4 and the Steelers being 10-0, this was a typical AFC North bare-knuckle brawl. From his own 25, RGIII fumbled a handoff attempt and the Steelers recovered at the Baltimore 22. Yet on 4th and goal at the one, Mike Tomlin went for it and Ben Roethlisberger threw an interception in the end zone for a touchback. 3 plays later the Ravens faced 3rd and 4 from their own 12. RGIII was intercepted by Joe Haden, who returned it 14 yards for a touchdown and a 6-0 Steelers lead. The extra point was not good. The Ravens punted and the Steelers fumbled it to set up the Ravens at the Pittsburgh 16. Griffin ran for 11 and Edwards ran for a one yard touchdown to make it 7-6 Ravens in a game with no offense. In the second quarter the Steelers drove deep twice but could not crack the end zone. Chris Boswell hit field goals of 25 and 27 to make it 12-7 Steelers with 4 1/2 minutes left in the half. 

After a touchback the Ravens moved to a 2nd and goal at the one with 26 seconds left as they took their final timeout. A run was stopped and the Steelers sat on the ball and wouldn’t let the Ravens players get up. Officials should have called a defensive delay of game, but the Steelers got away with it. By the time the Ravens snapped the ball on 3rd and goal at the one, only 3 seconds remained. Griffin fired a pass to Wilson in the end zone. Wilson had it in his hands but it was jarred loose by Minkah Fitzpatrick incomplete as the half ended. An Irate John Harbaugh had words with the officials. It was dirty pool by the Steelers defense, but they got away with it. In the third quarter the Steelers moved from their own 19 to a 4th and 2 at the Baltimore 37. Mike Tomlin gambled and Big Ben threw incomplete. The Steelers got it back at their own 39. On 3rd and 5 form their 44, Roethlisberger hit Johnson for 6 and to Chase Claypool for 10 and 8. The fourth quarter began with the Steelers facing 3rd and 3 at the Baltimore 22. Bennie Snell ran for 10. Roethlisberger hit Juju Smith-Schuster for a one yard touchdown as the Steelers led by 12 with 13:20 left in regulation. 

After one more failed offensive series, John Harbaugh benched RGIII for Trace McSorley. The game appeared over as the Ravens took over in desperation mode down by 12 at their own 16 with 3 1/2 minutes left. On 1st and 10 from their own 30, McSorley went deep to Brown. The defender mistimed the jump as Brown caught it, juked out a couple defenders and raced for a 70 yard touchdown. With a full 3 timeouts and the 2 minute warning, the Ravens were very much alive down by 5 with 3 minutes left. John Harbaugh opted to kick it deep rather than go onside. The Steelers took over at their own 16. The Ravens took their first timeout with the Steelers facing 3rd and 6 at their own 17 and 2:36 left. Roethlisberger threw up a prayer between several defenders and Washington grabbed it for a 16 yard gain and a key first down. Snell then ripped off a 13 yard gain as the Ravens took their final timeout with 2:16 left. On 3rd and 1 from the Baltimore 45 with 1:20 left, Snell only gained 2. On 4th and literally an inch from the Baltimore 43, the Steelers were able to take the clock down to 34 seconds before having to snap the ball. Yet after a lengthy official conference, it was reversed to a first down. Snell was clearly short, so the call was mystifying to most fans and enraging to people in Baltimore. There was no word on whether these officials were also responsible for the Immaculate Reception or the 2020 Pennsylvania mail-in ballots. The Ravens put up a valiant effort but the Steelers remained unbeaten. 19-14 Steelers

NFL 2020 Thanksgiving Week 12 Prequel

https://www.commdiginews.com/sports/nfl/nfl-2020-thanksgiving-week-12-preview-and-bettors-guide-134238/

NFL 2020 Week 11 Recap

Arizona Cardinals at Seattle Seahawks was the Thursday night game. These teams played a thriller in the Desert earlier this year won by Arizona 37-34 on the final play. Both teams came in 6-3 tied with the rams atop the NFC West. The Seahawks made it look easy on their first drive. On 3rd and 6 from their own 29, Russell Wilson hit Carlos Hyde for 9 yards. On 3rd and 3 from their own 45, Wilson hit Tyler Lockett for 4 and again for 10. On 3rd and 2 from the Arizona 28, Hyde gained 3. Wilson then went deep to DK Metcalf for a 25 yard touchdown. The 12 play, 75 yard, 6 minute drive meant a 7-0 Seahawks lead. A n unsportsmanlike conduct penalty on a punt against the Seahawks gave the Cardinals the ball at midfield. On 3rd and 1 from the Seattle 41, Kenyon drake gained 3. The second quarter began with the Cardinals facing 2nd and 10 from the Seattle 27. Murray went deep to Williams for 25 yards. Drake then got the carry and stretched the ball across the pylon for a touchdown and a 7-7 game. 

After a touchback, Hyde gained 5 and 7 and Wilson added 5. On 3rd and 5 from their own 42, Wilson went to Dallas for 11. Scarbrough added 12. On 3rd and 3 from the Arizona 28, Hyde ran for 17. Wilson hit Lockett for an 11 yard touchdown. The extra point doinked off the upright no good as the Seahawks led 13-7. With 1:17 left in the half the Seahawks got it back at their own 13. Consecutive penalties had the Seahawks with 1st and 19 at their own 4. On 2nd and 16 from their 7, Wilson hit Lockett for 10. On 3rd and 6 from their own 17, Wilson ran for 7. Wilson ran for 8 and hit Dallas for 13. Only 20 seconds remained in the half and the Seahawks were out of timeouts. From their own 45, Wilson went deep and defensive pass interference on Patrick Peterson meant a 46 yard gain. 11 seconds remained. From the 9, Wilson threw incomplete. With 5 seconds left, Pete Carroll took no chances. Myers hit the 27 yard field goal as the Seahawks took the 16-7 lead to the club houses.

The Cardinals began the third quarter facing 3rd and 11 from their own 18. Murray threw incomplete but defensive unnecessary roughness meant 15 yards. Murray hit Kirk for 13 and 14. On 3rd and 6 from the Seattle 36, Murray hit Hopkins for 6. On the next play a run lost 8 yards, but a horsecollar tackle on Bobby Wagner instead meant a 15 yard gain. Murray then hit Drake for 3, Edmonds for 8 and Arnold for the 4 yard touchdown. The 11 play, 81 yard, 5 minute drive had the Cardinals within 16-14. The Seahawks took over at their own 28. Wilson went to Metcalf for 22 and to Greg Olsen for 10. On 3rd and 7 from the Arizona 37, Wilson hit Lockett for 5 and then a melee broke out. Instead of 4th and 2, a taunting penalty on Arizona meant 15 more yards. Hyde ran for 15 and then for the 2 yard touchdown for a 23-14 Seahawks lead. 

The Cardinals got the ball back with terrible field position at their own 10. On 3rd and 1 from their 19, Drake gained 2. Murray went to Hopkins for 11. On 2nd and 21 from their own 21, Murray hit Edmonds for 19. On 3rd and 2 from their 40, Murray hit Hopkins for 4. Murray went to Hopkins for 23 and Larry Fitzgerald for 18. The fourth quarter began with Drake running for 12. On 3rd and goal at the 3, Seattle sent everyone after Murray. Murray off his back foot threw a fade to a wide open Drake for the score. With 13 minutes left in regulation, the Cardinals were within 23-21. With 9 1/2 minutes left in regulation, the Cardinals got the ball back and disaster struck. First Murray was called for intentional grounding. On 2nd and 22 from their own 2, holding in the end zone gave the Seahawks a safety and a 25-21 lead. 

The Seahawks took the free kick at their own 40. Wilson hit Will Dissly for 10. On 3rd and 4 from the Arizona 40, Wilson hit Lockett for 7. On 3rd and 1 from the Arizona 24, Wilson hit Hollister for 9. On 2nd and 7 from the Arizona 12, a pitchout was fumbled. The Seahawks were lucky to escape with an 11 yard loss. With 2 1/2 minutes left in regulation, Kliff Kingsbury wasted a challenge on the play in the hopes that the Cardinals recovered the ball. Replay clearly showed Hyde fall on his own fumble for the Seahawks. The call stood and the Cardinals lost a timeout. On 3rd and 18, Wilson threw incomplete. The Cardinals were lucky that the officials missed a hit to Wilson’t head. Myers hit a 41 yard field goal. The Seahawks led by 7 but the Cardinals would have 2:19 to make a comeback. 

The Cardinals took over at their own 21. Murray went to Fitzgerald for a pair of 6 yard gains as the clock hit the 2 minute warning. Murray hit Andy Isabella for 6 and Kirk for 12. Murray hit Fitzgerald for 11 and Edmonds ran up the gut for 11 more. After a pair of incompletions, Kliff Kingsbury with 45 seconds left had to waste a 2nd timeout to avoid a delay of game penalty. The Seahawks then burned their first timeout on defense. Another incompletion left 4th and 10 at the Seattle 27. With everything on the line, there would be no Hail Mary this time. Murray was sacked by Carlos Dunlap as the much-maligned Seattle defense got the team the win. 28-21 Seahawks   

Cincinnati Bengals at Washington Swamp Rats — The Bengals moved 75 yards in 14 plays and 7 minutes. Yet Randy Bullock’s 34 yard field goal try doinked off the upright no good. The non-Redskins took over at their own 24. Mckissic gained 14. Alex Smith is supposed to throw 4 yard passes, but his first pass was a 42 yard bomb to Terry McLaurin. On 3rd and 2 from the Cincinnati 12, Thomas got the deuce. On 3rd and goal at the one, Gibson got in to make it 7-0 No-Names. The Bengals moved 72 yards in 10 plays. On 3rd and goal at the 3, Burrow threw incomplete. Zac Parsons decided to go for it. Burrow rolled all the way out, tried to find a seam and run for it, and got blasted by Chase Young. The No-Names recovered in the end zone for what should have been a touchback, but things got bizarre. The Bengals tried to run the fumble out of the end zone, but around the 2 yard line the return man got hit and fumbled the ball back into the end zone. The No-Names fell on it again, but because the ball went out of the end zone and then went backward, the Non-Redskins would be hit with a safety. After all of that, there was offensive holding on the Bengals. To avoid the safety, Ron River had to accept the penalty. This gave the ball back to the Bengals on 4th and goal at the 13. The officials then had another lengthy committee meeting. The defender never had possession of the ball, so the eventual recovery was not a safety. The non-Redskins did get the touchback after all. Games involving bad teams often have lengthy bouts of confusion on plays resulting in no points.  

In the second quarter the Bengals took over at their own 32. Burrow went to Boyd for 9. Perine ran for 7. Burrow was sacked, but a defensive facemask meant 15 more yards. Burrow went deep to Higgins for 25 yards and to AJ Green for the 5 yard touchdown. Naturally the extra point was no good but the Bengals were within 7-6. The Bengals got it back at their own 24 and moved to a 1st and 10 at the Washington 32 at the 2 minute warning. A false start followed by incompletions killed the drive. randy Bullock hit a 53 yard field goal to make it 9-7 Bengals. Smith was intercepted, but Bullock missed a 58 yard field goal to end the half. 

In the third quarter the Bengals Faced 3rd and 2 from their own 10. Burrow threw deep incomplete and was injured on the play. It was his knee, and Bengals fans were given the worst case scenario. Burrow would be out for the rest of the season. He Tweeted “see you next year.” The punt gave Washington the ball at their own 45. Gibson ran for 19 and 16 sandwiched around a 14 yard completion from Smith to McLaurin. Smith hit Sims for a 3 yard touchdown to make it 14-9 No-Names. Ryan Finley came in for Burrow, and Finley was a sitting duck. The defense suffocated him. Dustin Hopkins hit field goals of 32 in the third quarter and 50 in the fourth quarter for the No-Names to complete the scoring. 20-9 Swamp Rats

Atlanta Falcons at New Orleans Saints — Taysom Hill got the start for the injured Drew Brees. The Falcons began facing 2nd and 7 from their own 28, Matt Ryan went deep to Calvin Ridley for a 46 yard gain and to Zaccheaus for 10 more. On 3rd and 4 from the Saints 10, Ryan threw incomplete. Younghoe Koo hit the 28 yard field goal to make it 3-0 Falcons. The Saints moved from their own 30 to a 2nd and goal from the 4. Hill threw incomplete and then completed a pass for no gain. Wil Lutz hit the 22 yard field goal for a 3-3 game. After a touchback the Falcons moved to a 3rd and 7 at the Saints 33. Matty Ice threw incomplete but Koo hit from 51 to make it 6-3 Falcons. After a touchback the Saints moved to a 1st and 10 at the Atlanta 32. Yet a sack of Hill killed the drive. From 53 yards out to tie the game, Lutz was no good. The Falcons moved from their own 30 to a 3rd and 7 at the Saints 34. Ryan threw incomplete, but Koo nailed a 52 yarder. With 4 1/2 minutes left in the half, the Falcons led 9-3. Yet after that the Saints took over.

From their own 20, Hill hit Michael Thomas for 16 and Kamara ran for 7. Hill went deep to Sanders for a 44 yard gain. On 3rd and 6 from the 9, Hill went to Jared Cook for just enough. Kamara ran for a 3 yard touchdown as the Saints led 10-9 with 1:46 left in the half. The Saints began the third quarter facing 2nd and 4 from their own 26. Hill hit Thomas for 15 and 9 and went to Latavius Murray for 25. Murray then ran for 11. On 3rd and goal at the 7, Hill hit Thomas for 5. Sean Payton gambled on 4th and goal at the 2. Out of the shotgun, Hill found an opening and ran it in. The 10 play, 8- yard, 6 minute drive had the Saints up 17-9. A 14 yard punt return had the Saints taking over at their own 47. Defensive pass interference gave the Saints 18 more yards. On 3rd and 3 from the Atlanta 28, Hill gained 6. Hill then ran for a 10 yard touchdown early in the fourth quarter to complete the scoring. The Saints got to 8-2 as Hill got his first NFL starting victory. 24-9 Saints 

Pittsburgh Steelers at Jacksonville Jaguars — The 9-0 Steelers took on the 1-8 Jaguars. Chase McLaughlin hit a 41 yard field goal to make it 3-0 Jaguars. Doug Marrone called a surprise onside kick that did not work. That concluded all Jaguars highlights. Pittsburgh had golden field position at the Jacksonville 46, but came up empty when Chris Boswell missed a 45 yard field goal. The Steelers began the second quarter at their own 24. They moved to a 3rd and 8 at the Jags 26. Ben Roethlisberger threw incomplete, but this time Boswell was good from 44 for a 3-3 game. The Steelers got it back at their own 29. A short completion was followed by a 15 yard defensive penalty for lowering the head to initiate contact. On 3rd and 5 from the Jags 46, Big Ben hit Washington for 12. Roethlisberger then went deep to Chase Claypool for a 31 yard touchdown. Midway through the second quarter, the Steelers had a 10-3 lead. 

After a touchback the Jaguars moved all the way to a 2nd and 9 at the Pittsburgh 11. Luton was intercepted at the 2 yard line by Minkah Fitzpatrick, who returned it 37 yards to the Pittsburgh 39. James Conner ran for 17. On 3rd and 10 from the Jags 44, Roethlisberger went to Johnson for 20 and again for 23 down to the one. Bennie Snell crashed in for the score with 44 seconds left in the half. Instead of a 10-10 deadlock, the Steelers led 17-3. A pointless second half saw Boswell hit a 47 yard field goal early in the fourth quarter. Roethlisberger then hit Eric Ebron for a 20 yard touchdown to complete the blowout. 27-3 Steelers

New England Patriots at Houston Texans — The Patriots came in at 4-5 but winning 2 straight. They began at their own 16. Cam Newton went to James White for 34 yards and to Byrd for 17 more. Harris had gains of 4, 7 and 2. On 3rd and 1 from the Houston 10, Burkhead got the yard. Harris ran for a 9 yard touchdown to make it 7-0 Patriots. The Texans took over at their own 27. Deshaun Watson hit Randall Cobb for 4 yards and then connected with Brandon Cooks for a 44 yard gain. On 3rd and 10 from the New England 25, Watson went to Akins for a 22 yard gain. Watson then went to Cobb for a 3 yard touchdown and a 7-7 game. 

In the second quarter the Patriots took over at their own 29. Byrd took an end around 11 yards. On 3rd and 3 from their own 47, Newton gained 5. Newton then went to Meyers for 20. On 3rd and 17 from the Houston 35, a completion only gained 9. Nick Folk hit from 45 to make it 10-7 Patriots. A touchback and a defensive illegal use of hands had the Texans at their own 30. Watson ran for 8 and hit Akins for 6. On 3rd and 4 from midfield, Watson went deep o Akins for 25 and to Cooks for 21. Watson ran for the 4 yard touchdown to put the Texans up 14-10 with 4 minutes left in the half. The Texans got it back at their own 20 with 2:20 left. Watson ran for 11. Watson hit Brown for 18, Fuller for 9, Akins for 24, Johnson for 4, Cooks for 14, Keke Coutee for 4, and with 10 seconds left in the half, Coutee again for the 6 yard touchdown to make it 21-10 Texans.

In the third quarter the Patriots faced 3rd and 10 at their own 18. Newton went to Byrd for 30. On 3rd and 2 from the Houston 44, Newton hit White for just enough. Newton then went deep to Byrd for a 42 yard touchdown to get the Patriots within 21-17. The Texans soon faced 3rd and 10 from their own 25. Watson hit Fuller for gains of 13 and 22. Yet on 3rd and 3 from the New England 18, Watson threw incomplete. Kaimi Fairbairn hit from 36 to cap the 11 play, 57 yard 6 minute drive and make it 24-17 Texans late in the third quarter. The Patriots mounted a staggering 16 play, 65 yard drive that consumed 9 1/2 minutes. Yet on 1st and 10 from the Houston 15, Newton was sacked for a 9 yard loss. The Patriots had to settle for a 36 yard Folk field goal as they trailed 24-20 midway through the fourth quarter. Houston soon faced 3rd and 4 at their own 31. Watson hit Fuller for gains of 14 and 20. On 3rd and 3 from the Patriots 28, Watson threw incomplete. Fairbairn hit from 46. With Texans led by 7 with 4:14 to play, but they did not close the door. 

The Patriots moved from their 20 to a 3rd and 4 at the Houston 24 with 1:20 to play. Newton threw incomplete. On 4th and 4 Newton scrambled for his life and trying to avoid a sack threw a desperation ball to nobody incomplete. The Patriots took their timeouts on defense and got the ball back at their own 29 with 9 seconds left. From his own 38 with 4 seconds left, Newton launched a desperation Hail Mary. Izzo caught it for a 50 yard gain, but he was quickly tackled at the Houston 12 yard line. The Patriots 20 year dynasty is now on the brink. 27-20 Texans

Philadelphia Eagles at Cleveland Browns — Miserable weather in Cleveland is a given. The Eagles moved 71 yards in 10 plays and 6 minutes. On 1st and goal at the 5, the Eagles fumbled and the Browns recovered. The Browns moved 95 yards in 13 plays and 7 minutes. On 1st and goal at the one, Hunt lost a yard. On 3rd and goal at the 2, Hunt gained the yard back. Kevin Stefanski went for it, and on 4th and goal at the one, Hunt barley got in. Yet on further review, his elbow came down just short and the touchdown was reversed to a goal line stand. In the second quarter the Eagles moved from their own one yard line to a 2nd and 7 at the Cleveland 46. Carson Wentz got hit as he threw and the ball popped up into the air. Takitaki returned the interception 50 yards for a touchdown and a 7-0 Browns lead. In the third quarter the Browns fumbled and the Eagles recovered at the Cleveland 19.Wentz went deep to Rodgers for the touchdown for a 7-7 game. 

The Browns took over at their own 25 and Baker Mayfield went deep to Hodge for a 42 yard gain. On 3rd and 5 from Philadelphia 28, Mayfield got tackled for no gain. Cody Parkey hit a 46 yard field goal to make it 10-7 Browns. A punt had the Eagles pinned at their own 2 yard line. On 3rd and 8 from their 4, Wentz was sacked in the end zone for a safety. The Browns led 12-7 but wasted the free kick when Parkey missed from 47 one minute into the fourth quarter. The Eagles faced 3rd and 2 from their own 45 and Wentz hit Rodgers for 29. On 3rd and 9 from the Cleveland 25, Wentz tried to force a ball to the end zone between 3 defenders. It bounced off the receiver’s hands and appeared to be intercepted. Wentz was lucky that officials reversed the call to an incompletion. Elliott hit from 43 to get the Eagles within 12-10 with 11 1/2 minutes left in regulation.

This time the Brows struck quickly. From their own 21, Mayfield hit Hodge for 18. Nick Chubb barreled over tacklers for a 54 yard gain. Karim Hunt ran for a 5 yard touchdown as the Browns led 19-10 with 9 minutes left. The Browns got it back at their own 47 and marched 10 plays, taking 4 1/2 minutes off the clock. Parkey hit a 28 yard field goal with 4 minutes left to put the Browns up 22-10. After a touchback the Eagles quickly moved to a 1st and goal at the 10 with 2:13 to play. Wentz was then intercepted at the 3 yard line. The Eagles took their timeouts on defense and got the ball back at the Cleveland 47 with 1:39 left. Wentz hit Dallas Goedert for a 4 yard touchdown, but only 35 seconds remained. The onside kick failed. The Browns are 7-3 and winning ugly in conditions that are even uglier. The bad news is that even though they are finally winning, they have to live in Cleveland where it snows every football Sunday. Fans of the Mistake by the Lake will take it. 22-17 Browns 

Detroit Lions at Carolina Panthers — PJ Walker got his first NFL start in place of an injured Teddy Bridgewater. The Panthers began their second drive at their own 5 yard line. On 3rd and 1 from their own 14, Mike Davis gained 2. Walker went to Moore for 14 and then went deep to Moore for a 52 yard gain. Walker then hit Curtis Samuel for 10. On 3rd and goal at the one, Davis banged it in up the gut for a touchdown to cap the 10 play, 95 yard, 6 minute drive and make it 7-0 Panthers. In the third quarter the Panthers faced 2nd and 6 from their own 38. Walker hit Robbie Anderson for 18 and Moore for 20. On 3rd and 3 from the Detroit 17, Walker hit Samuel for the touchdown to make it 14-0 Panthers. The rest of this unwatchable game saw Joey Slye drill a 56 yard field goal late in the third quarter. He missed a 42 yarder in the fourth quarter but the Lions ran into the kicker. So given  second chance, he hit from 37. The tape of this game should be burned. 20-0 Panthers

Tennessee Titans at Baltimore Ravens — Brian Billick, Shannon Sharpe and Jeff Fisher are long since retired, but this rivalry still burns deep. Before the game, John Harbaugh exchanged some testy words with Mike Vrabel. The Titans began at their own 21 and a defensive pass interference on the first play meant a 39 yard gain. On 3rd and 11 from the Baltimore 41, Ryan Tannehill hit Batson for 14 yards. Tannehill hit Smith for the one yard touchdown to make it 7-0 Titans. The Ravens soon faced 3rd and 3 from their own 32. Lamar Jackson ran for 5. On 3rd and 10 from their own 37, Jackson hit Andrews for 14. Yet on 1st and 10 from the Titans 15, an incompletion was followed by a pair of runs that gained only 3 total yards. Justin Tucker hit the 30 yard field goal to get the Ravens within 7-3. The Titans moved from their own 16 to a 3rd and 4 at their own 38 to start the second quarter. Tannehill was intercepted by Bowser, who returned it 25 yards to the Titans 22. Yet on 1st and goal at the 7, Jackson lost 3 yards. On 3rd and goal at the 9, Jackson threw incomplete. Tucker hit from 27 but the Ravens still trailed 7-6. 

The Ravens got it back at their own 40 and JK Dobbins ran for 11, 4 and 7. On 3rd and 13 from the Titans 41, Jackson went deep to Andrews for 30 yards. On 3rd and 1 from the Titans 2, Dobbins ran it in. Jackson hit Dobbins for the 2 point conversion as the Ravens led 14-7. After a touchback, Tannehill ran for 21. On 4th and 7 just shy of midfield, Mike Vrabel called a fake punt. Woodside the punter hit Westbrook-Ikhine at the marker. Officials called it a first down down. On 3rd and 7 from the Baltimore 41, Tannehill threw incomplete but roughing the passer meant 15 more yards. On 3rd and 1 from the Baltimore 17, Derrick Henry gained 3. Yet on 2nd and 10, a sack from Tannehill killed the drive. Stephen Gostkowski hit the 40 yard field goal with 52 seconds left in the half to get the Titans within 14-10.  In the third quarter the Ravens took over at their own 26. On 3rd and 5 from their own 41, Jackson hit Dobbins for 6 with a defensive facemask adding 15 more. Jackson went to Mark Andrews for a 31 yard touchdown as the Ravens led 21-10.

The Titans soon faced 3rd and 4 from their own 41. Tannehill hit Brown for 12 and then went deep to Davis for a 50 yard gain. On 2nd and goal from the 7, a high snap sailed over Henry’s head. The Titans fell on it but suffered a 20 yard loss. Gostkowski hit from 40 as the Titans trailed 21-13. The Ravens took over at their own 17. From their own 44, Jackson went deep and was intercepted. The Titans took over at their own 15. On 3rd and 10, Tannehill hit Firkser for 12 and Davis for 16. Henry ran for 24. Yet on 3rd and 2 from the Baltimore 4, Tannehill threw incomplete. With 11 minutes left in regulation, Mike Vrabel opted for the field goal. Gostkowski hit from 22 and the Titans were within 21-16. 

The Titans got it back at their own 10 midway through the fourth quarter. Tannehill ran for 12. Tannehill hit Firkser for 9, Davis for 22 and Brown for 25. On 2nd and 2 from the Baltimore 6, another bad snap out of the shotgun nearly killed the drive. The Titans were lucky to retain possession after an 8 yard loss. Yet on 3rd and 10, Tannehill went to Brown, who appeared stopped for no gain. Instead Brown broke hard tackles and barreled over defenders for the 14 yard touchdown. Tannehill ran for the 2 point conversion as the Titans led 24-21 with 2:18 to play. After a touchback Jackson hit Willie Snead for 8 and ran for 8 more. Jackson hit Andrews for 15 and ran for 14 himself. Jackson went to Bryant for 16. On 1st and 10 from the Titans 14, a false start led to a 10 seconds runoff penalty. Jackson hit Snead as the Ravens took their 2nd timeout with 32 seconds left. On 2nd and 6 from the Titans 10, Jackson threw incomplete twice. Tucker hit the 29 yard field goal as these teams went to overtime tied 24-24.

The Ravens won the toss and got the ball first in overtime. On 2nd and 8 from their own 27, Jackson was belted for a 9 yard loss. The Titans took over at their own 27. Tannehill went to Davis for 14 and 11 and to Brown for 11 more. Halfway through overtime, the Titans had 1st and 10 at the Baltimore 29. The Baltimore defense had hung tough all game but they finally broke. Henry ran for the 29 yard touchdown to end the game. Last year the Ravens were 14-2 but the Titans came into Baltimore in the playoffs and hit the Ravens in the mouth. This time the Titans did it again. The Titans are 7-3 while the once hot Ravens are now 6-4 and struggling. 30-24 Titans, OT 

New York Jets at Los Angeles Chargers — The Chargers came in 2-7 while the Jets were 0-9. League rules prevented this game from being canceled. Early on the Chargers had to punt on 4th and 16 from the Jets 46. The punt was blocked and the Jets took over at the Chargers 29. Perine ran for a 5 yard touchdown. The extra point was no good but the Jets led 6-0. The Chargers moved after a touchback to a 2nd and 7 at the Jets 15. Justin Herbert went to Keenan Allen for 14 but Allen got blasted at the one yard line and fumbled. The Jets recovered at their own 4. The Jets had all the momentum, but needed only one play and 4 seconds to screw it up. Joe Flacco was intercepted by Campbell for an easy 6 yard defensive touchdown and a 7-6 Chargers. lead. 

The Chargers got it back at their own 43. Herbert hit Ballage for 3 and Allen for 9. Ballage ran for 9. The second quarter began with the Chargers facing 3rd and 4 at the Jets 39. Herbert hit Williams for the touchdown and the 14-6 Chargers advantage. The Chargers quickly got it back at their own 28. Herbert went bombs away to Johnson for a 54 yard gain. On 3rd and goal from the 2, Herbert hit Hunter Henry for the touchdown to make it 21-6 Chargers. With 1:16 left in the half the Chargers took over again at their own 14. Herbert hit Allen for 5 and Henry for 22. A defensive pass interference call meant a 37 yard gain. With 37 seconds left the Chargers had 1st and 10 at the Jets 17.  Herbert threw incomplete twice and was then sacked. Mike Badgley hit the 44 yard field goal as the Chargers were dominating 24-6 at the half. For some reason, the second half was played.

The Jets faced 3rd and 3 from their own 33. Flacco hit Smith for 5. On 3rd and 13 from their own 35, Flacco hit Crowder for 16 and then went deep to Perriman for a 49 yard touchdown. The Jets were only down 24-13. After a touchback, Herbert hit Allen for 9 and Guyton for 4. Ballage ran for 17 and 4. Herbert hit Allen and Kelley for a pair of 10 yard gains and to Ballage for 9. On 3rd and goal from the 13, Herbert fired a laser to Allen for the touchdown as the Chargers were comfortably ahead 31-13 with 5 1/2 minutes left in the third quarter.  

The Jets soon faced 3rd and 5 at their own 30. Flacco threw incomplete but defensive illegal contact gave the Jets the 5 yards. On 2nd and 20 from their own 25, Flacco hit Johnson for 12 and on 3rd and 8 hit Mims for 27. On 3rd and 3 from the Chargers 29, Flacco threw incomplete but defensive pass interference meant a 19 yard gain. On 3rd and goal at the 2, Flacco threw incomplete again but another defensive pass interference call meant 1st and goal at the one. Flacco hit Perriman for the score as the Jets trailed 31-19 after three quarters after another missed extra point. After a toucback, the Chargers at up the fourth quarter clock. A staggering 16 play, 70 yard, 8 1/2 minute drive had the Jets reeling. A touchdown would put the game out of reach. Yet with 6:45 to play, on 4th and 1 at the Jets 5, Anthony Lynn decided to play it safe. Badgley hit the 23 yard field goal to make it 34-19 Chargers. 

The Jets were down to their last gasp facing 4th and 5 at their own 30. Flacco went deep to Mims for 25 yards. On 3rd and 7 from the Chargers 42, Flacco hit Mims for 19 with roughing the passer on joey Bosa adding 11 more. Flacco hit Chris Herndon for a 6 yard touchdown. With 4 minutes left the Jets were still alive down 34-26. Rather than run the ball and grind down clock, the Chargers came out throwing and went nowhere. An incompletion even stopped the clock. The Jets got it back in excellent field position at their own 46 with 2:48 to play. On 3rd and 4 from the Chargers 48, Flacco was sacked but another roughing the passer penalty on Bosa meant 15 yards. At the 2 minute warning, the Jets had 2nd and 9 at the Chargers 32. Flacco threw 3 straight incompletions. The Chargers faced 4th and 14 at their own 28 with 8 seconds left. They already had one punt blocked, so Anthony Lynn took no chances. His punter stood at the back of the end zone and was pushed out for an intentional safety with one second left. The free kick was too deep for a fair catch, so the Jets had to run it back. There was not a single lateral as the return man was tackled to end it. The Chargers tried but failed to blow the game. The Jets at 0-10 remained winless, witless and worthless. Somehow Adam Gase is still employed. Just End The Season. 34-28 Chargers

Miami Dolphins at Denver Broncos — The Dolphins were 6-3 while the Broncos were 3-6. On the third play of the game on 3rd and 10 from his own 20, Drew Lock was intercepted. He threw 4 interceptions last week and picked up right where he left off. The Dolphins began at the Denver 22. Tua Tagovailoa threw it right back to Denver, but defensive holding nullified that interception. On 3rd and 1 from the Denver 4, Ahmed got the yard. Tagovailoa hit Parker for the 3 yard touchdown as the Dolphins led 7-0. Yet after that the Denver defense dug in.

The Broncos faced 3rd and 10 from their own 27, Lock went to Hunter for 15. Philip Lindsay ran for 20. The Broncos soon faced 2nd and 22 from the Miami 48. Lock went to Jerry Jeudy for 9. On 3rd and 13, Lock scrambled for 14. Melvin Gordon ran for 9 and Lock hit Vannett for 15 down to the one. Gordon got in for a 7-7 ballgame. The second quarter belonged to the field goal kickers. Brandon McManus hit from 29 for the Broncos. The Dolphins moved 52 yards in 14 plays and 7 1/2 minutes, but settled for a 41 yard field goal from Sanders to tie the game again. McManus hit from 47 to end the half with the Broncos up 13-10. 

In the third quarter the Broncos moved 61 yards in 10 plays and 5 1/2 minutes. Yet on 4th and 1 from the Miami 14, Vic Fangio decided to go for it and Gordon got stuffed. The Broncos got it back at their own 19. On 3rd and 2 from their 27, Lock hit Hamler for 16. Gordon ran for 9. On 3rd and 8 from the Miami 42, Lock threw incomplete but roughing the passer kept the drive going. Gordon ran for a 20 yard touchdown as the Broncos led 20-10 after three quarters and were smelling upset. With 11 minutes left in regulation, Brian Flores benched Tagovailoa and brought in the best homeless man to ever play football. Ryan Fitzpatrick’s beard. On 3rd and 3 from his own 28, Fitzpatrick went to Gesicki for 25 and Ahmed for 11. On 1st and 10 from the Denver 36, Fitzpatrick threw incomplete twice and ran for only one yard. Sanders drilled a 53 yard field goal to get the Dolphins within 7. 

After a touchback, the Broncos looked to put the game away. Lock went to Fant for 29. Lock ran for 9 and Lindsay added 20 more. With 6 minutes left in regulation, the Broncos had 1st and goal at the 9. Even a field goal would lock up the win. Gordon got the carry straight up the middle and was headed toward the end zone. At the last moment, he was stripped o the ball at the one yard line. The officials inexplicably called it a touchdown, but the call was reversed to a fumble recovered by the Dolphins at their own one yard line. Fitzpatrick and his magic beard needed to go 99 yards. Fitzpatrick hit Parker for 15 and ran for 5, with 15 more added on for defensive unnecessary roughness. On 3rd and 1 from the Miami 45, Fitzpatrick hit Gesicki for 6. On 2nd and 20 at their own 41, Fitzpatrick hit Hollins for 9. On 3rd and 11 from midfield, Fitzpatrick hit Parker for 21 and Perry for 12. With one minute left, the Dolphins faced 3rd and 8 at the Denver 15. Fitzpatrick went to the end zone and was intercepted for a touchback. After the game Brian Flores announced that Tagovailoa would start next week. 20-13 Broncos

Dallas Cowboys at Minnesota Vikings — Early in the game Kirk Cousins was sacked and fumbled and the Cowboys took over at the Minnesota 30. Red Rifle Andy Dalton was back from his concussion, and he hit CeeDee Lamb for 21 and Ezekiel Elliott for the 6 yard touchdown to make it 6-0 Vikings. After a touchback Cousins went to Adam Thielen for a 28 yard gain. Calvin Cook ran for 2, 11, 3 and 5, but the last run was nullified by an illegal chop block. On 2nd and 22 from the Dallas 41, Cousins hit Smith for 12 and on 3rd and 10 found Smith for 11. Cook ran for 5 and 3. On 3rd and 2 from the Dallas 10, Cousins hit Thielen for 8. On 3rd and goal at the one, Cook got in for a 7-6 Vikings lead after the 12 play, 75 yard, 7 minute drive. 

In the second quarter a field position game saw the Cowboys take over at their own 48. Elliott ran for gains of 7, 4 and 5. On 3rd and 1 from the Minnesota 30, Elliott got stopped. Mike McCarthy decided to go for it. On 4th and 1, Lamb took an end around 6 yards. Dalton went to Michael Gallup for 19 and to Lamb for a 4 yard touchdown as the Cowboys led 13-7 with 5 minutes left in the half and moved to a 3rd and 1 at the Minnesota 38. Dalton threw incomplete and with 1:55 left Mike McCarthy went for it. Dalton threw incomplete again. Cousins quickly hit Cook for 26 yards, but on 2nd and 8 from the Dallas 34, a completion was fumbled and the Cowboys took over at the Minnesota 48. Dalton hit Amari Cooper for gains of 5, 10 and 32 down to the Minnesota one yard line with 8 seconds left. Dalton threw incomplete and the Cowboys took their last timeout with 5 seconds left. Mike McCarthy played it very safe on the road. Greg Zuerlein hit the 19 yard field goal as the Cowboys took the 16-7 lead to the locker rooms. 

The Vikings went right to work in the third quarter. After a touchback, Cook ran for 9 and 2. Cousins went deep to Thielen for a 51 yard gain. On 3rd and 3 from the Dallas 6, Cousins ran for a 4 yard gain. On 3rd and goal at the 2, Cousins fired to the corner of the end zone and Thielen made a leaping one-handed juggling catch for the touchdown to get the Vikings within 16-14. The Vikings got it back at their own 19. Cook ran for 9 and 13. Cousins on 1st and 16 from his own 39 went to Jefferson for 20. Cook ran for 5, 8 and 7. On the first play of the fourth quarter, Cousins went to Thielen for a 3 yard touchdown. The 12 play, 81 yard, 7 minute drive had the Vikings up 21-16. 

After a touchback, Dalton went to Schultz for 9. Elliott ran for 3, 15 and 6. Tony Pollard then broke free for a 42 yard touchdown. Lamb ran in the 2 point conversion. With 12 minutes left in regulation, the Cowboys led 24-21. This wild fourth quarter was just getting started. After a touchback, Cook ran for 16. Cousins hit Thielen for 13. Cousins went deep to Justin Jefferson for a 39 yard touchdown. With 9 1/2 minutes left, the Vikings were back on top 28-24. With 4 minutes left the Cowboys took over at their own 39. Dalton hit Gallup for 10 and Elliott ran for 18. On 3rd and 12 from the Minnesota 35, a surprise Pollard only gained 6. With 2:05 left the Cowboys faced 4th and 6 at the Minnesota 29. Dalton went to Cooper for 10. Dalton then hit Elliott for 5 and Schultz for 10. On 3rd and goal at the 2, Dalton went to Schultz for the touchdown and the 3 point lead. 13 seconds later after a touchback, on 4th and 6 from his own 29, Cousins threw his third straight incompletion. After 6 lead changes including 4 lead changes in the fourth quarter alone, the Cowboys ended the 3 game winning streak of the Vikings. 31-28 Cowboys

Green Bay Packers at Indianapolis Colts — The 7-2 Packers took on the 6-3 Colts and their top ranked defense. Both teams fumbled on their first possession and the Packers got it back just shy of midfield. On 3rd and 1 from the Indianapolis 42, Aaron Rodgers ran for 4. Rodgers hit Tonyan for 4, Lewis for 8 and Tonyan for a 25 yard touchdown to make it 7-0 Packers. The Colts soon faced 3rd and 12 at their own 23. Philip Rivers went to TY Hilton for a 13 yard gain. Harris ran for 19. Rivers connected with Pittman for a 45 yard touchdown and a 7-7 game. On the last play of the first quarter the Packers face 1st and 20 from their own 15. Rodgers was intercepted and the Colts took over at the Packers 35. The Colts went nowhere and Rodrigo Blankenship missed a 50 yard field goal try. After that the Packers exploded.

The Packers took over at their own 40 and Rodgers hit Devantae Adams for 20 and Aaron Jones for 5. On 3rd and 1 from the Indy 31, Williams got the yard. Rodgers went to Brown for 23 down to the 2 yard line. Jones ran it in to make it 14-7 Packers. The Colts took over at their own 29 and Rivers was quickly intercepted at the same spot. Rodgers hit Sternberger for 8 and 12 and Adams for the 5 yard touchdown to make it 21-7 Packers. After a touchback, runs and short passes had the Colts facing 3rd and 2 at their own 43. Taylor got the 2 yards. On 3rd and 9 from their own 46, Rivers hit Zach Pascal for 20 and Pittman for 16. Rivers went to Burton for the 17 yard touchdown with 1:52 in the half to get the Colts within 21-14. The Packers faced 3rd and 1 at their own 34. Williams gained 2. On 3rd and 1 from their own 45, Rodgers went deep incomplete but drew a 51 yard defensive pass interference call with 16 seconds left in the half. On the next play Rodgers hit Williams for a 4 yard touchdown as the Packers led 28-14 at the midpoint.

The Colts scratched and clawed in the second half as the Packers went nowhere. The Colts in the third quarter embarked on a 14 play, 56 yard, 7 1/2 minute drive. Yet on 1st and goal at the 10, a run lost a yard and Rivers was sacked for an 8 yard loss. Blankenship hit from 37 to get the Colts within 28-17. The Colts got it back at their own 45. On 3rd and 10, Rivers hit Taylor for 9. Frank Reich decided to go for it on 4th and 1 at the Packers 46. Rives came out and Jacoby Brissett came in for one play. Brissett gained 4 yards. On 3rd and 1 from the Packers 33, Hines gained 4. Rivers went to Hilton for 23 and to Doyle for a 6 yard touchdown. The 2 point conversion succeeded and the Colts were within 28-25. 

The Colts got the ball back at their own 36. Taylor ran for 14 as the Colts began the fourth quarter at midfield.Rivers went to Pascal for 20 and to Mo Alie-Cox for 8. On 3rd and 2 from the Green Bay 12, Taylor got tackled for a 2 yard loss. Blankenship hit from 32 as the game was tied 28-28 with 11 minutes left in regulation. The Packers fumbled the ensuing kickoff and the Colts recovered at the Green Bay 28. On 3rd and 2 from the Green Bay 20, Taylor ran for the touchdown, but offensive holding nullified the score and killed the drive. Blankenship hit from 43 as the Colts led 31-28 with 9 minutes left. The Packers from their own 23 took 6 minutes off the clock. Yet on 3rd and 8 from the Indy 41, Rodgers went t Tonyan for only 7 yards. Matt LaFleur opted against bringing in Mason Crosby for a 52 yard yard field goal try to tie the game. LaFleur was going for the win. Yet rather than try  quarterback sneak, Rodgers threw incomplete. 

From his own 34, Rivers hit Johnson for 14. With 2:17 left on 1st and 10 from the Green Bay 42, the Colts committed offensive holding on consecutive plays followed by an illegal motion. The Packers were able to preserve for their timeouts. On 3rd and 19 just shy of midfield, Rivers hit Wilkins for only 14. The clock hit the 2 minute warning as the Colts had to decide what to do on 4th and 4 from the Green Bay 36. A 54 yard field goal, even if good, would still only put the Colts up by 6. Frank Reich decided to go for it and Rivers hit Hines for 13 yards. The Colts celebrated, but then self destructed. Again 2 offensive holding calls on the next 3 plays had the Colts facing 2nd and 20 and allowed the Packers to preserve their final timeout. 

Then things got crazy. On 3rd and 36 from the Green Bay 39, rather than just hand the ball off, Rivers went back to pass and got hit as he was throwing. No whistle blew, and Kirksey picked it up and raced 71 yards for a shocking defensive touchdown. Replay clearly showed that Rivers’s arm was going forward, and the touchdown was reversed to an incompletion. Yet again the Packers still had their last timeout. A great punt pinned the Packers at their own 6 yard line with 1:25 to play. This game should have been over but 5…yes 5…offensive holding calls on the Colts in the last 2 minutes prevented them from running out the clock. 

On 3rd and 10 from his own 6, Rivers launched a bomb and Marques Valdes-Scantling answered it for a 47 yard gain. With 1:10 left the Packers took their last timeout. Rodgers hit Adams for gains of 14 and 18. With 42 seconds left on 2nd and 10 from the Indy 15, Rodgers hit Tonyan for only 7. Rodgers did not spike the ball because that would have made it 4th down. Rodgers let the clock run down so the Colts would not have another possession. On 3rd and 3 from the 8, Rodgers fired high and out the back of the end zone incomplete. With 3 seconds left, Crosby hit the 26 yard field goal. The game was going into overtime tied 31-31. The Packers won the toss and received, but disaster struck on the second play of overtime. On 2nd and 2 from their own 30, a short completion to Valdes-Scantling was fumbled. The hero of the fourth quarter was now the goat. The Colts took over at the Green Bay 29 and ran 3 straight times. They managed to avoid offensive holding. On 4th and 2 from the Packers 21, Blankenship came in for the 39 yard field goal to win it. The kick was good. Veterans Rodgers and Rivers had a lengthy friendly chat on the field after the game, two future first ballot Hall of Famers paying each other mutual respect. 34-31 Colts, OT

Kansas City Chiefs at Las Vegas Raiders is the Sunday night game. The Chiefs came in winners of 18 out of their last 19. Their only loss was in Kansas City in Week 5 when the Raiders came in and shocked the Chiefs 40-32. The Chiefs came in burning for revenge. With the Raiders 6-3 and the Chiefs 8-1, this was finally a rivalry again. The only way to beat Patrick Mahomes was to outscore him, which means Derek Carr needed to move the ball at will. Josh Jacobs had to pound the rock. Most of the Raiders defense did not practice all week due to COVID rules, but the players were all cleared to play Sunday. The Las Vegas Death Star saw action from the start. The Chiefs have never beaten the Las Vegas Raiders, but the Raiders only moved to Sin City this year. 

Determined to run the ball, Jacobs started with gains of one and 4. On 3rd and 5 from his own 30, Carr went deep to Darren Waller for a 26 yard gain. Carr then went deep again to Nelson Agholor for 29 more. Jacobs banged ahead for 13 yards and then again for the 2 yard touchdown and the 7-0 Raiders lead. The Chiefs took over at their own 15. Mahomes hit Carl Ewards-Helaire for 8 and Pringle for 10. On 3rd and 1 from their own 42, Mahomes hit Tyreek Hill for 14. On 3rd and 1 from the Raiders 35, Mahomes threw incomplete. Walrus Andy Reid decided to go for it, and Mahomes hit Hill for 6 and again for 8. Mahomes hit Hill for a 3 yard touchdown. The 14 play, 85 yard drive ate up 7 1/2 minutes for a 7-7 ballgame. 

The ensuing kickoff went out of bounds, setting up the Raiders at their own 40. Carr went to Hunter Renfrow for 16. On 3rd and 7 from the Chiefs 35, Carr hit Darren Waller for 7 and Alec Ingold for 11. With the first quarter winding down, Carr decided to get in one more play. He faked hurrying up, waited, got the Chiefs to bite on the hard count, and threw a perfect fade to Agholor for a 17 yard touchdown. The first quarter ended with the Raiders up 14-7, but the Chiefs came back again. From their own 27, Carl Edwards-Helaire ran for 10. Mahomes hit Robinson for 17 and Travis Kelce for 21. A very questionable defensive pass interference call meant an 18 yard gain down to the 3 yard line. Edwards-Helaire appeared stopped but bulldozed past the plane of the goal for a touchdown. 2 possession by each team meant 2 touchdowns by each team and a 14-14 game. 

After a touchback, Carr hit Jones for 18. Davante Booker came in and ran for 6 and 5. Carr under heavy pressure found Carrier in the flat for a 14 yard gain. Carr found Waller, who stiff-armed and steamrolled over a tackler for 11 yards. On 3rd and goal at the one, Carr threw a fade that was well defended. Edwards had a shot at the touchdown, but when he landed the ball came out incomplete. Carr wanted to go for it, but the ball was actually loser to the 2 than the one. Gruden opted for the field goal as a penalty flag came down. Unsportsmanlike conduct on the Raiders bench moved the ball back to the 17 and simplified the decision. Daniel Carlson hit the 35 yard field goal as the Raiders led 17-14. 

The Chiefs after a touchback committed an offensive facemask and a false start to create 2nd and 25 from their own 10. Bell ran for 11. On 3rd and 14 from his own 21, Mahomes scrambled and actually threw an incompletion. The Raiders defense finally got a stop. The Raiders took over at their own 32 with 2:07 left in the half. It was imperative that the offense not give Mahomes the ball back before the end of the half, especially since the Chiefs would get it to start the third quarter. Carr avoided a sack and hit Waller for 18. Carr avoided more pressure and ran for 5. Yet on 2nd and 5 from the Chiefs 44, a pass to Agholor past the marker was dropped. On 3rd and 5 scrambled but could not find anyone and threw it away. The Raiders punted, and the Chiefs took over at their own 13 with 1:24 left in the half and all 3 timeouts. 

Mahomes hit Williams for 11 and 8, Pringle for 3 and Kelce for 19. All of that took only 20 seconds. On 3rd and 10 from the Raiders 46, Mahomes faked out 2 defenders and ran for an 11 yard gain with defensive holding adding 5 more. Another defensive holding penalty was followed by an 11 yard completion to Kelce. With 19 seconds left in the half the Chiefs had the Raiders defense on the ropes. On 1st and 10 from the Raiders 14, the Raiders needed a miracle and got one. Mahomes was intercepted by Trayvon Mullen at the 2 yard line. Mullen actually fell down on the play and was very lucky that Mahomes threw the ball inside rather than to the wide open receiver outside. The receiver went the wrong way and Mullen made a great grab. Last week the Raiders tried to get points deep in their own territory and it resulted in a turnover and points for Denver. This week Jon Gruden took a knee.

A penalty on the second half kickoff had the Chiefs beginning the third quarter at their own 7 yard line. It didn’t matter. On 3rd and 1 from their 16, Mahomes hit Robinson, who in trying to stretch the ball bobbled it when he hit the ground. At first officials ruled it incomplete, and then inexplicably reversed it to a catch. Jon Gruden challenged the call, and on further review the call stood. The Raiders lost a timeout and the  Chiefs had a critical 3 yard gain and a first down. Mahomes hit Hill for 9, Edwards-Helaire for 9, Kelce for 8, Leveon Bell for 11, Kelce for 12 and Hill for 13. Edwards-Helaire ran for a 14 yard touchdown. The staggering 16 play, 93 yard drive ate up over 8 1/2 minutes and put the Chiefs up 21-17. 

The Raiders soon faced 3rd and 6 from their own 29. A 3 and out would be devastating in that situation. Carr found Waller for 16, Agholor for 7 and Jacobs for 9. Jacobs ran for 11. On 3rd and 6 at the Chiefs 24, Carr hit Renfrow for a 21 yard gain. On the first play of the fourth quarter, Carr found a wide open Waller for a 3 yard touchdown. The 11 play, 75 yard drive ate up 6 1/2 minutes. Each team had the ball only once in the third quarter. Each team scored one touchdown as the Raiders led 24-21. The Raiders defense finally came alive after a touchback. A run was blown up in the backfield for a 4 yard loss. A false start set up 3rd and 16 for the Chiefs from their own 19. Mahomes rolled to his right and with a man about to bring him down had enough strength to throw across his body. At the last moment, Nick Morrow tipped the ball away for an incompletion. The Chiefs actually punted and the Raiders took over at their own 32. On 3rd and 4 from his  own 38, Carr went bombs away to Agholor, who beat the defender. The ball hit him right in his hands and for the second time on the night, Agholor just dropped it. A penalty on the punt return backed the Chiefs up to their own 9 yard line.

On 3rd and 5 from their own 14, Mahomes found Hill for 15, with another 15 tacked on for a late hit out of bounds. Once again, the Raiders defense could not get off the field on a key third down. On the next play Hill was taken down in the backfield for a 5 yard loss. On 3rd and 9 from their own 45, Mahomes scrambled for a 7 yard gain. On 4th and 2 from the Raiders 48 with 8 1/2 minutes left, Andy Reid took a timeout. The football world knew he was going for it. The only question was the play. With a man in his face, Mahomes fires over the middle to Robinson for 9 yards. Mahomes went to Kelce for 19. The Raiders burned their 2nd timeout. Mahomes hit Hill for 9. Bell ran for a 6 yard touchdown. The 12 play, 91 yard, 5 1/2 minute drive put the Chiefs up 28-24. The Raiders defense had given up second half drives of 93 and 91 yards. It was up to Carr to make up for the defense again, as he has been doing for his entire career. 6 minutes remained.

On 2nd and 5 from their own 30, Carr went deep to Ingold. It would have been a difficult catch, but it was catchable and he dropped it. On 3rd and 5, Carr found Agholor for 20 to midfield. Henry Ruggs took an end around 12 yards. On 3rd and 1 from the Chiefs 29, the Raiders fumbled, but the Chiefs had jumped offsides, which was what disrupted the play to begin with. On 3rd and 10 from the Chiefs 23, Carr went deep incomplete but defensive pass interference meant 22 yards and 1st and goal at the one. Jacobs got stopped but defensive unsportsmanlike conduct again meant 1st and goal at the one. Then came a false start and a run that lost 3 yards at the 2 minute warning. Carr went to Waller for 7 yards to set up 3rd and goal at the one as the Chiefs took another timeout with 1:48 left. Carr faked the handoff to Jacobs and rolled out. He fired to Jason Witten, who had committed the false start a few plays earlier. Witten caught it before being knocked backward, but he was just over the plane of the goal for the touchdown. With 1:43 left the 112 play, 75 yard drive gave the Raiders and the lead again by a field goal. Now it was time for the defense to finally try and stop Mahomes.

After a touchback, Mahones hit Hill for 10 and again for 9. On 3rd and 1 from their own 44, Mahomes went to Mecole Hardman for 16, Kelce for 15 and Williams for 3. With 34 seconds left facing 2nd and 7 from the Raiders 22, the Chiefs took their final timeout. A field goal would tie the game but the entire football world knew Mahomes would go for the win. Paul Guenther’s defense used their one miracle at the end of the first half. They were not getting another one. Mahomes went to Kelce for the touchdown. After a touchback, Carr had only 28 seconds left. A desperation lob by Carr into double coverage was intercepted. One day this will go down as an instant NFL classic, but for now it was just a gut punch. The Raiders went toe to toe with the defending champs and were 30 seconds away from sweeping them. Yet instead the Chiefs are 9-1 and the Raiders are 6-4. The Raiders will have the entire week to question what could have been if Agholor and Ingold had not both dropped 2 key passes. More importantly, the pass defense remains awful. Then again, nobody else seems to be able to stop Mahomes either. 35-31 Chiefs

Los Angeles Rams at Tampa Bay Buccaneers was the Monday night game. These two teams both came in with legitimate Super Bowl aspirations. The Rams began their first drive facing 3rd and 1 at their own 29. Jared Goff hit Greg Everett for 6. On 3rd and 4 just past midfield, Goff connected with Cooper Kupp for a 37 yard gain. On 3rd and 2 from the Tampa 4, the Buccaneers jumped into the neutral zone. On 3rd and goal at the 4, Goff hit Robert Woods for the touchdown. The 13 play, 80 yard, 8 minute drive made it 7-0 Rams. The Buccaneers soon faced 3rd and 10 from their own 25. Tom Brady threw incomplete but a very questionable pass interference call on Jalen Ramsey gave the Buccaneers 20 yards. On 3rd and 2 from the Rams 47, Brady hit Chris Godwin for 7 and Rob Gronkowski for 16. The second quarter began with the Buccaneers facing 3rd and 1 from the Rams 9. Brady hit Mike Evans, who bulldozed over and dragged tacklers, stretching just past the pylon for the touchdown and a 7-7 game 

The Buccaneers got it back and faced 3rd and 6 from their own 36. Brady hit Cameron Brate for 7. On 3rd and 9 from their own 44, Brady hit Brate for just enough. On 3rd and 8 from the Rams 45, Brady threw deep incomplete but another defensive pass interference call meant 25 yards. A third defensive pass interference call added 18 more yards down to the 2. Leonard Fournette ran it in to make it 14-7 Buccaneers. The Rams soon faced 3rd and 3 from their own 32. Goff went to Woods for 9, to Tyler Higbee for 7, and to Kupp for 24 and 6 more. On 3rd and 4 from the Tampa 12, the defense jumped offside. Goff then went to Jefferson for the touchdown and a 14-14 tie with 4 1/2 minutes left in the half. 

The game slowed down considerably after that. The Rams got the ball back at their own 19 with one minute left in the half. Goff hit Higbee for 5, Kupp for 9, and Brown for 8. On 3rd and 2 from their own 41, Goff hit Everett for 4. Only 19 seconds remained as the Rams faced 1st and 10 from their own 45. Goff went to Woods for 35 yards and spiked the ball to stop the clock with one second left. Newly acquired Matt Gay hit a 38 yard field goal to put the Rams up 17-14 at the intermission. After a touchback to start the third quarter, the Rams soon faced 1st and 10 from their own 36. Goff was intercepted by Jason Pierre Paul, who returned it to the Rams 22. The Buccaneers offense went nowhere but Ryan Succup hit a 38 yard field goal for a 17-17 tie. The Rams after a touchback moved to a 3rd and 1 at the Tampa bay 25. Akers got the carry and lost a yard. Gay missed a 44 yard field goal and the game remained tied. The Bucs took over at their own 34 but disaster struck 2 plays later. From their own 44, Brady went deep and was intercepted by Fuller. Fuller returned the interception 37 yards to the Bucs 37. 

On 2nd and 13 from the Buccaneers 40, Goff hit Everett and Reynolds for consecutive 18 yard gains. Goff went to Akers for a 4 yard touchdown. With 5 1/2 minutes left in the third quarter, the Rams led 24-17. At the end of the third quarter, the Buccaneers faced 3rd and 15 from their own 8. Brady got nailed in the end zone and appeared to fumble the ball. The Rams picked it up and ran it in for a touchdown as the officials blew the whistle very early. It was called an incomplete pass. 20 years later, the man behind the Tuck Rule still gets the calls. The ball appeared to come loose before Brady’s hand went forward, but Sean McVay lost his challenge and a timeout. The Rams began the fourth quarter at their own 42, but failed to take advantage of the field position. With 8 1/2 minutes left in regulation the Buccaneers faced 4th and 1 at the Rams 43. Bruce Arians decided to go for it and Brady threw incomplete. Yet on 2nd and 16 from their own 37, Goff was intercepted. The Buccaneers took over at the Rams 44.

Brady hit Godwin for 10. Fournett ran for 6, 3, and on 3rd and 1 from the Rams 25, a tough 2. Brady went to Evans for 10. Brady then found a wide open Godwin in the slot. Godwin leapt from the 5 yard line threw a tackler and stretched the ball just over the pylon before landing for an acrobatic 13 yard touchdown. With 4 minutes left in regulation, the game was tied for the fourth time at 24-24. After a touchback, Goff immediately hit Woods for a 23 yard gain and again for 9 more. On 3rd and 1 from the Bucs 43, Goff went to Kupp for 19. On 3rd and 8 from the Bucs 22, Sean McVay called a safe run that went nowhere. The Buccaneers took their 2nd timeout on defense with 2:40 left. Gay came in for a field goal try to give the Rams the lead. From 40 yards out, the kick was good and the Rams led 27-24. The Buccaneers took over at their own 19 with 2 1/2 minutes left and one timeout plus the 2 minute warning. 

Brady hit Brate for 7 and Godwin for 12 as the clock hit the 2 minute warning. From his own 38, Brady went deep and was intercepted by Fuller. From their own 37, Malcolm Brown gained 6 and the Bucs took their final timeout with 1:43 to play. The Rams ran a couple more times and did not get the first down. They took the clock down to 9 seconds and took their final timeout. Sean McVay decided to punt, and Barner decided against a fair catch. He received it at his own 18. Needing 82 yards, he came up 75 yards short as he was tackled at the 25 without trying to lateral the ball. The Rams are 7-3 and the Buccaneers are 7-4 after a good football game that saw 99 passes. Brady was 26 of 48 for only 216 yards and 2 touchdowns. Goff was 39 of 51 for 376 yards and 3 touchdowns. Both signal callers were picked off twice. 27-24 Rams

https://www.commdiginews.com/sports/nfl/hail-mary-play-nfl-2020-week-11-preview-and-bettors-guide-134115/

NFL 2020 Week 10 Recap

Indianapolis Colts at Tennessee Titans was the Thursday night game. A pair of good football teams faced off in an AFC South showdown. Early on the Titans made it look easy. From their own 33, Ryan Tannehill hit Blasingame for 13 and AJ Brown for 21. On 3rd and 2 from the Colts 25, Tannehill hit Davis for 20 and D’Onta Foreman for a 5 yard touchdown to make it 7-0 Titans. After a touchback, the Colts failed to convert on 3rd and 1 from their own 45. Frank Reich decided to gamble on 4th and 1 in his own territory and Taylor got a critical 2 yards. Yet on 4th and 1 from the Titans 29, Reich went for it again and Wilkins got stopped short. The Colts got it back and moved from their own 25 to a 3rd and 3 at the Titans 6 yard line. Philip Rivers threw incomplete. This time Frank Reich settled for the 24 yard field goal. Rodrigo Blankenship hit it and the Colts were within 7-3. In the second quarter after a touchback, the Titans moved with help from Derrick Henry ripping off a 20 yard gain. Yet on 3rd and 8 from the Indy 35, a completion from Tannehill to Batson only gained 5 Stephen Gostkowski drilled a 50 yard field goal to make it 10-3 Titans. 

The Colts took over at their own 20. Rivers hit Nyheim Hines for 11. On 3rd and 2 from their own 39, Rivers hit Pittman for 30, Taylor for 14 and Hines for the 13 yard touchdown to make it 10-10. After a touchback, Henry caught a pass for 6 and ran for 8, 5, 4 and 16. Tannehill went to Davis for 18. Defensive pass interference added 17 yards down to the one. Jon Smith got in as the Titans led 17-10 with 3 minutes left in the half. The Titans moved the ball well for most of the first half, but after that the Colts defense shut them down. The Colts took over at their own 24 and Rivers hit Hilton for 11. On 3rd and 4 from their own 41, Rivers went to Harris for 21 yards. On 3rd and 2 from the Titans 30, Rivers hit Hilton for 8. With 16 seconds left in the half the Colts had 2nd and 8 at the Titans 9. Rivers was sacked for an 11 yard loss. Without a timeout, Rivers hurried everyone to the line and spiked the ball with one second left. Blankenship hit from 43 as the Colts trailed 17-13.

The Colts ended the half with a 13 play, 51 yard drive and began the third quarter with a 15 play, 73 yard, 7 1/2 minute drive. From their own 26, they moved to a 4th and 2 at the Titans 25. Frank Reich went for it and Rivers hit Zach Pascal for 9. On 4th and 1 from the Titans 7, Reich gambled again. Taylor gained 2. On 3rd and goal at t he one, Taylor got stopped and Reich rolled the dice a 3rd time. Wilkins got stopped. The Titans defense celebrated the goal line stand, but it was their last gasp. They were exhausted. The Titans faced 3rd and 1 at their own 20 and needed to give their defense a rest. Instead, Tannehill was sacked for a 10 yard loss. Then Daniel shanked a 17 yard punt to set up the Colts at the Titans 27. The Titans defense finally broke. Pittman ran for a 21 yard gain and Hines ran for a 2 yard touchdown to make it 20-17 Colts. 

The Titans went 3 and out and had to punt on 4th and 9 from their own 26. Things got worse for Daniel as this time his punt was blocked. TJ Carrie picked it up and ran for a 6 yard special teams touchdown to make it 27-17 Colts. In the fourth quarter the Titans moved from their own 22 on a 52 yard, 12 play drive. With 12 minutes left in regulation and needing 2 scores, Gostkowski came in for a 44 yard field goal try to make it a one score game. The kick was no good. From their own 34, the Colts quickly delivered the dagger. A defensive facemask moved the ball near midfield. Rivers went to Pittman for a 40 yard gain. Jacoby Brissett came in for one play and ran for a 2 yard touchdown to complete the scoring. The Titans reached 3rd and 3 at the Indy 12 but Tannehill fired incomplete twice as both teams are 6-3 on the year but the Titans have lost 3 of their last 4 games. 34-17 Colts

Jacksonville Jaguars at Green Bay Packers — A couple weeks ago the 5-1 Packers were shocked at home by 1-5 Minnesota. Today the 6-2 Packers were supposed to steamroll over the anemic 1-7 Jaguars. Cue ESPN uber-announcer Chris Berman: “THAT’s why they PLAY the GAMES!”   Jacksonville’s defense came for a street fight. In the first quarter from their own 38. Jake Luton went to DJ Chark for 11 and Robinson ripped off 3 straight 6 yard gains. On 3rd and 4 from the Green Bay 33, Luton threw incomplete. Chase McLaughlin hit a 52 yard field goal to make it 3-0 Jaguars. Bad field position and the Jacksonville defense were hurting the Packers, who took over at their own 9. On 3rd and 3 from the 16, Rodgers went to Devontae Adams for 6. On the first play of the second quarter from their own 22, Rodgers went bombs away to Marques Valdez-Scantling, who broke a tackle, crisscrossed the field, picked up an inadvertent block from the official, and outraced the defense for a 78 yard touchdown and a 7-3 Packers lead. One play gave the Packers the lead and one play gave it back to the Jaguars. This time it was special teams as Keelan Cole returned a punt 90 yards for a touchdown to make it 10-7 Jaguars. 

The Packers soon faced 3rd and 6 from their own 23. Rodgers went deep to Valdez-Scantling for 22. On 3rd and 7 from his own 48, Rodgers hit Williams for 12. On 3rd and 1 from the Jacksonville 31, Williams got the yard. Rodgers hit Adams for 18. Rodgers ran for a 5 yard touchdown as the 13 play, 81 yard, 8 minute drive had the Packers up 14-10 with 2:15 left in the half. After a touchback, the Jaguars soon faced 1st and 10 at their own 37. Luton went over then middle and was intercepted by Amos, who returned it 23 yards to the Jags 26. With 19 seconds left the Packers faced 3rd and 17 at the Jags 22. Rodgers fired a laser over the middle to Adams for the touchdown. However, offensive holding nullified the score. The Packers settled for a 39 yard Mason Crosby field goal and a 17-10 halftime lead. 

In the third quarter the Packers were pinned at their own 2. Rodgers hit Adams for a 22 yard gain, but Adams fumbled and Miles Jack recovered for the Jaguars at the Green Bay 16. On 3rd and 6, Luton hit Kenneth Cole for a 12 yard touchdown and a 17-17 tie. After a touchback the Packers moved to a 3rd and 3 at the Jags 33. Rodgers threw incomplete and Matt LaFleur opted to go for it rather than try a 51 yard field goal with wind resistance. Rodgers threw incomplete again. The Packers got it back at their own 20. Rodgers went to Valdes-Scantling for 31 yards. Yet on 3rd and 8 from the Jacksonville 47, Rodgers was intercepted. The Jaguars took over at their own 44. Luton went to Chark for gains of 21 and 17. Robinson ran for an 18 yard touchdown, but it was nullified by offensive holding. the Jaguars settled for a 31 yard McLaughlin field goal and a 20-17 lead with 13 minutes left in regulation. 

The Packers soon faced 3rd and 9 from their own 26. Rodgers went deep to Tronyan for 23 and Aaron Jones for 7. Jones ran for 20. Rodgers hit Valdes-Scantling for 18 and Adams for the 6 yard touchdown. With 9 minutes left the Packers had a 4 point lead. With 2 1/2 minutes left, the Packers had the ball and faced 3rd and 1 from their own 23. Jones got stopped and the Jaguars had life. A short 30 yard punt had the Jaguars taking over at their own 47. At the 2 minute warning on 3rd and 2 from the Green Bay 45, Robinson gained 9. Yet consecutive sacks of Luton had the Jaguars facing 4th and 26 from their own 48 with 1:10 left. Luton is not Donovan McNabb, and the Jaguars did not convert. The Jaguars were game, but their miserable season continued and the Packers survived a scare. 24-20 Packers

Tampa Bay Buccaneers at Carolina Panthers — One week after the worst beating of his career, Tom Brady sought to rebound. However, the Buccaneers had a problem even making the 90 minute flight to Charlotte. Their private plane had mechanical issues and was stranded on the tarmac for 5 hours of a 7 hour delay. The Buccaneers were as out of sync as their plane early on. On their second play from scrimmage from their 26, a short completion was fumbled and the Panthers took over at the Tampa 33. On 4th and 3 from the Tampa 26, Matt Rhule decided to go for it. Teddy Bridgewater hit Robbie Anderson for 9. Bridgewater went to Thompson for a 7 yard touchdown to make it 7-0 Panthers. After a touchback, Brady went deep to Chris Godwin for 23 yards. On 3rd and 2 from the Carolina 44, Brady went deep to Mike Evans for 19. On 3rd and 7 from the Carolina 22, Brady went to Godwin for 14. On 3rd and goal from the Carolina 5, Brady hit Cameron Brate for the score. The 10 play, 75 yard drive tied the game 7-7. 

After a touchback the Panthers quickly responded. From his own 38, Bridgewater went deep to DJ Moore for a 38 yard gain. On the next play a simple West Coast Offense pass from Bridgewater to Moore went for a 24 yard touchdown and a 14-7 Panthers advantage. In the second quarter after a touchback the Buccaneers went on a 14 play, 70 yard, nearly 7 minute drive. On 3rd and 1 from their own 44, Jones gained 3. On 3rd and 1 from the Carolina 44, Leonard Fournette gained 14. On 3rd and goal from the 5, Brady threw over the middle incomplete. Ryan Succop hit the 23 yard field goal to get the Buccaneers within 14-10. The Panthers soon faced 3rd and 3 from their own 32. Bridgewater went to Thomas for 7. On 2nd and 4 from the Tampa 43, Bridgewater was belted by Minter for an 8 yard loss. Yet a horrendous roughing the passer call on Minter kept the drive going. It was a textbook legal hit, and if Minter grabbed Bridgewater’s helmet it was because Bridgewater lowered his own head. Nevertheless, that penalty was enough for Joey Slye to hit a 46 yard field goal to make it 17-10 Panthers with 4 minutes left in the half. 

The Buccaneers soon faced 3rd and 11 at their own 24. Brady fired over the middle to Godwin for 15 and to Antonio Brown for 16. On 2nd and 13 from the Carolina 48, just past the 2 minute warning, Brady went deep to Rob Gronkowski for a 44 yard gain. Brady threw a high pass over the middle and Mike Evans made the leaping catch and somehow got both feet inbounds in the back of the end zone. with 35 seconds left in the half the game was tied 17-17. The Panthers took over at their own 25 and Bridgewater went deep to Moore for a 42 yard gain. Yet on further review it was reversed to incomplete as the ball hit the ground. It was Bridgewater’s first incompletion of the game after 14 completions to start.                              

After a touchback to start the third quarter, runs and short passes had the Buccaneers facing 3rd and 1 from their own 46. Brady went to Godwin for 31 yards. On 1st and goal at the 7, Brady threw incomplete twice and ran for one yard. Succop hit from 24 to make it 20-17 Buccaneers. The Buccaneers got the ball back but were pinned at their own 2 yard line. Ronald Jones took a handoff up the middle, broke through several tackles, escaped a couple of attempts to catch him from behind, and ended up with a 98 yard touchdown. The extra point was blocked but the Buccaneers led 26-17. One play after a touchback, Bridgewater was intercepted. The Buccaneers took over at the Carolina 38 and moved to a 2nd and goal at the one. This time Jones lost a couple yards and Brady threw incomplete. Succop hit from 21 to make it 29-17 Buccaneers. After a touchback the Panthers faced 4th and 5 from their own 40. Matt Rhule gambled on a fake punt and Charlton was sacked. Another short field for the Buccaneers at the Carolina 35 led to Succop’s fourth field goal from 40 yards out as the Buccaneers were up 32-17 early in the fourth quarter. 

After surrendering 22 consecutive points, the Panthers got a jolt of momentum when Cahnon returned the ensuing kickoff 98 yards to the Tampa 4 yard line. 2 plays later Bridgewater ran for the 3 yard touchdown. With 11 1/2 minutes left in regulation, Matt rule made the questionable decision to try for the 2 point conversion. Bridgwater threw incomplete and the Panthers trailed 32-23. The Buccaneers soon faced 3rd and 1 from their own 34. Brady hit Brown for 8. On 3rd and 3 just shy of midfield, Brady hit Brown for 25. Jones ran for 12 and Brady hit Evans for 13 down to the one. Brady crashed into the line and got the touchdown to make it 39-23 Buccaneers with 6 1/2 minutes left in regulation. With 4 minutes left Brady hit Gronk for a 7 yard touchdown to complete the blowout and right the Tampa Bay pirate ship. 46-23 Buccaneers

Philadelphia Eagles at New York Giants — Somebody has to win the NFC Least. Nobody should care. The Giants began facing 2nd and 15 at their own 10. Daniel Jones hit Slayton for 22. Gallman gained 17. On 3rd and 8 from the Philadelphia 38, the Eagles jumped. On the next play Jones got around the end for a 34 yard touchdown to make it 7-0 Giants. After a touchback the Eagles got stopped on 3rd and 1 from their own 47. Doug Pederson decided to go for it. On 4th and 1 Carson Wentz hit Reagor for 10. On 3rd and 3 from the Giants 22, Wentz threw incomplete. Elliott hit the 40 yard field goal to get the Eagles within 7-3. After a touchback, Jones hit Smith for 11, Mack for 9, and Shepard for 12. On 3rd and 2 from the Philly 33, Jones hit Shepard for 3. Morris ran for 4 and 10. On 3rd and 1 from the 2, Penny got stopped. Joe Judge decided to go for it. On the first play of the second quarter on 4th and 1 from the 2, Gallman went airborne over the top for the touchdown to make it 14-3 Giants. 

The Eagles began the third quarter at their own 16. Miles Sanders ran for 14. Wentz hit Dallas Goedert for 6 and Ward for 5. Boston Scott took an end around 56 yards for a touchdown. Although Scott may have stepped out of bounds, a lengthy review let the touchdown stand. Doug Pederson went for the 2 point conversion and Sanders got in as the Eagles were within 14-11. After a touchback Jones went deep to Shepard for 27 and to Golden Tate for 38. Gallman gained 8, one, and on 3rd and goal at the one, the last yard to make it 21-11 Giants. After a touchback, the Eagles soon faced 1st and 10 from their own 36. Wentz hit Reagor for 16, Goedert for 8, and Ward for 16 and 5. Sanders ran for 14 and Clement got the 5 yard touchdown. Doug Pederson again inexplicably went for a 2 point conversion and Wentz was sacked. The Eagles were within 21-17 with 5 1/2 minutes left in the third quarter.

The Eagles began the fourth quarter at their own 5 yard line and had to punt on 4th and 17 from their own 11. Jabril Peppers returned the punt 20 yards to give the Giants a short field at the Philly 41. With 9 minutes left Jones ran for a 14 yard touchdown, but it was nullified by offensive holding. Graham Gano hit a 35 yard field goal to make it 24-17 Giants midway through the fourth quarter. After a touchback the Eagles moved to a 1st and 10 at the Giants 36. A run went nowhere and Wentz threw 3 straight incompletions as the Eagles turned it over on downs with 5 minutes left. Rather than grind down clock, Jones went deep to Slayton for a 40 yard gain. That was enough for Gano to come hit a 44 yard field goal with 3:10 left to lock up the win. 27-17 Giants 

Houston Texans at Cleveland Browns — The start of this game was delayed 35 minutes due to lightning. The winds were a factor all game. The Browns began after a touchback with a 12 play, 52 yard, 6 1/2 minute drive. On 3rd and 1 from the Houston 7, rather than play smashmouth, Baker Mayfield was in the shotgun. A low snap rolled pass him. Mayfield picked it up and threw it away. The intentional grounding call was a 16 yard loss. Cody Parkey hit the 41 yard field goal to make it 3-0 Browns. The Texans from their own 29 embarked on a 14 play, 67 yard, 7 minute drive. Yet early in the second quarter on 3rd and goal from the 2, DeShaun Watson fired to Randall Cobb, who dropped it. Romeo Crennel went for it. Out of the shotgun, Watson tried the quarterback draw and the Browns defense knew it was coming. Miles Garrett blew up Watson for a 2 yard loss. With 4:20 left in the half the Browns took over at their own 4 yard line. The moved all the way to a 3rd and 4 at the Houston 37. Mayfield had an open receiver but misfired incomplete. Rather than try a 55 yard field goal in bad conditions, Kevin Stefanski decided to go for it. Mayfield went deep and overthrew his receiver incomplete. 

In the third quarter the Texans moved from their own 29 to a 4th and 2 at the Cleveland 27. Romeo Crennel prepared to go for it, called timeout, and then opted for the field goal. Form 46 yards out, Kaimi Fairbairn was no good. Late in the third quarter the Browns faced 3rd and 18 from their own 28. Mayfield hit Higgins for 21. On 3rd and 8 just past midfield, Mayfield threw incomplete but defensive pass interference meant a 14 yard gain. Nick Chubb did the rest, running for 11, 11 again, 4, and then the 9 yard touchdown. 90 seconds into the fourth quarter, the Browns led 10-0. Midway through the fourth quarter, the Texans took over at their own 10. Watson hit Fells for 15. On 3rd and 6 from their own 29, Watson hit Cobb for 29 and again for 10 with unnecessary roughness adding 15 more. Watson went to Pharaoh Brown for a 16 yard touchdown to get the Texans within a field goal with 5 minutes left. The Browns fumbled the ensuing kickoff but were lucky enough to recover at their own 3 yard line. Karim Hunt ran for 3, 6, and on 3rd and 1 from his own 12, a critical 2. Hunt ran for 19 as the clock hit the 2 minute warning. Hunt then ran for 3 and 4 as the Texans were out of timeouts. With 1:07 left, it call came down to the Browns facing 3rd and 3 at their own 40. After 6 straight carries by Hunt, it was Chubb who got the carry and broke free for a 59 yard gain down to the Houston one yard line. Kevin Stefanski took a knee rather than run up the score. 3 years after going 0-16, the Browns are 6-3 after winning a truly ugly one. 10-7 Browns 

Washington Election Chaos at Detroit Lions — In 1991 this game mattered. The Lions took over at their own 8 yard line. Swift ran for gains of 5, 11 and 16. Matthew Stafford went deep to Hall for a 55 yard touchdown and a 7-0 Lions lead. The No-Names managed to moved from their own 26 to a 2nd and 8 at the Detroit 20. Alex Smith threw incomplete twice and the No-Names settled for a 38 yard Dustin Hopkins field goal to trail 7-3. The Non-Redskins began the second quarter punting on 4th and 5 from their own 12. The Lions took over at their own 47. Adrian Peterson ran for 13, caught a pass for 9, and ran for 4. On 3rd and 10 from the Washington 27, Stafford went deep to Marvin Jones for the touchdown to make it 14-3 Lions. 

A strong kickoff return had the non-Redskins taking over at midfield. On 4th and 3 from the Detroit 43, Riverboat Ron Rivera went for it and Smith hit Sims for 13. Yet on 3rd and 5 from the Detroit 25, Smith overthrow an open receiver deep incomplete. Hopkins then missed a 43 yard field goal. Washington got it back and moved from their own 16 to a 1st and 10 at the Detroit 33 with 1:20 left in the half.  short completion was fumbled as the 11 play, 53 yard, 5 1/2 minute drive came up empty. The Lions took over at their own 19 and Stafford hit Jones for 19, Hockensen for 8 and Hall for 6. Matt Prater nailed a 53 yard field goal to end the half with the Lions up 17-3. The Lions began the third quarter facing 2nd and 20 from their own 26. Stafford went to Swift for a 26 yard gain. On 3rd and 4 from the Washington 42, Stafford went to Hockensen for 5 and Jones for 18. On 3rd and 6 from the Washington 15, Stafford went to Swift for the touchdown. Midway through the third quarter, the Lions led 24-3. Yet nobody blows big leads like the Lions. 

The Election Frauds took over at their own 18. Gibson caught a 13 yard pass from Smith and then ran for 12. Smith hit Wright for 6, Sims for 11, and Terry McLaurin for 20. With 3 minutes left in the third quarter, the No-Names faced 4th and 13 at the Detroit 17. One defensive stop would end the game. Smith hit Thomas for 15 and JD McKissic ran for the 2 yard touchdown to get the Non-Redskins within 24-10. The Redskins got it back at their own 16 and Smith hit Sims for 19 and Thomas for 14 as the third quarter ended. On 3rd and 2 from the Detroit 43, McKissic got just enough. Smith hit McLaurin for 11, Wright for 13, and Gibson and Wright for 8 apiece. Gibson ran for a 2 yard touchdown as the Non-Redskins only trailed 24-17 with 11 1/2 minutes left in regulation. The No-Names got it back with 9 minutes left and soon faced 3rd and 5 at their own 39. Smith went deep to Sims for 23 and to Thomas for 27. Gibson ran for a 5 yard touchdown. With 6 minutes left, the game was now tied 24-24. 

After a touchback Stafford hit Swift for 9 and 5 and Gibson for 10. On 3rd and 1 from their own 48, Swift gashed the No-Names for gains of 17, 9 and 6. On 1st and 10 from the Washington 20, rather than grind down the clock, Matt Patricia opted for the passing game. Stafford threw incomplete twice sandwiched around a failed run. With 2 1/2 minutes left Prater came in for a 37 yard field goal try. The kick was good and the Lions led 27-24, but this game was far from over. The Non-Entities took over at their own 11 and needed 17 plays. On 3rd and 13 from their own 8, Smith went deep to McLaurin for 26. On 4th and 5 from their own 39, Smith threw incomplete. Yet defensive pass interference meant 5 yards. These are the Lions. On 3rd and 10 from their own 44, Smith threw incomplete. Yet defensive holding meant new downs. These are the Lions. On 3rd and 10 from just shy of midfield, Smith hit Sims for 11 and McLaurin for 11 more. Hopkins came in for a 41 yard field goal try. The kick was good. The game was tied 27-27 with only 16 seconds left and appeared headed for overtime. These are the Lions.

After a touchback, Stafford hit Cephus for 10 and took their first timeout with 12 seconds left. Stafford then threw deep incomplete but roughing the passer gave the Lions 15 yards to midfield with 6 seconds left. Stafford quickly fired to Jones for 9 yards and called another timeout with 3 seconds left. Prater came in for a 59 yard field goal try. Prater holds the NFL record for a 64 yard field goal, and in the past drilled a 59 yarder at the gun to force overtime in a win. This time it was to avoid overtime, and again Prater delivered. Despite another double digit collapse, this time Detroit found a team who wanted it less. 30-27 Lions

Buffalo Bills at Arizona Cardinals — Early on the Cardinals moved 75 yards in 13 plays and 5 minutes. From their own 20, they reached 2nd and goal at the 5. Kyler Murray threw incomplete twice. Zane Gonzalez hit from 23 to make it 3-0 Cardinals. A 40 yard kickoff return had the Bills taking over at their own 37. Josh Allen hit Knox for 6 and Stefan Diggs for 10. On 3rd and 8 from the Arizona 45, Allen hit John Brown for 31.nSean McDermott then went to the bag of tricks. Allen threw a backward pass to Isaiah McKenzie and McKenzie threw a 12 yard touchdown pass to Allen to make it 7-3 Bills. 

In the second quarter, the field goal kickers took over. Tyler Bass hit from 54 to make it 10-3 Bills. Gonzalez hit from 42 and Bass answered from 55 to make it 13-6 Bills. Despite a 16 play, 72 yard drive and 2nd and goal at the 3, Murray again threw incomplete twice. Gonzalez hit from 21 with 90 seconds left in the half but Bass leveled a 58 yarder at the gun as the Bills took a 16-9 advantage to the intermission. In the third quarter the Cardinals fumbled and the Bills recovered with a short field at the Arizona 37. Allen went to Cole Beasley for a 22 yard touchdown for a 23-9 Bills lead. 

After a touchback, Murray hit Kirk for 9, Deandre Hopkins for 35, Kirk again for 6, and Edmonds for 11. On 3rd and 3 from the Buffalo 21, Murray hit Kirk for 7. Edmonds ran for 6, Drake added 7, and Murray got the last yard to get the Cardinals within 23-16. The Bills had to punt on 4th and 4 from their own 18, and a 12 yard punt gave the Cardinals the ball at the Buffalo 30. On 3rd and 7 Murray threw incomplete. Gonzalez hit from 45 to get the Cardinals within 23-19. After a touchback the Bills faced 2nd and 10 from their own 39. Allen hit Singletary for 21 yards, but offsetting penalties nullified the gain. On the next play Allen went deep and was intercepted by Patrick Peterson. The Cardinals took over at their own 44 and struck quickly. Murray ran for 28 and then for a 15 yard touchdown as 17 unanswered points had the Cardinals up 26-23 after three quarters. 

Each quarterback was intercepted in the fourth quarter, and with 3 1/2 minutes left the Bills took over at their own 22. On 3rd and 4 from their own 28, Allen hit Beasley for just enough. Allen ran for 12. On 3rd and 5 just shy of midfield, Allen hit Beasley for 7. On 2nd and 13 from the Arizona 47, Allen hit Beasley for 17. Allen went deep to Diggs for a 21 yard touchdown with 34 seconds left. Diggs was the hero from the Minneapolis Miracle, and this game would end in another miracle. Although the Bills led 30-26, it would not be another Diggs miracle finish. After a touchback, Murray hit Andy Isabella for 14, Hopkins for 9 and Larry Fitzgerald for 9. With 11 seconds left and the Cardinals out of timeouts, the Cardinals had 1st and 10 at the Buffalo 43. Murray scrambled, barely avoided being sacked, and launched a Hail Mary to the end zone. Hopkins was surrounded by 3 defenders, but somehow he out-jumped them all and held on to the ball for a miracle touchdown with 2 seconds left. Sean McDermott took a knee on the extra point rather than risk it being blocked and returned. The lateral attempt on the kickoff went nowhere and the Cardinals had a finish for the ages. 32-30 Cardinals

Los Angeles Chargers at Miami Dolphins — The Chargers find creative ways to lose heartbreakers, but this game started with them getting blown out. They punted on 4th and 14 from their own 21 and the Dolphins blocked it. The Dolphins took over at the Chargers one and Ahmed got in for a 7-0 Dolphins lead. The Dolphins got it back at their own 12. Tua Tagovailoa went deep to Gesicki for 23 and Grant for 13. Ahmed ran for 18. Tagovailoa hit Grant for 15. Ahmed ran for 8. On 3rd and 1 from the Chargers 10, Tagovailoa threw incomplete. On 4th and 1, Brian Flores played it safe and opted for the field goal. Sanders hit from 28, but the defense jumped offside. Flores took the points off the board. On 3rd and goal from the 3, Tagovailoa hit Grant for the touchdown and the 14-0 Dolphins lead after the first quarter. In the second quarter the Dolphins moved from their own 44 to a 3rd and 1 at the Chargers 9. The Dolphins were in complete control when a fumbled snap was returned 44 to the Miami 37. At that point the Chargers tried to claw back. 

Kelley gained 7 and 2. On 3rd and 1 from the Miami 28, Ballage gained 10 and 3. On 3rd and 2 from the Miami 10, Ballage only gained one. Anthony Lynn decided to go for it. On 4th and 1 from the Miami 9, Ballage got the yard. On 3rd and goal at the one, Ballage got stopped. Anthony Lynn again went for it and Justin Herbert easily snuck across for the touchdown. With 4 1/2 minutes left in the half, the Chargers were within 14-7. With 1:20 left in the half the Chargers had to punt on 4th and 15 from their own 10. A 20 yard punt return gave the Dolphins a short field at the Chargers 47. Tagovailoa hit Perry for 13. Sanders nailed a 50 yard field goal as the Dolphins took the 17-7 lead to the club houses. In the third quarter the Chargers took over at their own 32. Herbert hit Keenan Allen for 15 and Nabers for 9. On 3rd and 3 from the Miami 34, Herbert hit Williams for 10. Ballage ran for 7, 4, 7 again, and 4 again, Herbert hit Hunter Henry for the 2 yard touchdown as the Chargers were within 17-14 midway through the third quarter. 

After a touchback Tagovailoa hit Gesicki for 17 and Perry for 8. Ahmed ran for 18 and Tagovailoa hit Shaheen for 19. Despite 1st and 10 from the Chargers 18, a pair of runs gained a total of one yard and on 3rd and 9 Tagovailoa threw incomplete. Sanders hit the 35 yard field goal to make it 20-14 Dolphins with 2 1/2 minutes left in the third quarter. The Chargers moved from their own 18 to a 1st and 10 at their own 47 to start the fourth quarter. On 3rd and 12, Herbert was intercepted by Howard, who returned it 28 yards to the Chargers 32. Tagovailoa hit Grant for 12. Ahmed ran for 11 and 2 and caught a pass for 2. On 3rd and goal at the 2, Tagovailoa hit Smythe for the touchdown. The 2 point try failed but the Dolphins led 26-14 with 12 minutes left in regulation. Sanders would miss a 47 yard field goal with 8 1/2 minutes left, but with the Chargers facing 4th and 1 at their own 46, Herbert threw incomplete. Sanders did hit from 49 with 4 minutes left to tighten the screws and make it 29-14 Dolphins. Herbert did hit Allen for a 13 yard touchdown with 2 minutes left, but the onside kick failed and the Dolphins got to 6-3 on the year. 29-21 Dolphins

Denver Broncos at Las Vegas Raiders — Throw out the records when these AFC West rivals play. The Raiders were one dropped pass from being 4-4 instead of 5-3. The Broncos bungled the opening kickoff, starting at their own 3 yard line. They punted on 4th and 5 from their own 8. Hunter Renfrow returned the punt 29 yards to the Denver 23, but a penalty on the return instead had the Raiders taking over at their own 38. On 3rd and 5 from their own 43, Carr went to Renfrow for 25 yards and Henry Ruggs for 9. Carr ran for 9 and Josh Jacobs ran for an 11 yard touchdown. The Raiders led 7-0, but their offense took most of the rest of the half misfiring on all cylinders. 

The Broncos took over at their own 26. Drew Lock hit Nick Fant for 9, Patrick for 14, and Jerry Jeudy for 17. On 1st and 10 from the Raiders 32, Lock threw 3 straight incompletions. Brandon McMcManus hit a 50 yard field goal to get the Broncos within 7-3. The Broncos got it back and had to punt on 4th and 10 from their own 2. Hunter Renfrow returned the punt 60 yards for a Raiders touchdown, but an illegal blindside block nullified the score.

The Broncos got it back and moved from their own 7 to a 3rd and 14 from their own 32. Lock went deep and was intercepted by Jeff Heath, who returned it 24 yards to the Denver 39. On 3rd and 2 from the Denver 31, Davante Booker only gained one. Jon Gruden began the second quarter deciding to go for it on 4th and 1 from the Denver 30. Jacobs got the yard but offensive holding killed the drive and pushed the Raiders out of field goal range. The Raiders got it back and faced 3rd and 7 from their own 32. Carr fired to Nelson Agholor, and Agholor just dropped it. The Broncos faced 3rd and 15 from their own 24. Lock hit Jeudy for 26 and Patrick for 27. On 3rd and 3 from the Raiders 16, a completion gained only one yard. Vic Fangio opted for the field goal and McManus hit from 33 to get the Broncos within 7-6. 

The Raiders took over at their own 13. Jacobs gained 9. Carr hit Waller and Jacobs for 8 yard apiece. On 3rd and 4 from their own 47, Carr went deep incomplete. Yet the defense jumped offside and the drive continued. Carr hit Edwards for 16 and Jacobs ran for 24. At the 2 minute warning the Raiders had 2nd and goal at the 6. Carr threw incomplete twice. Carlson hit a 24 yard field goal and the Raiders led 10-6. After a touchback with 1:44 left, the Broncos moved 65 yards in 11 plays. With 18 seconds left in the half the Broncos had 2nd and 4 at the Raiders 5. Lock easily got in for the touchdown, but offensive holding nullified the score. On the next play from the 10, Lock went to the end zone and was intercepted again by Heath. The Raiders only led 10-6 at halftime, but that interception was a momentum shift. 

The Raiders began the third quarter facing 3rd and 7 from their own 23. Carr hit Agholor for 8. Jacobs ran for 13 and 6. Carr went deep to a wide open Darren Waller, who dropped it. It was a gift touchdown refused. On 3rd and 7 from their own 48, Carr went deep to Waller again over the middle and Waller caught it for a 24 yard gain. Yet after 1st and 10 from the Denver 28, Jacobs was tacked for a 5 yard loss and Carr threw incomplete followed by a gain for nothing. Carlson drilled a 52 yard field goal to make it 13-6 Raiders. The Raiders never put games away, but in this game they eventually did. They got it back at their own 22. Jacobs ran for 11 and 2. A sack of Carr was nullified for defensive holding. On 3rd and 4 from their own 46, Carr went to Ruggs for 21. Booker ran for 9, 9 and 2. . Carr went to Jacobs for 13. On 3rd and 5 from the Denver 10, Carr hit Waller for just enough. Jacobs ran for a 5 yard touchdown as the Raiders led 20-6 after three quarters.

Two plays after a touchback to start the fourth quarter, Lock was intercepted for the third time. Nassib returned it 23 yards to the Denver 11. Yet on 3rd and 3 from the Denver 4, Carr threw incomplete. Carlson hit the 22 yard field goal to make it 23-6 Raiders. With 10 minutes left in regulation, the Broncos took over at their own 7. A short completion was fumbled, and the Raiders recovered at the Denver 7 yard line. One play was enough for Booker to run it in and make it 30-6 Raiders. The Broncos finally reached the end zone with 6 minutes left but the 2 point conversion failed. So did the onside kick. From the Denver 48, Booker carried 7 straight times. He gained, 3, one, 8 on 3rd and 6, 2, 9, 2, and just past the 2 minute warning, a 23 yard touchdown. Lock threw in a fourth interception for good measure. The Raiders defense came into the game with 3 interceptions and 5 total turnovers the whole year. They got 4 interceptions and 5 total turnovers in this game alone. Jon Gruden likes to pound the rock, and did his team ever. They ran the ball 41 times for 203 yards, 5 yards a carry. Jacobs finished with 112 yards on 21 carries. The Raiders are 6-3 and next week have a major AFC West showdown against Kansas City in Las Vegas. 37-12 Raiders

Seattle Seahawks at Los Angeles Rams — A critical NFC West showdown took place in Los Angeles. After a touchback to start the game, the Rams moved 70 yards in 10 plays and 5 1/2 minutes. Yet on 2nd and 3 from the Seattle 4, Akers lost a yard and Jared Goff then threw incomplete. Kai Forbath hit a 23 yard field goal to make it 3-0 Rams. The Seahawks soon faced 3rd and 1 from their own 31. Russell Wilson went to Greg Olsen for 22 and Swain for 21 and 8. Collins ran for a 13 yard touchdown to make it 7-3 Seahawks. 

The Rams soon faced 3rd and 4 at their own 29. Goff went deep to Tyler Higbee for 39, to Higbee again for 14, and to Greg Everett for 16 down to the one. Darrell Henderson got the yard to make it 10-7 Rams. The Rams got it back at their own 7. Akers gained 17. Goff hit Robert Woods for 8 and Josh Reynolds for a pair of 9 yard gains. On 3rd and 1 from midfield, Brown ran for 13. On 3rd and 9 from the Seattle 36, Goff hit Brown for 11, Reynolds for 10, and Cooper Kupp for 9. On 3rd and 2 from the Seattle 7, Brown got in to make it 17-7 Rams.  

The Seahawks took over at their own 32. Wilson hit Tyler Lockett for 6 and then again for 39 yards. On 3rd and 11 from the Rams 24, Wilson hit Homer for only 5 yards. Myers hit a 37 yard field goal to get the Seahawks within 17-10. After the teams exchanged turnovers, the Seahawks took over at their own 9 with 1:11 left in the half. They moved to a 1st and 10 at the Rams 43 with 14 seconds left in the half. Wilson threw 3 straight incompletions. Yet Pete Carroll and the entire team got a jolt of energy when Myers drilled a 61 yard field goal to end the half wit the Seahawks within 17-13.

The Rams began the third quarter at their own 12. Henderson ran for 16. On 3rd and 13 from their own 25, Goff hit Reynolds for 17 and 21. On 3rd and 5 from the Seattle 32, Goff went to Woods for 7 and Reynolds for 9. On 3rd and 2 from the Seattle 4, Goff threw incomplete but defensive pass interference meant 1st and goal at the one. Brown got the touchdown. The extra point was no good but the Rams led 23-13 with 6 1/2 minutes left in the third quarter after the 14 play, 88 yard, 7 minute drive. The rest of the game belonged to the defenses. In the fourth quarter the Seahawks had consecutive turnovers with a fumble and an interception. With 3 1/2 minutes left the Seahawks ere pinned at their own 5. They moved 74 yards in 13 plays. On 1st and 10 from the Rams 11 with 35 seconds left, Wilson was sacked for a 10 yard loss. Needing 2 scores with 25 seconds left, Myers came in and hit a 39 yard field goal. The onside kick failed and the Rams got the win as both teams are 6-3 on the year. 23-16 Rams 

San Francisco 49ers at New Orleans Saints — Saints are in Super Bowl or bust mode, and the 49ers are injury riddled. The 49ers began with 3rd and 1 from their own 34. McKinnon gained 2. On 3rd and 4 from their own 42, Nick Mullens hit James for 5. On 3rd and 2 from the Saints 45, Mullens hit Kendrick Bourne for 4. Unnecessary roughness tacked on 15 more yards. Mullens hit Aiyuk for 14 and again for a 4 yard touchdown to make it 7-0 49ers. The Saints then fumbled a punt and the 49ers recovered just past midfield. On 2nd and goal at the 3, McKinnon lost 2 yards and Mullens was sacked. Robbie Gould hit a 32 yard field goal on the first play of the second quarter. The 49ers led 10-0, but after that the Saints defense turned out the lights.

The Saints began their onslaught with special teams, as the ensuing kickoff was returned by Harris 75 yards to the San Francisco 25. The offense went backward but Wil Lutz hit a 49 yard field goal to get the Saints within 10-3. The 49ers then fumbled a punt and the Saints recovered at the San Francisco 21. Roughing the passer put the ball on the 11. On 3rd and 1 from the 2, Alvin Kamara got in for a 10-10 game. The 49ers moved from their own 14 to a 3rd and 1 at the Saints 41 at the 2 minute warning. Mullens threw incomplete and Kyle Shanahan decided to go for it. On 4th and 1, McKinnon got blown up for a 2 yard loss. Drew Brees form his own 43 hit Kamara for 8 and again for 34. On 3rd and 3 from the San Francisco 8, Brees hit Sanders for 5. Kamara ran for a 3 yard touchdown to make it 17-10 Saints.

Drew Brees did not play the second half as Jameis Winston finished the game. Brees was playing with sore ribs and he finally could no longer go. While he rested in the training room, the Saints defense did the rest. Lutz added a 23 yard field goal with 12 minutes left in regulation. The 49ers then fumbled another punt and the Saints recovered at the Frisco 22. Latavius Murray ran for 18 and Kamara ran for a one yard touchdown to have the Saints up 27-10 midway through the fourth quarter. The 49ers did manage one more field goal but this game was about the 49ers turning the ball over, especially on punts. It was a costly victory for the Saints. They are 7-2, but will be without Brees for several weeks. He has several broken ribs on each side and a punctured lung. 27-13 Saints

Cincinnati Bengals at Pittsburgh Steelers — Sometimes a bad team can go on the road and shock a much better team. This was not that game. Goliath beat up David early and often. The Bengals fumbled a punt and the Steelers recovered at the Cincinnati 32. Chris Boswell hit a 41 yard field goal to make it 3-0 Steelers. A 15 yard punt return gave the Steelers the ball back at the Cincinnati 46. On 3rd and 6 from the Cincy 12, Ben Roethlisberger threw incomplete. Boswell hit a 30 yarder to make it 6-0 Steelers. The Steelers got the ball back at their own 26. Roetholisberger went deep to Johnson for a 46 yard gain. Roethlisberger then went to Washington for 16 and to Johnson for the 12 yard touchdown. The 2 point try failed but the Steelers led 12-0. 

In the second quarter the Bengals took over at their own 10. Perine ran for 14. Joe Burrow went deep to Higgins for a 54 yard gain. On 3rd and goal at the 2, Burrow threw incomplete. Zac Parsons went for it and Burrow hit Higgins for the touchdown to get the Bengals within 12-7. The Steelers soon faced 3rd and 6 from their own 26. Roethlisberger hit Chase Claypool for 15 and Juju Smith-Schuster for 24. Roughing the passer and defensive pass interference penalties gave the Steelers 30 free yards down to the 5. On 3rd and goal from the 8, Roethlisberger hit Smith-Schuster to make it 19-7 Steelers. Boswell tacked on a 45 yard field goal with 1:48 left in the half to make it 22-7 Steelers. The Bengals moved from their own 22 to a 1st and 10 at the Pittsburgh 35 with 30 seconds left. Burrow was sacked to kill the drive. The second half was a formality. In the third quarter the Steelers marched 67 yards in 12 plays. Big Ben hit Claypool for an 11 yard touchdown to make it 29-7 Steelers. In the fourth quarter the Steelers returned a punt 42 yards to the Cincy 15. Roethlisberger hit Claypool for a 5 yard touchdown to make it 36-7 Steelers. For the few people somewhere in Southwestern Ohio who cared, the Bengals managed another field goal. Mike Tomlin has the NFL’s only unbeaten team as the Steelers got to 9-0 on the year. 36-10 Steelers

Baltimore Ravens at New England Patriots was the Sunday night game. John Harbaugh is one of the only coaches who could beat Bill Belichick when the Patriots were at their best. This is the worst Patriots team in 20 years, while the Ravens only 2 losses came against 9-0 Pittsburgh and 8-1 Kansas City. Yet it is always a mistake to count out the Evil Hoodie, especially in a driving rainstorm. The Ravens took over at their own 6 yard line midway through the first quarter. On 3rd and 2 from their own 14, Lamar Jackson gained 3. Jackson hit Andrews for 13 and Willie Snead for 21 more. Jackson ran for 7 and hit Duvernay for 19. On 3rd and 2 from the New England 9, Edwards gained 3. On the first play of the second quarter, Jackson hit Snead for the 6 yard touchdown to cap the 13 play, 94 yard, 8 minute drive and make it 7-0 Ravens.

After a touchback, Cam Newton went to Meyers for 19 with 15 more tacked on for lowering the head to initiate contact. On 3rd and 3 from the Baltimore 34, Burkhead gained 4. Newton hit Izzo for 20 and Burkhead for a 7 yard touchdown to make it 7-7. The Ravens soon faced 3rd and 1 from their own 34. Jackson got the yard. Jackson hit Andrews for 11 and Edwards for 31. Another lowering the head to initiate contact penalty meant 1st and goal at the 9. On 3rd and goal at the 6, Jackson threw incomplete. Justin Tucker hit a 24 yard field goal as the Ravens led 10-7 with 5 1/2 minutes left in the half. After that the Patriots took over.

On 3rd and 2 from their own 33, Newton hit James White for 4. Harris gained 12, 5 and one. On 3rd and 4 from the Baltimore 45 at the 2 minute warning, Newton hit Meyers for just enough. Harris gained 13 and 4. With one minute left in the half, Bill Belichick went to his bag of tricks. Newton pitched it to Meyers, who threw the halfback option pass to Burkhead for a 24 yard touchdown. The extra point was no good but the Patriots led 13-10. The Ravens after a touchback moved to a 2nd and 4 at the New England 38 with 7 seconds left in the half. Even the great Justin Tucker should not be asked to try a 56 yard field goal in a driving rainstorm. Rather than try and gain a few more yards, Jackson went deep and was intercepted. 

The Patriots struck quickly in the third quarter after a touchback. Harris gashed the Baltimore defense for gains of 16 and 25. Newton went to Meyers for 26. Newton ran for the 4 yard touchdown to make it 20-10 Patriots. The Ravens moved from their own 27 to a 4th and 1 at the Baltimore 48. John Harbaugh decided to go for it and out of the shotgun Ingram fumbled. The Patriots moved from the Baltimore 37 to a 3rd and goal at the 2. Newton threw incomplete but Nick Folk hit the 20 yard field goal to make it 23-10 Patriots with 6 1/2 minutes left in the third quarter. Then momentum shifted again.

After a touchback, Jackson hit Boyle for 4, Duvernay for 14 and Andrews for 18. Again, the Ravens faced 4th and 1 at the New England 48. Again John Harbaugh went for it. This time Edwards gained 11. On 3rd and 4 from the New England 31, Jackson gained 8. Jackson went to Snead for an 18 yard touchdown at the end of the third quarter as the Ravens were back in it down by 6.The fourth quarter was a slog. With 3 1/2 minutes left the Ravens took their first timeout on defense as the Patriots faced a critical 3rd and 3 from their own 25. Newton fired over the middle to Meyers for 4 yards. On 2nd and 2 from their own 37, the Patriots got another first down when the defense jumped. With the Ravens out of timeouts, everything came down to the Patriots facing 3rd and 7 from their own 45 at the 2 minute warning. Newton tried to run, saw no openings, and quickly went down after a 2 yard loss protecting the football. The Ravens took over at their own 17 with 1:05 to play. The rain turned into a monsoon and on 4th and 6 from their own 21, a pass past the first down marker was dropped with 2 seconds left. 23-17 Ravens

Minnesota Vikings at Chicago Bears was the Monday night game. The Bears started 5-1 but have lost 3 straight. The Vikings started 1-5 but have won 2 straight. This was an NFC North slobber knocker. The Vikings moved from their 25 to a 1st and 10 at the Chicago 40. Kirk Cousins hit Kyle Rudolph for 12 but Rudolph fumbled and the Bears recovered at their own 27. 2 plays later Nick Foles was intercepted, setting the Vikings up at the Chicago 41. On 3rd and 5 from the Chicago 36, Cousins hit Beebe for 12. On 3rd and 3 from the Chicago 17, Cousins hit Adam Thielen for the touchdown to make it 7-0 Vikings. The Bears after a touchback moved 70 yards in 14 plays and 6 minutes. Yet on 3rd and goal at the 5, Foles threw incomplete. Cairo Santos hit the 23 yard field goal to get the Bears within 7-3. In the second quarter the Vikings moved from their 20 to a 1st and 10 at the Chicago 28 with 1:51 left in the half. Cousins was intercepted by Khalil Mack, who returned it 33 yards to the Minnesota 45. Foles hit Miller for 21 and then threw 3 straight incompletions. Santos hit from 42 as the Bears trailed 7-6 at the break.

The third quarter started with a bang when Cordarelle Patterson returned the second half kickoff 105 yards for a touchdown and a 13-7 Bears lead. Special teams again played a role as the Vikings punted and the Bears fumbled it. The Vikings took over at the Chicago 20, but Cousins threw incomplete twice sandwiched around a failed run. Dan Bailey hit a 37 yard field goal to get the Vikings within 13-10. The Vikings got it back and faced 3rd and 1 at their own 24. Calvin Cook ripped off a 36 yard gain, but offensive holding nullified it. On 3rd and 11 from their own 14, Cousins went deep to Jefferson for 54 yards. On 3rd and 10 from the Chicago 32, a completion only gained 7. Bailey hit from 43 as the game was deadlocked 13-13 after three quarters.  

The Vikings began the fourth quarter at their own 37. Cook ran for 8 and 13. On 1st and 20 from the Chicago 48, Cousins hit Rudolph for 22 and Jefferson for 14. Cook ran for 6. On 3rd and 4 from the Chicago 6, Cousins fired to Thielen in the end zone for the touchdown. The 10 play, 63 yard, 5 minute drive put the Vikings up by 6 with 10 minutes left in regulation. A terrible snap on the extra point led to a desperation incomplete pass. Another special teams play had the Bears in golden field position when they returned a punt 32 yards to the Minnesota 46 with 5 minutes left. On 4th and 9 from the Minnesota 35, Foles faced heavy pressure but went deep. Miller dove but the ball was just barely overthrown. Miller got fingers on it but could not haul it in as it fell incomplete. 2:04 remained, and the Bears had all 3 timeouts plus the 2 minute warning. 

At this point Minnesota had out-gained Chicago 360 to 131 but was still barely ahead. Cousins went to Rudolph for 21 yards. On 3rd and 6 from the Chicago 36, Mike Zimmer played it safe. A run gained only one yard. A 53 yard field goal would lock up the win, but Zimmer took no chances. A punt went for a touchback. Foles had 44 seconds and 0 timeouts to go 80 yards and pull off a miracle. Foles immediately got slammed to the ground and stayed down for several minutes. Mitchell Trubisky was already out with a separated shoulder. The 3rd string quarterback is Tyler Bray. He had 37 seconds to work with, a tough ordeal for his very first NFL action. His first pass was a completion to Nall for 18 yards. He then spiked the ball to stop the clock and then got belted for an incompletion. With 8 seconds remaining, it came down to 4th and 10 from the Chicago 38. Needing 62 yards, he threw a 10-15 yard out incomplete. 19-13 Vikings

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