THE TYGRRRR EXPRESS

NFL 2020 Week 4 Recap

Denver Broncos at New York Jets was the Thursday night game. Sometimes a pair of bad teams can come together and play a great game for the ages. This was not that game, but it was a pretty good football game. Sam Darnold looked like a Hall of Famer on the first Jets drive. On 3rd and 1 from his own 34, Darnold gained 3. On 3rd and 4 from his own 43, Darnold gained 8. On 3rd and 7 from the Denver 46, Darnold did make an NFL highlight reel. He somehow avoided a sack, scrambled up the middle, and briefly looked like he would slide for the first down. At the last moment he stopped his slide, kept running, and went all the way up the middle to the end zone for the touchdown to make it 7-0 Jets.

With Drew Lock out, Vic Fangio opted to start 3rd stringer Brett Rypien, son of Super Bowl winner Mark Rypien, over backup Jeff Driskel. The Broncos took over at their own 8 yard line and moved to a 3rd and 2 at the Jets 15. Then came a false start and a pass that lost a couple yards. 10 plays, 70 yards and over 6 1/2 minutes led to a 40 yard Brandon McManus field goal as the Broncos were within 7-3. The Broncos got it back and soon faced 3rd and 3 at their own 37. Rypien threw incomplete, but roughing the passer kept the drive going. Rypien then went deep and an under thrown ball should have been intercepted. Instead the defender bobbled it, and rookie Jerry Jeudy ripped it out of his hands for a gift touchdown. Dumb luck had the Broncos up 10-7 early in the second quarter.

An interception of Rypien by Pierre Desir had the Jets taking over at their own 37. On 4th and 7 from the Denver 28, a 46 yard field goal try by Sam Ficken was no good. Yet unnecessary roughness on the defense meant a new set of downs. On 3rd and 4 at the Denver 8, Darnold threw incomplete. This time Ficken was good from 26 for a 10-10 game. The Broncos soon faced 3rd and 7 from their own 28. Rypien went deep to Patrick for a 40 yard gain. On 3rd and 6 from the Jets 28, Rypien hit Hamilton for 9. Driskel came in for one play and ran for 9 yards, with 5 more tacked on for another defensive unnecessary roughness. From the one, Melvin Gordon initially appeared stop, but reached the ball just over the plane of the goal for the score to make it 17-10 Broncos.

After a touchback, only 1:37 remained in the half. Yet Darnold hit Jermaine Crowder for 27 yards. On 3rd and 6 from the Denver 44, Darnold hit Crowder again for 10. With 33 seconds left the Jets had 1st and 10 at the Denver 20. Darnold threw 3 straight incompletions. Ficken connected from 38 as the Jets trailed 17-13 at the half. Early in the third quarter the Jets took over at their own 40. Defensive pass interference meant a 38 yard gain. Yet on 3rd and 4 from the Denver 14, Darnold threw incomplete. Ficken hit from 32 to get the Jets within 17-16.

The Broncos soon faced 3rd and 4 at their own 31. Rypien hit Freeman for 8 yards. Gordon ran for 19. Rypien hit Nick Fant for 6 and Jeudy for 13. On 3rd and 8 from the Jets 20, Rypien hit Fant for 9. On 3rd and 6 from the Jets 7, Rypien hit Patrick for the touchdown. With 4 1/2 minutes in the third quarter, the 13 play, 75 yard, 6 1/2 minute drive had the Broncos leading 24-16. A 41 yard punt return had the Broncos getting it back at the Jets 44. The defense held but McManus drilled a 54 yard field goal to start the fourth quarter and put the Broncos up 27-16.

After a touchback, Darnold went deep to Crowder for a 35 yard gain. Yet on 3rd and 4 from the Denver 23, Darnold went back to pass and tripped over himself without anyone else around him. The 13 yard loss ended the drive but Ficken bailed the Jets out again. His 4th field goal from 54 yards out had the Jets within 27-19 with 12 minutes left in regulation. Denver soon faced 3rd and 10 at their own 25. Rypien was again intercepted by Desir, and again Desir made him pay. The 35 yard interception return got the Jets within 2 points. The 2 point conversion was no good but the Jets were only down 27-25 with plenty of time left. After another touchback, Denver soon faced 2nd and 8 at their own 39. Rypien went to the sideline and was intercepted for the third time. This time Brian Poole picked him off as the Jets took over at the Denver 44. Darnold hit Hogan for 5 and Smith for 11. On 3rd and 5 from the Denver 23, Darnold hit Crowder for the first down. Yet Vic Fangio challenged the spot, and it was reversed to 4th and 1. Adam Gase decided not to go for it. Ficken hit his 5th field goal from 36 yards out. With 6 1/2 minutes left, it was now 28-27 Jets.

The Broncos soon faced 3rd and 6 at their own 29 with 5 minutes left. Rypien got belted for a 10 yard loss. Yet a defensive facemask penalty made it all for naught and kept the Broncos offense on the field. On 2nd and 7 from the Denver 47, Rypien had a wide open receiver deep and threw the bomb. It was overthrown incomplete. On 3rd and 7 Rypien went deep again to the sideline and this time connected with Tim Patrick for a 31 yard gain. With 4 minutes left the Broncos were now in short field goal range. A dropped pass had the Broncos facing 3rd and 13 at the Jets 25. Under heavy pressure, Rypien was called for intentional grounding. On 4th and 23 with 3:13 left, McManus game in for a 53 yard field goal try. The kick was good and the Broncos led 30-28.

On 3rd and 2 from their own 33, Darnold hit Crowder for 10. On 3rd and 3 from midfield, Darnold was nearly intercepted. 2:05 remained. On 4th and 3, Darnold was sacked and the Broncos took over on downs at the 2 minute warning. The Jets still had all 3 timeouts. 12 seconds later, the Broncos delivered the dagger. Gordon went up the middle and was totally stopped for what appeared to be a loss. Somehow he bounced to the outside and with a key block from Rypien, got to the end zone for a 43 yard touchdown. At this point even Adam Gase had to wonder how on earth he was still employed. The Jets are winless, witless and worthless. J-E-T-S stands for Just End The Season. 37-28 Broncos

Pittsburgh Steelers at Tennessee Titans — Postponed due to COVID.

Seattle Seahawks at Miami Dolphins — Ryan Fitzpatrick’s beard threw a ball that was batted in the air and intercepted. On 2nd and 5 from their own 48, Russell Wilson went deep to DK Metcalf for a 37 yard gain. Chris Carson ran for a one yard touchdown to make it 7-0 Seahawks lead. The Dolp[hins moved the ball surprisingly well against the Seattle defense but kept settling for field goals. Sanders hit from 41 to get the Dolphins on the board but Myers leveled a 55 yarder to make it 10-3 Seahawks. In the second quarter Sanders hit from 29 and 45 to get the Dolphins within 10-9.

After a touchback, only 24 seconds remained in the half. That was enough time for Wilson, who hit Greg Olsen for 11 and Moore deep for a 57 yard gain. With 6 seconds left, the Seahawks were 3 yards away and still had a timeout. Wilson hit Homer for the touchdown as the Seahawks took a 17-9 lead to the locker rooms. An interception of Wilson in the third quarter led to Sanders hitting his fourth field goal from 43. The Dolphins got it back and moved 73 yards on a staggering 17 plays, taking 8 minutes off the clock. Yet on 3rd and 3 from the Seattle 9, a run lost 2 yards. For the 5th time on the day, Miami settled for a field goal. Sanders hit from 29 but the dolphins were down 17-15 with 8 1/2 minutes left in regulation.

After a touchback, Wilson went to Tyler Lockett for 9 and again for 30 more. Wilson found Dallas for 9 and Moore for a 17 yard touchdown. With 5 1/2 minutes left the Seahawks led 24-15. Fitzpatrick wa then intercepted, setting the Seahawks up at the Miami 33. Wilson went to DK Metcalf for 32 yards. Chris Carson got the last yard. With 4 minutes left the Seahawks led 31-15. Fitzpatrick led a furious rally. Fitzpatrick hit Ford for 11, Parker for 10, and Grand and Parker for a pair of 18 yard gains. Fitzpatrick hit Gaskin for 8. On 3rd and 2 from the Seattle 10, Fitzpatrick ran it in himself. Fitzpatrick went to Williams for the 2 point conversion as he Dolphin were within 8 with 1:50 to play. The onside kick failed and the Seahawks faced 3rd and 3 at midfield with 1:42 to play. Carson gained just enough and Wilson took 3 knees to end it. The Seahawks are 4-0 as Wilson was 24 of 34 for 260 yards and 2 touchdowns with one interception. Fitzpatrick was 29 of 45 for 315 yards but 0 touchdowns and 2 killer interceptions. 31-23 Seahawks

Jacksonville Jaguars at Cincinnati Bengals — Gardner Minshew’s mustache had a ball batted up in the air and picked off. The Bengals did not capitalize. The Jaguars had a field goal attempt from Aldrick Rosas. It was no good, as they did not capitalize. Randy Bullock would hit a 35 yard field goal to put the Bengals up 3-0. A touchback and defensive pass interference meant `17 yards and the Jaguars at their own 42. On 2nd and 11, a completion gained on 7 but a defensive facemask added 15 more. Minshew hit DJ Chark for 14 and defensive unnecessary roughness added 12 more. Minshew went back to Chark for the 11 yard touchdown as the Jaguars led 7-3 after the first quarter.

The Bengals began the second quarter at their own 11. The Bengals moved 88 yards in 11 plays and 6 minutes. On 2nd and goal from the one, Joe Mixon got stopped. On 3rd and goal, Burrow went to the end zone and was intercepted for a touchback. The Jaguars moved 66 yards in 11 plays and 5 1/2 minutes. The Jaguars settled for a 32 yard Rosas field goal to lead 10-3. After a touchback, Burrow went to Sample for 23. Mixon gained 5 and Tee Higgins added 13 more. Burrow hit Bod for 14 and Sample for 8. On 3rd and 1 from the Jags 11, Nixon gained 2. Burrow threw a 9 yard touchdown pass to Mixon for a 10-10 game with one minute left in the half. After a touchback, Minshew ran for 7 and hit Shenault for 22 more. Minshew hit Cole for 7 and Shenault for 28 more. With 6 seconds left in the half the Jaguars had 3rd and 1 at the Cincy 2 but minshew had to spike the ball to stop the clock. On 4th and 1 from the 2, Doug Marrone decided not to gamble. Rosas hit the 20 yard field goal as the Jaguars led 13-10 at the intermission.

The Bengals took over in the third quarter. On 2nd and 6 from their own 29, Burrow hit Mixon for 14. Giovanni Bernard ran for 11. Burrow hit Boyd for 12. Mixon raced for a 34 yard touchdown to make it 17-13 Bengals. The Bengals got it back at their own 39. Burrow hit Boyd for 13. On 3rd and 1 from the Jags 23, Mixon ran all the way for the touchdown again as the Bengals led 24-13. The Bengals got it back at their own 41 and Burrow hit Carter for 24. Bullock hit a 40 yard field goal as the Bengals led 27-13 after three quarters.

The Jaguars moved from their own 25 to a 3rd and 7 at the Cincy 25 to start the fourth quarter. Minshew was sacked and the Jaguars settled for a 50 yard field goal to get within 27-16. The Bengals took 5 minutes off the clock and Bullock hit a 46 yard field goal. The Bengals led 30-16 with 9 1/2 minutes left in regulation. The Jaguars soon faced 4th and 3 at their own 32. Minshew hit Chark for 22 and Conley for 33. Minshew hit Chark for the 2 yard touchdown and Robinson for the 2 point conversion. with 6:14 left, the Jaguars were within 30-22.

The Bengals kept grinding down the clock. A 10 play, 66 yard drive led to 3rd and 5 at the Jags 11. Mixon lost a yard but the Jaguars took their final timeout with 1:50 left. Bullock hit the 30 yard field goal to make it 33-22 Bengals. In desperation mode after a touchback, the Jaguars moved to a 1st and 10 at the Cincy 12 with 16 seconds remaining. After an incompletion and needing 2 scores, Rosas hit the 30 yard field goal to make it an 8 point game again. The onside kick failed and Burrow had his first NFL victory. 33-25 Bengals

Minnesota Vikings at Houston Texans — A pair of winless teams started with punts. The Vikings took over at their own 44. Kirk Cousins went deep to Jefferson for a 29 yard gain and to Calvin Cook for 11 more. On 3rd and 2 from the Houston 7, Cook gained 2 and then ran for the 5 yard touchdown to make it 7-0 Vikings. Late in the first quarter the Texans fumbled a punt and the Vikings recovered at the Houston 35. Early in the second quarter Dan Bailey hit a 31 yard field goal to make it 10-0 Vikings. The Texans after a touchback moved to a 2nd and 9 at the Minnesota 32. Deshaun Watson threw incomplete twice. Kaimi Fairbairn hit a 50 yard field goal to get the texans on the board. The Vikings moved 75 yards in 12 plays and 7 minutes. After a touchback, Cousins went to Kyle Rudolph for 8 and Jefferson for 26. On 4th and 2 from the Houston 30, Mike Zimmer decided to go for it. Cousins gained 5 yards. On 3rd and 1 from the Houston 16, Ham gained 2. Cook ran for 7 and then at the 2 minute warning ran for a 7 yard touchdown as the Vikings led 17-3.

The Texans took over at their own 32 with 1:47 left in the half. From the Minnesota 46, Watson went to Akins for 26 with a personal foul on the defense adding 10 more and a disqualification. Despite 1st and goal at the 10 with a minute left, Watson gained nothing and then threw incomplete twice. Fairbairn hit from 28 as the Texans trailed 17-6 at the midpoint. Houston got it back in the third quarter at their own 27. Watson hit Randall Cobb for 13, Darren Fells for 7, and then ran for 5. On 3rd and 1 from the Minnesota 39, Johnson gained 15. Watson went to Will Fuller for a 24 yard touchdown to get the Texans within 17-13. Midway through the third quarter, Mike Zimmer brought in Bailey for a 55 yard field goal try. The kick was no good. Houston took over at their own 45. From just shy of midfield, Watson went deep to Fuller for a 43 yard gain. Despite 1st and goal at the 8, Watson threw incomplete, a run gained one yard, and Watson threw incomplete again. Fairbairn hit from 25 and the Texan were within 17-16 with 5 1/2 minutes left in the third quarter.

After a touchback, Cook gained 13. On 3rd and 10 from their own 38, Cousins went to Jefferson for 23 and Kyle Rudolph for 19. Cook gained 6 and 5. Cousins hit Thielen for the 9 yard touchdown as the Vikings led 24-16 after three quarters. The Vikings began the fourth quarter getting the ball back at their own 27. On 3rd and 6 from their own 31, Cousins went to Cousins and Thielen for a pair of 25 yard gains. Cook ran for 15 and Alexander Mattison ran for the 4 yard touchdown. With 11 minutes left in regulation, the Vikings led 31-16. Yet this was a game of ebb and flow.

The Texans took over at their own 23. Johnson gained 7 and Watson hit Fells for 14 and Fuller for 19. On 3rd and 23 from the Minnesota 37, Watson hit Johnson for 13. With 6 minutes left in the game, on 4th and 10 from the Minnesota 24, one defensive stop would end it. Instead, Watson went to Kenny Stills for the touchdown as the Texans were within 31-23. The Texans got it back at their own 24 with 3 minutes left in regulation. On 3rd and 4 from their own 30, Watson threw incomplete but defensive pass interference meant an 11 yard gain. Watson went to Cobb for 23, Stills for 15 and Johnson for 16. With 1:54 left, the Texans had 1st and goal at the 4. Johnson gained 3 but on 2nd and goal from the one got stopped. Rather than go smash mouth, on 3rd and goal at the one the Texans were in the shotgun. Watson fumbled but the Texans retained possession. The Vikings took their 2nd timeout on defense. With 1:15 left, it came down to 4th and goal at the 5. Watson threw to Fuller for the touchdown and the Texans prepared for the 2 point conversion to tie the game. Yet on further review, the play was reversed to an incomplete pass. The Vikings finally got a win while Bill O’Brien saw hit hot seat become an inferno for his 0-4 team. On Monday, O’Brien was fired and Romeo Crennel became interim coach. 31-23 Vikings

Cleveland Browns at Dallas Cowboys — The Browns took over at their own 31 and Nuck Chubb immediately ran for 21 yards. Baker Mayfield then went to Austin Hooper for 11. The Browns went to the bag of tricks early on with a  halfback option pass. Mayfield gave it to Jarvis Landry, who threw a 37 yard touchdown pass to O’Dell Beckham Jr to make it 7-0 Browns. The Cowboys took over at their own 12 and made it look easy. Dak Prescott hit Schultz for 25 yards and Ezekiel Elliott for 18 more. Prescott went deep to rookie Ceedee Lamb for a 43 yard touchdown and a 7-7 game. The Cowboys got it back at their own 16 and moved the ball easily again. Prescott hit Cooper for gains of 10 and 13, Brown for 9, and Lamb for 19. On 4th and 2 from the Cleveland 20, Mike McCarthy decided to go for it. Prescott fired a laser over the middle between 2 defenders that somehow was not intercepted. Instead, Lamb caught it in stride for the touchdown and the 14-7 Cowboys lead. Then Cleveland exploded.

After a touchback, Beckham took an end around 23 yards. On 1st and 20 from their own 38, a 5 yard completion was followed by a defensive facemask for 15 more. Karim Hunt ran for 8 and Mayfield went to Beckham for 16 more. On 3rd and 6 from the Dallas 14 early in the second quarter, Mayfield hit Landry for 10. Mayfield went to Beckham for the 4 yard touchdown to make it 14-14. Myles Garrett hit Prescott and forced a fumble to set up the Browns at the Dallas 34. Mayfield hit Beckham for 11. Hunt added gains of 10 and 12 down to the one. Mayfield hit Hooper for the touchdown to make it 21-14 Browns.  After a touchback, Elliott ran for a 24 yard gain but had the ball ripped out of his hands and the Browns recovered just shy of midfield. Johnson ran for a 28 yard gain. On 3rd and 10 from the Dallas 23, Mayfield hit Landry for 11. Hilliard ran for 10 and Hunt ran for the 2 yard touchdown to make it 28-14 Browns. The Browns got it back with 4 minutes left in the half and moved 71 yards in 13 plays to the red zone. Cody Parkey hit a 37 yard field goal to end the half. 24 second quarter points had the Browns blasting the Cowboys 31-14 at halftime. The Browns were not done.

The Browns began the third quarter at their own 30. Hunt ran for 6 and Mayfield hit Bryant for 14 to midfield. From just past midfield, the Browns did not need another pass. Mayfield ran for 8 and a defensive facemask added 15 more. Hilliard ran for 9 and 3 and Hunt ran for the 14 yard touchdown as the Browns were up 38-14. The Cowboys moved from their own 37 to a 4th and 3 at the Cleveland 33. Prescott threw incomplete and the Browns moved to a 4th and 4 at the Dallas 26. Parkey hit a 44 yard field goal as the Browns were obliterating Dallas 41-14 after three quarters. The Cowboys have had spectacular comebacks in recent weeks, but a 27 point deficit was not going to be overcome.

The Cowboys began the fourth quarter at their own 23. Prescott hit Cooper for 10, Elliott for 11, Cooper for 14, Elliott for 13 and Brown for 18 and 7. On 3rd and goal at the 3 out of the shotgun, Pollard took the direct snap and got in for the touchdown. Prescott hit Elliott for the 2 point conversion as the Cowboys were within 41-22 only 90 seconds into the fourth quarter. The Cowboys got it back at their own 16 with 8 1/2 minutes left in regulation. Prescott hit Pollard for 16, Cooper for 11, Bell for 12, Brown for 9, and Schultz for a 26 yard touchdown. Prescott ran for the 2 point conversion. With 6 1/2 minutes left, the Cowboys were within 41-30. The Cowboys took 2 timeouts on defense and got the ball back at their own 20 only 30 seconds later. Prescott hit Wilson for 12, Elliott for 5, Schultz for 14, Cooper for 9 and 16, and Lamb for a 5 yard touchdown. Cooper took an end around for the 2 point conversion. 24 straight points had the Cowboys within 41-38 with 3:42 to play. The Browns were on the verge of a collapse for the ages and the Cowboys, a comeback for the ages.

The onside kick failed and the Browns took over at midfield. Rather than just run up the gut, the Browns went bold. Beckham took an end around, evaded a tackle in the backfield, and got around the edge and raced for a 50 yard touchdown to make it 47-38 Browns. The extra point was blocked, but one of the Cowboys tried to pick it up in the tradition of Leon Lett. Once it was touched by Dallas it became a live ball. The Browns recovered it in the end zone for a 2 point conversion and a 49-38 lead. With 3:25 left after a touchback, the Cowboys reached a 2nd and 4 at the Cleveland 35 at the 2 minute warning. With 1:42 left the Cowboys had 1st and goal at the 8. Needing 2 scores, Prescott threw a short pass and was intercepted at the 4 yard line to finally snuff out the rally. Prescott threw 58 passes, completing 41 of them for a staggering 502 yards with 4 touchdowns. Yet his lone interception at the end was a killer. Last week Prescott threw for 472 yards. Yet the Cowboys are 1-3 and Jerry Jones is not going to be happy at Happy Valley with flashy losses. Mayfield was only 19 of 30 for 165 yards and 2 touchdowns, with 0 interceptions. Yet it is the Browns that are a surprising 3-1 team. This because the Browns ran the ball 40 times for a whopping 307 yards. 49-38 Browns

Baltimore Ravens at Washington Redskins — An early Washington fumble had the Ravens taking over at the Washington 34. Lamar Jackson went to Brown for a 33 yard gain down to the one. Mark Ingram got the yard for a 7-0 Ravens lead. The Redskins missed a long field goal and the Ravens soon faced 3rd and 4 at midfield. Human video game highlight reel Jackson ran for the 50 yard touchdown to make it 14-0 Ravens.

The non-Redskins tried to get back in the game after a touchback. Dwayne Haskins hit McLaurin for 11 and Dontrelle Inman for 13 to midfield. On 3rd and 11 Haskins connected with Gibson for a 40 yard gain. Gibson then ran for 9 and then the 2 yard touchdown as the Washington Deficits had a 14-7 deficit. After a touchback the Ravens had 4:41 left in the half. Jackson went deep to Brown for a 31 yard gain. On 4th and 9 from their own 43 with 3 minutes left in the half, John Harbaugh called a fake punt. Koch hit Boykin for a 15 yard gain. Jackson went to Andrews for a 25 yard touchdown with 1:49 left in the half to make it 21-7 Ravens.

With 30 seconds left in the half, rather than just go to the half, Jackson threw from his own 23 and was intercepted. The No-Names took over at the Baltimore 37 and managed a field goal before the half. They were only down 21-10, but there would be no comeback. The Ravens immediately turned out the lights in the third quarter with a 10 play, 75 yard, 6 1/2 minute drive. Jackson went to Andrew for a 22 yard touchdown to make it 28-10 Ravens. The Non-Sentinels managed a 17 play, 82 yard, 8 minute drive that resulted in no points. The Ravens took over at their own 8 and moved 64 yards in 10 plays and 6 1/2 minutes. Justin Tucker hit a 46 yard fourth quarter field goal and the Baltimore defense did the rest for a 31-10 Ravens lead. Out of mercy, John Harbaugh let Jackson sit down and brought in Robert Griffin III to mop up. Instead RG3 was intercepted in his own territory and the Non-Redskins got a garbage touchdown. Nevertheless, the Ravens got to 3-1 with the win. 31-17 Ravens

New Orleans Saints at Detroit Lions — The Lions immediately faced 3rd and 10 from their own 23. Matthew Stafford ran for 12. On 3rd and 9 from their own 36, Stafford connected with Danny Amendola for a 50 yard gain. Stafford hit swift for a 7 yard touchdown to make it 7-0 Lions. Drew Brees immediately had a pass deflected and intercepted to set up the Lions at the saints 18 yard line. on 3rd and 7, Stafford went to Kenny Golladay for the touchdown as the Lions had the shocking 14-0 lead. Then came reality.

After a touchback the Saints woke up. Brees hit Callaway for 16. On 3rd and 1 from midfield, Latavius Murray gained 2. On 3rd and 3 from the Detroit 41, Alvin Kamara gained 5. Brees went to Emanuel Sanders for 18. On 3rd and goal from the 3, Murray got in to get the Saints within 14-7. The 13 play, 75 yard drive took nearly 7 1/2 minutes off the clock. The Saints got it back at their own 20 and Murray gained 7 and 5. Brees went to Sanders for 19 and Kamala ran for 9. On 4th and 4 from the Detroit 43, Sean Payton decided to go for it. Brees went deep to Kamala for a 29 yard gain. Taysom Hill came in and fumbled but the Saints retained possession after a 6 yard loss. Brees hit Murray for 19 and Kamala got the last yard for a 14-14 tie in the second quarter.

This time the Saints moved 80 yards in 10 plays and 5 1/2 minutes.  The Lions quickly after a touchback moved to the Saints 11. Stafford went to the end zone and was intercepted for a touchback. On 3rd and 1 from their own 29, Brees went to Sanders for 25 yards and Harris for 10 more. Murray ran for 6 and Kamara added 12, 10 and 6. Brees went to Smith for the 2 yard touchdown as the Saints led 21-14. The Saints got it back just past midfield with 1:43 left in the half. On 3rd and 9, Brees hit Smith for 18 with roughing the passer adding 15 more. Brees then went to Smith for the 20 yard touchdown. The Saints led 28-14 as another blown double digit lead had Matt Patricia wondering how and why he was still employed. The Saints kept rolling in the third quarter after a touchback. Brees hit Sanders for 15. Murray ran for 2 and 9. On 3rd and 6 from the Detroit 21, Brees hit Sanders for 12. On 3rd and goal at the 6, Kamala went up the middle for the score and a 35-14 Saints lead.

The Lions tried to mount a comeback. On 3rd and 3 from their own 32, Stafford hit Jones for 9. On 3rd and 3 from their own 48, Stafford hit TJ Hockensen for 8. On 3rd and 2 from the Saints 36, Agnew gained enough. Defensive pass interference on a deep ball meant a 32 yard gain and 1st and goal at the 2. Stafford hit Hockensen for a 1 yard touchdown as the 11 play, 75 yard drive had the Lions within 35-21. Midway through the fourth quarter a shanked 28 yard punt allowed the Lions to take over at the Saints 43. On 4th and 2 from the Saints 35, Stafford hit Johnson for 3. On 4th and 11 from the Saints 33 with 5 minutes left, Stafford went to Golladay for 14 yards. Stafford went t the end zone and was intercepted, but illegal contact nullified the interception. On 4th and 1 from the Saints 5, Adrian Peterson ran for the touchdown. For some inexplicable reason Matt Patricia went for a 2 point conversion. Stafford hit Hockenson as the Lions were within 6 with 3:40 to play. Matt Patricia opted to kick it deep rather than go onside. The Saints took over at their own 22. On 3rd and 5 from their own 27, Brees hit Smith for 19. At the 2 minute warning on 3rd and 3 from the Detroit 47, Kamala gained 5 to seal the win. Brees took 3 knees as the Saints escaped. 35-29 Saints

Arizona Cardinals at Carolina Panthers — On 3rd and 7 from their own 37 to start the game, Teddy Bridgewater hit Robbie Anderson for 14. On 3rd and 19 from their own 42, Bridgewater hit Manhertz for 17. Matt Rhule gambled on 4th and 2 and Bridgewater ran for 6 on a naked bootleg. Bridgewater hit Moore for 12 and Davis ran for 21. Davis ran for a one yard touchdown to make it 7-0 Panthers. The Panthers got it back at their own 20. Bridgewater went deep to Moore for 23 yards. On 3rd and 1 from the Arizona 22, Armah gained 2. On 3rd and 8 from the Arizona 18, Bridgewater bobbed and weaved up the middle and faked out everyone for a touchdown and a 14-0 Panthers advantage.

A second quarter interception of Bridgewater set up the Cardinals at the Carolina 38. On 3rd and 7 form the Carolina 13, Murray hit Edmonds for just enough. Murray hit Thomas for the 3 3rd touchdown as the 10 play drive ate up 5 1/2 minutes and got the Cardinals within 14-7. After a touchback Bridgewater hit Samuel for 11, Seth Roberts for 10, and Anderson for gains of 16 and 17. Davis ran for a pair of 9 yard gains. With 1:55 left in the half, Bridgewater hit Bonnafon for a 3 yard touchdown. The 10 play, 75 yard, 5 1/2 minute drive gave meant a 21-7 Panthers advantage. In the third quarter the Cardinals moved from their own 14 to a 3r and 2 at the Carolina 38. Murray was then sacked and fumbled and the Panthers took over at their own 26. On 3rd and 8 from their own 28, Bridgewater hit Samuel for 24. Bonnafon then ran for 14. Bridgewater hit Anderson for 20. On 2nd and 13 from the Arizona 15, Bridgwater threw incomplete but defensive pass interference put the ball on the two. Bridgewater hit Thomas for the touchdown as the Panthers had a comfortable 28-7 lead with 5 1/2 minutes left in the third quarter.

After touchback, Murray scrambled for a 48 yard gain. Murray ran for another 8. In 2nd and 13 from the Carolina 20, Murray hit Hopkins for just enough. Murray hit Kirk for a 3 yard touchdown as the Cardinals trailed 28-14 after three quarters. The Panthers ground down the clock in the fourth quarter on a killer 15 play, 73 yard drive that consumed 8 1/2 minutes. On 3rd and 3 from the Arizona 9, Bridgewater threw incomplete, but it didn’t matter. Joey Slye hit the 27 yard field goal to make it 31-14 Panthers midway through the fourth quarter. The Cardinals got a garbage touchdown with just over 2 minutes left, but the onside kick went out of bounds. 31-21 Panthers

Los Angeles Chargers at Tampa Bay Buccaneers — Tom Brady has 20 years of experience. Justin Herbert has started 2 games. After a touchback, the Buccaneers moved easily. From the Chargers 48, Brady found Mike Evans for a 24 yard gain and again for 17 more. On 3rd and goal from the 3, Brady hit Cameron Brate for the touchdown to make it 7-0 Buccaneers. Ho hum. Then came the inexplicable. The Chargers came right back when Herbert threw a 53 yard touchdown bomb to Tyron Johnson for a 7-7 ballgame.  The Buccaneers moved from their own 28 to the Chargers 32. Brady went to the sideline and Davis jumped the route for a 78 yard interception return touchdown and a surprising 14-7 Chargers lead. Brady was without Chris Godwin and Leonard Fournette, and Mike Evans limped off but would return.

The Chargers began the second quarter at their own 3 yard line. On 3rd and 4 from their own 9, Herbert ran for 5 with defensive unnecessary roughness adding 15 more. On 3rd and 1 from their own 38, Kelley gained 3. On 3rd and 8 from their own 43, Herbert threw incomplete but defensive pass interference meant a 20 yard gain. On 3rd and 11 from the Tampa 38, Herbert hit Kelley for 17. Herbert hit Parham for a 19 yard touchdown and the Chargers had the shocking 21-7 lead. Things got worse for the Patriots when Ryan Succop missed a 44 yard field goal with 5 minutes left in the half. The Chargers took over from their own 34. From their 48, herbert hit Keenan Allen for 17. Mike Badgley nailed a 53 yard field goal as the Chargers led 24-7 with 1:41 left in the half.

The Chargers were dominating, and got the ball back at their own 9 yard line with 47 seconds left in the half. All they had to do was get to the half. Instead, Herbert fumbled and the Buccaneers recovered at the Chargers 6 yard line. On 3rd and goal, Brady hit Evans for the 6 yard line as the Patriots only trailed 24-14 at the intermission. In the third quarter the Patriots took over at their own 31. On 3rd and 4 from their own 48, Brady hit Watson for 10 and Evans for 12. Brady went deep to OJ Howard for a 26 yard touchdown. Just like that, the Patriots were within 24-21. Things got worse for the Chargers when Badly missed a 47 yard field goal to extend the lead. Then came the inevitable. From his own 37, Brady went deep to Sam Miller for a 44 yard gain. On the next play Brady went to Miller for a 19 yard touchdown as the Patriots had the 28-24 lead after three quarters.

Just when it looked like the Chargers collapse was complete, they struck again. On the first play of the fourth quarter, Herbert went bombs away to Jalen Guyton for a 72 yard touchdown and a 31-28 Chargers lead. After a touchback, Brady went to Miller for gains of 6 and 7 and to Howard for 17. On 2nd and 20 from their own 45, Brady went deep to Evans for a 48 yard gain. Brady hit Keshawn Vaughn for a 9 yard touchdown. With 11 minutes left in regulation the Buccaneers retook the lead 35-31. The Chargers went 3 and out and the Patriots got it back at their own 21. On 3rd and 4 from their own 37, Brady hit Vaughn for 13 to midfield and Rob Gronkowski for 29. The Patriots had a chance to put the game away with 2nd and 5 from the Chargers 7. A run went nowhere. On 3rd and 5, Brady threw incomplete. Succop hit the 26 yard field goal to put the Patriots up by 7 with 2:40 to play. Herbert went deep and was intercepted. The Chargers were game, but another close loss had them at 1-3 while the Buccaneers are 3-1 on the year thanks to Brady’s 5 touchdown passes. 38-31 Buccaneers

New York Giants at Los Angeles Rams — The Rams have an offense that can score at will while the Giants are 45 players short of a team. This should have been a blowout. To quote ESPN uber-announcer Chris Berman, “That’s why they play the games.” The Rams made it look easy at the start from their own 35. Jared Goff hit Cooper Kupp for 9 and Henderson for 16. On 3rd and 8 from the Giants 36, Goff went to Brown for just enough. Everett ran for a 2 yard touchdown and the Rams quickly led 7-0. After that this game went to sleep. In the second quarter the Rams fumbled and Graham Gano kicked a 35 yard field goal for the Giants. The Rams mounted a 15 play drive that took over 7 minutes off the clock. Yet despite 1st and goal at the 4, a sack of Goff killed the drive. Sam Sloman hit a 32 yard field goal to put the Rams up 10-3. Gano hit again from 37 to end the half. The defenses dug in but the fourth quarter began with the Giants facing 3rd and 4 at the Rams 9. Daniel Jones threw incomplete and Gano hit from 27 as the Giants only trailed 10-9 with 10 minutes left in regulation.The Rams took over at their own 9. On 3rd and 1 from their own 18, Brown gained 4. Midway through the fourth quarter the Rams faced 3rd and 3 from their own 45. A defensive stop would give the Giants a chance at the upset of the year. Instead a short pass from Goff to Kupp went for a 55 yard touchdown. The defensive breakdown at the worst possible time had the Rams up by 8. The Giants anemic offense could not overcome a one score deficit. 17-9 Rams

Indianapolis Colts at Chicago Bears — Peyton Manning and Devon Hester are retired, removing interest from this game. Despite being 3-0, Mitch Trubisky was benched and Nick Foles took over. A shanked 18 yard punt gave the Colts the ball at their own 47. On 1st and 20 after offensive holding, defensive pass interference meant 8 yards and a new set of downs. On 3rd and 9 from their own 46, Philip Rivers went to Zach Pascal for 36 yards. On 3rd and 5 from the Chicago 13, Rivers went to Alie-Cox for the touchdown to make it 7-0 Colts. The Bears took over at their own 7 and Foles went deep to Mooney for 33 yards, Robinson for 27, and Montgomery for 17. Despite 2nd and 5 from the Colts 9, Foles ran nowhere and on 3rd and 5 threw incomplete. Cairo santos hit from 27 to get the Bears on the board in the second quarter. The Colts moved from their 30 to a 1st and goal at the 4. A run gained nothing and Rivers threw incomplete twice. Blankenship hit a 21 yard field goal to make it 10-3 Colts. With 2:05 left the Colts got it back at their own 45 and had 1st and goal at the 10 with 1:07 left. On 3rd and goal from the 8, Rivers was sacked. Blankenship hit from 30 to end the half with the Colts up 13-3 in a hideous game. An even uglier second half saw Blankenship tack on field goals of 44 at the end of the third quarter and 30 late in the game to make it 19-3 Colts. Chicago finally got a garbage touchdown to end a garbage game. 19-11 Colts

Buffalo Bills at Las Vegas Raiders — The unbeaten Bills took on the 2-1 Raiders. The Raiders were still without rookie speedster Henry Ruggs. It was a typical Raiders game. The defense stopped nothing and the offense moved at will until it reached the red zone where it bogged down. There were no punts in the first half. The Raiders won the coin toss and for the second straight week decided to defer. Given their awful pass defense, that is questionable. The Bills faced 3rd and 11 from their own 24. Maxx Crosby entered the neutral zone. On 3rd and 6, Allen went to Stefan Diggs for 21 yards to midfield. Allen went back to Diggs for 15 more. On 3rd and 1 from the Raiders 26, Allen went deep to Davis for the touchdown and the 7-0 Bills lead.

The Raiders took over at their own 16. Derek Carr hit Zee Jones for 9. Josh Jacobs gained 2 and 8. On 3rd and 2 from their own 35, Jalen Richard added 6 more. On 3rd and 11 from the Raiders 40, Carr hit Jones for 16. On 3rd and 1 from the Buffalo 35, Alec Ingold got blown up in the backfield for a one yard loss. Jon Gruden decided not to go for it. Daniel Carlson nailed a 54 yard field goal to get the Raiders within 7-3. The Bill soon faced 1st and 13 from their own 22. A completion gained 7 but roughing the passer added 15 more. Allen hit Diggs for 10. On 3rd and 13 from just past midfield, Allen hit McKenzie for 18 and Roberts for 6. The second quarter began with the Bills facing 3rd and 7 at the Raiders 11. Allen went to Beasley for the touchdown as the Bills led 14-3.

After a touchback the Raiders soon faced 3rd and 3 from their own 42. Carr hit Darren Waller for 9. Carr then went deep to Nelson Agholor for a 49 yard touchdown. Yet illegal motion sped out the score. On 3rd and 6 from the Buffalo 45, Carr went to Agholor for gains of 14 and 12. Yet despite 1st and 10 from the Buffalo 19, Jacobs lost 2 and Carr threw incomplete twice. Carlson hit from 39 and the Raiders were within 14-6. After a touchback Buffalo marched down the field. On 1st and 10 from the Raiders 24, Allen threw incomplete twice. On 3rd and 10 Allen was about to be sacked when he tried to shovel the ball. He managed an 8 yard completion but got sandwiched between 2 defenders and left the game for a bit. Bass hit the 34 yard field goal as the Bills led 17-6 with 4 minutes left in the half.

After a touchback, Carr hit Waller for 22 yards. On 3rd and 9 from their own 48, Carr hit Agholor for 11, Waller for 7 and Jason Witten for 15. On 3rd and 5 from the Buffalo 14, Carr hit Waller for 11 and then spiked the ball to stop the clock with 19 seconds left. From the 3 yard line, Carr hit Witten for the touchdown as the Raiders only trailed 17-13 at the half. After ending the half with 75 yards in 11 plays, the Raiders began the third quarter with 68 more yards and 11 more plays. Yet again the Raiders bogged down in the end zone. On 2nd and 8 from the Buffalo 13, Carr threw incomplete. On 3rd and 8 a completion to the sideline gained only 6 yards. On 4t and 2 from th Buffalo 7, Jon Gruden decided not to go for it. Carlson hit the 25 yard field goal, but it was a momentum killer Despite scoring the first 4 times they had the ball, the Raiders only had one touchdown and trailed 17-16.

The Raiders defense even finally got a stop, but after that the offense began malfunctioning. A 38 yard punt return had the Bills taking over at the Raiders 45. On 3rd and 6 from the Raiders 41, Allen hit Diggs for 12, Beasley for 14 and Brown for 14 down to the one as the third quarter ended. The fourth quarter began with Allen sneaking across to make it 23-16 Bills. The extra point dunked off the upright no good but it didn’t matter. The Raiders were in full self-destruction mode. The Raiders moved quickly from their own 38 to a 1st and 10 at the Buffalo 35. On 2nd and 11, a short completion to Waller led to him fumbling ant the Bills recovering at their own 40. Allen immediately went deep to Diggs for a 49 yard gain. On 3rd and 1 from the 2, Singletary got in to make it 30-16 Bills With 11 1/2 minutes left in regulation. The Raiders soon faced 4th and 1 from their own 34. Jon Gruden decided to go for it but for some unknown reason had Carr in the shotgun. Jacobs got the carry and got stopped cold.

The Raider appeared all but dead as the Bills took over needing only a field goal to lock up the win. Allen hit brown for 14 and the Bills had 1st and 10 at the Raiders 20. Then it was the Bills turn to self-destruct. An offensive holding penalty had the Bills facing 3rd and 18 from the Raiders 28. Allen had played flawlessly but this time he scrambled around and got belted between 2 defenders for a 14 yard loss. The mistake put the Bills out of field goal range and gave the Raiders a slim ray of hope. Carr hit Waller for 9 and Hunter Renfrow deep for 37 yards. Carr then hit Jacobs for 15, but offsetting penalties wiped out the gain. On 1st and 10 from the Buffalo 33, Carr had the ball stripped and the Bills recovered with 5 1/2 minutes left. Turnovers killed the Raiders. With 4 minutes left the Bills faced 3rd and 12 from their own 38. A conservative run was stopped and the Raiders took their first timeout with 3:47 left. They would get the ball back but still needed 2 scores.

They even fumbled on the punt return but were lucky enough to retain possession. They also had an illegal block on the return and took over at their own 20. A defensive pass interference call meant a 46 and gain. At the 2 minute warning the Raider had 1st and 10 at the Buffalo 16. The Raiders took their second timeout with 1:44 left and the Raiders facing 3rd and 1 at the Buffalo 7. Carr somehow avoided a sack, ran for his life, and threw a high pass out of the end zone incomplete. On 4th and 1, Carr was again out of the shotgun, not behind center. Carr backpedaled and threw a jump ball prayer that Agholor caught for the touchdown. With 90 seconds left the Raiders were clinging to life. The onside kick was a good one but it failed. The Bills got to 4-0 on the year. 30-23 Bills

Philadelphia Eagles at San Francisco 49ers was the Sunday night game. Carson went threw an early interception but the 49ers did not capitalize. The Eagles got it back and faced 3rd and 9 at their own 23. Wentz threw incomplete but defensive pass interference meant a 12 yard gain. On 3rd and 2 from his own 43, Wentz ran for 5 with defensive holing adding 5 more. Wentz hit Sanders for a 28 yard gain and ran for an 11 yard touchdown. Doug Pederson for some reason went for a 2 point conversion. Wentz hit Zac Ertz and the Eagles led 8-0. After a touchback, Nick Mullens hit George Kittle for 17 and 7. On 3rd and 7 from the Philadelphia 38, Brandon Aiyuk took an end around for the touchdown as the 49ers got within 8-7. Aiyuk hurdled a defender at the 5 and stuck the landing for the score. The second quarter was scoreless.

The 49ers began the third quarter facing 3rd and 1 at their own 34. Mullens went to Aiyuk for 4. Runs and short passes led to a 3rd and goal at the 5. Mullens hit Kittle for the touchdown. The 12 play, 75 yard, 6 1/2 minute drive had the 49ers up 14-8. The Eagles took over at their own 21. Wentz hit Rodgers for 23 yards. On 3rd and 1 from their own 43, Wentz hit Rodgers for 3. On 4th and 1 at the San Francisco 31, Doug Pederson decided to go for it. Wentz got the yard. On 3rd and 1 from the San Francisco 21, Sanders got 2. On 3rd and 8 from the Frisco 17, Wentz threw incomplete. Elliott hit the 35 yard field goal as the Eagles trailed 14-11 after three quarters.

With 10 minutes left in regulation the 49ers faced 3rd and 10 at their own 45. Mullens got sacked and fumbled. The Eagles took over at the San Francisco 42. On 4th and 4 from the Frisco 36, Doug Pederson passed up a 54 yard field goal and decided to go for it. Wentz hit Hightower for 9. On the next play an end around was blown up in the backfield for a 12 yard loss. However, on the next play Wentz hit Scott for 17 and defensive holding added 5 more. Out of the shotgun, Wentz fumbled a bad snap and it was back to 2nd and 18 from the San Francisco 42. On the next play Wentz for it all and hit Fulgham for the touchdown. with 6 minutes left the Eagles led 18-14. Only 8 seconds later, the Eagles were in the end zone again. After a touchback, Mullens went to the sideline and was intercepted by Singleton, who returned it 30 yards for a defensive touchdown and a 25-14 Eagles lead.

With 5 1/2 minutes left, Kyle Shanahan benched Mullins and brought in 3rd stringer CJ Beathard. After a touchback, Beathard hit McKinnon for 8, Kittle for 7, McKinnon for 5, kendrick Bourne for 11, Kittle for 13 and Deebo Samuel for 4 and 14. On 1st and 10 from the Philly 13, Beathard was sacked for a 9 yard loss. 2nd and 19 became 2nd and 14 after the defense jumped offside. Beathard hit Aiyuk for the required 14. On 3rd and goal from the 1, McKinnon got banged short but sheer will got the ball over the plane of the goal. The 2 point dry failed when a short pass was just dropped. The 49ers were within 5 and 2:02 remained. The 49ers had all 3 timeouts, and a kickoff out the back of the end zone would also preserve the 2 minute warning. Kyle Shanahan opted for an onside kick. The kick failed, but only one second ticked off the clock. 2:01 left still gave the 49ers that extra timeout on defense. Doug Pederson played it very safe. The Eagles punted and the 49ers took over at their own 12 with 1:40 left and one timeout. A false start moved the 49ers back to their own 7. On 1st and 15, Beathard hit Bourne for 20, Kittle for 13, McKinnon for 5, Bourne for 10, Kittle for 12, and then spike the ball to stop the clock with 17 seconds left. From the Philly 33, twice Beathard was hit as he threw, resulting in incompletions. With 7 seconds left, it came down to 4th and 10 from the Philly 33. The Hail Mary was batted around and eventually fell incomplete. The Eagles won their first game of the year, but they now actually lead the horrendous NFC Least. 25-20 Eagles

New England Patriots at Kansas City Chiefs was an extra Monday night game that was delayed from Sunday due to COVID. Two years ago these teams played an AFC Title game for the ages with a combined 68 points. This year Evil Hoodie Bill Belichick and Walrus Andy Reid matched wits with the pandemic in the background. Cam Newton tested positive and is in quarantine. Brian Hoyer started for the Patriots. Patrick Mahomes remains superhuman, but if anyone can stymie him, it’s Belichick. The Chiefs managed first quarter field goals of 23 and 39 yards from Harrison Butker to lead 6-0. The latter kick was set up by an interception of Hoyer. In the second quarter Nick Folk hit from 43 to get the Patriots on the board. The Patriots missed two golden opportunities to tie the game. With 8 seconds left in the half, the Patriots faced 3rd and 9 at the Chiefs 13. Hoyer was sacked for a 13 yard loss and called a timeout he did not have. The clock ran out as a disgusted Bill Belichick looked on. That 13 play drive was followed in the third quarter by a 13 play, 69 yard, 7 1/2 minute drive. On 3rd and 8 from the Chiefs 10, Hoyer was sacked by Taco Charlton and fumbled. The Chiefs recovered.

Mahomes can only be contained for so long. From his own 15, Mahomes hit Treek Hill for 19 and then went deep to Travis Kelce for a 45 yard gain. On 3rd and goal from the 6, Mahomes found Hill, who dove for the pylon and hit it for the touchdown. The Chiefs led 13-3 after three quarters. Belichick benched Hoyer and brought in third string quarterback Jarrett Studham to start the fourth quarter. Harris rushed for 9 and then raced for a 41 yard gain. On 2nd and 9 from the Chiefs 24, Stidham went to the end zone and was intercepted for a touchback. However, defensive pass interference instead meant a 16 yard gain and 1st and goal at the 8. On 3rd and goal from the 4, Stidham hit Harry for the touchdown. Only one minute into the fourth quarter, the Patriots were within 13-10.

The Chiefs soon faced 3rd and 10 from their own 25. Mahomes threw deep incomplete, but defensive pass interference meant an 18 yard gain. Mahomes then ran for 2 yards with 15 more tacked on for defensive unnecessary roughness. On 3rd and 9 from the Patriots 39, Mahomes ran for 18. Carl Edwards-Helaire ran for 9 and then caught a 6 yard touchdown pass from Mahomes. With 9 minutes left in regulation, the Chiefs led 19-10. Butker missed the extra point. On the first play after a touchback, Stidham threw a short pass to Julian Edelman. The ball bounced right off of Edelman’s hands and into Tyrone Matheiu, who returned it 26 yards for a defensive touchdown. 2 scores in 10 seconds turned a slugfest into a 16 point Chiefs lead. After a touchback, the Patriots converted a pair of fourth downs. Another 11 play drive and another 5 1/2 minutes of clock again meant nothing. From the Chiefs 37, Stidham went to the end zone and was intercepted with 3 1/2 minutes left. For the 4th year in a row, the Chiefs are 4-0, making Andy Reid a most happy Walrus indeed. 26-10 Chiefs

Atlanta Falcons at Green Bay Packers is the Monday night game. The unbeaten Packers were expected to blow out the winless Falcons. The Packers started at their own 27 and made it look easy at the start. Aaron Rodgers hit Tonyan for 27 yards and Aaron Jones for 8 more. Jones gashed the Falcons for gains of 9 and 23. Rodgers threw a 6 yard touchdown pass to Jones to make it 7-0 Packers only 5 minutes into the game. Ho hum. The Packers got it back at their own 34 and rolled to a 2nd and goal at the 3. Jones got stopped. On 3rd and goal, Rodgers hit Shepherd for only 2. Matt Lafleur decided to got for it on 4th and goal at the one. Williams got the carry and got stopped cold. The beleaguered Atlanta defense celebrated the goal line stand. The offense then led the most frustrating drive of the year. 20…Yes, 20…plays. 94 yards. 10 1/2 minutes. Yet on 1st and goal at the 5, Todd Gurley lost 3 yards. On 3rd and goal at the 5, Matt Ryan threw incomplete. After all of that, Elliott Fry kicked his first ever NFL field goal from 23 yards out to get the Falcons on the board.

After a touchback, Rodgers hit Marques Valdes-Scantling for 17 and Ervin for 8. On 3rd and 10 from the Atlanta 47, Rodgers threw incomplete but offsetting penalties gave the Packers another shot. Rodgers hit Valdes-Scantling for 14 and Williams for 15. On 3rd and 14 from the Atlanta 19, Rodgers went to Tonyan for the touchdown. The extra point was no good but the Packers led 13-3 with 2 1/2 minutes left in the half after the 11 play, 75 yard, 5 minute drive. A 10 yard punt return had the Packers taking over at midfield with 1:37 left in the half. On 3rd and 15 from the Atlanta 41, Rodgers hit Williams for 13. Matt Lafleur decided to go for it on 4th and 2 from the Atlanta 28. Rodgers hit Taylor for 20 and then went to Tonyan for the 8 yard touchdown as the Packers were cruising 20-3.

From their own 33, Ryan went to Hurst for 18. Then he threw a pass that could have been intercepted by 4 defenders but by dumb luck was deflected and caught by Zaccheaus for 16. On 3rd and 5 from the Green Bay 18, Gurley ran for 13 and then for the 5 yard touchdown. The extra point was no good as the Falcons trailed 20-9. The Packers responded easily. A 34 yard kickoff return and a facemask on Atlanta had the Packers starting just shy of midfield. Rodgers went to Jones for 23. On 3rd and 3 from the Atlanta 21, Rodgers went deep to Tonyan for a 21 yard touchdown and a 27-9 Packers lead.

The Falcons soon faced 3rd and 5 at their own 30. Ryan went to Zaccheaus for 6 and Smith for 11. On 4th and 6 from just past midfield, Ryan threw deep incomplete but roughing the passer kept the drive going and added 15 yards. Ryan then hit Smith for 4, Zaccheaus for 16 and Hill for 4 to start the fourth quarter. Gurley, with help from a key block by Ryan, ran for a 3 yard touchdown to get the Falcons within 27-16 with 13 minutes left in regulation. After a touchback the Packers moved to a 1st and 10 at the Atlanta 28. A pass lost 3 yards and Rodgers was sacked for a loss of 12. On 3rd and 25, Rodgers hit Williams for 13 to get the Packers back in field goal range. Crosby hit from 48 to put the Packers up by 14 with 6 minutes left. Needing 2 scores, the Falcons moved after a touchback to a 2nd and 6 at the Green Bay 22. Ryan’s pass was dropped inside the 5 yard line. Then Ryan was sacked. On 4th and 10, with 3 1/2 minutes left, Ryan’s pass to the end zone was broken up at the last moment. The loss got the Packers to 4-0 and extended the Falcons misery to 0-4. Dan Quinn is somehow still employed. 30-16 Packers   

NFL 2020 Week 4 Prequel

https://www.commdiginews.com/sports/nfl-pink-breast-cancer-wk-4-preview-and-bettors-guide-132870/

NFL 2020 Week 3 Recap

Miami Dolphins at Jacksonville Jaguars was the Thursday night game. In a game nobody outside of Florida cared about, Ryan Fitzpatrick’s beard took on Gardner’s Minshew mustache mania. This game was over after the first quarter. The Dolphins began with a 12 play, 84 yard, 7 minute drive. Fitzpatrick hit Smythe for 7, Parker for 20 and Grant for 19. Gaskin had runs of 9, 5, 6, 7, 2, and on 2rd and 1 from the Jacksonville 9, 4. On 3rd and goal from the 3, Fitzpatrick hit Preston Williams for the touchdown to make it 7-0 Dolphins. Miami got it back at their own 20 and 80 yards came easy. Fitzpatrick hit Gaskin for 11 with 15 tacked on for a horsecollar tackle. On 3rd and 4 from the jags 48, Fitzpatrick gained 13 and Grant added 29. Defensive pass interference added 5 yards down to the one. Howard got the score to make it 14-0 Dolphins.

After a touchback the Jaguars soon faced 3rd and 4 at their own 41. Minshew hit Shenault for 16 and ran for 16 more. On 3rd and 5 from the Miami 22, Minshew hit Cole for 11. James Robinson ran for the 11 yard touchdown to get the Jaguars within 14-7. The Dolphins responded with an 11 play, 75 yard 7 minute drive. Fitzpatrick hit Parker for 17 and Ford for 11. On 4th and 1 just past midfield, Brian Flores decided to go for it. Fitzpatrick gained 2. On 3rd and 6 from the Jags 43, Fitzpatrick hit Parker for 8. On 3rd and 5 from the Jags 30, Fitzpatrick threw incomplete but defensive pass interference meant 15 yards. Fitzpatrick then hit Sanders for the 15 yard touchdown to make it 21-7 Dolphins at the half. In the third quarter the Jaguars began at their own 3 and faced 3rd and 13 at their own 12. Minshew was sacked and fumbled. The Dolphins recovered at the Jags 5 yard line. On 3rd and goal from the one, Fitzpatrick got in to make it 28-7 Dolphins. The Jaguars finally reached the end zone with 9 minutes left, but on this miserable night they even missed the extra point. Miami added a field goal for the few people who were still awake. 31-13 Dolphins

San Francisco 49ers at New York Giants — 3 years ago these teams played 2 of the greatest games ever played. Today they did not. Nick Mullen started in place of the injured Jimmy Garoppolo. Robbie Gould hit a 52 and 32 yard field goals to put the 49ers  up 6-0 after the first quarter. Graham Gano hit second quarter field goals of 52 and 42 sandwiched around a miss by Gould from 55 for a 6-6 game. After that, reality set in.

From their own 25, Mullens hit Kevin Bourne for 14 and 17. On 3rd and 22 from the their own 44, a completion gained only 7 yards but illegal contact on the defense meant an automatic first down. That was the turning point in the game. Mullens hit Dwelley for 20 and 14. McKinnon gained 11 and then the 10 yard touchdown. After nearly three quarters, the game finally had a touchdown as the 12 play, 75 yard, 6 1/2 minus drive put the 49ers up 13-6. A quick interception of Carlson led to a 26 yard Gould field goal and a 16-6 49ers lead.

The Giants moved to a 1st and 10 at the San Francisco 30, but nothing more. Gano hit a 47 yard field goal to get the Giants within 16-9, but that was it. Mullens hit Aiyuk for 14, 19 and 6. On 3rd and 2 from the Giants 24, Mullens hit McKinnon for 5. Aiyuk ran for a 19 yard touchdown for a 23-9 49ers advantage. The Giants went for it deep in their own territory and failed. The 49ers took over at the Giants 30. Mullens hit Wilson for a 19 yard touchdown to make it 29-9 Giants. The 49ers got it back and embarked on a game killing 15 players, 92 yard, 8 1/2 minute drive. Wilson ran for a 2 yard touchdown to complete the blowout. The Giants are only 13 games away from being an 0-16 team. 36-9 49ers

Washington Deficits at Cleveland Browns — The non-Redskins began after a touchback with Gandy-Golden running for a 22 yard gain. Dwayne Haskins hit McLaurin for 21 more. On 3rd and 1 from the Cleveland 20, McLaurin gained 3. On the next play Haskins hit Dontrelle Inman for the 17 yard touchdown to put the No-Names up 7-0 after the first quarter. The Browns in the second quarter faced 3rd and 6 at their own 38. Baker Mayfield hit Jarvis Landry for 10. On 4th and 7 from the Washington 37, Kevin Stefanski decided to go for it. Mayfield hit Austin Hooper for 8. Yet on 3rd and 5 from the Washington 24, Mayfield threw incomplete. Cody Parkey hit the 42 yard field goal to get the Browns within 7-3. Haskins was intercepted by Joseph, who returned it 49 yards. The Browns took over at the Washington 28. Mayfield hit O’Dell Beckham for 11 and Nick Chubb ran for a 16 yard touchdown to make it 10-7 Browns. An interception of Haskins set up the Browns at the non-Redskins 24. Mayfield hit Karim Hunt for a 9 yard touchdown to make it 17-7 Browns at the half.

A 19 yard punt return in the third quarter had the non-Redskins taking over just past midfield. Haskins hit McLaurin or 15, Gandy-Golden fo 14 and McKissic for 26. Gibson ran for a 2 yard touchdown. The extra point was no good but the Riveras were within 17-13. A field position game had the Deficits getting the ball back at their own 46. Runs and short passes had the almost-Riveras facing 4th and 2 at the Cleveland 8. Ron Rivera decided to go for it and Haskins hit Thomas for 4. On 3rd and goal at the 11, Haskins hit inman for the touchdown for the 20-17 No-Names lead. Washington dominated the first quarter, Cleveland dominated the second quarter, and Washington dominated the third quarter. Unfortunately for Washington, the fourth quarter was all Cleveland.

The Browns faced 3rd and 12 from their own 23. Mayfield hit O’Dell Beckham for 15 and Janovich for 13. Chubb ran for 25 and 9. On 3rd and 1 from the Washington 9, Hunt gained 4. Mayfield hit Bryant for a 3 yard touchdown to make it 24-20 Browns with 12 minutes left in regulation. Yet another interception thrown by Haskins set up the Browns at the Washington 35. Chubb ran for 15 and then for the 20 yard touchdown to make it 31-20 Browns. With 6 1/2 minutes left near midfield, Haskins was sacked and fumbled. The Browns took over at the Washington 41. Parkey hit a 30 yard field goal with just over one minute remaining to close out the scoring. Haskins threw 3 interceptions and fumbled once, the difference in this game. 34-20 Browns

Cincinnati Bengals at Philadelphia Eagles —Sometimes a pair of bad teams can come together and play a thrilling game for the ages. This was not that game. The second quarter began with Elliott hitting a 27 yard field goal fo the Eagles. Bullock responded from 48 for the Bengals for a 3-3 game. Then Elliott responded from 42 for a 6-3 Eagles lead. After a touchback, Joe Burrow hit Boyd for 15, Tate for 19, and Higgins for 16. Defensive pass interference added 14. down to the one. Burrow hit Higgins for the touchdown as the Bengals led 10-6 with 90 seconds left in the half. The ensuing kickoff went out of bounds to set the Eagles up at their own 40. Sanders  gained 19. Carson Wentz hit Burnett for 10 and Hightower for 8. With 21 seconds left in the half, the Eagles faced 3rd and 8 at the Cincy 29. Wentz went deep to Ward for the touchdown. The Eagles took a 13-10 lead to the locker rooms. For some reason, the second half was played. Something about NFL rules and contractual TV obligations.

After a touchback to start the third quarter, the Eagles moved 10 plays and took 6 1/2 minutes. After reaching the Cincinnati 30, a run was blown up for a 6 yard loss. Elliott hit a 54 yard field goal to make it 16-10 Eagles. The Bengals soon face 3rd and 2 from their own 32. Burrow hit Boyd for 5. On 3rd and 6 from their own 41, Burrow hit Boyd for 13 and again for gains of 17 and 25. Burrow hit Higgins for a 4 yard touchdown to make it 17-16 Bengals. An interception of Wentz put the Bengals at the Philly 44. The Bengals reached the Philly 13 and the drive died there. To start the fourth quarter, Bullock hit from 31 to make it 20-16 Bengals.The Bengals got it back at their own 12 and embarked on a 12 play, 81 yard drive that took 7 minutes. From the Cincy 27, Burrow hit Boyd for 18. On 3rd and 15 from the Cincy 40, Burrow went to Giovanni Bernard for 42 yards. Yet despite 1st and goal at the 4, a false start and a sack killed that drive. Bullock hit from 25 as the Bengals led 23-16 with 3 minutes left in the game.

The Eagles quickly faced 2nd and 12 from their own 23. Wentz threw incomplete but defensive pass interference on 2 of the next 3 plays meant gains of 19 and 9 yards. With 90 seconds left, On 3rd and 6 from the Cincy 28, Wentz scrambled for 9. On 3rd and 3 from the Cincy 12, Wentz hit Ward for 5. With 28 seconds left, Wentz scrambled for a 7 yard touchdown. Doug Pederson decided not to go for 2. The extra point was good. If ever a game did not need overtime, this one was it. In 2008, these two teams who only play once every 4 years played to a hideous 13-13 tie. After that game, Donovan McNabb admitted that he did not know a tie game was possible. The 2020 overtime version saw a bunch of punts. With 1:41 left in overtime, the Eagles took over at their own 45. With 19 seconds left, Doug Pederson decided to have Elliott try a 59 yard field goal for the win. Elliott never got the chance. An awful game meant a false start. 64 yards was too much to ask for. The Eagles punted. The losing team would have been 0-3. Instead these teams are both 0-2-1 and both losers. Thankfully these teams don’t play each other again until 2024. 23-23 Tie, OT

Las Vegas Raiders at New England Patriots — Jon Gruden returned to the scene of the crime 19 years after the Tuck Rule ended his first run with the Raiders. This time the Raiders moved from their own 10 to a 2nd and 5 at the New England 12. Josh Jacobs got the carry and fumbled. Replay clearly showed that Jacobs recovered his own fumble. Yet somehow officials called it a turnover and gave New England the ball as the entire Raider Nation’s collective head exploded. This time it did not hurt them as the Patriots took over and soon faced a 3rd and 8 from their own 29. Cam Newton avoided a sack and was intercepted by Jonathan Abram. The Raiders took it over at the New England 14. On 3rd and 2 from the 6, a completion for the first down was nullified by an illegal man downfield. On 3rd and 7, Derek Carr threw incomplete. Daniel Carlson hit the 29 yard field goal as the first quarter ended. The Raiders were dominating in the trenches but only led 3-0.

As expected, the Patriots finally got going in the second quarter after a touchback. They moved to a 1st and 10 at the Raiders 15, but newton then threw 3 straight incompletions. Nick Folk hit the 33 yard field goal for a 3-3 game. After a touchback, Booker ran for a 23 yard gain and the Raiders were at their own 48. On the next play Carr went back to pass and had the ball stripped out of his hand. Although his arm appeared to be going forward, do not expect the Raiders to ever receive a correct ruling on a fumble vs an incomplete pass. The deal that Evil Hoodie Bill Belichick made with the devil still exists. The Patriots took over at the Raiders 42. They managed to reach a 2nd and goal at the 5, but Newton threw incomplete twice. Gostkowski hit from 23 to make it 6-3 Patriots.

The Patriots got it back at their own 14 and Sony Michel gashed the defense for gains of 8 and 13 and catch a pass for 9. Newton hit Byrd for 23. On 3r and 4 from the Raiders 25, Rex Burkhead gained 7. On 3rd and 3 from the 11, Newton threw a swing pass to Burkhead, who escaped a tackle, got the first down, and from the 4 yard line leapt in the air over 3 defenders to get the touchdown. The 12 play, 86 yard drive had the Patriots up 13-3 with only 34 seconds left in the half. It appeared the Raiders were done. After a touchback, the Raiders still had all 3 timeouts. Carr hit Edwads for 14. Then a deep ball drew a 28 yard defensive pass interference call. A 6 yard completion to Renfrow was followed by a 26 yard completion to Renfrow down to the one yard line with 9 seconds left in the half. Carr found a wide open Foster Moreau for the score as the Raiders only trailed 13-10 at the break.

The Raiders began the third quarter facing 3rd and 4 at their own 31. Carr threw incomplete but defensive holding kept the drive going. Carr then hooked up with Edwards for a 34 yard gain. Yt the drive bogged down and Carlson missed a 41 yard field goal as the Raiders were determined to give the game away. The Patriots were happy to oblige them. They easily moved 69 yards as Burkhead ran all over the place. Burkhead’s 5 yard touchdown run made it 20-10 Patriots. The Patriots got it back at their own 25. From their 39, Michel raced for a 48 yard gain. Despite 1st and 10 from the Raiders 13, the drive died there. Folk hit from 32 to make it 23-10 Patriots rates after three quarters.

After a touchback, Carr hit Moreau for 24 yards. The Raiders moved to a 2nd and 7 from the New England 9. Carr threw incomplete. On 3rd and 7, a completion gained only 2 yards. With 11 1/2 minutes left in regulation, Jon Gruden opted for the field goal. Carlson hit from 25 as the Raiders trailed 23-13. In a very odd set of circumstances, the Patriots burned all 3 timeouts on defense. It didn’t matter. On 2nd and 8 from they own 16, Newton threw incomplete but defensive holding kept the drive going. Newton hit Harry for 27 yards and Burkhead for 11 more. Newton ran for 21. Burkhead added 14 and then the 2 yard touchdown. The extra point was no good but the Patriots led 29-13. The dagger came when Carr was sacked in his own end zone and fumbled. The Patriots recovered for the score to make it 36-13 Patriots. The Raiders got a garbage touchdown. Carr did not have a bad game. He was 24 of 32 for 261 yards, 2 touchdowns, and 0 interceptions. The Raiders gained 126 yards rushing, including 71 from Jacobs on 16 carries. Yet the Raiders were destroyed on defense as the Patriots pounded them with 250 yards rushing. Michel had 117 yards rushing on only 9 carries. 36-20 Patriots

Chicago Bears at Atlanta Falcons — The Bears entered the worst 2-0 team in some time while the Falcons were 0-2 after blowing a 20 point lead last week. They even led by 15 late in the fourth quarter and somehow lost. This game continued those trends. Cairo Santos missed a 46 yard field goal, giving the Falcons good field position a tie own 36. Matt Ryan immediately went deep to Calvin Ridley for 63 yard down to the one. Ryan hit Hurst for the touchdown. The extra point was no good as the Falcons led 6-0. The Bears moved from their own 25 to a 1st and 10 from the Atlanta 18. On 3rd and 9, Mitch Trubisky threw incomplete. Santos hit from 35 to get the Bears on the board. The Falcons moved from their own 36 to a 2nd and goal at the 4. Matt Ryan threw incomplete and then was sacked. Yonghoe Koo hit from 29 to make it 9-3 Falcons. With 5 minutes left in the half the Falcons faced 3rd and 3 from their own 45. Ryan was sacked and fumbled, but roughing the passer kept the Atlanta drive going. On 3rd and 10 from the Chicago 40, Ryan threw incomplete but the defense jumped offside. On the next play Brian Hill ran for a 35 yard touchdown as the Falcons led 16-3.

The Bears soon faced 2nd and 13 from their own 22. Trubisky hit Robinson for 17. On 2nd and 15 from their own 34, Trubisky hit Robinson for 16 t midfield. Trubisky then scrambled for a 45 yard gain. Trubisky hit Graham for a 2 yard touchdown as the Bears only trailed 16-10 at halftime. The Falcons began the third quarter facing 3rd and 2 from their own 33. A 2 yard completion followed by another roughing the passer penalty had the Falcons at midfield. Todd Gurley ran for 16. Ryan hit Ridley for 24. Gurley ran for the 10 yard touchdown and the Falcons led 23-10. A quick interception of Trubisky had the Falcons at the Chicago 19. Yet despite the golden field position, the Falcons settled for a 36 yard Koo field goal to lead 26-10. Trubisky was then intercepted again but the defense bailed the Bears out again. For the third week in a row, the Bears looked terrible for 3 quarters and the Falcons look great for 3 quarters. Matt Nagy had seen enough. Trubisky was done for the day.

90 seconds into the fourth quarter, the Falcons had a chance to extend the lead to 19 points. A 48 yard field goal try by Ko was no good. Trubisky was benched, and Nick Foles played the fourth quarter. On 4th and goal from the 17, Foles hit Miller for the touchdown. Yet on further review it was reversed to incomplete. Yet the Falcons took the rest of the day off. With 8:17 left, the Bears were down to 4th and 6 at their own 42. One defensive stop would end things. Foles went deep to Ted Ginn for 29 yards. On 3rd and goal from the 3, Foles hit Graham for the touchdown and it stood. The 2 point try was no good and the Bears were still down 26-16 with 6:20 to play.

The Falcons went 3 and out and took only one minute off the clock. The Bears got it back at their own 45. Foles threw a 37 yard touchdown to Robinson. With 4:20 to play the Bears were now within 26-23. Another 3 and out by Atlanta took only 20 seconds off the clock. An unnecessary roughness penalty on the punt had the Bears taking over at the Atlanta 44. With 1:53 to play, the Bears faced 3rd and 8 at the Atlanta 28. Foles went deep to Miller for the touchdown. Since the super Bowl loss 4 years ago, the Falcons under Dan Quinn find new ways to have epic fourth quarter collapses. In this game they quickly moved from their own 25 to a 2nd and 4 at the Chicago 44 with 1:06 left. Ryan went deep and was intercepted. Foles threw 3 touchdowns in the fourth quarter as football fans wondered why Trubisky still had a job as a starting NFL quarterback. Fans also wondered how Dan Quinn managed to remain an NFL head coach. So did he. The Bears are now the worst 3-0 team in football. 30-26 Bears

Los Angeles Rams at Buffalo Bills — The Rams missed a field goal to set up the Bills at their own 43. On 3rd and 2 just past midfield, Singletary ran for 16. Josh Allen hit Davis for 12 and Singletary for 5. Singletary ran for 13 to set up 1st and goal at the one. Twice Allen threw for the touchdown and twice it was reversed. Out of the shotgun, Singletary got stopped. Sean McDermott decided to go for it on 4th and goal at the one. Allen hit Smith for the touchdown and this time it stood as the Bills led 7-0. An interception of Jared Goff set up the Bills at their own 34. Allen went deep to Davis for a 39 yard gain and again for 9 more. From the Rams 11, Allen ran for 6, 4, and then the one yard touchdown to make it 14-0 Bills early in the second quarter. The Rams moved to a 1st and 10 at the Buffalo 12 but nothing more. Sam Sloman hit a 30 yard field goal to get the Rams on the board. After a touchback, TY Yeldon ran for gains of 9 and 8. Allen hit Davis for 21 and Cole Beasley for 29 more. Allen hit Croft for a 3 yard touchdown to have the Bills dominating 21-3 at the half. In the third quarter the Rams went for it on 4th and 4 from the Buffalo 48 and Goff threw incomplete. Allen went to Singletary for a 34 yard gain. On 3rd and 6 from the Rams 14, Allen hit Kroft for 13. On 3rd and goal at the 4, Allen hit Stefan Diggs for the touchdown. Midway through the third quarter, the Bills led 28-3.

Then the game changed. After a touchback, Henderson ran for 14. Goff hit Tyler Higbee for 9. Henderson ran for 7 and Goff hit Cooper Kupp for 20 and Greg Everett for 18. Goff ran for a one yard touchdown to get the Rams within 28-10. A quick interception of allen had the Rams at their own 41. Goff went deep to Higbee for 31 and to Robert Woods for a 25 yard touchdown. The third quarter ended with the Rams only down 28-17. The Rams got it back to start the fourth quarter at their own 3 yard line. Goff hit Reynolds for 17. On 3rd and 11 from their own 19, Goff hit Kupp for 17. Woods gained 15. On 3rd and 8 from the Buffalo 47, Goff went to Woods for 31, to Kupp for the 16 yard touchdown, and to Higbee for the 2 point conversion. With 10 1/2 minutes left in regulation, the Rams were within 28-25. The Bills quickly moved from their 25 to a 1st and 10 at the Rams 30. Yet a sack and a false start set up 3rd and 22 from the Rams 42. Allen was sacked again and fumbled. The Rams took over at the Buffalo 37. Goff went to Reynolds for 23. On 3rd and goal at the one, Henderson got it. 29 unanswered points had the Rams up 32-28 with 4 1/2 minutes to play.

In 1992, the Bills overcame a 35-3 deficit to win in overtime. This time they had blown a 28-3 third quarter lead, as Atlanta did in the Super Bowl. Yet they still had time for redemption. After a touchback, Allen hit Beasley for 18. A sack and an incompletion had the Bills facing 3rd and 22 at their own 31. Allen found Beasley for just enough. A 19 yard completion to Beasley had the Bills facing 1st and 10 from the Rams 15. Yet in a bizarre turn of events, Allen was called for a facemask penalty on a play where he threw an incompletion. It is very rare for a quarterback to be called for a facemask. On 3rd and 25 from the Rams 30, Allen went to Diggs for 17 yards. With 25 seconds left it came down to 4th and 8 from the Rams 13. Allen threw incomplete, but defensive pass interference meant 1st and goal at the 3. On the next play Allen hit Kroft for the touchdown. This game was a thriller, and the Bills got to 3-0 the hard way. Meanwhile, even in defeat, Sean McVay knows he has an offense that can score at will in ways not seen since the Greatest Show on Turf from 2 decades earlier. 35-32 Bills

Houston Texans at Pittsburgh Steelers — Houston was better than their 0-2 record but had another tough test. The Texans moved from their own 22 to a 3rd and 2 at the Pittsburgh 16. Samuels only gained one yard. On 4th and 1 from the 15, Mike Tomlin played it safe. Kaimi Fairbairn hit the 33 yard field goal to make it 3-0 Texans. 11 plays, 63 yards and 5 minutes were not enough to get to the end zone. The Texans soon faced 3rd and 3 from their own 33. Deshaun Watson hit Cooks for 20 and Will Fuller for 17 more. On 3rd and 8 from the Pittsburgh 28, Watson went deep to Randall Cobb for the touchdown and the 7-3 Texans lead. The Texans took over at their own 46 to start the second quarter. Watson hit Johnson for 20 yards and Fuller for 9 down to the 2. Johnson got the touchdown to make it 14-3 Texans.

The Steelers came back after a touchback with a 12 play, 75 yard, 6 1/2 minute drive. McFarland ran for 20. Ben Roethliberger hit Vance McDonald for 15. On 3rd and 1 from the Houston 31, Bennie Snell got the yard. Roethlisberger hit Eric Ebron for 17. On 3rd and goal from the 10, Roethlisberger hit Ebron for the touchdown. With 5 minutes left in the half the Steelers were within 14-10. The Steelers got it back and at the 2 minute warning faced 3rd and 3 from their own 44. Roethlisberger hit Juju Smith-schuster for 6, Conner for 12, Ebron for 6, Washington for 6, and Smith-Schuster for a 26 yard touchdown. With 1:14 left in the half, the Steelers led 17-14.

Yet Watson fired back quickly. He hit Cooks for 8, Cobb for 18, Akins for 20, Cobb for 15, and Fuller for the 14 yard touchdown as the Texans had the 21-17 halftime lead. The second half was mostly defense. In the third quarter the Steelers moved from their own 30 and converted twice on 4th down. Mike Tomlin’s bold gambles led to the red zone but not the green zone. Chris Boswell hit a 26 yard field goal to get the Steelers within 21-20. Early in the fourth quarter the Texans faced 3rd and 15 from the Pittsburgh 43. Watson went deep and was intercepted. The Steelers soon faced 3rd and 5 from their own 26. Big Ben went to Ebron for 14. Conner gained 11 and 8. On 3rd and 1 from the Houston 40, Snell gained 2. On 3rd and 2 from Houston 30, Roethlisberger hit McDonald for 14. Conner ran for a 12 yard touchdown and Big Ben hit Smith-Schuster for the 2 point conversion. The Steelers led by 7 with 6 1/2 minutes left. The Texans went 3 and out and the Steelers took over at their own 31 with 4:47 left. With 3:11 left on 4th and 1 from the Houston 35, Mike Tomlin went for it and Roethlisberger hit Washington for 7 yards. With 2:19 left the Steelers had 3rd and 9 at the Houston 27. Roethlisberger found Claypool for a 24 yard gain. Bill O’Brien’s defense could not get a stop, which is why they are 0-3 and the Steelers have the 3-0 record. 28-21 Steelers

Tennessee Titans at Minnesota Vikings — This is not a typical Mike Zimmer Vikings team. The defense is not getting it done. Early on Ryan Tannehill hit Raymond for a 44 yard gain. Stephen Gostkowski hit a 39 yard field goal to make it 3-0 Titans. The Vikings fumbled and the Titans recovered at the Minnesota 20. Despite 2nd and 3 at the Minnesota 13, Tannehill threw incomplete twice. Gostkowski hit from 31 to make it 6-0 Titans.

The Vikings finally woke up and decided to play football. From their own 24, Calvin Cook gained 11 and Kirk Cousins hit Jefferson for 1 more to midfield. Cook ran for a 39 yard touchdown to make it 7-6 Vikings. The Titans moved from their own 29 and at the start of the second quarter were at the Minnesota 29. Tannehill went to the end zone and was intercepted in the end zone. The Vikings took over at their own 12. Cousins hit Jefferson for gains of 12 and 8. On 3rd and 3 from the Minnesota 42, Cook gained 4. On 3r and 3 from the Tennessee 47, Cousins went to Jefferson for 31 and to Adam Thielen for the 16 yard touchdown to make it 14-6 Vikings.

The Titans mounted a 12 play, 63 yard, 5 1/2 minute drive but bogged down in the red zone. For the third time they settled for a Gostkowski field goal from 30 yards out to get the Titans within 14-9. The Vikings moved from their 25 to a 3rd and 7 at the Titans 23. Cousins threw incomplete. Dan Bailey hit the 41 yard field goal to make it 17-9 Vikings. Things got bizarre in the third quarter. The Vikings moved from their own 12 to a 4th and 13 at the Tennessee 31. Dan Bailey came in for a 49 yard field goal try. The came a false start. Now it was a 54 yard try. The kick was blocked. However, the defense jumped offside, making it a 49 yard try again. After all of that, take 3, the kick was no good. From their own 39, Tannehill hit Smith for 21 and Gostkowski nails a 51 yard field goal. The man who struggled miserably in the opener and was almost cut had nailed 4 field goals in this game as the Titans trailed 17-12. Two plays later, the Vikings were on the board again. Cousins went deep to Jefferson for a 71 yard touchdown as the Vikings led 24-12 midway through the third quarter.

After a touchback, Derrick Henry gained 12, 5 and 6. Tannehill hit Davis for a 38 yard gain. On 3rd and goal from the one, Henry got in. The Titans trailed 24-19 with 4 minutes left in the third quarter. The Titans got it back at their own 35 and struck quickly. Tannehill went deep to Raymond for a 61 yard gain. Henry gained 3 and then the one yard touchdown. The 2 point conversion try failed but the Titans led 25-24 after three quarters.

After a touchback, Cook gained 13 and Cousins ran for 14 more. Cousins hit Ham for 11. On 3rd and 3 from the Titans 29, Cook gained 10 and Mattison added 15. Cousins hit Kyle Rudolph for a 3 yard touchdown. The 2 point try failed but the Vikings led 30-25 with 10 1/2 minutes left in this see-saw game. After a touchback, Henry ran for gains of 5, 12, 5 and 3. On 3rd and 2 from the Minnesota 44, Tannehill hit Davis for 8 yards. Despite 1st and 10 from the Minnesota 36, a run went nowhere and Tannehill threw incomplete twice. Gostkowski came in for a 54 yard field goal try. For the 5th time on the day, he was good. With 6 1/2 minutes left, the Titans were within 30-28. The Vikings could not close out the game and the Titans took over at their own 19 with 3:42 to play. Henry gained 5. Tannehill hit Smith fo gains fo 11 and 14 and Davis for 8. With 1:44 to play, Gostkowski came in for a 55 yard try. A couple weeks ago he was perhaps the worst player in the league. Rumors had him been cut. Today he was among e best. He was good for the 6th time on the day as the Titans had the one point lead. Cousins was sacked and fumbled, and on 4th and 24 from his own 26, his desperation heave was intercepted. The Vikings are 0-3 and Mike Vrabel has a resilient 3-0 team. 31-30 Titans

Carolina Panthers at Los Angeles Chargers — This game was all about Panthers kicker Joey Slye.  He hit from 29, and after a Chargers fumble, hit again from 24 as the Panthers led 6-0. Justin Herbert was starting his second NFL game in place of Tyrod Taylor, who was determined to be injured to an error by the Chargers team trainer. On 3rd and 2 from their own 33, Herbert hit Hunter Henry for 16. On 1st and 19 from their own 40, Austin Ekelerran for 9 and caught a pass for 28 yards. On the first play of the second quarter, facing 3rd and 5 from the Carolina 18, Herbert hit Keenan Allen for 6. Ekeler ran for the 12 yard touchdown to make it 7-6 Chargers.

After that it was all Slye. He hit from 30 to make it 9-7 Panthers. Then a Chargers fumble set up the Panthers at their own 43. Teddy Bridgewater hit Robbie Anderson for 14. On 3rd and 4 from the Chargers 37, Bridgewater hit Anderson for 13. On 4th and 4 from the 18, Slye came in for a 36 yard try. The kick was good, but the Chargers were called for a defensive illegal formation. Matt Rhule took the points off the board. On the next play Bridgewater hit Davis for the 13 yard touchdown. Slye’s extra point was blocked but the Panthers led 15-7 with 3 minutes left in the half. The Chargers after a touchback moved from their own 25 to a 1st and 10 at the Carolina 38 with 22 seconds left in the half. Herbert was intercepted by Jackson, who returned it 66 yards to the Chargers 8 yard line. 8 seconds remained. A short pass only gained 4 yards, so Slye hit his fourth field goal of the half from 22 yards out to make it 18-7 Panthers.

The second half belonged to the defenses. The Chargers moved from their 40 to a 1st and goal at the 10. A penalty led to 4th and goal from the 23. Mike Badgley hit a 41 yard field goal near the end of the third quarter to get the Chargers within 18-10. In the fourth quarter the Panthers responded by doing 62 yards in over 5 minutes. On 3rd and 3 from the Chargers 14, a false start killed the drive. Slye hit his 5th field goal from 21 yards out to make it 21-10 Panthers the hard way. with 11 minutes left.

Herbert after a touchback led a staggering 16 play, 75 yard, 6 1/2 minute drive. On 3rd and 4 from their own 31, Herbert hit Henry for 6 and 7. On 3rd and 4 from the Carolina 46, Herbert hit Ekeler for 10. On 3rd and 6 from the Carolina 32, Herbert ran for 11. On 3rd and goal from the Carolina 14, Herbert hit Allen for the touchdown. The 2 point try failed but the Chargers were within 5 points with  1/2 minutes left in the game. The Panthers from their own 25 to a 3rd and 5 at the Chargers 32 at the 2 minute warning. They were in field goal range for Slye’s 6th field goal try. Then Bridgewater was sacked for an 8 yard loss. The Chargers took their final timeout with 1:55 left as the Panthers had to punt. A perfect punt coverage had the Chargers backed up to their own one yard line with 1:46 left. On 3rd and 3 from their own 8, Herbert hit Ekeler for 5 and Hill for 15. An 11 yard completion to Ekeler was followed with a defensive roughing the passer penalty. With 30 seconds left from the Carolina 44, Herbert went to Allen for 21 yards. With 5 seconds left it came down to one play on 3rd and 15 from the Carolina 28. Rather than throw Hail Mary to the end zone, Anthony Lynn opted for the hook and lateral. Herbert hit Allen over the middle for 14 yards, and Allen lateraled to a wide open Weatherly. Weatherly could have waltzed into the end zone for a shocking win. Yet the lateral was behind Weatherly, and the Panthers recovered. Matt Rhule got his first NFL head coaching win as the Chargers suffered another agonizing loss. 21-16 Panthers

New York Jets at Indianapolis Colts — League rules prevented this game from being canceled. It was expected to be a blowout and it was. The Jets began at their own 21. On 3rd and 6 from their own 36, Sam Darnold threw a pass complete to Xavier Rhodes, who plays defense for the Colts. The 44 yard interception return has the Colts up 7-0. The Jets responded with a 14 play, 88 yard, 7 1/2 minute drive. Darnold hit Braxton Berrios for a 16 yard touchdown. The game was tied 7-7 after the first quarter, but after that reality set in.

After a touchback, Philip Rivers hit TY Hilton for 10 and Zach Pascal for 20. On 3rd and 6 from the Jets 40, Rivers hit Pittman for 9. Hones gained 11 and Taylor added 12. Rivers hit Moe Alie-Cox for the one yard touchdown to make it 14-7 Colts. The Colts got it back at their own 23 and Rivers went deep to Alie-Cox for a 45 yard gain. Blankenship hit a 42 yard field goal to put the Colts up 17-7 at recess. In the third quarter the Colts took over at their own 45. Rivers hit Hines for 12 and Hilton for 17. Taylor ran for 6 and 10. On 4th and goal at the one, Frank Reich decided to go for it. Taylor got in to make it 24-7 Colts. On the last play of the third quarter, the Jets faced 3rd and 4 at their own 31. Darnold went deep and found TJ Carrie, who also plays defense for the Colts. Carrie’s 47 yard interception return had the Colts up 31-7 after there quarters. The Colts added  fourth quarter field goal and safety to complete the blowout. Adam Gase remains mystified as to why he still coaches the 0-3 Jets, who are already chanting Just End The Season. The Jets are 13 games from an 0-16 season. 36-7 Colts

Dallas Cowboys at Seattle Seahawks — These teams both won thrillers last week. The Cowboys overcame a 20 point deficit including a 15 point deficit in the final few minutes to pull off a miracle win. The Seahawks needed a goal line stand at the one yard line to preserve their 5 point win. Dak Prescott and Russell Wilson put on an aerial show that went down to the wire. The Cowboys began at their own 20 and moved 55 yards in 13 plays and 5 1/2 minutes. On 2nd and 9 from the Seattle 25, Prescott threw incomplete twice. Greg “The Leg” Zuerlein hit from 43 to start the scoring. 90 seconds later after a touchback the Seahawks were in the lead. On 3rd and 1 from their own 34, Chris Carson ran for 23. Wilson went to Tyler Lockett for a 43 yard touchdown for a 7-3 Seahawks lead. A fumble on the ensuing kickoff pinned the Cowboys at their own one yard line. On the next lay the Seahawks defense recorded a safety for a 9-3 Seahawks lead. Seattle did not capitalize on the free kick.

The Cowboys would take over and soon face 3rd and 6 at their own 39. Prescott went to Lamb and Cooper for a pair of 28 yard gains. On 3rd and goal at the one, Ezekiel Elliott got in. Zuerlein’s extra point doinked off the upright no good for a 9-9 game after the first quarter. After a touchback came a play that will live in Seahawks infamy. This was not the interception at the goal line in the Super Bowl, but it was disgraceful. From his own 38, Wilson went for the bomb and found DK Metcalf for what should have been a touchdown. Metcalf did catch the ball inside the 5 and coasted into the end zone. However, he turned into Leon Lett, jogged very slowly the last few feet, and had the ball knocked out his hand by Diggs. It rolled out of the end zone for a touchback. There was no excuse for it. Metcalf was not showboating like Lett was in 1992. He just got lazy and it bit him. Rather than a 7 point Seahawks lead, it was still 9-9.

The Seahawks got it back at their own 29. Wilson ran for 4 and and Carson added 11. Wilson hit Metcalf for 10. On 3rd and 10 from the Dallas 46, Wilson was sacked. However, illegal contact on the defense kept the drive going. Wilson then hit Lockett for 15. On 2nd and 9 from the Dallas 23, Willow as intercepted. However, defensive pass interference meant an 8 yard gain. Another defensive pass interference call aded 14 yards down to the one. Wilson hit Lockett for the score. This time the Seahawks led 16-9, and it was official. The Cowboys struck back quickly after a touchback. Prescott hit Cooper for gains of 13 and 22 and then found Cedrick Wilson for a 4 3rd touchdown. Zuerlein’s extra point try was blocked as the Cowboys trailed 16-15.

The Cowboys got it back at their own 20 with one minute left in the half. From their 25, a short pass by Prescott was intercepted by Griffin. With 36 seconds left in the half the Seahawks took over at the Dallas 34. Wilson hit Metcalf for 9, Greg Olsen for 8, and Olsen again for 16 down to the one with 12 seconds left in the half. Wilson went to Lockett as the Seahawks led 23-15 at the intermission. After a touchback to start the second half, Prescott was immediately sacked and fumbled. Mayowa picked it up for the defense and rumbled 13 yards to the Dallas 5 yard line. Wilson hit Jacob Hollister for a one yard touchdown two plays later. 2 touchdowns within one minute broke open a close game and had the Seahawks leading 30-15.

With 6 1/2 minutes left in the third quarter, the Cowboys were pinned at their own 6 yard line. Prescott went deep Gallup for 52 yards and then to Wilson for a 42 yard touchdown. 94 yards took only 39 seconds as the Cowboys were within 30-22. The Cowboys got it back at their own 11. Prescott went to Lamb for 20 and 10 as the third quarter ended. The fourth quarter saw the Cowboys getting stopped on 3rd and 1 from the Seattle 48 when Prescott threw incomplete. Mike McCarthy decided to go or it and Prescott gained 2. Prescott then went to Gallup for a 43 yard touchdown. With a full 13 minutes left in regulation, McCarthy went for the 2 point conversion to tie the game. Prescott threw incomplete and the Cowboys were within 30-28.

The Cowboys got it back at their own 6 with 10 minutes left. Defensive holding moved them 5 yards. Prescott hit Gallup for 19. On 3rd and 8 from their own 33, Prescott hit Gallup for 10 and Wilson for 8. Prescott ran for 9. Elliott ran for 5 and caught a pass for 6. On 3rd and 4 from the Seattle 26, the defense jumped to give the Cowboys another first down. The defense finally held, but with 4 minutes left Zuerlein came in for a 42 yard field goal try to give the Cowboys the lead. Zuerlein was good, and for the second straight week the Cowboys overcame a 15 point second half deficit to take a one point lead. 16 plays, 70 yards and 6 minutes still left 4 minutes for the Seahawks, who needed only a field goal.

After a touchback, Wilson hit Olsen for 21. O 3rd and 3 from he Dallas 47, Wilson threw incomplete. With 2:37 left, on 4th and 3, Wilson hit Olsen for 11. With 1:47 left, on 3rd and 3 from the Dallas 29, Wilson went to Metcalf for the touchdown. This time Metcalf took the ball with him. He redeemed himself and Wilson hit Hollister for the 2 point conversion to put the Seahawks up by 7. After a touchback, Prescott hit Elliott for 10 and 6. Prescott then ran for 6. On 3rd and 4 from the Seattle 47, Prescott hit Schultz for 8. On 2nd and 7 from the Seattle 36, Prescott hit Wilson for 14. A sack of Prescott had the Cowboys take their final timeout with 16 seconds left. They were facing 3rd and 14 from the Seattle 26. Prescott rolled out and looked like he was going to be sacked. Somehow he broke free, used his hand to keep his body from hitting the ground, steadied himself, and threw to the end zone. It was all for naught as Neal intercepted the ball for a touchback. For the second straight weeks, the Seahawks survived on the final play. This time, the Cowboys luck ran out. Prescott was a ridiculous 37 of 57 for 472 yards, 3 touchdowns and 2 interceptions. Wilson was a lights out 27 of 40 for 315 yards, 5 touchdowns and 0 interceptions. Pete Carroll again has a 3-0 ball club that fights to the very last play. 38-31 Seahawks

Tampa Bay Buccaneers at Denver Broncos — This game was a mismatch from the start. The Broncos punted on 4th and 4 from their own 43. The punt was blocked, and the Buccaneers took over at the Denver 10 yard line. On 3rd and goal, Brady hit Chris Godwin for the 10 yard touchdown to make it 7-0 Broncos. The Buccaneers got it back at their own 46. On 4th and 1 from the Denver 45, Bruce Arians decided to go for it. Leonard Fournette gained 2. On 3rd and 1 from the Denver 24, Brady threw incomplete. This time Bruce Arians opted for the field goal. Ryan Succop hit the 43 yarder to make it 10-0 Buccaneers after the first quarter. Brandon McManus did hit a 56 yard field goal in the second quarter but the Buccaneers offense kept rolling. On 3rd and 8 from their own 27, Brady went deep to Miller for 47 yards. On 3rd and 5 from the Denver 21, Brady hit Godwin for 6. On 3rd and 4 from the Denver 9, Brady hit Rob Gronkowski for 6. On 3rd and goal at the one, Brady hit Mike Evans for the touchdown for the 17-3 Buccaneers lead. The Buccaneers  got it back at their own 44 with 5 minutes left in the half. Brady hit OJ Howard for 33, Gronk for 9 and Evans for the one yard touchdown. The Patriots were dominating 23-3. Denver did manage a touchdown near the end of the half but nothing more. The Bucs tacked on a third quarter field goal and safety and the defense did the rest. 28-10 Buccaneers

Detroit Lions at Arizona Cardinals — The Lions entered 0-2 as expected, while the Cardinals were a surprising 2-0. Last year in the season opener, the Lions blew an 18 point fourth quarter lead as Kliff Kingsbury and Kyler Murray’s first NFL game ended in a tie. The Lion began by moving from their own 25 to a 3rd and 6 at the Arizona 9. Matthew Stafford was sacked for a 10 yard loss. Matt Prater hit the 37 yard field goal to make it 3-0 Lions. Kyler Murray was then intercepted, but the Lions did not capitalize. On 2nd and 5 from their own 25, Murray hit Edmonds for 6, Andy Isabella for 26 and 4, ran for 7 himself, and hit Daniel for 15. On 2nd and 9 from the Detroit 16, defensive pass interference on an incomplete pass meant 6 yards and 1st and goal from the 10. On 2nd and goal from the 13, Murray hit Isabella for the touchdown to make it 7-3 Cardinals.

In the second quarter the Cardinals took over at their own 10. From their 20, Murray was intercepted to set up the Lions at the Arizona 27. Adrian Peterson gained 5, 8 and 8. On 4tH and 1 from the 5, Matt Patricia decided to go for it. Stafford hit Jesse James for the touchdown to make it 10-7 Lions. The Cardinals took over at their own 26. Murray hit Deandre Hopkins for gains of 18 and 11 and Arnold for 11. Kenyon Drake ran for 11. On 3rd and 3 from the Detroit 16, Murray hit Edmonds for 15. Murray got the last yard himself.. With 1:53 left in the half the Cardinals led 13-10 after the failed extra point. After a touchback, Stafford hit Agnew for 20, TJ Hockensen for 11, Kenny Golladay for 10, Swift for 19, and Golladay for the 15 yard touchdown pass with 30 seconds left in the half. The 4th lead change of the half had the Lions up 17-13 at the intermission.

In the third quarter the Cardinals moved from their own 25 to a 3rd and 15 at the Detroit 45. Murray hit Johnson for 14. Kliff Kingsbury decided to go for it on 4th and 1 from the Detroit 31. streveler came in at quarterbacked for the one play. A false start killed the try. Kingsbury brought in Zane Gonzalez for a 54 yard field goal try. It was good and the Cardinals were within 17-16. The Cardinals got it back at their own 14. On 3rd and 12 from their own 38, Murray was intercepted. Okudah returned the interception 36 yards to the Arizona 22. Despite 1st and goal at the 6, a run went nowhere and Stafford threw incomplete twice. Prater hit the 24 yard field goal to make it 20-16 Lions. The Cardinals soon faced 2nd and 6 from their own 29. Murray hit Hopkins for gains of 15 and 12. On 3rd and 5 from the Detroit 39, Murray gained 13 and hit Hopkins for 11. On 3rd and 1 from the Detroit 6, Drake gained 2. Murray hit Isabella  for the 4 yard touchdown. The 5th lead change of the game had the Cardinals up 23-20 after three quarters.

A field position game in the fourth quarter pinned the Cardinals at their own 2 yard line. They punted from their 4, and a 19 yard return by Agnew gave the Lions great field position at the Arizona 36. Yet on 3rd and goal from the 8, Stafford was sacked. Prater hit from 35 for a 23-23 tie with 6:44 to play. The Cardinals took over at their own 23 and moved to a 2nd and 9 at midfield. Murray threw incomplete twice and the Cardinals punted. With 4:49 to play, the Lions were pinned at their own 9 yard line. Peterson gained 3 and 10. Stafford hit Jones for 20. A 52 yard bomb by Stafford was nullified by offensive holding. On 2nd and 15 from their own 37, Stafford threw incomplete. This time, it was defensive pass interference that gave the Lions a 13 yard gain to midfield and new downs. Stafford hit Golladay for 11 and Jones for 20. With 4 seconds left, Prater came in for the 39 yard try to win it. A miss would mean overtime for these clubs for the second straight year. There would be no overtime, only a 6th and final lead change. Prater was good, and beleaguered Matt Patricia got his first win of the year and gave the Cardinals their first loss. The league’s longest losing streak of 11 games dating back to last year was snapped. 26-23 Lions

Green Bay Packers at New Orleans Saints was the Sunday night game. Aaron Rodgers and Drew Brees were expected to offer fans a shootout, and that is what they did. The Packers scored 85 points in their first two games. The Packers took over at their own 31. Rodgers hit Allen Lazard for 9. On 3rd and 7 from their own 47, The Saints jumped into the neutral zone. On 3rd and 2, Rodgers hit Lazard for 5. A sack of Rodgers had the Packers facing 3rd and 22 from the Saints 43. Rodgers hit Tonyan for 9. Mason Crosby nailed the 52 yard field goal to make it 3-0 Packers. The Saints moved quickly from their own 23. Latavius Murray gained 10 and Alvin Kamala broke free for a 49 yard gain. Murray gained 7 and Brees hit Kamala for an 11 yard touchdown to make it 7-3 Saints.

After a touchback, Rodgers hit Tonyan for 10. On 3rd and 1 from their own 44, Williams gained 4 and 6 more with 15 added for a horsecollar tackle. On 3rd and 12 from the Saints 3, Rodgers ran for 13. On 3rd and 5 from the Saints 15, Rodgers threw incomplete. Crosby hit from 33 bu after 12 plays, 60 yard and 6 minutes, the Packers still trailed 7-6 one minute into the second quarter. A short punt and an unsportsmanlike conduct penalty on the Saints had the Packers taking over at midfield. Rodgers went deep to Lazard for a 48 yard gain. and again to Lazard for a 5 yard touchdown to make it 13-7 Packers.

The Saints faced 3rd and 15 from their own 20. Brees hit Kamala for 21 yards. On 3rd and 3 from the Green Bay 27, a short pass from Brees to Taysom Hill gained only one yard. On 4th and 2, Sean Payton opted for the field goal. With 4 1/2 minutes left in the half, Lutz hit from 45 to get the Saints within 13-10. The Saints got it back but a sack of Brees had them facing 2nd and 17 from their own 32 at the 2 minute warning. A pass only gained 3 yards but defensive holding meant a new set of downs. Brees hit Cook for 8 and Smith for 7. With one minute left in the half the Saints faced 3rd and 6 from the Green Bay 44. Brees hit Kamala for 7, 12 and 8. With 6 seconds left in the half, the Saints faced 3rd and 2 at the Green Bay 10. Brees hit Emmanuel Sanders for the touchdown as the Saints led 17-13 at the midpoint.

At the start of the the third quarter, the Packers faced 3rd and 10 at their own 25. Rodgers unleashed a bomb to Lazard for a 72 yard gain. It should have been a touchdown but Lazard slowed up just enough to be caught at the 3 yard line. On 3rd and goal at the one, Rodgers threw incomplete. Matt LaFlaeur decided to go for it on 4th and goal from the one. Jones got in to make it 20-17 Packers. The Saints soon faced 3rd and 5 from their own 30. Brees hit Sanders for 10 and Cook for 13. On 3rd and 1 from the Packers 38, Murray gained 5. On 3rd and 9 from the Packers 18, a completion to Kamala only gained 6 yards. On 4th and 3 from the Green Bay 12, Sean Payton lined up to go for it. The attempt to draw the defense offside failed and a false start meant a field goal try. Lutz hit from 35 and the game was tied 20-20 with 6 minutes left in the third quarter.

After a touchback, Rodgers hit Tonyan for 16 and Valdes-Scantling for 5. Jones ran for 9 and defensive pass interference added 19 more. On 3rd and 2 from the Saints 18, Rodgers hit Marcedes Lewis for the touchdown. With 2:17 left in the third quarter, the Packers had a 27-20 lead. A touchback and defensive holding had the saints at their own 30. Brees went to Sanders for 18. From their own 48, Brees anted to go deep but was forced to check down to Kamara on a  sideways pass that should have gone for one yard. instead, Alvin Kamala broke 5 tackles and very patiently followed his blockers down the sideline and back toward the middle. He actually had to slow down to let his blockers clear a path, and his weaving meant a 52 yard touchdown and a 27-27 game after three quarters.

The Packers moved from their own 25 to a 4th and 1 at their own 48. Jones got the carry and ran into a black and gold brick wall. Although a horrendous spot gave him a first down, Sean Payton challenged the spot and it was reversed to short of the marker and a turnover on downs. Two plays later Taysom Hill came in for 2nd and 3 from the Green Bay 41. Whenever Hill comes in, something special happens. However, this time Hill fumbled and the Packers recovered at their own 43. Rodgers hit Lazard for 7, Williams for 3 and Sternberger for 12. On 3rd and 7 from the Saints 32, a completion gained only one yard. Crosby hit the 49 yard field goal to make it 30-27 Packers with 8:47 to play.

The Saints went 3 and out and the Packers took over at their own 36 with 6 1/2 minutes left. Rodgers went to Sternberger for 23. Aaron Jones ran for 19, 5 and 2. On 3rd and 3 from the Saints 15, Rodgers threw incomplete. However, defensive pass interference was a killer. On 2nd and goal from the one, Rodgers threw incomplete but another defensive pass interference penalty meant 1st and goal at the one again. On 2nd and goal from the one, the Saints defense finally broke. Rodgers found a wide open Tonyan in the flat for the touchdown and the 37-27 Packers lead at the 2 minute warning. Needing 2 scores, Brees led a furious rally. With 30 seconds left, Lutz hit a 34 yard field goal to get the Saints within 7. The onside kick only went 8 yards before trickling out of bounds. The Packers are 3-0 while the Saints are 1-2. They need Michael Thomas back in a big way. 37-30 Packers

Kansas City Chiefs at Baltimore Ravens was the Monday night game. They did not meet in last year’s AFC Title Game, but they very well could this year. Patrick Mahomes and Lamar Jackson both create video game highlights. Early on the Ravens faced 3rd and 2 at their own 30. Jackson ran fo a 30 yard gain. Baltimore ran it down Kansas City’s throat. However, on 3rd and 3 from the Chiefs 8, a completion went nowhere. Justin Tucker hit the 26 yard field goal to cap the 11 play, 67 yard, 5 1/2 minute drive and make it 3-0 Ravens. The Chiefs responded quickly after a touchback. Tyreek Hill raced for a 22 yard gain. Mahomes hit Travis Kelce for 11 yards and Hill for 33 more. On 2nd and goal at the 3, Mahomes ran it in. The extra point was no good but the Chiefs led 6-3.

The Chiefs got it back and soon faced 3rd and 5 at their own 37. Mahomes hit Edwards-Helaire for 15 and Kelce for gains of 11 and 13. The second quarter began with the Chiefs facing 3rd and 9 at the Baltimore 23. Mahomes hit Sammy Watkins for 15. On 3rd and goal at the 5, Mahomes threw an underhanded pass over the middle to Sherman for the touchdown. The Chiefs led 13-3 after the 13 play, 68 yard, 6 1/2 minute drive. The Chiefs seemed to be in total control, but 12 seconds later the Ravens were in the end zone. Duvernay took the ensuing kickoff, split the seam, got tot he sideline, and raced for a 93 yard touchdown to get the Ravens within 13-10.

The Chiefs got it back at their own 27 and Mahomes hit Kelce for 29, Watkins for 5, and Hardman for 18. On 2nd and 14 from the Baltimore 25, a sack of Mahomes forced a fumble. However, the defense jumped offside. On 2nd and 9, Mahomes floated a rainbow to Hill for the 20 yard touchdown. Midway through the second quarter, the Chiefs led 20-10. With 4 1/2 minutes left in the half the Chiefs took over at their own 16. Edwards-Helaire gained 9. Mahomes hit Watkins for 10 and ran for 4. Edwards-Helaire ran for 16. With 1:48 left in the half, the Chiefs faced 3rd and 14 just past midfield. Mahomes went for the bomb and got belted right after he threw it. The perfect pass to a wide open Hardman went for a 49 yard touchdown and had the Chiefs cruising up 27-10. After a touchback, the Ravens soon faced 2nd and 4 from midfield. Jackson got sacked and fumbled as the Chiefs took over at their own 49 with 45 seconds left. The Chiefs still had all 3 timeouts. Butker missed a 42 yard field goal at the end of the half that would have extended the lead.

The Chiefs had another chance to put the game away early in the third quarter. The offense was clicking. The Chiefs quickly moved from their own 20 to a 2nd and 3 at the Baltimore 31. Thompson gained 11 more and then got blasted and fumbled, and the Ravens recovered at their own 21. On 2nd and 9 from the Chiefs 26, Jackson threw a bomb to an open receiver in the end zone that was catchable but dropped. Baltimore settled for a 42 yard Justin Tucker field goal to trail 27-13. The Chiefs after a touchback moved to a 3rd and 1 just shy of midfield. A run got stopped and Walrus Andy Reid decided to go for it on 4th and 1. Sherman got the carry and ran into a brick Baltimore wall. This time the Ravens capitalized on the golden field position. On 2nd and 5 from the Chiefs 32, Edwards gained 24. On the first play of the fourth quarter, Jackson hit Boyle for a 5 yard score. The touchdown got the Ravens within 27-20.

The Chiefs soon faced 3rd and 5 at their own 30. Mahomes hit Edwards-Helaire for 18 and Hill for 13. On 3rd and 10 from the Baltimore 39, Mahomes ran for 12. Edwards-Helaire ran for 5 and 3. Mahomes hit Watkins for 11. From the 2 yard line, Mahomes went to Eric Fisher on a tackle eligible for the touchdown. Andy Reid had to love a fellow big man getting a touchdown. The 13 play, 75 yards and 6 1/2 minute  drive left 8:14 to play and gave the Chiefs a commanding 14 point lead. A desperation drive after a touchback had the Ravens facing 2nd and 6 at the Chiefs 13. A sack of Jackson meant 3rd and 14 from the Chiefs 21. Another sack meant 4th and 24 from the Chiefs 31. With 5 minutes left, John Harbaugh had to go for it. Jackson went to the end zone incomplete. The Chiefs are 3-0 and looking every bit as good as the team that won it all last year, The Chiefs racked up over 500 yards of offense and the defense gave up less than half of that, making Andy Reid a most happy Walrus indeed. 34-20 Chiefs

https://www.commdiginews.com/sports/nfl/politics-football-and-hollywood-nfl-week-3-preview-and-bettors-guide-132620/

NFL 2020 Week 2 Recap

Cincinnati Bengals at Cleveland Browns is the Thursday night game. Sometimes a pair of bad teams can come together and play an exciting game. This actually was that game, which was exciting throughout. Wilson returned the opening kickoff 42 yards to the Cincinnati 39. On the first play from scrimmage Joe Burrow went deep for a 35 yard completion. Yet the call was challenged and reversed incomplete. The Bengals did move to a 3rd and 2 at the Cleveland 31. When a run lost 2 yards, Zac Parsons decided to go for it. On 4th and 4, Burrow hit Trevor Boyd for 7 yards. Yet on 3rd and 5 from the Cleveland 9, Burrow was sacked for an 11 yard loss. Randy Bullock was last week’s goat, but this week he hit the 38 yard field goal to make it 3-0 Bengals.

After a touchback, Baker Mayfield came out firing. He hit Jarvis Landry for 9, Hodge for 26 more, and Austin Hooper for 11. On 3rd and 7 from the Cincinnati 25, Mayfield scrambled for 8. Nick Chubb ran for 6 and then for the 11 yard touchdown to cap the 10 play, 75 yard, 5 1/2 minute drive to make it 7-3 Browns. The Bengals soon faced 3rd and 6 from their own 42. Burrow fumbled the snap out of the shotgun and a mad scramble meant a 22 yard loss. The Browns got it back at their own 43 and struck quickly. Chubb ran for 13 and Mayfield went to Odell Beckham Jr for a 43 yard touchdown to make it 14-3 Browns with 12 minutes left in the half.

Wilson retuned the ensuing kickoff 45 yards to the Cincinnati 43. Burrow hit Joe Mixon for gains of 4 and 5. On 3rd and 1 from the Cleveland 48, Burrow hit Sample for 7, Mixon for 18, and CJ Uzomah for a 23 yard touchdown to get the Bengals back within 14-10. Cleveland took over at their own 37 with 5 1/2 minutes left in the half. On 2nd and 11 from their own 36, Mayfield hit Beckham for 18. On 3rd and 4 from their own 40 out of the shotgun, Karim Hunt gained 6. Mayfield hit Hunt for 9 and Hodge for 13. With 90 seconds left in the half on 3rd and goal from the 6, Mayfield went to Hunt for the touchdown. The 12 play, 63 yard drive gave the Browns a 21-10 lead. After a touchback, Burrow hit Boyd for 11, Uzomah for 6, and Higgins for 18. On 3rd and 10 from midfield, Burrow threw incomplete but the defense jumped offside. On 3rd an 5, Burrow went to AJ Green for 6. On 3rd and 10 from the Cleveland 39, Burrow hit Thomas for 14. Bullock hit from 43 to end the half with the Bengals down 21-13.

After a touchback to start the second half, the Browns moved 74 yards in 13 plays and 7 minutes. On 4th and 2 from the Cincy 44, Kevin Stefanski decided to go for it. Mayfield hit Landry for 21 yards. On the next play Chubb ran for a 23 yard touchdown. Yet on further review, Chubb was ruled down at the one yard line. On 1st and goal Chubb was stopped and on 2nd and goal he lost a yard. On 3rd and goal at the 2, Mayfield threw incomplete. Stefanski went for it again on 4th and goal at the 2, and Chubb was stopped after one yard. The goal line stand fired up the Bengals defense.  Sadly, their offense gave the ball right back. On 3rd and 9 from their own 12, Burrow was sacked and fumbled. The Browns recovered at the Bengals one yard line. Mayfield threw incomplete, but on 2nd and goal Chubb finally got in to make it 28-13 Browns.

Cody Parkey kicked the ensuing kickoff out of bounds to set up the Bengals at their own 40 yard line. The Bengals moved 51 yards in 14 plays and 5 1/2 minutes. On 4th and 5 from the Cleveland 20, Parsons again decided to go for it in a game of big gambles. Burrow ran for 7 yards. On 3rd and 1 from the 4, Giovanni Bernard ran for the touchdown. Yet in a game of big reversals, it was ruled that Bernard was down at the one. On first and goal, Mixon lost 4 yards. Burrow threw incomplete, but defensive holding meant 1st and goal at the 2. After throwing incomplete, Burrow was sacked for a 7 yard loss. On 3rd and goal Burrow threw incomplete. Bullock hit from 27 as the Bengals trailed 28-16 after three quarters.

After a touchback, the Browns moved to a 2nd and 4 at the Cincy 26. Mayfield went deep and was intercepted at the 2 yard line. The Bengals took over at their own 17. Mixon ran for 9 and 8. Burrow hit Higgins for 12 and Sample for 5. After throwing incomplete on 3rd and 5 from their own 48, Parsons again went for it on 4th and 5. Burrow hit Boyd for 13, ran for 5 and hit Uzomah for 5. A sack of Burrow was nullified by a defensive facemark. On 3rd and 1 from the Cleveland 5, Burrow got the yard. On the next play Burrow hit Mike Thomas for the 4 yard touchdown. With 6 minutes left in regulation, the Bengals were within 28-23.

After a touchback, Chubb ran for 4 and then 26 more. Hunt ripped off a 33 yard gain. Hunt gained one, ten, and then the one yard touchdown. Without a single pass play, the browns and quickly built a 35-23 lead with 4 minutes left. Burrow tried to lead a furious rally, but he needed 16 plays to go the 75 yards. On 4th and 5 from his own 30, Burrow hit Boyd for 17. On 3rd and 1 from the Cleveland 44, Burrow hit Sample for 6. On 4th and 1 from the Cleveland 29, Burrow hit Thomas for 10. On 3rd and goal from the 9, Burrow hit Boyd for the touchdown. The Bengals were within 5, but only 43 seconds remained. The game was exciting, but the onside kick failed. 35-30 Browns

Jacksonville Jaguars at Tennessee Titans — On the first play from scrimmage, Ryan Tannehill executed a perfect play fake and found a wide open Smith for a 63 yard gain. Two plays later Tannehill connected with Smith for the 13 yard touchdown to make it 7-0 Titans. After a touchback the Jaguars moved to a 4th and 3 at the Tennessee 39. Doug Marrone decided to go for it. Gardner Minshew somehow escaped a sack and ran for the first down. Yet on the next play a Minshew pass was high, deflected and intercepted. Christian Fulton returned the interception 45 yards to the Jacksonville 30. On 3rd and 6 from the Jags 26, Tannehill hit Firkser for 14. Tannehill hit Davis for the 9 yard touchdown to make it 14-0 Titans.

This time the Jaguars responded. On 2nd and 8 from their own 27, Minshew hit Tyler Eifert for 9 and then went deep to DJ Chark for a 45 yard gain. On 3rd and 10 from the Tennessee 19, Minshew went to Eifert for the touchdown to get the Jaguars within 14-7. Midway through the second quarter the Titans took over at their own 15. On 3rd and 3 from their own 22, Tannehill hit Humphries for 5. On 3rd and 4 from their own 33, Tannehill threw incomplete but defensive pass interference meant a 22 yard gain. Derrick Henry gained 7 and 14. On 3rd and 3 from the Jags 17, Henry gained 7 and 4 more. On 3rd and goal from the 4, Tannehill hit Smith for the touchdown as the Titans led 21-7 with 1:47 left in the half.

The Jaguars moved after a touchback to a 1st and 10 at the Tennessee 17 with 30 seconds left in the half. Minshew threw 3 straight incompletions. Josh Lambo hit the 35 yard field goal to get the Jaguars within 21-10 with only 15 seconds left in the half. Yet a terrible squib kick by Lambo gave the Titans the ball just past midfield with 10 seconds left. Tannehill hit Firkser for 16. Stephen Gostkowski had a miserable week last week, missing 3 field goals and an extra point before hitting the winning field goal. This week Gostkowski ended the half by hitting a 51 yard field goal to make it 24-10 Titans.

The Jaguars began the second half at their own 11 yard line. on 3rd and 1 from their 20, Robinson got the yard. On 3rd and 2 from their own 29, Thompson gained 5. From their own 48, Minshew hit O’Shaughnessy for 13 and Shenault for 9. Robinson ran for a 17 yard touchdown as the Jaguars were within 24-17 after the 14 play, 89 yard, 8 minute drive. After a touchback, the Jaguars defense was immediately called for defensive holding. Henry ran for 2, 14 and 4. On 2nd and 6 from midfield, Tannehill hit Davis for 17. On 3rd and 9 from the Jags 18, Tannehill went to Humphries for the touchdown. Gostkowski doinked the extra point off the upright no good as the Titans led 30-17.

After a touchback, Minshew hit Chark for 10 and Robinson for 6. Robinson then ran for a 39 yard gain. Minshew hit O’shaunghnessy for 12 as the fourth quarter began with the Jaguars facing 1st and goal at the 8. On 3rd and goal at the 2, Minshew hit Cole for the touchdown. This time it was Lambo drinking the extra point off the upright no good as the Jaguars trailed 30-23. Tennessee quickly went 3 and out and the Jaguars got it back at their own 14. A defensive facemark gave the Jaguars 15 yards. Shenault gained 12 and Robinson added 9 more. On 3rd and 5 from their own 46, Minshew hit Conley for 24 yards. Robinson gained 5 and Minshew hit Conley for 8 more. On 3rd and 7 from the Tennessee 14, Minshew hit Thompson for the touchdown. Midway through the fourth quarter, the game was tied 30-30.

With 3 1/2 minutes left a short punt gave the Titans great field position at their own 40 yard line. Henry gained 9 and 2. On 3rd and 5 from the Jags 44, Tannehill threw incomplete but a killer defensive pass interference penalty meant 8 yards and a first down. On 3rd and 10 from the Jags 36 out of the shotgun, Tannehill hit Firkser for 5 yards. With 1:41 left, Gostkowski came in for a 49 yard field goal try to give the Titans the lead. Gostkowski was good. Despite a nightmarish season, he hit the big field goal in both games. After a touchback, the Jaguars had 1:36 to work with. With 51 seconds left on 2nd and 1 from the Jaguars 45, Minshew was intercepted. It was a great football game, and another sigh of relief for Gostkowski. 33-30 Titans

Carolina Panthers at Tampa Bay Buccaneers — Teddy Bridgewater got off to a rough start while Tom Brady atoned for last week by starting red hot. The Panthers moved from their own 29 to a 1st and 10 at the Tampa Bay 22. Bridgwater was then intercepted at that spot. On 3rd and 6 from their own 26, Brady hit LeSean McCoy for 7, then 2 more, and then enough 16. Brady then went deep to Mike Evans for a 50 yard gain. On 3rd and 9 from the Carolina 20, Brady hit McCoy for only 6, but unnecessary roughness added 7 more yards and an automatic first down. On the next play Jones ran for the 7 yard touchdown to make it 7-0 Buccaneers. 2 plays after a touchback, Bridgewater got hit and fumbled. The Buccaneers took over at the Carolina 23. One play later Brady went deep to Evans for the touchdown to make it 14-0 Buccaneers. In the second quarter the Panthers recovered a fumble and moved from their 41 to a 4th and 2 at the Tampa 36. Matt Rhule passed up a 54 yard field goal try and gambled on a fake punt that did not work. The Buccaneers took over at their own 35. Brady went to Evans for 8 and then went deep to Watson for a 36 yard gain. On 3rd and 6 from the Carolina 13, Brady went to Leonard Fournette for 12. Fournette got the last yard and the Buccaneers had a comfortable 21-0 halftime lead.

An exchange of turnovers in the third quarter had the Panthers with a short field at the Tampa 47. On 3rd and 6, Bridgewater hit Moore for 15. On 3rd and 2 from the Tampa 8, Bridgewater threw incomplete but defensive pass interference meant 1st and goal at the one. McCaffrey got the yard and the Panthers were within 21-7. The Panthers got it back at their own 7. On 3rd and 6 from their 11, Bridgewater hit Samuel for 10, Robbie Anderson for 11, and Moore for a 30 yard gain. On 3rd and 2 from the Tampa 7, Bridgewater threw incomplete. On 4th and 2, Matt Rhule decided to go for it. A perfect option pitchout to McCaffrey had him get around the end for the touchdown. 90 seconds into the fourth quarter, the Panthers were within 21-14.

Carolina got it back at their own 12 and Bridgewater went deep to Anderson for 39 yards. Offensive holding moved the Panthers back and then Bridgewater was intercepted. The Buccaneers took over at their own 40. Brady hit Evans for 8 and Fournette ran for gains of 25, 6, 4 and 3. On 3rd and 8 from the Carolina 15, Brady threw incomplete. Ryan Succop hot a 33 yard field goal to give the Buccaneers breathing room up 24-14 with 6:18 to play. After a touchback, Bridgewater hit Davis for 16, Moore for 18, Davis for 8 and 7, Moore for 5 and Bridgewater for 12. On 3rd and goal from the 7, Bridgewater threw incomplete. Needing 2 scores with 2:22 to play, Matt Rhule opted for the field goal. Joey Slye hit from 23 to get the Panthers within 24-17. The onside kick failed and the Buccaneers took over at the carolina 46. One play later Fournette was racing all the way to the end zone to lock up the game. Tom Brady in 20 years has never started 0-2. After going 5-0 last year, Bridgewater is 0-2 this year. 31-17 Buccaneers

Denver Broncos at Pittsburgh Steelers — Midway through the first quarter the Broncos faced 3rd and 7 from their own 25. DJ Lock had the ball chopped out of his hand and the Steelers took over at their own 41. Making matters worse for Denver, Lock had his elbow injured on the play. Ben Roethlisberger hit Eric Ebron for 15, Juju Smith-Schuster for 8, and Washington for 5. On 3rd and 10 from the Denver 20, Big Ben went to Smith—Schuster for 18. James Conner ran for the 2 yard touchdown to make it 7-0 Steelers.  The Steelers got it back but were forced to punt on 4th and 18 from their own 9. The Broncos began the second quarter at the Pittsburgh 36 with Jeff Driskel in at quarterback. The Broncos wasted the prime field position but Brandon McManus drilled a 49 yard field goal to get the Broncos within 7-3. The Steelers took over at their own 16. Roethlisberger went deep to Chase Claypool for an 84 yard touchdown bomb and a 14-3 Steelers lead. Desperate to give the Broncos a spark, Vic Fangio had McManus try a 58 yard field goal. The kick was no good. With 1:58 left in the half, the Broncos got it back at their own 20. Jeff Driskel was quarterbacking the Broncos, and he was intercepted by Joe Haden. Haden returned the interception 24 yards to the Denver 11. On 3rd and 1 from the 2, Conner lost a yard. Mike Tomlin opted for the field goal. Chris Boswell hit from 21 and the Steelers led 17-3 at the intermission.

The Steelers have a tendency to play down to their competition and let teams back in games. McCloud returned the second half kickoff 49 yards and the Steelers took over at their own 47. Yet on 3rd and 16 from the Denver 48, Roethlisberger was intercepted. The Broncos took over at the Pittsburgh 41. On 3rd and 8 Driskel hit Hammier for 13. On 3rd and 6 from the Pittsburgh 22, Driskel hit Noah Fant for 14 with a defensive horsecollar tackle setting up 1st and goal at the 4. Driskel was sacked and then threw incomplete twice. McManus hit from 28 and the Broncos were down 17-6. The Steelers moved from their 25 to a 4th and 2 at the Denver 35. Rather than try a 53 yard field goal, Mike Tomlin opted to go for it. Roethlisberger threw incomplete. On 3rd and 2 from their own 43, Driskel threw incomplete but defensive pass interference on Minkah Fitzpatrick kept the drive going. Freeman ran for 4 and 13. From the Pittsburgh 35, a roughing the passer call moved the Broncos to the Pittsburgh 20. Driskel went to Fast for the touchdown and again to the 2 point conversion. After three quarters, the Broncos were only down 17-14.

After a touchback, Roethlisberger went to Ebron for 21. On 4th and 2 from the Denver 35, Mike Tomlin again went for it. Roethlisberger hit Smith-Schuster for 3 yards. Roethlisberger went to Diontae Johnson for a 28 yard touchdown to put the Steelers up 24-14 with 11 1/2 minutes left in regulation. The Broncos had to punt on 4th and 11 from their own 12. The snap was fumbled in the end zone and a mad scramble led to a safety. With 10 minutes left the Steelers led 26-14. With the free kick being returned by Johnson 24 yards to the Denver, the Steelers had a chance to put the game away.

Instead, Bennie Snell fumbled and the Broncos recovered at their own 46. On 2nd and 19 from their own 37, Driskel hit Hamler for 18. Defensive pass interference on the next play added 9 more. On 3rd and 7 from the Pittsburgh 33, Driskel hit Patrick for 17 and Melvin Gordon for a 16 yard touchdown. Midway through the fourth quarter, the Broncos were within 5 points. The Broncos got it back at their own 18 with 6 minutes left. Gordon ran for 10 and 2. On 3rd and 1 from their own 37, Driskel gained 2. On 3rd and 11 from their own 38, Driskel threw incomplete but defensive pass interference meant a 17 yard gain. Driskel then went to Fant for a 22 yard gain. At the 2 minute warning, on 3rd and 2 from the Pittsburgh 18, Driskel threw incomplete. With everything on the line, on 4th and 2, Driskel got rocked for an 11 yard loss. The Broncos still had all 3 timeouts. On 2nd and 5 from the pittsburgh 31, Connor broke free for a 59 yard gain. That allowed Pittsburgh to run out the clock. 26-21 Steelers

Los Angeles Rams at Philadelphia Eagles — The Eagles fumbled on the third play from scrimmage and the Rams began with a short field at the Philadelphia 41 yard line. Jared Goff hit Cooper Kupp for a 24 yard gain and Tyler Higbee for a 4 yard touchdown to make it 7-0 Rams. The Eagles did move from their own 30 to a 3rd and 6 at the Rams 22. Carson Wentz then threw a West Coast Offense dink and dunk pass that gained only 2 yards. Elliott hit the 38 yard field goal to get the Eagles on the board, but after that the Rams took over. On 3rd and 2 from their own 33, Goff hit Jefferson for gains of 10 and 8. On 3rd and 3 from midfield, Goff hit Kupp for 5 and then 19 more and then found Jefferson for 21. Robert Woods ran for a 5 yard touchdown to make it 14-3 Rams. In the second quarter the Rams got it back at their own 20. Goff hit Higbee for 13, Henderson for 12 and Higbee again for 6. Kupp took an end around for 15 yards and Goff hit Reynolds for 20. On 3rd and goal from the 3, Goff hit Higbee for the touchdown to make it 21-3 Rams.

The Eagles tried to get back in the game after a touchback. went hit Reagor for 16 and ran for 7 more. Runs and short passes led to 2nd and goal at the 7. Wentz threw incomplete but unnecessary roughness on the defense meant 1st and goal at the 3. Wentz snuck for a one yard touchdown to get the Eagles within 21-9. Doug Pederson went for the 2 point conversion and it didn’t work. With one minute left in the half and the Rams in total control, the Eagles punted on 4th and 5 from their own 38. Kupp fumbled the punt and the Eagles recovered at the Rams 11. Miles Sanders ran for 6 and then for the 5 yard touchdown as the Eagles only trailed by 21-16 at halftime. In the third quarter the Eagles moved from their own 14 on a 12 play, 63 yard, 6 1/2 minute drive. On 1st and 10 from the  Rams 21, Wentz went to the end zone and was intercepted for a touchback. With the Rams facing 4th and 1 at their own 29, Sean McVay went crazy and decided to go for it. Goff gained 2 yards. The Rams moved all the way to a 2nd and goal at the 2, but an offensive holding penalty killed the drive. Sam Sloman hit a 30 yard field goal to put the Rams up 24-16. After a touchback, the Eagles moved 60 yards in 13 plays and  minutes. Looking to tie the game on 2nd and 8 from the Rams 15, Wentz threw incomplete twice. Eliott hit from 33 as the Eagles were within 24-19.

After a touchback, Henderson ran for a 40 yard gain. Goff then hit Higbee for a 28 yard touchdown. With 11 minutes left in regulation he Rams led 31-19. The Eagles moved from their own 12 to a 4th and 2 at the Rams 36. Wentz threw incomplete. Henderson gained 2 and 11. Woods and Brown both added 5 more. Goff ran for 10. On 3rd and 9 from the Philly 30, Goff went deep to Henderson for a 28 yard gain. Darrell Henderson ran for a 2 yard touchdown. The extra point was blocked but it didn’t matter. Wentz was soon intercepted and Philaldephia was now an 0-2 team. 37-19 Rams

San Francisco 49ers at New York Jets  — On the firs play from scrimmage, Raheem Mostert raced for an 80 yard touchdown. 17 seconds into the game, and the 49ers led 7-0. The Jets eventually moved from their own 39 to a 1st and 10 at the San Francisco 49ers 18. Former 49ers standout Frank Gore is now with the Jets, and he lost 2 yards. Then Sam Dranold was sacked for a 6 yard loss. On 3rd and 18, Adam Gase inspired the entire football world by calling for a running play that gained 3 yards. Sam Ficken hit the 41 yard field goal to get the Jets on the board. The drive came at a heavy cost for the 49ers defense. Nick Bosa and Solomon Thomas left the game injured. Bosa was carted off on a stretcher and the injury to his leg looked bad. He might be out for the season.

The 49ers offense kept moving. Mostert had a 67 yard touchdown run called back by offensive holding, but it didn’t matter. On 2nd and 16 from their own 27, Garoppolo hit Coleman for 18. The second quarter began with the 49ers facing 3rd and 9 at the Jets 42. Garoppolo hit Jordan Reed for 11 and Mostert for 10. On 3rd and 8 from the Jets 20, Garoppolo hit Reed for the score to make it 14-3 49ers .The 14 play, 67 yard drive took almost 9 minutes off the clock. The Jets took over at their own 25 and embarked on an 11 play, 55 yard drive that took over 6 minutes. On 3rd and 1 from the San Francisco 20, Gore got stopped. Adam Gase went for it on 4th and 1 and Adams got stopped. With 3 minutes left in the half, the 49ers faced 3rd and 3 from their own 27. Gaoppolo hit Kevin Bourne for 18 and Reed for 8. On 3rd and 2 from the Jets 47, Garoppolo hit Taylor for 9. With one minute left in the half on 3rd and 8 from the Jets 36, Garoppolo threw incomplete. However, roughing the passer kept the drive going. With 11 seconds left, the 49ers faced 3rd and goal at the 4. Garoppolo hit Reed for the touchdown. The 13 play, 80 yard drive had the 49ers up 21-3 at halftime.

The second half was a formality. In the third quarter Robbie Gould hit a 46 yard field goal to make it 24-3 49ers. An interception of Garoppolo set up the Jets at the Frisco 22. On 3rd and goal at the 7, Darnold threw incomplete. Needing 3 touchdowns, Adam Gase surrendered an went with a field goal. Sam Ficken hit from 25 and the Jets trailed 24-6. In the fourth quarter from their own 25, Garoppolo was out of the gam injured. Nick Mullens hit Bourne for 24and Aiyuk for 13. after a roughing the passer penalty, Jerick McKinnon ran for a 16 yard touchdown to make it 31-6 49ers. The Jets did get a garbage touchdown very late. Despite the win, Kyle Shanahan had to figure out how to salvage the rest of the season with injuries devastating his team. 31-13 49ers

Buffalo Bills at Miami Dolphins — A heavy rain made for horrendous conditions for the few fans allowed to attend. After an exchange of punts the Bills took over at their own 3 yard line. Josh Allen went to Stefan Diggs for 25 yards. On 3rd and 10 from their own 29, Allen hit John Brown for 15 and then ran for 16 more. Allen then went deep to Cole Beasley for 26 and back to Diggs for 8 more. On 3rd and 2 from the Miami 6, Allen hit Beasley for 5 and then went to Gilliam for the one yard touchdown. The 11 play, 97 yard, 5 1/2 minute drive made it 7-0 Bills. After a touchback, Ryan Fitzpatrick’s beard hit Ford and Gaskin for a pair of 13 yard gains. On 3rd and 1 from the Buffalo 37, Matt Breida ran for 9 yards. Fitzpatrick went deep to Williams for 26 yards down to the 2 yard line. Fitzpatrick then went to Parker for the score and a 7-7 ballgame.

One play after a touchback, Allen connected with Knox for a 38 yard gain. However, Knox fumbled and the Dolphins took over. The Bills got it back at their own 16 as the rain ended and the sun came out. On 3rd and 5 from their own 21, Allen hit Beasley for 11 and then went deep to McKenzie for a 46 yard gain. Allen then went deep to Diggs for a 22 yard touchdown to make it 14-7 Bills. Buffalo got it back at their own 6 yard line and carved up the Miami defense. Moss gained 3, 14, 6 and 4. Allen went to Diggs for 16 and Singletary gained 18. The drive stalled at the Miami 28, but Bass hit a 39 yard field goal. The 13 play, 73 yard, 6 1/2 minute drive had the Bills up 17-7 with 2 1/2 minutes left in the half.

With 33 seconds left in the half, the Dolphins took over at their own 25. Gaskin ran for 14 and Fitzpatrick hit Matt Gesicki for 27. Jason Sanders nailed a 52 yard field goal to get the Dolphins within 17-10 at halftime. After a lengthy delay due to a lightning storm, the Dolphins took over after a touchback. Fitzpatrick hit Gesicki for 12 and Parker for 20. On 2nd and 1 from the Buffalo 19, Gaskin gained 13 but an illegal block killed the drive. Sanders hit a 45 yard field goal to get the Dolphins within 17-13. The Dolphins got it back at their own 14 and moved 85 yards in 12 plays and 6 1/2 minutes. On 1st and goal at the one, Jordan Howard got stopped. Then Fitzpatrick got stopped. Then Fitzpatrick threw incomplete. Brian Flores decided to go for it on 4th and goal at the one. Fitzpatrick threw incomplete. The goal line stand fired up the Bills defense, but the offense would not help them. A short punt gave it right back to the Dolphins at the Buffalo 44 to start the fourth quarter. Fitzpatrick hit Ford for 11. On 3rd and 2 from the Buffalo 21, Fitzpatrick hit Ford for 3. Gaskin ran for 9 and 2. On 3rd and goal at the 2, Howard got in. With 10 minutes left in regulation, the Dolphins had come all the way back to lead 20-17.

After a touchback, Allen went deep to Digs for a 47 yard gain. Anoffensive penalty and a sack had the Bills facing 2nd and 24 at the Miami 42. Allen went deep to Beasley for the 24 yards. On 3rd and goal at the 6, Allen hit Gabriel Davis for the score. With 6 minutes left, the Bills led 24-20. The Dolphins went 3 and out and the Bills got it back at their own 29. On 2nd and 7, Allen went deep to Diggs for 21 yards. With 3 minutes left, on 3rd and 9 from the Miami 46, Allen went to Brown for the touchdown. The extra point had the Bills up 31-20. Fitzpatrick did throw an 8 yard touchdown to Gesicki and a 2 point conversion to Williams with 49 seconds left. Yet the insides kick failed and the Dolphins had another loss. 31-28 Bills

Minnesota Vikings at Indianapolis Colts — The Vikings began at their own 22 and embarked on a 13 play, 75 yard, 6 minute drive. Yet on 3rd and goal at the 3, Kirk Cousins threw high over the middle and out of the end zone. Dan Bailey hit the 21 yard field goal to make it 3-0 Vikings. The second quarter was all Colts. The Vikings punted on 4th and 5 from their own 10. A short punt had the Colts taking over at the Minnesota 35. Philip Rivers hit Pittman for 16 and 9. Taylor ran for 5 and then 5 more for the touchdown to make it 7-3 Colts. With 5 minutes left in the half and facing 3rd and 7 from their own 5, Kirk Cousins was sacked in the end zone for a safety and a 9-3 Colts lead. After the free kick the Colts took over at their own 32. On 3rd and 5 from their own 37, Rivers hit Alie-Cox for 14 and again for 33 more. TY Hilton dropped a touchdown bomb. On 3rd and 4 from the Minnesota 10, Rivers threw incomplete. Blankenship hit the 28 yard field goal to make it 12-3 Colts. With 45 seconds left in the half on 3rd and 10 from their own 25, Cousins was intercepted. Willis returned the intercepted 43 yards to the Minnesota 29. On 4th and 1 from the 20, Frank Reich decided not to gamble. Blankenship hit from 38 as the Colts took a 15-3 lead to the locker rooms.

The second half was pointless. An interception of Cousins in the third quarter set up the Colts a the Minnesota 22. Blankenship hit his fourth field goal from 38 yards out to make it 18-3 Colts. The Colts got it back and moved 65 yards in 1- plays and 6 1/2 minutes. One minute into the fourth quarter, Rivers hit Zach Pascal for a 2 yard touchdown to make it 25-3 Colts. Blankenship hit his fifth field goal from 44 yards out to make it 28-3 Colts. Minnesota did get a garbage touchdown, but the Vikings are un uncharacteristic 0-2. Mike Zimmer teams are not used to getting pushed around on both sides of the ball. Philip Rivers got his first win leading the Colts. 28-11 Colts

Detroit Lions at Green Bay Packers — After last week’s epic fourth quarter collapse, the Lions were expected to get blown out by the Packers. On the opening drive from their own 25, the Lions moved the ball easily. Matthew Stafford hit MARVIN jones for 5 yards and TJ Hockenson for 29 more. A defensive facemark had the lions at the Green Bay 22. Johnson ripped off gains of 4, 7 and 4 down to the one and then got the last yard to make it 7-0 Lions. The Packers went on a 12 plat, 50 yard, 5 minute drive. Yet on 2nd and 3 from the Detroit 25, Aaron Rodgers threw incomplete twice. Mason Crosby hit from 43 to get the Packers within 7-3. The Lions soon faced 3rd and 1 from their own 34 and Adrian Peterson gained 5. On 3rd and 2 from their own 47, Stafford gained 4. Stafford hit swift for 14 and Petrson gained 25. On 3rd and goal at the 4, Stafford hit Jones for the touchdown to end the first quarter with the Lions up 14-3.

The game changed in the second quarter. On 2nd and 6 from their own 29, Rodgers threw incomplete but defensive holding meant a new set of downs. Jones ran for 5 and caught a pass from Rodgers for 22 more. Rodgers then went to Devontae Adams for 11, Ervin for 4 and Lazard for 10. Jones ran for 5 and 2. on 3rd and 3 from the Detroit 7, Rodgers went to Jones for the score tog et the Packers within 14-10. With one minute left in the half, the Packers took over at their own 38. Rodgers threw incomplete but unnecessary roughness gave the Packers 15 yards. Rodgers then went to Adams for 8, and another defensive personal foul for a horsecollar tackle meant 15 more free yards. Rodgers then went to Tonyan for the 11 yard touchdown with 14 seconds left in the half to make it 17-14 Packers. 14 seconds was enough time for the Lions to get in position for a 57 yard Matt Prater field goal try, but it was no good. On the first play of the third quarter after a touchback, Jones ran up the gut for a 75 yard touchdown. The Packers led 24-14. The Lions took over at their own 5 yard line. Stafford threw a short pass that was intercepted by Sullivan for a 7 touchdown. The Packers led 31-14 as Matt Patricia contemplated whether to clean out his desk before or after the game ended. The Packers got it back and moved 69 yards in 12 plays and 6 minutes. On 1st and 10 from the Detroit 17, Rodgers threw 3 straight incompletions. Crosby hit from 35 as 31 straight points had the Packers cruising 34-14. Stafford did hit Hall for a 24 yard touchdown with 13 minutes remaining, but it was too little, too late. Jones ran for a 14 yard touchdown and Williams added a 2 point conversion to complete the blowout. 42-21 Packers

Atlanta Falcons at Dallas Cowboys — Dak Prescott got hit and fumbled and the Falcons recovered at the Dallas 22. One play later Matt Ryan went deep to Calvin Ridley for the touchdown to make it 7-0 Falcons. The Cowboys moved from their own 13 to a 1st and 10 at the Atlanta 46. Then Ezekiel Elliott fumbled and the Falcons recovered at their own 48. On 3rd and 5 from the Dallas 47, Matty Ice got just enough. On the next play Ryan went deep to Hurst for a 42 yard touchdown and a 14-0 Falcons lead. Mike McCarthy then on 4th and 4 from his own 29 gambled on a fake punt that didn’t work. The Cowboys defense held but Koo kicked a 42 yard field goal to make it 17-0 Falcons. The Cowboys got it back at their own 32 and immediately fumbled the ball away again. This time it was receiver Sschultz who coughed it up. The Falcons had another short field at the Dallas 40. Koo would hit a 27 yard field goal as the Falcons had a shocking 20-0 first quarter lead on the road. The Mike McCarthy era was off to a miserable start as Jerry Jones again contemplated blowing up Jerryworld for the insurance money.

The Cowboys tried to make a game of it in the second quarter. Prescott hit Amari Cooper for 11 and See Dee Lamb for 9. Elliott ran for 10. On 3rd and 3 from the Atlanta 9, Elliott gained 7, one more, and then the last yard to get the Cowboys on the board down 20-7. Yet after moving 75 yards in 11 plays, the Falcons responded 75 yards in 12 plays. Ryan went to Calvin Ridley for 25 yards to midfield. On 4th and 1 from the Dallas 41, Dan Quinn decided to go for it. Smith gained 2. A defensive penalty for lowering the head to initiate contact had the Falcons in the red zone. On 3rd and 2 from the Dallas 11, Ryan hit gage for 4. On 3rd and goal from the 3, Ryan hit Ridley for the score. A questionable decision to go for 2 failed, but the Falcons led 26-7 with 6 minutes left in the half.

The Cowboys after a touchback moved to a 1st and 10 at the Atlanta 17. Yet penalties for offensive holding and a false start killed the drive. Greg Zuerlein hit a 33 yard field goal to get the Cowboys within 26-10 with 1:48 left in the half. Yet the Falcons from their own 21 responded again. Ryan hit Gage for 14 and Ridley for 11. On 1st and 5 from the Dallas 47, Ryan went deep to Ridley for 24 yards. With 16 seconds left in the half from the Dallas 23, Ryan threw incomplete twice. Koo hit his third field goal from 41 yards out to put the Falcons up 29-10 at halftime.

The Cowboys again tried to close the gap in the third quarter. From their own 26, Elliott ran for 10. On 3rd and 6 from their own 40, Prescott went deep to Lamb for 37 yards. and to Schultz for 18 more. Prescott ran for the 2 yard touchdown to get the Cowboys within 29-17. Dan  Quinn went to his bag of tricks and called a halfback option pass to an open Julio Jones in the end zone. Jones dropped it. Instead of a 36-17 Falcons lead, the Cowboys got it back at their own 17. Prescott hit Elliott for 8 and then went deep to Cooper for a 58 yard gain. Elliott ran for 9 and one. On 1st and goal at the 7, Prescott got rocked. The roughing the passer call made it 1st and goal at the one, but Prescott left the game. The fans held their breath as Jerry Jones aged to 150 before our eyes. Red Rifle Andy Dalton came in for a couple plays. Jones was back to being in his 70s when Prescott returned to the game. On 3rd and goal at the one, he snuck it over himself to get the Cowboys within 29-24 with 4 minutes left in the third quarter.

The Falcons soon faced 3rd and 6 from their own 30. Ryan hit Hurst for 22 yards. On 4th and 2 from the Dallas 40, Dan Quinn decided to go for it. Ryan hit Julio Jones for 19. Ryan hit Gage for an 8 yard touchdown as the Falcons led 36-24 less than one minute into the fourth quarter. The Cowboys moved from their 24 to a 4th and 5 at their own 40. Again Mike McCarthy called a fake punt and again it didn’t work. The Falcons took over at the Dallas 43. On 3rd and 8, Ryan hit Gage for 12. On 3rd and 7 from the Dallas 26, Ryan hit Ridley for 14. On 3rd and 6 from the Dallas 8, Ryan threw incomplete. A touchdown would have certainly put the game away. Instead Koo hit a 32 yard field field goal. Midway through the fourth quarter the Falcons led 39-24. The game was basically over barring an epic collapse.

The Cowboys soon faced 3rd and 4 from their own 31. Prescott hit Bell for 24 yards. On 3rd and 7 from the Atlanta 42, Prescott hit Lamb for 12. With 5 minutes left in regulation, Prescott hit Schultz for a 10 yard touchdown. Mike McCarthy inexplicably went for a 2 point conversion. It failed. The Cowboys were down 39-30 and basically dead in the water. The Cowboys got it bucket their own 24 with 2:52 to play and needing 2 scores. Prescott hit Cooper for 11. On 3rd and 2 from their own 43, Prescott hit Lamb for 14. Prescott then went deep to Michael Gallup for a 38 yard gain. Prescott ran for a one yard touchdown. The Cowboys were within 39-37 but only 1:49 remained. All the Falcons had to do was recover the onside kick. A perfectly executed onside kick had the Cowboys recover at their own 46. Prescott went to Lamb for 24 yards. With 5 seconds left, Zuerlein came in for a 46 yard field goal try to win it. Zuerlein was good. The Falcons led the entire 59 minutes and 55 seconds of the game. Then they lost in a comeback for the ages. This was not as bad as he Falcons 28-3 meltdown in the Super Bowl or even their fourth quarter collapse in the 1980 playoffs against Danny White’s Cowboys, but it was still another maddening loss in a franchise used to losing. Last week Ryan threw for 450 yards in a loss. This week he was 24 of 36 for 273 yards, 4 touchdowns and 0 interceptions in another loss. Mike McCarthy go his first win as Cowboys coach despite himself. Prescott was 34 of 47 for 450 yards, one touchdown and 0 interceptions. 40-39 Cowboys

New York Giants at Chicago Bears — Saquon Barkley left the game early with an injury, turning the Giants from a team lacking in talent to completely lacking in talent. From their own 18 to start, the Bears made it look easy. On 3rd and 5, Mitchell Trubisky hit Allen Robinson for 17. On 2nd and 16 from their own 34, Trubisky hit Tariq Cohen for 15. On 3rd and 1, Cohen out of the shotgun, gained 5. On 3rd and 2 from the Giants 38, Montgomery gained 7. On 3rd and 7 from the Giants 28, Trubisky went to Montgomery for the touchdown. The 12 play, 82 yard, 7 1/2 minute drive had the Bears up 7-0. On 3rd and 6 from their own 25, Daniel Jones was sacked, and as he often does, fumbled. The Bears recovered at the Giants 20. The Giants defense held but Cairo Santos hit a 34 yard field goal to make it 10-0 Bears. The Giants moved from their own 23 to a 3rd and 8 from the Bears 29 in the second quarter. Jones was then intercepted. The Bears got it back at their own 20 and Trubisky hit Robinson for 14, Mooney for 16 and Kmet for 12. On 3rd and 7 from the Giants 29, Trubisky hit Wims for 12. On 3rd and 8 from the Giants 15, Trubisky hit Mooney for the touchdown. With only 14 seconds left in the half, the Bears led 17-0. 14 seconds was enough time for the Giants to move from their 25 to the Chicago 39, but Graham Gano’s 57 yard field goal try was no good.

The Bears are not that good, but the Giants are that bad. Yet an interception of Trubisky set up the Giants at the Chicago 25. The Giants offense did nothing with the ball, but Gano hit from 39 to get the Giants within 17-3. Late in the third quarter the Giants took over at their own 5 yard line. On 3rd and 3 from their 12, Jones hit Lewis for 11, Golden Tate for 20, and Board for 12. Unnecessary roughness added 15 more. The fourth quarter began with the Giants facing 3rd and goal at the one. Jones threw incomplete and Joe Judge decided to go for it. On 4th and goal at the one, Lewis got in to get the Giants within 17-10. An interception of Trubisky set up the Giants at heir own 34. Jones had an interception returned for a Chicago touchdown, but defensive pass interference saved the Giants. Midway through the fourth quarter the Giants had 1st and 10 at the Chicago 19. Jones threw incomplete 3 straight times. Gano hit the 37 yard field goal and the Giants were within 4 points.

The Bears took over at their own 24 and bled much of the clock. With 2:02 to play Santos came in for a 50 yard field goal to extend the lead. The kick was no good. The Giants faced 3rd and 10 from their own 40. Jones hit Engram for 22. With 45 seconds left, the Giants faced 4th and 4 at the Chicago 32. Jones hit Lewis for 6 yards. With 21 seconds left the Giants faced 4th and 1 at the Chicago 17. Jones hit Slayton for 3. With 8 seconds left on 2nd and 10 from the Chicago 14, the Giants had 2 shots to win it. Rather than throw to the end zone, Jones inexplicably threw a 4 yard pass. With 4 seconds left on 3rd and 6 from the Chicago 10, Jones threw to the end zone incomplete. The Giants thought it was defensive pass interference, but it was actually offensive pass interference. There was defensive pass interference as well, but that was not called. The game was over as the Bears became the worst 2-0 team in some time. 17-13 Bears

Washington Riveras at Arizona Cardinals — Both teams had come from behind wins last week. This one was a blowout from the start. A field position game had the Cardinals taking over at the Washington 48 only 90 seconds into the game. On 3rd and 2 from the Washington 40, Kyler Murray gained 13. On 3rd and 3 from the Washington 20, Murray hit Deandre Hopkins for 12. On 3rd and goal from the 4, Murray hit Hopkins for the touchdown to make it 7-0 Cardinals. Late in the first quarter the Cardinals had another short field at the Washington 40. Murray ran for 7 and hit Hopkins for 8. On 3rd and 4 from the Washigon 19, Murray hit Larry Fitzgerald for 5 and then ran for a 14 yard touchdown on the last play of the first quarter to make it 14-0 Cardinals. Zane Gonzalez hit field goals of 49 and 33 in the second quarter as the Cardinals led 20-0 at halftime and coasted the rest of the way.

The No-Names managed a field goal late in the third quarter, but this game was never in doubt. A 12 play, 75 yard drive was capped with the Cardinals facing 2nd and 19 from the Washington 21. Murray raced all over the defense like a pinball and scored to make it 27-3 Cardinals. The No-Names did manage a pair of touchdowns and failed 2 point conversions to get within 27-15 with 6 1/2 minutes remaining, but no closer. An 11 play, 74 yard drive killed the clock. By the time Gonzalez hit a 28 yard field goal, only 26 seconds remained. The Cardinals are a 2-0 football team, and they are for real. 30-15 Cardinals

Kansas City Chiefs at Los Angeles Chargers — Tyrod Taylor was supposed to start as rookie Justin Herbert would watch and learn from the sideline. The Chargers won last week but in pregame warmups, Taylor somehow suffered an injury. Herbert started his very first NFL game. From their own 21, Austin Ekeler ran for a pair of 9 yard gains. Herbert then found Kelley for 35 yards. Herbert went to Ekeler for 16 and then ran for the 4 yard touchdown himself as the Chargers had the surprising 7-0 lead. The Chargers defense was surprisingly good against the defending champions. In the second quarter the Chiefs finally moved the ball for their own 27. Patrick Mahomes hit Williams for 12. Thompson ran for 14 and 3. On 3rd and 7 from the Chargers 44, Mahomes scrambled for 15. On 3rd and 5 from the Chargers 24, Mahomes ran for 10. Mahomes hit Travis Kelce for a 10 yard touchdown. The extra point was blocked as the Chiefs trailed 7-6.

The Chargers took over at their own 29. Ekeler ran for 13. On 3rd and 2 from midfield, Herbert only gained one. With a rookie quarterback in his very first NFL game, Anthony Lynn decided t go for it on 4th and 1 just past midfield. Kelley got the yard. Herbert then hit Ekeler for 22. Ekeler gained 7 and 9 on the ground. On 3rd and goal from the 14, Herbert hit Jalen Guyton for the touchdown. Herbert became the first quarterback since 1954 to run for a touchdown and throw for a touchdown in the first half of his first NFL start. The Chargers led 14-6. In the third quarter from their own 20, the Chargers moved 57 yards in 12 plays. On 3rd and 7 from the Chiefs 23, Herbert threw incomplete. Michael Badgley hit the 41 yard field goal. Midway through the third quarter, the Chargers led 17-6 and trying to close out the upset of the year.

Mahomes moved the Chiefs after a touchback to a 2nd and 7 at the Chargers 32. A false start was followed b a 13 yard sack of Mahomes. On 4th and 15 from the Chargers 40, Walrus Andy Reid brought in Harrison Butker for a 58 yard field goal try. With 3 minutes left in the third quarter, Butker leveled it and the Chiefs were within 17-9. The Chargers moved from their own 16 to a 2nd and 2 at the Chiefs 39 as the third quarter was ending. Herbert was playing very well, but he finally blundered. Again, this was his very first NFL game. He had a running lane and would have easily picked up another first down. Instead he went for it all and threw into triple coverage and was intercepted. The Chiefs took over at their own 5 yard line to stat the fourth quarter. On 3rd and 4 from their 11, Mahomes hit Sammy Watkins for 11 and Mike Hardman for 22. Mahomes went to Tyreek Hill for a 54 yard touchdown bomb. Mahomes then went to Hardman for the 2 point conversion. With 13 minutes left in regulation, the game was tied 17-17.

Those expecting the Chargers to fold were stunned as Herbert led the drive of the year. From the Chargers 13, Herbert hit keeper for 7. Ekeler ran for 7 more. On 3rd and 1 from their own 36, Herbert gained 2. A completion to Hunter Henry gained 19. Pm 3rd and 8 from the Chiefs 31, Herber threw incomplete but roughing the passer meant 15 more yards. Yet on 3rd and goal at the 4, Herbert threw incomplete. After a staggering 17 plays, 82 yard and 10 1/2 minutes, the Chargers settled for a 23 yard Badly field goal and a 20-17 lead. Yet 2 1/2 minutes still remained. After a touchback, Mahomes went to Kelce for 11 and Hill for 16. On 3rd and 20 from the Chargers 45, Mahomes ran for 21 yards. With 10 seconds left the Chiefs had 1st and 10 a he Chargers 13. Yet h defense held. Butker hit the 30 yard field goal and the gam went to overtime tied 20-20.

The Chargers won the toss but on 3rd and 7 from their own 28, Herbert hit Williams for only 6. On 4th and 1 from his own 34, Anthony Lynn decided not to go for it. The Chiefs took over at their own 21 but the rest was inevitable. On 3rd and 8 from their own 36, Mahomes threw incomplete but the defense jumped offside. On 3rd and 3, Mahomes ran for 4. On 4th and 1 from the Chargers 46, Andy Reid went for it. Thompson gained 2. On 4th and 1 from the Chargers 35 at the 2 minute warning, Butker came in for a 53 yard field goal to win it. The kick was good but a false start now made it a 58 yard try. He made it again but the Chargers called timeout before the kick. On his third attempt from 58, Butker was good again. It was a gut wrenching loss for the Chargers and another tough win for the champions, making Andy Reid a most happy and relieve Walrus indeed. 23-20 Chiefs, OT

Baltimore Ravens at Houston Texans — Baltimore jumped all over Houston from the start. In the first quarter the Ravens moved from their 13 to a 1st and 10 at the Houston 19. On 3rd and 9, Lamar Jackson hit Mark Ingram for only 4 yards. Justin Tucker hit the 32 yard field goal to make it 3-0 Ravens. On the last play of the first quarter, Bill O’Brien decided to go for it on 4th and 1 from his own 34. Deshaun watson threw incomplete. With the short field to start the second quarter, Jackson hit Ingram for 18, and Boyle for 11, and Patrick Ricard for a one yard touchdown to make it 10-0 Ravens.

After a touchback, Watson hit Akins and Coutee for a pair of 6 yard gains. On 2nd and 8 from their own 39, Watson hit Darren Fells for 13 and Brandon Cooks for 38 yards. Watson hit Fells for the 10 yard touchdown to get the Texans within 10-7. From the Baltimore 21, Jackson hit Duvernay for 19. On 3rd and 9 just past midfield, Jackson went to Brown for 25. On 2n and 7 from the Houston 21, Jackson threw incomplete twice. Tucker hit from 39 as the Ravens led 13-7. The Texans took over at their own 17 and disaster struck immediately. A fumble was returned by LJ Fort for a 22 yard defensive touchdown and a 20-7 Ravens lead. Kaimi Fairbairn did hit a 44 yard field goal for the Texans to end the half, but Tucker responded from 47 to make it 23-10 Ravens with 6 1/2 minutes left in the third quarter. The 14 play, 60 yard drive to set up Tucker took 8 1/2 minutes off of the clock.

After a touchback, the Texans moved 58 yards in 14 plays and took 6 1/2 minutes off of the clock. Yet ball control is not helpful when you’re losing, especially when you don’t finish the drive. Fairbairn began the fourth quarter hitting a 35 yard field goal, but the Texans still trailed 23-13. After a touchback Baltimore quickly turned out the lights. Jackson ran for 14 and hit Willie Snead for 22. On 4th and 1 from the Houston 30, John Harbaugh decided to go for it. Ingram did the rest, getting the first down and the touchdown for a 30-13 ravens lead with 12 minutes left in regulation. Fairbairn managed a third field goal from 45 yards out, but it was not nearly enough. With 6 1/2 minutes left, John Harbaugh gambled on 4th and 1 from his own 36. Jackson gained 2. Tucker hit a 20 yard field goal to put the game out of reach. 33-16 Ravens

New England Patriots at Seattle Seahawks is the Sunday night game. These teams will always be linked by their Super Bowl 6 years ago. Yet recent events loomed large for the Patriots. Running back James White was inactive for the game after receiving a phone call the day before about a tragic car accident. His father was killed and his mother was in the hospital. Robert Kraft offered to immediately fly White on his private jet to see his mother, but White refused. He wanted to fly back with the entire team to help with the grieving process. Bill Belichick was also grieving the loss of his 98 year old mother earlier in the week. Yet as Belichick constantly says, next man up. This was also the first game since Kraft bought the team in 1994 that he was not at the game. After 465 games, he stayed home in New England rather than travel to Seattle as a precaution in the era of COVID. Also, Kraft is Jewish and most likely did not travel because of Rosh Hashanah.

The Seahawks got the ball first and disaster struck almost immediately. A short pass from Russell Wilson caromed right off of the receiver’s hands and was intercepted by Devin McCourty. McCourty strolled untouched for a 42 yard interception return touchdown and a 7-0 Patriots lead 80 seconds into the game. On Seattle next series they suffered an illegal blindside block penalty that had them facing 1st and 25 at their own 43. Wilson then found Tyler Lockett for 16 and on 3rd and 9 ran for a 23 yard gain down to the New England 18. On 3rd and 1 from the 9, Chris Carson gained 5. Wilson scrambled and fired over the middle to Lockett for a 3 yard touchdown to cap the 13 play, 75 yard, 8 minute drive. The game was tied 7-7, and the Patriots would finally get a chance to receive the ball on offense.

The Patriots moved to a 4th and 3 at the Seattle 30. Bill Belichick decided to go for it. Cam Newton fired over the middle to Harry, who got blasted by Diggs. Harry somehow held onto the ball for a first down. Meanwhile, Diggs was called for a flagrant personal foul for a helmet to helmet hit and disqualified from the game. The second quarter began with the Patriots facing 2nd and goal at the 6. Newton ran for a 5 yard gain. Out of the shotgun on 3rd and goal at the one, Newton ran it in to make it 14-7 Patriots. Homer returned the kickoff from the goal line all the way to the Seattle 43. Wilson threw a 54 yard touchdown bomb to DK Metcalf for a 14-14 game. With 3:45 left in the half, a Nick Folk 51 yard field goal try for the Patriots was no good.

In the third quarter the Patriots moved to a 3rd and goal inside the 10. Cam Newton scrambled but was caught from behind. Folk hit the 25 yard chip shot to make it 17-14 Patriots. Wilson came back and went bombs away to David Moore for a 50 yard touchdown to make it 21-17 Seahawks midway through the third quarter.  Early in the game Newton threw a sideline route that Quentin Dunbar should have intercepted and returned for a touchdown. Yet Dunbar couldn’t haul it in and it fell incomplete. In the third quarter Dunbar again jumped a sideline route and this time intercepted Newton. Had he gotten up quickly enough he would have scored the other way, but the Seahawks settled for starting at their own 48 with 4 minutes left in the third quarter. Wilson found Freddie Swain for a 21 yard touchdown as the Seahawks built a 28-17 lead with 2 minutes left in the third quarter.

Newton after a touchback went deep to Julian Edelman for a 49 yard gain. Newton then fired over the middle to Ryan Izzo for a 14 yard gain as the Patriots had 1st and 10 at the Seattle 12. The Patriots began the fourth quarter with 3rd and 1 at the Seattle 3. Newton gained 2. Newton went to Yakov Johnson for a one yard touchdown. 45 seconds into the fourth quarter, the Patriots were within 28-23. Newton’s attempt to run in the 2 point conversion failed. The Seahawks faced a 3rd and 7 New England 35. The Patriots sent an all out blitz and Wilson found his receiver for a 10 yard gain. Now for the Seahawks it was all about bleeding the clock. Again with a man in his face Wilson floated a pass to a wide open Chris Carson in the end zone for an 18 yard touchdown. With 4 1/2 minutes left, the Seahawks had a 35-23 cushion. Newton came back quickly with a deep bomb to Julian Edelman down to the Seattle one yard line. Newton ran it in as the Patriots got back to within 5 points with 2:16 to play. Both teams had all 3 timeouts.

Belichick opted to kick it deep rather than go onside. The Seahawks took over with 2:09 left at their own 22. Carson gained 6 and purposely slid down in bounds to get the clock to wind down to the 2 minute warning. Carson gained 3 more for a critical 3rd and 1 at the Seattle 31 as the Patriots took their first timeout with 1:55 left. Before the play, Seattle took a timeout on offense. Rather than run a conservative play, Pete Carroll went with a bomb that was just overthrown. The Seahawks punted and the Patriots took over at their own 19 with 1:42 left. Newton went to Harry for 13 and 17 more to the Seattle 48 as the clock ticked down to one minute. Newton ran for 13 and the Patriots took their second timeout with 39 seconds left. Newton threw a deep bomb incomplete but illegal contact on the defense kept the drive going. The Seahawks were lucky it was not defensive pass interference. Newton found Edelman for an 18 yard gain but Edelman was tackled inbounds. Newton did not call timeout or spike the ball. He set up and fired to the end zone to Edelman, but it was well defended incomplete with 9 seconds left. The Seahawks took their second timeout on defense as both teams had one left. Newton fired to Edelman for a 12 yard gain. The Patriots took their final timeout with 3 seconds left.

The ball was on the one yard line. The only thing we knew was that Marshawn Lynch was not getting the ball and Malcolm Butler was not intercepting it. Everyone was expecting Newton to run it as the Seahawks took their final timeout. One play. One yard. Out of the shotgun, Newton ran for it and tried to leap in the air. He was blown up in the backfield. The goal line stand was the difference. Newton finished 30 of 44 for 397 yards and one touchdown in addition to 47 yards rushing and 2 more touchdowns on the ground. Wilson was 21 of 28 for 288 yards and 5 touchdown passes. Wilson also ran for 39 yards. Both quarterbacks threw one interception. A Super Bowl rematch would be a blockbuster. 35-30 Seahawks

New Orleans Saints at Las Vegas Raiders was the Monday night game. The very first game at Allegiant Stadium, known as the Death Star, was played without fans. Mark Davis missed his first Raiders game since 1963 out of COVID concerns. Carol Davis lit the Al Davis torch. Then it was time for football. As expected, the Saints jumped all over the Raiders as Sean Payton and Drew Brees took advantage of the Raiders secondary. The Saints moved 62 yards in 11 plays. However, on 3rd and 3 from the Raiders 13, Brees threw incomplete. Wil Lutz hit the 31 yard field goal to make it 3-0 Saints. The Raiders went backward and the Saints took over at their own 22. Latavius Murray ran for 4 and Alvin Kamala gashed the Raiders for gains of 13 and 21. On 3rd and 8 from the Raiders 33, Brees hit Smith for 29 yards. On 3rd and goal at the one, Kamala got in to make it 10-0 Saints.

The Raiders offense finally got going in the second quarter from their own 37. Carr hit Josh Jacobs for 9. On 3rd and 1 from their 46, Carr hit Jason Witten for 3. On 3rd and 1 from the Saints 42, Carr hit Darren Waller for 9. On 2nd and 12 from the Saints 35, Carr threw incomplete but defensive holding meant a new set of downs. Carr then hit Waller for a pair of 13 yard gains and Alec Ingold for a 3 yard touchdown to get the Raiders on the board down 10-7. The Saints got it back at their own 24. Brees hit Kamala for 16, murray for 10, Smith for 25 and Trautman for 17. On 3rd and goal at the 6, Brees hit Jared Cook for the touchdown. The Saints led 17-7, and appeared on their way to an easy win.

The Raiders soon faced 3rd and 5 at their own 30. Carr found nelson Agholor for 19 and Hunter Renfrow for 15 more. On 3rd and 10 from the Saints 36, Carr hit Edwards for 20. On 3rd and 9 from the Saints 15, Carr hit Jones for the touchdown. With 1:44 left in the half, the Raiders were within 17-14. The offense was doing well, but the defense had let Brees torch them. The Saints took over at their own 25 and faced 1st and 10 at their own 38 with 45 seconds left in the half. Brees threw over the middle and was intercepted by Morrow. The Raiders took over at the Saints 40. On 3rd and 1 from the Saints 31, Carr hit Ingold for 2 and Waller for 12. With 9 seconds left in the half, the Raiders faced 3rd and 2 at the Saints 9. Carr threw incomplete. Daniel Carlson hit the 28 yard field goal and the game was tied 17-17 at the break.

The Raiders began the third quarter facing 3rd and 6 at their own 29. Carr threw incomplete but defensive pass interference meant a 20 yard gain. Carr hit Waller for 10 and went deep to Foster Moreau for a 31 yard gain. On 2nd and goal at the one, Jacobs got stopped. He even briefly lost the ball and was lucky to get it back. On 3rd and goal at the one, Carr fumbled the snap. The Raiders were saved when Ingold fell on it. Jon Gruden decided to go for it on 4th and goal at the one. With everyone expecting a run up the gut, Carr found a wide open Waller in the flat for the touchdown. The Raiders had the stunning 24-17 lead. The Raiders were winning the time of possession battle and Jon Gruden’s decision to defer at the start of the game was looking less crazy than at the start of the game. Long drives by the Raiders to end the first half and start the second half kept Brees cooling his heels on the sideline and tired out the Saints defense.

The Saints after a touchback came out firing as Brees hit Kamala for 20 and hill for 16. Yet then the Saints self-destructed under a hail of penalties that had them facing 2nd and 31. They punted and the Raiders got the ball back. The Raiders mounted another long drive. On 3rd and 3 from their own 20, Carr hit Waller for 6. Roughing the passer added 15 more and Jacobs added 14. On 3rd and 1 from the Saints 44, Jacobs got stopped. Jon Gruden decided to go for it on 4th and 1 and Jacobs gained 2 as the third quarter ended. The Raiders had all the momentum. They began the fourth quarter facing 3rd and 2 at the Saints 34. They were in long field goal range. The question was if they could finally put a game away. Las week they gave up a 12 point fourth quarter lead. This time, driving to extend the lead, Jalen Richard fumbled a pitchout and the Saints recovered at their own 40.

Raider fans have seen this nightmare before, but Paul Guenther’s much maligned defense showed a ton of heart. On 3rd and 7 from the Raiders 47, Brees threw incomplete. The Raiders took over at their own 11. Carr went to waller for 18 and 2. Jacobs was pulled down by a horsecollar tackle to give the Raiders 15 more yards. On 3rd and 9 from midfield, Carr found renfrow for 17 yards. sean Payton unsuccessfully challenged the catch. Jacobs ran for 13. On 3rd and 10 from the Saints 20, with the entire defense expecting a pass, Richard took another pitchout. He more than atoned for his previous fumble by getting the first down, breaking through tackles, and racing for the touchdown. Midway through the fourth quarter, 24 unanswered points had the Raiders leading in a shocker 31-17.

The question would be if the Raiders defense could finally close out a game. The Saints still had the pinball wizard on the other side. Harris returned the kickoff 35 yards to the Saints 33. Brees went to Harris for 9. Kamala ran for 8. On 3rd and 1 from the Raiders 41, Brees hit Harris for 9, Montgomery for 17 and Kamala for 12. Kamala ran for a 3 yard touchdown. The Saints were within 31-24, and a full 4 1/2 minutes remained. The defense did not close it out. It was up to the offense to finish the game.

The Raiders took over at their own 18 and Jacobs ripped off gains of 12, 2 and 3. With 2:14 to play, the Raiders faced 3rd and 5 at their own 35. A run would have been perfectly understandable. Instead Jon Gruden went high risk, high reward. A deep pass was incomplete and stopped the clock, but flags were everywhere. Defensive pass interference meant a 29 yard gain. Now their was 2:08 to play and the Saints were down to one timeout and the 2 minute warning. Three straight runs actually lost three yards but forced the Saints to use their timeouts. The Raiders took their last timeout on offense with 1:07 to play. The Raiders faced 4th and 10 at the Saints 36. A 54 yard field goal try was way too risky. A miss would give the Saints the ball at their own 44. At least a punt could force them to go the length of the field. Jon Gruden has a brass pair, and he brought out Carlson for the field goal try. Playing the conservative not to lose strategy in the very first game ever in Las Vegas was not in the cards for Gruden. Carlson came in.

He drilled it. Later tonight Carlson’s child will be born. So he now has 2 reasons to be given cigars. Both Brees and Carr threw 38 passes, with Brees completing 26 and Carr 28. Brees threw one touchdown and one interception. Carr threw 3 touchdowns and 0 interceptions. Jacobs was a battering ram with 88 yards on 27 carries. In a stunner from past years, the Raiders had only 3 penalties for 13 yards. The Saints had 10 penalties for 129 yards. The Raiders held the ball for over 36 minutes to less than 24 minutes for the Saints. The Raiders are 2-0, and they just beat perhaps the best team in the league. 34-24 Raiders

https://www.commdiginews.com/sports/nfl/nfl-2020-week-2-cdns-preview-and-bettors-guide-132437/?swcfpc=1

NFL 2020 Week 1 Recap

Houston Texans at Kansas City Chiefs was the season opener Thursday night game. Chiefs Coach Andy Reid is no longer Walrus Lite. Seven months ago he finally won the Super Bowl and gave the Chiefs the championship 50 years after they won their first Super Bowl. With the win, Reid was upgraded to full walrus status along with Mike Holmgren, Jerry Reuss, Craig Stadtler, and pre-shave Ken Hitchcock.

Before the game there were the political controversies over the National Anthem. Since that has nothing to do with football, it shall be ignored here. Players said and did stuff. Then there were the issue of COVID and how the players would act. That has nothing to do with football, and will be ignored here. Consult your local politics or health blogs for stuff not directly related to the action on the football field. Walrus Andy Reid did look amusing in a full shield that fogged up, but when you are the defending Super Bowl champ, you get a pass.

Then they played football. Last year in the regular season the Texans went into Kansas City and shocked the Chiefs with a comeback win. In the playoffs the Texans stormed into Arrowhead and jumped to a 24-0 lead. Somehow, the Chiefs were winning by halftime as they outscored the Texans 51-7 the rest of the way. Patrick Mahomes is an Alien Life Form, possibly from Melmac. Melmacohomes moved the Chiefs from their own 35 to the Houston 36. Mahomes went deep for a touchdown only 4 minutes into the game. Yet on further review, the ball hit the ground incomplete. Mahomes was then sacked and the Chiefs actually had the punt. The Texans then moved 80 yards with ease. David Johnson ran for a 19 yard touchdown to give the Texans the 7-0 lead. Then reality set in.

After a touchback, the Chiefs faced 3rd and 2 at their own 33. Damien Williams gained only one yard. In the first quarter of the first game, Andy Reid turned from Mr. Conservative to Mr. Riverboat Gambler. When you win a Super Bowl, things change. On 4th and 1 from his own 34, Reid went for it and Sherman gained 2. After that the offense kept rolling. On 3rd and 4 from the Houston 6 less than one minute into the second quarter, Mahomes hit Travis Kelce for the touchdown to tie the game. The Chiefs got the ball back at their own 9 yard line. Rather than go for the quick strike, Mahomes led a mind-numbing 16 play, 91 yard drive that consumed over 9 minutes off the clock. On 3rd and goal at the 2, Mahomes hit Sammy Watkins for the score to make it 14-7 Chiefs with 2 1/2 minutes left in the half.

The Texans missed their best chance to make a game of it when Kaimi Fairbairn missed a 51 yard field goal try with 30 seconds left in the half. With only 22 seconds left from their own 41, Mahomes hit Sammy Watkins for 17 yards. An 11 yard completion to Kelce followed by a killer 15 yard horsecollar take on the defense led to a 29 yard Harrison Butker field goal and a 17-7 Chiefs advantage.

The second half was a formality. The Chiefs quickly moved 75 yards in the third quarter in an unexpected way. Pass-Happy Andy Reid actually has a running game. Not a runner who catches passes, but an actual running back who runs the ball. Rookie Clyde Edwards-Helaire ran for a 27 yard touchdown to make it 24-7 Chiefs. An interception of Deshaun Watson set the Chiefs up at the Houston 17. On 4th and 1 from the 8, Reid gambled again. Mahomes was intercepted, but defensive pass interference in the end zone was the final nail in Houston’s coffin. On 3rd and goal at the 3, Mahomes hit Tyreek Hill for the touchdown to make it a 31-7 Chiefs blowout.

The entire fourth quarter was garbage time. The Texans did get a pair of late touchdowns to get within 31-20, but nothing more. With 2 1/2 minutes left a failed onside kick had the Chiefs at the Houston 20. On 4th and goal at the one with 30 seconds left, this time Reid played it safe. Butker hit the 19 yard field goal to complete the scoring. On the final play with the outcome not in doubt, Watson took a knee rather than risk everyone getting injured on a pointless Hail Mary or hook and lateral. Edwards finished with 138 yards on 25 carries. Mahomes only threw for 211 yards. Again, Andy Reid finally has a running game. He also bookended the last victory of the 2019 season with the first victory of the 2020 season, making him a most happy Walrus indeed. 34-20 Chiefs

Philadelphia Eagles at Washington non-Redskins — Washington is so bad, the team does not even have a name. From the Washington 46, Carson Wentz hit Desean Jackson for 29, Dallas Goedert for 12, and Zac Ertz for the 5 yard touchdown to make it 7-0 Eagles. The Eagles got it back and moved 75 yards in 11 plays and 7 minutes. Yet a sack of Wentz in the red zone ended the drive. Elliott hit a 38 yard field goal to make it 10-0 Eagles. A 48 yard field goal try by Dustin Hopkins to get the Redskins on the board was no good. Philadelphia quickly capitalized. On 3rd and 7 from the Washington 44, Wentz went to Ward for 10 yards and then to Goedert for the 34 yard touchdown to make it 17-0 Eagles. This game was over. Somebody forgot to tell the Washington No-names.

The game turned late in the first quarter when an interception of Wentz set up the No-names at the Philadelphia 45. Dwayne Haskins hit McLaurin for 21, Inman for 11 and McLaurin for 7. On 3rd and 3 from the Philly 6, Haskins hit Thomas for the touchdown to get the No-names on the board down 17-7. In the third quarter another interception of Wentz set up the non-Redskins at the Philly 20. Hskins hit Sims for 17 yards. On 3rd and goal at the one, Pierre Barber got in to get the non-Over the Hill Gang to within 17-14. The Eagles were self-destructing, led by Wentz. They moved from their 25 to a 3rd and 7 at the Washington 22. Wentz was sacked for a 13 yard loss. Doug Pederson went for a 53 yard field goal try and Elliott’s kick was no good. The Eagles got it back and moved from their own 12 to a 2nd and 4 at the Washington 45. Wentz threw incomplete twice and Pederson went for it. On 4th and 4, Wentz was sacked.

For the third time on the day, the No-Names started in Philly territory at their 46. Haskins went to Thomas for 19 and Hopkins hit a 38 yard field goal less than one minute into the fourth quarter for a 17-17 tie. Another sack of Wentz had the Eagles punting on 4th and 26 from their own 9. For the fourth time on the day, Washington had a short field at the Philly 48. On 3rd and 8, Haskins hit Thomas for just enough and McLaurin for 14. On 3rd and 9 from the Philly 23, Haskins hit Inman for 10. Midway through the fourth quarter, Washington faced 4th and 1 at the Philadelphia 4 yard line. A field goal would give Washington the lead, but Riverboat Ron Rivera went for it. Barber got the yard and then ran for the 3 yard touchdown to make it 24-17 No-names with 6:13 to play.

With 4 1/2 minutes left and facing 4th and 3 at their own 42, Wentz threw incomplete. Haskins hit Sims for 19 and Hopkins hit a 40 yard field goal to put Washington up by 10 with 3 1/2 minutes left. Wentz was quickly sacked and fumbled. This was a complete meltdown that will have the Eagles fans rapidly losing patience with Wentz. As for Washington, they should absolutely change their name to the Washington Riveras. Ron Rivera was brought in to change the culture. It was not expected that he would do so in only one game. Rivera is battling cancer and had chemotherapy during the week. He required an IV at halftime. For obvious reasons, his team gave him the game ball. 27-17 Non-Redskins No-Names

Miami Dolphins at New England Patriots — After 20 years, the Patriots have a new quarterback. Cam Newton is trying to resurrect his career. After a scoreless opening quarter, Newton ran for a 4 yard touchdown himself to make it 7-0 Patriots. The rest of the half was a slog, with Sanders hitting a 46 yard field goal for the Dolphins and Nick Folk missing from 45 for the Patriots at the end of the half. The Patriots went right to work after a touchback to start the second half. Newton hit Julian Edelman for gains of 10 and 16, White for 11 and Edelman for 9. Newton ran for an 11 yard touchdown to make it 14-3 Patriots after three quarters.

The Patriots had a golden chance to put the game away with a 12 play, 78 yard, 8 minute drive. On 1st and goal at the 10, Newton hit Harry for 9 yards, but at the one yard line Harry fumbled the ball out of the end zone for a touchback. The Dolphins began the fourth quarter facing 4th and 2 at their own 42. Brian Flores went for it and Ryan Fitzpatrick and his furry beard threw incomplete. Yet defensive pass interference on Stephan Gilmore meant a 23 yard gain. On 3rd and 1 from the New England 8, Fitzpatrick gained 2. On 3rd and goal at the one, Jordan Howard got in. Fitzpatrick ran for the 2 point conversion. with 10 1/2 minutes left in regulation, the Dolphins were only down 14-11.

After a touchback, Edelman took an end around 23 yards with 15 more tacked on for defensive unnecessary roughness. With 6 minutes left, the Patriots faced 4th and 1 at the Miami 5. Evil Hoodie Bill Belichick decided to go for it. Newton gained 4. Sony Michel got the last yard. Down by 10 with 5 1/2 minutes left, Fitzpatrick moved the Dolphins to a 3rd and 6 at the New England 10 with 90 seconds left. Fitzpatrick went to the end zone and was intercepted. It wasn’t pretty, but once again the NFL’s best beat the NFL’s worst at home. Different quarterback. Same Patriots. Same Dolphins. Bill Belichick was so pleased with the win that he almost smiled. 21-11 Patriots

Green Bay Packers at Minnesota Vikings — In this series, the home team usually wins. Yet an angry Aaron Rodgers still has not gotten over who the Packers chose in the 2020 Draft. Heck, he has not gotten over being passed up in the 2005 NFL Draft. Rodgers began the game with a 13 play, 65 yard, 7 1/2 minute drive. The drive stalled at the Minnesota 10 yard line, but Mason Crosby hit a 31 yard field goal to make it 3-0 Packers. After a touchback, Kirk Cousins hit Adam Thielen for gains of 7 and 25 yards. A defensive facemark added 15 more. On 3rd and goal at the one, Dalvin Cook got in to make it 7-3 Vikings. In the second quarter the Packers moved to a 2nd and goal at the one. Rodgers threw incomplete and Aaron Jones got stopped. Matt LeFleur went for it on 4th and goal at the one, and Rodgers threw incomplete.

Mike Zimmer’s defense had a great goal line stand, but his offense gave it away. A safety had the Packers within 7-5. An 18 yard return on the free kick had the Packers at their own 44. The Packers moved to a 1st and 10 at the Minnesota 12. After a pair of incompletions, Rodgers was called for intentional grounding and a 13 yard loss. Crosby hit the 43 yard field goal and the Packers led 8-7. A short punt had the Packers getting it back at their own 40. On 3rd and 3 from their own 47, the defense entered the neutral zone. On 4th and 1 from the Minnesota 39, Matt LaFleur went for it. Rodgers gained 2. On 3rd and 6 from the Minnesota 33,Rodgers hit Devontae Adams for 8 nd again for a 24 yard touchdown to make it 15-7 Packers with 39 seconds left in the half.

It was still a close game, but Cousins was intercepted to give the Packers the ball at the Minnesota 45 wit 25 seconds left. An incompletion left 14 seconds, but Rodgers went for it all and hit Marques Valdes-Scantling for the score to make it 22-7 Packers. Somehow, 14 seconds from their own 25 was enough time for the Vikings. Mattison gained 21. Cousins hit kyle Rudolph for 22 with a 15 yard defensive penalty tacked on for lowering the head to initiate contact. Dan Bailey hit a 35 yard field goal to get the Vikings within 22-10 at halftime.

Rodgers exploded in the second half. The Vikings faced 4th and 3 at the Green Bay 39, and Zimmer went for it. Cousins threw incomplete, and minnesota never got close in this game. Each team scored a touchdown on their next 3 possessions, but with the Packers up by 11, that was sufficient. Rodgers capped a 61 yard drive with a 61 yard touchdown pass to Adams to make it 29-10 Packers after three quarters. The Vikings moved 77 yards as Cousins hit Thielen for a 37 yard touchdown and Cook rushed for the 2 point conversion to get the Vikings within 29-18 one minute into the fourth quarter.

The Packers moved 75 yards and Rodgers hit Allen Lazard for a 4 yard touchdown to make it 36-18 Packers. The Vikings moved 65 yards and Cook ran for a 3 yard touchdown and another 2 point conversion. Midway through the fourth quarter, the Vikings were within 36-26. Another 75 yard drive came easily and Jones ran for a 5 yard touchdown to put the Packers up 43-26 with 3:19 to play. The Vikings would score one more touchdown and 2 point conversion, but it was not enough. Cousins did not play badly. He was 19 of 25 for 259 yards, 2 touchdowns and one interception. Yet Rodgers was 32 of 44 for 364 yards, 4 touchdowns and 0 interceptions. The man who replaced Brett Favre is not ready to give up his own job. 43-34 Packers

Indianapolis Colts at Jacksonville Jaguars — Philip Rivers now quarterbacks the Colts. From the Indianapolis 37, Rovers came out firing. An 8 yard completion was followed by Rivers hitting Campbell for 21 yards. Hines ran for a 12 yard touchdown to make it 7-0 Colts. In the second quarter an interception of Rivers set up the Jaguars at the Colts 35. Robinson gained 6, 11 and 4. Gardner Minshew hit DJ Chark for a 6 yard touchdown to make it a 7-7 ballgame.

Each team moved the ball 75 yards for a touchdown on their next drive. On 3rd and 7 from their own 28, Rivers hit Campbell for 17 yards. On 3rd and 7 from their own 48, Rivers hit TY Hilton for 14 yards. On 3rd and goal at the 8, Rivers hit Hines for the touchdown to make it 14-7 Colts. Mince from his own 25 hit Laviska Shenault for 18, Cole for 4 and 10 and Chark for 12. On 3rd and 4 from the Indy 25, Minshew hit Cole for 6 and Shenault for the 15 yard touchdown to make it 14-14.

Rivers worked the 2 minute drill well and Blankenship hit a 38 yard field goal to put the Colts up 17-14 at halftime. Yet in the third quarter, Blankenship missed a 30 yarder. A 30 yard defensive pass interference call on the Colts led to a 50 yard field goal by Josh Lambo in the third quarter to tie the game 17-17. The Colts moved from their own 21 to a 4th and 1 at the Jacksonville 36. Frank Reich went for it and Rivers was intercepted. Yet the Colts got it back and moved into the red zone early in the fourth quarter. On 3rd and 10 from the Jacksonville 14, a completion came up 3 yards short Blankenship hit the 25 yard field goal to make it 20-17 Colts with 9 1/2 minutes left in regulation.

After a touchback, Minshew went to Robinson for a 28 yard gain. A defensive horse collar tackle had the Jaguars at the Indy 22. Minshew went deep to Cole for the score. With 6 minutes left in regulation, the Jaguars led 24-20. A third interception of Rivers had the Jaguars at the Indy 31. Lambo hit a 46 yard field goal to put the Jaguars up by 7 with 2:50 to play. Rivers quickly moved the Colts to a 2nd and 5 at the Jags 26 with one minute left. Rivers then threw 3 straight incompletions. Rivers continued his tradition of throwing for plenty of yards and losing. He was 36 of 46 for 363 yards, one touchdown and 2 interceptions. Meanwhile Minshew Mustache Mania has returned to Jacksonville. He threw only 20 passes but completed 19 of them for 173 yards, 3 touchdowns and 0 interceptions. The Colts went the whole game without punting, yet somehow lost. 27-20 Jaguars

Chicago Bears at Detroit Lions — Sometimes boring teams can come together and play a great game for the ages. In the first half, this was not that game. Each team kicked a pair of field goals for a 6-6 tie after 29 minutes. Then came 31 minutes of stunning events. A field position game had the Lions taking over at the Chicago 48 with 40 seconds left in the half. Matthew Stafford hit D’Andre Swift for 7 and TJ Hockensen for 16 and 24 yards down to the one with 19 seconds left. Swift got in as the Lions took a 13-6 lead to the locker rooms. The Lions rolled to start the third quarter. From their own 36 on 3rd and 2, Stafford hit Danny Amendola for 15, Cephus for 14 and Marvin Jones for 16. Stafford hit Hockensen for the 4 yard touchdown to make it 20-6 Lions. The Lions got it back and moved from their own 10 to a 3rd and 3 at the Chicago 26. Stafford threw incomplete but Matt Prater hit a 44 yard field goal. After three quarters, the Lions had a comfortable 23-6 lead.

Then Cordarelle Patterson exploded for a 45 yard kickoff return to the Chicago 41. On 3rd and 10, Mitchell Trubisky hit Anthony Miller for 18 and Allen Robinson for 22. On 4th and 1 from the 10 to  start the fourth quarter, Matt Nagy needing 3 scores decided to go for it. Patterson got around the end for 3. On 3rd and goal at the 2, Trubisky hit Jimmy Graham for the touchdown. Less than 90 seconds into the fourth quarter, the Bears were wi thin 23-13. With 4 minutes left in regulation, Matt Patricia gambled on a 55 yard field goal rather than punt and trust his defense. Prater’s kick was no good. From his own 45, Trubisky went to Graham for 7, Mller for 18 and 13, and Graham for 16 down to the one. Trubisky hit Javon Wims for the score as the Bears were within 23-20 with 3 minutes left.

The Lions faced 3rd and 5 at their own 30 as the Bears took 2 timeouts on defense. A short pass from Stafford was intercepted by Kyle Fuller. With 2 1/2 minutes left the Bears took over at the Detroit 37. Trubisky threw a 27 yard touchdown to Miller. With 1:54 left, 3 Trubisky touchdowns in the fourth quarter had the Bears up by 4. Had this game had a home crowd, it would have been shocked. Yet Stafford led a comeback after a touchback. On 3rd and 7 from the Chicago 48, Stafford went deep to Amendola for 32 yards. Stafford spiked the ball to stop the clock with 11 seconds left. From the Chicago 16, Stafford found a wide open Swift in the end zone for the win. Swift dropped it. It was right in his bread basket. He just dropped it. With 6 seconds left, Stafford threw into double coverage incomplete. With a fourth quarter for the ages, Trubisky avoided being burned in effigy. On the other sideline, when Matt Patricia gets fired at the end of the year, he will point out that he would have won this game had his receiver caught the ball. 27-23 Bears

Las Vegas Raiders at Carolina Panthers — On the second play of the game, Derek Carr went for the bomb and just overthrew speedster rookie Henry Ruggs. The Raiders went 3 and out. Teddy Bridgewater began his first start for the Panthers by torching the Raiders secondary. Moving from their own 38, the Panthers soon faced 3rd and 10 at the Oakland 34. A West Coast Offense dink and dunk pass gained 4 yards. Joey Slye hit the 47 yard field goal to make it 3-0 Panthers. The Raiders after a touchback went right to work. On 3rd and 1, the Raiders went to their bruiser Josh Jacobs, and he banged ahead for the first down. Then Carr went deep again to a wide open Ruggs for a 45 yard gain down to the one yard line. Jacobs banged it in off of the left tackle as the Raiders led 7-3. The first points ever in Las Vegas NFL history came from Jacobs.

The Raiders have spent years trying to fix their secondary and early on it looked like there was no improvement. Bridgewater easily moved the Panthers into the red zone. On 3rd and 1 from the 5, Christian McCaffrey easily made it into the end zone for a 9-7 Panthers lead. Slye missed the extra point. The Raiders kept moving the ball into the second quarter. A 13 yard run by Jacobs was followed by a flea flicker to Ruggs, but he could only get one foot down. On 3rd and 5 from the Carolina 28, Carr fired to Hunter Renfro for a pair of 11 yard gains to make it 1st and goal at the 6. On 3rd and goal at the 5, a short completion to Jason Witten left 4th and goal at the 2. Jon Gruden wisely opted for the field goal. Daniel Carlson hit from 20 and the Raiders led 10-9. Last year the Raiders were plagued down by the goal line. They did not finish drives. This was an unfinished drive.

Midway through the second quarter, neither team had committed a penalty. Yet on a deep ball on 3rd and 6, a defensive pass interference call put the Panthers on the Las Vegas 45. Bridgewater then somehow avoided a sack and gained 13 yards. A dropped pass over the middle had the Panthers facing 3rd and 7 at the Las Vegas 19. Another incompletion meant a 46 yard field goal try by Slye. He delivered and the Panthers led 12-10 with 5 minutes left in the half.

Injuries hurt the Raiders early on. 6 ft 8, 380 pound tackle Trent Brown went out early with a calf injury and did not return. Ruggs was having a great game when his ankle got rolled on in the second quarter. At the 2 minute warning the Raiders faced 3rd and 2 from the Carolina 23. Carr threw a perfect fade to Nelson Agholor for the touchdown as the Raiders led 17-12. The offense had scored on 3 straight possessions. The defense had given up scores on 3 straight possessions. So it was time for the Silver and Black to make a stop before the half. Instead, Bridgewater continued to torch the inexperienced Raiders cornerbacks. With 30 seconds left in the half the Panthers were at the Las Vegas 41. A deep ball should have been intercepted but was dropped. Slye hit his third field goal as the half ended with the Panthers trailing 17-15.

Despite having no penalties in the first half, a penalty on the second half kickoff had the Panthers backed up to their own 11. The Panthers scored on all 4 first half possessions. On 3rd and 8 from their own 13, a completion over the middle only gained 5. Paul Guenther’s defense finally had a stop. Hunter Renfrow returned the punt 24 yards to just shy of midfield. An intentional grounding call on Carr had the Raiders facing 3rd and 21. A completion set up 4th and 6. An attempt to draw Carolina offside failed as the Raiders called timeout. After all of that the Raiders gambled on a 54 yard field goal try. Carlson drilled it as the Raiders led 20-15.

The Raiders defense finally sacked Bridgewater as the Panthers had to punt on 4th and 20 from their own 14. A penalty for unsportsmanlike conduct on the Panthers on the punt gave the Raiders great field position at the mid stripe . The gunner went out of bounds and did not reestablish himself inbounds in a reasonable amount of time. On 2nd and 14, a quick pass over the middle to Jacobs went for a big gain. Defensive pass interference on ex-Raider Tamir Whitehead put the ball on the Carolina 16. On 3rd and 1 from the 7 out of the shotgun, Jacobs went straight up the gut untouched for the touchdown. With 5 1/2 minutes left in the third quarter, the Raiders led 27-15. The offense had scored on 5 straight possessions, and Ruggs being back in the game was a big help. A bigger help was the offensive line. Now it was up to the defense to close out a game rather than engage in another typical nail-biter.

On 3rd and 8 from their own 47, Bridgewater threw another pass that should have been intercepted over the middle. It bounced right through the defender’s hands and was somehow caught for an 18 yard gain. On 3rd and 2, a pass was high and caught short of the first down marker. Matt Rhule went for it on 4th and 1 at the Oakland 24. McCaffrey appeared stopped but on second effort got enough. Yet a costly unsportsmanlike conduct penalty for taunting on Carolina wide receiver DJ Moore had the Panthers facing 2nd and 26 at the Las Vegas 40. The fourth quarter began with the Panthers facing 3rd and 14. Bridgewater easily found McCaffrey for a first down at the Las Vegas 13. On 3rd and 1 from the 4, Armost got the yard. Bridgewater had to waste a timeout. The Las Vegas defense was on its heels with Nick Kwiatkowski exiting in the first half with a pectoral injury. He called the defense. McCaffrey too a pitchout and easily got in. With 12 1/2 minutes left in regulation, the Panthers were within 27-22. The Raiders defense failed to close out the game. Now it was up to the offense to not have a meltdown when it mattered most.

Naturally the Raiders punted and the Panthers got it back at their own 22 with 9 1/2 minutes left. Rivers got it back at their 23. On 2nd and 8 Bridgewater went deep for a 75 yard bomb. Once again the Raiders had blown a double digit lead with horrendous secondary play. Whatever Raiders defensive coordinator Paul Guenther is doing is not working. It has not worked for the last three years. Bridgewater’s touchdown to Robbie Anderson was followed by them connecting again on the 2 point conversion. The Panthers led 30-27 with 8 1/2 minutes left. Now it was time to see if the Raiders had any heart whatsoever.

A completion to Jacobs went for 18 yards to the Las Vegas 43. A pair of completions had the Raiders at the Carolina 37. Defensive pass interference was waived off, setting up 3rd and 8 at the Carolina 35. On the next play, defensive pass interference was called to make it 1st and 10 at the Carolina 17. Carr hit Darren Waller for 7 and Jacobs ran for 4 up the middle to set up 1st and goal at the 6. Jacobs then got around the end for the touchdown for his third touchdown of the day. The 7th lead change of the game had the Raiders up by 4 with 4 minutes left in regulation. The offense did its job. Now the defense, which has struggled for the last few years, to finally do its job. General Manager Mike Mayock drafted a ton of high defensive picks. Now it was time to deliver results when it mattered.

McCaffrey ripped off a 15 yard gain to get to the Las Vegas 45. At the 2 minute warning, a pair of runs had the Panthers facing 3rd and 4 just past midfield. McCaffrey too kit up the gut and was inches short. The Raiders took their second timeout on defense with 1:23 to play. With everything on the line, a handoff went to the fullback rather than to McCaffrey. The result was a Silver and Black brick wall that made the stand. The Panthers still had 2 timeouts left on defense. For the Raiders, one first down would end the game. Jacobs carried 3 straight times for 8 yards total. This took the clock down to 14 seconds as the Raiders took an intentional delay of game. Now it was time for a clean punt just shy of midfield with disciplined coverage. With 8 seconds left, the Panthers had one shot from their own 25. An incompletion left 2 seconds. A 20 yard completion meant to be a hook and lateral never got going when the receiver was chucked out of bounds. The offense was magnificent and the defense made one play when it counted. The Raiders got their first win as a Las Vegas franchise. Just Win Baby. 34-30 Raiders.

New York Jets at Buffalo Bills — Josh Allen ran for a 2 yard touchdown to make it 7-0 Bills early on. That 75 yard drive was followed by an 82 yard drive as Allen hit Moss for a 4 yard touchdown to make it 14-0 Bills. The bills got it back at their own 32 in the second quartered soon faced 4th and 1 at the Jets 48. With everything going right, Sean McDermott went for it. Allen gained 3 yards. On 3rd and 4 from the Jets 39, Allen threw incomplete. Yet defensive holding kept the drive going. On 3rd and 10 from the Jets 34, Allen hit Stefan Diggs for 11 yards. A 17 yard touchdown pass to John Brown had the Bills rolling 21-0. JETS stands for Just End The Season earlier than usual, and even Adam Gase wondered why and how he was still employed.

The rest of the game was hideous as the Bills just coasted. The Jets managed a field goal before the half and a 69 yard touchdown from Sam Darnold to Jamison Crowder in the third quarter. The Bills kept things close by missing 2 field goals. Despite being within 21-10 after three quarters, the Jets fumbled the ball away in the fourth quarter and Tyler Bass hit field goals of 22 and 19 yards in the fourth quarter to make it 27-10 Bills. The Jets did get a garbage touchdown but no more. 27-17 Bills

Cleveland Browns at Baltimore Ravens – An early interception of Baker Mayfield gave the Ravens a short field at the Cleveland 49. Lamar Jackson hit Mark Andrews for a 5 yard touchdown and a 7-0 Ravens lead. The Browns fumbled trying to punt and the Ravens took over at the Cleveland 26. Justin Tucker hit a 41 yard field goal to make it 10-0 Ravens. The Browns got the running game going as Nick Chubb ran for 29 yards and Karim Hunt added 22 more. Mayfield hit Njoku for a one yard touchdown to get the Browns within 10-6. The extra point was no good.

The Ravens blew open the game in the second quarter, starting at their own one yard line. Jackson hit Picard for 9, Boykin for 25 and Brown for 21. Jackson hit Willie Snead for a 16 yard touchdown. The 10 play, 99 yard, 6 minute drive put the Ravens up 17-6. With 50 seconds left in the half the Browns had 3rd and 2 at the Baltimore 23. Mayfield threw incomplete. Siebert missed the 41 yard field goal try. Jackson from his own 31 hit Snead for 20, Brown for 13 and 16 and Andrews for 11. With 6 seconds left the Ravens faced 3rd and goal at the 9. John Harbaugh decided to run one more play. Jackson hit Andrews for the touchdown as the Ravens led 24-6 at halftime. The second half was pointless. Jackson threw a 19 yard third quarter touchdown to Snead and JK Dobbins ran for a 2 yard touchdown after a Cleveland fumble. Same Ravens. Same Browns. 38-6 Ravens

Seattle Seahawks at Atlanta Falcons — The Falcons did get a 49 yard field goal out of Younghoe Koo for a 3-0 lead, but the Seahawks took over after that. On 2nd and 19 from their own 14, Russell Wilson hit Tyler Lockett for 15 and on 3rd and 4 hit Greg Olsen for 9. Wilson hit Chris Carson for 9 and 6. On 3rd and 23 from their own 49 after a sack of Wilson, he threw deep incomplete. Yet a 41 defensive pass interference penalty meant 1st and goal at the 10. Wilson hit Moore for 7 and Carson for the 3 yard touchdown to make it 7-3 Seahawks. The Falcons faced 4th and 3 at the Seattle 40. Dan Quinn went for it and Matt Ryan threw incomplete. Wilson went to DK Metcalf for 13, ran for 28 yards himself, and fired to Chris Carson for a 19 yard touchdown. The Seahawks led 14-3 after the first quarter.

The Falcons tried to make a game of it. After a touchback, Hill ran for 10 and Ryan hit Hurst for a 27 yard gain, Calvin Ridlet for 15 more, and Gage for another 16. On 3rd and goal from the one, Todd Gurley got in. The 2 point try failed but the Falcons were within 14-9. With 1:33 left in the half Matty Ice moved the Falcons from their own 9 to the Seattle 30. Koo drilled a 49 yard kick to end the half with the Falcons only down 14-12. Yet after halftime, momentum shifted again. The Seahawks began the third quarter after a touchback and faced 3rd and 7 from their own 39. Wilson hit Metcalf for just enough. On 4th and 5 from the Atlanta 38, Pete Carroll decided to go for it rather than try a 56 yard field goal or punt. Wilson went to Metcalf for the score and the Seahawks led 21-12. On 4th and 2 from his own 33, Dan Quinn gambled on a fake punt. Neasman got the 2 yards but then fumbled the ball. The Seahawks recovered at the Atlanta 36. Wilson hit Olsen for a 7 yard touchdown to make it 28-12 Seahawks. After a touchback, the Falcons moved to a 3rd and 2 from the Seattle 11. Gurley got stopped. Quinn went for it and Ryan was sacked. Myers hit a 42 yard field goal to put the Seahawks ahead comfortably 31-12 with 11 1/2 minutes left in regulation.

There would be no comeback. Ryan did throw an 18 yard touchdown to Ridley with 9 1/2 minutes left, but the 2 point try failed. The Falcons got no closer. On 4th and 3 from the Seattle 35, with 6:15 left, Ryan threw incomplete. Carlos Hyde ran for a one yard touchdown to have the Seahawks up 38-18 with 3:45 left. Atlanta got one more garbage touchdown and even recovered an onside kick, but Ryan was intercepted to end a game that was not in doubt. Dan Quinn is already on the hot seat as Pete Carroll gets younger every year. Ryan was a ridiculous 37 of 54 for 450 yards, 2 touchdowns and one interception. Wilson was a lights out 31 of 35 for 322 yards, 4 touchdowns and 0 interceptions.

Los Angeles Chargers at Cincinnati Bengals — Sometimes a pair of bad teams can play a thrilling game for the ages. This was absolutely not that game. The Bengals did begin the Joe Burrow era while the Chargers kept their rookie quarterback on the bench in favor of Tyrod Taylor. It was the first time in 15 years they had a new quarterback. The Chargers wore powder blue socks, yellow pants and white shirts, but their main problem was their offense. A field position game had the chargers punting on 4th and 10 from their own 5. The Bengals took over at the Chargers 44. Joe Burrow ran for an electric 24 yard touchdown to make it 7-0 Bengals. Then came a ton of boring football. Mike Badgley hit second quarter field goals of 24 and 43 but missed from 50 at the end of the half as the Chargers trailed 7-6. Randy Bullock hit field goals of 50 and 43 in the third quarter to make it 13-6 Bengals.

The Chargers got a spark when Reed returned the ensuing kickoff 46 yards to the Chargers 45. On 3rd and 4 just past midfield, Taylor hit Guyton for 16 yards. On 3rd and 4 from the Cincy 27, Taylor hit Keenan Allen for 6. Kelley ran for a 5 yard touchdown and a 13-13 game with 12 1/2 minutes left in regulation. Joe Mixon quickly fumbled, and the Chargers took over at the Cincy 24. Despite 1st and goal at the 2, the Chargers could not punch it in. A run lost a yard and Taylor threw incomplete twice. Badly hit from 22 to put the Chargers up 16-13 with 9 minutes left.

With 3:08 left the Bengals took over at their own 18. Burrow showed the poise of a veteran, marching the Bengals down the field. On 3rd and 8 from the Chargers 46, Burrow hit Trevor Boyd for 10. A 10 yard completion to Giovanni Bernard had the Bengals facing 1st and goal at the 3 with 12 seconds left. Burrow fired to the sideline and AJ Green somehow got both feet down. The Bengals had a dramatic win and a “Welcome to the NFL, kid” moment for Burrow. Unfortunately, these are still the Bengals. Green was called for offensive pass interference. With 7 seconds left and no timeouts, Zac Parsons was not about to risk running another play. Bullock came in for the 31 yard chip shot to force overtime. Bullock missed by a country mile and crumpled to the ground. He strained his calf on the play. Burrow looked on helplessly as his first game was a loss. Nevertheless, he is the real deal with a bright future. 16-13 Chargers

Arizona Cardinals at San Francisco 49ers — Devastating wildfires led to poor air quality that almost led to this game being canceled. The league decided this day wasn’t any more hideous than any other day in the Bay Area, especially for a mismatch few people cared about. The 49ers as expected jumped all over Arizona at the start. Robbie Gould nailed a 52 yard field goal to start the scoring. The 49ers got it back at their own 24 and needed only one play and 12 seconds to strike. Jimmy Garoppolo threw a short pass to Raheem Mostert, who took it for a 76 yard touchdown to make it 10-0 49ers. The 49ers had all the momentum, but one play changed the tone.

The 49ers punted on 4th and 5 at their own 36, and the Cardinals blocked it. The Cardinals took over at the San Francisco 10. One play was enough for Kyler Murray to hit Edmonds for the touchdown. The Cardinals trailed 10-7 midway through the first quarter, but the rest of the half was a slog. In the second quarter the 49ers had 4th and goal at the one but Mostert got stopped cold. Then the Cardinals missed a field goal from 52 yards out. After Murray was intercepted, the 49ers moved to a 4th and 2 at the Arizona 6. This time Kyle Shanahan opted for the field goal. Gould hit from 24 to make it 13-7 49ers. Zane Gonzalez leveled a 56 yard field goal to end the half with the Cardinals down 13-10. In the third quarter from 49 yards out, a Gonzalez field goal try to tie the game was again no good.

After a scoreless third quarter, the Cardinals faced 3rd and 10 from their own 6. Kyler Murray threw incomplete, but defensive holding kept the drive going. On 3rd and 1 from their own 20, Kliff kingsbury brought in Streveler for one play. He took the direct snap 3 yards. Murray came back in and hit Deandre Hopkins for 18 yards. On 2nd and 21 from their own 30, Murray ginned 8 but unnecessary roughness added 15 more. Another defensive pass interference call added another 13. Murray ran for a 22 yard touchdown to give the Cardinals the lead 17-13 with 10 1/2 minutes left in regulation. The 49ers took over at their own 22 and Garoppolo went to Kyle Juszczyk for 41 yards. On 3rd and 10 from the Arizona 37, Garoppolo was intercepted but defensive pass interference meant a 27 yard gain to the Arizona 10. On 3rd and goal at the 5, Garoppolo hit McKinnon for the touchdown to put the 49ers back on top 20-17 with 8 1/2 minutes left.

After a touchback, Murray hit Hopkins for 11. Kenyon Drake took a direct snap 10 yards and murray ran for 15 more. On 3rd and 6 from the Frisco 34, Murray went to Hopkins for 33 yards down to the one. Drake got the last yard and the Cardinals were up by 4 with 5 minutes on the 3rd lead change of the fourth quarter. Garoppolo after a touchback moved the 49ers to a 1st and 10 at the Arizona 21 with 1:14 to play. It was inevitable that the Cardinals would collapse. Garoppolo went to the end zone, and a brilliant defensive play by Patrick Peterson led to an incompletion. With 33 seconds left on 4th and 5 from the 16, Garoppolo had a receiver past the marker near the sideline. Byron Murphy was the hero, knocking the ball way at the last moment. The 49ers had all 3 timeouts. but Drake ran for 9 and 2 to run out the clock. 7 months after a stunning fourth quarter collapse in the Super Bowl, the 49ers collapsed in their home opener. 24-20 Cardinals

Tampa Bay Buccaneers at New Orleans Saints — This was the game of the day. With Peyton Manning retired, all eyes were on Tom Brady playing Drew Brees. They were in the same division. Brees has been with the Saints 15 years while Brady is starting anew in Tampa Bay after a 20 year stint elsewhere. Brady has the 6 Super Bowl rings. Brees has one ring and the NFL passing record for yards. Brady is on his heels. Manning has the touchdowns record and Favre’s record for interceptions is most likely out of reach. Early on Brady had the advantage. From his own 15, he went right to work. A 29 yard completion to Chris Godwin was followed by an 8 yard pass to Jones. Then came a 22 yard defensive pass interference penalty on 3rd and 2 from the Saints 38. On 3rd and 1 from the Saints 7, Jones gained 2. Brady ran for the 2 yard touchdown. The Patriots led 7-0 after the first quarter, but after that the Saints exploded.

On 3rd and 8 from their own 38, Brees hit Michael Thomas for 18. Taysom Hill came in and gained 13. On 3rd and 3 from the Tampa 22, Brees hit Cook for 10. On 3rd and 10 from the Tampa 12, Brees hit Alvin Kamala for the touchdown to make it 7-7. Brady was then quickly intercepted, setting up the Saints at the Tampa 35. On 3rd and 14 from the Tampa 39, Brees threw deep incomplete. Yet defensive pass interference meant 33 yards and 1st and goal at the 6. On the next play Kamara ran it in to make it 14-6 Saints. With 3 1/2 minutes left in the half on 4th and 19 from the Saints 36, Ryan Succop came in for a 54 yard field goal try for the Buccaneers. The kick was blocked. Wil Lutz hit a 29 yard field goal to make it 17-7 Saints at halftime. Early in the third quarter the Buccaneers faced 2nd and 15 from their own 32. Brady threw to the sideline and Janoris Jenkins jumped the rout. Jenkins returned the interception 36 yards to paydirt as the Saints were winning 24-7. Yet the man who threw a pick 6 to trail 28-3 in the Super Bowl was not going to be fazed.

After a touchback, Brees went deep and quickly drew a 45 yard defensive pass interference call. Then Jones ran for 21. Brady hit OJ Howard for a 9 yard score to get the Buccaneers within 24-14. Late in the third quarter Succop hit a 38 yard field goal to get the Buccaneers within 24-17. The Saints took over at their own 39. Brees went deep to Cook for a 46 yard gain. On 3rd and 6 from the Tampa 11, Brees hit Emanuel Sanders for just enough. Brees went back to Sanders for the 5 yard touchdown. The Saints led 31-17, and a defensive facemask on the touchdown and the Saints kicking off from midfield. Sean Payton called for a short kickoff angled near the sideline, and disaster struck the Buccaneers. The two return men collided into each other and Bennie Fowler recovered for the Saints at the Tampa 18. Lutz hit a 21 yard field goal with 8 minutes left in regulation to have the Saints comfortably ahead 34-17. Brady did throw another touchdown pass with 2:46 to play, but it was not enough. Sean Payton kept his foot on the gas as Brees fired backward to Hill, who hooked up with Kamala for a 38 yard gain. Kamala had a 2 yard touchdown taken off the board at the end of the game on a questionable call, but the outcome was not in doubt. Brees had no turnovers and Brady had 3. That was the difference. 34-23 Saints.

Dallas Cowboys at Los Angeles Rams was the Sunday night game. The Rams opened up their new stadium in front of 0 fans. The Rams went right to work after a touchback. On the first play of the game, the Cowboys jumped into the neutral zone. Jared Goff then hit Robert Woods for 20 yards to midfield and again for 31 more. On 3rd and  from the 6, Brown ran for 5 and then got the final yard to make it 7-0 Rams. The Rams got it back and embarked on a mind-numbing 17 play, 72 yard, 9 minute drive. Yet on 3rd and 5 from the Dallas 11, Goff threw incomplete. Sloman dinked the 29 yard field goal try off the upright no good as the Rams missed a golden opportunity to expand their lead.

From his own 20, Dak Prescott hit Michael Gallup for 14 yards. On 3rd and 1 from his own 43, Ezekiel Elliott gained 4. Prescott then went deep to rookie Cee Dee Lamb for 33 yards. Prescott hit Elliott for a 19 yard touchdown to make it a 7-7 game. The Rams moved 58 yards in 11 plays and had 1st and 10 at the Dallas 12. Intentional grounding on Goff killed the drive. Sloman connected from 35 as the Rams led 10-7. The Cowboys moved to the Rams 35 and former Rams kicker Greg “The Leg” Zuerlein tried a 53 yarder to tie the game. The kick was no good. The Rams took over at their own 43 and moved to a 2nd and 4 at the Dallas 13. Goff threw incomplete and Brown only gained 2. At the 2 minute warning on 4th and 2 from the Dallas 13, Sean McVay played it safe. Sloman hit from 31 and the Rams led 13-7.

The Cowboys took over at their own 27 with 1:51 left. Prescott hit Amari Cooper for 9, Jarwin for 12, Lamb for 12 and Gallup for 14 down to the Rms 26. On 1st and 20 from the Rams 22, Prescott hit Lamb for 9. Prescott then ran for 12 yards down to the one. Elliott got the yard and the touchdown. Despite being outplayed the entire first half, the Cowboys somehow led 14-13. The Rams began their first drive of the third quarter at their own 15. On 3rd and 5 from their 20, Got hit Woods for 10. On 3rd and 4 from their own 36, Goff got around the end for 8. Goff then went deep to Woods for 30. On 3rd and 3 from the Dallas 19, Goff went to Reynolds for 17. Brown ran for the 2 yard touchdown as the 11 play, 85 yard, 6 minute drive had the Rams up 20-14 with 5 1/2 minutes left in the third quarter.

On 3rd and 7 from his own 30, Goff was intercepted, setting up the Cowboys at the Rams 39. Despite 2nd and 5 at the Rams 14, a pair of Prescott incompletions had the Cowboys settling for a 33 yard Zuerlein field goal to trail 20-17. The Cowboys got it back at the start of the fourth quarter and moved from their own 35 to a 4th and 3 at the Rams 11. Rather than kick the tying 29 yard field goal, Mike McCarthy inexplicably decided to go for it with a full 12 minutes left in regulation. Making matters worse, he called the same West Coast Offense dink and dunk pass that got him kicked out of Green Bay. His offense was boring, and throwing a 2 yard pass on 4th and 3 is a great way to turn it over on downs.

The Cowboys got it back at their own 9 with 2 1/2 minutes left. On 3rd and 13 from their own 18, Prescott gained 12. On 4th and 1, Elliott gained 4. With 30 seconds left and the Cowboys facing 3rd and 10 at their own 34, Prescott went deep to Gallup for a 47 yard gain. All of a sudden the Cowboys were in easy tying field goal range with a shot at a win. However, it was al for naught. Gallup was called for offensive pass interference, negating the gain. On 4th and 20 with 13 seconds left, Prescott threw incomplete. 20-17 Rams

Pittsburgh Steelers at New York Giants was the early Monday night game. For the first time in 15 years, Eli Manning is not starting the season for the Giants. Daniel Jones is the quarterback, and Joe Judge is the new head coach. Ben Roethlisberger returns form injury to helm the Steelers for his 17th season. Early on the Steelers fumbled a punt, setting up the Giants with 1st and goal at the 3. In typical Giants fashion, they kicked a field goal to lead 3-0. Chris Boswell answered from 41 yards out for a 3-3 game after the first quarter.

After a touchback. the Giants early in the second quarter faced 3rd and 12 at their own 47. Jones threw incomplete, but defensive pass interference meant a 12 yard gain. On the next play Jones went bombs away for a 41 yard touchdown to Slayton to make it 10-3 Giants. Yet on his next series, Jones was intercepted to set up the Steelers at the Giants 36. On 3rd and 5 from the 31, Roethlisberger went to Eric Ebron for 18 yards. On 3rd and 7 from the Giants 10, Big Ben went to Juju Smith-Schuster for the touchdown. The extra point dunked off the upright no good as the Steelers trailed 10-9. With 90 seconds left in the half the Steelers took over at their own 22. Roethlisberger went to Johnson for 2, Washington for 21 and Smith-Schuster for 17 and 14. Roethlisberger ran for 11 yards to set up 1st and 10 at the Giants 13 with 7 seconds left in the half. Roethoisberger hit Washington for the touchdown. The Steelers led 16-10 at halftime.

In the third quarter the Giants sought to take the lead from their own 9 yard line. They had one of the longest drives in team history. 19 plays. 87 yards. 9 minutes. It was all for naught. With 3 1/2 minutes left in the third quarter and facing 2nd and 3 from the Pittsburgh 4, Jones was hit as he threw. The ball popped into the air and was intercepted for a touchback. Roethlisberger moved the Steelers from his own 20 to a 1st and 10 at the Giants 18. A sack go Roethlisberger meant a 12 yard loss. Yet the fourth quarter began with Boswell hitting from 36 to make it 19-10 Steelers. The Steelers got it back and soon faced 3rd and 7 at their own 28. Big Ben hit Johnson for 11. On 3rd and 4 from his own 45, Roetholisberger hit Johnson for 11. Snell ran for a 30 yard gain. On 3rd and 4 from the Giants 8, Roethlisberger hit Smith-Schuster for the touchdown to ice the game. With 5 1/2 minutes left, the Steelers led 26-10. The Giants got a garbage touchdown with 1:52 left, but the 2 point conversion pass was incomplete and the Giants were done. It’s rarely pretty, but Mike Tomlin teams win. 26-16 Steelers

Tennessee Titans at Denver Broncos was the late Monday night game. The Broncos were without Von Miller, lost for the year with an injury. Nevertheless, the first half was a  defensive bonelock. In the first quarter Stephen Gostkowski missed a 47 yard field goal try for the Titans. The Broncos took over at their own 37. Runs and short passes led to a 2nd and 16 at the Tennessee 35. Philip Lindsey gained 10, and then there was a personal foul on the defense. Evans was the guilty party, and he was disqualified from the game. On 2nd and 7 from the Tennessee 9, Drew Lock hit Nick Fant for the touchdown to make it 7-0 Broncos. In the second quarter a Broncos fumble set up the Titans at the Denver 23. On 3rd and 5 the Broncos entered the neutral zone. On 3rd and 1, Derrick Henry gained 11. Ryan Tannehill hit Pruitt for a one yard touchdown for a 7-7 game. The Broncos moved 74 yards in 12 plays and 6 minutes. On 2nd and goal from the one, Lock threw incomplete. Then Melvin Gordon got stopped. Vic Fangio went for it on 4th and goal from the one. Lock completed a pass to Butt for no gain as the Titans defense celebrated the goal line stand. The Titans quickly moved from their own one on a 12 play, 73 yard drive. Yet at the end of the half, Gostkowski’s 44 yard field goal try was blocked. His horrendous night continued when he missed a 42 yard try midway through the third quarter.

The Titans got it back at their own 18. On 3rd and 2 from their own 26, Tannehill hit Davis for 7. On 3rd and 3 at their own 40, Tannehill hit McNichols for 4, with a defensive facemark adding 15 more. On 3rd and 5 from the Denver 15, Tannehill hit Humphries for 7. On 1st and goal from the 8, Henry gained 2 and 5. Yet on 3rd and goal form the one, Henry got stopped. Gostkowski had already missed 3 field goals, and Mike Vrabel decided to go for it. With the Denver defense all in to stop Henry, Tannehill found a wide open Smith in the back of the end zone for the touchdown. Gostkowski’s nightmare continued as he missed the extra point. One minute into the fourth quarter, the Titans led 13-7. The Broncos finally woke up. After a touchback, Gordon ran for 25 yards to midfield. Lock hit rookie Jerry Jeudy for 21 yards, Patrick for 15 more, and Freeman for another 12 down to the one. Gordon got the last yard as the Broncos led 14-13 with 9 minutes left in regulation.

A field position game had the Titans backed up to their own 4 yard line. They punted and Denver had a golden chance to put the game away. On 3rd and 8, Lock went for it all and overthrew his receiver on the bomb. The Titans got it back at their own 10 with 3 minutes left. Tannehill hit Humphries for 8, Davis for 9, Henry for 6 and Brown for 16. At the 2 minute warning, the Titans had 1st and 10 at their own 49. Defensive pass interference meant a 16 yard gain to the Denver 35. Tannehill hit Humphries for 6, and a perfectly executed draw play to Henry gained 13 to the Denver 16. At this point time was not a factor for the Titans. For some reason Vic Fangio was not taking his timeouts on defense. On 3rd and 1 from the Denver 7 and no confidence in the kicker, Vrabel called a pass play. Tannehill overthrew the receiver in the end zone incomplete. With 20 seconds left, it came down to Gostkowski. Three missed field goals and an extra point. This time he was good as his teammates all rallied around him. The Titans led by 2 and the Broncos had 17 seconds to work a miracle after a touchback. After nearly being intercepted, Lock hi Hamilton for 18 yards with one second left. Under a heavy rush, Lock threw incomplete. 16-14 Titans