THE TYGRRRR EXPRESS

NFL 2019 Week 8 Recap

Washington Redskins at Minnesota Vikings was the Thursday night game. The Vikings were 16 point favorites against the hapless Redskins as Kirk Cousins and Adrian Peterson each hoped for revenge against their respective old team. Firs the teams exchanged fumbles. Then they exchanged field goals. In the first quarter Dan Bailey hit from 50 for the Vikings. In the second quarter Dustin Hopkins hit from 21 to tie the game. Bailey then hit from 29 and Hopkins answered from 30 for a 6-6 game at the 2 minute warning. After a touchback, Cousins went to Dalvin Cook for gains of 5 and 15, Johnson for 16, and Cook again for 31 yards. With 7 seconds left in the half, the Vikings faced 3rd and goal at the 4. The Vikings had 2 timeouts remaining, giving Mike Zimmer plenty of flexibility. With everyone expecting a pass, Zimmer called a run up the middle. Cook got to the goal line and just barley broke the plane of the goal for a 13-6 Vikings lead at the half. The second half was all defense and field goals. In the third quarter Bailey hit from 27 and Hopkins answered from 43 to get it back to  a7 point game. Bailey hit again from 40 with 10 1/2 minutes left in regulation to lock up the win as Mike Zimmer’s defense did the rest. 19-9 Vikings 

New York Giants at Detroit Lions — Daniel Jones fumbles a lot. This time in the first quarter he was hit and fumbled. Dennis Kennard returned the fumble for a touchdown and a 7-0 Lions lead. The Lions got it back and soon faced 3rd and 8 at their own 31. Matthew stafford went deep to Danny Amendola for 25 yards and then went bombs away to Marvin Hall for a 49 yard touchdown and a 14-0 Lions lead. The Giants got it back at their own 12 yard line. On 3rd and 3 from their 19, Saquon Barkley got just enough. Jones then went to Evan Engram for 18 yards. On 3rd and 4 from their own 46, Jones went to Golden Tate for 18 yards early in the second quarter. Barkley ran for 9 and 5 and Jones went to Slayton for a 22 yard touchdown to get the Giants within 14-7. 

The Lions missed a chance to extend the lead when a 53 yard field goal try by Matt Prater was no good. The Giants took over at their own 43. Jones hit Fowler for 12 yards. On 3rd and 1 from the Detroit 34, Penny gained 3 yards. On 3rd and 7 from the 28, Jones went deep to Slayton for the touchdown. Aldrick Rosas missed the extra point as the Giants trailed 14-13. The Lions soon faced 3rd and 9 at their own 26. Stafford found Kenny Golladay for a 16 yard gain. On 3rd and 17 from their own 35, Stafford found Johnson for 13. At the 2 minute warning, the Lions punted on 4th and 4 from their own 48. Yet a running into the kicker penalty meant a 5 yard gain and a 1st down. Prater nailed a 52 yard field goal for a 17-13 Lions lead at the half. 

The Lions took the second half kickoff and right to work after a touchback. Stafford hit Amendola for 15 yards. On 3rd and 8 from their own 44, Stafford went deep to Golladay for 25 yards and Amendola for 12 more. On 3rd and 2 from the Giants 9, Stafford again went to Golladay for the touchdown. The 10 play, 75 yard, 6 minute drive had the Lions up 24-13. The Giants quickly faced 2nd and 8 at their own 24. Jones went to Barkley for 38 yards. Jones then went to Tate for 13 yards, and unnecessary roughness on the defense on the next play added 10 more yards. On 3rd and 9 from the Detroit 10, Jones threw incomplete but defensive holding kept the drive alive. On 3rd and goal from the 2, Jones hit Evan Engram for the score. The 2 point conversion try failed but the Giants were within 24-19.

The fourth quarter began with the Lions at their own 20. Stafford went to Jones for 6 yards and Johnson gained 14 more. Stafford went to Golladay for a 41 yard touchdown to give the Lions some breathing room up 31-19 with 12 minutes left in the game. The Giants moved from their own 9 yard line to a 1st and 10 at the Detroit 43. Jones was sacked and again fumbled. The Giants retained possession but it was a 10 yard loss. Jones was then sacked again. On 3rd and 26 from his own 41, Jones hit Gallman for 20 yards. With 6 1/2 minutes remaining, Pat Shurmur opted against a 57 yard field goal try and decided to go for it. Jones threw incomplete. Now it was the Lions moving backward due to consecutive sacks of Stafford. On 3rd and 25 from their own 24, Stafford found Golladay for 14 yards but Golladay fumbled. with 5  minutes left the Giants took over at the Detroit 38. With 3 1/2 minutes left the Giants faced the and 11 from the Detroit 14. Again Shurmur passed up a field goal try and Jones threw incomplete. By the time the Giants did reach the end zone, only 1:19 remained. The onsides kick failed. 31-26 Lions

Tampa Bay Buccaneers at Tennessee Titans — The Buccaneers immediately moved to a 1st and goal from the 4. A run went nowhere and Jameis Winston threw incomplete twice. Gay hit the 22 yard field goal to make it 3-0 Buccaneers. Yet on their next series Winston fumbled and the Titans recovered at the Tampa Bay 10 yard line. One play later Ryan Tannehill went to Smith for the touchdown and the 7-3 Titans lead. Winston was then intercepted by Malcolm Butler, who returned it 23 yards to set up 1st and goal at the 6. On 3rd and goal, Tannehill went to Sharpe for the touchdown to make it 14-3 Titans. Then the game changed in the second quarter.

Gay hit field goals of 48 and 24 to get the Buccaneers within 14-9. A strong kickoff return had the Titans at their own 45. On 3rd and 7 from the Tampa Bay 26, Tannehill was sacked for a 6 yard loss. Cody Parkey did hit the 51 yard field goal to make it 17-9 Titans with 1:15 left in the half, but it was temporary relief. Winston hit Evans for gains of 13 and 14. On 3rd and 17 from their own 45, Winston went deep to Evans for a 46 yard gain. With 15 seconds left in the half, the Bucs had 3rd and goal at the 9. Winston again went to Evans for the touchdown. The 2 point conversion failed but the Buccaneers were right back in it down 17-15. In the third quarter Derrick Henry fumbled and the Buccaneers recovered at their own 44. Winston went deep to Evans for a 43 yard gain. Winston threw a 2 yard touchdown pass to Evans. This time the 2 point try succeeded as Winston hit Chris Godwin for the conversion to make it 23-17 Buccaneers. 

With 5 minutes left in the third quarter, the Titans took over at their own 8 yard line. on 3rd and 11 from their own 25, Tannehill was intercepted. However, defensive pass interference meant a 17 yard gain. On 3rd and 7 from the Tampa Bay 24, Tannehill threw incomplete. Parkey hit from 42 to get the Titans within 23-20 after three quarters. The Titans got it back one minute into the fourth quarter at their own 10 yard line. Tannehill hit Smith for 17 yards and Humphries and Davis for a pair of 8 yard gains. On 3rd and 4 from the Tampa Bay 47, Tannehill hit Sharpe for 5 yards. Henry ran for 15 and Tannehill hit Humphries for 13 more. On 3rd and goal from the 8 Tannehill hit Brown for the touchdown. The 12 play, 90 yard, 7 minute drive had the Titans up by 4 midway through the fourth quarter. Winston was sacked and fumbled again and the Titans recovered at the Tampa 36. with 3:45 left, on 4th and 2 from the Bucs 28, Mike Vrabel called for a fake field goal. It was a bold call that didn’t work as Kern got stopped for no gain. The Bucs moved to a 4th and 1 at the Tennessee 32 at the 2 minute warning. Pierre Barber got the carry and got stopped cold. The Bucs got it back at their own 24 with 42 seconds left and 0 timeouts. From their 36, Winston went deep and was intercepted. 27-23 Titans

Los Angeles Chargers at Chicago Bears — The Bears moved the ball at will against the Chargers but could not crack the end zone in the first half. First Eddie Pineiro brought back nightmares of Cody Parkey for bears fans when Pieniro doinked a 33 yard chip shot off the upright no good. In the second quarter Pineiro would connect from 22 and 25 to give the Bears a 6-0 lead. After a touchback, Philip Rivers hit Green for 10 yards and went deep to Williams for a 43 yard gain. Melvin Gordon ran for a 19 yard touchdown. After trailing the entire half, the Chargers led 7-6 just before the 2 minute warning. Two plays after the ensuing kickoff, on 2nd and 3 from their own 30, Montgomery broke free for a 55 yard gain. Chicago tried to give the drive away but the Charges kept committing defensive penalties. 30 seconds still remained in the half and the Bears had 1st and goal at the one after a very questionable defensive pass interference penalty since the ball could not have been caught. Trubisky threw incomplete. The Bears had no timeouts but 25 seconds. On 2nd and goal, Montgomery got stopped. By the time Trubisky spiked the ball to stop the clock, one second remained. On 4th and goal at the one, Matt Nagy opted for the field goal. Pineiro hit the 19 yarder. Even with the Bears leading 9-7 at halftime, the hometown crowd booed the inept Chicago offense. 

The Bears took the second half kickoff and atoned for their earlier failures. Montgomery carried 5 straight times for gains of 8, 5, 5, 3, and a tough 2 on 3rd and 2 from the Chicago 46. On 3rd and 1 from the Chargers 43, a run got stopped. Matt Nagy decided to go for i and Trubisky hit Miller for 8 yards and then went deep to Robinson for 31 yards. Montgomery finished the 11 play, 75 yard, 7 minute drive with a 4 yard touchdown run for a 16-7 Bears lead. After a touchback, it was the Chargers embarking on a 14 play, 73 yard, 7 1/2 minute drive. Yet the same Chargers who couldn’t gain one yard last week couldn’t convert 2nd and goal at the 2 into a touchdown. Rivers threw incomplete and then Austin Ekeler got stopped. Anthony Lynn decided not to gamble. McLaughlin hit the 20 yard field goal to get the Chargers within 16-10. An interception of Trubisky was returned by Hayward 37 yards to the Chicago 20. Yet the Chargers went backward. On 3rd and 14, Rivers went to the end zone and Keenan Allen dropped the potential game leading touchdown pass. It was well defended. McLaughlin then missed a 42 yard field goal with 11 minutes left in regulation. The Bears were trying to give the game away and the Chargers would not take it.

The Bears took over at their own 32 and disaster struck again. From their 42, Trubisky was sacked and fumbled. The Chargers again had gift field position at the Chicago 26. On 2nd and 10 a completion only gained 3 yards but a defensive facemask aded 12 yards. On the next play Rivers went to Ekeler for an 11 yard touchdown. Midway through the fourth quarter, the Chargers led by one point. The Bears embarked on an 11 play drive that took 6 minutes. From their own 16, they moved to a 2nd and 7 at the Chargers 37. In long field goal range for the led, Montgomery lost 3 yards. Then on 3rd and 10 Trubisky took a sack. With 2:04 left the Chargers got the ball back at their own 46. Running the ball is how you run out the clock. That is why it is called running out the clock. Instead Rivers was sacked for a 6 yard loss. On 3rd and 12 from their own 13 Rivers found Hunter Henry near the sticks. Perfect textbook tackling kept Henry inches from the first down as the Chargers had to punt.

In the battle of who wanted it least, the Bears would have one more shot from their own 35 with 90 seconds to play. Trubisky went to Tony Gabriel for 22 yards and to Robinson for 9 more. With 53 seconds left, from the Chargers 32, Trubisky almost tripped over his own offensive lineman. Somehow he escaped a sure sack and scrambled for an 11 yard gain. The Chargers took their final timeout on defense with 43 seconds to play. A field goal try would only be 40 yards. Rather than try and get a few yards closer, Matt Nagy made a questionable coaching decision in a game of head-scratching decisions on both sides. Nagy had Trubisky take a knee and not even try to gain more yards on the ground. With 3 seconds left, Pineiro came in for a 41 yard try to permanently erase the Ghost of Cody Parkey. The kick was no good. Anthony Lynn and Philip Rivers could not even manage a smile, offering sighs of relief in winning a game both teams deserved to lose. Quote the late Paul Maguire: “I hate kickers. They should be paid $50 a game.” 17-16 Chargers

Seattle Seahawks at Atlanta Falcons — Pete Carroll and the Seahawks had the benefit of playing a reeling Falcons team in full collapse. Matt Ryan was out injured as 16 year veteran Matt Schaub got the start for Atlanta. Schaub once had a streak of throwing an interception for a touchdown several games in a row. In the first quarter Jason Myers hit a 42 yard field goal for the Seahawks and the Falcons soon faced 4th and 1 at the Seattle 33. Dan Quinn went for the field goal and Matt Bryant missed from 51. After the miss, the Seahawks took over at their own 41 to start the second quarter. Penny ran for gains of 9 and 17. Russell Wilson hit Tyler Lockett for 14 yards. Chris Carson gained 12 and 3, and Wilson hit DK Metcalf for the 4 yard touchdown to make it 10-0 Seahawks. Schaub was then intercepted by Kendricks, setting up the Seahawks at he Atlanta 46. On 3r and 3 from the 39, Carson ran for 19 yards and then added 4 more. Penny ran for gains of 12 and 3 and Carson got the last yard for a 17-0 Seahawks lead. Bryant had another field goal try from 53 yards, and he missed again to set the Seahawks up at their own 43. From the Atlanta 47, Wilson went to Locket for 20 yards. On 3rd and 10 from the Atlanta 27, Wilson went back to Lockett for 20 more yards and hit Metcalf for a 2 yard touchdown with less than 30 seconds left in the half. With the Seahawks up 24-0, Dan Quinn debated whether to coach the second half or join Pete Carroll’s staff again.  

The Seahawks slept through most of the second half as the Falcons mounted a furious rally. After a touchback, Schaub went to Hooper for a 35 yard gain. On 3rd and 6 from the Seattle 36, Jadavean Clowney entered the neutral zone. On 3rd and 1, Freeman lost a yard. On 4th and 2 from the Seattle 32, Clowney jumped into the neutral zone again. Brian Hill rushed for a 23 yard touchdown. Schaub hit Ridley for the 2 point conversion as the Falcons were within 24-8. Atlanta got it back at their own 37 and moved to a 2nd and 8 at the Seattle 21. Schaub was sacked to kill the drive. Bryant hit a 47 yard field goal to get the Falcons within 24-11. Atlanta got it back at their own 14 and moved to a 1st and goal at the 8 with 13 minutes left in regulation. Schaub hit Freeman for 7 yards but at the one yard line Freeman was hit and fumbled the ball. The Seahawks took over at their own 6. From their 9, Wilson hit Lockett for gains of 19 and 12 and Moore for 23 more. On 3rd and 11 from the Atlanta 39, Wilson hit Locket for 13. However, offensive pass interference instead meant 3rd and 21. Wilson went to Hollister for 12, enough for Myers to drill a 54 yard field goal to make it 27-11 with 6 minutes left in regulation.

After a touchback, Schaub found Gage for gains of 10 and 17, Hardy for 15, and Hooper for 14. On 3rd and 5 from the Seattle 19, Clowney jumped offsides for the third time.On 3rd and 4 from the Seattle 8, Schaub hit Jones for 7 yards. Schaub then hit Hooper for the one yard touchdown. With 3 minutes left, the 2 point try failed. The Falcons were within 27-17, but it was still a two score game. Pete Carroll played it very safe, with 3 runs up the middle to force the Falcons to take their timeouts on defense. The Falcons got it back at their own 14 with 2:36 to play. With 1:17 to play the Falcons had 1st and 10 at the Seattle 19. Needing 2 scores, Dan Quinn decided to immediately try the field goal. Bryant was good from 37 but the onsides kick failed and the Dirty Birds were cooked. Schaub was a ridiculous 39 of 52 for 460 yards with one touchdown and one interception. Wilson was only 14 of 20 for 182 yards, 2 touchdowns and 0 interceptions. Yet it was the Seahawks who got the win after their 24-0 early lead allowed them to coast. 27-20 Seahawks 

New York Jets at Jacksonville Jaguars — Leonard Fournette ran for a 66 yard gain and Gardner Minshew hit Cole for a 6 yard touchdown. Josh Lambo missed the extra point as the Jaguars had the 6-0 lead. The Jets then embarked on a 12 play, 93 yard drive that consumed nearly 8 minutes. On 3rd and 1 from their own 16, Sam Darnold hit Ty Montgomery for just enough. Darnold then hit Griffin for 23 yards. On 3rd and 1 from the Jacksonville 47, Leveon Bell got stopped. Adam Gase decided to go for it and Powell went up the gut 2 yards. Darnold then hit Anderson for 13 yards and to Griffin for a 24 yard touchdown and a 7-6 Jets lead. On their next series Darnold was intercepted. 2 plays later, on 2nd and 7 from their own 30, Minshew went deep to Conley for a 70 yard touchdown and a 13-7 Jaguars advantage. 

In the second quarter the Jaguars embarked on a mind-numbing 17 play, 84 yard drive that consumed 9 minutes off the clock. Yet on 3rd and goal at the 6, Fournette was stopped for a 5 yard loss. Lambo hit the 29 yard field goal and tacked on a 43 yarder to end the half with the Jaguars up 19-7. The Jaguars moved the ball again in the third quarter but could not reach the end zone. On 2nd and goal from the 6, Minshew threw incomplete twice. Lambo hit from 24 to make it 22-7 Jaguars. After a touchback, Darnold hit Crowder for 16 and Thomas for gains of 9, 8 and 6. The Jaguars began the fourth quarter at the Jets 33. Smith gained 13. On 2nd and 16 from the Jags 26, Darnold went to Thomas for 23 and to Ryan Griffin for the 3 yard touchdown. Darnold hit Griffin again fort he 2 point conversion as the Jets were within 22-15 with a full 13 minutes left in regulation. The Jets got it back but a killer offensive penalty had them facing 2nd and 24 at their own 9. Darnold was intercepted by Bouye, who returned it 25 yards to the Jets 24. On 3rd and 10, Minshew hit Fournette for 15. On 3rd and goal at the 8, Minshew hit DJ Chark for the touchdown to lock up the win with 4 minutes left. Another interception of Darnold sealed it. 29-15 Jaguars

Philadelphia Eagles at Buffalo Bills — Jake Elliott hit a 37 yard field goal in the first quarter for the Eagles. After a touchback the Bills faced 3rd and 8 at their own 41. Josh Allen it Brown for 9 yards with roughing the passer adding 15 more. Allen then ran for 13 yards with a defensive unnecessary roughness penalty moving the Bills close. On 3rd and goal form the 14 to start the second quarter, Josh Allen rolled out and found Cole Beasley for the touchdown and the 7-3 Bills lead. Buffalo’s stout defense was again playing well but getting little help from the offense. On 3rd and 2 from their own 28, Allen was hit and fumbled and the Eagles recovered at the Buffalo 24. On 3rd and 1 from the 15, Carson Wentz gained 2 yards. Wentz hit Dall Goedert for a 2 yard touchdown. Doug Peterson likes to go for 2 point conversions in odd situations that don’t call for it. This time his gamble paid off and the Eagles led 11-7 with 25 seconds left in the half Buffalo actually had a shot at a 53 yard field goal to end the half, but Steve Hauschka missed it.  

Two plays into the third quarter, the Eagles struck again. Sanders raced for a 65 yard touchdown. The extra point was no good as the Eagles led 17-7. The Bills soon faced 3rd and 14 at their own 21. Allen went deep to Brown for 19 yards. On 3rd and 8 from the Philly 46,Allen went to Beasley for 21 yards. On 3rd and 13 from the Philly 28, Allen went to devin Singletary for the touchdown. The extra point was blocked as the Bills trailed 17-13. The Eagles took over at their own 32 and Wentz went deep to Alshon Jeffery for a 38 yard gain. On 2nd and 17 from the Buffalo 37, Wentz went to Howard for 15 and to Jeffery for 3 on 3rd and 2. Scott ran for a 4 yard touchdown for a 24-13 Eagles lead. Down by 2 scores late in the third quarter, Sean McDermott made the very questionable decision to go for it on 4th and 10 at the Philly 29 rather than try a 47 yard field goal. Allen threw incomplete. The Eagles began the fourth quarter at their own 17. The Bills have won all year with defense but in this game West Coast dink and dunker Doug Pederson went smash mouth. On 3rd and 5 from their own 22, Wentz gained 13.  On 3rd and 10 from their own 35, Wentz gained 11. Howard ran for 20 more. On 3rd and 7 from the Buffalo 21, Wentz hit Zac Ertz for 18 yards. Jordan Howard ran for the 3 yard touchdown. The Eagles gashed the Bills for 218 yards rushing on 41 carries. They just plain hit the Bills in the mouth. 31-13 Eagles

Cincinnati Bengals at Los Angeles Rams in London. The winless Bengals put up a fight in a tough first half where both teams moved to the red zone but could not seal the deal. Greg Zuerlein hi from 23 yards in the first quarter to give the Rams the lead. Bullock answered from 28 at the start of the second quarter for a 3-3 game. The Rams got it back at their own 8 yard line. On 3rd and 6 from their own 12, Jared Goff went to Cooper Kupp for 32 yards and again for 23 more. Goff then went to Reynolds for a 31 yard touchdown and a 10-3 Rams lead. After a touchback, the Bengals soon faced 3rd and 1 at their own 45. Red Rifle Andy Dalton threw incomplete. The decision was to go for it and Joe Mixon gained 2 yards followed by a 13 yard gain. Bernard then ran for 25 yards. Dalton hit Mixon for a one yard touchdown to tie the game 10-10 and complete the 11 play, 75 yard, 5 1/2 minute drive. After a touchback, the Rams struck back quickly when Sean McVay went to the bag of tricks. A double handoff reverse flea flicker led to a pass from Goff to Kupp for a 65 yard touchdown and a 17-10 Rams lead. The Rams took the third quarter kickoff and marched 75 yards in 10 plays. On 3rd and 4 from their own 31, Goff hit Kupp for 15. On 3rd and 10 from their own 46, Goff went deep to Kupp for 40 yards. On 3rd and 1 from the 5, Todd Gurley ran for 2 and then the 3 yard touchdown. The defense controlled the final 25 minutes. Michelin Man Wade Phillips had to be pleased when a garbage touchdown with 5 seconds left was overturned. 24-10 Rams 

Arizona Cardinals at New Orleans Saints — Teddy Bridgewater went 5-0 in relief, but now the pinball wizard Drew Brees was back. The Saints have been winning with defense. Arizona put up a fight in the first half. Wil Lutz missed a 47 yard field goal for the Saints early on. Zane Gonzalez connected from 31 for the Cardinals. In the second quarter Lutz hit from 26 for a 3-3 game. The Saints for it back at their own 29 and Brees and Thomas connected for gains of 28 and 16 yards. Latavius Murray did the rest, running for 7, 10, and the 8 yard touchdown to make it 10-3 Saints. Gonzalez hit again from 31 yards out with 5 1/2 minutes left in the half as the Cardinals only trailed 10-6. A close game in the third quarter was undone by a horrendous coaching decision by rookie Cliff Kingsbury. He summoned his inner Barry Switzer. After an interception of Brees, Kingsbury decided to go for it on 4th and 1 from his own 30 yard line. This is not college football. This is the NFL, which Jerry Glanville reminded us stands for “Not For Long” if you make decisions like that. Edmonds got the carry and got stopped by the tough Saints defense. 

With a short field, on 3rd and 7 from the Arizona 27, Brees went to Harris or 9 yards and to Murray for the 15 yard touchdown to make it 17-6 Saints. Gonzalez would hit his third field goal from 50 yards out to get the Cardinals within 17-9, but the Saints turned out the lights in the fourth quarter. On 2nd and 9 from their own 26, Brees went deep to Ted Ginn for a 28 yard gain. On 3rd and 1 from the Arizona 37, Brees went to Hill for 29 yards. Whenever Taysom Hill is in the game, Sean Payton is up to something. Yet this time Hill was the receiver and not the quarterback. Brees hit Hill fort he 5 yard touchdown to make it 24-9 Saints with 13 minutes left in regulation. The Saints got it back and delivered the exclamation point. From their 27, Murray gained 28 yards. Brees went deep to Hill for 36 more. Brees then hit Thomas for the 9 yard touchdown to turn a close game into a blowout. Pinball Wizard Brees was 34 of 43 for 373 yards with 3 touchdowns and one interception. 31-9 Saints

Denver Broncos at Indianapolis Colts — John Elway, Peyton Manning and Andrew Luck are retired. Jacoby Brissett and Joe Flacco can both throw the ball, but this was a defensive slugfest. The Broncos mounted a staggering 17 play, 86 yard drive that took 7:45 off the clock. On 1st and goal at the 3, rather than  run the ball, 3 straight Flacco incompletions meant a 21 yard Brandon McManus field goal. Denver then mounted a 13 play, 73 yard, 5 1/2 minute drive. Yet 2nd and 4 from the Colts 9 was followed by a run that last 2 yards and an incompletion. McManus hit from 29 to make it 6-0 Broncos with one minute left in the half. From their own 20, Brissett hit Eric Hebron for 9 and Hines for 20. Old Man Adam Vinatieri on the last play of the half drilled a 55 yard field goal to get the Colts on the board. The Broncos quickly went to work in the this quarter after a touchback. Flacco went to Chris Sutton for a 25 yard gain to midfield. On 1st and 15 from the Indy 33, the defense jumped offsides. On 1st and 10, Flacco threw incomplete but defensive pass interference meant a 24 yard gain. Royce Freeman ran for the 4 yard touchdown as the Broncos had a 13-3 lead on the road.

After a touchback, the Colts moved to a 2nd and 8 at the Denver 27. Brissett threw incomplete twice. Vinatieri hit from 45 yards out to get the Colts within 13-6. Denver went into an offensive shell, and the Colts took over at their own 32. Brissett went to Dotle for 19 yards. On 3rd and 1 from the Denver 40, Brissett went back to Doyle for 16 more. On 2nd and 6 from the Denver 20, Brissett threw incomplete but roughing the passer meant 1st and goal at the 10. On the next play Marlon Mack ran it in. The most accurate clutch kicker of all time, Adam Vinateri missed the extra point as the Colts trailed 13-12 after three quarters. The defenses dug in and the Colts began their final drive at their own 11 with 1:48 to play. Brissett scrambled near his own goal line and dangerously came close to being sacked for a safety. Somehow he avoided the disaster and fired deep to TY Hilton for a 35 yard gain. 2 plays later a 5 yard completion to Hines saw an extra 15 yards tacked on for a horse collar tackle. With 22 seconds left in regulation, Old Man Vinatieri came in for a 51 yard field goal try to win it. The most clutch kicker of all time kicked the game winner in 2 Super Bowls, won a game in a blizzard, kicked a 55 yarder in this game, and missed an extra point. On this kick, he was good to send Vic fang’s Broncos to another agonizing loss. 15-13 Colts  

Oakland Raiders at Houston Texans — The Raiders began the decade with consecutive road wins at Houston, including one on the day after Al Davis died. This time the dearly departed was legendary cornerback Old Man Willie Brown. The players and coaches are new. Every time the Raiders took the lead, the Texans answered. Each team punted twice and the Raiders soon faced 3rd and 6 at their own 35. Derek Carr fired a laser over the middle to Hunter Renfrow, who slipped through two tackles and raced for a 65 yard touchdown to make it 7-0 Raiders and cap a 95 yard drive. Carlos Hyde after a touchback ran for 9 and 5. From the Houston 44, Deshaun Watson went to Darren Fells for a 23 yard gain. Watson went to Johnson for a 12 yard touchdown and a 7-7 ballgame. 

The Raiders in the second quarter took over at their own 30. Deandre Washington ran for a pair of 6 yard gains. Carr hit Renfrow for 8 yards to midfield. Josh Jacobs ran for 23 yards. On 3rd and 6 from the Houston 21, Carr hit Jones for 15 yards and Darren Waller fr an 8 yard touchdown to complete to 10 play, 70 yard drive and put the Raiders up 14-7. The Texans moved from their own 21 to a 1st and 10 at the Oakland 16. Hyde was tackled for a 6 yard loss. Kaimi Fairbairn hit the 33 yard field goal to get the Texans within 14-10 at halftime. After a touchback to start the third quarter, the Texans moved to a 1st and 10 at the Oakland 11. Hyde lost a yard and Watson was sacked for a 10 yard loss. Fairbairn hit from 40 and the Texans were within 14-13.

The Raiders soon faced 3rd and 5 at their own 28. Carr went deep to Tyrell Williams for a 23 yard gain. On 3rd and 7 from the Houston 46, Carr went deep to Williams for the touchdown. The Raiders led 21-13 midway through the third quarter, but this is a team that still does not know how to finish games. The Texans took over at their own 23. Watson hit Johnson for 8 and Hopkins for gains of 7 and 13. On 3rd and 3 from the Oakland 42, Watson hit Hopkins for 7. On 3rd and 6 from the Oakland 31, Watson hit Johnson for just enough. Hyde ran for 8. He then fumbled on the next carry but the Texans somehow maintained possession and faced 3rd and 1 at the Oakland 16. Watson ran for 4. On the first play of the fourth quarter, Watson hit Darren Fells for a 4 yard touchdown to get the Texans within 21-20 and cap the 15 play, 77 yard, 8 minute drive.

The Raiders after a touchback continued to move the ball well, reaching a 2nd and 6 at the Houston 24. Josh Jacobs ran well all day with a bad shoulder, but his next carry lost a yard. The Raiders burned a timeout that would loom larger later. With 11 minutes left in regulation, on the critical 3rd and 7, Carr threw incomplete.  Daniel Carlson hit the 44 yard field goal to make it 24-20 Raiders, but their defense could not stop Watson the whole second half. There was zero reason to think they would when it mattered.

After a touchback Watson threw incomplete. However, a horrendous roughing the passer call on Maxx Crosby gave the Texans 15 yards. Replay showed Crosby clearly held up as he should. On 3rd and 7 from the Oakland 46, with the defense smelling a rollout by Watson, instead it was Hyde getting the carry. He had been bottled up all game but gained 10 yards on this carry. Hyde then gained another 9 yards. Watson scrambled for 10. On 1st and goal from the 9, Watson rolled out as he had done the whole second half. He appeared to be sacked, somehow escaped the sack, took a knee to his eye, spun around, and while being tackled threw a one-eyed touchdown pass to Fells. The Raiders were in shock and disbelief. With 6 1/2 minutes left, the Texans had their first lead of the game up by a field goal.

The Raiders offense plays well with a lead but is miserable when trailing. The first team to get a stop would win, and it seemed inevitable that the Raiders offense would falter when it mattered.After a touchback, Jacobs gained 8 yards and Carr hit Williams for 22 yards to the Houston 45. One more first down meant long field goal range. Jacobs ran for 12 yards, but offensive holding on Richie Incognito killed the drive. On 3rd and 16 just shy of midfield, Carr went deep to williams. Despite clear pass interference, Gruden did not throw the challenge flag for fear of losing another timeout. He opted to punt with 4 minutes left despite the fact that his defense was helpless against Watson. With 2:23 left the Raiders took their final timeout. On 2nd and 7 just shy of midfield, Watson rolled out and totally appeared corralled. Somehow he short-armed a sideways pass to Fells, who somehow hauled it in with one arm without the ball hitting the ground. Once again, the Raiders had collapsed in the fourth quarter. 27-24 Texans

Carolina Panthers at San Francisco 49ers — Kyle Allen has been unbeaten in relief, but this week the Panthers ran into a buzzsaw at the unbeaten 49ers. Dominating from the outset, they started with 3rd and 5 from their own 30. Jimmy Garoppolo hit Greg Kittle for 7 yards. Matt Breida ran for 11. Tevin Coleman ran for 22 and Garoppolo went to bread for 15 more. Garoppolo hit newly acquired Emanuel Sanders for a 4 yard touchdown and a 7-0 49ers lead. Garoppolo was intercepted on his next series, leading to a short field and a Carolina field goal. After that, the 49ers obliterated the Panthers. On 2nd and 11 from their own 24, Garoppolo hit Kittle for 12. Unnecessary roughness 2 plays later added 15 more yards. Coleman ran for a 19 yard touchdown to make it 14-3 49ers. An interception of Allen gave the 49ers a short field at the carolina 27. Breida ran for 17 and Garoppolo hit Coleman for a 10 yard touchdown to make it 21-3 49ers early in the second quarter. With 2:15 left in the half the 49ers faced 3rd and 4 at their own 43 Garoppolo hit Sanders for just enough. After the defense jumped offsides, Coleman raced for a 48 yard touchdown. For somer eason up 27-3, Kyle Shanahan went for a 2 point conversion. That was the only thing that failed for the 49ers. 

The Panthers tried to make a game of it in the third quarter. Jimmy Garoppolo was sacked for a safety. The free kick was returned 26 yards to just shy of midfield. Christian McCaffrey ran for a 40 yard touchdown. Allen hit Samuel for the 2 point conversion as the Panthers were within 27-13 with plenty of time left. The rest was all 49ers. After a touchback, on 2nd and 4 from their own 43, Garoppolo went to Kittle for 25 yards. Samuel caught a pass for 8 yards and then ran for a 20 yard touchdown to make it 34-13 49ers. Richard Sherman then intercepted Allen and returned it 21 yards to the Carolina 10. On 3rd and goal at the 6, Garoppolo threw incomplete but defensive pass interference put the ball on the one. Coleman got it in to make it 41-13 49ers. Allen was then intercepted by Nick Bosa, who returned it 46 yards to the Carolina 9. Robbie Gould hit a 20 yard field goal for a 44-13 49ers carpet-bombing.After the Panthers turned it over on downs at their own 41, the 49ers needed one play to get what former 49ers coach Steve Mariucci calls a 50-burger. Mostert got the carry and the touchdown. This 49ers team is not winning with West Coast Offense dink and dunk finesse. They are tough, physical, and winning with hard running and tenacious defense. 51-13 49ers

Cleveland Browns at New England Patriots — The Patriots still have not broken the all time blowout record of 73-0 set in 1940. At home against the Browns, it looked early on like they might. The Patriots began facing 3rd and 6 at their own 31. Tom Brady went to Philip Dorsett for 33 yards. Evil Hoodie Bill Belichick decided to go for it on 4th and 7 from the Cleveland 33 rather than try a 51 yard field goal. Brady hit Julian Edelman for 10 yards. Despite 2nd and goal at the 2, Sony Michel got stopped and Brady threw incomplete. This time Belichick opted for the field goal and Mike Nugent hit from 20 to make it 3-0 Patriots. Two plays after a touchback, Nick Chubb fumbled and Donta Hightower returned it 26 yards for a defensive touchdown and a 10-0 Patriots lead. The ensuing kick was kicked out of bounds, setting up the Browns at their own 40. One play from scrimmage saw Chubb run for a 44 yard gain to the New England 16 but fumble the ball away again. The Browns got it back at their own 21 and again it took one play for the Browns to turn it over for the third consecutive series. Baker Mayfield was intercepted by Guy, who returned it 5 yards to the Cleveland 11. Two plays later Brady hit Edelman for an 8 yard touchdown as the Patriots led 17-0 after the first quarter. 

Surprisingly, the Browns hung in there and tried to make a game of it in the second quarter. From their own 46. Chubb ran for 6. Mayfield hit Jarvis Landry for 13 and O’Dell Beckham for 7 more. Chubb ran for 6 and 1, and Mayfield went to Harris for the 21 yard touchdown to get the Browns within 17-7. The Browns got a further jolt of energy when they blocked a 29 yard Patriots field goal attempt. In the third quarter Seibert hit a 38 yard field goal as the Browns only trailed 17-10. Could the shocking upset be possible? no. On 3rd and 10 from their own 16, Brady and James White Connected on a 59 yard gain. On 3rd and 1 from the Cleveland 16, Michel gained 2. Brady then went to Edelman for the 14 yard touchdown to make it 24-10 Patriots. Midway through the fourth quarter, Nugent hit a 29 yard field goal to lock up the win and keep the Patriots unbeaten Cleveland aded one more field goal to complete the scoring as Bill Belichick got his 300th win against his old team that fired him. Belichick trails only Don Shula and Papa Bear George Halas in all time wins. 27-13 Patriots

Green Bay Packers at Kansas City Chiefs was the Sunday night game. 42 years ago brought us Vince Lombardi, Lamar Hunt, Hank Stramm, Bart Starr and Max McGee. On this night there was Aaron Rodgers but not the injured Patrick Mahomes as Matt Moore came out of retirement to start. The Packers took over at their own 33 and made it look easy at the start. On 3rd and 9 from the Chiefs 45, Rodgers went deep to Kumerow for 34 yards. On 1st and 20 from the Chiefs 21, Rodgers hit Aaron Jones for 17 and again for the 4 yard touchdown to make it 7-0 Packers. The Packers on their next series punted on 4th and 23 from their own 5. An 18 yard punt return had the Chiefs taking over at the Packers 30. All they did was lose a couple yards and see Harrison Butker miss a 50 yard field goal. The Packers took over at their own 40. Rodgers went deep to Jones for a 50 yard gain and then to Lazard for 9 more down to the one. Williams got the yard up the gut to make it 14-0 Packers.

Momentum changed in the second quarter. The Chiefs began at their own 11. On 3rd and 4 from their own 17, Williams gained 8 yards. Moore found Travis Kelce for 18 yards. On 3rd and 12 from their own 46, Moore hit Tyreek Hill for 14 yards. On 3rd and 1 from the Green Bay 31, Williams gained 2 yards. Moore then went deep to Travis Kelce for a 29 yard touchdown to get the Chiefs within 14-7. The Chiefs got it back and soon faced 3rd and 7 at their own 41. Moore went to Sammy Watkins for 11, to Hill for 18, and to Hardman for a 30 yard touchdown to tie the gam 14-14. The Chiefs got it back at their own 16. From their 22, Moore went to Kelce for 7, Hill for 21, Hardman for 25, and LeSean Shady McCoy for gains of 10 and 5. Despite 2nd and 5 at the Green Bay 10, Moore threw incomplete twice. Butler hit a 28 yard field goal as the Chiefs led 17-14 at halftime. Then the game changed again.

The Packers took over in the third quarter at their own 11. Rodgers went to Lazard for 14 yards. On 3rd and 10 from their 38, Rodgers hit Graham for 11 yards. Williams then gained 14 yards on the ground. The Packers were clicking with 1st and goal at the 6 when they took a costly delay of game penalty. On 3rd and goal at the 7, Rodgers was sacked for a 10 yard loss. The 15 play, 72 yard drive took 8 1/2 minutes off the clock, but settled for a 35 yard Mason Crosby field goal and a 17-17 game. One play after a touchback, McCoy fumbled and the Packers took over at the Chiefs 27. to start the fourth quarter. Rodgers scrambled for gains of 15 and 9 and then on 3rd and 1 hit Williams for a 3 yard touchdown. Rodgers managed to float a perfect pass just before 2 defenders took him to the ground. One minute into the fourth quarter, the Packers had regained the lead 24-17.

After a touchback, Damian Williams ran for 8, caught a pass for 4, and ran for 9 more. Moore hit Hill for 8 and Watkins deep for gains of 25 and 10 yards. On 3rd and goal at the 8, Moore threw incomplete but an illegal use of hands penalty instead meant 1st and goal at the 4. Williams ran it in on the next play to cap the 10 play, 75 yard, 5 minute drive. With 9 minutes left in regulation, this fine football game was tied 24-24. This time the Packers struck back very quickly. On 2nd and 2 from their own 33, Rodgers threw a West Coast Offense dink and dunk pass to Jones, who raced past everybody for a 67 yard touchdown to put the Packers back in the lead. The Chiefs took over at their own 22. They moved to a 3rd and 3 at their own 40. Moore threw incomplete and Andy Reid with 5:13 to play opted to a punt. A perfect punt by Dustin Colquitt pinned the Packers back to their own 2 yard line. 

The Ghost of Vince Lombardi smiled as the current pass-happy Packers played smash mouth football. They actually once in awhile run the ball on Green Bay. Jones gained 6, 2, and on 3rd and 2, a critical 4 yards. Then he ran for 9 as the Chiefs took their first timeout with 2:52 to play. Jones then ran for 5 and another first down as the Chiefs burned their 2nd timeout. After 5 straight carries by Jones, Williams got the carry and gained 2 yards as the Chiefs took their final timeout with 2:41 to play. It was back to Jones for 3 yards as the clock hit the 2 minute warning. Everything came down to 3rd and 5 at the Green Bay 33. While Aaron Rodgers is one of the greatest quarterbacks of his generation, the entire football world knows you run the football in this situation. Every. Single. Time. Instead, Rodgers lined up in the shotgun with an empty backfield. An incompletion would give the Chiefs an extra 40 seconds. Instead, Rodgers threw an 8 yard completion to Jones to put the game on ice. This is why the entire football world is not a football coach. The Packers are 7-1 and a serious Super Bowl contender. Moore played well, but after a 4-0 start the Chiefs have lost 3 of their last 4 games, with all 3 losses coming at home. This makes Andy Reid a most concerned Walrus Lite indeed. 31-24 Packers

Miami Dolphins at Pittsburgh Steelers was the Monday night game. The Steelers survived with their 3rd string quarterback and this week got their backup Mason Rudolph back from a concussion. The Dolphins are on pace to be the worst team in NFL history, but have been competitive with Ryan Fitzpatrick’s beard at quarterback. Early on it was all Miami and the dumbest Steelers fans were calling for Mike Tomlin’s scalp despite 0 losing seasons. Rudolph was intercepted to set up the Dolphins at the Pittsburgh 26. Fitzpatrick went to Wilson for a 5 yard touchdown to make it 7-0 Dolphins. Tomlin gambled on 4th and 6 from the Miami 37 and Rudolph threw incomplete. The Dolphins then marched 63 yards in 11 plays and 6 minutes. On 3rd and 14 from their own 43, Fitzpatrick went to Parker for 15 yards. From the Pittsburgh 25, Fitzpatrick went to Williams for 11 and to Allen Hurns for a 12 yard touchdown as the Dolphins led 14-0 after the first quarter in front of a stunned home crowd. Then came the reality check.

In the second quarter the Steelers faced 3rd and 11 at their own 5 yard line. Rudolph hit Johnson for 12 yards. James Conner ran for gains of 8 and 11. On 3rd and 5 from the Pittsburgh 41, Rudolph went deep to Juju Smith-Schuster for 34 yards. The drive stalled after that but Chris Boswell hit a 42 yard field goal to get the Steelers on the board. An interception of Fitzpatrick with 1:13 left in the half set up the Steelers at midfield. On 3rd and 12, Rudolph went to Smith-Schuster for 17 yards. With 17 seconds left in the half, the Steelers faced 3rd and 20 from the Miami 45. Just trying to get in field goal range, a short pass from Rudolph to Johnson went for the touchdown. The gut punch had the Steelers within 14-10 at halftime, but the game was over at that point. The Steelers missed a field goal in the third quarter, but another interception of Fitzpatrick on a deep ball had the Steelers at their own 3 yard line. From their 6, Rudolph went to Smith-Schuster for 17 yards. On 2nd and 20 from their 13, Rudolph went to Washington for 21 yards. Conner gained 14 and 8. On 3rd and 8 from the Miami 38, Rudolph hit Johnson for 11 and Smith-Schuster for a 26 yard touchdown to put the Steelers up 17-14 after three quarters. At the end of the third quarter, the Dolphins went for it on 4th and 1 from the Pittsburgh 47. Fitzpatrick got the yard but Pittsburgh successfully challenged the spot and go the ball back. Rudolph went to Johnson for 13 and Conner gained 11. On 1st and 20 from the Miami 38, defensive pass interference added 25 yards. James Conner ran for a 9 yard touchdown and a 24-14 Steelers lead with 12 minutes left. Miami fumbled 2 more times and Pittsburgh tacked on one more field goal as 27 points kept the Dolphins winless. 27-14 Steelers

https://www.commdiginews.com/sports/nfl/pete-rozelles-dream-nfl-2019-week-8-preview-and-bettors-guide-124014/

NFL 2019 Week 7 Recap

Kansas City Chiefs at Denver Broncos was the Thursday night game. The Chiefs started 4-0 and lost 2 straight, both at home. The Broncos started 0-4 but won 2 straight, one of them on the road. The Broncos marched 75 yards wit the opening kickoff. Royce Freeman ran for a one yard touchdown. Vic Fangio inexplicably went for a 2 point conversion that failed. The Broncos led 6-0, concluding all Broncos highlights for the night. The Chiefs came back 75 yards easily. LeSean Shady McCoy ran for gains of 7 and 19. On 3rd and 2 from the Denver 21, Patrick Mahomes went to Mecole Hardman for the touchdown and the 7-6 Chiefs lead. Hardman then returned a punt 36 yards to the Denver 21. Harrison Butker hit the 33 yard field goal to make it 10-6 Chiefs. Fangio then tried a fake punt on 4th and 4 from his own 46 that failed. Taking over at the Denver 38, the Chiefs moved to a 3rd and 1 at the Denver 5. Williams got stopped and Walrus Lite Andy Reid decided to go for it. Mahomes took the quarterback sneak and gained 2 yards, but at a heavy price. Mahomes injured his leg on the play. He was down on the ground for several minutes. Matt Moore played the rest of the way. On 4th and goal at the one, Reid opted for the field goal. Butler hit from 20 to make it 13-6 Broncos. Joe Flacco was then sacked and fumbled, and Ragland returned it 5 yards for a touchdown to make it 20-6 Chiefs at halftime. The second half was uneventful. Moore hit Tyreek Hill for a 57 yard third quarter touchdown. Butker tacked on one more fourth quarter field goal. Despite the big win, the grim news was that Mahomes would be out 3 weeks. 30-6 Chiefs

San Francisco 49ers at Washington Redskins — The unbeaten 49ers took on the pathetic Redskins. A driving rain meant a scoreless first half in which both teams missed a field goal Robbie Gould hit field goals of 28 in the third quarter and 22 and 29 in the fourth quarter to complete the scoring. For the sake of football fans everywhere, tape of this game should be burned. 9-0 49ers. 

Arizona Cardinals at New York Giants — A pair of bad teams played. The Cardinals moved 75 yards in 13 plays and nearly 7 minutes. On 3rd and 6 from the Arizona 46, Kyler Murray hit Clay for 12 yards. On 4th and 3 from the Giants 35, Kliff Kingsbury decided to go for it. Murray hit Sherfield for 4 yards. Edmonds ran for a 20 yard touchdown to make it 7-0 Cardinals. Daniel Jones was quickly intercepted, setting up the Cardinals at the Giants 32. Edmonds ran for one, 11, and then the 20 yard touchdown to make it 14-0 Cardinals. In the second quarter Zane Gonzalez hit a 47 yard field goal to make it 17-0 Cardinals. Then the game changed.

The Giants took over at their own 21. Jones hit Evan Engram for 6 and Saquon Barkley ran for 20. From the Arizona 48, Jones hit Golden Tate for 20 yards and Ellison for the 28 yard touchdown to get the Giants within 17-7. The Cardinals then punted on 4th and 20 from their own 4. The punt was blocked and recovered in the end zone by the Giants for another touchdown to get them within 17-14 at halftime. The Giants got it back and faced 2nd and 8 at the Arizona 37. Jones was sacked and fumbled, and the Cardinals recovered just shy of midfield. After a defensive unnecessary roughness penalty, Edmonds ran for a 22 yard touchdown to put the Cardinals up 24-14. Aldrick Rosas missed a 37 yard field goal for the Giants, but Big Blue got it back at their own 18. Jones hit Latimer for 10, Barkley ran for 11, and Jones hit Slayton for 20. Barkley ran for 6 more, and Jones hit Latimer for 13, Fowler for 6, and ran for 9 more himself. Barkley ran for the 7 yard touchdown to get the Giants within 24-21 with over 8 minutes left. With 2 1/2 minutes Pat Shurmur decided to go for it with the Giants facing 4th and 15 at their own 33. Jones was sacked and fumbled and the Cardinals recovered at the Giants 17. The defense held and took their timeouts. Gonzalez hit the 35 yard field goal. The Giants got it back at their own 12 yard line with 2:09 left. Jones was sacked again and fumbled again. On 4th and 29 from their own 4 with 41 seconds left, Jones threw incomplete again. 27-21 Cardinals

Houston Texans at Indianapolis Colts — The Colts took over at their own 6 yard line. Jacoby Brissett went to Hines for 13 and Zac Pascal for 20 more. On 3rd and 10 from their own 39, Brissett hit Rogers for 19. On 3rd and 3 from the Houston 35, Brissett went to Doyle for 19. On 3rd and 5 from the Houston 11, Brissett hit Pascal for the touchdown to make it 7-0 Colts. Early in the second quarter the Colts were stopped on 3rd and 1 at their own 45. Frank Reich decided to go for it and on 4t and 1 Marlon Mack got stopped. The field position led to a 47 yard field goal by Kaimi Fairbairn to get the Texans on the board. Facing 3rd and 14 at their own 16, Jacoby Brissett fumbled and the Texans recovered to have 1st and goal at the 4. Yet on 3rd and goal, Deshaun Watson was sacked. Fairbairn hit again from 31 to get the Texans within 7-6. 

After a touchback, Brissett went to TY Hilton for 23 yards. On 3rd and 2 from the Houston 44, Brissett went to Pascal and Hilton for a pair of 12 yard gains. Brissett then went to Eric Ebron for 17 yards and back to Hilton for the 2 yard touchdown to make it 14-6 Colts. After a touchback, the Texans had 1:49 to work with. The Texans did have 1st and goal at the 10 with 41 seconds left, but a pointless short pass gained 2 yards. After 2 more incompletions, the Texans settled for a 26 yard Fairbairn field goal to trail 14-9.

On the first play of the third quarter from their own 26, Brissett went to Pascal for a 34 yard gain. On 3rd and 10 from the Houston 40, Brissett went to Ebron for 16 yards and Hilton for 11 more. On 3rd and 1 from the 4, Brissett went to Ebron for the touchdown to make it 21-9 Colts. After a touchback, Watson went to Deandre Hopkins for 14 yards. Carlos Hyde ran for 5 and 7. Watson went deep to Kenny Stills for a 45 yard gain. On the next play Keke Coutee ran for a 4 yard touchdown to get the Texans within 21-16. 

The Colts soon faced 3rd and 11 at their own 24. Brissett threw incomplete but defensive holding was a killer penalty. On 3rd and 6 from their own 33, Brissett went deep to Ebron for 33 yards. On 3rd and 7 from the Houston 31, Brissett went to Hilton for 25 yards. On 3rd and goal at the 12, Brissett threw incomplete but an unnecessary roughness penalty meant 1st and goal at the 6. Brissett hit Pascal for a 3 yard touchdown to make it 28-16 Colts. The fourth quarter began with Bill O’Brien going for it on 4th and 1 from his own 35. Watson hit Stills for 4 yards. Yet O’Brien went for it again on 4th and 1 from his own 48 and Watson threw incomplete. The next time the Texans got the ball, Watson was intercepted. With 8:41 left the Texans got it back again at their own 21. Watson went deep to Stills for 41 yards. Watson then hit Fells for 8 and Johnson ran for 11. Watson hit Hopkins for a 4 yard touchdown. With 6 1/2 minutes left in the game, the Texans were again right back in it down 28-23. Houston’s defense kept them in the game, but a perfect punt had the Texans pinned at their own 4 yard line with 4 minutes left. On 4th and 9, Pascal was tackled in the end zone for a safety to give the Colts a 7 point lead with 2:41 to play. The Texans got it back at their own 36 with 1:41 left. With 26 seconds left from the Houston 48, Watson went deep and was intercepted. 30-23 Colts

Oakland Raiders at Green Bay Packers — The Raiders got the ball first and Jon Gruden immediately pounded the rock. Josh Jacobs ran for 9, 2, and then a 42 yard gain. Daniel Carlson hit a 45 yard field goal for a 3-0 Raiders lead. The Packers quickly faced 2nd and 3 at their own 32. Jones ran for 15 yards. On 3rd and 7 from midfield, Aaron Rodgers went to Graham for 29 yards and to Jones for the 21 yard touchdown to make it 7-3 Packers. In the second quarter the Raiders took over at their own 14. On 3rd and 6 from their 18, Carr went to Davis for 10. On 3rd and 11 from the Oakland 41, Carr went to Keylan Doss for 31 yards. On 3rd and 3 from the Packers 21, Carr went to Hunter Renfrow for 4 yards. On 3rd and 3 from the 10, Carr went to Moreau for the touchdown to make it 10-7 Raiders.

The Packers soon faced 2nd and 6 at their own 22. Rodgers went to Vitale for 21 yards. On 2nd and 17 from their own 46, Rodgers hit Williams for 9 and on 3rd and 8 hit Greg Allison for 15 more. From the Oakland 25, defensive pass interference meant a 22 yard gain. Rodgers hit Williams for the 2 yard touchdown to make it 14-10 Packers. The Raiders moved after a touchback with ease. Deandre Washington gained 8. Carr went to Darren Waller for 16 yards and then on a deep route for a 48 yard gain. On 2nd and goal at the one, the Raiders showed why they lose gains. Rather than run up the gut, Carr scrambled around the end and made the exact same mistake he has made in past years. He tried to stretch the ball past the pylon and ended up fumbling it through the end zone for a touchback. On 3rd and 3 from their own 27, Rodgers threw incomplete but a terrible roughing the passer call on Mayowa kept the drive going. Mayowa dove and grabbed Rodgers by the ankles, but it was a totally clean play. On 3rd and 5 from the Packers 47, Rodgers went to Allison for 9. Rodgers then went deep to Kumerow for a 37 yard touchdown with 12 seconds left in the half. Rather than a 17-14 Raiders lead, the 14 point swing had the Packers up 21-10. On the first play of the third quarter, the Packers moved to turn out the lights. From their own 22, Rodgers went deep to Valdes-Scantling for a 59 yard gain. Rodgers ran for a 3 yard touchdown to make it 28-10 Packers.

The Raiders tried to make a game of it. After a touchback, they moved 75 yards in 12 plays and 5 1/2 minutes. On 3rd and 2 from the Packers 7, Carr hit Waller for the touchdown to get the Raiders within 28-17. Yet the depleted secondary had no answers for Rodgers. From their own 15, Rodgers went to Shepherd for 25 yards. On 3rd and 8 from their own 42, Rodgers went to Kumerow for 17 yards. From the Oakland 29, Rodgers went to Lazard for 26 yards and Jimmy Graham for the 3 yard touchdown to make it 35-17 Packers after three quarters. In the fourth quarter the Raiders moved 74 yards in 11 plays and 6 minutes. On 4th and goal at the one, Jacobs got stopped. The Raiders got it back at their own 42 and Carr hit Marcel Atman for a 36 yard gain. Yet on 1st and 10 from the Green Bay 15, Carr went to the end zone and his pass was deflected and intercepted for a touchback. Three times the Raiders moved into the red zone. Two of those times they were one yard away. They came up with nothing all three times. Rodgers on 3rd and 4 from his own 26 put the dagger in with a pass to Valdez-Scantling that went for a 74 yard touchdown. Oakland got a late garbage touchdown to pad the stats. Carr was 22 of 28 for 293 yards and 2 touchdowns, but also a killer fumble and interception in the red zone. It wasted a great da for Jacobs, who had 124 yards on 21 carries for nearly 6 yards per carry. Yet he got stopped from the one. Rodgers was a lights out 25 of 31 for 429 yards, 5 touchdowns, 0 interceptions, and a perfect 158.3 quarterback rating that nobody understands. 42-24 Packers

Minnesota Vikings at Detroit Lions — The Lions took over at their own 23 and quickly benefitted from a 31 yard defensive pass interference call. On 3rd and 9 from the Minnesota 28, Matthew Stafford went to Danny Amendola for 12 yards and Jones for the 16 yard touchdown to make it 7-0 Lions. The vikings took over at their own 27. Dalvin Cook ran for 15 and Kirk Cousins went to Smith for a 28 yard gain and Adam Thielen for a 25 yard touchdown to make it 7-7. The Lions soon faced 3rd and 2 at their own 33. Stafford hit Jones for 4 yards and then connected with Amendola for a 36 yard gain. Stafford capped the drive with a 3 yard touchdown pass to Jones for a 14-7 Lions lead. The first quarter ended with Abdullah returning the ensuing kickoff 38 yards to the Detroit 39. On 3rd and 10, Cousins went to Stefan Diggs for 27 yards. Cook ran for gains of 10 and 14. On 3rd and goal at the 3, Cousins was intercepted for a touchback, but defensive pass interference instead meant 1st and goal at the one. Cousins hit Johnson for the touchdown to make it 14-14 early in the second quarter.

The Vikings got the ball back at their own 3 yard line. On 3rd and 2 from their 11, Cousins hit kyle Rudolph for 15 yards. From their 30, Cousins went to Diggs for 10 yards. Diggs fumbled but the Vikings retained possession. On 3rd and 2 from the Detroit 28, Cousins hit Rudolph for 9. Mattison ran for 9 and Cook ran for 2 and for the 8 yard touchdown to make it 21-14 Vikings with  1/2 minutes left in the half. The 15 play, 97 yard drive took nearly 7 1/2 minutes off the clock. The Lions soon faced 3rd and 1 at their own 34. McKissic got around the end for 14 yards.. Stafford hit Jones for 9, Amendola for 5, and Kenny Golladay for 21 yards. With 27 seconds left, on 2nd and 20 from the Minnesota 24, Stafford threw incomplete. Yet roughing the passer put the ball on the 12. On 3rd and 8 from the 10, Stafford hit Jones for the touchdown with 2 seconds left in the half for a 21-21 game.

The Vikings took the second half kickoff and marched down the field as this shootout kept going. On 3rd and 11 from the Minnesota 35, Cousins hit Diggs for 14 yards and Johnson for 19 yards. From the Detroit 25, Cook ran for 12 and Cousins hit Smith for 10. Cousins hit CJ Ham for the 5 yard touchdown as the Vikings took the 28-21 lead. The Lions soon faced 2nd and 12 at their own 10. Stafford went to Amendola for 13 yards and deep to Hall for a 47 yard gain. Yet on 3rd and 8 at the Minnesota 28, Stafford threw incomplete. Matt Prater hit the 46 yard field goal to get the Lions within 28-24. Early in the fourth quarter Dan Bailey missed a 45 yard field goal that would have gotten Minnesota’s lead back up to 7 points. The Lions moved from their 35 to a 4th and 2 at the Minnesota 41. Matt Patricia decided to go for it and Stafford threw incomplete. 

Cousins quickly hit Smith for 10. Cook gained 3, 6, and on 3rd and 1, 23 yards. Cousins hit Rudolph for a 15 yard touchdown. with 5:40 to play, the Vikings had some breathing room up 35-24. After a touchback, Stafford went to Amendola for gains of 11 and 10 and TJ Hockenson for 14 more. Stafford went to Jones for another 10. On 3rd and 10 from the Minnesota 30, Stafford hit Jones for 24 yards. Stafford went back to Jones for a 2 yard touchdown. The 2 point try failed, but with 3 minutes left the Lions were within 35-30. They needed one defensive stop. In a game with no defense, a stop was not coming. On 2nd and 5 from their own 30, Mike Zimmer decided not to go conservative smash mouth. He got aggressive and went for it all. Cousins went deep to Diggs for a 66 yard gain. With 1:55 left, Cook ran for the 4 yard touchdown to put the game out of reach. An interception of Stafford with one minute left only concluded the inevitable. Both quarterbacks were sensational, with 4 touchdowns and 0 interceptions until Stafford was picked off in the final minute. Cousins was 24 of 34 for 337 yards and Stafford was 30 of 45 for 364 yards. Yet it was the Vikings with the win that now have a 5-2 football team. Cousins was supposed to be the last piece. Today he played like it. 42-30 Vikings

Jacksonville Jaguars at Cincinnati Bengals — The Jaguars took on the winless and witless Bungles. A 21 yard Josh Lambo field goal in the second quarter had the Jaguars up 3-0. With 2:14 in an ugly first half, the Bengals took over at their 20. Red Rifle Andy Dalton hit Erickson for 12 and then again deep for a 48 yard gain. On 2nd and 18 from the Jacksonville 28, Dalton went to Erickson for 27 yards. Dalton then went to Joe Mixon for a 2 yard touchdown and a 7-3 Bengals lead with 1:25 left in the half. After a touchback, Gardner Minshew went to Conley for 7 and again for 29. On 3rd and 10 from the Cincy 44, Minshew hit Westbrook for 33 yards. Yet from the 11, Minshew threw incomplete twice. Lambo hit the 29 yard field goal to end the half with the Jaguars down 7-6. The Bengals fumbled early in the third quarter, setting up the Jaguars at their own 43. Lambo hit from 37 to make it 9-7 Jaguars. The Bengals took over at their own 9 and moved to a 2nd and 1 at the Jags 19. Rather than run the ball, Dalton threw incomplete twice. Going for it was rejected. Randy Bullock hit the 38 yard field goal as the Bengals had the 10-9 lead after three quarters. Yet these are the Bengals.

Jacksonville after a touchback saw DJ Chark run for 20. Minshew then found Conley for a 47 yard gain. On 3rd and goal at the 2, Minshew hit Keelan Cole for the touchdown. Doug Marrone went for 2 and Minshew hit Conley for the conversion to make it 17-10 Jaguars. Dalton then had a fourth quarter for the ages, and not in a good way. Dalton moved the Bengals 60 yards in 10 plays to a 1st and 10 at the Jags 15 with a chance to take the lead. Dalton completed a pass to Miles Jack. Problem: Jack plays defense for the Jaguars. The Bengals got it back at their 23. Three plays later, Dalton completed a pass to Yannick Ngakoue. Problem: Ngakoue plays defense for the Jaguars. His interception return of 23 yards the other way went for a defensive touchdown and a 24-10 Bengals lead with 4 1/2 minutes left. The Bengals got a ray of hope when the ensuing kickoff was returned 61 yards to the Jacksonville 41. One play later Dalton completed a pass to Harrison. Problem: Harrison plays defense for the Jaguars. The last turnover led to a 26 yard Lambo field goal just past the 2 minute warning that put the game out of reach. 3 fourth quarter interceptions and 18 straight points turned a slugfest into a 27-10 Jaguars lead. Cincinnati got a garbage touchdown with 23 seconds remaining to remain winless. 27-17 Jaguars

Miami Dolphins at Buffalo Bills — The Bills are a good team with a very good defense. The Dolphins are a terrible team with little to no offense. In the first quarter Steve Hauschka hit field goals of 39 and 43 to make it 6-0 Dolphins. Yet Josh Rosen was benched before the game in favor of Ryan Fitzpatrick’s beard. After a touchback following the second field goal, Fitzpatrick went deep to Williams for a 35 yard gain. Walton ran for 12. On 3rd and 1 from the 3, Ballage got the touchdown on the first play of the second quarter for a 7-6 Dolphins lead. In the second quarter Hauschka would hit his third field goal from 45 yards out for a 9-7 Bills lead. After a touchback, Fitzpatrick hit Williams for 13 and Wilson for 22 more. Roughing the passer on an incompletion added 15 yards. On 3rd and 3 from the Buffalo 12, Fitzpatrick hit DeVante Parker for the touchdown with 6 minutes left in the half. The rest of the half and the third quarter were scoreless, as the Dolphins took a 14-9 lead into the fourth quarter in front of a worried home crowd in Orchard Park. Yet these are the Dolphins. The Dolphins began the third quarter with a staggering 16 play, 63 yard drive that consumed a mind-numbing 10 minutes off the clock. The Dolphins even converted on 4th and 1 from the Buffalo 4. Yet on 1st and goal at the 2, Fitzpatrick fumbled and lost 10 yards. On the next play he was intercepted at the 2 yard line. Instead of 21-9 or even 17-9, the Bills only trailed 14-9 and they made the Dolphins pay. 

From their 2, DiMarco ran for 4 yards and Frank Gore added 15 more. On 3rd and 1 from their 30, Gore gained 5. Josh Allen then went deep to Williams for 23 yards and to Gore for 11 more. The fourth quarter began with the Bills facing 3rd and 7 at the Miami 28. Allen hit Cole Beasley for 8 and then John Brown for the 20 yard touchdown. Sean McDermott went for 2 and Allen got it himself for a 17-14 Bills lead one minute into the fourth quarter. With 9 minutes left, the Dolphins took over at their own 8. From their 22, a short completion was fumbled, recovered by the Bills, and returned 11 yards to the Miami 16. Allen hit Beasley for a 3 yard touchdown to put the Bills up 24-14 with 6 1/2 minutes left. With 4 minutes left, Miami took over at their own 40. On 4th and 8 from the Buffalo 43, Fitzpatrick hit Gesicki for 9 yards. On 3rd and 4 from the Buffalo 28, Fitzpatrick went to Hurns for 17 yards and ran the final 11 yards himself.. With 1:45 left, the Dolphins were within 24-21. Yet only 7 seconds later the game was over as the onside kick was returned 45 yards by Micah Hyde for the clinching touchdown. 22 fourth quarter points got the Bills to 5-1 and left the Dolphins an 0-6 mess. 31-21 Bills 

Los Angeles Rams at Atlanta Falcons — The Rams had lost 3 straight after a 3-0 start but played the woeful Falcons. The addition of Jalen Ramsey was expected to bolster the Rams defense. Both kickers Greg Zuerlein and Matt Bryant have been goats in recent weeks. This week Bryant hit from 52 while Zuerlein dunked a 40 yarder off the upright no good. Zuerlein then hit a 55 yarder for a 3-3 game. The Rams began the second quarter at their own 15. Jared Goff hit Woods for a 25 yard gain and again for 9 more. On 2nd and 10 from the Atlanta 36, Goff threw incomplete but roughing the passer kept the drive going. On 3rd and 2 from the Atlanta 13, Goff hit Todd Gurley for the touchdown and the 10-3 Rams lead. Zuerlein tacked on a 25 yard field goal late in the half to make it 13-3 Rams. Bryant missed from 50 for the Falcons to end the half. In the third quarter after a touchback, the Rams soon faced 2nd and 10 from their own 39. Goff went deep to Everett for 33 yards, to Henderson for 8, to Cooper Kupp for 6, to Everett for 5, and to Everett again for an 8 yard touchdown to have the Rams comfortably ahead 20-3. An interception of Matt Ryan had the Rams at the Atlanta 16. On 3rd and goal at the one, Goff got in to make it 27-3 Rams. An Atlanta fumble led to a 15 play, 62 yard, 8 minute drive that culminated in a 20 yard Zuerlein field goal with 5 1/2 minutes remaining. 30 straight points had the Rams cruising 30-3. Atlanta got one garbage touchdown but then gave up one as the Rams defense recovered a fumble for a touchdown to close the blowout. 37-10 Rams

Los Angeles Chargers at Tennessee Titans — Sometimes a pair of bad teams can play a thrilling game for the ages. This was definitely not that game. Anthony Lynn decided to have the Chargers go for it on 4th and 2 from the Titans 31 rather than try a 49 yard field goal. Philip Rivers threw incomplete. Cody Parkey hit a 45 yard field goal for the Titans and McLaughlin answered from 29 for a 3-3 game. In the second quarter the Chargers took over at their own 6 yard line. On 3rd and 3 from their 13, Rivers hit Keenan Allen for 17, Austin Ekeler for 15 and 5, Hunter Henry for 7, and Allen for 15. On 3rd and goal at the one, Rivers hit Melvin Gordon for the touchdown to cap the 14 play, 94 yard, 7 1/2 minute drive to make it 10-3 Chargers. The Titans took over at their 14 with 3 1/2 minutes left in the half. Ryan Tannehill played in place of the benched Marcus Mariota, and he hit Brown for 16 yards and 15 more, and hit Henry for 18 yards. Henry then ran for 12 and 4. With 25 seconds left in the half, Tannehill went to Davis for the tying touchdown. A scoreless third quarter had these teams entering the fourth quarter deadlocked 10-10.

The Titans took over at their own 15 and Tannehill hit Sharpe for 14 yards and Humphries for 11 more. From just past midfield on 3rd and 2, Tannehill went to Firkser for 27 yards. On 3rd and 11 at the Chargers 23 to start the fourth quarter, Tannehill hit Humphries for 14 yards. On 3rd and goal at the 5, Tannehill hit Sharpe for the touchdown. The routine extra point was made exciting by the doink king, Cody Parkey. He had a multiple doink game last year with Chicago in addition to a double doink kick that cost the Bears a one point playoff loss to Philadelphia. He doinked this extra point no good as well as the Titans led 16-10 with 13 minutes left in regulation. After a touchback, Rivers went to Henry for a pair of 23 yard gains. Yet the drive died after that. McLaughlin hit a 50 yard field goal as the Chargers trailed 16-13 with 11 minutes left to play.

The Titans soon faced 3rd and 1 at their own 34. Tannehill connected with Davis for a 38 yard gain. From the Chargers 22, Henry ran for 8, 3, and then the 11 yard touchdown. With 6 1/2 minutes left the Titans had some breathing room up 23-13. Only 90 seconds later that breathing room was gone. Rivers after a touchback hit Williams for 11, Hunter for 11 and 13, and then Ekeler on the bomb for the 59 yard touchdown. With 5 minutes left the Chargers were back within 23-20. After a touchback, the Titans m vied to a 4th and inches just past midfield. Mike Vrabel decided to go for it. Tannehill tried to sneak over the top but was ruled short of the sticks. Despite having all 3 timeouts, Vrabel for some bizarre reason did not challenge the spot. The Chargers took over with 2 1/2 minutes left. One completion for 6 yards followed by lazy lack of urgency let the clock hit the 2 minute warning. On 3rd and 4 from the Titans 45, Rivers hit Williams for 10. Rivers then fired to Ekeler for 19 yards to set up 1st and 10 at the Titans 16 with 49 seconds left. Vrabel had to consider using his timeouts on defense. It was a non-issue as Rivers fired over the middle to Ekeler, who banged through the defenders and crashed down over the goal for the touchdown with 37 seconds left. 

On further review, the score was reversed and the ball put half a yard away from the goal. With everything on the line, the Chargers committed a false start. On the next play defensive pass interference put the ball back on the one. Then a carry was again ruled a touchdown, although it again appeared to be short of the goal as this was turning into the Burt Reynolds version of “The Longest Yard.” The ball was put back on the one. This time there was an inexplicable 10 second runoff that should not have been assessed and the Titans should have refused. 22 seconds remained in this horribly officiated game. Gordon then got the carry and tried to smash through. Complete chaos ensued. The Chargers thought Gordon scored. The Titans said they recovered a fumble in the end zone for a touchback. If Gordon was down, then the clock would run. Yet the officials were discussing another 10 second runoff which again would have been incorrect. After a lengthy discussion, the officials bungled their saying the right call. Gordon dd fumble short of the goal line, and the Titans did recover. It was a touchback. In a shocking end that was badly officiated and badly coached, Al Pacino’s Tony Montana reminds us that in football, you fight for every last inch. 23-20 Titans  

Baltimore Ravens at Seattle Seahawks — A pair of well coached tam with good quarterbacks and good defenses played a solid game as expected. The Ravens moved from their own 16 to a 3rd and 2 at the Seattle 6. Edwards lost a yard and the Ravens settled for a 25 yard Justin Tucker field goal to lead 3-0. Later on the Seahawks faced 3rd and 1 at their own 26. Chris Carson gained 9 yards. 

On 3rd and 11 at their own 34, Russell Wilson went deep to DK Metcalf for 37 yards. The second quarter began with the Seahawks facing 3rd and 3 from the Baltimore 8. Wilson went to Tyler Lockett for the touchdown to cap the 11 play, 83 yard, 6 minute drive and make it 7-3 Seahawks. Each offense then moved into the red zone but could no cross the goal line. Despite 2nd and 8 from the Seattle 10, Lamar Jackson threw incomplete twice. Tucker hit from 28 to get the Ravens within 7-6. The Seahawks moved to a 1st and 10 at the Baltimore 16, but Wilson threw 3 incompletions. Myers hit from 34 to make it 10-6 Seahawks midway through the second quarter. A field position game had the Seahawks with a 3rd and 6 at the Baltimore 34. Yet Wilson was then intercepted by just acquired Marcus Peters. The former Kansas City cornerback returned his interception of Wilson 67 yards for a defensive touchdown and a 13-10 Ravens lead. With 5 minutes left in the half, the Seahawks moved to a 2nd and 10 at the Baltimore 13 with 12 seconds left. Wilson threw incomplete. On 3rd and 10 with 6 seconds left, Pete Carroll took no chances. Myers hit the 31 yard field goal as the teams took a 13-13 tie to the locker rooms. 

In the third quarter Myers missed a 53 yard field goal try that would have given the Seahawks the lead. The Ravens soon faced 3rd and 5 at their own 48. Jackson hit Hurst for 10 yards. Edwards added 14 more on the ground. On 4th and 2 from the Seattle 8 very late in the third quarter, John Harbaugh made the questionable decision to go for it rather than take points on the road. Jackson got the first down and the touchdown himself as the Ravens led 20-13 after three quarters. In the fourth quarter the Ravens turned out the lights. A 13 play, 86 yard drive took 9 minutes off the clock. Tucker hit from 22 to make it 23-13 Ravens with 3:50 to play. One play after a touchback, Baltimore’s defense clammed the door. A fumble was returned 18 yards for a second defensive touchdown. The Seahawks are a good football team,  but Baltimore made a loud statement that their defense is back and they can go anywhere on the road and win. Jackson completed only 9 passes out of 20 thrown for 143 yards. This was not Trent Dilfer game management, but it was pretty close. Needing 3 scores, Myers hit a 35 yard field goal with 1:52 left but nothing more. 30-16 Ravens

New Orleans Saints at Chicago Bears — Mitchell Trubisky returned for the Bears while Teddy Bridgewater started again for the Saints. Most of this game was the Mike Ditka Bowl, as the defenses played well. 2 minutes into the game, the Saints blocked a Chicago punt through the end zone for a safety and a 2-0 Saints lead. Later on a Chicago fumble had the Saints taking over at the Chicago 24. Bridgewater hit Thomas for 12 and went to Hill for a 7 yard touchdown to make it 9-0 Saints. 15 seconds later Cordarelle Patterson returned the ensuing kickoff 102 yards for a special teams touchdown. In a game with almost 0 offense, the Bears were within 9-7. The second quarter was a slog. Eddie Pineiro hit a 46 yard field goal to put the Bears in front, and Wil Lutz countered from 39 to put the Saints back on top 12–10. Lutz missed from 42 late in the half. 

The third quarter belonged to the Saints. On 3rd and 3 from their own 32, Bridgewater got just enough. Latavius Murray gained 17 yards on the next play. Bridgewater then went deep to Ted Ginn Jr for a 45 yard gain. Murray got the last 3 yards as the Saints took a 19-10 lead. The Bears then immediately fumbled but the Saints went backward and Lutz missed again from 52. Yet the Saints got it back at their own 24. On 3rd and 1 from their 44, Taysom Hill entered and took an end around 23 yards. From the Chicago 21, Murray gained 15 and 2. Bridgewater hit Hill for the 4 yard touchdown as the Saints had a comfortable 26-10 lead after three quarters. In the fourth quarter Lutz hit from 30 and Murray ran for a 4 yard touchdown to extend the blowout. Down by 26, Chicago eventually got a pair of garbage touchdowns. Bridgewater is 5-0 as a starter. Those asking if the Saint have a quarterback controversy will expect an icy stare from Sean Payton. 36-25 Saints 

Philadelphia Eagles at Dallas Cowboys was the Sunday night game. The first quarter was a nightmare for the Eagles. They fumbled, and the Cowboys took over at the Philly 45. On 3rd and 1 from the 36, Dan Prescott gained 8 yards. On 3rd and 2 from the Philly 20, Tavon Austin got around the end for the touchdown and the 7-0 Cowboys lead. The Eagles soon fumbled again and the Cowboys recovered at the Philly 14 yard line. One play later Ezekiel Elliott ran it 13 yards. From the one, Elliott leapt over the top for the touchdown and the 14-0 Cowboys lead. Midway through the first quarter, the Eagles faced 3rd and 10 at their own 13. Carson Wentz threw incomplete, but roughing the passer gave the Eagles heir first break. Howard rushed for 16 yards, and then another unnecessary roughness penalty for a hit on a defenseless receiver added 15 more. On 2nd and 12 from the Dallas 28, Wentz went deep to Dallas Goedert for the touchdown as 87 yards came with help from 30 penalty yards. The Eagles were back in it down 14-7. 

In the second quarter the Cowboys took over at their own 29. Elliott ran for 11 and Prescott hit Gallup for 8. On 3rd and 1 just shy of midfield, Prescott got stopped. Jason Garrett decided to go for it, and on 4th and 1 Prescott hit Elliott for 9 yards. Pollard ran for 11 and Prescott added 7 more. After a touchdown pass was nullified by offensive holding, the Cowboys soon faced 3rd and 4 at the Philly 25. Prescott hit Jason Witten for 8 yards, Randall Cobb for 16, and Jarwin for the one yard touchdown. The 12 play, 71 yard drive took 6:40 and had the Cowboys up 21-7. The Cowboys got it back with 2:47 left in the half and soon faced 3rd and 9 at their own 21. Prescott threw incomplete but illegal use of hands was a killer penalty. On the next play Prescot went deep to Amari Cooper for a 44 yard gain. Maher hit a 26 yard field goal to make it 24-7 Cowboys with 1:34 left in the half. The Cowboys got it back at their own 30 with 22 seconds left. Prescott played pitch and catch with Witten for gains of 8, 7 and 10. With 4 seconds left, Maher came in for a 63 yard field goal try, one yard short of the NFL record. Maher nailed it as the Cowboys led 27-7 at the break.

In the second quarter the Cowboys took over at their own 29. Elliott ran for 11 and Prescott hit Gallup for 8. On 3rd and 1 just shy of midfield, Prescott got stopped. Jason Garrett decided to go for it, and on 4th and 1 Prescott hit Elliott for 9 yards. Pollard ran for 11 and Prescott added 7 more. After a touchdown pass was nullified by offensive holding, the Cowboys soon faced 3rd and 4 at the Philly 25. Prescott hit Jason Witten for 8 yards, Randall Cobb for 16, and Jarwin for the one yard touchdown. The 12 play, 71 yard drive took 6:40 and had the Cowboys up 21-7. The Cowboys got it back with 2:47 left in the half and soon faced 3rd and 9 at their own 21. Prescott threw incomplete but illegal use of hands was a killer penalty. On the next play Prescot went deep to Amari Cooper for a 44 yard gain. Maher hit a 26 yard field goal to make it 24-7 Cowboys with 1:34 left in the half. The Cowboys got it back at their own 30 with 22 seconds left. Prescott played pitch and catch with Witten for gains of 8, 7 and 10. With 4 seconds left, Maher came in for a 63 yard field goal try, one yard short of the NFL record. Maher nailed it as the Cowboys led 27-7 at the break. The second half was a formality. The Eagles kicked a third quarter field goal and the Cowboys added a fourth quarter one. After the teams exchanged interceptions, a Wentz fumble was recovered at the Philly 16. On 3rd and 2, Prescott ran for the touchdown to complete the blowout. 37-10 Cowboys 

New England Patriots at New York Jets was the Monday night game. For those looking for an upset for the ages, look elsewhere. This was he men against the boys, and it was over by the end of the first quarter. The Patriots took over at their own 22 and made it look easy. On 3rd and 7 just past midfield, Tom Brady hit Meyers for 9 yards. On 3rd and 10 from the Jets 40, Brady went to Julian Edelman for 14 yards. On 3rd and 5 from the Jets 21, Brady hit Watson for 10 yards. On 3rd and 2 from the Jets 3, Sony Michel got around the end and into the end zone for a 7-0 Patriots lead. The staggering 16 play, 78 yard, 9 minute drive was just the beginning. 2 plays after a touchback, Sam Darnold was intercepted to set up the Patriots at the Jets 12. The defense held and a Mike Nugent 34 yard field goal made it 10-0 Patriots. The Patriots got it back at their own 33 and Brady went deep to Bolden for 28 yards. On 4th and 6 from the Jets 35, Evil Hoodie Bill Belichick decided to go for it. Brady hit Watson for 7 yards and then went deep to Philip Dorsett for a 26 yard touchdown. The Patriots led 17-0 after the first quarter. The second quarter began with the Jets moving from the quarter mark to the midstripe. Darnold was then hit and fumbled. Kyle Van Noy fell on it.  On 3rd and goal at the one, Michel finally crashed in for the official 24-0 Patriots lead. The only thing missing was that the fumble was not a butt-fumble. League Rules prevented the final three quarters from being canceled due to the mercy rule. 73-0 is the biggest blowout in NFL history, and the Patriots were almost on pace. They got bored, but did get a third quarter safety and one more fourth quarter touchdown. 33-0 Patriots 

https://www.commdiginews.com/sports/nfl/nfl-2019-week-7-preview-and-bettors-guide-are-the-rams-super-bowl-bound-123779/

NFL 2019 Week 6 Recap

New York Giants at New England Patriots was the Thursday night game. In two Super Bowls, the heavily favored Patriots were shocked by the underdog Giants. Tom Brady is still playing, and last week passed Brett Favre to become third in all time passing yards. In the first 40 seconds of this game, he passed Peyton Manning to move into second place. He still trails Drew Brees by 3,000 yards. The two Super Bowls involved Eli Manning miracles. In this contest, Manning was on the bench. Daniel Jones is now the Giants quarterback. For over three quarters, this was actually a competitive game. Then reality set in. 

The Patriots moved from their own 28 to a 3rd and 1 at the Giants 19. Sony Michel got the carry and got stopped. Evil Hoodie Bill Belichick decided to go for it and Michel got stopped again. The teams traded punts and then traded interceptions. Late in the first quarter, the Giants punted from their own 19. The punt was blocked by Bolen and recovered by Winovich, who returned it 6 yards for a special teams touchdown and a 7-0 Patriots. In the second quarter the Giants took over at their own 25. At their 35, Jones was intercepted by Harmon, who returned it 27 yards to the Giants 20. On 2nd and 15 from the 25, Brady went to Meyers for 23 yards. On 3rd and goal at the one, Brandon Bolden got in to make it 14-0 Patriots. 

After a touchback, the Giants struck quickly. From their 36, Daniel Jones went to Golden Tate for a 64 yard gain. After another touchback, the Patriots quickly faced 2nd and 12 at the Giants 48. Brady was sacked and fumbled, and Golden returned the fumble 42 yard. With 4 1/2 minutes left in the half, the game was tied 14-14. 

Sony Michel ran the ball 4 straight times, and the Patriots faced 3rd and 6 at their own 41. Brady went to James White for 8 yards, Meyers for 23 more, Julian Edelman for 4, White for 7, White again for 5, and White one final tie for 11 yards down to the one. With 30 seconds left in the half, Nugent got the last yard foe the score to make it 21-14 Patriots. In the third quarter another interception of Jones led to a missed field goal. The Patriots on their next series turned it over on downs. It was a close game as the Giants faced 3rd and 9 at their own 33 with 8 1/2 minutes left in regulation. The Giants fumbled and Kyle Van Noy returned it 22 yards for a score to make it 28-14 Patriots.  The Patriots got it back at their own 37 and Michel quickly ran for 13 and 4 yards. From the Giants 39, Brady went deep to Edelman for a 36 yard gain. Brady ran for the last yard himself to complete the scoring. 35-14 Patriots

Carolina Panthers at Tampa Bay Buccaneers in London was the Sunday early morning game. On the first offensive play from scrimmage, Jameis Winston was intercepted, setting up a 49 yard Joey Slye field goal to make it 3-0 Panthers. A punt would pin the Panthers at their own one yard line. On 3rd and 4 from their 7, Kyle Allen hit Moore for 6 and Greg Olsen for 16. A defensive facemask added 15 and Allen hit Curtis Samuel for 21 and Moore for 23. On 3rd and goal at the one, Allen got stopped. Riverboat Ron Rivera gambled on 4tha nd goal at the one and Christian McCaffrey got in for a 10-0 Panthers lead. The second quarter began with the Panthers fumbling a punt and the Buccaneers recovering at the Carolina 37. Winston went to Howard for 30 yards and Ronald Jones ran for a 5 yard touchdown to get the Buccaneers within 10-7. Yet an interception of Winston set up the Panthers at the Tampa Bay 36. On 3rd and 6 from the 32, Allen hit Moore for 7 and McCaffrey for a 25 yard touchdown to make it 17-7 Panthers. Despite Slye missing a 60 yard field goal try to end the half, the Panthers were in command. 

In the second half the Panthers quickly put the game away. On 4th and 1 from the Tampa 28, this time Ron Rivera played it safe. Slye hit the 46 yard field goal to make it 20-7 Panthers. Winston was quickly intercepted by Luke Kuechly, who returned it 25 yards to the Tampa 8. On the next play Samuel ran for the touchdown to make it 27-7 Panthers. After a Bucs field goal, the Panthers marched 75 yards in 10 plays and 5 1/2 minutes. On 3rd and 4 from the Tampa 27, Allen went to Moore for 16 yards. On the first play of the fourth quarter, Allen hit Samuel for a 13 yard touchdown to make it 34-10 Panthers. Carolina coasted from there. The Bucs did manage to reach the end zone twice, but Slye tacked on one more field goal in a game that was not as close as the score. After an 0-2 start, Allen has led the Panthers to 4 straight wins. Winston threw for 400 yards, but that was misleading. He completed 30 of 54 passes with one touchdown and a miserable 5 interceptions. 37-26 Panthers

Cincinnati Bengals at Baltimore Ravens — The Ravens are good and the Bengals are awful, but Brandon Wilson returned the opening kickoff 92 yards fr a touchdown as the Bengals led 7-0 only 12 seconds into the game. After that the Ravens took over. They moved 75 yards easily. Lamar Jackson ran for a 36 yard gain and then for a 21 yard touchdown to tie the game. Baltimore got it back and went 66 yards in 10 plays and 6 minutes. From their 34, Jackson ran for 14 yards and then hit Mark Ingram for 11 more. On 2nd and 14 from the Cincy 45, Jackson hit Andrew for 20. After a false start, Jackson went to Boykin for 18 yards. On 3rd and 2 from the Cincy 4, Edwards gained 3 and Ingram got the last yard for a 14-7 Ravens lead. After the first quarter the defenses dug in. Justin Tucker hit a 40 yard field goal to start the second quarter and put the Ravens up 17-7. Randy Bullock countered from 22 to end the half with the Bengals within 17-10. Tucker hit from 49 on the last play of the third quarter to make it 20-10 Ravens. Baltimore in the fourth quarter mounted a mind-numbing 18 play, 83 yard drive that took 9:46 off the clock. Despite 2nd and goal at the 2, the Ravens settled for a 21 yard Tucker field goal to make it 23-10 Ravens with 3:46 left in regulation. By the time Red Rifle Andy Dalton ran for a 2 yard touchdown to cap a 12 play, 75 yard drive, only 90 seconds remained. The onside kick failed and the Bengals remained winless. 23-17 Ravens

Seattle Seahawks at Cleveland Browns — The Seahawks and Browns both talk, but the Seahawks back it up. Early on the Browns looked good. Hilliard returned the opening kickoff 74 yards to the Seattle 23. Nick Chubb returned for a 7 yard touchdown to make it 7-0 Browns. After a touchback, Russell Wilson hit Willson for 5 and Bellore for 20 to midfield. On 3rd and 2 from the Cleveland 42, Wilson went to DK Metcalf for 30 yards. On 2nd and 14 from the cleveland 16, Wilson ran it in himself. The extra point was no good as the Seahawks trailed 7-6. Cleveland took over at their own 31 and soon faced 4th and  at the Seattle 38. Freddie Kitchens decided to go for it. Baker Mayfield went deep to Jarvis Landry for 27 yards. Mayfield ran for a 10 yard touchdown to make it 14-6 Browns. Cleveland got it back at their own 8 and needed only 3 plays to go 92 yards. Mayfield hit O’Dell Beckham for 9. Chubb ran for a 52 yard gain. On the first play of the second quarter, Mayfield went to Ricky Seals-Jones for a 31 yard touchdown. The extra point was no good, but the Browns were rolling 20-6. Then reality set in.

Jason Myers hit a 38 yard field goal. The Seahawks then blocked a punt and took over at the Cleveland 20. On 3rd and goal at the 2, Wilson threw incomplete. Pete Carroll went for the field goal and Myers hit from 20 to get the Seahawks within 20-12. Mayfield was intercepted, but the Seahawks could not capitalize. The Browns then moved to a 2nd and 8 at the Seattle 10 with 1:36 left in the half. Mayfield went to the end zone and was intercepted again. Seattle took over at their own 12. Wilson went to Chris Carson for 4 and Moore for 14. Wilson scrambled for 11 and then hit CJ Promise for 15 and Tyler Lockett for 22. With 22 seconds left in the half, the Seahawks faced 3rd and 5 at the Cleveland 17. Wilson went to Jaron Brown for the touchdown. The 2 point try failed, but instead of trailing 27-12 or even 23-12, Cleveland mistakes had he Seahawks within 20-18. The second half was inevitable.

In the third quarter, the Browns fumbled and the Seahawks recovered at their own 42. Wilson hit Willson for 11 and Carson ran for 25 more. Wilson hit Moore for 11 more. On 3rd and goal at the 6, Wilson went to Brown for the touchdown. With 6 minutes left in the third quarter, the Seahawks had their first lead of the game up 25-20. The Seahawks got it back and fumbled and the Browns took over at the Seattle 45. On 4th and goal at the one with 10:44 left in regulation, Freddie Kitchens again decided to go for it. Earlier in the drive, Cleveland converted on 4th and 3 from the Seattle 23. Mayfield went to Landry, who fumbled. Chub recovered it, but short of the goal line. Seattle was penalized for having 12 men on the field. Given another chance, Kitchens went for it again. This time Chubb lost a yard. Despite the goal line stand, Seattle had to punt on 4th and 11 from their own 1. Dickson shanked a 23 yard punt. Chubb then ran for 21 yards and then for the 3 yard touchdown. Mayfield hit Harris for the 2 point conversion. With 9 minutes left the Browns led 28-25. Yet the Browns defense could not hold the lead. On 2nd and 5 from their own 26, Wilson hit Metcalf for 12. 2 defensive penalties added 20 more yards. On 3rd and 5 from the Cleveland 21, Wilson hit Lockett for gains of 5 and 15. Carson got the last yard to put the Seahawks back up by 4 points with 3 1/2 minutes left. Mayfield was quickly intercepted again to end any hopes of a comeback. Seattle is 5-1 and playing Pete Carroll team ball. 32-28 Seahawks

Houston Texans at Kansas City Chiefs — Normally the Chiefs get off to a slow start, take the first quarter off, and then explode in the second quarter to obliterate their opponent. Last week they were knocked from the unbeaten ranks in stunning fashion at home. This game was an even bigger surprise. The Chiefs began at their own 9 yard line. On 3rd and 6 from their own 13, Patrick Mahomes and Williams connected for a 52 yard gain. Penalties had the Chiefs facing 3rd and 21 at the Houston 46. Mahomes went to Tyreek Hill for the touchdown. Ho hum, Chiefs up 7-0. The Texans fumbled and the Chiefs took over at the Houston 18. Harrison Butker hit a 41 yard field goal to make it 10-0 Chiefs. The Texans did manage a 44 yard Kaimi Fairbairn field goal to get within 10-3, but the Chiefs offense kept rolling. On 3rd and 8 from their own 12, Mahomes threw incomplete. Yet defensive pass interference meant a 15 yard gain. Mahomes then hit Hill for 9 and Travis Kelce for 18 more. McCoy ran for 15 yards. Mahomes hit Hill for 11 and Damien Williams for the 14 yard touchdown. After one quarter, the Chiefs led 17-3. This game was over. 

Except it wasn’t. In the second quarter it was the Texans who exploded in front of a shocked home crowd at Arrowhead. Carlos Hyde ran for gains of 5, 9 and 11 on 3rd and 1 from the Houston 48. Deshaun Watson hit Fells for 15 yards and Duke Johnson for an 11 yard touchdown. The extra point was no good as the Texans trailed 17-9. The Chiefs moved from their 19 to a 1st and 10 at the Houston 32. Mahomes went for it all and was intercepted for a touchback. Watson went to Coutee for 23 ya, Hyde for 14, Akins for 12, Deandre Hopkins for 6, and Coutee for 2 to set up 4th and 1 at the Chiefs 23. Bill O’Brien decided to go for it and Watson hit Hopkins for 7 and Johnson for 9. Hyde ran for the 2 yard touchdown to get the Texans within 17-16 with 3 minutes left in the half. Then there was chaos. With 1:44 left in the half, Butler missed a 50 yard field goal. With 39 seconds left on 4th and 1 from the Chiefs 40, O’Brien went for it. Watson went for it all and was intercepted for a touchback. Mahomes was then sacked and fumbled, and the Texans recovered at the Chiefs 3 yard line with 23 seconds left. Watson ran for the touchdown as a shellshocked home crowd saw the Texans leading 23-17 at halftime.

Four minutes into the third quarter, momentum swing again when Fairbairn missed a 46 yard field goal to extend the lead. Te Chiefs took over at their own 36. From the Houston 49, McCoy ran for 17 tyards and Mahomes hit Kelce for 16 more and Hardman for another 10. On 3rd and goal at the 6, Mahomes went to Hill for the score. With 6 1/2 minutes left in the third quarter, the Chiefs had the 24-23 lead. The Texans moved from their own 23 to 1st and goal at the 8. On 3rd and goal at the 12, the third quarter ended with Watson again being intercepted for a touchback. The Texans got it back at their own 7 to start the fourth quarter. From their 16, Hyde ran for 9. Watson hit Akins for 23 and Fuller for 13. Watson ran for 7 to midfield and Johnson gained 9, 15 and 3.On 2nd and 15 from the Chiefs 19, Watson hit Fells for 18. Watson got the last yard and hit Hopkins for the 2 point try to put the Texans up by 7 with 6:17 left. The Chiefs went 3 and out and the Texans got it back with 5 minutes left at their own 37. Watson hit Hopkins for 18. With 2 1/2 minutes left and the Chiefs out of timeouts, the Texans faced 3rd and 1 at the Chiefs 25. Hyde lost 2 yards. At the 2 minute warning, on 4th and 3 from the 27, a 45 yard field goal would lock up the win. Instead Bill O’Brien put on his big boy pants and risked it all. He went high risk with a pass play. Watson hit Hopkins for 8 yards and took a couple knees. O’Brien would have been pilloried had the Chiefs tied the game. Yet it was the Chiefs losing 2 straight at home to make Andy Reid a most concerned Walrus Lite indeed. 31-24 Texans 

New Orleans Saints at Jacksonville Jaguars — This was a brutal football game. In the first quarter a short punt had the Saints taking over at the Jacksonville 37. Wil Lutz hit a 47 yard field goal to make it 3-0 Saints. In the second quarter a 66 yard, 13 play drive went no further than the 4 yard line. Josh Lambo hit a 22 yard field goal for a 3-3 game. In the third quarter, an interception of Gardner Minshew allowed the Saints to move from their 40 but no further than the Jacksonville 3 yard line. Lutz hit from 21 to make it 6-3 Saints. Jacksonville moved from their 25 to a 3rd and 2 at the Saints 10. Minshew was sacked and Lambo hit from 32 for a 6-6 deadlock after three quarters. The Saints faced 1st and 20 at their own 15. Teddy Bridgewater went to Thomas for 26 yards. On 3rd and 6 from the Jacksonville 44, Taysom Hill ran for 19 yards. On 3rd and goal at the 4, Bridgewater went to Jared Cook for the only touchdown of the game and a 7 point Saints lead with 12 minutes left. With 9 minutes left on 4th and 2 from the Saints 40, Doug Marrone went for it and Minshew threw incomplete. The Saints ran the final 6 minutes off the clock. Bridgewater was far from spectacular but he managed the game perfectly and let the defense turn out the lights. Bridgewater is 4-0 as a starter as Sean Payton has a 5-1 football team winning with defense rather than offense. 13-6 Saints

Philadelphia Eagles at Minnesota Vikings — Two years ago the Eagles crushed the Vikings in the NFC Title Game. Minnesota responded by bringing in Kirk Cousins. While that has not worked out well, this game was sweet vindication for him and his team. After a touchback, the Vikings faced 3rd and 13 just past midfield. Cousins went to Adam Thielen for 20 yards. Dalvin Cook ran for 15 more. On 3rd and 2 from the Philly 7, Cook ran for one. Mike Zimmer challenged the spot and won as it was ruled a 2 yard gain and a first down. Cousin hit Thielen for a 6 yard touchdown for a 7-0 Vikings lead. The Vikings got it back at their own 44 and Dan Bailey hit a 39 yard field goal to make it 10-0 Vikings. In the second quarter the Eagles did get a field goal of their own but the Vikings needed only 2 plays after a touchback to strike back. Cousins went to Minneapolis Miracle hero Stefan Diggs for a 52 yard touchdown to make it 17-3 Vikings. Doug Pederson then gambled on 4th and 2 just past midfield. Carson Wentz threw incomplete. On the next play Cousins went to Stefan Diggs for a 51 yard touchdown to make it 24-3 Vikings.  

The Eagles tried to make a game of it. After a touchback, Howard ran for 9. Wentz hit Goedert for 11 and 7. Wentz ran for 16. Wentz went to Miles Sanders for a 32 yard touchdown to get the Eagles within 24-10. In the third quarter the Eagles quickly faced 2nd and 7 at their own 28. Wentz went to Nelson Agholor for 23 and Sanders for 45 more. Wentz hit Alshon Jeffery for a 3 yard touchdown to get the Eagles within 24-17. A short punt had the Eagles getting it back at their own 45. Wentz hit Jeffery for 26 yards. On 3rd and 2 from the Minnesota 21, West Coast Offense guru Doug Pederson called a West Coast Offense dink and dunk pass. It lost a yard. Elliott hit a 40 yard field goal to get the Eagles within 24-20. 

Close was not good enough. The Vikings soon turned out the lights. After a touchback, Cousins hit Diggs for 13 and 8 and Johnson for 16. Diggs gained 8 and Cook ran for 6 and 5. Cousins hit Thielen for 8 and Diggs for an 11 yard touchdown to make it 31-20 Vikings. The Vikings got it back at their own 12 in the fourth quarter. From their 16, Cousins went to Smith for 29 yards. Mattison ran for 35 more. Cousins hit Kyle Rudolph for 13. Cook ran for a one yard touchdown to put the game on ice. The Eagles added another fumble and an interception for good measure. Wentz was 26 of 40 for 306 yards and 2 touchdowns. Cousins was a sensational 22 of 29 for 333 yards and 4 touchdowns. Each quarterback was intercepted once. Diggs had 167 yards receiving on 7 catches with 3 touchdowns. 38-20 Vikings

Washington Redskins at Miami Dolphins — These teams played in 2 Super Bowls, but this was the Stupor Bowl. Jay Gruden was fired and Bill Callahan took over on an interim basis. After a scoreless first quarter worthy of two winless teams, the Redskins took over at their own 7 yard line. Even the field was awful as the game had to be stopped in the second quarter for turf repair. Adrian Peterson ran for gains of 5, 18, 9, 25 and 3. Case Keenum then threw a 25 yard touchdown pass to Terry McLaurin to make it 7-0 Redskins. Late in the half Sanders hit a 39 yard field goal as the Dolphins trailed 7-3. In the third quarter it was more Peterson, with gains of 5, 8 and one. On 3rd and 2 just past midfield, Keenum threw incomplete. However, a defensive facemask meant 15 yards. Keenum went to McLaurin again for a 33 yard touchdown to make it 14-3 Redskins. A second interception of Josh Rosen set up the Redskins at the Miami 34. On 2nd and goal at the one, Keenum fumbled but the Redskinsr retained possession at their 3. On the next play Keenum threw incomplete. Keenum threw incomplete. Dustin Hopkins hit the 21 yard field goal to make it 17-3 Redskins after three quarters. On the first play of the fourth quarter, Callahan gambled on a 55 yard field goal try to all but put the game away. It was no good and the Dolphins clung to life. Brian Flores benched Rosen and brought in Duck Dynasty Chabad Rabbi Ryan Fitzpatrick’s beard. 

Drake ran for gains of 9 and 5. From the Washington 33, Fitzpatrick hit Walton for 18 yards. Kalen Ballag ran for a one yard touchdown to get the Dolphins within 17-10 with 11 minutes left in regulation. This horrendous game of almost all punts saw the Dolphins take over at their own 25 with 2:02 to play. Fitzpatrick went deep to Gesicki for 30 yards. On 3rd and 2 from the Washington 37 with one minute left, Fitzpatrick ran for 5 and hit Hurns for 11 more as the Dolphins took their final timeout with 26 seconds left. With 6 seconds left, the Dolphins were at the Washington 11. Fitzpatrick hit Devante Parker for the touchdown. The Dolphins were an extra point away from overtime. Instead Brian Flores decided to go for the 2 point conversion and the win. While it’s hard to argue with a winless team doing this, the Dolphins were at home and had all the momentum. Overtime would have been a good call. The 2 point try failed when Fitzmagic’s magic ran out and his pass was incomplete. Callahan got the win, while Flores still waits for his first win. Peterson had 118 yards on 23 carries for 5.1 yards a carry in an otherwise horrendous game. 17-16 Redskins

San Francisco 49ers at Los Angeles Rams — The 49ers were unbeaten, but they had yet to face a real test. This week was supposed to be a reality check. It was, but for NFL fans around the league. The 49ers punted and the Rams took over at their own 44. Brown ran for 9, 10, 7 and 9. Robert Woods ran for 8 and Brown ran for 5 more. Woods ran for an 8 yard touchdown to put the Rams up 7-0 without a single pass attempted. The Rams offense took the final 51 minutes off. After a touchback, the 49ers faced 3rd and 8 at their own 38. Jimmy Garoppollo was sacked, but defensive offside meant 3rd and 3. Garoppolo went to Greg Kittle for 10. Matt Breida ran for 5 and caught a 17 yard pass. Garoppolo hot Pettis for 19 and Tevin Coleman ran for a 2 yard touchdown for a 7-7 game. After a scoreless second quarter, the 49ers dominated the second half with just enough offense and relentless defense. The Rams fumbled the first play from scrimmage in the third quarter. The 49ers took over at the Rams 17. On 3rd and goal at the one, Garoppolo got in the end zone to make it 14-7 49ers. Robbie Gould missed a 55 yard field goal to end the half but hit from 25 in the third quarter and  34 in the fourth quarter to complete the scoring. The defending NFC champion Rams are 3-3 under Sean McVay while Kyle Shanahan has a 5-0 football team that is for real. 20-7 49ers

Atlanta Falcons at Arizona Cardinals — A pair of bad teams can sometimes come together and play an exciting game. This actually was that game. The Falcons took over at their own 20 and Matt Ryan went to Julio Jones for 17 yards. On 3rd and 11 from their own 36, Ryan went to Hooper for 19 yards. Devonta Freeman ran for 15. On 3rd and 10 from the Arizona 30, Ryan was sacked. Yet Terrell Suggs jumped offsides. On 3rd and 5, Ryan threw incomplete. Yet Chandler Jones jumped offsides. Freeman ran for 7 and 4 and Ryan hit Calvin Ridley for a 9 yard touchdown to make it 7-0 Falcons. After that the Cardinals took over.

From their own 22, Kyler Murray completed a pair of 6 yard passes On 3rd and 10 from their own 34, Murray hit Sherfiel for 38 yards. On 3rd and 7 from the Atlanta 25, Murray only gained 4. Zane Gonzalez hit the 39 yard field goal to get the Cardinals on the board. The Cardinals got it back and soon faced 1st and 17 at their own 7. Chase Edmonds gained 5 and Murray hit Larry Fitzgerald for 18 more. On 3rd and 1 from their own 39, Murray gained 2. On the first play of the second quarter, Murray went deep to Byrd for a 58 yard gain down to the one. On 3rd and goal at the 2, Murray hit Edmonds for the touchdown to make it 10-7 Cardinals. The Cardinals got it back at their own 21 and struck quickly. David Johnson gained 17 yards and caught a pass for 30 more. Murray then went to Edmonds for 31 yards down to the one. Johnson got the yard for the touchdown and the 17-7 Cardinals lead. 

The Falcons did mount an 11 play, 64 yard, 5 1/2 minute drive but stalled at the Arizona 11. Matt Bryant hit the 29 yard field goal to get the Falcons within 17-10. The Cardinals quickly came back 71 yards in 15 plays. On 3rd and goal from the 4 with 4 seconds left, Kliff Kingsbury decided not to risk one more play. Gonzalez hit from 22 to make it 20-10 Cardinals at the half. The Cardinals took the second half kickoff and marched 64 yards. From their 36, Murray ran for 15 yards to midfield. On 3rd and 8 from the Atlanta 48, Murray threw incomplete but illegal contact kept the drive going. On 4th and 2 from the Atlanta 35, Cliff Kingsbury decided to go for it. Murray hit Clay for 6 yards. Murray threw a 20 yard touchdown pass to Maxx Williams to have the Cardinals up 27-10. Yet then the game changed again.

After a touchback, the Falcons moved to a 1st and 10 at the Arizona 29. However, the drive stalled and Bryant hit a 44 yard field goal to get the Falcons within 27-13. The Falcons got the ball back at their own 7. On 3rd and 1 from their 16, a wildcat snap to Mohammed Sanu and a handoff to Freeman gained 14 yards. Ryan then hit Hooper for gains of 12 and 22, Ridley for 12, Freeman for 11, Gage for 6, and on 3rd and 4 from Arizona 7, a touchdown pass to Freeman. After three quarters, the Falcons were within 27-20. The Falcons got it back at their 17 one minute into the fourth quarter. On 3rd and 2 from their 25, Ryan hit Jones for 8, Ridley for 23, and Hooper for 30. With 11 minutes left in regulation, Ryan hit Hooper for the 6 yard touchdown. The game was now tied 27-27, and about to get even more exciting.

A short 35 yard punt with 15 yards reversed for fair catch interference had the Cardinals taking over at the Atlanta 45 midway through the fourth quarter. A horse collar tackle meant 15 more yards for the Cardinals. On 3rd and 5 from the Atlanta 14, Murray hit Johnson for the touchdown. With 5 minutes left the Cardinals led again 34-27. Now it was time for Matty Ice. After a touchback, Ryan hit Sanu for 15 and Jones for 22. Freeman gained 9 and 5. Ryan hit Sanu for 9 more. With 1:53 left from the Arizona 12, Ryan went to Freeman for the touchdown. Another coach went for 2 on this day and lost. Dan Quinn took no chances and brought in Bryant for the extra point to tie it. The kick was no good as the home crowd erupted in celebration. Bryant is a great kicker, but he just blew it. With 2 timeouts left, Quinn decided to kick it deep rather than go onsides kick. The Falcons took their last timeout on defense with 1:45 left as the Cardinals faced 3rd and 5 at their own 30. Murray scrambled and got just enough. Officials upheld the first down as the Falcons plummeted to 1-5 on the season. Both quarterbacks were sensational in a game where neither one was intercepted. Murray was 27 of 37 for 340 yards and 3 touchdowns and a 128.2 rating. Ryan was a lights out 30 of 36 for 356 yards and 4 touchdowns and a 144.9 rating. This game deserved overtime, but one missed extra point prevented that. 34-33 Falcons

Dallas Cowboys at New York Jets —Despite losing 2 straight after a 3-0 start, the Cowboys were supposed to roll over the winless Jets. However, the Jets played September without Sam Darnold, who was out with mononucleosis. The Jets with Darnold are a different team. The Jets took over at their 17 and benefitted from a 20 yard defensive pass interference call. On 3rd and 4 from their own 45, Darnold went to Crowder for 24 yards. On 3rd and 3 from the Dallas 24, LeVeon Bell got just enough. On 3rd and goal at the 7, Darnold only gained 4 but a horse collar tackle meant 1st and goal at the 2. Bell got in for a 7-0 Jets lead. The Cowboys did get a 50 yard Brett Maher field goal in the second quarter, and had a chance to take the lead with a 3rd and 1 at the Jets 6. Ezekiel Elliott got the carry and lost a yard. Jason Garrett decided to go for it and on 4th and 2 Dak Prescott lost another yard. One play and 12 seconds later, the Jets led 14-3 when Darnold connected with Robby Anderson for a 92 yard touchdown. The Jets got it back at their own 35 at the 2 minute warning. From their 39, Darnold hit Griffin for 11 yards to midfield, Thomas for 33 yards, Griffin for 5 more, and with 27 seconds left in the half, Griffin one more time for a 5 yard touchdown. The Gang Green home crowd was rocking as the Jets had the 21-3 lead.

The Cowboys clawed back before the half even ended. With 16 seconds left on 3rd and 1 from their own 34, Prescott hit Michael Gallup for 17 and Jason Witten for 5. On the last play of the half, Maher drilled a 62 yard field goal. In the third quarter the Cowboys marched 61 yards in 14 plays and over 7 minutes. On 3rd and goal at the 4, Prescott went to Witten for the touchdown. Yet offensive pass interference away from the play nullified the score. Maher hit his third field goal from 32 to get the Cowboys within 21-9. An interception of Darnold led to a fourth field goal try from 40 yards out less than one minute into the fourth quarter. Yet this time Maher was no good. The Cowboys got it back at heir 16 and Prescott went to Tavon Austin for 16 yards with roughing the passer adding 15 more. On 3rd and 3 from the Jets 46, Prescott hit Wilson for 5 yards. On 3rd and 9 from the Jets 40, Prescott hit Witten for 16 and Gallup for 11 more. On 3rd and 2 from the Jets 5, Elliott got in to get the Cowboys within 21-16. With 6 1/2 minutes left in regulation, this had the makings of another Jets collapse.

From their own 23, rather than grind down clock, the Jets got aggressive. Darnold went deep to Crowder for 30 yards and too Anderson for 18 more. With 3 1/2 minutes left, on 3rd and 4 from the Dallas 20, Darnold threw incomplete. Sam Ficken hit the 38 yard field goal. The Jets led by 8, but they had not closed the door. After a touchback, the Cowboys faced 3rd and 8 at their own 39 with 1:56 left. Prescott threw incomplete but defensive pass interference meant 13 yards. Prescott hen hit Elliott for 12. On the next play Prescott threw incomplete but another defensive pass interference call meant 24 more yards. Then it was consecutive offensive penalties that had the Cowboys facing 1st and 27 from the Jets 29. Prescott threw incomplete but another defensive pass interference meant 13 more yards and another first down. On 3rd and 2 from the Jets 8, Prescot went to Elliott for 4 yards. Prescott ran for the 4 yard touchdown. With 43 seconds left, the Cowboys were a 2 point conversion away from tying the game. Prescott threw incomplete. The onsides kick failed as the Jets hung on for their first win. As for the preseason Super Bowl hype around the Cowboys, they are a 3-3 team that lost to the previously winless Jets and struggled for much of their win over winless Miami. Jerry Jones may start making everyone at Happy Valley uncomfortable again. Jerrah shelled out big bucks, and he is not getting results. Jason Garrett, beware the dreaded vote of confidence. 24-22 Jets

Tennessee Titans at Denver Broncos — The previously winless Broncos finally got Vic Fangio his first win as an NFL head coach last week. Now they faced a bad Titans team. Sometimes 2 bad teams can come together and play an exciting game for the ages. This was not that game. Brandon McManus hit a 31 yard field goal in the first quarter and a 53 yarder in the second quarter as the Broncos took a 6-0 lead to the locker rooms. In the third quarter on 3rd and 9 from their own 15, Marcus Mariota was intercepted to set the Broncos up at the Tennessee 41. Joe Flacco hit Freeman for 19 and Hamilton for 13. Phillip Lindsay from 2 yards out ran for the gam’s only touchdown. With 5 minutes left in regulation McManus hit a 48 yard field goal to complete the scoring. Mike Vrabel benched Mariota and brought in Ryan Tannehill, who threw in another interception for good measure. This is not the Denver defense that won it all 4 years ago, but on this day it was suffocating. 16-0 Broncos

Pittsburgh Steelers at Los Angeles Chargers was the Sunday night game. Starter Ben Roethlisberger is out for the year. Backup Mason Rudolph was out with a concussion. Mike Tomlin was down to his third string quarterback as Devlin Hodges started his first NFL game. One week after losing at home to previously winless Denver, surely the Chargers would show up against a 1-4 wounded Pittsburgh team. No. These are the exact games the perpetually underachieving Chargers lose. 5 minutes into the game, A sack of Rivers meant a fumble and a 9 yard touchdown return by Devin Bush to make it 7-0 Steelers. 2 minutes later an interception by Bush had the Steelers at the Chargers 40. On 3rd and 4 from the Chargers 34, Hodges hit James Conner for 12 yards. On 3rd and from the Chargers 16, Hodges hit Conner for just enough. On the next play Conner ran for a 12 yard touchdown to make it 14-0 Steelers. In the second quarter the Steelers moved 86 yards in 14 plays, taking over 9 minutes off the clock. On 3rd and 8 from the Chargers 26, Hodges went to Conner for the touchdown as the Steelers led 21-0 in a Los Angeles soccer stadium that felt like a Pittsburgh home game. The Chargers missed a 43 yard field goal to end the half while the Steelers in the third quarter moved 73 yards in 13 plays and 7 minutes. Despite 1s and goal at the 2, Conner got stopped twice and a shotgun snap on 3rd and goal was fumbled. The Steelers retained possession and Chris Boswell hit the 20 yard field goal. After three quarters, the Steelers led 24-0.

The Chargers went into hurry up mode with 3 minutes left in the third quarter from their own 9 yard line. The fourth quarter began with the Chargers facing 1st and 10 at the Pittsburgh 16. One minute later it was 4th and 14. An exasperated Anthony Lynn went with the field goal to avoid the shutout. Chase McLaughlin hit from 38. Hodges went for the kill shot from midfield and was intercepted. The Chargers took over at their own 30. Rivers led a furious rally, and midway through the fourth quarter the Chargers faced 3rd and goal at the 5. Rivers hit Hunter Henry for the score to get the Chargers within 24-10. With 4 minutes left the Chargers got it back at their own 21. With 90 seconds left Rivers threw an 11 yard touchdown pass to Hunter to get the Chargers within 7 points. The onsides kick failed and the Steelers took over at the Chargers 45. Yet on 4th and 1 from the Chargers 36, Mike Tomlin went ultra conservative. No going for it. No field goal. He punted, and a perfect punt pinned the Chargers at their own one yard line with one minute left and 0 timeouts. Rivers went deep and was intercepted. There was a  Chargers game where a 24-0 first half against the Raiders turned into a 28-24 game. Of course, it was the Chargers who blew that game. This time they just came up short after taking most of the first three quarters off. Rivers was 26 of 44 for 320 yards, 2 touchdowns, and 2 interceptions. Hodges was a game manager 15 of 20 for 132 yards, one touchdown, and one interception. Hodges got his first win as both teams are 2-4. Yet 2 straight home losses exposed the Chargers for what they have been for nearly 6 decades. 24-17 Steelers

Detroit Lions at Green Bay Packers was the Monday night game. A few years ago the Lions led 20-0 and had the lead after 60 minutes. However, an untimed down and one Aaron Rodgers Hail Mary miracle later, it was the Packers with the 27-23 win. Some things never change. The Lions began a their own 23. On the first play from scrimmage, Matthew Stafford went deep to Kenny Golladay for a 66 yard gain.Yet on the next play out of the shotgun Stafford fumbled the snap for a 5 yard loss. Matt Prater hot a 28 yard field goal for a 3-0 Lions lead. TheLions got it back at their own 26. Again, on the first offensive play, Stafford went deep to Hall for a 58 yard gain. On 3rd and 3 from the 9, Stafford hit Golladay for 6 yards. On 3rd and goal at the one, Johnson got stopped. Matt Patricia went for it. On 4th and goal, Kerryon Johnson got in to make it 10-0 Lions. The Packers fumbled and the Lions took over at their own 32. On 3rd and goal at the 2, the Lions suffered a delay of game. Then on 3rd and goal at the 4, Stafford threw incomplete. Prater hit from 22 early in the second quarter as the Lions were all over the Packers 13-0. Then came reality.

The ensuing kickoff was kicked out of bounds. Despite 1st and 20 at their own 30, Rodgers hit Greg Allison for 21 yards. On 3rd and  6 from the Detroit 45, Rodgers hut Kumerow for 7. On 3rd and 5 from the Detroit 33, Rodgers threw incomplete but defensive holding kept the drive going. On 4th and 5 from the 13, the Packers lined up for a field goal. Yet the defense had too many men on the field, giving the Packers 1st and goal at the 8. These are the Lions. Rodgers hit Jamaal Williams for a 5 yard touchdown to get the Packers within 13-7. The Packers got it back at their own 6 and moved to a 1st and goal at the 10. Yet offensive holding killed the drive. Mason Crosby hit a 37 yard field goal to end the half with the Packers down 13-10. In the third quarter the Packers moved from their 22 to a 3rd and 2 at the Detroit 30. Rodgers threw incomplete. Crosby hit the 48 yarder to tie the game 13-13 only 2 1/2 minutes into the second half.

The Lions could not reach the end zone again. They started a drive at the Green Bay 25 but settled for a 41 yard Prater field goal to lead 16-13. Prater hit again from 51 to expand the lead. Early in the fourth quarter an interception of Rodgers gave the Lions another short field at the Green Bay 43. Again the Lions failed to get a first down. Prater hit his fifth field goal from 54 yards out for a 22-13 Lions lead with 12 1/2 minutes left in regulation. Too many field goals, not enough touchdowns. Green Bay took over at their own 21. Jones ran for 9 and Rodgers hit Lewis for 25 yards. On 3rd and 10 from the Detroit 45, Rodgers was sacked for an 11 yard loss. Yet a controversial illegal use of hands penalty on Trey Flowers meant an automatic first down. On 3rd and 5 from the Detroit 35, Rodgers went to Lazard for a touchdown. With 9 minutes left the Packers were within 22-20. 

The Lions after a touchback faced 2nd and 6 at their own 41. Stafford threw incomplete. Green Bay took over at their own 18 with 6:46 to play, and Rodgers used every second of it. Jones gained 5 and Rodgers hit Lazard for 12. Rodgers ran for 12 to the Green Bay 49. At the 2 minute warning, the Packers had 2nd and 8 from the Detroit 37. Rodgers went to Lazard for 15 yards. The Lions called their final timeout on defense with the Packers facing 3rd and 4 at the Detroit 16. Even if the Packers scored, the Lions would get the ball back. Except they would not. Rodgers threw incomplete but another illegal use of hands penalty on Flowers killed the Lions. The call was very questionable as Flowers somehow managed not to go crazy at the call. The automatic first down allowed the Packers to take the clock down to 2 seconds. Williams ran threw an open hole because the Lions were trying to let him score. Williams knew this and voluntarily went to the ground at the 3 yard line. Crosby came in for the 23 yard try to win it. It was a chip shot, a gift. The Lions needed a miracle. They did not get one. The kick was good. Lions fans can blame the refs, but the Packers were already in field goal range when the second call on Flowers happened. The Packers did not lead the game until the final play. The Packers are 5-1 and winning tough games. Crosby wanted to celebrate by doing the Lambeau Leap into the end zone, but he knew he was too small to make the jump. His teammate spotted him and got him over the railing into the seats where fans mobbed him. It was a sweet funny moment for the NFL and for Crosby, whose wife recently battled cancer. As for the Lions, Rodgers did it to them again. 23-2 Packers

NFL 2019 Week 6 Prequel

https://www.commdiginews.com/sports/nfl-2019-week-6-preview-and-bettors-guide-redskins-0-5-record-123562/