THE TYGRRRR EXPRESS

NFL 2017 Week 10 Recap

Seattle Seahawks at Arizona Cardinals was the Thursday night game. This NFC West game came at a heavy price. In the first quarter a field position game had Seattle taking over Just shy of midfield. On 3rd and 3 from the Arizona 6, Russell Wilson threw a touchdown pass to Jimmy Graham to make it 7-0 Seahawks. After a touchback, the Cardinals faced 3rd and 6 at the Seattle 46. Drew Stanton threw incomplete but defensive pass interference kept the drive going at the Seattle 40. On 3rd and 8 at the Seattle 38, Stanton threw incomplete but defensive holding again kept the drive going. On the first play of the second quarter, Stanton hit Gresham for a 14 yard touchdown and a 7-7 ballgame. After that, the Legion of Boom took over.

With 11 minutes left in the half, a punt had the Cardinals pinned at their own one yard line. Adrian Peterson, who fumbled in the first quarter, got tackled in the end zone for a safety and a 9-7 Seahawks lead. Midway through the second quarter, the Seahawks moved from their own 9 to a 3rd and 6 at the Arizona 15. At the 2 minute warning Wilson threw incomplete. Blair Walsh shook off 3 misses last week to hit the 33 yarder to make it 12-7 Seahawks. With 52 seconds left in the half, Bruce Arians decided to go for it on 4th and 9 from the Seattle 38. Stanton threw incomplete. Wilson then went deep to Paul Richardson for a 43 yard gain. Walsh hit a 43 yard field goal for a 15-7 Seahawks lead at halftime.

In the third quarter after a touchback, the Cardinals faced 3rd and 6 at their own 40. Stanton threw incomplete but illegal use of hands kept the drive going. On 3rd and 6 just shy of midfield, Stanton threw incomplete. DefensivSeattle defense gave the Cardinals an automatic first down by penalty. Phil Dawson hit a 43 yard field goal to complete the 11 play, 6 1/2 minute drive and get the Cardinals within 15-10. With 5 1/2 minutes left in the third quarter, the Cardinals faced 3rd and 12 at their own 16. Stanton went to Brown for an 18 yard gain. Without being touched, Richard Sherman crumpled to the ground. He ruptured his achilles tendon and is now out for the rest of the season.

90 seconds into the fourth quarter, the Seahawks faced 2nd and 21 at their own 44. Wilson hit Doug Baldwin on a short pass that went for a 54 yard gain. On the next play Wilson threw a 2 yard touchdown pass to Graham to complete the 80 yard drive and make it 22-10 Seahawks. Arizona moved from their own 19 to a 4th and 8 at the Seattle 15, taking 5 minutes to do it. Only 4:20 remained, and Stanton threw incomplete. Arizona finally got in the end zone again on a one yard touchdown run by Andre Ellington with 20 seconds to play. After the extra point was blocked, the onside kick failed and the Cardinals were done. Arizona is pretty much don while Seattle is very much alive in the playoff chase. However, Pete Carroll was in no mood to celebrate as the team knows it will have to try and win another Super Bowl without its emotional leader Richard Sherman. 22-16 Seahawks

Pittsburgh Steelers at Indianapolis Colts — After a scoreless opening quarter, the second quarter began with Jacoby Brissett going bombs away to Donte Moncrieff for a 66 yard touchdown to make it 7-0 Colts. In the second quarter the Colts moved 63 yards in 13 plays and held the ball over 7 minutes. Adam Vinatieri hit a 48 yard field goal as the Colts had a surprising 10-0 lead. The Steelers did get a 41 yard Chris Boswell field goal before the half to get on the board. In the third quarter, the Colts took over at their own 25 and struck quickly. Brissett went for it all and hit Rogers for a 61 yard touchdown to make it 17-3 Colts. The Steelers finally rubbed the sleep out of their eyes and got going, moving 78 yards in 5 minutes. Ben Roethlisberger hit Juju Smith-Schuster for a 7 yard touchdown. Neither player is Jewish as the Steelers trailed 17-9. The extra point was blocked and was being run back the other way for a 2 point play for the Colts. However, a saving tackle inside the Pittsburgh 5 yard line prevented the score.

The fourth quarter began with the Colts facing 3rd and 8 at their own 13 and disaster immediately struck. A short pass by Brissett bounced off the receiver’s hands and was intercepted by Shazier to set the Steelers up with 1st and goal at the Indy 10. On 3rd and goal at the 7, Roethlisberger hit McDonald for the touchdown. Roethlisberger hit Martavius Bryant for the 2 point conversion for a 17-17 tie with 12 minutes left in regulation. Indy went backward and the Steelers got it back at their own 47. With 6:20 to play Boswell came in for the 37 yarder to give the Steelers the lead. He doinked it off the upright no good.

The Steelers got it back at their own 15 with 3:10 to play. On 3rd and 2, Roethlisberger hit Rogers for just enough. Chuck Pagano unsuccessfully challenged the spot and lost the challenge and a timeout as the clock hit the 2 minute warning. LeVeon Bell was blown up in the backfield for a 7 yard loss, but on 2nd and 17 Roethlisberger hit Bell for 13 yards to set up 3rd and 4 t the Pittsburgh 31 with 53 seconds left in the game. Big Ben hit Bryant for 19 yards to midfield. On the next play a short pass from Roethisberger to Brown went for 32 yards. With 4 seconds left, Boswell came in for a 33 yarder to redeem himself and win the game. It was good, and the Steelers are now 7-2. Mike Tomlin knows good teams find a way to win games when they don’t play their best football. Bad teams find a way to lose, and that is what the 3-7 Colts did. 20-17 Steelers

Cleveland Browns at Detroit Lions — Detroit got a big road win over Green Bay and was supposed to easily dispatch winless Cleveland at home. Yet 3 offensive plays all lost yards and Detroit punted on 4th and 23 from their own 12, allowing the Browns to take over at the Detroit 47. DeShaun Kizer immediately went deep to Coates for a 38 yard gain. Kizer threw incomplete on 3rd and goal at the 5, but Gonzalez hit a 23 yard field goal to make it 3-0 Browns. With the Lions facing 3rd and 5 at their own 30, Matthew Stafford was intercepted, giving the Browns another short field at the Detroit 31. Kizer hit Kenny Britt for a 19 yard touchdown as the Browns had a surprising 10-0 lead.

After  touchback the Lions ran the ball easily. Amir Abdullah gained 20, Stafford picked up 10, and Theo Riddick gained 21 more. The drive then stalled and Matt Prater hit a 46 yard field goal to get the Lions on the board. In the second quarter the Lions moved 90 yards. Abdullah ran for an 8 yard touchdown and a 10-10 deadlock. With 4 minutes left in the half, from the Cleveland 34, Kizer hit Devalve for a 9 yard gain. Ye Devalve fumbled it and Lawson returned it 44 yards for a defensive touchdown to make it 17-10 Lions.

17 unanswered points had everyone thinking the Browns were done, but Cleveland came to play. They moved 85 yards in the third quarter and Isaiah Crowell ran for a 6 yard touchdown to tie the game 17-17. The Browns got it back and moved 80 yards in 10 plays and 6 minutes. Kizer snuck in from the one as the Browns led 24-17 late in the third quarter. After a touchback the Lions immediately came back. Stafford hit Kenny Golladay for a 14 yard gain and then went deep to Golladay for 50 yards. Stafford hit Riddick for an 8 yard touchdown and a 24-24 tie. As the third quarter was ending and the Browns facing 2nd and 11 at their own 24, Kizer got belted and stayed down. He was hurt on the play and Cody Kessler came in to play the fourth quarter for the Browns.

Detroit began the fourth quarter at their own 39. On 3rd and 2 Stafford hit Golden Tate for 5 yards. On 3rd and 8 from the Cleveland 46, Stafford hit Washington for 10 yards. On 3rd and 3 from the Cleveland 29, Stafford went deep to Eric Ebron for the touchdown as the Lions reclaimed the lead 31-24 with 11 minutes left in regulation. With 5 minutes left a 30 yard punt return had the Lions starting at the Cleveland 44. On 3rd and 6, Stafford hit Tate, who split the seams and raced all the way for the touchdown to seal the game. The Browns were game, but they are still winless as the Lions avoided the upset of the year at home. 38-24 Lions

Green Bay Packers at Chicago Bears — For the first time since 1991, neither Brett Favre or Aaron Rodgers are quarterbacking against Chicago. The Bears have had over 20 quarterbacks during that time. In the first quarter Mason Crosby hit a 40 yard field goal for the Packers and Conor Barth answered from 45 for a 3-3 game. In the second quarter the Packers took over at their own 21. Brett Hundley threw deep incomplete but defensive pass interference meant a 29 yard gain to midfield. On 2nd and 11 Hundley hit Jordy Nelson for 14 yards. Ty Montgomery then raced for a 37 yard touchdown to make it 10-3 Packers. The Bears moved from their 23 to a 3rd and 13 at the Green Bay 25. Trubisky appeared to complete a 23 yard pass to Cunningham to set up 1st and goal at the 2 as Cunningham fumbled the ball out of bounds. John Fox challenged the call, thinking it was a touchdown. The challenge blew up in his face as it was reversed to a fumble out the back of the end zone for a touchback. The ball came loose just before Cunningham hit the pylon. The Bears did move from their 35 to the Green Bay 26 in the final 1:37. Barth hit from 44 to get the Bears within 10-6.

With Vince Lombardi and George Halas watching from above, these teams continued their defensive battle in the second half. Crosby hit from 24 in the third quarter and from 50 in the fourth quarter to make it 16-6 Packers. The Bears moved 70 yards and Trubisky went deep to Josh Bellamy for a 46 yard touchdown to get the Bears within 16-13 with plenty of time left. Yet the Packers came back again 75 yards. Hundley hit Devontae Adams for a 19 yard touchdown as the Packers led 23-13 with only 5 1/2 minutes left in regulation. Needing two scores, the Bears moved quickly from their 20 to a 1st and 10 at the Green Bay 35 with 4:13 left. After a pair of incompletions, a short pass set up a critical 49 yard field goal try by Barth. He hit it and the Bears were within 7.

With 2:12 to play and the Packers out of timeouts, they faced 3rd and 10 at their own 35. Hundley went deep to Adams for a 42 yard gain. The Bears took their last timeout.  With 1:07 left, Crosby came in for a 35 yarder to put the game out of reach. The kick was way wide no good, and the Bears were alive at their own 25. With 42 seconds left, the Bears faced 4th and 10 at their own 36. A short apss gained only 5 yards and then the ball was lateraled to a lineman who did not get the first down. Hundley got his first NFL win as a starter and the Packers finally beat the Bears without a Hall of Fame caliber signal caller. 23-16 Packers

New York Jets at Tampa Bay Buccaneers — After losing 5 straight, Jameis Winston is injured as Ryan Fitzpatrick started for the Buccaneers against his old team. The Buccaneers had a staggering 17 play, 77 yard drive that consumed 8 minutes. They settled for a 29 yard Patrick Murray field goal for a 3-0 Buccaneers lead. In the second quarter the Jets needed an almost equally ridiculous 16 plays to go 51 yards in 7 1/2 minutes. They settled for a 47 yard Chandler Catanzaro field goal for a 3-3 game. For some reason the second half was played. In the third quarter Murray hit field goals of 49 and 37 yards to make it 9-3 Buccaneers. In the fourth quarter the Bucs moved 75 yards in 15 plays, taking 7 1/2 minutes. The game finally had a touchdown as Ryan Fitzpatrick hit Charles Sims for a 6 yard score as the Buccaneers led 15-3 with 6 minutes left after the failed 2 point try.

The Jets moved from their own 10 to a 4th and 6 at the Tampa Bay 25 with 2 1/2 minutes to play. Josh McCown threw deep to Anderson, but he could not get both feet down in the back of the end zone. The Jets did get it back and McCown hit Anderson for a 38 yard touchdown, but at that point only 28 seconds remained. The onside kick never had a chance and neither did the Jets. This was Buc Ball, but even uglier. 15-10 Buccaneers

Minnesota Vikings at Washington Redskins — Washington moved 75 yards and Kirk Cousins threw a 36 yard touchdown bomb to Maurice Harris for a 7-0 Redskins lead. Harris, who was just signed off the practice squad, made a gorgeous one-handed catch. After a touchback, Case Keenum threw a 51 yard bomb to Sean Diggs down to the Minnesota 2 yard line. Latavius Murray, who had a 14 yard run on the drive, needed two more carries to get the last 2 yards for a 7-7 game. Washington then aced 3rd and 6 at their own 42. Cousins threw incomplete but roughing the passer kept the drive going. On 4th and 2 at the Minnesota 35, Mike Zimmer decided to go for it. Cousins went deep to Thompson for a 27 yard gain. The drive stalled and Nick Rose hit a 28 yard field goal to make it 10-7 Redskins. In the second quarter the Vikings moved 75 yards. Keenum hit Diggs for a 3 yard touchdown to make it 14-10 Vikings. The Redskins came back 60 yards in 13 plays and 7 minutes. Cousins barely snuck across the plane of the goal on 3rd and goal from the one for the touchdown and a 17-14 Redskins lead.

After that, the Vikings exploded. With 4 1/2 minutes left in the half, the Vikings moved from their own 29. From their 40, Keenum went deep to Adam Thielen for a 38 yard gain and again to Thielen for 17 more. Keenum hit Thielen for a 7 yard touchdown as the Vikings led 21-17 with 1:50 left in the half. After a touchback, Cousins was quickly intercepted to set up Minnesota at the Washington 23. Keenum hit McKinnon for 9 and Murray ran for 14 down to the one. Keenum hit Morgan for the touchdown as 2 scores in the final 2 minutes of the half made it 28-17 Vikings. In the third quarter from their own 28, Minnesota kept moving. From the Minnesota 39, Kennum went deep to Thielen for 49 yards. On 3rd and 5 from the 7, Keenum hit Wright for the touchdown as 21 unanswered points in less than 5 minutes had the Vikings cruising 35-17. Then the game changed again.

Washington soon faced 3rd and 5 at their own 33. Cousins hit Vernon Davis for 8 yards. On 3rd and 4 from the Minnesota 39, Cousins went deep to Crowder for a 36 yard gain. Yet despite 1st and goal at the 3, dropped passes killed Washington. Josh Doctson dropped one and then Crowder dropped a sure touchdown. On 3rd and goal the pass was well defended but Crowder had it in his hands and could not hold on to it. Rose hit the 21 yard field goal as the Redskins trailed 35-20. Minnesota moved from their 25 to a 3rd and 8 at the Washington 39. Looking to put the game away, Keenum was hit as he threw and was intercepted by DJ Swearinger at the Washington 19. The Redskins moved from their 20 to a 4th and 6 at the Minnesota 32. Jay Gruden opted against a 50 yard field goal try and Cousins threw incomplete as the third quarter ended.

It didn’t matter as Keenum was quickly intercepted again to start the fourth quarter, again by Swearinger. Swearinger returned it 31 yards to the Minnesota 2. Swaeringer fumbled the ball out of bounds, but before the pylon soWashington retained possession. On 2nd and goal from the 2, chaos ensued. Cousins ran himself stretched the ball to the pylon, and thought he had a touchdown. He fumbled the ball, and it was picked up by Sendejo in the end zone for Minnesota. Sendejo then raced 100 yards the other way as both teams thought they had a touchdown. The whistle had not blown, so Sendejo was right to return it. However, the officials confirmed that Cousins did get the ball over the plane of the goal before losing it, so it was an offensive touchdown. Rather than a 42-20 Vikings blowout, the Redskins were within 35-27.

The Vikings then embarked on a 13 play, 7 minute drive. Midway through the fourth quarter, Kai Forbath hit a critical 53 yard field goal to give the Vikings some breathing room up 38-27. Washington moved from their 24 to a 3rd and 1 at the Minnesota 33. Thompson got the carry and got stopped. On 4th and 1, again needing 2 scores with 4:48 to play, Jay Gruden again decided to go for it rather than kick the field goal. Thompson got blown up in the backfield for a 4 yard loss. Washington got it back with 3:43 to play at their own 22 and moved to a 1st and 10 at the Minnesota 23 with 1:58 left. On 3rd and 10 after a pair of incompletions, Cousins got rocked for a 14 yard loss. Rose leveled the 55 yard field goal to get the Redskins within 8 with 1:20 left. Yet the onside kick failed and the Redskins were toast. Cousins finished 26 of 45 for 327 yards, one touchdown, and one interception. The Vikings are 7-2 and it is Case Keenum…not Sam Bradford or Teddy Bridgewater, but Case Keenum…who was 21 of 29 for 304 yards, 4 touchdowns, and 2 interceptions. Bridgewater was finally dressed on the sideline for the first time in 2 years, but this day belonged to Keenum. 38-30 Vikings

Los Angeles Chargers at Jacksonville Jaguars — This was not the worst game ever played, but it was a seriously unserious battle of who wanted it least. With 30 seconds left in a scoreless opening quarter, the Jaguars were punting on 4th and 7 from their own 44. Doug Marrone called a fake punt and Grant raced up the middle for a 56 yard touchdown. Former Chargers kicker Josh Lambo had his extra point try blocked as the Jaguars led 6-0. In the second quarter the Chargers moved 87 yards. Philip Rivers hit Austin Ekeler for a 28 yard touchdown as the Chargers led 7-6 at the intermission. The second half was even more hideous. In the third quarter the Chargers moved 76 yards and Rivers hit Ekeler for a 22 yard touchdown to make it 14-6 Chargers. The Jaguars came back 84 yards in 11 plays. Blake Bortles hit Marques Lee for a 6 yard touchdown and again for the 2 point conversion as the game was tied 14-14 after three quarters. In the fourth quarter the Chargers moved from their 23 to a 4th and 6 at the Jacksonville 32. With 10 1/2 minutes left in regulation, Nick Novak hit the 50 yard field goal. The Chargers led 17-14, but with everything on the line late in the fourth quarter, both teams tried extra hard to lose.

At the 2 minute warning from the Jacksonville 47, Blake Borltes did what he does. He was intercepted and it appeared the game was over. The Chargers took over at their own 42. Then came a false start. Then a simple run up the middle was fumbled into a pile. It slid over to Gipson, who returned it 35 yards for a defensive touchdown. Just like that it seemed the Jaguars were up 21-17. These are the Chargers. Yet the referees had their say. Gipson did recover the fumble, but was ruled down by contact. The whistle never blew, and it appeared to be horrendous call. Gipson was not touched. The touchdown was taken off the board. Bortles threw incomplete, but defensive pass interference meant 1st and 10 at the Chargers 22 with 1:38 left. These are the Chargers. Then an incompletion saw a stupid offensive unsportsmanlike conduct penalty on Marques Lee for taunting. These are the Jaguars. Now practically out of field goal range, Borltes did what he does. He threw into traffic, had the tip drill go on, and was intercepted. These are the Jaguars.

The Jaguars had all of their timeouts, and from the Chargers 10 yard line, Anthony Lynn took no chances. Melvin Gordon carried three straight times into the line, and the Jaguars took their timeouts. The Jaguars got it back at their own 48 with 58 seconds to play. These are the Chargers. On 3rd and 4, Bortles hit Mickens for 11 yards. From the Chargers 35, Bortles threw incomplete but roughing the passer on Joey Boss meant 1st and 10 at the Chargers 20 with 20 seconds left. These are the Chargers. On 3rd and 6 with 7 seconds left, Doug Marrone had seen enough. Lambo came in for a 34 yard field goal to tie it. The kick was good. If ever a game did not deserve overtime, this was it.

The Jaguars punted, and the Chargers faced 3rd and 9 at their own 11 with 5 1/2 minutes left in overtime. Rivers went deep for Travis Benjamin into double coverage. Benjamin caught it, but had it ripped out of his hands for an interception instead. These are the Chargers. AJ Bouye returned the interception 51 yards all the way to the Chargers 2 yard line. These are the Chargers yet another mindless taunting penalty on Jacksonville’s Colvin moved the ball back to the Chargers 17. Rather than just run it in, the Jaguars were further away. These are the Jaguars. This time it was Doug Marrone’s turn to play it safe before his own players could do any more damage. A pair of runs up the middle and Bortles centering the ball led to Lambo coming in for a 30 yarder to win it. Lambo was good and got revenge against his own team. Despite being 7-3, this might be the first time where team president Tom Coughlin or any other executive would consider firing his own team after a win. The Chargers fell to 3-6 by losing a game the Jaguars tried to give away but the Chargers refused to take. Different city, same Chargers. 20-17 Jaguars, OT

New Orleans Saints at Buffalo Bills — The 6-2 Saints have won 6 straight and have the offense while the 5-3 Bills have the defense. After an opening touchback, the Bills moved to a 1st and 10 at the Saints 19. A run gained almost nothing and a pair of incompletions by Tyrod Taylor had the Bills settling for a 37 yard Steve Hauschka fIeld goal to lead 3-0. This concluded Bills highlights as they were blasted into little pieces in front of a shellshocked home crowd. After a touchback the Saints quickly went to work. On 4th and 1 at the Buffalo 30, Sean Payton decided to go for it. Mark Ingram raced up the middle for a 25 yard gain. Ingram got the last yard to make it 7-3 Saints. The Saints got it back and moved from their 45 to the Buffalo 9 yard line but fumbled the ball away. In the second quarter the Saints took over at the Buffalo 48. On 3rd and 13, Brees fired a laser to Coleman, who split the seams for a 30 yard gain. On 3rd and 1 from the Buffalo 12, Kamara gained 9. Ingram ran for a 3 yard touchdown to make it 14-3 Saints. Late in the half the Saints moved 75 yards in 10 plays. Will Lutz hit a 23 yard field goal as the Saints took a 17-3 lead to the locker rooms.

In the second half the Saints just carpet-bombed the Bills. A 75 yard drive was wrapped up on the ground. Ingram ran for 16 yards and Kamara ran for 19 and then ran it in from 5 yards out to make it 24-3 Saints. On 3rd and 12 from the Buffalo 23, Taylor had a pass bounce off a receiver’s hands straight into the arms of Rankins, who returned it 27 yards to the Buffalo 3. Ingram scored on the next play to make it 30-3 Saints after the missed extra point. New Orleans got it back at their own 6 and 94 yards came easily. Brees did not have to throw a single pass as the Saints ground the Bills defense into the ground. Brees himself almost threw a pass, but instead scrambled for a 7 yard touchdown to make it 37-3 Saints. In the fourth quarter Lutz tacked on a 53 yard field goal and Edmunds ran for a 41 yard touchdown to make it 47-3 Saints. The Bills have lost 2 straight to fall to 5-4 while the Saints with their 7th straight win are 7-2 and looking as scary on offense as they ever did. Buffalo was unbeaten at home but made up for it in the worst way. They did get one garbage touchdown. 47-10 Saints

Cincinnati Bengals at Tennessee Titans — The Titans moved 84 yards in 10 plays and 5 1/2 minutes. DeMarco Murray ran for a 2 yard touchdown to make it 7-0 Titans. The Bengals came back 75 yards as Red Rifle Andy Dalton threw a 37 yard touchdown to Brandon LaFell. The extra point was no good as the Bengals trailed 7-6. In the second quarter the Titans moved from their own one yard line to a 1st and 10 at the Cincy 29. On 2nd and 10 Derrick Henry gained 6 yards, but a killer offensive unnecessary roughness penalty on DeMarco Murray killed the drive. Ryan Succop missed a 48 yard field goal as 6 minutes with the ball led to nothing. Yet with the Bengals facing 3rd and 11 at their own 37, Dalton was sacked and fumbled. The Titans took over at the Cincy 27. On 2nd and goal from the 9, Mariota only gained a yard, but Bengals head case Vontaze Burfict acted like Vontaze Burfict. He was the player whose unsportsmanlike conduct penalty cost the Bengals a home playoff win a couple years ago. This time the unsportsmanlike conduct penalty for bumping an official got him ejected and gave the Titans 1st and goal at the one. Murray got the yard for a 14-6 Titans lead.

The Bengals moved from their 24 to a 1st and goal at the 9 at the 2 minute warning. Dalton fumbled, and the Titans recovered at their own 13. On the next play a short pass by Mariota was intercepted as the Titans gave it right back. The Bengals took over with 1st and goal at the 3 and Joe Mixon ran it in to get the Bengals within 14-13. The Titans got it back at their own 20 with 1:37 left in the half. They moved to the Cincy 27 and Succop hit a 44 yard field goal to make it 17-13 Titans at halftime. The second half was far uglier. 90 seconds into the fourth quarter on a drive that began at their own 35, the Titans moved to a 3rd and 4 at the Cincy 20. Mariota hit Davis, who leapt for the pileon and appeared to have a touchdown for a 24-13 Titans lead. Yet on further review it was ruled that Davis lost the ball before hitting the pylon. It went out the end zone and instead was a touchback.

With 5:44 to play, the Bengals took over at their own 18. Dalton hit Giovanni Bernard for 12 yards. On the next play Dalton hit AJ Green, who got away from everyone for a 70 yard touchdown. With 5 minutes left the Bengals led 20-17. The Titans took over at their own 27. From their own 40, Mariota hit Eric decker for 10 and Delanie walker for 20 more to the Cincinnati 30. On 3rd and 5, MAriota threw incomplete, but defensive holding with 1:55 left gave the Titans a new set of downs. With 42 seconds left everything came down to the Titans facing 3rd and goal at the 7. Mariota went to Murray for the touchdown and the Titans had the 4 point lead. With 36 seconds left after a touchback, the Bengals moved to their own 45 with 3 seconds left. Dalton’s Hail Mary was far short of the end zone and incomplete. The Titans are 6-3 and the Bengals are 3-6 as Marvin Lewis why he bothers coaching players like Vontaze Burfict. 24-20 Titans

Houston Texans at Los Angeles Rams — Houston vs Los Angeles in a sport that is not boring. Early on the Texans faced 2nd and 8 at their own 39. Tom Savage was sacked and fumbled. The Rams began their first drive at the Houston 12. The defense held, and the Rams settled for a 27 yard Greg Zuerlein field goal to lead 3-0. Early in the second quarter a 34 yard Fairbairn field goal try to tie the game was no good. From the rams 24, a neutral zone infraction was followed by a 43 yard pass from Jared Goff to Todd Gurley. Again the Houston defense held, and Zuerlein hit from 33 to make it 6-0 Rams. The Texans soon faced 3rd and 8 from their own 27. Savage hit Anderson for 17 yards. On 3rd and 4 from the Rams 26, Savage found Ellington, who raced to the end zone for a touchdown. The Texans led 7-6 with 6 1/2 minutes left in the half. With 3 1/2 minutes left, Sean McVay gambled on a fake punt with the Rams facing 4th and 7 at their own 32. Punter Johnny Hekker completed the pass to Cooper, but the rams came up one yard short. Houston took over at the Rams 38 and had 1st and 10 at the 13 at the 2 minute warning. On 2nd and 17, Savage was intercepted by Barron, who returned it 15 yards to the Rams 25 with 1:35 left. On 3rd and 2, Goff hit Woods for 7. On 3rd and 4 from their own 46, Goff hit Tyler Higbee for 15. Zuerlein hit from 50 to end the half with the Rams up 9-7.

Despite a moribund offense, the second half was all Rams. Savage had an interception returned 48 yards for a defensive touchdown by Alex Ogletree, and was lucky that defensive holding on Ogletree nullified the play. The reprieve was short-lived. Facing 2nd and 8 from their own 6, all of a sudden the Rams channeled their inner Mike Martz and turned into the Greatest Show on Turf. From his end zone, Goff went bombs away to Woods for a 94 yard touchdown. The Rams led 16-7, but the stout defense of the Texans had been broken. Special teams was a dagger as a 27 yard punt return by Cooper had the Rams staking over late in the third quarter at Houston 36. Goff hit Sammy Watkins for a 24 yard gain and went back to Watkins for a 17 yard touchdown to make it 23-7 Rams. On the next play after a touchback Savage was again sacked and fumbled. The Rams again took over at the Houston 12. One play later Goff hit Woods for the score to make it 30-7 Rams. Zuerlein tacked on a 33 yarder in the fourth quarter as 27 unanswered points turned a defensive struggle into a blowout. The Rams are 7-2 and McVay has a legitimate case for coach of the year so far. Houston did defeat Los Angeles in baseball, which somebody somewhere cares about. 33-7 Rams

New York Giants at San Francisco 49ers — In 1990 these teams played 2 of the greatest defensive games ever played, including the most brutal NFC Title Game of all time. In 2002 they played a playoff thriller that was a shootout. In 2017, they played the Stupor Bowl as the 1-7 Giants took on the 0-9 49ers. A hideous game early on saw the 49ers sore first with a 43 yard field goal by Robbie Gould and the Giants answering with kicks of 47 and 42 from Rosas for a 6-3 Giants lead. Things actually got interested in the second quarter. After the teams exchanged fumbles, the 49ers faced 3rd and 8 at their own 17. CJ Beathard went deep to Goodwin for an 83 yard touchdown to make it 10-6 49ers. The Giants soon aced 3rd and 2 at their own 33. Eli Manning went deep to Sam Shepard for a 24 yard gain. Manning hit Evan Engram for a 9 yard touchdown to make it 13-10 Giants with just over 2 minutes left in the half. After that the Giants just wilted.

From the San Francisco 24, Bethard ran the 2 minute drill went. On 3rd and 8 from their own 44, Beathard found Celek for 9 yards. On the next play, boatyard went deep to Celek for a 47 yard touchdown as the 49ers led 17-13 at halftime. A tight game after a scoreless third quarter was broken open in the fourth quarter. The 49ers held the ball for 11 plays and 6 minutes, moving 61 yards. On the first play of the fourth quarter, on 3rd and 2 from the Giants 11, Beathard ran around the end for a score to make it 24-13 49ers. The 49ers quickly got it back and faced 3rd and 5 at their own 43. Beathard found Louis Murphy for 8 yards. Breida then ran for a 33 yard touchdown to ice the game with 9 1/2 minutes left. The New York Giants may finally be asked to claim New Jersey as their home as the Santa Clara 49ers of San Francisco may have blown the top draft pick. The Giants got a garbage touchdown in a garbage game between garbage teams. 31-21 49ers

Dallas Cowboys at Atlanta Falcons — Ezekiel Elliott has finally been suspended for 6 games as the 5-3 Cowboys tackled the 4-4 Falcons. The Falcons faced 3rd and 7 at their own 13 when Matt Ryan was intercepted by Woods. The Cowboys took over at the Atlanta 21. On 3rd and 7, Prescott hit Smith for just enough. On the next play Prescott scrambled for an 11 yard touchdown. The Cowboys led 7-0, but after that the Falcons gradually dominated the game. A 50 yard Matt Bryant field goal on the last play of the opening quarter started things. In the second quarter the Falcons moved 80 yards and Coleman got the last yard for a 10-7 Falcons lead at halftime. In the third quarter the Falcons moved 75 yards in 11 plays and 6 1/2 minutes. Ryan hit Hardy for a 3 yard touchdown. After three quarters the Falcons only led 17-7, but they put the game away in the fourth. They moved 72 yards and Ryan hot Hooper for a one yard touchdown. Bryant tacked on a 29 yard field goal. The exclamation point came from Adrian Clayborn, who had six sacks of Prescott and a forced fumble. 27-7 Falcons

New England Patriots at Denver Broncos was the Sunday night game. Two years ago Brock Osweiler led a miracle comeback against New England. That was why the AFC Title Game was played in Denver instead of New England, and the only reason Peyton Manning went on top and denied Tom Brady a sixth ring. Two years later after flaming out elsewhere, Osweiler is back and starting in place of the benched Trevor Siemian as the Broncos try to stop a 4 game slide. The Patriots went 3 and out, but the Broncos fumbled the punt return and the Patriots took over at the Denver 24. Brady quickly hit Rex Burkhead for 10 yards and Rob Gronkowski for a 7-0 Patriots lead less than 90 seconds into the game before Osweiler touched the ball.

From the Denver 21, Osweiler went deep to Emanuel Sanders for a 31 yard gain. On 3rd and 4 from the New England 42, Osweiler found Sanders for 13 yards. On 3rd and 2 from the New England 21, Osweiler threw incomplete. Brandon McManus hit the 39 yard field goal to get the Broncos within 7-3. Only 15 seconds later the Patriots led 14-3 as Dion Lewis took the ensuing kickoff 103 yards for a touchdown. Denver soon faced 3rd and 5 at their own 26. Osweiler connected with Sanders for a 38 yard gain. CJ Anderson gained 21 yards to set up 1st and 10 at the New England 15. A run went nowhere and Osweiler threw incomplete twice. McManus hit from 33 as the Broncos trailed 14-6.

After a touchback the Patriots kept rolling. 4 days ago Marcellus Bennett was cut by the Packers for failing to disclose an injury. The Patriots claimed him off waivers and he played in this game. A short pass from Brady to Bennett went for 27 yards. On 3rd and 2 from the Denver 40, Brady hit Jaleel White for 8 yards. On 3rd and 1, Brady’s quarterback sneak came up just short. On 4th and inches from the Denver 23, Bill Belichick decided to go for it. Burkhead banged off tackle for a 3 yard gain. Brady fired to Gronkowski for 12 yards. The second quarter began with defensive pass interference, setting New England up at the two.  On 3rd and goal, Brady was sacked. Gostkowski hit the 25 yard field goal to make it 17-6 Patriots.

Things got worse for Denver. They punted on 4th and 9 from their own 41, Dixon’s punt was blocked by Burkhead, setting up New England at the Denver 30. Brady hit Dorsett for 11. Brady then fired to Gronk in the end zone. Although it looked like Gronk got his hands under the ball, officials ruled it incomplete. Bill Belichick initially decided not to challenge the call. Then after taking a timeout to avoid a delay of game penalty, Belichick changed his mind and did challenge the call. The call stood. A draw  play on 3rd and 4 to White came up inches short. This time Belichick decided not to gamble. Gostkowski hit from 28 to make it 20-6 Patriots.

Denver moved from their 19 to a 3rd and 7 at the New England 20. A short pass to Derby gained only 2 yards, and offensive pass interference for a pick play would have nullified a first down anyway. McManus hit the 36 yard field goal as the Broncos trailed 20-9 with 2 1/2 minutes left in the half. After a touchback, New England ran the ball so well that Brady barely needed to throw. On 1st and 10 from the Denver 33, 1:11 still remained. Brady went to Gronkowski for a 22 yard gain. Brady then fired to Allen for the 11 yard touchdown with 25 seconds left in the half as the Patriots were winning a laugher 27-9.

The Broncos began the third quarter quickly facing 3rd and 10 at their own 25. Osweiler went back to pass, was hit as he threw, and saw a wounded duck helplessly float in the air. Somehow it was caught by Denarius Thomas for a 17 yard gain. In 3rd and 1 just past midfield, Janovich gained 3 yards. On 3rd and 5 from the New England 31, Osweiler hit Sanders for a 23 yard gain. Osweiler threw a 7 yard touchdown to Thomas to cap the 13 play, 75 yard, 7 minute drive. One lucky break that could have ended the game instead had the Broncos within 27-16. Any momentum was quickly erased. On 2nd and 11 from their own 24, Brady found Gronkowski for 26 and Brandon Cooks for 25 more. From the Denver 20, Lewis did the rest, running for a pair of 6 yard gains and out of the hurry up offense an 8 yard touchdown run up the middle to make it 34-16 Patriots.

The Patriots took over at their own 6 and carved up Denver’s defense like a Thanksgiving Turkey. A staggering 16 play, 94 yard, 7 1/2 minute drive led to a 3rd and 3 at the Denver 6. Brady fired to White for the touchdown with 9 minutes left in regulation to officially make the game a blowout. Denver lost their 5th straight to drop to 3-6 and New England is now 7-2. Osweiler was a pedestrian 14 of 24 for 190 yards and one touchdown while Brady was a lights out 25 of 32 for 266 yards and 3 touchdowns. Neither quarterback was intercepted. 41-16 Patriots

Miami Dolphins at Carolina Panthers was the Monday night game. Sometimes a bad team can go on the road and shock a good team. This was not that game. In the first quarter Carolina got a 40 yard field goal from Graham Gano to start the scoring. In the second quarter the Panthers moved 85 yards in 12 plays and 6 1/2 minutes. McCaffrey rn it in from 4 yards out to make it 10-0 Panthers. The Dolphins came back 75 yards in 10 plays and 5 minutes. Jay Cutler hit Thomas for a 2 yard touchdown to get the Dolphins within 10-7. With 47 seconds left in the half from the Miami 20, Cutler did what he does. The interception set Carolina up at the same spot. Cam Newton hit Samuel for 10. On 3rd and goal from the 7, Newton hit Dickson for the touchdown to make it 17-7 Panthers at halftime.

Carolina broke the game open in the second half. In the third quarter the Panthers moved 78 yards. Newton hit Devon Funchess on 3rd and 10 for a 28 yard touchdown to make it 24-7 Panthers. On 4th and 1 just shy of midfield, Adam Game tried to go for it to spark the Dolphins. Williams got the carry and lost a yard. With a short field, Artis-Payne ran for a 12 yard touchdown to make it 31-7 Panthers. The Dolphins soon faced 3rd and 1 at their own 34. Drake broke off tackle for a 66 yard touchdown run to get the Dolphins within 31-14. Carolina took over at their own 13. Newton himself on the ground ran for a 69 yard gain. Newton hit McCaffrey for a 2 yard touchdown to make it 38-14 Panthers after three quarters. In the fourth quarter the Panthers moved 83 yards in 11 plays and 7 minutes. On 3rd and 8 from the Miami 32, Newton went deep to make it 45-14. Miami added one garbage touchdown. Ron Rivera has a 7-3 Carolina team with a defense as nasty as any in the league. 45-21 Panthers

NFL 2017 Week 10 Prequel

https://www.commdiginews.com/sports/midseason-national-football-league-week-10-preview-bettors-guide-95903/

NFL 2017 Week 9 Recap

Buffalo Bills at New York Jets was the Thursday night game. The 5-2 Bills appeared to have the edge on talent, but the Jets at 3-4 have overachieved in long stretches this year. Both defenses showed up to play. A sack of Tyrod Taylor had the Bills punting on 4th and 22 at their own 4. The Jets took over at their own 46. On 3rd and 3, Josh McCown ran for 6 yards and hit Anderson for 13 more. Matt Forte ran for 13 yards. On 3rd and 5 from the Buffalo 10, McCown scrambled again for the touchdown to make it 7-0 Jets. Later in the quarter field position changed and the Jets punted from their own 12. The Bills took over at their own 38. On 3rd and 6, Taylor threw incomplete but the Jets jumped offside. On 3rd and 1 Taylor ran for 18 yards. From the Jets 23, Taylor hit Jones for 12 yards and LeSean Shady McCoy ran for 10 yards down to the one. The second quarter began with the Bills facing 3rd and 9 at the Jets 10. Taylor hit Jones for the touchdown and a 7-7 game.

After that, the Jets took over from their own 21 and took over the game. McCown hit Kearse for 18 yards. On 3rd and 6 from the Jets 41, McCown hit Austin Sefarian Jenkins for 18 yards, with 15 more tacked on for roughing the passer. On 3rd and 4 from the Buffalo 20, a touchdown pass to Sefarian-Jenkins was nullified by offensive pass interference on Forte. The Jets settled for a 45 yard Chandler Catanzaro field goal to lead 10-7 at halftime. The Bills did move from their own 25 to a 3rd and 7 at the Jets 37 with one minute left in the half. Taylor hit Matthews for 6 yards, but he fumbled the ball away.

In the third quarter the Jets moved from their own own 26 to the Buffalo 20. On 2nd and 15 from the 25, McCown went deep to Anderson for a touchdown and a 17-7 lead. With 5 minutes left in the third quarter the Jets took over at their own 39. Powell ran for a 51 yard gain and Forte ran for the 10 yard touchdown to make it 24-7 Jets. The Bills took over at their own 34. On 3rd and 10 at their 46, Taylor hit O’Leary for a 20 yard gain, but then came the mistake. O’Leary got up without being touched. Thinking the play was over, he stood still but no whistle had blown. The Jets then stripped the ball away for another turnover. With 11 1/2 minutes left in regulation, the Bills faced 3rd and 10 at their own 20. Taylor was sacked and fumbled. The Jets recovered at the Buffalo 5 yard line. One play later Forte barreled up the gut to make it 31-7 Jets. Catanzaro added a 32 yard field goal for a 34-7 Jets blowout. Buffalo did manage a couple garbage touchdowns to make the score respectable but this was Gang Green dominance. 34-21 Jets

Atlanta Falcons at Carolina Panthers — Matt Bryant nailed a 53 yard field goal for a 3-0 Falcons lead. Atlanta got it back at their own 39. Matt Ryan hit Hooper for 13 yards and on 3rd and 5 from the carolina 22 found Mohammed San for 7 yards. Ryan hit San for a 6 yard touchdown and a 10-0 Falcons lead. With 4 1/2 minutes left in the half, the Falcons were in total control of the game. Dan Quinn decided to go for it on 4th and 1 from the Carolina 35. Devontae Freeman got the carry and ran into a Carolina blue brick wall. Making matters worse, an illegal crackajack penalty on Atlanta had the Panthers taking over at midfield. Momentum quickly changed.

On 2nd and 14 from their own 46, Cam Newton hit Devon Funchess for 24 yards, with 15 more tacked on for unnecessary roughness. On 3rd and 5 from the 10, Newton hit McCaffrey for 6 yards at the 2 minute warning. On the next play McCaffrey got around the end for a 4 yard touchdown to get the Panthers within 10-7. After a touchback, Matt Ryan went deep to Julio Jones for a 26 yard gain. Yet on the next play, Ryan went deep and was intercepted by Mike Adams, who returned it 40 yards to the Atlanta 31 with 75 seconds left in the half. McCaffrey ran for a 17 yard gain. With 30 seconds left in the half the Panthers faced 3rd and 5 at the Atlanta 9. Newton scrambled and leapt in the air and tried to stretch the ball over the goal line. It was knocked out, but officials ruled Newton did break the plane of the goal. Either way, an offensive player recovered it in the end zone as the Panthers were dominated for 28 minutes yet took a 14-10 lead to the locker rooms.

In the third quarter the Panthers held the ball for 6 minutes and moved 62 yards in 10 plays. Graham Gano hit a 31 yard field goal to make it 17-10 Panthers. Carolina got it back and held the ball for 6 minutes. Gano hit from 45 as the Panthers led 20-10. In the fourth quarter Ryan went deep to a wide open Jones in the end zone. Jones dropped it. With 5 1/2 minutes left, the Falcons took over at their own 8. Ryan hit Jones for 9, Hardy for 7, and Freeman for 14. From the Atlanta 41, Ryan hit Gabriel for a 40 yard gain and then to Coleman for a 19 yard touchdown. With 3 1/2 minutes left, the 92 yard drive had the Falcons down by a field goal. Carolina went 3 and out and Atlanta got it back at their own 21 with 2:18 to play. On 4th and 13, Ryan threw incomplete and the Falcons were done after another loss where they controlled much of the first half. 20-17 Panthers

Indianapolis Colts at Houston Texans — Andrew Luck is out for the entire season, while DeShaun Watson has now joined him on injured reserve. The Colts moved 92 yards and Jacoby Brissett went deep to TY Hilton for a 45 yard touchdown and a 7-0 Colts lead. In the second quarter the Texans punted from their own 4 yard line and the Colts took over at their own 45. Marlin Mack gained 11 and Brissett went deep to Hilton for a 30 yard gain. Yet despite 2nd and goal at the 4, Brissett threw incomplete twice. Adam Vinatieri hit from 22 to make it 10-0 Colts with 4 1/2 minutes  left in the half to complete the 10 play, 5 minute, 51 yard drive. With one minute left in the half and the Colts in total control, the Colts had 3rd and 5 just shy of midfield. Brissett was sacked and fumbled, and Lamar Houston returned it 34 yards for a defensive touchdown. Despite being dominated all game, the Texans were only down 10-7 at the break.

One play changed the complexion of the game in the third quarter. The Colts took over at their own 9. From their 20, Brissett went to Hilton for a big gain. Hilton juked a defender and then got up and kept running. No whistle blew and Hilton continued on for an 80 yard touchdown. The Texans were convinced Hilton was down by contact. The officials were not, and the Colts led 17-7. The Colts got it back and moved 60 yards. Vinatieri hit a 53 yard field goal to make it 20-7 Colts. After a touchback, the Texans finally got going. From the Houston 39, Tom Savage hit Miller for 15, Deandre Hopkins, for 12, and Hopkins again deep for a 34 yard touchdown. With 6 minutes left, the Texans were only down by 6 points.

Houston held on defense and got it back at their own 20. Savage hit Ellington for 13 and Miller gained 14 at the 2 minute warning. Savage hit Anderson for 16 yards. With 42 seconds left, with the Texans facing 3rd and 4 at the Indy 17, Savage hit Hopkins for 10. With 18 seconds left, the Texans had 1st and goal at the 7. After a pair of incompletions, the Colts on defense took their 3rd and final timeout with 7 seconds left. Another incompletion left 2 seconds on the clock. On 4th and goal, it all came down to one final play as Houston took their final timeout. Tom Savage then did his best TJ Yates impression. Savage was hit by Barkevious Mingo and fumbled the ball away. 20-14 Colts

Cincinnati Bengals at Jacksonville Jaguars – Josh Lambo hit a 32 yard field goal to get the Jaguars on the board first. The Jaguars began the second quarter at their own 4 yard line. On 3rd and 4, Blake Bortles found Marques Lee for 11 yards and went to Chris Ivory for a 29 yard completion to midfield. On 3rd and 4, Bortles found Hums for 9 yards. On 3rd and 4 from the Cincy 15, Bortles found Lee for 5 yards. On 3rd and goal at the 3, Bortles rifled a pass to Lee for the touchdown. The 15 play, 96 yard drive took 8 minutes and put the Jaguars up 10-0. From the Cincinnati 22, Red Rifle Andy Dalton went deep to Kroft for a 59 yard gain. Joe Mixon ran for a 7 yard touchdown to get the Bengals within 10-7. After a touchback, the Jaguars faced 3rd and 8 at their own 37. Bortles hit Marcedes Lewis for just enough at the 2 minute warning. With 23 seconds left in the half, Lambo drilled a 56 yard field goal to make it 13-7 Jaguars.

In the third quarter the Jaguars moved 79 yards. Lambo hit a 35 yard field goal to make it 16-7 Jaguars. Jacksonville is winning with tough defense and just enough offense, with some special teams to lock up the win. Mickens returned a punt 63 yards for the clincher. At 5-3, the Jaguars have finally turned a corner. Captain Grumpy Tom Coughlin was so pleased, he almost smiled. 23-7 Jaguars

Tampa Bay Buccaneers at New Orleans Saints — The Saints moved 58 yards in 12 plays and 6 minutes. Will Lutz hit a 40 yard field goal for a 3-0 Saints lead. Then came the Steve Gleason moment again. 11 years after his Hurricane Katrina heroism, this time it was Justin Hardee blocking a punt and returning it 7 yards for a touchdown and a 9-0 Saints lead. The extra point was also blocked.  The Buccaneers in the second quarter did hold the ball for 6 minutes and 10 plays. The Saints began the second quarter moving from their own 12 to a 2nd and 1 at the Bucs 31. Mark Ingram got stopped. On 3rd and 1 Kamara gained 3 but fumbled the ball away to kill the drive.

From the Tampa 28, the Buccaneers moved 40 yards and Patrick Murray hit a 50 yard field goal to get the Buccaneers on the board. The Saints got it back at their own 7 with 3 minutes left in the half and kept rolling. Drew Brees hit Kamara for 17 yards. On 3rd and 4 from the Saints 30, Brees found samara for 11 yards. Brees was sacked and fumbled, but the Saints held onto the ball. On 2nd and 17 from the Saints 34, Brees went to Coby Fleener for 33 yards. On the next play Brees went to Kamara for the 33 yard touchdown with one minute left in the half to make it 16-3 Saints.

The Buccaneers began the second half without Jameis Winston, who had an injured shoulder. Ryan Fitzpatrick came in and the Bucs quickly went 3 and out. The Saints got it back at their own 28. Mark Ingram quickly ran for a 32 yard gain and Kamara ran for 17 more. Kamara ran for a 6 yard touchdown to make it 23-3 Saints. 2 plays later from the Bucs 25, a short completion was fumbled and the Saints took over at the Tampa Bay 36. One play later Brees went deep to Ted Ginn Jr. for another touchdown as the Saints were winning a laugher 30-3. Tampa Bay got a garbage touchdown but the Drew Brees and Sean Payton pinball offense is back. The Saints won their 6th straight game and at 6-2 are for real. 30-10 Saints

Los Angeles Rams at New York Giants — The Giants quickly moved from their 25 to a 3rd and 4 at the Rams 40. After a false start, Eli Manning was sacked and fumbled. The Rams took over at their own 48. Todd Gurley ran for 36 yards and then 9 more. On 3rd and 2 from the Giants 8, Jared Goff hit Tyler Higbee for the touchdown to make it 7-0 Rams. The Giants came back 67 yards in 14 plays and 7 1/2 minutes. On 3rd and 9 from the Rams 37, Manning hit King for 14 yards. On 3rd and goal at the 5, Manning hit King for the touchdown and a 7-7 game. The Rams came back 66 yards. The second quarter began with Greg Zuerlein hitting a 27 yard field goal for a 10-7 Rams lead.

The Giants then fumbled, setting up the Rams at midfield. After reaching the Giants 29, a pair of penalties had the Rams offense facing 3rd and 33 at their own 48. Yet a simple screen pass from Goff to Woods went for a 52 yard touchdown. In a season of disasters, Ben McAdoo saw another one as the Rams led 17-7. The Rams got it back at their own 29 and struck lightning quick. Goff hooked up with Sammy Watkins on a 67 yard touchdown to make it 24-7 Rams. After a touchback, Manning hit King for 14 yards. On 3rd and 2 from the Giants 47, Manning hit Evan Engram for 21 yards. On 2nd and 9 from the Rams 31, Manning threw incomplete twice. Rosas hit the 50 yard field goal to get the Giants within 24-10 with 4 minutes left in the half.

The Giants held on defense and tried to get back in the game. Yet on 3rd and 10 from their own 14, Manning was intercepted by Johnson at the Giants 30 yard line. The Rams defense held but Zuerlein hit from 46 to make it 27-10 Rams. After a touchback the Giants moved to a 1st and 10 at the Rams 27 with 14 seconds left in the half. Manning threw incomplete twice. With 4 seconds left, Rosas came in for a 45 yard try. He missed it as the Giants misery continued.

The Rams began the third quarter facing 3rd and 2 at their own 33. Goff hit Woods for 10 and then went deep to Cooper Kupp for 35 yards. Todd Gurley got in from the one as the Rams had a 34-10 lead. A 30 yard punt return Cooper had the Rams taking over at the Giants 45. Goff hooked up with Gurley for a 44 yard gain. Gurley lost 3 yards, but Goff hit Woods for a 4 yard touchdown to make it 41-10 Rams. The Giants then faced 3rd and 1 at their own 34. Manning threw incomplete and down by 31 points, Ben McAdoo decided to punt. Brad Wing had it blocked, and the Rams took over at the Rams 18. Everett ran for a 13 yard gain and Gurley got the last yard as the Rams were carpet-bombing the Giants 48-10. The Rams gave up a garbage touchdown and tacked on another field goal, but don’t look now, the Rams are 6-2. If this keeps up even fair-weather California fans will start attending their games. 51-17 Rams

Denver Broncos at Philadelphia Eagles — Brock Osweiler got the start in place of the benched Trevor Siemian. Brandon McManus hit a 52 yard field goal to get the Broncos on the board first. Yet the Eagles came back 75 yards quickly. Carson Wentz threw a 32 yard touchdown pass to Alshon Jeffery for a 7-3 Eagles lead. Denver was pinned inside their own 10 and the Eagles got it back at their own 44. Wentz found Troy Smith for 11 yards and Captain Morgan Brent Celek for a 15 yard gain to set up Elliott for a 45 yard field goal and a 10-3 Eagles lead. After a touchback, Osweiler was quickly intercepted by Robinson, setting up the Eagles at the Denver 15. On 3rd and 10 Wentz hit Clement for the touchdown to make it 17-3 Eagles after the first quarter.

In the second quarter the Broncos got a spark when McKenzie returned a punt 44 yards to the Philly 43. On 3rd and 2 Osweiler hit Emanuel Sanders past the sticks, but the officials ruled Sanders trapped the ball. Replay seemed to show the ball hitting the ground. Further replay showed that Sanders took 2 steps before he lost the ball, which would have meant a fumble out of bounds and a first down. Vance Joseph decided not to challenge the call. McManus drilled a 53 yard field goal to get the Broncos within 17-6.

The Eagles soon faced 3rd and 10 at their own 25. After the defense jumped offside, Wentz hit Jeffery for 14 yards. A 15 yard completion to Celek put the ball on the Denver 42. Wentz then threw incomplete on a play that could have been intentional grounding. However, roughing the passer gave the Eagles 15 more yards. Wentz then went deep to Burton for a 27 yard touchdown and a 24-6 Eagles lead. The Broncos moved 69 yards in 12 plays and 6 minutes, but again could not crack the end zone. McManus hit from 31 to get the Broncos within 24-9.

Yet the Broncos were kicking field goals and the Eagles were scoring touchdowns. Jay Ajayi had multiple 200 yard rushing games for Miami last year but did not have a single touchdown this year. He was traded to the Eagles just before the trade deadline, and he gashed Denver in his first game for the Eagles. After a touchback, the Eagles were at their own 35. Von Miller jumped offside. Ajayi ran for a 14 yard gain. On the next play Ajayi got around the end, raced down the sideline, and leapt for the pylon for a 46 yard touchdown. With 90 seconds left in the half the Eagles were winning a laugher 31-9.

The second half was a formality. The Eagles held the ball for 77 yards in 13 plays, taking 7 1/2 minutes to do it. Doug Peterson is supposed to be a West Coast Offense dink and dunk guy, but this was not finesse. It was power football. From the Philly 23 on the first play from scrimmage, Clement got around the end for a 28 yard gain. LaGuerrette Blount gained 9. On 3rd and 1 from the Denver 46, Wentz got the yard. Wentz hit Jeffery for 17 yards. On 3rd and 8 from the Denver 10, Wentz came up on yard short. Peterson decided to go fir it. Went threw a pass to Agholor that may have been short, but officials called it a first down. The call was not challenged. On the next play Clement got around the end again for a 2 yard touchdown and a 38-9 Eagles lead.

Osweiler was the intercepted, giving the ball to the Eagles at the Denver 11. On 3rd and 3, Wentz hit Jeffery for a 4 yard touchdown. The closest thing to good news for Denver was the missed extra point, as the Eagles led 44-9 rather than 45-9. Denver’s fourth straight loss has them at 3-5 while the Eagles have an NFL best 8-1 record. 25 years after Jerome Brown died, Eagles fans are hoping this is the year they finally bring it home for Jerome. Wentz was a lights out 15 of 27 for only 199 yards, but 4 touchdowns and 0 interceptions. Denver did get a couple garbage touchdowns in a meaningless fourth quarter, but Eagles backup and one-time starting sensation Nick Foles connected on one long bomb to get the Eagles in the end zone one more time. 51-23 Eagles

Baltimore Ravens at Tennessee Titans — Ryan Succop hit a 48 yard field goal for the Titans. Meanwhile, a fake punt call by John Harbaugh worked perfectly and led to a 30 yard field goal by Justin Tucker for a 3-3 game. Joe Flacco was then intercepted by Yard, who returned it 33 yards to the Baltimore 46. Marcus Mariota ran for 7 yards and hit Davis for a 23 yard gain. One play later Mariota hit Ryan Mathews for a 16 yard touchdown to make it 10-3 Titans. In the second quarter the Ravens moved 13 plays in 6 minutes, gaining 44 yards. Tucker hit a 49 yard field goal as the Ravens trailed 10-6. With Baltimore punting from their own 9, a shanked punt went only 17 yards. From the Baltimore 11, Derrick Henry quickly ran for gains of 10 and 5. On 3rd and 5 from the 11, Mariota threw incomplete, but unnecessary roughness meant 1st and goal at the 5. On 3rd and goal at the one, Henry got in. The extra point was no good but the Titans led 16-6.

With 12 minutes left in regulation, the Titans faced 3rd and 4 at their own 40 looking to put the game away. Mariota was intercepted by Eric Weddle, who returned it 22 yards to the Tennessee 42. Flacco hit Watson for 16 and Collins gained 14 more. On 3rd and 1 from the 3, Flacco hit Allen for the touchdown as the Ravens were within 16-13 with 9 minutes left. After a touchback, Tennessee bled 5 minutes off the clock. From the Tennessee 40, Mariota hit Delanie Walker for 25 yards, DeMarco Murray for 17 more, and on 3rd and 3 from the 11, a touchdown pass to Eric Decker. With 4 minutes left the Titans had breathing room up 23-13. Baltimore did get a one yard touchdown pass from Flacco to Mike Wallace with 51 seconds left, but the onside kick died after only traveling 8 yards. The Titans have quietly gotten to 5-3 with their 3rd straight win. 23-20 Titans

Arizona Cardinals at San Francisco 49ers — A few years ago the 49ers swept Arizona but went 0-14 against the rest of the league. This time against the winless 49ers, Drew Stanton got the start as Carson Palmer is out for the year with a shoulder injury. Early on former 49ers kicker Phil Dawson doinked a 38 yard field goal try off the upright no good. Yet from the San Francisco 48, s short completion was fumbled. Patrick Peterson returned the fumble 47 yards to the San San Francisco 6 yard line. On 3rd and goal, Stanton threw a 3 yard touchdown pass to Brown to make it 7-0 Cardinals.  The 49ers did get a 42 yard Robbie Gould field goal, but the Cardinals had more firepower. In the second quarter they moved 75 yards and Stanton hit Gresham for an 11 yard touchdown to make it 14-3 Cardinals. Arizona missed a chance to blow the game open and go up 21-3 when a pass to the end zone was intercepted for a touchback. Arizona insisted it was a tie possession and a touchdown, but the touchback stood.

The 49ers have been losing mostly close games, and in the third quarter they moved 75 yards in 13 plays and 5 1/2 minutes. CJ Beathard got the last yard as the 49ers were only down 14-10. The Cardinals held the ball for 12 plays and 6 1/2 minutes, moving 65 yards. The fourth quarter began with the Cardinals facing 3rd and 2 at the San Francisco 7. Stanton threw incomplete. Dawson hit from 25, but the Cardinals only led 17-10. With 12 1/2 minutes left in regulation, Arizona took over at their own 48. They held the ball for 7 minutes and 11 plays. On 3rd and 1 from the Frisco 11, Adrian Peterson lost 2 yards. Yet Dawson hit the critical 32 yarder to make it 20-10 Cardinals with only 5 1/2 minutes left. On 4th and 3 from midfield, a pass from Beathard was just dropped. Yet with 3 1/2 minutes left, Peterson fumbled the ball right back. A mindless personal foul on Arizona after tempers flared put the 49ers at the Arizona 34. With 2 1/2 minutes left, on 1st and goal from the 9, Beathard had a pass bounce off a helmet and get intercepted as the 49ers dropped to 0-9 with no end in sight. 20-10 Cardinals

Washington Redskins at Seahawks — Midway through the first quarter Kirk Cousins went back to pass from his own 6 yard line. He was belted in the end zone by Bobby Wagner for a safety as the Legion of Boom gave the Seahawks a 2-0 lead. After the free kick Blair Walsh missed a 44 yard field goal that would have extended the lead. In the second quarter the Seahawks moved from their 29 to a 1st and 10 at the Washington 14. After a pair of penalties killed the drive, Walsh missed again from 39. The Redskins moved 71 yards in 13 plays and 7 minutes. The Redskins led 7-2 after Robert Kelley got in from the one. With 45 seconds left in the half the Seahawks moved from 33 to the Washington 31. On the last play of the half, Walsh missed is third field goal from 50. In the third quarter the Redskins moved 57 yards but bogged down in the red zone. Rose hit a 28 yard field goal to make it 10-2 Redskins. The Seahawks began the fourth quarter at their own 34. Wilson ran for 6 yards and hit Thomas rawls for a 22 yard gain. Wilson hit Jimmy Graham for 15 and non-relative Willson for a 10 yard touchdown. The 2 point try with 12 minutes left in regulation was intercepted and nearly run back the other way as the Seahawks still trailed 10-8.

Then came the Legion of Boom. On 3rd and 15 from their 17, Cousins was sacked again for the second time in 3 plays, fumbled, and the Seahawks recovered for a defensive touchdown. On further review Cousins was down, so the Redskins escaped with a punt on 4th and 28 from their own 4. The teams exchanged punts again and the Seahawks began their last chance at their own 29 with 2:22 left. Wilson hit McKissic for 9 at the 2 minute warning. Wilson then went to graham for 21 yards. Wilson ran for 11 yards. Wilson then went deep to Doug Baldwin for a 30 yard touchdown with 90 seconds to play. For the second straight week Wilson led a miracle comeback, as Washington’s stout defense broke when it mattered most. The 2 point try failed but the Seahawks led 14-10.

Yet Cousins had magic of his own. From the Washington 30, Cousins went deep to Brandon Quick for 31 yards. He then went deep again to Josh Doctson for a 38 yard gain to set up 1st and goal at the one with one minute left. Kelley got in as the Legion of Boom went bust. Yet they left too much time left. After a touchback, Seattle soon faced 3rd and 10 at their own 36 with 35 seconds left. Wilson found Paul Richardson for 26 yards. Yet Wilson was sacked with 12 seconds left. After some confusion, with 4 seconds left Seattle lined up for the Hail Mary from the Washington 46. It was perfectly thrown and nearly caught, barely falling incomplete to snap Seattle’s 4 game win streak. 17-14 Redskins

Kansas City Chiefs at Dallas Cowboys — Ezekiel Elliott did play today but may finally have to start serving his 6 game suspension next week. Each team punted twice and Dallas took over at their own 39. Das Prescott hit Dez Bryant for 17 yards and Terrence Williams for 8 more. On 2nd and 15 from the Chiefs 33, Prescott found Williams for 27 yards and Cole Beasley for the 6 yard touchdown to make it 7-0 Cowboys. In the second quarter, the Chiefs took over at their own 36. Alex Smith went to Travis Kelce for a 22 yard gain and to Robinson for 10 more. The drive died in the red zone but Harrison Butker hit a 38 yard field goal to get the Chiefs within 7-3.

With 90 seconds left in the half, the Cowboys faced 3rd and 15 at their own 13. Rather than play it safe and punt, Jason Garett went bold. Prescott fired a laser to Bryant for a 21 yard gain. Then Prescott rolled to his right and found a wide open Williams for a 56 yard gain to the Chiefs 10. After a pair of incompletions, with 21 seconds left on 3rd and goal, Prescott scrambled, nearly got tripped up, somehow maintained his balance, and made it to the end zone for a 14-3 Cowboys lead. With 2 seconds left in the half, the Chiefs had one play from their own 43. Smith found Tyreeq Hill over the middle. Rather than press ahead, Hill waited for his blockers to get ahead of him. In front of a shocked home crowd, Hill followed the blockers for a 57 yard touchdown to end the half with the Chiefs only down 14-10.

The Chiefs momentum continued in the third quarter as they moved 62 yards in 6 minutes. On 2nd and 11 from their own 37, Smith threw incomplete but defensive pass interference on Orlando scandrick meant a 12 yard gain. Hunt gained 19 yards and on 3rd and 1 from the Dallas 23, Smith gained 4 on a well executed fake handoff. On 3rd and goal at the 2, Smith fired to Kelce near the Pylon for the touchdown to make it 17-14 Chiefs. After a touchback, Prescott hit Bryant for 10 and Elliott broke off runs of 7 and 11. On 3rd and 9 from the Chiefs 46, Prescott threw incomplete but defensive pass interference meant a 17 yard gain. Prescott then got around the end for a 13 yard gain. On 3rd and 3 from the 9, Prescott scrambled up the middle for a 4 yard gain. Elliott banged up the gut for a 2 yard touchdown to put the Cowboys back in front 21-17.

The Cowboys got it back at their own 13 and began the fourth quarter at their own 24. Prescott hit Bryant for 16 yards and Williams for 11 more. Alfred Morris gained 11 and Prescott hit Williams for another 14. On 3rd and 1 from the Chiefs 9, Elliott gained 2 yards. Prescott then went to Beasley for the 7 yard touchdown as the Cowboys had some breathing room up 11 with 9 minutes left in regulation. The Chiefs quickly moved from their 22 to a 3rd and 5 at the Dallas 40. Smith was then sacked by Taco Charlton, his first sack of the season. On 4th and 8, Smith, who was perfect threw 8 games, was intercepted for the first time all season. Kansas City got it back once more, but a great Dallas punt had the Chiefs pinned at their own yard line. There would be no comeback as the Chiefs lost for the third time in four games after a 5-0 start. 28-17 Cowboys

Oakland Raiders at Miami Dolphins was the Sunday night game. This was a case of dumb and dumber as the Raiders lost last week by 20 points to drop to 3-5 while the Dolphins lost 40-0 and entered 4-3. Jay Cutler returned from injury in a game that was marred by over 200 penalty yards. The Raiders early on faced 3rd and 9 at their own 26. Derek Carr went deep to Jared Cook for 35 yards. On 3rd and 9 from the Miami 38, Carr went back to Cook for 14 yards. Despite 1st and 10 at the Miami 13, the drive stalled and Georgio Tavecchio hit a 36 yard field goal to make it 3-0 Raiders. The 12 play, 53 yard drive took 7 1/2 minutes off the clock.

In the second quarter the Dolphins took over at their own 18. From their 29, Drake gained 11 and unnecessary roughness added 15 more. Offensive holding had the Dolphins with 1st and 20 at their own 45. Jay Cutler hit Drake for 11. On 3rd and 6 from the Oakland 41, Cutler hit Parker for 22 yards. Cutler then hit Williams for 11 and again for the 10 yard touchdown. Cody Parkey’s extra point doinked off the upright no good but the Dolphins led 6-3. Adam Game called a surprise onside kick that was perfectly executed and recovered by Parkey himself at the Miami 48. Miami was on the way to blowing the game open. Yet on 1st and 10 at the Oakland 24, Drake gained 4 yards and fumbled the ball away.

From the Oakland 19, Carr went to cook for a 27 yard gain. Offensive penalties had the Raiders facing 1st and 25 at their own 28. Carr bailed the team out again, hitting Cook for 11. On 2nd and 14, Washington gained another 11. On 3rd and 3 from midfield, Marshawn Lunch banged ahead for 6 yards. On the next play Carr went deep to Johnny Hilton for a 44 yard touchdown and a 10-6 Raiders lead with 3 1/2 minutes left in the half.

The Dolphins faced 3rd and 4 at their own 26 when the Raiders committed encroachment at the 2 minute warning. From the Miami 36, Cutler found Williams for 10 when another dumb unnecessary roughness penalty added on another 15 yards. On 3rd and 2 from the Oakland 31, Cutler threw incomplete. Parker hit the 49 yarder to get the Dolphins within 10-9. The Raiders took over at their own 23 with only 28 seconds left. Carr went deep to Amari Cooper for 26 yards. On 3rd and 10 from just past midfield with 5 seconds left, Carr rifled a 16 yard pass to Cook, who quickly dropped to the ground and called timeout with 1 second left. The Dolphins screamed the half was over, but the officials disagreed. Tavecchio nailed the 53 yarder to put the Raiders up 13-9 at halftime.

In the third quarter Miami went nowhere and punted. The Raiders took over at their own 33. Lynch gained 3 and then 14 more to midfield. Carr then went to Cooper for 20 yards. On 3rd and 2, Lynch burst up the middle for a 22 yard touchdown as the Raiders had a 20-9 lead. However, the Raiders never win easily. After a touchback, Cutler hit Drake for 10. Drake then broke free for a 42 yard gain. Cutler hit Landry for a 6 yard touchdown as the Dolphins were right back in it down 20-16.

The teams exchanged punts after going 3 and out and the Raiders got it back on their own 38. On 3rd and 4 from their own 44, Carr hit Cook for 6 yards. The fourth quarter began with the Raiders facing 3rd and 5 at the Miami 45. Carr hit Cooper for 6 yards. On 3rd and 4 from the Miami 33, a killer offensive holding penalty pushed the Raiders out of field goal range. On 3rd and 14, Carr had the ball knocked out of his hand by Ndamokung Suh. Such dove in the air to knock the ball loose. Offensive lineman Newhouse recovered for the Raiders, but rather than stay down, he tried to run with it. Offensive tackles do not run for 15 yards. They get hit and fumble the ball away. After 6 1/2 minutes with the ball, the Raiders came up empty.

With 13 minutes left in regulation the Dolphins had a golden opportunity at their own 48. Yet on 3rd and 10 a short pass only gained 5 yards and Miami punted. The Raiders again went 3 and out and the Dolphins again had great field position at their own 45. Yet offensive holding and a sack pushed them back and they punted again. Midway through the fourth quarter, the Raiders took over at their own 13. Carr hit Michael Crabtree for 16 yards. With 5 minutes left and the Raiders having burned 2 timeouts, the Raiders faced 3rd and 6 at their own 35. Carr rolled to his right and fired to Seth Roberts for a 29 yard gain, with 15 more tacked on for unnecessary roughness. From the Miami 21, Carr went deep incomplete but defensive pass interference made it 1st and goal at the 3. Lynch banged up the gut for the touchdown. With 4:42 left the Raiders led 27-16. Yet with their poor secondary, games are never over.

After a touchback the Dolphins moved to a 4th and 9 at the Oakland 38 with 3 minutes left. Cutler found Thomas for 14 yards, but offensive holding meant 4th and 19. Cutler threw deep incomplete. Again it looked like the game was over. Again, it was not. A pair of Lynch runs went nowhere. On 3rd and 10, Carr went deep and had the ball bounce in the air and get intercepted. It was pretty much treated as a punt since the Dolphins took over at their own 17 with 1:54 left and only one timeout. Yet the Raiders secondary does not finish games.

Cutler went to Kenny Stills for a 14 yard gain, and a truly dumb roughing the passer call added 15 more yards. Cutler then found Parker for 12 more. Miami had moved 42 yards in only 14 seconds. From the Oakland 41, Cutler went deep to Parker. Initially ruled incomplete, officials reversed the call to a catch and a 26 yard gain to the Oakland 15. On the next play Cutler found Julius Thomas wide open over the middle for the touchdown. Drake appeared stopped on the 2 point try, but bulled his way in up the middle. With 90 seconds to play, the Dolphins were only down by 3.

With both teams out of timeouts, Parkey’s onside kick was recovered by Amari Cooper, as the Raiders survived. Cutler completed his first 16 passes and finished 34 of 42 for 311 yards, 3 touchdowns, and 0 interceptions. Carr was 21 of 30 for 300 yards, one touchdown, and the one late interception. Several dropped passes kept him from having closer to 350 yards. Miami is 4-4 and the Raiders are still alive at 4-5. With Kansas City and Denver both losing, the Raiders gained ground. It was ugly, and the Raiders have serious issues, but they got the win. Just Win Baby. 27-24 Raiders

Detroit Lions at Green Bay Packers was the Monday night game. With Aaron Rodgers, the Packers easily dispatch the Lions in front of the Lambeau Field home faithful. Without Aaron Rodgers, the Packers are a mess. In the first quarter, the Lions marched 71 yards in 5 minutes. Matthew Stafford threw a 25 yard touchdown pass to Marvin Jones for a 7-0 Lions lead. In the second quarter the Lions held the ball for 7 minutes and moved 91 yards in 13 plays. Abdullah ran for a 4 yard touchdown to make it 14-0 Lions. The Packers did get a 35 yard Mason Crosby field goal before the half, but in the third quarter the Lions held the ball for 6 minutes and moved 50 yards in 11 plays. Matt Prater hit a 44 yard field goal to make it 17-3 Lions. In the fourth quarter the Lions held the ball another 7 minutes and moved 63 yards in 12 plays. On 4th and goal at the one, Jim Caldwell played it very safe with a lead on the road. Prater hit the 19 yarder as the Lions comfortably led 20-3.

The Packers did move 78 yards and Brett Hundley got in from the one to get the Packers within 20-10, but no closer. The Lions rapidly moved 75 yards and Stafford hit Jones for an 11 yard score to make it 27-10 Lions. Prater tacked on a 33 yard field goal to make it 30-10 Lions. Green Bay did get one more garbage touchdown, but nothing more. The Lions dominated in time of possession, holding the ball for over 36 minutes. Stafford was a lights out 26 of 33 for 361 yards and 2 touchdowns. Hundley was a respectable 26 of 38 for 245 yards without a touchdown, but much of the yards came in garbage time. Neither signal caller was intercepted. Mike McCarthy needs to find a way to rescue his team before the season washes away. Both teams are 4-4, and Jim Caldwell was so pleased by the win that he almost made a facial expression. 30-17 Lions

NFL 2017 Week 9 Prequel

https://www.commdiginews.com/sports/nfl-2017-preview-bettors-guide-nfl-super-bowl-95616/

NFL 2017 Week 8 Recap

Miami Dolphins at Baltimore Ravens was the Thursday night game. Sometimes a pair of boring teams can come together for a thrilling game. This was not that game. A short punt had the Ravens starting at the Miami 40. On 3rd and 4, Joe Flacco went deep to Jeremy Maclin for a 34 yard touchdown to make it 7-0 Ravens. In the second quarter Justin Tucker blasted long field goals of 55 and 48 yards to make it 13-0 Bills. A 50 yard Miami field goal try was no good, and the Ravens were rolling. With 4 minutes left in the half, Baltimore had 3rd and 10 at the Miami 20. Flacco scrambled for 9 yards and then gave himself up. Kiki Alonso hit Flacco late and in the head. Flacco was knocked out of the game with a concussion. The Ravens thought it was a cheap shot. Ryan Mallett played the rest of the way. On 3rd and goal at the 2, Mallett hit Watson for the score and the 20-0 Ravens lead at the half.

The second half was unnecessary. After a scoreless third quarter, Miami needed three touchdowns from Matt Moore to win the game. Moore delivered ouchdowns in the fourth quarter, but they went to the Baltimore defense. Mosley returned an interception 63 yards for a touchdown. Then from the Miami one, Mallett fumbled, but Moore recovered it in the end zone for a gift Baltimore touchdown. Moore was then intercepted by Smith, who returned it 50 yards for another defense touchdown to complete the blowout. John Harbaugh was glad to take the win but is more concerned about Flacco, who will miss at least one game. 40-0 Ravens

Minnesota Vikings at Cleveland Browns in London. An early interception of Case Keenum had the Browns at the minnesota 37, Isaiah Crowell ran for a 26 yard touchdown to make it 6-0 Browns after the failed extra point. The Browns then fumbled a punt, giving the Vikings the ball at the Cleveland 46.  Kai Forbath hit a 35 yard field goal to get the Vikings within 6-3. A field position game had the Vikings taking over at their own 40 with 6 minutes left in the half. Keenum threw an 18 yard touchdown pass to Adam Thielen to make it 9-6 Vikings in a game where nobody wanted to make an extra point.

At the 2 minute warning, the Browns faced 3rd and 12 at their own 16. DeShaun Kizer went deep to Louis for a 37 yard gain and then hit Crowell for a 38 yard gain down to the 6. On 3rd and goal at the one, Kizer got in to make it 13-9 Browns with only 34 seconds left in the half. From the Minnesota 22, Keenum hit McKinnon for gains of 20 and 16 yards. With 8 seconds left from the Cleveland 37, Keenum hit Treadwell for 21 yards. Forbath hit the 34 yard field goal as the Vikings were only down 13-12 at the break.

On the opening play of the third quarter, Crowell fumbled and the Vikings took over at the Cleveland 30. The defense held and Forbath hit from 43 to make it 15-13 Vikings. After an exchange of punts, the Browns took over at their own 40. They moved to a 1st and goal at the 6, but a one yard run was followed by Kizer throwing incomplete. Gonzalez hit from 23. With 5 1/2 minutes left in the third quarter, the winless Browns had a 16-15 lead. They were winless in the United States, but this was England. Could the Browns finally get Hue Jackson a win this year?

After a touchback, the Vikings got going. From their own 42, Keenum went to Thielen for 25 yards. From the Cleveland 15, defensive pass interference put the ball on the one. McKinnon got in and also ran in the 2 point conversion to make it 23-16 Vikings after three quarters. In the fourth quarter the Vikings moved 84 yards. On 3rd and 10 from their own 27, Keenum hit Thielen for 16 yards, with 15 more tacked on for roughing the passer. On the next play, defensive pass interference meant 30 more yards. Keenum hit Kyle Rudolph for a 4 yard touchdown to make it 30-16 Vikings with 10 minutes left in regulation. After that Mike Zimmer’s defense clamped down. Forbath added a 51 yard field goal with 1:15 left, as the Browns dropped to 0-8 at the halfway mark. 33-16 Vikings

Chicago Bears at New Orleans Saints — Both of these teams are improved. The Saints moved 81 yards in the first quarter and Kamara ran for an 8 yard touchdown to make it 7-0 Saints. In the second quarter the Bears moved 67 yards in 10 plays and 5 1/2 minutes. They settled for a 27 yard Conor Barth field goal to trail 7-3, but they kept the game a slugfest. The Saints would move 80 yards and Mark Ingram scored on a one yard touchdown to make it 14-3 Saints at halftime.

In the third quarter the Bears had the ball at their own 3 yard line. JoJo Howard ran for a 44 yard gain. On 3rd and 10 from their own 47, Mitchell Trubisky found McBride for 22 yards. On 3rd and 10 from the saints 25, Trubisky went deep to Zach Miller for the touchdown. The officials reviewed the play and called it an incomplete pass. Miller was injured on the play. Barth hit a 44 yard field goal to get the Bears within 14-6 with 6 minutes left in the third quarter. A field position game had the Saints taking over in the fourth quarter at their own 47. Drew Brees found Thomas for a 22 yard gain. Will Lutz hit a 45 yard field goal with 13 minutes left in regulation to put the Saints up 17-6.

The Saints moved from their 24 to the Chicago 19 with a chance to put the game away. A pass to Ingram lost 6 yards. On the next play Ingram fumbled, and the Bears took over at their own 28. On 3rd and 10, Trubisky came up short but offsetting penalties gave the Bears another chance. This time Trubisky ran for a 26 yard gain. On 3rd and 7 from the Saints 23, Trubisky hit wright for 10 yards. On 3rd and 7 from the saints 10, Trubisky hit Sims for the first down with a facemark putting the ball on the one. Cohen got in. The 2 point try failed but the Bears were only down by 5 with 4 minutes left.

At the 2 minute warning, the Bears faced 3rd and 1 at their own 39. Trubisky threw incomplete and the Bears had to go for it. Trubisky threw incomplete again on 4th and 1. The Bears held on defense but Lutz hit a 49 yard field goal to put the Saints up by 8 with 90 seconds left. The Bears got a major break when they returned the ensuing kickoff 46 yards with a horse collar tackle adding 15 more. Despite taking over at the Saints 43, there would be no comeback. Trubisky was intercepted as Sean Payton saw his squad win 5 straight games after an 0-2 start. Brees was 23 of 28 for 299 yards in the win. 20-12 Saints.

Atlanta Falcons at New York Jets — Atlanta is not the same team as last year. Their offense is sputtering. In the first quarter the Jets moved 75 yards and Josh McCown threw a 20 yard touchdown to Tomlinson for a 7-0 Jets lead. The Falcons came back 64 yards. Matt Ryan hit Hooper for a one yard score and a 7-7 ballgame. Late in the first quarter the Falcons took over at their own 6 yard line. From their own 18, Ryan fumbled and the Jets recovered at the Atlanta 20. The Atlanta defense held to start the second quarter, but Chandler Catanzaro hit a 43 yard field goal to make it 10-7 Jets. The Falcons moved 70 yards in 12 plays and 6 minutes but could not close the deal. Matt Bryant hit from 23 to make it 10-10.

A field position game and a short punt had the Jets taking over at the Atlanta 43. On 3rd and 4 from the Atlanta 24, Josh McCown went deep to Anderson for the touchdown to make it 17-10 Jets. With 2 1/2 minutes left in the half. From the Atlanta 20, the Falcons moved to a 1st and 10 at the Jets 19 with 28 seconds left in the half. Ryan threw incomplete twice and was sacked for an 8 yard loss. Bryant hit the 45 yard field goal as the half ended with the Falcons trailing 17-13.

The Falcons quickly moved 61 yards in the third quarter but again bogged down in the red zone. Bryant hit from 37 to get the Falcons within 17-16. The fourth quarter began with Cantazaro trying a 48 yard field goal. The kick was no good, and the Falcons took over at their own 38. Coleman broke free for a 52 yard gain. On 3rd and goal at the 8, Ryan hit Mohammed Sanu for the touchdown. The 2 point try failed but the Falcons led 22-17 with 12 1/2 minutes left in regulation. The Jets took over at their own 20. From their own 31, a short pass from McCown to Anderson gained 24 yards, with 15 more tacked on for roughing the passer. Catanzaro hit from 46 to get the Jets within 22-20 with 8 1/2 minutes to play.

The Falcons punted, and the Jets fumbled the punt. Todd Bowles could only watch in frustration as the Falcons took over at the Jets 13. Yet gang Green had an inspired defensive stand. Bryant hit a 29 yard field goal. With 5 1/2 minutes left, the Falcons led by 5 but the Jets had life. The game appeared over when the Falcons returned a punt 80 yards for a score, but an illegal block nullified the score. By the time the Jets got the ball back, only one minute remained and the Jets were at their own 4 yard line. With 2 seconds left the Jets were at their own 38. They would never get a chance at a Hail Mary as a false start led to a 10 second runoff. These are the Jets. 25-20 Falcons

Carolina Panthers at Tampa Bay Buccaneers — Both teams have been out of sync, especially on offense. In the first quarter the Panthers had a staggering 17 play, 82 yard drive that consumed over 8 1/2 minutes off the clock. Stewart got the last yard to make it 7-0 Panthers. Graham Gano tacked on a 28 yard field goal in the second quarter as the Panthers took a 10-0 lead into the locker rooms. In the third quarter Murray hit a 41 yard field goal to finally get the Buccaneers on the board. With 11 1/2 minutes left in regulation and facing 3rd and 7 at their own 33, Jameis Winston was intercepted. The Panthers took over at the Tampa Bay 48. On 3rd and 16 from the Tampa 25, Newton went deep to Kelvin Benjamin for the touchdown. Carolina’s defense did the rest to win this ugly game. 17-3 Panthers

San Francisco 49ers at Philadelphia Eagles — Doug Peterson has a 6-1 Eagles squad, while the 49ers are winless. Yet San Francisco has a defense, and most of their losses have been very close. A 40 yard field goal by Elliott had the Eagles up 3-0 in the first quarter. With 5 minutes left in the half, a short punt had the Eagles taking over at their own 44. From the Frisco 44, Carson Wentz went deep o Hollins for a 24 yard gain. On 3rd and 15 from the San Francisco 25, Wentz threw incomplete. However, defensive pass interference put the ball on the one. Wentz hit Zac Ertz for the touchdown to make it 9-0 Eagles after the failed extra point. CJ Beathard was then intercepted by Jaylon Mills, who zig zagged across the entire field and eventually made his way for a 37 yard defensive touchdown. The 2 point conversion had the Eagles up 17-0 at halftime. Elliott tacked on a 51 yard third quarter field goal to make it 20-0 Eagles. Wentz made one mistake all day, an interception that gave the 49ers a short field for a touchdown. Wentz bounced right back, throwing a 53 yard touchdown to Alshon Jeffery to make it 27-7 Eagles. LaGuarette Blount ran for a 12 yard touchdown in the fourth quarter to complete the blowout, make it 33-7 Eagles, and get the Eagles to 7-1, and keep the 49ers 0-8 at the halfway mark. The 49ers inspired the football world by kicking a field goal. 33-10 Eagles

Oakland Raiders at Buffalo Bills — After a thrilling win at home against Kansas City, the Raiders had 10 days to prepare for Buffalo. The temperature was 46 degrees at kickoff with light rain. The Raiders quickly faced 3rd and 6 at their own 23. Derek Carr found Amari Cooper for 13 yards. On 3rd and 12 from the Oakland 44, Carr hit Crabtree for 11. On 4th and 1 from the Buffalo 45, Jack Del Rio decided to go for it. Jamies Olawale got the first down by half the length of the football. Carr then went deep to Michael Crabtree and Smith for a pair of 21 yard gains down to the one. Olawale banged in for a 7-0 Raiders lead to complete the 13 play, 81 yard, 5 1/2 minute drive.

The Bills moved after a touchback to a 3rd and 10 at the Oakland 42. Tyrod Taylor went deep to Mathews for a 27 yard gain, but offensive pass interference killed the drive. The Raiders took over at their own 18 and Carr went deep to Crabtree for a 40 yard gain. Yet offensive holding ended that drive as the Raiders offense did little for long stretches again. In the second quarter, Buffalo faced 2nd and 5 at their own 41. Taylor went deep to Jones for a 22 yard gain. On 3rd and 2 from the Oakland 12, Taylor hit former Raiders receiver Andre Holmes for a 6 yard gain. Taylor went back to Holmes for the 6 yard touchdown and a 7-7 game.

At the 2 minute warning, a punt had the Raiders pinned at their own one yard line. They had a drive going and were at their own 34 when disaster struck. Carr completed a pass to Deandre Washington, who got blasted at the Oakland 40 by Johnson. This was a helmet right on the ball, and it popped straight into the arms of Matt Milano, who returned it 40 yards for a score. With only 30 seconds left in the half, the defensive touchdown had the Bills up 14-7. With 2 seconds left, the Raiders had the ball at the Buffalo 47. Rather than throw a Hail Mary, Carr completed a pass to Jalen Richard for a 15 yard gain that did nothing.

The Raiders self-destructed in the third quarter. Jalen Richard fumbled a punt, giving the Bills the ball at the Oakland 14. Offensive holding had the Bills settling for a 35 yard Steve Hauschka field goal, but the Bills led 17-7. The Raiders quickly faced 3rd and 9 at their own 21. Carr had a pass over the middle deflected by a defender and intercepted by Micah Hyde. The Bills took over at the Oakland 41. Hauschka hit a 44 yarder as the Bills led 20-7.

The Raiders had no offense and the Bills got it back at their own 18. McCoy gained 18 yards. Offensive holding had the Bills facing 2nd and 20 at their own 28. Taylor threw to Golden Tate, who avoided pathetic attempts at tackling for a 24 yard gain. On 3rd and 13 just shy of midfield, Taylor avoided another sack and went deep to a wide open Holmes for a 36 yard gain. The fourth quarter began with Sean McDermott deciding to go for it with the Bills facing 4th and goal at the one foot line. Taylor kept the ball, got rocked backward, and the Raiders celebrated a goal line stand. Their celebration lasted a few seconds as officials ruled Taylor broke the plane of the goal before getting knocked back. The touchdown had the Bills up 27-7, rendering the rest of the game irrelevant.

After doing nothing since early in the game, the Raiders tried to make the score look respectable. Operating out of the hurry up offense after a touchback, Carr hit Washington for a 4 yard touchdown. The Raiders were down 27-14 with 11 minutes left in regulation. The only thing left was for them to show a complete lack of heart on both sides of the ball. The defense let the Bills wind 6 minutes off the clock. The offense moved from their own 19 to a 2nd and 3 at their own 48. Carr then threw 3 straight incompletions. One play later McCoy raced for a 48 yard touchdown. The Raiders moved from their own 25 to the Buffalo 26, where Carr was intercepted again. Taylor was only 20 of 27 for 165 yards, 1 touchdown and 0 interceptions. Carr was 31 of 49 for 313 yards and one touchdown, but 2 interceptions. The Raiders are 3-5 and were one miracle play away from 6 straight losses. The Bills at 5-2 may finally be ready to end their league leading 18 year playoff drought. 34-14 Bills

Indianapolis Colts at Cincinnati Bengals — A pair of bad teams played a bad game as both kickers managed a 29 yard field goal. Randy Bullock hit it for the Bengals in the first quarter and Adam Vinatieri responded in the second quarter for a 3-3 game. That kick was set up by a blunder. The Bengals began the second quarter by fumbling a punt, giving the Colts the ball at the Cincinnati 27. The defense held. However, the defense would not hold when the Colts got it back at their own 48. On 3rd and 8 from the Cincy 13, Jacoby Brissett hit Doyle for the touchdown and a 10-3 Colts lead. The Bengals came back 91 yards and Red Rifle Andy Dalton threw an 8 yard touchdown pass to AJ Green for a 10-10 game. The Colts moved 65 yards at the end of the half and Vinatieri hit from 33 as the Colts led 13-10 at halftime.

In the third quarter, the Bengals moved 77 yards in 11 plays and 6 minutes. Dalton found Malone for a 25 yard touchdown to make it 17-13 Bengals. The Colts then moved 88 yards in 13 plays and 7 minutes. Brissett threw a 24 yard touchdown pass to Marlin Mack to put the Colts back in front 20-17. Late in the third quarter a fumble by Joe Mixon had the Colts taking over at the Cincy 37. Vinatieri hit again from 29 with 11 1/2 minutes left to make it 23-17 Colts. Midway through the fourth quarter, Brissett completed a short pass to Dunlap, who plays defense for the Bengals. Dunlap returned the interception 16 yards for a touchdown to put the Bengals in front by a point. With 2:42 left the Colts began their final drive at their own 24. With 1:22 left the Colts faced 4th and 4 at the Cincy 48. Brissett got blasted as he threw the ball, a wounded duck that fell incomplete as Marvin Lewis defeated Chuck Pagano in the coaches hot seat bowl. 24-23 Bengals

Los Angeles Chargers at New England Patriots — New England is back in Super Bowl form, while the Chargers are trying to replicate the 1992 team that began 0-4 and then made the playoffs. Early on Melvin Gordon raced for an 87 yard run and a 7-0 Chargers lead against a stunned home crowd. In the second quarter the Patriots finally settled down. They moved 77 yards in 14 plays and 6 1/2 minutes. Tom Brady threw a 2 yard touchdown pass to Rob Gronkowski to tie the game 7-7. The Patriots would punt and Travis Benjamin fumbled the ball at his own 8 yard line. Trying to make something happen, Benjamin went backward and was tackled in the end zone for a safety and a 9-7 Patriots lead.

After that Stephen Gostkowski took over. The Patriots got it back and moved 51 yards in 11 plays and 5 minutes. Gostkowski hit a 51 yard field goal to make it 12-7 Patriots. New England then moved 73 yards late in the half and Gostkowski hit from 36 to make it 15-7 at halftime. In the third quarter the Patriots moved 52 yards in 12 plays and 5 1/2 minutes. Gostkowski hit from 43 to make it 18-7 Patriots. With 9 1/2 minutes left in the game, this time from 43 yards out Gostkowski was no good.

After the miss, the Chargers struck quickly from their own 33. Defensive pass interference put the ball on the New England 37. Philip Rivers threw a 24 yard touchdown pass to Travis Benjamin. The 2 point try failed but the Chargers were only down 18-13 with 8 1/2 minutes left in regulation. With just over one minute to play, Gostkowski hit from 26 as the Patriots had an 8 point lead. The Chargers had one final chance from their own 21. With one second left, the Chargers were at the New England 23. Rivers fired to the end zone and was intercepted at the goal line by Jones. 21-13 Patriots

Houston Texans at Seattle Seahawks — During the week the attention was on comments made by Bob McNair and how the players would throw a temper tantrum protest. That has nothing to do with football. The game featured two big plays early on. DeShaun Watson threw a 59 yard touchdown pass to Fuller for a 7-0 Texans lead. Yet the Legion of Boom struck back in a big way. Watson was intercepted by Earl Thomas, who returned it 78 yards for a touchdown and a 7-7 game. The Texans were not rattled, coming back 82 yards. Miller ran for a 3 yard touchdown to make it 14-7 Texans. The Seahawks came back 75 yards and Russell Wilson threw a 20 yard touchdown pass to Paul Richardson for a 14-14 tie after a thrilling first quarter.

In the second quarter the Texans moved 84 yards in 11 plays and 5 minutes. Watson went to Fuller for a 20 yard touchdown and a 21-14 Texans lead. Seattle came back again 75 yards and Wilson connected with Richardson for a 7 yard touchdown as this very exciting game was tied 21-21 at halftime. The game slowed considerably in the third quarter. Both teams drove into the red zone again but not to the end zone this time. Fairbairn hit a 31 yard field goal for the Texans and Blair Walsh responded from 21 yards as the game was tied for the fourth time 24-24. The Seahawks had 2nd and 1 from the Houston 3 but twice could not pick up the yard. Watson was then intercepted by Richard Sherman, who returned it 19 yards. Unnecessary roughness had Seattle with 1st and goal at the 8. Yet again Seattle could not convert. For the second time from the 3 yard line, Wilson threw incomplete. Walsh hit again from 21 to make it 27-24 Seahawks. In the fourth quarter the game revved back up again.

With 11 1/2 minutes left in regulation, the Texans took over at their own 29. Watson went deep to DeAndre Hopkins for a 34 yard gain and then to Fuller for a 36 yard gain down to the 2 yard line. Watson avoided a sack and fired to Miller for the touchdown to make it 31-27 Texans. After a touchback, Wilson went deep to Tyler Lockett for a 54 yard gain. On 3rd and 8 from the 19, Wilson went to Richardson for a 9 yard gain. On 2nd and goal from the 7, a touchdown pass from Wilson to Richardson was nullified by an offensive chop block penalty. On 2nd and goal at the 22 Wilson threw incomplete, but defensive pass interference put the ball on the one. Wilson then went to Jimmy Graham for the touchdown, and this time it stood. The Seahawks had a 34-31 lead with 5 1/2 minutes to play.

Two plays later the Texans were back in front again. A short pass from Watson to Hopkins are Hopkins cut threw the middle of the field and outrace everyone for a 72 yard touchdown. With 5 minutes left, the Texans led 38-34. After a touchback, Wilson went right to work. He ran for 11, and hit Vannett for an 8 yard gain. H found Richardson for a 15 yard gain and then scrambled again for a 21 yard gain to the Houston 20. On the next play, Wilson was intercepted by Mario Williams. With 2:50 left, from their own 8 yard line, the Texans tried to run out the clock and get the road win. On 3rd and 4 from the Houston 26, Bill O’Brien played it very safe. Miller only gained 2 yards and the Seahawks took their final timeout with 1:49 to play.

A 63 yard punt had the Seahawks taking over at their own 20. Rather than just move the chains, Wilson immediately went bombs away. Richardson out jumped the defender for a 48 yard gain. After a false start, Wilson went to Tyler Lockett for a 19 yard gain down to the Houston 18. On the next play, Wilson fired over the middle to a wide open Graham for the touchdown. With 21 seconds to play, the Seahawks had the 3 point lead. The Texans took over after a touchback with 2 timeouts left.

Watson was then sacked with 16 seconds left. Watson then went deep and was again intercepted by Richard Sherman. Two teams known for defense played a shootout. Watson was 19 of 30 for 402 yards. Wilson was 26 of 41 for 452 yards. Both quarterbacks threw 4 touchdown passes. Yet Wilson was intercepted only once, while Watson was picked off 3 times. 41-38 Seahawks

Dallas Cowboys at Washington Redskins — On the first play from scrimmage after a touchback, Ezekiel Elliott fumbled and the Redskins recovered at the Dallas 29. The defense held and on 4th and 1, Jay Grudend decided not to gamble. Nick Rose hit the 38 yard field goal to make it 3-0 Redskins. The Cowboys came right back. On 1st and 15 from their own 20,  Das Prescott hit Jason Witten for 16 yards and Swaim for 18 more. A deep ball to Williams gained 25 yards and Elliott atoned for his fumble with a 13 yard rumble for a touchdown and a 7-3 Cowboys lead. After a touchback the Redskins came back. On 3rd and 3 from their own 32, Kirk Cousins hit Grant for 5 yards with roughing the passer adding 15 more. Cousins then went deep to Jamieson Crowder for a 41 yard gain. Kelley got in from one yard out to make it 10-7 Redskins after the first quarter.

In the second quarter Mike Nugent missed a 49 yard field goal that would have tied the game. Rose hit again from 42 yards out to make it 13-7 Redskins. With 3 minutes left in the half Rose had another opportunity from 36 that would have made it 16-7 Redskins. Instead the kick was blocked by Crawford and picked up by Orlando Scandrick. Scandrick raced 86 yards to set up Dallas at the Washington 2 yard line. Elliott gained a yard and then gained another yard for the score as the Cowboys led 14-13 at halftime.

The second half was the Mike Nugent show. In the third quarter on 3rd and 9 from midfield, Cousins was sacked and fumbled. The Cowboys took over at the Washington 45. Nugent hit from 36 to make it 17-13 Cowboys. The Redskins fumbled the ensuing kickoff, and the Cowboys recovered at the Washington 26. Nugent hit from 48 to make it 20-13 Cowboys. Dallas got it back at their own 43. On 3rd and 6 Prescott found Switzer for 7 yards. The drive stopped at the 9 yard line but Nugent hit from 27 to make it 23-13 Cowboys after three quarters. Dallas held it for 5 minutes Nugent hit from 37 to make it 26-13 Cowboys with 8:45 to play.

Needing 2 scores, the Redskins finally had a decent second half drive. 75 yards in 14 plays led to a critical 4th and 10 at the Dallas 23 with 4:44 left. Cousins threw incomplete, but defensive pass interference put the ball on the one. Cousins hit Doctson for a one yard touchdown to get the Redskins within 7 with 4 1/2 minutes left. With the rain coming down hard, the extra point was missed. With 1:49 left the Cowboys faced 3rd and 3 at the Dallas 43 and the Redskins out of timeouts. Prescott kept it himself but was stopped one yard short of the first down. Jason Garrett took no chances as the Cowboys punted. With 55 seconds left the Redskins took over at their own 12 yard line. Cousins quickly had a pass deflected high in the air and intercepted by Byron Jones. Jones raced 16 yards to the end zone to put the game away. 33-19 Cowboys

Pittsburgh Steelers at Detroit Lions was the Sunday night game. For most of the first half, the offenses were able to move the ball but not all the way to paydirt. Chris Boswell hit a 34 yard field goal for the Steelers and Matt Prater answered with a 48 yarder for a 3-3 game after the first quarter. In the second quarter Prater hit from 37 to make it 6-3 Lions. After a touchback, the Steelers faced 3rd and 9 at the Detroit 45 with 5 minutes left in the half. Ben Roethlisberger went deep to Antonio Brown for a 40 yard gain. On the next play LeVeon Bell ran it in for a 5 yard touchdown and a 10-6 steelers lead. After a touchback, Matthew Stafford went deep to TJ Jones for a 25 yard gain and to Agnew for 12 more. Prater drilled a 51 yarder to get the Lions to within 10-9 with 2:15 left in the half. The Steelers quickly moved after a touchback to a 3rd and 1 at the Detroit 23. Bell got the yard but then coughed up the football. With one minute left the Lions took over at their own 21. Stafford went deep to Marvin Jones for 18 yards, TJ Jones for 24 more, and Golden Tate for another 11 down to the Pittsburgh 16 with 30 seconds left. Three incompletions led to Prater coming in for a 34 yarder. His fourth field goal had the Lions up 12-10 at halftime.

A shanked 19 yard punt only 90 seconds into the third quarter may have been partially blocked. The Steelers set up shop at the Detroit 48. On 3rd and 4, Roethlisberger hit Juju Smith-Schuster for 18 yards. On 3rd and 8 from the Detroit 22, Roethlisberger threw incomplete but defensive unnecessary roughness moved the ball to the 11. A 9 yard touchdown pass to Brown was nullified by offensive pass interference. Boswell hit a 38 yard field goal to put the Steelers back on top 13-12. From the Detroit 17, Stafford hit Jones for 18 with unnecessary roughness adding 15 more to midfield. A 23 yard completion to Jones meant 1st and goal at the 4. On 2nd and goal at the one, Stafford threw incomplete. On 3rd and goal Washington got stopped. Jim Caldwell decided to go for it. On 4th and goal Stafford tried the quarterback draw and lost a yard.

After the goal line stand, the Steelers soon faced 3rd and 9 at their own 3 yard line. Mike Tomlin went for it all and Roethlisberger went deep to Smith-Schuster for a 97 yard touchdown in front of a stunned home crowd. Neither Roethlisberger or Juju-Smith-Schuster are Jewish. With 3 minutes left in the this quarter, the Steelers led 20-12. After a touchback, Theo Riddick ran for gains of 10 and 7 to midfield and caught a pass for 23 more yards. On the first play of the fourth quarter, Stafford hit Golden Tate for 17 yards to set up 1st and goal at the 4 again. On 3rd and goal at the 2, Washington only gained one yard. With 13 minutes left in regulation, on 4th and goal at the 1, this time Caldwell had seen enough. He sent in Prater to kick the 19 yard field goal as the Lions trailed 20-15.

The Steelers went 3 and out and the Lions took over at their own 29. From their 40, Stafford went deep to Tate for a 34 yard gain. Yet Tate inexplicably lost the ball without being touched. Burns recovered the fumble for the Steelers at their own 24 with 10 minutes left. The Lions got the ball back again with 5 minutes left at their own 15 yard line. On 3rd and 3, Stafford went to Eric Ebron for 14 yards. A deep ball was intercepted, but Stafford knew he had a free play since the defense jumped offsides. On 2nd and 1 from the Detroit 45, a completion to Ebron went for 44 yards with 3 minutes left. The Steelers took a timeout on defense. At this point Stafford had thrown for 418 yards without a touchdown. On 3rd and 5 from the 6, a draw play was blown up in the backfield for a 2 yard loss as the clock hit the 2 minute warning. Jim Caldwell went for it. Under heavy pressure Stafford was nearly intercepted as the Lions again turned it over on downs.

The Lions still had all 3 timeouts on defense. In a surprising move, on 2nd and 6 the Steelers passed the ball. An incomplete pass stopped the clock and saved a timeout for the Lions. Another incomplete pass on 3rd and 6 had the crowd pumped, but a killer defensive pass interference penalty on the play gave the Steelers a new set of downs with 1:40 left. The Lions took their last timeout with 90 seconds left as everything came down to the Steelers facing 3rd and 1 at their own 32. Operating out of the shotgun, a perfectly executed shovel pass from Roethlisberger to Smith-Shuster gained 4 yards as the Steelers got to 6-2 with the win. 20-15 Steelers

Denver Broncos at Kansas City Chiefs was the Monday night game. Nobody wins ugly like the Kansas City Chiefs. Their offense moves the chains without mistakes. The defense gives up a ton of yards but forces turnovers. Former Chiefs running back Jamaal Charles fumbled against his old team and Marcus Peters scooped it up and raced 45 yards for a Chiefs defensive touchdown. Alex Smith the. Threw a 29 yard touchdown pass to Travis Kelce to make it 14-0 Chiefs after the first quarter.

Then came the field goal kickers. In the second quarter Brandon McManus hit from 27, but Harrison Butker answered from 25. In the third quarter Butker hit from 32 to make it 20-3 Chiefs, and McManus countered from 34 to get the Broncos within 20-6.

Devontae Booker did score on an 8 yard touchdown run as the Broncos only trailed 20-13 after three quarters. However, the Chiefs clamped down in the fourth quarter. Butker hit from 43, 51 and 42 and the defense did the rest to make it 29-13 Chiefs. Denver did get a touchdown with 1:55 left but the 2 point try failed and Denver was done. Denver is 3-4 while the Chiefs at 6-2 have a stranglehold on the AFC West, making Andy Reid one happy Walrus Lite. 29-19 Chiefs

NFL 2017 Week 8 Prequel

https://www.commdiginews.com/sports/nfl/football-2017-week-8-nfl-preview-bettors-guide-95316/

NFL 2017 Week 7 Recap

Kansas City Chiefs at Oakland Raiders was the Thursday night game. These teams have hated each other since 1960, but this may have been the craziest game in the history of the franchise. It also ranked as one of the greatest, most insane finishes in NFL history. Al Davis and Lamar Hunt are gone, but this was an old-time AFL type of game where the bombs rained down and the defenses hung on for their lives. Alex Smith and Derek Carr both threw 3 touchdown passes without an interception. The Chiefs came in having lost after starting 5-0 while the Raiders had lost 4 straight after a 2-0 start. The Chiefs had beaten the Raiders 5 straight times, and a Chiefs win would effectively end the Raiders season.

This was a game of big plays, and the Chiefs moved from their 25 to a 2nd and 8 at the Oakland 35. The much-maligned Oakland defense forced Smith into a pair of incompletions. Harrison Butler nailed a 53 yard field goal to get the Chiefs on the board first. After a touchback, the Raiders struck very quickly. Their offense has been out of sync for a month, with Amari Cooper especially struggling. He exploded in this game. Carr hit Cooper for 12 yards and then went to Jared Cook for a 24 yard gain. From the Chiefs 38, Carr handed off to Marshawn Lynch, who pitched it back to Carr. The perfectly executed flea flicker saw Carr go deep to Cooper for the touchdown and a 7-3 Raiders lead.

The Chiefs came right back. On 2nd and 4 from their own 24, Kareem Hunt broke free for a 34 yard gain. On 3rd and 10 from the Oakland 42, Smith completed a pass for only 4 yards. Yet a roughing the passer penalty meant 1st and 10 from the Oakland 23. Smith hit Hunt for 13 yards and then threw a 10 yard touchdown pass to Travis Kelce for a 10-7 Chiefs advantage. The Raiders soon faced 3rd and 4 at their own 31. Carr hit Cordarelle Patterson for 9 yards. On 3rd and 3 from the Oakland 47, Carr hit Michael Crabtree for 5 yards. Carr then went deep again to Cooper, who split the defenders and raced for a 45 yard touchdown. The Raiders led 14-10 after a wild first quarter.

Oakland finally got a defensive stop as the Chiefs went 3 and out, and the Raiders moved from their 18 to a 1st and 10 at the Chiefs 45. However, an offensive unnecessary roughness penalty killed the drive. A great punt by Marquette King had the Chiefs pinned at their own 1 yard line. Yet the terrible Oakland secondary was as bad as ever on this night. Smith went deep to Robinson for a 33 yard gain. Two plays later Smith went bombs away to Tyreeq Hill for a 64 yard touchdown. 99 yards took only 3 plays as the Chiefs led 17-14.

The Raiders moved from their own 25 to a 1st and 10 at the Chiefs 43. On 3rd and 10, tempers flared. Carr gained only one yard, and then took a late hit from defender Marcus Peters. The Raiders were given an automatic first down at the Chiefs 29. Yet unfortunately, the melee after the play would hurt the Raiders before the next snap. Nobody in the league is as bizarre as Marshawn Lynch. He ran off the bench and entered the fray. Lynch was actually trying to play peacemaker and break up the fight. He did not throw any punches. However, what made things even more strange was that he was actually trying to rescue Peters from the Raiders offensive line. While Peters plays for the Chiefs, he is from Oakland and is Lynch’s cousin. So Lynch case real family over his football family. Lynch also messed up by putting his hand on an official. Lynch was in his own strange way trying to help, but the rules are what they are. Lynch was ejected from the game. Ever the strange personality, rather than leave the stadium as is customary, Lynch snuck into the stands wearing a disguise and watched much of the game with the fans. For touching the official, he was suspended one game in addition to the rest of this one.

Because of the penalty to Lynch, the Raiders had 1st and 25 instead of 1st and 10. They moved into position for Georgia Tavecchio to try a 53 yard field goal to tie the game, but the kick was blocked with 5 minutes left in the half. The Chiefs moved from their 43 to a 2nd and 3 at the Oakland 21. Hill got stopped and Smith threw incomplete. With one minutes left in the half Butler hit a 39 yard field goal for a 2014 Chiefs lead. After a touchback, Carr needed only 20 seconds to move the Raiders to a 1st and 10 at the Chiefs 31. Carr threw incomplete twice and on 3rd and 10 completed a pass to Cooper for only 4 yards. On the last play of the half, a 45 yard field goal try by Tavecchio was again no good. Rather than a 20-20 tie game, the Raiders were down by 6 points.

Rather than be deflated, the Raiders came out storming in the third quarter from their own 15. DeAndre Washington ran for an 11 yard gain and caught a pass from Carr for 10 more. Carr then went to Cooper for 12 yards to midfield. Carr went deep to Cooper and drew a defensive pass interference penalty to set up 1st and goal at the 4. On 2nd and goal Washington got in for a 21-20 Raiders lead. After a touchback, the Chiefs caught a major break. On 3rd and 12 from their own 37, Smith went deep to Wilson. The ball floated and should have been easily intercepted. Instead it bounced right off the defender’s fingers straight into Wilson’s arms, resulting in a 63 yard fluke touchdown and a 27-21 Chiefs lead.

The Raiders punted and the Chiefs soon faced 3rd and 6 at their own 30. A completion from Smith to Robinson was marked short of the sticks. Walrus Lite Andy Reid challenged the spot, and the call was reversed to a first down. On the next play Smith went deep to Hill for a 33 yard gain. The Raiders desperately needed a stop. On 2nd and 8 from the Oakland 19, Smith threw incomplete twice. Butler hit from 37 yards as the Chiefs led 30-21 after three quarters.

After a touchback, the Raiders began the fourth quarter with a pair of Carr incompletions to set up 3rd and 10 at their own 37. Carr hit cook for 13 yards and Jalen Richard for 17 more. A pass to Cooper gained 21 yards. Yet on 3rd and 6 from the Chiefs 8, Carr threw incomplete. Tavecchio hit the 26 yarder as the Raiders got to within 30-24 with 12 minutes left in regulation. The Chiefs got it back at their own 9 yard line and held the ball for 6 minutes. A field goal would al but ice the game. Yet on 3rd and 4 from the Oakland 45, Smith threw incomplete. The Chiefs punted and pinned the Raiders at their own 8 yard line with 6 minutes left in regulation. The Raiders went 3 and out when a 3rd and 5 pass g gained only 2 yards. Now the clock was a factor. With 2:46 left the Chiefs faced 3rd and 4 at their own 40. Another first down would all but kill the Raiders. Smith had not been sacked all day, but Khalil Mack and Autry got to him for an 11 yard loss. Last week the Raiders never got the ball back. This time they did at their own 15 with 2:25 left and one timeout. They had life.

Carr hit Cooper for 15 yards as the clock hit the 2 minute warning. An offensive holding penalty had the Raiders facing 2nd and 20. Carr then went deep to Cooper for a 39 yard gain to set up 1st and 10 at the Chiefs 41 with 1:14 left. Had Tavecchio made his earlier field goals the Raiders would have needed only a field goal to win. He didn’t so, it was score a touchdown or die. With 41 seconds left, the Raiders were down to their last gasp, 4th and 11. Carr fired a laser over the middle to Cook for 13 yards as the Raiders took their last timeout with 33 seconds left. A pair of incompletions meant 3rd and 10 with only 23 seconds to play. The first 59 1/2 minutes were exciting. The final 30 seconds were historic. When people say they had never seen an ending like this, they meant it.

Carr went deep to Cook, who made a circus catch and fell down across the goal line for a miracle touchdown. The Raiders went wild and the home fans exploded in joy. With 16 seconds left, the Raiders were an extra point away from a fantastic finish. However, it was not to be. Officials reviewed the call and made a reversal. Cook landed inside the one yard line and was touched before he broke the plane of the goal. This meant that the clock would actually have continued to run. Since the Raiders were out of timeouts, they were also assessed a 10 second runoff. That was the exact call that cost Detroit a win over Atlanta a few weeks earlier. A touchdown was changed to down at the one, and since Detroit had 0 timeouts left and only 8 seconds remained, the 10 seconds runoff ended the game in front of a shellshocked crowd. The 10 second runoff is because that is about the time it would take a team to run up to the line and spike the ball to stop the clock. Because 18 seconds remained when Cook hit the ground, the Raiders still had 8 seconds left. The touchdown had been taken off the board and the clock was about to start running again. However, the Raiders had a second chance.

If the Raiders had a timeout, they could have run the ball. They did not, and it also did not help that Lynch was out of the game disqualified. They had to pass. Carr snapped the ball and immediately fired to Crabtree for the touchdown with three seconds remaining. Again the Raiders and their fans erupted in joy. Again it was not to be. Crabtree was called for offensive pass interference. Both players tangled arms, and it was a tricky tack call. Yet instead of the win, the Raiders were now backed up from the one to the 10. Twice the winning touchdown had been overturned. With 3 seconds left, the Raiders seemed to be down to their final play and a third chance to win the game.

Carr fired over the middle to Cook. The throw was a little high but certainly catchable. Yet it bounced off of Cook’s fingertips out of the back of the end zone incomplete. Now the Chiefs were celebrating and the Raiders were preparing to again explain why the league and the officials hate them. The clock read double zeroes. However, this time it was the Raiders who were bailed out the officials. There was another penalty flag, and this time it was defensive holding against the Chiefs. Pass interference would have put the ball back on the one, but since it was only holding the ball was moved from the 10 to the 5. A game cannot end on a defensive penalty, so the Raiders were given one untimed down. This would be the fourth chance to win the game.

Carr fired high to the back of the end zone, and Patterson came down with it. The Raiders, celebrated, but the officials ruled that Patterson did not come down inbounds. He was pushed out, but the force out rule no longer exists. The play was ruled incomplete. The Chiefs then celebrated. Except the game was still not over. Again, their was a penalty flag, and again it was on the Chiefs for defensive holding. Pass interference would have put the ball on the one, but holding put it on the 2 yard line. Twice the Raiders had a touchdown overturned. Twice the Chiefs had a defensive stand overturned. The Raiders would get another untimed down. The craziest ending in NFL history saw the supposed final play be run 5 times. The fifth chance would be it.

Carr rolled to his left and fired a dart to the corner of the end zone. Crabtree cradled it, and his knee clearly came down inbounds with the ball past the plane of the goal. This time it was a touchdown, and on further review the touchdown counted. The Raiders and their fans again exploded in joy, and this time it counted. However, that only tied the game 30-30. Tavecchio had already missed 2 field goals, and extra points are now 33 yard tries. It was not pretty, but Tavecchio snuck it inside the upright. The Raiders had a win that had everything but John Faced waxing poetic and Bill King screaming “Holy Toledo.”

Smith finished 25 of 36 for 342 yards, but that includes the 63 yard fluke touchdown. Nevertheless, he was sensational until his final offensive snap when he was taken down. Carr was magnificent. 2 weeks after injuring his back, he threw 52 passes and completed 29 of them for 417 yards. The Chiefs at 5-2 still lead the AFC West. The Raiders at 2-5 would have been dead. Instead at 3-4 they are very much alive. It was just another heart-stopping win in the Jack Del Rio era. This was a Silver and Black win for all time and certainly the game of the year. Just win baby. 31-30 Raiders

Tennessee Titans at Cleveland Browns — Somebody, somewhere cared about this game. Tennessee held the ball for 11 plays and 6 1/2 minutes and Ryan Succop hit a 43 yard field goal to make it 3-0 Titans. In the second quarter the Browns recovered a fumble. Gonzalez hit a 31 yard field goal for a 3-3 game that was every bit as dull as expected. The Titans moved 70 yards in 14 plays and 7 minutes, settling for a 23 yard Succop field goal. The Titans led 6-3 at recess, and league rules prevented the second half from being canceled. In the third quarter the Browns moved 70 yards in 10 plays and 5 minutes. Gonzalez hit from 47 for a 6-6 game. Succop began the fourth quarter with a 46 yard field goal to make it 9-6 Titans. With 12 1/2 minutes left and the Browns facing 4th and 3 at the Titans 37, Hue Jackson decided to go for it rather than try a 55 yard field goal. Cody Kessler threw deep incomplete. With 8:45 to play Succop missed from 53. With 6 1/2 minutes left Kevin Byerd intercepted Kessler for the third time on the day. With 47 seconds left, Gonzalez drilled a 54 yard field goal for a 9-9 tie. If ever a game did not deserve overtime, this was it. The Browns punted twice and Tennessee began their second possession just past midfield. With 2 minutes left in overtime, Succop hit from 47 to keep the Browns winless. 12-9 Titans, OT

Jacksonville Jaguars at Indianapolis Colts — Don’t look now, but the Jaguars are above the .500 mark. The Andrew Luckless Colts are horrendous, and Jacksonville took advantage early. A 12 play, 75 yard, 5 1/2 minute drive culminated in Chris Ivory running it in from one yard out to make it 7-0 Jaguars. Jacksonville got it back and quickly moved 70 yards. Blake Bortles hit Mercedes Lewis for a 5 yard touchdown and a 14-0 Jaguars advantage. In the second quarter the Jaguars moved 67 yards in 12 plays and 6 1/2 minutes. Josh Lambo hit a 42 yard field goal to make it 17-0 Jaguars. Jacksonville got it back and Bortles went to Hurns, who shook terrible attempts at tackles for a 50 yard gain. Lambo hit from 33 to make it 20-0 Jaguars as Chuck Pagano wondered why he didn’t take early retirement. The anticlimactic second half continued for the Colts misery. The Jaguars moved 91 yards and TJ Yeldon shook off an earlier fumble to run for a 58 yard third quarter touchdown to complete the blowout. Doug Marrone has a real football team and Captain Grumpy Tom Coughlin was so pleased he almost smiled. 27-0 Jaguars

Baltimore Ravens at Minnesota Vikings The first half belonged to the field goal kickers. Justin Tucker hit from 48 yards out to put the Ravens on the board first. Kai Forbath answered from 52 for a 3-3 game. In the second quarter Forbath hit from 51 and Tucker blasted one from 57 for a 6-6 tie. Minnesota moved 60 yards in 15 plays and 7 minutes and Forbath hit from 43 to make it 9-6 Vikings at the half. In the third quarter Forbath again hit from 43 for a 12-6 Vikings lead. A 19 yard punt return had the Vikings taking over at the Baltimore 45. Murray ran for a 29 yard touchdown. Finally the end zone was cracked but the extra point doinked off the upright no good as the Vikings led 18-6. Tucker hit a 47 yard field goal to get Baltimore within 18-9. In the fourth quarter Forbath hit his fifth and sixth field goals from 34 and 32 as the Vikings won Mike Zimmer-style with suffocating defense. Baltimore finally reached the end zone with a garbage touchdown on the final play to make the score seem closer than it really was. 24-16 Vikings

New York Jets at Miami Dolphins — The Jets are not as bad as advertised while the Dolphins somehow got a road win last week despite long stretches of listless offense. The Jets dominated the earlier game and now sought a season sweep. The Jets moved 75 yards and Josh McCown hit Jermaine Kearse for a 29 yard touchdown to make it 7-0 Jets. The Dolphins responded 75 yards and Jay cutler hit Landry for a 4 yard score and a 7-7 game. The Jets came back 75 yards again as neither team showed interest in defense. McCown hit Anderson for an 18 yard touchdown to make it 14-7 Jets. In the second quarter the Dolphins moved 70 yards in 10 plays and 5 minutes. Cutler hit Anthony Fasano for a 4 yard touchdown and a 14-14 game.

Late in the half from his own 7, Cutler had a pass tipped in the air and intercepted. The Jets took over at the Miami one yard line and McCown snuck in for a 21-14 Jets lead. Cutler took a shot to the chest and left the game. The Jets took over at the Miami 45. On 3rd and 9 from the Miami 10, McCown hit Austin Sefarian-Jenkins in the back of the end zone for a touchdown and a 28-14 Jets lead. An 11 yard punt return had the Dolphins taking over at the Jets 42. On 3rd and 7 from the 28, Matt Moore went deep to Kenny Stills for a touchdown to get the Dolphins within 28-21 with 11 1/2 minutes left in regulation. The Dolphins soon got it back at their own 46. On 3rd and 10 from just past midfield, Moore hit Landry for 17 yards and went deep to Landry again for a 29 yard gain. Moore threw a 2 yard touchdown pass to Kenny Stills for a 28-28 tie with 6 1/2 minutes left.

The Jets took over at their own 15 with 47 seconds left in regulation. All they had to do was not make a spectacular mistake. McCown was quickly intercepted, setting the Dolphins up at the Jets 27. Cody Parker came in with 26 seconds left for the 39 yard try to win it. The kick was good. J-E-T-S, just end the season. Meanwhile, even if Cutler is ready to return, the team may wish to stick with Moore. 31-28 Dolphins

Tampa Bay Buccaneers at Buffalo Bills — The first quarter belonged to the field goal kickers. Murray hit from 50 for the Buccaneers. Steve Hauschka answered from 25 to tie the game and Murray also hit from 25 to make it 6-3 Buccaneers. In the second quarter there was finally an end zone sighting. The Bills moved 78 yards in 12 plays and 6 minutes. LeSean Shady McCoy got the last yard for a 10-6 Bills lead. An interception of Jameis Winston gave the Bills the ball at the tampa Bay 26 with 23 seconds left in the half. With 11 seconds left in the half the Bills had 2nd and 2 at the 18 without a timeout. A 36 yard field goal was easily doable. Instead Tyrod Taylor threw a 2 yard pass in the field of the play as the clock ran out. The Bills have not made the playoffs since 1999, which is when the West Coast Offense stopped being revolutionary.

The Bills shook off the blunder in the third quarter, moving 75 yards. Taylor hit Thomas for a 22 yard touchdown to make it 17-6 Bills. The Bucs came back 75 yards as Winston hit Howard for a 7 yard touchdown to get the Buccaneers within 17-13. Early in the fourth quarter Hauschka hit from 52 to make it 20-13 Bills. Yet the usually tough Bills defense could not get a stop on the next series. On 3rd and 12 form the Tampa Bay 42, Winston hit Chris Brate for 13 and then went deep to OJ Howard for a 33 yard touchdown to tie the game 20-20 with 10 minutes left in the game.

With 9 1/2 minutes left, McCoy fumbled and the Buccaneers took over at their own 46. On 3rd and 6 from the Buffalo 24, Winston hit Brate for 7. On 3rd and 10 from the Buffalo 17, the Bills jumped offsides. Winston then hit Mike Evans for a 12 yard touchdown to make it 27-20 Buccaneers with 3:20 to play. After a touchback, Buffalo responded right away. Taylor went deep to Thompson for a 44 yard gain with 15 more tacked on for a horse collar tackle. McCoy atoned for his fumble by running for a 7 yard touchdown and a 27-27 game with 2 1/2 minutes left. On the next play from scrimmage after a touchback, it was the Buccaneers who blundered. A short pass by Winston was fumbled by Humphries, setting up the Bills at the Tampa Bay 33. On 3rd and 8 Taylor hit Jones for 11 yards. With 18 seconds left, Haushka came in for the 30 yarder to win it. The kick was good as the Bills are now a 4-2 team under Sean McDermott. 30-27 Bills

Carolina Panthers at Chicago Bears — Mitchell Trubisky won hit first NFL game last week. Early on it was Cam Newton moving the Panthers from their 25 to the Chicago 24. Newton out of the shotgun then pitched the ball. The pitch was fumbled, and Eddie Jackson returned it 75 yards for a defensive touchdown and a 7-0 Bears lead. On the first play of the second quarter, Conor Barth had a 52 yard field goal try blocked. It didn’t matter. Jackson struck again, intercepting a deflected pass and returning it for another 75 yard touchdown and a 14-0 Bears lead. The Panthers finally got on the board with a 36 yard Graham Gano field goal. Trubisky then then went deep to Cohen for a 70 yard gain. Yet on 2nd and goal at the one, Howard lost a yard. On 3rd and goal at the 2, a touchdown run by Trubisky was reversed to a one yard gain. John Fox likes to run the ball, but he had seen enough. On 4th and goal at the one he played it safe. Barth hit from 19 to close out the half. John Fox likes to run the ball and play defense. He happily took the Bears back to the stone age in a scoreless second half. The difference between a 3-3 game was 2 defensive touchdowns by Eddie Jackson. That has the Bears with consecutive wins and trending upwards with the ugly but beautiful win. 17-3 Bears

New Orleans Saints at Green Bay Packers — Aaron Rodgers is done for the year with an injured collarbone, but Brett is available. No, not Favre. Hundley. Pass-happy Mike McCarthy had to go to the running game, and a 75 yard drive was capped off with Jones running for a 46 yard touchdown to make it 7-0 Packers. In the second quarter the Saints moved 53 yards. Mark Ingram ran for a 12 yard touchdown and a 7-7 ballgame. The Packers came back 75 yards and Hundley ran for a 14 yard touchdown. He endeared himself to the hometown faithful by slamming into defenders at the one and getting into the end zone and doing the Lambeau Leap.

In the third quarter the Saints moved 59 yards. Drew Brees hit Coleman for a 22 yard touchdown. The extra point was blocked as the Saints trailed 14-13. New Orleans got it back and moved 74 yards in 10 plays. Will Lutz hit from 28 to make it 16-14 Saints. The fourth quarter began with Crosby hitting from 46 to make it 17-16 Packers. Lutz responded from 44 to make it 19-17 Saints with 11 minutes left in regulation. The Saints got it back at their own 45 with 8 1/2 minutes left. From midfield, Ingram ran for 23 yards with a horsecollar tackle adding 15 more. On 3rd and 2 at the 5, Brees hit Ingram for 3. On 3rd and goal at the one, Brees snuck in to give the Saints a 9 point cushion with 5 minutes left. Hundley went deep and was quickly intercepted. The Saints remained above .500 for Sean Payton while the Packers could be in very deep trouble. 26-17 Saints

Arizona Cardinals at Los Angeles Rams in London. The Rams are progressing and the Cardinals are going in the other direction. Early on the Rams moved 73 yards in 14 plays and 6 minutes. Greg Zuerlein hit a 23 yard field goal to make it 3-0 Rams. In the second quarter Zuerlein hit from 33 for a 6-0 Rams lead. With 6 minutes left in the half, Palmer was intercepted on a deep ball and injured on the play. Joyner returned the interception 29 yards to the Arizona 18. One play later Gurley went straight up the middle for a touchdown to make it 13-0 Rams. Drew Stanton came replaced Palmer.

The Rams got it back and soon faced 3rd and 9 at their own 13 with 1:53 left in the half. A neutral zone infraction made it 3rd and 4. Goff then hit Woods for 15 yards and Gurley for 35 more. On 3rd and 3 from the Arizona 25, Goff hit Cooper Kupp for 16 yards. On the next play Goff took it himself for the 9 yard touchdown and a 20-0 Rams lead with only 41 seconds left in the half. One play later Stanton was intercepted, setting up the Rams at the Arizona 28. Zuerlein drilled a 53 yard field goal to make it 23-0 Rams at the intermission. The second half was a formality. Zuerlein connected again from 34 in the third quarter for a 26-0 Rams mauling. In the fourth quarter the Rams had a staggering 16 play, 80 yard drive that consumed almost 10 1/2 minutes off the clock. Goff hit Cooper Kupp for one final touchdown to complete the shutout. The Rams are for real and the Cardinals are a real mess. Bruce Arians said after the game that Palmer had a broken arm and would miss 8 weeks. 33-0 Rams

Cincinnati Bengals at Pittsburgh Steelers — The Steelers moved 75 yards in 5 1/2 minutes. Ben Roethlisberger hit Antonio Brown for a 7 yard touchdown to make it 7-0 Steelers. The Bengals came back 53 yards and Red Rifle Andy Dalton hit Brandon LaFell for a 6 yard touchdown and a 7-7 tie. In the second quarter the Steelers came back 75 yards. Roetholisberger found a wide open Juju Smith-Schuster for a 31 yard touchdown and a 14-7 Steelers lead. The Bengals came back 75 yards in 12 plays and 5 1/2 minutes. Dalton hit Kroft for a one yard touchdown and a 14-14 game. After that, Steelers kicker Chris Boswell took over.

The Steelers went 75 yards in 12 plays and 5 1/2 minutes. However, they bogged down inside the 5 yard line. Boswell hit a 22 yard field goal to make it 17-14 Steelers. The Steelers got it back at their own 23 with 90 seconds left in the half. A 34 yard defensive pass interference call meant 1st and goal at the 5 with 16 seconds left. With 12 seconds left, the Steelers still had one timeout left. So Mike Tomlin called a run and LeVeon Bell was tackled with 8 seconds left. Despite screaming for a timeout, officials did not stop the clock until 3 seconds remained. An angry Tomlin argued unsuccessfully for more time to be added back to the clock so the Steelers could run another offensive play. The Steelers settled for a 24 yard Boswell kick to lead 20-14 at halftime. In the third quarter the Steelers went 54 yards in 11 plays and 6 minutes. Boswell hit from 41 to make it 23-14 Steelers. An interception of Dalton led to Boswell hitting his fourth field goal for a 26-14 Steelers advantage. Later on a perfectly executed fake punt called by Mike Tomlin led to Boswell hitting his fifth field goal to end things. 29-14 Steelers

Dallas Cowboys at San Francisco 49ers — 25 years ago these teams played for everything. They honored tradition by playing for almost nothing as the underachieving Cowboys took on the winless Santa Clara 49ers of San Francisco. The 49ers fumbled a punt, giving the Cowboys the ball at the Frisco 20. Ezekiel Elliott still has not been suspended, and he ran for 14 yards, 5 more, and then the last yard to make it 7-0 Cowboys. The Cowboys got it back at their own 26. On 3rd and 7 from their own 42, Das Prescott threw incomplete. Yet defensive pass interference meant 17 more yards and a first down. Elliott ran for a 25 yard touchdown to make it 14-0 Cowboys. The 49ers did get a 42 yard field goal from Robbie Gould, but in the second quarter Dallas struck again. A 12 play, 86 yard, 5 minute drive culminated in Prescott finding Jason Witten in the back of the end zone for a touchdown. Dan Bailey was injured during the game, so Dallas went for 2 rather than try an extra point. The attempt failed but the Cowboys led 20-3.

On Dallas’s first play from scrimmage in the third quarter, a short pass from Prescott to Elliott went for a 72 yard touchdown. With a backup trying extra points, the kick doinked off the upright and was good as the cowboys led 27-3. The Cowboys got it back and moved 80 yards in 13 plays, taking nearly 8 minutes to do it. Prescott got the last 2 yards. Despite another missed extra point, the Cowboys were winning a laugher 33-3. On the last play of the third quarter Beatherd was sacked and fumbled. The Cowboys began the fourth quarter at the Frisco 29. On 3rd and goal at the 2, Prescott fired to Dez Bryant in the back of the end zone. Bryant caught it with one hand between two defenders and somehow came down with it for a 40-3 Cowboys lead. The only thing that would have made this game exciting would have been had George Teague decked Terrell Owens again. They both are retired, and so is the season for the winless 49ers. They did get one garbage touchdown in a garbage season. 40-10 Cowboys

Seattle Seahawks at New York Giants — In the first quarter the Seahawks had a 9 minute drive. On the first play of the second quarter, they faced 4th and goal at the one. Pete Carroll decided to go for it. Russell Wilson went to Jimmy Graham, but Eli Apple ripped the ball out at the last moment for an incompletion and a Big Blue goal line stand. The Seahawks got it back at their own 41 and Thomas Rawld immediately fumbled. Landon Collins returned the fumble 32 yards to the Seattle 17. Eli Manning hit Evan Engram for a 5 yard touchdown as the Giants led 7-0. With one minute left in the half the Seahawks faced 3rd and 10 at the giants 27. A touchdown pass from Russell Wilson to Tyler Lockett was nullified by offensive pass interference. On 3rd and 20 Wilson found McKissick for 16. Blair Walsh hit a 39 yard field goal as the Seahawks trailed 7-3 at halftime.

Midway through the third quarter, the Seahawks took over at their own 41. A short completion from Wilson to Graham went for 29 yards. A deep ball to Richardson went for 23 yards. Yet on 1st and goal at the 7, unnecessary roughness pushed the Seahawks back. On 2nd and goal from the 22, Wilson went deep to Doug Baldwin for the touchdown and the 10-7 Seahawks lead. The fourth quarter began with Alex Rosas trying a 47 yard field goal to tie the game. The kick was no good. With 10 minutes left from the Giants 41, Manning was sacked and fumbled. The Seahawks took over at the Giants 38. One play later, Pete Carroll went to the bag of tricks. Wilson pitched it to McKissic, who pitched it back to Wilson. The perfectly executed flea flicker saw Wilson go deep to Richardson. Landon Collins insisted he intercepted it, leading some to scream Fail Mary II. This was a touchdown, and the Seahawks led 17-7. Midway through the fourth quarter the Seahawks took over at midfield. Wilson took 6 minutes off the clock and threw a one yard touchdown to Graham to put the game away. 24-7 Seahawks

Denver Broncos at Los Angeles Chargers — In the first quarter the Chargers quickly got to 1st and goal at the one. Melvin Gordon got it 3 straight times, and got stopped 3 straight times. Anthony Lynn went for it. Gordon got it a 4th straight time and was stopped a 4th straight time. The heroic goal line stand effort by the defense was wasted by the offense and special teams as Travis Benjamin returned a punt 65 yards for a touchdown and a 7-0 Chargers lead. In the second quarter the Chargers moved 65 yards in 6 minutes. Rovers hit Ekeler for a one yard touchdown to make it 14-0 Chargers. The defense clamped down in the second half. Late in the game the Chargers moved 92 yards in 10 plays and 7 minutes. Rivers found Travis Benjamin, who evaded everyone for a 42 yard touchdown to put the game on ice. 25 years after the Chargers started 0-4 and made the playoffs, they are now 3-4 and very much alive. Meanwhile, the once solid Broncos are now struggling. 21-0 Broncos

Atlanta Falcons at New England Patriots is the Sunday night game. The Super Bowl rematch gave the Falcons a chance to atone for the biggest choke job not involving Hillary Clinton. The Falcons also blew a 17-0 halftime lead last week at home. They also blew a 17-0 halftime lead at home in the NFC Title Game five years ago. In this game they moved from their own 29 to a 1st and 10 at the New England 19. That included a 9 yard scramble by Matt Ryan on 4th and 7 from the New England 48. Yet Dan Quinn’s gutsy call went for naught. A run went nowhere, Matt Ryan threw incomplete twice, and Matt Bryant’s 37 yard field goal try was blocked.

The second quarter began with the Patriots facing 3rd and 16 at their own 20. Tom Brady went to Chris Hogan for 25 yards and Dion Lewis gained 25 more. From the Atlanta 31, Brady went deep and was intercepted in the end zone. However, a questionable roughing the passer penalty kept the Patriots going. Brady hit Brandon Cooks for an 11 yard touchdown to make it 7-0 Patriots. In the second quarter the Patriots moved from their own 26 to a 1st and 10 at the Atlanta 11. On 3rd and 9 Brady threw incomplete. Stephen Gostkowski hit the 28 yard field goal to make it 10-0 Patriots. At the 2 minute warning, the Falcons again decided to go for it on 4th and 6 at the Patriots 47 yard line. The gamble backfired when Ryan threw incomplete. Brady did what he does. From the Atlanta 29, he hit Cooks for 18 yard. With 22 seconds left in the half, Brady threw a 2 yard touchdown pass to White to make it 17-0 Patriots at halftime.

Atlanta’s misery continued in the third quarter. They moved from their 28 to a 2nd and 7 at the New England 17. Ryan threw incomplete and Bryant’s 36 yard field goal doinked off the upright no good. The Patriots moved from their 26 to a 3rd and goal at the one, taking up 6 minutes. Mike Gillislee got the carry and lost 2 yards. Gostkowski hit from 21 to make it 20-0 Patriots with 4 minutes left in the third quarter. The Falcons moved from their 24 to a 3rd and goal at the one as the fourth quarter began. An incompletion set up 4th and goal at the one. The Falcons went for it and a lateral running play was blown up in the backfield for a 4 yard loss. The Patriots drove 74 yards in 10 plays and 5 minutes. Gostkowski hit from 38 to make it 23-0 Patriots.

The Falcons moved 88 yards in 11 plays and 5 minutes. With 4 minutes left a pass to the end zone appeared to be intercepted by Malcolm Butler. Yet Julio Jones ripped it out of Butler’s hands for the one yard touchdown to avoid the shutout. The onside kick failed. On 3rd and 1 from the Atlanta 40, both teams took their final timeout. Brady snuck for the first down as the Patriots ran out the clock. 23-7 Patriots

Washington Redskins at Philadelphia Eagles was the Monday night game. Early on this was a battle in the trenches. Rose hit a 27 yard field goal for the Redskins in the first quarter. Elliott answered from 50 yards out in the second quarter for a 3-3 game. The offenses then finally got going. The Redskins moved 81 yards and Kirk Cousins hit Thompson for a 7 yard touchdown and a 10-3 lead. The Eagles had been bottled up all game, but Carson Wentz launched a bottle rocket to Hollins for a 64 yard touchdown and a 10-10 game. The Eagles got it back at their own 20 with 1:52 left in the half. Wentz ran for 11 yards and then went deep to zac hertz for a 46 yard gain. On 3rd and 3 from the Washtington 11, Wentz through incomplete but defensive pass interference put the ball on the one. After a run lost 3 yards, Wentz hit Ertz for a 4 yard touchdown as the Eagles took a 17-10 lead into the locker rooms.

The Eagles kept rolling in the third quarter, moving 81 yards in 10 plays and 5 1/2 minutes. On 3rd and 3 from the Washington 48, Wants ran around the end for a 21 yard gain and then hit Ertz for 21 more yards. On 3rd and goal at the 9, Wentz went to Clement for the touchdown to make it 24-10 Eagles.

The Redskins would take over after a punt at their own 48. On 3rd and 11 from the Philly 25, Cousins found Reed for 20 and then again for the 5 yard touchdown to get the Redskins within 24-17.

In the fourth quarter the Eagles moved 75 yards as Wentz hit Nelson Agholor for a 10 yard touchdown and a 31-17 Eagles lead with 11 minutes left.

After a touchback disaster struck Washington on 3rd and 6 from their own 39. The Eagles took over at the Washington 26 and Elliott hit the 42 yard field goal with 6 1/2 minutes left.

The Redskins did get one more touchdown while the Eagles missed a field goal long after the suspense was over. Doug Pederson has a 6-1 football team that is getting quality wins and team football. 34-24 Eagles