THE TYGRRRR EXPRESS

NFL 2016 Week 8 Recap

Jacksonville Jaguars at Tennessee Titans was the Thursday night game. Sometimes a pair of bad teams can come together and play a thrilling game. This was not that game. The worst football game is still better than baseball. These teams tested that maxim. At least they were not dressed like Teletubbies. Never mind. They were. In the first quarter Ryan Succop hit a 32 yard field goal to make it 3-0 Titans. The Titans exploded in the second quarter. Marcus Mariota hit Kenny Wright for a 36 yard touchdown. Henry ran for a 6 yard touchdown and DeMarco Murray ran for a 14 yard touchdown as drives of 66, 69 and 62 yards made it 24-0 Titans. Succop tacked on a 22 yarder as the Titans led 27-0 at halftime. For some reason, the second half was played. Out of respect for the game of football, it does not need to be discussed or analyzed. Blake Bortles threw 3 touchdown passes during garbage time, which was the entire second half. The last 2 came with Jacksonville already down by 28 points. Gus Bradley and the entire team should prepare for the Wrath of Shad Khan. 36-22 Titans

Washington Redskins at Cincinnati Bengals was the Sunday early morning game from London. The Redskins moved 80 yards in 15 plays and 7 1/2 minutes. Kelley got in from 4 yards out for a 7-0 Redskins lead. The ensuing kickoff was returned 65 yards to the Washington 36. Bernard got in from the 8 to make it 7-7. Defenses ruled the second quarter. On 4th and 1 from the Cincy 18, Jay Gruden went for it and a run got stuffed. So when the Redskins got it back and had 4th and goal at the 2, Gruden opted for the field goal. Dustin Hopkins hit the 20 yarder for a 10-7 Washington lead at the half.

In the third quarter the Bengals offense got going. Red rifle Andy Dalton led drives of 75 and 64 yards. Dalton threw a 15 yard touchdown pass to Tyler Effect and ran for a one yard score himself for a 20-10 Bengals lead. Mike Nugent missed the extra point when the Bengals took the lead, which would be a big deal later on. Kirk Cousins quickly brought the Redskins back 91 yards, as a 23 yard touchdown pass to Reed had the Redskins within 20-17 after three quarters. In the fourth quarter Cousins again rapidly moved the Redskins 83 yards. A 33 yard touchdown pass to Crowder had Washington back in front 24-20.

The Bengals then had their turn going 75 yards, and Jeremy Hill got in from the one for a 27-24 Cincy lead midway through the fourth quarter. Washington after an exchange of punts took over at their own 33 with 3:15 left. With 1:56 to play, the Redskins faced 3rd and 13 from the Cincy 42. Cousins found Crowder for a 20 yard gain. Although Cousins followed that up with 3 straight incompletions, Washington at least was now in field goal range. Hopkins hit from 40 for a 27-27 game with 1:07 left. In overtime each team crossed midfield. However, on 3rd and 7 from the Cincinnati 45, Cousins threw incomplete. On 3rd and 8 from the Washington 40, Dalton was sacked.

The Redskins moved from their own 22 to a 2nd and 4 at the Cincinnati 13. The Redskins were in total control, and Cousins took a short loss just to center the ball. Jay Gruden played it very safe, and on third down brought in Hopkins for a 34 yard field goal try to win it with just over two minute left in overtime. In an epidemic started by Seattle and Arizona last week, Hopkins was no good. With 1:11 left, the Bengals faced 3rd and 1 at their own 46. Dalton got the yard but fumbled the ball away. With one minute left the Redskins had a short field at the Cincy 47. One first down would mean another long field goal try. Instead offensive holding pushed Washington back. With 2 seconds left on 4th and 11, the Hail Mary failed. Despite being a magnificent 38 of 56 for 458 yards passing, 2 touchdowns and one interception, it was not enough for Cousins to add another win to the Washington column. 27-27 Tie, OT

Arizona Cardinals at Carolina Panthers — The rematch of last year’s NFC Title Game was now a showdown between a struggling Arizona squad and a bad Carolina team. However, Carolina’s defense plagued Carson Palmer early on is they did last year. On 3rd and 6 from the Arizona 43, Palmer was sacked and fumbled. Davis picked it up and raced 46 yards for a touchdown and a 7-0 Panthers lead. Carolina dominated from the outset as drives of 75 yards and 65 yards had Jonathan Stewart running for a 2 yard touchdown in the first quarter and a one yard touchdown in the second quarter for a 21-0 Panthers lead. Graham Gano hit a 43 yard field goal as the Panthers led 24-0.

Palmer did cap a 75 yard drive by throwing a 5 yard touchdown pass to Nelson before the half, but in the third quarter Gano hit from 52 and 21 to make it 30-7 Panthers. Another 75 yard drive took 10 plays and 5 1/2 minutes for Arizona. Palmer hit John Brown for a 17 yard touchdown but the Cardinals still trailed 30-14. In the fourth quarter the Cardinals moved 92 yards. Palmer hit Nelson for the 4 yard touchdown. Yet the 2 point conversion try to make it a one score game failed. With 5 minutes left, the Cardinals were still down by 10 and would get no closer. Even after a Panthers fumble, Palmer threw an interception right back. For the Panthers, it was just relief at finally getting another win. 30-20 Panthers.

Detroit Lions at Houston Texans — After a scoreless first quarter, the Texans moved 61 yards in 12 plays and 5 1/2 minutes. Brock Osweiler hit Fiedorowicz for a 12 yard touchdown to get Houston on the board first. Houston got it back and Miller ran for a one yard score to make it 14-0 Texans. Matt Prater hit a 47 yard field goal as the Lions trailed 14-3 at halftime. In the third quarter Nick Novak hit from 33 to make it 17-3 Texans. The Lions then moved 75 yards in 13 plays and 6 minutes. On the first play of the fourth quarter, with the Lions facing 3rd and 6 at the Houston 14, Matthew Stafford threw incomplete. Yet defensive pass interference put the ball on the one. Stafford hit Theo Riddick for the touchdown to get the Lions within 17-10. Novak hit a 36 yard field goal with 4 minutes left to give Houston some breathing room up 10, but Prater answered from 34 to get the Lions back within 7 with 3 minutes left. The onside kick failed and the defense could not get a stop as Houston ran out the clock. 20-13 Texans

Seattle Seahawks at New Orleans Saints — The Saints pinball wizard Drew Brees faced off against the Legion of Boom. Early on the Legion of Boom struck the first blow. Mark Ingram fumbled and Earl Thomas returned it 34 yards for a touchdown and a 7-0 Seahawks lead. Thomas got so excited that he committed an NFL first. He hugged the official and drew a 15 yard penalty. In the second quarter the Saints held the ball for 7 minutes and moved 83 yards in 15 plays. Yet they had to settle for a 22 yard Will Lutz field goal to trail 7-3. Seattle quickly came back 75 yards and Michael got in from 2 yards out to make it 14-3 Seahawks.

The Saints got within 14-6 when Lutz nailed a 53 yard field goal. Russell Wilson was then intercepted, setting up the Saints at the Seattle 37 with 5 minutes left in the half. On 3rd and 2 from the 3, Tim Hightower got the 2 yards. On 3rd and goal from the one, Brees got in himself to get the Saints within 14-13 at the half. In the third quarter both teams held the ball on 6 minute drives but had to settle for field goals. Steve Hauschka hit from 44 and despite moving deep again, the Saints settled for Lutz from 21 to get within 17-16. In the fourth quarter the Saints came back 71 yards. Brees threw a 2 yard touchdown to Brandon Cooks to put the Saints back on top 22-17. The 2 point try failed. The Seahawks moved 72 yards in 13 plays and 6 minutes. Yet on 2nd and goal at the 5, a false start proved critical. Seattle settled for a 21 yard Hauschka field goal to trail 22-20 with 6 1/2 minutes left in regulation.

The Saints moved from their 25 to a 2nd and 8 at the Seattle 10 with a chance to ice the game. Instead a short pass gained nothing and on third down Brees was sacked at the 2 minute warning. Lutz hit from 41, but the Saints only led by 5. Seattle had a chance to win it from their own 32 with 1:50 to play. With 33 seconds left on 3rd and 6 from the Saints 45, Wilson found Doug Baldwin for 27 yards. After another completion, Wilson spiked the ball to stop the clock with 2 seconds left. The Seahawks faced 4th and 2 from the Saints 10. It all came down to the last play. Wilson fired to the end zone to Jermaine Kearse. Kearse caught the ball but was forced out the back of the end zone without getting his feet down as New Orleans hung on. 25-20 Saints

New England Patriots at Buffalo Bills — The Bills won 16-0 in New England, but that was without Tom Brady. Brady and Bill Belichick wanted to beat Rex Ryan 73-0, but early on that was not the case. Dan Carpenter hit a 23 yard field goal for a 3-0 Bills lead. The Patriots came back 70 yards in 14 plays and 6 1/2 minutes. Brady hit Danny Amendola on 3rd and 8 from the 9 for the touchdown for a 7-3 Patriots lead. New England got it back and faced 3rd and 13 at their own 47. Brady threw a short pass to Hogan, who outraced everyone for a 53 yard touchdown to make it 14-3 Patriots. The Bills moved 59 yards and Gillislee got in from the 3 to get the Bills within 14-10. Yet Rex Ryan’s defense had no answer for Brady. 79 yards came easily as another 53 yard touchdown, this one to Rob Gronkowkski, made it 21-10 Patriots. Stephen Gostkowski added a 51 yard field goal as the Patriots led 24-10 at halftime.

Amendola returned the second half kickoff 73 yards to the Buffalo 24. Brady hit Julian Edelman for a 12 yard touchdown to make it 31-10 Patriots. The Bills then moved 75 yards in 13 plays and 6 minutes. Tyrod Taylor scrambled for a 26 yard touchdown to get Buffalo within 31-17. The Patriots came back 75 yards in 12 plays and 5 minutes. LaGuerrette Blount scored from the one to have the Patriots romping 38-17 after three quarters. In the fourth quarter the Patriots held the ball on a nearly 8 minute drive, moving 76 yards in 13 plays. Gostkowski hit from 32 to make it 41-17. The Bills needed 3 touchdowns and 3 two point conversions to tie. They got one. Once again, the AFC East race seems over and the season is only half over. Brady finished 22 of 33 for 315 yards, 4 touchdowns and 0 interceptions. He has a 26-3 record against the Bills. 41-25 Patriots

New York Jets at Cleveland Browns — The Browns moved 75 yards and Josh McCown through a 5 yard touchdown pass to Hawkins to make it 7-0 Browns. Cleveland tacked on a 41 yard Cody Parkey field goal to make it 10-0 Browns. In the second quarter the Jets moved 87 yards in 12 plays and 5 1/2 minutes. Powell raced for a 35 yard touchdown to get the Jets within 10-7. The Browns came back 70 yards and Isaiah Crowell got in from the one to make it 17-7 Browns. Parkey added a 27 yard field goal as the winless Browns led the witless Jets 20-7 at halftime.

In the third quarter the Jets moved 78 yards in 12 plays and 7 minutes. Ryan Fitzpatrick hit Enunwa for a 24 yard touchdown pass to get the Jets within 20-14. Gang Green got it back and moved 84 yards. Matt Forte ran it in from 4 yards out as the Jets now led 21-20. The Jets got it back and moved 81 yards in 13 plays and 6 1/2 minutes. Forte ran for a 2 yard touchdown as the Jets led 28-20.

With 5 1/2 minutes left in regulation the Browns were pinned at their own one. On 3rd and 5 from the 6, McCown was intercepted. Despite having 1st and goal at the 8, the Jets could not punch it in. Yet Nick Folk hit from 24 to give the Jets 24 unanswered points and a 31-20 lead with 4 minutes left. Cleveland did move 84 yards, and on 3rd and goal at the one, McCown hit Hawkins for the touchdown and Terrelle Pryor for the 2 point try. Yet only 12 seconds remained. The onside kick failed and the Browns remained winless. At least Cleveland fans have the Indians and Cavaliers. New Yorkers are stuck with the Jets, and will have to wait a couple weeks before their rage is turned to the Knicks. 31-28 Jets

Oakland Raiders at Tampa Bay Buccaneers — Jameis Winston converted one third down, but after his third down scramble was called back by a holding penalty, the Buccaneers punted. An early unsportsmanlike conduct taunting penalty on Michael Crabtree turned what would have been 3rd and 1 into 3rd and 13 and killed Oakland’s first drive. Marquette King boomed a 67 yard punt. A holding penalty on the punt had the Bucs starting at their own 10 rather than their own 38. The Buccaneers moved easily to the red zone, but Khalil Mack sacked Winston. From 41 yards out, Roberto Aguayo was good for a 3-0 Buccaneers lead.

The Raiders got it back and soon faced 2nd and 18 from their own 27. Carr hit Michael Rivera over the middle for a 27 yard gain. Yet on 3rd and 9 from their 45. Carr was sacked and fumbled. The Buccaneers recovered at the Oakland 34. Winston hit Shepard for a 19 yard touchdown to make it 10-0 Buccaneers. The Raiders moved from their 25 to a 3rd and 7 at the Tampa Bay 48. Carr was called for intentional grounding and a 14 yard loss to kill the drive. Oakland got it back at their own 29 and Carr immediately went deep to Olawale for a 68 yard gain. Yet on 1st and goal at the 3, the Raiders self-destructed again. First there was a delay of game. Then a touchdown pass to Crabtree was nullified by offensive pass interference. Sebastian Janikowski hit the 31 yard field goal to get the Raider within 10-3.

The Buccaneers soon faced 3rd and 9 at their own 16, but the inept Raiders kept committing defensive penalties. Winston hit Mike Evans for 14 and ran for 9, with 15 more tacked on for a personal foul. On 3rd and 6 from the Oakland 42, a well defended ball fell incomplete as the Raiders forced a punt. Yet instead of good field position, the Raiders were pinned at their own one yard line. This was not a Jim Plunkett to Cliff Branch 99 yard moment, but Carr did hit Crabtree for a 17 yard gain. Deandre Washington ran for a 28 yard gain into Tampa Bay territory to the 48. After a bizarre illegal procedure call on the Raiders, the 2 minute warning came with Oakland facing a critical 3rd and 6 at the Tampa Bay 44. Jack Del Rio opted for a draw play, and it only gained 2 yards. For some reason the Buccaneers did not call a timeout. They to it back at their own 12 with all 3 timeouts but only 1:06 left in the half. The Raiders had 10 penalties for 86 yards in the first half.

The Raiders began the third quarter facing 3rd and 9, Carr zipped a pass over the middle to Amari Cooper for a 28 yard gain to the Tampa 48. On 3rd and 6 from the Tampa 43, Carr found Seth Roberts for 13 yards. Carr then went to the end zone for Cooper and defensive pass interference put the ball on the one. Carr rolled out and threw a tackle eligible to Donald Penn for the touchdown. Penn took delight in scoring against his old team. It was the first Raiders drive all game without a penalty. Despite being vastly outplayed, the Raiders tied the game 10-10.

Oakland got it back after Mack sacked Winston again to end Tampa Bay’s first drive of the third quarter. The offense was now in a groove. On 3rd and 6 from the Tampa 34, Carr went bombs away to Cooper for the touchdown and a 17-10 Raiders lead. Yet this team does not know how to handle prosperity. After they got the ball back. An offensive personal foul for a leg whip on Donald Penn led to a punt and a shift in momentum. A shanked punt had the Buccaneers starting in Oakland territory. On 2nd and 10 from the Oakland 47 on the last play of the third quarter, Winston fired over the middle to Humphries. A terrible attempt at tackling at the 30 allowed Humphries to spin forward all the way to the 5 yard line. On the first play of the fourth quarter, Winston hit Brate for the touchdown. Aguayo missed the extra point as the Buccaneers trailed 17-16.

The Raiders moved from their 25 to a 1st and 10 at the Tampa 39, but a screen pass was blown up in the backfield for a 3 yard loss. The Raiders punted. Their defense had their most boneheaded series of the season, which says a lot. On 3rd and 7 from their own 21, Winston threw deep incomplete. Yet a personal foul on Karl Joseph kept the drive going. On 3rd and 1 from the Oakland 45, the Oakland defense was called for an illegal substitution for 12 men in the huddle. On 3rd and 1 from the 12, the defense got flagged for the exact same call. Jacquez Rodgers got in from the one and Winston hit Mike Evans for the 2 point conversion to make it 24-17 Buccaneers with 3:48 to play.

After a touchback, Carr put on a clinic. He hit Seth Roberts for 15, Clive Walford for 17, and Cooper deep for 31 yards down to the Tampa Bay 12. On 4th and 3 from the 5, Carr threw incomplete but defensive holding gave the Raiders new life. After a false start, Carr fired over the middle to Michael Rivera for the 7 yard touchdown. With 1:38 left the game was tied 24-24. Despite 18 penalties against them for 155 yards, the Raiders were alive. On 3rd and 6 from the Tampa Bay 29, Winston threw deep incomplete. Karl Joseph was lucky he did not called for his second helmet to helmet hit.

Jalen Richard returned the punt 20 yards to the Oakland 45 with 44 seconds left in regulation. Carr hit Crabtree for 10. With 17 seconds left Carr went deep to Cooper, who just dropped it. On 3rd and 10 with 11 seconds left, Carr scrambled for a 13 yard gain and got out of bounds with 4 seconds left. Sebastian Janikowski is the all time NFL leader in field goals made 50 yards and longer. This one was from 50 yards exactly. It was no good and the game went to overtime.

The Raiders got the ball first in overtime and soon faced 3rd and 3 at their own 32. Carr fired to Crabtree, who shed would-be tacklers and raced for a 45 yard gain to the Tampa 23. A field goal would only be 41 yards, but a touchdown would end the game. Instead the Raiders kept destroying themselves. A 4 yard completion to Cooper instead became a 15 yard unnecessary roughness penalty on Cooper. A stiff-arm is legal. A head slap is not, and Cooper turned into Deacon jones. On 3rd and 16, Donald Penn was called for a false start. After an incompletion, Seabass came in for a 52 yard field goal try. Again, he was no good. Despite taking over at their own 42, Winston threw incomplete on 3rd and 5 and the Raiders got it back at their own 10. Naturally there was a penalty on the return.

On 2nd and 5 from the Oakland 15, Latavius Murray ran for 19 yards. Carr then went deep to Crabtree for a 41 yard gain to the Tampa 25. Again it looked like the Raiders were in the driver’s seat, but offsetting penalties nullified the gain. Carr then fired to Cooper for 20 yards to the Tampa 46. Needing only one more first down, Carr found Seth Roberts for 15 yards to the Tampa 32. Yet an illegal formation nullified that gain. Another penalty killed another drive and the Raiders punted. The Buccaneers took over at their own 11 with 4:44 left in overtime. The Buccaneers went 3 and out when Winston threw incomplete on 3rd and 3 from the 18. The Raiders took over at their own 40 with 3:21 left in overtime.

At the 2 minute warning, the Raiders faced 3rd and 4 at the Tampa Bay 42. Carr threw incomplete. A field goal try would have been 60 yards, and Seabass had already missed twice. Jack Del Rio has been gambling all year, and he did again. An incompletion would give the Buccaneers golden field position again. It all came down to one play.

Carr fired over the middle to Roberts, who broke a tackle and raced for the touchdown in front of a shellshocked home crowd. This game would not be another tie. It took nearly 5 quarters of football, the Raiders had won. The Raiders committed 23 penalties, a new NFL record. They were penalized exactly 200 yards. They overcame that with some other franchise records. Derek Carr had a game for the ages, completing 40 of 59 passes for 513 yards, 4 touchdown passes, and 0 interceptions. Cooper had 12 receptions for 173 yards and Crabtree added 108 yards on 8 carries. Olawale and Roberts each had 69 yards on 2 and 3 catches respectively. Carr hit 10 different receivers, including left tackle Donald Penn for one very important yard. The Raiders had a franchise record 626 yards of total offense, and the defense gave up only 270 yards. It may have been the ugliest win in franchise history, but the Raiders are 5-0 on the road for the first time since the John Madden era in the 1970s. They are 6-2 overall. Just win baby. 30-24 Raiders, OT

Kansas City Chiefs at Indianapolis Colts — Early on Cairo Santos hit a 33 yard field goal for a 3-0 Chiefs lead. In the second quarter the Chiefs moved 80 yards. Nick Files came in for Alex Smith, who left the game with a cut on his ear. Foles hit Kelce for a 14 yard touchdown. The Colts came back 63 yard and Andrew Luck hit Frank Gore for an 18 yard touchdown to get the Colts within 10-7.  With 42 seconds left in the half from the iNDY 29, luck was intercepted. The Chiefs took over at the indy 36. Smith was back in the game, and he hit Jeremy Maclin for a 13 yard touchdown to make it 17-7 Chiefs at halftime. In the third quarter Smith was out again and files was back in. Both teams mounted 10 play, 75 yard, 5 1/2 minute drives. Foles went to Tyreek Hill for a 34 yard touchdown and a 24-7 Chiefs lead. Luck went to Moncrief for a 3 yard touchdown as the Colts got within 24-14. The Chiefs defense clamped down in the fourth quarter as Walrus Lite Andy Reid saw his team get to 5-2. Santos in the fourth quarter added field goals of 22 and 44 to complete the scoring. 30-14 Chiefs

Green Bay Packers at Atlanta Falcons — Aaron Rodgers and Matt Ryan had the potential to put on a shootout. Early on the Falcons moved to the red zone but settled for a 36 yard Matt Bryant field goal to lead 3-0. Rodgers came back and hit Jordy Nelson for a 5 yard touchdown to cap a 75 yard drive and make it 7-3 Packers. The Falcons quickly came back 71 yards. Ryan hit Gabriel for a 47 yard touchdown to put the Falcons up 10-7 after the first quarter.

In the second quarter it was the Packers moving 75 yards in 14 plays and taking 7 1/2 minutes to do it. Rodgers on 3rd and goal at the 4 hit Allison for the touchdown to put the Packers back in front 14-10. The Falcons came back and Bryant hit from 40 to get Atlanta within 14-13. With 6 minutes left in the half the Falcons punted and Davis returned it 55 yards to the Atlanta 15. Rodgers hit Davis for the 9 yard touchdown for a 21-13 Packers lead.

After a touchback, Ryan kept firing. A 13 yard pass to Hooper followed by a roughing the passer penalty had Atlanta on the move. Ryan hit Devonta Freeman for the 5 yard touchdown with 30 seconds left in the half. The 2 point try failed as the Falcons trailed 21-19. Yet after a touchback with only 27 seconds left, Rodgers put on a very quick clinic. He ran for 23 yards and found Nelson, who made a juggling catch for a 21 yard gain of the Atlanta 31. Ripowski ran for 9 yards around the end with a defensive personal foul adding 11 more yards. Only 4 seconds remained, and Mason Crosby hit the 29 yard field goal to make it 24-19 Packers at the break.

In the third quarter the Falcons moved 80 yards in 14 plays and 7 1/2 minutes. On 3rd and 5 from their own 25, Ryan was sacked and fumbled. Yet the defense jumped offsides, meaning first down and new life. On 3rd and 6 from the Green Bay 12, Ryan hit Ward for 11. On 3rd and goal at the one, Freeman banged up the gut for the touchdown and a 26-24 Falcons lead with 3 1/2 minutes left in the third quarter.

With 12 1/2 minutes left in regulation the packers took over at their own 14. Rodgers put on a clinic, running for 11 and hitting Adams for 11 and Allison for 17 more. On 3rd and 3 from the Atlanta 37, Rodgers ran for 13 yards. On 3rd and 4 from the Atlanta 18, a completion to Nelson came up one yard short when Nelson gave up the first down yardage. Yet the Falcons had 12 men on the defense, which meant another Green Bay first down. On 3rd and 4 from the 7, Rodgers hit Janis for the touchdown. Rodgers ran in the 2 point try himself. They 13 play, 86 yard drive took 8 1/2 minutes off the clock. The Falcons got it back after a touchback down by 6 with 4 minutes left.

Matty Ice hit Muhammad Sanu for 9 and Hardy for 13 more. On 3rd and 2 from the Green Bay 45, Ryan found Sanu for 12 yards. With 1:14 to play the Falcons faced 3rd and 1 from the Green Bay 14. Ryan went to Hooper for 2 yards as the Falcons let the clock wind down. They wanted to leave Rodgers as little time as possible. Matty Ice was red hot, firing over the middle of the end zone to a wide open Sanu. The extra point was good and the Falcons led this thriller by a point with 30 seconds left. With 14 seconds left, the Packers faced 4th and 3 at their own 32. Rodgers rolled out and threw incomplete and the Falcons had the win in this fine football game. Both quarterbacks completed 28 passes without an interception, with Rodgers throwing 38 times with 4 touchdown passes and Ryan 35 times with 3 touchdown passes. This game was everything it was expected to be, and a playoff rematch would be an NFL treat.  33-32 Falcons

San Diego Chargers at Denver Broncos — Early on the Broncos moved 65 yards and Brandon McManus hit a 28 yard field goal for a 3-0 Broncos lead. The Chargers moved 85 yards and Philip Rivers hit Antonio Gates for a 7 yard touchdown and a 7-3 Chargers lead. In the second quarter, Rivers was intercepted by Bradley Roby, who returned it 49 yards for a score and a 10-7 Broncos lead. A very scary moment happened on the return. Melvin Gordon accidentally ran into beloved Broncos defensive coordinator Wade Phillips on the sideline. Phillips went down hard and stayed down for several minutes as players on both teams prayed. Phillips was taken off the field on a stretcher. He is the second Broncos coach in three weeks to go to the hospital, as Gary Kubiak was admitted a couple weeks ago. Kubiak has since rejoined the team. With just under one minute left in the half, Josh Lambo missed the tying field goal from 45 yards out.

The third quarter began with the Chargers immediately facing 3rd and 3 at their own 32. Rivers was intercepted by Stewart, who returned it 25 yards to the San Diego 10. Two plays later Booker got in from the 3 to make it 17-7 Broncos. 2 plays later after a touchback Rivers was intercepted again, and TJ Ward returned it 23 yards to the 7. Yet after Booker lost 4 yards, he caught a pass and tried to stretch for the pylon. Instead he fumbled and the Chargers recovered at their own 2 yard line.

Melvin Gordon ran for 12 to give the Chargers some breathing room. On 3rd and 12 from their 12, Rivers found Dontrell Inman for 15 yards and then went deep to Inman for 37 more yards. On 3rd and 8 from the Denver 22, Rivers hit Gates for just enough. On 3rd and 10 from the 14, Rivers fired to Travis Benjamin, who made a juggling catch in the back of the end zone. The 13 play, 98 yard drive consumed over 7 1/2 minutes and had the Chargers right back in it down 17-13. Lambo’s extra point try was blocked.

After a touchback, the Broncos moved. The fourth quarter began with Denver facing a critical 3rd and 6 at the San diego 31. Joey Boss jumped offside. On 3rd and 1, Booker gained 18 yards. On 3rd and goal at the one, Juwon Thompson banged forward and just broke the plane of the goal to make it 24-13 Broncos with 12 1/2 minutes left in regulation. The Denver defense held but the Broncos got the ball back at their own one yard line. On 3rd and 9 from their 16, Trevor Siemian had a pass deflected and tercepted by Casey Heyward, who returned it 24 yards for a touchdown. The 2 point conversion completion was nullified by offensive pass interference for a pick play. Mike McCoy decided to go for 2 again from the 12 and Rivers had his pass batted backward. With 8 minutes left in the game, the Chargers were within 24-19.

After a touchback, Denver struck back quickly. Siemian went deep to Green for a 31 yard gain and then deep again to Denarius Thomas for a 40 yard gain to set up 1st and goal at the 4. Yet the Broncos could not finish the drive. Siemian threw incomplete on 3rd and goal and the Broncos had to settle for a 22 yard McManus field goal. With 5 1/2 minutes left the Broncos led 27-19.

Facing 2nd and 15 from their own 20, Rivers hit Inman for 16 and Gordon for 30 more. Gordon ran for 17 yards to the Denver 17. On 3rd and 2 from the 9, Rivers hit Henry for 7 to set up 1st and goal at the 2. Rivers threw incomplete 4 straight times. The inspired goal line stand had the Broncos still up by 8 with 2:40 left. Denver could not move the ball but a 68 yard punt had the Chargers taking over at their own 33 with 2:08 to play and 2 timeouts. On 4th and 9 from their own 46 with 1:16 left, Rivers misfired to a wide open Gordon as Denver held on again. The win moved Denver to 6-2, but the team’s thoughts soon moved to the health of beloved Wade Phillips. 27-19 Broncos

Philadelphia Eagles at Dallas Cowboys was the Sunday night game. Carson Wentz faced off against Dak Prescott for the first time in this long stories NFC East rivalry. The Eagles moved 50 yards in 10 plays and 5 minutes. Caleb Sturgis hit a 30 yard field goal to make it 3-0 Eagles. After a touchback, Prescott went deep to Dez Bryant for a 53 yard gain. Prescott ran for a 7 yard touchdown for a 7-3 Cowboys lead. Dan Bailey added a 38 yard field goal to start the second quarter to make it 10-3 Cowboys. A field position game had the Eagles taking over at the Dallas 45. On 2nd and 15 from the 32, Darren Sproles ran for 19 yards. On 3rd and 5 from the 8, Wentz threw incomplete but defensive holding meant 1st and goal at the 4. Ryan Mathews got in from the one as the game was deadlocked 10-10 with 3 1/2 minutes left in the half.

After a touchback, Whitehead ran for 17, Prescott hit Bryant for 23, and Prescott ran for 16 more down to the Philly 7 with 1:40 left in the half. Prescott went to the end zone but was intercepted by Jordan Hicks in the end zone for a touchback. From their own 20 with 1:26 left, Wentz completed several short passes. With 5 seconds left in the half from the Dallas 44, Wants found Dorial Green-Beckham for 7 yards. The clock ticked down to zeroes, but officials properly put one second back on the clock. Sturgis drilled a 55 yard field goal as the Eagles took a 13-10 lead into the locker rooms.

In the third quarter the Eagles took over at their 31 and Wentz went right to work with a series of short passes. An unnecessary roughness penalty on the defense helped the drive along. On 3rd and 6 from the Dallas 18, Wentz hit Aghalor for 7 yards. On 3rd and 4 from the 5, Wentz found Matthews for the touchdown. Doug Pederson is an Andy Reid West Coast Offense disciple, and he had Wentz dunking and dunking the Eagles to a 20-10 lead with 6 1/2 minutes left in the third quarter.

Dallas got it back and did nothing in 3 plays. They prepared to punt on 4th and 8 from their own 27 when Jason Garrett went to his bag of tricks right before Halloween. Chris Jones took the fake punt around the end for a 30 yard gain. On 3rd and 5 from the Philly 38, Prescott hit Terrence Williams for 15 yards. Ezekiel Elliott ran for 16 more. Yet on 2nd and goal at the 5, Prescott threw incomplete twice. This time Garrett as not taking any chances. With one minute left in the third quarter, Bailey hit the 23 yarder to get the Cowboys within 20-13.

Huff took the ensuing kickoff 53 yards to the Dallas 45. Wentz hit Zac Ertz for 11 and defensive offsides had the Eagles starting the fourth quarter at the Dallas 29. Wentz hit Matthews for 13 more but then threw 3 straight incompletions. Sturgis hit from 34 less than one minute into the final quarter to put the Eagles up 23-13. The Cowboys went nowhere and the Eagles took over at their own 41. Disaster immediately struck when Smallwood coughed it up and the Cowboys took over at the Philly 31. Yet Prescott threw incomplete on 3rd and 5. Bailey barely snuck a 49 yard field goal inside the right upright to get the Cowboys within 23-16 with 11 1/2 minutes left in regulation.

The Eagles moved after a touchback to a 3rd and 8 at the Dallas 30. A 48 yard field goal would again make it a two score game. Yet the Eagles tried to get too cute by half, resulting in Went fumbling, picking it up, and passing to Sproles for a six yard loss. Rather than try a 54 yard field goal, Pederson opted to punt. Midway through the fourth quarter, the Cowboys took over at their own 10. On 3rd and 5 from the Dallas 27, Prescott hit Cole Beasley for 10 and Brice Butler for 19 more. One play after nearly being intercepted, Prescott went deep to Bryant for a 22 yard touchdown. With 3 minutes left, the game was tied 23-23. The Eagles went 3 and out, giving Dallas the ball at their own 40 with 1:42 to play. Yet despite the great field position, Prescott threw 3 incompletions and punted it right back. Both teams still had one more chance in the final 15, but both Wentz and Prescott went down under a hail of sacks from blitzes. It would take overtime to settle things.

The Cowboys won the toss and moved from their 25 to a 3rd and 1 at the Philly 28. Elliott got the carry and got stopped inches short. A field goal would still give the Eagles a chance with the ball, so Jason Garrett went big and bold and decided to go for it. This was not Barry Switzer gambling from his own 29, but it was still big. Prescott took the ball himself and a huge offensive line surge powered him forward two yards. Elliott then ran for 10 and caught a 10 yard pass. From the 5 yard line, Prescott scrambled all over the place, resembling a cross between Fran Tarkenton and Brett Favre. The play looked like it was headed for disaster as Prescott moved everywhere, but then he stopped and found a wide open Jason Witten in the end zone for the touchdown. The Eagles never saw the ball in overtime as Dallas opened up a 2 game lead in the NFC East with their sixth straight win. 29-23 Eagles

Minnesota Vikings at Chicago Bears was the Monday night game. Halloween brings scary things, and the bears are hideously frighteningly bad. Yet the return of Jay Cutler gave the team a pusher’s chance against a Minnesota team struggling with offensive line problems. Connor Barth hit a 30 yard field goal in the first quarter and a 28 yarder in the second quarter for a 6-0 Bears lead. A field position game had the Bears starting at the Minnesota 43. Howard got in for a 2 yard touchdown to make it 13-0 Bears. Blair Walsh kicked a 30 yard field goal before the half, but the Bears defense dominated on this night. Cutler led an 11 play, 75 yard, 5 minute drive that culminated in an 11 yard touchdown pass to Alshon Jeffery. The Bears led 20-3 after three quarters. The Vikings finally cracked the end zone with 5 1/2 minutes left, but the Bears ground out the clock for a tough NFC North win. 20-10 Bears

NFL 2016 Week 8 Prequel

http://www.commdiginews.com/sports/nfl-2016-week-8-preview-and-bettors-guide-73099/

NFL 2016 Week 7 Recap

Chicago Bears at Green Bay Packers was the Thursday night game. George Halas and Vince Lombardi would have loved this old-school Black and Blue football game between the NFL’s oldest rivals. Mason Crosby hit a 32 yard first quarter field goal for the Packers. In the second quarter Connor Barth hit from 39 and Crosby answered from 40 as the Packers took a 6-3 lead into the locker rooms. Ray Nitschke and Dick Butkus would have loved the defense. The Packers had fourth and goal at the one in the first half and ran into a Chicago brick wall. In the third quarter Aaron Rodgers was sacked in the end zone, forcing a fumble that was recovered by Chicago in the end zone for a 10-6 Bears lead. Bryan Hoyer was knocked out of the game with a broken arm. His replacement Matt Barkley threw 2 interceptions.

In the end, Chicago is a bad team now down to their third string quarterback. Green Bay is not playing as well as in past years, but is still far better than Chicago. In the third quarter, Rodgers finally got the offense going. A 13 play, 85 yard, 5 1/2 minute drive ended with Rodgers hitting Devonta Adams for a 5 yard touchdown and a 13-10 Packers lead after three quarters. Rodgers put the game away in the fourth quarter. An 88 yard drive ended with a 4 yard touchdown pass to Adams and a 13 play, 74 yard drive ate up 8 1/2 minutes and saw Rodgers hit Randall Cobb for a 2 yard touchdown. Even pass-happy Mike McCarthy had to be uneasy with Rodgers throwing 56 times. Yet he was pleased with 39 completions for 326 yards, 3 touchdowns, and 0 interceptions. 26-10 Packers

New York Giants at Los Angeles Rams in London was the Sunday early morning game from London. Early on, Jeff Fisher’s defense got it done. On the second play of the game, the Giants fumbled and the Rams recovered at the Giants 35. on 3rd and 6 from the 10, Case Keenum hit Tavon Austin for the touchdown to get the Rams on the board first.Los Angeles got it back and Greg Zuerlein tacked on a 36 yard field goal for a 10-0 Rams lead after the first quarter. in the second quarter the game changed. The Giants moved 71 yards in 14 plays and 6 1/2 minutes. They settled for a 29 yard Robbie Gould field goal to get within 10-3. Gould was brought in to replace the suspended Josh Brown. 2 plays later Keenum was intercepted by Landel Collins, who returned it 44 yards for a touchdown as the teams took a 10-10 tie to the locker rooms.

With 12 1/2 minutes left in regulation, Keenum had a pass batted in the air and intercepted again by Collins, giving the Giants the ball at the Rams 35. on 3rd and 3, Eli Manning threw a wounded duck into double coverage that was caught by O’Dell Beckham for a 22 yard gain.  On 3rd and goal at the one, Rashad Jennings banged in to make it 17-10 Giants with 9 1/2 minutes left. The Rams moved from their 22 to the Giants 37. Keenum went to the end zone and threw his third interception to Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie with 4 minutes left. The Rams got it back at their 25 with 3 minutes left and 2 timeouts. On 4th and 10 from the Rams 36, Keenum fired a laser between 2 defenders to Brandon Quick for 15 yards at the 2 minute warning. Keenum under heavy pressure went back to Quick for 23 yards to the Giants 26. With 50 seconds left, on 3rd and 10 from the 15, Keenum lobbed a softball high to the corner of the end zone. The only player within a country mile of it was Rodgers-Cromartie. His second pick was Keenum’s fourth interception, closing the door. 17-10 Giants

Minnesota Vikings at Philadelphia Eagles — Mike Zimmer has the NFL’s lone unbeaten team that is winning with defense and special teams. After a scoreless first quarter, the Vikings finally got on the board as a 48 yard Blair Walsh field goal made it 3-0 Vikings with 9 minutes left in the half. Philadelphia also had no offense, but they struck back 13 seconds later when Huff returned the ensuing kickoff 98 yards for a touchdown. Carson Wentz ran for the 2 point conversion to make it 8-3 Eagles. Caleb surges hit a 35 yard field goal as the Eagles led 11-3 at break time. In the third quarter the Eagles moved 77 yards. Carson Wentz hit Dorial Green-Beckham for a 5 yard touchdown as the Eagles led 18-3. Sturgis hit a 21 yard field goal in the fourth quarter to make it 21-3 Eagles. A garbage touchdown with 30 seconds left made the score look respectable. The 1972 Dolphins popped the champagne corks early this year. One year after a bunch of teams went 5-0 and 6-0, nobody will be 6-0 this year. 21-10 Eagles

New Orleans Saints at Kansas City Chiefs — Drew Brees led the Saints 80 yards in 10 plays and hit Brandon Cooks for a 9 yard touchdown to make it 7-0 Saints. Alex Smith is the King of the Dink and Dunk West Coast Offense. He threw another one of his typical 4 yard passes, but terrible tackling allowed Spencer Ware to take it for a 46 yard touchdown and a 7-7 game. Brees was then intercepted by Sorensen, who returned it 48 yards for another touchdown and a 14-7 Chiefs lead. In the second quarter the Chiefs moved 85 yards as Smith connected with Terrence Hill on a 38 yard touchdown for a 21-7 Chiefs lead.

In the third quarter the Saints moved 75 yards in 14 plays, taking 8 minutes off the clock. Brees hit Mark Ingram for the 3 yard touchdown to get the Saints within 21-14. The Chiefs came back and moved to the red zone as Cairo santos hit a 39 yard field goal for a 24-14 Chiefs advantage. In the fourth quarter Brees capped off an 80 yard, 10 play drive by hitting Coleman for a 10 yard touchdown as the Saints only trailed 24-21 with 2:40 to play. The onside kick failed, and an unnecessary roughness penalty on the Saints quickly moved the Chiefs into field goal range. Santos hit from 41 to put the Chiefs up by 6. The Saints got it back at their own 25 with 28 seconds left. With 11 seconds left from their 31, Brees hit Thomas for 19 to midfield but the clock ran out. Brees was 37 of 48 for 367 yards, 3 touchdowns and one interception. Alex Smith dinked and dunked for 214 yards on 17 of 24 passing. Yet he had 2 touchdowns without an interception. When you have a defense, you can be a game manager. 27-21 Chiefs

Washington Redskins at Detroit Lions — A defensive slugfest saw Matt Prater hit a 43 yard field goal in the second quarter for the Lions and Dustin Hopkins respond from 38 for a 3-3 halftime game. In the third quarter the Lions moved 86 yards. Zenner got in from the one as the game’s first touchdown and the Lions up 10-3. The Lions began the fourth quarter with 1st and 10 at the Washington 11. Offensive holding killed the drive and Prater hit from 27 to make it 13-3 Lions. The lions defense collapsed in the fourth quarter. Cousins led them 75 yards. From the Detroit 28, Cousins went deep to Vernon Davis for 27 yards. Cousins hit Kelley for the one yard touchdown as the Redskins were within 13-10 with 8 1/2 minutes remaining in regulation.

Washington got it back at their own 24 with 5 1/2 minutes left. On 3rd and 4, Cousins hit Crowder for 19 yards near midfield. With 1:51 to play the Redskins faced 3rd and 1 at the Detroit 22, well within tying field goal range. Thompson gained 3 yards. On the next play Cousins got around the end and ran for a 19 yard touchdown. Another fourth quarter meltdown meant another Detroit loss. After a touchback, the Lions had 1:05 left to go 75 yards.  Stafford hit Marvin Jones for 23 yards and scrambled for 14 more himself. Stafford then hit Roberts for 20. With 22 seconds left, the Lions faced 3rd and 10 from the 18. Stafford hit Anquon Boldin, who raced into the end zone. A hideous three quarters was followed by a fantastic fourth quarter. Jim Caldwell was so pleased that he almost made a facial expression. 20-17 Lions

Cleveland Browns at Cincinnati Bengals — Hue Jackson faced off against his former team. The Bengals moved 75 yards and Greg Bernard got in from the 5 to put the Bengals up 7-0 over the winless Browns. In the second quarter the Browns moved 60 yards in 10 plays and 5 1/2 minutes. They settled for a 28 yard Cody Parkey field goal to get within 7-3. The Browns got it back and moved 70 yards, taking another 5 1/2 minutes. Isaiah Crowell got in from the one as the Browns led 10-7. The Bengals came back 80 yards quickly. Red Rifle Andy Dalton hit Brandon LaFell for a 44 yard touchdown and a 14-10 Bengals lead. Cincinnati got it back at their own 15 with one minute left in the half. With 7 seconds left, the Bengals faced 3rd and 9 from the Cleveland 48. Dalton’s Hail Mary was

caught by AJ Green for the touchdown and a 21-10 Bengals lead.

Third string quarterback Cody Kessler was out and Hogan was in. In the third quarter the Browns moved 75 yards as Hogan ran for a 28 yard touchdown to get the Browns within 21-17. 2 plays later Jeremy Hill ran for a 74 yard touchdown as the Bengals were back up 28-17. Mike Nugent added a 36 yard field goal for Cincy as the fourth quarter was scoreless. The Browns remained winless, but at least Cleveland has the Cavaliers and the Indians. 31-17 Bengals

Buffalo Bills at Miami Dolphins — Rex Ryan came in with a 4 game win streak and wanting to play ground and pound. Yet early on it was the Dolphins who began with a 15 play, 64 yard drive that ate up 7 1/2 minutes. The Dolphins settled for a 36 yard Franks field goal. A field position game saw Buffalo return a punt 30 yards to the Miami 30. On 2nd and 8 from the 10, Tyrod Taylor threw incomplete twice. Dan Carpenter hit from 29 for a 3-3 game. The second quarter began with the Dolphins shaking a 12 yard punt, giving Buffalo the ball at the Miami 40. On 3rd and 7 from the 20, Taylor hit Hunter for 10 and ran the last 10 himself for a 10-3 Bills lead. Franks hit a 33 yarder as the Dolphins trailed 10-6 at the intermission. With 6 minutes left in the third quarter, the Bills took over at their own 33. A short pass from Taylor to Goodwin went for a 67 yard touchdown. The Bills led 17-6 and seemed in total control.

The Dolphins finally began moving the ball, using most of the rest of the third quarter to go 75 yards. Ajayi ran for a 4 yard touchdown. Ryan Tannehill hit Landry for the 2 point conversion as the Dolphins only trailed 17-14 after three quarters. A field position game that saw the Dolphins pinned at their own one eventually saw Miami take over at their own 36 midway through the fourth quarter. A defensive facemark penalty had Miami just past midfield. On 3rd and 7 from the Buffalo 46, Tannehill hit Landry for 18. Williams ran for a 12 yard touchdown as the Dolphins led 21-17 with 4 minutes left. The Bills went 3 and out and Rex Ryan decided to punt and trust his defense. On 3rd and 6 from the Miami 34 with 2 1/2 minutes left, the Bills defense needed one stop. Rather than play it safe, Adam Game went for all the marbles. Tannehill went deep to Kenny Stills for a 66 yard touchdown to make it 28-17 Dolphins to lock up the game. Buffalo scored with 14 seconds left but the onsides kick failed. 28-25 Dolphins

Oakland Raiders at Jacksonville Jaguars — Jack Del Rio returned to face his former team. After an exchange of punts, the Raiders moved 63 yards. On 2nd and 5 from the 7, Carr threw incomplete twice. Sebastian Janikowski hit from 26 to make it 3-0 Raiders. The Jaguars moved from their 33 to a 3rd and 7 at the Oakland 18. Blake Borles went to the end zone and was intercepted by David Amerson for a touchback. Late in the first quarter, the Jaguars fumbled a punt and the Raiders recovered at the Jacksonville 17. The Raiders again failed to capitalize. On the first play of the second quarter on 3rd and 7, Carr overthrew an open Seth Roberts in the end zone. Seabass hit from 32 as the Raiders led 6-0.

The inability of the Raiders to finish drives quickly became a problem. After a touchback, Bortles went deep and drew a 25 yard defensive pass interference penalty. From midfield, Chris Ivory ran for a 42 yard gain. Yet on 3rd and goal from the 10, Bortles through a West Coast Offense dink and dunk pass that meant a field goal. Casey Myers hit the 23 yard field goal to get the Jaguars within 6-3.

After a touchback, the Raiders went straight to the run game. Holton took an end around 29 yards to the Jacksonville 46. On 3rd and 3 from the Jaguars 24, a delayed handoff out of the shotgun to Olawale gained 6. On 3rd and 2 from the 11, Carr fired to Michael Crabtree for 1st and goal at the 5. Latavius Murray got in from 3 yards out to cap the 11 play, 75 yard, 7 minute drive as the Raiders led 13-3 with 5 1/2 minutes left in the half.

After a touchback on 3rd and 3 from the Jacksonville 47, a quick strike from Bortles to Marquis Lee went for a 38 yard gain. On 3rd and 4 from the 9, offensive holding pushed the Jaguars back at the 2 minute warning. Myers hit from 37 to get the Jaguars within 13-6. After a touchback, the Raiders faced 3rd and 5 at their own 42. Carr Rolled to his right and went bombs away to Crabtree for a 40 yard gain. With 14 seconds left, on 3rd and goal at the 2, Carr fired to Crabtree for the touchdown as the Raiders led 20-6 at the half.

The Jaguars moved well in the third quarter, but on 3rd and 4 from the Oakland 26, a short pass was dropped. Myers hit from 44 to get the Jaguars within 20-9. Now it was time to see if the Raiders could put away a game without late game drama. The Raiders did punt, and a terrible decision to field the punt at the one yard line had the Jaguars taking over at their own 6. Bortles was sacked on third down and the Raiders got it back at their own 42. On 3rd and 9, Carr fired a laser to Amari Cooper between 2 defenders for 11 yards. Yet offensive holding nullified the play and killed the drive as the Raiders wasted the great field position. Again Jacksonville took over at their 6, and again Bortles was sacked on third down. Last time it was DJ Hayden, this time Khalil Mack. A relatively short punt gave the Raiders gift field position at the Jacksonville 37. Again, the Raiders had a chance to put a game away.

On 1st and 10 from the Jacksonville 26, another end around this time was blown up in the backfield for a 4 yard loss. On 2nd and 14 a screen pass was just dropped. After a short completion Seabass came on for a 44 yarder. Seabass was good. The Raiders led 23-9 with 2 1/2 minutes left in the third quarter, but they had not shut the door. An unsportsmanlike conduct penalty on the offense after a play had ended took a 3rd and 5 for Jacksonville and turned it into a 3rd and 20 from their own 15. The crowd booed loudly after a short completion meant another punt.

The Raiders appeared to have a stranglehold on the game when Jalen Richard returned the punt all the way to the Jacksonville 20. However, holding on the return instead had the Raiders starting at their own 28 as the third quarter ended. The offense did nothing in the third quarter, and still needed one score to ice the game. On 3rd and 10, Carr completed a pass that was right near the sticks. However, a personal foul for roughing the passer meant 15 more yards. Jackson yelled at the official and drew an unsportsmanlike conduct penalty for 15 more yards. Now the Raiders had 1st and 10 at the Jacksonville 42. On 3rd and 8, under heavy pressure, Carr lobbed a floater to Crabtree that came up 2 yards short of the marker. That was just enough for Seabass to hit a 52 yarder. The Raiders now had a 3 score lead, up 26-9 with 11 1/2 minutes left. Now the secondary had to withstand the inevitable Bortles comeback.

After the field goal, Malik Jackson was still white hot with anger. He drew a second unsportsmanlike conduct penalty and was ejected from the game. The Jaguars took over again with bad field position at their own 13 yard line. Both defenses held and the Jaguars got it back at their own 16. Bortles then made another bad decision. The Raiders jumped offsides, meaning Bortles had a free play. With Khalil Mack bearing down on him, normally the whistle would blow the play dead for an unabated to the quarterback call. The whistle did not blow and Bortles just spiked the ball into the ground. His free play turned into intentional grounding and offsetting penalties.

On 3rd and 10 from the Jacksonville 46, Bortles got belted as soon as he threw the ball but hit Lee for a 21 yard gain. On 2nd and 25 from the Oakland 48, Bortles went deep to Benn, who broke through several awful tackles for a 39 yard gain. From the 9, Bortles fired to the end zone into triple coverage. Malcolm Smith had the interception, but julius Thomas ripped it out of his hands for an improbable touchdown. The Jaguars were within 26-16, but only 4:12 remained. The onsides kick failed and the Raiders had yet another chance to put a game away without giving the Raider Nation heartburn.

Jacksonville held on defense as Marquette King prepared to punt on 4th and 24. The snap was terrible and King made a heads up play. Rather than have his punt blocked, he took off running and gained 27 yards for another first down. More fighting broke out as each team had one player ejected. Jalen Ramsey for the Jaguars and Johnny Holton of the Raiders were tossed. Meanwhile, instead of having time to mount a comeback, Bortles watched helplessly as the Raiders offense stayed on the field. Despite only 31 yards of total offense in the second half at this point, the Raiders were in control. On 3rd and 2 from the Jags 27, Carr threw to Cooper for an 18 yard gain. Murray ran for the 9 yard touchdown With 2 1/2 minutes left the Raiders had finally put the game away. Bortles had another pass deflected and interception to snuff out any final hopes of a rally.

Each team had exactly 344 yards. Each quarterback completed exactly 23 passes. Each team had over 10 penalties for over 100 penalty yards, with the Raiders having 11 for 117 and the Jaguars 13 penalties for 122 penalty yards. Yet the Raiders are 5-2 for the first time since 2001, and 4-0 on the road. Since they play in Tampa next week, they will stay in Florida rather than travel coast to coast. 33-16 Raiders

Indianapolis Colts at Tennessee Titans — The Titans moved 78 yards in 10 plays and 6 minutes. Marcus Mariota hit Lewan for the 10 yard touchdown. The snap was fumbled on the extra point as the Titans led 6-0. Andrew Luck brought the Colts back 72 yards in 10 plays and threw a 3 yard touchdown pass to Frank Gore for a 7-6 Colts lead. In the seance quarter the Colts quickly moved 93 yards. A 37 yard touchdown pass from Luck to TY Hilton made it 14-6 Colts. The Colts added a 28 yard Adam Vinatieri field goal to lead 17-6. With 2:12 left in the half, the Titans took over at their own 20 and Mariota worked the 2 minute drill to perfection. From the Indy 29 a deep ball drew defensive pass interference. DeMarco Murray got the one yard touchdown as the Titans only trailed 17-13 at halftime.

In the third quarter the Colts moved 73 yards in 11 plays and 6 minutes. Vinatieri hit from 33 as the Colts led 20-13. Mariota led the Titans 75 yards in 13 plays and 6 minutes. A 7 yard touchdown pass to Melanie Walker had the game deadlocked 20-20 with 12 1/2 minutes left in regulation. The Titans got it back and moved from their 20 to the Indy 30. Ryan Succop hit a 48 yard field goal as the Titans led 23-20 with only 6 minutes left in regulation. Yet the Colts have Andrew Luck, and he did it again.

On 3rd and 13 from the Tennessee 28, Luck found Street for a 20 yard gain. On 3rd and goal at the 7, Luck found Doyle for the touchdown. At the 2 minute warning, the Colts led 27-23. After a touchback, Mariota was sacked and fumbled. Robert Mathis picked up the fumble and rumbled 14 yards for a touchdown. 2 touchdowns in 13 seconds had the Colts up 34-23. Mariota quickly led the Titans after a touchback to the Colts 26 and spiked the ball. Yet 2 incompletions had the Titans needing 2 scores. On 4th and 10, Succop hit the 44 yard field goal. The onsides kick failed. The Colts have so many deficiencies but may still win the NFL’s worst division because of Luck. 34-26 Colts

Baltimore Ravens at New York Jets — Geno Smith got the start over the Benched Ryan Fitzpatrick. The Jets tried to punt on 4th and 4 from their own 29. Disaster struck as the snap resulted in a fumble. The Ravens recovered at the Jets 2 yard line and ran it in for a gift touchdown and a 7-0 Ravens lead. Justin Tucker tacked on a 50 yard field goal to make it 10-0 Ravens. Geno Smith then threw a 69 yard touchdown pass to Enunwa to get the Jets within 10-7. Smith would leave the game with an injury in the second quarter, as Fitzpatrick took over again. Tucker hit a 49 yard field goal for a 13-7 Ravens lead. Fitzpatrick then led the Jets 85 yards in 13 plays. A 13 yard touchdown pass to Matt Forte put the Jets up 14-13 with 1:45 left in the half. That was enough time for Tucker to hit a 44 yarder to close out the half with the Ravens on top 16-14.

In the third quarter an interception of Joe Flacco gave the Jets a golden opportunity with 1st and goal at the 3. The jets wasted the opportunity as Fitzpatrick threw incomplete on 3rd and goal. Nick Folk hit the 22 yarder to put the Jets up 17-16. 3 plays later on 3rd and 10 from the Baltimore 25, Flacco was intercepted again. Things then got bizarre. On 3rd and goal from the 6, Forte got the carry and fumbled and Jernigan recovered for Baltimore. Yet Jernigan was then stripped of the ball, and the Jets recovered at the 5 for a new set of downs. On 3rd and goal at the one, Forte again got the carry and this time got in for the touchdown and an 8 point Jets lead. An ugly fourth quarter saw neither team do anything. The Jets clinching field goal try with 3 minutes left was blocked. With 1:10 left the Ravens had 2nd and 8 at the Jets 44. Flacco threw 3 straight incompletions as the Ravens lost their fourth straight after a 3-0 start. Meanwhile, Fitzpatrick played better in relief than as a backup as Geno Smith wondered if he would ever get a break. 24-16 Jets

San Diego Chargers at Atlanta Falcons — San Diego had a big home win last week to stop their losing streak, but Philip Rivers was not able to match Matt Ryan and the high octane offense Atlanta blow for blow. Early on the Chargers moved 75 yards and Melvin Gordon got in from 2 yards out to make it 7-0 Chargers. Matt Bryant kicked a 42 yard field goal to get the Falcons on the board. From the San Diego 46, Rivers was intercepted by Jones, who returned it 42 yards to the San Diego 10. Atlanta failed to capitalize and settled for a Bryant field goal from 27 yards out to get the Falcons within 7-6. Josh Lambo hit a 40 yard field goal in the second quarter to make it 10-6 Chargers, but after that the Falcons exploded.

Matt Ryan led the Falcons 75 yards. On 3rd and 13 from the San Diego 17, Ryan hit Jacob Tamme for the touchdown to put the Falcons up 13-10. The Falcons got it back at midfield and Coleman ran for a 30 yard touchdown to make it 20-10 Falcons. Rivers then went back to pass on 3rd and 18 from his own 17 yard line. Rivers was sacked by Vic beasley and fumbled. Clayborn picked up the ball at the 5, rolled over, and stumbled into the end zone for another score and a 27-10 Falcons lead. The Chargers came back 75 yards and Gordon scored again from 3 yards out to get the Chargers within 27-17 at the half.

In the third quarter the defenses settled in. On 2nd and 2 from the Atlanta 19, Rivers fired to the end zone but the officials properly ruled the catch out of bounds. On 3rd and 2 Rivers threw incomplete. Lambo hit from 37 to get the Chargers within 27-20 with 5 minutes left in the third quarter. The Falcons then moved 62 yards in 13 plays and 6 1/2 minutes. Despite 1st and 10 at the San Diego 11, Joey Boca sacked Ryan. On 3rd and 12 at the 13, Ryan hit Devonta Freeman at the 2 yard line. However, Freeman got blasted for an incomplete pass. Bryant hit the 31 yard field goal to give the Falcons some breathing room up 30-20 only 90 seconds into the fourth quarter.

Breathing room evaporated. Rivers led a 15 play, 75 yard drive that consumed 7 1/2 minutes. Rivers hit Gordon for a 5 yard touchdown to get the Chargers within 30-27 with 6 minutes left in regulation. in several losses this year, the Chargers self-destructed late. This time they were on the receiving end of a break. With 3 1/2 minutes left in regulation and the Falcons at the San Diego 40, consecutive false start penalties were followed by Ryan throwing a deep ball that was intercepted.

From the San Diego 44, Melvin Gordon got blasted on 2nd and 1 and 3rd and 1. At the 2 minute warning, everything came down to 4th and 2 from the San Diego 43. Rivers fired to Antonio Gates over the middle 3 yards and a life saving first down. With 46 seconds left, facing 3rd and 1 at the Atlanta 28, Gordon again appeared stopped cold int eh backfield. Somehow, he bounced outside, and gained 13 yards. Yet from the Atlanta 15, Rivers threw 3 straight incompletions. Lambo hit the 33 yard field goal to tie the game 30-30 with only 18 seconds left.

After a touchback, Matty Ice tried to create another miracle. He fired over the middle to Julio Jones, who out-jumped 4 defenders to come down with a 25 yard reception at midfield. With 11 seconds left. After an incompletion, Ryan hit Jones for 10 more as the entire Atlanta team called timeout with one second left. Matt Bryant came in for a 58 yard field goal try to win it. The kick was long enough, and at the last second hooked just enough to doink off the upright no good. This fine football game was expected to be a shootout, and it was. Overtime would decide things.

Atlanta won the toss. After a touchback, the Falcons soon faced 3rd and 1 at their own 45. Ryan took the quarterback sneak and got stopped cold. On 4th and 1, Dan Quinn made the most controversial 4th down gamble since Bill Bellichick and maybe Barry Switzer. Devonta Freeman got the carry and got blown up in the backfield.

Jubilant San Diego took over at the Atlanta 43, needing only a few yards to be in long field goal range. After a run lost a couple yards, Rivers hit Gates for 11 to set up 3rd and 1 at the Atlanta 34. Gordon plowed straight ahead for 2 and got the critical first down. Defensive holding tacked on 5 more yards. From the Atlanta 22, Rivers took a knee to center the ball. Lambo came in for the 42 yarder to win it. The kick was good. In the season opener San Diego blew a 21 point lead. This time they overcome a 17 point deficit. Dan Quinn will face a ton of heat for his gamble, but he knew that when he made the decision. 33-30 Chargers, OT

Tampa Bay Buccaneers at San Francisco 49ers — A pair of bad teams again saw the Mod Squad anti-national anthem protester show he was capable of playing football. A 75 yard drive was capped by Davis running it in from 4 yards out for a 7-0 49ers lead. The Buccaneers soon faced 4th and 1 at midfield. Dirk Koetter decided to go for it, and a run gained nothing. With 25 seconds left in the first quarter, the Buccaneers faced 3rd and 5 at their own 28. Jameis Winston was intercepted. One play later, Colin Kaepernick threw a 17 yard touchdown to Draughn for a 14-0 49ers lead.

The Buccaneers began the second quarter at their own 6 yard line. 94 yards took 11 plays and 5 minutes. On 1st and 10 from the 49ers 42 yard line, Winston found Smith for 30 yards and then Mike Evans for the 4 yard touchdown to get the Buccaneers within 14-7. After Kaepernick was intercepted, the Buccaneers took over at their own 27. Jacquez Rodgers ran for a 45 yard gain and Barber ran for 14 more. On 3rd and 4 from the 8, Winston hit Brate for 3 yards. Yet rather than 4th and 1 at the 5 and a big decision, a strange unsportsmanlike conduct penalty on Winston ended the drive. Roberto Aguayo hit the 38 yard field goal as the Buccaneers were within 14-10 with 5 minutes left in the half. Tampa Bay got it back and moved 77 yards. With 48 seconds left in the half, Winston fired to the end zone to Russell Shepard for a 19 yard touchdown and a 17-14 Buccaneers lead.

In the third quarter the 49ers fumbled a punt, giving the Buccaneers the ball at the San Francisco 36. On 3rd and 4 from the 19, Winston threw incomplete. Aguayo hit the 37 yard field goal to make it 20-14 Buccaneers. The 49ers then faced 3rd and 12 at their own 39. Kaepernick, who is an expert to dropping to one knee, this time had some help by getting belted by the Buccaneers defense. The Bucs took over at the Frisco 27. On 3rd and 9, Winston hit Evans for 14 yards. on 3rd and 3 from the 5, Winston scrambled and fired high and over the middle. Evans leapt and made the catch for the touchdown as the Buccaneers led 27-14. The Buccaneers missed a chance to extend the lead as the fourth quarter began when Aguayo missed a 50 yard field goal try.

The 49ers held the ball for 6 minutes, 14 plays, and 50 yards. Yet on 4th down from the 11 yard line, Chip Kelly had the home crowd booing by deciding on a field goal. Phil Dawson hit from 28 to get the 49ers within 27-17. They would get no closer as the Buccaneers easily moved 77 yards. Peyton Barber broke free for a 44 yard touchdown run to put the game away. The 49ers have lost 6 straight games. 34-17 Buccaneers

New England Patriots at Pittsburgh Steelers — With Big Ben Roethlisberger out injured, the Steelers had a daunting task at home with Landry Jones. On New England’s first play from scrimmage, a completion was fumbled and the Steelers took over at the Patriots 45. On 3rd and 6 from the Patriots 16, Jones went to the end zone and was intercepted by Malcolm Butler for a touchback. Tom Brady made the Steelers pay, leading a 13 play, 80 yard, 7 1/2 minute drive. On 3rd and 3 from the Pittsburgh 19, Brady found White for the touchdown and the 7-0 Patriots lead. In the second quarter the Patriots moved 84 yards in 11 plays and 5 minutes. Laguerette Blount ran it in from 3 yards out to make it 14-0 Patriots.

This time the Steelers came back quickly 71 yards. From their own 29, Jones went deep to Antonio Brown for a 51 yard gain. On 3rd and 4 from the Patriots 14, Jones fired to the corner of the end zone. Darrius Hayward-Bey got both feet down for the touchdown to get the Steelers within 14-7. A shanked 25 yard punt had the Steelers getting it back at their own 47. Unnecessary roughness on the Patriots had the Steelers at the New England 33. On 3rd and 3 from the 14, Jones hit Heyward-Bey in the end zone. Yet the tying touchdown was nullified by offensive holding. Chris Boswell missed the 42 yard field goal. Pittsburgh got it back at their own 20 with 1:47 left in the half. With 11 seconds left from the Patriots 14, an underthrown ball to the end zone was nearly intercepted. With 6 seconds left Mike Tomlin had seen enough. Boswell hit the 32 yarder to have the Steelers down 14-10 at halftime.

In the third quarter hard running by LeVeon Bell led the Steelers to a 3rd and 4 at the New England 28. Jones’s pass was broken up by Malcolm Butler. Boswell hit from 46 to have the Steelers within 14-13. This time the Patriots quickly came back 75 yards. On 3rd and 7 from the Pittsburgh 36, Brady found Rob Gronkowski over the middle for the touchdown. Stephen Gostkowski missed the extra point as the Patriots lead 20-13 with 6 1/2 minutes left in the third quarter. The Steelers opened the fourth quarter with Boswell hitting a 44 yard field goal to get the Steelers within 20-16.

The Patriots quickly responded. They scored touchdowns while the Steelers settled for field goals. 75 yards came easily and Blount ran it up the middle for a 5 yard touchdown to give the Patriots an 11 point lead with 12 minutes left in regulation. Pittsburgh could not move the ball but they got a break when Julian Edelman fumbled a punt. The Steelers took over at the New England 42 with 10 1/2 minutes left. They failed to capitalize. With 9 minutes left and needing 2 scores, Mike Tomlin had Boswell try a 54 yard field goal. It was wide no good and the Steelers never got closer. 27-16 Patriots

Seattle Seahawks at Arizona Cardinals was the Sunday night game. As expected, Pete Carroll and Bruce Arians both saw their squads bring the lumber. In the second quarter, an Arizona field goal try was blocked when Bobby Wagner leapt over the center with a perfectly timed jump. After nearly 27 minutes of football. a 46 yard Chandler Catanzaro field goal try was good to make it 3-0 Cardinals. With 17 seconds left in the half and Arizona again in field goal range, Carson Palmer was sacked and fumbled and the clock ran out. With 4 1/2 minutes left in the third quarter, Bruce Arians went for it on 4th and inches from the Seattle 18. A run got stopped cold for no gain. After three quarters Seattle had only 3 first downs and 14 minutes of possession. After 55 minutes, Seattle still had not reached midfield. Yet with 4 1/2 minutes left, the Seahawks blocked a punt and took over at the Arizona 22. The offense did nothing but Steve Hauschka hit a 40 yard field goal for a 3-3 game with 4 minutes left. The teams were deadlocked after 60 minutes.

In overtime, on 3rd and 10 from midfield, Palmer found Michael Floyd for 18 yards. Yet on 3rd and 5 from the 27, a pass to a wide open Floyd was dropped. Catanzaro hit the 45 yard field goal but Seattle had one chance with the ball. Despite no offense in regulation, in overtime Seattle moved from their 25 to a 3rd and 4 at the Arizona 18. Russell Wilson threw deep incomplete. Hauschka hit the 36 yarder for a 6-6 game with 6 1/2 minutes left in overtime. Arizona soon faced 3rd and 7 at the Seattle 45. Palmer fired high to JJ Nelson, who out jumped Richard Sherman and raced for a 40 yard gain. On 3rd and goal at the one, delay of game led Bruce Arians to bring in Catanzaro for the win. It was only a 24 yarder. This time it was Bobby Wagner who timed the jump perfectly. To avoid having another kick blocked, Catanzaro had to try hooking it rather than hit it straight on. It doinked off the upright no good with only 3 1/2 minutes left in overtime.

Seattle then took over, and Russell Wilson again had a couple big completions. On 3rd and 4 from their own 26, Wilson went deep to Jermaine Kearse for a 31 yard gain. On 3rd and 3 from the Arizona 36, only one minute remained in the extra session. Wilson passed short to Doug Baldwin, who evaded a pair of tackles and gained 27 yards to the Arizona 9. One play to center the ball took the clock down to 11 seconds. Now it was Hauschka from 28 yards out as Catanzaro buried his head in his hands. Hauschka hooked it wide. As Paul Maguire once said, “I hate kickers. They should be paid $50 a game.” From the Arizona 20 with 7 seconds left, Palmer hit Larry Fitzgerald for 19 yards with 2 seconds left. Palmer rolled to his right and unleashed a Hail Mary that just barely made it to the end zone. Everyone jumped for it, but in a game of defense, there was no chance a receiver would come down with it. The incompletion ended one of the great old-school barefisted slobberknockers in NFL history. Somewhere in Heaven, Buddy Ryan was smiling. 6-6 Tie, OT

Houston Texans at Denver Broncos was the Monday night game. Brock Osweiler faced off against his old team. So did Gary Kubiak. Early on a pair of 43 yard Nick Novak field goals had the texans with a surprising 6-0 lead after the first quarter. After that, reality set in. In the second quarter, Denver moved 75 yards in 10 plays and 6 minutes. CJ Anderson ran for the 7 yard touchdown to give the Browns the 7-6 lead. Denver got it back and moved 68 yards. Trevor Siemian, back from 2 weeks off due to injury, threw a 4 yard touchdown to Denarius Thomas to make it 14-6 Broncos at halftime. In the third quarter the Texas moved 72 yards but again could not finish the drive. Novak hit from 29 29 to get the Texans within 14-9. Houston got it back at their own 43 and moved to a 1st and 10 at the Denver 34 with a chance to take the lead. Alfred Blue gained 7 yards but then fumbled the ball away. From the Denver 28, the Broncos turned out the lights. From the Houston 33, Siemian went deep to Emanuel Sanders for 31 yards. Booker got in from the one. The Texans kicked field goals. The Broncos scored touchdowns and led 21-9 after three quarters. On the first play of the fourth quarter with Houston facing 3rd and 5 at their own 30, Osweiler fumbled and Denver recovered. Brandon McManus tacked on 22 and 32 yard field goals as Denver got to 5-2 atop the AFC West. 27-9 Broncos

NFL 2016 Week 7 Prequel

http://www.commdiginews.com/sports/nfl/nfl-2016-week-7-preview-and-bettors-guide-72731/

NFL 2016 Week 6 Recap

Denver Broncos at San Diego Chargers was the Thursday night game. Despite losing last week to fall to 4-1 and Gary Kubiak in the hospital, Denver and their backup coach were expected to take the 1-4 Chargers and finally put Mike McCoy out of his misery. As ESPN’s uber-announcer Chris Berman reminds us, “That’s why they play the games.” Early on Philip Rivers led a 12 play, 75 yard, 7 minute drive and hit Henry for a 5 yard touchdown and a 7-0 Chargers lead. In the second quarter a staggering 18 play, 75 yard drive consumed 10 minutes off the clock, yet the Chargers settled for a 37 yard Josh Lambo field goal and a 10-0 lead. A fumbled punt had the Broncos starting at the San Diego 11, but the offense did nothing. Brandon McManus hit a 29 yard field goal as the Broncos trailed 10-3 at halftime.

The second half was even uglier. The only player who did anything in the third quarter was Lambo. He connected from 21, 31 and 32 for a 19-3 Chargers lead. In the fourth quarter Russell Okung was called for holding in the end zone. The safety gave the Chargers a 21-3 lead. San Diego has led in all 5 of their games, and blown leads in 4 of those games. Midway through the fourth quarter Trevor Siemian hit Fowler for a 5 yard touchdown as the Broncos got within 21-10.

Denver got it back at their own 37 and moved to a 1st and 10 at the Chargers 20. Siemian hit CJ Anderson, who bounced off a pair of bad tackles and scored the touchdown. It appeared the Broncos were right back in it and the Chargers were collapsing again. Yet offensive holding nullified the touchdown. On the next play Siemian got belted for a 10 yard loss. On 2nd and 30 from the Chargers 40, a short pass to Denarius Thomas saw him get blasted and fumble the ball. The Chargers recovered at their own 29 with 3 1/2 minutes left. The Broncos used their timeouts on defense and got the ball back with 3 minutes left. Needing 2 scores, McManus hit a field goal with 27 seconds left and followed it up with a perfect onside kick as the Broncos took over at their own 46. On 4th and 1 from the San Diego 45 with 8 seconds left, Simian’s Hail Mary was far short of the end zone and knocked down. The Chargers finally failed to blow a game as the Broncos have now lost two straight. 21-13 Chargers

Cincinnati Bengals at New England Patriots — This game was surprisingly competitive for awhile. Early on Tom Brady threw a 32 yard pass to Rob Gronkowski, but the Patriots settled for a 46 yard Stephen Gostkowski field goal. In the second quarter, Red Rifle Andy Dalton completed passes of 22 and 14 yards to AJ Green & ran the final 2 yards himself for a 7-3 Bengals lead. Cincinnati’s defense was playing well as the Patriots were backed up to a 3rd and 18. Yet a personal foul on the defense gave the Patriots another chance, and you don’t do that with Brady. He went to Hogan for 39 yards and then to White for a 15 yard touchdown as the Patriots led 10-7 at halftime.

In the third quarter the Bengals marched 80 yards and Dalton hit Brandon LaFell for a 5 yard score to make it 14-10 Bengals. Cincinnati got it back deep in their own territory. Dalton was sacked in the end zone by Donte Hightower for a safety as the Patriots were within 14-12. After the free kick, Brady hit Gronkowski for 38 yards and then for the 4 yard touchdown to make it 19-14 Patriots. New England got it back and it was practically deja vu. Brady hit Gronk again for 38 yards and this time hit White for the 4 yard touchdown. Despite the missed extra point, the Patriots led 25-14 after three quarters.

Early in the fourth quarter Dalton hit Boyd for 30 yards as the Bengals faced a critical 3rd and 2 at the New England 7. Dalton threw incomplete and Marvin Lewis opted for the field goal. Mike Nugent hit from 25 as the Bengals were within 25-17. The Patriots then held the ball for 6 1/2 minutes and moved 62 yards in 12 plays. Stephen Gostkowski hit a 31 yard field goal to make it 28-17 Patriots. New England finished the Bengals off when Laguerrette Blount ran it in from one yard out ti complete the scoring. Tom Brady finished a white hot 29 of 35 for 376 yards, 3 touchdowns, and 0 interceptions. 35-17 Patriots

Baltimore Ravens at New York Giants — A pair of struggling inconsistent teams struggled and played inconsistently. Early on the Ravens moved into the red zone but settled for a 23 yard Justin Tucker field goal to lead 3-0. The Giants fumbled the ensuing kickoff and the Ravens recovered. West got in from one yard out as the Ravens led 10-0 after the first quarter. In the second quarter the Giants moved from their 20 to a 3rd and 24 at the Baltimore 24. Eli Manning went to Lewis for the touchdown as the Giants trailed 10-7 at halftime.

In the third quarter the Giants moved 72 yards in 15 plays and 5 minutes, but could not crack the end zone. A 1st and goal run lost 2 yards and Manning threw incomplete twice. Josh Brown hit the 21 yard field goal to tie the game 10-10. The Giants got it back and soon faced 3rd and 1 at their own 20. manning was intercepted, giving Baltimore the ball at the Giants 27. A sack of Joe Flacco killed the drive, but Tucker hit from 39 to make it 13-10 Ravens. This time the Giants needed only one play and 12 seconds. Manning went deep to O’Dell Beckham, who did what he does. The 75 yard touchdown put the Giants up 17-13 after three quarters.

In the fourth quarter Tucker hit a 35 yard field goal and Brown countered from 31 as the Giants led 20-16. With 4 1/2 minutes left the Ravens faced 4th and 1 at their own 34. John Harbaugh decided to go for it. Rather than bang it up the middle, Flacco went deep to Aiken for a 22 yard gain. On 3rd and 4 from the Giants 38, Flacco threw incomplete. Yet defensive pass interference on Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie meant 30 more yards for the Ravens. On 3rd and goal from the 2, just before the 2 minute warning, West got in and the Ravens led 23-20. With 1:36 to play, the Giants now faced 4th and 1 at their own 34. Ben McAdoo put the ball in the hands of his best players. Manning threw a quick pass to Beckham, who burned everyone for a 66 yard touchdown and a 4 point Giants lead.

Baltimore took over at their own 32. With 22 seconds left on 4th and 5 from the Giants 39, Flacco threw incomplete. Yet roughing the passer g ave the Ravens 1st and 10 at the Giants 24 with 15 seconds left. A pair of incompletions and a delay of game meant 3rd and 15 from the 29 with 7 seconds left. Flacco’s final Hail Mary was incomplete. Hall of Famer Bill Parcells would probably look at Beckham and say that we should not put him in the Hall of Fame just yet. Maybe we should. When you play like that, you can have multi-colored dreadlocks and get away with it. Flacco was 26 of 48 for 307 yards without a touchdown or interception. Manning was 32 of 46 for 403 yards, 3 touchdowns, and 2 interceptions. 27-23 Giants

Carolina Panthers at New Orleans Saints — Early on this game was all Saints, as everything came easy in the Big Easy. The Saints went 75 yards and Coby Fleener marched into the end zone from 2 yards out for a 7-0 Saints lead. The Saints got it back and were pinned at their own 7 yard line. On 3rd and 4 from their 13, Drew Brees found Cooks for an 87 yard touchdown as the saints led 14-0 after the first quarter. Lewis then returned a punt 59 yards to the Carolina 29. Brees hit Thomas for a 9 yard touchdown as the Saints were rolling up 21-0. After an interception of Cam Newton, the Saints moved to a 3rd and 1 at the Carolina 35. Ingram got the carry and got stopped. On 4th and 1, after initially planning to go for the kill shot, Sean Payton went with the 53 yard field goal try. It was no good, and momentum swung.

Graham Gano hit a 42 yard field goal to get the Panthers on the board. Carolina got it back and Newton hit Devon Funchess for a 17 yard touchdown to get the Panthers within 21-10. However, Will Lutz hit a 33 yard field goal at the end of the half to give the Saints a 24-10 lead.

In the third quarter the Panthers eventually moved to a 3rd and 3 at the Saints 17 when Newton threw incomplete. Riverboat Ron Rivera decided to go for it. Newton threw incomplete, but defensive pass interference put the ball on the one. Newton hit Dickson for the score as the Panthers were within 24-17. Brees kept firing. After hitting Thomas for 23 yards, he fired a laser to Fleener over the middle. Fleecer split the seams and raced for a 50 yard touchdown to make it 31-17 after three quarters.

The fourth quarter began with the Panthers facing 1st and 10 at the Saints 34. Again Newton went deep and again defensive pass interference had the Panthers one yard away. Stewart got in on the next play and the Panthers were within 31-24. Carolina got it back at midfield after an interception of Brees and Stewart again got in from the one. The Panthers thought they had tied the game, but Gano stunningly missed the extra point as the Panthers trailed 31-30.

Sean Payton and Drew Brees do not do ground and pound. Brees kept firing and brought the Saints back again. 75 yards came quickly. After a touchback, Brees went deep to Cooks for a 49 yard gain and an 8 yard touchdown pass to Jeremy Hill had the Saints up 38-30 with 6 minutes left. Newton drove the Panthers from their 22 to the Saints 35. Newton went deep incomplete but defensive pass interference put the ball on the two. Newton got around the end and in. Newton hit Funchess for the 2 point conversion and the game was deadlocked 38-38 with 3 minutes left.

At the 2 minute warning, the Saints faced 3rd and 9 at their own 26. Brees found Cadet for just enough. With 26 seconds to play, the Saints faced 3rd and 7 at the Carolina 40. Brees hit Cook for 6. On 4th and 1, Lutz came in for a 52 yard field goal with 16 seconds left. It was a knuckleball, and somehow was good. Newton finished 27 of 47 for 322 yards and 2 touchdown passes. However, Carolina after going 15-1 last year is a 1-5 mess this year. Brees finished a ridiculous 34 of 49 for 465 yards and 4 touchdown passes. Each quarterback was intercepted once. 41-38 Saints

Pittsburgh Steelers at Miami Dolphins — The Steelers are a good team. The Dolphins are a bad team. As ESPN uber-announcer Chris Berman reminds us, “That’s why they play the games.” Early on Franks hit a 30 yard field goal for a 3-0 Dolphins lead. yet Darrius Hayward-Bey rumbled 60 yards for a touchdown. Ben Roethlisberger hit Leveon Bell for the 2 point conversion as the Steelers led 8-3 after the first quarter. Given the anemic Miami offense, that should have been enough. Yet on this day, it was the Pittsburgh offense that went ice cold.

In the second quarter Ryan Tannehill hit gray for a 53 yard gain and Franks hit from 23 to get the Dolphins within 8-6. On the next play from scrimmage after a touchback, Big Ben was intercepted. Miami settled for a 30 yard Franks field goal and a 9-8 lead. The Dolphins held on defense, and got it back and soon faced 3rd and 7 at the Pittsburgh 41. Tannehill Landry for a 39 yard gain and Williams got it from the one to make it 16-8 Dolphins at halftime.

In the third quarter the Dolphins moved to a 3rd and 1 at the Pittsburgh 5. Arriun Foster lost a yard, and Franks had his 24 yard field goal try blocked. It didn’t matter. Big Ben was intercepted again. Ajayi broke off a 33 yard run and his one yard touchdown made it 23-8 Dolphins after three quarters. In the fourth quarter on 4th and 1 at the Pittsburgh 31, Adam case went for the field goal. From 50, Franks again was no good. With 4:20 to play the Steelers were pinned at their own 3 yard line. Roethlisberger moved the Steelers. On 3rd and 10 from the Miami 47, Big Ben hit Bell for 18 and Hamilton for the 23 yard touchdown with one minute left. Yet the onsides kick failed. Ajayi raced for a 62 yard touchdown and Miami had the stunning upset. 30-15 Dolphins

Jacksonville Jaguars at Chicago Bears — Sometimes a pair of horrendously bad teams can play a thrilling game. This was not that game. In the second quarter Connor Barth hit a 36 yard field goal and Howard got in from one yard out for a 10-0 Bears halftime lead. Barth hit from 24 as the bears led 13-0 after three quarters. All they had to do was continue to hold off the lifeless Jacksonville offense. At the end of the third quarter, the Jaguars faced 3rd and 7 at the Chicago 47. Blake Bortles threw incomplete, but a roughing the passer penalty gave the Jaguars another chance.

Bortles hit Alex Hurns for 29 yards. Chris Ivory got in from one yard out to start the fourth quarter as the Jaguars only trailed 13-7. Jacksonville got it back but Bortles was sacked and fumbled. Despite taking over at the Jacksonville 28, the Bears settled for a 32 yard Barth field goal to lead 16-7 with 8 1/2 minutes left in regulation. The Jaguars got it back and moved into the red zone. Josh Myers hit from 30 as the Jaguars only trailed 16-10 with 5 minutes left. With 3:18 to play, the Jaguars got it back at their own 22. They needed less than 30 seconds as a quick pass from Bortles to Benn went for a 51 yard touchdown. Now the Jaguars were up by a point. With one minute left and facing 4th and 10 from the Jacksonville 48, Bryan Hoyer threw incomplete and the Chicago collapse was complete. Bears fans quickly turned to thinking about the Cubs. 17-16 Jaguars

San Francisco 49ers at Buffalo Bills — Blaine Gabbert has been benched, and some mod squad leftist political activist named Colin Kaepernick was brought in to face off against Rex Ryan’s defense. Kaepernick should have stayed on his knees on the sideline rather than play this game. He took a beating. Early on a Buffalo fumble led to a 33 yard Phil Dawson field goal as the 49ers led 3-0. The Bills came back 75 yards in 11 plays and 5 1/2 minutes as LeSean Shady McCoy ran it in from 4 yards out for a 7-3 Bills lead. In the second quarter Kaepernick threw to Torry Smith for a 53 yard touchdown to make it 10-7 49ers. The Bills came back 75 yards again and McCoy ran it in from 12 yards out for a 14-10 Bills lead. Phil Dawson hit a 48 yard field goal and Dan Carpenter responded from 40 as the Bills took a 17-13 lead into the locker room.

In the third quarter the Buffalo offense moved at will 75 yards again. Tyrod Taylor hit Hunter for a 30 yard touchdown to make it 24-13 Bills after three quarters. Early in the fourth quarter Dawson hit from 47 to get the 49ers within 24-16. What had been a close game then got blown wide open.

75 yards was a piece of cake for the resurgent Buffalo offense. McCoy’s third touchdown from 18 yards out made it 31-16 Bills. The 49ers fumbled on the next play, and a 22 yard penalty on San Francisco put the ball at the 49ers 5 yard line. One play later Tyrod Taylor hit Woods for the touchdown to make it 38-16 Bills. Buffalo got it back and Gillislee ran for a 44 yard touchdown to complete the blowout. Watching Rex Ryan’s defense beat up the 49ers mod squad quarterback was almost as fun as watching George W. Bush’s American Army kick Saddam’s @ss. 45-16 Bills

Los Angeles Rams at Detroit Lions — A pair of up and down teams met as Jim Caldwell’s offense played chess with Jeff Fisher’s defense. These teams traded blows in a very good football game. in the first quarter, both teams had 75 yard drives. Matthew Stafford hit Marvin Jones for a 7 yard score. Case Keenum responded with a 20 yard touchdown pass to Kenny Britt for a 7-7 game after the first quarter. in the second quarter Keenum led an 11 play, 84 yard, 6 minute drive and got the last yard himself. Stafford led a 14 play, 75 yard, 8 minute drive and hit Roberts for the 2 yard touchdown and a 14-14 halftime game.

In the third quarter it was the Lions going 60 yards and Stafford hitting Anquon Boldin for a 4 yard score for the Lions. The rams came back 75 yards and Keenum hit Kendricks for a 15 yard score and a 21-21 game after three quarters. In the fourth quarter it was the Rams moving 80 yards in 10 plays and 6 minutes and Keenum hitting Britt again from 9 yards out. Then Stafford hit Golden tate for a 23 yard score to cap a 13 play, 84 yard, 8 minute drive. A game that was deadlocked after each of the first three quarters was deadlocked 28-28 with 6 minutes left in regulation.

Detroit finally held on defense and got the ball back at their own 39 with 5 minutes left. On 3rd and 1, Stafford hit Bolden for 11 yards. On 3rd and 13 from the Rams 29, Stafford hit Tate for 12 yards. On 4th and 1 from the 17, Matt Prater came in for a 34 yard field goal with 90 seconds left to give Detroit the lead. The kick was good. Two plays later Keenum in a mistake free game, Keenum was intercepted. Keenum finished a lights out 27 of 32 for 321 yards and 3 touchdowns, but the one interception was the killer. Stafford finished 23 of 31 for 270 yards, 4 touchdowns, and 0 interceptions. Jim Caldwell was so pleased, he almost made a facial expression. 31-28 Lions

Cleveland Browns at Tennessee Titans — A pair of bad teams played as the hungry Browns were desperate to get their first win for Hue Jackson. Early on Marcus Mariota capped a 75 yard drive but hitting Ryan Matthews for an 11 yard touchdown to make it 7-0 Titans. Cody Parkey hit field goals of 45 and 37 yards as the Browns trailed 7-6 after the first quarter. In the second quarter Mariota hit Kenny Wright for a 48 yard touchdown and a 14-6 Titans lead. Yet Kessler brought the Browns back 94 yards and hit Terrell Pryor for a 7 yard score as the Browns only trailed 14-13 at halftime.

In the third quarter the Titans moved 70 yards and DeMarco Murray ran it in from 3 yards out to make it 21-13 Titans after three quarters. In the fourth quarter the Titans moved 80 yards in 12 plays and 7 minutes. Mariota hit Anthony Fasano for a 15 yard touchdown as the Titans led 28-13 with only 6:45 left to play. Yet the Brown mounted a furious comeback.

With 2:10 to play, Kessler hit Pryor for a 5 yard touchdown. Yet Hue Jackson made the very curious decision to go for 2. Kessler threw incomplete and the Browns trailed 28-19. Even though the onside kick succeeded, the 2 point try fail made it all for naught. On 3rd and goal from the one with 30 seconds left, Johnson got it. Instead of being down 8 and going for 2 to tie it, the Browns were down by 9 and needing 2 scores. They kicked the extra point and lost by 2 when the next onsides kick went out of bounds. 28-26 Browns

Philadelphia Eagles at Washington Redskins — Early on it was Kirk Cousins needing only 3 plays to move the Redskins 71 yards. Cousins hit Crowder for a 16 yard touchdown and a 7-0 Redskins lead. In the second quarter the Redskins moved 90 yards and Cousins hit Vernon Davis for  13 yard touchdown to make it 14-0 Redskins. The Eagles could not get on the board with offense, so special teams and defense bailed them out. Smallwood returned the ensuing kickoff 86 yards for a score to get the eagles within 14-7. Malcolm Jenkins then returned an interception of Cousins 64 yards for another touchdown and a 14-14 game. Cousins regrouped and calmly led a 13 play, 75 yard drive to close out the half. Jones got in from one yard out as the Redskins led 21-14 at the intermission.

The second half was all defense, with each field goal kicker hitting a kick twice. Dustin hopkins hit from 32 for the Redskins in the third quarter. In the fourth quarter, Caleb Sturgis hit from 38. Hopkins responded from 50 and Sturgis answered again from 28 to keep it a 7 point game with 5 1/2 minutes left. With 2:06 to play, the Eagles faced 2nd and 6 form the Washington 42. Carson went was then sacked for consecutive 9 yard losses. On 3rd and 7 from their own 26, Jones ran for a 57 yard gain to let the Redskins run out the clock. 27-20 Redskins

Kansas City Chiefs at Oakland Raiders — The Raiders are improved, but they always struggle against Kansas City, especially at home. The curse of Marcus Allen has long expired, but the Raiders seem to be the only team that cannot stop Alex Smith. His dink and dunk West Coast Offense fails against the rest of the league, but somehow the Raiders cannot figure out plays that fans at home know are coming. Jalen Richard returned the opening kickoff 50 yards to the chiefs 46. Derek Carr hit Amari Cooper for gains of 11, 19 and 11 yard again. On 3rd and goal at the 3, Carr hit Andre Holmes for the touchdown. The Raiders led 7-0 only 3 minutes into the game that began with hard rain. The Raiders took the remaining 57 minutes off.

Oakland held on defense and got the ball back at their own 19. From their 29, Carr went deep and was intercepted at the Chiefs 43. Ware ran for a 2 yard touchdown for a 7-7 game. In the second quarter, the Raiders moved from their 22 to a 4th and 6 at the Chiefs 34. Jack Del Rio opted for the field goal, and from 52 yards out, Sebastian Janikowski was no good. With good field position at their own 42, the Raiders melted on defense. Jamal Charles ran for a 17 yard gain and for a 4 yard touchdown. Cairo Santos missed the extra point, but the Chiefs led 13-7. The Raiders moved from their 24 to a 4th and 5 at the Chiefs 32 after Carr threw incomplete. This time Jack Del Rio passed up the 50 yard field goal try and went for it. Carr threw incomplete again.

The Chiefs moved from their 32 to a 3rd and 1 at the Oakland 18. Ware got the carry and lost 2 yards as the Raiders called timeout with 28 seconds left. From 38 yards out, Santos was no good as each kicker missed a first half field goal. The Raiders took over at their own 28 with only 25 seconds left. Carr hit Cooper for gains of 9 and 15 and Clive Walford for 20. Carr hurried to the line and spiked the ball with one second left. Janikowski came in for a 46 yarder. This time Seabass was good. The Raiders trailed 13-10 at halftime, but they had all the momentum.

That changed rapidly as the Chiefs began the third quarter moving 75 yards easily. From the Oakland 48, ware raced for a 45 yard gain. On 3rd and goal at the one, Andy Reid went to his bag of tricks. Defender Donte Poe came in as a fullback. Poe got the carry and the touchdown as the Chiefs led 20-10. The Raiders went 3 and out and a 50 yard punt return had the Chiefs at the Oakland 36. A short pass from Smith to Ware gained 30 yards. The only reason the game was not a bigger blowout was because Smith’s sinking and dunking usually loses the Chiefs points. On 3rd and goal at the 2, Smith threw one of his typical West Coast Offense passes that was complete for a 2 yard loss. It is called the forward pass for a reason, but Smith likes his sideways passes. Santos hit the 22 yard field goal as the Chiefs led 23-10 after three quarters.

With 10 minutes left in regulation, Santos hit from 44 to complete the scoring as the Raiders offense was awful the entire second half. A win would have gotten the Raiders to 5-1 and sole possession of first place for the first time since 2002. Instead they fell back into a first place tie with Denver, only half a game ahead of Kansas City. The Raiders are much improved, but they ere not nearly as good as their 4-1 record coming into the game. The secondary is a mess, and on this day the run defense was pretty bad as well. The Raiders 4 victories came by a combined 12 points because of late game heroics by Carr. Relying on him every week is too much to ask. He needs help on the defensive side of the ball and he is not getting it. Losing at home to sinking and dunking is unacceptable. 26-10 Chiefs

Atlanta Falcons at Seattle Seahawks — Dan Quinn faced off against his former team as the league’s best offense squared off against the league’s best defense, the Legion of Boom. Late in the first quarter, the Falcons faced 3rd and 5 at their own 14. Matt Ryan was sacked and fumbled, and the Seahawks recovered at the Atlanta 9. One play later Michael ran for the touchdown and the 7-0 Seahawks lead. In the second quarter Matt Bryant hit a 33 yard field goal to get the Falcons on the board. Yet the Seahawks came back with a 75 yard drive and Collins got in from 2 yards out to make it 14-3 Seahawks. A field position game gave the Seahawks the ball back at the Atlanta 45 at the 2 minute warning. Steve Hauschka hit from 42 to have the Seahawks up 17-3 at halftime.

The game completely changed in the third quarter. The Falcons took the second half kickoff and went 75 yards. Ryan threw a 36 yard touchdown pass to Julio Jones to get the Falcons within 17-10. Seattle went 3 and out and Atlanta came back 79 yards. Ryan hit Mohammed Sanu for a 10 yard touchdown and a 17-17 game. Seattle failed to convert on 3rd and 1 from their own 45, and Pete Carroll opted to punt. The Falcons took over at their own 3 yard line. Ryan hit Hardy for 11 yards, Jones for 24 more, and Toilolo for a 46 yard touchdown. 21 unanswered points turned a 14 point halftime deficit into a 24-17 Falcons lead after three quarters.

The Seahawks began the fourth quarter moving from their 26 to a 1st and goal at the 10. A run went nowhere and Russell Wilson threw incomplete twice. In a stunner, Hauschka missed a 29 yard field goal with 11 1/2 minutes left in regulation. Seattle got it back with 8 1/2 minutes left at their own 30. On 3rd and 6 from the Atlanta 47, Wilson hit Tyler Lockett for 10 yards. A 17 yard defensive pass interference penalty led to Michael running it in from one yard out with 5 minutes to play. Yet the game would not be tied as Hauschka’s nightmarish day continued. The extra point was blocked as the Seahawks trailed 24-23.

Rather than try and run down the clock, Dan Quinn stayed aggressive, calling three straight pass plays. Ryan targeted his best receiver against the Seattle defense, and the defense won. A pass for Jones was intercepted by earl Thomas at midfield with 4 minutes left. At the 2 minute warning, Hauschka came in for a 44 yard field goal. This time he was good, and the Seahawks and the lead at the 2 minute warning. After a touchback, Ryan threw 4 straight incompletions. On 4th and 10, his pass to Jones was defended by Richard Sherman. Quinn exploded on the sideline, demanding a pass interference call. Sherman pointed out after the game that the officials had let the players play all day. This was not Sherman taking on Michael Crabtree in the NFC Title Game, but it could be a future NFC Title Game preview. Jones is a superstar, but on this night Sherman had the last laugh. Boom. 26-24 Seahawks

Dallas Cowboys at Green Bay Packers — It is one thing for Dak Prescott to play well at home. To go into Green Bay against Aaron Rodgers and the Packers, that is another story entirely. Prescott went right to work, as a 75 yard drive culminated in him hitting Cole Beasley for a one yard touchdown to make it 7-0 Cowboys. Green Bay’s offense has not been in sync for long stretches this year, and they did not finish drives on this night either. Mason Crosby hit  37 yard first quarter field goal and a 43 yarder in the second quarter to get the Packers within 7-6. Dan Bailey hit from 44 for a 10-6 Cowboys lead.

With 2:15 left in the half, the Packers faced 4th and 5 at the Dallas 38. Mike McCarthy decided to go for it and Rodgers threw incomplete. Green Bay got it back near midfield and again could not move the ball. With one minute left in the half of a close game, a good punt had the Cowboys pinned at their own 3 yard line and just trying to get to halftime. On 3rd and 1 from the 12 with 45 seconds left, Whitehead ran for a 26 yard gain. With better field position, Prescott went deep to Terrence Williams for a 42 yard gain. On the next play Prescott went to Brice Butler for the 20 yard touchdown. 97 yards in only 5 plays and 90 seconds had the Cowboys up 17-6 at halftime.

In the third quarter Rodgers was intercepted, leading to a 22 yard Bailey field goal and a 20-6 Cowboys lead. Rodgers then led a 12 play, 74 yard drive that consumed over 6 1/2 minutes. On 1st and goal from the one, Rodgers fumbled and the Cowboys recovered. The Packers got it right back when Prescott threw a pass on 3rd and 8 from the Dallas 6 that was intercepted. Yet despite Green Bay having 1st and 10 at the Dallas 16, a run went nowhere and Rodgers threw incomplete twice to open the fourth quarter. Crosby hit from 34 but the Packers were still down 20-9.

Dallas soon faced 3rd and 1 from their own 34. Rather than play it safe, Jason Garrett unleashed Prescott, showing a ton of trust in the rookie that has totally been earned. Prescott went deep to Whitehead for a 35 yard gain. Prescott hit Beasley for a 4 yard touchdown and a 27-9 Cowboys lead. Midway through the fourth quarter Rodgers finally got the Packers in the end zone, but nothing else. Bailey tacked on one more field goal from 32 yards to complete the decisive Dallas road win. The Cowboys are 5-1, and Prescott is living up to his preseason hype as the next breakout superstar. Meanwhile, the Packers have some serious questions on offense. 30-16 Cowboys

Indianapolis Colts at Houston Texans was the Sunday night game. Early on it was all Colts. Adam Vinatieri hit a 41 yard field goal in the first quarter. In the second quarter, Andrew Luck hit Doyle for a 22 yard touchdown. Adam Vinatieri tacked on a 37 yard field goal as the Colts led 13-0. Nick Novak hit a 27 yard field goal to get the Texans on the board down 13-3 at the half. In the third quarter the Texans moved 82 yards in 10 plays and 5 minutes. Miller got in from the one. Novak missed the extra point as the Texans trailed 13-9. With one minute left in the third quarter, the Colts faced 4th and 1 at the Houston 8. Chuck Pagano decided to go for it and Luck was sacked for a 5 yard loss. Yet 2 plays later Brock Osweiler was intercepted at the Houston 20. Two plays later, Luck began the fourth quarter by scrambling for a 14 yard touchdown and a 20-9 Colts lead. Midway through the fourth quarter Vinatieri hit a 36 yard field goal. The Colts led 23-9, and the game appeared over.

After a touchback, Osweiler finally got going. On 3rd and 9 from midfield, he hit Deandre Hopkins for 10 yards. On 3rd and 7 from the 10, Osweiler hit Miller for the touchdown. The Texans were within 23-16, but only 2 1/2 minutes remained. The Colts self-destructed on offense as a sack of Luck had the Colts punting on 4th and 21 from their own 10. The Texans got it back at their own 47 with 1:50 to play. Osweiler needed only 3 plays. He hit Miller for 16 and Fiedorowicz for 11 and again for a 26 yard touchdown. With 49 seconds left in regulation, the game was tied 23-23 thanks to 2 touchdowns in the final 2 1/2 minutes.

A very short kick was returned 10 yards to the Indianapolis 32, and Luck quickly hit Rogers for 18 yards to midfield. From the Houston 48, an 11 yard completion had the Colts in very long field goal range. Yet on further review the call was reversed incomplete. Luck threw incomplete on 3rd and 8 and the game went into overtime. The Colts moved from their 26 to a 3rd and 3 at their own 47. Again Luck took a sack, this time for a 9 yard loss. The Texans took over at their own 33. From the Indy 48, Osweiler went deep to strong for a 36 yard gain. Bill O’Brien took no chances at this point. Osweiler took a knee to center the ball and Novak nailed the 33 yard field goal on second down. 20 unanswered points had mercurial Colts owner Jim Irsay wishing he had fired everyone last year. 29-23 Texans, OT

New York Jets at Arizona Cardinals was the Monday night game. Last year these teams were a combined 23-9, yet they entered this contest a combined 3-7. It was a mismatch from the start. In the first quarter one play and 12 seconds was enough time for David Johnson to run for a 58 yard touchdown and a 7-0 Cardinals lead. Nick Folk hit a 39 yard field goal for the Jets in the second quarter, concluding all Jets highlights. Johnson capped off an 11 play, 75 yard, 5 1/2 minute drive with a 2 yard touchdown run as the Cardinals led 14-3 at halftime. In the third quarter Johnson ran for another 2 yard touchdown to culminate a 14 play, 68 yard, 7 1/2 minute drive. Bruce Arians was eschewing the typical quick strike offense for smash mouth football and a 21-3 Cardinals lead after three quarters. In the fourth quarter it was a 14 play, 89 yard, 7 1/2 minute drive that had Carson Palmer hit Michael Floyd for the 9 yard final touchdown. Todd Bowles has a 1-5 mess of a team. Ryan Fitzpatrick was benched in the fourth quarter for Geno Smith, who fumbled once and was intercepted once. Johnson finished with 111 yards on 22 carries and 3 touchdowns. This was a beatdown. 28-3 Cardinals

NFL 2016 Week 6 Prequel

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