Entered this weekend with pretty low expectations from the NFL and was instead given one of the crazier regular season weeks you'll ever see. There were some wild comebacks, incredible individual showings, massive blunders and so much more... Great weekend for the Ravens to be on bye, allowed me to fully immerse myself in the day. And what a day it was. Let's get into things:
Panthers 25- Falcons 15
Shitty weather and shitty quarterback play were the storylines behind this Thursday night affair. Both QB's combined for just 294 yards as this game was a heavy run game script.
Carolina rode D'Onta Foreman 31 times for 130 yards and a score. Their free agent signing has answered the call as the top dog since the McCaffery trade and should have an opportunity to start for the Panthers next season. Nothing else impressive to report from this offense Thursday. PJ Walker still finding ways to win and looking inept in the process. Is this Carolina staff totally out on Mayfield and Darnold, or will they be given one last push to start in this league?
Marcus Mariota has been pushing himself out of such a position. He was thoroughly ineffective throughout majority of the game, getting away with a horrendous pick-six late that would've buried the Falcons. Their three-headed monster of Cordarelle Patterson, Tyler Allgeier and Caleb Huntley combined for just 70 yards on 18 carries; as ineffective as the rest of the Atlanta offense. Really bad showing by a team trying to push for first place in their division. Midnight may be approaching for this Cinderella.
Buccaneers 21- Seahawks 16
Interesting first game to break in the NFL in Germany. Seattle couldn't move the ball at all on offense in the first half, allowing Julio Jones and Leonard Fournette to lead Tampa Bay to a 14-0 lead at the break.
Jason Myers drilled a 55-yard field goal on the first drive of the third to cut the deficit to 11. Then things got weird. Tampa was driving the ball with minimal resistance and decided to get cute, with Leonard Fournette tossing up a duck in the red zone to his falling quarterback running a go pattern on the outside-- it was promptly intercepted.
Geno Smith turned it on from there, getting the ball into the Bucs' red zone. Devin White popped him from behind on first and goal, jarring the ball loose. Tampa recovered the fumble, taking the ensuing drive for six. Smith valiantly tried to get Seattle back into it, but their defense couldn't stop Fournette or Rachaad White on the ground late to get him the ball one last time.
Given the distance they had to travel for this one, it wasn't a terrible showing by the Seahawks. They'll enjoy a nice, long bye before a date with the abysmal Raiders on the 27th. The Buccaneers will also enter their bye firmly in control of the NFC South. What a terrible division.
Vikings 33- Bills 30
Game of the year. Catch of the year. Holy shit, this game was absolutely incredible.
Buffalo led by 17 late in the third quarter on a Tyler Bass field goal before allowing Dalvin Cook to go 81 yards to the house. Josh Allen sputtered from there, allowing the Vikings to claw back within four. Justin Jefferson and Kirk Cousins each came within one yard of the comeback before being turned away by the Bills defense with 41 seconds left. The game was over.
Until Josh Allen fumbled the snap in the end zone, allowing linebacker Eric Hendricks to recover the ball for the go ahead score. It was as wild a turn of events that one could imagine. Allen did make up for the error temporarily with a late push for a field goal that forced overtime.
The Vikings won the toss and marched down for a field goal. The Bills were well on their own way to points of their own, getting the ball down to the Minnesota 20 before a back-breaking, game sealing interception. The scene in Orchard Park was absolutely silent. What a monumental defeat, check it out if you didn't watch it. You won't forget it if you did. Buffalo falls into third place in the AFC East.
Lions 31- Bears 30
Another wild one from the one o'clock slate Sunday went down in the Windy City. After a pretty tame first half, Cole Kmet broke out for two touchdowns in the third quarter as Chicago pulled ahead 24-10.
Then came the fourth quarter. The Lions quickly answered Kmet's score with a D'Andre Swift touchdown of their own to pull within one possession. Two plays later, Jeffery Okudah was running back a game tying pick six-- a tremendous momentum swing, knotting things up at 24.
Three plays later, Justin Fields went rumbling 67 yards to the house to put the Bears up again. It was his second straight 100+ yard rushing performance, really turning things on in the ground game. Unfortunately for them, Cairo Santos missed a critical extra point. Detroit drove 91 yards on eight plays late in the frame, capping the possession with a Jamaal Williams touchdown. Michael Badgley converted his PAT and that was ultimately the difference here.
Gritty comeback win to give Dan Campbell his first road victory as the Lions' coach. Super encouraging showing too by this Chicago offense, but not being able to close out games like this has to hurt. They'll try again next week down in Atlanta against the reeling Falcons.
Titans 17- Broncos 10
Speaking of reeling...the Denver Broncos are a disgusting excuse for a football team--and it starts with their overpaid excuse for a quarterback. This game started with nine straight punts before a Virgil Green 66-yard catch and run for a score (on an underthrown ball) to put Denver up 7-0 in the second. They'd increase that lead to 10 before allowing Tennessee to find the end zone just before the half.
It was all Titans from there, which isn't saying much. Ryan Tannehill hit Nick Westbrook-Ikhine on a flea flicker for a 66 yard score to put Tennessee ahead for good. They'd tack on a field goal for good measure in the fourth and sealed the game with an interception from Dangeruss.
Horrible, horrible football game. Oh, to be a fly on the wall for a Broncos' executive meeting... What a dire situation we have unfolding in the Mile High. And we're not even half way through the first year of Wilson's contract. We love to see it.
Chiefs 27- Jaguars 17
The Jags were 10.5 point dogs in this one, meaning they covered at least, but it felt like they did everything in their power to not seize control in a game where so many bounces went their way. Right from the jump, Doug Pederson dialed up an onside kick that Riley Patterson recovered, but they couldn't build on that momentum.
Kansas City lost a fumble in Jacksonville territory on their ensuing drive, which was promptly punted back to Patrick Mahomes. Then in the blink of an eye it was 20-0. Patterson had missed a field goal, the offense was inept, the defense couldn't stop anything. It looked ugly and quickly. Trevor Lawrence was able to lead a late drive to cut the deficit to 20-7 with 11 seconds left in the half, and KC gifted them another fumble. Unfortunately, all it lead to was another missed field goal by Patterson.
Jacksonville's kicker redeemed himself on the opening drive of the third, cutting the lead to ten. But the defense floundered again, allowing a long touchdown drive to Mahomes that ended the game for all intents and purposes. Christian Kirk punched his second score across the goal line to push the Jaguars to a cover, but this was a disappointing showing in a game where a quality opponent gave them a ton of chances. Some bright spots surely, but this team has a long way to go.
Dolphins 39- Browns 17
Well, Miami is legit. They continued their undefeated streak in games where Tua starts by dismantling Cleveland at home.
The Browns opened up the game with a Harrison Bryant touchdown to go up 7-0 before the flood gates opened. By the time they scored again on a Cade York field goal, the Dolphins had run off 24 unanswered and fully taken control of the game. Tyreek Hill punctuated the following possession with his fourth touchdown of the season to put Miami up 30-10, after a missed extra point.
Tua finished the day early with 285 passing yards and three more scores before being relieved by Skylar Thompson. He's been downright dominant since his return from two concussions and their record reflects it. New addition Jeff Wilson popped for 119 yards on 17 carries, seeming to cement his place as the RB1 in this offense.
Cleveland falls to 3-6 in a tough division. They need to salvage at least one of these next two to give Deshaun Watson even an inkling of a chance for a playoff push upon his return week 11. Unfortunately for them, they're at Buffalo and hosting Tampa in those two games. Jacoby Brissett needs to grab his balls and dig deep now if this team wants to maintain realistic postseason aspirations.
Giants 24- Texans 16
On paper, this game looked like it'd be a pretty rough one-- a reality that rang true in the Meadowlands last Sunday. The Giants predictably were able to run all over the worst run D in the league, paced by Saquon Barkley and his 152 yards.
Daniel Jones was asked to throw just 17 times, but probably could've gotten away with less. He wasn't flashy but he was efficient, with no turnovers and only four incomplete passes. The defense forced two turnovers in the second half to seal the deal, including a red zone strip of star rookie Dameon Pierce at their own 6 yard line. As typical a Giants' win as you'd expect.
The chatter's starting to get a little louder around Davis Mills. While he had one of his more impressive statistical showings, the eye test leads one to think that Houston may be better off trying out some other options. Fortunately for Mills, nobody is clamoring to see what backup Kyle Allen has to offer under center, but at some point it may be merciful to relieve him of his starting duties. Keep an eye on how Lovie Smith decides to address this tenuous situation.
Steelers 20- Saints 10
Highly irritated/surprised that New Orleans didn't bench Andy Dalton for Jameis in this one, failed to nail my top prop as a result. The ginger quarterback was incredibly ineffective against a Steelers defense that was thrilled to get TJ Watt back in the mix, throwing for just 6.4 YPA and two interceptions. He also had two fumbles he fortunately recovered.
The Saints look terrible on offense, even studs like Alvin Kamara and Chris Olave. Obviously this was never Dennis Allen's forte, but their incompetence raises questions about his allocation of coaching in that department. Jameis Winston's time to shine can't be too far away, right?
Kenny Pickett and the Steelers weren't pretty in their own right, but they did more then enough to pull out this dub. Najee Harris had his most productive day on the ground, just barely staying under the century mark. Diontae Johnson had a few nice grabs and George Pickens found pay dirt on an end around. Far from a perfect game, but some flashes of what the future could hold for Pittsburgh.
Colts 25- Raiders 20
The Raiders suck. Derek Carr sucks. Josh McDaniels really fucking sucks. What a pitiful organization. All the talent in the world seemingly and they just continually find ways to not get it done. Laughable.
Up by one with about six minutes left in the game, Vegas poked the ball out of Michael Pittman's hands. They proceeded to run up to the loose ball, look at it, cradle it, hug it, and not recover it. I've never seen such an apparent fumble mishandled, it was legendary. Parris Campbell took it 35 yards on the next play for the go ahead score and that was all she wrote. Pathetic.
Props to Jeff Saturday and the Colts for getting it done in his debut. Starting Matt Ryan allowed for a steadier, more experienced hand then Sam Ehlinger. Jonathan Taylor benefitted from this, rumbling for 147 yards and a score. It was just the second time in 2022 he's cleared 100 yards rushing.
Colts are technically not done in the sad AFC South, but they've got a ways to go to get back into playoff contention. Good step for them though last week, we'll see what Saturday has up his sleeve for his encore performance.
Packers 31- Cowboys 28
Best game of the four o'clock block here. The vaunted Cowboys were in total control of this game, going into the fourth quarter with a 28-14 lead. Then they just decided to stop playing. Green Bay scored 17 unanswered in the fourth/OT to pull out a season-saving victory in Lambeau.
Rookie Christian Watson made his arrival onto the NFL scene with a gaudy 4/107/3 line, single handedly bringing the Packers back from the brink of elimination. Aaron Jones also went off with 138 yards and a score of his own, despite being less then 100%. Aaron Rodgers still hasn't cleared 255 passing, but he played mistake free today and they got it done. 4-6 looks a lot better then 3-7 was going to.
Really bad loss for Dallas seeing that they were up by 14 in the final frame, but maybe excusable in the grand scheme of things. We'll see how they bounce back.
Cardinals 27- Rams 17
A battle of backup quarterbacks went down in LA, between journeyman Colt McCoy and former AAF member John Wolford. Real murderer's row there.
The Cardinals looked as competent as they've looked offensively since the fourth quarter against Las Vegas, a pretty damning observation against Kyler Murray considering they still didn't look very good. McCoy averaged 6.4 YPA and James Conner was posting a measly 3.3 YPC; but again, still better then much of what Murray's given us. This obviously isn't going to be a long term solution, but Kyler's got plenty of work to do to earn that exorbitant contract of his.
Biggest story out of LA was that Cooper Kupp injured his ankle. He'll be going on the short term IR after going under surgery for the ailment. Assuming the Rams continue their streak of terrible play in his absence, it wouldn't be surprised if the team keep him on ice for the rest of the season.
49ers 22- Chargers 16
Another prime time game, another dud. Seems to be an obnoxious trend of the season for viewers. This game featured six field goals overall and the San Francisco defense shutting out LA in the second half. Justin Herbert looks extremely limited without Keenan Allen and Mike Williams and they still can't establish the running game. The major injuries are really starting to take their toll on a team this preseason contender.
The 49ers are seemingly moving in the opposite direction health-wise, as they got a few key pieces back on both sides of the ball. Elijah Mitchell looked sharp in the run game when Kyle Shanahan wasn't force feeding Christian McCaffery the ball. Brandon Aiyuk has been picking up steam in the passing game as well, seemingly supplanting Deebo as the true WR1 on the squad. Two team battle for the NFC West crown between these Niners and the Seattle Seahawks.
Commanders 32- Eagles 21
Undefeated no longer! The Commanders, led by star quarterback Taylor Heinicke, marched into Lincoln Financial Monday night and toppled the 8-0 Eagles 32-21, ending their effort to join the '72 Dolphins as the only team to run the table.
In all seriousness, it was a strong defensive showing and some sloppy play by Philadelphia that got the job done for DC. The Eagles had four turnovers, including three second half fumbles that quelled any attempt at a comeback victory. The D bent early and often, but did not break; slamming the door shut on a failed lateral play that wound up as a Commanders touchdown. Statement win for a team that looked all out of sorts just a month ago.
Philly's still in fine shape after this loss-- it was always unlikely they'd keep that 0 in the loss column all year. Losing Dallas Goedert for the foreseeable future with a shoulder injury is something they'll need to work to overcome. The tight end had been a key cog in this explosive offense. Fortunately, AJ Brown's sprained ankle seems to be fairly minor-- any lingering effects from that would definitely limit the ceiling of this group. Tough loss to a division rival, but it happens to the best of them. Onto Indianapolis.
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@Choppinglines
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