NFL - NEWS & NOTES

Way too early but keep in mind when 3+ teams are tied for a wildcard spot tie-breakers begin with teams in same division first.

 

I'm fully aware of that, Beach. That's precisely why I stated the Browns hold the tie-breaker against the Colts and Titans but not the Ravens.

 

Titans run over the Lions



The Titans are continuing their march to the AFC South title, and continuing to emphasize the ground game.

Today against the Lions, Titans running back Derrick Henry continued his srong season, quarterback Ryan Tannehill ran for two touchdowns and passed for three touchdowns, and the Titans beat the Lions 46-25.


The win improves the Titans’ record to 10-4, and they remain in first place in the AFC South. If they win their last two games, the Titans win the division.

The Lions are now 5-9, and as if it weren’t obvious, definitely not in the playoff race. Lions quarterback Matthew Stafford gutted it out through a rib injury and played well, but he couldn’t do it all himself, and once the game was out of reach in the fourth quarter, the Lions took Stafford out. The Lions’ defense was no match for Tannehill, Henry and company, and the Lions’ special teams had a couple of costly miscues.

A year ago, Tennessee was peaking at the right time and ended up making a surprise run to the AFC Championship Game. This year’s Titans team may be poised to go on another impressive postseason run.

NBC

 

Texans fumble into end zone with 19 seconds left, giving Colts 27-20 victory



T.Y. Hilton owns the Houston Texans.

The Colts receiver broke their hearts again Sunday as he has done so many times in his career. Having a fairly quiet game, Hilton caught a 41-yard pass to the Houston 3-yard line at the 2-minute warning in a tie game.


It set up Philip Rivers‘ 5-yard touchdown pass to Zach Pascal with 1:47 remaining that proved the game winner.

The Colts, who beat the Texans 26-20 two weeks ago, won 27-20 on Sunday. They moved to 10-4 with their third consecutive victory, while the Texans fell to 4-10.

This one was ever bit as heartbreaking as that one was for Houston.

Two weeks ago, Houston had a chance to take the lead with less than two minutes to play. But Deshaun Watson fumbled a low snap at the Colts 2 and Anthony Walker recovered for the Colts.

On Sunday, the Texans were going in to move within an extra point of tying or a 2-point conversion of leading on a fourth-down throw from Watson to Keke Coutee, but as the receiver was trying to get into the end zone, Darius Leonard forced the fumble. Bobby Okereke recovered in the end zone with 19 seconds remaining.

Rivers went 22 of 28 for 228 yards and two touchdowns. Pascal caught five passes for 79 yards and two touchdowns, and Hilton contributed four for 71. Jonathan Taylor had 16 carries for 83 yards and a touchdown.

Watson went 33-of-41 for 373 yards and two touchdowns. David Johnson had eight carries for 27 yards and caught 11 passes for 106 yards.

NBC

 

Quarterback Lamar Jackson threw an interception on the first drive, but from there it was all Ravens. Baltimore did not punt, scoring touchdowns on five of eight possessions before giving Jackson a break for the rest of the fourth quarter.


The Ravens held a 26-0 lead at halftime, thanks to an 11-yard touchdown pass from Jackson to wide receiver Dez Bryant at the end of the second quarter. It was Bryant’s first touchdown reception since 2017.

Jackson had a five-yard touchdown run in the third quarter and then tossed a three-yard touchdown to tight end Mark Andrews to put Baltimore up by the winning margin.

Jackson finished 17-of-22 for 243 with three touchdowns and an interception. He also had 10 carries for 35 yards and a touchdown.

Marquise Brown was the leading receiver, picking up six receptions for 98 yards. Tight end Mark Andrews caught all five of his targets for 66 yards with a touchdown. And running back J.K. Dobbins added 64 yards on 14 carries with one TD.

Undrafted rookie quarterback Tyler Huntley came in and had a 19-yard run in his debut.

Making his first start since Week 7, Jacksonville quarterback Gardner Minshew did not look great against Baltimore’s defense. He finished 22-of-29 passing for 226 yards with a pair of touchdowns. But he was sacked five times, and lost a fumble when his former teammate Yannick Ngakoue strip sacked him in the third quarter.

Minshew anticipated something like that might happened, having said Ngakoue would be “out for blood” during the week.

Rookie running back James Robinson rushed for 35 yards 16 carries.

With the win, the Ravens are 9-5 — though still behind Miami in the AFC wild card race.

Jacksonville falls to 1-13 in the battle for the No. 1 overall pick.

NBC

 

Dolphins eliminate Patriots from playoff contention



The Patriots will not be going to the playoffs for the first time since 2008.

Miami ran the ball down the Patriots’ throats and picked up 250 rushing yards in a 22-12 win that eliminated the Patriots from playoff contention in their first season. The last playoff miss came when Tom Brady tore his ACL in the season opener and this one comes with Brady now playing for the Buccaneers.


The Patriots led Sunday’s game 6-0 at halftime, but the Dolphins took the lead with a touchdown to open the third quarter and added two more while the Patriots remained unable to get the ball into the end zone. It’s fitting that the offense was so ineffective in the coda to their playoff hopes as the unit’s issues were a major issue all season.

Dolphins defensive end Emmanuel Ogbah delivered the final blow with a sack of Cam Newton as the Patriots tried to convert a fourth down with just over a minute left to play.

New England’s run defense was a more recent concern and they took a step backward after allowing the Rams to go for 186 yards last week. Salvon Ahmed had 116 yards, Matt Breida had 86, and Tua Tagovailoa scored twice on the ground. Tagovailoa became the sixth rookie quarterback to beat the Patriots in the Belichick era and the Dolphins took a step toward joining the Bills in the playoffs in what’s become a season of change in the AFC East.

Miami will work for a win in Las Vegas next weekend in order to move closer to toward booking that berth. While that’s going on, the Patriots will play their first game with nothing but a spot in the draft order at stake in a very long time when they host the division winners from Buffalo.

NBC

 

Bears Keep Playoff Hopes Alive With Win Over Vikings



Mitchell Trubisky and the Bears aren’t done just yet.

Chicago’s playoff hopes are surprisingly still alive after an impressive win today at Minnesota, a win in which Trubisky got off to a hot start but then struggled late, and the Bears just held it together enough to win 33-27.


In an old-school NFC North offensive game, both teams’ running backs, Chicago’s David Montgomery and Minnesota’s Dalvin Cook, had big days, topping 130 rushing yards.

The win improves the Bears’ record to 7-7, and they’re still in wild card contention. Chicago fans should be rooting for the Cardinals to lose, as Arizona is the team Chicago has the best chance of catching in the playoff standings.

The loss drops the Vikings to 6-8 and out of playoff contention. Although they’re not mathematically eliminated, the Vikings would need a series of improbable events to get to the playoffs now.

The Bears need help to get to the playoffs too, but they’re definitely not out of it. Trubisky and the Bears were left for dead a few weeks ago, but they might just find themselves in the postseason.

NBC

 

Seattle hangs on to defeat Washington, 20-15



Washington entered the fourth quarter down 20-3 and scored a pair of touchdowns to narrow Seattle’s lead to just five points.

Needing a touchdown, the Football Team got down to Seattle’s 23-yard line with 1:18 left.


That’s when the Seahawks came up with back-to-back sacks — one from defensive end L.J. Collier and one from Carlos Dunlap to set up fourth-and-24. Quarterback Dwayne Haskins’ pass to the end zone fell incomplete, ending Washington’s threat and sealing Seattle’s 20-15 victory.

The Seahawks’ ground attack was key in controlling the game, as they rushed for 181, averaging 7.0 yards per carry. Running back Chris Carson led the way with 63 yards, but Carlos Hyde had the game-breaking play with a 50-yard touchdown early in the third quarter. It was Seattle’s longest run of the season.

Quarterback Russell Wilson was 18-of-27 for 121 yards with a touchdown and an interception. He also had six carries for 52 yards, including a 38-yard run.

Despite playing without starting right tackle Brandon Shell — and left guard Mike Iupati left with a neck injury during the game — the Seahawks did not allow a sack. Washington rookie defensive lineman Chase Young had just three tackles.

In his first start since Week 4, Haskins finished 38-of-55 passing for 295 yards with a touchdown and two interceptions. He also had 28 yards rushing.

Tight end Logan Thomas caught 13 passes for 101 yards and wide receiver Terry McLaurin caught seven passes for 77 yards.

With the win, Seattle will at least stay tied with the Rams atop the NFC West regardless of their divisional opponent’s Sunday result. The Seahawks and Rams will meet in Week 16.

At 6-8, Washington can’t finish above .500. But the Football Team will at least be tied for first place in the NFC East heading into Week 16 — even if the Giants beat the Browns on Sunday Night Football.

NBC

 

Wow...

Buccaneers come back from 17 down, beat Falcons 31-27



The Falcons fired head coach Dan Quinn after blowing some big leads early this season, but that problem reared its head again on Sunday against the Buccaneers.

Atlanta led 17-0 at halftime and 24-7 in the third quarter, but the Buccaneers found their offensive footing over the final minutes of the game. They scored on five straight possessions and took the lead for good on Antonio Brown‘s 46-yard touchdown catch in the fourth quarter.


The score was Brown’s first as a Buccaneer and the 31-27 win pushes the team to the doorstep of the playoffs. They will have to wait at least one more week to make a trip official, but the comeback makes it a very good bet that Tom Brady‘s first season with the team will go further than his former team will go this year.

The win could also keep the NFC South in play. The Saints will clinch with a win over the Chiefs, but a loss will keep some hope alive in Tampa.

Brady was 31-of-45 for 390 yards and a pair of touchdowns after throwing for just 70 yards during the first half of the game. Brown had five catches for 93 yards, Mike Evans had six for 110 yards, and eight receivers had at least three catches for the Buccaneers over the course of the afternoon.

The win moves the Bucs to 9-5 on the season and they’ll be in Detroit to try for their 10th win of the year next weekend. They’ll need to be sharper in pass defense after giving up 356 yards to Ryan and they’ll be hoping the second half explosion by the offense is a sign of how things will go for the rest of the year.

NBC

 

Jets are gonna win... Wow

 

The bookies had the Rams throw the game after they lost their butts last monday night. Naughty bookies

 

I don't think people understand how big this game is tonight. The loser is likely OUT of the playoffs.

 

I am pulling for the Giants, the damn Steelers hold the Ravens playoffs chances in their hands, as they have both the Browns and Colts left on the schedule ( the Ravens hold tie-breakers over both of these teams but not the damn Dolphins who the Ravens need the Bills to defeat but they will likely bench their starters as their game is the final regular season game)

 

Okay but in your scenario where all are tied at 11-5 those head-to-heads against the Colts and Titans would be meaningless.

 

which is bullshit because the Colts lost to both the Browns and Ravens

 

Colts lose the tiebreaker to you so don't worry unless they beat the Steelers next week.

 

What they should do is have a televised meeting via Zoom where all the team punters have a best-of-3 Rock Paper Scissors showdown.
Whichever team had most difficult strength of schedule gets a bye in the first round, assuming we’re talking about an odd number of teams tied

 

Cardinals stay in playoff position with win over Eagles



Kyler Murray and Jalen Hurts are two of the most entertaining young quarterbacks in the NFL, and today they put on a highly entertaining game.

In the end, it was Murray’s Cardinals who came out on top, beating Hurts’ Eagles 33-26 to improve to 8-6 and keep themselves in position to earn an NFC wild card berth.

For the Eagles, the loss drops them to 4-9-1 and probably ends their hopes of winning the NFC East. But it’s to Hurts’ credit that they had any such hopes: With Carson Wentz at quarterback, the Eagles were one of the worst teams in the NFL. With Hurts, they’re a completely different offense, and Philly fans will be left wondering what might have happened this season if Wentz had been benched sooner.

As for the Cardinals, they got a 400-yard passing game out of Murray, who also scored a rushing touchdown and became the first player in NFL history to have both a passing touchdown and a rushing touchdown in nine different games in a season.

The Cardinals may prove to be a dangerous team in January, with Murray making plays all over the field in Kliff Kingsbury’s offense. The Eagles probably would have been a dangerous team in January, too, if only they had turned to Hurts earlier.

NBC

 

Chiefs win ninth in a row, move to 13-1 with 32-29 win over Saints



The Saints got Drew Brees back, but they lost several key players. They also lost another game.

New Orleans went into last week leading the NFC with a 10-2 record. They came out of Sunday 10-4 and all but out of the running for the top seed in the NFC.

The Saints made it interesting again and again Sunday, but they didn’t have enough to match the Chiefs. Kansas City held on for a 32-29 victory over New Orleans.

The Chiefs won their ninth in a row since a 40-32 loss to the Raiders and moved to an NFL-best 13-1 record. They won all eight road games this season. They did lose rookie running back Clyde Edwards-Helaire to leg/hip injuries that appeared serious.

Patrick Mahomes had his 300-yard streak stopped at six consecutive games. He threw for 254, completing 26-of-47 with three touchdowns. Travis Kelce, Tyreek Hill and Mecole Hardman each had a touchdown catch, and Le'Veon Bell had a touchdown run.

The Chiefs held the Saints to 285 yards in Brees’ return from fractured ribs and a punctured lung. Brees, who led the NFL with a 73.5 completion percentage, started the game 0-for-6 and went 15-of-34 for 234 yards with three touchdowns and an interception.

Taysom Hill had a rushing touchdown, and Latavius Murray, Alvin Kamara and Lil’Jordan Humphrey had receiving touchdowns.

The Saints had defensive end Cameron Jordan ejected for throwing a punch, and safety Marcus Williams, defensive lineman Trey Hendrickson and receiver Tre'Quan Smith left with injuries.

NBC

 

Sunday Night Football: Baker Mayfield’s big night leads to Browns 20-6 victory



Cleveland quarterback Baker Mayfield started hot and stayed that way throughout the night, leading the Browns to a 20-3 victory over the Giants on Sunday Night Football.

Mayfield passed for two touchdowns in the first half and kept Cleveland’s offense on the field to control the ball and the clock. He finished 27-of-32 passing for 297 yards with two touchdowns.

The Browns ended the game with 392 total yards, averaging 6.2 yards per play and recording 24 first downs. They won the time of possession battle 34:03 to 25:57 in large part by going 9-of-13 on third down. Cleveland had a pair of 95-yard touchdown drives — one in the second quarter and another that ended in the fourth. Per the NBC broadcast, that’s the first time a team has netted two 95-yard TD drives in the same game this season.

Rashard Higgins was Cleveland’s leading receiver with 76 yards on four catches. Jarvis Landry had seven catches for 61 yards.

It was tough sledding for Nick Chubb, but he had 50 yards rushing on 15 carries and a one-yard touchdown.

Starting backup quarterback Colt McCoy for the injured Daniel Jones, the Giants started the game with a failed fake field goal and didn’t score a touchdown in 60 minutes. Head coach Joe Judge was aggressive in going for it on fourth-and-2 from Cleveland’s six-yard line, but running back Wayne Gallman was stuffed for a one-yard gain.

New York netted just three points out of three red-zone possessions.

McCoy finished 16-of-28 passing for 194 yards. Alfred Morris was New York’s leading rusher, gaining 39 yards on seven carries.

The Browns improved to 10-4 with the win, maintaining their spot as the current No. 5 seed in the AFC playoff race. It’s only the second time the Browns have reached 10 wins since rejoining the league in 1999.

New York missed an opportunity to tie Washington at the top of the division after the Football Team lost to the Seahawks on Sunday. But at 5-9, the Giants are still alive in the NFC East.

NBC