NFL - NEWS & NOTES

Screw the Hail Murray or Howard's OBJ INT, that Fitzmagic face-mask pass was the play of the year.

 

Thanks for the heads-up, Joe. I didnt get to see the game and was curious what you were talking about.

The NFL probably wont let me keep that tweet up, but i found the still pic also.

One of the craziest passes ever in the history of the NFL... he pitched that up blind, lol, wow!

 

Browns lose top 4 receivers for Sunday's game vs. Jets after recovery pool encounters

Several Browns players were in the team's recovery pool area recently with linebacker B.J. Goodson, who learned Saturday he tested positive for COVID-19, and the NFL had video showing at least one of those players wasn't wearing a mask correctly during another interaction, per sources.

Those encounters led the NFL to label all those players -- including four of the five receivers on Cleveland's active roster -- as high-risk close contacts, forcing the Browns to place them on the reserve/COVID-19 list and sidelining them for Sunday's game against the Jets.

Sharing the recovery pool -- which includes a hot and cold tub -- isn't itself a violation of COVID protocols. But the NFL's medical experts look at cumulative time, distance, mask use and ventilation in the area where exposure occurred to any positive individual, and if the threshold is exceeded in two or more of those four categories, it's labeled a high-risk close contact.

Wide receivers Jarvis Landry, Rashard Higgins, Donovan Peoples-Jones and KhaDarel Hodge landed on the reserve/COVID-19 list Saturday, along with Goodson and linebacker Jacob Phillips. The only receiver left on the active roster is Marvin Hall, who hasn't played a snap for the Browns since they claimed him off waivers a few weeks ago. They elevated receivers Ja'Marcus Bradley and Derrick Willies, as well as linebacker Montrel Meander, from the practice squad.

No more Browns tested positive ahead of Sunday's game, and Cleveland's game against New York is on as scheduled.

The Browns learned of Goodson's positive test Saturday morning and began working with the NFL on contact tracing, which includes interviews, data from the tracking devices all players and other personnel wear and review of video. That process delayed the team's flight to New Jersey for several hours before they finally left around 7 p.m. ET.

The NFL has said repeatedly it won't postpone or cancel games for competitive reasons, including a team being depleted or wiped out at one position. Now, much like the Broncos' quarterback situation last month, the Browns will play a game without their top four receivers.

NFL.com

 

The Chiefs hadn’t been shut out in the first half since Week 4 of the 2016 season, a span of 73 games.

It took 29 minutes and 30 seconds, but that streak will continue.


Quarterback Patrick Mahomes hit tight end Travis Kelce with a five-yard touchdown pass to give the Chiefs their first points of the game. It capped a 12-play, 78-yard drive and tied the game at seven.

That catch gave Kelce four receptions with 27 yards receiving. He became the first tight end in league history to register multiple 100-catch seasons in the first half, and is now just 32 yards away from George Kittle’s single-season record for receiving yards by a tight end.

NBC

 

Ya and even that pic doesn't do it justice as he was being completely twisted just after that. Ridiculous!

 

Diente Johnson with a great catch on a great throw by Ben... TD. 24-14, Colts

 

Ben to Ebron... TD. Its a 3 point game.

 

Bears killing JAX.

 

Deshaun Watson fumble ends Texans’ comeback hopes in 37-31 loss



The ending for the Texans had a familiar feel, a fumble to end a comeback attempt.

Only this one appeared more painful for Deshaun Watson.

Sam Hubbard grabbed Watson’s arm as he was trying to throw, twisting his shoulder around on a strip-sack with 1:28 left that allowed the Bengals to hold on for a 37-31 victory. Margus Hunt recovered for the Bengals, leading to a Austin Seibert field goal with 18 seconds left to ice it.

The Texans got the ball back, and Watson returned to complete two passes, but it was too little, too late.

The game was meaningful only for draft position for the Bengals and Dolphins, but it was one of the more entertaining games of the day.

The Bengals moved to 4-10-1. The Texans fell to 4-11 to improve their draft position for the Dolphins, who own Houston’s first two picks.

Brandon Allen outplayed Watson, completing 29 of 37 passes for 371 yards and two touchdowns. Tee Higgins caught six passes for 99 yards and a touchdown. Samaje Perine rushed for 95 yards and two touchdowns on 13 carries.

Perine scored the go-ahead touchdown with 1:57 left on a 3-yard run.

The Texans’ only lead came with 6:15 left in the fourth quarter on a Darren Fells 22-yard touchdown catch that saw the tight end bowl over would-be tacklers the final few yards to the end zone. It did not hold up.

Watson finished 24-of-33 for 324 yards and three touchdowns.

NBC

 

Chiefs hold on to defeat Falcons, clinch AFCs top seed



The Falcons gave the Chiefs all they could handle, but in the end Kansas City clinched the all-important top seed in the AFC with a 17-14 victory over Atlanta.

Falcons kicker Younghoe Koo missed a game-tying, 39-yard field goal wide right with 14 seconds left. Matt Ryan had brought the team into good position to tie with a two-minute drive, but the Falcons are apparently still cursed.

Atlanta’s defense gave Kansas City’s offense fits throughout the game, and ended the Chiefs’ 28-game streak of scoring at least 20 points. But when Kansas City needed it most, quarterback Patrick Mahomes executed a nine-play, 75-yard drive to get into the end zone. Mahomes’ 25-yard touchdown to wide receiver Demarcus Robinson gave Kansas City its 17-14 lead.

Tight end Travis Kelce set a new single-season record for tight end receiving yards and became the first tight end to record a pair of 100-catch seasons. He finished with seven catches for 98 yards, giving him 1,416 yards on the season.

Mahomes was 24-of-44 passing for 278 yards with two touchdowns and an interception. Playing without Clyde Edwards-Helaire, Darrel Williams was the lead rusher with 46 yards on 10 carries.

Ryan was 27-of-35 passing for 300 yards with two touchdowns. Wide receiver Calvin Ridley was Atlanta’s biggest threat, making five receptions for 130 yards.

In clinching the No. 1 seed, the Chiefs will now have the AFC’s only bye week in the 2020 postseason. Kansas City is 14-1.

For the Falcons, it’s another gut-wrenching loss for a team in search of a new coach and General Manager.

NBC

 

Bears one win away from the playoffs after blowing out Jaguars



The Bears are closing in on an unlikely playoff berth.

Left for dead after losing six straight games to fall to 5-7, the Bears have now won three in a row to improve to 8-7 after today’s 41-17 win at Jacksonville. If the Bears beat the Packers next week, or if the Cardinals lose to the Rams next week, the Bears will be in the playoffs.

Mitchell Trubisky deserves a lot of the credit for that. It was Trubisky returning to the starting lineup in place of Nick Foles that revitalized the Bears’ offense. Chicago has scored more than 30 points in four consecutive games for the first time since 1965, when George Halas was the Bears’ coach and Gale Sayers was their offensive star.

Today Trubisky threw for two touchdowns and ran for another, did a good job of avoiding the Jaguars’ pass rush, and aside from one bad decision on an interception into the end zone, looked like he was in control of the Bears’ offense.

Chicago doesn’t have anything clinched just yet, but this late season turnaround from Trubisky and the Bears has been one of the NFL’s biggest December surprises. And now the Bears will get a chance to show what they can do in January as well.

NBC

 

Ravens help playoff chances with 27-13 win over the Giants



The Ravens can’t pop any champagne, but they helped their chances of making the playoffs on Sunday.

They improved to 10-5 with a 34-13 home win over the Giants and assured that they’ll go into Week 17 with a chance of advancing to the postseason. The final results for the Colts and Browns this weekend will determine just what needs to happen for the Ravens to get a ticket to the dance.

Running the ball was the path to victory for the Ravens on Sunday. Gus Edwards led the way with 16 carries for 84 yards, Lamar Jackson ran 13 times for 80 yards, and J.K. Dobbins had 77 yards on his 11 carries.

Dobbins and each scored touchdowns on the ground. Jackson added two others through the air and the Ravens scored on six of their first eight possessions against a defense that’s gotten ground down over the last few weeks.

That process has played out while the Giants sputter offensively. They got in the end zone for the first time since the third quarter of Week 14, but that score only came after the Ravens were flagged for roughing the punter after sacking Daniel Jones on three straight plays. Jones was sacked six times overall and still doesn’t look to have mobility back after the hamstring and ankle injuries that kept him out of two of the last three games.

With the loss, the Giants are now at risk of playoff elimination. The Washington Football Team will win the NFC East if they beat the Panthers later on Sunday. If Washington loses, the Giants can still win the division with a win over the Cowboys and a Washington loss to Philly in Week 17.

NBC

 

Jaguars clinch first overall pick in 2021 NFL draft with loss to Bears, Jets win



The Jacksonville Jaguars are on the clock, and Trevor Lawrence is on the way.

The Jaguars have clinched the first overall pick in the 2021 NFL draft today by losing to the Bears, while the Jets simultaneously beat the Browns. The Jaguars are now 1-14 and the Jets are 2-13, and if they finish with the same record, the Jaguars will pick first because they own the strength of schedule tiebreaker.

Jacksonville started Mike Glennon at quarterback, who was terrible in today’s game, and some will wonder if putting Glennon on the field was designed to get a shot at Lawrence, the Clemson star quarterback who is considered one of the best draft prospects ever. The Jaguars are almost certainly going to take Lawrence first overall.

This Jaguars team has been terrible this season, but there are reasons for optimism in Jacksonville. In addition to the first overall pick, the Jaguars have the Rams’ first-round draft pick and fourth-round draft pick, the Vikings’ second-round draft pick and the Browns’ fifth-round draft pick next year. They also have the most salary cap space in the league.

So while this year has been ugly, the Jaguars could be on the verge of building something special. With Lawrence leading the way.

NBC

 

Steelers clinch AFC North with comeback win over Colts



The Colts led the Steelers 24-7 and appeared on their way to an easy victory, but the Steelers rallied for one of the most improbable comebacks of the season.

The Steelers scored 21 unanswered points to win 28-24 and clinch the AFC North.

The Steelers moved to 12-3 in ending their three-game losing streak. The Colts fell to 10-5, hurting their postseason chances.

It was a tale of two halves as the Colts outgained the Steelers 217 to 93 in the first half, and the Steelers outgained Indianapolis 260 to 148 in the second.

Ben Roethlisberger, who had 98 yards passing in the first half, finished 34-of-49 for 342 yards and three touchdowns. JuJu Smith-Schuster caught nine passes for 96 yards and a touchdown, with his 25-yard score with 7:38 left proving the game-winner.

Philip Rivers was 22-of-35 for 270 yards with a touchdown and an interception.

The Colts got as close as the Pittsburgh 33 on their final drive before Rivers’ pass on fourth-and-eight fell incomplete. It marked the Steelers’ biggest comeback in the Mike Tomlin era.

NBC
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Impressive win for the Steelers... I thought they were going to get throttled as they couldnt stop the run early on.

 

Jets win again, Browns can’t clinch playoff spot this week



The Browns missed the playoffs the last time they won 10 games in a season and they will need a win in Week 17 to make sure that doesn’t happen again.

Sunday opened with a chance of clinching a Wild Card berth, but a 23-16 loss to the Jets meant that will have to wait. The Browns play the Steelers in Week 17.

The Browns dug themselves a 20-3 hole, but drew within four points after a Kareem Hunt touchdown run early in the fourth quarter. They punted after four plays on their next series and Baker Mayfield was stripped of the ball by Tarell Basham on a sack to set up a short Jets field goal.

Jets quarterback Sam Darnold gave the Browns some extra time to try for a tie by throwing an incompletion on third down rather than taking a sack. The Browns drove into Jets territory after Sam Ficken‘s kickoff went out of bounds, but Austin Hooper came up just short of a first down on third-and-10 and Mayfield fumbled while trying to sneak for a first down.

Mayfield also lost a fumble in the first half and was 28-of-53 for 285 yards on the day. The Browns were playing without their top four wide receivers because of COVID-19 protocols, which left them with just three receivers. Marvin Hall was on the 53-man roster while Ja’Marcus Bradley and Derrick Willies came up from the practice squad.

Bradley had five catches for 60 yards, but the loss of the receivers was clearly an issue for the Browns and their run game never got going to offset what was missing through the air. Credit for the latter should go to a Jets defensive line playing without Quinnen Williams as one of the league’s top rushing attacks was limited to 45 yards.

The Jets outgained them 333-299 for the game and Jamison Crowder starred on offense. He threw a 43-yard touchdown, caught a 30-yard score, and finished with seven catches for 92 yards.

Running back Frank Gore picked up 48 yards on 14 carries, which leaves him with exactly 16,000 rushing yards for his career. He’ll try to push past that mark against the Patriots next week. There’s little else for the Jets to play with as it leaves them set with the No. 2 draft pick thanks to Jacksonville’s loss to the Bears.

NBC

 

I think I got the Browns grabbing the 7 seed over the Dolphins. Bills and Steelers fighting for the chance to play the #7 seed and avoid KC until the finals. Bills should win and I am leaning Browns beating the Steelers. Colts over Jags, although Jags can try now that they are locked into 1st overall.