NFL - NEWS & NOTES

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Wow... Jets just went up on the Bengals with 3 minutes to go. (34-31)

 

Eagles humiliate winless Lions



The line on the Lions so far this season had been, “They stink, but at least they play hard.” Today, the second part of that changed.

Detroit put up one of the most embarrassing performances of this NFL season, getting absolutely destroyed at home, 44-6, by a mediocre-at-best Eagles team.


So dominant were the Eagles that quarterback Jalen Hurts was pulled after throwing only 14 passes, with the Eagles leading 38-0. Hurts went 9-for-14 for 103 yards passing and also gained 71 yards on seven rushing attempts.

Backup Gardner Minshew got the work in the fourth quarter.

Former Lions cornerback Darius Slay played well in a revenge game, picking up a fumble and racing to the end zone for a touchdown, but the story of the game was less the Eagles’ defense than the Lions’ pathetic offense. Jared Goff could do nothing, and he wasn’t helped by his teammates, particularly an offensive line that had Goff constantly scrambling around trying to buy time.

The win improves the Eagles to 3-5, and although they’re playoff long shots, they’re not giving up on this season just yet. The 0-8Lions aren’t playing for much other than the first overall pick in the draft.

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Panthers snap losing streak despite Sam Darnold concussion



The Panthers lost quarterback Sam Darnold to a concussion on Sunday afternoon, but they were able to avoid losing their fifth-straight game.

Chuba Hubbard ran for a touchdown shortly after Darnold left the game in the fourth quarter and cornerback Stephon Gilmore picked off Falcons quarterback Matt Ryan on the first play after the two-minute warning to keep the Panthers up nine points. The Falcons rallied for a field goal, but a failed onside kick sealed a 19-13 Panthers win.


Gilmore was playing his first game since being acquired in a trade with the Patriots earlier this season. He had a pass interference penalty earlier in the game, but the pick is a better representation of why the Panthers brought him to Carolina.

Ryan was 20-of-27 for 146 yards, a touchdown, and two interceptions overall. He also took two sacks and gashed his left hand when a Panthers defender stepped on it during a play. It’s Ryan’s worst game since Week Two and the loss ends a two-game winning streak for Atlanta. They’ll try to get back on track against the Saints next week.

Darnold was only 13-of-24 for 129 yards through the air, but he ran for a 66 yards. The last eight came before he was drilled by Falcons safety Erik Harris on the play that ended his afternoon. P.J. Walker replaced Darnold for the second straight week and didn’t have to do much after Hubbard stretched the team’s lead to nine points.

Hubbard had 24 carries for 82 yards and the Panthers rolled up 203 rushing yards overall. Panthers head coach Matt Rhule said earlier this month that the team had to be more committed to running the ball and it paid off for them on Sunday. They’ll face the Patriots in Week Nine.

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Falcons receiver Calvin Ridley became a late scratch from Sunday’s game against the Panthers, after participating in pregame warmups. During the game, Ridley posted a message on Twitter explaining the situation.

“These past few weeks have been very challenging and as much as I’d like to be on the field competing with my teammates, I need to step away from football at this time and focus on my mental wellbeing,” Ridley said. “This will help me be the best version of myself now and in the future.


“I want to thank my teammates, the entire Atlanta Falcons organization, our great fans, my friends, and my gamily for all of their support during this time.”

Ridley missed the Week Five game against the Jets in London for personal reasons. He returned and played last week, after the bye.

We wish Calvin the best as he works through these issues, and we respect him for having the willingness to take some time to improve his overall health.

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Justin Fields’ brilliant TD run not enough for Bears, Jimmy G runs for two TDs as 49ers win



Bears quarterback Justin Fields turned in one of the highlight-reel plays of this NFL season today at Soldier Field. But it wasn’t enough.

On a fourth-and-1 attempt that the 49ers’ front seven appeared to blow up, Fields somehow zigzagged his way across the field to not just pick up the first down but run for a touchdown. That gave the Bears a fourth-quarter lead.

Unfortunately for Chicago, 49ers quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo proceeded to march the offense down the field for a touchdown run of his own. That was Garoppolo’s second touchdown run of the game, a game that the 49ers would end up winning 33-22.


Fields ended up with 103 rushing yards in addition to completing 19 of 27 passes for 175 yards, with one touchdown and one game-sealing interception.

Garoppolo completed 17 of 28 passes for 322 yards in addition to the two rushing touchdowns.

The win improves the 49ers’ record to 3-4 and moves them ahead of the 3-5 Bears in the NFC wild card race.

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Mike White, Jets stun Bengals in 34-31 win



The Bengals routed the Ravens in Week Seven, but they came back down to Earth in a hurry in Week Eight.

The Jets erased an 11-point deficit in the fourth quarter as quarterback Mike White turned in a performance for the ages in his first NFL start. White threw touchdowns to Ty Johnson and Tyler Kroft before catching a two-point conversion on a Philly special pass from Jamison Crowder that put the Jets up 34-31 with just under four minutes to play in the game.



Quinnen Williams ended the next Bengals drive with his second sack of the afternoon and the Jets got a key first down after the two minute warning when Bengals cornerback Mike Hilton was flagged for lowering his helmet to initiate contact. Michael Carter

White finished the day 37-of-45 for 405 yards, three touchdowns, and two interceptions. He joins Cam Newton as the only quarterbacks to throw for at least 400 yards in their first NFL starts and it’s fair to say that White, a 2018 fifth-round pick of the Cowboys who made his NFL debut last weekend, was the less likely member of the duo to pull that off.

The entire Jets offense looked nothing like the one that first-round pick Zach Wilson had piloted before last week’s knee injury. They started with a touchdown, shrugged off three turnovers, and moved the ball easily all day.

The Bengals got off to a slow start and failed to score points after a Jessie Bates interception set them up on the one-yard-line in the first quarter. They were able to straighten things out enough to go up 10 in the second quarter and 11 on Tyler Boyd‘s fourth quarter touchdown pass, but Joe Burrow was intercepted by Shaq Lawson after Johnson’s touchdown closed the gap to five points.

It was a curious decision to throw at that point and Bengals head coach Zac Taylor will be asked about that call after the game. His defense’s inability to stop the Jets and the flat start coming off last week’s win will also be topics of conversation before he turns his attention to the Browns.

The Jets will have a quick turnaround to face the Colts in Week Nine and the good feelings from this win might keep them floating all the way until that game kicks off.

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Bills beat Dolphins 26-11, with 23 points in second half



It was not the Bills’ prettiest win of the season, but they will take it.

Buffalo beat Miami 26-11 to move to 5-2 and rebound from the loss to the Titans in Week 6. The Dolphins lost their seventh consecutive since an opening day victory over the Patriots. Now all eyes will turn to Houston to see if Miami will pull off a trade for Deshaun Watson before Tuesday’s trade deadline.



The Bills managed only 122 yards and three points in the first half, going to the locker room tied 3-3.

They finished with 351 yards and 26 points. Josh Allen threw two second-half touchdown passes, 8 yards to Gabriel Davis and 19 to Stefon Diggs. Tyler Bass kicked a 39-yard field goal with 3:29 remaining to ice it.

The Bills held the Dolphins to 262 yards and kept Miami from scoring on two red zone possessions in the first half. They also had two takeaways.

Jordan Poyer‘s interception of Tua Tagovailoa came with 2:21 left and set up the Bills’ final points, a 7-yard touchdown run by Allen. Allen went 29-of-42 for 249 yards and two touchdowns, and Cole Beasley caught 10 passes for 110 yards.

Tagovailoa went 21-of-39 for 205 yards and the pick.

 

Steelers hang on to beat Browns 15-10



The Steelers lost their kicker at the end of the first half to a concussion when he was hit hard on a fake field goal.

But Pittsburgh’s defense kept Cleveland at bay throughout the contest. And with big stops in the fourth quarter, the Steelers beat the Browns 15-10.



Cleveland had a couple of chances to score in the fourth quarter but couldn’t get to the end zone. Receiver Jarvis Landry fumbled after making a catch at the Pittsburgh 21, with edge rusher T.J. Watt picking up the loose ball.

Then after forcing a Pittsburgh three-and-out, Cleveland got down to the Pittsburgh 24. But that’s when the team’s drive stalled, with a false start on third-and-11 making things worse. On fourth-and-12, Landry had a pass broken up by safety Minkah Fitzpatrick that would’ve moved the chains.

The Steelers iced the game when Diontae Johnson took a slant on second-and-8 50 yards deep into Cleveland territory.

Pittsburgh had taken the lead with rookie Pat Freiermuth‘s touchdown catch early in the fourth quarter. On fourth-and-goal from Cleveland’s 2-yard line, the Steelers elected to go for it instead of attempting a field goal with punter Pressley Harvin. Freiermuth was well covered, but quarterback Ben Roethlisberger gave him a chance on a 50-50 ball and the tight end came down with it.

Roethlisberger finished 22-of-34 passing for 266 yards with a touchdown. Johnson led the team with 98 yards on six receptions. Najee Harris had 91 yards on 26 carries with a TD and also caught three passes for 29 yards.

Returning after missing a game with his left shoulder injury, Baker Mayfield was 20-of-31 passing for 225 yards. But Cleveland’s run game didn’t have its usual success, with Nick Chubb gaining only 61 yards on 16 carries.

The Browns are 4-4 and will travel to Cincinnati to take on the Bengals next week.

At 4-3, the Steelers will play the Bears next Monday night.

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Carson Wentz’s interception sets up Titans’ game-winning FG in overtime



Kevin Byard had a 42-yard pass interference penalty in the end zone with 25 seconds left in the fourth quarter to give the Colts the tying touchdown. He made up for it in overtime.

Byard intercepted Carson Wentz with 5:48 remaining in overtime and returned it 14 yards to the Indianapolis 14 to set up Randy Bullock‘s game-winning field goal.



Bullock’s 44-yard field goal with 4:03 left in overtime gave the Titans a 34-31 walkoff. It was Bullock’s eighth career game-winning field goal. The Titans (6-2) now have a three-game lead over the Colts (3-5) after sweeping Indianapolis. The Titans beat the Colts 25-16 in Week 3.

One of the most exciting games of the season went back and forth late in the fourth quarter with huge momentum shifts. Each team scored a touchdown in the final 1:26 to send the game into overtime.

With 1:33 left from his own 8-yard line, Wentz was under pressure. He tried to throw the ball away, and rookie cornerback Elijah Molden intercepted the pass and returned it 2 yards for a touchdown. The Titans appeared to be on their way to victory.

The Colts faced third-and-16 at their own 19 when Wentz found Michael Pittman for a 38-yard gain with 37 seconds left. The Colts got all the way to the 1-yard line with 25 seconds left after Went threw deep to Ashton Dulin and drew a 42-yard interference penalty on Byard in the end zone.

Jonathan Taylor scored the 1-yard touchdown with 22 seconds remaining in the fourth quarter and opted to have Michael Badgley kick a game-tying extra point.

Both teams had two chances in overtime.

Wentz had thrown only one interception this season, and it came in Week 2 against the Rams. He had two Sunday against the Titans, going 27-of-51 for 231 yards and three touchdowns. Michael Pittman had 10 catches for 86 yards and two touchdowns.

Derrick Henry gained only 68 yards on 28 carries, and Tannehill threw two interceptions. The Titans also had 11 penalties for 161 yards.

But Tannehill ran for 26 yards on two carries and completed 23 of 33 passes for 265 yards and three touchdowns. A.J. Brown caught 10 passes for 155 yards and a touchdown.

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That 15 yard penalty against Hilton for head to head contact on the Jets last drive was bs. Not going to complain much as it was against the Bengals, but that one should not have been called

 

Seahawks plaster Jaguars 31-7



Urban Meyer was shutout only once in his career coaching college football. The last time the Jaguars were shutout was 2009 in Seattle, and the Seahawks hadn’t posted a shutout since 2015.

The Seahawks were within one play of blanking the Jaguars and instead settled for a 31-7 blowout.



Seattle moved to 3-5, and Jacksonville fell to 1-6.

Jacksonville avoided the shutout with 1:49 remaining with a 9-yard touchdown pass from Trevor Lawrence to Jamal Agnew on fourth-and-five. The Seahawks then tacked on an exclamation point when Travis Homer returned the onside kick 44 yards for a touchdown.

Geno Smith was 20-of-24 for 195 yards and two touchdowns. Tyler Lockett caught 12 passes for 142 yards, and DK Metcalf had six receptions for 43 yards and two touchdowns.

The Seahawks had only 229 yards.

Lawrence was 32-of-53 for 238 yards with a touchdown and an interception. James Robinson did not return after injuring his ankle on a 17-yard reception in the first half.

Bobby Wagner had 14 tackles, and Quandre Diggs had the interception of Lawrence.

The Seahawks have a bye next week with hopes that quarterback Russell Wilson can return in Week 10 against the Packers.

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The Broncos have their first win since Week Three, but they didn’t make it easy on themselves.

Running back Melvin Gordon scored a touchdown with just under five minutes to play against Washington on Sunday to give his team a 17-10 lead and force Taylor Heinicke to lead a touchdown drive if the Football Team was going to leave Denver with a football win.



Heinicke connected with J.D. McKissic, Dax Milne, and DeAndre Carter to move the offense inside Washington’s 10-yard-line at the two-minute warning, but two short completions left them in need of a big third down play. The Broncos made it instead as Malik Reed sacked Heinicke and forced a fumble that Washington recovered for a 13-yard loss. The fourth-down pass was intercepted by safety Justin Simmons in the end zone and it looked like the game was in hand.

Running back Javonte Williams fumbled on first down, but the Broncos recovered and then threw an incompletion on second down despite Washington only having two timeouts left. Gordon got the ball on third down and got stripped by defensive end Chase Young with linebacker David Mayo recovering the ball. Patrick Surtain broke up a pass on first down, Malik Reed got a sack on second down, Heinicke threw an incompletion on third down, and a Hail Mary sailed long to finally give the Broncos a victory.

The win leaves them at 4-4 with a trip to Dallas on deck in Week Nine. Washington is now 2-6 and they’ll take a four-game losing streak into the bye. They’ll return against Tampa in Week 10.

Gordon scored both of Denver’s touchdowns as he caught one from Teddy Bridgewater to stake the team to a 10-3 lead in the first half. Washington would get their lone touchdown of the day on a 20-yard Heinicke pass to DeAndre Carter in the third quarter. Heinicke finished the day 25-of-40 for 272 yards and had a first half Hail Mary picked by Simmons as well.

Heinicke did move Washington into scoring position on three drives that ended without points. They were stopped on a fourth-and-one from the 19-yard-line to open the game and kicker Chris Blewitt had two field goals blocked. He had one blocked in Week Seven and that’s not a good trend for Washington.

Reed had two of the Broncos’ five sacks and Dre'Mont Jones had 1.5 to go with one of the blocked field goals. Shelby Harris blocked the other and had a half-sack as the Broncos got good performances across the defensive front on their way to a much-needed win.

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Saints pull off shocking upset of Buccaneers despite losing Jameis Winston



It’s hard to believe the Saints did it, but they did it: They beat the Buccaneers despite losing Jameis Winston to a knee injury.

Behind backup quarterback Trevor Siemian, who completed 16 of 29 passes for 159 yards with a touchdown and no interceptions, the Saints won 36-27.



Winston left the game with a knee injury and is currently getting an MRI at a New Orleans hospital. If he is out a significant period of time he would likely be replaced by Taysom Hill, but Hill is currently in the NFL’s concussion protocol, which is why Siemian came in for Winston.

But while Siemian didn’t throw any interceptions, Tom Brady did: In fact, he threw two of them, including a pick-six that sealed the Bucs’ loss in the final minutes. Brady also threw four touchdown passes, but this was far from his best game.

The result is that the Saints, at 5-2, are suddenly only half a game behind the 6-2 Buccaneers in the NFC South. It has looked all year like the Saints would cruise to a division title, but the Saints had something to say about that today.

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They've been telling defenders to aim lower. Hilton was 8 inches off the ground aiming for his shins. Nothing else he could do on that play. Terrible call.

 

Sunday Night Football: Without Dak Prescott, Cowboys and Cooper Rush stun Vikings 20-16



When the Cowboys elected to start Cooper Rush over an injured Dak Prescott, it seemed as if the Vikings were headed for a victory.

But Rush had other plans.


On the day of the backup quarterback, Rush connected with receiver Amari Cooper for a game-winning touchdown with 51 seconds left in the fourth quarter, leading Dallas to a 20-16 victory.

The Cowboys got in position to do it after Cooper caught a pair of passes to put the club in scoring territory. On second-and-10 from Dallas’ 25, Cooper made a juggling catch down the right sideline for a 33-yard gain. Then Cooper caught an 18-yard pass to the Minnesota 24.

But it was running back Ezekiel Elliott who made the touchdown possible. After the Vikings were flagged for a delay of game penalty for calling two timeouts before the same play, the Cowboys had third-and-11 from Minnesota’s 20. Elliott caught a short pass and broke multiple tackles for a 15-yard gain.

On the next play, Rush fired a fade to Cooper on the left, and the receiver reached up and came down with it for a touchdown.

Without any timeouts, the Vikings had a shot to answer by getting the ball back with 51 seconds. But quarterback Kirk Cousins fired an incomplete pass out of bounds on fourth-and-6 as he was getting hit by edge rusher Randy Gregory.

Cousins finished the game 23-of-35 passing for 184 yards with a touchdown. The Vikings were 1-of-13 on third down in the contest, gaining just 278 total yards.

Rush, however, was 24-of-40 for 325 yards with two touchdowns and an interception. Cooper finished with eight catches for 122 yards and a TD, CeeDee Lamb had six catches for 112 yards, and Cedrick Wilson had three catches for 84 yards — including a 73-yard touchdown early in the third quarter.

It seemed like Prescott was unlikely to play for most of the week, but it wasn’t official until he was declared inactive 90 minutes before the game.

That the Cowboys were able to steal a win with their backup quarterback says something about the strength of their team as a whole. At 6-1, they’ve basically wrapped up the NFC East — barring something completely unforeseen.

Next week, they’ll be at home to face the 4-4 Broncos, perhaps with Prescott.

Now at 3-4, the Vikings will go on the road to play the Ravens in Week Nine.

 

Titans running back Derrick Henry could miss the rest of the season with a foot injury.

Although Henry continued playing after hurting his foot on Sunday, there are now concerns that the injury is much more serious than realized and could cost Henry the rest of the season, according to Adam Schefter of ESPN.


Henry is having an MRI today to determine the extent of the injury.

Henry has led the NFL in rushing each of the last two seasons and is leading the league this year in five major statistical categories, with 219 carries, 937 yards, 10 touchdowns, 237 touches and 1,091 yards from scrimmage.

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Von Miller traded to the Rams. Wowzers.

 

Denver gets 2022 and 2023 2nd round picks from the Rams.