NFL - NEWS & NOTES

Got to have your priorities.

 

I don’t understand why pointing at someone is taunting but the sack dances and first down pointing isn’t taunting? Too much BS in the taunting rules. They need to go back to the taunting rules they used to have. Every time you celebrate the previous play you’re taunting so why are only select types being called?

 

I think thats what a large contingent are complaining about... NFL dropped the ball on this one.

 

8 minutes left in the third quarter and the Bengals are putting it to the Steelers. 31-3. That's a little shocking.

 

Jaylen Waddle leads Dolphins to fourth consecutive win



Jaylen Waddle had his first 100-yard game, and it was a big one.

The rookie receiver caught nine passes for 137 yards and a touchdown, helping the Dolphins to a fourth consecutive win after a 1-7 start. The Dolphins beat the Panthers 33-10 on Sunday.



Tua Tagovailoa completed 27 of 31 passes for 230 yards with a touchdown, and Myles Gaskin rushed for two touchdowns, getting 49 yards on 16 carries.

The Dolphins blocked a punt for a touchdown, with Justin Coleman returning Duke Riley‘s block 2 yards to the end zone. They also had a 9-yard touchdown drive after the second of Cam Newton‘s two interceptions.

The Panthers, who now have lost six of eight, never gave themselves a chance.

Christian McCaffrey rolled his ankle in the first half, and Newton had a miserable day. McCaffrey finished with 35 yards on 10 carries, and Newton had the lowest passer rating in his career.

Newton was 5-of-21 for 92 yards and two picks, a 5.8 passer rating. PJ Walker replaced him early in the fourth quarter, with the Panthers down 30-10, and went 5-of-10 for 87 yards and a pick.

The Panthers had 198 yards and were 4-of-14 on third down.

PFT

 

Joe Mixon runs for a career-high 165 yards as Bengals beat Steelers 41-10



The Bengals had no trouble dispatching of the Steelers on Sunday, beating Pittsburgh 41-10.

The score matches Cincinnati’s best victory Pittsburgh, as the club also won 41-10 back in 1989.



Cincinnati was dominant from cover to cover, building a 31-3 halftime lead. Running back Joe Mixon rushed for a career-high 165 yards, also taking in a pair of rushing touchdowns.

Quarterback Joe Burrow was an efficient 20-of-24 passing for 190 yards with a touchdown and an interception. He hit receiver Tee Higgins for six passes and 114 yards and a TD.

Bengals head coach Zac Taylor took Burrow out with 10:36 left in the fourth quarter for backup quarterback Brandon Allen.

The game was basically over late in the first half when Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger threw a pick-six to cornerback Mike Hilton. A former Steeler, Hilton returned the interception 24 yards to the paint to give Cincinnati a 28-point halftime lead.

At one point after a strip-sack, Roethlisberger looked like he’d aggravated an upper-body injury. But he remained in the game and finished 24-of-41 for 263 yards with a touchdown and two interceptions. Roethlisberger connected with tight end Pat Freiermuth for a 15-yard score late in the fourth quarter.

The Steelers are now reeling, going 0-2-1 in their last three games. It’s the first time the franchise has allowed at least 40 points in back-to-back games since 1989. Pittsburgh finished 9-7 that year, but won a playoff game against the Oilers.

Now at 5-5-1, Pittsburgh will play its first of two matchups this season with Baltimore in Week 13.

Cincinnati has a chance to wake up tomorrow in first place, depending on the result of the Browns and Ravens’ matchup on Sunday Night Football. At 7-4, they’ll host the Chargers next week.

PFT

 

Patriots top Titans, earn big victory in AFC playoff race



The Patriots just took a big step toward the No. 1 seed in the AFC playoffs.

New England handled Tennessee today, 36-13, and improved to 8-4 on the season — which means the Patriots and Titans are tied for the second-best record in the AFC, behind the 7-3 Ravens, who play tonight. If the Ravens lose to the Browns, the Patriots would be the top team in the AFC.



It was another efficient game for rookie quarterback Mac Jones, who topped 300 yards and had no interceptions. Jones has been easily the best rookie quarterback in the NFL this season.

It was not a good game for Titans quarterback Ryan Tannehill, who had just 93 passing yards, although he didn’t get a lot of help while running the injury-depleted Titans offense. Tennessee had a solid day running the ball, but the passing game couldn’t get anything going, and eventually the Patriots’ lead was too big for the Titans to keep running.

The Patriots’ defense played well, notably Matthew Judon, who had another sack, and J.C. Jackson, who had an interception in the end zone.

Tennessee remains in first place in the AFC South, and it won’t be surprising if these two teams meet again in the AFC playoffs. But the Patriots were the team that looked like a Super Bowl contender today.

 

Giants force late fumble, hold off Eagles for 13-7 win



Eagles running back Boston Scott has had a lot of success against the Giants in recent meetings, but he wound up on the wrong side of one of the biggest plays of the game in the fourth quarter.

Giants safety Julian Love knocked the ball out Scott’s hands as he ran inside the Giants’ 40-yard-line and defensive lineman Dexter Lawrence recovered the ball with just over a minute left to play in the game. The Eagles forced a punt after three plays and using their three timeouts, which set up a final drive that took them inside the Giants’ 30-yard-line.



It looked like Jalen Hurts might hit Jalen Reagor for a game-winning touchdown, but Reagor dropped the pass and two more incompletions put the finishing touches on a 13-7 Giants win

The Scott fumble was the fourth turnover of the day for the Eagles and their inability to protect the ball loomed as a major reason for their first loss since Week Nine. The first three were Jalen Hurts interceptions and two of them took place inside the Giants’ five-yard-line to kill scoring opportunities in the first half. The third came just after halftime on a deep throw into double coverage.

Hurts was 14-of-31 for 129 yards overall as the Giants did a good job of keeping the Eagles from making plays through the air. The Eagles remained effective running the ball and went over 200 yards for the fourth time in five games, but they were a little late in focusing their offensive attention to that phase of the game.

The Giants didn’t have much going on the ground, but Daniel Jones was 19-of-30 for 202 yards and a touchdown with Freddie Kitchens calling the offensive plays in the wake of Jason Garrett’s firing. Most significantly, the Giants didn’t turn the ball over and that allowed them to take full advantage of the mistakes on the other side of the ball.

The win leaves the Giants at 4-7 with a trip to Miami on deck for next weekend. The Eagles will be back at MetLife for a matchup with the Jets and the 5-7 club will need to win that to enjoy any serious hopes of a playoff run this season.

PFT

 

Fournette = 4 nette !

TD machine... he just scored his 4th.

 

Buccaneers earn hard-fought win over Colts



The Buccaneers and Colts played one of the most competitive, back-and-forth games of this NFL season today, and the Bucs came out on top with a 38-31 win.

Leonard Fournette scored four touchdowns for Tampa Bay, including one with 20 seconds left that gave the Bucs their winning points.

The Bucs relied heavily on their run game, with Fournette running for 100 yards and Ronald Jones adding 37, on a day when Tom Brady was not at his beset. Brady completed 25 of 34 passes for 226 yards, with a touchdown and an interception.

Carson Wentz played well for the Colts, throwing for 306 yards and three touchdowns, but it wasn’t quite enough. Jonathan Taylor got hot late in the game but was held in check for most of the day. Taylor finished with 16 carries for 83 yards and a touchdown, plus 14 yards receiving.

After Fournette’s game-winning touchdown, the Colts nearly pulled off a miraculous comeback of their own, as Isaiah Rodgers returned the ensuing kickoff 70 yards. But with only 10 seconds left, Wentz’s final toward the end zone was intercepted.

The Bucs improved to 8-3 with the win, and they remain among the Super Bowl favorites in the NFC. The Colts fall to 6-6 and take a step backward in their quest for an AFC playoff berth.

PFT

 

I havnt looked but im sure hes going against me. The hot players the last three weeks have been against me.

 

nothing is shocking this year. Browns lost to this very Steelers team, then did this same thing to this very Bengals team the next week, then had it done to them the following week by the Patriots, who started the year 2-4 and are now tied for the number one seed 6 weeks later at 8-4.

 

Broncos help their playoff chances with 28-13 win over Chargers



The Broncos were in the 12th position in the AFC playoff hunt heading into Week 12 and that made it imperative that they get a win over the Chargers in order to keep realistic playoff hope alive in Denver.

They got that win on Sunday. Teddy Bridgewater ran for one touchdown, threw for another after returning from a leg injury, and the Broncos got a 28-13 win over their AFC West rivals. The result leaves both teams at 6-5 and could drop the Chargers out of playoff position after entering the game in Wild Card position.


Denver will be in Kansas City next Sunday while the Chargers will have to try to find a win in Cincinnati.

Bridgewater’s rushing touchdown opened the scoring in the first quarter and he had the Broncos on the move again when he was knocked out of the game on a hit by Chargers safety Derwin James. The Broncos scored another touchdown on that drive, but struggled to move the ball with Drew Lock and the Chargers got on the board after James picked him off in the second quarter.

Bridgewater returned after the Chargers missed a field goal at the end of their first possession of the second half and failed to move the ball, but Patrick Surtain II picked off Justin Herbert in the end zone to keep the Chargers from putting any points on the board. Bridgewater hooked up with running back Javonte Williams for a pair of big gains to set up a short touchdown pass to Eric Saubert and the Broncos all but iced the game when Surtain returned another interception 70 yards for a touchdown.

Williams had 108 yards from scrimmage and a rushing touchdown while Melvin Gordon ran 16 times for 79 yards. They didn’t produce as much through the air, but they didn’t need to thanks to the work being done in the run game and on defense.

The Chargers started slow on offense — two three-and-outs while the Broncos went out to a 14-0 lead — and they found plenty of ways to shoot themselves in the foot. They had nine penalties for 75 yards, many of which kept the offense from finding any rhythm, to go with the turnovers, a failed fourth down conversion, and the missed field goal. They’ll need to be cleaner against the Bengals if they’re going to come back to Los Angeles with a win.

PFT

 

Elijah Mitchell, Deebo Samuel lead 49ers to 34-26 win over Vikings



Sunday was a disaster for the Vikings. They lost star running back Dalvin Cook, who was carted off with a shoulder injury; quarterback Kirk Cousins lined up under right guard before a crucial fourth-down play on the goal line, forcing the Vikings to take a timeout before an incompletion; and they lost to a team they are competing with for a playoff berth.

The 49ers beat the Vikings 34-26, coming back from a 14-7 deficit late in the second quarter. San Francisco scored 20 points in the second half to move to 6-5 on the season, while the Vikings fell to 5-6.


The Vikings got as close as the San Francisco 38 before running out of downs with 45 seconds left. Cousins finished 20 of 32 for 238 yards with two touchdowns and an interception, with Adam Thielen catching five passes for 62 yards and two touchdowns.

The 49ers rushed for 208 yards and threw for 215. Deebo Samuel starred for San Francisco until leaving in the second half with a groin injury. He had six carries for 66 yards and two touchdowns and caught a pass for 12 yards.

Elijah Mitchell had his fourth 100-yard game, rushing for 133 yards and a touchdown on 27 carries.

It took pressure off quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo, who went 17-of-26 for 230 yards with a touchdown and an interception. Brandon Aiyuk caught three passes for 91 yards.

Robbie Gould kicked third-quarter field goals of 46 and 22 yards but missed a 42-yarder wide right in the fourth quarter as the 49ers had a chance to go up two scores late.

The 49ers had scoring drives of 2 and 5 yards following the Vikings’ two turnovers. Cousins’ interception gifted San Francisco a touchdown, and Cooks’ fumble on his final carry of the day gave the 49ers a field goal.

PFT

 

Sunday Night Football: Despite four Lamar Jackson interceptions, Ravens defeat Browns 16-10



Somehow, someway, the Ravens continue to get it done.

After a stunning last-minute victory over the Bears without Lamar Jackson last week, Baltimore was able to overcome a career-high four interceptions by Jackson to defeat Cleveland 16-10 on Sunday Night Football.


The Browns had plenty of chances to get something going, but never really could, scoring just three points off of Jackson’s four picks.

Cleveland punted six times, including twice after scoring a touchdown late in the third quarter to make the score 13-10. The club went three-and-out and punted it back to the Ravens with 6:28 left on the clock.

They got it back with 1:10 left on the clock and no timeouts following Justin Tucker‘s 49-yard field goal. But quarterback Baker Mayfield threw three incompletions and his fourth-down pass to tight end David Njoku was well short of the sticks.

Baltimore’s defense held Cleveland to just 262 total yards — 222 passing and just 40 yards rushing.

The Browns entered the week leading the league in rushing and got Kareem Hunt back off of injured reserve. The Ravens played the game without key defensive lineman Calais Campbell, who was out with a concussion.

Mayfield finished 18-of-37 passing for 247 yards with a touchdown and no picks, though he did have a lost fumble in the first half. Receiver Jarvis Landry led the team with six catches for 111 yards.

As for Jackson, he finished with his worst passer rating of the season at 46.5. He was 20-of-32 for 165 yards with a touchdown and the four picks — three of which came in the second quarter. But he did enough to help Baltimore win, particularly on the team’s last drive that took 5:18 off the clock.

Jackson led the Ravens with 17 carries for 68 yards.

Tight end Mark Andrews led Baltimore with 65 yards and a touchdown. Marquise Brown had eight catches for 51 yards.

Now at 8-3, the Ravens are the current No. 1 seed in the AFC. They’ll play Pittsburgh for the first time in 2021 next week.

Falling to 6-6, Cleveland has a bye in Week 13. But the club will come right back to face the Ravens again at home in two Sundays.

PFT

 

Vikings RB Dalvin Cook to undergo MRI after exiting with shoulder injury vs. 49ers

A shoulder injury forced Dalvin Cook to miss the exciting conclusion of Sunday's 34-26 loss to the 49ers. Now, the club is awaiting word on whether or not he'll miss additional time.

The Vikings star running back was ruled out after taking a hard hit from Niners defensive tackle Kevin Givens late in the third quarter. Cook laid on the ground in pain for several minutes before eventually getting carted off the field after being tended to by trainers.

Vikings coach Mike Zimmer said after the game that he's unsure of the extent of Cook's injury but more will be known once he undergoes an MRI.

NFL Network Insider Ian Rapoport reported that Cook suffered a dislocation and the upcoming tests are to determine what damage the dislocation caused.

In addition to the loss of one of their best players, the sequence proved costly for Minnesota in more ways than one as San Francisco seized momentum with a fumble recovery after Cook coughed up the ball on the play.

The Vikings trailed 31-26 at the time of Cook's exit, and that deficit would increase after the Niners capitalized on the favorable field position with a Robbie Gould field goal four plays later. The Vikings would get two more chances to tie the game but came up empty.

Alexander Mattison again proved his value as a capable backup but it's no secret Minnesota's final drives would've been bolstered by Cook's presence. Mattison finished the game with seven carries for 21 yards and a score, which came early in the third following a big Cook reception.


Ranked sixth in rushing yards entering Week 12, Cook was in the midst of quiet afternoon on the ground before getting injured, rushing 10 times for 39 yards. He did, however, make up for that through the air with six catches for 64 yards.

Should the results of the RB1's pending MRI mean more missed time, Mattison's role would increase exponentially in a pivotal Week 13 road clash with Detroit.

NFL.com

 

Browns right tackle Jack Conklin has had to miss several games this season with different injuries. He was just activated off of injured reserve this week after dislocating his elbow. But now it looks like he’ll have to deal with another long-term injury.

Per Adam Schefter of ESPN, Cleveland is concerned that Conklin tore his patella tendon during Sunday’s loss to the Ravens.

 

Next goal for Washington's Heinicke? 'Beat Russell Wilson'


LANDOVER, Md. (AP) — Taylor Heinicke saw what Russell Wilson was doing in college and the NFL and wanted to emulate him as a mobile quarterback.

What's next on Heinicke's list of childhood goals?

"Beat Russell Wilson," he said.

Heinicke will get that opportunity Monday night when he and Washington host Wilson and the struggling Seattle Seahawks. Washington has won two in a row to move to the fringe of the NFC playoff race, while the Seahawks are off to their worst 10-game record under coach Pete Carroll and are looking to avoid their first three-game losing streak with Russell as the starting quarterback.

It's another big stage for Heinicke, who a year ago was out of football and seems to raise his game under the bright lights. Washington has not won a Monday night home game since 2012 when Robert Griffin III was the team's quarterback as part of the notable rookie class that also included Wilson.

"Anytime you get to play at night, prime-time television, everyone's watching," Heinicke said. "It's an exciting time, and everyone in that locker room understands that it's an opportunity for us to show what we've got to the rest of the world. We played well the last two weeks and we just wanted to keep that rolling."

Washington has rejuvenated some postseason hopes by beating defending champion Tampa Bay and Carolina to improve to 4-6. Things are less sunny for Seattle, which is coming off losses to Green Bay and Arizona since Wilson returned from a finger injury.

"Some of the games that we let slip away, a lot of it has come down to us getting in our own way, whether it's been from penalties, or mistakes that we have made," Seahawks linebacker Bobby Wagner said. "A lot of times, if you listen to the outside world and the people that are not in the building, they are talking about the end of the season. You can't talk about the end of the season because the moment you look forward, you miss the moment in front of you, and a team that shouldn't beat you will beat you."

Should Washington beat Seattle? The Seahawks opened as a 3½-point favorite on FanDuel Sportsbook, with the betting line quickly moving to Washington minus-1.

The recent play of coach Ron Rivera's team has shifted the perception of Washington from an also-ran to potential playoff contender. The NFC East looked out of reach, but a victory would put Washington within two games of division-leading Dallas with two games against the Cowboys — plus two against the Eagles and one more against the Giants — left on the schedule.

"If we can put ourselves in position to get to December where we have five divisional games left, who knows?" Rivera said. "We have to take care of our business."

THIRD DOWN AND WRONG

Washington had by far the NFL's worst third-down defense through the first four games of the season, allowing opponents to convert 59.7% of opportunities. That pace would have made it the worst third-down showing by any team since at least 2000.

In the past two games, Washington has allowed a 31.6% conversion rate on third downs, impressive considering that came against Tom Brady and Cam Newton.

The Seahawks have gone the other way. Seattle allowed the Packers and Cardinals to go a combined 14 of 28 on third downs, and on offense went 9 of 25 over the same stretch.

"We haven't converted," Carroll said. "It's one reason or another. Whether it's the opportunity, the throw, the route, that's what we've intended to do the whole time. I'm disappointed that I can't tell you we're getting it done."

CORNERBACK QUESTION

Seattle's starting cornerback opposite D.J. Reed was an unsettled position through the first quarter of the season until rookie Tre Brown got healthy. It's back to being unsettled after Brown was lost for the rest of the regular season because of a significant left knee injury last week against Arizona. Brown underwent surgery to repair the patellar tendon.

Sidney Jones stepped in after Brown went down and played much better than he did earlier in the season. Jones seems likely to start, but Seattle's situation is exasperated by Reed's status. Reed didn't play against the Cardinals due to knee and groin injuries.

ALLEN ON A ROLL

Jonathan Allen has been Washington's best defensive player all season, and his role in the pass rush is even more important with Chase Young and Montez Sweat out with injuries. Allen leads the team with six sacks and is the leader of a unit that is finally starting to live up to lofty preseason expectations.

"I think he's doing some things even better than he did last year," Rivera said. "He's getting a little bit better feel for what we're asking as far as the techniques and the styles we want him to use. But at the same time, it's just him doing the things that he does well."

ESTABLISH THE RUN

Carroll keeps saying Seattle needs to be more consistent with the run game, but for whatever the reason it's not translating to game day. Seattle seemed intent on establishing the ground game last week against Arizona, then abandoned that plan in the second half.

Seattle had just seven run plays in the second half against the Cardinals and finished with 19 rushes in the game. It doesn't help that the Seahawks rank last in the league in total offensive plays by a wide margin, so there's been less opportunity to get the run game started.

When they do run the ball, he Seahawks are averaging 4.3 yards a carry, right in the middle of the pack around the league. But the Seahawks have failed to top 100 yards rushing as a team in four consecutive games.

SI/AP

 

Christian McCaffrey will miss the rest of the season



Panthers running back Christian McCaffrey‘s season is over.

The team announced that McCaffrey has been placed on injured reserve after hurting his ankle in Sunday’s loss to the Dolphins. It’s the second time he’s been placed on injured reserve this season and he will not be eligible to be activated a second time.


Head coach Matt Rhule said on Monday morning that X-rays were negative and that McCaffrey would go for further tests. The team’s announcement said that findings from an MRI led to the decision to put McCaffrey back on the injured reserve list.

It’s a major disappointment for a player who only played three games last season. He missed five games during his previous stint on injured reserve, so he’ll end this season having missed 23 of the last 33 games for the Panthers.

McCaffrey has a guaranteed salary of $8.1 million for the 2022 season, but there are no guarantees beyond that point and the last two seasons make it a lot less certain that he’ll be seeing out his current deal in Carolina.

PFT

 

Dalvin Cook likely out a few games with torn labrum and dislocated shoulder



Vikings running back Dalvin Cook will miss some time with the shoulder injury he suffered on Sunday, but he is expected to return this season.

Cook was diagnosed with a torn labrum and dislocated shoulder that will likely result in him missing a few games, according to Ian Rapoport of NFL Network.


If his recovery goes well, Cook could return as soon as the Vikings’ game against the Bears on December 20.

At the moment the 5-6 Vikings would be the seventh and final NFC playoff team, and that’s a position they’ll try to stay in without their leading rusher. They’re still hoping that Cook can be there for them late in the regular season and into the playoffs.

With Cook out, Alexander Mattison will be the Vikings’ starting running back. Rookie fourth-round draft pick Kene Nwangwu, who has been an outstanding kickoff returner but has barely played on offense, will likely get some work at running back as well.

PFT