NFL - NEWS & NOTES

tootin my own horn...

Vikings have an NFL-best five-game winning streak, and may be able to keep it going

The Vikings got off to a 1-4 start, and just when they appeared to be turning things around, they lost quarterback Kirk Cousins for the season. It would have been easy to write off Minnesota.

But the Vikings have now won five in a row — the longest winning streak in the NFL at the moment.

At 6-4, the Vikings are very much in the NFC playoff race, thanks in large part to quarterback Josh Dobbs, who has exceeded expectations with his stellar play since arriving in a trade with the Cardinals and being rushed into duty in replacing Cousins. With the way Dobbs and the rest of the team are playing, there’s every reason to believe they can keep that winning streak going.

That’s especially true given the Vikings’ schedule: They’re at Denver on Sunday, followed by a home Monday night game against the Bears, then their bye week and then a trip to Las Vegas. It’s easy to see the Vikings winning those three games and being on an eight-game winning streak when they head to Cincinnati in Week 15.

The Vikings also are not out of the NFC North race, despite the Lions’ status as the favorites. Detroit is 1.5 games ahead of Minnesota, but the Lions and Vikings face off in Week 16 and Week 18, so all the Vikings have to do is stay within two games of the Lions to control their division destiny heading into the final three weeks of the season.

After so much pessimism surrounding the Vikings for most of this season, it’s increasingly looking like a bright season in Minnesota, and one that may not be over when the regular season concludes.

PFT

 

Monday Night Football: Broncos beat Bills 24-22 on last-play field goal

Russell Wilson brought back visions of the old Russell Wilson on Monday Night Football.

He led the Broncos on a 10-play, 57-yard drive in the final 1:55, with the game ending on a 36-yard field goal by Wil Lutz. It was the sixth game in Week 10 to end in a field goal on the final play.

The Broncos’ 24-22 win was their third consecutive and moved them to 4-5. The Bills fell to 5-5 and are in serious trouble after a second loss in a row.

The Bills took their first lead of the game, 22-21, on Josh Allen’s 6-yard touchdown run with 1:55 left after Tyler Bass kicked the PAT.

With Denver driving, Bills defensive end A.J. Epenesa sacked Wilson for a 6-yard loss back to the Buffalo 45 with 35 seconds left. Following a timeout, the Bills again sent an all-out blitz. Wilson threw it up for grabs, and Bills cornerback Taron Johnson interferred with Jerry Jeudy, who was trying to get back to the underthrow.

Johnson’s 28-yard penalty moved the ball to the Buffalo 17.

The Broncos took three kneel downs before sending out the field goal unit with the clock running. The 41-yard try was not a given after Lutz missed an extra point and holder Riley Dixon botched the hold on another as the Broncos failed on both PAT attempts on the night.

Sure enough, Lutz’s field goal attempt was wide right.

But the Bills had 12 players on the field, costing them 5 yards and giving Lutz another chance. His second kick was true.

The Bills didn’t deserve to win with four turnovers, three by Allen. He threw two interceptions and lost a fumble, but the Broncos kept Buffalo in it by scoring only two field goals off the takeaways.

Wilson completed 24 of 29 passes for 193 yards and two touchdowns. Courtland Sutton caught eight passes for 53 yards and a touchdown. Javonte Williams rushed for 79 yards on 21 carries and caught four passes for 31 yards and a touchdown.

Allen went 15-of-26 for 177 yards with a touchdown and two picks. James Cook had 12 carries for 109 yards but lost a fumble on the first play from scrimmage. Gabe Davis caught two passes for 56 yards.

PFT
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You can slide those Bills down the Power Rankings, damn. I mentioned earlier it was walk-off FG day... I wasnt whistlin' Dixie.

 

Playoff Picture as of right Now...

 

Who dey think they can beat them Bengals Thursday night?

That’s right, I’m a Bengals fan for a week!

 

Another team turning things around is the Broncos...

Sean Payton: There’s a fine line between a groove and a rut

The first six weeks of Sean Payton’s tenure as the Broncos head coach provided little reason to think that his arrival would lead to a major change of fortunes in Denver.

Five losses in six games, including a 70-20 loss to the Dolphins, seemed to signal that it would be another long year in Denver, but the last three games have sent a different message. After outlasting the Packers in Week Seven, the Broncos beat the Chiefs for the first time since 2015 and then they showed more signs of growth in Buffalo on Monday night.

The same defense that got strafed by Miami forced four turnovers and Wil Lutz made the most of a second chance to kick a game-winning field goal to lift the team to a 24-22 win. Payton’s record in Denver is now 4-5 and he said after the game that it was a reminder of how quickly a team can go from streaking in one direction to another.

“It’s the NFL. I mean, credit these guys,’' Payton said, via Mike Klis of KUSA. “There’s a little toughness to this league. I keep saying it — there’s that fine line between a groove and a rut. You have to bow up a little bit and you have to demand it of each other at practice during the week. You win during the week. I felt like we’ve been practicing during the week better — a lot better. If you do that and you demand that of each other, then Sundays become a little bit less chaotic.”

The Broncos will be at home the next two weeks and continuing this groove a little longer would put them into the fight for playoff spots in the AFC. That seemed hard to imagine a month ago, but the tide has definitely turned in Denver.

PFT

 

Bills fire Ken Dorsey



Bills head coach Sean McDermott said last week that he had given no consideration to firing offensive coordinator Ken Dorsey, but that view changed in the wake of Monday night’s 24-22 loss to the Broncos.

The Bills announced on Tuesday that they have fired Dorsey. Quarterbacks coach Joe Brady will take over the coordinator role on an interim basis.

Dorsey was promoted from quarterbacks coach to the coordinator job after Brian Daboll left to become the Giants head coach in 2022. The team finished second in points last year and they are eighth in the league this season, but they have lost four of six games and have killed much of the offensive momentum they do generate by turning the ball over 18 times.

Brady became the Panthers offensive coordinator under Matt Rhule after helping build a potent LSU offense around Joe Burrow, but, like Dorsey, was fired before the end of his second season. He joined the Bills staff last season and will now be tasked with putting Josh Allen and the rest of the offense on a trajectory that can get them back to the playoffs.

NBC

 

Players will wear John Madden patches on their jerseys on Thanksgiving

For decades, tens of millions of Americans welcomed John Madden into their homes every year on Thanksgiving. And although Madden died in 2021 at the age of 85, his presence is still an important part of Thanksgiving football.

The NFL will honor Madden during this year’s three Thanksgiving games by featuring jersey patches with a Madden silhouette worn by every player. The opening coin toss will also be a tribute to Madden, with the silhouette of Madden serving as “heads” and a six-legged turducken on the reverse side as “tails.”

Madden famously awarded turkey legs to the player of the game in the Thanksgiving games he called during his long broadcasting career, and the NFL will remember Madden by having its broadcast partners choose a player of the game in each of the three games, with that player getting a $10,000 grant that will go to a high school or youth football program of the player’s choice.

All three games will also include a video that features Madden, in his own words, describing what Thanksgiving meant to him.

This year’s three Thanksgiving games are Packers at Lions at 12:30 p.m. ET on Fox, Commanders at Cowboys at 4:30 p.m. ET on CBS and 49ers at Seahawks at 8:20 p.m. ET on NBC.
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One of the coolest guys ever from my past... he is missed.

 

So does firing Dorsey make Allen play better?

 

You can't fire the players. So what do you do??

 

Actually, you can fire the player. It's just that pesky "dead money" that prevents it most of the time.

 

Chicago will take Ken Dorsey. Please and thank you.

 

So it’s the OCs fault that Allen throws more picks than anyone else in the league and that Allen can’t hand the ball off?

 

It feels a bit like McDermott is in a hotter seat than what the media might be aware of...