NFL - NEWS & NOTES

Is Jon Gruden working his magic with the Raiders again ?? I'm not saying their ready for primetime just yet. But he's got my attention.

 

Their ready for prime time, they just kicked the chiefs butts

 

At ARROWHEAD no less....

 

Me too! He's been so banged up. Good game today.

 

MVP race is over.

 

Fucking Wilson and D.K. put up 20 fantasy points on that final drive alone to jump 5 points ahead of me after a pretty deep deficit. Keenan Allen should win it for me tomorrow assuming he doesn't pull a Diontae Johnson on me and go down in the 1st quarter. Russell could have thrown it to ANYONE else.

 

Russell Wilson throws fourth-down TD with 15 seconds left to keep Seattle undefeated



The Seahawks remain undefeated, escaping the jaws of defeat yet again at home.

DK Metcalf caught a 6-yard touchdown pass on fourth down with 15 seconds remaining to give the Seahawks a come-from-behind 27-26 victory over the Vikings. It was the second fourth down Metcalf converted in the 13-play, 94-yard drive as he caught a 39-yard pass on fourth-and-10.

The Seahawks moved to 5-0 for the first time in team history, and the Vikings fell to 1-4 in giving away a game they should have won.

The Vikings led 26-21 with two minutes left and faced a fourth-and-one at the Seattle 6. Instead of trying a chip-shot Dan Bailey field goal in a driving rain, Vikings coach Mike Zimmer opted to go for it.

Bobby Wagner and Benson Mayowa stopped Alexander Mattison for no gain with 1:57 left.

That gave Russell Wilson plenty of time, too much time, despite having only one timeout.

The Vikings led 13-0 at halftime, holding the Seahawks to only 66 yards, but Seattle scored 21 unanswered points in the third quarter. Will Dissly, Metcalf and Chris Carson had scores to give the Seahawks their first lead.

But the Vikings regained the lead on Adam Thielen‘s touchdown passes of 3 and 6 yards before Russ cooked yet again.

Wilson finished 20-of-32 for 217 yards with three touchdowns and an interception. Metcalf caught six passes for 93 yards and two touchdowns.

Kirk Cousins was 27-of-39 for 249 yards with two touchdowns and an interception.

The final play of the game was ruled a fumble by Cousins on a hit by Mayowa that Kyle Rudolph recovered as time ran out. It appeared Cousins’ hand was going forward, which would have given the Vikings one last play, but replay upheld the on-field ruling and the game was over.

Mattison, who had two carries for 13 yards in the first half, replaced the NFL’s leading rusher early in the second half when Dalvin Cook left with a groin injury. Mattison finished with 112 yards on 20 carries but came up 1 yard short of delivering the win.

NBC

 

Chase Claypool makes history



The Steelers powered to 4-0 for the first time since 1979 in large part because rookie receiver Chase Claypool scored four touchdowns in only his fourth NFL game.

According to the NFL, Claypool is only the third rookie receiver to score four touchdowns in a game in league history, joining Jerry Butler (1979) and Harlon Hill (1954).

Claypool also became the fourth rookie with at least two receiving touchdowns and one rushing touchdown in a single game since 1970, joining Lynn Cain (1979), Joey Galloway (1995), and Kareem Hunt (2017).

Claypool could have had a fifth touchdown, but it was called back for offensive pass interference.

“When I saw the flag I was pretty surprised and I was pretty upset especially at that point in the game, in a crucial point in the game,” Claypool told PFT by phone after the victory. “I was pretty upset for sure. Luckily we got the win and I don’t have to think about it too much.”

We then started talking about how five touchdowns would have put him one behind the record set by Gale Sayers in 1965.

“I’d love to try to follow up on that,” he said of Sayers’ record, “maybe in a couple years.”

“Or maybe in a couple weeks, who knows?” I replied.

“Maybe next week, yeah,” Claypool said with a laugh.

Given the dominance he displayed on Sunday, a four-score game for Claypool may not be beginner’s luck and/or an aberration. It could be just the beginning for a guy who somehow saw 10 receivers drafted before him.

NBC

 

The 0-5 Falcons are cleaning house.

General Manager Thomas Dimitroff and Head Coach Dan Quinn have both been fired, the Falcons announced on Sunday night.

The move is no surprise, as Dimitroff and Quinn were both on the hot seat heading into the season, and the Falcons are winless. They were probably going to need to make the playoffs to save their jobs, and it looks like they’re going to be far outside the playoffs.

Now the Falcons will begin a rebuilding project that figures to be a massive undertaking, especially considering that the Falcons are in poor cap shape in 2021.

Quinn and Dimitroff got the Falcons to a Super Bowl, but the NFL is a “What have you done for me lately?” business, and Quinn and Dimitroff haven’t won much lately. Now they’re both done in Atlanta.

NBC

 

Even without the OPI I think they had ruled he stepped out at the 5

 

@Torgo is doing the Watusi as I type this.

 

Raheem Morris will coach the Falcons for the rest of the season after Sunday night’s firing of head coach Dan Quinn.

Morris, the Falcons’ defensive coordinator, will be named interim head coach, according to multiple reports.

The 44-year-old Morris has been with the Falcons since 2015. He spent three years as head coach of the Buccaneers from 2009 to 2011.

The Falcons also fired General Manager Thomas Dimitroff. Team President Rich McKay will oversee the team’s football operations until a new G.M. is named.

Morris will make his debut leading the Falcons against the Vikings on Sunday in Minnesota.

NBC

 

Have we heard anything on Prescott yet ??

 

Compound fracture -and- dislocation of his ankle. He underwent emergency surgery overnight.

Best guess . . . Stick a fork in him for the season.

 

Wow. And to add to that, he's a free agent next year. Will anyone take a chance on him ? Will he be ready ??

 

Cowboys quarterback Dak Prescott had surgery on Sunday after suffering a right ankle compound fracture dislocation in the team’s victory over the Giants and he’ll miss the rest of the season as a result.

Prescott’s recovery will be in the forefront for the near future, but questions about his contract are going to come to the forefront at some point down the road. Prescott is playing out this year under the franchise tag, but the Cowboys have insisted that they want to sign him to a long-term deal.

On Monday, executive vice president Stephen Jones said on 105.3 The Fan that the team’s plans for Prescott’s future have “absolutely not” changed as a result of the injury.

“He’s the face of our franchise and we know he’ll overcome this,” Jones said, via Jori Epstein of USA Today.

Andy Dalton will take over as the team’s starter with Prescott out of commission. Ben DiNucci is the other quarterback on the active roster and Jones said it’s to be determined if there will be any additions to the group.

NBC

 

Saints rally from 17-point deficit to grab 30-27 overtime win over Chargers



Wil Lutz converted a 36-yard field goal and Marshon Lattimore tackled Chargers wide receiver Mike Williams a yard shy on fourth down as the New Orleans Saints held on to earn a 30-27 victory over Los Angeles in overtime on Monday night.

The Saints fell into an early 20-3 hole as rookie quarterback Justin Herbert tossed three first half touchdown to lead the Chargers out in front. However, the Chargers were unable to hold on to a 17-point lead for the second consecutive week as the Saints rallied back in the second half.

Los Angeles had a chance to win at the end of regulation only to have Michael Badgley‘s 50-yard field goal attempt clatter off the right upright. It was Badgley’s second miss of the night along with a missed extra point after the first touchdown of the evening. After winning the coin toss, the Saints moved into Chargers territory only to have the drive stall just inside the L.A. red zone.

After Lutz’s field goal gave New Orleans a 30-27 advantage, the Chargers had a chance to answer. A roughing the passer call on Malcom Brown moved the Chargers out near midfield but K.J. Hill Jr. dropped a third down pass from Herbert and Williams was dragged down a yard shy of converting a first down to seal the win for the Saints.

Herbert became the first rookie to ever throw four touchdown passes on Monday Night Football. He completed 20 of 34 passes for 264 yards and the four scores on the night for the Chargers. Williams caught five of those passes for 109 yards and two touchdowns.

Herbert tossed three touchdowns in the first half as the Chargers built a cushion over New Orleans. A 17-yard touchdown pass to Keenan Allen give the Chargers an early 6-0 lead after a missed Badgley extra point. Following a 48-yard Lutz field goal to end the first quarter, Herbert connected with Williams on a 4-yard score to extend the lead to 13-6.

Brees would be intercepted by Nasir Adderley on an overthrown ball which nearly went for a defensive score. Instead, Herbert and Hunter Henry hooked up for a 3-yard touchdown as the Chargers lead extended to 20-3.

A 3-yard touchdown to Hunter Henry followed as Los Angeles put themselves in prime position late in the second quarter.

Brees would respond with a two-minute drive to close the gap before halftime. The Saints drove 51 yards in eight plays before Brees jumped over the line of scrimmage into the end zone for a 1-yard touchdown with 14 seconds left in the half to close the gap to 20-10.

The Chargers Offense would go stagnant for much of the half. On three possessions after the break, the Chargers gained just 64 yards on 23 offensive plays as the Saints rallied. A 53-yard field goal from Lutz trimmed the lead to 20-13 and Brees connected with tight end Jared Cook for a 41-yard score to tie the game at 20-20 with 11:21 remaining.

Brees completed 33 of 47 passes for 325 yards with a touchdown and interception without top target Michael Thomas playing due to an incident in practice late in the week. Emmanuel Sanders caught 12 passes for 122 yards in posting his first 100-yard receiving day as a member of the Saints.

Herbert and Williams struck for a 64-yard touchdown to put Los Angeles back on top as Williams blew by Saints cornerback Patrick Robinson for the go-ahead score.

The lead would be short-lived as the Saints immediately answered. A 28-yard pass to Alvin Kamara propelled the Saints into L.A. territory before Taysom Hill scored on a 9-yard scramble to tie the game at 27-27.

The Chargers nearly won it in regulation as Williams made a stellar leaping grab for 29 yards over Lattimore. However, Badgley’s 50-yard attempt as time expired clanked off the right upright to send the game to overtime.

Los Angeles had held a 24-7 lead over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers last week only to fall 38-31.

NBC

 

Big win for the Saints... I thought they were toast. I tuned away when it was 20-3, Chargers.

 

Pretty cool or what?

Fall in Buffalo... Bills relevant... good times.