NFL - NEWS & NOTES

Falcons rout Raiders 43-6



The Raiders won some respect for how they went down in a Week 11 loss to the Chiefs, but that won’t be the case after their Week 12 loss to the Falcons.

Derek Carr turned the ball over four times, including a third quarter interception that Falcons linebacker Deion Jones took for a 67-yard touchdown. That put the Falcons up 23-3 and things just snowballed for the Raiders from there. The Falcons scored three more times and closed out their 43-6 win with Matt Schaub in a mop-up role.

The win moves the Falcons to 4-7 on the year. It may be too late for them to realistically make a run at the postseason, but they can play spoiler against the Saints, Buccaneers, and Chiefs down the stretch.

They certainly played that role against the Raiders. The loss drops them to 6-5 and they were already on the outside looking in at the AFC playoff picture when the week got underway. They get the Jets next weekend and a failure to find a win in that game will make their path to the postseason all the more difficult.

Carr will have to be better to get that win. He lost three fumbles on sacks to go with the interception and was 22-of-34 for 215 yards before Nathan Peterman took over for some extended garbage time work. Josh Jacobs also lost a fumble while running seven times for 27 yards, so there were issues across the offense.

They’ll have to solve them this week while the Falcons will be hoping to continue the good play they’ve turned in while winning four of their last six games.

NBC

 

That was a great drive by Cousins for the win. He had a good game today.

 

Joey Bosa’s efforts not enough for Chargers as Bills win 27-17



The Bills couldn’t stop Joey Bosa, but the Chargers defensive end wasn’t enough to stop Buffalo from winning.

Bosa had eight tackles, three sacks, five quarterback hits, six tackles for loss, a pass defensed and a fumble recovery, but the Bills won anyway. Buffalo never trailed in winning 27-17.

The Chargers ended the game on the Bills’ 1-yard line.

It was that kind of day (and that kind of season) for Los Angeles.

The Chargers fell to 3-8 with another frustrating loss, while the Bills improved to 8-3.

Josh Allen went 18-of-24 for 157 yards with a touchdown and an interception. Receiver Cole Beasley also threw a touchdown pass on a trick play.

Gabriel Davis caught three passes for 79 yards and the 20-yard touchdown pass from Beasley.

The Bills ran for 172 yards, with Devin Singletary gaining 82 yards on 11 carries and Zack Moss went for 59 yards on nine carries.

Buffalo turned the ball over on three consecutive drives in the second half, with two fumbles and an interception, to keep the Chargers in it.

Justin Herbert was 31-of-52 for 316 yards with a touchdown and an interception. Austin Ekeler caught 11 passes for 85 yards in his return and ran for 44 yards on 14 carries.

Tre'Davious White‘s pick of Herbert with 5:17 left allowed the Bills to kick a field goal that put them up two scores with 3:26 left.

NBC

 

Tyreek Hill has 203 receiving yards in first quarter



Chiefs wide receiver Tyreek Hill may be having the best first quarter in NFL history.

The first quarter isn’t even over yet as we’re posting this, and Hill has seven catches for 203 yards and two touchdowns.

It’s been utterly ridiculous watching Patrick Mahomes and Hill humiliate the Buccaneers’ secondary. Tampa Bay simply has no answer for anything Kansas City is doing offensively.

The NFL record for receiving yards in a game is 336, set by Flipper Anderson of the Rams in 1989. The Chiefs are up 17-0 and may not feel the need to pass much more in this game, but if they want to keep going to Hill, the record is going to be his.

NBC

 

An ugly season in Jacksonville has cost General Manager Dave Caldwell his job.

The Jaguars fired Caldwell today, the team announced.

“I’ve met with Dave Caldwell to express my appreciation for his service to the Jacksonville Jaguars as our general manager,” Jaguars owner Shad Khan said in a statement. “Dave was exceptionally committed and determined to bring a winner to Jacksonville, but unfortunately his efforts were not rewarded with the results our fans deserve and our organization expects. Our football operation needs new leadership and we will have it with a new general manager in 2021.”

It’s not surprising that Caldwell is out, given that the Jaguars are 1-10. The timing is a little surprising, simply because teams usually wait until the end of the year to fire a GM.

But the Jaguars are firing Caldwell today just a day after the Lions fired General Manager Bob Quinn, and there are now four teams in the GM market: The Jaguars, the Lions, the Texans and the Falcons.

There’s been no word on the job status of Doug Marrone, who likely doesn’t have much time left but hasn’t been fired yet.

NBC

 

Now wait a minute. The Broncos have to play the Saints without a QB. (covid) And that's OK. But now the Ravens/Steelers gets moved back a week ?? What's the protocol here ??

 

Because they cant play Tuesday and turn around and play 2 nights later, so they moved the TNF game.

 

Its a mess... best to wait and see what gives.

 

Saints crush QB-less Broncos 31-3



It would have made for quite a story if the Broncos were able to come up with a winning effort on Sunday against the Saints despite not having any quarterbacks available for the game, but there was no Hollywood ending in the cards this weekend.

The Broncos completed one pass, gained 112 yards of offense and got rolled over by the Saints in a 31-3 loss. That drops the Broncos to 4-7 on the season and leaves them with a shrinking chance of finding a path to the playoffs.

Drew Lock, Brett Rypien, and Blake Bortles were all ruled out because of their exposure to Jeff Driskel, who tested positive this week. The Broncos were left to run the Wildcat with running backs Phillip Lindsay, Royce Freeman, and Melvin Gordon while leaving the passing to practice squad call-up Kendall Hinton. Hinton was once a quarterback, but now plays receiver and went 1-of-9 for 13 yards and two interceptions.

Freeman, Gordon, and Lindsay ran 29 times for 101 yards, but Lindsay left with a knee injury and did not return. They’ll hope he and the quarterbacks are back next week, but playing the Chiefs will be no picnic at full strength.

The Saints weren’t too much more impressive in the passing game. Taysom Hill was 9-of-16 for 78 yards and an interception, but he ran for two scores and Latavius Murray ran for two others. Murray had 19 carries for 124 yards overall and the Saints remain in the top spot in the NFC with a 9-2 record.

They’ll be in Atlanta next weekend and their secondary should get a bit more to do against Matt Ryan.

NBC

 

49ers score on final play to beat Rams 23-20 and sweep season series



The Rams scored 17 consecutive points in the second half and seemed to have grabbed control. The 49ers, though, weren’t finished — just as their season isn’t finished.

49ers kicker Robbie Gould kicked two field goals in the final 3:11 as San Francisco upset the Rams 23-20. The 49ers swept the season series, winning the first meeting 24-16 on Oct. 18.

The Rams fell to 7-4 on a day the Cardinals also lost to fall to 6-5. The Seahawks, who are 7-3 and now alone in first place in the NFC West, play the Eagles on Monday night. The 49ers are 5-6 after winning a fourth consecutive game against the Rams.

Gould kicked a 44-yarder with 3:11 left to tie the game. The Rams punted after only 19 yards on the next possession, and the 49ers got Gould in position for the game-winner. He kicked a 42-yarder on the final play after Jalen Ramsey jumped offsides to get him 5 yards closer.

The 49ers went for it on fourth-and-one on the Rams 39 with 35 seconds left, and fullback Kyle Juszczyk gained 2 yards. That allowed the 49ers to move closer and eat up the remaining time.

The teams combined for 14 punts and seven turnovers. Both teams scored defensive touchdowns, with 49ers rookie Javon Kinlaw scoring on a 27-yard interception return and Rams cornerback Troy Hill returned a fumble forced by Aaron Donald 20 yards for a touchdown.

Donald had five tackles, a sack, four quarterback hits, a pass breakup and a forced fumble.

Jared Goff, though, had three of the Rams’ four turnovers. Kinlaw and Richard Sherman had interceptions of Goff, and Goff lost a fumble that Jimmie Ward forced and Kerry Hyder recovered. Malcolm Brown also lost a fumble.

Nick Mullens threw an interception and 49ers running backs Jeff Wilson and Raheem Mostert each lost a fumble.

49ers receiver Deebo Samuel set career highs in receptions and yards with 11 catches for 134 yards.

Mullens was 24-of-35 for 253 yards and the one pick, while Goff was 19-of-31 for 198 yards and the two picks.

Cam Akers had nine carries for 84 yards and a touchdown for the Rams.

NBC

 

Patrick Mahomes, Tyreek Hill put up huge numbers as Chiefs beat Buccaneers



When Patrick Mahomes and Tyreek Hill are connecting, it’s just not fair.

That must have been how the Buccaneers felt today when Hill had more than 200 receiving yards before the first quarter was over. It appeared that the Chiefs’ offense couldn’t be stopped.

As the game progressed, the Buccaneers made adjustments and made the game close, but Mahomes still finished with 462 passing yards, while Hill had 269 yards and three touchdowns. The Chiefs won 27-24.

Buccaneers quarterback Tom Brady struggled early but ended up with solid numbers, competing 27 of 41 passes for 345 yards, with three touchdowns and two interceptions.

The win improves the Chiefs’ record to 10-1, as they continue their march to the playoffs and an attempt to defend their Super Bowl title. The Buccaneers drop to 7-5, and although they’re still likely to make the playoffs, they have plenty of work to do before they’re on the Chiefs’ level.

NBC

 

Aaron Rodgers threw four touchdown passes, and the Packers Defense forced three Mitchell Trubisky turnovers as Green Bay steamrolled the Bears 41-25 on Sunday Night Football.

Six different players scored for the Packers, who moved to 8-3 with the win. They have the Eagles, Lions, Panthers, Titans and Bears remaining.

The Saints have the best record in the NFC at 9-2, but the Packers hold the head-to-head tiebreaker with a 37-30 victory in Week 3.

The Bears fell to 5-6 and into a second-place tie in the NFC North with the Vikings with their fifth consecutive loss.

Rodgers was 21-of-29 for 211 yards and touchdowns of 12, 5, 2 and 39 yards to Davante Adams, Marcedes Lewis, Allen Lazard and Robert Tonyan. The Packers’ scoring drives covered 75, 75, 80, 53 and 66 yards.

The Packers’ other touchdown came on a 14-yard fumble return by Preston Smith as Za'Darius Smith forced Trubisky to lose the football.

Packers safety Darnell Savage had two interceptions of Trubisky before injuring his back.

Trubisky, who returned to the starting lineup after Nick Foles‘ hip injury last week, went 26-of-46 for 242 yards with three touchdowns to go with the two interceptions and the lost fumble.

The Packers led 41-10 before Trubisky directed back-to-back scoring drives. David Montgomery had 16 touches for 143 yards and one touchdown.

Rodgers was not sacked or even hit, and the Bears forced only eight hurries. Rodgers eclipsed 50,000 career passing yards.

Bears pass rusher Khalil Mack had only three tackles and no other stats.

NBC

 

Ravens-Steelers game remains set for Tuesday night



Postponed from Thursday to Sunday and then from Sunday to Tuesday, the Week 12 game between the Ravens and Steelers in Pittsburgh remains on.

At this point, it will be postponed again only if there are ongoing positives that would lead medical professionals to believe there is continued risk of transmission.

For now, the league believes that Baltimore is in the tail end of the exposure that caused the outbreak, and that the ongoing positives flow from that.

The Ravens, as previously mentioned, were back in the facility on Sunday, for the first time since Tuesday. They’re scheduled to practice on Monday, pending final approval from the league.

Players remain skittish about the situation. On Sunday, NFL Chief Medical Officer Allen Sills players and coaches to answer their questions and to help explain how health experts think through these decisions.

If there are no new positives on Monday and Tuesday, the game definitely will be played. The game still could be played, however, if there are more Baltimore positives.

NBC

 

NFL moves Bucs-Lions, 49ers-Cardinals, Dolphins-Raiders to Saturday in Week 16

When the NFL unveiled its schedule for the 2020 season, they left five Week 16 games unscheduled because they would decide later about which of them would be played on Saturday, December 26.

The league announced those decisions on Monday. Three games will be played that day with the Buccaneers and Lions getting the ball rolling with a 1 p.m. ET start in Detroit.

The 49ers will be in Arizona to face the Cardinals at 4:30 p.m. ET and the Dolphins will take on the Raiders in Las Vegas at 8:15 p.m. ET. The games in Detroit and Las Vegas will be broadcast on NFL Network while the 49ers-Cardinals tilt will air on Amazon Prime Video and Twitch.

Sunday’s schedule that week will now include the Browns visiting the Jets and the Broncos visiting the Chargers.

There is no Thursday game in Week 16. The slate will kick off on Christmas Day when the Vikings face the Saints in New Orleans at 4:30 p.m. ET.

NBC

 

The NFL playoff picture is taking shape. Here’s how it looks after the latest slate of games:

AFC
1. Steelers (10-0) Still in the lead for home-field advantage.

2. Chiefs (10-1) Big lead in the AFC West.

3. Titans (8-3) Owns the head-to-head tiebreaker over Buffalo.

4. Bills (8-3) One-game lead in the AFC East.

5. Browns (8-3) Closing in on a return to the playoffs.

6. Dolphins (7-4) One game out in the AFC East.

7. Colts (7-4) Fell behind in AFC South.

***

8. Ravens (6-4) Currently on the outside looking in.

9. Raiders (6-5) Big loss to the Falcons.

10. Patriots (5-6) Tough road to a return to the playoffs.

11. Broncos (4-7) Three games out of the wild card.

12. Texans (4-7) Three games out of the wild card.

13. Chargers (3-8) No realistic shot at a playoff berth.

14. Bengals (2-8-1) Out of contention.

15. Jaguars (1-10) Way out of contention.

16. Jets (0-11) Worst team in the NFL.

NFC
1. Saints (9-2) In the lead for home-field advantage.

2. Packers (8-3) Big lead in the NFC North.

3. Seahawks (7-3) Took over the lead in the NFC West.

4. Giants (4-7) Lead the NFC East.

5. Rams (7-4) Still in NFC West contention.

6. Buccaneers (7-5) Will be tough to catch the Saints in the NFC South.

7. Cardinals (6-5) One-game lead for the final wild card spot.

***

8. Vikings (5-6) One game behind for the wild card.

9. Bears (5-6) One game behind for the wild card.

10. 49ers (5-6) One game behind for the wild card.

11. Lions (4-7) No realistic chance in the wild card race.

12. Washington (4-7) Still not out of it in the NFC East.

13. Falcons (4-7) Playing well too little, too late.

14. Eagles (3-6-1)Still not out of it in the NFC East.

15. Panthers (4-8) No realistic chance in the wild card race.

16. Cowboys (3-8) Still not out of it in the NFC East.

NBC

 

The 49ers will play their next two home games at State Farm Stadium, the home of their NFC West rival Cardinals.

San Francisco announced the move on Monday after Santa Clara County enacted restrictions on contact sports and visitors to the county for the next three weeks.

“The San Francisco 49ers have come to an agreement with the National Football League and Arizona Cardinals which allows the 49ers to host their Weeks 13 and 14 home games against the Buffalo Bills and Washington Football Team at State Farm Stadium in Arizona,” the 49ers said in a statement. “The Cardinals organization, State Farm Stadium and League officials have been supportive and accommodating as we work through the many logistical issues involved in relocating NFL games.”

The 49ers do not yet have a practice facility finalized, noting in their statement that they’ll share those plans later.

San Francisco has one more home game scheduled in Week 17 against Seattle, which could be played at Levi’s Stadium if the county’s restrictions are indeed lifted after three weeks. If not, the Cardinals are on the road against the Rams to end the regular season, so State Farm Stadium would be available.

NBC

 

So Will Fuller suspended until Week 1.
Steelers and Ravens pushed to Wednesday.
Steelers and Football Team pushed to Monday.