Let's go through all of the matchups of what was a very interesting Sunday in the NFL. It consisted of upsets, big performances, and a big shakeup in the playoff hunt.
Titans 45
Colts 26
The Tennessee Titans got their revenge from a few weeks ago against the Colts in this dominating victory. Derrick Henry is starting to hit a major stride running for 178 yards and three touchdowns, making this his third straight game with over a 100 yards rushing. Early in this game the Colts were able to match the Titans offense, but towards the end of the second quarter Indianapolis could get nothing going and it stayed that way the rest of the game. Philip Rivers started to struggle in the second half and the Colts had no success in the running game whatsoever. Ryan Tannehill was able to have a pretty good game since the Colts defense had to focus in on the running game that was just gashing them all day. Tennessee was even able to take an onside kick to the house, they dominated in all three phases in a game they needed desperately. The Titans are now ahead in the AFC South with this win and if Henry stays this dominant they will be impossible to stop.
Patriots 20
Cardinals 17
Sloppy is the only way to describe this game. The Patriots turned the ball over on their first possession, which led to an Arizona score, and after that the Cardinals struggle to get anything going. The Cardinals were stuffed at the goal line to end the first half and that seemed to kill the momentum from this offense that is supposed to be one of the best in the league. Cam Newton had another bad performance, completing just nine passes for 84 yards and throwing two interceptions. The Patriots had less than 200 yards of total offense in this game, but because the Cardinals couldn't put the ball in the end zone it didn't matter. Arizona got bailed out by two defensive holding calls to tie the game at 17, and then were able to force a turnover to put themselves in a situation to take the lead. Cardinals kicker Zane Gonzalez would miss the 45-yard field goal and give the ball back to the Patriots. Cam Newton was able to run for a first down, and was gifted another late hit out of bounds penalty to move be ball far enough for the Patriots kicker Nick Folk to hit the 49-yard field goal to win this game. The Cardinals have now put themselves in a tough spot but still have a path to the playoffs, and now after some other upsets in the AFC, the Patriots are still alive.
Falcons 43
Raiders 6
The Raiders are just frauds and there is no argument against it. Las Vegas had no business losing this game after the performance they had against Kansas City last week. The Raiders turned the ball over five times, all of which resulted in points for the Falcons. Derek Carr had an awful performance, Josh Jacobs couldn't run the ball, and there was no sign of life in this team at all. Atlanta has obviously been a better team since Dan Quinn was fired, but Las Vegas needed a game like this to stay ahead in the playoff race and they knew it. The Raiders now sit on the outside looking in and have no wiggle room with how competitive the AFC is. It's truly hard to imagine how a Jon Gruden can come out and just not look prepared at all against one of the league's worst teams. The Falcons didn't have Julio Jones or Todd Gurley, they have one of the worst defenses in the NFL. What was going on with the Raiders? They truly have dug themselves a hole which is going to be tough to come out of. Give credit to the Falcons for coming out ready even when they're short-handed, Raheem Morris has this team playing tough. There's still no excuse for the Raiders to lose by 37 points.
49ers 23
Rams 20
The amount of disappointing performances this past week are too much to count on one hand. Other than the fact that this is a rivalry game, the Rams had every advantage in this game and still found a way to lose. The 49ers are on their backup QB, don't have George Kittle, and aren't even close to healthy on defense. The Rams have the top defense in the league, and have been winning big games all through the past month. This had to be a trap week, it's the only thing that makes sense at this point. Jared Goff had a game to forget with less than 200 yards, no touchdowns, two interceptions, and a lost fumble. His bad performance may have been the big reason for this loss. The Rams offense was just giving the ball away with four total turnovers, outmatching the 49ers who had three. Both defenses had touchdowns in this game. Kyle Shanahan was able to call up a good game plan for his banged up offense though especially against this Rams defenses. Deebo Samuel tore up the Rams secondary with some big plays down the stretch to put the 49ers in a situation for them to get the game winning field goal. The 49ers have now beat the Rams four straight times. Los Angeles has now given the NFC West lead back to Seattle. This was another game that they needed to win and easily should have. It might be tough to catch up for the division lead now, but they should still be locked in for the playoffs barring any more Jared Goff performances like that.
Chiefs 27
Bucs 24
The fact this game ended up this close is astounding for anyone who watched the first quarter. Kansas City was having a field day in Tampa in the first 15 minutes. Tyreek Hill had seven receptions, 203 yards, two touchdowns, and a backflip before the the first 15 minutes were up.
The game does last 60 minutes though, so as much as it looked like Kansas City was going to run away with it early, the Bucs were not going down without a fight. Tom Brady had a terrible first quarter but was able to bounce back when he got some more protection. He was able to hit is variety of weapons in Mike Evans, Chris Godwin, Rob Gronkowski, and Ronald Jones. When Tom Brady was under pressure though, he had no clue how to complete a pass, as he threw two interceptions in the second half. Tampa bay's defense came up big late in the fourth quarter to give the offense an opportunity to get back in the game, but ultimately was not able to get that final stop at the end of the game. The hot start for the Chiefs paid dividends and got them the victory. The Bucs continue to lose their key games against major opponents, and it starts to beg the question if they are going to be able to have success once the playoffs come around. As for the Chiefs, they seem like they'll be back in Tampa for the Super Bowl in February.
Other Matchups
Bills 27 Chargers 17
The Bills got away with this game, they turned the ball over three times, they didn't really pass the ball thee way they should have. Luckily the Chargers are not a good team because their head coach doesn't know how to handle late game situations well at all. The Bills need to get back to their early season ways though, or they be fighting with the Dolphins for the AFC East.
Giants 19 Bengals 17
The Giants now have sole possession of first place in the horrific NFC East at 4-7, but it may have come at a cost. Daniel Jones went down with a hamstring injury, and is expected to miss some time, so the late season the Giants were hoping to make is going to be a lot tougher now. The good news is, they are in the NFC East.
Vikings 28 Panthers 27
Credit to Kirk Cousins and the Vikings for winning this game with a great fourth quarter comeback. They had a tough loss to the Cowboys last week and needed this game to stay in the playoff hunt. The Panthers have shown they are a well coached team that just have a hard time winning games because of their talent. It truly does show how much more Christian McCaffrey makes a difference.
Dolphins 20 Jets 3
Ryan Fitzpatrick came back in the lineup a got a win against the worst team in the NFL. I wonder what is going on with Tua though and how they will attack the situation going forward.
Browns 27 Jaguars 25
I always try to back up Baker Mayfield, but he had some rough moments in this game and could have made it a lot less stressful game. The Jags have played real tough the past few weeks against good opponents other than the Steelers game because they are well coached. Cleveland came out with the win though, Nick Chubb is a monster, and they are probably going to make the playoffs and we should all be happy for them.
Saints 31 Broncos 3
The Broncos didn't have a quarterback because of Covid, and the Saints have Taysom Hill. This game was nothing but runs, and the Saints are just a way better team than Denver. This is the definition of a game that didn't matter
Packers 41 Bears 25
Aaron Rodgers dominated the Bears once again, and did it against a defense that has been stellar all season. Mitch Trubisky was back as the starter and showed why the Bears have to draft a quarterback this coming up draft. The Bears have completely fallen off the deep end.
Comments