NFL Game Recaps of previous weeks and seasons can be found via links at the bottom of the page.
Ravens 34, Bengals 20
Each year, there are a couple of Thursday night games in which we’re all reminded that NFL athletes should not be playing such a high-contact sport on just three days of rest. The Seahawks took part in some long ago, while the Cardinals lost all their key players in a brutal game versus the Packers back in 2020. In the latest version, the Bengals and Ravens both suffered crucial injuries that will impact their ability to make a deep playoff run.
Baltimore’s injury occurred on the opening possession of the game. Mark Andrews caught his second pass, but was twisted awkwardly. He left the game to have X-rays on his hip. The Ravens ended up scoring a touchdown on that drive, but didn’t do anything after that, at least until Cincinnati’s major injury. The Bengals went up 10-7 when Joe Burrow threw a touchdown pass to Joe Mixon, but Burrow yelled in agony as he clutched his wrist. He then tried to throw on the sideline and experienced similar pain. He was quickly ruled out.
With the Bengals unable to do anything with Jake Browning, it seemed as though Cincinnati’s defense gave up. The dispirted unit, which restricted Baltimore to just 30 rushing yards in the opening half, allowed 126 rushing yards following intermission.
Lamar Jackson had a chunk of the second-half rushing yardage, as he ran nine times for 54 yards. He was excellent as a passer, going 16-of-26 for 264 yards and two touchdowns. Jackson also got hurt in this game when he landed awkwardly, but he didn’t miss any action after being checked out in the medical tent.
The rest of Baltimore’s rushing yardage came via Gus Edwards and Keaton Mitchell. The two backs split nearly an even workload, but Edwards was way more productive. Edwards rushed for 61 yards and two touchdowns on 12 attempts, while Mitchell gained 33 yards on eight tries.
With Andrews out, Odell Beckham Jr. led the Ravens in receiving with four catches for 116 yards. However, Beckham also got hurt, as he left the game following a 51-yard reception in the fourth quarter. Nelson Agholor and Rashod Bateman caught touchdowns of 37 and 10 yards, with both receptions being their only catches of the night. Zay Flowers appeared to score once, but had his touchdown negated by penalty. He had three receptions for 43 yards.
There’s not much to say about the Bengals, who had no hope when Burrow left in a 10-7 game. Burrow was playing well – 11-of-17, 101 yards, one touchdown – but backup Jake Browning did nothing until a garbage-time drive at the end. He went 8-of-14 for 68 yards and a touchdown, but most of his yardage and his score came in a meaningless drive in the final minutes.
Browning’s late touchdown went to Ja’Marr Chase, who caught two passes for 12 yards otherwise. Tanner Hudson led the Bengals in receiving with four grabs for 49 yards, followed by Trenton Irwin (3-36), who dropped a potential reception of about 15 yards.
Mixon, as mentioned, caught Burrow’s lone touchdown. He rushed for 69 yards on 16 carries to go along with five catches for 31 receiving yards and the score.
Browns 13, Steelers 10
Dorian Thompson-Robinson had one of the worst performances anyone had ever seen from a quarterback in his regular-season debut against the Ravens. Thus, it was a surprise when Kevin Stefanski named him as the starter in the wake of Deshaun Watson’s season-ending shoulder injury. Thompson-Robinson didn’t play great by any means, but he was able to get the victory, prompting some tears of joy on the sideline upon seeing the game-winning field goal convert in the final seconds.
While Thompson-Robinson wasn’t terrible, he didn’t do much to win the game either. Cleveland’s defense had to do all of the work, and the team put on a show versus the Steelers. The Cleveland front swarmed Kenny Pickett early and often. They sacked him just three times, but they prevented Pickett from being comfortable in the pocket. One of the sacks even appeared to be a safety, but the officials gave the Steelers a favorable spot to prevent the defense from scoring an extra two points. This didn’t end up mattering in the long run because the Browns prevailed, as they limited the Steelers to just 3-of-14 on third down.
Pickett was so bad that he barely eclipsed the century mark despite passing the ball 28 times. He was just 15-of-28 for 106 yards. The matchup was extremely difficult, but Pickett didn’t give his team a good chance of winning, despite what the final score says.
Thompson-Robinson outgained Pickett, but had 15 more pass attempts. He was 24-of-43 for only 165 yards and an interception that came on a deflection. Thompson-Robinson’s pick came off a deflection.
Cleveland’s offense was mystifying overall because the team seemed to have a good thing going with Jerome Ford, who accumulated 28 rushing yards on the opening drive alone, with Ford eventually plunging into the end zone. Yet, Ford barely touched the ball the rest of the way. Ford finished with 31 yards and a touchdown on 12 attempts, and he was outgained by Kareem Hunt (12-36). It’s unclear why Ford vanished after the first possession.
The leading rusher in this game was Jaylen Warren, who was terrific. Warren eluded so many defenders, picking up clutch first downs in the second half to put his team in position to win. Warren dashed for 129 yards and a touchdown on just nine carries. He also caught three passes for 16 receiving yards. Remarkably, Najee Harris continued to see more carries (12), and predictably, fewer yards (35). It’s unclear why the Steelers don’t recognize that Warren is the superior player.
The top receiver in this contest was Elijah Moore, who was able to exploit a weak Steeler secondary that has struggled against slot receivers. Moore hauled in six of his seven targets for 60 yards, finishing just ahead of David Njoku (7-56), who had a mind-boggling 15 targets. Amari Cooper was a disappointment with four grabs for 34 yards.
As for the Steelers, George Pickens was the only player with more than 20 receiving yards. He caught four passes for 38 yards. Diontae Johnson saw eight targets, but managed just two catches for 16 yards.
Lions 31, Bears 26
It’s difficult to trust anything sideline reporters say these days, but the individual holding that job in this game revealed that Dan Campbell said that the key to the second half was “Fields, Fields, Fields.” In his first game returning to action, Fields was elusive as ever for the Lions, causing major headaches for the Lions. He made clutch completions and scrambled for big chunks. The Lions couldn’t get him off the field, with Chicago winning the time of possession by 21 minutes.
The Lions, however, had other issues, as they killed themselves with turnovers. Jared Goff happened to be picked three times, which contributed to Chicago holding the ball forever. Goff began by tossing a pick that bounced off Sam LaPorta’s ands. He then telegraphed a pick and didn’t see Tremaine Edmunds on the third interception. In addition to this, the Lions fumbled a kickoff return in the third quarter.
All of these blunders put the Lions in a nine-point hole in the fourth quarter. The Bears had possession in Detroit territory, but opted for the field goal instead of a fourth-down attempt. The field goal put Chicago up 12, but it was still a two-possession game. Goff trimmed the margin to five when he found Jameson Williams for a 32-yard touchdown, then was able to retain possession when Fields threw an incompletion on a third down. Goff then put together an 11-play, 73-yard drive that culminated with a David Montgomery score, which put Detroit ahead for good.
This was a devastating loss for the Bears, though Fields’ return shows that the team can be more competitive. Fields went 16-of-23 for 169 yards and a touchdown, while also scrambling 18 times for 104 rushing yards.
Fields wasn’t the only Jets backfield member who returned from injury. Khalil Herbert was back as well, though he was splitting carries with D’Onta Foreman to start. Foreman, who rushed for 14 yards and a touchdown on six carries, got hurt, which allowed Herbert to shoulder most of the workload. Herbert didn’t do very well, tallying just 35 yards on 16 carries. Roschon Johnson looked sprier, gaining 30 yards on six attempts.
The top fantasy player in this game was D.J. Moore, who hauled in seven of his nine targets for 96 yards and a touchdown. He was the only Chicago player with more than 24 receiving yards, as Cole Kmet (3-20) disappointed in an easy matchup. Moore had an amazing play on third down where he caught a short pass and broke numerous tackles to move the chains.
Moore was able to outgain Amon-Ra St. Brown, who snatched eight of his 11 targets for 77 yards and a touchdown. Like Kmet, LaPorta was a letdown with three grabs for 18 yards, as well as the play in which he was responsible for Goff’s pick.
Speaking of Goff, the Detroit quarterback began horribly with three interceptions in as many quarters. He was terrific to close out the game, however. He finished 23-of-35 for 236 yards, two touchdowns and the three picks.
Goff was aided by his rushing attack during the comeback. Montgomery and Jahmyr Gibbs split the workload, with Montgomery having four more carries, 12-8. Montgomery had way more yards, 76-36, though both scored touchdowns. Gibbs, however, was the biggest factor in the passing attack, catching all six of his targets for 59 receiving yards.
Packers 23, Chargers 20
The Ravens-Bengals game on Thursday night saw two extremely talented players suffer season-ending injuries. Unfortunately, this was not the only blood bath that occurred in Week 11, as two major talents for these teams also got hurt in this game.
Joey Bosa was the first to go down. Bosa injured his foot and had to be carted into the locker room. He was seen crying as he was being taken off the field, so we can assume that he knew that the injury was devastating. Later in the first half, Aaron Jones was lost for the game with a knee injury. The Packers don’t have playoff aspirations, however, so this injury at least won’t harm Green Bay going into January.
This game didn’t just have major injuries; it featured pure incompetence by the Chargers, who repeatedly shot themselves in the foot. Donald Parham dropped a pass on fourth down. Keenan Allen then dropped a touchdown despite the ball hitting him right in between the numbers. Austin Ekeler joined the party after that with a lost fumble at the goal line. Stone Smart followed that up by dropping a touchdown, and if that wasn’t enough, Quentin Johnston dropped a deep ball in the fourth quarter.
Despite all of this, Justin Herbert nearly led the Chargers to victory. Herbert went 21-of-36 for 260 yards and two touchdowns. He was a key scrambler with 73 yards on eight rushes. He made a number of great throws and runs, but his teammates really let him down, as the Chargers once again sabotaged a potential victory of theirs.
Though the Chargers are mostly responsible for this loss, credit must be given to “No Cookie” Jordan Love, who misfired just five times in the second half. He began with a bad play by throwing the ball to Luke Musgrave short of the sticks on fourth down, but Love rebounded and improved as the afternoon progressed. He finished 27-of-40 for 322 yards and two touchdowns.
Love’s two touchdowns went to Christian Watson (2-21) and Romeo Doubs (5-53). The announcers talked about the score being a great, feel-good moment for Watson, yet he didn’t do anything else. Doubs was second on the team in receiving behind Dontayvion Wicks, who caught three balls for 91 yards. Jayden Reed, who caught four balls for 46 yards, scored on a 32-yard end-around which featured some of the worst angles a collective defense could have possibly taken on a single play.
With Jones (4-14) leaving early, A.J. Dillon handled most of the workload. Predictably, Dillon was terrible, mustering just 29 yards on 14 carries.
Aside from Herbert, Ekeler led the team in rushing with 64 yards on 10 carries, but he crushed his team with a fumble near the goal line. Curiously, Ekeler caught only two balls for six receiving yards.
The top fantasy performer in this game was Allen, who caught 10 of his 16 targets for 116 yards and a touchdown. Allen, as mentioned, missed out on a second touchdown because of a dropped ball in the end zone. Parham was next with four grabs for 57 yards. Quentin Johnston (2-21) was a disappointment once again.
Giants 31, Redskins 19
Sam Howell taunted the Giants defense ahead of this game, citing that New York didn’t have any talented players who would be able to stop his offense. This seemed like a foolish thing to say, given that he scored only seven points against New York in Week 7. Howell had a better performance in this game, but only by default, as he once again struggled in what should have been an easy matchup for him.
Howell has issues dealing with the blitz, which proved problematic for him in this game because the Giants blitz at a very high rate. Howell saw lots of pressure in the pocket and took four sacks. He tried to release the ball quickly, but this was a disastrous result for him because he threw three interceptions. The first was an overthrow, while the second was tossed into double coverage. The final pick came late in desperation time. Howell went 31-of-45 for 255 yards and a touchdown otherwise.
Meanwhile, Tommy DeVito entered this game highly criticized, with some saying he was the worst quarterback they had ever seen play an NFL game. DeVito, however, was matched up against the dreadful Redskins, who have allowed the most deep completions in the NFL this year. It didn’t seem possible that DeVito would be able to exploit this liability, but that’s exactly what he did.
DeVito inexplicably hit four passes of 21 yards or longer. This includes 40- and 24-yard touchdowns to Darius Slayton and Saquon Barkley, respectively. DeVito didn’t even have to use his scrambling ability – one run, seven yards – because Washington gave him so many opportunities on deep throws. DeVito went 18-of-26 for 246 yards and three touchdowns. However, it must be noted that he held the ball in the pocket for an eternity, which is why he took nine sacks.
Barkley had a huge game to help DeVito secured his first victory. He rushed for 83 yards on only 14 carries, and he also caught four passes for 57 receiving and two touchdowns. Barkley finished second on the team in receiving, trailing only Slayton, who hauled in four passes for 82 yards and a score.
Both starting running back put together strong fantasy performances. Brian Robinson Jr. was solid as both a rusher and a receiver. He rushed for 73 yards on just 17 carries, and he tied for the team lead in receiving with seven catches for 58 yards. He was tied for Logan Thomas (5-58) for the team lead. Thomas lost a fumble at midfield in the opening half.
Elsewhere in the receiving corps, Terry McLaurin was a disappointment with five grabs for 43 yards, while Jahan Dotson (3-23) scored a late touchdown. Curtis Samuel (1-5) was ejected early for fighting with nickel corner Cordale Flott.
Cowboys 33, Panthers 10
The Panthers aren’t nearly good enough to overcome their own stupid mistakes, and there was evidence of that in this game. Carolina committed dumb penalty after dumb penalty to sabotage a potential upset victory over the Cowboys.
These senseless infractions occurred defensively in the first half. The Panthers did a good job of forcing the Cowboys into negative down-and-distance situations in a 7-0 game, but a needless pass interference on the coverage of CeeDee Lamb and a horse-collar and face mask hybrid penalty on Xavier Woods gave the Cowboys a free field goal. Just prior to halftime, the Panthers forced Dallas into a field goal, but an unnecessary roughness penalty set up a touchdown pass to CeeDee Lamb. The score at halftime was 17-3 as a result instead of a possible 10-3 score.
Any hope the Panthers had, however, completely vanished early in the fourth quarter. The Panthers trimmed the margin to 17-10, but Bryce Young lofted a lazy pass to the outside. DaRon Bland secured his fourth pick-six of the season, putting this game away for Dallas.
This was yet another disappointing outing for Young, who is just a thrift-store version of Kyler Murray. Young was 16-of-29 for only 123 yards, one touchdown and the interception. He inexplicably failed to use his scrambling ability, running just twice for three yards. It didn’t help that his offensive line failed to protect him, with Dallas sacking him seven times.
Odds would have been low on Dak Prescott barely out-throwing Young, but the Cowboys faced a talented Carolina pass defense that has improved since the bye. Prescott went 25-of-38 for only 189 yards and two touchdowns.
With Prescott not doing much, Lamb’s stats suffered. He caught six passes for only 38 yards, but he scored the aforementioned touchdown. Lamb was second on the team in receiving, trailing only Brandin Cooks (3-42). Jake Ferguson (3-32) was vultured by Luke Schoonmaker.
Tony Pollard had a mixed game. He finally scored a touchdown for the first time since Week 1, powering his way into the end zone. However, he was given just 12 carries, turning them into 61 yards and the score. Pollard also caught four passes for 19 receiving yards.
The Panthers, despite losing, were able to outgain Dallas on the ground. Chuba Hubbard and Miles Sanders split the workload, with Hubbard outgaining Sanders, 57-50. Sanders had one more carry (11-10).
Carolina had only one player with more than 20 receiving yards. That was Adam Thielen, who made eight grabs for 74 yards.
Jaguars 34, Titans 14
The Jaguars were embarrassed against the 49ers last week. Good teams often rebound from humiliating losses, and that’s exactly what happened in this game, as Jacksonville prevailed by 20 points and dominated the time of possession by 12 minutes.
The Jaguars always seemed to be on the field during this game, as they converted three of their four fourth downs. Trevor Lawrence kept the chains moving with his great accuracy, completing three-quarters of his passes and completing multiple passes to six receivers. Lawrence also used his mobility to find the end zone on two occasions.
Lawrence went 24-of-32 for 262 yards and two touchdowns. He also ran five times for 17 rushing yards and a pair of touchdowns. Not included in this was a deep pass interference flag drawn with Zay Jones.
Speaking of Jones, he muddied the receiving corps for everyone not named Calvin Ridley. The struggling receiver finally had a breakout performance, catching seven of his nine targets for 103 yards and two touchdowns. Christian Kirk, who had previously been hot, took a bit of a back seat with Jones returning; he caught three of his six targets for 48 yards. Jones chipped in with four grabs for 20 yards.
The only part of the Jacksonville offense that didn’t work very well was the running game, as Tennessee is often stellar versus ground attacks. Travis Etienne mustered only 52 yards on 14 carries. He caught three passes, but for only seven receiving yards.
The Titans couldn’t run the ball either, which was a big part of why they couldn’t contend in the time-of-possession battle. Derrick Henry was able to gain only 38 yards on 10 carries.
Surprisingly, Will Levis put together a quality stat line despite the lopsided result. He went 13-of-17 for 158 yards and two touchdowns. He also fumbled on a botched snap. Levis, however, completed all seven of his passes in the second half. The fact that he attempted only seven passes in the second half of such a deficit just shows how much Jacksonville controlled the ball.
It shouldn’t be shocking that one of Levis’ touchdowns went to DeAndre Hopkins, who caught four passes for 59 yards. It is, however, startling to see that All-Pro defensive lineman Jeffery Simmons caught the other on a trick play.
Texans 21, Cardinals 16
This game seemed like it could be a high-scoring, back-and-forth affair. It turned out to be a back-and-forth contest, but only in the sense that these teams took turns making mistakes. The scoring wasn’t high as a consequence.
It began when the Texans foolishly gave Mike Boone a carry on fourth down when they could have utilized their starting quarterback and his talented receivers instead. Speaking of, C.J. Stroud threw an uncharacteristic interception in the second quarter when he fired a pass into heavy traffic while in the red zone. This was after Kyler Murray was picked on a deep shot to Marquise Brown.
Murray kicked things off in the second half with a bad mistake, throwing low and behind Trey McBride on a fourth down. Stroud was then picked on an underthrow. Despite this latest interception, the Texans led by five with Arizona driving. Murray moved the ball into Houston territory, but Brown missed Brown on fourth down, allowing Houston to preserve the victory.
Stroud had some negative moments in this game, especially after he took a big hit during the midway point of the afternoon, but was still able to finish with a great stat line if the interceptions are excluded. Aside from the three interceptions, Stroud went 27-of-37 for 336 yards and two touchdowns. He continued to show amazing chemistry with Tank Dell, who reeled in eight of his 10 targets for 149 yards and a score.
Elsewhere in the Houston receiving corps, Nico Collins finished second in the box score with seven grabs for 65 yards. Dalton Schultz (2-32) scored a touchdown.
The Texans didn’t have much of a running game prior to Week 10, but that has changed in the past couple of games. For the second week in a row, Devin Singletary had a tremendous performance, dashing for 112 yards and a touchdown on 22 carries.
Arizona was expected to run well against a poor Houston run defense, but that didn’t occur. James Conner was limited to 62 yards on 14 attempts. He wasn’t used much in the passing game either with two catches for a single yard.
Murray went 20-of-30 for 214 yards, one touchdown and the aforementioned pick. However, he was able to help his fantasy owners with his dynamic rushing ability. He scrambled seven times for 51 yards and a score.
Murray’s sole aerial score was a 48-yard bomb to Rondale Moore, but that was Moore’s only reception of the afternoon. Still, only one receiver finished ahead of Moore, and that was Greg Dortch, who caught six passes for 76 yards. McBride chipped in with five catches for 43 yards. Brown struggled yet again with two receptions for 15 yards.
Dolphins 20, Raiders 13 By Charlie Campbell –
@draftcampbell
EDITOR’S NOTE: The Dolphins were so close to covering with a pick-six at the end. Had the intercepting player gone right instead of left after catching the ball, he had a wide open field in front of him.
This was a sloppy game for Miami’s point-machine offense, but the team’s defense put the clamps on Las Vegas quarterback Aidan O’Connell and running back Josh Jacobs. Now at 7-3, Miami remains in control of the AFC East. The Raiders’ wild-card hopes, meanwhile, were dealt a big blow by falling to 5-6.
Early in the first quarter, the referees made a questionable call that took away a Michael Mayer (4-46) fumble that Miami’s Jevon Holland had returned for a 40-yard touchdown away. Miami’s bad breaks continued, with Tua Tagovailoa fumbling on a scramble that was recovered by Las Vegas. The turnover resulted in a field goal for Daniel Carlson. Late in the first quarter, the Dolphins got moving and Tagovailaoa hit Tyreek Hill on a slant. Hill then exploded down the field for a 38-yard touchdown. Las Vegas quickly retook the lead after Aidan O’Connell lofted in a 46-yard touchdown to Davante Adams to go up 10-7.
Early in the second quarter, Miami moved inside the five, but on fourth-and-1, Nate Hobbs destroyed a screen to Hill for a loss on the play to protect the Raiders’ lead. The Miami defense forced a punt, and Tagovailoa moved the ball into the red zone before a choice route connection to Salvon Ahmed resulted in an 11-yard touchdown that put the Dolphins up 14-10 late in the half.
In the final minute of the second quarter, Hobbs continued his excellent game for Las Vegas, foricng a fumble from tight end Julian Hill that was recovered by the Raiders at the Miami 32. The Dolphins held the Raiders to another Carlson field goal to cut the Miami lead to 14-13 at halftime.
At the very beginning of the third quarter, Tagovailoa threw a bomb for Hill too far and Isaiah Pola-Mao intercepted the pass. The Miami defense got a stop, and this time, Tagovailoa was accurate on a few completions to Hill. However, Jason Sanders missed a 50-yard field goal attempt. Jalen Ramsey picked a good time to come through for the Dolphins with his first interception of the season, which set them up near midfield. They then turned that into a field goal. Sanders tacked on another three-pointer to make the score 20-13 at the start of the fourth quarter.
Midway through the fourth quarter, O’Connell hit Hunter Renfrow on the run and Renfrow darted down the field for a gain of 31 yards. But on a fourth-and-6 at the Miami 24, O’Connell was hit as he threw and Jaelen Phillips caught the deflection for a crucial interception.
The Raiders had one final chance late in the game, with O’Connell moving the ball inside the 40 with a chunk completion to Adams. However, O’Connell threw deep into double coverage and was intercepted by Ramsey to clinch the win for Miami.
Tagovailoa completed 28-of-39 passes for 325 yards, two touchdowns and an interception. He also lost a fumble.
Mostert ran for 86 yards on 22 carries. Miami had rookie running back Devon Achane (1-1) returning from injured reserve, but early in the game, Achane went out again with another leg injury.
Hill caught 10 passes for 146 yards and a touchdown.
O’Connell completed 24-of-41 for 271 yards, a touchdown and three interceptions.
Jacobs was held to 39 yards on 14 carries.
Adams caught seven passes for 82 yards and a touchdown.
Rams 17, Seahawks 16 By Charlie Campbell –
@draftcampbell
EDITOR’S NOTE: Ian Rapoport reported that Matthew Stafford would not have any limitations in this game, but it certainly looked like there were limitations, as Stafford wasn’t remotely himself. I’m glad I didn’t bet this game because I would have been tilted about losing a pick by a half point.
The Rams (4-6) swept the season series against the Seahawks, dropping the latter to 6-4. This was a painful defeat for Seattle, which handed over first place in the NFC West to San Francisco. The Seattle defense played well, but settling for field goals came back to bite the team. This game was impacted by some injuries to key players, as Kenneth Walker and Cooper Kupp exited in the first half after getting hurt, while Geno Smith missed some series in the second half.
To open the game, a Devon Witherspoon sack led to a Rams punt. Smith then moved into Rams territory with conversions to Tyler Lockett (5-51) and Jaxon Smith-Njigba (3-40). To cap the drive, Smith connected with D.K. Metcalf from a few yards out to put the Seahawks up 7-0. Los Angeles got into Seattle territory after Tutu Atwell drew a 45-yard pass interference penalty on Jordan Love. Another pass interference penalty, this time on Tariq Woolen, soon set up a first-and-goal. The Seattle defense put a goal-line stand together, forcing an incompletion on fourth-and-goal. A 32-yard completion to Smith-Njigba set up Jason Myers to connect on a 54-yard field goal, which put Seattle up 10-0. A 52-yard pass to Metcalf soon set up another field goal that made the score 13-0. Just before halftime, Rams quarterback Matthew Stafford moved the ball down the field, and with just a few seconds on the clock, he found Puka Nacua for a touchdown to make things 13-7 at the intermission.
Midway through the third, Jason Myers drilled a 52-yard field goal to extend Seattle’s lead to a two-score game. Late in the third quarter, Smith was hammered by Aaron Donald and other Rams defenders, knocking Smith out of the game. Early in the fourth quarter, the Rams tried a trick play, utilizing a long developing jet sweep with a flea-flicker back to Stafford. He was blasted just after lofting up a deep ball that was intercepted by Woolen.
With Drew Lock in the game and Walker out, the Seattle offense was stuck at a standstill. The Los Angeles defense forced a punt, and Stafford put together nice drive with a 17-yard completion to Tyler Higbee that set up a first-and-goal. The referees made a terrible pass interference call on Witherspoon, gifting the Rams another first-and-goal. Darrell Henderson soon plunged in from a yard out to leave the Rams two points behind at just 16-14.
On the ensuing possession, Derion Kendrick picked off Lock. Stafford promptly threw a perfect pass to Nacua for 32 yards, and a penalty on Woolen gifted the Rams a first down. Some tough running from Royce Freeman and completions to Nacua moved the ball into the red zone. The Seattle defense put together a goal-line stand that limited the Rams to a go-ahead field goal. Down 17-16 with 91 seconds remaining on the clock, Smith came back into the game and hit a few completions to set up Myers for a 55-yard attempt on the final play. Myers missed the field goal, which clinched the win for Los Angeles.
Smith completed 22-of-34 passes for 233 yards and a touchdown.
Zach Charbonnet ran for 47 yards on 15 carries. Walker (4-18) left the game in the first quarter with an oblique injury.
Metcalf caught five passes for 94 yards and a touchdown.
Stafford completed 17-of-31 passes for 190 yards, a touchdown and an interception.
Royce Freeman ran for 73 yards over 17 carries.
Puka Nacua caught five passes for 70 yards and a touchdown. In the second quarter, Kupp went into the locker room with a leg injury.
49ers 27, Buccaneers 14
The 49ers aren’t very far removed from their three-game losing streak, so even with a Thanksgiving matchup against a divisional opponent on the horizon, they couldn’t afford to look past this opponent. San Francisco dominated Tampa Bay as a result. The Buccaneers kept the margin to 13, but the 49ers outgained them, 420-287, and averaged nearly three more yards per play.
Brock Purdy was phenomenal in this contest. He misfired on only four occasions, with only one incompletion in the second half. Purdy went 21-of-25 for 333 yards and three touchdowns, as he was able to focus on targeting his top play-makers against one of the worst secondaries in the NFL.
Brandon Aiyuk led the 49ers in receiving by a large margin. He caught five of his six targets for 156 yards and a touchdown, with the lone failed connection nearly being another completed deep pass. George Kittle was next in the box score with eight grabs for 89 yards and a score. Deebo Samuel chipped in with three catches for 63 yards.
Christian McCaffrey’s touchdown streak was snapped last week, but perhaps he’ll begin a new one. He caught a score through the air, as he reeled in all five of his targets for 25 receiving yards. He didn’t find much room on the ground, however, as Tampa Bay tends to stop the run well. McCaffrey was limited to 78 yards on 21 attempts.
As for the Buccaneers, they spent most of their time boring the 49ers to death by throwing short passes toward the sideline. This would explain why Baker Mayfield had 246 yards on 29-of-45 completions. He also threw a touchdown and an interception, and he also had a lost fumble on a scramble forced by Fred Warner. Mayfield easily could have been picked a second time, but Dre Greenlaw dropped an easy potential interception thrown right to him.
Mayfield’s sole touchdown was thrown to Mike Evans, who reeled in five of his 12 targets for 43 yards. Evans only trailed Cade Otton in the box score, with Otton making four grabs for 49 yards. Chris Godwin (6-39) wasn’t much of a factor.
Rachaad White couldn’t get much going on the ground versus San Francisco’s stalwart run defense. White mustered 30 yards on nine carries, but he scored a touchdown. He helped his PPR owners by catching six balls for 28 receiving yards.
Bills 32, Jets 6
The Jets finally did it. It seemed like this day would never happen, but the coaching staff finally pulled the trigger. They benched Zach Wilson. It happened in the third quarter when Wilson repeatedly ruined his team’s chances of having any offensive success against one of the worst defenses in the NFL. Tim Boyle replaced Wilson, but the results were the same, as the Jets couldn’t move the ball whatsoever.
Wilson finished his afternoon 7-of-15 for 81 yards, one touchdown and an interception. He also could have been intercepted on another occasion if a Buffalo defender didn’t drop the pass. Wilson looked completely rattled by a Buffalo defense that hasn’t been able to stop anyone since Week 4. With Boyle also struggling – 7-of-14, 33 yards, interception – the best quarterback for the Jets in this game was punter Thomas Morstead, who completed an 18-yard pass to convert the fake.
The Jets should have had a better alternative plan once Aaron Rodgers suffered an injury. They could have signed Carson Wentz or traded for Joshua Dobbs. Instead, they put all of their eggs in the Zach Wilson basket, and they’re paying the price as a result.
The Bills, meanwhile, were able to overcome their demons against the Jets, who have had their number in the previous three meetings. Josh Allen played well in his first game without ex-coordinator Ken Dorsey this year. He didn’t look perplexed by the New York defense for the first time in a while, as Allen was able to go 20-of-32 for 275 yards, three touchdowns and an interception.
It wasn’t completely positive for Allen, however. He nearly threw a second interception, but a New York defender dropped a pass in the red zone. He also didn’t scramble all that much, rushing five times for 15 yards. It was debated as to whether Dorsey was responsible for Allen’s reluctance to run, but the early returns reveal that it may have been Allen’s foolish decision.
Allen’s three touchdowns went to Khalil Shakir (3-115), Ty Johnson (3-47) and James Cook (3-29). The Jets’ secondary did a number on Stefon Diggs and Gabriel Davis, so Allen had to look elsewhere. Diggs had just four catches for 27 yards, while Davis didn’t log a single target. Meanwhile, Dalton Kincaid reeled in six of his seven targets for 46 yards.
In addition to scoring a receiving touchdown, James Cook also dashed for 73 yards on 17 carries. He lost touches to Latavius Murray (10-35) when the Bills were trying to run out the clock.
Both Cook and Murray outgained Breece Hall on the ground, with Hall mustering just 23 yards on 10 carries. Hall was at least able to help his PPR owners with five catches for 50 receiving yards and a touchdown.
Hall was the Jets’ leading receiver. Garrett Wilson was a colossal disappointment, catching just two of his eight targets for only nine yards. He lost a fumble and dropped some passes.
Broncos 21, Vikings 20
For a while, it looked like this would be yet another disappointing result for the Broncos. The Vikings led throughout this game and even had an impressive drive in the fourth quarter that nearly iced the victory for them. They converted a fake punt while up 17-15, then Ty Chandler put them in position to convert on a fourth-and-1 sneak with a 19-yard reception on third-and-20. However, Minnesota stalled in the red zone and kicked a field goal to go up 20-15.
The Broncos had one final chance, and they made the most of it. Russell Wilson completed a number of passes to Samaje Perine, moving the ball into Denver territory. Wilson then found Courtland Sutton in the end zone to take the lead. The Vikings had one more chance with about a minute remaining, but Denver’s pass rush was too much for Josh Dobbs to handle. The possession was disrupted by thrown-away passes, including an intentional grounding, allowing Denver to achieve the comeback victory.
Despite the loss, Dobbs performed well. He went 20-of-32 for 221 yards, one touchdown and an interception, which occurred because he was hit upon release. Dobbs also had a potential pick dropped and lost a fumble early in the game, but it shouldn’t have counted because the officials missed a hit to his helmet on the play. Dobbs was even tested for a concussion, but he passed and didn’t miss any time.
Dobbs wasn’t the only Viking committing turnovers. Alexander Mattison lost a fumble when the Vikings were up 17-9. This spoiled an otherwise solid performance, as Mattison rushed for 81 yards on 18 carries.
T.J. Hockenson led the Vikings in receiving with four catches for 55 yards, but Justin Simmons forced him into a pair of incompletions on the final drive. In a very tilting moment, Hockenson owners watched No. 2 tight end Josh Oliver score the first touchdown of the game. Oliver was actually second on the team in receiving with four grabs for 47 yards and a touchdown. Jordan Addison (3-44) made a big mistake on the final possession when he failed to find the first-down marker. He ended up costing his team two timeouts with the lack of awareness.
Sutton was the top receiver in this game. He caught four of his five targets for 66 yards and a touchdown. Perine (7-60) and Jerry Jeudy (5-58) weren’t too far behind. Jeudy had a rough moment where he dropped a touchdown.
Despite Jeudy’s dropped touchdown, Wilson had a solid showing, going 27-of-35 for 259 yards and a touchdown. Curiously, he didn’t use his legs at all, as he scrambled just twice for a single rushing yard.
The Broncos couldn’t get anything going on the ground. Javonte Williams tallied just 37 yards on 11 carries. He also caught two passes for 16 receiving yards.
Eagles 21, Chiefs 17
The Chiefs began this season with a loss to the Lions. It was excused because they didn’t have Travis Kelce or Chris Jones on the field, but the primary issue was that their receivers dropped countless passes. Kansas City knew it had a problem at the position, yet it failed to address it this season at the trade deadline. Thus, it wasn’t a surprise that the same weakness ruined yet another potential home victory against an NFC foe.
The Chiefs led for most of this game, but a great throw from Jalen Hurts to DeVonta Smith set up the Eagles with a 21-17 lead. Kansas City had one more chance with two minutes remaining, but a Travis Kelce drop put the Chiefs in a fourth down. Patrick Mahomes connected with Kelce to move the sticks, then he decided to go for it all when he unleashed a bomb toward Marquez Valdes-Scantling. The former Packer had a touchdown right in his hands, but dropped the ball. Following an intentional grounding penalty, the Chiefs were stuck in a fourth-and-25. Mahomes was able to buy himself enough time to find Justin Watson for a pass that would have moved the chains, but Watson dropped the ball as well.
Thanks to those drops and some others, Mahomes finished with an underwhelming stat line, going 24-of-43 for 177 yards, two touchdowns and an interception, which was an underthrown pass into the end zone. He also scrambled six times for 38 rushing yards.
Mahomes’ two scores were thrown to the leading receivers on the team. Watson, despite the drop, paced the Chiefs with five grabs for 53 yards, while Kelce hauled in seven of his nine targets for 44 yards. Rashee Rice (4-42) was the only other Kansas City player with more than 12 receiving yards.
The Chiefs were able to get a surprisingly great game out of Isiah Pacheco. Philadelphia’s elite run defense was anything but in tihs game, as Pacheco rushed for 89 yards on 19 carries. Philadelphia’s defense was paying more attention to Kelce, bracketing him on many plays.
Though Pacheco outgained D’Andre Swift, the Eagle runner still posted a solid stat line, dashing for 76 yards and a touchdown on just 12 carries. He was also second on the team in receiving with three grabs for 31 receiving yards.
The only player with more receiving yards on the Eagles was Smith, who had 99 yards on six catches, thanks to a 41-yard bomb that set up the Eagles at the 1-yard line for the decisive score. While Smith thrived, A.J. Brown was a colossal disappointment with only one catch for eight yards.
Jalen Hurts actually had an interception when targeting Brown, with the two being responsible for a miscommunication. Brown was open for a touchdown, but Hurts expected Brown to run a different route. Hurts played well aside from the pick, going 14-of-22 for 150 yards otherwise. He also scrambled 12 times for 29 yards and two scores.
