Eagles 24, Giants 19
As it turns out, we still don’t have a clear answer. This was a tightly contested game that could’ve gone either way. The Eagles led throughout the entire evening, while the Giants won the yardage battle, 470-286. Yards per play was even, however, with New York edging out Philadelphia, 5.3-5.2, and the Giants had two opportunities to take the lead on consecutive fourth-quarter drives. New York has been one of the luckiest teams in the NFL this year, pulling out close victories against bad and mediocre opponents, so it appeared as though it would do that again. That would not be the case, however. On the first drive, guard John Jerry false started on a fourth-and-1, and the next pass fell incomplete to Sterling Shepard, though Nolan Carroll committed an uncalled pass-interference penalty. The next possession concluded with an Eli Manning interception thrown up for grabs.
Manning finished 38-of-63, 356 yards, one touchdown and three interceptions. It certainly wasn’t a horrible showing, but his first two picks were absolute killers and allowed the Eagles to prevail. Manning is a weak spot on the Giants’ roster as it stands, but he’s not getting much help from his offensive line. That said, the blocking has been better with Justin Pugh on the field.
Shepard and Victor Cruz were targeted a ton as well, which isn’t a surprise considering that Manning threw the ball 63 times. Shepard (7-61) hauled in Manning’s sole touchdown, while Cruz caught eight balls for 84 yards.
Wentz finished 13-of-24 for 152 yards, one touchdown and an interception, which occurred when he danced around the pocket forever and then fired carelessly downfield. Wentz made some mistakes – he nearly had a second pick, but the ball was dropped – and had to leave the game for a bit because of a potential concussion, but he had a solid game overall. He was victimized by some drops, of course, while his best play occurred when he somehow ducked underneath two pass-rushers and scrambled for a first down.
Philadelphia fans have to feel very optimistic about Wentz going forward. Wentz went through a rookie funk after beginning the year ablaze, but it’s evident that the potential is there, and he’ll have more success as long as Johnson stays on the field. Wentz is now 4-1 with Johnson blocking for him, with wins over the Giants and Steelers.
Patriots 41, Jets 3
It began when Bryce Petty threw an interception, though it wasn’t his fault, as the ball tipped off Robby Anderson’s hands. This led to a New England touchdown to make the score 10-0. Khiry Robinson then fumbled, which Malcolm Butler recovered on an instance in which Petty injured his arm trying to retrieve the football. This set up a field goal, though the officials ignored an obvious pass-interference flag on Julian Edelman in the end zone. Still, the Patriots went up 13-0, and they maintained their shutout when Austin Seferian-Jenkins dropped a touchdown for the Jets, setting up a missed 34-yard Nick Folk field goal. And if all of that wasn’t enough, Ryan Fitzpatrick was picked off, thanks to Eric Rowe’s perfect coverage on Brandon Marshall. The Patriots quickly scored after that, and it was suddenly 20-0. Just like that, the game was over.
Fitzpatrick played the rest of the way and was his usual, pedestrian self. Fitzpatrick’s numbers were awful – 8-of-21 for 136 yards, two interceptions – but he should’ve thrown a touchdown, as Seferian-Jenkins had the aforementioned drop. If Petty can’t play in Week 17, Hackenberg needs to start. There’s absolutely no reason to keep trotting out a woeful, bearded quarterback with no future within the organization.
Packers 38, Vikings 25
Rodgers’ final numbers were 28-of-38 for 347 yards and five touchdowns (4 passing, 1 rushing). He nearly had a sixth score, but Davante Adams dropped a ball in the end zone. If Rodgers keeps playing like this, it’s going to be extremely difficult for anyone to beat the Packers.
Bradford made a number of mistakes, which is another reason why his stats were misleading. He began by missing Thielen for a touchdown on the second drive with a high throw. He then couldn’t connect with an open Kyle Rudolph for a first down and followed that up with a delay-of-game penalty when he left the clock expire in the red zone. That 5-yard penalty proved to be huge, as the Vikings needed the yardage because Stefon Diggs was short of the first down on the ensuing catch.
If that’s not enough, Bradford was later charged with two fumbles. One was a botched snap, but the second was a strip-sack in which Bradford didn’t feel the blind-side pressure from Clay Matthews. On another occasion, Bradford needed to convert a third-and-9, but threw a short pass that actually ended up being a loss of two yards. It was a pathetic display, emblematic of why Bradford has been a failure of a quarterback when he’s been able to play.
Elsewhere in the Minnesota receiving corps, Stefon Diggs caught four passes for 29 yards and a touchdown. Kyle Rudolph, meanwhile, snatched six balls for 53 yards.
Jaguars 38, Titans 17
The Jaguars dominated the game the entire afternoon, but the nail in the coffin for the Titans was Marcus Mariota’s injury. Mariota was down for a while and had to be carted into the locker room. He couldn’t put any pressure on his leg while getting onto the cart, and he was later diagnosed with a fractured fibula. It’s a shame for the Titans, who had been enjoying a terrific season. Granted, they were probably going to lose, but they had no chance when Matt Cassel replaced Mariota.
Mariota definitely was not on his “A” game prior to his injury. He failed to complete half of his passes, going 8-of-20 for 99 yards and a touchdown. On one sequence in the opening half, Mariota missed Rishard Matthews downfield on a slight overthrow after the receiver beat Telvin Smith; Mariota then threw wide of Delanie Walker for a substantial gain; after that, Mariota was almost picked by Jalen Ramsey with a late throw across the middle of the field. Ramsey would eventually get his turnover when he snatched a Cassel pick-six.
Redskins 41, Bears 21
It seemed like every time the Redskins were faced with a third-and-long situation, they converted. Not only did they move the chains, but they usually hit a huge play. For instance, the Bears had Washington way backed up and bound to force a punt to set up great field position, but Kirk Cousins was able to hit DeSean Jackson with a long pass. Jackson also caught a 57-yard bomb because of a blown coverage. On a third-and-long, Jackson drew a deep pass-interference flag. The Bears had the Redskins pinned at the 1- and 9-yard lines on consecutive drives in the second quarter, but the Redskins were able to score on both possessions, thanks to how explosive their offense was on this afternoon.
This was surprising, to say the least. Not because of Cousins’ struggles on Monday night, but because of how well Chicago’s defense has been playing most of the year. The Bears had surrendered 19.2 points per game over the past five weeks, yet they allowed 24 in the first half alone! Sure, Leonard Floyd was carted off, and Pernell McPhee was knocked out with a shoulder, but the Bears had gotten stud linebacker Jerrell Freeman back after his extended absence.
Barkley threw five interceptions in this game, most of which were his fault. The first was a poor decision, as Barkley took a deep shot into triple coverage. The second occurred because Barkley was in full panic mode, launching a pass as he was in the grasp. The third was the only one that wasn’t his fault, as it was off a deflected ball. The fourth was an atrocious throw; Alshon Jeffery was wide open for a significant gain, but Barkley fired the ball way over his head. The fifth pick was a throw that Barkley fired off his back foot.
Barkley finished 24-of-40 for 323 yards, two touchdowns and the five picks. He made some nice throws in this game and was able to move the chains somewhat successfully throughout the afternoon, but his mistakes absolutely crushed his team.
Browns 20, Chargers 17
The Chargers have constantly found ways to lose under McCoy, and that was once again the case in this game. The Chargers outgained the Browns by 100 net yards and averaged 1.7 more yards per play, but made too many mistakes. Philip Rivers was picked off on an underthrown pass; there was a botched snap toward the end of the game; and then blocked and missed field goals did San Diego in.
Elsewhere in the passing game, Williams (4-64) snatched Rivers’ other touchdown, while Dontrelle Inman proved to be inefficient, hauling in three of his 10 targets for 44 yards. Travis Benjamin (3-75) looked healthier, reeling in a 50-yard reception.
Unfortunately for Griffin, he was knocked out of the game when he was sacked for the seventh time. Cody Kessler had to enter, and he completed two of three passes for 11 yards. It’s hardly a surprise that Griffin got hurt, as his durability has been a major issue for him throughout his career. Griffin was pretty roughed up in this game, as Joey Bosa enjoyed a terrific performance. Bosa sacked Griffin twice, though he was unjustly called for roughing on one occasion. It was a clean hit, but the penalty didn’t amount to anything for the Browns.
Falcons 33, Panthers 16
By Charlie Campbell – @draftcampbell
The Falcons set themselves up to clinch the NFC South as Matt Ryan gave further evidence of his MVP candidacy with a dominant performance against Carolina. Conversely, Cam Newton was terrible versus Atlanta. His field vision was horrible, as he stared down receivers, missed other wideouts open downfield, and let poor footwork lead to inaccurate passing. Atlanta’s offense, on the other hand, was clicking on the ground and through the air, as the Falcons illustrated they will be a very tough opponent in the playoffs. Ryan is playing the best football of his career and has an excellent supporting cast. NFC defenses will face a tough challenge with the Falcons in January.
Newton really struggled in the first half. On the the Panthers’ best drive, Newton had Kelvin Benjamin wide open for an easy touchdown, but overthrew his big receiver and had to settle for a field goal. Late in the second quarter, Ryan scrambled near the goal line and found backup tight end D.J. Tialavea wide open for a touchdown. Newton stared down another receiver with about 90 seconds remaining in the half, and Falcons cornerback Jalen Collins broke on the ball in zone coverage to pick off the pass. He then bolted down the field to Panthers’ 21-yard line, but the Falcons had the field goal blocked by Carolina rookie Vernon Butler. Atlanta took a 20-3 into the half. Newton was horrible in the first half, going 6-of-18 for 58 yards with two interceptions.
Atlanta added a third-quarter field goal before Newton finally made a good throw as Benjamin (4-63-1) went over a corner for a 26-yard touchdown catch. Entering the fourth quarter, the Falcons were up 23-13 when Ryan converted a third-and-21 with a pass to an uncovered Tevin Coleman. Coleman then used the next play to run virtually untouched for a 55-yard touchdown, thanks to a pathetic tackling effort from Tre Boston and James Bradberry. The teams then traded field goals before the clock ran out on Carolina.
Dolphins 34, Bills 31
By Jacob Camenker – Riggo’s Rag
The end of the game was quite entertaining. Out of nowhere, the Bills pieced together a terrific final drive. They had some good offensive momentum, but their ability to get down the field did not come from their passing offense. Instead, Buffalo relied on running the ball to move toward the end zone. The Bills then were able to utilize a flea flicker to get to the red zone before a fourth-down touchdown pass to Charles Clay gave them a three-point advantage. Then, the Dolphins drove to kick a field goal and tie things up.
The overtime saw the teams exchange a couple of meaningless possessions, including a missed field goal by Bills kicker Dan Carpenter. Then, with four minutes left, the Dolphins got a huge run from Jay Ajayi to get into scoring range. They then ran the clock down and attempted a game-winning field goal. It was good from Andrew Franks.
Overall, Taylor went 26-of-39 for 329 yards and three touchdowns. He really helped to lead the team’s comeback, and if he plays like he did in the second half, he can be a franchise quarterback. His mobility really helps him, and it was a huge reason that the Bills were able to make the comeback.
My theory on why Taylor struggled early is the rumors that have been swirling around him. Rex Ryan may not be returning as the head coach, and if he is not back, the Bills may opt to make a change at quarterback. Taylor is probably thinking about that possibility and may have been trying to force it too much. That would explain why he struggled. He was overthinking everything.
The other top receiver for Buffalo was Charles Clay. The tight end, going against his former team, saw 10 targets and snatched eight of them for 85 yards. He also caught two touchdowns and should be an athletic red-zone weapon.
Mike Gillislee also helped to contribute to Buffalo’s success on the ground. He looked strong in his role as a backup, and he had a big role in the go-ahead drive. In overtime, Gillislee broke a huge run that put the Bills into scoring position. Had Carpenter not missed a field goal, the Bills would have had a chance to shut down the Dolphins on defense to possibly win. Overall, Gillislee racked up 91 yards on 11 carries. Taylor totaled 60 yards on 12 scrambles of his own.
Change-of-pace back Kenyan Drake also had a good game for the Dolphins. He saw four carries for 56 yards, but most of his yardage came on a 45-yard touchdown. Drake looked to be wrapped up, but he escaped on the play and ran out to the sideline. None of the Bills could catch him as he scored.
Raiders 33, Colts 25
By Charlie Campbell – @draftcampbell
To start the third quarter, the Raiders’ offensive line dominated the Colts’ front seven to open huge rushing lanes. That led to DeAndre Washington ripping off a 22-yard touchdown run. On the ensuing Colts possession, Malcolm Smith forced a fumble from Frank Gore (13-73), and the Raiders recovered it at the Indianapolis 38-yard line. A few plays later, Washington bolted for another 22-yard scoring run as he was untouched. That pushed the Raiders’ lead to 33-7. The Colts finnaly got going again with a pass to T.Y. Hilton going for 39 yards to the 5-yard line. That set up a short touchdown pass from Luck to Robert Turbin.
Early in the fourth quarter, Carr suffered his injury, leaving his team visibly crushed. Luck then moved the ball down the field before running a short touchdown into the end zone and converting a two-point conversion to Hilton. At 33-22, the Colts got the ball back and promptly Luck hit Hilton on the run for 39 yards. The Colts settled for a field goal to make it 33-25 with 2:30 remaining. McGloin made a great throw to Cooper to get a first down on a third-and-long conversion just before the 2-minute warning. That allowed the Raiders to run out the clock on the Colts.
Cardinals 34, Seahawks 31
By Jacob Camenker – Riggo’s Rag
Of course, it looked like the Seahawks were going to win. They drove for a touchdown with just a minute left to tie the game, only needing an extra point to take the lead with one minute remaining. And, of course, Steven Hauschka missed.
Left with only one minute until the end of regulation and the prospect of overtime, the Cardinals moved down the field thanks to David Johnson. He caught a couple of passes to get the team into field-goal range. Chandler Catanzaro tried to kick the game winner. His 43-yarder was good, and that ended the contest.
Though the win will hurt their draft positioning, the Cardinals have to be happy with their performance. They played a complete game against one of the best defenses in the NFL, and Carson Palmer put together a solid showing.
Perhaps the best trait about Palmer is that he knows when to target certain players. He did not try to force anything today, and that was apparent by the fact that he did not log any turnovers. Palmer should build on this skill for next season, and perhaps he will be able to do that and get the Cardinals back to the postseason.
Speaking of Brown, he only logged a single catch for 12 yards. Larry Fitzgerald (4-31) was also a major disappointment, though he dealt with Richard Sherman for a majority of the day. Fitzgerald also caught a key pass to set up Catanzaro’s game winner.
Overall, Johnson was able to score three touchdowns on Saturday. That not only gave his fantasy owners some holiday cheer, but it really allowed the Cardinals to do as they pleased in the red zone. Johnson was able to power through the tough Seahawks front every time the team got close. Even when he was stuffed at the line, his team kept coming back to him. The coaching staff obviously has faith in Johnson, and that will likely make him the top fantasy player for all formats next season.
Wilson put together a stellar stat line for the Seahawks, and his play reflected that. Wilson went 29-of-45 for 350 yards and four touchdowns. He not only led the team in passing yards, but he was their leading rusher as well – 10 carries for 36 yards. On the game-tying drive, Wilson orchestrated an excellent offensive sequence that featured him entirely.
Wilson was able to move around the pocket and correctly diagnose all of his reads. He was able to isolate the matchups that he wanted to target, all while avoiding targeting Patrick Peterson too much. Any other week, this type of performance would have won Wilson the game. This week, it did not. Still, if he plays like this in the playoffs, the team will be in excellent shape.
Moving forward, it would behoove the Seahawks to use Alex Collins more. Collins took over for Rawls and made a few nice runs against the Cardinals’ stout front. The rookie saw seven carries and turned them into 28 yards. He has a lot of potential, so perhaps he and C.J. Prosise will see more action, provided that the latter is healthy.
Elsewhere, Jermaine Kearse (4-37, 1 TD) logged a nice game for the Seahawks. Jimmy Graham and Paul Richardson also caught touchdowns. One of the biggest disappointments was that Tyler Lockett (2-38) had to be carted off the field in an air cast. The second-year player reportedly broke his leg.
Final Note: Many media pundits have made a big deal about how little the Seahawks spend on their offensive line in comparison to how productive they are. In some weeks, they play well, but this was not one of them. The unit surrendered six sacks to the Cardinals. Left tackle George Fant had major issues with Chandler Jones, while Markus Golden got two sacks working mostly against Garry Gilliam. Calais Campbell gave the interior linemen absolute fits. The Seahawks need to upgrade their offensive line, or they will have trouble getting back to the Super Bowl.
Saints 31, Buccaneers 24
By Chet Gresham – @ChetGresham
This week, the Buccaneers headed to the Superdome where Brees has historically been much better than on the road. Could Tampa Bay slow him down again? Well, the answer is not really, but Mark Ingram was the motor of the Saints’ offense, as they played balanced football, with 34 passing attempts and 30 rushing attempts.
The Buccaneers struck back in the second quarter with a 12-yard pass from Jameis Winston to Cameron Brate for a touchdown, the big tight end’s eighth of the season. Brate has been incredibly steady this year and appears to have solidified his role with this team going into next season. Unfortunately, Brate took a hard hit in the back in the third quarter and couldn’t return to the game.
The Buccaneers rallied back with a 10-play, 75-yard drive that ended with a Jacquizz Rodgers 3-yard touchdown run. Why was Rodgers the goal-line back you ask? Well, Doug Martin was a healthy scratch after starting the last six games after returning from his hamstring injury. There was no real reason given for his absence, but he is healthy and the coach didn’t want him playing, so Rodgers got the call and had a decent game.
The two teams traded touchdowns again to end the third quarter, with an 11-yard touchdown pass from Brees to Travaris Cadet and then a 34-yard pass from Winston to Mike Evans. So after three quarters, the Saints held a 28-21 lead.
The Buccaneers had chances in the fourth quarter, but Winston was without Brate, which put the second-year signal-caller in a tough place, especially as the field shrunk the closer he got to the end zone.
The Buccaneer loss gives the Atlanta Falcons the NFC South. Tampa Bay’s only chance now is to beat the Panthers next week and have Washington lose to the Giants and Green Bay to lose to Detroit. A number of other things need to happen as well, including the 49ers beating the Seahawks.
The Saints, however, were eliminated from any chance of getting in the playoffs despite their win.
49ers 22, Rams 21
For a long while, it didn’t appear as though the 49ers would win. The Rams led 14-7 or 21-7 for the majority of the contest, though neither team was moving the chains very much. These teams combined for 13 consecutive punts in the second and third quarters, as they were both guilty of some absolutely miserable quarterbacking. Of course, that was expected of Colin Kaepernick, but the Rams have to be very discouraged by what they saw out of Jared Goff.
Goff failed to complete half of his passes against one of the worst defenses in the NFL, going 11-of-24 for only 90 yards, one touchdown and two interceptions. The 49ers already were devoid of talent, but they lost talented linebacker Gerald Hodges on top of that. Yet, Goff failed to do much in this easy matchup. He had a couple of positive moments, including a fourth-and-1 conversion that eventually led to a Todd Gurley score, but the negatives far outweighted the positives.
Goff’s two interceptions were both ugly. The first occurred at the beginning of the afternoon, when he threw a ball right to Tramaine Brock. I can’t explain the throw any better. Goff hurled it right to the San Francisco corner. Goff’s second pick ended the game. The Rams had great field position after squandering their lead, but Goff ruined it by telegraphing a bad throw. Goff could’ve been intercepted on some other occasions as well; right before halftime, he was nearly pick-sixed on a bad throw on a third-and-5 to Tavon Austin. Brock nearly had another one, but didn’t see the ball.
Goff is horrible so far, and if he doesn’t progress at all next year, the Rams will have to declare him a sunk cost and just give up on him. That may seem like it’s too soon, but Goff doesn’t appear to have the stuff of an NFL quarterback. He might just be the worst quarterback in the entire NFL right now.
Colin Kaepernick was brilliant on the final two possessions, but I have to think that it had more to do with the Rams collapsing because Kaepernick really struggled for most of the afternoon. Some of that was his offensive line’s inability to block, but Kaepernick also had some pretty poor moments. He floated an interception on a high throw in the early going, leading to a Rams touchdown on a Tavon Austin run. Kaepernick then had his tight end open for a sizable gain, but didn’t pull the trigger for some reason. Later, he overthrew Jeremy Kerley for a potential score. Still, he was able to go 28-of-38 for 266 yards, three touchdowns (2 passing, 1 rushing) and the pick.
Texans 12, Bengals 10
That said, this win was certainly an adventure. The Texans didn’t score at all in the opening half, generating just 34 net yards of offense. They averaged just 1.5 yards per play, an embarrassing figure, to say the least. Tom Savage was a mess. He held on to the ball too long twice, taking sacks as a result. He also threw way behind Will Fuller on a third down. I thought there was a chance Bill O’Brien could pull Savage in favor of Brock Osweiler, given that Savage was just 2-of-7 for only 13 yards at halftime.
However, the Texans were able to generate offense following the break. Savage was 16-of-22 for 163 yards in the second half. He was suddenly accurate, delivering strikes on the money. His numbers could’ve been even better, but DeAndre Hopkins dropped a pass. Savage’s only blemish after intermission was a near-interception by Karlos Dansby.
Savage finished 18-of-29 for 176 yards. Credit O’Brien for sticking with his young quarterback, as moving back to Osweiler might have been crushing for the team. Still, Savage needs to improve for the Texans not to get blown out of the water in their opening-round playoff matchup.
Dalton finished 28-of-41 for 268 yards, one touchdown and an interception, but if you take out that LaFell score, he would’ve thrown for just 182 yards on 40 attempts, good for a 4.55 YPA. It’s difficult to criticize Dalton, however, because he was playing with a skeleton-crew offense.
Steelers 31, Ravens 27
Roethlisberger struggled in the early going, but was simply amazing in the fourth quarter. How does 14-of-17 for 164 yards and two touchdowns sound? Oh, and two of his three incompletions happened to be spikes to stop the clock on the final possession! The Ravens had no chance of restricting the red-hot Roethlisberger, especially without top cornerback Jimmy Smith to cover Brown.
Overall, Roethlisberger finished 24-of-33 for 279 yards, three touchdowns and two picks. If you don’t feel like doing the math, Roethlisberger was 10-of-16 for 115 yards, one score and two interceptions entering the final frame. There were some things that weren’t his fault, such as a long pass to Brown being negated by obvious offensive pass interference, but Roethlisberger was definitely to blame for his dual picks. The first was an overthrow in his own territory, while the second was telegraphed, allowing C.J. Mosley to jump the route. The interceptions led to 10 Baltimore points, but it easily could’ve been 14 had Kenny Waller not dropped a touchdown.
Flacco’s final numbers looked like this: 30-of-44, 262 yards, one touchdown and the pick. Flacco should’ve thrown a second score, but as mentioned, Waller was guilty of a drop in the end zone. The interception occurred on the final play of the game when Flacco was just trying to get something going downfield.
Chiefs 33, Broncos 10
Kansas City ripped through Denver’s declining defense with some great running and well-timed screens. The trouble really began when the Broncos, down 7-0 early on, surrendered a 70-yard run to Tyreek Hill. Later in the opening quarter, Alex Smith threw a bubble screen to Travis Kelce. The Broncos looked like they had never seen one before, and Kelce took advantage of terrific blocking to scamper 80 yards into the end zone. Just like that, it was 21-7, and the game was over. Denver would manage only three points the rest of the evening.
Like I said, however, Smith did some good things. He had a second touchdown that was dropped, and he was very effective on the ground when he needed to be, scrambling four times for 46 rushing yards and a score. His accuracy was also a positive trait, as he dinked and dunked very well to maintain control of the ball. The Chiefs won the time of possession by about 16 minutes.
Smith’s mistakes were pretty minimal. I mentioned an interception earlier; he threw the pick because he was hit upon releasing the ball, so it wasn’t entirely his fault. In fact, Smith’s first poor throw of the night came on his 10th attempt when he made an errant throw to Spencer Ware. Smith later blew a field-goal chance by hurling a poor toss downfield instead of converting a sure thing for about seven yards or so to give Cairo Santos a chance.
Siemian finished just 17-of-43 for 183 yards and an interception on his final throw, and as unbelievable as it may sound, the night could’ve been so much worse for him. He’s extremely fortunate that he was picked off only once. The Chiefs dropped an early interception on a 15-yard flea-flicker, and then Ron Parker let another potential turnover fall through his hands. Marcus Peters was guilty of failing to secure a sure pick in the fourth quarter.
Otherwise, Siemian was generally very inaccurate. On one sequence, Siemian threw way wide of Devontae Booker on a screen, and then wasn’t even close to Demaryius Thomas, who had a step downfield.
Cowboys 42, Lions 21
One of those questionable choices was to have the starters not only play this game, but to be on the field well into the second half. I’m fine with using starters in meaningless games, but not for 60 minutes. Yet, Ezekiel Elliott was getting touches well into the second half, and he seemed in danger of getting hurt when a Detroit defensive linemen picked him up and drove him into the ground. The Cowboys would’ve looked incredibly stupid had Elliott suffered an injury on the play. Elliott didn’t get hurt, but stud left tackle Tyron Smith did. Smith incurred an injury on the final play of the third frame, and team trainers were looking at his knee on the sideline. He could be OK for the playoffs, but what if he’s not 100 percent? Dallas’ rookies have been great, but the primary reason the Cowboys have been so successful has been the play of their offensive line. Not having Smith would be a huge blow for the Cowboys’ Super Bowl aspirations.
Things completely fell apart after that. The Lions stopped running the ball for some reason, and Dallas defensive coordinator Rod Marinelli began using an exotic blitz scheme with three down linemen, and it worked extremely well. The Cowboys were able to force Stafford into some sacks and even an ugly interception in which he threw late across his body. Stafford was nearly picked on another occasion, but a Dallas defensive back dropped the ball.
Stafford finished 26-of-46 for 260 yards, the pick and a fourth-quarter lost fumble in the red zone. Though he was hurt by some drops – Eric Ebron was guilty of two, while T.J. Jones had one in the red zone – Stafford was close to inept in the second half, as Dallas’ defensive front overpowered the Lions, who were also missing center Travis Swanson. That was the second major injury. Detroit absolutely needs both Slay and Swanson on the field to have a chance against the Packers next week. And it may already be too late, as Stafford was limping around in the final minutes of this contest.
For more thoughts, check out my updated NFL Power Rankings, which will be posted Tuesday morning.
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2019 NFL Week 3 Recap - Sept. 23
2019 NFL Week 4 Recap - Sept. 30
2019 NFL Week 5 Recap - Oct. 7
2019 NFL Week 6 Recap
2019 NFL Week 7 Recap
2019 NFL Week 8 Recap
2019 NFL Week 9 Recap
2019 NFL Week 10 Recap
2019 NFL Week 11 Recap
2019 NFL Week 12 Recap
2019 NFL Week 14 Recap
2019 NFL Week 15 Recap
2019 NFL Week 16 Recap
2019 NFL Week 17 Recap
2018: Live 2018 NFL Draft Blog - April 30
2018 NFL Week 1 Recap - Sept. 7
2018 NFL Week 2 Recap - Sept. 14
2018 NFL Week 3 Recap - Sept. 21
2018 NFL Week 4 Recap - Sept. 28
2018 NFL Week 5 Recap - Oct. 5
2018 NFL Week 6 Recap - Oct. 12
2018 NFL Week 7 Recap - Oct. 19
2018 NFL Week 8 Recap - Oct. 26
2018 NFL Week 9 Recap - Nov. 2
2018 NFL Week 10 Recap - Nov. 9
2018 NFL Week 11 Recap - Nov. 16
2018 NFL Week 12 Recap - Nov. 23
2018 NFL Week 13 Recap - Nov. 30
2018 NFL Week 14 Recap - Dec. 7
2018 NFL Week 15 Recap - Dec. 14
2018 NFL Week 16 Recap - Dec. 21
2018 NFL Week 17 Recap - Dec. 31
2018 NFL Week 18 Recap - Jan. 6
2017: Live 2017 NFL Draft Blog - April 30
2017 NFL Week 1 Recap - Sept. 12
2017 NFL Week 2 Recap - Sept. 19
2017 NFL Week 3 Recap - Sept. 26
2017 NFL Week 4 Recap - Oct. 2
2017 NFL Week 5 Recap - Oct. 9
2017 NFL Week 6 Recap - Oct. 16
2017 NFL Week 7 Recap - Oct. 23
2017 NFL Week 8 Recap - Oct. 30
2017 NFL Week 9 Recap - Nov. 6
2017 NFL Week 10 Recap - Nov. 13
2017 NFL Week 11 Recap - Nov. 20
2017 NFL Week 12 Recap - Nov. 27
2017 NFL Week 13 Recap - Dec. 4
2017 NFL Week 14 Recap - Dec. 11
2017 NFL Week 15 Recap - Dec. 18
2017 NFL Week 16 Recap - Dec. 25
2017 NFL Week 17 Recap - Jan. 1
2017 NFL Week 18 Recap - Jan. 8
2017 NFL Week 19 Recap - Jan. 15
2017 NFL Week 20 Recap - Jan. 22
Super Bowl LII Recap - Feb. 5
2017: Live 2017 NFL Draft Blog - April 30
2017 NFL Week 1 Recap - Sept. 12
2017 NFL Week 2 Recap - Sept. 19
2017 NFL Week 3 Recap - Sept. 26
2017 NFL Week 4 Recap - Oct. 2
2017 NFL Week 5 Recap - Oct. 9
2017 NFL Week 6 Recap - Oct. 16
2017 NFL Week 7 Recap - Oct. 23
2017 NFL Week 8 Recap - Oct. 30
2017 NFL Week 9 Recap - Nov. 6
2017 NFL Week 10 Recap - Nov. 13
2017 NFL Week 11 Recap - Nov. 20
2017 NFL Week 12 Recap - Nov. 27
2017 NFL Week 13 Recap - Dec. 4
2017 NFL Week 14 Recap - Dec. 11
2017 NFL Week 15 Recap - Dec. 18
2017 NFL Week 16 Recap - Dec. 25
2017 NFL Week 17 Recap - Jan. 1
2017 NFL Week 18 Recap - Jan. 8
2017 NFL Week 19 Recap - Jan. 15
2017 NFL Week 20 Recap - Jan. 22
Super Bowl LII Recap - Feb. 5
2016: Live 2016 NFL Draft Blog - April 30
2016 NFL Week 1 Recap - Sept. 12
2016 NFL Week 2 Recap - Sept. 19
2016 NFL Week 3 Recap - Sept. 26
2016 NFL Week 4 Recap - Oct. 3
2016 NFL Week 5 Recap - Oct. 10
2016 NFL Week 6 Recap - Oct. 17
2016 NFL Week 7 Recap - Oct. 24
2016 NFL Week 8 Recap - Oct. 31
2016 NFL Week 9 Recap - Nov. 7
2016 NFL Week 10 Recap - Nov. 14
2016 NFL Week 11 Recap - Nov. 21
2016 NFL Week 12 Recap - Nov. 28
2016 NFL Week 13 Recap - Dec. 5
2016 NFL Week 14 Recap - Dec. 12
2016 NFL Week 15 Recap - Dec. 19
2016 NFL Week 16 Recap - Dec. 26
2016 NFL Week 17 Recap - Jan. 2
2016 NFL Week 18 Recap - Jan. 9
2016 NFL Week 19 Recap - Jan. 16
2016 NFL Week 20 Recap - Jan. 23
2016 NFL Week 21 Recap - Feb. 6
2015: Live 2015 NFL Draft Blog - April 30
2015 NFL Week 1 Recap - Sept. 12
2015 NFL Week 2 Recap - Sept. 17
2015 NFL Week 3 Recap - Sept. 24
2015 NFL Week 4 Recap - Oct. 1
2015 NFL Week 5 Recap - Oct. 8
2015 NFL Week 6 Recap - Oct. 15
2015 NFL Week 7 Recap - Oct. 22
2015 NFL Week 8 Recap - Oct. 29
2015 NFL Week 9 Recap - Nov. 5
2015 NFL Week 10 Recap - Nov. 12
2015 NFL Week 11 Recap - Nov. 19
2015 NFL Week 12 Recap - Nov. 26
2015 NFL Week 13 Recap - Dec. 4
2015 NFL Week 14 Recap - Dec. 11
2015 NFL Week 15 Recap - Dec. 18
2015 NFL Week 16 Recap - Dec. 25
2015 NFL Week 17 Recap - Jan. 4
2015 NFL Week 18 Recap - Jan. 11
2015 NFL Week 19 Recap - Jan. 18
2015 NFL Week 20 Recap - Jan. 25
Super Bowl 50 Recap - Feb. 8
2014: Live 2014 NFL Draft Blog - May 8
2014 NFL Week 1 Recap - Sept. 5
2014 NFL Week 2 Recap - Sept. 12
2014 NFL Week 3 Recap - Sept. 19
2014 NFL Week 4 Recap - Sept. 26
2014 NFL Week 5 Recap - Oct. 3
2014 NFL Week 6 Recap - Oct. 10
2014 NFL Week 7 Recap - Oct. 17
2014 NFL Week 8 Recap - Oct. 24
2014 NFL Week 9 Recap - Oct. 31
2014 NFL Week 10 Recap - Nov. 6
2014 NFL Week 11 Recap - Nov. 13
2014 NFL Week 12 Recap - Nov. 20
2014 NFL Week 13 Recap - Nov. 27
2014 NFL Week 14 Recap - Dec. 5
2014 NFL Week 15 Recap - Dec. 12
2014 NFL Week 16 Recap - Dec. 19
2014 NFL Week 17 Recap - Dec. 29
2014 NFL Week 18 Recap - Jan. 4
2014 NFL Week 19 Recap - Jan. 11
2014 NFL Week 20 Recap - Jan. 18
Super Bowl XLIX Live Blog - Feb. 1
Super Bowl XLIX Recap - Feb. 2
2013: Live 2013 NFL Draft Blog - April 26
2013 NFL Week 1 Recap - Sept. 10
2013 NFL Week 2 Recap - Sept. 17
2013 NFL Week 3 Recap - Sept. 24
2013 NFL Week 4 Recap - Oct. 1
2013 NFL Week 5 Recap - Oct. 8
2013 NFL Week 6 Recap - Oct. 15
2013 NFL Week 7 Recap - Oct. 22
2013 NFL Week 8 Recap - Oct. 29
2013 NFL Week 9 Recap - Nov. 4
2013 NFL Week 10 Recap - Nov. 11
2013 NFL Week 11 Recap - Nov. 18
2013 NFL Week 12 Recap - Nov. 25
2013 NFL Week 13 Recap - Dec. 2
2013 NFL Week 14 Recap - Dec. 9
2013 NFL Week 15 Recap - Dec. 16
2013 NFL Week 16 Recap - Dec. 23
2013 NFL Week 17 Recap - Dec. 30
2013 NFL Week 18 Recap - Jan. 6
2013 NFL Week 19 Recap - Jan. 13
2013 NFL Week 20 Recap - Jan. 20
Super Bowl XLVIII Recap - Feb. 3
Super Bowl XLVIII Live Blog - Feb. 2
2012: Live 2012 NFL Draft Blog - April 26
2012 NFL Week 1 Recap - Sept. 10
2012 NFL Week 2 Recap - Sept. 17
2012 NFL Week 3 Recap - Sept. 24
2012 NFL Week 4 Recap - Oct. 1
2012 NFL Week 5 Recap - Oct. 8
2012 NFL Week 6 Recap - Oct. 15
2012 NFL Week 7 Recap - Oct. 22
2012 NFL Week 8 Recap - Oct. 29
2012 NFL Week 9 Recap - Nov. 5
2012 NFL Week 10 Recap - Nov. 12
2012 NFL Week 11 Recap - Nov. 19
2012 NFL Week 12 Recap - Nov. 26
2012 NFL Week 13 Recap - Dec. 3
2012 NFL Week 14 Recap - Dec. 10
2012 NFL Week 15 Recap - Dec. 17
2012 NFL Week 16 Recap - Dec. 24
2012 NFL Week 17 Recap - Dec. 31
2012 NFL Week 18 Recap - Jan. 7
2012 NFL Week 19 Recap - Jan. 14
2012 NFL Week 20 Recap - Jan. 21
Super Bowl XLVII Recap - Feb. 4
Super Bowl XLVII Live Blog - Feb. 4
2011: Live 2011 NFL Draft Blog - April 28
2011 NFL Week 1 Recap - Sept. 12
2011 NFL Week 2 Recap - Sept. 19
2011 NFL Week 3 Recap - Sept. 26
2011 NFL Week 4 Recap - Oct. 3
2011 NFL Week 5 Recap - Oct. 10
2011 NFL Week 6 Recap - Oct. 17
2011 NFL Week 7 Recap - Oct. 24
2011 NFL Week 8 Recap - Oct. 31
2011 NFL Week 9 Recap - Nov. 7
2011 NFL Week 10 Recap - Nov. 14
2011 NFL Week 11 Recap - Nov. 21
2011 NFL Week 12 Recap - Nov. 28
2011 NFL Week 13 Recap - Dec. 5
2011 NFL Week 14 Recap - Dec. 12
2011 NFL Week 15 Recap - Dec. 19
2011 NFL Week 16 Recap - Dec. 26
2011 NFL Week 17 Recap - Jan. 2
2011 NFL Week 18 Recap - Jan. 9
2011 NFL Week 19 Recap - Jan. 16
2011 NFL Week 20 Recap - Jan. 23
Super Bowl XLVI Live Blog - Feb. 6
2010: Live 2010 NFL Draft Blog - April 22
2010 Hall of Fame Game Live Blog - Aug. 8
2010 NFL Kickoff Live Blog - Sept. 9
2010 NFL Week 1 Review - Sept. 13
2010 NFL Week 2 Review - Sept. 20
2010 NFL Week 3 Review - Sept. 27
2010 NFL Week 4 Review - Oct. 4
2010 NFL Week 5 Review - Oct. 11
2010 NFL Week 6 Review - Oct. 18
2010 NFL Week 7 Review - Oct. 25
2010 NFL Week 8 Review - Nov. 1
2010 NFL Week 9 Review - Nov. 8
2010 NFL Week 10 Review - Nov. 15
2010 NFL Week 11 Review - Nov. 22
2010 NFL Week 12 Review - Nov. 29
2010 NFL Week 13 Review - Dec. 6
2010 NFL Week 14 Review - Dec. 13
2010 NFL Week 15 Review - Dec. 20
2010 NFL Week 16 Review - Dec. 27
2010 NFL Week 17 Review - Jan. 3
2010 NFL Week 18 Review - Jan. 10
2010 NFL Week 19 Review - Jan. 17
2010 NFL Week 19 Review - Jan. 24
Super Bowl XLV Live Blog - Feb. 6
2009: Live 2009 NFL Draft Blog - April 25
2009 Hall of Fame Game Live Blog - Aug. 10
2009 NFL Kickoff Live Blog - Sept. 10
2009 NFL Week 1 Review - Sept. 14
2009 NFL Week 2 Review - Sept. 21
2009 NFL Week 3 Review - Sept. 28
2009 NFL Week 4 Review - Oct. 5
2009 NFL Week 5 Review - Oct. 12
2009 NFL Week 6 Review - Oct. 19
2009 NFL Week 7 Review - Oct. 26
2009 NFL Week 8 Review - Nov. 2
2009 NFL Week 9 Review - Nov. 9
2009 NFL Week 10 Review - Nov. 16
2009 NFL Week 11 Review - Nov. 23
2009 NFL Week 12 Review - Nov. 30
2009 NFL Week 13 Review - Dec. 6
2009 NFL Week 14 Review - Dec. 13
2009 NFL Week 15 Review - Dec. 20
2009 NFL Week 16 Review - Dec. 27
2009 NFL Week 17 Review - Jan. 4
2009 NFL Week 18 Review - Jan. 11
2009 NFL Week 19 Review - Jan. 18
2009 NFL Week 20 Review - Jan. 25
Super Bowl XLIV Live Blog - Feb. 7
2008: Live 2008 NFL Draft Blog - April 26
2008 NFL Kickoff Blog - Sept. 4
NFL Week 1 Review - Sept. 8
NFL Week 2 Review - Sept. 15
NFL Week 3 Review - Sept. 22
NFL Week 4 Review - Sept. 29
NFL Week 5 Review - Oct. 6
NFL Week 6 Review - Oct. 13
NFL Week 7 Review - Oct. 20
NFL Week 8 Review - Oct. 27
NFL Week 9 Review - Nov. 3
NFL Week 10 Review - Nov. 10
NFL Week 11 Review - Nov. 17
NFL Week 12 Review - Nov. 24
NFL Week 13 Review - Dec. 1
NFL Week 14 Review - Dec. 8
NFL Week 15 Review - Dec. 15
NFL Week 16 Review - Dec. 22
NFL Week 17 Review - Dec. 29
NFL Wild Card Playoffs Review - Jan. 4
NFL Divisional Playoffs Review - Jan. 11
NFL Championship Sunday Review - Jan. 19
Super Bowl XLIII Live Blog