Bears 23, Lions 16
We often see great teams play above expectations when a backup quarterback starts for them for the first time, and that’s what we witnessed in this contest. The defense really limited the Lions to just nine points, and it saw ball-hawking safety Eddie Jackson snatch a Matthew Stafford pick-six midway through the fourth quarter, which turned out to be the winning score.
Meanwhile, Daniel played very well. He had a couple of bad misfires, including when he overshot Tarik Cohen in the end zone during the opening half. However, Daniel rebounded from that and was extremely accurate. This was especially true in the second half, as Daniel completed 11 of his 16 passes following intermission. Many of those were of the short variety, but he showed nice touch on some impressive throws.
Daniel finished 27-of-37 for 230 yards and two touchdowns. One incompletion was dropped. Daniel is one of the best backup quarterbacks in the NFL, and he played as well as anyone could have asked him to.
Jordan Howard, meanwhile, didn’t do nearly as much, which was predictable. The Lions have been excellent against the run ever since trading for Snacks Harrison, so they were able to limit Howard to just 13 yards on seven attempts.
Stafford finished 28-of-38 for 236 yards and the two picks. His receivers betrayed him with a couple of drops – one of which should’ve been a Roberts touchdown – and the second turnover wasn’t his fault, but his first interception was all on him.
Aside from Golladay, only two Lions recorded more than 16 receiving yards. Those were Theo Riddick, who snatched all seven of his targets for 48 receiving yards, and Bruce Ellington, who caught six of seven targets for 28 yards. As you can tell, Marvin Jones’ absence was felt.
Cowboys 31, Redskins 23
Cooper caught four passes for 35 yards in the opening half, as he was clutch on third down. However, he did most of his damage after intermission. Cooper made yet another third-down conversion in the third quarter, this one being a 40-yard touchdown when Quinton Dunbar slipped. He then torched Dallas for a 90-yard score after the Redskins pinned the Cowboys at the 10-yard line.
Cooper finished with a monstrous stat line, hauling in eight of his nine targets for 180 yards and two touchdowns. He was unstoppable in this game, but if he plays like he did in Oakland, he’ll have plenty of inconsistent performances in the near future.
McCoy finished 24-of-38 for 268 yards, two touchdowns and the three picks. As bad as McCoy was on those turnovers, he could’ve been even worse. McCoy had an interception that was dropped, and he was guilty of an early fumble, but a teammate of his recovered. McCoy is known for beating Dallas on Monday Night Football as a huge underdog back in 2014, but he struggled after that. He had some nice moments in this game, but the negatives outweighed the positives, and it does not appear as though the Redskins can make a playoff run with McCoy at the helm.
Saints 31, Falcons 17
The entire night went this way for Atlanta. Despite the constant double-digit deficit, the Falcons looked good at times – they outgained the Saints by 50 yards – but they constantly shot themselves in the foot. It began early when Ryan fumbled near the goal line. Ridley later dropped a deep pass. Julio Jones lost a fumble in the red zone just before halftime. Ryan later had an interception on a pass tipped at the line of scrimmage. That would explain why the Falcons were blown out despite having more net yards and first downs, though they were helped with garbage time production.
Drew Brees had a mostly perfect game, going 15-of-22 for 171 yards, four touchdowns and an interception. Brees could’ve thrown six scores if it wasn’t for those drops. The pick, just his second of the year, wasn’t his fault, as the officials missed a blatant pass interference.
It was an understandably frustrating night for Kamara, Thomas and Ingram owners. Kamara rushed for 89 yards on 14 carries, but barely did anything in the passing game, catching only one pass for nine yards. Ingram, meanwhile, collected 52 yards on 11 attempts. Thomas also struggled to help his owners, snatching just four receptions for 38 yards. None of these players performed poorly, but game flow just didn’t go their way.
Bills 24, Jaguars 21
Allen managed to outplay Bortles in this game. Allen wasn’t great, but he wasn’t quite “trash” either. Buffalo didn’t trail throughout the afternoon in a game that saw the two teams get into a fight in the third quarter. That, rather than either quarterback, was the deciding factor in this game.
Donte Moncrief appeared to catch a deep touchdown pass, as he and a Buffalo defensive back wrestled for the ball. Replay showed that Moncrief was short of the goal line, but their actions toward one another sparked a fight. Carlos Hyde appeared to be the first to throw punches, but Leonard Fournette and Shaq Lawson were the ones who got into a major brawl. The two had to be separated, and inept official Walt Coleman ejected both of them. For some reason, NFL security thought it would be a good idea to have both of them enter the tunnel at the same time, and they had to be separated once again.
Fournette being out of the game drastically changed Jacksonville’s offense. Fournette had a number of terrific runs earlier in the afternoon, including a 16-yarder in which he juked a defender at the line of scrimmage. One of the announcers called Fournette “The Jaguars’ Mr. Everything,” as he tallied 95 yards and two touchdowns on 18 carries in slightly more than a half of action. The Jaguars struggled mightily to move the chains after Fournette was ejected, as Jacksonville was only able to score once, and that was in garbage time.
The Bills, meanwhile, got enough positive plays from Allen to pull out the victory. Allen failed to complete half of his passes, but he launched a 75-yard bomb to Robert Foster and had a 16-yard laser on a third-and-15 negated by penalty. He also picked up a 45-yard scamper to set up a touchdown. Allen actually eclipsed the century rushing mark, but some kneel-downs took that figure below 100.
Allen finished 8-of-19 for 160 yards and a touchdown. He also picked up 99 rushing yards and a score on 13 scrambles. Allen’s passing stats should’ve been better, but his receivers dropped several passes. The Bills must upgrade their weapons around Allen. Here are the 2019 NFL Draft Wide Receiver Prospect Rankings.
Bortles, for some reason, was asked to throw more this week after the Jaguars were ultra conservative against Pittsburgh. This decision-making ruined some drives. For example, the Jaguars had an early third-and-1, but instead of running the ball with Fournette, Bortles was asked to throw. He completed the pass, but for no gain. Bortles later flung two ugly ducks downfield on second-and-5 and third-and-5.
Bortles barely connected on half of his passes, going 12-of-23 for 127 yards, one touchdown and two interceptions. I have the Jaguars drafting Bortles’ replacement in my 2019 NFL Mock Draft.
Browns 35, Bengals 20
If Jackson knew how to stop Baker Mayfield, he didn’t share it with the Bengals, as the Browns went down the field easily on most of their drives in the opening half. They led 28-7 going into intermission. It almost seemed like Jackson was a double agent who was instructed to go to Cincinnati to sabotage the Bengals from within. If the Browns had the foresight to do this, then they were definitely viewing this game as their opportunity to get their first road win in 25 tries. The Bengals should fire Jackson even though they’re not paying him at all.
As a result of this, Mayfield threw just four passes after halftime. He finished 19-of-26 for 258 yards and four touchdowns. He made just one mistake, which was overshooting Jarvis Landry for a potential fifth score. For the second game in a row, Mayfield was not sacked on a single occasion.
Considering how much the other first-round rookie quarterbacks have struggled this year, it’s very clear that the Browns made the right choice in selecting Mayfield. He’s been the best quarterback from the 2018 NFL Draft class, and it’s not even close.
Dalton was 10-of-17 for 100 yards, one touchdown and an interception prior to the injury. The pick was a weak floater that occurred because of pressure, and that was just one of several poor throws he had in this contest. Another one was when he overshot an open John Ross deep down the sideline. Dalton was errant on several other passes and even gave up on some instances, includng one third-and-14 where he just settled for a 5-yard pass to C.J. Uzomah, which was dropped.
There didn’t appear to be any sort of drop-off between Dalton and backup Jeff Driskel, at least on paper. Driskel was 17-of-29 for 155 yards and a touchdown, but was very fortunate to not have two interceptions, as a couple of potential picks were dropped. Driskel, who has a good arm and plus mobility, scrambled thrice for nine rushing yards and a score on the ground.
Patriots 27, Jets 13
The trouble for the Patriots started when Rob Gronkowski dropped a pass on third down. New England’s defense then gave the Jets a touchdown on a silver platter, as New York got a first down on a roughing-the-passer penalty, negating a punt attempt. The Jets were able to capitalize with a Josh McCown touchdown to Jermaine Kearse. This was just one of six New England infractions in the first 20 minutes of regulation. Meanwhile, Tom Brady threw some uncharacteristically poor passes in the red zone, including one where he completely whiffed on Gronkowski, who should’ve had a touchdown, and another one, where he missed an open receiver on third-and-long.
Despite all of this, the Patriots put together some quality drives in the final 20 minutes, as Brady finally got into some sort of rhythm, though some long Sony Michel runs helped. The Patriots were able to put the Jets away, eventually widening the margin to 14 even though this was a one-score game for nearly all of regulation.
Elsewhere in the receiving corps, Julian Edelman snatched four of his five targets for 84 yards and a touchdown. Edelman appeared to be injured at one point where he grabbed his elbow in agony, but he managed to stay in the game. Josh Gordon, meanwhile, hauled in all five of the passes thrown to him for 70 yards.
Eagles 25, Giants 22
Philadelphia won to remain one game back of both the Redskins and Giants, but the team still has some major injury issues in the secondary. It was so bad that Eli Manning was able to go 19-of-25 for 236 yards, one touchdown and an interception in the opening half. Manning, however, was limited to just 61 yards following intermission. The Giants couldn’t get out of their own way, as they had too many negative plays once they established their big lead. There were three consecutive drives where the Giants punted on fourth-and-18 or longer. Penalties and sacks were the culprits, while several double-digit gains were called back by penalties, while the officials missed infractions they should’ve whistled on Philadelphia. In addition to Beckham’s tugged jersey in the end zone, Saquon Barkley should’ve drawn a flag for a very obvious pass interference in the red zone.
Meanwhile, the Eagles were able to move the chains easily in their own territory for most of the afternoon, but they constantly killed themselves as well when they reached around midfield. This was apparent early when Josh Adams had a 52-yard touchdown negated by a Jason Kelce hold, and when several receivers dropped passes. However, this changed in the fourth quarter, as the Eagles scored twice to get away with the win.
Elsewhere in the Eagles’ receiving corps, half of Wentz’s incompletions occurred when he threw the ball to Golden Tate, who snatched just four of his eight targets for only 30 receiving yards. Wentz once again struggled to connect with Tate. He overthrew him initially, then was nearly pick-sixed on a pass to Tate in the flat. Tate followed that up by dropping a pass. Meanwhile, Alshon Jeffery (3-39) wasn’t much more productive.
It’s obvious that Manning is done and needs to be put out of his misery. Unfortunately, the Giants may have won enough to miss out on the top quarterback in the 2019 NFL Draft class.
That said, tt’s mind-boggling why Barkley had just 13 attempts, given that the Giants were leading for most of the afternoon. The fact that he had three double-digit runs negated by penalty had something to do with it, but Barkley had just four carries after halftime, which seems like a colossal mistake. Even the FOX announcer commented in the fourth quarter, “We haven’t called Barkley’s name at all in the second half.” Considering that Barkley sliced through the Eagles’ defense prior to halftime, it was very confusing that he was barely utilized, unless, of course, the Giants decided that they wanted to lose on purpose to preserve their draft positioning. If so, kudos to them.
Seahawks 30, Panthers 27
Carolina missed plenty of opportunities to score in the red zone, and it began early in the afternoon. The Panthers moved the ball close to the goal line, but Newton was stuffed on a fourth-down sneak. It looked like he was able to move the chains, but the officials called him shy of the line to gain. Replay review confirmed it, though I still think Newton converted. Later in the opening half, Christian McCaffrey was stuffed on a third-and-goal run on a great play by Nazair Jones. Things didn’t get better in the second half, as Newton heaved an underthrown pass into the end zone that was picked off. The afternoon ended with another gaffe in Seattle territory. Newton threw a pass short of the first-down marker on a third down, which was caught by D.J. Moore. The Panthers settled for a 52-yard field goal, which was off the mark. This allowed the Seahawks to take over on their own 42-yard line.
What happened next had to do with the aforementioned early Carolina injury. The Panthers’ top cornerback, Donte Jackson, left the game, and this made it difficult for Carolina to stop Russell Wilson and his receivers. That was the case when the Seahawks were given possession on the 42-yard line. Continuing to abuse Carolina’s undermanned secondary, Wilson hit Tyler Lockett with a deep pass to move into field goal range. The Seahawks connected on the ensuing kick to win the game.
Newton finished 25-of-30 for 256 yards, two touchdowns and an interception to go along with eight scrambles for 63 rushing yards. Newton has improved markedly under Norv Turner’s tutelage, and while I’d like to say that he needs to work on playing a cleaner game deep in enemy territory to avoid horrific losses like this, he and Carolina’s offense have generally been very productive in the red zone this year..
McCaffrey rushed for 125 yards and a touchdown on 17 carries, and he also caught all 11 of his passes for 112 receiving yards and a second score. He was great, save for two occasions when he fumbled (he didn’t lose possession either time.) It’s almost difficult to believe that the Panthers didn’t trust McCaffrey to be an every-down back last year, as they opted to give Jonathan Stewart touches instead. Turner obviously has more common sense than the Panthers’ previous offensive coaching staff.
Ravens 34, Raiders 17
The difference turned out to be Baltimore’s defense, which took over late in the afternoon. The Ravens were able to generate immense pressure on Derek Carr in the second half. On a span of two drives, Baltimore sacked Carr three times, one of which included a fumble. Terrell Suggs scooped up the ball and ran back the other way for a touchdown, increasing the margin from 10 to 17, putting the game away.
The Ravens’ coaching staff made the appropriate adjustments at halftime, opting to take the air out of the ball. Jackson responded with some spectacular scrambles against Oakland’s bewildered defense. Jackson ended up rushing for 71 yards and a touchdown on 11 scrambles. Those running totals were more impressive than his poor passing stats (14-25, 178 yards, 1 TD, 2 INTs.) ,br>
Buccaneers 27, 49ers 9
By Charlie Campbell – @draftcampbell
Tampa Bay struck first, starting with Winston finding Mike Evans streaking down the sideline for a 42-yard completion. The pass, however, led Evans out of bounds, and the completion would have gone for a long touchdown if Winston had keep Evans’ momentum in bounds. A few plays later, Winston rolled out and found Cameron Brate (3-26-1) for a short touchdown. After trading some punts, the 49ers got moving into Tampa Bay territory with George Kittle making a couple of receptions for more than 20 yards and Matt Breida running for eclipsing 30. Dante Pettis ran a good route to get open for a 13-yard touchdown, but Robbie Gould missed the extra point.
Tampa Bay responded as Winston had a 15-yard scramble to move into San Francisco territory. The drive ended in a field goal but it could have gone for more as Winston had DeSean Jackson (3-19) running open for a 61-yard touchdown, but Winston overthrew him. The Bucs added another field goal for a 13-6 lead at intermission.
To start the the third quarter, the 49ers got moving with a 25-yard pass to Pettis and a 24-yard pass to Breida. San Francisco ended up settling for a field goal after some goal-line miscues. Tampa Bay responded with a 34-yard completion to Evans, who got open running away from Richard Sherman. A horribly called 23-yard pass interference penalty on Akhello Witherspoon helped set up Peyton Barber for a short touchdown run. Tampa Bay put the game away early in the fourth quarter when Adam Humphries (4-48-1) got wide open, and Winston found him for a 28-yard touchdown.
Colts 27, Dolphins 24
By Charlie Campbell – @draftcampbell
Indianapolis moved the ball into Miami territory in the second quarter. The Colts pulled out some trickery to convert a fourth down, with backup quarterback Jacoby Brissett coming into the game and throwing a pass to Luck, who was split out wide as a receiver and made a leaping catch while taking a hard hit. A 24-yard pass to T.Y. Hilton soon moved the ball to the one-yard line, and Luck finished the drive with a scoring strike to Jack Doyle (4-16-1). A few plays later though, Miami tied the game when Ryan Tannehill threw a deep jump ball and Leonte Carroo out-leapt Pierre Desir for the catch. Desir fell down, lettig Carroo run for another 25 yards to seal the 74-yard touchdown. The next three plays produced turnovers, with Luck throwing a jump-ball interception to Xavien Howard and then Mike Gesicki fumbling the ball right back to the Colts. On the next play, Luck underthrew Ebron, allowing Howard to intercept Luck again and keep the score tied at 14 at halftime.
Kiko Alonso partially blocked a punt in the third quarter, which set up easy field position for Miami to get a field goal. The Colts moved into Miami territory, but a sack by Cameron Wake forced a field goal that was missed. The Dolphins used the good field position to produce a touchdown. Frank Gore ran for 23 yards, and then Kenyan Drake went up the middle on the 14-yard touchdown run. Indianapolis tied the game up with a field goal and a great drive that included a 19-yard pass to Nyhiem Hines, a 36-yard pass to T.Y. Hilton, and then a 12-yard touchdown pass to Ebron.
Some penalties on the Dolphins put them in terrible field position late, and they punted to the Colts with just under three minutes remaining. Luck took over close to midfield, and on a third-and-nine, he made a tremendous play to break a sack and climb the pocket before finding Chester Rogers wide open in busted coverage for a 34-yard gain to inside the Miami 25. A few plays later, Adam Vinatieri hit a short field goal for a 27-24 win on the final play of the game.
Broncos 24, Steelers 17
By Chet Gresham – @ChetGresham
If you were to look at the overall team numbers, you’d probably say Denver lost this game, as they had the ball 25 minutes to the Steelers’ 35 minutes and were out-yardaged 527 yards to 308, as they allowed Ben Roethlisberger to complete 41-of-56 passes for 462 yards. But as soon as you look at the turnovers and where many of them happened on the field, you stop wondering how Denver was able to pull out this victory.
This game was close throughout, and the tone was set early when Broncos safety Justin Simmons blocked Chris Boswell’s attempted 48-yard field goal on the Steelers’ first drive. It was Simmons’ second blocked field goal of the season. The block set the Broncos up in good field position to kick a field goal of their own and take an early lead.
The Steelers again moved the ball down field, going 74 yards in over six minutes, ending on what appeared to be a touchdown pass to tight end Xavier Grimble, but a score again wasn’t in the works for the Steelers, as Grimble was hit hard at the goal line by safety Will Parks, who dislodged the ball, which went out of bounds in the end zone, forcing a turnover and a touchback.
The Broncos’ defense was truly in full bend-but-don’t-break mode, while their offense wasn’t doing much until they got Phillip Lindsay going in the second quarter with a 32-yard run, which helped set up a Case Keenum 10-yard touchdown pass to back up tight end Matt LaCosse.
Lindsay was excellent in this game. His quickness and burst make defenders look like they are constantly flat-footed and slow, especially when you see Royce Freeman, who looks like molasses crawling up a hill in comparison. Unfortunately, Vance Joseph doesn’t seem to want to risk Lindsay getting hurt or wants the “Thunder and Lightning” change-of-pace dynamic, but in the final assessment, Lindsay had just 14 touches despite averaging 7.9 yards per carry and getting into the end zone in the fourth quarter.
Toward the end of the first half, the Steelers had their fourth drive and put together more than 47 yards as time ticked away. They moved the ball well, as Roethlisberger hit second-year journeyman receiver Ryan Switzer for 15- and 24-yard completions, moving the ball down to the Denver 2-yard line. They were stopped there once again and appeared to settle for a field goal with three seconds remaining. That field goal ended up being a fake in which Chris Boswell took the direct snap and threw a touchdown to offensive lineman and former Army wide receiver Alejandro Villanueva, who caught the 2-yard touchdown to tie up the game 10-10 at half.
As you can see, the Denver defense gave up plenty of yards but made it extremely difficult for the Steelers to punch anything into the end zone, which was the theme of this game.
The one big offensive play of the day came in Pittsburgh’s second possession of the second half. Denver’s punter, Colby Wadman, booted a beautifully placed punt that was downed on the Steelers’ 3-yard line. On the first play of the drive, Roethlisberger faced heavy pressure up the middle and just got a pass off, which happened to be a beauty to JuJu Smith-Schuster, who caught it in stride, made a defender miss and then put on the jets to house a 97-yard touchdown. It appeared to be a game-changer, as the Denver crowd was stunned and the Steelers took a 17-10 lead, along with what appeared to be a relentless offense.
The Broncos’ defense had other plans though, as Chris Harris picked Roethlisberger off at midfield on the Steelers next possession, the team’s third turnover of the game. That set Keenum up at the Steelers’ 43-yard line, and just two plays later, Keenum had completed a 38-yard pass and a 5-yard touchdown pass, both to Emmanuel Sanders, tying the game at 17.
Keenum played well in this game, and those two passes were huge, as they rewarded the Broncos’ defense for their turnover and completely reversed the momentum, which had been in Pittsburgh’s favor just minutes before.
The next big defensive play came two possession later, as Roethlisberger was moving the ball well as the game moved into the fourth quarter. He dumped a pass off to James Conner, who had a ton of room to roam. Conner rumbled for 23 yards, but cornerback Bradley Roby forced a fumble, which was recovered by Darian Stewart. And just like Pittsburgh’s previous turnover, the Broncos turned around and put up seven, this time with a 2-yard run by Lindsay to give his team a 24-17 lead. What the Broncos lacked in consistent offense, they made up for in timely offense off of turnovers.
With plenty of time left, there was no-doubt the Steelers would mount another attack on the end zone, and they did just that as Roethlisberger moved the ball down to the 3-yard line with just under two minutes remaining. Then on third-and-goal, a low snap and a fake handoff that wasn’t smooth, led to Roethlisberger hurrying a pass that floated, going nowhere near intended receiver Antonio Brown and was picked off in the end zone by defensive lineman Shelby Harris to clinch the win.
This game was a clinic on how to stop a high-powered offense. Yes, you can say the Steelers did much of this to themselves, but the Broncos’ defense was up for the task and never let up despite giving up 527 total yards. Turnovers stop scoring chances, set your offense up in good situations more often than not, and quickly change momentum. Denver made its own luck this week and executed when it needed to.
Chargers 45, Cardinals 10
Rivers finished an incredible 28-of-29 for 259 yards and three touchdowns. His yardage total could’ve been higher, but he didn’t play in the fourth quarter because the Chargers winning by 35 points. His only real mistake was a lost fumble in the opening half, but the Cardinals couldn’t take advantage of it. Rivers constantly attacked the middle of the field, as the Cardinals lost their best linebacker, Josh Bynes, to an injury in the early going. This made it impossible for Arizona to cover all of Rivers’ weapons.
If Gordon can’t play, it’ll be up to Austin Ekeler, who has shown that he can be productive when given the chance. Ekler rushed for 35 yards and a touchdown on five attempts while also catching 10 passes for 68 receiving yards.
Rosen was utterly atrocious in this game. The offensive line can be blamed, but Rosen made poor throws and did stupid things at times during the afternoon. For instance, Rosen’s interception was thrown way behind his receiver. It wasn’t even close. Rosen then gift-wrapped a touchdown for the Chargers. Rosen foolishly threw the ball away on a third down just prior to halftime. Because he was near midfield, Rosen could’ve taken a sack to keep the clock moving. Thanks to the extra timeout or 40 seconds, the Chargers were able to engineer a touchdown drive prior to intermission.
Rosen finished 12-of-19 for only 105 yards, one touchdown and an interception. Save for a decent debut versus Seattle, and a fourth-quarter comeback against the 49ers, Rosen has not looked like a professional quarterback thus far. However, as we’ve learned with Jared Goff, it’s impossible to make a determination on a young quarterback if his offensive line is a steaming pile of crap. That said, I never liked Rosen very much because he lacks leadership skills and has very low passion for football.
Vikings 24, Packers 17
Things didn’t start all that well for Cousins, as he threw way behind Aldrick Robinson on a third down. However, he was able to rebound with a strong second quarter. The Vikings should’ve taken a lead into halftime, but they missed two field goals from 48 and 56, with the latter featuring a missed running-into-the-kicker penalty. Cousins, however, hit a third touchdown in the second half to help put away the Packers.
Rodgers struggled as a result of the pressure, going just 17-of-28 for 198 yards and a touchdown. He nearly threw a second score at the very end, but missed Davante Adams by mere inches. Had Rodgers connected with Adams on the play, the Packers would’ve gotten the back-door cover at +3.5 and back-door push at +3. Handicapping football is difficult!
Elsewhere in the receiving corps, neither Jimmy Graham (2-34) nor Marquez Valdes-Scantling (1-3) did anything. Graham’s lack of production was predictable, as he was gutting it out with a broken thumb.
Texans 34, Titans 17
It’s really amazing that the Titans blew their season because they opted to give the ball to a backup tight end for his first career carry in such a crucial situation. They paid the price for their incompetence and now have dropped to 5-6 with a bunch of other teams. They’re not out of it, but their chances of making the playoffs have diminished considerably.
Watson, meanwhile, completed all but five of his passes, going 19-of-24 for 210 yards and two touchdowns. He also scrambled nine times for 70 rushing yards and a score. Watson’s lone blemish was a fumble in the fourth quarter that was called down by contact. The Titans challenged and should have won because it was clear that Watson lost control of the ball before hiting the ground. However, the NFL’s incompetent replay review system couldn’t overturn the call for some reason, probably because Alberto Riveron was watching The Voice and didn’t want to be bothered.
How can a quarterback lose by 17 despite misfiring on just one of his 23 pass attempts? Good question. I never would’ve imagined it beforehand, but the fourth-and-inches gaffe played a huge part. Mariota also took six sacks, so the pressure he saw disrupted way too many drives. Here’s a list of 2019 NFL Draft Guard Prospect Rankings for the Titans to make an upgrade.
For more thoughts, check out my updated NFL Power Rankings, which will be posted Tuesday morning.
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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