NFL Game Recaps: Week 10, 2021

NFL Game Recaps of previous weeks and seasons can be found via links at the bottom of the page.

Dolphins 22, Ravens 10

Despite the Ravens being huge favorites entering this game, there was tons of action on them. Thus, many expected them to score plenty of points in this contest. It certainly seemed like this would happen when the Ravens scored a quick field goal on the opening drive. Little did everyone know that this would be the final time Baltimore would score until 4:12 remained in regulation on a drive aided by two bogus roughing-the-passer penalties.

Not everyone was surprised by this dismal performance, namely those familiar with Lamar Jackson’s struggles against the blitz. Entering this game, Jackson had thrown four interceptions compared to three touchdowns this season when facing the blitz, and his YPA was 7.3, compared to 8.9 when not blitzed. The Dolphins blitz at the second-highest rate in the NFL, so Jackson’s ineptitude against that sort of pressure was prevalent in this contest.

Jackson was woeful for most of the evening. He logged just 82 passing yards in the opening half, as his team ultimately trailed 15-3. As mentioned earlier, two horrible roughing-the-passer infractions gave him some life. Thanks also to a defensive holding penalty, Jackson finally engineered a touchdown drive to draw to within five when he found Mark Andrews in the end zone.

With no running game to milk the clock, the Dolphins were almost certain to punt after a three-and-out. However, the Dolphins brazenly had Tua Tagovailoa attempt a pass, finding Albert Wilson for a 64-yard strike amid busted coverage. Wilson sprinted down to the Baltimore 11-yard line, ultimately setting up a Miami touchdown to put this game out of reach.

Jackson finished 26-of-43 for 238 yards, one touchdown and an interception. Those are hollow numbers, as Jackson got nothing done until garbage time. He also didn’t scramble very well, gaining 39 yards on nine rushes. Miami did a terrific job of limiting Jackson in every regard. Dolphins linebacker Jerome Baker had a monster night.

Baltimore didn’t get much on the ground from its running backs either, which wasn’t a surprise. Devonta Freeman was limited to just 35 yards on 10 carries, while Le’Veon Bell mustered a single yard on three attempts. This would’ve been a nice opportunity for the Ravens to use Ty’Son Williams, but they don’t want to give snaps to their best running back for some reason.

Andrews, who caught Jackson’s garbage-time touchdown, was one of three Baltimore players with six catches; his went for 63 yards. The other two Ravens were Rashod Bateman (6-80) and Marquise Brown (6-37). Sammy Watkins (1-7) hurt the team with a lost fumble that was returned for a touchdown by Xavien Howard to break open the game, which was just a 9-3 affair at that point.

As for the Dolphins, they didn’t plan on playing Tagovailoa in this game because of his fractured middle finger. However, when Jacoby Brissett (11-23, 156 yards) clutched his knee on a hit to open the third quarter, the Dolphins didn’t have a choice but to play Tagovailoa because he was inexplicably the only other active quarterback on the roster. Tagovailoa threw some sketchy passes to begin, but improved as the second half progressed. He performed well overall, at least in between the 20s, though he continued to struggle in the red zone, which has been a theme with him this year.

Tagovailoa finished 8-of-13 for 158 yards. He also leapt into the end zone at the very end following the aforementioned 64-yard bomb to Wilson. Tagovailoa fumbled on a strip-sack, but was fortunate to see a teammate recover the loose ball.

Either Jaylen Waddle or Mike Gesicki was expected to lead the Dolphins in receiving, but neither happened to be in the top two in that regard. Wilson led the team with four catches for 87 yards, while Isaiah Ford snatched four balls for 84 yards. Both caught deep passes of 64 and 52 yards, respectively.

As for Waddle and Gesicki, the former hauled in four balls for 61 yards, and he also drew an interference flag in th end zone. Gesicki, on the other hand, endured a miserable evening. He failed to catch any of his seven targets, as he was guilty of two drops.

Myles Gaskin struggled, mustering only 31 yards on 14 carries. He was tackled inches shy of the goal line toward the end of regulation, but Tagovailoa vultured a touchdown on the following snap.

Colts 23, Jaguars 17

I never imagined this game would have been close by the way it began. The Colts established a 17-0 lead, thanks in part to a blocked punt. Jonathan Taylor ran the ball down Jacksonville’s throat, accumulating more than 100 yards in the opening half. The Jaguars failed to accomplish anything; excluding one play, they couldn’t even muster 100 net yards of offense in the opening half. The Jaguars trailed 20-6 prior to an inexplicable 56-yard field goal prior to intermission. They hit the kick, but had little hope.

However, Jacksonville’s defense completely shut down the Colts in the second half, limiting Indianapolis to just three points following intermission. Taylor tallied for just nine yards on seven attempts in the second half, as the Colts failed to sustain drives. With Taylor bottled up, Carson Wentz began making dumb throws, heaving his patented left-handed and wild underhanded tosses. He’s very fortunate that he wasn’t intercepted at all, especially when Shaq Griffin dropped a potential pick.

The Jaguars couldn’t take advantage of Indianapolis’ sudden offensive ineptitude. Their offense sputtered as well, as Trevor Lawrence’s accuracy was poor because he was playing while injured. It didn’t help that his teammates dropped five passes. However, Lawrence finally put together a touchdown drive after several Indianapolis defenders, including Darius Leonard and Kenny Moore, suffered injuries.

Thanks to Zach Pascal running out of bounds while the Colts were attempting to run out the clock, Lawrence had one final chance to take the lead. He scrambled around midfield, but fumbled the ball away, allowing Indianapolis to pounce on the turnover to preserve their underwhelming victory.

Taylor ended up with a strong stat line, dashing for 116 yards and a touchdown on 21 carries, but his fantasy owners have to be disappointed based on what Taylor did in the opening half. He had no room whatsoever following halftime, though it’s worth noting that he had a 33-yard run negated by a holding penalty.

Wentz was a major disappointment, going 22-of-34 for only 180 yards. Pressure played a major factor, as it forced Wentz into some reckless throws that should’ve been intercepted. He easily could’ve been picked on multiple occasions.

Despite Wentz’s struggles, Michael Pittman came away with a solid stat line with five catches for 71 yards. T.Y. Hilton, on the other hand, was limited to just one reception for five yards. Pittman ended up being the only Colt with more than 31 receiving yards.

While Wentz played poorly, Lawrence was even worse, though he can at least point to his injury and the drops as the reason for his putrid play. Lawrence failed to complete half of his passes, going 16-of-35 for just 162 yards. He also lost a fumble that decided the game at the end.

Though Lawrence’s teammates dropped five passes of his, it’s worth noting that Indianapolis defenders dropped some passes as well. He should have been picked on the opening drive when he fired way behind his target. Lawrence then launched a deep pass on the run that should have been picked as well. Like Wentz, Lawrence somehow survived without any interceptions when he should have tossed multiple picks. Lawrence also fired some horrid throws and didn’t seem to be on the same page as Laviska Shenault (3-15).

On the other hand, Lawrence continued to show a strong rapport with Dan Arnold, who caught five passes for 67 yards. Marvin Jones (2-35) was the next-leading receiver.

The Jaguars scored two rushing touchdowns, with James Robinson getting one. He gain 57 yards on 12 carries to go along with four catches for 27 receiving yards, though he dropped a pass. The other rushing touchdown was via Jamal Agnew’s 66-yard sweep in the opening half, which is the only reason Indianapolis wasn’t up 20-3 heading into the break.

Patriots 45, Browns 7

Bill Belichick’s mastery of young quarterbacks continued in this game. Belichick made Sam Darnold see his ghosts again last week, and he had the same success versus another quarterback from the 2018 NFL Draft class. The result was Mayfield having one of the worst performances of his career.

Mayfield scored an early touchdown when he found Austin Hooper in the end zone on a fourth down, but he was fortunate to even have the opportunity. On the prior play, Mayfield appeared to throw an interception, but Devin McCourty dropped the potential pick. Mayfield’s good luck didn’t continue, however, as he fired an interception into double coverage on the ensuing offensive possession. The Patriots converted the turnover into a touchdown to go up 14-7.

Mayfield’s afternoon ended with another near-interception. There was another drop by a New England defender, but Mayfield took a hard hit to his troublesome shoulder from Matthew Judon. Mayfield exited the game with a miserable stat line of 11-of-21, 73 yards, one touchdown and an interception. As dreadful as Mayfield was, he was lucky that he had three potential picks that were dropped. A shockingly leaky offensive line didn’t do him any favors, but Mayfield should have finished this game with four interceptions.

This game was a tale of two young quarterbacks. Whereas Mayfield struggled, Mac Jones was brilliant. Following a failed offensive drive by the Browns, they were able to take solace that they were able to pin New England down on its 1-yard line in a 14-7 affair. Cleveland likely expected the ball back in great field position, but Jones had other plans. He hit Jakobi Meyers with a third-down conversion, a beautiful drop in the bucket where Meyers made an over-the-shoulder catch, and eventually found Kendrick Bourne for a touchdown on a perfect strike to cap off the 99-yard drive. This put the Patriots up two scores, a lead that continued to expand throughout the afternoon.

Jones was brilliant throughout the entire contest. He misfired just four times – one incompletion was intentionally thrown away due to pressure – as Cleveland’s pass rush didn’t seem to exist on most plays. Jones finished 19-of-23 for 198 yards and three touchdowns. This was a huge step forward for the rookie, who was coming off two dud performances against strong aerial defenses. Jones bounced back against another team with a stellar stop unit.

There was some question about New England’s ground attack heading into this contest because Damien Harris and Rhamondre Stevenson were both questionable coming off concussions. Harris was ruled out, but Stevenson played. Stevenson was terrific, rushing for 100 yards and two touchdowns on 20 carries. He also caught four passes for 14 receiving yards. He broke numerous tackles throughout the afternoon.

Perhaps the happiest Patriot to win this game was Meyers, and that would be because he scored the first touchdown of his career. Granted, it came in garbage time with Brian Hoyer throwing the ball to him, but it still counted. Meyers hauled in all four of his targets for 49 yards. He finished only behind Bourne (4-98) in receiving. Bourne also scored a touchdown, while Hunter Henry (4-37) found the end zone twice. Henry also made a terrific diving reception in the third quarter.

The only touchdown Cleveland scored was the Hooper catch, with Hooper finishing third on the team in receiving with four grabs for 25 yards. He was just one yard behind Jarvis Landry (4-26), who was erased by Belichick’s excellent game planning.

As for Cleveland’s leader in receiving, that was D’Ernest Johnson, who caught seven passes for 58 receiving yards. Johnson was also effective as a rusher, barely missing out on the century mark with 99 yards on 19 attempts. Johnson’s only blemish was a fumble that the Patriots should have recovered. A New England defender pounced on the ball, but somehow didn’t come up with it. Instead, the ball trickled back into his arms.

Cowboys 43, Falcons 3

This game got out of hand prior to halftime, but there was a symmetric sequence that basically decided this contest during the opening quarter. The Falcons went for it on a fourth-and-7 during their second drive despite being in field goal range, but Matt Ryan’s pass fell incomplete. The Cowboys took over and marched down the field before stalling themselves in field goal range. Like the Falcons, they opted to go for it. Unlike the Falcons, they converted, with Dak Prescott hitting CeeDee Lamb with a precise pass to move the sticks.

The Cowboys eventually scored a touchdown on this possession, with Ezekiel Elliott plunging into the end zone. This was one of five touchdowns Dallas scored in the opening half, opening up a 36-7 lead heading into the break. The Cowboys outgained the Falcons at that stage, 265-77. They dominated in all facets, including special teams; one of the five touchdowns was a blocked punt returned for a score.

Prescott was pulled in the fourth quarter, finishing his day 24-of-31 for 296 yards and two passing touchdowns. He also ran in a third score when the game was out of hand. Prescott did well to rebound from last week’s dreadful performance. He was clearly injured in that contest, but that is now behind him.

Prescott’s primary receiver was Lamb, who snatched six of his seven targets for 94 yards and two touchdowns. Amari Cooper (4-51) had yet another disappointing outing, as did Dalton Schultz (1-14), who dropped a potential touchdown. Meanwhile, Michael Gallup made his return, catching three passes for 42 yards. He had an impressive reception when he tapped both feet along the sideline on a 23-yard reception.

Elliott also found the end zone twice. His overall rushing performance wasn’t as great, as Atlanta’s solid ground defense limited him to 41 yards on 14 carries. He also caught three passes for 15 receiving yards. He made one mistake, fumbling in the red zone, but did so when this game was out of hand in the third quarter.

The leading rusher in this game was Wayne Gallman, who picked up 55 yards on 15 carries in garbage time. Cordarrelle Patterson (4-25) and Mike Davis (4-18) failed to repeat what Melvin Gordon and Javonte Williams accomplished last week.

Ryan put together a miserable performance. He had two nice drives to start the game, but a Russell Gage drop in the red zone and the aforementioned fourth-down miscue ruined those possessions. Ryan did nothing after that and was ultimately pulled early in the fourth quarter. He went 9-of-21 for 117 yards.

Kyle Pitts had a nice start to this contest, but didn’t do anything later in the afternoon once the entire offense was bogged down. Pitts caught four balls for 60 yards. No other Falcon registered more than 22 receiving yards. Gage failed to catch a pass on three targets because of a pair of drops.

Titans 23, Saints 21

This was supposed to be a close, defensive grinder, but the Titans were able to open up a two-touchdown lead early in the third quarter because of two fluky plays. The first was courtesy of the officials. The officiating in the NFL has been horrendous this season, and there was yet another example of that in this contest. Ryan Tannehill threw an interception in the second quarter, but a flag was thrown for a roughing-the-passer penalty. This was a horrendous infraction because Tannehill was barely touched. Both regular announcers and the former NFL official in the booth both agreed that it was a poor call. Four plays later, Tannehill sneaked into the end zone for the first fluky score.

The second fluky score occurred right after halftime. The Saints returned the kickoff to begin the third quarter, but fumbled. The Titans took over at the New Orleans 19-yard line, and they were able to get into the end zone again, this time with Tannehill finding MyCole Pruitt. Suddenly, this was a 20-6 affair despite neither offense really accomplishing anything.

The Saints, however, roared back, as Trevor Siemian generated a comeback for the second consecutive week. He put together some nice drives, though one possession concluded with a field goal at the Tennessee 1-yard line. This would ultimately hurt the Saints, as they needed a two-point conversion following a touchdown the next time they went into the red zone. The conversion try failed, as did the ensuing onside kick, allowing the Titans to come away with a victory they probably didn’t deserve.

The Titans couldn’t hold on to their big lead because they couldn’t run the ball at all. With no Derrick Henry available, it was D’Onta Foreman (11-30) and Adrian Peterson (8-21) handling the workload, but neither produced much. Foreman at least did something as a receiver out of the backfield with two catches for 48 receiving yards.

Tannehill played a solid game, going 19-of-27 for 213 yards, one passing touchdown and a rushing score. He was helped by the short fields, as mentioned, but he didn’t make any mistakes either. Tannehill was victimized by four drops, so he really threw only four incompletions.

Tannehill couldn’t go to A.J. Brown very often, as Brown was smothered by double coverage all afternoon. Brown was limited to just one catch for 16 yards. He also dropped a pass, but pounced on a loose ball on a botched snap in the second half. Instead, the big producer was Marcus Johnson, who snatched five of his six targets for 100 yards. He and Foreman were the only Titans with more than 26 receiving yards.

Thanks to comeback yardage, Siemian finished with a quality fantasy performance, going 19-of-34 for 298 yards and two touchdowns. Siemian did a good job of torching Tennessee’s beleaguered cornerbacks, who really struggled in this contest.

Siemian’s scores were thrown to Tre’Quan Smith (4-44) and Marquez Callaway (2-37), with the latter finding the end zone toward the conclusion of regulation, but the two-point conversion was no good, thanks in part to a false start pushing the Saints back to the 7-yard line.

Smith and Callaway may have scored the touchdowns, but they weren’t in the top two of receiving on the team. Deonte Harris led the squad with three catches for 84 yards, while Mark Ingram chipped in with four catches for 61 receiving yards. Ingram also scored a rushing touchdown, but was limited to 47 rushing yards on 14 carries.

Bills 45, Jets 17

The Bills suffered an embarrassing loss to the Jaguars last week, so they were bound to be 100-percent focused and locked in, especially in a divisional matchup. That’s exactly how they performed, as they dominated the Jets on both sides of the ball, cruising to an easy victory.

Offensively, Josh Allen rebounded off a horrendous showing against Jacksonville’s Josh Allen-led defense. The Buffalo Josh Allen hit a number of deep throws, primarily to Stefon Diggs and Gabriel Davis, misfiring just seven times in the process.

Defensively, the Bills crushed the hopes and dreams of Jets fans who were hoping Mike White would be the answer instead of Zach Wilson. The Jets struggled to move the ball during meaningful action, and when they did, their drives would often conclude with turnovers. This was apparent early when White heaved an interception when he was hit upon releasing the ball during a 7-0 affair. The ensuing field goal made this a two-score game. White then hurled his second pick on a helpless deep shot to kick off the second half. White eventually tossed two more picks, though they occurred when this contest was well out of hand.

Allen finished 21-of-28 for 366 yards, two touchdowns and an interception late in the game when this contest was already decided. This was a positive sign for Allen after last week’s debacle, as it helped that he had his right tackle and tight end back on the field with him.

Diggs’ fantasy owners have been waiting for a dominant performance all year, and they finally got one. Diggs caught eight of his 13 targets for 162 yards and a touchdown. Davis was next, as his three catches went for 105 yards. It would be smart for Buffalo to begin using Davis more, given his talent.

Diggs and Davis were the only Bills with more than 27 receiving yards. Emmanuel Sanders (2-27) and Cole Beasley (2-15) were both major disappointments.

All three Buffalo running backs scored touchdowns. Yes, three, as Matt Breida (3-28) found the end zone twice, and not in garbage time. Devin Singletary and Zack Moss rushed for 43 and 27 yards, respectively, with both getting seven attempts.

The Jets’ primary back also reached the end zone, albeit in garbage time. Michael Carter was limited to just 39 yards and a touchdown on 16 carries, though he caught four passes for 43 receiving yards.

White’s final stat line looked like this: 24-of-44, 251 yards and four interceptions. Corey Davis (5-93) was his leading receiver, but lost a fumble in field goal range when this game was still in question. Elijah Moore (3-44) scored a touchdown via Joe Flacco in garbage time.

Redskins 29, Buccaneers 19

The Redskins’ defense has been a major disappointment this year. Perhaps they fixed their issues during the bye because they limited Tom Brady and the Buccaneers’ offense to just 19 points. It’s also possible, however, that the Buccaneers just had a sloppy game in which they committed uncharacteristic mistakes, while Washington sat on the ball for 39 minutes, including a 19-play drive in the fourth quarter that iced the game.

The first such blunder occurred on Tampa Bay’s second possession. Someone named Jaelon Darden lost a fumble deep in his own territory that was later ruled a Brady interception, setting up a Washington field goal. The next one occurred shortly later, as Brady launched a second official interception on an odd overthrow in Mike Evans’ direction. The Redskins turned this take-away into more points, with Taylor Heinicke finding DeAndre Carter in the end zone. The Buccaneers stopped committing turnovers after that, but the 10 points the Redskins scored off turnovers ended up being the difference in this game.

Brady didn’t have his full complement of weapons, as Rob Gronkowski and Antonio Brown were sidelined. This meant he had to throw to the likes of Darden. Brady finished 23-of-34 for 220 yards, two touchdowns and the two interceptions, though one of the picks should have been a Darden-charged fumble. Darden, however, coughed up the ball without hit it hitting the ground, which is why it was ruled a pick.

Brady’s touchdowns went to Mike Evans (2-62) and Cameron Brate (1-6). Evans’ performance was disappointing despite the touchdown, given the matchup against Washington’s soft secondary. Chris Godwin was better (7-57) but didn’t manage to find the end zone.

With a constant deficit, the Buccaneers weren’t able to generate much of a running game. Leonard Fournette carried the ball just 11 times, gaining 47 yards in the process.

Antonio Gibson struggled to find running room, as expected against Tampa Bay’s stalwart defense. Gibson was limited to 64 yards on 24 carries, but he saved his fantasy owners with two touchdowns, including one at the end to seal the victory. The other shouldn’t have occurred, as the Redskins were set up with a first-and-goal on the 1-yard line because a flag was thrown for a pass interference in the end zone despite the pass clearly being uncatchable.

Heinicke was surprisingly excellent, misfiring on just six occasions. He went 26-of-32 for 256 yards and a touchdown. Heinicke had poor luck with third and fourth downs prior to the bye, but that changed in this contest. The Redskins were 11-of-19 on third down and 2-of-2 on fourth down. This is why they were able to maintain possession for 39 minutes.

The dark cloud over this victory for the Redskins was that Ricky Seals-Jones (3-30) left the game early with a hip injury. Terry McLaurin (6-59) paced the team in receiving.

Lions 16, Steelers 16
By Charlie Campbell – @draftcampbell

EDITOR’S NOTE: Good teams often win with their backup quarterback. That was not the case with the Steelers because Mason Rudolph is so terrible. Why haven’t the Steelers been able to find a better backup after all these years? Is Charlie Batch available?

On Saturday evening, Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger was ruled out due to a positive virus test, and that led to Mason Rudolph getting the start for Pittsburgh. The game evolved into a battle of MASH units, as both teams suffered more injuries, with Jared Goff clearly playing hurt and struggling to throw, and T.J. Watt leaving midway through the game with a hip injury. All the damage led to a lot of inept football, but the Lions battled hard to try to end their losing streak and snap Pittsburgh’s five-game win streak. If it weren’t for a missed extra point and a 48-yard field goal, Detroit should have had its first win of the season.

The Steelers took the opening kickoff into Detroit territory, thanks in large part to a pass interference that gifted almost 30 yards. Rudolph finished the drive by finding James Washington (2-15-1) in blown coverage for a 9-yard touchdown. After getting great field position, Rudolph threw a terrible pass that was intercepted by Julian Okwara. Goff had Kaliff Raymond streaking for a 52-yard touchdown at one point, but he underthrew the pass to let Joe Haden recover for a breakup, which forced Detroit had to punt. Raymond later returned a punt 48 yards, and a few plays afterward, Jermar Jefferson burst up the middle for a 28-yard touchdown.

Najee Harris led a drive that ended in a field goal to give Pittsburgh a 10-7 lead. Just before the half, D’Andre Swift ripped off a string of impressive runs, including a fourth-down conversion, hurdling a tackler, and breaking a lot of tackles to set up a field goal to end the first half at a 10-10 tie.

Detroit opened the third quarter by just ramming the ball down the throat of the Steelers, with Swift converting a third-and-9 and the Lions running at will. To end the drive, Godwin Igwebuike ripped off a 42-yard touchdown run to put Detroit up 16-10 after a critical missed extra point.

Pittsburgh got going with Rudolph taking off on a broken play for a run of 26 yards and a 15-yard penalty on a late hit. Rudolph bounced a pass into a wide open receiver at the goal line, and the Steelers settled for a field goal. Another drive led by Najee Harris produced another field goal to tie the game at 16 early in the fourth quarter. The teams traded punts and threatened field goal range before drives stalled out.

In overtime, Rudolph hit a chunk pass to Diontae Johnson, but around midfield, Johnson was stripped and Amani Oruwariye recovered near midfield for Detroit. Two Steelers penalties moved the ball to the 35, but Ryan Santoso missed a 48-yard field goal with a pathetic attempt. In the final seconds of overtime, a pass to Harris moved the ball across midfield. A completion to Johnson moved inside the 40, but Pat Freiermuth fumbled the ball on a hit by Will Harris and Trey Flowers recovered with eight seconds remaining to clinch the tie for Detroit.

Rudolph completed 30-of-50 passes for 242 yards, a touchdown and an interception.

Harris ran for 105 yards on 26 carries.

Diontae Johnson caught seven passes for 83 yards.

Goff completed 14-of-25 passes for 114 yards.

Swift ran for 130 yards on 33 carries.

Amon-Ra St. Brown (4-61) led the Lions in receiving, while T.J. Hockenson did not record a catch versus the Steelers.

Vikings 27, Chargers 20
By Charlie Campbell – @draftcampbell

EDITOR’S NOTE: Surprise, surprise, two teams that always play close games played a close game with each other. I think if you simulate this game 1,000 times, one of these teams is winning between one and seven points every single time.

The NFC is loaded, so the Vikings have to get some tough wins and beat some good teams to get back into the playoff race. Minnesota came through with a road win over a quality Chargers squad to improve to 4-5 on the season. This was a tough loss for the Chargers and hurts their positioning in the AFC West.

Early in the first quarter, the Vikings had a long punt return get them into Los Angeles territory, but Joey Bosa strip-sacked Kirk Cousins and the Chargers recovered. After forcing punts, both teams produced field goal drives early in the second quarter. The Vikings used Dalvin Cook to move the ball inside the 10, but the Chargers produced a goal-line stand that held the score to a three-pointer. Promptly, Eric Kendricks made a diving interception inside the Chargers 40. Minnesota moved the ball close before Cousins threaded a needle to Tyler Conklin for a touchdown.

The Chargers finally sustained a drive, mixing runs and passes before Larry Rountree III dove over the scrum at the goal line for a short rushing touchdown. That cut the Vikings’ lead to 13-10 at the half.

In the third quarter, Los Angeles moved the ball, using their tight ends on a few receptions to set up a first-and-goal that ended with a frozen rope to Austin Ekeler for a short touchdown. At 17-13, the Vikings moved down the field, and on fourth-and-goal from the one, Cousins lofted in a score to Conklin to put Minnesota up 20-17.

Early in the fourth quarter, Cousins kept moving the chains and set up a short rushing touchdown from Dalvin Cook. Down 27-17, Herbert connected with Keenan Allen for 26 yards, and that led to a field goal. With just over two minutes remaining, Cook converted a fourth-and-2 at the Chargers 36, and that allowed Minnesota to take a knee to kill the clock.

Cousins completed 25-of-37 passes for 294 yards and two touchdowns. He made some clutch throws to extend drives and to lead the Vikings to maintain critical time of possession.

Cook ran for 94 yards and a touchdown on 24 carries, plus caught three passes for 24 yards.

Justin Jefferson racked up 143 yards on nine receptions.

Herbert completed 20-of-34 passes for 195 yards, a touchdown and an interception.

Austin Ekeler ran for 44 yards on 11 carries.

Keenan Allen had eight receptions for 98 yards.

Panthers 34, Cardinals 10

Cam Newton is back. If you didn’t see this game, you may not have gotten the message. Following Colt McCoy’s lost fumble on a strip-sack on the second play of the game, the Panthers scored via a Newton rushing touchdown. Newton ripped off his helmet and yelled, “I’m back!” repeatedly. This ended up costing the Panthers 15 penalty yards for unsportsmanlike conduct, but that didn’t matter because Arizona turned the ball over on downs on the ensuing drive.

The Cardinals never had a chance with their offensive ineptitude. They handed the Panthers this victory on a silver platter with all of their turnovers, though perhaps this should’ve been expected, given that Kyler Murray and DeAndre Hopkins were among the numerous prominent Arizona players who were sidelined. The Cardinals committed three turnovers in the opening half. The lost fumble on the strip sack was the first, while McCoy was stuffed on a fourth-down sneak after that. The third give-away was a McCoy interception, which was an embarrassing pass heaved late across his body over the middle of the field. The Panthers turned all three of these turnovers into points, establishing a 23-0 lead by intermission.

McCoy was dreadful, going 11-of-20 for 107 yards, one interception and a lost fumble. He was ultimately removed from the game after taking a hard hit on a sack.

With Hopkins sidelind, Christian Kirk led the team in receiving with seven catches for 58 yards. Zach Ertz (4-46) was next on the stat sheet.

James Conner was able to add to his league-leading rushing total. However, he was limited to just 39 yards on 10 carries otherwise. He also caught three passes for 25 receiving yards.

Christian McCaffrey had the opposite performance compared to Conner. His yardage was high, as he rushed for 95 yards on just 13 carries and caught all 10 of his targets for 66 receiving yards. However, he didn’t score a touchdown. McCaffrey appeared to reach the end zone once, but replay review overturned it. Newton hit Robby Anderson with a touchdown on the next play.

Speaking of Newton, he saw several snaps in this game. He went 3-of-4 for eight yards, and he scrambled thrice for 14 rushing yards and the aforementioned touchdown.

You have to feel for Phillip Walker because Newton scored all the touchdowns. Walker had a semi-decent game, going 22-of-29 for 167 yards and an interception on an overthrow. However, he’s lucky he wasn’t picked on a second occasion, as an Arizona player dropped a potential interception. Walker also fumbled twice, losing one.

Excluding McCaffrey, Anderson led the Panthers in receiving with four catches for 37 yards and a touchdown, as he must have been thrilled that Sam Darnold wasn’t under center anymore. D.J. Moore (4-24) had a disappointing result.

Eagles 30, Broncos 13

The final score says the Eagles prevailed in a blowout, but this was a tight affair for most of the afternoon. The Eagles constantly led the Broncos, but never by more than 10 points. That changed on a fateful play when the Broncos, trailing by seven, went for it on fourth down in Philadelphia territory late in the third quarter. Melvin Gordon appeared to convert the fourth-and-1 run, but lost the ball prior to hitting the ground. Darius Slay scooped up the ball, and after running backward a bit, he sprinted past everyone and scored an 82-yard touchdown.

This defensive score broke open the game. In fact, Denver didn’t score again after that. The Eagles, conversely, put together a long drive the next time they had the ball, ultimately kicking a field goal to give themselves a 17-point advantage.

Jalen Hurts had a mostly strong performance throughout the afternoon despite losing one of his top two weapons, Dallas Goedert (2-28), to an early injury when he took a nasty hit following a reception. Hurts was terrific on third down, moving the chains on 6-of-13 attempts. He misfired just seven times, going 16-of-23 for 178 yards, two touchdowns and an interception. He also scrambled 14 times for 53 rushing yards.

Despite Hurts’ strong stat line, he made a couple of mistakes. He threw an interception into double coverage while under heavy pressure in the second half, and he was also lucky that Jason Kelce recovered a fumble of his on a strip-sack earlier in the afternoon. Hurts also nearly tossed a second interception when the Broncos fooled him by dropping into zone coverage early in the third quarter. It should be noted that Hurts was robbed of a third potential touchdown when Quez Watkins had the ball fall right through his hands, but that occurred much earlier in the game. Hurts was excellent in the first half, but didn’t do nearly as well following intermission, thanks to some great adjustments by Denver’s defense. Slay’s fumble return touchdown bailed out Hurts.

Hurts’ two touchdowns that counted both went to DeVonta Smith, who continues to have a terrific rookie campaign. Smith hauled in four passes for 66 yards otherwise, with one of his touchdowns coming over former Alabama teammate Patrick Surtain. The next-nearest receiver had half the amount of yardage, with Watkins snatching four balls for 33 yards, though he hurt himself with that dropped ball in the end zone.

The Eagles rammed the ball right down Denver’s throat, as both Jordan Howard (12-83) and Boston Scott (11-81) ripping off big chunks of yardage throughout this contest. Kenneth Gainwell (2-5) once again barely touched the ball.

Denver also had success on the ground, but couldn’t run it as often as the Eagles did because of a constant deficit. Javonte Williams tallied 48 yards on just eight carries, while Gordon (9-45) scored a touchdown, but was guilty of the aforementioned killer fumble. Gordon also dropped a pass.

Teddy Bridgewater had a mixed outing, going 22-of-36 for 226 yards. He made some nice throws, but also missed some receivers when rattled in the pocket.

A big chunk of Bridgewater’s passing game went to Albert Okwuegbunam, who caught a 64-yard pass in the opening half. He led the team with 77 receiving yards on three catches, while the other tight end, Noah Fant, hauled in five balls for 59 yards. Both Jerry Jeudy (6-48) and Courtland Sutton (2-29) disappointed their fantasy owners.

Packers 17, Seahawks 0

Most people wouldn’t have guessed that a matchup between two future Hall of Fame quarterbacks would have resulted in just 17 total points being scored. However, that was the case in this contest because both quarterbacks were playing hurt. Aaron Rodgers was dealing with a toe injury, while Russell Wilson admitted that he wasn’t 100 percent coming off his broken finger.

Both quarterbacks were in rough shape, and that was apparent during one sequence in the second half. The Seahawks engineered a rare, positive drive, entering the red zone for the first time. Wilson, escaping pressure, fired a pass into the end zone, but the pass was picked. Replay review showed that Kevin King dropped the interception, but the officials ruled that the pick would stand. Aaron Rodgers took over, and it was his turn to enter the red zone. Like his counterpart, he was picked off when he heaved a helpless deep shot late over the middle of the field while taking a hit.

Wilson ended up throwing another interception, doing so on a deep shot while down 10-0, while the Packers made sure they didn’t have to rely on their hobbled quarterback. The Packers rammed the ball down Seattle’s throat with A.J. Dillon because Aaron Jones (7-25) suffered an injury. Dillon rushed for 66 yards and two touchdowns on 21 carries, while also catching two passes for 62 receiving yards. He broke numerous tackles in the process. Jones dropped two passes.

Rodgers was a disappointing 23-of-37 for 292 yards and the aforementioned interception. He clearly was not himself, with CBS color analyst Tony Romo citing that Rodgers was a “little rusty.” Rodgers should improve in the coming weeks.

It should surprise no one that Davante Adams led the Packers in receiving with seven catches (11 targets) for 78 yards. Adams took a crushing hit on the opening drive, but missed only one play. The next-leading wide receiver was Marquez Valdes-Scantling, and he hauled in just one pass for 41 yards. Allen Lazard (1-6) dropped a pass on fourth down.

The Seahawks, meanwhile, posted even worse passing numbers. Wilson was just 20-of-40 for 161 yards and two interceptions. He was shut out for the first time in his career. It’s worth noting that Wilson played way late into the game, throwing passes in the final seconds despite being down 17-0. It’s unclear why Pete Carroll risked his quarterback’s health in what was the epitome of garbage time.

Wilson couldn’t quite get the ball to his wide receivers, with D.K. Metcalf (3-26) doing better than Tyler Lockett (2-23). Metcalf, who dropped two passes, includng a third-and-13 ball that would have moved the chains, was ejected late in the game for throwing a punch at a Green Bay player’s helmet. Lockett drew a deep interference flag, but Wilson couldn’t connect with him on a later third-and-15, misfiring badly. Gerald Everett (8-63) was the only Seahawk with more receiving yardage than Metcalf.

Alex Collins rushed for 41 yards on 10 carries. His time as a starting running back is up, as Chris Carson is expected to return this week.

Chiefs 41, Raiders 14

The Chiefs are back! Kansas City has sputtered since Week 2, underperforming on both sides of the ball at an alarming rate. Teams have stopped blitzing Patrick Mahomes, opting to play a cover-2 look to prevent big plays. Mahomes has been frustrated as a result.

Everything changed in this contest. Mahomes was more patient to begin the evening, taking what the Raiders gave him underneath. He also was able to lean on his running game. Eventually, this turned into some big opportunities, as Mahomes delivered numerous impressive strikes to his primary weapons.

It was refreshing, even as a Raider bettor, to see Mahomes display some enthusiasm on the sidelines toward the end of the evening, rather than his usual, frustrated expression. Mahomes was celebrating both the win and his initial 400-yard performance of the season. Mahomes finished 35-of-50 for 406 yards and five touchdowns. He wasn’t perfect – a couple of potential interceptions were dropped – but Mahomes was superb against a Raider team that gave him some issues last year.

Both Travis Kelce and Tyreek Hill enjoyed terrific performances. Kelce caught eight passes for 119 yards, with his only blemish being a dropped pass. Tyreek Hill, meanwhile, snatched seven balls for 83 yards and two touchdowns.

Mahomes other two scores went to Darrel Williams and Byron Pringle. Williams had a monster receiving performance, catching all nine of his targets for 101 yards and the score. He didn’t do as much on the ground, gaining 43 yards on 11 carries.

As for the Raiders, they crushed themselves with mistakes. As mentioned, they dropped a pair of Mahomes interceptions. Following those failed opportunities, the Chiefs put together nice gains and ultimately scored on both possessions. The Raiders also surrendered a fake punt conversion, while Desean Jackson lost a fumble after catching a 38-yard pass. Jackson inexplicably stopped and then moved backward following the deep reception, allowing a Kansas City defensive back to strip the ball.

Derek Carr was also guilty of mistakes. He heaved a couple of yolo throws up for grabs, one of which was intercepted. He had a strong first half, but wilted as the evening progressed. Carr finished 25-of-35 for 261 yards, two touchdowns and the pick.

Carr’s touchdowns went to Bryan Edwards (3-68) and Hunter Renfrow (7-46). He had a third score to Darren Waller (4-24) in garbage time wiped out by a holding penalty.

The Raiders couldn’t run the ball whatsoever against the Chiefs’ suddenly improved run defense. Carr actually led the team in rushing with his 18 yards on three scrambles. Josh Jacobs (7-16) had a horrendous evening.

49ers 31, Rams 10

The 49ers fell into the trap of taking the Kyler Murray- and DeAndre Hopkins-less Cardinals lightly last week, suffering a humiliating loss as a result. At 3-5, this was close to a must-win for the 49ers, and they played like it. They put full effort into this contest, obliterating the Rams, as they dominated on both sides of the ball.

San Francisco’s defense set the tone for this game when it forced Matthew Stafford into interceptions on his first two drives. The first pick was a deep shot to Odell Beckham Jr., as Stafford had a miscommunication with his new weapon. The next interception wasn’t really Stafford’s fault, though he had another potential pick that was dropped. The interception that counted was a ball that bounced off Tyler Higbee’s hands and into the arms of Jimmie Ward, who ran the other way for a touchdown.

This put the 49ers up 14-0, a lead they would never relinquish. The Rams didn’t even get to double digits until a garbage-time field goal with 3:48 remaining in regulation, as their defense struggled to get off the field. The 49ers converted 8-of-14 third downs, dominating the time of possession by holding the ball for 39 minutes in the game. This includes the opening touchdown drive, which was an 18-play, 11-minute scoring possession that culminated with a George Kittle touchdown reception.

Garoppolo was sharp in this game, misfiring on just four occasions. He went 15-of-19 for 182 yards and two touchdowns. He made precise throws whenever his team needed him to do so, and he had a clean pocket most of the time. The Rams’ pass rush, which was supposed to be enhanced by Von Miller, was nowhere to be found.

Kittle, who caught five passes for 50 yards, scored Garoppolo’s first touchdown. Deebo Samuel snatched the second. Samuel made a mockery of the Rams’ secondary despite the supposed tough matchup. He caught five passes for 97 yards along with the touchdown, and he had a second score on the ground.

Samuel actually saw five carries in this game, rushing for 36 yards and the touchdown in the process. Samuel’s five attempts were part of a San Francisco ground attack that handled 42 carries (44 if you include Garoppolo’s scrambles). The Rams had no answer for this. Elijah Mitchell dashed for 91 yards on 27 attempts, while Jeff Wilson Jr. gained 28 yards on 10 tries in his 2021 debut.

The Rams were way behind, so they couldn’t run the ball nearly as often. This is why Darrell Henderson was given just five carries, which he turned into 31 yards.

Stafford made more blunders beyond those on the first two drives. He nearly had two other interceptions, not including the aforementioned dropped pick on the second drive. One near-interception occurred when he threw behind his receiver, while another dropped pick was the result of heave into double coverage. This doesn’t include an interception that was wiped out by pass interference!

Stafford finished 26-of-41 for 243 yards, one touchdown and the two picks. He has not looked like himself since hurting his back a couple of weeks ago. He sorely needs this upcoming bye week to recover.

Stafford wasn’t the only Ram making mistakes. Cooper Kupp dropped a third-down pass, though he still managed to log 11 receptions for 122 yards. Higbee (3-20) caught a touchdown, but was responsible for Stafford’s second pick. He also dropped a pass on third down. Van Jefferson (3-54) committed a drop in the end zone during the second half.

For more thoughts, check out my updated NFL Power Rankings, which will be posted Tuesday morning.