NFL Game Recaps: Week 3, 2022

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

Browns 29, Steelers 17

Everyone believed this game would be a defensive grinder where both scoring units would have trouble moving the chains consistently because of the expected 25-mph winds. There may have been a belief that this contest would be a carbon copy of the Bills-Patriots affair on a Monday night last year. Instead, both offenses were incredibly efficient in the opening half, with the two teams combining for 402 net yards of offense by intermission. The quarterbacks were not affected by the wind at all, as both Jacoby Brissett and Mitchell Trubisky were delivering terrific passes throughout the first two quarters. By halftime, this game was on pace to see 54 points, well above the betting total of 38.

The second half felt like a completely different game. The quarterbacks weren’t as great, with the two signal-callers combining for just 15 completions, some of which occurred via Trubisky’s garbage time. Brissett wasn’t entirely to blame, as his receivers dropped two passes, and the coaching staff called plenty of running plays to run down the clock. Trubisky, on the other hand, struggled mightily with multiple three-and-outs. Trubisky even was boosted with a couple of Cleveland defenders – Anthony Walker, Jeramiah Owusu-Koramoah – being knocked out with injuries, but the Browns were able to stymie him and his offense completely.

Brissett ended up finishing 21-of-31 for 220 yards and two touchdowns. Brissett would’ve had a bigger night had Amari Cooper and David Njoku not dropped passes that would’ve gained significant yardage. Aside from a couple of late throws, Brissett made no mistakes in this economical performance. He also converted a trio of fourth-and-1 sneaks, which was not a surprise because he’s automatic in that role.

Speaking of Cooper and Njoku, they were Brissett’s top receivers in this contest. Cooper snatched seven of his 11 targets for 101 yards and a touchdown, while Njoku reeled in nine of his 10 targets for 89 yards and a score. No other Browns player accumulated more than 14 receiving yards.

The rushing attack, of course, was key to making the passing game happen. Nick Chubb rumbled for 113 yards and a touchdown on 23 carries. An early 36-yard run of his set up Brissett’s first touchdown of the evening. Kareem Hunt, meanwhile, dashed for 47 yards on 12 attempts. He also caught three passes for 14 receiving yards.

Najee Harris looked like he would have a nice rushing performance as well, reaching 46 yards by halftime. Harris, however, was limited to 56 yards on 15 attempts by the end of regulation. He helped his fantasy owners with a touchdown, at least.

As mentioned earlier, Trubisky struggled as the night progressed. His amazing passes from the first half were nowhere to be seen following intermission. He finished 20-of-32 for 207 yards. With a mini-bye to prepare for the Jets, Mike Tomlin should consider preparing Kenny Pickett because Trubisky clearly is not the answer.

Diontae Johnson easily led the Steelers in receiving, catching eight of his 11 targets for 84 yards. He also drew an interference flag near the goal line. Pat Freiermuth was next (2-41) even though he didn’t log a single catch prior to the final complete drive of the evening. George Pickens, meanwhile, looked impressive. He caught three passes for 39 yards, but one of the receptions was an Odell Beckham-type, one-handed snag where he hauled in a pass while falling down.

Ravens 37, Patriots 26

This game was centered around the legs of the two quarterbacks. It can’t be surprising that Lamar Jackson is involved in that description, as he is the most dynamic dual-threat signal-caller in the NFL. Bill Belichick’s defenses have long struggled against scrambling quarterbacks, and that was the case in this game. The Ravens posted a high number on the Patriots, thanks to five touchdowns by Jackson. Four came aerially, but Jackson’s 11 rushes for 107 yards really made it difficult for the Patriots to stop what the Ravens were doing offensively, particularly in the second half.

It really was night and day for the Ravens following intermission. Four of Jackson’s touchdowns came after the break, as he finished 18-of-29 for 218 yards, four touchdowns and an interception, which was a miscommunication with his receiver. He also ran 11 times for 107 yards. Jackson may have had an opportunity to score a sixth touchdown if it wasn’t for a Rashod Bateman lost fumble.

Meanwhile, Mac Jones made plenty of plays with his legs as well. He had a sequence where he scrambled on a third-and-9 to pick up eight yards, and on the ensuing fourth-and-1, he danced around in the pocket, avoiding potential sacks like his counterpart, and then finding Jonnu Smith with a connection to the Baltimore 1-yard line. Following a Rhamondre Stevenson touchdown, Jones scrambled into the end zone for the two-point conversion off a Rhamondre Stevenson pitch.

Jones once again showed off his surprising footwork on the next drive, running to the Baltimore 10-yard line to set up a first-and-goal. However, he made a crucial error, floating a pass into the end zone that was picked off by Marlon Humphrey. Jones still had one more chance after that and sailed a beautiful pass to Nelson Agholor, who ran into Baltimore territory. However, Agholor lost the ball, and Marcus Peters scooped up the ball before rolling out of bounds.

The game was lost by then, but Jones tried for a miracle in desperation time. This backfired, as he threw an interception. Even worse, he suffered an injury to his leg, as he hopped off the field in pain. He finished 22-of-32 for 321 yards and three interceptions. He was inconsistent in this game; he made some great throws and had those key scrambles, but he was guilty of an ugly interception which was the result of him failing to see the linebacker. He also had a potential pick-six that was dropped. Furthermore, Jones had DeVante Parker available for a touchdown on a fourth down, but didn’t see him, opting to check down the ball instead. This is disappointing, but the concern is obviously his injury, which is a high ankle sprain.

There were two top play-makers in this game, with one being a surprise. The surprise was not Mark Andrews, who reeled in eight of his 13 targets for 89 yards and two touchdowns. He and Bateman (2-59) were the only Ravens who logged more than 21 receiving yards. Andrews made a mistake early with a drop, but was able to redeem himself with a one-handed catch on the same drive. One of his touchdowns was a thing of beauty, as Andrews reached over Devin McCourty for the ball in the end zone.

The shocking performance came from Parker, who accomplished nothing with the Patriots through two weeks. That changed, perhaps because of Jakobi Meyers’ injury. Parker caught five passes for 156 yards, greatly outclassing Kendrick Bourne (4-58) and Agholor (2-41). Parker made three brilliant catches in the third quarter. One was a tough reception in between two defenders. The second featured a terrific toe-tap near the sideline. The third was a diving grab.

J.K. Dobbins made his 2022 debut coming off a torn ACL. As expected, he split the workload with another back, and that back was Justice Hill. He rushed for only 23 yards on seven carries, while Hill (6-60) was far better.

Stevenson was the leading rusher in this game not named Jackson. He rumbled for 73 yards and a touchdown on 12 carries, and he also caught four passes for 28 receiving yards. Damien Harris also ran into the end zone, but gained only 41 yards on 11 tries.

Dolphins 21, Bills 19

The Bills certainly had their work cut out for them in this game. Not only would they be playing in a humid, 90-degree environment with the sun beating down on their dark jerseys; they had to battle the Dolphins with seven missing starters. Still, they nearly prevailed, and would have done so if they didn’t spoil so many opportunities.

Buffalo had a good chance to establish control of this contest in the third quarter when Josh Allen appeared to find Gabe Davis for a touchdown, but Davis dropped the ball. Matt Milano was the next player to show bricks for hands, as he dropped an easy pick-six. Tyler Bass then missed a field goal from 38, and then a Buffalo personal foul penalty gave the Dolphins a free first-and-goal on the Buffalo 5-yard line, which the Dolphins were able to transform into a Chase Edmonds touchdown to take the lead, 21-17.

The Bills had two chances late in the game to prevail, though Stefon Diggs was not available for numerous plays due to heat exhaustion. The first drive was spoiled by Allen failing to see an open Devin Singletary in the end zone on a third down. Allen then skipped a pass to a receiver on the next play. The second possession, which occurred following a blocked punt for a safety, ended because the Bills ran out of time. Allen was under heavy pressure and had to heave a pass to Isaiah McKenzie, who couldn’t get out of bounds. The clock ran out on the Bills, and Miami was the team to improve to 3-0.

Despite the loss, Allen posted monstrous numbers. He went 42-of-63 for 400 yards and two touchdowns to go along with 47 rushing yards on eight scrambles. The stats look great, but Allen could have easily been intercepted three times, as Miami’s defenders had issues catching the ball as well. He also lost a first-half fumble to set up a Miami touchdown.

Diggs, as mentioned, had to leave at times because he couldn’t deal with the heat. He ended up with seven catches for 74 yards, while Davis (3-37) wasn’t quite himself either. Instead, Singletary and McKenzie picked up the slack. Singletary caught nine of his 11 targets for 78 yards and a touchdown, while McKenzie snatched seven of the nine balls going his way for 76 yards and a score.

As for the Dolphins, Tua Tagovailoa showed great fortitude to lead his team to a victory because it seemed as though he was knocked out of the game when he suffered a potential concussion late in the second quarter. He went into the locker room, forcing Teddy Bridgewater into action. Tagovailoa, however, returned in the third quarter and led his team to victory, finishing 13-of-18 for 186 yards and a touchdown. The stats aren’t great, but he did a great job of keeping the chains moving and refraining from committing turnovers. His best play was a 45-yard bomb to Jaylen Waddle on a third-and-22 to set up a touchdown. He also had a gain of about 20 yards dropped by a fullback.

Save for Waddle, none of Tagovailoa’s receivers did much, with Tyreek Hill being limited to two grabs for 33 yards. Waddle (4-102) was way ahead of everyone. They were vultured by River Cracraft (1-11).

Edmonds also scored, doing so twice. He had fewer carries than Raheem Mostert, 8-6, but outgained Mostert, 21-11.

Bears 23, Texans 20

With so many talented quarterbacks available in the 2023 NFL Draft, Justin Fields has a 1-year audition to remain the Bears’ starter. This was one of his easiest matchups of the season, so he had a great opportunity to convince the front office that he can be the franchise signal-caller. Instead, Fields had a dreadful performance, as Chicago won despite his incompetence.

Fields failed to complete half of his passes in this game, but his two interceptions are worrying. The first was a poorly thrown ball to Cole Kmet, while the second one was an ugly overthrow. To be fair, Fields didn’t have much protection from his dreadful offensive line, as he was sacked five times, but that doesn’t explain the poor accuracy that led to the two picks.

Fields ended up 8-of-17 for 106 yards and the pair of interceptions. He scrambled seven times for 48 rushing yards, but he needs to show improved accuracy, especially when playing against one of the worst teams in the NFL. Furthermore, the coaching staff needs to have more faith in him. Chicago opted to run the ball on a third-and-10 on the Houston 35-yard line, and then again on a third-and-6 on its own 14, with both situations occurring in the first half. Then, prior to halftime, the Bears had the ball on their own 28-yard line with three timeouts and 40 seconds on the clock. They didn’t even try to score. Chicago simply doesn’t trust Fields at all.

As bad as Fields was, he was able to prevail because the other quarterback made the worst mistake of the game. Davis Mills didn’t see Roquan Smith when he attempted a pass late in the game. Smith snatched the interception to put the Bears into easy field goal range. Cairo Santos drilled the 30-yard kick to get the win.

Mills had a better stat line than Fields, going 20-of-32 for 245 yards, one touchdown and two interceptions. Mills’ other pick was a late throw into the end zone to Brandin Cooks, which caused the ball to pop into the air. Although better than Fields in this game, Mills is definitely not the long-term answer for the Texans, so it’s a good thing for Houston that it lost to Chicago in what was an important game for draft positioning.

The best offensive player in this game was Khalil Herbert, who had a monstrous performance. Taking over for an injured David Montgomery on the second drive, Herbert trampled the Texans for 157 yards and two touchdowns on 20 carries. He also caught a pair of passes for 12 receiving yards.

Houston’s runner also did mostly well, with Dameon Pierce rushing for 81 yards and a touchdown on 20 carries. Like last week, he served as the primary ball-carrier, as Rex Burkhead was given just three attempts. Pierce also showed a great spin move on a 12-yard catch. However, he fumbled twice. His teammates recovered on both instances, but Pierce wasn’t seen again following his second fumble, which occurred on the penultimate drive of the afternoon.

The pass-catchers didn’t do much in this game. Cooks hauled in just one of his six targets for 17 yards, while Cole Kmet led the Bears with 40 receiving yards on his two receptions. Cooks had some bad luck; he came down with a reception on one play, but had just a single foot inbounds. He also drew an illegal contact penalty.

Colts 20, Chiefs 17

The Colts acquired Matt Ryan as a replacement for Carson Wentz because they believed he would be a steady, turnover-free presence for the team that it did not get with Carson Wentz last year. Ryan certainly did not play that way in this game in what was a desperate situation for an Indianapolis squad with no victories heading into Week 3. Ryan was even granted an early touchdown via a Skyy Moore muffed punt. With a 7-0 lead, Ryan had the ball just over midfield. He was trying a fourth-and-1, but lost a fumble on a strip-sack to set up the Chiefs on a very short field. Ryan was later strip-sacked again because he was sloppy with the ball.

The Chiefs took over with two possessions in Indianapolis territory, thanks to the two first-half Ryan fumbles. This led to 14 Kansas City points, which was the entire offense prior to intermission. The Colts limited the Chiefs to 102 net yards and 3.8 yards per play in the first two quarters, but because of Ryan’s incompetence, Kansas City had a 14-10 lead entering the second half.

It seemed like the Chiefs would be able to wrap up this game quite easily, but it became their turn to make killer mistakes. Justin Watson dropped a third-down pass in the red zone. They tried a fake field goal, which failed miserably. Travis Kelce dropped a pass in the end zone. Backup kicker Matt Ammendola missed a 34-yard attempt. And if all that wasn’t bad enough, the Chiefs stopped the Colts on fourth down late in regulation, but a Chris Jones unsportsmanlike conduct penalty gave Indianapolis a free set of downs. The Colts were able to capitalize on this by finishing the drive with Ryan redeeming himself with a touchdown pass to Jelani Woods.

The Chiefs still had enough time to potentially move into field goal range, but one final mistake – a Patrick Mahomes interception off a deflection – sealed the deal for the Colts.

As bad as Ryan was in the opening half, he was terrific following intermission. He finished 27-of-37 for 222 yards and two touchdowns overall, but was 16-of-20 for 139 yards and one score in the second half. It looked like he was going to be responsible for throwing this game away, but he came through in the clutch.

Ryan had to do everything himself in this game because the Colts couldn’t find any running lanes. The Chiefs put the clamps on Jonathan Taylor, limiting him to only 58 yards on 20 carries. Taylor’s worst moment was when he foolishly tried leaping over a pile at the Kansas City 30-yard line. Taylor risked fumbling and didn’t come close to crossing the needed line to gain on fourth down.

Both of Ryan’s touchdowns went to Jelani Woods, who didn’t make a reception otherwise. Woods is a talented, young tight end with plenty of upside for the future. Meanwhile, Michael Pittman led the Colts in receiving with eight grabs for 72 yards.

Like Ryan, Mahomes had to do everything himself because of a lacking rushing attack. In fact, he led the team in that department with four scrambles for 26 yards. Mahomes, who didn’t have much time in the pocket, went 20-of-35 for 262 yards, one touchdown and the interception at the end, which wasn’t his fault.

Mahomes threw to three players primarily. JuJu Smith-Schuster and Kelce saw eight targets each for five catches for 89 yards, and four receptions for 58 yards, respectively. Kelce caught Mahomes’ only touchdown. Marquez Valdes-Scantling, meanwhile, saw seven balls go his way. He snatched four of them for 48 yards.

As mentioned, the Chiefs got nothing out of their running game. Clyde Edwards-Helaire scored a touchdown, but mustered only three yards on his six carries. Jerick McKinnon was marginally better, gaining 20 yards on seven tries.

Bengals 27, Jets 12

The Bengals lost this matchup to Mike White last year, but they couldn’t afford to slip up again. They were 0-2 entering this contest, so another loss would put them in an enormous hole. They managed to avoid the dreaded 0-3 start, but there are still some problems.

Primarily, the offensive line didn’t hold up very well. Joe Burrow took only two sacks, but saw plenty of heat from a defense ranked 30th in pressure rate. This would explain why the Bengals managed to average just five yards per play against one of the worst defenses in the NFL.

Another problem the Bengals have, at least in the short term, is that Tee Higgins may not be available for the Thursday night matchup against the Dolphins. Higgins was blasted on a 47-yard reception and was knocked out for the game. Cincinnati’s offense isn’t as potent without its two dynamic receivers, and that proved to be the case in this game because the Bengals scored just 10 points in the two-and-a-half quarters following his exit.

Clearly missing Higgins, Burrow went into a shell in the second half, accumulating only 50 passing yards. He finished 23-of-36 for 275 yards and three touchdowns overall. He was lucky he wasn’t intercepted when a Jets defender dropped one of his passes.

Even though Higgins didn’t play for more than two quarters, he was still second on the team in receiving with five catches for 93 yards. He trailed only Tyler Boyd, who snatched four balls for 105 yards and a score. Boyd should have scored two touchdowns, but one was wiped out by a holding penalty. This sort of a performance was not a surprise, as Boyd always steps up when one of the primary receivers gets hurt. Also, Ja’Marr Chase didn’t produce much, as he six catches went for only 29 yards, though he scored a touchdown. Chase lost a fumble to set up a Jets field goal.

Joe Mixon was a colossal disappointment with only 24 yards on 12 carries. He didn’t have the luxury of running late because the Jets swapped to Samaje Perine with a short work week ahead of them.

Moving on to the Jets, they didn’t quite carry over the offensive explosion from the end of Week 2. Joe Flacco struggled miserably, going 28-of-52 for 285 yards and two interceptions. He also lost a fumble deep in his own territory to set up a Cincinnati touchdown. One of Flacco’s interceptions was especially poor, as he failed to see Logan Wilson.
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Though the Jets have three gifted wideouts, the leading receiver in this game was Tyler Conklin, who made seven grabs for 74 yards. Garrett Wilson was next with five receptions for 61 yards. It appeared as though Wilson would get knocked out of the game when he took a crushing hit in the second quarter, but he ended up being fine.

The Jets’ other offensive rookie, Breece Hall, had a solid statistical outing. He rushed for only 39 yards on eight carries, but did most of his damage as a receiver, catching six passes for 53 receiving yards. He split his carries almost evenly with Michael Carter (9-32), which really needs to change soon.

Eagles 24, Redskins 8

To say that the Eagles absolutely dominated this game is an understatement. They obliterated the Redskins on both sides of the ball so much so that some may have been wondering if a Division III college football team was lining up on the other side of Philadelphia.

The Eagles’ defense set the tone in this game. They sacked Carson Wentz six times on the first five drives. Two of the sacks resulted in fumbles, one of which was recovered by Philadelphia. This set up a Jalen Hurts touchdown to Dallas Goedert. Wentz, by the half, was just 2-of-7 for 21 yards, as his team mustered only 50 net yards of offense.

Hurts, meanwhile, had a tough time in the opening quarter with some pressure as well, but eventually began torching the Redskins’ beleaguered back seven. This includes a 45-yard bomb to Devonta Smith just prior to halftime, with Smith landing at the 1-yard line. At the very last second prior to intermission, Hurts took the snap on fourth down and fired a touchdown to Smith. This gave the Eagles a 24-0 lead heading into the break.

Hurts attempted just eight passes in the second half, which is why Philadelphia didn’t score after intermission. They took their foot off the gas, though Hurts still finished 22-of-35 for 340 yards and three touchdowns. He wasn’t as much of a factor on the ground, scrambling nine times for 20 yards.

DeVonta Smith has rebounded well since going catchless in Week 1. Smith hauled in eight of his 12 targets for 169 yards and a touchdown. Brown also had a big game with five grabs for 85 yards and a score.

The Eagles didn’t accomplish anything on the ground, which is a complete change from a year ago. Miles Sanders led the team with 46 yards on 15 carries.

As for the Redskins, Wentz was able to accumulate some garbage stats despite taking nine sacks overall, finishing 25-of-43 for 211 yards. Terry McLaurin was happy about this, as he was able to catch five passes for 87 yards. Curtis Samuel (6-43) also did well for his PPR owners.

Antonio Gibson scored the lone garbage-time touchdown at the very end. He managed 38 yards on 12 carries otherwise.

Panthers 22, Saints 14

The Panthers prevailed for the first time this year after two bad-luck losses. However, that didn’t mean that Baker Mayfield finally performed on a high level. Mayfield continued to struggle, failing to complete half of his passes. Thanks to Mayfield’s incompetence, the Panthers were outgained, 426-293. Some of that was the byproduct of garbage time, but New Orleans still held the yardage advantage at halftime, 162-97.

So, how did the Saints lose with that yardage advantage? It was killer errors that sabotaged a potential victory. The primary blunder was an Alvin Kamara lost fumble that was run back for a touchdown. New Orleans also had one of its field goal attempts blocked, while another one was missed. Furthermore, the Saints squandered a third-and-4 try because of an errant snap; Kamara dropped a pass; and Jameis Winston had a pass sail into the arms of a Carolina defender after the ball was tipped at the line of scrimmage.

And then there was Jameis Winston, who missed some throws. Winston is dealing with a back injury, which was prevalent in last week’s three-point performance versus the Buccaneers. Winston was still off the mark on too many of his passes. He was able to finish with a respectable stat line – 25-of-41, 353 yards, one touchdown, two interceptions – but big chunks came in garbage time. Winston had just 112 yards by halftime, and he was extremely fortunate that he wasn’t picked off twice. The Panthers dropped a pair of his potential interceptions, one of which occurred when he fired behind Chris Olave.

Going back to Mayfield, he finished 12-of-25 for 170 yards and a touchdown. The score was even a fluke, as a short pass to Laviska Shenault ended up going the distance for a 67-yard score. Thus, Mayfield would have barely eclipsed the century mark if it wasn’t for that play. Mayfield continued to see way too much pressure in the pocket, but even when he had time, his passes were way off the mark. An early pass of his was nowhere near D.J. Moore, and then he missed Christian McCaffrey in the flat. Mayfield also took a bad sack in the first quarter when he could have just thrown away the ball.

It would make sense for the Panthers to counter this pressure with some throws to McCaffrey, but the dynamic back caught just two passes in this contest. He was able to rush for 104 yards on 24 carries, but it doesn’t appear as though the Carolina coaching staff is aware that he can function as a potent threat while working as a receiver out of the backfield.

Kamara, the other prolific runner in this game, didn’t have as much success. He was limited to 61 yards on 15 carries. He also caught just two passes for 12 receiving yards, though he saw seven targets, compared to four to McCaffrey. As mentioned, he was guilty of a drop.

The Saints had the top receiver in this affair. That was rookie Olave, who had a monstrous stat line of nine catches for 147 yards. Olave made a terrific catch in the second half when he was able to leap for the ball. Michael Thomas (5-49) was knocked out of this contest with a foot injury.

Except for Shenault, no Panther logged more than 22 receiving yards. Moore caught one ball for two yards. Mayfield simply couldn’t get the ball to him, whether that was because of poor accuracy or miserable pass protection.

Matt Millen was the color analyst for this game, and he delivered his usual, sketchy-sounding lines. Here were some:

– Take the guy on and then disengage.

– There’s the hole behind him.

– You gotta shoot those bad boys, it is tough to play.

I’m surprised the FCC didn’t cut the transmission of this game.

Vikings 28, Lions 24
By Charlie Campbell – @draftcampbell

EDITOR’S NOTE: Ugh, I can’t believe the Lions blew this game. I have a huge play on their over 6.5 wins, which would’ve looked great if they prevailed in Minnesota. They led for most of the game, but just choked in the end.

The Lions were in control for most of this game, but they were not the same team in the second half when D’Andre Swift and Amon-Ra St. Brown barely played. Aidan Hutchinson was playing hurt as well, but Detroit still had its chances and should have won this contest. Minnesota stole this division win, but Dalvin Cook left the game with a shoulder injury. Cook missing time would have a huge impact on Minnesota.

The Lions put together a good opening drive, but Austin Seibert had a field goal attempt bounce off the upright. Minnesota took advantage with Dalvin Cook gashing Detroit and Rhett Ellison picking up a good gain on a bootleg completion, but Greg Joseph then missed his own field goal attempt for the Vikings. Midway through the first quarter, Detroit went for it on fourth-and-5 and hit St. Brown on the run as he took off for a 30-yard gain. On the next play, Jamaal Williams powered the ball into the end zone. Williams converted a fourth-and-1, and on an ensuing fourth-and-1, Jared Goff went play action to connect with Josh Reynolds to get to the 15-yard line. Goff capped the drive by finding T.J. Hockenson wide open for a short touchdown to go up 14-0.

The Vikings responded with a nice drive on which they spreading the ball around, plus were helped by a Mike Hughes pass interference in the end zone. They finished it with a one-yard pass to Adam Thielen (6-61-1) to cut the Detroit lead to 14-7. The Lions gave away possession on downs, as Eric Kendricks broke up a fourth-down pass at midfield to set up the Vikings offense. Kirk Cousins soon converted a fourth-and-6 with a rope to Thielen. Another completion to Thielen then set up a short rushing touchdown for Cook. That had the Lions and Vikings tied at 14 at the half.

In the third quarter, Goff converted a fourth-and-1 with a completion to Reynolds, but the drive stalled and Detroit had to settle for a 40-yard field goal from Seibert. The Vikings got a drive going, but Joseph missed another attempt, this one from 56 yards. Goff made Minnesota pay with completions to St. Brown and Reynolds to set up a 13-yard touchdown run from Jamaal Williams. On the ensuing drive, Dalvin Cook fumbled the ball away after running into the back of teammate Ben Cleveland. On that play, Cook got rocked by Michael Brockers after the fumble, and the hit took Cook out of the game with a shoulder injury.

In the fourth quarter, the Vikings put together a drive into Detroit territory and finished it with a 6-yard touchdown from Alexander Mattison. Minnesota got the ball back and approached midfield, but on a fourth-and-8, Cousins threw incomplete. With 75 seconds remaining, Seibert missed a 54-yard field goal, which gave the Vikings the ball at their own 44. Cousins completed a 29 pass to K. J. Osborn (5-73-1) to get inside the Detroit 30, and on the next play, Osborn torched Mike Hughes to haul in a 28-yard touchdown. Minnesota closed out the game by intercepting the last-ditch Hail Mary to clinch this fortunate win.

Cousins completed 24-of-41 passes for 260 yards and two touchdowns.

Cook took 17 carries for 96 yards and a touchdown.

Justin Jefferson was held to three catches for 14 yards.

Goff completed 25-of-41 passes for 277 yards, a touchdown and an interception.

Jamaal Williams ran for 87 yards and two touchdowns on 20 carries. He also caught two passes for 20 yards. Swift saw only seven carries for 31 yards and three catches for 15 yards.

St. Brown (6-73) was on his way way to another big game before suffering a leg injury. He hobbled and continued to get in some plays, but he was clearly not the same.

Titans 24, Raiders 22
By Charlie Campbell – @draftcampbell

EDITOR’S NOTE: So much for all four teams in the AFC West making the playoffs. The Raiders are now 0-3 after such high expectations in the wake of the Davante Adams trade.

The Titans and Raiders were in the playoffs last year, but both were backed into a corner looking to avoid the dreaded 0-3 start. The difference in this game came down to coaching, as Mike Vrabel had his team ready to go and the Raiders left a lot of points on the field through self-inflicted wounds. Las Vegas owner Mark Davis made a huge mistake hiring Josh McDaniels as head coach and not keeping the staff of Rich Bisaccia, Greg Olson and Gus Bradley that rallied the Raiders into the playoffs last year despite the Jon Gruden hit job, the Henry Ruggs tragedy, and the injury to Darren Waller down the stretch.

McDaniels is really struggling as a play-caller and schemer in terms of getting his playmakers the ball. Davante Adams (5-36-1) and Darren Waller (3-22) were non-factors again. Playing in the toughest division in football, the 0-3 Raiders are in a massive hole to make the playoffs this season. Meanwhile, the Titans have stopped the bleeding in a very winnable AFC South.

The Titans took the opening drive down the field, led by a 23-yard screen to Derrick Henry. Treylon Burks and Robert Woods provided other chunk gains before Ryan Tannehill found a wide-open Geoff Swaim in the end zone. Las Vegas moved into Tennessee territory thanks to a pass interference penalty. Derek Carr converted a third-and-long with a completion to Mack Hollins, but the Raiders settled for a Daniel Carlson field goal.

Tennessee responded with a 42-yard completion to Woods to get inside the 15, and the team finished the drive with Henry plunging into the end zone to start the second quarter. Las Vegas got moving with a seam completion to Foster Moreau and a trick play for about 25 yards. Carr then found Adams in the back of the end zone to make it 14-10 Titans. Tannehill continued to use Woods to move the chains, and Henry took off on a 24-yard run to the one-yard line before Tannehill plunged over the goal line. A Rashad Weaver sack and a nice punt return set up the Titans at midfield with 30 seconds left. Tannehill then tossed a few completions to set up a field goal from Randy Bullock and let the Titans take a 24-10 lead into the locker room.

In the third quarter, Carr converted a fourth-and-1 with a short pass to Hollins, but the drive stalled and Las Vegas had to settle for another field goal. Tannehill set up the Raiders in good position thanks to the poor decision of throwing into double coverage, and Duron Harmon’s easy interception set up Carr at the Titans 31. The Raiders went backward with penalties, howefer, and ended up punting.

Early in the fourth quarter, Carr had a 17-yard completion to Darren Waller and a hit to the head moved the Raiders inside the 15. On third-and-3, Carr’s pass was deflected and Kevin Byard picked off the errant ball to save Tennessee some points. After forcing a punt, the Raiders produced a field goal drive to make it 24-16 late in the fourth quarter. Carr had one more drive and moved inside the Titans 20. On fourth-and-10 at the 15, Waller drew a holding penalty to set up first-and-goal at the 10. Hollins then caught a touchdown on the next fourth down. The Raiders went for two, but the conversion pass was tipped and fell incomplete, clinch the win for the Titans.

Tannehill completed 19-of-27 passes for 164 yards, a touchdown and an interception.

Henry ran for 85 yards on 20 carries and a touchdown. He had five receptions for 58 yards as well.

Woods led the Titans through the air with four catches for 85 yards.

Carr completed 26-of-44 passes for 303 yards, two touchdowns and an interception.

Josh Jacobs ran for 66 yards on 13 carries.

Hollins led the Raiders with eight catches for 158 yards and a touchdown.

Jaguars 38, Chargers 10

It seemed like a foregone conclusion that Justin Herbert would sit out this game after taking a brutal shot to the ribs last week. The spread and total dropped four and five points, respectively, so even the sportsbooks assumed this would happen. Herbert, however, defied the odds by suiting up to battle the Jaguars. The result was an injury-ravaged blowout loss, and yet Herbert wasn’t even the one who got hurt.

The Chargers lost two key players in this game, initially seeing Joey Bosa get knocked out with a groin injury. Bosa’s absence really opened up the Jacksonville offense, which stalled early in the red zone and then began scoring touchdowns. Trevor Lawrence was happy to see Bosa out of the game, as he went 28-of-39 for 262 yards and three touchdowns. Lawrence has improved exponentially from last year, and even from the Week 1 loss to the Redskins. He looks like the franchise quarterback Jacksonville was expecting when it obtained him atop the 2022 NFL Draft.

The second key player to get knocked out for the Chargers was left tackle Rashawn Slater. This made life extremely difficult for Herbert, who was already playing behind the eight ball; not just because of his injury, but thanks to the absence of center Corey Linsley and Keenan Allen. With Slater knocked out, the Chargers had no chance to mount any sort of comeback, though it’s not like they were doing much offensively anyway. The Chargers logged just 116 net yards of offense in the opening half, compared to 216 by Jacksonville.

Herbert finished 25-of-45 for 297 yards, one touchdown and an interception, which bounced off the hands of Sony Michel. Herbert showed no signs of his injury on a ridiculous 54-yard bomb to Jalen Guyton, but he wasn’t quite himself on numerous other attempts. He should have rested.

The Jaguars did a great job of limiting Mike Williams, erasing him with bracket coverage. Williams, as a result, caught just one pass, though it was a 15-yard touchdown. Herbert threw primarily to Joshua Palmer, who hauled in six of his nine targets for 99 yards.

Austin Ekeler was a huge disappointment as a rusher, mustering only five yards on four carries. He was at least capable as a receiver out of the backfield, catching all seven of his targets for 42 yards.

James Robinson was the most productive runner in this game, by far, as he reached 100 yards on the dot with his 17 carries. He also scored a touchdown when he broke free on a 50-yard scamper. Travis Etienne looked good in the stat line, but only because he was given work in garbage time; he gained 45 yards on 13 attempts, and he also caught three passes for 30 receiving yards.

Christian Kirk continued to find the end zone, catching five of his eight targets for 68 yards and a touchdown. Zay Jones was Jacksonville’s leading receiver with 10 receptions for 85 yards and a score.

Rams 20, Cardinals 12

It didn’t seem like either team really wanted to win this game. Both squads made major blunders, with Arizona beginning with a blocked punt. This put the Rams in a great spot to score a quick touchdown, but Allen Robinson dropped the ball in the end zone.

The Rams were stuck at 13 points for quite a while in this game, as there was some frustration, especially when Matthew Stafford overthrew a wide-open Cooper Kupp because of a miscommunication. Stafford and Kupp argued about where the latter was supposed to be, but the two found their way later on the drive, as Stafford muscled away from a potential sack to hit Kupp for a first down in a 13-9 affair. Cam Akers then ran into the end zone to open up a 20-9 advantage.

This 20-9 deficit for the Cardinals was insurmountable for them because they couldn’t stop shooting themselves in the foot. On top of the blocked punt, the Cardinals dropped a whopping five passes in the opening half alone. Kyler Murray could have enjoyed a rare, big game against the Rams – he was 17-of-28 for 169 yards in the opening half – but those five drops spoiled a potential upset.

Murray finished 37-of-58 for 314 yards, picking up chunks of yardage in garbage time. He was fortunate that he wasn’t intercepted when he fired a horrible pass off his back foot. He saw plenty of pressure from Aaron Donald and the rest of the Rams front.

Two players who didn’t let Murray down were Marquise Brown and Greg Dortch. Brown had a monster game despite seeing Jalen Ramsey in coverage sometimes. He reeled in 14 of his 17 targets for 140 yards. Dortch, meanwhile, continued to do well in relief of Rondale Moore; he caught nine of his 10 targets for 80 yards.

Conversely, James Conner was a huge disappointment. He mustered only 39 yards on 13 carries. Even worse, he failed to score a touchdown because he dropped a pass right near the goal line.

Akers was the leading rusher in this game, as he dashed for 61 yards and a touchdown on 12 carries. He played way more than Darrell Henderson (4-17), who wasn’t given a single carry in the second half. Akers has been in Sean McVay’s dog house, but that appears to have ended, though he lost a fumble at the goal line.

Surprisingly, Kupp had a poor receiving performance with just four catches for 44 yards, though he was able to score on a rush. He trailed Ben Skowronek (4-66) and Tyler Higbee (4-61) in the box score. Conversely, Robinson struggled with two receptions for 23 yards. He dropped two passes in the end zone.

Falcons 27, Seahawks 23

The Falcons-Seahawks affair wasn’t expected to generate much offense, as the betting total closed at just 43.5. Both teams were moving the chains very easily, however, as this 50-point affair saw the two teams combine for 806 net yards of offense, with both squads averaging at least 6.1 yards per play.

This, however, was bad defense rather than good offense. Geno Smith was terrific in the opening half, going 18-of-25 for 218 yards and two touchdowns prior to the break, as he faced no time in the pocket. His only blunder, at least prior to intermission, was a potential pick that was dropped. The Falcons, meanwhile, hit some big gains to average 7.1 yards per play. The Falcons, however, appeared to try their hardest to give this game away on two occasions. Marcus Mariota fumbled on a strip-sack but was lucky to have a teammate recover. He then officially lost a fumble on an option exchange, giving Seattle some life after its defense allowed the go-ahead touchdown to Drake London.

Rashaad Penny did his best to lead his team to victory after this second fumble, converting a fourth-and-1. He then ran for a big gain, but saw it negated by a hold. As a result, the Seahawks were trapped with a fourth-and-18 following a sack. Smith heaved a desperation pass, which was intercepted on the overthrow.

Mariota committed two errors with the fumbles, but was great in this matchup otherwise. Battling an injury-ravaged secondary, he hit numerous big throws, averaging a double-digit YPA. He went 13-of-20 for 229 yards, one touchdown and an interception. His pick occurred on the final play of the opening half, so it didn’t hurt his team at all. Mariota overthrew Kyle Pitts for an early touchdown, but that didn’t end up mattering because Atlanta reached the end zone on that same possession.

Speaking of big plays, Cordarrelle Patterson scored on a 40-yard burst. He had a huge game versus the Seahawks’ beleaguered run defense, rushing for 141 yards on only 17 carries.

Three Falcons recorded more than 22 receiving yards, with Pitts leading the way with five grabs for 87 yards. Olamide Zaccheaus (2-49) and London (2-44) were next on the stat sheet. London, as mentioned, scored the decisive touchdown.

As for the Seahawks, Smith’s stats outclassed Mariota’s, though Mariota didn’t have to throw as much later in the game. Smith finished 32-of-44 for 325 yards, two touchdowns and the desperation interception. In addition to the dropped interception that was mentioned earlier, Smith missed a potential touchdown on an underthrown deep ball to Marquise Goodwin. He played well otherwise, but saw no pressure from Atlanta’s miserable defense.

Tyler Lockett led Seattle in receiving with nine catches for 76 yards. He and D.K. Metcalf saw double-digit targets, with Metcalf making five catches for 64 yards and a touchdown. Metcalf dropped a pass. Will Dissly (3-34) also scored.

Penny, who lost a big gain at the end, rushed for 66 yards on 14 carries. Kenneth Walker didn’t do as much (3-19), but had an amazing 21-yard run late in the game when he danced around some helpless Atlanta defenders.

Packers 14, Buccaneers 12

This was a highly anticipated battle between Tom Brady and Aaron Rodgers, but despite the two legendary quarterbacks squaring off, this was a defensive struggle, marred by numerous mistakes by both offenses.

The Buccaneers couldn’t do anything in the opening half, and Breshad Perriman’s lost fumble in Green Bay’s territory didn’t help matters. However, the Packers also made a mistake, with Aaron Jones losing a fumble on the Tampa Bay 1-yard line. This prevented the Packers from establishing a big lead at halftime, as they went into the break up 14-3.

Green Bay had nearly doubled up the Buccaneers in yardage at that point, 214-113, and it seemed as though the Packers would cruise to an easy victory. However, the Packers couldn’t put this game away in the second half, with Rodgers completing only eight passes. He even threw an interception into heavy traffic. This opened the door for the Buccaneers to mount a comeback, which they did on the final drive. Thanks to an Adrian Amos pass interference, Brady moved into a first-and-goal situation, ultimately finding Russell Gage in the end zone.

The Buccaneers drew to within two, down 14-12, so they needed to convert the ensuing two-point attempt. That’s when the greatest blunder in this game occurred because Tampa Bay was whistled for a delay-of-game penalty. This made converting extremely difficult, as Brady’s pass to Gage fell incomplete.

Brady did his best to prevail in the second half, as he finished 31-of-42 for 271 yards and a touchdown. Those numbers ordinarily wouldn’t be great for Brady, but he was missing his top three receivers against a great Green Bay defense. He didn’t have much time in the pocket either.

With Mike Evans, Chris Godwin and Julio Jones sidelined, Brady had to throw primarily to Gage, who reeled in 12 of his 13 targets for 87 yards and a touchdown. Like Perriman, Gage was guilty of a lost fumble. Cameron Brate (5-52) and Breshad Perriman (3-44) were next on the box score. Even Cole Beasley got into the mix with three grabs for 12 yards. Beasley made a diving catch on a fourth-and-1.

Surprisingly, Leonard Fournette did nothing on the ground against a shaky Packers run defense. Fournette was limited to 35 yards on 12 carries, though he at least helped his PPR owners with five catches for 35 receiving yards.

As for the Packers, Rodgers also had a decent, but relatively low passing line of 27-of-35 for 255 yards, two touchdowns and an interception. Rodgers was on pace for 342 passing yards at halftime, but Tampa Bay’s defense came alive in the second half. Rodgers didn’t have any time to throw following intermission.

Rodgers’ favorite receiver was rookie Romeo Doubs, who had a breakout performance with eight catches for 73 yards and a touchdown. Allen Lazard (4-45) also scored.

Like Fournette, Aaron Jones and A.J. Dillon failed to find any running room. Both Jones and Dillon ran 12 times for 36 and 32 yards, respectively.

Broncos 11, 49ers 10

Denver fans were not happy during this game. They showered their team with boos throughout the entire evening, as Denver’s offensive incompetence made watching the contest unbearable. The Broncos generated just 261 net yards of offense, averaging a meager 3.7 yards per play.

All aspects of Denver’s offense failed. Russell Wilson couldn’t go deep because of the heavy pressure he faced in the pocket. The offensive line couldn’t block, while the scheme didn’t help matters. On one play, Albert Okwuegbunam was charged with blocking Nick Bosa. All of this heat forced Wilson into sacks, including one horrible one that forced his team out of field goal range. With no chance to throw, Wilson heaved some poor passes, including one at the feet of Okwuegbunam on a third down. Even worse, he fired way behind Jerry Jeudy on another third down.

Wilson, however, finally broke through on the penultimate offensive drive. He scrambled for a first down, then connected with Courtland Sutton to earn a first-and-goal opportunity. Melvin Gordon scored two plays later to give Denver its only offensive touchdown of the evening.

The Broncos were up 11-10 at that point, so their defense was charged with stopping Jimmy Garoppolo on two drives. Garoppolo fired some terrific passes on the first possession, but then was intercepted on a deflection. The second drive concluded with a fumble by Jeff Wilson Jr. to give the Broncos the improbable victory.

Wilson finished 20-of-33 for 184 yards. It was an ugly game, and Denver has a lot of work to do in order to improve. However, the 49ers arguably have the best defense in the NFC, so this type of performance can at least be explained.

Sutton continued to be Wilson’s receiver of choice; he caught eight of his 10 targets for 97 yards, while Jeudy struggled with two catches for 17 yards. While Wilson missed Jeudy on a third down, Jeudy also dropped a deep bomb early in the fourth quarter.

Javonte Williams had more carries than Gordon, 15-12, and he also rushed for more yardage, 58-26. However, Gordon scored the decisive touchdown and also caught five passes for 29 receiving yards.

The leading rusher in this game was Wilson Jr., though the lost fumble spoiled his night. Wilson Jr. rushed for 75 yards on 12 carries, with a chunk of his yardage coming on a 37-yard burst in the opening half.

Garoppolo had an ugly stat line, going 18-of-29 for 211 yards, one touchdown and the aforementioned interception. Garoppolo had some good throws, but came up small in clutch moments, as San Francisco was just 1-of-10 on third down. Perhaps the worst third-down attempt was a misfire to Deebo Samuel, with Garoppolo throwing way behind his star wideout.

Garoppolo really missed Trent Williams, who suffered an injury in the third quarter. This occurred on a play in which Garoppolo took a safety by stepping on the back line of the end zone. Garoppolo’s pass protection was never the same once Williams exited.

Garoppolo threw to Deebo Samuel and Brandon Aiyuk eight times each. Samuel caught five passes for 73 yards, while Aiyuk hauled in only three balls for 39 yards, but scored the opening touchdown.

Cowboys 23, Giants 16

The play of the offensive lines determined the outcome of this game. The Cowboys were able to block extremely well for their backup quarterback, especially with a ringer added to the mix, while New York couldn’t shield Daniel Jones whatsoever. Dallas’ relentless pass rush hounded him, giving the Giants no chance to mount a needed comeback in the fourth quarter.

Jones will get a ton of flak for losing as a short favorite to a divisional rival, but he really had no chance to succeed. Jones was sacked five times, but he easily could have been taken down on numerous other occasions, as Jones was forced into throwing the ball away to avoid big losses. The Cowboys even witnessed the departure of DeMarcus Lawrence, who was dominating rookie right tackle Evan Neal. Lawrence got hurt, and yet it didn’t matter. The other members of Dallas’ front flooded the backfield on most of Jones’ dropbacks. This included two plays on the penultimate drive in Dallas territory. Jones had to toss passes out of bounds, with one instance resulting in an intentional grounding.

On the other side of the ball, Dallas’ suddenly improved offensive line gave Cooper Rush all the time he needed and blasted open big holes for Ezekiel Elliott and Tony Pollard. The sudden improvement came via the team’s new left guard, Jason Peters. The future Hall of Famer was signed on the practice squad a couple of weeks ago and was finally promoted to the roster for this game. Peters took the field in the second quarter and was a huge difference-maker right away. The offensive line was considered a weakness for the Cowboys because of the departures of Connor Williams and La’el Collins, as well as the injuries to Tyron Smith and Connor McGovern, but Peters’ presence will make the unit a viable blocking group.

With superior blocking in front of him, Rush was an efficient 21-of-31 for 215 yards and a touchdown. His stats would have been much better if CeeDee Lamb didn’t drop a potential touchdown in the first half. Rush was sacked on no occasions even though the Giants had gotten their top two edge rushers back from injury.

Lamb had a brutal drop, but he was able to redeem himself with a one-handed touchdown in the fourth quarter. Lamb led everyone in receiving, and it wasn’t even close. He caught eight of his 12 targets for 87 yards and a touchdown. Noah Brown (5-54) and Dalton Schultz replacement Peyton Hendershot (3-43) were next on the box score.

Both Pollard and Elliott had big games, thanks to Peters’ presence. Pollard dashed for 105 yards on 13 carries, while Elliott rumbled for 73 yards and a touchdown on 15 attempts.

Saquon Barkley also had a stellar performance, though he got off to a bad start with a drop. Barkley eventually ripped off a 36-yard touchdown to give the Giants a 13-6 lead. Barkley finished with 81 yards and a touchdown on 14 carries, and he also caught four passes for 45 receiving yards.

Jones, as you might imagine, had a poor stat line because he was constantly under pressure. He went 20-of-37 for 196 yards and an interception at the very end, which was the result of David Sills falling down. Jones endured some drops on top of the horrible protection. He ran well – nine scrambles, 79 rushing yards – but Jones will never pass on a high level if the Giants can’t protect him at all.

Adding injury to insult, Sterling Shepard, who led the Giants in receiving (5-49), suffered an injury on the final play of the game and had to be carted off the field. If Shepard misses a lot of time, the Giants will have to count on Richie James (4-36), Sills (2-20), Wan’Dale Robinson and Kadarius Toney to step up in his absence. Kenny Golladay was not included on that list because he’s utterly useless. Golladay failed to catch his three targets, and he was guilty of a drop. It seems as though he has given up on football.

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

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