NFL Game Recaps: Week 10, 2022

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

Panthers 25, Falcons 15

The Panthers and Falcons clashed 10 days ago in a thrilling overtime classic. The rematch wasn’t as exciting. It was a sloppy, defensive grinder in the rain where the two teams were eager to smash their ball-carriers into the opposing lines of scrimmage.

Whereas both quarterbacks performed brilliantly in the first matchup, Marcus Mariota and Phillip Walker seemingly did everything they could to blow this game for their respective teams. Mariota was especially brutal. A potential interception of his was dropped when he threw the ball up for grabs. A later drive saw another dropped pick when he heaved the ball late across his body, and then he was intercepted on the very next play when he heaved the ball up helplessly. Mariota had two more dropped potential interceptions in the second half, including one ball that should’ve been a pick-six when he stared down Kyle Pitts. Mariota also overthrew Pitts horribly on another play.

Mariota’s stat line is not indicative of how horribly he performed. He finished 19-of-30 for 186 yards, two touchdowns and an interception, but he should have been picked five times. He scrambled thrice for 43 rushing yards, but that’s not enough to save his job. The Falcons should make the switch to Desmond Ridder after their impending mini-bye.

Walker, meanwhile, was the first quarterback to see a potential interception dropped when he threw the ball right to a defensive back despite there being an open tight end on the play. Walker later took a sack to move out of field goal range. In the second half, there two more potential interceptions, including one with about three minutes remaining when Walker was nursing a seven-point lead. This was a colossal blunder that nearly cost the Panthers the upset victory. Walker finished 10-of-16 for 108 yards.

While the two quarterbacks played similarly, the key difference between these two opponents was that the Panthers were able to establish a dominant running game. D’Onta Foreman bulldozed through the Falcons for 130 yards and a touchdown on 31 carries. Conversely, Atlanta’s top runners barely did anything. Cordarrelle Patterson was limited to just 18 yards on five carries, while Tyler Allgeier barely outgained him with 20 yards on eight tries.

The top fantasy receiver in this game was Drake London, who finally snapped out of his funk with five catches for 38 yards and a touchdown. On the other end of the spectrum, Pitts was a huge disappointment; he reeled in just two of his eight targets for 28 yards. He and Mariota have struggled to gel, so perhaps Ridder will be able to get the most out of his talented tight end.

As for Carolina’s pass-catchers, D.J. Moore had a disappointing output versus a weak Atlanta secondary, catching four passes for only 29 yards. Terrace Marshall Jr. was the only Panther to outgain him, though he caught only one pass for 43 yards. He was guilty of a third-quarter drop that was very close to a lost fumble. Laviska Shenault scored on a 41-yard touchdown “run” that resembled a pass, but was inches behind the line of scrimmage.

Buccaneers 21, Seahawks 16

The Seahawks were behind the eight ball before the game began because Roger Goodell allowed for them to play a 6:30 a.m. local start time in Germany versus an East Coast opponent. It was no surprise that Seattle was discombobulated in the opening half. They were whistled for a delay-of-game penalty on an early drive and then would have been flagged for the same infraction once again on the very next play had they not called a timeout. On the ensuing drive, an unsportsmanlike penalty of theirs ruined a potential scoring opportunity. Geno Smith also showed poor decision-making when he easily could have ran for a first down on third-and-2, but opted to force a bad pass into tight coverage instead.

Smith’s poor decision-making continued in the third quarter. He performed better overall, but crushed his team with a big mistake in the red zone while down 14-3. Smith gave up on throwing the ball and decided to run despite not having any room in front of him. He tried to cut back to the middle of the field, but had the ball dislodged. The Buccaneers recovered the ball, preventing Seattle from drawing to within one score.

The Seahawks eventually found themselves down 21-3, but they mounted a comeback, aided by a Tom Brady interception in which Brady didn’t see the linebacker in coverage. Smith finally began playing well and made two clutch fourth-down throws, including a beautiful touch pass into the end zone to Marquise Goodwin for a touchdown. The Seahawks had a chance to try a game-winning drive, but couldn’t force a punt in the final minutes.

One of the reasons the Seahawks couldn’t get off the field at the end was the terrific running of Rachaad White. Playing for an injured Leonard Fournette, who hurt his hip in the second half, White dashed for 105 yards on 22 carries. White should be owned in all fantasy leagues even though he’ll be on bye next week. Fournette mustered 57 yards and a touchdown on 14 attempts.

Aside from the interception, as well as a weird play in which Brady tried to catch a pass from Fournette but slipped, creating a pick for his running back, the future Hall of Fame quarterback performed extremely well. He went 22-of-29 for 258 yards, two touchdowns and the interception.

Brady’s touchdowns went to Chris Godwin (6-71) and Julio Jones (3-53). Mike Evans didn’t get into the end zone, but finished in between the two receivers with five grabs for 54 yards.

As for the Seahawks, it was night and day for Smith in the two halves, as the Seahawks finally awoke following intermission. Smith was 17-of-23 in the second half, finishing 23-of-33 for 275 yards and two touchdowns. He also scrambled four times for 22 rushing yards. However, his lost fumble in the red zone crushed his team’s chances of prevailing.

Smith threw touchdowns to Tyler Lockett (3-42) and Goodwin (2-38). D.K. Metcalf came up with some big receptions during the failed comeback, hauling in six balls for 71 yards.

Kenneth Walker was a huge disappointment as a runner, as Tampa limited him to 17 yards on 10 carries. Walker, however, thrived as a receiver in the second half, snatching six balls for 55 receiving yards.

Vikings 33, Bills 30

There were so many instances in this game in which it seemed as though Buffalo would prevail. Things began seeming bleak for the Vikings when there was a 14-point swing prior to halftime. Kirk Cousins, down 17-10, threw an incompletion on a fourth-and-1 in field goal range. Josh Allen took over and drove all the way down the field just prior to the half expiring to go up 24-10.

The Bills had a chance to put the game out of reach when it was their turn to go for it on fourth down. They decided that it was worth the risk because they were up 10, and extending the lead to 17 would clinch the victory. Patrick Peterson intercepted the pass, however, and Allen aggravated his elbow injury when he tackled Peterson.

Minnesota scored a touchdown after that, but still found itself in a hole, down 27-23, with a couple of minutes remaining. Buffalo forced Cousins into a fourth-and-18, and all it needed was a stop to win the game. Justin Jefferson had other plans, however, as he caught a desperation heave from Cousins with a one-handed leaping grab. Jefferson caught a few more passes on the drive, including one that was inches shy of the goal line. Just when it seemed as though the game-winning touchdown was a certainty, Dalvin Cook dropped a touchdown, and then Cousins was an inch shy of the goal line on a fourth-down sneak.

The Bills took over possession at their own one-inch line. The Vikings didn’t have enough timeouts to stop the clock, but Buffalo needed an Allen sneak out of his own end zone to prevent a safety from occurring, which would have given the ball back to Minnesota. Allen, however, fumbled the sneak, and Minnesota recovered the ball for a defensive touchdown to take a 30-27 lead.

Allen, however, still had enough time to redeem himself, and he did exactly that, whipping the ball down the field into field goal range in the blink of an eye. The drive was impressive, though the field goal should have never occurred because a Gabe Davis catch was bobbled, yet never reviewed. Nevertheless, the game went to overtime, with Minnesota winning the coin toss. The Vikings once again drove down to the Buffalo 1-yard line, and once again failed to breach the goal line. Cook took a tackle for loss, and Cousins was sacked to force the field goal. Allen then once again engineered an impressive possession into field goal range, but he wanted more. Allen made a poor decision, firing a reckless pass into the end zone, and Peterson once again snatched an interception, this time clinching the victory for the 8-1 Vikings.

Allen was magnificent at times in this game, especially when considering that he wasn’t even supposed to play. He went 29-of-43 for 330 yards, one touchdown and two interceptions, and he also scrambled six times for 84 rushing yards. However, his decision-making ended up costing the Bills, who have now fallen behind the Chiefs in the standings, so their victory in Kansas City currently is meaningless.

Jefferson, meanwhile, was one of the two heroes for the Vikings in this victory, with the other being Peterson. Jefferson caught 10 of his 16 targets for 193 yards and a touchdown. He made numerous incredible catches, and he was so close to scoring at least three times. His catch on fourth-and-18 was one of the most improbable receptions you’ll ever see. Jefferson was the only Minnesota player with more than 50 receiving yards, with Adam Thielen (5-49) and T.J. Hockenson (7-45) being next on the stat sheet.

The other fantasy star for the Vikings was Cook, who broke free for an 81-yard touchdown. He gained 119 yards and the score on just 14 carries. He nearly cost his team the victory with a dropped touchdown, however.

Cousins was able to benefit from all of this, going 30-of-50 for 357 yards, one touchdown and two interceptions. Buffalo’s pass rush really bothered Cousins, forcing the pair of picks. The first was a wild overthrow in K.J. Osborn’s direction, while the second occurred because he was hit upon releasing the ball, which sailed right to Dane Jackson.

As for the Buffalo play-makers, Stefon Diggs led the receivers with 12 grabs for 128 yards. Davis was next with six receptions for 93 yards and a touchdown.

There was only one touchdown between the top two Buffalo receivers because Devin Singletary scored twice to begin the game. Singletary mustered just 47 yards on 13 carries, but the two touchdowns were a huge boost to his fantasy output.

Lions 31, Bears 30

It wasn’t too long ago that I had Bears fans telling me to slot a quarterback to their team in my 2023 NFL Mock Draft. Though Justin Fields didn’t have much around him, he was seen as a failure several games into his second season. Then, everything changed, as Chicago’s coaching staff finally figured out that its young quarterback was capable of using his legs. The Bears’ offense has been hot since, as Fields’ great play continued against the Lions.

The Lions had no answer for Fields’ running ability, as he ran circles around the bewildered Lions defense. He scrambled for 69 yards in the opening half, and on one play, he converted a third-and-5 by eluding multiple potential sacks. Fields didn’t do much aerially early in the game, but that changed in the third quarter when he located Cole Kmet for a 54-yard bomb to open up a two-touchdown lead.

It looked like the Bears would dominate this game, but they began self-destructing. They committed countless penalties on Detroit’s ensuing touchdown drive, including one infraction that negated a Jared Goff interception. The Lions then tied the game when Fields made a rare mistake, throwing a pick-six to former Ohio State teammate Jeff Okudah while under pressure. Fields redeemed himself with a 67-yard touchdown run to take the lead, but a missed extra point ended up being the difference, as Detroit ended up finding the end zone later in the fourth quarter. Fields still had a chance to win the game, but immense pressure allowed by his leaky offensive line closed the door on a potential victory.

Despite the loss, Fields was incredible. Bad pass protection didn’t allow for great passing stats, but it’s not like they were poor either; Fields went 12-of-20 for 167 yards, two touchdowns and an interception. He was at his best as a runner, scrambling 13 times for 147 yards and two touchdowns.

Fields continued to rely exclusively on two players: Kmet, who caught four balls for 74 yards and two touchdowns, and Darnell Mooney, who secured all four of his targets for 57 yards.

David Montgomery and Khalil Herbert split carries almost evenly. Herbert actually had one more attempt, 10-9, and it’s no surprise that he outgained Montgomery, 57-37. Herbert got banged up toward the end of the game.

The best performer for the Lions was Amon-Ra St. Brown, who reeled in 10 of his 11 targets for 119 yards. He appeared to suffer an injury on the final offensive drive when his leg bent backward on a tackle, but he missed only one play. In fact, he nearly scored several snaps later.

While St. Brown was tackled shy of the goal line, Jamaal Williams ended up with the decisive touchdown. Williams rushed for 59 yards and a score on 16 carries. D’Andre Swift also found the end zone, but rushed only six times for six yards.

Goff had a mostly efficient game, going 19-of-26 for 236 yards and a touchdown. However, he was fortunate that he wasn’t charged with an interception during the comeback.

Titans 17, Broncos 10

The Broncos had so many advantages heading into this game. They were coming off a bye, while Tennessee endured a tough, overtime battle against the Chiefs during the preceding Sunday night. The Titans, who also had to deal with the dilemma of having to play in four days, had about half of their defense sidelined with injuries. If the Broncos couldn’t win this game, they didn’t deserve to keep their bleak playoff aspirations alive.

It looked like Denver would improve to 4-5 when it established a 10-0 lead in what was a defensive grinder. The first nine possessions ended in punts, but the Broncos eventually got moving when Russell Wilson found someone named Jalen Virgil on a busted coverage for a 66-yard touchdown. This proved to be a fluke, however, as the team generated just 105 net yards in the second half. Wilson was especially bad when he was lucky that penalties and drops prevented him from throwing four interceptions. He also faced immense pressure and wasn’t given a chance behind an offensive line that sustained more injuries. Wilson was sacked six times and hit on 19 occasions.

Wilson completed just half of his passes, going 21-of-42 for 286 yards, one touchdown and an interception. Wilson was completely reckless with the ball, heaving helpless ducks into double and triple coverage at times as a result of the heavy pressure he was seeing on nearly every play. Somehow, he was only picked once.

The Titans, meanwhile, didn’t get much going offensively, but hit a couple of big plays to win the game. The decisive score was a flea flicker in which Ryan Tannehill threw a 63-yard bomb to Nick Westbrook, who scored because two Denver defenders collided. Still, Tannehill barely completed half of his passes, going 19-of-36 for 255 yards and two touchdowns. Tannehill began limping after a second-quarter scramble, but remained in the game.

Both of Tannehill’s scores went to Westbrook, who had a monster game with five receptions for 119 yards and the two touchdowns. Austin Hooper (5-41) and Chig Okonkwo (1-41) were next on the stat sheet, while Treylon Burks caught three balls for 24 yards in his return to action. Robert Woods (2-10) dropped a pass, drawing some boos from the crowd.

Surprisingly, Derrick Henry didn’t find much running room against Denver’s usually weak ground defense. He rumbled for only 53 yards on 19 carries, and he also dropped one of his three targets, though the pass was a bit behind him. Still, Henry was the leading rusher in this game, with Latavius Murray mustering only 24 yards on nine carries. Melvin Gordon (7-24) dropped a pass.

Courtland Sutton caught six passes for 66 yards. He made an amazing one-handed catch while falling down. Jerry Jeudy didn’t make it to the stat sheet because he injured his ankle on the first snap of the game.

Chiefs 27, Jaguars 17

Doug Pederson thought he would make a statement in a matchup against his former head coach. Andy Reid once converted an onside kick in a big game with the Eagles early in his career, and Pederson did the same in this contest. The recovered onside kick, however, led to nothing because Christian Kirk dropped a pass, resulting in a three-and-out. In fact, Pederson even forgot how to be daring because it wasn’t much later when he decided to punt on a fourth-and-2 on Kansas City’s 44-yard line. Giving the ball back to the Chiefs accomplished nothing positive, as Kansas City drove down the field to score the opening touchdown of the game.

Jacksonville’s stupidity ensued. Riley Patterson missed a 41-yard field goal after the team recovered a kickoff, while an Evan Engram touchdown was negated by an ineligible player downfield. The Jaguars later couldn’t get off the field, as Patrick Mahomes converted some first downs to prevent the Jaguars from threatening even further.

Mahomes was nearly flawless in this game, going 26-of-35 for 331 yards, four touchdowns and an interception. The pick was a strange one, as Mahomes panicked a bit while under pressure and threw behind his receiver. However, Mahomes more than made up for it with so many other great throws. He was able to be this productive without both Mecole Hardman and JuJu Smith-Schuster, who suffered a concussion in the opening half.

With two key receivers sidelined, someone had to step up for the Chiefs. That happened to be Kadarius Toney, who caught four passes for 57 yards and a touchdown. He was third on the Chiefs in receiving, though he also picked up 33 rushing yards. Toney trailed Travis Kelce (6-81) and Marquez Valdes-Scantling (3-60), both of whom scored.

The Chiefs usually don’t run very well, but this game was an exception. Isiah Pacheco lost a fumble early in the afternoon, but Reid stuck with him. This paid off, as Pacheco finished with 82 yards on 16 carries. Jerick McKinnon, meanwhile, was big in the passing game, catching six balls for 56 receiving yards.

It was surprising to see Travis Etienne struggle so much in this game, considering how poor the Chiefs have been against the run this year. He rushed for 45 yards on 11 carries, and he caught three balls for 28 receiving yards.

Trevor Lawrence had a slow start to this game, but generated some good garbage-time numbers. He ended up 29-of-40 for 259 yards and two touchdowns. He also picked up 26 yards on four scrambles. Lawrence had some problems dealing with Kansas City’s pass rush,

Lawrence threw primarily to Kirk, who bounced back from his early drop. He caught nine of his 12 targets for 105 yards and two touchdowns. Zay Jones was next in the box score with eight receptions for 68 yards.

Dolphins 39, Browns 17

The Dolphins may not have been able to win this game so convincingly a couple of weeks ago, but they fundamentally changed their roster with a deal they made prior to the trade deadline. They sent a first-round pick to the Broncos for Bradley Chubb, who was able to plug a huge hole for Miami. The team’s pass defense was abysmal for most of the year, but Chubb’s presence has changed that by greatly strengthening the pass rush.

Despite the huge margin of victory, the Dolphins were extremely sloppy to start the game. They allowed an opening touchdown on a drive that featured a blown coverage on Donovan Peoples-Jones, then committed a neutral zone infraction, and followed that up by pass interference in the end zone. The Dolphins also had a later miscue when Jeff Wilson Jr. wa stuffed on a fourth-and-1 in field goal range. Despite this, Miami scored 24 unanswered points, as its defense constantly swarmed Jacoby Brissett in the pocket.

Miami’s offense, meanwhile, was as efficient as always. Tua Tagovailoa was deadly accurate, misfiring on just seven occasions. He went 25-of-32 for 285 yards and three touchdowns. Despite the solid numbers it was a quiet day for the Miami receivers. Jaylen Waddle led the way with “only” 66 yards on four catches. Tyreek Hill scored once, but registered just 44 receiving yards on five catches.

So, where did the rest of Tagovailoa’s production go? Trent Sherfield had a solid performance, catching four passes for 63 yards and a touchdown, while fullback Alec Ingold also found the end zone while hauling in four balls for 45 yards.

Tagovailoa also didn’t need to throw as much as usual because the running game was so dominant. Both Jeff Wilson Jr. and Raheem Mostert scored, with the latter finding the end zone early in the game. Mostert rushed for 65 yards on eight carries, but this was nothing compared to Wilson’s line, which was 17 attempts for 119 yards.

Amazingly, both Miami backs outgained Nick Chubb. The Cleveland back rushed for 63 yards and a touchdown on 11 carries, as his workload was limited because of the constant deficit. Chubb also caught three passes for 18 receiving yards, but was guilty of a lost fumble in Miami territory.

Jacoby Brissett was pretty lackluster, going 22-of-35 for 212 yards and a touchdown. He really only had success connecting with Donovan Peoples-Jones, who caught five balls for 99 yards. Amari Cooper was a huge disappointment with only three receptions for 32 yards. Brissett’s touchdown went to Harrison Bryant (3-15).

Giants 24, Texans 16

Those expecting Saquon Barkley to dominate against Houston’s league-worst run defense were not disappointed. Barkley had a monstrous game against the Texans, who knew that they had no chance to get off the field at the very end. They had enough timeouts to comfortably kick the ball to the Giants once they closed the margin to 21-13, but their severe distrust in the run defense forced Lovie Smith’s hand. The Texans attempted an onside kick and failed, clinching the victory for the Giants.

Barkley rushed for 152 yards and a touchdown on 35 carries. It seemed like he would pick up big chunks of yards whenever he wanted. This occurred whenever the Giants didn’t make mental mistakes. The Giants wanted to attempt a fourth-and-1, but never got the chance because of a false start penalty. Brian Daboll spent what seemed like the next 15 minutes yelling at the player responsible for this blunder.

Nevertheless, the Giants persevered, as they were able to take advantage of Houston’s mistakes. The Texans ruined some scoring chances when Dameon Pierce lost a fumble in the red zone, and then a Brandin Cooks had a touchdown of his negated by a penalty. Davis Mills was intercepted on the next play on a throw to the same spot.

Daniel Jones didn’t have to do much in this game with Barkley doing all the work. He misfired just four times, going 13-of-17 for 197 yards and two touchdowns. One of his scores was to Darius Slayton, which was a fluky play. Jones hit Slayton as he was falling down, and Slayton did the rest on a 54-yard reception, thanks to a badly missed tackle.

Thanks to that play, Slayton was the leading receiver in that game with three catches for 95 yards and a score. No other Giant logged more than 41 receiving yards. Wan’Dale Robinson caught two balls for 20 yards. Kenny Golladay played, but was benched after committing a drop.

Mills eclipsed the 300-yard barrier, but wasn’t very accurate. He went 22-of-37 for 319 yards, one touchdown and an interception, which was a desperation heave into the end zone.

Mills’ sole touchdown went to Nico Collins, who caught five balls for 49 yards. Cooks (4-37) was a big disappointment, though he had a touchdown stolen from him. Tight end Jordan Akins paced the team with three catches for 72 yards.

Pierce, as mentioned, cost his team a potential victory with a fumble in the red zone. He almost reached the century mark, rushing for 94 yards on 17 carries.

Steelers 20, Saints 10
By Charlie Campbell – @draftcampbell

EDITOR’S NOTE: T.J. Watt is back! Congrats to those who followed in the November NFL Pick of the Month.

Neither team is really in the playoff race, and the Steelers hurt their draft positioning by winning. However, they want to see positive development from rookie quarterback Kenny Pickett, and winning comes hand-in-hand with a trigger-man playing well. The Pittsburgh defense shut down Andy Dalton, helped by a stop unit seeing the return of T.J. Watt after missing seven games.

Pickett worked the ball down the field on his second possession, setting up a first-and-goal with a nice completion to Diontae Johnson. George Pickens then took a handoff on third-and-goal and dived into the end zone to give the Steelers a 7-0 lead. Their next drive was keyed by a 45-yard run by Najee Harris and resulted for a field goal. The Saints put together a field goal drive, and late in the first half, Dalton led a 2-minute drill that was keyed by a completion to Chris Olave (3-40) and a penalty for a high hit on Olave. Dalton closed our the drive by hitting Juwan Johnson for a touchdown to tie the game 10 goin into the intermission.

In the third quarter, Pickett got Pittsburgh moving with a 23-yard run, and Pickens ripped off a 22-yard run on an end around, but the Steelers missed the field goal attempt. Pickett continued to play well though, lofting in a perfect deep ball to Johnson for 36 yards to knock on the door of the red zone. The drive stalled again, but this time the field goal was good and put the Steelers up 13-10.

On the ensuing drive, Jarvis Landry had a pass bounce off his hands and Steelers safety Damontae Kazee snatched the deflection to set up Pickett at New Orleans’ 44-yard line. The Saints managed a goal-line stand, but pass interference in the end zone set up Pittsburgh with a new set of downs. Pickett then dived into the end zone from the one, giving the Steelers a 20-10 lead midway through the fourth quarter. To clinch the win, Levi Wallace intercepted Dalton with just over four minutes remaining, which allowed the Steelers to run out the clock.

Pickett completed 18-of-30 passes for 199 yards. He also picked up 51 yards and a touchdown on the ground.

Harris turned 20 carries into 99 yards.

Diontae Johnson had four catches for 63 yards.

Dalton completed 17-of-27 passes for 174 yards, a touchdown and two interceptions.

Alvin Kamara was held to 26 yards on eight carries and three receptions for 19 yards.

Juwan Johnson led the Saints in receiving, making five catches for 44 yards and a touchdown.

Cardinals 27, Rams 17
By Charlie Campbell – @draftcampbell

EDITOR’S NOTE: If the Rams thought they had a chance to make the playoffs, they can kiss that goodbye in the wake of Cooper Kupp’s injury. How will this team score any points without Kupp?

In this battle of backup quarterbacks, the Rams and Cardinals were both in desperate need of a win to have any hopes of getting back into the playoff race. Matthew Stafford was out of this game with a concussion, which put John Wolford on the field for Los Angeles. Colt McCoy, meanwhile, was filling in for the injured Kyler Murray.

The Rams were inept on offense, and the Cardinals got enough from their scoring attack to support their defense with complementary football. Arizona moved within two wins of first place Seattle, while Los Angeles looks poised to miss the playoffs after falling to 3-6. To add injury to insult, Cooper Kupp looks like he was seriously hurt in the third quarter after Marco Wilson rolled onto the back of his right ankle on an incompletion. If the Rams lose two or three more games to get definitively eliminated from the playoffs, they should consider shutting down Stafford, Kupp, Aaron Donald and Jalen Ramsey to protect them for next year.

Cam Akers converted a fourth-and-1 on the opening drive, and the Rams produced a field goal on their opening possession, but after that, they only had one good drive while the game was still competitive. Colt McCoy converted a fourth down near midfield by hitting A.J. Green, and Arizona settled for a 36-yard field goal to tie the game. The Cardinals expanded their lead with completions to DeAndre Hopkins to move into Los Angeles territory. To cap the drive, James Conner darted into the end zone from a few yards out to put Arizona up 10-3.

Late in the first half, Myjai Sanders strip-sacked Wolford, and J.J. Watt picked up the loose ball. Watt had nothing but green grass in front of him, but the officials mistakenly blew the play dead thinking Wolford’s arm had been going forward. The Cardinals were awarded possession of the ball at the Rams 30, but the inept officiating robbed Arizona of a touchdown. The officials got lucky that the Cardinals got a touchdown off the turnover, with A.J. Green (2-10-1) making a phenomenal leaping grab to put the Cardinals up 17-3 at halftime.

The Rams finally got going in the third quarter, driving deep into Arizona territory with tight end Tyler Higbee producing 35 yards through the air. Two penalties on Watt helped move the ball close before Darrell Henderson scored from a few yards out. Midway through the fourth quarter, Rondale Moore made a sensational 26-yard catch and Conner scored. To put the Rams away, Budda Baker snatched one of Wolford’s passes for an interception. In garbage time, the Cardinals tacked on a field goal and the Rams’ Van Jefferson caught a touchdown with only a few seconds left on the clock.

McCoy completed 26-of-37 passes for 238 yards and a touchdown.

Conner took 21 carries for 69 yards and two touchdowns.

Hopkins caught 10 passes for 98 yards.

Wolford completed 24-of-36 passes for 212 yards, a touchdown and an interception.

Cam Akers (6-22) and Darrell Henderson Jr. (6-21-1) were back to splitting carries.

Higbee led the Rams with 73 yards on eight catches. Cooper Kupp had three catches for minus-1 receiving yards before leaving the game with his injury.

Colts 25, Raiders 20

NFL players can be very prideful, so when everyone, from the media to the common Twitter fan, was calling them the laughing stock of the NFL for their decision to hire Jeff Saturday as interim head coach, they were determined to prove everyone wrong. Thus, it was no surprise that they got off to a hot start. The momentum carried them to a 10-0 lead, which may have been a larger margin had Keke Coutee not lost a fumble while in field goal range. The Raiders were able to transform this turnover into a touchdown, making this a tight affair.

These teams went back and forth in the second half. The Colts took their final lead, thanks to Matt Ryan “sprinting” down the field on a 39-yard scramble. Ryan then found Parris Campbell for a 35-yard touchdown to go up 25-20. The Raiders had a chance to steal Indianapolis’ victory away from them on the ensuing drive, but a Derek Carr pass to Foster Moreau fell incomplete when Moreau dropped a potential touchdown. Carr’s final pass sailed incomplete toward Davante Adams in tight coverage, allowing the Colts to pull the upset and get the last laugh.

It was unexpected, but Ryan drew the start over Sam Ehlinger. This came out of nowhere, but Ryan did well to redeem himself. He took a bad sack to ruin one drive, but did well otherwise. He went 21-of-28 for 222 yards and a touchdown to go along with 38 rushing yards and a second score on the ground.

Ryan’s lone touchdown went to Campbell, who caught seven passes for 76 yards. Kylen Granson (4-57) and Michael Pittman Jr. (7-53) were the only other Colts who exceeded 20 receiving yards.

Jonathan Taylor also came back from the dead, though his revival was more plausible. Taylor abused a bad Raider run defense by dashing for 147 yards and a touchdown on 22 carries.

Josh Jacobs didn’t have as strong of a fantasy performance as Taylor, but he did well. He rushed for 78 yards and a touchdown on 21 carries, and he also caught six passes for 28 receiving yards.

Speaking of great fantasy performers, Adams reeled in nine of his 14 targets for 126 yards and a touchdown. He was well ahead of the next Raider on the receiving chart. That was Moreau, who caught three passes for 43 yards and a score, but ruined his team’s chances by dropping the decisive touchdown.

Carr got off to a slow start, as his 16 first-half attempts went for only 79 yards. However, he was hot in the second half and finished 24-of-38 for 248 yards and two touchdowns. He should have thrown a third score to Moreau, but he’s also fortunate that he wasn’t picked on a reckless heave into quadruple coverage.

Packers 31, Cowboys 28

The Packers have struggled this year for several reasons. The receiving corps has been miserable. The offensive line hasn’t given Aaron Rodgers much protection. And worst of all, Rodgers’ troublesome thumb has affected his throws.

All three of these negative factors seemed to disappear against the Cowboys. Rodgers seemed like his normal self, completing 70 percent of his passes. He also was sacked just twice, which is an impressive feat for an offensive line tasked with blocking Micah Parsons and the rest of Dallas’ pass rush. The receiving corps’ improvement was unexpected, but the group made a huge stride in this game as well.

Christian Watson is the primary player who had a colossal improvement. Watson had previously been a speed threat who had struggled to catch the ball, but that completely changed in this game. Watson exploded with a breakout performance, catching four passes for 107 yards and three touchdowns. It wasn’t all positive, as Watson was responsible for a couple of drops early in the game, but he snapped out of his funk and showed off his great explosive ability. There was also Allen Lazard, who made a 36-yard reception in overtime to put the team in field goal range. Lazard caught three balls for 45 yards.

Despite these improvements, the Packers needed to engineer a comeback from down 28-14. The Cowboys established a two-touchdown lead, thanks to strong play from Tony Pollard and CeeDee Lamb. The latter was especially dynamic with 11 catches for 150 yards and two touchdowns. Lamb caught a pass in overtime to help put the Cowboys on the cusp of field goal range, but Mike McCarthy, making his first trip back to Lambeau Field, opted to go for it on fourth-and-3. Dak Prescott’s pass fell incomplete, allowing the Packers to take over with the opportunity to engineer the game-winning drive. Rodgers found Lazard on the aforementioned 36-yard completion to allow Green Bay to pull the upset.

Rodgers finished 14-of-20 for 224 yards and three touchdowns. It’s been a while since he has looked this healthy, and if Watson can continue to perform at a high level, Green Bay may be able to save its season.

Aaron Jones also had a big performance. He rushed for 138 yards on 24 carries, as Dallas’ run defense continues to be a huge weakness for the team. A.J. Dillon rumbled for 65 yards on 13 attempts.

Jones outgained Pollard, who had the entire workload to himself in the wake of Ezekiel Elliott’s injury. It was no surprise that Pollard thrived. He dashed for 115 yards and a touchdown on 22 carries. He also caught three passes for 13 receiving yards. His lone blunder was a dropped pass in the opening quarter.

While Lamb had a huge game, he and Prescott had some issues in the first half, as Lamb ran a wrong route on the second of Prescott’s two interceptions. Prescott went 27-of-46 for 265 yards, three touchdowns and a pair of picks. The other interception was a telegraphed throw into the end zone following a Green Bay turnover. Prescott nearly had a third interception on a pass dropped by a Green Bay defender.

Aside from Lamb, Dalton Schultz was the leader in receiving for the Cowboys. He caught six balls for 54 yards and a touchdown.

49ers 22, Chargers 16

To call the Chargers short-handed would be an understatement. Entering this game, they were down their top two receivers, both starting tackles, top defensive player, and a starting cornerback. Things only got worse during this affair, with the primary tight end and starting defensive linemen exiting with injuries. Yet, somehow, the Chargers were not only able to make this a competitive game; they were leading for most of the evening!

Justin Herbert was magnificent to begin the evening. He was 14-of-21 for 161 yards and a touchdown in the opening half, taking a 16-10 lead into intermission. He missed some action prior to the break when NFL doctors were investigating him for a concussion, but he was able to remain in the game in the third quarter.

Unfortunately for the Chargers, their carriage turned into a pumpkin toward the end of the evening. They failed to score a single point in the second half, as they generated a mere 52 net yards after halftime. Herbert completed just seven passes in the second half. San Francisco’s defense came alive with a dominant performance, swarming Herbert with relentless pressure. This pressure helped create an interception on the final play from scrimmage.

Herbert finished 21-of-38 for 196 yards, one touchdown and the pick. He definitely deserves credit for a gutsy performance with all of his supporting cast out of the lineup, but he could only do so much.

The one key player Herbert had at his disposal was Austin Ekeler, who caught seven of his 12 targets for 39 receiving yards. He also rushed for 24 yards on six carries. He fumbled the ball once, but was lucky to recover.

Only two Chargers logged more receiving yards than Ekeler: DeAndre Carter (4-64) and Joshua Palmer (3-44). Carter caught Herbert’s sole touchdown and nearly scored again in the second quarter. Palmer drew an interference flag.

As for the 49ers, it seemed like they easily could have blamed Brandon Aiyuk for a defeat had the Chargers maintained their lead. Aiyuk lost a fumble while the Chargers were up 7-3, and he also dropped a touchdown. To his credit, he bounced back to finish with six catches for 84 yards. No other 49er accumulated more than 40 receiving yards, and that includes Deebo Samuel (2-24), whose receiving production has fallen off a cliff in the wake of Christian McCaffrey’s arrival. He at least rushed for 27 yards on four carries. George Kittle did far less, catching just one pass for 21 yards.

Speaking of McCaffrey, he served as the lead back, but lost some late carries to Elijah Mitchell. McCaffrey rushed for 38 yards and a touchdown on 14 carries, and he also caught four passes for 39 receiving yards. Mitchell gained 89 yards on 18 carries.

Jimmy Garoppolo was an economical 19-of-28 for 240 yards and a rushing touchdown on a sneak. He wasn’t great, but didn’t make any mistakes either.

Redskins 32, Eagles 21

No team has gone completely undefeated since the 1972 Dolphins, so it was bound to happen. The Eagles finally dropped a game, becoming the final undefeated team to fall in 2022.

Going into this game, I wondered if the Eagles would take the Redskins seriously. They obliterated them in the first matchup this season, so much so that Jalen Hurts barely threw the ball in the second half, as Philadelphia sat on a 24-0 lead before a late garbage touchdown for Washington. Though the Eagles were playing on national TV, they clearly struggled to match the energy that the Redskins brought to the field. They got out to a 7-0 lead because of a Taylor Heinicke strip-sack, but they struggled to get off the field after that. Washington’s offensive line pushed around the Eagles’ front and opened up big running lanes for Brian Robinson, allowing Heinicke to constantly convert third-and-short situations. The Redskins were 9-of-12 on third down in the opening half and controlled the clock for more than 40 minutes.

Despite the Redskins’ superior energy, the Eagles still had a chance to win at the end. The officials, however, had other ideas. They flagged a Philadelphia defender on a sideline hit even though the Washington player was still inbounds. A bit later, Dallas Goedert lost a fumble, but the refs missed an obvious face mask that caused the fumble to occur. The cherry on top was a personal foul flag on Brandon Graham, who tried to slow down before colliding with a kneeling Heinicke. Throwing a flag to decide a game like that was irresponsible by this abysmal officiating crew that should be disbanded immediately.

Still, the Eagles could have prevented this defeat by not committing turnovers. Aside from the Goedert gaffe, the Eagles gave the ball away twice. Hurts, who went 17-of-26 for 174 yards, two passing touchdowns, threw a rare interception on a deep heave into double coverage. Hurts, who also scrambled six times for 28 rushing yards and a touchdown, completed a deep heave to Quez Watkins, who caught the ball inside the Washington 20-yard line, but lost a fumble after trying to get up from the ground after falling untouched.

Thanks to that catch, Watkins was the team leader in receiving with four grabs for 80 yards, followed by Devonta Smith, who caught six balls for 38 yards and a touchdown. Goedert (3-23) also scored. A.J. Brown was a huge disappointment with one catch for seven yards. He got hurt on the reception and left the game for a bit. He returned, but was obviously a non-factor for the rest of the evening.

Speaking of non-factors, Miles Sanders had just one carry in the opening half. He finished with 54 yards on 12 attempts. He was outgained by Brian Robinson, who rumbled for 86 yards and a touchdown on 26 carries. Antonio Gibson (14-44) also scored, while catching three passes for 14 receiving yards.

Washington had the leading passer in this affair as well, as Heinicke went 17-of-29 for 211 yards, an interception and a lost fumble. Heinicke was gritty in this game, but floated some bad downfield passes at times, including his pick, which he lofted up into double coverage toward Terry McLaurin.

There was only one Redskin player who logged more than 28 receiving yards. That was McLaurin, who often has success against Darius Slay. He caught eight of his 11 targets for 128 yards.

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

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