NFL Game Recaps: Week 12, 2022

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

Bills 28, Lions 25

The Bills were nine-point favorites entering the first Thanksgiving game on the slate, but they found themselves in a dogfight in the fourth quarter. The Bills lost Von Miller to a knee injury and made numerous mistakes throughout the afternoon, and there a shocking poor connection between Josh Allen and Stefon Diggs. Allen fired 10 passes in Diggs’ direction prior to the final two drives of the game, yet Diggs caught just three passes. Diggs dropped a couple of passes, but Allen was more to blame, as many of his throws were off the mark when targeting his No. 1 receiver. It was shocking to see Allen play so poorly, especially against a Detroit defense that was missing its No. 1 cornerback.

It’s unclear what changed on the penultimate possession of the game, but the Bills, down 22-19, put together what seemed to be the game-winning drive. Allen and Diggs flipped the on switch out of nowhere, as Allen completed four passes to Diggs, including a touchdown to go up three. The Lions had a chance for the tying field goal because of the missed extra point by Tyler Bass. Thanks to big plays by D’Andre Swift and Amon-Ra St. Brown, the Lions moved into field goal range, though they missed out on a chance for a touchdown because of a poor Jared Goff throw to D.J. Chark. Still, Michael Badgley drilled a field goal with 23 seconds left, so it appeared as though we would be headed to overtime.

Allen and Diggs had other ideas, however. Allen drilled a pass to Diggs for 36 yards to move into field goal range, and following some Allen scrambles to make the kick closer, Bass was able to make amends for missed extra point, hitting the decisive kick to win on Thanksgiving.

Allen didn’t seem like quite himself for most of the afternoon, as it seemed as though he was still affected by his elbow injury. He was just 10-of-18 for 114 yards in the first half, with many of his throws being off the mark. However, Allen came alive in the fourth quarter with two spectacular drives. He finished 24-of-42 for 253 yards, two touchdowns and an interception. He also scrambled 10 times for 78 rushing yards and another score.

Diggs ended up with eight catches for 77 yards and a touchdown after securing just three receptions for most of the afternoon. He was second on the team in receiving, finishing behind Isaiah McKenzie, who had six grabs for 96 yards and a score. Gabriel Davis (4-38) and Dawson Knox (2-17) were big disappointments.

The Bills had a nice game out of Devin Singletary, who nearly matched Allen’s rushing total. Singletary dashed for 72 yards on 14 carries, but wasn’t a threat to score because of Allen’s willingness to run into the end zone. Meanwhile, James Cook had four touches for 18 total yards. He was a liability on the field. He dropped a pass and ran a wrong route that nearly led to another Allen interception. The Bills should think about removing Cook from action in close games until he can clean up his mental mistakes.

As for the Lions, it should surprise no one that St. Brown was the top fantasy producer by far. St. Brown reeled in nine of his 10 targets for 122 yards and a touchdown. He was also open for another score, but Goff didn’t see him. St. Brown injured his hip on one play in the third quarter, but only missed a handful of plays. He greatly outgained Detroit’s next-leading receiver, Kalif Raymond (4-35). Chark caught two balls for 16 yards and a score.

Goff went 23-of-37 for 240 yards and two touchdowns. He fired a number of impressive passes, but had some bad misses as well, including the aforementioned throw to Chark. Goff also overthrew Swift on one play in the third quarter and then took a sack in the end zone for a safety on the next play. He was lucky not to be intercepted on one play, as he panicked and fired a pass while under duress.

Jamaal Williams scored yet again, finding the end zone for the 13th time this year. He rushed for 66 yards and a score on 18 carries. Swift, conversely, was given just five carries, which he turned into 19 rushing yards. However, Swift caught four balls for 24 receiving yards.

Cowboys 28, Giants 20

Though the Giants needed a last-second touchdown to stay within single digits and cover the spread, they led for a good portion of the first half and did a good job of limiting Dallas’ offense for most of the afternoon. They had a legitimate chance to win, but some mistakes sabotaged a potential victory.

An early touchdown for the Giants was negated by an ineligible player downfield, forcing them to settle for a field goal. However, this game turned in the third quarter when New York was down 14-13 in the third quarter. The team was forced into a fourth-and-1 close to midfield. Brian Daboll decided to go for it, which was a curious decision to begin with, but the execution was far worse. Daniel Jones lined up in a shotgun formation, negating the possibility of a quarterback sneak. Jones then lofted a pass to Saquon Barkley, which was off the mark and incomplete. What’s worse, instant replay showed afterward that the Giants had just 10 players on the field for this important snap.

This turnover on downs gave the Cowboys a free scoring opportunity. Dallas had just gotten into the end zone, so it didn’t need that extra boost. The Cowboys took advantage of it, quickly scoring a touchdown to go up eight. Another failed drive allowed the Cowboys to eat up the clock and clinch the victory, despite what happened in garbage time.

Ezekiel Elliott and CeeDee Lamb were the stars for the Cowboys. Lamb caught six passes for 106 yards and was inches away from scoring a touchdown, but his heel hit the white paint in the back of the end zone. Elliott rumbled for 92 yards and a touchdown on 16 carries. He actually had fewer carries than Tony Pollard, who was limited to 60 yards on 18 carries, but he likely would have scored on one of Elliott’s big gains because of his game-breaking ability.

Dak Prescott had a rough first half, but did well to rebound with a nearly flawless in the second half. Prescott was 11-of-14 for 145 yards and two touchdowns following intermission to give him an overall stat line of 21-of-30 for 261 yards, two touchdowns and two interceptions. Both picks occurred in the opening half. The first was a floated pass to Michael Gallup, while the second was a heave toward Lamb that was deflected by the covering corner.

Both of Prescott’s touchdowns went to Dalton Schultz, who caught four passes for 31 yards. Gallup (5-63) had a strong first half, but didn’t catch a single pass after intermission.

Jones finished 21-of-35 for 228 yards and a touchdown. Considering the insane pressure he saw behind an offensive line missing three starters and a key backup, Jones did quite well for the most part, but missing Barkley on fourth down was a killer.

Barkley, conversely, was a disappointment. Struggling without any running room in front of him, Barkley rushed for only 39 yards on 11 carries, though he salvaged his fantasy day with a touchdown. Barkley also caught four passes, but for only 13 receiving yards, and he also dropped the aforementioned key fourth down, though Jones threw a bad pass in his direction.

Darius Slayton led the Giants in receiving with three catches for 63 yards, and he just missed out on a touchdown after being tackled at the 1-yard line at the end of a 44-yard reception. Richie James caught five balls for 41 yards and a touchdown at the very end of regulation for the all-important cover.

Vikings 33, Patriots 26

Bill Belichick prides himself on having great special teams play, but that unit betrayed him and the rest of the roster in this game. Fourteen of Minnesota’s 33 points came on New England special team blunders. The first seven allowed the Vikings to tie the game when they were down 23-16, as Kene Nwangwu ran back a kickoff return for a touchdown. He was aided by a missed holding call that should have been flagged, according to NBC’s officiating specialist. The next seven occurred in the fourth quarter to break a 26-all tie. The Patriots forced the Vikings into a punt, but a running-into-the-kicker penalty gave the Vikings a free set of downs. The Vikings capitalized by scoring a touchdown three plays later.

The Vikings really prevailed on special teams, as the Patriots outgained them, 409-358, and averaged two more yards per play. Still, Minnesota put together some impressive scoring drives, mostly featuring Justin Jefferson. The Pro Bowl receiver was silenced by the Cowboys last Sunday, but bounced back with a vengeance against Belichick’s helpless defense. Jefferson caught nine passes for 139 yards and a touchdown.

Kirk Cousins had a surprisingly positive performance because he was set to battle a defense that possesses NFL’s No. 2 pressure rate without his left tackle. Yet, the Patriots seldom rattled him. They did early when they forced an interception on a high throw, but Cousins operated with a mostly clean pocket. This was why he was able to go 30-of-37 for 299 yards, three touchdowns and a pick.

Cousins’ other touchdowns went to Adam Thielen, who caught nine of his 10 targets for 61 yards, and T.J. Hockenson, who snatched five balls for 43 yards. Thielen caught the decisive touchdown following New England’s second special-teams gaffe.

The Patriots can at least say that they stopped Dalvin Cook. They limited him to 42 yards on 22 carries. Cook also dropped a pass.

Cook somehow was the game’s leading rusher. Damien Harris (5-16) suffered an injury, so it was all Rhamondre Stevenson late in the game. Stevenson gained just 36 yards on seven carries, but he was a big factor in the receiving game, catching nine of his 10 targets for 76 yards.

Stevenson was second on the Patriots in receiving, trailing only DeVante Parker (4-80). Jakobi Meyers (3-62) suffered an injury on the first offensive snap of the game and missed a chunk of the first half.

Mac Jones had played well for the most part, but took some bad sacks toward the end of the game. He went 28-of-39 for 382 yards and two touchdowns. His scores went to Nelson Agholor (6-65) and Huntery Henry (3-63), both of whom made grave errors in the second half. Henry dropped a second potential touchdown that was initially ruled a catch prior to replay review. Agholor dropped a pass with two minutes remaining in regulation that would have set up New England with a first-and-goal at the 2-yard line.

Browns 23, Buccaneers 17

Jacoby Brissett was making his final start with Deshaun Watson due back in Week 13. For a while, it looked like his last game would end with a loss, especially when Kevin Stefanski had his team go for it on a fourth-and-9 in the final quarter. Brissett delivered the ball right to Amari Cooper, but the star receiver dropped the pass, drawing heavy boos from the crowd.

The Buccaneers, however, were unable to drain the clock, giving the Browns another chance. Brissett responded with a successful drive, ultimately finding David Njoku in the end zone, with the talented tight end made a one-handed catch. Tampa Bay still had an opportunity to score at the end of regulation, but Todd Bowles was guilty of some horrendous time management when he didn’t use any of his three timeouts during the final drive prior to overtime, forcing Tom Brady into an awkward Hail Mary, which fell incomplete.

Going into overtime added injury to insult for the Buccaneers, as Tristan Wirfs was carted off the field during the Buccaneers’ second drive. This allowed Myles Garrett to sack Brady on third down. The Browns took over with one final chance, and Brissett once again went back to Cooper. This time, Cooper hauled in a 45-yard bomb to redeem himself. This set up a short touchdown run for Nick Chubb, giving the Browns the upset victory.

Brissett was 23-of-37 for 210 yards, one touchdown and an interception in his final start. The pick was irrelevant because it came on a Hail Mary right before halftime. Brissett has proven himself to be an elite backup in the NFL, and there’s an argument that he can start somewhere next year.

Cooper needed his big overtime game to post a positive fantasy stat line, as he ultimately finished with seven catches on 94 yards. He was the only Cleveland player with more than 30 receiving yards. Njoku (5-29) reeled in Brissett’s only touchdown, making amends for a drop early in the afternoon.

Chubb trampled the Browns for 116 yards and the decisive touchdown on 26 carries, and he was extremely close to breaking free for a 75-yard touchdown run before being tripped up at the last second. Kareem Hunt (5-15) was a non-factor, which makes you wonder why the Browns didn’t trade him at the deadline.

Speaking of talented backup running backs, Rachaad White was slated to start over the injured Leonard Fournette. White gained 64 yards on 14 carries, but was at his best in the passing game, where he caught all nine of his targets for 45 receiving yards. He was stuffed on a third-and-1 when the Buccaneers were down 10-7 in the opening half.

Brady had an efficient, but disappointing game overall when considering the weak competition. He went 29-of-43 for 246 yards and two touchdowns. Brady took some shots downfield to Mike Evans, but couldn’t connect with him except for one occasion. Brady overthrew Evans on a couple of occasions.

Brady had the most success throwing to Chris Godwin, who snatched 12 of his 13 targets for 110 yards and a touchdown. Evans, conversely, was a huge disappointment with two catches for 31 yards, but only because of Brady’s accuracy woes. Evans also drew an interference flag.

Bengals 20, Titans 16

The Titans wanted to defeat the Bengals to avenge their playoff loss, but Cincinnati spent much of the afternoon beating itself with crucial mistakes. The Bengals were constantly starting in bad field position because of penalties on special teams. Tee Higgins ruined a possession with offensive pass interference in the second quarter, and a third-quarter hold moved the Bengals out of field goal range.

Still, this was a 13-all game when the Bengals finally got their act together. Joe Burrow fired a pass to Trenton Irwin, who made a terrific catch on third-and-12, which set up a touchdown pass to Higgins. The Bengals took a 20-13 lead, and following a Tennessee field goal, they tried their best to keep the ball away from the Titans for the final six minutes. Burrow did this with some clutch conversions, but ultimately stalled in the red zone. Cincinnati was content to kick a field goal to go up seven again with two minutes remaining, but the Titans finally made the crucial error. They were flagged for unnecessary roughness, allowing the Bengals to kneel down as a result of Tennessee using up all of its timeouts.

Burrow began the game slowly, but performed better as the afternoon progressed. He finished 22-of-37 for 270 yards and a touchdown. He also scrambled nine times for 32 rushing yards. The difference between his victory in this game and the one from the playoffs back in January was the pass protection. He was sacked nine times in the postseason victory, yet he went down just once in this contest.

Higgins had a huge game, with Burrow’s sole touchdown going to him. The Titans often put the clamps on No. 1 receivers, but that was not the case with Higgins, who caught seven of his nine targets for 114 yards. Hayden Hurst (6-57) was next on the receiving chart, while Tyler Boyd (2-16) was a big disappointment. Boyd took a crushing hit after making a reception, but didn’t miss much action.

Samaje Perine did well in his start for the concussed Joe Mixon. He dashed for 58 yards and a touchdown on just 17 carries, and he also caught four passes for 35 receiving yards.

The Bengals did a great job of stuffing Derrick Henry. The monstrous back was limited to just 38 yards on 17 carries, and to make matters worse for his fantasy owners, they were robbed of a long receiving touchdown. Henry broke free for a 69-yard reception, but fumbled at the 2-yard line. The Titans still scored because Treylon Burks was Johnny-on-the-spot with a recovery in the end zone, but Henry didn’t get credited for the score.

Speaking of Burks, that wasn’t the only big play he made in this game. He also caught a 51-yard bomb, which allowed him to finish with four catches for 70 yards.

Ryan Tannehill had some big gains, but didn’t do very well overall. he went 22-of-34 for 291 yards, but keep in mind that 71 yards of his came on a short dump-off to Henry, which he turned into a touchdown for Burks.

Dolphins 30, Texans 15

The Texans stood no chance against the Dolphins. They mustered just 32 net yards of offense in the opening half, which paled in comparison to Miami’s 287. The Dolphins dominated on both sides of the ball, with Tua Tagovailoa torching Houston’s defense mercilessly, and the Miami defense scoring on a Jordan Akins fumble return for a touchdown. Miami went into halftime up 30-0 in one of the most lopsided affairs of the year despite what the final score says.

The final score says the Dolphins prevailed 30-15, but Houston’s 15 points came in garbage time. The Dolphins sat Tagovailoa when the game was 30-0 in the third quarter, which made things uncomfortable for those who bet the Dolphins to win by more than two touchdowns. Fortunately for those people, the Dolphins hung on to the cover by the thinnest of margins.

Tagovailoa finished 22-of-36 for 299 yards and a touchdown. He was very accurate on most of his throws, though he was lucky that he wasn’t intercepted in the end zone during the second quarter. He was also victimized by some drops, so his stat line could have been better, even when considering that he was pulled so early in the afternoon.

Tyreek Hill and Jaylen Waddle didn’t fare too poorly, considering that neither played into the fourth quarter. Both had 85 receiving yards, with Hill getting there on one more catch (6-5). Waddle dropped a pass early on, but made up for it with a 34-yard leaping catch.

Big things were expected from Jeff Wilson Jr., but he was a huge disappointment. He was restricted to just 39 yards on 13 carries, though he bailed out his fantasy owners with a touchdown. Wilson got hurt in the third quarter, as Hill had to drag him off the field. Despite this, the injury didn’t seem too serious.

It’s useless to discuss Houston’s stats because most of what the Texans did occurred in garbage time. For example, Kyle Allen finished 26-of-39 for 215 yards, one touchdown and two interceptions, but he was just 10-of-16 for 49 yards and a pick in the opening half. The interception was an ugly floater.

Dameon Pierce didn’t get to pump his stats in garbage time because Dare Ogunbowale took over so that he could be rested. Pierce was restricted to just eight yards on five carries.

Brandin Cooks failed to log a single reception in the opening half, but garbage time was kind to him because he was able to catch five passes for 59 yards.

Jets 31, Bears 10

Both teams made quarterback changes ahead of this game, albeit for different reasons. The Jets decided to bench Zach Wilson after he refused to accept responsibility for his poor play after last week’s loss to the Patriots. The Bears, meanwhile, had to go with Trevor Siemian because Justin Fields suffered an injury in Atlanta the prior week. There was some speculation that Nathan Peterman would get the nod for Chicago after Siemian got hurt in pre-game warmups, but Siemian was able to play.

For a while, it seemed like Siemian would be able to engage in an unexpected shootout with White, but this game was completely one-sided in the second half, with the Jets outscoring the Bears after the break, 14-0. White was stellar throughout the entire game, and that is not an exaggeration. Playing in a downpour, White began hot, completing six of his first seven passes for 69 yards and a touchdown on the opening drive. Wilson was then able to thread the needle on a 42-yard pass to Elijah Moore. These were just some of White’s bright moments in this game.

The Jets sat on the ball in the fourth quarter, but White made a big impact by going 22-of-28 for 315 yards and three touchdowns. He was infinitely better than Wilson, albeit in a very easy matchup. Still, White gives the Jets a legitimate chance to make a run in the playoffs because he can actually move the ball to complement New York’s great defense.

White was able to spread the ball around, but his favorite target was Garrett Wilson, who snatched five of his eight targets for 95 yards and two touchdowns. Moore (2-64) also scored, while Tyler Conklin made three grabs for 50 yards.

It wasn’t surprising that White played well, so perhaps the most shocking element of this game was that someone named Zonovan Knight led the Jets in rushing. Not only did Knight gain 69 yards on 14 carries; he also caught three passes for 34 receiving yards. Knight was on the field because Michael Carter (6-21) got hurt, so Knight should be added in fantasy leagues.

As indicated earlier, Siemian had a hot start. He was able to attack the middle of the field with some precision passing, and he was even able to command the Bears to an early 10-7 lead. However, Siemian’s carriage turned into a pumpkin, as he had a rough second half. He was just 6-of-14 for 52 yards and an interception following intermission. Overall, Siemian went 14-of-25 for 179 yards, one touchdown and the pick.

Siemian missed David Montgomery for a big gain in the second half, which prevented the Chicago runner from having a big fantasy performance. He rushed for 79 yards on 14 carries, and he also caught three passes for 34 receiving yards.

The only player to outgain Montgomery in the passing game was Chase Claypool, who caught two passes for 51 yards. Darnell Mooney didn’t catch a single pass because he suffered an injury.

Redskins 19, Falcons 13

Taylor Heinicke has been begging to implode on a weekly basis, as he has thrown horrible downfield floaters that are nearly intercepted each time. He was penalized for this against the Vikings, but has been fortunate otherwise. That appeared to change in this game, with Heinicke throwing an interception right to a Falcons linebacker over midfield right before halftime, spoiling a potential scoring opportunity.

As a result of this pick, the game was tied at 10 going into the half, and Heinicke continued to make mistakes following intermission, when a pass of his toward Terry McLaurin appeared to be intercepted as well when A.J. Terrell ripped the ball away from the receiver. The ball was ruled to hit the ground, however, which allowed the Redskins to establish a six-point lead heading into the final couple of minutes, which was a wild roller coaster for both teams.

Washington appeared willing to give this game away when it made a huge mental mistake by giving the Falcons a free first down in the red zone with 1:09 remaining. However, it was Marcus Mariota’s turn to screw up. He threw an interception, as his pass was tipped at the line of scrimmage by Da’Ron Payne and picked by Kendall Fuller. The Falcons still had three timeouts remaining, and they managed to force a punt. Yet, they never got the ball back because they were flagged for running into the punter.

Heinicke survived yet again, going 14-of-23 for 138 yards, two touchdowns and an interception. This was not the sort of production the Redskins should have seen from a quarterback battling one of the worst pass defenses in the NFL. As mentioned, Heinicke was very fortunate not to be picked twice.

McLaurin was expected to dominate Atlanta’s sorry secondary, yet he could only muster four catches for 48 yards. No other Redskin logged more than 24 receiving yards.

Brian Robinson at least had a big game. He rushed for 105 yards on 18 carries, and he also caught two passes for 20 receiving yards and a touchdown.

The Falcons ran better than expected, considering that Washington has a stellar ground defense. Cordarrelle Patterson (11-52) and Tyler Allgeier (11-54) combined to eclipse the century mark. Patterson was stuffed on a fourth-and-1 near midfield during the opening half.

Don’t forget about Mariota as a runner either, as he scrambled six times for 49 rushing yards. As for Mariota’s passing, it was underwhelming, as he went 15-of-25 for 138 yards, two touchdowns and an interception. The Redskins put the clamps on him in the second half, with Mariota completing just four passes following intermission.

Only one Falcon logged more than 29 receiving yards. That wasn’t Drake London (2-29), but rather Olamide Zaccheaus, who reeled in five of his eight targets for 91 yards.

Jaguars 28, Ravens 27

The Ravens have been shooting themselves in the foot quite frequently recently. They’ve repeatedly made stupid blunders, particularly when in enemy territory. For example, excluding the one touchdown drive versus Carolina last week, the Ravens scored just six points in seven drives that went into Carolina territory.

There was reason to believe that things would turn around for the Ravens in this matchup against one of the league’s worst defenses, but the Ravens continued to struggle with mistakes. Lamar Jackson fumbled on a very awkward-looking fourth-and-1 sneak attempt. Mark Andrews and Devin Duvernay were guilty of drops. Gus Edwards was guilty of a lost fumble. It was a comedy of errors for the Ravens, yet they still had a chance to win at the end when Jackson lofted a deep bomb to Desean Jackson, which was completed for a 62-yard gain. Lamar Jackson then found Josh Oliver for a touchdown to go up 27-20.

The Jaguars still had time for one more drive, but Trevor Lawrence had to battle through Baltimore’s stellar defense to win the game. It didn’t look good for the Jaguars when they were stuck in a fourth down, but Lawrence was clutch with a conversion to Marvin Jones. Following a leaping catch by Christian Kirk, Zay Jones hauled in a third-and-10 pass while falling down. Lawrence then found Marvin Jones for a touchdown, then hit Zay Jones for a two-point conversion.

There were just 14 seconds remaining on the clock, but that didn’t bother Lamar Jackson, who hit Oliver for a 12-yard pass following a nice kickoff return. This set up Justin Tucker with a 67-yard field goal. The kick was straight, but just a hair shy, allowing the Jaguars to pull the upset.

Lamar Jackson continued to struggle with his consistency because of the miserable status of the receiving corps. He went 16-of-32 for 254 yards and one touchdown. As mentioned, he lost a fumble on a horrible fourth-down sneak. Jackson was hurt by drops, but struggled as a passer at times. As a rusher, Jackson ran 14 times for 89 yards.

Despite Jackson taking away running opportunities, Edwards still did well from a fantasy perspective. He rushed for 52 yards and a touchdown on 16 carries, but had a killer fumble that set up a Jacksonville score.

Andrews was a disappointment in this easy matchup, as he caught four passes for 50 yards. He was outgained by Baltimore’s other tight end, with Oliver reeling in four balls for 76 yards and a touchdown. Desean Jackson secured two passes for 74 yards.

As for the Jaguars, this was a huge moment in Lawrence’s development. He was brilliant in the fourth quarter, finishing 29-of-37 for 321 yards and three touchdowns. He made a great throw to Zay Jones on a fourth-and-8 prior to the final possession.

Speaking of Zay Jones, he was a monster in this game with 11 catches for 145 yards. Kirk didn’t have as big of an impact, hauling in four of his nine targets for 46 yards.

It’s remarkable that Lawrence was able to play so well in this game, given that Travis Etienne was knocked out with an injury. Etienne was able to carry the ball just twice for three yards. His replacement, JaMycal Hasty, did extremely well as a receiver out of the backfield. He only rushed for 28 yards on 12 carries, but caught five balls for 67 yards and a touchdown.

Panthers 23, Broncos 10
By Charlie Campbell – @draftcampbell

EDITOR’S NOTE:

Just when you thought the Broncos reached a new low, we had this. Denver lost in overtime to the Raiders at home last week, yet were humiliated in a double-digit loss at Carolina.

Sam Darnold was making his first start of the season, and he outplayed Russell Wilson in another embarrassing loss for the Nathanial Hackett-led Broncos. This game was expected to be low scoring given that each team has a good defense, but Brian Burns destroyed Denver in the first half, and if it weren’t for a muffed punt, the Broncos would have had zero points until garbage time late in the fourth quarter. Denver’s offense was truly pathetic.

Early in the first quarter, the Panthers had good field position at the Denver 40, but couldn’t do anything with it because the Denver defense started the game well. On the next Carolina drive, a fake punt converted a fourth-and-1, and Darnold finally located one his open receivers in D.J. Moore, who hauled in a 23-yard completion. D’onta Foreman ran for 15 yards, and Darnold dropped in a well-placed pass to Moore for a five-yard touchdown to the back corner of the end zone. Carolina had a muffed punt that was recovered by Denver at the Panthers 27, but the Broncos could only muster a field goal from the short field.

The Panthers used their ground game to generate a field goal drive to go up 10-3. Denver responded with Latavius Murray springing a 53-yard run to get inside the Carolina 30, but Burns had a strip sack that was recovered by the Panthers to keep their lead at 10-3 at halftime.

In the third quarter, Carolina stayed with the ground game, but also hit Moore to move into Denver territory. To cap the drive, Darnold took a zone-read run and fumbled the ball, but Darnold dove on the loose ball and then rolled into the end zone for a laughable rushing touchdown.

Darnold opened the fourth quarter by lofting in a beauty to Moore for 52 yards, and that got the Panthers a field goal to go up 20-3. The Broncos fumbled the ball away on the ensuing kickoff, and that spotted another three-pointer to Carolina. Down 23-3, Wilson finally started completing some passes to move the chains versus the prevent defense. The Panthers produced a goal-line stand, but a questionable roughing-the-passer penalty gave Denver another shot and Wilson threw a short touchdown pass to Brandon Johnson. The Broncos recovered an onside kick to keep their slim comeback hopes alive, but Kendall Hilton dropped a fourth-down pass.

Darnold completed 11-of-19 passes for 164 yards and a touchdown.

Foreman ran for 113 yards on 24 carries.

Moore had four receptions for 103 yards and a touchdown.

Wilson completed 19-of-35 passes for 142 yards and a touchdown.

Murray ran for 92 yards on 13 carries.

Courtland Sutton had six catches for 75 yards.

Raiders 40, Seahawks 34
By Charlie Campbell – @draftcampbell

EDITOR’S NOTE: I’d like to thank Josh Jacobs for winning me lots of money on DraftKings this week … but Austin Ekeler’s touchdown robbed me of $100,000!

The 49ers are surging, so the Seahawks can’t afford to lose winnable games if they want to try to keep pace in the NFC West, but that is what happened on Sunday. Seattle’s defense had the opportunity to clinch the win, but the defense allowed a late fourth-quarter touchdown that sent the game to overtime. In the extra period, the Seahawks let Las Vegas running back Josh Jacobs gash them for an 86-yard walk-off touchdown. Jacobs’ prolific game set a Raiders franchise record for yards from scrimmage, putting up over 300 yards on the Seattle defense. The end result is that the Seahawks have fallen to 6-5 while the Raiders have improved to 4-7.

On the first play from scrimmage, Derek Carr overthrew Davante Adams, and Quandre Diggs brought in the diving interception to set up Seattle at the Las Vegas 12-yard line. A couple of plays later, Kenneth Walker III charged into the end zone to give the Seahawks an easy lead. The Raiders responded moving the ball down the field, and Carr found Ameer Abdullah running wide open into the end zone for an easy touchdown toss to tie the game.

After a Seahawks punt, Carr threw into triple coverage, and the pass was deflected, with Diggs snatching it for his second pick of the day. Geno Smith hit tight end Noah Fant for about 20 yards, and that set up a field goal to put Seattle up 10-7. After forcing a punt, Smith had a few completions to lead the Seahawks to another field goal. The Raiders quickly took the lead though, with Carr making a few completions before a flea flicker hit Mack Hollins wide open for a 36-yard touchdown and gave a 14-13 lead to the Raiders.

Smith had flirted with a few interceptions, but this time, the Raiders finished the play when Denzel Perryman picked him off and returning it about 30 yards to the Seattle 30. On the ensuing play, Jacobs put together a phenomenal run for a 30-yard score to put the Raiders up 21-13. Seattle quickly came back, with Smith lofting in a 35-yard touchdown pass to Tyler Lockett (3-68-1), making the score 21-20. In the final seconds of the first half, Daniel Carlson drilled a field goal to make it 24-20 Raiders at halftime.

Seattle opened the third quarter by moving down the field before Walker found pay dirt again on a short touchdown run to go up 27-24. The Las Vegas ground game led the way to the a game-tying field goal. Smith then led a drive into Raiders territory, including a perfectly lofted pass to Travis Homer that converted a second-and-23, but Smith and Walker fumbled a handoff at the mesh point and Chandler Jones recovered the loose ball the Raiders.

With nine minutes remaining, Las Vegas went for a fourth-and-inches from midfield, but Seattle broke through to pick up a tackle for a loss. Smith took advantage of the field position, moving the ball and then finding Homer on a roll out for an 18-yard touchdown. That gave the Seahawks a 34-27 lead well into the fourth quarter.

With about five minutes remaining, Adams made an excellent one-handed catch to get into Seattle territory. Carr soon lofted in a touchdown pass to Foster Moreau on third-and-goal to tie the game at 34 with 1:54 remaining. A Maxx Crosby sack produced a punt that sent the game to overtime.

In overtime, Jacobs ran well to cross midfield, but he was stuffed on a third-and-1, and Daniel Carlson missed a 56-yard field goal. Another Crosby sack got the ball back for the Raiders, and then Jacobs exploded up the middle of the Seattle defense and sprinted down the field for an 86-yard walk-off touchdown.

Like Dominique Wilkins, Jacobs was a human high-light reel versus the Seahawks. Jacobs dominated Seattle to the tune of 229 yards and two touchdowns over 33 carries. He also caught six passes for 74 yards, including a superb one-handed catch. As stated above, this prolific performance set Las Vegas franchise record for yards from scrimmage in a game. The Raiders must be regretting passing on Jacobs’ fifth-year option because he is headed for a big pay day in free agency, or they will have to use the franchise tag.

Carr completed 25-of-36 passes for 295 yards, three touchdowns and two interceptions.

Adams caught seven passes for 74 yards.

Geno Smith completed 27-of-37 passes for 328 yards, two touchdowns and an interception. He also rushed for 22 yards.

Walker III ran for 26 yards and two touchdowns over 14 carries.

D.K. Metcalf caught 11 passes for 90 yards.

Chargers 25, Cardinals 24

I’ve heard this matchup referred to as the Spiderman meme game, as both teams mirror each other. Both have explosive defenses, leaky defenses and coaches who make questionable decisions in crunch time. We saw all of this in this one-point thriller.

Arizona’s defense came to play early, sacking Justin Herbert a couple of times on third downs. They also appeared to recover a Joshua Palmer lost fumble, though that was overturned by replay. Arizona had a chance to establish an early lead as a result, but led by just three at halftime because it made some mistakes. The Cardinals lost a fumble themselves when James Conner coughed up the ball, while a Kyler Murray pass to DeAndre Hopkins was underthrown and picked.

The teams made mistakes in the second half as well. Matt Prater missed a 49-yard field goal, while a Herbert potential interception was overturned by replay review. Herbert is lucky the turnover was negated because he didn’t see Zaven Collins. Herbert later took a big sack on a third-down Isaiah Simmons blitz while trying to come back from a seven-point deficit. However, thanks to some shoddy play-calling by Kliff Kingsbury on the ensuing drive, the Cardinals gave the Chargers one more chance, and Herbert delivered. Herbert peppered Austin Ekeler with several passes, with Ekeler barely reaching over the goal line for what appeared to be the tying score. The Chargers went for the win, as Herbert found Gerald Everett for the decisive two-point conversion.

Herbert had some rough moments in this game, but finished with a great stat line, going 35-of-47 for 274 yards and three touchdowns. He’s very fortunate that he wasn’t picked off in a crucial moment, but he made amends by coming through in the clutch.

Herbert managed to lead the team in rushing with 38 yards on four scrambles. Ekeler didn’t do much on the ground (5-20), but he was instrumental in the passing game, as usual. He caught 11 of his 15 targets for 60 yards and a touchdown.

Aside from Ekeler, Palmer led the Chargers in receiving with five grabs for 56 yards. Keenan Allen was close (5-49), but he caught a touchdown.

As for the Cardinals, Murray went 18-of-29 for 191 yards, two touchdowns and the aforementioned interception. If you guessed that he did way more on the ground than in the air, you would be correct. He scrambled seven times for 56 rushing yards and another score.

Unlike Ekeler, Conner was able to lead his team in rushing despite the quarterback rushing yardage. Conner rumbled for 120 yards on 25 carries. He also caught three passes for 20 receiving yards and a touchdown.

Predictably, DeAndre Hopkins led Arizona in receiving with four catches for 87 yards and a touchdown. Marquise Brown also did well in his return from injury with six grabs for 46 yards.

Chiefs 26, Rams 10

This game was never in doubt as far as the outright winner was concerned, but it didn’t seem as though the Chiefs would be able to cover the 15.5-point spread for the longest time. There was a chance early in the fourth quarter, but Patrick Mahomes tossed a lazy interception into the end zone. Luckily for Kansas City bettors, Rams third-string quarterback Bryce Perkins threw two interceptions, one of which set up Kansas City’s covering score.

The Chiefs understandably utilized a conservative game plan, which turned out to be the correct strategy. Mahomes’ interception was the only mistake the Chiefs made. Otherwise, Kansas City picked up tiny chunks of yardage at a time, winning the time-of-possession battle as a consequence.

Mahomes finished 27-of-42 for 320 yards, one touchdown and the pick. He also scrambled four times for 36 rushing yards.

Mahomes’ lone aerial score went to Travis Kelce, who didn’t do much following his early touchdown. Kelce still led the team in receiving with four grabs for 57 yards and the score. Marquez Valdes-Scantling (4-56) and JuJu Smith-Schuster (3-38) were next on the stat sheet.

Kansas City’s other touchdown came via Isiah Pacheco, who did well considering the tough matchup. He rushed for 69 yards and a touchdown on 22 carries. He also caught a 17-yard pass.

As for the Rams, Perkins did much better than expected. He led the Rams to 10 early points and kept them somewhat in the game. He also avoided turnovers until late in the afternoon. He finished 13-of-23 for 100 yards, one touchdown and two interceptions to go along with nine scrambles for 44 rushing yards.

With Cooper Kupp and Allen Robinson sidelined, Van Jefferson “led” the Rams with 29 receiving yards on his three catches.

Kyren Williams and Cam Akers shared the workload. Akers edged out Williams, 37-35, on three fewer carries (11-8). However, Williams was better in the passing game with three catches for 25 receiving yards.

49ers 13, Saints 0

The 49ers were not at their sharpest coming off their victory in Mexico. They made plenty of mistakes and seemed discombobulated at times. There was one sequence where they lined up offsides on offense, then wasted a timeout. Later on the drive, an Elijah Mitchell touchdown was negated by a hold. They were also stuffed on a fourth-and-1, and they had another big gain nullified by a hold.

And yet, none of this mattered because the Saints didn’t score a single point. New Orleans made its own mistakes, particularly in the red zone. The Saints didn’t threaten to score early in the game, but that changed in the fourth quarter when New Orleans made two trips deep into San Francisco territory. One concluded when Alvin Kamara lost his second fumble of the game. The other drive was ruined by an Andy Dalton sack.

Christian McCaffrey was a major disappointment in this game. He rushed for just 32 yards on 11 carries, and he caught four passes for only 17 receiving yards. McCaffrey left the game early with some sort of a knee injury, which is why Mitchell (7-35) and Jordan Mason (5-25) had so much work late in the game.

Jimmy Garoppolo went 26-of-37 for 222 yards and a touchdown. He was fortunate that an interception of his was negated by a defensive holding penalty.

Garoppolo’s sole touchdown went to Jauan Jennings (6-49), who caught the pass after Tyrann Mathieu tipped the ball into the air. The only 49er with more receiving yards was Brandon Aiyuk (5-65). Meanwhile, Deebo Samuel (3-43) and George Kittle (3-26) frustrated their fantasy owners. Samuel got hurt on one play, but didn’t miss much action. Kittle was charged with a holding penalty that nullified a touchdown.

Speaking of disappointing fantasy stars, Kamara rushed for only 13 yards on seven carries. He caught six passes, but accumulated only 37 receiving yards in the process. As mentioned, he lost two fumbles, one of which was at the San Francisco 1-yard line.

Dalton had a miserable showing as well, going 18-of-29 for only 204 yards. He struggled to move the chains until the fourth quarter. His only viable receiver was Chris Olave, who was robbed of a catch by a bad replay review. Olave (5-62) drew a defensive hold in the end zone.

Eagles 40, Packers 33

There was some serious offensive explosion in this game. The two teams combined for 27 points in the first quarter alone, and Jalen Hurts rushed for 100 yards before the second frame even began. Hurts also became the first NFL player to ever record 125 passing yards and 125 rushing yards in the first half of an NFL game.

Hurts didn’t quite break Adrian Peterson’s single-season rushing record, but he kept the chains moving the entire evening with both his arm and his legs. Hurts saw more pressure than usual behind his elite offensive line, but he ran circles around the Packers, while also torching their secondary. Meanwhile, the Packers seemed up for matching the Eagles on the scoreboard, but Aaron Rodgers was in severe pain after taking a hit right after halftime. He eventually exited, giving way to Jordan Love. Green Bay’s backup did well, but couldn’t quite catch the high-flying Philadelphia offense.

Hurts finished 16-of-28 for 153 yards and two touchdowns. He also scrambled 17 times for 157 rushing yards. Unless he gets hurt or suffers a severe slump to close out the season, he should be able to win the MVP award.

Hurts wasn’t the only Eagle to eclipse the century mark. Miles Sanders had a huge game, dashing for 143 yards and two touchdowns on 21 carries. He also helped in the passing game with three catches for 17 receiving yards.

Hurts’ touchdowns went to A.J. Brown (4-46) and Quez Watkins (3-35), who caught a brilliant back-shoulder pass from his quarterback. Brown lost a fumble while in Green Bay territory, and he was outgained by DeVonta Smith, who made four grabs for 50 yards.

As for the Packers, Rodgers had to leave early with a punctured lung. He tried to play, but was in agony every time he threw the ball. He finished 11-of-16 for 140 yards, two touchdowns and a pair of interceptions. The first pick came off a deflection, while the second occurred because Rodgers didn’t see the safety. Love went 6-of-9 for 113 yards and a touchdown in his absence.

The Packers had success running on the Eagles in the first half, with Aaron Jones and A.J. Dillon combining for 77 rushing yards heading into intermission. However, the Eagles made the correct adjustments after the break, as the two backs finished with 107 combined rushing yards. Dillon led the way with 64 yards and a touchdown on eight attempts, while Jones picked up 43 yards on 12 tries. Jones made much more of an impact as a receiver with three catches for 56 yards and a score.

Christian Watson was the only receiver to outgain Jones, catching four passes for 110 yards and a 63-yard touchdown in which he put on the jets and blazed past the entire Philadelphia defense. Randall Cobb (2-19) also scored, while Allen Lazard was limited to two catches for 24 yards.

Steelers 24, Colts 17

The Steelers had endured the toughest schedule in the NFL thus far, but were finally matched up with a poor opponent. It was apparent that they were in for an easier time when they jumped out to a 16-3 lead heading into halftime. The Steelers dominated both sides of the ball. Defensively, Pittsburgh nearly picked Matt Ryan on his first throw, then intercepted him on his second attempt when he telegraphed a pass. The Steelers swarmed Ryan in the pocket throughout the first half and disrupted everything he tried to do. Heading into intermission, Ryan was just 5-of-13 for 36 yards and an interception.

Pittsburgh outgained Indianapolis at that point, 232-71, as Kenny Pickett threw a number of impressive passes against Indianapolis. This includes a tremendous 35-yard connection with George Pickens on a back-shoulder heave along the sideline. Pickett really made just one poor throw in the first half when he missed Pickens for a touchdown. He also took a bad sack to move out of field goal range on an early drive. Still, he did extremely well, especially when faced with adversity in the second half.

Thanks to a great kickoff return, the Colts scored two touchdowns in the third quarter to go up 17-16. Pickett was able to engineer a scoring drive with three converted third downs, ultimately leading to a rushing touchdown. With a two-point conversion, the Steelers went up 24-17, and they were able to hold the lead, thanks to two great defensive stops that happened to feature some questionable time management by new interim head coach Jeff Saturday.

Pickett finished 20-of-28 for 174 yards. He did some damage with his legs, as he had some well-timed runs to scramble six times for 32 rushing yards. Pickett missed a touchdown, as mentioned, but he was robbed of a score as well when Diontae Johnson dropped a ball in the end zone.

Speaking of Johnson, he had a good game otherwise with five catches for 49 yards. He trailed only Pickens on the stat sheet, with Pickens hauling in three balls for 57 yards.

The one dark cloud over this victory was that Najee Harris suffered an injury in the second quarter. Harris had rushed for 35 yards and a touchdown on 10 carries prior to leaving. Benny Snell looked good as a replacement, rumbling for 62 yards and a score on 12 attempts.

Jonathan Taylor was the leading rusher in this game, picking up 86 yards and a touchdown on 20 carries. However, he made a grave mistake when he fumbled a handoff in the red zone.

Ryan had a stronger second half, as he finished with numbers that weren’t too embarrassing. Ryan went 22-of-34 for 199 yards, one touchdown and an interception. Ryan has to be partly responsible for the team’s poor clock management on the final drive.

Ryan threw more passes to Michael Pittman than anyone else, and Pittman responded with seven catches for 61 yards and a touchdown. However, the leader in receiving yards was Jelani Woods. The monstrous and athletic tight end finally lived up to expectations, catching eight of his nine targets for 98 yards.

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

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