Saturday, November 23, 2019

By The Pigskin Of Our Teeth, Week 11: No Joy Here

I'm a little surprised to see James Conner back after not playing Sunday with a shoulder injury. Browns defense swarming Rudolph here. Mayfield somehow finds Kareem Hunt near the sideline. Is this his first game back? Down the middle to Beckham! They call this a touchdown, which would be about Beckham's second of the year, which is a big reason why they Browns are 3-6. It's reviewed and placed back at the 1. Mayfield keeps it himself and scores.




Two fouls on this third and long for the Steelers and they'll take the pass interference flag. Bad hold on this field goal attempt and it floats harmlessly left. This Hunt run will be close. Chains are out. First down. Mayfield gets flushed out of the pocket (again) and throws incomplete on third down. Nothing will get better here until that line improves. FOX runs the same promo for Michigan-Michigan State that they ran last year. Not a good throw by Rudolph on 3rd and 1. And why are they throwing on 3rd and 1? Mayfield finds Hodge over the middle. Steelers challenge this spot and... win? OK. Got them 18 yards back, so they're good with it. Landry finds room and makes the catch a the Steelers' 6. Last week's red zone woes are brought up. That's an easy interference call on Haden. No one's near Landry in the end zone. Conner's shoulder injury has flared up again, according to Kristina Pink. Roughing gives the Steelers a first down, but now Juju's down after taking a shot to the head. We come back from commercial to him being helped off, which is bad news for an already bad offense. Morgan Burnett comes off the edge to tackle Edmunds for a loss on 3rd and 2. Steelers go for it, but Rudolph gets pressured in to an incompletion. The Steelers' protection hasn't been good tonight. They try a flea-flicker, but it's deflected by Denzel Ward and intercepted by Morgan Burnett! But a big return is wasted as Seibert misses right from 45 yards. Steelers can't do anything and the Browns take a 14-0 halftime lead. Bad pass by Rudolph behind the receiver and it's picked off. Wow. Rudolph misses Dionte Johnson deep, and Johnson then takes a helmet to helmet hit from Demarious Randall.




They just ejected him! The hit knocked Johnson's helmet off. I'm surprised by that but I'm not against it. Greedy Williams chest-bumps Horton and that's yet another penalty, the fourth on this drive against the Browns. Crowd is furious. It's first and goal! Rudolph tosses it to Samuels and he scores easily. First time the Browns have moved the ball in a while.




No idea what happened there. Pereira wanted only offensive pass interference. Austin Seibert misses from 50 to end the third quarter. Along with everything else, Rudolph hasn't been accurate tonight. No one can catch. Steelers go for it again and it's almost intercepted. Browns take over anyway. Big stuff by Bud Dupree on third down to end this drive. Rudolph is picked off by Joe Schobert and that's probably the end of that, even with 6:22 left. First and goal at the 4 after the return. Mayfield avoids a sack and somehow finds Carlson in the back of the end zone. That throw gets away from Rudolph and is intercepted. He has unequivocally sucked tonight. But then, so has every other Steelers offensive player, so. Rudolph gets punked and now we got a fight. What's all this? Myles Garrett threw Rudolph down well after he'd thrown the ball, pulled his helmet off, then hit him over the head with it!! What the actual fuck! That's suspendable. Jesus Christ.







Wait, who else got thrown out? Was it Pouncey? (It was, for kicking a downed Browns player.) The Browns send backup quarterback Garrett Gilbert out for this final kneel down, which is the most intelligent decision anybody in this game has made tonight. What a farce. Tomlin's just here so he doesn't get fined. (Browns 21, Steelers 7)

Signal Finder: HOU @ BAL, DAL @ DET, DEN @ MIN (end), NE @ PHI

Watson dances around the pocket for about 10 seconds before just running out of time. Did he fumble? He did! Ravens ball!




Jackson throws a little high to Hurst on 3rd and 7 but he brings it in. Tucker MISSES? It's the apocalypse. Hopkins moving chains. Ravens stuff 3rd and 1 and the Texans... keep their offense on the field. Watson goes deep to Hopkins in the end zone, but Humphrey pulls him down. No flag, and the Texans challenge. Call STANDS. Absolute joke. This felt like a bad idea when they implemented it, but I didn't think it would be this bad in this respect.




It's embarrassing. Big Jackson run gets called back, then the Texans line up in the neutral zone, so it's 1st and 10 again. Drive stalls and Tucker is out again. Does he always cross himself before a kick? I just noticed that. Fake! It's a pitch to Andrews and he doesn't even come close. Ravens come back with a sack, only to rough Watson on the next play. Not sure how you have a false start on a running back but Ingram just did it. That's a face mask and that'll add 15 more yards to this Andrews catch-and-run. Jackson with plenty of time, and he finds Seth Roberts in the back of the end zone. Watson with a casual flip to Fells, who carries some Ravens about 10 additional yards. Back-to-back sacks ends this drive. Jackson escapes a collapsing pocket again and gets another first down. Gus Edwards finds a hole and takes it to the Texans' 10. Jackson with a strike to Andrews for a touchdown. Small but noticeable "MVP!" chant breaking out. 14-0. Fortunately Watson's walking off after that. No update through halftime, and the Ravens get the second half kickoff. Hollywood Brown stumbles on a deep route, but it turns out he was pushed. Great catch by Snead. Ingram is left completely alone on a wheel route, and he cuts inside at the 2 and scores easily. Watson back out.




Did Iain just say "Lamar-kable?" Quarterbacks don't break tackles like that. Tucker makes this kick and it's 24-0. Watson gets picked off! Ravens add three more. We're getting close to being switched, I think. The Texans have only been shut out twice, but by this exact score both times. Watson goes deep to Stills on 3rd and 2 but overthrows him. Texans go for it, but Hopkins can't hold on to the ball. CBS's ticker showing the Vikings' score after the highlight of the Vikings' score. Toss to Ingram, who makes another move and that's another touchdown. 34-0. And we're out.




(Ravens 41, Texans 7)

Falcons really out here playing spoiler before Thanksgiving even gets here. (Falcons 29, Panthers 3)

SWITCH. Cousins drops one right into Diggs' hands for an easy touchdown and what was a 20-0 Broncos lead is now 23-20. Brandon Allen finds Sutton, who beats Xavier Rhodes again. Field goal is no good and McManus knew it immediately. Play fake to Rudolph and he has an easy touchdown. Vikings lead! Broncos pulling a Baylor here. Broncos challenging no pass interference on this play to the non-Noah Fant tight end. This will not work because it never does, and there's less here than the one on Hopkins that got ignored. Non-call STANDS. This is a first down. Why do they keep showing it? Broncos call time out with 27 seconds left facing 4th and 1. Allen keeps it and gains 11 to the 5! Hurry up, dudes! Vikings call time out, bailing out the Broncos, who were completely out of sorts. This Kearse guy's been riding the line all game in coverage. Allen goes to Fant on the far sideline but Kearse is there in coverage and it was off target. Allen may have rushed that throw, too. Four blown fourth-quarter leads for the Broncos? Is that fireable? (Vikings 27, Broncos 23)




I'm surprised there are enough home fans here to get a chant that loud. (Jets 34, Redskins 17)

Cowboys wearing their blue jerseys on not-Thanksgiving? What world is this? (The Lions are in their whites.) GOOD START, COWBOYS. Danny Amendola? Still? Touchdown Lions. Wait, Bo Scarbrough? OK. Didn't know this is where he was. Gotcha. Then Tony Pollard hesitates on the kickoff return and gets buried at the 11. Cowboys settling down now and putting together a workmanlike drive. Slant to Gallup and it's first and goal. Prescott gets sacked on third down as the protection dies. Field goal is good. Dak to Gallup for 23. Cobb drops a pass on a wheel route. Pollard makes the catch, makes two guys miss, and scores. Scarbrough somehow looks smaller in a Lions uniform than he did in college. Driskel fakes a handoff to Scarbrough and WALKS into the end zone. That was ridiculous. Sean Lee is furious.




Cowboys march right back down the field — aided by another big Gallup catch — and score on an Elliott dive. They're back at it on the next drive with a deep pass to Cobb. Are they saying the ball crossed the plane before Cobb's knee hit? Apparently. And it actually looks like it did, so it's fine. 24-14 at the half. Driskel hits Marvin Hall for 39 yards to the Cowboys' 9. Feels like he scores on a  better throw. Touchdown to Marvin Jones! Driskel's shown more mobility than I remember seeing from him in college. Defense has taken a holiday. Field goal is good. 27-21 Cowboys. Scarbrough uses the pile to pick up 3rd and 1. Fake punt?




You can set your watch by Michael Bennett jumping offsides. Oh, somebody finally moved Logan Thomas to tight end like they should have done seven years ago. Drive stalls and the Lions punt for real. Oh, here's Cooper again. Screen to Elliott, who finds a lane, gets a block from Witten, and scores! Did Elliott pick that up off the turf? I guess not. Touchdown stands. Cowboys line up to go for two and Pollard gets it with some effort. DeMarcus Lawrence down. Marvin Jones breaks a tackle — will he make it? Yes! Lions go for two with 5:49 left. Nope. Cowboys blitzed and it was doomed from the start. Trey Flowers being helped off. Golladay with a big-time big play. Driskel SACKED. Did the Lions just punt? Why? Cowards. Dak finds Jarwin, who gets a block from Witten and picks up the first down to seal it. (Cowboys 35, Lions 27)

This will require an act of God. Eagles get the ball first with no Howard or Jeffery. Wentz throws deep and... Boston Scott? draws a pass interference flag. That might be the longest play from scrimmage for either team today. Elliott makes the field goal. Brady gets Aikman-level boos. Eagles force a three-and-out. An actual catch by Arceaga-Whiteside is nullified by an illegal man downfield penalty. Wentz overthrows Hollins. Is everyone wearing desert camo arm sleeves? Punt pins the Eagles at the 5. Wentz with a jump pass to Ertz, who leaks out and throws a couple stiff-arms. Tight end screen to Goedert, who rides some good blocking into Patriots territory. Wentz scrambles for seven as the quarter ends. Wild shift ends up with Jason Kelce in the slot. First down Sanders. Touch — WHAT? What the hell? Goedert caught it, went into the end zone, but Jonathan Jones yanked the ball out of his hands. They call it an interception and a touchback.




Romo's not sure. Replays look like Goedert was down in the end zone before losing the ball. Call REVERSED. TOUCHDOWN. Grugier-Hill almost had a pick. Darby with a play on a deep ball to Dorsett. N'Keal Harry with his first career catch. Mills tips a deep pass away from Edelman. When did the Eagles' cornerbacks suddenly acquire ball skills? Brady to Watson over the middle for 22 yards. Brady's been under a lot of pressure. Folk good from 35.




Wait, what? That's a problem. When would that even have happened? (We still don't know.) Scott fumbles the kickoff, the kicker almost recovers it, but it goes out of bounds. Wentz gets sacked. Sanu returns the punt into Eagles territory. Watson makes a diving catch at the Eagles' 4 with Maddox holding him the entire time. McLeod bails Brady out by dropping a sure interception. Brady misses the back on third down, and they kick a field goal. 10-6.




Wentz gets hit and fumbles, and the Patriots recover. Nobody's been good on offense this half, really. Folk is good from 39. Agholor wins a contested catch? Stop the presses. Ertz gets cut down after a seven-yard gain. Snap gets away from Wentz and he ends up taking another sack. Patriots call time? They rush the punt but Johnston gets it off. Halftime. Romo: "I expect more touchdowns." Burkhead breaks a tackle and goes for 30. EDELMAN WIDE RECEIVER PASS. Everyone was fooled and Dorsett will never catch an easier touchdown.




Nobody within ten yards of him. White rushes for the two-point conversion. Eagles' offense has done nothing since the touchdown, which was what I expected. Neither offensive line doing a great job in pass protection, either. Is this not a catch? Pederson wants to challenge, but the refs say that forward progress was stopped, and it's not reviewable. Punt pins the Eagles at their own 3. That went nowhere. Gerry gets to Brady for the Eagles' first sack. The punters have also had their bad moments.




Arceaga-Whiteside! He needs to be playing more. He can't be worse than what they've been running out there all season. Agholor doesn't usually catch those. Before this drive, there were TEN straight punts. Not one drive had more than seven plays. This is what they're up against. Don't give me hope. And Agholor can't find it. Like, he had no idea where the ball was.




Last-second pick doesn't matter. And it didn't even count. Don't act like this wasn't expected. (Patriots 17, Eagles 10)

This Week's Game That Shouldn't Have Been This Close: 49ers 36, Cardinals 26

The Rams are without Cooks AND Woods tonight. This could pose problems.




But not right away, as the Bears will get the ball first. Big play from David Montgomery, which they haven't had enough of this season. Piniero misses left from 48. KICKERS. Gurley FUMBLES. Bears get it right back. This time the Bears pass on a 48-yarder to go for it on 4th and 9, but Gabriel drops it. Another Rams turnover, as Goff is intercepted by Roquan Smith, who somehow didn't go out of bounds. ANOTHER MISS. I swear Robbie Gould put a curse on this place after the Bears cut him.




The SNF DJ is UNDEFEATED. Gurley with a good run. Goff gets five on 3rd and 6. Zeuerlein BARELY makes it. 3-0 Rams. Collinsworth's assessment of Trubisky is correct, in my view: he's better on the move, and when he's not, his footwork has to be perfect or he'll do some truly bad things. He hits Miller on a nice slant to pick up a first down. Interception! Miller pushed off and the pass went off his hand and right to the defender. Goff goes deep to Kupp... touchdown! Actually, I don't think he got in. Let's look. Yeah, he's out of bounds. Call is changed to out of bounds at the 1, and Collinsworth points out that the Rams got lucky that they ruled it was out before he crossed the goal line, otherwise it would have been that stupid touchback rule. Gurley punches it in.




Trubisky takes a sack he can't take, even though nobody was open. They go for it on 4th and 10... but then they run the punt team on.




Rams go into halftime up 10-0. Amazing that the Rams are the second-worst 4th and short team in the league. If you had told someone that two years ago that would be the case, they'd ask you who your weed man was. And they're punting. Trubisky finds Miller over the middle again. Draw to Cohen gets a first down. Cohen beats his man to the sideline and makes a shoestring catch for a touchdown. Bears break out the six-man front again on 3rd and 1 and the Rams can't do anything with it. Then the Bears call a read option on 3rd and 1 and lose four. You know how nobody scored after midway through Patriots-Eagles? We could see the same thing here. Kyle Fuller drops an interception. Rams Mount Rushmore is Merlin Olsen, Deacon Jones, Marshall Faulk and Kurt Warner. Two very different pairs of guys there. Coverage leads to an Aaron Donald sack. But they got Troy Hill on a hold, so it'll give the Bears a first down.




Josh Reynolds has come up big for the Rams on a night where they've needed him to. Then he catches a touchdown pass but it's erased by an illegal formation penalty. Then Goff almost runs in to the motioning tight end on a handoff to Gurley. Reynolds comes back with another big play. Malcolm Brown? Malcolm Brown! Touchdown Rams. Chase Daniel in? Little late if it's just a "spark the offense" move. The offense... has not been sparked.




I'm not buying this hip injury excuse for Trubisky AT ALL. (Rams 17, Bears 7)

VIVA MEXICO.




Tessitore reminds us we are at altitude. Hunter Henry pops out for a 16 yard catch on the first play of the game. Then to Keenan Allen for 5. Chargers missing both starting tackles. Gordon picks up five on 3rd and 3. BIG catch and run by Ekeler. Allen makes a catch at the 9 but gets absolutely no further. Field goal is good. Mahomes just misses Hill deep. Not a great punt. Gordon with a big run. The Chiefs can't stop anyone. They do sniff out this screen that Pope dropped, so he wouldn't have gotten anywhere anyway. Field goal is... wide right. Mahomes takes off for 24 yards. Interception! Rayshawn Jenkins out-jumped DeMarcus Robinson. Allen turns Breeland into a pretzel and takes off for 30 yards. FUMBLE! Chiefs ball! They calling this an interception? Lot of divots on this field already.




Mike Williams goes up and appears to make the catch, but the ball comes out as he hits the ground. Honey Badger interception! Mathieu returns it to the Chargers' 6! Rivers has sucked out loud tonight. An "I" Formation? What century is this? Touchdown McCoy. Williams catches this one. Field goal is good. Mahomes throws off balance to Kelce, but he can't keep his feet inbounds. Butker makes this field goal. 10-6. Estadio Azteca is almost  half-mile higher than Mile High. Chargers moving backwards with penalties. Rivers checks down to Ekeler over the middle, then the Chargers forget they're out of time outs and almost don't spike it in time. So Badgley tries from 48 and it's good. 10-9 at halftime. I'll note now that Tyreek Hill hasn't played since the second series. That was wild and very typical Chargers; They get the interception, get lucky to retain a loose ball after it, then a penalty wipes the whole thing out. Mahomes didn't want to run there but he does. Watkins makes a move after the catch and gets 15 yards. McCoy puts a ridiculous fake on Michael Davis and is very lucky to recover his own fumble at the end. Davis's mother is Mexican, and her whole family is here. Touchdown Damian Williams. Kelce finds a hole in the middle of the field and breaks a couple tackles. Touchdown Kelce! Got both feet in and dragged a toe afterwards. Mathieu drops another interception. I mean, DROPS it.




Allen makes a jumping catch to salvage this drive. Touchdown Allen! Henry catches the two-point conversion and we got a game. Shady passes the 11,000-yard career rushing mark. Frank Clark blows up a run on 3rd and 1. Rivers barking at somebody, as usual. Chargers punt with 6:15 left. Nope, don't like that. Chargers get the stop they need when Melvin Ingram leaps to knock down Mahomes' third-down pass. 4:30 left. Chargers take a deep shot, then Gordon drops a pass. Rivers throws deep into coverage and it's... intercepted! Mahomes gets chased out of the pocket on third down, but still picks up 15 yards. The next third down doesn't go as well, as Mahomes gets sacked. Another chance for the Chargers. Henry converts 4th and 4. MIKE WILLIAMS. That's the best catch of the night. 50 yards!




Ball comes out on the next play but it's ruled a fumble. Gordon recovered it, but this review is for fumble or incompletion, which matters because of the clock. Call reversed to an incompletion, which actually helps the Chargers. Ekeler takes a screen 11 yards but can't get out of bounds. Rivers throws to the corner.., and it's intercepted by Sorenson!




crosses off Chargers (Chiefs 24, Chargers 17)

RANKINGS:
TOP 4:
1. Green Bay (8-2) — Not a whole lot they don't do well
2. Seattle (8-2) — Not a whole lot they don't do well, either
3. New England (9-1) — I have CONCERNS
4. Baltimore (8-2) — Marcus Peters has been a sneaky great addition

BOTTOM 4:
29. N.Y. Giants (2-8) — Maybe rethink some things
30. Miami (2-8) — Welcome back
31. Washington (1-9) — Nowhere to go but sideways
32. Cincinnati (0-10) — This is going underreported
Posted by at No comments:

Friday, November 15, 2019

By The Pigskin Of Our Teeth, Week 10: Cold Blooded

YOU ARE LOOKING PLAUSIBLY LIVE. Thanks, Brent.



Chargers ball first. Gordon was in the backfield, but Ekeler was lined up outside and he goes down the seam for 18 yards. Rivers gets sacked, then throws a pass to Keenan Allen that gets deflected and intercepted by Karl Joseph, but pass interference is called and it won't count. Gruden challenges this incompletion, saying it's a fumble. He's mad about it, and he's also wrong. Call STANDS. Gruden now 0-for-7 on challenges. Buck points out that not only was Rivers' arm coming forward, but nobody recovered the ball. Interception! Throw sails on Rivers and Eric Harris returns it 59 yards to the Chargers' 31! Field goal is good. Harris intercepts Rivers AGAIN, and he's gonna score! Replay shows the intended receiver fell down. This Raiders punt is infested with flags. Ultimately, it's Chargers ball at the 23. Second quarter begins with a Gordon spin move on 3rd and 1 that doesn't work. Chargers going for it. They give it to the fullback, Derek Watt (yes, of those Watts) and he picks it up. The Chargers have noticeably thrown no more than one pass since the pick-six. That's a generous spot on that third-down pass to Allen. Rivers almost gets picked a third time on a bad decision (inside slant) that gets deflected into the air. Another incompletion. Who is calling these plays? This one ALSO gets deflected but Hunter Henry catches it in the back of the end zone. That didn't have to be that difficult. Chargers get the ball back and Gordon takes a quick pass for 25 yards out of bounds. Harris picks off Rivers AGAIN, but the Raiders were offsides. Touchdown Gordon and the Chargers suddenly lead. Raiders pick up 4th and 1 from the Chargers' 41. Now it's 3rd and 1 from the 9 and Aikman thinks Gruden also sees this as four-down territory. FULLBACK WHEEL ROUTE for a touchdown, and the penalty's against the Chargers. (This time THEY were offsides.) It's under review. They're not showing the announcements of the reviews anymore. I wonder why that is. Call stands, by the way. 17-14 Raiders at halftime. Still not sure how Hunter Renfrow ended up on the Raiders instead of the Patriots. Hey, a Darren Waller sighting that gets the Raiders into the end zone. Carr runs around for nine seconds before finally throwing the ball away. Gruden wanted a time out before that play but no one saw him call it.


Field goal is good. "Holy Roller" highlight is shown. Joey Bosa with this first play of the night. Carlson misses left from 53. Weird look back at all the old dual-use stadiums that will no longer exist once the Raiders leave.



Rivers overthrows Patton. On their next possession, he completes basically the same pass to Mike Williams, who juggles it before being tackled. Nice run by Gordon. Chargers can't get closer and Badgley makes a field goal. Is this the Keenan Allen drive? It is! Twenty-three yard catch gets nullified by a penalty? Let's go for 26! Touchdown Ekeler and the Chargers retake the lead with 4:10 left.



Carr overthrows the end zone. Big hole for Jacobs. Touchdown Raiders! MISSED the extra point! Chargers have all three time outs left. Feels like Rivers has been awful tonight. Raiders get hit with a holding call on another near-pick.



Good no-call on the following play when the players' feet get tangled up. Interception by Joseph and that one WILL count. Pressure by Max Crosby, who's been living in Rivers' face all game. The Raiders are a game back in the AFC West, which is wild. (Raiders 26, Chargers 24)

Signal Finder: DET @ CHI, KC @ TEN (end), BUF @ CLE (end), NYG @ NYJ, CAR @ GB, LAR @ PIT (end)

This early slate is DIRE. Especially without Stafford here, who's missing his first start after 136 straight and may be out a while with a bad back. Jeff Driskel will start and the Lions will get the ball first. Driskel was drafted by the Red Sox in 2013 and should probably be playing baseball. Lions DRIVING already. Driskel misses a double-teamed Golladay. Field goal is good. Trubisky rolls right but Burton can't stay inbounds. Lions pull an okey-doke on 4th and 1 near midfield, keeping the offense on the field initially, then rushing the punt team on so the Bears can't adjust, then pinning them at their own 4. Driskel's been... OK so far? While the Bears still can't manage to do anything on offense. THIRD AND 27. Good job, everyone. Pass to Golladay goes off his fingers, then he almost catches it (and prevents an interception in the process.) Prater gonna try this from 54. GOOD. That's the first points in this game after seven punts.







TOUCHDOWN BEARS. I have no idea who this dude is that caught that pass. Maybe that's the key? Also you'll notice no deep passes on that drive. Lions run the ball instead of trying a Hail Mary. Does Driskel not have an arm? 7-6 Bears at halftime.




Trubisky hits Robinson with a great throw. He targets Robinson again and two flags come out, and Darius Slay gets called for interference. Swing pass to Cohen and he scores. Driskel doesn't see the defender and gets picked off. Reverse to Taylor Gabriel gets nothing. Perfect throw to Gabriel gets six points. 20-6 Bears. This feels more like a soccer match than a football game with both of these offenses only occasionally doing something that ends up mattering. After six punts, Golladay beats the defense and Driskel hits him downfield. Touchdown! Lions convert 4th and 1, but Golladay gets called for OPI, making it 4th and 11 with 2:18 left. Golladay can't hold it. Bears punt it back and the Lions get the ball at their own 10. Driskel to Hockenson almost to midfield. Refs looking at this catch. I don't think I can overturn it. Call STANDS. Driskel throws to Golladay but he's nowhere near the sideline, and they have to kill the clock on third down. Fourth and 7. Bears call time. Driskel goes past the line of scrimmage so this won't matter. It's incomplete anyway. crosses off Lions (Bears 20, Lions 13)

Mahomes back. Interception? This is the best game of Tannehill's career, full stop. Ten seconds gives the Chiefs time to get closer. Hardman gets four and gets out of bounds. Butker on for a 52-yarder. BLOCKED! TITANS WIN. (Titans 35, Chiefs 32)




Bell IS active for the Jets. Fake to Bell and Darnold keeps it for a touchdown! The CFL playoffs start this weekend and those are likely to be better games. Jones gets sacked, but Barkley somehow ends up with the ball and he loses even more yards. Darnold makes a tough throw while in the grasp and finds Anderson for a first down. He hits Crowder in space, and he makes two moves and finds the end zone. The Giants' defense will cure any offense — the Jets already have 14 and they average 12 per game.Rhett Ellison, starting for Evan Engram, gets 31 after a Jones rollout. The Jets defense will make a lot of offenses look good, too. How about one also missing two starting linemen and its best receiver? LET'S FIND OUT. Jets jump offsides twice. Touchdown Slayton. Jets run an almost-too-perfect flea flicker but Darnold overthrows Smith. Just noticed Nate Solder's not at left tackle for the Giants. It just happened, as Kenny reports that he's gone into the medical tent. Jones drops the snap and throws it away. Jones to Slayton for a touchdown. That guy's made some plays this year. They go for two (?) and don't convert. Odd decision there. Jets keep a 14-13 lead. Two minute warning. Giants rush to the line on 4th and 1 and sneak it. I don't think he got there. He didn't. I don't mind it. This may be the last game they have a chance to win this season. Jets take over with three time outs and 1:54. Who called these plays? 30 seconds come off the clock and it's fourth down. They try a 54-yarder with Sam Ficken, but he misses left. The Giants, fittingly, fail to capitalize and can't even keep the punt out of the end zone. Jets kneel and go into halftime. Jamal Adams just takes the ball out of Jones's hands and jogs into the end zone! You don't trade that dude. Somebody calls you asking for him, you hang up. (After however long it takes to stop laughing, of course.) Golden Tate teaks a screen 61 yards to the house. 49-48 is in play here. Tate catches the two-point conversion pass but he pushed off. Rosas misses another extra point! Slayton powers through a tackle to convert a 3rd and 11. Tate, on an inside route, breaks a tackle and scores to give the Giants the lead. Two-point try is good. 27-21 Giants. Darnold with a lot of running room on 3rd and 7. Ficken from 53 is GOOD. Darnold to Crowder for 25 to end the third quarter. I suppose it's a good sign that Baker was able to stay with Anderson long enough to interfere with him. First and goal at the 1. Touchdown Bell and the Jets retake the lead. 45-44 remains in play. The Giants have gotten nothing out of Barkley today, by the way. Jets tack on another field goal. Giants get one first down and punt. Bell stopped on third and short. Jets challenging this spot for... some reason. This isn't even close. What are these guys talking about? Call STANDS. Giants are out of time outs with 4:23 left? Stellar coaching here. Is this another fumble by Jones? They call it an incompletion, but the Jets challenge. Call CONFIRMED. (Jets 34, Giants 27)




And they tried EVERYTHING. This was nuts. Kitchens is so far in over his head it's sad. I legitimately feel bad for the dude.




9-9 and one field goal. It's what this matchup deserves. Bills going for it on 4th and 4 from the Browns' 36? No, they're trying to draw them offsides. I hate this because it absolutely never works. Hauschka from 53. NO GOOD!! Catalon: "There's still hope in Cleveland." There really isn't, though. (Browns 19, Bills 16)

That spin move into an incompletion by Kyle Allen caps off the most stylish three-and-out you'll ever see. Did Lazard catch this? Buck didn't think so at first, but Aikman's not sure he didn't have control. It's called incomplete and the Packers don't challenge. D.J. Moore gets wide open and gets to the Packers' 15. Allen to Samuel for a touchdown. Johnson interferes unnecessarily with Adams. Was that even catchable? Rodgers runs out of time but finds Lazard on 3rd and 9. Is it raining there? Looks like it. Adams picks one out of the air. Yeah, not sure if it's rain or snow flurries but something's coming down. Jones runs up the middle for a touchdown. Allen escapes a sack and scrambles for seven. Field goal is good. Rodgers lucky that bomb wasn't intercepted. I really don't know about this OPI on Lazard. That's... that is snow, friends. Fumble? Packers have it. Yep, Allen fumbled. Rodgers throws it into a very tight spot and Adams does well to catch it. Rodgers slides at the 1. Lot of Panthers holding people on that play. Refs had their choice of three. Jones is... NOT in. Elbow was down. This time he is but I'm not sure about this one, either. They give it to him and it's 14-10 Packers. This is a... touchback. Buck and Aikman recall that the latter had a chance to be a Packer, but they beat the Cowboys in the last game of the 1988 season, giving Dallas the No. 1 pick. That wasn't grounding, was it? Don't like this roughing the passer call on Gerald McCoy, either. He did all he could to not land on Rodgers (who caught the flag!).



(Schlereth didn't have a game to work this week because nobody played.) Graham gets open deep in the middle of the field and that's a 48-yard pass play. Touchdown Graham but did he get both feet down?




I don't think he did. Call is reversed. Field goal is good but the Panthers jumped offside? The Packers take the points off the board and send the offense out with two seconds left. Handoff to Williams and McCoy DETONATES him. Packers get nothing and that feels just.









14-10 at the half. Panthers open the second half with a big sack. Adams gets behind the defense for a 38-yard pass play. Jones gets free and runs for 27. Jones makes one cut and that'll be an easy touchdown. D.J. Moore seems to have improved his hands. McCaffrey fumbles but a lineman recovers. Olsen with a play on the sideline. Interception by Tramon Williams! Allen made a bad decision with that throw, and actually Adrian Amos should have picked it but it wen off his hands and Williams caught it before it hit the ground.




Jamal Williams comes back with two big runs. How the hell did they miss Adams getting tackled in the end zone? And why would the Panthers accept the offensive holding penalty that was called? Rodgers gets sacked on 3rd and 20. Crosby misses from 52, but the Panthers get flagged for moving four guys at once and ending up with someone lined up over the center, which is illegal. Crosby hits from 47. I'm not sure how long the Panthers can ride McCaffrey into playoff contention. The other guys are going to have to take steps forward. Touchdown McCaffrey! Panthers go for two but the pass is broken up. Why did they do that? Is there less time left than I think there is? (I do wonder if not having their regular kicker is a factor here.) Lot of Olsen on this drive, and he's made two very tough catches. Fourth and 10 here. D.J. Moore comes back to the ball and gets the first down. Packers line up offsides.. and that'll be a first down at the 2-yard line! Eight seconds left. This is two plays. Incomplete. Last chance. They give it to McCaffrey... and he does NOT make it. They'll review this but I don't see this changing. He's short! Game over! (Packers 24, Panthers 16)

To Pittsburgh! Tipped... and intercepted by Minkah Fitzpatrick! Still not sure why you trade the 11th overall pick in his second season during a rebuild, but whatever. Meanwhile, the Rams are actually in some trouble. (Steelers 17, Rams 12)

Yes to Cooper, but no to Thielen. Maher already trying a 57-yarder for some reason. Not even close. It's good to see Dalvin Cook staying upright. That catch by Rudolph in the back of the end zone! Al and Cris aren't sure Cousins wasn't throwing it away. Cowboys' second drive goes nowhere. Cook doing a lot early for the Vikings, both running and receiving. Touchdown Rudolph! 14-0 Vikings and Cousins is dealing.




Mike Hughes, starting for Trae Waynes, steps in front of Cooper and almost had an interception. Cowboys decide to punt on 4th and 4 from the Vikings' 40. OK then.




Vikings blowing holes in the Cowboys' defense for Cook and Maddison. Every time they've cut to Elliott on the Cowboys' bench he's looked absolutely blitzed. Dak's pocket completely falls apart. Well done by Cooper to keep his feet inbounds and pick up 3rd and 12. The Cowboys get Michael Gallup on a linebacker against a blitz and he easily beats Eric Kendricks to the end zone. Cousins fumble? No. This is a forward, and therefore incomplete, pass. Crowd boos the reversal of the touchdown but that one was obvious. Jarwin comes up with a big play. Cobb with a touchdown! Let's check the flag. Vikings were offsides. Tie game. This Diggs play gets reversed on review to a catch (it was called incomplete.) Are they in field goal range? Bailey's kick is good and the Vikings lead 17-14 at halftime. Cowboys want intentional grounding on that blown-up screen, but it was blown up because someone on the Cowboys grabbed Cook. That's the only way they've stopped him, so. Bailey makes it 20-14 and I'm not sure it's been mentioned that he's an ex-Cowboy. Cooper with another nutty sideline catch.





And he just did it again for a touchdown! Dude's foot control is nuts. Cowboys have no answer for the Vikings' run game. Touchdown Maddison? Review puts him down at the half-yard line. Penalty pushes the Vikings back. Fourth and goal and the Vikings have a decision to make, and they'd better get on with making it, as the play clock will run out before the third quarter ends. They pitch it to Cook, who scores! Rudolph catches the two-point pass to make it 28-21. Dak throws kinda sidearm across his body and Cooper catches it. Defensive holding negates a two-man sack. Cobb finds a spot under the zone and catches it, then takes it to the Vikings' 5. Defense holds and the Cowboys kick it. Cowboys get the ball back with 2:05 left, and a Witten catch gets us to the two-minute warning. This will sound strange but I don't like giving it to Elliott on third and 2 with how ineffective he's been and how well the wide receivers have played. Vikings call time out before 4th and 5 from their 14. Pass intended for Elliott, but it's broken up by Kendricks! Vikings take over. Cook almost fumbled the pitch! Jesus Christ! The Cowboys still had three timeouts and used them all on defense, so there are still 25 seconds left when they force the Vikings to punt. Austin calls for a fair catch (probably on orders) at the Cowboys' 46, even with 10-plus yards of open field in front of him. Two quick passes leave three seconds for a Hail Mary. Vikings don't blitz but the pass is intercepted in the end zone.




That's the biggest win of Kirk Cousins' career and I'm not exaggerating: He doesn't beat good teams. He doesn't win on the road. He doesn't win in prime time. This was all three. (Vikings 28, Cowboys 24)

No Kittle tonight. Garoppolo finds Kendrick Bourn on a cross. Interception is nullified by defensive holding. Did Sanders catch this? And if he did, is it a first down? Doesn't matter, as the Seahawks committed another penalty. Third down pass is a little too high for Goodwin. Chase McLaughlin kicking in place of Robbie Gould, who's got a quad injury. It's GOOD. Seahawks offensive line gets straight up owned on 3rd and 2. Deebo Samuel takes a short pass 25 yards. Coleman speeds through a big hole. Touchdown Bourn? Sure, why not. Replay of T.O.'s "signature" move. Bosa gave Wilson nowhere to go there, forcing a punt. Garoppolo fumbles. Touchdown Clowney! Lockett finds a small spot for a good punt return. Oh, what is THIS? Metcalf doesn't go out of bounds, but the ball gets ripped out of his hands. But 29 is out of bounds.




John Parry says that doesn't matter because the ball is still in play. This is insane. They are notably showing this review. Final decision is 49ers ball at their own 2.




Halftime. PROTECT THE FOOTBALL. 49ers recover at midfield. Garoppolo with time but no one open deep, and he has to check down and the Seahawks defense holds. They're going for it? Incomplete. The 49ers' defense has done a good job tonight of making sure Wilson can't escape when things break down. This is a first down. And that's an interception by Quadre Diggs! We have not seen Josh Gordon tonight but Diggs has already made an impact in his first game as a Seahawk. Wilson finally gets room to run and he turns second and long in to first and goal. He floats one to Hollister for a touchdown and the Seahawks lead despite having about 80 yards of offense. (It's actually 144 but about 60 of those were on the Metcalf catch that ended up with the 49ers getting the ball.) This helmet-to-helmet call on the Seahawks on Garoppolo is a little touchy, maybe?
Garoppolo fumbles AGAIN and the Seahawks recover! Who is he, Daniel Jones?




Carson blasts through and gets to the 1. Touchdown Carson! This game has flipped on its ass.
Wilson gets swallowed up and fumbles, but an offensive lineman picks it up. Then HE fumbles and DeForest Buckner has it? Touchdown 49ers! This is wild.




They go for two and it's complete to Bourn. Sherman gets away with pass interference. Then the Seahawks get flagged for hitting the punt returner. Trey Flowers drops another interception after Bourn almost drops the pass in the first place. McLaughlin ties the game with 6:17 left. Carson gets stopped initially, but cuts right and picks up a key 3rd and 1. Blair tosses Wilson down. How did he not get the facemask? THERE'S Josh Gordon. Two minute warning. Carson loses two on 3rd and 1. Seahawks GOING FOR IT? They call time out. Booger hates this decision, if that's what they eventually do.




Now Jason Myers come on for a 46-yarder. It's GOOD. K.J. Wright drops a game-ending pick. Then the Seahawks line up offside. Garoppolo's playing with fire here — Bobby Wagner should have picked that one off.




He dumps it off to Coleman twice, but he doesn't get out of bounds the second time, forcing the 49ers to use their last time out. Garoppolo completes to Sanders for eight yards and they spike it with six seconds left. McLaughlin from 47 to tie. BULLSEYE. OVERTIME. Wilson and Sherman are the captains? This may be the most contentious coin toss of all time. Oh, that's... Geno Smith? Why? Seahawks win the toss. Wilson hits Gordon in stride. I have no idea how he didn't get sacked there. They called him in the grasp? Wow. I don't even know who 17 is but he put a gross spin move after catching that pass on 3rd and 16. Not sure what they're looking at here. Looks like that last cut inside. He's still in. Hollister gets into the red zone. INTERCEPTION! WHAT. Greenlaw jumped up and took that pass, because if Hollister caught it, he's scoring. 49ers take over at the Seahawks' 49. Raheem Mostert getting some run in overtime. We're down to 3:20 and counting. This one's short.




McLaughlin time. (A fake would be absolutely wild here.) Not. Even. Close.




Wilson throws too high for Metcalf on 3rd and 2. NOW what with 1:57 left? Seahawks do punt it away. The last tie on MNF was in 1983, 20-20, Giants and ST. LOUIS Cardinals. Clutch play by Shaqueil Griffin to knock that deep ball down.







Seahawks get it back with 1:25 left. KYLE SHANAHAN CAN'T RUN OUT A CLOCK. Imagine giving Russell Wilson a running lane in overtime. That's good for 21 yards. The Niners still have a time out? Why? Carson keeps it and gets to the 24. Seahawks leisurely wait to kill the clock with four seconds.




Myers back on. 42 yards. It's GO—the 49ers called time out. This won't work. Let's try again. IT'S GOOD! Holy hell. (Seahawks 27, 49ers 24, OT)

RANKINGS:
TOP 4:
1. New England (8-1) — The lesson, as always...
2. Green Bay (8-2) — In their element(s)
3. Seattle (8-2) — Wilson probably is the MVP at the moment
4. San Francisco (8-1) — A loss that feels deserved

BOTTOM 4:
29. N.Y. Jets (2-7) — Battle for NYC was fought with spitballs
30. N.Y. Giants (2-8) — And thrown spitballs at that. Not even spit or launched
31. Washington (1-8) — Vaya con Dios, Dwayne Haskins
32. Cincinnati (0-9) — Just embarrassing
Posted by at No comments:

Saturday, November 9, 2019

By The Pigskin Of Our Teeth, Week 9: Puncher's Chance

Did someone miss a cue? Buck's stopping and starting like someone missed a cue. Kenyan Drake lives! He gets the ball immediately and goes for 36. (His season long with the Dolphins was 11.) Murray reverses field but still gets sacked, but a horse-collar tackle gives the Cardinals a first down anyway. Drake gets to the pylon... and across it. Touchdown.




Kittle down for the Niners and that's not good. He's up, but now the grounds crew is pounding down a divot in the turf. No wonder no one comes here. D.J. Humphries appears to be the Cardinals' Garret Bolles. Kittle comes back out with the 49ers on their second series. Drop by someone on the Cardinals named Keshawn Johnson wearing No. 19. Budda Baker makes a play on a ball headed for Kittle. Tevin Coleman picks up 3rd and 4. Kittle gets open in the middle of the field, breaks two tackles and scores. Second and 29 after a sack and the 49ers' Fred Warner drops a pick-six. Murray never saw him. FOX goes to commercial, then they don't so the refs can announce something, then they do anyway. Buck shouts out the Gin Blossoms as "Follow You Down" is played into the break. Garoppolo to Sanders for 32, who gets the last eight or so on a nice cut back inside. Samuel makes a catch on the sideline. Kingsbury apparently had the challenge flag in his hand here but doesn't throw it, and Pereira says he would have won the challenge if he had. Touchdown... Kendrick Born? OK. That pass was tipped slightly and Born still managed to haul it in. Buck needles Aikman about losing to Jake Plummer in the 2002 NFC wild card game, then names off some St. Louis Cardinals quarterbacks. Brieda finds a big hole in the defense and goes for 31. He follows that up with another big run. Coleman touchdown is negated by a holding penalty, then Deebo Samuel drops what would have been a great leaping touchdown catch. Kittle gets stopped at the 1 on third down. Shanahan runs the play clock down, calls time, then decided to go for it. It's stopped, but the Cardinals had called time out (the clock, sitting at four seconds, never ran) and the 49ers will get another shot at it. Touchdown Sanders. 21-7 at halftime and that's such a Cardinals thing to happen. Is it in the CBA that "Werewolf in London" be played at some point during a Halloween weekend NFL game? Flag takes out a 38-yard Cardinals punt return. Drake's already over 100 yards. Touchdown To Johnson. Coleman fumbles? Cardinals have it. Let's see. No, he's down. This should be reversed and is. Garoppolo with excellent timing on that pass to Sanders. Another good Garoppolo throw leads Dante Pettis to an easy touchdown. 28-14. Drake gets 17 on 3rd and 18. Flag. "Illegal man downfield. Several players." No, really. That's what he said. Murray's first scramble of the night gets 18. More Drake. Cardinals on the move and there's still plenty of time. Alfred Morris lives? Cardinals settle for three. Quick pass to Andy Isabella, who appears to be an Edelman clone. This kid's got wheels. He's gonna make it! 89 yards! Touchdown!




Cardinals going for two with under five minutes left. Pass to Drake and he gets in! 28-25. Garoppolo to Sanders on third down in front of three Cardinals. The spot on this Coleman carry is going to be interesting. They give him the first down and the Cardinals challenge the spot.




Call stands. Garoppolo finds Dwilley on 3rd and 9! That's it. (49ers 28, Cardinals 25)

Discussion turns to who will be the quarterback for the Jaguars when they get back from their bye week, as Foles is eligible to return. Two plays later, Minshew throws high and is intercepted. Hyde's gonna score... but he fumbles! They rule he fumbled before he made the end zone and it's Jaguars ball! Now we've got some jawing back and forth. Now the Jaguars are yelling at each other. Minshew immediately gets picked off AGAIN by Justin Reid! This is a mess and won't help his case to keep the starting job that the announcers were JUST talking about. Watson does his best Jumpman logo impression but is ruled out at the 1. Touchdown to Hopkins on the next play. That's some really crappy pass interference by Bouye, who didn't do anything to prevent that catch. Minshew scrambles and FUMBLES. Texans ball! Irvin says the crew jinxed him by bringing it up. (Texans 26, Jaguars 3)

Signal Finder: IND @ PIT, CHI @ PHI, TEN @ CAR (end), MIN @ KC (end), GB @ LAC, CLE @ DEN (end)

Jaylen Samuels starts at running back for the Steelers, and he's a better pass-catcher than Conner. Rudolph throws an interception! No T.Y. Hilton for the Colts today and for the next few weeks. Bud Dupree's been very good for the Steelers this season. Viniatieri hits. Who this? Trey Edmonds, who's up because of the Conner and Benny Snell injuries. James Washington makes a juggling catch for a first down. Did Samuels score here? Rudolph gets forced out of the pocket on third and goal and seems to lose track of everything. Did he step out of bounds? He did and the officials didn't see it. Boswell field goal ties it.
Parris Campbell fumbles after making the catch, but the ball goes out of bounds at the Pittsburgh 2, instead of going through the end zone. The erfs bring the ball back to the 7. Brissett's down. He gets up and goes to the sideline. Brian Hoyer's the backup here, in case you were wondering where he was. Touchdown, Hoyer to Jack Doyle! Colts stuff a fourth-down shovel pass to Juju, ending this Steelers drive at the Colts' 35. Campbell gets 22 on a reverse. Hoyer gets intercepted by Minkah Fitzpatrick. He's got room! Touchdown! 96 yards! T.J. Watt gets flagged for roughing the passer, adding 15 yards to that pass to Hines. No Marlon Mack on this drive, which is odd. Touchdown Pascal. Extra point is blocked and it's 16-10 Colts. Darius Leonard hits Vance McDonald late for no reason with no time left on the clock. Now Boswell has a 51-yard field goal attempt. It's GOOD. Hoyer still in for the Colts. I think Campbell has the most "stuff" of their other receivers. Colts go for it on fourth and 4 from the Steelers' 35, but Hoyer is sacked and fumbles. Another penalty on Leonard. Pass to Samuels gets the Steelers into the red zone.




That's good punt coverage, Was he out of the end zone? He was! Steelers stuck at their own 1. Rudolph fumbles in the end zone! Who's got it! The Steelers recover so it's only a safety. 20-18. And then there's a fumble on the free kick return and the Steelers will get it at the Colts' 17! This game is low-key nuts. Field goal is good and it's 23-18. Samuels fumbles after a short pass and the Colts have it. Chester Rogers drifts to the back of the end zone, and Hoyer rolls out and finds him for a touchdown. Two-point try fails  but the Colts regain the lead, 24-23. Rudolph to Washington for 40! Colts waste a challenge on pass interference. Steelers forced to settle for another field goal, but they're ahead again. Watt with a sack. Steelers go three and out. Steven Nelson, who isn't good, gets called for pass interference. The Steelers challenge. Call STANDS. Steelers want OPI on this Pascal catch. I don't see it, honestly. Call ALSO stands.




Just to reiterate that. Colts in position for  a field goal. Viniatieri... MISSES! Wide left! LACES OUT!! The Steelers win to keep their season alive and the Colts fall out of first place. That's potentially seismic. (Steelers 26, Colts 24)

Eagles getting Jackson, Sproles AND Jernigan back. Bears go three and out. Wind is UP, as that punt takes off and rolls into the end zone. Howard finds a big hole and goes for 12. Wentz throws low but Agholor actually catches it. Looks clean and the Eagles hurry up and run the next play. I feel like you still have to be able to run the ball on 3rd and short. Eagles go for 4th and 2 and Wentz hits Ertz across the middle. Sanders takes a hit on 2nd and long. Pocket collapses around Wentz and they settle for a field goal. The color guy's supposed to be Mark Schlereth but it doesn't sound like him. Matt Nagy's trying to divine inspiration from the Nationals.




Stockton notes that now the Bears defense seems off after back-to-back penalties. It IS Schlereth. Huh. Mike Trout here in his usual end zone seat. The Bears can't stay on their own side, turning 3rd and 7 into 3rd and 2. Amukamara stuffs Sanders on a screen. Elliott from 28 again. Desean Jackson hasn't been on the field since the first series. Barnett and Josh Sweat force a sack. Wentz pass to Jeffery goes a little long. Howard stopped on 3rd and inches and the Eagles will go for it here from the Bears' 39. They barely get the play off and it's incomplete — but Wentz gets roughed and the Eagles get a first down anyway! Look, those are the rules. I feel like Schlereth wanted to criticize the call but he says that the Bears just have to be smarter. Ertz runs a middle slant and Wentz finds him for a touchdown! They pick up the flag (which may have been on Ertz), Elliott misses the extra point, and it's 12-0. Allen Robinson gets open on 3rd and 12, but he's ruled out of bounds. Eddie Goldman out for the Bears. Trubisky hasn't been accurate at all on his throws. New guy Genard Avery teams up with Jenkins for that sack. Cohen fields this punt at the 5 and that's a mistake. That Trubisky scramble puts the Bears into double-digit yards and is their first first down of the game with 48 seconds left in the half. I am wrong — they are still at nine yards.




Ertz wants a late hit call, and it looks like he got it. Howard up the middle for an easy touchdown. You know who could use that guy right about now? Trubisky out to start the second half for the Bears. Yes, that's noteworthy. They roll him out and he hits Taylor Gabriel for 53 yards! Then he keeps it and gets to the 1, loses the ball, but is ruled down. It's like they just realized what he's good at and let him do it. Cohen gets nothing on second down. Touchdown Montgomery. What the hell, Alshon?




There was no flag or call shown for an unsportsmanlike conduct penalty against the Eagles after Cohen's punt return, which doesn't make much sense. Douglas makes a good play to break up a third down pass, even though it was probably too high for Robinson anyway. Trubisky finds a wide-open Robertson in the middle of the field. Cohen turns the corner and the ref signals touchdown. Replay seems to show he's short. He is. Montgomery leaps too early, like Cohen did earlier. The second time is the charm as Montgomery scores. I would not have returned that kickoff. Third-down pass bounces off Jeffery's chest. Montgomery with a nice run. Maddox with a good pass breakup on third down ad the Eagles get a needed stop. Potatoes-Bills is somehow over already. Jeffery with a big catch in front of Eddie Jackson for an important first down. He's had a very strange (bad) game. After a false start, Sanders picks up 16 on a screen on 3rd and 13. Ertz converts another third down. That tackle on Howard is the first time I've heard Khalil Mack's name mentioned today. Goedert! That's four converted third downs on this drive. This is what they couldn't do in the Carolina loss last year. Bears now out of time outs. Elliott with an important 38-yarder. It's GOOD. 22-14 with 25 seconds left. They pull a pop-up kickoff and the Bears can't handle it! Eagles ball and it's over. crosses off Bears (Eagles 22, Bears 14)




(Dolphins 26, Jets 18)

Devante Adams BACK. But not yet, as the Chargers have the ball at their own 5 after a penalty and a new offensive coordinator. Rivers cooking early, as passes to Williams, Henry and Allen have the Chargers at the Packers' 35 in a hurry. Preston Smith with a sack to slow the Chargers down. They got their kicker Badgley back and he makes the field goal. Joey Bosa with a big rush at Rodgers. The second Chargers drive seems to be going the same way the first one did. Both teams' pass rushers are making plays so far. This drive also ends in a field goal. Bosa with pressure on Rodgers and Lazard overruns the deep ball. Nantz notices that that's basically the same play he scored on to help their comeback against the Lions. Melvin Gordon, who's sucked since ending his holdout, puts a nice open-field move to get another first down. Rivers goes to Henry for another first down. Chargers really bleeding the clock here. Field goal is good and it's 9-0 Chargers at halftime. Nantz and Romo are on the sideline now? Tracy just ran into them. What is going on? Every Chargers scoring drive in this game has proceeded the same way and ended the same way — with a field goal. Now it's 12-0 and the boys are headed back upstairs. THAT YARDAGE GRAPHIC. "Green Bay Offense: 52; Romo & Nantz: 60." Rodgers gets sacked for the third time but he's been harassed all day long. Punt is BLOCKED! (Not technically because the ball did travel past the line of scrimmage, but it's a block in all but name.) This rookie Quantrill has already made a couple of special teams plays today, but that was a big one. Ekeler gets the ball to start. Touchdown Gordon! Chargers go up 19-0 with four minutes left in the third and I didn't see this one coming.




That's a good kickoff return. The Packers never lost in San Diego, we learn. First Adams sighting today. Crosby field goal is good and the Packers have points. Rivers goes deep down the middle to Mike Williams. End of 3. Field goal is good, but the Chargers take the points off the board after a Packers penalty. Now they're at the 1. Touchdown Gordon! That feels daggerish. This is NOT a Scorigami, unbelievably — we got one of these in 2006. (Chargers 26, Packers 11)

That is... not ideal. Browns getting lit up by a Broncos rookie quarterback who isn't, for some reason, Drew Lock. Chubb gets tackled for a 3-yard loss on 3rd and 1, then Mayfield has to call the Browns' last time out with 3:23 left down five. Gotta kick it, right? They're going for it. Incomplete. Beckham had gotten past Chris Harris but Mayfield went to Landry and the pass was broken up. (Broncos 24, Browns 19)







Ravens get the ball first. Marquise Brown on a jet sweep and he's got a hole to run through. Al notes that new Ravens OC Greg Roman was Kaepernick's OC during his best years in San Francisco.
Run on third down doesn't work. Patriots jump into the neutral zone on the field goal attempt, and the Ravens get fresh downs out of it. That doesn't happen. They fake a handoff and Jackson keeps it, goes left, and walks into the end zone.




Earl Thomas blitzes on third down and flushes Brady out of the pocket. Two straight runs for Jackson. Field goal is good. This Patriots offense, which has been good enough all year, hasn't been that so far. Mark Ingram gets 53 yards to the Pats' 12! Touchdown Gus Edwards! 17-0 Ravens and I definitely didn't see THIS one coming. Another three-and-out for the Patriots, but the Ravens muff the punt and the Pats recover! Brady goes four yards to Sanu for a touchdown! Can't give them an INCH. Late flag after a Brady incompletion... and that's a bad intentional grounding call, as Brady was hit, which altered the throw. Dorsett catches 3rd and 15 at the line, but another Patriots penalty negates it. Burkhead gets 16 on a screen, then fumbles, and the Ravens recover! Call REVERSED. I... think they blew it. Nick Folk is the new Patriots' kicker but they punt. Now Ingram fumbles, but was HE down? Nope, this one's a fumble. Penalties hurting the Patriots here. Thomas with a diving play to keep the ball out of Edelman's hands. Here's Folk for a field goal. Patriots get a stop on defense. Edelman with a leaping catch to get into Ravens territory. James White with an even better leaping catch against Thomas on the sideline. A LOT of misdirection here on third down but White doesn't get in. New York is looking at it. Call STANDS. Field goal unit is out. It's good. 17-13 Ravens at halftime.




Flea flicker doesn't yield the wanted deep throw, but Brady goes to Sanu for 12 instead. Edelman ducks one tackle, then FUMBLES! Marlon Humphrey picks it up! TOUCHDOWN. I've noticed that Patriots first-round pick N'Keal Harry has not played tonight, even though he was activated. Benjamin Watson with a big catch. Touchdown White. Hayden Hurst is NOT Hunter Henry, for those wondering. Neither is Mark Andrews, and he is also not Hayden Hurst. Big play from Hollywood Brown, who gets his "Hollywood" nickname from his Florida hometown.




Jackson fakes Van Noy out of his shoes and goes out of bounds at the Patriots' 6. Who is Nick Boyle? The Patriots are wondering, too, because they didn't bother covering him on that touchdown. (Also, he is neither Hayden Hurst nor Mark Andrews.) Tucker misses the extra point! That's only the second time that's ever happened to him. Josh Bynes drops an interception. Earl Thomas does not. I don't know what that throw was. Jackson sidearms one to Ingram on the sideline, and he walks the tightrope for 18 yards. Wait, Jackson carried that? I thought #43 had it. First and goal from the 1. Ingram gets stopped. Jackson sneaks it and scores and that's game, probably. Replay shows Orlando Brown (Jr.) on his back pulling Jackson across the goal line. Some pushing and shoving afterwards. 37-20 Ravens. The Johnny Unitas statue is weird because he doesn't belong to this franchise. Put that statue in a park somewhere. (Ravens 37, Patriots 20)

Yes, this Giants team is surely worthy of three prime-time appearances. (I thought it was two and forgot about this one.) Kickoff bounces out of bounds at the 11, and the Cowboys get the ball there, for some reason. Dak throws it RIGHT to Antoine Bethea, who he clearly never saw and, apparently, is also still in the league. Jones gets hit as he throws on third down and it's off target. Field goal is good. Zeke running will settle things down. Dak fumbles a snap but recovers . Touchdown Cobb but let's check the flag. Offsetting penalties. Tony Pollard drops a screen pass on third down. Maher field goal ties it. Great shot of someplace that isn't East Rutherford. DeMarcus Lawrence wrecks Mike Remmers with a stunt and Jones is lucky he can get back up.




Prescott gets pressure and his pass falls right in between Cooper and Deandre Baker. Weird that neither guy appeared to see it or make a play on it. Maher tries a 54-yarder and it goes left. Jones run! Eli can't do that. Jones to Evan Engram for 12. Tate with a one-handed catch at the 1! Yeah, both feet are inbounds. Jones gets himself caught in between and ends up with zero gain on what turned into a run. Cody Latimer gets wide open in the end zone for a touchdown. Extra point missed. PROTECT THE FOOTBALL. Cowboys don't need to be doing this. Jones with a block on a Tate double reverse. There's a black cat on the field. Who is this bad luck for? Are all stadium animals assigned to the home team? How does this work?







The holder corrals the snap and Rosas puts it through. 12-3. Prescott rolls out to extend the play, and finds Blake Jarwin, who slices and dices this sorry Giants defense for a 42-yard touchdown. Jones throws a bomb and it's picked off by Xavier Woods! Booth reviews if he stepped out of bounds at some point during this return. Call STANDS. Maher hits from 52 at the end of the half and the Cowboys somehow have the lead. Good kickoff return by Latimer to start the second half.
Jones FUMBLES. Cowboys ball! That's the sixth one he's lost this season and that's still a problem. This game's been bad but not for the reasons we thought it'd be bad. Dak keeps it and gets sacked. Field goal is good. 16-12. The Rutgers band played halftime. This is somehow the best game they've seen all year and it also sucks. Another good return by Latimer, this one 42 yards. Jones rushes for 14 and takes out a sound guy on the sideline. Scuffle breaks out as the Giants accost Woods for a perceived late shove. Woods gets flagged for taunting, of all things. Another field goal makes it 16-15.




The Giants haven't had anything for Elliott. Touchdown Gallup! He scooped that one up, hurdled Janoris Jenkins (who's kinda sucked as a Giant) and fell into the end zone. Hello, Pylon Cam! FINALLY the Giants get a play from Barkley! He takes the wheel route, gets blockers, and goes 65 yards. Pass interference challenges aren't getting reversed, even the ones as obvious as that one that wasn't called. I don't know why coaches bother. They're 5-for-51.




The Giants have been awful in the red zone tonight. Give Barkley the ball and let him work! They settle for another field goal. Another scuffle post-kick. It's illegal to pull an opposing player off of a pile. Then Baker gets flagged for DPI on a far more questionable call. They pick up the face mask flag because there actually wasn't one. They got one right! Cooper sits down in the zone, Dak finds him, and he scores a shockingly easy touchdown. 30-18 and we're done. This is the longest Sean Lee's gone into a season without getting hurt. (Cowboys 37, Giants 18)

RANKINGS:
TOP 4:
1. San Francisco (8-0) — Nobody saw this coming
2. New England (8-1) — The lesson, as always...
3. New Orleans (7-1) — Primed to move up
4. Green Bay (7-2) — That was... odd

BOTTOM 4:
29. Atlanta (1-7) — Again, I'm surprised Dan Quinn survived this part
30. Miami (1-7) — This isn't what they wanted!
31. Cincinnati (0-7) — Giving the rookie two weeks' prep is smart
32. Washington (1-8) — Trash fire
Posted by at No comments:
Subscribe to: Posts (Atom)