Updated: Nov 23, 2020 12:12 pm
Tennessee Titans at Baltimore Ravens
The Tennessee Titans put last week’s horrible loss behind them as they come back on the Ravens and win it in overtime. Ryan Tannehill had a solid effort spreading 259 yards and two touchdowns between nine different receivers. He added another 35 on the ground, in addition to running in a clutch two-point conversion to give the Titans a 3 point lead with less than three minutes to play.
Derrick Henry had a huge game for the Titans, rushing for 133 yards, including the game-winning 29-yard touchdown run in overtime.
The comeback began after Baltimore took a 21-10 lead a little more than five minutes into the third quarter. Over their next three drives, the Titans consumed 15 minutes, as they turned their disadvantage into a 24-21 lead. The comeback was capped off with a Tannehill touchdown to AJ Brown and his two-point conversion run.
While the offense was demonstrating how to control the clock, the Titans defense also did their job. During the turnaround, the Tennessee defensive line, led by Harold Landry, did a great job creating pressure and containing the run. Amani Hooker also had a key interception, giving the Titans all of the momentum.
Baltimore did ultimately tie the game on a clutch field goal by Justin Tucker, forcing overtime. The new period began with the Ravens getting the ball and getting stifled by Landry. On the quick three and out, Landry registered two tackles and a big sack, as he dominated the Baltimore offense. One series later, Henry ended the game with his touchdown.
The Titans complete the comeback over the Ravens in overtime, 30-24!
Derrick Henry: 133 yards rushing, 1 reception, 1 touchdown
Harold Landry: 7 total tackles, 1 tackle for loss, 1 quarterback sack
Detroit Lions at Carolina Panthers
The Carolina Panthers defense dominated this game from start to finish. The Panthers D sacked the quarterback 5 times, turned them over once and limited the Lions to 218 yards of total offense. Brian Burns lead the charge for this unit as he was in the Lions backfield all day, piling up two sacks and an additional tackle for a loss.
On the offensive side, PJ Walker had a spot start for injured quarterback Teddy Bridgewater. He performed well, heavily relying on the talented wide receiver trio of DJ Moore, Curtis Samuel and Robby Anderson. All three had at least seven receptions, with Samuel hauling in the only touchdown pass. Mike Davis added another touchdown on the ground to go with his 64 yards rushing and 2 receptions.
The Lions never posed a threat in this game as their longest drive only went for 37 yards. They were not able to muster up even a single score, holding the ball for only 24 minutes.
The Panthers shut out the Lions, 20-0!
DJ Moore: 7 receptions for 127 yards
Brian Burns: 5 total tackles, 1 tackle for loss, 2 quarterback sacks, 1 defended pass
Philadelphia Eagles at Cleveland Browns
For the second week in a row, the Browns battled it out in a wintry mix of ugly weather. And for a second week in a row, they won with a dominant rushing attack and fierce defense.
Nick Chubb went over 100 yards again in just his second game back from an injury. The Browns totalled 137 yards on the ground as a team, with Kareem Hunt scoring a touchdown for the backs.
Though the Browns were in control for most of the game, they cemented their victory in the early fourth quarter. Chubb scored his touchdown with just over ten minutes left to go in the game, giving the Browns a 19-10 lead. The Eagles were going to need a big series to get back into the game.
That did not happen. Sheldon Richardson applied significant pressure on two plays and Philly went three and out. The Browns then took over, drove ten plays in a little over four and a half minutes. They scored a field goal, putting them up 13 points with under 5 minutes to play.
The very next Philadelphia drive was cut short as Denzel Ward had a clutch interception.
The Browns defense was relentless this game, with five quarterback sacks, three turnovers and two scores. Sione Takitaki had the first score of the game on a 50-yard interception return. Olivier Vernon tacked on a safety in the third.
The Browns defeated the Eagles on a strong defensive effort, 22-17!
Nick Chubb: 114 rushing yards
Olivier Vernon: 5 total tackles, 3 tackles for loss, 3 quarterback sacks, 1 defended pass, 1 safety
New England Patriots at Houston Texans
Deshaun Watson came out firing for the Texans, leading them to a 21-10 halftime lead. He spread out 344 passing yards between nine different receivers, passing for two touchdowns. Watson added 36 yards and a touchdown on the ground in his monster game.
The Patriots cut the Texan lead to four points two times in the third quarter, but the Houston defense clamped down hard in the fourth. Whether it was JJ Watt batting down passes, Lonnie Johnson making clutch tackles or Justin Reid applying pressure, the Pats offense was held scoreless in the fourth quarter.
The exclamation point was added when New England came up empty-handed on an eleven play, 51-yard drive that took up three minutes, late in the fourth quarter. The Pats drive was thwarted on the 24-yard line, with a batted pass from Watt on third down and strong defense from Reid on fourth. Both passes fell incomplete.
Cam Newton was stellar in defeat, throwing for 365 yards and a touchdown.
In the end, the Texans held off the Patriots 27-20!
Deshaun Watson: 344 passing yards, 36 rushing yards, 3 total touchdowns
Justin Reid: 9 total tackles, 3 tackles for loss, 1 quarterback sack
Pittsburgh Steelers at Jacksonville Jaguars
Ben Roethlisberger and the undefeated Pittsburgh Steelers came into Jacksonville and beat up the hapless Jags. The Jaguars threatened a game for a quarter, scoring a field goal on their first drive and holding the Steelers scoreless for the period. That game ended, however, early in the second quarter.
Big Ben led the “comeback” by throwing a 31-yard touchdown strike to Chase Claypool, and the Steelers never looked back. Ben threw for 267 yards and two touchdowns. He completed 12 of his 32 passes to Diontae Johnson, who had drawn 16 targets this game.
James Conner had 89 yards rushing for Pittsburgh and he added another 10 on 3 receptions. Benny Snell and Eric Ebron both scored for the offense, the former on the ground, the latter through the air.
The offense was not the only dominant unit from Pittsburgh, their defense more than left their mark on this game. Besides holding the Jaguars to 224 yards of total offense and 3 points, the Steelers D also turned them over four times and sacked the quarterback twice.
Minkah Fitzpatrick and Terrell Edmunds intercepted two passes a piece. Meanwhile, Bud Dupree and Stephon Tuitt plagued the backfield all day, each registering a sack. This unit continues to perform exceptionally well, swarming every offense they face.
The Steelers started out slow, but ended up beating down the Jaguars, 27-3!
Diontae Johnson: 12 receptions, 111 yards
Minkah Fitzpatrick: 5 total tackles, 2 passes defended, 2 interceptions
Atlanta Falcons at New Orleans Saints
Taysom Hill took over for the injured Drew Brees and settled nicely into the Saints quarterback role. Hill threw for 233 yards, with 9 of his 18 completions going to wide receiver Michael Thomas. He also added another 51 yards on the ground, scoring two touchdowns. The Saints rushing attack was strong overall, tallying 168 yards and three touchdowns on the day.
For as good as the offense was, the New Orleans defense was that much better. The Saints applied a lot of pressure to the opposing quarterback, sacking Matt Ryan eight times. They tacked on another seven tackles for loss and two interceptions. Cameron Jordan had a truly monstrous game, registering three quarterback sacks and another three tackles for loss.
The game began to turn at the end of the first half. With four and a half minutes to play in the period, the Saints marched down the field in seven plays. They finished that drive off with a rushing touchdown from Alvin Kamara, to take their first lead of the game, 10-9.
On the very next series, the Falcons drove to midfield before two incompletes and a Jordan sack forced them into trying a hail mary at the end of the half. The pass was intercepted.
The Saints got the ball after halftime and marched it down the field in ten plays, consuming almost six minutes off of the clock. Hill ran it in for his first of two touchdowns and New Orleans never looked back from there.
The Falcons were strong for a half, but the Saints proved to be too much in the end, winning 24-9!
Taysom Hill: 233 passing yards, 51 rushing yards, 2 touchdowns
Cameron Jordan: 4 total tackles, 3 tackles for 3, 3 quarterback sacks
Cincinnati Bengals at Washington
Antonio Gibson rushed for 94 yards and a score as Washington won a game that was marred by a lot of missed kicks and a major injury. The real story of this game is that one of the rising, young stars of the league, Bengal’s rookie quarterback, Joe Burrow, ended his season with a torn ACL. I would like to take this time to wish Burrow a smooth and speedy recovery, he will be missed.
Washington’s ground game was one of the bright spots as they managed to tally 164 yards and a score. Alex Smith fulfilled more of a game manager role this time around, throwing for only 166 yards, one touchdown and one interception. Terry McLaurin hauled in five of Smith’s passes and over half of the receiving yards, as he is quickly turning into one of the elite options among NFL receivers.
The Washington defense did its job to hold the Bengals in check. As a unit, they recorded two turnovers, three sacks and defended eight passes. Ronald Darby was stellar among his peers, defending four of those passes and coming up with a fumble recovery.
The Bengals did a lot of damage to themselves this game, as their kicker missed three kicks, costing them seven points. The backup quarterback was also far from proficient, stalling the offense completely after Burrow had left the game.
The true turning point of this game was nothing that Washington did well, but rather, it was the injury. Without their rising star, the team had a couple of three and outs, a five-play turnover on downs, a six-play drive that only went for 13 yards, and an interception on five series. The offense could not get out of its own way, only earning 17 yards without their leader.
Washington won a very ugly, 20-9 game over the Browns
Antonio Gibson: 94 rushing yards, 1 reception for 10 yards and a touchdown
Ronald Darby: 6 total tackles, 4 defended passes, 1 fumble recovery
Miami Dolphins at Denver Broncos
The Broncos rushing attack controlled the tempo of the game as it totalled 189 yards. Melvin Gordon led the charge with 84 yards and two touchdowns, as Phillip Lindsay added 82 yards himself. This enables them to go on three drives of five or more minutes, and four drives of at least nine plays.
Meanwhile, quarterback Drew Lock passed for 270 yards through the air. Tim Patrick had 119 of them on just 5 receptions to pace the Denver receivers.
To say the Broncos defense was dominant would be an understatement. They frustrated the Dolphins rookie quarterback, Tua Tagovailoa, limiting the offense to just 100 total yards through the end of the third quarter. It was then that Tua was benched in favor of Ryan Fitzpatrick. On Tua’s last series, he wasted almost five minutes and eight plays to get a porous 15 yards, in addition to taking two sacks.
Fitzpatrick did much better than Tua, but the Fins were still limited to 256 total yards on the day. They were also sacked six times, taken down another five times behind the line and intercepted once. With all that said, Miami has still had a shot to tie the game on their final drive. A Justin Simmons interception in the end zone ended that threat with just a minute left to play.
The Broncos held on to preserve a 20-13 victory over the Dolphins.
Melvin Gordon: 84 rushing yards and 2 touchdowns
Justin Simmons: 7 total tackles, 2 defended passes, 1 interception
New York Jets at Los Angeles Chargers
Justin Herbert was on fire today, as he racked up 366 yards and three touchdowns through the air. Even more impressive, however, was one of the receivers he was throwing those passes to. Keenan Allen caught a franchise-record 16 passes on 19 targets for 145 yards and a touchdown. And in spite of 16 catches being made by one player, Herbert was still able to spread the ball around to eight players, including touchdowns to three different receivers.
Kalen Ballage only added 44 rushing yards, but did catch seven passes of his own. Overall, the Chargers running game did not show up to play, but that did not help the Jets.
The Los Angeles defense had their way with the Jets in the first half, giving up only 82 yards. If New York did not block a punt and force a fumble, the halftime score of 24-6 would have been much worse.
The huge defensive highlight for the Chargers was on the Jets second possession. Tevaughn Campbell intercepted Joe Flaco and returned it for a touchdown, giving the Broncos a lead they would never relinquish.
Despite the stellar first half, the Bolts were not able to put the Jets away until two minutes were left in the game. The second half had a lot of scoring exchange with New York cutting the lead down to 34-26. However, the Chargers clamped down before it was too late. Plenty of pressure from Joey Bosa and the Chargers front seven stalled the Jets out around mid-field.
The Chargers ran down the clock to halt the Jets comeback at 34-28
Keenan Allen: 16 receptions, 145 yards and 1 touchdown
Trevaughn Campbell: 4 total tackles, 2 defended passes, 1 interception and 1 touchdown
Green Bay Packers at Indianapolis Colts
Phillip Rivers threw for 288 yards and 3 touchdowns to lead the Colts to an improbable comeback victory over the Packers. Rivers connected with eleven different receivers, throwing at least three completions to five of them and touchdowns to three of them. Michael Pittman made the most of his targets, hauling in three passes for 66 yards and a touchdown.
The Colts rushing attack tallied 140 as Jonathan Taylor led the backfield with 90. Taylor upped his total yards to 114 by hauling in four passes.
The Colts defense never really slowed down the Packers, unless they were forcing a turnover. That they did well, however, recovering three fumbles and intercepting a pass. Darius Leonard was most instrumental in that department as he had both a forced fumble and a fumble recovery.
Credit does need to be given to the Packers. In the first half, the offense drove up and down the field, scoring four touchdowns. Aaron Rodgers threw for over 300 yards and three touchdowns, while Devante Adams had 100 receiving yards and a touchdown. Rodgers even came through in the clutch, driving 86 yards in less than a minute and a half to tie the game at the end of regulation.
Rodgers did all he could to get the victory for the Pack, but the Colts defense just wanted it more. On Green Bay’s second play of overtime. Julian Blackmon stripped the ball out of a receiver’s hands and Deforest Buckner recovered it for the Indianapolis D. Four plays later, the Colts kicked the game-winning field goal.
The Colts make the comeback, stripping the Packers of victory in overtime, 34-31
Philip Rivers: 288 yards passing, 3 touchdowns, 1 interception
Darius Leonard: 6 total tackles, 1 defended pass, 1 forced fumble, 1 fumble recovery
Dallas Cowboys at Minnesota Vikings
Ezekiel Elliot leads a strong backfield for the Cowboys as he earned 114 all purpose yards and scored a touchdown, The Boys ran for 180 yards total, with Tony Pollard adding 60 yards. Andy Dalton gathered 203 yards and three touchdowns through the air, to help lead Dallas to victory.
Dalton spread the passes between nine different receivers, helping Amari Cooper, CeeDee Lamb and the rest of the Cowboys offense to get back on track. Cooper caught six passes for 81 yards, but Lamb may have stolen the show with an unbelievable touchdown reception.
The Dallas defense added to the team effort, forcing two turnovers and sacking the quarterback twice. Leighton Vander Esch was all over the field, tallying twelve tackles for his team. Meanwhile, Donovan Wilson added nine tackles of his own to go with two turnovers.
The scoring went back forth as the lead changed seven times. The Cowboys secured the game for good when they took over down by four with just four minutes to play. Dalton led the Boys down the field 66 yards on eleven plays. He capped off the scoring drive with a two-yard touchdown pass to Dalton Schultz. The Dallas D held up their end of the deal as Aldon Smith and rest of the line swarmed the Vikings offense to force a turnover on downs.
The Cowboys then ran out the clock to win a wild one over the Vikings, 31-28
Ezekiel Elliot: 103 yards rushing, 2 receptions for 11 yards and a touchdown
Donovan Wilson: 9 total tackles, 2 forced fumbles, 1 fumble recovery
Recap of the Sunday Night Football and Monday Night Football coming soon.
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