Monday Morning Clip - NFL Week 3

Posted September 26, 2022 By Brendan

Three weeks into the NFL season, I still feel like I know nothing. Nick Saban is proud somewhere, as Jalen Hurts and Tua Tagovailoa are the last two undefeated quarterbacks. Whoever coached Derek Carr and Davante Adams in college is still waiting for their first win this season. Beyond that, this feels like it should be the last week of the MLB season, but the lockout pushed back the season’s end a week. For anyone who missed it, Albert Pujols hit homers #699 and #700 in the same night against the LA Dodgers on Friday Night. With the Boston Red Sox out of contention, that’s the one thing I was really hoping for this season. There was finally some movement in the College Football top 10, as #6 Oklahoma dropped one to Kansas State.

Patrick Mahomes, Josh Allen, and Tom Brady all failed to score more than 20 points this week and each took their first loss of the season (to Indianapolis, Miami, and Green Bay, respectively). Philadelphia, who trounced former Eagle Carson Wentz in Washington, and Miami are the last two undefeated teams three weeks in. In the highest scoring performance of his career, Trevor Lawrence and the now 2-1 Jacksonville Jaguars completely annihilated the LA Chargers, who now drop to 1-2. Lamar Jackson continued his hot start to the season in a win over New England. Both Tennessee and Cincinnati got their first win while Las Vegas is still looking for theirs. The LA Rams and Denver Broncos got wins over the Arizona Cardinals and San Francisco 49ers in games that seemed…pretty boring (Ja Morant’s tweet during Denver vs. San Francisco). Minnesota pulled off the comeback win over Detroit and Chicago got the win over Houston, both improving to 2-1. Both Carolina and Atlanta got their first win of the season with wins over New Orleans and Seattle, respectively, and Cleveland got the win over Pittsburgh on Thursday night.

NFL

Miami 21, Buffalo 19

Buffalo started the game with a touchdown, but a Josh Allen fumble gave Miami the ball on their own 6 yard line, which they punched in for the tying touchdown. The two teams traded touchdowns on back-to-back possessions in the second quarter. Josh Allen failed to stop the clock before halftime, resulting in Buffalo getting no points before halftime despite having the ball at Miami’s 34, leaving the game tied at 14 at half. Buffalo made it inside Miami’s 20 in both of their first two second half drives, but only emerged with three points from the two drives because of a Tyler Bass missed field goal. Following the two drives, Miami scored a touchdown to take a 21-17 lead. On the next drive, Buffalo once again made it deep into Miami’s territory, but a Josh Allen incompletion resulted in a turnover on downs on Miami’s 2 yard line. After Buffalo’s defense successfully forced a three-and-out, Thomas Morestead punted it off one of his blockers for a safety. Buffalo got the ball back following the safety punt and got the ball to Miami’s 41, but ran out of time, saving the win for Miami. Buffalo outgained Miami 497-212 and possessed the ball for 40:40, but three second half drives that went inside Miami’s 20 resulted in a total of three points.

Indianapolis 20, Kansas City 17

Indianapolis went 3-and-out on the game’s opening possession, but Kansas City muffed the opening punt. Indianapolis recovered the ball at the 4 and Matt Ryan found Jelani Woods for the opening score. From there, Kansas City responded with a touchdown of their own and after they recovered a Matt Ryan fumble on Indy’s 21, they scored another touchdown to take the 14-10 lead before halftime. After trading a pair of field goals, a pair of turnovers on downs, and a Kansas City missed field goal, Indianapolis finally broke through when Matt Ryan found Jelani Woods (if you had him on your fantasy team, that’s honestly bizarre - he had his first three catches of his career today) for their second touchdown to cap off a 16-play, 76-yard drive. Mahomes got the ball back with 24 seconds left, but was intercepted, sealing the win for Indianapolis.

Green Bay 14, Tampa Bay 12

Green Bay scored touchdowns on their first two drives of the game and led 14-3 with 8:44 remaining in the second quarter. From there, the two offenses managed just a fumble and a 3-and-out each before halftime. From there, Green Bay managed just three first downs during the second half and punted six times. Tampa Bay punted four times, but got a little more done in the second half. They hit a field goal following an Aaron Rodgers interception and on their final drive, capped off a 13-play, 89-yard drive with a touchdown pass from Tom Brady to Russell Gage with 14 seconds remaining. A 2-point conversion would have tied it, but Tom Brady’s pass was swatted down by De’Vondre Campbell, sealing the win for Green Bay.

Jacksonville 38, LA Chargers 10

After a slow start for both teams offensively, Jacksonville opened scoring with a field goal and a Justin Herbert interception on the first play of the next possession set up another. A fumble on LA’s next possession gave Jacksonville the ball at LA’s 28, setting up the game’s first touchdown. LA responded with a touchdown drive capped off with a 15-yard pass from Justin Herbert to Mike Williams, but Jacksonville tacked on one more field goal before half to make it 16-7. From there, Jacksonville’s offense took off, scoring on all three of their second half possessions. The first one came on a 50-yard run by James Robinson, and the latter two of the drives were at least 8 minutes long. LA only managed three second half points and turned the ball over on downs on their last two drives. Trevor Lawrence finished the day with 262 yards passing and three touchdowns, and Jacksonville outgained LA 151-26 on the ground.

Philadelphia 24, Washington 8

After a scoreless first quarter, the Philadelphia offense erupted in the second quarter for 264 yards of offense and 24 points. They started with a field goal, and they scored their first touchdown on their next possession two plays after Carson Wentz lost a fumble on his own 24. They ended the first half with a 2-yard touchdown pass from Hurts to DeVonta Smith to end the half up 24-0. After five punts to start the second half, Washington drove 93 yards downfield only to turn the ball over on downs on Philadelphia’s 1. However, Washington did force a safety on the next play. Washington eventually scored a touchdown on their final drive, but Philadelphia recovered the ensuing onside kick and Washington never got the ball back. DeVonta Smith hauled in 8 catches for 169 yards and a touchdown. Carson Wentz was sacked 9 times, with 2.5 credited to Brandon Graham.

Baltimore 37, New England 26

Baltimore got the scoring started late in the first with a 5-yard pass from Lamar Jackson to Mark Andrews. From there, New England responded immediately after with a field goal, and following a Lamar Jackson interception that gave them the ball at the 32, they scored a touchdown to take the 10-7 lead. On the following drive, Lamar Jackson found Mark Andrews for another touchdown with 30 seconds remaining, but New England moved 43 yards in 30 seconds to get a 50-yard field goal before halftime to cut their deficit to 14-13. After trading touchdowns to start the second half, Baltimore got a bit of breathing room with a drive that started with a 43-yard Devin Duvernay punt return and ended with Duvernay catching a TD pass from Lamar Jackson (he also had a kick return TD last week). After that, Mac Jones threw a pick that gave them the ball at New England’s 43, which they quickly turned into a field goal. New England responded with a touchdown of their own, but turned the ball over on each of their final three drives (2 INT, 1 fumble). Mac Jones hobbled off the field after the final interception and is believed to have a high ankle sprain. Meanwhile, Lamar Jackson topped off another strong rushing performance (11 rush, 107 yds) with a 9-yard rushing touchdown.

LA Rams 20, Arizona 12

While Arizona managed just one first down in their first four possessions, LA came away with 13 points in their first three possessions (including a 20-yard TD run by Cooper Kupp) before their offense slowed to a pace similar to that of Arizona’s. Arizona managed two field goals in their last two drives of the first half (including one on a drive that took more than 9 minutes) to end the half down 13-6. After another time consuming drive ended in a field goal (7:47), Arizona was down 13-9, but LA responded with a touchdown drive of their own capped off with a 14-yard run by Cam Akers. Arizona managed one more field goal, but it came with 1:07 remaining. When LA recovered the onside kick, it sealed their win.

Minnesota 28, Detroit 24

After both teams missed field goals on their opening possessions, the Detroit offense got going with touchdowns on back-to-back possessions. Minnesota responded with back-to-back touchdowns of their own and the first half ended tied at 14. Detroit took the early second half lead with a field goal and after another missed field goal by Minnesota, they finished a drive with a 13-yard TD run by Jamal Williams, putting them up 24-14 in the third. Minnesota put together a touchdown drive early in the fourth to cut the lead to 3. After both teams turned it over on downs and Detroit missed a field goal, Kirk Cousins found KJ Osborn for two separate 28-yard receptions, the latter resulting in a touchdown to take the lead with 45 seconds remaining. Jared Goff was intercepted on the next drive, sealing the win for Minnesota.

Tennessee 24, Las Vegas 22

Tennessee’s offense got off to a red-hot start with touchdowns in each of their first three possessions, with Derrick Henry racking up 106 total yards and a touchdown during those possessions. Las Vegas managed a touchdown and a field goal in their first two possessions, but failed to keep up with Tennessee and was down 24-10 at halftime. Tennessee’s offense ground to a halt (78 yards in their four second half possessions), and Las Vegas made it to the red zone three times prior to their final possession, but only came away with 6 points (2 field goals, one turnover). They finally put together a touchdown drive on their final possession, capping it off with a 9-yard pass from Derek Carr to Mack Hollins with 1:14 remaining. The potential game-tying 2-point conversion failed, as did the ensuing onside kick, sealing the first win of the for Tennessee. Las Vegas drops to 0-3.

Denver 11, San Francisco 10

San Francisco got the scoring going midway through the first quarter with a 3-yard pass from Jimmy Garoppolo to Brandon Aiyuk. Denver managed a field goal in the second quarter, but beyond that the half featured nothing but punts (including a combined 5 three-and-outs). Denver got on the board again early in the third quarter when Garoppolo accidentally stepped out of his own end zone for a safety. A San Francisco field goal put them up 10-5, but Denver put a 12-play, 80-yard drive together capped off with a 1-yard TD by Gordon to take the lead (their 2-point conversion failed). San Francisco had two more shots to take the lead back, but they ended with an interception and a fumble. This game featured a combined 17 punts (10 for Denver, 7 for San Francisco).

Cincinnati 27, NY Jets 12

Cincinnati scored two touchdowns (the latter being a 56-yard TD from Joe Burrow to Tyler Boyd) in their first three possessions and 20 points in their first five. The Jets managed three field goals and trailed 20-9 at halftime. A fumble on the Jets’ opening drive of the second half gave Cincinnati the ball at the 24, and 4 plays later, Burrow found Ja’marr Chase for a 5-yard TD. The Jets managed another field goal, but their final two drives ended in an interception and a fumble. After being sacked a combined 13 times in the previous two games, Burrow was only sacked twice during this game, the fewest in a regular season game since November of last season.

Chicago 23, Houston 20

After Chicago hit a field goal in its first possession, the two teams traded touchdowns (11-yard run by Khalil Herbert for Chicago, 4-yard pass from Davis Mills to Jordan Akins) before promptly trading interceptions. Both teams got on the board once more before halftime (Houston with a touchdown, Chicago with a field goal), and Houston led 14-13 at the half. Two field goals by Houston in their first two second half possessions combined with another touchdown for Chicago by Khalil Herbert left the score tied at 20 late in the third. After four straight punts, Roquan Smith picked off Davis Mills and ran it back to Houston’s 12, setting up the game-winning field goal as time expired.

Carolina 22, New Orleans 14

Scoring got started when Marqus Haynes recovered an Alvin Kamara and took it back 44 yards for a touchdown. They went on to hit 2 more field goals during the first half and block New Orleans’ only field goal attempt to take a 13-0 lead into halftime. New Orleans finally got on the board early in the fourth when Mark Ingram ran in a 5-yard TD, but Carolina responded soon after when Laviska Shenault ran in a 67-yard screen pass for a touchdown. A Jameis Winston interception set up another Carolina field goal. From there, New Orleans didn’t score until Jameis Winston found Marquez Callaway from 4 yards out with 2:22 remaining, and Carolina sealed the win. Jameis Winston threw for 353 yards compared to Baker Mayfield’s 170, but New Orleans turned the ball over three times.

Atlanta 27, Seattle 23

A high-scoring first half included a 17-yard TD run by Cordarrelle Patterson and an 18-yard pass from Geno Smith to DK Metcalf, and a late field goal put Seattle up 20-17 at halftime. After exchanging field goals to start the second half, Marcus Mariota found Drake London who evaded tacklers for a 14-yard TD. Atlanta had the ball at Seattle’s 34 with an opportunity to extend their lead, but they lost a fumble, giving Seattle another opportunity. Seattle got the ball to Atlanta’s 38, but Geno Smith was intercepted with 1:17 remaining, sealing the win for Atlanta.

Cleveland 29, Pittsburgh 17 (played Thursday Night)

After both teams initially started slow, both got on the board with back-to-back touchdowns and only a missed extra point by Cleveland separated the two teams at halftime (and if you haven’t seen this catch from George Pickens, you should). From there, Pittsburgh’s offense became completely anemic, punting on each of their first four possessions of the second half, with three of them coming on three-and-outs. On the other end, Cleveland scored 10 points in their first two drives to take the 23-14 lead. Pittsburgh hit a field goal with just under 2 minutes remaining to make it a one-score game, and they got the ball back with 9 seconds left. They tried a late lateral play, but Cleveland recovered the fumble for a touchdown and made their win look even bigger.

Monday Night Football

Dallas @ NY Giants (-1); 8:15 PM

Standings

College Football

#1 Georgia 39, Kent State 22

#2 Alabama 55, Vanderbilt 3

Alabama: this doesn’t have to do with football, but Dixieland delight in their stadium is worth the watch

#3 Ohio State 52, Wisconsin 21

#4 Michigan 34, Maryland 27

#5 Clemson 51, #21 Wake Forest 45 (2OT)

Kansas State 41, #6 Oklahoma 34

#7 USC 17, Oregon State 14

#8 Kentucky 31, Northern Illinois 3

#23 Texas A&M 23, #10 Arkansas 21

#11 Tennessee 38, #20 Florida 33

#12 NC State 41, UConn 10

#13 Utah 34, Arizona State 13

#14 Penn State 33, Central Michigan 14

#15 Oregon 44, Washington State 41

#16 Ole Miss 35, Tulsa 27

#17 Baylor 31, Iowa State 24

#18 Washington 40, Stanford 22

#19 BYU 38, Wyoming 24

Rankings

MLB

NY Mets 13, Oakland 4

Atlanta 8, Philadelphia 7 (F/10)

LA Dodgers 4, St. Louis 1

San Diego 13, Colorado 6

San Francisco 3, Arizona 2

Cincinnati 2, Milwaukee 1

NY Yankees 2, Boston 0

Toronto 7, Tampa Bay 1

Houston 6, Baltimore 3

Kansas City 13, Seattle 12

Detroit 4, Chicago White Sox 1

LA Angels 10, Minnesota 3

Cleveland 12, Texas 4

Washington 6, Miami 1

Chicago 8, Pittsburgh 3