1) Taysom Hill played his best game as a passer. The starting QB was slinging the ball all over the field, firing lasers over the middle and making strong-armed tosses outside the numbers. No long bombs connected, but Hill proved he could get through his reads against a defense that got little pressure. The signal-caller tossed his first TD pass since his college days at BYU in the first quarter. Hill was stellar on third downs, at one point completing 10-straight on the pivotal down, including several on long down-and-distances. Hill went 10-of-12 passing on third downs, and 13 of the Saints' 23 first downs on the game came from Hill's arm. The dual-threat completed 27-of-37 passing (73%) for 232 yards and two scores. He added 14 rushes for 83 yards. Most of the rushing attempts came late, as Sean Payton got his QB to commit to getting through his progression in the first half. It was a promising game if Payton truly has eyes on Hill being the full-time heir for Drew Brees. The Saints gobbled up 424 total yards, but did leave points on the field. Hill's biggest issue is fumbling. One botch came as the Saints were in scoring to position to put the game out of reach that Atlanta recovered. Hill fumbled again late, but it went out of bounds, saving a potential game-changing error. Those sorts of errors could have been killer against better opponents.
2) The Falcons kept the game close despite another good game from the Saints' defense. ATL struggled to get going early, with two three-and-outs to open the contest. New Orleans then forced a trio of field goals in the first half. The inability of Matt Ryan and Co. to turn FGs into TDs was the difference Sunday. A fourth-quarter touchdown broke a streak of 42 straight drives without allowing a TD by the Saints defense. Ryan did a better job getting the ball out against New Orleans than the previous loss, only being sacked three times -- five fewer than Week 11. Julio Jones (6/94) made some ridiculous catches and Calvin Ridley (5/108) added explosion as the Falcons stayed in the game into the fourth quarter despite going 5-of-13 on third downs. There are no moral victories in the NFC South rivalry, so having a shot late to pull the upset won't bring smiles to Atlanta. The Falcons going 1-of-4 in the red zone was the difference in the contest. The red area has been Atlanta's bugaboo all year, and it was no different against a good Saints D Sunday.
3) The win, coupled with a Chicago loss, clinched a playoff spot for Sean Payton's club. Next on the to-do list is the division title. The victory was the Saints' ninth straight win and kept them in line for the No. 1 overall seed. More impressive, New Orleans (10-2) moved to 3-0 with Hill under center, including two victories over rival Atlanta (4-8). Over the past two seasons, Payton has guided his team to an 8-0 record without Brees under center. The future HOF QB could return next week if he's healthy enough after a brutal ribs injury and lung issue. The Saints haven't lost an inch since Brees went on IR. A fresh return for the stretch run for the 41-year-old could be on tap next week.
-- Kevin Patra
1) Two summers ago, before the pandemic and the failed Freddie Kitchens campaign, the Titans (8-4) spent weeks listening to everyone count them out in their season-opener against the offseason darling, then promptly destroyed the Browns in their house to emphatically start a memorable season. Fifteen months later, the Browns (9-3) returned the favor. Cleveland punched Tennessee in the mouth from the start, arriving in Nashville with an attitude that it would not be bullied by the big kid on the block. The Browns set the tone by forcing Derrick Henry's first fumble lost in 375 touches, then scored on their first six possessions, beginning with a field goal and following it with five straight touchdowns that left the Titans shocked and staring at the scoreboard from the sideline in complete disbelief. The most stunning development of the day, though, came from the arm of Baker Mayfield, who compiled a masterful performance, completing 25-of-33 passes for 334 yards, four touchdowns and his second-best single-game passer rating (147) of his young career. Though they entered Week 13 with an 8-3 record and the AFC's top wild card spot in their possession, plenty of folks doubted the Browns' legitimacy. They hadn't taken down a contending team all season, and when they faced such opponents, they were handled quite easily. Not on Sunday, though, as the Browns wrested control of their narrative from the hands of doubters and put the league on notice. Cleveland isn't a team that just feasts on woeful opponents -- it can handle the title fighters, too.
2) Cleveland's defense didn't provide much evidence that it would be able to contain Henry prior to Sunday, but the Browns used a total team effort to make Henry a virtual non-factor. The Browns ran out to a quick lead thanks to the aforementioned forced fumble, then poured it on with their streak of touchdown drives that dug the Titans a hole too deep to ride Henry out of and to a comeback. The usually powerful, rumbling, wrecking ball of a back appeared to be a lesser version of himself Sunday, too. Typically good for a long run or two per game, Henry's longest carry of the day was for just 10 yards. Credit is due to Browns defenders like B.J. Goodson and Karl Joseph (among others), who abandoned all fear when in pursuit of Henry and closed in on Henry like a heat-seeking missile, cutting down the back before he could get out into open space and stuffing him at the goal line on a two-point conversion attempt. A year ago, the Browns put on a similar performance against Lamar Jackson, boxing him in en route to a stunning early season win. Much later in the next year's season, Cleveland earned an even more emphatic and meaningful win by shutting down Tennessee's most important player. Considering their inexcusable penalty total (13 accepted for 92 penalty yards), this could have gone much differently, but instead, the Browns made a statement with their victory.
3) Perhaps the Titans were still enjoying their blowout win over the division-rival Colts last week when it came time to kick things off Sunday. Tennessee came out flat, turning the ball over on downs and then fumbling away their next possession before finally getting on the board to make it 17-7. The Titans' defense -- namely, Breon Borders -- was abysmal, with the Browns picking on Borders relentlessly and running out to a 38-7 halftime lead. The Titans displayed what can happen when they play coherent football in the second half, but the massive deficit at the break proved too much to overcome. A week after making its own statement with its domination of Indianapolis, Tennessee fumbled away its chance to prove Cleveland's doubters right, and created its own doubt in the process.
-- Nick Shook
1) An elusive win dangled over the winless Jets (0-12) until Henry Ruggs III snatched it out of the air.. Down four points with 19 seconds left to play, Raiders quarterback Derek Carr found the rookie wideout on a 46-yard go-ahead touchdown pass to keep Las Vegas' wild card hopes alive and maintain the Jets' insufferable season. A Raiders win seemed improbable minutes earlier after the Jets defense forced a turnover on downs in the red zone, but a quick three-and-out gave the Raiders the ball back with 46 seconds left to play and no timeouts. After an overthrow to Nelson Agholor for a would-be TD, Carr got a second chance on the next play and exploited a Jets blitz that left Ruggs one-on-one up the sideline. Carr's lofty throw seemed to stay in the air for an eternity as Ruggs sped by his defender and freely tracked the deep ball. There was plenty to think about as it came down to earth; Ruggs' two-turnover afternoon that included a blatant drop, why there was virtually no presence of Jets defenders near the end zone, and how Trevor Lawrence would look in Gotham Green.
2) Darren Waller's career day helped end a two-game skid for the Raiders (7-5). Most of Waller's 13 receptions for 200 yards and two TDs on the day came in the first half. Per NFL Research, Waller joins Hall of Famer Shannon Sharpe (Week 7, 2002 at Kansas City) as the only tight ends in the last 30 seasons with eight-plus receptions, 120-plus receiving yards and two-plus TD receptions in a single half of a game. As for Ruggs, his game-winning touchdown catch momentarily erased a woeful game that included a bad drop that resulted in an early Jets interception and a fourth-quarter fumble that allowed the Jets to gain a late lead. Carr's day (28-of-47, 381 yards, 3 TDs and one INT) was littered with several underthrows and overthrows, but the Raiders will take a sloppy win given their place in the AFC playoff race.
3) The Jets looked rather good offensively, rushing for a season-high 206 yards as a team despite losing Frank Gore (concussion) on the second play of the game. Ty Johnson (104 yards, TD) and Josh Adams (74 yards) held an in-house competition running the ball and the Jets passing game was given opportunities as a result. The consistency took some pressure off QB Sam Darnold, who had to forget a second quarter that saw turnovers on three consecutive drives. It seemed like the Jets had already blown their lead then, but, to their credit, Darnold and the Jets didn't drag their feet into the second half. There was winning football played today by the Jets, it was simply taken away from them in the final seconds.
-- Michael Baca
1) The Matt Patricia Era was characterized by blown lead after blown lead. In the first game of interim coach Darrell Bevell's tenure, the Lions stormed back from a 10-point fourth-quarter deficit. With Bevell able to call his preferred game, Matthew Stafford unleashed a cavalcade of field-stretching passes that taxed the Bears defense. The Lions QB tossed for 402 yards, three TDs and one INT. It was Stafford's first game over 400 yards this season. A throwback game for the QB, Stafford divebombed the Bears defense, including a picture-perfect 49-yard TD to rookie Quintez Cephus. With Detroit down double-digits with less than five minutes remaining, Stafford quickly diced up Chicago, moving 96 yards in just 2:15, culminating with a Marvin Jones score to pull within three points. The impressive drive put pressure on a fragile Bears offense. When Chicago (5-7) crumbled, Detroit (5-7) took advantage. It was a reminder of the type of furious comebacks Stafford used to engineer in the pre-Patricia days.
2) If you wondered why Matt Nagy doesn't trust his quarterback, look no further than Mitchell Trubisky's fourth-quarter fumble that led directly to the loss. On third and four from his own 17-yard-line, the signal-caller dropped back, didn't feel the backside pressure, and was stripped by the Lions' Romeo Okwara. Detroit recovered the fumble, Adrian Peterson galloped in for his second rushing TD. A game the Bears were up comfortably most of the contest quickly became a defeat. The Bears scored on their first three possessions to jump out early. Trubisky completed 76.5% of his passes for 267 yards with a TD. And the ground game galloped for 140 yards. Chicago scored 30 points for the first time since Week 3. Inexplicably, Nagy's club still found a way to lose. The collapse was epitomized by David Montgomery after bowling over defenders all day, getting blown up on fourth and one with the game on the line. It was a complete collapse by all three phases in the fourth quarter.
3) Sunday marked the sixth-straight loss by the Bears. It all but wipes out Chicago's chances of competing for a playoff spot with four games left after a 5-1 start to the season. The latest loss by his club is likely to have Nagy in the hot seat in December. Few teams are as adrift as the Bears, who can't find solid QB play, and the defense has finally begun to crack. Nagy hasn't shown the ability to stop the slide. On the opposite end, the Lions battled for Bevell in the first game without Patricia. There were several times in the contest Detroit could have packed it in and headed home with a loss most expected. Instead, they fought back for a victory moving to 5-7, and a tie with the Bears in the division.
-- Kevin Patra
1) Tua Tagovailoa's first half reflected what was another week of limited practices. Save for Jakeem Grant's drop on catchable 46-yard bomb, the rookie, whose left thumb and wrist were heavily taped, floated several passes that fell incomplete or were nearly picked off. Going into halftime, he compiled 111 yards (12-of-19) as Miami (8-4) trailed, 7-6. But then the second half began and the Dolphins, along with their young QB, kicked it up a notch. Looking more comfortable after switching to a no-huddle offense, Tagovailoa led a half-opening TD drive that saw him hook up with Myles Gaskin for a 35-yard completion, his longest of the day. From there, K Jason Sanders chipped in two more FGs, giving him a perfect four-of-four stat line, to bolster Miami's victory. Going 1-of-10 on third-down and 1-of-4 in the red zone is a bit concerning, but the Fins' invigorated play coming out of half was promising to watch. Tagovailoa finished the game 26-of-39 for a career-high 296 yards and extended his streak of games without an INT (six).
2) You hate to see penalties overshadow the actual play on the field, but the yellow flags ran rampant in this one. In the first half alone, a combined 11 infractions were called. Just before halftime, an end-of-play dust-up involving Xavien Howard and Tyler Boyd that didn't appear like much at first glance led to the ejection of both. Up to that point, there had been a few chippy interactions, but most looked to be just in the heat of the moment. That all changed late in the third. A sideline-clearing brawl broke out following Bengals WR Mike Thomas' second unnecessary roughness penalty for a second cheap shot to Grant on consecutive punt returns. Dolphins coach Brian Flores was among those on the field protesting Thomas' foolish actions; DeVante Parker was one of three players that were tossed. Once the dust settled, Miami's defense turned up the juice and squashed any chance of a Cincy comeback. On a much less egregious note, an illegal formation late in the second quarter robbed Dolphins P Matt Haack of a rushing TD and fans of a chance to see the special teams succeed deploying its famous "Mountaineer Shot," a la Week 13 of last season. Again, you hate to see it.
3) Unlike their opponent, the Bengals (2-9-1) offense turned in a second half that ultimately sunk any shot at an upset. Brandon Allen led a balanced attack -- 14 pass attempts, 13 rushes -- through the first two quarters. The journeyman completed nine passes for 137 yards, the bulk of which came on a career-best 72-yard catch-and-run TD for Boyd. Upon taking the field for its first series after halftime, Cincy spiraled out of control. Three straight three-and-outs, two of which came following sacks, stymied all attempts at building momentum; a fourth punt followed by a game-sealing INT made the bad much worse. Allen exited late after taking his fifth sack, bringing out Ryan Finley, who was sacked by Kyle Van Noy on his second snap. In all, Miami tallied two picks -- Howard, Nik Needham -- and a season-high six sacks while holding the Bengals to a season-low 196 total yards.
-- Jelani Scott
1) Deshaun Watson deserves better. A better receiving corps. A better front office. And better than a bad snap at his opponent's 2-yard-line with the game on the line. The Texans were primed to take the lead and perhaps win, only to have center Nick Martin's exchange go off Watson's fingertips -- it was low and away -- and bounce into the arms of a Colts defender with a minute and change to go. It's sadly par for Watson's 2020 course. Even the interception he threw Sunday -- his first in 238 attempts -- was initially caught by Brandin Cooks, but stripped away by Kenny Moore as Cooks was injured on the play. Don't let Houston's 4-8 mark cloud the fact that its Pro Bowl QB has become a more accurate, efficient and explosive passer, all while losing arguably the best wideout in the game and now playing without two of his top three targets. He'd be an MVP candidate if more of his supporting cast were merely doing their part.
2) Philip Rivers has always been ornery. Only now is he old and injured. But he can still sling it. Two days shy of his 39th birthday, he provided more hope to the Colts that he can get the job done for two more months. Rivers continued on his recent roll by completing just under 80% of his throws for nearly 300 yards and two TDs with no turnovers against the Texans. It took three months, but he finally seems to be on the same page with T.Y. Hilton (8 catches, 110 yards, 2 TDs). While the aging gunslinger was acquired in free agency with the expectation that he'd be an instant upgrade over Jacoby Brissett, it makes sense that the Colts offense needed time to jell given all its moving parts and a disconnected offseason. Besides, Rivers legacy in Indianapolis will be forged in December and beyond.
3) Coming off an embarrassing effort against the Titans, the Colts defense figured to be inspired, if not sure to rebound, against the shorthanded Texans. They were also made whole with the returns of DeForest Buckner and Denico Autry from the reserve/COVID-19 list. That prompted pressure that we haven't seen in some time from Indy, which constantly harassed and hurried Watson while tying a season-high with five sacks. Two came from Buckner and three from Justin Houston, including a safety -- the pair had one sack between them over the previous month. The 8-4 Colts have manufactured a middle-of-the-pack pass rush to go along with their all-world run defense. If they improve on the former, there would be another legitimate contender in the AFC.
-- Adam Maya
1) Talk about the ideal ingredients for Frustration Stew. Jacksonville's continued offensive struggles were multiplied Sunday by four turnovers, which was nearly five if not for replay review overturning a James Robinson fumble, and the Jaguars (1-11) again ran into a brick wall on third down, converting just four of 13 attempts in the game. Mike Glennon gives them their best chance of victory -- he led a game-tying touchdown drive in the final minutes of regulation -- but also steered their ship toward defeat with his two fumbles lost and an interception thrown in overtime that led to Minnesota's game-winning field goal. Frankly, this game shouldn't have even reached overtime, though, if Dan Bailey would've been able to make either of his first two point-after tries in regulation, or if he'd made his late-game field goal attempt with the score tied at 24. Fortunately for he and the Vikings, Minnesota bulled its way toward the doorstep of a touchdown, making for a chip shot of a game-winner. It wasn't pretty football on Sunday, but it was a win for the Vikings (6-6) -- and the Jaguars didn't hurt their draft position, either.
2) Sunday was another example of how important the running game is to the Vikings' chances of success. Minnesota reached halftime trailing 9-6 and had just 44 yards on the ground as a team, with Dalvin Cook accounting for 21 of those and a minuscule 2.6 yards per carry average. The Vikings were 1 for 5 on third down and were just barely over 100 yards of total offense at the break. Then, Minnesota turned back to what worked for Jacksonville's most recent opponent, Cleveland, and aimed for the naturally developing cutback lane to great success. Cook ran the ball 24 times in the third and fourth quarters and overtime, picking up 99 yards and jump-starting Minnesota's offense in what resulted in a furious third-quarter comeback. Kirk Cousins went from just 83 passing yards in the first half to 305 and a 3-1 TD-INT ratio by the time the game ended, while Justin Jefferson added to his Rookie of the Year case and Adam Thielen also found the end zone. If the Vikings don't run the ball effectively, most everything else falls apart for them eventually. They recognized this with their halftime adjustments and managed to pull out a victory.
3) The Jaguars haven't held an opponent under 21 points since Week 1 -- the only game Jacksonville has won this season -- yet Sunday was another case of the Jaguars' defense keeping them in the game, at least early. Jacksonville forced two turnovers, bottled up Cook and scored a defensive touchdown on Joe Schobert's pick-six to open the second half, giving the Jaguars a surprising 16-6 lead, but then promptly surrendered 13 unanswered points by giving up chunks of yards to Cook in the same fashion it did to Nick Chubb last week. Once on their heels, the Jaguars struggled to regain their balance, doing enough to get the game to overtime just to allow their offense to let them down one final time with Glennon's interception. They're getting little help from their offense, and when combined, it has the makings of a frustrating, losing team that does just enough to keep you coming back for more disappointment.
-- Nick Shook
https://www.nfl.com/news/nfl-week-13-what-we-learned-from-sunday-s-games
2020-12-06 22:34:00Z
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