NFL Game Recaps: Week 11, 2022

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

Titans 27, Packers 17

The Packers had a big victory over the Cowboys this past Sunday, which gave them hope entering this game. They were installed as three-point favorites over the Titans, as it seemed as though people believed their issues had been solved. As it turns out, that was far from the case.

It looked like the Packers would be able to match the Titans on the scoreboard early when Aaron Rodgers caught Tennessee offside at the end of the first quarter and found Christian Watson for a touchdown. This was Watson’s fourth touchdown in two weeks, and it would have tied the game at seven had Mason Crosby’s extra point not been blocked. Still, the Packers looked good, especially after Derrick Henry was stuffed on a fourth-and-1 inside the 5-yard line, ruining an 18-play drive in the second quarter.

The Packers, however, had issues generating consistent offense outside of the one aforementioned drive, as they accumulated only 96 net yards in the opening half. The Titans, conversely, were able to move the chains effectively the entire evening. Aside from one throw, Ryan Tannehill was brilliant, and he was aided by the usual, fierce running from Henry. Tannehill had the play to ice the game when he delivered a miraculous throw to Austin Hooper for a touchdown to put Tennessee up by 10. Rodgers needed to respond, but failed. He overthrew Allen Lazard on a third-and-3 with 5:30 remaining, and he turned the ball over on downs the next play.

As mentioned, Tannehill made one blunder. This was an interception in which he didn’t see the defensive back. Otherwise, Tannehill was absolutely brilliant. He did a tremendous job of converting third downs with improbable throws. The Packers had no answer for him, as he was 22-of-27 for 333 yards, two touchdowns and an interception.

By contrast, Rodgers went 24-of-39 for 227 yards and two touchdowns. Rodgers didn’t commit a turnover, though he was nearly flagged for a safety when he was guilty of intentional grounding with one foot inside his own end zone. Rodgers didn’t appear to be on the same page with his receivers at time, particularly with Lazard.

Speaking of Lazard, he was second on the Packers with five catches for 57 yards, trailing only Randall Cobb (6-73). Lazard dropped passes and didn’t seem to have a grasp of where to run at times. Rodgers has to be frustrated with Lazard, especially after seeing Watson score twice, as he caught four balls for 48 yards otherwise.

The Packers didn’t get much out of their running game. Aaron Jones was limited to 40 yards on 12 carries, while A.J. Dillon (6-13) was barely a factor.

Henry was the leading rusher in this contest, though he didn’t reach the century mark. Still, he was a big fantasy producer. He rumbled for 87 yards and a touchdown, and he also caught two passes for 45 receiving yards. He also threw a touchdown pass to Hooper, which was one of Hooper’s two scores.

Two Titans logged more receiving yards than Henry. The leader was Treylon Burks, who snatched seven balls for 111 yards, with about half of that coming on the final real play from scrimmage in which Burks caught a 51-yard bomb. Robert Woods hauled in six passes for 69 yards.

Falcons 27, Bears 24

There were offensive fireworks expected in this game, and the first half did not disappoint. The teams combined for 34 points in a 17-17 tie heading into intermission, as Justin Fields accounted for two touchdowns, while the Falcons scored on a kickoff return. There could have been even more offense, as Fields overthrew Darnell Mooney for a score, while Cordarrelle Patterson lost a fumble near midfield. Patterson redeemed himself by scoring on the kickoff return the next time he touched the ball.

The second half, however, told a different story. Fields suffered some sort of a leg injury when he was crunched in the pocket during the opening snap following intermission and then hurt his shoulder, as he was hobbling around during the second half. He rushed for only 12 yards following intermission despite rushing for 73 yards beforehand. He had opportunites to run, but was reluctant to do so.

Fields also completed only seven passes in the second half, and he was responsible for an interception that ended the game at the very end. While under pressure, Fields threw a high pass which was tipped and picked. However, Fields had some positive moments as well. He placed a perfect ball down the sideline to David Montgomery, then scrambled around in the pocket for 15 seconds before finding Equanimeous St. Brown for a first down.

Fields finished 14-of-21 for 153 yards, one touchdown and an interception. He also scrambled 18 times for 85 rushing yards and a second score on the ground. There’s a good chance Chicago would have prevailed had Fields not suffered an injury, which really limited his mobility. The Bears were sparked by Fields’ running, and yet that wasn’t happening amid the injury.

Marcus Mariota, meanwhile, had some issues as well. He had a clean stat line – 13-of-20 for 131 yards and a touchdown – but he was fortunate not to be intercepted once again, as a Chicago player dropped an easy pick. Mariota did some running as well, scrambling 13 times for 25 rushing yards and a score.

Aside from Fields, the leading rusher in this game was also a Chicago player, as David Montgomery handled most of the workload with Khalil Herbert injured. Montgomery rushed for 67 yards and a touchdown on 17 carries. He also paced the Bears in receiving with three catches for 54 yards.

Following Montgomery, Cole Kmet was next on the stat sheet with three catches for 35 yards, with one of the receptions being a ridiculous one-armed grab. Mooney caught four balls for 29 yards and a touchdown, but as mentioned, he should have scored twice.

Unlike the Bears, the Falcons utilized a backfield committee, with Patterson rushing for 52 yards on 10 carries. Tyler Allgeier rumbled for 55 yards on eight attempts, though he needed the final real play from scrimmage to get there after bursting forward for 26 yards against a dejected Chicago defense.

Only two Falcons logged more than 17 receiving yards: Kyle Pitts (3-43) and Damiere Byrd (2-29). Pitts left the game in the third quarter with a knee injury. Drake London caught a 2-yard touchdown, which was his only reception of the day.

Bills 31, Browns 23

The Bills dealt with a late flight to Detroit, as well as a flu outbreak during the week that caused them to miss practice. They certainly played as such to begin the game, as Cleveland jumped out to a quick 10-3 lead. Buffalo’s injury-ravaged defense had no answer for Amari Cooper, while Stefon Diggs couldn’t even draw a single target. Buffalo went 24 minutes without a single first down. Diggs and Sean McDermott had a heart-to-heart conversation on the sideline at one point, as the No. 1 receiver expressed his frustration.

Diggs was eventually happy, as his first target happened to be a 5-yard touchdown. This, as well as a lost fumble on a botched snap, helped the Bills establish a 13-10 advantage just prior to halftime, a lead that they would never relinquish. Buffalo dominated in the second half, as Cleveland’s defense suddenly looked like the unit was exhausted. Cleveland’s offense, meanwhile, failed to generate any points until a garbage-time drive that helped push the spread for those lucky to bet the +8. The sudden offensive struggles occurred because the Browns had two scoreless drives end inside the Buffalo 30. One drive concluded when Jacoby Brissett was stuffed on a fourth-down sneak attempt. The second ended on a blocked field goal, which occurred right after Brissett missed an open Harrison Bryant in the end zone as a result of heavy pressure.

The Bills took over the second half with their running game, as it was evident that Allen couldn’t get anything going because of pressure and his elbow injury. Allen went 18-of-27 for 197 yards and a touchdown. He had a long scramble negated by a hold, which is why he accumulated just seven rushing yards on three runs. Thus, Allen is lucky that his rushing attack saved the day. Both Devin Singletary and James Cook had great performances, with each dashing for 86 yards. Cook got there on seven fewer carries (18-11), but Singletary scored a touchdown. Singletary also had a 13-yard gain negated by a hold.

With Allen not passing well, Diggs’ numbers were suppressed. He caught four passes for 48 yards, but salvaged his fantasy performance with a touchdown. He was third on the receiving list, trailing Dawson Knox (7-70) and Gabe Davis (5-68). Davis was guilty of a drop on third down.

The best fantasy producer in this game was Amari Cooper, who caught eight of his 12 targets for 113 yards and two touchdowns. Donovan Peoples-Jones reeled in five balls for 61 yards and a touchdown at the very end of the afternoon. Peoples-Jones had a gain of 20 negated by a hold, and he also drew a 36-yard pass interference flag.

As you can probably tell, Brissett had a big fantasy performance. Brissett went 28-of-41 for 324 yards and three scores. He nearly threw a fourth touchdown, but the pressure forced an errant heave, as mentioned earlier. He has just one more start before Deshaun Watson takes over in Week 13.

It was surprising to see the Browns fail to run the ball, which put Brissett in many unfavorable down-and-distance situations. Nick Chubb was severely limited, mustering just 19 yards on 14 carries. Kareem Hunt outgained him on five carries (32 yards).

Eagles 17, Colts 16

The Eagles sabotaged a potential victory against the Redskins on Monday night with countless mistakes, and they did the same thing in this game. They constantly shot themselves in the foot throughout the afternoon, causing them to trail for most of this contest.

The trouble started on a first-quarter drive that saw the Eagles commit three penalties on the possession, negating an 18-yard A.J. Brown reception. Later, with the Eagles down 7-3, they had a potential touchdown ruined when a second-and-goal at the 2-yard line turned into an 8-yard loss because of a botched snap. A bad call from the coaching staff ruined a third-and-2 prior to halftime when they called Kenneth Gainwell up the middle. Gainwell was predictably stuffed.

The second half wasn’t kinder to the Eagles, at least to start. Jalen Hurts lost a fumble on a strip-sack after holding the ball forever in the pocket. A.J. Brown later lost a fumble after Philadelphia’s defense obtained a turnover in their favor. The Eagles trailed the entire game as a result, as it seemed like this would be a second-consecutive loss for them.

Everything changed on the final drive. Something finally went in their favor when Miles Sanders drew a deep interference flag. Hurts then converted a fourth down on a sneak and ran into the end zone a couple of plays later. Matt Ryan had time to engineer a game-winning drive, but didn’t possess the protection, as Philadelphia’s pass rush disrupted the final possession.

Hurts had an underwhelming passing stat line, going 18-of-25 for 190 yards and a touchdown. However, he scrambled 16 times for 86 rushing yards and the decisive score. It’s remarkable that Hurts was able to enjoy a great fantasy performance despite nothing going Philadelphia’s way for much of the afternoon.

DeVonta Smith paced the Eagles with six catches for 78 yards, followed by Brown and his five grabs for 60 yards. Quez Watkins (2-31) caught Hurts’ only passing touchdown.

Sanders, who was the hero at the end with the drawn penalty, needed that to validate his day because he struggled otherwise. Indianapolis’ excellent run defense limited him to 47 yards on 13 carries.

It was no surprise that Jonathan Taylor was the leading rusher for most of this game, though he was eventually eclipsed by Hurts. What is shocking is that Taylor didn’t reach the century mark versus a pathetic Philadelphia run defense. Ndamukong Suh and Linval Joseph made an impact, as Taylor gained “just” 84 yards on 22 carries, though he scored a touchdown. Taylor ruined a potential scoring drive when he lost a fumble at midfield after carrying the pile for what seemed like an eternity.

As for Ryan, he went 23-of-32 for 213 yards. He endured a painful drop in the red zone, but did fine as a game manager until he needed to come up with some big plays at the very end.

Ryan threw to three players primarily. Michael Pittman led the way with six grabs for 75 yards, while Parris Campbell was close with five catches for 67 yards. Alec Pierce saw more targets (8) than the other receivers, but converted only three of them for 28 yards.

Patriots 10, Jets 3

This was a 3-3 affair what seemed like an eternity, but there was no question as to which team was superior. The Patriots outgained the Jets, 297-103, and they averaged five yards per play, compared to 2.1 for the Jets. New England won the time of possession by 11 minutes.

The problem? The Patriots would constantly cross midfield, but would crush themselves with mistakes. For example, there was one sequence in which Mac Jones took a sack to move his team out of field goal range, but Rhamondre Stevenson bailed him out with a third-and-16 conversion that featured several broken tackles. Jones wished to continue to sabotage his team, however, as he took another sack, making the field goal longer. The kick was missed in extremely windy conditions. On another occasion, a sack and a hold forced a longer field goal, which was also missed. Stevenson was stuffed on a later fourth-and-3 as well.

This is how the game went for the Patriots, who scored just three points in five trips into Jets territory. The team blew some defensive opportunities as well when several New England defenders dropped potential interceptions, including one that could’ve been returned for six. The defense was able to come up big with a late tackle on third-and-1, which forced a punt in the final seconds. The Patriots’ offense let them down in this game, and the defense couldn’t force a turnover. However, their special teams managed the decisive play, with Jonathan Jones scoring on a punt return, the first punt return touchdown in the NFL this year.

The Jets will need to take a long, hard look at Zach Wilson to close out the season because they cannot win if he keeps performing like this. Wilson failed to log double-digit completions, going 9-of-22 for a mere 77 yards. He didn’t commit a turnover, but was very lucky that some potential interceptions of his were dropped. Wilson was miserable. He threw well short of a target on an early third down. He underthrew Garrett Wilson downfield. He overthrew Braxton Berriors and Denzel Mims on two routine short tosses. He was also almost responsible for a defensive touchdown when he lost the ball on a strip-sack, but replay review showed his elbow was down prior to the ball being dislodged.

Wilson was at least able to lead the team in rushing with 26 yards on three scrambles, as both Michael Carter (8-19) and James Robinson (7-10) got nothing on the ground. New York’s running game has looked lost ever since Breece Hall suffered a season-ending injury.

Only one Jets player logged more than 17 receiving yards. That was Denzel Mims (2-35), who got there mostly with an early 34-yard reception that set up the Jets’ only points of the game. On the flip side, Mims dropped a gain of about 20. Garrett Wilson (2-12) was a big disappointment, but Zach Wilson’s incompetence can be blamed for the lack of prodiction.

Jones was the better quarterback in this game, but only by default. The stat line looks fine, as he went 23-of-27 for 246 yards, but he made some mental mistakes in the pocket during this game, taking five sacks. To be fair, the Patriots lost two offensive linemen to injury, as both David Andrews and Isaiah Wynn were ruled out at halftime.

Stevenson continued to be the lead back, though he couldn’t get anything on the ground. He was limited to 26 yards on 15 carries, while Damien Harris showed more burst. Harris dashed for 65 yards on eight attempts. However, Stevenson was much better as a receiver; he led the team in that regard, catching all six of his targets for 56 yards.

Aside from Stevenson, Jakobi Meyers was the Patriots’ leading receiver with four grabs for 52 yards, followed by Jonnu Smith (4-40).

Saints 27, Rams 20

The Rams haven’t exactly responded well since Jalen Ramsey called out the offense following the loss to the Buccaneers. They’ve dropped their previous two games, and it hasn’t even been the offense that has been responsible for the defeat. Ramsey’s defense couldn’t stop Colt McCoy last week, and they had issues containing the Andy Dalton-led Saints offense this Sunday. Ramsey was actually beaten for two touchdowns, adding further embarrassment to his comments.

Adding injury to insult, Matthew Stafford was lost to his second concussion in as many weeks. He suffered the concussion on a third-down sack, which forced him out of action in a close game. Third-string quarterback Bryce Perkins was able to scramble a bit, but looked like a terribly raw passer and showed no awareness in the pocket, taking a bad sack on a crucial third down late in regulation. This was a huge downgrade from Stafford, who went 11-of-18 for 159 yards and two touchdowns. Perkins was just 5-of-10 for 64 yards.

The Saints, meanwhile, had a great game from Dalton. Battling a team that is getting zero pass rush despite Aaron Donald’s presence, Dalton completed all but four of his passes, going 21-of-25 for 260 yards and three touchdowns. This includes a 53-yard touchdown bomb to Chris Olave.

Speaking of Olave, the dynamic receiver caught five passes for 102 yards and a touchdown. Juwan Johnson (3-47) and Jarvis Landry (3-33) caught Dalton’s touchdowns.

Surprisingly, Alvin Kamara didn’t have a big game. He was limited to 42 yards on 12 carries, and he caught only four passes for 47 receiving yards. It’s fair to wonder if his reception count will drop from prior weeks because Landry is back from injury.

The leading rusher in this game was Cam Akers, who looked functional with 61 yards on 14 carries. Akers, however, was stuffed on a slow-developing play on a fourth-and-1 in the opening half. Darrell Henderson was barely on the field, as he was given two carries, which went for only nine yards.

Los Angeles’ top receiver was Tutu Atwell, who caught a 62-yard bomb from Stafford early in the game. Otherwise, Allen Robinson was the top wideout with four grabs for 47 yards and a touchdown. Tyler Higbee chipped in with four catches for 45 yards.

Ravens 13, Panthers 3

Carolina’s defense has played well for the most part this year, and it had a great game plan against Lamar Jackson. The dynamic Baltimore quarterback, who was sick heading into the game, wasn’t able to get much on the ground. He was limited to 31 rushing yards on 11 scrambles, and he also struggled to throw at times. His first trip into field goal range was ruined when he threw the ball right to the nose tackle, who snatched the ball out of the air.

It wasn’t just Jackson making mistakes and not being able to scramble. The receiving corps barely gave him any help, while the pass protection was an issue as well when Ronnie Stanley suffered an injury in the third quarter. In fact, the defense bailed out the offense when it recovered a Shi Smith fumble in a 6-3 affair in the fourth quarter. Baltimore’s offense finally scored at the very end with a 30-yard drive.

This was the only time the Ravens scored a touchdown while in Carolina territory. Baltimore notched six points otherwise in drives ending at the Carolina 43, 46, 29, 14, 42, 20, 40, and 43. The first possession was ruined by a poor Jackson throw to Mark Andrews, followed by a James Proche drop. The second drive ended when Justice Hill was stuffed on a fourth-and-3. The third was the Jackson interception. The fourth was a field goal, as Baltimore ran out of time at the end of the first half. The fifth drive stopped because of a face mask penalty, a sack, and a Kenyan Drake drop. The sixth ended in a field goal because of a delay-of-game penalty. The seventh possession was ruined by a hold plus sack. The eighth ended in a sack.

Jackson finished 24-of-33 for 209 yards and an interception to go along with his disappointing rushing numbers. Jackson was so frustrated in this game that he punted the ball after the aforementioned delay-of-game penalty, and he was lucky he wasn’t whistled for an infraction himself. Jackson doesn’t have the receiving corps to dominate as he has done in the past. Rashod Bateman’s injury has hurt this offense, so perhaps the front office will sign Odell Beckham Jr. after Thanksgiving.

Jackson had just one viable receiver, and that was Demarcus Robinson. This was shocking, as Robinson couldn’t even make the Raiders’ roster, but Robinson converted all nine of his targets for 128 yards. His best completion was a great sideline catch. He and Mark Andrews (6-63) were the only Ravens with double-digit receiving yardage, as Devin Duvernay was a huge disappointment with only one catch for three yards.

Drake was also a disappointment. Gus Edwards was ruled out, meaning Drake would have most of the workload to himself. Drake, however, had multiple negative runs, which limited him to just 46 yards on 10 carries.

Drake was still the leading rusher in this game, as D’Onta Foreman struggled to find anything against Baltimore’s much-improved defense. Foreman was limited to 24 yards on 11 carries.

Speaking of struggling Panthers, Mayfield was dreadful once again, as he went 21-of-33 for 196 yards and two interceptions. He lofted a couple of ugly floaters for picks toward the end of this game. He was fortunate that was one of his picks wasn’t taken back for six. With Mayfield at the helm, the Panthers never threatened to score except for their field goal drive, which was the byproduct of a short field after a Baltimore punt deep in its own territory.

With Mayfield playing poorly, only one Panther accumulated more than 26 receiving yards. That was Terrace Marshall, who caught three balls for 76 yards. D.J. Moore caught just three passes for 24 yards.

Redskins 23, Texans 10

This was one of the most lopsided games of the year, and it certainly wasn’t expected because the Redskins opened as mere three-point favorites with sharp action coming in on Houston. Things weren’t even promising on the first, drive, as Taylor Heinicke lofted one of his patented ugly floaters that was dropped by a Houston defender. On the very next drive, Washington took advantage of Houston’s mistake, as Davis Mills unleashed a noodle-armed throw toward the sideline that was intercepted and taken back for six.

This was just part of the onslaught. By halftime, the Redskins were up 20-0, as they outgained the Texans, 246 to five. Yes, the Texans had five net yards of offense, which equated to 0.2 yards per play.

The Texans couldn’t move the chains whatsoever because Washington’s stalwart run defense put the clamps on Dameon Pierce. The rookie was restricted to two yards on six carries by intermission. Pierce’s inability to put his team into short-yardage opportunities made things extremely difficult for Mills, who continued to struggle until garbage time, which is how Houston scored its 10 points.

Now that I’ve gushed about the Redskins, let’s discuss their major weakness, which is Heinicke. While it’s true that Heinicke has been better than Carson Wentz, it’s apparent that he would have thrown away a potential victory against better competition. Heinicke barely completed half of his passes, going 15-of-27 for 191 yards. He didn’t commit a turnover, but he easily could have, as mentioned earlier.

Heinicke was carried by both his defense and running game, with Antonio Gibson and Brian Robinson combining for 129 rushing yards. Gibson led the way with 72 yards on 18 carries, while Robinson rumbled for 57 yards on 15 attempts. Gibson also caught three passes for 31 receiving yards.

Only two Redskin receivers outgained Gibson: Logan Thomas (5-65) and Terry McLaurin (4-55). These stats were suppressed by game script – Heinicke attempted just five passes after halftime – but it’s not like Heinicke played well either.

Thanks to garbage time, Mills finished 19-of-33 for 169 yards and two interceptions. He also scored on a scramble. However, all of this was a byproduct of garbage time. Mills was just 6-of-9 for 22 yards and a pick by intermission.

Brandin Cooks was also able to use garbage time to his advantage, catching three balls for 70 yards. Nico Collins chipped in with five grabs for 48 yards. None of this happened before halftime.

Pierce could not benefit from garbage time, as you might expect. He was restricted to only eight yards on 10 carries.

Lions 31, Giants 18
By Charlie Campbell – @draftcampbell

EDITOR’S NOTE: Everyone was trashing the Lions even though they played the Dolphins and Cowboys extremely tough. I still don’t think people recognize how not bad the Lions are after their three-game winning streak.

The Lions outplayed the Giants from start to finish to win their third game in a row. The Detroit defense shut down Saquon Barkley and produced three turnovers, while the potent Lions rushing offense scored four touchdowns. New York is now a game further behind the Eagles in the NFC East, and the Lions gave other teams a blueprint for how to shut down the New York offense.

The Lions took their opening drive down the field for a short field goal. New York responded with Daniel Jones leading a drive that featured him distributing the ball to his receivers and then Jones finishing the drive with a short rushing touchdown. Graham Gano missed the extra point, so the Giants held a 6-3 lead.

Midway through the second quarter, Aidan Hutchinson dropped into coverage and made a phenomenal leaping hands catch to pick off Jones. Hutchinson then returned the pick 17 yards to set up his offense at the Giants 18. A few plays later, Jamaal Williams charged into the end zone for his 10th touchdown of the season, and the Lions took a 10-6 lead. Jared Goff then hit Amon-Ra St. Brown for a couple of completions totaling about 50 yards, and Williams scored again from a yard out. Detroit then took a 17-6 lead into halftime.

To open the third quarter, the Lions had a kick return near midfield and their offense was hot with a key conversion to Tom Kennedy. Then Detroit’s ground game started stuffing the ball down the throat of New York before Williams scored again from a yard out to go up 24-6.

On the ensuing Giants possession, Lions rookie safety Kerby Joseph snatched his third interception of the year and returned it 38 yards to the Giants 41. The New York defense came up to force a punt, and both teams used their punters to end drives for the remainder of the third quarter.

Early in the fourth quarter, Jones hit Richie James on the run for 19 yards. Jones also took off on a few runs to set up a first-and-goal. Matt Breida scored from a few yards out to make it 24-12 after Gano missed another extra point. Midway through the fourth quarter, Isaiah Hodgins fumbled the ball after a hard hit and Hutchinson recovered for the Lions, setting them up deep in New York territory. Justin Jackson soon took off on a 27-yard run to set up a first-and-goal. D’Andre Swift scored from five yards out to clinch the win for Detroit.

Goff completed 17-of-26 passes for 165 yards.

Williams took 17 carries for 64 yards and three touchdowns. Swift ran five times for 20 yards and a touchdown.

St. Brown notched seven receptions for 76 yards.

Jones completed 27-of-44 passes for 341 yards, a touchdown and two interceptions.

Barkley totaled 22 yards from 15 carries. He also recorded two receptions for 13 yards.

Wan’Dale Robinson led the Giants in receiving with 100 yards over nine receptions.

Raiders 22, Broncos 16
By Charlie Campbell – @draftcampbell

EDITOR’S NOTE: What a win! I think everyone wrote off the Raiders after Derek Carr sobbed after last week’s game, but they rallied and upset the sorry Broncos.

Denver and Las Vegas have been among the most disappointing teams in the NFL this year, and this game continued that depressing year for the Broncos. The Raiders hurt their draft position with their third win of the season even though Denver outplayed them for the majority of the game. Conversely, the heat of the seat under Nathanial Hackett figures to increase because Denver was swept by a bad Las Vegas team.

The Broncos scored on their opening drive. Courtland Sutton drew a pass interference from Sam Webb, Sutton beat Webb on a slant, and then Russell Wilson hit Kendall Hinton on a the run for a 32-yard gain to the one. Latavius Murray darted into the end zone to make it 7-0. Las Vegas moved into Denver territory, but Daniel Carlson’s streak of 41 straight field goals ended when he missed a 46-yarder. Denver took advantage of the field position to produce a field goal drive to go up 10-0 early in the second quarter. Las Vegas cut the Denver lead when Carr connected with Davante Adams for a 31-yard touchdown. Just before the half, Wilson led a drive down the field, but the Raiders blocked the field goal attempt to keep the score 10-7 going into intermission.

Early in the third quarter, Carlson started a new streak by drilling a 52-yard field goal. Wilson responded by dropping in a perfect pass to Sutton for 23 yards, but Maxx Crosby’s second sack of the game forced a field goal. Denver hit that 52-yarder to take a 13-10 lead on the first play of the fourth quarter.

Midway through the same quarter, Carlson tied the game with a 57-yard field goal. The Broncos quickly answered with a 48-yard field goal from Brandon McManus to give them a 16-13 lead with three and half minutes remaining. After trading punts, the Raiders had one more chance, getting the ball back with 1:43 left at their own 22-yard line.

A pass to Keelan Cole got Las Vegas to midfield, and then Carr lofted in a pass to Josh Jacobs, who took off on a big run of 43 yards to set up a first-and-goal with half a minute remaining. The Broncos produced a goal-line stand, but Carlson drilled a 25-yard field goal to send the game to overtime.

In overtime, Carr threw a rope to Foster Moreau for 33 yards to get to the Denver 35, and on the next play, Carr found Adams wide open in the end zone after Patrick Surtain blew the coverage. That allowed the Raiders a walk-off win with the 35-yard touchdown pass.

Carr finished completing 23-of-37 for 307 yards and two touchdowns.

Jacobs ran for 109 yards on 24 carries and made three receptions for 51 yards.

Adams turned seven receptions into 141 yards and two touchdowns.

Wilson completed 24-of-31 passes for 247 yards.

Latavius Murray had 49 yards and a touchdown on 17 carries. Melvin Gordon was benched after fumbling right before halftime.

Sutton collected 80 yards over five receptions.

Cowboys 40, Vikings 3

Many people thought the Vikings were the best team in the NFL, yet were confused when they saw that Minnesota was a home underdog against the Cowboys. The sportsbooks knew best because they are aware that team records are the siren song of the uninformed ESPN viewer. A careful eye would have recognized how lucky the Vikings were this season.

Minnesota’s luck finally ran out, and it happened immediately when Kirk Cousins was strip-sacked by Micah Parsons on his first dropback. This was a common theme throughout the day, as Cousins took seven sacks despite being pulled early in the fourth quarter. Meanwhile, the Vikings got no pressure on Dak Prescott; he wasn’t sacked on a single occasion, as the Dallas offense was flawless against an overrated Minnesota defense. The end result was the Cowboys outgaining the Vikings, 458-183.

Cousins barely completed half of his passes, going 12-of-23 for 105 yards. Cousins is the worst quarterback in the NFL when dealing with pressure, as he completed 42 percent of his passes while under duress heading into this game. This will continue to be a theme for the Vikings whenever they battle a defense with an elite pass rush.

Cousins was so inept that he couldn’t get any positive garbage-time fantasy stats for his receiving corps. This was true for Justin Jefferson, who caught only three passes for 33 yards. And yet, Jefferson was two yards away from leading the team in receiving. That distinction was held by T.J. Hockenson, who hauled in five of his nine targets for 34 yards. Adam Thielen (2-25) was a non-factor.

Dalvin Cook had a decent game considering the conditions. He dashed for 72 yards on 11 carries. Cook likely would’ve enjoyed a monstrous afternoon against a leaky Dallas defense if his team was able to be more competitive.

While Cook couldn’t quite get there, but Tony Pollard and Ezekiel Elliott posted huge fantasy numbers. Elliott started, but he and Pollard both had 15 carries, with Pollard predictably outgaining Elliott, 80-42. Elliott scored two rushing touchdowns, but Pollard found the end zone twice as a receiver. He caught six passes for 109 receiving yards and a couple of scores.

Aside from Pollard, CeeDee Lamb topped the Cowboys in receiving with five grabs for 45 yards. He made a great sideline catch right before halftime to set up a 60-yard field goal. Dalton Schultz (3-22) nearly scored a touchdown in the second half.

Bengals 37, Steelers 30

Pittsburgh’s defense improved greatly last week with T.J. Watt returning from injury, but he wasn’t as much of a factor in this game. He made a great interception on what was “one of the best plays I’ve seen from a defensive lineman,” as one of the CBS announcers put it. However, he didn’t get much pressure on Joe Burrow, as La’el Collins did a good job of keeping him out of the backfield.

With Burrow having more time in the pocket than expected, the third-year pro sliced and diced Pittsburgh’s beleaguered secondary. Burrow finished 24-of-39 for 355 yards, four touchdowns and two interceptions, with the second pick being tipped. Burrow was terrific, but it’s the offensive line that must be praised the most. Burrow’s pass protection had struggled all year, but perhaps the bye week allowed the blocking unit to gel together. If so, it’ll be extremely difficult to beat Cincinnati down the stretch once again.

What’s scary for Cincinnati’s opponents is that Burrow thrived like he did without the services of Ja’Marr Chase. With Chase out, Tee Higgins led the team in receiving with nine catches for 148 yards. Higgins’ fantasy owners were frustrated, however, to see Samaje Perine vulture three receiving touchdowns. Perine caught four balls for 52 yards and the trio of scores. Conversely, Tyler Boyd was very inefficient, converting just two of his seven targets for 42 yards. Boyd didn’t even log a single catch until late in the game.

Higgins and Boyd’s fantasy owners weren’t the only ones who were tilting. Joe Mixon’s owners watched Perine score thrice, as Mixon left the game early with a concussion. Mixon was limited to just 20 yards on seven carries as a result.

While Mixon disappointed, Najee Harris had his best game of the season despite the return of Bengals nose tackle D.J. Reader. Harris gained 90 yards and two touchdowns on 20 carries.

Harris had to both carry the offense, as Kenny Pickett had a very uneven performance. He had some nice throws, especially in the first half when he went 14-of-19 for 141 yards and a touchdown. However, Pickett struggled as the afternoon progressed. He was just 11-of-23 for 124 yards following intermission, as Cincinnati’s coaching staff made some great adjustments during the break. That said, Pickett missed several open receivers, including George Pickens for a pair of deep potential gains, as well as a ball targeted for Pat Freiermuth in the red zone.

Pickens’ final numbers, for those who don’t want to do complex math, were 25-of-42 for 265 yards and a touchdown. He really struggled in the second half, but it wasn’t all his fault, as his leaky offensive line didn’t give him much of a chance.

Considering that Pickens missed Pickett for two big gains, the rookie receiver could have enjoyed a huge game. He still did quite well, catching four passes for 83 yards and a score, and he also drew an interference flag. He barely edged out Freiermuth, who caught eight of his 12 targets for 79 yards. Diontae Johnson was a big disappointment with four receptions for 21 yards.

Chiefs 30, Chargers 27

If the Chargers couldn’t defeat the Chiefs under these conditions, they’ll never be able to do so in a late-season meeting. The Chiefs, already down JuJu Smith-Schuster and Mecole Hardman, lost Kadarius Toney to a hamstring injury in the opening half. The remaining receivers spent time dropping passes in the early stages of the game. The Chiefs were even held to a pair of consecutive three-and-outs, which is extremely uncommon for the team.

The Chargers’ offense, meanwhile, was humming with the primary receivers returning from injury. Granted, Mike Williams aggravated an injury after making a great sideline catch, but Joshua Palmer had a dominating performance to make up for that. He and Keenan Allen gave Justin Herbert two dynamic threats, as they attacked the Chiefs’ secondary and maintained a lead for most of the opening half.

The Chiefs, however, made some nice adjustments at halftime, and the Chargers couldn’t get anything going for a while in the second half. The Chiefs eventually took a 23-20 lead, as Patrick Mahomes converted a third-and-17 with a dart to Justin Watson, eventually finding Travis Kelce in the end zone to go up 23-20. The Chiefs had a chance to expand the lead, but Jerick McKinnon lost a fumble. Allen, who fumbled earlier, made amends for his error with an amazing, diving catch for 46 yards. Herbert took advantage of the blunder, finding Palmer for a touchdown to go up 27-23.

There was 1:46 remaining in regulation, which was more than enough time for Mahomes, as he connected on deep throws to Marquez Valdes-Scantling and Skyy Moore. Following a Mahomes scramble, the Chief quarterback connected with Kelce on a crossing route for the decisive score.

Mahomes, despite missing three of his top four wide receivers, went 20-of-34 for 329 yards and three touchdowns. He also scrambled on four occasions for 23 rushing yards. Mahomes saw lots of pressure early on disrupted drives, but he dominated in the second half. He misfired just thrice following intermission.

All three of Mahomes’ touchdowns went to Kelce, who snared six of his 10 targets for 115 yards and the trio of scores. Watson (3-67) and Moore (5-63) were next on the stat sheet.

Isiah Pacheco thrived as the team’s primary ball-carrier, gaining 107 yards on 15 carries versus the Chargers’ leaky run defense.

As for the Chargers, it was another wasted, brilliant effort for Herbert, who went 23-of-30 for 280 yards, two touchdowns and an interception, which occurred on the final real play from scrimmage in desperation time. Herbert played an amazing game, especially considering that both of his top receivers were either out or limited.

Williams caught only one pass for 15 yards, while Allen hauled in five balls for 94 yards. Palmer led the Chargers with eight catches for 106 yards and two scores.

Austin Ekeler had a surprisingly quiet game as a receiver with two catches for 17 yards, but did well as a rusher. He gained 83 yards and a touchdown on the ground on 19 carries.

49ers 38, Cardinals 10

Though the Cardinals generated a couple of scoring drives in the opening half, they had no chance to be competitive with the 49ers. They were missing four offensive linemen, incluidng D.J. Humphries, so they had severe problems blocking San Francisco’s elite pass rush. Conversely, San Francisco had great success attacking the middle of the Cardinals’ defense with their plethora of weapons. The end result was a lopsided affair in which the starters sat for most of the fourth quarter.

Jimmy Garoppolo was nearly flawless in this game, going 20-of-29 for 228 yards and four touchdowns. He was on pace for a 300-yard night by halftime, but he couldn’t get there because Brock Purdy replaced him for most of the fourth quarter.

Garoppolo threw a pair of touchdowns to two players: Brandon Aiyuk and George Kittle. The latter led the 49ers in receiving with four catches for 84 yards and the two scores. Aiyuk was less productive; in fact, his two touchdowns were his only receptions of the evening, as they went for 20 yards. Deebo Samuel also scored, but via a rush. He had a 39-yard touchdown on an end-around, and he also caught seven of his nine targets for 57 receiving yards.

Christian McCaffrey also had a big night, though mostly as a receiver out of the backfield. He actually had fewer rushing yards than Elijah Mitchell (9-59), dashing for only 39 yards on seven carries, but he hauled in all seven of his targets for 67 receiving yards.

The Cardinals, meanwhile, were expected to have three high-volume offensive players despite the blocking issues, but they were quickly reduced to two because Rondale Moore suffered an early injury. Moore was a major target for Colt McCoy last week, though Greg Dortch was able to replace him mostly well. Dortch caught nine passes for 103 yards, including a 47-yard gain that set up the only touchdown of the night for Arizona. However, he ran a wrong route on a key fourth down in the third quarter, which had McCoy grasping his helmet in frustration.

As for the other two high-volume players, DeAndre Hopkins was the second-leading receiver in this game with nine grabs for 91 yards. James Conner didn’t get as much yardage – 14 carries, 42 yards – but he scored Arizona’s only touchdown.

McCoy finished 24-of-34 for 218 yards and an interception, which was a pass that bounced off Conner’s hands. This occurred early in the evening, with the turnover setting up Kittle’s first touchdown. McCoy had no chance behind his injury-ravaged offensive line.

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

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