Flacco, Mayfield are back on stage
Confetti from an NFL weekend.
Tampa Bay 34, Green Bay 20
— The NFL has used its current passer rating formula since 1973. Aaron Rodgers had been the only quarterback to compile a perfect rating of 158.3 at Lambeau Field. On Sunday, Baker Mayfield became the first visiting quarterback to do so, going 22 for 28 with four touchdowns and no picks as the Buccaneers got to 7-7 with their third straight win.
— Mayfield threw for 381 yards and hit four different receivers for scores. Chris Godwin had 10 catches out of 12 targets for 155 yards. Mayfield, the 2017 Heisman winner, was once a star in Cleveland, but drifted to the Rams and Panthers last year and was a late signee to replace Tom Brady in Tampa Bay. Currently he has 24 touchdowns and eight interceptions. “I can’t say enough about him,” coach Todd Bowles said.
– Mayfield did this as the Packers were sacking him five times and hitting him four other times. Jordan Love played well for Green Bay (6-8) but the defense did not force Tampa Bay to punt after the second quarter, and gave up 10 plays of 20 yards or more.
Cleveland 20, Chicago 17
— Another rebounding quarterback, Joe Flacco, won another game for the Browns (9-5), who were trailing 17-10 early in the fourth. The 38-year-old connected with Amari Cooper for a 51-yard touchdown. Myles Garrett had a tackle for a five-yard loss to stunt Chicago’s next drive, and Flacco hit two big passes to David Njoku that set up Dustin Hopkins’ 34-yard field goal with :32 left.
— But it wasn’t quite over. Justin Fields heaved a pass from the Cleveland 45 into the end zone, and the multi-uniform scrum deflected it right into the hands of Darnell Mooney, who was sitting in the paint and watched it rebound off those hands and to Cleveland’s David Bell. Fields struggled, going 19 for 409 and throwing two interceptions for Chicago (5-9). The Bears’ only TD drive went one yard.
– Flacco was 28 for 44 for 374 yards and two TDs, although he was intercepted three times, including a pick-6 by Tremaine Edmunds. Njoku caught 10 for 104 from Flacco, who hadn’t thrown for this many wards since Sept. 13, 2018 against Cincinnati, when he was with Baltimore. Jeremiah Owsu-Koramoah was the defensive leader for Cleveland with two passes defended, two of the Browns’ 11 tackles for loss, a sack and an interception.
Baltimore 23, Jacksonville 7
— The Christmas Night game between the 49ers and Ravens has all the earmarks of a Main Event. The Ravens are 11-3 after a methodical beating of the Jaguars (9-5) on the road, as Lamar Jackson ran for 97 yards and threw an unlikely 16-yard TD pass to tight end Isaiah Likely, who has replaced Mark Andrews as Jackson’s preferred recipient. The Ravens crushed Jacksonville with five explosive run plays and 251 ground yards overall.
— Jacksonville also did a nice job of defeating itself, particularly in the first half, when Trevor Lawrence lost a fumble and later watched the clock run out after he completed a pass when he should have spiked the ball. The Jags’ only touchdown was Lawrence’s 65-yard pass to Jamal Agnew, and Lawrence was in concussion protocol at game’s end. The Jaguars are now tied in the NFC South with Houston and Indianapolis.
— Among Baltimore’s many defensive stars is Justin Madubuike, who forced a sack fumble and has 12 sacks. The former 3rd-round pick from Texas A&M has at least a shared sack in 11 consecutive games, which ties a league record. Baltimore’s three losses have been by a total margin of 12 points, including a 3-pointer to Indianapolis in overtime.
Buffalo 31, Dallas 10
— Josh Allen completed only seven passes and the Bills still beat down the Cowboys, and he said he felt like the kid who does nothing for the class project and gets an A anyway. With James Cook, Dalvin’s brother, punishing the Cowboys with 179 yards on 25 carries, Buffalo looked like a lethal playoff team. The trick will be getting in, since the Bills are 8-6 with a game at Miami waiting at the end.
— Buffalo is 3-1 with an OT loss at Philadelphia since Joe Brady supplanted Ken Dorsey as offensive coordinator. But the defense has straightened out, too. It allowed the Cowboys no 20-yard plays and dealt Dak Prescott a 57.7 passer rating. Dallas had the ball for only 24:55.
— Dallas is still tied with Philadelphia atop the NFC East at 10-4 but now goes to Miami and plays Detroit at home. Clearly the Cowboys had trouble refilling the tank after their 33-13 whipping of Philadelphia. All four of their losses have been on the road by a total margin of 70 points.
Seattle 20, Philadelphia 17
— Jalen Hurts was sick, and Eagles’ fans aren’t feeling so good themselves. He flew separately to Seattle so he wouldn’t infect teammates, and he played and directed an offense that snapped the ball an astonishing 46 times in the first half. But the Eagles’ longest play of the night was 20 yards, and A.J. Brown was held to three catches for 30 yards by a rope-a-doping Seahawks’ defense that neither sacked nor hit Hurts but broke up six passes.
— The Eagles have lost three consecutive games and are 10-4, but can still win the NFC East if they win out against the Giants twice and Arizona at home. Seattle, losers of four straight, hadn’t beaten a playoff contender since Oct. 29 (Cleveland) and is now 7-7, with trips to Tennessee and Arizona and a home date with Pittsburgh on the docket.
— It was the best moment in the pro career of Drew Lock, the Missouri alum who played for Denver, came to Seattle in the trade for Russell Wilson and couldn’t beat out Geno Smith. Lock was brilliant on the final drive, a 92-yarder that featured a 34-yard pass to DK Metcalf on third and 10 and a 29-yard touchdown to Jaxon Smith-Njigba with 0:33 left.
Cincinnati 27, Minnesota 24 (OT)
— JaMarr Chase’s final catch of the day was a huge one for the Bengals, who were down 17-3 at home after three periods. He took a 24-yard pass from Jake Browning on a third-and-21, prolonging a drive that led to Joe Mixon’s game-tying touchdown. The Vikings went ahead 24-17 but Browning was 7 for 8 on a 75-yard drive that tied it again, on a 21-yarder to Tee Higgins, with :48 left.
— Vikings coach Kevin O’Connell ordered Nick Mullens to sneak for a fourth-and-one in overtime, and Mullens was stopped on the Bengals’ 42. That made it easy for Cincinnati (8-6) to get into field goal position, but Browning hit Tyler Boyd for 44 yards on third-and-9, and Evan McPherson connected on a 29-yarder, giving the Bengals three consecutive wins. Browning, a former scout team QB for Minnesota, is subbing for Joe Burrow and is 3-1, with 95 points in those wins.
— The Vikings (7-7) got Justin Jefferson back, and have developed another running back in Ty Chandler (23 carries 132 yards). Mullens, the third QB, played well. They have three games left: Green Bay and two with Detroit.
Houston 19, Tennessee 16 (OT)
— It was a little confusing in Nashville, where the Titans (5=9) honored their Houston Oiler ancestors by wearing the Luv Ya Blue apparel. Then the current Houston team exemplified the fighting spirit of the late 70s Oilers. Without C.J. Stroud, Nico Collins and Will Anderson, the Texans turned it over to the defense and pulled out a win when Ka’imi Fairbairn rocketed a 54-yard field goal in overtime.
— Case Keenum might be the most reliable backup QB of his time. The guy who won a playoff game for the Vikings once upon a time was 23 for 36 for 229 yards and got the Texans’ only touchdown on a pass to Noah Brown. Houston also leaned on Devin Singletary, who rambled for 121 yards on 26 carries.
— A fired-up Houston defense sacked Will Levis seven times and ganged up on Derrick Henry, giving up nine yards in 16 tries. Tennessee led 10-0 after Elijah Molden’s 44 yard pick-6 but scored no offensive touchdowns on a day of unrelenting defense —- 12 tackles for loss for Houston, 10 for Tennessee. The Texans are 8-6 and only one game behind Jacksonville in the AFC South.
Indianapolis 30, Pittsburgh 13
— The Steelers seized a 13-0 lead on a fourth-and-one TD sneak and a one-yard drive after a blocked punt. Then Michael Pittman, who already had 78 yards receiving, left with a concussion after a targeting hit from Damontae Kazee, who was later suspended for the rest of 2023. The Colts still got a 14-13 halftime lead and made it 21-13 after Najee Harris lost a fumble on the Steelers 18. Pittsburgh had two punts, a fumble, an interception and only five first downs in the second half.
— Indianapolis (8–6) has won five out of six and has the No. 7 slot in the AFC playoffs, as Gardner Minshew had another solid game (three touchdowns, no picks, 18 for 28). With Jonathan Taylor hurt and then Zack Moss as well, Trey Sermon emerged with 88 yards to key the Colts’ 170 yards on the ground.
— The Steelers are 7-7 and have Cincinnati at home before they go to Seattle and Baltimore. It could be Mike Tomlin’s first losing season as the Steelers coach, a job he took in 2007, but it might also be the fourth time in six years that Pittsburgh has missed the playoffs. “Maybe the tradition of the Pittsburgh Steelers is done,” Ben Roethlisberger said last week.
Detroit 42, Denver 17
— Personnel guys might be studying the Lions’ 2023 draft for a while. Their third pick was tight end Sam LaPorta from Iowa, who was 34th overall in the second round. LaPorta caught three TD passes Saturday and is the first rookie tight end to have more than 70 catches for 700 yards and nine touchdowns. Detroit also got running back Jahmyr Gibbs and linebacker Jack Campbell in the first round and safety Brian Branch in the second, all effective starters.
— The Lions (10-4) moved three games ahead of Minnesota in the NFC North. They haven’t won a division title in 30 years. In this game they had six TDs in six end zone trips, which usually works. Jared Goff threw five TD passes for the first time since 2018 with the Rams.
–= The Broncos fell to 7-7 but their schedule is not unfavorable, with New England and the Chargers at home and a season-ending trip at Las Vegas. Denver gave up 29 first downs and had four punts and a fumble in their meaningful first-half possessions.
Kansas City 27, New England 17
— The Patriots were hanging with the reigning champs in the third quarter and denied Patrick Mahomes’ attempts to find Travis Kelce for a red zone touchdown. After the Chiefs’ field goal put them ahead 17-10, New England’s post-Brady blues flared up again. Bailey Zappe immediately threw an interception to Willie Gay, who ran it to the seven yard line, and Mahomes found Clyde Edwards-Helaire for the decisive touchdown.
— Bill Belichick’s ability to defuse the top offensive weapon was in evidence, as New England gave Kelce only five catches for 28 yards. Afterwards Kelce said the Patriots’ defense was the toughest he faces, year in and year out. New England went 2 for 12 on third downs, however, and had only 10 first downs. L’Jarius Sneed of the Chiefs had two tackles for losses and two pass breakups along with nine tackles.
— Kansas City, which scored on a gimmick pass from Jerick McKinnon to Rashee Rice (nine catches, 91 yards) improved to 9-5, two games behind top-seeded Baltimore, but has an easier schedule. New England is 3–11 and one game behind Chicago in the backwards race for the first round draft pick and, presumably, the next attempt to replace the crypto salesman.
Miami 30, N.Y. Jets 0
— Zach Wilson’s day began with a fumble on a sack by Bradley Chubb and Christian Wilkins, setting up Miami on the Jets’ one yard line, and enabling a touchdown by Raheem Mostert. It ended with a visit to the concussion protocol as the Jets were overwhelmed, falling to 5-9 for the season. The Jets managed 103 net yards.
— Tyreek Hill sat out the game, which lessens his chances of gaining 2,000 receiving yards. In his stead, Jaylen Waddle reminded fans of his own singular speed, catching a 60-yarder from Tua Tagliavoa, who was 21 for 24. Waddle caught 8 balls for 142 yards. Mostert now has 20 overall touchdowns and 17 overall, both Dolphins’ records.
— Miami had six sacks and became the fourth opponent of the Jets to get at least five. The Dolphins are 10-4, but this game was their final breeze. The rest of the schedule: Dallas at home, at Baltimore, Buffalo at home.
L.A. Rams 28, Washington 20
— Washington coach Ron Rivera didn’t go to his bullpen early enough. The Commanders were down 28-7 when Sam Howell, the most-sacked quarterback in the league, threw an interception to John Johnson. The Rams missed a field goal attempt and Jacoby Brissett relieved Howell, and nearly stole a win. Brissett threw TD passes to Curtis Samuel and Terry McLaurin, but the Rams recovered Washington’s onside kick with 1:47 left and improved to 7-7. McLaurin had his best day of the season, catching six for 141 yards.
— The Rams are in the 7th playoff spot at the moment thanks to an offense that has scored 132 points in winning three of four games. Matthew Stafford had his third consecutive game without a pick and Demarcus Robinson, the former Chief who was relieved of $100,000 of jewelry by thieves in Los Angeles earlier this season, caught a TD for the third consecutive week.
— The Commanders (4-10) gave up a plus-100 passer rating to an opponent for the 10th time in 14 games and for a fifth straight week. The Rams handed off to Kyren Williams 27 times, a season high for a Ram, and he produced 152 yards.
San Francisco 45, Arizona 29
– The Cardinals (3-11) were never in any danger of actually beating the 49ers (11–3) but they did have their moments, including runs of 49 and 44 yards by Emari Demercado and James Conner, respectively, and a 10-catch, 102-yard day by tight end Trey McBride. Arizona cut the lead to 35-22 early in the fourth, but Brock Purdy answered with a 19-yard TD to Deebo Samuel, after a 17-yard run by Jordan Mason, an undrafted free agent from Georgia Tech who has become Kyle Shanahan’s newest weapon.
— Charvarius Ward’s interception return for a TD was also key for the 49ers, who were outgained 436-406. The defense was missing four regulars, including Aric Armstead and Javon Hargrove up front. Arizona ran for 234 yards and was the first opponent to break 100 yards rushing since the Bengals on Oct. 29.
– But it’s hard to win without a sack or a takeaway, and the Cardinals had no answers for Purdy, who returned to his boyhood home with a four-touchown day, or Christian McCaffrey, who ran for three scores and 115 yards on 19 tries.
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Las Vegas 63, L.A. Chargers 21
— From zero points against Minnesota to nine touchdowns against the Chargers, Las Vegas (6-8) defined the volatility of the NFL Thursday night, especially when backup quarterbacks and short weeks are involved. The Raiders led 42-0 at halftime and, for the game, converted three fumble recoveries and an interception into touchdowns, improving their record to 6-8 overall, 3-3 for interim coach Antonio Pierce.
— Aidan O’Connell looked like a Pro Bowler against a disinterested Chargers’ defense, throwing four touchdown passes and completing 20 of 34. With Josh Jacobs injured, Zamir White ran for 69 yards and a touchdown.
— The Chargers’ stand-in quarterback was Easton Stick, and the best thing about him was that he showed he could settle down and be productive when trailing by 49 points. His three TD passes were rendered meaningless by his two lost fumbles and his interception. Now 5-9, the Chargers gave up a 12-play opening drive by Las Vegas, and then the turnovers allowed Vegas to get TDs on drives of 42, 31 and 14 yards. Already on the ledge, coach Brandon Staley and general manager Tom Telesco were fired when the Chargers returned to their Costa Mesa, CA headquarters.
New Orleans 24, N.Y. Giants 6
— The Saints are 7-7 and, depending on their Thursday game against the Rams, could have an NFC South square-off with Tampa Bay in the 16th game. This was one of their most complete games, with seven sacks and Derek Carr’s three TD passes, as the beleaguered quarterback hit 23 of 28 passes even without top deep threat Chris Olave.
— Tommy DeVito wasn’t supposed to be the best rusher for the Giants (5-9), but the Saints gave Saquon Barkley only 14 yards in nine carries. The pass rush also returned DeVito to reality six days after he beat Green Bay on Monday Night Football. He was 20 for 34 for 177 yards and even though he ran for 36 yards, he was sacked for 57.
— Third downs usually tell the tale, and the Giants were 2 for 16 while New Orleans went 6 for 12. New York never even got to the red zone and, in the third quarter, had the ball for only 3:47.
Carolina 9, Atlanta 7
— Bryce Young has lost five more games in his first NFL season than he did at Mater Dei High and Alabama combined, but he hasn’t lost the fourth-quarter feel. At the end of a dreary, frustrating day in Charlotte, Young led the Panthers on a 90-yard drive that exhausted the last 7:35 of the clock and set up Eddy Piniero’s field goal, boosting Carolina’s record to 2-12.
— Young’s 18-yard pass to DJ Chark put the Panthers in range. His passer rating of 93.6 was his second best of the season, and Chuba Hubbard did the grunt work with 97 yards. He has rushed for 279 in the past three weeks. Still, the Falcons kept an opponent’s feet out of the end zone for the third time in the past four weeks.
— The season might have proved a little too long for Atlanta’s Bijan Robinson, once a favorite for Rookie of the Year. Robinson fumbled and was given only seven carries by the Falcons. An egregious interception by Desmond Ridder in Carolina’s red zone, when the Falcons led 7-3, didn’t help. As Atlanta (6-8) ponders the future of coach Arthur Smith it has to determine why first-round receivers Drake London and Kyle Pitts have so many days like this one, when they combined for five catches and 61 yards.