Chops316 Monday Morning Quarterback: 2020 Week 13

in #nfl3 years ago

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The thirteenth week of the 2020 NFL season is in the books so here are the different thoughts and opinions I have on various things I witnessed this past weekend. On paper it should have been a week full of blowouts. Instead we were treated to a number of close contests and even a few huge upsets. As they say, that's why they play the games.

Just remember I am a Dallas Cowboys fan and I'm extremely biased. Feel free to agree or disagree about anything mentioned here. All comments are welcome.

Easy Money



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Lamar Jackson was among many Ravens who ran away from the Cowboys
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After the Ravens scored their final TD, somebody on the team was caught yelling “easy money” by the mics. He wasn’t kidding. The Baltimore Ravens ran all over the Dallas Cowboys in a 34-17 victory.

This game played out exactly as expected. The Ravens are one of the best running teams in the league and the Cowboys have the absolute worst run defense in the NFL. No surprise Baltimore ran the ball at will all night long.

Baltimore QB Lamar Jackson (12/17, 107 yards, 2 TDs, 1 INT) threw a few passes just to break up the monotony of run after run. I’m not kidding either. The Ravens ripped off one long run right after another in piling up 294 rushing yards. RB Gus Edwards needed only seven carries to rack up 101 yards. Lamar Jackson added another 94 yards on 13 carries with 1 TD and RB J.K. Dobbins rushed for 71 yards and a TD on 11 carries. They were unstoppable.

With the win the Ravens improved to 7-5. Baltimore probably needs to win at least three, if not all four, of their final games to make the playoffs. Looking at the schedule they can do it. Time will tell.

Because of the Ravens Covid issues, this was the Cowboys first game since Thanksgiving. I’m not sure what they did with the extra time off, but I know one thing they didn’t do was figure out how to make one single improvement on defense. It was the same shit show we’ve seen all season long. The Ravens easily opened up huge running lanes with little effort. If defensive coordinator Mike Nolan has any sense of pride he should have offered his resignation before the team even left the stadium.

The Cowboys offense put up a decent effort in light of the fact they are missing their entire offensive line to injuries. The Cowboys were unable to break off any big plays, but were able to piece together a number of good drives. They only ended up with 17 points because they struggled in the red zone and K Greg Zuerlein missed three FG attempts. To be fair to Greg the Leg two of them were from 50 yards.

QB Andy Dalton (31/48, 285 yards, 2 TDs, 1 INT) was solid, but relied on a lot of shorter passes. His couple of shots of deep throws didn’t connect. RB Zeke Elliott (18 carries, 77 yards) was unimpressive again. Late in the game he had three shots to score a TD from the one yard line and was stuffed all three times. Dalton tossed a TD pass on 4th down.

The loss drops the Cowboys record to 3-9. What a waste of a season. Dallas can’t find any answers from week to week, their poor play just raises more questions. Ugh.

Giant Upset of the Week



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The Giants weren't in the mood for any of Russell Wilson's cooking
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Playing across the country in Seattle and without injured starting QB Daniel Jones, the New York Giants were a whopping -10.5 underdog against the Seahawks on Sunday. Well the Giants spit in the eye of Las Vegas and crushed Russell Wilson as they upset the Seahawks 17-12.

Replacing Jones for New York at QB was Colt McCoy. Who knew he was still even in the league? I didn’t know until he came into the game last week after Jones was injured. McCoy was making just his eighth start in the last eight seasons. Predictably the Giants offense was a mess in the first half, scoring zero points while turning the ball over twice and surrendering a safety.

On the other hand, the Seahawks offense wasn’t much better. Seattle only scored three points to go with the safety and held an odd 5-0 lead at the half. The second half was a different story as the Giants found some rhythm on offense while Seattle never did.

A 60-yard run by RB Wayne Gallman set up New York’s first TD and McCoy finally shook off the rust to make some throws for another. The Giants tacked on a FG in the 4th quarter to take a 17-5 lead. Seattle finally found the endzone late in the 4th quarter, but it was too little, too late as the Giants held on for the 17-12 upset.

The defense were the real heroes for New York, harassing Russell Wilson all day and sacking him five times while holding the Seahawks well under their 31 points per game average. QB Colt McCoy (13/22, 105 yards, 1 TD, 1 INT) wasn’t good, but did find enough life to lead one TD drive. RB’s Wayne Gallman (16 carries, 135 yards) and Alfred Morris (8 carries, 39 yards, 1 TD) battered the defense on the ground. A great team effort by the Giants, who improved to 5-7 and lead the NFC East with a tiebreaker. The Giants became the first visitor to win in Seattle this season and the first NFC East team to beat somebody with a winning record.

This game was just a nightmare for the Seahawks, who are in a dog fight in the NFC West. Giving up 17 points to a Colt McCoy led offense at home isn’t good, but it shouldn’t have been a back-breaker either. This loss falls squarely on the offense, who stunk up the joint most of the day. Russell Wilson (27/43, 263 yards, 1 TD, 1 INT) was asked once again to be a one man gang and the Giants weren’t having any of that. RB Chris Carson (13 carries, 65 yards) had success on the ground yet the Seahawks only gave him 13 carries. Maybe if they weren’t so one-dimensional on offense the Giants wouldn’t have been able to bottle them up so easily. Seattle fell to 8-4, second place by tiebreaker in the NFC West.

No Name? No Problem



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The No-Names busted through the Steelers undefeated season
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Everybody who thought the NFL’s last unbeaten team would lose to a team with no name raise your hand. Put your hands down you liars. In another game nobody saw coming the Washington No-Names upset the previously undefeated Steelers in Pittsburgh 23-17.

Both teams started out sluggish in a scoreless 1st quarter. Ben Roethlisberger found a groove in the 2nd quarter, leading the Steelers on two TD drives. The No-Names managed to squeeze in a FG right before the quarter ended as Pittsburgh held a 14-3 lead at the half.

The second half was a completely different story. The Washington defense shut down the Steelers, only giving up 3 points the rest of the game while the offense found life and put up 20 points to close out the 23-17 upset.

Washington QB Alex Smith (31/46, 296 yards, 1 TD) played a smart game, taking the short passes the Steelers gave him to put together scoring drives. He got little help from the ground attack: 21 carries, 45 yards, 1 TD. Smith played like the veteran he is, not forcing plays that weren’t there and also not turning the ball over. He was given the time to be patient as the defense stopped the Steelers from moving the ball. Big win for the No-Names who improved to 5-7, second place in the NFC East by tiebreaker.

The Steelers have a bad habit of playing “down” to their opposition and this game was a perfect example. They took a two TD lead and fell asleep. Ben Roethlisberger (33/53, 305 yards, 2 TDs, 1 INT) had to carry the load on offense and outside of having a hot hand in the 2nd quarter was mostly contained by Washington. He got even less help from his running game than Smith did: 14 carries, 21 yards. Embarrassing for a team that operates best when they can run the rock. The Steelers fell to 11-1, still in 1st place in the AFC North.

Brownout in Music City



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Baker Mayfield looked like the second coming of Otto Graham in Tennessee
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The Cleveland Browns made an impressive statement by traveling to Nashville and thumping the Titans 41-35. Don’t be fooled by the final score, this game was over by halftime. The Titans made a valiant comeback in garbage time, but there wasn’t enough time to overcome their giant first half thumping.

I never know what to expect from the Browns. Just when it seems they turn a corner they usually lay an egg. Not this week. They came out firing and kept their foot on the gas the entire first half, running out to a 38-7 halftime lead.

The Browns took the opening possession and moved the ball right down the field easily. Yet they had to settle for a FG when WR Donovan Peoples-Jones dropped a pass in the endzone. It was the last time the offense faltered in the first half. The Browns scored a TD on their next five possessions to blow this game wide open. In the second half the Browns only scored three points as they just tried to run out the clock.

Knowing the Browns are primarily a running team, the Titans defense had a plan to put the ball in Cleveland QB Baker Mayfield’s hands. It backfired. Mayfield (25/33, 334 yards, 4 TDs) stepped up and had his finest game of the season. Hell he even caught a pass for 6 yards. Nearly all of his stats came in the first half, as Cleveland went back to running the ball. RB Nick Chubb (18 carries, 80 yards, 1 TD) chewed up the clock in the second half. Statement win for the Browns, who improved to 9-3 and are in prime position to make the playoffs. Cleveland now has their first winning season since 1994.

The Titans defense was burned to ashes by the Browns. They couldn’t stop Cleveland until they decided to play it safe and run out the clock. The lopsided score took RB Derrick Henry (15 carries, 60 yards) out of the game. Tennessee had to air it out to try and come back. QB Ryan Tannehill (29/45, 389 yards, 3 TDs, 1 INT) was game, but it was too big a hole to dig out from. WR Corey Davis (11 receptions, 182 yards, 1 TD) had a monster game. The Titans fell to 8-4, tied for 1st place in the AFC South.

The Lost Art of Tanking



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Historical Photo here of possibly the worst defensive play call in NFL history
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The top two tanking teams in the NFL, the New York Jets and the Jacksonville Jaguars, are in a tight race for the #1 draft pick in next year’s draft. Yet you wouldn’t know it by watching them this past week, each team nearly won. Nearly. You dummies! Winning is pointless right now! However in the end each team was able to snatch defeat from the jaws of victory.

I’ll start with the sad-sack Jets. The Jets showed some moxie and scored a TD with 5 minutes left in the 4th quarter to take a 28-24 lead over the Las Vegas Raiders. After trading possessions, the Raiders had one last chance. With 13 seconds left the Raiders found themselves on the Jets 46-yard line with no timeouts. Hail Mary time.

And the prayer was answered when Derek Carr hit Henry Suggs III with a 46-yard bomb for a game winning TD. Raiders 31 Jets 28. Kudos to the Raiders, but the Jets handed them this play on a silver platter. Jets defensive coordinator Gregg Williams made the absolute worse play call possible. A Hail Mary was the Raiders only option. Anybody who has watched one minute of football in their life knows you drop back 8 guys deep in coverage and defend the endzone at all costs.

Not Gregg Williams. He called an 8 man blitz and left a rookie corner back on an island against the Raiders top deep play threat with zero safety help. WTF! One of the dumbest play calls in the 100+ history of the NFL. So dumb the Jets fired him on Monday, during a completely lost season Williams was so bad the Jets would rather pay him to sit home. Good luck to Williams getting another NFL job after that bonehead move. Then again, why the hell did the Jets hire him in the first place? Williams last job before coming to New York was with the Cleveland Browns, he was the defensive coordinator for their 0-16 season. Hell of a legacy moron.

The Jets fell to 0-12. Give them an A for effort at least. They made a comeback and were sabotaged by their own coach. QB Sam Darnold (14/23, 186 yards, 2 TDs, 1 INT) overcame some early turnovers to bring the Jets back with the help of RB Ty Johnson (22 carries, 104 yards, 1 TD).

One week after getting stomped by the Falcons, the Raiders nearly lose to the dumpster fire Jets. Does Las Vegas want to make the playoffs or not? I can’t figure these guys out. TE Darren Waller (13 receptions, 200 yards, 2 TDs) had a huge game. The Raiders improved to 7-5.

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Note to all QBs: It's not wise to take a seat in your own endzone
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The Jacksonville Jaguars came back against the Vikings in Minnesota to force overtime, then gave the game away in the extra period to lose 27-24.

This was an ugly game full of turnovers, missed kicks, a pick-6 and a safety. You expect such nonsense from the tanking Jaguars, not from the Vikings who are fighting for a playoff spot. Despite all the miscues, the Jaguars scored a TD with less than a minute left in regulation and converted a two-point play to tie the game at 24-24. Amazingly each team had a shot to win before the clock hit zero, but both teams missed long FG attempts.

The Vikings won the toss and had the first chance to end the game. It didn’t go well, three plays gained only three yards and Minnesota punted. Could the Jaguars finish the upset? Nah. Jags QB Mike Glennon threw his second pick of the game to set up the Vikings at midfield. Minnesota slowly drove the ball into FG range and a Dan Bailey kick gave the Vikings a 27-24 win.

The Minnesota defense gave up big plays to a backup QB, Kirk Cousins threw a pick-6, and Dalvin Cook fumbled the ball on the Jacksonville one-yard line. It was very ugly, but the Vikings found a way to win. Both Cousins (28/43, 305 yards, 3 TDs, 1 INT) and Cook (32 carries, 120 yards, 1 fumble, 6 receptions, 59 yards) played well outside of their turnovers. WR Justin Jefferson (9 receptions, 121 yards, 1 TD) also had a big game. The Vikings improved to 6-6 and are still alive for a playoff spot, but they’ll need much cleaner performances than this one to make it.

Jacksonville is trying hard to ruin the tank, yet once again it was close but no cigar. Backup QB Mike Glennon (28/42, 280 yards, 1 TD, 2 INTs) made some plays, but overall showed why he isn’t a starter. The Jaguars fell to 1-11, still trailing the Jets in the race for Trevor Lawrence.

Around the League



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Jared Goff found his groove in Arizona
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The Los Angeles Rams rebounded from a tough loss last week to win an interdivisional matchup over the Arizona Cardinals 38-28. It was the third defeat in a row for the reeling Cardinals.

The Rams were able to run the ball (31 carries, 119 yards, 3 TDs) enough to take the pressure off of QB Jared Goff and he responded with a good game: 37/47, 351 yards, 1 TD. When the Rams can run a balanced offense they are dangerous, when the running attack is stymied and they have to rely solely on Goff they get into trouble. The defense contained Kyler Murray and added a late pick-6 to seal the deal. The Rams improved to 8-4, first place in the NFC West with the tiebreaker.

The Cardinals have been fading since their Hail Mary victory over the Bills. Defense are starting to learn how to keep QB Kyler Murray (21/39, 173 yards, 3 TDs, 1 INT) in the box and his stats are falling. Of his three TD passes, one came from a short field drive after a turnover and another came in garbage time. When the game was on the line Murray struggled and his INT was returned for a TD that iced the game for the Rams. Cardinals head coach Kliff Kingsbury needs to return to a more balanced offense, the running game (21 carries, 92 yards, 1 TD) is being ignored. Five of those carries were from Murray on busted pass plays. Just like the Seahawks are learning, if you rely on your QB too much defenses will catch up. The Cardinals fell to 6-6.
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One of the worst positions to find yourself in the NFL is having to face a Bill Belichick coached team with a rookie QB. Chargers head coach Anthony Lynn learned this lesson the hard way as the New England Patriots destroyed the Los Angeles Chargers 45-0.

This game was an utter and total failure for the Chargers. Not only couldn’t they score a single point, they gave up two special teams TDs with a 70-yard punt return and a return of a blocked FG attempt. Patriots QB Cam Newton (12/19, 69 yards, 1 TD) didn’t do much in the air because he didn’t have to. He did rush for two TDs and avoided any turnovers. This was a true team win for the Patriots, who improved to 6-6. The playoffs are still a possibility.

Chargers QB Justin Herbert (26/53, 209 yards, 2 INTs) had his worst game as a pro. He was given a hard lesson by Belichick. The running game was better (15 carries, 70 yards) but the blowout made running the ball moot. The Chargers fell to 3-9.
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The New Orleans Saints won their third straight game without Drew Brees as his backup Taysom Hill led the way in a 21-16 victory over the Atlanta Falcons.

The Saints nearly let this one slip away by leaving too many points on the field. Give the Falcons defense some credit, they gave up a lot of yards, but not a lot of points. The Saints defense was just better, not letting Atlanta find the endzone until the 4th quarter.

Saints QB Taysom Hill (27/37, 232 yards, 2 TDs) threw for his first two career TD passes. He was aided by WR Michael Thomas (9 receptions, 105 yards). Hill was once again money on the ground (14 carries, 83 yards), as was RB Alvin Kamara (15 carries, 88 yards, 1 TD). It wasn’t the most efficient day for the offense, but things should improve when Drew Brees returns. The Saints improved to 10-2, first place in the NFC South.

The Falcons offense came alive too late to pull this one out. QB Matt Ryan (19/39, 273 yards, 1 TD) was lousy for three quarters. He later found his groove with WR Calvin Ridley (5 receptions, 108 yards) and WR Julio Jones (6 receptions, 94 yards). Too little too late, that’s been the story of the Falcons ever since they blew the Super Bowl. The Falcons fell to 4-8.
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Strangest game of the week was definitely the Indianapolis Colts vs. the Houston Texans. Talk about a tale of two halves. In the first half neither defense could stop anyone and the Colts held a 24-20 lead. In the second half neither offense could score, the only points recorded in the half came when the Colts sacked Deshaun Watson in the endzone for a safety. Final core was Indy 26 Houston 20.

It was a heartbreaker for the Texans. With a little more than a minute left in the game, Houston had a second and goal to go from the Colts 2-yard line. They should have had three chances to score the TD and kick a game-winning extra-point. Instead Watson fumbled the snap on second down and Indy recovered to preserve the win.

Colts WR T.Y. Hilton is having a bad season, but just like the sun always rises in the east Hilton always burns the Texans: 8 receptions, 108 yards, 1 TD. That helped QB Philip Rivers (27/35, 285 yards, 2 TDs) have a very good game. It was a good day for the offense, but a shaky one for the defense. That is becoming a trend in Indy and they’ll need to straighten it out if they want to make the playoffs. The Colts improved to 8-4, tied for first in the AFC South.

This was the Texans last shot at salvaging any playoff hopes and they blew it with turnovers. It’s been that kind of season in Houston. When he wasn’t turning the ball over QB Deshaun Watson (26/38, 341 yards, 1 INT, 7 carries, 38 yards, 1 TD, 1 fumble) was searing Indy. The WR duo of Keke Coutee (8 receptions, 141 yards) and Chad Hansen (5 receptions, 105 yards) stepped up in replacing injured/suspended starters. The Texans fell to 4-8.
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In Green Bay the Eagles got a spark of life when they benched QB Carson Wentz, yet it wasn’t enough to make a comeback. The Packers beat Philly 30-16.

In a shocking start, the Eagles actually came out running the ball in the 1st quarter. It only led to 3 points on two possessions, but it kept Aaron Rodgers off the field. That didn’t last long as Rodgers effortlessly led the Packers down the field to take a 23-3 lead early in the 4th quarter.

With Carson Wentz having a horrible game, Eagles head coach Doug Pederson inserted backup QB Jalen Hurts into the game. Hurts led the Eagles on an 83-yard TD drive and a few plays later KR Jalen Reagor returned a punt 73 yards for a TD. The potential blowout turned into a close 23-16 game. The Packers had enough at that point and RB Aaron Jones broke free for a 77 yard TD run to seal the win.

The Packers made this game look easy. They got a big lead and when the Eagles made an unexpected comeback they quickly snuffed it out with a dynamic play. QB Aaron Rodgers (25/34, 295 yards, 3 TDs) continues to rack up big TD days. He leads the NFL with 36 TD passes and threw his 400th career TD pass in this game. He did most of his damage with his favorite target WR Davante Adams (10 receptions, 121 yards, 2 TDs). The Packers improved to 9-3 and first place in the NFC North.

The Eagles looked like total garbage until Carson Wentz (6/15, 79 yards) was benched in favor of rookie Jalen Hurts (5/12, 109 yards, 1 TD, 1 INT). Hurts didn’t play great, but he did make a few nice throws and led the Eagles on their only TD drive. More importantly the Eagles seemed to perk up and play harder when he entered the game. Doug Pederson announced on Tuesday Hurts will start next week. Why not? Wentz has been the worst QB in the NFL. Philly’s biggest issue is they still owe Wentz $110 million guaranteed on his contract. Ouch. The Eagles fell to 3-8-1.
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The Bears had a great opportunity to stop their losing streak against the Lions, but they shot themselves right in the foot near the end of the game. Detroit 34 Chicago 30. The Bears have now lost six straight games.

The Bears held a slim three point lead with less than two minutes remaining, but they also had possession of the ball. That didn’t last long. QB Mitch Trubisky was strip-sacked and the Lions recovered the ball on the Chicago 7-yard line. Two plays later RB Adrian Peterson punched the ball into the endzone for a game-winning TD.

Adrian Peterson (16 carries, 57 yards, 2 TDs) had a rough day on the ground, but QB Matthew Stafford (27/42, 402 yards, 3 TDs, 1 INT) assaulted the Bears through the air. It must have seemed weird for Detroit to watch the other team blow the game at the end, that is normally their forte. The Lions improved to 5-7.

Remember when the Bears were 5-1 and we wondered how that was possible? Well reality has come crashing down on Chicago. Hard. The defense struggled against an injury-ravaged Lions offense and QB Mitch Trubisky (26/34, 267 yards, 1 TD, 1 fumble) ruined a good showing by setting up the loss with a late turnover. The Bears fell to 5-7.
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The Miami Dolphins defeated the Cincinnati Bengals 19-7 because the NFL ordered the Bengals to finish their season even though they are Jets-like awful without Joe Burrow.

Miami should have blown the Bengals right out of the water, but red-zone struggles kept the game from getting out of hand. Four times the Dolphins drove inside the Cincy 5-yard line yet they only came away with one TD. You can get away with that against the Bengals, but it won’t cut the mustard against real NFL teams. QB Tua Tagovailoa (26/39, 296 yards, 1 TD) returned to the lineup and put up nice numbers. However he wasn’t sharp, his WRs bailed him out with some nice catches. The Dolphins improved to 8-4, but face a tough four game stretch to finish out the season. This kind of ho-hum effort won’t work if they want to make the playoffs.

Without Joe Burrow the Bengals just stink. Almost half of their total offense from the game a 72 yard TD pass from QB Brandon Allen to WR Tyler Boyd. Outside of that one play they did squat. Cincinnati fell to 2-9-1.
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I can’t lie to you guys. OK, you know I can but let’s just pretend I can’t. I fell asleep during the Sunday Night football game. Apparently Kansas City did too, but they woke up in time to defeat the Denver Broncos 22-16. I didn’t miss much.

I think everyone agrees the Chiefs are the best team in the league, but they are starting to worry me. The game almost seems too easy for them, they just hang around with lesser opponents and then make a few plays to wrap the game up. That attitude could come back to bite them in the ass in the playoffs. QB Patrick Mahomes (25/40, 318 yards, 1 TD) had a very quiet game by his usual standards. TE Travis Kelce (8 receptions, 136 yards, 1 TD) made most of the plays for him and the running committee gave plenty of support: 22 carries, 134 yards. The Chiefs improved to 11-1.

Give the Broncos credit, they were clearly outmatched on paper but fought a tough game and made KC earn the win. QB Drew Lock (15/28, 151 yards, 2 TDs, 2 INTs) wasn’t at his best. Denver had better success on the ground where RB Melvin Gordon (15 carries, 131 yards) bullied the Chiefs. The Broncos actually had more rushing yards (179) than passing yards (151). It was a good game plan to keep Mahomes off the field and the score close. Denver just wasn’t good enough to pull of the upset. The Broncos fell to 4-8.
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Here’s an interesting bit of trivia for you: Entering this week’s contest, only one team in the entire NFL has failed to win a Monday night game in this century! Even more unbelievable it wasn’t the Jets!

Coming into this week the Buffalo Bills last win on Monday Night Football came all the way back in 1999. Doug Flutie was their QB for crying out loud. Since then the Bills were 0-8 on the Monday Night stage. Until now.

The Buffalo Bills beat the San Francisco 49ers 34-24 in Arizona, because why not in this crazy year. Due to Covid restrictions the Niners are playing their final home games in the Cardinals stadium. You would think things must be pretty dire in California yet photos of the politicians living it up and flouting their own stupid rules suggest otherwise.

This game can be summed up very easily: the Niners had no answer for Buffalo QB Josh Allen. Allen bombed them good: 32/40, 375 yards, 4 TDs. San Fran couldn’t decide if they should cover WR Cole Beasley (9 receptions, 130 yards, 1 TD) or WR Stefon Diggs (10 receptions, 92 yards) so they covered neither. Dominant showing for the Bills who improved to 9-3. I bet Doug Flutie was proud.

The Niners are still banged up on offense and with their defense unable to slow down Josh Allen they had no chance. They don’t have the firepower to compete in a shootout. QB Nick Mullens (26/39, 316 yards, 3 TDs, 2 INTs) tried but his turnovers killed any hope. San Fran is better when they can run the ball, the game script took that away from them. The Niners fell to 5-7 and the playoffs aren’t going to happen for them this year.
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Whew what a weekend. The playoff races are heating up, tune in next week to see who continues on their path to glory and who has their season drop right into the toilet. Let me know your thoughts on Week 13.