Sunday Night Football: Texans lead Bears 16-10 at halftime

The Texans dominated the Bears in the first half, but they lead only 16-10 at halftime “Sunday Night Football”. Houston has 206 yards to 91 for Chicago and has punted only once. Tommy Townsend’s only punt cost the Texans, though, going 37 yards to the Houston 49. The Bears used the field position for a touchdown. Khalil Herbert ran it in from 2 yards out with 32 seconds left in the second quarter to complete the eight-play drive.

It was 2 of the Bears’ 18 rushing yards on 11 carries. Caleb Williams, the No. 1 overall pick of the Bears, has played significantly better than he did in his debut, going 12-of-15 for 91 yards. Williams has taken two sacks. DJ Moore has three carries for 35 yards. With one second left in the half, Texans kicker Ka’imi Fairbairn responded with a 59-yard field goal.

Fairbairn also had field goals of 56 and 47 yards in the first half. Texans quarterback CJ Stroud completed 14 of 19 passes for 173 yards with a touchdown, a 28-yard pass to Nico Collins. Collins has five catches for 86 yards, including two of the highlight-reel variety. Stefon Diggs has two receptions for 26 yards. Joe Mixon, who had a big day in the season opener, has only 19 yards on six carries.

On September 15th 2024, college football week 3 does not look very appetizing on the surface, but you never know when there is going to be a seismic upset.

Saturday started off a bit chalky with No. 4 Alabama blowing out Wisconsin after Badgers QB Tyler Van Dyke suffered an injury on the opening drive. No. 6 Missouri continued that with a nervy come-from-behind home win over No. 24 Boston College. No. 16 LSU also needed to rally on the road against South Carolina after falling behind 17-0 early. The Tigers did just that, earning a crucial SEC win as the Gamecocks’ game-tying kick sailed wide as time expired.

Perhaps the most notable result of the day was yet another disastrous Florida State loss. On September 13th 2020, the Buffalo Bills and Miami Dolphins have arguably drawn an equal amount of attention as playoff hopefuls in recent years, and yet their American Football Conference (AFC) East rivalry has been something of a lopsided affair. Dating to 2017, in fact, the Bills have won 13 of their last 15 matchups with Miami, including playoffs. Dolphins quarterback Tua Tagovailoa, meanwhile, is just 1-6 against his division foes.

Both sides enter their next matchup, an anticipated “Thursday Night Football” showdown that kicks off Week 2 of the 2024 campaign, with a 1-0 record. Plenty of questions exist under the surface, however, with Buffalo barely fending off the upstart Arizona Cardinals in Week 1, and the Dolphins coming off a dramatic week that included a much-publicized pregame clash with law enforcement. In January 2024, National Football League (NFL) Tampa Bay Buccaneers quarterback Baker Mayfield threw three touchdowns in Detroit, but his final pass was picked off by Derrick Barnes with just over a minute left in the game and the Buccaneers lost 31-23.

Mayfield joined the Buccaneers on a one-year deal as a free agent last year and his first season was a big rebound from a couple of down years spent with the Cleveland Browns, Carolina Panthers, and Los Angeles Rams.

Mayfield threw for 4,044 yards and 28 touchdowns during the regular season and then threw for 337 yards and three touchdowns in a playoff win over the Philadelphia Eagles. After the game, head coach Todd Bowles said that Mayfield has definitely earned a new contract and he likes the idea of having another year in the offense. Mayfield loves the Buccaneers, he has said that all year and it is authentic.

It would mean a lot to Mayfield, to bring back a lot of key pieces, to get this back together, to get into Year Two in the system. Mayfield feels like the Buccaneers could make huge strides, he would love that. Obviously, the Buccaneers will see how it is going to play out but Mayfield can not say enough about this team and the opportunity it gave him. Bowles said it is too early to talk about Mayfield’s next contract, but it probably will not be long before that is a main topic of conversation in Tampa Bay.

Mayfield is on his fourth team in less than two years and with a first-time play-caller, passing for 349 yards and three touchdowns. Even though Mayfield and the Buccaneers have expressed interest in a long-term extension, he will become a free agent. Not many gave the Buccaneers a chance to have a winning record this season, much less capture a third straight National Football Conference (NFC) South title, upset the defending NFC champion Eagles and go down to the wire with the Detroit Lions.

The Buccaneers was a score and just over 13 minutes away from playing to go to the Super Bowl.

The Buccaneers started 3-1, cratered by losing six of seven games, spiked by winning six out of the next seven, and found itself in another rollercoaster affair against the Lions. But the Buccaneers defense could not contain Lions quarterback Jared Goff, who passed for 287 yards and two touchdowns. The uncertainty with Mayfield is just as paramount.

Bowles said Mayfield has earned the right to be the Buccaneers’ quarterback moving forward. Mayfield hated how the season ended. In December 2023, another big game for Joe Flacco was another big night for the Cleveland Browns. Flacco threw for 309 yards with three touchdowns and a single interception in a 37-20 win over the New York Jets. The win was the fourth straight for the Browns, who improved 4-1 with Flacco at quarterback.

The Browns improved to 11-5 to secure their spot in the postseason. The Browns enter a matchup against the Jets on Thursday December 28th 2023 at Cleveland Browns Stadium on a three-game winning streak. The Browns put up just two more points per game than the Jets allow, and New York scores 5.3 fewer points per game than Cleveland gives up. The Browns collect 335.9 yards per game, 41.1 more yards than the 294.8 the Jets give up per matchup, and New York racks up only 3.2 more yards per game than Cleveland gives up.

The Browns rush for 119.1 yards per game, just 7.1 fewer yards than the 126.2 the Jets allow per outing, and New York averages 90.3 yards per game on the ground, 9.9 fewer yards than Cleveland allows.

The Browns have turned the ball over 32 times this season, 10 more turnovers than the Jets have forced, and New York has turned the ball over 30 times, five more than Cleveland’s takeaways. The Browns’ average points scored and conceded in home games are both lower than their overall averages of 23 and 20.7, respectively. At home, the Browns accumulate 317.8 yards per game and concede 197.9. that is less than the Browns gain and allow overall.

Cleveland’s average passing yards gained and conceded at home are both lower than its overall averages of 216.8 and 160.1, respectively. Cleveland accumulate 107.1 rushing yards per game at home, and concede 87.4 at home. In home games, the Browns convert 28.2% of third downs and allow 23.2% to be converted by their opponent, that is less than they convert and allow overall.

The Browns is headed back to the postseason for the first time since 2002. Cleveland can rejoice. Its Browns are headed to the playoffs for only the second time in 21 seasons. The Browns delivered a 37-20 win over the Jets to clinch a postseason berth in front of their home crowd at Cleveland Browns Stadium. Flacco passed for 309 yards and three touchdowns, while David Njoku had six receptions for 134 yards on a night where Cleveland did not have star wide receiver Amari Cooper due to a heel injury and lost Elijah Moore due to a concussion.

Kareem Hunt’s 7-yard touchdown rush and Ronnie Hickman’s 30-yard interception return for a touchdown also aided the Browns as they never looked back from a dominating first half, in which they simply imposed their will on the Jets.

That 34 points during the first half, combined with the Jets’ struggles on offense, were enough to ride out to the Browns’ victory as each team managed a field goal in the fourth quarter. While there is great concern over the Cleveland Browns’ receivers in Cooper and Moore, the Browns officially punching their playoff ticket is enough to celebrate amongst the Cleveland faithful. The Browns has clinched at least a Wild Card spot and still have an outside chance to win the AFC North and possibly the top overall seed in the conference with some help.

The Browns will visit the Cincinnati Bengals to end their regular season next. Brandon Allen, who threw for just 94 yards, passed for a touchdown and rushed for another for a NFL-record 10th game in a single season. The San Francisco 49ers is the hottest team in the NFL and look unstoppable. 49ers’ latest conquest was a 45-29 shellacking of the Arizona Cardinals to notch their sixth straight victory.

The 49ers also became the first division champion of the year, securing their second straight NFC West crown. The 49ers moved one victory ahead of the Philadelphia Eagles in the win column, but the Eagles will have their chance to respond against the Seattle Seahawks. As for the rest of the NFL, Week 15 saw plenty of movement in the playoff picture. The NFL playoff races are as wild and confusing as ever, making the homestretch of the season one we will likely remember.

The AFC entered Week 15 with 11 teams boasting winning records and six with 7-6 records, the most for a single conference through Week 14 since 1970.

The Panthers have been eliminated from playoff contention. The Panthers have the worst record in the NFL. When Week 14 of the 2023 NFL season finally drew to a close, the playoff picture was rather chaotic. The NFL’s Week 15 slate has been nothing short of dramatic. Baltimore Ravens just got a reminder of what it is like to have Lamar Jackson available for the playoff push.

Jackson was electric, his first time suiting up beyond Week 15 since 2020. Jackson was not perfect through the air, committing one bad interception and amassing just 171 passing yards, but he consistently made chain-moving throws or left defenders in his wake on highlight-reel runs when the Ravens required it. Jackson paced the Ravens’ 251-yard rushing outing with 97 of his own.

Jackson combined the best he has to offer with his arm and legs on the play of the night when he shrugged off a Dawuane Smoot sack, dropped farther in the pocket to buy time and uncorked a long ball for Isaiah Likely to collect with a leaping grab between two defenders. Jackson set up an eventual Gus Edwards touchdown to start off the final stanza, and it was also an indicator of the trust he has brewing for his backup tight end. Likely led the team with five receptions and 70 yards.

Mistake-prone Jacksonville Jaguars hit three-game skid.

The Jaguars seemed hell bent on throwing this game away. The Jaguars reached the Ravens 36-yard line or farther on four straight drives at one point, yet came away with a goose egg heading into halftime. The first two of those possessions ended with missed kicks by Brandon McManus, while Trevor Lawrence was responsible for bungling the latter two. First, while scrambling into the red zone, Lawrence seemingly juked himself out of the ball, fumbling it for Ravens’ Arthur Maulet to scoop up.

Lawrence did play cleaner in the second half, but spotting the Ravens a 10-point lead with two quarters remaining proved too large a deficit. Lawrence looked surprisingly unbothered by his high ankle sprain suffered two weeks ago and the Rayshawn Jenkins-led defense gave the Jaguars a shot, the Jaguars still dropped their third straight. In October 2020, Green Bay Packers tight end Robert Tonyan knew quarterback Aaron Rodgers was going to start this season off on a tear.

Before the season, Tonyan already knew Rodgers’ stellar play through the first quarter of the season was going to happen. The Packers has scored at least 30 points without a turnover in each of the first four games, making them the first team in NFL history to start a season with four such games. The Packers has done it a variety of contributors while dealing with a bevy of injuries on offense.

The Packers played their second consecutive game without Pro Bowl wide receiver Davante Adams and also were without No. 2 receiver Allen Lazard.

And the Packers did not draft a single wide receiver in the most receiver-rich draft and instead took Rodgers’ eventual replacement, Jordan Love, in the first round. If Rodgers was inconsistent during the Packers’ 13-3 season 2019, he is making up for it. Rodgers completed 27 of 33 passes for 327 yards and four touchdowns against the Falcons. For the season, Rodgers has 13 touchdown passes without an interception, the fourth-most passing touchdowns without an interception over a team’s first four games in NFL history.

Rodgers has Tonyan to thank in part for that. Rodgers started his career as a quarterback, is not exactly a newcomer to Green Bay. Rodgers has been with the Packers since the final month of the 2017 season, signed to the practice squad. Rodgers made the team in 2018 and despite playing in all 16 games had just four catches for 77 yards and a touchdown.

Rodgers appeared poised to break out last season but sustained a groin injury that eventually required offseason surgery and caught just 10 passes for 100 yards and a touchdown. Tonyan, an offseason workout partner of 49ers tight end George Kittle, got his opportunity this season after the Packers cut their primary tight end of the past two years, Jimmy Graham. The Packers also was without veteran tight end Marcedes Lewis against Atlanta.

With six catches for 98 yards and three scores against the Falcons, Tonyan ran his season touchdown total to five, tied with Buccaneers wide receiver Mike Evans for most touchdown catches in the NFL.

In four games, Tonyan also has matched Graham’s touchdown output in 32 games with the Packers over the previous two seasons. You can not help but gain a lot of respect for Tonyan. But talking about respect and trust and being able to count on a guy, we saw that 2019 with Bobby. Tonyan’s third and final touchdown of the night, a 21-yarder in the third quarter, earned him some extra points with his quarterback.

Tonyan stumbled after Falcons safety Jamal Carter dragged him down and did a full barrel roll before he got up and kept running. Two more San Francisco 49ers are headed to injured reserve, and though reinforcements are on the way, it remains unclear when the 49ers will get back some of the key players dealing with injuries. 49ers coach Kyle Shanahan said that defensive end Ziggy Ansah suffered a torn biceps and will require season-ending surgery and go on long-term injured reserve.

That was the expected outcome for Ansah, and the 49ers also got some bad news on nickel cornerback K’Waun Williams. Williams, who was already dealing with a hip injury, sprained his knee against the Eagles and will most likely head to short-term injured reserve. That means Williams will have to miss at least three games. Williams has been battling through his hip, then he got the knee.

Williams has been out there every week for the 49ers.

The fact when Williams was getting hurt throughout that game, he kept trying to come in because he knew how down the 49ers was. The 49ers has got to shut him down and give him a chance to recover. Shanahan is hoping that some of the previously injured 49ers will return sooner than later. Shanahan said quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo (high right ankle sprain), linebacker Dre Greenlaw (quadriceps), running back Raheem Mostert (knee sprain) and cornerback Ahkello Witherspoon (hamstring) each at least have a chance to return to practice, though some are closer than others.

Receiver Richie James, who is on short-term injured reserve because of a hamstring injury, is also a candidate to return for the game against the Miami Dolphins. Mostert, who missed the past two games because of a sprained knee, is probably still another week away, though that could change. Shanahan is taking a similarly cautious approach to the potential return of cornerback Richard Sherman.

Sherman has been on short-term injured reserve since a calf injury in Week 1 and is eligible to return to practice for the first time. In addition to Sherman and Williams, the 49ers are awaiting the return of starting cornerback Emmanuel Moseley. Moseley is still in concussion protocol, which means the 49ers could play without their top three cornerbacks.

If Witherspoon is able to return, he would likely start on the outside with Jason Verrett, leaving Jamar Taylor to step in for Williams in the slot.

As for finding outside help to supplement the roster, particularly at positions such as cornerback and defensive end that have been hit hard by injury, Shanahan said the 49ers is likely to ride out before making any more moves. It is kind of hard to bring guys in, and there is not a ton out there. The Philadelphia Eagles did not necessarily have a pretty night in San Francisco, but it did, in fact, get the job done.

Despite a rough start, in which Carson Wentz threw his seventh interception in just four games, as well as a late push by Casey Beathard, who took over for a struggling Nick Mullens at the helm of Shanahan’s offense, Philadelphia stepped up when it mattered. Working with a makeshift supporting cast, Wentz threw a perfect fourth-quarter touchdown to put the Eagles in front, while the Birds’ defense broke a streak of zero-turnover games with a trio of them against Mullens, sealing a 25-20 upset. With the win, the Eagles’ first of an injury- and turnover-riddled 2020 season, Philly vaults into an improbable first-place standing in the woeful NFC East.

The 49ers, meanwhile, fall to .500 in a competitive NFC West that also saw the Arizona Cardinals lose. With only Greg Ward, John Hightower, and scout-team call-ups Travis Fulgham and Deontay Burnett active at wide receiver, Wentz did just enough with both his arm and legs, most notably floating a perfect deep-ball TD to Fulgham in the fourth quarter. Fulgham, by the way, had maybe the best play by an Eagles receiver.