Published on 16 Nov 2022 7:07 pm (UK Time)
Week 10 of the 2022 regular season gave us a lot, including the first-ever game played in Germany. Let’s review it.
The Game of the Year so far?
After last week’s surprise loss to the New York Jets, the 6-2 Buffalo Bills welcomed the high flying 7-1 Minnesota Vikings to western New York for what would surely be a mouthwatering encounter.
Going into the game, the Bills feared that star quarterback Josh Allen would not be able to play in the match. But, there were no worries for Buffalo, as Allen did play.
His opening drive did not go well. An opening pass to wide receiver Steffon Diggs went backwards, and the Bills punted after only moving two yards and having to use a timeout. On the other hand, the opening drive of the Minnesota Vikings went very well. On a 3rd and 11 in their territory, Vikings quarterback Kirk Cousins found Justin Jefferson for a 46-yard pass. A few plays later, this combination would pair up again for a 22-yard touchdown pass to open the scoring.
Buffalo immediately struck back in a drive in which the Bills benefitted from penalties against the Vikings. Devin Singletary ran it in for a 5-yard touchdown to level the scores. On their next drive, Buffalo would go from levellers to leaders, as Devin Singletary again found the endzone for a 1-yard touchdown.
Minnesota needed to score to keep up with the Bills. Kirk Cousins being intercepted on their next drive in their territory did not help with this. Especially as the Bills converted it into a 34-yard Trevor Bass field goal to widen their lead. The Vikings would get a score on their next drive. A very long drive that drove the Vikings up to the edge of the Buffalo endzone. But, the Vikings could not deliver and had to settle for a 27-yard Greg Joseph field goal.
A Devin Singletary fumble was scooped up by the Vikings, who themselves turned the ball over on downs., and gave the ball back to the Bills. What did they do with it? Score an 11-yard touchdown from a Josh Allen pass to strengthen their lead to 24-10 at halftime
The second half began in the worst possible way for the Vikings., as Cousins was intercepted by the Bills’ defence. Luckily for Minnesota, Buffalo could not do anything with it. A drive later, the Bills widened their lead through a 45-yard field goal to put them 17 points ahead.
Then, like the winds of Niagra Falls, it all changed. It took one play for the lead to cut to 10 points, as Dalvin Cook found the endzone after an 81-yard run. The Bills’ next drive was somewhat successful, burning down the clock in the fourth quarter and driving the ball up to the Vikings’ 7-yard line. But, Josh Allen was then intercepted. This may become a problem for Buffalo. What was not a problem was the Vikings’ offense, who drove the ball down to the Bills 3 -yard line. Then, C.J Ham ran it in for a 3-yard touchdown to put the Bills lead to 4 points.
The next Vikings drive was, like the previous Buffalo drive mentioned somewhat successful. But Minnesota were turned over on downs at the Bills 1 yard line. However, this turnover would mean nothing, as on the next play, an error from the Bills resulted in a fumble, which was scooped up by the Vikings for a touchdown and the lead with 41 seconds remaining in the match.
Then, a quick drive from Allen and company put the ball in field goal territory. To tie the game and send it to overtime, Bills kicker Trevor Bass would need to be successful in his 29-yard field goal attempt. He was, and with the score tied at 30-30, overtime was upon us.
Minnesota had the opening possession, which they converted into a 33-yard field goal. The ball was then given to the Bills. A touchdown was needed to win, anything but a field goal and it was game over. Like previous drives, Allen drove the ball to the edge of the Minnesota RedZone. 2nd and 10 on the Vikings’ 20-yard line, Allen threw for the endzone. The ball was caught. By the Vikings, who recorded a 33-30 overtime victory over the Buffalo Bills. With this, the Vikings go to 8-1 on the season and have one hand on the NFC North title. The Bills fall to 6-3 and are on a two-game losing streak. They hope to end this streak next week, as they face the Cleveland Browns, while the Minnesota Vikings face the Dallas Cowboys.
And on the subject of the Dallas Cowboys…
The Packers Finally Win
In the last couple of weeks, the Green Bay Packers have struggled. Struggled may be an understatement. The Packers have lost their five games, and are more or less out of playoff contention. On the other hand, the Dallas Cowboys have a 6-2 record so far and are in contention in a tight NFC East division. Both teams needed a win for different reasons, but only one could win.
The game did not start well for either team. The opening Cowboys drive went nowhere. The Packers were a little bit more successful, but no points were scored, as Packers kicker Mason Crosby missed a 54-yard field goal.
It would be the Cowboys who would open the scoring. In a 17-play, 83-yard drive that took around 8 minutes off the game clock, the ball ended up at the 3-yard line. It was then up to Cowboys quarterback Dak Prescott to throw a 3-yard touchdown pass to CeeDee Lamb to dive Dallas the lead. Things got even better for Dallas when the Packers were on offense, as quarterback Aaron Rodgers was sacked and fumbled the ball, only for it to be swept up by the Cowboys. This joy did not last long, as Dak Prescott was swiftly intercepted by the Packers.
Green Bay took full advantage of this. Aaron Rodgers finally started to play well and threw a 58-yard touchdown pass to Christian Watson to tie the scores up. Things went from good to great for Green Bay, as Dak Prescott was intercepted again. The resulting possession resulted in another touchdown for the Packers. This time, a 12-yard Aaron Jones run found the endzone to give Green Bay the lead. A lead that did not last long. In a drive that began with a Cowboys fumble, they recovered both the ball and their composure, to end the drive with a 5-yard touchdown pass from Prescott to Dalton Schultz to tie the game at halftime 14-14.
The second half began with two punts. then, Dallas scored a quick touchdown, as a 13-yard run for Tony Pollard found the house and gave the Cowboys the lead back. They would strengthen this lead on their next drive, through a 35-yard touchdown pass from Prescott to Lamb, to give them a two-touchdown lead.
This was reduced to one touchdown on the next drive. The Packers moved the ball to the Cowboys 39 yard line, and on 4th down, Aaron Rodger’s 39-yard throw to Watson went for a touchdown. And like what the Cowboys did in the third quarter, the Packers did in the fourth. They scored another touchdown to tie the scores, with Rodgers and Watson pairing up again for a 7-yard touchdown to make it 28-28 all with 2 minutes left to play. You would expect things to happen in these two minutes. Nothing did, so for the second time today, we would go to overtime.
The Cowboys had opening possession but turned the ball over on downs at the Green Bay 35-yard line. The packers knew that a field goal would be enough for victory. And from the Cowboys’ 10-yard line, Packers kicker Mason Crosby successfully scored a 28-yard field goal to give the Packers a 31-28 victory, ending their long losing streak. With this win, the Packers improve to 4-6 on the season, while the Cowboys fall to 6-3. This may be costly in a very competitive NFC East. Next week, the Packers play Tennessee on Thursday Night, while the Cowboys face the Minnesota Vikings.
Unbeaten No More
The Philadelphia Eagles are on the best start to a season in their history. They are also the only unbeaten team left in the NFL this season. Their opponents this week were divisional rivals the Washington Commanders, who the Eagles beat earlier on in the season. Would this game be similar to what we have seen before?
It all started like it would be a convincing win for the Eagles’ On their opening drive, the Commanders’ quarterback Taylor Heinicke was sacked in his own territory. This sack caused a fumble and the ball was scooped up by the Eagles. With a very generous field position, the Eagles converted, as quarterback Jaylen Hurts scored a 1-yard rushing touchdown. 7-0 to Philly. Game over I guess?
Except, the Commanders were not going to give up. On their next drive, Washington drove the ball from their own 25-yard line to the Eagles one-yard line. It was then up to Antonio Gibson to score the touchdown to tie things up.
Except, this tie did not last long. The Eagles quickly struck back, with a 6-yard pass from Hurts to Dallas Goedert which found the endzone. Washington’s response? A 44-yard field goal on their next play made it 14-10. And that was just the first quarter.
To add to the many events of the first half, on their next drive, Jaylen Hurts was intercepted, handing the ball back to the Commanders, who then proceeded to drive the ball up the field. This drive ended with a 1-yard rushing touchdown from Brian Robertson jr to put the commanders into the lead. A lead that would be increased before halftime. A 58-yard Joey Slye field goal gave the Commanders a surprising 20-14 lead at halftime.
The second half began in a similar way to which the first half ended. Another Commander’s field goal increased their lead. The Eagles needed to score to stay in the game and to keep their unbeaten streak alive. They did score on their next drive. An 11-yard Hurts pass to DeVonta Smith found the endzone, to put the Eagles within two. Things got better for the Eagles when a deep pass from Taylor Heinicke was intercepted.
But then it got weird. On their next possession, Dallas Goedert fumbled the ball which was recovered by the Commanders, who scored the touchdown. But, after a review, this play was reversed. However, on their second attempt, another fumble happened, which was scooped by the Commanders. While they could not convert this to a touchdown a55 yard field goal increased their lead. Then, it happened again for the Eagles. Another fumble, another lost possession. This led to nothing. Then, after 3 punts and a final fumble for the Eagles that turned into another Commander’s touchdown, the clock read 0:00. The Commanders had beaten the Eagles 32-21. The Eagles winning
The Commanders had beaten the Eagles 32-21. The Eagles’ winning streak quite literally was dropped by themselves. With losses for both the Eagles and Cowboys and the Giants winning, the NFC East becomes even more open. Next week, the Commanders face the Houston Texans, while the Eagles visit the Indianapolis Colts.
The first Germany Game
The International Series this year has been a mixed bag of games. We had the two classics at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, and whatever that was at Wembley. But this week was no regular international game. For the first time ever, the NFL was in Germany, a country where the sport is very popular. So, could the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and the Seattle Seahawks deliver in the land of Beer, Bratwurst and BMW?
The stadium where the game was being held was the Allianz Area in Munich. The ground is the home of the dominant Bundesliga team and winner of the last 10 German league seasons, Bayern Munich. For what was seen in the opening few drives of the NFL game, the German audience was treated to a game of soccer, as there were quite a few punts and a missed field goal from Tampa Bay.
This being said, it was Tampa who would get the scoring going. Everyone knows (and I will always bring this up), that the first touchdown scored in a London Game was a rare rushing touchdown from New York Giants quarterback (and future Hall of Famer) Eli Manning. Well, add this event to your trivia, as Tom Brady threw a 31-yard touchdown to Julio Jones to score the first touchdown in Germany.
Tampa would score another touchdown on their next drive. A 1-yard touchdown run from Leonard Fournette put Tampa Bay 2 scores ahead. More punts ended the half, as the Buccaneers lead the Seahawks 14-0.
The Seahawks would open the scoring in the second half, through another kick. This time, a 55yard field goal game the Seahawks something. Then, Leonard Fournette, in a trick play where Brady acted as the receiver was intercepted by the Seahawks. Unfortunately, they could not convert this into anything. The drive moved the ball into the Buccaneer’s red zone, but Seahawks quarterback Geno Smith was sacked and fumbled the ball, which was scooped up by the Buccaneers.
It is safe to say that the German audience did not get the best game. They did get some excitement at the end of the game. After the fumble, Tampa Bay scored another touchdown, from a 4-yard pass from Brady to Chris Godwin. Seattle responded with a 21-yard touchdown pass from Smith to Tyler Lockett but failed the two-point conversion. Brady was then intercepted, and the Seahawks scored another touchdown, but it did not mean anything, as the Buccaneers held on to win 21-16.
With this win, Tampa Bay move to 5-5 on the season, while the Seahawks fall to 6-4. Next week, both teams have their bye week. Probably needed, especially when looking at the pitchers of beer that the stadium was selling. Germany. Never change, see you next year in Frankfurt. Hopefully with a better game…
Lions fight back to beat Bears
The Detroit Lions and the Chicago Bears are divisional rivals. This year, they are both struggling, with the Lions 2-6 and the Bears 3-6 so far. What would happen when these two teams met in the windy city?
The best way to describe the first half of this game is parity. On their opening drive, the Bears scored a 33-yard field goal. On their first drive of the game, the Lions scored a 25-yard field goal. Then, the Lions scored a touchdown, from a 2-yard pass from quarterback Jared Goff. On their next drive, the Bears scored a touchdown, from a 1-yard rush from David Montgomery. Then it was half-time. Seriously, that was it. 10-10
The second half was much more interesting. The Bears would strike first was Bears quarterback Justin Fields 6 yard pass found Chris Kmet for a touchdown. In reply, the Lions punted the ball away on their drive. Then, the Bears struck again. Fields found Kmet again for a 50-yard touchdown to give Chicago a 2-score lead.
After two punts, the Lions made it a one-possession game through a 9-yard rushing touchdown from D’Andre Swift. The one-score game became all tied on the next drive. Bears quarterback Hurts was intercepted by the Lions’ defense, who scored a pick 6 to make it 24-24
It was that score for about 90 seconds. In a redemption of his previous mistake, Justin Fields ran for a 67-yard touchdown, to give Chicago the lead. Most importantly, the PAT failed. That mistake Chicago would rue, as the Lions would score another touchdown from a 1-yard Jamaal Williams rush. Importantly, the PAT was successful, giving the Lions a one-point lead.
Fields had to move the ball into field goal territory in the last 2 minutes of the game for his Bears to have a chance of winning. This did not happen, as the Bears were turned over on downs in a drive that two sacks of the quarterback. The turnover meant that the Lions would beat the Bears 31-30. With this win, Detroit move to 3-6 on the season, while Chicago fall to 3-7. Next week, the Lions face the New York Giants, while the Chicago Bears face the Atlanta Falcons.
What else happened this week?
On Thursday Night, the Carolina Panthers scored first and never looked back as the Panthers beat the Falcons 25-15 in a game that had more field goals than touchdowns. Typical Thursday night game.
Saquon Barkley ran for 152 yards and scored one touchdown as the New York Giants returned from their bye week to beat the Houston Texans 24-16. With this win, the Giants move to 7-2 on the season, and with the Cowboys’ loss, move into the 2nd place in the NFC East.
In a close game, the Tennessee Titans came from 10 points behind to beat the Denver Broncos 17-10.
Patrick Mahomes had another good day. He threw for 332 yards and scored 4 touchdowns in the Kansas City Chiefs 27-17 win over the Jacksonville Jaguars
Some are saying that Dolphins quarterback Tua Tagovailoa could be MVP this season. He scored 3 touchdowns in the Dolphins’ 39-17 win over the Cleveland Browns
Alvin Kamara struggled to move the ball as the New Orleans Saints lost 20-10 to the Pittsburgh Steelers
The Indianapolis Colts have had a long week. They have a new head coach in Jeff Saturday, who decided to put Matt Ryan as the starting quarterback. It appeared to be the right decision, as Ryan threw for 222 yards in the Colts’ 25-20 win over the Oakland Raiders
In the battle of the backup quarterbacks, it was Colt McCoy and the Arizona Cardinals who triumphs 27-17 against the Los Angeles Rams, who are now 3-6. Is this the worst title defense ever?
On Sunday night, we had another game of field goals as the San Francisco 49ers beat the Los Angeles Chargers 22-16
So that was Week 10 in the NFL. Week 11 is highlighted by the Cowboys facing the Vikings in a game that will have many ramifications in the NFC playoff race.
