The Ringer - Everything You Need to Know About Week 13 of the 2022 NFL Season2022-12-06T15:53:59-05:00http://www.theringer.com/rss/stream/232588302022-12-06T15:53:59-05:002022-12-06T15:53:59-05:00Can the 49ers Survive Without Jimmy G? Plus, Sunday NFL Picks and Best Bets.
<figure>
<img alt="Miami Dolphins v San Francisco 49ers" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/hHAL1S8OvFgwyKngVsMFHg1ZQls=/304x0:5168x3648/1310x983/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/71718702/1447062200.0.jpg" />
<figcaption>Photo by Michael Zagaris/San Francisco 49ers/Getty Images</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>Plus, the guys look at the Bengals’ opportunity to claim the AFC’s best record </p> <div id="eHkVB5"><div style="left: 0; width: 100%; height: 152px; position: relative;"><iframe src="https://open.spotify.com/embed/episode/0WgjpCXFdS9Hio3xDqsGIw?utm_source=oembed" style="top: 0; left: 0; width: 100%; height: 100%; position: absolute; border: 0;" allowfullscreen="" allow="clipboard-write; encrypted-media; fullscreen; picture-in-picture;"></iframe></div></div>
<p id="yTWQq7"><br><a href="https://open.spotify.com/episode/0WgjpCXFdS9Hio3xDqsGIw?si=M7ikSPBWQTab-JBa6PRgmg">The East Coast Bias boys begin</a> by recapping <em>Monday Night Football</em> and the 49ers’ win over the Dolphins (1:01). Then, they look at the Bengals’ opportunity to claim the AFC’s best record (12:00) and examine the Week 14 card (22:48). Finally, they close the show by making the Best Bets (31:41).</p>
<p id="9G20lb">Hosts: John Jastremski, Joe House, and Raheem Palmer<br>Associate Producer: Stefan Anderson<br>Additional Production Supervision: Conor Nevins</p>
<p id="RkrX2e"><strong>Subscribe: </strong><a href="https://open.spotify.com/show/75rn5UDtFeJTC5OHtvOgyI">Spotify</a></p>
https://www.theringer.com/2022/12/6/23496937/san-francisco-49ers-jimmy-garoppolo-nfl-picks-best-betsJohn JastremskiJoe HouseRaheem Palmer2022-12-05T12:19:45-05:002022-12-05T12:19:45-05:00Deshaun Watson’s Return Often Felt Like Any Other Game. That’s the Problem.
<figure>
<img alt="" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/GRMl7-fSg8EqaXqtRMPCNq6cxWg=/333x0:3000x2000/1310x983/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/71712954/RuizDeshaunWatson_Getty_Ringer.0.jpg" />
<figcaption>Getty Images/Ringer illustration</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>The Browns quarterback made his first on-field appearance in 700 days on Sunday. But rather than address the real, important reasons for his absence, most people in the NFL machine seemed content to leave them in the past. </p> <p id="8L2AVm">The NFL made it easy for football fans to avoid Deshaun Watson’s return on Sunday. The Cleveland Browns–Houston Texans game was played in the early window, with seven other contests going on simultaneously. According to ESPN, it was broadcast to only 7 percent of homes in the country. And the football was sloppy, so Red Zone didn’t cut to the broadcast very often, outside of a few defensive and special teams scores. For how much attention this story, and this particular game, has garnered over the past eight months, it was played in relative anonymity. This was both predictable and a problem. The NFL machine largely treated this game how it’s treated past situations in which a player or the league has caused harm with lasting and tragic human consequences: by pretending that context didn’t exist.</p>
<p id="t8GpcX">It was Watson’s first game in 700 days, a fact the CBS broadcast team, led by announcers Spero Dedes and Jay Feely, repeated about a dozen times in the three-hour telecast. What they didn’t really delve into, though, outside of a brief pregame timeline of events, was the reason for Watson’s absence from the field: Between March 2021 and October of this year, 26 women filed civil lawsuits saying that Watson turned professional massages into coercive, unwanted sexual encounters. The initial wave of filings prompted an NFL investigation into Watson’s conduct, and the QB sat out the 2021 season while he and the Texans waited to see how various legal proceedings would play out. Early this year, two Texas grand juries declined to indict Watson on criminal charges, the first of which cleared the way for him to be traded in March. The Browns sent three first-round picks to Houston in the deal, and then immediately handed Watson a fully guaranteed contract worth $230 million—comfortably the largest guarantee in NFL history. </p>
<p id="JSWguH">The NFL’s investigation into Watson concluded in August. Former judge Sue L. Robinson, working as an independent arbiter jointly appointed by the NFL and its players association, found that it was more likely than not that Watson had committed sexual assault in each of the four cases the league had asked her to review. And after Robinson’s recommendation and a subsequent league appeal, Watson was suspended 11 games, fined $5 million, and put into a treatment program whose details are unknown. </p>
<p id="VNKlYj">With Watson returning to the field on Sunday, and 24 of the 26 lawsuits resolved—23 were settled while another was dropped—it now seems like that will be the extent of the consequences he’ll face for what Robinson called a pattern of “predatory” behavior “more egregious than any before reviewed by the NFL.” If that wasn’t clear before Sunday’s game, it is now. Outside of vague allusions to Watson’s suspension by the announcers, it largely felt like any other NFL broadcast. <a href="https://twitter.com/AlbertBreer/status/1599467840129552385">There were a smattering of boos at NRG Stadium</a> when the Browns offense first took the field, but this was hardly a hostile environment. <a href="https://twitter.com/NFLFilmStudy/status/1599524975907459072">Watson said after the game that he was able to ignore the jeers</a> and compared the crowd to ones he’s faced in rivalry games. CBS’s Aditi Kinkwhibala reported there were no protests outside of the stadium and no inflammatory banners or signs inside of it. Watson shared <a href="https://twitter.com/CharlesRobinson/status/1599479895973040129">a cordial pregame hug with Texans owner Cal McNair</a>. And the broadcast showed numerous Houston fans wearing their old no. 4 jerseys in the stands. Watson even signed some of them before the game. </p>
<div id="mw2Qos">
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
<p lang="en" dir="ltr">Deshaun Watson signs for fans pregame. <a href="https://t.co/ESp11EG6hi">pic.twitter.com/ESp11EG6hi</a></p>— Mark Berman (@MarkBermanFox26) <a href="https://twitter.com/MarkBermanFox26/status/1599442853239066630?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">December 4, 2022</a>
</blockquote>
<script async="" src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
</div>
<p id="uXPXTU">While it was never acknowledged during the telecast, about 10 of the women who sued Watson for sexual misconduct and/or sexual assault were in attendance on Sunday. Tony Buzbee, the Houston-based lawyer who represented them, rented out a stadium suite to send a message to Watson that “we are still here.” We know this only because <a href="https://theathletic.com/3946703/2022/11/29/deshaun-watson-return-nfl/?source=emp_shared_article"><em>The Athletic</em>’s Kalyn Kahler reported it days earlier</a>. Otherwise, it would have been easy to miss on Sunday. </p>
<p id="Ekyt8f">Most of the discussion throughout the game was focused on Watson’s journey back to the field—as if he had overcome some obstacle to make it there. Dedes and Feely talked about the lengths Browns coach Kevin Stefanski had gone to in order to normalize the team’s preparation for the game. They explained how Watson’s personal QB coach, Quincy Avery, had him practicing play designs from Cleveland’s playbook throughout the suspension. At one point, the broadcast even cut to a shot of Watson’s own suite at the stadium filled with people there to support him. </p>
<div class="c-float-right"><aside id="QF5Zk2"><div data-anthem-component="readmore" data-anthem-component-data='{"stories":[{"title":"Deshaun Watson’s Return Is Not an Excuse to Forget","url":"https://www.theringer.com/nfl/2022/12/2/23488866/deshaun-watson-cleveland-browns-return"}]}'></div></aside></div>
<p id="Q4jGMS">That shouldn’t have come as a surprise given the coverage we saw from some of the league’s other television partners in the lead-up to kickoff. The Fox pregame show did state what Watson had been suspended for, yet Jay Glazer commended Stefanski for making it all about football for his quarterback this week. ESPN’s Adam Schefter posted an absurdly vague report at 4 a.m. Sunday morning citing sources that said <a href="https://www.espn.com/nfl/story/_/id/35173057/browns-watson-shown-signs-progress-treatment-program">Watson has shown “signs of progress”</a> in his league-mandated treatment program. The story offered no details on what that program entails, or what anonymous NFL and NFLPA sources consider “progress.” </p>
<p id="JJNsAC">Watson himself has avoided questions about the program while continuing to insist that he hasn’t actually done anything wrong in the first place, contradicting Browns ownership’s <a href="https://profootballtalk.nbcsports.com/2022/08/01/jimmy-and-dee-haslam-say-deshaun-watson-has-been-remorseful-judge-robinson-found-he-hasnt/">laughable claim that he has shown remorse</a> throughout the process. In August, Watson released a written statement apologizing for “any pain this situation may have caused” and claimed to “take accountability for the decisions I made.” Then later that same day, when meeting with reporters, <a href="https://profootballtalk.nbcsports.com/2022/08/18/deshaun-watsons-mixed-signals-should-give-the-nfl-concern/">Watson walked the written apology back</a>. “I’ve always stood on my innocence and always said I’ve never assaulted anyone or disrespected anyone,” he said. “I’m going to continue to stand on my innocence.” Similarly, in his first media availability back from suspension, the 27-year-old refused to answer non-football questions, citing concerns from his “legal and clinical team.” </p>
<p id="RhbR67">“I was just excited to be back on the field today,”<a href="https://www.clevelandbrowns.com/video/deshaun-watson-postgame-press-conference-vs-texans-press-conferences"> Watson told reporters after the game</a>. “I did everything that I was asked and was required to do. I did all that, and I was able to play and be on the field today.”</p>
<p id="AE565r">The source quoted in Schefter’s report says Watson’s treatment is “ongoing” and “could take a while,” but the quarterback is already talking about it in the past tense, as if that chapter of his life has been closed. And it’s understandable why he would feel able to do that. The Browns have gone out of their way to shield him, both off the field and on it. They wasted no time benching Jacoby Brissett, who had been playing well, when Watson’s suspension was up. Their social media team spent the week <a href="https://twitter.com/Browns/status/1599423761182097409">hyping Watson up</a> and even posted a <a href="https://twitter.com/Browns/status/1599522174796079105">selfie-shot video</a> of Watson recapping Sunday’s win over the Texans. </p>
<p id="4wCgqA">Not that it matters, but Watson did not play well on Sunday. He completed 12 of 22 passes for 131 yards and an interception, good for a QBR of 28.6. The offense did not score a single touchdown, but the Browns still managed to win the game 27-14 thanks to two defensive scores and a punt-return touchdown. In his first competitive game in nearly two years, Watson was inaccurate, indecisive, and decidedly rusty. </p>
<div id="NUOarr">
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
<p lang="zxx" dir="ltr"><a href="https://t.co/U2KF6dOAkJ">pic.twitter.com/U2KF6dOAkJ</a></p>— Billy M (@BillyM_91) <a href="https://twitter.com/BillyM_91/status/1599595399794212864?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">December 5, 2022</a>
</blockquote>
<script async="" src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
</div>
<p id="ZkwYAw"><a href="https://twitter.com/BillyM_91/status/1599595399794212864"> </a> </p>
<p id="DvIzui">In a way, his individual issues on Sunday serve as a disheartening reminder that there is very little chance this will end with a resolution most people would consider satisfactory. If he never throws another touchdown pass in his career, Watson will still make every cent remaining on his contract. And even the small measure of satisfaction his mediocre play this weekend may have provided to those who have been following this story closely was fleeting, as he was still able to celebrate a win in the end and <a href="https://twitter.com/AlbertBreer/status/1599513465403674625">happily hand out jerseys to former teammates</a>. </p>
<p id="Qfx8LI">After Watson took a knee to run out the final seconds, Dedes concluded that even if it was an ugly performance, “all that mattered was that Cleveland won.” It was a questionable choice of words, for sure, but there is an uncomfortable truth to that statement. Sunday proved that the NFL machine will make it as easy as possible for Watson to play his way back into the good graces of football fans. Lauren Baxley, one of just two women whose lawsuit against Watson remains open, <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2022/12/04/sports/football/deshaun-watson-browns-texans-score.html">told <em>The New York Times</em>’s<em> </em>Jenny Vrentas</a> that she turned down Buzbee’s invitation to attend Sunday’s game partially for that reason. </p>
<p id="WGGrmU">“It is difficult to balance my efforts to heal, while being acutely aware that most in the media and sports world will continue to praise his athleticism and ignore his range of assaults against dozens of women,” Baxley said. “Whatever nanoscopic punishment he may have fulfilled to the satisfaction of the NFL brings neither healing nor justice to us, nor protection for future women in his presence.”</p>
<p class="c-end-para" id="ZW31to">We would like to believe there’s a chance for all of that to change; <a href="https://www.theringer.com/nfl/2022/12/2/23488866/deshaun-watson-cleveland-browns-return">that Watson’s presence in the league will never be normalized</a>, and that these women will eventually find peace and justice. But if Sunday was the NFL world’s first crack at proving any cynicism to be misplaced, the results were not promising. </p>
<aside id="9YAObv"><div data-anthem-component="newsletter" data-anthem-component-data='{"slug":"ringer_newsletter"}'></div></aside>
https://www.theringer.com/nfl/2022/12/5/23494399/deshaun-watson-return-cleveland-browns-houston-texansSteven Ruiz2022-12-05T08:25:10-05:002022-12-05T08:25:10-05:00Expectations Are a Mother …
<figure>
<img alt="Chicago Bulls v Sacramento Kings" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/tEpdRk2jQ1lIjwik26KkKPaiRFY=/406x0:6955x4912/1310x983/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/71711718/1245372776.0.jpg" />
<figcaption>Photo by Rocky Widner/NBAE via Getty Images</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>Jason breaks down the Bulls’ 110-101 loss to the Kings and shares why Bears fans shouldn’t be too upset after the loss to the Packers</p> <div id="nV8jNZ"><div style="left: 0; width: 100%; height: 152px; position: relative;"><iframe src="https://open.spotify.com/embed/episode/4aH5DPcAbrtZtufHaKH9c3?utm_source=oembed" style="top: 0; left: 0; width: 100%; height: 100%; position: absolute; border: 0;" allowfullscreen="" allow="clipboard-write; encrypted-media; fullscreen; picture-in-picture;"></iframe></div></div>
<p id="SAVvhQ"><br><a href="https://open.spotify.com/episode/4aH5DPcAbrtZtufHaKH9c3?si=axjhzRmDR568r-dv2cdejg"><em>The Full Go</em> returns</a> as Jason breaks down the Bulls’ 110-101 loss to the Kings (03:17). As the disappointment continues to grow for the Bulls, this season is starting to get a White Sox vibe to it. Next, Jason shares why Bears fans shouldn’t be too upset after the loss to the Packers (18:16). Also, why the Bears should absolutely not shut down Justin Fields. In Outside the Chi, Jason dives into the conversation around Deion Sanders’s departure from Jackson State (36:37).</p>
<p id="m1eeYf">Host: Jason Goff<br>Producers: Steve Ceruti, Jessie Lopez, and Tony Gill</p>
<p id="ILDKNd"><strong>Subscribe:</strong> <a href="https://open.spotify.com/show/4vysikWxVk1s5Ebv5UK5dJ?si=mwxICe2VR9-soTC8d71FJQ&dl_branch=1">Spotify</a></p>
https://www.theringer.com/2022/12/5/23494038/expectations-chicago-bulls-sacramento-kings-nba-nfl-bears-green-bay-packersJason Goff2022-12-05T08:15:29-05:002022-12-05T08:15:29-05:00Week 13 Recap: Bengals Beat the Chiefs Again, Niners Lose Jimmy G in a Win, Vikings Win Another Close Game
<figure>
<img alt="Kansas City Chiefs v Cincinnati Bengals" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/2f9BJ8AguyxoOM_2df04SmFBMUE=/0x0:3200x2400/1310x983/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/71711694/1446773625.0.jpg" />
<figcaption>Photo by Andy Lyons/Getty Images</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>Nora and Steven run through a few winners and losers of the week, including the Vikings, Eagles, and Ravens</p> <div id="bcYyVx"><div style="left: 0; width: 100%; height: 152px; position: relative;"><iframe src="https://open.spotify.com/embed/episode/3jfwig6BR0T1SRlYBkPjHJ?utm_source=oembed" style="top: 0; left: 0; width: 100%; height: 100%; position: absolute; border: 0;" allowfullscreen="" allow="clipboard-write; encrypted-media; fullscreen; picture-in-picture;"></iframe></div></div>
<p id="BwaE7E"><br><a href="https://open.spotify.com/episode/3jfwig6BR0T1SRlYBkPjHJ?si=78ba693e0612456a">Nora and Steven are joined by Ben Solak to talk about Joe Burrow and the Bengals</a>, who are now 3-0 against the Chiefs dating back to last season. They also talk about what makes the Bengals such a tough matchup. Then, they discuss the Niners’ big win over the Dolphins, and how losing Jimmy Garoppolo for the season due to a broken foot changes their Super Bowl hopes (19:49). Then, Nora and Steven run through a few winners and losers of the week, including the Vikings, Eagles, and Ravens (37:57).</p>
<p id="JthOMS">Hosts: Nora Princiotti and Steven Ruiz<br>Guest: Ben Solak<br>Associate Producer: Isaiah Blakely<br>Additional Production Supervision: Arjuna Ramgopal</p>
<p id="9as1Tv"><strong>Subscribe:</strong> <a href="https://open.spotify.com/show/3sYLdv261f5jLvEgDLU9PD?si=PwTF-GumR7qtUP5FZdCKOQ">Spotify</a> / <a href="https://go.redirectingat.com/?id=&xs=1&url=https%3A%2F%2Fitunes.apple.com%2Fus%2Fpodcast%2Fthe-ringer-nfl-show%2Fid1109282822%3Fmt%3D2&xcust=xid:fr1570809570442jba%7Cxid:fr1571141035709iah%7Cxid:fr1571400354183cfa%7Cxid:fr1571745693269afb%7Cxid:fr1572005002168iib%7Cxid:fr1572350612110bei">Apple Podcasts</a> / <a href="https://www.stitcher.com/podcast/the-ringer/ringer-nfl-show">Stitcher</a> / <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/ringernflshow">RSS</a></p>
https://www.theringer.com/2022/12/5/23494023/week-13-recap-bengals-beat-the-chiefs-again-niners-lose-jimmy-g-in-a-win-vikings-win-anotherNora PrinciottiSteven Ruiz2022-12-05T08:14:43-05:002022-12-05T08:14:43-05:00Mr. Irrelevant, Joey B, Mike Lotus, Danny Dimes, Josh McD, and Other NFL Winners + Losers With Cousin Sal
<figure>
<img alt="Kansas City Chiefs v Cincinnati Bengals" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/aIzfqVtkfi0qwaUfYr9CzbUVGj0=/200x0:3400x2400/1310x983/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/71711688/1446786535.0.jpg" />
<figcaption>Photo by Dylan Buell/Getty Images</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>The Ringer’s Bill Simmons is joined by Cousin Sal to discuss the Cowboys’ blowout win vs. the Colts and a handful of other games from the Week 13 slate</p> <div id="VmdbXT"><div style="left: 0; width: 100%; height: 152px; position: relative;"><iframe src="https://open.spotify.com/embed/episode/1SIGICYa7kRaZU57pCj8Yt?utm_source=oembed" style="top: 0; left: 0; width: 100%; height: 100%; position: absolute; border: 0;" allowfullscreen="" allow="clipboard-write; encrypted-media; fullscreen; picture-in-picture;"></iframe></div></div>
<p id="sfaCLz"><br><a href="https://open.spotify.com/episode/1SIGICYa7kRaZU57pCj8Yt"><em>The Ringer</em>’s Bill Simmons is joined by Cousin Sal</a> to discuss the Cowboys’ blowout win vs. the Colts, 49ers-Dolphins, another Bengals victory over the Chiefs, Raiders-Chargers, Texans-Browns, Lamar Jackson’s injury in the Ravens’ win vs. the Broncos, Jets-Vikings, the Commanders’ Giant tie, remaining NFL story lines, and more (3:42). Then they guess the lines for NFL Week 14 (41:30), before closing the show with Parent Corner (1:04:35).</p>
<p id="ZXnZRc">Host: Bill Simmons<br>Guest: Cousin Sal<br>Producer: Kyle Crichton</p>
<p id="pJ7L1Z"><strong>Subscribe:</strong> <a href="https://open.spotify.com/show/07SjDmKb9iliEzpNcN2xGD?si=X1S_fYL7REi9NlCpheLw6g">Spotify</a> / <a href="https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-bill-simmons-podcast/id1043699613?mt=2">Apple Podcasts</a> / <a href="https://www.stitcher.com/podcast/the-ringer/the-bill-simmons-podcast">Stitcher</a> / <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/thebillsimmonspodcast">RSS</a></p>
https://www.theringer.com/the-bill-simmons-podcast/2022/12/5/23494019/mr-irrelevant-joey-b-mike-lotus-danny-dimes-josh-mcd-and-other-nfl-winners-losers-with-cousin-salBill Simmons2022-12-05T02:59:36-05:002022-12-05T02:59:36-05:00Winners and Losers of NFL Week 13
<figure>
<img alt="" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/ErtdXG8_yZGdWXtI9rKQh41Rkqg=/58x0:1125x800/1310x983/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/71711235/Week13WinnersLosers_Getty_Ringer.0.jpg" />
<figcaption>Getty Images/Ringer illustration</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>The 49ers lost Jimmy G but won with Mr. Irrelevant, Joe Burrow continues to own the Chiefs, and the Colts melted down in historic fashion against the Cowboys. Here are our winners and losers from this week in the NFL.</p> <p id="RCmsp0"><em>Every week of the 2022 NFL season, we will celebrate the electric plays, investigate the colossal blunders, and explain the inexplicable moments of the most recent slate. Welcome to Winners and Losers. Which one are you?</em></p>
<hr class="p-entry-hr" id="YZNMqb">
<h3 id="LvVQle">Winner: Mr. Irrelevant</h3>
<p id="jV2G6G">We are living in a golden age for Misters Irrelevant. Historically, these players have been the equivalent of the last kid picked in a playground pickup game, just hoping to be lucky enough to make the roster of the team out of training camp. But the tide is turning. Giants linebacker Tae Crowder, the 2020 Mr. Irrelevant, won New York’s starting middle linebacker job; the 2009 honoree, Ryan Succop, won a Super Bowl two seasons ago with the Buccaneers. Last year, the 2021 Mr. Irrelevant, Grant Stuard, <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V1ECfKz_LvU">starred in an Uber Eats ad</a>, and then got traded to the Colts for a sixth-round pick. That’s right! A sixth-round pick! A full round higher than he was picked! And Chad Kelly, the 2017 Mr. Irrelevant, <a href="https://buffalonews.com/sports/bills/chad-kelly-leads-comeback-to-lift-toronto-argos-to-one-point-win-in-cfl-grey/article_f4b2e87c-694a-11ed-9a7e-3b656d9a31c5.html">just won the Grey Cup with the Toronto Argonauts</a>. (It’s the CFL, but still!) Before Sunday, a Mr. Irrelevant had never thrown a touchdown pass in an NFL game—and now, one is QB1 for the San Francisco 49ers. Brocktoberfest is underway:</p>
<div id="lITVCX">
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
<p lang="en" dir="ltr">First NFL TD pass for the rookie <a href="https://twitter.com/brockpurdy13?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@brockpurdy13</a>! <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/FTTB?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#FTTB</a><br><br> : <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/MIAvsSF?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#MIAvsSF</a> on FOX<br> : Stream on NFL+ <a href="https://t.co/PMTJ1jGqFs">https://t.co/PMTJ1jGqFs</a> <a href="https://t.co/ZZ7YtXTK2k">pic.twitter.com/ZZ7YtXTK2k</a></p>— NFL (@NFL) <a href="https://twitter.com/NFL/status/1599517375421771777?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">December 4, 2022</a>
</blockquote>
<script async="" src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
</div>
<p id="obhVx3">Having to play a lowly-drafted rookie is generally an auto-loss for an NFL team. According to TruMedia, the only team to win a game after being forced to turn to a seventh-round rookie for meaningful snaps was the 2005 St. Louis Rams, who won one game with Ryan Fitzpatrick. When the Dolphins were forced to play seventh-round rookie Skylar Thompson in October, they got walloped by the Jets. </p>
<p id="LARrDj">But the Niners are coached by Kyle Shanahan. They didn’t drop off when Trey Lance suffered a season-ending injury and gave way to Jimmy Garoppolo, and they didn’t drop off when Garoppolo suffered a season-ending foot injury in Sunday’s game against the Dolphins. They were trailing against a playoff team when they turned to Brock Purdy, the 262nd pick in this year’s NFL draft … and won comfortably, 33-17. </p>
<div id="KhyWeB">
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
<p lang="en" dir="ltr">CMC gives the <a href="https://twitter.com/49ers?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@49ers</a> the lead before the half!<br><br> : <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/MIAvsSF?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#MIAvsSF</a> on FOX<br> : Stream on NFL+ <a href="https://t.co/PMTJ1jGqFs">https://t.co/PMTJ1jGqFs</a> <a href="https://t.co/vp7F5OSzLM">pic.twitter.com/vp7F5OSzLM</a></p>— NFL (@NFL) <a href="https://twitter.com/NFL/status/1599533406403952641?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">December 4, 2022</a>
</blockquote>
<script async="" src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
</div>
<p id="3KBpqG">Purdy went 25-for-37 with two touchdowns and an interception. He averaged just 5.41 air yards per attempt, easily the lowest of any QB with at least five passing attempts on Sunday. But that was the plan. Shanahan had a strategy ready for a third-stringer to put up solid numbers on a team with a winning record. </p>
<p id="IcrN5x">“Brock Purdy” is now a significant part of the NFL playoff picture. After all, San Francisco is in first place in the NFC West, and there aren’t many other options available. The NFL trade deadline passed a month ago, and there simply aren’t that many free-agent QBs. (On Sunday night, <a href="https://twitter.com/AdamSchefter/status/1599587376879108096?s=20&t=_7HfvDDePNFVXM5HJMGXFQ">ESPN reported the team planned to sign journeyman QB Josh Johnson</a> off the Broncos’ practice squad.) San Francisco does have a fourth-stringer, Jacob Eason, but he has somehow managed to throw two interceptions on just 10 NFL passing attempts. But the Niners have won games with C.J. Beathard and Nick Mullens at QB, and <em>made the NFC championship game last year with Jimmy Garoppolo at QB. </em></p>
<p id="ldeWLq">Mr. Irrelevant shouldn’t be the name of the last pick in the NFL draft, considering several supposed irrelevants are making impacts on NFL rosters. The real Mr. Irrelevant is whoever plays quarterback for Kyle Shanahan—the Niners will probably be fine no matter who’s under center, even if he was the last pick in the draft.</p>
<h3 id="OqFJ7P">Loser: Jeff Saturday and the Colts</h3>
<p id="1MkMGl">Everything fell apart so quickly for the Colts. It wasn’t so long ago that they were one of the league’s model franchises—elite quarterback play, a universally respected front office, solid coaching, and 10 wins virtually every year. Now they’re 4-8-1, leading the NFL in turnovers, and coached by Jeff Saturday, who was an ESPN talking head last month. </p>
<p id="Mflcb9">Things fell apart even quicker Sunday night in Dallas. In the third quarter, the Colts strung together a 15-play, 90-yard drive to cut the Cowboys’ lead to 21-19, falling just short on a two-point conversion that would have tied the game. And then they allowed 33 unanswered points—committing four turnovers and allowing five touchdowns—to lose 54-19. (Yep, <a href="https://twitter.com/NFL_Scorigami/status/1599622501939789824">that’s Scorigami!</a>)</p>
<div id="MRaF5Z">
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
<p lang="en" dir="ltr">Malik Hooker having a night against his former team!<br><br> : <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/INDvsDAL?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#INDvsDAL</a> on NBC<br> : Stream on NFL+ <a href="https://t.co/l6eZ8mVvcp">https://t.co/l6eZ8mVvcp</a> <a href="https://t.co/sY7kKnbeRn">pic.twitter.com/sY7kKnbeRn</a></p>— NFL (@NFL) <a href="https://twitter.com/NFL/status/1599611547042516992?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">December 5, 2022</a>
</blockquote>
<script async="" src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
</div>
<p id="Fsutx7">The Cowboys were the first team to hit 50 points in a game this season, and they did most of it in about 11 minutes of game time. The Colts were outscored by 33 points in the fourth quarter, which <em>may</em> be an NFL record, depending on how you feel about a certain football travesty that took place almost 100 years ago. In 1925, the Chicago Cardinals outscored the Milwaukee Badgers 33-0 in the fourth quarter of a 59-0 shutout—<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1925_Chicago_Cardinals%E2%80%93Milwaukee_Badgers_scandal">but that game was the result of one of the early NFL’s biggest controversies</a>. The Cardinals scheduled that game in a late-season attempt to play the flimsiest opponents possible to win the league’s championship, but the winless Badgers had already given up on the season and sent many players back to their day jobs. To fill out the Milwaukee roster, a Chicago player recruited some local high schoolers and gave them fake names. The scandal <a href="https://archive.jsonline.com/news/opinion/the-day-milwaukee-almost-killed-the-nfl-b99651798z1-365303661.html">nearly tore apart the NFL,</a> which didn’t have a foothold yet in American culture. The league’s commissioner ordered the game stricken from the league’s record books … but apparently they forgot to actually erase it. The game is still technically a part of NFL history, and is now tied with Colts-Cowboys for the most lopsided fourth quarter in league history.</p>
<p id="VPvxSM">It’s hard to put it all on Jeff Saturday—there were interceptions off strange bounces and funky fumbles, which no coach could’ve prevented. But the <em>idea</em> behind Jeff Saturday, Interim Head Coach, was that a former All-Pro lineman would be able to fire up a Colts squad struggling through a lost season in ways that a lifer coach might not. After hiring a non-coach to be a coach, you’d expect to lose some games because of poor scheme, or bad game management, and hope to make up the difference due to that extra fire. </p>
<p id="exDC39">But that’s not what happened Sunday night. In the fourth quarter, the Colts gave up and got out-fought and out-gritted. Are there any Colts defenders who didn’t look stupid on this Tony Pollard TD run?</p>
<div id="fvh8M6">
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
<p lang="en" dir="ltr">Pollard the Baller. <a href="https://twitter.com/Tp__5?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@Tp__5</a><br><br> : <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/INDvsDAL?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#INDvsDAL</a> on NBC<br> : Stream on NFL+ <a href="https://t.co/l6eZ8mVvcp">https://t.co/l6eZ8mVvcp</a> <a href="https://t.co/PDGunj5svW">pic.twitter.com/PDGunj5svW</a></p>— NFL (@NFL) <a href="https://twitter.com/NFL/status/1599615287547949056?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">December 5, 2022</a>
</blockquote>
<script async="" src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
</div>
<p id="u2JZ3v">Who should be more embarrassed—Matt Ryan for this ugly throw, or the receiver for having the ball wrestled out of their hands by a Dallas defender that wanted it more?</p>
<div id="xc6ZFo">
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
<p lang="en" dir="ltr">.<a href="https://twitter.com/DaRon_Bland?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@DaRon_Bland</a> gets his second INT of the half!<br><br> : <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/INDvsDAL?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#INDvsDAL</a> on NBC<br> : Stream on NFL+ <a href="https://t.co/l6eZ8mVvcp">https://t.co/l6eZ8mVvcp</a> <a href="https://t.co/mOGx4t0IB9">pic.twitter.com/mOGx4t0IB9</a></p>— NFL (@NFL) <a href="https://twitter.com/NFL/status/1599616830108147712?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">December 5, 2022</a>
</blockquote>
<script async="" src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
</div>
<p id="xoyYk9">How did the Cowboys’ backups make this touchdown against the Colts’ starters look so easy? </p>
<div id="CAub0o">
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
<p lang="pt" dir="ltr">NÃO PERCA A CONTA!<br>TOUCHDOWN COWBOYS<br>Malik Davis anotou!<br>54 a 19! <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/NFLBrasil?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#NFLBrasil</a> <br><br> : <a href="https://twitter.com/ariaguiar?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@AriAguiar</a> <br> ️: <a href="https://twitter.com/pauloantunes?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@PauloAntunes</a><br><br> : <a href="https://twitter.com/ESPNBrasil?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@ESPNBrasil</a><a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/NFLnaESPN?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#NFLnaESPN</a> <a href="https://t.co/21Xa11rLFS">pic.twitter.com/21Xa11rLFS</a></p>— NFL Brasil (@NFLBrasil) <a href="https://twitter.com/NFLBrasil/status/1599621634821799937?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">December 5, 2022</a>
</blockquote>
<script async="" src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
</div>
<p id="1Gj0dA">If Saturday was hired for his motivational skills, why did his team get bullied so hard that it looked like they couldn’t wait for the clock to hit triple zeroes? This shouldn’t happen to pros—in fact, it’s literally never happened to pros. The last time somebody got beaten this badly to end a game, it was a bunch of high schoolers going up against pros 100 years ago in a game so ugly and unfair that it nearly got the NFL canceled. </p>
<h3 id="qnrt3C">Winner: Joe Burrow, KC Killer</h3>
<p id="YyPS85">I don’t want to base a narrative on three games decided by a total of nine points. But dammit, we’re about to. Why can’t Patrick Mahomes and the Kansas City Chiefs close games against Joe Burrow’s Cincinnati Bengals?</p>
<p id="QAUJ0R">In Week 17 last January, the Chiefs had their eight-game win streak snapped in Cincinnati. After taking a 28-14 lead in the first half, Kansas City went punt-punt-field goal on their only second-half drives and lost on a last-second Evan McPherson field goal. The loss dropped Kansas City out of the no. 1 seed in the AFC standings—but that wouldn’t matter. They still hosted the AFC championship game, a rematch against the Bengals, and this time they blew an even bigger lead. After taking a 21-3 first-half lead, the Chiefs went punt-punt-interception-punt-punt-field goal and lost, 27-24, in overtime.</p>
<p id="6zlhx0">Sunday wasn’t quite as dramatic, but facts are facts: Once again, Kansas City had a touchdown lead entering the fourth quarter, but Burrow and the Bengals scored last. Mahomes had a season-low 223 passing yards, the Chiefs defense couldn’t stop Burrow or Cincinnati’s backup running back Samaje Perine, and the Bengals scored 10 unanswered points in the fourth quarter to win 27-24. (Yes, the same score as the AFC championship game.)</p>
<div id="FFaHo4">
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
<p lang="en" dir="ltr">Burrow doing it all today. <a href="https://twitter.com/JoeyB?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@JoeyB</a><br><br> : <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/KCvsCIN?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#KCvsCIN</a> on CBS<br> : Stream on NFL+ <a href="https://t.co/KRUwj1CkWe">https://t.co/KRUwj1CkWe</a> <a href="https://t.co/fYdkv7l2YP">pic.twitter.com/fYdkv7l2YP</a></p>— NFL (@NFL) <a href="https://twitter.com/NFL/status/1599547775561043968?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">December 4, 2022</a>
</blockquote>
<script async="" src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
</div>
<p id="9LZYBh">The Chiefs are a league-best 59-18 since Mahomes took over as starting QB in 2018; if we include the playoffs, they’ve beaten 29 of the 31 other teams in the league. (They’re 0-1 against the Seahawks and haven’t played the Vikings.) There’s only one team they have lost to three times since Mahomes took over: the Bengals. And they’ve lost all three since 2022 started, and led all of them in the second half by at least a touchdown. </p>
<p id="mHUoc6">This loss means the Chiefs no longer lead the AFC—the Bills have retaken the no. 1 seed, for now. But I’m not worried about that. It feels like the smartest thing the Chiefs can do is get as far away from the Bengals as possible in the postseason—or hope the NFL decides to start calling games at the end of the third quarter. </p>
<h3 id="4nGlPu">Loser: The Texans Offense</h3>
<p id="6Au2Tt">Sunday marked the Cleveland Browns debut for Deshaun Watson, who served an 11-game suspension for violating the NFL’s personal conduct policy after more than two dozen women filed lawsuits against him describing sexual assault and harassment by the quarterback. There’s no quarterback on earth whose play would be good enough <a href="https://www.theringer.com/nfl/2022/12/2/23488866/deshaun-watson-cleveland-browns-return">to justify the moral baggage associated with Watson</a> … but, like, Watson wasn’t even good. In fact, he was legitimately awful. Against the lowly Texans, Cleveland had exactly one trip to the red zone, and that drive ended with Watson throwing an interception. The Browns offense failed to reach the opposing end zone, but <em>did</em> get stopped in their own end zone for a safety. According to TruMedia, their offense had minus-19.76 expected points added, meaning an average team would have been expected to score about 20 more points than Cleveland did. </p>
<p id="oFFN5D">And the Browns won, 27-14, because the Texans offense cannot stop giving points to the other team. Kyle Allen threw a pick-six to a Browns defense that till that point had just three interceptions on the season:</p>
<div id="vtivWI">
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
<p lang="en" dir="ltr">Browns Pick-6! Their third D/ST TD of the day<br><br> : <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/CLEvsHOU?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#CLEvsHOU</a> on CBS<br> : Stream on NFL+ <a href="https://t.co/Vz8D2Cm19r">https://t.co/Vz8D2Cm19r</a> <a href="https://t.co/XPRarHYloF">pic.twitter.com/XPRarHYloF</a></p>— NFL (@NFL) <a href="https://twitter.com/NFL/status/1599504085547245568?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">December 4, 2022</a>
</blockquote>
<script async="" src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
</div>
<p id="xM8kaW">Denzel Ward had a scoop-and-score:</p>
<div id="Y6sJWk">
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
<p lang="en" dir="ltr">.<a href="https://twitter.com/denzelward?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@DenzelWard</a> picks it up for 6️⃣<br><br> : <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/CLEvsHOU?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#CLEvsHOU</a> on CBS<br> : Stream on NFL+ <a href="https://t.co/Vz8D2Cm19r">https://t.co/Vz8D2Cm19r</a> <a href="https://t.co/vBaEmG81nL">pic.twitter.com/vBaEmG81nL</a></p>— NFL (@NFL) <a href="https://twitter.com/NFL/status/1599493986984480770?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">December 4, 2022</a>
</blockquote>
<script async="" src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
</div>
<p id="9IxqBM">And Donovan Peoples-Jones had a 76-yard punt return touchdown, Cleveland’s first since 2015:</p>
<div id="odS6Ll">
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
<p lang="en" dir="ltr">DPJ 76-yard punt return TD! <a href="https://twitter.com/dpeoplesjones?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@dpeoplesjones</a><br><br> : <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/CLEvsHOU?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#CLEvsHOU</a> on CBS<br> : Stream on NFL+ <a href="https://t.co/Vz8D2Cm19r">https://t.co/Vz8D2Cm19r</a> <a href="https://t.co/qcbmnkQ9pY">pic.twitter.com/qcbmnkQ9pY</a></p>— NFL (@NFL) <a href="https://twitter.com/NFL/status/1599482980082196481?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">December 4, 2022</a>
</blockquote>
<script async="" src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
</div>
<p id="b3DAPB">All in all, it was one of the strangest games in league history. The Browns are <a href="https://stathead.com/tiny/qizqZ">just the seventh team in NFL history</a> to return an interception, fumble, and punt for touchdowns in the same game. Their 27 points are <a href="https://stathead.com/tiny/0j69S">the fourth most by a team without an offensive touchdown in the Super Bowl era</a>. </p>
<p id="YV1Tn3">And this is becoming commonplace for the Texans, who have allowed defensive touchdowns in each of the last three games. They’ve scored a total of 39 points in those games and allowed 35 points off of their own passes, fumbles, and kicks. Next up for the Texans? The Cowboys, who forced five turnovers and scored a defensive TD against the Colts on Sunday night. The Dallas offense might not even need to come to the game. </p>
<h3 id="pvSi9X">Winner: The Four-Team NFC East Playoff Dream</h3>
<p id="PBcdZk">After the NFL expanded its postseason to seven teams per conference two seasons ago, it’s now possible for one division to get all four of its teams into the playoffs: the division champion, and three wild-card entries. But it’s almost impossible, because roughly 40 percent of NFL games are intra-divisional matchups—and somebody has to lose those, right?</p>
<p id="EdA69e">Actually, no! All four teams in the NFC East played on Sunday, including a matchup between the Giants and Commanders, and yet none of them lost. The Eagles crushed the Titans 35-10, the Cowboys easily handled the Colts 54-19, and the Giants and Commanders tied, 20-20. That game was still up for grabs until the final play in overtime, when Graham Gano’s 58-yard field goal attempt came up way short:</p>
<div id="NAXqp9">
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
<p lang="en" dir="ltr">Commanders vs. Giants ends in a tie...<a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/WSHvsNYG?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#WSHvsNYG</a> <a href="https://t.co/2L9gdZhAyP">pic.twitter.com/2L9gdZhAyP</a></p>— TSN (@TSN_Sports) <a href="https://twitter.com/TSN_Sports/status/1599515962432454657?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">December 4, 2022</a>
</blockquote>
<script async="" src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
</div>
<p id="aSpE5F">Obviously, both the Giants and Commanders could have improved their individual playoff chances with a win. But what if you’re someone whose primary rooting interest is getting all four NFC East teams into the playoffs? (Surely, this person is a TV executive.) Sunday was <em>perfect</em>. Washington is now last in the NFC East, but only a half game out of the seventh playoff spot.</p>
<h3 id="XjVdUS">Loser: Baltimore’s No-Lamar Trick</h3>
<p id="4WCGv3">The Ravens lost QB Lamar Jackson to a knee injury in the first quarter of Sunday’s game against the Broncos. Without their star, the playbook was limited—backup Tyler Huntley can run, but nobody can run like Lamar. Which might explain why the Ravens had to bust out one of the worst trick plays of the season in the fourth quarter:</p>
<div id="n9lcbr">
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
<p lang="en" dir="ltr">Did not go as planned.<br><br> : <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/DENvsBAL?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#DENvsBAL</a> on CBS<br> : Stream on NFL+ <a href="https://t.co/lqj1QeUtXY">https://t.co/lqj1QeUtXY</a> <a href="https://t.co/eUX4crwiSp">pic.twitter.com/eUX4crwiSp</a></p>— NFL (@NFL) <a href="https://twitter.com/NFL/status/1599497736830607366?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">December 4, 2022</a>
</blockquote>
<script async="" src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
</div>
<p id="EhaaKr">The thing about trick plays is they’re supposed to “trick” the opposition. And for whatever reason, absolutely nobody on the Broncos believed that wide receiver James Proche II was going to run this ball. If you watch this clip, from the very second the ball is pitched to Proche, the Broncos’ defenders begin bailing downfield to defend the pass even though Proche still could’ve taken the reverse downfield if he wanted to. I’m not sure why the Broncos were so sure this was going to be a pass—I looked it up, and the Ravens don’t run WR passes … ever. The last Ravens wide receiver to record a pass attempt was <a href="https://www.pro-football-reference.com/teams/rav/2010.htm">Anquan Boldin in 2010</a>. </p>
<p id="v4T84G">Maybe that’s why Proche was so damn determined to throw this pass. This was his time for glory. Even as the Broncos waited eagerly for his throw, Proche took an extremely dramatic run-up into the most doomed pass of the year. He launched the ball almost 40 yards in the air; it was essentially a jump ball for running back Kenyan Drake with four defenders in the area. Broncos safety Justin Simmons won the lotto and came down with his second pick of the day.</p>
<p id="7SX8B4">Proche really, <em>really</em> should’ve held onto this. The Ravens were in field-goal range, and a Justin Tucker kick would’ve cut Denver’s lead to three, which would’ve helped put Tucker in position to kick another field goal later in the final quarter. Luckily for the Ravens, they were playing the Broncos, whose miserable offense failed to score a touchdown yet again. Baltimore won on a last-minute Huntley rushing TD—hopefully Jackson can return soon so the Ravens don’t attempt any more plays like that failed WR pass. </p>
<h3 id="RgiVUD">Loser: The Pyrrhic TD</h3>
<p id="lD2JKs">The NFL is no longer in the business of sharing videos of concussions and the upsetting after-effects of traumatic brain injuries. While massive hits used to be highlights—remember ESPN’s <em>JACKED UP!</em> segments?—the league now knows that concussions are one of the few threats to its dominant position in American society, and tries its best to avoid replays and clips of unconscious players splayed out on the field. But on Sunday, they had no choice: Titans receiver Treylon Burks made one of the most outstanding catches of the day while receiving a brutal headshot that appeared to knock him unconscious:</p>
<div id="f09JcY">
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
<p lang="en" dir="ltr">Holding on through the hit <a href="https://twitter.com/TreylonBurks?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@TreylonBurks</a> <br><br> : Watch <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/TENvsPHI?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#TENvsPHI</a> on <a href="https://twitter.com/NFLonFOX?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@NFLonFOX</a> <a href="https://t.co/YDGMgUYx93">pic.twitter.com/YDGMgUYx93</a></p>— Tennessee Titans (@Titans) <a href="https://twitter.com/Titans/status/1599472524386967553?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">December 4, 2022</a>
</blockquote>
<script async="" src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
</div>
<p id="eb1nWm">It was the first touchdown catch of Burks’s career, and he probably won’t remember it. Eagles safety Marcus Epps hit him high, and after that, Burks seems to have no control over his body. After he comes to a rest, the ball slips out of his motionless hand and dribbles onto the ground. The unconscious guy lying on the turf had scored a touchdown. When this happened in <em>Jerry Maguire</em>, <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MSIp3aqRmOA">Rod Tidwell eventually got up and started dancing</a>; that movie is notably not a documentary. </p>
<p id="VURk5z">Burks was, of course, ruled out for the rest of the game with a concussion. The Titans had already listed one of their five wide receivers, Cody Hollister, out of Sunday’s game with a neck injury, so they were left with just three active receivers: Robert Woods, Nick Westbrook-Ikhine, and C.J. Board, a special teamer who hadn’t played on offense all season. They combined for just three catches for 16 yards; even though Burks’s touchdown was his only catch of the day, he had more receiving yards than the rest of the Titans’ receivers combined. </p>
<p class="c-end-para" id="1nFOcW">The pass to Burks was the only TD of the day for the Titans in a 35-10 loss; they probably wish it had never happened. </p>
<aside id="s0buLi"><div data-anthem-component="newsletter" data-anthem-component-data='{"slug":"ringer_newsletter"}'></div></aside><p id="WWn55m"></p>
https://www.theringer.com/nfl/2022/12/5/23493822/nfl-winners-losers-week-13-joe-burrow-matt-ryan-brock-purdyRodger Sherman2022-12-05T00:42:05-05:002022-12-05T00:42:05-05:00Jets Fall Short in Minnesota, Danny Heifetz on the Giants’ Playoff Chances, Plus Trivia and Calls
<figure>
<img alt="New York Jets v Minnesota Vikings" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/eMiDA90VZf7g-XWh65FziZCl8og=/154x0:3354x2400/1310x983/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/71711061/1446763299.0.jpg" />
<figcaption>Photo by Adam Bettcher/Getty Images</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>JJ also discusses Jacob deGrom signing with the Texas Rangers</p> <div id="gxME1H"><div style="left: 0; width: 100%; height: 152px; position: relative;"><iframe src="https://open.spotify.com/embed/episode/3uhHnInBF5ps7wAVr3J8rV?utm_source=oembed" style="top: 0; left: 0; width: 100%; height: 100%; position: absolute; border: 0;" allowfullscreen="" allow="clipboard-write; encrypted-media; fullscreen; picture-in-picture;"></iframe></div></div>
<p id="OJEMK7"><br><a href="https://open.spotify.com/episode/3uhHnInBF5ps7wAVr3J8rV?si=61f8345083f94dff&nd=1">(1:18) — GIANTS: The Giant tie with the Commanders in a pivotal game as they fight for their playoff chances.</a><br>(7:50) — JETS: The Mike White Experience continues, but the Jets fall to the Vikings as they fail to score in the red zone.<br>(14:54) — METS: Jacob deGrom is now a Texas Ranger. What do the Mets do from here?<br>(17:47) — DANNY HEIFETZ: <em>The Ringer</em>’s Danny Heifetz joins the show to discuss the Giants’ slump, and the opportunity for both New York teams to go the playoffs.<br>(38:31) — CALLS: Callers talk Jets, Mets, and Giants.<br>(58:44) — TRIVIA: JJ returns to test his trivia skills.</p>
<p id="V86g3o">We always want to hear from you! Leave JJ a message on the Listener Line at 917-382-1151.</p>
<p id="3kgJgj">Follow JJ on <a href="https://spotifylive.link/ZwmTaVTvbpb">Spotify Live!</a></p>
<p id="NHYdHZ">Host: John Jastremski<br>Guest: Danny Heifetz<br>Producer: Stefan Anderson</p>
<p id="xMzLJA"><strong>Subscribe:</strong> <a href="https://open.spotify.com/show/3DRuz7w95Shs4IP88CMTfT">Spotify</a></p>
https://www.theringer.com/2022/12/5/23493814/new-york-jets-minnesota-vikings-giants-washington-commandersJohn JastremskiDanny Heifetz2022-12-04T23:32:42-05:002022-12-04T23:32:42-05:00Eagles-Titans Postgame Reaction: Jalen Hurts’s Best Game of His Career
<figure>
<img alt="Tennessee Titans v Philadelphia Eagles" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/xqgih9hf58ia56rF5594YBE6RwI=/142x0:3293x2363/1310x983/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/71710910/1446747327.0.jpg" />
<figcaption>Photo by Scott Taetsch/Getty Images</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>Sheil and Ben discuss Philadelphia’s big win over Tennessee</p> <div id="E8vDYJ"><div style="left: 0; width: 100%; height: 152px; position: relative;"><iframe src="https://open.spotify.com/embed/episode/60mubePvxTWoYcCeMePnXq?utm_source=oembed" style="top: 0; left: 0; width: 100%; height: 100%; position: absolute; border: 0;" allowfullscreen="" allow="clipboard-write; encrypted-media; fullscreen; picture-in-picture;"></iframe></div></div>
<p id="gSDFMf"><br><a href="https://open.spotify.com/episode/60mubePvxTWoYcCeMePnXq">The Eagles hosted the Titans on Sunday afternoon</a> in what was built up to be a physical game that was dominated by the Eagles. All-Pro running back Derrick Henry was shut down by the Eagles, held to just 30 yards on 11 carries. Jalen Hurts had yet another phenomenal outing, perhaps his best since he’s come into the league, throwing for three touchdowns and running for another score. Sheil and Ben discuss the big win for the Birds, and whether any team in the NFC can stop them from winning the NFC and playing in the Super Bowl.</p>
<p id="wv0ogg">Leave us a voicemail! 215-315-7982</p>
<p id="ypfSG6">Hosts: Sheil Kapadia and Ben Solak</p>
<p id="JvJoza"><strong>Subscribe: </strong><a href="https://open.spotify.com/show/6WbmndIH0l5zUVQxWwuOlz">Spotify</a></p>
https://www.theringer.com/2022/12/4/23493775/philadelphia-eagles-tennessee-titans-jalen-hurts-derrick-henrySheil KapadiaBen Solak