While backups find triumph, Burrow’s season cruelly ends
Backup quarterbacks securing big wins. An overtime thriller in Baltimore. And the end of a ridiculously promising rookie season for Cincinnati’s Joe Burrow. Sunday was a reminder of how unpredictable the NFL can be, as well as how cruel it can be.
Here’s what we learned:
— The NFL can break your heart. Burrow had largely lived up to his hype, regardless of the Bengals’ poor record. But the rookie’s season ended when he was sandwiched between a pair of Washington defenders in the third quarter and crumpled to the ground with an injury to his left knee.
The play looked devastating in the moment and was confirmed to be just that when Burrow tweeted — before the game had even finished — that he would see everyone next year.
After the Bengals’ 20-9 loss to Washington — the first victory for quarterback Alex Smith in more than two years following his own devastating leg injury in 2018 — Burrow has a 2-7-1 record for the season. But Burrow, the No. 1 overall pick in this year’s draft, threw for 2,688 yards, trailing only Andrew Luck, Patrick Mahomes and Cam Newton for the most in a quarterback’s first 10 starts.
— There is no quit in the Titans. With Tennessee trailing 21-16 late in the fourth quarter, Ryan Tannehill threw to A.J. Brown inside Baltimore’s 10-yard line. Brown was immediately hit and spun around by one defender, and another grabbed Brown from behind before he broke free toward the goal line. Linebacker Patrick Queen got in front of him just inside the 5-yard line, but Brown, with some help from running back Jeremy McNichols, simply pushed Queen backward into the end zone for a go-ahead score.
Baltimore forced overtime with a field goal, but in the extra period, running back Derrick Henry ended the game by blasting through a crowded line of scrimmage before racing for a 29-yard touchdown run.
—
The Colts’ defense showed up when it mattered.
Indianapolis’ top-ranked defense let Green Bay go into halftime leading 28-14, and the Colts were seemingly on their way to a blowout loss at home. The second half was another story, as Indianapolis scored 17 consecutive points, while Aaron Rodgers and the Packers managed just a field goal on five possessions. That field goal was enough to force over
time, but then the Colts’ defense truly showed up.
On the second play of the extra period, Green Bay’s Marquez Valdes-Scantling caught a pass at the line of scrimmage, only to have the ball punched out of his hands by safety Julian Blackmon. DeForest Buckner scooped the ball up for a takeaway, and Rodrigo Blankenship soon hit the game-winning 39-yard field goal to keep Indianapolis on top of the AFC South and drop Green Bay’s record to 7-3.
— Experience can be overrated. The extremely versatile Taysom Hill came into the day with more career tackles (13) than completions (10). P.J. Walker was mostly known for being the leading passer in the XFL when that league was shuttered by the pandemic. But because of injuries, both were pressed into action as starting quarterbacks, and both got the job done — even if it wasn’t always pretty.
Hill started for New Orleans in place of the injured Drew Brees and rose to the challenge. He passed for 233 yards, ran for 51 and scored two touchdowns in a 24-9 win over Atlanta, with the only blemish being a lost fumble at the end of a long run.
Walker, subbing for the injured Teddy Bridgewater, kept Carolina’s offense moving just fine in a 20-0 blowout of Detroit, doing enough damage that his two red-zone interceptions could be forgiven.
— Experience can also be rather important. Starting an unknown commodity at quarter
back against Atlanta or Detroit might work, but when doing so against undefeated Pittsburgh, things can get really ugly.
Jake Luton, a rookie Jacksonville drafted in the sixth round this year out of Oregon State, made his third NFL start in place of the injured Gardner Minshew and turned in one of the worst games you’ll see. Even after completing four meaningless passes in a row while turning the ball over on downs toward the end of the game, Luton still completed just 16 of 37 for 151 yards. He didn’t throw a touchdown and was intercepted four times. Only 19 quarterbacks since the AFL-NFL merger have produced a lower passer rating on 35 or more attempts than Luton’s mark of 15.5.
Pittsburgh, meanwhile, became the NFL’s first 10-0 team since 2015. The Steelers will try to get to 11-0 when, Baltimore’s COVID concerns permitting, they host the struggling Ravens on Thursday.
— can
The Texans beat a team that isn’t the Jaguars.
Coming into the day, Houston was 2-0 against Jacksonville and 0-7 against everyone else. But Romeo Crennel, the Texans’ interim head coach, became the rare former New England assistant to beat coach Bill Belichick by leading the Texans to a 27-20 victory that started fast for Houston before grinding out into a fairly close game.
Deshaun Watson passed for 344 yards, ran for 36 and accounted for three touchdowns; J.J. Watt was a hugely disruptive force; and New England, despite a 365-yard passing day from Cam Newton, finds itself contemplating whether the previous week’s big win over Baltimore was a fluke.