Fans wait overnight for free tickets in Detroit
Colts WR Hilton has a special day
DETROIT — The scene outside Ford Field on Sunday was more reminiscent of a Black Friday sale at an electronics store selling the latest iPhone.
Metro Detroit residents began showing up the night before, some as early as 7 p.m., for the chance at snagging some of the 500 free tickets to be handed out to see the Buffalo Bills play the New York Jets tonight. The game was moved from Buffalo after the region was pounded with about 7 feet of snow last week. Recovery efforts there are still under way.
“We’re football fans,” said Arthur Saffold Jr., 42, of Detroit, standing inside the parking garage beside Ford Field on Brush Street with four other men at 1:30 a.m. “There’s about 30 people out here now. As the night progresses, it’s going to be a lot more.”
It was smart thinking to get in early. At 10 a.m., even some of those who showed up overnight were turned away from the ticket booth. Each person in line would receive two tickets.
Many turned out Sunday after having issues getting tickets through the website handling the digital ticketing. Tickets were supposed to be available at 10 a.m. Saturday, but many reported that the site was either unavailable or crashed on them at that time. Detroiter Leroy Cain said he logged into the online system at 10:02 a.m. with no luck.
“It doesn’t look so good as far as getting tickets,” Cain, 56, said Sunday morning after getting to Ford Field around 9 a.m. “I can’t believe they were sold out so fast when I tried to get some online. It was very difficult just to even get to the area (on the site) to make the purchase. That’s a little disappointing.”
COLTS: T.Y. Hilton raced from the hospital, where he had been with his newborn daughter, to Lucas Oil Stadium, then hauled in a 73-yard touchdown catch midway through the third quarter to help the Colts get past Jack- sonville 23-3.
Hilton took his wife to the hospital at about 5:30 a.m. He arrived at the stadium about 75 minutes before kickoff.
“When I was out there, I wanted it to be special,” Hilton said. “I was going to play every play for her—just give it my all. When I get back to the hospital I will take her the football.”
BROWNS: After being suspended for Cleveland’s first 10 games, Josh Gordon had no trouble remembering how
to play the game.
He caught eight passes for 120 yards as Cleveland rallied for a 26-24 win over Atlanta.
“I knew the guys weren’t going to quit on me,” Gordon said. “I definitely wasn’t going to quit on them.”
BENGALS: Andy Dalton gave his father Greg a special 55th birthday present by finally getting a win in his hometown.
Dalton lost his first three games against the Texans, including twice in Houston in the playoffs, but threw for 233 yards and a touchdown in Cincinnati’s 22-13 win.
“It’s cool to get a win here,” Dalton said. “(And) have it timed up where we were playing in Houston on his birthday. It’s a special day.”
Dalton got to chat with his father for a couple of minutes on his way off the field.
“He said ‘It was an awesome birthday,’” Dalton said. “I’m glad we got to have that moment.”
EAGLES: Josh Huff returned the opening kickoff 107 yards in Philadelphia’s 43-24 win over the Titans. The Eagles are the first team since the Packers in 1970 to have two players with kickoff returns of 100-plus yards in the same season. Chris Polk had one for 102 yards in Week 3 vs. Washington.
BUCS: Lovie Smith was buttoned up and all business as usual following Sunday’s 21-13 loss to the Bears.
The former Bears coach, who spent nine up-and-down years here, shrugged off any notion that personal emotions were involved in his return to Chicago as the Buccaneers’ field boss.
“I have been away from here for a period of time, so I have a chance to see a lot of people,” said Smith, who was fired after the 2012 season. “I really wasn’t into family reunions or anything like that today. I have lifetime friends here. I don’t really need a game to see them. But we won a lot of games here at Soldier Field … a lot of great memories. But this is a bad memory right now.”
Turnovers and penalties bedeviled the Bucs (2-9), two of the most egregious football sins in Smith’s winning philosophy. And former Bears backup quarterback Josh McCown, who did such a magnificent job protecting the football last season while filling in for the injured Jay Cutler, threw two interceptions and lost a fumble Sunday.
While Smith said he dispensed from fraternizing with the former Bears players he coached, McCown acknowledged talking to Cutler and several other Bears before and after Sunday’s contest.
“It was just special and I am thankful for the guys I got to be around,” McCown said of his years with the Bears. “And the opportunity to play last year and the things we were able to do offensively … it afforded me the opportunity here (with Tampa Bay). But more than anything, just the people … not just the players but everybody up and down in that (Halas Hall) building … the relationships that were made, I value that so much. I am thankful I spent time here.”
RAVENS-SAINTS: Joe Flacco and the Ravens (6-4) today return to the site of their Super Bowl triumph in February 2013. The Saints (4-6) have lost two straight at home, but have won 14 straight night home games by an average of nearly 20 points.
PACKERS: Coach Mike McCarthy passed Vince Lombardi for second place on Green Bay’s all-time regularseason wins list. He improved his record to 90-48-1.
PATRIOTS: New England has won seven in a row after a 34-9 win over the Lions. The Patriots are the sixth team in NFL history with at least 14 consecutive winning seasons. They are the first to do it since 49ers (1983-98, 16 seasons).
BEARS: Matt Forte has 7,488 yards rushing and 3,517 yards receiving in 102 games. Only Hall of Famers Marshall Faulk (97 games) and Marcus Allen (99) reached the 11,000-yard milestone in fewer games.
INJURIES: Cleveland S Tashaun Gipson was taken off on a cart after injuring his right leg in a collision with teammate Joe Haden. Gipson will have an MRI today.
... Bengals right tackle Andre Smith injured his left biceps in the first quarter and didn’t return.