Tigers’ long, adverse journey ends in 4A semifinals
Team didn’t play game at home stadium all year, dealt with investigation into coach
BLOOMFIELD — Being on the road is a weary way to survive.
But for 13 weeks and 11 games — until
Saturday’s 45-13 loss to Bloomfield in a Class 4A semifinal — the players on the Taos Tigers Traveling Football Tour endured.
They endured long trips to a variety of practice fields around town as Anaya Field was rebuilt during the
2022 season.
They endured “home” games 22 miles north in Questa and 77 miles to the south at New Mexico Highlands University in
Las Vegas, N.M., for the playoffs.
They endured the temporary administrative leave of their head coach, Art Abreu Jr., when allegations regarding abuse in the program surfaced, only to see him reinstated within 24 hours.
They even endured a four-hour bus trip to Bloomfield on Friday night in what Abreu called “a sardine-type of bus.”
But for all that Abreu and the Tigers battled throughout the season, they could not endure a fake punt.
Second-seeded Bloomfield stole budding momentum from the Tigers with a successful fake punt run early in the second half, pulling away from Taos and setting up a chance to win their first state title since 1966. After top-seeded Silver’s 23-7 win over No. 4 Lovington, Bloomfield will play host to the Colts on Saturday afternoon.
Meanwhile, the Tigers (10-2) met with their coach one final time before their final postgame huddle of the season. It was one Abreu avoided ending as long as he could, because as much as the team survived difficult circumstances throughout the year, he lived off its energy when times were at their worst.
“These guys are so about each other,
Chaos reared its head in Week 10 and its handiwork was everywhere. Josh Allen fumbled with 41 seconds left in the fourth quarter, leading to a Minnesota Vikings’ win. Officials missed a face mask call during the Philadelphia Eagles’ fourth-quarter comeback try against the Washington Commanders. The Dallas Cowboys’ unsuccessful decision to go for it on fourth down opened the door for the Green Bay Packers.
With a lot of teams bunched together in the middle of the standings, chaos may figure more heavily into the second half of the regular season, especially with the onset of winter weather. The NFL on Thursday moved the Browns’ matchup with the Bills to Detroit ahead of forecasts of
3 to 6 feet of snow in Western New York. And the Packers lost to the Titans at Lambeau Field Thursday night in temperatures expected to be below freezing.
Many overreact to snow when handicapping NFL games and assume games will fall under the total or that teams from warmer climates will fare poorly. But the weather is not a secret! It’s factored into the market price, and NFL players are used to performing outdoors in extreme conditions.
TELEVISED LOCALLY
Jets (6-3) at Patriots (5-4)
11 a.m., CBS
Line: Patriots -3 | Total: 38.5 New England has won the past 13 regular-season meetings of these teams and it handed the Jets their only loss in their past six games. The Jets haven’t won in Foxborough, Mass., since a playoff game in 2011. Both teams are coming off a bye, but this is a crucial game for the Patriots’ playoff hopes: New England has the most difficult remaining schedule of any team. Pick: Patriots -3
Raiders (2-7) at Broncos (3-6)
2:05 p.m., Fox
Line: Broncos -2.5 | Total: 41 Josh McDaniels of the Raiders and Nathaniel Hackett of the
Broncos have the hottest seats among NFL coaches.
Denver has lost five of its past six games. Russell Wilson is throwing into coverage a lot, and his top receiving option, Jerry Jeudy, is questionable this week with an ankle injury. But the Broncos’ defense, which has held every opponent this season to under 18 points, should handle the Raiders. Pick: Broncos -2.5
Cowboys (6-3) at Vikings (8-1)
2:25 p.m., CBS
Line: Vikings +1 | Total: 47 Make it make sense. The Cowboys were outscored by 17-0 in the fourth quarter and overtime of their loss to the Packers last week, and they are now 2-2 with Dak Prescott as the starter this season. The Vikings upset the Bills last week in what is being called the game of the year thanks in part to Justin Jefferson, who became the first NFL player to top 100 yards receiving 20 times in his first three seasons.
Somehow the Vikings are still getting a point from the Cowboys. Pick: Cowboys -1
Kansas City (7-2) at Chargers (5-4)
6:20 p.m., NBC
Line: Chargers +6.5 | Total: 50.5
When these two AFC West rivals met in Week 2, rookie cornerback Jaylen Watson’s pick-6 of a Justin Hebert throw swung
the game in Kansas City’s favor. Before that big play, Patrick Mahomes had been harassed behind the line of scrimmage and was struggling to adjust to the absence of Tyreek Hill. Safe to say that Kansas City has adjusted in the games since. Mahomes is now the betting favorite to win the Most Valuable Player Award.
The Chargers, on the other hand, have seen Herbert’s top two targets, Mike Williams (ankle) and Keenan Allen (hamstring), go down with injuries. Pick: Kansas City -6.5
49ers (5-4) at Cardinals (4-6)
6:15 p.m., ESPN
Line: Cardinals +8.5 | Total: 44 For whatever reason, the Cardinals are 11-3 on the road since last season. Kyler Murray is questionable for Monday and his replacement, Colt McCoy, went a respectable 26 of 37 for 238 yards and a touchdown last week. Pick: Cardinals +8.5
OTHER GAMES
Browns (3-6) at Bills (6-3), in Detroit
11 a.m.
Line: Bills -7.5 | Total: 50 The Bills lost to the Vikings last week despite gaining more yards, converting more first downs, and having a higher success rate on offensive plays.
This game has been moved to
Detroit because of weather concerns. That erases Buffalo’s homefield advantage, but moving the game out of the “thundersnow” likely helps the Bills more than the Browns, since the Browns could have benefited from a bit of volatility. Pick: Bills -7.5
Eagles (8-1) at Colts (4-5-1)
11 a.m.
Line: Colts +6.5 | Total: 45.5 The Eagles’ first loss of the season was more than just an ego blow. Tight end Dallas Goedert, who trails only A.J. Brown in receiving yards for the team, injured his shoulder during a pivotal fourth-quarter play and landed on injured reserve Wednesday.
Now Philadelphia travels to face the Colts, who looked revitalized in their first game under interim coach Jeff Saturday. Pick: Colts +6.5
Bears (3-7) at Falcons (4-6)
11 a.m.
Line: Falcons -3 | Total: 49.5 The Bears are the highest-scoring offense of any NFL team this past month. Justin Fields has 555 rushing yards in their past five games, and Chicago’s offense seems to be figuring out how to compete. The defense? Well, that’s a different story.
The good news is Atlanta’s defense may be even worse. The bad news is the Falcons have a lot to play for. Pick: Falcons -3
Rams (3-6) at Saints (3-7)
11 a.m.
Line: Saints -4 | Total: 38.5 Last week, the Rams lost receiver Cooper Kupp, arguably their most important player, to an ankle injury that might end his season. Kupp has 35.7 percent of the Rams’ catches, a league-high, and has caught six of the team’s nine touchdown passes. Pick: Saints -4
Lions (3-6) at Giants (7-2)
11 a.m.
Line: Giants -3 | Total: 46 The Giants continue to walk between the raindrops, most recently allowing the Houston Texans to hang around until the fourth quarter last week. The Lions scored 21 points in the fourth quarter to defeat the Bears last week, the first time they’ve come back from a 14-point deficit in the fourth quarter in 29 years. Pick: Lions +3
Panthers (3-7) at Ravens (6-3)
11 a.m.
Line: Ravens-13 | Total: 43 Baker Mayfield is back under center for the Panthers after P.J. Walker suffered a high ankle sprain. He’ll be handing off to D’Onta Foreman, who has emerged as the star of the Carolina backfield, which should be critical against Baltimore. Stopping the run is the one weak point in the Ravens’ impressive arsenal. Pick: Panthers +13
Commanders (5-5) at Texans (1-7-1)
11 a.m.
Line: Texans +3.5 | Total: 40.5 The Commanders dominated the Eagles in time of possession on Monday, 40:24 to Philadelphia’s 19:36, en route to an upset victory. It continued a trend, as they been the best in the NFL at maintaining a stranglehold on the ball, leading the league in average time of possession.
It’s unlikely that Houston comes away with a win, but the Texans are 4-4-1 against the spread. Pick: Texans +3.5
Bengals (5-4) at Steelers (3-6)
2:25 p.m.
Line: Steelers +4.5 | Total: 41.5 T.J. Watt returned to the Steelers’ lineup in last week’s win against the Saints, and not a moment too soon. The Steelers are now 11-1 when Watt plays. Pick: Bengals -4.5