Cowboys battle the Saints
The New Orleans Saints and the Dallas Cowboys met in Thursday Night Football.
Ezekiel Elliott scored the only Dallas touchdown and the Cowboys stifled Drew
Brees and the Saints, ending New Orleans’ 10-game winning streak with a 13-10 victory Thursday night.
The Cowboys (7-5) won their fourth consecutive game and assured they will at least remain tied for the NFC East lead.
The Saints (10-2) had a season low in points while missing on a chance to perfectly match Dallas from two years ago, when then-rookie sensations Elliott and quarterback Dak
Prescott won 11 straight after dropping the opener.
Brees had his fewest yards passing in a half since joining the Saints in 2006 with 39, and couldn’t get a potential winning drive going in the final minutes.
Instead, Jourdan Lewis’ interception — just the third of the season for Brees — gave the Cowboys a chance to run out the clock from the New Orleans 1 after an interference penalty in the end zone.
Mayfield’s play improves after Jackson’s firing
Baker Mayfield, who threw a season-high four TD passes last week — is the first rookie in NFL history to record ratings of 140plus in consecutive games, and his efforts earned him rookie of the month honors.
Rookie of the year may be next.
It’s not a coincidence that Mayfield’s recent rise came after head coach Hue Jackson and offensive coordinator Todd Haley were fired. With running backs coach Freddie Kitchens taking over for Haley and calling plays, Cleveland’s offense has played with a faster tempo, has been more versatile and efficient.
Mayfield is getting rid of the ball much quicker, spreading it around to his playmakers and making better decisions.
It would be easy to surmise Jackson was holding him back, but Mayfield doesn’t think that’s the case.
No,” Mayfield said. “I mean, obviously the easiest answer would be to look on that and say, ‘Yeah, I’ve played a lot better since then.’ But that’s not it. It’s just been about me doing my job and doing it at a high level. So it’s not about that. I wouldn’t blame that at all.”
Jets unsure who will be their quarterback on Sunday
New York Jets quarterbacks Sam Darnold and Josh McCown were limited at practice for the second straight day, leaving it uncertain who will start Sunday at Tennessee.
Coach Todd Bowles says Thursday that Darnold, McCown and Davis Webb all took snaps during drills and the team will continue to monitor them before making a final decision on who will be under center against the Titans.
Jim Kelly has another cancer surgery
The wife of Buffalo Bills Hall of Fame quarterback Jim Kelly says her husband has undergone what is hoped to be his last cancerrelated surgery.
On Instagram Wednesday, Jill Kelly posted a picture of the former football player giving a thumbs-up sign from a hospital bed in New York City.
In an earlier post, Jill Kelly said doctors told the couple it should be the 58-year-old’s last surgery.
Kelly last underwent surgery in March when doctors at Mount Sinai Health System removed cancer from is upper jaw and lymph nodes and reconstructed his upper jaw.
A portion of Kelly’s jaw was removed in 2013 after Kelly was first diagnosed with squamous cell carcinoma.