Upsets scramble what we thought
1. The Raiders, Browns, Titans and Buccaneers all flipped the script with game-winning points inside the final two minutes. The Dolphins, Packers and Bears each staged defensive stands with their respective opponents driving for potential go-ahead scores at the end of regulation. The one-win Falcons drilled the one-loss Saints ... in New Orleans.
2. The Falcons entered Sunday with a league-low seven sacks. Naturally, they turfed Saints QB Drew Brees six times.
3. Detroit’s Jeff Driskel, Cincinnati’s Ryan Finley and Indianapolis’ Brian Hoyer all made their first starts under center in 2019 Sunday. All lost.
4. Great day for Pittsburgh fans, who got to see one of the city’s favorite sons, Rams star Aaron Donald, play professionally at Heinz Field for the first time. Donald – his name adorns the Steelers’ training complex ... well, at least the half of the building occupied by Pitt football – had a nice day, dumping Steelers QB Mason Rudolph for a safety among his pair of TFLs.
5. Rams coach Sean McVay suffered his first loss in the Eastern time zone after notching wins in his first six trips east.
6. That Marcus Peters deal is also working out pretty well ... for Baltimore. The corner has two pick-sixes in three games with the Ravens and is the first player since 2014 to take three INTs to the house in one season.
7. If the season ended today, the Saints (7-2) would no longer own a first-round bye after the Packers (8-2) moved ahead of them. Meanwhile, those Pittsburgh fans would be celebrating a wild-card berth following their team’s win and Indianapolis’ loss.
8. Christian McCaffrey seems like a lock for one of the All-Pro RB spots as he racks up yards (141 more in Sunday’s loss) at a dizzying pace. But he was outplayed Sunday by the Packers’ Aaron Jones, who scored three times, tying “Run CMC” for the league’s TD lead at 14.
9. What kind of world are we living in when the Cowboys wear blue road jerseys at home? Thanksgiving ... maybe. Sunday night? Show some respect for tradition, Hot Boyz ... you see what happens when you don’t.
10. Let’s not call the MVP to Seattle’s Russell Wilson a fait accompli. Ravens QB Lamar Jackson has fully inserted himself into the debate, accounting for four TDs for the league’s top-scoring offense in Sunday’s 49-13 win at Cincinnati.
11. If you’d known beforehand that reigning MVP Patrick Mahomes would throw for 446 yards and three scores following his two-game absence with a knee injury, you likely would have thought the Chiefs would have the AFC West nearly wrapped up and he’d be back on the MVP short list. Alas, they’ve lost four of six and sit only a half-game game head of the Raiders for first place.
12. Did you notice Baltimore’s triple-Heisman backfield? Jackson (2016 winner) ran the option and pitched to backup QB Robert Griffin III (2011 winner) – rather than 2009 winner Mark Ingram – for a 9-yard gain.
13. Jets, champions of New York for the sixth time after winning the 14th regular-season matchup with the Giants 34-27.
14. Rushing yards were awfully hard to come by in the Big Apple Bowl, the Jets’ Le’Veon
Bell “leading” the way with 34 (on 18 carries ... oof ).
15. And poor Saquon Barkley, the Giants’ star limited to a career-worst 1 yard on the ground despite 13 carries ... meaning he averaged fewer than 3 inches per.
16. New Dolphins RB Kalen Ballage, averaging 2.1 yards per rush this season, looked explosive by comparison, needing 20 carries to get 43 yards.
17. At least Barkley’s dad, a lifelong Jets fan, had a good day.
18. Jets QB Sam Darnold and Giants QB Daniel Jones entered Sunday having combined for 26 turnovers this season, but only Jones gave it up (once) in Week 10 – his ninth lost fumble.
19. Former Jets (and current Giants) DL Leonard Williams finished with three tackles and four hits on Darnold in his first game against his ex-mates. Now Williams gets to embark on his second bye of the season (the Jets had theirs in Week 4).
20. RB Derrick Henry should be a fascinating free agent study this offseason, assuming the Titans don’t tag or extend him. What do you pay a one-dimensional player who tends to have inconsistent production? Conversely, wouldn’t you pay a guy on pace for 1,300-plus rushing yards with 22 TDs since 2018?
21. Welp, in case you thought the Browns should’ve drafted Josh Allen instead of Baker Mayfield ...
22. Cleveland RB Kareem Hunt played for the first time since the Chiefs cut him last season and his subsequent eight-game suspension by the NFL. He did give the victorious Browns a boost on the field, producing 74 yards from scrimmage courtesy of 11 touches.
23. Bears QB Mitchell Trubisky
threw three TD passes after totaling two in his previous four games.
24. A toast to Lions QB Matthew Stafford, likely an MVP candidate with a better team. After missing 19 of his first 32 NFL games, Stafford had started 136 in a row (sixth-longest streak ever for a quarterback and second only to Philip Rivers among active passers) until a back injury forced him to the sideline this week.
25. The Cardinals hadn’t lost a fumble all season until David Johnson coughed one up Sunday.
26. In the NFL’s 100th season, we saw the old school rival Chargers and Raiders play for the final time in front of Oakland’s Black Hole.
27. None of the Bolts’ six losses have come by more than seven points, their average margin of defeat just 4.8 points.
28. None of the Colts’ nine games have been decided by more than seven points, their average margin in all contests just 4.3 points following Sunday’s 16-12 setback to the “surging” Dolphins.
29. Adam Vinatieri’s field goal rate (73.7%) > Adam Vinatieri’s PAT rate (70%).
30. Saints WR Michael Thomas reached 400 career receptions in his 56th game – meaning he achieved the milestone in five fewer games than any other player.
31. If you ran Major League Soccer, would you pit your championship game against the NFL on a Sunday afternoon? Fair question. Just asking.
32. Hey, (Blake) @BortlesFacts, your boy has never thrown an incomplete pass for the Rams! Never!