Wild finishes became the theme for Week 1 in the National Football League. Whether it be a late field goal to seal victory, or an onside kick that almost worked, the final minutes of some of Week 1's games gives us more reasons why you shouldn't look away during those critical moments.
Here's what entertained us the most in Week 1:
New England (1-0) 23, Buffalo (0-1) 21 - To be honest, the Buffalo Bills surprised me during this divisional showdown with the Patriots. Granted, there were moments when you watched (or listened) and wondered if this was going to turn into another 30 point loss for the Bills against the division's best team, but the Bills hung in there.
The defense wasn't stellar, allowing the Patriots to convert 11 of their 20 3rd down opportunities. And discipline was an issue, with the Bills being penalized 10 times for 75 yards. Those are two things Coach Doug Marrone will want to work on as they prepare for the Carolina Panthers.
The Bills were able to hang in the game thanks to the work of EJ Manuel. Manuel did look a little rusty at first, but calmed down to complete 18 of his 27 passes, throwing for 150 yards and 2 touchdowns. Fred Jackson added 67 yards on 13 carries.
Tom Brady did not look as sharp as he usually does, going 29 for 52 for 288 yards, throwing for 2 touchdowns and had one interception. But he was aided by the leg of Stephen Gostkowski, who converted all three field goal tries, including the 35 yard attempt with 5 seconds left on the clock to give the Patriots the victory.
Detroit (1-0) 34, Minnesota (0-1) 24 - Adrian Peterson's two touchdown runs and catch for a touchdown wasn't enough to overcome Christian Ponder's 3 intersections, as the Lions roar to victory in Week 1.
Adrian Peterson took his first touch of the football 78 yards for the opening touchdown for the Minnesota Vikings. He would finish with 93 yards on 18 carries, which meant he ran an average of less than a yard per carry after that 78 yard touchdown run. Christian Ponder completed 18 of 26 passes, for 236 yards, but those three picks hurt the Vikings.
Reggie Bush ran for 90 yards on 21 carries, and took a pass from Matt Stafford 77 yards for the score in the 3rd Quarter. Stafford finished the day 28-for-43, 357 yards with two touchdowns and 1 interception.
Kansas City (1-0) 28, Jacksonville (0-1) 2 - All 30 points in this game was scored by the Kansas City Chiefs. And that's a weird statistic. But for some reason, I love scores that have a 2 in it.
Dustin Colquitt put the Jaguars on the board first when his punt for the Chiefs was blocked and went out the end zone for the safety. But then the Chiefs started scoring the right way, with Alex Smith connecting with Dennis Avery for a 5 yard touchdown pass to give the Chiefs the lead.
Alex Smith would be accountable for 2 touchdown throws, the other a 3 yard pass to Junior Hemingway for his lone reception of the game. He would complete 21 of his 34 passes for 173 yards.
After the safety, the Jaguars looked flat, as Blaine Gabbert completed only 16 of his 35 passes for 121 yards, and Maurice Jones-Drew only was able to gather 45 yards of rushing offense for the Jaguars. Overall, it looked like old days could be back in Kansas City with Andy Reid and Alex Smith wearing the Red and White. And for Jacksonville, they've got a lot of work to do, which won't be easy with a pair of west coast games coming up.
New York Jets (1-0) 18, Tampa Bay (0-1) 17 - The Jets were the only team to get a safety and win the game (Pittsburgh got the safety against Tennessee but lost).
But the play people are talking about is the penalty to Tampa Bay's Lavonte David with just a few seconds left that not only stopped the clock, it also gave the Jets a bonus 15 yards, which made things easier for Nick Folk to boot the 48 yard winning field goal for the victory.
Dallas (1-0) 36, New York Giants (0-1) 31 - The shocking thing about this game was that the Giants were in this game despite 6 turnovers.
Eli Manning's 450 yards kept the Giants in the game, but his 3 interceptions hurt the G-men. One of those interceptions came in the first play, connecting with a man in silver and blue instead of one of his own. Luckily for the G-men, the Cowboys were only able to walk away with three points despite three first quarter turnovers.
A scary moment for the Dallas Cowboys came just before the half when it looked like Tony Romo would be out as he was sandwiched between two Giants, but he would later return.
The 6 turnovers are a pause for concern for the Giants, who have to travel to Denver for their Sunday afternoon contest against the Denver Broncos.
Houston (1-0) 31, San Diego 28 - If you went to bed before midnight, you may be surprised to read today that the Houston Texans won. And if you waited until after halftime to retire to the slumbers, seeing Houston down 28-7 was enough to prompt a good night.
But the Texans came back. With authority. The comeback started with Garrett Graham's 7 yard reception to cap a 11 play, 70 yard drive in the 3rd Quarter, and continued with Owen Daniel's 2nd touchdown reception of the game in the 4th Quarter. The tying play came on a Philip Rivers interception, his lone of the game, as Brian Cushing ran it back 18 yards to the end zone.
The Texans had the ball last, and they made it count. Randy Bullock's 41 yard field goal with time expiring capped a 9 play drive that took up the remainder 3:53 on the clock, and spoiled the good mood in San Diego as Week 1 drew to a close.
So your turn. What do you think was the most memorable moment in Week 1? What are you looking forward to in Week 2?
Showing posts with label Detroit Lions. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Detroit Lions. Show all posts
Tuesday, September 10, 2013
Friday, August 30, 2013
Midday Recap: Not what they had in mind
Carlos Torres fans 6 as the Mets win. It's becoming crunch time in the playoff chase. And the NFL gets a huge weight lifted off their shoulders as the regular season gets set to begin next week.
But the big story today is the Buffalo Bills 35-13 loss to the Detroit Lions in the final game of the preseason. New roster members Matt Leinart and Thaddeus Lewis had a tough time generating offense, with the former of the two completing only 3 of 10 passes for 11 yards. Leinart also threw two picks as he played for much of the first half before being pulled in favor of Lewis. Lewis completed 7 of his 16 passes for 132 yards, including a 4th Quarter touchdown.
Kellen Moore scored 2 touchdowns, going 10/18 for 78 yards for the Lions. Shaun Hill completed 4 of 5 passes, two for touchdowns. Matthew Stafford had a tough time, with only one completion out of 6 passes.
For the Bills, it ends a preseason they would rather forget. Things looked promising for the Bills through the first two games, but then injuries started to plague the team. EJ Manuel's knee injury being the toughest, as he looked very good through the first two preseason games, and according to reports he was also looking very good through camp too.
Kevin Kolb's possible career-ending concussion also hurt the Bills, resulting in the pickups last week of Thaddeus Lewis and Matt Leinart.
And with the New England Patriots looming the 2nd Sunday of September to kick-off the 2013 season, the Bills needed a confidence booster last night against the Detroit Lions. But with the loss, the Bills have more questions than answers, and there's still a question of whether or not EJ Manuel will be ready to go for the season premiere on September 8th.
Link: Detroit Lions @ Buffalo Bills Boxscore via Yahoo! Sports
MIGHTY MET
Carlos Torres has proven his versatility throughout the season with the New York Mets. The Kansas State alum has made appearances for the Mets both from the bullpen and in the starting rotation. With Matt Harvey sidelined for the year, as well as other starting rotation injuries, Torres made his return to the starting rotation yesterday afternoon against the Philadelphia Phillies.
Torres looking good early, striking out the side in the 2nd inning. He would get run support in the 3rd inning as Daniel Murphy doubled home Eric Young. Then Anthony Recker would add to the Mets score as he homered to left field to bring home himself and Justin Turner in the 4th.
Torres would continue to be scoreless until the 7th, when he surrendered back-to-back singles to lead-off the inning, and then a sac fly from Darin Ruf would bring home Chase Utley to end the shutout and also Torres's day.
Scott Rice came in to end the 7th, and then Eric Young would triple with the bases loaded to add to the Mets lead, as they would go on to win 11-3. The 11 runs is the most compiled by the Mets at Citi Field since their opening day game against the San Diego Padres on April 1st.
Torres went 6 2/3rds innings, allowing the lone run in the 7th inning. He struck out 6 and walked no one in the win. In his 55 innings of work this year, Torres has allowed only 7 walks.
CHASING OCTOBER
The New York Yankees kick off a three-game series tonight against the Baltimore Orioles. For the Yankees, this could be a critical series as the Yankees are 8 games back of first place Boston, and 5 games behind the Oakland A's for the last wild card spot. The Yankees are 5-7 against the O's this year.
Speaking of the A's, they're starting up three games against the Tampa Bay Rays out in California. Tampa Bay holds the 1st Wild Card spot, but only by a half-game. Cleveland enters a critical three-game series in Detroit, made more critical after being swept by the Atlanta Braves. Out 6 1/2 games in the AL Central, the Indians are looking to break their cold streak of late, hindered by their 31-36 record on the road.
Meanwhile in the National League, it is becoming likelier with each passing day that it is going to be three from the NL Central getting into the postseason. Cincinnati holds the second wild card spot, with a 6 game lead over the Arizona as the nearest team outside looking in. The Pirates remain 21 games over .500, and only need 5 more wins in order to end their 21 year streak of losing.
PRESEASON ROUNDUP
All 32 NFL teams were in action on Thursday as the preseason wrapped up. Matt Simms shined as he went 33 for 44 for 285 yards as the New York Jets 27-20. Simms is expected to be the No. 3 QB on the Jets depth chart, and is likely to back up Geno Smith as Mark Sanchez has been announced as out for their first regular season game. The Jets overcame 5 turnovers by dominating the time of possession battle, and used their 26 1st Downs to their advantage. Kahlil Bell had both of the Jets rushing touchdowns, gaining 80 yards on 21 carries.
The Giants ended their preseason with a 28-20 loss against the New England Patriots. Down 20-14 entering the 4th Quarter, the Patriots used two touchdown tosses by Tim Tebow to fuel them to victory. Tebow completed 6 of 11 passes for 91 yards, but was sacked four times for a loss of 25 combined yards. Eli Manning completed 6 passes for 74 yards, and Curtis Painter went 8 for 11 for 94 yards. However, the Giants lost backup RB Andrew Brown, who for the 2nd straight year broke his left leg.
SETTLEMENT
The National Football League has announced a settlement with over 4,500 retired players. The settlement is worth over $750 million, and will help those retired from the National Football League who suffered from symptoms from dementia or other concussion-related issues.
Former Washington Redskins Quarterback Mark Rypien told the Associated Press that help is coming for those who need help, but it is sad because this couldn't be done earlier to help prior cases. Rypien is well-familiar with the issue, having suffered two concussions during his 11 seasons in the league.
The settlement removes what would have been a major distraction for the league as the season gets closer to the start of the regular season, which kicks off next Thursday.
 |
| Gary Wiepert | Associated Press |
Kellen Moore scored 2 touchdowns, going 10/18 for 78 yards for the Lions. Shaun Hill completed 4 of 5 passes, two for touchdowns. Matthew Stafford had a tough time, with only one completion out of 6 passes.
For the Bills, it ends a preseason they would rather forget. Things looked promising for the Bills through the first two games, but then injuries started to plague the team. EJ Manuel's knee injury being the toughest, as he looked very good through the first two preseason games, and according to reports he was also looking very good through camp too.
Kevin Kolb's possible career-ending concussion also hurt the Bills, resulting in the pickups last week of Thaddeus Lewis and Matt Leinart.
And with the New England Patriots looming the 2nd Sunday of September to kick-off the 2013 season, the Bills needed a confidence booster last night against the Detroit Lions. But with the loss, the Bills have more questions than answers, and there's still a question of whether or not EJ Manuel will be ready to go for the season premiere on September 8th.
Link: Detroit Lions @ Buffalo Bills Boxscore via Yahoo! Sports
MIGHTY MET
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| Seth Wenig | Associated Press |
Torres looking good early, striking out the side in the 2nd inning. He would get run support in the 3rd inning as Daniel Murphy doubled home Eric Young. Then Anthony Recker would add to the Mets score as he homered to left field to bring home himself and Justin Turner in the 4th.
Torres would continue to be scoreless until the 7th, when he surrendered back-to-back singles to lead-off the inning, and then a sac fly from Darin Ruf would bring home Chase Utley to end the shutout and also Torres's day.
Scott Rice came in to end the 7th, and then Eric Young would triple with the bases loaded to add to the Mets lead, as they would go on to win 11-3. The 11 runs is the most compiled by the Mets at Citi Field since their opening day game against the San Diego Padres on April 1st.
Torres went 6 2/3rds innings, allowing the lone run in the 7th inning. He struck out 6 and walked no one in the win. In his 55 innings of work this year, Torres has allowed only 7 walks.
CHASING OCTOBER
The New York Yankees kick off a three-game series tonight against the Baltimore Orioles. For the Yankees, this could be a critical series as the Yankees are 8 games back of first place Boston, and 5 games behind the Oakland A's for the last wild card spot. The Yankees are 5-7 against the O's this year.
Speaking of the A's, they're starting up three games against the Tampa Bay Rays out in California. Tampa Bay holds the 1st Wild Card spot, but only by a half-game. Cleveland enters a critical three-game series in Detroit, made more critical after being swept by the Atlanta Braves. Out 6 1/2 games in the AL Central, the Indians are looking to break their cold streak of late, hindered by their 31-36 record on the road.
Meanwhile in the National League, it is becoming likelier with each passing day that it is going to be three from the NL Central getting into the postseason. Cincinnati holds the second wild card spot, with a 6 game lead over the Arizona as the nearest team outside looking in. The Pirates remain 21 games over .500, and only need 5 more wins in order to end their 21 year streak of losing.
PRESEASON ROUNDUP
 |
| Bill Kostroun | Associated Press |
The Giants ended their preseason with a 28-20 loss against the New England Patriots. Down 20-14 entering the 4th Quarter, the Patriots used two touchdown tosses by Tim Tebow to fuel them to victory. Tebow completed 6 of 11 passes for 91 yards, but was sacked four times for a loss of 25 combined yards. Eli Manning completed 6 passes for 74 yards, and Curtis Painter went 8 for 11 for 94 yards. However, the Giants lost backup RB Andrew Brown, who for the 2nd straight year broke his left leg.
SETTLEMENT
The National Football League has announced a settlement with over 4,500 retired players. The settlement is worth over $750 million, and will help those retired from the National Football League who suffered from symptoms from dementia or other concussion-related issues.
Former Washington Redskins Quarterback Mark Rypien told the Associated Press that help is coming for those who need help, but it is sad because this couldn't be done earlier to help prior cases. Rypien is well-familiar with the issue, having suffered two concussions during his 11 seasons in the league.
The settlement removes what would have been a major distraction for the league as the season gets closer to the start of the regular season, which kicks off next Thursday.
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