Trevor Lawrence banged his helmet on the ground after being stepped on by one of his offensive linemen. The Jacksonville Jaguars quarterback knew the injury he sustained was severe. Everyone in the stadium knows it means that Jacksonville’s season took a turn for the worse.
The Jaguars missed the go-ahead field goal immediately following Lawrence’s exit. Without the star signal caller, Jacksonville could not rally in overtime against Cincinnati, which was also playing without its star quarterback, Joe Burrow. Bengals backup quarterback turned starter Jake Browning showed he was capable of magic, lighting up the Jaguars’ defense during a 34-31 win on Monday night.
Black sports news shows that Ja’Marr Chase led the Bengals with 149 yards on 11 catches to help Cincinnati score a 34-31 win over Jacksonville. Browning finished with 354 yards through the air. This loss was devastating to the Jaguars on many levels.
Instead of moving to 9-3 and challenging Baltimore and Miami for first place in the AFC, the Jaguars dropped back to the pace and may have to battle to hold onto the AFC South Division championship. It was a rough week for the NFL. A few other teams took tough losses in part due to injuries.
Who Will Stop the Rain?
The Steelers offense wasn’t good with second-year quarterback Kenny Pickett. How it will be without him will loom large for Pittsburgh’s playoff chances. The Steelers took a 24-10 loss to the Arizona Cardinals in a game featuring two stoppages due to rain delays.
Pickett injured his ankle in the second quarter and is expected to miss much of the rest of the regular season. In his absence last Sunday, Pittsburgh’s offense cratered completely. Backup quarterback Mitch Trubisky struggled to handle snaps and keep the offense moving.
The Steelers didn’t score a touchdown until late in the game. By the time Diontae Johnson hauled in the scoring strike, the game was well out of reach. Arizona hadn’t won on the road since last season. The Steelers are now locked into an intense Wild Card battle and will need some luck down the stretch to maintain its spot in the standings.
Trubisky, a former first-round pick of the Chicago Bears, has had a rough time during his two years in Pittsburgh. Trubisky is 2-3 as a starter in Pittsburgh and has thrown six touchdowns against seven interceptions.
49ers Get Revenge on Eagles
When San Francisco and Philadelphia met in the postseason last year, 49ers quarterback Brock Purdy was banged up. The 49ers hope what they saw last Sunday is how Purdy would be if the two teams played in the postseason again.
Purdy torched the Eagles’ defense. He passed for 314 yards and finished with four touchdown passes. During the NFC Championship game last season, Purdy could only attempt four passes before leaving due to an injury. San Francisco’s one-dimensional offense in that game could only produce seven points.
Seeing Purdy at full strength showed that a rematch between the two teams could be exciting. During the 49ers’ 42-19 win last weekend, Eagles quarterback Jalen Hurts missed some time in the game due to injury. Hurts did return in the fourth quarter to lead a Philadelphia scoring drive.
Chargers Win Ugly Against New England
Los Angeles coach Brandon Staley is likely coaching to try to save his job. Staley’s issue has been not producing enough with a superstar quarterback in Justin Herbert. Even though Los Angeles got back in the win column last week, the victory didn’t make the Chargers’ faithful feel any better.
In a game that struggled to draw interest, the performance on the field certainly didn’t help. Los Angeles kicked a pair of field goals in the second quarter and held on for a 6-0 win. New England is off to a 2-10 start, and the Patriots’ performance has people wondering if this may be Bill Belichick’s swan song in New England.
Flacco Makes Respectable Browns’ Debut
Joe Flacco, 38, is well past his prime as an NFL player. However, when Flacco took the field with Cleveland last Sunday, he provided the Browns with a capable veteran under center during a 36-19 loss to the Los Angeles Rams. Flacco threw for 254 yards with two touchdowns.
While Flacco did commit a mistake by throwing a fourth-quarter interception, he can hardly be blamed for that after making the start on short notice. While it is unclear how Cleveland will handle its quarterback situation moving forward, the Browns are still in the AFC Wild Card race and must figure things out quickly.
Packers Back on Track for Playoff Chase
Green Bay may be down for the count after a four-game losing streak dropped the Packers to 2-5 on the season. However, the Packers showed a national audience Sunday night that they aren’t ready to make golf plans after Week 18. Jordan Love showed anyone looking at top sports news today that he may be more capable as an NFL starting quarterback than people initially thought.
Love threw three touchdown passes against the Chiefs Sunday night, as Green Bay won its third straight game to improve to 6-6 on the season. What was most impressive was the ease with which the Packers’ offense moved the ball. Green Bay scored at least one touchdown in the first three quarters.
Falcons Win Ugly
Second-year Atlanta quarterback Desmond Ridder hasn’t been what the team hoped he could be. But recent sports updates show the Falcons don’t have a better option. Ridder did just enough to help Atlanta beat the New York Jets 13-8 last Sunday.
The Falcons are now holding onto a narrow one-game lead in the division race over the Saints and Buccaneers. Atlanta has been inconsistent all season. If Ridder can take any sort of step forward, the Falcons should be able to find a way to win the division.
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