"The Stack" 10-31-16
Dak Prescott made one redzone mistake, but recovered nicely rushing for one touchdown and threw for two more including the game-winning touchdown to Jason Witten in overtime to lead the Cowboys to a 29-23 win over Carson Wentz and the Eagles.
Tim Heitman-USA TODAY Sports
Matt Ryan had a big day and an even bigger late fourth quarter drive to help win the game for the Falcons 33-32 over the Packers. He was Matty Ice.
Dale Zanine-USA TODAY Sports
Denver Broncos defensive coordinator Wade Phillips was taken off the field on a stretcher and taken to a local hospital after he was collided into on a play. He will be OK which is great news.
Isaiah J. Downing-USA TODAY Sports
Happy Halloween! The Stack is here with reaction to yesterday’s sometimes scary action filled with ghostly penalties and what not. Hopefully it is a bootiful night tonight for all of the trick-or-treaters and they are done in time for tonight’s Monday Night Football game between the Vikings and Bears so let’s get right to that reaction and recap from Sunday’s week 8 NFL action in “the stack” for today, Monday, October 31st:
Washington 27 Cincinnati 27
Another tie? Back-to-back weeks with ties in the NFL. Hasn’t happened since 1997. This was by far the best game London has gotten in quite some time…maybe ever. Once again though field goal kickers cost both teams. Mike Nugent missed an extra point and a field goal for the Bengals. Dustin Hopkins missed two field goals including a chip shot field goal in overtime to help negate Kirk Cousins’ big day through the air. He had 456 yards, but it was all for not as the two teams tied.
New England 41 Buffalo 25
OK, so the NFL, specifically Commissioner Roger Goodell has made Tom Brady unhappy and he is taking it out on the rest of the league. Brady had another phenomenal day, this one in the elements as the Patriots were in control pretty much from the get go. The Bills were playing catch up all day and you can’t do that against Brady, not when he is on fire like he has been since coming back from suspension. Perhaps the bye will cool him off.
Carolina 30 Arizona 20
Similar result to last year’s NFC Championship game. The Panthers jumped out on the Cardinals. Carson Palmer was beaten and battered all game long. The Panthers had eight sacks and forced multiple turnovers in route to an easy win. Cam Newton still took some big hits for the Panthers which isn’t good, but getting a win was really important.
New York Jets 31 Cleveland 28
This seemed like a game the Browns were going to finally break through and win. They had a halftime lead. The Jets offense wasn’t doing anything with Ryan Fitzpatrick in the first half, but he played much better in the second half and Matt Forte found the endzone a couple of times too. The defense played better and once again the Browns lost. They’re close, but that doesn’t get you much in this league.
Houston 20 Detroit 13
Apparently the Lions only play well at home, because their offense was a large no-show for much of this game. Brock Osweiler wasn’t spectacular for the Texans, but he has played much better at home than he has on the road. The running game was effective for the Texans on this day with both Lamar Miller and Alfred Blue rushing pretty well. Good bounce-back win for the Texans.
Kansas City 30 Indianapolis 14
No Alex Smith? No problem for the Chiefs who lost Smith not once, but twice during the game, but looked to Kevin Kolb to pick up the pieces. He and tight end Travis Kelce had a nice connection on this day and the Chiefs defense didn’t make life easy for Andrew Luck and the Colts offense. Things are not going well in Indy, but they are in KC.
New Orleans 25 Seattle 20
I was hesitant about taking the Seahawks in this game after their full five quarters against the Cardinals last week. Flying across the country and playing in an early kickoff isn’t easy and it sure wasn’t for the Seahawks offense which once again struggled for large stretches of this game. The Saints got a touchdown on a play that probably shouldn’t have happened if the refs would have called a penalty, but the Saints got a big win and the Seahawks can still breathe a sigh of relief they didn’t lose last week.
Oakland 30 Tampa Bay 24
Despite 24 penalties and 200 penalty yards, the Oakland Raiders were able to win another game in the eastern time zone thanks in large part (or all) to Derek Carr who set a team record with 513 passing yards and four touchdowns. Amari Cooper had a record day. Michael Crabtree made big catches and Andre Roberts caught the game-winning touchdown. This Raiders team is the real deal.
Denver 27 San Diego 19
The Chargers were game, but a pick six helped swing momentum to the Broncos even though defensive coordinator Wade Phillips was collided into and had to be taken off the field on a cart and to the hospital. Too many missed chances for the Chargers.
Atlanta 33 Green Bay 32
What a fun game this was. Aaron Rodgers and the Packers offense was on fire in the first half, but the Falcons made some defensive adjustments in the second half and still had to complete a fourth quarter comeback after Rodgers helped give the Packers a lead. Matt Ryan to Mohamed Sanu was the game-clinching touchdown and the Falcons defense was able to hold off Rodgers and company. This was quite the win after last week’s collapse against the Chargers.
Dallas 29 Philadelphia 23
It was a battle between the rookie quarterbacks who looked like seasoned veterans under center. Both Dak Prescott and Carson Wentz played well, but it was the Cowboys defense that played very well in the fourth and it was Prescott who made a big throw to Dez Bryant for a touchdown and then again in overtime using both his arms and his legs to lead the Cowboys to the game-winning touchdown on a pass to Jason Witten. The Cowboys have now won six in a row. Very, very impressive.
Minnesota Vikings @ Chicago Bears 8:30 PM ET ESPN
The new Purple People Eaters versus the Monsters of the Midway. The Bears play this season has been monstrous more than anything, but the Vikings offensive line could give them a run for their money. No Jerick McKinnon tonight hurts, but the Vikings are simply a better team than the Bears and will find a way to win tonight.
Prediction: Vikings 20 Bears 10
Coming up Tuesday: MNF reaction, World Series thoughts and more
