"The Stack" 11-19-18

Washington quarterback Alex Smith suffered a gruesome leg injury against Houston on Sunday. He is out for the season.

The Stack is back on this Monday and Thanksgiving is just a few days away and we are very excited for that. We had a nice birthday weekend and are now ready to talk some football so let’s get right to some reaction from week 11 in the NFL in “the stack” for today, Monday, November 19th:

Cowboys 22 Falcons 19

This Dallas Cowboys defense is legitimate. They held the threatening Atlanta Falcons offense in check for most of the day. Cowboys linebacker Leighton Vander Esche had a big interception and it was quarterback Dak Prescott and running back Ezekiel Elliott who put together an impressive last drive after the Falcons tied it up at 19-19 in driving down the field for a game-winning field goal. This was not a good loss for the Falcons.

Bengals 21 Ravens 24

Baltimore Ravens rookie quarterback Lamar Jackson had himself a game…rushing the football. He had over 100 yards rushing and made some big throws when he needed to. Someone by the name of Gus Edwards had over 100 yards rushing and a touchdown as well and the Ravens survived a missed field goal by Randy Bullock and a failed fourth down attempt by the Bengals to get their first win in a while.

Panthers 19 Lions 20

The Detroit Lions appeared to be a team on the verge of folding it in for the season, but they played really well in this one against a Carolina Panthers team that had a few extra days to prepare after their week 10 Thursday night loss to Pittsburgh. The Panthers couldn’t get anything going for a while after their opening drive touchdown, but they came back and scored a touchdown with a minute to go in the game and instead of going for the extra point (Graham Gano had missed an extra point and a field goal earlier), Panthers head coach Ron Rivera elected to go for two and the win. Cam Newton had all day and overthrew Jarius Wright. The Panthers are sliding.

Titans 10 Colts 38

Well, the Tennessee Titans sure followed up their big win over the New England Patriots with a clunker against the Indianapolis Colts (#AsIExpected). Maybe it was defensive coordinator Dan Peas having to go to the hospital before the game with an undisclosed medical issue. Maybe it was the red hot Andrew Luck torching them and there was nothing they could do. Maybe it was quarterback Marcus Mariota getting injured. Maybe it was all of those things. Or maybe this team is just Jekyl and Hyde and an average team. I would bet that.

Buccaneers 35 Giants 38

Against a depleted Tampa Bay defense, Eli Manning, Saquon Barkley and company were able to put up some good yards and points. Once again, the Buccaneers’ quarterback carousel came into play with Jameis Winston starting the second half after a turnover filled first half by Ryan Fitzpatrick. The Bucs made it close, but the Giants were just too much. Both teams are now 3-7.

Texans 23 Washington 21

You have to feel absolutely terrible for Washington quarterback Alex Smith after suffering that gruesome ankle injury (fractured tibia and fibula I believe) in the third quarter against Houston. Definitely a Joe Theisman-like injury. Colt McCoy did a good job coming in in relief, but Washington’s comeback attempt came up short when they missed a 63-yard field goal attempt. Make that seven wins in a row for the Texans!

Steelers 20 Jaguars 16

Talk about a tale of two halves. The Pittsburgh Steelers looked absolutely dreadful in the first half against Jacksonville. The Jaguars defense was playing fantastic and frustrating Big Ben, but they only had a 9-0 halftime lead and you knew that that wouldn’t be good enough. After they made it 16-0, the Steelers came alive. Roethlisberger found Antonio Brown for a touchdown and threw another one as well. When the inept Jaguars offense had to punt, the Steelers marched down the field and Roethlisberger barely snuck the ball across the goal line for a touchdown before his knee hit to give the Steelers the win. An incredible comeback and a gut-wrenching loss for the Jaguars.

Raiders 23 Cardinals 21

So much for my lock this week. The Arizona Cardinals should have been able to put up a lot more points than they did. David Johnson had over 130 yards rushing, but they couldn’t pull themselves away from Oakland who kicked a game-winning field goal with no time remaining to get their second win of the season. There is a reason why both of these teams stink.

Broncos 23 Chargers 22

Okay L.A., what the hell was that? The Chargers shot themselves in the foot throughout much of this game with bad penalties and a couple of turnovers. Philip Rivers’ threw the ball away right after the two minute warning instead of letting some time go off the clock. Take the sack Rivers. Denver drove to get within field goal range and won it with no time remaining. Terrible loss for the Chargers.

Eagles 7 Saints 48

No one can stop the New Orleans Saints right now. No one! The Saints bullied the Philadelphia Eagles all game long. Carson Wentz was terrible and the Saints offense made the Eagles defense look like shredded paper. Mark Ingram had a big day on the ground with over 100 yards and two touchdowns. Drew Brees was his normal wonderful self through the air and the Saints absolutely embarrassed the Eagles. It is the worst defeat by a defending Super Bowl champion. Yikes!

Vikings 20 Bears 25

The Minnesota Vikings just aren’t made for primetime. Once again the offense stunk for much of the game and had three turnovers while the Chicago Bears defense was spectacular. Bears quarterback Mitch Trubisky made enough plays with his legs and kicker Cody Parkey came through with three field goals including a 48-yard field goal to put the game away. The Vikings need to get better and they need to get better fast or they will not be making the playoffs. Head coach Mike Zimmer is peeved and rightfully so. The Bears have taken control of the NFC North.

9-1 Kansas City Chiefs @ 9-1 Los Angeles Rams 8:15 PM ET ESPN MNF

With the game in L.A., at least both teams won’t be gassed at the high altitude. Both of these offenses are tremendous. It is going to be a shootout. I could go through the weapons that both teams have, but you already know them and the list would be long. I’ll give the edge to the team with the better defense. That happens to be the home team and they may make the difference in a key stop late. Can this game live up to the hype? I sure hope so.

Prediction: Rams 41 Chiefs 38

Coming up Tuesday: MNF reaction, college football thoughts and more