Baltimore Ravens quarterback Lamar Jackson pulled off such a convincing fake on the game-winning play Sunday, it even fooled the FOX broadcast.
The Ravens were on their heels a bit during the fourth quarter of Sunday’s game against the Dallas Cowboys at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Tx. After holding a 28-6 lead at one point, the Cowboys had mounted a furious comeback to get the game to within 28-25. The Ravens faced second and nine from their own 35 at the two-minute warning with the knowledge that Dallas would have at least one more brief possession unless they could pick up a first down.
The Ravens opted for what initially looked like a jet sweep, but was actually an option play for Jackson. Jackson chose to keep the ball and run with it, but the fake on the jet sweep was so convincing that even FOX broadcaster Kevin Burkhardt fell for it initially.
The Cowboys also fell for the fake, with several defenders getting caught going right while Jackson ran for the hole that opened up in the middle of the defense. He was able to pick up the first down and effectively end the game as a result. That was the right call, as Cowboys safety Donovan Wilson had the jet sweep blown up had Jackson handed it off to Zay Flowers.
The Ravens finally got their first win of the season, while the Cowboys dropped to 1-2. Their fourth quarter comeback made the scoreline less embarrassing, but this will definitely prompt something of a crisis in Dallas. There may have already been one after last week.
Jul 21, 2022; Charlotte, NC, USA; North Carolina head coach Mack Brown talks to the media during the second day of ACC Media Days at the Westin Hotel in Charlotte, NC. Mandatory Credit: Jim Dedmon-USA TODAY Sports
North Carolina coach Mack Brown had to clean up remarks he made in which he essentially suggested he would consider resigning as coach after a bad loss to James Madison.
Brown on Saturday told ESPN’s Chris Low that he would not be resigning as head coach after the team’s 70-50 defeat. Brown sparked that speculation himself, as he reportedly told his players that he was willing to quit his job if it would help the team.
Brown did not deny that he made the comments, but made clear that he would be back to work on Monday. He added that he simply told an emotional locker room that he blamed himself for the performance and would step away if he could not fix it.
Brown’s message is well-intentioned, but it does not exactly instill confidence. While the team is 3-1, giving up 70 at home to James Madison was enough to essentially send the program into a state of crisis. Their rivalry game at Duke next week suddenly feels a lot more important.
JJ Watt surprised his brother, TJ, with a cool gift on Sunday.
JJ serves as an analyst for CBS’ NFL coverage on Sundays. CBS was airing the Pittsburgh Steelers-Los Angeles Chargers game, and TJ agreed to do an interview with JJ prior to the game.
TJ was not too happy about doing the interview because he preferred to focus on preparing for the game. But he agreed anyway, and he received a gift for his troubles.
JJ surprised TJ with a baby-sized Steelers jersey that said “DAD” on the back to recognize TJ’s announcement that his wife is pregnant. TJ appreciated the gift but did not like being distracted from the game.
“Thanks, man. I appreciate you trying to mess up my head space. I’m going to go back and lock in now,” TJ said.
Of course JJ used the opportunity to talk himself up and mention how well he did after his son Koa was born in late 2022. Watt had 12.5 sacks that season, which was his last in the NFL before he retired.
Despite the pregame distraction, TJ still had 3 tackles and a sack while leading his Steelers to a 20-10 win.
Tennessee Titans quarterback Will Levis (8) exits the field after the Titans lost in overtime to the Indianapolis Colts at Nissan Stadium in Nashville, Tenn., Sunday, Dec. 3, 2023. Photo credit: Denny Simmons / The Tennessean / USA TODAY NETWORK
Tennessee Titans coach Brian Callahan addressed whether Will Levis has done enough to remain the team’s starting quarterback.
Levis had his struggles against the Green Bay Packers during Sunday’s game at Nissan Stadium in Nashville, Tn. While he threw for 260 yards and two touchdowns, he was also intercepted twice, including a first quarter pick-six.
The Packers wound up winning 30-14, prompting questions for Callahan about whether Levis’ starting job is secure for Week 3.
“We gotta play better around him,” Callahan said. “I’m not going to overreact to an interception. Those things happen. Guys throw picks.”
That makes it sounds like Levis’ starting job is safe for now. While he is right that the team has yet to play a complete game around Levis, the turnovers have been a big problem, and one that Callahan sounded pretty fed up with last week. The frequency of them has also become an enormous concern.
Mason Rudolph is Levis’ backup, which may be one reason the team is not rushing to make a change. That said, losing Sunday’s game to a quarterback they let go of in Malik Willis has to sting.
The Miami Dolphins had another quarterback go down with an injury during their game against the Seattle Seahawks on Sunday.
Skylar Thompson suffered an injury midway through the third quarter while the Dolphins were trailing the Seahawks 17-3 at Lumen Field in Seattle, Wash. He was not hit all that hard on the play before he exited.
Thompson did appear shaken up after taking a big shot to the midsection earlier in the game:
Thompson was examined on the sideline before walking to the locker room under his own power. The Dolphins eventually ruled him out with a chest injury.
Thompson started in place of Tua Tagovailoa, who suffered another concussion in Week 2. Thompson went 13/19 for 107 yards prior to leaving the game. The former Kansas State star was replaced by Tim Boyle.
If Thompson’s injury is significant, the Dolphins will likely have to bring in a veteran. Tagovailoa is out for at least the next three weeks after Miami placed him on injured reserve.
The Detroit Lions got a big injury scare late in the first half of Sunday’s game against the Arizona Cardinals at State Farm Stadium in Glendale, Az.
Tight end Sam LaPorta was carted to the locker room just before halftime with an apparent leg injury. LaPorta was blocking on a touchdown play when his leg seemingly got rolled up on.
LaPorta had to be carted to the locker room.
Despite how bad things looked, LaPorta was back on the field for the second half.
The second-year tight end had two catches for 36 yards in Sunday’s game before his exit. He had gotten off to a relatively slow start this season, but was the team’s second-leading receiver in 2023 as a rookie.
The Arizona Cardinals may have been robbed of a crucial defensive touchdown in their game against the Detroit Lions on Sunday.
The Lions were leading 13-7 and had the ball at midfield with just over two minutes remaining in the first half at State Farm Stadium in Glendale, Ariz. Jared Goff took the snap on 3rd-and-12 and was hit as he threw, which caused the ball to pop into the air and land right into the hands of Cardinals linebacker Mack Wilson Sr.’s. Wilson returned the interception for a touchdown.
The touchdown did not count, as the play had already been blown dead. It was difficult to hear the whistles over the crowd noise, but the referees ruled that the Lions did not get the snap off before the clock hit 2:00. Replays showed otherwise, as Lions center Frank Ragnow appeared to snap the ball with 2:01 remaining.
Some players obviously heard the whistle, as they appeared to give up on the play. It is possible that the play would have gone a lot differently if the whistle hadn’t blown, but that probably will not make the Cardinals feel any better after they see the replay.
The Lions ended up picking up a first yard on the other side of the two-minute warning. They went on to score a touchdown on the drive, so the premature whistle bailed them out in a huge way.
BYU’s social media team shared an incredible post on X Saturday night after the football team’s dominant win over Kansas State.
The Cougars destroyed Kansas State 38-9 in a late-night game at LaVell Edwards Stadium in Provo, Utah. The win helped BYU improve to 4-0, while it dropped the Wildcats to 3-1. BYU took the opportunity to gloat over social media with a Taco Bell-themed post.
The post said “Live Más,” which is Taco Bell’s slogan.
Why the Taco Bell post? It’s all in response to what a Kansas State fan had posted on social media prior to the game.
On Wednesday, a Wildcats fan who goes by the name “Saint Bill Snyder” on X, declared “if Kstate loses to BYU I’ll shove a beefy 5 layer burrito up my a–.”
The post went viral, which explains BYU’s response.
The fan also had some fun with the situation in the time during and after the blowout.
Said fan even seemed to be making preparations to deliver on the declaration.
Let’s see if the fan pays off the bet.
Everyone was left wondering what one Cal Golden Bears football player was doing during his team’s game against Florida State on Saturday. FSU beat Cal 14-9 for their first win of the season.
The Seminoles had the ball at their 20 with over five minutes left in the fourth quarter. Cal linebacker Ryan McCulloch came through and appeared to have a free shot at FSU quarterback D.J. Uiagalelei. Rather than pursue Uiagalelei, McCulloch stopped and went the other direction.
The sudden reversal from McCulloch, especially when he had an open path to Uiagalelei, left many stunned.
So was McCulloch point shaving? Not at all. He probably thought that the reason he had an open shot at DJ was because the play was a screen, so he reversed direction to cover running back Lawrance Toafili. McCulloch was definitely thinking during the play. It was just so odd to see him change directions so quickly like a video game character, especially when he could have just kept going after Uiagalelei.
The Philadelphia Eagles came from behind to beat the New Orleans Saints on Sunday, but they lost another key player during the hard-fought victory.
Eagles wide receiver DeVonta Smith took a hard helmet-to-helmet hit from defensive tackle Khristian Boyd during the fourth quarter of Philadelphia’s 15-12 win over the Saints at Caesars Superdome in New Orleans, La. Smith caught a pass over the middle and was fighting for extra yards when Boyd came torpedoing in with a hit that many felt should have drawn a flag.
Smith’s helmet flew off and he seemed dazed as he laid on the turf for several seconds:
Smith was ruled out after the Eagles announced he was being evaluated for a concussion. That means he will now have to clear concussion protocol in order to have a chance of playing in Week 4.
Smith had 7 catches for 79 yards prior to exiting the game.
The Eagles were already shorthanded at wide receiver, as AJ Brown was inactive with a hamstring injury. Brown missed last week’s game against the Atlanta Falcons, and Philly lost 22-21.
Brown should have a chance to return next week when the Eagles take on the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. There is a chance, however, that Philadelphia could be without both Brown and Smith. That would make life extremely difficult for them on offense.
