Three out of the four late afternoon/night games were total blowouts with both exceptional and poor quarterback play. The early Sunday (Nov. 19) NFL games were much more entertaining and featured several close games, including two that went into overtime.
Patriots (8-2) defeat Raiders (4-6) - 33-8
The Patriots and Raiders played this game in Mexico City, but New England performed like they were at home, dominating Oakland from start to finish. Tom Brady picked the Raiders’ defense apart on the first drive of the game, going 8-8 before hitting Dion Lewis on a 15-yard touchdown pass.
A little over halfway through the second quarter, Brady tossed for his second touchdown, finding Danny Amendola in the back of the end zone.
A field goal before the half extended the Patriots lead to 17-0 and another touchdown to open the third quarter made the score 24-0. Brady bombed this throw to receiver Brandin Cooks.
New England would kick two more field goals before the Raiders put points on the board. Oakland quarterback Derek Carr threw a nine-yard touchdown pass to Amari Cooper to prevent the shutout. The Patriots tacked on a final field goal to secure the 25-point win. Brady finished 30-37 for 339 yards and three touchdowns.
Chargers (4-6) defeat Bills (5-5) - 54-24
Bills coach Sean McDermott benched starting quarterback Tyrod Taylor this week following two straight losses, choosing to go with rookie Nathan Peterman.
To say that moved proved to be an absolute disaster would be an understatement. The new quarterback, Peterman, threw for five interceptions in the first half (Yes, five picks!) as the Chargers jumped out to a 37-7 halftime lead.
A fumble recovery returned for a touchdown by Chargers’ linebacker Melvin Ingram put San Diego up by as much as 37 points in the third quarter.
Tyrod Taylor relived Peterman and started the second half for Buffalo, passing for 158 yards and a touchdown. Chargers' quarterback Phillip Rivers threw for 251 yards and two touchdowns. Keenan Allen was on the receiving end for 159 of those yards and both scores.
Bengals (4-6) defeat Broncos (3-7) - 20-17
Denver blocked a Cincinnati punt in the first quarter, but the Broncos’ failed to take advantage of the early turnover.
On the following possession, Quarterback Brock Osweiler threw an awful red zone interception that was returned 87 yards to the one-yard line.
A few plays later, Bengals’ quarterback Andy Dalton found tight end Tyler Kroft for a score; the extra point was missed. Osweiler rebounded from the pick to lead Denver on a 14-play, 79-yard drive that culminated in a C.J. Anderson touchdown run. Cincinnati answered on their next possession, going 75 yards in seven plays to reclaim a 13-7 halftime lead.
A Broncos field goal cut the lead to three in the third quarter, but C.J. Anderson fumbled on Denver’s next possession. That turnover resulted in Dalton hitting A.J. Green for an 18-yard touchdown, pushing the lead to 20-10.
Denver reduced that margin down to three when Demaryius Thomas hauled in a 17-yard toss from Osweiler. A Cincinnati punt gave the Broncos a chance to tie the game or go ahead, but an incomplete Osweiler pass on fourth and four turned-the-ball-over on downs. Dalton threw for 154 yards and three touchdowns. After starting the season 3-1, the Broncos have lost six games in a row.
Eagles (9-1) defeat Cowboys (5-5) - 37-9
If Cowboys’ fans thought last Sunday’s (Nov. 12) game was a disaster, then this one at home against the Eagles has to be incredibly painful. With Ezekiel Elliott serving the second of his six-game suspension, the entire Dallas offense has stopped functioning (an injury to left tackle Tyron Smith is also a major factor).
However, the game didn’t start off awful for Dallas. A 61-yard return on the opening kickoff put the Cowboys immediately in field goal range. But after a successful kick, Philadelphia responded by going on an eight-play, 75-yard drive to score the first touchdown of the game. Another Dallas field goal cut the lead to one and a third kick through the uprights actually gave the Cowboys a 9-7 halftime lead.
Everything fell apart for Dallas in the third quarter. The Eagles' offense scored touchdowns on their first, second, and third possessions of the second half. A Philadelphia fumble return for a score extended the lead to 37-7, meaning the Eagles scored 30 points unanswered. Philadelphia quarterback Carson Wentz threw for 168 yards and two touchdowns. Cowboys’ quarterback Dak Prescott contributed to all four Dallas turnovers (three interceptions and a fumble).
