NFL
The Times, Gainesville, Georgia | gainesvilletimes.com
Monday, November 12, 2018 3B
SCOREBOARD
Titans get to Brady, Patriots
Tennessee sacks New England
three times in 34-10 win
Associated Press
JAMES KENNEY I Associated Press
Tennessee Titans cornerback Logan Ryan (26) is congratulated after
sacking New England Patriots quarterback Tom Brady (12) in the first
half of Sunday’s game in Nashville, Tennessee.
Tom Brady added another
big chunk of NFL history to his
resume. The Tennessee Titans
made sure the Patriots quarter
back didn’t finish his 300th game.
The Titans sacked Brady
three times and hit him repeat
edly as they beat New England
34-10 Sunday, snapping a seven-
game skid against the Patriots
in Mike Vrabel’s first game as
head coach against the team he
helped win three Super Bowls.
It was the most sacks allowed
in a game this season by the
Patriots (7-3), and coach Bill
Belichick pulled Brady for Brian
Hoyer midway through the
fourth quarter.
Only Brett Favre (326) has
played in more games, both
regular season and postseason,
as a quarterback than Brady.
The three-time NFL MVP also
needed only three touchdown
passes to tie Peyton Manning
(579) for the NFL record for
most TD passes all time for both
the regular season and postsea
son. He left having thrown for
254 yards and no TD passes.
Marcus Mariota capped each
of the first two drives with TD
passes, and Derrick Henry ran
for a pair of TDs. Ryan Succop
also added two field goals as the
Titans (5-4) scored a season high
in points after jumping to a 17-3
lead in the first quarter. They
now have beaten both of last
season’s Super Bowl teams in
Nashville.
The loss snaps a six-game win
ning streak going into New Eng
land’s bye. The Patriots, who
routed the Titans 35-14 in Janu
ary, also lost to Tennessee for the
first time since Dec. 16,2002.
SAINTS 51, BENGALS 14:
Drew Brees threw three touch
down passes in the first half,
moving ahead of Brett Favre
for second place on the career
list, and the Saints rolled to their
eighth straight victory.
Brees led the Saints to touch
downs on all five first-half
possessions with a nearly per
fect performance — only two
incompletions. His 17-yard TD
to Michael Thomas with 2 sec
onds left in the half gave him 509
career touchdown passes, one
more than Favre.
Up next: Peyton Manning’s
record 539.
Brees had his way with the
Bengals’ historically bad defense
, even diving over the pile to
score a 1-yard touchdown. Cin
cinnati (5-4) became the first
team in the Super Bowl era to
give up 500 yards in three con
secutive games; New Orleans
finished with 509.
The Bengals matched the most
lopsided defeat in franchise his
tory and gave up the second-most
points in club history. In the first
half alone, the Saints piled up 311
yards and had 21 first downs on
40 plays.
Brees was 18 of 20 for 214
yards with three touchdowns.
Mark Ingram and Alvin
Kamara recognized Dez Bry
ant by crossing their arms after
scoring touchdowns. The former
Cowboys receiver signed with
the Saints on Wednesday but tore
an Achilles tendon in his second
practice.
CHIEFS 26, CARDINALS
14: Patrick Mahomes threw for
249 yards and two touchdowns,
outplaying Arizona counterpart
Josh Rosen in a matchup of
two of the NFL’s bright young
quarterbacks.
Mahomes threw both TD
passes to Tyreek Hill, the sec
ond giving the Chiefs’ first-year
starter 31 for the season. That
broke the franchise record set
by Len Dawson in 1964 — with
plenty of games to go.
Not to mention the playoffs,
with the Chiefs (9-1) barreling
toward the No. 1 seed.
Rosen had 195 yards passing
with a touchdown and two picks,
taking several brutal hits in the
fourth quarter. David Johnson
ran for 98 yards, with TDs on
the ground and through the air,
while Larry Fitzgerald passed
Terrell Owens for No. 2 on the
NFL’s career receiving yardage
list late in the game.
Fitzgerald finished with six
catches for 50 yards to give him
15,952 for his brilliant career.
Hill had seven catches for
117 yards, and Kareem Hunt
pounded his way for 71 yards
rushing, as the Chiefs kept the
Cardinals (2-7) winless in six
meetings at Arrowhead Stadium.
BEARS 34, LIONS 22: Mitchell
Trubisky threw for 355 yards and
three touchdowns, and the NFC
North-leading Bears snapped a
10-game losing streak against
division opponents.
The Bears (6-3) had dropped
nine of 10 against Detroit (3-6)
and were seeking their first
victory over a division oppo
nent since Oct. 31, 2016, against
Minnesota.
Chicago jumped to a 26-7 half
time lead with Trubisky and
Allen Robinson leading the way.
And the Bears surpassed their
win total from last year with
their third straight victory.
Trubisky completed 23 of 30
passes against a short-handed
secondary, with standout corner-
back Darius Slay sidelined by a
knee injury.
Allen Robinson caught six
passes for 133 yards and two TDs
after missing two games with a
groin injury.
Rookie Anthony Miller added
a career-high 122 yards on five
receptions, including a 45-yard
TD and a 55-yard catch.
Khalil Mack had two of Chi
cago’s six sacks against Matthew
Stafford — both in the second
half after missing back-to-back
games with an injured right
ankle.
REDSKINS 16, BUCCA
NEERS 3: Alex Smith threw for
178 yards and one touchdown,
and Dustin Hopkins kicked three
field goals for the Redskins (6-3),
who forced four turnovers and
rebounded from a lopsided loss
to Atlanta despite playing with a
makeshift offensive line because
of mounting injuries.
Smith, who was 19 of 27 with
no interceptions, threw 6 yards
to Josh Doctson for the game’s
only touchdown early in the
fourth quarter. Hopkins kicked
field goals of 43,43 and 26 yards,
the last set up by Greg Stroman’s
fourth-quarter interception and
24-yard return to the Bucs 14.
Ryan Fitzpatrick threw for
403 yards for Tampa Bay (3-6),
but was intercepted twice and
lost a fumble on a sack inside the
Washington 10.
The Bucs, who’ve lost three
in a row and six of seven follow
ing a 2-0 start, failed to force a
turnover on defense for the sixth
straight game.
The Redskins were outgained
279 yards to 136 in the first two
quarters, yet led 6-3 at halftime
after getting two field goals from
Hopkins.
COLTS 29, JAGUARS 26:
Andrew Luck threw three touch
down passes in the first half and
the Colts’ defense forced a late
turnover. Indy (4-5) has won
three straight.
Tight end Eric Ebron had a
career-high three touchdowns,
including one on a 2-yard run, all
in the first half.
Blake Bortles threw for 319
yards and two TDs, but the Jag
uars (3-6) came up short when
Kenny Moore III stripped the
ball from Rashad Greene Sr. and
Malik Hooker recovered for the
Colts with 1:24 to go. Initially,
Greene was ruled down by con
tact, but it was overturned on a
replay review from the booth.
Jacksonville, last year’s AFC
runner-up, has lost five straight
and six of seven since starting
2-0.
Luck took full advantage of
mismatches in the first half as
the Jaguars struggled to cover
Indy’s tight ends.
Ebron, Jack Doyle and Mo
Alie-Cox teamed up to catch
eight passes for 133 yards and
all three scores. Luck wound up
21 of 29 with 285 yards and one
interception but avoided being
sacked for the fourth consecu
tive game — the longest stretch
of his pro career.
BILLS 41, JETS 10: Matt Bark
ley stunningly sparked Buffalo’s
bumbling offense with two touch
down passes, including one to
offensive tackle Dion Dawkins.
LeSean McCoy broke out of a
season-long slump with 113 yards
rushing and a pair of TD runs.
Barkley made his first start in
nearly two years, and looked the
best of any of the four quarter
backs the Bills (3-7) have trotted
out this season. The 28-year-old
journeyman was 15 of 25 for 232
yards while helping Buffalo snap
a four-game losing streak as the
Bills put up 451 yards of total
offense.
Barkley got the nod from
coach Sean McDermott ahead of
the ineffective Nathan Peterman
despite having just two weeks of
practice with the Bills since sign
ing on Oct. 30. Rookie Josh Allen
has missed four straight games
with a sprained right elbow, and
Derek Anderson is sidelined with
a concussion. Barkley’s last start
came in the 2016 season finale
for Chicago.
Meanwhile, the hot seat under
coach Todd Bowles has reached
a boiling point as the Jets (3-7)
got completely manhandled by a
team that entered with a league-
low 96 points and had two touch
downs in its previous four games.
The Jets have a bye-week
break and the future of Bowles,
in his fourth season, is in serious
doubt.
New York started 39-year-
old Josh McCown in place of
injured rookie Sam Darnold,
but he couldn’t prevent the Jets
from their fourth straight loss in
front of a frustrated fan base that
booed lustily throughout.
McCown was 17 of 34 for 135
yards with two interceptions.
CHARGERS 20, RAIDERS 6:
Philip Rivers threw two touch
down passes, Melvin Gordon
gained 165 yards and the Los
Angeles Chargers won their sixth
straight game over the struggling
Oakland Raiders on Sunday.
Rivers bounced back from a
first quarter with no completions
to throw an 11-yard TD pass to
Keenan Allen in the second quar
ter to give the Chargers (7-2) the
lead for good and a 66-yarder to
Gordon on the opening drive of
the second half.
Los Angeles coasted from
there against the Raiders (1-8),
who have lost five straight games
by at least 14 points under coach
Jon Gruden and have been out-
scored 75-9 in the past nine quar
ters in what has quickly become
a lost season.
Oakland started quickly by
controlling the ball for 23 of 29
plays in the first quarter and
outgaining the Chargers by 129
yards. But Los Angeles allowed
little after Melvin Ingram forced
a fumble on a sack of Derek Carr
early in the second quarter with
the Raiders looking to add to a
3-0 lead.
Rivers found his stride after
that, leading the Chargers to a
field goal and then engineer
ing a 91-yard drive at the end of
the half that was capped by the
throw to Allen in the front corner
of the end zone.
PACKERS 31, DOLPHINS 12:
Aaron Jones ran for career highs
of 145 yards and two scores,
Aaron Rodgers and Davante
Adams connected for two touch
down passes and the Green Bay
Packers beat the Miami Dol
phins on Sunday.
The Packers (4-4-1) pulled
away in the second half, sand
wiching scoring drives around
cornerback Bashaud Breeland’s
interception deep in Miami ter
ritory. Green Bay went ahead
28-12 on Adams’ 25-yard touch
down catch with 7:24 left in the
third quarter.
Maybe this is the game that
will get the Packers going in the
tight NFC North race following
a choppy first half of the season.
RAMS 36, SEAHAWKS 31:
Brandin Cooks rushed for a
9-yard touchdown with 5:49 to
play on the first snap after Dante
Fowler forced and recovered a
fumble by Russell Wilson, and
the Los Angeles Rams bounced
back from their first loss of the
season with a victory over the
Seattle Seahawks on Sunday.
Jared Goff passed for 318
yards and two touchdowns, and
Todd Gurley rushed for 120
yards and a score as the Rams
(9-1) swept the season series with
their division rivals.
Los Angeles moved into com
manding position for its second
consecutive NFC West title, but
only after plenty of late drama in
a rivalry that’s never lacking in
excitement.
Wilson threw three touchdown
passes, rushed for 92 yards and
nearly rallied the Seahawks (4-5)
all the way back after his fumble.
He hit Mike Davis for a short
TD catch to cap a 90-yard drive
with 1:56 to play.
Standings
AMERICAN CONFERENCE
East
W
L
T
Pet
PF
PA
New England
7
3
0
.700
280
236
Miami
5
5
0
.500
199
256
Buffalo
3
7
0
.300
137
251
N.Y. Jets
3
7
0
South
.300
208
254
W
L
T
Pet
PF
PA
Houston
6
3
0
.667
216
184
Tennessee
5
4
0
.556
168
151
Indianapolis
4
5
0
.444
260
239
Jacksonville
3
6
0
North
.333
160
199
W
L
T
Pet
PF
PA
Pittsburgh
6
2
1
.722
279
209
Cincinnati
5
4
0
.556
235
288
Baltimore
4
5
0
.444
213
160
Cleveland
3
6
1
West
.350
218
263
W
L
T
Pet
PF
PA
Kansas City
9
1
0
.900
353
240
L.A. Chargers
7
2
0
.778
240
186
Denver
3
6
0
.333
205
213
Oakland
1
8
0
.111
147
272
NATIONAL CONFERENCE
East
W
L
T
Pet
PF
PA
Washington
6
3
0
.667
176
175
Philadelphia
4
4
0
.500
178
156
Dallas
3
5
0
.375
154
151
N.Y. Giants
1
7
0
South
.125
150
205
W
L
T
Pet
PF
PA
New Orleans
8
1
0
.889
330
232
Carolina
6
3
0
.667
241
232
Atlanta
4
5
0
.444
244
254
Tampa Bay
3
6
0
North
.333
232
291
W
L
T
Pet
PF
PA
Chicago
6
3
0
.667
269
175
Minnesota
5
3
1
.611
221
204
Green Bay
4
4
1
.500
223
216
Detroit
3
6
0
West
.333
202
244
W
L
T
Pet
PF
PA
L.A. Rams
9
1
0
.900
335
231
Seattle
4
5
0
.444
219
192
Arizona
2
7
0
.222
124
225
San Francisco
2
7 0 .222
Thursday’s Games
207
239
Pittsburgh 52, Carolina 21
Sunday’s Games
New Orleans 51, Cincinnati 14
Cleveland 28, Atlanta 16
Kansas City 26, Arizona 14
Tennessee 34, New England 10
Washington 16, Tampa Bay 3
Indianapolis 29, Jacksonville 26
Buffalo 41, N.Y. Jets 10
Chicago 34, Detroit 22
L.A. Chargers 20, Oakland 6
Green Bay 31, Miami 12
L.A. Rams 36, Seattle 31
Dallas at Philadelphia,late
Open: Minnesota, Denver, Baltimore, Houston
Today’s Games
N.Y. Giants at San Francisco, 8:15 p.m.
Associated Press
Career field goal leaders
1. x-Adam Vinatieri
FGs
573
2. Morten Andersen
565
3. Gary Anderson
538
4. Jason Hanson
495
5. John Carney
478
6. Matt Stover
471
7. John Kasay
461
8. x-Phil Dawson
440
9. Jason Elam
436
10. x-Sebastien Janikowski
424
Career point leaders
Points
1. x-Adam Vinatieri, 1996-2018 2,554
2. Morten Andersen, 1982-2007 2,544
3. Gary Anderson, 1982-2004 2,434
4. Jason Hanson, 1992-2012 2,150
5. John Carney, 1988-2010 2,062
6. Matt Stover, 1991 -2009 2,004
7. George Blanda, 1949-75 2,002
8. Jason Elam, 1993-2009 1,983
9. John Kasay, 1991-2011 1,970
10. x-Sebastian Janikowski, 2000-18 1,856
11. x-Phil Dawson, 1999-2018 1,845
Associated Press
Azteca Stadium in poor
shape ahead of game
The abused hybrid grass of Azteca
Stadium is generating concerns for its
poor condition a week before it hosts
an NFL regular-season game between
the Los Angeles Rams and Kansas City
Chiefs.
Last May, stadium authorities
changed the surface from natural to
hybrid. But the intense activity in the
last few months has prevented the grass
from reaching an optimum state.
“The field is not in the best condi
tion and that concerns me for the next
tournament,” said Cruz Azul*s coach,
Pedro Caixinha. “We all know that it*s
not right, that it has not been right and
that it will not be all right, but those are
the circumstances, and if we can help,
we will do it”.
Cruz Azul and America are the local
teams playing in Azteca.
“We are working closely with the
field manager at Azteca Stadium and
others to ensure that we have an NFL
quality surface for our game,” NFL
spokesman Michael Signora told The
Associated Press on Sunday.
Caixinha spoke Saturday after Cruz
Azul beat Lobos in the 16th round of the
Apertura tournament despite playing
on a surface in bad shape, especially
on the north side, where a concert took
place last Wednesday.
On Aug. 16, stadium authorities
admitted that the field was not in good
shape and promised to improve it
shortly. By September, the hybrid grass
showed progress for a match between
Cruz Azul and Atlas, but it regressed in
October. A couple of concerts by the
Colombian singer Shakira caused dam
age and it has not improved since.
Associated Press
RON SCHWANE I Associated Press
Cleveland Browns linebacker Jamie Collins (51) recovers a fumble as
Atlanta Falcons offensive tackle Jake Matthews (70) makes the tackle in
the second half of Sunday’s game in Cleveland.
FALCONS
■ Continued from 1B
stopped inches short of the goal
line.
“I told the team I thought we
took a step back,” said Falcons
coach Dan Quinn. “That’s tough
to see and tough to say. I also told
them we must regroup. We’re try
ing to fight for consistency, and
we certainly made improvement
over the last three weeks, and we
didn’t get the job done.”
JULIO MILESTONE: One of
the few positives for the Falcons
was receiver Julio Jones, who
had 107 yards and became the
fastest player to reach 10,000
with a 30-yard catch in the second
quarter. Jones reached the 10,000-
yard plateau in his 104th game, 11
quicker than Calvin Johnson.
“He’s amazing,” Ryan said of
Jones. “He’s a unique and special
player. He’s as talented as any
player probably that has ever
played. His skillset is phenom
enal. He works extremely hard.”
WISHBONE WISH: Kitchens
joked earlier in the week he might
bring back the “wishbone” — a
three-back formation popular
with college teams in the 1970s.
And sure enough, the Browns
used a variation of the wishbone
on several plays.
“It was something, wasn’t it?”
Mayfield said, drawing laughter.
“It is something different. We
threw a different look. We moved
the ball well. It was just a thing to
switch up the tempo, and I think it
was great for our offense.”
STRANGE CALL: While May-
field was sublime in the first
half, the Browns did have one
interception.
Running back Dontrell Hill
iard took a pitch and threw an
ill-advised pass back toward May-
field, who was well covered and
the ball was picked by Falcons
safety Damonte Kazee, who leads
the league with five interceptions.
Browns 28, Falcons 16
Atlanta 0 10 0 6—16
Cleveland 7 7 14 0—28
First Quarter
Cle—Higgins 28 pass from Mayfield (Joseph kick), 4:36.
Second Quarter
Atl—FG Tavecchio 40,12:18.
Atl—Jones 1 pass from Ryan (Tavecchio kick), 5:04.
Cle—Chubb 13 pass from Mayfield (Joseph kick), :55.
Third Quarter
Cle—Johnson 11 pass from Mayfield (Joseph kick), 10:27.
Cle—Chubb 92 run (Joseph kick), 8:45.
Fourth Quarter
Atl—Hooper 3 pass from Ryan (pass failed), 4:24.
A—62,144.
Atl
Cle
First downs
25
19
Total Net Yards
382
427
Rushes-yards
19-71
29-211
Passing
311
216
Punt Returns
1-5
1-6
Kickoff Returns
2-42
4-69
Interceptions Ret.
1-33
0-0
Comp-Att-Int
38-52-0
17-21-'
Sacked-Yards Lost
2-19
0-0
Punts
3-39.3
4-46.8
Fumbles-Lost
4-2
1-0
Penalties-Yards
1-5
7-38
Time of Possession
31:23
28:37
INDIVIDUAL STATISTICS
RUSHING—Atlanta, Coleman 11-44, Ryan 3-13, I.Smith
4-11, Ridley 1-3. Cleveland, Chubb 20-176, Mayfield 6-20,
Johnson 3-15.
PASSING—Atlanta, Ryan 38-52-0-330. Cleveland, Mayfield
17-20-0-216, Hilliard 0-1-1-0.
RECEIVING—Atlanta, Hooper 10-56, Jones 7-107, Sanu 6-47,
I.Smith 4-15, Ridley 3-37, Coleman 3-19, Paulsen 2-13, Saubert
1-17, Hall 1-12, Hardy 1-7. Cleveland, Johnson 4-31, Chubb
3-33, Callaway 2-39, Perriman 2-33, Landry 2-22, Higgins 1-28,
Njoku 1-18, Hilliard 1-6, Charles 1-6.
MISSED FIELD GOALS—None.
Associated Press
