- Philadelphia radio station Q102 punts Taylor Swift off weekend playlist ahead of Eagles- Kansas City Chiefs MNF game WPVI-TV
- Why Donna Kelce doubts Taylor Swift will attend Travis’ Chiefs vs. Eagles game Page Six
- Taylor Swift’s Parents Are Expected to Meet Travis Kelce’s Mom and Dad at Kansas City Chiefs Game (Exclusive) Entertainment Tonight
- Who is Taylor Swift cheering for? Her hometown Eagles or Travis Kelce’s Chiefs The News Journal
- Will Taylor Swift show up to Chiefs – Eagles to cheer on Travis Kelce? 5 reasons the stars are aligning For The Win
- View Full Coverage on Google News
Tag Archives: MNF
NFL Week 16 odds, picks, schedule, how to watch, stream: Expert picks, best bets for Christmas Day and ‘MNF’
We are heading down the final stretch of the 2022 regular season and we already saw some incredible games Saturday in Week 16 (you can check out our grades here and also the latest look at the playoff picture). As we continue to enjoy the holiday weekend with three more games on Christmas Day and the Week 16 finale on Monday night, you won’t want to miss a second of the NFL action,
As we do every week, we’ve collected all of the best picks and gambling content from CBSSports.com and SportsLine and put them all in one place, so you can get picks against the spread from our CBS Sports experts as well as additional featured content for each game, including plays from top SportsLine experts and the SportsLine Projection Model, best bets from our staff and more.
All NFL odds via Caesars Sportsbook.
Which picks can you make with confidence in Week 16? And which Super Bowl contender goes down hard? Visit SportsLine, as its incredible model simulates every NFL game 10,000 times and is up more than $7,000 for $100 players on top-rated NFL picks since its inception.
Packers at Dolphins
Time: Sunday, 1 p.m. ET (Fox), stream on fuboTV (try for free)
Open: Dolphins -4
Current: Dolphins -3.5
Featured Game | Miami Dolphins vs. Green Bay Packers
“The Packers created some momentum for themselves with the prime-time win over the Los Angeles Rams. Now, they get a tough road test in Mike McDaniel’s Dolphins on Christmas Day.
“Miami has lost three straight, and Tua Tagovailoa hasn’t completed more than 57 percent of his passes during this losing streak. However, I was actually impressed with what I saw from the Dolphins against the Buffalo Bills last week. I thought the Dolphins would get blasted, but they covered the number on the road in cold, snowy conditions. Tagovailoa made some throws he wasn’t hitting in the past two losses, and then Raheem Mostert ran absolutely wild with 136 rushing yards.
“The Dolphins return to Miami for the first time in a month, where they are 5-1 SU and 4-2 ATS. I’ll take the Dolphins.” — CBS Sports gambling guru Jordan Dajani is laying the points and rolling with Miami as one of his bets bets for Week 16. To see the rest of his picks, click here.
Broncos at Rams
Time: Sunday, 4:30 p.m. ET (CBS/Nickelodeon), stream on Paramount+ (click here)
Open: Even
Current: Broncos -2.5
Featured Game | Los Angeles Rams vs. Denver Broncos
“This is a game many expected to be an important one, but instead it features two of the biggest disappointments of the year. Both teams have offensive issues. The Broncos have the better defense and Russell Wilson will be back. The Rams are also playing on a short week. But something says the Rams find a way to win it.” — CBS Sports Senior NFL analyst Pete Prisco on why he is taking the Rams to win by a touchdown over the Broncos.
Buccaneers at Cardinals
Time: Sunday, 8:20 p.m. ET (NBC), stream on fuboTV (try for free)
Open: Buccaneers -3
Current: Buccaneers -7.5
Featured Game | Arizona Cardinals vs. Tampa Bay Buccaneers
“So, the Buccaneers aren’t very good. They blew at 17-point lead to the Bengals last week while Tom Brady turned the ball over on four straight drives. At the same time, the Cardinals are not very good either. Without Kyler Murray, the Cardinals lost to Brett Rypien and the lowly Denver Broncos, 24-15.
“This game is in Arizona, which is bad for the Cardinals. They are 1-12 SU and 3-10 ATS in their last 13 home games, and Trace McSorley is in line to make his first career start with Colt McCoy in concussion protocol. The Buccaneers still have a one-game lead in the NFC South, and I’m just banking on Brady rebounding against a bad team late in the season.” — CBS Sports’ Jordan Dajani on why he is laying the 7.5 points with Tampa Bay against Arizona.
Chargers at Colts
Time: Monday, 8:15 p.m. ET (ESPN), stream on fuboTV (try for free)
Open: Chargers -2.5
Current: Chargers -4.5
Featured Game | Indianapolis Colts vs. Los Angeles Chargers
SportsLine expert R.J. White routinely crushes against-the-spread picks and went 445-378-24 on his ATS picks from 2017-21, which returned $2,542 to $100 players. He’s also an incredible 22-9-2 on his last 33 against-the-spread picks involving the Chargers, returning $1,193 for $100 bettors. Naturally, you’ll want to know which way he’s leaning with this primetime matchup with Los Angeles. We can tell you he’s leaning Under the total, but he knows a crucial X-factor makes one side of the spread a must-back! To see what that is, go check out SportsLine.
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NFL Week 8 grades: Broncos get an ‘A-‘ for saving their season in London, Bengals get an ‘F’ for MNF disaster
Maybe the Broncos should consider moving all of their games to London.
Through the first seven weeks of the season, the Broncos offense has mostly looked helpless, but that changed on Sunday in England. In a game against the Jaguars, Denver lit up the scoreboard with three touchdowns in a 21-17 win. Scoring three touchdowns doesn’t usually qualify as lighting up the scoreboard, but it does when you’re a Broncos team who went into this week’s game as the lowest-scoring offense in the NFL.
So why was Denver finally able to find some success on offense? The biggest reason is that Russell Wilson finally started playing like the Russell Wilson the Broncos thought they were getting when they made a blockbuster trade for the QB back in March.
Wilson’s ability to throw the ball accurately downfield is one reason why he’s been so successful in his career and he showed off that ability against the Jaguars. One of Wilson’s best throws of the day came in the third quarter when he hit Greg Dulcich with a 38-yard pass that traveled 30 yards in the air.
That throw came on a 92-yard scoring drive where Wilson went 5 of 5 for 88 yards. Wilson seemed to have a great connection with Dulcich, who caught three of the passes on the drive for 78 yards. That touchdown put the Broncos ahead 14-10, but it was a lead they would lose late in the fourth quarter after a one-yard run by Travis Etienne with just 3:54 left to play.
At that point, the Broncos went back out on the field and it felt like their season was on the line, but Wilson didn’t seem too bothered by the pressure. On the first play of the drive, Wilson arguably saved Denver’s season with 47-yard pass to K.J. Hamler.
Six plays later, Latavius Murray would score the game-winning touchdown from one-yard out.
Another reason why the Broncos offense was so good is because it was unstoppable in the red zone. Going into Week 8, Denver had the WORST red zone offense in the NFL, scoring a touchdown on just 23.5% of their red zone trips (To put that in perspective, every other team in the NFL was converting at least 35% of their red zone trips into touchdowns heading into Week 8).
In this game, the Broncos went a perfect 3-for-3 in the red zone and a big reason is because Nathaniel Hackett actually showed some creativity. Denver’s first touchdown of the game came on a six-yard catch by Jerry Jeudy that seemed to catch the Jaguars off-guard.
The Broncos offense was by no means perfect on the day. As a matter of fact, it looked like it was going to be another nightmare game for the unit early on. On the Broncos’ first four possessions, they punted three times without getting a single first down and Wilson also threw an interception. Earlier in the season, that probably would have been enough to start a full collapse, but this time around, the offense was able to rebound.
On those first four possessions, Wilson was just 2 of 6 for 19 yards and an interception, but after that, he went 16 of 24 for 233 yards and a touchdown.
The Broncos have a playoff-caliber defense and if the offense continues to improve, this team could eventually sneak into the wild-card race.
Alright, let’s get to the grades for every game from Week 8. If you’re looking for a deeper dive on the Ravens’ win over the Buccaneers that was played on Thursday, be sure to click here.
Cleveland 32-13 over Cincinnati (Monday)
Bengals-Browns grades by John Breech (Love the grades? Hate the grades? Let him know on Twitter.)
Denver 21-17 over Jacksonville (London)
Broncos-Jaguars grades by John Breech (Love the grades? Hate the grades? Let him know on Twitter.)
Atlanta 37-34 over Carolina (OT)
Panthers-Falcons grades by John Breech (Love the grades? Hate the grades? Let him know on Twitter.)
Miami 31-27 over Detroit
Dolphins-Lions grades by John Breech (Love the grades? Hate the grades? Let him know on Twitter.)
Minnesota 34-26 over Arizona
Cardinals-Vikings grades by John Breech (Love the grades? Hate the grades? Let him know on Twitter.)
New Orleans 24-0 over Las Vegas
Raiders-Saints grades by John Breech (Love the grades? Hate the grades? Let him know on Twitter.)
Philadelphia 35-13 over Pittsburgh
Steelers-Eagles grades by Jeff Kerr (Love the grades? Hate the grades? Let him know on Twitter.)
New England 22-17 over N.Y. Jets
Patriots-Jets grades by Jordan Dajani (Love the grades? Hate the grades? Let him know on Twitter.)
Dallas 49-29 over Chicago
Bears-Cowboys grades by Garrett Podell (Love the grades? Hate the grades? Let him know on Twitter.)
Tennessee 17-10 over Houston
Titans-Texans grades by John Breech (Love the grades? Hate the grades? Let him know on Twitter.)
Washington 17-16 over Indianapolis
Commanders-Colts grades by John Breech (Love the grades? Hate the grades? Let him know on Twitter.)
San Francisco 31-14 over L.A. Rams
49ers-Rams grades by Bryan DeArdo (Love the grades? Hate the grades? Let him know on Twitter.)
Seattle 27-13 over N.Y. Giants
Giants-Seahawks grades by Cody Benjamin (Love the grades? Hate the grades? Let him know on Twitter.)
Buffalo 27-17 over Green Bay
Packers-Bills grades by John Breech (Love the grades? Hate the grades? Let him know on Twitter.)
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Patriots vs. Bears score: Justin Fields spoils Bailey Zappe’s return to lineup as Chicago rolls to ‘MNF’ upset
The Patriots entered “Monday Night Football” as 8.5-point favorites over the Bears, looking to win their third straight in Mac Jones’ return to the lineup following a three-game absence. They left with rookie Bailey Zappe back under center, and a Bill Belichick defense that got rolled over in the best performance of Justin Fields’ young Bears career. Despite Zappe’s entry briefly igniting the Gillette Stadium crowd along with New England’s passing attack, Fields stole the show at quarterback, headlining a multifaceted ground game as Chicago cruised to a 33-14 upset in prime time.
Jones, who was returning from a high-ankle sprain, made it not even a quarter and a half before Belichick benched him following an ugly second-quarter interception. But Zappe’s energy did only so much for the Pats after back-to-back scoring drives to start his night. New England didn’t log its 10th first down of the contest until deep into the fourth quarter, and three turnovers — a fumbled hand-off to Jakobi Meyers, and back-breaking interceptions to Roquan Smith and Kyler Gordon — allowed the Bears to literally run away with the win.
Here are some takeaways from Monday night’s big Bears upset:
Why the Bears won
They finally figured out how to put Fields in a position to win. Much like the Giants with Daniel Jones, Chicago allowed its young QB to lean on his legs, and the signal-caller did his part, showcasing extra effort and elite vision on designed carries to pace a rushing attack also featuring tough touches from David Montgomery and Khalil Herbert. In between, he hit just enough downfield shots, including a critical late one to tight end Cole Kmet, to keep the Patriots on their toes. The Bears, put it simply, are built to win old-school football, and on Monday, they permitted arguably their best athlete — the QB — to help them do just that.
Matt Eberflus’ defense also came up big for much of the night. Jaquan Brisker’s pick of Mac Jones forced New England’s QB change, and after the initial spark of Zappe, his unit honed in to basically eliminate the Pats’ typically forceful one-two punch of Rhamondre Stevenson and Damien Harris, who combined for just 40 yards going into the waning minutes of action. Roquan Smith’s heads-up play to pick off Zappe in the fourth all but sealed the deal, and Kyler Gordon’s own INT just rubbed it in.
Why the Patriots lost
Outside of Zappe’s first two drives in relief of Jones, who kept standing, helmeted, on the sidelines as if he were awaiting a momentary call to re-enter the matchup, they could not move the ball with any rhythm, nor could they stop the Bears’ three-headed ground game. The QB switch initially looked genius, with the rookie Zappe slinging it downfield with confidence and DeVante Parker making plays for the young signal-caller. But three-and-outs doomed the unit afterward, and by the end, Zappe’s command from the pocket had all but vanished; his errant picks erased any chance of a potential comeback. It didn’t help that the line couldn’t pave the way for any serious momentum from either Stevenson or Harris throughout the night.
Defensively, the Pats’ uninspiring night was perhaps even more surprising. Despite more flash from Matthew Judon (2.5 sacks) off the edge, they had no answers for keeping Fields contained once the QB broke outside the pocket. And their tackling left a bit to be desired in the red zone, where Montgomery and Herbert powered their way forward.
Turning point
Trailing 17-14 with just 1:32 left in the first half, the Patriots had a chance to reclaim the lead driving from their own 39. But a botched hand-off from Zappe to Meyers put the ball on the ground, and Justin Jones recovered to give Chicago a bonus possession. After a quick Fields strike to Darnell Mooney, the Bears extended their lead before the break on a field goal, and never looked back.
Play of the game
Fields and Khalil Herbert deserve props for their hand-eye coordination on a screen-pass TD through traffic, but Jaquan Brisker, the Bears’ rookie safety, showed serious hops and hands on his pick of Mac Jones early on:
What’s next
The Bears (3-4) will hit the road for a Week 8 showdown with the Cowboys (5-2), who edged the Lions in Dak Prescott’s first game back on Sunday. The Patriots (3-4), meanwhile, are now squarely at the cellar of the AFC East, and will be up against the surging Jets (5-2), who beat the Broncos for their fourth straight victory in Week 7.
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Dak Prescott throws football in ‘MNF’ warmups, hopes to be ready for Week 4 return vs. Commanders
Keep in mind that Dak Prescott isn’t a doctor.
That said, the Dallas Cowboys quarterback knows his own body and is optimistic for a return to the playing field next week against the Washington Commanders. This is per ESPN’s Lisa Salters, who spoke to Prescott prior to Monday’s game between the Cowboys and New York Giants.
Prescott showed Salters his surgically repaired right thumb prior to the game, which had stitches removed earlier Monday. Then, during warmups, he threw a football for the first time in public since breaking his thumb in the Cowboys’ season-opening loss to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
The initial reported prognosis had Prescott sidelined for 6-8 weeks, putting a massive damper on the Cowboys’ 2022 hopes. The timeline he gave Salters would place him on the field 3-5 weeks ahead of that schedule.
“He said it feels great,” Salters reported. “He was gonna go talk to the doctor right after and hopefully get the green light to start gripping and throwing the football again.
“When I asked him when he’s thinking he might be back, he said ‘a couple of weeks, and I’m counting this as one of them.'”
Salters then reported that when she asked for clarity about playing in Week 4, Prescott replied that he “isn’t ruling anything out.”
Prescott isn’t the first to predict an early return to the field. Team owner Jerry Jones — also not a doctor — floated Week 4 against the Commanders as a return date last week.
If Prescott returns next week or even in Week 5 against the Los Angeles Rams, it would amount to a boon for a Cowboys season many wrote off as lost after his thumb injury. Since then, backup quarterback Cooper Rush helmed an upset of the Cincinnati Bengals to ward off an 0-2 start and keep the Cowboys out of a deep hole to start the season. They won again on Monday against the Giants to improve to 2-1.
The Philadelphia Eagles have established themselves as the class of the NFC East and maybe the entire conference en route to a 3-0 start. But armed with a healthy Prescott under center and a talented defense anchored by Micah Parsons, the Cowboys could hold out hope of giving them a run.
If he’s back, save the date. The Eagles host the Cowboys on Oct. 16 in Week 6.
Monday Night Football: Philadelphia Eagles QB Jalen Hurts dominant in 24-7 win over Vikings
PHILADELPHIA — Jalen Hurts rolled to his right, scampered down the sideline and stutter-stepped to the 5-yard-line, where he was wrapped up by a defender with another in pursuit. Hurts twisted his body, lowered his head, dragged two defenders with him and powered his way in for an adrenaline-filled 26-yard touchdown run that about broke the game open.
Just maybe, or so the Eagles can hope, there are many more plays like that one ahead.
Hurts had 301 total yards in the first half in the breakout game of his young career, finishing with three total touchdowns as he led Philadelphia to a 24-7 win over the Minnesota Vikings on Monday night.
“Big-time performance on a big-time stage,” Eagles coach Nick Sirianni said.
Philadelphia Eagles quarterback Jalen Hurts (1) runs up field during the first half of an NFL football game against the Minnesota Vikings, Monday, Sept. 19, 2022, in Philadelphia.
AP Photo/Matt Rourke
Trying to prove he can play like the best franchise QBs in the NFL, Hurts looked downright unstoppable from the opening drive.
Hurts hit five receivers on 5-for-5 passing – highlighted by a 19-yard strike to A.J. Brown – and finished the drive himself with a 3-yard scoring run. In the opening win against Detroit, Hurts failed to complete a pass on five attempts and the Eagles turned the ball over on downs on the first drive of the game.
Turn the ball over on downs?
That seemed like just a rumor against the Vikings. The TD was just the liftoff for the 24-year-old Hurts throwing, running, imposing his will with all his available tools against a Vikings defense that could not solve him in his 21st career start. He finished with 333 yards passing and a touchdown, and 57 yards and two scores on the ground.
“Another outstanding performance. He threw some unbelievable balls. He made a lot of plays,” Eagles center Jason Kelce said. “This was a really great, well-rounded game for him.”
On the first play of the second quarter, Hurts connected with a wide-open Quez Watkins for a 53-yard TD and the 14-0 lead.
“It always comes with time and as time goes on, you find more comfort with what you’re doing,” Hurts said.
Darius Slay, who had two interceptions against a hapless Kirk Cousins, had called each of the Eagles’ trio of talented receivers Batman.
There was, Brown, the “swole” Batman who had five catches for 69 yards; DeVonta Smith was the “skinny” Batman who had seven for 80 yards; and Watkins was the “fast” Batman who had the burners on for the easy score (and 69 total yards receiving).
Why are they all Batman?
“No Robins. We’ve got no sidekicks,” Slay said.
Hurts dazzled with the 26-yard TD with 1:58 left in the half and Jake Elliott still had time to kick a 38-yarder and the Eagles took a 24-7 lead into halftime.
“I don’t think it matters how we score as long as we’re putting points on the board,” Hurts said.
In a Week 2 full of improbable comebacks, perhaps it wasn’t wise to count out the Vikings.
But Cousins and wide receiver Justin Jefferson – famously passed over by the Eagles in the 2020 draft – never got anything going of substance against the Eagles and maligned defensive coordinator Jonathan Gannon. Slay had his second interception of the game in the fourth quarter as the scoreboard soon flashed “Big Play Slay.”
“It felt at times, me included, like we pressed a little bit,” Vikings coach Kevin O’Connell said.
Hurts had 50 yards rushing and 251 yards passing in the first half. Cousins finished the game 27 for 46 for 221 yards and three interceptions. His lone TD was on a 2-yard pass to Irv Smith in the second quarter. Jefferson had six catches for 48 yards a week after he had 184 receiving yards and two TDs in a win against Green Bay.
“I take no matchup lightly, but he is one of the best in the world. I am one of the best in the world, too. I was looking forward to the matchup,” Slay said of Jefferson.
PHILLY CELEBS
Bryce Harper (wearing an Eagles hat), James Harden (who was handed the ball by Slay after his first interception) and Bradley Cooper (wearing an Allen Iverson T-shirt) were among the jam-packed and fight-song singing crowd at the Eagles’ home opener.
Harden was pumped with his souvenir, posting an Instagram photo of his left hand holding the ball with the caption “Gimme That!” The Philadelphia 76ers star snapped selfies with fans before he left late in the game.
Harden waited in the tunnel for Slay to autograph the football. Harden good-naturedly told Slay he should have had even more interceptions.
“He was shocked that I gave it to him,” said Slay, who noted he kept the ball from the second pick.
FAMILIAR RING
Dick Vermeil received his Hall of Fame ring at halftime. In his third season in Philadelphia, the coaching great led the Eagles to their first playoff appearance in 18 years. He guided the Eagles to their first Super Bowl appearance in the 1980 season only to lose to the Oakland Raiders, 27-10.
TRAINER’S ROOM
Vikings safety Harrison Smith was evaluated for a concussion.
UP NEXT
Vikings: Return home Sunday to play the Lions.
Eagles: Start a reunion tour Sunday when they head out to play the Washington Commanders and former QB Carson Wentz. The Eagles return home Sunday, Oct. 2 and play the Jacksonville Jaguars, led by coach Doug Pederson. Wentz and Pederson, of course, played pivotal roles in helping the Eagles win the Super Bowl after the 2017 season.
Copyright © 2022 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.
49ers Rumors: Former MNF Broadcaster Brian Griese Joining SF as QBs Coach | Bleacher Report
Mitchell Leff/Getty Images
The San Francisco 49ers are reportedly hiring former Monday Night Football analyst Brian Griese as their quarterbacks coach, according to ESPN’s Adam Schefter and Seth Wickersham.
Griese played quarterback for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers when 49ers head coach Kyle Shanahan was on the coaching staff.
Griese played college football at Michigan and was selected in the third round of the 1998 NFL draft by the Denver Broncos. He spent five seasons in Denver before going on to play for the Miami Dolphins, Buccaneers and Chicago Bears.
In 93 career games, he went 45-38, completing 62.7 percent of his passes for 19,440 yards and 119 touchdowns against 99 interceptions.
Griese played in Tampa from 2004-05 and ended his career as a member of the franchise in 2008. Shanahan was an offensive quality control coach for the Buccaneers from 2004-05 before joining the Houston Texans as a wide receivers coach in 2006.
Griese will now play a significant role in the development of 2021 third overall pick Trey Lance, who is expected to take over as San Francisco’s starting quarterback next season. Veteran signal-caller Jimmy Garoppolo is expected to be traded this offseason.
Lance, 21, appeared in six games for the 49ers in 2021, making two starts. He completed 57.7 percent of his passes for 603 yards and five touchdowns against two interceptions and rushed for 168 yards and a score.
Griese has never coached at any level, so his approach to coaching Lance should be fascinating to watch. He’s replacing Rich Scangarello, who took a new job as offensive coordinator for the University of Kentucky.
Griese’s departure from ESPN doesn’t come as a surprise following the company’s hiring of Troy Aikman, who will be in the booth for Monday Night Football.
MNF recap, Waiver Wire Adds and Empty the Bucket | Fantasy Focus Live! – ESPN
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Mike Tomlin, league back ‘MNF’ taunting flag
A day after a taunting flag played a role in the outcome of “Monday Night Football,” Pittsburgh Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin spoke out in support of the NFL’s new emphasis on penalizing infractions.
The NFL is likewise reportedly on board with the controversial penalty.
“We’re just trying to clean our game up,” Tomlin told reporters at his Tuesday news conference, per the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review. “We embrace the responsibility that comes with being the role models that we are. With this game being played at the highest level, we understand the people that play at a lower level watch us and often mimic the things we do and how we conduct ourselves.”
Tomlin, a member of the NFL’s competition committee, addressed the subject after a late taunting penalty against the Chicago Bears aided his Steelers in Monday’s 29-27 win. Inside the final four minutes of the game, Bears linebacker Cassius Marsh sacked Ben Roethlisberger on third-and-7. The result of the play would have led to a Steelers punt with Pittsburgh leading 23-20 and 3:16 remaining in regulation.
But referee Tony Corrente flagged Marsh for taunting, setting the Steelers up with a first down. They went on to kick a field goal on the drive that proved to be the decisive margin in Pittsburgh’s two-point win.
Marsh called out Corrente postgame
Marsh criticized Corrente for the penalty after the game.
“I think that one was bad timing,” Marsh told reporters. “It was pretty clear to everybody that saw it that I wasn’t taunting.”
He also said that Corrente intentionally “hip-checked” him as the two made contact right before Corrente threw the flag.
“I just think that was incredibly inappropriate,” Marsh said.
NFL reportedly backs Corrente’s decision to penalize Marsh
The penalty on Marsh was certainly not one that would have been called prior to the league’s 2021 emphasis on taunting. Marsh didn’t gesture at the Steelers or say anything directly or close to a Steelers player. That it played a role in the outcome of Monday’s game is the exact scenario critics of the emphasis have leveled since the NFL announced it in the preseason.
Corrente explained his decision to throw the flag to pool reporter Adam Hoge.
“First of all, keep in mind that taunting is a point of emphasis this year,” Corrente said. “And with that said, I saw the player, after he made a big play, run toward the bench area of the Pittsburgh Steelers and posture in such a way that I felt he was taunting them.”
On Tuesday, an NFL source backed Corrente’s decision while speaking with The Washington Post’s Mark Maske.
“The call was the definition of taunting, with the player gesturing toward the sideline and opponent,” the source said, per Maske.
NFL repeatedly backs controversial taunting calls
Citing NFLpenalties.com, the Tribune-Review reports that NFL officials have called 27 taunting penalties through nine weeks, almost tripling the total of 10 called the entire 2020 season. When taunting infractions have become stories this season, members of the NFL’s competition committee that draft the league’s rule proposals have repeatedly spoken out in support of the new emphasis, citing the league’s influence on lower levels of the game.
“Largely as a league, and the competition committee specifically, there was a desire to improve in that area,” Tomlin continued on Tuesday. “That has been expressed to our guys. We’ve been shown examples of that through team development, and we continue to reinforce that as examples in a negative way turn up during the course of this journey for us and for others.”
Washington Football Team head coach Ron Rivera is also on the competition committee. He’s likewise voiced his public support of the taunting emphasis amid blowback. He said in August that the league wants to shield children from witnessing taunting.
“Quite honestly, we don’t need the young people to see that,” Rivera said of the NFL’s definition of taunting in August. “We don’t want the Pop Warner, peewee football kids seeing us act like that.”
None of these explanations help the Bears in the standings. Marsh and the Bears are right to be upset with Monday’s call. But there’s nothing they can do about it.
This is what the NFL wants.
Giants’ upset bid falls short in ‘MNF’ loss to Chiefs
KANSAS CITY, Mo. — Prime time has not been kind to Daniel Jones and the Giants. It was cruel to them Monday night.
Locked in a taut battle with the Chiefs, the underdog Giants battled long into the evening, taking a lead early in the fourth quarter and threatening to dig Patrick Mahomes and his mates into a deeper hole than they already were in.
There was no upset, though, as the Giants and Jones could not take enough advantage of one of the worst defenses in the NFL and Mahomes, far from brilliant, was able to pick apart the Giants on a final drive that ended with Harrison Butker’s 34-yard field goal with 1:07 left and sent the Giants home with 20-17 loss at Arrowhead Stadium.
Jones tossed short touchdown passes to tight ends Kyle Rudolph and Evan Engram, but the Giants could not do enough with the ball in their hands to escape with a victory.
The Giants’ last-gasp offensive series was doomed, as they had no timeouts to work with and it ended with a whimper.
With the game tied at 17, the Chiefs (4-4) got a huge break when Mahomes was intercepted by Darnay Holmes, but Oshane Ximines was called for an offside penalty. There was also a questionable 15-yard facemask penalty on Tae Crowder after a 14-yard reception by Travis Kelce. A 24-yard shovel pass to speedy Mecole Hardman set up Butker’s game-winning kick, completing a nine-play, 53-yard drive.
The Giants are now 2-6 in what in every year since 1978 would have been midseason, before this year’s increase to a 17-game schedule. This means the Giants are on pace for a four- or five-win season, which would represent a disappointing backslide after they finished 6-10 in 2020, Joe Judge’s first year as head coach.
Jones dropped to 0-6 in his career in prime-time starts. He completed 22 of 32 passes for 222 yards and shook off an interception on his first pass. Mahomes (29 of 48, 275 yards) found Tyreek Hill 12 times for 94 yards and one touchdown.
Once again, the Giants are on a once-a-month win cycle. They went 0-for-September, beat the Saints in New Orleans in early October and beat the Panthers last week in late October.
The return of rookie Kadarius Toney (4-26) did not provide any fireworks and the Giants lost Sterling Shepard to another injury.
Down 14-10, the Giants were bending but not breaking on defense and came up with a key turnover when Logan Ryan yanked the ball loose from Travis Kelce. James Bradberry recovered the fumble and returned it 13 yards to the Giants’ 43-yard line. From there, Toney finally got cooking with catches for 11 and 6 yards and the Giants cashed in when Engram — yes, Evan Engram — crossed in front of safety Daniel Sorenson on a 5-yard touchdown reception, with Jones leading Engram the way he needed to be led. The Giants were ahead 17-14 with 14:53 remaining.
The lead did not last long, but this does not mean the Giants caved in on defense. They forced the Chiefs to need 14 plays to advance 57 yards, stiffened when Mahomes was sacked by Trent Harris — activated off the practice squad earlier in the day — to force a Butker field goal to make it 17-17.
The Chiefs got the ball at the start of the game and went to work, carving up the Giants with dinks and dunks and shovel passes. With the greatest of ease, the Chiefs marched to the Giants’ 5-yard line, got a bit too cute with their play-calling and then lost the ball when Mahomes fired too hard to Jerick McKinnon. The ball deflected up into the air and was intercepted in the end zone by a diving Julian Love. It was interception No. 10 for Mahomes and continued a confounding turnover pattern.
That burst of defensive opportunism was doused when Jones on his first pass of the night looked for Darius Slayton but never saw linebacker Willie Gay, who intercepted the ball and returned it to the Giants’ 13-yard line. Four plays later, Mahomes located Hill in the back of the end zone for a 7-0 Chiefs lead.
The Giants went three-and-out on their next possession but three straight Mahomes misfires got the ball back in the Giants’ hands. They got a huge boost from John Ross’s leaping grab against safety Daniel Sorenson for a 50-yard pickup. The next play was a bit of trickery, as Jones flipped to Toney and Toney fired 19 yards to Shepard. Soon enough, the Giants were on the Kansas City 1-yard line and Rudolph was breaking free for his first touchdown reception with the Giants — the first for any Giants tight end this season. That completed an 85-yard drive to pull the Giants even.
It became uneven when Derrick Gore started gashing the Giants in the ground game, finishing what he started with a 3-yard scoring run to make it 14-7.
A 41-yard gain on a screen pass by Devontae Booker — yes, Booker — got the Giants on the move again, but they stalled on the Kansas City 13-yard line and Graham Gano’s 23-yard field goal pulled the Giants within 14-10.