CHICAGO (AP) — Justin Fields is collecting NFL records in his second season with the Chicago Bears. It just doesn’t mean all that much to him, not with all the losses piling up.
McCaffrey’s TD, stout D lead 49ers past Chargers 22-16
SANTA CLARA, Calif. (AP) — Christian McCaffrey ran for the go-ahead touchdown with 7:54 to play, and the San Francisco 49ers beat the Los Angeles Chargers 22-16 in their first game back from a bye week. The Niners returned from the midseason break as healthy as they’ve been all season on offense and with hopes of making a second-half run. Their performance against the short-handed Chargers was a slog at times but proved to be just enough to come out on top. San Francisco fell behind by 10 points in the second quarter before rallying. McCaffrey has now accounted for four touchdowns in three games since arriving from Carolina in a midseason trade.
In return to Green Bay, McCarthy’s 4th-down call goes wrong
GREEN BAY, Wis. (AP) — In his first game back in Green Bay as Dallas’ coach, Mike McCarthy didn’t exactly leave Packers fans pining for the good ol’ days. Instead, McCarthy made a crucial decision that backfired. He went for it on fourth-and-3 on the opening possession of overtime when he could have sent Brett Maher out to try a long, go-ahead field goal. The Cowboys were stopped, McCarthy’s former quarterback Aaron Rodgers led the Packers down the field, and Green Bay beat Dallas 31-28. McCarthy says he’s fine with the decision. He’s more upset about the penalties that led to that pivotal fourth down.
NFL: Bills’ catch vs Vikings should have been overturned
ORCHARD PARK, N.Y. (AP) — The Vikings beat the Bills in overtime. If not for an officiating mistake, they might have won in regulation. The NFL’s senior vice president of officiating acknowledged there was a breakdown in the instant replay process after a pivotal play late in Minnesota’s 33-30 win over Buffalo on Sunday. Walt Anderson told a pool reporter that Gabe Davis’ 20-yard reception along the sideline with 24 seconds left in regulation should have been reviewed before the Bills ran another play. Anderson says Davis didn’t secure the ball when he hit the ground and the pass should have been ruled incomplete.
Derek Carr’s emotions emerge after Raiders lose to Colts
LAS VEGAS (AP) — After nine frustrating years, Las Vegas Raiders quarterback Derek Carr is fed up. Carr became emotional after the Raiders squandered a fourth-quarter lead in a 25-20 loss to an Indianapolis Colts squad that is now under the direction of someone who had never coached an NFL game prior to Sunday. Carr paused. And then he wept. It was the Raiders’ third straight loss that dropped them to 2-7 – the second-worst record in the NFL. This wasn’t how the 2022 season was supposed to go under first-year coach Josh McDaniels, an offensive guru with six Super Bowl rings as an assistant with the New England Patriots, and with Carr’s best friend and college teammate wide receiver Davante Adams arriving from Green Bay.
Chiefs WR Smith-Schuster placed in concussion protocol
KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — Chiefs wide receiver JuJu Smith-Schuster was ruled out for the rest of Kansas City’s game against the Jaguars after a scary hit by Jacksonville safety Andre Cisco left him in the concussion protocol. Smith-Schuster was coming across the middle to catch a pass from Patrick Mahomes when Cisco hit him high, drawing flags from the officials. Smith-Schuster was left motionless on the turf with his hands momentarily frozen in a scene reminiscent of the concussion sustained by Dolphins quarterback Tua Tagovailoa earlier this season.
