Dak Prescott felt he had spiked the ball in time to get one more shot at a game-winning touchdown in a bizarre ending to their Wild Card round defeat to the San Francisco 49ers.
Prescott and a Cowboys offense that led the NFL in yards per game was frustrated by an excellent performance from San Francisco's defense as Dallas suffered a 23-17 upset loss.
In a rollercoaster finish, the 49ers appeared to have clinched the game with a fourth-down quarterback sneak from Jimmy Garoppolo, however, a false start penalty negated that play and allowed the Cowboys to gain possession with 32 seconds left.
They efficiently moved down to San Francisco's 41-yard line in three plays but the Cowboys then inexplicably called a quarterback run play with Prescott despite having no timeouts.
That set up a mad dash to spike the ball and prevent time from expiring, however, Prescott handed the ball to center Tyler Biadasz to spot the ball. NFL rules state the ball must be spotted by an official and umpire Ramon George ran in to do just that, colliding with Prescott and Biadasz in the process and leading to a delay that prevented Prescott from spiking it before the clock hit triple zeros, meaning a potential game-winning Hail Mary never came to fruition.
"I thought I did [spike the ball in time],” Prescott said. "I didn't hear what the ref said, what their announcement was. I just saw them running off the field and the Niners running on the field and celebrating, so understood what had happened.
"We were going to get some yards and get down and clock it. It's something we've practiced over and over again. Ran. Went and got some yards. Went down. As I was getting behind Tyler, saw four seconds left. I thought there was obviously time to make sure everybody was set, and then honestly, just got hit from behind. Still, when I got up [under center], I saw two seconds. I thought I could get the snap and get it down before time expired. I'm not sure what happened other than that."
In his pool report after the game, referee Alex Kemp insisted umpire George had done everything correctly in spotting the ball.
Prescott added: "We've practiced it. You hand it to the center. The umpire, all he has to do is usually come in and tap the ball. Yeah, I mean, don't necessarily know exactly why the hit happened, I guess. I knew he was going to come in and touch the ball. You can say, yeah, he needs to be closer to the ball or whatever. In hindsight, just tough. Yeah, tough to accept.”
"I'd like to get a play off, knowing everything that happened, thinking that I spiked the ball in time,” Prescott said. "I mean with the official getting in the way of the play as well. Tough. Tough. Just tough."
Mahomes to use Chiefs' first loss of 2024 as 'spark'
Patrick Mahomes said the Kansas City Chiefs will use their first loss since Christmas Day 2023 as fuel after the Buffalo Bills halted their unbeaten start to the season.
Josh Allen scrambled for a stunning 26-yard touchdown with just over two minutes to play as the Bills improved to 9-2 with a 30-21 win over the reigning Super Bowl champions.
The result ended the Chiefs' 15-game winning streak, a run that began after they lost to the Los Vegas Raiders on Christmas Day last year and included their dramatic triumph over the San Francisco 49ers at Super Bowl LVIII.
The Chiefs had started this season 9-0 to take control of the race for the AFC's top seed, but they could have few complaints about Sunday's result.
The Bills outgained the Chiefs by 366 yards to 259, also recording 24 first downs to Kansas City's 19 and enjoying almost nine more minutes in possession.
Mahomes, however, was relaxed about the end of his team's winning streak, saying: "The undefeated thing was cool, but that's not our ultimate goal.
"It's a good football team, so there's nothing to hang your head about. We feel like we can play better, so we will get back to work and try to use this as a spark so that we can be a better football team in the end."
The Chiefs rank just 16th in the NFL for yards per game (337.9) and 11th for points per game (24) in 2024, with many of their victories – including against the Denver Broncos in Week 10 and the Baltimore Ravens in Week 1 – coming via last-gasp defensive or special teams plays.
Mahomes actually feels the team could benefit from a reality check, adding: "I'm hoping that [losing] is a benefit.
"I'm not going to say I or we are relaxed, but at the same time I feel like we were just coming away with these wins at the end of the games.
"I think it's going to spark us to have more urgency, especially at the start of football games, especially with the offense, and that comes from me and turning the ball over on the first drive. It's something you can't do in big games like this."
No quarterback has thrown more interceptions than Mahomes' 11 (level with Geno Smith and Jordan Love) this season, while a passer rating of 90.3 ranks him a lowly 20th among all players at the position.
NFL: Bills end Chiefs' unbeaten run
Josh Allen threw a fourth-quarter touchdown pass and ran for a game-sealing touchdown late as the Buffalo Bills ended the Kansas City Chiefs' quest for a perfect season with Sunday's 30-21 win.
James Cook added two rushing touchdowns and the Bills' defence intercepted Patrick Mahomes twice as the AFC East leaders handed the Chiefs their first defeat since Christmas Day of last season. The two-time defending Super Bowl champions had won 15 consecutive games, including a 27-24 victory over the Bills in Buffalo during the 2023 AFC Playoffs, and started this season 9-0.
Allen completed 27 of 40 passes for 262 yards with one interception in the sixth straight win for Buffalo (9-2). His 12-yard touchdown pass to Curtis Samuel extended the Bills' lead to 23-14 with 12:51 left to play.
The Chiefs answered with a 10-play, 70-yard drive capped by Mahomes' second touchdown pass of the day to Noah Gray, a 1-yard strike that got the Chiefs within two points with 7:53 remaining.
Buffalo responded, however, by marching 70 yards in 12 plays on the ensuing possession, which Allen finished by scrambling out of the pocket on a 4th-and-2 play and eluding several defenders for a pivotal 26-yard touchdown with 2:17 to go.
Mahomes threw for three touchdowns but was held to 196 yards on 23-of-33 passing. Xavier Worthy had a 10-yard touchdown catch early in the second quarter for Kansas City's first points and finished with 61 yards on four receptions.
Steelers hold off Ravens to strengthen lead atop AFC North
The Pittsburgh Steelers stymied Lamar Jackson and pulled out an 18-16 victory over the Baltimore Ravens in the latest slugfest between these AFC North rivals.
The win was the fifth straight for the first-place Steelers (8-2), giving them some breathing room atop the division as they moved 1 1/2 games in front of the second-place Ravens (7-4).
Led by Jackson, Baltimore entered the game with the NFL’s top-ranked offence, but was held to season lows in points, total yards (329) and first downs (16).
Pittsburgh kept the Ravens out of the end zone until 1:06 remaining in the fourth quarter, when Jackson hooked up with Zay Flowers for a 16-yard touchdown to bring Baltimore within 18-16. The Steelers then stopped the potential game-tying 2-point attempt as Jackson’s desperation pass fell incomplete.
The two-time NFL MVP finished with 207 yards and an interception after entering Week 11 leading the league with a sensational 123.2 passer rating.
Russell Wilson also struggled, throwing for just 205 yards with an interception. All of Pittsburgh’s points came via kicker Chris Boswell, who converted all six of his field goal attempts to match a franchise single-game record he already co-owned.
Lions demolish Jaguars to improve to 9-1
The Detroit Lions obliterated the over-matched Jacksonville Jaguars, rolling to a 52-6 blowout win for the largest margin of victory in franchise history.
The NFC-leading Lions, who won their eighth straight to improve to 9-1 for the first time since 1934, also set a franchise record in total yards with 645. The defence held the Jaguars to a mere 170 total yards for a difference of 475 yards – the third-largest gap in total offence in a single game since the 1970 AFL-NFL merger.
Detroit quarterback Jared Goff bounced back after throwing five interceptions in last Sunday’s 26-23 comeback win over the Houston Texans, as he completed 24 of 29 passes for 412 passing yards – his most since 2019 – and four touchdowns for a perfect 158.3 passer rating.
Amon-Ra St. Brown was on the receiving end of two of Goff’s touchdown throws and finished with a season-best 161 yards on 11 catches.
Jameson Williams had a career high in receiving yards with 124 – with 64 coming on a touchdown grab in the third quarter – and Detroit’s dangerous running tandem of David Montgomery and Jahmyr Gibbs combined for 144 rushing yards and three touchdowns.
For the Jaguars, the 46-point drubbing marked the largest defeat in franchise history and further spread speculation about the job security of head coach Doug Pederson. Jacksonville will head into its Week 12 bye with a 2-9 record and four straight losses.
Blocked field goal secures Packers' comeback win over Bears
Karl Brooks blocked Cairo Santos' 46-yard field goal attempt as time expired as the Green Bay Packers escaped with a 20-19 come-from-behind win over the Chicago Bears to further enhance their play-off hopes.
Brooks' game-saving play came moments after the Packers took a 20-19 lead on quarterback Jordan Love's 1-yard touchdown run with 2:59 remaining, a score set up by Love's 60-yard completion to Christian Watson.
The Bears stuffed running back Josh Jacobs on the ensuing 2-point conversion attempt, however, before three completions by rookie quarterback Caleb Williams put them in range for Santos' foiled field goal try.
Love threw a touchdown pass to Jayden Reed earlier in the game and finished with 261 yards and an interception while completing 13 of 17 attempts. Jacobs rushed for 76 yards and had a 7-yard touchdown run that put Green Bay (7-3) up 14-13 with 6:34 left in the third quarter.
The Bears went back ahead on D'Andre Swift's 39-yard touchdown run in the final minute of the third quarter, though Williams' pass on the 2-point try fell incomplete to keep the score 19-14.
Chicago (4-6) was dealt a fourth straight loss - and 11th in a row to long-time rival Green Bay - despite Williams recording 231 passing yards and 70 rushing yards in a turnover-free performance for the 2024 No. 1 overall pick.
Watson racked up a career-high 150 yards on just four catches in the Packers' first game since a Week 9 home defeat to NFC North-leading Detroit.
Seahawks stun 49ers on Smith's late touchdown run
Geno Smith's go-ahead 13-yard touchdown run with 12 seconds remaining further tightened the race in the NFC West as the Seattle Seahawks came away with an important 20-17 road win over the San Francisco 49ers.
Smith's late heroics lifted Seattle (5-5) to just its second victory in its last seven games and created a three-way tie for second place in the division between the Seahawks, 49ers and Los Angeles Rams, who posted a 28-22 win at New England on Sunday. All three teams trail the first-place Arizona Cardinals by one game.
Seattle also received 110 yards on 10 catches from Jaxon Smith-Njigba and a strong effort from a previously struggling defence that held the defending NFC champion 49ers to a season-low 277 total yards. San Francisco quarterback Brock Purdy managed just 159 yards on 21-of-28 passing with one touchdown and one interception.
The 49ers still appeared on their way to a third straight win after taking a 17-13 lead on Purdy's 3-yard touchdown pass to Jauan Jennings with 9:33 left and then stopping the Seahawks on 4th-and-1 at the San Francisco 37-yard line on the following series.
Seattle was able to get the ball back again with 2:38 left, however, and Smith engineered an 11-play, 80-yard drive the veteran quarterback capped with his go-ahead scramble.
Smith finished 25 of 32 for 221 yards with one interception, while Kenneth Walker III had 54 rushing yards and gave the Seahawks a 13-10 edge with a 1-yard touchdown run late in the third quarter.
Jennings led San Francisco, which played without star tight end George Kittle due to a hamstring injury, with 10 catches totalling 91 yards.
Dobbins' touchdown run lifts Chargers to fourth straight win
In another Week 11 game that went down to the wire, the Los Angeles Chargers outlasted the Cincinnati Bengals by a 34-27 score as J.K. Dobbins ripped off a tie-breaking 29-yard touchdown run with 18 seconds left.
Dobbins' second touchdown of the night sparked Los Angeles (7-3) to a fourth consecutive win despite the Chargers blowing a 21-point third-quarter lead. Cincinnati (4-7) rallied behind three Joe Burrow touchdown passes, including a pair to Ja'Marr Chase, to erase a 21-6 deficit.
Burrow finished with 356 yards on 28-of-50 passing as the Bengals' offence got a lift from the return of wide receiver Tee Higgins, who recorded 148 yards and a touchdown on nine catches after missing three games with an injured quadriceps.
Chase added 75 yards on seven catches, and his 17-yard touchdown grab with 12:21 remaining knotted the score at 27-27. However, the Bengals' next two drives ended in missed field goals by Evan McPherson that contributed to their second straight loss.
The Chargers' defence also forced a late three-and-out before Justin Herbert brought Los Angeles into Cincinnati territory with 28 and 27-yard completions to Ladd McConkey. Dobbins then broke free up the middle before shaking off a defender and diving into the end zone for the go-ahead points.
Herbert threw a 29-yard touchdown pass to Will Dissly and a 26-yard scoring strike to Quentin Johnson to help the Chargers build a 24-6 half-time lead. The standout quarterback recorded 297 yards despite completing just 17 of 36 attempts while adding a team-high 65 rushing yards.
McConkey delivered his best game as a pro as the rookie accumulated 123 yards on six receptions.
'I think so' - Rodgers expecting to play in 2025 despite poor Jets start
New York Jets quarterback Aaron Rodgers thinks he will still be playing in 2025, despite suffering one of the worst starts to a season in his career.
The Jets are currently 3-7 and sit just above the New England Patriots in the AFC East, having lost 31-6 to the Arizona Cardinals in their last game.
Rodgers, who is still coming back from Achilles surgery after missing last season through injury, has thrown just 15 touchdown passes, seven interceptions, and a career-low 6.4 yards per attempt so far.
Rodgers is under contract with New York for 2025, but there are parts of his deal yet to be finalised if he does stay on.
Despite the less-than-stellar start to the season, the 40-year-old says it has not changed his feelings "negatively" as he has not reached his standard yet.
"I think so, yeah," he said when asked if he could see himself playing next year.
"I'm not playing as well as I would've liked to play, for sure. The beauty in this game is it's a team game.
"The frustrating part is that if you're a great competitor, you hold yourself to a standard that's not unrealistic, and I haven't reached that standard this year."
Since firing Robert Saleh last month, the Jets are 1-4 under interim coach Jeff Ulbrich, who also doubles as their defensive coordinator.
They face another team with a losing record in the Indianapolis Colts (4-6) on Sunday, and Rodgers only had positive things to say about Ulbrich.
"The verdict is still not out on this season yet," Rodgers added. "I feel like he's [Ulbrich] done some really good things.
"I think Brick is an NFL head coach, whether it's here moving forward or down the line. I mean, he's a leader of men, and I'll stand by him. I'd love to play for him until the end. So have a lot of love and respect for him."
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