2023 3GML Season - Week #12

Baltimore Ravens 21

San Diego Chargers 27

SAN DIEGO - Despite 293 passing yards and three TDs, QB Jalen Hurts and the Baltimore Ravens (8-4) fell short against the red hot San Diego Chargers (10-1) 27-21 at Jack Murphy Stadium.

HB Jonathan Taylor, who exited late with an injured thumb, amassed 184 rushing yards to go along with a TD. The Chargers organization is hoping for good knows on Taylor's injury front.

"We'll see after I talk to the doctor," Taylor said. "It doesn't look great, but I shouldn't miss too much time."

San Diego pulled ahead late as they controlled the clock on the ground - The Chargers managed only 92 passing yards for the game but collected 259 rushing yards in total.

The Chargers will now take on Lamar Jackson and the New England Patriots while the Ravens will try to his the reset button during their Bye week to get away from their two game slide. 

Jacksonville Jaguars 13

Houston Texans 18

HOUSTON - The Houston Texans rode six field goals and three interceptions to a crucial win over division rival Jacksonville.  Mason Crosby scored all of Houston's points and was a perfect six for six on the day with two 50+ yard field goals.

However, the story of the game was the quarterback position after Trey Lance was benched in late in the second quarter after posting a 13.0 quarterback rating.  Backup Malik Willis came in a provided enough of a spark with his legs to get the Texans back into the game.

Asked after the game about the change, David Shaw said, "Felt like we needed a spark and Malik gave it to us.  Trey will likely still see some important snaps for us but I thought Malik earned the start next week."

Houston will look to make it two in a row next week against the Denver Broncos.

San Francisco 49ers

Seattle Seahawks 3

SEATTLE - In a matchup of teams headed in opposite directions, the 49ers (10-1) dismantled the Seattle Seahawks (1-10) 48-3.  San Francisco put up 505 yards of total offense and looked every bit the part of the top seed in the NFC.

Justin Fields returned to MVP form and threw for four touchdowns, while Dalvin cook continued his push for MVP with 116 yards and a touchdown on the ground.

With the win, San Francisco clinches the NFC West and now turn their sights to locking up the number one overall seed.  Next up, a matchup with the NFC East leading Eagles. 

Buffalo Bills 25

Philadelphia Eagles 26

PHILADELPHIA - Justin Tucker nailed a last second field goal to give the Eagles a 26-25 win over a strong Buffalo Bills team.  With the win the Eagles (7-4) climb into 1st place in the NFC with six games left.

Will Levis was dynamic throwing for 312 yards and 3 touchdowns.  Once again AJ Brown had over 100 yards receiving with 116 and a touchdown in this one.

Defensively, Patrick Surtain continued his second half surge with another interception for the Eagles.

Philadelphia now takes on their biggest test yet as they host the 10-1 San Francisco 49ers.

Green Bay Packers 31

Detroit Lions 25

DETROIT - Nothing seems to ever come easy for the Green Bay Packers as for the second time in two weeks, they needed overtime to determine the outcome of the game.  This time, however, they found a way to win with a walk-off touchdown from Tua Tagovailoa to Isaiah Hodgins.

Amon Ra St. Brown carried the load offensively as the Packers (8-3) were still without All-Pro Justin Jefferson.  The former USC Trojan racked up 123 yard receiving and was the primary target on this Thanksgiving morning.

With the win, Green Bay solidifies its hold on the number 2 seed in the NFC.  Next up, however, is a matchup with the undefeated Kansas City Chiefs on Sunday Night Football.

2023 3GML Season - Week #11

Philadelphia Eagles 23

Kansas City Chiefs 41

KANSAS CITY - The Philadelphia Eagles fell to the undefeated Kansas City Chiefs 41-23 on Monday Night Football.  The Chiefs (10-0) look to be the class of the AFC at the moment and had no problem with a young Eagles team in this one.

The bright spot for Philadelphia was the receiver duo of Devonta Smith and AJ Brown who caught 25 balls between them.  Smith caught 13 targets for 119 yards and Brown had 12 for 93 with two touchdowns.

"Doesn't matter if you don't win," said Brown.

Philadelphia continues the most brutal stretch of its schedule next week as it takes on the 10-1 Buffalo Bills before taking on the NFC leading San Francisco 49ers.  The silver lining?  Both games are at home.

Arizona Cardinals 27

Houston Texans 20

HOUSTON - The Houston Texans lost in heartbreaking fashion 27-20 as Kyler Murray hit Marquise Brown for a 53 yard go-ahead touchdown with 25 seconds left in the game.  This came right after Mason Crosby hit a 46 yard field goal to tie things up at 20.

The loss is Houston's second in a row and 4th in its last six games.  Questions are starting to mount for David Shaw after Houston went all in trying for its third straight Super Bowl win.  Trey Lance has struggled as of late and reports are starting to leak out that Shaw may turn back to a two quarterback system after finding success with it the previous two seasons.

Houston will look to get right next week taking on division rival Jacksonville.

Cincinnati Bengals 41

Baltimore Ravens 31

BALTIMORE - After storming ahead with a 14-0 first quarter lead the Baltimore Ravens (8-3) fell away to their hated division rivals losing 41-31 to the Cincinnati Bengals (9-1). 

Both teams lost key players as the Ravens saw TE Mark Andrews exit late with what looks like a season-ending injury. QB Joe Burrow seemingly broke his throwing wrist as time expired - Burrow is the team's holder on field goal attempts and the Bengals, up seven with time running out, opted to kick a 'rub-it-in' field goal instead of simply walking off the field. As K Anders Carlson made contact with the ball he slipped and his body weight fell on the throwing arm of the team's franchise quarterback. 

"These types of freak injuries happen in football," Zac Taylor said. "Joe needs to be stronger there - I don't regret the call."

Baltimore rookie Bijan Robinson added three more TDs in the loss. 

The Ravens will look to rebound next week as they travel to San Diego to take on the Chargers. 

Tampa Bay Buccaneers 14

San Francisco 49ers 20

SANTA CLARA - Quarterback Justin Fields returned to action and shook off the rust in a 20 to 14 win over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. 

Dalvin Cook once again rushed for 100 yards and the offense did just enough to get past a stingy Tampa Bay defense.

JC Jackson had two interceptions for the Niner defense as they kept Baker Mayfield in check all afternoon.

San Francisco now takes on the last place Seattle Seahawks on Thanksgiving night.

San Diego Chargers 23

Green Bay Packers 20

GREEN BAY - The San Diego Chargers (9-1) continued their winning ways over the NFC North leading Green Bay Packers (7-3) with a 23-20 victory in overtime.

Harold Landry and his defensive teammates harassed San Diego's Hendon Hooker throughout as the team finished with 8.0 sacks for the game - Landry alone sacked the QB four times himself.

"We played well defensively," Landry said. "But at the end of the day we couldn't finish in the end."

Hooker was able to do just enough in the second half, mostly with his legs and via a few timely passes to his tight ends, to tie the game up late for over time.

In the extra period, QB Tua Tagovailoa was stripped by Joe Tryon-Shoyinka to set up a game winning chip shot field goal for Younghoe Koo.

"Our defense can keep us in all games," Tryon-Shoyinka said. "Today it was my turn to step up."

The Chargers will now take on a tough Baltimore Ravens team while the Packers will face Detroit. 

2023 3GML Season - Week #10

Detroit Lions 17

San Diego Chargers 30

SAN DIEGO - The improbable run continues for the San Diego Chargers (8-1) as they roared back from a 17-3 halftime deficit to defeat the Detroit Lions 30-17 at Jack Murphy Stadium.

A sack-fumble by rookie Calijah Kancey sparked life into a dormant Chargers attack leading to the first San Diego touchdown late in the 3rd quarter.

"We seem to be a second half team right now," Kancey said. "As long as we can keep it close, I know the offense can kick it into gear late."

HB Jonathan Taylor continued his strong season with another 100+ yard performance with a TD as well.

Safety Andre Cisco slammed the door late in the red zone with a diving INT with the Chargers up 10.

The Chargers now begin a brutal 2-game stretch against the NFC North leading Green Bay Packers at Lambeau Field before hosting the AFC North leading Baltimore Ravens at home. 

Cleveland Browns 22

Baltimore Ravens 24

Baltimore - The Baltimore Ravens hung on in dramatic fashion to beat the Cleveland Browns 24- 22. The Ravens were carrying a 21-3 lead late in the 2nd quarter and did just enough with a 3rd quarter field goal to emerge with the victory.

Bijan Robinson and Mark Andrews each had over 100 yards on the day and are showing the league that they may be the best one-two punch out there.

Baltimore has a quick turnaround and plays division rival Cincinnati on Thursday night.

Houston Texans 31

Cincinnati Bengals 45

CINCINNATI - Four turnovers by Trey Lance doomed the Texans in their game against the Cincinnati Bengals as they lost 45-31 Sunday afternoon. The electric Bengal, offense, which has given teams fits across the league this season, proved too much for Houston with the turnovers, and the Texans were chasing points all game.

The one bright spot for Houston was Deebo Samuel, who returned from injury and had 250 yards receiving on six catches and two touchdowns in the game.

Houston will look to regroup against a struggling Arizona team next week.

Green Bay Packers 34

Pittsburgh Steelers 16

PITTSBURGH - The Green Bay Packers used patience and a heavy dose of Amon-Ra Saint Brown to beat the Pittsburgh Steelers 34-16.  The Packers had to take what the Steelers defense gave them all afternoon and this one was close through most of the game.

The turning point, however, was in the second quarter when Kenny Pickett threw a pick six to Chidobe Awuzie and Green Bay took the lead for good.

St. Brown had 143 yards on six catches and two touchdowns, including a 75 yarder in the fourth quarter to put the game away for good.

Green Bay now heads home to take on old rival EP and the San Diego Chargers. Packers GM SD and EP have quite the history of exciting games when their two teams meet, especially when they were in Buffalo and Miami (respectively).  We’ll see if this one gets added the the annals of 3GML lore.

San Francisco 49ers 32

Jacksonville Jaguars 16

JACKSONVILLE - The San Francisco 49ers moved to 8-1 on the season will a 32-16 win over Jacksonville on the road.  Backup quarterback Jordan Love looked like anything but a backup with 312 yards and three touchdowns on the day.  Love bounced back and forth between CeeDee Lamb and Tyler Boyd all afternoon, keeping the 49er offense on the field the majority of the game.

Defensively Drue Tranquill and Marcus Williams each had an interception on the day.

San Francisco now heads home to take on another team from Florida in the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

2023 3GML Season - Week #9

Los Angeles Rams 24

Green Bay Packers 27

GREEN BAY - The Packers hung on for their 4th win in a row 27-24 over the visiting Rams.  Los Angeles made it interesting late as they had the ball with a chance to tie or win but couldn't get another snap off once in field goal range.

The star of the game for Green Bay was Isiah Pacheco who amassed 152 total yards on the afternoon.

"Just happy to get the W today," Pacheco said.

Green Bay will hit the road to take on the last place Pittsburgh Steelers.

Tampa Bay Buccaneers 14

Houston Texans 17

HOUSTON - The highly touted Super Bowl rematch between the Texans and Buccaneers hardly lived up to expectations with Houston winning ugly in overtime 17-14.  The game featured stagnate offenses who struggled all day.  In fact, the 22 total punts was easily the most in a game this season so far.

"A win's a win," said Jaelen Phillips who had two sacks on the day.  "It's ugly until it goes in the win column, then they all look the same."

Houston will have to smooth out the offense next week as they take on the NFLs top team, the Cincinnati Bengals.

Seattle Seahawks 3

Baltimore Ravens 33

BALTIMORE - After starting the season 0-2, the Baltimore Ravens (7-2) picked up their seventh consecutive victory in emphatic fashion with a 33-3 demolition over the Seattle Seahawks.

Led by MVP candidate Jalen Hurts and Rookie of the Year frontrunner Bijan Robinson, the Ravens offense moved the ball at will throughout the contest.

"The job is never done," Hurts said. "That was a good football team we played against today, but it just went our way."

Baltimore is now heading into a crucial stretch where they are set to face three consecutive AFC playoff contenders in a row, starting with the Cleveland Browns.

San Diego Chargers 34

New York Jets 28

EAST RUTHERFORD - Trailing 21-3 midway through the second quarter, the San Diego Chargers (7-1) looked like a team destined to finally crash back to earth after their hot start to the 2023 season. But the team did not blink and were able to turn the tables on CJ Stroud and the New York Jets with a dramatic 34-28 win.

Rookie Nolan Smith picked up another two sacks on the day while fellow rookie Hendon Hooker steadied himself after a rocky start to propel the team to the victory.

"I took too many sacks early," Hooker said. "We knew the defense would keep us in it, so we had time to turn it around."

The Chargers now look to be a team with real playoff aspirations despite their relatively low profile roster - they will look to keep their momentum going at home against the Detroit Lions next week. 

Dallas Cowboys 27

Philadelphia Eagles 31

PHILADELPHIA - AJ Brown caught the game winning touchdown from Will Levis with under a minute left to boost the Eagles to a 31-27 win over the Dallas Cowboys.  Brown, who also had 105 yards receiving, was the main target for the rookie Levis on the day.

"Starting to really make a connection with Will," Brown said.  "Dude's got a cannon."

With the win the Eagles move to 6-3 and a game out of first behind the New York Giants, who just lost Daniel Jones for the season to an ACL injury.  The teams play twice in three weeks to end the season.

Philadelphia heads into it's bye week riding some momentum, but will have their biggest test of the season with the Kansas City Chiefs waiting for them week 11.