The San Francisco 49ers and the New Orleans Saints put on an incredible offensive display for 60 minutes in the Big Easy Sunday before the Niners came away with a 48-46 victory. This sets the bar for 2019 NFL games. Here are some of the others for the year-end highlight reel.
Saints 30, Texans 28
New Orleans wound up on the winning end of this score in Week 1. It appeared as if the Saints were headed for defeat when Kenny Stills caught a 37-yard TD pass from Deshaun Watson with 43 seconds left. Drew Brees led a stirring final drive that set up a field-goal attempt in the final seconds. Will Lutz was true from 58 yards. It was the third score in the final minute as Lutz had kicked field goal from 47 yards with 55 seconds left.
Giants 32, Bucs 31
Hard to imagine a game between these teams would make the list. However, their meeting in Week 3 provided plenty of thrills. When Matt Gay kicked a 52-yard field goal at the end of the half to give the Bucs a 28-10 lead, it looked like a rout was on. However, Daniel Jones led a frantic comeback by the Giants that saw them outscore TB, 22-3, in the second half. The rookie from Duke scored on a 7-yard run with 81 seconds left to give the Giants the stunning victory.
Eagles 34, Packers 27
In a battle of a game with teams featured in Green, the Eagles handed Matt LaFleur and the Packers their first loss in a Thursday night thriller. The Eagles led 21-13 in the second quarter before Aaron Rodgers worked his typical miracle at the end of a half or game. He found Geronimo Allison with a pass that made it 21-20. The teams exchanged TDs in the third quarter before Jordan Howard score on a 2-yard run early in the fourth that held up.
Bucs 55, Rams 40
The Los Angeles Rams were expected to have an easy time with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. However, the Rams would not live up to their billing of the past two seasons. Bruce Arians had the Bucs ready to rock at the LA Coliseum. They scored 28 points in the first half and 27 in the second as they rattled the Rams. Jameis Winston and Jared Goff combined for 902 yards passing and 6 TDs.
Seahawks 30, Rams 29
The Rams make the list again and not in a good way. The NFC West foes put on a thriller with the Rams taking a 29-24 advantage in the final quarter when Greg Zuerlein hit a field goal. Russell Wilson would not go quietly and he led a drive with a little more than two minutes left that culminated with Chris Carson catching a 5-yard TD pass. The Rams had one last chance for victory but Zuerlein missed a field-goal attempt … barely.
Packers 31, Chiefs 24
The matchup featured Aaron Rodgers and Patrick Mahomes when the schedule came out. It was not to be as the Chiefs’ QB has to miss the game due to injury. Journeyman Matt Moore did well in his absence and had KC even heading into the fourth quarter. The teams exchanged scores before Rodgers found Aaron Jones for a 67-yard TD pass that sealed Green Bay’s victory. Jones has more than 200 yards total offense and scored a pair of TDs.
Ravens 37, Patriots 20
A quarterback battle for the ages. Tom Brady against the blossoming Lamar Jackson. The second-year QB from Louisville put on a stunning show. He had 220 yards total offense and accounted for 3 TDs as Baltimore upped its mark to 6-2 and handed New England its first loss after eight victories. The Patriots trailed by 4 entering the last quarter but Jackson threw a TD pass and ran for a score to turn the game into a romp.
Seahawks 27, 49ers 24
In a battle between NFC West titans, Seattle came out on top when Jason Myers kicked a 42-yard field goal in overtime. Niners backup kicker Chase McLaughlin sent the game to the extra period with a 47-yard kick with 6 seconds left. He missed in overtime, setting the stage for Seattle. The loss was the Niners’ first of the season.
49ers 36, Cardinals 26
The NFC West teams put on a surprisingly good show. Arizona surged to a 16-0 lead and had the division leaders in trouble. The Niners ralled to take a 23-19 lead only to see Kyler Murray score on a 22-yard run to give the Cardinals the lead. Then, Jimmy Garoppolo hit Jeff Wilson with a TD pass with 37 seconds left and the Niners added a TD as D.J. Reed returned a fumble 5 yards for the final margin.
Saints 34, Panthers 31
New Orleans scored the first 17 points, but the Panthers were not about to give up on this day. They scrambled and battle, finally tying the game at 31 in the fourth quarter. It appeared as if the Panthers would come away with a stunning victory, but Joey Slye missed a chip-shot field goal. That gave Drew Brees enough time to set up Will Lutz, who delivered for the victory with 3 seconds left from 33 yards.
Ravens 20, 49ers 17
The weather was miserable as it poured with two of the league’s top teams meeting in Baltimore. It did not dampen the game, though. Justin Tucker gave Baltimore a 17-14 lead late in the first half. The offenses slowed after the break. San Francisco got a field goal from Robbie Gould to tie it. Tucker had a chance to win the game with a 49-yard field goal as time ran down and the best kicker in the NFL ignored the elements and won the game for the Ravens.
49ers 48, Saints 46
In a key game when it comes to NFC playoff seedings, the Saints and 49ers got into a slobberknocker. Drew Brees threw 5 TD passes and ran for another from a yard out. Jimmy Garoppolo was no slouch, throwing for 4 scores and 349 yards (the identical amount to Brees). The Saints’ QB found Tre’Quan Smith from 18 yards for a 46-45 lead with 53 seconds left. However, the two-point conversion failed, leaving an opening for SF. On fourth-and-2, Garoppolo found George Kittle with a short pass. The tight end took off and shrugged off much of the Saints’ secondary. The play went for 39 yards and NO was nailed for a facemask penalty. That was plenty good to give Robbie Gould a shot at a field goal and the veteran connected from 30 yards to up San Francisco to 11-2.
