Final thoughts
That was one of the strangest games I’ve ever liveblogged (and not because of the inopportune television outage). If every Sunday Night game from here on out has at least half as much drama, then we’re in for an amazing NFL season. We’ll be following it until the last snap of the Super Bowl here at the Guardian. Thanks for reading and contributing tonight. Ciao!
There’s going to be a lot of second-guessing about why Eli Manning was throwing in that final Giants drive, especially since they forced the Cowboys to run all of their timeouts. It’s a shame, because Tony Romo and the Cowboys deserve all of the credit for pulling off this comeback win.
Cowboys win!
Giants 26-27 Cowboys: FINAL
The Giants have 7 seconds to see if they can score quickly here. Can they- No. No they cannot. The Cowboys one-point lead will hold! The Cowboys win!
Extra point is good!
Giants 26-27 Cowboys :13, 4th quarter
I can’t believe this.
Touchdown
Giants 26-26 Cowboys :13, 4th quarter
Romo throws to Williams for 8 yards and then connects with Witten for another touchdown pass. HE HAS DONE IT!
Giants 26-20 Cowboys :43, 4th quarter
Cowboys start at their own 28 and wow, Romo is zooming again. He passes to Dunbar, 24 yards. He does that again, 16 yards. Romo hits Witten for 13. THEY ARE AT THE NEW YORK 19, HOW?
Updated
Field goal!
Giants 26-20 Cowboys 1:43, 4th quarter
Manning’s 3rd and 1 throw is incomplete so here comes the field goal team. Brown’s chip shot is good but this gives Dallas some life. A touchdown will win it for them.
Giants 23-20 Cowboys 1:43, 4th quarter
Jennings gets 2 yards, and then an additional one. So it’s 3rd & 1 at the Dallas 1. Cowboys take their final timeout.
Updated
Giants 23-20 Cowboys 1:54, 4th quarter
I think this feed may have gotten information on my bank account. Thankfully I don’t have any money in there, so I should be good.
Manning throws to Beckham for 16 yards! They’re at the Dallas 4. This might be over.
Updated
Giants 23-20 Cowboys, 2:00, 4th quarter
Jennings gets pushed back for a 4 yard loss on 2nd and 10. It’s the two minute warning in what has become a stressful game for all involved.
Giants 23-20 Cowboys, 2:17, 4th quarter
Jennings picks up 2 yards and then the Giants are gifted 15 more thanks to a Unnecessary Roughness penalty. The Giants are now on the Dallas 16.
Giants 23-20 Cowboys, 2:31, 4th quarter
And thankfully, this means I get to see Jennings go off for 27 yards into the Dallas 40, and then for 7 more to make it to the 33. Cowboys take a timeout and I can’t blame them one bit.
Updated
Giants 23-20 Cowboys, 3:57, 4th quarter
Okay I think I’ve found a decent feed, just in time to see Eli Manning hit Beckham Jr for 5 yards to get to their own 33.
Touchdown (apparently)
Giants 23-20 Cowboys, 5:08, 4th quarter
While the Cowboys go no huddle... my television feed goes out at the worst possible time. The internet tells me Romo hit Jason Witten for a touchdown pass to put it within 3 points as I desperately search for an internet stream for the finale here if it doesn’t return.
No. But a touchdown
Giants 23-13 Cowboys, 8:01, 4th quarter
The touchdown is briefly nullified, but the Giants are at the Dallas one and Jennings runs it in anyways. The Giants make the extra point.
Updated
Pick six?
Giants 22-13 Cowboys, 8:07, 4th quarter
Oh man. On 3rd and 6, Romo gets intercepted by Trumaine McBride who takes it in for another touchdown out of a turnover!
Giants 16-13 Cowboys, 9:54, 4th quarter
Fair catch by Beasley on the Dallas 12. Okay, pretty decent result for the Giants there.
Giants 16-13 Cowboys, 9:54, 4th quarter
It’s 1st and 10 at the Dallas 40. And that’s as far as they will go. Manning’s first two pass attempts are incomplete and Preston Parker just drops the 3rd down pass. I guess he doesn’t have webbed fingers.
The Giants decide to punt rather than attempt a crazy-long field goal. I don’t see how this could possibly backfire.
Giants 16-13 Cowboys, 11:23, 4th quarter
Receiver, and Marvel Universe character, Preston Parker picks up another 8 yards. It’s 2nd and 2 on the Dallas 47. Manning basically throws away his next pass BUT he gets the ball to Vereen on the next play, who gives him 7 and a fresh set of downs.
Giants 16-13 Cowboys, 12:33, 4th quarter
Harris returns a punt 3 yards to the Giants’ 23. Williams picks up 5 yards on 1st down. Manning connects Randle for 2 yards. Cowboys fans rise up trying to will a stop here, but no dice. Manning connects with Preston Parker for 15 yards.
Giants 16-13 Cowboys, 14:13, 4th quarter
Romo’s pass at 2nd and 8 is incomplete. His next throw to Bryant is completed... but not enough. Prince Amukamara brings him down and it’s punting time again.
Giants 16-13 Cowboys, end of the 3rd quarter
A two yard run from Randle brings the Cowboys to their own 22 where they will be at the start of the fourth quarter.
Giants 16-13 Cowboys, 1:04, 3rd quarter
Wing’s punt pushes the Cowboys down to their own 8 yard line thanks to some miscues from the punt return team. In a blink of the eye, it’s 3rd and 5 at the 13.
Romo throws to Williams who JUST makes the catch for a first down, something is made out of nothing.
Giants 16-13 Cowboys, 3:28, 3rd quarter
3rd and 13 for the Giants. Oh man, Vereen just misses the first down. By a fingernail. Here comes the punt team.
Giants 16-13 Cowboys, 3:57, 3rd quarter
Manning’s first throw is incomplete. On 2nd & 10 he takes a sack, a small victory for the Cowboys that comes at a price as lineman Randy Gregory has to leave the game due to an injury.
There are a lot of people who are seriously questioning that pass interference call, which is understandable considering how it changed the complexion of this game.
Back at Fox for a while and just watched the DPI call. I certainly don't agree with the call. I don't see any restriction.
— Mike Pereira (@MikePereira) September 14, 2015
Giants 16-13 Cowboys, 4:01, 3rd quarter
Bailey’s kickoff is in the end zone for a touchback. Momentum, if such a thing really exists, is going in Dallas’s favor. The Giants need to quiet the crowd on this drive.
Giants 16-13 Cowboys, 4:01, 3rd quarter
And the extra point is good! It’s a one field goal game!
Touchdown!
Giants 16-12 Cowboys, 4:01, 3rd quarter
The Cowboys get to the Giants 18, a 3rd and 4 situation. Romo’s pass is deflected by Rodgers-Cromartie BUT there’s a pass interference call against the Giants. It’s 1st and 2 at the 2 and THIS time they convert. Romo to Escobar for the first offensive touchdown of the game.
Giants 16-6 Cowboys, 6:30, 3rd quarter
At the Giants 35, Randle picks up 5 here. 3rd and 5. Dunbar gets them 6 yards. The Cowboys are threatening, but they’ve been threatening a lot.
Giants 16-6 Cowboys, 7:52, 3rd quarter
They’re now at the Giants 46. Romo targets Randle againg because why mess with what’s working? Randle gets him 11 yards.
Giants 16-6 Cowboys, 8:24, 3rd quarter
Tony Romo is back out there, he hands it to Randle who picks up 2 yard. 2nd and 8, Romo throws to Randle next who gets it just shy of the 29. 3rd and about a yard. Romo hits Randle...
Who makes a one-handed grab and takes it into Giants territory! A 25 yard gain!
Giants 16-6 Cowboys, 9:52, 3rd quarter
Touchback! Cowboys will start at their own 20. What misfortune will prematurely end this drive? I’m going with a safety.
Giants 16-6 Cowboys, 9:52, 3rd quarter
Rodgers-Cromartie is the only player in this game to score a touchdown. I kinda hope it’s all field goals from here on out to keep it that way.
At least Tom Coughlin realizes Andrew Luck isn't his quarterback. @HunterFelt
— Shane Bua (@ThatShaneBua) September 14, 2015
Field goal
Giants 16-6 Cowboys, 9:52, 3rd quarter
Oh god as a liveblogger can I call to make the shotgun formation illegal? My poor fingers. The Giants get all the way to Dallas’s 12 yards but, as in every single offensive drive this game, they can’t seal the deal. They settle for a Brown field goal.
Giants 13-6 Cowboys, 11:29, 3rd quarter
Vereen picks up 3 yards. Then Manning finds Fells for eleven yards and they’re getting deeper into Cowboys country. They’re at the 36 yard line.
1st and 10 at the 36, Manning overthrows Beckham who *almost* makes another one-handed grab but even he can’t get this one. No worries though, they connect for 16 yards on the very next play.
Giants 13-6 Cowboys, 13:04, 3rd quarter
Dwayne Harris runs for 11 yards on first down. Manning, now in the shotgun, connects with Beckham for four more yards. Giants get to their 35 yard. Andre Williams gets pushed back a yard. It’s 3rd & 6 and it looks like Manning passes to Randle who picks up 16 yards to make it to the 50 yard line.
A flag is thrown, but there’s no penalty. Okay then.
Giants 13-6 Cowboys, start of the 2nd half
Oh right, the Giants also have possession to start the second half. A touchback means they’ll start at their 20.
Obligatory halftime reminder that we here at the Guardian will use your tweets (to @HunterFelt) and emails (Hunter.Felt@theguardian.com) during this liveblog.
I said I wouldn’t be out too long. Romo might want to avoid social media for a spell. And, “for a spell,” I obviously mean: for all eternity.
NFL season officially begins after Tony Romo throws interception that completes trifecta started by Jay Cutler and Joe Flacco earlier today.
— The Fake ESPN (@TheFakeESPN) September 14, 2015
Plus Eli Manning got sacked. So yeah. Welcome back football!
Halftime thoughts
Well that started out rather ho-hum and then went absolute bat-guano those last two minutes. Things have really heated up, including my laptop. I think this causes me to type too fast. I’ll be back in a few minutes here, more effective than ever, just like Rodgers-Cromartie.
Giants 13-6 Cowboys, end of the 1st half
Romo’s just going to take a knee here. Probably a wise decision, all things considered.
@HunterFelt I wonder if Beasley remembers last year, when he fumbled his ONE RECEPTION & this happened: https://t.co/j8sDB8vtE6
— Ash. (@badsectors_) September 14, 2015
Luckily, this time around, Romo’s interception will take some heat away from him.
Field goal!
Giants 13-6 Cowboys, :19, 2nd quarter
Giants start at Dallas’s 36. Going shotgun, Manning manages to get as close as their 17 yard line but a 5 yard penalty and two incomplete passes means that it’s field goal time. Brown’s 40 yarder is good.
Interception
Giants 10-6 Cowboys, :39, 2nd quarter
The Cowboys CAN do something. They can turn the ball over! Romo throws an interception! Giants ball again!
Giants 10-6 Cowboys, :56, 2nd quarter
And the extra point is good. The kickoff leads to a touchback. Cowboys have less than a minute here to see if they can do anything...
Fumble & Touchdown!
Giants 9-6 Cowboys, 1:12, 2nd quarter
OH MY GOD! Romo passes to Terrance Williams for 8 yards and it looks like the Cowboys are gearing for a touchdown drive to end the half. BUT BEASLEY FUMBLES and Rodgers-Cromartie makes his return to the game in a big manner by recovering the fumble and carrying it in for a touchdown! A 57 yard return!
Giants 3-6 Cowboys, 1:55, 2nd quarter
The Cowboys find themselves in a 3rd and 6 situation at their own 17. Romo throws to Dez Bryant... WHO CATCHES IT AT THE 35 YARD LINE! 18 yard gain! He’s hydrated as hell right now, I assume.
Giants 3-6 Cowboys, 1:55, 2nd quarter
So the Cowboys are at their own 8 now. On 2nd and 15, Dunbar picks up 7 yards and that leads to the two minute warning. They have a lot of yardage to eat up if they want to score (and I have to assume that they do) and they do not a lot of time here.
Giants 3-6 Cowboys, 2:54, 2nd quarter
Cole Beasley makes a fair catch on Dallas’s 13 yard line. Oof, lineman Marcus Kuhn hits Dunbar for a five yard loss.
Giants 3-6 Cowboys, 3:02, 2nd quarter
Manning throws an incomplete pass on 2nd and 13 and Vereen can only get 10 yards on 3rd down. That 3 yard sack made up the difference, it turned out. The Giants punt.
Giants 3-6 Cowboys, 4:17, 2nd quarter
A touchback means that the Giants are starting at their 20. Manning connects with Randle for 5 yards and they do that once more to reach their 30 and a fresh set of downs.
Oh hey it’s the first Eli Manning sack of the NFL season! He loses three as like the entire Cowboys defense brings him down.
Giants 3-6 Cowboys, 5:35, 2nd quarter
Email from Noah Wang:
G men look great
It’s weird to say that about a team that has scored 3 points total but they really do. Some great clutch defense going on here.
Field goal
Giants 3-6 Cowboys, 5:35, 2nd quarter
McFadden picks up 3 on 1st &10. Romo-to-Bryant yields 4 yards. It’s looking like the Cowboys are going to get the first touchdown of the game here but... BRYANT DROPS AN EASY PASS. It’s 4th down and here comes the field goal team.
Bailey’s 32 yarder is good, but you have to think that the Giants will take that.
Giants 3-3 Cowboys, 7:54, 2nd quarter
On 1st and 10, Romo goes with McFadden again for 3 yards. That’s just the overture for the next play, a 19 yard completion Romo-to-McFadden to get them to the Giants 21, knocking at the door of the red zone.
Giants 3-3 Cowboys, 8:34, 2nd quarter
It’s now running back Darren McFadden’s time. On 1st & 10 he picks up 8 yards. On 2nd & 2 he picks up 3. Romo throws to a sufficiently hydrated Bryant for 9 yards and they’re already at the Giants’ 43.
Punting matters kids.
Giants 3-3 Cowboys, 10:53, 2nd quarter
Brad Wing punts... and it’s not ideal. It’s 40 yards and after a stuffed return, the Cowboys will be at their own 37.
Giants 3-3 Cowboys, 11:07, 2nd quarter
Former Patriot Shane Vereen gets the ball and goes for 4 yards. Eli Manning attempts to throw again and it’s not working out for him. It’s 3rd and 6 at the Giants’ own 20. Manning finally connects with a a pass, this one to Larry Donnell...
Or doesn’t. There’s a review and it’s called incomplete. It’s 4th down and New York punts.
Giants 3-3 Cowboys, 11:50, 2nd quarter
Andre Williams picks up 5 yards. Manning’s first throw of the drive is incomplete, so he decides to scramble for 8 yards instead for the first down.
Giants 3-3 Cowboys, 13:10, 2nd quarter
Hey, the punt pins the Giants to their own 7 and there’s a penalty that pushes them all the way back to their 3.
Giants 3-3 Cowboys, 13:22, 2nd quarter
The Cowboys can’t get anything done with the new set of downs and their drive stalls at their own 40. We will have the first punt of the day!
Boy did that sentence not deserve an exclamation point.
Giants 3-3 Cowboys, 14:13, 2nd quarter
It’s 2nd and 3 at Dallas’s own 32. Randle picks up five. That’ll do.
Oh, and now Bryant is out getting “hydrated,” apparently. He’s expected to return for Dallas (as is Rodgers-Cromartie for the Giants).
I’m going to take this quick breather to remind you all that we’re always looking for your thoughts. Shoot an email at Hunter.Felt@theguardian.com or tweet @HunterFelt and we’ll include them here.
Giants 3-3 Cowboys, end of the 1st quarter
Romo-to-Witten yields 7 yards and, oof, potentially disastrous development for the Giants. CB Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie, one of their most important defensive player, is injured and has to leave the field.
Giants 3-3 Cowboys, 1:12, 1st quarter
Randle picks up three yards and, hey there he is, Romo connects with Dez Bryant for a gain of 12. It’s 1st and 10 at their 25.
Giants 3-3 Cowboys, 2:09, 1st quarter
So many missed opportunities on both sides here. There’s rust all around here, especially on your faithful liveblogger here. I forgot how fast this game goes.
Brown kicks it off, Dunbar returns it from the end zone to the... 10. Might have just allowed it to fall there for the touchback.
Updated
Field goal!
Giants 3-3 Cowboys, 2:09, 1st quarter
The Giants only pick up 2 yards on 2nd & 10 and Eli throws it incomplete on 3rd & 8. So they decide to go for a field goal here. Josh Brown hits it from 50 yards and we have a tied game.
Told you this could be a lower scoring affair.
Another non-fumble
Giants 0-3 Cowboys, 2:42, 1st quarter
And the call on the field stands. Giants are still at the Dallas 34.
Another non-fumble?
Giants 0-3 Cowboys, 3:13, 1st quarter
The Giants appear to fumble again, a drop by Beckham, and it looks like the Cowboys have recovered, but the officials rule “down by contact.” And Dallas will challenge this one.
No Fumble!
Giants 0-3 Cowboys, 3:13, 1st quarter
The call is reversed. It’s Giants ball AND there’s a 15 yard personal foul on Dallas. It’s 1st and 10 on the Cowboys’ 34.
Fumble?
Giants 0-3 Cowboys, 3:13, 1st quarter
Rashad Jennings picks up 2 yards, that gets them to their own 35 and then Fells gets a first down and a tad more. They’re their own 44 when... Jennings fumbles and a crazed rush to get the ball.
And it looks like it’s Dallas’s ball, but there will be a review before it’s official.
Giants 0-3 Cowboys, 4:33, 1st quarter
And now I have Three Dog Night’s “Eli’s Coming” stuck in my head. I may post this here during halftime just to spread the pain.
Eli throws to TE Daniel Fells for a pickup of 13 yards.
Giants 0-3 Cowboys, 4:36, 1st quarter
Bailey’s kickoff goes into the end zone. That’s a touchback. Eli and company will start their first drive at their own 20.
Giants 0-3 Cowboys, 4:36, 1st quarter
That was a huge missed opportunity for the Cowboys. If you’re the Giants you’ve got to look at this as a moral victory. Of course, if they could have gotten a few more stops they could have had an actual victory.
Field goal!
Giants 0-3 Cowboys, 4:36, 1st quarter
The Cowboys get pushed back to the 10 after a penalty of their own, a false start. It’s 2nd and 10 at the Giants 10. They get all the way to the 3 yard line but they...
Can’t convert. They settled for the field goal after an incomplete pass on 3rd & 3. The kick, however, is good as Dan Bailey scores the first points of the Dallas season.
Giants 0-0 Cowboys, 5:36, 1st quarter
And an illegal use of hands penalty goes against the Giants. That’s an additional five yards for the Cowboys who are now 5 yards away from the end zone.
Giants 0-0 Cowboys, 6:36, 1st quarter
No gain on 1st & 10. Hey, Giants defense is a thing.
On 2nd & 10, however, Romo-to-Witten picks up another 5 yards.
Giants 0-0 Cowboys, 8:10, 1st quarter
Romo finds TE Jason Witten for 2 yards on 1st down before finally going to a WR for the first time this game. Not a bad time for it, as Cole Beasley makes a catch for the gain of 12 yards and Dallas is at the New York 15.
Giants 0-0 Cowboys, 8:52, 1st quarter
The Giants cannot do anything to stop the Cowboys on this drive. This time Randle eats up 15 yards and they are at the Giants’ 29 yard line.
Giants 0-0 Cowboys, 10:12, 1st quarter
Randle squeezes out 3 yards, then another 5 on the next down and then Romo connects with Dunbar who gets an additional 8 yards and Dallas is in Giants territory.
Giants 0-0 Cowboys, 12:14, 1st quarter
Romo’s in the shotgun now. Dunbar picks up 5 yards on 1st down, on 2 and 5 he connects with Randle once again for six yards. They’re at their own 40.
Giants 0-0 Cowboys, 13:39, 1st quarter
Joseph Randle carries it just two yards on his first attempt. On 2nd and 8, the ball seems to come lose. Cowboys recover though, no harm done, it’s 3rd and 5.
Romo hits TE Gavin Escobar and it’s just enough for a first down.
Giants 0-0 Cowboys, 15:00, 1st quarter
Josh Brown kicks it off. Lance Dunbar carries it to the Cowboys’ 21.
Updated
Coin toss
Giants call tails, the coin comes up heads. The Cowboys elect to receive.
Updated
that hour and eleven minutes without football just now was brutal.
— OHB (@ohholybutt) September 14, 2015
The Cowboys are on the field now! We’re almost there.
Breaking news
And the news gets worse for the Baltimore Ravens. Linebacker Terrell Suggs tore his Achilles and is reportedly out for the season.
The most entertaining ending to a game this afternoon? I’m going with Baltimore’s near comeback against Denver which ended like this:
Joe Flacco is no longer elite. pic.twitter.com/PMJsSxoVnv
— SB Nation GIF (@SBNationGIF) September 13, 2015
I believe it was Andy Warhol who said that “in the future, every NFL starting quarterback will be elite for 15 minutes.”
Inactives
Cowboys inactives: RB Christine Michael, DE Ryan Russell, DT Ken Bishop, DT Davon Coleman, OT Jordan Mills, OL... http://t.co/KqYPsROTUD
— Todd Archer (@toddarcher) September 13, 2015
#Giants Inactives: Victor Cruz, Cooper Taylor, Jon Beason, Owa Odighizuwa, Bobby Hart, Jerome Cunningham & Louis Nix pic.twitter.com/pHr5TrzQN4
— New York Giants (@Giants) September 13, 2015
Receiver Victor Cruz is the major name here, that eliminates one of Eli’s biggest weapons.
Predictions
Oh man, I am so terrible at these. I’m going to go Cowboys 21, Giants 17. Mainly because everyone else is predicting this to be a high scoring affair. I do worry that the Cowboys are going to miss running back DeMarco Murray (who signed with Philadelphia in the offseason). I think you have to.
Your predictions? Send them this way. You can email Hunter.Felt@theguardian.com or tweet them at @HunterFelt.
Updated
Elsewhere, Pete Carroll picked up right where he left off, making a completely inexplicable coaching decision at a key moment.
The Seattle Seahawks head coach, last seen apparently forgetting that he had Marshawn Lynch on his team, went for an onside kick at the start of overtime, it was recovered by the St. Louis Rams who went on to win the game 34-31 in overtime.
Later Pete Carroll, who allegedly has a history of challenging the official narratives of events, claimed he didn’t call for an onside kick and it was just a “miss hit.”
Probably the most memorable moment so far this afternoon took place in the Titans/Buccaneers game. No, that is not a sentence that has ever been written before today. It was the debut of the two most-talked about quarterbacks of the draft: Tennessee’s Marcus Mariota and Tampa Bay’s Jameis Winston. Mariota threw for four touchdowns.
In the first half.
Meanwhile Winston’s very first pass ended up being a pick six.
That pretty much set the tone for the rest of Tampa Bay’s day.
Today’s scores
Everything else is final for today’s slate of games.
Packers 31-23 Bears
Chiefs 27-20 Texans
Panthers 20-9 Jaguars
Browns 10-31 Jets
Colts 14-27 Bills
Dolphins 17-10 Washington
Seahawks 31-34 Rams OT
Panthers 20-9 Jaguars
Lions 28-33 Chargers
Ravens 13-19 Broncos
Saints 19-31 Cardinals
Bengals 33-13 Raiders
Titans 42-14 Buccaneers
Preamble
Welcome everybody to the first Sunday of the NFL season. Remember the last time the Dallas Cowboys played a meaningful game? Yes, of course you do. It was the NFC Divisional Game where they lost to the Green Bay Packers.
Not ringing any bells still? It was the game where Dallas wide receiver Dez Bryant made what everyone except for those responsible for the NFL rulebook would have deemed a catch inches away from the end zone. The call, somewhat shockingly, was reversed. That would be the end of the Cowboys’ drive and their season.
The Cowboys have been on the wrong side of shocking playoff losses quite often in the recent past, but this one particularly hurt. Fans couldn’t even blame quarterback Tony Romo for it.
Tonight they face the rival New York Giants, who have struggled the last two seasons. New York finished 6-10 last season, even worse than the 7-9 record they earned in their 2013 campaign despite the breakthrough performance by Offensive Rookie of the Year Odell Beckham Jr. They clearly don’t expect their losing ways to continue, otherwise they wouldn’t have locked up quarterback Eli Manning to a massive contract. They have to hope that the inconsistent Manning has one of his good seasons, that Beckham Jr stays healthy enough to play every game and that their defensive players stop blowing themselves up.
We want to hear from you throughout this liveblog, either about this game or really anything about NFL’s opening weekend. You can contribute either by emailing Hunter.Felt@theguardian.com or tweeting @HunterFelt. We’ll use your running commentary throughout the game. It’s the New York Giants facing the Dallas Cowboys at AT&T Stadium. We’re about 45 minutes away from kickoff, but I’ll be back way sooner than that with today’s scores, predictions and other assorted bits of football-related news.
Hunter will be here shortly, in the meantime here is a round-up of Sunday’s early games:
Tyrod Taylor engineered three touchdown drives and Rex Ryan’s attacking Buffalo defense put the clamps on Andrew Luck and the Indianapolis Colts in a 27-14 season-opening victory on Sunday. But the day was overshadowed by a neck injury to the Jets’ rookie linebacker Lorenzo Mauldin.
In his first career start, Taylor went 14 of 19 for 195 yards, including a 51-yard opening touchdown pass to Percy Harvin. Boobie Dixon and rookie Karlos Williams scored touchdowns rushing to deliver Ryan a win in his debut as Bills head coach.
Lawmakers call on NFL to give cheerleaders a fair wage Read more
The Bills built a 24-0 lead by scoring on four consecutive possessions into the third quarter. And Buffalo’s defense did the rest.
The retooled Luck-led Colts attack was limited to 148 yards offense and nine first downs on its first five drives before scoring two touchdowns in the final 16 minutes. Luck finished 26 of 49 for 243 yards and two touchdowns, and was intercepted twice.
