Cincinnati Bengals quarterback Joe Burrow spoke about the significance of facing seven-time Super Bowl winner Tom Brady for the first time ahead of Sunday's clash with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
Burrow was full of praise for 45-year-old Bucs quarterback Brady, with plenty seeing parallels and comparisons between the two in terms of style.
The 26-year-old QB, who is seeking the Bengals' sixth straight win on Sunday, declined to discuss the comparisons, instead lauding his elder statesman Brady.
"I don't really pay attention to it," Burrow told reporters about the comparisons. "He's Tom, and I'm Joe."
He added: "It's really incredible. He's 45 now. He's getting hit by the same people I'm getting hit by. It's a testament to the hard work and dedication and the team he has around him in the offseason to get his body right."
Brady (3585) ranks fourth in the NFL in passing yards during this season at the age of 45-years-old, with Burrow (3685) sitting third overall.
The pair are tied for most passing touchdowns in fourth quarters this season, while they are both ranked in the top 10 for fourth-quarter QBR, showing they handle pressure well.
"He gets the ball out really fast," Burrow said. "He understands what he's looking at. I think he epitomizes toughness at the quarterback position.
"He's a great leader. He's the greatest of all time for a reason. He's the total package."
Going into the game, the Bengals are 9-4 and second in the AFC North following their five-game winning streak while the Bucs are below .500 at 6-7, yet lead the NFC South.
"Obviously, the greatest quarterback ever is on the other side," Burrow said. "But we got a job to do, too, and our job is to go and win, get to 10-4 and move on."
Cincinnati Bengals quarterback Joe Burrow downplayed the significance of facing seven-time Super Bowl winner Tom Brady for the first time ahead of Sunday's clash with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
Burrow was full of praise for 45-year-old Bucs quarterback Brady, with plenty seeing parallels and comparisons between the two in terms of style.
The 26-year-old QB, who is seeking the Bengals' sixth straight win on Sunday, declined to discuss the comparisons, instead lauding his elder statesman Brady.
"I don't really pay attention to it," Burrow told reporters about the comparisons. "He's Tom, and I'm Joe."
He added: "It's really incredible. He's 45 now. He's getting hit by the same people I'm getting hit by. It's a testament to the hard work and dedication and the team he has around him in the offseason to get his body right."
Brady (3585) ranks fourth in the NFL in passing yards during this season at the age of 45-years-old, with Burrow (3685) sitting third overall.
The pair are tied for most passing touchdowns in fourth quarters this season, while they are both ranked in the top 10 for fourth-quarter QBR, showing they handle pressure well.
"He gets the ball out really fast," Burrow said. "He understands what he's looking at. I think he epitomizes toughness at the quarterback position.
"He's a great leader. He's the greatest of all time for a reason. He's the total package."
Going into the game, the Bengals are 9-4 and second in the AFC North following their five-game winning streak while the Bucs are below .500 at 6-7, yet lead the NFC South.
"Obviously, the greatest quarterback ever is on the other side," Burrow said. "But we got a job to do, too, and our job is to go and win, get to 10-4 and move on."
Dallas Cowboys owner Jerry Jones would not be drawn on an update on the franchise's interest in Odell Beckham Jr but simply said "stand by" in a sign a decision is close.
The Cowboys have been involved in a drawn-out courtship with Beckham, who has been a free agent since leaving the Los Angeles Rams after tearing his anterior cruciate ligament in last season's Super Bowl triumph.
The wide receiver appeared close to a move to the Cowboys after undergoing a physical earlier this month.
Beckham's ACL injury has created doubt about his availability, although the 30-year-old said last week he sees no point in playing regular-season games, with a view to a playoffs impact.
That situation seems to have stalled the move but Jones hinted that it may be close after the NFL owners meetings wrapped up.
"I don't want to talk about that but stand by," Jones said. "This thing could break."
The Cowboys are second in the NFC East with a 10-3 record on the back of a four-game win streak and Jones is bullish Beckham could make an impact when the pressure is on.
"Great players make great plays," Jones said. "Great ones make exceptional plays and so I hope we advance here where a handful of great plays, if I may be arm waving about it, could be the difference in a world championship."
The Cowboys, who could clinch a playoff spot with victory over the Jacksonville Jaguars on Sunday, have not won a Super Bowl since 1995, when they won three in five years.
The San Francisco 49ers can clinch a first NFC West title since the 2019 season with a road victory over the Seattle Seahawks on Thursday, and will almost certainly look to the ground game to help them do so.
San Francisco crushed the Tampa Bay Buccaneers 35-7 in Week 14 in a dream first start for rookie quarterback Brock Purdy. That victory, combined with the Seahawks' surprise home loss to the Carolina Panthers, gave the 9-4 Niners a two-game lead atop the division.
The 49ers beat the Seahawks 27-7 way back in Week 2, their largest win over Seattle since a 38-7 triumph in Week 4 of the 1988 season. If they complete a season sweep of Seattle for the first time since 2011, the 49ers will have a three-game lead and the head-to-head tiebreaker over the Seahawks with three games remaining, securing them a second successive trip to the postseason.
Kyle Shanahan's team went all the way to the NFC Championship Game last season, surrendering a fourth-quarter lead to the Los Angeles Rams, and the 49ers look to have the potential to contend for the Super Bowl again this year, even after losing their top two quarterbacks, Trey Lance and Jimmy Garoppolo, and being forced to turn to Brock Purdy, the last pick in this year's draft.
The Niners are on a six-game winning streak, with their last four victories each coming by at least 13 points. They are the only team to win four straight games, all by 13+ points, this season.
In the 28-point win over the Tom Brady-led Bucs, Purdy became the first quarterback to beat a former Super Bowl-winning QB by more than 10 points while making his first career start. Purdy is looking to be the sixth Niners QB to win his first two career NFL starts.
Purdy picked up where he left off in the 49ers' Week 13 win over the Miami Dolphins, in which he replaced the injured Garoppolo, going 16 of 21 for 185 yards and two touchdowns while rushing for another score. He continued to display poise, decisiveness, accuracy and the ability to defeat pressure. Through just under two full games, Purdy has a well-thrown rate that is superior to that of Jalen Hurts, Josh Allen and Trevor Lawrence, the former Iowa State signal-caller delivering an accurate, well-thrown ball on 83.3 per cent of his pass attempts.
But in the famously raucous road environment in Seattle, the 49ers have plenty of reason to take the game off the arm of Purdy against a Seahawks run defense that has allowed 677 rushing yards over its last three games.
The 49ers averaged 6.1 yards per rush last week against the Bucs, with Christian McCaffrey and rookie Jordan Mason each excelling on the ground.
McCaffrey had 119 yards rushing and a touchdown on 14 carries, as well as two receptions for 34 yards and a touchdown, while Mason averaged 5.1 yards per carry as the 49ers cruised in the second half after building a 35-0 lead.
Since his debut for the 49ers in Week 7, McCaffrey is averaging 106 scrimmage yards per game, the seventh-most in the NFL. With versatile wide receiver Deebo Samuel out with a high ankle sprain, McCaffrey is the undisputed focal point of the offense.
On a short week in what is sure to be a hard-fought divisional game, the 49ers might not be able to rely too heavily on McCaffrey, meaning Mason may see a larger share of the workload.
The Niners clinched the NFC West and the number one seed in the conference in the regular-season finale in Seattle in 2019 with a dramatic late goal-line stand.
They will need their defense, ranked first in the NFL by success rate (35%) to stand tall again versus a dangerous Seahawks' offense led by Geno Smith, but if the 49ers can control possession and move the ball on the ground against a defense that appears ill-equipped to stop McCaffrey and company, San Francisco will be a strong position to punch their ticket to the postseason.
A disappointing season for the Arizona Cardinals took another turn on Wednesday with general manager Steve Keim taking an indefinite, health-related leave of absence from the team.
Keim is in his 10th year as the Cardinals' GM and has been with the team in some capacity since 1999, when he was hired as a regional scout.
He was signed to a contract extension through 2027 in March after Arizona finished last season 11-6 before a wild card loss to the eventual champion Los Angeles Rams.
"Out of respect for privacy - which is required by law - the team will refrain from commenting further," the Cardinals said in a statement.
Keim's duties will be handled on an interim basis by VP of Personnel Quentin Harris and VP of Pro Personnel Adrian Wilson.
At 4-9, the Cardinals will miss the playoffs for the sixth time in seven seasons, and will remain without a postseason victory since 2016.
Star quarterback Kyler Murray was lost to an ACL tear in Monday night's defeat to the New England Patriots and is expected to have surgery after Christmas.
In 2018, Keim was suspended for five weeks and fined $200,000 by the team following a guilty plea to extreme DUI.
Deshaun Watson is "excited" ahead of his first home game for the Cleveland Browns, but added "I can’t control what the reaction is going to be".
Watson has played two games for the Browns since returning from his 11-game ban for violating the NFL's personal conduct policy for allegedly committing sexual assault.
The three-time Pro Bowl quarterback left the Houston Texans for the Browns in the offseason on a five-year deal worth $230million guaranteed.
Watson did not play in the 2021 season as accusations emerged from more than two dozen women of sexual assault and other sexual misconduct during massage sessions, leading to the NFL-imposed ban and a record $5m fine in August.
Speaking ahead of Saturday's game against AFC North rivals the Baltimore Ravens, Watson said he is unsure how the fans at FirstEnergy Stadium will welcome him, having been booed in his first game back on the road to the Texans a fortnight ago.
"I am not even sure," he said. "My main objective for this weekend is going out there and just showing this crowd and showing the Cleveland fans and this city that we are going out there to compete, and this season is not over for us.
"I can't control what the reaction is going to be. I am not sure what it is going to be. Like I said, I am excited to go out there, play football and get back in the old school uniforms and the white face masks and things like that and have a little bit of fun and just try to make the Saturday something special for Cleveland."
After a disappointing comeback against the Texans in Week 13, Watson followed up with a slightly improved showing against the Cincinnati Bengals last week, albeit in a 23-10 defeat.
The 27-year-old completed 26 of 42 passes, throwing for 276 yards with one touchdown pass as a 13-yard effort found David Njoku in the third quarter.
Watson agreed that he has more to give, and vowed to improve as the Browns look to improve on their 5-8 record.
"I am not close to where I [want to be] at, and I don't want to be where I was in 2020 – I want to be better," he said. "I have a long way to go. I want to continue to improve. I want to be that player whenever I step on the field that no one can stop us.
"That is my mentality, but we have to continue to go out there and continue to show that and try to do that and not just talk about it but actually prove it on the field. I am nowhere near where I want to be. This team also is nowhere near where we want to be. We have to continue to just keep growing and finish the season strong."
Some leagues may have started playoffs last week, but with the arrival of Week 15 in the NFL, the fantasy postseason is now firmly in full swing.
The playoffs are a time when you need your star players to deliver, but that is not always possible.
Injuries or bad matchups can put stars in disadvantageous situations, and often fantasy managers are left needing to rely on lesser lights to help them secure glory.
Ahead of the start of a week in which several NFL teams will look to punch their postseason ticket, Stats Perform has picked out four somewhat under-the-radar players, and a defense, who are in a position to help fantasy managers enjoy playoff success.
Quarterback: Kirk Cousins, Minnesota Vikings vs. Indianapolis Colts
The Vikings aren't exactly a sleeper team at 10-3, but as they lost to the Detroit Lions last week, you may have missed that their quarterback had an exceptional statistical game.
Cousins completed 75.6 per cent of his passes (31 of 41) for 425 yards and two touchdowns.
Indianapolis possess a stout defense, but the Colts will provide opposing offenses with opportunities. The Colts' opponents have had 148 drives, tied for the fifth-most in the league. Cousins might have to work harder this week, but the chances for him to have a decisive impact in the fantasy playoffs will certainly come.
Running Back: Jordan Mason, San Francisco 49ers @ Seattle Seahawks
Yes, it's very much Christian McCaffrey's backfield in San Francisco, but on a short week having already lost Deebo Samuel for much of the stretch run due to a high-ankle sprain and an MCL sprain, the 49ers are likely to share the load a little more as they seek to clinch the NFC West title.
Mason will be the man to get the lion's share of carries that are not given to McCaffrey. He had 56 yards on 11 carries in San Francisco's dominant win over Tampa Bay in Week 14 and is averaging 5.5 yards per carry over the last three games, including five rushes of at least 10 yards.
If you are in the playoffs but in a bind at running back, Mason is an intriguing option against a Seahawks defense that has allowed 677 rushing yards over its last three games.
Wide Receiver: Zay Jones, Jacksonville Jaguars vs. Dallas Cowboys
The Jaguars remain in with a shot, albeit a small one, of reaching the postseason, with quarterback Trevor Lawrence showing continued signs of developing into the quarterback many have believed he could become since high school.
Eyebrows were raised in the offseason when the Jaguars handed a lucrative contract to Jones, but he has become a favourite target of Lawrence in recent weeks.
Over his last four games, Jones has 43 targets, tied for the sixth-most in the NFL since Week 10. In that span, he has two eight-catch games and an 11-reception performance. He went for 77 yards and a touchdown in last week's win over the Tennessee Titans, two weeks on from a 145-yard effort against the Baltimore Ravens. Against a Dallas defense that struggled to contain the Houston Texans last week, Jones is an extremely strong points per reception play.
Tight End: Chigoziem Okonkwo, Tennessee Titans @ Los Angeles Chargers
Finding a reliable fantasy tight end can be difficult at any point of the year, but it is key for fantasy managers hoping to prevail in the playoffs.
Okonkwo is enjoying an increasingly prominent role in the Titans' passing attack and has 10 receptions on 11 targets for 113 yards and a touchdown over his last two games.
The Chargers kept the Miami Dolphins in check last week, but they are still very susceptible to the pass, and Okonkwo is likely to be a weapon the Titans look to as they aim to exploit that vulnerability.
Defense/Special Teams: Washington Commanders vs. New York Giants
The Commanders have flown under most people's radars this season but are in position to sneak into the playoffs in part thanks to an impressive defense.
Washington's defense ranks tied third in the NFL by success rate allowed and, in a critical matchup with their NFC East rivals in primetime, faces a New York offense that over the last three weeks has averaged just 5.6 yards per pass play (sixth-worst) and 3.8 yards per rush (ninth-worst). If you have the Commanders' defense or are in a position to acquire it, do so.
"I look up, and we're throwing it to Penei, and I'm like, 'What the f*** are we doing?' They said, 'Coach, you said it was fine.' But it worked out great. It was unbelievable."
With back-to-back wins for just the second time this season, the Lions have overseen a dramatic turnaround in recent weeks, winning five of their last six games to bolster their playoff hopes.
They next make the trip to face the New York Jets on Sunday, before a Christmas Eve clash with the Carolina Panthers.
The Houston Texans will be without arguably their top offensive player for up to three weeks after rookie running back Dameon Pierce was diagnosed with a high ankle sprain.
Pierce, a fourth-round pick in this year's NFL Draft, took over as the Texans' starting running back in Week 2, and has gone on to rack up 939 rushing yards in 13 games to lead all rookies.
He has also been strongly involved in his team's passing game, with his 30 receptions the second-most by any rookie running back, trailing only Rachaad White (40 catches) of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
Against the Dallas Cowboys on Sunday, Pierce awkwardly twisted his ankle in the fourth quarter of a narrow 27-23 loss – a game where the Texans entered the contest as 17-point underdogs.
ESPN reports he will miss "up to three weeks", which would not be season-ending, but he may very well be shut down during that period.
Despite Pierce's strong play, the Texans own the worst record in the league at 1-11-1 and are pencilled in for the number one pick in next year's draft – a position they would like to hold onto.
Pierce has already done enough to ensure his position as Week 1 starter next season, and with only four games remaining in the current campaign, it remains to be seen if the Texans will bring him back for the final fixture as the timeframe may allow.
The Arizona Cardinals' fears have come to fruition after an MRI confirmed that Kyler Murray tore his ACL and will miss the rest of the season.
Murray was injured on Arizona's third play from scrimmage in Monday's 27-13 loss to the New England Patriots and the quarterback had to be carted off the field.
He was hurt on a non-contact three-yard gain as he attempted to cut on the turf and immediately went down.
After the game, coach Kliff Kingsbury said the team was bracing for bad news.
"It doesn't look good," he said on Monday. "It's tough. There's no doubt. You see teams go through it every week, but when you lose your starter on the third play of the game, it's tough."
Multiple sources reported on Tuesday – including NFL Network's Ian Rapoport – that Murray's season is over, and an ACL tear will also put his health for the 2023 season into question.
The 2022 season will go down as a disappointing one for Murray, who signed a five-year, $230.5million contract extension with the Cardinals in the offseason.
Murray – the top overall pick of the 2019 draft – led Arizona to an 11-6 record and a playoff berth in 2021, while throwing for 3,787 yards with 24 touchdowns, 10 interceptions and a 100.6 passer rating.
With 14 TD passes, seven picks and an 87.2 QB rating in 10 starts this season, Murray has struggled to generate much offense for the 4-9 Cardinals.
Colt McCoy took over at QB after Murray's injury and figures to finish out the season in that role.
The 36-year-old McCoy has 702 passing yards with one touchdown and two interceptions in three games this season.
Mississippi State head coach Mike Leach died on Monday at the age of 61, the university has announced.
Leach passed away at the University of Mississippi Medical Center in Jackson, Mississippi, due to complications from a heart condition.
In a statement, the Leach family said: "Mike was a giving and attentive husband, father and grandfather. He was able to participate in organ donation at UMMC as a final act of charity.
"We are supported and uplifted by the outpouring of love and prayers from family, friends, Mississippi State University, the hospital staff, and football fans around the world. Thank you for sharing in the joy of our beloved husband and father's life."
Mississippi State University President Mark E. Keenum said: "Coach Mike Leach cast a tremendous shadow not just over Mississippi State University, but over the entire college football landscape.
"His innovative 'Air Raid' offense changed the game. Mike's keen intellect and unvarnished candour made him one of the nation's true coaching legends.
"His passing brings great sadness to our university, to the Southeastern Conference, and to all who loved college football. I will miss Mike's profound curiosity, his honesty, and his wide-open approach to pursuing excellence in all things.
"Mike's death also underscores the fragility and uncertainty of our lives. Three weeks ago, Mike and I were together in the locker room celebrating a hard-fought victory in Oxford [over rivals Ole Miss].
"Mike Leach truly embraced life and lived in such a manner as to leave no regrets. That's a worthy legacy. May God bless the Leach family during these days and hours. The prayers of the Bulldog family go with them."
Leach is best known as one of the pioneers of the 'Air Raid' offense, an aggressive and potent attack that he developed as an assistant to Hal Mumme at Iowa Wesleyan, Valdosta State and Kentucky, whose quarterback Tim Couch became a number one overall pick of the Cleveland Browns in 1999 after excelling in the system.
He moved on to Oklahoma as an assistant Bob Stoops in 1999 and his success in transforming their offense led him to be appointed as Texas Tech head coach.
Leach spent 10 years at Texas Tech, where he never had a losing season. His 84 wins remain the most in program history and he set the record for bowl game appearances with the Red Raiders (10).
He was hired by Washington State in 2012, going 55-47 with the Cougars and leading them to a program record six bowl game appearances. After going 4-7 in his first year at Mississippi State, he guided the Bulldogs to back-to-back winning seasons, including an 8-4 record in the 2022 regular season. The Bulldogs are due to face Illinois in the ReliaQuest Bowl on January 2.
Leach went 158-107 in his head coaching career, reaching 19 bowl games and delivering seven seasons of at least nine victories and two conference division titles. His passing attack led the FBS - the highest level of college football - in 10 of his 21 seasons as a head coach, six at Texas Tech and four at Washington State.
His irreverent personality, which saw sessions with the media feature long tangents on everything from weddings and Halloween candy to which Pac-12 mascot would win in a fight, made Leach one of the most popular coaches in college football.
Mississippi State athletic director Bracky Brett said: "We are heartbroken and devastated by the passing of Mike Leach. College football lost one of its most beloved figures today, but his legacy will last forever. Mike's energetic personality, influential presence and extraordinary leadership touched millions of athletes, students, coaches, fans, family and friends for decades.
"Mike was an innovator, pioneer and visionary. He was a college football icon, a coaching legend but an even better person. We are all better for having known Mike Leach. The thoughts and prayers of Mississippi State University and the entire Bulldog family are with his wife Sharon, his children and the entire Leach family."
The Arizona Cardinals will discover the extent of Kyler Murray's injury later this week, with fears the quarterback suffered an ACL problem in Monday's loss to the New England Patriots.
Murray appeared to sustain a serious knee issue on the first drive and had to be taken from the field in a medical cart following a three-yard gain in just the third action of the match.
Colt McCoy took his place for the rest of the match as the Cardinals slipped to a 27-13 loss against the Patriots, to take them to 4-9 for the season.
Coach Kliff Kingsbury revealed the team were unsure as to the extent of Murray's injury, acknowledging his loss threw them out for the rest of the game, while revealing he would have scans on Tuesday.
"It doesn't look good," he said. "It's tough. There's no doubt. You see teams go through it every week, but when you lose your starter on the third play of the game, it's tough.
"[It was] non-contact, [so] it's just tough to watch and see. You've got to be able to rebound and play the game, though."
With 14 touchdowns and seven interceptions in his 10 starts this season, former top draft pick Murray has struggled to help drive the Cardinals forward amid a difficult campaign.
His loss though was a stinging one, with Patriots boss Bill Belichick passing on his regards to the quarterback after the match too.
"It's tough to see a player like Murray get hurt," he added. "I hope he's okay."
Despite being tied for the league-lead in sacks, Matthew Judon insisted he is only the second-best pass-rusher playing for the New England Patriots after Josh Uche's career night against the Arizona Cardinals.
Uche, 24, was a second-round pick in the 2020 NFL Draft, but struggled in his first two seasons, totaling only four combined sacks.
In Monday's 27-13 win against the Cardinals, he led all comers with three, taking his season tally to 10 – and all 10 have been in the past six weeks.
Judon was credited with one-and-a-half sacks on Cardinals backup quarterback Colt McCoy – who was thrust into the action after just three plays following Kyler Murray's knee injury – taking his total to 14.5 to tie with elite San Francisco 49ers talent Nick Bosa for the league's most.
Uche and Judon are the only pair of teammates this season with at least 10 sacks each.
The Patriots' defense was the dominant force in the win, turning a 13-13 tie into a two-score lead after returning a fumble for a touchdown, and securing an interception on the next drive to set up Pierre Strong Jr's sealer.
Speaking to reporters after the game, Judon said Uche's dominant performance was no surprise.
"I told y'all I wasn't our best pass-rusher," he said. "Our best pass-rusher is emerging.
"People are going to have to block him, and if they don't, and they chip my side and worry about me, Uche will do that every week.
"I love the way he's playing with confidence, and poise, and this is the most he's played since he's been in the NFL. It's taken a toll on him, but he's going out there and having a lot of success.
"We all knew it, we all knew the type of player he was, he was drafted pretty high here, and now he's just emerging. Folks are going to have to watch out."
When asked how he feels about the Patriots' defense often having to carry their struggling offense, Judon said he has no issues with it.
"Honestly, as a defender, you relish it," he said. "You relish it.
"We'd love for our offense to go out there and score 40 points each game, but as a defender, it's like, skip it. It is what it is. We're going out there, and we've got to do our job.
"We can't let our offense down and come out there and slip, and let stuff go. Every play we have to defend every blade of grass, and that's what we came out and did.
"We got a lot of tipped balls, we put pressure on the quarterback, we were hitting receivers, jamming them – and that's how you beat a team like that with an explosive offense."
Judon's admiration of Uche is reciprocated, with Uche making a point to credit Judon in aiding his development.
"I've learned a lot, I've been through a lot of adversity," he said. "Just leaning back on my faith, my family, my teammates, my girl, my parents – everybody. Just leaning back on them, and them helping me stay up.
"Judon has been a blessing in my life, man. That's big bro. I don't know where I'd be without him."
Future Hall-of-Fame coach Bill Belichick also singled out Uche when asked about his defence's performance.
"Uche had a couple big plays for us," he said. "He hit McCoy to force the interception to [Marcus] Jones.
"We were able to hit the quarterback, but of course that comes from getting ahead, and playing from ahead, and it became a passing game in the second half.
"Our defense did a pretty good job tonight. They have a lot of firepower, and Arizona moved the ball, but we fortunately got a couple red-area stops, and didn't give them much in the second half, so it was good."
The Patriots are now 7-6, and occupy the final AFC Wildcard spot with four weeks to play.
The New England Patriots (7-6) moved into the last AFC Wildcard spot with a 27-13 win on Monday against the Kyler Murray-less Arizona Cardinals (4-9).
Murray's game lasted only three plays before he went down with a non-contact knee injury, promptly being ruled out and replaced by backup Colt McCoy.
McCoy started brightly, leading three consecutive scoring drives resulting in two field goals and a James Conner touchdown run to put the Cardinals up 13-7 late in the second quarter – but they would not score from that point on.
It was far from smooth sailing for Patriots quarterback Mac Jones, but he was able to help tie the game with a pair of field goal drives, before a costly fumble from All-Pro Cardinals wide receiver De'Andre Hopkins was returned for a touchdown to put New England ahead 20-13.
The next Cardinals drive would end in an interception after Josh Uche hit McCoy on his release, with Uche and fellow pass-rusher Matthew Judon emerging as the dominant force in the game.
Uche collected a career-high three sacks, giving him 10 for the season, and all 10 have come in his past six games.
Meanwhile, Judon had one-and-a-half sacks to take his season tally to 14.5, tying San Francisco 49ers star Nick Bosa for the league-lead. They are the first pair of teammates this season to reach the 10-sack milestone.
After the Patriots' top running back Rhamondre Stevenson left the game due to an ankle injury, rookie Pierre Strong Jr was the beneficiary, tallying 70 yards from his five carries, including the first touchdown of his career to give his side some breathing room in the fourth quarter.
In a season full of grim injury news, the San Francisco 49ers received an encouraging update for a change.
A day after Deebo Samuel was carted off the field, the 49ers announced that the versatile wide receiver is expected to return before the end of the regular season.
The 2021 First Team All-Pro selection suffered a sprained left ankle and MCL Sunday when he was taken down awkwardly during San Francisco’s 35-7 win over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
Samuel has accounted for 840 yards from scrimmage and five total touchdowns this season.
When Samuel was carted off the field, many had feared the 49ers had lost another key contributor to a devastating injury after running back Elijah Mitchell, defensive lineman Javon Kinlaw and defensive backs Jason Verrett and Jimmie Ward all ended up on injured reserve.
Most notably, quarterback Trey Lance was lost for the season to a broken right ankle in Week 2, while his replacement, Jimmy Garoppolo, will miss at least the rest of the regular season with a foot injury.
The injuries to Lance and Garoppolo have forced the 49ers to turn to rookie quarterback Brock Purdy, who made his first career start in Sunday’s victory.
Purdy responded by playing brilliantly, accounting for three total touchdowns, but did not get through unscathed, suffering an oblique injury on the second series of the game.
"I think it was a challenge for [Purdy]," coach Kyle Shanahan said. "Just talking to him and seeing him after the game. I think he really toughed it out, did some real good things with it and I know he is sore today."
Purdy and the 49ers (9-4) face a quick turnaround before they play the Seattle Seahawks Thursday night.
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