Green Bay Packers rookie Christian Watson was the star of the show in his side's 31-28 comeback win in overtime against the Dallas Cowboys on Sunday.
With no career receiving touchdowns coming into the contest, the second-round draft pick got one on the board in the first quarter, reeling in a deep ball for a 58-yard touchdown in response to CeeDee Lamb's opening score.
A 12-yard rush from Aaron Jones would give the Packers a lead, before Dalton Schultz tied things up with the fourth touchdown of the first frame.
Second-quarter scores to Cowboys running back Tony Pollard and a second for Lamb gave their side a 28-14 lead at halftime, but Dallas would not score the rest of the way.
Watson brought it back to a one-possession game with his second touchdown to begin the fourth quarter, and he struck again with 2:29 remaining in regulation to tie the game and force overtime.
After the Cowboys failed to convert a fourth down in the extra period, the Packers marched downfield and set-up a game-winning 28-yard field goal for Mason Crosby.
With Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers desperate for a new go-to option, Watson was targeting on eight of his 20 passes for a whopping 40 per cent target share. For reference, Cooper Kupp of the Los Angeles Rams leads the league with a 31.7 per cent target share entering Week 10.
Watson caught four of his eight targets for 107 yards and three touchdowns, while to all other receivers Rodgers completed 10 passes for 117 yards and no scores.
Saturday gets his first Sunday win
In his first game as a head coach above the high school level, Indianapolis Colts legend Jeff Saturday led his team to a 25-20 road win against the Las Vegas Raiders.
In a surprising move that was not announced pre-game, interim coach Saturday opted to return the starting quarterback role to veteran Matt Ryan, pivoting away from second-year youngster Sam Ehlinger.
Ryan was serviceable, completing 21 of 28 passes for 222 yards and no turnovers, but they relied on their running game to get the job done.
Star running back Jonathan Taylor was the Colts' workhorse, carrying 22 times for 147 yards and two scores, highlighted by a 66-yard touchdown run to take the lead in the third quarter.
Dak Prescott throws three touchdowns as Dallas Cowboys beat Seattle Seahawks
Dallas Cowboys quarterback Dak Prescott threw three touchdowns as his side downed the Seattle Seahawks at home in a high-scoring 41-35 win.
The 30-year-old completed the winning play for the Cowboys, finding Jake Ferguson with just minutes left to win their fourth game in a row.
Prescott threw for just 299 yards, while his opposing quarterback Geno Smith threw for 334 yards, matching Prescott with three touchdowns.
The Seahawks led at halftime 21-20, thanks to two touchdowns from DK Metcalf and one from Zach Charbonnet, with Smith grabbing his own touchdown just two minutes into the second half.
But the Cowboys refused to go away, scoring a touchdown in the third quarter through Tony Pollard to stay within touching distance.
In the final quarter, Metcalf ran over for his third touchdown for the Seahawks, giving his side an eight-point lead with less than 15 minutes left.
But the Cowboys rallied again with two field goals and the Ferguson touchdown pushing them to nine wins on the season.
New York Jets QB Aaron Rodgers cleared to practice
Aaron Rodgers has taken the next step towards a potential return before the end of the season, as the New York Jets designated the star quarterback to return from injured reserve on Wednesday.
The move allows Rodgers, recovering from surgery to repair a ruptured left Achilles tendon he suffered in the Sept. 11 season opener, to resume practising and gives the Jets a 21-day window to return him to the active roster.
NFL.com reported earlier this month that Rodgers was targeting the Jets' home game against the Washington Commanders on Dec. 24 as a potential return date. The four-time NFL MVP, who turns 40 on Saturday, has stated that he would only play again this season if physically able and if the Jets are still in the playoff race.
New York currently sits two games behind the Indianapolis Colts for the AFC's final wild card spot after losing its last four games to drop to 4-7.
Jets coach Robert Saleh said that it's still unclear whether Rodgers will be back this season, as he categorised the decision to open the veteran's practice window as the next part of the rehabilitation process.
"This isn't so much getting ready to play as it is a progression in his rehab," Saleh told reporters Wednesday.
Saleh added that Rodgers will be limited to light throwing drills this week and has yet to be cleared for contact.
"What he will be doing in practice is no different than what he'd be doing on (a side field) as (the media) watch it," he said. "With regards to certain drills and individual, being able to throw ... instead of throwing with staff members he'll be throwing with teammates.
"There's no added risk to it. There's certain things he's been cleared for that we're going to allow him to do."
Should Rodgers play again in 2023, it would complete a remarkably speedy recovery from a serious injury, as Achilles tears generally require a rehab period between nine and 12 months.
Rodgers was injured on the Jets' third official play from scrimmage of the season when he was sacked by Buffalo's Leonard Floyd in New York's Week 1 win over the Bills, bringing a sudden and shocking ending to one of the most anticipated player debuts with a new team in NFL history.
The Jets acquired Rodgers from the Green Bay Packers, the team he spent his first 18 seasons with and led to a Super Bowl title in 2010, in April.
Rodgers' injury has greatly dampened hopes for a Jets team that entered the season with very high aspirations, with inconsistent quarterback play a major factor in their disappointing record.
The Jets rank 30th of 32 teams in scoring at 14.8 points per game and 31st in total offense with Zach Wilson seeing the majority of time as Rodgers' replacement. Saleh benched Wilson in favor of journeyman TIm Boyle for last week's 34-13 loss to the Miami Dolphins.
Colts’ Jonathan Taylor to have thumb surgery
Indianapolis star running back Jonathan Taylor is scheduled to undergo thumb surgery and is expected to miss multiple weeks, The Athletic reported Tuesday.
The Colts expect Taylor to miss two or three games, so they do not plan on placing the former All-Pro on injured reserve.
Taylor will have the operation on Wednesday.
The news of Taylor’s injury came as a surprise after he played throughout Sunday’s 27-20 win over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and carried the ball twice during the game’s final drive. He finished with 91 rushing yards and two touchdowns.
Taylor’s absence comes at a crucial time for the Colts, who have won three straight games and cling to play-off hopes in the AFC at 6-5.
The 2021 rushing champion missed the first four games of the season while recovering from an ankle injury suffered in 2022.
Zack Moss, who excelled in Taylor’s absence in September, is expected to start and see the lion’s share of work in the backfield.
A mid-season trade acquisition from the Buffalo Bills last year, Moss leads the Colts with 672 rushing yards this season and has six total touchdowns.
In seven games this year, Taylor has 551 yards from scrimmage and has found the end zone five times.
The Colts play road games against the Tennessee Titans and Cincinnati Bengals over the next two weeks before returning home to face the Pittsburgh Steelers on Dec. 17.
SportsMax is the Caribbean sports channel of choice, committed to providing sporting content of the highest quality to the Caribbean, delivered by a team of highly innovative, passionate and qualified professionals.
(876) 619-7629
digitalmedia@sportsmax.tv
