Week 9 of the NFL season concluded with a thrilling Monday night showdown between rivals. In addition, a star running back is hurt once again, and the Falcons move on from a disgruntled veteran. Here are the latest NFL news and notes going on right now.
Patriots Rally to Beat Jets
In a game that featured two teams with a combined record of 2-13 heading in, the New England Patriots and New York Jets gave fans a fun game that came down to the final seconds. In the end, Nick Folk’s 51-yard field goal as time expired completed New England’s comeback effort and gave them the 30-27 victory.
Surprisingly, New York led for most of the game. After trailing 7-3, the Jets scored two touchdowns in the second quarter thanks to catches from Breshad Perriman and Jamison Crowder. After leading 20-10 at halftime, Perriman scored his second of the game late in the third quarter, giving the Jets a 27-17 lead heading into the final quarter. However, a combination of turnovers, defensive penalties, and lousy play-calling gave way for the Patriots to score 13 unanswered points in the fourth quarter and win the game.
The win, which was New England’s ninth in a row against the Jets, came thanks to a pair of rushing touchdowns from quarterback Cam Newton. Running backs Damien Harris and Rex Burkhead each contributed as well, with the latter finding the end zone in the third quarter. Wide receiver Jakobi Meyers also had a big game, pulling down 12 catches for 169 yards.
With this victory, the Patriots snapped their four-game losing streak and improved their record to 3-5 on the season. Their next game will be a much tougher test when they host the Baltimore Ravens on Sunday night. As for the Jets, this heart-breaking loss moves them to 0-9, the worst start in franchise history, and guarantees them a losing record in 2020. They’ll have a bye this upcoming week before they attempt to get their first win of the season in Week 11 on the road against the Los Angeles Chargers.
McCaffrey Day-to-Day
The return to the field for Carolina Panthers star running back Christian McCaffrey may be short-lived. Head coach Matt Rhule told reporters that McCaffrey is listed as day-to-day following a right shoulder injury that came late in Sunday’s 33-31 loss to the Kansas City Chiefs.
With 1:10 left in regulation, McCaffrey was brought down hard by Chiefs safety Daniel Sorensen following a one-yard catch near the sideline. He immediately left the game to get looked at by the medical staff, and although he came back in for one final play, it was clear he was in some pain.
This is the second injury CMC has suffered in 2020, the first a high ankle sprain that he suffered in Week Two in a loss to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. While the ankle sprain kept him out for Carolina’s next six games, it is currently unclear as to how long this injury will sideline him for.
As expected, McCaffrey was highly-productive when he was on the field against Kansas City. He finished the day with 69 yards on the ground and a touchdown while also adding a second TD and 82 yards receiving. His presence boosted a Carolina offense that found the end zone each time they were inside their opponent’s 20-yard line.
As the week goes on, more updates about McCaffrey will become known. Assuming he misses the next game, a road game against the Buccaneers, the veteran Mike Davis would presumably step back into the starting role.
McKinley Waived by Falcons
It was an unhappy ending for edge rusher Takk Mczkinkey and the Atlanta Falcons. Atlanta waived their former first-round draft pick after he took to social media to call out the team for not trading him at the trade deadline.
Following last week’s Tuesday deadline, McKinley revealed that Atlanta turned down offers to trade their fourth-year veteran in exchange for fifth or sixth-round picks in the draft. He also said that he requested a trade last year as well, a deal that he alleges was for a second-round pick, but that Atlanta once again turned it down.
McKinley, who will be a free agent once he clears waivers, has just 17.5 sacks in 49 career games over the last four seasons. He had missed the previous two games altogether for the Falcons due to injury and illness while registering just one total sack in four games this season.
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