🏈 NFL 2020 Week 6 Monday Night Doubleheader 🏈

  

  

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It is strange, seeing so many double bill on Mondays so far this season. Obviously, Covid-19 is wreaking some havoc for the teams involved. For example, this was the third Monday night game in the past four weeks for the Chiefs. Yet, it seems to be working for them, as they have won all of them thus far.              

Let’s take a look at the two games from yesterday:  

Kansas City Holds Off Bills in Buffalo  

Kansas City 26, Buffalo 17  

This was not exactly a conventional win for the Chiefs. First of all, it was a delayed game that was supposed to have been played days earlier. Secondly, they relied more heavily than usual on their running game, as opposed to their famous passing attack, in order to pull off an impressive road win at 4-1 Buffalo.  

KC running back Clyde Edwards-Helaire rushes for 161 on 28 carries. The strong running game helped the Chiefs hang onto the ball for over 37 minutes. They also outgained Buffalo on offense, 466 total yards to just 206 for the Bills. This dominant display by KC’s running game came just as they acquired La’Veon Bell from the Jets. Their offense looks scarier than ever.  

Of course, Kansas City’s offense was not just about the run. Patrick Mahomes was solid was well, as he completed 21-26 for 225 yards and two touchdowns. Both of those touchdown passes were to Travis Kelce, including a beautiful pass in the corner of the end zone that was just perfectly placed by Mahomes. The first touchdown pass to Kelce was the 90th touchdown pass for Mahomes in his still young career. He reached the 90 mark in just his 37th game, which is a new record for least amount of games played to reach such a landmark. His favorite target proved to be Demarcus Robinson, who grabbed five receptions for 69 yards.  

For Buffalo, quarterback Josh Allen completed 14 of 27 passes for 122 yards, with two touchdowns and one INT. He also led the team on the grounds, picking up 42 yards on eight carries. Allen really carried the Bills offense yesterday. Stefon Diggs led all Buffalo receivers with six receptions for 46 yards and one touchdown.  

With the win, Kansas City improves to 5-1 on the season, and they remain in sole possession of first place in the AFC West. They will next travel to the Mile High City to take on their division rivals, the Denver Broncos, who have won two in a row. As for the Bills, this loss drops them to 4-2, but they still also remain in sole possession of first place in the AFC East. They will next travel to MetLife Stadium in the Meadowlands to take on their division rivals, the New York Jets, who are the sole winless team remaining in the league.  

Cardinals Crush Cowboys in Big D  

Arizona 38, Dallas 10    

The Cardinals really pounded the Cowboys in this game. It was not exactly what I was expecting.  

But there were a few things that became glaringly obvious. First of all, the Cowboys look like they really miss injured quarterback Dak Prescott. Secondly, even though the two teams were mostly even in most categories, with the Cardinals having produced a not huge advantage in overall yards produced, with the Cowboys actually owning advantages in time of possession and first downs produced, the turnovers were the story of this game. The Cowboys committed four turnovers, to none for Arizona.  

Once again, Cardinals quarterback Kyler Murray proved a dangerous threat with both his arms and his legs. He did not have a great completion rate, completing only 9 of 24 passes for 188 yards, but he also threw two touchdowns. His favorite target proved to be Christian Kirk who reeled in two receptions for 86 yards and two touchdowns. Running back Kenyan Drake was also solid, picking up 164 yards and two touchdowns on 20 carries.   

At quarterback for Dallas in place of the injured Dak Prescott was former Bengals quarterback Andy Dalton. He was kind of a mixed bag for the Cowboys. He completed 34 of 54 passes for 266 and one touchdown, but two INT’s. Wide receiver Amari Cooper was his favorite target, grabbing seven receptions for 79 yards and one touchdown. Dallas running back Ezekiel Elliott had a mostly ineffective day, picking up 49 yards on 12 carries.  

With the win, the Cardinals improve to 4-2 on the season. They have been quite streaky, as they started the season with two wins, before losing their next two. They have now won two straight after the losing streak, and moved into a second place tie with the Rams in the NFC West, with the 49ers a game behind. Every team in the NFC West is chasing Seattle, who remain unbeaten at 5-0. The Cardinals will get a back at the Seahawks next week, when they come to the desert to face Arizona.  

As for the Cowboys, this loss drops them to 2-4 on the season. It is a statement on how poor their division, the NFC East, really is to see that Dallas, with their bad record to date, still hangs onto sole possession of first place in the division. The Eagles are in second at 1-4-1, while Washington and the New York Giants are tied for last place at 1-5 apiece. The Cowboys will travel to the nation’s capital to tackle their division rivals, the Washington Football Team. Despite their 1-5 record, and having lost five straight games, Washington could be in a first place tie if they beat Dallas next week, and if the Eagles lose to the Giants, who would also have a share in first place in that scenario. One way or the other, this is not only the worst division in the league, but possibly one of the very worst in NFL history. Just awful!