Tag: Fumble

Twitter is enraged with another Vikings fumble

Vikings fans are furious with another fumble

The Minnesota Vikings have been really poor with ball management this season. They have turned it over 12 times with four interceptions and eight fumbles.

In the second quarter, Vikings quarterback Kirk Cousins was pressured quickly and pitched it backward to Cam Akers. He couldn’t corral the football and eventually tried to knock it out of bounds. The ball was recovered by Chicago Bears linebacker T.J. Edwards but he was ruled to be out of bounds and the Vikings kept the ball.

This was the first Vikings fumble that wasn’t recovered by the defense but it enraged the fanbase just the same. They took to Twitter to express their frustration;.

Saints snagged C.J. Stroud’s first career interception, but the Texans still scored a TD

Saints linebacker Zack Baun snagged the very first interception of C.J. Stroud’s NFL career, but things quickly took a dispiriting turn:

You can’t make this up. C.J. Stroud threw his first career interception to the New Orleans Saints on Sunday, with linebacker Zack Baun snagging the pass — the first interception of his four-year NFL career. Then things got wacky.

Baun got greedy and tried to return the interception through traffic, but Texans wide receiver Noah Collins made the play of the day by ripping the ball out of Baun’s hands. Houston left guard Tytus Howard fell on it for, ironically, a gain of two yards.

That can’t happen. Defenders are coached from a young age to fall down and secure the ball when it’s in their hands. Baun made a boneheaded (Baunheaded?) mistake and it cost the team big-time. Dispirited after having that turnover taken back away from them, the Saints defense didn’t challenge Houston’s offense as Stroud quickly moved the offense downfield.

Baun isn’t the only one with dirty hands here. This drive started because rookie kicker Blake Grupe pushed a 52-yard field goal wide right of the uprights (from the left hash). The run defense fell apart on a 17-yard carry by Devin Singletary, then Marshon Lattimore was beaten by Noah Brown on a 34-yard reception, getting away with a slight push off at the start of his route. Then Tyrann Mathieu failed to compete with tight end Dalton Schultz on a too-easy touchdown pass, giving Houston an early lead.

The Saints can’t afford to let momentum swing against them in tight games like this one. They must show some backbone and pick themselves back up after getting knocked down. Letting too many negative plays pile up like this is a recipe for disaster.

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WATCH: Chiefs DB Trent McDuffie forces fumble vs. Lions

Trent McDuffie punched a ball out to give the #Chiefs a chance to take the lead late in the second quarter against the #Lions.

The Kansas City Chiefs’ defense allowed the Detroit Lions to get out to a seven-point lead early in Week 1 but managed to force a turnover midway through the second quarter to give Patrick Mahomes a chance to put his team ahead.

Second-year cornerback Trent McDuffie made the play to cause Lions receiver Marvin Jones Jr. to fumble. Kansas City took possession around the 10 yard line and took the field on offense with the intent to go up by a score before halftime.

Plays like this will be necessary for the Chiefs to win this game, and even without Chris Jones on the field, Kansas City’s defenders are playing with an edge. The addition of Jones later in the Chiefs’ 2023 campaign could help the team force more turnovers like this one, but for now, Kansas City will be happy to take what it can get.

Expect more feisty play from the Chiefs defense as this game continues, and watch for McDuffie to stay locked in all the way through the fourth quarter.

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Chiefs QB Patrick Mahomes explains fumble vs. Bengals in AFC Championship Game

#Chiefs QB Patrick Mahomes broke down his lone misstep against the #Bengals in his comments to reporters after the #Chiefs’ win on Sunday. | from @TheJohnDillon

Patrick Mahomes put up a remarkable showing against the Cincinnati Bengals to send the Kansas City Chiefs to the Super Bowl on Sunday and has drawn a high degree of adulation for his efforts. However, the lone stain on his nearly-perfect AFC Championship Game performance was his unforced fumble on a failed pass in the third quarter that gave the Bengals their best chance to make a comeback.

Though the error didn’t become a factor in the final outcome of the game, Chiefs fans held their collective breaths when the play happened in real time, thinking that it might have given Cincinnati an advantage. It was Mahomes’ first fumble in postseason play during his career.

Mahomes addressed the unforced error in comments to the media after the Chiefs’ victory and made it clear that the accidental misstep was salvaged by Kansas City’s strong defensive play.

“It was wide open (and) I was going to throw it to Marquez (Valdes- Scantling),” Mahomes explained. “They blitzed and so he was going to be wide open and (the ball) just slipped right out of my hand and obviously I tried to pick it up and I wasn’t able to do that. Luckily it didn’t cost us the game because it was a big moment in the game, our defense stepped up and got some stops for us there at the end.”

While Mahomes will certainly get the benefit of the doubt from Chiefs fans on just about any mistake he makes, small errors like the one that happened on Sunday could tank Kansas City’s chances of winning another Lombardi Trophy against the Philadelphia Eagles in February. Watch for Mahomes to clean up every aspect of his game to ensure that incidents like this don’t happen when the Chiefs travel to Glendale.

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Jamal Agnew on fumble: ‘That one play won’t define me’

Jamal Agnew feels like he let the Jaguars down with his fumble, but he’s ready to redeem himself in 2023.

The Jacksonville Jaguars were playing from behind most of the game Saturday against the Kansas City Chiefs, but that’s nothing new for this squad. A team that made a habit of snatching victory from the jaws of defeat looked like it had a chance to do it again in the Divisional Round.

Facing a 27-17 deficit, the Jaguars drove deep into Chiefs territory in the fourth quarter and were on the doorstep of a touchdown to cut the lead to three. But a short pass to Jamal Agnew was fumbled away to Kansas City, all but guaranteeing the Jaguars’ season was over.

Shortly after the Chiefs’ 27-20 win, Agnew was one of the first Jaguars players to tweet about the loss.

According to ESPN’s Gamecast, the Jaguars’ chances at winning the game dropped from 16.9 percent to 3.4 percent with the fumble.

Blaming the loss on Agnew would hardly be fair, though. The explosive returner gave the Jaguars a much-needed spark early in the game with a massive 63-yard return that set up a game-tying touchdown. Later, he almost broke free again and settled for a 42-yard return.

Agnew finished the regular season with 86 rushing yards, 187 receiving yards, and three touchdown receptions. He averaged 26 yards per kick return and 8.2 yards per punt return.

Another critical lost fumble helps kill Packers season

Aaron Jones’ fumble deep in Lions territory with the Packers up 9-3 in the first half was a turning point on Sunday.

Aaron Rodgers in 2019. Aaron Jones in 2020. Marcedes Lewis in 2021. Now Jones again in 2022. For the fourth straight year, a lost fumble helped end the season of the Green Bay Packers.

Matt LaFleur’s team keeps fumbling away opportunities in big games.

In the NFC Championship Game in 2019, Rodgers and center Corey Linsley botched a snap down 17-0 with the Packers driving for points in the first half against the 49ers.

In the NFC Championship Game in 2020, Jones lost a fumble deep in Green Bay territory on the first possession of the second half with the Packers down 21-10 to the Buccaneers.

In the NFC Divisional Round in 2021, Lewis lost a fumble in the first half with the Packers up 7-0 over the 49ers and driving for more.

Jones added to the misery on Sunday night against the Detroit Lions.

The Packers running back fumbled at the end of a catch inside the Lions’ 30-yard line with Green Bay up 9-3 and marching for a bigger lead before the half. Detroit recovered the fumble, drove for a field goal as time expired in the second quarter and turned the second half into a dogfight.

Going up 12-3 or 16-3 would have completely changed the complexion of the game entering halftime. Instead, Jones turned the ball over and the Packers went into the break up 9-6.

In 2019 and 2020, lost fumbles turned big deficits into bigger deficits. This year’s fumble by Jones was reminiscent of Lewis’ turnover last January. Both plays killed momentum and let the opponent back into the game, changing the course of both contests.

The fumble was Jones’ fifth of the season, a new career-high. He rushed for a career-high 1,121 yards in 2022, but he also lost three fumbles.

As was the case in 2020, the future of Jones is uncertain entering the offseason. Although he’s under contract, his cap number balloons to $20 million in 2023, and there’s a $7 million roster bonus due in March.

Jones, a fifth-round pick in 2017, ranks third in team history in rushing yards (5,284) and fourth in rushing touchdowns (43). He turned 28 in December.

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Watch: Saints captains Demario Davis, Cameron Jordan create Buccaneers turnovers

Watch: Saints captains Demario Davis, Cameron Jordan create Buccaneers turnovers in prime time

Nobody (or at least 92% of everybody) gave the New Orleans Saints a chance against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers on Monday night, but if they’re going to steal a win it’ll be because of opportunistic plays by their defense.

And nothing encapsulates that better than Demario Davis intercepting Tom Brady late in the second quarter on an errant pass from Tom Brady. Well, actually, another play early in the third quarter might illustrate that better — Cameron Jordan hustled to punch the ball out of Rachaad White’s arms, leading to a a fumble recovery by Carl Granderson.

These are game-changing opportunities that are hard to come by. The Saints went into this game with just two interceptions on the season so far. Brady had only thrown two interceptions all year in his own right. They’ve struggled to replace the production lost by moving on from ballhawks like Marcus Williams and C.J. Gardner-Johnson in the offseason, but plays like this are big. They’ll need more of them to turn this season around.

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Melvin Gordon posts funny farewell to Broncos Country

Melvin Gordon’s Instagram story drew mixed reviews from Broncos fans.

Two days after his crippling fumble inside the five led to his release, former Denver Broncos running back Melvin Gordon posted a farewell to fans on his Instagram story.

It is ironic that Gordon referenced the famed O.J. Simpson chase, because it was with that same fervor Broncos Country called for his release following Week 11.

Gordon also shared an Instagram post in which he admitted he “can’t say it’s been the easiest 3 years,” but he added “thank you anyway @broncos for helping me continue my dream.”

https://www.instagram.com/p/ClQ5IaELwMI/

In Gordon’s three years with Denver, he fumbled 12 times. Earlier this season, Gordon fumbled inside the one-yard line against the Seattle Seahawks in Week 1, and he had a fumble returned for a touchdown in Denver’s first matchup against the Las Vegas Raiders.

Gordon’s fumbles often proved too costly and occurred too frequently in order for him to stay a member of the team. The Broncos moved on Monday, and Gordon now gets a fresh start too.

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Twitter reacts to Melvin Gordon’s latest fumble: ‘Stop giving him the ball’

The Broncos have to stop putting the ball in Melvin Gordon’s hands.

Denver Broncos running back Melvin Gordon fumbled again on Sunday, marking the fifth time he has fumbled this season and the 12th time he’s fumbled in 41 games with the team dating back to the 2020 season.

Gordon’s fumble in Week 11 came at the three-yard line when Denver was facing a third-and-one in the second quarter. Had the Broncos picked up a first down and went on to score a touchdown, Denver would have taken a 17-7 lead over the Raiders just before halftime.

Instead, Gordon’s fumble set the Broncos back four yards and the team’s ensuing fourth-down field goal attempt was blocked. Denver ended up taking a 10-7 lead into halftime and later lost the game 22-16 in overtime.

Gordon’s fumble was a momentum-swinging play that cost the Broncos points in a game that ultimately ended up being a one-score game. At some point, Denver’s staff has to realize that Gordon’s lows outweigh his highs.

Here’s a sampling of how Twitter reacted to Gordon’s latest fumble on Sunday.

Lovie Smith stands behind running back Dameon Pierce amid fumbling issues

Smith made sure to deflect any criticism of Pierce in the #Texans’ post-game press conference following their loss to the Giants on Sunday

The Houston Texans fought hard in Week 10 against the New York Giants but fell short of victory. Now stuck at a 1-7-1 record with just eight games to play, the team is in a freefall that doesn’t seem like it will let up any time soon.

Among the issues that plagued the Texans on Sunday were turnovers, which played a key role in their defeat at the hands of the Giants. Running back Dameon Pierce coughed up a fumble on a sloppy play in the red zone early in the matchup, which flipped possession and took the wind out of Houston’s sails.

Head coach Lovie Smith addressed the play in the team’s postgame press conference and pointed out that it was a crucial error. However, he stopped short of criticizing his star rookie for the mistake and seems prepared to take the occurrence in stride as a learning opportunity,

“Stuff happens,” Smith said. “That’s all I’m going to say. I’m definitely not going to criticize Dameon Pierce knowing what he’s been doing for our team, but you’ve got to protect that football, yes. He knew it, we know it, can’t do that, but he played the way he normally plays – and that’s giving his all every time he has an opportunity to. More of us need to play as well as Dameon has played throughout this year.”

While some might have wanted Smith to be a bit more rigid in his response, given Pierce’s production in the Texans’ offense, a slap on the wrist seems warranted. Pierce accounted for nearly 100 yards with his hard-nosed running against New York, and if it weren’t for his contributions, Houston would’ve likely lost by double digits.

For this game to have even been close should be considered a success for the Texans, and Pierce played a major role in keeping Houston in the mix down to the final whistle. Watch for him to continue improving his game and cut down on unforced errors which might affect the outcome of matchups in weeks to come.