Tag: Highlights

WATCH: Highlights from Broncos’ game against Bills

Click here to view highlights from the Broncos’ game against the Bills in Week 12 of the NFL season.

The Broncos were defeated by the Bills 20-3 on the road in Week 12. Here are highlights from the game, courtesy of the NFL:

Up next for Denver is a home game against the Chargers in Week 13.

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Watch: Tre’Quan Smith extends the lead with wide-open TD catch

New Orleans Saints wide receiver Tre’Quan Smith benefited from the perfect play call to catch a touchdown against the Carolina Panthers.

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Running back Latavius Murray put the New Orleans Saints on the board early against the Carolina Panthers with a 26-yard touchdown run, and wide receiver Tre’Quan Smith stepped up with his own scoring play to extend that lead on a 13-yard touchdown catch. The Saints dialed up a great play in scoring position that asked quarterback Drew Brees to drop back after faking the initial hand-off.

That play-action fooled the entire Panthers defense which bit on what looked like a run play, allowing Smith to jog untouched into the end zone. Brees lobbed the ball his way for one of the Saints’ easiest scoring plays this year. Panthers safety Eric Reid and linebacker Shaq Thompson tried to recover and chase Smith down, but there just wasn’t enough field left for them to cover before he trotted into the end zone.

It was the perfect play in that situation for what Carolina’s defense was showing the Saints, likely the result of tedious film study by Saints coach Sean Payton and his staff. We’ll be sure to double back and see which tendencies they picked up on to get this favorable of a look. In the meantime, check out the scoring play for yourself:

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Watch: Latavius Murray scores the first opening-drive Saints TD in 17 games

New Orleans Saints running back Latavius Murray ended a 17-game drought against the Carolina Panthers, scoring a 26-yard touchdown run.

The New Orleans Saints offense had their best opening drive of the year, if not longer. Drew Brees and company strung together a series of big gains through the air before running back Latavius Murray was given a huge block by new tight end Jason Vander Laan, recently called up from the practice squad. Vander Laan’s block cleared out a running lane that Murray took deep into the Carolina Panthers defense, adjusting his angle to sprint into the end zone and set the Panthers defenders up to where they couldn’t catch him.

Murray scored from 26 yards out to give the Saints an early lead over their NFC South division rival. See it for yourself in the video embedded below, or by following this link:

 

It’s the first opening-drive touchdown scored by the Saints offense since last year’s game with the Atlanta Falcons on Thanksgiving, ending a 17-game drought; since then, the offense has ended those scripted drives with nine punts, four field goal tries (making three of them), and four interceptions, including the playoffs.

The long scoring run was the second such play for Murray this year. He scored New Orleans’ first touchdown of the year back in Week 1, sprinting 30 yards through the Houston Texans defense to reach the end zone. Murray proved he can make plays in the Saints offense during a two-week stint in the starting job while Alvin Kamara rehabbed knee and ankle injuries, and now Murray almost looks too good at times to take off the field.

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The Celtics-Clippers game lived up to the hype (and more) with OT-thriller ending

The Clippers were at full strength with Kawhi Leonard and Paul George on the court, and took in the Celtics in a game that went to overtime. See all the highlights.

It’s fun when a hyped-up game comes out and exceeds expectations.

The Boston Celtics traveled to Los Angeles to take on the Clippers on Wednesday night, who finally had their full-look roster with Paul George returning from injury and Kawhi Leonard on the court.

The Clippers looked good. The Celtics also looked good! It went to overtime, a deserved result as for the entire game it felt like neither team could pull away. This wasn’t a game of big runs. They just traded baskets and stops all night.

The game went to overtime after Jayson Tatum went and broke George’s ankles and drained a huge three to tie the game late, but the Clippers went on a nice run in OT and were able to hang on and win 107-104, thanks in part to a fantastic last-second block from Leonard.

If you had to ask: No, Leonard didn’t celebrate at all, because he’s Kawhi Leonard.

It was a bit of a wonky game because it’s clear that George and Leonard are still figuring things out. It’s wild to say that, considering George finished with 25-5-8 and Leonard finished with 17-6-3, but Leonard especially was a little more deferential than we usually see him. It was also a bit wonky in that the Celtics’ Kemba Walker had an uncharacteristic off night, finishing with 13 points on 4 of 17 shooting.

Tatum had 30 though, and backup point guard Brad Wanamaker came hot off the bench and got 14 points.

Potential finals matchup? Maybe. Sure. We’d do that.

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Tennessee rolls past Alabama State

Tennessee rolls past Alabama State.

KNOXVILLE — The Tennessee men’s basketball team extended their Division I-leading home winning streak to 29 games after defeating the Alabama State Hornets on Wednesday night, 76-41.

The Hornets jumped out to a three point lead on the opening possession, but the Vols answered back and tied the score just one minute into the game; UT took the lead on their next possession and held it for the rest of the game. Their largest lead of 37 came at the 1:01 mark of the second half after a late-game surge, and Alabama State managed to sink a couple of free throws in the final minute to clinch the ending score.

Tennessee was led by Jordan Bowden, who notched 16 points to pace the Vols, while adding a couple of rebounds and an assist. Three other starters also posted double-digit points, with Lamonte Turner adding 13 of his own along with six dimes, Yves Pons adding 11 with five rebounds, and John Fulkerson scoring 10 points with three rebounds in support. Guard Josiah-Jordan James pulled down 13 boards and dished out five assists.

The Vols hit 46 percent of their shots from the field, though that includes a sub-par 29 percent mark from beyond the arc. They only shot 64 percent from the charity stripe on 25 attempts, which could stand for some improvement. Tennessee’s 12 turnovers to ASU’s 19 is a respectable margin, and the team total of eight blocks is encouraging.

The Vols’ next game is on November 25 against the Chattanooga Mocs at Thompson-Boling Arena. Tip-off is schedule for 7 p.m. ET and will be broadcasted on SEC Network+.

Marcus Williams remaining humble despite recent success

New Orleans Saints safety Marcus Williams is tied for third place in interceptions, but he’s focused on helping his team get to the playoffs

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New Orleans Saints free safety Marcus Williams has had a career filled with more ups and downs than most. He had a great rookie year in 2017 that climaxed with one of the worst moments in recent sports history; that was followed up by an intense training camp but quiet sophomore year, in which Williams spent too much time second-guessing himself.

But now he’s back to his old self, if not playing at a higher level. Williams is tied for third in the NFL in interceptions (4), matching the mark set by cornerbacks Janoris Jenkins and Marcus Peters. It’s a tight race for the league title, with Minkah Fitzpatrick and Devin McCourty narrowly sharing the lead (5 each).

It’s even more impressive for Williams because it’s taken him just 10 games to match the number he put up in 16 games as a rookie. The sky might be the limit for him now that he’s fully acclimated to the game and moved on from some early mistakes. When asked whether he feels like he’s in something of a groove with interceptions in back-to-back games, including a win-clenching pick-six against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Williams downplayed his achievements.

“I just feel like I am in the same groove I’ve always been in. [I’m] just doing my job for the team,” Williams said during a conference call with New Orleans media. “Whatever I can do to help our team out. That’s just what I pride myself on, just doing what I can to help my team.”

However, Williams did take time to credit his success to diligent film study. He noticed Buccaneers quarterback Jameis Winston putting too much air underneath passes to the area of the field he was defending, and knew it would create an opportunity to go make a big play: “They’ve been doing that on film so I saw what was going to happen. [We] talked about it in the back end and just dissected the play. I just went and did my assignment and if you do your assignment, the play will come your way. That’s what happened yesterday.”

And he’s exactly what the Saints need right now. Williams, who celebrated his 23rd birthday back in September, has the talent to go out and make game-changing plays but the self-awareness to remain focused and continue putting in work behind the scenes. He’s a great role model to his teammates and someone who should be a core player for New Orleans for a long time.

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WATCH: Highlights from Broncos’ game against Vikings

Here are highlights from the Vikings’ win over the Broncos in Week 11.

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After jumping out to a 20-0 lead over the Vikings on the road in Week 11, the Broncos squandered their big first half and lost 27-23.

“We didn’t play well enough,” coach Vic Fangio said of the team’s second half performance. “They went no huddle, started throwing it a lot. We didn’t defend it well enough. We had our chances.

“They completed that one third and 15 or whatever it was, and that shouldn’t have happened. That allowed that drive to go. We just couldn’t make a play to get off the field there in the second half. Their passing game was way better than our pass defense.”

Fangio went on to praise his players for their performance.

“We didn’t lose that game because we didn’t play hard enough,” the coach said. “We had a good effort from a physical standpoint. They’re a good football team. They have a good record. They’re one of the best teams in the league. We just didn’t quite get it done.”

Up next for Denver is a road game against the Bills (7-3) in Week 12.

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Marcus Williams scores on an interception return, Saints win 34-17

New Orleans Saints S Marcus Williams intercepted Tampa Bay Buccaneers QB Jameis Winston and returned the ball for a defensive touchdown.

It was a bad day in the office for Tampa Bay Buccaneers quarterback Jameis Winston, who hurled four interceptions into the hands of the New Orleans Saints defense. His third turnover ended up getting returned from midfield for a Saints touchdown by free safety Marcus Williams, who correctly read the play design and took advantage of a badly-placed ball from Winston. With the ball in his hands, Williams turned on the jets to streak across the field and into the Tampa Bay end zone.

This was Williams’ fourth interception on the year, which leads the Saints defense and ties the 16-game total he collected as a rookie back in 2017. That year, Williams intercepted four passes and was credited with seven other pass breakups. In 2019, he’s already bagged four interceptions while deflecting a dozen passes — through just 10 games.

The big play extended New Orleans’ lead and earned congratulations from Williams’ teammates, including injured cornerback Marshon Lattimore. Lattimore was watching the game from home while nursing a strained hamstring, and he took time to shout out his friend from his official Twitter account:

You love to see it. See the play for yourself where it’s embedded below:

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Watch: Vonn Bell sends the Saints into halftime with his first career interception

New Orleans Saints safety Vonn Bell sent his team into halftime with his first career interception, snagging a deflected Jameis Winston pass

It’s taken some time, but after 61 games in the NFL, New Orleans Saints safety Vonn Bell can say he’s earned his first interception. Bell was able to send his team into halftime with a turnover, having been in the right spot to recover a ball tipped into the air by Saints linebacker Kiko Alonso. It was the second interception of the day credited against Tampa Bay Buccaneers quarterback Jameis Winston, who had another pass (which was also deflected) picked off by Demario Davis earlier in the game.

This was obviously a huge moment for Bell, who entered the NFL with a reputation as a ball hawk for the Ohio State Buckeyes. The Saints obviously valued his abilities and proved that by trading up in the 2016 NFL Draft to pick him, even if it’s taken some time for his ball skills to manifest in the NFL. Bell is having his best season as a pro with this interception, two forced fumbles, and four fumble recoveries in his first ten games. Check out the highlight reel-worthy play for yourself:

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WATCH: Shelby Harris strip-sacks Kirk Cousins

Broncos defensive lineman Shelby Harris strip-sacked Vikings quarterback Kirk Cousins in Week 11.

Denver Broncos defensive lineman Shelby Harris strip-sacked Minnesota Vikings quarterback Kirk Cousins late in the second quarter of Sunday’s game and inside linebacker Alexander Johnson recovered the ball.

Here’s video of the play, courtesy of Denver’s official Twitter page:

After taking over at Minnesota’s 17-yard line, the team had to settle for a short field goal attempt, which Brandon McManus converted.

The Broncos lead the Vikings 20-0 with halftime seconds away.

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