Tag: turnover

Najee Harris shocked to learn NFL blamed wrong player for his fumble

Najee Harris defends Russell Wilson after NFL credits him with costly fumble, taking full responsibility for the turnover.

Many would assume RB Najee Harris is a massive fan of NFL statistics—after all—it credited a different player with his costly fumble from Week 15’s loss to the Philadelphia Eagles.

However, Harris isn’t looking to shift the blame, and he certainly isn’t happy that the NFL credited the Pittsburgh Steelers’ signal caller for the turnover.

While speaking to reporters on Wednesday—in the build-up to Week 16’s AFC North showdown—Harris was asked his opinion on the NFL crediting QB Russell Wilson with the fumble.

Surprised but smiling, Harris questioned the decision itself: “I wasn’t? That’s crazy.” His attitude quickly took a more serious tone as the running back told reporters, “The stat sheet may say that—but nobody believes that. That was all on me. I don’t know why they put that on Russ.”

While admirable in defense of his teammate and his ability to fault himself for the game-changing turnover, it doesn’t change the narrative—Harris may have lost his team the game in Week 15.

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Chiefs LB Nick Bolton discusses the impact of creating turnovers: ‘It definitely felt big for us’

Kansas City #Chiefs LB Nick Bolton discusses the impact of creating turnovers: ‘It definitely felt big for us’ | @EdEastonJr

Kansas City Chiefs linebacker Nick Bolton spoke with reporters on Tuesday about his and the team’s big game, which involved forcing turnovers in Week 15.

On Cleveland’s first offensive play of the second half, Bolton picked off Jameis Winston on a pass intended for Nick Chubb at the Browns’ 34-yard line. It was Bolton’s first interception of the season and the fourth of his career.

“Yeah, especially going down the stretch into the postseason. Definitely turnovers giving the ball to offensive short fields and creating some negative play. So it definitely felt big for us. I’ve kind of been working on it.” said Bolton. “Attacking the football just hasn’t come our way a little bit. So, we’re hoping this is just a one game that kind of continue for many. We talked about it all the time. They come in bunches. They did last week, and I hoped to bring it down to this Saturday.”

Bolton and Drue Tranquill split a sack of Winston, making it five sacks on the day for the Chiefs defense. He finished the day with five tackles (three solo), one interception, one quarterback hit, one pass defensed, and a half-sack.

Week 15: Back-to-back fumbles give Steelers momentum early vs Eagles

T.J. Watt and Mark Robinson created momentum-changing turnovers for the Pittsburgh Steelers early in their Week 15 clash with the Eagles.

Here is a special thank you to Pittsburgh Steelers OLB T.J. Watt and ILB Mark Robinson, who both contributed to momentum-changing plays early in the Week 15 contest between the Pittsburgh Steelers and the Philadelphia Eagles.

With five minutes remaining in the first quarter, Eagles QB Jalen Hurts attempted to scramble and keep the play alive. Watt, who was already leading the league with five forced fumbles, added another to his fantastic 2024 campaign. Hurts almost had a rushing lane available, but Watt immediately punched the ball out as the QB made it past the line of scrimmage.

With a little over four minutes left in the first quarter, the Pittsburgh Steelers punted after failing to capitalize on Watt’s forced fumble. However, as the Eagles’ returner, rookie CB Cooper Dejean, received the football, Robinson bolted down the field and delivered a huge hit, knocking the ball loose in the process.

After a personal foul penalty stalled the Pittsburgh Steelers red zone aspirations, the team would call on Chris Boswell to put their first points of the day on the board.  The Steelers currently trail the Eagles 10-3 as the second quarter begins.

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Chiefs vs. Browns: Trent McDuffie intercepts Jameis Winston

#Chiefs DB Trent McDuffie intercepted #Browns QB Jameis Winston during Kansas City’s Week 15 showdown against Cleveland on Sunday.

The Kansas City Chiefs are in full control of their Week 15 matchup against the Cleveland Browns through three quarters.

Though Cleveland has done its best to keep the score close, costly interceptions thrown by Browns quarterback Jameis Winston have kept momentum on Kansas City’s side throughout the game.

Early in the fourth quarter, Winston was intercepted by Chiefs defensive back Trent McDuffie, marking Kansas City’s fifth takeaway in the late-season showdown.

The Chiefs haven’t been able to force many turnovers this season, but have had Winston’s number all day. The former Heisman Trophy winner has thrown three interceptions and failed to score a passing touchdown.

Check out this video of McDuffie’s outstanding pick, which was posted to Twitter by the Chiefs’ official account:

With some luck, McDuffie might be able to record another interception against Cleveland if Winston continues throwing the ball when the Browns regain possession in the fourth quarter.

Week 10: Commanders’ greatest strength may present issues for Steelers

The 7-2 Commanders host the 6-2 Steelers in Week 10 and Washington’s perfection in the turnover game could prove troublesome for Pittsburgh.

In Week 10, iron sharpens iron—and in this case, Pittsburgh steel aims to cut deeper—as the 6-2 Steelers travel to the nation’s capital to take on the 7-2 Washington Commanders in a clash of behemoths. The Commanders’ strongest asset, their narrow margin of error in the turnover game, could present the Steelers with some challenges throughout the game.

Commanders’ rookie QB Jayden Daniels could give the Pittsburgh defense a tough matchup; however, it is the offensive effort and protection of the football that makes the team truly threatening. Washington has only turned the ball over three times all season, leading the NFL in fewest turnovers on offense.

The Steelers are 1-1 in games where they lose the turnover battle this season, and when facing a Washington team currently ranked fourth in total points scored per game, the Steelers may need to rely on expert coaching to secure a victory in Week 10.

Can the ever-reliable Pittsburgh defense do what very few NFL teams have done to the Washington Commanders, and force them to turn the ball over? Tune in to see the Week 10 matchup unfold on November 10th at 1:00 PM EST.

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Broncos coach Sean Payton gives his take on team’s fumbles

“You have to know when the ride’s over,” Broncos coach Sean Payton said of wide receivers losing fumbles.

Denver Broncos coach Sean Payton was clearly upset after wide receivers Courtland Sutton and Lil’Jordan Humphrey both lost fumbles against the Carolina Panthers last week. In a radio interview, Payton went as far as suggesting the team could “find some other receivers” who won’t fumble.

After a few days to cool down, Payton was a little more cordial on Wednesday.

“L.J.’s [fumble], there’s a point at which the ride is over,” Payton said. “You have to know that. In other words, that extra two yards that you’re fighting for, I’m looking at 30 plays that I’ve got ready to call. So you have to know when the ride’s over.

“Courtland’s was a little different, catching it real close to the [goal line]. So each one can be different, but it’s just that understanding. These guys have forced fumbles at a high rate, and so that’s an important statistic as it relates to a game like this.”

Broncos quarterback Bo Nix defended both receivers this week.

“I thought both L.J. and Court, they were tough football plays,” Nix said. “They weren’t necessarily careless with the ball, those guys (on defense) made good plays. I’m not worried about those two. They’re veterans. They handled it really well this week.

“We know it’s important. We have to eliminate them and continue to win the turnover margin. When we do that, we’re successful. We just have to find ways to continue to do it. It has to be most important.”

Going up against a 5-3 Baltimore Ravens team this week, Denver’s offense can’t afford to put the ball on the ground.

“[Y]ou try to deal with it before you have that crisis moment,” Payton said of the fumbles. “Then we coach it, ‘How are you handling the ball in traffic? Not in traffic?’ Eventually, it has to become a habit. I think it’s coaching, it’s practice and it’s technique. It’s all of those things.”

The Broncos have 12 takeaways this season (tied for ninth-most) and 12 giveaways (five interceptions and seven fumbles, a league-high). The defense’s takeaways have been canceled out by the offense’s blunders, which will come back to hurt Denver against better teams.

After a point of emphasis on protecting the ball this week, Broncos receivers will undoubtedly have two hands on the ball in traffic on Sunday.

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Chiefs vs. Raiders: LB Drue Tranquill recovers fumble in fourth quarter

Check out this video of #Chiefs LB Drue Tranquill recovering a fumble against the #Raiders in Week 8.

The Kansas City Chiefs have a seven-point lead over the Las Vegas Raiders in the fourth quarter of an AFC West showdown in Week 8.

Though Kansas City is undefeated in the regular season, the Chiefs have had their hands full against Las Vegas, which has put up a good fight against the defending Super Bowl champions through three quarters and change.

The Raiders had a chance to tie the game with a touchdown late in the fourth quarter but were stymied by Kansas City’s outstanding defense when veteran lineman Mike Pennel forced a fumble that was recovered by star linebacker Drue Tranquill.

Check out this video of the crucial turnover, which was posted to Twitter by the Chiefs’ official account:

 

This game has been too close for comfort for fans in Kansas City, but the potentially game-saving turnover forced by Pennel and Tranquill may have saved the Chiefs’ perfect season.

WATCH: Cameron Jordan snags his third career interception

Cameron Jordan grabbed a Baker Mayfield interception off of a deflected pass from his teammate Bryan Bresee. It was his third career INT:

The New Orleans Saints got another clutch takeaway near the end of the first half, with Bryan Bresee tipping a pass up into the air and Cameron Jordan pulling it down. It was the third interception thrown by Tampa Bay Buccaneers quarterback Baker Mayfield, though two of them were deflected passes.

This marked the third interception of Jordan’s career as well, with the other two coming in 2014 and 2017, despite having a whopping 62 pass deflections in his career to this point.

His team needed it. The Saints entered halftime up 27-24 after starting the second quarter down 17-0, and the defense’s success was a large part of that. It felt like every play with them on the field had been a 50/50 chance at being a large gain for the Buccaneers, or the Saints quickly getting off the field. They’ll need more stops and takeaways like this to win the day.

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Derek Carr’s first quarter interception broke Saints’ streak

Derek Carr extended his interception streak to four games, and ended the Saints’ streak of opening-drive scores in the process:


Derek Carr threw an interception on the New Orleans Saints’ opening drive. That makes the first time the Saints haven’t scored on their first drive of the game this season.

While one streak breaks, another is extended. Carr extends his streak of games with an interception to four in a row. It was an ugly interception at that. The pass was intended for Rashid Shaheed and is a great showcase of how Carr reacts under pressure.

A Chiefs defender entered in the backfield and Carr was clearly antsy from the mere presence of a red jersey. Alvin Kamara did a good job stopping George Karlaftis. But Carr was already nervous.

Carr never stopped fading backwards and threw off his back foot. The pass lofted in the air. Shaheed had no chance at this pass. It was a rushed decision that appeared heavily influenced by fear. The idea of pressure left Carr scared, so he rushed to get rid of it.

The result was an interception and no points on the board.

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WATCH: Chiefs DL George Karlaftis recovers fumble vs. 49ers on opening drive of Super Bowl LVIII

Watch #Chiefs DL George Karlaftis recover a fumble on the opening drive of Kansas City’s Super Bowl LVIII matchup against the #49ers.

The Kansas City Chiefs got off to a fast start on defense against the San Francisco 49ers in Super Bowl LVIII, forcing a fumble on their opponent’s opening drive to take possession early in the first quarter.

After San Francisco gave the ball to star running back Christian McCaffrey one too many times on their first possession, Mike Pennel and Leo Chenal forced the ball free, and defensive lineman George Karlaftis recovered it.

Check out the play here, and notice how quickly Karlaftis responded when the ball was punched out:

This play could have made a huge difference in the game, as it gave Patrick Mahomes a chance to score the contest’s first points, but the Chiefs stalled on their first offensive drive and were forced to punt the ball back to the 49ers.

Expect more drama to ensue in this game as both teams feel each other out in the first half.