It looked like “Football Follies,” those old NFL Films shorts of fumbles, stumbles, and other football miscues on Sunday.
In Carolina, the Panthers were favored for the first time in anybody’s memory and responded by turning the football over to the Cowboys four times. The subsidies helped Dallas score an easy 30-14 win.
In Denver, Indianapolis committed 5 turnovers. Trailing 13-7, Colts RB Jonathan Taylor broke free for what should have been a 41-yard TD run. But Taylor dropped the football a few inches short of the goal line. A few series later, Broncos’ LB Nick Bonitto stepped in front of WR A.D. Mitchell’s lateral pass to QB Anthony Richardson and, remembering to cross the goal line with the football, raced 50 yards to cap the 30-13 victory.
In Tennessee, Bengals DB raced 60 yards and 8 inches but like Taylor forgot to carry the ball across the goal line. It slipped out of his hand. It was one of four Cincinnati turnovers on the day. But the Titans reciprocated with 6 turnovers of their own. That and Joe Burrow was enough for the Bengals to claim a 37-27 win.
Kansas City did not even need that much offense. In Cleveland, Pat Mahomes averaged less than 5 yards per pass attempt. But six Browns turnovers were enough to boost the Chiefs to a 21-7 victory.
