Digital Sports Desk

Online Destination for the Best in Boston Sports

Archives for October 2, 2022

Vikings Hold Off Saints in London

by

LONDON – (Staff with Wire Service Report from Field Level Media) – Greg Joseph kicked five field goals, including a game-winning 47-yarder with 24 seconds left, as the Minnesota Vikings held off the New Orleans Saints 28-25 on Sunday in the NFL’s International Series in Britain.

Embed from Getty Images

Wil Lutz, whose 60-yard field goal tied the score for the Saints moments earlier, tried a 61-yarder on the final play of the game, but the ball hit the left upright and the crossbar before falling short in the end zone.

Kirk Cousins completed 25 of 38 passes for 273 yards and a touchdown for the Vikings (3-1).

Andy Dalton, starting in place of injured Jameis Winston, completed 20 of 28 for 236 yards and a touchdown for the Saints (1-3), who lost their third straight.

After Lutz tied the score with 1:51 left, Cousins and Justin Jefferson connected on a 39-yard completion to set up Joseph.

Joseph’s 24-yard field goal increased Minnesota’s lead to 16-7 early in the third quarter.

Dalton and Marquez Callaway teamed on a 33-yard completion, leading to Latavius Murray’s 1-yard touchdown run that trimmed the lead to 16-14 at the end of the third quarter.

Minnesota used a fake punt to convert a fourth-and-2, leading to Joseph’s 46-yard field goal and a 19-14 lead early in the fourth quarter.

Taysom Hill ran 2 yards for a touchdown and Dalton’s two-point conversion pass to Jarvis Landry gave the Saints their first lead, 22-19 with 9:29 left.

The Vikings converted four third downs — three on defensive penalties — on their way to Jefferson’s 3-yard touchdown run. But Joseph missed the extra point, leaving Minnesota with a 25-22 lead.

That made a difference when Lutz tied the score with his 60-yarder.

Cousins’ 15-yard touchdown pass to Alexander Mattison on the first possession of the game gave the Vikings a 7-0 lead at the end of the first quarter.

The Saints converted three third downs, the last of which came on a 4-yard touchdown pass from Dalton to rookie Chris Olave to tie the score.

Joseph made 28- and 36-yard field goals to increase the lead to 13-7 at halftime.

–Field Level Media

NFL Sports Desk: Winston Out in London

by

LONDON – (Staff and Wire Service Report from Field Level Media) – New Orleans Saints quarterback Jameis Winston will miss Sunday’s game against the Minnesota Vikings in London due to back and ankle injuries. The Saints downgraded Winston from doubtful to out on Saturday.

Embed from Getty Images

Veteran Andy Dalton will serve as the starting quarterback for the Saints (1-2).

Winston has been dealing with back issues since Week 1. The injuries to his ankle and foot became known during the week following the Saints’ second game and he didn’t practice at all this week making Saturday’s announcement an expected development.

Winston, 28, has passed for 858 yards, four touchdowns and five interceptions this season in his third campaign with the Saints. He spent his first five NFL seasons with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Winston has passed for 21,840 yards, 139 touchdowns and 96 interceptions in 86 games (80 starts).

The Saints ruled out receiver Michael Thomas (foot), guard Andrus Peat (concussion) and safety Marcus Maye (ribs) on Friday.

Dalton, 34, has started 148 of 152 games played during his 12 NFL seasons. He has passed for 35,279 yards, 226 touchdowns and 135 interceptions for the Cincinnati Bengals (2011-19), Dallas Cowboys (2020) and Chicago Bears (2021).

New Orleans also signed quarterback Jake Luton to the active roster from the practice squad on Saturday. Luton, 26, started three games for the Jacksonville Jaguars in 2020 and passed for 624 yards, two touchdowns and six interceptions.

The Saints also waived fullback Adam Prentice.

–Field Level Media

NFL Sports Desk: KC Chiefs at Tampa

by

TAMPA BAY – (Staff and Wire Service Report from Field Level Media) – Chiefs All-Pro Quarterback Patrick Mahomes and visiting Kansas City are prepared to test their mettle against Tom Brady and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in a high-profile showdown on Sunday night. The game remains in Florida, despite Hurricane Ian making landfall in the area on Wednesday. The NFL adopted a contingency plan of Minneapolis for Sunday’s contest before electing to keep the game in Florida.

Embed from Getty Images

While expressing sympathy for those affected by Mother Nature, Mahomes said the plan remains the same as the Chiefs (2-1) brace for the Buccaneers (2-1).

“For us, it’s an away game regardless,” Mahomes said Wednesday. “So, you’re going to be going somewhere else to play. So, you just have to focus on the game plan, and try to prepare yourself that way.”

Mahomes and Brady are no strangers to one another, with the former holding a 2-1 edge in regular-season play while the latter has gotten the better of both postseason matchups. Brady guided the New England Patriots to a win over Kansas City in the AFC Championship Game of the 2018 season before quarterbacking the Buccaneers past the Chiefs in Super Bowl LV.

Tampa Bay’s defense arguably was the star of the show in that game and can make that same claim this season by surrendering a league-best 9.0 points per game.

Linebacker Shaq Barrett provided some bulletin board material on Wednesday by comparing the Chiefs’ offensive line that took the field on that day to the current one.

“I really don’t think it’s too much of a difference,” Barrett said with a laugh. “I think we have a lot of favorable matchups. We have an opportunity to really dominate the game. I think we’ve got an opportunity to really impose our will as pass-rushers, as edge rushers in this game. We can really have a coming-out party.”

Brady, however, appears to be waiting for the party to start this season. The three-time NFL MVP has thrown for just 673 yards and three touchdowns in three games after setting franchise records in both categories last season (5,316, 43). Brady, 45, threw for 271 yards and one touchdown in Tampa Bay’s 14-12 setback to Green Bay last Sunday.

Russell Gage had 12 catches for 87 yards and a score for the Buccaneers, who played without wideouts Mike Evans (suspension), Julio Jones and Chris Godwin.

While Evans will return to the fold against Kansas City, the returns of Jones (knee) and Godwin (hamstring) are not set in stone. Jones, Godwin and Gage (hamstring) joined tackle Donovan Smith (elbow) in being listed as questionable for the game, while wideout Breshad Perriman (knee/hamstring) is doubtful. Defensive tackle Akiem Hicks (foot) has been ruled out for the contest.

Mahomes started the season with a brilliant five-touchdown effort in a 44-21 victory over the Arizona Cardinals before turning in a pair of relatively mediocre performances. The 2018 NFL MVP threw for just 235 yards in a 27-24 win over the Los Angeles Chargers and completed just 57.1 percent of his passes in a 20-17 loss to the Indianapolis Colts last Sunday.

Buccaneers coach Todd Bowles isn’t buying any potential offensive woes for the Chiefs, however.

“The running game has picked up. They’ve got big offensive linemen down there. They’ve got bigger receivers — as opposed to smaller, quicker receivers — that can catch the ball very well,” Bowles said. “They’ve still got (Travis) Kelce, they’ve still got (Clyde Edwards-) Helaire, they’ve still got a lot of pieces and Mahomes has only gotten better since we played them. He was great then, he’s great now, he’s gotten better.”

Chiefs kicker Harrison Butker was ruled out for the third straight game after he sustained an ankle injury in the season opener.

Kicker Matthew Wright and linebacker Elijah Lee were elevated from the team’s practice squad on Saturday.

Wright, 26, has made 25 of 28 field-goal attempts and 20 of 22 extra-point tries in 17 career games with the Pittsburgh Steelers (2020) and Jacksonville Jaguars (2021).

Kansas City defensive end Mike Danna (calf) also was ruled out, while wide receiver Marquez Valdes-Scantling (abdomen) and defensive end Joshua Kaindoh (illness) are questionable to play on Sunday.

–Field Level Media