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NFL Sunday Night Football

NFL Sunday Night Football: Preview

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Cincinnati Bengals (4-6) at LA Chargers (6-3), 8:20 ET, NBC

The Chargers have won the past three meetings in the series with Cincinnati and put their league-leading defense (13.1 points per game allowed) on display against Joe Burrow. The Bengals QB is putting up MVP-caliber numbers and pumping the ball to WR Ja’Marr Chase, who put on a memorable show last week: 11 receptions, 264 yards, three TDs. Los Angeles has held opponents under 18 points the past six consecutive games and only one team — the Steelers in September — has put up 20.

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The Chargers are not a flashy offensive outfit and operate behind a physical offensive line that sets the tone in the running game to soften defenses to play-action threats from QB Justin Herbert. The Bengals are familiar with the Los Angeles RB duo of Gus Edwards and J.K. Dobbins, offseason imports from the Ravens’ scrap heap who had a few stories to tell in scouting meetings this week. They’ve combined for 838 rushing yards and Dobbins has six touchdown runs.

NFL: Sunday Night Football

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New York Jets (2-4) at Pittsburgh Steelers (4-2), 8:20 p.m. ET

Davante Adams and Aaron Rodgers are together again, as the longtime Packers’ teammates debut with the Jets at Pittsburgh in prime time with little time to waste. The week before acquiring Adams the Jets fired their head coach, and falling to 2-5 could prompt more changes. The Steelers made waves of their own by opening the door for Russell Wilson to claim the QB job this week in what head coach Mike Tomlin framed as a declaration of health for the former Broncos and Seahawks starter.

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Justin Fields accepted responsibility for the demotion, saying he didn’t do enough to win the job while Wilson was hobbled. Pittsburgh’s defense might give Wilson time to settle in, as the Steelers give up just 14.3 points per game. LB Patrick Queen, in his first season in the middle of the 3-4 after playing for the Ravens, is becoming a major part of the machine and posted a season-high 13 tackles last week. He’ll have the responsibility of helping contain Jets RB Breece Hall (169 yards from scrimmage last week).

Cowboys Kick the %#@& Out of Eagles

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DALLAS – (Staff and Wire Service Report) – Surging Dallas QB Dak Prescott threw for 271 yards and two touchdowns, Brandon Aubrey converted several extra-long field goals and the Dallas Cowboys got revenge on the NFC East rival Philadelphia Eagles 33-13 on Sunday night in Arlington, Texas.

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Prescott completed 24 of 39 throws to help the Cowboys (10-3) win their fifth straight. They have not lost since the Eagles beat them 28-23 in Philadelphia on Nov. 5. Now the rivals are tied atop the division standings with four games to play.

Tight end Jake Ferguson led Dallas in receiving with five catches for 72 yards. CeeDee Lamb had six receptions for 71 yards and a touchdown.

Aubrey hit from 60, 59, 45 and 50 yards, becoming the first kicker in NFL history to make two field goals of 59 yards or longer in one game.

Jalen Hurts finished 18-of-27 passing for 197 yards for the Eagles (10-3), with A.J. Brown accounting for nine catches and 94 yards.

The Eagles lost three fumbles and committed 10 penalties for 95 yards in their second straight loss. In consecutive weeks, the San Francisco 49ers and the Cowboys combined to outscore Philadelphia 75-32.

Dallas opened the game with a methodical 10-play, 75-yard drive. Lamb caught a 13-yard touchdown pass exactly five minutes into the game.

Hurts guided the Eagles to the Dallas 21-yard line, where Donovan Wilson forced and recovered a fumble on a Hurts keeper. On the ensuing drive, Aubrey drilled his 60-yarder for a 10-0 lead that held up at the end of the quarter.

Jake Elliott converted from 52 yards for Philadelphia to cut it to 10-3 before the Cowboys scored touchdowns on their next two drives. First, Rico Dowdle pushed in from the 1-yard line; he was originally ruled short of the goal line before the call was overturned on a challenge.

After Elliott made a 44-yard field goal, the Cowboys sprinted 75 yards in eight plays and 1:28. Prescott hit Brandin Cooks over the top on a 30-yard play to the Eagles’ 1, and from there he connected with Michael Gallup for a touchdown to make it 24-6 at halftime.

Stephon Gilmore stripped Brown of the football and recovered it early in the third quarter.

Philadelphia capitalized on a fumble the other way when Fletcher Cox strip-sacked Prescott and Jalen Carter finished off a 42-yard scoop-and-score.

But Dallas’ next possession culminated in Aubrey’s 59-yard field goal. Aubrey, a rookie who played in the USFL before signing with Dallas, added the 45- and 50-yarders in the fourth quarter and improved to 8-for-8 on field goals 50 yards or longer.

The Eagles got to the red zone one more time, but Markquese Bell caused DeVonta Smith to fumble to prevent them from drawing any closer.

–Field Level Media

NFL SNF: Ravens at LA Chargers

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LOS ANGELES – (Staff and Wire Service Report) – The Baltimore Ravens look to build on being in the top seed position in the AFC when they face the wilting Los Angeles Chargers on tonight at Inglewood, California.

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The Ravens (8-3) have won five of their past six games as they run into a Chargers’ squad that has lost five games by three or fewer points this season.

While Los Angeles (4-6) is two games out of the final wild-card spot, Baltimore is atop the conference but aware there’s more work to be done.

“It’s good,” Ravens coach John Harbaugh said of the No. 1 seed. “It’s where you want to be at this point, but it doesn’t mean anything until after the last game. We gotta keep winning.”

Baltimore has played one more game than the other four one-loss teams in the AFC. The Ravens’ bye is next week.

That break should come in handy as quarterback Lamar Jackson is dealing with a left ankle injury sustained in a 34-20 home victory over the Cincinnati Bengals on Nov. 16.

NFL: Sunday Night Football Preview

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Buffalo Bills (5-3) at Cincinnati Bengals (4-3): Cincinnati knocked the Bills out of the AFC playoffs with a 27-10 win in the divisional round last season, and the Bengals are on a three-game winning streak that corresponds with QB Joe Burrow (calf) saying he’s healthy. His play backs up the claim. Burrow completed 28 of 32 passes for 283 yards and three touchdowns against the 49ers last week. He also completed 19 consecutive passes, one shy of Ken Anderson’s team record set on Jan. 3, 1983. The Bills are fourth in the NFL with 27 sacks, which could limit the amount of time the Bengals have to separate from Buffalo’s man coverage. Burrow said he won’t be thinking about the last game at this site between the teams, in January, when the game was canceled due to the medical emergency involving Bills safety Damar Hamlin. The Bills also claim their focus is on this week and enter with a little extra rest, having defeated the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, 24-18, on Oct. 26. Bills quarterback Josh Allen needed the time off. He is dealing with an injured right shoulder and wasn’t a full participant in practice. Allen will be going against Bengals linebacker Logan Wilson, with whom he played collegiately at Wyoming in 2016 and 2017.