We had two NFL games on Monday Night Football, and in both, the guests were on the winning side. The Washington Football Team stunned Pittsburgh at home, crushing the Steelers’ dreams about the perfect season. Meanwhile, the Buffalo Bills posted a win against the “homeless” San Francisco 49ers.
The Football Team played well in the past few weeks, especially since Alex Smith came back, but just a few expected their win over the perfect Pittsburgh Steelers. In the end, it was 23-17 for the +5.5 underdogs.
To make it even better, the guests from DC were constantly behind up until the middle of the final period, once they made a big rally to leave the Steelers in the dirt.
The guests scored three times in a row. Once it was a TD catch by Logan Thomas, and on the next two occasions, Dustin Hopkins managed to hit field goals from 45 yards to seal a fantastic result for Ron Rivera’s guys.
A 14-0 lead before the halftime break couldn’t help the home team, who was stunned in the end, with Ben Roethlisberger throwing a pick in the decisive moments of the event, with the result being 20-17 for the rivals.
Big Ben ended the night with 305 yards, two TD passes, and one interception. James Washington and Diontae Johnson had a TD catch each, while the Steelers’ running game didn’t’ exist, with the hosts posting just 21 rushing yards on 14 snaps.
“I feel like we just kind of relaxed a little,”I don’t have an explanation right now, but we just have to play better next week,” Washington said.
On the other side, the Football Team’s starting QB Alex Smith threw for just one score and generated 296 yards throughout the night. Peyton Barber had one TD rush, while Logan Thomas added one TD reception. He ended the night with 98 receiving yards.
WFC is 5-7 now, and they have another road game coming up against the 49ers, while Pittsburgh, 11-1, travels to Buffalo next week.
In the second game of the night, the Buffalo Bills visited State Farm stadium once again. After a nasty experience against Kyler Murray and the Cards when they lost after a last-second Hail Mary, they would leave the field much happier now. Bills beat the 49ers 34-24, staying atop the AFC East, ahead of the Miami Dolphins.
Josh Allen threw four touchdown passes, and had 375 yards without an interception, hitting four different players on each of his scoring passes.
“We were clicking,” Allen said. “It just seemed like our guys were getting open, and the ball was coming out of my hand really well.”
His Buffalo was in control constantly, with them creating momentum in the second period once scoring 17 unanswered points, and continuing in the same manner throughout the third and the fourth quarter.
Cole Beasley, Dawson Knox, Isaiah McKenzie, and Gabriel Davis all had a TD reception, with the note that Beasley had 130 receiving yards, his career-high. He perfectly used the fact that the nominal hosts had numerous injuries on the defensive team, and that his guards weren’t starters.
Stefon Diggs didn’t have a TD posted tonight, but he added 92 yards through the air.
On the other side, Nick Mullens had 316 yards thrown for three touchdowns and two interceptions. Unlike previous games, the 49ers didn’t earn any points through rushing, and that might have been the reason why Kyle Shanahan’s side couldn’t win.
Brandon Aiyuk, with 95 yards and a TD, was the only bright spot in San Francisco who is not 5-7 and almost out of the playoff picture. Up next, they await Washington.
The Bills will have a showdown against the Steelers at home.
Nikola Velickovic is a sports journalist who loves to write and read on all sports. Nikola contributes both news updates and functions as a sports breaking news writer at WagerBop.
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Email: nikola@wagerbop.com
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