NFL record, serious injuries
Fan steals the ball from superstar mother, Taylor Swift misses drama
By David Needy
October 9, 2023, 2:58 a.m
In Week 5 of the NFL, several injuries shocked football fans. Do Taylor Swift and a bad omen indirectly have anything to do with it? Rookie CJ Stroud sets a record, the Lions pick apart the Panthers without Amon-Ra St. Brown, the Bengals find their magic again. And then there’s Dolphins superstar Tyreek Hill’s mother.
Dolphins march, Hill makes mother happy
A fan makes the meanest interception of the season. Dolphins superstar Tyreek Hill had just conjured up a monster 69-yard touchdown, a bang at the start of the third quarter between Miami and the New York Giants. Of course, the wide receiver wanted to celebrate properly and ran straight to his supporters. When Hill tried to hand the ball to his mother in the stands, the fan coldly intervened and snatched the egg from her. Even buried it under his arms. The spectators behind the “culprit” protested loudly, so Mama Hill was finally allowed to close her hands around the touchdown ball.
The wide receiver and his mother had reason to celebrate against the Giants anyway. After the bitter defeat against the Buffalo Bills the previous week, the Dolphins were able to prove again that they have the most explosive offense in the entire NFL. Despite strong resistance from the Giants and two interceptions from quarterback Tua Tagovailoa (including a pick-six), the team with the most points (Miami) in the entire league was absolutely superior to the team with the fewest.
Hill finished with 181 receiving yards (for comparison, Darren Waller was the Giants’ best in that category and caught almost 100 fewer yards) and rookie sensation De’vone Achane ran for an incredible 151 yards (Eric Gray for the Giants had 25). ). New York could never keep up with the Dolphins’ pace and could never stop their running game. The seven fastest sprints this season all belong to the team from Florida.
“That’s unstoppable,” RTL expert Jan Stecker analyzed Raheem Mostert’s touchdown run to make it 30:13. “You can do that all day long.” The Dolphins did the same, and in the end they won 31:16. And Mama Hill was happy about her son’s special ball.
Taylor Swift is missing, Kelce is injured
Was that a bad omen? Taylor Swift, who may be dating Kansas City Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce, has attended two Super Bowl champion games so far, both of which the Chiefs won. But the singer was not present at the game against the Minnesota Vikings, leaving some fans disappointed. It’s unclear why Swift didn’t come to the stadium this time, but things didn’t turn out well for her alleged boyfriend.
Kelce slipped and injured himself while sprinting just before halftime. The NFL star limped to the bench, threw his helmet on the floor and screamed a loud “fuck.” In the locker room, X-rays were taken of Kelce’s right leg and foot. Shock for the Chiefs nation. However, the champion later announced that it was an ankle injury and, according to NFL Media, Patrick Mahomes’ best pass receiver avoided an “injury of concern.” In the third quarter, Kelce returned with his foot taped and scored a touchdown to secure Kansas City’s narrow 27:20 victory, with the Vikings still having the chance to equalize on the last play of the game.
Burrow and Chase reclaim magic
There they are again, the superstars: The ailing Joe Burrow and Ja’Marr Chase breathe the magic into their Cincinnati Bengals that had been completely missing so far this season. In the 34:20 win over the Arizona Cardinals, Burrow threw for 317 yards and three touchdown passes to Ja’Marr Chase, who had not scored at all in the previous games. With the urgently needed offensive performance, the Bengals achieved the important second success after three bankruptcies. Burrow, slowed by a calf injury in the first four games of the season, looked healthy, completing 36 of 46 passes and using his athleticism to buy time. Chase set a franchise record with 15 catches. If this condition continues, Cincinnati could become a top team again.
Eagles dominant as ever
The Philadelphia Eagles remain undefeated. For the second year in a row, they are off to a 5-0 start, making them the first Super Bowl runner-up since the 1991 Buffalo Bills to win their first five games of the season. This time the Rams lost 14:23 in a long-close game in Los Angeles. AJ Brown stood out, making six catches for 127 yards. But there was also good news for the Californians: Star receiver Cooper Kupp played his first game of the season and caught eight passes for 118 yards for the Rams.
Serious neck injury overshadows Lions win
No Amon-Ra St. Brown (the German NFL star missed the entire week with an upper body injury), no problem: With a 42:24 blowout, the Lions clearly defeated the winless Panthers and are off to their best start since at 4-1 2011. The game was overshadowed by a serious neck injury to Carolina’s rookie offensive lineman Chandler Zavala, who was involved in a block in the first quarter and then fell face-down. He lay motionless on the grass with his stomach on until medical staff turned him over. The 24-year-old had to be carried off the field, but raised his thumb in the air, and was taken to hospital. Zavala was awake and able to move all of his limbs, a team spokesman said later.
Rookie quarterback out injured
Another injury occurred in Indianapolis when super rookie Anthony Richardson was sidelined in the second quarter with a shoulder injury. The young quarterback had exceeded all expectations this season, but so did his backup: the inexperienced Gardner Minshew led the Colts to a hard-fought 23-16 victory over the Tennessee Titans. Running back Zack Moss clearly outshone his counterpart Derrick Henry (43 yards, no touchdown) with 165 yards and two touchdowns.
Bills with surprising bankruptcy
After the statement win against Miami, the Buffalo Bills disappointed in London: In the English capital, the Jacksonville Jaguars (second London triumph in two weeks in a row) surprisingly defeated superstar Josh Allen and Co. 25:20. There was never any indication in the game that the Bills were the heavily favored team, as Jacksonville set the pace early and responded every time Buffalo tried to close the gap.
Belichick’s terrible defeat
Legendary coach Bill Belichick had to swallow the second-worst defeat in the team history of his New England Patriots at 0:34. His team is also 1-4 for the first time since 2000, Belichick’s first season in New England. Tom Brady’s former team was inferior in all respects and the coach is still one win away from the next defeat to catch up with Don Shula and George Halas as the only coaches in NFL history with 300 wins in the regular season.
Stroud’s record isn’t enough for Texans
His Houston Texans suffered a narrow loss to Atlanta, but rookie sensation CJ Stroud, who celebrated his 22nd birthday on Tuesday, was able to celebrate an NFL record. The quarterback became the first league rookie ever to throw his first 177 pass attempts without a single interception. Even Tom Brady (third in the ranking) can’t come close. Praying for Stroud: Falcons’ Younghoe Koo hit a 37-yard field goal just before time expired and Atlanta Falcons ended a two-game losing streak with a 21-19 win. Stroud still seems to be maturing with each game and is considered the favorite to win the award for the best rookie of the year.
Steelers conjure up a comeback on the pitch
It was also incredibly close in Pittsburgh in a duel between two long-time rivals from the AFC North: The Steelers were behind 0:10 against the Baltimore Ravens around superstar quarterback Lamar Jackson and turned the game around late to a 17:10 win. Pittsburgh playmaker Kenny Pickett found George Pickens for a 41-yard touchdown with just over a minute remaining. Previously, an interception by rookie cornerback Joey Porter Jr. had breathed life back into the Steelers. Jackson and his Ravens ended up playing incorrectly, giving the ball away three times, including twice in the last five minutes.
Air is getting thin for Russell Wilson
Zach Wilson versus Russell Wilson was the name of the game in this duel. The Jets’ quarterback (Zach) retained the upper hand at 31:21, even though he didn’t throw a touchdown and his counterpart threw two. Running back Breece Hall ripped momentum to the Jets’ side in an ugly play when he ran a 72-yard touchdown into the end zone. Hall impressed on the pitch where he suffered a knee injury in 2022 that ended his season. The Broncos, on the other hand, got off to a terrible start with 1-4 due to the bankruptcy, after they had already ruined the first season with Russell Wilson. The champions from Kansas City are waiting on Thursday.