NFL roundup: Cowboys throttle Lions, 42-21
By Brad Weiss
Week 16 of the NFL season finished up on Monday night, as the Dallas Cowboys destroyed the Detroit Lions at home, 42-21.
There was no slowing down on Monday night by the Dallas Cowboys, who took care of business at home against the Detroit Lions. Rookie quarterback Dak Prescott threw for three touchdowns in the game, and fellow rookie running back Ezekiel Elliott burst through the line for a 55-yard score of his own. Already with the No. 1 seed in the NFC, the Cowboys showed why on Monday night, though it may be time to rest their starters a bit in the last week of the season.
The Oakland Raiders are currently the No. 2 seed in the AFC, as they ran their record to 12-3 with their win over the Indianapolis Colts on Saturday. However, star quarterback Derek Carr broke his fibula in the game, and will be out the next six-to-eight weeks. He will have surgery on Tuesday to repair the break, and the Raiders are going to need a miracle if they want to make it to the Super Bowl in February.
In staying with good young quarterbacks who broke their legs this past weekend, the Tennessee Titans’ Marcus Mariota will have surgery on Wednesday to repair his break. Mariota was injured during the team’s crushing loss to the Jacksonville Jaguars on Saturday, and will include the insertion of a plate in his leg to fix a fractured fibula. Unlike Carr, Mariota will need four-to-five months to recover from his injury. The Titans have been a nice surprise this season, and will have two first round draft picks next April.
Dirk Koetter shocked the NFL world when he benched star running back Doug Martin for the team’s Week 16 matchup against the New Orleans Saints. Still fighting for a playoff spot, the Bucs ended up losing to Drew Brees and the Saints 31-24, and Martin’s status for the team’s Week 17 game against the Carolina Panthers is still up in the air. Martin signed a 5yr/$35.75 million dollar contract before the season, but it now looks like he is third in the pecking order behind Jacquizz Rodgers and Charles Sims.
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The Denver Broncos offense has sputtered as of late, and in Week 17, the team may make a change at quarterback. Second-year player Trevor Siemian has been the team’s starter since training camp, but rookie Paxton Lynch may get the start against the Oakland Raiders on New Years Day. Lynch has actually started two games for the Broncos this season with Siemian injured, going 1-1, while looking good and bad in spurts. Denver was eliminated from playoff contention on Sunday night.