Sunday, September 20, 2020

U.S. Open, Day Three

The two big stories yesterday were:  (1) Matthew Wolff, a 21-year-old who grew up in Southern California and played for Oklahoma State, shot a 65(!) to move to 5-under-par, and (2) Patrick Reed, who was 5-under at the turn, played the back nine in 8-over par to fall all the way back to 11th place.

A victory by Wolff would be stunning event, but as you can see, he has some big names on his trail:

1.  M. Wolff-5 (66+74+65=205)

2.  B. DeChambeau-3 (69+69+70=207)

3.  L. Oosthuizen (RSA):  -1 (67+74+68=209)

T4.  H. EnglishEven (68+70+72=210)
T4.  H. Matsuyama (JPN):  Even (71+69+70=210)
T4.  X. SchauffeleEven (68+72+70=210)

7.  R. McIlroy (NIR):  +1 (67+76+68=211)

T8.  R. Cabrera-Bello (ESP):  +2 (68+70+74=212)
T8.  V. Hovland (NOR):  +2 (71+71+70=212)
T8.  Z. Johnson+2 (70+74+68=212)

Of course, there's never been a time where they played the last round of the U.S. Open opposite a full day of NFL football.  Here's my plan -- I'm going to watch the noon NFL games, and then switch over to golf at around 3:30 Central Time.

119 comments:

  1. The Tampa Bay Bradies are rolling, up 21-0 over Carolina with three minutes left in the first half.

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  2. Cowboys being haunted by the ghost of Leeman Bennett today. The Falcons lead Dallas 20-7 with 6 minutes left in the first half.

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  3. Falcons score again, and go for two. This is almost always a mistake, and sure enough the Falcons don't make it. But Atlanta still leads 26-7.

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    1. Oh, I'm sure it will all work out fine for them--they're so far ahead.

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  4. Not a good look for the NFC East right now:

    Dallas 7 - 26 Atlanta (2d quarter)
    Chicago 17 - 0 N.Y. Giants (2d quarter)
    Philadelphia 9 - 21 Los Angeles (2d quarter)

    If these trends continue, the Cowboys, Giants, and Eagles will all be 0-2 by 3:30 Central Time.

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  5. Wolff and DeChambeau have each parred the first two holes.

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  6. I always think the Colts play in a dome, and then they'll play that one game a year where the roof is open and it's always confusing. I keep thinking that for some reason they're at the old Texas Stadium.

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  7. Buffalo leads Miami 17-10 at the half.

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  8. Latest from the NFC East:

    Dallas 10 - 26 Atlanta (2d quarter)
    Chicago 17 - 0 N.Y. Giants (3d quarter)
    Philadelphia 16 - 21 Los Angeles (Halftime)

    Saquon Barkley is out for the Giants, which could be catastrophic for them.

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  9. Wolff bogeys the third hole, and now has a one-shot lead over DeChambeau, who makes his third par in a row.

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    1. I know the golf fans have made the turn and are excited by the new generation of terrific talent. It turns out I'm not a golf fan. I turns out I'm a Tiger/TMZ follower/golf-fan poser.

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  10. The Niners have lost Jimmy Garoppolo to an ankle injury. Shouldn't be a big deal today -- they already lead the Jets 21-3 -- but could be a big deal for the season.

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    1. I Googled "average nfl finish of teams who lose week 1 starting quarterback," but unsatisfactory results appeared.

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  11. Falcons kick a field goal and lead Dallas 29-10 going into the half.

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  12. On 3d and 31, deep in their own territory, Niners just do a handoff -- and it goes for over 50 yards. We may be coming to the end of the Adam Gase era in the NFL.

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  13. The Dolphins/Bills game has now been stopped by lightning. Bills still lead 17-10 in the third quarter.

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  14. DeChambeau birdies the fourth hole and moves into a tie for the lead:

    T1. DeChambeau: -4 (58 holes)
    T1. Wolff: -4 (58)

    3. Oosthuizen (RSA): Even (58)

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  15. The Eagles were driving, but Carson Wentz throws an interception in the end zone. Rams lead 21-16 with 8 minutes left in the third.

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    1. I think I saw a headline yesterday that the Veterans Stadium people (whatever their field is now called) piped in fake booing for Wentz. If so, ... WELCOME TO PHILLY!

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  16. Why do the Jets ever have uniforms that are different from the ones they used in 1968? Those uniforms were great.

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  17. Dallas, fighting for its life now, scores to move within 29-17 with 12 minutes left in the third.

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    1. Speaking of uniforms ... Atlanta's ... #smdh ...

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  18. Wolff bogeys the fifth hole, and now trails DeChambeau by one shot.

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  19. NFC East Update:

    Dallas 17 - 29 Atlanta (7 min. left in 3d Quarter)
    Chicago 17 - 10 N.Y. Giants (14 min. left in 4th Quarter)
    Philadelphia 16 - 24 Los Angeles (2 min. left in 3d quarter)

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  20. DeChambeau and Wolff both par the sixth hole.

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  21. Cowboys score another touchdown, and now trail Atlanta 29-24 with 4 minutes left in the third quarter.

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  22. Eagles kick a field goal, now trail L.A. 24-19 with 12 minutes to go. THE NFC EAST IS FIGHTING BACK!

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  23. Dolphins and Bills have finally started the second half.

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  24. Dolphins kick a field goal and now trail Buffalo 17-13 early in the third quarter.

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    1. This is about the time I was coming off the miniature-golf course Sunday afternoon. I finished third in a tournament of eight. My mother-in-law won.

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  25. DeChambeau and Wolff both par the seventh hole.

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  26. Bad news for the NFC East. Here are the latest scores:

    Dallas 24 - 36 Atlanta (14 min. left in 4th Quarter)
    Chicago 17 - 13 N.Y. Giants (7 min. left in 4th Quarter)
    Philadelphia 19 - 31 Los Angeles (10 min. left in 4th Quarter)

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  27. DeChambeau and Wolff both bogey the 8th hole.

    1. DeChambeau: -3 (62 holes)
    2. Wolff: -2 (62)
    T3. Schauffele: E (64)
    T3. Oosthuizen (RSA): E (63)

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  28. On the par-5 ninth, DeChambeau and Wolff are both looking at eagle. DeChambeau goes first and HOLES A 40-FOOTER FOR EAGLE. Wolff then MATCHES HIM. DeChambeau now 5-under. Wolff now 4-under.

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  29. On 4th and 5 with 12 minutes left in its own territory, Dallas tries a fake punt. It doesn't work. This is Dallas's second failed fake punt in its own territory today.

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    1. I Googled "what is jason garrett doing now?" and it turns out he's the Giants' offensive coordinator. At this point on his Sunday afternoon, he was probably thinking, "You mean to tell me I don't get to coach Saquon Barkley and the new Dallas head coach is running failed fake punts in his own territory against the Falcons?"

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  30. With 21 seconds left, the Giants -- who trail 17-13 -- are at the Chicago 15.

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  31. Giants make a first down at the 12, and now have 8 seconds to go.

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  32. Actually, the Giants are at the 14. Here we go. Jones back to pass, throws a sideline pass. Giants down to the 10. 4 seconds left.

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  33. Four seconds left for the Giants. Here we go again. Jones back to pass. His pass is deflected. Game over! Wait, there's a flag! No, it's OFFENSIVE PASS INTERFERENCE! Bears win, 17 to 13.

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    1. Maybe Jason Garrett is the kind of guy who can process stuff like this OK. Maybe he thinks to himself, "Well, I did my best, and I'm sure everyone else was doing their best--let's go play some miniature golf with my mother-in-law." I doubt he is, because I don't think many people like us get jobs like head coach of the Dallas Cowboys or even offensive coordinator of the New York Giants. But maybe he is. There's a lot of us out here, and we're God's children, too.

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  34. NFC East Update:

    Dallas 30 - 39 Atlanta (4 minutes left)
    Chicago 17 - 13 N.Y. Giants (Final)
    Philadelphia 19 - 38 Los Angeles (2 minutes left)

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  35. With 10 minutes left, the Dolphins score! They lead Buffalo 20-17.

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    1. I was back home by now, on the couch with the wife (who finished second).

      (But, seriously, she and her mom were way up at the front of the group, and I saw a few of what they were counting as "2s," and ...)

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  36. In a game that should have been played on Thursday Night, the Titans beat the Jags 33-30. Titans now 2-0.

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  37. Green Bay smashes the Lions 42-21. Back-to-back 40-point games for the Packers.

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    1. Now I'm pretty certain Aaron Rodgers has never spent one second playing miniature golf with his mother-in-law. I bet Mike Sherman and Brett Favre have a text string going, and one or the other sends "#smdh" every time one of those insurance commercials come on.

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  38. Colts dominate the Vikings 28-11. The Vikings look really bad so far this year.

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  39. Niners beat the Jets 31-13. Jets look terrible so far.

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  40. In an AFC Playoff game from the 1970's, Denver trails Pittsburgh 26-21 with 2 minutes left. But the Broncos are IN THE RED ZONE.

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  41. Speaking of the NFC East, the Cardinals are playing Washington in Arizona. Of course, this game should be played in Busch Stadium.

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  42. On 4th and 2, the Stillers pull off a huge SACK, and they take over from Denver with less than two minutes to go. Pittsburgh has 7 sacks in this game.

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  43. Down in Miami, Buffalo scores a TD and now leads 24-20.

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  44. On the 10th hole, Wolff takes a bogey, DeChambeau makes par, and DeChambeau has a two-shot lead.

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  45. Cardinals score a touchdown on their first possession of the game. They are the only NFC East team to hold a lead today.

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  46. Rams finish off the Eagles, 37 to 19. Philly is now 0-2.

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  47. Pittsburgh finishes off Denver, 26-21. It feels like they should now move to the AFC Title Game, but actually they are merely 2-0.

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  48. Dechambeau birdies the 11th hole. He is now 3-under for the day, 6-under for the tournament. He is the only man in the field who is under par for the day. He leads Wolff by 3 shots, and leads everyone else in the field by 6.

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  49. In another Thursday night game, the Bucs beat the Panthers 31-17.

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  50. Dallas, which really is the best team in the NFC East, scores to make it 39-37 with 1:49 left. (I told Atlanta not to go for two earlier in the game.)

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  51. With 3 minutes left, Josh Allen hits a long bomb for a touchdown, and the Bills lead 31-20.

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    1. I've now flipped to the golf, and this final round must've been a real drag.

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  52. Dallas converts the onside kick, and can now win with a field goal. I have no idea why Atlanta didn't just grab the ball before it went 10 yards.

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  53. Dallas moves into field goal range, and they are going to beat Atlanta. NEVER, EVER GO FOR TWO UNLESS YOU ABSOLUTELY HAVE TO. The only exception to this rule is if you have no kicker, and you go for two every time.

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  54. San Diego jumps out to an early 7-0 lead over the Super Bowl Champion Chiefs.

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  55. With 4:45 left in the game, Atlanta led Dallas 39-24. But they lose, 40 to 39, on a last-second field goal.

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  56. NEVER, EVER, EVER, GO FOR TWO POINTS UNLESS YOU ABSOLUTELY HAVE TO. It will get you every time.

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    1. Not every time, of course. Now you've overplayed your hand. (There's a good Coach about this.) But I was very happy for you to see this morning that you were on this from the start.

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  57. Everyone is stunned by this Dallas victory. But I'm really not surprised at all. I thought Dallas would get the onside kick, I thought Dallas would move into field goal range, and I thought Dallas would make the field goal. Never go for two unless you have to.

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  58. Miami scores and makes a two-point conversion. They trail Buffalo 31-28 with 49 seconds left.

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  59. The Dolphins do not get the onside kick, and they lose 31-28.

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  60. The noon games are all finished. Here are the final scores:

    Chicago 17 - 13 N.Y. Giants
    Dallas 40 - 39 Atlanta
    Green Bay 42 - 21 Detroit
    Tennessee 33 - 30 Jacksonville
    Indianapolis 28 - 11 Minnesota
    Miami 28 - 31 Buffalo
    N.Y. Jets 13 - 31 San Francisco
    Philadelphia 19 - 37 Los Angeles
    Pittsburgh 26 - 21 Denver
    Tampa Bay 31 - 17 Carolina

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  61. DeChambeau and Wolff both par the 12th, and DeChambeau still leads by 3. I think I'm going to stay with football.

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  62. DeChambeau and Wolff both par the 13th, and DeChambeau still leads by 3.

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  63. The Texans were pounded by Kansas City last week, and now they trail Baltimore 10-0. Rough start for Houston.

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  64. The Cardinals lead the football team 17-0 in the 2d, which probably says more about the Football team than Arizona.

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  65. DeChambeau pars 14 and 15. He now has a four-shot lead, as Wolff bogeyed 14. He's at least eight shots ahead of everyone who isn't Wolff.

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  66. Update on the afternoon games:

    Arizona 20 - 0 Washington (almost halftime)
    San Diego 14 - 6 Kansas City (2 minutes before half)
    Houston 7 - 13 Baltimore (5 minutes before half)

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  67. Ravens score a touchdown and now lead 20-7 with 5 minutes before the half.

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  68. Wolff double-bogeys the 16th hole. DeChambeau leads by 6 with two holes left.

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  69. DeChambeau and Wolff par the 17th. DeChambeau leads by 6 with one hole left.

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  70. Once again, the USGA has ended up with a really boring fourth round.

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  71. Late game updates:

    Arizona 20 - 0 Washington (9 minutes left in 3d)
    San Diego 14 - 6 Kansas City (halftime)
    Houston 10 - 20 Baltimore (halftime)

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  72. DeChambeau shoots a 67 and wins the National Open by 6 shots.

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  73. The Football Team is crushed 30 to 15. It's too bad for the Cardinals that they aren't still in the NFC East.

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  74. Chargers lead Kansas City 20-17. 50 seconds left. Chiefs' ball at the San Diego 45. 3d and 20. As they lined up, I thought, "Mahomes is going to run this up the middle." I saw Elway do that to the Chiefs about 50 times in this situation, and it worked every time. Sure enough, Mahomes took the snap and ran for 21 yards.

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  75. But on 2d and 3 from the 17, the Chiefs are called for holding. That never happened to Denver. Mahomes, unflappable as ever, throws down to the 14, and then calls time. 10 seconds left.

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  76. Mahomes, going for the win, is chased for his life and runs out of bounds with 3 seconds left. Now KC has to go for the field goal.

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  77. The kick is good! KC and SD are tied at 20. We head for OVERTIME.

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  78. Meanwhile, Baltimore pasted the Texans, 33 to 16.

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  79. Chargers win the toss and can win the game without facing Mahomes again.

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  80. But the Chiefs force a 4th and 1 at the SD 34. The Chargers punt, and KC will start from its own 20.

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  81. On 3d and 3 at the KC 42, Mahomes scrambles out and does that thing where you hold the ball past the first down marker as you go out of bounds. KC has never had anyone who could do that.

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  82. On 3d and 4 from the SD 49, Mahomes scrambles and comes up a yard short. On 4th and 1, the Chiefs hand off -- and get the one yard.

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  83. On 1st and 10 from the SD 44, Mahomes scrambles around like you did in your back yard as a 10-year-old, but his pass is dropped.

    Second down coming up. SD calls time.

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  84. On 2d down, Mahomes dumps it to Hill, who runs out of bounds at the SD 39.

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  85. 3d and 5: Mahomes completes a pass for 4 yards, as the KC receiver is almost decapitated. 4th and 1 coming up.

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  86. Andy Reid decides to try the 53-yd field goal with 2 minutes left. Time out.

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  87. In the timeout, we get a State Farm commercial with Mahomes making a bunch of trick shots in cornhole. That seems credible to me.

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  88. OK, here's Harrison Butker for the field goal. What a game! No wonder the NFL is so popular.

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  89. The kick was good, but KC is called for a false start. I never saw Elway's teams do that either. Now it's a 58-yarder.

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  90. The kick was good again -- but SD called time, so it doesn't count. I really hate that rule.

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  91. It would be brilliant here if KC would try a fake.

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  92. But no, they kick again -- and it's GOOD! Kansas City beats the Chargers on the road, 23 to 20. Amazing game.

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  93. Seahawks lead the Pats 28-17 with 2 minutes left in the third quarter. Strong performance by the Seahawks so far.

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  94. Patriots drive down to the 1-yard line. Seahawks expected a run, but Patriots complete a touchdown pass. Funny how that works sometime.

    Patriots go for two, and fail. Seahawks lead 28-23 with 14 minutes left.

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  95. Prayers for Patriots running back James White and his mom, and rest in peace, Mr. White. That was such sad news.

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