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Thursday 17 November 2022
Washington’s Riverboat Ron knocks off another unbeaten team

By JOSH DUBOW at home to a team with a becoming the second
AP Pro Football Writer losing record, with Houston player in NFL history with at
Ron Rivera and Washing- (3-5) beating Cincinnati (8- least 100 yards and two TDs
ton are making a habit 0) in 2015 and the Rams (4- on the ground and through
of shocking undefeated 6) doing it at San Francisco the air in the same game.
teams. For the second time (10-0) in 1990. The only other player to do
in three seasons, Rivera Five other teams that start- it was Colin Kaepernick in
took a Washington team ed 8-0 or better lost their the playoffs following the
with a losing record on the first game to a team with a 2012 season against Green
road to hand an undefeat- losing record on the road. Bay.
ed team its first loss of the Rivera became the sec- Fields is the fifth player in
season. The Commanders, ond coach in the Super the Super Bowl era with
who entered the game Bowl era to hand two at least one TD pass and
with a 4-5 record, went to teams that started 8-0 or one TD run in four straight
Philadelphia and handed better their first loss. Don games. He can tie Kyler
the Eagles their first loss fol- Coryell also did it, leading Murray’s record from 2020
lowing an 8-0 start. the Cardinals over the 8-0 Washington Commanders head coach Ron Rivera celebrates of doing it in five straight on
That 32-21 victory Monday Cowboys in 1977 and the after an NFL football game against the Philadelphia Eagles, Sunday at Atlanta.
Monday, Nov. 14, 2022, in Philadelphia.
night came two years after Chargers over the 11-0 Dol- Associated Press His work on the ground has
Rivera lead a 4-7 Washing- phins in 1984. helped the Bears become
ton team to a 23-17 victory FIELD DAY the most for any QB in a season record for quarter- the first team in NFL history
at 11-0 Pittsburgh. Chicago’s Justin Fields is on five-game span in the Su- backs of 1,206 set in 2019. to rush for at least 225 yards
Only two of the other 29 a record-setting stretch in per Bowl era. He needs just Fields threw for 167 yards in five straight games.
teams in the Super Bowl era his first full season as starter. 458 yards rushing over the and two TDs and ran for Fields’ production hasn’t
that started a season 8-0 or Fields has rushed for 555 final seven games to break 147 yards and two TDs in a meant success for the
better lost their first game yards in the last five games Lamar Jackson’s single- loss to Detroit on Sunday, Bears, who have lost the
last three games. They
are the first team to lose
three straight while scoring
at least 29 points in each
game in NFL history.
JUMPING JEFFERSON
Minnesota’s Justin Jeffer-
son delivered one of the
greatest catches in NFL his-
tory with his one-handed
grab against Buffalo on
fourth-and-18 on Sunday.
The catch had a 28.8%
completion probability,
according to NFL NextGen
stats, but Jefferson has
made a habit out of mak-
ing improbable grabs.
He had nine catches on
Sunday with a completion
probability of less than 50%
three more than any other
player has had in a game
in the NGS era that dates
back to 2015.
Since entering the league
in 2020, Jefferson has a
league-high 54 catches
with a sub-50% completion
probability.
Jefferson finished with 10
catches for a career-high
193 yards and one TD. His
20 games with at least 100
yards receiving are the
most ever for a player in
his first three years, surpass-
ing Randy Moss and Odell
Beckham Jr.
Jefferson, who has 4,076
receiving yards in 42 ca-
reer games, tied Lance
Alworth and Beckham for
the fewest games needed
to reach 4,000 yards re-
ceiving. q