NFL Early Game Highlights: Tom Brady Yells At Panthers Defender For Daring To Push Him, Tyreek Hill Leaves Teammate Hanging

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Welcome to Sunday afternoon on the penultimate week of the NFL season! With playoff scenarios unfolding across the league, OutKick will collect some of the best moments of the day. Keep checking this page for updates!

Tom Brady is very mad that a defender hit him

Tom Brady and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, who should have wrapped up the NFC South weeks ago, are in a dogfight against the Carolina Panthers and in danger of missing the playoffs. Brady took a shove from a Panthers defender and he got VERY mad about it.

Full flip is the new spike

It took a while to get here, but I think we've reached the golden age of NFL celebrations. Call me old-fashioned, but I never liked the Chad Johnson/Ochocinco version of ridiculously over-produced endzone celebrations.

But before you think I'm just lame and boring, I think we can do better than just spiking the football. But a gymnastics routine in the endzone, I can get down with that. Wide receivers Tyreek Hill of the Dolphins and Richie James of the Giants each had their own version after scores today and I'm here for it.

Gotta say though ... Tyreek left teammate Durham Smythe HANGING. Wow.

Dang, Tyreek. How you gonna do Durham like that?

Do your job! And everyone else's job!

Lions rookie Aidan Hutchinson is a force on the defensive line. And in the secondary, apparently.

It was only a matter of time...

Because of all the ridiculous roughing the passer penalties, it was only a matter of time before defenders stopped hitting quarterbacks all together. Is this the league you want, NFL?

Taysom Hill does it all for Saints

The Saints are underdogs in Philadelphia and, admittedly, I backed the Eagles. Philadelphia ran three plays in the first quarter. THREE! The Saints held the ball for nearly the entire first 15 minutes and scored a touchdown on a run by utility man Taysom Hill.

Then, the Eagles went three-and-out. And the Saints sent Hill out there to try and block their punt. He didn't, but he has to be the only modern player to line up at quarterback and rush off the edge on special teams in the same game.

Justin Fields over 100 yards rushing... in first quarter

Bears quarterback Justin Fields already holds the NFL record for rushing yards in a regular season game for a quarterback at 178 yards. Well, today, he's on pace for over 400 yards rushing after a 100+ yard first quarter that included two long runs. One is this 60-yard run on a third down.

Colin Kaepernick holds the overall NFL record for rushing yards in a game, running for 181 yards in the 2012 NFC Championship game. Fields did get up gingerly after the long run, and seemed a little gimpy on the ensuing plays, and the Bears settled for a field goal. Something to monitor as he chases history.

Patriots get jobbed by HORRIBLE call from NFL ref

I'm not one to sympathize with Patriots fans, but a call on the first drive of the game was so bad, you almost feel bad for Patriots fans. ALMOST.

Dolphins running back Raheem Mostert took the handoff and fumbled the ball as soon as a Patriots defender hit him. The Patriots recovered and appeared to be in position on the Miami half of the field. However, inexplicably, the referee ruled that Mostert's forward progress was stopped.

Because of that ruling, Bill Belichick could not challenge the call. I cannot stress enough that Mostert fumbled the second the Patriots player hit him. If that's forward progress being stopped, then fumbles should not exist, because forward progress is always be stopped.

NFL down judge Sarah Thomas looks on before a game between the Miami Dolphins and the New England Patriots.

NFL down judge Sarah Thomas looks on before a game between the Miami Dolphins and the New England Patriots. (Photo by Billie Weiss/Getty Images)

Miami would end up punting on the drive, but not a great start for the officials.

Eagles defender stretchered off in scary scene

There's no way to sugarcoat what was a very scary scene in Philadelphia. Defender Josh Sweat did not get up after the New Orleans Saints offense ran a play and ultimately paramedics brought a stretcher onto the field to take him off.

Prayers for Josh Sweat as NFL fans around the country hope for the best.

UPDATE FROM EAGLES:

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Dan began his sports media career at ESPN, where he survived for nearly a decade. Once the Stockholm Syndrome cleared, he made his way to Outkick. He is secure enough in his masculinity to admit he is a cat-enthusiast with three cats, one of which is named “Brady” because his wife wishes she were married to Tom instead of him.