FMQB

I’ll be testing your memory this week with a double edition! Focusing on Week 5 and 6, but will be shorter due to lack of watching games, however this time was worth it as I got to experience the historic Lambeau field for the first time!!! More on that later. The first half is focusing on Week 5 (yes I realize that was nearly 2 weeks ago now)…

 

Comeback Central:

A couple of crazy comebacks happened last week. The Bears were down 17-6 with just 7 minutes left, and drove 88 yards for a TD and then 67 yards for another TD. Eli Manning does what he always does and took the Giants 82 yards in 1:24 for the game winning TD. Probably most impressive was the Bengals comeback. Down 17 in the 4^th, the Bengals scored on their next 4 possessions, going TD, TD, FG, and FG in OT. Keep in mind that this was against one of the toughest defenses in the league. I think it’s safe to say the Bengals are legit this year. The ultimate comeback came on Monday night’s game

Stolen Stat:

Aaron Rodgers hadn’t thrown an INT at Lambeau since December of 2012. He had thrown 612 passes and 52 TD’s without a pick

 

Stolen Stat #2:

The Seahawks blown lead was the worst since 2004

 

Stolen Stat #3:

Doug Martin is tied for 2^nd in the NFL with 405  rushing yards. Martin didn’t gain more than 494 yards in either of his past two seasons- Mickey

 

Best Story of the Week:

In a hilarious turn of events, it seems that the United States Military may have affected one of the games on Sunday. Prior to the Raiders game, the Blue Angels did a flyover at the stadium. They apparently continued their training, turned around and decided to fly over the stadium one more time. It just so happened that David Carr was leading the offense down the field during the crucial 4^th quarter. The sound of the fighter jets may have distracted him though, as Carr through a pick six which put the Raiders behind the Broncos and was ultimately the difference in the game!

 

Walk Off Touchdown:

The primetime games have been pitting very odd matchups that somehow turn into gems. In case anybody isn’t sick of still watching the Vick-led Steelers, they played the Chargers last Monday. Back and forth game, a little sloppy, and it was only 10-7 going into the 4^th quarter. Both teams turned it on in the 4^th, and the Chargers led by 3 with 2:56 left in the game. Surprisingly Vick led an 80 yard march down to the 1 yard line. Very gutsy call with 5 seconds left, but they decided to run it with Bell who crossed the goal line as time expired. Crazy way to end a game!

 

Lambeau Experience:

I had the amazing experience of going to Lambeau field for the first time in Week 5. I got to see the Packers take on my Rams, but I almost didn’t even notice that my team was playing. The place was electric! Green Bay is such a small town, and the sense of community showed around the stadium. It’s literally surrounded by a residential area, and every block was filled with Packers fans and people tailgating in their driveways. Gameday was literally a way of life here, and what everybody rallied around. They had tailgating tents outside the field, and we were able to grab a beer and cheesecurds while walking by Vince Lombardi. We finally got to go in, and went from walking in the crowded concourse to stepping out and having the entire field open up in front of us. The second I walked out, I almost felt hit by a rush of NFL history, it was truly amazing. The ring of honor had names like Bart Starr, Ray Nitschke, and Reggie White. All I could picture was that someone sat in my seat to watch the Ice Bowl, or to watch Brett Favre play, or that Vince Lombardi stood on those sidelines. Even as a Rams fan, I got distracted. The game was fun but frustrating. I wish I could have cheered along with the home crowd. The best part happened after the first Packer touchdown. Everybody in the stands were high fiving, and the guy ahead of me hits 3 people, turns to me with his hand in the air, and I’m just shaking head with my arms crossed. He thought that was hilarious, and I felt semi-proud for leaving him hanging. Overall it was an awesome venue to watch a football game. Half the stadium stayed to watch the Badger marching band perform at the end of the game.

 

Week 6:

 

Couple interesting games in Week 6 as well in terms of comebacks. The Panthers were down 20-7 in the 3^rd quarter, and put together three 80 yard drives to score 3 TD’s and win the game! Second week in a row that the Seahawks would give up large leads in the 4^th to undefeated teams. The Lions and Bears also had a crazy back and forth contest, with the Lions taking a 3 point lead with 21 seconds left. Cutler then drove the Bears down the field in 3 big plays to get them into FG range to tie the game. Ultimately the Lions would get their first win though. The Browns Broncos game was also exciting, with the 4^th quarter having 4 lead changes and 23 points scored before the Broncos pulling it off in OT.

 

Undefeated Teams:

Once we get this far into the season, there may be one or two undefeated teams left that people are still excited about. This year seems like a bit of an anomaly, where we have 5 teams entering week 7 who have yet to lose a game. We’re to the point to where we’re nearly halfway through the season, and starting to schedule watch to see if the ’72 Dolphins are in jeopardy. Let’s take a quick look at who’s left:

 

Bengals: Both Pittsburgh games (Weeks 8 and 14) will be tough tests. They also play the Cardinals Week 11. If they can get through those 3 games, it could set up an amazing Monday nighter against the Broncos, who also have a shot at being undefeated at that point. I’m guessing that two 14-0 teams meeting would be the latest in the season that ever happened.

Packers: The Packers have one of the tougher stretches, playing two undefeated teams back to back on the road(Broncos-8 and Panthers-9). They also have the Cardinals and Cowboys with Romo on the slate. If there’s any team to run the table though, the Packers are built for it.

Broncos: The Broncos feel like the weakest team in this group, and they also have 3 of the undefeated teams on the schedule yet (Packers-8, Patriots-12, and Bengals-16). Actually looking at the schedule, they may only have 2 “easy wins” left. Don’t be surprised if there’s talk about the Broncos limping into the playoffs after their amazing 6-0 start.

Patriots: The Pats are the other team I feel could run the table this year. Aside from the Broncos and both Jets meetings, they have a stupid easy schedule left. I could easily see them going 16-0.

Panthers: The Panthers have played some pretty easy teams so far, although the Seattle comeback was very impressive. Their next 3 games are tough (Eagles, Colts, and Packers), but after that they almost have a cakewalk as well. They could easily have a first round bye in the playoffs this year.

 

Quick Hits:

 

• The Eagles went from last place in the NFC East to first place in just 2 weeks
• The Ravens and Lions, two playoff teams from last year, are in dead last in both of their conferences
• Philip Rivers is on pace for 5,648 passing yards this season
• Peyton Manning is #33 in QB Rating this year, Andrew Luck is #32, Tyrod Taylor is #6
• DeAndre Hopkins is basically on pace to tie the receiving yards and receptions records this year

 

Stat of the Week:

Take a look at the Broncos scoring breakdown this year:

• Offense- 54 points
• Defense/Special Teams- 85 points

 

Quote of the Week:

“Illegal Formation, entire right side of the line”- Ref