Photo Credit: NFL.com
Packers Back?
Sure they were only playing the Cowboys, but the Packers looked to return to a bit of their old selves. They showed improvement after a 2-4 six game stretch, and they probably shouldn’t have beaten the Lions. Mike McCarthy is back to calling plays, which seemed to help both Aaron Rodgers and the run game. In fact, the Packers ran for 230 yards on 44 carries (vs. 35 passes for 218). And 28 points will win you a lot of games in the NFL, but in saying that there was a stretch of 5 straight punts on offense in the 2nd half.
Quick Hits:
- Russell Wilson threw his 2nd 5 TD game in 3 weeks
- Brock Osweiler lost for the first time in his career. He has now led his team to 1 TD in 2 games
- Jacksonville has a legit shot at winning the division. They play the Falcons, Saints, and Texans. And the Texans and Colts are down to 3rd string QB’s
- Andy Dalton getting injured this late in the season nearly guarantees a playoff birth but 1st round loss for the 5th straight year
- Speaking of Dalton, didn’t it seem like he was in the locker room, back in street clothes, and fully casted up in about 7 minutes?
- Sending LeSean McCoy as the only Bills captain against his old team? Love it!
- Wow, Bengals Steelers felt like a playoff game. Very chippy! Rival-tastic! Bengals LB Burfict was fined $70,000 for 3 plays.
- Raiders are looking strong! Great couple drafts (Derek Carr, Khalil Mack, Amari Cooper) and strong coach in Jack Del Rio. Should be a playoff team next year
- An unblocked Clay Matthews coming at you through the line must be one of the scariest things a QB can see
What is a Catch?:
Officiating and strange rule calls have dominated the NFL news the past calendar year. The NFL is finally stepping up and making an officiating change in the playoffs which can help correct calls or rule interpretations from New York on non-judgement call plays. They are also creating a committee to define what is and isn’t a catch (thankfully). The Calvin Johnson rule has completely convoluted the game the past few years, almost as much as the “Tuck Rule” did, and it sounds like there will be a better idea going into 2016 thankfully. The Dez Bryant play over the weekend (although not game changing) created more controversy, and it’s past the point of being annoying.
Stolen Stat of the Week:
The Browns had a stretch where in 4 field goal attempts, 3 of them were blocked
Stolen Stat of the Week #2:
Atlanta scored 137 points in the first four weeks. Atlanta has scored 117 points in the past eight weeks. The Falcons have also had a 5 game winning streak and a 6 game losing streak this season
Stat of the Week #3:
The Bears are 1-6 at home, but 4-2 on the road
Stat of the Week #4:
The 4-9 Dallas Cowboys actually have a winning record within the division (3-2)
Stat of the Week #5:
10 Receivers already have 1000+ yards, 2 QB’s have 4000+ yards,
Stat of the Week #6:
In their last 4 games, the Chargers have scored 3, 25, 3, and 3 points
Stolen Stat of the Week #7:
Alex Smith went 312 consecutive throws without an INT. That was the 2nd longest streak in NFL history (Tom Brady)
Stat of the Week #8:
Blake Bortles has the 3rd most TD passes this year, Derek Carr is in 4th.
Stolen Stat of the Week #9:
Russell Wilson has 16 touchdowns and zero interceptions in his past four games. According to the Elias Sports Bureau, only two other quarterbacks have done that before: Tom Brady in 2007 and Peyton Manning in 2013
Stat of the Week #10:
In the last 2 games, the Colts have allowed 96 points, and the Jaguars have scored 90 points
Stat of the Week #11:
Eagles are 5-1 in their last 6 games, and Sam Bradford is 6-2 in the last 8 games he’s played in. Bradford also threw his first INT in 17 quarters
Stat of the Week #12:
Seattle opened 2-4 and since has gone 6-1. Kansas City opened 1-5 and since has gone 7-0.
Stat of the Week #13:
Marcus Mariotta has the same number of TD receptions as Roddy White, Heath Miller, Matt Forte, and Davante Adams.
Destiny?
As we all know, the only undefeated team is the 1972 Dolphins, coached by Don Shula. His son Mike is currently the offensive coordinator for the Panthers. Is that Destiny? I find myself constantly checking the Panthers score each week, as only 7 other teams in 95 years have started 13-0. I only had to follow them for about 15 minutes on Sunday. By then the game was already over and the Panthers cruised to a 38-0 route. Since week 2, the Panthers lowest scoring game was 27 points. That’s pretty impressive!
Playoff Picture:
- Steelers are #7 at the moment, but could have a shot at the AFC North with Dalton hurt
- In saying that, if the Playoffs started today, two losing teams would host playoff games, while the Steelers at 8-5 would miss out
- The Cowboys are in last place in the entire NFC, and aren’t mathematically eliminated from winning their division
- NFC is nearly set, with all non-playoff teams 2 games back with 3 games remaining. Only the NFC East is up in the air with a 3 way tie for 1st
Quote of the Week:
“I had a chance to sit next to the commissioner of football, Pete Rozelle, tonight. Oh, excuse me, Roger Goodell. I apologize. I had six concussions in the NFL.” Roger Staubach
Quote of the Week #2:
“I forgot how this feels!” Browns OT Joe Thomas, in regards to winning a game
Non-NFL Quote of the Week:
Media: “Who is your favorite Star Wars character?”
Rondae Hollis-Jefferson: “ET”
Games of the Week:
Texans at Colts- Granted we’re watching a game with two 3rd string QB’s, but it’s still the battle of the AFC South, winner controls their desiny
Panthers at Giants- The Giants are hot, can they play spoiler to another undefeated season
Broncos at Steelers- Sort of a make or break game for Osweiler now that Manning is healthy again
Cardinals at Eagles- Battle of the Birds: I have a feeling that Philly can stay in this game
Was fun to see a Rams game where they played solid and actually could pass the ball and score. But those jerseys….man!
FMQB 