Photo Credit: NFL.com
Shorter post this week as for the first time FMQB falls on Christmas day. Merry Christmas everybody! For all you non-football fans, throw out a few of these stats to wow your family.
Panthers vs. Giants:
In the first of 2 great comebacks, this one fell just short. With 5 minutes left in the 3rd quarter, the Panthers took a 35-7 lead, and it looked all but over after scoring 4 straight TD’s. The Giants strung together a couple TD drives, and by the 3rd one where Shane Vereen scored to pull within 7, the crowd was absolutely on fire! The whole place was rocking when Odell Beckham tied it up with less than 2 minutes left. It was interesting to see Cam Newton’s expression, and I’m actually going to give him a compliment here GASP! Despite their last 4 drives ending in Punt, Blocked FG, Fumble, Punt, Cam Newton looked absolutely confident on the sidelines. You could tell he was just looking at his teammates and saying “Let’s go win this.” Four plays later they were within FG range, and merely got a bit closer to make the chance more of a guarantee to remain undefeated. On a side note, I’m not sure how I feel about the Josh Norman vs. Odell Beckham feud. It was chippy, and the helmet to helmet hit was terrible, but I kind of liked it. The flags probably had their coaches hating it, but it felt like a playoff atmosphere again between two great competitors.
Steelers stay alive:
The Broncos looked sharp, and took a quick 27-10 lead in the 2nd quarter, and seemed to be running away with it. But the Steelers came roaring back, and kept the Broncos scoreless in the 2nd half. In a tale of two halves, it seemed like Denver had righted the ship in the first half, but then went back to old habits and could hardly move the ball in the 2nd half. Antonio Brown had another career day, with 16 receptions, 189 yards and 2 TD’s.
Quick Hits (Plus Playoff talk):
- Both the Steelers and Jets won, but the Steelers jumped into the #6 seed. They’re the best team in the AFC right now, it’d be a shame to see them miss out.
- The Texans won their game with their 4th QB of the season. Brandon Weeden came in down 10-0, and came back to win the game and control the division
- Despite the Redskins being a game up in the NFC East, both the Eagles and Redskins control their destiny
- If the Broncos lose 1 of their final 2 and the Chiefs win out, the Chiefs win the division
- Carolina is 14-0, and still hasn’t clinched the #1 seed
- There’s a scenario where the #11 Jaguars jump to #4 in 2 weeks and host a playoff game while an 11-5 team misses the playoffs
- The Falcons just won for the first time in 2 months, but aren’t officially eliminated from the playoffs yet
- The Chiefs and Seahawks started out a combined 3-9, and are since a combined 13-0
Stolen Stat of the Week:
Doug Baldwin has 10 TD receptions in 4 games
Stat of the Week #2:
Chiefs have won 8 in a row
Stolen Stat of the Week #3:
AJ McCarron was the first Alabama QB to win a game in the NFL since 1987
Stolen Stat of the Week #4:
Russell Wilson is the first person in NFL history with 5 straight games of 3+ TD passes and 0 INTs
Stat of the Week #5:
The Texans won at Indianapolis for the first time in 14 years
Stat of the Week #6:
Drew Brees is the first QB to have 10 straight seasons of 4000+ passing yards. This encompasses all 10 seasons with the Saints. Remember when teams were reluctant to sign him after his shoulder injury in San Diego? I’d say the Saints’ gamble paid off.
Stat of the Week #7:
The time it took the Panthers to score each of their TD’s: 4:46, 1:16, 1:09, 2:43, and 2:44. These weren’t short drives either (88yds, 72yds, and 80 yds). That’s scary efficient and impressive.
Reflection of the Year:
Before the season even started, IK Enemkpali broke Geno Smith’s jaw causing him to miss the first 6 games and force backup Ryan Fitzpatrick to start. Rex Ryan signed Enemkpali, almost as a joke, to troll the Jets (his former team) and what happened to them. Surprisingly enough, that’s probably the most fortunate outcome of the entire season. Fitzpatrick has thrown for 26 TD’s, 12 INT’s, an 89.6 Passer rating, and 9 wins for a Jets team that won 4 games last season with a QB who threw 13 TD’s and 13 INTs.
Games of the Week:
Redskins at Eagles: Essentially the NFC East determining game. If WSH wins, they’re in. If PHI wins, they control their destiny in Week 17
Patriots at Jets: Rivalry game, and the Jets have the potential to knock the Pats off while they’re fighting for the #1 seed
Packers at Cardinals: Potential 2nd round playoff preview. Packers need to win to stay ahead in their division, Cardinals need it to stay in contention for #1 seed
Giants at Vikings: Kind of a stupid game to be flexed into Sunday night, because both the Vikings and Giants could know their fate before kickoff
Bengals at Broncos: Battle for the #2 seed in the AFC.
Christmas Pun:
What did the reindeer say to the linebacker? “Your blitzen days are over!”