FMQB: A Tale of 2 Quarters
Even with 15 games this week, you could have watched a mere 2 quarters and been satisfied with enough football excitement for the week.
The first happened in the first quarter of the Vikings vs. Eagles game. What people may not know is that I’m the nerd that sits there watching games and will take notes on my phone for FMQB (the things I do for you people!). I can honestly say in 6 years, I haven’t updated the same note more than watching the turnover-fest that occurred between the 2 teams. By the 2nd turnover, I was thinking “holy crap, these are the 2 teams with the least giveaways in the league and I’ve just seen 2 interceptions thrown in just a few plays!” All you heard about through Week 4 was the fact that Bradford and Wentz (and Prescott) hadn’t turned the ball over at all. Then 3 plays later there was a Fumble and I start freaking out. The VERY NEXT PLAY is another fumble! Then 3 plays later Wentz throws another interception. What the heck is going on here!!! In 4:59, we just watched 5 turnovers happen. It was such a bizarre sequence!
The other quarter was the 5th in a sleeper of a Sunday night game. I started watching in the 4th quarter and realized I turned on a 3-0 snoozer. The 4th wasn’t any better, despite the fact that the Seahawks tied it up. And then something amazing happened. Going into OT at 3-3, it was obvious there was zero offense, but all of a sudden the flood gates opened up! The Cardinals got the ball first, and marched down the field with 18 and 20 yard passes, and kicked a field goal. Then the Seahawks did the same, getting 4 first downs on big plays to tie it up again. Then the Cardinals had 27 and 40 yard plays, only to have David Johnson barely get pushed out of bounds at the goal line. Somehow they clanged the FG off the uprights on a 24 yard kick. There was life in Seattle, and after their 31 and 27 yard plays (where was this all game?!?!), Haushka looked like he kicked his 28 yarder after playing dizzy bat! Hands down the most exciting Tie ever.
Quote of the Week:
“I’ve been in this league 13 years. I’ve played in more than 200 games, regular season and playoffs. And this is the craziest game I’ve ever played in.” Larry Fitzgerald…Think about that, crazier than the Packers shootout, or last years 2 time hail mary playoff game, or even the Steelers Super Bowl. A TIE was the craziest game he’s played in
Headline of the Week:
“Mike Zimmer refutes reports about slaughtering stuffed animals” ESPN Headline. Yes, it’s as ridiculous as it sounds. The fact he had to address this in a press conference is even more ridiculous
Stat of the Week #1:
Just 2 games into the season, Tom Brady leads the league in passer rating at an astonishing 132.6, leads in completion percentage, yards per attempt, yards per game, and has thrown 8 TD’s and 0 INT’s since his return.
Stat of the Week #2:
Tom Brady has the same or more TD passes than Eli Manning, Cam Newton, Andy Dalton, Carson Wentz, Carson Palmer, Alex Smith, Dak Prescott, and Joe Flacco. Brady has played 2 games.
Stat of the Week #3:
Adam Vinatieri, correction, 43 year old Adam Vinatieri hit his NFL record 43rd consecutive Field Goal. He’s also leading the league in scoring, and is 3rd all time for most points in NFL history.
Stat of the Week #4:
The Lions have won 3 in a row, and all 3 were 4th quarter comebacks.
Stat of the Week #5:
All 7 Lions games have been one score possessions. They have won by 4, 1, 3, and 3 points; and lost by 1, 7, and 3 points.
Stat of the Week #6:
The Raiders are now 4-0 on the road. All 4 of which were games played in Eastern Standard Time
Stat of the Week #7:
There have only been 2 kickoff returns for TD’s this year, both are by the Eagles and they happened in back to back games
Stat of the Week #8:
Dolphins RB Jay Ajayi is just the 4th person with back to back 200 yard rushing games (OJ Simpson, Ricky Williams, and Earl Campbell)
Stat of the Week #9:
The Vikings went 318 offensive plays without having a turnover. Plays number 319 and 320 were an Interception and a Fumble
Stat of the Week #10:
There had never been a game with an 11-3 score at halftime, in NFL history
Stat of the Week #11:
To reiterate how crazy the Sunday night game was, at one point in OT the Cardinals had a 99.6% chance of winning. 3 minutes later, the Seahawks had a 97.3% chance of winning.
Stat of the Week #12:
The Seattle defense was on the field for 46:21. That’s over 3 full quarters of play.
Ultimate Stat Ever:
That’s out of 15835 games played in NFL History…yes I just did the math, it’s current including Week 8’s Thursday Night game. Whew!
Bad News Bears:
- The running joke in Minnesota is that the Vikings have another bye week. Because they’re playing a Bears team, and not against 6 TD 0 INT Brian Hoyer, but against Jay Cutler
- A Houston fan set up a Go-Fund me page to buy out Brock Osweiler’s $72M contract
- The Rams looked just awful. If anybody watched NFL Primetime this week, they did a great job essentially saying that all 4 INT’s were the receiver’s fault and not Case Keenum’s. What Brian Quick was doing on the final play is beyond me.
- Despite not liking Geno Smith, you gotta feel a little bad for the guy. Lost the starting job due to being sucker punched in the face. Sat for 24 games before finally getting his shot again. AANNDDD torn ACL in the 2nd
- Homecomings were not kind to both Bradford and Osweiler this week.
If the Playoffs Started Today:
- Please tell me we could have an Oakland at New England rematch!!!! They’re #1 and #2 right now in the AFC.
- Brock Osweiler would have a chance at redemption, hosting the Broncos
- San Francisco, Chicago, and Cleveland are battling for the top spot and a top QB. By the looks of it, they all need it.
Games of the Week:
Patriots at Bills: Brady is back but on the road against the team that has given them their only loss
Chargers at Broncos: Eliminate all 4 of the Chargers’ terrible losses and they’re undefeated.
Packers at Falcons: Could be a shootout
Eagles at Cowboys: Finally a Primetime game to get excited about!!!
The Browns are 0-4 since Pryor suggested they could win out. This week against the Jets are their best and perhaps last chance to snag a victory.