FMQB: Elliot, out of this World!
“And with the 4th pick of the 2016 NFL Draft, Jerry Jones and the Cowboys select, in their best ET impression, Ezekiel Elllliiiiooootttt.” Sorry for the cheesy line, just had to tie this article in with the picture. Ezekiel Elliot is out of this world! Not only is he leading the Rookie of the Year, I can legitimately see Ezekiel Elliot as leading the MVP race right now. He has 1000 yards through 9 games, 10 TD’s (including single-handedly winning Sunday’s game). Only other rookie who has won MVP (and Rookie of the year of course) was Hall of Famer Earl Campbell in 1978. Only Eric Dickerson and Adrian Peterson had more yards than Elliot does through their first 9 games.
Game of the Year #1:
We had a pair of Super Bowl rematches this week, both of which ended up being the most entertaining football we’ve seen so far. The Cowboys Magical Season continued with an all out slugfest against the Steelers. There were six 2 point conversions attempted in this game, and 7 lead changes. Dak went out there and answered every single time the Steelers took the lead. The crazy back and forth yielded a fake spike for a TD (which rarely work), and then a 32 yard game winning TD run with only 9 seconds left! One thing I noticed from this game, granted you could argue that Elliott won it for them with his 114 yard 2 TD day. But they’re holding nothing back from Prescott. And even so, he’s not merely managing these games, he’s putting them in position to win every single time; more often than not he’s leading them to wins.
Game of the Year #2:
The Cowboys game was exciting enough, but Sunday Night Football hit the jackpot again with the matchup of the week; and it didn’t disappoint. We had another back and forth contest between 2 juggernauts. Couple notes about this game: I sort of like the call for the Seahawks to go for 2 while up 7. It’s a risky play, but you basically have the option of kicking the extra point and putting the onus on the Patriots to get a 2 pt conversion (which is 50-50). OR, you go up by 2 and put the game completely out of hand with it being a 2 score game. The only drawback is if you miss, you’re only up by 7, and figuring OT you’re back to 50-50. So at the end I kind of like the call.
I also love the coincidence that it came down to 1 yard line between these 2 teams after the Super Bowl 2 years back. Even more ironic that both were offenses not being able to get in, and the missed throw to Gronkowski happened right in front of the sign that said “You should have run it with Lynch.” I have a feeling the Patriots are ok taking this loss vs. the Super Bowl.
A play that has never happened before:
The Saints had an absolutely heartbreaking loss on Sunday. Down 6, they had a very impressive drive at the end of the 4th quarter to score with 1:22 left. The score tied the game up at 23-23, with the extra point about to put the Saints up by 1 to win the game. I’m still not sure how I feel about leaping the line, but it was an impressive play by the Broncos to do it successfully without touching the snapper (watch this play to be banned in the offseason). Anyway, he cleared the line and had the easiest block in history. Amazingly the Broncos then picked it up and ran it back for the first Defensive 2pt conversion in NFL history (rule was enacted last season). Not only that, it was a game winning Defensive 2 pt conversion! The emotions going from winning the game to losing it in mere seconds had to be rough on the Saints.
Stat of the Week #1:
The Texans are alone in 1st place in their division despite being 28th in the league in offensive points
Stat of the Week #2:
Only 1 team in the NFC has 7 wins, while 3 teams in the AFC West alone have 7
Stat of the Week #3:
In the past 3 games, the Titans have scored 36, 35, and 47 points respectively. This may be an offense to watch the rest of the season.
Stat of the Week #4:
The Dolphins and Giants are both on a 4 game win streak
Stat of the Week #5:
Phillip Rivers threw 4 interceptions in the 4th quarter alone
Stat of the Week #6:
Blair Walsh missed his 4th extra point in 9 games. And I’m talking all out misses! He was 78% on extra points, and 75% on Field Goals. It’s no wonder he was released, although there are 6 other kickers with a worse FG percentage.
Stat of the Week #7:
The Cowboys and Steelers went a combined 0-6 on 2 point conversions
Stat of the Week #8:
The Chiefs have two 17 point comebacks this season. The other 31 teams in the league have combined for two 17 point comebacks this season.
Stat of the Week #9:
Panthers had a 20 play drive and had to punt
Stat of the Week #10:
The Cowboys and Steelers set an NFL record with 7 lead changes on Sunday. The VERY NEXT GAME on the slate, Patriots vs. Seahawks, featured 7 lead changes.
Thursday Night Game:
The Panthers barely held onto the win last night, and ironically enough the turning point or losing play came down to a blocked kick and return. Keuchly returned a blocked FG for a TD, although it was called back on a penalty that didn’t matter. But instead of the Saints going up 6-3, the Panthers scored on the short field to take a 10-3 lead. That was actually a 10 point difference, which would have been plenty for the Saints to win. Something is up with the Saints kicking game though, 2nd game in a row with a block and return.
Quote of the Week:
“If I can get my hands on one of his balls, that will be huge. (Pause.) That didn’t sound very good. Don’t quote that” Eric Reid talking about Tom Brady. I typically like to make this as family friendly as possible, but that was too good not to put in there!
Tony Romo:
I feel like a Cowboys bandwagon fan due to how much love I’ve been giving them, but I was absolutely floored watching Tony Romo’s speech about the season. The class, integrity, and maturity he showed was second to none. His character is the ideal teammate, and any other team would be lucky to have him next year simply due to that.
The Browns are 0-7 since Pryor suggested they could win out.
Photo credit: Universal Pictures
FMQB 