FMQB: Poopfest
Eerily Similar:
Both of the Giants’ recent Super Bowl runs have been with the same formula. Good defense, Eli Manning, and not winning their division but sneaking into the playoffs as the hot WildCard team. Things seem to be adding up again for this team, so you’ll hear it here first: Giants in the Super Bowl! They just took down Dallas, AGAIN. They are 2-0 against the Cowboys, and the rest of the league is 0-11. Granted they’re in the same division so they have some inside knowledge, but nevertheless I think that proves they can hang with the big guys. Giants over Patriots again???
For Whom the Bell Tolls:
Wow, what a day for LeVeon Bell in snowy Buffalo! He carried the ball a whopping 42 times, but had 236 yds rushing and 298 total yards. It looked like the other 21 players on the field were afraid to make cuts or slipping, while Bell was playing normal football. The patience he showed on his runs was incredible, half the time it looked like everybody else was moving while he was just sitting there waiting for his hole to open up. You’d have to think of what could have been if he hadn’t been suspended the first 3 games. Even with a 3 game deficit, he’s 4th in rushing, 8th in carries, and 2nd in yards per game.
He Gone!
Coming from a Rams fan’s perspective, I think the Jeff Fisher firing was past-due. I wasn’t surprised nor disappointed to hear the news. I would say I was pretty pumped 5 years ago with that hire, but he never had a winning season and had a plethora of 1st round draft picks that he couldn’t form a mediocre team around. The only weird part was the timing, just a week after it was leaked that he had been signed to a 2 year extension. I saw a rumor before the firing, which I’m starting to semi-believe. I’m not sure how charitable the NFL actually is, but the rumor was that they signed Fisher to an extension so they’d have to buy out his contract WHEN he got fired. Essentially creating a bonus for him doing the huge job of moving the entire franchise. Fisher is the only coach who had zero offseason, he’s essentially been working for 18 straight months. Feasible? I think so.
Quick Hits:
- What a monsoon for the Dolphins game! I’d rather play in cold
- Lions had another 4th qtr comeback win, their 9th of the season
- 5 INT’s by Russell Wilson, rough day
- Both the Lions and Buccaneers have the longest winning streaks in the league, with 5 in a row
Stat of the Week:
The Falcons scored more TD’s in LA (6) than the Rams have all season (5)
Stat of the Week:
The Seattle Punter’s longest run of the season is 10 yards more than Todd Gurley’s longest
Stat of the Week:
Carson Wentz’ sophomore slump came early. After starting 4-2, he has gone 1-6 and thrown 10 INT’s in that span
Stat of the Week:
The Buccaneers are 8-5, but have given up more points than they have scored. The Chargers, Eagles and Saints are all 5-8 but have scored more than they have allowed.
Stat of the Week:
Before Sunday, Russell Wilson had never lost a game by more than 10 points. I was absolutely blown away by this stat!
Stolen Stat of the Week:
Cam Newton, last year’s MVP, is in dead last for completion percentage this year
Playoff update:
Oakland, Baltimore and Denver had key losses which changed playoff seeding, while Pittsburgh, Detroit and Tampa Bay all had key wins. Meanwhile Washington, Minnesota and Green Bay kept their hopes alive with big wins to stay in the hunt. With 3 weeks left, all eyes are on the AFC West, AFC South, NFC North, and NFC South.
Playoff Craziness!
There’s actually a scenario in play for the Chiefs, where entering Week 17 they would have to win the game and get a 1st round bye, or lose and be completely out of the playoffs. Yes, that’s a 1 game difference between the #2 seed or the #7 seed.
For the Record:
- The Lions are lucky to be 2 games up in the division, because their final slate (@Giants, @ Cowboys, vs. Packers) is brutal
- Why is there a Saturday game this week?
- The Titans taking down the Broncos, Packers and Lions this year. Maybe proving they can hang in the playoffs
- Wow, Cowboys fans calling for Tony Romo after 1 bad game. League is brutal!
- Does anybody else have a little bit of an issue with the jersey swaps at the end of the game? It’s a bit hard for me to see Elliot and Beckham Jr, 2 fierce division rivals, swapping jerseys at the end of the game and posing for a picture. I guess a part of me feels the players should show the same disdain to division foes as the fans do. Have sportsmanship, but don’t be best buds.
Quote of the Week:
“Thursday Night Football is a Poopfest” Richard Sherman, proving that Stanford education expands your vocabulary….Yes, yes it was a poopfest
Quote of the Week #2:
“15 yard penalty for twerking” Al Michaels
Games of the Week:
Lions at Giants
Patriots at Broncos
Buccaneers at Cowboys
The Browns are 0-11 since Terrell Pryor said the team could win out. That’s garbage
Photo credit: NFL.com
FMQB 