FMQB

FMQB: Basically here for the Memes this week

Shorter post this week, basically just here for the memes!

Quick Thoughts:

• I would say I’m shocked but not surprised that Bill Obrien was fired from the Texans. He won 4 division titles in his 5 years of coaching, and 3 different QB’s won him those titles. I think the GM status was above him, also surprising we’re 4 games into the season.
• Wow Cleveland! Putting up 49 points on the Cowboys!
• Joe Burrow got his first win

COVID Update:

• COVID went 3 weeks without rearing it’s ugly head, but this week we had the Titans, Patriots, Saints, and now Jets all with positives.
• I did call it, and say that one team would turn into the Miami Marlins of the NFL. 22 players/staff have tested positive.
• There is already talk about shortening the season, playing in a bubble, and choosing playoff teams by Win Percentage if teams end up not playing a full season.
• Up to 4 postponed games so far in the past 2 weeks

Quarter season review:

• The Bills are alone in 1^st place in the AFC East, and have a 2 game lead on everybody else
• Colts, Browns and Steelers (all with 3 wins) are my AFC surprises, although the 0-4 Texans are in there as well
• The Eagles are WINNING THEIR DIVISION with a 1-2-1 record
• Bears and Bucs are my NFC surprises, Vikings on the negative side
• The Cowboys are essentially 1 failed play away from being 0-4

Stat of the Week:

The Browns rushed for 307 yards on Sunday

Stat of the Week #2:

Despite being the most pass happy league in NFL history, 2019 and 2020 have seen 2 of the top 4 team rushing yards in the first 4 games of a season (Ravens last year, Browns this year)

Memes of the Week:

FMQB: Early Edition

Early edition this week!

For the Record:

• We knew the Chiefs were good, but are they really that above and beyond the Ravens that they can beat them that bad on the road?
• The NFL is really testing how much fans missed sports! 1^st 3 Thursday Night games were Jaguars Dolphins, Browns Bengals, and Broncos Jets.
• The Bills, Titans and Buccaneers are alone in 1^st place in their division. 2 teams that WON playoff games last year are alone in last place; Vikings and Texans
• Argh, DK Metcalf! He pulled a DeSean Jackson and fumbled the ball out of the back of the endzone for a touchback. Could have cost him the game.

Stats of the Week:

• After being quite the Goat in Week 1, Stephen Gostkowski became the first kicker to win a team’s first 3 games with game winning kicks with less than 2 minutes left.
• In the month of September, Patrick Mahomes is 10-0 with 34 TD passes and 0 INT’s.
• The 49ers won by 27 points despite missing 9 starters
• Dak Prescott is on pace to throw 6,336 yards! Russell Wilson is on pace to throw 74 TD’s
• DeAndre Hopkins, who was traded from the Texans for a used piece of gum and a paperclip, is leading the league in both yards and receptions.
• Russell Wilson’s 14 TD’s through 3 games is the most in NFL history
• The Browns are over .500 for the first time in 6 years

Blown Leads/Comebacks:

It’s gotta sting to be the Falcons, who realistically should be 3-0 at this point. They blew a lead, AGAIN in the 4^th quarter, this time to a backup QB. They became the first team to lose 2 games after leading by 15+ pts in the 4^th quarter, did it back to back games.

The team that beat them,  the Bears, are the first team to WIN 2 games when trailing by 16+ pts in the 4^th quarter. They also did it in back to back games.

The Rams also almost completed a Falcons Super Bowl-esque comeback, being down exactly 28-3 late in the 3^rd quarter. They rattled off 4 straight drives ending in TD’s to take the lead, only to have the Bills narrowly win in the end.

Quick Hits:

• It took 2 ½ weeks for Mitch Trubisky to be benched for Nick Foles despite the Bears being undefeated.
• The Titans had 4 players and 5 staff members test positive for COVID, thus postponing the Steelers game Sunday. Luckily no Vikings players tested positive (they’re just choking for other reasons than the virus), but easy to see how fast it can spread.
• DK Metcalf pulled a DeSean Jackson and got stripped of the ball at the 1 yardline for a touchback. The way he was jogging before he even caught it, almost makes you wonder if he thought he torched the corner and was alone.

Memes of the Week:

FMQB: Entitled to Injury of your Peers

I hate to say “I told you so,” but before Week 1, I specifically mentioned that injuries could be a side affect of the lack of offseason conditioning. Teams got absolutely wrecked in Week 2, most of which were lower body injuries.

High Profile Injuries:

• 49ers RB Raheem Mostert (Sprained MCL)
• 49ers QB Jimmy Garrapolo (High ankle sprain)
• 49ers DE Nick Bosa (Torn ACL, out for season)
• 49ers DL Soloman Thomas
• Giants RB Saquon Barkley (Torn ACL, out for season)
• Panthers RB Christian McCaffery (High ankle sprain)
• Broncos QB Drew Lock (Sprained AC Joint)
• Broncos WR Courtland Sutton (Torn ACL, out for season)
• Packers WR Davante Adams (Hamstring)
• Vikings LB Anthony Barr
• Several other starting players

Craziest Injury line:

Tyrod Taylor was a mysterious scratch before the game due to a chest injury, lending to Justin Herbert getting his first NFL start. Turns out the Chargers team doctor went to give him a pain injection shot for his ribs, and punctured his lung on accident, whoah!!! Sounds like the union and lawyers are getting involved in this one, could be crazy.

Quick Hits:

• Carson Wentz got booed in Philly. While this shouldn’t be news, it’s noteworthy because there are no fans in the stand…
• Anybody else as surprised by the Raiders as I am? They’re 2-0, took out a solid Saints team, and look pretty sharp. Did seem like they only have 2 go-to people on offense though
• On the flipside, the Vikings look to be the biggest disappointment of the season.
• Tom Brady is in the Win column. Wins for NE (219), wins for TB (1)
• Justin Herbert looks like the real deal already, and he was a late addition. Took the defending champs to the brink in OT.
• Cam Newton looks to be a good fit in NE. But c’mon, everybody and their mom knew they were running it on the final play
• Mahomes converted a 3^rd and 20 on 4^th down by running
• The entire NFC West is 7-1. The 1 loss was within the division

Stat of the Week #1:

Falcons were the first team in NFL history to score 39 points, have 0 turnovers, and lose

Stat of the Week #2:

Mahomes has won 6 straight games in which he trailed by double digits, an NFL record

Stat of the Week #3:

The last 3 games between the Patriots and Seahawks have all be decided on the 1 yard line

Stat of the Week #4:

Josh Allen is leading the league in passing yards

Stat of the Week #5:

Russell Wilson has 9 TD’s in 2 games. Technically on pace for 72 TD’s this season!

Stat of the Week #6:

Patriots CB Stefan Gilmore had a streak of 104 targets without allowing a TD, the longest in the NFL until Metcalf scored Sunday. It was over a full season without letting in a TD! Reason why he was defensive player of the year last year.

Stat of the Week #7:

49ers have lost 8 starters in 2 games to leg injuries

Mask Fines:

Was NOT expecting the NFL to take masks so seriously, but I tip my hat to them. 5 coaches got fined $100,000 (teams fined $250,000) for not wearing their masks on the sideline. What’s good about this is two-fold. First; selfishly, the NFL knows that it will take very little to completely derail the season. One team with 6-10 infections could knock themselves and an opposing team out for 2 weeks, which completely messes with the entire league’s schedule. So a stiff penalty is a way to curb this. Secondly; panning across the sideline and not seeing masks isn’t portraying the right message we need as a country. So if there is any sort of role model or leadership coaches can show, that’s something that can go a long way.

Best Sequence of the Week:

Chiefs line up for the game winning FG in overtime, a 53 yarder. Butker kicks and nails it, hooking it slightly left of center, but it’s a false start. Then for a 58 yard field goal, Butker kicks and nails it, hooking it slightly left of center, but Chargers call timeout. For the 3^rd time, at 58 yards, Butker kicks and nails it, hooking it slightly left of center. Chiefs win.

Cowboys Falcons game:

I have to talk about the game, the Cowboys had 4 turnovers in their first 5 drives, and the Falcons were up 20-0 in the 1^st quarter! 29-10 by halftime. Who’s heard this story before? The Falcons would end up losing this game! Probably the craziest play everyone is talking about is the onside kick, which is a 6% recover rate over the past 2 years. Greg the Leg kicked the end of the ball so it was spinning but barely moving. 4 Falcons players seemingly watched the ball as it took seconds to go 10 yards. It’s unsure if they didn’t know the rule or not, as the receiving team can touch it before 10, but a disaster nonetheless.

Quote of the Week:

Gronkowski, when asked about his slow start “I’m here to block baby!”

Memes of the Week:

Ahhh, it’s good to be back. I with all the craziness that 2020 had to offer, it almost seemed like we had some normalness on Sunday. Being able to sit back in the fall, watch some football, and see the Lions choke and the Browns get crushed. ALL Back to normal

Week 1 Roundup:

• Somehow Gardner Minshew and Mitch Trubisky were the heroes for their team
• The Cardinals knocked off the defending NFC Champs on the road
• Brady had a pretty rough day for his first start in Tampa Bay
• The RedTails scored 27 unanswered points after being down 27-0

Rams new look:

I’m going to brag for a second, but wow is the new stadium amazing! Additionally, I wasn’t a huge fan of the logos or color scheme when it came out this spring, but after seeing them play I really like the new look. In fact, I liked them so much I bought a jersey already!

COVID weirdness:

Everything from Andy Reid’s fogging up face shield, to masks on the sideline just seemed super weird on Sunday. But the NFL was able to make it work and get the players back on the field. The one thing I specifically noticed, was when I was focusing hard, you could tell the crowd noise was being piped in and fake. But then I would get sucked into the game, and a quarter would go by and would realize that everything seemed 100% normal.

Stat of the Week:

In his first game, Cam Newton broke the franchise record for rushing yards in a game.

Stat of the Week #2:

Brady has thrown a pick 6 in 3 straight games

Stat of the Week #3:

Gardner Minshew went 19/20, 95% Completion percentage, 3 TDs and a 142.3 passer rating

Stat of the Week #4:

The NFL tested nearly 5000 players, coaches, stadium personnel, etc on Saturday. ZERO Covid results.

Stat of the Week #5:

Yesterday, September 17^th was the 100 year anniversary of the formation of the NFL. Also crazy, but the league was slated to start in 1918, but many players were fighting in WWI, and cities had banned large gatherings (sounds familiar) due to the Spanish Flu.

For the Record:

• I saw the scoreboard say “LV” and I was like “Who the hell is LV?!?!” Almost forgot the Raiders moved to Vegas
• I’m instantly regretting my pick having Green Bay miss the playoffs. I felt they completely botched the draft, but it’s clear they have enough weapons on offense
• Ron Rivera getting an IV at halftime due to his cancer, and coming back and coaching the team to a comeback. Tough dude.
• Adrian Peterson had 93 yards and 6.6 yards per carry in his Lions debut and about a week to learn the playbook

Quote of the Week:

“This looks to be a defensive matchup” Vikings commentator, before they combined for 77 points.

Quote of the Week #2:

“I’m pretty sure that was directed at me” Sean McVay, on the memo the NFL sent out Monday regarding masks

Games of the Week:

• Ravens at Texans
• Patriots at Seahawks
• Saints at Raiders (MNF, and opening of new stadium)

Memes of the Week:

This one is GENIUS because it simply took a picture of a common meme, and yet it makes perfect sense!!!

And yes, I can’t wait for this to be the meme of the year but now with masks!

FMQB: Super Bowl Preview

This year’s Super Bowl is what we deserve, new faces, young superstars, and fresh storylines. This is the 1^st Super Bowl in 7 years without Brady or Peyton Manning in it, and the 3^rd time since 2000 without Brady, Manning or Roethlisberger in the big game. This is a breath of fresh air, and we have 2 up and coming QB’s.

The Chiefs have had a nasty habit of starting off very slow, getting behind, and coming back to win. I don’t think they can do that against the 49ers and still be in the game. Watch for the scenario where San Francisco gets ahead 10-0 early, and then Mahomes takes his first of multiple sacks. IF this happens, I don’t see the Chiefs winning this game. On the other hand, I wouldn’t be terribly surprised to see San Fran’s offense sputter while the Chiefs remain the same, leading to a 24-10 lead at halftime and never looking back. The one other thing I’m watching for is a Chiefs lead late in the 4^th, and a big 49ers stop. Possibly with a bad play call (throwing on 3^rd down when they could run out the clock).

Stats to Watch:

• All 3 49ers losses this season came on the final play of the game
• Mahomes has never lost a game by more than 7 points in his career
• 5 of the last 9 Super Bowl champs, surrendered 24 or more points in the process but still picked up the win
• Defense wins championships: look at Broncos over Panthers and Seahawks over Broncos as examples of top offenses who got crushed by defense
• Jimmy Garoppolo is 21-6 in his 27 starts
• Patrick Mahomes is 24-7 in his 31 starts
• This is only the 2^nd time in Super Bowl history where 1 team led their conference in rushing (49ers) while the other team lead their conference in passing (Chiefs).
• The Chiefs went 50 years in between Super Bowl appearances
• While the 49ers can tie for the most Super Bowl victories if they win

Stat of the Week:

Patrick Mahomes is the only QB with more than 10 TD passes and 0 INT’s to start their playoff career. And his playoff passer rating of 115.0 is 12 points higher than the person in 2^nd place!

Prediction:

I did the cop out answer last year, and I’m going to do it again this year. I will be actively rooting for the Chiefs. I really want to see Andy Reid win the big game, and Patrick Mahomes is this generation’s Brady with a little more style and a little less “bro.” BUT, I keep circling back to “Defense wins championships.” The 49ers have proven they can score with minimal offensive output, and I think their defense will give Mahomes fits. Sure, Mahomes is such a great athlete that it’s inevitable that he’ll get big plays off. But I struggle seeing him sustain drives, and he’ll be pressured and not have wide open guys like he’s used to. I think the game is close and high scoring, but much to Bears’ fans dismay, Robbie Gould hits a game winning Field Goal. 49ers 34, Chiefs 31.

For the record, I’m 3-4 in Super Bowl predictions, so pushin for .500!

Memes of the Week:

FMQB: Extra Week, Extra Kermitty

Oi vey, yours truly missed last week’s post, in the middle of the playoffs! Sorry. I’ll do a quick reminder and update on the Divisional round, and then discuss both lackluster Championship games. On the plus side, loads of memes this week!

Divisional Round:

• Kirk Cousins was sacked 6 times. Despite not being a flashy game, they were in it deep into the 3^rd.
• The Ravens legitimately knew the Titans gameplan, and couldn’t stop it
• Kansas City had 3 TD’s in 3:24 of game time!
• KC tied the 4^th biggest playoff comeback, and they accomplished that in 1 quarter! Only 10:10 in game time
• The Davonte Adams TD was one of the simplist but most genius play calls I’ve seen. The Packers faked a pick play, so right when the Seahawks defenders switched, Adams ran back out to the corner and was wide open.
• For the record, the Fox line was way off, and Jimmy Graham had the 1^st down.

Stat of the Week:

The Titans beat the Patriots with 72 yards passing, and the Ravens with 88 yards.

Stat of the Week #2:

The Titans scored 28 points on 53 plays, the Ravens scored 12 points on 92 plays

Stat of the Week #3:

Lamar Jackson had 365 yards passing, and 143 yards rushing, and still lost AND only scored 12 points.

Stat of the Week #4:

Derrick Henry is the first RB with 180 rushing yards in 3 straight games in NFL history

Stat of the Week #5:

Kansas City is the first team to win a game by 20 points, after trailing a team by 20 points.

Of Note:

• It was really cool watching Bill Cowher and Jimmy Johnson get surprised on-set with their Hall of Fame announcements. Not that I 100% agree with both, but still very cool to watch both live
• Luke Kuechly retiring at age 28 was shocking! I mentioned when Andrew luck did it that we may see more of this, but it’s still shocking
• It’s boggling to me that Phillip Rivers, Drew Brees, and Tom Brady are all free agents this year. We could have a huge round robin of QB’s with Winston, Tannehill, Dalton, Bridgewater, Prescott, and Mariotta also likely changing.

Importance of seeding:

Both Super Bowl teams can really thank the playoff scheduling Gods for getting there. The Chiefs can moreso thank the Dolphins haha, but their road to the big game would have been drastically different. It would have been Titans in game 1 (they proved they could beat, but Titans may have surprised them), then Patriots on the road for game 2, and likely against the Ravens in the AFC Championship game, on the road again. Instead the Chiefs got 2 cushy home games, against the Texans and Titans, a 3 and 6 seed. I’d heavily argue that if it wasn’t for the Dolphins winning in Week 17, the Chiefs wouldn’t be in the Super Bowl!

The 49ers had a similar path, barely nailing the #1 seed instead of the 5. San Fran had 2 home games against a 6 seed and a Packers team they already obliterated at home. Their road likely would have been at Eagles (likely win), at Green Bay (at Lambeau, that could have been different), then at New Orleans (they barely won in the reg season).

If seeding were slightly different, I easily take Ravens vs. Saints in the Super Bowl. Instead both couldn’t win a playoff game.

Championship Round:

So the Titans Chiefs game had some drama, and at least the 1^st half was competitive. But otherwise the it truly felt like neither the Packers or Titans belonged in the game. The Packers were beaten on all sides of the ball. At one point with a minute left in the 1^st half, I said “at least it isn’t QUITE as bad as the last time they played” (since they went into halftime last time down 23-0). But alas, Mostert scored and actually made it worse.

Fact of the Week:

This is the 1st Super Bowl in the last 7 years not to have LaGarrett Blount or CJ Anderson in it. Don’t worry, I have my Manning/Brady stat for next week, but that’s super obscure to me!

Tough Road:

The Titans played all 4 division winners, on the road, in back-back-back-back games to end the season, and went 3-1. Texans in Week 17, then Patriots, Ravens, and ended with the Chiefs.

Stat of the Week:

Jimmy Garropolo went 6 for 8, and they scored 37 points!

Stat of the Week #2:

Tannehill hadn’t thrown for 100 yards in either win, but was over 100 within the first 16 minutes of the KC game

Stat of the Week #3:

Raheem Mostert had the 2^nd most rushing yards in a playoff game ever. He started the season #4 on SF’s depth chart, is on his 7^th team, and had been released from 6 teams in the last 4 years.

For the Record:

Mahomes sounded extra kermitty during the trophy presentation

Quote of the Week:

What did you do to celebrate your victory?

I got a cheeseburger and went to bed- Andy Reid

Quote of the Week #2:

“Colonel Mostert, in the kitchen, with the Candlestick!” Chris Berman. Can we bring these guys back full time, please?!?!

Memes of the Week:

FMQB: Wild WildCard

Wild WildCard! Every game was a 1 possession game, 3 road teams won, and both 6 seeds won. My team isn’t even in the playoffs and my fingernails were shot after last weekend. The Division round is typically when the men separate themselves from the boys, but we were offered a real treat last weekend with 4 close games.

I was 2 for 2 last week, which isn’t bad considering 3 underdogs won.

Stat of the Week #1:

Taysom Hill was the first player with 25 passing yards, 25 receiving yards, and 25 rushing yards in a playoff game

  Continue Reading

FMQB: Taste the Rainbow

The season is over for a majority of the league, but here comes the most exciting time of the season! 11 more games left, soak it in while you can.

2019 Recap:

• 16 different players had 1000 yards rushing this year, compared to only 9 last year
• Derek Carr has 55 losses which is the 2^nd most all time for a QB in his first 6 seasons. #1? His brother, David Carr
• Christian McCaffrey is the 3^rd player in NFL History to have 1000 yards rushing and 1000 yards receiving
• Jameis Winston was the 8^th player to have a 5000 yard passing season
• The Ravens had 3296 rushing yards this season (or 206 yards per game), which is an NFL record
• Lamar Jackson led the NFL in passing TD’s too
• Other than the division winner, the rest of the NFC East coaches turned over this year
• Phillip Lindsay is the first undrafted running back to rush for 1000+ yards in his first 2 seasons
• Ryan Tannehill led the league in passer rating, with 117.5!

Week 17 Recap:

The 49ers have played in all 3 Games of the Year in my opinion. Game 256 was one of them. The Seahawks had basically 7 plays from the 12 yard line or closer to get in and couldn’t do it. Also the Delay of Game was what sealed it. I’m surprised Pete Carroll annoyingly glossed over this in his press conference, as this was the deciding factor. They had to trot Marshawn Lynch off the field because they had it at the 6, not the 1. Just terrible clock management. The game, the division, the fates of really all 6 NFC playoff teams, came down literally to 2 inches. 2 inches was the difference of the 49ers getting the #1 or #5 seed. The Packers could have had home field advantage, the Saints could have had a bye, the Seahawks another home game, and the Vikings playing an easier team than the 13-3 Saints.

The other crazy outcome was the Dolphins over the Patriots, IN Boston. You kind of laughed seeing that they were close, but thought there was about a 1% chance of them actually pulling it off. Brady is too good with the clock. Amazingly, the 4-11 Dolphins beat the Super Bowl champions on the road, in a must win game for them.

The Packers nearly “pulled a Patriots” and blew their chance at a first round bye. They went down to Detroit and a backup QB early, and had to scramble to come back in the 4^th quarter. This has been the Packer’s theme this year, slow starts. That doesn’t fly in the playoffs, and they need to fix this fast.

For the Record:

• The Falcons started the season 1-7, and ended 6-2
• The 49ers have had their last 5 games decided on the FINAL PLAY! Wow
• Extremely fitting that Winston’s 30^th INT was a walk off pick 6 to end the season
• It was good to stick with Shanahan after 2 rough seasons in San Francisco
• The Browns on the other hand, are onto their 9^th coach in 12 years

Stat of the Week #1:

The Packers went 2-0 against the Lions this year, despite never holding a lead in the first 59:59 of either game

Stat of the Week #2:

49ers first #1 seed in 22 years

Stat of the Week #3:

Patriots play in Wild Card Weekend for the first time in 10 years, none of their 6 Super Bowls have come without that first round bye

Stat of the Week #4:

Joe Burrow threw the same amount of passing TD’s in the Falcons Stadium in 1 game, as Matt Ryan had in 8

Jason Garrett

All jokes aside, I think Jason Garrett had to go this year. He’s perennially 8-8, and the only coach who had at least 10 years with his current team who hadn’t won a Super Bowl. Their roster was loaded this year, and they played in the weakest division in the league. It took 3 meetings to hash out that he wouldn’t be back, but I think the Cowboys would have been the laughing stock of the league if he would have gotten a front office position (essentially a PROMOTION after a season of talks of him being fired).

Top 100 Snub:

I get why you need to look at historical QB’s as your top 10, but hard to believe Drew Brees, who now holds passing yards and TD records, was not listed as one of the top 10 QB’s of all time.

Random Record Watch:

The 49ers are one of the most up and down teams in recent memory. Since 2010, they’ve gone from 3^rd in their division, to 1^st, to 4^th for 3 years, and now back to 1^st again.

Wild Card Weekend:

When did it change to AFC on Sat, NFC on Sun? This is a weird round to me, as I can legitimately see 3 upsets happening very easily and I wouldn’t be surprised (sorry Vikes fans, I think this is another 1 and done year).

Predictions:

Buffalo at Houston: I can see this one going both ways. I picture how much the Texans struggled against the Ravens defense, and the Bills are better on that side of the ball. They’re not going to put up 24+ points though, so this could be one of those games that’s “first to 20 wins.” I have Houston eeking it out, 24-17.

Titans at Patriots: Every bone in my body wants to pick Tennessee, as I can see this as the upset of the weekend. Ryan Tannehill is tuned in, they have the leading rusher in the league, and Mike Vrabel knows the Patriots schemes. I just can’t pull the trigger though. It will be low scoring as the Pats work the clock over the scoreboard. I have NE 20, Ten 17.

Vikings at Saints: New Orleans is the 3^rd 13-3 team to play in the Wild Card round, and probably the best team of the 8 playing this weekend. I think the Vikings show up, but can’t keep up. New Orleans 38, Minnesota 24

Seahawks at Eagles: Seattle is the stronger team but they’ve been wrecked by injuries. The only team in the league with more injuries is Philly. Battle of the Backups! I think Seattle is stronger and is the only road team to win this weekend. Seattle 24, Eagles 13

Quote of the Week:

“I’m getting confused, what game are you calling???”
“I’m calling BOTH games!” Kevin Harlan

Quote of the Week #2:

“Hail to the Dolphins” Andy Reid

Memes of the Week: