Thursday, January 28, 2016

By The Pigskin Of Our Teeth: Busy Signals

Roby wasn't a first-rounder, was he? Huh, he was. I stand corrected. Didn't see the actual hold but it may have been earlier in the play. Broncos are mixing it up nicely on this drive. Did the Broncos own the Patriots on that touchdown play or did the Pats own themselves? Thomas was being shadowed by a linebacker and he didn't get the catch — a completely uncovered Daniels did. Not much activity so far from the Patriots. Crowd noise, Phil? That's a good punt return by Amendola. Wait, what? They called it on the wrong guy but the Patriots' center headbutted a dude. Hillman didn't see that pass coming, or he saw Freeny WAS coming. Challenge?




It's a lateral and Patriots ball! That was unnecessary, Ward. Touchdown Stephen Jackson. Gostkowski MISSED? Only his second extra point miss ever. First since 2006. Good ups by Sanders to get that pass. The Patriots' offensive line is still not great. Von Miller in coverage? Von Miller with the interception! The Broncos don't seem to be getting a lot from their running game so far. Daniels out here making moves. Touchdown Broncos. All three scores have come as the direct result of screwups by the other side. Wait, the Patriots are having trouble with their tablets? Oh, that's so good. So delicious. FEED ME.


The Broncos are getting a lot of pressure up the middle. How do you let Brady run for 10 yards?


Gostkowski makes a kick. Stop the presses. That Surface is HUGE. Is someone running a starship on that? ANOTHER interception? And Brady was under pressure again.


What, did the Broncos miss the kick? Jeez. Oh, they lost, like, 20 yards. That's somehow worse.


That's not interference on Logan Ryan? Field goal is good. 17-9 Broncos. Butler's stepping to the kicker? Really? (And McManus is bigger than he is, which is also unusual.)


Big, deep kicks and punts to start the second half. Was that a Gronk sighting? Amendola got wrecked but somehow held on. Gronk being on the sideline for this play is a problem. And it's incomplete. Pats settle for three. Get outta here with that Batman v Superman comparison, Nantz. PEYTON RUNNING. First down and the crowd goes wild.


That's a big stop by Butler on third down to shut that down. Why punt on 4th and 1 at midfield? Oh. Miller sacked Brady without a second thought. These offensive lines aren't good.


Brady sacked again. And AGAIN. How many is that? Five? Six? Anderson gets loose! Peyton just missed Norwood on the same route he missed Sanders on in the first quarter. Except this was third down. Where is Thomas? A touchdown would have ended it. Has there been a single deep ball thrown in this game? Still no. THERE'S one, but White couldn't haul it in. This is interesting. There's six minutes left, so the Pats have time to get the ball back if they kick the field goal, but it's 4th and 1.


NOPE. Harris stuffed Edelman.




It's so bad DeMarcus Ware's getting pressure. Way to kill ZERO TIME, Broncos. A Brady sneak that didn't work? Oh, and a false start to boot.


Cannon's had a terrible game. Wait, how is that an incompletion? These rules. The Broncos are challenging? OK. Still incomplete. Fine. 4th and 6. Jump ball to Gronk in the back of the end zone? Really? That can't have been the first read. Incomplete. Gronk thinks that was a hold. I think it might ave been but it didn't impact Gronk's ability to catch the ball. So the Broncos throw deep on 3rd down for no good reason. And then the punt only goes to midfield. Everyone's covered and Brady has no time. Ware's tired of Miller and Wolfe having all the fun.


FINALLY GRONK! Brady keeps getting hit. I'd love to see these stats after the game. 4th and goal. Gotta triple Gronk, right? HOW DO YOU NOT  TRIPLE-TEAM GRONKOWSKI?! Gotta go for two now. Intercepted!! This is two points if dude scores... but nope. Onside kick time! Yeah, no. Praise be.


(Broncos 20, Patriots 18)

Is FOX playing the Star Wars theme or is it the stadium? Cardinals are getting Patriots-level pass protection right now.


SPEED! And some elusiveness to boot. What was that last almost-block? Fitzgerald passing? In the first quarter? The Cardinals are already desperate. Brown! He's gone. These Panthers receivers aren't the greatest, but they've got some speed, too.




So far, David Johnson's been the Cardinals' best offensive player. Is this last week's game again? Sack, fumble, Panthers ball. The Cardinals needed to stop this drive cold and they did. They may have a chance. Fells jumps into Davis for no real reason. Palmer seems to have found a rhythm or something finally. Johnson? No. NOW Johnson and the Cardinals are on the board. That's a mistake Patrick Peterson usually doesn't make. Just overran it. And he just got hit for holding Ginn on that missed deep fly route. Two big runs by Stewart. Cam with the sneak? Did he get there? Refs say he did. Yep. Ball's across. PROTECT THE FOOTBALL. Palmer coughs one up and it's Panthers ball again. Then Cam overthrows his guy and it goes right to Peterson. He caught that better than he fielded that punt earlier. PROTECT. THE. FOOTBALL. No, I'm not kidding — Palmer just threw one right to Coleman in the end zone.


I didn't even have time to note that Ginn — who's still a top-5 fastest guy in the league — ran down Peterson, who may also be a member of that club. Oh, it's halftime? OK. Cam's arm is something else. That looked like a sidearm pass. Eight catches for first downs for Olsen in the playoffs. What was Cam thinking there? That was a little too complicated. Don't throw short of the end zone. Field goal is good. SPEED with HANDS! How did that not get intercepted? Defensive backs really shouldn't try to do this. Took three of them to bring Cam down. And none of them are going to stop him here.




This feels like it's over, doesn't it? Especially after another Fitz drop. Well, maybe not? Touchdown Fells. That two-point conversion took too long to develop and they were lucky it eventually worked. Now they need another break. That may not have been it.


That's interference because Fitz might have had a shot at catching it if he hadn't been held. That's... not a good read by Palmer, or a good throw. That's Coleman's second interception tonight.


What are they looking at now? Oh. Strange how the Eagles may have had an effect on how today's games turned out: Palmer hurt his finger in that game, and the Pats arguably never fully recovered from losing to them at Foxborough. Olsen open again. This isn't fair any more. Touchdown Devin Funchess, breaking the streak of Ohio State dudes. Why are they going for two? The math doesn't dictate anything.


Then Kuechly comes up with a pick-six. Stop the match. Christ. It's Drew Stanton time. Rivera's been consulting with Madden? Interesting. Wait, did Cam really not know who won the first game? I hope he didn't DVR it. Of course, that game ended right before this one kicked off, so he may have just not seen the end. Also, I've never heard anyone call Peyton "The Sheriff" before. Did they change the Halas Trophy? (Panthers 49, Cardinals 15)

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