Sunday, November 20, 2016

By the Pigskin Of Our Teeth, Week 9: Cut It Close

Is that Al? It is! Also different graphics so the NBC team is producing this one, I guess. Are the Buccaneers even wearing orange? Touchdown! Somebody missed a tackle. Nope, he’s down. THAT’S a touchdown. And so was THAT. A minute 49? OK. PROTECT THE FOOTBALL. This will stand. I swear the Buccaneers have gotten worse this season. Then Ryan puts it on the turf. Can’t anybody snap the ball any more? Collinsworth can’t read the Bucs’ jersey numbers. Oh, man. This Perkins kid had three tries at that one and could not bring it in. The “Mercedes-Benz” Dome? Isn’t Mercedes-Benz already on the Superdome? That’s a good tackle to keep Freeman inbounds. And then Ryan gets sacked, so there’ll be no points on this drive. Halftime, 20-14 Falcons. I’d ask “How is THIS not a catch?” but who the hell knows anymore. Call stands. Julio Jones is heating up. Cris doesn’t sound convinced that that’s pass interference. Touchdown… the fullback? They still have those?

Look, you’re not going to convince me that firing Lovie Smith was a good decision. This game was good for a little while. Four touchdown passes tonight for Ryan.
(Falcons 43, Buccaneers 28)

Signal Finder: PIT @ BAL, PHI @ NYG, IND @ GB

Roethlisberger returns! And promptly goes three-and-out. The Ravens don’t fare much better. Steve Smith lives! I think this is only my first or second full Ravens game of the year somehow and I forgot they had Eric Weddle now. I’M MIKE WALLACE!! That’s not fair to Mitchell, man.


Steelers have not looked good in most phases so far. I mean, they just roughed the punter.
Breshad Perriman is finally in a game. Because Wallace is sick now, apparently? Offensive holding moves the Ravens back, then the Steelers have 12 men on the field on the field goal attempt. Still good. 10-0 Ravens. The second half opens with two flags. Wait, what? Flacco's knee brace broke? That's why Mallett's in. OK. Not even speeding the pace up is working for the Steelers. Ben just got tip-picked by a defensive lineman. No chance Tucker misses this. BLOCKED PUNT TOUCHDOWN. And the Ravens tack on an “F you, Steelers” two-point conversion. 21-0. If the back of the end zone doesn’t work, try the front, I guess. Brown grabs that one after the previous pass was broken up and the Steelers are on the board. So let me get this straight: the Steelers drove 87 yards in almost four minutes and got nothing out of it, then went 65 yards in 72 seconds for a touchdown? OK then. You can’t kick it twice! This is what they were going for:


Needless to say, that's not what they got. (Ravens 21, Steelers 14)

There’s a piano in the end zone. Oh, it’s Chick Corea. Cool. Order has been restored. Not sure what Wentz was trying to do there as Collins picks him off.


Eli needs to snap this ball. Touchdown Beckham as play action works. ANOTHER interception on another bad throw by Wentz. What’s going on here? OK, the Eagles clearly don’t have tape on whoever No. 82 is because they didn’t bother covering him. 14-0 Giants. Oh, hey, actual forward progress. Hey, a Bryce Treggs sighting. Have the Eagles called a run yet? Sproles gets stopped short. That’s a… very generous spot. Giants blew up that fake QB keeper on second down, which killed their chances at a touchdown.
Eagles settle for three, which doesn’t help matters. Hey, a stop. Smallwood with a nice run. Did Adams get a piece of that? Because that’s a touchdown if he hadn’t. Eagles going for a fourth and two after running on third and 5. That didn’t fool anyone. Good job by the defense to force another three-and-out. Treggs!! That’s why he’s finally active.


Then Mathews bounces a run outside for a touchdown as the Giants just gave up on it. Very strange. 14-10. I thought this was an interception at first, but now I don’t. We’ll see. Cruz again, and I’m surprised he hasn’t done more this season. That was a “delaying the inevitable” pass interference. And that’s the inevitable as Beckham outjumps McKelvin for the touchdown. McKelvin's having a bad game. SPROLES? Oh, he just barely got bumped out. Pederson going for another fourth and short and hopefully this play is better. No idea. Maybe not. No.
Two catches by Matthews. They didn’t have to go to the end zone on all three plays there. Field goal is BLOCKED! Then the Giants fumble it but get it back. Then they go for it on fourth and 3, which is probably correct. Eli overthrew a wide-open Beckham. Trey Burton making moves. Sproles is the Eagles’ best running back and I’m not sure how close it is. Agholor! Touchdown Barner! Not enough to overturn that, either. Jennings momentarily alleviating the Giants’ struggles running the ball. Tough catch by Beckham. Terrible hold by Jenkins as his man scores.


Well, there was a "Rocky" earlier, so. Beckham takes a helmet-to-helmet hit. Now we’ve got a confrontation and Bradham gets slapped for 15 yards for a slap. This is a pointless challenge -- that ball was never caught. I guess the Eagles think Vaitai can take care of himself now as they’re throwing to Ertz again. And again. At least he’s catching it. More Sproles, too. Field goal is good and somehow this is a one-score game. Wait, are they saying Carroll took the ball out of Beckham’s hands? They called it an interception?
Wow. Call STANDS. Eagles ball! And as Buck explained, if it had been ruled catch-fumble, Beckham was clearly down by contact and it would have been reversed. This Wentz read option isn’t working. Not the best throw by Wentz to Agholor, who didn’t catch it. Pederson now going on fourth and 9 from midfield and Joe and Troy are apoplectic. Matthews! I actually agree with the decision -- if they punt, they may not get the ball back because it would give the Giants more field to run out the clock with. If they don't make it and they get a stop, the Giants are faced with the exact same decision. Agholor almost fumbles it away. A field goal pays off the decision to go for it, though a touchdown would have been optimal. Still, this is somehow a one-score game.


INTERCEPTION! Barwin tipped it and Hicks came up with it. Why in God’s name did the Giants throw the ball there? Agholor with a tough catch. Yes, you heard that right. And… nope. That’s a tough throw and catch to make. All of that sucked. (Giants 28, Eagles 23)

SPECIAL TEAMS! Colts are on the board immediately. Ty Montgomery just took a handoff 15 yards right through these dudes. Colts excelling in coverage like always. But they get a sack and hold the Packers to three. Crosby missed? Oh. Gore! 14-3 Colts. Packers have a new punter? Hm. Off-balance throw by Luck gets picked off.


Touchdown Nelson, and what a catch. The Packers’ kickoff coverage is… struggling. That was Viniatieri’s first field goal at Lambeau, which is both surprising and not.
Two Rodgers deep balls draw no blood or yardage. Clinton-Dix is having a half. Two picks and that sack so far. Moncrief! Found the corner and it’s 21-10 Colts going in to halftime. So many flags. That’s what I’m thinking on that fumble… Davis was out of bounds before he knocked the ball back in, so there’s no recovery. And after all that, Rodgers throws a pick in the end zone -- but offsetting penalties cancels it out. And after all that, Rodgers gets intercepted by Mike Adams. Squirrels? Good thing Drew never had a football team.

That pitch to Montgomery was the longest I've ever seen a shovel pass travel in the air. So much open field for Rodgers to run and frolic in. How do you allow that? Touchdown Cobb! Colts need to kill as much time as possible. Clutch catch by Doyle. Third and 2 and a pass? Hilton! That'll do it. (Colts 31, Packers 26)

Cooper! Gotta keep your feet, Roberts. Couple bad drops for the Broncos on that series. Von Miller just destroyed the right tackle. Straight-up killed him.
The Broncos miss C.J. Anderson so far -- their offense has yet to do anything substantial. Well, Austin Howard’s already been replaced. Raiders driving again. Murray gets stuffed once. Then he gets in after Al was sure he hadn’t. Another nothing drive from the Broncos. This is not a nothing drive. Who’s 35? Touchdown Jordan Norwood and the Broncos are on the board. Then the Raiders come back with a big Murray catch and run. That’s not interference? Seabass misses from 48. Not great. Yeah, they’re not staying in Oakland. Shocking development: A Raiders penalty cost them a touchdown. So they just go and get another one. That's good punt coverage. Touchback? OK. NOT a touchback? Wow. Good job by the Broncos getting a field goal after all that. The Bay Bridge gets overlooked. Clutch catch by Crabtree to preserve the field goal opportunity, even if his helmet did vanish. Kick is good. I mean, that’s definitely a fumble, but who’s got it? It’s Raiders ball. INTERCEPTION. Or not. That’s a late flag for pass interference. The one on Harris was more clear cut. Weird to see the Raiders taking advantage of penalties for once. Touchdown Murray!

Jesus, this run by Bibbs. TOUCHDOWN. Murray run seals it. Fred Biletnikoff! Al and Cris reminiscing now. Collinsworth’s point got obscured by the Bibbs touchdown, but he’s right: the Broncos got beat up tonight. This is the Raiders’ biggest win in, what, 12 years? It’s been a long time. (Raiders 30, Broncos 20)

BLOCKED PUNT. Sweet. That took exactly as long as it should have. Surprisingly fast start. Lot of running on this drive by the Bills. There’s a pass and a touchdown. Seahawks got lucky that Lockett was able to escape and not get dropped for a loss. THAT CATCH BY GRAHAM THOUGH. Touchdown Seahawks. Oh, no Chancellor? No wonder the Seahawks’ defense looks so ordinary tonight. Taylor’s strolling down the field. Percy Harvin’s back? And against the Seahawks? Rex did that on purpose. Sack by Clark ends this drive. Field goal is good. Hey, a stop. That’s a nice block on the Lockett punt return. The Bills are challenging the spot and this will be close. They win the challenge. I personally would not have overturned that. Wilson determined to make it irrelevant. Did Michael just pirouette into the end zone? He sure did, and the Bills defender kind of gave up on it. Seahawks lead. Avril needs to stop whining about being held. It’s not going to work. Graham doing things. TOUCHDOWN GRAHAM! How did he not drop that? That’s nuts. I’m not sure what Bush was thinking there. Why waste time running across the field to get to the sideline? He’d have actually been better off dropping the pass. Rex is NOT happy. McDonough: “Oh boy, are they offside.” What the hell, Sherman? That should be Roughing the Kicker. OH MY GOD. Because the trainers came onto the field, Carpenter has to sit out the next play?! Ref: “The half is not over!” Now the Bills are going to quick-spike it so Carpenter can come back out and kick. DELAY OF GAME. Now they have to kick it AGAIN. NO GOOD. 28-17 Seahawks at halftime.


That's from a man who knows. That’s really disingenuous, Pete. That’s why everyone hates your team. Also, there’s THIS:


Can’t throw that pass, Tyrod. Can’t. Sherman will still eat you alive. It’s like that end of the half sequence drained all the spark out of this game. Sometimes you gotta just walk away, Woods. Bills stay driving but don’t score before the quarter ends, ending a streak of some kind. Gillislee vultures a touchdown. Bills planning to go for two here -- a bit early -- but their center’s hurt. I’d kick it now. Bills still go for two. Taylor draw and he gets popped. Did he make it? They say he did and replay agrees. Full House Backfield! Twice! I’m surprised the Bills are running so much without their center. And I’m really surprised they’re punting here with 3:26 left. Please reference the argument I made for the Eagles not doing this yesterday. Well, they’ll get the ball back, actually. That’s a hell of a punt. TAYLOR! We’ve had so few good games this year, I’m surprised this turned out to be one of them. Bills called one too many runs on this drive. Fourth down! NOPE. (Seahawks 31, Bills 25)

RANKINGS
TOP 4:
1. New England (7-1): I mean…
2. Dallas (7-1): Practically a week off
3. Oakland (7-2): The echoes are awakened
4. Denver (6-3): Looks like it’ll be even harder this time around

BOTTOM 4:
29. Chicago (2-6): What even is the plan here?
30. Jacksonville (2-6): Again: They really should be better than this
31. San Francisco (1-7): I can’t see Chip abandoning ship just yet
32. Cleveland (0-9): The Cavaliers did nothing wrong


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Saturday, November 19, 2016

By The Pigskin Of Our Teeth, Week 8: Match Games

Last week: “Next week: Jaguars-Titans. “Exclusively on NFL Network.” Because the over-the-air channels looked at that game and were like, “You cannot be serious.” I don't even know if Nantz and Simms will be doing that game -- they might have pawned it off on Tirico.”

And I’m wrong! The whole A-team is here tonight. Poor bastards. You did what you could, Eddie George.
Murray’s third in the league in rushing? Go to hell, Chip. We also have two terrible coaches tonight: The Jaguars should be better than they are, and Mularkey’s failures in Buffalo and Jacksonville (previously) have been well documented. This Titans drive is taking an awful long time for not much of a payoff. The next one was much faster. Kendall Wright lives! Oh, right, Brian Orakpo’s on the Titans now. You come down here and you just vanish from the league consciousness. Along those same lines, it seems like the Titans get more than their share of Heisman Trophy winners, as Derrick Henry breaks off a run. Nice leaping catch by Kendall Wright. Henry shows off some speed on the touchdown. 17-0 Titans. Simms is apoplectic about people saying you can’t change a quarterback's throwing motion after pointing out Bortles’. Statue of Liberty with the tight end? Really? Wait, what? Did this guy just bounce off three Jaguars and score? Oh, yeah, he stepped on the sideline. 
Still, though. The Jags weren’t even trying there. Simms changed his mind after seeing the replay and now says this pass was legal. Wait, is this 10-second runoff after a reversal in the last minute a new thing? I mean, the Titans were probably going to call time out anyway, but still.
Touchdown Jaguars. They went for two and got it!
That’s more points for the Titans. SAFETY DANCE. (Titans 36, Jaguars 22)

Nice non-coverage on Eifert. That’s Nugent’s second missed kick today, after shanking a field goal across the end zone earlier. Did Dalton’s arm get hit on that pick? Looked like it. Nope, just a rushed throw. Cousins has been playing with fire this entire second half. Crowder again! Washington leads. Green! He’s been getting the best of Norman all day and that time it paid off big. Hill walks in and the Bengals are back in front. There hasn’t been a lot of resistance offered on these touchdown plays. Hey, a stop, finally.
Good throw by Cousins under extreme duress. Maybe he doesn’t suck. Also, smart play by Crowder to stay inbounds before getting the first down. That one was almost disastrous. 97 wants that one back. Hopkins makes the kick and we’re tied. That segue into the credits, though. Prime stuff, Kenny. A tight end screen? OK? Followed by two poor Dalton throws. Then he gets sacked, which is almost the worst possible outcome there. (The worst would have been if he’d also fumbled.) Overtime.
Oh no. This could be a while, like, the guy in Baylor-Texas yesterday. Oh, he’s up? Good. I thought I saw the stretcher already out. That blitz pickup. Dalton speed! He’s made some bad throws on their last three drives. Then he takes another sack at a terrible time. Nothing he can do about that, though. Interference on the punt? Really? THIS NEVER WOR-- OH MY GOD HOPKINS HOOKED IT.
Albert: “Next score wins. That next score might be in that Tottenham game on Wednesday.” Dalton fumbles on the sneak! My God. No one bothers covering Garcon, and its because he pushed off somewhat. Jones sold it well, let’s say that. The Bengals have no time outs left, so Lynch figures Washington will probably throw a Hail Mary here. We’re on the verge of something that hasn’t happened since 1997 -- tie games in consecutive weeks. And Cousins throws up a dead duck. The British fans are used to this; it’s fine. (Redskins 27, Bengals 27, OT)

Signal Finder: NE @ BUF, SEA @ NO, OAK @ TB (end), GB @ ATL

Meanwhile, this will probably be a slaughter. Well, Gillislee starts off with a big run. Is that rain? Everyone on the Bills got their signals crossed there. That is rain. Touchdown Amendola and so it begins. Then Edelman gets away from the Bills’ defense. Probably because the Pats had someone downfield that shouldn’t have been. On the next play, Chris Hogan (!) absolutely torches Stephon Gilmore (!!) and Brady cashes in. Rex can’t believe it. The rest of us can. Has Brady thrown nothing but deep passes so far? Gillislee again.  69 touchdowns for Gronk!


There's your upset of the year. Is it just me or have there been more missed kicks this year than usual? (I’m sure this information is find-able.) Carpenter just borked a field goal. The Patriots will probably score here, right? I mean, they get every single break. Gostkowski kicks a field goal that gets batted around by the wind but still goes through. SPECIAL TEAMS. And of course the Pats cash in. Taylor runs through the blitz for a touchdown! On fourth down, no less. Now Brady’s running. What’s going on here?


Touchdown Blount and now it feels like the rout’s coming. Is... is that what I think it is?
Apparently it IS.
Why didn’t the Bills snap the ball before the third quarter ended? Then Reggie Bush throws the worst lateral ever and the Bills end up with no points at all. And we’re out. CBS: “On to Tampa.” (Patriots 41, Bills 25)
He’s lost it. CHICANERY!!! It’s pronounced “Pro-CYSE”, apparently. Michael then finishes it off for the touchdown. Wilson hadn’t thrown a pick in 203 passes, and that was a bad one. This is illegal contact that happened before the pass, I think (Hochuli’s mic was cutting out) so the fact that the ball was tipped doesn’t matter. Oh, this is close. Hightower’s knee is down; this shouldn’t be a touchdown. This isn’t a touchdown, either. Brees: “Fine. I’ll do it my damn self.” That’s good ups for an old man. The Seahawks aren’t messing around on this one-minute drill, and against a defense as bad as the Saints’, why not? One second! Hauschka from 56. Bad hold? What happened there? So no points, and 14-13 Seahawks at the half. Good analysis by Spielman on why that Saints flea-flicker worked: showing Sherman move inside expecting a run and the pass coming in his direction. Saints are calling some good plays here. Maybe not give the ball to Hightower down at the goal line, guys? And yes, Fleener should have scored on his catch before this, or at least he would have against his own defense. Touchdown Saints and they’re going for two. Even the shovel pass doesn’t work. Payton really has lost it. These analysts just called for a Jimmy Graham appearance and there it is, on a key third down conversion. I’m a little surprised the Seahawks didn’t go for it there but there’s plenty of time still. Now there isn’t, thanks to Sherman getting called for holding. Carroll is livid. That’s a critical sack by Avril because a field goal keeps the Seahawks in the game. Interesting that Bobby Wagner backed off here after the firestorm he set off last week. Kick is good and the Saints are up by five. This place is LOUD. Baldwin finds a hole and gets into the red zone! 16 seconds. Why throw to a back over the middle? Now two seconds left. NOPE. Wilson lofted it too far. (Saints 25, Seahawks 20)

That hit on Alex Smith should have been a penalty and I have to imagine it will also be a fine. (Chiefs 30, Colts 14)

COOPER! Yeah, that’s a hold. And with that false start, the Raiders now have more penalties than points. TOUCHDOWN RAIDERS! Are the Bucs playing for overtime? Aguayo’s missed an extra point already today. The Bucs can’t even run the clock out? Lord. Cooper just dropped a touchdown. Clutch run by Derek Carr to get 15 yards.


Janikowski from 50. NO GOOD. Big catch by Crabtree. I think the Raiders just gave all of those yards back on penalties. Seabass from 52? At the same end? Really? HE MISSED AGAIN! God, if Aguayo wins this game for the Bucs… They only got five yards? That’s terrible.
Seth Roberts! RAIDERS WIN!! Also loved the GameDay Live guys padding so they could get the final highlight. (Raiders 30, Buccaneers 24, OT)

This is a fumble and Cardinals ball. Cam just faked everybody out for a four-yard run and slide. They’re just gonna run out the clock here. (Panthers 30, Cardinals 20)

No Clay, no Cobb, no Montgomery. The Packers are out of players, as evidenced by Matt Ryan successfully running for 10 yards. The Packers are also down their top three corners (I think Shields suffered his concussion in preseason and still isn’t back). This isn’t a fumble. The Falcons go for it on fourth and short and Freeman gets the first down. Getting Knile Davis was the Packers’ first trade since 2010?!? I know trades aren’t common in the NFL but damn. Nelson just smoked somebody. Then he catches a laser from Rodgers for the touchdown. It’s Julio Jones time. How the hell did 18 catch that? That’s good coverage and, as Aikman said, Ryan needed to nail that throw. Rodgers with a week to throw. Shame there’s no one left.


Dude’s name is "Geronimo"? Amazing. And who’s THIS dude? He just returned the punt and now this. Fumble! But it goes out of bounds before the Falcons can recover, so the Packers lose six yards. Touchdown this Davis guy. Jones back after bouncing his head off the turf earlier. Who ARE these people? Well, I recognize Freeman, who just ran in for a touchdown. Falcons go for two but drop the snap. Rodgers runs for 25 yards because the Falcons are playing way back. Nelson! 22 for the Falcons is having a bad day right now. Crosby kicks the field goal and it’s 24-19 Packers at the half.
Good tackle by Keanu Neal, the Falcons’ aforementioned No. 22 and their top pick who had things rough in the first half. That is a collision. This Ward kid got open but Trice met him with extreme prejudice. Touchdown Freeman! Falcons lead. Weird that Erin just cited an ESPN report (the Montgomery injury) for several reasons. This game has really slowed down after a frenetic first half. I mean, if the Falcons lose, they’re back to .500 and only a half-game up. Nelson didn’t turn soon enough after that catch and cost himself a first down. Don’t challenge spots, kids. The Falcons had 12 men on the field? LOOOOL. First down Packers. And Quinn was trying to call time out before that and now we know why. That pass had some fire on it. Touchdown Packers, then Rodgers runs for two. Did they just play R-E-L-A-X as a bumper? I'm a little surprised, but not really, that the Falcons haven't gone to Jones more on this drive. The Packers are probably D-ing him up tight. Sanu! Touchdown Falcons! Where was the coverage? These extra points are not locks, even for Matt Bryant. It’s GOOD. Still time for Rodgers, but a throw that bad isn’t getting it done. (Falcons 33, Packers 32)

We only had two late games because half the league is off. This happened in the other one:
Fortunately, Wade’s OK. (Broncos 27, Chargers 19)

The roof is open, which seems like a rare thing. Lucky Whitehead, indeed. That ball bounced right back into his hands. Elliott running with power. Marcus Smith doing things? Am I hallucinating?
12 men on the field on a punt? Good job, Cowboys. Sproles! That went through Agholor’s fingers, which is standard these days, it seems. Field goal is good. Well, Dez is back. Prescott keeps it, fools everyone in green, and strolls into the end zone. That’s a good play right there. Yes, attack Scandrick because he has two questionable hamstrings and because he stinks. That… wasn’t that. Elliott’s running wild and the Eagles are missing Bennie Logan. Oh, the league’s investigating Elliott’s domestic abuse accusations? That’ll go well. Wentz beats the blitz and finds DGB for a first down. How do you manage to commit OPI on a screen pass? Oh, I see: You don’t. “Don't Fear The Reaper?” Oh, right, Halloween’s tomorrow.



Special teams! Sproles is basically the only big play guy the Eagles have. The hell? Agholor stepped out of bounds, but there was defensive holding anyway? Oh God. Who sees that? Mathews? No. NOW Mathews. Tie game. Cowboys keep moving the ball. Prescott finds an opening. Interception! Jordan Hicks loves it here. Both Agholor and DGB get trapped inbounds, so the Eagles are forced to use their last time out. Oh, they’re gonna get one second back. Yeah, that’s a catch. Reverse angle confirmed it. Sturgis from 56. GOOD. Time out Cowboys. Fine. Sturgis from 56. GOOD AGAIN. Suck it, Garrett. 
Fumbled snap? Then a chop block on the punt? These Cowboys special teams units aren’t doing much tonight. Matthews went down and pulled that one off the turf. That hit’s late as hell. And to the head? Get your checkbook out, son. Agholor drags Carr across the first down marker. More penalties. Sproles gets most of it back. Somehow everyone lost Jordan Matthews and he found the end zone. The Ghostbusters theme. All right. Fake punt! And a straight run by the punter gets 40 yards. More Elliott. Poor throw by Prescott in Bryant’s direction. Cris: “That’s the best offensive pass interference I’ve seen all year.” Because that pass was getting intercepted otherwise. Bailey’s not missing this. Huff! And that sets up a chance at points and they got three. The Eagles haven’t played a great game, per se, but they’ve done some good things and gotten some help from the Cowboys. Beasley pass!? Too long. And Smallwood fumbles. If you wanted to get him some run, do it in the second quarter. Good stand by the Eagles defense. Sproles! Barner? Wentz and Kelce have another bad snap and Sproles loses yards on that screen pass. Now they have to punt.
This run’s coming back. The Cowboys are finding all the angles on these pass plays. Everything’s a cut backwards. McKelvin almost picked that but it pretty clearly hit the ground. Touchdown Bryant and we’re tied.
Why are they throwing to Trey Burton on third and 4? Now they have to punt. Eagles bring the house three straight times and force a fast three-and-out. Jebus. OPI then a sack. Both these teams are blowing their two-minute drills. Scandrick got Wentz from the back side and I’m surprised he didn’t fumble.
That’s a great punt. Sure, add 10 yards. Does anybody want to win this game? Cowboys give up after that sack. Overtime for the third Sunday night in a row.
These blitzes aren’t quite getting there. I think Elliott lost a yard. Garrett wants a measurement and damned if I know why. He wasn’t even close. They sneak Prescott and he makes it! Even more Elliott. Absolutely NOBODY on Jason Witten and that’s the easiest touchdown he’s ever caught. McLeod and Jenkins froze, then collided, and that was that. crosses off Tony Romo (Cowboys 29, Eagles 23, OT)

That’s not a good throw, Bradford. GIANT run for Jordan Howard. Gruden: “Look out!” It’s hard to overthrow Alshon Jeffrey but if anyone can do it, it’s Jay Cutler. Speaking of Jeffrey, do you think Cutler knows any of these other guys’ names? Next drive, Cutler gets overanxious by jumping the count and almost throws a pick. Should we be suspicious if Jeffrey and/or Cutler gets benched at halftime? Official down? Official down. Is Bradford still shook from last week? He and Diggs have disconnected twice. Gruden: “Bradford usually rings these up.” No he doesn’t. He never throws deep. Jeffrey doesn’t have a touchdown catch? Wow. Has anyone completed a pass yet? Lot of misfires so far.



Flip from Cutler to Howard! Jeffrey can’t haul that one in and Not Robbie Gould makes it 6-0 Bears.
This Howard kid was a find. Man, the Vikings are still out of sync. Howard walked in for a touchdown. Fumble? “Backward pass that went forward?” What? Get off the field, you yahoo. That seems to have given the Vikings life. Hey, a completion! This is close. Can Fox challenge because it’s at two minutes? Apparently he can. Never challenge spots, kids. Wildcat with Asiata? Really? You should probably throw to Kyle Rudolph. I mean, just a suggestion. This Vikings offensive line is a mess. Field goal is good. This isn’t a good challenge. The Bears are leaning on Howard and letting Cutler do what he can, and he’s starting to look better. Meanwhile, Bradford’s not going to survive behind this line.



Touchdown Vikings? Touchdown Vikings. No onside kick with less than six minutes left? Sure, whatever you say, guys. Mel’s got UNC’s Mitch Trubisky at the top of his quarterbacks list? O…kay. Still riding the “Chucky” train, I see. I like that Gruden owns it, though.

(Bears 20, Vikings 10)

RANKINGS
TOP 4:
1. New England (7-1): Brady could go 12-0. Seriously
2. Dallas (6-1): The path forward is clear
3. Denver (6-2): Rounding back into form
4. Oakland (6-2): Better lucky than good?

BOTTOM 4:
29. Chicago (2-6): That didn’t go so well, either
30. Jacksonville (2-5): Yeah, Gus can’t coach
31. San Francisco (1-6): It’s not any better with Kaepernick, either
32. Cleveland (0-8): The Indians did nothing wrong


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