Thursday, November 23, 2017

By The Pigskin Of Our Teeth, Week 6: Drop Down, Drop Out

Schedule's weird this season. Didn't get to see this but caught some of the replay and highlights. (Going for two after a defensive penalty on the extra point? GANGSTA.) And what I'm wondering, besides this, which is related to it:


I'm not sure, even on a short week, how you don't figure out that the best way to attack the Eagles deep is probably still to test the corners on the outside. Don't go down the middle of the field where the safeties can come in and give help. Make them stay with your outside receivers. Fifty is a lot. I mean, Stewart looks washed, and McCaffrey's not running between the tackles as effectively as he did in college. But still. Cam's fine, by the way. Although after the game he was dressed like he'd joined The Time. (Eagles 28, Panthers 23)

Signal Finder: GB @ MIN, NE @ NYJ, SF @ WSH (end), PIT @ KC



Seriously, what is happening in Chicago? (I know what's happening in Baltimore: Joe Flacco isn't good any more.) (Bears 27, Ravens 24, OT)

It's that time of year when we rediscover how shallow Fox's play-by-play roster is. Designed runs for Case Keenum. What are we doing anymore? No Montgomery this week. Rodgers takes a hit after Bennett drops a pass and he's down. He comes off and Brett Hundley(?) is in. He's on the cart? Oh, that is a DEVELOPMENT. Nice rolling catch by Thielen. Big pass play to McKinnon but it's coming back. This one WILL count. Touchdown Vikings. Safety blitz gets to Hundley. What's with Fox's off-brand start times for college games? Not a good punt. PROTECT THE FOOTBALL. Clay with a huge return. Speed up! Packers needed that. Hundley to Adams for a touchdown. "Jungle Love"? Nice job, Fox. They're reviewing this Rudolph catch? OVERTURNED. I'm actually stunned McCarthy challenged that in the first place. Rudolph caught that one. Touchdown McKinnon.
Intercepted by Randall. Yeah, no way Keenum saw Martinez, who deflected it. Montgomery(!) destroys the coverage but drops a touchdown pass. Crosby with the field goal. Vikings driving. Martinez has been active today for the Packers. Treadwell's mad but that's an illegal blindside block. First and 40! This last 55 seconds is gonna take two hours. What are they doing with all three of their time outs and just standing around? Packers confirming nothing on Rodgers, which is... concerning. And the guy who put him out, Anthony Barr, is out with a concussion. McKinnon didn't catch that. The VIKINGS called time out? That's a waste because the Packers are sure to challenge this now. They DIDN'T? Jesus Christ, McCarthy. This is why you suck. Packers hold and the Vikings' field goal is good.


Oh. Well. What are the Packers doing now? Are they gonna snap this punt? Nelson's under center? This was a really elaborate attempt to draw the Vikings offside that wasn't actually necessary (because it wasn't going to work). Treadwell's started off on the bad part of the Cordarrelle Patterson career arc so far. The Vikings could really use him to start getting good.


Hundley with the interception, his first actual mistake. That looks good. Teddy Bridgewater talk now. He might come back this season? (Vikings 23, Packers 10)

Jeremy Kerley's back with the Jets? That's a great catch. Maybe try the left side. McCown gives up, passes, and that's touchdown Jets. Gronk's left arm's been replaced with a cannon. Fumble? FUMBLE. Jets ball! McCown chose the Jets over joining the Browns' coaching staff and that actually may have been the right choice.


Holy hell, Kerley again! Touchdown Jets and it's 14-0. That's a late hit on the Patriots. It's NOT? Refs say it was a hit to the chest. It was still late. Morris Claiborne's on the Jets? Are they desperate? I'm not gonna say Skrine should have picked that off, but he could have. That's pass interference. Touchdown Patriots. I think. Yes. PROTECT THE FOOTBALL. Terrible play call on 3rd and 2. Rolling McCown out? Seriously? That's a good job by 58 to save that touchdown. No idea why the Panthers traded Kony Ealy. Even less of an idea why the Patriots cut him. Gostkowski MISSES. He's losing it. Then McCown throws an interception to Butler, who played it perfectly. Did Cooks stay inbounds? Wow! He's had a lot of those kind of catches this year. Touchdown Gronk and we're tied because they're still the Jets. Gronk runs through the coverage and the Patriots take the lead. McCown running? That's their second time out already? Jeez. The Jets just got hosed, guys. I mean, I don't know. He never LOST the ball.


Consensus on this question seemed to be "offense gets the ball at the point where it was fumbled", which seems... OK? I just have a problem with the defense getting the ball in that situation without actually having to recover it. That's a free rush by the DB and McCown was lucky to get away. Fouts just called the Seferian-Jenkins play "one of the worst calls I've ever seen." Jets driving? Nnnnnnope. (Patriots 24, Jets 17)

C.J. Beathard? Really, 49ers? Good Lord, Hopkins botched that extra point. Booth reviewing this Garcon play on the sideline. It's a catch, reversing the call on the field. I thought Beathard dropped that snap. Offensive PI on Garcon? Oh, that's a killer. SNAP THE BALL. Why did the Redskins call time out? That helps the 49ers. Beathard has to know he has to throw it to the sideline. Interception!


(Redskins 26, 49ers 24)



We're going to be having this discussion for YEARS. (Texans 33, Browns 17)

BAD SNAP SAFETY. Steelers DBs clapping like they had something to do with it. LOL. SPECIAL TEAMS. Chiefs ball! What was ALL of that? Lord. Field goal is good and it's 3-2. Steelers leaning on the running game more than they have been. Bell is so patient. Touchdown. So speed-bagging the goal stanchion is illegal. Got it. It's amazing that Cam Erving's still in the league. He's legitimately terrible. What happened on that interception? Wrong route? That ball went right to Peters. That's a good punt. OHHHH. This is CLOSE. Steelers challenge. Call stands; Steelers ball at the 1. Whoa. Good route by Vance McDonald to get out of there. So Dupree left his feet to hit Alex Smith, who intentionally grounded the ball to avoid it. OK. Have I not mentioned the Chiefs offense at all this half? They have SIX YARDS. I didn't even realize that.


Big catch-and-run by Hunt for the first big Chiefs play of the game. THERE it is. DeAnthony Thomas with a 57-yard touchdown. This is Bell's best game this year by far. I... what? WHAT?? Forget how Brown caught it for a moment. How was that not picked off TWICE??


(Steelers 19, Chiefs 13)



REVERSE JINX. (Chargers 17, Raiders 16)



Guys, the Giants might not score 100 points the rest of the season. THE ENTIRE SEASON. Roger Lewis and Tavarres King are the G-Men's starting wide receivers. Pugh's at right tackle now? The Broncos have a surprisingly high amount of Kansas players on that defense. We were also robbed of a meeting of the two Brandon Marshalls. Two big plays from Evan Engram already. Wait, it's first and goal? Broncos defense tightens up and Eli gets sacked. Muff? Hmmm. Did he fair catch this? Apparently, since the refs called fair catch interference. Never heard DRC described as "great". Nice move by Sanders after that catch. McManus shanks the field goal attempt. Badly. That's his fourth miss at home this year, says Al. Darkwa finds a big hole for a big gain. Touchdown... Giants?
This a fumble? Nope, down by contact, refs say. That IS an interception. Did Thomas not see it? Good job by the Broncos to hold on there. Nice catch by Thomas. PROTECT THE FOOTBALL. Touchdown Giants! A bad decision by Siemian and Jenkins makes him pay with a pick-six. OSWEILER LIVES?!?!? Siemian being taken to the locker room.


He'll be OK to start the second half, we're told. Wait, what, Al? "The Giants are having a worse week than Harvey Weinstein."


Oh, that's not good for Sanders. He's being helped off. And the Broncos have already lost Thomas for the moment. Are the Giants spreading their curse? Is this that movie "Fallen"?


This Broncos punt returner is struggling. And now he's hurt. He's being taken off on a cart. There's still 10 minutes left? And Thomas is back in and just drew a pass interference penalty. Gotta go for it. NOPE. Joseph challenges because why not. I can't overturn this. Yep. Call stands. Turnover on downs. Darkwa blasts through a hole for 20 yards.


Fumble? Nah, he's down. They'll reverse this. Yep. Touchdown Broncos. That was a lot of words to say "This was a trap game," Al. I did NOT see this coming. (Giants 23, Broncos 10)


Hey, the Titans won a game people actually saw. (Titans 36, Colts 22)

RANKINGS
TOP 4:
1. Kansas City (5-1) — A familiar roadblock made of steel
2. Philadelphia (5-1) — That was unexpectedly easy
3. Carolina (4-2) — There are no great teams this year
4. New England (4-2) — Same as it ever was...

BOTTOM 4:
29. Indianapolis (2-4) — An underreported disaster
30. N.Y. Giants (1-5) — Still bad
31. Cleveland (0-6) — Well, that was SO much more effective
32. San Francisco (0-6) — So close. OK, not really
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