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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Thursday, November 9, 2017

This Ain't A Scene, It's An Arms Race

So three weeks ago, ESPN's Bomani Jones made this observation:









I thought 11 seemed high. Then I thought about it some more. Let's dive into this, shall we? (These aren't in any kind of order except the one I thought of them in.)

1. N.Y. Giants.  Eli will be 37 four days after the season ends. The Giants are 1-7 with two decent offensive linemen, no running backs, and no linebackers. They did draft Davis Webb in the third round this year, but unless they put him in and the Dak Prescott lightning bolt strikes again, looking for a higher-caliber long-term solution may be the best play.

2. Arizona. I'm mildly surprised they didn't grab one this year. They were rumored to be interested in Patrick Mahomes, but the Chiefs jumped up and grabbed him, taking them off this list. And with Carson Palmer (who'll be 38 at season's end) now done for the year with a broken arm, well...

 3. San Francisco. Saved a little money by letting Colin Kaepernick walk instead of releasing him, signed Brian Hoyer and Matt Barkley, then traded for the Patriots' Jimmy Garoppolo just before the deadline. Not the most inspiring set of moves.

4. Jacksonville. Blake Bortles ended up being better than Blaine Gabbert, but he's still bad. We know what Chad Henne is, and that's a career backup. But could they be gun-shy after missing twice on high draft picks?

5. Cleveland. Look, brass tacks here: Deshone Kizer isn't ready. Neither is Kevin Hogan. Or Cody Kessler, who may actually be their best option. Their biggest problem at this present time seems to be committing to a guy, and they don't have a lot invested in these three. If they did have a major investment in someone, that might change.

 6. Minnesota. This may seem like a surprising one, but they don't have a single quarterback under contract for next season. Sam Bradford's mediocre when he's healthy, and he's never healthy. Case Keenum can't keep this up. And who knows what, if anything, they'll ever get out of Teddy Bridgewater, who's reportedly close to coming back from that horrific leg injury he suffered last season.

7. N.Y. Jets. Josh McCown is 38. Neither Bryce Petty or Christian Hackenberg were good enough to supplant him this season. The Jets let all of their few good players leave in an obvious attempt to tank for a top quarterback prospect and are a surprising 4-5. They may not get what they want.

8. L.A. Chargers. (God, I'll never get used to that.) Philip Rivers is 35 and really doesn't want to be in Los Angeles, to the point that there were rumors that he had threatened to retire if the franchise moved. Well, he hasn't -- yet -- but the Chargers might want to think about finding a star to groom to get some people into their soccer stadium.

 9. Denver. Man, John Elway has low-key completely botched this. He was ready to overpay Brock Osweiler but the Texans turned out to be even crazier. Their first-round pick two years ago, Paxton Lynch, couldn't beat out a seventh-rounder in an open competition two years in a row, and now he's hurt. They brought Osweiler back and he hasn't been any better. And one more thing: Vance Joseph, the head coach, is in his first year. He has no attachment to any of these guys.

10. Pittsburgh. Ben Roethlisberger is 35 with the aches and pains of a man twice that age. Landry Jones, arguably the second-best quarterback in the God-awful 2013 class, still doesn't project as a starter. And this is the franchise that passed up a chance to have Dan Marino succeed Terry Bradshaw. The Steelers might want to get in on the ground floor for a new guy.

11. Washington. Kirk Cousins is an impending free agent after having been hit with the franchise tag for two straight seasons. Neither side has shown any inclination to discuss a long-term deal. Colt McCoy's their only other quarterback, and his deal runs out next year. If Cousins leaves, they'll need a guy.

12. Buffalo. Mostly because they seem hell-bent on dumping Tyrod Taylor, who's only helped them get to 5-3 while seemingly having to break in a new wide receiver every week.

That's already 12, as you can see. I could also make a case for the Ravens (Flacco's regression has to be concerning), Saints (Brees is 38), and maaaaaybe even the Dolphins (is Tannehill really the answer?) That brings you to 15, which is almost half the league. No wonder ratings are down.

Caveat: Whatever number you come up with, you're going to have to subtract two, because somebody's going to give Cousins too much money, and somebody else is going to give Garoppolo way too much money. (The 49ers trading for him doesn't change that; it just makes it more likely that they'll be the ones to do it.)

Now we come to the bigger problem: Numbers. Assume we're holding at 10 (12-2). Ten quarterbacks were drafted this year; four in the first two rounds. Last year, 15 quarterbacks were drafted; four in the first two rounds. In 2015, only seven were drafted; two in the first round. In 2014, 14 were drafted; five in the first two rounds. 2013, 11 and two. 2012, 11 and five(!).

That's... not enough quarterbacks even if they were to all pan out, and of the 68 quarterbacks drafted in the last five years, 22 aren't in the league. Some are going to draft guys who bust out. Some are going to throw money at mediocrity when they figure this out. And some teams are gonna have to wait until next year.

And they may not be able to afford to.

Desperate moves are coming.

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Sunday, November 5, 2017

By The Pigskin Of Our Teeth, Week 5: Wounded Exits

I mean... short week, coming off a loss, on the road, no Gronk... the Pats could absolutely lose this.


Or not. This is why you don't trade up for kickers. Because they flame out, and then you're forced into making even more bad decisions to cover for that one. Bucs somehow still cover. (Patriots 19, Buccaneers 14)

Signal Finder: AZ @ PHI, CAR @ DET (end), BAL @ OAK, GB @ DAL

Tarp was on this morning. Getting paired with Chris Myers seems like a demotion for Moose. Crowd goes nuts for a neutral zone infraction on the Cardinals. Ertz moving the chains. Jeffrey takes a hit and gets another first down. Are his feet down? Touchdown Burton!


That's two good punt returns by Barner, and some bad tackling on both of them by the Cardinals. Eagles seem to love the middle of the field. Touchdown Ertz. Patrick Robinson just dropped a possible pick-six (and Palmer shouldn't have thrown that pass in the first place.) Andy Lee's still playing? Torrey Smith caught one! Touchdown! This is wild.


Mike Trout in the house, as per usual. That's the second one Robinson's almost gotten, though this one was more difficult. Cardinals finally look like they've woken up. I know I've talked about this before but the Cardinals have an unusual amount of wide receivers named Brown. Touchdown... John? John. Yes.


Cardinals may have jumped offsides and gotten away with it. Zone read fake by Wentz fools the camera man but not the Cardinals. Hassan Reddick in the house. Possibly his actual house, as he is from Camden. Then he trips Wentz and stops him from getting a first down. Wentz escaping disaster. Interception and Wentz can't believe it. Pretty impressive that Antoine Bethea can still make a play like that at his age. By calling it an interception, they can automatically review it, too. Stands. Man, both Douglas and — Jaron? Yes, Jaron — Brown misplayed that one. Gotta call time out immediately after that catch, Cardinals. New long snapper? NEW new long snapper. Was that blocked? Snap was fine; not sure what Moose is talking about. 21-7 Eagles at the half.
Wentz with a poor throw on third down to somewhere in Ertz's vicinity and the Eagles settle for three. Quiet game from Fitzgerald so far, who's owned the Eagles for years. Not a lot of guys having good games for the Cardinals but Chandler Jones is one of them. Agholor? AGHOLOR! Put like two moves on the guy and scored. Patrick Peterson mad on the sideline. I'd actually forgotten that the Cardinals don't have David Johnson until Myers just mentioned it again. Now it's Mills's turn to drop an interception. Oh, it was knocked away. Where was that pass even going? Agholor's career-high receiving yards is 93? And he did it today? That's how bad he was his first two years. Cheesesteak B-roll!


(Eagles 34, Cardinals 7)



The Giants are running out of receivers. They lost Shepard and Marshall on the same drive. Oh, that looked bad. That looked really bad.


The Giants have run out of wide receivers. I've never seen this. (Chargers 27, Giants 22)

Cam said some stupid things this week. But and, he looks like he's getting healthier and closer to his old self. Daniel Fells? Really? Three-point game. Clutch catch by Benjamin to seal it. (Panthers 27, Lions 24)





"A Warm Bucket Of Piss" could also apply to the game itself. (Colts 26, 49ers 23, OT)

That's not the start the Raiders needed or wanted. Neither is that. Good Lord. Brandon Carr stays getting roasted. Touchdown Crabtree as Manuel avoids a sack. That's a perfect throw by Flacco to Wallace. Why are we going through Gumbel's college photo albums? Then he misidentifies Seth Roberts (#10) as Amari Cooper (#89). Don't challenge spots. Or do, apparently. Was that really worth four yards, though? Crabtree barely gets the first down. Yeah, he slipped and fell in the end zone but Manuel probably would have overthrown him anyway. And good job by Trent Green to  point out that the easier throw was probably to Cooper. Tuck that ball in, EJ. Touchdown! Raiders punting here and the fans don't really like it. I'm not sure I do, either. (Ravens 30, Raiders 17)

Davante Adams is playing? I'm stunned. Bulaga back as well. Prescott threw a dart under pressure and Butler made some smooth moves afterwards. Going for it on 4th and 1 from the opposing 22? That's slightly unexpected but it makes sense when you put it like that, Joe. Dez didn't catch it. That's... not a great penalty call. Cowboys get a fresh set of downs. Touchdown Beasley. Pereira agrees that call wasn't good. With no Montgomery, the Packers are sending out some rookies at running back. Touchdown Adams. Wait, what? Another Beasley touchdown. Lot of green in front of Prescott there. The Packers force Elliott outside and he doesn't get the first down. Prescott sneaks for it. Touchdown Dez. FUMBLE! Oh, the Cowboys got it back. They won't score, though.
That sack-penalty call was a total cop-out. Strange, they're showing Witten on the sideline while his GEICO ad runs during this cut-in. Packers going for it on 4th and 1 from the 49. Got it easily. Is this Jones kid good or is this Cowboys defense bad? Touchdown Nelson. Elliott with a big run. That's good defense on Witten but it was real close. Still. the Cowboys retake the bead because Bailey never misses. I always say "Never challenge spots" but I'm gonna ignore that here because that's not a first down. Cowboys have to go for it. Nope. Or... wait, this is closer than we think it is, isn't it? They're gonna give it to him. First down Cowboys. Why pass here and risk stopping the clock? Makes no sense. Touchdown Prescott off the read option fake! Still, 1:13 left for the Pack, plus a time out.


God, two plays and they're already in Cowboys territory. That defense is BAD. Rodgers: "I'll do this myself." Then he takes a shot while going out of bounds, or did he GIVE that shot? TOUCHDOWN ADAMS!


Let's not act surprised.






OK, we can act a little surprised. (Packers 35, Cowboys 31)

This is always uncomfortable. Now Watt being helped off.


They're showing Watt being lifted into the ambulance. Hunt hasn't done much so far. And on cue, there he does. Have the Texans had the ball yet? Yes, and they just fumbled it. Good stop by the Texans defense to hold the Chiefs to three. This game must be really boring as often as they cut to Watt's ambulance.


Lamar Miller with a nice run. This might be what the Texans need. Foreman! Hold up. Will Fuller's a "V"? (I'm fairly certain I've been surprised by this before.) Touchdown Hopkins... yes! Both feet down. West making moves. Touchdown Chiefs. 23-7 at the half. Shotgun on 4th and 1? And they throw it? Watson finds Fuller... touchdown! Bit early to go for two, maybe? No good. Tyreek Hill just killed Jonathan Joseph. I think this is a catch. Watson! Fuller! How did he catch that while being covered with a blanket?


Alex Smith being involved in shootouts is wild. Al, on the Giants: "They might try to sign Del Shofner... or you." I think Bennie Logan's better as a true 3-4 nose tackle instead of a 4-3 hybrid. Hill!
How did the punter take down Fuller? That wasn't a face mask? Touchdown Hopkins! There's been some sick catches tonight. Wait, Kelce hasn't played the whole second half? And now they're saying Conley suffered an Achilles injury. Here comes a Texans Hail Mary because why not. Caught at the 1! Touchdown Hopkins as time expires. (Chiefs 42, Texans 34)

Trubisky time! To be honest, this really should have happened Week 1. OF COURSE IT'S 2-0. IT'S THE 2017 BEARS.


Oh, that's dangerous, rook. Touchdown Bears? How did that WORK? Oh, dude deflected it. Um... what just happened? That was amazing. No way this Bears coaching staff came up with that.
Like I said before... that's dangerous. Kai Forbath? OK, fine. It's GOOD. (Vikings 20, Bears 17)

RANKINGS
TOP 4:
1. Kansas City (5-0) — Doing everything right
2. Philadelphia (4-1) — That was unexpectedly easy
3. Green Bay (4-1) — Mike McCarthy doesn't deserve Aaron Rodgers
4. Carolina (4-1) — Seriously, they've bounced back pretty well

BOTTOM 4:
29. Chicago (1-4) — For the best, really
30. Cleveland (0-5) — We're already benching rookies? Really?
31. N.Y. Giants (0-5) — I mean... my God
32. San Francisco (0-5) — You didn't miss much, Mr. Vice-President... EXCEPT THE POINT
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Saturday, October 21, 2017

By The Pigskin Of Our Teeth, Week 4: Friendly Takeover




That should be at least a four-game suspension for Trevathan. But it won't be because Roger Goodell hasn't gotten a disciplinary decision right since... God, am I going back to Michael Vick, of all people? (Packers 35, Bears 14)

Signal Finder: NO vs. MIA, PIT @ BAL, PHI @ LAC, OAK @ DEN

Haven't these teams played each other in London before? Burkhardt isn't sure why Adrian Peterson's a Saint, either. The irony of his booth statement about Cutler is that Cutler was supposed to be his partner. Bad snap? Who wants it? Brees finally falls on it after losing about 12 yards. Then a delay of game penalty.


This may be the best the Saints have played defensively in about six years.
(Saints 20, Dolphins 0)



Reminder that Joe Flacco was terrible last week. Good first run by Alex Collins, who if you'll remember, was the kid who went to Arkansas against his mother's wishes, got drafted by the Seahawks but got lost in the shuffle up there. Flacco's insanely lucky that pass wasn't intercepted. Brandon Carr got a job? My God. You know who hasn't been great this season is Le'veon Bell. His new backup, James Conner, with a nice run. Steelers driving. There's Bell. This HAS been a long drive. At least they made the field goal. Antonio Brown's mad about something. Did Villanueva just headbutt a dude? How was that not blocked? Oh, he was offsides. THAT'S how. Why does Collins only have four carries when he's averaging 8 yards per? And as I think that, he fumbles. Steelers ball. This game feels really slow. That's not a touchdown. But this is. 13-0 Steelers. The Ravens can't do anything offensively. Martavis Bryant's finally back? Oh. Touchdown Smith-Schuster. They're going for two, which I'm surprised they didn't do last time. Nope. 19-0. Not quite sure what the Ravens are doing here. Speed up! Well, they've gotten Tucker a shot at this. Sixty-two? Why not. Nope. We gonna get a runback here? Joe Haden on the Steelers is weird.


Oh, they did call it an interception. The whistle shouldn't have blown, though. Ben throws into triple coverage for no apparent reason. Boswell... misses? That kick sliced hard at the last second. Alex Collins is the Ravens' best player (now that Marshal Yanda is out for the season.) I'M MIKE WALLACE. The Steelers should know better than to not cover him. Ravens going for two here? Interesting. They got it! Wait, they're reviewing this? Call OVERTURNED. Still 19-9. I'm not sure they got that one right. Crowd finally waking up. Flacco threw that right to Ryan Shazier, who plays for the Steelers. This offense still seems sluggish. But still better than the Ravens' as Flacco throws another interception on 4th and 12. This isn't a touchdown regardless. But this is. (Steelers 26, Ravens 9)

Wait, how was Powell not down? Did he trip over air? Big gain gets wiped out by a penalty. That's a good punt and a bad job of fielding it by Marquise Lee. Add a penalty and the Jags are at their own 3 with about 2:20 left. They gotta punt now. Somehow that penalty's on the Jaguars, and the Jets have the ball at the Jags' 25.


This kicker isn't the greatest. Remember Week 2 when the Cardinals had Phil Dawson?


Let's go. GOOD. Penalty? No penalty. Man, the Jets can't even tank correctly. (Jets 23, Jaguars 20, OT)

Why is Goodell here? To see this embarrassment in person?


Related: Because both L.A. teams are on FOX but it's CBS's doubleheader week, this game is being shown in L.A. on its MyTV affiliate. LOLZ. Eagles getting plenty of pressure — that's two passes that Rivers has thrown away already. And the same pressure forces a fumble. That pass to Agholor was in the only place it could be. Touchdown Jeffrey. Crowd is WILD. Rivers way off target. FAKE END AROUND. That was beautiful. Elliott makes it 10-0. The Chargers finally get protection and Rivers finds Allen for a big first down. And how does a defensive end end up covering Allen? Smallwood having a good game so far. Another field goal. Rivers throws a bomb to Tyrell Williams, who outruns Mills for a touchdown. Delay of game on the extra point? That's a good play fake to freeze the linebackers. Tough throw by Wentz for Ertz, but he was covered well. Elliott from 52. Good. Wentz's run on 3rd down falls short. Eagles going for it? Maybe not. Time out and they'll punt after all. Another big downfield play to Allen, and Bradham runs him down. Rivers really angry that they didn't get a pass interference call there. Field goal is good. 16-10 Eagles at halftime. Big play to Ertz to get out of the hole. Clement gets stopped short on 3rd and 2, so expect the Eagles to go for it here. Sneak gets it. Some odd play calls on 3rd and long in this game. We haven't heard much from Gates today. Schlereth now noticing the odd crowd reactions. Crowd is booing this pass interference call... against the Eagles. Stockton with the jinx — talks about the Chargers' running woes, then they break off a 35-yard touchdown run. Blount! Did he stiff-arm the same guy twice? A penalty against the Chargers gives the Eagles first and goal again AND a massive pop from the crowd.


A toss? Smallwood finally punches it in.


That's a catch and touchdown. The Chargers have been looking for Gates's successor for years. Maybe this Hunter Henry's the guy. Four-minute offense? Try SIX-minute offense.


That was really well done. (Eagles 26, Chargers 24)

Jamaal Charles back. Mario Edwards Jr? What are the Raiders doing? I'm with Romo; they botched that sequence. So now they have to throw this away to end the half? I'm sorry, what? Romo: "This is gonna look weird." It sure did. Not sure what's supposed to solve this defense. Looking at these replays, this isn't a fumble. Yeah, still Broncos ball. Carr down. Romo thinks he got a knee in the back as he went down, and his body twisted. EJ Manuel's in Oakland? That's a news flash. That was wild — Siemian had a pass deflected, five Raiders were tracking it in the air, and somehow Sanders ends up with it. Bad job, Jared Cook. BAD job. That pass has to be caught. Wow! Great leap by dude to intercept that and seal this win. (Broncos 16, Raiders 10)



What is HAPPENING over there? (Buccaneers 25, Giants 23)

This is the Colts' backup center who's down. They're on their third center and third-string quarterback (who wasn't even THEIR third-string quarterback) and it's Week 4. Baldwin just worked Vontae Davis for a big gain. I'm 50 percent surprised the Seahawks didn't get a touchdown there. This is a very important point — Brissett changed teams at probably the worst possible time for a quarterback. Good pass to the backup tight end. Avril down? That's a good punt. Lacy just barely got out of the end zone, then Wilson just barely gets a pass off before he gets taken down. Or does he? Colts challenge, and they probably should. That's a safety, guys.
So an almost-sack leads to Luke Willson gaining about 15 yards with the ball.
THAT was fast. Dude jumps the rout and it's touchdown Seahawks. Earl Thomas dropped another interception on a ball that should never have been thrown. Collinsworth was all "Don't do this."
Pagano got the free spin!

Now Carroll's challenging. This one'll be close. Nope. First down Colts. Nice run by Brissett into the red zone. Touchdown Turbin. Yeah, he's in. Going for two. Denied. Wilson on the run because he'll die otherwise. Is that an interception? Yes! Colts ball. Hilton with the stretch. Let's see this spot. (This isn't a challenge so I can't say "Don't challenge spots.") Got it by a nose. Touchdown Moncrief! Somehow the Colts have the lead here.


Why did the Seahawks sign Blair Walsh? NO GOOD. Michele Tafoya's a damn prophet. Walsh was back out during halftime working? And still missing? This could be a problem later.


Lot of flags on this drive. That's Richardson's second big catch tonight. Collinsworth pointing out that the receiver there could have drawn pass interference if he'd tried. Wilson! There's nobody in the middle of the field. I... think this is a touchdown.


That didn't take long. Touchdown Seahawks. So this is interesting: The Colts got called for an illegal formation on the PAT. The Seahawks accepted, the ball gets moved to the 1, and now they're gonna go for two. Someone forgot to cover Baldwin. I think that's the first time we've actually seen Jimmy Graham tonight. And now Wilson throws a bad interception. Field goal ties it. Don't worry, Al, I thought it was Lacy too until I realized it was a little too small to be Lacy. I mean, long dreads, 2 on the back of the jersey — it's an honest mistake.


Wait, what? Another touchdown? That's former Eagles bust Marcus Smith applying pressure. Wagner looked like Barry Sanders on that runback. Yeah, that's a fumble. Someone forgot to cover Luke Willson. Touchdown Seahawks. There's still nine minutes left? Who's this McKissick kid?


The following has never happened before:


This was actually the second one of these today. Texans 57, Titans 14 was the other one. (Seahawks 46, Colts 18)


RANKINGS
TOP 4:
1. Kansas City (4-0) — Doing everything right
2. Atlanta (3-1) — Though Sunday's hiccup was weird
3. Philadelphia (3-1) — We've been here before
4. Buffalo (3-1) — Well, here's a team I never expected I'd be putting here

BOTTOM 4:
29. Chicago (1-3) — It's well past time for Trubisky
30. Cleveland (0-4) — This is going to take a LONG time
31. N.Y. Giants (0-4) — Basically the opposite of the Bills
32. San Francisco (0-4) —

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Thursday, October 12, 2017

By The Pigskin Of Our Teeth, Week 3: One-Point Stance




Then this game happened. I'm not sure I'd call it "good", necessarily. But it was far more entertaining -- especially from the Niners' side -- that it had any right to be. (Rams 41, 49ers 39)

So my friend Rob pointed this out:

"No matter where one stands on anthem protests (and I always stand for the anthem myself) it is terrifying to me how many people, including apparently our POTUS, have no idea that the Supreme Court decision Barnette v West Virginia exists or that it is illegal to compel someone to participate in the anthem (and therefore, illegal to fire someone for refusing to participate)."

Colin Kaepernick hasn't hurt anyone with his protest. (Except himself, and then only financially.) Colin Kaepernick never said he didn't love this country. Colin Kaepernick never said he was protesting the military. Nobody even noticed he was sitting last year until after the second preseason game, and the only reason it came up then is because a reporter asked him about it and he made his case. So when our garbage fire of a president calls kneeling players sons of bitches, he's not just insulting Kaepernick -- he's insulting the idea that these guys are capable of caring about something other than themselves, and are actually willing to risk something to prompt discussion about it. What you're seeing today is NFL players banding together and saying, "No. We don't stand with you."


To deny the actual point of Kaepernick's protest is simply to deny reality. That's why those who oppose him twisted it into "disrespecting the flag" and "disrespecting the military"; to pit more people against him while ignoring the real issue he expressed concern about. Colin Kaepernick has (or, had) a platform. He had something he cared about. He used that platform in the best way he could think of to draw attention to that cause. Protests don't work if nobody can see them. Protests don't work if they don't make you uncomfortable. But at the same time, unless you're a racist cop who gets off on the idea of harassing, assaulting, or shooting innocent black people, this protest... isn't about you.


And since we've all decided to post up in each other's feelings about all this, I am wondering one thing: Has anyone asked the flag how it feels?

Let's stop making symbols more important than the things they (are supposed to) represent.

Anyway, on to England.


Are... are we sure Joe Flacco's still good? Also, the Jaguars should move to London. They actually win there. (Jaguars 44, Ravens 6)

Signal Finder: NYG @ PHI, PIT @ CHI (end), CIN @ GB

The Giants and Eagles on their respective sidelines, arms locked, while the NFL violates the hell out of the U.S. Flag Code. Corey Clement active and returning the kickoff. Eagles blew that punt by crowding Grugier-Hill and pushing him into the end zone. No McLeod, either? Did they challenge this? That was dumb. So was that Bradham face mask. That's a bad call on Robinson. So far Warmack's not an upgrade on Semualo at left guard. Giants go three-wide on third and 1, call a toss, and Jenkins blows it up. Buck also not sure about that play call. Eagles run on first down and the crowd cheers. Then he goes for 17 and gets a massive cheer. And again! See, Coach? See how this works? Fourth and 1 and the Eagles go for it from their 48. Sproles in, oddly. Wentz sneak! First down. GREAT blitz pickup by Smallwood, which saved Wentz and allowed him to find Agholor for a first down. Uh-oh, Sproles down. He walks off, thankfully. Wentz scrambling. Good catch by Burton on a high throw. Touchdown Blount. Or not, as he was down within a half-yard or so. NOW touchdown.




The Giants have wisely called a lot of quick throws for Eli, who won't survive behind this line. Interception! Man, Brandon Marshall's done nothing this year. Douglas had that all the way.




Clement gets a carry. Smallwood doing things. Fourth and 8? This one I'm less sure about, even though they're in Giants territory. The Giants call time out because they're not sure what's happening, either. They're doing this? Wentz misses Blount and gets sacked. Giants getting ahead of themselves. No one covered Shepard. Touchdown Giants and that's on Pederson and Wentz. Actually, I'm not sure this is a touchdown, either. Call reversed. Buck and Aikman think this is four-down territory and they're probably right. How the hell is THAT not a touchdown? These fucking rules, man. Buck lighting up McAdoo's play calling here. Darkwa STUFFED! And the Eagles defense bails Pederson out. This may be too much to ask of a rookie.


Tip? Interception! Ertz and Wentz combine to pull the Eagles out of a 3rd and 10 hole. That's interference. Wentz put a little too much on that for Ertz, who still had a shot to catch it, as Aikman said. Got THAT one, though. The way the Giants are playing, that might be ball game. Aikman criticizing the Giants' draft strategy, as they still have a bad O-line and still can't run the ball.


Fourth and 2 from the 12 and the Eagles stop them again. Giants almost forcing the ball to Marshall now, but it's working. That's great footwork by Beckham and that's a touchdown.




This is getting weird. Buck: "These officials now basically have to be dance judges." Then Collins forces a fumble by Ertz and the Giants get the ball right back. By the way, Cox and Hicks won't be back today for the Eagles, either. Another circus catch by Beckham and we're somehow tied. Not sure the Eagles should be relying on Clement in this situation. That was weird. Whistle blows right as Harris catches the punt but no one stops? Oh wow. That throw by Eli just blew up the Eagles defense. They're not catching Shepard. This is getting weird. That's the first time the Giants have had the lead this season and we're halfway through the fourth quarter of Game 3. Some decent grabs by Torrey Smith, then he draws a big pass interference penalty. Clement... Touchdown! Welcome home, kid. I thought they might get Beckham for that one, actually. Then they get Jenkins for one that's pretty easy. And Beckham's down? Cramp, maybe? Eli's 11 for his last 11? Wild. Wait, WHAT? They called the Giants' right guard for grabbing one of the Eagles so he can't get off the field? That's insane! (It's weird, y'all. And you know what that means.) Even Aikman can't believe it. Who's the Giants' kicker? Field goal is good. Eagles, with all three time outs, go back to the ground. Smallwood with some nice gains. Terrible face mask penalty by Jeffery. Elliott's kick is good and we're tied again. The Giants have to punt here. Torrey Smith back to receive it? That's interesting. Not a great punt. Jeffery picks one between two defenders and gets out of bounds with one second left. They're gonna try this, and why not. Sixty-one yards.

...

...

...

...

...

IT'S GOOD!!!!!






Real kickers do real things. (Eagles 27, Giants 24)




Oh. Oh, wow. I... I think that was a touchdown. Then this happened:



(Falcons 30, Lions 26)


This dude just ran through the Steelers like a hot knife through butter. Wait, they said he stepped out of bounds? I... don't think he did. Call stands. Then Jordan Howard takes care of the rest. This game didn't make sense. (Bears 23, Steelers 17, OT)

Wait, Case Keenum tore up the Bucs? CASE KEENUM? REALLY? (Vikings 34, Buccaneers 17)

TOUCHDOWN BENGALS!! Yes, that deserves exclamation points It's their first one this season.
If Adams didn't fumble this ball, he's lucky. And I'm surprised he's not injured because that landing was awkward as hell. Call REVERSED. Nice coverage, Bengals.


We're tied at 7. OK, this is my first time hearing Romo for an extended period. Two things: 1. I had no idea that's what his voice sounds like; 2. This analysis of the Bengals' new offensive coordinator having to simplify things for himself is something I'm not sure I've heard before. I think I'm in.
Nice coverage, Packers. Their defense is still bad, apparently. Flea-flicker! PICK-SIX FROM RODGERS. (Not on the flea-flicker.) Dude jumped the route and took off.


Ty Montgomery's still a running back. Wears 88 because he grew up a Michael Irvin (who wore 47 in college) fan. Rodgers outran a D-lineman who was chasing him down and got the first down. But he didn't outrun those guys. This Murphy kid is getting used and abused. Did the Bengals just hand the Packers three points with that muffed punt? Oh, it's halftime. Never mind. You CANNOT give Rodgers that much time. I'd blitz these two replacement tackles every damn snap. The Packers got Ahmad Brooks? Huh. This Jones kid on the Packers has been wreaking havoc all game.




Did Marvin really use a challenge on a "12 men on the field" call? Did that happen? Nelson CAUGHT that? And it WASN'T intercepted? That's nuts. Tie game.


OT coming. Rodgers is 0-7 lifetime in overtime games?


A timeout before the first play of overtime? That's so Bengals. GERONIMO! Well, that's two things crossed off the list. (Packers 27, Bengals 24, OT)

Wait, JPP's in the SNF opening in 2017? R's standing, some kneeling, arms locked. Snyder with them, which is shocking. Raiders sitting, arms locked. You knew the Raiders would do something, while I can't believe the R's did. Carr goes deep and gets intercepted. Oh, they're saying he's down? OK. Chris Thompson might be their best running back. Touchdown. Another interception. The Raiders need corners. Touchdown Vernon Davis, who's still around. That's a... generous spot. Booth review coming, because that was some home cooking there. Yeah, they moved it back. Fourth and inches. I don't understand why teams don't just snap the ball if the hard count doesn't work. 14-0 at halftime.


Thompson gets free again. Wait, wasn't he down? Raiders are challenging and they should (and do) win this. Holy hell, Josh Doctson just worked that dude. Touchdown.


Collinsworth is surprised, as I am, that the Raiders offense has done nothing tonight. On cue, Swearinger stuffs Lynch and Carr gets sacked again. Big punt return by Crowder. Too bad Hopkins missed. (It's not really that bad. ;) ) Now it's Kerrigan's turn to stuff Lynch. Crowder muffs the punt and the Raiders get it. Jared Cook gets free and scores. Three touchdowns off of turnovers tonight. OK. Chris Thompson might be their best PLAYER. Goodness. Raiders lucky to only give up three. Crabtree takes a shot and drops a third-down ball. FUMBLE! Raiders ball again. Carr almost just threw a third interception, and that dude would still be running. Why not run it once? Who was THAT to? Raiders forced to settle for three here as there's still time left. Washington counters with another field goal. Raiders now looking at 4th and 23. That ended predictably. This "effects of the protests" discussion went absolutely nowhere. Do they even have a backup quarterback? Now a brief Vegas interlude which basically amounts to "If you build it, they will come."


(Redskins 27, Raiders 10)

And to put an exclamation point on the overriding issue:






It never was. It. Never. Was. (Cowboys 28, Cardinals 17)

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Thursday, September 28, 2017

By The Pigskin Of Our Teeth, Week 2: Bouncing Bad

THIS! IS! THURSDAY! NIGHT! FOOTBALL. And like I said last week, this game's probably gonna suuuuuuck.


Heh. "Feels like." Texans out here with no real tight ends tonight. Joe Mixon just worked J.J. Watt. Dalton overthrows LaFell, who would have dropped it anyway. Crowd BOOS. Texans starting to chip away with some yards here. Geno Atkins waited a second and a half and just owned everybody on that sack. AND WATSON GETS THEM RIGHT BACK. Touchdown Texans! Collinsworth: "That's the undefined." Even the defensive players are giving him love. Eifert getting yards. Good two-minute drill by the Bengals now — it's like the Watson touchdown woke everybody up. Not the best throw into a double-covered Green. Bengals settle for three. Oh, it's Watson's birthday? Nice.
Was he inbounds? Oh, he was. Nobody was quite sure. Man, Collinsworth has Jeremy Hill's bags packed. (And he's not wrong to do so.) Big stop by the Texans here. Bengals going for it on fourth and 2 from the 19. Hill over the top! FUMBLE? No, down by contact. Touchdo- er, no. Official's hat means he stepped out of bounds first and he probably knew it. Bengals settle for three again. 10-9. At least they have points this week. This thing Watt pulled off was amazing, and Collinsworth is right: Watt locked up the Walter Payton Man of the Year Award before the season started. It took Cody Bellinger longer to win NL Rookie of the Year. Big gain by Eifert. Oh, wait, a costly drop by Brandon Lafell? That's never happened before.


Massive blitz by the Bengals stuffs the Texans down here. Shane Lechler's still a beast. Adam Jones commits a touchdown-saving penalty because he was BEAT. He and Hopkins have been scrapping all night, and Jones got Hopkins finally. OPI's gone from one per week to one per game, it seems. Is Watson gonna get this one, too? Nope, but they're definitely in field goal range now.


Kick is good. Who moved first? Refs stay Bengals. Fourth and 9. NOPE. Trickeration! And Watt straight up kills the Bengals' center. And the Bengals still don't have any home touchdowns. (Texans 13, Bengals 9)

Signal Finder: PHI @ KC, OTT @ MTL, NYJ @ OAK, AZ @ IND (end), DAL @ DEN, WSH @ LAR

Reid with extra time to prepare is frightening. It's jarring to see Alex Smith going down the field. This drive looked like it was sure to end in seven. Jesus, Fox. At least put the logos in the go-to-commercial score box. Just green and red squares. BORING. Eagles also start quickly. Smith slipped or he probably scores. Great route, also. We've already seen more of Jeffery than we did all last week. Oh, right, no Eric Berry for the Chiefs. Didn't the Chiefs' drive end the same way? Sure did. Welcome to the show, Jake Elliott. 3-3. Also also, this is either the first or second Kelce brothers' meeting in the NFL.


The Hill catch and then the Hunt catch in traffic. Game of inches, man. Smith just overthrew a sure Hill touchdown. McLeod's hurt? That's... potentially bad. Rookie CB Douglas on Hill now and he greets him with a solid tackle.


Torrey Smith's gotta start catching those. Dee Ford with another sack.


Charles Davis with an interesting hypothesis that the Chiefs were worried about the hits Alex Smith has taken (and he's taken a few). Basically saying that the Chiefs wouldn't have thrown on third down if they thought he was hurt. Really, both defenses have been better than the offenses so far. NO SPROLES FUMBLED THE PUNT. Chiefs ball. Another Eagles sack. They hold the Chiefs to a field goal. A run? OK, Doug. Ertz catches it off the bounce! They're in field goal range! But he misses. That's why the Bengals cut him. 6-3 Chiefs at the half. Torrey caught that one. The Chiefs fans want a flag on Jernigan's tackle on Hunt but they're not gonna get one. Alex may not survive this. Hey, the Eagles ran the ball! Um, that's a touchdown?  Pederson challenging this Jeffrey catch.


That's a touchdown. Extra point is good.


DeAnthony Thomas just made a mistake. Alex Smith takes it himself and I guess he's feeling better. Hunt just blew up. Elliott ties it from 40. That tipped interception was the second tipped pass in a row. Oh, that was off the guy's helmet? Sheesh. Alex Smith somehow escapes another sack and gets a first down. Jesus. Travis Kelce has jumped over three guys on this drive, including two to score that touchdown.


They've found Hunt this second half. He posted up to get that last touchdown and that feels like it. Bennie Logan with the sack and that might be it. Or not. Touchdown Agholor but it's too late. OR IS IT? ONSIDE KICK RECOVERED. Hang on, people. Great play by Trey Burton. Gota be a Hail Mary here, no? It's up... and nada. (Chiefs 27, Eagles 20)

Me, last week: "Brady could go for 600." Well, 447. That's still a beatdown. (Patriots 36, Saints 20)

Ryan Lindley? THAT Ryan Lindley? Things are dire in Canada. TSN/ESPN2 has apparently lost its video feed here. This dude just took a missed field goal 112 yards for a touchdown. Montreal's benched its quarterback. Was that former Rutgers and Guy The Patriots Cut Super Bowl Week wide receiver Tiquan Underwood on that two-point conversion? Hm. (Redblacks 29, Alouettes 11)

Remember overtime is down to 10 minutes. HONEY BADGER INTERCEPTION. Can't throw that pass, Brissett. So Phil Dawson got got by the kicker-freeze time out earlier? Also, Phil Dawson's the Cardinals' new kicker because the kid they had last year stunk. Got this one. (Cardinals 16, Colts 13, OT)

Jared Cook's a Raider? Oh. Touchdown Crabtree. Jets doing nothing of note. Lynch's backup with a big run here. Touchdown Crabtree. That's a terrible unnecessary roughness call on Irvin. Del Rio's still mad and he should be. I recognize no one on this Jets offense. Wait, that's not true... I Know who Jermaine Kearse is. Touchdown Jets. Muffed punt! Raiders ball! Oh, Jets. Lynch three times and it finally works. Richard with another long run and this time he hits paydirt. 35-13. TANKING. Is CBS just showing random pictures of kids now? Oh, it's Fouts. OK. (Raiders 45, Jets 20)





That's two weeks in a row this kid's missed a field goal at the end. (Dolphins 19, Chargers 17)



Is Buck trying to get "Glad you're with us" over? See, I know I'm going on about this again, but the Cowboys and Broncos in the score bug are the SAME COLOR. Reminder: The Cowboys' defense still isn't great, or even good. Sanders with two good catches on that drive, including the touchdown. Is that rain?McManus misses? Huh. "Inclement weather?" I guess that was rain, and there was a lightning strike or something. Look at Pereira breaking down the weather delay situation. Bonus coverage?

Yep. Washington-L.A. The Coliseum is huge and the StubHub Center is so TINY. Washngton already running the ball better than last week. Hey, Aaron Donald showed up! And he almost took that pitch for himself but Thompson got it and scored. Remember when the Rams' defense was good? What's going on right now? Big play from Goff to Everett. Touchdown Gurley? Touchdown Gurley.
Someone else hurt for Washington? (Redskins 27, Rams 20)




We back. Prescott takes an awkward tackle and the Cowboys will punt. Siemien sacked and fumbles! This isn't a touchdown. Or is it? If they're saying the first guy didn't have possession when he went down, then it would be a touchdown. But it's not. Dez cashes in. Wait, that's the second time Nolan Carroll's been hit in the head by a teammate? A shame Fowler couldn't haul that in. We got a leverage call against the Cowboys here? Yeah, that's against the rules. So the field goal comes off and it's a first down. Anderson put a sick fake on Heath and got open for that touchdown pass. Oh, man, this is the Broncos' first-rounder? Rough. Is... is that Siemian's fourth touchdown pass? This Cowboys defense is BAD.  This Broncos defense, meanwhile, is GOOD. Elliott's done nothing today. Dez has to catch that, but Harris does and that's a turnover. Touchdown Anderson.


Buck: "We have our first Riley Dixon sighting. He's the punter for the Broncos." Later, the Cowboys punt on 4th and 3 down 18 with 11:45 left.


Aqib Talib with a pick-six. People are going to take all the wrong lessons from this game. I can see it now. (Broncos 42, Cowboys 17)


Let's open this roof.


The other big feature here is this ring scoreboard/video board that circles the stadium, the one with Samuel L. Jackson currently talking on it. Was Austin Hooper stoned for his intro shoot? This Packers secondary may not have a chance against Julio Jones. Touchdown Freeman on a dive. Wait, was that...


The Packers are missing both regular tackles, it seems. Handoff to Cobb. Rodgers to Rodgers as the tackles get some help. Montgomery somehow ended up completely uncovered and takes it inside the 5. Touchdown! Even Eric Weems is getting in on the act. That's frightening if you're a defense. OK, so Clay and Jake are cousins. I can never keep all those guys straight. Touchdown Freeman.



"Our House" by Madness into the break. DJ is killing it tonight. Tevin Coleman is fast. 17-7 Falcons. Do all the Falcons linebackers wear numbers in the 40s? Did Adams just lose track of that one, or...?
Trufant picked that off? It looked like it was 100 percent going through his hands. Wait, I missed Nelson getting hurt? Falcons in good shape. And now in great shape. Touchdown Coleman and it's 24-7. The unsportsmanlike conduct penalty applies to coaches, too? GET TOSSED, MIKE.


That said, seeing the replay of the pick call on Bennett, he's right to be upset. So what's this? They call it a backward pass, which makes this a Falcons touchdown. And if it were a lateral, it would still be a touchdown. That is RIGHT down the line. Call stands.


Gotta secure that ball, Montgomery. Oh no, Geronimo. That was a touchdown. Seriously, McCarthy? Taking the field goal early in the third down 24? Oh, NOW you go for it. SURE.
Adams rolls into the end zone possibly. Yeah, that looks good. Now, do you go for two here if this is a touchdown? It is, they go for two, and they... don't get it. Now nobody seems to be playing with any real urgency. Adams fights for the end zone buy doesn't get there. Touchdown and suddenly it's an 11-point game. Hmmmm.


RUN THE BALL, FALCONS. Good job. You can throw it if you throw it to your best guy who can catch it. That guy, of course, being Julio Jones. Oh, that's right, Steve Sarkisian somehow ended up with the Falcons. Just burn the clock. Just burn the clock. OK, I think we're out of the woods. (Falcons 34, Packers 23)

That's a bad throw by Eli that deserved to be intercepted. Yeesh. Also, this O-line is still bad. SPECIAL TEAMS. I feel like the Lions are historically a bad road team, so this was probably good. (Lions 24, Giants 10)

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