- So some of the Pro Football Focus made perfect sense in these games (Green Bay did give up rushing yardage easily), some didn't hit at all (Andre Johnson didn't come close to replicating his outing against the Colts in Week 9). I did appreciate the extra 411 despite the uneven results. Still looking for that magic formula that will give me the winner of every game. Gotta be better odds of finding that than winning MegaMillions, amirite??
- Games in no detail: Seahawks-Giants (WTF is wrong with Eli Manning? He was THE DRIZZLING SHITS), Texans-Colts (no slow start for Andrew Luck against Houston this time, and Case Keenum can kiss his shot at starting next year goodbye), Bills-Jaguars (E.J. Manuel didn't lose the game for Buffalo, yawn), Eagles-Vikings (forget the bad Philly D, they ran Shady McCoy eight times?!?), Redskins-Falcons (seven Washington TOs and they still covered? Falcons blow), 49ers-Buccaneers (TB now has the worst pass offense in the NFL--yeah, that Glennon kid's really good, LOL), Chiefs-Raiders (has Oakland ever heard of a motherfuckin' screen pass??? And yes, Jamaal Charles gets credit for being THE SHIT), Jets-Panthers (Geno gonna Geno), Saints-Rams (wow, did the Rams pass rush fuck with Drew Brees, but I guess it was all Garrett Hartley's fault), Cardinals-Titans (Fitzpatrick gonna Fitzpatrick with that overtime INT, and that's the last we'll see of Larry Fitzgerald on the hands team).
- We don't have to worry about deciphering which team will show on three days rest and which will falter. The last Thursday game of the season saw Peyton Manning and the Broncos, coming off another fireworks display three days earlier against Tennessee, come up limp against statistically one of the worst defenses in the league, San Diego. Yep, the Chargers controlled the ball and kept Manning off the field for long stretches, but I've seen that done to him often over the years, and he just takes the ball and does what he does anyway when it's his turn. Not this time. The story was what the Bolts did with the ball when they had it. Philip Rivers wore out Broncos CB Kayvon Webster, targeting him over and over with much success, and Ryan Mathews ran very well to balance the offense. San Diego was hungry and played like they could smell a playoff spot. Denver didn't have the same urgency. They didn't know what Kansas City was going to do to Oakland a few days later, so I expect them to bounce back.
- Boy, was that showing in Cleveland a perfect microcosm of Jay Cutler and all he encompasses. First drive, start slow, running, then short passes, then longer passes, driving towards glory and shutting up all the haters until...intercepted. Okay, throttle it down, manage the ball, couple of possessions including one long one that resulted in a FG, doing well, relax, breathe...fuck, Pick-6, give the lead back to the Browns. Aye carumba. And then the rest of the game, he balled out and led the Bears to victory with throws within the Marc Trestman offense that was so expertly executed by Josh McCown over the past month and some throws that McCown could never make. And there it all was on full display: Why Cutler's detractors hate him, and why those who appreciate him do so. He can screw up and make the key mistake. He can also overcome and make plays that a lot of other QBs could never make. If you think McCown should be starting even though Cutler's healthy, you saw what you needed to convince yourself that you're right. If you think Cutler's obviously better and should be starting, well, you saw what you needed to convince yourself that you're right. Either way, thanks to the choking dog Detroit Lions, it will be a fun ride for the next few weeks in Chi-Town.
- In South Florida, Tom Brady and the New England Patriots rediscovered life without Rob Gronkowski. It means close losses and anguishing moments in the red zone with the game on the line and no receivers getting themselves open. This team is somehow 10-4 despite their problems in the passing game all year, and I'm telling you, they're not competing for a Super Bowl. Not the way they struggle to find someone with some size to make a play when they need it. It was unfair the last couple of years when they had two guys who fit that description, but now Gronk's hurt and Aaron Hernandez is doing the Jailhouse Rock. The offense looked slower than usual, running more of a hustle-up than hurry-up, but Brady was efficient throughout the game. The one time he hit a big guy for a red zone TD, it was Michael Hoomanawanui, and that's all you need to know about their lack of options. NE looked to have the formula for shutting down the improved Dolphins offense, that is, hit Ryan Tannehill in the mouth. But Miami shifted to calling everything out of shotgun, giving Tanny a little more time if he chose to throw, and it worked. They sacked Tannehill again on the eventual game-winning drive, but then let him covert a 4th-and-5 to stay alive, then he beat LB Donta Hightower in coverage to win it. Brady Bradied his way down the field to give the Pats a shot, but no Gronk in the end zone meant an INT to seal it. Miami finally polished off the Patriots, as they should have in Foxborough.
- There sure is a lot of blame being spread around in Dallas for their latest gag job. Let's make it a little simpler: Jason Garrett is the head coach. No matter that he says Tony Romo exercised bad judgment in checking out of a run play into a pass when Romo was picked off with the lead in the 4th quarter, allowing Green Bay to drive for the victory after being down 26-3 at halftime. Garrett must have given him the right to exercise that judgment. That's on Garrett. Dallas all of a sudden remembered in the 2nd half that their defense sucks, and that can go on GM Jerry Jones, but lots of teams with bad defenses put opponents away by running the ball and keeping it away from the other guys. Not those Cowboys. They were on fire in the 1st half, getting big runs, then play-action into big passes, then big runs...oops, there's Romo nearly being picked off in the end zone in the midst of all that, but just a hiccup. Green Bay and Matt Flynn were horribly off rhythm. His passes all had no spice, like a pitcher who hadn't warmed up and was throwing everything four feet short of the plate. It was a polished offense vs. a makeshift offense with a backup. Wha happened?? Well, RB DeMarco Murray would disappear for long stretches while the Cowboys chucked the ball all around the place, and unless you convert all those throws, that's a good way to cough up a lead over time. The Packers had two 80-yard TD drives to start the 2nd half, and to answer that 2nd TD, Dallas went with zero runs and got sacked. Dez Bryant made another hellacious TD catch to put Dallas up two scores before the collapse. He made news by leaving before the game ended with the Pack kneeling it out. Why not? The rest of the team had already left mentally, thanks to shitty coaching.
- Pittsburgh did show a last gasp of pride in beating the division-leading Cincinnati Bengals. They had a big assist from the elements. Ben Roethlisberger looked much more comfortable firing balls through the stiff wind coming off the three rivers, and Andy Dalton didn't adjust until the 2nd half, when his team was already way behind. Of course Ben eventually had to go for the deep bomb and get picked off; it's one of his two fatal flaws, the other being holding on to the ball too long, but OC Todd Haley seems to have curtailed that. It was another worrisome outing for Dalton. He was woefully inaccurate for most of the evening because of some wind, and I wouldn't poo-poo it normally except Roethlisberger on the other side didn't seem to be much bothered. It was the younger athletes you never heard of stuffing the run for the Steelers and creating the pass rush, so that's something to build on. And Antonio Brown's a monster receiver. They targeted Bengals CB Dre Kirkpatrick early and often, so score another one for Pro Football Focus. I didn't like Pittsburgh's tentative running, penalties, and turnovers to start the 4th quarter because that's what teams who don't expect to be winning do, but they held on to their minuscule playoff hopes. Cincinnati looks like they won't last long against tough teams or tough weather.
- You can have a lot of excitement and points with your choking dog team, like the Cowboys, or you can have a tense defensive struggle end with a gag, like what Detroit experienced on Monday night against the defending champs, who also hold on to playoff hopes with their win. I Tweeted that the story of the game might be the referees if the Lions lost, because the Ravens benefited from some strange officiating, but make no mistake, Detroit coughing up a late lead is the focus because it was so predictable. Whether is was Calvin Johnson not making use of his Megatron powers and dropping wide open passes or the always maddening 3rd-and-1 pass plays that don't work or the 4th-quarter bad decisions by Matthew Stafford, you knew somehow that the Lions were going to find a way to lose that game. John Harbaugh made a choice worthy of his brother Jim's nickname, Coach Insane, when he ran the ball on 3rd-and-10 from the Detroit 45, setting up Justin Tucker for failure with a 61-yard FG attempt. Except he didn't fail. The manager went to his closer in an impossible situation for the save, and the closer went to work and got it done. As for Matt Elam, the Baltimore DB who called Megatron old, he started roughly, picking up a personal foul and a big missed tackle on the opening drive, but Detroit's gonna Detroit, so Stafford threw Elam the INT to end the game after the Tucker FG. All future Detroit opponents should call out the Lions before the game. Can't hurt, unless you're the Cowboys, of course.
Week 15 Records--Dre 9-6-1, .600; Jay 7-8-1, .467
YTD Records--Dre 105-113-6, .482; Jay 113-105-6, .518
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