What We Learned: NFL Week 12

By Ryan of The Sportmeisters

A last second touchdown, a clinched division, and more sum up this week in the NFL. Let’s revisit some of the bigger stories.

 

A Championship Comeback, Part Two

Two weeks ago, the Indianapolis Colts turned a 31-14 deficit into a 35-34 victory against the New England Patriots. Surely, against the Houston Texans, they would find an easier road. Instead, the Colts decided to spot the Texans 17 points and then proceeded to run off 28 unanswered points in the second half to win 35-27.

Some historical data here: Indianapolis has now won 20 straight regular season games (second most in NFL history) and became the first team to win 11 games seven years in a row.

On the other side, Houston is now 1-15 against Indianapolis since forming in 2002, and this could be the final straw for coach Gary Kubiak.

Indianapolis has shown some weakness, with this not being the first time they’ve fallen behind. However, good teams find a way to win, and as long as Peyton Manning is under center, the Colts are always in the running.

 

Last-Second Heroics

Who are the Tennessee Titans, and where did they come from? Once again, putting QB Vince Young back in the starting lineup was the right call, as he threw for a career-high 387 yards, including the game-winning 10-yard pass to WR Kenny Britt with no time left. This brought the Titans to 5-6, and their outside shot of a playoff spot still remains.

The game also saw a “rematch” of the 2006 National Championship between Young and Arizona Cardinals QB Matt Leinart. Leinart, starting in place of the injured Kurt Warner, managed the game very well, with 220 yards and no interceptions or touchdowns. In the end, however, Young won it on the last play again.

On a smaller scale, but important nonetheless, is RB Chris Johnson’s sixth straight game of over 125 rushing yards. This matched the record held by Earl Campbell and Eric Dickerson.

Tennessee faces the undefeated Colts next week in what should make for a very entertaining AFC South matchup.

 

A Battle in the North

When AFC North rivals the Baltimore Ravens and Pittsburgh Steelers face off, it is a hard-hitting, grind-it-out power game. Baltimore must have been salivating at this matchup, facing off against little-used third string QB Dennis Dixon with Ben Roethlisberger and Charlie Batch out with injuries.

Much like Pittsburgh has done before with young QBs, they relied on him to manage the game, using the run heavily and expecting the defense to make the stop. Everything was running smoothly until overtime, when little-used LB Paul Kruger jumped in front of a pass, giving Baltimore the ball. A few plays later, Billy Cundiff’s 29-yard field goal won the game for the Ravens.

Both Baltimore and Pittsburgh are 6-5, fighting for playoff survival. This win is huge for the Ravens, as it helps them in the tiebreakers for the AFC Wild Card.

 

Contenders and Pretenders

The playoffs are knocking—who is going to answer the door?

Brett Favre threw for 392 yards and three touchdowns, and Adrian Peterson had a touchdown run, as the Minnesota Vikings improved to 10-1 with a 36-10 victory.

The San Diego Chargers are continuing their quest for the AFC West and got a boost with their 43-14 win over Kansas City. This was the sixth straight win for San Diego.

While some teams are perfect, others are perfectly inept.

I wouldn’t call the Atlanta Falcons a pretender just yet, but when you lose your starting QB and starting RB, you’re going to be tough to show yourself as a contender. They squeaked by Tampa Bay 20-17, but those miracles can only last so long.

Jake Delhomme and John Fox might be on the way out in Carolina, as Delhomme threw four more interceptions, this time against the New York Jets. The Panthers are 4-7 and falling fast.

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NFL: Playoff Picture Starting to Tighten

After several weeks of big upsets and topsy turvy results, we finally had a weekend that really separated a lot of playoff wheat from chaff.  A few surprising results ensued, as always, yet the biggest factor is the number of teams taken out of the race.

Cowboys beat Raiders—With the Eagles taking a victory against the Redskins, Dallas used the victory to maintain a one game advantage with five games remaining. If Dallas can go 3—2, they should hang onto the NFC East.

Outlook: The division is now Dallas’ to lose, but one game is not enough to breathe easy. Injuries keep Philly just behind and Dallas hangs onto the division.

Packers top Lions- After questions surrounding every facet of the organization when they fell to Tampa Bay, they have risen to 7—2 against all non-purple teams and are a frontrunner for one of the two wildcard berths. At this point only two teams hold 7—4 records, while two more trail one game behind. A very unfriendly remaining schedule with four strong teams makes this a tough run, making Thursday’s win all the more crucial.

Outlook: Assuming a win against faltering Chicago, the 4—2 divisonal record should guarantee a tie-breaking advantage against Atlanta, against the Giants the outlook is still in the air.  I think one of the 6—5 teams catches Green Bay, who takes the wildcard on a tiebreaker.

Broncos defeat Giants—The trouncing here serves several purposes. Denver puts itself in a wildcard driver’s seat if they can maintain it, while keeping pace to potentially catch San Diego. More importantly, they ended a four—game losing streak in dramatic fashion to stay in the divisional hunt. The Giants on the other hand, fall a game back of the wildcard and two back in the divisional race. An overtime win last week proved to be an aberration, not the beginning of a turnaround with the sizeable defeat.

The Giants have a tough remaining schedule including three consecutive divisional games, followed by the Panthers and Vikings. They will need to run the divisional games in order to take a tie—breaker advantage over Green Bay or Philadelphia. 

Outlook—Denver will have a hard time overcoming San Diego, but if they can perform like they did on Thanksgiving, they should hang onto a wildcard, thanks to the Steelers faltering.  The Giants are now outsiders, and a team still on the skids. I don’t think they have what is necessary to overcome the hole they are putting themselves in. The best I see for this team is 9-7.

Colts come back to take Texans—Indianapolis has the AFC nearly wrapped up with a three game advantage over any opposition. It would take something drastic just to lose home—field throughout the AFC championship. This game was far more important to Houston though. Dropping to 5-6 they are not eliminated, but have drastically reduced their odds. Nothing short of running the table will put them in the wildcard.

Outlook—Indianapolis will maintain its home-field advantage, Cincinnati’s loss against Oakland means this should not be particularly difficult. Houston has a somewhat favorable schedule, but I don’t see them pushing past 9-7, more likely they will lose to Jacksonville and end the year at 8-8… again.

Bengals top Browns—Defeating Cleveland by 9 points does not impress, but a Steelers loss coupled with this victory nearly ensures the division (due to the tie-breaker they hold a three game lead with five contests remaining). They also maintain pace for the number two seed and its accompanying bye. Should New England win both they and San Diego will remain behind Cincinnati despite all three reaching 8-3 because of a divisional loss each.

Outlook: The Pats schedule is tough enough to put them a game back of the Chargers and Bengals. This means the head—to—head in San Diego should be for the BYE. The Bengals physicality matches up well against San Diego, but if both teams play as they have been the last two weeks then San Diego with its home field advantage should win.

Eagles defeat Redskins—The Eagles maintain the edge in the wildcard race while staying one game behind the Cowboys. The loss to Dallas will be important both for the game behind it puts them, and for the tie breaking advantage it gives Dallas (thanks to the earlier Redskins loss.

Outlook: The final game against Dallas might end them with the same record if they can win, but the tiebreaker will favor Dallas and give them the division while Eagles head into the playoffs with the #5 slot.

Bills beat up on Dolphins—Miami was already an outsider to the playoff picture.  The Steelers and Jaguars losses keep Miami on the outskirts, but without Ronny Brown and the with the number of games dwindling, Miami will need a highly favorable chain of events to edge in.

Outlook: There are too many teams ahead and too many players on the sidelines keeps Miami out of the playoffs.

Jets pound Panthers—Like Miami, the New York Jets are still playoff longshots.  The win does serve to assuage some of the monster skid, but after all the fuss over the 3-0 start another 9-7 will disappoint.

Outlook: Jets put another nice win or two coupled with more big losses to go 8-8.

Falcons edge Buccaneers—Atlanta keeps itself in the playoff race by staying a game behind the Eagles and Packers. Should Ryan and Turner heal quickly they should go 10-6 or 9-7 depending on next week against Philadelphia.  Even at 10-6 they will need to fight tiebreaking procedure against the Packers and Eagles who should both be able to land at 10-6 as well. They should end up 3-3 divisionally whereas the Pack should end 4—2, putting the Eagles again as the question mark.

Outlook: Philly wins and takes a wildcard while Atlanta comes up just short.

Jaguars fall to 49ers—A win would have given Jacksonville a great advantage in the wildcard race after the Steelers/Ravens outcome. Now they share 6—5 records with the Steelers and Ravens, making the final wildcard a tossup at this point with any of the three a possible argument for the wildcard, and a Denver collapse still a possibility that could put two of the three in. 

Outlook: The Jags have made their living defeating lesser teams this year. They don’t have the firepower to get into the playoffs.  The winner of week the 16 Ravens/Steelers matchup gets the wildcard.

Titans top Cardinals—The Titans continue their improbable Rebirth while the Cardinals fail in an opportunity to put away the division fully. At 5-6 the Titans have ascended from the absolute cellar to the ranks of playoff outsider alongside Miami and New York.

Outlook: The Cards lost by three without Warner, not much real note of concern. They hang onto the division and benefit from the NFC East race to grab the #3 seed. Tennessee has impressed, but I still feel they get at least one loss and end up eliminated from the playoffs, 8-8 most likely.

Vikings trample Chicago—With the Packers continuing to win, there was still a small measure of need to maintain a lead. Now they have a four game advantage (tiebreaker) with five games remaining. This is essentially the clincher.  Chicago, while not mathematically eliminated is now all but finished, and will now be looking to salvage dignity.

Outlook: Chicago now will work to stay out of the top ten draft board while Minnesota keeps ahold of the #2 seed.  The battle for number one will shape up better after Monday.

Chargers capitalize on Chiefs mistakes—San Diego maintains its lead over a victorious Denver by putting up a thirty-point advantage over Kansas City (fresh off an upset over Pittsburgh).  They now are not only looking toward the fight for the AFC west, but eyeballing a second seed and the first round BYE it gives, keeping pace with the Bengals with an 8—3 record.

Outlook: San Diego hangs onto the division, the head—to—head with Cinci determines the #2 seed.

Ravens defeat Steelers—This game simultaneously put a struggling Ravens team back into the front of the playoff picture, while the Steelers plummet down to fighting tooth and nail for a spot in the playoffs. They now share a 6-5 record with the Jaguars, but the Steelers divisional record will not help them in this race.

Outlook: One of these two will overtake Jacksonville for the final playoff spot.  Pittsburgh’s health will decide which one of these two.

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2009 Steelers: No Closers, Lose Tough One to Ravens

If the season ended today, the 2009 Pittsburgh Steelers could sum up their season in three words: failure to close.

In Glengarry Glen Ross , Alec Baldwin’s character says, “ABC: Always Be Closing.” These Steelers failed to close once again, losing a tough one to the Baltimore Ravens 20-17 in overtime.

For the fourth time this season, the Steelers blew a fourth quarter lead and lost the game. The Steelers, now at 6-5, are pretty much just fighting for a wild card spot which they still could not earn even if they win out and finish 11-5 a la the New England Patriots last season. It is a possibility that the Steelers and Steeler Nation needs to come to grips with quickly.

Some observations from tonight’s game:

 

The Good

1. Dennis Dixon played OK given the situation. Yes he did throw the back-breaking interception to Paul Kruger in overtime and just looked lost in OT period, but you have to give the second-year QB his due. He played within himself. He did not take any sacks, and got rid of the ball quickly whenever he could. He also flashed his quickness and foot speed which made him a Heisman candidate in 2007, scoring on a 24-yard run.

Dixon has shown to be a capable backup, but Steeler Nation will obviously want their franchise QB Ben Roethlisberger to come back as soon as possible, likely next week at home against Oakland. It is good to know what the Steelers have in Dixon. So expect Charlie Batch to be put on injured reserve within few days.

2. Bruce Arians called the best game of the season. Yes, even in a loss, Arians did his job well and should not face too much criticism this week. His play-calling protected Dixon and had 38 run plays to 26 pass plays, a great combination for an inexperienced QB.

Rashard Mendenhall got 24 carries for 95 yards against a tough Ravens defense, and the Steelers as a team rushed for 153, which is admirable even in a loss. Arians should definitely stick with this philosophy even when Roethlisberger comes back. It will protect Roethlisberger from unnecessary contact and help the team control the clock more efficiently.

3. The kickoff coverage was much better Sunday night because, well, they did not give up any returns for touchdowns. All sarcasm aside, the Steeler coverage unit held Ravens return man Ladarius Webb to 21.3 yards per return, which for them is phenomenal. Chris Carr got loose on a punt return once for 34 yards but other than that, the Steelers also did their job efficiently.

 

The Bad

1. The defense was not great tonight. Let’s get one thing clear. This Steelers defense is not the 2008 Steelers defense. Tonight they gave up two long touchdown drives in the first half before finally clamping down on Joe Flacco and the Ravens offense in the third quarter and part of the fourth quarter. The tying FG drive by the Ravens? 10 plays for 84 yards, something that has become usual for these Steelers defenders this year. 

This Steelers defense played their hearts out tonight, but let’s give credit where credit is due. Ray Rice is a star running back and he made the Steelers look silly in the game-tying drive, easily beating James Farrior on the gutsy 4th down catch with 3:31 to go in the game.

In OT, Rice drove the ball all the way down inside the 12 yard line after Kruger’s interception return was stopped at the Steelers’ own 28 yard line. The Steelers knew who was getting the ball but it did not matter. They came into tonight’s game as the best run defense in the league. Tonight that number meant nothing. 132 yards rushing against the No. 1 ranked rush defense is inexcusable no matter who is not playing or who is playing.

2. Cornerbacks Ike Taylor and William Gay were not good tonight. Gay has been picked on by opponents all season and tonight was no different. The real surprise was Taylor, who is usually a very good cover man, getting beaten consistently by Derrick Mason. Tonight Taylor was beaten for a touchdown and was flagged for a pass interference.

Gay, a free agent at the end of this season, will likely just play out his contract with the Steelers and will not be asked to come back for 2010. With Deshea Townsend at age 34, the Steelers will need to draft another cornerback, or groom 2009 draft picks Keenan Lewis and Joe Burnett to eventually take over. Given how little Lewis and Burnett have played this season, it remains to be seen if they are the long-term future or if they are just in Steel City for another year.

 

The Verdict

Was this loss a sign of things to come? Now with three losses in a row, the Steelers are in a deep hole in the AFC playoff picture. They might as well forget about playing at Heinz Field in January, because barring a Denver Broncos -like collapse by the the Cincinnati Bengals, the division is lost.

Like 2005, the Steelers need to win out to ensure a playoff berth. The best things about the Steelers right now are these things: One, they have made playoff runs before. Two, wins against the now surging Tennessee Titans, Denver Broncos, and even the San Diego Chargers will loom large if it comes down to tie-breakers.

But enough of that.

While this Steeler team is no doubt talented, they don’t look like a team trying to attain a common goal like last season. There seems to be no real fire inside this team, almost like they are content with last season and just want to play out the string this season.

I think that the month of December will show how important Mike Tomlin is to this team. For the first time in his three seasons in Pittsburgh, Tomlin is facing the reality of not making the playoffs. Some Steeler fans have questioned Tomlin’s leadership and coaching calls this season.

Bill Cowher cemented his legend in Pittsburgh in December 2005 and January 2006 by leading the Steelers to nine consecutive wins, including four straight wins in the playoffs. Before 2005, Cowher was just a good coach. After 2005, he was a great coach who could go to the Hall of Fame when he officially retires.

While last season Tomlin was the toast of the town, but the NFL is a fickle business. Tomlin can shut up the remaining naysayers if he can lead the Steelers to wins and a deep playoff push this year, especially in the first real moment of crisis in his coaching career.

The Steelers need to take care of their own business and not worry about what the Ravens, Jacksonville Jaguars, or anyone else is doing. Troy Polamalu will likely not be back this Sunday against the Raiders or next Thursday night against the Cleveland Browns. While he makes the Steelers a better team, one man should not make an entire defense.

The remaining schedule sets up favorably for the Steelers, but this is the same team that could not close out a 10 point lead against the Kansas City Chiefs. Bottom line, the Steelers need to close out games. If they don’t, they will be watching football during the playoffs, not playing in them.

Next game: December 6 vs. Oakland Raiders @ 1 pm Eastern

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Steelers-Ravens: Arians Tries To Fit Square Peg Into Round Hole

Well, the Steelers gave the Ravens a better game than most people thought they would.

The defense made a few big plays, yet gave up a few big plays. The worst part was, once again, Bruce Arians and his play-calling. Several calls puzzled me, but what else would you expect from Arians?

The thing that upset me the most was that Arians tried to make Dennis Dixon into a pocket-passer. The Ravens are a tough enough defense to go up against, but even tougher when your offensive coordinator tries to make you into something that you’re not.

Why didn’t Arians use some more moving pockets and bootlegs to give Dixon a pass/run option, enabling him to use his athletic ability? The one time that they did it, it resulted in a big play touchdown.

Arians makes the players fit into his system, instead of forming his offense around the strengths of the players. That is a sign of a poor coach. All Arians had to do was take a look at how the Titans changed their offense while transitioning from Kerry Collins to Vince Young.

Granted the Steelers didn’t have a whole week knowing that Dixon was going to be the QB, but “good” coaches should always be prepared and have their teams prepared.

There should have been an offensive package put in to utilize Dixon’s strengths “just in case,” but the Steelers didn’t.

Thus far this season Arians has stuck with the empty backfield set that has failed much, much more than it has succeeded. It’s really done nothing but hurt the Steelers and their franchise QB.

Arians has made the Steelers a one-dimensional team numerous times this season by becoming pass happy. He’s made poor play-calls in the redzone or short yardage situations all season, which takes points off the board.

He’s become enamored with calling the long pass, even when that’s what teams are protecting against. He refuses to max protect when needed, see the games against the Bengals this year and the game against the Eagles last season.

And tonight he refused to maximize Dixon’s talents by using rollouts, moving pockets, or any plays with pass/run options.

It’s to the point now where I’m losing respect for Mike Tomlin. He has to step in and do what’s best for the team, even if it means stepping on peoples toes.

If Tomlin continues to stand by and do nothing but talk and cut fringe players on the roster I’ve got one word for you…spineless !

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Patriots-Saints: Monday Night Football Live Picks

Planning a Super Bowl party this year ? You might want to use this week’s Monday Night Football matchup as a good opportunity for a trial run, as we all could be watching a Super Bowl preview.

The Saints (10-0) are in the midst of the best season in franchise history and the Pats, short of a fourth quarter choke at Indianapolis two weeks ago, seem poised to challenge for another title in February.

The offensive explosiveness possessed by each team has forced online sportsbooks to post a total of 56.5 and still the sports betting public is wagering on the “over. Many sportsbooks are reporting heavy action on the high side.

New Orleans averages 420 yards per game and 36.9 points. It’s down from their record breaking average of 39-plus points per game the team rode until Week Seven, but still more than five points greater than the second place Minnesota Vikings.

New England ranks second in average yardage per game at 416 and with the best one-two wide receiver combination in the league, the Pats can stretch the field against the greatest of defenses.

Wes Welker had a super game against the Jets last week catching 15 balls for 192 yards. Welker makes blitzing Brady a real challenge for teams. His short underneath game sets up the long ball for Randy Moss.

Moss is pretty much impossible to cover one-on-one and when he gets the double team, it usually creates a mismatch for Welker.

The Saints receiving corps is almost as impressive with Marques Coltson, Devery Henderson, Jeremy Shockey, and Robert Meachem. Speaking of matchup problems, these four receivers will present some for the Patriots secondary .

The Saints are hoping Reggie Bush can go coming off a knee injury. The early reports have him playing and if he is ready he can be a difference-maker. Usually, though, he plays a secondary role in the offense (ain’t that right, fantasy players?).

This is a great coaching matchup with maybe the two brightest coaches in the game matching wits for the first time. Sean Payton is as creative an offensive coach as Belichick is a defensive strategist.

Don’t expect Belichick to go for a fourth and short deep in his own end in this game but expect some interesting wrinkles from both coaches.

And of course the field generals need no introduction, with Tom Brady and Drew Brees probably guaranteeing this game gets the highest ratings of the regular season. Brady has more experience in winning the big game but the Saints have been charging hard all year and not one team has been able to top Brees’ offense to date.

Both teams have consistent, not spectacular, run games. And while each squad has shown vulnerabilities on defense this year we have to expect them to bring their “A” games to the dome on Monday Night.

NFL Picks: Pats vs. Saints – After breaking this one down, I’m making a bet on the home team New Orleans Saints laying one point. I think they will have a little more success moving the ball, and also get a couple of key stops from their defense.

Enjoy the big Monday Night Football game .

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Eagles’ Win Over Redskins Was a Moral Defeat

The Eagles ‘ win over the Redskins Sunday moved the team to 7-4 overall on the season (3-1 in the division) and firmly into the driver’s seat for one of the two NFC wild card spots.

But in reality, it was about as close to a defeat as a win could be.  

In fact, while the Redskins get credit for another moral victory for keeping the game so close, the Eagles can soundly call Sunday’s performance a moral defeat.

Bill Simmons introduced me to the idea of a moral defeat in this reader mailbag of his , where a reader from Illinois proposed:

“[What’s] a phrase for a team that plays poorly and barely wins a game that it should have won in a landslide? Why not ‘moral defeat’? It’s the exact opposite of a moral victory — an inferior team playing out of its mind and almost toppling Goliath, but being satisfied ultimately with coming so close. You say moral defeat, and everyone knows what you mean: a win so ugly it feels like a loss.”

That definition sums up the Eagles’ most recent win over the Washington Redskins perfectly.

Yes, the Eagles won by three points, came back in the fourth quarter after being down eight, and showed some heart to move to 7-4 on the season…but why were they in that position in the first place?

Well, for starters: Andy Reid, a man who has outsmarted himself countless times, may have outdone himself yet again this season by opening Sunday’s game with an onside kick.

Reid’s done this crafty move before, with mixed results.  In 2000, Reid caught the Cowboys off-guard and rolled to a 41-14 romp, perhaps signaling the impending changing of the guard in the NFC East that occurred in the early part of this decade.

Three years later, it backfired when the Cowboys’ Randall Williams (why always the Cowboys?) recovered the Eagles’ game-opening onside kick and ran it back 37 yards in three seconds for the fastest touchdown to start a game in NFL history.

And yes, I know that some NFL statistics websites (like advancednflstats.com , for example) will come out with charts or probabilities that prove a game-opening onside kick is a smart percentage play because the other team likely won’t expect such tomfoolery.

But isn’t there a point where you’re outsmarting yourself?  Maybe the other team isn’t expecting a game-opening onside kick because it’s not the logical decision? 

When you’re facing a divisional rival that you soundly beat earlier in the season with no major tricks up your sleeve, why, for the love of sweet, newborn, eight-pound Baby Jesus , would you give that team any breath of life the second time around?  

I don’t care if the ratio of recovering the surprise onside kick is above 50 percent. If the Eagles wanted the ball that badly to start the game, they could have simply elected to receive after winning the coin toss!

Instead, they found themselves down 7-0, two minutes into the game, against a suddenly potent divisional foe.

Make no mistake, the Redskins have been playing better since bringing Sherm Lewis out of the Bingo halls and into the play-calling booth, scoring a huge upset over Denver and giving Dallas the scare of a lifetime last week.  

But no one’s mistaking Jason Campbell for Peyton Manning any time soon, and with Clinton Portis still recovering from a concussion, the Redskins started a third-stringer named Rock Cartwright as their running back.

Had the Eagles simply kicked a typical kickoff to open the game, there’s no reason to believe that the Redskins’ offense would have run roughshod over the Eagles’ D.  

Instead, Reid put his players in a difficult position within the first two minutes of the game, and they had to focus on battling their way out of an early deficit.

The Eagles still looked on their way to another Raiders-esque tankjob, before Donovan McNabb rallied the troops in the fourth quarter to steal a win away from the ‘Skins.

“I was proud of him just stepping up and talking over,” Reid said. “He was into it. He said, ‘Hey, we’re scoring.'”

Reid’s lucky to have McNabb, a seasoned veteran who could corral his young team and march them down the field at a crucial time in the game.  

But the Eagles were missing a key element to their offense on that game-tying drive, as speedy receiver DeSean Jackson got knocked out with a concussion in the third quarter after scoring on a wide-open touchdown in the first quarter. With Brian Westbrook nursing himself back to health after suffering two concussions in four weeks, an injury like this to Jackson was virtually the worst-case scenario for the Eagles (besides a season-ending injury).

Overall, the Eagles may have managed to sneak out a victory on Sunday, but this game came as close to a defeat as a victory could possibly be.  Against a team they should have comfortably beaten, the Eagles sloughed their way through nearly 60 minutes of play before pulling together at the end.  

It goes down as a win in the W/L column, but does this win inspire any confidence in this Eagles team for the upcoming five weeks?

Welcome to the world of the moral defeat, Philly.

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Horrendous Play Calling Hurts Dolphins in Loss to The Bills

While the final score was 31-14, I will assure you this was not as lopsided a game as the score would lead you to believe. This game was tied in the 4th quarter but the Dolphins let it get out of hand.

In fact, the Dolphins should have blown the game open in the first half.

However, Dolphin offensive coordinator Dan Henning’s play calling was atrocious.

On their first drive of the game, the Dolphins were having success with the running game. However, with the ball on the one yard line, the Dolphins tried to throw the ball into the end zone. That was already an odd decision, but even stranger is the fact that it was Ricky Williams on the pass attempt. The pass was intercepted and no points came out of the drive.

The Dolphins had no business throwing the ball, let alone with their running back who hasn’t thrown a pass in years. It just doesn’t make sense. 

Over the course of the game, I noticed Henning decided to go with the pass when it just wasn’t necessary. There was never an issue running the ball. Sure you want to mix it up and give the defense some different looks, but in all seriousness why not run the ball until they prove they can consistently stop it?

This Bills team came into the game dead last in the league in run defense and we just abandoned it when it was working.

Another needless play call occurred when Henning decided to call a Ted Ginn reverse during a sustained Dolphins’ drive. What’s the logic in that? It pulled the team out of field goal range and prevented even more scoring opportunities.

Another questionable called occurred when the Dolphins needed desperately to get the ball away from their own endzone. What was with throwing twice? After the first failed pass to Ginn, the Dolphins should have tried to run the ball and get it out of there. Even if they didn’t get the first down, a couple of Ricky Williams carries would have given Brandon Fields some room to kick and get out of a possible safety situation.

All year, Henning has gone away from the running game and the wildcat at critical times in the game.

Some of the blame for the Dolphins’ woes this year has to go to the coordinating. If the Dolphins would have taken advantage of their opportunities to enhance their lead and put point up early, the game would’ve been much different and possibly would have ended in a Miami Dolphin victory.

Unfortunately as it has been all year, the Dolphins play calling was very suspect and the Dolphins missed an opportunity to gain ground in the wild card race, and possibly the division.

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Charged Up: Chief Blunders Mean Another Win, Can Chargers Run The Table?

So maybe Thanksgiving night was made a little less joyful by the Broncos taking down a quixotic Giants team (but I guess that’s what you can expect when Kevin Gilbride is your offensive coordinator), but I’m betting the smile came back on everyone’s face when they were reminded San Diego would face the Chiefs on Sunday.

Despite the constant warnings by the “experts” of a potential trap game (AKA “Sleeper game” or “Letdown game”), the Chargers came out firing and put the contest out of reach early.

You know it’s going good when people are still smiling moments after LaDainian Tomlinson fumbles at the goal line (LT’S BACK!!!!!!!!!! version 4.0).

A plethora of big plays from a myriad of guys today. That’s two big words in one sentence, people (thanks for my new thesaurus, grandma).

Paul Oliver on that crazy Cassel fumble, Larry English ripping a loose ball from Cassel, Malcom Floyd making a big catch at the goal line (presumably while Cassel watched), Antonio Gates , Philip River s , LT, et al.

However, the unquestioned MVP for the Chargers was Kansas City Chiefs Rudy Niswanger , whose two errant snaps meant two turnovers on a fumble and a failed fourth-down play.

He’s definitely no David Binn .

Speaking of David, he played in his 250th game for the franchise this Sunday. Seriously, give this guy a medal. He’s played here through the likes of Craig Whelihan , Moses Moreno and, yes, Ryan Leaf .

The Chiefs are so bad it defies logic.

Remember last season, when Herm Edwards was still running the show? Sure, they were just as awful, but at least they gave the Chargers a fight in both games.

Year one of KC and Denver’s  emulation of New England couldn’t be going differently, but still, they might want to ask how that process went for Cleveland and the Jets .

Or Notre Dame .

Next week, it’s off to Cleveland, where a preliminary forecast shows 38-degree temperatures under a partly cloudy sky.

It’ll be interesting to see how the Chargers adjust to the near-freezing temperatures and the Browns def—oh man, I almost got through it, I really did.

There’s no way the Chargers lose, barring a cataclysm of JaMarcus Russell -ian proportions.

Which begs the question, with six victories in a row, a manageable schedule down the stretch, and a division rival breathing down their neck, can the Chargers run the table?

Again, with all due respect to mathematicians and those “any given Sunday” guys, it’s going to be exceedingly difficult if not impossible for the Browns to beat the Chargers.

After that, it’s off to Dallas where the Cowboys are a deceiving 8-3.

I mean, other than Philadelphia and the Atlanta Falcons , they’ve beat Tampa Bay , Carolina , Kansas City , Seattle , Washington (by a whopping score of 7-6) and Oakland .

Wondering what the combined record of those teams are? 27-50.

Scary.

Cincinnati’s probably the toughest game on San Diego’s remaining schedule. The Bengals are also 8-3 and playing great football.

However, this is a classic statement game for the Bolts.

If you can’t beat a good team on your field in the regular season, how are you going to do the same in the postseason?

Tennessee has been resurgent, but they’ll probably be 7-7 by the time they face their Chargers and a very unlikely candidate for the final Wild Card spot.

Some food for thought: The Chargers are 2-0 against Vince Young .

If Cincinnati and the Broncos keep winning, then San Diego will go into their game against Washington with both tie-breakers in hand even if they lose.

That probably means you’ll see backups, but are you telling me you don’t trust Billy Volek more than Jason Campbell ?

That’s what I thought.

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Bengals-Browns: Cincinnati Runs Over Hapless Browns

The Cincinnati Bengals played the ball control game as they ran the rock down the Cleveland Browns’ throats in a 16-7 workman-like victory.

The Bengals held the ball for just over 38 minutes as they rushed for 210 yards on the ground.
 
The Browns were simply unable to stop the Bengals two-headed rushing attack of Larry Johnson and Bernard Scott. With Cedric Benson out for the second-straight game with a hip injury, the team continued to impose its will in the running game. Johnson had 22 carries for 107 yards; Scott had 87 yards on 18 carries.
 
The stellar play of the Benglas defense continued Sunday. An overmatched Brady Quinn looked awful, going 15/34 for 100 yards. That’s a 51.3 QB rating.

He threw behind several receivers. His passes too often were at the shoelaces. A couple of times, he threw downfield between two receivers—but the pass was so bad, that it was hard to know who the intended receiver was.
 
Quinn wasn’t even pressured much by the Bengals front four, but the pass coverage was once again top-notch. The linebackers were all over the field, especially Brandon Johnson, who had eight tackles. The Browns finished with only 58 yards on the ground and 169 total.
 
Overall, the Bengals’ game plan was incredibly vanilla.  They had zero trick plays and lots of runs between the tackles. No reason to empty the play book in a game like this.
 
“There are no tosses or loop-di-loop plays. It’s basically, `Line up and go after it,’ ” Johnson said.
 
Punter Kevin Huber was able to keep the ball out of Josh Cribbs’ hands on punt returns. Cribbs barely touched the ball at all. Although he did throw an 18-yard bomb to Quinn, that was the second biggest offensive play all day for the Browns.
 
The Browns defense knew what was coming but simply couldn’t do anything about it.

Carson Palmer had a pedestrian 110 yards, completing 13 of 24 passes with a touchdown. He didn’t have an exceptionally accurate day. He has gone 15-straight games without having a 300-yard passing day. He only has two TD tosses in the past four games.
 
Palmer has really adapted to the “game manager” role in this offense. He doesn’t have to do it all for the Bengals to have a chance. He continues to take care of the ball and be the leader on offense.
 
“It felt like a bad-weather game,” said Palmer. “It was just a physical, run the ball, control the field position and feed off the defense game.”
 
Past concerns did arise during the game. The team is averaging around 18 points a game minus the 45-point explosion against the Bears. The offense is settling for field goals and getting killed by penalties. An infuriating 10 penalties for 75 yards continually killed momentum on drives.
 
The main culprits were the offensive line—too many holding penalties. The pass protection was below average as well. As great as the run blocking was, the pass blocking was pretty awful. Palmer was sacked three times and hurried throughout the game.
 
Chad Ochocinco (three receptions for 38 yards) is still playing at a high level, but if teams take him away, Palmer is struggling find other receivers. It’s partly because they are not getting open, and also because he is getting hit before he can get to that second or third read.
 
So what does it all mean?

Well 8-3 is 8-3. A perfect 6-0 divisional sweep for the first time in franchise history is a tremendous achievement. But there are still things that need to be cleaned up.
 
CBS Sports analyst Boomer Esiason said it perfectly after the game. Maybe it’s a good thing that the Bengals haven’t hit on all cylinders yet. They are doing what needs to be done in order to win the game.

Maybe they’re saving the best for December and January.
 
“If we can run the football and play good defense, I can drive into the stadium pretty confident most days, and that’s a good feeling,” coach Marvin Lewis said. “I think we are at that point.”

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Minnesota Vikings Dominance Hands Chicago Bears a Large Dose Of Reality

 

MINNEAPOLIS — The best thing you could say about the Bears after Sunday’s 36-10 loss to the Minnesota Vikings was coach Lovie Smith didn’t fill the air with ridiculous ideas about winning out and going 9-7 like Arizona did last year to make the Super Bowl.

Brett Favre and the Minnesota Vikings all but eliminated the Bears from any type of wild card pursuit with a machine-like 537 yards of offense and 31 first downs.

The Vikings were so impressive that even two more Jay Cutler interceptions, for a personal worst 20 on the season, seemed like just a couple more logs on a bonfire.

The Bears’ defense was beaten so badly that they gave up more yards than in any game since Lovie Smith became coach. They gave up more yards than any game Dick Jauron coached. They gave up more yards than in any game Dave Wannstedt coached. They hadn’t given up that many yards since Mike Ditka’s first year, a Dec. 26, 1982 loss to the Los Angeles Rams (583 yards).

“It’s tough. It’s tough with as good of a football team that I think we have in here, to go out and week after week not live up to our own expectations,” Cutler said in the locker room after going 18-for-23 for 147 yards, including his first touchdown to a wide receiver since Oct. 25.

Expectations Sunday from those outside the locker room were greatly diminished after the Bears had lost five of the previous six.

They didn’t disappoint in this regard.

“We weren’t effective at all,” said linebacker Lance Briggs, who suffered a knee sprain and had to leave the game.

The Bears chose the lesser of two poisons by trying to stop Adrian Peterson (85 yards, 25 carries), but quarterback Brett Favre showed he can still administer punishment at age 40 by completing 32-of-48 for a season-high 392 yards and three touchdowns.

“They didn’t run the ball very well, I don’t think,” said defensive end Alex Brown, after the Bears held Peterson to his lowest total in five games against them. “Brett Favre, it’s weird when you go into a game and you want to stop Adrian and you say, ‘We’ll take our chances and see if Brett Favre can beat us.’ He did.

“He threw for a bunch of yards today, he threw for some touchdowns. He’s good. He’s a Hall of Famer. That’s a good team out there. They have a lot of weapons. They built a very strong team. We didn’t measure up.”

Reality has set in for the Bears. They won’t cash it in and start experimenting, although they did do a bit of this to some extent by starting Frank Omiyale again at left guard instead of Josh Beekman. Omiyale is bigger and generally regarded as a stronger pass blocker.

The line did protect Cutler fairly well until the game got out of hand, but they did nothing in the run game again and for the sixth time in seven games, Matt Forte failed to rush for more than 41 yards. He had 27.

Even with better blocking for Cutler, he threw interceptions. Even if it probably didn’t impact what eventually happened, Cutler’s first interception was just one more end zone disaster.

He underthrew Knox greatly and Cedric Griffin had an easy pick to prevent the Bears from pulling within 17-14 or 17-10.

“The one he threw in the end zone that was picked, we had a run called,” offensive coordinator Ron Turner said. “It was a bad (defensive) look for us, so he audibled (to a pass).

“The corner bailed out. He’s (Cutler) just got to get (the ball) out there more.”

Turner jumped to Cutler’s defense by pointing out he had little to do with the second interception, which was tipped and wound up in Jared Allen’s hands.

The Bears had another chance to start the second half after Johnny Knox returned a kickoff 77 yards to the Vikings’ 8. They wound up going backward 13 yards and kicking a field goal.

“On second down we call a pass play and his primary receiver that he’s looking for, he ran the wrong route,” said Turner, who wouldn’t identify the primary target. “So (Cutler) is looking for a guy who is supposed to be there who would have been wide open. He’s not there so then he (Cutler) gets sacked.

“It’s a matter of us executing better and giving him an opportunity. When you give him an opportunity, he’s a hell of a player. But we’ve got to give him a chance on each and every play. we didn’t do that today.”

At this point, the excuses are getting repetitive, whether some are legitimate or not.

The Bears have the St. Louis Rams coming up and facing a dome team in December cold at Soldier Field is normally an opportunity they cherish.

“We’ve got to go back and just get one win and build on it from there,” Brown said.

They’ve been saying this six of the past seven weeks, the most losses they’ve had in any seven-game stretch since Smith became head coach and the most by any Bears team over seven games since 2002.

So even a struggling dome team playing outdoors can’t be overlooked.

 

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