The NFL is Poop - Week 6

How To Blow a Game: Turn the Ball Over
At halftime the San Diego Chargers had a comfortable 24-0 lead over the Denver Broncos. Their second half possessions were as follows: fumble, 3 and out, interception, interception, interception, fumble. Two of those turnovers were returned for touchdowns and a third set up a touchdown. Denver scored 35 points and won easily.

How To Blow a Game: Don’t Tackle
With an 8-point lead and 5 minutes to go the Baltimore Ravens switched to a softer defense, like most teams do. But when they got Dallas backed up on 3rd and 27 thanks to two penalties is when they made the key mistake. Dez Bryant caught a short pass and was nearly stopped after a 7-yard gain, but the Ravens missed three tackles, the last one from Ed Reed who came flying in, arms down and hit Bryant with a shoulder. Bryant bounced off, ran for 10 more yards, set up 4th and 10 which Dallas converted. The Ravens hung on to win because Bryant dropped the 2-point conversion, and…

How to Blow a Game: Poor Clock Management
After all that, the Cowboys were down 31-29 with 32 seconds left. They recovered the onside kick and got a pass interference penalty for 20 yards. They still had a timeout left, so they should have looked for sideline routes, which would have left the middle open for a medium-sized gain. Instead they threw a short pass to Bryant for 1 yard, and couldn’t get another play off. The kicker miss a 51-yard game-winner.

Is This the End?
But neither of those late-game atrocities was the saddest thing to happen in Baltimore. Ray Lewis tore his triceps and is out for the season. He may never play again. I don’t want to eulogize his career because I don’t think he will retire. Lewis is not the type of guy to go out like this. If he does I will be sure to give his career a separate post with all my thoughts and memories about him. He is clearly one of the best players in NFL history, at any position, and one of the greatest leaders.

The Pack is Back
That’s the Aaron Rodgers we’ve been waiting for. Six touchdown passes, 2 from more than 40 yards, 338 yards, 14 yards per completion. Not sure why the Packers haven’t been able to do that so far this season, and I’m not sure if they will be able to keep it up but it was a pretty impressive display. And it came against a pretty good defense. Or at least that’s what I keep hearing on TV. The praise for JJ Watt has been a little out of hand. I’m glad that now we can get back to the excessive praise for Aaron Rodgers.

Sometimes Mediocre is Good Enough
The entire AFC East is tied for first, and last at 3-3. The Jets with their horrible offense and quarterback problems, the Dolphins with their rookie quarterback and the Bills with the worst defense in football. All those teams are tied with the Patriots. I still think the Patriots will win this division but there is certainly something troubling about the way they have lost close games, to average teams like Arizona and Seattle.

Game of the Week
Seattle Seahawks 24 New England Patriots 23

Russell Wilson is the black Tim Tebow. Obviously, he's better, can actually throw the ball. But with this comeback, and the really miraculous undeserved one against the Packers, Wilson is starting to develop some magical appeal. I still think the Seahawks stink, but their defense is better than I thought, especially their big corners. And their receivers, Rice and Baldwin, who I thought would struggle with a rookie QB, are actually doing quite well.

Game of Next Week
Baltimore Ravens at Houston Texans
The Texans need to bounce back from their first loss of the season. And the Ravens need to prove they can play defense without Ray Lewis, Lardarrius Webb and perhaps even Haloti Ngata.

A Brief Rant About the Redskins
The first quarter and the first 11 minutes of the 4th quarter were horrible. But everything else was great. To start the game, the Redskins had allowed 9 points (thanks to red zone defense) and gained only 7 yards. But then they finally woke up offensively, got a couple of turnovers and built a 31-12 lead. And stopped playing. They allowed a touchdown drive, 2-point conversion, 3 and out, touchdown and missed 2-pointer. And remember, almost no time was wasted during all this. So then the Redskins were backed up at their own 24, on 3rd and 6, with more than three minutes to go. If the Redskins don't get this first down, they could easily lose this game and blow a 19 point lead.
But that's why you get Robert Griffin III. That's why you trade up a million draft picks to get him. That's why you pay him millions of dollars. That's why you keep him healthy. He is a transformational talent who has the ability to cover up all other mistakes by making one great play.
And that's why I have so much hope and optimism for the future of the franchise.

Picture of the Week
Reggie Bush gets upended

If The Super Bowl Were Played Today
Atlanta Falcons 23 Houston Texans 20
Not very impressed with any of the teams right now. But these two have to stay here because 49ers, Cardinals and Vikings all lost, which gives Falcons a 1 1/2 game lead (over Bears) in the conference. And Houston and Baltimore are tied with 5-1 records (2 games over the field) but the Ravens had some big injuries and Texans only lost Cushing.