WASHINGTON — I know we’re almost a week removed from Thanksgiving…but
‘tis the season to give thanks, right?
As is customary for the NFL Recap, the week beginning with the Thanksgiving
games is a time to appreciate the best of what we’ve seen over the course of
the season to date. Here’s a few of mine:
Crazy divisions
Two in particular: First, the AFC North, which is the first division ever to
have all of its teams at least three games over .500 11 games into the season.
You can thank their collective 11-1-2 record against the NFC South for that
gem.
Meanwhile, the aforementioned (and blatantly awful) NFC South is so top-to-
bottom bad, that their last place team (Tampa Bay) is in rare air: they
entered Week 13 just two games out of the division lead — and thus, still a
threat to host a playoff game — and simultaneously only one game away from
holding the worst record in the league, entitling them to the first overall
pick in the upcoming draft. Any way the NFL would contract an entire division?
Odell Beckham, Jr.
I simply can’t get enough of this catch.
The end of the RGIII Era in Washington
As
I said in the wake of his benching, Robert Griffin III has spent the 2014
season proving he’s not the long term answer at quarterback. His attitude, his
play, and his lack of durability have all rapidly worn out his welcome in D.C.
just a year or so after being the most celebrated athlete in town. The sooner
this divorce happens, the better off everyone is.
J.J. Watt
Sunday, this dude had his second game in three weeks with a forced fumble,
fumble recovery, and TD reception. No other player has had such a performance
in the last 5 seasons.
This season, Watt has three touchdown receptions on offense, 11.5 sacks and
two more scores on defense, and a blocked kick on special teams. Not to
mention stories like this
one remind us he’s one of the nicest guys in the league. At a time when
awful topics like domestic violence and locker room drama dominate the off-
field narrative, it’s refreshing to have a guy like Watt around.
Now for the Week 13 recap. You’ll thank me later (unless you’re a ‘Skins fan.)
Bears 17
Lions 34
The exploits of Megatron and Stafford are definitely impressive, but Detroit
has won back-to-back Thanksgiving games for the first time since the turn of
the century because of its defense. It’ll be fun to see how far that unit can
carry the Lions in the playoffs.
Eagles 33
Cowboys 10
Philly (now 6-0 all-time on Thanksgiving) is almost unstoppable on offense
with Mark Sanchez running the read option. Meanwhile, Tony Romo (whose streak
of 38 consecutive games with a TD pass was snapped) looked beat up just in
time for Dallas’ December swoon. This is now the Eagles’ division to lose.
Seahawks 19
49ers 3
This was more than a statement game; it was more like an elimination game.
Seattle owns Colin Kaepernick and suddenly has the
inside track toward an NFC wild card spot — and maybe even stealing the
division from Arizona.
Redskins 27
Colts 49
Andrew Luck could’ve played Madden on rookie level and not lit up a secondary
like he did the Redskins’ on Sunday. Colt McCoy, RG3, Sammy Baugh…no
quarterback can win with a matador defense like that.
Chargers 34
Ravens 33
San Diego solidified their wild card spot by scoring 21 points in the fourth
quarter to hand Baltimore their first home loss to a west coast opponent. This
will one will haunt the Ravens like Annabelle Lee.
Titans 21
Texans 45
Here’s the list of NFL QBs with 6 TD performances this year: Aaron Rodgers,
Ben Roethlisberger (twice), and Ryan Fitzpatrick. I know one of these is not
like the others…but it just proves we can’t underestimate the power of a good shave and a great education.
Browns 10
Bills 26
Nothing like the combination of Brian Hoyer’s limp right arm and Donte Whitner’s big fat mouth to screw up Mike
Pettine’s return to Buffalo. It looks like Johnny Football’s time to put aside
off-field fisticuffs and start kicking ass on the field.
Giants 21
Jaguars 22
Pretty ironic that New York’s first seven-game losing streak in a decade
spills into Jacksonville, where Tom Coughlin’s head coaching career began.
Super Bowls or not, everything must go in Gotham.
Bengals 14
Bucs 13
Just think…the play on the field was only the second nastiest thing about this game.
Raiders 0
Rams 52
How bad is Oakland? “The Greatest Show on Turf” Rams never scored more than 35
points in a half…yet this St. Louis squad took a 38-0 lead to halftime,
putting the Raiders in their largest halftime hole in team history — en route
to their worst shutout loss since 1962.
Saints 35
Steelers 32
This was the Saints’ first win in Pittsburgh since 1987. To put that in
perspective, that’s the same year Sean Payton played replacement quarterback
for the Bears during the strike.
Speaking of the da Bears…it’s good to see the Ryans’
endearing trait of pissing off the boss hasn’t skipped a generation.
Panthers 13
Vikings 31
Minnesota hadn’t blocked a punt and run it back for a score in 28 years…so
they made sure to do it twice while they were there. Basically, the Vikings
got seconds on Thanksgiving weekend. Imagine that.
Cardinals 18
Falcons 29
The Cards keep getting dealt key injuries and Drew Stanton is quickly
turning into…Drew Stanton. If this persists, Arizona is going to miss out on
a division title.
Patriots 21
Packers 26
In what many saw as a Super Bowl preview, Aaron Rodgers posted his 6th
straight home game with multiple TD passes and no interceptions–something
only Peyton Manning has matched in the Super Bowl Era.
Meanwhile, Tom Brady posted his first profanity-laced tantrum since Week 4. Tis
the season.
Broncos 29
Chiefs 16
Peyton Manning (now 6-0 against the Chiefs since coming to Denver) is right to
think C.J. Anderson kicks the Broncos offense up a notch. If Anderson keeps up
this level of play, Denver’s Super Bowl hopes kick up several notches as well.
Dolphins 16
Jets 13
Worst…Monday Nighter…of the year.
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