Week Sixteen has arrived and is already getting underway. As is usual around now in the National Football League, the playoff picture starts getting a little muddled. So that's where we come in and help out. Here is what the playoff clinching scenarios for this week. It will be a little confusing I know, but please hang in there. It will be easy to figure out. So here's what the clinching possibilities are for week sixteen.
AFC
CLINCHED: New England – AFC East and first-round bye; Oakland – playoff berth
NEW ENGLAND PATRIOTS (vs. New York Jets Saturday)
New England clinches home-field advantage throughout AFC playoffs if the following happens:
-NE win + OAK loss or tie OR
-NE tie + OAK loss
OAKLAND RAIDERS (vs. Indianapolis, Saturday)
Oakland clinches AFC West division title and a first-round bye if the following happens:
-OAK win + KC loss or tie OR
-OAK tie + KC loss
PITTSBURGH STEELERS (vs. Baltimore, Sunday)
Pittsburgh clinches AFC North division title if the following happens:
-PIT win
KANSAS CITY CHIEFS (vs. Denver, Sunday night)
Kansas City clinches a playoff berth if the following happens:
-KC win or tie OR
-BAL loss or tie
HOUSTON TEXANS (vs. Cincinnati, Saturday night)
Houston clinches AFC South division title if the following happens:
-HOU win + TEN loss
MIAMI DOLPHINS (at Buffalo, Saturday)
Miami clinches a playoff berth if the following happens:
-MIA win + DEN loss or tie OR
-MIA tie + BAL loss + DEN loss + HOU loss or tie OR
-MIA tie + BAL loss + DEN loss + TEN loss or tie
NFC
CLINCHED: Dallas – playoff berth; Seattle – NFC West
DALLAS COWBOYS (vs. Detroit, Monday night)
Dallas clinches NFC East division title and home-field advantage throughout NFC playoffs if the following happens:
-DAL win or tie OR
-NYG loss or tie
SEATTLE SEAHAWKS (vs. Arizona, Saturday)
Seattle clinches a first-round bye if the following happens:
-SEA win + DET loss + ATL loss or tie
NEW YORK GIANTS (at Philadelphia, Thursday night)
New York clinches a playoff berth if the following happens:
-NYG win or tie OR
-DET loss or tie OR
-GB loss or tie OR
-TB loss or tie OR
-ATL loss
DETROIT LIONS (at Dallas, Monday night)
Detroit clinches NFC North division title if the following happens:
-DET win + GB loss or tie OR
-DET tie + GB loss
Detroit clinches a playoff berth if the following happens:
-DET win + TB loss or tie OR
-DET tie + TB loss OR
-DET tie + TB tie + ATL win OR
-WAS loss or tie + TB loss + ATL win or tie
ATLANTA FALCONS (at Carolina, Saturday)
Atlanta clinches NFC South division title if the following happens:
-ATL win + TB loss or tie OR
-ATL tie + TB loss
Atlanta clinches a playoff berth if the following happens:
-ATL win + ATL clinches strength of victory tiebreaker over DET OR
-ATL win or tie + GB loss or tie OR
-ATL win + DET loss or tie OR
-ATL tie + DET tie OR
-WAS loss or tie + GB loss OR
-WAS loss or tie + GB tie + DET loss
GREEN BAY PACKERS (vs. Minnesota, Saturday)
Green Bay clinches a playoff berth if the following happens:
-GB win + WAS loss or tie + TB loss + ATL win or tie + GB clinches strength of victory tiebreaker over TB
TAMPA BAY BUCCANEERS (at New Orleans Saturday)
Tampa Bay clinches a playoff berth if the following happens:
-TB win + GB loss + DET loss + WAS loss OR
-TB win + GB loss + DET loss + WAS tie + TB clinches strength of victory tiebreaker over DET
Friday, December 23, 2016
Wednesday, December 21, 2016
Best & Worst Of NFL Week Fifteen
Week Fifteen is in the books in the National Football League. During this past week, teams and players really stepped up big as the playoffs inch their way closer. Case in point, the Oakland Raiders clinched a playoff spot for the first time since 2002. And at the other end of the scale, we have the Minnesota Vikings, who may have just played themselves right out of the playoffs with a loss to the Colts. And Indy is still alive in the AFC South race, because Houston decides to bench its starting quarterback, of all people, in a game that they needed to stay alive in the hunt for another playoff birth and possible division crown. We've not only got the Rams looking for a new head coach for next year, Jacksonville can be added to that list as well after firing their coach after this latest loss Sunday. New Orleans pulled out a tight one in a high scoring affair with Arizona, Cleveland is still winless and Kansas City got upended at home. All in all, it was a very exciting week around the league. Here's some of the best and worst from the week that was in the NFL.
Best:
Oakland Raiders
Raiders fans rejoice! It's been quite a while since the Oakland Raiders made the playoffs. Oakland ended the drought this week, thanks to a 19-16 win over San Diego, the Raiders clinched a playoff spot for the first time since 2002! This week, Derek Carr lead the Raiders to a big fourth quarter comeback win in San Diego, leading a big drive to come away with the win. Its the first playoff appearance for the Raiders since 2002, a year in which the Raiders also won the division. Thanks to a Kansas City surprising loss to Tennessee, the Raiders took over first place in the West. They play Indy and Denver over the final two games, so its not out of the relm of possibility that Oakland can win the division.
Worst:
New York Jets
This team is just plain bad. They aren't Cleveland Browns level bad, but they are bad. The Jets get blasted by Miami, to the tune of a 34-13 Dolphins win. Jarvis Landry had three catches for 108 yards and a touchdown, which shows how truly bad the Jets secondary has been this year. New York threw three picks, they lost two fumbles, the quarterbacks were sacked three times. It was a truly horrible game to watch.
Best:
Carson Palmer, Quarterback Arizona Cardinals
Arizona at this point in the season, almost seems like they might be out of playoff contention. But don't tell Carson Palmer that, who showed flashes of his 2015 self this week. He was a force to be reckoned with on Sunday's 48-41 loss to the Saints. Sure it was all on the defense, who let up 48 points to the Saints, but Palmer did everything he could in this ball game to help try and get his team a win. Palmer was excellent, completing 70 percent of his passes, going 28 of 40 for 318 yards and a pair of touchdowns. Hell if anything, he was short-changed by those numbers because three drops from his receivers cost him at least 67 yards (plus ample run-after-catch opportunity). Palmer really was in a great groove on Sunday, I just almost feel bad for him because he wasn't able to get the win on Sunday because of that defense.
Worst:
Carson Wentz, Quarterback Philadelphia Eagles
Well, goopd things can't always last forever can they? What you saw from Wentz at the start of the year may have been a blip on the screen, because he hasn't been really seen steadily since. Wentz performance in the Eagles 27-26 loss to Baltimore may have been the worst game of his season so far. Wentz completed just 52.4 percent of his passes, and while for the season, his passer rating when pressured drops into the 30s from one in the 90s when kept clean, in this game it plummeted to just 8.3 when the heat was applied, and he completed passes for just 24 yards on those plays. He finished the day going 22 of 42 for 170 yards and a pick. Games like this make the highs of his season seem a long way away.
Best:
Ty Montgomery, Running Back Green Bay Packers
Talk about a guy really coming into his own. That's what happened to Ty Montgomery this week, in Green Bay's 30-27 win over the Bears/ Up until that point, he hadn't really gotten much of a worklaod, but due to injuries, he did get his shot and he went wild with it. Montgomery rushed for 162 yards on 16 carries, which was good enough for the best rushing numbers of any running back in the league this week. Now out of those 162 rushing yards, 160 of them came after first contact, and he broke seven tackles to get that far. Montgomery looked like a legitimate running back in the win for the Packers. Green Bay has been known for having a solid running game in their history, but Eddy Lacy hasn't shown that the last couple of years, due to injuries. Now they may have something with Montgomery in the backfield. If that's the case, the Detroit Lions better watch out, because Green Bay is coming for them and the division title.
Worst:
Kenneth Farrow, Running Back San Diego Chargers
Sometimes filling in for a star player, or even a really good player, can be a hard thing to do. Having to replace an injured Melvin Gordon is going to be a tough ask, and Kenneth Farrow drew that task this week in the Chargers 19-16 loss to the Raiders. Sure, Farrow did have a couple of nice flashes, he finished with 15 carries for 39 yards, he committed the cardinal sin for a running back. Farrow put the ball on the ground, not once but twice. As both a receiver and a running back, Farrow coughed up a fumble, and ended the game with just 53 yards from scrimmage on 17 touches. By contrast, Ronnie Hillman, a perennial cast-off at running back by this point, gained 34 rushing yards on just seven carries.
Best:
Brandin Cooks, Wide Receiver New Orleans Saints
One thing that the New Orleans Saints have had to deal with all year is the fact that they haven't had a true number one wide receiver all year. Going into Sunday's 48-41 win over the Cardinals, it made things interesting for Cards Patrick Petterson, as he had no one guy to cover. Since there was a mixed bag of defenders going against any one receiver, Bradin Cooks had the most success. He finished the day with seven catches for 186 yards and two touchdowns. Oh yeah, he managed to do this while being targeted eight times in this game.. He beat five different players for catches, including Peterson, although just 10 of the yards and one catch came against Arizona’s best coverage defender. You sir, had yourself one hell of a day.
Worst:
Denver Broncos Running Game
Part of the reason the Broncos were able to win the Super Bowl last year is because they had a top tier goalie to make up for not having a solid running game come playoff time. This year, they don't have that top tier quarterback, which is now starting to hurt them since they don't have much of a running game. It showed in the Broncos 16-3 loss to the Patriots. Trevor Siemian had to threw the ball 40 times. That's because the Broncos as a team rushed the ball just 17 times, gaining 58 yards. This isn’t a one-time thing, either. Last weekend, the Broncos had nine rushing attempts for just 18 yards against Tennessee. Both the Patriots and Titans feature top run defenses, something that is commonplace among most playoff contenders. Denver has now lost three of its last four and four of its last six games.
Best:
Devonta Freeman, Running Back Atlanta Falcons
He was in quite a groove on Sunday in the Falcons 41-13 win over the 49ers. Freeman was in one fantastic groove against San Fran. He finished the day with 20 carries for 139 yards and three touchdowns. Sure, he did fumble the ball once, it was the first time he fumbled the ball all season, and it came in the red zone no less, which is a little bit of a scary thought. But at the same time, when you look at the numbers that Freeman put up last week, he had six yards on six carries for the Falcons, and then you look at the numbers he put up this week, it's a nice bounce back week for one of the better running backs in the league. Welcome back Devonta!
Worst:
Tyrell Williams, Wide Receiver San Diego Chargers
Williams had a rough go of it this week when they fell 19-16 to the Raiders. Williams was targeted eight times by Philip Rivers and caught just four of them for 20 yards. As if that wasn’t bad enough, he dropped three, for significantly more yards than the four passes he managed to bring in. San Diego has had some big games from Williams this season, but this represents one of the worst performances of his season, and the second time this season he has been held to 20 yards or lower.
Best:
Oakland Raiders
Raiders fans rejoice! It's been quite a while since the Oakland Raiders made the playoffs. Oakland ended the drought this week, thanks to a 19-16 win over San Diego, the Raiders clinched a playoff spot for the first time since 2002! This week, Derek Carr lead the Raiders to a big fourth quarter comeback win in San Diego, leading a big drive to come away with the win. Its the first playoff appearance for the Raiders since 2002, a year in which the Raiders also won the division. Thanks to a Kansas City surprising loss to Tennessee, the Raiders took over first place in the West. They play Indy and Denver over the final two games, so its not out of the relm of possibility that Oakland can win the division.
Worst:
New York Jets
This team is just plain bad. They aren't Cleveland Browns level bad, but they are bad. The Jets get blasted by Miami, to the tune of a 34-13 Dolphins win. Jarvis Landry had three catches for 108 yards and a touchdown, which shows how truly bad the Jets secondary has been this year. New York threw three picks, they lost two fumbles, the quarterbacks were sacked three times. It was a truly horrible game to watch.
Best:
Carson Palmer, Quarterback Arizona Cardinals
Arizona at this point in the season, almost seems like they might be out of playoff contention. But don't tell Carson Palmer that, who showed flashes of his 2015 self this week. He was a force to be reckoned with on Sunday's 48-41 loss to the Saints. Sure it was all on the defense, who let up 48 points to the Saints, but Palmer did everything he could in this ball game to help try and get his team a win. Palmer was excellent, completing 70 percent of his passes, going 28 of 40 for 318 yards and a pair of touchdowns. Hell if anything, he was short-changed by those numbers because three drops from his receivers cost him at least 67 yards (plus ample run-after-catch opportunity). Palmer really was in a great groove on Sunday, I just almost feel bad for him because he wasn't able to get the win on Sunday because of that defense.
Worst:
Carson Wentz, Quarterback Philadelphia Eagles
Well, goopd things can't always last forever can they? What you saw from Wentz at the start of the year may have been a blip on the screen, because he hasn't been really seen steadily since. Wentz performance in the Eagles 27-26 loss to Baltimore may have been the worst game of his season so far. Wentz completed just 52.4 percent of his passes, and while for the season, his passer rating when pressured drops into the 30s from one in the 90s when kept clean, in this game it plummeted to just 8.3 when the heat was applied, and he completed passes for just 24 yards on those plays. He finished the day going 22 of 42 for 170 yards and a pick. Games like this make the highs of his season seem a long way away.
Best:
Ty Montgomery, Running Back Green Bay Packers
Talk about a guy really coming into his own. That's what happened to Ty Montgomery this week, in Green Bay's 30-27 win over the Bears/ Up until that point, he hadn't really gotten much of a worklaod, but due to injuries, he did get his shot and he went wild with it. Montgomery rushed for 162 yards on 16 carries, which was good enough for the best rushing numbers of any running back in the league this week. Now out of those 162 rushing yards, 160 of them came after first contact, and he broke seven tackles to get that far. Montgomery looked like a legitimate running back in the win for the Packers. Green Bay has been known for having a solid running game in their history, but Eddy Lacy hasn't shown that the last couple of years, due to injuries. Now they may have something with Montgomery in the backfield. If that's the case, the Detroit Lions better watch out, because Green Bay is coming for them and the division title.
Worst:
Kenneth Farrow, Running Back San Diego Chargers
Sometimes filling in for a star player, or even a really good player, can be a hard thing to do. Having to replace an injured Melvin Gordon is going to be a tough ask, and Kenneth Farrow drew that task this week in the Chargers 19-16 loss to the Raiders. Sure, Farrow did have a couple of nice flashes, he finished with 15 carries for 39 yards, he committed the cardinal sin for a running back. Farrow put the ball on the ground, not once but twice. As both a receiver and a running back, Farrow coughed up a fumble, and ended the game with just 53 yards from scrimmage on 17 touches. By contrast, Ronnie Hillman, a perennial cast-off at running back by this point, gained 34 rushing yards on just seven carries.
Best:
Brandin Cooks, Wide Receiver New Orleans Saints
One thing that the New Orleans Saints have had to deal with all year is the fact that they haven't had a true number one wide receiver all year. Going into Sunday's 48-41 win over the Cardinals, it made things interesting for Cards Patrick Petterson, as he had no one guy to cover. Since there was a mixed bag of defenders going against any one receiver, Bradin Cooks had the most success. He finished the day with seven catches for 186 yards and two touchdowns. Oh yeah, he managed to do this while being targeted eight times in this game.. He beat five different players for catches, including Peterson, although just 10 of the yards and one catch came against Arizona’s best coverage defender. You sir, had yourself one hell of a day.
Worst:
Denver Broncos Running Game
Part of the reason the Broncos were able to win the Super Bowl last year is because they had a top tier goalie to make up for not having a solid running game come playoff time. This year, they don't have that top tier quarterback, which is now starting to hurt them since they don't have much of a running game. It showed in the Broncos 16-3 loss to the Patriots. Trevor Siemian had to threw the ball 40 times. That's because the Broncos as a team rushed the ball just 17 times, gaining 58 yards. This isn’t a one-time thing, either. Last weekend, the Broncos had nine rushing attempts for just 18 yards against Tennessee. Both the Patriots and Titans feature top run defenses, something that is commonplace among most playoff contenders. Denver has now lost three of its last four and four of its last six games.
Best:
Devonta Freeman, Running Back Atlanta Falcons
He was in quite a groove on Sunday in the Falcons 41-13 win over the 49ers. Freeman was in one fantastic groove against San Fran. He finished the day with 20 carries for 139 yards and three touchdowns. Sure, he did fumble the ball once, it was the first time he fumbled the ball all season, and it came in the red zone no less, which is a little bit of a scary thought. But at the same time, when you look at the numbers that Freeman put up last week, he had six yards on six carries for the Falcons, and then you look at the numbers he put up this week, it's a nice bounce back week for one of the better running backs in the league. Welcome back Devonta!
Worst:
Tyrell Williams, Wide Receiver San Diego Chargers
Williams had a rough go of it this week when they fell 19-16 to the Raiders. Williams was targeted eight times by Philip Rivers and caught just four of them for 20 yards. As if that wasn’t bad enough, he dropped three, for significantly more yards than the four passes he managed to bring in. San Diego has had some big games from Williams this season, but this represents one of the worst performances of his season, and the second time this season he has been held to 20 yards or lower.
Friday, December 16, 2016
Playoff Clinching Scenarios Week Fifteen
Well here we go again. We are at week fifteen in the National Football League season. With the playoffs getting closer and closer, its getting tighter to figure out who's going to clinch what as far as playoff spots go. We are here to help. The following are all the possible playoff clinching scenarios for week fifteen.
NEW ENGLAND PATRIOTS (at Denver Sunday)
New England clinches AFC East division if the following happens:
-NE win or tie OR
-MIA loss or tie
New England clinches a first-round bye if the following happens:
-NE win or tie OR
-MIA loss or tie + PIT loss or tie
-MIA loss or tie + KC win
KANSAS CITY CHIEFS (vs. Tennessee Sunday)
Kansas City clinches a playoff berth if the following happens:
-KC win OR
-KC tie + MIA loss OR
-KC tie + DEN loss or tie OR
-DEN loss + BAL loss or tie OR
-DEN loss + PIT loss or tie
OAKLAND RAIDERS (at San Diego Sunday)
Oakland clinches a playoff berth if the following happens:
-OAK win OR
-OAK tie + MIA loss OR
-OAK tie + DEN loss OR
-OAK tie + MIA tie + DEN tie OR
-OAK tie + MIA tie + KC win OR
-MIA loss + PIT loss or tie + DEN loss OR
-MIA loss + PIT loss or tie + KC win or tie OR
-MIA loss + BAL loss or tie + DEN loss OR
-MIA loss + BAL loss or tie + KC win or tie
DALLAS COWBOYS (vs. Tampa Bay Sunday night) -Clinched a Playoff Birth
Dallas clinches NFC East division and a first-round bye if the following happens:
-DAL win + NYG loss or tie OR
-DAL tie + NYG loss
Dallas clinches home-field advantage throughout NFC playoffs if the following happens:
-DAL win + NYG/DET tie
DETROIT LIONS (at New York Giants Sunday)
Detroit clinches NFC North division if the following happens:
-DET win + GB loss or tie OR
-DET tie + GB loss + MIN loss or tie
NEW YORK GIANTS (vs. Detroit Sunday)
New York clinches a playoff berth if the following happens:
-Giants win + WAS loss + MIN loss or tie + GB loss or tie
SEATTLE SEAHAWKS (vs. Los Angeles Thursday night)
Seattle clinched NFC West division with 24-3 win
NEW ENGLAND PATRIOTS (at Denver Sunday)
New England clinches AFC East division if the following happens:
-NE win or tie OR
-MIA loss or tie
New England clinches a first-round bye if the following happens:
-NE win or tie OR
-MIA loss or tie + PIT loss or tie
-MIA loss or tie + KC win
KANSAS CITY CHIEFS (vs. Tennessee Sunday)
Kansas City clinches a playoff berth if the following happens:
-KC win OR
-KC tie + MIA loss OR
-KC tie + DEN loss or tie OR
-DEN loss + BAL loss or tie OR
-DEN loss + PIT loss or tie
OAKLAND RAIDERS (at San Diego Sunday)
Oakland clinches a playoff berth if the following happens:
-OAK win OR
-OAK tie + MIA loss OR
-OAK tie + DEN loss OR
-OAK tie + MIA tie + DEN tie OR
-OAK tie + MIA tie + KC win OR
-MIA loss + PIT loss or tie + DEN loss OR
-MIA loss + PIT loss or tie + KC win or tie OR
-MIA loss + BAL loss or tie + DEN loss OR
-MIA loss + BAL loss or tie + KC win or tie
DALLAS COWBOYS (vs. Tampa Bay Sunday night) -Clinched a Playoff Birth
Dallas clinches NFC East division and a first-round bye if the following happens:
-DAL win + NYG loss or tie OR
-DAL tie + NYG loss
Dallas clinches home-field advantage throughout NFC playoffs if the following happens:
-DAL win + NYG/DET tie
DETROIT LIONS (at New York Giants Sunday)
Detroit clinches NFC North division if the following happens:
-DET win + GB loss or tie OR
-DET tie + GB loss + MIN loss or tie
NEW YORK GIANTS (vs. Detroit Sunday)
New York clinches a playoff berth if the following happens:
-Giants win + WAS loss + MIN loss or tie + GB loss or tie
SEATTLE SEAHAWKS (vs. Los Angeles Thursday night)
Seattle clinched NFC West division with 24-3 win
Wednesday, December 14, 2016
Best & Worst Of NFL Week Fourteen
Well, well, well, here we sit once again. We are through week fourteen in the National Football League and the playoff picture gets tighter and tighter week by week. Some teams showed they can handle it well, like the Steelers and Lions. Then there are others, like Andrew Luck of the Colts, who had a little bit of trouble getting a handle on things. And there was plenty of other excitement to go around. Jets went to overtime in a big comeback win, Dallas winning streak came to an end, the Rams got blown out and ended up firing their coach. Plenty to talk about from the week that was in the NFL, so here's a look back at some of the best and worst from this week.
Best:
Le'Veon Bell, Running Back Pittsburgh Steelers
Talk about having yourself a day. Pittsburgh took on the Buffalo Bills in a snow covered game in Pittsburgh. Ben Roethlisberger wasn't as his best in this football game. That's OK because Le'Veon Bell more than made up for it. Bell had himself a memorable day, rushing the ball 38 times for 236 yards and three touchdowns Oh yeah, he also added four catches for 68 yards. Those numbers combined for 298 yards from scrimmage for Bell, an insane number. While almost single-handedly leading the Steelers to victory over the Bills, Bell’s 236 yards set a team record while his three rushing scores tied another franchise mark. He has now rushed for more than 100 yards in four straight and has caught at least four passes in every game he’s played in this season. You could say that he was in a good groove on Sunday, and you'd be right.
Worst:
San Francisco 49ers
Its been a rough go of it for football fans in the Bay Area this year. The 49ers’ dropped their 12th consecutive game on Sunday, falling 23-17 in Overtime to the Jets. After building a 17-3 halftime lead, San Francisco was shutout the entire second-half, while the Jets scored 23-unanswered and walked away with just their fourth win of the season. Two-missed field goals from Phil Dawson really hurt the 49ers’ efforts as they failed to score on their final eight possessions of the game. Considering they had a 14-point lead and Carlos Hyde rushed for a career best 193 yards in the contest, one is left to wonder if maybe San Francisco hasn’t packed it in for the season. The way things are looking right now for the 49ers, it could turn out to be that way.
Best:
Matthew Stafford, Quarterback Detroit Lions
Talk about a big time impact player on his team this year, look no further then Matthew Stafford of the Lions. He came into Sunday's game against the Bears with seven game winning drives in the fourth quarter. Wouldn't you know it, he did it again against Chicago, leading the Lions to a 20-17 win. Things didn't look so hot for the Lions early in the 4th quarter, as Stafford threw two picks, one into the end zone early in the fourth quarter, and then again throwing a pick-six to rookie Cre’Von LeBlanc midway through the fourth quarter that gave the Bears a 17-13 lead. Stafford more than made up for it, as he marched the Lions right down the field on the next possession, finishing it off with a rushing touchdown that stood as the game’s final score. Oh yeah, and he did all of this after he separated a finger on his throwing hand and tearing ligaments in that finger. This eight four quarter game winning drive set a new NFL record, and the big kicker is, there are still three games left to go in the season!
Worst:
Russell Wilson, Quarterback Seattle Seahawks
I like Russell Wilson I do. He's quickly becoming one of my favorite quarterbacks in pro football to watch. The last couple of weeks, however, haven't exactly been kind to Russell. He had an off week two weeks ago against Tampa bay, throwing for only 150 yards. Well this week, in the Seattle 38-10 loss to Green Bay, he may have been worse now then he was then. Going up against the Packers, Wilson went 22 of 39 for 240 yards and one touchdown, which are decent numbers. What really messes with your head is the alarming five interceptions Wilson threw. Yikes. It was a disastrous showing from Wilson who struggled in the cold weather of Lambeau Field. He finished with a miserable 43.7 passer rating and was held out of the end zone until the fourth quarter. Amazing in all of this is that despite the loss, the Seahawks still remain comfortably on top of the NFC West and in line for their fifth straight playoff berth.
Best:
Jadeveon Clowney, Defensive End Houston Texans
For a guy who was taken number one overall in the draft, he hasn't had much of an impact during his career. But as of late, Jadeveon Clowney has started to look that way. Don't believe me? Look no further then what he did on Sunday. On third-and-goal at the Houston 3-yard line late in the third quarter, with the Colts trailing 19-10, Clowney showed off the explosion that made him the top pick. Clowney beat tight end Dwayne Allen’s block, strip-sacked Andrew Luck, and the Texans recovered. That play was enormous in a 22-17 win. It was a big win because it pushes the Texans’ divisional record to 4-0 this season. They’ve clinched the tiebreaker over the Colts and Titans based on their divisional record and season sweep of Indianapolis. So if Houston can hang on and make the playoffs, look back at that big play as why!
Worst:
Andrew Luck, Quarterback Indianapolis Colts
Indy had a chance to really possibly take hold of the AFC South on Sunday, but they came up short against the Texans, watching Houston come away with a 22-17 win. Luck had a rough day against the Texans defense. Luck threw two interceptions and lost a fumble on a gorgeous sack by Jadeveon Clowney (see above). His three turnovers resulted in nine points. to put that into perspective, Houston only had one turneover, a pick by Brock Osweiler, but no points came of it. To be fair, you can't put all of the blame totally on Luck, as he hasn't gotten much protection this year from his line. But at the same time, he's tried to force plays a lot this year, something that was on display against the Texans and it cost the Colts a game.
Best:
Steve Spagnuolo, Defensive Coordinator New York Giants
Talk about a close football game. That's what you got Sunday night between the Giants and Cowboys. Dallas had an eleven game winning streak heading into that football game, that was snapped Sunday by the Giants, who walked away with a 10-7 victory. A big winner in this football game was Steve Spagnuolo, the Giants defensive coordinator. Big Blue never let Dak Prescott get settled. Spagnuolo sent blitz after blitz after blitz at Prescott, and while the rookie QB rarely panicked he was sacked three times, completed less than half of his passes and was picked off twice. It was a game plan that held the vaunted Cowboys offense to just 1-of-15 on third down and only seven points. Is it the blueprint for defeating them? It might be, because the only two losses this year that Dallas has suffered have come at the hands of the Giants. This one was signed by the Giants defense. They stole the show and also managed to keep Ezekiel Elliott in check in the second half.
Worst:
Dez Bryant, Wide Receiver Dallas Cowboys
When you hear that name, what's one of the first things that comes to mind? For most, its top flight wide receiver. Usually, Dez is one of the more reliable and best wide outs in all of football. Well, he didn't really look like it on Sunday against the Giants. Dez was held in check for most of the night, catching just one pass on nine targets for 10 yards, before fumbling his only reception away. Bryant was largely frustrated by Janoris Jenkins as the Cowboys fell to the Giants for the second time this year. It may just come as a small blip on the screen right now, but its something to really pay attention to down the road if the Cowboys struggle, or even if they possibly face the Giants again in the playoffs.
Best:
Le'Veon Bell, Running Back Pittsburgh Steelers
Talk about having yourself a day. Pittsburgh took on the Buffalo Bills in a snow covered game in Pittsburgh. Ben Roethlisberger wasn't as his best in this football game. That's OK because Le'Veon Bell more than made up for it. Bell had himself a memorable day, rushing the ball 38 times for 236 yards and three touchdowns Oh yeah, he also added four catches for 68 yards. Those numbers combined for 298 yards from scrimmage for Bell, an insane number. While almost single-handedly leading the Steelers to victory over the Bills, Bell’s 236 yards set a team record while his three rushing scores tied another franchise mark. He has now rushed for more than 100 yards in four straight and has caught at least four passes in every game he’s played in this season. You could say that he was in a good groove on Sunday, and you'd be right.
Worst:
San Francisco 49ers
Its been a rough go of it for football fans in the Bay Area this year. The 49ers’ dropped their 12th consecutive game on Sunday, falling 23-17 in Overtime to the Jets. After building a 17-3 halftime lead, San Francisco was shutout the entire second-half, while the Jets scored 23-unanswered and walked away with just their fourth win of the season. Two-missed field goals from Phil Dawson really hurt the 49ers’ efforts as they failed to score on their final eight possessions of the game. Considering they had a 14-point lead and Carlos Hyde rushed for a career best 193 yards in the contest, one is left to wonder if maybe San Francisco hasn’t packed it in for the season. The way things are looking right now for the 49ers, it could turn out to be that way.
Best:
Matthew Stafford, Quarterback Detroit Lions
Talk about a big time impact player on his team this year, look no further then Matthew Stafford of the Lions. He came into Sunday's game against the Bears with seven game winning drives in the fourth quarter. Wouldn't you know it, he did it again against Chicago, leading the Lions to a 20-17 win. Things didn't look so hot for the Lions early in the 4th quarter, as Stafford threw two picks, one into the end zone early in the fourth quarter, and then again throwing a pick-six to rookie Cre’Von LeBlanc midway through the fourth quarter that gave the Bears a 17-13 lead. Stafford more than made up for it, as he marched the Lions right down the field on the next possession, finishing it off with a rushing touchdown that stood as the game’s final score. Oh yeah, and he did all of this after he separated a finger on his throwing hand and tearing ligaments in that finger. This eight four quarter game winning drive set a new NFL record, and the big kicker is, there are still three games left to go in the season!
Worst:
Russell Wilson, Quarterback Seattle Seahawks
I like Russell Wilson I do. He's quickly becoming one of my favorite quarterbacks in pro football to watch. The last couple of weeks, however, haven't exactly been kind to Russell. He had an off week two weeks ago against Tampa bay, throwing for only 150 yards. Well this week, in the Seattle 38-10 loss to Green Bay, he may have been worse now then he was then. Going up against the Packers, Wilson went 22 of 39 for 240 yards and one touchdown, which are decent numbers. What really messes with your head is the alarming five interceptions Wilson threw. Yikes. It was a disastrous showing from Wilson who struggled in the cold weather of Lambeau Field. He finished with a miserable 43.7 passer rating and was held out of the end zone until the fourth quarter. Amazing in all of this is that despite the loss, the Seahawks still remain comfortably on top of the NFC West and in line for their fifth straight playoff berth.
Best:
Jadeveon Clowney, Defensive End Houston Texans
For a guy who was taken number one overall in the draft, he hasn't had much of an impact during his career. But as of late, Jadeveon Clowney has started to look that way. Don't believe me? Look no further then what he did on Sunday. On third-and-goal at the Houston 3-yard line late in the third quarter, with the Colts trailing 19-10, Clowney showed off the explosion that made him the top pick. Clowney beat tight end Dwayne Allen’s block, strip-sacked Andrew Luck, and the Texans recovered. That play was enormous in a 22-17 win. It was a big win because it pushes the Texans’ divisional record to 4-0 this season. They’ve clinched the tiebreaker over the Colts and Titans based on their divisional record and season sweep of Indianapolis. So if Houston can hang on and make the playoffs, look back at that big play as why!
Worst:
Andrew Luck, Quarterback Indianapolis Colts
Indy had a chance to really possibly take hold of the AFC South on Sunday, but they came up short against the Texans, watching Houston come away with a 22-17 win. Luck had a rough day against the Texans defense. Luck threw two interceptions and lost a fumble on a gorgeous sack by Jadeveon Clowney (see above). His three turnovers resulted in nine points. to put that into perspective, Houston only had one turneover, a pick by Brock Osweiler, but no points came of it. To be fair, you can't put all of the blame totally on Luck, as he hasn't gotten much protection this year from his line. But at the same time, he's tried to force plays a lot this year, something that was on display against the Texans and it cost the Colts a game.
Best:
Steve Spagnuolo, Defensive Coordinator New York Giants
Talk about a close football game. That's what you got Sunday night between the Giants and Cowboys. Dallas had an eleven game winning streak heading into that football game, that was snapped Sunday by the Giants, who walked away with a 10-7 victory. A big winner in this football game was Steve Spagnuolo, the Giants defensive coordinator. Big Blue never let Dak Prescott get settled. Spagnuolo sent blitz after blitz after blitz at Prescott, and while the rookie QB rarely panicked he was sacked three times, completed less than half of his passes and was picked off twice. It was a game plan that held the vaunted Cowboys offense to just 1-of-15 on third down and only seven points. Is it the blueprint for defeating them? It might be, because the only two losses this year that Dallas has suffered have come at the hands of the Giants. This one was signed by the Giants defense. They stole the show and also managed to keep Ezekiel Elliott in check in the second half.
Worst:
Dez Bryant, Wide Receiver Dallas Cowboys
When you hear that name, what's one of the first things that comes to mind? For most, its top flight wide receiver. Usually, Dez is one of the more reliable and best wide outs in all of football. Well, he didn't really look like it on Sunday against the Giants. Dez was held in check for most of the night, catching just one pass on nine targets for 10 yards, before fumbling his only reception away. Bryant was largely frustrated by Janoris Jenkins as the Cowboys fell to the Giants for the second time this year. It may just come as a small blip on the screen right now, but its something to really pay attention to down the road if the Cowboys struggle, or even if they possibly face the Giants again in the playoffs.
Saturday, December 10, 2016
Playoff Clinching Scenarios Week Fourteen
Its that time of the year, we are oh so close to the playoffs in the National Football league. We know its a little hard keeping track sometimes, of who can clinch what playoff spots and when. So we are here to help. each week, leading up through the end of the season, we will break down who can clinch what playoff spots when. So with that being said, lets get it started.
The following are the playoff clinching scenarios for week fourteen in the NFL.
AFC
NEW ENGLAND PATRIOTS
New England clinches AFC East division if the following happens:
-Patriots win + MIA loss or tie OR
-Patriots tie + MIA loss
New England clinches a first-round bye if the following happens:
-Patriots win + MIA loss or tie + PIT loss or tie
OAKLAND RAIDERS
Oakland clinches a playoff berth if the following happens:
-Raiders win + MIA loss or tie OR
-Radiers win + DEN loss OR
-Raiders tie + MIA loss + BAL loss or tie OR
-Raiders tie + MIA loss + PIT loss or tie
NFC
CLINCHED: Dallas – playoff berth
DALLAS COWBOYS
Dallas clinches NFC East division if the following happens:
-Cowboys win
Dallas clinches a first-round bye if the following happens:
-Cowboys win + DET loss or tie OR
-Cowboys win + SEA loss
Dallas clinches home-field advantage throughout NFC playoffs if the following happens:
-Cowboys win + DET loss or tie + SEA loss
SEATTLE SEAHAWKS
Seattle clinches NFC West division if the following happens:
-Seahawks win + AZ loss or tie OR
-Seahawks tie + AZ loss
There's your clinching scenarios for week 14!
The following are the playoff clinching scenarios for week fourteen in the NFL.
AFC
NEW ENGLAND PATRIOTS
New England clinches AFC East division if the following happens:
-Patriots win + MIA loss or tie OR
-Patriots tie + MIA loss
New England clinches a first-round bye if the following happens:
-Patriots win + MIA loss or tie + PIT loss or tie
OAKLAND RAIDERS
Oakland clinches a playoff berth if the following happens:
-Raiders win + MIA loss or tie OR
-Radiers win + DEN loss OR
-Raiders tie + MIA loss + BAL loss or tie OR
-Raiders tie + MIA loss + PIT loss or tie
NFC
CLINCHED: Dallas – playoff berth
DALLAS COWBOYS
Dallas clinches NFC East division if the following happens:
-Cowboys win
Dallas clinches a first-round bye if the following happens:
-Cowboys win + DET loss or tie OR
-Cowboys win + SEA loss
Dallas clinches home-field advantage throughout NFC playoffs if the following happens:
-Cowboys win + DET loss or tie + SEA loss
SEATTLE SEAHAWKS
Seattle clinches NFC West division if the following happens:
-Seahawks win + AZ loss or tie OR
-Seahawks tie + AZ loss
There's your clinching scenarios for week 14!
Wednesday, December 7, 2016
Best & Worst NFL Week Thirteen
We've now got ourselves a month to go in the NFL Season. This is around the time of the year in the NFL when things really start to heat up and playoff pictures really begin to take shape. I mean just look at what happened last week around the league. A number of quarterbacks struggled, some making many costly mistakes, while others went off, leading their teams to much needed victories. It was a week in which some teams were able to further their postseason quests while others lost valuable ground as their playoff chances begin to slip away. New England and Oakland joined Dallas as the only double digit win teams in the league right now, while Pittsburgh and Tampa Bay start to really heat up and make a push for the wild card sports. There was still a lot of good action on the field over the weekend. So here's some of the winners and losers from the week that was in the NFL.
Best:
Eric Berry, Safety Kansas City Chiefs
You wanna talk about a feel good story in the National Football League this season, look no further then Eric Berry. Just two years ago, he was battling cancer. Last year, he made a big comeback to the game he loves, and became a pro bowler. Now, in a homecoming of sorts, Berry made the play of the day for Kansas City. Berry, who's from Fairburn, which is just outside of Atlanta, came to his home state and made the play of the day. It was a crucial road game for the Chiefs, a game that they needed to win in order to stay in the race in the AFC West. Berry made the biggest play of the day, picking off a Matt Ryan pass on a two-point conversion and returning it for two points for his team. The Chiefs won 29-28. It brought a tear to your eye that it was the guy who won the biggest fight of his life, comes home and makes the play of the day to keep his team in the hunt.
Worst:
Colin Kaepernick, Quarterback San Francisco 49ers
He has been under fire most of the year for what he's been doing with the whole political statement that he's made during training camp and the start of the season. Now he's coming under fire again, but this time its for his horrible play on the field. Look at what happened on Sunday. It's bad enough that the 49ers got trounced 26-6 by the Bears. Kaepernick was horrible. His week 13 stat line will go down as one of the worst in NFL history. Through three quarters he had completed one of five pass attempts for a meager four yards. Kaepernick’s first completion did not come until midway through the second quarter and finished the half with -14 yards passing. He was eventually lifted in the fourth quarter in favor of Blaine Gabbert who wasn’t much better. Kaepernick was sacked five times on the afternoon for a loss of 25 yards and finished with a passer rating of just over 39. He had seemed to play a little better as of late, but this performance just put all of that decent work right down the tubes.
Best:
Travis Kelce, Tight End Kansas City Chiefs
Think it might be safe to say that Kelce has found his game again, and it showed on Sunday in the Chiefs 29-28 nail biting win over Atlanta. Kelce was targeted eight times Sunday and he caught every pass, racking up 140 receiving yards. To make this day better, 82 of those 140 yards, came after the catch. He didn’t get into the end zone for a score, but Kelce beat five different Falcons defenders for catches and QB Alex Smith had a passer rating of 118.8 when throwing the ball in his direction. He was a big reason why the Chiefs offense was able to do what they did against the Atlanta defense and kept the Falcons on their toes. Kelce was in the zone on Sunday and it was a big reason why Kansas City walked away with a big win and stayed in a tight race in the AFC West.
Worst
New York Jets
I'm sorry but I had to put them here, with how bad they played. The Jets were blasted on Monday Night Football, falling 41-10 to the Colts in an embarrassing fashion. I mean think about it, you give up two touchdowns in the opening minutes to the Colts, TY Hilton has a field day with 146 yards receiving on nine catches. Bryce Petty replaced Ryan Fitzpatrick in the second half, the defense couldn't stop a beach ball in this game, they got run over by the Indy offense. New York could do nothing right in this football game. Richie Anderson, who did have a touchdown catch, had a couple of drops. The offense couldn't get going at all, it was just a bad day overall for the Jets. They've found a way to outdo themselves on Monday night, which was a worse performance then what they put in against Arizona back in October.
Best:
Andy Dalton, QB, Cincinnati Bengals
Yeah, I thought the same thing too. A. J. Green wasn't available due to injury, it would have made things tough on Dalton to find a groove. But that's what good quarterbacks do, they still find a way to make it work without their best weapons at their disposal. Not only did Cincinnati pull out a 32-14 win over the Eagles, but Dalton had himself a good game. We got to see a glimps again of how good Dalton can really be, as he finished the day going 23 of 31 for 332 yards and a pair of touchdowns. Those throwing totals meant that Dalton completed 74.2% of his passes, which was nearly flawless on the afternoon. The Eagles didn’t get much pressure, but on the eight snaps they did hurry Dalton, he completed six passes for 103 yards and had a passer rating of 116.7. No pressure and plenty of time make Dalton's job easy and he took advantage of what he was given.
Worst:
Paxton Lynch, Quarterback Denver Broncos
This is what some would call growing pains for an NFL QB! It also goes to show that the stat of quarterback wins could be a little bit misleading. Denver had more punts in this football game then they did first downs. They had eleven punts, compared to just ten first downs. Sure Lynch had a solid day, going 12 of 24, but he threw for just 104 yards. He “won” because the other quarterback, Blake Bortles of the Jacksonville Jaguars, was even worse. Lynch did what he had to do to get by on the skin of his teeth in this football game. He started because Trevor Simian is dealing with a foot issue. Lynch's other start this year, against the Atlanta Falcons, didn't go so well either. Lynch hasn’t shown anything that would lead the Broncos to groom him next offseason to start on opening day over Siemian. Lynch has had two chances to impress the Broncos this season, and it’s hard to believe the team feels great about how those starts went.
Best:
David Johnson, Running Back Arizona Cardinals
You wanna talk about a guy who's been heating up, look no further then David Johnson. He's beginning a major assault on the record books in the NFL now. Johnson managed to accumulate 172 total yards from scrimmage against the Redskins on Sunday, walking away with a 31-23 victory for the Redskins. It was his record breaking 12th straight effort as he’s now gained more than 100 yards from scrimmage in every game this season. Johnson joins Edgerrin James as the only other player in NFL history to accomplish this feat. Johnson finised the day with 18 carries for 84 yards and a touchdown, to go along with nine cathces for 91 yards and a touchdown. He racked up 172 total yards and scored twice, helping the Cards try and hang around in this playoff race in the NFC. He’ll go for number 13 this week when the Cardinals travel to Miami to take on the Dolphins. Will he get it? We shall find out on Sunday.
Worst:
Ron Rivera, Coach Carolina Panthers
You would like to think that this would be a better move. Normally Ron Rivera makes smarter decisions then what he did this week. Carolina got blasted by the Seahawks, falling 40-7. That was bad enough, but what kicked it off was the poor decision by Rivera at the start of the game. Rivera decided to bench Cam Newton for the opening possession of the game, which was a bold move. The reason for the benching was becfause Newton wasn't wearing a tie, which was a violation of team rules. Sadly, it backfired with a INT in the first play leading to a Seahawks blowout win. The story of how far the Panthers have fallen this year has been shocking and Rivera deserves a good bit of the blame.
Best:
Jordie Nelson, Wide Receiver Green Bay Packers
When you think about the best wide receivers in football, Jordie Nelson's name is up near the top of a lot of lists, or at least in the top five on a lot of lists. This year, after recovering from a major knee injury last year, he's still be trying to regain his top flight form. Well you saw flashes of that on Sunday, in Green Bay's 21-13 win over Houston. Nelson scored the go-ahead touchdown in the fourth quarter, but that wasn’t his biggest play Nelson had. With the Packers facing third-and-6 at midfield with less than six minutes left, Aaron Rodgers threw one up to Nelson, who made a phenomenal catch over cornerback Kareem Jackson for 28 yards and an enormous first down. The Packers scored a key touchdown at the end of that drive and won the ballgame. Nelson finished with 118 yards. Yeah he's starting to return to form and that's huge for the Packers, who have now managed to claw back to 6-6 and stay in the race with Detroit and Minnesota in the NFC North.
Worst:
Quarterbacks Throwing Picks
It was a rough week to play quarterback in the NFL. But I have a question. What do Drew Brees, Ryan Tannehill and Carson Wentz all have in common? They each threw three interceptions as their team’s lost on Sunday. Brees fell to Detroit 28-13, Tannehill fell 38-6 to Baltimore, and Wentz lost 32-14 to Cincinnati (see above with Dalton). Each signal caller threw for one score and three picks as the trio combined for just three touchdowns compared to nine interceptions. All three quarterbacks attempted at least 40 passes as they were forced to air it out with their teams down big, not one scoring more than 14 points on the day. Wentz was the busiest of the three, having to throw the ball sixty times in the Eagles loss to the Bengals. SIXTY! That's an insane number of passes.
Best:
Eric Berry, Safety Kansas City Chiefs
You wanna talk about a feel good story in the National Football League this season, look no further then Eric Berry. Just two years ago, he was battling cancer. Last year, he made a big comeback to the game he loves, and became a pro bowler. Now, in a homecoming of sorts, Berry made the play of the day for Kansas City. Berry, who's from Fairburn, which is just outside of Atlanta, came to his home state and made the play of the day. It was a crucial road game for the Chiefs, a game that they needed to win in order to stay in the race in the AFC West. Berry made the biggest play of the day, picking off a Matt Ryan pass on a two-point conversion and returning it for two points for his team. The Chiefs won 29-28. It brought a tear to your eye that it was the guy who won the biggest fight of his life, comes home and makes the play of the day to keep his team in the hunt.
Worst:
Colin Kaepernick, Quarterback San Francisco 49ers
He has been under fire most of the year for what he's been doing with the whole political statement that he's made during training camp and the start of the season. Now he's coming under fire again, but this time its for his horrible play on the field. Look at what happened on Sunday. It's bad enough that the 49ers got trounced 26-6 by the Bears. Kaepernick was horrible. His week 13 stat line will go down as one of the worst in NFL history. Through three quarters he had completed one of five pass attempts for a meager four yards. Kaepernick’s first completion did not come until midway through the second quarter and finished the half with -14 yards passing. He was eventually lifted in the fourth quarter in favor of Blaine Gabbert who wasn’t much better. Kaepernick was sacked five times on the afternoon for a loss of 25 yards and finished with a passer rating of just over 39. He had seemed to play a little better as of late, but this performance just put all of that decent work right down the tubes.
Best:
Travis Kelce, Tight End Kansas City Chiefs
Think it might be safe to say that Kelce has found his game again, and it showed on Sunday in the Chiefs 29-28 nail biting win over Atlanta. Kelce was targeted eight times Sunday and he caught every pass, racking up 140 receiving yards. To make this day better, 82 of those 140 yards, came after the catch. He didn’t get into the end zone for a score, but Kelce beat five different Falcons defenders for catches and QB Alex Smith had a passer rating of 118.8 when throwing the ball in his direction. He was a big reason why the Chiefs offense was able to do what they did against the Atlanta defense and kept the Falcons on their toes. Kelce was in the zone on Sunday and it was a big reason why Kansas City walked away with a big win and stayed in a tight race in the AFC West.
Worst
New York Jets
I'm sorry but I had to put them here, with how bad they played. The Jets were blasted on Monday Night Football, falling 41-10 to the Colts in an embarrassing fashion. I mean think about it, you give up two touchdowns in the opening minutes to the Colts, TY Hilton has a field day with 146 yards receiving on nine catches. Bryce Petty replaced Ryan Fitzpatrick in the second half, the defense couldn't stop a beach ball in this game, they got run over by the Indy offense. New York could do nothing right in this football game. Richie Anderson, who did have a touchdown catch, had a couple of drops. The offense couldn't get going at all, it was just a bad day overall for the Jets. They've found a way to outdo themselves on Monday night, which was a worse performance then what they put in against Arizona back in October.
Best:
Andy Dalton, QB, Cincinnati Bengals
Yeah, I thought the same thing too. A. J. Green wasn't available due to injury, it would have made things tough on Dalton to find a groove. But that's what good quarterbacks do, they still find a way to make it work without their best weapons at their disposal. Not only did Cincinnati pull out a 32-14 win over the Eagles, but Dalton had himself a good game. We got to see a glimps again of how good Dalton can really be, as he finished the day going 23 of 31 for 332 yards and a pair of touchdowns. Those throwing totals meant that Dalton completed 74.2% of his passes, which was nearly flawless on the afternoon. The Eagles didn’t get much pressure, but on the eight snaps they did hurry Dalton, he completed six passes for 103 yards and had a passer rating of 116.7. No pressure and plenty of time make Dalton's job easy and he took advantage of what he was given.
Worst:
Paxton Lynch, Quarterback Denver Broncos
This is what some would call growing pains for an NFL QB! It also goes to show that the stat of quarterback wins could be a little bit misleading. Denver had more punts in this football game then they did first downs. They had eleven punts, compared to just ten first downs. Sure Lynch had a solid day, going 12 of 24, but he threw for just 104 yards. He “won” because the other quarterback, Blake Bortles of the Jacksonville Jaguars, was even worse. Lynch did what he had to do to get by on the skin of his teeth in this football game. He started because Trevor Simian is dealing with a foot issue. Lynch's other start this year, against the Atlanta Falcons, didn't go so well either. Lynch hasn’t shown anything that would lead the Broncos to groom him next offseason to start on opening day over Siemian. Lynch has had two chances to impress the Broncos this season, and it’s hard to believe the team feels great about how those starts went.
Best:
David Johnson, Running Back Arizona Cardinals
You wanna talk about a guy who's been heating up, look no further then David Johnson. He's beginning a major assault on the record books in the NFL now. Johnson managed to accumulate 172 total yards from scrimmage against the Redskins on Sunday, walking away with a 31-23 victory for the Redskins. It was his record breaking 12th straight effort as he’s now gained more than 100 yards from scrimmage in every game this season. Johnson joins Edgerrin James as the only other player in NFL history to accomplish this feat. Johnson finised the day with 18 carries for 84 yards and a touchdown, to go along with nine cathces for 91 yards and a touchdown. He racked up 172 total yards and scored twice, helping the Cards try and hang around in this playoff race in the NFC. He’ll go for number 13 this week when the Cardinals travel to Miami to take on the Dolphins. Will he get it? We shall find out on Sunday.
Worst:
Ron Rivera, Coach Carolina Panthers
You would like to think that this would be a better move. Normally Ron Rivera makes smarter decisions then what he did this week. Carolina got blasted by the Seahawks, falling 40-7. That was bad enough, but what kicked it off was the poor decision by Rivera at the start of the game. Rivera decided to bench Cam Newton for the opening possession of the game, which was a bold move. The reason for the benching was becfause Newton wasn't wearing a tie, which was a violation of team rules. Sadly, it backfired with a INT in the first play leading to a Seahawks blowout win. The story of how far the Panthers have fallen this year has been shocking and Rivera deserves a good bit of the blame.
Best:
Jordie Nelson, Wide Receiver Green Bay Packers
When you think about the best wide receivers in football, Jordie Nelson's name is up near the top of a lot of lists, or at least in the top five on a lot of lists. This year, after recovering from a major knee injury last year, he's still be trying to regain his top flight form. Well you saw flashes of that on Sunday, in Green Bay's 21-13 win over Houston. Nelson scored the go-ahead touchdown in the fourth quarter, but that wasn’t his biggest play Nelson had. With the Packers facing third-and-6 at midfield with less than six minutes left, Aaron Rodgers threw one up to Nelson, who made a phenomenal catch over cornerback Kareem Jackson for 28 yards and an enormous first down. The Packers scored a key touchdown at the end of that drive and won the ballgame. Nelson finished with 118 yards. Yeah he's starting to return to form and that's huge for the Packers, who have now managed to claw back to 6-6 and stay in the race with Detroit and Minnesota in the NFC North.
Worst:
Quarterbacks Throwing Picks
It was a rough week to play quarterback in the NFL. But I have a question. What do Drew Brees, Ryan Tannehill and Carson Wentz all have in common? They each threw three interceptions as their team’s lost on Sunday. Brees fell to Detroit 28-13, Tannehill fell 38-6 to Baltimore, and Wentz lost 32-14 to Cincinnati (see above with Dalton). Each signal caller threw for one score and three picks as the trio combined for just three touchdowns compared to nine interceptions. All three quarterbacks attempted at least 40 passes as they were forced to air it out with their teams down big, not one scoring more than 14 points on the day. Wentz was the busiest of the three, having to throw the ball sixty times in the Eagles loss to the Bengals. SIXTY! That's an insane number of passes.
Sunday, December 4, 2016
2016 Bowl Games Announced
It's that time of the year once again, Bowl season in college football has finally arrived. In total, there are 34 bowl games set to take place between December 17th and January 9th/ But with that being said, let's just skip the fluff and get right in to it., Here's the full list of every bowl game on the docket for this year in College Football.
Saturday, Dec. 17, 2016
AFR Celebration Bowl NC Central vs. Grambling State Georgia Dome Atlanta, GA Noon / ABC
Gildan New Mexico Bowl UTSA vs. New Mexico University Stadium Albuquerque, NM 2pm / ESPN
Las Vegas Bowl Houston vs. San Diego State Sam Boyd Stadium Las Vegas, NV 3:30pm / ABC
AutoNation Cure Bowl Arkansas State vs. UCF Camping World Stadium Orlando, FL 5:30pm / CBSSN
Raycom Media Camellia Bowl Toledo vs. Appalachian State Cramton Bowl Montgomery, AL 5:30pm / ESPN
R+L Carriers New Orleans Bowl Southern Miss vs. UL Lafayette Mercedes-Benz Superdome New Orleans, LA 9pm / ESPN
Monday, Dec. 19, 2016
Miami Beach Bowl Tulsa vs. Central Michigan Marlins Park Miami, FL 2:30pm / ESPN
Tuesday, Dec. 20, 2016
Boca Raton Bowl Memphis vs. WKU FAU Stadium Boca Raton, FL 7pm / ESPN
Wednesday, Dec. 21, 2016
San Diego County CU Poinsettia Bowl BYU vs. Wyoming Qualcomm Stadium San Diego, CA 9pm / ESPN
Thursday, Dec. 22, 2016
Famous Idaho Potato Bowl Colorado State vs. Idaho Albertson's Stadium Boise, ID 7pm / ESPN
Friday, Dec. 23, 2016
Popeyes Bahamas Bowl Old Dominion vs. Eastern Michigan Thomas Robinson Stadium Nassau, Bahamas 1pm / ESPN
Lockheed Martin Armed Forces Bowl Louisiana Tech vs. Navy Amon G. Carter Stadium Fort Worth, TX 4:30pm / ESPN
Dollar General Bowl Ohio vs. Troy Ladd-Peebles Stadium Mobile, AL 8pm / ESPN
Saturday, Dec. 24, 2016
Hawai'i Bowl Middle Tennessee vs. Hawaii Aloha Stadium Honolulu, HI 8pm / ESPN
Monday, Dec. 26, 2016
St. Petersburg Bowl Miami, OH vs. Mississippi State Tropicana Field St. Petersburg, FL 11am / ESPN
Quick Lane Bowl Boston College vs. Maryland Ford Field Detroit, MI 2:30pm / ESPN
Camping World Independence Bowl NC State vs. Vanderbilt Independence Stadium Shreveport, LA 5pm / ESPN2
Tuesday, Dec. 27, 2016
Zaxby's Heart of Dallas Bowl Army vs. North Texas Cotton Bowl Stadium Dallas, TX Noon / ESPN
Military Bowl (24) Temple vs. Wake Forest Navy-Marine Corps. Stadium Annapolis, MD 3:30pm / ESPN
National Funding Holiday Bowl Washington State vs. Minnesota Qualcomm Stadium San Diego, CA 7pm / ESPN
Motel 6 Cactus Bowl Baylor vs. Boise State Chase Field Phoenix, AZ 10:15pm / ESPN
Wednesday, Dec. 28, 2016
New Era Pinstripe Bowl Northwestern vs. (23) Pittsburgh Yankee Stadium Bronx, NY 2pm / ESPN
Russell Athletic Bowl Miami, FL vs. (16) West Virginia Camping World Stadium Orlando, FL 5:30pm / ESPN
Foster Farms Bowl Indiana vs. (19) Utah Levi's Stadium Santa Clara, CA 8:30pm / FOX
AdvoCare V100 Texas Bowl Kansas State vs. Texas A&M NRG Stadium Houston, TX 9pm / ESPN
Thursday, Dec. 29, 2016
Birmingham Bowl USF vs. South Carolina Legion Field Birmingham, AL 2pm / ESPN
Belk Bowl (22) Virginia Tech vs. Arkansas Bank of America Stadium Charlotte, NC 5:30pm / ESPN
Valero Alamo Bowl (12) Oklahoma State vs. (10) Colorado Alamodome San Antonio, TX 9pm / ESPN
Friday, Dec. 30, 2016
AutoZone Liberty Bowl TCU vs. Georgia Liberty Bowl Memphis, TN Noon / ESPN
Hyundai Sun Bowl North Carolina vs. (18) Stanford Sun Bowl Stadium El Paso, TX 2pm / CBS
Franklin Amer. Mort. Music City Bowl Nebraska vs. (21) Tennessee Nissan Stadium Nashville, TN 3:30pm / ESPN
NOVA Home Loans Arizona Bowl Air Force vs. South Alabama Arizona Stadium Tucson, AZ 5:30pm / ASN/CI
Capital One Orange Bowl (11) Florida State vs. (6) Michigan Hard Rock Stadium Miami Gardens, FL 8pm / ESPN
Saturday, Dec. 31, 2016
Buffalo Wild Wings Citrus Bowl (20) LSU vs. (13) Louisville Camping World Stadium Orlando, FL 11am / ABC
TaxSlayer Bowl Georgia Tech vs. Kentucky EverBank Field Jacksonville, FL 11am / ESPN
Chick-fil-A Peach Bowl (4) Washington vs. (1) Alabama Georgia Dome Atlanta, GA 3 or 7pm / ESPN
PlayStation Fiesta Bowl (3) Ohio State vs. (2) Clemson U. of Phoenix Stadium Glendale, AZ 3 or 7pm / ESPN
Monday, Jan. 2, 2017
Outback Bowl (17) Florida vs. Iowa Raymond James Stadium Tampa, FL 1pm / ABC
Goodyear Cotton Bowl (15) Western Michigan vs. (8) Wisconsin AT&T Stadium Arlington, TX 1pm / ESPN
Rose Bowl Game (9) USC vs. (5) Penn State Rose Bowl Pasadena, CA 5pm / ESPN
Allstate Sugar Bowl (14) Auburn vs. (7) Oklahoma Mercedes-Benz Superdome New Orleans, LA 8:30pm / ESPN
Monday, Jan. 9, 2017
CFP National Championship Semifinal Winner vs. Semifinal Winner Raymond James Stadium Tampa, FL 8:30pm / ESPN
There3's your Bowl schedule so start making arrangements now!
Saturday, Dec. 17, 2016
AFR Celebration Bowl NC Central vs. Grambling State Georgia Dome Atlanta, GA Noon / ABC
Gildan New Mexico Bowl UTSA vs. New Mexico University Stadium Albuquerque, NM 2pm / ESPN
Las Vegas Bowl Houston vs. San Diego State Sam Boyd Stadium Las Vegas, NV 3:30pm / ABC
AutoNation Cure Bowl Arkansas State vs. UCF Camping World Stadium Orlando, FL 5:30pm / CBSSN
Raycom Media Camellia Bowl Toledo vs. Appalachian State Cramton Bowl Montgomery, AL 5:30pm / ESPN
R+L Carriers New Orleans Bowl Southern Miss vs. UL Lafayette Mercedes-Benz Superdome New Orleans, LA 9pm / ESPN
Monday, Dec. 19, 2016
Miami Beach Bowl Tulsa vs. Central Michigan Marlins Park Miami, FL 2:30pm / ESPN
Tuesday, Dec. 20, 2016
Boca Raton Bowl Memphis vs. WKU FAU Stadium Boca Raton, FL 7pm / ESPN
Wednesday, Dec. 21, 2016
San Diego County CU Poinsettia Bowl BYU vs. Wyoming Qualcomm Stadium San Diego, CA 9pm / ESPN
Thursday, Dec. 22, 2016
Famous Idaho Potato Bowl Colorado State vs. Idaho Albertson's Stadium Boise, ID 7pm / ESPN
Friday, Dec. 23, 2016
Popeyes Bahamas Bowl Old Dominion vs. Eastern Michigan Thomas Robinson Stadium Nassau, Bahamas 1pm / ESPN
Lockheed Martin Armed Forces Bowl Louisiana Tech vs. Navy Amon G. Carter Stadium Fort Worth, TX 4:30pm / ESPN
Dollar General Bowl Ohio vs. Troy Ladd-Peebles Stadium Mobile, AL 8pm / ESPN
Saturday, Dec. 24, 2016
Hawai'i Bowl Middle Tennessee vs. Hawaii Aloha Stadium Honolulu, HI 8pm / ESPN
Monday, Dec. 26, 2016
St. Petersburg Bowl Miami, OH vs. Mississippi State Tropicana Field St. Petersburg, FL 11am / ESPN
Quick Lane Bowl Boston College vs. Maryland Ford Field Detroit, MI 2:30pm / ESPN
Camping World Independence Bowl NC State vs. Vanderbilt Independence Stadium Shreveport, LA 5pm / ESPN2
Tuesday, Dec. 27, 2016
Zaxby's Heart of Dallas Bowl Army vs. North Texas Cotton Bowl Stadium Dallas, TX Noon / ESPN
Military Bowl (24) Temple vs. Wake Forest Navy-Marine Corps. Stadium Annapolis, MD 3:30pm / ESPN
National Funding Holiday Bowl Washington State vs. Minnesota Qualcomm Stadium San Diego, CA 7pm / ESPN
Motel 6 Cactus Bowl Baylor vs. Boise State Chase Field Phoenix, AZ 10:15pm / ESPN
Wednesday, Dec. 28, 2016
New Era Pinstripe Bowl Northwestern vs. (23) Pittsburgh Yankee Stadium Bronx, NY 2pm / ESPN
Russell Athletic Bowl Miami, FL vs. (16) West Virginia Camping World Stadium Orlando, FL 5:30pm / ESPN
Foster Farms Bowl Indiana vs. (19) Utah Levi's Stadium Santa Clara, CA 8:30pm / FOX
AdvoCare V100 Texas Bowl Kansas State vs. Texas A&M NRG Stadium Houston, TX 9pm / ESPN
Thursday, Dec. 29, 2016
Birmingham Bowl USF vs. South Carolina Legion Field Birmingham, AL 2pm / ESPN
Belk Bowl (22) Virginia Tech vs. Arkansas Bank of America Stadium Charlotte, NC 5:30pm / ESPN
Valero Alamo Bowl (12) Oklahoma State vs. (10) Colorado Alamodome San Antonio, TX 9pm / ESPN
Friday, Dec. 30, 2016
AutoZone Liberty Bowl TCU vs. Georgia Liberty Bowl Memphis, TN Noon / ESPN
Hyundai Sun Bowl North Carolina vs. (18) Stanford Sun Bowl Stadium El Paso, TX 2pm / CBS
Franklin Amer. Mort. Music City Bowl Nebraska vs. (21) Tennessee Nissan Stadium Nashville, TN 3:30pm / ESPN
NOVA Home Loans Arizona Bowl Air Force vs. South Alabama Arizona Stadium Tucson, AZ 5:30pm / ASN/CI
Capital One Orange Bowl (11) Florida State vs. (6) Michigan Hard Rock Stadium Miami Gardens, FL 8pm / ESPN
Saturday, Dec. 31, 2016
Buffalo Wild Wings Citrus Bowl (20) LSU vs. (13) Louisville Camping World Stadium Orlando, FL 11am / ABC
TaxSlayer Bowl Georgia Tech vs. Kentucky EverBank Field Jacksonville, FL 11am / ESPN
Chick-fil-A Peach Bowl (4) Washington vs. (1) Alabama Georgia Dome Atlanta, GA 3 or 7pm / ESPN
PlayStation Fiesta Bowl (3) Ohio State vs. (2) Clemson U. of Phoenix Stadium Glendale, AZ 3 or 7pm / ESPN
Monday, Jan. 2, 2017
Outback Bowl (17) Florida vs. Iowa Raymond James Stadium Tampa, FL 1pm / ABC
Goodyear Cotton Bowl (15) Western Michigan vs. (8) Wisconsin AT&T Stadium Arlington, TX 1pm / ESPN
Rose Bowl Game (9) USC vs. (5) Penn State Rose Bowl Pasadena, CA 5pm / ESPN
Allstate Sugar Bowl (14) Auburn vs. (7) Oklahoma Mercedes-Benz Superdome New Orleans, LA 8:30pm / ESPN
Monday, Jan. 9, 2017
CFP National Championship Semifinal Winner vs. Semifinal Winner Raymond James Stadium Tampa, FL 8:30pm / ESPN
There3's your Bowl schedule so start making arrangements now!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)





