Twelve nuggets
from week 12
The Cleveland Browns (surprise, surprise), San Francisco 49ers
and New York Giants have officially been eliminated from the playoffs…
For the first time in franchise history, the Cowboys have
scored fewer than 10 points in 3 consecutive games (ESPN)…
Since Zeke's suspension, Dak Prescott has 0 passing touchdowns and 8 turnovers. No other QB in the last decade has had 0 passing TD and 8+ giveaways in a three-game span (NFL)...
After starting 3-1, the Broncos have lost 7 straight…
The Dolphins have lost their past five contests by an
average of 19 points…
The Bears rushed for six yards on 14 attempts against the Eagles...
Atlanta’s Julio Jones went bonanzas, recording 12 catches
for 253 yards and two scores, marking the third time in his career he has gone
over 250 yards receiving. No other player in NFL history has more than one such game (Elias)…
Falcon’s wide receiver Mohamed Sanu (who connected with
Jones for one of his scores) and Ravens punter Sam Koch each completed passes.
They both remain perfect in attempting passes in their careers (Sanu: 6-of-6
for 228 yards and 3 TD’s, Koch: 4-of-4 for 48 yards)…
The Steel City duo of Antonio Brown and Le’Veon Bell have
combined for a league-best 2,572 scrimmage yards. The next closest is Mark
Ingram and Alvin Kamara from the Big Easy with 2,149…
The Vikings are 9-2 with a three-game lead on the rest of
the NFC North. They’ve started 9-2 or better three times in the last 40
seasons. Each time they made it to the conference title game… and lost (ESPN)…
Eli Manning is the first QB in NFL history to lose 100 starts
with one franchise (Elias). His reward: being benched for none other than Geno
Smith (see below)…
Adam Thielen is the Vikings first 1,000-yard receiver this
decade! Every other NFL team has already had a 1,000-yard receiver since 2010.
Five Takeaways
5. What can’t he do?
As if we need more evidence, Steelers’ Antonio Brown
continues to showcase why he is the best receiver in today’s game. On Sunday
against Green Bay, he made one acrobatic catch after another – including a
23-yard toe-tap catch along the sidelines on Pittsburgh’s game winning drive – in
route to 10 catches, 169 yards and two scores. Even double teams can’t stop (let
alone contain) him. In his last two games, Brown has tallied 20 receptions for
313 yards and 5 touchdowns. He is one of only four players in NFL history to
finish first or second in the league in catches for four consecutive seasons. It’s
safe to add another season to that list.
4. A season to forget
in the Big Apple
It started when three wide-outs lost their season to injury
in the same game – including superstar Odell Beckham Jr. It has been a downward
spiral ever since. And it’s safe to say it has hit its climax this week with
news of Eli Manning being benched. You know, the starting QB in the Big Apple
for 210 consecutive games? A two-time Super Bowl MVP, twice knocking off the
juggernaut Patriots. A player who has exemplified the position to its entirety.
On and off the field. Yeah, that guy.
And with five games left, the Giants decide to bench him? In
favor of Geno Smith? GENO SMITH?!! Are you kidding? This has to go down as one
of the most embarrassing seasons in franchise history and this move only
worsens the matter. Is five games really going to give you an idea of your
future at the position? Most likely not, especially for a team with zero weapons.
 |
| The Giants season hit an all-time low with the benching of Eli (wsj). |
Fun Fact: Manning’s streak of 210 consecutive starts (second longest
streak all-time among QB’s) will come to an end. Every NFL team has utilized at
least three different starting QB’s since Eli’s first NFL start in Week 11 of
2004, and every team in the NFC East has utilized at least 10. The Browns have
utilized 24 (ESPN)…
3. The AFC West is up
for grabs
Touted in the off-season [by many] as the best division in
football, the AFC West is far from it in 2017. But who would have thought it’d
be this tight of a race at this point in the season? Especially after the
Chiefs were riding high at 5-0, and looking like the team to beat in the AFC. At
that point, the Chargers were 1-4, the Raiders 2-3, and the Broncos 3-2. Better
yet, at the midway point, Kansas City held a three-game lead on the rest of the
division (KC 6-2, LA 3-5, OAK 3-5, and DEN 3-5). Now, the Chiefs are reeling
having lost three straight, opening the door to the rest of the division (Los
Angeles & Oakland). And the news gets worse for Chiefs fans: they are the
fourth team in the Super Bowl era to go 1-5 or worse in the six games immediately
following a 5-0 start -- the previous three all missed the playoffs (ESPN). Oh
how the mighty have fallen.
 |
| Philip Rivers and the Bolts are turning things around after a 0-4 start (Sportingnews). |
It’s hard to believe that the Chargers who started the
season 0-4 and the Raiders who started 2-4, are both just a game out of first,
at 5-6. Welcome to the world that is the NFL.
Fun Fact: With a win this week against the winless Browns,
the Chargers would be the first team since the 2004 Bills to be at .500 or
better through 12 games after starting the season 0-4 (ESPN).
2. Alvin and the…
Arguably the most explosive play-maker in this year’s rookie
class, the Saints’ Alvin Kamara is making the most of his limited opportunities. And he’s starting to put the rest of the
league on notice. On Sunday, Kamara continued to impress, totaling a career
high 188 yards from scrimmage – 87 rushing and 101 receiving – on just 11
touches (17.09 yards/touch)! His performance was aided by an electrifying
74-yard TD run and a 15-yard TD reception. In five of his last six contests,
Kamara has amassed over 100 yards from scrimmage. For the season, the dual
threat back is averaging 7.1 yards per carry, and ranks fifth in the league in
yards from scrimmage with 1,094 - 546 rushing & 548 receiving (keep in mind,
he was sparsely utilized the first three weeks of the season when Adrian Peterson
was still in the mix), adding a dynamic element to an already potent
offense.
A third rounder for offensive rookie of the year? Alvin
Kamara is certainly making his case.
Go Figure: The last third round selection to be awarded offensive
rookie of the year was running back Rueben Mayes… of the New Orleans Saints in
1986.
1. Are the Eagles the Panthers of '15?
As the legend grows, so do the Eagles. Carson Wentz
continues to dazzle in just his second season behind center, adding another accolade
to his impressive start: only the third
QB in NFL history to have at least 25 TD passes & five or fewer INT’s in a
team’s first 11 games (NFL). He is tops in the NFL with 28 touchdowns (to only 5
interceptions), leading the Eagles to a 10-1 start -- winners of nine straight and a 5-game cushion in the NFC East. Much like the Panthers of ’15,
Philly is doing it with an MVP candidate (Wentz), a high scoring offense and a suffocating defense:
| 2015 Panthers | 2017 Eagles (thru 11) | ||
| Record | 15-1 | 10-1 | |
| PPG | 31.3 (#1) | 31.9 (#1) | |
| Rushing YPG | 142.6 (#2) | 147.5 (#2) | |
| Total Def | 6th | 6th | |
| Rush Def | 4th | 1st |
 |
| Wentz is leading a charge much like that of Newton's MVP season of '15 (NBCsports). |
Wentz and Co. look like the most complete team in football. One
destined for a deep run come January.
Fun Fact: The last time Philadelphia started 10-1, they made
it to the Super Bowl.
No comments:
Post a Comment