NFL Sunday Review #15
The Chargers one-point victory over the Chiefs wasn’t the only close game in the NFL on Sunday.
Far from it; eight of 14 games were decided by five points or less. Houston and San Diego won by one point, Atlanta and Seattle won by three, Pittsburgh, Jacksonville and the New York Jets by four and Miami by five points.
After everything shakes out, there are two big games coming up next Sunday on top of each conference: Pittsburgh at Tennessee and Carolina at the New York Giants.
The Steelers wrapped up the AFC North with their victory over Baltimore (left) 13-9. “Boy, we have an excited football team in that room next door,” Steelers coach Mike Tomlin said just outside his locker room. “Rightfully so. That was a ridiculously tough football game.”
Now, the Steelers (11-3) get to go on the road again, traveling to Tennessee to play the Titans (12-2). Houston was able to beat Tennessee 13-12 on Sunday, as the Titans appeared to be resting after clinching their AFC South title last week.
“Hopefully we’ll be up for the challenge and guys will come back from vacation,” Titans LB Keith Bulluck said of this coming weekend’s game against Pittsburgh. “I think we were on vacation this week, knowing we got a bye and whatever other good stuff happened for us last week. But I know as a team we need to get our heads out of our (expletive) and come out and play football. Pittsburgh is playing for way more than us next week.”
Carolina pushed its record to 11-3 with a 30-10 victory over Denver, while the Giants are 11-3 after falling Sunday night to Dallas 20-8. Those two teams will play on Sunday night in the Meadowlands.
Performances to Remember
Pittsburgh has yet to allow an opponent gain 300 yards of total offense this season, as Baltimore totaled just 202 yards. The Steelers have gone 14 straight games without yielding 300 yards, tying the 1973 Los Angeles Rams for the longest streak to start a season since the NFL merger in 1970 … Olinda Mare’s 27-yard FG as time expired gave Seattle a victory over St. Louis … Minnesota QB Tarvaris Jackson threw four TD passes in beating Arizona … Jason Elam’s 34-yard FG in OT was the 17th game-winning kick of his career in the final two minutes of regulation or overtime … Houston WR Andre Johnson caught 11 passes for 207 yards and a TD against Tennessee … New England’s 277 yards rushing were its most since getting 281 against Cincinnati in 1985 … The Dallas defense had eight sacks of New York QB Eli Manning.
Performances to Forget
Baltimore QB Joe Flacco completed just 11 of 28 passes for 115 yards and 2 INTs against Pittsburgh … Buffalo QB J.P. Losman threw three interceptions, fumbled, was sacked three times and had a passer rating of 45.7 against the New York Jets … Washington WR Santana Moss drew a 15-yard penalty for pulling the towel out of his waistband and shining his yellow-topped shoes after his TD catch. “I really don’t care,” he said. “We needed something to boost us.” … Cincinnati WR Chad Johnson drew a 15-yard taunting penalty for handing the ball to Clinton Portis on the Redskins’ bench after he ran out of bounds after making a catch. “I was just having fun,” Johnson said. “I didn’t think I did anything wrong. I’m not sure why they called it a penalty.”… Tennessee QB Kerry Collins hit just 15 of 33 passes for 181 yards, no TDs and one INT against Houston.
Notes to Remember
Miami’s defense increased its streak of quarters without allowing a touchdown to 12 … Bucs RB Warrick Dunn became the sixth player in league history with 10,000 rushing yards and 500 catches … NFC South teams are now 11-0 at home in division games … Washington suffered its fifth loss in its last six games … Houston has won four straight for the first time in franchise history … Houston RB Steve Slaton has 1,124 yards rushing this season to set the franchise record for yards rushing by a rookie … Jaguars coach Jack Del Rio picked up his 50th regular-season victory … the Packers have lost six of their last seven games … San Francisco had a time of possession advantage of 16:26 and lost to the Miami … Pennington connected on his first six passes, extending his two-game streak to 17 completions in a row to break Dan Marino’s team record of 15 set in 1992 … Seahawks coach Mike Holmgren earned his 160th career victory, most among active coaches … with his 13th rushing touchdown, Thomas Jones surpassed Curtis Martin’s franchise record for most rushing touchdowns in a season by a Jets RB. The score was Jones’ 15th of the season, also a Jets record … Marvin Harrison passed Tim Brown for the third-most career receptions in NFL history. Harrison and is now tied for third (1,095) behind Jerry Rice (1,549) and Cris Carter (1,101) … Lions kicker Jason Hanson broke the NFL record for most 50-yard field goals in a career with 41 … The Lions have lost 20 of the last 21 games. Indianapolis (10-4) has won seven straight, earned double-digit victories for a seventh straight season … Minnesota won its fourth consecutive game … with three receptions, Terrell Owens has 940 for his career, tying Art Monk for seventh all-time … the Giants failed to score a touchdown for the first time since December of 2004.
Long Plays
95-New England’s Ellis Hobbs returned a kickoff 95 yards for a TD against Oakland.
91-Oakland’s Justin Miller returned a kickoff 91 yards for a TD against New England.
87-Washington’s Rock Cartwright returned a kickoff 87 yards against Cincinnati.
82-Minnesota’s Bernard Berrian returned a punt 82 yards for a TD against Arizona.
79-Cincinnati’s Cedric Benson caught a 79-yard pass against Washington.
68-Arizona’s Rod Hood returned a blocked FG 8 yards for a score against Minnesota.
65-Houston’s Andre Johnson caught a 65-yard pass against Tennessee.
61-Miami’s David Martin caught a 61-yard pass against San Francisco.
Rushing
165-Minnesota’s Adrian Peterson had 28 carries for 165 yards against Arizona.
152-Atlanta’s Michael Turner ran 32 times for 152 yards and scored a TD against Tampa Bay.
127-Buffalo’s Marshawn Lynch carried the ball 21 times for 127 yards against the New York Jets.
117-New England’s Sammy Morris had 117 yards on 14 carries with a TD against Oakland.
100-Houston’s Steve Slaton had 24 carries for 100 yards against Tennessee.
Passing
135.5-Minnesota’s Tarvaris Jackson was 11 of 17 for 163 yards and four TDs against Arizona.
124.0-Miami’s Chad Pennington hit 12 of 19 passes for 156 yards and 2 TDs against San Francisco.
113.8-Dallas’ Tony Romo was 20 of 30 for 244 yards and 2 TDs against the N.Y. Giants.
110.0-Indianapolis’ Peyton Manning completed 28 of 37 passes for 318 yards and one TD against Detroit.
108.1-New England’s Matt Cassel went 18 of30 for 218 yards, four TDs and one INT against Oakland.
105.4-Jacksonville’s David Garrard was 21 of 33 for 238 yards and 2 TDs against Green Bay.
Receiving
207-Houston WR Andre Johnson caught 11 passes for 207 yards and a TD against Tennessee.
165-Carolina WR Steve Smith had nine catches for 165 yards and a TD against Denver.
142-Indianapolis TE Dallas Clark caught 12 passes for 142 yards and a TD against Detroit.
132- Green Bay WR James Jones caught four passes for 132 yards against Jacksonville.
127-Jacksonville WR Dennis Northcutt caught five passes for 127 yards and a TD against Green Bay.
110-Detroit WR Calvin Johnson caught nine passes for 110 yards and a TD against Indianapolis.
108-Tampa Bay WR Antonio Bryant caught eight passes for 108 yards and a TD against Atlanta.
107-Pittsburgh WR Hines Ward caught eight passes for 107 yards against Baltimore.
104-Indianapolis WR Reggie Wayne caught seven passes for 104 yards against Detroit.
Defense
Seattle’s Jordan Babineaux returned a fumble 24 yards for a TD against St. Louis
N.Y. Jets’ Shaun Ellis returned a fumble 11 yards for a TD against Buffalo.
The New York Giants earned a safety when they forced a fumble out of the end zone against Dallas.
Dallas LB DeMarcus Ware had seven tackles and three sacks against the New York Giants.
Atlanta DE John Abraham had three tackles and three sacks against Tampa Bay.
Minnesota DE Jared Allen had three tackles and two sacks against Arizona.
Dallas DE Greg Ellis had five tackles and two sacks against the Giants.
Oakland DE Trevor Scott had five tackles and two sacks against New England.
Special Teams
New England’s Ellis Hobbs had a 95-yard kickoff return for a TD against Oakland.
Oakland’s Justin Miller returned a kickoff 91 yards for a TD against New England.
Minnesota’s Bernard Berrian returned a punt 82 yards for a TD against Arizona.
Arizona’s Rod Hood returned a blocked field goal 68 yards for a TD against Minnesota. The FG was blocked by Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie.
Tampa Bay’s Brian Clark blocked a Atlanta punt in the fourth quarter that set up a game-tying FG.
New England’s Vince Wilfork blocked a PAT kick by Oakland.
I was shocked, did anybody see how empty the stands were for this game?
Most important, did Clark see how empty they were?
With the 3rd pick in 2009 NFL draft, the Chiefs pick?
A lot of games are getting close , teams are comming together . One of those teams is here !
Focus , No distractions , puts you on a trappese for three hours ( swinging in the air makes you look great ) IF — you losen your grip , your going to fall . You cant put on any kind of show laying on the ground . Tighten up.
Make a statement! Dont reward failure and give Clark Hunt anymore of your money.
Contact them before its too late and they steal $25 million taxpayer money!
http://www.mdfb.org/About%20Us/SendUsAMessage.aspx
Phone: 573/751-8479
E-mail: mdfb@ded.mo.gov
——————————-
Hali questions coaches’ offensive strategy in second half
“How we managed the game, I do question that,”Âť said Hali, a third-year defensive end. “Those questions belong to the coaches.”Âť
http://www.kansascity.com/sports/story/937110.html
http://www.kansascity.com/sports/chiefs/story/937307.html
OK, I’m convinced now. Fire everybody. Fire Carl. Fire Herm. Fire Gunther.
-joe Posnanski
http://www.kansascity.com/sports/columnists/jason_whitlock/story/937306.html
The worst thing about the most embarrassing loss in the Carl Peterson era “” a 22-21 miracle defeat to San Diego on Sunday “” is the Chargers had no interest in winning it.
Gone in 73 seconds.
That should be on Carl Peterson’s and Herm Edwards’ Kansas City tombstones. It took fewer than 2 minutes to indisputably unmask the folly of their rebuilding effort.
-Jason Whitlock
Keep up the great work Coach Edwards. ALL of KC is behind you and we know that you will lead us back to glory very soon now.
AND NOW, Clark Hunt has RE-affirmed Herm’s The Man!
http://www.bobgretz.com/chiefs-football/can-history-repeat-itself.html
“Far be it for me to pass along advice to Clark Hunt.”
“But if he really likes Edwards ideas and his way of rebuilding the franchise, then he should step forward and make it obvious.
With the money coaches make today, 10-year contracts will never happen. But Hunt could make a major statement by announcing tomorrow that he’s given Edwards a five-year contract extension. Along with the final year of his first deal, that would take the head coach into the 2014 season.”
” And then he could shock everyone by announcing that he was asking Carl Peterson to stay on as general manager for an indefinite period.”
-Bob Gretz
“I’m not saying this team’s got to win 10 or 11 games next year. But I expect us to be competitive for a playoff spot. Certainly, if we’re 4-12 again taht would be a failure, or anywhere close to 4-12″.
Clark Hunt, January 2008.
The Chiefs will have to win their final two games to avoid setting a franchise record for fewest wins in a 16-game season.
“I’m still in utter shock right now,”Âť said linebacker Rocky Boiman. “How we can come so close and still somehow let it slip away, it doesn’t seem possible.”Âť
http://sports.yahoo.com/nfl/recap?gid=20081214012
Doc, if your quotes are accurate, it would be really funny. It would indicate clark had a sense of humor and really committed the all new chiefs. He can always fire them but it would show all the fans he was interested enough to do something.
No blackout huh? Are you sure it wasn’t CBS just airing it cuz they had nothing else better to do?
Here’s Rin’s favorite Clark Hunt statement – made even more recently than his statements of January 2008 regards his expectations the Chiefs this year –
“Yes, I think Herm & Carl ‘are’ doing a good job”
Herm’s gonna lead us back to glory very soon now!
All of sudden these loses are waking up a team that has a lot of talent !!!!
OK – pratice makes perfect —— This team is as close to ready ,with a little help from IR , to start winning in a big way .
Last two with good spreads ,theres a group here thats on fire !! I can see it .
I wish it was SUNDAY !!!!!
Everybody on here knows I support Herm and the rebuilding process. Now yesterday game was on Chan Gailey and Herm, but should he be fired over one game? no. But should he be given an contract extention? Hell NO. Not until he wins more than 4 or 5 games. I for one think Herm should be allowed the 2009 season to right the wrongs of 2007 and 2008 season. Simply because he has brought in alot of young talent and he has a team playing with a 3rd string quarterback competing in games against playoff contending teams. But he still needs to win before getting the final stamp of approval.
http://www.kcchiefs.com/news/2008/12/15/an_outcome_thats_off_the_pain_scale/
“At this point in time it seems pretty obvious that the reason the plays are not getting made has nothing to do with youth or inexperience. ”
-Bob Gretz
Clark Hunt answering Adam Teicher/KC Star:
Q: ‘Is Herm Edwards doing a good job?’
A: “I think he is. Certainly, competing in the NFL with as many rookies as we have on our team and as many rookies as we have in our starting lineup is difficult. But Herm is doing the right thing. He’s giving those players experience. I’m sure to some degree, some of those decisions are very tough. But he knows where he wants to go and what he needs to do to get there.”
-YESSSSSSSSSSSS!
Q: ‘Is Carl Peterson doing a good job?’
A: “I think he is. Going back to our discussion about the scouting side working hand in hand with the coaching side, that really starts with Carl. He’s done a good job of overseeing that.”
Keep up the great work Coach Edwards & King Carl. ALL of KC is behind you and we know that you will lead us back to glory very soon now.
AND NOW, Clark Hunt has RE-affirmed Herm’s The Man!
thanks for posting that doggiepoo.
In spite of what Clark said, CP was fired today. Herm is a lame duck.
Ed says:
” Now yesterday game was on Chan Gailey and Herm”
Huh? Herm maybe, Chan, how do you figure? Wasn’t Chan’s side of the ball that let two touchdowns get scored in 73 seconds. It was his side that by some miracle and a stupid SD penalty, with only 39 seconds and no timeouts, got within field goal range for the win. Herm for clock management, Gun for not putting up a defensive fight, Carl for bringing in Surtain, but Chan? No, not this time.
Keep up the unproductive work Coach Edwards. ALL of KC is sick of you and we know that you will make excuses and lead us back to 2 and 14 very soon now.
AND NOW, Clark Hunt has RE-affirmed Herm’s The Man On The Hot Seat!