Some playoff contenders stepped up, some stepped aside and a few others played as expected and probably didn’t make this week’s GBU. The Bears and Dolphins get honorable mention. Since we already have ten Good performances, the cut had to come somewhere.
The Good Arizona – Pounding on the Rams at home is no great shakes, but when it locks up your first division title in 33 years it is Good. This old man was a teenager in St. Louis the last time the Cardinals won a division.
Carolina – The Panthers responded to a critical home divisional test against the Bucs by racking up 464 yards of total offense and 299 yard rushing at 8.1 yards a carry against a defense averaging less than 300 yards a game total. Not counting the two plays to kill the final clock, the Panthers had nine drives and scored on six of them. The only bad news was two ended on interceptions. Still, this was a Good performance against a normally strong defensive team that solidified Carolina’s playoff chances and gave them an advantage down the stretch in the NFCS.
Houston – What is shocking about this is the Texans put on an offensive clinic in Green Bay, racked up almost 550 yards of offense and were far from perfect. Still, with their backs against the wall late they fought off the ropes and then drove 75 yards in the last 1:49 to get the win. A Good performance from a team playing for respectability.
Indianapolis – About all you can do when the Bengals come to town is scrimmage, be thankful for the bye week and send them home. After a slow start the Colts did just that. The Colts woke up after the Bengal’s second possession and spent the fourth quarter in coast mode, but in between outgained the Bengals 307 – 80. Good teams do that to Ugly ones.
New Orleans – It wasn’t always pretty, but the defense held when it had to and the offense put up solid numbers against the Falcons away. The Saints played the Falcons evenly (exactly evenly by yardage), traded scores and refused to shoot themselves in the feet en route to a big home divisional win against a good team that keeps whatever playoff chances they have alive.
Pittsburgh – What a difference a few minutes makes. With about 12:30 left I was considering the Steelers for the Bad. This game looked like another Eagles-type loss, with the Steelers stopped on downs at the Cowboy 1. A defensive stand, a good punt return, a FG, a defensive stand, a quick 67-yard TD drive, an interception return for a TD and yet another defensive stand later, they make the good. The common theme all game was “a defensive stand.” The Steelers defense is good enough that their offense need only be efficient to make this list.
Philadelphia – The scoreboard pretends this game was closer than it was. The Eagles coupled a strong defensive effort with a good offensive game to control their contest with the Giants in New York. The defense held the Giants to 211 yards, 57 of which were gained on their final drive after the game was not in question. On offense, the Eagles discovered a revolutionary new play called the run. The result is a huge divisional road win that keeps their playoff chance alive.
San Diego – It would be easy to overlook the Chargers win at home since it came against the Raiders. Still, the San Diego defense, which had not overwhelmed anybody lately, held Oakland to nine first downs and 163 yards. The Raiders only score came on one of many first half kickoff returns, but the game was long over by then. On offense, the Chargers rang up 372 yards. They opted to pound the ball at the Raider defense, running the ball 46 times. A Good performance, although probably a futile one.
San Francisco – Maybe this should be listed under Bad. The only thing the Niners have left is draft position and they deliver a Mike Singletary-type whipping to the Jets. They doubled the Jets yardage and almost doubled their time of possession. Perhaps bad timing, but a Good performance against a playoff contender may be something to build on.
Tennessee – Much like the Colts, the Titans had little say about who rolled into town. All the Titans could do is use the Browns as a step ladder to clinch the division. They outgained Cleveland 390 – 178 in the process and held the opponent to three field goals. The Titan running game led the offense with 235 yards and a 5.5 average by itself. A Good performance leads to the AFCN title.
The Bad Buffalo – The only reason the Bills aren’t Ugly is not much is expected of them anymore, and they did recover four of their own fumbles. Of course, they also gained a whopping 163 yards of offense and, even though the scoreboard implies otherwise, did not threaten to win this game. Given the rest of the division, the Bills could have crept back into the race but instead did very little to endear themselves to the Canadian fans.
Dallas – Losing to the Steelers at home on a cold, windy day is not Bad. However, the Cowboys wasted a 10-point fourth quarter lead, a great goal line stand, a chance to gain a game on the Giants and add some heat to next week’s matchup, not to mention a chance to solidify their overall playoff position. With games against the Giants, Ravens and in Philly, the Cowboys may smart from the last 9 minutes of this one for a long time.
Green Bay – It was never a good game, but it was a Bad final three minutes. The Pack was fortunate to find itself tied at 21 approaching those final three minutes, but tied they were. The Texans missed a FG near the end of the first half, fumbled inside the Packer 20 and muffed a punt at midfield to help enable the tie. Still, Green Bay was perched on the Texan 22 at the 3:00 mark. They proceeded to take a holding penalty and a sack to kill that scoring chance and then allowed the Texans to travel from their own 3 to the Packer 22 in the final 1:49 to set up the winning FG and end the Packers playoff chances. Only the fact they were in a position to win the game keeps them out of the Ugly.
New York Jets – The Jets started the day on top of the AFCE. They responded with an anemic performance that saw them gain only 10 first downs and 182 yards. 7 of those first downs and 106 yards came on their two scoring drives. Combine that with 375 yards against and you have a Bad performance, leading to a Bad outcome and a three-way tie for the AFCE lead by the end of the day.
The Ugly Cincinnati – The Bengals started out fine with a pair of decent drives and they controlled the fourth quarter. Unfortunately, they came up empty early and their fourth quarter dominance included giving up an interception return for a touchdown. That was the good. The bad was being outgained almost 4-1 between those early drives and the fourth quarter, and being outscored 28-3 during that same span. The Colts helped them be Ugly, but make no mistake, they were Ugly…..again.
New York Giants – The biggest question here was Bad or Ugly. A 20-14 loss, even one as one-sided as this one might be only Bad for most, but it is Ugly for what is still probably the best team in the NFC. The defense gave up a few uncharacteristic big plays and the offense was lifeless most of the day. Of the Giants 14 points, 7 were on a blocked FG at the end of the first half and the final 7 were during mop-up time as the game clock was running out. Remove the final :30 of each half and the Giants were shut out. An Ugly performance, but one they could spare.
Oakland – The Raiders responded to the first 3D telecast with an all-around Ugly performance. Against 25th ranked defense giving up over 350 yards a game, the Raiders offense managed 163 yards and no points. That includes 109 passing against the 30th rank passing defense. They also turned the ball over twice in their own territory in the first half, once in the red zone. Not to be outdone, the Raiders defense was a minor impediment in the first half, denying the Chargers offense points only once. The masterpieces were a 96 yard TD drive and a 59 yard TD pass. This one was “no mas” by halftime. At the request of the fans, the first 3D telecast has been transported into a wormhole to offend distant aliens, along with the tape of the Al Davis press conference berating Lane Kiffin.
Loading ...
The Good, The Bad, The Ugly, week 14 edition
by BG on December 9, 2008
in Community Commentary, Weekly Segments
Some playoff contenders stepped up, some stepped aside and a few others played as expected and probably didn’t make this week’s GBU. The Bears and Dolphins get honorable mention. Since we already have ten Good performances, the cut had to come somewhere.
The Good
Arizona – Pounding on the Rams at home is no great shakes, but when it locks up your first division title in 33 years it is Good. This old man was a teenager in St. Louis the last time the Cardinals won a division.
Carolina – The Panthers responded to a critical home divisional test against the Bucs by racking up 464 yards of total offense and 299 yard rushing at 8.1 yards a carry against a defense averaging less than 300 yards a game total. Not counting the two plays to kill the final clock, the Panthers had nine drives and scored on six of them. The only bad news was two ended on interceptions. Still, this was a Good performance against a normally strong defensive team that solidified Carolina’s playoff chances and gave them an advantage down the stretch in the NFCS.
Houston – What is shocking about this is the Texans put on an offensive clinic in Green Bay, racked up almost 550 yards of offense and were far from perfect. Still, with their backs against the wall late they fought off the ropes and then drove 75 yards in the last 1:49 to get the win. A Good performance from a team playing for respectability.
Indianapolis – About all you can do when the Bengals come to town is scrimmage, be thankful for the bye week and send them home. After a slow start the Colts did just that. The Colts woke up after the Bengal’s second possession and spent the fourth quarter in coast mode, but in between outgained the Bengals 307 – 80. Good teams do that to Ugly ones.
New Orleans – It wasn’t always pretty, but the defense held when it had to and the offense put up solid numbers against the Falcons away. The Saints played the Falcons evenly (exactly evenly by yardage), traded scores and refused to shoot themselves in the feet en route to a big home divisional win against a good team that keeps whatever playoff chances they have alive.
Pittsburgh – What a difference a few minutes makes. With about 12:30 left I was considering the Steelers for the Bad. This game looked like another Eagles-type loss, with the Steelers stopped on downs at the Cowboy 1. A defensive stand, a good punt return, a FG, a defensive stand, a quick 67-yard TD drive, an interception return for a TD and yet another defensive stand later, they make the good. The common theme all game was “a defensive stand.” The Steelers defense is good enough that their offense need only be efficient to make this list.
Philadelphia – The scoreboard pretends this game was closer than it was. The Eagles coupled a strong defensive effort with a good offensive game to control their contest with the Giants in New York. The defense held the Giants to 211 yards, 57 of which were gained on their final drive after the game was not in question. On offense, the Eagles discovered a revolutionary new play called the run. The result is a huge divisional road win that keeps their playoff chance alive.
San Diego – It would be easy to overlook the Chargers win at home since it came against the Raiders. Still, the San Diego defense, which had not overwhelmed anybody lately, held Oakland to nine first downs and 163 yards. The Raiders only score came on one of many first half kickoff returns, but the game was long over by then. On offense, the Chargers rang up 372 yards. They opted to pound the ball at the Raider defense, running the ball 46 times. A Good performance, although probably a futile one.
San Francisco – Maybe this should be listed under Bad. The only thing the Niners have left is draft position and they deliver a Mike Singletary-type whipping to the Jets. They doubled the Jets yardage and almost doubled their time of possession. Perhaps bad timing, but a Good performance against a playoff contender may be something to build on.
Tennessee – Much like the Colts, the Titans had little say about who rolled into town. All the Titans could do is use the Browns as a step ladder to clinch the division. They outgained Cleveland 390 – 178 in the process and held the opponent to three field goals. The Titan running game led the offense with 235 yards and a 5.5 average by itself. A Good performance leads to the AFCN title.
The Bad
Buffalo – The only reason the Bills aren’t Ugly is not much is expected of them anymore, and they did recover four of their own fumbles. Of course, they also gained a whopping 163 yards of offense and, even though the scoreboard implies otherwise, did not threaten to win this game. Given the rest of the division, the Bills could have crept back into the race but instead did very little to endear themselves to the Canadian fans.
Dallas – Losing to the Steelers at home on a cold, windy day is not Bad. However, the Cowboys wasted a 10-point fourth quarter lead, a great goal line stand, a chance to gain a game on the Giants and add some heat to next week’s matchup, not to mention a chance to solidify their overall playoff position. With games against the Giants, Ravens and in Philly, the Cowboys may smart from the last 9 minutes of this one for a long time.
Green Bay – It was never a good game, but it was a Bad final three minutes. The Pack was fortunate to find itself tied at 21 approaching those final three minutes, but tied they were. The Texans missed a FG near the end of the first half, fumbled inside the Packer 20 and muffed a punt at midfield to help enable the tie. Still, Green Bay was perched on the Texan 22 at the 3:00 mark. They proceeded to take a holding penalty and a sack to kill that scoring chance and then allowed the Texans to travel from their own 3 to the Packer 22 in the final 1:49 to set up the winning FG and end the Packers playoff chances. Only the fact they were in a position to win the game keeps them out of the Ugly.
New York Jets – The Jets started the day on top of the AFCE. They responded with an anemic performance that saw them gain only 10 first downs and 182 yards. 7 of those first downs and 106 yards came on their two scoring drives. Combine that with 375 yards against and you have a Bad performance, leading to a Bad outcome and a three-way tie for the AFCE lead by the end of the day.
The Ugly
Cincinnati – The Bengals started out fine with a pair of decent drives and they controlled the fourth quarter. Unfortunately, they came up empty early and their fourth quarter dominance included giving up an interception return for a touchdown. That was the good. The bad was being outgained almost 4-1 between those early drives and the fourth quarter, and being outscored 28-3 during that same span. The Colts helped them be Ugly, but make no mistake, they were Ugly…..again.
New York Giants – The biggest question here was Bad or Ugly. A 20-14 loss, even one as one-sided as this one might be only Bad for most, but it is Ugly for what is still probably the best team in the NFC. The defense gave up a few uncharacteristic big plays and the offense was lifeless most of the day. Of the Giants 14 points, 7 were on a blocked FG at the end of the first half and the final 7 were during mop-up time as the game clock was running out. Remove the final :30 of each half and the Giants were shut out. An Ugly performance, but one they could spare.
Oakland – The Raiders responded to the first 3D telecast with an all-around Ugly performance. Against 25th ranked defense giving up over 350 yards a game, the Raiders offense managed 163 yards and no points. That includes 109 passing against the 30th rank passing defense. They also turned the ball over twice in their own territory in the first half, once in the red zone. Not to be outdone, the Raiders defense was a minor impediment in the first half, denying the Chargers offense points only once. The masterpieces were a 96 yard TD drive and a 59 yard TD pass. This one was “no mas” by halftime. At the request of the fans, the first 3D telecast has been transported into a wormhole to offend distant aliens, along with the tape of the Al Davis press conference berating Lane Kiffin.