Week 12 did not break much new ground. The three Thanksgiving Day games were no big surprise, save the Cowboys almost completing a major comeback against the Saints. Sunday did not provide any ground breaking upsets, either. Buffalo almost stampeded the Steelers, but when the dust settled they made one too few plays. The Rams won a road game, but even that would have to be classified as only a mild upset since the home team was the Broncos.
The closest thing to an eyebrow raiser was Chicago putting the whammy on the Eagles, but the Bears have not exactly been chopped liver lately.
But while the results were not exactly stunning, that does not mean there was no Good to be found. Some was relative. Unfortunately, there were also some prime examples of Bad and Ugly, some of which looks like the kind that could linger for a few games. And at this time of year, Ugly can be terminal.
So, we enter week thirteen, which will be lucky for some and unlucky for others.
Many thanks to the GBU contributors (Team Ugly): Any, Arj, Ben, BG, Geto, GFC, Hannah, Stig, and Ward.
The Good
Atlanta – Matty Ice strikes again. For the second consecutive week, Ryan brought the team to victory on his shoulder as he drove them down the field against a tough Packers defense to set up the game winning field goal. John Abraham, the sack master that he is, and the rest of the Dirty Birds’ defense held Aaron Rodgers and the high powered Green Bay offense in check for the most part and now are considered the cream of the NFC crop. It wouldn’t be surprising to see Atlanta hosting a playoff game or two.
Chicago – Have the Bears finally found their franchise QB? It sure seemed so after they got out to a 31-13 lead and held on to defeat the red hot Philadelphia Eagles 31-26. Jay Cutler went 14 of 21 for 247 with 4 TDs and 0 (yes zero, zilch, nada) interceptions. Meanwhile the Bears defense picked off Michael Vick for the first time this season on a crucial red zone defensive stand late in the first half. The Bears held off a late surge by the Eagles to take sole possession of first place in the NFC North. You know what that means? Good news for the Bears!
Kansas City – Offensively, the Chiefs moved the ball on the ground and in the air. Matt Cassel threw four TDs, Jamaal Charles racked up 172 yards and a TD in only 22 carries and Dwayne Bowe hauled in 13 of Cassel’s 22 completions for 170 yards and a trio of TD’s. Kansas City held the ball for 41 of the game’s 60 minutes. On defense, they held Seattle to 13 first downs and 20 yards rushing, in addition to gathering three turnovers. The only ding in the armor was a pair of long passes, a 52 yarder and an 87-yard TD to Ben Obomanu, who accounted for over half of the Seahawks offense. But, when Seattle closed to within seven in the third quarter, the Chiefs put the hammer down to close this out. In the process, they preserved their AFCW lead and land here.
NY Giants – Though they would not have been out of the playoff race by any means with a loss, it would have crippled their chances greatly. With a second half rally that included a complete shutdown of the surprisingly potent Jaguars offense and their own offensive eruption in the 4th quarter, the Giants may well have salvaged a season that seemed to be rapidly getting away from them
San Diego – If one just looks at the stat sheet, the Chargers played the Colts to a draw. Given the Colts woes and injuries, that is not worth a Good by itself. Rivers was efficient (19 of 23 for 185 yards) but did not throw a TD pass. Mike Tolbert did rush for 103 yards and score once, but did so in 26 carries. So how exactly did the Chargers wind up here? Somehow they controlled the ball for more than 35 minutes, and that includes two lost possessions when they scored on TD passes thrown not by Rivers, but by Manning to the Chargers defense. That same defense intercepted two more Manning passes and frustrated the Colts offense for much of the game after Indy’s initial possession. It was a combined effort of ball control on offense and excellent defense that puts the Chargers here.
San Francisco – Ok, so maybe it’s a Good “light”. We saw this MNF matchup referred to as the “Bottom of the Barrel Bowl” more than once, so expectations were not very high for the game. And yes, the NFC West is at risk of sending a sub .500 team to the playoffs, a (dubious) first for the NFL. But divisional games are never easy, and the Niners have had a tough road with their QB’s and poor coaching. So a decisive 27-6 win over the Cards keeps them in the title hunt deserves some recognition. Troy Smith has emerged as a fairly reliable option for QB. 129 passing yards isn’t overly impressive, but he isn’t turning the ball over (We’re blaming the INT on Crabtree, not Smith) and he makes the big plays. Sadly the Niners lost RB Frank Gore to a hip injury, but Westbrook let it be known he’s there to carry the load.
The Bad
Indianapolis – Sometimes, a team simply has another team’s number. That has been the case for the San Diego Chargers vs. the Indy Colts for several years now. For the second week in a row, a team facing the Chargers #1 ranked defense, marched right down the field on their opening drive, making it look easy. However, in both cases, the Chargers easily erased the early deficit. Peyton Manning threw four (yes 4, IV, one more than three, almost five) interceptions, including two that were returned for TDs in a game that continued the Chargers dominance over the Colts. Stud QB, Phillip Rivers, who is on many people’s short list for league MVP, did not (for a change) need to put up awesome fantasy numbers to secure a victory.
Oakland – Now, no one was ready to crown them as Super Bowl champs following their mini resurgence this year, but many didn’t think they’d revert back to their old ways against the mediocre Dolphins, who were minus their best receiver, either. Miami beat up the Raiders in Oakland for a 33-17 loss. This takes the Raiders back to 5-6 and third place in the division, looking up at the Chiefs and Chargers. Oakland started strong with an opening kickoff return for a TD but were trounced from then on out. Darren McFadden and the Raiders run game went completely MIA. The Raiders did NOTHING on the ground. Bruce Gradkowski got his turn on the Raiders QB merry-go-round, throwing two picks and falling to (what now looks like) as a season ending shoulder injury. TE Zach Miller and DB Nnamdi Asomugha were both playing injured and are now set for MRI’s. The single bright spot for Oakland was WR Jacoby Ford who pulled down some insane catches. Al Davis was seen telling a group of fans prior to kickoff that this was a “must win” game for his franchise. Can’t help but believe Cable’s days as HC are now numbered.
The Ugly
Arizona – We can speak for most when we say that we didn’t like Arizona’s chances heading into the season. They lost too much talent on both sides of the ball and, even in a very weak division, couldn’t compete with the rest of the field. How they beat the Saints earlier this year is beyond us. The organization put all of their eggs in one basket with Derek Anderson and he’s showing why Cleveland was ready to dump him. Rookie Max Hall looks like he has some skills but is way too raw at this point. To get trounced on MNF, at home, to the 49ers who are equally as dreadful, speaks volumes. Truly awful performance in Week 12.
Cincinnati – The Bengals have clearly given up on their season and can only hope to play spoiler in the AFCN with games left vs. the Steelers and Ravens. All you need to know about how Ugly this game was for the Bengals are the following facts from the game: The Bengals only gained 163 total yards on offense, averaged only 3.0 yards per pass and 2.3 yards per run. Do the math on that and you don’t come up with a lot of first downs or points. The Bengals also turned the ball over three times, including two interceptions. We are left to ponder what has happened to the once fantasy stud, Carson Palmer?
Tennessee – It does not matter if Crusty the Clown is playing quarterback, 9 first downs and 162 total yards against the Houston Texans is just plain awful. When stud RB Chris Henry only carries the ball 7 times for 5 yards, something is wrong with the Titans beyond who is behind center. To add injury to insult, Titans CB, Cortland Finnegan succeeded in getting Andre Johnson removed from the game, but not before taking some serious head shots, in a one-sided brawl that sent both players to an early trip to the showers. It didn’t matter as the Titans were shut out 20-0.
Honors
Dwayne Bowe – The Chiefs WR posted 13 receptions, 170 yds, 3 TDs
Sam Bradford – 22 of 37 for 308 yards and 3 TDs in a winning effort against the Broncs
Jamal Charles – 22 carries for 173 yds and a TD in the Chiefs win over Seattle
Jay Cutler – 14 of 21, 247 yds, and 4 TDs against the Eagles
Matt Ryan – The Falcon QB did not have a big yardage day, but completed 24 of 28 passes for 197 yards and a TD to help Atlanta to an important home victory. That qualifies as something more than efficient.
Brad Smith – 53 yd rushing, a TD, and an 89 yard kickoff return TD for the Jets
Brian Westbrook – Talk about clutch. You and your epic career shadow the new young guy from the sidelines all season long, then Gore goes out with a season ending injury and what do you do? Show up for 136 yards rushing and a TD.
Jacoby Ford – The rookie WR in Oakland is an acrobat. He should be at the top of both Campbell and now Gradkowski’s Christmas list for the grabs he’s been making. Not to mention he’s a lethal weapon on returns, taking the opening kickoff 101 yards for a TD.
Awards
Ciron Black best of the Good: Da Bears. They were the designated underdog by most of the professional experts (it was good to see the H2H experts not follow suit). The Vick hype somehow distracted a lot of folks from how good this Bears team is. In a rather atypical Bears way, they have quietly taken a stand in the NFC North. The Packers, darlings of the NFL pundits, now have a fight on their hands if they want the division. Beating Vick and the Eagles was a HUGE victory for Chicago.
Aunt Esther ugliest of the Ugly: Tennessee. Not only were they Ugly, they were shutout Ugly. Shut out by a defense that has not proven it could stop the team from the Happy Daze Senior Apartments.
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nfl week 12
NFL Week 12: The Good, the Bad and the Ugly
December 1, 2010 - 12:48 am · 0 comments
by Zack Kelberman
in Community Commentary, Weekly Segments
Week 12 did not break much new ground. The three Thanksgiving Day games were no big surprise, save the Cowboys almost completing a major comeback against the Saints. Sunday did not provide any ground breaking upsets, either. Buffalo almost stampeded the Steelers, but when the dust settled they made one too few plays. The Rams won a road game, but even that would have to be classified as only a mild upset since the home team was the Broncos.
The closest thing to an eyebrow raiser was Chicago putting the whammy on the Eagles, but the Bears have not exactly been chopped liver lately.
But while the results were not exactly stunning, that does not mean there was no Good to be found. Some was relative. Unfortunately, there were also some prime examples of Bad and Ugly, some of which looks like the kind that could linger for a few games. And at this time of year, Ugly can be terminal.
So, we enter week thirteen, which will be lucky for some and unlucky for others.
Many thanks to the GBU contributors (Team Ugly): Any, Arj, Ben, BG, Geto, GFC, Hannah, Stig, and Ward.
The Good
Atlanta – Matty Ice strikes again. For the second consecutive week, Ryan brought the team to victory on his shoulder as he drove them down the field against a tough Packers defense to set up the game winning field goal. John Abraham, the sack master that he is, and the rest of the Dirty Birds’ defense held Aaron Rodgers and the high powered Green Bay offense in check for the most part and now are considered the cream of the NFC crop. It wouldn’t be surprising to see Atlanta hosting a playoff game or two.
Chicago – Have the Bears finally found their franchise QB? It sure seemed so after they got out to a 31-13 lead and held on to defeat the red hot Philadelphia Eagles 31-26. Jay Cutler went 14 of 21 for 247 with 4 TDs and 0 (yes zero, zilch, nada) interceptions. Meanwhile the Bears defense picked off Michael Vick for the first time this season on a crucial red zone defensive stand late in the first half. The Bears held off a late surge by the Eagles to take sole possession of first place in the NFC North. You know what that means? Good news for the Bears!
Kansas City – Offensively, the Chiefs moved the ball on the ground and in the air. Matt Cassel threw four TDs, Jamaal Charles racked up 172 yards and a TD in only 22 carries and Dwayne Bowe hauled in 13 of Cassel’s 22 completions for 170 yards and a trio of TD’s. Kansas City held the ball for 41 of the game’s 60 minutes. On defense, they held Seattle to 13 first downs and 20 yards rushing, in addition to gathering three turnovers. The only ding in the armor was a pair of long passes, a 52 yarder and an 87-yard TD to Ben Obomanu, who accounted for over half of the Seahawks offense. But, when Seattle closed to within seven in the third quarter, the Chiefs put the hammer down to close this out. In the process, they preserved their AFCW lead and land here.
NY Giants – Though they would not have been out of the playoff race by any means with a loss, it would have crippled their chances greatly. With a second half rally that included a complete shutdown of the surprisingly potent Jaguars offense and their own offensive eruption in the 4th quarter, the Giants may well have salvaged a season that seemed to be rapidly getting away from them
San Diego – If one just looks at the stat sheet, the Chargers played the Colts to a draw. Given the Colts woes and injuries, that is not worth a Good by itself. Rivers was efficient (19 of 23 for 185 yards) but did not throw a TD pass. Mike Tolbert did rush for 103 yards and score once, but did so in 26 carries. So how exactly did the Chargers wind up here? Somehow they controlled the ball for more than 35 minutes, and that includes two lost possessions when they scored on TD passes thrown not by Rivers, but by Manning to the Chargers defense. That same defense intercepted two more Manning passes and frustrated the Colts offense for much of the game after Indy’s initial possession. It was a combined effort of ball control on offense and excellent defense that puts the Chargers here.
San Francisco – Ok, so maybe it’s a Good “light”. We saw this MNF matchup referred to as the “Bottom of the Barrel Bowl” more than once, so expectations were not very high for the game. And yes, the NFC West is at risk of sending a sub .500 team to the playoffs, a (dubious) first for the NFL. But divisional games are never easy, and the Niners have had a tough road with their QB’s and poor coaching. So a decisive 27-6 win over the Cards keeps them in the title hunt deserves some recognition. Troy Smith has emerged as a fairly reliable option for QB. 129 passing yards isn’t overly impressive, but he isn’t turning the ball over (We’re blaming the INT on Crabtree, not Smith) and he makes the big plays. Sadly the Niners lost RB Frank Gore to a hip injury, but Westbrook let it be known he’s there to carry the load.
The Bad
Indianapolis – Sometimes, a team simply has another team’s number. That has been the case for the San Diego Chargers vs. the Indy Colts for several years now. For the second week in a row, a team facing the Chargers #1 ranked defense, marched right down the field on their opening drive, making it look easy. However, in both cases, the Chargers easily erased the early deficit. Peyton Manning threw four (yes 4, IV, one more than three, almost five) interceptions, including two that were returned for TDs in a game that continued the Chargers dominance over the Colts. Stud QB, Phillip Rivers, who is on many people’s short list for league MVP, did not (for a change) need to put up awesome fantasy numbers to secure a victory.
Oakland – Now, no one was ready to crown them as Super Bowl champs following their mini resurgence this year, but many didn’t think they’d revert back to their old ways against the mediocre Dolphins, who were minus their best receiver, either. Miami beat up the Raiders in Oakland for a 33-17 loss. This takes the Raiders back to 5-6 and third place in the division, looking up at the Chiefs and Chargers. Oakland started strong with an opening kickoff return for a TD but were trounced from then on out. Darren McFadden and the Raiders run game went completely MIA. The Raiders did NOTHING on the ground. Bruce Gradkowski got his turn on the Raiders QB merry-go-round, throwing two picks and falling to (what now looks like) as a season ending shoulder injury. TE Zach Miller and DB Nnamdi Asomugha were both playing injured and are now set for MRI’s. The single bright spot for Oakland was WR Jacoby Ford who pulled down some insane catches. Al Davis was seen telling a group of fans prior to kickoff that this was a “must win” game for his franchise. Can’t help but believe Cable’s days as HC are now numbered.
The Ugly
Arizona – We can speak for most when we say that we didn’t like Arizona’s chances heading into the season. They lost too much talent on both sides of the ball and, even in a very weak division, couldn’t compete with the rest of the field. How they beat the Saints earlier this year is beyond us. The organization put all of their eggs in one basket with Derek Anderson and he’s showing why Cleveland was ready to dump him. Rookie Max Hall looks like he has some skills but is way too raw at this point. To get trounced on MNF, at home, to the 49ers who are equally as dreadful, speaks volumes. Truly awful performance in Week 12.
Cincinnati – The Bengals have clearly given up on their season and can only hope to play spoiler in the AFCN with games left vs. the Steelers and Ravens. All you need to know about how Ugly this game was for the Bengals are the following facts from the game: The Bengals only gained 163 total yards on offense, averaged only 3.0 yards per pass and 2.3 yards per run. Do the math on that and you don’t come up with a lot of first downs or points. The Bengals also turned the ball over three times, including two interceptions. We are left to ponder what has happened to the once fantasy stud, Carson Palmer?
Tennessee – It does not matter if Crusty the Clown is playing quarterback, 9 first downs and 162 total yards against the Houston Texans is just plain awful. When stud RB Chris Henry only carries the ball 7 times for 5 yards, something is wrong with the Titans beyond who is behind center. To add injury to insult, Titans CB, Cortland Finnegan succeeded in getting Andre Johnson removed from the game, but not before taking some serious head shots, in a one-sided brawl that sent both players to an early trip to the showers. It didn’t matter as the Titans were shut out 20-0.
Honors
Dwayne Bowe – The Chiefs WR posted 13 receptions, 170 yds, 3 TDs
Sam Bradford – 22 of 37 for 308 yards and 3 TDs in a winning effort against the Broncs
Jamal Charles – 22 carries for 173 yds and a TD in the Chiefs win over Seattle
Jay Cutler – 14 of 21, 247 yds, and 4 TDs against the Eagles
Matt Ryan – The Falcon QB did not have a big yardage day, but completed 24 of 28 passes for 197 yards and a TD to help Atlanta to an important home victory. That qualifies as something more than efficient.
Brad Smith – 53 yd rushing, a TD, and an 89 yard kickoff return TD for the Jets
Brian Westbrook – Talk about clutch. You and your epic career shadow the new young guy from the sidelines all season long, then Gore goes out with a season ending injury and what do you do? Show up for 136 yards rushing and a TD.
Jacoby Ford – The rookie WR in Oakland is an acrobat. He should be at the top of both Campbell and now Gradkowski’s Christmas list for the grabs he’s been making. Not to mention he’s a lethal weapon on returns, taking the opening kickoff 101 yards for a TD.
Awards
Ciron Black best of the Good: Da Bears. They were the designated underdog by most of the professional experts (it was good to see the H2H experts not follow suit). The Vick hype somehow distracted a lot of folks from how good this Bears team is. In a rather atypical Bears way, they have quietly taken a stand in the NFC North. The Packers, darlings of the NFL pundits, now have a fight on their hands if they want the division. Beating Vick and the Eagles was a HUGE victory for Chicago.
Aunt Esther ugliest of the Ugly: Tennessee. Not only were they Ugly, they were shutout Ugly. Shut out by a defense that has not proven it could stop the team from the Happy Daze Senior Apartments.
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Tagged as: gbu, nfl week 12