Week 5 Open Game Discussion

Ok so *TWO* guys fall with all of their weight together on top of Luck, and it's not a penalty?

Having Edelman on the field seems to be sending good vibrations down the lineup. Hogan gets to run longer routes and Gronk isn't facing a triple team on every play. Someone should tell the Colts that James White is a good receiving back - maybe they missed the Atlanta Superbowl. Most of Edelman's snaps seem to have come at the expense of Gordon, which is no surprise.

The Colts injuries will have free agents across the land heading to the gym. At least Luck can still make the throws, and he'll have to. Hard to know what's what in the Thursday night slop but the Pats offense looks effective. Colts pass rush had been good but Brady went unsacked and didn't face much pressure. He's made some bad interceptions this year but the two tonight weren't on him - that one Hogan bobbled, yikes. He basically caught it and pitched it to the DB at a point where another Pats score would have ended the game. Brady's throw to Gronk when he was in a lineman's grasp and falling down was primo. After initially getting sliced apart, the Colts seemed to have some success playing two deep and pressing the short routes but the lack of pash rush led to the Gordon TD. Pretty nimble move by Gordon to split the DB's and grab the ball.

picks ar ein

pates 34, clots 20
falcs 34, steelers 31
ravens 27, browns 20
jets 17, broncos 13
pakcers 27, Lions 24
Jaguars 26, cheisf 20
bengals 41, diolphisn 23
pantehrs 29, gaints 20
Titans 20, bils 17
Raiders 31, chargers 23
Cardinals 21, 49ers 17
rams 38, sehajkws 20
Vikings 23, eags 20
txneas 25, cowbouys 22
saints 36, Squirrels 30

Why does McCarthy even have to challenge a turnover? I guess because the officials were going to give it to the Lions without even a review. It looked to me like the punt touched a Lions player, #45, on the hand on the video. Horrible call.

Edit: They then said it was an official review. But they weren't going to do this at first.

What a weird and terrible mistake by Odell Beckham on a punt return. He opts to go and block one of the Panthers players, presumably to prevent him downing the ball before it goes in the endzone for a touchback, but the ball deflects off Beckham's leg and is ultimately recovered by Carolina in the endzone. That's why you stay far away from a punt if you aren't planning to fair catch it or run it back.

Mason Crosby just missed his third FG this half. WTF is going on? I had figured this was probably a loss even before the season started, but this may be one of the Packers worst performances since before Holmgren and Wolf took over in the early 90s. What a disaster.

Geez, after Bortles throws a pick-six the Jags march all the way down the field with a chance to score a TD they desperately need before the half. Instead Bortles bonks a pass right off his lineman's helmet and it pops up for a pick in the endzone. Unfortunately that probably eliminates any chance this will be a competitive affair in the second half.

It's the Falcons offensive line usually this bad, giving up 3 sacks, or did the Steelers pass rush came back after taking a 3 game vacation?

Also, why passing the ball with 30 seconds left and a timeout? Why not spreading the field and running it with Conner?

And how is Julio Jones getting shutdown by Joe Haden (Not a bad corner, but a #2 CB at best)?

So unless there's a huge turnaround in the second half, the Lions are going to have two dominant, blowout wins over the Patriots and Packers in the first five weeks... And will still have a losing record. Weird.

Rodgers has just been... off. He likes to hold onto the ball but it’s been uncharacteristic. It’s as if he went into the game knowing his receiving targets are a dumpster fire.

And Buffalo plays for the long GW FG and it works. God I hate seeing ineptitude and stupidity being rewarded.

I can accept the fact that bad things happen to good people; that's life. But it's so much harder for me seeing good things happen to stupid people.

For the couple of games I've payed attention:

*You know, in the last couple of games, Matt Ryan looked particularly awesome despite losing the games. Pittsburgh didn't even allowed him that. (Through my mind went: At least he wasn't picked off. Then Artie Burns nearly picked him off. Then he fumbled and Pittsburgh scored.). Goes to show what happens when the D is bad and the O that has been carrying the team for weeks has a bad day.
*On the other hand, Ben's accuracy has been off, but the Offense has been everything advertised in PreSeason, other than 7 to 84 not being as effective as it should. Conner had a good day (Not sure if run blocking came back, or the Falcons being horrible against the run helped with that). And the defense, of all parts of the team, had a solid day. The pass rush finally got home after weeks of being not existent and the DBs made plays (Julio getting shutdown for 47 minutes is awesome for any defense. Doubly so when it is the Steelers defense).
*Damn it Miami, how is that you lead by 17 points by half time, looking competent in the process, then totally decompose in the 2nd half, producing nothing in the process?
*Not sure who is this bunch of fakers that took over the Jacksonville defense, or if they are just having a massively terrible day. Where's the pass rush? Where are the DBs ... well .. they are there, just getting manhandled by the Chiefs. At least they are not all fakers, Blake Bortles is there.
*Jacksonville onside kick!

Matthews gets a sack ---- and doesn't get called for a penalty. The one bright spot in today's game.

Wow, Isiah Crowell is now apparently the record holder for the biggest rushing day in Jets history. He had 219 yards. The previous record was 210, which seems surprisingly low for a franchise that's been around for half a century.

The first half strip sacks are a valid knock against them, but at the end of the day the Packers offense played pretty well—they're about to lose a game where they gained 450+ yards at a 6+ yard per play clip and never punted. (Typed before big garbage time play to St Brown inflates those numbers.) Defense was ok too. Murdered by special teams.

Gano with a 63 yard FG at the buzzer to win! What an incredible finish!

nvm apparently several 63 yarders have been made outside of denver

As an aside, how is that the Baltimore-Cleveland game is STILL GOING!?

What. The. Eff. The Browns got screwed by possibly the worst call in the history of football! Jarvis Landry got held and then absolutely leveled with the ball in the air, no flag. They called it uncatchable, and of course it was when the defense interfering with the receiver so hard he never has a chance to run under it! And the network ref agrees! We are all being gaslit.

This is as bad as that "forward progress" horseshit on the Mariota sack in the playoffs last year. Just unbelievable

I like how on the broadcast they were going on how this was the first Browns win on Sunday in whatever really long period. As if the day the game is played has any real significance to anyone. Next time they win we'll hear how it's their first non-OT Sunday win since whenever.

In other news, what the F is wrong with the Special Teams today? Chris Boswell missed an extra point for the Steelers, the Falcons got a punt blocked, Mason Crosby couldn't kick field goals, and missed an extra. The Seahawks got a punt blocked and Dan Bailey missed 2 kicks so far.

Textbook roughing the passer on Michael Bennett, as he hits Cousins near the knees.

The broadcast saying "well where else can he hit him?" and missing the point. It's not like defenders are magically dropped into spacetime hurtling towards a QB; they are supposed to play under more control to avoid being in a position where their only option is to rough the passer.

Wait, what? A drop kick? Wow .... that's legit, the first time I see a player do a drop kick. So this is why Michael Dickson is considered awesome?

Fumbling in the red zone, especially at the 5 yard line, is simply unacceptable for any starting HB. So seeing Jay Ajayi fumbling the ball so close to the end zone, with the Eagles needing anything to spark their offense, is very bad.

Saw the single worst call I’ve ever seen in a football game in the Giants-Panthers game.

Not the most confused, but the most indicative of how NFL rules are fundamentally broken.

Newton throws a comeback to Funchess, but it’s a bad pass. WR is double-covered and has a man lurking underneath. Underneath guy breaks it up and is slammed into by Funchess and then by the safety. Flag flies.

Penalty is targeting on the underneath DB. The guy who got hit in the helmet by Funchess. Funchess was actually the one defending the pass. The DB was catching it. Such horseshit.

Next play, the guard gets turned around and tackles McCaffrey. I was surprised they didn’t flag the defense on that, too.

NFL rules are clearly designed solely to protect offensive backs at the expense of all others. It’s legal for a WR to commit offenses a DB cannot in the same circumstances. Referees just reflexively do this, because they the sole way they are professional is that they receive a paycheck.

Why did Doug Peterson, of all people, just kick a 28 yard field goal on 4th & 5, down 17, with barely over a quarter left?

So far, I've seen Marcus Peters make 2 kinds of plays. Defensive Holds and allowing receivers to get wide open behind him. Here they are saying he is playing injured, and if that's true it shows.

Whoa ... 2 things are killing the Rams. The fact that their D-Line has not been able to be consistent against the run (Huge runs followed by run stops), and that their secondary is bailing out the Seahawks (And Russell Wilson) by either gifting them TDs or first downs by penalties or bad coverage.

Down by 2 and awaiting a punt with 1:39 left, the Seahawks use their last timeout. That's not good strategy, you could use that timeout on an attempted game winning drive. But the worst part is that it appears to convince the Rams to go for it on fourth and short, since they can now simply kneel it out if they get the first down, which is exactly what happens.

Fourth and inches and Watson's in shotgun formation???

Texans horrible in the red zone. 5 trips and only 1 TD.

Brees is in his 18th season, which by my math makes him … not young for an NFL player.

It's the start of the 4th quarter, the Saints are up by 27 points and inside (long) field goal range.

Brees is coming back onto the field for the start of the 4th quarter why exactly? Payton wants to keep Bridgewater well rested in case he's needed later in the season?