The fourteenth week of the 2020 NFL season is in the books so here are the different thoughts and opinions I have on various things I witnessed this past weekend. Playoff races are tightening up as some teams improved their positions while others just screwed themselves. And the Dallas Cowboys actually won a game! Wee!
Just remember I am a Dallas Cowboys fan and I'm extremely biased. Feel free to agree or disagree about anything mentioned here. All comments are welcome.
Grabbing a Tiger by the Tail
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If you are a Bengals fan on Sunday you learned your team is so bad they can even make the Cowboys look like a good team. If you are a Cowboys fan like myself on Sunday you learned our team has been so bad this year we get excited over beating the Bengals. Dallas clobbered Cincinnati 30-7.
You probably didn’t know, but this was by far the Cowboys most important game of the season. Why? My brother is a Bengals fan. These teams only face each other once every four years so if Dallas loses to Cincinnati I get four years of crap thrown my way. When the Cowboys win I handle it with grace and congratulate my brother for his team’s spirit. HAHAHA!
The Bengals showed they had no interest in winning this game by fumbling on each of their first three possessions. Sheesh. Even the Cowboys couldn’t screw up being handed those gifts. Dallas really didn’t have to do much on offense, the Bengal handed them everything. QB Andy Dalton (16/23, 185 yards, 2 TDs) was solid in his return to Cincy. The media claimed this was a “revenge” game for Dalton, but I have no idea why. Who wouldn’t be thrilled to be released by the Bengals?
RB Zeke Elliott (12 carries, 48 yards) gained more than half of his total yards on one carry. The rest of the game he was his usual dogshit. I wish the Cowboys would dump him. He got paid and now he just shows up to collect his check. The Cowboys improved to 4-9.
The Cowboys have a bad defense. A historically bad defense. They even play worse than Zeke. Yet despite facing a defense that gives up 33 points per game, the Bengals could only muster seven points. At home. That’s all you need to know about the Bengals playing without QB Joe Burrow. Cincinnati fell to 2-10-1.
Buffalo Dance
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In a meeting between AFC powerhouses the Buffalo Bills trampled the Pittsburgh Steelers 26-15 in Buffalo. It was the Steelers second loss in a row after starting the season 11-0. Hubris is catching up with the Steelers and I have to say I’m loving it.
The game started out as a good old-fashioned defensive battle. The Steelers got on the board first with a TD pass by Ben Roethlisberger halfway through the second quarter. The Bills later responded with a FG and it looked like it was going to be a 7-3 Steelers lead at the half until Bills CB Taron Johnson picked off Roethlisberger and returned it for a pick-six. The Bills missed the extra-point and took a 9-7 lead into the locker room.
The big play by the defense seemed to inspire the Bills offense coming out into the 3rd quarter. Bills QB Josh Allen got hot and threw two TD passes to blow the game open. The Steelers came back with a TD and a two-point conversion in the 4th quarter, but it wasn’t enough as the Bills held on for the 26-15 win.
Buffalo’s offense got off to a really slow start yet Josh Allen (24/43, 238 yards, 2 TDs, 1 INT) got hot later on and took the game away from the Steelers. Allen found a connection with WR Stefon Diggs (10 receptions, 130 yards, 1 TD) that Pittsburgh couldn’t handle. The ground attack was average (27 carries, 104 yards) but it did manage to bleed the clock later in the game. The Bills defense was strong, holding the Steelers to 224 total yards. It was an impressive victory for the Bills who improved to 10-3 and are one step closer to claiming their first AFC East crown since 1995.
The Steelers were showing cracks before their undefeated streak was brought down, but those cracks are deepening each week. The defense was stout in the first half, it faded in the second as Josh Allen started chewing them up. The running game was putrid again amassing only 47 yards on 17 carries. Ben Roethlisberger (21/37, 187 yards, 2 TDs, 2 INTs) was asked to carry the load, but Buffalo took away the long ball forcing Ben to dink and dunk the rock down the field. The final score wasn’t that bad, still it was a poor showing for the Steelers who fell to 11-2.
I mentioned the Steelers hubris for a reason at the beginning of this section. Pittsburgh WR JuJu Smith-Schuster has been acting like a clown all season. Before each game on the road he dances on the opposition’s logo at midfield and posts his act on the internet. Teams are catching on and they are pissed. Things almost came to a head in the Pitt/Dallas game when Smith-Schuster announced he was going to do his little dance during the game, but Cowboys DE Randy Gregory slapped the ball out of his hands and threatened his health before he could get there.
On Sunday night Smith-Schuster posted his pre-game dance once again and Buffalo certainly noticed. Before the Bills took the field, Josh Allen gathered the team together in the tunnel and told them “let them do all the talking and f *cking dancing, we f *cking work!” That’s what leaders do, they turn the opponent’s shit talking right back at them and then lead their team to victory. You know what losers do? Disrespect their opponent right before a game and post it on the internet for the whole world to see.
You would think a second straight loss would give Pittsburgh a little humility, but that didn’t seem to be the case. After the game Josh Allen was doing an on-field interview with NBC when Steelers TE Eric Ebron jumped all over him and wildly congratulated him on the win. His congratulations seemed most disingenuous, he came off looking like an ass trying to steal TV time away from the guy who actually led his team to victory.
I have to ask myself where is head coach Mike Tomlin when all this bullshit is going on? Tomlin is often credited as being a tough leader, but his cast of goofs is looking out of control. It really isn’t anything new in Pittsburgh, let’s not forget all of the Antonio Brown shenanigans that occurred under Tomlin’s watch. Are there any leaders on this team?
Shootout in Cleveland
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In a wild Monday Night shootout, Lamar Jackson was able to overcome a case of “cramps” to lead the Baltimore Ravens to a 47-42 victory over the Cleveland Browns. Big win for Baltimore who needed to take this game to remain in the hunt for a playoff spot.
The Ravens play their best when they can run the ball and run the ball they did all over the Cleveland Browns. But when the game was on the line it was the arm of Lamar Jackson that saved Baltimore.
The Ravens built a 34-20 lead heading into the 4th quarter, but Cleveland caught a break when Jackson headed into the locker room with a “cramp”. Hmm. Was it really a cramp? Usually when a player has a cramp he doesn’t run into the tunnel like Jackson did. Speculation among many veteran NFL players is Jackson didn’t have a cramp, he had to drop a deuce. Fitting actually since he was facing the Browns.
Cramp or not, the Browns smelled blood in the water when Jackson left and mounted a serious comeback. Baker Mayfield led Cleveland on two TD drives to take a 35-34 advantage with 6 minutes remaining. It looked like Ravens backup QB Trace McSorley would have to try to save the game.
The Ravens drove to the Cleveland 41-yard line when McSorely was sacked and injured on a 3rd and two play. It looked like game over for the Ravens until Lamar Jackson returned to the field for a 4th and 5 desperation play. Despite missing the entire quarter to this point, Jackson nailed WR Hollywood Brown with a 44 yard TD bomb and Baltimore made a two-point conversion to take a 42-35 lead with two minutes to go.
Now Cleveland was pushed into a corner, but they refused to back down. Baker Mayfield caught fire and only needed 50 seconds to drive the Browns downfield for their 3rd TD of the quarter. The extra-point tied the game at 42-42.
With little time left, the Ravens couldn’t afford to waste any clock by running the rock. No matter, Lamar Jackson used his arm to complete 4 passes to drive Baltimore into FG range. K Justin Tucker hit the 55-yarder with seven seconds left. The Browns had one chance at a miracle play from their own 25-yard line, but their attempt of a fumblerooskie miracle ended up as a game-ending safety. Raven hold on for the 47-42 win. What a game!
Tremendous victory for the Ravens. Through three quarters they used their rushing attack to dominate the Browns defense. When the Browns retook the lead late, Lamar Jackson was able to use his arm to deliver the win for the Ravens. Jackson (9 carries, 124 yards, 2 TDs) led the ground game, with his RB committee adding another 107 yards and three more TDs on 23 carries. In the air Jackson didn’t have to throw much (11/17, 162 yards, 1 TD) but he came through in the clutch. Tough day for the Ravens defense, who got lit up by Baker Mayfield late, but the offense bailed them out for the win. The Ravens improved to 8-5.
Rough loss for the Browns. They stormed back to make a huge comeback, but when the game was in their hands the defense found out they couldn’t only not stop Lamar Jackson on the ground, they couldn’t stop him in the air either. The Browns had success running the ball (28 carries, 138 yards, 3 TDs), yet when they fell behind they had to abandon the run. Baker Mayfield (28/47, 343 yards, 2 TDs, 1 INT) was up to the task, lighting up the Ravens secondary and leading the Browns on three 4th quarter TD drives. The Browns fell to 9-4.
Hurts so Good
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The upset of the week came in Philadelphia as rookie QB Jalen Hurts sparked the Eagles to a 24-21 win over the New Orleans Saints in his first career start. I hope Carson Wentz found a nice, comfy spot on the bench because he is going to be there for a while.
The Eagles have been so dumb all season long. Despite having a solid rushing attack, head coach Doug Pederson dialed up pass after pass for a struggling Carson Wentz with disastrous results. Now with Jalen Hurts starting under center, Pederson designed a run-first game plan to take pressure off of the rookie. Hey what do you know, it worked! I don’t want to give Pederson any credit here, I think he accidently stumbled into what the Eagles should have been doing all year.
The normally very good Saints run defense fell apart in this game. The Saints had gone 56 games without giving up 100 yards to a rusher, on Sunday they gave up 100 yards to two. RB Miles Sanders (14 carries, 115 yards, 2 TDs) and QB Jalen Hurts (18 carries, 106 yards) tore through the Saints defense. In the air Hurts (17/30, 167 yards, 1 TD) was less impressive, but he avoided taking any drive-killing sacks and only turned the ball over only once on a fumble. Strong debut for the rookie against a top defensive unit.
Maybe the Eagles learned a lesson here by having success with more rushes (36) than passes (30), but I doubt it. However the team, especially on defense, seemed to play with a lot more energy with Hurts starting over Wentz. It was like they felt they actually had a chance to win for a change. Hurts good game was bad news for Carson Wentz. The Eagles improved to 4-8-1.
The Saints had been cruising along without Drew Brees, but this week they stumbled. You would think the defense would have clamped down on the run and forced the rookie to air the ball out, but that didn’t happen. Honestly I think the Saints were shocked the Eagles came out running the ball. I guess you can’t fault them for underestimating Doug Pederson.
The offense had a bad day as well. They were shut out in the first half, they finally found a groove in the second half but it was too late and they came up short. QB Taysom Hill (28/38, 291 yards, 2 TDs, 1 INT, 1 fumble) made plays after a slow start, but his turnovers were killers, leading to 10 points for Philly. The Saints also left points on the field when K Will Lutz missed both of his FG attempts. Lots of mistakes for a team playing on the road, but the Saints were almost good enough to overcome them in a three point loss. Almost. The Saints fell to 10-3 and gave up the top seed in the NFC to the Packers.
Around the League
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The Raiders defense played a balanced game against the Colts, they couldn’t stop the run or the pass. Other than that they were fine. The Colts offense rolled and their defense forced some big turnovers as Indianapolis defeated Las Vegas 44-27.
The Colts came out firing in the first half to take a 20-14 lead. In the second half they turned the game over to the running attack to bleed the clock and continue piling up the points with the aid of a pick-six by the defense. QB Philip Rivers (19/28, 244 yards, 2 TDs) can still be dangerous when he doesn’t turn the ball over. RB Jonathan Taylor (20 carries, 150 yards, 2 TDs) trampled the Raiders defense. It was a nice balanced attack. The Colts improved to 9-4.
Raiders QB Derek Carr (31/45, 316 yards, 2 TDs, 2 INTs, 1 rushing TD) made some big plays for both teams. One of his picks came in the endzone to rob the Raiders of a chance to score and the other was returned by the Colts for a TD. He got little help on the ground as the Raiders only gained 79 yards on 22 carries. What a wacky season for Las Vegas, who were good enough to beat the Saints and the Chiefs but bad enough to lose to the Patriots and Falcons. The Raiders fell to 7-6 as their home record dropped to 2-4.
What does it take to defeat the Kansas City Chiefs? On Sunday the Miami Dolphins started fast with a 10-0 lead, intercepted Patrick Mahomes three times, dropped Mahomes for a thirty-yard loss on a sack, and finished strong with 17 4th quarter points. No matter, the Chiefs beat the Dolphins 33-27 in Miami.
It was a rare “off “game for QB Patrick Mahomes, who threw 3 picks after only giving up two in the Chiefs first 12 games. However Mahomes has ice water in his veins and shrugged off his miscues to obliterate the Miami secondary: 24/34, 393 yards, 2 TDs, 3 INTs. TE Travis Kelce (8 receptions, 136 yards, 1 TD) had another big game in what is becoming a career year. WR Tyreek Hill (3 receptions, 79 yards, 1 TD) added a 32-yard TD run to his air attack. The Chiefs are so good they are able to overcome mistakes that would bury other teams. Kansas City improved to 12-1 and took over the top seed in the AFC.
The Dolphins had their chances, but didn’t take enough advantage of KC’s mistakes. They managed to shut out the Chiefs in the 1st quarter yet you can only hold down Patrick Mahomes for so long. With a banged up RB committee only contributing 80 yards on 33 carries, the burden of the offense fell onto QB Tua Tagovailoa. Tua (28/48, 316 yards, 2 TDs, 1 INT) wasn’t enough to go toe to toe with Mahomes. The Dolphins fell to 8-5.
The Tampa Bay Buccaneers returned from their bye week to defeat the Minnesota Vikings 26-14. It wasn’t a pretty win for the Bucs, who were bailed out by the Vikings kicking woes, but it counts just the same.
Tampa Bay got off to a slow start with Tom Brady missing a bunch of throws, in the end it didn’t hurt them because Minnesota blew any chances to open a multi-score lead. Brady (15/23, 196 yards, 2 TDs) recovered as the game moved along to lead the offense down the field. Head coach Bruce Arians might have learned his lesson as he used RB Ronald Jones III (18 carries, 80 yards, 1 TD) to provide plenty of support. It was a balanced attack by the Bucs, which gives them the best chance of winning. Tampa Bay improved to 8-5.
The Vikings had a shot of taking control of this game early, but multiple missed kicks ruined it. K Dan Bailey missed all three of his FG attempts and his only extra-point attempt, leaving ten crucial points on the field. QB Kirk Cousins (24/37, 225 yards, 1 TD) and RB Dalvin Cook (22 carries, 102 yards, 1 TD) had good games, but despite all the yardage Minnesota didn’t put the ball across the goal line enough. Minnesota fell to 6-7 and they might have to win out to make the playoffs.
While the Bucs/Vikings game wasn’t pretty, the Washington/San Francisco game was downright ugly. The No-Names had no offense, but their defense picked up the slack by scoring multiple TDs as they defeated the 49ers 23-15.
Washington had a dreadful day on offense as QB Alex Smith (8/19, 57 yards, 1 INT) stunk up the field before getting injured. His backup QB Dwayne Haskins (7/12, 51 yards) wasn’t much better. They were bailed out by the defense when DE Chase Young returned a fumble for a 46-yard TD and S Kamren Curl returned an INT for a 76-yard pick-six. Those two defensive scores not only provided the bulk of the points, they gained more yardage than the passing game as well. The No-Names improved to 6-7 and sit atop the NFC East with their 4-game winning streak. Their playoff destiny is in their own hands.
The 49ers can forget about the playoffs now. The defense was strong, but the offense gave up as many points as they scored. Talk about a recipe for disaster. QB Nick Mullens (25/45, 260 yards, 1 TD, 1 INT) isn’t good enough to drive this team to victory. San Francisco has been crushed by injuries this year. The Niners fell to 5-8.
The Arizona Cardinals snapped their four game losing streak by ending the New York Giants four game winning streak. A strong game by both the offense and defense led Arizona to a 26-7 victory.
The Cardinals defense overwhelmed the Giants, registering eight sacks and forcing three fumbles. QB Kyler Murray (24/35, 244 yards, 1 TD) made the most of WR DeAndre Hopkins (9 receptions, 136 yards) to move the ball through the air. Murray made plays on the ground too (13 carries, 47 yards) as did RB Kenyan Drake (23 carries, 80 yards, 1 TD). Arizona improved to 7-6 and their playoff hopes are still alive.
The Giants defense saved this game from becoming a complete blowout by forcing Arizona to kick multiple FGs in the red zone. Their effort was wasted however by an offense that couldn’t do anything right. QB Daniel Jones (11/21, 127 yards) was eventually benched to save his hide as the Cardinals were teeing off on him all game. Lousy performance by the Giants that was reminiscent of their 1-7 start. The Giants fell to 5-8 and now trail the No-Names in the NFC East.
The Chicago Bears got off to a blazing start when RB David Montgomery broke away for an eighty yard TD run on their first offensive play. They never looked back as Chicago defeated the Houston Texans 37-7 to end their six-game losing streak.
The much maligned Bears offense had their best showing of the season. After Montgomery’s break away, QB Mitch Trubisky (24/33, 267 yards, 3 TDs) took over the game. WR Allen Robinson (9 receptions, 123 yards, 1 TD) was his main target. I don’t know if the Bears finally figured something out on offense or if this was just a damning statement of the Texans defense. Either way Chicago got a much needed win to improve to 6-7.
The Texans are missing a lot of talent on offense due to injury and it showed against the excellent Bears defense. QB Deshaun Watson (21/30, 219 yards, 1 TD) was running for his life, getting sacked six times including a safety. The defense was even worse, giving up more than 400 yards of offense to a Bears team that has struggled to move the ball all year. The Texans fell to 4-9 and should just burn the game film from this one.
The Carolina Panthers made a furious 4th quarter comeback, but it ultimately fell short as they lost to the Denver Broncos 32-27.
Denver QB Drew Lock (21/27, 280 yards, 4 TDs) had his best game of the season with his first career 4 TD game. Two of those TDs came on big plays to WR K.J. Hamler (2 receptions, 86 yards, 2 TDs). Lock has had an up and down year and needs more games like this one to convince the front office he is the QB of the future for this franchise. The Broncos improved to 5-8.
The Panthers defense gave up numerous big plays and the special teams chipped in by surrendering an 83-yard punt return for a TD. Combine that with an offense that didn’t show much life until the 4th quarter and you have the perfect recipe for a loss. QB Teddy Bridgewater (30/40, 283 yards) threw a ton of passes, but didn’t have much to show for it. The running back committee was better by gaining 125 yards and scoring 3 TDs on 21 carries. Unfortunately for Carolina the game script forced them to throw more than run. The Panthers fell to 4-9.
The Jacksonville Jaguars have been showing some life lately, but RB Derrick Henry decided he’s seen enough. Henry steamrolled the Jags as the Tennessee Titans cruised to an easy 31-10 win.
The Jaguars run defense is really bad and Derrick Henry proved it by racking up 215 yards and three TDs on 26 carries. QB Ryan Tannehill (19/24, 212 yards, 2 TDs) decided to get in on the action too, WR A.J. Brown (7 receptions, 112 yards, 1 TD) was his main target when Henry needed a breather. Good teams are supposed to stomp bad ones and that is exactly what the Titans did. Tennessee improved to 9-4, tied with the Colts atop the AFC South.
This game showed the tank is still alive and well in Jacksonville. The defense was destroyed and the offense offered little resistance. QB Gardner Minshew (18/31, 178 yards, 1 TD) returned to the lineup in the second half and got Jacksonville into the endzone once. Poor showing by a poor team. The Jaguars fell to 1-12, that win in Week One feeling like it came a lifetime ago.
The Green Bay Packers beat the Detroit Lions 31-24 because they are good and the Lions aren’t. Sometimes football is a simple game.
QB Aaron Rodgers (26/33, 290 yards, 3 TDs, 1 rushing TD) brought his “A”-game to Detroit and the Packers rarely lose when that happens. WR Davante Adams (7 receptions, 115 yards, 1 TD) and WR Marquez Valdes-Scantling (6 receptions, 85 yards, 1 TD) were his main targets. The running game pitched in with 120 yards on 30 carries. The defense let the Lions hang around to the end, but Rodgers wasn’t going to be beat. The Packers improved to 10-3 and have taken over the #1 seed in the NFC.
The Lions were basically a one man show on offense. QB Matthew Stafford (24/34, 244 yards, 1 TD) hit 9 different receivers to keep the Lions in the game. Yet you can’t beat a hot Aaron Rodgers without help and Stafford didn’t get any from the running game (15 carries, 51 yards, 2 TDs) or the defense. The Lions fell to 5-8.
No two teams in the NFL can blow a lead as easily as the Atlanta Falcons and the Los Angeles Chargers. This week they faced off against each other to decide which team was the best at giving games away. I thought it might end up in a tie, but the Falcons pulled through in the end to blow it with a late interception. The Chargers defeated Atlanta 20-17.
The Chargers found a simple way to not blow a lead by not taking one until the game’s final play. Smart I guess. QB Justin Herbert (36/44, 243 yards, 2 TDs, 1 INT) had a rather ho-hum performance. RB Austin Ekeler made up for it by leading the Chargers in rushing (15 carries, 79 yards) and receiving (9 receptions, 67 yards). The Chargers improved to 4-9.
Ah the Atlanta Falcons, the team that has perfected the art of giving the game away. They did it this week courtesy of QB Matt Ryan (21/32, 224 yards, 1 TD, 3 INTs), whose three second half INTs helped the Chargers score 10 points, including the game-winning FG. When Ryan wasn’t throwing the ball to the Chargers WR Calvin Ridley (8 receptions, 124 yards, 1 TD) was having a nice day. The Falcons fell to 4-9.
After last week’s stunning loss to the Giants, the Seattle Seahawks were in dire need of a feel good game. The football gods smiled upon them by sending the New York Jets to town. The Seahawks whooped them so bad they gave up after the 3rd quarter and still won 40-3.
QB Russell Wilson (21/27, 206 yards, 4 TDs, 1 INT) sat out the last 20 minutes of the game and still threw 4 TD passes. He got everyone involved by hitting nine different receivers. The running back committee had fun as well, compiling 174 yards and a TD on 36 carries. Even the awful Seattle defense chipped in by surrendering less than 200 yards for the first time this season. Seattle made the Jets look like a total joke of a franchise, which they are. The Seahawks improved to 9-4 and will be sad to learn they have to play a real team next week.
The Jets couldn’t move the ball on offense and couldn’t stop the Seahawks from moving the ball on defense until Seattle gave up after three quarters. They are so awful they are giving other historically terrible teams a bad name by being mentioned in the same breath as them. The Jets dropped to 0-13 and I think Trevor Lawrence should enter the witness protection program to hide from them until the draft is over.
That wraps it up for Week 14. Thanks for reading and feel free to let me know your thoughts in the comments below. I'm preparing for a Nor'easter that's supposed to drop anywhere from 1 to 2 feet of snow on us tomorrow so I guess I better celebrate the Cowboys win a little more today.
