NFL Week 17 Takeaways: Burrow outduels Mahomes, big day for Cards D in Dallas
Welcome to the Week 17 version of the Sunday FreakOut, the place we react and overreact to every little thing that occurred in the Sunday afternoon video games. For the total Sunday roundup podcast-style, you should definitely subscribe to The MMQB Podcast, in your feed each Monday morning…
Earlier than we start the standard nonsense, I wrote about Antonio Brown individually. You may learn it right here. Now, the aforementioned nonsense…
Table of Contents
Issues That Made Me Giddy
The Ballad of Anonymous Joe Burrow: He’s performed in addition to any quarterback in soccer over the previous two months, and on Sunday he went shot-for-shot with Patrick Mahomes and got here away with the win. I can’t stress how spectacular it’s for a second-year quarterback to play out of empty units as usually as Burrow does. He carved up a red-hot Chiefs protection and clinched the AFC North in model. (And apparently his title plate bought ripped off in some unspecified time in the future.)
Ja’Marr Chase After the Catch: The primary one is unbelievable. The second can also be unbelievable however can be observed much less as a result of it was a nine-yard achieve and never a landing.
The Bisaccia Raiders: For the second straight week they misplaced the turnover battle 2–0, and for the second straight week they gained anyway, and this time it was on the street towards a top quality opponent in Indy. Vegas has withstood an nearly unfathomable run of off-field incidents, and but, 17 weeks into the season, they’re nonetheless in it.
Herbert and the Chargers Go away No Doubt: One week after a dud in Houston, and towards the tip of a season throughout which they merely let inferior opponents dangle round too usually, the Chargers bought again on monitor on Sunday towards a cussed division rival. The questions surrounding this run protection will persist—the Broncos weren’t going to air it out with Drew Lock below middle—however Brandon Staley’s protection very a lot stored the Denver run sport in test whereas the offense did their factor like they often do.
Vance Joseph to the Rescue: The Cardinals offense bought by sprinkling in some big performs (together with an early double transfer on Trevon Diggs) and bought some assist from a fake-punt conversion. However it was Vance Joseph’s number of zone appears that led Arizona to the upset in Dallas. It was the type of efficiency the Cardinals wanted to get again on monitor. (And it was the type of efficiency that ought to be a magnet for any staff looking out for a brand new head coach.)
Extra Good Than Unhealthy From Isaiah Simmons: He was nonetheless uneven on the market, however the second-year linebacker had the play of the sport forcing a Dak Prescott fumble and was usually a ache in Prescott’s butt in protection.
Holy Cow, Odell Beckham Jr.’s Arms: He adopted this up with the game-winning landing, however on vital fourth down, these arms, on a ball with this velocity, with a defender hanging off of him… it’s only a monster catch.
Russell Wilson’s (Probably) Seattle Swan Track: Beating the Tim Boyle Lions in a meaningless Week 17 sport might be not a becoming option to exit. However it was a minimum of good to see Wilson put up some gaudy numbers in the type of 4 TDs.
Regrets
Dominated Down by Contact on the Subject: Which is unlucky, as a result of it was a fumble. However it’s additionally foolish that sky decide cannot simply come in and ask for a overview with out the coach problem mechanism coming into play. However, hey, that is what the competitors committee gave us, and when have they ever been mistaken. Or a long time behind the occasions. (But additionally, this can be a matter of millimeters between Chase Edmunds’ knee and the turf and the Cowboys misplaced this sport for many, many, many different causes.)
Cease It, Carson Wentz: His most optimistic play of the sport was additionally his most ill-advised throw, a second-reaction jump-ball heave into double protection that ended up bouncing off defenders and into T.Y. Hilton’s arms. Wentz performed poorly on Sunday, and extra regarding is he continued to make poor selections when compelled to play off-schedule. He was superb in the Christmas night time win in Arizona, however apart from that his play over the previous month has made it very troublesome for Frank Reich to belief him.
Matthew Stafford, Sloppy Once more: He put collectively the drive they wanted late, however he as soon as once more allowed a security to learn him like a guide for a simple pick-six. Issues had been finally far too fascinating for the Rams in Baltimore.
Jalen Ramsey Punches Taylor Rapp: Huh. It looks as if this one didn’t get the quantity of consideration you’d anticipate.
Shotgun on Fourth-and-Inches on the Purpose Line: I’d put my life in Joe Burrow’s arms proper now, however these shotgun formations on the purpose line restrict your choices in an obnoxious approach. And the Bengals did it twice in the ultimate minute of a tie sport. It was upsetting to look at.
Daniel Sorensen in Protection: He’s a useable participant as a Jamal Adams-style designated blitzer, however Sorensen continues to be a difficulty on the again finish for the Chiefs. On the 69-yard landing to Ja’Marr Chase early in the second half, Joe Burrow certainly used his eyes successfully, however taking part in a 2-deep look Sorensen can’t abandon his deep-half accountability when Chase is on that facet of the sphere.
Accidents on the Chiefs O-Line: They misplaced Orlando Brown Jr. and Lucas Niang on Sunday. It wasn’t a catastrophe, however it can check their depth in a approach that they… don’t actually need examined once more.
Zach Wilson With the Very Unhappy Fourth-and-2 Sneak: There’s no problem with the Jets making an attempt to seal the sport on a fourth-and-short—even after they didn’t make it they had been nonetheless forcing the Bucs to drive many of the discipline, for a landing, in lower than two minutes, with no time outs. However Wilson tried to sneak his was for the 2 yards, and it was instantly clear he wouldn’t come inside, oh, about 5 yards of a line to achieve.
Why Is Matt Ryan Taunting Anybody Down Two Touchdowns?: He began trash-talking Payments security Jordan Poyer after what he thought was a landing run that might have minimize the Payments’ result in one possession. However as an alternative Ryan was dominated in need of the purpose line and picked up a 15-yard taunting penalty, backing Atlanta up and all however ending the drive.
All the things About Tua Tagovailoa’s Day: I’m undecided what else there’s to say. Making an attempt to work round Tagovailoa’s limitations, the Dolphins have been operating an offense that isn’t suited to the NFL. They had been lucky to get a run of video games on the schedule in which they didn’t want an NFL offense to win (among the many quarterbacks they confronted throughout their profitable streak had been Tyrod Taylor, Joe Flacco, Cam Newton, Mike Glennon and Ian E book). There’s a portion of the fanbase that’s rightly upset with the pursuit of Deshaun Watson contemplating the sexual-misconduct lawsuits he’s at present dealing with, however Tagovailoa has completed little to point out he’s the quarterback of the current, not to mention the quarterback of the long run, in Miami.
Mike Glennon Revenge Sport: A Giants staff that trailed by a number of possessions for many of the sport in Chicago, and finally misplaced by 26 factors, known as 39 runs towards 16 passes on Sunday. (Glennon accomplished three passes for optimistic yardage and took 4 sacks because the Giants amassed –10 web passing yards.)
FedExField: In a approach it’s humorous, individuals falling down and all. Till you take into account Jalen Hurts and all these individuals’s lives had been endangered.
Moments We’ll Inform Our Grandkids About
Jonathan Ward Tops David Tyree: On the faux punt, with the helmet catch utilizing another person’s helmet. The one option to high that’s to lure the ball between your helmet and one other participant’s helmet, and I believe it’s unlikely we’ll see that. At the least not between now and the tip of the common season.
What We’ll Be Speaking About This Week
Garoppolo Is the Man in San Francisco (for the Remainder of This Season): If there have been any ideas of a Trey Lance offense catching opponents off-guard down the stretch, you may most likely scrap them now. Lance nonetheless is perhaps an excellent quarterback in a couple of years (I’m a believer!), however Sunday was one other rocky, off-rhythm efficiency, one he may solely get away with due to the standard of opponent. Kyle Shanahan’s offense works greater than nicely sufficient when the quarterback working it’s taking part in inside construction, and proper now that’s not the extent Lance is at.
Ja’Marr Chase Is Your Rightful Rookie of the Yr: And Jaylen Waddle is the runner-up. With all due respect to Mac Jones, who had a stable yr however didn’t outline his staff’s offense the way in which these two receivers did.
Does Anybody Wish to Play for Joe Choose?: Their quarterback is out, however this staff appears fully disinterested in taking part in organized soccer proper now. There are worse rosters staying aggressive in the meanwhile (Houston and the crosstown Jets, for occasion). The opposite staff that isn’t (Jacksonville) already fired their head coach.
Apologies Rohan, However This Dolphins Crew Was By no means for Actual: Except they had been going to petition the league to have Ian E book begin for the opposing staff in each sport from right here on in. And let’s be trustworthy, such a petition could be unlikely to succeed.
Ben Vs. Cleveland, One Final Time: In all chance, Monday night time will mark the ultimate matchup between Ben Roethlisberger and the Browns, towards whom Big Ben is 25-3-1 in his profession. Legend has it, he left upper-deckers in all of the bogs at FirstEnergy Stadium, after which Baker Mayfield discovered them when he began dwelling there. At the least that’s the advert I’d write up for that sequence if Progressive ever requested me for concepts. Which they gained’t. As a result of all my concepts are toilet-related. Anyway, a win Monday would offer some imprecise, narrative-based symbolism for the Browns.
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