Week 20 NFL Game Recaps
Patriots 23, Ravens 20
Of course, Cundiff shouldn't have been in that position anyway because Joe Flacco threw a game-winning touchdown to Lee Evans two plays earlier. Unfortunately for Baltimore, Evans couldn't hang on to the football, as Sterling Moore, who was on the practice squad earlier in the year, knocked the ball out of his hands. Moore saved the season for Tom Brady, who has now tied John Elway for most Super Bowl appearances (5) and Joe Montana for most playoff victories (16). If Brady wins in two weeks, it's an easy argument to say that he's the best quarterback in NFL history.
Brady will obviously need to play better in the Super Bowl because his defense isn't good enough to carry the team. If Moore doesn't knock the ball out of Evans' hands, the Patriots would have surrendered a game-winning drive to Joe freaking Flacco. That says it all.
Flacco deserves a ton of credit for this near-victory because he was handicapped by Cam Cameron's atrocious play-calling. Cameron decided to run the ball on first down on the opening three drives, putting Flacco in second-and-long each time. The Ravens consequently had to punt on all three occasions.
Cameron's play-calling would improve, but he really screwed up on the penultimate drive of the fourth quarter. He had Ray Rice run a draw on 3rd-and-3 on the New England 30 - a down in which the Ravens couldn't lose yardage no matter what. Rice was tackled three yards behind the line of scrimmage, forcing Baltimore to go for it on 4th-and-6. Flacco would throw incomplete because of pressure.
If I'm Cameron, I'm sending Cundiff a gift basket (and perhaps a suitcase full of money) because if the kicker doesn't whiff on that field goal, Cameron would have been the easy scapegoat.
Ed Dickson, meanwhile, really struggled. He had a big drop and was guilty of a crucial false start in the fourth quarter.
Giants 20, 49ers 17
Seriously, how big was Ginn's knee injury? If he's in the game, the 49ers don't muff a punt and fumble a return in overtime. You really have to feel for Kyle Williams. Unlike Billy Cundiff, Williams' main job isn't returning punts. He was in the game because Ginn was hurt. That doesn't excuse his two crucial mistakes that led to 10 New York points, but if you're comparing Williams to Cundiff, it's no contest. The kicker was more responsible.
Manning went 32-of-58 for 316 yards and two touchdowns. That's an impressive stat line considering the immense pressure he was under. He seldom had time in the pocket and took six sacks (2.5 from Ray McDonald). San Francisco's defense definitely came to play.
As for Alex Smith, he was 12-of-26 for 196 yards and two scores. He made a couple of great throws to Vernon Davis, but two things stick out to me. First, he had an open Kyle Williams downfield for a long touchdown in the second quarter, but overthrew him by about five yards. Second, Smith couldn't convert a third down to save his life. He was 1-of-13 in those situations, with the only positive result coming right at the very end of regulation when the Giants allowed him to complete a pass well short of the end zone.
I don't want you to think that Smith is a lost cause or anything. He made great strides this year, and it wouldn't be fair to dismiss him because of this loss, especially after his late-game heroics versus New Orleans. He deserves a chance with more than one weapon to throw to. Vernon Davis was a monster again (3-112, 2 TDs), but no other Niner receiver or tight end did anything. Michael Crabtree caught one ball for three
My playoff 2011 NFL Power Rankings, will be posted Monday morning.
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luke
12-26-2011
12:03 am
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"as long as Cam Newton doesn't regress"
i predict he will have a sophomore slump. give nfl defenses an offseason to watch tape on him, and they'll slow him down.
Horns of Gold
12-25-2011
11:42 pm
xxx.xxx.xxx5.90
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Anyone who thinks the Rams should draft Luck and trade Bradford if they secure the #1 pick is a fool. Sam Bradford has an INT Rate of 2.2%. Even if he had eight more INT's to date, he'd have a better INT Rate after his first two NFL seasons than Jim Kelly (who played his first four seasons in USFL), Troy Aikman, Phil Simms and Peyton Manning. Not bad company there. Oh...and neither of those QB's had a winning record after two seasons, either. Do your homework, fellas.
Eric
12-25-2011
10:58 pm
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Walt needs to write to recaps
Nate
12-25-2011
04:23 pm
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Cox, your reviews are way too long. Do what Walt and Charlie do, which is quickly gloss over the big points of the game with some feedback, not write a biography about the game.
Russ
12-25-2011
04:18 pm
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How can you say the Vikings set themselves back a few years by winning a football game? That's such a uneducated assumption. Remember when you said the Lions would be set back by not picking Russell Okung, or that Jimmy Clausen was better than Sam Bradford? This is just like that. The vikings were just a subpar team until they obtained Brett Favre and he took them one play from the super bowl. Sure, Kalil would help them out a lot, but it's so irrational to think they will suck for a while just because of one player ..
MATGEE
12-25-2011
01:46 pm
xxx.xxx.xxx.227
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OK, this is the way I see it:
The Muslims own The Mafia who owns Las Vegas who owns The Game officials who own You and me, the Suckers What a travestigious debaclery of the old sport of football, don't you think?
Tom
12-25-2011
10:17 am
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Thumbs up if you actually read the entirety of Greg's game recaps. Good for you, gold star.
Vince
12-24-2011
04:30 pm
xxx.xxx.xxx3.99
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"Save for the fumble, he took care of the football."
In other words, "If you excuse the turnover, he didn't have any turnovers." Come on, Walt. You're better than that.
coltboyforever
12-23-2011
04:47 pm
xxx.xxx.xxx.224
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You play to win the game... say manning plays 5 more years and they draft moore... we be good til the end of time :D
Buggie
12-23-2011
03:13 pm
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If the jaguars are any smart, their best idea would be to continuously score safeties for the Colts. This way, even if Indy purposely tries to throw the game, they will be racking up a steady stream of points, causing them to win. MUAHAHA!!!!
Caldwell/Polian
12-23-2011
03:01 pm
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Should be fired for losing the first 13 games.
For winning the last 3, they should be banned from football for life.
Logan
12-23-2011
01:33 pm
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I dont have much faith in yates, i mean how much faith can you have in a 3rd string rookie qb without his best weapon?
He wont lead his team anywhere. But the good news next year is that the texans will get a lot better with mario schaub, and johnson back and healthy . texans are contenders next year
Logan
12-23-2011
01:29 pm
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Texans just got plain beat, there were some calls against the colts that were shady, but since the colts won they dont look at that.
It should't have come down to a couple "shady" penalties anyway... the texans were the better team by far. I would be extremely worried if i was a texans fan
Marshawn Lynch
12-23-2011
12:32 pm
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YEEEAAAHHH!!!!!! DA BEAST MODE THANG!!!!!!
Steve
12-19-2011
07:51 pm
xxx.xxx.xxx7.82
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Check out www.BlairHattonPicks.com for the MNF Pick, and College Bowl games starting tomorrow night!!
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