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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Sense
11-28-2011
05:46 am
xxx.xxx.xxx3.87
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Hey Nonsense, the Broncos recap was written by Charlie Campbell, not Walt. Labeling people who point out that Tebow wins despite his flaws does you no cretit.
Nonsense?
11-28-2011
04:37 am
xxx.xxx.xxx.216
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Hey Walt, your Teboner is showing.
Tebow sucks as a passer, that's common sense. Thus far he's proven that he can hand the ball off and not lose games for his team, also he can win if his defense holds his opponents to under 17 points. G.O.A.T status i'm sure. Labeling people who point out the obvious as "haters" does you no credit.
Matt Moore Good?
11-25-2011
07:18 pm
xxx.xxx.xxx.216
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No, just no. He missed open recievers all game, and on that Brandon Marshall throw he massively underthrew the ball and if not for Brandon Marshall making an amazing catch that pass is incomplete.
He's a backup QB a best who looks good because the guy before him was Chad Henne. If the Dolphins really try to roll with him as a starter they'll remain in the purgatory of being a 7 to 9 win team for longer. If they've got a chance to get a franchise QB they need to take it.
Doug
11-25-2011
07:02 pm
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I keep seeing people spout of these ridiculous conspiracy theories. What is the NFL's motivation in wanting to keep Green Bay undefeated?
Take the Ewing conspiracy theory. Though ridiculous, the NBA would have motivation to give the Knicks the first pick, because having a visible star in the biggest market in the league is a positive. How does the NFL benefit from the Packers being undefeated? I need more of a reason than you're rooting against Green Bay and you don't like the calls.
Kev
11-25-2011
11:51 am
xxx.xxx.xxx3.95
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That officiating in the Packers-Lions game was a complete joke. I hate conspiracies but I'm honestly starting to think the refs are trying to help the Packers go 16-0. Every time the Packers get in trouble there's some BS pass interference or roughing the passer call. Last weeks Bucs-Packers game was the exact same way. The Bucs corners were getting called for next to nothing while Charles Woodson was mugging receivers all day long. It's absolutely ridiculous.
Tony
11-25-2011
01:46 am
xxx.xxx.xxx7.85
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Hey Walt, error in your Pack/Lions review.
"The killer, however, happened after the Lions forced the Lions into a field goal in the third quarter."
JT
11-22-2011
03:41 am
xxx.xxx.xxx2.10
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Phillip Rivers is the Lebron James of the NFL. Amazing gifted talent that chokes when the pressure becomes too much!
db
11-21-2011
11:27 pm
xxx.xxx.xxx7.20
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lol @ the panthers being the "right" side. you're right, there was NO WAY carolina's stingy defense could possibly give up 5 td passes to one of the most explosive offenses in the league. I mean who could have seen that coming?
larry
11-21-2011
03:24 pm
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panther's loss was FUKKKKKKKKKKED up. sorry walter, i had that one too.
Jason
11-21-2011
01:56 pm
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Hey walt thanks for the craptastic picks this week..I will say this at least looking at how much money you lost makes me feel better about losing 600 this week.
Denver Phin Phan
11-21-2011
01:51 pm
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Maybe I was right after ripping Walt about his preseason fish prediction. He said they'd "give up" on their "lame duck" coach. They've anyting but given up. Turning around an 0-7 start shows a lot of heart, even if they're playing themselves out of the Luckstakes. But after what I saw of Luck this weekend against Oregon, he's way overrated and should be behind Barkley in the mock drafts...
Nick B
11-20-2011
07:42 pm
xxx.xxx.xxx4.34
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Greg Cox's game recaps suck! Walter and Charlies are 10x better!
chuckster
11-19-2011
07:31 pm
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Great call Walter!! I believe your bad karma is just about over. That Panthers pick? Ballsy brother!!!!
PhillyGreen
11-18-2011
09:34 pm
xxx.xxx.xxx9.75
(total posts: 1)
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Yea Tebow and all the other poor Christians suffer from so much persecution in this country. Give me a break dude. If he was praying to Allah after TD's you might be on to something.
Tebow has a crappy throwing motion and unorthodox style yet gets ridiculous amounts of coverage on ESPN. The more coverage someone undeservingly gets, the more haters he will have.
NYBigBlue
11-18-2011
07:02 pm
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We all know Tebow is not a very good QB. I certainly wouldn't take him over Eli. There's absolutely nothing wrong with criticizing his play, and it is easy to criticize. I don't think everyone that criticizes him is a hater. But if you don't think there are a lot of people out there that mock him for his faith, you aren't paying attention. People have mocked him since college. He does not need prayer so he can score more touchdowns or be able to throw the ball effectively, he needs prayer to help keep him grounded, stay true to the faith, and to continue to be courageous even in adversity. A lot of people would love to see him falter. Those are the haters I refer to. There are a lot of people in this country that despise Christianity. And they would love nothing more than for Tim Tebow to be discredited. He obviously doesn't have thin skin. He's been through this in college. But, he is on a much, much bigger stage now.
A prayer fueled super Jesus robot? Interesting concept. And you guys are right about Denver's defense. They were awesome. Although, I'm not sure how much of that was the Jets just sucking. |
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