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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rossfelhofer
10-17-2011
04:32 pm
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@charliecampbell fyi, its kraig urbik, not kent
Charlie
10-17-2011
12:27 pm
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EmmittSmith22 Emmitt Smith
Prayers of piece to da world of Racing. I didnt believe when you "spoke" Emmitt... Damn... it was hard to figure out what he meant! Is he really a college graduate???
Chris
10-17-2011
12:10 pm
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I dont think you can really call Brady's pics ugly, his throwing arm was hit hard on both plays, leading to the ball not having enough power to zip to its target. Other than that, he played as he always had against Rob Ryan... Poorly
Mitch
10-17-2011
11:54 am
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@stine.. no you're just a moron. that was a terrible call. whether he was roughed or not is irrelevant anyways, intentional grounding in the endzone is called a saftey if you didn't know. even if that roughing call was there or not it shoulda been 2 for the skins and the drive nill for the eagles. just face the fact that the Eagles are not that good. they need a turnover machine to give them 4 picks just to stay within a touchdown and squeak out a win in the last few seconds by barely getting a first down. haha
Stine
10-17-2011
10:36 am
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Any helmet to helmet is a personal Foul Walt. I know you are a Vick hater but at least be honest about the calls. Just because you lost the game you blame it on the Refs? How about the Personal Foul Called on Brady in the second half? He was barely pushed and won an oscar for his tumble to the turf! No that was Legit right?
Jason
10-17-2011
04:28 am
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Great recap Walt! How are you doing in your leagues?
joe L
10-15-2011
11:41 am
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matt ryan- up or
big ben- down thanks
Frank
10-10-2011
07:15 pm
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I'm not sure Doug Baldwin is inconsistent.
He's just coming onto his own. He's had 80+ yards three times. The Steeler's game was a complete lost cause. He is the team's leading receiver, and at times looks like the best one. Also Charlie Whitehurst did not look particularly better than Tarvaris. He still locked onto receivers non-stop, but he did make some beautiful throws. Hopefully He gets a full game to start, and show what He can do. Tarvaris is still starter in my opinion though.
Martin
10-10-2011
05:42 pm
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@Mitch - Thanks for a good laugh. If youre going to pontificate and spout off about people being morons, you might want to make sure you actually know what youre talking about.
No one is suggesting that Vick's play on the field has absolved him of his crimes. He was found guilty in a court of law, was sentenced, and served two years in federal prison. He was released on parole and forced to serve an additional suspension by the league. If thats not paying your dues to society, I don't know what is. And this is coming from a Skins fan.
ryan
10-10-2011
04:42 pm
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this is the 2nd time you have said not to pickup doug baldwin in fantasy. i started julio jones yesterday while baldwin was available on waivers. now, who knows if I'll be able to pick him up. darnit.
ayyyy
10-10-2011
04:38 pm
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"James Starks (12-40) had more than double the carries that Grant did (7-18)."
Might want to double check that math..
Mitch
10-10-2011
01:54 pm
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Which makes me think.. what kind of moron would think that he payed his dues? The freakin guy wins a couple football games and he automatically is relieved from the fact that he tortured innocent animals? It's not like he saved 10 babys from a burning building he won a few football games. Man some people are stupid.
Mitch
10-10-2011
01:51 pm
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Well if you're referring to QB Dog Killer you have to say QB Dog Killer because that is the killer of dogs name. Now if he didn't kill dogs and if he didn't change his name to QB Dog Killer then maybe he would have a different name like Mark, or Mary. But that isn't the case and he murdered and tortured innocent dogs.
RobG.
10-10-2011
01:34 pm
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"I'd write something involving clever wordplay with "dream team" and "nightmares," but all of those puns have been exhausted already."
But QB Dog Killer isn't?
Mookie
10-10-2011
01:32 pm
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Doug Baldwin leads the team with 20 catches, 330 yards, and 2 scores and yet he's inconsistent? Dude you're joking. I don't even think he has a drop.
The QBs are inconsistent more than anything. I'd pick him up after the bye! |
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