Kyle’s NFL Week 13 Recap

First, the Bears recap for Sunday, December 1st……..

Bears - 20 Vikings – 23 (OT)

This game was painful to watch as a Bears fan. The game started in a way we’re not accustomed to here in Chicago this season, with 3 sacks in the first 3 series for the Chicago defense. The rest of the half was pretty boring, with the Bears going in at halftime down 7-6. They started off the second half in good fashion with McCown hitting Alshon Jeffrey for an 80 yard TD pass. Minnesota promptly drove 66 yards in 11 plays to add on a field goal. On the Bears next possession, they only took 4 plays, and McCown threw his second TD pass to Jeffrey on a 46 yard strike. The catch Jeffrey made leaping over Chris Cook was one of the best I’ve seen in a while as he maintained possession through the catch despite having Cook draped all over him. Cook then bumped the ref and got kicked out of the game. After trading punts Minnesota drove and scored, and the bizarre ending ensued. Up 3, the Bears fumbled deep in Minnesota territory. It seemed as if Minnesota would go in for TD but Khaseem Greene intercepted a tipped Matt Cassel pass and took it 49 yards to midfield. The Bears drive stalled there, and they were forced to punt. Minnesota got the ball but faced a 4^th and 11 from their own 8. After the Bears defense pretty much folded for a series of plays, Blair Walsh kicked the game tying field goal with :24 left in regulation. Devin Hester took the ensuing kickoff 57 yards to set the Bears up for a game winning field goal opportunity. 66 yards was just out of Robbie Gould’s range and the game went to overtime. There the Bears faltered, and Minnesota was set up for a game winning 39 yard field goal. After nailing it and starting the celebration, the play was nullified for a facemask penalty. Setting up now for a 57 yarder to win, Blair Walsh hooked it left. The Bears took over, and promptly gave Matt Forte the ball on 5 straight carries. Although he amassed 24 yards on those 5 carries, Marc Trestman decided to kick a 47 yard field goal on 2^nd down to win. He was quoted as saying, “Once we got inside the 30 we were going to kick it”. Bad move, Marc. Gould’s kick sailed wide right, Minnesota took over, Adrian Peterson ran wild, and Blair Walsh hit a 34 yarder to win.

Now you got my recap, here’s my 5 Bears thoughts………

I know Trestman made a bonehead move by trying the field goal on 2^nd down in overtime. I don’t agree with the call, and I don’t agree with his reasoning for it. You run Forte 5 times in a row and he’s gaining yards. What the fuck are you thinking?? 47 yards isn’t a chip shot, even with Robbie Gould. And on 2^nd down?? With that said, the Bears would never have been in that position if the shit-ass, cock-suck, ass-clown defense could have stopped Matt Cassell on a 4^th and fucking 11 from their own god damn goal line then proceed to ass-fuck themselves down the field with the Vikings in tow allowing the game-tying field goal at the end of regulation. Whew. There is my curse-laced tirade for the day.
Julius Peppers had a great day in a loss. He was all over the field, tipping balls, and adding to his stat line. He finished the day with 8 tackles, 2.5 sacks, a tipped pass, 3 QB hits, and two of his tackles were for loss. He knows that he has to play himself into one last contract, and he’s turning it on at the right time.
The Bears defense can’t get out of their own fucking way. Giving up 211 yards to Adrian Peterson isn’t unheard of, but when the Bears needed the stops late in the game they couldn’t get them. I thought the defense actually played better, despite the stat line. Even though Craig Steltz missed a few plays, he was all over on Sunday, and probably gave himself at least a word in the conversation to start next week.
In Josh McCown’s 4 starts, the Bears are averaging 22 points per game. In Cutler’s 6 starts in which he finished the game, the Bears are averaging 29 points per game. That stat is very telling on just how much Cutler means to this team. If he’s in, the Bears beat Minnesota by 2 touchdowns. McCown played ok, but definitely didn’t light the world on fire and he did miss some throws that Cutty makes.
I think Trestman is still finding out who he is. One week, he’s Mr. Analytics. The next week he seems like he’s going with his gut. He needs to find an identity as a coach and stick to it. Once he does, this Bears team will follow. He’s got a window of a 2-3 years with this offense, so he needs to lay the foundation for that time right now.

My final Bears thought……..

Looking at the schedule, it’s very possible that the Bears could win 3 of the next 4, the Lions could lose a few, and the Bears can sneak in the playoffs. Even if that happens, I don’t see them being able to stop anyone. Yes, having Jay Ratliff helps, and getting Briggs back and Tillman (if they get that far) will be a huge boost. That said, however, putting themselves in a position to need help is inexcusable, especially since they have had every opportunity to win in at least 4 of their 6 losses. I never saw myself saying this, but the offense has carried their weight, and the defense needs to fix what’s broken. Alshon Jeffrey has grown into a very good receiver this season, and paired with Marshall gives them the best WR duo in the league. They need to build on that success WITH Cutler, and field a defense thatget a stop and get some offenses off the field. I’m as optimistic as anyone, if not more, so I won’t say the Bears are out of it until they are out of it. Weirder shit has happened, right?

NEW ADDITION TO THE BLOG! WHOA! EXCITING, I KNOW!

Player that impressed: Alshon Jeffrey – WR

10 catches, 249 yards, and 2 TD’s. That’s a pretty damn good stat line. I do think Jeffrey has benefitted from playing opposite Brandon Marshall, but he has shown the ability to be a #1 receiver in this league. He keeps making great catches, including his 46 yarder in which he held onto the ball through the catch despite having a DB draped all over him. He now has two 200 yard games this season, only he and Josh Gordon have done it this season, and only 4 players have ever done it. He broke his own club record for receiving yards in a game that he set earlier this season.

Player that disappointed: 4^th quarter Defense

I couldn’t pick one player, so I’m picking the entire defense. No excuse for giving up 30 yards on 4^th and 11. None whatsoever.

Around the NFL

Green Bay – 10 Detroit – 40

Wow. At one point in the 4^th quarter the Packers only had 56 yards of offense. They finished with 126 total yards. The Lions had 561 yards of total offense. I don’t think you can define ass whooping any better. It’s amazing to see how much losing a starting quarterback can affect an entire team. Oh, and Matt Flynn still blows.

Oakland – 24 Dallas – 31

Dallas looked to be in for a rough game after fumbling the opening kickoff and allowing the Raiders in for a TD. Oakland built on that and jumped to a 21-7 lead before Dallas woke up. Romo had a solid game, but the Cowboys lost Lance Dunbar for the season with a knee injury. Dallas now has to wait and see how Philly does to see what kind of lead they have in the division.

Pittsburgh – 20 Baltimore – 22

Big Ben wasn’t sacked the entire game, and almost led his team to a come from behind victory, leading the Steelers to a TD with just over a minute to go to pull the Steelers within 2. Two touchdowns were overruled before that, with Le’Veon Bell taking the worst of it. He lost his helmet on a man-size tackle by Jimmy Smith, probably getting a little concussed along the way. The 2 point conversion failed and Baltimore kneeled on it to take the win. It may be too little too late for the Ravens as they cling to playoff hopes. At least the AFC is a trash heap this year, which always gives them a chance.

Jacksonville – 32 Cleveland – 28

Cecil Shorts, a life-long Cleveland Browns fan, caught the game winning TD with :40 left to beat the team he grew up cheering for. Brandon Weeden played Weedenesque, throwing two interceptions, fumbling twice, and suffered a concussion and will not be available for next week’s game. Josh Gordon had a spectacular day (more on that below) adding to his great season. If Weeden and Jason Campbell can’t go next week, Alex Tanney (who was signed off of Dallas’ practice squad) or newly signed Caleb Hanie (hahahahahahahaha) will start against New England. Ha. That should be interesting. And if you’ve never seen the movie referenced below, then you are missing out.

Tennessee – 14 Indianapolis – 22

Adam Vinatieri carried a troubled Indy offense on his back, hitting 5 field goals, as Indianapolis is getting closer to locking up the AFC South. Andrew Luck looked pedestrian, getting sacked 5 times, throwing a pick, and throwing no touchdowns. Donald Brown only had 8 yards on the ground until the last few minutes, capping the game off with a 4 yard TD run. Trent Richardson was benched this week because everyone in Indianapolis realized he wasn’t worth a 3^rd overall pick. I am included in that as I thought he would do well in Indy. Looks like the Browns knew something when they traded him.

Miami – 23 New York Jets – 3

Wow, Geno Smith sucks. I knew he was bad, but man, you just got benched for Matt Simms. The Jets are officially in a tailspin. In no way should you have a QB controversy in week 13 of an NFL season. Miami is keeping their playoff hopes alive in the mediocrity pool known as the AFC.

Arizona – 21 Philadelphia – 24

Nick Foles now has the Eagles tied with Dallas atop the NFC East. Philadelphia is now 5-1 when Napoleon Dynamite starts. I guess I can cheer the Eagles now, as they play Detroit in a couple weeks. The Eagles need the Bears to beat Dallas next Monday night, so we can swap beating each other’s division opponents.

Tampa Bay – 6 Carolina – 27

What the hell kind of fire got lit under Cam Newton and Ron Rivera?? The Panthers have now won a franchise record 8 regular season games in a row after starting the season 1-3. Who would have guessed that? I’m sure someone somewhere did, but no one I know…

New England – 34 Houston – 31

How in the hell does New England almost lose to Houston? The Texans have quickly become one of the worst teams in the league, and they lost to Jacksonville last week. I mean, seriously, is New England not the most sketchy 9-3 team you’ve seen in recent memory? Antonio Smith said he was suspicious of New England knowing formations that weren’t on tape, and all but said New England is a bunch of cheatin’ bastards. That may be, Antonio, but it doesn’t mean you still don’t suck ass.

Atlanta – 34 Buffalo – 31 (OT)

The 3-9 Falcons beat the 4-8 Bills. Woo fuckin Hoo. Did anyone care about this game? Yeah, me neither.

St. Louis – 13 San Francisco – 23

Michael Crabtree returned to action, which opened up the field for Anquan Boldin. Boldin had 9 catches for 98 yards as the 49ers took down the streaking Rams. The win kept San Francisco in the playoff picture, currently putting them in the 6^th playoff spot.

Denver – 35 Kansas City – 28

Peyton Manning sure that Kansas City knew who was in charge in the AFC West. Manning threw for 403 yards and 5 touchdowns, 4 of which went to Eric Decker who finished with 8 catches for 174 yards. The Chiefs were ahead 21-7 before the Broncos bitch slapped them to the tune of 28 unanswered points. The Broncos now own control in the division and are cruising to home field advantage.

Cincinnati – 17 San Diego – 10

ESPN described this game as a “blue-collar, workmanlike approach” by the Bengals in this win. That means this game was fucking boring. In other news, Phillip Rivers is a pansy.

New York Giants – 24 Washington – 17

Justin Tuck tallied 4 sacks in this game, in a span of ten plays, and the Giants knocked off the Redskins to stay mathematically alive in the playoff race. After starting 0-6, the Giants have won 5 of their last 6 games. The Giants, playing short on defense, got a big game from Jon Beason with 17 tackles. Eli Manning actually had a decent game going 22/28 for 235 yards. I’d say something else nice about him if I didn’t think he was such a complete ass hat.

New Orleans – 7 Seattle – 34

I never saw New Orleans laying an egg this big. Seattle’s defense is one of, if not THE, best in football and is tough for any team. I thought the Saints offense would have more pop as Brees threw 38 times but only amassed 147 yards. It’ll be interesting to see if anyone can take Seattle at home in the playoffs since they’ll most likely get home field advantage. I still hate Pete Carroll, so I hope someone knocks them out. As my friend Mike said, “He totally seems like the type of guy that dies from hanging himself a few seconds too long while rubbing one out”. Yep, that’s about how I feel. He’s a douche.

“Well You Didn’t Make a Lick of Difference” Performance of the Week:

Geno Smith and Matt Simms

13-28, 78 yards, 0 TD, 2 INT (combined)

This is the most piss poor QB play I’ve seen in a long time. You know it’s bad when even the Jets fans are wishing Mark Sanchez was healthy

“Holy Crap, I’m Awesome!???” Breakout Performance of the week:

Josh Gordon – WR – Cleveland Browns

10 rec, 261 yards, 2 TD

Josh Gordon had his second straight 200 yard receiving game, which is just awesome in itself. He is the first receiver in NFL history to accomplish that feat. He has 623 yards and 4 TD’s in his last 3 games. He’s 41 yards away from holding the Browns record for receiving yards in a season. Looks like that 2^nd round pick in the supplemental draft was well worth it.