Comebacks and Upsets . . .and 1 Tie:
This was one of my worst weekends of picking NFL games ever. I went 4-9 and the Packers/Vikings game ended in a rare tie. Just a crazy weekend of football again and it won't be the last one. How does Tampa Bay beat the NFC North leading Lions in Detroit? Are the Texans the worst team in football? Are the Cardinals for real? How is Tom Brady kicking ass with a bunch of no names on offense? Just a crazy time in the NFL and with the playoff push in full swing, it will only get crazier.
Patriots 34, Broncos 31 (OT)
I hope most of you watched this whole game because it was a classic. The Broncos, after forcing 3 turnovers in the 1st half, sprinted out to a 24-0 lead at halftime! Most people would think game over, but not with Tom Brady on the field. In the first half, the Patriots looked lost, confused and totally out of sync. With fumbles by the Patriots running backs Ridley and Blount, both were benched for the rest of the game. That's the Patriot way. When you screw up in big situations, you will pay the price. I agree with that philosophy totally. Players should be held accountable for their mistakes and must face the consequences for it.
The Broncos offense, even with a 24-0 lead at half, didn't display the type of explosiveness they have shown all year. The 20 degree weather and wind forced the Broncos offense to slow down a bit. The history of Peyton Manning playing in cold climate is not good, especially in New England. Even though Manning look uncomfortable and out of sync, the Broncos were still able to score 31 points. Knowshon Moreno had a monster game, rushing for 224 yards and scoring 1 touchdown. Usually the New England defense handles running backs at home, but Moreno shredded that defense all night long helping the Broncos sustain drives.
The Patriots showed they are never out of a game even if they are down 24 points. They didn't panic, they didn't self destruct, they came out for the 2nd half and just played great football. Julian Edelman had a big game with 110 yards receiving and 2 touchdowns. The way Edelman played reminded the New England crowd that Wes Welker, who now plays for Denver, can be replaced. The Patriots after this big win are back on the map as a Super Bowl contender.
During the game, Brady threw a pass to Kenbrell Thompkins that went incomplete, but the play could have been called pass interference. Immediately after that play, Brady ran towards the ref who didn't call a penalty on that play and started yelling at him. I know a lot of people believed Brady acted like a child and wonder why a penalty wasn't called on Brady for yelling at the ref, but I see it different. I love to see a QB do that. It tells me he cares so much for his team that he will risk a possible penalty to come to the aid of his teammate. It shows me the intensity and dedication he has to win at any cost. Do you see mediocre QB's do any of that stuff? Don't you want to see your quarterback fired up during the whole game? I've seen elite quarterbacks do that stuff and it fires up the rest of team. I rather have a loud mouth QB than a passive one.
Cowboys 24, Giants 21
This was a big game for both teams in the NFC East division race. The Cowboys jumped out early, then the Giants came back, but Dallas won it with a last second field goal by Dan Bailey. The Giants playoff hopes really got crushed with this loss because winning the division is the only way they can make it. Both the Eagles and Cowboys could lose more games down the line, but it's unlikely. Andre Brown had a great game rushing for 127 yards and made it look easy to run on the Dallas defense. The Giants were able to drive on the Cowboys, but stalled many times in the red zone and had to settle for field goals. Victor Cruz had a terrible game with just 2 catches and fumbled the ball leading to a Dallas defensive touchdown. If Cruz would have played a decent game, the Giants could have pulled out the victory.
For Dallas, this was a satisfying win. Romo led the team down the field during the end of the game that set up the winning field goal. Critics have knocked Romo for not being "clutch," but he showed them he was clutch on the last drive. Dez Bryant had over 100 yards receiving and Jason Witten caught 2 touchdown passes. When those 2 players are having good games, the Cowboys usually win the game. The Dallas defense played well in this game, despite giving up over 120 yards rushing. Stopping the Giants in the red zone and making them kick filed goals instead of touchdowns allowed Dallas to pull out the win and retake 1st place in the NFC East.
Power Rankings: Week 12
1. Seattle Seahawks- monster game Monday vs Saints, home field in reach, defense must play big
2. Denver Broncos- tough loss in NE, offense still lethal, defense very suspect, Chiefs game huge
3. New England Patriots- great comeback, easy schedule left, Brady MVP? defense not healthy
4. New Orleans Saints- can they win in Seattle? different team outside dome, Sproles needs to be ready
5. Carolina Panthers- they find ways to win, Newton stepping up big, defense is great, Saints games loom
6. Kansas City Chiefs- bad loss at home, defense got shredded, can they get revenge on Broncos Sunday?
7. Cincinnati Bengals- team is rested, division title within reach, bad weather helps team
8. San Francisco 49ers- offense showed life, defense better each week, Crabtree is active, Seattle game looms
9. Indianapolis Colts- what is going on? Crushed by Cards, no offense, defense getting destroyed
10. Arizona Cardinals- surprise! solid defense, Palmer playing great, don't sleep on them
11. Dallas Cowboys- Romo leads to great win, defense played well, offense breaks out
12. Detroit Lions- loss at home to Bucs is terrible, still in 1st place in division, too many turnovers
13. Philadelphia Eagles- battle for division with Dallas, Foles time to prove himself, McCoy is key
14. Chicago Bears- still in division race, Marshall is awesome, McCown playing well, defense is bad
15. Tennessee Titans- in playoffs today! Fitzpatrick doing well, defense causing turnovers, big game vs Indy Sunday
16. Pittsburgh Steelers- playing great football, defense is back, old school Big Ben, gotta beat Ravens
17. Baltimore Ravens- big game vs Steelers, back in playoff hunt, offense doing better, Rice still not being used right
18. San Diego Chargers- big win in Kansas City, Rivers is a top QB, big game vs Bengals in San Diego
19. St. Louis Rams- offense explodes against Bears, defense is relentless, loss of Zac Stacy will be huge
20. New York Jets- Geno time not so good, false hope to fans? just another mediocre AFC team
OUT: Dolphins, Packers, Giants, Redskins, Bills, Browns, Vikings, Falcons, Raiders, Bucs, Jaguars, Texans
Here are the 3 Thanksgiving Day Games:
Detroit Lions 34, Green Bay Packers 17
Dallas Cowboys 31 , Oakland Raiders 13
Pittsburgh Steelers 17 , Baltimore Ravens 9
Happy Thanksgiving to all!! Gobble Gobble!!
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