Freezer's 2018 #NFL Week in Review - Week 4
Welcome to the Week in Review - now available in Sriracha, Chipotle, and Memphis BBQ.
Vikings 31, Rams 38
Sometimes, you don't know how important a player is until he's gone.
With Everson Griffen gone these last two games¹, the Vikings defense has gone from "Elite" to "Would have issues with a good Sun Belt team".
Jared "Making Jeff Fisher Look Like A Chump, One TD At A Time" Goff responded to this ongoing crisis by throwing for career highs of 465 yards and 5 TDs. Not that the Rams' D looked like the Legion of Boom out there. YOULIKETHAT Cousins countered Goff with 422 and 3. Unfortunately for Cousins, he got no backup from his running game (HE was the leading rusher with 28 yards. Dalvin Cook went 10-for-20.).
Though both teams seemed to figure out what defense was in the fourth, with the Vikes getting a FG to close within 7 and the Rams missing a 28-yarder.
DNP - Crazy
Eagles 23, Titans 26 (OT)
The first of two fourth down overtime gambles of the day paid off, as the Titans went for the win, rather than kicking to extend Overtime. Marcus Mariota¹ hit Corey Davis for a 10-yard TD to take the win over Philly, who seems to be trying (and failing) to re-find their 2017 form. They spent most of the second half settling for field goals and basically letting Carson Wentz take a beating. (4 sacks and 11 hits for the game)
With just a little progress, the AFC South is there for the taking for the Titans. Ditto for the Eagles, with Washington and Dallas being uneven at best and the Giants being the Giants.
Lions 24, Cowboys 26
So basically,
if the Cowboys show any offensive creativity, they win and look decent doing it. (Giants, Lions)
If Linehan and Clappy The Clown run the same "calling this 'vanilla' would be an insult to vanilla" offense, they lose and look horrible doing it. (Panthers, Seahawks).
And since the aforementioned Dynamic Duo seem to be weirdly unwilling to permanently adapt a more modern play style, watch the Dallas offense revert to crap vs. Houston. Seriously; it's like they don't understand you can be run-first/smash mouth and still take deep shots and mix in some RPO stuff.
Though I would be concerned that the Cowboy secondary - especially the oft-maligned safeties - were repeatedly victimized by Golden Tate. And that Deshaun Watson is the exactly the kind of mobile QB that victimized the entire defense twice already this season.
Bengals 37, Falcons 36
It's about this time during every season when you truly start to see what teams can and can't do.
And every season, there are 1 to 3 teams who seem to play with the intent to keep people guessing if they're good or bad. Often it's due to injuries (see also: Every post-Schottenheimer Charger team), sometimes it's just because the team has an inexplicable Commitment To Mediocrity. The Falcons appear to be the former¹, the Bengals appear to be the latter. ² Yeah, Cincy's now 3-1, but wins over Indy, Baltimore and an injury-riddled Atlanta aren't moving anyone's "This Is The Year (We get out of the first round)" needle.
Injuries have turned their secondary into a scout team.
Mike Brown + Marvin Lewis = Franchise Quagmire.
Bucs 10, Bears 48
Seriously, there must be some sort of switch in Ryan Fitzpatrick's head that flips to "suck" any time a team decides to put any real faith in him. How else can you explain how he went from the record-setting "Fitzmagic" of the first three weeks to 9/18 for 126 and an INT in Week 4.
Well, other than "It's Ryan Fitzpatrick. That's what he does." (I still refer you back to the first sentence).
It's either that or Mitchell Trubisky stole his mojo and used it to play his best game as a pro to date" 354 and 6 TDs, QB Rating of 154.6.¹
And yes, Rapey McCrablegs has already been announced as the Week 5 starter. I'm assuming he's locked in for the season, so the Bucs can decide once and for all if they wasted a(nother) #1 pick or if he's salvageable. Though I suppose Dirk Koetter's successor will decide that.
FYI The ratings scale maxes out at 158.3.
Bills 0, Packers 22
And just like that, the light of hope in Western New York is snuffed like a table at a Bills tailgate.
Josh "Jim Kelly Successor Attempt #430" Allen did Josh Allen things (16-33, 151 YDS, 2 INT), Shady McCoy was a virtual no-show (5-24) and Discount Double Check's one-legged mediocrity (22/40, 298 YDS, 1 TD, 1 INT) was more than enough to let the Pack sack Buffalo and return to Cheeseland with all the wings they can eat.
Texans 37, Colts 34 (OT)
Okay, I get it. When you've been as bad for as long as the Colts have, you need to go for broke some times. Take risks more successful teams wouldn't even consider. Show faith in your squad, no matter what.
But sometimes, you gotta read the room and know when to fold 'em.
Frank Reich decided to go for a 4-and-4 late in overtime, on his own 43, knowing that failing to convert puts Houston one completion away from being in range for a winning FG. Putting your faith in Andrew Luck, whom the Texans had been unable to counter all game, seems like a worthy gamble: You'd have about 20 seconds and one time-out to get the 20 yards you'd need to give Adam Vinatieri a shot at the winning kick.
Or you could just punt, take the tie and live to fight another day.
I would've taken the tie. But I also don't have the utter disdain so many in American sports have for ties, so *shrug*.
Jets 12, Jaguars 31
Well, that was a thing that happened. Moving on.
Dolphins 7, Patriots 38
Reports of the Patriots’ demise have been greatly exaggerated.
Otherwise, see above.
Browns 42, Raiders 45 (OT)
Even the new and improved Browns are gonna Browns.
It's not just that the Browns got hosed on Carlos Hyde's game clinching first down conversion getting overturned. But then, rather than going for it on fourth and inches (the Raiders stopped Hyde for no gain only twice on 22 caries), punted to the Raiders. The same Raiders who racked up 500 yards of offense to that point and whom the Browns has shown themselves incapable of stopping.
Fifty-four seconds later? Raider touchdown and two-point conversion. Tie game. Eventual OT loss. Browns gonna Brown.
In his first start, Baker Mayfield looked... Like a Browns 2.0 QB: 295 and two scores, but also four turnovers (2 INTs, 2 lost fumbles). And for some reason, they only gave Nick Chubb three carries - despite two of them going for 63 and 41.
I don't know what win number will save Hue Jackson's job. But I'd bet money he won't reach it. And that redonkulous contract is the only reason Chucky the Oldschool Doofus isn't on that same list.
Seahawks 20, Cardinals 17
This may be as good as it gets for the Seahawks. At least until they play the Cardinals again.
With Earl "And this is why Le'Veon Bell is holding out" Thomas gone for the season, the already iffy defense may fully tick over into Chiefs¹ territory. Though at least the running game showed signs of life, with Mike Davis running for 101 and two scores.
With a schedule full of iffy teams (Detroit, Carolina, Minnesota) and the increasingly intense dumpster fire that is the non-Rams parts of the NFC West, the playoffs are not off the table for the Seahawks. But they'll need better showings than needing a last second kick to beat the Bills West to get there.
And oh hey! A David Johnson sighting! (22/71. 1 TD)
I really should find another analogy for "bad defense".
Saints 33, Giants 18
All hail Breesus! All hail Kamara! All Points Bulletin for the Giants' defense.
And the Saints get Mark Ingram back next week. Things may be heating up in the big easy.
And how many beatings does Eli (three sacks and five hits here) have to take before the Giants bench him for his own protection?
49ers 27, Chargers 29
C.J. Beathard did C.J. Beathard things (298, 2 and 2) and did just enough that the Chargers had to sweat to beat them.
Oh and ESPN? Calling overcoming an eight point deficit in the third quarter a "rally" stretched the term to near meaninglessness.
Ravens 26, Steelers 14
Word is that Le'Veon Bell will be ending his holdout around Week 7. Which would be the longest he could sit out and still play enough games to qualify for unrestricted free agency. Which makes me then wonder if the Steelers would be petty enough to try and suspend or deactivate him for the rest of the season?
Meanwhile, it's looking for all the world like what Joe Flacco really needed was a legit threat to his starting position to light a fire under him. He hasn't played this well , this consistently, since his Super Bowl run¹. Lamar Jackson's day may come, but it won't be anytime soon, at this rate.
28-42, 363 YDS, 2 TD on the day.
Chiefs 27, Broncos 23
Let's break this down in the language of the MNF announce team:
PATRICK MAHOMES! MAHOMES MAHOMES MAHOMES! SHOWTIME MAHOMES! PATRICK MAHOMES! Von Miller. MAHOMES! MAHOMES MAHOMES SHOWTIME MAHOMES! Travis Kelce? MAHOMES! MAHOMES! "Minneapolis Miracle?" PATRICK SHOWTIME MAHOMES! MAHOMES MAHOMES MAHOMES!!! Kareem Hun -MAHOMES!
All of which worked to distract the audience from the fact that the Broncos had a shot at the end and Keenumed it down their leg: Keenum overshot a wide-open Demaryius Thomas on a sure TD. Then they followed it up with a botched Hook-And-Lateral attempt. And the Mahomes City Mahomes improve to 4-0.