Sunday Football Afterword: Week 15 Late Games

The Pats suffered a rare home loss
to the 49ers on Sunday Night.
Photo credit to NBC.

Detroit showed the country just how pitiful a team they are by getting blown out by a team that had lost nine straight games. The Cardinals pulled a random offensive gem out of their hat and rode it to the tune of 38-10. A friend of mine suspected that the Cardinals might have a solid game defensively, which they have done on occasion throughout their losing streak, but nobody expected them to score 38 points, regardless of the defense they were playing against.

Seattle hit 50 points for the second straight week, this time in a 50-17 beat down against the Bills in Toronto. Pete Carroll essentially apologized for running a fake punt on a 4^th down when the Seahawks were already leading 47-17, saying it was a part of the game plan but that he maybe should have opted out of it. I disagree. If your game plan is good enough to blow out a team, you don’t stray from it; you use it to set up the next week. If the Bills don’t want to give up fifty points, stop the other team.

I really thought the Chargers had figured things out enough to beat the Panthers, but I was wrong and Carolina was the third NFC South team of the day to route their opponent. San Diego has just about hit rock bottom and if Norv Turner isn’t out in San Diego on the first day after Week 17, I think I can name an executive who will be.

Oakland had one of those games where they just couldn’t seem to track down the end zone, and I think someone on the sidelines was even trying to use a GPS! But when you have a kicker like Janikowski and you’re playing a team like the Chiefs, sometimes you don’t have to reach the end zone. Five field goals from the iconic Oakland kicker led the Raiders to a 15-0 shutout against Kansas City.

Dallas and Pittsburgh met up for the best game of the mid-afternoon, and I’m sure some fans older than myself may have felt almost likely they had gone back to an old Super Bowl, minus Tony Romo and Jason Garrett. This Roethlisberger/Romo showdown almost had a feel to it like a Brady/Manning matchup. Big Ben pump fakes, escapes, pump fakes and lets fly with a nice pass down the sideline and Romo answers right back with a nearly identical play of his own. Dallas won it and controls their destiny, like the Redskins do, in the NFC East. If they can beat the Saints next week, they will likely be playing Washington on Sunday Night in Week 17 for the division crown.

The late game was just odd, and a second-half hissy fit by Tom Brady really caused me to lose interest in the game. I, of course, didn’t stop watching, but it just didn’t feel like football. Tantrums are barely okay on the sidelines, but it’s just unprofessional and childish on the field, especially when you’re wrong.

Anyway, a 21-point deficit entering the fourth quarter proved to be just too much for the Patriots to overcome. They tied the game up, but a couple more scored by the 49ers made it a successful road trip for San Francisco. The Patriots are now at a disadvantage in their search for a first-round bye and will likely have to play two road games to reach the Super Bowl.