Ruin Your Sunday: NFL Week 10
Down To The Wire, Again and Again
Good luck with that "relaxing" day of Sunday games. No matter who you root for you’re probably having to double down on the heartburn meds again after 10 of the 14 Week 10 games were won by one possession, many of them coming down to the final minute or two. For the first time in NFL history, two games featured 7, that’s right, 7 lead changes. The Cowboys overcoming a fake spike TD from Roethlisberger and the Steelers to win their eighth straight was one of those games. The other was easily the best Sunday Night Football matchup this year as the Seahawks conquered their Super Bowl foe from two years ago in New England by a 31-24 score thanks to a stop at the one-yard line. Beating Bill Belichick off a bye is no easy feat, and he drops to 12-5, but that’s a higher success rate than reporters have had getting Tom Brady to answer questions about his pal Donald Trump.
The Jaguar Suffering Continues
What is it like being a Jaguars fan? Is it like rooting for Wile E. Coyote in the Road Runner cartoons, hoping that one day he’ll get the better of his opponent. And while you know, just know in your heart he’s never gonna do it, you can’t help yourself. Want more evidence about what the Jags’ season has been like? How about this play? When Bortles didn’t have a play on an attempted screen pass to running back T.J. Yeldon, instead of the ball hitting the ground like intended, it hit Yeldon’s foot and careened into the hands of Texans defender Whitney Mercilus for an interception. That one play was a microcosm for Jacksonville and Bortles’ season, where he’s looked nothing like the promising quarterback Jaguars fans thought they had. Not to mention the punishment and mediocrity he's been doling out to fantasy owners week after week despite what was probably a high draft pick.
Champs To Chumps
The Panthers lost again Sunday, but this was no pedestrian loss. After building a 17-0 lead against the check-down Chiefs and quarterback Alex Smith, Carolina imploded and collapsed in embarassing fashion. With 30 seconds left in a now tied game, Kelvin Benjamin fumbled after the catch at their own 30 and the Chiefs got a field goal to win the game before regulation expired.. The Panthers are now 3-6 one season removed from a dominating 2015 campaign and coming within one win of a Super Bowl Championship.
Not So Extra Point
People have been clamoring for the league to abolish the extra point for years. While it was moved back last season to make it more difficult, people still aren’t happy. After the Saints scored a TD to tie the game against the Broncos late in the fourth, they were an extra point away from taking the lead. Not only did they not convert – the kick was blocked and returned for two points for the Broncos - but it was the most painful way any team has lost a game this season, and the Saints were a win away from being 5-4. Now it’s an uphill climb to a possible playoff spot for Drew Brees and Co. Meanwhile, the Broncos are 7-2 despite quarterback Trevor Siemian having the accuracy of Ryan Leaf on ludes.
Pick-Crazy Phillip
Speaking of the now-most-competitive division in football, the AFC West, the hapless Chargers had every opportunity to beat a surging Dolphins squad on Sunday. But, since nobody chokes like the Chargers, you can probably guess what happened. Usually it's Rivers who is keeping his team in games, but this time he was the only reason they lost. He threw four interceptions (FOUR!) in the fourth quarter alone and they’re now 4-6. That’s what you get for naming one of your kids, Gunner, Philip. We’ll say it again too, BRING BACK THE BOLO TIE, IT’S YOUR ONLY HOPE!
The Tony Romo Deathwatch Week 10 Update
Prescott was 22-of-32 for 319 yards and two touchdowns in a 35-30 win over Pittsburgh. Even Jerry Jones has finally softened his rhetoric on Romo being the starter, so that warm, cozy spot on the pine is looking like it’s got Romo’s name all over it.