What an epic battle Sunday night in Foxboro as the Patriots rallied from a 24-0 halftime deficit to edge the Broncos 34-31 in overtime. Ya think this game
might lose a little luster if they played it every week? As if you wouldn't watch!
Lost in the final
score was a fantastic performance by Denver's Knowshon Moreno who racked up 224
yards on 37 carries.
Also notable; The Broncos set an NFL record by scoring 25 or more points in their 16th
straight game. Doesn't mean a thing of course, as they head home having missed
a golden opportunity to get a leg-up for home-field advantage throughout the AFC
playoffs.
If that doesn't hurt right now, it very well might come the AFC title game,
if it is in fact, played at the scene of last night's crime.
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Interesting to note' in 14 Brady/Manning matchups, Tom Brady has only
been coached by Bill Belichick.
Last night, under the direction of Jack Del Rio, Peyton Manning faced Bradyunder his fifth different coach: Jim Mora, Jim Caldwell, Tony Dungy and John Fox were previously on the sideline with Manning at the helm against New England.
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Before the national game on Sunday night, one of the networks wasted about
four minutes of my life that I will never get back on a discussion of whether or
not the Giants will make the playoffs.
Why? Why that discussion? How is that a relevant talking point? Why speculate whether the 4-7 Giants will prove to
be one of the elite six teams in the NFC? To make the post-season, they'd likely have to reel off five
straight wins. And then, only maybe!
Really, what is it
about the 2013 Giants that gives anybody in their right mind a reason to believe
this team will finish the season beating Washington twice, win on the road at
both San Diego and Detroit, and beat Seattle at home?
Is it the 6+ more points per game they allow than they score? Is it their #24
league ranking in total yardage? Or was it the eleven penalties including three
late hits for which they were flagged in Sunday's home loss to Dallas.
Whatever it is, it ain't happening. The only statistical categories in
which the Giants are not average are the ones in which they are below average.
And that two-game division deficit with five to play? It's actually more. With two losses to the 6-4 Cowboys, NY would have to finish ahead of
Dallas to take the East. The Giants best shot to make the playoffs? 2014.
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Speaking of Dallas... if you listen real closely, you might be able to hear the
last of the Romo-bashers packing up and heading out of town.
Sunday's 14-play game-winning drive was a prime example of Tony Romo's
development as a QB and as a leader. He chewed the final 4:45 off the clock
while converting on 3rd-down and seven, five and twelve yards -- all through the
air.
The elite four in the NFL are obviously Brady, Manning, Brees and Rodgers, but
Romo is right there in that second tier. Other QB's have accomplished more
(Flacco, Roethlesberger) and some have recently taken teams deeper into the
playoffs (Kaepernick, Ryan), but make no mistake about it, Romo has taken his
game to another level. His surrounding cast isn't quite as strong as it needs to
be to make a deep run into January, but all things being equal, Tony Romo has as
legit a claim to that last slot in the NFL's top-5 as anyone else.
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The Texans' loss to the Jaguars dropped them to 2-and-9. Receiver Andre
Johnson's assessment of his team: "We suck."
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Hey, what's up with the Indianapolis Colts? Who exactly are they?
Are they the team that has beaten some of the NFL's elite in San Fran, Seattle
and Denver? Or are they actually the team that has gotten smoked by
double-digits at the hands of some of the league's most mediocre in San Diego,
St. Louis and Arizona?
In Sunday's romp, the Cardinals out-gained the Colts 410-239 while controlling
the ball for a whopping 36:49.
Yes, at 7-4, the Colts control the AFC South, and three of their final five
games are against Houston, Tennessee and Jacksonville (a combined 9-24), and
yes, Andrew Luck has all the tools to beat any NFL defense on any given day. As
fans try to gauge the likelihood of a playoff run though, the inconsistency has
to be a concern as well as the loss of Reggie Wayne (ACL), which hurts this team
in so many ways. Best thing they have going for them might be their propensity
to play their best against the NFL's top teams.
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Monday night game: San Francisco at Washington. Who ya got?
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