Welcome back loyal readers! Your feedback has been heard. While we cannot offer an audio version, there will be a new focus on storylines, specifics, and reminders. There are a few things that will remain this week, including football history of the week and an abbreviated/updated playoff standings.
Another week is upon us, and in case you missed it, the Detroit Lions HAVE won a football game, taking down the Minnesota Vikings on the very last play of the game. One of last week’s key figures, Jared Goff, took the snap with four seconds left in the game and hit Amon-Ra St. Brown for the receivers first career touchdown.
Lions Head Coach Dan Campbell, who arrived at the stadium wearing an Oxford High School tee shirt, received the game ball (usually given to a player by the coach) from his players, but immediately passed it on to those effected by the shooting earlier in the week. Players from both teams donned the Oxford High logo on their helmets, and Lions Safety Jalen Elliott wore the jersey number and last name of one of the victims who was a football player, Tate Myer.
Ezekiel Elliott struggled with his knee injury, playing through a visible limp and only gaining 45 total yards against the Saints on Thursday. His back-up took more snaps and scored on a 55-yard touchdown to put the Saints behind the eight ball in the third quarter. With a functional back up, the Cowboys are choosing to keep Elliott on the field, a decision that could come back to hurt them in the playoffs.
Journalists leaked a story this week that Ben Roethlisberger, long-time Steelers quarterback and outspoken feminist, is strongly considering retiring after what has been a wildly below average performance this season. However, days after the report came out, he had one of his best games of the season, beating the 8-4 Baltimore Ravens 20-19 Sunday evening. The Steelers will take on the recently shamed Minnesota Vikings tomorrow on Thursday Night Football.
Now on to week 14
Dallas (8-4) visits division rival Washington (6-6) Sunday. Washington started the season 2-6 and has won four straight. With a win against Dallas, they would only be a game behind Dallas as the playoffs approach.Dallas (8-4) visits division rival Washington (6-6) Sunday. Washington started the season 2-6 and has won four straight. With a win against Dallas, they would only be a game behind Dallas as the playoffs approach.
Aaron Rodgers continues to face criticism from the media in the weeks following his COVID controversy. Additionally, Rodgers has been playing through an injured toe and elected earlier this week to not undergo surgery that would have sidelined him for multiple weeks. This is a wager that teams are forced to make regularly: Take the player off the field now and risk falling in playoff standings or leave the player on the field now and risk further re-injury that could be long term. For whatever reason, teams are trending towards the later.
Monday night’s LA Rams & Arizona Cardinals game will feature two of the league’s youngest coaches, Sean McVay (35) and Kliff Kingsbury (42). McVay became head coach of the Rams when he was thirty years old, becoming the youngest HC in history. He took them to the playoffs in his first season and won Coach of the Year honors. He did all of this with Jared Goff, who was 0-13 in games before the coach arrived in 2017. McVay transformed Goff into a top five quarterback, leading the Rams to a Super Bowl appearance and 42-20 record over a four-year span.
The two were friends, but when Goff’s play declined in 2020, McVay traded him to Detroit without so much as a heads-up phone call. Goff found out about the trade from his agent while on an offseason vacation in Mexico. Before Goff’s win against the Minnesota Vikings on Sunday, he was 0-23-1 without McVay on his sideline. You can only hope for a revenge game for Goff, but it’s unlikely that the Lions will ever have the talent to give him a fair shot in a matchup against his former coach.
Returning from divergence, the game itself (Rams vs. Cardinals) will shake up the NFC playoff standings as you can see below. The Cardinals have a chance to put the conference further out of reach for the Packers and Buccaneers. However, the Cardinals lost to the Packers earlier this season, so if their records are both 10-3 following this week, the Packers will have the #1 seed.
Playoffs:
AFC:
1. New England Patriots (9-4)
2. Tennessee Titans (8-4)
3.Baltimore Ravens (8-4
4. Kansas City Chiefs (8-4)
5. Los Angeles Chargers (7-5)
6. Cincinnati Bengals (7-5)
7. Buffalo Bills (7-5)
NFC:
1. Arizona Cardinals (10-2)
2. Green Bay Packers (9-3)
3. Tampa Bay Buccaneers (9-3)
4. Dallas Cowboys (8-4)
5. Los Angeles Rams (8-4)
6. Washington Football Team (6-6)
7. San Francisco 49ers (6-6)
History for the Week: The Sneakers Game
The 1934 NFL Championship was a blisteringly cold battle between the 13-0 Chicago Bears and 8-5 New York Giants. On an entirely frozen field, the Giants struggled to gain traction, finding themselves down 13-3 to the undefeated Bears at halftime. Giants owner John Mara (who’s grandkids still own the team today) sent one of the team trainers who also worked at a local college to get into the school’s gym and steal the basketball team’s shoes.
At halftime, the trainer returned with the shoes. He didn’t have enough for everyone, so the coaches picked the key players and traded their cleats for sneakers. Sure enough, the sneakers worked, propelling New York to an unprecedented twenty-seven points in the second half. The newly outfitted defense did not allow Chicago a single point in the second half, giving the Giants to their second NFL title in a 30-13 win. The trainer returned the basketball teams shoes to the locker room in time for their practice the following day.
Come back next week for the story of the 1958 Championship game, “The Greatest Game Ever Played.”
Uncontroversial Phrases for the Week:
“This Washington vs. Dallas game could really shake up the division.”
- This game was explained earlier. If someone prompts you further, you can throw out that Dallas is still favored by four points. One of the greatest rivalries in football has been less competitive over the past decade or so. Finally, both teams are competitive again and have not played each other yet this season. If you find yourself struggling, ask them their opinions on the following: Taylor Heinicke (Was QB), Ron Rivera (Was Head Coach), Mike McCarty (Dallas Head Coach), and Terry McLaurin (Was Receiver).
“I think the Browns have to wait another year before deciding to sign Baker Mayfield long-term.”
- Context: Rookies have a three-year contract to start their career. (Only venture ahead if you’re planning on using this one, otherwise we recognize that it is kind of a lot) If the team is undecided on keeping a player after three years, they can offer the player a fifth year option, allowing them two more years of opportunity to prove themselves worthy of a long-term deal. In year four, Baker has not proved himself worthy of a long-term deal, or worthy of being cut from the team. It’s awkward for all parties involved.
“Did you see Bills vs. Pats? That was some of the craziest wind I’ve ever seen in a game.”
- To this they may respond about Mac Jones, who only attempted three passes all game due to the wind. To this you can respond with equal surprise that the Pats won. “I guess if you can run the ball that well, you gotta run it all day.”
“Huge bounce back game for the Rams last week, the Jaguars really are just an extra bye week.”
- This one is about as cruel as it is uncontroversial. A Jaguars fan, if you are able to find one, would not even be hurt by this because it’s so clear that they are a doormat team.
“The Saints look so lost without Drew Brees… and Taysom just isn’t the long-term answer.”
- Very uncontroversial. The attempt is more to draw on the other persons love and fond memories of Brees and empathy for the organization. If they hate the Saints, abandon ship and find your way to another conversation topic.
