JIM LANG’S 10 NFL THINGS: WEEK 15
Hi there! Well that was another wild week in the NFL. Before we get to the games, I wanted to say something about the passing of former receiver Demaryius Thomas. I was at the Broncos mini camp in June of 2010, doing a story on Tim Tebow. While I was there, I got my first glimpse of Thomas. While Tebow drew all the national attention, one look at Thomas in action was all that I needed to see that he was going to be a special player. Later, Tebow and Thomas would hook up for an incredible 80-yard, walk-off touchdown to beat the Steelers in a playoff over-time thriller. Four Pro Bowls and a Super Bowl ring later, I and everyone else was right about Thomas. 33 years-old is way too young to die. Anyone who got to see him in person realize what a gifted, and well-liked athlete that he was. With that being said, lets get to it.
1 – Thursday – Week 14 kicked off Thursday in Minnesota as the Vikings hosted the Pittsburgh Steelers. Both teams desperately needed to win to keep their playoff hopes alive. Dalvin Cook, who was just cleared to play before kick-off, shredded the Steelers defence for 205 yards and two touchdowns as the Vikings hung on to win. At some point in the first half, Cook was running through gaps in the Steelers front-seven that you drive a cement truck though! Now despite the fact that the Vikings had a 29-point lead, they almost blew the game. However, Chase Claypool pulled off one of the more boneheaded moves you will see in a football game. Claypool, who is already in Mike Tomlin’s doghouse after his taunting penalty in the first half, decided to celebrate a first down catch late in the 4th quarter. One small problem, the Steelers were out of time-outs and the clock was running! Claypool’s decision to celebrate cost the Steelers five valuable seconds; five seconds they urgently needed. With four games left in the season, that loss might have all but killed any chance of the Steelers making the playoffs.
2 – Chiefs – Keep matriculating the ball down the field! Those are the famous words of former legendary Chiefs coach Hank Stram. Patrick and Mahomes did that and much more as they handed the Raiders a world-class beating. In fact, their 48-9 win over the Raiders was the largest margin of victory by KC since 1960 when the two rivals started playing each other. The Raiders stupidly decided to hold a team huddle on the Chiefs logo before their game in KC. Then they went out and got crushed by the Chiefs. Smart teams don’t do stupid things like that. Right now, riding a 6-game winning streak the Chiefs are playing like a very smart team.
3 – Micah Parsons – The Dallas Cowboys have had some great defensive players over the years, but rookie Micah Parsons has what it takes to be the absolute best the franchise has ever seen. As the Cowboys pounded Washington Sunday, Parsons pounded the Washington offensive line and poor Taylor Heinicke. The ultimate compliment for Parsons is the fact that opposing teams have to alter their game plan in order to deal with him. And he is only going to get better.
4 – MVP – In Buffalo, desperate Bills fans are talking about the impressive second half by Josh Allen and the ‘moral’ victory of pushing the Bucs to over-time. In Tampa, they are talking about Tom Brady’s 700th career touchdown pass in OT that gave them their 10th win over the year. After 13 games, Brady is number one in the NFL in passing yards, passing touchdowns and pass completions. No big deal. At this point, the MVP is Brady’s to lose.
5 – Justin Herbert – Sunday’s win over the Giants was another great game by the golden boy with the golden right arm. Herbert threw 3 touchdowns as the Chargers improved to 8-5. Herbert is now the first quarterback ever to have at least 30 touchdown passes in his first two seasons in the NFL. The Chargers are far from being a finished product. But with Herbert at quarterback, their most important position is taken care of for years to come.
6 – The Jaguars – Look, Urban Meyer is a dumpster fire of a head coach, The sooner he leaves Jacksonville, the better off the Jaguars will be. But I am not sure Bill Belichick could do much with this team. As the Titans shut-out the Jags, Trevor Lawrence ended up throwing four interceptions (and aging 10 years!) and running back James Robinsons was held to 4 yards rushing. 4 yards!! This is a bad team that is poorly coached and lacking in depth of talent. At least the weather in Jacksonville is nice in the winter!
7 – The Wild Card – The Bills and their fans have good reason to be worried. While the Bills currently are hanging on to the final Wild Card spot in the AFC, they have zero margin for error. Breathing down their neck are the Bengals, Browns, and the surprising Broncos. In the NFC, things are even more wide open. The Washington Football Team are hanging on for dear life in the race for the final Wild Card. Breathing down their neck are the Eagles, Vikings, Saints, and the Falcons.
8 – Aaron Freaking Rodgers – I use the word ‘freaking’ because this is a family website. The man really does own the Chicago Bears. Despite his painful (his words) toe injury, Rodgers passed or 341 yards and 4 touchdowns in the Packers win over the Bears. Rodgers now has 61 touchdowns in his career against the Bears. By the way, did you see the Aaron Rodgers look-a-like that was sitting in the stands? That was bizarre. The idea of facing Rodgers and the Packers in mid-January in a playoff game has to be a frightening thought for opposing teams.
9 – This and That – 49ers tight end George Kittle can not be stopped. Sunday, Kittle caught a ridonkulous 13 passes for 151 yards and one touchdown. Since coming off the injured reserve in week 9, Kittle has 38 catches and 6 touchdowns. Titans fans were thrilled with the news that their Pro Bowl running back Derrick Henry has a good chance of rejoining the team for the final game of the regular season. That is great news for the Titans, and bad news for the rest of the AFC. Josh Allen was seen in a walking boot after the Bills loss to the Bucs. Taylor Heinicke had to leave the game following the beating he received from Micah Parsons and the Cowboys defence. Lamar Jackson was carted off with an ankle injury in the Ravens loss to the Browns. Finally, Panthers head coach Matt Rhule will continue to rotate Cam Newton and PJ Walker at quarterback.
10 – Monday Night Mayhem – Week 14 wrapped up with a clash of NFC West titans as the Cardinals hosted the LA Rams in my favourite NFL stadium, State Farm Stadium in Glendale, Arizona. Hours before kick-off, the Rams found out that two players, including Pro Bowl cornerback Jalen Ramsey had tested positive for Covid and couldn’t play. It didn’t matter at all as the Rams took care of business and won a crucial NFC West game, knocking the Cardinals out of the top seed in the NFC playoff race. Matt Stafford and Cooper Kupp were awesome as the Rams played one of their best games this year. I feel the star of the game was Rams defensive lineman Aaron Donald. Donald ended the night with 15 quarterback pressures and 3 sacks as more than made up for the absence of Ramsey. The Rams look like a team peaking at the perfect time of the season.
As of Tuesday morning, there were 37 players who have tested positive for Covid, and the number is climbing.
Week 15 will get underway Thursday in LA as the man with the golden gun, Justin Herbert and the Chargers host Patrick Mahomes and the red-hot Chiefs.
Week 15 will also feature key games such as: the Bengals in Denver to take on the Broncos and the Packers in Baltimore to take on the Ravens.
(Jim Lang is Canada’s foremost expert on the NFL. Follow him on Twitter at @JimLangSports)
