JIM LANG’S 10 NFL THINGS: WEEK 14
Hi there, what a week it was in the NFL. There is a lot to talk about from the past week. One thing to remember with the extra regular season game added this season, the Wild Card weekend doesn’t begin until January 15th. If teams think it is cold now, wait until they have to play in a cold-weather outdoor stadium in the dead of winter. With that being said, lets get right to it.
1 – Thursday – Week 13 in the NFL kicked off in New Orleans as the injury riddled Saints hosted the Dallas Cowboys. With Mike McCarthy not allowed to be at the game after entering the league’s Covid protocols, defensive coordinator Dan Quinn was running the show for the Cowboys. So, it was only fitting that the Cowboys defence would come up with four interceptions of Taysom Hill, including a pick-six, as they won their 8th game of the year. We learned a few things in this game. First, the Cowboys offense is still a work a progress. Two, Trevon Diggs is the man. And finally, Taysom Hill is not a starting quarterback in the NFL. Hill is the first quarterback since 1976 to run for over 100 yards and throw four interceptions in the same game. With three division games in the next three weeks, the Cowboys have a chance to lock up the NFC East by the end of the month.
2 – The Lions win!!! – It is a holiday miracle, because the Detroit Lions won their first game of the year. Not only did the Lions win, but Jared Goff also threw the game winning touchdown to Amon-Ra St. Brown at the end of the 4th quarter. Even better than the win, was an emotional Dan Campbell after the game, dedicating the game ball to victims of the recent shooting at the school in the Detroit area. Jimmy Johnson, one of the great coaches in NFL history, went 1-15 in his first season in Dallas. Winning takes time and building a winning culture takes time. The more you see the way the Lions battle to the end, Dan Campbell is the right coach for this team. With time he will learn, the team will add more talent and they have the chance to build a respectable team in Detroit.
3 – Washington Football Team – People better start paying a little respect to the Washington Football Team. Sunday’s win over the Raiders was their 4th straight and if the season ended today, they would be a Wild Card team in the NFC. The win came at a cost as tight end Logan Thomas injured his knee. Ron Rivera updated the media Monday and indicated there is a chance that Thomas might play again this season. After every win, Rivera looks at his players and says, ‘everything we need, is in this room.’ There is no doubt that his players believe in what he’s saying. Up next, Washington will host their arch-nemesis, the Dallas Cowboys. That should be a real ‘slobberknocker’ of a game.
4 – Big Ben – If this is Ben Roethlisberger’s final season as a quarterback for the Steelers, Sunday’s win over the Ravens is a game he will remember for a long time. In the 4th quarter, Big Ben was 9 of 10 for 129 yards with 2 touchdowns passes and a 2-point conversion. In other words, that was vintage Big Ben football. It also didn’t hurt Ben and the Steelers to have TJ Watt have the kind of game he did. Watt ended the night with 3 and a half sacks and despite missing two games this year, he leads the NFL with 16 sacks!
4 – Gardner Minshew – Maybe it is his mullet, I used to have one, or it is down-home attitude, but I like Gardner Minshew. I realize he was facing the Jets, but Minshew went 20 of 25 for 242 yards and 2 touchdowns to lead the Eagles to an important win. Heck, only Arizona’s Kyler Murray had a better passer rating Sunday than Minshew. Now coach Nick Sirianni told anyone who would listen that when healthy, Jalen Hurts is still his starting quarterback. That may be true, but if Hurts struggles in the future, I’m betting that he puts Minshew into the game, to see if he can get the Eagles offence going.
5 – Gronk – It isn’t an accident that the Buccaneers are on a winning streak and back to being one of the most feared teams in the NFC. The return of tight end Rob Gronkowski has played an important role in the Bucs resurgence. The Bucs have won three-in-a-row since Gronk’s return. In those three games, Gronk has caught 17 passes for 252 yards and 2 touchdowns. Tom Brady and the Bucs offense is so much harder to defend when Gronk is healthy and in the line-up.
6 – Miami – Guess who has a sweet five game winning streak going right now? That’s right, the Miami Dolphins. All those high draft picks are paying off in Miami as they have become an interesting team to watch. Up next, the Dolphins have their bye week, then they host the Jets and go on the road to play the Saints and the Titans. Brian Flores has to feel very good about his team right now, and about their chances the rest of the season.
7 – The Rams – There are many outstanding players on the LA Rams, but none of them are having the kind of year that receiver Cooper Kupp is enjoying. In Sunday’s win over the Jaguars, Kupp became the first player to have at least 100 catches and at least 10 touchdowns through his team’s first 12 games. Kupp leads all receivers in catches, yards and receiving touchdowns. Now comes the real challenge for Sean McVay and the Rams, finding a way to beat the Cardinals.
8 – Zona – I don’t remember the last 10-2 team that received as little national attention as the Arizona Cardinals. After kicking serious ass in Chicago, the Cardinals are the first 10-win team this year. The Cardinals reached 10 wins, despite the fact that their outstanding starting quarterback Kyler Murray, missed three games this year. One more thing, the Cardinals have seven straight roads wins! That almost never happens in the NFL. Next Monday night, the Cardinals will host the LA Rams in the desert. If they beat the Rams, a lot of people around the NFL better start believing what the Cardinals already believe, that this team is for real.
9 – The Chiefs – The combination of a more reliable Patrick Mahomes and a much stouter defence has made the Chiefs a scary team to play against. In Sunday’s win over the Broncos, the Chiefs D forced three turnovers and came up with a pick-six. The Chiefs have won 5 straight games and they have only given up 18 points in the past two weeks. This is pretty remarkable when you consider the Chiefs allowed 76 points in their losses in Week 2 and 3. Mahomes has only had one of his typical MVP-type games during the current winning streak. Meaning he is capable of so much more.
10 – Monday Night Mayhem – Week 13 in the NFL wrapped up in Buffalo as the Bills and the New England Patriots battled it out for top spot in the AFC East. Little did anyone know heading into the game that there would be gale force winds coming off Lake Erie. At times, winds gusted upwards of 80 km/h and made the conditions for the game downright cruel. But wind and cold and harsh conditions don’t matter to Bill Belichick. He adjusted his game plan, told his players, ‘Do your job,’ and went about his business. In a throw back to football played a long time ago, the Patriots attempted a total of 3 passes and ran the ball a staggering 46 times for 222 yards. The Patriots added an extra offensive lineman, utilized a blocking fullback, and ran the ball down the Bills throat. They ran power left, power right and power up the middle. They featured pulling guards and the kind of smash-mouth football that Vince Lombardi made famous. What was shocking is how brutally simple and effective the Patriots game plan was. And still, the Bills couldn’t stop them. While the Bills try to figure out what the heck went wrong, the Patriots have a 7-game winning streak. The Pats are also the top dogs in the AFC East and the number one seed in the entire AFC. If Belichick doesn’t win the coach-of-the-year this season, they should stop giving out the award.
Week 14 in the NFL will kick off Thursday in Minnesota when the Vikings host the Pittsburgh Steelers. This will be a battle between two teams desperate for a win to keep their playoff hopes alive.
Other games to keep an eye on, the Buccaneers at home against the Bills. The Bills need a win, or they can forget about catching the Patriots for the AFC East title. The Browns are hosting the Ravens and the big one, the Cardinals hosting the Rams in the Monday night game.
I will talk to you next week.
(Jim Lang is Canada’s foremost expert on the NFL. Follow him on Twitter at @JimLangSports)
