Week 15: Sunday Recap

We are a nation in mourning. All of our flags are at half staff and players and coaches in the NFL are writing the names of slain children on their hats, shoes and helmets.I know that there are mixed feelings about whether or not the Sandy Hook Elementary killings should spur a political debate on gun control, but I am sure we all wish that that pyscho wasn't able to get his hands on two guns. What can you do in the face of tragedy but pick yourself up and find a way to move on. If nothing, football provides the briefest respite from an unfathomable act and Week 15 did not disappoint when we needed some entertainment the most.

- The  (not so) mighty New York Giants lost 0-34 to the Atlanta Falcons. That's right, Eli Manning and the Giants scored zero points. Nothing. Nada. Goose Egg. Their first shut out since 1996. The Falcons have only lost 2 games all season (tied for the best record in the NFL) but have still not earned the respect they think they deserve. That chip on their shoulder seemed to work in their favor today. Asante Samuel intercepted Eli Manning twice and quarterback, Matt Ryan threw for 270 yards and 3 touchdowns. Not only did the Falcons shut the Giants out but it is the first time they have beat the Giants since 2004. The Falcons now sit on top of the NFC South and will have a bye the first round of the playoffs.

Victor Cruz wrote the name of one of the SHES victims on his shoes

- Rookie QB, Russell Wilson rushed for 3 touchdowns in the Seattle Seahawks 50-17 routing of the Buffalo Bills. This a week after the Seahawks shut out the Arizona Cardinals 58-0. Russell Wilson may have played 3rd fiddle to fellow rookie QBs, RG3 and Andrew Luck. But I think it is safe to say that everyone will be talking about him in the morning.

- While we are on the subject of shutouts the New Orleans Saints had one of their own, shutting out the Tampa Bay Buccaneers 0-41. The Saints have been the center of a lot of talk this week. Paul Tagliabue, the former commissioner of the NFL, vacated the suspensions of four players. Suspensions that were handed down by current commissioner, Roger Goodell. Tagliabue basically said that players follow the directions of their coaches for fear of getting cut or benched. So the onus of the Bounty Gate scandal falls more on the coaches than it does the players. Needless to say, the Saints felt the slightest bit vindicated this week and it showed. Drew Brees overcame a 2-week rut to throw for 307 yards and 4 touchdowns. "Impress Him" Fact: The Saints still have a snowballs chance in New Orleans of making the playoffs if they win out but all of the other teams will have to lose their last 2 games. Not likely, but stranger things have happened to this team this year including their first shut-out game since 1995.

- Unfortunately for Jay Cutler, Clay Matthews was back on defense for the Green Bay Packers after missing 4 games due to a hamstring injury. You may remember that when these 2 teams met earlier this season Clay Matthews sacked Jay Cutler 3.5 times so I am guessing that Jay was hoping to catch a little break this time around. No such luck. Clay was back and looking for Jay and found him for 2 sacks in the Packers 21-13 win over NFC North rivals, the Chicago Bears. Aaron Rodgers was looking (and playing) good with 291 passing yards and 3 touchdowns. Chicago continues to struggle losing 5 of their last 6 games. The bad news for all of us is that the Bears are in danger of not making the playoffs which means Jay Cutler will have extra time on his hands to make more babies with Kristen Cavallari, and no one wants that. "Impress Him" Fact: Want to really turn some heads? Tell your co-workers/husband/boyfriend that the Bears just don't have any play-makers beyond Jay Cutler and Brandon Marshall. On another note I just tried to google images of Jay Cutler with Kristen and his baby and there are none. There aren't even any of just him and the baby. Is Jay Cutler a dead beat dad? Incidentally, there are several pictures of Jay Cutler's head on a poor baby's body and also several of him with a pacifier in his mouth...if that tells you anything.

I don't know where Jay is, but please don't fumble that baby

- You have to give the Dallas Cowboys this, they will not go away. In fact, they are tied for 1st place in the NFC East. This team simply refuses to give up as was evident in their overtime win over the Pittsburgh Steelers. Of course, the Steelers helped out a little. A fumbled kickoff return led to the tie-ing touchdown for the Cowboys. And then Brandon Carr intercepted Roethlisberger's first pass in overtime and ran it 36 yards to the 1st yard line, setting up an easy field goal for Dan Bailey who was happy to play the hero for the second week in a row. The Steelers are one game behind the Cincinnati Bengals for a wild card spot in the playoffs. They face the Bengals in a "must win" game next week.

- Imagine you had all of the ligaments in your knee torn and reconstructed. Now imagine that 9 months later you were running down a field while giant men tried everything in their power to knock you down. And now imagine that none of that mattered because you are some kind of super human and instead of slowing down you are going to have the best season as a running back of your career and possibly of anybody's career if things keep going the way they are going. If you can imagine all of that then you will know what it is like to be Adrian Peterson. In the Minnesota Vikings' game against the St. Louis Rams Peterson ran for a season-best 212 yards giving him 1812 yards for the season...294 yards shy of the single season record set by Eric Dickerson in 1984. Oh and the Vikings beat the Rams 36-22.

- When I played tennis in high school, I always had to play against a girl who I had been playing with since I was 6 years old. I would always be pretty antsy before the match and would start off petty shaky and would get in a hole. Once I was in this hole I would kind of give up because I really liked Marcie and didn't care if she beat me, I was hungry, and I was ready to get home and see what the gang from West Beverly High was up to...oh and I probably had homework or something. And it would be at the moment that I had accepted defeat that I would start playing my best game and the match would drag out for a third set. That seems to be what is happening with the Carolina Panthers the last 2 weeks. Last week they decidedly took out the Atlanta Falcons and this week it was the San Diego Chargers' turn to be humiliated by a team who had only won 4 games coming into Sunday's game. In fact, it was the first time that the Panthers have won consecutive games since last December. Mike Tolbert, a former Charger, had 2 touchdowns against his old team and Cam Newton threw for 231 yards and 2 touchdowns in the Panthers' 31-7 defeat of the San Diego Chargers. Of course, the Panthers are playing for nothing but pride right now but they are playing like the team everyone expected them to be at the beginning of the season. Hopefully, they can remember what worked come September.

This week I thought I would change it up with GQ Cam.

- The San Francisco 49'ers took on the New England Patriots last night in what looked like the most miserable conditions ever...cold, rainy, sleet. Barf. You would think that the Patriots would be used to this kind of weather, but it was the 49'ers who looked right at home. In fact, the Patriots have not lost on their home field in December in a decade. A decade! The 49'ers were up 31-3 when the Patriots decided to make it interesting and come back to tie the game in the 4th quarter. But this was San Francisco's game to win and they clinched the win with a 38 yard touchdown pass from Colin Kaepernick to Michael Crabtree. The 49'ers won 41-34 and are headed to the post season with some good momentum.

That does it for the big news out of Week 15. Remember to hold your little ones tight this week and every week.

Week 14: Sunday Recap

Whoever decided to schedule a Downton Abbey marathon on a Sunday when the know I am supposed to be watching football is on my list...the bad one. I know that Public Television is funded by viewers like me but you mean to tell me they couldn't do the marathon today when they know I am off work? Selfish. The good news is that, thanks to carefully observing my husband's technique, I have become a master of the remote control. I am now able to keep up with 3 football games AND the lives of post World War I English aristocrats. It's not easy, but no sacrifice is. Now on to the 14th Sunday of this NFL season.

I am so in love with this show, hopefully someone is donating money to keep it going.

-It was another emotional week in the NFL, this time for the Dallas Cowboys. Early Saturday morning a practice-squad linebacker for the Cowboys, Jerry Brown, dies in a one-car accident. His roommate and best friend, Josh Brent, was driving the car and has been arrested for intoxication manslaughter. Just like the Kansas City Chiefs were playing for much more than a W last week, this week the Cowboys were playing for their own fallen teammate. Dan Bailey kicked a game winning 40-yard field goal as time expired and the Cowboys beat the Cincinnati Bengals 19-20. 

- The Panthers may be in last place, but they have not given up. That much was certain when they took on the Atlanta Falcons who are tied for the best record in the NFL with the Houston Texans. I was at the game when these two teams played the first time and the Falcons came back to win the game and I would have said that this game would go much the same way if not worse for the Panthers. But we have all learned over the course of this football season that I really have no idea what I am talking about. Cam Newton was like a man on fire. Not only did he throw for 287 yards and 2 touchdowns, but he also led the team in rushing with 116 rushing yards including one 72-yard run that ended in a somersault into the end-zone. The Panthers won 20-30 and I have another all-to-rare excuse to google images of Cam Newton. 

That, my friends, is how you score a touchdown. Nevermind that they are last in the league.

- The Washington Redskins pulled of an overtime victory over the Baltimore Ravens. What's more impressive is that they pulled the win off with back-up quarterback, Kirk Cousins, leading the team in place of RG3 who went down with a sprained knee during the last drive of the fourth quarter. "Impress Him" Face: Kirk Cousins is also a rookie who has played in ONE GAME this season. The Redskins were down by 8 points when Cousins threw an 11-yard touchdown pass to Pierre Garcon and then ran the ball in himself for a 2 point conversion to tie the game and send it into overtime. The Redskins won 28-31 and while RG3 did not tear his ACL, the Redskins are still waiting to see who their starting QB will be next week.

- The Seattle Seahawks beat the Arizona Cardinals 0-58. I don't really know if I need to say anything else about that.

- It was all about Adrian Peterson when the Minnesota Vikings took on the Chicago Bears. Peterson rushed for 154 yards and 2 touchdowns in the Vikings 14-21 win over the Bears. "Impress Him" Fact: Peterson has 7 straight games with 100+ rushing yards. He has 1600 rushing yards this season with 3 games to play, putting him closer to the goal of a 2000 yard season. Oh and remember that he basically just had his whole knee reconstructed before this season. Man or robot? You decide. The Bears, who were already without linebacker, Brian Urlacher, also lost Jay Cutler in the fourth quarter with a neck injury. 

There are your highlights from Sunday #14! There are 2 regular season Sunday's to go and then the Playoffs start and basically everything that happened the 16 weeks before doesn't matter. Of course, Downton Abbey will also have it's season 3 premier during these "playoffs".... so when you make your donation to PBS (I would donate, but my husband hid my credit card) could you please ask them to start playing Downton Abbey on Saturdays, when I don't have anything to do? That would be great.

Week 10: Nobody's Perfect: Sunday Recap

It's Week 10 and things are starting to get interesting out in NFL land. The New Orleans Saints defeated the unbeaten Atlanta Falcons 31-27. To make things even more interesting the two teams used their post-game interviews to sling passive aggressive shots at each other that would make the meanest of high school Mean Girls proud. First, Falcons Wide Receiver, Roddy White, said something to effect of that the Falcons gave the Saints that win and the Saints didn't really do anything to earn it. That would be a little more convincing coming from a guy who didn't stop short on a run, causing him to miss a pass that would have won the game. The Saints then answered by way of Linebacker, Curtis Lofton (who used to play with the Falcons), by saying that he didn't really consider the Falcons rivals because the Saints have won 11 of their past 13 meetings. Both of these Mean Girls have solid points. The Falcons had plenty of chances to win this game and just could not finish, giving steam to the critics out there who say that they are overrated. Nonetheless, these two teams play again in a few weeks and it will be interesting to see what happens. 

Has Regina George been schooling the NFL in the Art of Mean?

- It was actually raining cats and dogs when the Houston Texans traveled to Chicago to take on the Bears, throwing in an added element to what was already going to be an interesting game. "Impress Him" Fact: Going into Sunday's game the Bears led the league in takeaways and the Texans led the lead in fewest turnovers. But the Texans managed to turn the tables on a team who forced 4 fumbles last week (all by one Charles "Peanut" Tillman). The Bears turned the ball over 4 times and QB, Jay Cutler was knocked out with a concussion late in the second quarter. (Aside: One of my friends believes that Jay Cutler was not really concussed and shouldn't have left the game. It is my belief that Jay Cutler was simply tired of being in the cold rain wand wanted to get home to Kristin to watch reruns of The Hills. End of Aside.) It was a sloppy 13-6 win for the Texans. Schaub had just 95 passing yards and an interception, but it is a win nonetheless and the Texans are now tied with the Falcons for the best record in the NFL.

Jay Cutler: Baby, you promise you think I'm cuter than Brody? Promise?!

Quick Notes:

- Jay Cutler wasn't the only one with a headache, Michael Vick (Eagles) and Alex Smith (49'ers) also left their games with concussions on Sunday.

- They might be Giants but they are still human. Eli Manning and the Giants got their fannies kicked by the Cincinnati Bengals 13-31. 

- The St. Louis Rams and the San Francisco 49'ers recorded the first tie game of the season with a 24-24 score at the end of overtime.

What do you think? Can NFL players be just as bad as Mean Girls? And can anyone name 3 songs from the band They Might Be Giants? If not, you are seriously missing out.

Week 4: Let's Call Him "Wrong Team Tony": Chicago Bears vs. Dallas Cowboys

Sorry for the late and quick post, friends! Real life got in the way of blogging today...can you believe that?! So today I will spare you my witty opener and dive right in to Monday night's Chicago Bears vs. Dallas Cowboys match up where the Boys were absolutely routed, 34-18.

- Tony Romo threw 5 interceptions last night. Let me say it again. Tony Romo threw 5 INTERCEPTIONS last night! Two of them were returned for touchdowns including one by Lance Briggs whose 74 yard interception returned for a touchdown was his first since 2005. The only real good thing I can say about Tony Romo's performance last night is that he was only sacked once on the first series of the game...but then again he also thought he was playing quarterback for the Chicago Bears, so why would they sack him? "Impress Him" Fact: The Chicago Bears defense started 5 players who are in their 30's (considered aging in the NFL). Those "old" guys sure did show Dallas that they could still play.

Man, I feel bad for this guy. (Photo Credit: bleacherreport.com)

- On the flip side Jay Cutler was playing lights out for the Chicago Bears. Cutler completed 18 of 24 passes for 275 yards including 2 touchdowns. He also managed to find his groove with Brandon Marshall who last night was trying to shake off my "Sir Drops-A-Lot" nickname. Marshall caught 7 passes for 138 yards and a touchdown last night. "Impress Him" Fact: Brandon Marshall has a long rap sheet and a reputation for being trouble. Last year he was diagnosed as having Borderline Personality Disorder, a diagnosis that he says has helped him understand who he is, take responsibility for his past misdeeds and move forward as a better person. Not an easy task, and definitely admirable. In other Jay Cutler news, Kristin Cavallari has come out and said that she wants more babies soon. Yikes.

Sorry so short and sweet...or maybe y'all prefer it that way. You can always let me know what you think on Twitter @gridiron4girls or by email, gridironforgirls@gmail.com

Week 2: Chicago Bears at Greenbay Packers Recap

It just hit me today the dedication it takes to follow this sport. I just have to trust that the Glee season premier went off okay without me and that the designers of Project Runway managed to get their designs down the runway without my supervision. But there isn't any time to dwell on the fact that I am missing Britney Spears as a judge on the X Factor because tonight it is all about the "Oldest Rivalry in Football".

Going into this game it is safe to say that Packer Nation was freaking out. They had lost their home opener against the 49ers and were about to go up against their biggest NFC rival. The thought of the Greenbay Packers going 0-2 on their sacred Lambeau Field was more than even this blogger could handle (mostly because I think Aaron Rodgers is dreamy). One thing they knew for sure is that they needed to commit to a running game if they were going to win this game, and they found success on the ground with running back, Cedric Benson, who rushed for 81 yards and who also used to be a Chicago Bear. The Packers got their first home win of the season with a 23-10 win over the Chicago Bears


- The first half of the game turned into a defensive battle, with both quarterbacks (Aaron Rodgers for the Packers and Jay Cutler for the Bears) spending a lot of time on their backs and neither offense could get anything going. With 2 minutes left in the half the Packers were up 3-0 and it looked like they were about to kick another field goal...but wait..are they going to fake this field goal? You bet your bottom dollar they are and not only that, it is going to work!  Tom Crabtree ran the ball 27 yards in for the touchdown to make it 10-0. All was not lost for the Bears...they still had 1:50 left in the half to put some points on the board....oh my bad Jay Cutler just threw an interception and the Packers got another 3 to make it 13-0 at halftime.

- Jay Cutler, the quarterback for the Bears, was running his mouth before the game just as you would expect thy guy who knocked up Kristin Cavallari to do, I believe he said "good luck covering us". Well that was nice of him to wish the Packers luck especially since they sacked Cutler the first time he touched the ball...and 3 more times before halftime. Incidentally, the number of times that Jay Cutler was sacked in the first half (4) was the same number of completions that he threw in the first half. One can only hope that Cutler is a better father than he is smack talker, or quarterback for the matter, but my guess is that Baby Cutler-Cavallari has a long road ahead.

- Things seemed to be going from bad to worse for Jay Cutler and the Bears after the half. The first time that Jay Cutler targeted his #1 receiver and former favorite target when they both played for the Denver Broncos, Brandon Marshall, he dropped it in the end zone for what should have been an easy touchdown. I like to call Brandon Marshall "Sir Drops-A-Lot", this goes back to his days as a Miami Dolphin...seriously, I could drop as many passes as this guy for half of what he is getting paid. In fact, Brandon Marshall did not get his first reception in this game until halfway through the 4th quarter....oh and then he dropped another one in the end zone.

- Sir Drops-A-Lot aside, Jay Cutler had bigger problems...one very big problem in particular, Clay Matthews. To say this guy is a beast is an understatement, I don't even know the right word for this guy and I bet neither does Jay Cutler after the number of times he was planted by him which was 3.5 times, 7 sacks total. (Fun Fact: Clay Matthews had 6 sacks ALL SEASON last year and already has 5.5 sacks in the first 2 games of the 2012 season, he also looks like the incredible Hulk but when he opens is mouth he sounds like Papa Smurf- no disrespect, Clay Matthews.).

-Everyone will be talking about the lack of protection given to Cutler. When Jay Cutler wasn't picking grass out of his helmet he was throwing interceptions. He threw 4 interceptions total, and completed 11 passes out of 27 attempts for 126 yards. Cutler is now 0-3 at Lambeau Field.

-  Aaron Rodgers got off to a rocky start for the Packers and while he had a solid night with 22/32 completions for 219 yards, 1 touchdown, and only 1 interception, the real star of tonight's game is the Greenbay Packer defense.


I have to say I am happy to see the Packers win, Aaron Rodgers seems like a solid guy with a good head on his shoulders and there is just something so intriguing about Wisconsin..am I right?? See you Monday morning for my recap of all of Sunday's games!