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 7: Seattle Seahawks vs. San Francisco 49'ers

Week 7 opened with the Seattle Seahawks taking on the San Francisco 49'ers. I learned 2 things on Thursday night: First, with the 13-6 win over the Seahawks, the 49'ers now lead the NFC West; second, and more importantly, defensive football makes me sleepy (that a nice way of saying it's BORING!). I am sure that there are a legion of men out there who would disagree with me, but for someone who doesn't understand all of the minutiae of this game it can be tedious to watch. That being said, you never really know who will come up with a win in these kinds of games, so there is that. Snoozeville, it may have been, but some interesting details did come out of this game.

- The first touchdown of the game came in the 3rd quarter (see what I mean?!) when 49'ers QB, Alex Smith threw a 12-yard touchdown pass to Delanie Walker. "Impress Him" Fact: Walker's touchdown was SF's first TD in 7 quarters of football.

- Frank Gore, running back for the 49'ers, ran for 131 yards while Marshawn Lynch did his part for the Seahawks with 103 rushing yards.

- Both of these "defense-first" teams allow fewer than 16 points per game.

There is not much else I can say about this game, we all know I was watching Grey's Anatomy while I flipped back to it so here are some parting shots to think about on this beautiful Friday.

I don't know about y'all, but no doctor I have ever met has looked like this.

how is it fair that as men age they go from this...

....to this?!

Week 3: Time's Up! Greenbay Packers at Seattle Seahawks

As I was watching the game last night I thought to myself, "this is kind of a snoozer, maybe I will skip this one." Then I thought maybe I will write a little blurb about how football is the only sport where a grown man can use the phrase, "he's got a wide banana on the corner" with a totally straight face and millions of men across the country will know exactly what he is talking about and begin debating whether or not he actually did have a wide banana. Then the final play of the game happened and instead of being a "snoozer" Monday Night's game between the Greenbay Packers and the Seattle Seahawks will go down as one of the most...if not THE MOST controversial games in NFL history. Now I know the whole point of this blog is that you don't have to watch any actual football, but just in case you are curious, this is the play that will be lighting up the sports world for weeks to come:

Here is what happened: The Greenbay Packers had overcome a very shaky first half (Aaron Rodgers was sacked 7 times) to take over the lead 12-6 on the Seahawks. As the clock was winding down on the Seahawks last chance to win rookie Quarterback, Russell Wilson, launched a Hail Mary pass into the end zone into a sea of Packer defenders and a couple of Seahawk receivers including Golden Tate. What all of America (except for the replacement refs and Seattle fans) saw was first, that Golden Tate used both hands to shove a Packer out of his way, a big penalty that was missed; and then we all saw M.D. Jennings intercept the football for the Packers while Golden Tate managed to get a hand on it. Two of the "refs" ran over to the pile, literally looked at each other like they had no idea what to do, and then one of them called a touchdown giving Seattle the win....and the other one called a touchback giving Greenbay the win. The replay showed over and over that Jennings got his hands on the ball first, brought it to his chest, and maintained possession as he came to the ground with Tate's arm wrapped around him and the ball. All scoring plays are reviewable, so I watched along knowing that they were going to overturn the touchdown call and give the Packers the win they deserved. And then in a moment that changed everything, the ruling on the field as a touchdown was confirmed, touchdown. Seahawks win, no time left on the clock. Game Over. Mass Pandemonium ensued. The Packers walked off the field, Seahawks stormed the field and everyone seemed to forget that NFL rules state that an extra point MUST be kicked. So both teams scrambled to find 11 guys and the Seahawks kicked an extra point to win the game 14-12. Finally, the replacement refs had decided the outcome of a game and instead of talking about the brilliant performance of a rookie quarterback in Russell Wilson or the hard fought perseverance of a veteran quarterback and team in Aaron Rodgers and the Greenbay Packers, we are all talking about the refs.

guy on left says interception, guy on right says touchdown (Photo Credit: DMW3Sports)

As Steve Young, a former NFL quarterback and current ESPN analyst, was talking about his disgust over what had happened you could actually hear his voice choke up as if he was fighting off tears. I looked over at my husband's face and while there were no tears, I saw sheer disappointment and anger and I realized that this "dispute" with the refs is ruining the game for those who love and respect it the most. The integrity of what has become America's Sport (sorry baseball) is diminishing week after week because the officials that are calling the games are not used to the caliber of the game they are calling. Players and coaches are testing the limits of what they can get away with with the new guys, and the games are becoming jokes. Please NFL, I think last night has proved once and for all that the regular refs deserve what they have coming to them, get them back to work before you start to really lose face. Time is up.

Week 2: Oh When The Saints Come Falling Down

If nothing else, this blog is doing for me what I hoped it would do for other girls who are constantly surrounded by NFL talk. I have been spouting off stats and NFL tidbits all week and the reaction has been priceless.  The only downside so far has been that when it was time to go pick up lunch today neither my husband nor I wanted to go because we were both glued to the NFL Kickoff show, a minor bump in the road during this experiment in marriage and sports. SO MUCH happened this Sunday, here are some of the big headlines. I have also highlighted some "Impress Him" facts that are sure to raise some eyebrows if you have the opportunity to use them.

- The New Orleans Saints are no strangers to adversity. Seven years ago, Hurricane Katrina ripped through New Orleans and Drew Brees and the Saints stepped up to become the face of the recovery effort and the team that everyone was rooting for no matter who their team was. This year the Saints find themselves facing a different kind of adversity, a less friendly kind. Allegations of players being paid bounties for making hits against certain players have left Drew Brees and New Orleans without their head coach, Sean Payton for this season and the eyes of NFL fans everywhere focused on them, this time in a negative way. The Saints lost to the Carolina Panthers, 27-35, for the first time since 2009 and are now 0-2 for the first time since 2007. Cam Newton and the Panthers looked energized in their home stadium. Newton did a little bit of everything, he had 253 passing yards, was the lead rusher with a career high, 71 rushing yards, one rushing TD, and no interceptions,(Disclaimer: I am a HUGE Cam Newton fan, so I may tend to dwell on him a little. I'm sorry, I can't help it, we have a very special connection that only he and I know about. Well, he doesn't actually know but that's neither here nor there.). Anyhoo, on the other side of the ball, the Saints defense looked rough. They have allowed over 900 yards of offense in their last 2 games. Drew Brees threw 2 interceptions, including one that was returned for a touchdown. Everyone will be talking about how Drew Brees and the Saints can bounce back from this disappointing start to their season. (Aside: A replacement ref was dismissed at the beginning of this game because it came out that he was a HUGE Saints fan, and when I say "huge" I mean that there were pictures of him on Facebook wearing every bit of Saints clothing he could get his hands on. I am willing to bet there is a Saints tattoo somewhere on his body. Good call by the NFL.).


Cam Newton's Signature TD Celebration, "The Superman"

- Are the Tampa Bay Buccaneers really going to beat the NY Giants at home?! Are the Super Bowl Champions going to be 0-2?! Absolutely not, but it looked like it for the better part of 3 quarters. "Impress Him" Fact: Both the Offensive and Defensive Coordinators for Tampa Bay came from the NY Giants. The Giants had developed special signals just for this game in case it seemed like the Bucs were onto them. And it certainly seemed like they were onto them. At halftime, Eli Manning had thrown 3 interceptions for the New York Giants and the Bucs were up by 11. After the half, the Giants changed their tune. Eli Manning came out with 295 yards in the second half, tying for the 8th most in NFL history for a total of 510 passing yards overall (what?!). Tampa Bay scored 21 points off of turnovers but once Eli decided to play like a 2 time Super Bowl Champ, there was little the Bucs could do to stop him. The Giants won 34-41.

- Do you remember when I said a couple of weeks ago that Tony Romo and the Dallas Cowboys were under a lot of pressure this year? And then they opened this season up with beating the reigning Super Bowl Champion, NY Giants, in New York and I said it looked like the Cowboys had come to play this season? Remember all that? Well forget it. They looked terrible today against the Seattle Seahawks. Just terrible. And it started immediately, Felix Jones fumbled the kickoff return which gave the Seahawks their first 3 points and then Jeron Johnson returned a blocked punt to give the Seahawks a 10-0 lead in less than 5 minutes! Tony Romo started off in the hole and his teammates didn't do much to help him out of it. Jason Witten and Dez Bryant couldn't seem to catch a break, let alone a ball and Demarco Murray, who had over 100 yards against the Seahawks last season, only rushed for 44 yards. Seattle's rookie QB, Russell Wilson didn't look too bad either. He passed for 151 yards and ran for another 28. Marshawn Lynch also did his part for the Seahawks with 122 yards on the ground and one touchdown. Russell Wilson and the Seattle Seahawks got their first win at home in a big way, 27-7 over the Cowboys. "Impress Him" Fact: The last time Tony Romo and the Cowboys played in Dallas was during the 2006 NFC wild card game where Romo bobbled the snap of what would have been the winning field goal, and then tripped up just shy of the goal line for what would have been the winning touchdown. Remember, the Cowboys have only won ONE PLAYOFF GAME during the Tony Romo years.

Chin up, Romo. At least you don't have to go home to Jessica Simpson

- Michael Vick and the Philadelphia Eagles did it again this week against the Baltimore Ravens. Vick turned the ball over 4 times but in the end Michael Vick came through with a 1 yard rushing touchdown to win the game 24-23. Just as he overcame throwing 4 interceptions last week against the Cleveland Browns, to win the game 17-16. Whether or not you have forgiven him for his past, Michael Vick is proving that he still has plenty of life as a premier NFL quarterback.

- Rookie Quarterback, Robert Griffin III (RG3), almost had more to prove this week after the dazzling display he put on during his debut as the Washington Redskins starter last week. This week the Redskins took on Sam Bradford and the St. Louis Rams. At one point in the first half the Redskins led 21-6; but Rams receiver, Danny Amendola, decided to make things tricky with 12 receptions in the first half (an NFL record) including a 1 yard touchdown to cut the lead to 21-6 at the half. In the fourth quarter the Rams were up 31-28, but RG3 had managed to get the Redskins in easy field goal position to tie the game...that is until an unsportsmanlike conduct call went against the Redskins who now had to try for a 62 yard field goal attempt...which they missed and lost the game 31-24. Does this mean RG3 isn't the real deal? Not at all, he had a solid game with 206 passing yards, 82 rushing yards, and 2 rushing touchdowns. This guy is something special. "Impress Him" Fact: Mike Shanahan, the head coach of the Washington Redskins, wanted to draft Sam Bradford when he was #1 overall pick in the 2010 Draft but was not able to make the necessary moves to secure a higher draft pick.

- Last time the San Francisco 49'ers and the Detroit Lions played their head coaches , Jim Harbaugh and Jim Schwartz, almost got in a fist fight during their post-game handshake. So naturally, all the talk before this game was focused on whether they would kill each other during their handshake this year. They didn't. Not before the game, not after. And the San Francisco 49'ers won their second game of the season. Alex Smith threw for 226 yards and 2 touchdowns, Michael Crabtree was clutch in converting 3rd downs for SF. The SF managed to shut down Matthew Stafford and the Detroit Lions and stopped him from having another big yardage game. The San Francisco 49'ers won 27-19 over the Detroit Lions.

Quick Notes:

-The New England Patriots lost in a heartbreaker in their home opener against the Arizona Cardinals. Tom Brady and the Pats were stopped on an attempted 2 point conversion and then missed a field goal that would have won the game for them. They lost 20-18 to the Cards. (Aside: I know girls tend to swoon over Tom Brady, but I am not one of those girls. No offense to Gisele but I think he is a First Class Goob, and I think the picture below proves that I am not far off.)

married to Gisele, but snuggling a goat

-Miami Dolphins rookie QB, Ryan Tannehill, led the Dolphins to their first win (35-13) against the Oakland Raiders. Tannehill had 200 passing yards and Reggie Bush (another Kim Kardashian casualty) clenched the win with 172 rushing yards and 2 touchdowns.

- In other rookie QB news, Andrew Luck also got a "W" for the Indianapolis Colts against the Minnesota Vikings. Luck completed 20 out of 31 passes for 224 yards.

- Following their big win last week against the  NY Jets struggled against the Pittsburgh Steelers who were trying to avoid losing 2 in a row. The Jets lost to the Steelers 27-10 even though the Steelers were without key defensive vet, Troy Polamalou and linebacker James Harrison, who were both out with injuries. Tim Tebow only played for one snap on which he rushed for 22 yards...and was then booed when he came off the field. No one likes this guy, not even his own fans.

- C.J. Spiller led the Buffalo Bills to a big win over the Kansas City Chiefs. The former Clemson Tiger carried the ball 15 times for 123 yards (8.2 yards per carry) and rushed for 2 touchdowns. The Bills won 35-17 at home.

- Frustration is growing when it comes to the replacement refs. They are making inconsistent calls and one quarterback, the usually mild mannered Joe Flacco, has called them out for effecting the outcome of the game. They are also being criticized for taking too long making decisions and slowing down the game.

With everything that happened on the field this Sunday, I know that there is something that you might hear people talking about that I missed. If you ever need me to elaborate on games or story lines please feel free to hit me up on Twitter @gridiron4girls or you can email me at gridironforgirls@gmail.com. See you all Tuesday morning for a recap of the Denver Broncos vs. the Atlanta Falcons. All I can say is, thank god the Bachelor Pad is over.