Week 13 Recap

Keith Srakocic/Associated Press

Washington Football Team @ Pittsburgh Steelers (23-17 Washington)
Mike The Ace @TheAceWriter

How about that NFC East? The NFL thought it saw the upset of the season on Sunday, when the New York Giants beat the Seattle Seahawks with Colt McCoy at quarterback. The real upset of the season would happen on Monday afternoon, as the undefeated Steelers would take their first loss of the season.

This game featured two of the best defenses in the NFL, and both defensive units showed up in this one. The first half of this game wasn’t very exciting. Washington’s offense struggled early, and it seemed like the Steelers defensive pressure would be too much to handle. Washington managed just 55 yards of offense in the first half.

The Steelers offense was also struggling, but they were able to find a big play in the first half that would extend their lead. Wide receiver James Washington caught a curl route from Ben Roethlisberger, and took it to the crib for a 50-yard touchdown. That play almost felt like the nail in the coffin, as the Steelers seemed to be locked in defensively. Pittsburgh held a 14-3 lead at the half, despite several missed opportunities.

Washington punched back to start the second half. Alex Smith was able to connect on several big throws, and Washington put together a 14-play, 82-yard scoring drive. Washington capped the long drive off with a 1-yard touchdown run from running back Peyton Barber. 

Washington’s defense was terrific all night. Their defense put pressure on the Steelers’ offensive line, stuffing the run and getting after the quarterback. Pittsburgh’s running game was nonexistent from start to finish. The running attack ended the night with just 14 carries for 21 yards, an average of 1.5 yards per carry. The short passing game has been a staple of the Steelers’ offense all season, but they’ve also been able to combine that with the running attack. 

The short passing game found some success in the second half, but dropped passes plagued the Steelers’ receiving core. If the Steelers will be moving forward with such a pass heavy attack, they cannot afford to have six drops like they did on Monday night. 

Despite the dropped passes, and poor running game, the Steelers had an opportunity to take the lead. The game was tied 17-17 and they were facing a 4th & 1 with just under 5 minutes left in the game. With the ball on their opponent’s 29-yard line, head coach Mike Tomlin decided to go for the conversion. Roethlisberger was unable to connect with his receiver, and they turned the ball over on downs.

Washington went on the attack offensively, and worked the ball into field goal range for the go-ahead field goal. Kicker Dustin Hopkins connected on the 45-yarder to put Washington ahead. Ben Roethlisberger would throw an interception on the first play of the following drive, and the game was virtually over.

The Steelers took their first loss of the season to a good defensive team. Their offense never really got off the ground, and the dropped passes are a cause for concern. They will have an even tougher test next week against the Buffalo Bills.

Christopher Hanewinckel-USA TODAY Sports

Cleveland Browns @ Tennessee Titans (41-35 Browns)
DK @ayeyoo_biggs

When looking at this match up, these two teams are pretty similar. They both have a good defense and great running schemes. Each team also has great running backs with Derrick Henry and the two headed monster of Nick Chubb and Kareem Hunt respectively. These teams also have above average, game managing quarterbacks. We are hearing that this year’s Cleveland Browns are last year’s version of the Tennessee Titans. The Browns beat the Titans at their own game today, as they continue to chase that coveted wild card spot. 

Baker Mayfield had a game, going 25-33 for 334 yards and 4 TDs. I’ve watched him play most of his snaps since his days at Texas Tech. When Mayfield got to Oklahoma, he ran the Lincoln Riley offense to perfection. He was always so accurate. I always saw him as a sort of poor man’s Drew Brees. This game reminded me of what I used to see in those days. Surprisingly, the Browns only ran for a combined 118 yards below their 156 yard a game average. After the Browns kicked a field goal on the first drive, Mayfield threw touchdown passes on each of the next four possessions. There was a little help from the Titans as well, because of a lost fumble near mid-field, during their second drive. 

Ryan Tannehill had a crazy game. The stats don’t tell the story because (unfortunately) the game was over before it started. He went 29-45 with 389 yards, 3 TDs and an interception. Most of those yards, and all of the touchdowns, were in the second half. Tannehill was under duress all day. He was sacked 3 times, and was hit 5 times. In the second half, he tried to lead a furious comeback, but threw an interception late in the third quarter. His receivers also struggled to get separation, and Browns cornerback M.J.Stewart had an amazing game with 2 tackles, 2 pass defenses and an interception. The Browns beat a legit team today, and continue to hold the top wild card spot in the AFC. Browns head coach Kevin Stefanski has really turned the team around with his offense. 

Normally we would be talking about Nick Chubb or Hunt, but Baker had a great game. He has really taken some slack for not playing up to his number-one-pick potential. This just proves that he is the right fit in Cleveland, but he just needed better guidance and a little more help from a balanced run game. That’s why I think Browns coach Kevin Stefanski should be in the running for Coach of the Year. The Titans had an embarrassing loss, and needed to do something with their pass defense in this game. They are currently ranked as 28th in the league, and Mike Vrabel needs to make a change, or else they will fall out of the tight AFC wild card playoff race. 

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Week 7 Recap

(AP Photo/Mark Zaleski)

Pittsburgh Steelers @ Tennessee Titans (27-24 Steelers)
Mike The Ace @TheAceWriter

Two of the most talented teams in the AFC faced off in a battle this week. The undefeated Tennessee Titans hosted the undefeated Pittsburgh Steelers. This game was a highly anticipated matchup, and it did not disappoint.

The Steelers started off hot offensively. They used a nice combination of running plays and short throws to keep the Titans defense off balance in the first half. The Pittsburgh defense matched that energy, holding Derrick Henry to just 27 rushing yards in the first half. After two quarters of play, the Steelers held a commanding 24-7 lead.

The second half is where things got interesting. Following a Steelers field goal, Titans wide receiver AJ Brown was able to snap off a 73-yard touchdown on a nice catch and run. The two teams would exchange three-and-outs on the following possessions, before Steelers’ QB Ben Roethlisberger was intercepted in Steelers territory. 

Tennessee settled for a field goal and were now down 27-17. The Steelers second half struggles continued with another punt, after a quick 5-play drive on the following possession. The Titans offense rewarded their defense’s effort, and cashed in with a 70-yard drive that ended with a Derrick Henry touchdown. The Steelers defense almost had a goal line stand, but gave the Titans extra plays after a defensive holding call on 4th & goal.

The Steelers were now up just 3 points after seemingly having this game under control. Big Ben & the offense responded well, taking up a lot of game clock and getting in field goal range. With a chance to go up at least another 3 points, Roethlisbeger turned the ball over again, throwing an interception in the end zone. 

Titans’ QB Ryan Tannehill had 2:34 left in the game to move his team down the field to tie or even take the lead. The offense did their job, and were looking at a 45-yard field goal to send the game to overtime. Kicker Stephen Gostkowski missed, pushing the kick to the right, and sealing the victory for Pittsburgh. 

This was one of the best games I’ve seen all year. Both defenses had dominant stretches throughout the game, putting a lot of pressure on either quarterback. The Steelers remain undefeated and take on their longtime rivals, the Baltimore Ravens, in week 8. The Titans turn their attention to the Cincinnati Bengals.

(AP Photo/Rick Scuteri)

Seattle Seahawks @ Arizona Cardinals (37-34 Cardinals)
DK @ayeyoo_biggs

This week’s marquee Sunday night football matchup was of up and coming Kyler Murray, and MVP candidate Russell Wilson. This game produced over 1,000 yards in total offense. Murray came out victorious with some amazing throws down the stretch of regulation and in overtime, while Wilson held the team back with untimely turnovers. 

Russell Wilson had a good game stat wise going 33/50 for 388 passing yards and 84 rushing yards with 3 Touchdowns but also 3 costly interceptions. The first interception was in the red zone on the Arizona 2 yard line.  Safety Budda Baker made the play, and if it wasn’t for the heroics of DK Metcalf hawking him down and tackling him on the Seattle 9-yard line, it would have been a pick 6. 

The second interception was on a deep pass to Metcalf that sailed on him, and cornerback Patrick Peterson intercepted it in the end zone for a touchback. The last interception was in overtime, with a pass intended for receiver Tyler Lockett. There was some sort of miscommunication and he did not turn around, and the pass went right to Cardinals rookie Isaiah Simmons. Wilson was still able to make plays and keep the Seahawks in the game. Tyler Lockett went insane with 15 catches, 200 yards and 3 touchdowns, but the turnovers eventually became their downfall. 

Kyler Murray had another impressive game, going 34/48 with 360 passing yards with 3 TDs and an interception. He also added 67 rushing yards and a rushing touchdown. Kyler did have an interception right after Russell Wilson’s second pick, but he still made the plays at the end to seal the victory. I also liked the play of running back Chase Edmonds, with Kenyan Drake going down with an ankle sprain. Edmonds had 145 total yards, and I’m excited to see what RPOs will look like in the future with him and Murray in the back field.

Like I said last week, the Cardinals still need to get the offense 100% clicking. I think slowly but surely they are coming into their own. They had four receivers going over 50 yards passing. Reciever Christian Kirk had 37 receiving yards, but 2 TDs as a red zone threat. I really like them going forward as they look to take control of the NFC West. These two teams play again on November 19th. We will see if the Cardinals are the real deal, or did Wilson’s uncharacteristic turnovers (3 ints through the first 4 games), give the Cardinals the game. 

Week 1 Recap

The 2020-2021 NFL Season finally kicked off after an offseason filled with uncertainty due to the current worldwide pandemic. While having football return brought back a sense of normality, things weren’t exactly back to normal as many teams played without fans in the stadium. The noise was authentic, but it was not live as it was prerecorded fans from previous games. Nonetheless, the NFL is back and the TFINS team is here to bring you a quick recap of a couple games in Week 1 of the 2020-2021 NFL Season.

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Philadelphia Eagles @ Washington Football Team (17-27)

Mike the Ace @TheAceWriter

I know you all want to get my take on this game, so here you go. The Eagles played a good offensive game for almost two full quarters. One good half of football usually won’t cut it in the NFL, and it didn’t on Sunday against Washington.

Carson Wentz got off to an incredible start, completing 14 of 17 passes, for 182 yards, and 2 touchdowns. Right before halftime, Wentz and the Eagles’ offense completely unraveled. The Eagles QB would finish the rest of the game going 10 of 25, for 88 yards, with 2 interceptions.

Wentz and Pederson had one of their worst halves together on Sunday. With a series of injuries along the offensive line, Pederson continued to call deep shot plays, looking for big yardage down the field. These types of plays genuinely take a long time to develop, and that worked perfectly for Washington’s defense.

Washington’s defense dominated the Eagles beat up offense, sacking Wentz 8 times on Sunday. Chase Young and Washington’s defensive line will be one of the league’s best units, if they can stay healthy. The secondary was also a pleasant surprise for DC, as both interceptions were great plays by their defensive backs.

Pederson will have to slow down with the deep shots until the Eagles get better play out of their offensive line. It was surprising to see him so hell-bent on launching it deep, especially when the Eagles rarely took deep shots last year. This offense will welcome the return of runningback Miles Sanders and offensive tackle Lane Johnson, if they are able to play next week.

AP Photo/Justin Edmonds

Tennessee Titans @ Denver Broncos (16-14)
DK @Ayeyoo_biggs

The score is not indicative of what happened on Monday night. The Tennessee Titans played like the superior team but special teams and new Kicker Stephon Gostkowski left 10 points on the field by going 1 for 4 in field goals and missing an extra point. This was an issue for Tennessee last year, who had the worst kicking core in the league going 44% as a team using four kickers. This needs to be addressed in the next few weeks, or we can’t take the Titans seriously as a contender. 

Drew Lock went 22/33 with 216 yards and a touchdown. I really like how they used play action and rollouts to get him moving. It seems like it allowed him to get into a better flow in this game. The two headed monster of Phillip Lindsey and Melvin Gordon got off to a good start until Lindsey sustained an injury in the first half. This led to Gordon taking over in the second half and having a decent showing having 78 yards but also had a costly fumble early in the game (which led to a Derrick Henry touchdown). 

Ryan Tannehill also has a good game going 29/43 for 249 yards and two touchdowns. He made plays when they needed to happen at the end of the game to seal the victory. Derrick Henry added 131 all purpose yards and assisted with clock management in the game winning drive. He and Tannehill have and will continue to use the play action/ running game to file the Titans offense this season. 

Another interesting storyline in the game was Denver head coach Vic Fangio not using any of the team’s timesouts as the Titans ran the ball, and ran the clock on the final drive. The Titans, down two, had 3:05 left on the clock. The Titans proceeded to go on a 12 play 83 yard drive and Fangio did nothing to stop the clock, so just in case the opposing offense scored (which they did), you’d give your team a chance to move the ball down the field. After the made field goal by Gostkowski, Drew Lock and the offense only had 00:17 left on the clock to move the ball into field goal range. 

Denver young core looks like a very fun team to watch going forward. Drew lock will have to continue learning and developing his game and reading coverages, he left a few plays on the field that could have helped them increase the lead at the end of the game and halt the comeback. The Titans look like they are building on what they did last year: run Derrick Henry and allow Tannehill to work off of the play action. With these two, along with a stout looking defense with Jadeveon Clowney being added into the mix, they are looking to make another deep run this year.