The Sunday Recap: Unbelievable! Patriots Hang On to Shock Pittsburgh

Welcome to the latest edition of The Sunday Recap, a weekly column dedicated to thoughts on the previous day’s NFL action!

Sorry Steelers fans, there’s no other way to put it…

The ending to one of the greatest regular season games in recent NFL history will haunt Pittsburgh for the remainder of the 2017 campaign, as the Patriots now have the inside track to home-field advantage and a spot in Super Bowl LII. And on top of that, the Steelers will also have to contend with the loss of Antonio Brown, who’s partially torn calf muscle will keep him out “at least until the playoffs,” though whether he can possibly return to full strength this season remains in doubt.

Of course, it isn’t simply the fact that the Steelers lost both the game and Brown that makes this defeat so devastating. It’s how they lost. For starters, many people are in uproar over the fact that New England escaped thanks to the overturned Jesse James touchdown reception. But fortunately many other pundits have come to the proper conclusion: for the same reason the Dez Bryant play was overturned a few years ago in Green Bay, Ben Roethlisberger’s potential go-ahead touchdown pass to James was not a completed catch.

And for that reason, the final play of yesterday’s game will haunt Pittsburgh far more than the overturned touchdown. The entire sequence was eerily similar to the suspenseful ending of Super Bowl XLIX, which also included a running clock that was ticking down to zero and, of course, a rushed, ill-advised throw to the middle of the end zone that was miraculously intercepted by a Patriots defender.

What was Roethlisberger thinking? Or, perhaps I should ask, what were Mike Tomlin and offensive coordinator Todd Haley thinking, because according to Roethlisberger in his post game press conference, the “sideline” told him not to clock the ball. Even so, didn’t they see what happened at the end of Super Bowl XLIX? It’s a matter of space: why throw the ball to the middle of a condensed end zone when you can throw a fade to the corner that is far less likely to be intercepted?

Regardless, as a Pats fan, the Steelers’ stupidity sure made me happy! Now New England is set up to have the road to the Super Bowl run through Foxboro once again. So let’s analyze the state of the AFC for a moment. Pittsburgh remains the greatest threat to the Patriots, but the Steelers haven’t beaten Bill Belichick and company since 2011. Clearly the Pats have their number. Then there is Jacksonville, and no matter how well Blake Bortles has played lately…the Jaguars are still quarterbacked by Blake Bortles. Think they’re going to come into Gillette and beat the Patriots in potentially sub-freezing temperatures? I doubt it.

After that, there are three dark horses in the AFC who could potentially  give the Patriots some trouble. However, two of these teams — the Ravens and Chargers — are currently on the outside looking-in, so how big of a threat can they be? With that said, I wouldn’t want to play Baltimore because John Harbaugh’s squad is battle-tested and has a very good defense. Plus, we all know what Joe Flacco can do in the postseason. As for the Chargers, they played us pretty competitively early in the season, and I suppose Phillip Rivers strikes more fear in an opponent then, say, Marcus Mariota or Tyrod Taylor.

The other potential challenger to the Patriots is Kansas City. Having won two games in a row, the Chiefs appear to have righted the ship after a horrible mid-season stretch. But the main reason I wouldn’t want to play them, of course, is because their offense eviscerated us back in the season opener. And with the likes of Tyreek Hill, Travis Kelce, and Kareem Hunt all healthy at the moment, I’m skeptical that our defense would be able to shut them all down. In short, it would be nice to avoid Kansas City in the divisional round.

Nonetheless, all Patriots fans should savor yesterday’s important victory. After all, it was the kind of win that left Jets fans and all others who live for nothing but to see the Pats lose incredulous once again!

The other big losers from Sunday: the suddenly hopeless Seattle Seahawks 

I’ll happily take credit for predicting that the LA Rams would go into Seattle and win yesterday. But if there is anyone out there that thought the Rams would be up 40-0 midway through the third quarter in the toughest home environment in football, I’ll give them one million dollars (as soon as I get that much money, of course).

This shocking result obviously says a lot about the Rams. Looking at things from the perspective of a Pats fan, LA has officially become the team that I would least like to see in the Super Bowl. Two reasons why. First, the Rams have the best front-four in football. It’s not even a debate. Aaron Donald, who had three sacks against Seattle yesterday, is the NFC’s version of J.J. Watt, and coupled with other terrific interior rushers like Robert Quinn and Michael Brockers, LA has a pass rush reminiscent of the Giants’ ferocious front from their Super Bowl teams. Moreover, as we saw on Sunday, the Patriots struggle to stop top running backs. So I doubt the Patriots would fare well against Todd Gurley, who totaled close to 200 yards from scrimmage and four touchdowns against the Seahawks.

But what are the implications of this loss for Seattle? First things first, Pete Caroll’s squad is in danger of missing the playoffs for the first time since 2011. They’ll likely need at least one loss from both Atlanta and Detroit in order to grab the sixth seed, which is unlikely. The bigger concern, though, is whether the Seahawks can ever restore their vaunted Legion of Boom. Richard Sherman will be 30 years-old by the time he heals from his achilles injury in 2018. Meanwhile, there have been whispers that Kam Chancellor, who was recently placed on IR with a neck injury, might never return to his top form. And on top of these major injury concerns, the Seattle locker room continues to be plagued by internal strife, as Pro Bowlers Earl Thomas and Bobby Wagner got into a heated Twitter feud after yesterday’s game (in short, Thomas said Wagner played so poorly that he should’ve sat out with an injured hamstring that reportedly was not fully healed).

Moreover, the Seahawks have major holes on offense as well. Their offensive line remains a mess, as evidenced by how the Rams’ superb front dominated on Sunday. They also have yet to find an adequate replacement for Marshawn Lynch at running back. Simply put, the Seahawks can’t expect Russell Wilson to always mask their weaknesses. Their front office needs to make some serious personnel changes.

In summary, Seattle is currently at a crossroads. Pete Carroll’s squad is known for being a passionate, and sometimes overly emotional, team. A 42-7 loss to an up-and-coming division rival, coupled with the aforementioned issues, might be the kind of defeat that truly marks the descent for one of the most successful franchises of the last decade.

Additional Thoughts on Aaron Rodgers, Doug Pederson, and San Francisco’s New Franchise Quarterback

Yes, it was still worth it for Green Bay to “rush” Aaron Rodgers back

Sure, Rodgers wasn’t his usual self against Carolina. I truly can’t remember the last time he threw three interceptions in a game (apparently he had not done so in eight years). But Green Bay still made the right move bringing him back, even if it put him at minor risk of re-injury. After all, who gave them a better chance to remain in the playoff hunt against the Panthers: A rusty Aaron Rodgers or Brett Hundley? Obviously the former. Plus, it wasn’t like Rodgers was the problem for the Packers in their 31-24 loss. Their defense, which entered the game ranked in the bottom half in many key categories, was torn apart by Cam Newton and Christian McCaffrey. It also wasn’t Rodgers who was responsible for the crucial turnover on the last drive that ultimately ended the Packers’ hopes of a comeback.

Nonetheless, Green Bay should be smart, assuming Atlanta takes care of business tonight against Tampa Bay. Once eliminated from postseason contention, Aaron Rodgers should return to the sideline and begin preparing for next season.

Here’s my main takeaway from Nick Foles’ four touchdown performance…

…Doug Pederson is a terrific coach. Clearly the loss of Carson Wentz hurt the Eagles’ Super Bowl chances. But if you think about it, Wentz really couldn’t have played much better than Nick Foles did on Sunday, albeit against a weak Giants defense. I know that Foles has had success as a starter before (remember that incredible 27 TD/2 INT half-season he had under Chip Kelly?), but for a backup quarterback to transition so seamlessly into the starting role looks very favorably on a head coach. Though he’ll face stiff competition from Los Angeles’ Sean McVay and Minnesota’s Mike Zimmer, Pederson might be the favorite for Coach of the Year considering that the Eagles have not only had one of the NFL’s biggest increases in their win total compared to a season ago, but with a win next Sunday they can clinch the NFC’s top seed despite losing their MVP-caliber quarterback. Impressive, indeed.

All aboard the Jimmy Garoppolo bandwagon! 

Good news for Kyle Shanahan and John Lynch: they have found their franchise quarterback. Garoppolo turned in another outstanding performance in a come-from-behind win over a Titans team that is likely playoff-bound. And it’s not just his overall numbers as a pro that lead me to believe that Garoppolo will be a future Pro Bowler (in five career starts, for the record, Garoppolo has thrown 6 touchdowns, completed 69% of his passes, and posted a sensational Total QBR of 77.6). How about his ability to make plays in the clutch! Since joining the 49ers, here are Jimmy G’s numbers in the 4th quarter: 23-29, 305 yards, 1 touchdown, 0 interceptions, and a quarterback rating of 122. Oh yeah, San Francisco is also 3-0 with him as the starter.

The only downside, though, is that I’m starting to wonder if the Patriots made a mistake by trading the 26-year-old…

Monday Night Prediction

Atlanta Falcons (8-5) vs Tampa Bay Buccaneers (4-9)

Spread: ATL -6.5               Over/Under: 48.5

DVOA: ATL (14) > TB (26)

This could be a trap game for Atlanta against a Tampa team that is talented enough to play spoiler. Nonetheless, the Falcons’ passing offense should feast on a Buccaneers secondary that ranks as the second worst in football. Matt Ryan and company will take another step toward the postseason.

ATLANTA 31, Tampa Bay 24

Posted by Mando

Co-Founder of Check Down Sports. Die-hard Boston sports fan (Patriots, Celtics, Bruins, Red Sox -- in that order). Expert on all things related to the Super Bowl. Proudest life achievement: four-time fantasy baseball champion.