NFL Week 13- The Crossed Giblets Of Death Edition

I actually feel bad for Anthony Lynn.
All 8 losses by 7 points or less.
Bizarre.

 

Fascinating how everybody continues to doubt Lamar Jackson. A few weeks ago, SEC Superfan and general instigator Clay Trumpist decreed giddily that Jackson wasn't a top 20 NFL QB.
At halftime today, K. Shanahan said, "If that's all they've got, I'm OK with that," or some such thing.
With the game tied and 6:30 left, Jackson took over and ran a drive that ended with a game-winning field goal at the gun. Only points of the second half, but enough to deliver the Ravens' eighth straight win.
All in all, a tough weekend for Trumpist Football. Alabama goes down on Saturday and Lamar Jackson wins again on Sunday.

 

Hope Jackson plays long enough to get to his next contract.

 

There are way too many personal foul calls. Guys are getting flagged for shit that wasn’t a foul last year, or, hell, last week (at least, that’s the way it seems). I get the need to protect players, but the pendulum has swung much to far away from common sense that it hurts the product I’m watching.

Next, I’ll fix the catch/no catch problem ...

 

I realize one of the things that makes the Pats great is their discipline and lack of stupid penalties, but dang it makes it frustrating to watch teams commit dumb penalites when they're playing them.

Fun website. Tells you a lot about what areas the team most struggles with in terms of penalties.

2019 NFL Team Penalty Statistics | The Football Database

 

That was a horrible call. Receiver cuts inside, pass goes outside toward the sideline. DB turns and is in a better position to catch it, receiver turns and tries to run through him. Defensive pass interference.
WTF!?
That is either offensive interference or a no call. The announcer's explanation that the DB cut off the route to the ball was ridiculous, too. He cut off the route because the pass was thrown in the opposite direction the receiver was running and he had a better chance to catch it than the receiver did.
Awful, awful call.

 

What a great resource. And it appears to be updated in real time.
With the caveat that penalties tend to go down in the final weeks of the season:
* We're on pace to see a 5.7% increase in all penalties enforced.
* Defensive Pass Interference is up 17.7%.
* Roughing the Passer is up a whopping 25.4%.
* Unnecessary Roughness is down 26.3%.

 

It's come to the point where, after pretty much every play - and especially any big defensive play or 20-yard-plus offensive play, my eye goes directly to the bottom right of the TV screen to wait for the "Flag" graphic.

And it happens almost every damn time, it feels. These games keep getting harder to watch with each passing season.

(And yet I watch. Sigh.)

 

td against the patriots is illegal

 

Not sure who the rules guy is for NBC, but he just pondered whether the receiver got "his third step down" in questioning whether the Houston receiver scored a touchdown. I've heard this same question asked by announcers multiple times this season. Since when did receivers need to get three steps down for a completed catch?

The catch rules these days are awful. Two feet down and possession. That's a fucking catch. Stop with all this other crap. If a guy gets two feet down with possession and the defensive back knocks it loose, it's a goddamn fumble. If a receiver gets both feet down with possession in the end zone, nothing else matters after that because it's a goddamn touchdown. Why are they making this shit so complicated?

 

The Patriots look really really old tonight.
They are a step or two late on every snap.