# NFL 2022: Divisional Round **URL:** \ **Category:** The Game Room\ **Tags:** football-nfl\ **Created:** [January 19, 2023, 4:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nfl-2022-divisional-round/978463 "2023-01-19T16:22:14Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 5
**Author:** ![Railer13](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/railer13/32/9742_2.png) [@Railer13](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Railer13)\ **Post date:** [January 23, 2023, 4:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nfl-2022-divisional-round/978463/81 "2023-01-23T16:24:09Z")
> [@Folacin](#): > > Twitter speculation is that it was supposed to be lateraled back to Elliot (who was the center?) That’s what I expected as well. Then, I assume, Elliot would head to one sideline or the other, because the blockers were spread wide to both sides of the field. I would further assume that another receiver would be on the other side of the field to receive a possible cross-field lateral. I was kinda looking forward to the play to see what was going to develop from such a strange formation. ---
**Author:** ![Hamlet](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hamlet/32/2818_2.png) [@Hamlet](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hamlet)\ **Post date:** [January 23, 2023, 4:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nfl-2022-divisional-round/978463/82 "2023-01-23T16:43:13Z")
> [@garygnu](#): > > Why have people not realized that Brock Purdy is not the typical rookie? He doesn’t get intimidated, ever. I love me some Brock Purdy, but I don’t think the concern about rookie QBs is that they get intimidated, it’s that they don’t have the experience to read NFL defenses, adjust protections, and adapt on the fly. Purdy does those pretty well. But he’s not asked to do alot, either. He’s almost the prototype game manager. Make the quick, easy throws to your playmakers and don’t make mistakes. That’s Purdy’s superpower: not fucking up. With that defense and those offensive playmakers, that is all it takes to get the Niners to the Super Bowl. ---
**Author:** ![Railer13](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/railer13/32/9742_2.png) [@Railer13](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Railer13)\ **Post date:** [January 23, 2023, 4:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nfl-2022-divisional-round/978463/83 "2023-01-23T16:48:48Z")
Lost among everything else in the weekend was this possible TD-saving tackle by Chiefs kicker Harrison Butker. KC had just scored to take a 10 point lead with 8 minutes to play, but if this is returned for 6, it’s obviously a different game. Instead, Jacksonville drove the field but fumbled inside the 5. > ---
**Author:** ![kenobi\_65](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kenobi_65/32/13178_2.png) [@kenobi\_65](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kenobi_65)\ **Post date:** [January 23, 2023, 6:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nfl-2022-divisional-round/978463/84 "2023-01-23T18:27:33Z")
The leg injury which knocked Cowboys RB Tony Pollard out of yesterday’s game turned out to be a fractured left fibula, which will require surgery. > **[Dallas RB Pollard broke leg in loss, sources say](https://www.espn.com/nfl/story/_/id/35506574/sources-cowboys-rb-tony-pollard-broke-leg-needs-surgery)** > > Cowboys Pro Bowl running back Tony Pollard will need surgery after fracturing his left fibula Sunday against the 49ers, sources said. ---
**Author:** ![Cwturner](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/f0a364/32.png) [@Cwturner](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cwturner)\ **Post date:** [January 23, 2023, 7:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nfl-2022-divisional-round/978463/85 "2023-01-23T19:13:40Z")
Speaking of the Pollard injury, this isnt the first time a player has been injured by that “grab him, then throw your legs and all your body weight behind him” type tackle ( not even a first this weekend as I believe that is how Maholmes was injured). To me, it is very close to the horse collar tackle thats been outlawed by the NFL. Maybe they need to look at outlawing this technique as well. ---
**Author:** ![Great\_Antibob](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/e47c2d/32.png) [@Great\_Antibob](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Great_Antibob)\ **Post date:** [January 23, 2023, 7:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nfl-2022-divisional-round/978463/86 "2023-01-23T19:18:24Z")
> [@Railer13](#): > > That’s what I expected as well. Then, I assume, Elliot would head to one sideline or the other, because the blockers were spread wide to both sides of the field. It is, apparently, also exactly what SF expected, right before they blew him up at the line of scrimmage like he was a tackling dummy. Who (besides everybody else) knew it was actually really difficult to block a pass rusher for even a single second and then attempt to do literally anything else on the play? > [@Hamlet](#): > > That’s Purdy’s superpower: not fucking up. With that defense and those offensive playmakers, that is all it takes to get the Niners to the Super Bowl. You mean we get to see if defense really does win championships? ---
**Author:** ![garygnu](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/garygnu/32/2924_2.png) [@garygnu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/garygnu)\ **Post date:** [January 23, 2023, 7:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nfl-2022-divisional-round/978463/87 "2023-01-23T19:46:12Z")
It was an ordinary tackle. The defender grabbed the runner and a foot got caught underneath. Shall we just outlaw tackling? It seems to be where the league is going. 49ers DT Arik Armstead could have easily gotten a safety on Prescott late, but pulled up to avoid a possible roughing penalty. ---
**Author:** ![TroutMan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/troutman/32/6721_2.png) [@TroutMan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TroutMan)\ **Post date:** [January 23, 2023, 7:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nfl-2022-divisional-round/978463/88 "2023-01-23T19:48:51Z")
> [@Great\_Antibob](#): > > It is, apparently, also exactly what SF expected, right before they blew him up at the line of scrimmage like he was a tackling dummy. It looks like Prescott was following the receiver after the pass and had his hands out like he was expecting the lateral. Maybe that was the actual plan, or maybe it was an ad lib when Elliott got laid out. ---
**Author:** ![TroutMan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/troutman/32/6721_2.png) [@TroutMan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TroutMan)\ **Post date:** [January 23, 2023, 7:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nfl-2022-divisional-round/978463/89 "2023-01-23T19:58:10Z")
I had a question about another play at the end of the Cowboys/49ers game. With 33 seconds left in the game, the receiver caught the ball near the sidelines and was knocked out of bounds, but the ref kept running the clock. I assume this is because the receiver’s forward progress was stopped before he got out of bounds, but I haven’t seen that call before (or maybe I just never paid attention). Is that common? Was it controversial? I was watching in a bar and couldn’t hear what the announcers were saying about it. [Here’s the play, at 14:05.](https://youtu.be/CwaKooHmJOM?t=845) ---
**Author:** ![garygnu](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/garygnu/32/2924_2.png) [@garygnu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/garygnu)\ **Post date:** [January 23, 2023, 8:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nfl-2022-divisional-round/978463/90 "2023-01-23T20:03:34Z")
I think the plan was indeed a hook-and-ladder in the middle to Elliott, with the wide set O-linemen planning to block downfield on the edges for a second lateral to a receiver on the outside (after the defense presumably gets drawn inside). The initial receiver got nailed right away but yeah, Elliott got “plowed like a wheat field” as a reddit comment put it. It must have worked on paper in the same way some of my multiple-steps-ahead chess moves work until I see that bishop I neglected to account for. ---
**Author:** ![Great\_Antibob](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/e47c2d/32.png) [@Great\_Antibob](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Great_Antibob)\ **Post date:** [January 23, 2023, 8:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nfl-2022-divisional-round/978463/91 "2023-01-23T20:09:10Z")
> [@TroutMan](#): > > I assume this is because the receiver’s forward progress was stopped before he got out of bounds, but I haven’t seen that call before (or maybe I just never paid attention). > > Is that common? Was it controversial? The official got it right. You need to be moving forward as you get knocked out of bounds to stop the clock. If you are moving backwards as you get pushed out of bounds, you get credit for forward progress to the point you start moving backwards but the clock keeps moving. In this case, the receiver was stepping backwards as he went out of bounds. The mistake was not fighting forward as he got hit and/or going directly out of bounds. Greg Olsen laid it out very well during the broadcast. No real controversy, except perhaps for extreme homers. ETA: that last drive should be included on teaching film for rookies. The 49ers looked ready and knew the rules and the Cowboys (players and coaches) made lots of mental errors that cost them (not getting both feet in bounds on a would-be catch, going backwards out of bounds after a catch to keep the clock going, the very concept behind that bizarre final play). It was going to be an uphill struggle just to get to a tie but they did themselves absolutely no favors by shooting themselves repeatedly in the foot. ---
**Author:** ![garygnu](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/garygnu/32/2924_2.png) [@garygnu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/garygnu)\ **Post date:** [January 23, 2023, 8:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nfl-2022-divisional-round/978463/92 "2023-01-23T20:22:46Z")
I’m surprised people don’t know more about the clock running when a runner is driven backward or if bounds. I saw that immediately and started twirling my arm in a big circle (the officials’ signal to keep the clock running\*). My son, playing with Legos and not watching, asked what I was doing. LoL \*: I reffed for a while. They get you doing that and the overhead double-arm wave early in training because it’s kinda weird and awkward. It was normal for me because my dad was a ref for decades. ---
**Author:** ![Railer13](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/railer13/32/9742_2.png) [@Railer13](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Railer13)\ **Post date:** [January 23, 2023, 8:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nfl-2022-divisional-round/978463/93 "2023-01-23T20:53:42Z")
> [@garygnu](#): > > I’m surprised people don’t know more about the clock running when a runner is driven backward or if bounds. Totally agree with this statement. The NFL officials are really pretty good about determining if a runner was still going forward when stepping out of bounds. The Dallas receiver was quite lackadaisical about absorbing the contact and then not attempting to fight for additional yardage before hitting the sideline. Then the same receiver didn’t make sure to get both feet down after catching the ball and going out of bounds, as @Great_Antibob mentioned. > [@garygnu](#): > > The initial receiver got nailed right away but yeah, Elliott got “plowed like a wheat field” as a reddit comment put it. I hadn’t paid any attention to Elliott, but I’m glad you brought it up. What an inglorious way to end your season. > **[FOX Sports Live - Watch Live Sports, Shows, and Events Online](https://www.foxsports.com/live)** > > Stream live sporting events, news, & highlights, and all your favorite sports shows featuring former athletes and experts, on FOXsports.com. ---
**Author:** ![Omniscient](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/omniscient/32/3290_2.png) [@Omniscient](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Omniscient)\ **Post date:** [January 23, 2023, 10:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nfl-2022-divisional-round/978463/94 "2023-01-23T22:34:54Z")
> [@Folacin](#): > > Twitter speculation is that it was supposed to be lateraled back to Elliot (who was the center?) but he got pancaked right at the start of the play. I’m sure that’s right, but it was further compounded by the fact that Elliot got wrecked so quickly. I’m sure they wanted to throw the ball further down the field before starting the laterals. Smart play by SF, I wager Dallas expected SF to play conservative and keep everyone back in coverage and to not rush Dak so they could maintain numbers on the edges. But SF went all Mike Tyson and punched that plan right in the mouth. > [@Cwturner](#): > > Speaking of the Pollard injury, this isnt the first time a player has been injured by that “grab him, then throw your legs and all your body weight behind him” type tackle ( not even a first this weekend as I believe that is how Maholmes was injured). > > To me, it is very close to the horse collar tackle thats been outlawed by the NFL. Maybe they need to look at outlawing this technique as well. I thought the Mahomes injury actually looked somewhat intentional. The tackler seemed to intentionally and unnaturally drop his legs onto Mahomes’. Who knows if the goal was injury or just to ensure he got tripped up, but the second tackler could see he was wrapped up and took the opportunity to put some extra sauce on the takedown. It was discrete enough that you’d never be able to prove anything but definitely felt fishy. I agree with you on the Pollard tackle. This was an obvious tackling technique to get him around the waist and then use your body weight to finish the job. There was no other reason for him to leave his feet the way he did, it was a controlled flop onto his legs. I don’t think there was any intention to cause an injury with this one but it’s definitely in the same family of techniques as a horse collar. That said, it’d be impossible to enforce any restrictions on it and there are plenty of occasions where a falling defender would create the same action uncontrollably. ---
**Author:** ![TroutMan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/troutman/32/6721_2.png) [@TroutMan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TroutMan)\ **Post date:** [January 23, 2023, 11:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nfl-2022-divisional-round/978463/95 "2023-01-23T23:12:52Z")
> [@Omniscient](#): > > I’m sure that’s right, but it was further compounded by the fact that Elliot got wrecked so quickly. I’m sure they wanted to throw the ball further down the field before starting the laterals. Watching it again (it’s so fun to watch!), I don’t think they wanted to go any deeper. They had to expect at least a couple rushers. I bet Dallas was expecting any pass rushers to just go around Elliott. He bluffs a block and runs downfield immediately for the lateral. That plan got blown up when the rusher simply went through Elliott instead of around. The second problem was that Prescott put the ball too high, forcing the receiver to jump. He wasn’t going to have much time anyway, but the extra time to come down with the ball ruined whatever chance the play had, even if Elliott had been there for the lateral. ---
**Author:** ![Great\_Antibob](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/e47c2d/32.png) [@Great\_Antibob](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Great_Antibob)\ **Post date:** [January 23, 2023, 11:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nfl-2022-divisional-round/978463/96 "2023-01-23T23:20:23Z")
> [@Omniscient](#): > > Smart play by SF, I wager Dallas expected SF to play conservative and keep everyone back in coverage and to not rush Dak so they could maintain numbers on the edges. The 49ers only rushed 2 players and they still had 3 others sitting there containing the edges and covering potential checkdowns. And still somehow managed a QB hurry. It’s hardly their fault a stiff breeze (_slight_ exaggeration) could so quickly knock over an RB playing Center. ---
**Author:** ![garygnu](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/garygnu/32/2924_2.png) [@garygnu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/garygnu)\ **Post date:** [January 23, 2023, 11:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nfl-2022-divisional-round/978463/97 "2023-01-23T23:58:54Z")
> [@Omniscient](#): > > I thought the Mahomes injury actually looked somewhat intentional. The tackler seemed to intentionally and unnaturally drop his legs onto Mahomes’. If anything, the tackler was trying to avoid the stupid “body weight” bullshit where you’re not allowed to tackle a QB. Careful what you wish for (“you” meaning the league). ---
**Author:** ![Railer13](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/railer13/32/9742_2.png) [@Railer13](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Railer13)\ **Post date:** [January 24, 2023, 12:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nfl-2022-divisional-round/978463/98 "2023-01-24T00:06:27Z")
> [@garygnu](#): > > If anything, the tackler was trying to avoid the stupid “body weight” bullshit I’m gonna disagree with this. I don’t think the tackler was trying to hurt him, but he does launch himself at Mahomes trying to hit the ball. And there is helmet-to-helmet contact, albeit not egregious. But the tackler keeps his hand on Mahomes’ shoulder and drags him down. [![](https://i.ytimg.com/vi/x9E2sdBWCXs/hqdefault.jpg?sqp=-oaymwEmCOADEOgC8quKqQMa8AEB-AH-CYAC0AWKAgwIABABGEkgZSglMA8=&rs=AOn4CLAaMIIZdzfzcXvG7gJrcN2up9JcIQ "Patrick Mahomes Suffers Leg Injury vs Jaguars") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x9E2sdBWCXs) ---
**Author:** ![Atamasama](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/atamasama/32/12961_2.png) [@Atamasama](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Atamasama)\ **Post date:** [January 24, 2023, 1:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nfl-2022-divisional-round/978463/99 "2023-01-24T01:28:45Z")
> [@Great\_Antibob](#): > > It’s hardly their fault a stiff breeze (_slight_ exaggeration) could so quickly knock over an RB playing Center. I was going to say, there’s a reason that a good center is a valuable part of a team, and you can’t just put anyone in that role and expect success. Dallas saw firsthand what happens. ---
**Author:** ![Omniscient](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/omniscient/32/3290_2.png) [@Omniscient](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Omniscient)\ **Post date:** [January 24, 2023, 2:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nfl-2022-divisional-round/978463/100 "2023-01-24T02:55:40Z")
> [@garygnu](#): > > If anything, the tackler was trying to avoid the stupid “body weight” bullshit where you’re not allowed to tackle a QB. @Railer13 fortunately saved me the trouble of linking the video. I don’t see how anyone who actually watched the play could advocate this position. Honestly it feels like your agenda is driving this statement. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nfl-2022-divisional-round/978463.md?page=4) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nfl-2022-divisional-round/978463.md?page=6)