I did not see that coming but I should have.
It’s now been 49 weeks since the Bears won a game; their last victory was against the Patriots on October 24th, 2022.
Meanwhile, my EAGLES are the worst 4-0 team. 
Last year, it was “EAGLES ARE 4-0!”
This year, “Well, see, we’re 4-0…”
Washington put up a good fight, they did enough to win they just couldn’t score in OT. Eagles picked on a rookie CB, as they should, and AJ Brown is just a good player anyways, he has good games against everybody.
It doesn’t really matter, all most Washington fans want is for Howell to show progress and he did, bouncing back from last week’s ugly loss to have a decent game with no major mistakes.
Howell really impressed me! He used the pocket, last second throws… He’s gonna be around for a while.
I’m liking what I’ve been seeing from him. Doesn’t look like the second coming of Elway or anything but I think he could be a guy you can win with. And the way the Bills crushed the Dolphins today I have no problem giving him a mulligan on last week, Buffalo is going to be playing in the Super Bowl.
Another totally normal Chargers game.
And Miami returns to earth.
Not too unexpected. They just don’t have the championship caliber defense to be in the top class of the AFC.
Hopefully it’s the kick in the nuts they need to refocus and retool. They’re clearly a work in progress.
The young quarterback for the Colts, Anthony Richardson, showed today that he may have a future in the league.
I can’t find the tweet now, but I laughed when I read someone say, “The San Francisco Christian McCaffreys are pretty good.”
Somebody explain Mahomes sliding two yards short of the goal line after picking up the first down at the end of the game. I get that it allowed them to run the clock out since the Jets were out of timeouts. But if KC scores they’re up by nine (10 with the PAT) and even if the Jets somehow score a TD on their possession, KC has still got the game won. Why not just run it all the way into the end zone?
You just answered your own question. Mahomes going down assured the Chiefs of a victory (assuming they don’t fumble a snap on a kneel down play, of course.)
But if Mahomes scores with 1:50 left, NY has enough time to score a TD (or a FG), and then attempt an onside kick. If they recover that, they can score to tie, or even win, the game.
You are familiar with an onside kick, yes?
Ok, good point. I didn’t consider an onside kick. Still, there was only what, a minute and some change left on the clock? Probably not enough time for the Jets to score twice. But yeah running out the clock seems the safest option I guess, especially considering how this game was going.
Probably not enough time for the Jets to score twice, but the Chiefs could probably do it. Never underestimate your opponent.
On the Mahomes run where he went down at the 2 yard line, the clock was at the two minute warning. So if he scores with, say, 1:50 left, and the Jets then get the ball at the 25 following a touchback, that is enough time for an NFL team to move the ball into field-goal range, kick the FG, recover an onside kick, and throw a couple of deep completions for a TD.
Unlikely? Certainly. Possible? Absolutely.
Not only the safest, but the smartest.
Didn’t someone on the Chiefs (not Mahomes) do something similar in last year’s Super Bowl? Deliberately down the ball close to the goal line so they could run some more time down before going for the game-winning field goal?
Plus, why put your defense out on the field working hard/risking injury when you can just run out the clock?
Yes. Jerick McKinnon did the exact same thing at about the same time in the SB last year. He slid down at the one-yard line and KC later kicked a FG with just a few seconds left to win the game. The Eagles were allowing him to score so they could get the ball back down 7.
Things I did yesterday instead of watching the Bears play the Broncos:
- Mowed the lawn
- Got in the pool and had a beer
- Cleaned the lizard’s vivarium
- Trimmed the rose bush
- Got back in the pool and vacuumed it
The Eagles could have done something similar against the Commanders but chose not to. Tied at 24 with a little less than 2:00 remaining, they could have run out the clock and attempted a field goal (that would have very likely succeeded). Instead Hurts threw a TD, giving Washington the ball back. Washington scored a TD forcing overtime.
The Eagles prevailed in OT, but it really seems like running out the clock in regulation and kicking the field goal would have been the better strategy.
ETA; although I would have preferred a different outcome, it was a great game.