# NFL Week 10 - Thursday Night Games Are Upon Us
**URL:** https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nfl-week-10-thursday-night-games-are-upon-us/517374
**Category:** The Game Room
**Created:** [November 12, 2009, 10:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nfl-week-10-thursday-night-games-are-upon-us/517374 "2009-11-12T22:33:16Z")
**Posts on this page:** 20
**Page:** 2
### Author:  [@Hamlet](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hamlet)
#### Post date: [November 13, 2009, 2:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nfl-week-10-thursday-night-games-are-upon-us/517374/21 "2009-11-13T02:34:00Z")
> [@Omniscient](#):
>
> Not Cutler’s fault. Have a hard time giving him grief for that.
I know. But then my “Bears repeating” joke wouldn’t have worked so well. Sometimes you sacrifice a bit of truth to find the humor.
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### Author:  [@Omniscient](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Omniscient)
#### Post date: [November 13, 2009, 2:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nfl-week-10-thursday-night-games-are-upon-us/517374/22 "2009-11-13T02:44:28Z")
This Bears team is baffling. They make stupid mistakes all over the field. The much maligned running game and defense inexplicably come alive. The passing game and special teams fall apart. Bizzaro Bears.
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### Author:  [@Hamlet](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hamlet)
#### Post date: [November 13, 2009, 2:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nfl-week-10-thursday-night-games-are-upon-us/517374/23 "2009-11-13T02:50:59Z")
> [@Omniscient](#):
>
> The much maligned running game and defense inexplicably come alive.
Without that one 16 yard run, Forte has 20 yards on 12 carries. Even with it, he’s averaging less than 3 ypc. Now, for the Bears, that may be “coming alive”, but I’m not seeing it.
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### Author:  [@Omniscient](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Omniscient)
#### Post date: [November 13, 2009, 2:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nfl-week-10-thursday-night-games-are-upon-us/517374/24 "2009-11-13T02:56:54Z")
> [@Hamlet](#):
>
> Without that one 16 yard run, Forte has 20 yards on 12 carries. Even with it, he’s averaging less than 3 ypc. Now, for the Bears, that may be “coming alive”, but I’m not seeing it.
Plus 57 yards on screens and swing passes, which in this offense is the equivalent of a toss sweep or a draw. Forte is running hard and is actually making yards after contact. You’d have to try really hard to argue this isn’t a huge improvement from their previous output in any half from the running backs.
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### Author:  [@Stuffy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Stuffy)
#### Post date: [November 13, 2009, 3:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nfl-week-10-thursday-night-games-are-upon-us/517374/25 "2009-11-13T03:26:19Z")
Penalties are just plain killing us.
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### Author:  [@Kiros](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kiros)
#### Post date: [November 13, 2009, 3:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nfl-week-10-thursday-night-games-are-upon-us/517374/26 "2009-11-13T03:39:48Z")
This game is depressing to watch… Indy-NE can’t come fast enough.
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### Author:  [@kidchameleon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kidchameleon)
#### Post date: [November 13, 2009, 3:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nfl-week-10-thursday-night-games-are-upon-us/517374/27 "2009-11-13T03:48:45Z")
Wow, the Bears were robbed on INT #4.
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### Author:  [@Omniscient](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Omniscient)
#### Post date: [November 13, 2009, 3:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nfl-week-10-thursday-night-games-are-upon-us/517374/28 "2009-11-13T03:51:44Z")
This game is so damned frustrating to watch. Turner and Cutler better put a drive together here.
ETA: And that stupid bubble screen is the best they come up with?
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### Author:  [@Omniscient](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Omniscient)
#### Post date: [November 13, 2009, 4:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nfl-week-10-thursday-night-games-are-upon-us/517374/29 "2009-11-13T04:03:33Z")
I’m so disgusted with this team.
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### Author:  [@Hamlet](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hamlet)
#### Post date: [November 13, 2009, 4:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nfl-week-10-thursday-night-games-are-upon-us/517374/30 "2009-11-13T04:24:10Z")
> [@Omniscient](#):
>
> I’m so disgusted with this team.
AAAAANNNNNNDDDD 5 interceptions.
I am glad i started the 49ers D.
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### Author:  [@Kiros](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kiros)
#### Post date: [November 13, 2009, 4:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nfl-week-10-thursday-night-games-are-upon-us/517374/31 "2009-11-13T04:32:43Z")
Same, I was running out Alex Smith and the 49ers D tonight in my 16-team work league. I got slightly more points than I expected to get, just in a drastically different distribution than was expected… thanks, Jay!
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### Author:  [@FoieGrasIsEvil](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FoieGrasIsEvil)
#### Post date: [November 13, 2009, 4:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nfl-week-10-thursday-night-games-are-upon-us/517374/32 "2009-11-13T04:38:10Z")
Damn Cutler sucks. He needs that Denver oline and some Brandon Marshall/Eddie Royal lovin’. Plus the traditionally decent Denver run game. How do you throw five picks and over 300 yards without even _one_ touchdown? By confusing the concepts of touchdowns and interceptions? Did Cutler think he threw 5 TD passes and is now realizing in the locker room that they didn’t in fact win the game?
10-6…quite the barnburner.
Sorry, Omni, that was harsh. I just can’t believe how bad the Bears have been lately.
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### Author:  [@garygnu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/garygnu)
#### Post date: [November 13, 2009, 4:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nfl-week-10-thursday-night-games-are-upon-us/517374/33 "2009-11-13T04:44:00Z")
A post-game post cribbed from hand-written notes during the game:
Decent play by Smith in the early going, especially on a short pass to Gore in-stride to pick up a critical 1st Down when backed up. Then a pick, ☹
Teams traded picks early on; eventually the 49ers punched one in immediately after a long return from an interception. Great blocking on the return.
I noticed that Hester was the intended target for at least two of Cutler’s INTs and another that almost was picked.
Michael Crabtree and Manny Lawson started off getting their names called, but seemed to disappear later on. And who is #57 “Wilhelm?”
If Cutler keeps playing like this, I see a future headline: “CUTLER FLUSHED!”
On a few occasions Smith held the ball too long, but was at least able to dump it down on occasions and his playmakers would get yardage. The play calling for the 49ers was oddly bunched together: pass-pass-pass then run-run-run. It seemed that a play-action pass to a tight end mixed in with the barrage of mid-late-game runs would have worked. Defensive playcalling was fun to watch. Pressure all night, especially from Justin Smith when it mattered the most.
Michael Robinson made a couple good short first downs late when subbing for Gore, including a juggling catch.
In short, say hello to the 49ers Defense, everybody. Offense still needs some work.
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### Author:  [@Omniscient](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Omniscient)
#### Post date: [November 13, 2009, 5:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nfl-week-10-thursday-night-games-are-upon-us/517374/34 "2009-11-13T05:37:49Z")
> [@Omniscient](#):
>
> The only way the Bears win this game is if 3 of these 4 things happen. 1) Cutler plays nearly flawless football. We need a huge game from him in primetime for a change and the O-line has to give him enough time to operate. 2) The D Line needs to come up huge. Harris needs to have his best game of the year and the ends need to get a ton of penetration. The Niners O-line is not great and if we can step up we’ll slow Gore, force Davis to block more and force Smith into mistakes. 3) Alex Smith and Shaun Hill need to make mistakes. I list them both because we need to get to Smith early and often and force turnovers potentially making Singletary pull another QB switch. 4) Matt Forte somehow goes off. This one is a long shot and there’s not much reason to predict it but if lightning strikes and last years Forte shows up and the O-line suddenly gels they could simply outscore the Niners sometimes shaky offense.
Well, we got 3 out of 4. I suppose I needed some caveat that Cutler not throw the ball around like a drunk and the rest of the team not shoot themselves in the foot with penalties and mental mistakes. Just crazy.
Orlando Pace was on the bench for much of the second half, the announcer made an offhand comment that it was due to injury but that’s not showing up on any new reports or the box score. I’m betting that he was benched for Shaffer and he seemed to play pretty well in relief. All in all the offensive line was improved against a pretty solid defensive front. I’ll take that effort, though Chris Williams was terrible and stupid to boot and Kruetz seemed to whiff on more than a couple LBs when Forte could have made some progress.
Really missed some players in the secondary. Bullocks missed a bunch of tackles out there and got beat on a 3rd and long and Graham and Vasher struggled in run support after Bowman went out.
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### Author:  [@lieu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lieu)
#### Post date: [November 13, 2009, 1:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nfl-week-10-thursday-night-games-are-upon-us/517374/35 "2009-11-13T13:37:32Z")
Our broadcast sound sucked at first too. No standard presets could improve the fact Millen sounded like he was still in Detroit.
Strange game, lots of little flashes of brilliance followed by sheer boneheaded play. Near the end some of the Bear’s D appeared to be more desirous of the locker room than a win. I will say that Forte impressed me at times with his tenacity and athleticism, if not his yards. Don’t get to see him very often so this was a welcome opportunity.
Two passing thoughts; Vernon Davis can indeed be a beast and I’ll bet last night Josh McDaniel slept the sleep of kings.
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### Author:  [@Death\_of\_Rats](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Death_of_Rats)
#### Post date: [November 13, 2009, 2:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nfl-week-10-thursday-night-games-are-upon-us/517374/36 "2009-11-13T14:38:51Z")
Did Cutler think he had been traded to SF? He was hitting the 9er’s DBs more than his own receivers.
Note to Lovey: Hester is NOT a #1 WR.
Pace’s problem is that he is good when he is fresh, but no longer has the stamina to go a full game and cannot last a season as a starter anymore.
That was ugly. Maybe not Rams/Lions ugly but still ugly.
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### Author:  [@Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Really_Not_All_That_Bright)
#### Post date: [November 13, 2009, 2:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nfl-week-10-thursday-night-games-are-upon-us/517374/37 "2009-11-13T14:50:19Z")
Hester’s not even a #2. I still don’t understand why the hell they were willing to give Hester a Bernard Berrian contract to play a new position, but not to give Berrian a Bernard Berrian contract to play his own position.
OTOH, I have Gore and Gould in the HHM fantasy league, so that game was just fine by me.
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### Author:  [@FoieGrasIsEvil](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FoieGrasIsEvil)
#### Post date: [November 13, 2009, 9:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nfl-week-10-thursday-night-games-are-upon-us/517374/38 "2009-11-13T21:07:53Z")
Once Omni recovers from his post-game sadness, I’d like to see what his predictions are for the Bengals v Steelers game and the Colts v Patriots game. The Steelers look to be coming on strong right now, but the Bengals offense seems to have also coincidentally found itself. I wouldn’t be surprised if the defenses somehow took a back seat in this game and we have ourselves a QB shootout.
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### Author:  [@Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Really_Not_All_That_Bright)
#### Post date: [November 13, 2009, 9:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nfl-week-10-thursday-night-games-are-upon-us/517374/39 "2009-11-13T21:49:07Z")
That’s my thought. I think the scores for each team will be in the high 20s and a defensive score will make the difference.
I think the Steelers will focus on shutting down Benson and wind up letting Carson throw for four touchdowns.
Colts beat Patriots convincingly, just because they seem to have had their number at home (and lately in the all-time series).
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### Author:  [@Omniscient](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Omniscient)
#### Post date: [November 13, 2009, 11:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nfl-week-10-thursday-night-games-are-upon-us/517374/40 "2009-11-13T23:04:34Z")
> [@FoieGrasIsEvil](#):
>
> Once Omni recovers from his post-game sadness, I’d like to see what his predictions are for the Bengals v Steelers game and the Colts v Patriots game. The Steelers look to be coming on strong right now, but the Bengals offense seems to have also coincidentally found itself. I wouldn’t be surprised if the defenses somehow took a back seat in this game and we have ourselves a QB shootout.
Getting started now. Stay tuned, should be a keeper.
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