For reasons that are unclear to me, our local ABC affiliate here in Massachusetts is showing my team, the Commanders, instead of the Bills, which is what we would normally see. I don’t think I really understand the whole double-MNF structure.
ABC is showing the Commanders/Bears, while ESPN is showing the Bills/Falcons.
Ah, it’s so simple (I don’t get ESPN). Thank you.
heard that they’ve fired 3 GMs and 2 coaches in like 7 years
C.f. the call against the Bears tackle canceling the TD pass–I don’t think it is my imagination that the refs are cracking down HARD on that crap this year–many times in past years the tackles would be 2 yards back, equal with the flankers, yet never got flagged for it.
Looks like Buffalo is having as bad a game today as the Lions did yesterday; their offense died at that failed 4th down try in the 3rd quarter, and have gained a total of 5 yards since then.
It’s absolutely not your imagination. It’s getting called every game I’ve watched, I swear.
It was announced as a point of emphasis last year during preseason, so yes, not your imagination.
What a thrilling last second (literal) win for the Bears.
The main problem being that in this instance the LT wasn’t too far off the line. He’s in the exact same spot as the RT and he’s on the hip of the Center, exactly where he’s supposed to be.
I’m glad they are cracking down on it because players were abusing it egregiously, but this call simply made no sense. If you hold this play up against every other passing play the Bears ran the dude is in the exact same spot. Felt like they needed to hit a quota and chose to do it at the most impactful time possible.
Combine this with the phantom OPI and the bogus Roughing call and you have one of the worst officiated games of the year.
OK, but why the particular crackdown on illegal formation? Of all infractions a team could commit, this seems like a comparatively harmless one. Seems like offensive holding would be a far more important and relevant one to crack down on.
Not that I’m saying the NFL can’t do both, just wondering what makes illegal formation the sudden villain of focus.
Because, over time, the outside lineman had been edging further and further back away from the line of scrimmage on obvious passing downs, giving them an advantage against pass rushers; as officials had been rarely, if ever, calling the foul, it was encouraging linemen to continue to push the envelope.
Primarily the result of the Chiefs Jawaan Taylor. Their RT in 2023 was lining up egregiously far off the ball.
This is hugely unfair on passing downs where the primary challenge is for the OTs to backpedal faster than the DE can rush, essentially in a race to get around the edge. That illegal formation basically gives the tackle a full one step head start.
https://www.kansascity.com/sports/spt-columns-blogs/for-petes-sake/article279061684.html
This is what illegal formation looks like.
Ah, I see, thanks.
At this point in the season, its starting to look pretty damn remarkable that last year, the Steelers somehow cobbled together a 10-7 season with Justin Fields and Russel Wilson as their starting quarterbacks (and don’t forget, they were at one point 10-3, before loosing their last 4 games)
I thought it was crazy that they didn’t keep at least one of them on the roster for this year, but now seems genius in retrospect.
Last night, the power of Ben Johnson’s offensive mind was unleashed. The pre-game analysis, and rightfully so, focused on our “poor” running game vs. what was up to then Washington’s excellent run defense. Sixty minutes later, the Bears had a respectable 145 yards on the ground. Their game winning drive, in fact, was done on the ground.
Williams acquitted himself well. He didn’t throw a key interception, and he didn’t make the game losing fumble. The guy who was referred to by the Washington media last year as the guy the Bears should have drafted instead of Caleb Williams is the guy who was outplayed by “the wrong draft choice”. DIdn’t hear anything from them after the game. Perhaps there was a microphone problem in the Washington media booth? Hmm …
In any case, if the Bears play well, they could be 6-2 at the halfway mark. We shall see.
Their next three games are certainly winnable, as they play the Saints, Ravens, and Bengals.
I guess the AFC East is in play. The Pats are leading the AFC East for the first time since 2019.
Meanhoo in other nooz:
The Vikes actually wanted the kick changed, but the NFL has never done so even if (on rare occasions like this) they admitted the ref fooked up since it would screw up a lot of things (incl. bets natch).
The big betting houses have no trouble backing out bets when things get hinky. They do have too much influence in sports. Corrupting humans is easy enough without messing with the game’s outcome.
You obviously didn’t see the Patriots/Saints game this week 