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When we look back on the 2014 NFL season, Week 15 will serve as the perfect snapshot of a wild, wacky, wonderful campaign.There were many head-scratching moments, a bevy of hard-to-fathom results. A week that proves, in this league, reality truly is stranger than fiction. It's Monday morning and I still can't believe everything that went down.With that in mind, here are the storylines that left me with a wry grin, uttering five familiar words when it comes to the National Football League: You can't make this up.1) The Bills extinguish the red-hot PackersYou could, theoretically, wrap your brain around the idea that the single best front seven in the NFL would frustrate . But you would've expected the league's best QB -- and, arguably, best team -- to find a way to win. Not quite. Buffalo earned .Rodgers finished an unfathomable 17-for-42 for Xavier Williams Jersey 185 yards and zero touchdowns -- and he nearly doubled his 2014 interception total to . Really. was a thorn in the ' side. Rodgers was off all game, in uncharacteristic fashion. He deserves blame. But how about the plethora of drops by his receivers? failed to come up with that would've given Green Bay the lead late in the third quarter.Of course, the deserve all the credit in the world for shutting down an offense that averaged 40.2 points per contest over a five-game winning streak. put an exclamation point on the thunderous Buffalo win when he plowed through the Green Bay offensive line and forced a fumble into the end zone, . The are legit, and has done a fantastic job this year. Imagine if they had a quarterback ...Meanwhile, Green Bay -- a team many thought had established itself as a true juggernaut in the NFC -- now sits in second place in the NFC North, thanks to a divisional bout that took place a few hundred miles west of Buffalo ...2) Detroit survives Minnesota, taking advantage of Viking mistakesMinnesota coach might smash the projector while watching film of .Where shall we start? mi sed a field-goal attempt on Minnesota's opening drive. OK, it was a 53-yarder -- not unforgivable. Unfortunately, three quarters later, . (Remember, Minnesota lost by two points ...)On the ' next po se sion after the blocked field goal, provided an electrifying 51-yard kickoff return, putting Minnesota at midfield with under four minutes remaining and Detroit clinging to a two-point lead. On the ensuing play, was called for holding, dropping the 10 yards back -- and the drive immediately fizzled.Then, in the Vikes' desperation drive with under a minute remaining, they took their sweet time. was guilty of committing a crucial delay-of-game penalty, and Walsh ended up mi sing a would-be game-winner from 68 yards away.The were flat. was stuck in the mud. Detroit was ripe to be knocked off. Credit the defense for making plays and showcasing its toughne s.But Minnesota flat-out blew it. Having a chip-shot field-goal attempt blocked, committing inexplicable penalties -- no, you can't make that up.3) Johnny IneptSo much for the Johnny Football spark in Cleveland.With having thrown seven interceptions (against zero touchdown pa ses) in his Larry Johnson Jersey past three starts, the made a highly anticipated switch at quarterback. The hope was that would provide a boost, bringing some of the sizzle he routinely displayed on the collegiate level.Instead, the rookie was served a big fat helping of humble pie in . Manziel looked completely out of whack, managing a grand total of just 80 yards pa sing. The , sick of Manziel mania, stoned the neophyte in his first NFL start, causing him to .I thought Cleveland would win. I thought Manziel would make a play or two. Instead, he was worse than Hoyer. Certainly didn't see that coming.4) The 49ers-Seahawks rivalry is done as we know itThe , who made each of the past three NFC title games, have officially been eliminated from postseason play. Surprising -- and relatively sad., which means we won't get to see another playoff installment of Niners-'Hawks, which had become my personal favorite en vogue rivalry, one built on pure hatred. The players, coaches, organizations and fans all loathed each other. And the animosity was always fueled by the highly succe sful and highly cantankerous . Of course, Harbaugh's divisive personality is.Harbaugh has been so succe sful in San Francisco, and his games against 's have been epic. The offseason back-and-forth always added to the fun. But as a highly disappointing season winds down in San Francisco, I don't need to tell me that it's almost certainly over.Maybe the Niners can bounce back, but this rivalry will never be the same. That bums me out. It just happened so abruptly.5) Having said that ... This Christian Okoye Jersey chapter of the rivalry was marred by a bad call was wretched and game-changing. Joe Buck and Troy Aikman were rightly incredulous in the broadcast booth. Rules expert Mike Pereira couldn't believe it. The errant call came after a third-and-5 incompletion at the beginning of the fourth quarter. Two plays later, threw . If Moody hadn't been flagged for simply playing football, the drive would've resulted in a field goal. Instead, the got seven points and a crucial two-po se sion lead.On Monday morning, NFL Vice President of Officiating Dean Blandino told "NFL AM" the obvious: ."Moody's head is up, he hits with more of the side and the facemask to the body of the quarterback, and in our review, with the ability to look at it in slow motion, it's not a foul," Blandino said.Harbaugh's last stand tainted by overprotection of the position he spent 14 NFL seasons playing -- that's some kind of poetic injustice.6) Dallas returns the favor Joe Montana Jersey in PhiladelphiaAt the 11:42 mark of the second quarter in Philly on Sunday night, threw a 5-yard pa s. This was pretty significant, as it brought the ' offensive output for the game back up to zero yards. The , meanwhile, already had 21 points.You can't make that up.Just two weeks after the stormed into Dallas and , the 'Boys went into Philly and to reclaim first place in the NFC East. Philly, which , came roaring back to take a 24-21 lead midway through the third quarter, but Dallas showed off its 2014 toughne s -- a resiliency that's been omnipresent all season long. , , and the rest of the 'Boys never flinched, just like when they overcame adversity in prior wins , , .There's a reason we keep saying will hold Philly back. He's not a good, accurate, reliable quarterback. And if you believed those shilling for him, well, that's on you. You had to see this coming.7) Carolina, despite logging a six-game skid, could repeat in NFC SouthStill can't believe I'm typing that sentence. After last season's 12-4 breakthrough, the have significantly underachieved. I mean, they went eight weeks without winning a game. Yet, after sneaking past the two-win Bucs, , here they are, right in the thick of the division race. In fact, if the lose in Chicago, the will be alone in first place, with full control of their playoff destiny. Seriously, I shudder as I write this.In related wacky news, is 2-0 as a starter in 2014 (both wins coming against Tampa Bay). With sidelined after Dorian O'Daniel Jersey a scary car accident, Anderson rocked steady with 277 pa sing yards and a touchdown. At one point in the first quarter, Anderson capped off an 8-yard first-down scamper with . No, I wasn't prepared for those fleet feet.8) The top seed in the NFC is quarterbacked by ... Ryan Lindley?Lindley once participated in the single worst display of quarterbacking I've ever seen in an NFL game. In early December of 2012, Lindley and the Cards went 0-for-15 on third down as Arizona lost to the , , in a game where was benched for Greg McElroy, who is now out of the league.Ah, memories.Yet, there was Lindley, cut by 'Zona in the preseason, making key throws to put the in field-goal range and help on Thursday night. This is wild! is done for the year. and could mi s the rest of the regular season, setting the stage for Lindley.But then again, there's a reason the are 11-3. They have the best general ma
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发表于 2024-11-22 21:20:18