Week 6 saw the weirdest formation this side of an Ayahuasca fever dream, the continual bungle of what constitutes an NFL Catch, and the weird hypocrisy of cancer awareness support in the league. We’ve also got the funky fingers of Julian Edelmen, the not-regression regression of Joe Flacco, and a Newton electrifying moment in Seattle. Let’s football!
The Best
The Spectacle
Look, it might not have been the best for the Colts, but it was the best play for everyone to absolutely flip out on.
The Colts tried a unique formation on 4th down. It didn’t work. #NEvsIND http://t.co/Eh0HXpFV00
— NFL (@NFL) October 19, 2015
Chuck Pagano wants to be fired, man. That’s the only excuse as to how this makes any sense. Who in the what decided this A. should happen B. is going to happen C. happens. How did the players just not outright revolt when they called this? Psychogeography
Ron Rivera is now 14-16-1 in games decided by a touchdown or less. That number used to be 2-14.
— Darin Gantt (@daringantt) October 18, 2015
The Seahawks used to rally around their defensive stranglehold at home, even pilfering Texas A&M’s “12th Man” for their fans advantage. Now the ‘Hawks have now given away two 4th quarter comebacks in a row, the last at the friendly confines of CenturyLink. The Carolina Panthers looked to be in trouble after a missed PAT with 3:55 left and the Seahawks up three points, but it only took Cam Newton a couple of minutes to weave his way downfield and find Greg Olsen for the win. The ball does seem to keep bouncing in Carolina’s favor, but with the Seahawks unable to close, you can’t take it away from Cam.
Detournment
Having spent the first quarter of the NFL season being an embarrassment to “Who Dat” nation, a matchup against the Atlanta Falcons seemed to signal another game of torrid offense at the expense of the New Orleans defense. But something weird happened: the Saints D showed up! Rob Ryan’s bunch pulled down five sacks sending four (or fewer) pass rushers for most of the game, resulting in their best sack total since 2008. Devonta Freeman’s longest run was 25 yards on a day that only yielded him 100 total rushing yards. It was also a help that Drew Brees finally found his Jimmy Graham replacement in Ben Watson, who had 127 yards on ten catches with a touchdown.
The Bad
The Spectacle
NFL Refs are doing that cool thing where they are crazy inconsistent and taking away touchdowns from people for reasons that no one who has ever watched a football game will understand. Just as baffling as the Colts play is the weirdness seeping through league officiating, it’s starting to make me believe the NFL loves the WWE comparisons.
Psychogeography
The Ravens-49ers used to be a compelling match-up between the Harbaugh brothers, which got even testier as the 49ers pilfered choice wide receivers from Baltimore. This season is different however, with one Harbaugh gone, and both teams playing pretty awful. But there’s something to be said about running into someone you know and having their misfortune make you feel a little bit better about yourself. It’s not great, but it happens. Colin Kaepernick certainly had reasons to feel bad about his quarterbacking prowess, but a timely match-up with the Ravens secondary resulted in 240 yards passing with for two touchdowns and no interceptions. Joe Flacco tried to rally a comeback, but:
Harbaugh says he would never use term “regression” to describe player of Joe Flacco’s standard.
— Childs Walker (@ChildsWalker) October 19, 2015
Detournment
The NFL loves supporting cancer awareness, so when Cameron Heyward decided to pay tribute to his father who died of cancer by writing his dad’s nickname on the eyeblack, you would assume the NFL would be on board. But because it violates the rule against personal messages, Heyward has been fined twice for a total of $20,000. But hey, they’ve got pink uniforms and gloves to sell you!
The Weekly “Look Away If You’re Squeamish About Pinkies” Award
Julian Edelmen. Bruh. Belichick take away tape or something from the Patriots sideline?
What to Watch for in Week 7
New York Jets at New England Patriots. Did you know the Jets are a sneaky 4-1? And they have the best points against defense in the league with an average of only 15 points put up against them? The Patriots are ranked number one in points for, so something’s got to give.
Oakland Raiders at San Diego Chargers.
Philadelphia Eagles at Carolina Panthers.
What Not To Watch for in Week 7
Seattle Seahawks at San Francisco 49ers. What used to be the perennial NFC Championship game has gone the way of Macklemore’s career. It’s on a Thursday night, so no big loss.
Pittsburgh Steelers at Kansas City Chiefs.
Baltimore Ravens at Arizona Cardinals (Monday Night).
