Is it just me, or are teams starting to take this Suck For Luck mantra to a whole new level?
This week we saw the three remaining winless teams not just lose, but flame out hard. Miami lost to Tim Tebow and the Denver Broncos, the Rams got crushed in Dallas while the Saints absolutely ripped the Colts.
Taken at face value, both losses could have been predicted, but looking deeper there are some very troubling signs.
Starting with the Miami Dolphins, why would you schedule an appreciation day to celebrate the opposing starting quarterback’s BCS win in 2008? Are you trying to turn what little home field advantage you had against you? The Dolphins are bad enough at home that they didn’t need to pack in some extra Tebow supporters.
Also, through the first half, the Dolphins actually did a marvellous job containing Tebow. At the break, he had only 24 passing yards. 24! Fans should have been chanting for Kyle Orton!
Miami also built up a 15-0 lead with 7:34 remaining in the fourth quarter. How inept do you have to be to allow a quarterback that you have been owning all game to comeback and force overtime?
It’s these sort of things that really make you question a team’s motivation.
Then there was the Sunday nighter. Can anybody recall the last time you saw 62 points get put up on the scoreboard for a single team? Heck, in most games both sides rarely reach that total. But, because the Colts remarkably bad pass defence against the Saints, Drew Brees and scored five TDs through the air.
There was only one drive in the entire game that the Saints didn’t score on. That came at the end of the game, when the Saints ran the ball into the line five straight times then punted the ball. They had scored on the NINE previous possessions.
Even Peyton Manning couldn’t have helped the Colts this week. And thanks to this massive loss, their points differential is now a whopping -114 (which, sadly, is still better than the Rams).
The Rams are the team I actually feel for. With the trade for Brandon Lloyd – a sneaky great move considering they gave up a fifth-round pick – they showed that they’re not going to fold up shop. They just simply couldn’t stop the run this week, something they haven’t been able to do all season. Plus, with Sam Bradford scratched late this week, they were forced to start A.J. Feeley. That’s just bad news all over, but at least they’re trying.
This week: 7-5 (With Jacksonville +9.5 tonight)
This season: 42-42-2
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