Week Fourteen in Review

Thursday Night Game:

Houston Texans- 20 at Jacksonville Jaguars- 27
Reviewing the Game:

This game turned out to be much more entertaining than the narrative surrounding it predicted. The Jaguars came out hot and built a 14-0 lead early in the first half. The Texans looked like the inferior team from the beginning, and really never put that narrative to bed. It was impressive how the Jaguars made a nice effort to neutralize J.J. Watt. Watt was in the backfield consistently, but Chad Henne was able to get rid of the ball fast enough on quick patterns to avoid being sacked. The Jaguars offense had a number of impressive moments. A quarterback change once again did nothing for Houston. Their consistent losing ways go way beyond just the quarterback position. One parting shot: if you are not following Houston writing legend @McClain_on_NFL on their miserable game days, you are truly missing out.

The Texans Perspective:

The way everyone began praising Matt Schaub for making smart veteran decisions once he returned to the field you would think the last three months never happened. Well, Schaub reminded everyone why he was on the bench in the first place when he threw a horrendous interception to ice the game. No matter who starts for the Texans the rest of the way, they will not be putting this team on their back to elevate the level of play around them. The Texans all but wrapped up the first overall pick in the draft with this loss. Derek Carr to Houston? My lord, can you imagine the headlines?
Jonathan Joseph was once regarded as an elite cover corner, but he has struggled mightily this season. Maybe now people will be more aware of that after last night he was beat on several occasions by Cecil Shorts. Joseph no longer looks adept at the bump and run coverage the Texans love to use. Another member of the Houston secondary, rookie safety D.J. Swearinger outdid him with poor play. Swearinger looked lost on the field throughout the night, and contributed a number of head-scratching penalties.

The Jaguars Perspective:

The more you watch, the more you cannot help but be excited about this team’s future. Gus Bradley looks every bit the future bright star of a head coach he was billed to be, and guys are playing for him. With a ton of energy, and a wealth of knowledge on defensive football, Bradley looks like he will be the face of this team for years to come.
The Jaguars offense has a ton of intriguing talent. Of course there is Cecil Shorts and a still spry Maurice Jones-Drew. However, there is also Mike Brown a favorite of this publication, Ace Sanders contributing on trick plays, and Jordan Todman providing a capable compliment to MJD. Not to mention a quietly improving offensive line. Whoever is the starter at quarterback in Jacksonville next season will not find the cupboard so bare as some might imagine.

Reviewing the Matchup to Watch
Alan Ball vs. Andre Johnson

Andre Johnson certainly got his last night with thirteen receptions and a number of crucial yards. The Texans do not consistently find ways to scheme Johnson open, but we can see the positive results when they do. Unlike the first loss to Jacksonville, the Texans seemed to find ways on crosses and routes to the middle of the field to find ways to get the ball in Johnson’s hands. The crazy part is Johnson could have had an even bigger day. Several times his quarterbacks failed to do him justice. Matt Schaub famously missed him for what would have been a crucial conversion on a fourth down late in the game.
All that being said, do not go blaming Johnson’s success on Alan Ball. Ball did not have quite the stellar outing he did in the first matchup, but the Texans did a better job of moving Johnson around. Ball line up almost exclusively at right corner, and Johnson spent more time in the slot and flanker positions. The Jaguars sat in some more zone coverage than usual last night, and that really is not as suited to Ball’s strength. The emerging corner also came up with an interception on a gift from Case Keenum in the first half, and could have had second one. He just looked so shocked Schaub threw the ball where he did that he could not hang on to it. A solid, if unspectacular night for Alan Ball.

Whipping around Sunday:

Recapping the Major Storylines

No, the Panthers could not come anywhere close to dethroning the Saints for the NFC South crown. The Saints are simply way too good in their own building in primetime. The Panthers had a 6-0 lead at the end of the first quarter, but that evaporated quickly. Receivers found wide-open holes in their defense, and Drew Brees had no problem hitting them. The Panthers offense fell out of rhythm early, and the team as a whole was penalized far too often. There is no need to jump off the Panthers bandwagon just yet, but they were outshined in a major way tonight.
The Seahawks loss was all too easy to predict. The team came out a little flat in the first half after having praise heaped up on them all week after stomping the Saints. The officials in this game really zeroed in on the Seahawks brand of physical press coverage, and a number of flags were thrown on their corners. Nevertheless, it is very good the team is getting some of those young guys game experience. They have performed pretty well. No need panic about this team; this was just a minor setback.
In a weird snowy game, the Eagles did keep pace with the first place Dallas Cowboys. LeSean McCoy was an absolute animal in the inclement weather, running for over 200 yards and scoring twice. Many people questioned whether Chip Kelly’s offense could play “grind it out” football, and they answered that call in the snow. For the betting man, this should be the team you believe in to take the NFC East.
Both rookie quarterbacks in the Bucs and Bills game were pretty dreadful. Mike Glennon only completed nine passes of twenty-five and E.J. Manuel threw four interceptions. There seems to be some credence to the idea the Bills have coddled Manuel too much. He hardly ever has to make difficult reads, or challenging throws. When they need him to make big time plays when coming from behind, it is painfully obvious he just does not have the experience to make those throws.
The Chiefs completely throttled the sinking ship that is the Washington Redskins. A 45-10 victory was just what this team needed to remind everyone they are the third best team in the AFC, and much better than those behind them. The Redskins are not a great challenge for anyone these days, but it was encouraging that they just completely blew the doors off of them. Their defense looked more like the unit that was harassing backup quarterbacks early in the season, and not the sieve we saw over their previous three games.

Reviewing the Top “Matchups to Watch”
1) Luke Keuchly vs. Jimmy Graham

One thing that was mentioned in the preview column was how the Saints may split Graham out; getting him away from Keuchly. It seemed that was the case on about half of Graham’s receptions. When he was split out, safeties and cornerbacks stood no chance of covering him one on one, as usual, but even Keuchly did not do a great job locking down the massive tight end. He is still a great player, but Keuchly has certainly has his fair share of struggles when covering players one on one in 2013. Normally his struggles are due in part because he plays with too much recklessness, but tonight, he almost played Graham too passively.

2) Josh Gordon vs. Aqib Talib and Devin McCourty

In the first quarter it looked like this duo may finally be the ones to shut down this young star. Gordon went that whole time without a reception, but could not be held down for long and finished with seven catches for 151 yards and another long score. On his eighty-yard touchdown catch, Gordon turned Talib around and then just outraced both he and McCourty to the end zone. Sometimes, you just cannot contain elite talent.

3) Broncos receivers vs. Titans cornerbacks

Well the Titans corners probably will not be getting any of that long overdue publicity after this performance, as least nothing positive. Peyton Manning put up nearly four hundred passing yards and spread the ball out economically to all of his wide receivers. No one is going to look at that stat line and assume this matchup was any sort of contest. Now, this may sound crazy, but the Titans corners actually were not awful today. Many times Jason McCourty and Alterraun Verner had good coverage, but were victimized by perfect ball placement by Peyton Manning. Take Decker’s touchdown for example. Verner and his safety help have that play about as well covered as possible, but Peyton just slips the ball in there anyways. Manning was right to gloat after the game about how he just played extremely well, outside, in the cold.

4) Andre Holmes vs. Antonio Cromartie

While it was teammate Rod Streater who ended up having the more explosive day, Andre Holmes turned in a solid effort of his own. With three catches for sixty-three yards, the numbers do not exactly jump off the page, but watch the catches Holmes made. He really shows proficiency in some of the little things about being a wide receiver. For a guy who has been shadowed with some issues and is very inexperienced, that is a promising development. Holmes did not go nuts against Cromartie or Milliner as some pass catchers have this season, but he certainly did not do anything to bring doubts to those of us who are very high on him.

5) Jared Cook vs. Cardinals linebackers and safeties

Jared Cook had another nondescript outing. He certainly did not go off like he did against this team in week one. Cook did find some open room on the field, but as anticipated, Kellen Clemens simply did not have the tools necessary to hit him. Since most of the Cardinals issues covering tight ends are most discipline-based issues, not personnel based, hitting big plays against them requires great timing and anticipation as a passer. Neither of which are strengths associated with Kellen Clemens.

Monday Night Game:

Dallas Cowboys- 28 at Chicago Bears- 45
Reviewing the Game:

If anyone had December 9th as the start of the annual Dallas Cowboys collapse you win. In an absolutely embarrassing defensive effort, the Cowboys were torn apart by the great Marc Trestman offense. The Cowboys ran for nearly 200 yards and still lost the game. That is an extremely rare occurrence. The Cowboys showed once again why they are perennially one of the league’s biggest jokes.

The Cowboys Perspective:

The Monte Kiffin hiring was curious at the time, and now it looks worse than anyone could have imagined. This defense has talent, even when Sean Lee is out of the lineup, as he far too often is. Jason Hatcher, DeMarcus Ware, and Brandon Carr are all great players. The problem is the rest of the players are either average or do not fit in the scheme. Good coaches put even average talent in positions to win; Monte Kiffin is no longer a good NFL coach.
It is hard to blame any of this loss on the offense. In fact you really cannot do it. The Cowboys ran the ball with authority and Tony Romo played a clean game. it is just really hard to win football games when the other team scores on all of their possessions (excluding the final kneel down). Games like this are what helps fuel the stupid "Romo stinks in December" narrative.

The Bears Perspective:

The Bears are still right in the thick of the NFC North race, and it is mostly thanks to Josh McCown’s terrific play. He once again was fantastic in tossing four touchdowns passes to take the Bears to a win. However, for those who think he will be relegating Jay Cutler to the bench, lets keep perspective. McCown probably should have tossed three interceptions, but the Dallas defenders did not show any interest in holding on to those passes. Cutler will remain this team’s 2013 starter, but that does not take away from what McCown has done.
The Bears defense remains a massive liability. Joseph Randle even looked like a quality NFL running back against them. The defense still makes this team feel like the third best team in its own division. Even if they somehow get there, the Bears certainly will not be able to do much in the playoffs with other teams knowing they can consistently run against for 200 yards a game.
Here is an additional funny side note for anyone interested. I watched the game with a friend tonight and he claimed that both of the Bears wide receivers belonged in the top five best in the NFL. I was right in the middle of explaining to him why there was just too much front line talent at the position throughout the league right now for Alshon Jeffery to be in the top ten when Jeffery hauled in his ridiculous touchdown. My friend simply pointed to the television screen as I was foolishly left silent. I still believe my point, but never have I had an NFL player stick the middle finger up at me like that! Jeffery is simply unbelievable, and will be amongst that rank soon enough.

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