Bears stifle Rams and some odd stuff from week 14 of the NFL season

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The much hyped Bears defense put on their best performance of the year in dominating the Rams in a 15-6 victory.  The Bears picked off four Jared Goff passes along the way.  Goff was sacked three times and was under duress all night.  Bears nose tackle, Eddie Goldman had a sack that resulted in a safety.  Khalil Mack also recorded one his specialties, the strip sack and Akiem Hicks’ sack basically closed things out for the Rams.

Chicago Pickers

Roquan Smith, Eddie Jackson, Kyle Fuller and Prince Amukamara all had picks for the Bears.  Somehow, after dropping what could have been a game clinching interception in Green Bay, Kyle Fuller has developed significant ball skills.  His seven interceptions tie him for the league lead in that category.  For a team that seemingly had a bunch of Edward Scissorhands clones in their defensive backfield a couple of years ago, the change is remarkable.

None if by land...

The Bears took away the Rams running game, allowing Todd Gurley only 28 yards in 11 attempts.  After that, they put the heat on Jared Goff.  The result was the Rams were held to six points and 228 yards of offense.  It was a truly dominating game by the Bears defense.

The Nagy worry

The Bears running game was very effective.  Jordan Howard picked up 101 yards on a 19 carries while Tarik Cohen went for 69 yards on nine carries.  Unfortunately, Mitch Trubisky had a terrible night.  Trubisky threw three interceptions and had accuracy issues all night.  The Bears are nearly a great team.  They have just about everything but a consistent quarterback.  Hopefully Trubisky can develop into that quarterback.

Two way players

The Bears only touchdown came on a two yard pass from Trubisky to offensive tackle, Brad Sowell.  Sowell mad a nice leaping catch and then showed off some great dance moves during the subsequent celebration.  The play came off a play action fake to Akiem Hicks, who was part of an unusual (to say the least) package of players.  Hicks sold the play fake exceptionally well.  The Bears are a good team, and under Matt Nagy they’re having fun.

Who knew Amari Cooper would matter this much?

Don’t look now, but the Cowboys have won five in a row after their 29-23 overtime win over the Eagles.  Amari Copper caught 10 passes for 217 yards and three TDs.  He’s been a difference maker since coming over from the Raiders.  The NFC East is now the Cowboys to lose...  The Cowboys defense is excellent and Cooper, along with Ezekiel Elliott gives Dak Prescott just enough to work with to get the Cowboys over the hump.

Gronk as a DB?

The Patriots lost to the Dolphins in Miami, again.  The final was 34-33.  The Dolphins won on a wild play that involved two laterals and Kenyan Drake traversing the final 52 yards to the end zone past a stumbling Rob Gronkowski.  Gronk is a great tight end but not a particularly good defensive back.  It looked to be a situation where Bill Belichick outthought himself.

Who saw this coming?

The Steelers inexplicably lost to the Raiders 24-21.  James Connor was missed as the Steelers running game went nowhere without him.  The Steelers had a chance to tie the game with a field goal, but Chris Boswell slipped and his attempt was blocked.  His fall mirrored the Raiders 2018 season, though the Raiders win was a rare bright spot for them.

Is the AFC West Shifting?

Another team missing their star running back is the Kansas City Chiefs.  The Chiefs prevailed in overtime over the Ravens by a count of 27-24.  The loss of Hunt due to off the field issues could shift the balance in power in the AFC West from Kansas City to the LA Chargers. 

Speaking of the Chargers, they methodically defeated the Bengals 26-20.  Philip Rivers didn’t have eye-popping stats, going 19/29 for 220 yards and one TD but it was good enough against a sinking Bengals team.

Offense takes a holiday

In a statistically oddity, Lions QB, Matt Stafford threw for only 101 yards in the team’s 17-3 win over the Arizona Cardinals. The highlight of the game was Darius Slay’s 67 yard pick six of a Josh Rosen pass.  It’s a wasted year for both teams.

Too little too late

Aaron Rodgers commemorated the firing of Mike McCarthy by leading the Packers to 34-20 win over the Falcons.  The Falcons have been a truly disappointing team this year.  They now sit at 4-9.  If the Packers run the table, they could finish at 8-7-1.  That won’t be good enough to get into the playoffs.

On any given Sunday...

A team that came into Sunday’s action with playoff hopes was the Denver Broncos.  Those hopes took a blow when the Broncos lost to the 49ers, 20-14.  Niners TE, George Kittle had a near record setting game with seven catches for 210 yards and a TD.  Nick Mullens threw for 322 yards and two TDs for the 49ers.  Broncos QB, Case Keenum was 24/42 for 186 yards.  The loss puts Denver at 6-7 and puts a severe crimp in their playoff hopes.

NFL So What division

Both the Jets and Bills have rookie QBs.  Sunday the Jets and Sam Darnold prevailed over the Bills and Josh Allen.  The final score was 27-23.  The ramifications and takeaways from that game are limited. 

Colts Luck keeps getting better

A team that enhanced their playoff chances was the Indianapolis Colts.  The Colts snapped the Houston Texans nine game winning streak with 24-21 victory. Andrew Luck continued his revival, throwing for 399 yards.  He’s quietly regaining his place as an excellent NFL QB.

Maybe they can find a QB the next time they're in London

The Jacksonville Jaguars continued their descent into oblivion with a 30-9 loss to the Tennessee Titans.  The Jags continued to show how hard it is to play in the NFL without a QB.  Titans QB, Marcus Mariota isn’t great, but is at least functional.  At 7-6 the Titans are definitely in the playoff hunt.

Odell who?

 Another team with QB issues is the Washington Redskins.  They did a face plant against the New York Giants to the tune of 40-16.  Odell Beckham Jr missed the game with an injury, but it didn’t matter.  Saquon Barkley rolled for 170 yards including a 78 yard TD run.  The Redskins are just playing out the string, and doing a poor job of it.

Browns progress continues

The Browns ran up another win, their fifth of the season.  The Browns won a hard fought 26-20 win over the Carolina Panthers.  The loss drops the Panthers o 6-7 and the team is rapidly falling out of playoff contention.  The Browns have been a much better team since Baker Mayfield has taken over the QB reins.  They should be a force to be reckoned with next season.

Saints march through Tampa Bay

After a slow start, the New Orleans Saints rallied for a 28-14 win over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.  The game turned when the Saints blocked a Bucs punt.  The Saints win puts them at 11-2 while the Bucs drop to 5-8 with the loss.