One: Ok, let’s start with the most controversial play of the week.
Late in a close game between the Pittsburgh Steelers and Baltimore Ravens, Lamar Jackson thought he had a touchdown pass to Isaiah Likely when he found him in the endzone. Likely caught the pass and had two feet down, but it was not ruled a touchdown.
Replay revealed that Joey Porter Jr. had knocked the ball free just before Likely had gotten that third step (or the “football move”) in the endzone. Obviously, the stadium and Ravens coaches were livid.
By the letter of the law, the correct call was made. Likely did not “complete” the catch and get the third step. But, this also feels like one of those common sense things. That felt like a catch. I mean, how many times do we see toe-tap catches in the endzone that only have the two steps?
I wonder if the NFL takes a look at things like this in the offseasom.
Two: Lost in that Likely non-catch is how smart of a play that was by Porter.
A lot of defending players in that situation would have just given up. I mean, he’s in the endzone, the play is over, right? But even with the ball in Likely’s hands, Porter sticks with the play and punches the ball out. At first, it looked just a little bit petty, but once the officials started reviewing that play, it turned out Porter’s punch out was incredibly crucial.
Had he not done that, we aren’t talking about this play today. We also probably aren’t talking about a Steelers win, and how they now control their division and their own destiny with four games to go.
Porter deserves some praise for sticking with that play all the way through.
Three: Denver does it again.
The Broncos have won ten games in a row, with their latest coming in Las Vegas against the Raiders, 24-17. They had a comfortable 14-point lead late in the third quarter, and led the Raiders get back into the game after Kenny Pickett took over for the injured Geno Smith.
Nix was an efficient 31-of-38 for 212 yards. None of his passes went for longer than 15 yards, but the Broncos didn’t need him to try and play Superman.
It’s really been amazing to see how they have been able to win all of these tight, one-score games. Denver hasn’t won a game by more than seven points since Week 8 against Dallas. I know, I know, that last-second field goal by the Raiders is what made it a one-score game.
Ideally, though, you would like to see the Broncos win a little more convincingly against some of the worst teams in the league, like Vegas.
Four: A week ago, I said that the Cincinnati Bengals had a chance to run the table.
It was true. Their last three games were on the road in Miami, and then hosting Arizona and Cleveland. If Joe Burrow and the gang could just find a way to take down Buffalo in western New York and Baltimore in their friendly confines, it absolutely could have happened. With the way the AFC North looks right now, 9-8 can still win the division.
Less than a week later, that mission is over. The Bengals had a lead late in Orchard Park, but Burrow was intercepted on back-to-back passes, with the first one going for a pick six. In a matter of minutes, a 28-25 Cincinnati lead was flipped upside down, with the Bills taking over 39-28.
Buffalo was the hardest game on their remaining schedule. It’s just unfortunate that they were the first ones up. Any momentum they could have stacked up is gone now, and at nine losses, any playoff hopes are just about done.
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