Notes From NFL RedZone: Week 6
Closely following NFL football for the past 17 years, I may have thought that I had seen it all. Then last Sunday happened. A run-of-the-mill touchdown was taken off the scoreboard during the Patriots-Jets game and nobody (except the higher-ups in the NFL) knows why. Disclosure: I am a New England Patriots fan. Further disclosure: What happened to Austin Seferian-Jenkins and the N.Y. Jets is genuinely bad for the NFL. It could make people think that the league is rigged.
Here’s how the situation in New York went down: Fourth quarter, down by seven points, Josh McCown, who astoundingly threw for 354 yards against New England, completes a pass to Seferian-Jenkins, and the tight end blasts through (above picture) Duron Harmon and Malcom Butler, rolling through the corner of the end zone. The Jets and their fans are going nuts; New York is going to tie the game at 24 to 24. But wait! The officials say that Seferian Jenkins fumbled the ball out of the end zone despite never fumbling the ball out of his arms! Yes, the tight end did switch the football from his right arm over to his left arm while rolling over the pylon, but, no, the scoring player did not lose possession. What is the problem? Madness ensued and the Jets ended up losing.
If that wasn’t atrocity enough, Aaron Rodgers (quarterback legend) broke his collarbone against the Minnesota Vikings; his 2017 season is probably over. Before this Rodgers injury occurred, Green Bay seemed to be the favorite to win the NFC North this season. The Packers are now tied with the the Vikings (4–2), and the pesky Detroit Lions are 3–3. Heck, the Chicago Bears (2–4) could win the division if it decides to play better (hopes are low).
There has been little consistency throughout the NFL in 2017 except a losers mantra from the Cleveland Browns (0–6), San Francisco 49ers (0–6), and the New York Giants (1–5). Although, the Giants did travel to Denver on Sunday night to beat the Broncos (3–2) by 13 points. The standings are closer than this computer screen is to my face — the Titans, Jaguars, and Texans are all 3–3 in the AFC South — and 30 teams have at least one great win and one horrible loss. If the inconsistency keeps up, we’ll be witnessing much intrigue.
Below is what I saw (thought) on October 15 in the Eastern Time Zone.
(1:00 p.m.): Started watching Patriots-Jets on CBS while waiting to leave for my friends’ house (he’s a Jets fan). The Jets take a 7-to-0 lead, and by the time we’re settled in over at my friends’ house, it’s 14-to-0. We set up the television on the back deck, which I would not recommend doing on a bright, sunny day. But after enough Hop Commander IPA’s, the Patriots-Jets game became a classic.
(5:33 p.m.): The Chargers can contend for the AFC West — yes, the L.A. Chargers — with a win over Oakland (2–3). The game is tied, 7 to 7, as halftime approaches. But the Chargers are not going to catch Kansas City.
(5:38 p.m.): Pittsburgh is similar to Jacksonville. Excellent one week. Shitty the next. Antoine Bethea has another interception for Arizona; he has three on the season, a huge impact for the Cardinals. Arizona is beating Tampa Bay, 24 to 0.
(5:42 p.m.): It’s tricky John Brown, again! He stopped his route to come back to catch Carson Palmer’s lame lob at the two-yard line, and found the end zone. The Cardinals are smacking down the Buccaneers, 31 to 0.
(6:24 p.m.): Adrian Peterson (signed to Arizona from New Orleans) has his first 100-yard rushing game in two years. He finished the day with 134 yards and two touchdowns. What do we make of this?
(6:26 p.m.): The Buccaneers have scored 20 unanswered points after being behind, 31 to 0, and it didn’t take too long. Larry Fitzgerald fumbled, and it was returned for six. Telling by these notes, RedZone has shown nothing but this Cardinals-Bucs game. Is anything else going on?
(6:37 p.m.): Pittsburgh is holding tight in Kansas City. An empty trip for the Chiefs keeps the score, 12 to 3. Thoughts of last season’s playoff game; comparable by defensive mentality and low score.
(6:43 p.m.): 2006 Colts were the last NFL team that was last to be undefeated on the season and win a Super Bowl. This reference pertains to Kansas City as the last undefeated team of 2017. Chiefs-Eagles Super Bowl???
(6:45 p.m.): Leonard Fournette (Jaguars) hyper-extended his right knee on a cut move. Currently, Fournette is the best running back in the league; let’s hope that this outstanding rookie is OK.
(6:49 p.m.): Speed sweep to Cordarrelle Patterson (Oakland) for 50 yards and a touchdown. The Raiders have the lead against the Chargers.
(6:51 p.m.): De’Anthony Thomas (Kansas City) goes for 57 yards on a slide-and-up play up the sideline, catch, cut across the field, and a touchdown. The Chiefs are withing two points of the Steelers.
(6:59 p.m.): Antonio Brown has 52 Steelers’ touchdowns; his instincts are phenomenal. Brown watches as the football tips off the defensive back’s helmet, times the grab, and splits the defense with speed. Touchdown. Kansas City is iced.
(7:15 p.m.): The Chargers beat the Raiders with a short, last-second field goal, 17 to 16. Both teams are 2–4, which is crazy.
(7:16 p.m.): Fourth and 18 for the Chiefs at home, down six points, and one minute remaining at midfield. Pass incomplete. Jacksonville is 3–3, perfectly looking like a 50/50 team. Great, poor, good, satisfactory, average; no problem. Did the Lions win? (lost, 52 to 38). Regardless, Marvin Jones is sick.
Editor’s Note: The Kansas City Chiefs (5–1) play the Oakland Raiders (2–4) on Thursday Night Football to start Week 7. This is a MUST win for the Raiders.
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