Views from the Nosebleeds: 2016 NFL Regular Season, Week 7

As evidenced from last week's edition of "Views from the Nosebleeds", the "meantime in between time" leading into Week 6 had more compelling storylines.  However, coming into Week 7, the most interesting story was Stephen A. Smith's diatribe of Washington's NFL team.  Although the fellow Libra has been on my nerves for the past year or so for a plethora of reasons, I agreed wholeheartedly with him laying into the pride of Landover for being so arrogant in somehow thinking they arrived because they beat the Eagles for a fourth straight time, especially since they had a road trip date to face a quarterback who they've never beaten.  Outside of that, all was quiet on the Western front and I initially had to reach for this week's "Plus/Minus Take of the Week", which was originally about all of the key injuries piling up around the league.  However, once an unexpected development occurred in South Florida yesterday, it completely changed the tide.  Sometimes, you have to be patient and wait for the story, even if it's last minute.  Let's waste no more time, folks...

THE PLUS/MINUS TAKE OF THE WEEK: ARIAN AND THE CRIPPLED DINOSAURS (+97).  Sounds like the name of a progressive rock band who never received sustainable shine, right?  Follow me for a bit...when healthy, Arian Foster was one of the league's most promising running backs as a member of the Texans.  Predicated on a silky smooth running style, you could bank on at least 95 rushing yards, a rushing TD and 30 receiving yards per game from Foster.  Unfortunately, the undrafted back from Tennessee who rose through the ranks once Steve Slaton was hurt succumbed to the same fate as his predecessor in Houston.  His litany of injuries and conditions included hamstring pulls, an irregular heartbeat, a lumbar spine injury and an Achilles tendon rupture--ironically against the same team who picked him up after the Texans cut him.  Although he began the season as the starter, the injury bug wouldn't let him past Week 2, Jay Ajayi took the reins and we all know the rest ad nauseam.  Reading the writing on the wall from his injury-prone history and advanced age, the 30 year old decided not to put his body through another rehab and bow out gracefully.

Foster's retirement highlights what has become the least valued skill position in the NFL.  In the past ten years, we've seen former stars and hopefuls officially retire before 30 like Maurice Jones-Drew (29), Marion Barber (28) and Rashard Mendenhall (26).  Look at how Dallas and Washington allowed DeMarco Murray and Alfred Morris to walk away to rival teams, respectively--particularly Murray, whose 2014 campaign was remarkable with 1,845 rushing yards and 13 rushing TDs behind the league's best O-line.  Because the game has become more pass happy, draft experts will often scratch their head at any team taking a running back in the first round no matter how elite the player appears to be.  Consider some of the biggest busts of the past ten years: Laurence Maroney, Felix Jones, Beanie Wells, Toby Gerhart, Trent Richardson, Montee Ball and Bishop Sankey; everyone except Sankey has either unofficially retired or is in free agent status while Sankey is on the Patriots' practice squad.  Once you weigh a running back's big play ability against the rigors he endures being one of the most tackled offensive players on the field, overspending seems fiscally risky for a player who has the possibility of only lasting an average of 3.11 years--the shortest career span of any position in the NFL.  With four Pro Bowls, two rushing TD crowns and a rushing title to his name, Arian Foster had four quality years out of seven and a half in the NFL--which means he still managed to live a charmed life all things considered...

THE HOME FIELD ADVANTAGE TAKE OF THE WEEK: DON'T EVER GIVE MATTHEW STAFFORD OVER A MINUTE TO WIN A GAME.  Not even knowing the red-hot Matthew Stanford was 3-0 against Washington prior to Sunday, I didn't like this matchup for the home team because of the high level at which he had been playing.  Because I put the information out there about Washington's offensive line moving up to No. 4, of course they'd take a significant step back as pass pro was unimpressive--particularly against the normally-reliable Trent Williams--and Brandon Scherff suffered a shoulder injury in the second quarter.  Every time you want to like him, Matt Jones either has a dud of a game or puts the ball on the ground, which he did twice and lost a huge one in the red zone.  Thank Heaven for Chris Thompson and Robert Kelley filling in and contributing in the running and passing games--including a one-yard TD pass from Cousins to Kelley on a play fake.  However, despite most of their possessions getting to midfield or beyond, their miscues--including a trip and fumble by Kirk Cousins and two mental errors by Ryan Grant running the wrong route and an illegal formation which erased a big pass play--were their undoing as they could've dominated the Lions defense and won this game.  Give credit to Cousins for leading two fourth-quarter drives, especially on that remarkable read option play fake and scampering for an nineteen-yard TD to go up 17-13 late in the game.

Unfortunately, save for a few sacks and pressure plays, they couldn't contain Stafford for long.  Much like the O-line's problems, the absence of Josh Norman to a concussion while defending a 56-yard play from Stafford to Marvin Jones loomed large in the end.  Although the Lions didn't take advantage of Washington's lack of capitalizing on good field position for most of the game, having 1:13 left to score boded well as the Norman-less pass defense folded under pressure while Stafford moved surgically down the field.  Ironically, one of the biggest plays on the drive was to former Washington receiver Andre Roberts, who redeemed himself for an earlier drop with a determined 20-yard reception to land his team in the red zone.  Three plays later, Stafford delivers a picture perfect game-winning 18-yard strike to Anquan Boldin with Kendall Fuller in coverage.  Say what you want about Josh Norman getting "torched" in coverage on the play which took him out, but that drive could've gone much differently if the league's No. 1 rated corner were in the game.  Going across the pond to face A.J. Green and the Bengals--a team to whom they've dropped each of their last three meetings by seven points--they're going to need to tighten both the run and pass defense or they're going to find themselves at .500 again in a tight NFC East race.

SCRIBBLER'S GAME OF THE WEEK: SAN DIEGO CHARGERS 33, ATLANTA FALCONS 30 (OT).  I did not expect this to be a thriller and when the Falcons went up 27-10 at halftime, I frankly thought my assumption would be validated.  However, Melvin Gordon has not only looked like the league's most improved offensive player after a so-so rookie campaign, but he's also been the best thing to happen to the Chargers offense in the red zone this year.  In addition to his TD run to open up the game's scoring, he contributed another TD run to help make it 27-17 and caught a 5-yard TD pass from Philip Rivers in pushing the score to 30-27.  Although they struggled for most of the game--especially against the combo of Matt Ryan and Julio Jones--San Diego's defense limited Atlanta to three second half points and the still-injured Denzel Perryman came up with a huge pick to set up a Josh Lambo 33-yard FG to tie the game at 30 with 22 seconds remaining in regulation.  Despite an amazing 25-yard play from Ryan to Jones near midfield and getting as close as possible, Matt Bryant couldn't nail a 58-yard game-winning attempt.

Let me tell it, the play of the game has nothing to do with Josh Lambo's game-winning field goal: it has everything to do with the head-scratcher of a call by Atlanta's offense on 4th and 1 at their own 45 yard line.  Once they decided to go for it, everybody in the stadium including the youngest babies and the most senile senior citizens knew it would be a running play.  Unfortunately for them, they went with Devonta Freeman and allowed Denzel Perryman to make a game-changing play in the backfield instead of punting and making the Chargers drive the length of the field.  During the post-game press conference, Falcons head coach Dan Quinn explained the "logic":

Honestly, we had real belief we were gonna make it and keep the drive going and keep extending with it.  Just a gut feeling I went with and didn't work.  We could second guess it, that's easy to do, but it's more of a mindset.  I have such belief in the guys to get aggressive and get that half a yard that we needed and when we didn't, that was a costly mistake for us.

This defeat is much bigger than a gutsy call which would've been considered genius if they got the first down yardage.  This is the Atlanta Falcons team I expected to surface because their defense has been suspect for years and let them down in key moments of the game, especially they had San Diego on the ropes and down 17 points.  Granted, they still have a good lead on everyone else in the NFC South, but they appear to be Matt Ryan, Julio Jones, Devonta Freeman and Tevin Coleman or bust.  Meanwhile, the Chargers are still bringing up the rear, but at least they overcame their fourth-quarter and overtime woes for one game to keep the AFC West interesting.

SCRIBBLER'S CHECKDOWNS:

• GB 26, CHI 10: no Eddie Lacy?  No problem...you still have Aaron Rodgers at QB.  No Brian Hoyer?  Same result...the Bears still suck, especially when Matt Barkley is the substitute.  The trend of mind-numbingly boring prime time games continues;
• NYG 17, LA 10: not a lot of offense as Eli didn't even break 200 yards passing and Rashad Jennings scored the only offensive TD on only 25 yards rushing.  Meanwhile, killed by Case Keenum's four INTs--one being a fantastic Landon Collins pick six, which could be the defensive play of the year so far--Jeff Fisher could be out of a job if he sticks so hard to his guns instead of starting rookie Jared Goff;
• NYJ 24, BAL 16: bench Fitzpatrick, enter Geno Smith and he tosses a TD.  Smith suffers a knee injury, reenter Fitzpatrick and he tosses a TD.  Throw in another rushing TD from Matt Forte along with 100 yards on the ground and the Jets aren't as bad as they've been looking.  On the other side, Joe Flacco threw no TDs and two picks as the Ravens continue their slide while a division rival is climbing;
• CIN 31, CLE 17: let me tell you how unlucky the Browns are: five browns are around A.J. Green and he still makes a wing and a prayer of a one-handed catch at the end of the first half, which gets my vote for offensive play of the year so far.  Eighteen points per game doesn't matter against Cleveland's worst pro team who still hasn't received the memo;
• OAK 33, JAX 16: Derek Carr and Michael Crabtree are becoming like peanut butter and jelly as both are having solid seasons, especially Mr. Gold Chain Game.  Oh yeah, and how about punter Marquette King's 27-yard run on a blown punt to convert on 4th and 24?  That's what can happen when you've got a brother back there;
• KC 27, NO 21: the Saints aren't a good road team anyway, but they had the daunting task of facing a Chiefs team with the NFL's longest active home streak, an opportunistic defense led by Daniel Sorensen's 48-yard pick six and one of the best performing head coaches after a bye week.  Holding KC to 326 total offensive yards doesn't mean much as a sub-.500 team with a basura defense any other week;
• MIA 28, BUF 25: Jay Ajayi is easily the Dolphins' early-season MVP as he gashed another stout defense, joined the ranks of Ricky Williams, Earl Campbell and O.J. Simpson as the only backs to run for 200+ yards in back-to-back games and galvanized the entire team to perform well.  Meanwhile, not having Shady McCoy hurt the Bills on offense when it counted and that doesn't place them in an advantageous position looking ahead to the Patriots next week;
• PHI 21, MIN 10: despite tripling his INT total in one quarter against one of the league's premier defenses, Carson Wentz weathered the storm and was saved by his defense and special teams.  Meanwhile, the Vikings probably wish they had Andy Reid on their staff coming off of a bye as the last of the unbeaten teams has fallen;
• IND 34, TEN 26: this was nearly my pick for the "Game of the Week" until Mariota gave up a sack fumble for a TD with less than two minutes to go.  Luck is now 8-0 against the Titans as he and T.Y. Hilton might be the NFL's best quarterback-receiver tandem behind Matt Ryan and Julio Jones; 
• TB 34, SF 17: whether it's Gabbert or Kaepernick at QB, the 49ers don't win second halves and their last-ranked run defense is porous as they allowed Jacquizz Rodgers to gash them for 154 yards and Peyton Barber to rip off 84 of his own and a TD.  With three TD tosses, Famous Jameis did what he wanted to do, too.  The Niners are officially trash truck juice and Chip Kelly needs to go back to NCAA football STAT;
• NE 27, PIT 16: the Steelers actually had a chance with Landry Jones at the helm, but it's hard to outlast the Brady Bunch when you shoot yourselves in the feet.  The Steelers are still in good shape in the AFC North, but I'm sure they feel like Big Ben can't get back soon enough;
• ARI 6, SEA 6 (OT): if you love defensive struggles, then this was your game.  If you love kicking however, this was not your game.  Inept offense, an absence of a running game, being doubled up in time of possession and total yards, one of the poorest excuses for an offensive lines in the NFL and untimely penalties should've buried the 'Hawks, but their special teams "won" the battle--especially knowing the NFC West war could be won on Christmas Eve at CenturyLink Field.  SIDEBAR: how well-versed is Donovan McNabb on the OT rules now?  I need answers post-haste;
• DEN 27, HOU 9: as neither Brock Osweiler nor Trevor Siemian played barn-burner football at the QB position, this game was all about whose defense played better.  The Broncos as a unit proved why they're a championship defense while the Texans run defense without J.J. Watt continued their season-long struggles as C.J. Anderson and Devontae Booker ran roughshod for a combined 190 rushing yards and two TDs.  Both of these teams will limp toward playoff contention as their schedules toughen in the second half of the season.

SCRIBBLER'S CHOP LICKERS FOR WEEK 8:

• NE (6-1) @ BUF (4-3) 1:00 p.m.: the Bills stole a game in Foxboro in Week 4 and handed the Pats a donut, so the Brady Bunch will be looking to exact revenge in Buffalo.  Rex Ryan better hope his DBs don't run into each other and give up another fluke play or it's gonna be a long day in Western New York against the NFL's best team and Super Bowl favorite;
• SEA (4-1-1) @ NO (2-4), 1:00 p.m.: while the Saints don't have a winning record, they're always exciting to watch and seemingly invincible at the Superdome.  This will be another solid test for the 'Hawks defense, who should've taken Ls against two explosive offenses of the Falcons and the Cardinals in back-to-back weeks;
• GB (4-2) @ ATL (4-3), 4:25 p.m.: although I'm not the fan club president of either team, the head-to-head matchup between Mr. Discount Double Check and Matty Ice is still intriguing.  Hopefully, the Falcons don't let the Packers do what the Chargers did if they want to position themselves well in the NFC playoff race down the line;
• PHI (5-2) @ DAL (5-1), 8:30 p.m.: Carson Wentz vs. Dak Prescott...or Carson Wentz vs. Tony Romo???  Jerry Jones needs to listen to The O'Jays and Jalen Rose and give the people what they want.  Oh yeah, and whoever wins this game will lead the NFC East.  Hopefully, this SNF matchup will feature more scoring and won't come down to the kickers--although my money would be on Dan Bailey if it does.