10 thoughts on “2019-2020 NFL: Week 15

  1. Thu
    Jets-Ravens

    Sun
    Bears-Packers
    Patriots-Bengals
    Seahawks-Panthers
    Texans-Titans
    Dolphins-Giants
    Eagles-Redskins
    Broncos-Chiefs
    Buccaneers-Lions
    Browns-Cardinals
    Jaguars-Raiders
    Vikings-Chargers
    Rams-Cowboys
    Falcons-49ers
    Bills-Steelers

    Mon
    Colts-Saints

    **

    Earlier in the season I thought the Rams and Cowboys game would be good one, but now, the way both teams are playing, I don’t think so. I really hope the Cowboys can right the ship and win this one.

    Man, this is not good for the Saints:

  2. I didn’t watch the Jets-Ravens game, partly because I had too much information before watching it. I’m guessing it’s not worth watching? (Same with the Eagles-Giants game.)

  3. Panthers-Seahawks

    The Seahawks really need a playmaker on the DL. Clowney didn’t play, but I’m not sure he’s the guy. If the Panthers didn’t turn the ball over so much, this would have been a different game.

    The Seahawks aren’t that great of a team, but they may go far because the other teams aren’t that great, too. (But I’d still put some other teams above the Seahawks–like the Ravens, Saints, and 49ers.)

    Rams-Cowboys

    Weirdly, I enjoyed the Cowboys pounding the Rams. It’s not that weird in the sense that it’s not surprising I want the Rams to lose, but it’s surprising how much I enjoyed seeing the Cowboys do this.

    Rams are rhythm offense. In rhythm, they’re almost unstoppable. But once you disrupt this, via pass rush, they kinda fall a part. The key part of this is the run game, which the Cowboys made a non-factor. On the other hand, the Rams really didn’t try that hard to run the ball. Granted, they got really behind at some point, but I think they had time to try and run more. (They hardly used any jet sweeps or end arounds, too.)

    Patriots-Bengals

    The Bengals actually hung in this game, and looked pretty good–until they muffed a return, and Dalton threw two INTS (one pick 6). The Patriots still don’t look so good, but would it surprise me if they turn things around and win the Super Bowl? Nope.

    In my opinion, the Bengals aren’t as bad as their record. They have some nice pieces (e.g., on the DL).

    Falcons-49ers

    Stoked the Falcons beat the 49ers. The 49er front 4 couldn’t come through on the Falcons last drive. One interesting thing I noticed about the 49ers: You would think they are great rushing four, but I don’t really get that sense. Instead, they seem really good at blitzing.

    The 49ers secondary seems physical to me. They can hit.

    1. Don,

      How’d you like the Cowboy offense? I thought they did a good job of mixing run-based and pass-based offenses together. If this was the only game I watched, I’d have hard time saying what type of approach they favored, and I would describe it as balanced. In terms of the play calling blending these two, I thought it might have been their best game.

      1. Yeah, it was their best game. If anything they were run heavy which is probably a good thing. The problem is whether they will stick to this game plan when the run game is not working. That’s the question.

        The Rams defense was terrible against the run. I thought the Rams defense really had turned a corner (for the better), but it’s just their passing defense that turned the corner (maybe). Dallas’ receivers did nothing. Everything was to the TEs and backs in terms of the passing game. So I would say the Rams were able to take something away, it’s just their run defense was just getting gashed. That was surprising. Goff hurt his thumb in this game, and probably explains why he was worse than his normal self. But if Gurley is ineffective or the run game in general for the Rams, their offense will probably struggle, since Goff isn’t able to carry this team throwing it a lot.

    2. Yeah, it was their best game. If anything they were run heavy which is probably a good thing.

      I’d have to go back and watch the game, but yeah, the offense seemed tilted towards a run-based approach, but I wouldn’t say by a lot.

      The problem is whether they will stick to this game plan when the run game is not working. That’s the question.

      Yeah, and my guess is that this issue might be the young OC, who wants to shows his prowess via the pass game. (I feel like John DeFilippo is like this.) Running isn’t sexy enough, and even less so if it’s not getting good results instantly.

      The Rams defense was terrible against the run.

      I don’t know if I’d say terrible, but I’m comparing that to last year’s Rams run defense, which to me, was worse.

      Regarding the Rams defense, overall, my sense is that the key is the match-up with the OL. If the opponent’s OL can control the Rams DL, if not dominate, the Rams defense doesn’t look so good. But they can look great against a team with a vulnerable OL. The Steelers offense didn’t look so bad against the Rams–not as bad as I would have thought, and I think that’s because the Steelers OL is good. Seahawks struggled, but their OL is vulnerable.

      I think the similar dynamic plays out on the Rams offense. If their opponent’s DL plays better, then the Rams offense will be up and down. If not, they can look like one of the better offenses in the league. But in this game, I feel like the Rams just didn’t commit to the run–not just Gurley, but also jet sweeps and other constraint runs. Maybe the Cowboys did things to discourage this constraint runs, but against the Seahawks, the Rams really did a good job of mixing in various runs and sticking more with the run in general. I know at some point the Rams had no choice but to pass, but I feel like there was a lot of time before that where they could’ve ran the ball.

      When is Vander Esch supposed to return? I’m wondering if he could really elevate their defense. It seems like he’s hardly played this year.

  4. Texans-Titans

    This was a close game, and not poorly played, but I couldn’t get into as much for some reason.

    I don’t know if Tannehill is a franchise QB. He is better than Mariota, though. Also, he might be viable, with a great run game and defense.

    Packers-Bears

    Trubisky looked decent again, maybe more than that. The INT at the end was annoying.

    Rodgers doesn’t look so good in my opinion. I think it’s more than the lack of pass catchers. His footwork looks like it’s deteriorating, and it seems to be affecting his accuracy and timing. He looks awkward, in terms of balance, when throwing the ball.

    Vikings-Chargers

    Chargers. Turned. The. Ball. Over. Too. Many. Times. The end of the first half seems to epitomize their season.

  5. I thought the Bills-Steelers game was pretty fun. Good running and good D for both teams. I never heard of Devin Singletary but the guy looks like the real deal. I like James Connor too.

    1. Good running and good D for both teams.

      I agree. I don’t know if Singletary is the real deal, but he looked good in this game.

      The Steelers offense is kinda iffy, (Duck does seem to have a knack for completing deep balls, though), but watching the game made me think that the Bills have one of the best defenses in the league, if not the best. Actually, I think I may have to give it to the 49ers, when they’re relatively healthy. (I forgot that the 49ers were missing a bunch of starters, including Sherman. Also, Seahawks were missing a bunch of defensive starters as well, and may have lost Quandre Diggs for a while. Ugh.)

      In any event, I think I would choose the Bills and 49ers as the two best defenses. They both may not be great, but they’re getting close.

  6. Colts-Saints

    I don’t know if the Colts had injuries on the defense, but the Saints offense looked to be a in really good groove–or maybe I should say Bress was in a groove. He was a machine.

    Brissett seemed to struggle from what I saw, although the Saints seemed to blanket the Colts WRs, and the basically stymied their run game.

Leave a Reply to Reid Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *