NFL Week 16 Live Blog

NFL Week 16 Live Blog

It is Christmas Eve and for the Eagles, it will be the most tension filled afternoon of the season.  If the Jets could make an emergency trade for Michael Bush, I'd appreciate it greatly.

CLICK HERE TO GO TO LIVE BLOG!*

*If you got an email from me, please disregard it.  As I am sure you have seen, both Mookie and I sent live blog emails at around the exact same time.  Even creepier, we then notified each other that we both sent live blogs at the same time at the exact same time.  After one of us finally got a word in edgewise without the other repeating the same thought verbatim at the same time, it was agreed that Mookie would host this live blog.  If you clicked my live blog first and got worried because I deleted it, please, do not worry.  Just click on Mookie's invitation and go over there.  If you did not get an email and want to comment, click the above link and follow Mookie's instructions.  

NFL Week 16 Schedule

The Eagles need to beat the Cowboys.  The Jets need to beat the Giants.  If one of these things do not happen, the Eagles will be mathematically eliminated from playoff contention.

Thursday Night Football

Houston Texans vs. Indianapolis Colts  8:20 (NFL Network - Brad Nessler and Mike Mayock, SR: Alex Flanagan

Maps of who gets what Saturday afternoon games

CBS games

Denver Broncos vs. Buffalo Bills  1:00 (CBS - Jim Nantz and Phil Simms)
Miami Dolphins vs. New England Patriots  1:00 (CBS - Ian Eagle and Dan Fouts)
Cleveland Browns vs. Baltimore Ravens  1:00 (CBS - Spero Dedes and Rich Gannon)
Oakland Raiders vs. Kansas City Chiefs  1:00 (CBS - Kevin Harlan and Solomon Wilcots)
Jacksonville Jaguars vs. Tennessee Titans  1:00 (CBS - Bill Macatee and Steve Tasker)

San Diego Chargers vs. Detroit Lions  4:05 (CBS - Greg Gumbel and Dan Dierdorf)

Fox early games

New York Giants vs. New York Jets  1:00 (Fox - Kenny Albert and Daryl Johnson, SA: Tony Siragusa)
St. Louis Rams vs. Pittsburgh Steelers  1:00 (Fox - Dick Stockton and John Lynch)
Arizona Cardinals vs. Cincinnati Bengals  1:00 (Fox - Thom Brennaman and Brian Billick, SR: Laura Okmin)
Minnesota Vikings vs. Washington Redskins  1:00 (Fox - Chris Myers and Tim Ryan)
Tampa Bay Buccaneers vs. Carolina Panthers  1:00 (Fox - Sam Rosen and Chad Pennington)

America's Game Of The Week and other Fox late games

Philadelphia Eagles vs. Dallas Cowboys  4:15 (Fox - Joe Buck and Troy Aikman, SR: Pam Oliver)
San Francisco 49ers vs. Seattle Seahawks  4:15 (Fox - Ron Pitts and Charles Davis)

Sunday Night Football

Chicago Bears vs. Green Bay Packers  8:20 (NBC - Al Michaels and Cris Collinsworth, SR: Michele Tafoya)

Monday Night Football

Atlanta Falcons vs. New Orleans Saints  8:30 (ESPN - Mike Tirico, Ron Jaworski, and Jon Gruden, SR: Some Person)

Eagles Week 16 Recap: The Worst Possible Result For The Eagles?

In short, the answer is no. Here are the bullets

• There is going to be a natural tendency to panic and say "OMG the Eagles lost to the Vikings starting Joe Webb this team is not worthy of the UFL!," but take a step back from the cliff for a second.  And even though I may highlight a few players who had a good game tonight (and there were), that does not and will not change the fact that this was a complete and utter turd of a football performance from the Eagles.  Absolutely lackluster.  Andy Reid's idiocy made things worse.  A turd is a turd and that was a turd and I will not pretend otherwise.  This was a shit show.  But, look at the big picture here.  If the Eagles were going to have a shit show, this was the week to do it.  And here's why.
• I delineated the playoff scenarios earlier and while they are all moot now for the Eagles, there is something to be said.  Every scenario that involved the Eagles moving up included in some way, shape, or form, getting help from other teams.  You can say you like the odds of Green Bay beating Chicago, but many people liked the odds of the Eagles beating the Vikings by two touchdowns.  Yeah, that did not happen, now did it.  But there was no guarantee of the bye.  Thanks to the blizzard, this game was postponed two days and the Eagles were looking at the prospect at playing 3 games in 12 days if the Bears beat the Packers and the crazy 3-way tie scenario did not shake out.  For any team, that is a lot.  But for an Eagles team as banged up as this one is, that may have been the death nail.  Now the Eagles can rest Vick, Jackson, and Samuel, all of whom seem to be bothered by injury, and the rest all of their starters in preparation for the playoffs.  So essentially, the Eagles starters have a bye after all.  But the trade off is the Eagles have to field a team of bodies (hello starting safety Colt Anderson!) against the Cowboys and will have to play on wildcard weekend.  If given the option of losing this game, resting starters Week 17, and getting the 3 seed or going all out and winning the last 2 games, not getting the necessary help, end up with the 3 seed, and play a 3rd game in 12 days with this being an elimination game, I'd take the scenario that unfolded tonight.  Of course, a bye in the playoffs is the ultimate goal, but if you can't have that, this really is the next best thing.  3 seed in the playoffs and you can rest your starters Week 17.  Not entirely awful, folks.
• The Eagles had 12 penalties against them tonight.  Yikes.
• DeSean Jackson was a non-factor in this game.
• Andy Reid made an awful decision to punt the ball on a 4th and 18 with 4:30 left, down by 10 points, and carrying only 2 timeouts.  Yeah, 4th and 18 is a longshot, but by punting the ball you essentially concede the game.  You can't expect incredibleness like that The Miracle At The New Meadowlands to happen every game.  It's a long shot, but the Eagles are a big play offense.  You have to be aggressive at some point when you are trailing, and Andy Reid showed no aggressiveness at all.  On the contrary, the Eagles were plenty aggressive against the Giants on Sunday.  But at the same token, the Eagles were not faced with one 4th down on their scoring drives in the 4th quarter of that game, so who knows how aggressive the Eagles would have been there.  But regardless, the onside kick when they that Cooper recovered was absolutely aggressive and going at it.  Same with the play-calling.  This performance, on the other hand, was lackadaisical.
• The Eagles defense yielded only 17 points.  Even though it is not great against a team starting Joe Webb, it still should have been enough against the Vikings.  But too many offensive mistakes cost the Eagles in this one.
• Joe Webb was not great, but he did not screw up, which given what happened Monday Night against the Bears, is quite the feat for him.
• After all the delays and postponements the Vikings have faced this year, no one would have been surprised if they tucked their tail for this game, just wanting to get out of this season.  Credit to them, they played a darn good football game.  If Leslie Frazier is not hired as the Minnesota Vikings head coach, they are seriously very dumb. 
• Eagles who had decent games:  Kurt Coleman (despite 1 missed tackle that set up the game-clinching drive), LeSean McCoy, Jamar Chaney (despite 1 missed coverage that hurt the Eagles, as a 7th round rookie and a back-up who has not played a lot until Bradley got hurt, I was impressed), Brent Celek.
• Eagles who had bad games:  Everyone else.
• Andy Reid just said at his press conference that his team did not deserve to rest against Dallas.  They may not deserve it, but they damn well need it.  If the 1st team offense (and defense for that matter) sees more than 2 series on Sunday against Dallas, it will be a crime against football. 
• The Minnesota Vikings have just defeated the Eagles for the first time in the Andy Reid era.  A team with Brett Favre on it has defeated the Eagles in Philadelphia for the first time ever.  So there's those meaningless records we can be ashamed of losing.
• Andy Reid is lashing out at a reporter, the Eagles played like shit (and angered fans) the Flyers played like shit (and angered fans), Jody Shelley is getting his goon on and cheap shotting people, commenters on Broad Street Hockey and Bleeding Green Nation are getting into fights and arguments.  I think what everyone needs is a night's sleep.  So with that, the win probability graph (advancednflstats.com) is posted below and on that note, I bid you good night.

Tuesday Night Football Open Thread

IS OVER HERE. So go on, don't be shy, head on over to Keith's Sports Journal to discuss this Tuesday night clash between the Vikings and the Eagles.

2010 NFL Season Week 16 Live Blog

The initial plan for me was to take the day off and not live blog this week. But things changed, namely, the weather. In a period of 24 hours, today's forecast for here went from dry weather to a foot of snow with blizzard like conditions starting in the morning and getting stronger throughout the day and going all the way into the night. Enjoy the games, leave comments, and don't be a troll or you will face the wrath of the banhammer!

NFL Week 16 Schedule

What better way to spend your Christmas weekend than by listening to Joe Theismann try to analyze two games instead of one! Isn't this the most exciting news you've heard since the announcement of The Marriage Ref? Onto the schedule now. (all times ET; no games are bolded because I am home with NFL Sunday Ticket and the Sunday Ticket RedZone Channel)

Thursday Night Football

Carolina Panthers vs. Pittsburgh Steelers 8:20 (NFL Network - Bob Papa, Matt Millen, and Joe Theismann)

Christmas Night Special

Dallas Cowboys vs. Arizona Cardinals 7:30 (NFL Network - Bob Papa, Matt Millen, and Joe Theismann)

Map of who gets what CBS game.

New York Jets vs. Chicago Bears 1:00 (CBS - Jim Nantz and Phil Simms)
Baltimore Ravens vs. Cleveland Browns 1:00 (CBS - Ian Eagle and Dan Fouts)
New England Patriots vs. Buffalo Bills 1:00 (CBS - Kevin Harlan and Solomon Wilcots)
Tennessee Titans vs. Kansas City Chiefs 1:00 (CBS - Bill Macatee and Rich Gannon)

Indianapolis Colts vs. Oakland Raiders 4:05 (CBS - Greg Gumbel and Dan Dierdorf)
San Diego Chargers vs. Cincinnati Bengals 4:05 (CBS - Gus Johnson and Steve Tasker)
Houston Texans vs. Denver Broncos 4:05 (CBS - Don Criqui and Steve Beuerlein)

Map of who gets what Fox early game.

San Francisco 49ers vs. St. Louis Rams 1:00 (Fox - Kenny Albert, Daryl Johnston, and Tony Siragusa)
Detroit Lions vs. Miami Dolphins 1:00 (Fox - Dick Stockton and Charles Davis)
Washington Redskins vs. Jacksonville Jaguars 1:00 (Fox - Sam Rosen and Tim Ryan)

Map of who gets what Fox late game.

New York Giants vs. Green Bay Packers 4:15 (Fox - Joe Buck and Troy Aikman)
Seattle Seahawks vs. Tampa Bay Buccaneers 4:15 (Fox - Thom Brennaman and Brian Billick)

Monday Night Football

New Orleans Saints vs. Atlanta Falcons 8:30 (ESPN - Mike Tirico, Ron Jaworski, and Jon Gruden)

Tuesday Night Football

Minnesota Vikings vs. Philadelphia Eagles 8:00 (NBC - Al Michaels and Cris Collinsworth)

Week 16 NFL Live Blog

I'll be around today more than I was last week. Actually, outside of the Eagles game, I'll probably be around for most of the day/night. So enjoy the game, and remember, go Eagles!

Your Week 16 NFL Schedule

Well that was one ugly MNF blowout. In fact, I must say, that it was the ugliest Monday Night Football game since the 2009 Redskins last played on Monday Night Football.

Moving on, only 2 more weeks of football to go! There is a mass jumble in the AFC of 7-7 teams chasing 2 8-6 teams that is sure to come down to the wire, meanwhile, in the NFC, the Eagles have clinched and the battle for positioning has begun. For the longest time, it looked impossible that anyone would catch the Saints as the #1 seed and the Vikings as the #2 seed, and while the Vikings have little to no chance of catching the Saints, the Eagles are 1-game behind the Vikings and because of mathematic formulas and algorithms beyond my comprehension, the Eagles own the tie-breaker over Minnesota. Therefore 2 Eagles wins plus 1 Vikings loss (or 2 Vikings losses plus 1 or 2 Eagles wins) would result in the Philadelphia Eagles getting a first round bye. And that, my friends, would be huge for this Eagles team. (all times eastern)

Christmas Night Football
San Diego Chargers @ Tennessee Titans 8:20 (NFL Network - Bob Papa and Matt Millen)

Map of who gets what Fox game.

Carolina Panthers @ New York Giants 1:00 (Fox - Joe Buck and Troy Aikman)
Tampa Bay Buccaneers @ New Orleans Saints 1:00 (Fox - Kenny Albert, Daryl Johnston, and Tony Siragusa)
Seattle Seahawks @ Green Bay Packers 1:00 (Fox - Thom Brennaman and Brian Billick)

St. Louis Rams @ Arizona Cardinals 4:05 (Fox - Sam Rosen and Tim Ryan)
Detroit Lions @ San Francisco 49ers 4:05 (Fox - Dick Stockton and Charles Davis)

Map of who gets what CBS early game.

Baltimore Ravens @ Pittsburgh Steelers 1:00 (CBS - Dick Enberg and Dan Fouts)
Jacksonville Jaguars @ New England Patriots 1:00 (CBS - Kevin Harlan and Solomon Wilcots)
Kansas City Chiefs @ Cincinnati Bengals 1:00 (CBS - Gus Johnson and Steve Tasker)
Houston Texans @ Miami Dolphins 1:00 (CBS - Ian Eagle and Rich Gannon)
Buffalo Bills @ Atlanta Falcons 1:00 (CBS - Bill Macatee and Steve Beuerlein)
Oakland Raiders @ Cleveland Browns 1:00 (CBS - Don Criqui and Randy Cross)

Map of who gets what CBS late game

Denver Broncos @ Philadelphia Eagles 4:15 (CBS - Jim Nantz and Phil Simms)
New York Jets @ Indianapolis Colts 4:15 (CBS - Greg Gumbel and Dan Dierdorf)

Sunday Night Football
Dallas Cowboys @ Washington Redskins 8:20 (NBC - Al Michaels and Cris Collinsworth)

Monday Night Football
Minnesota Vikings @ Chicago Bears 8:30 (ESPN - Mike Tirico, Ron Jaworski, and Jon Gruden)

As hard as it is to believe, the Colts are 14-0 and have not once gotten Jim Nantz and Phil Simms on one of their games. And on their 2 appearances on Fox, they got Brennaman/Billick and Rosen/Ryan, respectively. The only time they got any lead team was when they were on Sunday Night Football 3 times and Monday Night Football once. Simply incredible that CBS continues to worship New England and Pittsburgh when one of the teams they cover regularly not named New England or Pittsburgh is currently going unbeaten. The counter to that argument, though, is who on earth have the Colts played? Their biggest match-ups, including the battle with New England have all been their primetime games, so I almost can't blame them, but at the same time, they went out of their way a lot in 2007 to make sure Nantz and Simms got Pats games and you know that Fox would go out of their way to send Buck and Aikman to any Fox game the Cowboys played if the Cowboys were unbeaten. I must say, though, that despite the playoff race, if the Colts have a chance to go for 16-0 next week, I don't see how Nantz and Simms don't get the job, even if it is a game against the Buffalo Bills.

Eagles Week 16 Recap (To be read like a Keith Olbermann Special Comment)

I didn't initially plan on doing it like this, I was more planning on combining this with the playoff scenario, but the more I think about it, the more it must be done like this. The playoffs will come either tonight or tomorrow. So even though it wasn't planned, a special comment on the play of the Eagles last night.

This weekend was the absolute perfect weekend. Perfect. Everything went beautifully. Beautifully. This was gonna be it. The week where Philadelphia magic once again happened. Everything was so beautifully laid out.

Too beautifully laid out. It was too easy. Everything was there and now it's come and gone. Dallas got humiliated the last game at Texas Stadium, Tampa Bay lost. Yeah, the Bucs lost! That's what the Eagles needed. This was going to be the greatest day in Philadelphia sports since Wednesday, October 29, 2008! All the Eagles needed to do was beat the Redskins. The measly Redskins who have been laying a turds in their last 6 games.........

The Eagles were the ones who laid the turd. It was all nice and polished as well. When the Eagles knew that they could win out and get in the playoffs with a Tampa loss, what happened? I, I'm speechless. HOW IN THE BLUE HELL DO YOU PLAY LIKE THAT WHEN YOU KNOW THAT ALL YOU HAVE TO DO IS WIN OUT?!?!?!

The Detroit Lions, despite being 0-15 and getting blown out by New Orleans, looked like a more competent football team. No wait, I take that back. The Detroit Lions' offense was more competent than the Eagles' offense.

Eagles fan couldn't have been happier with the play of the defense. Time after time the Redskins would get the ball at midfield and time and time again the Skins went 3-and out. At least half of the team showed up. At least half of the team wanted to win. At least half of the team cared.

Cared. That's the keyword. Where was the passion from the offense? Where? What happened? There was no life. Balls were dropped left and right and right and left. McNabb constantly threw behind his receivers. It's as if they were going through the motions. Like they didn't want to be there.

And they couldn't have been happier with where they ended up playing! Look, not everyone can end up in sunny, 70 degree, Tampa Bay, but did they not realize how lucky they were! Teams ended up playing in snow. The weather in Kansas City was 10 degrees. The kickoff temperature tonight in Chicago is 5 degrees! 5 DEGREES! FAHRENHEIT! Comparitively speaking, the weather last night in Landover, MD was 41 degrees at kickoff.

So what was the problem then? Why? Why play like garbage in the game you need most? Why throw away everything you got back after tying the Bengals and getting creamed by the Redskins? Why? Somebody please tell me why.

As much as I want to start the "FIRE ANDY REID!" chant for abandoning the run in the second half, the offense was just as futile in the 1st half when they were running the ball. But alas, we all know Andy Reid. That being said, though, he's not off the hook. I don't even need to watch his press conferences to know what he said. I'm sure it was something along the lines of, "It was my fault." or "I have to do a better job at getting our team prepared." or "We got outplayed by a better team" or "I was really craving a cheesesteak at the time and couldn't concentrate."

Okay, that last one was meant as a joke. But what happened last night was not a joke? Do you really expect, Coach Reid, that you can please Philadelphians with that kind of performance. Do can you, sir, honestly be proud of yourself? Can you be proud of the Eagles? Do you honestly feel, sir, that the Eagles gave it 100% last night. And lastly, and maybe most important of all, can you, Coach Andrew Walter Reid, look yourself in the mirror and not be ashamed of yourself? If you can, then you should never coach another game in the NFL again.

Good night and good luck.

Eagles Week 16 Preview

Who: Philadelphia Eagles @ Washington Redskins
Where: FedEx Field, Landover, Maryland
When: 4:15 PM EST
What Channel: Fox
Announcers: Joe Buck and Troy Aikman
Announcers' Talking Point of the Game: This is a must win game.

The Eagles have certainly seemed to have found their groove over the past 3 weeks. After what looked like would turn into a disasterous season is now not such a bad looking season after all. And now, the Eagles are, for the second time this year, playing the Washington Redskins in a crucial match in the NFC Wildcard.

The Redskins are still alive in the playoff race, but barely. A loss in this one and they will be spending the post season on their sofas. A win, and they are still alive, but would nonetheless need immense help in order to make the post season. The Eagles, on the other hand, have a more clearer road to the playoffs. A win here, and they'll be looking good to make the post-season, especially if either Tampa or Atlanta loses. A loss, and things will instantly turn really bleak in a hurry, and if the chips fall in certain places, a loss could, in some situations, knock the Eagles completely out of the playoff race.

Earlier in the year when these two teams met, a the Redskins won by stopping the Eagles on a late fourth down near the goalline.

This time, however, things seem to be falling apart at the seams for the Redskins. Clinton Portiss and Coach Jim Zorn are not on the same page. Hell, they're not even reading the same book. The Redskins are riding a 3-game losing streak and they have not played particularly well in any of those games. However, this is a team that does have some potential to play well. Jason Campbell at quarterback is always a threat and if Coach Zorn actually uses Clinton Portis throughout the game, the Skins can be tough to beat.

It is the home stretch for the Eagles and this may be their biggest game of the year so far. A win here, and that title will be given to next week's Cowboys game. The Eagles offense has been clicking on all cylinders over the past few weeks. However, last Monday against Cleveland, the Eagles seemed to sputter a bit in the redzone. They were down there 7 times last Monday, but only got 2 touchdowns, on the first and last possession of the game. The Eagles are going to have to convert their chances against the Redskins defense that is 5th in total defense.

Is this a winnable game for the Eagles? Absolutely. Can the Eagles slouch and play like they did against the Bengals and the Ravens and hope to win? Absolutely not. I'd expect a close game in this one. I have a feeling that the Redskins are actually going to show up and give the Eagles all they can ask for but in the end, I'm going to go with the Eagles 21, Redskins 20 as my prediction. The Eagles will only win or secure this one in the last 2 minutes, for the first time this year.