It has only taken 15 weeks but finally the San Francisco 49ers have thrown a touchdown pass to someone who is not called Davis or Boldin. This week Michael Crabtree became the third receiver to catch a touchdown from Colin Kaepernick. When you think about it, it seems amazing that a team as good as the 49ers had only completed touchdown passes to two receivers prior to this week.
Okay so onto their game this week and the 49ers took on the Tampa Bay Buccaneers who themselves had nothing to play for but pride. San Francisco took a little while to get warmed up in this one but they managed to find the endzone halfway through the first quarter when Colin Kaepernick connected with Michael Crabtree for the score. Once warmed up the 49ers went on to dominate the first half and would score a further 10 points before Tampa Bay finally worked the score board on an 11 yard touchdown reception by Vincent Jackson. On a side note, Vincent Jackson has been one of the best receivers over the last two years in my eyes and I hope he gets the recognition he deserves with a trip to the pro bowl this year!
Apologies for my digression there but I just wanted to get that off my chest. Back to the game now and the second half saw further domination from the 49ers as they scored three field goals and a touchdown courtesy of the muffed kickoff return, click on the picture below to check the highlight:
Tampa did manage to score a consolation touchdown in the fourth quarter but this game only ever had one winner in San Francisco. The final score in this one was 33 – 14 to the 49ers.
Now we move onto a game which was surrounded in playoff implications as the New England Patriots took on the Miami Dolphins. Thinking off the Dolphins, remember when their cheerleaders recorded their own video version of ‘call me maybe’ by Carly Rae Jepson, oh really you don’t, well then allow me to share the video below:
New England went into the game knowing a win could seal the AFC East division title whilst Miami could land themselves in the sixth and final playoff spot with a win. The Dolphins would also eliminate a few teams from the playoff race with a victory.
This game defiantly started off as a slow burner with the only score in the first quarter coming on a 22 yard field goal from Stephen Gostkowski of the New England Patriots. In the second quarter we also waited a long time for any scoring and then like London buses, two came along inside the last two minutes of the half when both New England and Miami scored a touchdown. Going into halftime the score was nicely poised at 10 – 7 to the Patriots.
In the third quarter the Dolphins got the only score on a 32 yard field goal making it 10 all heading into the fourth quarter. At this point I was starting to hope we would see another finish like the Baltimore game last week. Unfortunately we didn’t get the same number of scores but we certainly got the drama.
Miami drew the first blood in the fourth quarter as they took the lead thanks to a two yard pass from Ryan Tannehill to Daniel Thomas. New England then hit back with a 23 yard field goal and a 24 yard touchdown pass to Julian Edelman with just over four minutes left in the game. The Dolphins now had the ball back and I had two questions, can they score? And how much time will they leave Tom Brady at the end to try and win the game.
In answer to my first question, yes the Dolphins could score and they got the go ahead touchdown with a 14 yard touchdown pass to Marcus Thigpen. Although the Dolphins did well to score I thought the one minute fifteen they left Brady may prove costly. With the game on the line the Dolphins defence looked like they really wanted the win and although the Patriots got near the halfway line the Dolphins defence got them to fourth and eight. The game was on the line and true to form Brady got the first down and drove the Patriots to the Dolphins 14 yard line. From here they had four shots at the endzone and on fourth down Brady threw to the endzone where it was picked off by the Dolphins cornerback Michael Thomas. Miami got a much needed win and New England will now have to wait another week until the can claim the AFC East Title.
With this win the Dolphins move to 8 – 6 and find themselves in the sixth playoff spot in the AFC. This win also meant that five teams including my beloved Buffalo Bills were eliminated from the Playoff race. Now as I feel bad for our female readers having to watch the Dolphins cheerleaders, here is another version of ‘call me maybe’ you may find amusing by the king of parodies, Bart Baker:
Okay so with the playoffs just around the corner let’s check out the week 15 scores before we digest what they mean for the playoff race:
San Diego 27 vs 20 Denver
Buffalo 27 vs 20 Jacksonville
Washington 26 vs 27 Atlanta
Chicago 38 vs 31 Cleveland
Houston 3 vs 25 Indianapolis
New England 20 vs 24 Miami
Philadelphia 30 vs 48 Minnesota
Seattle 23 vs 0 New York Giants
San Francisco 33 vs 14 Tampa Bay
Kansas City 56 vs 31 Oakland
New York Jets 20 vs 30 Carolina
Green Bay 37 vs 36 Dallas
Arizona 37 vs 34 Tennessee (OT)
New Orleans 16 vs 27 St Louis
Cincinnati 20 vs 30 Pittsburgh
To be played Monday 16th November 2013-12-16
Baltimore vs Detroit
Buffalo 27 vs 20 Jacksonville
Washington 26 vs 27 Atlanta
Chicago 38 vs 31 Cleveland
Houston 3 vs 25 Indianapolis
New England 20 vs 24 Miami
Philadelphia 30 vs 48 Minnesota
Seattle 23 vs 0 New York Giants
San Francisco 33 vs 14 Tampa Bay
Kansas City 56 vs 31 Oakland
New York Jets 20 vs 30 Carolina
Green Bay 37 vs 36 Dallas
Arizona 37 vs 34 Tennessee (OT)
New Orleans 16 vs 27 St Louis
Cincinnati 20 vs 30 Pittsburgh
To be played Monday 16th November 2013-12-16
Baltimore vs Detroit
Heading into week 15 there were 25 teams who could still make the playoffs however thanks to the above results things have become quite a bit clearer.
We shall start our round up in the AFC East. We already know that Miami are currently in sixth place and New England are one win away from the division title but what about the other teams. Well Buffalo are eliminated however there is a still a glimmer of hope for New York Jets fans as they have yet to be eliminated.
The AFC North has several different scenarios which could result in Cincinnati, Baltimore or Pittsburgh going to the playoffs with Cleveland being the only eliminated team. At the moment Cincinnati are leading the charge at 9-5 but Baltimore can move one step closer with a win tonight.
The AFC South is probably the easiest to talk about because Indianapolis has won the division and the other three teams have been eliminated from the playoff race.
The final division in the AFC is the AFC West. Now both Denver and Kansas have clinched a playoff berth but who will win the division and who will be the fifth seed. Denver currently have the edge on head to head victories but they are one loss from disaster. San Diego can also still make the playoffs at sixth seed and currently have a record of 7 – 7. Oakland meanwhile are eliminated.
Now we move onto the NFC and we start with the NFC East. Both the New York Giants and Washington Redskins are eliminated which leaves Philadelphia and Dallas to battle for the division crown. The Eagles currently have a one game lead but the two teams play each other in week 17 which will certainly decide the division.
The NFC North is also looking to go down to the wire as the Bears, Lions and Packers remain within a game of each other. The Lions could go top again with a win tonight but with a tie in their record the Packers could stay throw a spanner in the works. The Vikings have been eliminated from the picture despite their win against the Eagles this week.
The NFC South is similar to the AFC west in that the top two teams have the same record separated only by their head to head results which puts the New Orleans Saints above the Carolina Panthers. Both teams look certain to reach the postseason however Tampa and Atlanta will be planning for next year.
We finish off the round up in the NFC West where Seattle has clinched a playoff spot but still require a win to secure the division. San Francisco look certain to get a wild card spot providing they do not lose either of their last games. The Arizona Cardinals are not out of the picture either at 9 – 5 they could easily cause an upset. Unfortunately for my friend Marcus, the St Louis Rams will not be going into the playoffs this year despite their win over the Saints this week.
So to recap if the league finished today here is how the playoff picture would look:
AFC
1. Denver 11 – 3
2. New England 10 – 4
3. Cincinnati 9 – 5
4. Indianapolis 9 – 5
5. Kansas City 11 – 3
6. Miami 8 – 6
NFC
1. Seattle 12 – 2
2. New Orleans 10 – 4
3. Philadelphia 8 – 6
4. Chicago 8 – 6
5. Carolina 10 – 4
6. San Francisco 10 – 4
AFC
1. Denver 11 – 3
2. New England 10 – 4
3. Cincinnati 9 – 5
4. Indianapolis 9 – 5
5. Kansas City 11 – 3
6. Miami 8 – 6
NFC
1. Seattle 12 – 2
2. New Orleans 10 – 4
3. Philadelphia 8 – 6
4. Chicago 8 – 6
5. Carolina 10 – 4
6. San Francisco 10 – 4
If you are new to the sport and are wondering why the teams at number 5 have a better record than some of the teams above them here is how the seeding works. The four division winners will always be seeded from 1 – 4 depending on their win record. The two final spots are known as the wildcard spots and these go to the next two best teams in the conference that have not won their division.
Well that is all from me this week but be sure to check out our podcast ‘Spitball’ later in the week. You can also get in touch with us via the social media icons at the top of the page or by leaving a comment. If you see yourself as a hardcore fan then why not get in touch and tell us why you should be our fanzone hall of famer for your team!
Until next time football fans, stay safe, take care and ‘Thanks for Stopping By’.