So it turns it out when it snows in Philadelphia it really snows and one of the best things about American Football is............ they play on anyway! Week 14 saw the return of the winter weather and it was not just in Philadelphia that the snow was coming down, but more about that later.
As you can see from the above pictures it was true football weather as I always like to say and it caused complete carnage for the Philadelphia Eagles and Detroit Lions this week in the snow bowl!
On to the game itself now and despite some early turnovers it was Detroit who scored the first touchdown on a two yard run by Joique Bell. Normally after you score a touchdown you would kick the extra point however there was no chance of that this week and so Detroit went for two points and converted with a short screen pass again to Joique Bell.
Philadelphia were struggling to get much going as their offense is very pass orientated and in that weather it just ground to a halt. Their problems were made worse in the third quarter when Jeremy Ross returned a punt 58 yards for another Detroit touchdown although this time their two point attempt failed.
As the game went on the weather started easing up and uncannily, Philadelphia started to move the ball through the air and Nick Foles connected with DeSean Jackson for a 19 yard touchdown reception. Philadelphia also opened up the fourth quarter with LeSean McCoy 40 yard touchdown run and followed it up with a two point conversion. Things were nicely poised at 14 all and the Eagles kicked off to the Lions and Jeremy Ross returned the kick 98 yards for a touchdown. Two returns for Ross in one game, this is quite exceptional really even in the snow!
Unfortunately for Detroit, this would be their last score of the snow bowl as Philadelphia then went on to score three more touchdowns to take the win 34 – 20. I strongly recommend you check out the highlights of this one by clicking on the picture below:
Another game hit by the snow this week was Baltimore Ravens vs Minnesota Vikings. Both teams have been struggling this year and that showed as in the first three quarters we only one touchdown and two field goals scored making it 7-6 to the Ravens heading into the fourth quarter. I would not have blamed you if you turned the game off at this point however if you did you missed what was probably the most explosive two minutes of football you are ever likely to see!
Before we get into that, the Vikings did manage a touchdown of their own at the start of the fourth quarter courtesy of an eight yard pass from Matt Cassel to Jerome Simpson. The next 12 minutes were reasonably uneventful until Dennis Pitta scored on a one yard pass from Joe Flacco. This was the start of the crazy two minutes and to show how crazy it was, check out the timeline of events below:
TD 02.05 Dennis Pitta one yard pass from Joe Flacco (Joe Flacco pass to Torrey Smith for two point conversion)
TD 01:27 Toby Gerhart 41 yard run (Blair Walsh Kick)
TD 01:16 Jacoby Jones 77 kickoff return (Justin Tucker Kick)
TD 00:45 Cordarelle Patterson 79 yard pass from Matt Cassel (Blair Walsh Kick)
TD 00:04 Marlon Brown nine yard pass from Joe Flacco (Justin Tucker Kick)
I think it only fair to give you the highlights as well, so please click on the picture below and enjoy!
TD 02.05 Dennis Pitta one yard pass from Joe Flacco (Joe Flacco pass to Torrey Smith for two point conversion)
TD 01:27 Toby Gerhart 41 yard run (Blair Walsh Kick)
TD 01:16 Jacoby Jones 77 kickoff return (Justin Tucker Kick)
TD 00:45 Cordarelle Patterson 79 yard pass from Matt Cassel (Blair Walsh Kick)
TD 00:04 Marlon Brown nine yard pass from Joe Flacco (Justin Tucker Kick)
I think it only fair to give you the highlights as well, so please click on the picture below and enjoy!
Now we move onto the Kansas City Chiefs and their match against the Washington Redskins. Although there was snow in Washington it was nowhere near as bad as the above games. Coming into the game Kansas City have lost three in a row after winning their first nine games.
To be honest though if ever you wanted to snap a losing streak then Washington is the team to face this year as they are less than a shadow of last year’s playoff team, Sorry Big Dog!
To be honest though if ever you wanted to snap a losing streak then Washington is the team to face this year as they are less than a shadow of last year’s playoff team, Sorry Big Dog!
From the first play it was clear that Washington would be no match for Kansas and that is exactly what happened. Kansas scored 31 unanswered points before we had even reached halftime and just when you thought redskins would make a game of it by scoring a touchdown of their own, Kansas returned the ensuing kickoff for a touchdown. Unless you’re a redskins fan I would check out the highlights by clicking on the picture below:
Now we move onto one of the sunnier games, weather wise that is, as the Cleveland Browns took on the New England Patriots at Gillette Stadium in Foxborough. Of all the games not to have snow, this one would have been last on my list!
In the first half New England were really struggling to drive the ball consistently and in fact they did not score a single point. Luckily for the Patriots, Cleveland were only able to score on two field goals and they did not capitalise on the turnovers they created.
We move ahead now to the third quarter where New England showed a little bit of life by scoring one field goal and one touchdown either side of Cleveland’s two touchdowns. Then in the fourth quarter, in a similar way to the Baltimore game all the action happened in the last three minutes. Firstly Cleveland increased their lead with a four yard touchdown reception by Jordan Cameron making the score 26 – 14. I honestly thought we were in for a shock just like back in November 2010 when the Browns beat the Patriots 34 -14!
I am sure you all know two things by now though and that is never underestimate the Patriots and a 12 point deficit with two minutes left is Brady time. All Patriots fans will be pleased to know that with a Julian Edelman touchdown reception, an onside kick recovery and a Danny Amendola touchdown led to a victory for the Patriots. The Browns did a shot at the win with a 58 yard field goal attempt but the kick was just too far for Billy Cundiff.
Here are all the scores from an amazing week 14 in the NFL except for the Monday Night Game to be played later today:
Jacksonville 27 vs 20 Houston
Cincinnati 42 vs 28 Indianapolis
Green Bay 22 vs 21 Atlanta
New England 27 vs 26 Cleveland
New York Jets 37 vs 27 Oakland
Philadelphia 34 vs 20 Detroit
Miami 34 vs 28 Pittsburgh
Tampa Bay 27 vs 6 Buffalo
Kansas City 45 vs 10 Washington
Baltimore 29 vs 26 Minnesota
Denver 51 vs 28 Tennessee
Arizona 30 vs 10 St Louis
San Diego 37 vs 14 New York Giants
San Francisco 19 vs 17 Seattle
New Orleans 31 vs 13 Carolina
To be played Monday 9th December 2013
Dallas vs Chicago
Jacksonville 27 vs 20 Houston
Cincinnati 42 vs 28 Indianapolis
Green Bay 22 vs 21 Atlanta
New England 27 vs 26 Cleveland
New York Jets 37 vs 27 Oakland
Philadelphia 34 vs 20 Detroit
Miami 34 vs 28 Pittsburgh
Tampa Bay 27 vs 6 Buffalo
Kansas City 45 vs 10 Washington
Baltimore 29 vs 26 Minnesota
Denver 51 vs 28 Tennessee
Arizona 30 vs 10 St Louis
San Diego 37 vs 14 New York Giants
San Francisco 19 vs 17 Seattle
New Orleans 31 vs 13 Carolina
To be played Monday 9th December 2013
Dallas vs Chicago
I would like to finish off this week by saying week 14 has by far been the single best week of the season so far in my eyes with so many close finishes and score swings at the end of games, just unreal. This is why I love the NFL ladies and gentleman.
Be sure to check our podcast ‘Spitball’ which will be available later in the week covering a few more of the amazing games from this week. Until next time football fans, stay safe, take care and ‘Thanks for Stopping By’.
Be sure to check our podcast ‘Spitball’ which will be available later in the week covering a few more of the amazing games from this week. Until next time football fans, stay safe, take care and ‘Thanks for Stopping By’.