NFL 2015 Week 11: the dawn of the Age of Osweiler

[Nictarion]

This loss really hurts with Denver winning too. We better get our shit together if we don't want to lose that 2nd seed. 

[Manhole Eunuchsbane]

 I hate to be that guy, but I have to think that the reffing literally cost the Bengals this game. So many bad calls at crucial moments. This crew is bad and should feel bad.

[Jace, Extat]

 I hate to be that guy, but I have to think that the reffing literally cost the Bengals this game. So many bad calls at crucial moments. This crew is bad and should feel bad.

You belong in a tree.

[SkynJay]

This loss really hurts with Denver winning too. We better get our shit together if we don't want to lose that 2nd seed. 

You are helped by the fact that the Hoody is as we speak watching tape of Brock and cackling softly to himself. 

[Mexal]

 I hate to be that guy, but I have to think that the reffing literally cost the Bengals this game. So many bad calls at crucial moments. This crew is bad and should feel bad.

It certainly didn't help. Never fun to have to fight the refs and a really good team.

That being said, Bengals had their opportunities. They had zero fumble luck throughout the game. They allowed Palmer to throw 3 passes for 60 yards in under a minute with no timeouts. They had an opportunity to get the first down and run down the clock on a 3rd and 2 but instead chose to throw for the end zone. It was the little things that lost them the game in the end, that and their entire secondary decimated by injury in this game.

I don't know what the narrative is today but on twitter, with national writers, it was the same as always. No recognition that they were down by 10 pts with 6 minutes left and managed to come back. No recognition that they scored 31 pts on the road in a prime time game. The narrative took over and it was about another prime time loss and how they're still poor when the lights are on. Pretty standard and mostly expected.

[Nictarion]

Despite my 3rd period meltdown, I was actually pretty impressed with their resilience late in the game. It was looking like a blowout was coming, and they did a great job battling back. 

That said, I'm still pretty upset over that 3rd & 2nd pass attempt. Just terrible coaching and clock management. The final drive by Palmer I can accept, as we were missing Jones and Dennard, but not running the ball (especially when Gio would have had it easily) and killing some clock was just so damn stupid. 

I'm trying to keep perspective though, we are still 8-2, and lost both games by only one score. 

[Independent George]

Don't look now, but the Cowboys are only 2 games behind a positively mediocre Giants in an awful NFC East.

[Maithanet]

Don't look now, but the Cowboys are only 2 games behind a positively mediocre Giants in an awful NFC East.

It's true, but they are entering what is actually the hardest part of their schedule.  They already have seven losses, and they still have games against the Panthers and @ GB.  If the Cowboys could have gone 2-5 over their 7 game Romo-less streak, they would be just fine right now at 5-5.  But instead they are 3-7, and have virtually no margin for error. 

[Kindly Old Man]

If they do win out and make the playoffs, Romo for MVP?

[Howdyphillip]

If they do win out and make the playoffs, Romo for MVP?

Without question Romo would be the MVP if this happened. I don't even care what his numbers look like to get this achievement.  There is little to no chance of this happening though, so I think that Brady and Newton are probably safe this year.

[Mr. Chatywin et al.]

 I hate to be that guy, but I have to think that the reffing literally cost the Bengals this game. So many bad calls at crucial moments. This crew is bad and should feel bad.

There was a lot of bad officiating yesterday.

The GB v Min game was terrible. Some how at half time the Vikings had over 100 penalty yards and yet not one pentaly was called on the Packers other than one that was nullified by an egregious roughing the passer call. And what made that even worse is it was in no way a good call and on the following drive Bridgewater was sacked via a blatent face masking and was hit on the head the previous play. Neither were called.

[Mexal]

There was a lot of bad officiating yesterday.

The GB v Min game was terrible. Some how at half time the Vikings had over 100 penalty yards and yet not one pentaly was called on the Packers other than one that was nullified by an egregious roughing the passer call. And what made that even worse is it was in no way a good call and on the following drive Bridgewater was sacked via a blatent face masking and was hit on the head the previous play. Neither were called.

Penalties need to be reviewable. They are such a big part of the game, positively or negatively and given how poor the refs are, they need to start getting reviewed. It's becoming comical. 

[DanteGabriel]

Penalties need to be reviewable. They are such a big part of the game, positively or negatively and given how poor the refs are, they need to start getting reviewed. It's becoming comical. 

I'm going to guess that there will be more support during this offseason for Belichick's proposal to have everything reviewable. He didn't get much last offseason, but there seems to be a groundswell now, driven by some pretty atrocious officiating mistakes.

[Jace, Extat]

After a night of numerous questionable (at best) calls, Marvin Lewis has chosen to take his stance on one that seems pretty indisputable. Sure, I believe he was screaming 'get set, get set' as the Cardinals clearly lined up for a spike, and there's no way he knew that a false start there ends the game. I believe the penalized defender too, Marvin. 

Not a good look. I'd like to see the Bengals strangle the shit out of whoever they play next week.

[Mr. Chatywin et al.]

 

I'm going to guess that there will be more support during this offseason for Belichick's proposal to have everything reviewable. He didn't get much last offseason, but there seems to be a groundswell now, driven by some pretty atrocious officiating mistakes.

Is that realistic though? Wouldn't it massively slow the game down?

[Mexal]

After a night of numerous questionable (at best) calls, Marvin Lewis has chosen to take his stance on one that seems pretty indisputable. Sure, I believe he was screaming 'get set, get set' as the Cardinals clearly lined up for a spike, and there's no way he knew that a false start there ends the game. I believe the penalized defender too, Marvin. 

Not a good look. I'd like to see the Bengals strangle the shit out of whoever they play next week.

How is that indisputable? How many times have you seen that call made? I'm not sure I've ever seen that called.

[Kalbear]

Is that realistic though? Wouldn't it massively slow the game down?

No. You don't have all things reviewed - you have all things reviewable. You still have the maximum of two challenges per team with a third if they get it right. If you're really concerned make it so that penalties aren't reviewable in the final two minutes. 

[Maithanet]

How is that indisputable? How many times have you seen that call made? I'm not sure I've ever seen that called.

It isn't called often, but I've definitely seen it called.  The Redskins were called for it maybe 2 or 3 years ago.  IIRC it was London Fletcher. 

[Mexal]

It isn't called often, but I've definitely seen it called.  The Redskins were called for it maybe 2 or 3 years ago.  IIRC it was London Fletcher. 

I believe it. Feels like a call that people only remember if it happened to their team since it's rare. Either way, not sure how Pony believes it's indisputable that it was the right call given we can't see or hear what he was actually saying and Lewis went way out of his way to defend it.

[Jace, Extat]

How is that indisputable? How many times have you seen that call made? I'm not sure I've ever seen that called.

I think I've seen it called twice, can't really give you the exact games because I'm sadly not a robot. But you can see the guy next to Peco flinch like he heard a 'hike' even though Carson's clearly just watching the clock run to spike the ball and not even making a sound. Then the guard flinches and every member of the Cardinals' O-line starts pointing at Peko and trying to talk to the ref.

Not convinced by the O-line's immediate reaction? I get that, I wouldn't buy it either if the ref standing 5 yards away did not instantly throw the flag and indicate a penalty on the defense. Say what you will about shitty calls, I'll probably agree. But when you're talking about a flag on a dead-ball penalty in which the ref was standing five yards away and looking at what happened in a non-pileup situation, I'm going to assume he heard something to convince him to call an unusual penalty.

That's not  enough, ok... How about Peko's complete lack of a reaction when they're walking off the penalty? Defenders often get a little animated about penalties in general against them, but they tend to get REALLY animated when they know they didn't do anything wrong. When's basically the only time a player kinda shrugs and shuffles away? When they obviously did it and they know it.