Good omens from the Eagles big win on Sunday:
** The Eagles beat the Raiders 31-0 on Sunday. The last time they were up 31 points on any opponent? That would be in the third quarter of the Super Bowl, when they were up 34-0 over the Chiefs, just a short while before they hoisted the championship trophy.
** DE Brandon Graham had two sacks on Sunday. The last time he got to the QB? That would be in the win over the Rams last season, just before the Eagles went on a playoff run that ended in winning the Super Bowl.
** QB Kenny Pickett was the starter for the Raiders on Sunday. The last time he was on the same field as the Eagles? That would be in the fourth quarter of the Super Bowl, when the team was up by so much that he got a chance to go in with the scrubs.
** The Eagles won a game on Sunday. The last time they won a game? That was in November, when they beat the Lions, who were the team that got bounced by the Commanders in the 2024 playoffs, a week before the Eagles destroyed the Commanders in the NFC championship game en route to a Super Bowl win.
** The offense and defense for the Eagles both played spectacular on Sunday. The last time both sides of the ball looked competent at the same time? That was the 40-22 dominant victory by the birds over the Chiefs in February, which was when the Eagles won their last Super Bowl title.
QB: Trevor Lawrence, 54.30 pts — on the wire
WR: Amon-Ra St. Brown, 29.43 pts — started by Mom D
RB: James Cook III, 29.97 pts — started by Paul
TE: Kyle Pitts Sr., 34.57 pts — on Mom D’s bench
K: Jason Myers, 24.00 pts — started by Pop
DEF: Baltimore, 28.00 pts — started by Jeff
D: Jeffery Simmons, 12.57 pts — on the wire
Huge day for Lawrence, who is perennially hyped as one of the next great QBs and never seems to deliver. He has been solid all season but never topped 30 fantasy pts in any game until Sunday, when he threw five TDs and rushed in another one in a 48-20 dismantling of the Jets. Sadly for Lawrence, that total doesn’t even break the top five in fantasy points among QBs in the last 15 years. I’ve got this recap from last year with that list. https://captawesome.blogspot.com/2024/12/fantasy-football-2024-week-14-recap.html
Speaking of chronically disappointing, Pitts — the pride of Archbishop Wood High School — had a total of 31.13 fantasy points in his previous six games leading up to Thursday night’s matchup against the Bucs. He caught three TD passes in that game (he had one coming into this week) and notched 11 catches for 166 yds. Falcons officials hinted they may use the franchise tag on him in the offseason, because having one great game every two or three years is really all you need to survive in this league.
Myers kicked six field goals in Seattle’s win over the Colts. Good for him, but it was an 18-16 win, and if all you do in a game is kick field goals, you should be limited to a tie at best.
“Former Eagles QBs” edition
3rd place: Kenny Pickett, 1.26 pts — on the wire
2nd place: Nick Mullins, -0.20 pts — on the wire
1st place: Gardner Minshew, -1.12 pts — on the wire
It’s worth noting that all of these guys scored worse points than current Eagles backup QB Tanner McKee, who appeared in one series this week and collected 2.22 fantasy points.
Pickett was everything you hope for when you trade away a QB: inaccurate and uninspired. He totaled just 64 yds passing and threw one interception, showing why he was deemed expendable not just by the Eagles, but also by the Browns (who traded him to Las Vegas after sending the Eagles a draft pick for him).
And yet, Minshew was worse. He came into the Chiefs game for an injured Patrick Mahomes, then quickly threw a pick and ended Kansas City’s season. On the year, Minshew has appeared in three games and scored negative points in each one. Maybe that’ll change next week.
And Muillins? He counts. He was on the Eagles practice squad for part of 2021 before heading to Cleveland. He is also the grandson of Ernie Tabor, who pitched in the Philadelphia Phillies minor league system in the 1950s. So he has tons of Phill cred. No fantasy points, but tons of cred.
** On Saturday, the Athletic’s Alex Kirshner wrote that “this is one of the closest Heisman races ever” even while he acknowledged that the betting odds were heavily in favor of Indiana’s Fernando Mendoza (a $1200 risk would win you $1300). “The betting odds don’t tell the story of how close this race could be.”
And when the full vote came out, he was right — it wasn’t even THAT close. Mendoza had 643 first place votes. The next nine runners up had 273 first-place votes combined.
If only about 250 voters had seen the whole season differently, it would have been a real nailbiter.
** Following the Chiefs’ loss Sunday, which officially eliminated Kansas City from post-season contention this year, NFL.com’s Grant Gordon wrote that “it is the close of a truly special chapter in NFL chronicle, one in which the Chiefs and Mahomes became the defining team and player of the league.”
Just go ahead and read that first part of the sentence again, because I don’t think I wrote that the Chiefs were eliminated from the post-season forever, just this year.
Remember 2008? That’s the year after the Patriots lost the Super Bowl to the Giants, nixing their bid at an undefeated season. They had appeared in playoffs five straight years and won three of the prior seven Super Bowls, but in 2008 they missed the playoffs after QB Tom Brady got hurt.
It was the close of a truly special chapter in NFL history, as the once dominant New England franchise would never again rise to the same level of … just kidding, they made the playoffs the next 11 years after 2008 and won three more Super Bowls.
Chiefs QB Patrick Mahomes turned 30 this year. Maybe, just maybe, missing the playoffs once in his career doesn’t mean it’s time for retirement.
** Daily Mail headline on Monday: “NFL fans brutally mock Joe Biden as he makes huge Philadelphia Eagles gaffe”
His alleged mistake was attending the Eagles game on Sunday wearing a 2023 Super Bowl cap with the Eagles logo on front. The British tabloid noted that “Philadelphia actually lost that Super Bowl to the Kansas City Chiefs.”
And … that’s it?
Look, I’ll acknowledge that the former president should have enough cash to spring for newer gear. But I just attended an Eagles game wearing a Brian Westbrook jersey and a scarf from the mid 2010s. Is that not allowed anymore? Only championship branded gear? No 2004 division title shirts or Brian Dawkins memorabilia because they didn’t get a title?
I know this is more about the politics than the hat, but it’s not like the guy showed up in a “I like football” or “I hope everyone has a good time” shirt. It was an older Eagles hat. Simmer down, Brits.
** The Cricket Celebration Bowl
This game was played Saturday and featured zero celebration of the mysteries of crickets, which boast more than 900 species worldwide.
** The Xbox Bowl
This game will be played on a field in Frisco, Texas — and not on a giant stadium screen using an Xbox and a copy of NCAA football 2025, which would make so much more sense.
** The Snoop Dogg Arizona Bowl
The famous rapper and sponsor of the event is expected to attend the game, but he won’t be playing. Should he have to sub in for one of the QBs?
** The Trust & Will Holiday Bowl
It only makes sense to build an entire game around estate planning if you announce beforehand that the losers of the game will be executed.
** Bush's Boca Raton Bowl of Beans
The game will be played at Florida Atlantic University’s Flagler Credit Union Stadium, and not, as suggested, in a giant bowl of beans.
In recent years, the Cowboys’ season has been derailed by injuries to starter Dak Prescott. The team hoped to fix that problem this season with a more reliable backup. They settled on former Michigan Wolverine and New England Patriot Joe Milton. He provides the perfect blend of talent and work ethic that the team is known for. Don’t believe me? Just look at what the letters in his name spell out:
Dallas Backup QB Joe Milton III
** Skilled? Baa. I complain, quit job.
Quitting the job early is what the Cowboys are known for. Heck, they haven’t worked past early January in years…
** DE Brandon Graham had two sacks on Sunday. The last time he got to the QB? That would be in the win over the Rams last season, just before the Eagles went on a playoff run that ended in winning the Super Bowl.
** QB Kenny Pickett was the starter for the Raiders on Sunday. The last time he was on the same field as the Eagles? That would be in the fourth quarter of the Super Bowl, when the team was up by so much that he got a chance to go in with the scrubs.
** The Eagles won a game on Sunday. The last time they won a game? That was in November, when they beat the Lions, who were the team that got bounced by the Commanders in the 2024 playoffs, a week before the Eagles destroyed the Commanders in the NFC championship game en route to a Super Bowl win.
** The offense and defense for the Eagles both played spectacular on Sunday. The last time both sides of the ball looked competent at the same time? That was the 40-22 dominant victory by the birds over the Chiefs in February, which was when the Eagles won their last Super Bowl title.
WR: Amon-Ra St. Brown, 29.43 pts — started by Mom D
RB: James Cook III, 29.97 pts — started by Paul
TE: Kyle Pitts Sr., 34.57 pts — on Mom D’s bench
K: Jason Myers, 24.00 pts — started by Pop
DEF: Baltimore, 28.00 pts — started by Jeff
D: Jeffery Simmons, 12.57 pts — on the wire
Huge day for Lawrence, who is perennially hyped as one of the next great QBs and never seems to deliver. He has been solid all season but never topped 30 fantasy pts in any game until Sunday, when he threw five TDs and rushed in another one in a 48-20 dismantling of the Jets. Sadly for Lawrence, that total doesn’t even break the top five in fantasy points among QBs in the last 15 years. I’ve got this recap from last year with that list. https://captawesome.blogspot.com/2024/12/fantasy-football-2024-week-14-recap.html
Speaking of chronically disappointing, Pitts — the pride of Archbishop Wood High School — had a total of 31.13 fantasy points in his previous six games leading up to Thursday night’s matchup against the Bucs. He caught three TD passes in that game (he had one coming into this week) and notched 11 catches for 166 yds. Falcons officials hinted they may use the franchise tag on him in the offseason, because having one great game every two or three years is really all you need to survive in this league.
Myers kicked six field goals in Seattle’s win over the Colts. Good for him, but it was an 18-16 win, and if all you do in a game is kick field goals, you should be limited to a tie at best.
“Former Eagles QBs” edition3rd place: Kenny Pickett, 1.26 pts — on the wire
2nd place: Nick Mullins, -0.20 pts — on the wire
1st place: Gardner Minshew, -1.12 pts — on the wire
It’s worth noting that all of these guys scored worse points than current Eagles backup QB Tanner McKee, who appeared in one series this week and collected 2.22 fantasy points.
Pickett was everything you hope for when you trade away a QB: inaccurate and uninspired. He totaled just 64 yds passing and threw one interception, showing why he was deemed expendable not just by the Eagles, but also by the Browns (who traded him to Las Vegas after sending the Eagles a draft pick for him).
And yet, Minshew was worse. He came into the Chiefs game for an injured Patrick Mahomes, then quickly threw a pick and ended Kansas City’s season. On the year, Minshew has appeared in three games and scored negative points in each one. Maybe that’ll change next week.
And Muillins? He counts. He was on the Eagles practice squad for part of 2021 before heading to Cleveland. He is also the grandson of Ernie Tabor, who pitched in the Philadelphia Phillies minor league system in the 1950s. So he has tons of Phill cred. No fantasy points, but tons of cred.
** On Saturday, the Athletic’s Alex Kirshner wrote that “this is one of the closest Heisman races ever” even while he acknowledged that the betting odds were heavily in favor of Indiana’s Fernando Mendoza (a $1200 risk would win you $1300). “The betting odds don’t tell the story of how close this race could be.”
And when the full vote came out, he was right — it wasn’t even THAT close. Mendoza had 643 first place votes. The next nine runners up had 273 first-place votes combined.
If only about 250 voters had seen the whole season differently, it would have been a real nailbiter.
** Following the Chiefs’ loss Sunday, which officially eliminated Kansas City from post-season contention this year, NFL.com’s Grant Gordon wrote that “it is the close of a truly special chapter in NFL chronicle, one in which the Chiefs and Mahomes became the defining team and player of the league.”
Just go ahead and read that first part of the sentence again, because I don’t think I wrote that the Chiefs were eliminated from the post-season forever, just this year.
Remember 2008? That’s the year after the Patriots lost the Super Bowl to the Giants, nixing their bid at an undefeated season. They had appeared in playoffs five straight years and won three of the prior seven Super Bowls, but in 2008 they missed the playoffs after QB Tom Brady got hurt.
It was the close of a truly special chapter in NFL history, as the once dominant New England franchise would never again rise to the same level of … just kidding, they made the playoffs the next 11 years after 2008 and won three more Super Bowls.
Chiefs QB Patrick Mahomes turned 30 this year. Maybe, just maybe, missing the playoffs once in his career doesn’t mean it’s time for retirement.
** Daily Mail headline on Monday: “NFL fans brutally mock Joe Biden as he makes huge Philadelphia Eagles gaffe”
His alleged mistake was attending the Eagles game on Sunday wearing a 2023 Super Bowl cap with the Eagles logo on front. The British tabloid noted that “Philadelphia actually lost that Super Bowl to the Kansas City Chiefs.”
And … that’s it?
Look, I’ll acknowledge that the former president should have enough cash to spring for newer gear. But I just attended an Eagles game wearing a Brian Westbrook jersey and a scarf from the mid 2010s. Is that not allowed anymore? Only championship branded gear? No 2004 division title shirts or Brian Dawkins memorabilia because they didn’t get a title?
I know this is more about the politics than the hat, but it’s not like the guy showed up in a “I like football” or “I hope everyone has a good time” shirt. It was an older Eagles hat. Simmer down, Brits.
College football’s silly season is back, with 47 bowl games (36 non-playoff matchups) on the schedule for the next few weeks. Sadly, not all of them are the high-quality programming promised by their names. Here’s a look at a few of the worst offenders:
** The Cricket Celebration Bowl
This game was played Saturday and featured zero celebration of the mysteries of crickets, which boast more than 900 species worldwide.
** The Xbox Bowl
This game will be played on a field in Frisco, Texas — and not on a giant stadium screen using an Xbox and a copy of NCAA football 2025, which would make so much more sense.
** The Snoop Dogg Arizona Bowl
The famous rapper and sponsor of the event is expected to attend the game, but he won’t be playing. Should he have to sub in for one of the QBs?
** The Trust & Will Holiday Bowl
It only makes sense to build an entire game around estate planning if you announce beforehand that the losers of the game will be executed.
** Bush's Boca Raton Bowl of Beans
The game will be played at Florida Atlantic University’s Flagler Credit Union Stadium, and not, as suggested, in a giant bowl of beans.
In recent years, the Cowboys’ season has been derailed by injuries to starter Dak Prescott. The team hoped to fix that problem this season with a more reliable backup. They settled on former Michigan Wolverine and New England Patriot Joe Milton. He provides the perfect blend of talent and work ethic that the team is known for. Don’t believe me? Just look at what the letters in his name spell out: Dallas Backup QB Joe Milton III
** Skilled? Baa. I complain, quit job.
Quitting the job early is what the Cowboys are known for. Heck, they haven’t worked past early January in years…
** I went 1-2 against Dad this week, so he gets one in our picks showdown. For the year, he remains nine back. With three weeks left, his path to victory is slim. It’s not as bad as the Cowboys path to the playoffs, but still slim. ** The Christmas day games for the NFL will be the Chiefs playing the Broncos without Patrick Mahomes, the Commanders playing the Cowboys without Jayden Daniels and the Lions playing the Vikings possibly without a chance of either team making the playoffs. Solid work there, guys.
** Saquon Barkley had 78 yds rushing, 14 yds receiving and 1 TD on Sunday. The Raiders as a team had 75 yards net offense and no points on Sunday. So it’s not extreme to say that Barkley alone beat Las Vegas.
Week 15 standings
Family Cup -- regular season final standings
House Doyle: 30-12
House Garrity: 23-19
House Quinn: 16-26
House Shane: 14-26-2
Ollie and Jonathan had their title hopes dashed this week in very different fashions. Jonathan’s team had its worst performance of the year, allowing Shelly’s low-scoring squad to escape with a 78.22-67.30 win. Meanwhile, Ollie’s team scored 144.50 points but lost by two to Jim’s squad. I haven’t seen a team score that much and lose since … five times this season with Emma’s team.
Speaking of Emma’s team, despite a terrible regular season, the Unicorn Blobfish Empire will not finish in last place, thanks to a consolation bracket victory this week. Jimmy also won, leaving the Quinn boys to battle for the 11th place finisher prize.
Only four teams left for the championship: Jim, Shelly, Mike and Lexi. We’ll get that number down to two this week.
Awesome Cup standings
1 — One Plus One is Three SBs (Pop), 1,873.21 pts
2 — City Hands (Mike), 1,824.70 pts
3 — Still The Best (Jonathan), 1,823.90 pts
4 — Goederts and Monsterts (Bob), 1,786.93 pts
5 — Saquontum Leap (Capt. Awesome), 1,778.94 pts
6 — Vert der Ferks (Ant), 1,594.14 pts
7 — Schwarbombs (Jo), 1,548.15 pts
8 — The Fightin Pickles (Sam), 1,447.08 pts
9 — Blue Collar Killers (Jeff), 1,442.31 pts
10 — DeVonta’s Inferno (Mom D), 1,418.74 pts
11 — All Rogers No Sauce (Joel), 1,310.50 pts
12 — The B Sharps (Paul), 1,310.05 pts
Lots of shakeup this week, starting near the top. Mike’s team topped 156 pts this week and jumped from fourth to second. As the weather gets colder, his team heats up. Jonathan falls to third and is in real danger of not winning the league for a third year in a row, which I know will upset everyone.
Jeff’s team is quietly sneaking up the charts too — he was the second-highest scorer on the week (128.72) and overtook Mom D’s struggling squad in the standings. And Joel has climbed out of the basement by just one step over Paul’s team, Who didn’t start a QB or WR1 this week. In fairness, neither did the Raiders.
The NFL gave you one normal week of games, so now we’re done with that nonsense. This week features a Thursday contest, two Saturday games, 12 Sunday games, a Monday game and a partridge in a pear tree. Try to keep up, and get those rosters set.
1 comment:
Always a pleasure reading your recap. The Eagles need just one win in their last 3 games to clinch the NFC East and probably the 3rd seed spot. Go Eagles, Pop Shane
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