Four Down Territory: Week 11

You have one job.

It’s bad enough that kickers aren’t seen as athletes and this past weekend didn’t help the cause to change that narrative. Sunday we saw a record number of PATs missed by kickers at twelve. The other half of that statistic is that, according to ESPN, kickers have made 44/45 field goals from the same distance this season. I don’t know if extra points are the upside-down of the NFL but the more kickers miss the more people like Skip Bayless will scream that aren’t important and should be eliminated from the game. That’s foolish, by the way. Without kickers who would the average Joe compare himself to when talking about how coach didn’t let him play and that’s why he’s not in the league? Kickers are a crucial piece to the self confidence puzzle.

Let’s start the drive.

1st Down: Well lookie here, The Rams and the King of .500 Jeff Fisher finally decided that Jared Goff, the number one pick just in case you forgot, was ready to play. I guess ten games of Case Keenum will do that to you. Goff’s stat line was putrid with him finishing 17/31 for 134 yards with 0 touchdowns and 0 interceptions. The uninspiring, conservative play-calling led to a 14-10 loss to the Dolphins in LA. One just has to feel bad for Todd Gurley. All that talent going to waste behind an offense that has nothing going for it other than him. The news just gets worse, Rams fans, after the loss Sunday Fisher is now the second-losingest coach of all time. Maybe the Rams will think twice before handing Jeff that extension this offseason. (Spoiler:they won’t.)

2nd Down: Speaking of Miami, the Dolphins are on a five game winning streak. They sit at 6-4 and second in the AFC East. It’s a long shot to catch the 8-2 Patriots but they are within striking distance. If the playoffs started today the Dolphins would be in 7th place, or the first team to miss the playoffs. The formula to this win streak? A healthy dose of Jay Ajayi (best waiver wire pickup of the year for me) and a defense that’s stingy when it comes to passing yards, ranking 8th. The schedule isn’t too bad for Miami the rest of the way so don’t be shocked if the words playoffs and Dolphins are in the same sentence for a while.

3rd Down: At the beginning of the season the Bengals were pegged as on of the AFC’s elites. They had a great defense, a stud at receiver, a game changing tight end, a legit running back, and a quarterback that wasn’t elite but can drive the car safely. Eleven weeks in and the injury bug has called Cincinnati home. Tyler Eifert‘s year started off slowly while he battled injuries, Andy Dalton is dealing with a shoulder issue, Rey Maualuga is hampered with a fibula problem, Dre Kirkpatrick is fighting a bad knee, Giovani Bernard tore his ACL, and to top it all off A.J. Green‘s hamstring is in flux. The Bengals are 3-6-1 and are playing for a draft pick. Marvin Lewis’ job is in jeopardy and times in Cincinnati aren’t going well. Cheer up though, Bengals, you could be the Browns. Am I right?

 4th Down: Sunday America tuned in for a battle of the birds that took place in Seattle. The Seahawks and Eagles faced off and, to put it lightly, the Seahawks showed who was superior. The Legion of Boom had its way with Carson Wentz, intercepting him twice. The young Eagle did throw for two touchdowns but the game was already sealed when the second one was thrown. The main story from the game, though, was Nelson Agholor. The second-year, USC product, dropped a crucial pass in the second quarter and made a bonehead mistake that cost the Eagles a touchdown that would have put them up 14-13 in the second quarter.

Eagles fans are all too familiar with Nelson.

The one consistent theme throughout Philadelphia’s season is drops by receivers, Agholor specifically. It’s gotten so bad that Jimmy Kempski, from the Philadelphia Voice, created this magnificent gif to illustrate Nelson’s lack of catching ability.

Nelson Agholor continues to Agholor. pic.twitter.com/WoTAXniKBY

— Jimmy Kempski (@JimmyKempski) November 20, 2016

If the Eagles plan on going anywhere anytime soon then they need to help Carson by giving him receivers that can, let me think, actually catch the ball.

Extra Tidbits: Don’t look now but the Raiders are first in the AFC. At least Brock can blame the green light this week for his mediocrity. Tony Romo is a better man than me; Jason Garrett is paid to make tough decisions and I would make him choose. Chip Kelly can pretend all he wants that he’s the 49ers coach but I’m sure once LSU and Notre Dame call he’ll be doing his best Bobby Petrino impression.

Tweet Me: @mattgarrett41

As always, thanks for reading.

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