To Kick, Or Not To Kick?

That was the question for the Denver Broncos when they decided to put their kicker Brandon McManus out for a 62 yard field goal attempt in overtime. Had he made the attempt, the game would have been a victory for Denver. He didn’t make it and now everyone is second guessing that decision. Even the decision of WR Bennie Fowler to run for a touchdown in the fourth quarter rather than go down at the one yard line has been put up for debate. First off, I don’t blame Denver for attempting the field goal. McManus has one of the stronger legs in the league and he didn’t miss by a lot. As for Fowler, what the hell is he supposed to do when he catches a pass on the run that puts the Broncos up by two scores in the fourth quarter? It was a hard fought game and Denver got the raw end of the stick. Good thing we get to see these two play again on Christmas day.

Is It Their Time?

I can’t remember a time when a football team this late in the season had won all of their games while they were trailing in the fourth quarter for all of them. Detroit has won 7 games so far and they were probably supposed to lose a good chunk of them. Credit to them for not going back to their old ways of finding ways to lose close games. This team has a different attitude about them and it certainly could be a good sign going forward that they mean business. If they manage to clinch a playoff spot, they’ll be a tough matchup for anyone in January.

A Dislocated Pinky?

I know I’ve been asking a lot of questions, but this one needs to be asked. Derek Carr briefly left the game against Carolina with what was described afterwards as a dislocated pinky. When he came back, you would figure that kind of injury would have some effect on his throwing ability. It sure didn’t look like it did as he methodically kept the Raiders ahead of Carolina for the eventual victory. The way the video looked of his pinky finger, he could have easily broken it. For his sake and that of Oakland, it’s a good thing it was only a dislocation. They remain atop the AFC thanks in large part to his MVP like season.