Down To The Wire

Normally with a matchup like this one on Sunday night, it falls short of expectations. It was looking like that until the Philadelphia Eagles decided to make it interesting in the second half. They were down 17-6 late in the 3rd quarter when QB Carson Wentz threw a touchdown pass to Nelson Agholor. Then with about three minutes left in the game, Wentz ran for the go ahead touchdown and converted the 2-point try. Problem with that is with the way the Eagles defense was playing in the first half there was too much time left for Matt Ryan and the Falcons to respond. They did with a quick screen to Julio Jones and the result was a 54-yard touchdown. This wasn’t a well played game by either team, but it showed just how good they can be. If there aren’t any major injuries going forward these two could have another playoff matchup in their future.

Have They Found A Kicker?

The running joke all offseason was of course the ‘double doink’ from last years Wild Card game between the Eagles and the Chicago Bears. That involved the missed field goal by former Bears kicker Cody Parkey who hit the upright twice yet the ball didn’t go thru. Enter Eddy Pineiro who had already made a 40-yard and 52-yard field goal in the game against the Denver Broncos. The Bears managed to get in field goal range with one second left on the clock. The offense had been a mess all day, but they set Pineiro up for success. He promptly nails the 53-yard game winning field goal and all of Chicago rejoiced. The rookie kicker has past a big test right now, but if the Bears want to be considered legitimate contenders going forward, that offense needs to shape up fast.

Injuries To Franchise Quarterbacks

Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger appeared to injure his elbow on a non-contact play after throwing the ball. Surgery is required and his season is over. They have not specified what the injury is, but suffice it to say my guess would be a ligament, aka Tommy John. With his season over the Steelers now need to figure out what they have in Mason Rudolph. He was a third round pick in 2018 from Oklahoma State. He showed he can handle the reigns when coming in for Roethlisberger against Seattle. It didn’t result in a victory, but he showed some promise. Another injury occurred to a franchise quarterback with the New Orleans Saints’ Drew Brees. His right thumb was smashed by LA Rams lineman Aaron Donald and didn’t return to the game. It was revealed a ligament was torn and surgery required. His season isn’t over, but he will miss at least a month and possibly six weeks. Teddy Bridgewater is the backup and he is a former first round pick of the Minnesota Vikings. His career showed promise early until a devastating leg injury ended his tenure there. The wild card for the Saints is Taysom Hill who is a former BYU quarterback, but has been utilized in many ways as a running back, receiver and even a special teams contributor. Both Pittsburgh and New Orleans got a wakeup call and should start planning for the future.