Review and Preview : Week 16

football, news, week 16

We’re having a bit of an adjusted review and preview this week since we have important matters to discuss: the playoffs. The playoffs are upon us!!!

It’s so bittersweet.

There are teams that are definitely out, teams that are definitely in, and teams that have to jump through 150 hoops but still have a chance to get in. Let’s chat.

Teams that are OUT

AFC

Jets, Titans, Bills, Raiders, Jaguars, Browns, Texans

NFC

Lions, Rams, Giants, Vikings, Falcons, Bucs, Redskins

Teams that are IN

AFC

Broncos, Patriots, Bengals, Colts, Chiefs

NFC

Seahawks, Panthers, 49ers

So you’re sayin’ there’s a chance

AFC

Dolphins, Ravens, Chargers, Steelers

NFC

Eagles, Bears, Saints, Cardinals, Cowboys, Packers

It’s a “win and they’re in” situation for two of the NFC games – Cowboys vs. Eagles and Bears vs. Packers. For everyone else, the playoffs are a tangled web we weave. There are multiple scenarios in which the remaining on-the-fence teams could be in or out. I would spell them all out, but it turns my brain into spaghetti. So I’ll leave it to the pros: the NFL has the full list playoff scenarios that could result from this weekend’s outcomes.

One thing is for sure: it’s going to be a great weekend of football.

Enjoy, everyone!

Postseason Prep : How Scoring Happens

football, basics, scoring

Here’s a football fact you already know:

The team with the most points wins the game.

See! You can do this!!!

While the most publicized (and coveted) way to earn those points is by scoring touchdowns, there are other ways to pad the numbers on your side of the scoreboard. In today’s postseason prep, we’ll talk about all of the ways that scoring happens.

ON OFFENSE

Touchdowns (6 Points) (Not 7!)

A touchdown is scored when one team gets the football into the other team’s end zone. If the football is entering the end zone by a running player, the football has to cross the goal line and be inside of the pylons to count as a touchdown. (Goal Line? Pylon? Greek? Check out this post.) If the football is being caught in the end zone by a receiver, the receiver must have two feet down in-bounds and have full control of the ball for it to count as a touchdown.

Extra Points (1 Point) (You already knew that)

As an added bonus, teams get to have an extra opportunity to score points after scoring a touchdown. Most will kick the extra point: a scoring attempt kicked from the 2-yard line that counts for 1 point. (That’s why it’s usually perceived that touchdowns are worth 7 points – 6 points for the touchdown + 1 point for the extra point = 7 points.)

Going for 2 (You guessed it…2 Points!)

Going for 2 is the other thing a team can do after they score a touchdown. Instead of kicking an extra point from the 2-yard line, they can try to get the football into the end zone (by running or passing – just like a touchdown) from the 2-yard line. If they do, they earn 2 points.

Field Goals (3 Points)

If a team decides to kick a field goal (why would they? find out here), it’s kicked from the current line of scrimmage (the imaginary starting line where the ball is placed) and it’s worth 3 points. One thing to keep in mind with field goals: the actual field goal distance is the line of scrimmage + 17 yards. So if your team is at the 30-yard line and decides to kick a field goal, it’s not a 30-yard field goal. It’s a 47-yard field goal. That’s because the goal post is at the back of the end zone (10 yards deep) and the kicker lines up 7 yards behind the line of scrimmage. 30 yard line + 17 extra yards = 47 yard field goal.

ON DEFENSE

Pick Six or Fumble Returned for a Touchdown (6 points)

A “pick six” is when a defender picks off a pass intended for a receiver and runs it into the end zone for a touchdown. He picked it off and returned it for a touchdown – 6 points – hence the name pick six. Points can also be scored on recovered fumbles. If a player loses the ball and a defensive player recovers it and runs it into the end zone for a touchdown, that’s also worth 6 points. (For all things turnovers, check out this post.)

Safety (2 points)

Just to keep things interesting, a safety is both a player and a play. Because why not? To make things even more interesting, safeties can be scored in a variety of ways: 1. If an offensive player is tackled with the ball while still in his own end zone, 2. If the offense gets called for a holding or intentional grounding penalty while in their own end zone, and 3. If the offense kicks the ball out of bounds or the quarterback steps out of bounds while in his own end zone. Safeties result in 2 points for the defense, and, salt in the wound, the offense doesn’t even get the ball back immediately afterward like they would after a scoring play on a turnover. They have to kick the ball off to the defense on their own 20.

ON SPECIAL TEAMS

Kick returned for a touchdown (6 points)

As we all saw in the Auburn Alabama game, kicks – whether missed field goals or kickoffs – can be returned for touchdowns.

And that’s a wrap! Even though scoring is traditionally thought of as the offense’s thing, scoring can happen by any unit at any time.

And that’s why we love football.

5-Minute Football : Red Zone

football, basics, red zone

NFL RedZone is a channel on the NFL Network. I’ve never actually seen it before but from the description I think it might be my own boiling point of brain. It just sounds so awesome.

But good news! The actual NFL red zone is a place on the field that everyone can see!

So, what is the red zone?

The red zone is the 20-yards prior to the opposing team’s end zone. (Need a refresher on end zones? Check out this post.) It’s called the red zone because it’s supposed to put you on high alert that scoring opportunities are ripe for the taking. The red zone is not actually red, which you already know, but here’s a visual to work with:

football, basics, red zone

Ok, so in this “rustic” visual, the team on offense is on the other team’s 15-yard line. That means they are approaching their end zone and are in scoring range. See how close they are to the end zone? In the red zone – anywhere within 20-yards of the opposing team’s end zone – they can reasonably score, either by field goal or touchdown.

There’s nothing significant or specific that happens when a team enters the red zone. It’s not like they earn any special privileges. The just the name for a section of the field, same as “end zone” or “side lines.”

At the Water Cooler : Week 16

football, games, week 16

Denver Broncos at Houston Texans (Broncos won, 37-13)

Peyton Manning wrote another line in his legacy yesterday: most touchdowns thrown in a season. In his postgame presser he said that it’ll probably be short-lived, that Brady will break it next season. He is the consummate pro: deflecting praise, accepting responsibility. Every single time.

Miami Dolphins at Buffalo Bills (Bills won, 19-0)

In 8 years of living in Rochester and watching Bills games I learned to expect the unexpected. If you think the Bills have a good chance of winning, they’ll probably lose. If you think there’s no way for them to win, they just might pull it out. It’s not a complete surprise that they bested the Dolphins, but a shutout? Well done, Buffalo.

Minnesota Vikings at Cincinnati Bengals (Bengals won, 42-14)

Welcome to the playoffs, Cincinnati. For the first time in three seasons, the Bengals are guaranteed to not play the Texans in the first round.

Indianapolis Colts at Kansas City Chiefs (Colts won, 23-7)

The Colts have had some trouble ever since losing Reggie Wayne, but consider this: so far this season they’ve beaten the Broncos, Seahawks, 49ers, and Chiefs. That’s not a bad resume of work.

Tampa Bay Buccaneers at St. Louis Rams (Rams won, 23-13)

When your quarterback gets sacked 7 times, you are going to have some trouble winning the game.

Cleveland Browns at NY Jets (Jets won, 24-13)

Jets with the win in what was rumored to be Rex Ryan’s last game as the head coach. It’s hard to imagine the Jets without him at the helm, and hard to see how he deserves to be fired for what he did this season.

Dallas Cowboys at Washington Redskins (Cowboys won, 24-23)

Give this win to Romo. It was his touchdown in the waning minutes of the 4th quarter that won the game and kept the ‘Boys in playoff contention.

New Orleans Saints at Carolina Panthers (Panthers won, 17-13)

With a win next week in Atlanta, the Panthers will win the NFC South. They’ve already clinched a playoff spot for the first time since 2008. The Saints, winners of 7 of their first 8 games, are now just trying to make sure they get a wildcard spot. It’s a crazy league.

Tennessee Titans at Jacksonville Jaguars (Titans won, 20-16)

The Titans didn’t play with a lead in this game until late in the 4th quarter, but it was enough to break their three-game losing streak with a win.

New England Patriots at Baltimore Ravens (Patriots won, 41-7)

Nobody puts Brady in a corner.

(Nobody high fives Brady either, apparently.)

Oakland Raiders at San Diego Chargers (Chargers won, 26-13)

With a Chargers win, a Dolphins loss, a Steelers win, and a Ravens loss, that last AFC wildcard spot is still up for grabs. Seriously, does anybody want that spot?

Arizona Cardinals at Seattle Seahawks (Cardinals won, 17-10)

The Packers Cardinals did it. They found a way to beat the Seahawks at home for the first time since 2012 2011.

NY Giants at Detroit Lions (Giants won, 23-20 OT)

I’ve never loved the Giants more. The Lions, at one time the only team in the NFC North who seemed able-bodied enough to win the NFC North, have lost three in a row and knocked themselves out of playoff contention. Time for a shakeup in Detroit, it seems.

Pittsburgh Steelers at Green Bay Packers (Steelers won, 38-31)

I’m almost positive the NFC East got together and decided to give the Packers a trip to the playoffs for Christmas. Last week, the Cowboys practically gift-wrapped a win for the Packers. As we know, the Giants took out the Lions in overtime, and spoiler alert: the Eagles demolished the Bears. The Packers couldn’t hold up their end of the bargain…but miraculously, they’re still in contention. Unbelievable.

Chicago Bears at Philadelphia Eagles (Eagles won, 54-11)

I was the biggest Eagles fan out there last night, since a Bears loss meant the Packers were still alive in the fight to win the NFC North. The Eagles did not disappoint.

Atlanta Falcons at San Francisco 49ers (MNF on ESPN)

This is kind of like a homecoming game for San Francisco. It’s an opponent that shouldn’t be difficult to beat (sorry, Falcons) and it’s a time of celebration: what could be the last game played at Candlestick Park, home field advantage in the playoffs notwithstanding.

Review and Preview : Week 15

football, news, week 15

Review

Monday: We reviewed my favorite week (almost) ever, Week 15.

Tuesday: Why a team has their “own” side of the field, and how to tell which side it is.

Wednesday: We learned what all of that waving during kickoff is all about.

Thursday: Postseason Prep, Part II! How the Playoffs Work.

Preview

Normal Girl Game of the Week

Patriots at Ravens, 4:25pm on CBS

The repeat of last year’s AFC Championship game may not have the same implications as it did a year ago, but it’s still going to be a pretty important game. The Ravens have somehow launched themselves into playoff contention, and the Patriots are still in the hunt for a first round bye. It should be a wild day in Baltimore!

Also on the Radar:

1. Once the Chiefs slipped, the Broncos all but locked up their top seed and first round bye in the AFC. Now, that spot is on precariously thin ice. The Broncos need to beat the Texans (which, let’s face it, should not be all that much of a challenge) to keep charging toward a week off in Round 1.

2. Cowboys at Redskins might seem like an easy win, but the Boys in Blue lost a heartbreaker last week (for them; for me, it was awesome) and are fighting for their lives in the NFC East. They can still realistically win the division, but they’ll need the Eagles to lose either this week (against the Bears) or next week (appropriately, against the Cowboys).

3. The Return of Rodgers?! Maybe. We should find out today. Miraculously, thanks to a LOT of help from the other teams in the NFC North (and a few in the NFC East, too), the Packers control their playoff destiny…at 7-6-1. Win and they’re in. Crazy. With games against the Steelers and the Bears rounding out the season it’s more than possible…especially if Rodgers is at the helm. However, much to the long-term benefit of himself and Packers fans everywhere, team doctor Pat McKenzie is notoriously cautious when it comes to player injuries. He won’t give the ok until Rodgers is 100% ready to be back on a football field.