If you happen to’re below the impression that NFL particular groups this season have been particularly wonky, you might be fully and totally appropriate.
Nonetheless, as bizarre because it particular groups had been by way of the primary 11 weeks of the season, nothing may fairly examine to what occurred on Sunday. Kicker misses and miscues have been legion, however Sunday noticed way more blunders than regular.
Most distinguished of all was Austin Seibert of the Washington Commanders. The seven-year veteran got here into Sunday good on extra-points, and 25 of 27 on his subject aim makes an attempt, this season.
After which got here the utter catastrophe Seibert put himself in towards the Dallas Cowboys in a 34-26 Commanders loss. With 48 seconds left within the first quarter, Seibert missed a 51-yard subject aim. No shock there, as his solely two misses this season had come from 50 or extra yards. Then, after Jayden Daniels scored a landing on a 17-yard run with 9:59 left within the third quarter, Seibert missed his first extra-point try of the season. It didn’t appear an enormous deal: Washington nonetheless led 9-3 towards a Dallas crew who’ve been woeful all season.
Seibert suffered one other blow when his kickoff was returned 99 yards for a landing by KaVontae Turpin to present the Cowboys a 27-17 lead late within the fourth. That was dangerous information for a Commanders crew within the playoff hunt, however the landing had way more to do with Turpin’s abilities than Seibert’s deficiencies. Seibert even booted a 51-yard subject aim with 1:40 left to slender the deficit to seven factors and provides the Commanders a faint whiff of hope. And there’s at all times hope towards these Cowboys. First, Dallas recovered Seibert’s onside kick however have been compelled to punt. Then, with 33 seconds left, Daniels hit Terry McLaurin on a miraculous 86-yard landing wherein Dallas, as has develop into routine this season, forgot learn how to deal with.
The rating was 27-26 and all Seibert needed to do was make the additional level and virtually actually ship the sport into time beyond regulation. You possibly can guess how that went.
However there was extra to ache to return for Seibert. He tried an onside kick on the very subsequent play after his miss, and Cowboys security Juanyeh Thomas returned the darned factor for a 34-yard landing to place the sport fully out of attain. Two successive performs from Seibert had price his crew victory over a detested enemy in a season the place that they had began to reverse their current repute as a hapless franchise. It additionally doomed the 7-5 Commanders to a 3rd straight defeat simply as their NFC East rivals, the 9-2 Philadelphia Eagles, are on a seven-game win streak. It’s arduous to think about a passage of play being extra painful for a single participant in NFL historical past. Seibert’s haunted expression instructed the story in a single picture.
Give Seibert credit score – some gamers would quite drop one thing heavy on their foot than face the media after so many debacles, however he was a standup man. He refused accountable the dangerous snap on the second missed further level, and he refused accountable the hip harm that had triggered him to overlook the Commanders’ two earlier video games.
In a season the place particular groups have been something however, Seibert will develop into the unlucky personification of these struggles with probably the most agonizing video games any kicker has ever had.
MVP of the week
Saquon Barkley, RB, Philadelphia Eagles. As if issues weren’t dangerous sufficient for the 2-9 New York Giants (extra on them in a minute). Barkley, the operating again they deemed expendable this offseason, rolled proper over a extremely competent however very younger Los Angeles Rams protection on Sunday evening for 255 speeding yards and two TDs because the Eagles boat-raced the Rams, 37-20. Pending the outcomes of Monday evening’s recreation between the Baltimore Ravens and the Los Angeles Chargers, Barkley leapfrogged Baltimore’s Derrick Henry for the NFL’s lead in speeding yards with 1,392 yards to Henry’s 1,185. Barkley had landing runs of 70 and 72 yards, and put up the ninth-most speeding yards in a single recreation in NFL historical past.
Earlier than Giants followers surprise the place this was earlier than, there’s no method to think about this model of Barkley in New York – or most anyplace else. He’s taking part in behind one of the best offensive line he’s ever had by far, and he has a quarterback in Jalen Hurts who amplifies Barkley’s speeding risk along with his personal mobility. It’s a chief instance of the proper participant within the good scenario, and yet one more personnel hit for Large Blue.
Video of the week
The Carolina Panthers performed the defending Tremendous Bowl champion Kansas Metropolis Chiefs a lot nearer than anybody might need anticipated. Actually, the sport was 27-27 with 1:49 left after Carolina transformed a two-point try.
So, the Panthers gave the ball again to the Chiefs and hoped that Patrick Mahomes wouldn’t do one thing ridiculous. That hope, in fact, was in useless. With 48 seconds left, Mahomes trucked for a 33-yard run that took the ball to the Carolina 22-yard line, and arrange Spencer Shrader’s game-winning subject aim as time expired.
If you happen to assume you’ve seen one thing like that earlier than … nicely, you just about have. In final season’s Tremendous Bowl, the rating was 22-19 within the San Francisco 49ers’ favor earlier than Mahomes’ 19-yard scramble arrange his game-winning landing move to Mecole Hardman three performs later.
As was the case with many of the Chiefs’ 10 victories this season, it wasn’t fairly … however a win is a win.
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Stat of the week
There have been a number of kicking malfeasances on Sunday moreover these of Seibert, and that’s been the case all season (together with a number of heroics). However earlier than you assume that it’s taking place at an uncommon price in 2024, let’s not let recency bias journey issues within the fallacious route. By the primary 11 weeks of the 2024 season, kickers had made 84.9% of their subject targets, and 96.5% of their further level makes an attempt. Over the past decade, subject aim percentages have been decrease each season from 2014 although 2020, and the success price is only one share level decrease than final season’s 85.9%. And this season’s further level price has been the best since kickers booted a tremendous 99.3% in 2014.
Professional Soccer Reference’s knowledge tells us that there was an uptick in subject aim makes an attempt of fifty or extra yards this season, which might clarify a number of the misses, but it surely’s not an enormous change over the past decade. What has at all times been true is that kicking is an inconsistent and unpredictable artwork.
Elsewhere across the league
— Late within the third quarter of Minnesota’s 30-27 win over the Chicago Bears, Vikings quarterback Sam Darnold appeared to hit Jordan Addison on what turned a 69-yard play.
The query was whether or not Addison stepped out of bounds earlier than he accomplished his after-catch trek. Per the printed replays, it appeared that he did – however after the officers reviewed the play, the unique ruling was upheld.
Ordinarily, most individuals would chalk this as much as one other occasion of officers blowing a name, however there’s a subversive and incomprehensible context to this and different replay rulings. As former NFL VP of Officiating Mike Pereira defined, the league just isn’t allowed to make use of sideline cameras on replay evaluation as a result of not all stadiums have them, and it will throw parity out the window if such replays have been allowed when there are stadium have-nots.
In 2023, the NFL’s general income exceeded $13bn. Even probably the most technically spectacular cameras obtainable to the NFL have a tendency to return in at lower than $10,000: we’re guessing that NFL groups may simply pool their cash collectively to cowl the price of getting them in each stadium. Price just isn’t the difficulty. Income just isn’t the difficulty. Why the NFL hasn’t standardized its know-how on this regard is nonsensical.
— No quarterback ever desires to be benched, however there’s something to say for the apply of sitting a younger signal-caller down in order that he can spend time processing the complexities of NFL playbooks, and the velocity of NFL defenses. Bryce Younger, who was wanting like one of many league’s worst first general draft picks by way of his 2023 rookie season and nicely into this marketing campaign, discovered himself on the bench in favor of Andy Dalton three video games into the Panthers’ season. He didn’t get the starter’s job again till Week 8.
However Younger has began to look extra snug in his position post-benching, and he was completely that in Carolina’s loss to the Chiefs. Younger accomplished 21 of 35 passes for 263 yards, a landing, no interceptions, and a passer ranking of 92.9. Chiefs defensive coordinator Steve Spagnuolo blitzed Younger repeatedly, and Younger threw these blitzes proper again in Spags’ face. Younger was blitzed on a season-high 40.0% of his dropbacks, and he accomplished 11 of his 14 passes for 123 yards and a landing towards a number of disruptors. The tape matched the metrics; Younger simply appears like a distinct quarterback now.
— After all, quarterback benchings don’t at all times work. If you happen to thought issues couldn’t get any worse for the New York Giants after they benched after which launched Daniel Jones … nicely, assume once more. In Large Blue’s 30-7 embarrassment of a loss to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers on Sunday, alternative Tommy “Cutlets” DeVito accomplished 21 of 31 passes for 189 yards, no touchdowns, no interceptions, and a passer ranking of 83.9. Within the first half, earlier than issues received out of hand and the Bucs performed extra relaxed coverages, DeVito accomplished simply three of 5 passes for 31 yards.
2024 first-round receiver Malik Nabers wasn’t focused till the third quarter, and he was by no means pleased about that.
“It ain’t in regards to the quarterback,” Nabers stated postgame. “Identical factor occurred when DJ [Jones] was the quarterback. Go on the market, first and second quarter, don’t get the ball, and targets on the finish. You possibly can’t do this. Began to get the ball when it was 30-0. What would you like me to do?”
Nabers stated that the media ought to “discuss to Dabs” [head coach Brian Daboll] about that. Nabers additionally known as the efficiency “delicate”, and he wasn’t the one one. All-world defensive lineman Dexter Lawrence stated that the Giants “performed delicate, and [the Buccaneers] beat the shit out of us at the moment.”
The Giants are 2-9 in a season that has disappeared down no matter drain they have been circling earlier than, and Daboll is 17-27-1 in his Giants profession. The numbers are dangerous sufficient, however when your greatest gamers are brazenly questioning teaching and energy, it will seem that Daboll would be the subsequent Big in search of a brand new job.
Oh … and past Barkley’s efforts on Sunday, it was an excellent day for different former Giants. Defensive lineman Leonard Williams had 2.5 sacks for the Seattle Seahawks in a 16-6 win over the Arizona Cardinals, and security Xavier McKinney bagged his seventh interception of the season for the Inexperienced Bay Packers in a 38-10 beatdown of the San Francisco 49ers. If this wasn’t the worst day in Giants historical past, it was actually on the shortlist.
