http://www.nfl.com/videos/nfl-cant-miss-...alk-off-TD
Unbelievable finish today in Miami as the Dolphins complete a 70-yard touchdown pass on a basic hook and ladder play with like 3 laterals. The tackling and effort by New England on this play has to rank among the worst I've ever seen on a single play. Of note is Gronkowski (#87) stumbling at the end of the play trying to make a TD-saving tackle. Why would the Pats even have a beat-up Gronk on that play to begin with (I'm guessing they thought there would be a Hail Mary pass and he could have knocked it down?).
The Pats probably just blew their chance at hosting a playoff game.
Probably a chance at having home field throughout the playoffs but it’d take epic collapse not to win the division (and host a wild-card round game). Pats also still control own destiny for #2 seed.
New England plays at Pittsburgh next week. If they lose and Houston or Pittsburgh wins out, they're the 3 or 4 seed. They may host 1 game but that's likely it.
Dissecting the play some more. New England rushed 4 guys (actually #53 started rushing but then went back into coverage). That leaves 7 defenders.
Miami throws a 16-yard pass. I'll assume some of the Patriot defenders are well down the field at that point. I reviewed the video and basically 6 NE defenders (of the 7) eventually come into view but only 1 of them even makes an attempt at a tackle (outside of #53). Some of them are standing around and not even making an attempt at getting in on the play. The effort is something you might see in a pee-wee game but not at this level.
As a Chiefs fan it was a thing of beauty
Well Pittsburgh just lost at Oakland 24-21 so that helps the Patriots. Unfortunately Boswell missed two field goals (39 and 40 yards on the game's final play) - he's not having a good year.
In Oakland just now, Pittsburgh just ran a similar hook & ladder play for 48 years to get them into position for a last-second game-tying 40-yard FG attempt.
But Boswell's plant foot slipped on the Oakland Coliseums notoriously lousy, below bay-level grass, and his kick floated weakly into the rear of the Steelers' offensive line as time expired.
(In the first half, Boswell also pushed a 39-yard FG attempt way right.)
Callahan got hurt in the game tonight. Too bad as he was having a nice game before the injury.
Another note on the Dolphins-Pats game (I know, I'm the only one who cares but most of you post the same crap over and over again anyway so why can't I do the same) - the 69-yard TD was the longest touchdown to end a game in NFL history (or at least since they have been keeping records). And Miami's coach and QB said they didn't even try a Hail Mary since it was too far of a pass.
So I'll ask again - why did Bellichek bench safety Devin McCourty on the final play in lieu of Gronkowski?
(12-10-2018 09:40 AM)OptimisticOwl Wrote: [ -> ]Belichick's fault
Putting Gronk on the field was not necessarily a bad move. He would have been useful in any sort of Hail Mary situation. But McCourty was not the guy to take off. He should be on the field regardless, in almost any end game situation. Your fastest player who is also a good tackler is valuable in any end game situation. The inference is that Gronk would be substituted for McCourty in any true Hail Mary situation, and that seems a rather odd personnel choice.
The discussion about kicking the field goal instead of going for the touchdown is interesting. I think the author is right, you go for the TD there. A failure means they must go 50-60 yards to set up a field goal in 15 seconds with no timeout. That is almost impossible, particularly since you don't have the time out to get the kicking unit onto the field. And first downs don't stop the clock in the NFL. They probably have a better chance of scoring a TD on a freak play, which is what happened, than they do of kicking a field goal, in which case the 3 points you get for a field goal don't matter.