Will we have a Super Bowl fit for Hollywood? Which teams should be concerned and who should take it easy? We talked about this and other things From the Shotgun Formation.
The Hollywood Super Bowl
When the 2021 NFL Season began, one of the most popular combinations for Super Bowl LVI was the duel between the local teams, Rams and Chargers. The reason was simple: if a year before the Buccaneers had managed to play the Super Bowl in their stadium, the possibility that the home and the visitor are the occupants of the venue is even more interesting.
Right now that seems unlikely because 1) the Rams are in the middle of a bad time and it seems that his project “all-in” will not yield the expected results and 2) the Chargers are basically the same Chargers from years past who simply they do not meet the expectations of them.
But that doesn’t mean that Hollywood can’t have its movie Super Bowl. With what we are seeing so far, there is an increasingly real possibility: the game to be played in February at SoFi Stadium could be Tampa Bay vs New England.
And, to be honest, it must sound like the coolest idea in the history of great ideas to broadcasters and the NFL. Tom Brady looking for his eighth ring against Bill Belichick? Mac Jones with a chance to win the Super Bowl as a rookie and against the most legendary QB in all of history? Come on, the stories would write themselves. It would be the most watched Super Bowl of all time, no doubt about that.
So, for now, that will be the proposal for this Super Bowl: a game worthy of the best movie: Brady vs Belichick II. Now in Los Angeles.
Quick impressions from Week 12
This week was full of surprises, striking results and many things to comment on. Here I share some of the ones that caught my attention the most:
1. Unnecessary red lights. I think all the drama that was put together in Dallas after the loss to the Raiders it is totally unnecessary. The team is 7-4 and they still have an advantage in the division. What’s more, their next four games have the table set to bring NFC East under control as they face the Saints, Washington, Giants and Washington again. If they win all four games (in fact, up to three) it would be a given that they would win their division and make the playoffs. Of course, it is very important that this team find a way to get close games like Thanksgiving against the Raiders.
2. Necessary red lights. While the case of the Cowboys is much less serious than it is wanted to see, with the Rams things are totally different. This team has three consecutive defeats and they look far from being the contender they were expected to be. The problem is that after facing the Jaguars next week will come five tough games: Cardinals, Seahawks, Vikings, Ravens and 49ers. It’s highly likely to think that the Rams could lose four to five of those games if they follow the recent trend, and that would be a real scandal.
3. It’s time to make changes. There was talk last year of the possibility of Ben Roethlisberger retiring, but the 11-0 start caused things to be reconsidered. Right now the Steelers are 5-5-1 and the outlook is very different. Roethlisberger is part of a list of things that need to change in Pittsburgh, and Mike Tomlin should be on the same list. The beating the Bengals gave them today It demands that they review well what they must do in the future in this team, because the worst thing they could do is feel that they still have one more year left with the same formula.
The things that I think I know
After what happened in week 12 of the 2021 NFL Season, here are some things I think I know:
1. Teaching. Bill Belichick’s work with the Patriots has been spectacular throughout his stay, but this year is on another level. The way this team has come to life and has begun to spin victories It is a clear example of the great work of Belichick as head coach, so from now on you have my vote to be the Coach of the Year.
2. Taking rhythm. I think the 49ers are the team that will end up in the postseason despite having an uneven start to the season. The last few weeks have looked a lot better and they seem to be talented enough to hit one of the wild card tickets.
3. Losing step. While the Niners give me a lot of confidence as a postseason team, the Chargers increasingly convince me that they will watch the playoffs from home. There are a lot of inconsistencies in this set and the defense is not working. Brandon Staley’s first year at the helm of this franchise will be the traditional tough year for a rookie coach.
Thinking about the MNF
To keep hope. Washington and Seattle are in the category of in the hunt thinking about the postseason, and in theory Washington has a slightly clearer path because they are in the fight to win the NFC East. If the WFT is able to beat Seattle and they go 5-6, then hope will remain alive. Needless to say, it would be deadly for Seattle to go 3-8, so they, too, need to win to stay alive. It is not the most striking game of the week, but at least it should be a close game with its dose of drama.
The momentum that Washington has taken, especially on defense, will be crucial in this meeting. In my opinion, Washington wins 21-17 and they will add an extra touch to the fight for NFC East. For Seattle it will be the end of a totally atypical season in the Carroll / Wilson era.
the song of the week
This week it became more than evident that the Patriots are back, so it’s a great time to use this song:
Talking about college football
Every week there are many things to talk about college football, so we open a space to do that. Let’s see what was the most striking thing about this day in the NCAA:
1. The first in a decade. One of Jim Harbaugh’s big problems as Michigan coach has been his inability to beat the Wolverines’ main rivals. That changed this week with Michigan’s awe-inspiring victory over Ohio State by a score of 42-27. This is the Wolverines’ first win over the Buckeyes in ten years, as the last win had come in 2011. On top of that Michigan had lost 15 of the last 16 meetings to Ohio State, so it’s a win that was definitely needed. in Ann Arbor.
This win also gives Michigan the Big Ten East title, which secures their place in the Big Ten Final and they could possibly land a ticket to the College Football Playoff. All of that, needless to say, seems out of reach for the Buckeyes, who will have to deal with this loss if they fail to make it to the CFP.
2. They were saved. Alabama was trailing by seven points to Auburn with 1:35 in the fourth quarter, and that’s where Bryce Young helped save the Crimson Tide season. Young ran a 12-play, 97-yard drive to score on a pass to Ja’Corey Brooks and send the game into extra drives. In the first Iron Bowl to go to overtime, Alabama took the victory with a two-point conversion from Young to John Metchie III in the fourth overtime series.
3. Will the ticket arrive? Cincinnati defeated East Carolina without much trouble this week, taking a 21-3 lead at halftime and closing with a 35-13 scoreline to close out its second straight undefeated season. Now the only thing left for the Bearcats is to play the AAC final against Houston and hope the College Football Playoff decides to give them a chance.
If they do, they would be the first team of the Group of Five (the five lowest-ranking conferences on the FBS) to score a ticket to the College Football Playoff, as they were ranked eighth in the CFP last season despite finishing 9-0.
Talking about ONEFA
This week ONEFA continued with this season back to activities, and there are some things to mention about this day:
1. The UNAM Pumas applied a “Falcons”. At half time of the match between UNAM and UANL the score was 20-0 in favor of Pumas. In the second half the UNAM team decided to make their best interpretation of the Atlanta Falcons and they ended up losing the game 28-26. This must be one of the most painful losses for the Pumas in recent years.
2. Acatlán continues to win. After falling in their opening match against Borregos Monterrey, the team from Pumas Acatlán has greatly corrected the way, and now they achieved a victory against Borregos Puebla in a defensive duel. “La Banda de Acatlán” has already had three victories this season and they are making a name for themselves within ONEFA.
3. Without much trouble. On other fronts things were much more attached to logic: Borregos Monterrey beat Borregos CEM 38-6, Aguilas Blancas had no problems dispatching Linces UVM 37-3, Burros Blancos crushed Colts UAEM 43-0 and Borregos Toluca He beat Borregos Guadalajara 28-14.
The data of the week
It seems that Thanksgiving is full of traditions, and some are not very favorable for the Cowboys:
The Cowboys had 110 penalty yards on 3rd down alone in their Thanksgiving loss
That’s the most by any team on 3rd down in any game since at least 1991
2nd-most on that list: 106 yards … by the Cowboys … on Thanksgiving, in a 1998 loss to the Vikings
— NFL Research (@NFLResearch) November 26, 2021
Kirk Cousins’ Bug Video of the Week
Cousins is no stranger to weird error issues (he has a play where he dropped to fourth down), so lining up behind his guard and not center shouldn’t be that strange.
Captain Kirk aligning himself with the RG#Fail #NFL
– Iñigo Maisterrena (@imaisterrena) November 29, 2021
Incredible interception of the week
The Jets had an interception that we could classify as “totally Jets” against the Texans …
The New York Jets:
pic.twitter.com/0fz9ja2avI— PFF (@PFF) November 28, 2021
Here we end this installment of this column. You already know that you can leave me here below this article in the comments or on my Twitter account your suggestions for topics to be covered From the Shotgun Formation. You can also share videos that you think should appear in one of the weekly sections.
