It’s Thanksgiving Week!
Eat, drink, etc. Hopefully you’ll have some time to gather in front of the television to perform the annual ritual of sleeping off a food hangover while “watching” NFL football. This year’s games aren’t particularly exciting, unless you happen to be a fan of those (unfortunate) squads doomed to play.
Try to enjoy, and don’t let Uncle Freddy near the cheap scotch this year – he tends to get a little maudlin.
Steelers 19, Browns 24
The Browns may be not yet be mathematically eliminated from playoff contention, and that time is likely close at hand. For now, they appear content to play spoiler, having beaten the the top teams in the division as substantial underdogs. As ghastly as Ravens and Steelers fans may consider it, the Browns earned both wins, and reminded us they were a playoff team just a season ago.
This particular matchup was environmentally interesting, as snowfall developed and became more intense as the game wore on, greatly affecting the offensive output of both teams. The Steelers trailed for the majority of the game and had managed to claw their way to a 19-18 lead in the final three minutes, but a shanked punt by P Corliss Waitman served to give the Browns excellent field position, which they managed to turn into six points on a RB Nick Chubb TD. The Steelers’ subsequent Hail Mary pass was broken up in the end zone, giving the Browns their second consecutive win over their division rival.
Chubb (20 carries, 59 yards, 2 TDs) is clearly still working his way back from last season’s gruesome knee injury, but proved effective in short yardage repeatedly. QB Jameis Winston (18-27, 219 yards, 1 INT) was largely inconsistent, but was bailed out by some crucial Pittsburgh coverage lapses and timely catches, particularly from WR Jerry Jeudy (6 catches, 85 yards). The Steelers applied some pressure to Winston; LB Nick Herbig (5 tackles, one sack, 2 QB hits) managed to get into the Cleveland backfield regularly, and LB Patrick Queen added 7 tackles and played solid pass coverage, which is not what he’s typically renowned for.
The Steelers struggled with untimely penalties and poor execution once the weather changed. QB Russell Wilson (21-28, 270 yards, 1 TD) was again effective moving the ball between red zones, but was unable to capitalize on several Steelers opportunities. His lone TD pass resulted from a diving WR Calvin Austin III (3 catches, 78 yards, 1 TD) catch with roughly six minutes remaining; the Steelers wouldn’t score again. The team managed 120 rushing yards and 1 rushing TD, led by RB Jaylen Warren’s 11 carries for 45 yards.
The Browns played timely and effective defense despite being outgained by nearly 90 yards, playing stout in short-yardage situations and forcing turnovers on downs twice. DE Myles Garrett (5 tackles, 3 sacks) was almost unblockable in the first half, forcing the Steelers into maximum protection schemes they didn’t want to employ. S Grant Delpit (10 tackles, 1 TFL) was instrumental in limiting the Steelers red zone opportunities.
Next for Steelers: Steelers @ Bengals, 12/1, 1:00 pm, CBS
Next for Browns: Browns @ Broncos, 12/2, 8:15 pm, ESPN
Ravens 30, Chargers 23
Putting aside the “Harbowl” media obsession, this game featured two playoff contenders with conflicting strengths.
After a slow start, the Ravens applied their characteristic offensive pressure and again topped 30 points; the Chargers simply didn’t have the weapons to keep pace. The Ravens also played solid defense for considerable stretches of the game, which has not been the norm for the majority of the season.
Employing RB Derrick Henry (24 carries, 140 yards) often, the Ravens finally put forth the game plan fans have been waiting for – bludgeoning the opposing defense into submission over the course of the entire game. Henry was most effective on first down, averaging 7.2 YPC and limiting the flexibility of the defense on nearly every drive. QB Lamar Jackson (16-22, 177 yards, 2 TDs, 8 carries, 15 yards, 1 rushing TD) was again efficient if not very productive from a yardage perspective. Of particular note was WR Rashod Bateman’s 40-yard highlight-reel TD catch, and WR Zay Flowers (5 catches, 62 yards) consistency on third downs.
The Ravens slowed the Chargers considerably after the first quarter. Despite surrendering a late TD, the defense appeared to have matters firmly in control, which again hasn’t been the case for much of this season. LB Malik Harrison (13 tackles, 1 TFL) played well filling in for LB Roquan Smith. The team collected 4 sacks from four players, showing more pass rushing balance than they’ve often displayed.
Next: Eagles @ Ravens, 12/1, 4:25 pm, CBS
Eat hearty, buckos. See you next week.
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