The Eagles are 11-2 after a close call of a win over the Panthers. They're not without their warts, but that seems to be the case for the whole NFL this season. I'll take a look around the league with a five thoughts column about the sport as a whole…
The Cowboys' blocked punt turned into a disaster
I'll admit it. For the first three quarters of the "Monday Night Football" matchup between the Bengals and Cowboys, I watched Disney's "The Simpsons" alt-broadcast programming. It was a low stakes game in relation to the Eagles given that Dallas is now out of the playoff picture, so, whatever, I had some fun and received a couple hours of levity watching that.
ay caramba Bart… HOMER DOIN IT ON BOTH SIDES OF THE BALL 😤@TheSimpsons Funday Football on Disney+ and ESPN+ pic.twitter.com/p36joIvCCQ
— NFL (@NFL) December 10, 2024
Once things hit the fourth quarter and the game was tied at 17, however, I flipped to the main broadcast. I didn't need to see Krusty the Clown trying to hit a game-tying field goal at that point. I'm glad I did because Dallas went on to commit a disastrous special teams error that gave Cincinnati the win without Groundskeeper Willie's involvement.
Facing an insurmountable fourth and 27 at their own 29 with two minutes remaining, the Bengals were forced to punt. Dallas blocked the punt, but the ball crossed the line of scrimmage. Cowboys players simply needed to not touch the ball given that and it would be Dallas' ball with perfect field position to go win the game.
Well…
That did not happen, as a Cowboys player touched the ball and the Bengals recovered:
The Cowboys blocks the punt… but it was then touched by a Dallas player… and then recovered by the Bengals 🤯
Chaos. @Bengals ball pic.twitter.com/Uw0l4ebH3v— NFL (@NFL) December 10, 2024
Dallas' special teams coach is John Fassel, son of former Giants head coach and Eagles foil Jim Fassel. He did not have his guys prepared.
Sorry!
Eagles fans are probably in a spot now where they'll want Dallas, at 5-8, to win a couple of games to ruin their draft pick and keep head coach Mike McCarthy. Dallas currently has the 12th pick in next spring's NFL Draft and feels like a lock to try to get Boise State running back Ashton Jeanty.
Josh Allen is the MVP front-runner and it's deserved
I've made multiple cases for Eagles running back Saquon Barkley winning the NFL MVP Award this year. It's a rarity for it to go to a non-quarterback. After Bills quarterback Josh Allen's six-touchdown game on Sunday, however, I'm starting to think that even if Barkley breaks the sport's rushing and scrimmage yard records, it still won't be enough.
That's okay, too. Eagles fans will gladly take seeing Barkley, with or without the smashed records, win Offensive Player of the Year, which is an award more friendly to non-QBs, and set their sights on New Orleans in February.
The Rams' wide receiver duo of Puka Nacua and Cooper Kupp is scary
I caught the tail end of the Rams-Bills thriller after the Eagles' postgame press conferences on Sunday. Los Angeles prevailed narrowly 44-42. The Rams are now over .500 and could be in the mix for the seventh and final seed in the NFC playoffs. The Eagles are most likely going to be the No. 2 seed. If the Rams could sneak their way into the postseason, a matchup with Los Angeles receivers Puka Nacua and Cooper Kupp, particularly against the Eagles' rookie cornerbacks Quinyon Mitchell and Cooper DeJean, would make for a hell of a watch.
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Nacua has played in just eight games this year due to injury, but is coming off a 12-catch, 162-yard, two-TD day against Buffalo. His yards per game (88.5) are even higher than what he posted during his stellar rookie campaign last year. Kupp, the 31-year-old who won Super Bowl MVP three seasons ago, had himself a day as well, totaling 92 yards and nabbing a touchdown catch of his own.
The Eagles got the best of Los Angeles when they faced off a couple weeks ago, but the Rams are on the upswing at 7-6.
Aaron Rodgers destroying the Jets franchise is hilarious
The Jets fell in overtime to the Dolphins on Sunday. The loss dropped New Jersey New York to 3-10 on the year. They moved heaven and earth to bring Rodgers to their organization and nothing has gone right since, but when does it ever for the Jets? Again, Rodgers is 3-10 this season. That's a .231 winning percentage for one of the most futile organizations in all of sports. Zach Wilson, who Rodgers went to the Jets to replace, had a .367 winning percentage with New York.
I don't know what the future holds for the Jets, but can't imagine it's much different than what's happened to them for the past 15 or so years.
The best running backs of the past 30 years
Let's end with a football history lesson. Here are the top-10 running backs of my lifetime as a 30-year-old:
1. Barry Sanders
2. Marshall Faulk
3. LaDainian Tomlinson
4. Derrick Henry
5. Adrian Peterson
6. Terrell Davis
7. Christian McCaffrey
8. Priest Holmes
9. Saquon Barkley
10. Edgerrin James
Honorable mention: LeSean McCoy, Curtis Martin, Marshawn Lynch
Emmitt Smith was a system back and compiler. He's not cracking the list.
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