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1) There is something oddly refreshing about the new celebration rules in the NFL. Forget that defense is becoming extinct or that gambling—in its many forms—is driving the viewership and ratings, but the No Fun League is starting to have some fun in the form of celebratory dances. Many of these dances or routines are clearly choreographed, so I am glad to see that the NFLPA is cool with players spending extra time practicing this but not football.
If you are into that sort of thing, check out this Twitter feed, which features the various dancings of NFL players.
Chicago fans asking for an encore after this one from @EJackson_4 #GetYaPopcorn pic.twitter.com/H9gyP6QSHL
— Get Ya Popcorn (@GetYaPopcorn) November 19, 2018
2) The Super Bowl hangover is a thing. The defending champion Philadelphia Eagles just got taken behind the woodshed by the Saints, and even the 48-7 score wasn’t really that close. The Eagles are currently 4-6 and appear to be on the outside, looking in on the NFC East race. While you typically see the Super Bowl loser have the biggest hangover, as the “Loser’s Curse” has been especially evident since the 2001 season, it appears to be hitting the Eagles especially hard this year too.
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3) I feel really bad for Alex Smith. By all accounts, he is a pretty good dude and a pretty decent quarterback as well. While he was not playing particularly great this season, he was still keeping the division-leading Redskins in games. Based on what we know of the injury, there is a decent chance that this is the end-of-the-line for Smith, whether he knows that or not. But the strangest part of the whole thing is the eerie similarities with another Redskins quarterback, Joe Theismann.
Some strange similarities between Alex Smith's injury and Joe Thiesmann's 33 years earlier:
— Gil Brandt (@Gil_Brandt) November 19, 2018
>Same date: Nov. 18
>Same score: 23-21
>Same yards/att: 5.0
>Injured leg: Right
>Injuries: Broken tibia, fibula
>Injured on 3rd sack of game
**Romeo Crennel on sideline for both games
4) Come on Cam, do the Bears a favor and make this throw!! Better yet, Ron Rivera should have opted for the extra point and sent that game into OT. Imagine the short turnaround for the Lions if they had to play extra time against a good Carolina team...
Absolutely terrible throw by Cam Newton with the game on the line. Just a complete choke job pic.twitter.com/DLU8teaETX
— Pete Blackburn (@PeteBlackburn) November 18, 2018
5) In the AFC, the playoff picture certainly looks like it’s shaking itself out, although I did NOT see the Chargers losing to Denver. With the Chiefs loss on Monday night (more on that game in a minute), the Chargers still remain in the hunt in the AFC West. The Steelers have rebounded nicely, while the Jaguars are still reeling. That Ravens team looks pretty legit too. I can’t believe the 2017 Bears beat both the Steelers and Ravens...
6) Hats off to Roy Harp...er...Russell Wilson for putting Aaron Rodgers and the Packers one game closer to vacation. Man, Mike McCarthy’s seat has got to be getting pretty toasty these days, although that probably feels nice in this cold weather! I wouldn’t be shocked to see McCarthy end up in Cleveland, although...
Browns interested in interviewing Condoleezza Rice for head coaching job, source tells ESPN.https://t.co/cgxCUgbF8j
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) November 18, 2018
7) How about that Monday night game, huh? That was something. The biggest thing I took away from that game is this: defense is dead in the NFL in 2018. Yes, there were 3 defensive touchdowns scored, and yes Aaron Donald exists, but the rest of those turnovers...woof!
8) I was not overly impressed by the young guns(lingers) in that game either. Sure, both Jared Goff and Patrick Mahomes put up gaudy numbers, but they also had receivers more open than I have ever seen before. There weren’t a lot of contested throws being made, an awful lot of missed throws, and the pocket presence...yikes! Don’t get me wrong, both of these quarterbacks are really damn good, but you saw exactly how to beat them both: pressure.
While I don’t typically enjoy shootout-type of games, where each team scores over 50 points, that game was wildly entertaining. The future of the NFL is bright, and it’s the quarterbacks that will drive it, Mitch Trubisky included.
9) Well, perhaps defense isn’t totally dead, at least not in Chicago. If there was any doubt about how good the Bears defense has been this season, look no further than this:
From the #Bears’ game release this week ... pic.twitter.com/y5yL5qUkFi
— Adam Jahns (@adamjahns) November 20, 2018
10) With Thanksgiving rapidly approaching, let’s take a moment to give thanks. We have the pleasure of rooting for a first class organization. It may not always have been the most enjoyable football to watch, but they are constantly doing the right things for their current and former players. From the way they handled the Zach Miller injury...
Last season, Bears tight end Zach Miller suffered a leg injury so severe that it nearly had to be amputated. One year later, he’s running again, and he’s found a new role: part coach, part inspiration, part Trubisky whisperer. By @KalynKahlerhttps://t.co/sYPVDMJEdB
— The MMQB (@theMMQB) November 13, 2018
You won’t retweet this because it doesn’t perpetuate the #NFL stereotype, but the @ChicagoBears players have quietly raised over $800K to serve inner city Chicago. pic.twitter.com/kGFG765GVM
— Emmanuel Acho (@thEMANacho) November 19, 2018
...to the way that they continue to do their part to improve the community, the Bears are an organization that we can all be proud of, and for that, I am thankful.