The Shenoa Report
January 11, 2019
Divisional Weekend
There
were four games last weekend and four games this weekend. Three out of the four
games last weekend came down to the kicker, and not in the ways you would
expect. More about that in the recap. We are down to the elite 8 from 32 teams
that started this season. In the coaching carousel news, the Browns have hired
Freddie Kitchens, their former offensive coordinator. This was a surprise to
me. I thought interim head coach Gregg Williams who had a 5-3 record would be
their new head coach. Williams will not be returning to Cleveland next
season. The Jets are going to hire
Miami’s former head coach Adam Gase as their new head coach. The Broncos have
poached Bears defensive coordinator Vic Fangio and hired him as their new head
coach after letting Vance Joseph go. The Packers have decided to hire Titans
offensive coordinator Matt LaFleur after firing Mike McCarthy mid season.
McCarthy has already said he will not return to coaching in 2019. Tampa Bay
hired Bruce Arians to replace Dirk Koetter. Arians was the Cardinals head coach
but retired in 2017. Arizona hired former Texas Tech head coach Kliff
Kingsbury. The Bengals and Dolphins are still looking for head coaches.
Last
week I went 3-1 on my picks and now we are heading into Divisional Weekend. I
would like all but one of the home teams to win this weekend.
Let’s
recap Wild Card Weekend.
Colts @
Texans 21-7
The
Colts started the season 1-5, but now have won 11 straight. They are one of two
teams in NFL history that started the season 1-5 and made it to the playoffs.
After their performance against the Texans it makes you wonder how far they
will go in the postseason. The Colts got out to a big lead early and the
Texans were never able to catch up. This was the least exciting of all the
games. Andrew Luck threw for 191 yards and two touchdowns in the first half,
and the Texans defense ceased to exist. Maybe next year Houston. The Colts move
on to play the Chiefs.
Seahawks
@ Cowboys 22-24
When I
picked the Cowboys to win this game I was hoping I’d be wrong. Sometimes I
don’t like when I’m right. This was a heartbreaker for the Seahawks, and
ultimately it was a game that came down to the ability of the kicker. Seattle
had everything going for them until their kicker, Sebastian Janikowski, pulled
his hamstring at the end of the first half attempting a 57 yard field goal. He
was out for the rest of the game. Without their kicker the Seahawks went for 2
on a couple of scoring drives cutting the Cowboys lead to two points. In order
for the Seahawks to attempt to win the game they had to recover an onside kick.
With their kicker sidelined they looked to their punter, who had never
attempted an onside kick, and the rest is history. The onside kick was not
successful in that the Cowboys easily recovered the ball (it was kicked right
to them in the air, so no worries) and they lined up in victory formation. The
Cowboys will play the Rams next and the Seahawks will go home.
Chargers
@ Ravens 23-17
Lamar
Jackson, the youngest quarterback to play in the postseason, was not ready for
the playoffs. The Chargers beat up on him defensively and the Ravens couldn’t
recover. The Ravens defense did hold the Chargers to scoring mostly field
goals. Michael Badgley kicked 5 field goals through the game and the Chargers didn’t
have a touchdown until the 4th quarter. Points wise it was Badgley who won the
game for the Chargers and advanced them to the next round. The Ravens will just
go home and the Chargers will play the Patriots to move one step closer to a
Super Bowl appearance.
Eagles
@ Bears 16-15
This
game still has me heartbroken. In a wild card weekend that highlighted kickers,
the Bears kicker would feel better if he wasn’t remembered at all. The Bears
had a chance to win the game on a field goal at the end of the game. The first
one Cody Parkey kicked was good, but the Eagles had called a timeout. The
second attempt was tipped, hit the upright and the crossbar and bounced out.
The crowd fell silent and then Parkey was booed off the field. And so
ended the Bears season. The Eagles season continues, as they take on the Saints
in the Divisional round.
DIVISIONAL ROUND WEEKEND
Saturday, January 12th
Colts [10-6]
@ Chiefs [12-4] (4:35pm NBC)
The
Chiefs are coming off another bye. Their record at home is almost perfect, only
losing one game there all season. I’m picking them to beat the Colts. I expect
it to be a high scoring game if nothing else.
Cowboys
[10-6] @ Rams [13-3] (8:15pm FOX)
The
Rams are also coming off another bye and are near perfect at home. I am picking
them to win this game and hopefully beat the Cowboys soundly.
Sunday,
January 13th
Chargers
[12-4] @ Patriots [11-5] (1:05pm CBS)
The
Patriots are coming off a bye and are perfect at home. The Chargers on the
other hand have only lost one game on the road all season. This should be a
good game. I’d love to see the Chargers beat the Pats and knock them out of the
playoffs. It could happen, and I’ll be rooting for the Chargers. All that being
said, I’m going to pick the Patriots to win this game.
Eagles
[9-7] @ Saints [13-3] (4:40pm FOX)
The
Saints also had a first round bye and have only lost two at home all season.
The Eagles are 4-4 in away games. I’m picking the Saints to win this game and
will be rooting for them as well.
Thanks
for the edit Eric!
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