Some observations from a wild four days of NFL football:
— With the dust finally settled on one of the most controversial calls in years, one thing is clear: the NFL needs to take a long, hard look in the mirror this offseason.
Although the officials probably made the right call at the end of the Patriots-Steelers game based on the literal interpretation of the rule, the entire process and basis for a catch is severely flawed. Referee Tony Corrente using the phrase ‘survive the ground’ perfectly illustrates that. Somewhere along the lines, the NFL forgot that these are still humans on the field playing a sport. Longtime NFL officials Mike Pereira and Dean Blandino — who both now work at FOX Sports — defended the ruling and said that Steelers tight end Jesse James didn’t even come close to completing the process of the catch.
Without going too much into the nuts and bolts of the play, it’s just absurd to say that James didn’t clearly possess the ball at one point. Despite not being touched, and the ball moving at the end, James cleary made a move for the goal line and had the ball for several seconds. At the very least, it should’ve been called a fumble — which James recovered in the end zone.
On a day where the focus should’ve been on the competitive games between teams fighting for playoff berths, it instead centered on NFL officials who had a bad day across the board.
Refs were using index cards for measurement in the Sunday night game, and the league’s controversial end-zone fumble rule also came into play during that same matchup between the Raiders and the Cowboys. To make matters worse for the NFL, the incomplete catch call on the Steelers came during the league’s highest rated game of 2017. You’d have to wonder what the reaction would be in a game featuring teams like the Texans or the Browns. Nevertheless, league officials should get the input of current players, coaches and refs while figuring out a way to tweak some of the league’s worst rules in the offseason.
— One of the unfortunate consequences from the injury suffered by Antonio Brown in that game — besides the obvious — is that it most likely puts an end to his campaign for league MVP. Brown was putting together another sensational season, leading the league with 1,533 yards and hauling in nine touchdowns.
In a league where a wide receiver had never won the highest individual honor, Brown’s performance was right up there with the game’s top quarterbacks. Although the Steelers have one of the league’s best running backs and a really good quarterback, there is simply no chance they would be 11-3 without Brown.
This season alone, he became the fastest WR in NFL history to record 700 catches, and now has the most catches and yards in a five-year stretch in history. The former sixth round pick is still in his prime, and will most likely rewrite all of the league’s NFL receiving marks by the time his career is over. If I had a vote, and he had stayed healthy the entire season, I would’ve given it to Brown.
— As for the Bills, needing a win in their 2017 home finale, they took care of business against the Dolphins. While it keeps them ‘in the hunt’ for now, it did guarantee one thing: they will be playing meaningful football on Week 17 for the first time in a long time.
Despite the fact that there are 44 possible scenarios for the Bills to either make or miss the playoffs, their fate cannot be decided this week. Even with a loss to the Patriots, Buffalo can still get in with a win in the regular season finale and a decent amount of help. The path to the playoffs is murky if the team does finish 9-7, and will certainly result in plenty of nail-biting moments for Bills fans on both Christmas and New Years Eve. If the Bills are able to take down New England and Miami on the road to finish 10-6, the path is much simpler. One win by Jacksonville or a Ravens or Titans loss, and the Bills will end the longest current drought in North American sports.
— LeSean McCoy became the 30th player in NFL history to reach the 10,000 yard plateau with his performance against the Dolphins.
McCoy didn’t dominate, rushing 20 times for 50 yards, but he found plenty of ways to contribute. The former Pitt Panther standout has been a force in the passing game all season, and that continued on Sunday as he caught four passes for 46 yards and a touchdown. Despite poor play from his offensive line, and having no passing attack to complement the run game, he has gone over 1,000 yards for the sixth time in his career.
Although McCoy isn’t in any MVP conversations as Brown was, it’d be impossible to imagine the Bills winning more than five games without him this season. Despite his age, he’s still one of the best backs in the league, and the McCoy-Kiko Alonso trade from three years ago may very well go down as the best trade in franchise history.
