NFL Week 14 - What We Learned

Written by John Edward Betancourt

As I think about this weekend's slate of football games, one word keeps coming to mind..."huh." That word keeps swirling around in my head for one simple reason, I cannot wrap my brain around the crazy things that went down on the field this past weekend. We saw teams give up, we saw great teams be knocked around again and in the process, the Panthers just keep winning. It was simply a wild weekend of football, filled with some incredible stories and here is what we learned from the league this past week in the NFL. 

1. There was one big question on everyone's mind this offseason when the Buffalo Bills hired Rex Ryan...is the man a good football coach or not? After all, he did get a bit of a raw deal with the Jets and his landing in Buffalo left everyone wondering what kind of dominance that squad would bring forth on defense since that's Sexy Rexy's speciality. But, after watching the Bills/Eagles game yesterday I believe that question was fully addressed and as it turns out...Rex Ryan is NOT a good football coach. He has talent abound in Buffalo on both sides of the ball and they're 6-7 and watching their playoff hopes slip away. It's a shame, because Rex has the bravado of a top tier Head Coach, he simply can't get the job done. His teams fall to pieces, they can't finish a game and I'm starting to think Buffalo may be his last stop in the NFL. Either way, I hope that I'm wrong in this assessment for the sake of Buffalo fans but man...he couldn't get it done in New York and it's not looking good in Buffalo either.

2. I think it's time we stick a fork in the Atlanta Falcons because they're done. This team has no fight, no fire left and it showed yesterday against Carolina. They looked lost, they played without heart and they found themselves absolutely blown out against an NFC South foe. With their season basically over, it's time to start looking ahead and I'm starting to wonder what owner Arthur Blank is going to do once the season is over to give this team the polish it needs to sell tickets in the new stadium. Will he fire new Head Coach Dan Quinn? It's possible because it's clear he is in over his head and has completely lost this locker room. In fact, it wouldn't shock me to see him clean house in the front office and with the players as well because Mister Blank has had enough and when things are this bad...blowing it up and hitting the reset button is never a bad option and if you don't believe me...don't forget what John Elway did with the Broncos after their playoff loss last year...

3. Cincinnati is suddenly in a scary place when it comes to the Quarterback position right now. While Andy Dalton may not be considered one of the NFL's elite passers just yet, he's a solid quarterback and one that has made some amazing things happen on the field during the regular season and now he appears to be out until the playoffs and that may change the entire landscape of the AFC Playoff picture since clearly A.J. McCarron is a backup quarterback through and through and didn't do anything too special on the field replacing #14. This injury could not have come at a worse time for this team and unless a miracle happens with A.J.'s play, there is a solid chance the Bengals will continue to slide in the playoff seeding and find themselves playing in the Wild Card Round come January. 

4. Sometimes I think losses are a good thing for teams that are surging because it humbles them and let's them see what kinds of problems are plaguing them so they can fix it now and move on, which is why I'm good with the Broncos losing to the Raiders this Sunday. It showed everyone that Peyton Manning and his injuries weren't the only issues when it comes to this offense. The O Line needs a lot of work since they let Khalil Mack hit Osweiler over and over again and the Wide Receiver corps needs to spend a little more time with the ball machine after practice because they let important passes that could have won the game slip right through their fingertips. Now it's all about picking up the pieces for the Broncos and I'm curious to see if they rally and respond, or let their mistakes haunt them further. 

5. The Johnny Football saga continues with another odd game. On the plus side, he went 21 for 31 for 270 yards with a touchdown and an interception. Those are some damn respectable stats, can't deny that. What was weird about yesterday, was Johnny's response after throwing that interception when he took his tablet and smashed it against his head in frustration. No. I'm not kidding, look it up. I'll wait. Did you see it? Yeah, so did I and well...I still don't get this kid and that's the only word to describe him. I honestly would expect that from a four year old, not a fully grown man and to complicate matters, once more the jury is out on whether or not he's the answer because he had a great game against the absolutely awful 49ers so where we go from here is anyone's guess because let's be honest, Manziel is simply fascinating, we'll just have to tune in next week and see what wild shenanigans he pulls off next.

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