Week fifteen may have come to an anti-climatic ending in the laughable Monday Football match-up between the Jets and Titans, but fortunately the action on Sunday Night more than made up for it.
Elsewhere in the league games that were expected to be close ended up being blow-outs, but they did help reveal some pretenders and contenders as we move closer to the playoffs. What should we take away from this weekend's action?
Recapping the Top Match-Ups to Watch
Denver LB Von Miller vs. Baltimore OTs Michael Oher and Kelechi Osemele
The task of slowing down Denver’s star pass rusher is a daunting one for any offensive lineman, but it’s almost unfair to ask a rookie to stop Von Miller. It’s safe to say that most expectations were low then for Baltimore’s Kelechi Osemele in this match-up.
The Ravens’ plan in pass protection clearly revolved around containing Miller, and for most of the game the handled him pretty well. Osemele did give up one quarterback hit, but he did keep Miller from recording any sacks.
The focus on Miller wasn’t a perfect plan, however. Elvis Dumerville had been in a the middle of a slump of late, but getting one on one match ups with Osemele and Michael Oher was just the trick to bounce out of it. The “other” pass rusher in Denver ended the game with one sack, four hurries, and one quarterback hit, making it one of his most productive in quite some time.
Chicago WR Brandon Marshall vs. Packers CB Tramon Williams
Brandon Marshall could hardly contain his bitter frustration following the Bears’ abysmal offensive performance against the Packers, and for good reason. More often than not, it can feel like Marshall is the only player on the offensive side of the ball that is carrying his own weight (as well as the weight of the rest of his teammates as well).
That was the case again Sunday. Jay Cutler held onto the ball too long all through the game, made poor decisions when he did finally decide to throw the ball. Marshall’s fellow receiver Alshon Jeffery couldn’t get any separation from Green Bay’s defensive backs, and instead had to resort to pushing off from the ball came his way.
Marshall has had an outstanding individual season, but it’s clear that putting up some of the best numbers of his career isn’t enough to keep him satisfied. He was pleading with his offense on the sidelines throughout the game for his teammates to show some sort of emotion – however those requests apparently fell on deaf ears. The Bears’ can’t blame Marshall for their offensive woes, but will he be content to stick around in Chicago if the atmosphere around the team doesn’t improve?
New York RB David Wilson vs. Atlanta’s Front Seven
On paper, all David Wilson needed in order to have a big game against the Falcons was to see a sufficient amount of touches. Unfortunately, Eli Manning threw the game away with costly turnovers before Wilson and the rest of the New York offense could even get into a rhythm.
Wilson instead was held in check, running for just 55 yards on the day. The Giants offensive line struggled to get any sort of push for most of the day. Most notably the offensive line failed to create any seams for Wilson to squeeze through in 3rd and 4th and short situations.
The entire Falcons’ defense should get credit for their best performance of the season, proving many doubters (including myself) wrong. In particular, linebacker Sean Witherspoon had his best game of the season against the run. In scenarios where Witherspoon had been blown up by blockers throughout the season, this game saw Witherspoon beat his man and get to the runner instead. Witherspoon was the main reason Wilson was corralled, and Atlanta will need more performances like that out of him over the next month.
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Rookie Watch
Rookies Take Center Stage in Cleveland
Prior to the Redskins’ trip to Cleveland, it seemed as though many of the Washington faithful’s hopes rested on the health of Robert Griffin III’s injured knee. Griffin’s rookie season has been electric, and it’d be easy to just assume that without the playmaker in the line up the Redskins chances would be all but gone.
But in reality, the Redskins’ staff had plenty of confidence in their other rookie quarterback, and following his second win in a row it’s a good bet that their fans will begin to believe in him too. Kirk Cousins bounced back from a slow start to help lead his team to a victory that will keep his team’s playoff hopes alive for another week.
Cousins’ success is due in no small part to their great job that the Redskins coaching staff did of putting him in a position to succeed. They featured a ton of play action and roll outs, keeping the Browns’ defense off balance and providing Cousins with reads that were simple to make.
Another big reason for Cousins’ success: fellow rookie Alfred Morris. The running back didn’t put up particularly big numbers (he ran for 3.2 ypc, although he did score twice), but the impact he’s had all season long forced the Browns to focus primarily on the running back, and not Cousins.
Washington’s outstanding rookie class put together yet another great performance, but Cleveland’s class wasn’t nearly as productive and it was a big reason they walked off the field with the loss.
Brandon Weeden threw two interceptions that directly led to two Washington touchdowns and as been the case in several games this season, he never seemed to really get settled into the flow of the game. Weeden’s erratic play kept Josh Gordon from doing anything. Although he was targeted eight times, he only caught three passes for 27 yards.
Their rookie rusher didn’t fare much better. Trent Richardson had another rough outing. Although he scored two touchdowns, he was held to just 28 yards rushing. Richardson clearly is a tough runner that has a bright future in the league, but he’s can’t be successful on his own.
Scouting Notes from Across the League
Cameron Wake isn't racking up sacks like JJ Watt or Aldon Smith, but he too is one of the best pass rushers in the league. He had six hurries against Jacksonville and was a big reason Miami walked away with a win.
His hurdle over Ed Reed was the play that will stick out in everyone's mind, but Knowshon Moreno had a heck of a game for the Broncos. The addition of Ronnie Hillman had many assuming Moreno's career was all but over in Denver, but he's strung some nice performances together of late.
Talk all you want about the problems Chicago has on offense, but probably the biggest reason for their struggles on Sunday was Green Bay's B.J. Raji. He was tremendous against the run, taking Matt Forte out of the equation.
Week 15 will be one to remember for the McCourty twins. Just days after Jason became a father, Devin recorded one interception on Sunday football, and then Jason snagged two the following night.
Will Michael Crabtree be the player to take the 49ers to the next level? He's certainly looking like a player who is developing a knack of making big plays at big times, and is showing a good chemistry with his young quarterback.
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