What a weekend
Joel Blank: Sunday's Saints-Vikings game reminds us of why we love football
Joel Blank
Jan 15, 2018, 8:06 am
Case Keenum and the Vikings made football fun again. Hannah Foslien/Getty Images
For those of you old enough to remember ABC's Wide World of Sports, the voice of legendary sportscaster Jim McKay would echo in the head of every sports fan who has ever been on either end of a nail biter: "The thrill of victory and the agony of defeat." It's never really that simple is it? There's always an explanation and a reason (or reasons) one team fell apart or the other team got on a roll. But it's a roller coaster ride no one minds enduring. We can pick a side, back our favorite team, bleed our team's colors and live and die with the results on a game by game basis -- and no matter what, we will keep coming back for more. The NFL games this weekend provided the latest evidence to back these clams and prove these points again and again.
The results of the NFL Divisional Round games Saturday and Sunday proved once again that nothing is a given, no slam dunk is ever a guarantee and after all is said and done, "that's why they play the game." The Jaguars taking it to the Steelers in Pittsburgh and winning in the cold, with Blake Bortles at the helm as a 7.5 point underdog, had to be the shock of the weekend -- or was it? Just when we thought we had witnessed the unthinkable and experienced the improbable, along comes the Saints and the Vikings and the whole weekend was turned on its ear one more time. In a game that was truly a tale of two halves, the Saints and Drew Brees were awful in the opening 30 minutes and looked dead to rights and done for the year. Then, in the second half, New Orleans played almost perfectly and turned the tide and flipped the script. After a field goal with less than a minute to play, the team looked to be advancing to the NFC Championship game in the second largest comeback in NFL playoff history. Next to the Falcons' collapse and the Patriots comeback in last year's Super Bowl, the Saints win would be the latest and greatest comeback in the history of the league. That is until Case Keenum, Stefon Diggs and the Vikings pulled victory from the jaws of defeat and shocked the football world for one heck of a finish and a walk off win for the ages in Minneapolis. Even if you weren't a fan of either team, you felt a pit in your stomach for the Saints and their fans and a bit euphoric for the Minnesota faithful and their beloved Vikes. When Diggs broke free after a last second, desperation heave from Keenum and after a missed tackle that allowed him to run to daylight and answer the prayers of Vikings fans everywhere, NFL fans around the world were left gasping for air, shaking their heads and muttering under their breath that they could not believe what they had just witnessed. For fans of the game and a league that has had to endure massive amounts of criticism and a drop off in TV ratings and attendance league wide, it was just what the doctor ordered and a great finish to another entertaining weekend of NFL playoff football. Did it save the season? No, at least not yet, but there are two more weeks to be played. Did it make us forget the anthem protests, controversy and negative publicity? Not even close. But what it did do is give the league a much needed shot in the arm as it reminded fans and critics that THIS is why we love NFL football and why it is the most popular sport in the country and some say the world. The drama, the stress, the emotions and the athleticism are just the start and when you throw in the sudden death of the playoffs and the story lines like the rags to riches tales of Keenum, Diggs and Adam Thielen, you have the recipe for another storybook finish and maybe even the next Cinderella story? The final chapters remain, but if this weekend is any indication of what lies ahead, I'm all in!
For the Saints and Steelers -- and for that matter the Titans, Falcons and the rest of the league -- there's always next year. For the Vikings, Patriots, Eagles and Jags the dream is still alive and they live to fight another day. The teams that are still alive will prepare for their respective conference championship games next Sunday as we all recover from the emotions of the weekend that was and count the days with anticipation until we can do it all again,
Ain't Sports grand?
Most Popular
SportsMap Emails
Are Awesome
Listen Live
NFL insiders hint at eye-opening future for Houston Texans offense
Dec 7, 2024, 2:38 pm
C.J. Stroud faced criticism in Houston's last few games as the Texans hit a rough patch after losing just two of their first eight games.
But the second-year quarterback remained confident and his strong performance last Sunday helped the Texans (8-5) to a 23-20 win over the Jaguars to enter their bye with a two-game lead atop the AFC South.
“When he is leading and playing the way he is playing, our entire team feeds off of him,” coach DeMeco Ryans said. “I am excited for his second year. I think he is showing a ton of growth, he is in a really great spot for us physically, mentally. I really love where he is and I am excited to see how he comes back after the break.”
Stroud threw for 242 yards and a touchdown against Jacksonville to leave him ranked fourth in the NFL with 3,117 yards passing this season. That game came after he threw two interceptions in a 32-27 loss to Tennessee a week before for the team’s third loss in four games.
Those two interceptions brought his season total to nine, which are four more than he threw in 15 games a rookie. But the Texans aren’t worried about that statistic and believe he has grown in his second year.
“He’s made a lot of progress,” general manager Nick Caserio said. “There are some plays, like all of our players, that we probably wish he could have back, but happy he’s our quarterback, happy with what he brings to the table. ... Wouldn’t want anyone else leading this team.”
The Texans are in position to win their division for a second straight season despite dealing with several significant injuries on offense. Running back Joe Mixon missed three games early with an ankle injury and leading receiver Nico Collins was sidelined for five games with a hamstring injury.
They also lost four-time Pro Bowler Stefon Diggs for the season when tore an ACL in Week 8.
Mixon leads the team with 887 yards rushing and 11 touchdowns and has added four touchdown receptions. His work in his first season in Houston after a trade from Cincinnati has helped the team deal with those significant injuries to the receiving corps.
Mixon ranks third in the NFL by averaging 88.7 yards rushing a game and has had at least 100 yards rushing in seven games.
Stroud has continually raved about Mixon’s contributions on and off the field.
“He’s a servant, a helper,” Stroud said. “That’s ultimately what I want to be as well. Who can I serve and how can I help? That’s ultimately what the game of football is.”
While Mixon has been the team’s most important new acquisition on offense, Danielle Hunter has been Houston’s new defensive star. The defensive end spent his first eight seasons in Minnesota before joining the Texans this year.
He has helped Houston lead the NFL with 84 tackles for loss after piling up 15 this season, which is tied for third most in the league. He also leads the Texans with 10½ sacks to help them rank second with 42.
Hunter been a great addition to a team that already had defensive end Will Anderson Jr., last year’s AP Defensive Rookie of the Year. Anderson ranks second to Hunter on the team with 13 tackles for loss and 9½ sacks.
Ryans said this week’s break is much needed for a team that opened the preseason on Aug. 1 in the Hall of Fame game.
“It’s here and we’re going to take advantage of it,” he said. “We’ve been going at it for a long time.”
The Texans need to recharge this week with a brutal stretch of three games in 10 days when they return from their bye. Houston hosts Miami on Dec. 15 before a trip to Kansas City on Dec. 21 and a visit from the Ravens on Christmas Day.
“It’s Christmas and all that, but we can’t worry about that. All we can do is focus on Miami,” Caserio said. “And then when we get through the Miami game, then we kind of turn the page to the next. ... We’re either going to earn it or we’re not. Not to oversimplify it, but that’s the truth.”
The Texans will play those game without starting linebacker Azeez Al-Shaair after he received a three-game suspension for his violent hit to the head of Jacksonville’s Trevor Lawrence, which led to a concussion.
Al-Shaair will be eligible to return for Houston’s regular-season finale against Tennessee.