week 6 Archives | Football for Normal Girls

Review and Preview : Week 6

Review

Turnover: When the team that has possession of the ball loses possession of the ball and the other team gains possession of the ball as a result. They are literally turning the ball over (giving it over) to the other team, hence the term “turnover.” When the running back has the ball and it comes lose and the other team recovers it, it’s a turnover. When a defensive back picks off a pass intended for a wide receiver, it’s a turnover. Any time the team that had the ball loses the ball and the other team recovers it, it’s a turnover. (From Tuesday’s post)

Fumble: When anyone who has possession (or is gaining possession) of the football mishandles it and loses it as a result. You may have heard of quarterbacks “fumbling the snap,” which is really a joint effort between the center and the quarterback to not get the snap off correctly. Fumbles can also occur when a ball carrier gets distracted or loses his grip or runs into any set of circumstances in which he loses possession of the ball after he has it. There are also forced fumbles, which occur when a defensive player causes the impetus for the fumble, usually by punching the ball out from behind. (From Tuesday’s post)

Interception: When a pass intended for an offensive player is caught by a defensive player instead. This happens most frequently when defensive backs (cornerbacks and safeties) pick off a pass intended for a wide receiver. Interceptions also happen often when a quarterback throws a bad pass, or when a receiver runs a bad route and isn’t where he was supposed to be, or when the ball gets tipped.

Interceptions always refer to passing plays (or any play in which the ball goes through the air without hitting the ground first) and are always turnovers (because the other team is catching the ball, and therefore has possession of it). (From Tuesday’s post)

Pick 6: A Pick 6 is a specific type of interception in which a pass is picked off by a defensive player (hence “pick”) and is returned for a touchdown (hence “6” – since touchdowns are worth 6 points). All Pick 6’s are both interceptions and turnovers. (From Tuesday’s post)

Touchdown: When the football crosses the plane of the goal line – the white line separating the end zone from the rest of the field. If the ball – with or without the ball-carrier – crosses that line while an offensive ball-carrier is in possession of it, it’s a touchdown. If the ball is being thrown into the end zone and is caught by a receiver, the receiver needs to have two feet down in bounds and have full control of the ball to be called a touchdown. Touchdowns are worth 6 points. (From Wednesday’s post)

Wildcard Team: The four teams (two from each conference) that did not win their division but make it into the playoffs by merit of having the best record among non-division-winners in their conference. (From Wednesday’s post)

Preview

Normal Girl Game of the Week

Denver Broncos at Indianapolis Colts, Sunday at 8:25pm EST on ESPN

It’s the game everyone has been waiting for: Peyton’s return to Indy. Those on the inside who know Peyton say that he isn’t emotional about returning to the stadium he practically built, but it’s safe to say that everyone else will be. Expect quite a welcome home party for 18 and one heck of a game from the always-up-for-a-challenge Colts.

Also on the radar:

1. It’s a weekend of AFC East matchups: Patriots at Jets and Bills at Dolphins. The Patriots are rolling…but don’t count any of the other teams out of this division.

2. If the Giants are going to win a game any time in the near future, Monday night at home against the Vikings might be their best bet.

3. I’m going to go out on a (thin, brittle, extraordinarily shaky) limb and call an upset alert on the Chargers at Jaguars game. The Chargers are coming off a short week and west coast teams rarely do well coming to the east coast for early games (game time is 1pm EST). Plus, the Jags could be riding on emotion from giving the Broncos a run for their money last week in Denver. It’s far from a sure bet, but it’s certainly something to keep an eye on.

At the Water Cooler : Week 6

Team in trouble? Lost your QB? Facing a fierce foe? No problem! This was the week of close calls – few of them wins for the underdog – but closer than expected all the same. Let’s review:

NY Giants at Chicago Bears (Bears won, 27-21)

To get the week off to a great start, this one was a lot closer than most people expected it to be. But the interceptions (among other things) are killing the Giants. To their credit, Chicago is really good at causing turnovers. And to their credit, the Giants are really good at turning it over this season.

Cincinnati Bengals at Buffalo Bills (Bengals won, 27-24 OT)

Apparently Buffalo is on a quarterback streak. Thad Lewis started for the ailing EJ Manuel after being promoted from the practice squad earlier this week and he did a great job holding down the fort against a solid team.

Detroit Lions at Cleveland Browns (Detroit won, 31-17)

Matthew Stafford must have ripped the top off a can of spinach and downed it at halftime. He and the Lions trampled all over the Browns in the second half, scoring 24 unanswered points.

Oakland Raiders at Kansas City Chiefs (Chiefs won, 24-7)

It’s good for football when the Chiefs and Raiders are competitive, and it’s been awhile since that has happened. This game was a good start – and holy sacks! After tasting the turf TEN TIMES it’s no wonder Raiders QB Terrelle Pryor had so many interceptions.

Carolina Panthers at Minnesota Vikings (Panthers won, 35-10)

Unless you are a Panthers fan you were probably hoping this one would end in a win for the Vikings after what Adrian Peterson endured last week. Good showing by the Panthers all the same.

Philadelphia Eagles at Tampa Bay Buccaneers (Eagles won, 31-20)

Well hey there, Nick Foles! The Eagles backup QB had quite a day against the plague-infested Bucs.

Green Bay Packers at Baltimore Ravens (Packers won, 19-17)

The Packers may have lost wide receivers James Jones and Randall Cobb but came away with a win. And a lot of confidence in the leading scorer…kicker Mason Crosby.

St. Louis Rams at Houston Texans (Rams won, 38-13)

Apologies to the good fans out there, but the Texans deserved to lose this one based on fan behavior (or misbehavior) alone. It’s time for the league to step in and address out of control fanatics. As fate would have it, after cheering when Matt Schaub went down with an injury and backup T.J. Yates came in, Yates proceeded to throw a Pick 6…the very thing that has been haunting Schaub as of late.

Pittsburgh Steelers at NY Jets (Steelers won, 19-6)

The defense looks to be back in Pittsburgh, as are the wins as a result.

Tennessee Titans at Seattle Seahawks (Seahawks won, 20-13)

And the streak continues: 11 consecutive home wins. Although the Titans did put up a good fight in this round.

Jacksonville Jaguars at Denver Broncos (Broncos won, 35-19)

This one could have been a lot worse – in fact, it was only a 2-point game at the half. Nicely done, Jags.

New Orleans Saints at New England Patriots (Patriots won, 30-27)

This game came down to one factor: Tom Brady being Tom Brady. In what has to be one of his most gratifying wins, Brady led the Patriots down the field at lightening speed in the last minute for a game-winning touchdown. It was awesome.

Arizona Cardinals at San Francisco 49ers (49ers won, 32-20)

Four forced turnovers sealed the deal for the Niners in this one.

Washington Redskins at Dallas Cowboys (Cowboys won, 31-16)

A collective sigh of relief was probably exhaled last night in Dallas by fans of both teams – the Cowboys didn’t look rattled after their heartbreaker of a loss last week, and RGIII definitely looks like RGIII again.

Indianapolis Colts at San Diego Chargers (MNF on ESPN)

Bolts vs. Colts should be a great matchup in the Normal Girl Game of the Week. Can’t wait to see how this one shapes up for both teams.

Bye: Atlanta Falcons, Miami Dolphins

What To Know : After Week 6

I left you guys hanging on Friday without a What to Know in Week 6 post…I’m sorry! Here’s a quick recap of what happened in Week 6:

Sad news for Ray Lewis and the Ravens, he’s out for the rest of the year with a torn tricep. This is a HUGE loss for the Ravens – he’s their main emotional leader as well as an on-the-field powerhouse. And it’s a huge disappointment for Lewis, who is nearing the end of his playing days as is.
Surprise, surprise. #1: The Bills upset the Cardinals in overtime. Biggest surprise: Jay Feely hit a field goal from 61 yards earlier in the game…and missed a chip shot to win in overtime. #2 The Seahawks upset the Patriots. Biggest surprise: bad decision making from the Patriots…who never make bad decisions.
Two high profile clobberings: The Giants dismantled the 49ers in a huge road win, and…my Packers! My Packers took apart the formerly undefeated Texans. Big, big win for the Packers – but big loss as well with two more out-for-the-season injuries: linebacker D.J. Smith and running back Brandon Saine.
RGIII dominated after coming back from a nasty concussion last week. A lot of people (myself included) didn’t think he should play, but the doctors cleared him and he took full advantage, tearing up the field.
And…Dallas continues to struggle.
And…so do the Eagles.

So! Did you watch any games over the weekend? Which ones? Questions, comments, concerns? Let’s talk about it! That’s what the comments section is there for! See you there :)