Steve Brownlee
Mr. State Farm Insurance, Head & Shoulders Shampoo and Subway Sandwiches looked a little hot after his team was awarded an offside penalty on Sunday.
If you haven’t heard about it, you might think the whole thing is very silly.
Well, as far as I’m concerned, it is.
Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes, who has to be the best trade prop of the day, was angry that the referees flagged one of his players for lining up in the neutral zone in what turned out to be a trick play that would have guaranteed a touchdown in what became a victory for Buffalo .
If the score was close to an offside score, I can see why he would be upset. It wasn’t, and besides, when it comes to the line of scrimmage, like the goal line, there’s a very clear line of demarcation there.
You can’t give a player a touchdown because he almost hit the goal line. It is either in or out.
If he had argued that one of his receivers wasn’t contacted more than five yards from the line of scrimmage, sure, you could see there could be an argument that you left him if it was actually 4 1/2 yards or 5 1/2 yards.
Those are guesses on the fly.
But the line of scrimmage is clear for everyone to see — including the guys lining up for the play.
The other part of my argument against Mahomes’ complaint — which he walked back the next day, saying it wasn’t good to be so upset — is that the penalty call should come at the moment the ball is snapped, not five or 10 or 15 seconds later when the trick develops into A special moment.
Can you imagine if referees who committed a surprise penalty had waited until play was over to start thinking about throwing the flag? What kind of calls for a rigged system will we hear next?
Now let’s take a look at the slate of upcoming games after a week where the line to correctly predict was quite murky, especially after both the Dolphins and Packers exited unexpectedly on Monday night:
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Today at 8:15 pm
Los Angeles Chargers at Las Vegas – Every time I think I’ve got the Chargers figured out, another very bad team comes along to test their ability to snatch defeat from the jaws of victory. So who do you like less, the team that loses no matter what advantage they get – the Chargers – or the team that allowed three points last weekend – Las Vegas – and lost. With the Chargers without Justin Herbert, I have to go with the Raiders, 10-6.
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Saturday, 1 pm
Minnesota at Cincinnati – On the other hand, the Vikings scored a shutout of the Raiders and needed a field goal in the final two minutes, I think, to rescue their win from the jaws of defeat. And Cincy has found a reliable backup QB in Jake Browning, the closest last name I’ve seen in sports to my own, Brownlee, in a few years. Bengals, 23-16.
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Saturday at 4:30 p.m
Pittsburgh at Indianapolis – Speaking of credible backup QBs…wait, no, I thought Pittsburgh’s Mitch Trubisky was one, but the HD didn’t show that against the Pats. Indy is competitive, but it’s not that great. There should be enough competition against this version of the Steelers. Colts, 19-15.
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Saturday 8:15 pm
Denver at Detroit – What to do with the Lions, losers of two of their last three games after their once-in-a-generation 8-2 start? Well, they have certainly returned to their toothless ways of turning the ball over at inopportune times. Denver’s defense has had a lot of success by producing a lot of turnovers – and that’s been the difference since their horrific start to the season.
Then I thought, reading that the Broncos are still dead last in the league in yards allowed. How do you think Miami reached 70 points against this team? I see Detroit turning the ball over twice more than Russell Wilson will…and still win because they will roll for 500 yards though. Black, 31-27.
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Sunday, 1 p.m
ATLANTA, Carolina – Speaking of toothless cats, I think these Panthers qualify. Falcons, 27-16.
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Chicago at Cleveland – Two teams righted the ship after sailing straight to the rocky shore earlier this season. I would love for Joe Flacco to take advantage of the Bears defense for some reason. Brown, 20-24.
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Tampa Bay at Green Bay – Just the antidote to the bad taste in your mouth, Packers fans. An NFC South team shows up on your doorstep on a cold December day. Packers, 24-19.
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New York Jets at Miami – Miami better be upset after its loss to Tennessee on Monday night. What can a plane attack do to an upset opponent? I can hear them now like a little child complaining to his mother: “Aaron, are you coming over here? There’s a mean guy out on the porch who wants to talk to Dad? Dolphins, 30-22.
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New York Giants at New Orleans – This usually looks like a good ambush game, where a team with a weak offense appears in a high dome. But the Giants might crush the Saints’ inept offense more often instead. Giants, 23-20.
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HOUSTON at Tennessee – The Texans’ rising stock may be back on the floor with the concussion suffered by rookie QB CJ Stroud. But can the Giants take advantage of this advantage, especially considering my condition “reverse momentum” That should make them easy picks after their upset with Miami. Hmm. Let’s go to Texas, 24-21.
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Kansas City at New England – This was supposed to be the Monday night game until the NFL combine “synonym” From there. With the way KC is reeling, maybe this matchup wasn’t so terrible. Now, I can see this as a candidate for the second 3-0 final result in as many weeks. Chiefs, 20-16.
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Sunday, 4 pm
SAN FRANCISCO at Ariz. – It’s one thing for the Cardinals to beat Pittsburgh. It’s not a bad thing to face the most exciting team in the league. 49ers, 33-22.
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Washington at Los Angeles Rams – The Rams shouldn’t let an overtime loss to Baltimore derail their newfound success, especially with the Leaders coming to town. Rams, 29-23.
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DALLAS AT BUFFALO – Will the Cowboys’ dog and pony show travel well? The Bills defense should be considered a comfortable group. Cowboys, 34-28.
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Sunday at 8:20 pm
BALTIMORE at JACKSONVILLE — While Trevor Lawrence was able to play last week despite his ankle injury, his team looked as bad as I thought it would be when I assumed the star QB couldn’t play. And now they’ve taken it to a higher level from playing in Cleveland to playing in Baltimore. And on prime-time television, to boot. Crows, 31-24.
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Monday at 8:15 pm
Philadelphia at Seattle – The way the Eagles have been getting hit and miss over the last few weeks, I’d be concerned. Except this is the easiest game Philly has played in at least a month after having to face the Cowboys, 49ers, Bills, Chiefs and Cowboys again since the beginning of November. Eagles, 34-25.
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Last week – 7-8, 47 percent. Season – 129-79, 62 percent.
Steve Brownlee can be reached at 906-228-2500, ext. 552. His email address is sbrownlee@miningjournal.net.
In the high-stakes world of professional sports, the image and behavior of athletes can have a significant impact on their public perception. Recently, the issue of a crying baby being a distraction for an NFL player has been called into question. As these athletes are expected to exude strength, focus, and determination on and off the field, a crying baby can be seen as a sign of weakness or lack of control. With the NFL being a multi-billion dollar industry, the pressure for players to maintain a certain image is immense. This topic has sparked debates about the expectations and pressures placed on NFL players, as well as the role of family life in their careers.