Five Wide: 2024 Week EIght

By Thomas Willoughby

I very nearly did a section on this, but does anyone remember how “National Tight Ends Day” came to be? My memory is telling me George Kittle did a madness one week a few years ago and just called it that. And it stuck.

I didn’t even realise until I saw Kyle Pitts score his second touchdown of the day. Once he (absolutely, defintely) crossed the goal line I knew something was amiss. I switch on Redzone after the Falcons and tight ends are blowing up left and right. It was crazy.

Another big week int he NFL. Starting to be a bit clearer who’s good and who isn’t. Here’s some stuff sort of tied to that.

Begging for a flag

Feels like we’re covering old ground here, but the NFLs refereeing issue reared its head once again this week, with one of the most offensive missed calls of the season. 

Down by 8 with around 2 minutes on the clock, the Vikings got the ball on their own 5 yard line, looking to charge down the field and tie up with the Rams. On the second play of the drive, Darnold dropped back, and was sacked in the endzone. Safety. 30-20. Game over. But wait, something doesn’t seem right. Let’s have another look at that.

A botched facemask call, when the ref was about 3 yards from the action, seemingly cost the Vikings a chance at closing the gap on the Lions. Instead, they fell to their second defeat in a row. 

Listen, I know being a ref isn’t easy. You’ve got to keep an eye on a lot. The game is played at such a pace that there are going to be missed. But that is blatant. The only way he could have been closer is if he was taking the hit. The NFL is a mutli-billion dollar organization. You cannot have games won and lost because someone didn’t see something. Sort it out, man.

EmBearissing (eh!)

I won’t recap the end of the Commanders/Bears game. The first game between the 1st and 2nd overall picks wasn’t exactly a classic, but it exploded towards the end. The hail mary touchdown was a delight. What made it even better was Tyrique Stevenson completely forgetting he was at work.

If I’m a Bears fan right now I’m calling for heads to roll. The odds of completing a hail mary are miniscule. To have lost because one player was too busy talking trash to the crowd to realise the play had started, AND for him to have completely lose the player he was covering (y’know, the one who caught the TD)? Unforgivable. Funny, but unforgivable.

Finally on the level

For the longest time, fans of the New York Jets looked at their divisional rivals with envy. The New England Patriots had been the toast of the NFL for about 20 years. While the Patriots won Lombardi after Lombardi, the Jets went through top 5 draft pick after top 5 draft pick. Recent years have not been kind to the Pats, however. They’re a team in transition. The Jets, having brought in one of the best QBs of all time, sensed an opportunity to finally achieve what their arch enemies have.

I guess they got what they wanted. 8 games into the new season, the New York Jets have the same record as the New England Patriots. 2-6, season basically over. 

The Patriots didn’t even have to do a lot. Jacoby Brissett, stepping back in for an injured Drake Maye, ended the day with 132 passing yards. Ramondre Stephenson may have scored twice, but he picked up fewer than 50 rushing yards. The defense only managed one sack, too. This is a defeat of an abject nature. How do you lose to that? Amazing.

Congratulations, in any case, guys, you did it. Gap well and truly closed. Shame it was the Patriots coming down to you rather than you going up to them.

David Butler II-Imagn Images

Worlds Fastest Sloth

Just want to highlight arguably the best moment of the weekend. For me, at least. With the game on the line, 2nd and 14 on a crucial drive to salt the clock away, Kirk Cousins dropped back. He scoured the field, he saw very little down field. A lane opened up, and he did this:

That’s a sped up video of the run. In real time it took him twice that long to get 13 yards. Kirko Chainz rolling back the years. A 36 year old coming off an achilles repair, rumbling down the field. That was his first positive run of the season, by the way. The Falcons won 31-26. Sole ownership of the NFC South. What a team.

Tea Break

There’s been a lot of criticism thrown at Anthony Richardson this weekend. The 2nd year QB, in a tight one against the Texans, requested to be taken out of the game for a play because he was shattered. 

And look, I get it. That’s not the done thing, especially when you’ve been called an “athletic freak” in the past. But it’s not exactly like he was expending energy unnecessarily. Richardson picked up 45 rushing yards, and he was kind of running for his life for a lot of the game. He’s also missed a lot of his career through injury. Including this season. Let the boy have a breather.

The jury is still out of Richardson, of course. He looked like a real prospect before a season ending injury last season, and 2024 has been less than impressive. On Sunday, he completed only 10 passes from 32 attempts. That’s not good. There’s a lot to be concerned about his play. Getting some oxygen isn’t one of them.

Features Image Credit: Nick Wass – AP Photo

Thomas Willoughby

NFL ANALYST & SOCIAL MEDIA

THOMAS IS A WRITER, AND REGULAR GUEST ON THE TOUCHDOWN REVIEW SHOW PODCAST, FOR THE TOUCHDOWN. YOU CAN FIND HIM @WILLO290592 ON TWITTER

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