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NFL---THE American Conference East’s 9-2 N.E. Patriots and the National
Conference West’s 9-2 Arizona Cardinals are still leading their respective
conferences and divisions as NFL-2014 moves into its final four or five
regulation games for play by the league’s 32 franchises. The Patriots have a
three game lead over the AC East’s second place franchise, the 6-5 Miami
Dolphins, and the Cardinals are two wins ahead of the NC West’s second position
team, the 7-4 Seattle Seahawks.
Presently, one of the remaining six NFL
divisions includes a tie at first position, the NC East’s 8-3 Philadelphia
Eagles and the 8-3 Dallas Cowboys, and the AC South’s 7-4 Indianapolis Colts now
have a two game edge over second place team, the 5-6 Houston Texans, while the
league’s other remaining divisions are seeing first and second place teams only
a game apart, the AC West’s 8-3 Denver Broncos being above the 7-4 K.C. Chiefs,
the AC North’s 7-3 Cincinnati Bengals atop the 7-4 Pittsburgh Steelers, and the
NC North’s 4-6 Green Bay Packers ahead of the 7-4 Detroit Lions, the NC South’s
N.O. Saints leading the 4-7 Atlanta Falcons.
Way behind within the full league still are
the AC West’s 1-10 Oakland Raiders, the AC East’s 2-8 N.Y. Jets, the AC South’s
1-10 Jacksonville Jaguars, the AC South’s 2-9 Tennessee Titans, the NC East’s
3-8 Washington Redskins, the NC South’s 2-9 Tampa Bay
Buccaneers.
And as Week 13 approaches, the 16 teams of
the AC have a total of one more win over the NC’s 16 team tally, 87 above 86,
with the AC North and AC West having the most wins division-wide, 27 each. Also,
the AC North is still the only division inside which all teams are at .600 or
higher. Lowest total number of division wins, that’s the AC South’s 15 wins, no
member team above .400.
Of note is that, except for the AC South’s
2-9 Tennessee Titans and the NC East’s 3-8 N.Y. Giants, third division position
teams are but one or two games behind their respective second position holders,
therefore the four or five games left to the current season per team could see
third place-slotted teams reverse position with their division number twos,
e.g., today the NC West’s third place 7-4 S.F. 49ers could rise above the NC
West’s now second position 7-4 Seattle Seahawks, and the AC West’s third spot
7-4 San Diego Chargers could replace the 7-4 K.C. Chiefs that are now at second
behind the Broncos.
Except for the Eagles 43-24 win over the
Titans on Sunday, Week 12’s games ended without final scores being very far
apart, implying near-parity for the 30 competing teams, that is, on that day.
As to Week 12’s big surprise, that was the
Chief’s loss to the Raiders, 24-20, on Thursday.
How pivotal will Week 13’s early match-ups
be? Should the Cowboys defeat the Eagles on Thursday night, they’ll replace the
Eagles atop the NC East, and if the 49ers prevail against the Seahawks on
Thursday, they’ll replace them at second position within the NC
West.
Broncos, Dolphins---UNABLE to establish the points needed for a significant first-half
lead versus the then 6-4 Miami Dolphins on Sunday, the then 7-3 Denver Broncos
appeared to have leveled off in the third Q but came from behind in a fourth Q
to defeat the Dolphins, 39-36.
Yes, it’s points that make the win and it’s
the win that can get you to playoffs and the SB, therefore to Broncos fans the
first three Q’s of Sunday’s vs. Dolphins game were certainly
disappointing---7-3, 21-17, 28-17, Broncos behind in each.
But---there’s more than points for defining
a quality NFL franchise, and the Broncos are definitely a class act,
demonstrated by the Broncos maintaining better numbers than the Dolphins on
Sunday in nearly all of the NFL game categories that define a high performance
team.
While behind the Dolphins until the fourth
Q, those game category edges had kept the Broncos always within reach of
leap-ahead moments for surpassing its already vs. Dolphins 17 points for another
victory. Proof of life: endgame showed that the Broncos were ahead in
time-of-possession with 34 minutes over the Dolphins 25, allowing for 29 first
downs vs. the Dolphins 25, and for a total of 450 yards gained above the
Dolphins 313, which included 201 rushing yards gained vs. the Dolphins 97, with
the Broncos average gain in yards per rush 5.7, the Dolphins 4.5.
Meanwhile, the average gain per pass play
had the Broncos ahead from 6.9, above the Dolphins 5.8.
Too, the Broncos accrued 149 return yards,
the Dolphins, 57.
Were NFL teams rated at the end of a game in
the manner that Olympic athletes are rated after a showing for Gold, with all
performance factors reviewed the Broncos would have finished Sunday’s event
close to a nine, the Dolphins with a six, and largely from several outstanding
Broncos player-achievements, for example, QB Manning’s four TD passes, RB C.J.
Anderson gaining 167 yards and a TD, his average gains per rush being 6.2., also
WR DeMaryius Thomas receiving for 87 yards and three TD’s, WR Emmanuelle Sanders
receiving for 125 yards, and WR Wes Welker catching a virtual bullet from
Manning for a TD.
And, how about Broncos safety T.J. Ward’s
interception in the fourth Q and his 37 yard rush that made it possible for a
Manning’s TD pass to exist and so the three-point edge for the Broncos eighth
season takeaway over three losses.
Rating the QB’s, Manning completed 28 passes
from 35 attempts, the Dolphins QB, Ryan Tannehill, 26 from 36. . .
The Dolphins QB was nearly equal with Peyton Manning, but not because Manning
wasn’t at his best, or that the Broncos defense was half asleep. Fact One, Ryan
Tannehill is a class act QB, with the Dolphins O-Line above the margin. Fact
Two, the Broncos D executed the right maneuvers but hadn’t the speed or power
for each in the first three vs. Dolphins Q’s, tightening up in the fourth Q so
that the Broncos offense could come from behind for the win. The Broncos still
need a D that can read any O-line early in a game and prevent a high-scoring
first Q opposition, this to cancel the need for difficult comeback runs, for
which no QB, not even Peyton Manning, could always rise to the
occasion.
NBA---THE Denver Nuggets have won four games in a row, jumping to 6-7 from
2-6 and last place 10 days ago, to the number two spot inside the NBA Western
Conference’s Northwest Division, now four wins behind the division’s number one
team, the 11-3 Portland Trail Blazers, the latter now at second position within
the entire NBA and within the WC, a game back of the WC Southeast Division’s
12-2 Memphis Grizzlies and one behind the NC’s number one franchise, the NC
Atlantic’s 12-2 Toronto Raptors.
Tonight, the Nuggets have an opportunity to
extend its streak of wins to five and to add a team to a list of top franchises
sent down by them, vs. the EC’s Central Division leading team, the now 9-5
Chicago Bulls.
Other NBA teams have jumped upward recently
from middle or low division status. They are the WC Southeast’s San Antonio
Spurs rising from a recent below .500 record to 9-4, though a third place team,
and the EC Central’s Milwaukee Bucks lifting from 1-2 and division fourth position to 7-7 and
second place during the same period.
As to the downward slide, it’s being
experienced by the NC Atlantic’s 4-11 N.Y. Knicks having dropped from first
place to fourth position, and the NC Central’s now third position team, the 6-7
Cleveland Cavaliers.
Consistency within the overall rankings,
such has belonged to the NBA 2014/15’s low position occupiers, no change in
status from a month ago for the Thunder, the WC Southwest’s 7-5 N.O. Pelicans,
the WC Pacific’s 3-11 L.A. Lakers, the EC Atlantic’s 0-14 Philadelphia 76ers
(lowest within the NBA), the EC Southwest’s 4-11 Charlotte Bobcats, the EC
Central’s 3-10 Detroit Pistons.
END/ml
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