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The Baltimore Ravens head coach fired offensive coordinator Cam Cameron following the team’s overtime loss to the Washington Redskins last week, in which the defense let a rookie backup quarterback throw for a touchdown and run for the game-winning two-point conversion.
That’s right, the offensive coordinator, not the defensive coordinator, whose team had also lost to Field Turf quarterback Charlie Batch, an older backup, in Week 13.
Harbaugh said last week that firing Cameron was a tough decision. Jim Caldwell, a former NFL head coach, will now call plays instead of Cameron. Caldwell was Peyton Manning’s position coach for the better part of a decade, but he has never really called plays.
Ray Rice only ran 12 times on Sunday in a 34-17 loss to the Denver Broncos, eight fewer than he did against the Redskins last week, despite the coordinator change. The Ravens only gained 56 yards of total rush yardage against the Broncos, with Rice having only 38 yards.
Additionally, quarterback Joe Flacco did not play any smarter after the switch. In the first quarter, he fumbled on a quarterback sneak, and with 30 seconds remaining in the first half, he threw an interception at the 2-yard line that was recovered for a 98-yard touchdown.
Flacco pursued Denver’s Chris Harris, the cornerback, all the way to the other end zone. Despite a heroic attempt to bring down a defensive back, Sunday’s game will be remembered for Flacco lying face down on the field with a boo-boo on his chin.
When asked about the ineffective coordinator switch, Harbaugh became agitated and said, “It’s not about that.”
Actually, it is. That’s what Harbaugh has made it about. However, the previous three weeks, and especially Sunday, when players from Baltimore acknowledged they were embarrassed, have exposed problems for the Ravens that a midweek coaching change cannot address.
However, can Dean Pees, the defensive coordinator, be getting enough sleep this week?
With the Pittsburgh Steelers’ loss to the Cowboys in Dallas on Sunday, the Ravens secured a postseason berth and maintained their lead in the AFC North. It’s not exactly a dire circumstance. Thus, maybe Harbaugh will hold off on making the bold moves until later, say, during the off-season.
Balls for games
The Atlanta Falcons’ Matt Ryan: Perhaps we dismissed the Falcons and their quarterback too quickly. Ryan and the Falcons provided a reminder of why they should still be favored to win the NFC a week after losing to the Carolina Panthers. In a 34-0 rout of the New York Giants, Ryan broke franchise records for passing yards and completions in addition to throwing three touchdowns.
Giants wide receiver Victor Cruz wrote a note to Jack Pinto, the 6-year-old victim of the shooting at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, Connecticut, on Friday. Cruz honored a little boy who he learned had been a Giants fan by writing Pinto’s name and the words “my hero” on the toes of his cleats in black marker. This weekend, a number of athletes honored the victims of the shooting in Newtown, but none did so more intimately than Cruz.
NFL fine czars: It is understandable that the league, which typically fines players for tampering with their uniforms, will overlook Cruz and other victims’ memorials. That’s the right call.
Russell Wilson, rookie quarterback for the Seattle Seahawks: In the first half of Sunday’s game against the Buffalo Bills, Wilson scored four touchdowns. In the first half of a game, no player in NFL history had ever thrown a touchdown and run for three touchdowns. Wilson deserves to be named rookie of the year, not just mentioned in the conversation after leading Seattle to another 50-point victory.
Player of the Week for Offense
Eric Dickerson, take note of Adrian Peterson of the Minnesota Vikings. After undergoing ACL surgery 51 weeks ago for an injury, Peterson has made an incredible recovery, and his performance on Sunday was so good that he should be given serious MVP consideration.
Against the St. Louis Rams, Peterson ran for 212 yards, including an early touchdown of 82 yards. Now, he just needs 188 yards in the next two weeks to reach 2,000 yards and 294 yards to surpass Dickerson’s 2,105-yard single-season record.
The Houston Texans’ J.J. Watt: The second-year defensive end sacked Indianapolis quarterback Andrew Luck three times to help the Texans win the AFC South, one week after being shut out by the New England Patriots. With eight more sacks in the last four games, Watt’s season total now stands at 19.5. He also forced a fumble in the Colts game.
Dan Bailey, Cowboys: With roughly 30 seconds left in Sunday’s tie game against Pittsburgh, head coach Jason Garrett made the decision to deny his kicker’s attempt at a 60-yard field goal.
Bailey ultimately had an opportunity to score the winning goal in overtime. Bailey converted his chance for a walk-off victory for the second straight week, this time from a mere 21 yards. On Sunday morning, he made a 50-yard catch. The Cowboys are in dire need of this kind of clutch play as they attempt to clinch one of the NFC’s final playoff berths.
The Broncos’ Chris Harris: Undoubtedly, a large portion of the Broncos’ nine-game winning streak can be attributed to Peyton Manning. However, during the last two months, the Broncos defense has consistently produced plays that have changed games. Chris Harris, a second-year cornerback who started the season nine weeks ago—yes, the same week Denver’s winning streak began—is one player who has done so more than any other.
It would have made sense for Baltimore to spike the ball with a first-and-goal at the four with the last minute of the first half winding down. Instead, Joe Flacco attempted to rush the Broncos. Undrafted out of Kansas in 2011, Harris intercepted a pass intended for Anquan Boldin and raced 98 yards in front of the Broncos’ sideline for a touchdown, giving Denver their largest season-opening victory, 17-0.
Statement Sunday: In Week 15, we were promised a ton of amazing games. Where were they all? Fans were left with game after game of lopsidedness, even though there were a lot of matchups that appeared great on paper. Only two of Sunday’s afternoon games were decided by less than ten points, with the Giants (34-0 by the Falcons), Tampa Bay Buccaneers (41-0 by New Orleans), and Kansas City Chiefs (15-0 by the Oakland Raiders) being the three teams that were shut out.
Chicago Bears: Do you recall their 7-1 season? The Bears have dropped five of their last six games after that explosive start. The Bears are no longer alone in second place in the division, and they had to witness the Green Bay Packers win the NFC North at Soldier Field on Sunday. Injuries have worn down Chicago’s defense, and the offense has only scored one touchdown in the past two games combined. Head coach Lovie Smith may not have a job if the Bears miss the playoffs, and as of right now, they are outsiders looking in.
This week, they have to do better.
Eli Manning, Giants: The defending champions will need a lot more from Manning if they hope to overcome the three-way deadlock at the top of the NFC East. On Sunday, he threw for just 161 yards, which is just his second-lowest total of the year. Additionally, Manning threw two interceptions.
