Greetings loyal WeAreIndy.com reader! Paddy O’Furniture checking in to bring you the game day analysis for week eleven. Rick O’ is currently entertaining The Parents, so I graciously agreed to take on the blogging duties today. And brother, what a game!
Cooked, the New England way…
Who would have thought that Luck would have thrown for twelve TDs? Or that Wayne would end up with 297 yards? How about Freeney getting those seven sacks on Brady? How about holding the Pats to that single field goal? I mean never in my wildest dreams did I think we would win 84-3. Oh, wait… I guess I am working off of drunken old notes. *sigh* Sadly, reality was far less kind to us tonight and while I appreciate the poetic beauty of having our goose cooked right before the holiday, I am still a bit miffed at how poorly we played.
And there was hope. For the first quarter we were playing well and matched up well, even ending the quarter up 14-7. I believed. I scoffed at the Facebook chatter of my New England fan friends. We were going to do it, and in story book fashion. But then, as seems to happen all too often, we slowly collapsed like a flan in a cupboard.
Our rookie QB throws his third interception
We couldn’t get any pressure on Brady. Our special teams were atrocious. Our rookie QB made some bad decisions and got picked. Three times. Our receivers dropped some key passes. But still, for a short while it felt like we were in it…that all we needed was one play to break things wide open. But, that play never came and we ended up losing 59-24.
I do, however, find some comfort that I was able to watch the game from the secluded privacy of my own home, with the curtains drawn and the lights turned down. Rick O’ and The Parents had to suffer through the game. In public. In a state that isn’t known for Indy fandom. Personally, I cannot imagine how that felt, but I was able to acquire an artistic impression of how things must have felt for the rest of the family tonight:
Football game? What football game? We’re just here for the wings…
And now, dear reader, it is time to get on with the game analysis…such as it is. With the holiday coming up, I think it a no-brainer that the theme for tonight’s post should be holidays.
Being a kid and having extra days off from school:
- Ballard’s 20 yd run on the first drive. They actually sold the fake end around
- First drive ending with a Carter TD
- Second drive, ending with a Hilton TD catch. It was a beautiful throw by Luck
- Being up 14-7 at end of first quarter against the Pats
- The Pats missing their field goal attempt. It had to make The Old Man chuckle.
- Brazill breaking out on a 20 yard run on 3rd and 5
- Luck connecting to Hilton to keep a drive alive by making a throw with Pats hanging off of him
- Wayne’s big grab on first drive of 2nd half
- Hilton’s TD
- McAfee making a TD saving tackle
- Actually running the ball decently in the first half
Being a kid and having to sit at the kiddie table:
- Not converting on 3-10 at top of the second, resulting in the first punt of the game
- Too many dropped passes. Again.
- The Old Man having leg at his old home, but still missing some
- Starting on our 10 yard line at end of second because of special teams
- Punting on first second half possession, but ending up pinning the Pats on their own 5
- Wayne keeping us alive. Dude is going to get worn out. Or broken.
- Keeping Luck in when the score was 52- 24. Yeah, the kid has to learn, but we don’t need him taking any more hits.
Being a kid and having to eat all the weird things your strange relatives cook:
- Pats picking us apart on their first drive
- Getting a special teams penalty, causing McAfee to rekick which ended in a Pats run back for a TD
- Luck throwing two pick-sixes
- Sack/fumble on Luck which is recovered and run in for a TD
- No run defense
- No pass defense
- Our special teams again were “special”
- Poor clock management
- Suspect coaching
- Phil Simms. I just hate that dude.
So there you have it, folks. Week eleven is in the books. And while I never dreamed that we would be 6-4 at this point, I can’t seem to shake the feeling that we should be playing better at this point. But maybe those expectations were set too high and I should simply be thankful for what we have so far accomplished. Thankful…Thanksgiving. Get it? We are nothing here at WeAreIndy.com, if not predictable.
Anyway, we hope you enjoy the short work week and the time it gives you with your family. Stuff yourself with some turkey, enjoy some football, and avoid the whole Black Friday nonsense.
It generally isn’t worth it.
