Sports. Honestly. Since 2011

NFL Gamechangers: Big Plays you won't see on the highlights

Momentum is huge in football, and often effects the outcome of games. There are key plays that change momentum that are very subtle and may not make the highlight package on your favorite sports show. Sure, these shows do a great job of showing incredible catches, hits, and runs, or of showing you the scoring plays in a game, but do they really tell the whole story?

While a drive might end in a 5-yard TD pass or a 10-yard TD run, is that really the key play in a 7, 8, 9 or 10 play drive? Would the scoring play even be possible without the key completion on third and long earlier in the drive? Or that receiver who made a key block freeing up the running back to get to the outside to pick up a first down?

The purpose of this column is to highlight some key plays that greatly effected the outcome of their games, yet they might not have made highlight reels. This isn’t to take away from the importance of a big scoring play or turnover, but without these plays the highlight reel play would not have happened.

Chicago Bears @ Green Bay Packers (Green Bay gets 7 Sacks of Jay Cutler): I know, I know, I’m cheating a little bit with the Thursday night game. But consider this, the story on Thursday night was turnovers; the four interceptions that the Packers defense caused were certainly big plays and certainly helped to change the game.

However, there is more to the story than just those four plays. The fact is that the pressure put on Jay Cutler by the Packers front seven throughout the game was the true game changer. They were in his face all night and the Bears Offensive Line looked like they couldn’t block a high school football team. With this much pressure, as shown in seven QB sacks on the night, it is no surprise that Cutler started to rush his passes and some inaccuracy occurred.

If the Bears want to be a true threat in the NFC they will need to solve this long-term problem they have had protecting the quarterback.

Kansas City at Buffalo (Matt Cassel stopped at the 1-yard line): The Bills dominated the Chiefs early, jumping out to a 21-0 lead.  It looked like the Chiefs might cut into that lead before the half as they drove down the field.  On a 3rd and 7 play at the Buffalo 22-yard line, with about 1 minute left in the half, Cassel scrambled, found a huge opening and looked to be headed in for a touchdown.  However, the Bills defence quickly converged and stopped Cassel at the 1-yard line.

It seemed like a pointless stop though – 1st and goal at the 1 yard line with KC being a good running team.  Sure, touchdown and it’s a 21-7 halftime lead for the Bills, right?  WRONG!  Peyton Hillis fumbled at the one, the Bills recovered the ball in the endzone and Kansas City’s opportunity to make this into a football game was lost.  This is an example where the Bills easily could have given up and let Cassel score at the end of the half, but the effort in keeping him out of the endzone was rewarded.

Minnesota Vikings at Indianapolis Colts (Minnesota 3 and Out):  At the end of the first half, Andrew Luck took over the ball with 1:11 to go, and drove the Colts down the field for a last second touchdown right before half time.  The big play we’ll see on the highlights is a 30-yard pass to Reggie Wayne with just 8 seconds to go before half time.  What you won’t see though is the Indianapolis defensive series that made it all possible.

With 1:46 to play Christian Ponder and the Minnesota Vikings took over the ball at their own 19-yard line.  The Vikings went into their two-minute offence and Ponder dropped back to pass three times.  After a four yard pass to Michael Jenkins, the Colts would lock down on the next two plays forcing two incomplete passes, giving Luck enough time remaining to engineer the touchdown drive.  This was a major miscalculation by the Vikings.

If you get the ball with 2 minutes remaining deep in your own end of the field, you must move the ball.  You cannot afford the worse case scenario “three and out”, with two incomplete passes (plays that stop the clock), in that situation.  If you can’t get a first down and score points, you must run time off the clock and prevent your opponent from scoring.  Giving Luck a shot to put up another 7 points before half time was a key reason why the Wayne play was even possible.

Arizona Cardinals @ New England Patriots (5 yard False Start Penalty, Patriots): In the biggest upset of the week, the Patriots were beaten in their home opener by the Arizona Cardinals.  While many highlight shows will no doubt repeat the 42-yard Field Goal miss and point to it as the reason the Patriots were unable to complete the comeback, I want to look at a penalty the Patriots took just three plays earlier.

Down two points, with 46 seconds left the Patriots had the ball, first and ten, at the Arizona 18-yard line.  Tom Brady dropped back looking like he was going to throw a pass, but in a bit of misdirection it was really a draw play to Danny Woodhead.  The play call was brilliant, the blocking perfect, and the run by Woodhead was superb as he took it to the endzone.  It appeared that the Patriots had scored a touchdown and once again snatched victory from the jaws of defeat, but wait just a second.  The play was called back on a false start by the Pats o-line.  This penalty not only nullified the touchdown, but also caused Gostkowski’s attempt to be five yards further away, and that much harder to make.  A dramatic example of how undisciplined play, and bad penalties cost teams football games, and was a mistake we rarely see the Patriots make. Belichick will be fuming.

New York Jets @ Pittsburgh Steelers (Incorrect Challenge with 6:27 to play):  With 6:27 to play in the fourth quarter and the Steelers up 20-10, Isaac Redman took a handoff from Ben Roethlisberger, narrowly avoided being tackled for a loss, and took the football on a first down run.  Jeremiah Bell of the Jets attempted to strip the ball the from Redman, and eventually got it out of his hands, but it was obvious to everyone watching the replay that Redman was on the ground and that no fumble had occurred.  Obvious to everyone except Rex Ryan who threw a challenge flag trying to overturn the call.  After a quick look in the replay booth the call on the field was confirmed and the Jets lost a timeout.  That timeout might have been valuable to the Jets in a comeback attempt, but it was not to be, and the Steelers rolled to an easy victory.

There you have a collection of plays that might not be on tomorrow’s highlight reel, but ultimately decided their respective games.  I’ll see you next Monday for more NFL Gamechangers.

Follow me on Twitter – @LastWordBKerr

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