Super Bowl First's and Records: Events that Sparked My Interest, Super Bowl Week

I’ve been super busy with school work recently, and haven’t had the chance to blog in 6 weeks. But, now that is all done and I’m back to blogging, just in time for Super Bowl LII's edition of Events that Sparked My Interest. For this season's final edition, I decided that I wanted to focus on the various records set. With that, let’s get into it!

Tom Brady

Probably the most interesting stat or record for me is that Brady is now the first quarterback in NFL history to lose a game when throwing for over 500 yards and at least 3 touchdowns. The 500 yard mark has only been eclipsed 22 times (including the Super Bowl). 17 of those times the QB threw for 3 or more touchdowns. 6 of those 17 threw no interceptions. 500 yards in a game just does not happen, and to rack up that many yards without an interception is crazy. Of those 17 players, 14 required 40 more passes, 7 needing at least 50. I found this to be one of the more interesting records set in Super Bowl LII.

Patriots lose Record 5^th Super Bowl

It hadn’t occurred to me, maybe because I thought the Patriots were going to win, but heading into the 52^nd Super Bowl, they had appeared in 9, winning 5 and losing 4. With their most recent loss, they are now 0.500 in Super Bowls and are tied with the Denver Broncos for the most Super Bowl losses out of any team with 5, in addition to hold the record for most appearances (10), and having the quarterback with the most wins (5) and appearances (8).

Nick Foles Becomes only QB to Throw and Catch a TD

In perhaps the game’s most icon play, QB Nick Foles caught a touchdown from Tight End Trey Burton. This made Foles the first player in Super Bowl history to both throw and catch a touchdown. While there isn’t some crazy elaborate tangent I can go on for this, I just have to say that I found the call gutsy, but it paid off. I think it is the game’s most iconic play and will be remembered forever by Eagles, Patriots, and NFL fans alike.

I hope you've enjoyed Events that Sparked My Interest this season. This was the first time I really sat down and tried to produce a product regularly, and while I didn't get something out every week, I think it turned out well, but I want your feedback. Please let me know as it is much appreciated.

Season Ending Injury and Stunning Loss Reset the Playoff Picture in the NFC, AFC: Events that Sparked my Interest, Week 14

Week 14 had a lot of interesting moments that caught my eye. Between the blizzard in Buffalo to the AFC South race, there were a lot of things I could write about this week and it wasn’t an easy choice. But as Gameday went on, the injuries and results from must win games piled up, the Events that Sparked my Interest fell became obvious.

Eagles get an Important NFC win, but at a Huge Cost

Last week I wrote about how I thought the Philadelphia Eagles would make the playoffs, but that they were due for a loss at some point and that happened against the Seattle Seahawks. Quarterback Carson Wentz’s favorite target, tight end Zach Ertz left that game with a concussion and didn’t play on Sunday against the Los Angeles Rams. The Eagles beat the Rams in a shootout, clinching the NFC East, but it wasn’t pretty.

With 4 minutes to go in the third quart, Wentz ran for a touchdown which would be called back, but while diving into the end zone, his legs/knees got folded and while he managed to complete the drive, he headed straight for the locker room.

Yesterday it was confirmed that Wentz tore his ACL and is out for the year, adding onto the list of star players who are out for the year. So, while the Eagles have the head to head advantage against the Rams, they don’t have their quarterback. Yes, Nick Foles has proved that he can play and win in the NFL, but he is no Carson Wentz.

Foles’ play is something I’m interested in seeing the next three weeks, as the Eagles try to lock up the number one seed in what has become a mess of an NFC.

Patriots Loss Sets Stage for huge game against the Steelers in Week 15

The New England Patriots were stunningly upset by the Miami Dolphins on Monday night – putting quarterback Tom Brady’s road record against the Dolphins at 7-9 – and that created some major issues for the team when it comes to the number one seed in the AFC.

While there is virtually no way the team does not make the playoffs, the fight for the top seed in the AFC, or even a first round bye has just gotten a lot harder. Prior to the Dolphins game, they had the number two seed by virtue of the Pittsburgh Steelers owning the tie breaker. The Steelers beat the Ravens on Sunday Night, winning their division. A win against the Dolphins would have locked up the AFC East and kept pace with the Steelers, setting the stage for when the Patriots and Steelers meet in Week 15, since the winner would own the head-to-head tiebreaker, and very likely the number one seed.

But the Pats loss to the Dolphins complicates things. If they win next week, they would have the number one seed, but there would still be two games left to play. Both teams should win in Weeks 16 and 17, with the Pats playing the Buffalo Bills and New York Jets, and the Steelers taking on the Houston Texans and Cleveland Browns.

But, if the Steelers win next weekend, the Patriots would be in trouble. First off, they would be lock up the number one seed, because even if they lost out and the Patriots won out, the Steelers would still have the head to head tie breaker. But, it gets worse.

With the Jacksonville Jaguars beating the Seattle Seahawks, the Jags gained ground on the second seed. If they win out, they would be 12-4, and if the Patriots won their final two games after losing to the Steelers, the two teams would have the same record, but Jacksonville would get the seed via their better conference record.

Simply put – because the Patriots lost to the Dolphins in a stunning upset, their hopes for the number one seed in the AFC rely upon running the table, and if they lost, they would need help from the Texans, 49ers, or Titans (which brings up a host of other playoff scenarios) to have a first-round bye, something the beat-up team needs and has had annually since 2009.


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Eagles Come Back to Earth and my Thoughts on Case Keenum: Events that Sparked My Interest, Week 13

For the past few weeks, I've been doubtful of the Vikings and Eagles future performances, but haven't found a good place to write about them. But, the Eagles loss and Vikings win proved to be the Events that Sparked My Interest in Week 13.

Eagles Come Back to Earth

It's been my personal belief that the Philadelphia Eagles (among other teams) were going to cool off at some point before the end of the season. Further, I didn't expect their game against the Seattle Seahawks to be much of a fight, and boy was I right.

Eagles QB Carson Wentz might have thrown for 348 yards, but he only tossed one touchdown, the only one for the team.

During Seattle's third offensive possession, the Eagles committed a pair of defensive penalties, moving the ball 24 yards downfield, from the Eagles 35 to the 16, then to the 11-yard line on successive plays. This put the Hawks in prime position to score, which they did.

This was the first time the Eagles allowed a touchdown in the first quarter this season, and put the Seahawks up 10-0.

All told, this wasn't a great game for the Eagles, and while I expect them to make it to the playoffs, I don't expect them to play as well as they did during their 10-game winning streak.

Vikings Win, but How Long can Case Keenunm Keep His Performance Up?

One of the biggest surprises this season has been the play of Minnesota Vikings QB Case Keenum. Keennum, whose thrown for 2,703 yards and 16 touchdowns in 11 games. More surprising then that, he's lead the team to a 10-2 record, which has them as the number one seed in the NFC.

In the past, Keennum hasn't had a good team, let alone a weapon or two around him, so maybe his performance isn’t a fluke. Then again, maybe it is because he has weapons around him.

Regardless of why he’s playing this way, I’m not sure how long he can keep his performance up, especially if the team makes it to the playoffs.

Subscribe to my blog via email to get an update any time something is posted. Don’t forget to follow me on Twitter at @KidReporter363 for other updates about my writing and check out all my content at haydengoldberg.contently.com. Please leave your feedback in the comment section, I reply to everyone and take any and all feedback, ideas, comments, etc. under consideration.

The Eagles are Going to the Playoffs, Jared Goff and the Rams are for Real: Events that Sparked My Interest, Week 9

Week 9 was headlined by games that were either close or blowouts. What caught my eye this week was the continued dominance of Jared Goff (Los Angeles Rams) and Carson Wentz (Philadelphia Eagles) and how their play will impact the playoffs.

Carson Wentz’s Improvement all but Yields a Divisional Title for the Eagles

9 weeks into the season, Carson Wentz in the NFL MVP. He’s thrown for 2,262 yards, 23 touchdowns, and lead the Eagles to an 8-1 record. He only threw for an average of one touchdown per game in the 16 he played in last year. His improvement, along with his teammates have all but guaranteed the Eagles the NFC East. If they manage to win 4 of their remaining 7 games, they are the 6^th seed.  Their remaining schedule features games against Chicago and New York, both of which are wins. They also have games Dallas, Seattle, Los Angeles, Oakland, and two against Dallas. They should be able to win a majority of those games at minimum, giving them their 4 wins. They could also make the playoffs as a division winner, and fifth win is necessary for that.

The Eagles control their own destiny to the playoffs and not making it as a division winner (at worst) would be a huge surprise. The capabilities of Wentz’s weapons – Zach Ertz in the Red Zone, Jay Ajayi’s ability to take some pressure off Wentz, Alshon Jeffery as a deep threat – and his improvement have made the Eagles a playoff lock.

Jared Goff and the Rams are for Real

Did anyone expect the Rams to be 6-2 at this point? I didn’t. Did anyone expect them to be winning the division now? I certainly never expected them to be leading the division at any point in the season. But you know what? They are! They are for real. Baring a major injury (which we’ve seen a ton of this season, including Deshaun Watson, Odell Beckham Jr. and others) the Rams will be contending for the 5^th seed in the playoffs as I don’t think they beat the Seahawks for the division title.

Half of their wins have come against teams who have a combined record of 4-22 (the Colts, 49ers, and Giants), so some statistics may be juiced, but in the NFL a win is a win, and you’ve only got 16 chances at one.

In addition to their high scoring wins, they’ve also won some close games, including ones against the Cowboys and (sadly) the 49ers in which their defense has held onto the win. Since Aaron Donald has ended his holdout, the Rams defense has only gotten better, and I expect that to continue, possibly putting the team in the playoffs.

Subscribe to my blog via email to get an update any time something is posted. Don’t forget to follow me on Twitter at @KidReporter363 for other updates about my writing and check out all my content at haydengoldberg.contently.com. Please leave your feedback in the comment section, I reply to everyone and take any and all feedback, ideas, comments, etc. under consideration.