Week 12 is in the books and the AFC playoff picture is completely crazy. Don't waste your time staring at the convoluted tie breaking scenarios needed to separate six 5-6 records, instead it's time to sit back, relax and enjoy the finest (and weirdest) the week had to offer.
NFL plays of the week: Andy Reid and the art of successful butt blocking
The Chiefs head coach is into some next-level gamesmanship in this week’s edition of plays of the week
James Dator has been covering a wide range of sports for SB Nation for over a decade, with a special focus on the NFL.
Back that Reid up!
We all haven’t been on an NFL field, but everyone has experienced this scenario. Whether you’re bustling in line at Starbucks or trying to make your way to the airplane bathroom, sometimes humans need to jostle for position. Often we cede our place out of politeness, but this is (football) life or death.
Both Andy Reid and Philip Rivers want to appeal to the referee's sensibilities but only one dog has the derriere for this party.
1. Establish your position
2. Back it up
3. Opponent cowers in fear
All Rivers can do is point to the butt in disgust, and call foul play. You got beat Philip, accept it.
Orange Julian
I'm not sure why, but this play speaks to me. We've seen better catches this season, sometimes with one hand but there's something entrancing about this play by Julian Edelman against the Denver Broncos.
This is one of those catches that’s better in its minutiae. On first view he just dives and catches it, no biggie -- but Edelman’s left arm is tangled with the DB until he makes a play at the ball, and his left leg is locked up too. It’s football poetry, and a GIF lesson to young defenders why you always need to keep your eye on the ball in flight.
Maybe I learned that last part from Richard Sherman on Fox's pregame broadcast, I'll never tell.
The hottest of potatoes
After all, it was over 80-degrees in Miami!
I’m sorry.
It took no fewer than six different players to try and determine where this interception would wind up. This is one of those freak plays where you can’t really blame or credit any one player. Maybe you could pick apart the pass or credit the first tip, but on most days this falls harmlessly to the ground. Instead we get a very strange interception that took a village.
Eddie Lacy: The ride
Rookie running back Eddie Lacy lives to give. Let’s rephrase that: he lives to give shoulders to unwitting defensive players.
The idea here wasn’t too bad. Pushing Lacy out of bounds before the down marker is definitely the right play, so “A” for effort on that one -- but you can’t hit him square in the chest, you just can’t. The defender learns the hard way as his direction is changed 90-degrees in an instant.
Great hit Mr. Lacy, we would like to see more sir. Please don’t hit me.
NOT the play of the week: The art of tackling, the Cowboy way
This is GIF perfection. It's unclear what Jeff Heath was thinking, but clearly Justin Durant was focusing on his brother Darian trying to win CFL's Grey Cup.
The end result was Brett Myers scoring a touchdown akin to something you'd more likely find on "Little Giants" than the New York Giants.
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