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A pro football game is four, 15 minute quarters for a total of 60 minutes. When watching a game, you need to allow at least three hours, but usually, more time to allow for something ridiculous to happen. Let’s be real: something is going to go awry. At the end of any given game, someone will be unhappy.
In my mind, the NFL playoffs ended when the Bears were doinked, well really double doinked, from the playoffs. Did you see what I did there? If not, here’s a video. In Parkey’s defense, the kick has been ruled a block, but I still stand by the fact that I called the miss before it happened. I did not anticipate the double doink, otherwise, I would have gone out and purchased a (winning) lottery ticket with my newfound psychic powers. As a Bears’ fan of many, many (lean) years, I have learned to manage expectations. Even though I allowed myself to dream of the possibility of the Bears winning the Super Bowl, which I did do; I am not sitting here weeks later blaming Parkey. The defense did not play at their best. Going for two after the touchdown was probably a foolish call. Trubisky never found his rhythm, etc., etc., etc. A football game is 60 minutes, too much energy, strategy, and effort go into it; so to boil it down to one play feels like a disservice and dare I say ridiculousness?
The Eagles came out the victors of their game against the Bears and had to go on the road to face a formidable New Orleans Saints team. The Eagles seemed to be flying high (more wordplay), after beating the team that allowed them to even make the playoffs. The irony is not lost on me that this is the second time in as many playoff appearances that the Bears have allowed their opponent into the playoffs, but there you hate it. Anyway, the Eagles go into the Superdome to play a team that absolutely embarrassed them during the regular season (48-7), and one that is playing really good ball with a seemingly ageless quarterback who went to that other school (Purdue). The Eagles get out to an early lead scoring two touchdowns in the first quarter, but that would be their score at the end of the game. New Orleans was able to take a 20-14 lead that seemed to be in jeopardy as the Eagles were driving down the field with mere minutes left in the game when Alshon Jeffrey - who did nothing for me in fantasy football by the way - let a very catchable ball go through his fingers. It felt like the equivalent of the baseball going through a players legs (it went through the wickets)! As mad as I was at Jeffrey, both for the aforementioned fantasy disappointment, but also for his criticism of the Bears coming into the game; this loss is not squarely on his shoulders. The Eagles’ defense held a high-powered offense to 20 points, the offense needs to be able to score more than 20 points. The Eagles even making the playoffs after Wentz went down again was nothing short of miraculous. Still, at some point, the better team is going to prevail. The whole of the 2018 Saints was better than the defending Super Bowl Champions this go around.
This is all leading to the mother of blown calls and one-off moments. The Saints seemed to have the game in hand over the Rams. I am sure Saints’ fans had started purchasing plane tickets to Atlanta, planning a road trip, or at the very least planning their Super Bowl parties. Then comes a blatant hit on a WR, Tommylee Lewis by the CB Nickell Robey-Coleman before the ball arrives. If you’re a college basketball fan this is when you insert the Dick Vitale diatribe, “come on ref, even I could see that and I’ve only got one eye...” In all seriousness, it was an epic fail by the official. Even Robey-Coleman said he didn’t play the ball. The Rams take the game to OT and kick a game-winning, Super Bowl ticket punching field goal to win. Now you have a New Orleans attorney suing the NFL, eye doctors offering NFL referees free eye-exams, Saints’ fans signing petitions to try to get the game replayed, and Sean Peyton telling anyone that will listen that the NFL head of officials acknowledged the call was blown. Here’s the rub for me, however, and it lies in the overtime. New Orleans won the coin toss. They received the ball, as everyone other than Marty Mornhinweg, would choose to do. If the Saints score a touchdown, the game is over. Even scoring a field goal at least forces the Rams to match it. Instead, Brees is picked off, the Rams get the ball and score the field goal.
In many ways technology with the power of instant replay, and the challenge system now wide-spread in sports today has ruined us against the possibility of human error. Blown calls, missed strikes, erroneous safe/out, they are all part of the human dimension of sports. Did this official make a mistake? Absolutely. Is it an offense worthy of termination? That is not for me to decide. I just know that I have made some whopper-sized mistakes in my life, and I would hate for any of them to play out before the public. Again, this game should not have come down to one make-or-break play. The Saints had their opportunity in overtime, they were not able to capitalize on it. The Rams won the game, and the opportunity to (hopefully) beat the Patriots.
Back to the fact that I am a Bears' fan... I am sitting here with my head held high knowing that my team beat the NFC Champions and should have beat the AFC Champion Patriots. Onward and upward for the Bears, but it is time to find a new kicker.
