Welcome to your Monday roundup of the best and worst of NFL Sunday — by which we mean the single very best thing and single very worst thing. Because the stuff in the middle doesn’t matter, really.
THE VERY BEST THING ABOUT THE NFL THIS WEEK: Look, we complain a lot in the “Worst” part of this space about the terrible quarterbacking plaguing the NFL. There just aren’t enough good QBs to go around, and some of the people who could really help with that are either on Injured Reserve (hi, Aaron!), rehabbing or learning new systems (hi, Teddy and Jimmy!) or are still looking for work (hi, Colin!).
But the NFL can still surprise you, which is why this space is dedicated to the least-likely thrilling quarterback duel ever — the epic, down-to-the-wire tilt between Blaine Gabbert and Blake Bortles, and yes you read that right.
Jacksonville-Arizona was supposed to be a speed bump on the Jaguars’ journey to 8-3 and a division title. The Cardinals without both Carson Palmer and David Johnson are, to put it mildly, no longer even the moderate wild-card contender they’ve been in recent years. But with Gabbert replacing Drew Stanton and a rejuvenated Adrian Peterson, they ripped apart the vaunted Jags defence — who had given Jacksonville the lead by stripping Gabbert and returning the fumble for a touchdown just minutes earlier — over the final minutes of the fourth quarter.
First came the 52-yard bomb to Jaron Brown, and then the short-but-methodical drive to get just close enough to give Phil Dawson the chance to win it with a 57-yard field goal. A last-second finish to a thrilling game that proved to be the best of the afternoon slate was not exactly what anyone had marked on their cards for this one.
No, neither Gabbert nor Bortles were superstars in this one. But for these two pivots, both of whom have spent full seasons as the butt of jokes, to combine for this sort of clash is worth saluting. And sure, Bortles completed only 19 of 33 passes for 160 yards and no scores, but you take what the defence gives you and his 62 yards and two touchdowns rushing kept the Jaguars within striking distance all game. And considering the Jags’ best offensive weapon, rookie running back Leonard Fournette, was hobbled by a bad ankle and a stifling run D and held to 12 carries for 25 yards, Bortles’s scrambles were basically all the Jaguars had.
Hey, the best QBs find ways to get it done. And so, apparently, do these two. For one day, anyway.
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THE VERY WORST THING ABOUT THE NFL THIS WEEK: It hasn’t exactly been a great year for the NFL in terms of positive press. Between ownership trying to stifle players, owners trying to oust the commissioner, the usual head-injury worries and terrible calls, and the new questions around falling ratings, the league could really use games that keep the talk to the on-field action.
So naturally, Michael Crabtree and Aqib Talib made sure their brawl would become the talk of an important divisional game between the Raiders and Broncos.
There’s not much to say about this, other than this isn’t hockey, where a fight is allowed to fire up your team. And it isn’t a good look when two jerks let their own personal beef engulf their entire rosters. And it’s obviously less than ideal when the best receiver on one team and the best corner on the other are gone from the game barely three minutes in.
Oh, and it doesn’t help to hand ammunition to the haters and bots and presidents on twitter who like to complain that NFL players are thugs. Jaw a little bit after the whistle if you must — don’t wreck games and reputations alike in the first quarter. That’s just, well… it’s the worst.
