THE TYGRRRR EXPRESS

Super Bowl LIV (54) Recap

The 2019-2020 NFL regular season, Wildcards, Divisionals, Conference Title Games and Pro Bowl are in the history books. One more game stood between the end of football season and the Daytona 500 to kickstart NASCAR.

The game featured the AFC Champion and Lamar Hunt Trophy winning Kansas City Chiefs against the NFC Champion and George Halas Trophy winning San Francisco 49ers. The Chiefs lost the first Super Bowl in 1966 and won the fourth Super Bowl in 1969. Exactly 50 years after winning their only Super Bowl, the Chiefs were back in the big game for the third time. The 49ers won four Super Bowls in the 1980s and a fifth Super Bowl in 1994. They lost the Super Bowl in 2012 and were back in it for the seventh time.

These teams were built completely differently. The Chiefs came in with a high-flying offense led by phenom quarterback Patrick Mahomes, speedsters Tyreek Hill and Sammy Watkins, and big tight end Travis Kelce. The 49ers were built with defense. One year after going 4-12, a healthy Jimmy Garoppolo has benefitted from a trio of running backs and an imposing tight end in George Kittle.

Both coaches were desperate to exorcise playoff demons. Walrus Lite Andy Reid had been to the Conference Title Game seven times. He lost five of those games as well as the 2004 Super Bowl. Mike Shanahan won two Super Bowls, but his son Kyle presided over the biggest collapse in Super Bowl history. As the offensive coordinator for the Atlanta Falcons in 2016, his play-calling allowed the Falcons to blow a 28-3 third quarter lead. Atlanta lost that game to the Patriots 34-28 in overtime.

With politics and pop culture dividing us, the final football game of every season brings approximately one out of every three Americans together.

Then came the kickoff. San Francisco won the toss and for some bizarre reason decided to defer. The logic is to get the ball near the end of the half and then get it to start the third quarter to keep the other team’s offense cooling their heels for up to an hour. However, the last thing any sane coach should do is let Patrick Mahomes have the football. The only way to beat the Chiefs is to keep him off the field. The 1990 Giants held the ball for over 40 minutes, allowing them to shock the seemingly unstoppable Bills. Yet Kyle Shanahan let Mahomes start the game.

The strategy appeared to work when the Chiefs went 3 and out. Mahomes was off the mark with his passes. The 49ers faced 2nd and 11 at their own 17. Jimmy Garoppolo hit Greg Kittle for 11 yards. Deebo Samuel broke free for a 32 yard gain. On 3rd and 2 from the Chiefs 32, Samuel gained 7. On 3rd and 5 from the Chiefs 20, Garoppolo threw incomplete. The 10 play, 62 yard, 6 minute drive had the 49ers settling for a 38 yard Robbie Gould field goal and a 3-0 lead.

Mahomes rebounded after a touchback, hitting Tyreek Hill for 9 and again for 8. On 3rd and 2 from the their own 44, pass-happy Andy Reid ran the ball. Damien Williams gained 5. Mahomes hit Kelce for 9 and Williams ran for 14. On 4th and 1 at the Frisco 5, the ultra-conservative Andy Reid went ultra-aggressive. Bill Parcells once said that you have to have big balls to win the biggest games. Parcells called a fake punt in the 1990 NFC Title Game, and one of his disciples Sean Payton called a surprise onsides kick to start the second half of the 2009 Super Bowl. Obviously pass-happy Andy Reid would throw it in this situation. Again, he ran the ball. Williams took the direct snap and gained four yards down to the one. At this point everyone knew that West Coast Offense dink and dunker pass-happy Andy Reid would throw it. Again, he ran the ball and Mahomes got in. After the first quarter, the Chiefs led 7-3. Andy Reid was gambling on 4th and 1. He was running the ball.

Things got worse for the 49ers when Garoppolo was intercepted early in the second quarter to set up the Chiefs at their own 44.  Mahomes went deep to Sammy Watkins for a 28 yard gain. On 4th and 1 from the Frisco 19, Andy Reid again decided to go for it. Again the pass-happy coach opted to run the ball. Williams gained 3. On 3rd and 7 from the 49ers 13, Mahomes threw incomplete. Harrison Butker hit a 31 yard field goal to make it 10-3 Chiefs. The 49ers took over at their own 20 and Raheem Mostert ran for one and 9. Garoppolo hit Samuel for 16. Mostert added 11 and Tevin Coleman ran for 17 more. Garoppolo hit Samuel for 11 and Kyle Juszczyk for a 15 yard touchdown. With 5 minutes left in the half, the game was tied 10-10. Kyle Shanahan’s defense was playing well and his plan to shorten the game was clearly working. His plan to have the last possession of the half and the first possession of the second half worked. Yet in a stunning turn of events, Shanahan made a horrendous coaching decision at the end of the first half.

With 1:53 left in the half, the Chiefs faced 3rd and 14 at their own 48. A short completion gained only one yard. A quick timeout followed buy a punt would have given the 49ers about 1:40 to work with. Yet Shanahan never took a timeout even though he had all 3 of them. After a punt and a touchback, only one minute remained. Rather than even try to set up for a field goal, Shanahan called two conservative runs. He was giving up. Then Andy Reid made one of the rare bad decisions on his side. He has been criticized for bad clock management in the past, and this time he should have let the clock go to the half. Instead with 20 seconds left in the half, he called a timeout on defense with the 49ers facing 3rd and 5 at their own 25. It was too little time for the Chiefs to do anything, and it nearly blew up in the Chiefs faces. Garoppolo hit Wilson for 20 yards and the 49ers called timeout with 14 seconds left. Garoppolo then went deep to George Kittle for a 42 yard gain. Despite Shanahan’s decision to initially give up, Reid’s return mistake still gave the 49ers a chance to take the lead on a field goal. However, they never got that chance. Kittle was called for offensive pass interference, wiping out the big game. At that point Shanahan had Garoppolo take a knee as the teams went to the locker rooms deadlocked 10-10.

While Shakira and Jennifer Lopez did a great job shaking their practically naked asses, the halftime show should still be abolished and replaced with football highlights. This concludes all discussion of non-football related matters.

The 49ers began the third quarter at their own 16. Garoppolo hit Emanuel Sanders for gains of 5 and 15. Samuel got around the end for 14 more yards to midfield. Garoppolo hit Juszczyk for 14 and kittle for 5. On 3rd and 5 from the Chiefs 27, Groppolo hit Coleman for only 3 yards. On 4th and 2, Shanahan decided not to gamble. Gould hit the 42 yard field goal and the 49ers led 13-10. The Chiefs offense finally took the field after what seemed like forever. They moved from their own 9 to a 3rd and 12 at their own 39. Mahomes went deep and was intercepted by Fred Warner. The 49ers took over at their own 45. Garoppolo hit Samuel for 16, Kendrick Bourne for 26, and Juszczyk for 10. Mostert got in from the one as the 49ers led 20-10 after three quarters. The Chiefs after a touchback moved 52 yards in 12 plays and 5 1/2 minutes. On 3rd and 6 from the 49ers 23 yard line, Mahomes threw a pass off the mark that deflected off the receiver’s hands and was intercepted by Moore, who returned it 7 yards to his own 20. With 12 minutes left in regulation, the 49ers were in complete control. They needed to just run the ball and grind out a win.

Instead, Shanahan made the exact same set of mistakes he made 3 years ago in blowing the Super Bowl. His stubborn refusal to run the ball in 2016 led to sacks, turnovers and penalties. In that game, he could have just taken 3 knees and iced the game with a field goal. Instead, he kept throwing. Last week in the NFC Title Game, Garoppolo threw only 8 passes. Despite having 3 good running backs, Shanahan in this game kept throwing. on 2nd and 9 from this own 39, Garoppolo threw incomplete. Then came a false start.

The Chiefs got the ball back with 8 1/2 minutes left in regulation at their own 20. They dodged what would have been a death blow when the fumbled punt made it out of bounds. Mahomes ran for 9 and hit Hill for 9. Midway through the fourth quarter, the Chiefs were in desperation mode facing 3rd and 15 at their own 35. The 49ers defense had been suffocating the whole game. Then came the breakdown. Mahomes did what he does. He threw a wounded duck, but because his arm is so strong, it still went to Hill for a 44 yard gain. On 3rd and 10 from the Frisco 21, Mahomes went deep incomplete. However, defensive pass interference on Moore meant 1st and goal at the one. Moore never looked back to see where the ball was. Mahomes then went to Travis Kelce for the touchdown. With 6 minutes left, the Chiefs were within 20-17.

Again, Shanahan needed to run the ball. Again, he refused to do so. Despite Mostert running for 5 yards, 2nd and 5 from their own 25 saw Garoppolo throw incomplete twice. The Chiefs got it back at their own 35 with a full 5 minutes left. Mahomes hit Hill for 5, Kelce for 9, Hill for 3, and then a deep ball to Watkins for a 38 yard gain. On 3rd and goal at the 5, one play would determine whether the game would be tied. Instead, Mahomes hit Williams for the touchdown. With 2:44 to play, the Chiefs had retaken the lead 24-20.

The 49ers got the ball back at their own 15. Now needing to pass, Shanahan called a run. Mostert did gain 17 yards, but it took the clock down nearly to the 2 minute warning. Grinding out clock is not good when you are losing. Garoppolo hit Kittle for 8 and Bourne for 16. With 1:49 left, the 49ers had 1st and 10 just past midfield. Garoppolo threw incomplete twice. With 1:40 left and needing a first down, Shanahan decided to go for it all. Garoppolo went for the bomb and had an open receiver. The winning touchdown pass would add to the list of 49ers quarterbacks and Super Bowl heroics. It was not to be. The ball was overthrown for Garoppolo’s third straight incompletion. Some 49ers fans groused that Joe Montana would have completed the pass. No, he would not have. He was a system quarterback with no arm strength. On 4th and 10 with 1:25 left, Garoppolo was sacked for a 9 yard loss.

Although it appeared over, the 49ers still had all 3 timeouts. A defensive stop would give the 49ers one more chance. From the Frisco 42, Williams gained 4 yards and the 49ers took their first timeout with 1:20 left. Williams got the carry again. This time he would not be denied as he ran over everyone for a 38 yard touchdown. 2 plays later Garoppolo’s desperation Hail Mary was intercepted with one minute left. The 49ers led 20-10 after 3 1/2 quarters, but a 21-0 Chiefs barrage in the final 6 minutes including 2 touchdowns in the final 3 minutes completely turned around the game. Mahomes was the MVP of the game. Both coaches came in obsessed with passing the ball, but the winning coach adapted. Shanahan played too conservative at the end of the first half and was for the second time in four years far too aggressive late in the game. Andy Reid was aggressive early but pounded the rock when necessary. Walrus Lite Andy Reid after 21 years as a head coach finally became a Super Bowl winning head coach. He is no longer Walrus Lite. With the win, the future Hall of Fame coach has now finally been upgraded to full walrus status. After 50 years, the Chiefs will no longer have to live on only Hank Stram and Len Dawson. Now they are Super Bowl Champions with Andy Reid and Patrick Mahomes. Reid announced that if invited, he would definitely go to the White House. A bunch of his players concurred. The 2019 NFL season, and 100th overall NFL season, is now in the history books. 31-20 Chiefs

https://www.commdiginews.com/sports/the-road-to-super-bowl-54-liv-preview-and-bettors-guide-126698/

NFL 2019-2020 Pro Bowl Recap

The Week between the NFL Conference Title Games and the Super Bowl is known as dead week. This year, that term took on tragic new meaning. The Pro Bowl is often an afterthought, and this year real life and death issues made the game tertiary at best. Just as the football game was starting, news out of the basketball world rocked sports fans and non-fans alike. A helicopter crash in Los Angeles took the lives of 9 people. Among the dead were basketball great Kobe Bryant and his teenage daughter Gianna. NFL players got the news as the game was started.

As horrific a tragedy as this is, Elton John once sang, “The show must go on.” So from Orlando, Florida, here is the Recap of this year’s AFC vs. NFC Pro Bowl.

The NFL is desperately trying to find ways to make the game meaningful. Various experiments including teams led by Deion Sanders, Jerry Rice and Michael Irvin have not moved the needle. The game often resembles a game of two-hand touch rather than tackle football. So this year the NFL just eliminated tackling. Yes. You read that correctly. In this Pro Bowl, there was no tackling. It was slightly more than 2-hand touch. Once a player was wrapped up, the play ended. Even seeing a quarterback knocked to the ground was unusual, and that was a shove with two hands rather than an actual hit. Because of this, passing was emphasized over running. John Harbaugh and the Ravens staff coached the AFC while Sean Payton and the Saints staff led the NFC.

There were no kickoffs. The NFC got the ball first at their own 25 automatically, as did every team after a score. Russell Wilson of the Seahawks was supposed to be the starter, but in a very classy move he deferred to Saints great Drew Brees. Lamar Jackson of the Ravens started for the AFC. Jackson moved the AFC from their own 37 to a 1st and 10 goal at the 10. After a pair of incompletions, Jackson went to the end zone and was intercepted by Baker. The NFC took over at their own 10. Brees went to Saints teammate Michael Thomas for 11 yards. Brees then went deep to Kenny Golladay of the Seahawks for 59 yards. Brees then went to Thomas for a 16 yard touchdown to make it 7-0 NFC. Jackson went to Mark Andrews for 11, Andre Roberts for 25, Jack Doyle for 16, Andrews for 3 and 4, and Roberts for a 5 yard touchdown. After one quarter, the game was tied 7-7.

Brees was done for the day. The second quarter began with a sack of Wilson giving the NFC 2nd and 17 at their own 18. Wilson went to Thomas for 20 yards. On 2nd and 4 from the NFC 44, Wilson fumbled a snap out of the shotgun. He picked it up and went to Jared Cook of the Saints for a 45 yard gain. On 3rd and 5 from the AFC 6, Wilson went to Amari Cooper of the Cowboys for a touchdown and a 14-7 NFC lead. After that the AFC took over. On 4th and 1 from their own 34, John Harbaugh decided to go for it. Jackson ran for 3.Jackson went deep to Doyle for 34 and to Cortland Sutton of the Broncos for 12 and 11 more. On 4th and goal at the 3, again Harbaugh went for it. Jackson hit Andrews for the touchdown to make it 14-14 with 4 1/2 minutes left in the half.

At the 2 minute warning, a false start had the NFC facing 4th and 13 at the AFC 44. In a regular season or playoff game, this means a punt. In the Pro Bowl, it means Sean Payton going for it. Wilson threw incomplete. Jackson played the first 28 minutes, but now it was Deshaun Watson of the Texans taking over. Watson hit Andrews for 5, Keenan Allen of the Chargers for 9, Andrews for 29, and Doyle for the 13 yard touchdown. With 40 seconds left in the half, the AFC led 21-14. Wilson threw 3 straight incompletions. The AFC got it back at their own 38 with 20 seconds left. Watson hit Mark Ingram of the Ravens for 17 and Jarvis Landry of the Browns for 13. Justin Tucker of the Ravens nailed a 50 yard field goal as the half expired to put the AFC up 24-14.

In the third quarter Watson led a 13 play, 55 yard drive that took 7 1/2 minutes off the clock. On 3rd and 12 from the NFC, Watson was intercepted at the goal line. The ball was then lateraled to Fletcher Cox. Big man with football rumbled past people who had no interest in trying to touch much less tackle him. In the regular season or playoff he doesn’t even get the lateral. Only in the Pro Bowl could men much faster than him all but let him score. The 100 yard interception return including 61 yards by Cox had the NFC within 24-21 midway through the third quarter. 2 minutes later the NFC got the ball back at their own 31. Kirk Cousins of the Vikings took over for the NFC. He hit Devontae Adams of the rival Packers for 11, Thomas for 7, Thomas again deep for 38 yards, and back to Adams for the 13 yard touchdown. With 3 minutes left in the third quarter, the NFC had retaken the lead 27-24.  The extra point try by Wil Lutz of the Saints was blocked in spectacular fashion by Josh Allen of the Jaguars. Initially a flag was thrown, but after a brief conference, it was determined that Allen jumped over the line cleanly without leveraging any other players. The move first done by Bobby Wagner of the Seahawks led to a rule change. The play in this game was legal, but highly aggressive given the low-key nature of the Pro Bowl. This was a good thing.

This time the AFC responded quickly. Ryan Tannehill of the Titans took over for the AFC. Nick Chubb of the Browns ran for 8 and 7. Tannehill’s first pass was a 60 yard touchdown to DJ Chark to put the AFC back on top 31-27. Then came 3 straight turnovers. First Sean Payton went to the bag of tricks and had Ezekiel Elliott of the Cowboys try a halfback option pass. It was intercepted. 2 plays later Tannehill was intercepted as the NFC began the fourth quarter just shy of midfield. Despite 1st and goal at the 9, Cousins threw 3 straight incompletions. Sean Payton decided to go for it on 4th and goal. Disaster struck as a fumble was picked by by TJ Watt and returned 82 yards for a score. The defensive touchdown had the AFC up 38-27 with 10 1/2 minutes left in regulation.

Needing 2 score, the NFC came back 75 yards in 11 plays and nearly 6 minutes. Cousins hit Cooper for 8, Adams for 13, Cooper for 10, Adams for 8, Elliott for 11, and Golladay for 16. On 3rd and goal from the 4, Cousins hit Adams for the touchdown. Because of the earlier blocked extra point, the NFC needed to go for the 2 point conversion. Cousins was sacked as the NFC trailed by 5 rather than just a field goal. A new rule change implemented just for the Pro Bowl eliminated the onsides kick. The NFC was given one chance on 4th and 15 from their own 20. If they convert, they keep the ball. Instead, Cousins was intercepted. 4 1/2 minutes still remained. Although the Pro Bowl is a passing bonanza, the AFC closed out the game the traditional way on the ground. On 3rd and 1 from the NFC 26, Derrick Henry of the Titans gained 4. On 2nd and 2 from the NFC 14, Mark Ingram gained 4. Tannehill took three knees to end it. There would be no running up the score. Jackson was the offensive player of the game. Calais Campbell of the Jaguars was the defensive MVP. In 7 days, the Kansas City Chiefs and San Francisco 49ers will play in Super Bowl (54) XLIV. That game will be tackling football. The Pro Bowl from Florida and not Hawaii is now in the books. Four years ago Orlando stole the game from Waikiki in Honolulu. The AFC has won all 4 times in the Disney hub. 38-33 AFC

NFL 2019-2020 Conference Title Games Recap

Tennessee Titans at Kansas City Chiefs was the AFC Title Game. One week ago the Chiefs trailed 24-0 yet had the lead by halftime and outscored their opponent 51-7 the rest of the way. Different week, same result. Tennessee won the toss. On the second play of the game on 2nd and 6 from their own 34, Ryan Tannehill and AJ Brown connected on a 37 yard gain. Despite 2nd and 6 from the Chiefs 12, Tannehill threw incomplete twice. Joseph hit the 30 yard field goal to make it 3-0 Chiefs. The Chiefs got it back at their own 42. Derrick Henry ran for 11 and 5. On 3rd and 5 from the Chiefs 42, the Chiefs jumped offsides on defense on 2 straight plays. On 4th and 2 from the Chiefs 29, Mike Vrabel decided to go for it. Tannehill hit Humphries for 3 yards. Tannehill then went to Smith for a 22 yard gain. On the next pay Henry took the direct snap and ran it in for the touchdown to make it 10-0 Titans. 

The Chiefs got it back at their own 26. Patrick Mahomes hit Damien Williams for 9 and Tyreek Hill for 26. On 4th and 2 from the Titans 28, Andy Reid decided to go for it. Mahomes hit Kelce for 4 yards. On 1st and goal from the 8, Mahomes hit Hill for the touchdown to get the Chiefs within 10-7. The Titans came back with a 15 play, 75 yard, 9 minute drive. The second quarter began with the Titans facing 2nd and 6 at their own 29. Tannehill hit Davis for 18. Henry ran for 13. On 3rd and 22 from the Chiefs 25, a completion only gained 10 but defensive pass interference meant 11 yards and an automatic first down. On 3rd and 1 5, Henry gained 3. on 2nd and goal from the one, Tannehill hit Kelly on a tackle eligible for the the touchdown. The Titans led 17-7 with 6:43 left in the half. Then reality set in.

The Chiefs took over at their own 37. From their 43, Mahomes hit Robinson for 24, Sammy Watkins for 13, and Hill for the 20 yard touchdown. With 4 minutes left in the half the Chiefs were within 17-14. The Chiefs got it back at their own 14. Mahomes hit Williams for 17 and 8. On 3rd and 4 from their own 37, Mahomes hit Kelce for 18 and ran for 7. On 3rd and 3 from the Titans 38, Mahomes hit Watkins for 11. Mahomes then scrambled near the sideline, escaped, and barreled over tacklers for a 27 yard touchdown run. With 11 seconds left in the half, the Chiefs had the 21-17 lead. Midway through the third quarter, the Chiefs moved to put the game away. On 3rd and 1 from their own 36, Williams gained 5. On 3rd and 2 just shy of midfield, Mahomes ran for 4. Thompson ran for 7, Mahomes added 11 and Williams gained 4. Mahomes hit Hill for 15. The fourth quarter began with Williams running it in for a 3 yard touchdown to make it 28-17 Chiefs. The Chiefs got it back at their own 12 and delivered the kill shot. Mahomes hit Watkins for 11 and 7. On 3rd and 6 from their own 40, Mahomes went bombs away to Watkins for a 60 yard touchdown. Midway through the fourth quarter, 28 unanswered points had the Chiefs up 35-17. One Titans garbage touchdown did not change the outcome. The Chiefs won the Lamar Hunt Trophy named after their late owner and are header to the Super Bowl. Walrus Lite Andy Reid is going to the big game for the second time in his career. The Chiefs are going for the first time in 50 years. Walrus Lite Andy Reid is one more win from getting his upgrade to full walrus status.  35-24 Chiefs

Green Bay Packers at San Francisco 49ers was the NFC Title Game. In the regular season, the 49ers blasted the Packers 37-8. For those looking for a thrilling rematch, this was not that game. The 49ers from their own 11. Jimmy Garoppolo hit Deebo Samuel for 16 yards and again for 30 more. On 3rd and 8 from the Green Bay 36, Raheem Mostert burst free on the ground for the touchdown and the 7-0 49ers lead. A 26 yard punt return had the 49ers getting it back just sh you midfield. A roughing the passer call had the 49ers deep on the move. On 3rd and 6 from the Green Bay 28, Garoppolo was sacked. Robbie Gould drilled a 54 yard field goal on the first play of the second quarter to make it 10-0 49ers. A shanked 23 yard punt gave the 49ers gift field position at the Green Bay 37. Mostert ran for 13 and 9 and capped the drive with a 9 yard touchdown run to make it 17-0 49ers. Rodgers then got belted and fumbled and the 49ers took over at the Green Bay 25. Gould hit from 27 to make it 20-0 49ers. 3 plays later Rodgers was intercepted as the 49ers again had excellent field position at the Packers 30. Moster ran for 11, one, and then the 18 yard touchdown. The 49ers took a 27-0 lead to the locker rooms as NFL regulations required that the second half not be canceled.

The second half was pointless. Rodgers threw a 9 yard touchdown pass to Aaron Jones to get the Packers within 27-7 in the third quarter. From their own 21, Mostert ran for 7 and 5. Samuel ran for 11. Moster added two. Samuel ran for 32 and Moster ran for the 22 yard touchdown. Garoppolo threw 0 passes on the drive. He only threw 6 passes in the first 52 minutes. Garoppolo had 0 passes in the third quarter as the 49ers led 34-7 after three quarters. The Packers got in the end zone on the first play of the fourth quarter to get within 34-13, but this was never a contest. Even a 65 yard bomb from Rodgers to Devontae Adams against Richard Sherman did not change the outcome. It did lead to an 8 yard touchdown from Rodgers to Jay Sternberger to get the Packers within 34-20 midway through the fourth quarter. The 49ers gashed the Green Bay defense for nearly 300 yards on the ground, including over 220 by Mostert. With 3 1/2 minutes left, Gould nailed a 42 yard field goal to officially lock up the win. With 1:48, another Rodgers bomb was intercepted by Sherman, ending any chance of a quiet postgame. 25 years after the 49ers won their last Super Bowl, they were back in it with Jerry Rice and Steve Young in attendance. The 49ers last won the George Halas Trophy seven years ago and will again be trying to win it all with running and defense against a pinball offense. 37-20 49ers

Super Bowl LIV (54) is set. The AFC Champion Kansas City Chiefs will take on the NFC Champion San Francisco 49ers. The game is being played in Miami on Sunday, February 2, 2020, and kickoff is around 6:30 p.m. Eastern time.