It’s been a heartrending week for the Cincinnati Bengals, with the passing of wide receiver Chris Henry early Thursday morning. Henry, who had reportedly cleaned up his act after previous troubles - including arrests and being cut from the Bengals - died after falling from a truck bed during a domestic dispute with his fiancé.
Things like this hit teams hard. The atmosphere in a locker room- that feeling of family - is something most people will never feel. These guys are close. They spend more time with each other than with their families. They need each other: football is the very definition of a team sport. And when one of them is lost, especially in a situation that is so desperately tragic, it really hits them.
Chad Ochocinco, a fellow wide receiver, took it especially hard. He wore Henry’s jersey at practice, something that might get him a fine from the commissioner, reportedly, though I hope the NFL isn’t so coldhearted as that. He talked about wearing it again during the game, but later changed his mind, saying that he didn’t want to become a distraction and that he would find a different way to honor his fallen teammate.
And he did, in the best way a football player can, by playing his heart out.
When he scored on a long touchdown catch in the first half, there were no antics. There were no jokes. There was none of the trademark humor that has marked Ochocinco since he entered the league. He just knelt in the end zone, unclipped his helmet, and looked at the sky. He looked and he pointed and everyone knew just who that touchdown was for.
The game was a thriller. Cincinnati fought back and tied it with a field goal right near the end, but Rivers and the Chargers came down to kick a field goal of their own, from 52 yards. There were only four seconds left and that was the game. Some would say it was a disappointing ending to the story, but I don’t think so. Because watching Chad kneel in the end zone, knowing that he played the game not for personal glory but for a friend, was wonderful to see. It was something there is not enough of in the NFL, and, win or lose, seeing the Bengals bring that attitude was a testament to the memory of Chris Henry.
Side Note: Fields Goals May be a Lost Art:
At least this week. Everyone missed them. For something usually so automatic, there were a rash of missed kicks and blocked kicks and botched snaps. Maybe it was the cold. Maybe it was the lateness of the season. Whatever the reason, tons of them were missed. It looked like everyone forgot how to block and snap and kick, all at once. Look next week for another rash: this time, a rash of firing of Special Teams coaches.
The Rest of the League:
Peyton Manning gives Indianapolis a chance to win any game. He is like Tim Tebow in Florida or Tyler Hansbrough in North Carolina - the heart of the team. And he gave the undefeated Colts what they needed on Thursday, shooting it out with Jacksonville to win and stay unbeaten, 35-31.
Wade Phillips may have saved his job Saturday night, when the Dallas Cowboys, in the midst of their usual December Slump, beat the previously undefeated New Orleans Saints. The Cowboys will have to make some noise in the playoffs in order for Phillips to stay, but he’s given them a very improbable win at a very opportune time. Cowboys won 24-17.
New England didn’t look that great, thought Randy Moss appeared to turn it on after last week’s allegations that he gave up. They beat Buffalo 17-10 to keep on rolling toward the playoffs despite not looking nearly like the Patriots of the last few years.
Joshua Cribbs did it again. Two kick returns for touchdowns - he set the NFL record with the first, then increased it with the second. The man is electric. The Browns ousted the Kansas City Chiefs, 41-34; they also continued their trend of winning when their quarterback is horrible, seeing as Quinn went 10-17 for 66 yards and no touchdowns. And two interceptions.
Atlanta wasn’t great and the New York Jets weren’t great, but the Falcons managed to win, 10-7. Sanchez cast more doubt on himself - or, at least, made it more obvious that he is a rookie - throwing three interceptions. And, to go along with the Side Note above, the Jets were responsible for three of those botched field goals.
St. Louis looked like they had a chance to win this one, but they just aren’t very good--save, of course, for Steven Jackson. They hung around, but ended up losing to the Houston Texans, 16-13.
Miami rallied brilliantly against the Tennessee Titans, coming back from a 24-6 deficit to push the game into overtime. They didn’t have quite enough magic, though, and Tennessee kicked a field goal to win the game. Both teams are now 7-7, keeping them just in that hunt.
The Detroit-Arizona game should have been a blowout, but give credit to the Lions for staying around. The highlight of the game had to be Delmas’ interception that he then took back a hundred yards for a touchdown. Arizona scored late though, and Detroit’s offense floundered, giving Arizona the win, 31-24.
The Baltimore Ravens, coming off the destruction of the Detroit Lions, clubbed the Chicago Bears 31-7. Jay Cutler threw an interception to a lineman. The Ravens have good linemen.
The Denver Broncos seemed to have everything in control against the Raiders, but managed to choke it away, giving up a touchdown with thirty seconds left to lose 20-19. Brandon Stokely wasn’t able to provide any circus touchdowns. This handed the division, officially, to the Chargers. It also may keep Denver out of the playoffs this year.
The Seahawks did not look good. Hasselbeck was picked off for the fourth time on a horrible throw at the end, and the Tampa Bay Bucs won, 24-7. They may have won the game, but they may have lost the first pick. Though the Browns and Chiefs also won, so they may be all right as far as the draft is concerned.
The Green Bay-Pittsburgh game was a firefight. There were surprise onside kicks, bombs with less than a minute to go, and almost 70 points hung on the board, combined. The Steelers put together a furious last-minute drive and Big Ben, with 503 yards, threw an insane touchdown--think last year’s Super Bowl--to the rookie Mike Wallace with no time left.
Is Brett Favre too old to play a whole season? When it was first suggested, I laughed. Now, I wonder. I think you have to wonder. Minnesota got smoked by Carolina, 26-7.
Monday Night Preview:
Well, I’m 0-2 so far on the Monday Night Preview, so hopefully I can get back toward .500 here. The game should be a pretty good one, with two clubs with a lot of history, the Redskins and the Giants, colliding in Washington. It’s been said that the NFC East is the best in the NFL, so that bodes well. And the Giants are behind but still racing with the Eagles and the Cowboys toward the end of this season, so they need the win--especially with Philly and Dallas winning this week.
That said, I’m taking Washington. They’ve been getting better, winning games and staying in tough ones, while the Giants have been getting worse. For some perspective, both teams have played the Denver Broncos, a pretty average team with eight wins. The Redskins beat the Broncos 27-17. The Giants lost on Thanksgiving Day, 26-6. For a while I felt this game was a toss-up, that the Giants had regressed and the Redskins had improved and they’d both arrived at about the same place. Then I remembered that the game is in Washington. Root for the home team and all that, so I say Washington takes it.
BYLINE:
Jonathan Schlosser is a writer and part-time library worker. He has published some short fiction and is working on finding a publisher for his novel. He has a B.A. in Writing, which means that, for a living, he is allowed to put away books at the library. He is also allowed to tell parents to tell their children to be quiet. He lives in Grand Rapids, MI. Email Jonathan at jonathan@zoiksonline.com.
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