NFL Monday morning recap week 11

Steelers: Somehow, I had the wrong time and thought we played at night. Don't ask. My buddy was out of town, and I was watching my adopted daughter test for her black belt. It was unanimous. She got her belt!

I had to watch the first half on my Steelers app, which was so slow, so I finished the next half relying on the NFL RedZone. I ended up chewing off all ten of my fingernails--no shit.

• Sixty-nine yards total offense for the Steelers in the first half. Thirty-one yards were before the end where the Steelers then racked up the extra thirty-five yards, so we didn't look downright awful. Sixty-nine totals offense! Ugh! That's the stat--with Ben throwing two picks. Of course, that set the media to speculate about Ben's shoulder. Typical to come from a perfect game to play one that makes fans scratch our heads. Jacksonville, meanwhile, had 169 yards total in the first half. 
• Watching the game via Twitter was brutal. As endearing as everyone is when we are winning, boy, how harsh everyone is when we aren't. 
• The defense allowed that kind of yardage in the first half, but they were also the ones who held the Jags to three field goals before giving up a TD. They also finished with six sacks and a fumble recovery.
• Ben ended with three interceptions because the other two were offset by Jag penalties. Some days you have it, and other days you suck. The thing about this man is that he doesn't give up. It's why he's the leader of this team. He came back in the last 17 minutes to throw two touchdowns and to run one in with five seconds left to win the game. A good lesson to remember; when life hands you lemons, keep working until you make lemonade. Unbelievable.
• Thanks to the Jags for those two crucial penalties in the end zone as time ticked away. Up to that point, Jacksonville controlled the game, and Twitter was alive with references to Ben being afraid of jaguars. 
• Connor was off this week after being in concussion protocol all week which, of course, meant that the sports analysts and sports wanna-be know-it-alls could make more comparisons to You Know Who who did not report to the Steelers and will sit out the entire NFL season despite attempting one more time to come to a deal with the organization. Please, let this now be the end of it all.

Other:

• Washington's quarterback, Alex Smith (I still have a hard time seeing him as a Redskin), was tackled, and when he rolled, one part of his leg was facing forward while the other part of his leg was facing backward. Yuck, yuck, yuck. The harsh reality of the game. Immediately, those who specialize in looking up odd NFL facts gave us the information that this injury was precisely 33 years to the day when Joe Theismann, then QB for the Redskins, broke his fibula and tibia on a tackle. My thought is this is the end of Alex Smith. And FYI - that was the end of Theismann career too. Cue the scary Halloween music.  
• And seriously, how was the man not crying on the field or at least screaming his head off? He broke two bones and was being prepped for immediate surgery, yet he only pulled off his helmet and pulled his jersey over his head and then waved while he was carted off the field. Either he has that syndrome where one feels no pain, or he is one tough little MF'er.
• Kudos to Andrew Luck for his seventh straight game with three or more touchdown passes. That's the way to come back from an injury, eh?
• ESPN's Adam Schefter, who is a blowhard buffoon and troublemaker, reported early today that the Cleveland Browns wanted to interview former Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice for their open head coaching position. The Browns later issued a statement proving my belief on Schefter saying while they respected Rice and her Browns fandom, uh, yeah, they weren't interviewing her. Rice, of course, seized the opportunity to push the NFL to hire more women and offered to help call some plays for the Browns. Snicker, snicker. You go, Ms. Rice. Maybe one day a million years from now...
• After Alex Smith was carted off the field, came the report that Carolina's Cam Newton was hurt. Please. In the last three games, Newton has played that he is injured, but he always returns after a few minutes of sideline rest. He's getting a crying wolf tag by me. Dude...did you see Alex Smith's leg? That's hurting.
• Every time Arizona's wide receiver Larry Fitzgerald catches or scores my heart soars. What a great guy, not only in football but in life. Old guys still making plays makes me so happy.
• Heartbreaking losses for the Falcons and more so for the Redskins who attempted a sixty-three-yard field goal for the win fell short, and also lost their quarterback. Oh, football...