Week 6 NFL Score Report, as well as ratings and a couple of other notes...

The march to NFL records of points scored continues unabated.

First, I'll do just the week, then I'll show you how this stacks up against history:

• Week 6 points per game:  50.
• Six-week average:  48.24
• Home teams 9-5 for 60-30-2.  (About .660)
• Over was 8-6-1 for 49-42-2.  Both a 58 and a 59.5 went over the number.
• 7-8 against the spread, 11-4 straight up last week.  41-50-2 ATS, 60-31-2 SU.
• Team with more penalties:  9-6 for the week, 35-44 for the year.
• 5 Cliffhangers, eight total within 8 points.  6 non-competitive games, 7 last chance misses.
• Of 93 games so far played, 52 have finished within eight points, 22 Cliffhangers.

Couple of other notes:

• The Quarterback Rules have rigged another game, a key one to determine who plays Super Bowl LIII(E).  Kansas City's Breeland Speeks said he was forced to let Tom Brady go and let him score a go-ahead touchdown in the fourth quarter of Sunday night's game, fearing a 15 yard-penalty and fine if he did not.
• The NFL is looking into THREE Vontaze Burfict hits, as the Pittsburgh Steelers are demanding Burfict's FIFTH suspension (and fourth for on-field conduct) for hits like elbowing Antonio Brown in the head while he was unprotected.
• Ben Roethlesberger stated Burfict, after he put Brown out a while, said he'd do to the same to JuJu Smith-Schuster, backing up Smith-Schuster's claims from Sunday.  As of 5 PM Eastern Tuesday, no word from the NFL on Supplemental Discipline.  Word is that no suspension is forthcoming.  The rematch is Week 17.
• And a gem from Brian Tuohy on how the Sports Machine works together:

It's kind of amazing the the Packers INT and Rodgers drive with 1:07 left all happened immediately after ESPN announced the Brewers won. Timing is everything, no?

— Brian Tuohy (@TheFixIsInTuohy) October 16, 2018

Ratings, from Sports Media Watch:

• Sunday night's shootout showdown with KC and New England was up 34% from last year's Week 6 SNF, highest week 6 SNF on record, a 14.6 -- tied with 2015, another Patriots feature.
• The Cowboys highlighted the lone dud on Sunday, a national window of 12.0 (down 14%).
• Singleheader on FOX was 11.7 (up 18%).
• The regional games drew 9.0 (up 9%).

And now for historical perspective on the scoring ridiculousness, with help from Pro Football Reference.

• The record scoring year for football entering this season was 2013.  The 46.707 points per game that year was a total of 11,957 points.  Prorating that to a total of 93 games (which is how many games have been played this year so far) comes out to 4,344 points.
• I made an error back in 2013.  There was one year with a higher per-game average than 2013's 46.707 -- but you'd have to go back to when the NFL had only ten teams in 1948 for a 47.2.
• This year, so far, there have been 4,486 points scored.  That's 142 points more than the prorated I just stated above.
• According to Pro Football Reference, there have been an average of 3.52 passing/receiving touchdowns a game (1.76 per team).  That is an NFL record by a quarter of a passing touchdown a game!

And, with the early lines mostly out for Week 7:

• The Rams and San Francisco are totalled at 53.
• Cincinnati-Kansas City is right now at 58.5 for Sunday night.
• And the Giants and Atlanta are at 54.5

*sigh* Really, NFL???

43-40 New England, Cliffhanger field goal at the gun.

Brady and New England supplant Mahomes and Kansas City as AFC favorites.

Game goes over the 59.5.

But here's the fun part:  The New England Patriots actually went through an entire NFL game and got NO accepted penalties called against them!

This has happened only 27 times in the NFL since 2000.

Shockingly, the team with zero penalties is only 15-12!

(To be fair and since they require it:  Courtesy Pro Football Reference)

And if you think the NFL Player Safety fines are working...

• Danny Amendola wants a word.  (Deadspin)

Should've been an ejection for Chicago's Leonard Floyd -- WILL be fined, almost certainly.  Could get him a suspension, I could see it.  Word will come tomorrow as to whether the league is looking at it for suspension.

• And Vontaze Burfict is back in the news - TWICE.

Chippy words exchanged all over the Pittsburgh-Cincinnati game, the first since that godawful bloodbath on last year's Monday Night Football.  JuJu Smith-Schuster says Burfict was in the middle of it with Smith-Schuster, falsely claiming Smith-Schuster spat at him.

If you recall, Smith-Schuster put Burfict out in that bloodbath and got suspended a game for it.

And, earlier in the game, this to add to the Burfict trophy case:

There is zero reason Vontaze Burfict should still be in the NFL pic.twitter.com/zTVig79Qu9

— Ivan Rapoport 🌐 (@IvanRapoport) October 14, 2018

Couple of Vegas notes on the totals:

• Another 58 this week for Atlanta and Tampa Bay.  Went over at 61!
• But Kansas City and New England are historic.  Opened at SIXTY, and is now, basically at kickoff, looking to kick at 59.5.

That 59.5 (and the game has just kicked) is the third-highest total Vegas has ever achieved, tied with one other game.

1. October 29, 2000 -- St. Louis at San Francisco.  Kicked at 63.  St. Louis won 34-24 for the Under at a total of 58.
2. Christmas Day, 2004 -- Oakland at Kansas City.  Kicked at 60.  Kansas City won 31-30 for the Over at a total of 61.
3. The other 59.5 -- November 5, 2000 -- the game after #1, another St. Louis game, playing Carolina in the dome.  27-24 Carolina for the Under at a total of 51.

2018 NFL Week 5 Fine Report

• Pittsburgh Steelers:  T.J. Watt:  $20,054 for Roughing the Passer

Yep, it's on THAT HIT.  The one where it looks to be Watt brushing past Matt Ryan's leg, called Unnecessary Roughness and Roughing the Passer, as if he's trying to take him out low.

If that's the case, and it's confirmed fine-able, then finish the job and toss him for Intent to Injure, as ridiculous as it sounds.

Sounds like more of the reports are coming Saturdays.

And, on cue, here's some more:

• Indianapolis Colts:  Najeh Goode:  $20,054 for Roughing the Passer
• New York Jets:  Brandon Copeland
• San Francisco 49ers:  K'Waun Williams
• Oakland Raiders:  Bruce Irvin
• Baltimore Ravens:  Tony Jefferson, ALSO all $20,054 for Roughing the Passer
• New Orleans Saints:  Michael Thomas:  $10,026 for Taunting.
• Kansas City Chiefs:  Kareem Hunt
• Kansas City Chiefs:  Dee Ford, both $10,026 for Unsportsmanlike Conduct
• Kansas City Chiefs:  Chris Jones:  $10,026 for Unnecessary Roughness
• Hunt's makes him a TWO TIME LOSER in successive weeks.  Both Ford and Jones were ejected from the contest.
• Atlanta Falcons:  Foyesade Oluokun:  $10,026 for Unnecessary Roughness
• And that's six out of six for Atlanta, and also now enough to breach the Level 1 barrier, so the Falcons also have been fined $50,000 as a team.
• Green Bay Packers:  Tony Brown:  $10,026 for Taunting
• Green Bay Packers:  Kevin King:  $10,026 for a Facemask
• Green Bay Packers:  Josh Jackson:  Also $10,026 for a Facemask -- and that makes him also a TWO TIME LOSER in successive weeks.
• Miami Dolphins:  Martell Spaith: $10,026 for Unsportsmanlike Conduct

If that's the extent of it, that's another $210,000 plus another $50,000 for accumulation.

The league-season total so far for Player Safety fines?  $1.4 million.

Fine Blotter Supplemental: Tomlin Blasts Officials

• Pittsburgh Steelers:  Head Coach Mike Tomlin, fined $25,000 for blasting the refs.

Two weeks ago, Mike Tomlin talked about the 24 penalties in the MNF game the Steelers were in that week.  He expressed concern the games weren't entertaining.

This week, Tomlin raged at the referees regarding at least two illegal hands to the face calls on his defense -- in a 41-17 win!!!

The big one was a Roughing the Passer call where it did look like the Steeler defender was trying to avoid contact.  The problem is, it sounds as if the ref thought he was taking the quarterback's legs or knees out!

The league sent him a love letter and expects a check for that.

This fine does NOT count toward the Steelers number, because of the fact that the Club Remittance number for fines only regards PLAYER CONDUCT.

EDIT TO ADD 6:30 PDT 10/11:  And another one which won't count -- this one's a team fine:

• New York Giants:  Odell Beckham Jr.:  Undisclosed fine for unflattering comments against his Giants teammates, especially Eli Manning, last week.

The Playoffs So Far: When Rigging DOESN'T Work!!!

I've said a number of times about the present state of Major League Baseball that Rob Manfred has tried to manipulate both the game and the playoffs into something more into his image and what the MLB should be, but only in HIS EYES.

He's tried to do a lot, but he's failed:

First, the Cubs are gone, even though, in the Wild Card game with Colorado...

• Eighth inning, game is 1-1.  Rockies have a runner on first.

DJ LeMahieu grounded to Daniel Murphy, who started a 4-6-3.

The 6-3 was not in dispute, LeMahieu was out.  The problem with the second base part of it.

@MLB @MLBUA Please explain to me how this runner is out. He's clearly safe, and it's not even close. How is that upheld on review???

Terrible, terrible, terrible call. #COLvsCHC #MLB #Rockies pic.twitter.com/L24upZRZ9E

— DealMeIn (@DenverPetre) October 3, 2018

Not only is the call out at second, but it's UPHELD on review, even though anyone with even blind vision could see (and, yes, I am legally blind without glasses, so I can say that!!) he was safe. And about the only meaningful replay ESPN bothered to show us was a badly-zoomed long-in shot to ensure the call would be upheld.

• Then, things got stupid later in the game.

11th inning, first and second for the Cubs.  Wilson Contrarez grounds to Nolan Arenado.  Javier Baez, who was on second, freezes between second and third, and then, as Arenado gets to him, hugs him.

Brothers don't shake hands.

Brothers gotta hug. pic.twitter.com/O4neRCyApD

— SportsNation (@SportsNation) October 3, 2018

On surface and first glance:  No harm, no foul.

When you take a look at a late replay and see there WAS a shot at getting the runner at first....  Yeah.

Rockies win in 13.  On to New York and the OTHER Wild Card game...

• A second Wild Card replay snafu.

In one of the few times the rigging has WORKED, Luke Voit was called safe, and upheld, even with THIS!!!

I think Lucroy got him. pic.twitter.com/ryfQzALVgb

— Casey Pratt (@CaseyPrattABC7) October 4, 2018

• And then we start getting to the frustration of the Dodger fans.

As in the last several years, I will take down notes when it appears the umpiring slants toward Dodger playoff opponents.

1. In Game 1, the Dodgers stormed to a 4-0 lead and Ryu never looked back  The problem with it is that no less than EIGHT pitches in the two innings it took LA to get up 4-0 were called wrongly in favor of Cobb County.
2. Game 3....  Well....

That one I think may well have had a number of hands in the water on that one.

Walker Beuhler threw a 4-pitch bases loaded walk to the Braves pitcher, and I don't think any of them were within four inches of the plate.

Then he throws 3 more to Ronald Acuna Jr.  After a strike that would've plated another run, he serves one, and it's 5-0.

Then, the home plate umpire decided to screw the Dodgers on a called swing strike 3 in the 4th.

And then after Dodgers relief served another one after the Dodgers squared the game at 5, there were at least five calls in the last three innings to ensure the 6-5 result.

And one more thing while we're at it:  Remember all the talk that they moved to a stadium in Cobb County to bleach the fanbase White?

I counted maybe 6-8 visible African-American fans in the stands for Game 3.

I don't think I saw one for...

     3.  Game 4.

It's clear to God and Everybody that, at bare minimum, they want Game 5.  With a White fanbase and that the Dodgers are viewed politically as from loony Liberal California, it really looked like all Hell was going to break loose.

And it did!  And it didn't help the Braves!!

I counted TWENTY-ONE bad calls in that game, and fifteen of them favored the home side!

All five walks Rich Hill gave were on one form or another of a bad call -- resulting in both Cobb Contry runs.

By the eighth inning, LA was up 6-2, and there was no pretense left.  Joc Pederson was called out, and ruled out on review, on a very stupid play where it looked like he actually got his hand in while the Cobb County second baseman was trying to kick his hand aside.

But NOTHING compared to what happened in the bottom of the eighth inning.

Dodgers reliever Kenta Maeda gave up two singles with two out, ninth place hitter coming, and the Dodger staff called in the infield for a mound visit.

The Braves chose THEN to do their "light show" "Lights Out Chop"!  Turned the stadium lights off and there it went -- right in the middle of not only the conference with Maeda, but Kenley Jansen warming up for the ninth!!!

And we all figured the pinch-hitter would reach and Acuna would make it 6-6...

NOPE!!  Final was 6-2 LA.  See ya, Cobb County!!!

--

It's clear, at this point, that MLB is staying just on THIS side of going over the edge with rigging the playoffs.

It's also clear it's not working.

You know it's getting bad when, in the NFL...

Drew Brees broke the record for passing yards tonight on such an obvious rig-job...

TWO former NFL players (Dashon Goldson and Joe Thomas) both called the play rigged.

But keep destroying lives and friendships over this rigged farce, America...