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November 17, 2008

ADAM WIRE: NFL keeps getting stranger

History was made Sunday in two NFL games, but it’s not the type of history that merits a glass case in Canton, Ohio. In fact, it might be more worthy of a cardboard box on a street corner somewhere.

The Pittsburgh Pirates defeated the San Diego Padres 11-10 ... no, wait, check that ... the Steelers defeated the Chargers 11-10 on Sunday. It was reported ad nauseum that this was the first time in NFL history that a game had ended with an 11-10 final score. As a THB colleague stated Monday, paraphrasing, “What kind of geek knows that?”

Anyone who bet on the Steelers had to be irate that the officials blew that end-of-game call, when Troy Polamalu was denied a touchdown after scooping up an errant lateral that the officials instead called an illegal forward pass. Pittsburgh was a five-point favorite on most lines, and won by one. Had Polamalu’s TD been upheld, the Steelers would have won by seven.

If nothing else, that game should be an incentive not to bet on NFL games. You never know when stuff like this is going to happen.

The NFL’s other oddity Sunday was the 13-13 tie between the Bengals and Eagles. It was the first tie in an NFL game since 2002, and only the second in the Bengals’ 41-year history. Even more striking however, was Philly QB Donovan McNabb’s admission afterwards that he didn’t know NFL games could end in a tie.

If I’m a Philly fan and hear McNabb say that, I’m irate. Imagine how McNabb’s decision making was affected during the game by that lack of knowledge. How often was he scrambling out of the pocket during OT, thinking, “If we don’t make a play here, we’ll just make it in the next overtime.” It’s got to be bad enough not winning against the Bengals, the NFL’s version of the Washington Generals.

As for the Colts, not only are they looking better, so is their schedule. After their loss to the Packers dropped them to 3-3, I wrote that they were staring an 8-8 finish in the face if they didn’t improve. They have improved, but a few of their upcoming opponents don’t look nearly as formidable as they did a month ago, either.

San Diego plays the Colts the way a cat plays a mouse, but at 4-6 and without Shawne Merriman, Sunday’s game looks much more winnable for Indy. After that, the JV portion of Indy’s schedule emerges, with games at Cleveland and back-to-back home games with the Bengals and Lions. Then, a Thursday night matchup with a Jacksonville team that’s about two plays away from Three Mile Island awaits, followed by a home finale against Tennessee, who might already have its No. 1 seed clinched by then and rest everybody.

The Colts won’t go unbeaten during that stretch, but 5-1 isn’t out of the question. That would leave them at 11-5, and likely as a wild-card team that no one will want to play. Two safe bets, though ... none of those games will end 11-10, and none will end in a tie.

Adam Wire is The Herald Bulletin’s sports editor. He can be reached at adam.wire@heraldbul letin.com or (765) 648-4288.

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