Review
Turnover: When the team that has possession of the ball loses possession of the ball and the other team gains possession of the ball as a result. They are literally turning the ball over (giving it over) to the other team, hence the term “turnover.” When the running back has the ball and it comes lose and the other team recovers it, it’s a turnover. When a defensive back picks off a pass intended for a wide receiver, it’s a turnover. Any time the team that had the ball loses the ball and the other team recovers it, it’s a turnover. (From Tuesday’s post)
Fumble: When anyone who has possession (or is gaining possession) of the football mishandles it and loses it as a result. You may have heard of quarterbacks “fumbling the snap,” which is really a joint effort between the center and the quarterback to not get the snap off correctly. Fumbles can also occur when a ball carrier gets distracted or loses his grip or runs into any set of circumstances in which he loses possession of the ball after he has it. There are also forced fumbles, which occur when a defensive player causes the impetus for the fumble, usually by punching the ball out from behind. (From Tuesday’s post)
Interception: When a pass intended for an offensive player is caught by a defensive player instead. This happens most frequently when defensive backs (cornerbacks and safeties) pick off a pass intended for a wide receiver. Interceptions also happen often when a quarterback throws a bad pass, or when a receiver runs a bad route and isn’t where he was supposed to be, or when the ball gets tipped.
Interceptions always refer to passing plays (or any play in which the ball goes through the air without hitting the ground first) and are always turnovers (because the other team is catching the ball, and therefore has possession of it). (From Tuesday’s post)
Pick 6: A Pick 6 is a specific type of interception in which a pass is picked off by a defensive player (hence “pick”) and is returned for a touchdown (hence “6” – since touchdowns are worth 6 points). All Pick 6’s are both interceptions and turnovers. (From Tuesday’s post)
Touchdown: When the football crosses the plane of the goal line – the white line separating the end zone from the rest of the field. If the ball – with or without the ball-carrier – crosses that line while an offensive ball-carrier is in possession of it, it’s a touchdown. If the ball is being thrown into the end zone and is caught by a receiver, the receiver needs to have two feet down in bounds and have full control of the ball to be called a touchdown. Touchdowns are worth 6 points. (From Wednesday’s post)
Wildcard Team: The four teams (two from each conference) that did not win their division but make it into the playoffs by merit of having the best record among non-division-winners in their conference. (From Wednesday’s post)
Preview
Normal Girl Game of the Week
Denver Broncos at Indianapolis Colts, Sunday at 8:25pm EST on ESPN
It’s the game everyone has been waiting for: Peyton’s return to Indy. Those on the inside who know Peyton say that he isn’t emotional about returning to the stadium he practically built, but it’s safe to say that everyone else will be. Expect quite a welcome home party for 18 and one heck of a game from the always-up-for-a-challenge Colts.
Also on the radar:
1. It’s a weekend of AFC East matchups: Patriots at Jets and Bills at Dolphins. The Patriots are rolling…but don’t count any of the other teams out of this division.
2. If the Giants are going to win a game any time in the near future, Monday night at home against the Vikings might be their best bet.
3. I’m going to go out on a (thin, brittle, extraordinarily shaky) limb and call an upset alert on the Chargers at Jaguars game. The Chargers are coming off a short week and west coast teams rarely do well coming to the east coast for early games (game time is 1pm EST). Plus, the Jags could be riding on emotion from giving the Broncos a run for their money last week in Denver. It’s far from a sure bet, but it’s certainly something to keep an eye on.