I wish it could've ended differently, but it felt good as a fan just to have some incentive to watch a football game into the fourth quarter. We actually went the distance in overtime literally, with nearly all zeros left on the clock when Shayne Graham kicked the game-winning field goal.
Sure, if you don't win in the NFL, you can argue that it doesn't mean anything. But for how we played the first three weeks, there were a lot of moral victories this week:
- Derek Anderson is a lot better than Brady Quinn at this point. Anderson has the comfort factor and even when he was pressured, he didn't get sacked at the rate Quinn was.
- Mohamed Massaquoi was outstanding, with over 100 yards receiving.
- Jerome Harrison was very good, despite his fumble, rushing for over 100 yards.
- The defense was average, but we saw them bring a lot of energy after being down early. During a stretch, they held Palmer to no passing yards for most of the second half.
- This might have been one of the best special teams performances in history for a team. Cribbs had three huge kick returns, we forced a fumble on special teams, and Shaun Rogers blocked two kicks to keep us in the game. Billy Cundiff also connected on his only two attempts.
There was still a lot to be desired, and I still feel a little sick after the game knowing that victory was in our grasp. Hopefully next time, we can get the "W".