#sam winston not for broadcast

[flamerock-refuge]

Old sketches + compilations

[chrswlls]

DidIEverPostThisHere?

[not-for-record]

Sam: Why are you lying around crying half the day?

Alex: It's for work.

[hawkmelanietail]

NFB stuff one more time

A llot of Winstons - a lot of joy

[save-me-alan-james]

Various Alexis Winston-Wells and Sam Winston-Wells drawings since I don't have fancy ref sheets for them (yet) Alexis uses she/they and Sam uses they/them exclusively!

(Some of these r like a year old lol)

[poindexterpng]

everyone confirmed to be in Avengers: Doomsday so far !!

yes I watched the whole broadcast for this

• Chris Hemsworth (Thor)

• Vanessa Kirby (Sue Storm/Invisible Girl)

• Anthony Mackie (Sam Wilson/Captain America)

• Sebastian Stan (Bucky Barnes/Winter Soldier)

• Letitia Wright (Shuri/Black Panther)

• Paul Rudd (Scott Lang/Ant Man)

• Wyatt Russell (John Walker)

• Tenoch Huerta Mejia (Namor)

• Ebon Moss-Bachrach (Ben Grimm/The Thing)

• Simu Liu (Shang-Chi)

• Florence Pugh (Yelena Belova)

• Kelsey Grammer (Beast)

• Lewis Pullman (Sentry)

• Danny Ramirez (Joaquin Torres)

• Joseph Quinn (Johnny Storm/Human Torch)

• David Harbour (Red Guardian)

• Winston Duke (M’Baku)

• Hannah John-Kamen (Ghost)

• Tom Hiddleston (Loki)

• Patrick Stewart (Charles Xavier/Professor X)

• Ian McKellen (Erik Lehnsherr/Magneto)

• Alan Cumming (Kurt Wagner/Nightcrawler)

• Rebecca Romjin (Mystique)

• James Marsden (Scott Summers/Cyclops)

• Channing Tatum (Remy LeBeau/Gambit)

• Pedro Pascal (Reed Richards/Mr Fantastic)

• Robert Downey Jr. (Dr Doom)

[sgiandubh]

'We few, we happy few, we band of brothers'

It is one thing to disprove and even despise The Shire and its netizens. It is a whole other affair to violently bash S's skills, based on absolutely nothing else than spiteful disappointment.

We are being told by Mordor's basement polymaths the man cannot act. It is probably by an unelucidated strike of luck or by charity that he was cast by *** to embody book boyfriend JAMMF, when he has only 5 (five) known facial expressions in his quiver. He was the weakest link of Season 1 cast: I suppose the BJ/Frank Randall 2-in-1 does have a fan club, after all. His acting is wooden. He has chemistry only with C and by Her grace only, because you know, gay as a bag of popcorn. He is a semi-literate hunk, with documented spelling problems. Even more so, when we conveniently toss aside the mounting hysteria during Quarantein Ha-wa-wee disgrace (hey Pooks and all the sock account Dobermans: I hope you remember your Twitter blaze of glory moment every single morning while brushing your teeth). And (also a favorite) he doesn't read, he doesn't prepare, he is sloppy, like that.

God forbid you'd try to set this colossal unfairness straight. You are automatically signed up to the Mommies for Sam Committee and labeled accordingly. Brainless victim (of what, since he is basically useless, but let's not embarrass ourselves with logic), unapologetic limerent inamorata, romantic whale, delusional rural shipper, conspiracy theory troll. Anything goes, really and we know the tune by heart, at this point in time.

Not so long ago, I was re-watching the oath sequence of (5.01) The Fiery Cross, for which I suppose all background/context is superfluous. The only clip I could find has appalling sound, but should still immediately take you back to the Return of the Kilt (starts at 0:56):

It immediately reminded me of this:

This is the extraordinary Henry V Saint Crispin's Day speech. Pure Shakespeare and unmatchable Olivier. It is also a well-documented kamikaze moment of the Battle of Agincourt (1415), when a heavily outnumbered English army defeated in an almost miraculous turn of events the French. Granted, the real speech must have been way more concise, but nevertheless a potent affair, with Henry's cunning use of rumors having it that the French would cut two fingers off each captured archer's right hand, to virtually neutralize them. And his army was, essentially, an army of longbows.

Whatever it was, it worked. It worked so well, that it even gave Winston Churchill the idea of asking Laurence Olivier to broadcast this speech for the BBC some time around 1942 and then make a movie of the whole play, in 1944. Again, context is important -it always is, by the way - and it sheds the right light on Olivier's performance. More than acting, it is damn effective war propaganda, a wonderful patriotic act and completely representative for the "we shall fight them on the beaches and we shall never surrender" spirit. It is also all about acting as summoning of energy: Olivier manages to channel Henry V, he is Henry V and this immediately gives an irresistible depth and truth to his performance.

For contrast, one could compare his version with Branagh's 1989 interpretation (https://youtu.be/y1BhnepZnoo), which I am not adding here for the sake of levity. The main difference is, for me at least, palpable: Olivier completely suppressed his ego, which I am afraid is something impossible to achieve for Branagh. His take on the speech aims to be more modern and natural, and yet it is still all about Branagh promoting his art. And we know it immediately. A fairly honest tableau vivant, but no depth and nowhere near as majestic as the other.

I am not saying here that S is on par with Laurence Olivier. That would really mean being a romantic whale and I am the one you start to get, I hope, acquainted with. What I am saying is that this guy you just love to humiliate and endlessly cackle about every single day God makes, really, deliberately knows what he is doing in there. I would bet handsome money on S carefully watching and re-watching Olivier's Saint Crispin's Day monologue, in order to prepare for that particular scene. The similarities are, to me, evident, as is the consistent hard work and - dare I say it?- massive talent. It's all about owning the scene and being in the moment. And it is arresting, at times.

All of this is not exactly some shipper far-fetched speculation. S wrote, after all, in Waypoints (and the reference is way too spot on to believe in a kind gesture of the ghostwriter) that he "devoured"

I see great things. I see a very gifted guy who has no ego (C was spot on and for an actor, that is a blessing) and also probably no idea of his (considerable) acting range. I also see a guy who, spare for OL, has been grossly, unfairly miscast and overlooked. And who was determined to take whatever was available or easy on the schedule, in order to remain relevant. I may not be a good client for his booze, but I would pay handsomely to see him in something along the lines of For Whom The Bell Tolls. Or even (if you want a more exotic but oh, so rewarding alternative) a still inexplicably missing Western adaptation of Bulgakov's Master and Margarita (probably not the best times for that one, but still: Bulgakov was, after all, born in Kyiv and not really a fan, to say the least, of tyrants). That's exactly how damn good he is.

How was it, Kidneystone BIF? Oh. "No boundaries. No respect. No class." Exactly, madam. You said it yourself.

[vonlipvig]

Hey going through your Not For Broadcast art and your versions of Alex Winston and Sam Winston look like the average butch 4 femme lesbian relationship and I mean this in the nicest way possible

hell yeah, peace and love in all of the territories <3

[redcarpetview]

GRAMMY® NOMINATIONS KICK OFF 66TH ANNUAL GRAMMY AWARDS® SEASON

Topping the list of nominees for the 66th Annual GRAMMY Awards® are SZA (9), Phoebe Bridgers (7), Serban Ghenea (7), Victoria Monét (7), Jack Antonoff (6), Jon Batiste (6), boygenius (6), Brandy Clark (6), Miley Cyrus (6), Billie Eilish (6), Olivia Rodrigo (6), and Taylor Swift (6). As the only peer-voted music award, the GRAMMY Awards® are selected by the Recording Academy®'s voting membership body of music makers, who represent all genres and creative disciplines, including recording artists, songwriters, composers, producers, mixers, and engineers. The nominees were announced via a livestream event on live.GRAMMY.com.   

"We are thrilled to kick off GRAMMY® season with this year's diverse and genre-bending slate of nominees, representing the best of their craft and an incredible year of music," said Harvey Mason jr, CEO of the Recording Academy. "From breakthrough acts to legacy artists, we are amazed by all the musicians recognized for their outstanding contributions to music today. We can't wait to spotlight these remarkable creators and celebrate another amazing year in music on Feb. 4."   This year's eligibility period includes recordings released between Oct. 1, 2022 – Sept. 15, 2023. The final round of GRAMMY voting, which will determine GRAMMY recipients, will take place Dec. 14, 2023 – Jan. 4, 2024. The 66th Annual GRAMMY Awards will return to Los Angeles' Crypto.com Arena on Sun, Feb. 4, 2024, and will broadcast live on the CBS Television Network and stream live and on-demand on Paramount+ at 8-11:30 p.m. ET/5-8:30 p.m. PT. 

Prior to the Telecast, the GRAMMY Awards Premiere Ceremony® will be held at Peacock Theater at 12:30 p.m. PT and will be streamed live on live.GRAMMY.com and the Recording Academy's YouTube channel. The 66th Annual GRAMMY Awards will be produced by Fulwell 73 Productions for the Recording Academy. Ben Winston, Raj Kapoor and Jesse Collins are executive producers.

The following is a sampling of nominations from the 66th Annual GRAMMY Awards' 94 Categories. For a complete nominations list, visit GRAMMY.com.

  Record Of The Year "Worship" — Jon Batiste "Not Strong Enough" — boygenius "Flowers" — Miley Cyrus "What Was I Made For?" [From The Motion Picture Barbie] — Billie Eilish "On My Mama" — Victoria Monét "vampire" — Olivia Rodrigo "Anti-Hero" — Taylor Swift "Kill Bill" — SZA Album Of The Year World Music Radio — Jon Batiste the record — boygenius Endless Summer Vacation — Miley Cyrus Did you know that there's a tunnel under Ocean Blvd — Lana Del Rey The Age of Pleasure — Janelle Monáe GUTS — Olivia Rodrigo Midnights — Taylor Swift SOS — SZA   Song Of The Year "A&W" — Jack Antonoff, Lana Del Rey & Sam Dew, songwriters (Lana Del Rey) "Anti-Hero" — Jack Antonoff & Taylor Swift, songwriters (Taylor Swift) "Butterfly" — Jon Batiste & Dan Wilson, songwriters (Jon Batiste) "Dance The Night" (From Barbie The Album) — Caroline Ailin, Dua Lipa, Mark Ronson & Andrew Wyatt, songwriters (Dua Lipa) "Flowers" — Miley Cyrus, Gregory Aldae Hein & Michael Pollack, songwriters (Miley Cyrus) "Kill Bill" — Rob Bisel, Carter Lang & Solána Rowe, songwriters (SZA) "vampire" ­— Daniel Nigro & Olivia Rodrigo, songwriters (Oliva Rodrigo) "What Was I Made For?" [From The Motion Picture Barbie] — Billie Eilish O'Connell & Finneas O'Connell, songwriters (Billie Eilish)   Best New Artist Gracie Abrams Fred again.. Ice Spice Jelly Roll Coco Jones Noah Kahan Victoria Monét The War and Treaty   Best Pop Vocal Album chemistry — Kelly Clarkson Endless Summer Vacation — Miley Cyrus GUTS — Olivia Rodrigo - (Subtract) — Ed Sheeran  Midnights — Taylor Swift   Best R&B Album Girls Night Out — Babyface What I Didn't Tell You (Deluxe) — Coco Jones Special Occasion — Emily King JAGUAR II — Victoria Monét CLEAR 2: SOFT LIFE EP — Summer Walker   Best Melodic Rap Performance "Sittin' On Top Of The World" — Burna Boy Featuring 21 Savage "Attention" — Doja Cat "Spin Bout U" — Drake & 21 Savage "All My Life" — Lil Durk Featuring J. Cole "Low" — SZA     Best Alternative Jazz Album Love In Exile — Arooj Aftab, Vijay Iyer, Shahzad Ismaily Quality Over Opinion — Louis Cole SuperBlue: The Iridescent Spree — Kurt Elling, Charlie Hunter, SuperBlue Live At The Piano — Cory Henry The Omnichord Real Book — Meshell Ndegeocello

Gospel & Contemporary Christian Music

51. Best Gospel Performance/Song This award is given to the artist(s) and songwriter(s) (for new compositions) for the best traditional Christian, roots gospel or contemporary gospel single or track.

God Is Good – Stanley Brown Featuring Hezekiah Walker, Kierra Sheard & Karen Clark Sheard; Stanley Brown, Karen V Clark Sheard, Kaylah Jiavanni Harvey, Rodney Jerkins, Elyse Victoria Johnson, J Drew Sheard II, Kierra Valencia Sheard & Hezekiah Walker, songwriters

Feel Alright (Blessed) – Erica Campbell; Erica Campbell, Warryn Campbell, William Weatherspoon, Juan Winans & Marvin L. Winans, songwriters

Lord Do It For Me (Live) – Zacardi Cortez; Marcus Calyen, Zacardi Cortez & Kerry Douglas, songwriters

God Is – Melvin Crispell III

All Things – Kirk Franklin; Kirk Franklin, songwriter

52. Best Contemporary Christian Music Performance/Song This award is given to the artist(s) and songwriter(s) (for new compositions) for the best contemporary Christian music single or track, (including pop, rap/hip-hop, Latin, or rock.)

Believe – Blessing Offor; Hank Bentley & Blessing Offor, songwriters

Firm Foundation (He Won't) [Live] – Cody Carnes

Thank God I Do – Lauren Daigle; Lauren Daigle & Jason Ingram, songwriters

Love Me Like I Am – for KING & COUNTRY Featuring Jordin Sparks

Your Power – Lecrae & Tasha Cobbs Leonard

God Problems – Maverick City Music, Chandler Moore & Naomi Raine; Daniel Bashta, Chris Davenport, Ryan Ellis & Naomi Raine, songwriters

53. Best Gospel Album For albums containing greater than 75% playing time of newly recorded, vocal, traditional or contemporary/R&B gospel music recordings.

I Love You – Erica Campbell

Hymns (Live) – Tasha Cobbs Leonard

The Maverick Way – Maverick City Music

My Truth – Jonathan McReynolds

All Things New: Live In Orlando – Tye Tribbett

54. Best Contemporary Christian Music Album For albums containing greater than 75% playing time of newly recorded, vocal, contemporary Christian music, including pop, rap/hip hop, Latin, or rock recordings.

My Tribe – Blessing Offor

Emanuel – Da' T.R.U.T.H.

Lauren Daigle – Lauren Daigle

Church Clothes 4 – Lecrae

I Believe – Phil Wickham

55. Best Roots Gospel Album For albums containing greater than 75% playing time of newly recorded, vocal, traditional/roots gospel music, including country, Southern gospel, bluegrass, and Americana recordings.

Tribute To The King – The Blackwood Brothers Quartet

Echoes Of The South – Blind Boys Of Alabama

Songs That Pulled Me Through The Tough Times – Becky Isaacs Bowman

Meet Me At The Cross – Brian Free & Assurance

Shine: The Darker The Night The Brighter The Light – Gaither Vocal Band

The Recording Academy also debuted a new merchandise collection with Amazon Music. As the exclusive merch provider for the 66th GRAMMY Awards, Amazon Music offers customers a range of apparel featuring new designs that put a spin on classic GRAMMY iconography — available for fans to shop worldwide, exclusively in the GRAMMY Awards official Amazon store at Amazon.com/grammys.

GRAMMY season media assets are available here. Follow "Recording Academy/GRAMMYs" on X, Instagram, Facebook, TikTok, and LinkedIn, and use #GRAMMYs to join the conversation.  

[relaxandlaughatyourself]

Ika Wong and Will Reid break down BB20.

Rewatch the broadcast here; a recap is below: https://www.pscp.tv/w/1vOxwVwyeWDJB

Ika noted that she went into the interviews wanting to bring out the best of the HGs and let them have fun.

She really likes the cast, and didn’t dislike anyone. There was only one person she thought she wouldn’t connect with if she was in the house and that was Steve. She doesn’t know how well he’ll do with the rest of the house, not because of his age but because he is very conservative and even-mannered. She’s not sure the cast will mesh, but there are enough outspoken people for it to be a good season.

Tyler surprised her the most, she thought he would just be a beach bum. He’s much better looking in person and he’s funny.

Angela wasn’t a standout, but she wasn’t as blah as her bio. Same goes for most of them (their bio was blah but they weren’t).

Ika thought Angie was so funny. Notes that Angie was not wearing a bra in her interview and says that she’s free spirited and should be similar in the house.

Will asks her if she saw any similarities between these new people and past BBCAN HGs. Ika says it really irks her when people compare people or ask it, “I hate when they say ‘this is the Kevin, this is the Demetres’ - there’s only one Demetres, okay?” But if she has to, she can see some of herself in Bayleigh.

After her interview with Bayleigh, her and Ika talked about Ika being in a showmance and their hair, it was a real conversation and they connected. Ika told Bayleigh that Dem was her boyfriend and Bayleigh said “But we’re black and he’s white.” Bayleigh was surprised and almost confused at the interracial relationship, 

Ika thinks the majority of HGs will be bitter jurors.

Ika is asked different scenarios/questions:

Who is this year’s fourth-placed robbed queen? It’s hard to see who can be a queen, but hopefully there won’t be one this time.

Showmance predictions? Maybe Bayleigh and Swaggy, it’d be a comfortable option for her. She definitely thinks Haleigh will but not sure with who. Anyone, if they’re open to it, has potential to get into one.

Most likely to win first HOH? Swaggy, Tyler or Steve. They need to win it.

Win AFP? Tyler.

Most likely to play too hard too soon? Swaggy.

Most likely to be evicted first? Sam or Steve. Steve because she’s not sure who he’ll gel with. Sam because people won’t feel bad about evicting her. She hopes it’s not JC.

Most likely person she’ll hang out with after the show?  JC, he was so funny. Bayleigh and Swaggy too. Tyler, on the beach.

Who’s the best liar and most manipulative? Swaggy will want to lie and manipulate. Tyler and Winston could get away with lying.

Swaggy’s interviews didn’t show how smart he is and how much he knows his stuff. Swaggy had seen Ika in youtube videos.

[flamerock-refuge]

Bad ending + третьим сам мем по мотивам, которого набросал.

[chrswlls]

He's 21 today, Alex! Our little boy!

(It was Day 2303 some time ago so I drew Charlie, because it's likely his birthday is on that day or another before it, and Sam, because they totally can never die here!! trust me guys nothing bad ever happened on February 27, 1991)

[not-for-record]

(!) My mate made aesthetics based on my NFB fic (На сегодняшний день)

[hawkmelanietail]

NFB sstuff again

Colin in a snakeverse

Scott Pilgrim reference

"He just left" Reference

[vonlipvig]

oh i think i never posted this dumb headcanon about alex and sam, but hear me out.

alex and sam are chilling at home, watching a bad scary movie they're not paying that much attention to. they are chatting away, and they get to the topic of celebrity crushes, and who their respective ideal crushes would be.

sam wants alex to go first, and alex is all like "no way i know you're gonna tease me about this" but sam insists, so alex goes ahead and confesses that they've got a tiny bit of a crush on megan wolfe (i mean, hello we've seen their subconscious, i could believe that lmao), to which sam responds with a fake indignant scoff and says "oh so that's why the shots on the news linger on her just a bit too long, i see how it is".

they both laugh and alex assures them that it's nothing of the sort, to which sam replies that they were joking, and then add "it's ok though, i was gonna say that my celebrity crush is jeremy donaldson".

the next afternoon, while sam is watching the news, the shots linger a bit more than usual on jeremy, and they can't help but smile.

[junker-town]

6 winners from Week 11 of the NFL season

Photo by Rey Del Rio/Getty Images

Michael Gallup paid tribute to his brother, and Maxx Crosby put on his Khalil Mack pants.

Week 11 started with a defensive player of the year candidate clubbing a rival with his own helmet. Sunday was always going to be a bit anticlimactic after that.

A showdown between the Texans and Ravens turned into a blowout that only reminded the world Baltimore can nuke your defense a hundred different ways. Kyle Allen reverted back to backup form in a four-interception day. The most entertaining touchdown of the day didn’t count.

That didn’t mean there weren’t still plenty of reasons to remember Week 11’s biggest winners. Kirk Cousins looked like a third-stringer for two quarters, then one of the league’s top passers for his last two. Lamar Jackson got Deshaun Watson’s MVP vote. The Colts got Jacoby Brissett back from injury and broke their Brissett-less losing streak. Tom Brady found a new enormous coat!

Of course, this week’s winners went beyond the final scores. Who made the list of champions despite a relatively quiet day?

It wasn’t ...

Not considered: the Buccaneers, fiercely committed to finding creative ways to turn the ball over

Jameis Winston came into Week 11 with a league-leading 14 interceptions. It took him less than one quarter to get to No. 15 — though this one was not his fault:

Demario Davis with an off-the-back INT @demario__davis pic.twitter.com/4Jp1cyIBN7

— The Checkdown (@thecheckdown) November 17, 2019

O.J. Howard gift-wrapped an interception for Saints linebacker Demario Davis, and then was stapled to the bench for the remainder of the game — that was the tight end’s only target. That also meant Howard couldn’t be responsible for interception No. 16, which pinballed off Kiko Alonso‘s chest and into Vonn Bell’s hands.

You love to see selfless Kiko letting @Vonn have this one #Saints #Saints #Saints pic.twitter.com/deJYt6MAtc

— New Orleans Saints (@Saints) November 17, 2019

And that wasn’t all! Winston added a pick-six and an interception in the end zone to cap his day and even had a botched snap he was able to recover deep in the New Orleans red zone. He’s now responsible for 18 interceptions and 11 fumbles in 2019, and it appears even pairing up with QB whisperer head coach Bruce Arians won’t be enough to rehabilitate a career marred by careless play and sloppy turnovers.

Now on to ...

Week 11’s actual winners

6. The Jets, who are 3-1 against the NFC East ...

... and 0-6 against everyone else.

It turns out the best way to keep Sam Darnold from seeing ghosts is to throw him in there against the worst teams the NFC has to offer. Last week he outshined the Giants with 255 total yards and two touchdowns (one rushing, one passing). On Sunday, he shredded the Washington defense for four touchdowns and 293 passing yards in a 34-17 win.

Darnold wasn’t the only player to perform some important resume building in against the East’s least successful team. Jamal Adams had three sacks on the season coming into Week 11, which makes sense since he’s a safety and not a defensive end. He doubled that season total vs. Washington, because for the first three quarters rookie quarterback Dwayne Haskins was a lost fawn trying to to cross a frozen pond.

When will they stop trying to block him with RBs?@TheAdamsEra | #TakeFlight pic.twitter.com/HRSYZLOx0J

— New York Jets (@nyjets) November 17, 2019

Haskins eventually finished his day with a pair of garbage-time touchdown passes to salvage his second start as a pro. With any luck, his front office can trade its impending No. 2 overall pick for a handful of assets who can help him reach his potential as a professional quarterback and give him the cast needs.

Or, in a much more likely development: Washington will squander the pick, use its cap space on veterans who won’t contribute, and eventually alienate an injured Haskins until he leaves in free agency four years from now or is released with an injury settlement before then.

For now, Washington is stuck as the fifth-best team in the NFC East, if you want to include the mighty Jets.

5. Jason Sanders, hands team member

Two players have recovered onside kicks in 2019. One was Cordarrelle Patterson, a dynamite returner who moonlights as a wide receiver and understands the ins and outs of how a kickoff bounces better than anyone. The other is a kicker who’d never officially possessed a ball in his year-plus in the NFL until Sunday.

.@jasonsanderss decided to do it all by himself ‍♂️#BUFvsMIA #FinsUp pic.twitter.com/J7UuOhyVRk

— Miami Dolphins (@MiamiDolphins) November 17, 2019

NFL teams were 1 for 29 before Sanders broke out the sneaky Pete onside kick in the second quarter against Buffalo. Unfortunately for Sanders, and in true 2019 Dolphins fashion, Miami fumbled away possession on the very next play.

That led to a Bills touchdown, and eventually, Miami having its two-game winning streak snapped. It also marks the first time the Dolphins have lost since acquiring secret weapon Aqib Talib (who won’t play a single snap for the club this season).

4. The Falcons, who were one point better than a week of insufferable jokes

Atlanta has nothing to play for after a 1-7 start, except a chance to save head coach Dan Quinn’s job. If the last two weeks are any indication, the Falcons don’t want the man who led them to an NFC title in 2016 to go.

Atlanta won:

its second straight game

against a NFC South rival

on the road

by double digits

Four wildly unlikely things that came together for one unexpected streak (if we’re being generous) after a bleak start. Last week, the Falcons cracked open the Saints and spilled them all over the Superdome. In Week 11, they would up dispatching the Panthers — and got a perfect 2-for-2 performance on extra points from kicker Younghoe Koo to keep the game from becoming a meme.

That made the final score 29-3, one day after Baylor put together a stunning throwback to Super Bowl 51 by blowing a 28-3 lead against Oklahoma — a loss the Falcons social media team was fully aware of.

‍♂️

— Atlanta Falcons (@AtlantaFalcons) November 17, 2019

That’s a significant display of symbolism. If the Falcons are going to be successful under Quinn, the franchise has to put the specter of 28-3 and the greatest collapse of all time behind it. Sunday’s win, following a season of adversity, was a statement about how this team can move forward. It showed they’re one better than 28-3. And with two straight wins over divisional opponents, they’re showing they believe in their coach too much to just roll over and die.

Or, maybe it just means Kyle Allen isn’t as good as he seemed and the Falcons are too talented to be a 2-14 team and are more likely a 5-11 one. Either way.

3. Tony Romo, still our lowkey football psychic

Romo knew exactly what the Patriots needed when they faced third-and-11 from the Eagles’ 15 in a game where three different drives to the red zone had already stalled out with field goals.

“Now you have to have some kind of cool play,” he opined for a Patriots offense that’d struggled to catch Philadelphia off guard. “The only problem is, all the cool plays take time.”

It turns out he was right on both counts, almost as if he knew the rarely discussed trivia tidbit that Julian Edelman was once a MAC quarterback.*

"now you have to have some cool play. the problem is, all the cool plays take time" -- Tony Romo, seconds before this Julian Edelman TD pass to Phillip Dorsett pic.twitter.com/VlhKgFdDSZ

— Christian D'Andrea (@TrainIsland) November 17, 2019

Offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels dug into his bag of tricks and dialed up a lead-taking double throw that included both of Tom Brady’s most trusted targets. The future Hall of Famer spun a lateral out to Edelman, who had two-plus seconds to turn his attention downfield and find a wide open Phillip Dorsett in the end zone for six points. It was New England’s only touchdown in a 17-10 win.

That pivotal play was cool, took time, and worked on third down. Romo knew it was coming, and that wasn’t the only time he’d be vindicated during the broadcast (even if Bill Belichick didn’t agree).

While the Eagles were waiting for that call, Carson Wentz asked our cameraman what he thought the call was. The cameraman said "Tony Romo said no question it's a touchdown." Wentz responded, "Well, Romo's always right." It ended up being a touchdown. (via @TracyWolfson) pic.twitter.com/wMDwwWYp1k

— NFLonCBS (@NFLonCBS) November 17, 2019

*nearly as overlooked as the salient points that both Jimmy Graham and Antonio Gates were college basketball players.

2. Maxx Crosby, the Khalil Mack replacement we all expected him to be

Oakland’s pass rush was nearly nonexistent in 2018. The Raiders had traded away wrecking ball Khalil Mack that offseason, and a toothless group managed just 13 sacks — far and away the lowest total in the NFL.

Head coach Jon Gruden and general manager Mike Mayock spent big to overhaul their offense in the offseason but only brought in one big-name defender: safety LaMarcus Joyner. That put the pressure of rebuilding a low-octane group of edge rushers on some ineffective incumbents, as well as first-rounder Clelin Ferrell and fourth-round pick Maxx Crosby.

This week, Crosby stepped up to deliver a fresh dose of misery atop the Bengals’ smoldering pile:

Not one... Not two... Not three... FOUR sacks for @CrosbyMaxx today. Unreal. #RaiderNation pic.twitter.com/Kjqdr0tVt2

— Oakland Raiders (@Raiders) November 18, 2019

Crosby abused the Bengals’ inept offensive line for the biggest day of his NFL career, sending fill-in quarterback Ryan Finley to the turf four times for a net loss of 37 yards and one fumble. He was part of a unit that harangued the rookie QB into a 13-of-31, 115-yard, zero-touchdown afternoon.

Crosby only had 2.5 sacks in the half-season leading up to the game against Cincinnati’s AAA lineup, so it’s fair to doubt whether this breakout was a sign of things to come or just an outlier performance. Either way, it helped the Raiders improve to 6-4 with a 17-10 victory, and Oakland is now in the thick of the postseason hunt less than a year and a half after Gruden gutted the roster.

If Crosby can be half the player he was in Week 11 through the end of the season, the Raiders could be a real headache as 2019 winds down.

1. Michael Gallup, who did his brother proud

One year ago Sunday, Gallup learned his brother Andrew had passed away at the age of 23. He used his memory to fuel him against the Lions — and that motivation helped carry him to one of the biggest performances of his budding career.

Gallup had a personal-best nine catches and 148 yards as the Cowboys outlasted the Lions in a 35-27 win. After the game, he acknowledged how he carried his brother with him on the field.

A year ago today, @michael13gallup learned his brother passed away. "I needed to come in here and play that one for him." He had 9 catches and 148 yards in a @dallascowboys win (via @SlaterNFL) pic.twitter.com/okFyJTGWQy

— NFL Network (@nflnetwork) November 17, 2019

“Obviously it’s going to be tough around this time every year,” Gallup told reporters after the game. “His birthday was Nov. 10, so it’s always a hard one.

“But to go out here and have fun and do what I love – he knows that I’ve always loved this game, and he was up there watching me. So it’s a good feeling to be able to do that for him and have the family watch as well.”

That was the second-year pro’s third 100+ yard game of the 2019 season. More importantly, it was a fitting tribute to a family member.