It is something of a Statistical Summer here at Touchdown Wire.
Over the past few days, we unveiled a “Metrics that Matter” series, looking at one key statistic for each team from the 2019 season, highlighting why that matters for the team in 2020, and illustrating what the team has done — if anything — to improve in that area. Doug Farrar has also been looking at different statistics, such as the recent piece on the best quarterback for each type of throw.
While Doug was working through that piece, he noticed something. Andy Dalton, formerly of the Cincinnati Bengals and now with the Dallas Cowboys, led all quarterbacks with seven spikes last year. The “stop the clock” kind, not the Gronk kind.
Now, football is obviously a serious business and every bit of information, film and data is worthy of analysis. To that end, here are those seven spikes, graded, and ranked from worst to best.
First, some ground rules. Quarterback spike plays will be graded on four sets of criteria, on a scale of 0 to 10.
First: Situation. Not all spike plays are created equally. A spike play that comes in the waning moments of the first half, or at the end of a blowout, will not have the same import as a spike executed in the closing seconds of a tight contest.
Second: Decisiveness. A quarterback must never hesitate when executing the spike play. If a QB lollygags on his way to the line of scrimmage before executing the spike, then points will be deducted. We are talking time conservation here friends, every tick of the clock counts.
Third: Style. Does the quarterback go into the windup, or give the ball a two-handed shove to the turf? This is your time to shine, passers! Show a little flair!
Finally, result. Sure, you got the clock stopped by bouncing the football off the ground near your foot in one way or another, but what did you do on the next play? Did you convert a third down situation, throw the game-winner, or throw an interception?
(We are workshopping a name for that. Perhaps “The Winston?” Suggestions are welcome).
Now, without further ado, here are Andy Dalton’s 2019 spike plays, graded and ranked:
7. Week 8 vs. the Los Angeles Rams
We kick things off with the first of three – yes three – spikes from this Week 8 contest between the Cincinnati Bengals and Los Angeles Rams, played in front of 83,720 raucous fans in London’s Wembley Stadium. Dalton executed three spikes on the game’s final drive, and the spike that lands in last place on this countdown is actually the second of the three:
Now, let’s work through the situation here. The Rams lead the Bengals 24-10 with under a minute remaining, and the Bengals are out of timeouts. So, Cincinnati is not exactly going to win this game. Dalton spikes the ball after completing a 52-yard pass play to wide receiver Alex Erickson, that was made possible because (as Trent Green pointed out in the booth) Jalen Ramsey was not exactly focused at the snap. Here is the scoring breakdown for this spike:
Situation: 3 points. Sure, you might give the London crowd one more score here, and you just hit a 52-yard passing play, but odds are Cincinnati is not pulling out a win.
Decisiveness: 2 points. It took a while for the Bengals to get to the line of scrimmage here, probably becuase everyone at Wembley was already thinking about getting home.
Style: 3 points. There is not much to see here. Dalton gets the ball snapped and to the turf quickly, but with minimal flair.
Result: 3 points. As we will see the drive ended in Bengals fashion, but at least Dalton did not turn the ball over on the next play.
Total Score: 11 points.
6. Week 8 vs. the Los Angeles Rams
The next spike on our countdown is the first of the three spikes from this International Series game. In case you have forgotten – and I can understand if you did – the Bengals trail the Rams 24-10 in the closing minute of this contest. They are without timeouts, and odds are not in their favor. But on a 3rd and 1 from their own 25-yard line, Dalton hits Auden Tate for a five-yard gain to move the chains. It is time to stop the clock:
Again, the situation is not critical. But if you want to give the fans a bit more of their money’s worth, you’re going to play out the final string here. Take advantage of the opportunity and maybe try and put some points on the board. Here is the scoring breakdown on this spike:
Situation: 2 points. Look, you are not winning this game, but since you’ve crossed the pond you might as well make all the time in London worth it.
Decisiveness: 4 points. There is some hesitation here, but eventually everyone gets on the same page.
Style: 1 point. There is not much flair here, and as we will see from some other spikes, Dalton is capable of much more.
Result: 6 points. On the next play, as we just discussed, Dalton hits Erickson for a 52-yarder to get down into Rams’ territory. Short of a touchdown, that’s pretty good!
Total score: 13 points.
5: Week 8 vs. the Los Angeles Rams
Our third and final spike from this Week 8 matchup places fifth on this incredibly scientific countdown. This is on the same drive as the previous two spike plays, only now the Bengals are facing a first-and-goal situation. Dalton has just hit Tyler Eifert for a 14-yard gain to convert a 3rd and 10 situation, and the Bengals as a result of the spike have three cracks at the end zone with 11 seconds remaining:
Despite the situation, this is still a well-executed spike play, and some of the grading reflects that fact:
Situation: 4 points. Again, with such little time remaining the chances that Cincinnati gets a touchdown, an onside kick recovery and another touchdown are similar to my chances at replacing Tom Brady in New England. But as Lloyd Christmas would put it: “So you’re saying there’s a chance?”
Decisiveness: 8 points. Hard to get this ball spiked quicker than the Bengals and Dalton do here. There is no hesitation, #14 gets the troops right to the line of scrimmage and conserves every second possible.
Style: 3 points. Minimal flair from Dalton here, the man is all business on this spike attempt. But his determination counts for something.
Result: 2 points. I almost want to award this spike negative points, because this game ends in the most Bengals way possible. The second down pass intended for Tyler Boyd falls incomplete. Then 3rd and goal from the 4 turns into 3rd and goal from the 9 when John Perry false starts. On 3rd and goal from the 9 Dalton hits Tate for what looks to be a touchdown, but is overturned upon review. Then on the game’s final play, another throw in the direction of Tate falls incomplete.
Total score: 17 points.
4: Week 14 vs. the Cleveland Browns
We kick things up a notch here with this spike play from Week 14. The Bengals and the Cleveland Browns have a bit of an instate rivalry going, even when both teams are struggling. In this contest, we get two different spikes from Dalton, and this first one comes with about 35 seconds remaining in the game:
The situation is important here when grading this spike play. The Browns have a 27-16 lead and the Bengals are out of timeouts, but there is a chance that Cincinnati could tie this game up in the closing seconds. They could get a long-range field goal, recover the onside kick, and tack on a Hail Mary (complete with a two-point conversion) to erase this 11-point deficit.
Look, this isn’t Mission Difficult, Mr. Hunt, it’s Mission Impossible.
So after a 24-yard completion to John Ross to get the ball down to the Cleveland 45-yard line, Dalton and the Bengals stop the clock with a spike.
Situation: 6 points. Again, there is a chance Cincinnati can come back here.
Decisiveness: 6 points. Dalton and the rest of the Bengals get right to the line here and get the ball spiked.
Style: 3 points. There was a chance to tack on some bonus style points here, but Dalton – after using a one-handed spike with the right hand – goes to catch the ball off the turf with his left. He misses, and as such gets docked a few points.
Result: 6 points. On the next play, Dalton hits Eifert for a 17-yard gain to give Zac Taylor the chance to go for a field goal and set up the potential FG/TD/2PT miracle tie to force overtime. Not too shabby.
Total Score: 18 points.
3: Week 3 vs. the Buffalo Bills
September of 2019 feels like a lifetime ago, for many reasons. But back in Week 3, the Bengals traveled to Orchard Park to take on the Bills. In the closing moments of this game, before they were a time that would finish with the worst record in football, the Bengals had a chance to pull out a victory. They trailed the Bills 21-17, and were driving. After Dalton hit running back Giovani Bernard to pick up five yards on a first-and-10, the Bengals got to the line of scrimmage:
Now, the Bengals still had a timeout remaining, but they wanted to save that for perhaps designing up one final play if necessary. But now facing a 2nd and 5 on the Bills’ 28-yard line, with 20 seconds remaining, they had a shot at winning this game.
Situation: 8 points. This is in the closing seconds of a one-score game, with a chance to take the lead.
Decisiveness: 7 points. There was some question about whether the Bengals would burn the timeout, but Dalton got the offense to the line quickly without wasting much time.
Style: 9 points. Hard to top what Dalton does on this spike. He implements the one-handed spike to the turf but pay particular attention to what he does after catching the ball after it ricochets off the turf. You see that swaggy flip to the ref? This is a quarterback playing with confidence.
Result: 0 points. The NFL is a results-based league. On the very next play Dalton’s pass intended for Auden Tate is intercepted. Ballgame.
Total score: 22
2: Week 14 vs. the Cleveland Browns
We return to this week 14 clash of in-state rivals.
When we last discussed this game, the Bengals were trying to pull off the last-minute, 11-point comeback. A difficult feat for sure, but something within the realm of the possible. After a previous spike play on this final drive of regulation – which checked in at number four on our countdown – Dalton hit Tyler Eifert for a 17-yard gain to turn a 2nd and 10 into a 1st and 10 at the Browns’ 28-yard line. Now Zac Taylor faces a decision: Kick the field goal now and conserve time or try and get the touchdown? Either way, Dalton needs to spike the football:
This is a well-executed spike play. Let’s dive into the scoring.
Situation: 7 points. Sure, they are trailing in a two-score game, but the previous completion put them into field goal range. Now Dalton can spike it and potentially set up the kicker for the first of the two scoring plays.
Decisiveness: 4 points. The Bengals actually wasted a bit of time here, and could have saved a second or two with a deeper sense of urgency.
Style: 8 points. Dalton finally busts out a solid two-handed shove spike. Good to see the emphatic stoppage of play.
Result: 9 points. Hard to top this, as the Bengals do bring out kicker Randy Bullock, who splits the uprights to cut the Browns’ lead to eight points.
Total score: 28.
1. Week 16 vs. the Miami Dolphins
We have reached the peak of spiking supremacy, with a Week 16 example for the ages. A spike that will be studied throughout the ages, and a spike worthy of the Quarterback Spike Hall of Fame. There are layers to this spike, so let us dive right in.
In Week 16 of the 2019 NFL season the Bengals were a game away from clinching a big postseason spot. No, not a playoff appearance, but the first-overall draft pick. With a loss to the Dolphins, who were close behind them in the race for the top spot, they would secure that top spot in the draft, and likely a chance to draft Dalton’s replacement.
But fear not, Dalton would not go down without a fight. In the closing moments of this contest Miami held a 35-27 lead, but the Bengals were driving. With a touchdown and a two-point conversion, they would force overtime. Dalton hit Tyler Boyd with a deep throw over the middle to get the ball down to the Dolphins’ 25-yard line, but the ball was snapped with 23 seconds left in the game. The clock was ticking, and the stage was set for spiking superiority:
Beautiful. Simply stunning. Let’s go to the grades.
Situation: 9 points. Again, this is a one-score game. The first-overall pick is at stake. Is Dalton looking to stave off Joe Burrow? Who can say?
Decisiveness: 10 points. This is the stuff legends are made of. The offensive line sprints to the football and the new line of scrimmage, having to travel roughly 20 yards as the clock ticks away. Boyd, who took a shot on the play, is down on the field and clearly hurt. But he knows that if he stays down there will be a runoff, and the Bengals will lose. Summoning the courage of Balboa as he stared down Creed, he wills himself to his feet at Hard Rock Stadium, grabbing his injured left hamstring. For his part, Dalton looks like Washington crossing the Delaware as he brings the team to the line of scrimmage.
Style: 9 points. This is not perfect, but Dalton implements an adrenaline-fueled two-handed shove and then caps it off with a brisk walk to the sideline to talk things over with Taylor. That swagger we saw back in Week 3 has returned.
Result: 10 points. TOUCHDOWN! On the next snap Dalton hits Eifert on a throw over the middle for a 25-yard touchdown, and then caps it off with a two-point conversion run of his own to force overtime…where the Bengals would lose, and secure that first-overall selection.
Whether there are more spikes in Dalton’s future remains to be seen, but his 2019 campaign was a Tour de Spiking Force, and will linger through the generations.
