Plenty of great takes, as usual. A few more:
Penix was great, but we provided “almost no pass rush,” and “no resistance” in the secondary. Our weaknesses were exposed. We knew that both were liabilities, and with a month to prepare, we were unable to affect either dynamic.
Any comparison of Ewers to Penix seems unfair. One QB was in Year 6. The other, Year 2. One had protection and the other, not so much. Additionally, their defensive scheme was better than ours. Better on the back end.
I do believe that Ewers played well. No ints. Relatively poor protection. Little separation by his receivers. And, he ran well. I’d probably give him an A-.
While the running game was effective, the fumbles were killers. Neither were the result of good defensive plays. Without those two unforced errors, last night would probably have been different. Like a few have said, having J. Brooks would have made a difference.
Yes, great season. But this one stings, and will for a while. That’s because we were given a huge gift at the end of the game, and we couldn’t take advantage.