Monday's classic had a lot of scoring, but so what?

By Joe Smeltzer

This week, something outrageous happened: Monday Night Football didn't stink.

Finally, MNF had a matchup that felt like a heavyweight fight. Two of football's best teams— with two of football’s best quarterbacks that are ready to take the torch when Brady, Rodgers and Brees retire—went at it on ESPN, not NBC, and delivered not only the best Monday Night game of the year but probably the best NFL game of 2018 period.

Yet, after the Rams sealed a 54-51 win over Kansas City, people still found something to complain about. Apparently, the contest was "too offensive-oriented," providing another example of the trend that is hurting football.

First off, people who think that Monday's game didn't have any defense weren't paying enough attention. Both teams lit up the scoreboard, but ultimately, LA forcing six turnovers—two of which courtesy of the best defensive player in football, Aaron Donald—is what won them the game. The Rams scored two defensive touchdowns, so at least one team showed up on D Monday Night.

As for the general issue of the NFL becoming similar to the Big 12 in that there's just too much scoring, I don't buy into that theory as much as others, such as former Pittsburgh Steeler Brett Keisel,  seem to. Now there are instances where NFL games play more like a Pro Bowl than a Super Bowl—such as, well, this year's Super Bowl—and that can get annoying. The way I see it, however, is every game is different.

Good football comes in all shapes and sizes. A 6-3 contest doesn't have to be an offensive stalemate, just like a 54-51 game doesn't have to be a glorified 7-on-7. There can be defensive struggles where the offenses move the ball, just like it’s possible to have a shootout where a big turnover ends up deciding the game. Those of us who watch football enough should know a good game when they see one, and Monday Night's wasn't a good game: it was a great one that probably won't be topped this season, and maybe not even next season.

Speaking of the Big 12, there’s an excellent matchup Friday night in Morgantown. Like Monday's game, this contest features two good teams with two elite quarterbacks. Oklahoma's Kyler Murray and WVU's Will Grier are both Heisman candidates and their teams are playing for a berth in the Big 12 title game and, in Oklahoma's case, possibly the College Football Playoff.

All of this is at stake, and the game will be played in front of one of the more hostile crowds in the country, so given what that this matchup has going for it, I won't be one of those that will have an aneurysm if the first quarter ends in a 14-14 tie.

Like every sport, football has its problems, and maybe the game is becoming too offensive oriented to an extent. How strongly fans feel about that is up to them, but it shouldn't cloud their view of a classic that just happened to feature a lot of scoring.