Week 7 NFL Quick Hits

Atlanta @ Detroit - The Lions are coming back to Earth. It doesn't matter if Ndamukong Suh was talking trash or not, Detroit is facing some adversity. The Falcons went up to Ford Field and were simply the more physical team that endured every punch that the Lions threw at them. Matt Ryan suffered a leg injury that looked a lot worse than it actually was, he'll be fine after the bye week. Matt Stafford, on the other hand, was limping after his ankle sprain. The Lions say it's a non-issue and I'll take their word for it, I see no reason that he won't start against Denver this weekend. Michael Turner continued the trend of teams being able to run all over Detroit and we may have a blueprint to get through this tough defense. Sure, Matt Forte, Frank Gore, and Turner are all top shelf guys but that's three straight weeks that a back has had over 100 yards on the ground against them.

Denver @ Miami - It was as though the Dolphins realized they were leading and had to correct that mistake. Give Tim Tebow all the credit in the world, he was 4/14 for 40 yards and finished 13/27 with 161 yards and two touchdowns, but then again these are the Dolphins. There were some breakdowns of the two-point conversion that showed Miami read pass in a spread formation that was blatantly set up to be a Tebow run. Maybe it's from my years of watching him destroy teams in the SEC, perhaps it was the fact he had just thrown two short touchdowns, but there was no reason the Broncos were going to put the ball in the air there. Matt Moore played well on the other side and I can't really say anything snarky about his performance. Denver's defense kept Daniel Thomas in check and Champ Bailey kept Brandon Marshall under wraps for the most part (he did have six catches, but for only 61 yards and no scores). Willis McGahee broke his hand and that opens the door for Knowshon Moreno, this may be his final shot as a starter and if he doesn't run with it he may forever be a third down, pass catching back.

Houston @ Tennessee - Arian Foster is really, really, really good. Earlier in the year everyone (including myself) was talking about Ben Tate and how he could step in and the Texans offense wouldn't miss a step. Foster proved that he's on a totally different level on Sunday and he destroyed the Titans' defense. Arian had 115 yards on the ground, 119 yards through the air, and three touchdowns. Ben Tate is a really good back and he also got 100 yards in the game but the Texans are a totally different team with a healthy Arian Foster. The best part is that they put up 41 points with Andre Johnson and their defense held the Titans to 148 net yards. Chris Johnson was booed by the Tennessee fans once again and I'm be honest, I don't have a clue what's with him. He looked tentative and lacked the ability to make a cut and just burst through the hole. Maybe it's conditioning, perhaps it's the long holdout, or maybe CJ has already peaked. We'll have to see but this team needs Johnson to do more than 18 yards on 10 carries.

Chicago @ Tampa Bay - Tampa Bay was the home team in London, I guess that makes sense. They made things interesting at the end but by then they had spotted the Bears a 16 point lead and without any threat in the backfield the Bears were able to just keep rushing Josh Freeman. Last week's hero, Earnest Graham, tore his Achilles and is out for the year which is a huge loss for a team that was already playing without LeGarrette Blount. Tampa is already saying they will address the running back situation during their bye week but they need more than that to go anywhere near what I predicted in the preseason. Matt Forte had another huge game and I just have no words left. Cris Carter put it best this morning on Mike & Mike, saying something to the effect of Forte is at a major disadvantage. His supervisor (Mike Martz) sometimes forgets he exists and prefers to pass while his boss (Jerry Angelo) doesn't really appreciate or want to pay him. If you think the Bears offense is pitiful to watch nowadays, without any real receivers, imagine what they'd be like if you took Forte off that team. Pay the man, Angelo, he may be the best in the league at his position.

Seattle @ Cleveland - Zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz

San Diego @ Cleveland - Man, did the Chargers blow it or what? They were up 21-10 at halftime and then decided to continue covering Plaxico Burress one-on-one in the red zone despite the fact that he got an easy touchdown in the second quarter. This may be a game that rights the Jets' season and was absolutely a game they had to have but they can probably send Norv Turner a fruit basket or something for the win. Philip Rivers continues to be absolutely mediocre and Ryan Mathews suffered a thumb injury that isn't a big deal but he seems to get beat up every single game. Mark Sanchez bought himself a week of not having to listen to people talking about trading up to get Andrew Luck but next week we may find ourself talking about the same old Jets. Rex Ryan said after the game he wanted to get Shonn Greene more carries and yes, Greene had a good game, but the dude has trademarked the two yard rush. Why they pay Santonio Holmes mounds of money to catch two balls for 24 yards is beyond me.

Washington @ Carolina - You just knew that Cam Newton was going to win one of these games. The Redskins are who we thought they were and John Beck looked like, well, John Beck circa 2007-2008. The Redskins suffered a huge loss as Tim Hightower went down in this game with an ACL tear and will be out for the year so that means everyone's favorite fantasy football sleeper, Ryan Torain, will be the man in D.C. The Panthers continue being the most exciting team in the NFL, with Newton running and throwing all over the place, Jonathan Stewart once again outperforming DeAngelo Williams (next week will be the opposite), and Steve Smith catching bombs. After the mediocre years in Carolina, Smith was a forgotten man and now he's right back in the debate for best deep threat in the NFL and arguably being one of the best at his position. Too bad for their fans that the defense can't stop anyone worth a crap but that just makes them that more exciting!



Pittsburgh @ Arizona - Speaking of deep threats, Mike Wallace torched the Cardinals' secondary. Wallace had three catches for 118 but one of those was a 95-yard touchdown in the second quarter. Ben Roethlisberger threw for three touchdowns on the day but Rashard Mendenhall took a step back after last week's explosion (13 carries, 32 yards). For the Cardinals I don't really have a whole lot to say. Kevin Kolb is pleasantly average (hope he was worth your best corner and a second rounder), Beanie Wells is hurt (again), and they are not a good football team. Larry Fitzgerald is great but Ike Taylor did a good job at neutralizing him and I guess without Fitz the Cards can't win. Who knew?

Kansas City @ Oakland - Hey, the Chiefs want to compete this year! Even without Jamaal Charles they have now rattled off three straight wins, though there may need to be an asterisk on this one. Yes, they dominated in every facet of the game but they were facing Kyle Boller. Carson Palmer came in for relief and threw three picks to match Boller's on the afternoon. There's this huge debate on whether the Raiders should have even put Palmer out there in the first place and I'm in the camp that if you wanted to play him he should have started. If they didn't want to start him, then go out there and take your lumps with Boller and go get 'em after the bye when Palmer has had some time to get in sync. Darren McFadden was knocked out of this game but he should be fine after the bye, same goes for Sebastian Janikowski, who was out. It was a recipe for disaster for Oakland but give KC some credit here. They won a game where Matt Cassel threw two interceptions, no touchdowns, got two pick-sixes, and had rushing touchdowns from LeRon McClain and Javier Arenas. If that's not a team effort I don't know what is.

St. Louis @ Dallas - The Rams are quietly in the "Suck for Luck" race though they obviously wouldn't take him. DeMarco Murray ran for 253 yards and the Cowboys may have fallen ass backwards into their tailback of the future. Felix Jones is good but he may have lost his starting job after Murray did his best Emmitt Smith impression. With all of the yards in the rushing game Tony Romo was just asked to manage things and not screw up, a job that he did swimmingly. Dez Bryant, the so called "30-Minute Man" showed up in the second half and even got a touchdown. The Rams were without Sam Bradford and A.J. Feeley really couldn't get anything going. Steven Jackson had 70 yards and the Rams' lone score but they're done. They're absolutely out of it now and they can hope for a king's ransom for the top slot or maybe drafting Matt Kalil for themselves.

Green Bay @ Minnesota - The Vikings pushed the Packers in this one. Adrian Peterson ran for 175 yards, Christian Ponder was a huge improvement over Donovan McNabb but in the end the Packers had just enough to coast in the fourth quarter. Ponder wasn't actually that good (he only completed 40.6% of his passes) and he threw two picks but he did get two touchdowns which is half of McNabb's season total. On the other hand, Rodgers had three touchdowns of his own and though Jared Allen got to him a few times he didn't turn the ball over. Greg Jennings had a beautiful 79-yard touchdown and ended in his day with seven catches for 147 yards. The Packers are just the most complete team in the league and even without a running game (though James Starks did have 75 yards) they are impossible to stop and force teams to keep pace. Unfortunately for opponents, though, their defense is one of the most opportunistic and loves seeing teams air it out.

Indianapolis @ New Orleans - Jim Caldwell saw the Dolphins blow a late lead and the Rams get torched. As though there was a challenge issued, his team proceeded to go out and be the absolute worst of the weekend and put up a historically awful night. On the TV Guide description there was all of this info on Drew Brees (who was great, again, and didn't even turn the ball over!) but the Colts had one line. All it said was this: "Fellow Purdue graduate Curtis Painter QBs the Colts." That's all you need to know about the 2011 Colts.

Baltimore @ Jacksonville - After all of the terrible football I was hoping that the Monday Night Football matchup would at least be entertaining. Sure, I expected the Ravens to feast on the Jags but I was hoping for all sorts of Ed Reed interception returns, Anquan Boldin touchdown catches, Ray Rice running wild, and Blaine Gabbert running for his life. Instead I was treated to a game that rivaled the Colts, Seahawks, and Browns in ineptitude. The Jags got four field goals from Josh Scobee and that's all they needed to beat the Ravens who didn't get a first down until the 5:26 mark in the third quarter. Joe Flacco put up another dud and now the fan base is talking about his future with the team. Ray Rice only had eight carries for some stupid reason and it took moving Anquan Boldin to the slot for the Ravens to finally score. This game was another showcase of how the Baltimore Ravens seem to play down to their opponents' level. Against the Patriots, Steelers, and other powerhouses they look like the most complete team in the NFL that can punch opposing offenses in the mouth and has explosive weapons on their own. Yet here they were against the Jacksonville Jaguars with a rookie quarterback who has only completed 48.3% of his passes, they kept Maurice Jones-Drew out of the end zone, and they lost. Unbelievable.

What a terrible week of football.