NY Jets @ Denver - While watching this game I joked that if Tim Tebow could lead the Broncos back that I would buy his jersey for my dog. Well, if anyone has a link to a dog sized #15 Broncos jersey, preferably in blue, I would appreciate it. Sure, it wasn't pretty and watching him pass is painful at times, but he still does enough to win and that's more than any "pro-style" quarterback could do with the Broncos offense at this moment. Watching Tebow run against the Jets defense opened my eyes to something very interesting. There was one particular play where Tebow ran towards Darrelle Revis' side and instead of running out of bounds Tebow ran through Revis' arm tackle. I don't think that he was expecting Tebow to attempt running through him but after seeing that I knew that Denver was destined to win this game. On the other side of the field, the Jets got another poor game with Mark Sanchez and lost Shonn Greene to a rib injury that shouldn't sideline him this week. This loss puts the Jets in a tough situation and they must win this week against Buffalo just to keep pace with other wild card contenders in the AFC.
Oakland @ Minnesota - The biggest news items that came from this game concerned Adrian Peterson and Darrius Heyward-Bey. His high ankle sprain is likely to keep him on the sidelines for the next few weeks. Even though he has a high tolerance for pain and it's only a Grade 1 sprain there is also some ligament damage and these types of injuries almost always require several weeks. The Vikings don't have anything to play for this year anyway, so there's no need to risk the franchise. Christian Ponder had two touchdowns in garbage time but he at least looks like a NFL caliber quarterback. Heyward-Bey had a scary injury after he hit it off of E.J. Henderson's knee. Thankfully he turned out to have full use of his extremities and "just" suffered a concussion (along with neck and back injuries, thanks for the vague update, Hue Jackson). After two weeks without a catch DHB had caught four passes and seemed poised for another breakout game. Now it will be up to Denarius Moore, Jacoby Ford, Chaz Schilens, and Kevin Boss to make up for his loss. But hey, at least the Carson Palmer trade doesn't look completely terrible.
Buffalo @ Miami - Holy crap, Bills. They went from the top offense in the league to scoring eight points against the lowly Fins. I don't know what has suddenly happened to Ryan Fitzpatrick but personally I think a good starting point to righting the ship is getting the ball to Fred Jackson. Twelve total touches isn't enough for one of the best backs in the league and he is by far their biggest playmaker. I know he suffered a calf injury but they didn't seem to even do much with him while he was out there. The Bills will be in a lot of trouble if the injury sidelines him past this week (he's already been ruled out for Week 12). Give Miami all the credit in the world, though, Matt Moore has played phenomenally since taking charge and he did all of his damage without Brandon Marshall (one catch, five yards). Daniel Thomas has been a bit a disappointment (32 carries in the past two games, 2.9 yards per carry) but the Fins are still winning without him.
Cincinnati @ Baltimore - The Ravens gave Ray Rice the ball and they won the game. Way to go Cam Cameron, you realized that your best player should be featured prominently in the game plan. Joe Flacco seems to be all over the place but thankfully for Baltimore the good version showed up on Sunday. It didn't hurt that Torrey Smith overwhelmed the Bengals' secondary and could pretty much do whatever he wanted. Still, the offense flows through Rice and he had 25 touches that led to two scores. Still, this was a game that the Ravens were expected to win, even without Ray Lewis, because the Bengals were without their biggest playmaker in A.J. Green. The Bengals kept things close and Jerome Simpson had a monster game in Green's absence but Andy Dalton threw three killer interceptions. It will get interesting in the AFC North in the coming weeks as the Bengals get Green back and have match-ups with the Steelers and Ravens remaining. Unfortunately their defense has a big hole without Leon Hall and the Ravens exploited that.
Jacksonville @ Cleveland - Chris Ogbonnaya had a great game and led the Browns to a win with 115 yards on the ground and chipped in two catches. It wasn't pretty or particularly fun to watch but that's just how the Browns are this year. Greg Little is their best playmaker but as long as Colt McCoy is there he will fail to put up monster stats. Still, McCoy is not unlike Tebow in that he may not have the great stats but the Browns are far more competitive with his ability to run than they would be with a statue, drop back passer under center. Peyton Hillis seems like a distant dream and Cleveland has a chance to play spoiler the rest of the way with a matchup against the Bengals this week then the Ravens and Steelers. They also finish the season with games against Baltimore and Pittsburgh so they may actually dictate who wins the AFC North. As far as the Jags are concerned, I struggle to really write about them. Maurice Jones-Drew continues to be effective but Blaine Gabbert looks lost at times and you couldn't pick their wide receivers out of a lineup. Marcedes Lewis is nice but he shouldn't be a team's #1 receiving option.
Dallas @ Washington - The Redskins should probably fire Graham Gano to the moon at this point. I don't know if I would even trust the guy to make a kick to save my life over someone off the street. The 'Skins could of thrown a roadblock in the Cowboys' playoff hopes but thanks to Gano they were unable to seize the moment. Rex Grossman played well but we've all been down this road before and I refuse to praise him when I know that in the next week or two he'll melt down again. Still, the Cowboys secondary was unable to match up against Jabar Gaffney and Donte Stallworth and that can be a problem against teams with actual elite receivers. The Cowboys, on the other hand, got another great performance from Tony Romo and DeMarco Murray kept things rolling. Dez Bryant had another spectacular play in the first quarter and disappeared until overtime where he caught a drive preserving 26-yard pass. Laurent Robinson continues to be red hot and this offense is clicking on all cylinders without their top receiver in Miles Austin.
Tampa Bay @ Green Bay - Is it bad when a team's best performance is in a loss? This is the Tampa Bay team that I visualized in the preseason and if they played like this every week they could easily flip their 4-6 record if not something better. Josh Freeman played well though the Packers' defense got two picks off of him but LeGarrette Blount looked just like the guy I thought he could be this year. He punished the Green Bay defense and it goes to show if you don't pull your best player when you fall behind in the second quarter that he can still do some damage. Kellen Winslow looked like a monster as well though he did have a few key drops but overall the Tampa offense did a fantastic job. Even their defense did a good job even though they gave up 35 points. Aaron Rodgers had an "off" game (he completed a mere 67.6% of his passes!) but he did miss Greg Jennings on three throws that would have easily gone for more than 25 yards. Jordy Nelson picked up the slack once Jennings went out, though, and the Tampa secondary just didn't have an answer. This proves that teams can score on Green Bay as long as they stay balanced but it also shows that you have to keep pace with Rodgers and the offensive unit. Few teams can do that and Tampa isn't one of them.
Carolina @ Detroit - Last week I said that Detroit would take out their frustrations on the Panthers and for the first half it looked like they were sleepwalking. When the third quarter started, though, it was like a switch was flipped on and Matt Stafford three three of his five touchdowns in the third and fourth quarters. Cam Newton threw four interceptions but he did get one touchdown through the air and another two on the ground. Kevin Smith exploded, much like Chris Johnson before him, against the Panthers defense and had three total touchdowns, including two on the ground. With him running wild it opened up lanes for Calvin Johnson who hauled in five passes and a score of his own. The Lions needed this win badly heading in a matchup against the Packers tomorrow night and even though Stafford threw two picks it's tough to argue with the results.
Arizona @ San Francisco - This game was all 49ers. From the get go they were all over the Cardinals and though Richard Bartel threw a late touchdown to Larry Fitzgerald, Arizona's offense was suffocated all day. Alex Smith continued his redemption tour and Frank Gore made his triumphant return. Michael Crabtree also emerged in a big way and maybe we are finally seeing him live up to some of that potential. The NFC West was over like a month ago but this just proves that it is a complete runaway and may be for the next few years. Arizona, St. Louis, and Seattle lack the talent to compete against San Fran and all of those teams are outclassed in the coaching department.
Seattle @ St. Louis - The Rams got an early touchdown from Brandon Lloyd and then they proceeded to pack it in. Steven Jackson was ineffective and the Seahawks ran off 24 unanswered points in what was statistically a rout. The Seahawks only managed 289 yards but the Rams somehow put together a mere 185 of their own. I feel sorry for anyone who had to watch this game all the way through but at least Marshawn Lynch had a few highlight reel runs and Sidney Rice threw a 55-yard pass to Mike Williams. That's about it though, this one was a snoozer.
San Diego @ Chicago - The Bears won the game but suffered an even bigger loss than the Chargers. Jay Cutler has been lost for the season and that means that teams will have little to fear from the Bears passing attack. I had planted myself firmly on the Bears bandwagon last week but I may have to start looking for an ejection seat as the Caleb Hanie experience takes center stage . Matt Forte can keep the offense afloat and the Bears have the best special teams squad in football but losing Cutler is massive. The defense will keep them in games but it'll be an even bigger struggle for a Chicago offense that was really hitting its stride (they had scored 30 points in four of their past five games). San Diego continued to be a tire fire and Philip Rivers threw another two interceptions bringing his season total to 17. Still, it was great to see the old Rivers-Cutler rivalry renewed even if there seems to have been a reversal of roles between the two.
Tennessee @ Atlanta - The Titans offense was spinning its tires until Jake Locker took over. Yes, a good part of that was the stout Atlanta defense that made Chris Johnson have a historically bad game on the ground. However, Matt Hasselbeck did little to improve the situation and though Locker took over in garbage time he still looked a lot better than Hasselbeck on this day. I don't think this has the makings of a quarterback controversy just yet but perhaps Locker will be another success story from this year's QB class. Even though Matt Ryan had a great game I still can't help but feel uninspired by the game. I talked to Bryan about this and he agreed that Ryan just seems to be lacking something. He's surrounded with a great cast and occasionally puts up monster games (see: earlier this year against Philadelphia) but it just doesn't seem like he will ever take a step into elite territory. It was still a good win for the Falcons after last week's heartbreaker. This team will only continue to get better as they get healthy.
Philadelphia @ NY Giants - So are we seeing the erosion of this year's Giants? The offensive line was unable to block anyone and Eli Manning never could get comfortable. Not everything is the line's fault, though, because the pick that he threw looked like it was intended for Jamar Chaney. The Giants couldn't exploit Philly's biggest weakness (rushing defense) and Brandon Jacobs had a dreadful game. I would say we should wait and see how they bounce back but the next two weeks for the Giants are brutal with matchups at New Orleans and against Green Bay. The Giants do seem to play up to their competition and losing to Philly at the Meadowlands is just something they do on an annual basis but they could very likely be at .500 in two weeks. The NFC East is out of their control at this point and they should just hope to back in as a wild card. The Eagles got exactly what they needed: a win. Vince Young may not have had great stats or looked good in the effort but he led his team to a victory and down the field for the game winning drive. DeSean Jackson played well in both the receiving and return games but again: it's DeSean Jackson against the Giants in the Meadowlands. He does this every single time and there's no reason for Eagles fans to get all giddy and demand that the team pay the man. He still runs really fast in straight lines and most good teams can design a defense to take that away.
Kansas City @ New England - Going into last year's draft there were health and speed issues with Rob Gronkowski. Aaron Hernandez had character issues and couldn't block. A year later the Patriots have designed an offense around the two of them and I would be hard-pressed to find a better receiving tandem in the league. Gronkowski looked inhuman at times on Monday night and I wish defenses the best of luck in trying to slow him down. At 6'6'', 265 he is able to just snatch the ball out of the air and smaller defensive backs can't do a thing about it. He can run through linebackers and we also saw his hurdling ability on the second touchdown. Of course it helps to have Tom Brady as the triggerman and Wes Welker on the outside. Welker was kept relatively quiet thanks to Brandon Flowers but the Chiefs were never really in this game. Tyler Palko was successful starting in place of the injured Matt Cassel and once again the Patriots defense stepped up to the challenge. Dwayne Bowe and Steve Breaston got their chunks of yardage but when they needed a stop the Patriots pass rush was able to hurry and force Palko into bad throws. As an aside, can you imagine how the schedule makers at ESPN felt about this game after Cassel was knocked out? Monday Night Football was already a train wreck but this one was unwatchable for anyone who didn't have a vested interest in the Patriots.
Showing posts with label quick hits. Show all posts
Showing posts with label quick hits. Show all posts
11/23/11
11/16/11
Week 10 NFL Quick Hits
Oakland @ San Diego - So the Chargers are terrible. Well, I take that back, they're not completely awful but they're an immense disappointment. Philip Rivers threw only one interception this time but the stage was stolen by Carson Palmer and Denarius Moore. Moore had two touchdowns and showed why the Raiders thought so highly out of him. He's a boom-or-bust player, though, as seen by weeks five through seven where he registered two catches for 13 yards. Still, the Raiders have a ton of fast wideouts (Moore, Darrius Heyward-Bey, and Jacoby Ford) and it's a tough matchup for any defense to slow all of these guys down. Heyward-Bey, who I have had my fair share of laughs at, failed to register a catch for the second straight game. It's odd because he was the best receiver on the team and once Palmer took the reigns he has been a ghost. Still, this was a win the Raiders needed to have and at 5-4 they sit atop the AFC West, which I guess is a reward or something.
Jacksonville @ Indianapolis - The Colts lost the game and the Jaguars still have Blaine Gabbert at quarterback. Nobody wins here (until Indy drafts Andrew Luck in a few months).
New Orleans @ Atlanta - A lot of people are jumping on Mike Smith for making a call that I make on Madden nine times out of ten. Seriously though, this decision could keep the Falcons out of the playoffs and a whole lot of analysts are piling on Coach Smith for going for it on his own 30. I understand the decision, you have to believe your running back can get a single yard and that your offensive line can make the blocks necessary. Plus, he didn't want to give Drew Brees a chance to get back on the field which is also understandable. However, the Falcons defense had done well against Brees and completely shut down the Saints' running game. As long as they didn't break they could bend a little and probably get the ball back in better field position. The Falcons probably could have won this game without overtime if Julio Jones hadn't gotten hurt in the second quarter. Without Jones the Falcons offense just doesn't click so monitor his injury closely.
Houston @ Tampa Bay - The biggest news from these teams actually came in yesterday. Matt Schaub has been lost for the season with a Lisfranc injury and that means a whole lot of Matt Leinart. The Texans are still going to be a good team with Schaub, last I checked they still have Arian Foster and Ben Tate running the ball, Andre Johnson is returning this week, and the defense has made great strides under Wade Phillips. Unfortunately teams will probably start trying to cheat a little bit and load up even more against the run and it'll be up to Leinart to prove he can make the throws necessary for the Texans to make a playoff run. I don't have anything else to really say about the Bucs. Josh Freeman has regressed, LeGarrette Blount can't stay on the field because the team falls behind by 10-20 points every game, and the defense just isn't working out. They have disappointed me more than the Patriots' secondary.
Pittsburgh @ Cincinnati - This was billed as one of the biggest games of the weekend and it lived up to that. Andy Dalton threw for only 170 yards but he did make the most of his throws to A.J. Green and Jermaine Gresham. Green was forced from this game with a knee injury after his touchdown and it was glaringly obvious that the Bengals missed him. Rashard Mendenhall scored twice on the other side but this Bengals defense took a major hit when Leon Hall left the game (it would later be revealed he tore his Achilles). The Steelers offense looked a lot better with Hines Ward out and this was confirmed when the team said he was demoted from three wideout sets (Mike Wallace and Antonio Brown will be the starters with Jerricho Cotchery in the slot). The Steelers are not atop the AFC North standings and without Hall the Bengals may slip back a bit, but Cincy proved they could hang tough with their divisional rival. Ben Roethlisberger broke his thumb in this game and that is something worth monitoring.
Tennessee @ Carolina - Chris Johnson did stuff! Hooray for Chris Johnson's fantasy owners! Even though it was against one of the league's worst rushing defenses it was still a step in the right direction. The Titans took away Steve Smith but having Cortland Finnegan follow him everywhere on the field and for the first time all year Cam Newton looked bad. He failed to score a touchdown for the first time in his young career and was sacked five times. Matt Hasselbeck avoided the "QBs Named Matt Curse" that plagued Cassel and Schaub and if the Texans completely go in the crapper there's a chance he could lead this team to the playoffs.
Arizona @ Philadelphia - John Skelton led the Cardinals into Philly and won. Let that sink in for a moment because it almost caused Bryan to go into a blind rage. Michael Vick suffered two broken ribs, Jeremy Maclin has a sprained AC joint, and DeSean Jackson was benched for missing a special teams meeting. Basically we're seeing a team implode right before our eyes and even though they have three Pro Bowl corners no one could stop Larry Fitzgerald. Fitz had seven catches for 146 yards and two touchdowns including the game winner on his fingertips. Beanie Wells was able to convert a lot of the short yardage downs put in front of him. Neither of these teams are going anywhere any time soon but you have to give the Cards credit for going into Philly and putting a dagger in any chance of a Philadelphia comeback this season.
Denver @ Kansas City - Tim Tebow completed two passes. One of those was a 56-yard touchdown strike to Eric Decker. Looking at the stats for this game puts it into perspective: this is the first time a team has led at a half without a completed pass since the Packers led the Bears 14-0 in 1994. Tebow said after the game that they had plenty to improve and he's absolutely right but this team is winning games which is more than can be said for most of the AFC West. Knowshon Moreno will be out for the year with a torn ACL and Willis McGahee was forced from this game as well. McGahee has a chance to play on Thursday and was medically cleared to return but Lance Ball excelled in his place. I find myself rooting for the Broncos because Tebow fascinates me and it's always amazing to see analysts try to explain just how Denver keeps winning games. As I said earlier, Matt Cassel could miss the rest of the year after an injury suffered from an Elvis Dumervil sack. I hope you're ready for the Tyler Palko experience, Chief fans.
Buffalo @ Dallas - Aw, David Nelson gave his touchdown football to his Cowboys girlfriend. That's sweet, too bad it was the only highlight for the Bills. Fred Jackson was kept out of the end zone and Ryan Fitzpatrick continued plummeting back to Earth after a red hot start. Dallas is looking like the team everyone thought they would be in the preseason after all of this time. Tony Romo isn't asked to go out and win a game, DeMarco Murray has an outside shot at rookie of the year honors, and Dez Bryant continues to make freakish plays. Laurent Robinson has stepped in and done very well for the injured Miles Austin and with the offense clicking it allows Rob Ryan's defensive schemes to shine thanks to teams having to play from behind. When Romo plays like he did on Sunday there is no team that can beat these Cowboys, we'll just have to see if he can keep it going (they play the Giants twice and the Eagles once in their final four weeks with the Buccaneers sprinkled in).
St. Louis @ Cleveland - Phil Dawson blew it. No other way to put it. The Browns got a great game from Colt McCoy and Chris Ogbonnaya (very fun name to type and say, by the way) performed admirably. Greg Little had another great game and...you know what? I can't do it. The Browns have been a part of the most boring games all year and they are a terrible team to watch. I don't understand how they went from the awesome Peyton Hillis show with Rob Ryan's defenses to being Chris Ogbonnaya and Ben Watson? I can't do it anymore, I can't keep up the charade. I would rather stab myself in the face with a fork than watch another second of the Browns. As far as the Rams go, well, Brandon Lloyd looks to be a great pickup for a team that is going nowhere and may lose him in free agency. Go them, I guess.
Washington @ Miami - Rex Grossman made his triumphant return and had a typical Rex Grossman game. The Redskins stink and I can't believe that I was fooled into thinking their defense could be one of the best in the league. Reggie Bush had two touchdowns and put a fork in the Dolphins' Andrew Luck chances. Holy crap this was another terrible game.
Baltimore @ Seattle - I'm not surprised. Seriously.
NY Giants @ San Francisco - This was a fun game to watch. The Niners lost Frank Gore and even when he was on the field he was ineffective (6 rushes, 0 yards). Alex Smith made all of the throws necessary and I jokingly told Bryan that Tom Brady could learn something here. Everything the Niners did seemed to work in the fourth quarter and Eli Manning almost brought the G-Men back. I hope these two teams meet again in the playoffs because it would be interesting to see how the teams fare with healthy backs (Gore and Ahmad Bradshaw).
Detroit @ Chicago - Yeah, I'm officially on the Bears bandwagon. I had zero faith in their season last year but after watching this dismantling of the Lions I'm a believer. Matt Forte continues to give his all in spite of the fact that he could blow out his knee at any moment and lose tens of millions of dollars. Seriously, I say this every week, but please pay this man, he has nothing left to prove. Jay Cutler only completed nine passes but he wasn't asked to do a whole lot after Chicago opened this one up. Matt Stafford attempted a whopping 63 passes, threw four interceptions, and got in a fight after the last one. It was revealed that he has a fractured index finger and Calvin Johnson is also dinged up. The Lions will take their frustrations out on Carolina this week but they have to be careful about slipping back any further in the standings. The NFC North has already been lost but the Bears, a NFC East team (whoever doesn't win between the Cowboys and Giants), and the Falcons are all nipping on their heels.
New England @ NY Jets - Where has this Patriot defense been all year? Coming off of two straight losses and staring down the possibility of losing control of the AFC East, New England rallied and destroyed the Jets on Sunday Night Football. For the entire first half it looked like the Jets were just hanging on and their defense was shutting down the Pats. From my seat it seemed inevitable that Mark Sanchez would come out and light 'em up but in fact it was the polar opposite. Tom Brady looked the best he has in a month and Rob Gronkowski stupefied the Jets secondary. Darrelle Revis looked great against Wes Welker but it left things wide open for Gronk. Rob Ninkovich looked phenomenal with two interceptions, including one returned for a touchdown that pretty much sealed the game. Everything clicked for the Pats and with their upcoming schedule they may roll into the playoffs on a winning streak. There were rumors floating around that LaDainian Tomlinson had blown out his knee but it turned out just to be a sprained MCL. He probably won't play tomorrow night against the Broncos and that's a major loss for one of the Jets' best receiving threats.
Minnesota @ Green Bay - It sure is great to be a Rodgers. Aaron steamrolled the Vikings and I can't say anything else about the guy. He's having the greatest season by a quarterback ever and may end up erasing some of the greatest ever from the single season record books. He makes things look so easy that I am in awe watching this offense play. I don't know how anyone can beat them. Rodgers and this offense put teams in a hole and if you try to keep up with scoring then this defense will blitz Clay Matthews and Charles Woodson on every play. Oh, and Tramon Williams keeps picking off passes and the secondary as a whole ballhawks. I don't think they'll go undefeated but I have a tough time visualizing anyone beating them in the playoffs, especially with teams having to go up to Green Bay. The only hope a team has is that Randall Cobb continues fumbling kickoffs and giving teams a short field. As far as the Vikings go this is a season that got out of control really quickly and we're seeing just how far behind the rest of their division that they are. Adrian Peterson isn't getting any younger and this is a team that may not contend again while he's there because it is going to take a lot of rebuilding to get them anywhere close to NFC Championship Game again. Oh, and Antoine Winfield broke his clavicle and will be lost for the year. When it rains it pours I suppose.
Jacksonville @ Indianapolis - The Colts lost the game and the Jaguars still have Blaine Gabbert at quarterback. Nobody wins here (until Indy drafts Andrew Luck in a few months).
New Orleans @ Atlanta - A lot of people are jumping on Mike Smith for making a call that I make on Madden nine times out of ten. Seriously though, this decision could keep the Falcons out of the playoffs and a whole lot of analysts are piling on Coach Smith for going for it on his own 30. I understand the decision, you have to believe your running back can get a single yard and that your offensive line can make the blocks necessary. Plus, he didn't want to give Drew Brees a chance to get back on the field which is also understandable. However, the Falcons defense had done well against Brees and completely shut down the Saints' running game. As long as they didn't break they could bend a little and probably get the ball back in better field position. The Falcons probably could have won this game without overtime if Julio Jones hadn't gotten hurt in the second quarter. Without Jones the Falcons offense just doesn't click so monitor his injury closely.
Houston @ Tampa Bay - The biggest news from these teams actually came in yesterday. Matt Schaub has been lost for the season with a Lisfranc injury and that means a whole lot of Matt Leinart. The Texans are still going to be a good team with Schaub, last I checked they still have Arian Foster and Ben Tate running the ball, Andre Johnson is returning this week, and the defense has made great strides under Wade Phillips. Unfortunately teams will probably start trying to cheat a little bit and load up even more against the run and it'll be up to Leinart to prove he can make the throws necessary for the Texans to make a playoff run. I don't have anything else to really say about the Bucs. Josh Freeman has regressed, LeGarrette Blount can't stay on the field because the team falls behind by 10-20 points every game, and the defense just isn't working out. They have disappointed me more than the Patriots' secondary.
Pittsburgh @ Cincinnati - This was billed as one of the biggest games of the weekend and it lived up to that. Andy Dalton threw for only 170 yards but he did make the most of his throws to A.J. Green and Jermaine Gresham. Green was forced from this game with a knee injury after his touchdown and it was glaringly obvious that the Bengals missed him. Rashard Mendenhall scored twice on the other side but this Bengals defense took a major hit when Leon Hall left the game (it would later be revealed he tore his Achilles). The Steelers offense looked a lot better with Hines Ward out and this was confirmed when the team said he was demoted from three wideout sets (Mike Wallace and Antonio Brown will be the starters with Jerricho Cotchery in the slot). The Steelers are not atop the AFC North standings and without Hall the Bengals may slip back a bit, but Cincy proved they could hang tough with their divisional rival. Ben Roethlisberger broke his thumb in this game and that is something worth monitoring.
Tennessee @ Carolina - Chris Johnson did stuff! Hooray for Chris Johnson's fantasy owners! Even though it was against one of the league's worst rushing defenses it was still a step in the right direction. The Titans took away Steve Smith but having Cortland Finnegan follow him everywhere on the field and for the first time all year Cam Newton looked bad. He failed to score a touchdown for the first time in his young career and was sacked five times. Matt Hasselbeck avoided the "QBs Named Matt Curse" that plagued Cassel and Schaub and if the Texans completely go in the crapper there's a chance he could lead this team to the playoffs.
Arizona @ Philadelphia - John Skelton led the Cardinals into Philly and won. Let that sink in for a moment because it almost caused Bryan to go into a blind rage. Michael Vick suffered two broken ribs, Jeremy Maclin has a sprained AC joint, and DeSean Jackson was benched for missing a special teams meeting. Basically we're seeing a team implode right before our eyes and even though they have three Pro Bowl corners no one could stop Larry Fitzgerald. Fitz had seven catches for 146 yards and two touchdowns including the game winner on his fingertips. Beanie Wells was able to convert a lot of the short yardage downs put in front of him. Neither of these teams are going anywhere any time soon but you have to give the Cards credit for going into Philly and putting a dagger in any chance of a Philadelphia comeback this season.
Denver @ Kansas City - Tim Tebow completed two passes. One of those was a 56-yard touchdown strike to Eric Decker. Looking at the stats for this game puts it into perspective: this is the first time a team has led at a half without a completed pass since the Packers led the Bears 14-0 in 1994. Tebow said after the game that they had plenty to improve and he's absolutely right but this team is winning games which is more than can be said for most of the AFC West. Knowshon Moreno will be out for the year with a torn ACL and Willis McGahee was forced from this game as well. McGahee has a chance to play on Thursday and was medically cleared to return but Lance Ball excelled in his place. I find myself rooting for the Broncos because Tebow fascinates me and it's always amazing to see analysts try to explain just how Denver keeps winning games. As I said earlier, Matt Cassel could miss the rest of the year after an injury suffered from an Elvis Dumervil sack. I hope you're ready for the Tyler Palko experience, Chief fans.
Buffalo @ Dallas - Aw, David Nelson gave his touchdown football to his Cowboys girlfriend. That's sweet, too bad it was the only highlight for the Bills. Fred Jackson was kept out of the end zone and Ryan Fitzpatrick continued plummeting back to Earth after a red hot start. Dallas is looking like the team everyone thought they would be in the preseason after all of this time. Tony Romo isn't asked to go out and win a game, DeMarco Murray has an outside shot at rookie of the year honors, and Dez Bryant continues to make freakish plays. Laurent Robinson has stepped in and done very well for the injured Miles Austin and with the offense clicking it allows Rob Ryan's defensive schemes to shine thanks to teams having to play from behind. When Romo plays like he did on Sunday there is no team that can beat these Cowboys, we'll just have to see if he can keep it going (they play the Giants twice and the Eagles once in their final four weeks with the Buccaneers sprinkled in).
St. Louis @ Cleveland - Phil Dawson blew it. No other way to put it. The Browns got a great game from Colt McCoy and Chris Ogbonnaya (very fun name to type and say, by the way) performed admirably. Greg Little had another great game and...you know what? I can't do it. The Browns have been a part of the most boring games all year and they are a terrible team to watch. I don't understand how they went from the awesome Peyton Hillis show with Rob Ryan's defenses to being Chris Ogbonnaya and Ben Watson? I can't do it anymore, I can't keep up the charade. I would rather stab myself in the face with a fork than watch another second of the Browns. As far as the Rams go, well, Brandon Lloyd looks to be a great pickup for a team that is going nowhere and may lose him in free agency. Go them, I guess.
Washington @ Miami - Rex Grossman made his triumphant return and had a typical Rex Grossman game. The Redskins stink and I can't believe that I was fooled into thinking their defense could be one of the best in the league. Reggie Bush had two touchdowns and put a fork in the Dolphins' Andrew Luck chances. Holy crap this was another terrible game.
Baltimore @ Seattle - I'm not surprised. Seriously.
NY Giants @ San Francisco - This was a fun game to watch. The Niners lost Frank Gore and even when he was on the field he was ineffective (6 rushes, 0 yards). Alex Smith made all of the throws necessary and I jokingly told Bryan that Tom Brady could learn something here. Everything the Niners did seemed to work in the fourth quarter and Eli Manning almost brought the G-Men back. I hope these two teams meet again in the playoffs because it would be interesting to see how the teams fare with healthy backs (Gore and Ahmad Bradshaw).
Detroit @ Chicago - Yeah, I'm officially on the Bears bandwagon. I had zero faith in their season last year but after watching this dismantling of the Lions I'm a believer. Matt Forte continues to give his all in spite of the fact that he could blow out his knee at any moment and lose tens of millions of dollars. Seriously, I say this every week, but please pay this man, he has nothing left to prove. Jay Cutler only completed nine passes but he wasn't asked to do a whole lot after Chicago opened this one up. Matt Stafford attempted a whopping 63 passes, threw four interceptions, and got in a fight after the last one. It was revealed that he has a fractured index finger and Calvin Johnson is also dinged up. The Lions will take their frustrations out on Carolina this week but they have to be careful about slipping back any further in the standings. The NFC North has already been lost but the Bears, a NFC East team (whoever doesn't win between the Cowboys and Giants), and the Falcons are all nipping on their heels.
New England @ NY Jets - Where has this Patriot defense been all year? Coming off of two straight losses and staring down the possibility of losing control of the AFC East, New England rallied and destroyed the Jets on Sunday Night Football. For the entire first half it looked like the Jets were just hanging on and their defense was shutting down the Pats. From my seat it seemed inevitable that Mark Sanchez would come out and light 'em up but in fact it was the polar opposite. Tom Brady looked the best he has in a month and Rob Gronkowski stupefied the Jets secondary. Darrelle Revis looked great against Wes Welker but it left things wide open for Gronk. Rob Ninkovich looked phenomenal with two interceptions, including one returned for a touchdown that pretty much sealed the game. Everything clicked for the Pats and with their upcoming schedule they may roll into the playoffs on a winning streak. There were rumors floating around that LaDainian Tomlinson had blown out his knee but it turned out just to be a sprained MCL. He probably won't play tomorrow night against the Broncos and that's a major loss for one of the Jets' best receiving threats.
Minnesota @ Green Bay - It sure is great to be a Rodgers. Aaron steamrolled the Vikings and I can't say anything else about the guy. He's having the greatest season by a quarterback ever and may end up erasing some of the greatest ever from the single season record books. He makes things look so easy that I am in awe watching this offense play. I don't know how anyone can beat them. Rodgers and this offense put teams in a hole and if you try to keep up with scoring then this defense will blitz Clay Matthews and Charles Woodson on every play. Oh, and Tramon Williams keeps picking off passes and the secondary as a whole ballhawks. I don't think they'll go undefeated but I have a tough time visualizing anyone beating them in the playoffs, especially with teams having to go up to Green Bay. The only hope a team has is that Randall Cobb continues fumbling kickoffs and giving teams a short field. As far as the Vikings go this is a season that got out of control really quickly and we're seeing just how far behind the rest of their division that they are. Adrian Peterson isn't getting any younger and this is a team that may not contend again while he's there because it is going to take a lot of rebuilding to get them anywhere close to NFC Championship Game again. Oh, and Antoine Winfield broke his clavicle and will be lost for the year. When it rains it pours I suppose.
10/25/11
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!
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!
10/18/11
Week 6 NFL Quick Hits
St. Louis @ Green Bay - When a winless team faces an undefeated team at this point in the season you can pretty much expect this outcome. The Rams were completely overmatched and nothing seemed to go right for him on Sunday afternoon. Aaron Rodgers continued his MVP level of play but the Rams defense did do him some favors. His touchdown to James Jones looked easy and the 93-yarder featured Jordy Nelson burning Al Harris. Steven Jackson had his best game of the year but had a vintage effort: nearly 100 yards and zero touchdowns. I would say that St. Louis has something to look forward to (besides the World Series) but even with the addition of Brandon Lloyd they may be without Sam Bradford, who is unofficially questionable for their matchup against Dallas.
Buffalo @ NY Giants - The Giants are impossible to gauge. Last week Eli Manning looked like he should be playing for Ole Miss against the Seahawks and on Sunday they beat one of the best team's in the league. Manning didn't turn the ball over and if that trend continues going forward then I don't see any reason the Giants can't win the NFC East. Ahmad Bradshaw had three touchdowns from a yard out and over 100 yards and really the whole offense looked to be chugging on all cylinders. Mario Manningham continued to avoid getting in the end zone and tortured his fantasy owners with a ball that came out as he hit the ground. Buffalo, even in the loss, looked impressive. Fred Jackson may not be the fastest runningback in the league but you wouldn't know it by his 80-yard score (though he did need some nice moves at the end). Ryan Fitzpatrick had arguably his worst game of the year (it's up there with the Cincinnati game) due to some untimely turnovers.
Indianapolis @ Cincinnati - I've heard a lot about Cincy's defense (second best in yards per game, behind the Steelers) but I hadn't seen them for myself. I won't put much stock into what they did to the hapless Colts but this is a team that does have staying power. I don't know if they'll make the playoffs, especially when they'd likely have to pass one of Pittsburgh or Baltimore, but I definitely underestimated the Bengals. A.J. Green's success isn't surprising but I'm still surprised to see week in and week out that Andy Dalton hasn't blown up. Jerome Simpson looks fantastic flanking Green on the other side and hopefully for his and this team's future success he stops with the massive amounts of marijuana. Then there's the Colts, who are at least trying I guess. Curtis Painter makes things interesting but it is an amazing dynamic to see how much one player changes a roster.
Carolina @ Atlanta - I'll be honest, I was looking forward to this one to see what kind of show Cam Newton would put on. After watching him tear through the SEC last year and as the quarterback in Carolina this had to be the single worst performance he's put up. Newton threw three interceptions and though he had 50 yards and a touchdown on the ground it was for naught. Even though Carolina led into the fourth it seemed inevitable that the Falcons would come back, especially at home. They were just hanging in there throughout the whole game and all of a sudden the Falcons just turned it on. Michael Turner had 139 yards and looked to reverse the clock for at least one week and without Julio Jones it was Harry Douglas who stepped up. I also want to welcome Jonathan Stewart to the 2011-12 season, he scored his first touchdown of the season from a yard out.
San Francisco @ Detroit - This was billed as the biggest game of the weekend and it didn't disappoint. Every star player seemed to do something at a crucial moment and even the coaches nearly got into a fist fight after the game. In the end, though, it was Frank Gore's hard-nosed running and Alex Smith's timely touchdown pass to Delanie Walker that sealed it for the Niners. Matt Stafford nearly got 300 yards but had to attempt 50 passes (while only completing 56% of them) to get there. The most surprising player of all may have been Michael Crabtree, who was in sync with Smith all day and made big catch after big catch. The Niners line solved Ndamukong Suh (who was held to just two assisted tackles and no sacks) and their defensive front kept the pressure on Stafford throughout the game. The Lions just couldn't do a thing to slow down Aldon Smith. The biggest news to come out of the game, though, is the concussion that Jahvid Best suffered. We're not talking about missing games now, we're talking about a career threatening injury because this is the second one of his season. I don't think it will come to that but it's something to monitor and hopefully we don't see a bright career snuffed out due to head injuries.
Philadelphia @ Washington - If I showed you this box score before the season I doubt anyone would scoff at the idea of the Eagles shutting down the Redskins. Yet with the teams' records and the Redskins in a position to take a stranglehold on the division it was a bit stunning to see. Rex Grossman had a typical "bad Rex" game but this time it was in spectacular fashion, as though he wanted to give the Eagles as many opportunities as possible to continue scoring. Michael Vick didn't light up the Skins like last year but LeSean McCoy practically did. Watching the game, it seemed like every cut and move that McCoy made gave him another 3-5 yards and the Redskins were unable to bring him down when they absolutely had to. John Beck came in and did an admirable job, and in fact he actually made things interesting in the second half. I still think the Redskins defense is quite good but Jim Haslett has to start doing something different. Brian Orakpo and Ryan Kerrigan are fantastic pass rushers but liabilities in coverage. LaRon Landry is amazing at stopping the run but also struggles when he's forced to play away from the line of scrimmage. DeAngelo Hall is a ballhawk and gets a fair share of interceptions but there's a reason that we see just as many games where he is lit up. I just don't know if Washington has the personnel to make it work this year.
Jacksonville @ Pittsburgh - The Jags kept this one close and made things interesting in the second half. The boxscore is a bit misleading because it was obvious to anyone watching that Rashard Mendenhall could have had four touchdowns if the Steelers needed it. Blaine Gabbert was under duress throughout the game and never got in a sync with anyone. I do have to give the Jags' secondary some credit, though, as they did well in coverage (Ben Roethlisberger only completed 52.2% of his passes). Mike Wallace got a 28-yard touchdown but was held to only two catches in what may have been an audition by Rashean Mathis. Mathis was put on the trading block by the Jags earlier in the week and at the time of this post he hasn't been traded but we shall see what happens.
Cleveland @ Oakland - It was all hands on deck for the Raiders. Jason Campbell suffered a broken collarbone and Kyle Boller had to come in. Their one touchdown through the air actually came from Shane Lechler on a fake field goal on a 4th and 1. Darren McFadden kept rolling on the ground and the Raiders defense made the Browns one dimensional by taking out their running game. They were also aided by Peyton Hillis' hamstring injury, which could keep him out multiple weeks. Greg Little broke out a little bit with six catches and 72 yards. I'm willing to bet that if Colt McCoy starts looking his way more often that we'll see his stats start to uptick. The biggest thing to happen concerning this game was the fallout of the Campbell injury. The Raiders made a trade earlier today with the Bengals for Carson Palmer, which includes a first round pick this year and a conditional pick next year. The conditional pick is a second rounder that can become a first depending on how Palmer plays. Oh, and the Raiders are also picking up the tab and assume Palmer's entire salary. It's a terrible, awful, dreadful trade but it is an upgrade over Kyle Boller, I guess.
Houston @ Baltimore - Were we all wrong about Houston? I know, they were facing one of the league's best teams on the road without their best player, but still. They're 3-3 and next week's showdown against Tennessee could go a long way towards deciding that division. Baltimore, to their credit, flabbergasted Matt Schaub and it seemed like there was a Raven hanging off of him at every play. The ground game never got going and this one could have been 49-14 and I wouldn't have noticed much of a difference. Joe Flacco has rediscovered Anquan Boldin to great success and if he can do that to keep teams from stacking the box on Ray Rice then this team could very well win the AFC. They're the most complete team in the conference and they're playing at an incredibly high level.
New Orleans @ Tampa Bay - Can we forget that I wanted to jump off of the Bucs wagon for this year? This is the team I envisioned before the season when I picked them to win the NFC in a major upset and they did it without LeGarrette Blount. Earnest Graham turned back the clock and reminded me of the year when he was a trendy pickup and the next year ended up being a top pick in fantasy football. Graham got 109 yards on the ground and also nabbed two passes for 22 yards. Josh Freeman was also fantastic and everything seemed to click for Tampa Bay. If they play at this level then they may actually have an outside shot to go deep into the playoffs. The Saints, on the other hand, have a lot of questions to answer. Drew Brees threw three picks and he already has eight this year. The running game is a huge question mark, though to be fair their stats are slanted because the team was playing from behind from the second quarter onward. Jimmy Graham looks to be the best tight end in football though he also did destroy Sean Payton, whose leg literally exploded.
Dallas @ New England - I hope you like draw plays. Dallas decided in the second half to go away from Miles Austin and Dez Bryant, instead taking the ball out of Tony Romo's hands and putting the load on DeMarco Murray. After Felix Jones went out with an injury in the second half it was Murray's responsibility but really, I don't understand it. Bryant looked downright invincible at times and one particular juke move caused two Patriot defenders to fall down on themselves. I understand that Romo's psyche is that of a four year old girl and whatever but I'm not blowing smoke about the Patriots' secondary. It is historically bad and literally one of the worst in the history of the NFL and yet Jason Garrett didn't want to exploit this. Even though the game started as a turnover fest you still have to have confidence in your quarterback to get the ball to Bryant, Austin, and Jason Witten against New England. Literally all you have to do is get the ball in their area and they will likely make a catch. Tom Brady looked mortal for the first 57 minutes of the game but at the end he marched his team down the field culminating in an Aaron Herndanez game winning touchdown. Rob Ryan gave Brady fits with his schemes and the Dallas defense executed well but I'll never, ever understand why Dallas went about things that way.
Minnesota @ Chicago - This is the Chicago Bears team that won the NFC North last year. They absolutely dominated the Vikings in every phase of this game. Jay Cutler was sacked only once and as we know, when they keep him upright good things will usually happen (DeAngelo Hall withstanding). Devin Hester must haunt Minnesota fans' dreams because I think he has something like a billion TDs against them. We got to see a sneak peak of the Christian Ponder experience and the results were sort of encouraging, I guess. He was better than Donovan McNabb, who I've railed on all year so I won't bother stating the obvious, but Ponder handled himself well and knows to get the ball to Percy Harvin. The Bears defense kept Adrian Peterson under wraps and when it looked like they would have a shot to get back into the game it was Hester who delivered the dagger. Neither of these teams are likely to make the playoffs but there is a Grand Canyon sized gap between the third and fourth placed teams in the NFC North.
Miami @ NY Jets - Whoever scheduled Monday Night Football this year should be shot. I'll be honest, I didn't watch a second of this game. I just couldn't bear the thought of watching Mark Sanchez vs. Matt Moore and instead I played with my new iPhone all night and went to bed. I felt much more productive than watching the fantastic "Ground and Pound" gameplan of the Jets racked up a whole 104 yards. "Bell Cow" Shonn Greene mustered 74 but he was nearly out gained by Reggie Bush. You know, the guy who isn't even really a runningback. Brandon Marshall made some catches but didn't get thrown out of the game and I'm sure that Santonio Holmes an Plaxico Burress hate Brian Schottenheimer even more. Darrelle Revis did a thing and Sanchez continued to be absolutely mediocre. The end. Screw this game.
Buffalo @ NY Giants - The Giants are impossible to gauge. Last week Eli Manning looked like he should be playing for Ole Miss against the Seahawks and on Sunday they beat one of the best team's in the league. Manning didn't turn the ball over and if that trend continues going forward then I don't see any reason the Giants can't win the NFC East. Ahmad Bradshaw had three touchdowns from a yard out and over 100 yards and really the whole offense looked to be chugging on all cylinders. Mario Manningham continued to avoid getting in the end zone and tortured his fantasy owners with a ball that came out as he hit the ground. Buffalo, even in the loss, looked impressive. Fred Jackson may not be the fastest runningback in the league but you wouldn't know it by his 80-yard score (though he did need some nice moves at the end). Ryan Fitzpatrick had arguably his worst game of the year (it's up there with the Cincinnati game) due to some untimely turnovers.
Indianapolis @ Cincinnati - I've heard a lot about Cincy's defense (second best in yards per game, behind the Steelers) but I hadn't seen them for myself. I won't put much stock into what they did to the hapless Colts but this is a team that does have staying power. I don't know if they'll make the playoffs, especially when they'd likely have to pass one of Pittsburgh or Baltimore, but I definitely underestimated the Bengals. A.J. Green's success isn't surprising but I'm still surprised to see week in and week out that Andy Dalton hasn't blown up. Jerome Simpson looks fantastic flanking Green on the other side and hopefully for his and this team's future success he stops with the massive amounts of marijuana. Then there's the Colts, who are at least trying I guess. Curtis Painter makes things interesting but it is an amazing dynamic to see how much one player changes a roster.
Carolina @ Atlanta - I'll be honest, I was looking forward to this one to see what kind of show Cam Newton would put on. After watching him tear through the SEC last year and as the quarterback in Carolina this had to be the single worst performance he's put up. Newton threw three interceptions and though he had 50 yards and a touchdown on the ground it was for naught. Even though Carolina led into the fourth it seemed inevitable that the Falcons would come back, especially at home. They were just hanging in there throughout the whole game and all of a sudden the Falcons just turned it on. Michael Turner had 139 yards and looked to reverse the clock for at least one week and without Julio Jones it was Harry Douglas who stepped up. I also want to welcome Jonathan Stewart to the 2011-12 season, he scored his first touchdown of the season from a yard out.
San Francisco @ Detroit - This was billed as the biggest game of the weekend and it didn't disappoint. Every star player seemed to do something at a crucial moment and even the coaches nearly got into a fist fight after the game. In the end, though, it was Frank Gore's hard-nosed running and Alex Smith's timely touchdown pass to Delanie Walker that sealed it for the Niners. Matt Stafford nearly got 300 yards but had to attempt 50 passes (while only completing 56% of them) to get there. The most surprising player of all may have been Michael Crabtree, who was in sync with Smith all day and made big catch after big catch. The Niners line solved Ndamukong Suh (who was held to just two assisted tackles and no sacks) and their defensive front kept the pressure on Stafford throughout the game. The Lions just couldn't do a thing to slow down Aldon Smith. The biggest news to come out of the game, though, is the concussion that Jahvid Best suffered. We're not talking about missing games now, we're talking about a career threatening injury because this is the second one of his season. I don't think it will come to that but it's something to monitor and hopefully we don't see a bright career snuffed out due to head injuries.
Philadelphia @ Washington - If I showed you this box score before the season I doubt anyone would scoff at the idea of the Eagles shutting down the Redskins. Yet with the teams' records and the Redskins in a position to take a stranglehold on the division it was a bit stunning to see. Rex Grossman had a typical "bad Rex" game but this time it was in spectacular fashion, as though he wanted to give the Eagles as many opportunities as possible to continue scoring. Michael Vick didn't light up the Skins like last year but LeSean McCoy practically did. Watching the game, it seemed like every cut and move that McCoy made gave him another 3-5 yards and the Redskins were unable to bring him down when they absolutely had to. John Beck came in and did an admirable job, and in fact he actually made things interesting in the second half. I still think the Redskins defense is quite good but Jim Haslett has to start doing something different. Brian Orakpo and Ryan Kerrigan are fantastic pass rushers but liabilities in coverage. LaRon Landry is amazing at stopping the run but also struggles when he's forced to play away from the line of scrimmage. DeAngelo Hall is a ballhawk and gets a fair share of interceptions but there's a reason that we see just as many games where he is lit up. I just don't know if Washington has the personnel to make it work this year.
Jacksonville @ Pittsburgh - The Jags kept this one close and made things interesting in the second half. The boxscore is a bit misleading because it was obvious to anyone watching that Rashard Mendenhall could have had four touchdowns if the Steelers needed it. Blaine Gabbert was under duress throughout the game and never got in a sync with anyone. I do have to give the Jags' secondary some credit, though, as they did well in coverage (Ben Roethlisberger only completed 52.2% of his passes). Mike Wallace got a 28-yard touchdown but was held to only two catches in what may have been an audition by Rashean Mathis. Mathis was put on the trading block by the Jags earlier in the week and at the time of this post he hasn't been traded but we shall see what happens.
Cleveland @ Oakland - It was all hands on deck for the Raiders. Jason Campbell suffered a broken collarbone and Kyle Boller had to come in. Their one touchdown through the air actually came from Shane Lechler on a fake field goal on a 4th and 1. Darren McFadden kept rolling on the ground and the Raiders defense made the Browns one dimensional by taking out their running game. They were also aided by Peyton Hillis' hamstring injury, which could keep him out multiple weeks. Greg Little broke out a little bit with six catches and 72 yards. I'm willing to bet that if Colt McCoy starts looking his way more often that we'll see his stats start to uptick. The biggest thing to happen concerning this game was the fallout of the Campbell injury. The Raiders made a trade earlier today with the Bengals for Carson Palmer, which includes a first round pick this year and a conditional pick next year. The conditional pick is a second rounder that can become a first depending on how Palmer plays. Oh, and the Raiders are also picking up the tab and assume Palmer's entire salary. It's a terrible, awful, dreadful trade but it is an upgrade over Kyle Boller, I guess.
Houston @ Baltimore - Were we all wrong about Houston? I know, they were facing one of the league's best teams on the road without their best player, but still. They're 3-3 and next week's showdown against Tennessee could go a long way towards deciding that division. Baltimore, to their credit, flabbergasted Matt Schaub and it seemed like there was a Raven hanging off of him at every play. The ground game never got going and this one could have been 49-14 and I wouldn't have noticed much of a difference. Joe Flacco has rediscovered Anquan Boldin to great success and if he can do that to keep teams from stacking the box on Ray Rice then this team could very well win the AFC. They're the most complete team in the conference and they're playing at an incredibly high level.
New Orleans @ Tampa Bay - Can we forget that I wanted to jump off of the Bucs wagon for this year? This is the team I envisioned before the season when I picked them to win the NFC in a major upset and they did it without LeGarrette Blount. Earnest Graham turned back the clock and reminded me of the year when he was a trendy pickup and the next year ended up being a top pick in fantasy football. Graham got 109 yards on the ground and also nabbed two passes for 22 yards. Josh Freeman was also fantastic and everything seemed to click for Tampa Bay. If they play at this level then they may actually have an outside shot to go deep into the playoffs. The Saints, on the other hand, have a lot of questions to answer. Drew Brees threw three picks and he already has eight this year. The running game is a huge question mark, though to be fair their stats are slanted because the team was playing from behind from the second quarter onward. Jimmy Graham looks to be the best tight end in football though he also did destroy Sean Payton, whose leg literally exploded.
Dallas @ New England - I hope you like draw plays. Dallas decided in the second half to go away from Miles Austin and Dez Bryant, instead taking the ball out of Tony Romo's hands and putting the load on DeMarco Murray. After Felix Jones went out with an injury in the second half it was Murray's responsibility but really, I don't understand it. Bryant looked downright invincible at times and one particular juke move caused two Patriot defenders to fall down on themselves. I understand that Romo's psyche is that of a four year old girl and whatever but I'm not blowing smoke about the Patriots' secondary. It is historically bad and literally one of the worst in the history of the NFL and yet Jason Garrett didn't want to exploit this. Even though the game started as a turnover fest you still have to have confidence in your quarterback to get the ball to Bryant, Austin, and Jason Witten against New England. Literally all you have to do is get the ball in their area and they will likely make a catch. Tom Brady looked mortal for the first 57 minutes of the game but at the end he marched his team down the field culminating in an Aaron Herndanez game winning touchdown. Rob Ryan gave Brady fits with his schemes and the Dallas defense executed well but I'll never, ever understand why Dallas went about things that way.
Minnesota @ Chicago - This is the Chicago Bears team that won the NFC North last year. They absolutely dominated the Vikings in every phase of this game. Jay Cutler was sacked only once and as we know, when they keep him upright good things will usually happen (DeAngelo Hall withstanding). Devin Hester must haunt Minnesota fans' dreams because I think he has something like a billion TDs against them. We got to see a sneak peak of the Christian Ponder experience and the results were sort of encouraging, I guess. He was better than Donovan McNabb, who I've railed on all year so I won't bother stating the obvious, but Ponder handled himself well and knows to get the ball to Percy Harvin. The Bears defense kept Adrian Peterson under wraps and when it looked like they would have a shot to get back into the game it was Hester who delivered the dagger. Neither of these teams are likely to make the playoffs but there is a Grand Canyon sized gap between the third and fourth placed teams in the NFC North.
Miami @ NY Jets - Whoever scheduled Monday Night Football this year should be shot. I'll be honest, I didn't watch a second of this game. I just couldn't bear the thought of watching Mark Sanchez vs. Matt Moore and instead I played with my new iPhone all night and went to bed. I felt much more productive than watching the fantastic "Ground and Pound" gameplan of the Jets racked up a whole 104 yards. "Bell Cow" Shonn Greene mustered 74 but he was nearly out gained by Reggie Bush. You know, the guy who isn't even really a runningback. Brandon Marshall made some catches but didn't get thrown out of the game and I'm sure that Santonio Holmes an Plaxico Burress hate Brian Schottenheimer even more. Darrelle Revis did a thing and Sanchez continued to be absolutely mediocre. The end. Screw this game.
10/11/11
Week 5 NFL Quick Hits
Tennessee @ Pittsburgh - The Titans were a trendy pick coming into the game. With James Harrison on the shelf and the duo of Casey Hampton and Aaron Smith out it was looking like Chris Johnson would run all over them and turn his season around. Well, as it turns out, sometimes things don't work how they are supposed to. The Titans defense, which has flown under the radar but is quite good, gave up five touchdowns to a gimpy Ben Roethlisberger and Johnson rushed 14 times for 51 yards before exiting with hamstring tightness. Considering all of their injuries you would have to say that the Steelers stole this one but it was obvious that even though they were shorthanded, they are simply the better team than Tennessee. The Titans, on the other hand, are still in the thick of their divisional race but at some point they have to get Johnson going. Matt Hasselbeck has been great this year and he's the best quarterback the team has had since Steve McNair but Johnson was signed to be the focal point of their offense and he simply isn't getting it done (if you want a fun read go to some fantasy football forums on the Internet and look at all of the CJ2K propaganda leading into this game, with his fullback returning and all of the Steeler injuries all of his owners were certain this was the breakout game).
Cincinatti @ Jacksonville - In a clash of the cats it was the Bengals who walked away victorious in a game that was also a showdown of rookie quarterbacks. Andy Dalton continued his steady march towards being an above average quarterback in the league and it also helps that A.J. Green can just make defenders look silly at times. They also did it without Cedric Benson getting the ground game going (24 rushes, 53 yards). Blaine Gabbert had better statistics in the defeat but, unlike Dalton, he really doesn't have a go-to wide receiver (don't even start with this Mike Thomas nonsense). Don't look now but the Bengals are tied for second in the AFC North (with the aforementioned Steelers, the Ravens were on a bye) and though we all know they won't be there at the end of the year it's nice to see such a maligned franchise have success. You just have to wonder if the Jags would be in the thick of the AFC South battle with David Garrard.
New Orleans @ Carolina - Cam Newton keeps getting the Panthers close and eventually some of these small losses will turn into Ws. On Sunday, though, Drew Brees wasn't going to allow his Saints to drop a game that would put some distance between themselves and the rest of the division. After Newton hooked up with Greg Olsen in the fourth quarter it seemed like the Panthers had all of the momentum in the world and that they could hang on. With 50 seconds on the clock, though, Brees found Pierre Thomas in the end zone and put the Saints on top for good. With Newton we have to start thinking about where to place him in the league. A lot of rookie quarterbacks have come along and taken the league by storm before burning out but it doesn't seem like Newton will be one of those guys. In fantasy football he's already a must start, top-5 guy at the position and you have to at least think he's a top-10 quarterback in the NFL right now. Last year the Panthers would have been run off of the field in this game and this year they were leading in the fourth quarter. I also must apologize to DeAngelo Williams, who rushed only nine times but picked up 115 yards. That's two weeks in a row that he has outplayed Jonathan Stewart and maybe there's some pep left in those legs after all. Also, did it surprise anyone else to find out that Steve Smith is second in reception yardage this year? Crazy.
Oakland @ Houston - I won't say that the Raiders were going to try extra hard to win this game in remembrance of Al Davis. Every time they step on the field they obviously want to win. However, you just had to know that they wanted this one extra badly. Sebastian Janikowski kept Oakland in the game and actually put them ahead with field goals from 54, 55, 50, and 42 yards. I don't know if there is a single player in the NFL that can make that much of a difference in a game. Every skill position player is dependent on one another and can they guarantee points from 50 yards out? Darren McFadden only got 51 yards on the ground and Jason Campbell only managed 190 yards through the air. Another Raider that stepped up was Darrius Heyward-Bey, who I have made my fair share of cracks at. He showed a burst on the 34-yard touchdown and Oakland needed every bit of his 99 receiving yards. Surprise, surprise, the Texans struggled without Andre Johnson. Arian Foster couldn't break through the stout Raider defensive line on the ground and though Matt Schaub had 416 yards through the air only 99 of them were to the WRs (Foster, Joel Dressen, and Owen Daniels did the heavy lifting). Jacoby Ford, who replaced Johnson in the starting lineup, only had a catch for nine yards and continues to show why fantasy owners curse his name on an annual basis.
Philadelphia @ Buffalo - Uh oh. I've run out of words to say how much trouble the Eagles are in. Their odds of the playoffs are in single digits. Fans are calling for players to get traded or cut, coaches to be fired, and some are just angry that they have to put up with this crap after the Phillies bowed out of the playoffs. Obviously this is a team that is talented enough to go on a run and still finish with a great record and a comfortable seat in the playoffs. However, things get to the point where a bad start just turns into a bad season and sitting at 1-4 they absolutely have to beat Washington next week. As for the game itself, it was a mess. Michael Vick had a record setting afternoon but he also threw four interceptions and took so major hits that once again had him grimacing. Yes, the Eagles came back and the last pick wasn't Vick's fault, but letting a team jump out to a 28-7 lead is usually a recipe for disaster. The Bills are really, truly legit and Fred Jackson has turned into what Peyton Hillis was last year for the Browns. He can rush for 100 yards and also lead the team in receptions and though teams know what's coming, they struggle stopping it.
Arizona @ Minnesota - I'm sure if the Cardinals ever threatened a comeback in this game we would have seen Adrian Peterson with six touchdowns if that's what the Vikes needed. Donovan McNabb wasn't asked to do much of anything in this one and the Viking defense was suffocating. Kevin Kolb put the ball up 42 times but failed to find pay dirt. The Cardinals defense has a lot of problems right now and I have no idea how they are going to go about fixing it. Patrick Peterson will grow up in coming years and become everything we thought he would be but their defensive line and linebackers couldn't stop the Peterson in purple. It didn't help that AD carried and bullied defenders on the outside as well. This was a game where the Vikings could take out their frustrations on an inferior opponent and now we have to start talking about the Cardinals being in deep trouble in the NFC West. Who would have thought that the two teams most people picked (myself and Bryan included) to win the division would be closer to Andrew Luck than the playoffs?
Kansas City @ Indianapolis - After the devastating injuries that both of these franchises faced I circled this game as the "Suck for Luck Bowl." At first, it seemed like the Chiefs just wanted it more, spotting the Colts a 17 point lead in the second quarter. Pierre Garcon continued to be the best player on the Colts offense and it seemed like Indy had decided they were finally going to win a game. Then, out of nowhere, Matt Cassel decided he didn't want to lose his job and brought the Chiefs back to win the game with 21 unanswered points from the end of the second quarter onward. Dwayne Bowe made a fantastic catch in the end zone for the lone score of the third quarter and Jackie Battle made everyone forget Jamaal Charles for a week (and as such probably leapfrogged Thomas Jones and Dexter McCluster on the depth chart). The Colts got hit with another injury, this time losing Joseph Addai but really, at this point, they should just stop the charade. Jim Irsay took to Twitter to say there was a shot that Peyton Manning could return this year but everyone knows he isn't walking through that door. The Colts are already done and even if they manage to out-tank the Dolphins and other contenders for his services, they need a lot of help elsewhere on that team.
Seattle @ NY Giants - This loss epitomizes the New York Giants. Earlier this week I was talking to Bryan and told him it would be hilarious if this was the year that the Giants finally won the NFC East, given all of the hype to the other teams in the division. Yet somehow, some way, the Giants managed to struggle and eventually lose to the Seattle Seahawks. The very same Seahawks that have a running back whose rushing yardage per game was 33, 11, 73, and 24. Marshawn Lynch managed to get 98 yards on the ground against Big Blue and that seriously may end up being his season high. The Giants actually knocked Tarvaris Jackson out of the game but little did they know they were unleashing Charlie Whitehurst, who went on to carve up their secondary and lead three scoring drives. Doug Baldwin and Victor Cruz seemed to trade catches and yardage all day but Cruz ended up having the crucial mistake at the end of the game that led to pick six that sealed the win for the Seahawks. Still, Eli threw two other interceptions on the day and if he keeps making turnovers the Giants are going to be in a lot of trouble. Congrats Seahawks, you managed to make me eat crow for two weeks this year when I was sure you were going to be Colts levels of terrible. Giants fans, I'm sure you're use to this by now.
Tampa Bay @ San Francisco - Oof. All hail our new 49er overlords I suppose. This is a team that is mostly in tact and their biggest offseason addition, Braylon Edwards, is hurt. I spent some of this week reading about the San Fran players and their comments on Jim Harbaugh and it is apparent they have absolutely bought in. I don't know what he has done to make Alex Smith into a NFL quarterback and turn the 49ers into a juggernaut but somehow he's done it. Last year the 49er defense was highly touted and many actually said it was the top defense in fantasy football. It seems like those estimations were a year early and they may have the best defense in the NFC. They were all over Josh Freeman all afternoon and he was never comfortable. LeGarrette Blount only mustered ten rushes between the scoreboard and a knee injury and the Bucs looked every bit as bad offensively as they did against the Patriots in the preseason. I think that I'm ready to admit that I was wrong about the Bucs and they need another year or two together before they can make a long postseason run. The 49ers, though, look every bit the part of a Super Bowl contender. I don't see any reason that Harbaugh can't have levels of success equal to what his brother has done in Baltimore, especially if Frank Gore can stay healthy and productive.
San Diego @ Denver - I don't know if you were aware of this, but the Chargers were on the field and won a football game in Denver on Sunday. With all of the Tim Tebow hype it gets lost that the Chargers are off to a great start and that Ryan Mathews continued to dominate. Philip Rivers actually got a rushing touchdown, which is significant because it's only the third of his career. He did suffer a calf injury but luckily for the Chargers they're on a bye this week. Mike Tolbert is also injured and suffered a concussion but with an extra week he should be fine going forward. Now for the Broncos, who the far more interesting team to read and write about at the moment, even if they are only 1-4 and nowhere close to being relevant. Kyle Orton absolutely stunk and while I think a lot of it is the fact that he has been looking over his shoulder all year he needed to be pulled. Instead of going to their second string quarterback, Brady Quinn, the Broncos and John Fox decided to put Tebow into the game. Tebow responded by throwing a handful of loopy, windup incompletions. Then things started to click and Tebow used his athleticism to extend and make plays. He ran in a 12-yard touchdown and a few minutes later threw for another on a screen pass to Knowshon Moreno. At the end of the game the Broncos actually had a shot to win the game and Tebow nearly completed a long pass in the back of the end zone after running around and dodging Charger defenders. I watched Tebow in the SEC and I also saw him tear my team and others apart. I like a good Tebow joke as much as the next guy but he's interesting and one of the most fun players to watch in the NFL. Denver made the right choice by appointing him the starter and we'll see where things go from here.
NY Jets @ New England - Ground and pound was on display in this game. I've talked enough about Tom Brady and Wes Welker so I'll focus on someone else in New England. BenJarvus Green-Ellis is the best running back that this team has had since Corey Dillon and he's absolutely perfect for the offense. Lawfirm (who inspires me to yell "CASED CLOSED" or "MOTION GRANTED" at every touchdown) rushed 27 times for 136 yards and two touchdowns and even though the Jets knew what was coming at the end of the game they struggled to stop him. Even some of the best running backs in the league, including Chris Johnson and Rashard Mendenhall, struggle with making a single cut and running into the hole. BJGE will never be confused for a top flight back in the NFL and fans always focus on the "other guys" (Danny Woodhead last year, Stevan Ridley this year) but I think all Pats fans should appreciate what Lawfirm does for the team and what he did on Sunday. The Jets struggled early on, going three and out on all four of their drives in the first quarter. Even though Mark Sanchez faced little pressure the Jets refused to challenge the historically awful Patriots secondary down the field. Brian Schottenheimer refused to let Santonio Holmes go deep and make plays and thanks to that the Jets never seemed to really challenge in this game. Yes, the score was close at times and it wasn't a blowout, but it almost seemed like the game was over at halftime. Shonn Greene had a great game but I would take it with a grain of salt. The Jets got back Nick Mangold and the Patriots defense is terrible so we'll see if Greene can become the bell cow that Rex Ryan dreams of. As a final point, what's with this Darrelle Revis-Wes Welker thing? For some reason it seems like Rex doesn't like putting Revis on Welker all game and leaving him there, and when he takes him off Welker burns the Jets defense. I know that Tom Brady shares the wealth and it makes sense to put Revis on Aaron Hernandez, Rob Gronkowski, and even Deion Branch at times, but Welker's damage was done when Revis was away. Revis did release Welker to a safety, which ended up in a long gain that would have been a touchdown had Revis not chased Welker down, but I'll never understand why they don't take Welker out of the game entirely with their best player.
Green Bay @ Atlanta - The Packers lost both of their starting tackles and were down 14 points early in the second quarter. Yet it still felt like the Packers were going to win this game and eventually they did. Aaron Rodgers was terrific once again and he completed passes to 12 different players and that's just about what you can expect from Green Bay. Atlanta got out to a fast start but Matt Ryan ended up with two interceptions and without John Abraham they were unable to hurry and make Rodgers uncomfortable. Michael Turner continues to chug along but I was actually surprised to see him with 56 yards at the end of the night and 3.5 yards per carry. Julio Jones was made into a non-factor, which obviously hurt the Falcons because they need his explosiveness. He rushed once for 17 yards and had a single catch for 16 yards. Tony Gonzalez led the team in receiving yards once again and Roddy White had a boneheaded unsportsmanlike conduct penalty to go with his touchdown. Green Bay is every bit as good as last year and may be even better but Atlanta may be the second most disappointing team in the NFL right now (behind the Eagles). They're already two games behind the Saints and if it weren't for a Michael Vick injury they may be 1-4 right now. Matt Ryan had only 167 yards and when the team needed him to march them down the field he failed to do it. He'll never be pulled out of the starting job, of course, but I don't know the Falcons will ever win anything of significance with him as the triggerman.
Chicago @ Detroit - This was a statement game for the Lions and it was also their first Monday Night game in a decade. Even though they only had three sacks of Jay Cutler, he was under pressure the whole night and never looked in sync with his offense (I'm shocked). Matt Forte got another 116 yards on the ground and had four receptions and continues to play without a long term contract for some inexplicable reason. Roy Williams continues to be a sink hole and I think we can all agree that Mike Martz isn't going to fix the guy, so quit putting him out there because it's painful to watch. Cutler did complete 74% of his passes even though he was under duress but once the Lions took the lead you knew it was for good. I love this Lions team, Matt Stafford didn't have his best game but he was picked up by Jahvid Best and the asses he did complete to Calvin johnson and Brandon Pettigrew were backbreakers for the Bears. Best had 163 yards and a touchdown on the ground, four catches, and one of the rushes was an 88-yard that showcased just how fast he is. Remember, the Lions drafted Mikel LeShoure in the second round this year because there were durability concerns with Best. LeShoure tore his Achilles before the season began so Best may be playing for his football future as something beyond a third down/hybrid back. Calvin Johnson, at this point, has one of the strongest cases for the MVP in the league. He won't win it, because wide receivers rarely win the award, but I can't imagine Detroit having this success without him. Oh, and we had a Nick Fairley sighting on Monday night. He looked rusty, as you could expect, but as he rounds into shape I can't imagine how bad things may get the next time the Bears and Lions play.
Cincinatti @ Jacksonville - In a clash of the cats it was the Bengals who walked away victorious in a game that was also a showdown of rookie quarterbacks. Andy Dalton continued his steady march towards being an above average quarterback in the league and it also helps that A.J. Green can just make defenders look silly at times. They also did it without Cedric Benson getting the ground game going (24 rushes, 53 yards). Blaine Gabbert had better statistics in the defeat but, unlike Dalton, he really doesn't have a go-to wide receiver (don't even start with this Mike Thomas nonsense). Don't look now but the Bengals are tied for second in the AFC North (with the aforementioned Steelers, the Ravens were on a bye) and though we all know they won't be there at the end of the year it's nice to see such a maligned franchise have success. You just have to wonder if the Jags would be in the thick of the AFC South battle with David Garrard.
New Orleans @ Carolina - Cam Newton keeps getting the Panthers close and eventually some of these small losses will turn into Ws. On Sunday, though, Drew Brees wasn't going to allow his Saints to drop a game that would put some distance between themselves and the rest of the division. After Newton hooked up with Greg Olsen in the fourth quarter it seemed like the Panthers had all of the momentum in the world and that they could hang on. With 50 seconds on the clock, though, Brees found Pierre Thomas in the end zone and put the Saints on top for good. With Newton we have to start thinking about where to place him in the league. A lot of rookie quarterbacks have come along and taken the league by storm before burning out but it doesn't seem like Newton will be one of those guys. In fantasy football he's already a must start, top-5 guy at the position and you have to at least think he's a top-10 quarterback in the NFL right now. Last year the Panthers would have been run off of the field in this game and this year they were leading in the fourth quarter. I also must apologize to DeAngelo Williams, who rushed only nine times but picked up 115 yards. That's two weeks in a row that he has outplayed Jonathan Stewart and maybe there's some pep left in those legs after all. Also, did it surprise anyone else to find out that Steve Smith is second in reception yardage this year? Crazy.
Oakland @ Houston - I won't say that the Raiders were going to try extra hard to win this game in remembrance of Al Davis. Every time they step on the field they obviously want to win. However, you just had to know that they wanted this one extra badly. Sebastian Janikowski kept Oakland in the game and actually put them ahead with field goals from 54, 55, 50, and 42 yards. I don't know if there is a single player in the NFL that can make that much of a difference in a game. Every skill position player is dependent on one another and can they guarantee points from 50 yards out? Darren McFadden only got 51 yards on the ground and Jason Campbell only managed 190 yards through the air. Another Raider that stepped up was Darrius Heyward-Bey, who I have made my fair share of cracks at. He showed a burst on the 34-yard touchdown and Oakland needed every bit of his 99 receiving yards. Surprise, surprise, the Texans struggled without Andre Johnson. Arian Foster couldn't break through the stout Raider defensive line on the ground and though Matt Schaub had 416 yards through the air only 99 of them were to the WRs (Foster, Joel Dressen, and Owen Daniels did the heavy lifting). Jacoby Ford, who replaced Johnson in the starting lineup, only had a catch for nine yards and continues to show why fantasy owners curse his name on an annual basis.
Philadelphia @ Buffalo - Uh oh. I've run out of words to say how much trouble the Eagles are in. Their odds of the playoffs are in single digits. Fans are calling for players to get traded or cut, coaches to be fired, and some are just angry that they have to put up with this crap after the Phillies bowed out of the playoffs. Obviously this is a team that is talented enough to go on a run and still finish with a great record and a comfortable seat in the playoffs. However, things get to the point where a bad start just turns into a bad season and sitting at 1-4 they absolutely have to beat Washington next week. As for the game itself, it was a mess. Michael Vick had a record setting afternoon but he also threw four interceptions and took so major hits that once again had him grimacing. Yes, the Eagles came back and the last pick wasn't Vick's fault, but letting a team jump out to a 28-7 lead is usually a recipe for disaster. The Bills are really, truly legit and Fred Jackson has turned into what Peyton Hillis was last year for the Browns. He can rush for 100 yards and also lead the team in receptions and though teams know what's coming, they struggle stopping it.
Arizona @ Minnesota - I'm sure if the Cardinals ever threatened a comeback in this game we would have seen Adrian Peterson with six touchdowns if that's what the Vikes needed. Donovan McNabb wasn't asked to do much of anything in this one and the Viking defense was suffocating. Kevin Kolb put the ball up 42 times but failed to find pay dirt. The Cardinals defense has a lot of problems right now and I have no idea how they are going to go about fixing it. Patrick Peterson will grow up in coming years and become everything we thought he would be but their defensive line and linebackers couldn't stop the Peterson in purple. It didn't help that AD carried and bullied defenders on the outside as well. This was a game where the Vikings could take out their frustrations on an inferior opponent and now we have to start talking about the Cardinals being in deep trouble in the NFC West. Who would have thought that the two teams most people picked (myself and Bryan included) to win the division would be closer to Andrew Luck than the playoffs?
Kansas City @ Indianapolis - After the devastating injuries that both of these franchises faced I circled this game as the "Suck for Luck Bowl." At first, it seemed like the Chiefs just wanted it more, spotting the Colts a 17 point lead in the second quarter. Pierre Garcon continued to be the best player on the Colts offense and it seemed like Indy had decided they were finally going to win a game. Then, out of nowhere, Matt Cassel decided he didn't want to lose his job and brought the Chiefs back to win the game with 21 unanswered points from the end of the second quarter onward. Dwayne Bowe made a fantastic catch in the end zone for the lone score of the third quarter and Jackie Battle made everyone forget Jamaal Charles for a week (and as such probably leapfrogged Thomas Jones and Dexter McCluster on the depth chart). The Colts got hit with another injury, this time losing Joseph Addai but really, at this point, they should just stop the charade. Jim Irsay took to Twitter to say there was a shot that Peyton Manning could return this year but everyone knows he isn't walking through that door. The Colts are already done and even if they manage to out-tank the Dolphins and other contenders for his services, they need a lot of help elsewhere on that team.
Seattle @ NY Giants - This loss epitomizes the New York Giants. Earlier this week I was talking to Bryan and told him it would be hilarious if this was the year that the Giants finally won the NFC East, given all of the hype to the other teams in the division. Yet somehow, some way, the Giants managed to struggle and eventually lose to the Seattle Seahawks. The very same Seahawks that have a running back whose rushing yardage per game was 33, 11, 73, and 24. Marshawn Lynch managed to get 98 yards on the ground against Big Blue and that seriously may end up being his season high. The Giants actually knocked Tarvaris Jackson out of the game but little did they know they were unleashing Charlie Whitehurst, who went on to carve up their secondary and lead three scoring drives. Doug Baldwin and Victor Cruz seemed to trade catches and yardage all day but Cruz ended up having the crucial mistake at the end of the game that led to pick six that sealed the win for the Seahawks. Still, Eli threw two other interceptions on the day and if he keeps making turnovers the Giants are going to be in a lot of trouble. Congrats Seahawks, you managed to make me eat crow for two weeks this year when I was sure you were going to be Colts levels of terrible. Giants fans, I'm sure you're use to this by now.
Tampa Bay @ San Francisco - Oof. All hail our new 49er overlords I suppose. This is a team that is mostly in tact and their biggest offseason addition, Braylon Edwards, is hurt. I spent some of this week reading about the San Fran players and their comments on Jim Harbaugh and it is apparent they have absolutely bought in. I don't know what he has done to make Alex Smith into a NFL quarterback and turn the 49ers into a juggernaut but somehow he's done it. Last year the 49er defense was highly touted and many actually said it was the top defense in fantasy football. It seems like those estimations were a year early and they may have the best defense in the NFC. They were all over Josh Freeman all afternoon and he was never comfortable. LeGarrette Blount only mustered ten rushes between the scoreboard and a knee injury and the Bucs looked every bit as bad offensively as they did against the Patriots in the preseason. I think that I'm ready to admit that I was wrong about the Bucs and they need another year or two together before they can make a long postseason run. The 49ers, though, look every bit the part of a Super Bowl contender. I don't see any reason that Harbaugh can't have levels of success equal to what his brother has done in Baltimore, especially if Frank Gore can stay healthy and productive.
San Diego @ Denver - I don't know if you were aware of this, but the Chargers were on the field and won a football game in Denver on Sunday. With all of the Tim Tebow hype it gets lost that the Chargers are off to a great start and that Ryan Mathews continued to dominate. Philip Rivers actually got a rushing touchdown, which is significant because it's only the third of his career. He did suffer a calf injury but luckily for the Chargers they're on a bye this week. Mike Tolbert is also injured and suffered a concussion but with an extra week he should be fine going forward. Now for the Broncos, who the far more interesting team to read and write about at the moment, even if they are only 1-4 and nowhere close to being relevant. Kyle Orton absolutely stunk and while I think a lot of it is the fact that he has been looking over his shoulder all year he needed to be pulled. Instead of going to their second string quarterback, Brady Quinn, the Broncos and John Fox decided to put Tebow into the game. Tebow responded by throwing a handful of loopy, windup incompletions. Then things started to click and Tebow used his athleticism to extend and make plays. He ran in a 12-yard touchdown and a few minutes later threw for another on a screen pass to Knowshon Moreno. At the end of the game the Broncos actually had a shot to win the game and Tebow nearly completed a long pass in the back of the end zone after running around and dodging Charger defenders. I watched Tebow in the SEC and I also saw him tear my team and others apart. I like a good Tebow joke as much as the next guy but he's interesting and one of the most fun players to watch in the NFL. Denver made the right choice by appointing him the starter and we'll see where things go from here.
NY Jets @ New England - Ground and pound was on display in this game. I've talked enough about Tom Brady and Wes Welker so I'll focus on someone else in New England. BenJarvus Green-Ellis is the best running back that this team has had since Corey Dillon and he's absolutely perfect for the offense. Lawfirm (who inspires me to yell "CASED CLOSED" or "MOTION GRANTED" at every touchdown) rushed 27 times for 136 yards and two touchdowns and even though the Jets knew what was coming at the end of the game they struggled to stop him. Even some of the best running backs in the league, including Chris Johnson and Rashard Mendenhall, struggle with making a single cut and running into the hole. BJGE will never be confused for a top flight back in the NFL and fans always focus on the "other guys" (Danny Woodhead last year, Stevan Ridley this year) but I think all Pats fans should appreciate what Lawfirm does for the team and what he did on Sunday. The Jets struggled early on, going three and out on all four of their drives in the first quarter. Even though Mark Sanchez faced little pressure the Jets refused to challenge the historically awful Patriots secondary down the field. Brian Schottenheimer refused to let Santonio Holmes go deep and make plays and thanks to that the Jets never seemed to really challenge in this game. Yes, the score was close at times and it wasn't a blowout, but it almost seemed like the game was over at halftime. Shonn Greene had a great game but I would take it with a grain of salt. The Jets got back Nick Mangold and the Patriots defense is terrible so we'll see if Greene can become the bell cow that Rex Ryan dreams of. As a final point, what's with this Darrelle Revis-Wes Welker thing? For some reason it seems like Rex doesn't like putting Revis on Welker all game and leaving him there, and when he takes him off Welker burns the Jets defense. I know that Tom Brady shares the wealth and it makes sense to put Revis on Aaron Hernandez, Rob Gronkowski, and even Deion Branch at times, but Welker's damage was done when Revis was away. Revis did release Welker to a safety, which ended up in a long gain that would have been a touchdown had Revis not chased Welker down, but I'll never understand why they don't take Welker out of the game entirely with their best player.
Green Bay @ Atlanta - The Packers lost both of their starting tackles and were down 14 points early in the second quarter. Yet it still felt like the Packers were going to win this game and eventually they did. Aaron Rodgers was terrific once again and he completed passes to 12 different players and that's just about what you can expect from Green Bay. Atlanta got out to a fast start but Matt Ryan ended up with two interceptions and without John Abraham they were unable to hurry and make Rodgers uncomfortable. Michael Turner continues to chug along but I was actually surprised to see him with 56 yards at the end of the night and 3.5 yards per carry. Julio Jones was made into a non-factor, which obviously hurt the Falcons because they need his explosiveness. He rushed once for 17 yards and had a single catch for 16 yards. Tony Gonzalez led the team in receiving yards once again and Roddy White had a boneheaded unsportsmanlike conduct penalty to go with his touchdown. Green Bay is every bit as good as last year and may be even better but Atlanta may be the second most disappointing team in the NFL right now (behind the Eagles). They're already two games behind the Saints and if it weren't for a Michael Vick injury they may be 1-4 right now. Matt Ryan had only 167 yards and when the team needed him to march them down the field he failed to do it. He'll never be pulled out of the starting job, of course, but I don't know the Falcons will ever win anything of significance with him as the triggerman.
Chicago @ Detroit - This was a statement game for the Lions and it was also their first Monday Night game in a decade. Even though they only had three sacks of Jay Cutler, he was under pressure the whole night and never looked in sync with his offense (I'm shocked). Matt Forte got another 116 yards on the ground and had four receptions and continues to play without a long term contract for some inexplicable reason. Roy Williams continues to be a sink hole and I think we can all agree that Mike Martz isn't going to fix the guy, so quit putting him out there because it's painful to watch. Cutler did complete 74% of his passes even though he was under duress but once the Lions took the lead you knew it was for good. I love this Lions team, Matt Stafford didn't have his best game but he was picked up by Jahvid Best and the asses he did complete to Calvin johnson and Brandon Pettigrew were backbreakers for the Bears. Best had 163 yards and a touchdown on the ground, four catches, and one of the rushes was an 88-yard that showcased just how fast he is. Remember, the Lions drafted Mikel LeShoure in the second round this year because there were durability concerns with Best. LeShoure tore his Achilles before the season began so Best may be playing for his football future as something beyond a third down/hybrid back. Calvin Johnson, at this point, has one of the strongest cases for the MVP in the league. He won't win it, because wide receivers rarely win the award, but I can't imagine Detroit having this success without him. Oh, and we had a Nick Fairley sighting on Monday night. He looked rusty, as you could expect, but as he rounds into shape I can't imagine how bad things may get the next time the Bears and Lions play.
10/4/11
Week 4 NFL Quick Hits
Detroit @ Dallas - I was stunned by this box score heading into halftime. I knew that Calvin Johnson had some sort of injury but it was later deemed not to be serious. Then the Lions came out and scored 31 points in the second half and won the game. This seems to be the Cowboys' schtick and after Tony Romo was the hero last week he has to be the goat this time. The good news is that he threw five touchdowns in the game, the bad news is that the Lions scored two of them off of pick sixes (including former Cowboy great Bobby Carpenter). Calvin Johnson has had two touchdowns in each game this year and with eight on the season we may start hearing whispers of him breaking Randy Moss' single season record of 23 in 2008. The scary part is that Detroit will only continue getting better with Nick Fairley's return coming sometime soon.
Pittsburgh @ Houston - There's panic in Pittsburgh. The once intimidating defense that completely shut down rushing games and forced teams to put the ball up is now in trouble. Arian Foster is fantastic, don't get me wrong, but he was inactive for two games this year and only had 33 yards on the ground coming into this matchup. He absolutely exploded against the Steelers to the tune of 155 yards. Matt Schaub looked lost after Andre Johnson was out of the game with a hamstring injury but the Texans didn't need him on this day. Ben Roethlisberger suffered a foot injury and may be out for next week's game. Mike Wallace had his first game of less than 100 yards on the season and the Texans held the Steelers to just 206 yards through the air. The biggest problem for Pittsburgh, though, is the lack of a running game. Rashard Mendenhall delivered another lackluster performance and even though he found pay dirt he has 173 yards on the entire year. That has to be fixed or else the Steelers are going to have a lot of trouble this year. [NOTE: James Harrison is out for "multiple weeks" after suffering a fracture to his right orbital socket. Mendenhall may miss this weekend's game against the Titans with a hamstring injury but Roethlisberger will play. They're still not as injured as the Rams somehow.]
Carolina @ Chicago - I don't know if there is a team that is more fun to watch than the Panthers right now. Cam Newton is a must-see every game and he didn't disappoint against the Bears. Newton scored twice on the ground and threw a touchdown pass to Greg Olsen (as well as D.J. Moore for the Bears). DeAngelo Williams finally had a decent game but was outproduced once again by Jonathan Stewart who also chipped in the passing game. The Bears really need to pay Matt Forte, because they needed every bit of his 205 yards rushing and four catches. Jay Cutler only completed nine of his 17 passes but the good news is that he was only sacked once.
Minnesota @ Kansas City - Kansas City won a game! Congratulations to Chief fans but that may come back to haunt you around next year's draft. Then again it was against the Vikings so it sort of shouldn't count. Donovan McNabb wasn't horrible this game but the defense couldn't keep the Chiefs out of the great Ryan Succop's range. Dwayne Bowe had a 52-yard catch that broke the Vikings' backs and Matt Cassel played like a guy who was fighting for his job, which he sort of is. The Chiefs desperately miss Jamaal Charles and the Thomas Jones/Dexter McCluster platoon just doesn't work. Not to knock on McNabb but the Vikes need to go ahead and start Christian Ponder soon just to see if they have anything in the guy. Like it or not, they're near the top of the list for Andrew Luck.
Buffalo @ Cincinatti - Andy flippin' Dalton, can you believe it? He only completed half of his passes and threw two interceptions but in the second half he threw for a touchdown and ran for another score. He once again hooked up with A.J. Green, this time for 118 yards and maybe there is reason for optimism in Cincy. Sure, they probably won't challenge for a playoff spot but rumors of their demise may have been greatly exaggerated (at least in games that Cedric Benson has over 100 yards). They did hold Buffalo to 20 points and shut down one of the league's top rushers in Fred Jackson. Ryan Fitzpatrick threw for only 199 yards and this Buffalo team fell right into the trap game following an emotional win over New England.
Tennessee @ Cleveland - Week one in the post-Kenny Britt era for the Titans went swimmingly. Matt Hasselbeck didn't have the big yardage numbers but threw for three touchdowns. This Titans receiving corps of Nate Washington, Lavelle Hawkins, and Jared Cook at TE may be good enough to get the job done, especially if the Texans are without Andre Johnson for an extended period of time. Chris Johnson has 199 rushing yards on the year and 101 of those came against the Browns (Javon Ringer looked completely lost in his four carries). The Browns were forced out of their comfort zone and Colt McCoy attempted a whopping 61 passes (40 of which he completed to to 11 different receivers). Peyton Hillis was made into a non-factor by the Titans defense but the Browns did make the game interesting. We also had a Jake Locker sighting but who really cares?
Washington @ St. Louis - If the Rams were in trouble last week then they're in meltdown mode now. They can't even enjoy the benefits of the #1 pick though I guess they could trade it or just draft Matt Kalil. Sam Bradford can only do so much, though, and his receivers did him no favors with drops. Steven Jackson was shut down by the surprisingly stout Redskins rushing defense and I feel like going back in time and slapping myself for even considering the Rams as a playoff contender. It's not all their fault, I know, but this game felt more like 34-10 instead of 17-10. For the Skins we saw every shade of Rex Grossman. He made a great pass to Santana Moss for a touchdown, made some nice passes, and then threw two picks. Washington's defense may actually be the best in the NFC East with a health LaRon Landry lighting up receivers and Ryan Kerrigan and Brian Orakpo rushing the passer.
San Francisco @ Philadelphia - Who saw this coming? The 49ers are now 3-1 and running away with the NFC West "crown." Alex Smith looked like a NFL quarterback and Frank Gore ran all over the Philly defense. I was completely wrong about the Niners and I can admit they're a legitimate team. Many kudos to Jim Harbaugh, who many thought would just tank for his former superstar quarterback. The Eagles are currently a tire fire. They'll get it right eventually but they can't afford to keep dropping games against lesser opponents. Sure, their turnover ratio is at -6 but the thing that lost the game this week was the Niners run defense. LeSean McCoy was held to only 18 yards and the Eagles simply cannot win a game where he has 52 total yards. DeSean Jackson exploded for 171 yards but didn't get into the end zone while Jeremy Maclin had a costly fumble. Things won't get easier now that Trent Cole is on the shelf for the Eagles. The win had to feel great for David Akers, though, the longtime Eagles kicker was probably sick of hearing how great his former team was.
New Orleans @ Jacksonville - Jimmy Graham is a beast. He scorched the Jacksonville defense with 10 catches, 132 yards, and a touchdown. It was Drew Brees' only touchdown pass and he also threw two interceptions in a matchup that was primed for him to explode. Darren Sproles was great once again and may prove to be the best signing of the offseason. Yeah, I said it, even more than Nnamdi, because Sproles is such a great fit for New Orleans and that offense. Blaine Gabbert played a decent game and Maurice Jones-Drew had an alright effort but everyone knows that the Jags aren't going anywhere. At least they were competitive, which is more than I even expected in this matchup.
Pittsburgh @ Houston - There's panic in Pittsburgh. The once intimidating defense that completely shut down rushing games and forced teams to put the ball up is now in trouble. Arian Foster is fantastic, don't get me wrong, but he was inactive for two games this year and only had 33 yards on the ground coming into this matchup. He absolutely exploded against the Steelers to the tune of 155 yards. Matt Schaub looked lost after Andre Johnson was out of the game with a hamstring injury but the Texans didn't need him on this day. Ben Roethlisberger suffered a foot injury and may be out for next week's game. Mike Wallace had his first game of less than 100 yards on the season and the Texans held the Steelers to just 206 yards through the air. The biggest problem for Pittsburgh, though, is the lack of a running game. Rashard Mendenhall delivered another lackluster performance and even though he found pay dirt he has 173 yards on the entire year. That has to be fixed or else the Steelers are going to have a lot of trouble this year. [NOTE: James Harrison is out for "multiple weeks" after suffering a fracture to his right orbital socket. Mendenhall may miss this weekend's game against the Titans with a hamstring injury but Roethlisberger will play. They're still not as injured as the Rams somehow.]
Carolina @ Chicago - I don't know if there is a team that is more fun to watch than the Panthers right now. Cam Newton is a must-see every game and he didn't disappoint against the Bears. Newton scored twice on the ground and threw a touchdown pass to Greg Olsen (as well as D.J. Moore for the Bears). DeAngelo Williams finally had a decent game but was outproduced once again by Jonathan Stewart who also chipped in the passing game. The Bears really need to pay Matt Forte, because they needed every bit of his 205 yards rushing and four catches. Jay Cutler only completed nine of his 17 passes but the good news is that he was only sacked once.
Minnesota @ Kansas City - Kansas City won a game! Congratulations to Chief fans but that may come back to haunt you around next year's draft. Then again it was against the Vikings so it sort of shouldn't count. Donovan McNabb wasn't horrible this game but the defense couldn't keep the Chiefs out of the great Ryan Succop's range. Dwayne Bowe had a 52-yard catch that broke the Vikings' backs and Matt Cassel played like a guy who was fighting for his job, which he sort of is. The Chiefs desperately miss Jamaal Charles and the Thomas Jones/Dexter McCluster platoon just doesn't work. Not to knock on McNabb but the Vikes need to go ahead and start Christian Ponder soon just to see if they have anything in the guy. Like it or not, they're near the top of the list for Andrew Luck.
Buffalo @ Cincinatti - Andy flippin' Dalton, can you believe it? He only completed half of his passes and threw two interceptions but in the second half he threw for a touchdown and ran for another score. He once again hooked up with A.J. Green, this time for 118 yards and maybe there is reason for optimism in Cincy. Sure, they probably won't challenge for a playoff spot but rumors of their demise may have been greatly exaggerated (at least in games that Cedric Benson has over 100 yards). They did hold Buffalo to 20 points and shut down one of the league's top rushers in Fred Jackson. Ryan Fitzpatrick threw for only 199 yards and this Buffalo team fell right into the trap game following an emotional win over New England.
Tennessee @ Cleveland - Week one in the post-Kenny Britt era for the Titans went swimmingly. Matt Hasselbeck didn't have the big yardage numbers but threw for three touchdowns. This Titans receiving corps of Nate Washington, Lavelle Hawkins, and Jared Cook at TE may be good enough to get the job done, especially if the Texans are without Andre Johnson for an extended period of time. Chris Johnson has 199 rushing yards on the year and 101 of those came against the Browns (Javon Ringer looked completely lost in his four carries). The Browns were forced out of their comfort zone and Colt McCoy attempted a whopping 61 passes (40 of which he completed to to 11 different receivers). Peyton Hillis was made into a non-factor by the Titans defense but the Browns did make the game interesting. We also had a Jake Locker sighting but who really cares?
Washington @ St. Louis - If the Rams were in trouble last week then they're in meltdown mode now. They can't even enjoy the benefits of the #1 pick though I guess they could trade it or just draft Matt Kalil. Sam Bradford can only do so much, though, and his receivers did him no favors with drops. Steven Jackson was shut down by the surprisingly stout Redskins rushing defense and I feel like going back in time and slapping myself for even considering the Rams as a playoff contender. It's not all their fault, I know, but this game felt more like 34-10 instead of 17-10. For the Skins we saw every shade of Rex Grossman. He made a great pass to Santana Moss for a touchdown, made some nice passes, and then threw two picks. Washington's defense may actually be the best in the NFC East with a health LaRon Landry lighting up receivers and Ryan Kerrigan and Brian Orakpo rushing the passer.
San Francisco @ Philadelphia - Who saw this coming? The 49ers are now 3-1 and running away with the NFC West "crown." Alex Smith looked like a NFL quarterback and Frank Gore ran all over the Philly defense. I was completely wrong about the Niners and I can admit they're a legitimate team. Many kudos to Jim Harbaugh, who many thought would just tank for his former superstar quarterback. The Eagles are currently a tire fire. They'll get it right eventually but they can't afford to keep dropping games against lesser opponents. Sure, their turnover ratio is at -6 but the thing that lost the game this week was the Niners run defense. LeSean McCoy was held to only 18 yards and the Eagles simply cannot win a game where he has 52 total yards. DeSean Jackson exploded for 171 yards but didn't get into the end zone while Jeremy Maclin had a costly fumble. Things won't get easier now that Trent Cole is on the shelf for the Eagles. The win had to feel great for David Akers, though, the longtime Eagles kicker was probably sick of hearing how great his former team was.
New Orleans @ Jacksonville - Jimmy Graham is a beast. He scorched the Jacksonville defense with 10 catches, 132 yards, and a touchdown. It was Drew Brees' only touchdown pass and he also threw two interceptions in a matchup that was primed for him to explode. Darren Sproles was great once again and may prove to be the best signing of the offseason. Yeah, I said it, even more than Nnamdi, because Sproles is such a great fit for New Orleans and that offense. Blaine Gabbert played a decent game and Maurice Jones-Drew had an alright effort but everyone knows that the Jags aren't going anywhere. At least they were competitive, which is more than I even expected in this matchup.
9/27/11
Week 3 NFL Quick Hits
San Francisco @ Cincinnati - It's odd to see a team end the game with eight points but the Bengals managed to do just that. Andy Dalton went from the toast of the league to being, well, the Andy Dalton we all saw in the preseason. While the Bengals looked like a team that could win some games and play spoiler towards the end of the year last week they just proved to be exactly who we thought they were. It doesn't help that Cedric Benson and Jerome Simpson are both facing potential suspensions. As far as the 49ers, well all I can say is welcome to the lead in the NFC West. Alex Smith threw his type of game (20 completions, 201 yards) but seemed to realize that Vernon Davis is his best target and he should throw to him whenever possible (especially at the expense of Michael Crabtree). Frank Gore sprained his right ankle in this game and if he missed any amount of time it would be a devastating loss for the Niners.
Jacksonville @ Carolina - Cam Newton's marvelous streak of 400 games was snapped at two. Jacksonville held him to only 158 yards through the air but the only touchdown he threw was the one that ended up being the game winner. For the Panthers, the most interesting news to come out following this game was their devotion to DeAngelo Williams. Even though Jonathan Stewart is clearly the better back it seems that the Panthers aren't quite ready to give up on their big money man. Eventually it gets to the point that the better football player gets an increased role so we'll see how Ron Rivera handles this in the coming weeks (or if DeAngelo can turn it around). The Jags trotted Blaine Gabbert out for his first start and it went sort of alright. He completed 57% of his passes and threw for a touchdown but also was picked off and only amassed 139 yards. He wasn't asked to do a whole lot, though, because Maurice Jones-Drew was gashing the Panthers on the ground.
Detroit @ Minnesota - Alright Lions, now you're just making me look like an idiot for ever doubting you. Even though Detroit's defense didn't have its best day the Lions were able to come back and win this game behind Matt Stafford and his arm, along with a few assists from Jason Hanson. Calvin Johnson had his first 100-yard game of the year and the Lions needed every inch to win. The running game never got going and Detroit had to come back from a 20-0 defecit. Then again, they were playing the Vikings, who had blown halftime leads in their previous two games so it wasn't exactly surprising. Minnesota will eventually win one of these games but they're in a lot of trouble. They have gone from "mediocre" to "Suck for Luck" status after the first three weeks and we may be seeing the end of Donovan McNabb's career.
Denver @ Tennessee - Even though the Titans won the game, they lost the war. WR Kenny Britt, who was having one of the best starts to the year in the league, was lost for the season with ACL and MCL tears in his knee. I can't even begin to quantify just how huge this loss is for the Titans, who really have a shot at the playoffs in the AFC South. Britt made people talk about Matt Hasselbeck in a positive light once again and it's going to make things even tougher for Chris Johnson and Javon Ringer to get the rushing attack going. For Denver's side of things this one was ugly. Kyle Orton threw for only 173 yards and even though he had two touchdowns he also had a pair of picks. Knowshon Moreno was out for the game and Willis McGahee gave them about what they should of expected (22 rushes, 52 yards and a few catches). With another road game against Green Bay next week it should be interesting to see the crowd reactions when the team returns home in Week 5.
Miami @ Cleveland - Coming into this game there were only two things I wanted to see: Colt McCoy for the Browns and Daniel Thomas for the Dolphins. Neither disappointed in a game that was without Peyton Hillis, arguably the best player between the two teams. McCoy orchestrated a game winning drive at the end of the fourth quarter and though his numbers in this game aren't exactly sterling. Thomas, on the other hand, showed why he should be the feature back in Miami and Reggie Bush is probably already unhappy about it. Chad Henne didn't have a bad game for the Fins but they needed more if they were going to win this one and now that they're sitting at 0-3 it's likely they are going to get Tony Sporano fired.
NY Giants @ Philadelphia - This one probably surprised some people. Eli Manning didn't throw an interception and when his team needed him the most he made all of the throws. Michael Vick, on the other hand, had an ugly game and was injured once again. Originally it was said to be a broken right now but as of now it's just a deep bone bruise but it may keep him out of the Eagles' next game. Mike Kafka didn't keep the magic going and threw two interceptions in seven passes, so it's likely we'll see Vince Young soon. This is one that the Giants had to have, though, if for no other reason than to exorcise some demons in Philly. Keep an eye on the DeSean Jackson situation, we all know he's boom or bust but lately it seems the Eagles are phasing him out of the offense a bit. This may be a sign of the coming times for the Eagles as Jackson seeks a long term contract. It also doesn't help that the second best player on the field, LeSean McCoy, is also seeking a new deal and is far more deserving at the moment.
Houston @ New Orleans - Last week I said this one was going to be fun and neither team disappointed. Matt Schaub and Drew Brees went toe-to-toe and neither team really decided to play defense. While everyone expected a big day from Andre Johnson, I don't think anyone could have called James Casey's 100-yard game. For New Orleans, really you can never tell who Brees will go to on a given week. Devery Henderson had only three catches and took a back seat to Jimmy Graham and Lance Moore. Darren Sproles had another big game from a receptions standpoint and the Saints rushing attack never got going. With Arian Foster out once again it was Ben Tate having another good game for the Texans, and I can already hear the dismay of many fantasy owners who are watching their number one overall pick's value tank as he will almost definitely be in a platoon.
New England @ Buffalo - On Sunday I heard many sportscasters say that if Buffalo was ever going to beat Tom Brady and the Patriots that it would be this week. With the Pats missing a ton of key players they would have really been in a bad situation if either Rob Gronkowski or an offensive lineman went down (as there was literally no one behind any of them). To be honest, I have to say that this one wasn't a major surprise. I knew all about Fred Jackson last year and figured he would shred the Pats. Simply put, New England can't stop anyone on defense and when they faced the league's best offense it was a recipe for disaster. Ryan Fitzpatrick had another great game and you have to think that the Bills will pony up and make him the franchise quarterback. I wouldn't be doing my duty if I didn't point out Wes Welker's 16 catch, 217 yard effort and Rob Gronkowski's explosion now that Aaron Hernandez is out. Oh, and that Brady matched his season total in interceptions with this one performance. I'm worried about Chad Ochocinco, though, because I just don't know if he's going to be able to get in sync with Brady.
Baltimore @ St. Louis - The Rams are beat up and the Ravens were coming off of a bad loss to Tennessee. When I looked at the games this week I pointed to this one getting ugly, early, and it did just that. Joe Flacco had a great rebound game and and the Baltimore defense made Sam Bradford look as bad as he has since coming into the league. Even without a win the Rams are only two games out of the NFC West lead but I am really starting to regret my preseason pick because this team has too many injuries. Steven Jackson looked great but after the game got out of hand he was pulled in favor of Cadillac Williams. Torrey Smith looked fantastic for Baltimore but I don't know if I'd rush out and add him on my fantasy team like thousands of Yahoo! players have, but hey, you never know.
NY Jets @ Oakland - This was pegged as an upset by experts and they were right. Darren McFadden may be the best runningback in football right now and you could even make a case for him being the best player. The only question mark left is health, and if he has a full season like this he may even have a case for the MVP. Denarius Moore showed off his "SEC Speed" on a 23 yard rushing touchdowns and the Raiders are looking even better than they were last year. If they hadn't whiffed on Darrius Heyward-Bey and drafted an actual football player this offense could be scary right now. Don't forget they also took a certain big boned quarterback over Calvin Johnson, but I'll stop throwing mud at the Raiders' draft tactics now. For the Jets it seemed like the only person who wanted to win this game was LaDainian Tomlinson. Mark Sanchez broke his nose and Antonio Cromartie has a bruised lung in the losing effort but don't expect Santonio Holmes to be held to one catch for 19 yards again.
Kansas City @ San Diego - The Chiefs are only playing for pride this point and they actually pushed the Chargers. Philip Rivers had an uncharacteristic zero touchdown-two interception performance against the lowly Chiefs, which has to raise some flags in San Diego. It didn't matter though, because Ryan Mathews was all the Chargers needed. Vincent Jackson's encore performance only yielded five catches for 63 yards, but hey, that's 11 points in PPR leagues! For the Chiefs in the post-Jamaal Charles era it was about what you could expect: Thomas Jones had the majority of the carries and Dexter McCluster had an increase in touches. I still will peg Kansas City as the favorite to land Andrew Luck, though, especially if the injury to Brandon Flowers causes him to miss any games.
Green Bay @ Chicago - Good news, Jay Cutler, you were only sacked three times this week. The Bears actually had a shot to get back into the game towards the end, but it went by the wayside thanks to one of the worst calls I have ever seen by a referee. Who on Earth is #21 for the Bears and where was he on that holding call that negated Johnny Knox's touchdown return on an amazing fake by Devin Hester? Matt Forte was the focal point for the Packers defense and they held him to his worst rushing game as a pro (9 carries, 2 yards), though he did his damage out of the backfield (7 catches, 80 yards). It was business as usual for Aaron Rodgers and the Packers and I guess they dezombified Ryan Grant for a game. Greg Jennings had a great game but it was Jermichael Finley who hit pay dirt three times and looked like the matchup nightmare we all knew he would be.
Arizona @ Seattle - I really don't know what to say about this game. I've been ragging on the Seahawks for weeks now and yet they somehow won a football game against a team of NFL players. Tarvaris Jackson had yet another "T-Jax Day in the Office" with 58% of his passes getting completed, 171 yards, and an interception. He also ran for 20 yards and a touchdown but the most amusing part to me is that 109 of his passing yards went to Sidney Rice. Yet somehow, the Seahawks were out-Seahawks'd by the Cardinals who were without Beanie Wells. Kevin Kolb struggled but I won't say he stinks or anything, if they were still putting out Derek Anderson and John Skelton they would been shutout.
Atlanta @ Tampa Bay - This may have been the biggest game of Week 3. Bryan and I were split between the Falcons and Bucs coming into the year and this was obviously a much bigger game for Tampa Bay. If Tampa Bay had lost then it was quite likely that their season would have gone down the drain, while many still expect Atlanta to rebound. LeGarrette Blount was held in check but came in and got the yards necessary to sustain the drives at the end of the game. Let's be honest, though, if Atlanta hadn't jumped offsides on that 4th and 1 it's likely this game's outcome would have been different. Aqib Talib was torched by Julio Jones for 6 catches and 115 yards but it was the lack of a rushing attack that doomed the Falcons. Josh Freeman didn't have a great game but the game may have been won with his legs.
Pittsburgh @ Indianapolis - You have to give the Colts credit, because this game had all of the makings of a blowout. Early on Mike Wallace reached 100 yards (again) and yet the Colts fought back to take the lead heading into halftime. Kerry Collins suffered a concussion and that may mean more of the Curtis Painter experience, but I don't know if that's the upgrade that Colts fans were looking for. Painter did make a lot of throws to Pierre Garcon and he may actually end up with more targets and receptions than Reggie Wayne in a Curtis Painter-led offense. For the Steelers, Rashard Mendenhall is struggling. One of Pittsburgh's beat writers came out and said that he is "stutter-stepping, spinning and changing direction before he hits the line of scrimmage, often away from where the hole is."I don't know about you but that sounds more like Laurence Maroney than Mendenhall but keep an eye on this going forward. It may have more to do with the offensive line but this could be an ongoing problem.
Washington @ Dallas - I sure hope you like field goals and players slipping all over the place. Washington managed to somehow lose a game where they held their opponent out of the endzone. I guess we also learned just how valuable Miles Austin is to the Dallas offense, because even with Dez Bryant they had trouble moving the ball through the air. Part of that may be Tony Romo but he did do just enough to win the game. Felix Jones looked nearly unstoppable and we may see a lot of him going forward, if the aggravation to his already injured shoulder isn't a big deal, as Dallas tries to keep defenders from taking shots on their quarterback. If they want to get to the playoffs, though, they need their center to stop snapping the ball over Romo's head. As far as the Redskins go, well this is the Rex Grossman we all know. He made a lot of great throws but the turnovers were killer. I don't understand why the Redskins were trying to force the run, though, because Tim Hightower never got it going. I do think that the Redskins will pass the Cowboys in the standings after this weekend, though. Why you may ask? Because Washington gets St. Louis and the Cowboys have to face Detroit. Romo may want to skip that one.
Jacksonville @ Carolina - Cam Newton's marvelous streak of 400 games was snapped at two. Jacksonville held him to only 158 yards through the air but the only touchdown he threw was the one that ended up being the game winner. For the Panthers, the most interesting news to come out following this game was their devotion to DeAngelo Williams. Even though Jonathan Stewart is clearly the better back it seems that the Panthers aren't quite ready to give up on their big money man. Eventually it gets to the point that the better football player gets an increased role so we'll see how Ron Rivera handles this in the coming weeks (or if DeAngelo can turn it around). The Jags trotted Blaine Gabbert out for his first start and it went sort of alright. He completed 57% of his passes and threw for a touchdown but also was picked off and only amassed 139 yards. He wasn't asked to do a whole lot, though, because Maurice Jones-Drew was gashing the Panthers on the ground.
Detroit @ Minnesota - Alright Lions, now you're just making me look like an idiot for ever doubting you. Even though Detroit's defense didn't have its best day the Lions were able to come back and win this game behind Matt Stafford and his arm, along with a few assists from Jason Hanson. Calvin Johnson had his first 100-yard game of the year and the Lions needed every inch to win. The running game never got going and Detroit had to come back from a 20-0 defecit. Then again, they were playing the Vikings, who had blown halftime leads in their previous two games so it wasn't exactly surprising. Minnesota will eventually win one of these games but they're in a lot of trouble. They have gone from "mediocre" to "Suck for Luck" status after the first three weeks and we may be seeing the end of Donovan McNabb's career.
Denver @ Tennessee - Even though the Titans won the game, they lost the war. WR Kenny Britt, who was having one of the best starts to the year in the league, was lost for the season with ACL and MCL tears in his knee. I can't even begin to quantify just how huge this loss is for the Titans, who really have a shot at the playoffs in the AFC South. Britt made people talk about Matt Hasselbeck in a positive light once again and it's going to make things even tougher for Chris Johnson and Javon Ringer to get the rushing attack going. For Denver's side of things this one was ugly. Kyle Orton threw for only 173 yards and even though he had two touchdowns he also had a pair of picks. Knowshon Moreno was out for the game and Willis McGahee gave them about what they should of expected (22 rushes, 52 yards and a few catches). With another road game against Green Bay next week it should be interesting to see the crowd reactions when the team returns home in Week 5.
Miami @ Cleveland - Coming into this game there were only two things I wanted to see: Colt McCoy for the Browns and Daniel Thomas for the Dolphins. Neither disappointed in a game that was without Peyton Hillis, arguably the best player between the two teams. McCoy orchestrated a game winning drive at the end of the fourth quarter and though his numbers in this game aren't exactly sterling. Thomas, on the other hand, showed why he should be the feature back in Miami and Reggie Bush is probably already unhappy about it. Chad Henne didn't have a bad game for the Fins but they needed more if they were going to win this one and now that they're sitting at 0-3 it's likely they are going to get Tony Sporano fired.
NY Giants @ Philadelphia - This one probably surprised some people. Eli Manning didn't throw an interception and when his team needed him the most he made all of the throws. Michael Vick, on the other hand, had an ugly game and was injured once again. Originally it was said to be a broken right now but as of now it's just a deep bone bruise but it may keep him out of the Eagles' next game. Mike Kafka didn't keep the magic going and threw two interceptions in seven passes, so it's likely we'll see Vince Young soon. This is one that the Giants had to have, though, if for no other reason than to exorcise some demons in Philly. Keep an eye on the DeSean Jackson situation, we all know he's boom or bust but lately it seems the Eagles are phasing him out of the offense a bit. This may be a sign of the coming times for the Eagles as Jackson seeks a long term contract. It also doesn't help that the second best player on the field, LeSean McCoy, is also seeking a new deal and is far more deserving at the moment.
Houston @ New Orleans - Last week I said this one was going to be fun and neither team disappointed. Matt Schaub and Drew Brees went toe-to-toe and neither team really decided to play defense. While everyone expected a big day from Andre Johnson, I don't think anyone could have called James Casey's 100-yard game. For New Orleans, really you can never tell who Brees will go to on a given week. Devery Henderson had only three catches and took a back seat to Jimmy Graham and Lance Moore. Darren Sproles had another big game from a receptions standpoint and the Saints rushing attack never got going. With Arian Foster out once again it was Ben Tate having another good game for the Texans, and I can already hear the dismay of many fantasy owners who are watching their number one overall pick's value tank as he will almost definitely be in a platoon.
New England @ Buffalo - On Sunday I heard many sportscasters say that if Buffalo was ever going to beat Tom Brady and the Patriots that it would be this week. With the Pats missing a ton of key players they would have really been in a bad situation if either Rob Gronkowski or an offensive lineman went down (as there was literally no one behind any of them). To be honest, I have to say that this one wasn't a major surprise. I knew all about Fred Jackson last year and figured he would shred the Pats. Simply put, New England can't stop anyone on defense and when they faced the league's best offense it was a recipe for disaster. Ryan Fitzpatrick had another great game and you have to think that the Bills will pony up and make him the franchise quarterback. I wouldn't be doing my duty if I didn't point out Wes Welker's 16 catch, 217 yard effort and Rob Gronkowski's explosion now that Aaron Hernandez is out. Oh, and that Brady matched his season total in interceptions with this one performance. I'm worried about Chad Ochocinco, though, because I just don't know if he's going to be able to get in sync with Brady.
Baltimore @ St. Louis - The Rams are beat up and the Ravens were coming off of a bad loss to Tennessee. When I looked at the games this week I pointed to this one getting ugly, early, and it did just that. Joe Flacco had a great rebound game and and the Baltimore defense made Sam Bradford look as bad as he has since coming into the league. Even without a win the Rams are only two games out of the NFC West lead but I am really starting to regret my preseason pick because this team has too many injuries. Steven Jackson looked great but after the game got out of hand he was pulled in favor of Cadillac Williams. Torrey Smith looked fantastic for Baltimore but I don't know if I'd rush out and add him on my fantasy team like thousands of Yahoo! players have, but hey, you never know.
NY Jets @ Oakland - This was pegged as an upset by experts and they were right. Darren McFadden may be the best runningback in football right now and you could even make a case for him being the best player. The only question mark left is health, and if he has a full season like this he may even have a case for the MVP. Denarius Moore showed off his "SEC Speed" on a 23 yard rushing touchdowns and the Raiders are looking even better than they were last year. If they hadn't whiffed on Darrius Heyward-Bey and drafted an actual football player this offense could be scary right now. Don't forget they also took a certain big boned quarterback over Calvin Johnson, but I'll stop throwing mud at the Raiders' draft tactics now. For the Jets it seemed like the only person who wanted to win this game was LaDainian Tomlinson. Mark Sanchez broke his nose and Antonio Cromartie has a bruised lung in the losing effort but don't expect Santonio Holmes to be held to one catch for 19 yards again.
Kansas City @ San Diego - The Chiefs are only playing for pride this point and they actually pushed the Chargers. Philip Rivers had an uncharacteristic zero touchdown-two interception performance against the lowly Chiefs, which has to raise some flags in San Diego. It didn't matter though, because Ryan Mathews was all the Chargers needed. Vincent Jackson's encore performance only yielded five catches for 63 yards, but hey, that's 11 points in PPR leagues! For the Chiefs in the post-Jamaal Charles era it was about what you could expect: Thomas Jones had the majority of the carries and Dexter McCluster had an increase in touches. I still will peg Kansas City as the favorite to land Andrew Luck, though, especially if the injury to Brandon Flowers causes him to miss any games.
Green Bay @ Chicago - Good news, Jay Cutler, you were only sacked three times this week. The Bears actually had a shot to get back into the game towards the end, but it went by the wayside thanks to one of the worst calls I have ever seen by a referee. Who on Earth is #21 for the Bears and where was he on that holding call that negated Johnny Knox's touchdown return on an amazing fake by Devin Hester? Matt Forte was the focal point for the Packers defense and they held him to his worst rushing game as a pro (9 carries, 2 yards), though he did his damage out of the backfield (7 catches, 80 yards). It was business as usual for Aaron Rodgers and the Packers and I guess they dezombified Ryan Grant for a game. Greg Jennings had a great game but it was Jermichael Finley who hit pay dirt three times and looked like the matchup nightmare we all knew he would be.
Arizona @ Seattle - I really don't know what to say about this game. I've been ragging on the Seahawks for weeks now and yet they somehow won a football game against a team of NFL players. Tarvaris Jackson had yet another "T-Jax Day in the Office" with 58% of his passes getting completed, 171 yards, and an interception. He also ran for 20 yards and a touchdown but the most amusing part to me is that 109 of his passing yards went to Sidney Rice. Yet somehow, the Seahawks were out-Seahawks'd by the Cardinals who were without Beanie Wells. Kevin Kolb struggled but I won't say he stinks or anything, if they were still putting out Derek Anderson and John Skelton they would been shutout.
Atlanta @ Tampa Bay - This may have been the biggest game of Week 3. Bryan and I were split between the Falcons and Bucs coming into the year and this was obviously a much bigger game for Tampa Bay. If Tampa Bay had lost then it was quite likely that their season would have gone down the drain, while many still expect Atlanta to rebound. LeGarrette Blount was held in check but came in and got the yards necessary to sustain the drives at the end of the game. Let's be honest, though, if Atlanta hadn't jumped offsides on that 4th and 1 it's likely this game's outcome would have been different. Aqib Talib was torched by Julio Jones for 6 catches and 115 yards but it was the lack of a rushing attack that doomed the Falcons. Josh Freeman didn't have a great game but the game may have been won with his legs.
Pittsburgh @ Indianapolis - You have to give the Colts credit, because this game had all of the makings of a blowout. Early on Mike Wallace reached 100 yards (again) and yet the Colts fought back to take the lead heading into halftime. Kerry Collins suffered a concussion and that may mean more of the Curtis Painter experience, but I don't know if that's the upgrade that Colts fans were looking for. Painter did make a lot of throws to Pierre Garcon and he may actually end up with more targets and receptions than Reggie Wayne in a Curtis Painter-led offense. For the Steelers, Rashard Mendenhall is struggling. One of Pittsburgh's beat writers came out and said that he is "stutter-stepping, spinning and changing direction before he hits the line of scrimmage, often away from where the hole is."I don't know about you but that sounds more like Laurence Maroney than Mendenhall but keep an eye on this going forward. It may have more to do with the offensive line but this could be an ongoing problem.
Washington @ Dallas - I sure hope you like field goals and players slipping all over the place. Washington managed to somehow lose a game where they held their opponent out of the endzone. I guess we also learned just how valuable Miles Austin is to the Dallas offense, because even with Dez Bryant they had trouble moving the ball through the air. Part of that may be Tony Romo but he did do just enough to win the game. Felix Jones looked nearly unstoppable and we may see a lot of him going forward, if the aggravation to his already injured shoulder isn't a big deal, as Dallas tries to keep defenders from taking shots on their quarterback. If they want to get to the playoffs, though, they need their center to stop snapping the ball over Romo's head. As far as the Redskins go, well this is the Rex Grossman we all know. He made a lot of great throws but the turnovers were killer. I don't understand why the Redskins were trying to force the run, though, because Tim Hightower never got it going. I do think that the Redskins will pass the Cowboys in the standings after this weekend, though. Why you may ask? Because Washington gets St. Louis and the Cowboys have to face Detroit. Romo may want to skip that one.
9/20/11
Week 2 NFL Quick Hits
Oakland @ Buffalo - It's nice that the Bills are 2-0 at this point. Ryan Fitzpatrick looks like a legitimate NFL quarterback and Buffalo knows that they may have to pay up soon. Fred Jackson rushed for another 100 yards and the Bills offense looked as though they have made huge strides. Not everything was great, though, and cornerback Leodis McKelvin got absolutely abused by rookie Denarius Moore. In a game where the Raiders were missing Darius Heyward-Bey, Jacoby Ford, Louis Murphy, and Kevin Boss it is really a marvel that they held their own in this game. The Bills kept Darren McFadden in check (20 rushes, 72 yards, one fumble) and Marcell Dareus is looking like he will be a terror in the league (though he only had four uneventful tackles he did clog the middle all day).
Kansas City @ Detroit - This game gave us the biggest news of the young season: Jamaal Charles is done for the year with a torn ACL. Charles is one of the more underrated running backs in the NFL (unless you play fantasy football it's likely that you only recognize him from SportsCenter highlights) and it is an absolutely devastating loss for Kansas City. Without Charles and Eric Berry on the defensive side this team is absolutely in the Andrew Luck sweepstakes. Keep an eye on their week 5 in Indianapolis, the loser of that game may be Andrew Luck's future home. What can I really say about Detroit? No other team, including my Patriots, has looked as complete and and intimidating as the Lions. Matt Stafford got through another game with his health and Calvin Johnson was just an unfair matchup for Brandon Flowers (6'5'', 236 lbs. vs 5'9'' 187 lbs.). All of the preseason hype that the Lions had generated seems to be justified and if they keep this up they may even keep pace with Green Bay for the NFC North.
Chicago @ New Orleans - I watched this game live and man, was it ugly. Jay Cutler was rushed, hit, and sacked on what seemed to be every play, especially in the fourth quarter. By the end it seemed like the Bears offense had just given up, Cutler couldn't even take a step back without having three or four Saints on or around him. Matt Forte looked great, again, and if the Bears are dumb enough to let him walk then they deserve the years of offensive ineptitude that will follow. The Saints rebounded this week and Drew Brees looked fantastic, ho-hum. Two things for New Orleans' offense caught my eye, though: the first was just how fast Devery Henderson still is. He torched the Bears secondary on his 79 yard touchdown reception and with Colston out he may be the best receiver the Saints have. Second, Jiimmy Graham is a monster and a tough matchup but I honestly don't know if I saw him break a single tackle. Sure, he ran over some guys, but the first contact always seemed to bring him down, which is strange for someone who is 6'6'' and 260 lbs.
Cleveland @ Indianapolis - I joked with Bryan earlier in the week that it would be an accomplishment if Kerry Collins broke 200 yards this week and then he went out and threw for 191. It's not funny when you actually go out and prove me right, Kerry. I touched on the "Suck for Luck" Bowl in week five but that seems to be all the Colts will have to play for. Dallas Clark is a fantastic pass catcher but now that he has been forced into a blocking role it highlights just how poor he is in protection. Indy is an absolute tire fire right now and I'll admit that it's going to be a struggle to talk about them over the next few weeks. On the flip side, Cleveland doesn't look too bad. Colt McCoy just seems to always do enough to win the game or Peyton Hillis looked a lot better this week. I do have to question some of the playcalling, though, particularly the fake to Hillis that ended up as a run with Owen Marecic. I get it, it's a trick play, but it's not cute when you actually give the ball to the inferior player. Then again, they could have run Marecic about 50 times and stayed in the game if they didn't win it outright.
Tampa Bay @ Minnesota - The Bucs were down late in this game and on the verge of going 0-2, thus making my preseason Super Bowl pick all but go down the crapper. Adrian Peterson ran all over the Tampa Bay defense to the tune of 120 yards and two touchdowns. Donovan McNabb played okay but the Bucs just kept chipping away and found themselves back into the game. LeGarrette Blount was completely ineffective in the first half and with all of the dumpoffs to Earnest Graham it seemed that he was going to finish the day with another ugly statline (five carries for four yards with a long of seven, it was as though he was running backwards). He finished the day with only 71 yards but the two touchdowns proved to be the difference and kudos to Raheem Morris for not yanking him after falling behind 17 - 0. Josh Freeman did all of the heavy lifting, though, by getting his team into scoring position and throwing a beautiful pass to Arrelious Benn. They still have a ways to go, though.
Green Bay @ Carolina - This one was a lot of fun. For the first half it seemed as though Cam Newton was going to light up the scoreboard and the Panthers defense had the Packers confused. Even though the Pack came back and won it seemed like Aaron Rodgers and his receivers were a bit off on timing. However, Rodgers brought his team back and didn't make any mistakes. Newton threw three interceptions, including two to Charles Woodson, but once again he had over 400 yards and the Panthers seem to have morphed into a high octane passing offense (DeAngelo Williams only had five carries and Jonathan Stewart had six, while Newton ran 10 times). The Packers proved why they are the reigning champs but I have to say that the Panthers were the far more exciting team on Sunday and should continue to be a fun watch throughout the year.
Seattle @ Pittsburgh - Yuck. Everyone saw this one coming, considering that the Steelers were in a bad mood after getting blown out by the Ravens last week. I'll keep the Seahawks side brief because there isn't a whole lot to say. Tarvaris Jackson completed 69% of his passes (20/29) for 159 yards. T-Jax is a running joke between Bryan and I and once again it was just another Sunday for the Seattle starter. Marshawn Lynch averaged 1.8 yards per carry but that is about what you can expect with the Seahawks' O-Line against the Steelers. So now let's talk about the team from this game that actually belongs in the NFL. Ben Roethlisberger was much better and his injury doesn't seem to be serious. Big Ben is great, but I think Mike Wallace made him look a bit better in this game. Wallace hauled in eight passes for 126 yards and a touchdown and did his best Denarius Moore impersonation. As for the Steelers defense, well, did you expect anything less?
Baltimore @ Tennessee - If I had told you that Chris Johnson would run the ball 24 times for 53 yards and get booed by his hometown crowd and the Titans would win, you probably would have laughed at me. That's exactly what happened, though, and the main reason for that was Kenny Britt. He had nine catches for 135 yards and a very physical touchdown catch. Javon Ringer had a score but don't expect him to take Johnson's job, Ray Lewis said in an interview after the game that Baltimore's gameplay was to stop #28. If Matt Hasselbeck can have some more games like this one throughout the year then the Titans may be able to stay close to the Houston Texans. As for the Ravens, this seems like a typical Baltimore game. After getting revved up and dismantling Pittsburgh last week they came out flat and struggled just to move the ball on offense. Joe Flacco only completed 47% of his passes and the running game never got going.
Arizona @ Washington - This is a game that the Redskins dominated. Time of possession wasn't close (38:30 to 21:30), total yardage was a blowout (455 to 324), but somehow the Cardinals only lost by one. Larry Fitzgerald exploded in the game, having seven catches for 133 yards including a 73-yard touchdown. Basically all that Kevin Kolb has to do is get the ball to Fitz and good things will happen, including almost winning a game that they had no business being in. Beanie Wells rushed 14 times for 93 yards and Tim Hightower rushed 20 times for 96 yards in a showdown of last year's Arizona backfield. Keep an eye on Roy Helu for Washington, he rushed 10 times for 74 yards.
Jacksonville @ NY Jets - This one was up there with the Pittsburgh/Seattle game in terms of ugliness. Luke McCown had a 1.8 QB rating and looked downright awful. The Jags got a glimpse into the future with Blaine Gabbert coming in relief (well, the future is this weekend) and completing five of his six passes in garbage time. Even with Maurice Jones-Drew I doubt the Jags will be anything more than cellar dwellers in the AFC South (someone has to keep Indy company). The big news on the Jets' side was the injury to Nick Mangold, who is out 2-3 weeks "at a minimum" with a high right ankle sprain. It may even be longer than that and it's a major hit for a team that is struggling to establish its running game. Then again, how much of that is the line and how much of it is Shonn Greene? Greene ran the ball 16 times for 49 yards and so far this year he has looked more "cow" than "bell cow."
Kansas City @ Detroit - This game gave us the biggest news of the young season: Jamaal Charles is done for the year with a torn ACL. Charles is one of the more underrated running backs in the NFL (unless you play fantasy football it's likely that you only recognize him from SportsCenter highlights) and it is an absolutely devastating loss for Kansas City. Without Charles and Eric Berry on the defensive side this team is absolutely in the Andrew Luck sweepstakes. Keep an eye on their week 5 in Indianapolis, the loser of that game may be Andrew Luck's future home. What can I really say about Detroit? No other team, including my Patriots, has looked as complete and and intimidating as the Lions. Matt Stafford got through another game with his health and Calvin Johnson was just an unfair matchup for Brandon Flowers (6'5'', 236 lbs. vs 5'9'' 187 lbs.). All of the preseason hype that the Lions had generated seems to be justified and if they keep this up they may even keep pace with Green Bay for the NFC North.
Chicago @ New Orleans - I watched this game live and man, was it ugly. Jay Cutler was rushed, hit, and sacked on what seemed to be every play, especially in the fourth quarter. By the end it seemed like the Bears offense had just given up, Cutler couldn't even take a step back without having three or four Saints on or around him. Matt Forte looked great, again, and if the Bears are dumb enough to let him walk then they deserve the years of offensive ineptitude that will follow. The Saints rebounded this week and Drew Brees looked fantastic, ho-hum. Two things for New Orleans' offense caught my eye, though: the first was just how fast Devery Henderson still is. He torched the Bears secondary on his 79 yard touchdown reception and with Colston out he may be the best receiver the Saints have. Second, Jiimmy Graham is a monster and a tough matchup but I honestly don't know if I saw him break a single tackle. Sure, he ran over some guys, but the first contact always seemed to bring him down, which is strange for someone who is 6'6'' and 260 lbs.
Cleveland @ Indianapolis - I joked with Bryan earlier in the week that it would be an accomplishment if Kerry Collins broke 200 yards this week and then he went out and threw for 191. It's not funny when you actually go out and prove me right, Kerry. I touched on the "Suck for Luck" Bowl in week five but that seems to be all the Colts will have to play for. Dallas Clark is a fantastic pass catcher but now that he has been forced into a blocking role it highlights just how poor he is in protection. Indy is an absolute tire fire right now and I'll admit that it's going to be a struggle to talk about them over the next few weeks. On the flip side, Cleveland doesn't look too bad. Colt McCoy just seems to always do enough to win the game or Peyton Hillis looked a lot better this week. I do have to question some of the playcalling, though, particularly the fake to Hillis that ended up as a run with Owen Marecic. I get it, it's a trick play, but it's not cute when you actually give the ball to the inferior player. Then again, they could have run Marecic about 50 times and stayed in the game if they didn't win it outright.
Tampa Bay @ Minnesota - The Bucs were down late in this game and on the verge of going 0-2, thus making my preseason Super Bowl pick all but go down the crapper. Adrian Peterson ran all over the Tampa Bay defense to the tune of 120 yards and two touchdowns. Donovan McNabb played okay but the Bucs just kept chipping away and found themselves back into the game. LeGarrette Blount was completely ineffective in the first half and with all of the dumpoffs to Earnest Graham it seemed that he was going to finish the day with another ugly statline (five carries for four yards with a long of seven, it was as though he was running backwards). He finished the day with only 71 yards but the two touchdowns proved to be the difference and kudos to Raheem Morris for not yanking him after falling behind 17 - 0. Josh Freeman did all of the heavy lifting, though, by getting his team into scoring position and throwing a beautiful pass to Arrelious Benn. They still have a ways to go, though.
Green Bay @ Carolina - This one was a lot of fun. For the first half it seemed as though Cam Newton was going to light up the scoreboard and the Panthers defense had the Packers confused. Even though the Pack came back and won it seemed like Aaron Rodgers and his receivers were a bit off on timing. However, Rodgers brought his team back and didn't make any mistakes. Newton threw three interceptions, including two to Charles Woodson, but once again he had over 400 yards and the Panthers seem to have morphed into a high octane passing offense (DeAngelo Williams only had five carries and Jonathan Stewart had six, while Newton ran 10 times). The Packers proved why they are the reigning champs but I have to say that the Panthers were the far more exciting team on Sunday and should continue to be a fun watch throughout the year.
Seattle @ Pittsburgh - Yuck. Everyone saw this one coming, considering that the Steelers were in a bad mood after getting blown out by the Ravens last week. I'll keep the Seahawks side brief because there isn't a whole lot to say. Tarvaris Jackson completed 69% of his passes (20/29) for 159 yards. T-Jax is a running joke between Bryan and I and once again it was just another Sunday for the Seattle starter. Marshawn Lynch averaged 1.8 yards per carry but that is about what you can expect with the Seahawks' O-Line against the Steelers. So now let's talk about the team from this game that actually belongs in the NFL. Ben Roethlisberger was much better and his injury doesn't seem to be serious. Big Ben is great, but I think Mike Wallace made him look a bit better in this game. Wallace hauled in eight passes for 126 yards and a touchdown and did his best Denarius Moore impersonation. As for the Steelers defense, well, did you expect anything less?
Baltimore @ Tennessee - If I had told you that Chris Johnson would run the ball 24 times for 53 yards and get booed by his hometown crowd and the Titans would win, you probably would have laughed at me. That's exactly what happened, though, and the main reason for that was Kenny Britt. He had nine catches for 135 yards and a very physical touchdown catch. Javon Ringer had a score but don't expect him to take Johnson's job, Ray Lewis said in an interview after the game that Baltimore's gameplay was to stop #28. If Matt Hasselbeck can have some more games like this one throughout the year then the Titans may be able to stay close to the Houston Texans. As for the Ravens, this seems like a typical Baltimore game. After getting revved up and dismantling Pittsburgh last week they came out flat and struggled just to move the ball on offense. Joe Flacco only completed 47% of his passes and the running game never got going.
Arizona @ Washington - This is a game that the Redskins dominated. Time of possession wasn't close (38:30 to 21:30), total yardage was a blowout (455 to 324), but somehow the Cardinals only lost by one. Larry Fitzgerald exploded in the game, having seven catches for 133 yards including a 73-yard touchdown. Basically all that Kevin Kolb has to do is get the ball to Fitz and good things will happen, including almost winning a game that they had no business being in. Beanie Wells rushed 14 times for 93 yards and Tim Hightower rushed 20 times for 96 yards in a showdown of last year's Arizona backfield. Keep an eye on Roy Helu for Washington, he rushed 10 times for 74 yards.
Jacksonville @ NY Jets - This one was up there with the Pittsburgh/Seattle game in terms of ugliness. Luke McCown had a 1.8 QB rating and looked downright awful. The Jags got a glimpse into the future with Blaine Gabbert coming in relief (well, the future is this weekend) and completing five of his six passes in garbage time. Even with Maurice Jones-Drew I doubt the Jags will be anything more than cellar dwellers in the AFC South (someone has to keep Indy company). The big news on the Jets' side was the injury to Nick Mangold, who is out 2-3 weeks "at a minimum" with a high right ankle sprain. It may even be longer than that and it's a major hit for a team that is struggling to establish its running game. Then again, how much of that is the line and how much of it is Shonn Greene? Greene ran the ball 16 times for 49 yards and so far this year he has looked more "cow" than "bell cow."
9/13/11
Week 1 NFL Quick Hits
New Orleans @ Green Bay - These two teams may very well meet again down the road. This matchup got the NFL season off to an amazing start and it was fantastic to see two of the best QBs in the game go head-to-head. In all reality, though, we didn't really learn much from this game. Yes, Randall Cobb was great but don't expect him to score two touchdowns every week. Darren Sproles was explosive in the Saints offense and with Marques Colston's injury (a broken collarbone, could miss the next month or so) he may very well lead the entire team in receptions this year.
Philadelphia @ St. Louis - Michael Vick was chased around a lot more than I think any Eagles fan should feel comfortable with and the rushing defense was spotty at best. The Rams were hanging with the "Dream Team" but after a botched handoff from Sam Bradford led to a Juqua Parker fumble recovery TD the Eagles never looked back. Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie looked lost at times in the nickel and will probably have nightmares of Danny Amendola. DeSean Jackson had a some big drops, particularly in the first half, but the entire Rams' receiving corps had trouble making catches yesterday. St. Louis may already be in red alert mode, though, with injuries to Bradford, Steven Jackson, Jason Smith, and Danny Amendola.
Buffalo @ Kansas City - Hoo-boy. This was a trendy pick by many analysts as an upset but I don't think anyone expected a 41 - 7 shellacking. I don't think Ryan Fitzpatrick will have many more four touchdown performances this year but Stevie Johnson looked great being matched up with one of the best corners in the league in Brandon Flowers. Money be damned, Fred Jackson showed, once again, that he is the far superior option to C.J. Spiller. The Chiefs offense will be better, but next week is a brutal matchup with Detroit and Jamaal Charles will have trouble finding holes. Eric Berry's season ending ACL tear may be the biggest injury in week one and the Chiefs' secondary is in a whole lot of trouble.
Atlanta @ Chicago - I doubt many people expected the explosive Falcons offense to be kept out of the end zone by the Bears. Jay Cutler looked sharp even with the pick six in the fourth quarter. Matt Forte deserves a contract extension and hopefully Bears management was paying attention. Even though I didn't pick the Falcons to make the playoffs I did expect them to win this particular game. I don't want to overstate things on week one but the Falcons do seem to have a lot of trouble winning outside of a dome.
Detroit @ Tampa Bay - This one hurts me quite a bit. I picked Tampa to make it to the Super Bowl but as I learned on Sunday, maybe they need a bit more time to grow. LeGarrette Blount rushed five times for 15 yards and was even pulled from the game towards the end of the second quarter and didn't play the second half. Raheem Morris, Tampa Bay's head coach, says that they were in the two minute offense but I really don't understand why. The score was 20-13 at halftime, they were receiving the ball to start the second half, and they didn't really need to abandon the run. On the Lions' end, Matt Stafford was already limping towards the sideline at the end of the game (though they say it was just a cram, everyone in Detroit had to be holding their breath). Still, the Lions were mighty impressive and are a tough matchup due to their physicality.
Tennessee @ Jacksonville - This may have been the most confusing game of the day. The Jaguars completely dominated the box score but only won by two points. Chris Johnson showed a lot of rust, rushing for only 24 yards on nine carries, while he opposite number, Maurice Jones-Drew showed no ill effects with that surgically repaired knee (24 carries, 97 yards and one touchdown). Matt Hasselbeck seems to have gotten the memo to just chuck it deep towards Kenny Britt's direction, as Britt exploded for 136 yards and the Titans' only two touchdowns.
Cincinnati @ Cleveland - Andy Dalton is the least exciting player I can think of, but he's not the complete mess that he looked to be in the preseason. Bruce Gradkowski came in after Dalton went down with a wrist injury, only to complete five of 12 passes, but the 41 yard touchdown to A.J. Green proved to be the difference maker. Cedric Benson, who was literally in jail last week, rushed for 121 yards and a touchdown. For the Browns, Colt McCoy had his moments but making him throw 40 times is not a recipe for success.
Pittsburgh @ Baltimore - This was a bit of a shocker. It wasn't a surprise that the Ravens won but it was no one could have expected them to completely dominate the Steelers in every facet of the game. The Ravens forced seven turnovers, five of which came from Ben Roethlisberger. Lee Evans seemed to be a bit of a glorified decoy but as he learns the playbook I'm sure he'll post his average three to five catches for 30 to 50 yards. In all seriousness, though, I completely overlooked the Ravens' addition of Ricky Williams and he may be a major factor in which of these two teams wins the division. The Steelers did lose Willie Colon for the year and that could come back to haunt them.
Indianapolis @ Houston - This one got ugly in a hurry. Then again, who didn't see this coming? The Texans seemed to take years of frustration out in this game, completely dismantling the Colts. All of the positive publicity that came out of Indy in regards to Kerry Collins learning the playbook and being comfortable in the system completely went out of the window in a single quarter. Even without Arian Foster the Texans rushed for 167 yards (116 came from Ben Tate) and the Houston defense looked absolutely fantastic (Mario Williams had two sacks as a newly minted linebacker). Even if Peyton Manning is able to return on schedule, the Colts may be too far gone to be saved. Keep an eye on a pair of injuries: Kevin Walter for Houston (who was their number two WR and is a fantastic blocker and suffered a deep shoulder bruise) and Gary Brackett for Indy (he suffered a left shoulder injury in the fourth quarter and did not return).
Philadelphia @ St. Louis - Michael Vick was chased around a lot more than I think any Eagles fan should feel comfortable with and the rushing defense was spotty at best. The Rams were hanging with the "Dream Team" but after a botched handoff from Sam Bradford led to a Juqua Parker fumble recovery TD the Eagles never looked back. Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie looked lost at times in the nickel and will probably have nightmares of Danny Amendola. DeSean Jackson had a some big drops, particularly in the first half, but the entire Rams' receiving corps had trouble making catches yesterday. St. Louis may already be in red alert mode, though, with injuries to Bradford, Steven Jackson, Jason Smith, and Danny Amendola.
Buffalo @ Kansas City - Hoo-boy. This was a trendy pick by many analysts as an upset but I don't think anyone expected a 41 - 7 shellacking. I don't think Ryan Fitzpatrick will have many more four touchdown performances this year but Stevie Johnson looked great being matched up with one of the best corners in the league in Brandon Flowers. Money be damned, Fred Jackson showed, once again, that he is the far superior option to C.J. Spiller. The Chiefs offense will be better, but next week is a brutal matchup with Detroit and Jamaal Charles will have trouble finding holes. Eric Berry's season ending ACL tear may be the biggest injury in week one and the Chiefs' secondary is in a whole lot of trouble.
Atlanta @ Chicago - I doubt many people expected the explosive Falcons offense to be kept out of the end zone by the Bears. Jay Cutler looked sharp even with the pick six in the fourth quarter. Matt Forte deserves a contract extension and hopefully Bears management was paying attention. Even though I didn't pick the Falcons to make the playoffs I did expect them to win this particular game. I don't want to overstate things on week one but the Falcons do seem to have a lot of trouble winning outside of a dome.
Detroit @ Tampa Bay - This one hurts me quite a bit. I picked Tampa to make it to the Super Bowl but as I learned on Sunday, maybe they need a bit more time to grow. LeGarrette Blount rushed five times for 15 yards and was even pulled from the game towards the end of the second quarter and didn't play the second half. Raheem Morris, Tampa Bay's head coach, says that they were in the two minute offense but I really don't understand why. The score was 20-13 at halftime, they were receiving the ball to start the second half, and they didn't really need to abandon the run. On the Lions' end, Matt Stafford was already limping towards the sideline at the end of the game (though they say it was just a cram, everyone in Detroit had to be holding their breath). Still, the Lions were mighty impressive and are a tough matchup due to their physicality.
Tennessee @ Jacksonville - This may have been the most confusing game of the day. The Jaguars completely dominated the box score but only won by two points. Chris Johnson showed a lot of rust, rushing for only 24 yards on nine carries, while he opposite number, Maurice Jones-Drew showed no ill effects with that surgically repaired knee (24 carries, 97 yards and one touchdown). Matt Hasselbeck seems to have gotten the memo to just chuck it deep towards Kenny Britt's direction, as Britt exploded for 136 yards and the Titans' only two touchdowns.
Cincinnati @ Cleveland - Andy Dalton is the least exciting player I can think of, but he's not the complete mess that he looked to be in the preseason. Bruce Gradkowski came in after Dalton went down with a wrist injury, only to complete five of 12 passes, but the 41 yard touchdown to A.J. Green proved to be the difference maker. Cedric Benson, who was literally in jail last week, rushed for 121 yards and a touchdown. For the Browns, Colt McCoy had his moments but making him throw 40 times is not a recipe for success.
Pittsburgh @ Baltimore - This was a bit of a shocker. It wasn't a surprise that the Ravens won but it was no one could have expected them to completely dominate the Steelers in every facet of the game. The Ravens forced seven turnovers, five of which came from Ben Roethlisberger. Lee Evans seemed to be a bit of a glorified decoy but as he learns the playbook I'm sure he'll post his average three to five catches for 30 to 50 yards. In all seriousness, though, I completely overlooked the Ravens' addition of Ricky Williams and he may be a major factor in which of these two teams wins the division. The Steelers did lose Willie Colon for the year and that could come back to haunt them.
Indianapolis @ Houston - This one got ugly in a hurry. Then again, who didn't see this coming? The Texans seemed to take years of frustration out in this game, completely dismantling the Colts. All of the positive publicity that came out of Indy in regards to Kerry Collins learning the playbook and being comfortable in the system completely went out of the window in a single quarter. Even without Arian Foster the Texans rushed for 167 yards (116 came from Ben Tate) and the Houston defense looked absolutely fantastic (Mario Williams had two sacks as a newly minted linebacker). Even if Peyton Manning is able to return on schedule, the Colts may be too far gone to be saved. Keep an eye on a pair of injuries: Kevin Walter for Houston (who was their number two WR and is a fantastic blocker and suffered a deep shoulder bruise) and Gary Brackett for Indy (he suffered a left shoulder injury in the fourth quarter and did not return).
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