Eagles over Falcons
Adam: -Kevin Kolb is making things interesting again in the Philly quarterback saga. He's averaging right around 290 yards passing his last two games, with 4 touchdowns and one interception.
-The Falcons have to be disappointed that they didn't even compete in this game. At 4-1, I thought perhaps they were ready to separate a bit from the rest of the NFC, but that was not the case here.
Eric: -Regardless of what network programmers might have you believe, this was the week's marquee matchup in the NFC, not some game between two 1-3 teams.
-The Eagles get their first home win of the season against the team that had the best record in the NFC coming in.
-Kolb has gotten more comfortable in every game he's been in, and he had a wonderful showing against Atlanta. Jeremy Maclin was the prime beneficiary with seven catches, 159 yards, and two touchdowns. DeSean Jackson was not so lucky, one of a number of concussion victims in a week filled with big helmet-to-helmet hits.
Steelers over Browns
A: -Check the Pick-Down and you'll see that I suck a picking games. But, you'll also see that I got this game exactly correct, 28-10 Steelers. I gotta cling to the small victories.
-Colt McCoy was solid in this game, moving the offense pretty effectively. Still, the Steelers' defense just does not allow many points, and McCoy did throw two picks. So it goes for a rookie quarterback.
-Big Ben Roethlisberger kept plays alive with his legs and gave the Steelers explosive ability down the field. They haven't had that in a while, and with their franchise QB back in the mix, the Steelers are the best team in football.
E: -If there's a team to make your first appearance of the season against, it is probably the Cleveland Browns. The matchup in Cleveland would not hand Roethlisberger a lot of problems; it would more likely give him loads of confidence moving forward.
Seahawks over Bears
A: - The Seahawks are a different team every week, but they seem to have enough talent to present problems for opponents on both sides of the ball.
-The Bears' offensive line ought to be absolutely ashamed of themselves. That single unit lost this game for the Bears. In short, it appears, "The Bears are who we thought they were."
E: -The Bears' weaknesses are a one-dimensional offense and a lack of depth on defense. Excluding a Carolina game where he rushed for 166, Matt Forte has just 145 yards on the ground in the other five games this season. After big names at the top like Brian Urlacher and Lance Briggs, no on their defense scares you. So when Briggs went out with an ankle injury, Seattle swooped in and took advantage, netting a nice road victory.
Texans over Chiefs
A: -For the Chiefs, I don't think it's possible to have two more impressive loses than they've had the past two weeks. A fortnight ago they lost to the Colts in a really competitive game at Indy, where they needed maybe one more big play to win. This past Sunday at Houston, the Chiefs dominated for three quarters, but then got Schaub-ed in the fourth quarter.
-The Chiefs are here to stay as playoff contenders. Consider their upcoming schedule: Jacksonville, Buffalo, at Oakland, at Denver, Arizona, at Seattle, Denver, at San Diego, at St. Louis, Tennessee, Oakland. Every game remaining is winnable and KC could easily end up at 10-6.
-For the Houston franchise, being 4-2 is never a bad thing. Houston gets a bye to prepare for Indy in two weeks, which should give the Texans a great chance to sweep the season series with the Colts, who have historically dominated this matchup.
E: -The Texans are not an elite team because they don't have the defense. Houston's pass defense is the worst in the league, and although the run defense is middle of the pack statistically, that comes from them being so bad against the pass that teams just don't run on them, so it's hard to gauge just how good they are against the run.
-In this game though, Houston's offense took center stage, pulling out the win in barn burner-fashion against the Chiefs.
-The Texans were also greatly aided in this game by one of the worst calls of the season so far. Chiefs cornerback Brandon Flowers got called on defensive pass interference on the Texans' final, game-winning drive on a play where if there was any call at all, should have been offensive pass interference on Andre Johnson.
Saints over Buccaneers
A: - My colleague Eric informed me that the Bucs have won three games against teams that have three combined wins this season. Too bad he told me that when the Bucs were down 21-0 in the second quarter. I gotta start doin' my homework.
-The Saints finally looked like themselves, and that was refreshing in a year of mediocrity.
E: -The Buccaneers had a solid 3-1 record coming into this game, but those three wins came at the expense of sup-bar competition in the Browns, Panthers, and Bengals. In their one loss, they got absolutely stomped by the Charlie Batch-led Steelers. The Saints took care of Tampa in similar fashion this week.
-Though I'm not ready to jump back on New Orleans' bandwagon to stay, this was a good win against a team that had been playing well, yet still a team the Saints should have beat.
Patriots over Ravens
A: -The Ravens had plenty of chances to win this game, and while Joe Flacco was very good, he didn't pull out the game in the clutch.
-Speaking of clutch, Tom Brady led his team to victory and to a familiar spot at the top of the standings. At 4-1, the Patriots, oddly, seem to be overachieving.
E: -Deion Branch picks up right where Randy Moss left off, and the Patriots get a measure of revenge after the Ravens put a whupping on them in the first round of the playoffs last year.
Dolphins over Packers
A: -I continue to be impressed by the Dolphins. I don't think they have quite the consistent passing game to be an elite team, but they will be in every game they play this year.
-The Packers have explosive ability, but they are just too banged up right now. They will still win their share of games just because they have Aaron Rodgers, but it's a shame that this team has been so badly bitten by the injury bug. At full strength, the Packers can beat anybody.
E: -In three halves of football without Clay Matthews, the Packers have zero sacks. He needs to be in for this defense to be any good. Without him, the Packers gave up third down after third down and could not get off the field. Add to that Green Bay's one-dimensional, pass-happy offense that did not afford them much rest, and it's easy to see how the Dolphins dominated time of possession and ultimately won the game.
Rams over Chargers
A: - The Chargers start slow every year, but this season you just don't get the feeling that they can flip a switch and win five straight. They just aren't as talented as years past.
-The Rams continue to compete and are a legit threat in the NFC West. Sam Bradford's numbers are not incredible, but he has moved the ball and put up points without much talent around him.
E: -The Rams jumped out to a big lead and playing in front of a raucous home crowd, didn't let San Diego pull ahead.
Giants over Lions
A: -The Lions seem to have enough talent to be in every single game, but they just don't know how to win. It's almost like they're allergic to winning. Hopefully Matt Stafford will be back soon because the Lions are a much better team than in years past. Against some quality competition in the Bears, Eagles, Packers, and Giants, Detroit has lost these four matchups by just eighteen combined points.
-The Giants continue to roll, getting their third straight win. It wasn't a dominant performance by any means, but this year in the NFC, a three-game winning streak rates as impressive.
E: -After Shaun Hill got knocked out, former Michigan State standout Drew Stanton came in and kept things competitive, but lost a fumble, threw an interception, and could not lead the Lions to victory. Detroit has now tied its own NFL record by losing twenty-four straight road games.
Jets over Broncos
A: - The Jets are, alongside the Steelers, the class of the league right now. They weren't great in Denver, but they got a road win against a solid team.
-With Kyle Orton's worst game of the season, the Broncos move to 2-4. They seem better than that to me.
E: -The Jets come from behind in a hostile environment and make their case for consideration as the league's best team.
49ers over Raiders
A: -In a showcase of inept Bay Area football, the Raiders were slightly worse than the Niners; Jason Campbell was terrible.
-The 49ers finally get in the win column, and perhaps that will allow them to relax and just play football now. If they can build on this performance–even though it was ugly with eleven penalties–they can get back in the mix in their division. The biggest positive from this game is that Alex Smith did not throw an interception.
E: -For a team that tends to shoot itself in the foot, limiting turnovers is a key to victory. And since this was the first game where Smith didn't commit any turnovers, San Francisco was able to get their first win of the season.
Vikings over Cowboys
A: -The Cowboys move to 1-4, and while I don't rule them out as a playoff team, their road is now tougher because of the ground they must make up.
-The Vikings get a huge win, and now head to Green Bay for a primetime matchup with the banged-up Packers. The postseason is still very much in reach for Minnesota.
E: -Speaking of teams shooting themselves in the foot, the Cowboys commit enough penalties and turnovers to give this game away to another desperate team, the Minnesota Vikings. It felt like the Cowboys beat themselves more than the Vikings took control and got the win.
-Minnesota still has work to do, but as the only victorious team in the NFC North on
Sunday, this is a wonderfully positive week for the Vikings.
Colts over Redskins
A: -I know I've been beating the Donovan McNabb drum, but that's because he keeps this team in every game. They have two losses by a combined six points against Indy and Houston, though there's also an admittedly head-scratching, two touchdown loss to the Rams.
-Peyton Manning is going to keep his team moving in the right direction. They haven't been as machine-like and efficient this year as others, but the Colts are in perfect position at 4-2.
E: -Outside of McNabb and a good-but-not-great defense, the Redskins just did not have enough talent to overcome the Colts.
Titans over Jaguars
A: -This game typified the concussion/devastating hit issue that was front and center this week in the NFL. David Garrard went down with a concussion, and Vince Young went out with a sprained knee. That made it the Trent Edwards and Kerry Collins show, which was ugly at best.
-The Titans are a solid team that just continues to execute a gameplan that plays to their strengths. Chris Johnson was big as usual, and the Titans were plus four in the turnover battle. At 4-2, the Titans are deadlocked with the Texans and Colts atop the AFC South.
-The Jags just are not a very good team, and that was exposed on Monday night. Their offensive line is bad, and Garrard is not a franchise quarterback.
E: -In a game where three quarterbacks all sustain injuries, the Titans roll to what the Colts couldn't do earlier this year, beat the Jags in Jacksonville.
Adam: -Kevin Kolb is making things interesting again in the Philly quarterback saga. He's averaging right around 290 yards passing his last two games, with 4 touchdowns and one interception.
-The Falcons have to be disappointed that they didn't even compete in this game. At 4-1, I thought perhaps they were ready to separate a bit from the rest of the NFC, but that was not the case here.
Eric: -Regardless of what network programmers might have you believe, this was the week's marquee matchup in the NFC, not some game between two 1-3 teams.
-The Eagles get their first home win of the season against the team that had the best record in the NFC coming in.
-Kolb has gotten more comfortable in every game he's been in, and he had a wonderful showing against Atlanta. Jeremy Maclin was the prime beneficiary with seven catches, 159 yards, and two touchdowns. DeSean Jackson was not so lucky, one of a number of concussion victims in a week filled with big helmet-to-helmet hits.
Steelers over Browns
A: -Check the Pick-Down and you'll see that I suck a picking games. But, you'll also see that I got this game exactly correct, 28-10 Steelers. I gotta cling to the small victories.
-Colt McCoy was solid in this game, moving the offense pretty effectively. Still, the Steelers' defense just does not allow many points, and McCoy did throw two picks. So it goes for a rookie quarterback.
-Big Ben Roethlisberger kept plays alive with his legs and gave the Steelers explosive ability down the field. They haven't had that in a while, and with their franchise QB back in the mix, the Steelers are the best team in football.
E: -If there's a team to make your first appearance of the season against, it is probably the Cleveland Browns. The matchup in Cleveland would not hand Roethlisberger a lot of problems; it would more likely give him loads of confidence moving forward.
Seahawks over Bears
A: - The Seahawks are a different team every week, but they seem to have enough talent to present problems for opponents on both sides of the ball.
-The Bears' offensive line ought to be absolutely ashamed of themselves. That single unit lost this game for the Bears. In short, it appears, "The Bears are who we thought they were."
E: -The Bears' weaknesses are a one-dimensional offense and a lack of depth on defense. Excluding a Carolina game where he rushed for 166, Matt Forte has just 145 yards on the ground in the other five games this season. After big names at the top like Brian Urlacher and Lance Briggs, no on their defense scares you. So when Briggs went out with an ankle injury, Seattle swooped in and took advantage, netting a nice road victory.
Texans over Chiefs
A: -For the Chiefs, I don't think it's possible to have two more impressive loses than they've had the past two weeks. A fortnight ago they lost to the Colts in a really competitive game at Indy, where they needed maybe one more big play to win. This past Sunday at Houston, the Chiefs dominated for three quarters, but then got Schaub-ed in the fourth quarter.
-The Chiefs are here to stay as playoff contenders. Consider their upcoming schedule: Jacksonville, Buffalo, at Oakland, at Denver, Arizona, at Seattle, Denver, at San Diego, at St. Louis, Tennessee, Oakland. Every game remaining is winnable and KC could easily end up at 10-6.
-For the Houston franchise, being 4-2 is never a bad thing. Houston gets a bye to prepare for Indy in two weeks, which should give the Texans a great chance to sweep the season series with the Colts, who have historically dominated this matchup.
E: -The Texans are not an elite team because they don't have the defense. Houston's pass defense is the worst in the league, and although the run defense is middle of the pack statistically, that comes from them being so bad against the pass that teams just don't run on them, so it's hard to gauge just how good they are against the run.
-In this game though, Houston's offense took center stage, pulling out the win in barn burner-fashion against the Chiefs.
-The Texans were also greatly aided in this game by one of the worst calls of the season so far. Chiefs cornerback Brandon Flowers got called on defensive pass interference on the Texans' final, game-winning drive on a play where if there was any call at all, should have been offensive pass interference on Andre Johnson.
Saints over Buccaneers
A: - My colleague Eric informed me that the Bucs have won three games against teams that have three combined wins this season. Too bad he told me that when the Bucs were down 21-0 in the second quarter. I gotta start doin' my homework.
-The Saints finally looked like themselves, and that was refreshing in a year of mediocrity.
E: -The Buccaneers had a solid 3-1 record coming into this game, but those three wins came at the expense of sup-bar competition in the Browns, Panthers, and Bengals. In their one loss, they got absolutely stomped by the Charlie Batch-led Steelers. The Saints took care of Tampa in similar fashion this week.
-Though I'm not ready to jump back on New Orleans' bandwagon to stay, this was a good win against a team that had been playing well, yet still a team the Saints should have beat.
Patriots over Ravens
A: -The Ravens had plenty of chances to win this game, and while Joe Flacco was very good, he didn't pull out the game in the clutch.
-Speaking of clutch, Tom Brady led his team to victory and to a familiar spot at the top of the standings. At 4-1, the Patriots, oddly, seem to be overachieving.
E: -Deion Branch picks up right where Randy Moss left off, and the Patriots get a measure of revenge after the Ravens put a whupping on them in the first round of the playoffs last year.
Dolphins over Packers
A: -I continue to be impressed by the Dolphins. I don't think they have quite the consistent passing game to be an elite team, but they will be in every game they play this year.
-The Packers have explosive ability, but they are just too banged up right now. They will still win their share of games just because they have Aaron Rodgers, but it's a shame that this team has been so badly bitten by the injury bug. At full strength, the Packers can beat anybody.
E: -In three halves of football without Clay Matthews, the Packers have zero sacks. He needs to be in for this defense to be any good. Without him, the Packers gave up third down after third down and could not get off the field. Add to that Green Bay's one-dimensional, pass-happy offense that did not afford them much rest, and it's easy to see how the Dolphins dominated time of possession and ultimately won the game.
Rams over Chargers
A: - The Chargers start slow every year, but this season you just don't get the feeling that they can flip a switch and win five straight. They just aren't as talented as years past.
-The Rams continue to compete and are a legit threat in the NFC West. Sam Bradford's numbers are not incredible, but he has moved the ball and put up points without much talent around him.
E: -The Rams jumped out to a big lead and playing in front of a raucous home crowd, didn't let San Diego pull ahead.
Giants over Lions
A: -The Lions seem to have enough talent to be in every single game, but they just don't know how to win. It's almost like they're allergic to winning. Hopefully Matt Stafford will be back soon because the Lions are a much better team than in years past. Against some quality competition in the Bears, Eagles, Packers, and Giants, Detroit has lost these four matchups by just eighteen combined points.
-The Giants continue to roll, getting their third straight win. It wasn't a dominant performance by any means, but this year in the NFC, a three-game winning streak rates as impressive.
E: -After Shaun Hill got knocked out, former Michigan State standout Drew Stanton came in and kept things competitive, but lost a fumble, threw an interception, and could not lead the Lions to victory. Detroit has now tied its own NFL record by losing twenty-four straight road games.
Jets over Broncos
A: - The Jets are, alongside the Steelers, the class of the league right now. They weren't great in Denver, but they got a road win against a solid team.
-With Kyle Orton's worst game of the season, the Broncos move to 2-4. They seem better than that to me.
E: -The Jets come from behind in a hostile environment and make their case for consideration as the league's best team.
49ers over Raiders
A: -In a showcase of inept Bay Area football, the Raiders were slightly worse than the Niners; Jason Campbell was terrible.
-The 49ers finally get in the win column, and perhaps that will allow them to relax and just play football now. If they can build on this performance–even though it was ugly with eleven penalties–they can get back in the mix in their division. The biggest positive from this game is that Alex Smith did not throw an interception.
E: -For a team that tends to shoot itself in the foot, limiting turnovers is a key to victory. And since this was the first game where Smith didn't commit any turnovers, San Francisco was able to get their first win of the season.
Vikings over Cowboys
A: -The Cowboys move to 1-4, and while I don't rule them out as a playoff team, their road is now tougher because of the ground they must make up.
-The Vikings get a huge win, and now head to Green Bay for a primetime matchup with the banged-up Packers. The postseason is still very much in reach for Minnesota.
E: -Speaking of teams shooting themselves in the foot, the Cowboys commit enough penalties and turnovers to give this game away to another desperate team, the Minnesota Vikings. It felt like the Cowboys beat themselves more than the Vikings took control and got the win.
-Minnesota still has work to do, but as the only victorious team in the NFC North on
Sunday, this is a wonderfully positive week for the Vikings.
Colts over Redskins
A: -I know I've been beating the Donovan McNabb drum, but that's because he keeps this team in every game. They have two losses by a combined six points against Indy and Houston, though there's also an admittedly head-scratching, two touchdown loss to the Rams.
-Peyton Manning is going to keep his team moving in the right direction. They haven't been as machine-like and efficient this year as others, but the Colts are in perfect position at 4-2.
E: -Outside of McNabb and a good-but-not-great defense, the Redskins just did not have enough talent to overcome the Colts.
Titans over Jaguars
A: -This game typified the concussion/devastating hit issue that was front and center this week in the NFL. David Garrard went down with a concussion, and Vince Young went out with a sprained knee. That made it the Trent Edwards and Kerry Collins show, which was ugly at best.
-The Titans are a solid team that just continues to execute a gameplan that plays to their strengths. Chris Johnson was big as usual, and the Titans were plus four in the turnover battle. At 4-2, the Titans are deadlocked with the Texans and Colts atop the AFC South.
-The Jags just are not a very good team, and that was exposed on Monday night. Their offensive line is bad, and Garrard is not a franchise quarterback.
E: -In a game where three quarterbacks all sustain injuries, the Titans roll to what the Colts couldn't do earlier this year, beat the Jags in Jacksonville.
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