NFL Week 7 Game Notes

Browns over Saints

Adam: -Whenever you return two interceptions for scores and four picks overall you are going to win, even if you're Cleveland.
-Drew Brees threw the ball fifty-six times, and whenever that happens, some bad things will occur.  Brees is on pace for twnty-three interceptions this year, yikes.

Eric: -How does a defensive lineman return two interceptions for touchdowns?  That is pitiful, Brees.

Chiefs over Jaguars

A: -The Chiefs are a confident bunch that has shown they can play right with very good teams, and they also show that they can blow out the bad teams.  Thomas Jones was great and Matt Cassell was efficient.  The Chiefs are going to be right in the mix of playoff contention, considering they get the Bills at home next week, and then play Oakland, Denver, Arizona and Seattle.
-The Jaguars are worse than their 3-4 record indicates.

E: -Two teams matched up here that have so far outplayed preseason expectations, but that's as far as Jacksonville could get.  The Jaguars' third string quarterback, Todd Bouman, was not going to get it done in Arrowhead against a very tough Chiefs team.
-The Chiefs are playing well right in the middle of a very cushy spot in their schedule.  They are probably going to build up a big lead in the division race and squash any hopes the severely underachieving Chargers have for a fifth straight division title.

Ravens over Bills

A: -Oh, the Bills.  They had this game and then just gave it away.  Ryan Fitzpatrick had great numbers but couldn't get the win.
-The Ravens thank their lucky stars that they escaped with the victory.  Anquan Boldin has been terrific and is on pace for eighty-seven catches and 1,200 yards.

E: -A win's a win, but this was a head-scratcher for the Ravens.  How does a legitimate Super Bowl contender get dragged into overtime by the winless Bills and get outgained 506-364?  This was a scare, and the Ravens have to be glad that they have time to fix the problems from Sunday, rather than being in a situation where they're trying to build momentum.
-It's good to see Ed Reed back on the field.

Panthers over 49ers

A: -The 49ers are in absolute disarray.  I never thought I would pine for Alex Smith, but once David Carr came in, that's exactly where I found myself.  If Smith can't play for a while and Carr starts, the 49ers will lose all those games.  Carr is horrendous, and it's just a shame that Michael Crabtree and Vernon Davis are being wasted on this offense.
-The 49ers' defense was good against the run, but their coverage was awful against a terrible passing team.
-The Panthers have found their guy again in Matt Moore.  He wasn't incredible, but he was solid and made some really nice throws.  I'm not sure why they are interested in winning at 1-5, but more power to em'.  David Gettis is a player to watch at wideout; he's incredibly fast and ran some great routes.

E: -The Panthers notch their first win against a travelling, moribund franchise, the 49ers.
-Thanks to Charles Johnson, we'll now get to see if Alex Smith was the source of the 49ers' woes as another former first overall pick, David Carr, gets his chance to play quarterback.  Carr's Niners tenure did not get off to a good start though as he threw the interception that set the Panthers' game-winning field goal drive.
-There's no official diagnosis yet, but based on watching the play, I would be very surprised if Smith starts in London Sunday.

Titans over Eagles

A: -Andy Reid may be secretly smiling now that Kevin Kolb played poorly, and his decision to put Michael Vick back in gets a bit easier.
-The Eagles reach their bye week at a perfect time.   Still atop the division, they get an extra week to ease Vick back into things and get him fully healthy.
-The Titans scored thirty-seven straight points in this game, and Kenny Britt had the best day of any receiver so far this year.  Kerry Collins moved this football team up and down the field, even with mediocre production from Chris Johnson.

E: -Collins stepped up in a big way for the injured Vince Young to get the Titans past a surging Eagles team.  With Johnson bottled up for only sixty-six yards on the ground, Collins connected with Britt for big play after big play to the tune of seven grabs for 225 yards and three touchdowns.

Buccaneers over Rams

A: -Both these teams are really improved and likely got confidence from playing each other.
-The Bucs are 4-2.  They've won against some bad teams, but they've won the games and are right in the NFC South division race.  Josh Freeman has only thrown three interceptions this year and has been exactly the game manager this team needs.
-Sam Bradford is really good.  He throws a beautiful ball and is incredibly accurate.  He has three touchdowns and no interceptions in his last two games.  This team has a chance to win the NFC West because of Bradford's play, though Seattle looks like he best team in this division.

E: -In a matchup between two of the NFL's feel-good teams, unfortunately, one team cannot leave the game feeling good.  And after losing by the slimmest of margins, one point, that unhappy team was the St. Louis Rams.

Steelers over Dolphins

A: -This game came down to a strange replay call, which is really unfortunate, because this was a terrific contest.  The Dolphins have played very well all year, yet have had some tough loses.
-They are 0-3 at home and 3-0 on the road, wacky.
-The Steelers lucked out and get the benefit of a dubious call.  Still, Ben Roethlisberger is fully back in the swing of things and his team is 5-1.  Next week should be fun as the Steelers travel to New Orleans to play the Saints.

E: -Between a slow start and a controversial replay near the end, the Steelers seem pretty lucky to leave South Beach with a victory.

Falcons over Bengals

A: - The Bengals were awful in the first half, but exploded for twenty-two points in the third quarter, much like week one against the Patriots.  We have seen the Bengals put up points in bunches, but they have just been too inconsistent.  With Baltimore and Pittsburgh driving forward, the Bengals are being left in the dust.
-The Falcons take control of the NFC South with a nice win, and Roddy White had an enormous game.  Even bigger than White, Michael Turner is on a 1,300 yard pace.  Throw in Tony Gonzalez and the play of Matt Ryan and we may be looking at the most balanced offense in the NFC.

E: -Even after a twenty-two point third quarter, the Bengals learned that the hard way that The Falcons are practically unbeatable at home.  Ryan is 16-1 in the Georgia Dome.

Redskins over Bears

A: -The Redskins have won their four games by a combined seventeen points.  That is the difference Donovan McNabb and Mike Shanahan make.  They have been winning really ugly, but nonetheless are still right in the NFC East mix.
-Jay Cutler looked like maybe he had kicked the turnover bug early this year, but he threw four completions to DeAngelo Hall Sunday, who happens to be a Redskin.  Matt Forte isn't getting the ball enough in the run game, maybe that's because the offensive line is horrible, but they certainly aren't doing any better at pass protection.

E: -What a strange game; Cutler throws four interceptions, all to Hall, one of which was returned for a touchdown.  The Redskins' offense also did not look very explosive, but they didn't have to be with the Cutler-to-Hall connection on full display.  Ryan Torain did go over a hundred yards on the ground though.

Seahawks over Cardinals

A: -The Cardinals simply don't have a QB.  Too bad the 49ers have a two game head start on getting that top pick!!  Ha!!
-The Seahawks are the best team in this division by default.  Matt Hasselbeck is good enough, and Marshawn Lynch is solid carrying the ball.  Russell Okung is back and really helps this offensive line.

E: -In a situation that no one's quite sure how transpired, the Seahawks beat the Cardinals in a game where first place in the NFC West was on the line.  Just think about that one for a minute.
-Mike Williams continues his resurgent season under Pete Carroll and catches ten balls for the second straight week.

Raiders over Broncos

A: -The Raiders score nine points in a loss to the 49ers last week so...it just makes sense that they would put up fifty-nine points the next week.  What?
-Darren McFadden would be leading the league in rushing had he not missed two games with injury, and the Raiders are still in the mix at 3-4.
-I thought the Broncos were a better team than their record indicated, but when you get housed by forty-five points at home against Oakland, you are as bad as it gets, 2-5 and headed to London to face off with the vaunted 1-6 49ers

E: -Prior to this matchup, the AFC West cellar was full up with three 2-4 teams.  The Raiders blowed out and stepped up to the West's second tier behind Kansas City.  The standings are completely flip-flopped from where we thought they'd be before the season began.

Patriots over Chargers

A: -I'm not sure the Pats are as good as 5-1 would indicate, but give them credit, they keep finding ways to win.
-The Chargers aren't as bad as 2-5, but keep finding ways to lose.

E: -This game went down to the wire, and there was another fourth and short late where Bill Belichick went for it to try and run out the clock but failed to convert, like the Indy loss last year.  It didn't come back to bite him here though as Josh Brown missed the fifty yarder that would've tied the game.

Packers over Vikings

A: -The Vikes are in disarray with Brad Childress and Brett Favre bickering like an old married couple.  Next for the struggling purple people eaters comes a trip to Foxborough to play the Patriots.
-Favre has been just plain bad this year.  He has a passer rating of 68, has turned the ball over fourteen times (ten picks and four lost fumbles), and is on pace for twenty-seven interceptions, twenty more than last year.  Adrian Peterson might be the MVP if he were on a better team.
-The Packers struggled with running the ball and Aaron Rodgers made a few bad plays.  The defense didn't get enough pressure on Favre, but did pick him three times.
-At 4-3 the Packers are right in position to win their division, but they better be ready to play; their next four games are against the Jets, Cowboys, Vikings, and Falcons.

E: -The Packers escape with a win; Brett Favre was not so lucky.  He exits Lambeau with a fractured ankle and heel.

Giants over Cowboys

A: -For the Cowboys, this game started like they were going to get on a roll and save their season.  It's hard to believe a team this talented is 1-5.  Dez Bryant is a budding star, Roy Williams is playing great, and Miles Austin and Jason Witten are true stars.  With Tony Romo out for at least six weeks, any hopes of a revival in Big D are undone.  This team may be picking in the top five of next year's draft.
-Since losing consecutive games to the Colts and Titans by a combined forty-three points, the Giants have won four straight games by an average of just over twelve points per game.  Their defensive line is intimidating, and Jason Pierre-Paul is a nice addition to this athletic front.  He could be a breakout player in the second half of the season.
-Offensively the Giants look really good.  Their offensive line has recaptured their 2007 form, Eli is solid and getting the ball to one of the league's best receiving corps.  Hakeem Nicks is going to be a superstar, Steve Smith is a great route runner with smooth moves and great hands, and Mario Manningham is quick with big play ability.  Kevin Boss is a very good all around tight end.  And, oh yeah, Ahmad Bradshaw leads the NFC in rushing.

E: -It's not often that a team creates five turnovers, returns a punt for a touchdown, and still loses the game.  The Cowboys figured out a way to do it though.
-So long paper champions!