Falcons over Ravens
Adam: -This game gives the overlooked NFC a little credit. One of the NFC's best beats an elite AFC team.
-Matt Ryan was efficient and accurate as usual.
-The Ravens' offense could not get going in the first half and wound up with a lot of ground to make up. They rallied well but left too much time on the clock for Matty Ice.
Eric: -This was the first, and what might turn out to be the most legitimate, "Super Bowl Preview" game of the year. After Atlanta gave up a lead in the fourth quarter, Ryan did not disappoint, leading a go-ahead touchdown drive in the game's final minutes.
-Atlanta remains undefeated at home this year.
Bills over Lions
A: -Break up the Bills, they're rolling. There's nothing like the Lions and their now 25-game road losing streak to help a team get its first win.
-Maybe this is crazy, but should the Bills really take a quarterback with their first pick considering the level Ryan Fitzpatrick is playing at?
-The Lions have been in a lot of close games, but they have ultimately been held back by the injuries to Matthew Stafford. I think this team could be a playoff-level club next year if Stafford can stay on the field.
E: -The Bills were 0-8 and the Lions were on a 24-game road losing streak. Something had to give.
Bears over Vikings
A: -The Vikings' season is likely over; they would have to win out just to reach 10 victories.
-I have to begrudgingly begin to give the Bears credit. 6-3 is a very nice record, and as bad as they look at times, they are winning a lot of games. Still, the Bears have a very tough road down the stretch. They have to play the Packers, Jets, Patriots, Eagles, and Vikings.
E: -Against a team Adrian Peterson typically dominates, running lanes were tough to come by. And since they couldn't find room on the ground, the Vikings were forced to pass, where Brett Favre killed Minnesota with turnovers—three interceptions and a lost fumble—once again.
Jaguars over Texans
A: -The Texans are in big trouble; Gary Kubiak's seat is very hot. This team has too much talent to be 4-5.
-What a play to end the game. I can't believe Jacksonville is 5-4, but they are right in the division race in the wacky AFC South.
E: -When Gus Johnson's in the booth, there's excitement on the field.
-With this loss, the Texans sit at 4-5, last in the AFC South. I think it's safe to say they will miss the playoffs once again. Houston has never been a team to step up to the big games, especially within their division.
Dolphins over Titans
A: -In a weird game, Kerry Collins, Chad Henne, Chad Pennington all went down with injuries. The Dolphins win, but may have lost their top two signal callers for the season, which would likely mean the end of their playoff hopes.
E: -Even down two quarterbacks, the Dolphins still pulled this one out to get their first home win of the season.
-Neither Collins nor Vince Young were very good for Tennessee.
Buccaneers over Panthers
A: -The Bucs continue to beat lowly teams, but at some point we have to stop pointing to that. You can only play the teams on your schedule, and the Bucs are winning those games. At 6-3, everything is in reach for Tampa.
E: -Nothing out of the ordinary happened here as a 5-3 team playing at home blew the doors off a visiting 1-7 team.
Jets over Browns
A: -On paper, needing overtime to win against the Lions and Browns in consecutive weeks seems like a failure for the Jets. In reality, the Jets overcame two solid teams on the road in difficult circumstances to run their impressive record to 7-2.
-If you had told Browns fans before the season that they would go 2-2 against the Steelers, Saints, Patriots, and Jets, they would have been thrilled. Even more impressive, they easily could have gone 3-1 with a couple more breaks Sunday.
E: -The Jets are the first team to ever win back-to-back games in overtime on the road. They also move to 5-0 on the road with this win.
Colts over Bengals
A: -The Bengals continue to dig holes early and fall short making comebacks. The season's over in Cincy.
-The Colts have Peyton Manning, and in this league, that will get you wins most weeks.
E: -Same as it ever was for the first-to-worst Bengals: get behind early and can't play catch-up well enough to pull ahead.
Broncos over Chiefs
A: -The Chiefs can't afford to play shootout-style football; they just don't have the weapons. The Chiefs are coming back to earth, dropping to 5-4.
-Finally, the Broncos put the ball in the end zone instead of just moving it between the 20s.
E: -With the head-to-head win over Kansas City, the Oakland Raiders lead the AFC West after ten weeks. Wow.
-The Chiefs' offense is built around its running attack. They had to drop that gameplan pretty quickly as the Broncos jumped to a large, early lead.
49ers over Rams
A: -Sam Bradford is really, really good. This Rams' defense is pretty impressive as well.
-Troy Smith played great and made strong, accurate throws. He finally adds a down-the-field element to the Niners' passing attack.
-The difference between Troy and Alex Smith was found on the 49ers' last drive of the fourth quarter. San Francisco had two touchdowns called back by dubious calls, and they were faced with 3rd down and 32 yards to go. Troy Smith completed a 14 yard strike, then on 4th and 18 found Frank Gore for 25 yards, then fired a touchdown to Michael Crabtree, and led the winning drive in overtime. Alex would have thrown interceptions in all of those scenarios.
E: -Even at 3-6, the Niners are still right in the thick of the least interesting division race in all of football.
-Troy Smith is 2-0 as a starter for San Francisco.
Cowboys over Giants
A: -The Cowboys had to play well sometime this season. We will have to wait a few games to see if Jason Garrett is the reason why.
-The Giants just came out flat, plain and simple.
E: -Hey Dallas, let's not start sucking each other's dicks quite yet. The Jason Garrett era got off to a good start, but that's all it is, a start. They still have a long way to go to make a 2-7 team look respectable.
-It will not be long before Dez Bryant is one of the top-5 wide receivers in the league. Bryant is averaging 91 yards over his past three games, and for the season he has 5 receiving touchdowns and another 2 on punt returns.
Seahawks over Cardinals
A: -The Seahawks claim sole possession of the abysmal NFC West.
-Matt Hasselbeck broke a bone in his non-throwing hand, so we'll have to monitor that situation.
-Derek Anderson is simply not a starting caliber quarterback in this league.
E: -I can't get a bead on Seattle. After getting their asses handed to them two straight weeks by the Raiders and then the Giants at home, where did this blowout of Arizona come from? Was Charlie Whitehurst really that bad? Such is the mystery wrapped in a Twinkie that is the NFC West.
Patriots over Steelers
A: -The Pats rebound nicely with a win after losing to Cleveland. Bill Belichick was at his best, using all kinds of defensive fronts and alignments. They confused the Steelers all day. The Pats' offensive line was tremendous all game, giving Tom Brady loads of time in the pocket. Brady was absolutely lethal in the short passing game.
-The Steelers' offense didn't wake up until midway through the third quarter, and that's too late against New England. The Steelers will be OK; I think they are just having a mid-season lull.
E: -Since 2003, the Patriots are 25-2 after a loss. That means just two losing streaks, cripes.
Eagles over Redskins
A: -This was a huge division game. The Eagles showed they were contenders, while the Redskins are pretenders.
-Michael Vick was unbelievable. If he can play with the run-pass balance and the pocket presence he showed Monday night, he could lead this team to a Super Bowl.
-The Redskins are in for another long season.
E: -Michael Vick.
Adam: -This game gives the overlooked NFC a little credit. One of the NFC's best beats an elite AFC team.
-Matt Ryan was efficient and accurate as usual.
-The Ravens' offense could not get going in the first half and wound up with a lot of ground to make up. They rallied well but left too much time on the clock for Matty Ice.
Eric: -This was the first, and what might turn out to be the most legitimate, "Super Bowl Preview" game of the year. After Atlanta gave up a lead in the fourth quarter, Ryan did not disappoint, leading a go-ahead touchdown drive in the game's final minutes.
-Atlanta remains undefeated at home this year.
Bills over Lions
A: -Break up the Bills, they're rolling. There's nothing like the Lions and their now 25-game road losing streak to help a team get its first win.
-Maybe this is crazy, but should the Bills really take a quarterback with their first pick considering the level Ryan Fitzpatrick is playing at?
-The Lions have been in a lot of close games, but they have ultimately been held back by the injuries to Matthew Stafford. I think this team could be a playoff-level club next year if Stafford can stay on the field.
E: -The Bills were 0-8 and the Lions were on a 24-game road losing streak. Something had to give.
Bears over Vikings
A: -The Vikings' season is likely over; they would have to win out just to reach 10 victories.
-I have to begrudgingly begin to give the Bears credit. 6-3 is a very nice record, and as bad as they look at times, they are winning a lot of games. Still, the Bears have a very tough road down the stretch. They have to play the Packers, Jets, Patriots, Eagles, and Vikings.
E: -Against a team Adrian Peterson typically dominates, running lanes were tough to come by. And since they couldn't find room on the ground, the Vikings were forced to pass, where Brett Favre killed Minnesota with turnovers—three interceptions and a lost fumble—once again.
Jaguars over Texans
A: -The Texans are in big trouble; Gary Kubiak's seat is very hot. This team has too much talent to be 4-5.
-What a play to end the game. I can't believe Jacksonville is 5-4, but they are right in the division race in the wacky AFC South.
E: -When Gus Johnson's in the booth, there's excitement on the field.
-With this loss, the Texans sit at 4-5, last in the AFC South. I think it's safe to say they will miss the playoffs once again. Houston has never been a team to step up to the big games, especially within their division.
Dolphins over Titans
A: -In a weird game, Kerry Collins, Chad Henne, Chad Pennington all went down with injuries. The Dolphins win, but may have lost their top two signal callers for the season, which would likely mean the end of their playoff hopes.
E: -Even down two quarterbacks, the Dolphins still pulled this one out to get their first home win of the season.
-Neither Collins nor Vince Young were very good for Tennessee.
Buccaneers over Panthers
A: -The Bucs continue to beat lowly teams, but at some point we have to stop pointing to that. You can only play the teams on your schedule, and the Bucs are winning those games. At 6-3, everything is in reach for Tampa.
E: -Nothing out of the ordinary happened here as a 5-3 team playing at home blew the doors off a visiting 1-7 team.
Jets over Browns
A: -On paper, needing overtime to win against the Lions and Browns in consecutive weeks seems like a failure for the Jets. In reality, the Jets overcame two solid teams on the road in difficult circumstances to run their impressive record to 7-2.
-If you had told Browns fans before the season that they would go 2-2 against the Steelers, Saints, Patriots, and Jets, they would have been thrilled. Even more impressive, they easily could have gone 3-1 with a couple more breaks Sunday.
E: -The Jets are the first team to ever win back-to-back games in overtime on the road. They also move to 5-0 on the road with this win.
Colts over Bengals
A: -The Bengals continue to dig holes early and fall short making comebacks. The season's over in Cincy.
-The Colts have Peyton Manning, and in this league, that will get you wins most weeks.
E: -Same as it ever was for the first-to-worst Bengals: get behind early and can't play catch-up well enough to pull ahead.
Broncos over Chiefs
A: -The Chiefs can't afford to play shootout-style football; they just don't have the weapons. The Chiefs are coming back to earth, dropping to 5-4.
-Finally, the Broncos put the ball in the end zone instead of just moving it between the 20s.
E: -With the head-to-head win over Kansas City, the Oakland Raiders lead the AFC West after ten weeks. Wow.
-The Chiefs' offense is built around its running attack. They had to drop that gameplan pretty quickly as the Broncos jumped to a large, early lead.
49ers over Rams
A: -Sam Bradford is really, really good. This Rams' defense is pretty impressive as well.
-Troy Smith played great and made strong, accurate throws. He finally adds a down-the-field element to the Niners' passing attack.
-The difference between Troy and Alex Smith was found on the 49ers' last drive of the fourth quarter. San Francisco had two touchdowns called back by dubious calls, and they were faced with 3rd down and 32 yards to go. Troy Smith completed a 14 yard strike, then on 4th and 18 found Frank Gore for 25 yards, then fired a touchdown to Michael Crabtree, and led the winning drive in overtime. Alex would have thrown interceptions in all of those scenarios.
E: -Even at 3-6, the Niners are still right in the thick of the least interesting division race in all of football.
-Troy Smith is 2-0 as a starter for San Francisco.
Cowboys over Giants
A: -The Cowboys had to play well sometime this season. We will have to wait a few games to see if Jason Garrett is the reason why.
-The Giants just came out flat, plain and simple.
E: -Hey Dallas, let's not start sucking each other's dicks quite yet. The Jason Garrett era got off to a good start, but that's all it is, a start. They still have a long way to go to make a 2-7 team look respectable.
-It will not be long before Dez Bryant is one of the top-5 wide receivers in the league. Bryant is averaging 91 yards over his past three games, and for the season he has 5 receiving touchdowns and another 2 on punt returns.
Seahawks over Cardinals
A: -The Seahawks claim sole possession of the abysmal NFC West.
-Matt Hasselbeck broke a bone in his non-throwing hand, so we'll have to monitor that situation.
-Derek Anderson is simply not a starting caliber quarterback in this league.
E: -I can't get a bead on Seattle. After getting their asses handed to them two straight weeks by the Raiders and then the Giants at home, where did this blowout of Arizona come from? Was Charlie Whitehurst really that bad? Such is the mystery wrapped in a Twinkie that is the NFC West.
Patriots over Steelers
A: -The Pats rebound nicely with a win after losing to Cleveland. Bill Belichick was at his best, using all kinds of defensive fronts and alignments. They confused the Steelers all day. The Pats' offensive line was tremendous all game, giving Tom Brady loads of time in the pocket. Brady was absolutely lethal in the short passing game.
-The Steelers' offense didn't wake up until midway through the third quarter, and that's too late against New England. The Steelers will be OK; I think they are just having a mid-season lull.
E: -Since 2003, the Patriots are 25-2 after a loss. That means just two losing streaks, cripes.
Eagles over Redskins
A: -This was a huge division game. The Eagles showed they were contenders, while the Redskins are pretenders.
-Michael Vick was unbelievable. If he can play with the run-pass balance and the pocket presence he showed Monday night, he could lead this team to a Super Bowl.
-The Redskins are in for another long season.
E: -Michael Vick.
Forget about the Jason Garret era. Let Kitna reign over the Cowboys. Make a 40 yard pass one play, trip over you own feet and fall on the ball the next. No big deal.
ReplyDeleteYou can't stop him. You can only hope to contain him.
ReplyDelete