Chiefs over Bills
Adam: -Ryan Fitzpatrick is playing really well and has helped the Bills take the Ravens and Chiefs into overtime the past two weeks.
-The Chiefs survive a game that typifies the type of team they are: conservative, solid, smart, and winning football games.
Eric: -This is the type of game one would have expected to see looking at the schedule in the preseason: two sub-par teams duking it out to see who sucks harder. The Chiefs have been a real revelation this season and were playing at home this week, so I was surprised to see so much ineptitude from both squads, to see the shit show I had feared. It took us a full 75 minutes to break 20 combined points? That was the scariest thing I saw all Halloween weekend.
Rams over Panthers
A: -The Panthers cannot get their running game off the ground.
-The Rams are 4-4 at the halfway mark, which is a monumental accomplishment considering last year's record. Sam Bradford has passer ratings of 88, 89, and 112 the past three weeks respectively.
E: -Since a Week 1 loss to Arizona, the Rams haven't lost a game at home, and the 1-5 (now 1-6) Panthers weren't about to come in and snap that streak.
-I never like the idea of firing a coach mid-season, but I think the Carolina Panthers could go for a coaching change. When a guy has been with a team as long as John Fox has, familiarity can ultimately hinder success. This is a team that must switch to full-on rebuilding mode, hand the reins over to Jimmy Clausen the rest of the year, and then bring in someone like Leslie Frazier in the offseason to set a new direction for this team.
Packers over Jets
A: -The Jets looked flat off a bye week. What happened Rex?
-The Packers' defense has to be thrilled with their performance. The offense was understandably stifled by the Jets' D.
E: -The question for a team coming off a long break is always do they come out looking well-rested or rusty? For the Jets coming off a bye, it was the latter. Mark Sanchez played poorly, missing throws at key junctures in the game.
-The Green Bay defense blanked the Jets for the season's first shutout.
Lions over Redskins
A: -Matthew Stafford has a great comeback game throwing four touchdowns and just one pick.
-Mike Shanahan, shame on you for putting Rex Grossman in that game.
E: -In what alternate universe is Shanahan living in that he thinks Grossman is better than Donovan McNabb at anything related to the quarterback position? "He is better at giving away points to the defense," says Ndamukong Suh. Touché fake Ndamukong Suh.
Dolphins over Bengals
A: -Miami is 4-0 on the road; that makes them a threat to beat anybody.
-The Bengals have lost a lot of close games.
E: -Road warriors Miami continue their winning ways outside Florida's borders. Despite spotting Terrell Owens and the Bengals two early touchdowns, Dan Carpenter was the only weapon Miami needed to stay competitive and eventually take the lead: Carpenter 15 – Bengals 14. Ricky Williams also added a touchdown for insurance.
Jaguars over Cowboys
A: -The Jags are somehow 4-4 when it feels like they are a 2-6 team.
-Dallas has the worst record in the NFC and is 0-4 at home.
E: -The moment Tony Romo broke his clavicle, the Dallas Cowboys gave up on their season. They got crushed in the second half of the Giants game last week, and then get absolutely demolished by the Jaguars. Both games have been in Dallas so Jerry Jones could watch the self-destruction on his 20-yard line to 20-yard line big screen.
-The Jaguars are not the most talented team, but they are a big, physical bunch that loves to hit people in the mouth. They demoralized the Cowboys pretty quickly in this one.
Chargers over Titans
A: -The Chargers had to win sometime.
E: -Philip Rivers has set an NFL record for most passing yards through the first eight games of a season with 2,649.
-Jeff Fisher has never beaten the Chargers.
Buccaneers over Cardinals
A: -"We're the best team in the NFC, yeah I said it." Well, I still don't buy it Raheem Morris, but the Bucs are 5-2 and tied atop the NFC South with the Falcons at the midway point of the season.
-The Cardinals can't figure out who their QB is. Their point differential is -55 this year.
E: -So much for Max Hall. At least Derek Anderson kept this one competitive. He's still not good though.
-The Bucs continue to lop up the league's bottom feeders and move to 5-2 on the season.
Raiders over Seahawks
A: - Seattle continues to be a puzzling team that wins tough games on the road one week, and then gets blowed out the next.
-The Raiders are .500 and have outscored their opponents 92-17 the past two weeks. Whoa!
E: -I think Adam and I were both anticipating a letdown from the Raiders after lambasting their bitter rivals, Denver, a week ago. Coming from Al Davis' crew, that's just what we expect. But contrary to form, Jason Campbell showed up and played a really nice game, stomping the Seahawks.
Patriots over Vikings
A: -Hey Brett Favre, there's a reason most 41-year-olds are sitting at a desk somewhere.
-New England has set themselves up well for a first round playoff bye, but there's a lot of ball left.
E: -I'll admit, as a Packer fan I always enjoy watching the Vikings struggle. But as a fan of the NFL and as someone who likes to see good football teams succeed, watching a formerly great team, the Minnesota Vikings, absolutely implode this season has been excruciating. 2-5 is a bitter pill Brad Childress has to swallow. I see things getting worse before they get better for the boys in purple.
Saints over Steelers
A: -This game was there for Pittsburgh to take but the Saints were a talented football team that was desperate for a win. New Orleans' defense was surprisingly the driving force behind this victory.
E: -The Saints pulled this one out with an exceptional second half performance from Drew Brees. Perhaps hanging a loss on one of the league's best will quell some of the Super Bowl hangover talk.
49ers over Broncos
A: - Denver has gone through a tough couple weeks, getting routed by Oakland and then losing in London.
-Troy Smith did exactly what is needed from a San Francisco quarterback. He completed a high percentage of passes for good down the field gains, didn't turn it over, and handed it to #21.
E: -Even with Kyle Orton throwing for over 350 yards again, the Broncos could not hold off a fourth quarter surge from Smith, Michael Crabtree, and Frank Gore.
-How's your seat Josh McDaniels? Getting warmer?
Colts over Texans
A: -The Texans had a bye week to prepare for their biggest "are you for real" game in their history. They failed miserably. Their coverage was horrible and the offense was sleepwalking in the first half. Arian Foster is a really good all-around back, and Andre Johnson was great even with a bad ankle.
-The Texans appear doomed to be on the periphery of playoff contention yet again.
-Even with no Joseph Addai, no Dallas Clark, no Austin Collie, it was no problem for Peyton Manning. Manning just finds whoever is open and sticks it right on them. He could make any receiving corps in the league a productive unit.
-Dwight Freeney and Robert Mathis were terrors coming off the edge, disrupting everything Matt Schaub wanted to do. Once Houston fell behind, they couldn't pound Foster like they wanted, and that worked right into Indy's hands.
-According to the pundits, the Colts appear to be struggling, yet they are 5-2 and in great position.
E: -Since realignment and the dawn of the AFC South, the Colts have never been swept in a season series.
Adam: -Ryan Fitzpatrick is playing really well and has helped the Bills take the Ravens and Chiefs into overtime the past two weeks.
-The Chiefs survive a game that typifies the type of team they are: conservative, solid, smart, and winning football games.
Eric: -This is the type of game one would have expected to see looking at the schedule in the preseason: two sub-par teams duking it out to see who sucks harder. The Chiefs have been a real revelation this season and were playing at home this week, so I was surprised to see so much ineptitude from both squads, to see the shit show I had feared. It took us a full 75 minutes to break 20 combined points? That was the scariest thing I saw all Halloween weekend.
Rams over Panthers
A: -The Panthers cannot get their running game off the ground.
-The Rams are 4-4 at the halfway mark, which is a monumental accomplishment considering last year's record. Sam Bradford has passer ratings of 88, 89, and 112 the past three weeks respectively.
E: -Since a Week 1 loss to Arizona, the Rams haven't lost a game at home, and the 1-5 (now 1-6) Panthers weren't about to come in and snap that streak.
-I never like the idea of firing a coach mid-season, but I think the Carolina Panthers could go for a coaching change. When a guy has been with a team as long as John Fox has, familiarity can ultimately hinder success. This is a team that must switch to full-on rebuilding mode, hand the reins over to Jimmy Clausen the rest of the year, and then bring in someone like Leslie Frazier in the offseason to set a new direction for this team.
Packers over Jets
A: -The Jets looked flat off a bye week. What happened Rex?
-The Packers' defense has to be thrilled with their performance. The offense was understandably stifled by the Jets' D.
E: -The question for a team coming off a long break is always do they come out looking well-rested or rusty? For the Jets coming off a bye, it was the latter. Mark Sanchez played poorly, missing throws at key junctures in the game.
-The Green Bay defense blanked the Jets for the season's first shutout.
Lions over Redskins
A: -Matthew Stafford has a great comeback game throwing four touchdowns and just one pick.
-Mike Shanahan, shame on you for putting Rex Grossman in that game.
E: -In what alternate universe is Shanahan living in that he thinks Grossman is better than Donovan McNabb at anything related to the quarterback position? "He is better at giving away points to the defense," says Ndamukong Suh. Touché fake Ndamukong Suh.
Dolphins over Bengals
A: -Miami is 4-0 on the road; that makes them a threat to beat anybody.
-The Bengals have lost a lot of close games.
E: -Road warriors Miami continue their winning ways outside Florida's borders. Despite spotting Terrell Owens and the Bengals two early touchdowns, Dan Carpenter was the only weapon Miami needed to stay competitive and eventually take the lead: Carpenter 15 – Bengals 14. Ricky Williams also added a touchdown for insurance.
Jaguars over Cowboys
A: -The Jags are somehow 4-4 when it feels like they are a 2-6 team.
-Dallas has the worst record in the NFC and is 0-4 at home.
E: -The moment Tony Romo broke his clavicle, the Dallas Cowboys gave up on their season. They got crushed in the second half of the Giants game last week, and then get absolutely demolished by the Jaguars. Both games have been in Dallas so Jerry Jones could watch the self-destruction on his 20-yard line to 20-yard line big screen.
-The Jaguars are not the most talented team, but they are a big, physical bunch that loves to hit people in the mouth. They demoralized the Cowboys pretty quickly in this one.
Chargers over Titans
A: -The Chargers had to win sometime.
E: -Philip Rivers has set an NFL record for most passing yards through the first eight games of a season with 2,649.
-Jeff Fisher has never beaten the Chargers.
Buccaneers over Cardinals
A: -"We're the best team in the NFC, yeah I said it." Well, I still don't buy it Raheem Morris, but the Bucs are 5-2 and tied atop the NFC South with the Falcons at the midway point of the season.
-The Cardinals can't figure out who their QB is. Their point differential is -55 this year.
E: -So much for Max Hall. At least Derek Anderson kept this one competitive. He's still not good though.
-The Bucs continue to lop up the league's bottom feeders and move to 5-2 on the season.
Raiders over Seahawks
A: - Seattle continues to be a puzzling team that wins tough games on the road one week, and then gets blowed out the next.
-The Raiders are .500 and have outscored their opponents 92-17 the past two weeks. Whoa!
E: -I think Adam and I were both anticipating a letdown from the Raiders after lambasting their bitter rivals, Denver, a week ago. Coming from Al Davis' crew, that's just what we expect. But contrary to form, Jason Campbell showed up and played a really nice game, stomping the Seahawks.
Patriots over Vikings
A: -Hey Brett Favre, there's a reason most 41-year-olds are sitting at a desk somewhere.
-New England has set themselves up well for a first round playoff bye, but there's a lot of ball left.
E: -I'll admit, as a Packer fan I always enjoy watching the Vikings struggle. But as a fan of the NFL and as someone who likes to see good football teams succeed, watching a formerly great team, the Minnesota Vikings, absolutely implode this season has been excruciating. 2-5 is a bitter pill Brad Childress has to swallow. I see things getting worse before they get better for the boys in purple.
Saints over Steelers
A: -This game was there for Pittsburgh to take but the Saints were a talented football team that was desperate for a win. New Orleans' defense was surprisingly the driving force behind this victory.
E: -The Saints pulled this one out with an exceptional second half performance from Drew Brees. Perhaps hanging a loss on one of the league's best will quell some of the Super Bowl hangover talk.
49ers over Broncos
A: - Denver has gone through a tough couple weeks, getting routed by Oakland and then losing in London.
-Troy Smith did exactly what is needed from a San Francisco quarterback. He completed a high percentage of passes for good down the field gains, didn't turn it over, and handed it to #21.
E: -Even with Kyle Orton throwing for over 350 yards again, the Broncos could not hold off a fourth quarter surge from Smith, Michael Crabtree, and Frank Gore.
-How's your seat Josh McDaniels? Getting warmer?
Colts over Texans
A: -The Texans had a bye week to prepare for their biggest "are you for real" game in their history. They failed miserably. Their coverage was horrible and the offense was sleepwalking in the first half. Arian Foster is a really good all-around back, and Andre Johnson was great even with a bad ankle.
-The Texans appear doomed to be on the periphery of playoff contention yet again.
-Even with no Joseph Addai, no Dallas Clark, no Austin Collie, it was no problem for Peyton Manning. Manning just finds whoever is open and sticks it right on them. He could make any receiving corps in the league a productive unit.
-Dwight Freeney and Robert Mathis were terrors coming off the edge, disrupting everything Matt Schaub wanted to do. Once Houston fell behind, they couldn't pound Foster like they wanted, and that worked right into Indy's hands.
-According to the pundits, the Colts appear to be struggling, yet they are 5-2 and in great position.
E: -Since realignment and the dawn of the AFC South, the Colts have never been swept in a season series.
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