NFL WEEK 9, WHAT I SAW
The early games were blowouts & the late games were generally exciting upsets. Here's what I saw:
Except for an Indy defensive score, all 7 early losers didn't score an offensive touchdown till the 4th quarter.
Yep, all seven went TD-less for three quarters. This is why the NASCAR race was on my big screen at 2PM sharp, I couldn't watch anymore futility. By 3:15, the race was back on a smaller screen. The offenses of KC, Buffalo, Cleveland, Tampa, Seattle, Washington & Indy were held touchdown-less for over three quarters. Tough to watch such punchless, one-sided football.
I'm beginning to think the Texans will win 11-12 games.
The NFC South contains 0-9 Indy, 2-6 Jacksonville & 4-4 Tennessee. The Texans still have a game with each, plus 4-4 Tampa & 2-6 Carolina. Houston is currently 6-3, I can see them having no worse than the second seed in the playoffs. With WR Andre Johnson returning next week, I think Houston can win 11-12 games for sure.
If Luck wants to come out, I can't see anyone other than Indy having the #1 pick.
When I say, "if Luck wants to come out" I mean he has another year of eligibility left, so he could return to Stanford & play another year if he doesn't like the looks of whoever(Indy) owns that selection. The Colts are so horrible, I seriously doubt they can win even one game this season. At home yesterday, the Colts managed just 186-yards of total offense against the 15th rated defense of the Atlanta Falcons.
Patrick Peterson is a killer return man, but why would you field a punt on your 1-yard line?
After some terrible play calling by the St. Louis Rams, they were forced to punt to Arizona in overtime. Cardinals' cornerback & punt returner, rookie Patrick Peterson, catches the ball on his own 1-yard line & proceeds to scoot thru the Rams' not-so-special teams for the game-winning score. Peterson became only the second player in NFL history to end a playoff game with a punt return touchdown. The other? Tamarick Vanover against the San Diego Chargers on Monday Night Football, October 9th, 1995.
San Francisco wins 6th straight, realistically clinching the NFC West.
The 7-1 Forty-Niners lead the division while the other three teams, Arizona, Seattle & St. Louis have won a total of 5 games combined. I'd say the race is over already. RB Frank Gore rushed for 107-yards, his fifth consecutive 100+ game. QB Alex Smith was quietly efficient while the defense held Washington without a touchdown until the 1:10 mark of the 4th quarter.
The news was all bad for Tampa Bay.
They too were held without a touchdown until the 4th quarter & getting beat by a division rival wasn't all that happened to the Bucs in Nawlins. DT Gerald McCoy suffered a torn biceps muscle & wil be lost for the remainder of this season. He sustained the same injury last season in his other(right) arm & missed 9 games. I told you this morning QB Josh Freeman had a heavily taped thumb before the game. Even tho he completed 27 of 37, he missed two wide open receivers who could've scored earlier in this game, possibly making the Bucs competitive.
Buffalo loses & looks like....well they looked like we thought Buffalo would look back in August, which wasn't good.
As bad as Jets' QB Mark Sanchez was with the turnovers once again, the Bills committed more & the Jets turned them into points every time, beating Buffalo 27-11. The Jets' win created a 3-way tie for first in the AFC East at 5-3. Bills QB Ryan Fitzpatrick was 15 of 31 with 2 interceptions. RB Fred Jackson, who up until yesterday, was the AFC offensive player of the half-year. He put one on the ground & New York turned it into a 2nd quarter touchdown. With a 3-game road trip(Dallas, Miami & Jets again) next up, Buffalo could come crashing back to earth very quickly.
Titans nap after halftime while Bengals score 17 unanswered points to win.
What happened? The Titans looked very good jumping out to a 17-7 halftime lead at home & then managed just 3 first downs the rest of the game & lost to Cincinnati 24-17.
NYG-NE, scoreless at half, but we get a thrilling 24-20 finish.
It's been a long time since I saw Tom Brady have a sideline meltdown, but after his 2nd interception, he began throwing anything that wasn't tied down on the New England sideline. He also lost a fumble. But in the end, Brady did what he does best, make a play to allow his team to win the game. Unfortunately for Patriot fans, Brady made that play with 1:36 left. Just enough time for Eli Manning to lead his team downfield & thanks to a pass interference call at the goal line, the Giants had 18-seconds left to either win the game or kick a tying field goal. Manning threw a perfect pass to TE Jake Ballard for the winning touchdown. Once again, the Patriots couldn't mount an effective pass rush & Manning was given time to throw against a mediocre Patriot secondary. Two other notes. Once again the Patriots can't throw the ball downfield because they have no outside speed. This will be a major, major problem down the stretch & if they get into the playoffs. Two, Chad Ochocinco is taking a roster spot from someone who might actually contribute to the team.
Carson Palmer equals his Raider debut, 3 interceptions, as the Tebows win 38-24.
When Kansas City skunked the Silver & Black 28-0, Raider diehards wrote it off saying when Palmer hets some time with his receivers, he won't throw 3 picks in a half like he did against the Chiefs. Wrong. He threw 3 second half picks yesterday & Oakland was beaten 38-24 by the Denver Tebows. Yes, RB Willis McGahee ran for 163-yards & 2 touchdowns on just 20 carries & Tebow himself broke the century mark on the ground, chipping in 119 more, plus he threw for two touchdowns & didn't commit a turnover. Oh yeah, the Raiders did what they do best, commit penalties, 15 for an obscene 130-yards & then there was Palmer's 3 picks. For all the Tebow haters, he is now 3-2 as an NFL starter. Kyle Orton is 4-15 since the beginning of the 2010 season. I still don't believe he's an NFL quarterback, but people, get off his case, he's better than some for sure.
Chargers had a chance, but Rivers just too much to overcome.
I picked San Diego to upset the 7-0 defending world champion Green Bay Packers. Down by 21 in the 4th quarter I figured they were finished. But a quick score, a recovered onside kick, another quick score, a 3 & out & I could see the Chargers tying this game at 45-all. The reason the score was so damn high was Phillip Rivers continues to throw picks. The Pack returned two of them for touchdowns. Rivers has thrown 14 interceptions in 8 games. He did throw 4 touchdowns in the rain, but so did Aaron Rodgers but he didn't throw any picks & therein lies the difference in this game.
Say what you want about Joe Flacco, but when it counted, he was brilliant.
Trailing 20-16, beginning on their own 8-yardline, the Baltimore Ravens had just 2:16 & 1 timeout to try to win the game. Their quarterback, Joe Flacco was brilliant. For the game he was 13 of 17 on 3rd down & every pass he threw in the deciding drive, hit a receiver right in the hands, every single pass. He threw the 26-yard winning score to rookie Torrey Smith who had dropped a TD pass just two plays prior to catching the game winner. Smith's catch atoned for a holding penalty that wiped out a 76-yard touchdown run by Ray Rice. The ferocity of the hitting in this game was almost frightening, these two play at another level when facing each other. Ravens' MLB Ray Lewis knocked WR Hines Ward out of the game with a vicious helmet-to-helmet hit that is sure to get him fined. The AFC North is now a 3-way tie between these combatants & Cincinnati. I really don't know how good the Bengals really are, but we're going to find out real soon. Pittsburgh next week & Baltimore the week after.
Man I stink on ice.
If Philly wins tonight, I'll have a 6-8 record for the week in the Office Pool Picks, easily my worst week in two years. Chiefs & Bills got smoked early, then the Raiders gave up 24-unanswered 2nd half points to lose. St. Louis got the game-winning field goal attempt blocked & then surrendered a record-setting 99-yard punt return to give Arizona the win. The Giants scored the game-winner with 15-seconds on the clock, Cincy scored 17-unanswered 2nd half points, Baltimore won the game with 8-seconds remaining & then there was San Diego. Poised to get it done but those darn interceptions. The road teams won 9 of the 13 games played yesterday, that doesn't happen very often.
Except for an Indy defensive score, all 7 early losers didn't score an offensive touchdown till the 4th quarter.
Yep, all seven went TD-less for three quarters. This is why the NASCAR race was on my big screen at 2PM sharp, I couldn't watch anymore futility. By 3:15, the race was back on a smaller screen. The offenses of KC, Buffalo, Cleveland, Tampa, Seattle, Washington & Indy were held touchdown-less for over three quarters. Tough to watch such punchless, one-sided football.
I'm beginning to think the Texans will win 11-12 games.
The NFC South contains 0-9 Indy, 2-6 Jacksonville & 4-4 Tennessee. The Texans still have a game with each, plus 4-4 Tampa & 2-6 Carolina. Houston is currently 6-3, I can see them having no worse than the second seed in the playoffs. With WR Andre Johnson returning next week, I think Houston can win 11-12 games for sure.
If Luck wants to come out, I can't see anyone other than Indy having the #1 pick.
When I say, "if Luck wants to come out" I mean he has another year of eligibility left, so he could return to Stanford & play another year if he doesn't like the looks of whoever(Indy) owns that selection. The Colts are so horrible, I seriously doubt they can win even one game this season. At home yesterday, the Colts managed just 186-yards of total offense against the 15th rated defense of the Atlanta Falcons.
Patrick Peterson is a killer return man, but why would you field a punt on your 1-yard line?
After some terrible play calling by the St. Louis Rams, they were forced to punt to Arizona in overtime. Cardinals' cornerback & punt returner, rookie Patrick Peterson, catches the ball on his own 1-yard line & proceeds to scoot thru the Rams' not-so-special teams for the game-winning score. Peterson became only the second player in NFL history to end a playoff game with a punt return touchdown. The other? Tamarick Vanover against the San Diego Chargers on Monday Night Football, October 9th, 1995.
San Francisco wins 6th straight, realistically clinching the NFC West.
The 7-1 Forty-Niners lead the division while the other three teams, Arizona, Seattle & St. Louis have won a total of 5 games combined. I'd say the race is over already. RB Frank Gore rushed for 107-yards, his fifth consecutive 100+ game. QB Alex Smith was quietly efficient while the defense held Washington without a touchdown until the 1:10 mark of the 4th quarter.
The news was all bad for Tampa Bay.
They too were held without a touchdown until the 4th quarter & getting beat by a division rival wasn't all that happened to the Bucs in Nawlins. DT Gerald McCoy suffered a torn biceps muscle & wil be lost for the remainder of this season. He sustained the same injury last season in his other(right) arm & missed 9 games. I told you this morning QB Josh Freeman had a heavily taped thumb before the game. Even tho he completed 27 of 37, he missed two wide open receivers who could've scored earlier in this game, possibly making the Bucs competitive.
Buffalo loses & looks like....well they looked like we thought Buffalo would look back in August, which wasn't good.
As bad as Jets' QB Mark Sanchez was with the turnovers once again, the Bills committed more & the Jets turned them into points every time, beating Buffalo 27-11. The Jets' win created a 3-way tie for first in the AFC East at 5-3. Bills QB Ryan Fitzpatrick was 15 of 31 with 2 interceptions. RB Fred Jackson, who up until yesterday, was the AFC offensive player of the half-year. He put one on the ground & New York turned it into a 2nd quarter touchdown. With a 3-game road trip(Dallas, Miami & Jets again) next up, Buffalo could come crashing back to earth very quickly.
Titans nap after halftime while Bengals score 17 unanswered points to win.
What happened? The Titans looked very good jumping out to a 17-7 halftime lead at home & then managed just 3 first downs the rest of the game & lost to Cincinnati 24-17.
NYG-NE, scoreless at half, but we get a thrilling 24-20 finish.
It's been a long time since I saw Tom Brady have a sideline meltdown, but after his 2nd interception, he began throwing anything that wasn't tied down on the New England sideline. He also lost a fumble. But in the end, Brady did what he does best, make a play to allow his team to win the game. Unfortunately for Patriot fans, Brady made that play with 1:36 left. Just enough time for Eli Manning to lead his team downfield & thanks to a pass interference call at the goal line, the Giants had 18-seconds left to either win the game or kick a tying field goal. Manning threw a perfect pass to TE Jake Ballard for the winning touchdown. Once again, the Patriots couldn't mount an effective pass rush & Manning was given time to throw against a mediocre Patriot secondary. Two other notes. Once again the Patriots can't throw the ball downfield because they have no outside speed. This will be a major, major problem down the stretch & if they get into the playoffs. Two, Chad Ochocinco is taking a roster spot from someone who might actually contribute to the team.
Carson Palmer equals his Raider debut, 3 interceptions, as the Tebows win 38-24.
When Kansas City skunked the Silver & Black 28-0, Raider diehards wrote it off saying when Palmer hets some time with his receivers, he won't throw 3 picks in a half like he did against the Chiefs. Wrong. He threw 3 second half picks yesterday & Oakland was beaten 38-24 by the Denver Tebows. Yes, RB Willis McGahee ran for 163-yards & 2 touchdowns on just 20 carries & Tebow himself broke the century mark on the ground, chipping in 119 more, plus he threw for two touchdowns & didn't commit a turnover. Oh yeah, the Raiders did what they do best, commit penalties, 15 for an obscene 130-yards & then there was Palmer's 3 picks. For all the Tebow haters, he is now 3-2 as an NFL starter. Kyle Orton is 4-15 since the beginning of the 2010 season. I still don't believe he's an NFL quarterback, but people, get off his case, he's better than some for sure.
Chargers had a chance, but Rivers just too much to overcome.
I picked San Diego to upset the 7-0 defending world champion Green Bay Packers. Down by 21 in the 4th quarter I figured they were finished. But a quick score, a recovered onside kick, another quick score, a 3 & out & I could see the Chargers tying this game at 45-all. The reason the score was so damn high was Phillip Rivers continues to throw picks. The Pack returned two of them for touchdowns. Rivers has thrown 14 interceptions in 8 games. He did throw 4 touchdowns in the rain, but so did Aaron Rodgers but he didn't throw any picks & therein lies the difference in this game.
Say what you want about Joe Flacco, but when it counted, he was brilliant.
Trailing 20-16, beginning on their own 8-yardline, the Baltimore Ravens had just 2:16 & 1 timeout to try to win the game. Their quarterback, Joe Flacco was brilliant. For the game he was 13 of 17 on 3rd down & every pass he threw in the deciding drive, hit a receiver right in the hands, every single pass. He threw the 26-yard winning score to rookie Torrey Smith who had dropped a TD pass just two plays prior to catching the game winner. Smith's catch atoned for a holding penalty that wiped out a 76-yard touchdown run by Ray Rice. The ferocity of the hitting in this game was almost frightening, these two play at another level when facing each other. Ravens' MLB Ray Lewis knocked WR Hines Ward out of the game with a vicious helmet-to-helmet hit that is sure to get him fined. The AFC North is now a 3-way tie between these combatants & Cincinnati. I really don't know how good the Bengals really are, but we're going to find out real soon. Pittsburgh next week & Baltimore the week after.
Man I stink on ice.
If Philly wins tonight, I'll have a 6-8 record for the week in the Office Pool Picks, easily my worst week in two years. Chiefs & Bills got smoked early, then the Raiders gave up 24-unanswered 2nd half points to lose. St. Louis got the game-winning field goal attempt blocked & then surrendered a record-setting 99-yard punt return to give Arizona the win. The Giants scored the game-winner with 15-seconds on the clock, Cincy scored 17-unanswered 2nd half points, Baltimore won the game with 8-seconds remaining & then there was San Diego. Poised to get it done but those darn interceptions. The road teams won 9 of the 13 games played yesterday, that doesn't happen very often.
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