NFL WEEK 15, WHAT I SAW
I said last Thursday this week was one that could blow up in your face trying to pick winners. I said I'd be proud to win 10-games, with a Pittsburgh victory tonight in San Francisco, I'll have 9. We saw an undefeated team lose & a winless team win. All in all, six teams with losing records beat six teams with winning records. That's why it's so damn tough to consistently pick winners, the "On any given Sunday" component crops up & bites you in the ass. Here's what I saw.
Playoff hopes for Titans, Jets, Raiders & Bears take another turn for the worse.
Titans lose to previously winless Indianapolis, nuff said there. The Jets were crushed by the very frustrated Philadelphia Eagles. Their game this Saturday with the Giants could eliminate one of them from the playoff picture. I like the Giants despite Eli Manning's terrible showing Sunday. If the G-Men beat the Jets & Cowboys, they win the NFC East. Dallas faces a rejuvenated Eagles squad before traveling to New York for the season finale.
The Raiders just find a way don't they? Up 27-14 with 5-minutes to play, Oakland surrendered touchdown pass #3 & 4 to Matthew Stafford & the Detroit Lions for a 28-27 win. The Raider managed to get to attempt a 65-yard field goal as time ran out, but it was blocked by Ndamukong Suh. Calvin "Megatron" Johnson caught 9 passes for 214-yards & a pair of touchdowns. The Chiefs can put Oakland out of their misery with a defeat in Arrowhead this Saturday.
The Bears were overwhelmed with mistakes in their 38-14 loss to surging seattle. The Bears threw 4 interceptions, two of them brought back for touchdowns & a lost fumble. I think GM Jerry Angelo ought to lose his job for not signing a veteran quarterback when Jay Cutler went down with a broken hand. Caleb Hanie is Tyler Palko in a different uniform.
In Houston we saw what could happen with T.J. Yates in the playoffs.
And that is lose. Once Carolina jumped out to a 14-0 lead, the Texans were squarely behind the eight-ball. They had to run a lot less & throw more, not something Yates is ready to do right now or maybe ever. Cam Newton threw a pair of touchdown strikes while Yates tossed two picks & no scores. Houston is also squandering any hopes of home field advantage or a bye in week one if they don't win their last two games versus Indy & Tennessee. If Pittsburgh wins tonight, Houston falls to the #3 seed with just two weeks remaining. Truth be told, Houston's defense didn't show up with enough stops on Sunday either.
Bills play giveaway while Reggie busts a deuce in 30-23 Miami win.
Reggie Bush ran for 203-yards on just 25-carries yesterday as the Dolphins rebounded with a win for their interim coach Todd Bowles. Toby Sparano was canned last Monday shortly after Todd Haley got the ax & the Dolphins responded in similar fashion to K.C. They won. Despite snow showers, Miami QB Matt Moore had a very efficient passing day, throwing for 2 touchdowns on just 10 completions. The Phish relied on Bush & rookie Daniel Thomas to produce on the ground. Bush scored on a 76-yard run with under 6-minutes left in the game to secure the victory.
Bengals stay alive in playoff race, slipping by St. Louis 20-13.
Despite being outgained on offense, the Cincinnati Bengals moved their record to 8-6 with a win in the Edward Jones Dome in St. Louis. After a 6-3 first half, a 56-yard punt return by Brandon Tate broke up a tight defensive struggle leading to the 1st touchdown of the game & a 13-6 Cincy lead they'd never relinquish. The Bengals are tied with the Jets for the final playoff spot, they have Arizona & Baltimore left on their schedule.
Once again Arizona finds a way in overtime.
The Arizona Cardinals won their third overtime game, beating Cleveland 20-17 to level their record at 7-7. Backup quarterback John Skelton weathered a fierce Cleveland pass rush to lead his team to 10 4th quarter points to tie it. A Jay Feeley field goal in overtime provided the game-winner. Skelton is 5-2 as a starter since starter Kevin Kolb suffered the first of two concussions.
Tebowmania? Belichick & Brady aren't believers.
The Denver Broncos has strung together 6 straight wins. One reason to that success was because they didn't turn the ball over to their opponent. That wasn't the case at Mile High yesterday. For the first time since becoming the starter, Tim Tebow led the Broncos to scores on their first three possessions.The Broncos had 167-yards rushing in the first quarter alone. But it was new England holding them to just 85-yards in the final 3 quarters & the 13 points scored by the Patriots on 3 fumbles recovered in the 2nd quarter. The Denver defense didn't play well either, surrendering 451-yards of total offense. The pass rush just wasn't there as we'd seen in weeks past. Tebow passed for 193-yards & ran for another 92-yards & two touchdowns, but they couldn't overcome the three turnovers after the halfway mark of the 2nd quarter that resulted in FG-TD-FG.
I'm still not sold on the Patriots' chances in the post season.
Ravens stink up the place as San Diego thumps 'em 34-14.
Once again the Baltimore Ravens have laid a very big egg. This time is was their defense getting chewed up by Charger QB Phillip Rivers. He threw for 270-yards & a TD. RB Ryan Mathews chipped in with 90-yards & a pair of touchdowns. But what surprised me most of all was the Baltimore defense's inability to get off the field, San Diego controlled the ball 9-minutes longer, displaying nothing resembling their 6-game losing streak. The Raven offensive line was awful as well, surrendering 7 sacks & 7 other QB knockdowns. San Diego is just one game behind first place Denver & have a shot tho road games in Detroit & Oakland could prove to be too much for the Chargers this season.
Don't forget to tune into my radio show on KRMS 1150AM or by live stream on the internet at krmsradio.com. With the Chiefs huge win & our predict the score contest for tonight's MNF game between Pittsburgh & San Francisco, we'll have plenty to talk about. Join me, won't you?
Playoff hopes for Titans, Jets, Raiders & Bears take another turn for the worse.
Titans lose to previously winless Indianapolis, nuff said there. The Jets were crushed by the very frustrated Philadelphia Eagles. Their game this Saturday with the Giants could eliminate one of them from the playoff picture. I like the Giants despite Eli Manning's terrible showing Sunday. If the G-Men beat the Jets & Cowboys, they win the NFC East. Dallas faces a rejuvenated Eagles squad before traveling to New York for the season finale.
The Raiders just find a way don't they? Up 27-14 with 5-minutes to play, Oakland surrendered touchdown pass #3 & 4 to Matthew Stafford & the Detroit Lions for a 28-27 win. The Raider managed to get to attempt a 65-yard field goal as time ran out, but it was blocked by Ndamukong Suh. Calvin "Megatron" Johnson caught 9 passes for 214-yards & a pair of touchdowns. The Chiefs can put Oakland out of their misery with a defeat in Arrowhead this Saturday.
The Bears were overwhelmed with mistakes in their 38-14 loss to surging seattle. The Bears threw 4 interceptions, two of them brought back for touchdowns & a lost fumble. I think GM Jerry Angelo ought to lose his job for not signing a veteran quarterback when Jay Cutler went down with a broken hand. Caleb Hanie is Tyler Palko in a different uniform.
In Houston we saw what could happen with T.J. Yates in the playoffs.
And that is lose. Once Carolina jumped out to a 14-0 lead, the Texans were squarely behind the eight-ball. They had to run a lot less & throw more, not something Yates is ready to do right now or maybe ever. Cam Newton threw a pair of touchdown strikes while Yates tossed two picks & no scores. Houston is also squandering any hopes of home field advantage or a bye in week one if they don't win their last two games versus Indy & Tennessee. If Pittsburgh wins tonight, Houston falls to the #3 seed with just two weeks remaining. Truth be told, Houston's defense didn't show up with enough stops on Sunday either.
Bills play giveaway while Reggie busts a deuce in 30-23 Miami win.
Reggie Bush ran for 203-yards on just 25-carries yesterday as the Dolphins rebounded with a win for their interim coach Todd Bowles. Toby Sparano was canned last Monday shortly after Todd Haley got the ax & the Dolphins responded in similar fashion to K.C. They won. Despite snow showers, Miami QB Matt Moore had a very efficient passing day, throwing for 2 touchdowns on just 10 completions. The Phish relied on Bush & rookie Daniel Thomas to produce on the ground. Bush scored on a 76-yard run with under 6-minutes left in the game to secure the victory.
Bengals stay alive in playoff race, slipping by St. Louis 20-13.
Despite being outgained on offense, the Cincinnati Bengals moved their record to 8-6 with a win in the Edward Jones Dome in St. Louis. After a 6-3 first half, a 56-yard punt return by Brandon Tate broke up a tight defensive struggle leading to the 1st touchdown of the game & a 13-6 Cincy lead they'd never relinquish. The Bengals are tied with the Jets for the final playoff spot, they have Arizona & Baltimore left on their schedule.
Once again Arizona finds a way in overtime.
The Arizona Cardinals won their third overtime game, beating Cleveland 20-17 to level their record at 7-7. Backup quarterback John Skelton weathered a fierce Cleveland pass rush to lead his team to 10 4th quarter points to tie it. A Jay Feeley field goal in overtime provided the game-winner. Skelton is 5-2 as a starter since starter Kevin Kolb suffered the first of two concussions.
Tebowmania? Belichick & Brady aren't believers.
The Denver Broncos has strung together 6 straight wins. One reason to that success was because they didn't turn the ball over to their opponent. That wasn't the case at Mile High yesterday. For the first time since becoming the starter, Tim Tebow led the Broncos to scores on their first three possessions.The Broncos had 167-yards rushing in the first quarter alone. But it was new England holding them to just 85-yards in the final 3 quarters & the 13 points scored by the Patriots on 3 fumbles recovered in the 2nd quarter. The Denver defense didn't play well either, surrendering 451-yards of total offense. The pass rush just wasn't there as we'd seen in weeks past. Tebow passed for 193-yards & ran for another 92-yards & two touchdowns, but they couldn't overcome the three turnovers after the halfway mark of the 2nd quarter that resulted in FG-TD-FG.
I'm still not sold on the Patriots' chances in the post season.
Ravens stink up the place as San Diego thumps 'em 34-14.
Once again the Baltimore Ravens have laid a very big egg. This time is was their defense getting chewed up by Charger QB Phillip Rivers. He threw for 270-yards & a TD. RB Ryan Mathews chipped in with 90-yards & a pair of touchdowns. But what surprised me most of all was the Baltimore defense's inability to get off the field, San Diego controlled the ball 9-minutes longer, displaying nothing resembling their 6-game losing streak. The Raven offensive line was awful as well, surrendering 7 sacks & 7 other QB knockdowns. San Diego is just one game behind first place Denver & have a shot tho road games in Detroit & Oakland could prove to be too much for the Chargers this season.
Don't forget to tune into my radio show on KRMS 1150AM or by live stream on the internet at krmsradio.com. With the Chiefs huge win & our predict the score contest for tonight's MNF game between Pittsburgh & San Francisco, we'll have plenty to talk about. Join me, won't you?
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