Rams 17 - Cardinals 3:
As I predicted, the Arizona offensive line was over-matched by the Rams underrated defensive line, and the Cardinals showed almost nothing on offense. Fitzgerald was blanketed for the most part by Finnegan. I had major doubts about their 4-0 record and it showed in their performance last Thursday night. I still think Arizona is a solid team when they manage to keep Kolb upright and he plays solid. The Rams lost Amendola for the season and this team is seriously devoid on wide receiver talent that can contribute today. They seem to have an endless number of young unproven but talented wide receivers which doesn't bode well for their offense in the short term. One of them will have to step up and Chris Givens gets the first shot. He's more of a one-trick pony (speed, and thus deep routes), so I don't like his chances as much as talented but raw rookie Brian Quick. Someone will have to step up for this team to have a shot at a winning record. Steven Jackson, by the way, actually looked pretty good on some of his runs. He's in the middle of a slow break-up with St. Louis who confirmed last week that they will not be exercising his option for 2013. If he wants to latch on elsewhere, he will have 11 games to show he can still be a lead dog.
Eagles 14 - Steelers 16:
Vick is not a pocket passer, plain and simple. The Eagles are trying to force a round peg into a square hole with him. He had one good year as a passer but it doesn't look like he'll be able to replicate it. I think it is also giving him problems with decision-making which is leading to late decisions and thus turnovers. The Eagles defense is very good across the board. Their front seven can stop the run, rush the passer, and their back end has the talent to hang with any offense in the league. The problem is, as long as Vick keeps turning the ball over, this defense will be on the field way longer than it should be and while, thus far, they have been able to limit the damage, the floodgates are about to burst. There's only so much a defense can do when it is on the field for as long as the Eagles are.
The Steelers got Mendenhall back who provided a much-needed boost to their running game. I have to admit he looked pretty good, especially coming off his injury. I did not expect that from him this soon. He might even look better than he did pre-injury; he just seemed quicker and showed more burst than I am used to seeing from him. The true test for him, now, will be how he withstands the grind of the season.
Colts 30 - Packers 27:
I didn't catch much of this game but kudos to the Colts for handling such an emotional week and overcoming a Packers team that really needed this win. I'm not sure what the issue is with the Packers. Certainly injuries have some part in it, and they only added to that list now with Benson and Finley out (although the latter should be back sooner). But this team has quality depth and I expected them to be able to overcome the injuries. I think the bigger issue is the sub-par play from their offensive line. With no time and new weapons, Rodgers is having a tough time getting in rhythm.
Browns 27 - Giants 41:
The Giants defense looked flat early in this game and they had me nervous after they allowed Cleveland to score two early touchdowns. But they settled down and Ahmad Bradshaw overcame his early fumble and ripped off over 200 yards on the ground. The Giants have had injuries at receiver and running back as well but their offensive line is in much better shape and Eli Manning is spreading the ball around as good as anyone in the league right now. This offense will be hard to stop.
The Browns showed some signs of life on offense and rookie Josh Gordon seems to have provided them with a deep threat that will discourage that 8th man in the box which, of course, will only help Trent Richardson and the running game.
Falcons 24 - Redskins 17:
The biggest news from this game, asides from the 5-0 Falcons, was the vicious hit that RGIII took. I watched a lot of this game and I've been saying it for weeks now that the Redskins cannot keep exposing Griffin to this type of punishment. He's not built to handle that type of beating on a weekly basis and he is too talented to be lost for a games during the season. He had some concussion symptoms and I will be surprised if he plays this week. Hopefully he will learn to look at the bigger picture and make better decisions.
By the way, Alfred Morris looked very good in this game. The Falcons aren't the best run defense but they rarely give up big plays and they are technically sound on defense. I thought Morris was a pedestrian talent who was part lucky with the schedule and part a product of the Mike Shanahan system. While those things may still be somewhat true, he's certainly talented and he showed it in this game. He was constantly getting yards after contact and he showed very good vision in the zone-blocking scheme that Washington applies. However, I was really impressed by how hard he ran even in the fourth quarter. He's the real deal.
Ravens 9 - Chiefs 6:
The little that I did watch of this game was painful. Both offenses were putrid, except for Jamal Charles. Flacco and that no-huddle offense is off-track right now. They need to make some changes before next week to avoid any further digression. I've said before that the biggest enemy of the no-huddle offense is the no-huddle offense itself. It's a delicate balance that the play-caller has to keep in mind. Most teams do not have the personnel to run the no-huddle all the time. Heck there have only been a handful of teams in the history of the NFL that successfully ran a no-huddle for the majority of their offensive plays. The Bengals and the Bills in the 90's come to mind.
Broncos 21 - Patriots 31:
The Bronco defense got carved up early in this one. Brady was having his way through the air but the bigger story is that the Patriots are officially a running team now. Belichick just amazes me every year. He is truly the class of the NFL and a trendsetter as a tactician and play-caller. The Pats showed the NFL that their performance on the ground against the putrid Bills in week 4 was no fluke by shredding an NFL-caliber defense for 223 yards rushing.
For the Broncos, they've been victims of a very tough schedule so far and things will get easier for them. McGahee is a talented running back with mediocre vision and someone who's always had ball security issues. His fumble late in the game pretty much sealed Denver's fate.
Bills 3 - 49ers 45:
Wow, where do I begin? I had to turn away from this game by the end of the 3rd quarter, and it was never even close. The Bills defense has some serious issues all over, and losing Mark Anderson for an indefinite amount of time will not help their chances. So far, the Bills defensive line remake has been a major bust. I was expecting the Bills to lose but I thought they would at least show some signs of life. Technically, I guess, they did hang in there in the first half but that was more a function of the 49ers trying very hard to give the game away and the Bills respectfully declining. This team has some major soul searching to do after back to back record-breaking putrid weeks. Just when you think they have hit rock bottom, they show us there's more room below.
On offense, Fitzpatrick was horrendous on some of his throws. One particular throw comes to mind - A 25+ yard pass to Donald Jones down the right sideline into the end-zone. The ball so incredibly under thrown that the corner covering Jones almost couldn't make it back in time to intercept it. Fitzpatrick simply does not have the arm to keep defenses honest and unless they can get him in rhythm early and keep there for 4 quarters, this offense will be very hot and cold. It also didn't help that they were going against, arguably, the league's best defense.
As mentioned above, the 49ers started this game off in a very uncharacteristically sloppy way. They were penalized a lot, especially on critical 3rd downs. But, it didn't matter as the Bills would obediently move out of their way and surrender the first down anyways. The Niners defense steals all of the attention but the offense is actually very good. The offensive line is one of the best in the league and they opened up huge lanes for the running backs. Of course, the next logical thing was to use the play action and catch the Bills flat footed and throw it over their heads to Vernon Davis. This was a vicious cycle throughout the game - Apply, Rinse, Repeat.
Chargers 24 - Saints 31:
A few things stood out to me in this game. First, Drew Brees pound for pound may be the best player in this league. Every time I watch him I am impressed by how accurate he is despite him throwing on his tippy toes most of the time. He is an incredible story and what a great night for him to beat Unitas' record and get the Saints their first win. Colston had a great game and it was in typical Colston fashion - there won't be more than five yards between him and the corner but he makes the tough catches in tight spaces. It's too bad their defense is abysmal and their running game is nonexistent.
The Chargers finally came to their senses and gave their best offensive player the ball. Ryan Mathews ran like a beast unleashed, and I'm not just saying that because I own him in a couple of fantasy leagues. He has top-5 talent but has been hampered by injuries and fumbilitis. Maybe the early season benching in favor of Jackie Battle has finally flipped the light switch on for Matthews. Antonio Gates is mediocre at this point in his career. Simply speaking, he could not get open. He was never the fastest guy, but he always had an array of basketball moves to create separation - his agility and burst seem to be sapped and he is no longer creating separation.
Texans 23 - Jets 17:
As predicted, this proved to be somewhat of a trap game for the Texans. A clearly superior team facing an underwhelming Jets team who were without their best offensive or defensive player and Mark Sanchez at Quarterback. But the bright lights of Monday night seem to bring out the best in teams like the Jets and I was nervous that Rex Ryan would light enough of a fire under them that they might pull off an upset. The Jets came up short but it was not for want of trying. Cromartie keep Andre Johnson in check for the whole game and the Jets defense as a whole played much better.
I'm the farthest thing from a Mark Sanchez apologist - I have never considered him a "franchise caliber" quarterback. But even I could see that he simply does not have the weapons to keep this offense afloat and the interceptions were only partly his fault since they were tipped balls. I say "partly" because Sanchez has always had issues with tipped balls. His slow delivery gives defensive linemen too much time to jump up and alter the path of the pass. With the offense being as bad as they have been, I'm surprised Rex Ryan and Tony Sparano (the original NFL wild-cat guru) have not involved Tim Tebow more.
Thursday Night Football pick:
Steelers 27 - Titans 6:
The Titans might be the one team that are worse than the Bills on defense. I expect Pittsburgh to take full advantage of that and I do not expect Matt Hasselbeck to be able to keep up. Pittsburgh has been leaning on the pass more so than I would've expected a team like the Steelers to do so, but maybe Mendenhall will have some influence in changing that. Either way, I expect this offense to have its way with the Titans defense and this one will be over by the end of the 3rd quarter.
As I predicted, the Arizona offensive line was over-matched by the Rams underrated defensive line, and the Cardinals showed almost nothing on offense. Fitzgerald was blanketed for the most part by Finnegan. I had major doubts about their 4-0 record and it showed in their performance last Thursday night. I still think Arizona is a solid team when they manage to keep Kolb upright and he plays solid. The Rams lost Amendola for the season and this team is seriously devoid on wide receiver talent that can contribute today. They seem to have an endless number of young unproven but talented wide receivers which doesn't bode well for their offense in the short term. One of them will have to step up and Chris Givens gets the first shot. He's more of a one-trick pony (speed, and thus deep routes), so I don't like his chances as much as talented but raw rookie Brian Quick. Someone will have to step up for this team to have a shot at a winning record. Steven Jackson, by the way, actually looked pretty good on some of his runs. He's in the middle of a slow break-up with St. Louis who confirmed last week that they will not be exercising his option for 2013. If he wants to latch on elsewhere, he will have 11 games to show he can still be a lead dog.
Eagles 14 - Steelers 16:
Vick is not a pocket passer, plain and simple. The Eagles are trying to force a round peg into a square hole with him. He had one good year as a passer but it doesn't look like he'll be able to replicate it. I think it is also giving him problems with decision-making which is leading to late decisions and thus turnovers. The Eagles defense is very good across the board. Their front seven can stop the run, rush the passer, and their back end has the talent to hang with any offense in the league. The problem is, as long as Vick keeps turning the ball over, this defense will be on the field way longer than it should be and while, thus far, they have been able to limit the damage, the floodgates are about to burst. There's only so much a defense can do when it is on the field for as long as the Eagles are.
The Steelers got Mendenhall back who provided a much-needed boost to their running game. I have to admit he looked pretty good, especially coming off his injury. I did not expect that from him this soon. He might even look better than he did pre-injury; he just seemed quicker and showed more burst than I am used to seeing from him. The true test for him, now, will be how he withstands the grind of the season.
Colts 30 - Packers 27:
I didn't catch much of this game but kudos to the Colts for handling such an emotional week and overcoming a Packers team that really needed this win. I'm not sure what the issue is with the Packers. Certainly injuries have some part in it, and they only added to that list now with Benson and Finley out (although the latter should be back sooner). But this team has quality depth and I expected them to be able to overcome the injuries. I think the bigger issue is the sub-par play from their offensive line. With no time and new weapons, Rodgers is having a tough time getting in rhythm.
Browns 27 - Giants 41:
The Giants defense looked flat early in this game and they had me nervous after they allowed Cleveland to score two early touchdowns. But they settled down and Ahmad Bradshaw overcame his early fumble and ripped off over 200 yards on the ground. The Giants have had injuries at receiver and running back as well but their offensive line is in much better shape and Eli Manning is spreading the ball around as good as anyone in the league right now. This offense will be hard to stop.
The Browns showed some signs of life on offense and rookie Josh Gordon seems to have provided them with a deep threat that will discourage that 8th man in the box which, of course, will only help Trent Richardson and the running game.
Falcons 24 - Redskins 17:
The biggest news from this game, asides from the 5-0 Falcons, was the vicious hit that RGIII took. I watched a lot of this game and I've been saying it for weeks now that the Redskins cannot keep exposing Griffin to this type of punishment. He's not built to handle that type of beating on a weekly basis and he is too talented to be lost for a games during the season. He had some concussion symptoms and I will be surprised if he plays this week. Hopefully he will learn to look at the bigger picture and make better decisions.
By the way, Alfred Morris looked very good in this game. The Falcons aren't the best run defense but they rarely give up big plays and they are technically sound on defense. I thought Morris was a pedestrian talent who was part lucky with the schedule and part a product of the Mike Shanahan system. While those things may still be somewhat true, he's certainly talented and he showed it in this game. He was constantly getting yards after contact and he showed very good vision in the zone-blocking scheme that Washington applies. However, I was really impressed by how hard he ran even in the fourth quarter. He's the real deal.
Ravens 9 - Chiefs 6:
The little that I did watch of this game was painful. Both offenses were putrid, except for Jamal Charles. Flacco and that no-huddle offense is off-track right now. They need to make some changes before next week to avoid any further digression. I've said before that the biggest enemy of the no-huddle offense is the no-huddle offense itself. It's a delicate balance that the play-caller has to keep in mind. Most teams do not have the personnel to run the no-huddle all the time. Heck there have only been a handful of teams in the history of the NFL that successfully ran a no-huddle for the majority of their offensive plays. The Bengals and the Bills in the 90's come to mind.
Broncos 21 - Patriots 31:
The Bronco defense got carved up early in this one. Brady was having his way through the air but the bigger story is that the Patriots are officially a running team now. Belichick just amazes me every year. He is truly the class of the NFL and a trendsetter as a tactician and play-caller. The Pats showed the NFL that their performance on the ground against the putrid Bills in week 4 was no fluke by shredding an NFL-caliber defense for 223 yards rushing.
For the Broncos, they've been victims of a very tough schedule so far and things will get easier for them. McGahee is a talented running back with mediocre vision and someone who's always had ball security issues. His fumble late in the game pretty much sealed Denver's fate.
Bills 3 - 49ers 45:
Wow, where do I begin? I had to turn away from this game by the end of the 3rd quarter, and it was never even close. The Bills defense has some serious issues all over, and losing Mark Anderson for an indefinite amount of time will not help their chances. So far, the Bills defensive line remake has been a major bust. I was expecting the Bills to lose but I thought they would at least show some signs of life. Technically, I guess, they did hang in there in the first half but that was more a function of the 49ers trying very hard to give the game away and the Bills respectfully declining. This team has some major soul searching to do after back to back record-breaking putrid weeks. Just when you think they have hit rock bottom, they show us there's more room below.
On offense, Fitzpatrick was horrendous on some of his throws. One particular throw comes to mind - A 25+ yard pass to Donald Jones down the right sideline into the end-zone. The ball so incredibly under thrown that the corner covering Jones almost couldn't make it back in time to intercept it. Fitzpatrick simply does not have the arm to keep defenses honest and unless they can get him in rhythm early and keep there for 4 quarters, this offense will be very hot and cold. It also didn't help that they were going against, arguably, the league's best defense.
As mentioned above, the 49ers started this game off in a very uncharacteristically sloppy way. They were penalized a lot, especially on critical 3rd downs. But, it didn't matter as the Bills would obediently move out of their way and surrender the first down anyways. The Niners defense steals all of the attention but the offense is actually very good. The offensive line is one of the best in the league and they opened up huge lanes for the running backs. Of course, the next logical thing was to use the play action and catch the Bills flat footed and throw it over their heads to Vernon Davis. This was a vicious cycle throughout the game - Apply, Rinse, Repeat.
Chargers 24 - Saints 31:
A few things stood out to me in this game. First, Drew Brees pound for pound may be the best player in this league. Every time I watch him I am impressed by how accurate he is despite him throwing on his tippy toes most of the time. He is an incredible story and what a great night for him to beat Unitas' record and get the Saints their first win. Colston had a great game and it was in typical Colston fashion - there won't be more than five yards between him and the corner but he makes the tough catches in tight spaces. It's too bad their defense is abysmal and their running game is nonexistent.
The Chargers finally came to their senses and gave their best offensive player the ball. Ryan Mathews ran like a beast unleashed, and I'm not just saying that because I own him in a couple of fantasy leagues. He has top-5 talent but has been hampered by injuries and fumbilitis. Maybe the early season benching in favor of Jackie Battle has finally flipped the light switch on for Matthews. Antonio Gates is mediocre at this point in his career. Simply speaking, he could not get open. He was never the fastest guy, but he always had an array of basketball moves to create separation - his agility and burst seem to be sapped and he is no longer creating separation.
Texans 23 - Jets 17:
As predicted, this proved to be somewhat of a trap game for the Texans. A clearly superior team facing an underwhelming Jets team who were without their best offensive or defensive player and Mark Sanchez at Quarterback. But the bright lights of Monday night seem to bring out the best in teams like the Jets and I was nervous that Rex Ryan would light enough of a fire under them that they might pull off an upset. The Jets came up short but it was not for want of trying. Cromartie keep Andre Johnson in check for the whole game and the Jets defense as a whole played much better.
I'm the farthest thing from a Mark Sanchez apologist - I have never considered him a "franchise caliber" quarterback. But even I could see that he simply does not have the weapons to keep this offense afloat and the interceptions were only partly his fault since they were tipped balls. I say "partly" because Sanchez has always had issues with tipped balls. His slow delivery gives defensive linemen too much time to jump up and alter the path of the pass. With the offense being as bad as they have been, I'm surprised Rex Ryan and Tony Sparano (the original NFL wild-cat guru) have not involved Tim Tebow more.
Thursday Night Football pick:
Steelers 27 - Titans 6:
The Titans might be the one team that are worse than the Bills on defense. I expect Pittsburgh to take full advantage of that and I do not expect Matt Hasselbeck to be able to keep up. Pittsburgh has been leaning on the pass more so than I would've expected a team like the Steelers to do so, but maybe Mendenhall will have some influence in changing that. Either way, I expect this offense to have its way with the Titans defense and this one will be over by the end of the 3rd quarter.
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