Sep

29

NFL Week 4 Predictions

Filed Under NFL, Picks | 2 Comments

After a not-so-hot week last week, time for week 4 of the NFL Picks. Last week I went 7-6, and now for the season sit at 12 games over .500 at 28-16. Time for a big week, so here we go:

Indianapolis at New York Jets – The Jets are a surprising 2-1 after a win in Buffalo last week, but the Colts are not the Bills and should be able to put up some points in this one. The Jets also have not run the ball well at all and the defense allowed 475 last week, while the Colts are putting up over 370 of offense per game. Looks like a mismatch, and it should be. Indianapolis 34 NY Jets 17

Minnesota at Buffalo – The Bills put up a ton of offense last week, but lost at home to the Jets. Willis McGahee ran for 150, but will be hard pressed to do that again against the revamped Vikings. Minnesota should have beaten the Bears, but a late turnover doomed their chances. Chester Taylor will look to have his usual 25+ carries, and I like the Vikings to rebound in this one. Minnesota 17 Buffalo 10

San Diego at Baltimore – Maybe the game of the week. Can Phillip Rivers and the Chargers offense do damage against the tough Ravens D? After watching the Ravens last week vs the Browns, I can safely say that the Ravens are not as good as their 3-0 record. They have beaten 3 really bad teams (TB, Oakland and Cleveland), and needed a 52-yard field goal to get out of Cleveland with a win last week. I predict the Ravens lose 7 of their final 13, finish at 9-7, and the teams shining moments of the 2006 season will end up being weeks 1 through 3. San Diego 20 Baltimore 17

Dallas at Tennessee – Gee, I wonder what the story line of this game will be? If T.O. plays or not should not even matter, as this is a game the Cowboys HAVE to win if they want to be a contender in the NFC. The Titans are a bad team, but have played two tough games vs the Jets and Dolphins with a blowout in San Diego in between. I think this one has the makings of a trap game for the Cowboys, as don’t forget they lost in Oakland last year, and almost lost in San Francisco. Notice I said that the Cowboys have to win, not that they will. Tennessee 21 Dallas 17

Arizona at Atlanta – The Cardinals are already in trouble in the NFC West after a bad home loss to the Rams last week. Kurt Warner is about 2 plays away from holding a clip board, and the running game with Edgrin James has not been what it needs to be. The Falcons were totally outplayed Monday night vs the Saints, and back at home they should be able to run the ball well and handle the Cards to move to 3-1. Atlanta 31 Arizona 21

Cleveland at Oakland – True story: my brother, who is a Raiders fan, is flying from Cleveland to Oakland to be at this game. Here’s hoping the in-flight meal and movie are good, because the game sure won’t be. The Browns showed signs of life vs the Ravens last week, and should have won the game. The Raiders had a bye, and simply have to find a way to put up more than the six points they have scored in two games. They do lead the league in sacks with 15, and should be able to get to Charlie Frye. Shouldn’t matter, the Browns are the better team. Cleveland 13 Oakland 9

New Orleans at Carolina – The feel good story of the year is happening in New Orleans, where the Saints are 3-0 and flying high after last weeks win over the rival Falcons. This week I think is the letdown week, as the Panthers will use last weeks close win in Tampa as motivation to get back on track and back to .500. Last year the Saints won this game in Carolina on a late field goal, and the Panthers will have that in the back of their minds. Carolina with Steve Smith is the better team, and should be able to put up points despite the Saints defense playing pretty well the first three weeks. Carolina 28 New Orleans 14

San Francisco at Kansas City – Trent Green will miss this game again for the Chiefs, and Damon Huard and Larry Johnson must get things going for the Chiefs, who have looked bad in two losses. Alex Smith threw for a career-high 293 yards last week, but this is a tough place to play and the Chiefs clearly need a win to start feeling good again. Look for a big day for Johnson and the Chiefs D. Kansas City 24 SF 16

Detroit at St.Louis – Mike Martz returns to St.Louis as the offensive coordinator for the Lions, and would like nothing better than to stick it to his old team. Not going to happen. The Rams win in Arizona last week showed them they are a better team than people are giving them credit for. Steven Jackson should be able to run on the Lions, and Marc Bulger will have a good day throwing. The Lions have yet to show they can play much defense after the week one 9-6 loss to Seattle. St.Louis 29 Detroit 23

Jacksonville at Washington – This is a huge game for both teams, as the Skins need a win to get back to .500 at 2-2, and the Jags need to get back on track after a loss to the Colts last week. Washington put up 495 yards of offense against a bad Texans team last week, and Mark Brunell completed 22 straight in the win. The Jags had a shot in Indy last week to score a big statement making win, and gave the game away with turnovers. They have shown the ability to run though, with 120 yards per game on the ground. Could easily come down to the last two minutes. Washington 17 Jacksonville 14

Miami at Houston – Despite three bad games, the Dolphins should be able to move to .500 with a win here over the really bad Texans. Houston continues to shoot itself in the foot with sacks and an inability to get ahead and be able to run the ball, which when they do run have been able to get some positive yards. The Dolphins, and more importantly Daunte Culpepper, need to stay away from turnovers, and they should be able to eek out a close one down in Texas. Miami 20 Houston 10

New England at Cincinnati – At first look, one would think the Bengals should win this one in a runaway. But, upon further review, don’t count the Pats out. Last season New England lost a bad week two game in Carolina, then went to Pittsburgh and got a big win. Yes, I know this is a new year, but I think the Pats are going to come in under the radar with a chance to get a big win. Cincy’s offense looked awful vs the Steelers in the second half last week, and if it not for Pittsburgh putting the ball on the ground, they could have won the game. Toughest game to call of the week, but I’ll take the dangerous Pats off a home loss. New England 31 Cincinnati 28

Seattle at Chicago – The Bears will look to put the clamps on the Hawks, who will be without MVP Shaun Alexander. This one should be a good one even without Alexander, as Seattle will use a lot of their 4 wide out set to offset the Bears defense. Chicago though, has yet to allow a passing TD, and are 8-1 at home since the start of last season. They are allowing just 266 yards a game on D, and are even better at Solider Field. I like the Bears defense and passing game to lead them to a big home win on Sunday night. Chicago 23 Seattle 13

Green Bay at Philadelphia – The Packers offense has been let loose the last two weeks, with Bret Favre throwing all over the place, and they don’t look as bad as one would think. This is a tough spot though, as the Eagles are much better than a season ago, and should be 3-0 if it not for that collapse vs the Giants in week two. Donovan McNabb has looked really good, and the defense should be able to hold Favre somewhat in check enough to get a win. Philadelphia 30 Green Bay 21

 

 

Sep

28

A Different Take On The T.O. Story

Filed Under Dallas Cowboys, NFL | 3 Comments

Re telling the Terrell Owens story over and over is already getting old, so here is just a few observations that might be a little something different than what most people are saying about T.O.

1. What was the deal with T.O.’s “publicist,” Kim Etheredge, who looked like not only she hadn’t slept in about two days, but also needs a serious make-over. I’m not going to sit here and make fun of her looks, but come on! How could she have not been totally aware that her face would be all over the nation as the press conference was played over and over and over? Despite being probably emotionally drained and totally exhausted, don’t you think that she could have plastered on some makeup and did the hair a little bit instead of looking like Diana Ross getting pulled over after a night of drinking?

2. More on Etheredge – Nice comment about how T.O. has “25 millions reasons to live,” yeah Kim, cuse no one with money ever gets depressed or ever kills themselves. How about taking a second to think about things before you just come attacking the media and those that have thrown stones at Owens in the past. Sounds to me like she had a bigger beef with the media than with the Dallas Police, which if they were wrong about what she said on their police report, they should be the bad guys in this whole thing – not the media who was simply trying to get info.

3. As far as the actual incident goes, I actually believe Owens almost 100 percent on what went down. I don’t think he tried to kill himself, and with all the “supplements” that he reportedly takes, I can see how taking 2 (I think it was probably more like 4-5) pain pills can totally mess you up. I have taken 1/2 of a pain pill before for various things and the next thing I knew I felt like I could have slept for 10 hours. So with that, I have no doubts that T.O. was probably not in his right mind when Etheredge got there or when he reportedly told police he was trying to do harm to himself.

4. I don’t think this was a case of Owens wanting just to make noise and get in the national media spotlight. Some are saying that he did this on purpose, which is just absurd. I think Owens is a pretty smart guy when the day is done, and there are plenty of ways to get your name out there instead of having to call 9-1-1 and have to be taken to a hospital, then it come out that you were trying to kill yourself. Does T.O. like the spotlight – yes. I don’t think though that this falls into that category.

5. The national media seems a bit to be changing their tune when it comes to Owens. He is not beloved by them by any means, but most seem to almost be on his side in this whole incident, and even some feeling sorry for him. It’s a far cry from a season ago at this time where Owens was heading to a season ending suspension from the Eagles, and everyone in the media wanted him burned at the stake.

The saga with Owens will go on, and we’ll all still be here to hang on each and every word. Hopefully for the Cowboys and the league, this will be the last “distraction” of the season for Owens, but if anyone knows anything about T.O., you can bet this incident won’t be the last.

Sep

27

NFL Power Rankings Week 4

Filed Under NFL, Power Rankings | 1 Comment

With three weeks in the books, its time to take a step back and check on the latest power rankings in the NFL. Here I’ll give you my top five in each conference, along with the bottom three in the AFC and NFC as well. Feel free to write and debate me on any of these.

NFC Top 5

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1. Seattle – No doubt they don’t appear to have a Super Bowl hangover. The Hawks have gotten after it the last three weeks, but now we’ll see how big and bad they are without the NFL MVP for a few weeks.

2. Chicago – How much fun will Sunday night in Chicago be vs the Seahawks? The Bears overcame a tough Vikings team in the Dome Sunday, and now look to make a statement vs Seattle. Rex Grossman has been solid so far, and the defense is still as good as any in the league.

3. Philadelphia – A big dropoff after Seattle and Chicago, but remember that the Eagles were just a fumble away from being 3-0. They played well following that disaster at home vs the Giants. Donovan McNabb looks like his old self, and the defense has done a nice job as well.

4. New Orleans – Why not? The Saints at 3-0 seem to have some serious weapons on offense, and the defense has played out of its mind for Sean Payton. The Drew Brees signing has already paid off. Next few weeks will show if the Saints are for real or just a nice early season story.

5. Atlanta – Despite the letdown in New Orleans on Monday night, I still think this team has what it takes to go 11-5 or 12-4. Michael Vick needs to make some more plays, and the defense has to rebound vs the Cardinals to get back on track

 

NFC Bottom 3

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1. Tampa Bay – A gutsy effort from Chris Simms was not enough to eek out a win vs the Panthers at home on Sunday. Now with no quarterback and a broken down Cadallic, this team is headed for a very long season.

2. Detroit – I thought they were going to start playing defense in Detroit? I guess not, as the Lions are giving up points in bunches, including a loss to the Packers on Sunday. The offense is starting to come around, but the defense is doing no one any favors.

3. San Francisco – A win over the Rams two weeks ago stopped the bleeding, but last week the Eagles opened up another gashing wound. Alex Smith has been the bright spot, throwing for 814 yards and 3 TD’s in three games.

 

AFC Top 5

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1. Indianapolis – The Colts look like they never missed a beat after last years playoff loss to the Steelers. Peyton Manning has played three solid games, and the team is still putting up a respectable 81 yards on the ground without a star RB. Last weeks win over the Jags was a statement maker.

2. Cincinnati – They were fortunate to get out of Pittsburgh with a win, but the team took advantage of the Steelers turnovers and turned them into points when it had the chance. Carson Palmer looks great, and the defense has done a nice job in the first three games. This week vs the Pats should be interesting.

3. San Diego – They have only played two games, but look to have that swagger of two years ago when they went 12-4. Philip Rivers has more tests ahead, and the defense will need to continue to play at a high level. This weeks game vs the Ravens should be a barnburner.

4. Baltimore – The Ravens escaped Cleveland with a hard fought 15-14 win, and that win may be bigger than it seems in the confidence department. Steve McNair looked old in that game, but was able to get the team down the field for Matt Stover’s 52-yard game winner. A win over the Chargers at home would make a big statement.

5. Denver – This was a toss-up between them and the Jags, but I think winning on the road, Sunday night vs the Pats is a bigger deal than a tough loss in Indy. They have only scored 36 points in three games, but at least for one week Jake Plummer is off the hook.

 

AFC Bottom 3

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1. Tennessee – The Titans are simply not a good football team, and do not have the horses this year to get more than 3-4 wins. A 5-11 season would be good for them, but that will be tough. Now that Billy Volek is gone, time to sit Kerry Collins and give Vince Young a shot.

2. Cleveland – The Browns were thhhisssss close to a huge home win Sunday over the rival Ravens, but some questionable goal-line play calling had Charlie Frye throwing in the end zone up by two points with just over 3 mintues left. Of course he was hit, the ball intercepted, and the rest is history. At least the team played better.

3. Oakland – Maybe a bye week will help them? They have a shot at a win this week as they host the Browns, but nothing with this team is a for sure. You would think that with Randy Moss and Lamont Jordan this team would be a little better. A home loss to the Browns cements them in the bottom three the rest of the season.

Sep

27

Changes Coming For A Few Teams At Quarterback

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Vince YoungJust four weeks into the season a couple of teams are already looking into making major decisions and changes at the quarterback position. One team, a playoff contender in Arizona is considering taking first round draft pick Matt Leinart and putting him in the starting role over Kurt Warner, who has been downright awful over the first three games. Warner was bad to the tune on Sunday of throwing three picks, two inside the red zone, and fumbling the snap at the Rams 18 with 1:46 to go that basically cost the Cards a chance for a game-winning field goal attempt by automatic Neil Rackers. Warner is not the answer at quarterback for a team in a new stadium, with a chance with the weapons they have to make a run at a wild card spot in the NFC. They beat a bad 49′ers team in week one, but then have looked bad in losses to the Seahawks and Rams. They play in Atlanta Sunday, and I for one would have given Leinart a shot at the starting role. There will be more pressure on him if he was starting at home with all the fans having high expectations. A start on the road would mean not as many distractions, and a better chance to get off to a better start. Remember that a few seasons back Ben Roethlisberger started his first NFL start in Miami, and we see how getting that early bit of confidence has helped the 24-year-old.

With all the talk of Leniart starting, coach Denny Green came out on Tuesday and made it official – Kurt Warner is still the starter. That’s fine, but let’s see what happens if Warner throws an early pick, and maybe the Cards go down early 10-0. There has got to be a very short leash with Green, and with the Cardinals already down to a 1-2 start, and staring 1-3 in the face, he cannot wait forever to give Leinart a chance to take and reigns and take the job away from Warner.

Over in Tennessee, the expectations are not as high for what was already considered a lost season, and now it looks as if we are going to see the next move for the organization when it comes to change. Rumors are out that Vince Young, who led Texas to a national title, will soon be getting a chance to show his magic in his first NFL start. Young has played a little bit already, but never to a point where we have seen really what he can do if given the opportunity. He would take the ball from Kerry Collins, who was considered nothing more than a stop gap anyway. Collins has had his troubles, going just 42 for 90 with 549 yards, one TD and six interceptions to go along with a rating of 42.3 through three games.

The Titans as a whole are a bad team, starting 0-3 and allowing 25 points a game on defense while scoring just 11 themselves. It’s going to take a supreme effort from Young and the defense to start to get things turned around for the young Titans, who are looking at Dallas, Indy and Washington in their next three games. Can you say 0-6? They did show fight in Sunday’s 13-10 loss at Miami, and with the season basically already lost, you might as well take a shot and throw Young in there. If nothing else, it will generate fan interest, which is also on the fence with the Titans as well.

Sep

26

Hawks Hurting With Injury to Alexander

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On paper, it looks as if the Seattle Seahakws are going to escape disaster when it comes to Shaun Alexander’s “broken” foot. Word is that the NFL MVP will only miss about two weeks of action with the injury, something that will not destroy the Seahawks, only put a chink in their armor. Alexander injured his left foot in the Seahawks season-opener in Detroit and it was described as a bone bruise. It got worse after Week Two and Alexander missed two days of practice last week before fracturing the foot.

The Hawks are going to have had a tough time anyway on Sunday night as they get set to travel to Chicago to take on the Bears, and this might be a time for Matt Hassleback and his recievers to step up and have a pitch and catch show to try and beat the Bears through the air. The Hawks running game, even with Alexander, was off to a very slow start. With the loss of lineman Steve Hutchinson to the Vikings, and the injuries to Alexander, through the first three games he has gained just 187 yards on 65 carries for a 2.9 average.

The Seahawks, after their game with the Bears on Sunday night, will have the luck of having the bye week, then will have a tough game at St.Louis and then a home game against the reborn Minnesota Vikings. No one thought that the possible road back to the Super Bowl for the Hakws would be an easy one, and on Monday, things just got a whole lot harder. Can the team survive short term without Alexander? Yes. Will the injury linger and put their season in doubt. That remians to be seen.

 

Sep

26

Happy Homecoming For The Revamped Saints

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It may have taken 13 months, but for the New Orleans Saints, Monday night they finally returned home. Home for the Saints clearly helped out, as the team played with more emotion than at any point in the teams history, and that emotion was more than enough to overcome the rival Atlanta Falcons 23-3. The crowd was into the game well before the opening kickoff, and for at least one night the city put the nightmare of last years hurricane behind them. The crowd had plenty to cheer about, as new coach Sean Payton and his staff put together a game plan that stopped the Falcons cold. Michael Vick, who had two solid games before Monday night, was just 12-for-31 for 137 yards.

“This night belongs to the city, it belongs to the state of Louisiana, everyone in the Gulf South,” Payton said following the win. “There’s a lot of work to be done still, but this night belongs to the people of New Orleans. They deserve something.” The Saints gave the fans everything and more, getting off to a huge start with a blocked punt that was recovered for the games first points just minutes in. The Falcons never really had an answer, and suddenly it looks like the NFC South is more up for grabs than ever. The Saints, a team that was expected to win maybe at most 5-6 games, now are sitting pretty atop the division at 3-0 with a huge game at Carolina on Sunday. The Falcons fall to 2-1 with a home game vs Arizona Sunday.

New Orleans used just about every trick in the book to cross up the Saints. First it was the blocked punt, then a double reverse that put Devery Henderson into the end zone later in the first quarter that built a Saints 14-3 lead. The play was again, a brainchild of Payton and his staff, that should get a lot of credit for outcoaching the Falcons Jim Mora Jr. all night. The Saints offense was led by Drew Brees, who completed 20-of-28 passes for 191 yards, and Deuce McAllister rushed 19 times for 81 yards for the Saints. Reggie Bush had 13 carries for 53 yards. Marques Colston had seven receptions for 97 yards.

“We didn’t win this game today. We won this game during the week by the way we prepared, by the way we practiced,” Bush said. “That’s where we won the game.” It was hard not to notice that the Falcons heart may have not been in the game with the way that the league and the nation had embraced the Saints and their return home. Mora in the postgame pointed out that very point. “As hard as it is to lose this game tonight, I’d be lying if I didn’t say there was a little, little, little, little piece of me that didn’t just appreciate what this game meant to this city,” Mora said.

For the Saints, it was a happy homecoming, and with a 3-0 record, things will only get tougher. They have beaten two bad teams (Cleveland and Green Bay) and held the rival Falcons in check in an emotional home opener. Now we’ll see what they can do when the road isn’t quite so pretty on Sunday in Carolina against a Panthers team that escaped Tampa with a win on Sunday and Steve Smith back in the lineup and ready to go.

Sep

25

Steelers Give it Away – Bengals Gladly Take It

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The Bengals celebrateThe National Football League is such that a lot of times a team will give a game away, and then its up to the opposition if they want to take it or not. Such in my opinion was the case on Sunday, where back to back fumbles by the Steelers paved the way for back to back touchdown throws for Carson Palmer as the Bengals escaped Pittsburgh with a hard fought 28-20 victory.

Credit the Bengals for taking advantage of the Steelers kindness, as for not those two turnovers the Bengals likely would be 2-1 today instead of 3-0. The Steelers on the other hand, have to be kicking themselves for allowing a game that they were in control of, despite being only up by three, slip away. While they will have another shot against the Bengals on New Year’s eve, this one will hurt for sometime to come.

The first turnover came as the Bengals trailed 17-14 with just over 8 minutes to go in the game. Their offense had been held to 25 yards in the second half, and Palmer had thrown a pair of interceptions. The Steelers defense had just recorded another 3-and-out, and the Bengals were punting the ball in their own end. That’s when Steelers kick returner Ricardo Colclough muffed a punt badly, and the Bengals recovered deep inside Steelers territory. The next play the Bengals scored to make it 21-17.

The Steelers next possession they ran the ball for 4 yards on first down, then on second down backup RB Vernon Haynes coughed up the ball, and the Bengals recovered again on the Steelers 30. Going for the kill, Palmer then threw his 4th TD on the day, basically sealing the deal and putting the Bengals up 28-17. Pittsburgh kicked a late field goal, and had a shot at the Cincy 16 before Ben Roethlisberger threw his 3rd pick with 0:22 left to end the game.

For now, its a case of survival in the AFC North. The Bengals survived a tough game with the Steelers to continue their quest for a 2nd straight AFC North crown, while the Ravens needed a 52-yard field goal with less than :30 left to beat a bad Browns team. Nevertheless, the Bengals for now have bragging rights back over the Steelers, while the defending Super Bowl champs have to be not too pleased heading into their bye week 1-2 with a Sunday nighter at San Deigo due in two weeks.

Sep

25

Seattle Makes A Statement; Giants Lay An Egg

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Eli on the turfMaybe now everyone in the league will not be so quick to the draw when it comes to writing off the defending NFC Champion Seattle Seahawks. Sure, they lost a great offensive linemen. Sure, they only won 9-6 on opening day against a bad team in Detroit. Sure, Shaun Alexander is not off to the fastest of starts. Does it matter? Sunday against a Giants team that was so clearly overmatched it wasn’t even a contest, the Seahawks used turnover from Eli Manning, and a huge homefield advantage to build a monster 42-3 third quarter lead en route to a 42-30 home win. The win puts Seattle at 3-0, looking like they never missed a beat after last February’s loss in Detroit in Super Bowl 40.

Of course for the Giants, it was all about just plain being beat up. Nevermind the score, the Giants could have lost that game Sunday by 50 if the Seahawks wouldn’t have backed off late and made some silly fourth quarter mistakes. Like any team that has its problems and gets blown out, the Giants problems may not only be on the field, but in the locker room as well. “We got outplayed, and outcoached. Write that down,” mouthy tight end Jeremy Shockey said after the game. Interesting that this comes from an overrated tight end who seems to drop as many balls as he catches. Shockey is the last person that should be talking about being outplayed, with his whopping 11 catches for 134 yards and one TD this season, the third year TE is on pace for a career low 57 catches. Maybe he and Kellen Winslow of the Browns can have a contest for “Biggest Tight End Mouth” award.

Manning and his lackluster play was another reason that the Giants sit at 1-2 right now. In the first quarter, the baby brother of Peyton was just 2-for-7 for minus 1 yard and two picks. Manning, while leading the amazing comeback last week in Philly, was at his worst on Sunday, and does not look like the same QB that had so much success early on last season as the Giants were making noise in the NFC East and NFL. He looks scared at times, and unsure of where to even try and throw the football.

With the Giants getting a break with the bye this next week, linebacker Antonio Pierce may have said it best after the game – “Right now, we’re a horrible team.” He’s right, and maybe now people won’t be so fast to look past the Seahawks and simply hand the Giants the title as the best team in the NFC. Heck, they very well might not even be the best team in the NFC East when the dust settles.

Sep

25

Not So Easy Week with the Picks

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It was an interesting week once again with my picks, as going into Monday night I stand at 7-5 for the week, and with the Falcons tonight hope to end the weekend on a high note and go 13 games over .500 for the season at 28-15.

I think most out there had the Bills winning at home, considering how strong they looked vs the Dolphins on the road last week. The Steelers let me down, as I still maintain that they gave that game away with the back to back fumbles and Ben’s three picks. The Lions laid an egg at home against a very bad Packers team, Minnesota also committed a late turnover to lose their NFC North matchup with the Bears. My final loss on the day was another that I think most people lost as well, which was the Pats at home on Sunday night falling to the Broncos.

I thought that the Rams had a gutsy effort in Arizona, and I think people are starting to see that the Cards, with as much firepower as they are supposed to have, are not as good as people think. Of course it doesn’t help when your starting QB fumbles the game away like Kurt Warner did. He also was the victim of three other turnovers on the day. The Eagles rebounded nicely in San Francisco, getting a big win heading into a Monday nighter next week with the Packers. Indy was my lock of the week, as if you read my post 15 minutes before the opening kickoff, you will see that I thought that there would be two spankings on Sunday, the Colts over the Jags and the Seahawks over the Giants.

While I didn’t think that the Hawks would ever have a 42-3 lead over the overrated Giants, I did think they were being dissed and that they would lay the wood to the New Yorkers, and they did. Now the national media will make Seattle the “best team in the league” this week. Look for Chicago, Cincy and the Colts to also be anointed as the next round of the best teams in football. That is of course until 2 of 3 of them lose next week.

Sep

25

Automatic Stover Saves Ravens From Defeat

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Charlie Frye vs the RavensThe Baltimore Ravens have to be given a degree of credit for their outing on Sunday at Browns Stadium. The Ravens clearly didn’t play their best game on Sunday, yet were able to overcome an 11-point fourth quarter deficit and ended up on the winning side of a rather ugly 15-14 win on Matt Stover’s 52-yard field goal with 20 seconds left. For the Ravens, it was one of those wins that they can look on later in the year if they are still in the playoff hunt and remind themselves that even with not playing well they were good enough to get a win.

Maybe the bigger story on Sunday was the play out of the Browns, a team that came in it seemed with everything against them. They had no running game at all without Ruben Droughns, who was out with a shoulder injury, and relied all day on second-year quarterback Charlie Frye to make big plays. The Akron QB stepped up, hitting former Michigan wide out Braylon Edwards for a 58-yard TD to give the Browns a 7-3 lead in the second quarter. He also played a lot of pitch and catch with tight end Kellen Winslow, who this past week implored the coaches to open up the offense. Winslow, who was a mismatch for the Ravens defense, made some big catches for first downs, and ended the day with seven receptions for 92 yards.

The biggest throw that Frye made all day though ended up being his biggest mistake. With the Browns leading 14-12 with just over 3 minutes to go, he looked for Edwards in the end zone from the Ravens 4-yard line. On the play, the Ravens ran a weak side blitz, and Frye was hit as he released the ball, and it sailed into the arms of corner Chris McCallister in the end zone. The Ravens seized the chance, and after a huge pair of third down conversions from Steve McNair to wide out Mark Clayton, gave Stover a chance to win the game. That chance resulted in the Ravens moving to 3-0 while the Browns fall to 0-3.

The Ravens are not going to win the Super Bowl this year, and the defense looked a tad overrated after being compared to the SB defense of 2000, but as for Stover, as usual, he was the color of money on Sunday, and the Ravens are still undefeated because of it.

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