NFL RECAP – WEEK FOUR
STATE OF THE GAME
On any given Sunday.
Parity. However you label it the NFL is
more unpredictable and more compelling than ever before. Maybe there are no super teams, but the level
playing field makes for competitive Sundays (and Mondays and Thursdays).
Four weeks into the season
there are only three undefeated teams.
The Texans and Falcons are solid teams but neither will make the 72
Dolphins nervous for too long. I am
still trying to decide what to think about the Cardinals.
The Falcons escaped
defeat against the Panthers this week only because Cam Newton fumbled the ball
backwards after making a first down that would have clinched the game. The Texans have mostly dominated inferior
(Jags, Titans, Dolphins) opponents. In
typical Cardiac fashion, the Cardinals have won three of their four games on
the last play.
So what has parity
wrought? Well, the Buffalo Bills gave up
a combined 100 points in losses to the Jets and the Patriots. Those same Bills are
tied with the Jets and Pats for first in the AFC East at 2-2. Perennial NFC power New Orleans is 0-4. Green Bay, which won 15 games last year, is
2-2. New England fell below .500 for the
first time in a decade after week three.
Minnesota won three games last year.
They currently sit atop the NFC North with three wins, including a
victory over San Francisco, the consensus top NFC team.
I am not sure the current
version of the NFL plays the best football we have ever seen, but it does give
us weekly surprises. It entertains like
no other professional sport.
5-10 MUSINGS FROM THE GAMES
Restless in Seattle
How long will the Seahawks
stay with Russell Wilson? Tick tock…..
The Seahawks thought they would compete for an NFC playoff spot. They currently sit 2-2 and are not 1-3 only
because of a certain Monday Night officiating fiasco. More telling, Russell Wilson is dead last in
the NFL in passing yards per game. Let
me put that as honestly ugly as possible. He throws for fewer yards per game
than Blaine Gabbert. Teams do not make
the playoffs in this NFL if they are last in the league in passing yards
(Please, no Tim Tebow comments).
The Seahawks, maybe unwisely,
spent big money on Matt Flynn because he had one exceptional game at the end of
last year. Is he hurt? The Seattle press reported shoulder soreness
in August. Has he just not played well
enough to merit a start? If the Seahawks
think they are a playoff team they cannot wait too long for Russell Wilson to
figure out the NFL passing game.
Change of fortune
The Panther/Falcon game
showed how quickly NFL games can turn and the fine line between wins and
losses. Carolina led Atlanta 28-27. Atlanta had used all its timeouts and the
Panthers had a third and two near midfield.
Cam Newton was hit as he dove to pick up the first down yardage. He fumbled the ball backwards. Though Carolina recovered, the Panthers had to punt
the ball away. The Carolina special team
made a great play to down the ball on the Falcon one-yard line. Then…
With less than a minute to play Matt Ryan hits
Roddy White on a 60-yard heave. Two
Carolina defenders are unable to make a play as the pass miraculously finds
White’s hands. The Falcons get a little
closer and Matt Bryant kicks a pretty routine 40-yard field goal to win the
game.
Two plays that could have
gone Carolina’s way do not. Credit
Atlanta and the serendipity of Any Given Sunday. The Panthers were inches from securing a
confidence-generating win that would put them at 2-2 and just a game behind the
Falcons. Instead they suffer a deflating
loss and are three games into the hole a quarter of the way through the season.
Head Scratcher
Leave it to me to find fault
with a dominating win, but I have to mention this one. The Broncos were leading the Raiders 10-3 in
the second quarter of Sunday’s game.
They faced a fourth and less than a yard at the Raider 35. Two choices: Go for it on fourth and short or
attempt a 52-yard field goal. Bronco
Kicker Matt Prater is a huge weapon and the most accurate kicker in the game
beyond 50 yards. Prater trots onto the
field and…….
The Broncos do a three
stooges type of fake field goal attempt that has Prater lofting the ball
downfield to the color orange, but to no one in particular.
I heard John Fox indicate on
a radio segment today that the play did not go off as planned. Really? No kidding? Evidently the play was a designed run. So how did your kicker end up throwing the
ball down field? The call was boneheaded
on at least three fronts:
- If you want to try and pick up a first down, leave the offense that was moving at will all day on the field. The Broncos did not punt – ever – yesterday.
- The game at that juncture was still close. A nearly automatic three points would have been nice.
- Prater is one of the best kickers in the game. Why expose him to injury by having him handle the ball as a passer or a runner?
Sometimes coaches get too
cute. Thankfully for the Broncos Prater
did not get hurt and this play merely becomes comic relief in a solid win.
The More Things Change
Four games into the season
Tom Brady has 7 TDS, 1 INT, 1,267 yards and a 102 passer rating. Four games into the season Peyton Manning has
8 TDs, 3 INT, 1,162 yards and a 97 passer rating. The two great rivals meet up again next
Sunday afternoon in the AFC late game slot. Though the season is still young, both the
Patriots and the Broncos at 2-2 need to demonstrate that they can rise above
the dogfight to win their mediocre divisions.
The Patriots scored 40+ in
both their wins over Denver last year.
With Manning on board the Broncos will be better equipped to trade
points with the Pats. The Broncos
defense looked great against the Raiders on Sunday. However, slowing down Carson Palmer does not
translate to slowing down Tom Brady.
Jets Out-Tebowed by 49ers
The San Francisco 49ers used
backup quarterback Colin Kaepernick effectively against the Jets in a
Tebow-like wildcat role. Oh the irony!
Kaepernick carried the ball 6 times for 67 yards and scored the first
San Fran TD. I couldn’t help but notice
that the 49ers used Kaepernick in a way that flowed with the game and the
situation.
The Jets again seemed to be
forcing Tebow into the mix in a haphazard fashion that did not feel like part
of any master plan. I don’t know what
the Jets are going to do about the Tebow situation. I do not think he is a legitimate NFL
starting quarterback. I do think he has
a role as a regular part of an offense in specified situations. The Jets acquired Tebow with no real idea how
to use him. They are now paying the
price for that bit of publicity-seeking mayhem.
Maybe Hope IS On the Way
The Cleveland Browns lost
another competitive game Thursday night.
Pro teams don’t and shouldn’t care about moral victories, but if you are
a Browns fan you have to like the way the team is trending. First, the Browns have a top half, maybe even
top third of the league defense. Second,
the skill position players showed some flashes against a good Raven
defense. Richardson looks like he could
be one of the league’s top five backs before long. Weeden made some good strong throws and seems
to see the field well. Little and
Benjamin give the Browns explosive threats at the wideout. Yes they are 0-4. I think though, that I may have to soon take them
off of my top four unwatchable teams list.
Good Jay, Bad Tony
Can I admit a guilty
pleasure? I love to watch Jay Cutler and
Tony Romo play. Both are huge talents
that are subject to super highs and dark, dark lows. Monday night we saw Good Jay. Good decisions. Good zip on the ball. Good use of a variety of receivers. Romo?
Well, Monday night it was the dark side.
Five interceptions say it all.
The Cowboys have been trending down since a solid opening night win
against the Giants. But at least fans
can pick up a little lingerie to boost up spirits or whatever else needs
boosting as they file out of Cowboy Stadium.
Jerry, there is a football game going on.
WEEKLY AWARDS
MVP
I was all set to give the
award to Charles Johnson for his 3.5 sack performance in the Panthers’ upset of
the Falcons. Then a funny thing
happened. The Falcons found a way to win
the game. So my week four MVP award goes
to the guy who endured seven sacks without having to “get all Cutler” on his O line. The guy who made the plays he needed to make
to win the game. Matty “Ice” Ryan is my
week four MVP and my first quarter of the season MVP.
EL BUSTO
The Detroit Lions are quickly
playing themselves into a season-ruining hole.
The Lions lost their third in a row and demonstrated more creative
ways to give up a game. The Minnesota
Vikings did not score an offensive TD yesterday in beating the Lions
20-13. Fortunately for them, the Detroit
special teams gave up two long returns for scores. For that rare feat, the not so special Detroit special teams
earn this week’s El Busto.
SURPRISE-SURPRISE-SURPRISE
The Jim Neighbors award goes
to the Minnesota Vikings. We didn’t
expect much from the Vikings, but they are 3-1 and tied for the lead in the NFC North. They have had different heroes in each win
and are becoming a team you want to root for each week.
TREASURE OF THE WEEK
Great game in the Georgia
Dome. Big Plays. An interesting contrast
in quarterback styles. A great fourth
quarter with more plot twists than the last season of Lost. Falcons/Panthers earn the Treasure of the week.
TRASH OF THE WEEK
The Jets brought shame upon
their city, Joe Namath, Matt Snell, and anybody who cares about the Green and
White. The 49ers held up their end, but
a sorry display like the Jets put forth can bring both teams down into the
dumper. So Jets/Niners take out the
trash this week.
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