Archive
What We Learned: NFL Week 14
New York Jets - Resounding and much needed win against a depleted Chiefs squad as they keep their playoff hopes alive.
New England Patriots - Got all they could handle from the Redskins but Brady and Gronkowski proved to be too much in the end.
Buffalo Bills - Falling apart, crumbling, disintegrating, etc.
Miami Dolphins - Winning ways come to an end as Vick spoils the party. Read more…
What We Learned: NFL Week 13
New York Jets - Opened it up in the 4th quarter. Much needed victory.
New England Patriots - Had a little more trouble with the Colts than anyone expected but a win is a win and their in the driver’s seat.
Buffalo Bills - Have now lost 5 in a row since Fitzpatrick’s extension.
Miami Dolphins - Look like a buzz-saw as they have won 4 or their last 5 games.
Denver Broncos - Tebow and the Broncos complete another second half comeback and find themselves atop the AFC West.
Kansas City Chiefs - A Hail Mary touchdown pass at the end of the first half proved to be the game winner, who would have guessed that.
Oakland Raiders - Terrible performance in Miami and lost their grasp on the division in the process.
San Diego Chargers - Finally, a win!
Baltimore Ravens - Stop everything, they avoided a letdown!
Pittsburgh Steelers - Looking more and more like the Steelers of old as the season progresses.
Cleveland Browns - Someone needs to tell the receivers that they have to actually catch and hold onto the ball.
Cincinnati Bengals - Showed their youth and inexperience against the pride of the AFC North.
Houston Texans - Great win against a quality opponent. Hopefully Andre Johnson isn’t hurt too seriously though.
Indianapolis Colts - Great effort down the stretch but a winless season looks to be inevitable.
Tennessee Titans - CJ finally put up back to back fantastic performances, look out for the Titans.
Jacksonville Jaguars - New coach same old result.
New York Giants - Valiant effort but fell just short.
Dallas Cowboys - That clock mismanagement sums up the Cowboys over the past decade. Why didn’t they call a timeout after the Dez Bryant catch and why are you icing your own kicker?!
Philadelphia Eagles - The Eagles are officially done after that performance…pathetic.
Washington Redskins - Played well for 3 quarters, too bad the game lasts 4.
San Francisco 49ers - Another dominating win against an inferior opponent, no letdowns.
St. Louis Rams - Um, yea…
Arizona Cardinals - Defense is much improved and Kolb is back. Look like a playoff team’s worst nightmare.
Seattle Seahawks - I would not want to play the Seahawks looking at the way Marshawn Lynch is playing right now, beast mode.
Chicago Bears - First Jay Cutler, now Matt Forte. The Bears playoff chances just took a major hit.
Green Bay Packers - Barely cleared their last hurdle and should cruise to an undefeated record.
Detroit Lions - Lost 2 in a row but favorable schedule the rest of the way with the exception of the Packers.
Minnesota Vikings - Percy Harvin was sensational but Ponder made a critical mistake in crunch time.
Atlanta Falcons - Horrible loss against a Schaub-less Texans squad. Extremely inconsistent.
New Orleans Saints - Scary, scary, scary!…at home. We’ll see what they look like outside in January.
Tampa Bay Bucs - Haven’t been winning with Freeman, definitely not going to win without him.
Carolina Panthers - Cam looks like a seasoned vet. He’s gonna be gooooood!
What We Learned: NFL Week 12
New York Jets - A win is a win, but what an ugly win it was.
New England Patriots - Despite the revolving door in the secondary the defense continues to progress.
Buffalo Bills - Fitzpatrick and the Bills are 0-4 since his contract extension.
Miami Dolphins - Another close, tough loss. Read more…
What We Learned: NFL Week 11
New York Jets - Sanchez can’t complete a pass if his first option isn’t open, the defense can’t stop a quarterback who they know is going to run, and Rex Ryan is cursing at fans. Jets are in big trouble.
New England Patriots - Despite the revolving door in the secondary the defense continues to progress.
Buffalo Bills - Fitzpatrick and the Bills are 0-4 since his contract extension.
Miami Dolphins - 3 in a row. Told you the Fins weren’t as bad as their record said they were.
Read more…
What We Learned: NFL Week 10
I’m switching up the format of “What We Learned” so I can include every single NFL team instead of just a few.
New York Jets – Soooo, about that Rex Ryan defense…
New England Patriots – Two words, vintage Brady.
Buffalo Bills – David Nelson’s touchdown catch and celebration with his cheerleader girlfriend was by far the highlight for the Bills.
Miami Dolphins – Two in a row! I like their chances to make it 3 at home against the sputtering Bills. Read more…
2011 NFC East Preview & Predictions
Philadelphia Eagles
The Eagles have clearly made the biggest splash this off-season, signing shut down cornerback Nnamdi Asomugha along with countless others. The self-proclaimed ”dream team” has a ton of talent and an abundance of weapons on offense as well as a trio of top-level corners. The Eagles are all in for the Super Bowl, and it looks like they’ll be one of the favorites going into the season.
Key Arrivals – Nnamdi Asomugha, Cullen Jenkins, Ryan Harris, Vince Young, DRC, Jason Babin, Ronnie Brown, Steve Smith
Key Departures – Brodrick Bunkley, David Akers, Stewart Bradley, Quintin Mikell, Ernie Sims, Sav Rocca
Prediction – 12-4/First in NFC East Read more…
NFL Power Rankings (Week 12)
1) Colts (10-0) – LW 1
They haven’t played particularly well of late, but they keep finding ways to win.
2) Saints (10-0) – LW 2
The Saints high-octane offense might meet its match next week against the Patriots and Tom Brady.
3) Vikings (9-1) – LW 3
The old gunslinger isn’t playing like a 40-year-old.
4) Patriots (7-3) – LW 6
The Pats hope to crush the Saints quest for an undefeated season.
5) Chargers (7-3) – LW 8
The Chargers lead their division and are playing solid, complete football.
6) Cardinals (7-3) – LW 7
At 7-3 the Cardinals have a healthy 3 game lead in their division.
7) Bengals (7-3) – LW 4
Bad loss in Oakland last week, but they can get back on track as they face the Browns.
8) Cowboys (7-3) – LW 10
Ugly win against the Redskins last week, but they are still in first place in the NFC East.
9) Steelers (6-4) – LW 5
Bad loss at home against KC and Roethlisberger’s status is uncertain.
10) Eagles (6-4) – LW 11
They won a close game and kept pace in the tight NFC East.
11) Giants (6-4) – LW 16
They snapped their 4 game losing streak at home against Atlanta last week.
12) Packers (6-4) – LW 14
The defense has played better of late, but the Packer’s success lies in the hands of the offensive line.
13) Broncos (6-4) – LW 9
After a 6-0 start the Broncos have lost their last 4 games.
14) Jaguars (6-4) – LW 17
They’ll get a test next week on the road against the 49ers.
15) Ravens (5-5) – LW 12
A tough schedule and an inability to win close games has the preseason Super Bowl contenders at a mediocre 5-5.
16) Falcons (5-5) – LW 15
Another tough loss for the Falcons, this time to the Giants in overtime.
17) Dolphins (5-5) – LW 18
With Ronnie Brown out for the rest of the season, Ricky Williams has to step up and play like he did in his first 4 years in the NFL.
18) Texans (5-5) – LW 13
They have to learn how to close out games.
19) Titans (4-6) – LW 21
The combination of the reemergence of Vince Young and the MVP candidate Chris Johnson have the Titans on a 4 game winning streak.
20) Panthers (4-6) – LW 19
The ground game has been carrying them this season, but in order to win Delhomme has to show that he can stretch the defense.
21) 49ers (4-6) – LW 20
Alex Smith and Vernon Davis have shown great chemistry, but they have to start scoring sooner rather than later.
22) Jets (4-6) – LW 22
Too many turnovers have put the defense in a position to fail.
23) Bears (4-6) – LW 23
The Bears have lost 5 of their last 6 games and look to be spiraling downward.
24) Chiefs (3-7) – LW 27
They get better and better every week and they showed their progress with a win against Pittsburgh last week.
25) Seahawks (3-7) – LW 24
They get a great chance at win number 4 against the Rams next week.
26) Redskins (3-7) – LW 25
With Clinton Portis and Ladell Betts injured it’s hard to picture a late Redskins run at a playoff position.
27) Bills (3-7) – LW 26
They’re searching for a new head coach and Mike Shanahan is a very appealing option.
28) Raiders (3-7) – LW 29
Bruce Gradkowski got the Raiders a much-needed win against a very good Bengals team. Is this the end for JaMarcus Russel?
29) Lions (2-8) – LW 30
Matt Stafford exploited the porous Browns defense to the tune of 400+ passing yards and 5 tds including the game winner with no time left on the clock.
30) Bucs (1-9) – LW 28
First they fire the offensive coordinator 10 days after hiring him, now they fire the defensive coordinator 10 weeks into the season.
31) Rams (1-9) – LW 31
With Marc Bulger out at least 3 weeks, Kyle Boller will start for the Rams who will be searching for their next franchise qb.
32) Browns (1-9) – LW 32
A pass interference call in the end zone gave the Lions a chance to win and they capitalized on the Brown’s mistakes.
NFL Power Rankings (Week 10)
1) Saints (8-0) – LW 1
They have to avoid a letdown against the dismal Rams next week, but I think they’ll jump on the Rams early.
2) Colts (8-0) – LW 2
Colts vs Pats next week, I can’t wait.
3) Steelers (6-2) – LW 7
They’re looking to even up the season series against the hated Bengals.
4) Vikings (7-1) – LW 3
I suspect no rust coming off their bye week.
5) Bengals (6-2) – LW 5
The Bengals are looking to sweep the Steelers next week.
6) Patriots (6-2) – LW 6
They’re back in first place in the AFC East and playing better every week.
7) Broncos (6-2) – LW 4
Their defense has been consistently solid, but their offense has less than stellar at times.
8) Cardinals (5-3) – LW 14
The Cardinals are 1-3 at home this year, but 4-0 at home.
9) Cowboys (6-2) – LW 9
Same talented Cowboys except this time it looks like they are more focused and have less distractions.
10) Falcons (5-3) – LW 11
Despite not beating their big-time opponents the Falcons are still in a great position to win the wild-card.
11) Chargers (5-3) – LW 16
Philip Rivers led a late fourth quarter game winning drive against the Giants. Lets see if this momentum can help the Chargers finally play up to their potential and sustain it.
12) Eagles (5-3) – LW 8
Tough loss against the Cowboys last week. They need a healthy Westbrook to overtake first place in the NFC East.
13) Texans (5-4) – LW 13
Mistakes at crucial times have killed them, exhibit A was last week folly against Indy.
14) Ravens (4-4) – LW 10
Cedric Benson ran for 100+ yards in both games against the Raven’s defense. What happened to their heralded run-stopping defense?
15) Giants (5-4) – LW 15
They have to start showing some sense of urgency if they want to stay in the race for the NFC East.
16) Packers (4-4) – LW 12
Absolutely horrendous loss in Tampa Bay. There’s nothing more to say.
17) Dolphins (3-5) – LW 18
Their schedule is rough, and they are a better team than their record insists.
18) Jets (4-4) – LW 19
Their defense needs to get “nasty” again.
19) Bears (4-4) – LW 17
The Cardinals had their way with a porous Bears defense, scoring on every possession in the first half.
20) 49ers (3-5) – LW 20
They lost 4 in a row but I wouldn’t panic yet, mainly because of their weak division.
21) Jaguars (4-4) – LW 22
If their defense limits the damage, they can be dangerous because of their playmakers on offense.
22) Panthers (3-5) – LW 23
If (this is a huge if) Delhomme can avoid turnovers then the Panthers can turn it around and contend for a playoff spot.
23) Titans (2-6) – LW 26
Vince Young is playing well, but they’re winning because Chris Johnson is running out of his mind and the defense is playing much better.
24) Seahawks (3-5) – LW 24
Must win against the Cardinals next week.
25) Bills (3-5) – LW 21
Fitzpatrick has filled in admirably. Is there a qb controversy?
26) Redskins (2-6) – LW 25
Once again the Redskins talent doesn’t live up to their potential.
27) Chiefs (1-7) – LW 28
A poor offensive line and a quarterback that holds on to the ball until the last possible second aren’t a good combination.
28) Raiders (2-6) – LW 27
Let’s see if the bye week gave them time to regroup, I doubt it.
29) Bucs (1-7) – LW 32
Josh Freeman looked GREAT in his debut.
30) Lions (1-7) – LW 29
Calvin Johnson comes back next week, that’s positive, I guess.
31) Rams (1-7) – LW 30
They play the Saints next week, it keeps getting worse.
32) Browns (1-7) – LW 31
Uh, really, I’m speechless.
LW=Last Week
