My thoughts
on this week’s refs come right before my recaps of the Sunday and Monday Night
games, the most controversial of them.
Now the games:
New York
Giants over Carolina Panthers:
The Giants
are going to pull together there unpredictable win in their dominant effort
over the Panthers. Week to week it will difficult
to predict how this team plays, but the team has talent on both sides of the
ball and is very difficult to play against.
The Panthers to me are a team that is going to live and die by Cam
Newton, a quarterback since that start of last season hasn’t been that
good. It is a worrisome game for the
Panthers, but it could just be a case of not being able to get a good enough
game plan in place for a Thursday Night Game.
Jacksonville
Jaguars over Indianapolis Colts
The Jaguars
were able to pull off the upset of Andrew Luck and the Colts in a game that
featured multiple big plays. The Colts
were able to get a long score, Maurice Jones-Drew ran for a big touchdown and
Blaine Gabbert completed an 80 yard touchdown to Cecil Shorts with less than a
minute left to win the game. The Colts
look like a flawed team with some weaknesses that will prevent the team from competing
in many winnable games this year.
However it’s hard not to be excited about the play of Andrew Luck 3
games into his career. His play is one
of a quarterback that will be the player everybody has been expecting for the
past 2 years. Now to the Jaguars, for
one Maurice Jones-Drew is back and just as good as ever which is a delight to
all Jaguars fans out there. Blaine
Gabbert’s performance leaves me bewildered.
Last year I thought he was a definite bust, but this season his
performances have to me only confused the issue. He has shown a few flashes of being a good
quarterback but at other times has looked suspiciously like the quarterback
from last season.
Buffalo
Bills over Cleveland Browns
As a Bills
fan coming out of this game all I can feel is relief that they were able to get
the win in a road game that they had to have.
While CJ Spiller got injured, a terrifying moment for Bills fans, the
injury doesn’t seem to be as bad as initially thought. The Bills looked good in the effort; the
defensive line made some big plays and showed some flashes that they might be
the dominant unit they were expected to be.
The Browns came off as a flawed, but tough and resilient team. They fell behind early 14-0, but didn’t go
away and at one point made it a 3 point game before the Bills but the game
away. Brandon Weeden wasn’t totally
awful, but will have to improve quickly if he is going to be worth the high
draft choice they gave him.
New York
Jets over Miami Dolphins
The Jets won
a game that they probably shouldn’t have but have much bigger worries after the
results of the game. Darrell Revis has
torn his ACL, a killer injury for a team that built its defense around his
abilities as the best corner in all of football. Now the team has a much worse defense, and
has to deal with the ever growing debate between Sanchez and Tebow. The Jets despite leading the division at 2-1
are in a precarious position where it feels like there season could collapse at
any second. The Dolphins have to be
feeling bad after losing a game that probably should have been theirs. Miami has a solid defense and running attack
that if it was able to be backed up by decent quarterback play would be quite
dangerous. However Ryan Tannehill is
definitely not an NFL starting quarterback as of now and it’s too early to say
whether he ever will be.
Kansas City
Chiefs over New Orleans Saints
Wow this season
just keeps on getting worse and worse for the Saints. The team is now 0-3 and in a strengthen NFC
it is going to be extremely difficult for the team to make the playoffs. The Saints seem to be reeling from the loss
of Head Coach Sean Payton, whose value is quite obvious now. The defense is quite bad, unable to stop
anybody, and the offense just isn’t as sharp as it was last season. The Chiefs on the other hand I still am not
that impressed with. They were able to
beat a team without their head coach or interim head coach by a field goal in a
game where their running back Jamaal Charles had the game of his life. The Chiefs can’t expect production like that
on a consistent basis but it might be the type of play they need if they want
to win.
Cincinnati
Bengals over Washington Redskins
The Bengals
with their victory over the Redskins proved that they might just be a little
better than I thought. While to
legitimately prove that to me they will have to be a team that is definitely,
the offensive fire power they showed off against the Redskins is
impressive. With playmakers like AJ
Green and Andrew Hawkins among others this team has some real talent. The Redskins showed themselves as a team
entirely dependent on RGIII as they don’t have much else on offense and defensively
it doesn’t look like they will be able to cover anybody. You have to be happy as a Redskins fan though
knowing you will be watching RGIII for a long time to come.
Tennessee Titans over Detroit Lions
The Titans
won in a game that saw them get 2 special teams’ touchdowns and a defensive touchdown;
they probably weren’t the better team.
However they got those points and more power to them as they pulled off
the upset of the Lions. The most
encouraging thing about the game is that Jake Locker played the type of game
that scouts salivated over when he was in college, showing off his athleticism
and arm strength in leading the Titans to victory. The Lions have some worries as Matt Stafford
left the game with an injury as his current status is still unknown. The Lions defense is quite bad; they are
going to have problems stopping teams passing the ball all season.
Minnesota Vikings over San Francisco
49ers
The Vikings beat
the 49ers because quite simply they were the better team on the field. They beat the 49ers at their own game in
winning the physical battle. Christian
Ponder was phenomenal as he led the Vikings up and down the field playing
outstanding against an amazing defense. If I was a Vikings fan I would be ecstatic
about the idea of him as my long-term quarterback. For the 49ers I would say that this game just
showed the major flaw of this team, with Alex Smith at quarterback they have
major problems coming from behind. If
the team is forced to pass the ball then their entire playing style is thrown
off and it fundamentally changes the team.
The team is still a great team; all this week showed is that without
question the team is quite beatable.
Chicago Bears over St. Louis Rams
This game
represented one thing; the Chicago Bears defense is still very good and will
keep the team in contention all year.
While Cutler will struggle at points, and the offensive line is always
shaky, the defense will always put forth a consistently reliable effort to keep
the team in the game. The Bears can
matchup with almost any team and any given week could beat anybody. The Rams couldn’t move the ball against the Bears,
which I’m not sure, is something to be really ashamed of. What to really make of the Rams will be
coming in the future when they play teams that they matchup better with.
Dallas Cowboys over Tampa Bay Buccaneers
The Cowboys
defense played tough in a hard fought much needed win against a team that has
played 3 close games winning 1 and losing 2.
The Cowboys defense played well while the offense did just enough to get
by. Tony Romo played pretty good,
especially considering the pass rush and the lack of protection he had to deal
with all game. If I am a Cowboys fan then
right now my biggest worry isn’t Romo, a good quarterback who is pretty
reliable, but with the offensive line that doesn’t seem to be opening up holes
for Murray or protecting Romo. For Tampa
this game is a case of the offensive not being able to put enough points on the
board as Josh Freeman struggled again. Freeman
will have to improve if Tampa wants to start winning these games, while he has
cut down from some of the turnovers from last season he still isn’t making
plays to win these games. Tampa is an
improved roster as the defense can hang with most teams, but the offense has to
catch up.
Atlanta
Falcons over San Diego Chargers
In what was
probably their most impressive win of the season, the Falcons had a dominating
effort as the Chargers finally lose a game in September. Matt Ryan is starting this season looking
like an early favorite for the MVP and if the team continues playing like this
then there is a good chance he will be in the running till the season’s
end. The offensive is explosive with
playmakers like Roddy White and Julio Jones and the defensive is a respectable
unit that just completely shut down the Chargers. The Chargers predictably faltered in a September
game, the tradition of the Norv Turner Era.
I’m honestly not sure if this is a sign of things to come for the team,
or if this is just an aberration. One
thing I do believe is that this Chargers team is not as talented as some of the
ones in recent history that got off to poor starts.
Arizona Cardinals over Philadelphia
Eagles
After their
dominating victory over the Eagles I think it is fair to say that the Arizona
Cardinals are for real and are a contender in the NFC. I’m still not sure the offense is that good
and if the team has any real playmakers outside of Larry Fitzgerald, but wow is
this defense good. The job they have
done against the Eagles and Patriots defensively is beyond impressive and the
team has earned its 3-0 mark. For the
Eagles the game seems like an indication that their fundamental flaw,
turnovers, won’t be going away any time soon.
Vick’s playing style means he is going to turn the ball over on a fairly
consistent basis, a recipe for disaster in the NFL. Andy Reid is even saying that “We’ll evaluate
it as we go” in regard to the quarterback position, not exacting a huge endorsement
of Michael Vick.
Oakland Raiders over Pittsburgh
Steelers
The Raiders
won a big game that saw them come back continuously against the Steelers to get
their first win of the season. Carson
Palmer and Darren McFadden had huge games for the Raiders and showed that this
team won’t just go away. I still don’t
love this team and don’t think they are a playoff contender but they went out
and won this game that they basically needed to. The Steelers lost a tough game despite a huge
performance from Ben Roethlisberger who might be the leader for MVP right
now. The Steelers defense struggled
immensely, but a lot of that likely has to do with missing their two best
defensive players, Troy Polamalu and James Harrison. The Steelers running game and offensive line
on the other hand are issues that might plague them all season but I still see
the Steelers as a top Super Bowl contender.
Houston
Texans over Denver Broncos
The Texans
won a big road game against a tough foe and move to 3-0 this season and seem to
be the class of the AFC. They got out to
a big lead and were able to hold on late despite a furious comeback attempt by
Peyton Manning and the Broncos. The
Texans have a talented offense with playmakers in the backfield, a good
quarterback, and some talented receivers.
They have a defense that can generate pressure on the quarterback and is
a dominant front 7. To me after 3 weeks
of action this team looks like the best team in the AFC and has to be
considered a Super Bowl favorite. The Broncos
for a 3rd consecutive week struggled on the outset but were able to
lead a comeback attempt which for the 2nd straight week fell
short. The defense hasn’t been good
enough to force a 3 and out and give Manning the ball back with a chance to tie
or win the game these 2 games. Really though
the team seems to go as Manning goes.
Manning’s arm strength seems to grow as the game wears on as he
struggles at the outset each week. The
team should build its game plan around this fact by starting the game with
short throws and runs until Peyton’s arm gets stronger.
Before I get back to recapping
the games I think I should comment on the officiating problems with the
NFL. Obviously the two games that had
the biggest problems were the primetime games where the focus of the game
changed from the game itself to the incompetence of the referees. Really nothing sums up everything that has
happened like the “Bull-Shit” chant by the Ravens’ fan during Sunday Night’s
game. This has become a disgrace that is
fundamentally changing how football is being looked at and dissected. Gamblers lost between $150-$250 Million
dollars on the Monday Night game alone because of the call. The league is becoming a joke. The NFL is the most popular league in all of
sports because of the quality of play and how much it cares about it, while
this replacement ref debacle spits in the face of that. The refs make horrible calls all game that
hurt both teams, and just can’t control the game, it’s honestly a detriment to the
safety of the players. Really College
Football is a better product right now because while the quality of play on the
field might be lower, the quality of officiating is much higher and the game is
easier to watch. If the NFL doesn’t
correct this problem right now then this is very quickly going to hurt the
league substantially as it will be hard to think of it as anything but the BSL,
or the “Bull-Shit” League. Now onto the
final two games:
Baltimore Ravens over New England
Patriots
The Ravens
did the seemingly impossible; they came back on the New England Patriots. Joe Flacco was great as he led the Ravens up
and down the field all game, throwing strike after strike to a multitude of receivers,
most notably Torrey Smith. Really enough
cannot be said about Torrey Smith’s performance, he played an amazing game
under the worst of circumstances and that’s why the replacement refs are an
issue, people should be talking about him and not the refs. The Ravens look like a real contender as the
team’s offense has improved substantially as Joe Flacco really seems to be
coming into his own. For the Patriots it
seems like while the team is different than last year’s unit it still has the same
fundamental flaw. Its defensive
backfield is terrible and is hopeless against even the worst offense. Tom Brady is still a great player, but the
league doesn’t seem to be as much of a passing league this season and having a
decent defense will be a necessity for success.
The team is still a great team though and I have every expectation of
them being there towards the end of the playoffs.
*Seattle Seahawks over Green Bay Packers
Well the
Seahawks won on the strength of the replacement refs, which I won’t be talking
about anymore, and an awesome defensive performance. Their defense was able to sack Rodgers 8
times in the first half and just punched Green Bay in the mouth, because even
if Seattle lost that game one thing was obvious, Seattle’s defense is really
good. Russell Wilson had his moments
Monday, but at least for this season looks like he is going to be a quarterback
managing games, playing a similar role to Alex Smith. The running game is good, and in a big victory
for Seattle this team is going to be gunning for a playoff spot as they compete
in what might be the hardest division in all of football shockingly. The Packers on the other hand if the past two
weeks didn’t show it enough just aren’t the same football team they were last
year. This loss sadly could end up being
pretty costly for them as they compete for a playoff spot in an increasingly
difficult NFC. The Packers don’t have a
running game at all this season, and while the defense might have slightly
improved, the passing game definitely declined.
Rodgers is having increasing difficulty carving up defenses this season,
and while still a top quarterback in this league just isn’t the player he was
last season, I would assume a lot of that would be a result of the putrid play
of the offensive line through 3 games.
To be fair the Packers have played 3 of the best defenses in football
through 3 weeks so their offense wouldn’t look as good. The Packers are going to be in a tough road
to get a playoff spot kind of shocking considering they won 15 games last
season.
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