Week 11 Review

Colts 17 Ravens 15

The Colts go into their toughest matchup left in the season, and come out still undefeated. LB Terrell Suggs did not start for the Ravens for the first time in his career due to a knee injury. But the Ravens defence was not the problem here. They actually performed very well against a very prolific offence; forcing 2 INT’s from the great Payton Manning. The problem was they just couldn’t force the ball into the end zone, and had to keep settling for FG’s. Billy Cundiff, the Ravens kicker, actually scored all of the Ravens points. I don’t know if you can totally blame the Ravens offence for this, as the Colts defence seems to be improving all the time. LB Gary Brackett’s INT was a good example of this right at the end of the game. The Colts can clinch the division next week, the Ravens look like their season may be over.

Redskins 6 Cowboys 7
Well the Cowboys won this divisional game, was it pretty? HELL NO!! The Cowboys didn’t actually score any points until 4th quarter and the Redskins held a 6 – 0 lead. The Redskins can probably be excused for their poor offensive play, as RB Clinton Portis has been out for a couple of games. Also his replacement Ladell Betts left this game in the 1st quarter. The key thing for them in this game was their kicker Shaun Suisham, who was 12 for 12 before the game, actually missed 2 FG’s. These extra 6 points would of course, won the Redskins the game. The Cowboys offence is going through a lot of problems recently. After being free scoring for most of the season, they have only scored 14 points in the last 2 games. They have obviously tried to become a more run first team, and they did this very well running for 153 yards (including 99 for Marion Barber). But the problem is when they have needed to get big plays in the pass game, they have been unable to do so (apart from the winning drive). They need to fix this if they want to continue to push for the playoffs in the competitive NFC East.

Browns 37 Lions 38
Well who would have thought that these 2 teams would put up this amount of points? Both of these young QB’s had huge games, especially Lions QB Matt Stafford. Stafford threw for 422 yards and 5 TD’s, Quinn for 304 yards and 4TD’s. Stafford is the 1st QB to throw for 5TD’s in his rookie year. But the main story of this game was Stafford’s game winning drive. Stafford got hit hard as he threw to the end zone as time expired and landed on his shoulder. The pass was picked off by the Browns, but a flag was thrown for pass interference on the defence. The ball was then placed on the 1 yard line, with one untimed down for the Lions. Stafford had to go to the sideline as the medical staff checked on his shoulder, the lions called a time out after a 5 yard penalty. As they had called the timeout, Stafford could, and did, come back into the game. With his arm dangling by his side, he went play action, and then fired the ball in TE Brandon Pettigrew for the win. This was a great moment for the rookie; he proved to the world just how tough he is. The Lions will be hoping for many more magical moments like this. The Browns may soon have to start thinking about who to pick in the number 1 draft slot.

49’ers 24 Packers 30
This was a huge game for Packers QB Aaron Rodgers. When he was drafted in 05 by the Packers, he had been over looked by his childhood favourite team, the 49’ers, as they drafted Alex Smith. In this game though, Rodgers had his revenge, as the Packers continue their challenge for a playoff spot. Rodgers had 344 yards and 2 TD’s in this game. They used a lot of really quick passes in this game to get Rodgers out of harm’s way, after all the troubles the O line have had this year. Although Rodgers was sacked twice, the Packers will see this as a win against this very aggressive defence. The Packers jumped out to a 24 – 7 lead before the 49’ers scored 2 late TD’s. The Packers used RB Ryan Grant to good effect in shortening the game, he ran for 129 yards and a TD. The worry for the Packers now will be on defence. They have lost LB Aaron Kampman and CB Al Harris to knee injuries in this game. They will both be out for the rest of the year. Will they be able to continue their playoff push with injuries to these important players? The 49’ers will now have a tough task to catch the Cardinals in the NFC West. They are now 3 games behind.

Bills 15 Jaguars 18
Somehow the Jaguars are 6 – 4, and in with a great shout of being a wild card for the playoffs. The Bills in their first game without Dick Jauron, started Ryan Fitzpatrick at QB, and actually played quite well. Terrell Owens actually had a great day, having 9 catches for 197 yards and a TD (including a 98 yard TD reception). If they can get their run game going with this effective pass game, they may spring a surprise or 2 in the coming weeks. The Jags actually struggled on the ground in this game. MJD only ran for 66 yards and a TD. But big games from Sims-Walker (91 yards and a TD) and Lewis (70 yards) pulled them through.

Steelers 24 Chiefs 27
This was the first of 2 MASSIVE shocks this week. I thought that without WR Dwayne Bowe, they would have no chance against the Steelers, even without Troy Polamalu. Step up Chris Chambers, the WR claimed after the Chargers cut him earlier in the year. The game was dominated by the Steelers in the offensive stats, but the big difference was that Big Ben had 2 INT’s, and Matt Cassel had none. The game went to overtime, and the Steelers won the toss. Surely now the shock was off? Big Ben though got knocked out and had to leave the game (not sure how severe the concussion type symptoms are yet). The Steelers had to punt, and on that drive Cassel hit Chambers who went for 61 yards, down to the Steelers 4 yard line. The Chiefs wasted no time, as the sent Succop out to attempt the FG. He hit it, and halted the Chiefs 10 game, home losing streak. The Steelers still should be ok for the playoffs, but this is a reminder to them that they are not the same team without Polamalu. Also if Big Ben struggles with this injury, they may have many nervous moments ahead.

Seahawks 9 Vikings 35
This game did go to plan. The injury hit Seahawks went to Minnesota, and got blown away. The amazing stat here was that the stunning Vikings defence only gave away 4 rushing yards against the Seahawks. OK the Seahawks are hardly a really effective run team, but 4 YARDS?? This Vikings defence has, and will continue to dominate against a lot of teams. Brett Farve and the offence had another huge day also. Farve threw for 213 yards and 4 TD’s. Peterson ran for 82 yards, and Taylor for 73 as the run game was also just as effective. The Vikings are looking very dangerous in the NFC, and will continue to push the Saints all the way for the number one seed.

Falcons 31 Giants 34
This was a huge game for both teams. The Falcons went into this game without their number 1 and number 2 RB’s. They didn’t get away from their usual run first game though, and Jason Snelling almost pulled them through. Young QB Matt Ryan threw for 268 yards and 2 TD’s (and more importantly o INT’s) to support Snelling, and the injury hit Falcons forced overtime in New York. The Giants struggled badly on the ground, with their top rusher on the day (Brandon Jacobs) going for just 39 yards. QB Eli Manning did though look alot better than in recent weeks, throwing for 384 yards and 3 TD’s. The young receiving core of Manningham, Smith and Nicks came up big for New York, along with TE Kevin Boss. If they can get this sort of production, with an improved run game, they should be able to push the Cowboys and Eagles all the way. The Giants won the toss in overtime, and drove down the field for Tynes to kick the game winning FG. Big win for New York, the Falcons are still in with a shout of the playoffs, but need to start winning soon, and often.

Saints 38 Buccaneers 7
This game went just as expected. But again as with the Colts, the Saints under rated defence was the main plus point in this game. They only gave up 219 total yards to the Buccs, and got enough pressure on Freeman at QB, to force 3 INT’s. This kind of impressive display, coupled with the offence that we all know so much about, adds up to a 10 – 0 start. Brees only had 187 yards in this game, as the Saints had big yardage on the ground. Without Reggie Bush, the Saints had 183 rushing yards (92 for Thomas, 75 for Bell). This team are going to be very dangerous in the playoffs, and I don’t know about you, but I can’t wait for them to play the Patriots this Monday.

Cardinals 21 Rams 13
This wasn’t the best game to watch, but it was the expected result. Kurt Warner had to leave this game just before half time after being smacked in the head. Before this injury though, Warner had managed to throw for 203 yards and 2 TD’s to give the Card’s a 21 – 3 half time lead. Matt Leinart came in for Warner, but hardly set the world on fire. Leinart threw for just 74 yards in the 2nd half. To be fair to Matt though, the Cardinals did go to their ground game a lot more in the 2nd half, in order to keep the clock running. This run game once again was very impressive. The Card’s had 183 yards on the ground, 110 for Hightower and 74 for Wells. This run game, paired with Warner and the pass game, makes the Cardinals a very interesting team. Also this year the Cardinals are 5 – 0 on the road, where in the past they have been notably bad. This Super Bowl team from last year looks to be better, and will look to upset the more fancied Saints and Vikings in the NFC.

Jets 14 Patriots 31
This could be called a revenge game. The Patriots were embarrassed by the Jets in week 2, and certainly haven’t forgotten Rex Ryan’s comments about ‘Belichick’s rings’. They dominated this game on both sides of the ball, and once again Ryan had something to say. He complained about the Patriots throwing the ball in the 4th quarter, and trying to run up the score. Guess what Rex, when all you do is wind up people, they are going to want to teach you a lesson. If you don’t like it, then shut up!!! If you want to keep talking, then you have to expect this kind of thing. Grow up Rex!! Now I’ve got that off my chest; Rookie QB Mark Sanchez had another disappointing day. He threw 4 INT’s as the Patriots mixed up their coverage’s and completely confused him. This paired with the Patriots production on offence easily put this game away. Welker had 15 catches for 192 yards in a huge game. The Patriots have a 2 game lead on the Dolphins in the AFC East. The next 2 weeks are huge for them as they play @ the Saints, then @ Miami. The Jets are done for the year in my eyes, try not to cry this week Rex!

Bengals 17 Raiders 20
This is the other MASSIVE shock of the week, although it does remind you that this team still is the Bengals. After the performance in Pittsburgh I was convinced the Bengals would win this division. After the Steelers lose in Kansas City, it’s done right? Well, this is still the Bengals. The Raiders levelled the scores at 17 – 17 with just 33 seconds left in the game, as Gradkowski (now the starting QB) found Louis Murphy. On the following kick off, the Bengals fumble the ball; the Raiders cover it up, and win the game with a FG. This is called ‘Giving it away’. Gradkowski does though look a much better option at QB for the Raiders; well I have been saying that for a while. The Bengals were without RB Cedrick Benson, but his stand in Bernard Scott, ran for an impressive 119 yards. I still believe in the Bengals, this was just a fluky game. They will still win their division in my eyes. The Raiders, well, at least they won’t be picking 1st in April.

Eagles 24 Bears 20
Sunday Night Football was another big game for NFC teams with playoff aspirations. The problem for the Bears and QB Jay Cutler? The game was another primetime game, and Jay has struggled badly in these games. In this game Jay only had 1 INT, but he and the Bears offence did struggle in the 4th quarter, when they were required to put points on the board. The Eagles managed to have a very balanced offence in this game. In recent weeks the big talking point surrounding them has been that they don’t run the ball anywhere near enough. A lot of this may be due to the fact that Westbrook is out. But this game proved that LeSean McCoy is more than capable. McCoy had 99 yards and a TD. Once again, big play WR DeSean Jackson had a huge 48 yard TD. This big play capability can be used most effectively, when a run game has to be respected. The Eagles are now right in the middle of a dog fight in the NFC East with the Cowboys and the Giants. This battle for the division is sure to go down to the wire. You have to imagine though that one wild card spot will go to a NFC East team (if not 2). This is very bad news for the Bears, who look out of the race at 4 – 6.

Titans 20 Texans 17
Well I thought that this was the week the Titans run came to an end against the rested Texans, I was wrong. The game was a close one as everything happened as expected. VY kept it simple threw for 116 yards and a TD (no INT’s), Chris Johnson went off for 151 yards, and on the other side of the ball Schaub threw for 305 yards and 2 TD’s. The difference in this game was the missed FG as time expired by Texans kicker Kris Brown (we’ve heard that before – Indy). This game shows that the Titans are for real in their comeback, will it continue though?? The Texans must be kicking themselves though after so much hype, to lose back to back division games, they may be struggling to get to the playoffs now.