You think it’s hard to predict the games and standings from week to week? Try picking MVP candidates. There are five or six different candidates emerging every week. We’ll do this as one post again today and start separating them out next week. And I’m sure by this time Tuesday everything will be turned upside down again. Enjoy the games today everyone!

MVP Power Rankings

1. Michael Vick, Philadelphia Eagles—He didn’t play last week and yet the Eagles still won, but barely, on the road in San Fran. Against a team that still hasn’t won a game yet. And hence my case is made again. And when Kolb and the Eagles lose at home to the Falcons today, fans in Philly will be chanting Vick’s name, which will have made my case again.

2. Philip Rivers, San Diego Chargers—AJ Smith took away the guy’s favorite receiver, but he keeps finding other guys open and reminding Bolts’ fans of Dan Fouts. Rivers leads the NFL with 1759 passing yards, with 11 TDs and 4 picks…but here is the stat that’s a bit mind-blowing—9.6 yards per attempt. In those who have played 5 games, Kyle Orton is second at 8.1 YPA. Wow. You fantasy geeks have got to love Rivers, and he might even get Vincent Jackson back around Week 10 or 11.

3. Antonio Gates, San Diego Chargers—Seriously, you wanna hear some sick numbers? 29 catches for 478 yards and 7 touchdowns. That projects to 93 catches for 1529 yards and 22 TDs….as a TIGHT END. Those numbers would rival Randy Moss’ 2007 season, but as a TIGHT END. Are you kidding me?

Honorable mention: Clay Matthews, Green Bay Packers; LaDainian Tomlinson, New York Jets; Brandon Lloyd, Denver Broncos; Kyle Orton, Denver Broncos

COY Power Rankings

1. Mike Smith, Atlanta Falcons—The Falcons are like the Boise State of the NFC. They get no respect. Everyone picks the defending champion Saints to win the division, and picks teams like Minnesota, the Giants, Philly and even the Bears to contend for the wild card. Meanwhile, Smith has his Falcons at 4-1 and if they beat the Eagles in Philly today, everyone’s eyes will be officially open. And well they should be—this team plays hard every week and are a reflection of their fiery coach.

2. Raheem Morris, Tampa Bay Bucs—How many of you picked the Bucs to win 3 games this season, let alone 3 games in the first four? But here are the Bucs at 3-1 and battling Atlanta for the division lead. Sure, they first beat Cleveland and Carolina before getting whooped by the Steelers. But then they found a way to beat the defending AFC North champion Bengals in Cincy. You have to give Raheem props, so we’re doing that right now.

3. Tom Coughlin, New York Giants—Remember a few weeks ago, when all the Bill-Cowher-to-the-Giants rumors were hot? That was after Coughlin’s bumbling Giants fumbled and goofed their way to a 29-10 loss to the Titans despite dominating the game in stats; and a week after getting thrashed by the Colts in Indy 38-14. Then a funny thing happened…the Giants rallied around their beleaguered coach, with several of them sticking up for Coughlin along the way. They found their defense again, and last week found their offense as well in beating the Bears (3-0 before that game) and Texans (3-1 before that game) by a combined 38 points. And now Cowher is being rumored in Dallas. What a difference a few weeks makes.

Honorable mention: Lovie Smith, Chicago Bears; Rex Ryan, New York Jets; John Harbaugh, Baltimore Ravens; Mike Tomlin, Pittsburgh Steelers

ROY Power Rankings

1. Ndamakong Suh, Detroit Lions—No sacks last week, but 3 more tackles and a 44-6 win for his team over the Rams.

2. Sam Bradford, St. Louis Rams—Two interceptions and no scores, and see #1. But we’ll keep him on here at least another week until we see if the Lions’ game was an aberration.

3. Jahvid Best, Detroit Lions—No TDs last week, but over 100 all-purpose yards wearing down the Rams’ previously stingy defense.

Honorable mention: Max Hall, Arizona Cardinals; Rolando McClain, Oakland Raiders

To his credit, Lovie Smith has one Super Bowl appearance under his belt as a head coach. But how long should one Super Bowl appearance last someone if he fails to reach the playoffs the following three seasons?

After losing to the Colts in the 2006 Super Bowl, the Bears have gone 7-9, 9-7 and are now currently 5-9. Despite trading for Jay Cutler in the offseason, Chicago is regressing and what’s worse is that it doesn’t have a first round pick in either of the next two drafts and also doesn’t have a second round pick next year.

The Bears are floundering, not prospering. So where does that leave Smith?

For all intents and purposes, Cutler’s turnover woes, the offensive lines’ blocking issues and all of the injuries on defense aren’t Smith’s fault. He can’t run, tackle and punt for his team, so maybe it’s not fair for him to be fired at the end of the season when it’s clear that the Bears’ problems run deeper than the head coach.

The problem is that his players have given up. The 31-7 shellacking they took in Baltimore on Sunday was the fourth time that the Bears have been blown out this season. They’re just 1-6 on the road this year and the problems that haunted them in Week 1 are still haunting them in Week 15. That’s a problem – a coaching problem. Even the dreadful Browns and Redskins have cut down on the mistakes that cost them earlier in the season.

The Bears finish the season at home against the Vikings in Week 16 and at Detroit in Week 17. If Chicago shows the same ineptitude over the next two weeks as it has over the past couple months, even a cheap ownership like the Bears might decide that enough is enough and hand Smith his pink slip at the end of the season.

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]]> http://www.scoresreport.com/2009/12/21/is-it-time-for-the-bears-to-show-lovie-smith-the-door/feed/ 2 http://www.scoresreport.com/2009/11/29/vikings-crush-bears-favre-showing-zero-signs-of-fatigue/ http://www.scoresreport.com/2009/11/29/vikings-crush-bears-favre-showing-zero-signs-of-fatigue/#comments Mon, 30 Nov 2009 01:44:59 +0000 Anthony Stalter http://www.scoresreport.com/?p=30060

If Brett Favre is wearing down, then he has everybody fooled because the guy is playing like a freaking maniac.

Favre completed 32-of-48 passes for 392 yards with three touchdowns and no inceptions in the Vikings’ 36-10 win over the Bears in Week 12. Minnesota attacked Chicago repeatedly through the air, throwing the ball 31 times to just 12 rushes in the first half. When the dust settled, the Vikings had a 24-7 halftime lead and the game was never in doubt from that point forward.

Minnesota is now 10-1 and will be rooting hard for New England to beat New Orleans on Monday night. The Vikes have the inside track on a first round bye, but they’ll have their eye on earning the top seed in the playoffs entering the final month of the season.

As for the Bears, their disastrous season continues. All of their defensive problems were on full display today as Favre and the Vikings went up and down the field with the greatest of ease. Chicago was out gained in first downs (31 to eight) and total yardage (537 to 169).

It was the same story today as it has been all season: They were outplayed in the trenches, they couldn’t run the ball and Jay Cutler turned the ball over multiple times. Nothing has changed about this team in over a month.

Kurt Warner shook off a five-interception performance last week in a loss to the Panthers to throw for 261 yards and an eye-popping five touchdowns in a 41-21 rout of the Bears on Sunday. Warner didn’t throw any interceptions while completing 22-of-31 passes for 261 yards.

Warner did all this without Anquan Boldin, who sat out with an ankle injury. Larry Fitzgerald seemed to enjoy the spotlight, because he hauled in nine passes for 123 yards and a pair of touchdowns. The 83-year old Warner (I’m kidding) is now on pace for 32 touchdowns and 4,350 yards.

Of course, Warner and the Cards racked up these gaudy stats against a Chicago secondary that couldn’t cover Fat Albert and the gang. The Bears thought that Charles Tillman could cover Fitzgerald one-on-one, which was incredibly smart on their part. Remember Boldin didn’t play, so why Lovie Smith and his coaching staff thought Tillman could (or even should) go one-on-one with Fitzgerald was questionable to say the least. Speaking of questionable, the Bears also decided to throw the ball seven straight times to open the game. Apparently the words “offensive balance” mean nothing to Smith and Ron Turner.

Not to kick dirt in the faces of Chicago fans, but many Bear-lovers thought this would be a Super Bowl team after they traded for Jay Cutler. I’m fully aware that they’ve had injuries on the defensive side of the ball, but even if Brian Urlacher were healthy, the offensive line and secondary are still a mess and Matt Forte has dropped off the face of the earth (part of the reason is because the O-line hasn’t opened any holes). He only had 33 yards on five carries today, but when you’re trailing 31-7 at halftime you’re not going to get many carries.

Their 30-6 win over the hapless Browns gave the Bears some false confidence. But this loss today proves how far Chicago is from being a legitimate contender.

Instead of limiting myself to only four games like I have the previous weeks, I’ve decided to channel my inner Peter King and make predictions (with smaller write ups) on every contest on the NFL schedule this week.

49ers at Texans, 1:00PM ET
It had to have been a long two weeks for San Francisco’s players after the Falcons drubbed the Niners 45-10 in Week 5. Mike Singletary will have his team more focused and I think we’ll see a great defensive effort from San Fran this Sunday to slow down a potent Houston offensive attack.
Odds: Texans –3.
Prediction: 49ers 20, Texans 17.

Packers at Browns, 1:00PM ET
This will be a closer game than most think. The Packers could be looking ahead to a home date with the Vikings next Sunday, although in the end Cleveland’s offense is putrid and while Green Bay has been inconsistent defensively this year, I think they’ll do enough to get the Pack a victory.
Odds: Packers –9.
Prediction: Packers 24, Browns 16.

Chargers at Chiefs, 1:00PM ET
Ron Rivera has no clue on how to get San Diego’s defense back on track, but the young, inexperienced Kansas City secondary could have issues slowing down Philip Rivers and the Bolts’ passing game. Still, I think Matt Cassel and company pull off a surprise upset at home against a San Diego team coming off a short week.
Odds: Chargers –5
Prediction: Chiefs 20, Chargers 18.

Colts at Rams, 1:00PM ET
The Rams have given a nice effort the past two weeks, but this is a horrible matchup for them – even at home. Peyton Manning and company is well rested and the Indy defense will harass Marc Bulger all game.
Odds: Colts –14
Prediction: Colts 34, Rams 14.

Vikings at Steelers, 1:00PM ET
Troy Polamalu was limited in practice this week, which isn’t a good sign for a Pittsburgh defense that desperately needs him in this matchup. The Vikings shouldn’t get away from their game plan because it’s working, although I think this is the first week they stumble. The Steelers haven’t looked impressive all season, but Ben Roethlisberger will connect on enough big plays to aid the Steelers in a tight victory.
Odds: Steelers –5.5.
Prediction: Steelers 28, Vikings 24.

Patriots at Buccaneers, 1:00PM ET
What a crappy game for the folks in London. The Buccaneers haven’t done much right this season and will face a Patriots team coming off a 59-0 effort against the Titans in Week 6. Tampa won’t have much of an answer for Tom Brady as New England rolls.
Odds: Patriots –15.
Prediction: Patriots 33, Buccaneers 10.

Jets at Raiders, 4:05PM ET
Oakland is coming off its best effort of the season in a win over the Eagles in Week 6, while the Jets are coming off their worst in a loss to the Bills. Mark Sanchez is struggling, but the Jets will put the game in the hands of their running backs to ease out a win. The Raiders will have a tough time scoring again this week.
Odds: Jets –6
Prediction: Jets 16, Raiders 7.

Bills at Panthers, 4:05PM ET
After wins over the Redskins and Bucs the past two weeks, the Panthers are playing with confidence and a win over the Bills would get them back in contention (at least for the moment). Fortunately for them, Buffalo continues to struggle offensively and has been brutal against the run. DeAngelo Williams could be in store for a breakout game this Sunday.
Odds: Panthers –7.
Prediction: Panthers 27, Bills 16.

Bears at Bengals, 4:15PM ET
The Bears can’t run the football right now, but they catch a break this week facing a Bengals team that won’t have defensive end Antwaan Odom, who is out for the season after suffering an injury last week. Jay Cutler should have plenty of time to throw and as long as he doesn’t turn the ball over (this game isn’t on Sunday night, so he shouldn’t), the Bears should pick up a big road victory.
Odds: Bengals –1.
Prediction: Bears 20, Bengals 17.

Falcons at Cowboys, 4:15PM ET
The Cowboys are well rested coming off their bye, but they face a Falcons team that is playing well defensively right now. John Abraham and company should drum up a good pass rush and force Tony Romo to make some mistakes. Atlanta has done an excellent job protecting Matt Ryan, who could have a big day zipping the ball around Jerry Jones’ new stadium.
Odds: Cowboys –4.
Prediction: Falcons 28, Cowboys 24.

Saints at Dolphins, 4:15PM ET
The Dolphins are winners of two straight and are coming off a bye, but they’ve had issues against quarterbacks that can get the ball out of their hands quickly and attack a defense vertically (see Matt Ryan, Peyton Manning and Philip Rivers). I don’t see Miami’s defense slowing down Drew Brees and the high-powered Saints’ offense. As long as New Orleans can stop the Dolphins’ ground attack, they’ll remain undefeated.
Odds: Saints –6.5
Prediction: Saints 27, Dolphins 20.

Cardinals at Giants, 8:20PM ET
I don’t like this matchup for the Cardinals, especially with a hobbled Anquan Boldin and the Giants’ coming off a loss. The G-Men will played inspired defensively after they were shredded last wee in New Orleans and should give Kurt Warner plenty of trouble, just as they did last year.
Odds: Giants –7.
Prediction: Giants 30, Cardinals 21.

Eagles at Redskins, 8:30PM ET
A week after suffering an embarrassing loss to Oakland, Philadelphia should rebound on Monday night against a Washington team that can do little offensively. I don’t see Sherman Lewis turning things around overnight for the Redskins and the Eagles won’t allow Donovan McNabb to be sacked six times this week.
Odds: Eagles –7.
Prediction: Eagles 20, Redskins 13.

The identity of the Chicago Bears has almost changed overnight.

The offseason acquisition of quarterback Jay Cutler has suddenly transformed Da Bears into a team that relies on the pass to set up the run; for decades, it used to be the other way around. In fact, Chicago fans had been waiting for a strong-armed quarterback to aid their ground game, not hide its weaknesses.

Through five games this season, the Bears have attempted 172 passes to only 119 rushing attempts. They’re throwing nearly 60% of the time, which, for the Bears, is unheard of.

On Tuesday, Cutler and the Bears agreed to a two-year extension that will keep the quarterback in Chicago through 2013. Does the move signal the end of the Bears’ philosophy of being a run-first team? Given Cutler’s gun-ho mentality as a passer and Chicago’s sudden desire to throw the ball more, one would think that Chicago’s smash-mouth days are over.

But a closer look tells a different story. The Bears are currently 27th in rushing yards per game this season, averaging 89.8 YPG. They haven’t run the ball much this year because quite frankly, they can’t run the ball. The changes the Bears made to their offensive line in the offseason haven’t amounted to much as Orlando Pace, Frank Omiyale and the rest of Chicago’s O-line has failed to gel. And while people are quick to assume running back Matt Forte is suffering from the dreaded sophomore slump, the fact of the matter is that the line hasn’t been opening up holes for him like they did last year.

So are the Bears becoming more of a pass-first team with Jay Cutler? Yes, but that’s only because their O-line is under performing. If the line starts opening more holes for Forte (who seems to be tiptoeing into holes more this season because of the amount of licks he’s been taking), the Bears will undoubtedly become the balanced squad that they envisioned when they traded for Cutler.

Until then, don’t expect the Bears to stop putting it in the air. And as long as they’re throwing, offensive coordinator Ron Turner better start calling more vertical passes in order to take advantage of Cutler’s strengths.

Matt Ryan, Michael Turner, Tony Gonzalez, Roddy White and the rest of the Falcons’ potent offense may get more attention, but Atlanta can thank its defense for the team starting the season 4-1.

The Falcons beat the Bears 21-14 on Sunday night, as Atlanta’s defense forced three turnovers and stopped Chicago on a 4th-and-6 attempt from the 10-yard line with only 34 seconds remaining. The Falcons also held Matt Forte to only 23 yards on 15 carries.

But while Atlanta’s defense deserves credit for its effort on Sunday night, this game was more about Chicago squandering opportunities. Jay Cutler threw an interception to kill a potential scoring drive in the first quarter and then Forte cost the Bears another opportunity with a fumble at Atlanta’s 1-yard line in the third. The Bears moved the ball at will at times, but often shot themselves in the foot with turnovers or costly penalties.

For two teams that are supposed to contender for a playoff spot in the NFC, this wasn’t a very cleanly played game on either side. The Falcons turned the ball over twice and would have added another had Ryan not pounced on a Turner fumble in the second quarter. Neither team was very impressive and while Atlanta won, I can’t say the Falcons are definitively better than the Bears are after this performance.

Chicago may have found its franchise quarterback in Cutler, but all of a sudden the Bears can’t run the ball. There’s no excuse for Cutler (34) to gain more rushing yards than Forte (23). Forte has definitely taken a step back from his breakout rookie year, which may be a result of all the changes Chicago made to its offensive line this offseason. Either that, or Forte is just running with less decisiveness this year than he was in 2008.

Atlanta has its own issues in the running game. Turner had a nice touchdown run in the fourth quarter, but he finished with only 30 yards on 13 carries. Granted, Chicago’s defense had a lot to do with that, but Turner hasn’t run well all season save for his performance last week in a win over the 49ers. Defensively, the Falcons have issues at cornerback and things didn’t get better tonight after Brian Williams suffered a knee injury in the second half.

There is a lot to like about both of these teams. Save for the first quarter interception, Cutler was excellent once again and gave the Bears a chance to win at the end. The Ryan-to-Gonzo connection looks unstoppable on third downs and once again produced a touchdown. Both defenses are tough, physical and can cause turnovers.

But when you see a team like the Saints destroy the Giants on Sunday and then watch the game tonight, it’s clear the Falcons and Bears have a long way to go.