With the Falcons comfortably ahead 35-10 and driving in the third quarter of their game on Sunday against the 49ers, San Francisco cornerback Dre’ Bly intercepted Matt Ryan for what looked like a momentum-turning play.
But then Dre’ channeled his inner Deion Sanders and decided to show off in the middle of the return. What ensued was sheer embarrassment for Bly:
Couple questions for ya, Dre’:
1. Did you not think that Roddy White could catch you from behind given that you only had about a three-yard head start?
2. What compelled you to start dancing at that point with the end zone still 60 yards away?
3. Did you not know what the score was – what the hell were you celebrating about?
Up until their 45-10 loss to the Falcons in Week 5, Shaun Hill and the 49ers felt pretty good about how they started their 2009 season. Hill wasn’t setting the stat book on fire, but he kept the chains moving by making smart decisions and taking care of the football.
But on Sunday, Atlanta jumped out to a sizable first half lead and forced Hill to beat them through the air. What proceeded was a nasty performance highlighted by off-the-mark throws and inconsistency. He didn’t get much help from the running game, but he never got into a rhythm passing and his limitations as a quarterback were on full display. He struggled mightily with the intermediate and deep passes today.
That said, the Niners won’t be making a switch any time soon. It’s not like Mike Singletary didn’t know that Hill wasn’t Peyton Manning in preseason and Hill still beat out Alex Smith for the starting job. The bottom line is that San Fran will struggle this season when it can’t run the ball and the defense doesn’t step up.
Speaking of the Niners’ defense, Matt Ryan and Roddy White absolutely took them to school today. Ryan threw for 329 yards and two touchdowns on 22 of 32 passing, while White had his best outing of the year with eight receptions for 210 yards and two touchdowns. White, who had gotten off to a slow start this season, found holes in San Francisco’s defense and as he often is, Ryan was accurate with his throws.
Here are quick-hit previews of the top four games on the Week 5 schedule in the NFL.
1. Patriots (3-1) at Broncos (4-0), 4:15PM ET
Several pundits have remarked that the Patriots are back after beating the Falcons and Ravens in back to back weeks. But some of their struggles still remain. For the most part, Baltimore marched up and down the field on New England’s defense in Week 4 and if it weren’t for a couple of key drops in the red zone, the Ravens could have walked out of Foxboro with a victory. The Broncos need to pressure Tom Brady for four quarters and not stop what has worked for them the first four weeks. Offensively, Knowshon Moreno will have the opportunity to shine today in his first start and as long as Kyle Orton doesn’t turn the ball over, Denver could pull off the small upset.
2. Bengals (3-1) at Ravens (3-1), 1:00PM ET
Who would have thought this would be a big game in Week 5? The Ravens are still seething from their loss to the Patriots last weekend and will look to take it out on an underrated Bengals team. Cincinnati’s 3-1 record is no fluke – they beat the Packers in Green Bay and the defending champion Steelers at home. While they didn’t play well last week in an overtime with over Cleveland, the Bengals proved that they could still wind up victorious even when they make mistakes. Carson Palmer and company won’t get away with turning the ball over today, however. The Ravens feast off turnovers and Cincinnati’s defense will be challenge to slow down Joe Flacco, Ray Rice and the potent Baltimore offense. This game will be a great test to see where the Bengals are.
3. Falcons (2-1) at 49ers (3-1), 4:05PM ET
Nobody wants to define either of these teams. Before the Falcons lost to the Patriots in Week 3, many people thought they were an elite squad. Plenty of pundits want to crown the 49ers a legitimate playoff team, but they need to sustain momentum and beat a good Atlanta team at home. Even without Frank Gore, this is a game San Francisco can control. The Falcons have had issues stopping the run and if the Niners can get Glen Coffee going early, it could open things up for Shaun Hill and the passing game. Mike Singletary’s defense has been great up to this point and if they sell out to stop Michael Turner and the Falcons’ running game, they better be prepared to double team tight end Tony Gonzalez and slow Matt Ryan in the passing game. This should be a fun matchup throughout.
4. Texans (2-2) at Cardinals (1-2), 4:15PM ET
It’s time for one of these teams to step up. The Texans have more than enough offensive weapons to make a playoff run but their defense has issues stopping the run and keeping opponents out of the end zone. The Cardinals have dinked and dunked their way through the first three games but Kurt Warner needs to start testing defenses vertically or else this team will continue to struggle. This is actually a good matchup for Houston because Arizona doesn’t pose much of a ground threat and the Texans have a decent pass defense. If the Cards can’t get Beanie Wells and Tim Hightower going, they will have trouble building and sustaining a lead today. And if they can’t take control of this game, they’ll be at risk of once again losing at home, where they were so dominant last year.
Here are odds and quick-hit previews of all the action in Week 5 in the NFL.
Vikings -10 over 41
Rams +10 under 41
Fresh off their impressive Monday night win over divisional rival Green Bay, Minnesota travels to St. Louis to take on the worst team in football. The Rams’ woes are primarily in the passing game, where they’re averaging a measly 139.5 yards per game. Steven Jackson won’t find much running room in this one, so look for Jared Allen to have another monster performance against St. Louis’ collection of weak offensive tackles. Brett Favre probably won’t need to display the magic he did Monday night against the Packers because Adrian Peterson should have plenty of running room.
Cowboys –9 Over 42.5
Chiefs +9 Under 42.5
Dallas has had issues the past two weeks moving the ball offensively, but they have played better on defense. Tony Romo continues to regress in his decision-making and he hasn’t had much help from his two star backs Marion Barber and Felix Jones, who have each battled injuries. The ‘Boys shouldn’t get much of a challenge against a Chiefs team that is still struggling in their transition to the 3-4 defensive scheme, although you never know with the way Romo and company have looked the past two weeks. (Even in their win over the Panthers, Dallas struggled offensively.)
Redskins +3.5 Over 37.5
Panthers –3.5 Under 37.5
Carolina had a much-needed bye last week and John Fox hopes the team ironed out some of its issues. The Panthers are averaging less than a touchdown per game and quarterback Jake Delhomme has often killed scoring drives with turnovers and poor decision-making. Carolina will face a Washington team this weekend that needed two third quarter touchdowns to squeak by Tampa Bay last Sunday. The Redskins have racked up plenty of yards offensively, but usually come away with nothing to show for it, as Jim Zorn’s playcalling has gotten ultra-conservative.
Bucs +15 over 43
Eagles –15 under 43
Donovan McNabb should be back under center this weekend for the Eagles after suffering a rib injury in the opening week of the season. With McNabb, Philly looked potent offensively against the Panthers and the Eagles could destroy a Tampa team that is allowing 393.5 yards per game. The Bucs will start Josh Johnson under center again, although he could have issues moving the offense against a tough Philly defense.
