Quick hit thoughts from Week 9:
Patriots 24, Colts 20
It’s amazing how this game changed at the drop of a hat. The Colts were moving the ball well, flustering Tom Brady and halting the Patriots big play attack. Then seemingly out of nowhere, Brady calmed himself, hit Randy Moss for a huge play and the defense – which had played spotty virtually all game – came up with a big strip and recovery of a Peyton Manning fumble. Thanks for coming, drive home safely. In the end, this game turned out to be a bit over hyped in terms of an offensive explosion, but the biggest take away might have been that the Patriots can be had. The Colts let this one get away, but credit New England for always playing four quarters.
Packers 33, Chiefs 22
There’s just something unique about the Packers this season. KC jumped ahead late in the game, but Brett Favre hooked up with Greg Jennings on a 60-yard touchdown pass to give the Packers the lead. Then, when they needed a big stop, Green Bay got a huge defensive play when Charles Woodson intercepted Damon Huard and returned it 46 yards for the game-sealing touchdown. There’s just no quit in these cheese heads.
Lions 44, Broncos 7
Do the Lions remind anyone else of the 2005 Bengals? Good offense, bad defense on paper, but one that forces a ton of turnovers and comes up with huge plays. Dwayne White might turn out to be the most underrated free agent signing of the offseason. Every game he seems like he’s involved in a big play for the Lions defense. These guys are definitely for real and it’s amazing to think about a possible Detroit-Green Bay battle for first place in three weeks.
Vikings 35, Chargers 17
Ho-lee-crap. Adrian Peterson (296 yards, 3 TDs) is amazing. He didn’t just rush for 296 yards and three scores against a poor defense; he did it against a damn good Chargers front seven. Speaking of amazing, Antonio Cromartie’s Devin Hester-like return off a Vikings missed field goal was sweet. Cromartie returned it 109 yards, which is now the longest touchdown in league history. Sadly for the Chargers, however, that was about the only positive from this embarrassing loss.
Saints 41, Jaguars 24
All of a sudden the Saints are in prime position to march (pardon the pun) back into the playoff race in the NFC. Drew Brees (445 yards, 1 TD) finally looked like Drew Brees again, Marques Colston (10 rec., 159 yards) finally looked like Marques Colston again, and Sean Payton finally…okay point taken. The bottom line is, New Orleans destroyed a very good Jags defense and is steam rolling back into contention.
Browns 33, Seahawks 30 OT
Too bad this game was on opposite the Indy-New England game, because it was exciting. Just when it appeared that the Browns defense was going to blow a fantastic second half comeback, they came up with a huge stop on a 4th and 1 from their own 44-yard line in overtime. The stop gave the Browns the ball back and after an impressive 34-yard screen pass to Jamal Lewis, Phil Dawson kicked the game-winning 25-yard field goal. These aren’t your daddy’s Cleveland Browns, folks.
Titans 20, Panthers 7
LenDale White (100 yards, 1 TD) might just turn into a quality back yet. He’s in shape, running hard, and has become a reliable back, which is huge considering Vince Young continues to struggle. Once again, VY was bailed out by another fantastic defensive and special teams performance. He can’t continue to throw for only 100 yards and multiple interceptions if the Titans are going to make a postseason run. Other than that, Tennessee might be the most underrated team in the AFC.
Redskins 23, Jets 20 OT
The Redskins won ugly, although after being crushed by 45 points a week ago, I’m sure they’ll take it. Clinton Portis was unbelievable, rushing for 196 yards and one touchdown, and rookie LaRon Landry made some fantastic plays on defense. This was a tough loss for the Jets, but at least Kellen Clemons played well. It’s obvious he has more tools and a brighter future than Chad Pennington. It should be noted, however, that Pennington showed major class by wishing Clemons luck before the game.
Bucs 17, Cardinals 10
Tampa just needs to keep things simple. Keep the ball on the ground, don’t turn it over, and play good defense. Ernest Graham (124 yards, 1 TD) was excellent, Jeff Garcia didn’t throw any interceptions, and the defense held Arizona to only 23 yards rushing and forced two turnovers. That’s it. That’s all the Bucs did to win. Football is a simple game, isn’t it?
Bills 33, Bengals 21
It sounds like Chad Johnson is going to be okay after being carted off the field on a stretcher following a huge hit in the second half. At the end of the day, the only thing that matters is that these players are healthy and can go home to their families. Massive props goes to J.P. Losman, Marshawn Lynch, and Lee Evans. All three were outstanding and Lynch might have had the run of the day, bouncing off several defenders while taking it 38 yards to the house. Buffalo also got a fantastic effort from its run defense, holding the Bengals to only 28 yards on 17 carries. Cincy’s defense is a disaster.
Falcons 20, 49ers 16
This recap is going to be similar to the Bucs-Cardinals one. The Falcons finally got a solid rushing performance out of Warrick Dunn (100 yards, 1 TD), forced four turnovers and came up with huge stops when they needed to. The 49ers moved the ball fine, but just couldn’t generate points when they got inside the red zone. San Fran has completely fallen apart after such a promising start, although it doesn’t help that Frank Gore, Alex Smith and Vernon Davis have all missed considerable time.
Texans 24, Raiders 17
Nice win for Houston, especially without Matt Schaub. Sage Rosenfels wasn’t spectacular, but he managed the game well and the Texans just hitched their trailer to Ron Dayne (122 yards, 1 TD) and grinded out a win. It’s got to be close to JaMarcus Russell time with how bad Josh McCown looked (3 INTs). Other than a surprisingly good running game, the Raiders just flat out have issues.
