Tag: Peyton Manning (Page 36 of 41)

      NFL Week 17 Quick Hit Thoughts: Lions 0-16, Brees falls short, Big Ben hurt

      December 28, 2008 /

      Detroit Lions– With their 31-21 loss to the Green Bay Packers, the Detroit Lions wound up on the wrong side of history in 2008, finishing the season 0-16. No team in the NFL history has ever finished 0-16, but the good news for Lion fans is that owner William Clay Ford Sr. doesn’t plan on changing a thing about the organization. Yikes.

      – I feel bad for Drew Brees. He needed just 16 more passing yards in the Saints’ 33-31 loss to the Panthers on Sunday to eclipse Dan Marino’s record for most passing yards in a single-season. I’m a little surprised that with Carolina’s defenders playing so far back, that Brees didn’t just zing one over the middle for 10 or 12 yards and let one of his receivers pick up the rest of the yardage. But I admire Brees for slinging it down field in an attempt to try and win the game. (I think that’s what he was doing?)

      – In a nightmare situation for the Steelers in their 31-0 win over the hapless Cleveland Browns on Sunday, quarterback Ben Roethlisberger was carted off the field after suffering a concussion late in the second quarter. Big Ben’s head slammed hard against the turf after he was crushed by two Brown defenders and it took the trainers nearly 15 minutes to attend to him. It’s unclear at this point the status of his health, although the Steelers do have a bye week before they host a playoff game.

      – I didn’t see much of the Ravens’ 27-7 win over the Jaguars, but I do know that Baltimore is one scary looking playoff team. Their defense will allow them to compete with anyone and Joe Flacco might be playing better than any rookie in the league – including Matt Ryan.

      – Peyton Manning went 7 for 7 for 95 yards and a touchdown in his final tune up before the playoffs. Whoever wins the AFC West between the Chargers and Broncos Sunday night should savor the moment because it’s going to be short-lived considering they’ll have to play Indy next weekend.

      – I can’t believe how far the Bears’ defense has fallen since Chicago’s appearance in the Super Bowl two years ago. I mean, the Texans did whatever they wanted to the Bears and Chicago’s secondary made Matt Schaub look like Joe Theismann.

      – According to the St. Petersburg Times, Buccaneers’ running back Cadillac Williams appears to have suffered a torn left patellar tendon in Tampa’s 31-24 loss to the Raiders. I don’t want to speculate before more information is released, but it’s a shame that such a promising career might be cut short.

      NFL

      NFL Week 15 Speed Read: Talkin’ Colts, Dolphins, Herm Edwards and more

      December 14, 2008 /

      Here are some quick-hit thoughts from the early games in Week 15:

      Peyton Manning– The Indianapolis Colts might be the most dangerous team in the AFC right now and nobody is talking about them. They’re 10-4, have won seven in a row after beating the lowly Lions on Sunday, and Peyton Manning has thrown four touchdowns to zero interceptions the last two games. That said, they need to get healthier on defense – and fast. They won’t go very far in the postseason without Bob Sanders, especially considering they’ll be playing on the road the entire time.

      – Not that they’ve played any explosive offenses of late, but how good has the Miami Dolphins’ defense been the past three weeks? They’ve allowed just 24 total points in their last three games and haven’t allowed a touchdown in 12 consecutive quarters. That’s impressive, I don’t care who they’ve played during that stretch.

      – Herman Edwards should take his own advice. You play the game to win, Herm? How about going for it on one of the multiple fourth and one’s your team faced on Sunday? Seriously your team is 2-12 – grow some nuggets and take some chances.

      – I know they did it against the Chiefs, but the Chargers come-from-behind win on Sunday was amazing. Even though San Diego’s season has been a massive disappointment, that’s one game you look back on as a fan and just say, “Damn that was fun to watch.”

      – Stick a fork in the Redskins – they’re done. You can’t be considered a legitimate playoff threat when you lose to a previously two-win Bengals team. What’s amazing is that this team was once 6-2 and everyone couldn’t help but to look ahead and see that they had a very manageable rest of the season. So much for that as they’ve now lost five of their last six games.

      – Does anyone else think Seneca Wallace can start in this league? I for one think Matt Hasselbeck still has some game left in him, but Wallace has been pretty good after getting the opportunity to play more regularly this year. He has eight touchdown passes and only one interception this season. Maybe he deserves a shot to be a full-time starter next year.

      Fantasy Football, NFL

      Matt Ryan the greatest rookie quarterback ever?

      November 24, 2008 /

      Mark Bradley of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution writes that we are watching the greatest rookie quarterback to ever play in the NFL in the Falcons’ Matt Ryan.

      Matt RyanTom Brady threw three passes his rookie season; Brett Favre threw four. Bart Starr and Joe Montana each started one game as rookies. Troy Aikman had to be benched midway through, having gone 0-11 as a starter. Peyton Manning threw 28 interceptions his first season. John Elway completed 47.5 percent of his rookie passes, Terry Bradshaw 38.1 percent.

      Joe Namath was 3-5-1 as a lavishly salaried — he was making $400,000 — rookie. Fran Tarkenton was 2-8 as a first-year starter; Johnny Unitas was 4-3, Bob Griese 3-7. Ben Roethlisberger was 13-0 as a rookie quarterback on a loaded Pittsburgh team but didn’t start until Week 3. Sammy Baugh made All-Pro as a rookie but threw six more interceptions than touchdown passes. Bob Waterfield was league MVP as a rookie but started only four games. (Doubtless he got bonus points for being married to Jane Russell.)

      Dan Marino is considered the gold standard of rookie quarterbacks, but his first start only came in Week 6, and he joined a team that had reached the Super Bowl the previous season. And now we consider Matt Ryan, who has started from Day 1 for a dilapidated team the Sporting News pegged to finish 1-15, who stands now as the chief reason the refurbished Falcons are 7-4.

      Ryan has been unbelievable, but I think we should wait until the end of the year before making claims that he’s the best rookie quarterback ever. What Big Ben did his rookie year was pretty astonishing, although Bradley’s point about him playing on an already stacked Steelers team is just. Still, Ryan still has five games left and if he leads the Falcons to the playoffs, then maybe we can talk about him being the greatest ever.

      That said, he is absolutely remarkable. Pundits figured the Falcons would win no more than two or three games not only because Ryan is a rookie, but also because the roster is devoid of overall talent. But with a little help from Michael Turner, John Abraham and Roddy White, Ryan has done some amazing things as a rookie. His poise, confidence and demeanor have been incredibly impressive and he looks like he has a bright future ahead of him.

      Fantasy Football, NFL

      Colts right back in the hunt with huge win over Steelers

      November 9, 2008 /

      Indianapolis ColtsTwo weeks ago the Indianapolis Colts were stomped by division rival Tennessee on Monday night and at 3-4, things looked rather bleak. But since then, the Colts have rattled off wins over two top teams in the AFC and all of a sudden the tide is turning for a franchise that everyone expects to be a lock every year for the postseason.

      Indy earned a hard-fought 24-20 victory over the Pittsburgh Steelers on Sunday to get to 5-4 on the season. And while they’re not a pretty 5-4, the Colts are definitely back in the playoff hunt in the AFC.

      While it’s nice that Peyton Manning (21 of 40, 240 yards, 3 TDs) has shaken off some rust, the Colts can thank their defense for their back-to-back victories the past two weeks. Indy picked off Ben Roethlisberger three times on Sunday and held the Steelers to only 55 yards rushing. It’s absolutely amazing what Bob Sanders means to their defense and the play Melvin Bullitt made in the end zone at the end of the game was phenomenal.

      At some point, the Colts are going to need to get their running game back on track because they’re not going to win many games when they only rush for only 62 yards. But there’s no question Indy is a dangerous team again and with Houston, San Diego, Cleveland, Cincinnati and Detroit coming up over the next month and a half, there’s no reason to think that they can’t go on a huge run.

      Fantasy Football, NFL

      NFL Week 9 Primer

      October 31, 2008 /

      Brad JohnsonSunday’s Best: Cowboys (5-3) at Giants (6-1), 4:15 PM ET
      This game has lost a lot of its luster with Brad Johnson starting at quarterback in place of the injured Tony Romo and the uncertainty of Jason Witten’s (ribs) status. But it’s still a classic NFC East matchup and the Dallas defense is coming off its best performance of the season in a win over the Bucs. Let’s be frank – the Giants should roll. Their pass rush should eat Johnson alive, which could mean we see Brooks Bollinger before the day is over. But the wildcard in this scenario is Marion Barber. If the Cowboys can get him going and Johnson doesn’t turn the ball over, Dallas might be able to play conservative and sneak out a win. But if they get down early, a second half comeback is unlikely and New York might post a double-digit victory. The Cowboy defense will have to produce an effort similar to the one they did last Sunday against Tampa or else Eli Manning, Brandon Jacobs and the rest of the G-Men offense should have no problem putting up 30 points.

      Upset Watch: Cardinals (4-3) at Rams (2-5), 1:00 PM ET
      Since Jim Haslett took over in St. Louis, the Rams are playing more physically sound football. They hung tough against the Patriots last week in Foxboro despite not having Steve Jackson in their backfield and the defense is starting to show signs of life. The Cardinals are coming off a disappointing loss to the Panthers, a game in which they led 17-3 early in the third quarter. Arizona continues to struggle on the road and although he’s played well this year, Kurt Warner can’t seem to avoid costly turnovers. Jackson might not play again this week, but the Cards’ defense doesn’t post that much of a threat and the Rams should have enough offensively to pull out a win. Obviously they’ll need to keep Warner and ‘Zona’s prolific passing attack at bay, but this could be one of the better upsets in Week 9 if St. Louis keeps playing hard under Haslett.

      Indianapolis Colts      Intriguing Matchup: Patriots (5-2) at Colts (3-4), 8:15 PM ET
      Boy this game has lost a lot of pizzazz hasn’t it? Who would have thought that when this game was schedule, it would feature a Tom Brady-less Patriots and a 3-4 Colts team? Regardless, this is still the most interesting matchup on the Week 9 schedule. Indy has to win this game to at least keep within sniffing distance of a Wild Card berth and New England is in a great battle with the surprising Buffalo Bills in the AFC East. The Colts have major issues on the defensive side of the ball and things got worse earlier this week when it was discovered that starting CB Marlin Jackson would miss the rest of the season with a torn ACL. Without Jackson and Bob Sanders in the secondary, the Colts are giving up big plays on third downs. If they sell out to stop the run, opposing quarterbacks are picking apart the beleaguered secondary. If they play not to get burned deep, opposing backs are having a field day running against Indy’s smaller front seven. A loss to the Pats on Sunday night could mean a Colts-less postseason in the NFL. That’s hard to imagine.

      Other Notable Games:
      Packers (4-3) at Titans (7-0), 1:00 PM ET
      With “Elbow Bad” Johnson starting for the Cowboys this weekend in New York, the Green Bay-Tennessee game might wind up being the best matchup on the Week 9 schedule. With the Titans coming off a short week and finally getting the monkey off their backs in beating the Colts, are they primed for the taking? Aaron Rodgers vs. the Titans’ D should be an intriguing battle.

      Ravens (4-3) at Browns (3-4), 1:00 PM ET
      Some believe that Baltimore is a legitimate playoff contender in the AFC and Cleveland is starting to resemble the team that many thought would take the next step this year. You gotta love it when Art Modell has to travel to Cleveland, too.

      Dolphins (3-4) at Broncos (4-3), 4:05 PM ET
      Miami continues to be one of the better surprises this year in the NFL and will look to build off their impressive win over Buffalo last Sunday. Denver needs to shake off its embarrassing loss to the Patriots two weeks ago on Monday night.

      Fantasy Football, NFL

      « Older posts Newer posts »

      © 2026 The Scores Report – The National Sports Blog

      Theme by Anders Noren — Up ↑