Week 7 was as ever full of surprises, full of dead certs that never came off. Its Monday morning after a NFL Sunday and twitter has blown up over Robert Griffin III's performance on the road against the New York Giants.
In a sign of things to come over the next few years in the NFC East, a rivalry has been planted between two of the most durable quarterbacks in Eli Manning and RG3. RG3 kept the Redskins in the game, and gave them a 23-20 lead when he hooked up with Santana Moss for a 30 yard touchdown after scrambling what seemed like an eternity. You saw the best of him when he evaded two pass rushers out of the pocket on 4th and 10, yet somehow found Logan Paulson for 19 yards which led to the Moss TD a few plays later. RG3 was ready to celebrate his first statement win.
Yet he - and we for two minutes - forgot that he was facing two-time Superbowl winner Eli Manning who is renowned for running the two minute drill as well as anybody. And whilst RG3 is a dynamic individual who can pretty much do anything with his offense. RG3 cannot play defense. Manning was able to connect with Victor Cruz for the go-ahead TD that ended the scoring at 27-23.
The Redskins might have lost the game yet they remain potentially in a wildcard race from the NFC East and right now they have the second best QB in the NFC East. The Giants are the cream of this Eastern crop, with Manning again winning, last season they would have lost this game at home.
Time to Buc up
The Tampa Bay Buccaneers conspired to lose a game they should have won. At home to the New Orleans Saints, the Bucs took a 21-7 point lead thanks to some great passing by Josh Freeman (who seems to get big numbers v the Saints D, then yet again who doesnt) who ended up with a career-high 420 yards and three touchdowns. Attempting to engineer a game-tying TD drive in the dying seconds, Freeman did connect with Mike Williams to send the home fans into a frenzy, yet Williams had already stepped out of bounds and so by rule cannot be the first receiver to touch the ball. The penalty resulted in a 35-28 victory for the now 2-4 Saints, who have won two in a row and still have something to play for.
My problem here is that the Bucs had seemed to turn the page in the summer. They hired a new coach in Greg Schiano, who would plug a leaky defense; they made moves in the off season to get a name receiver in Vincent Jackson who had a 200+ receiving game and one TD. Jackson should have had two, yet in a 95 yard play was tackled at the one.
The Saints then had a big goal-line stand as the Bucs went for it on fourth and goal, yet it was the play-calling that was mystifying as three times they lined up pack horse, LaGarrett Blount in the backfield and three times they handed it to him. The Bucs were woefully guilty of naivety here, where was the invention, where was the pick and roll, where were targets Doug Martin and Jackson who went awol.
Instead of being 3-3, the Bucs are now 2-4 along with the Saints, both teams are four behind the Falcons who were on a bye and now need three more wins to tie up the division. Admittedly, both teams have to face the Falcons twice yet the chance of gaining a wildcard is slipping away due to the impressive starts by teams in the NFC West and North.
Cameron lets down Rice
The Baltimore Ravens are seemingly a different side away from home to the team at M&T Stadium. The Ravens went to face the only other AFC team with a winning record in the Houston Texans, who were swept aside by a rampant Aaron Rodgers last Sunday night as he threw for 6 TDs in the Texans' first game without Brian Cushing who tore his ACL.
Cam Cameron must have hit upon the idea to try and outshoot the Texans, yet in an advert for selling yourself wrongly, Joe Flacco and the Baltimore offense forgot what it was that made them good, two words: Ray Rice. Rice was neglected in terms of momentum and usage. During the first half, Rice had only six carries, whilst Flacco had 20 attempted throws, completing 7 and one pick six.which led to a 29-7 half-time deficit from which they could not recover.
All in all, the Texans outgunned the Ravens by 244 yards in total offense, Rice ended up with 42 yards from just 9 carries. The Ravens are better engineering plays for Rice from the backfield - screens, tosses, runs - here they thought they could out throw the Texans. The Texans stuck with a mix of air and rush, Arian Foster had 19 carries for 98 yards and 2 TDs. Schaub threw 37 times. Flacco threw 43 times.
This was a bad weekend for Baltimore as the Steelers won on the road at the Bengals. Even though they were without two running backs, they stuck to their gameplan and got yardage from Dwyer (17car, 122 yards) and Big Ben threw for 278 yards. Pittsburgh got the job done, and with the Ravens suffering terrible season-ending injuries to Ray Lewis and DeMarcius Webb, they may have got Terrell Suggs back but morle must be low at the moment.
The Pats almost sent packing
Will the real New England Patriots please stand up, as the reigning AFC champions are struggling with continuity and a lack of finesse on both sides of the ball. The good defensive work in the first few weeks of the season is being undone by injuries to the worrying secondary, too many long balls are being executed, too many plays of 20+ yards given to receivers.
The offense are thinking they can get by on reputation alone, both tight ends Rob Gronkowski and Aaron Hernandez are not fully fit, Wes Welker is still get good yards but Brandon Lloyd is letting down his expectation levels, dropping too many passes that a man of his talent has.
Thanks to some dumb play-calling from the New York Jets offense, the defense came up with a recovered fumble to end the game and put a stake in the heart of the Jets. The Pats sit atop the AFC East at 4-3, and own a tiebreaker over the Jets. The Bills lost at home to the Titans, and the Dolphins had a bye.
In hindsight, this week will be a good one, yet it could have been far worse for Tom Brady and the Patriots. Instead of packing their up their hopes of title aspirations, they pack their bags ready to travel to the United Kingdom to face the St.Louis Rams at Wembley Stadium. The Rams lost to the Green Bay Packers at home 20-30. The Patriots may return to Boston 5-3 and feeling a lot better about themselves.
Follow me on twitter @JamieGarwood
Showing posts with label Eli Manning. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Eli Manning. Show all posts
Monday, 22 October 2012
Monday, 6 February 2012
Superbowl XLVI review
The New York Giants won the Superbowl for their second title in four years, defeating the New England Patriots for the second time in four years, for the bragging rights as they ran out 21-17 winners at the Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis.
History will show that Ahmad Bradshaw scored the winning touchdown with 65 seconds remaining - but that only tells half the story.
History will not show that New England let Bradshaw score the TD, in essence losing the lead so that the quarterback Tom Brady could get the ball back and attempt to win the game for the Patriots. Unfortunately, errors came back to haunt the Patriots at the wrong time as they could not make the catches to extend the drive and at least give Brady a chance to throw for the endzone. The last play of the game with 5 seconds left, was a 51 yard Hail Mary attempt that evaded the hands of Rob Gronkowski after being batted down. When the ball hit the turf, time expired and confetti fell.
The old adage is that defence wins championships. The Giants had the better defense, the Patriots defense is one of the most inexperienced groups in years. The Giants forced the only turnover of the game, an interception by Chase Blackburn outjumping Gronkowski, a play that a fit Gronk may well have grabbed.
Twice the Patriots had forced fumbles, yet they could not recover the loose ball. And when they did recover the ball on a fumble, the recovery was nullified by having too many men on the field. A costly error as Eli Manning connected with Victor Cruz from 5 yards for the first touchdown of the game, to make it 9-0.
At that point Brady and his vaunted offense had only had the ball for one play, which resulted in inside pressure from Justin Tuck forcing Brady to throw the ball way downfield to no recognisable or near receiver. The officials correctly judged that to be intentional grounding resulting in a safety due to Brady's position in the endzone. Had Brady moved five yards outside of the tackle box or thrown to the sidelines, it would have been second down and everyone would have shrugged their shoulders.
To me Brady seemed a little anxious throughout the match - there was a vacant look in his eyes especially after the interception. The constant battle of evading the insistent pressure from the Giants front four led to Brady being out of his comfort zone - forcing some mistakes. But credit to him for making some good throws such as to Branch on 4th and 16 in the last minute to keep a hopeful drive alive.
People may well say the Welker drop was vital, yes a pick up of a first down at the Giants 20 yard line meant the Patriots could control the clock down to the two minute warning score a field goal for a five point lead at least, forcing Manning to go 80 yards minimum with less than two minutes and only one timeout - owing to some odd time management by Eli.
I would not blame Welker, the blame lies with Brady conceding that safety and the defence nullifying their own turnover. Take away those 9 points and the Giants are struggling to keep up.
The Giants have played their last 6 games on a wave of momentum since beating the New York Jets, then beating Dallas, then destroying a weak Atlanta helped. They then became the road warriors with wins at Green Bay and San Francisco to get to the SuperBowl.
The momentum and confidence was with the Giants before the game, the Patriots were worried about how to deal with Victor Cruz and the health of Gronkowski. So in giving them a 9-0 lead in essence was something you did not need to do.
Yet Gronkowski was not fit, and Hernandez did his best yet he is not Gronk. And yet the Patriots who successfully kept Cruz quiet in cover 2 all day, they forgot to go man to man on Hakeem Nicks and Mario Manningham. Brandon Spikes did not help by being unable to intercept or bat down passes by Manning.
The Patriots were guilty of having history in their hands yet silly basic errors - Ninkovich jumping offside on 3rd and 7, making it 3 and 2 instead late in 3rd quarter - coupled with a fine composed performance by Manning in the pocket who again did not blink when the game was on the line; means that the questions of legacy and dynasty are now being asked in New York and not Boston. As for that front four of Tuck, Jason Pierre-Paul, Osi Umenyiora and Mathias Kiwanuka are as good a front four I have seen in the NFL.
Whilst the legacy of Brady and Belichick is assured thanks to this amazing 11 year stretch of three Super Bowl wins out of five appearances, the record would sure look better if they just sorted out that defence. Hopefully, a good draft can rectify matters as offensively they remain impeccable.
As a big fan, this defeat hurts more than XLII in Phoenix as in that game the Giants defense beat up Brady and deservedly won. On this occasion, it feels like the Lombardi trophy was there for the taking and much like the two dropped passes in the last drive, the Patriots hurt themselves more than the Giants did.
History will show that Ahmad Bradshaw scored the winning touchdown with 65 seconds remaining - but that only tells half the story.
History will not show that New England let Bradshaw score the TD, in essence losing the lead so that the quarterback Tom Brady could get the ball back and attempt to win the game for the Patriots. Unfortunately, errors came back to haunt the Patriots at the wrong time as they could not make the catches to extend the drive and at least give Brady a chance to throw for the endzone. The last play of the game with 5 seconds left, was a 51 yard Hail Mary attempt that evaded the hands of Rob Gronkowski after being batted down. When the ball hit the turf, time expired and confetti fell.
The old adage is that defence wins championships. The Giants had the better defense, the Patriots defense is one of the most inexperienced groups in years. The Giants forced the only turnover of the game, an interception by Chase Blackburn outjumping Gronkowski, a play that a fit Gronk may well have grabbed.
Twice the Patriots had forced fumbles, yet they could not recover the loose ball. And when they did recover the ball on a fumble, the recovery was nullified by having too many men on the field. A costly error as Eli Manning connected with Victor Cruz from 5 yards for the first touchdown of the game, to make it 9-0.
At that point Brady and his vaunted offense had only had the ball for one play, which resulted in inside pressure from Justin Tuck forcing Brady to throw the ball way downfield to no recognisable or near receiver. The officials correctly judged that to be intentional grounding resulting in a safety due to Brady's position in the endzone. Had Brady moved five yards outside of the tackle box or thrown to the sidelines, it would have been second down and everyone would have shrugged their shoulders.
To me Brady seemed a little anxious throughout the match - there was a vacant look in his eyes especially after the interception. The constant battle of evading the insistent pressure from the Giants front four led to Brady being out of his comfort zone - forcing some mistakes. But credit to him for making some good throws such as to Branch on 4th and 16 in the last minute to keep a hopeful drive alive.
People may well say the Welker drop was vital, yes a pick up of a first down at the Giants 20 yard line meant the Patriots could control the clock down to the two minute warning score a field goal for a five point lead at least, forcing Manning to go 80 yards minimum with less than two minutes and only one timeout - owing to some odd time management by Eli.
I would not blame Welker, the blame lies with Brady conceding that safety and the defence nullifying their own turnover. Take away those 9 points and the Giants are struggling to keep up.
The Giants have played their last 6 games on a wave of momentum since beating the New York Jets, then beating Dallas, then destroying a weak Atlanta helped. They then became the road warriors with wins at Green Bay and San Francisco to get to the SuperBowl.
The momentum and confidence was with the Giants before the game, the Patriots were worried about how to deal with Victor Cruz and the health of Gronkowski. So in giving them a 9-0 lead in essence was something you did not need to do.
Yet Gronkowski was not fit, and Hernandez did his best yet he is not Gronk. And yet the Patriots who successfully kept Cruz quiet in cover 2 all day, they forgot to go man to man on Hakeem Nicks and Mario Manningham. Brandon Spikes did not help by being unable to intercept or bat down passes by Manning.
The Patriots were guilty of having history in their hands yet silly basic errors - Ninkovich jumping offside on 3rd and 7, making it 3 and 2 instead late in 3rd quarter - coupled with a fine composed performance by Manning in the pocket who again did not blink when the game was on the line; means that the questions of legacy and dynasty are now being asked in New York and not Boston. As for that front four of Tuck, Jason Pierre-Paul, Osi Umenyiora and Mathias Kiwanuka are as good a front four I have seen in the NFL.
Whilst the legacy of Brady and Belichick is assured thanks to this amazing 11 year stretch of three Super Bowl wins out of five appearances, the record would sure look better if they just sorted out that defence. Hopefully, a good draft can rectify matters as offensively they remain impeccable.
As a big fan, this defeat hurts more than XLII in Phoenix as in that game the Giants defense beat up Brady and deservedly won. On this occasion, it feels like the Lombardi trophy was there for the taking and much like the two dropped passes in the last drive, the Patriots hurt themselves more than the Giants did.
Monday, 30 January 2012
Is Eli Elite?
Okay this may be an old question to ask. But lets go back to the start of this season, when Eli Manning out of the blue asked the media to consider him as an elite quarterback - in the same breath as Tom Brady, Aaron Rodgers, Drew Brees, Big Ben and his older brother Peyton.
Go back to mid-November and many people would have laughed in his face if he asked the question again. The Giants were on a six game losing skid with the Cowboys in pole position to win the NFC East and head to the playoffs. Then the Cowboys self-destructed twice away at Arizona then at home to the Giants when from two winning positions they were the makers of their own downfall, admittedly that was a problem for the entire Cowboys season. The Giants beat Dallas in the last game of the season to win the NFC East and give the Giants a home game to the Falcons.
Whilst the Giants blew out the Falcons 24-2, that was a more a help of the formidable Giants defense with a full personnel present for the first time all season and some horrible playcalling from the Falcons offense who chose to manage the clock with short gains instead of stretching the field over a Giants secondary that is not as good as their front four.
Eli then helped his elite question marks by going into Lambeau Field against the 15-1 Green Bay Packers who had a two week rest. Like he did five years previously, Eli marched into the cold Lambeau and walked away with the win, thanks in part to some awful defending by the Packers secondary. A telegraphed hail mary at the end of the first half was picked easily by Hakeem Nicks, with no pressure on the grab.
That performance was Eli's best in the playoffs. The Conference championship match up against the San Francisco 49ers at Candlestick Park, was an old-fashioned defensive slugfest settled by two error by punt returner Kyle Williams who fumbled twice, the second time led to the game-winning field goal by Lawrence Tynes. Manning was somewhat absent from the victory, although tellingly he did not throw an interception.
This goes in stark contrast to Tom Brady, who in the previous playoff match agains the Denver Broncos he threw 6 TDs, against the Baltimore Ravens he went for no TDs but 2 picks. Unusual Brady numbers, but still Brady is at the Superbowl for the 5th time.
For me Brady is assured of a place in the Hall of Fame due to him winning 3 rings already, the most TDs thrown in one season. For Eli Manning, his legacy is in real question come Sunday in the Superbowl at Indianapolis.
If Manning wins, he would have twice taken a 9-7 team to win the Superbowl. Manning won the Superbowl the first time in Arizona, his drive to win the game at the end when he hooked up with Plaxico Burress for the go ahead and winning TD was down to him. People will remember the catch by David Tyree where he somehow kept held of the catch under double coverage, my memory is of Tedy Bruschi being unable to sack/tackle Manning who evaded the pocket pressure and was able to get the ball away as he had to because it was 3rd down. You must remember Tyree made the catch look good, the throw was god awful.
Now five years since, he has improved most significantly since the defeat at home to Seattle Seahawks when he threw a pick 6 in the last two minutes when they were seeking to go ahead, it led to a 97 yard interception return which lost the game. However, no other QB has led more fourth quarter comebacks and victories than Manning. Manning is the go to QB on third down. Manning is getting results with a limited field of targets - apart from Nicks, Mario Manningham and breakout star, Victor Cruz; he has maybe Jacobs and Bradshaw running underneath or catching for the short yardage gains. One big play at Green Bay was a short four yard catch by Ahmad Bradshaw that became a 18 yard gain that led to the hail mary and the lead at halftime, and a huge momentum shift.
Plus with Manning he is playing hard. He dropped back 56 times in San Francisco, meaning he wants either more time in the pocket or wants to release the ball quickly - yet he got hit 20 odd times, sacked six times yet he keeps getting up and delivering. So New England can try and hit him, if he can avoid the collision but he will play hurt and remain the leader.
To be elite, you have to be the focal point of the team. You have to lead by example. When they went under .500 for the season, there was no sense of alarm by Manning who had to endure a period without many targets, hence why Cruz has come to the fore and without much of a running game.
Personally, for Eli to be elite he has to beat Brady again. Then he can be considered one of the top 5 QBs in the league along with Brady, Rodgers, Brees and Big Ben (all have won a ring), and join Brady and Big Ben as the only active QB with two rings. He will also be considered better, even greater, than Peyton because Eli will still have another five to seven years to add to his own legacy with the Giants who will remain a threat in a competitive division. Whereas, Peyton may not play again for the Colts and will certainly not enjoy the freedom he enjoyed in Indy anywhere else. Peyton will have to follow a playbook, and not run the show. At the moment, it looks like Eli is calling the shots and happily Tom Coughlin is letting him do it, so long as it pays dividends.
So is Eli elite? At this moment, he is a SuperBowl winning quarterback who is achieving great things without too many weapons. Whereas Brady, is the man with a great slot receiver in Wes Welker and two freaks in the form of Rob Gronkowski and Aaron Hernandez - two men who will have a big say in the outcome of Sunday's result.
Unfortunately, for Eli whatever the result come Sunday he will still be seeking an answer to this question. It seems to be a shame that he is alive in a time of great quarterbacks and peers; yet he will certainly go down fighting for the cause - so if you judge eliteness by competitiveness and hunger, Eli would certainly be high on the list.
Go back to mid-November and many people would have laughed in his face if he asked the question again. The Giants were on a six game losing skid with the Cowboys in pole position to win the NFC East and head to the playoffs. Then the Cowboys self-destructed twice away at Arizona then at home to the Giants when from two winning positions they were the makers of their own downfall, admittedly that was a problem for the entire Cowboys season. The Giants beat Dallas in the last game of the season to win the NFC East and give the Giants a home game to the Falcons.
Whilst the Giants blew out the Falcons 24-2, that was a more a help of the formidable Giants defense with a full personnel present for the first time all season and some horrible playcalling from the Falcons offense who chose to manage the clock with short gains instead of stretching the field over a Giants secondary that is not as good as their front four.
Eli then helped his elite question marks by going into Lambeau Field against the 15-1 Green Bay Packers who had a two week rest. Like he did five years previously, Eli marched into the cold Lambeau and walked away with the win, thanks in part to some awful defending by the Packers secondary. A telegraphed hail mary at the end of the first half was picked easily by Hakeem Nicks, with no pressure on the grab.
That performance was Eli's best in the playoffs. The Conference championship match up against the San Francisco 49ers at Candlestick Park, was an old-fashioned defensive slugfest settled by two error by punt returner Kyle Williams who fumbled twice, the second time led to the game-winning field goal by Lawrence Tynes. Manning was somewhat absent from the victory, although tellingly he did not throw an interception.
This goes in stark contrast to Tom Brady, who in the previous playoff match agains the Denver Broncos he threw 6 TDs, against the Baltimore Ravens he went for no TDs but 2 picks. Unusual Brady numbers, but still Brady is at the Superbowl for the 5th time.
For me Brady is assured of a place in the Hall of Fame due to him winning 3 rings already, the most TDs thrown in one season. For Eli Manning, his legacy is in real question come Sunday in the Superbowl at Indianapolis.
If Manning wins, he would have twice taken a 9-7 team to win the Superbowl. Manning won the Superbowl the first time in Arizona, his drive to win the game at the end when he hooked up with Plaxico Burress for the go ahead and winning TD was down to him. People will remember the catch by David Tyree where he somehow kept held of the catch under double coverage, my memory is of Tedy Bruschi being unable to sack/tackle Manning who evaded the pocket pressure and was able to get the ball away as he had to because it was 3rd down. You must remember Tyree made the catch look good, the throw was god awful.
Now five years since, he has improved most significantly since the defeat at home to Seattle Seahawks when he threw a pick 6 in the last two minutes when they were seeking to go ahead, it led to a 97 yard interception return which lost the game. However, no other QB has led more fourth quarter comebacks and victories than Manning. Manning is the go to QB on third down. Manning is getting results with a limited field of targets - apart from Nicks, Mario Manningham and breakout star, Victor Cruz; he has maybe Jacobs and Bradshaw running underneath or catching for the short yardage gains. One big play at Green Bay was a short four yard catch by Ahmad Bradshaw that became a 18 yard gain that led to the hail mary and the lead at halftime, and a huge momentum shift.
Plus with Manning he is playing hard. He dropped back 56 times in San Francisco, meaning he wants either more time in the pocket or wants to release the ball quickly - yet he got hit 20 odd times, sacked six times yet he keeps getting up and delivering. So New England can try and hit him, if he can avoid the collision but he will play hurt and remain the leader.
To be elite, you have to be the focal point of the team. You have to lead by example. When they went under .500 for the season, there was no sense of alarm by Manning who had to endure a period without many targets, hence why Cruz has come to the fore and without much of a running game.
Personally, for Eli to be elite he has to beat Brady again. Then he can be considered one of the top 5 QBs in the league along with Brady, Rodgers, Brees and Big Ben (all have won a ring), and join Brady and Big Ben as the only active QB with two rings. He will also be considered better, even greater, than Peyton because Eli will still have another five to seven years to add to his own legacy with the Giants who will remain a threat in a competitive division. Whereas, Peyton may not play again for the Colts and will certainly not enjoy the freedom he enjoyed in Indy anywhere else. Peyton will have to follow a playbook, and not run the show. At the moment, it looks like Eli is calling the shots and happily Tom Coughlin is letting him do it, so long as it pays dividends.
So is Eli elite? At this moment, he is a SuperBowl winning quarterback who is achieving great things without too many weapons. Whereas Brady, is the man with a great slot receiver in Wes Welker and two freaks in the form of Rob Gronkowski and Aaron Hernandez - two men who will have a big say in the outcome of Sunday's result.
Unfortunately, for Eli whatever the result come Sunday he will still be seeking an answer to this question. It seems to be a shame that he is alive in a time of great quarterbacks and peers; yet he will certainly go down fighting for the cause - so if you judge eliteness by competitiveness and hunger, Eli would certainly be high on the list.
Monday, 19 December 2011
NFL's Moving Day
In golf's majors you have the Saturday (Day 3) which is regularly referred to as moving day - where a leader cements his dominance by extending his lead, where second place novices wilt with the exposure and attention served to them; or a fan favourite starts moving up the leaderboard with a birdie charge. Sometimes the major is not so much won on the last day but the day before.
In baseball, you have the wild card chase which can bring some amazing results. Ask the St.Louis Cardinals who somehow overturned a deficit to get into the play-offs and then being the team wiht the momentum wind up winning the World Series.
For the NFL you can call Moving Day, Week 15 - so many storylines, so many things happening, upsets, history chasers, bible bashers being bashed, playoff contenders wilting and teams on the charge being cemented.
It all started as history beckoned for the Green Bay Packers at the Kansas City Chiefs in Arrowhead Stadium as the Packers seeking a 16-0 perfect regular season (to join the 1972 Miami Dolphins and 2007 Patriots) were defeated 19-14 by the 6-8 Chiefs.
The Chiefs had fired coach Todd Haley this week after a fouth consecutive loss inspite of an improving defence led by interim head coach Romeo Crenel - the Packers were the makers of their own downfall however. For once Aaron Rodgers did not click (17-35 for 235) as there were numerous dropped from such names as Donald Driver and Jermichael Finley, as they missed the injured Greg Jennings especially. The rushing game suffered also as it accounted for only 5 of the 15 first downs.
Tellingly, the Packers had never trailed in the fourth quarter and they have been prone to moments of panic when the game is close as it was against the Buccaneers and Giants - however, credit should go to Kyle Orton who showed himself to be a top quarterback with a 23-31 for 299 yards with no turnovers; and he controlled the clock keeping Rodgers off the field for much of the game, leaving Green Bay to stew over their mistakes. Orton finished with a QB rating of 104.1 in comparison to Rodgers of 80.1, the first time this season he finished a game under 100.
The Packers have games left against the woeful Bears and hungry Lions to get the one win to cement the one seed and home field advantage. Expect the Pack to get both wins, yet as they have noted going 18-1 and winning the Superbowl would be more memorable than the Patriots season which ended with no ring and no memories.
As for the Patriots they put the snooze button on Tebow Time defeating the Broncos 41-23 which along with a Jets loss to the Eagles gave them the AFC East division and along with defeats for the Ravens and Texans means they are in the No.1 seed front seat and looking to cement home-field advantage throught the playoffs.
The atmosphere at Mile High Stadium was electric as the Broncos came storming out of the blocks utilising their running game to great effect garnering 167 yards on the ground alone in the first quarter compared to a paltry 4 by the Patriots.
The Broncos raced to a 16-7 lead after a 8yd Tebow run, a 32 yd run from Lance Ball and a field goal from Prater, nullified only by a first TD reception by Chad Ochocinco of 33 yards for the Patriots first score.
In registering their sixth consecutive victory, the Patriots as they did on the road to the Eagles a few weeks back when they fall behind early they are confident enough in their gameplan and their weapons being managed by Tom Brady to comeback and outscore any team. Tellingly, the defence stepped up and forced some turnovers and the offense then scored off of them. A muffed punt return led to a Gostkowski 34 yard FG to give a 27-16 halftime lead which would have been unthinkable fifteen minutes earlier.
And once they were ahead the Patriots never looked backed, Rob Gronkowski has been gaining the headlines lately but it was the other tight end Aaron Hernandez who had a big day (9 recs for 129, 1 TD) and the little nugget Danny Woodhead who provided an alternative to the running game (7 car, 40 yds, 1TD).
The defence stepped up in the second quarter when it needed to stop the run and did so, unfortunately they have lost Andre Carter for the season after he twisted his knee it is suspected he requires surgery. This was another mental victory for this young defence who won another big game on the road in an hostile atmosphere and are slowly growing into roles.
Tebow did not play bad, 287 total yards (194 pass, 93 run) means they stuck to the gameplan but when they play against the elite QBs they come up short - against Rodgers, Brees, Brady and Rivers they have a 1-4 record. Tebow is 7-2 as a starter this season, they remain atop the AFC West with a 8-6 record due to the Raiders losing at home, but the Chargers are coming following their win over Baltimore.
The playoff future of the Broncos are in their own hands, one more win should do yet this will be the ultimate test of character to come back from. Yet they need to know their place, Tebow is not elite and with him you cannot see the Broncos winning a playoff game. And how ironic of the scheduling that they have to play at home to Kyle Orton/Kansas City in the last week, a game they may have to win to get into those playoffs. The truth is stranger than fiction.
Congratulations to the Colts who won their first game of the season (1-13) to defeat the Titans 27-13, the Colts oddly enough could miss out on the Andrew Luck/Peyton Manning farce with one more win as the St.Louis Rams are still 2-12 (they lost 20-13 to the playoff chasing Bengals), and the Colts have a winnable game at home to the Jaguars in Week 17. The Rams would appear a better ready fit for Luck if he is the No.1 draft pick, although following Robert Griffin III's Heisman winning performance that does not appear a foregone conclusion.
Baltimore did themselves no favours again, losing on the road again all four of their losses have been on the road - Tennessee, Jacksonsville, Seattle and now San Diego - calling into question whether they are a false team. Pittsburgh travel to San Francisco tonight for Monday Night Football, and if they win they will probably remain atop the AFC North and grab the 1 seed owing to their victory over New England. The Ravens are odd, as each loss comes with low output from Ray Rice who although he can change games as he did against the Cardinals, too often it is hot and cold from this team who search for dominance.
As for odd, go for the Giants who lost 23-10 at home to the Redskins dropping them back to 7-7, 4 losses have come at the MetLife stadium and seemingly every time they have a big week or performance they reply with a woeful display - Eli Manning so good at the moment and MVP quality supposedly (23-40, 257 yards, no TDs but 3 INTs). Following Dallas' Saturday night cakewalk over the Bucs, they sit at 8-6 meaning it will come down to the Week 17 showdown in New York between the Giants and Cowboys for the playoff spot at home to either the Falcons or Lions.
Such a crazy week of scores, headlines and storylines. The notion of the NFL is that on 'Any Given Sunday' something miraculous can happen, usually it does, but this Sunday was magical and amazing.
In baseball, you have the wild card chase which can bring some amazing results. Ask the St.Louis Cardinals who somehow overturned a deficit to get into the play-offs and then being the team wiht the momentum wind up winning the World Series.
For the NFL you can call Moving Day, Week 15 - so many storylines, so many things happening, upsets, history chasers, bible bashers being bashed, playoff contenders wilting and teams on the charge being cemented.
It all started as history beckoned for the Green Bay Packers at the Kansas City Chiefs in Arrowhead Stadium as the Packers seeking a 16-0 perfect regular season (to join the 1972 Miami Dolphins and 2007 Patriots) were defeated 19-14 by the 6-8 Chiefs.
The Chiefs had fired coach Todd Haley this week after a fouth consecutive loss inspite of an improving defence led by interim head coach Romeo Crenel - the Packers were the makers of their own downfall however. For once Aaron Rodgers did not click (17-35 for 235) as there were numerous dropped from such names as Donald Driver and Jermichael Finley, as they missed the injured Greg Jennings especially. The rushing game suffered also as it accounted for only 5 of the 15 first downs.
Tellingly, the Packers had never trailed in the fourth quarter and they have been prone to moments of panic when the game is close as it was against the Buccaneers and Giants - however, credit should go to Kyle Orton who showed himself to be a top quarterback with a 23-31 for 299 yards with no turnovers; and he controlled the clock keeping Rodgers off the field for much of the game, leaving Green Bay to stew over their mistakes. Orton finished with a QB rating of 104.1 in comparison to Rodgers of 80.1, the first time this season he finished a game under 100.
The Packers have games left against the woeful Bears and hungry Lions to get the one win to cement the one seed and home field advantage. Expect the Pack to get both wins, yet as they have noted going 18-1 and winning the Superbowl would be more memorable than the Patriots season which ended with no ring and no memories.
As for the Patriots they put the snooze button on Tebow Time defeating the Broncos 41-23 which along with a Jets loss to the Eagles gave them the AFC East division and along with defeats for the Ravens and Texans means they are in the No.1 seed front seat and looking to cement home-field advantage throught the playoffs.
The atmosphere at Mile High Stadium was electric as the Broncos came storming out of the blocks utilising their running game to great effect garnering 167 yards on the ground alone in the first quarter compared to a paltry 4 by the Patriots.
The Broncos raced to a 16-7 lead after a 8yd Tebow run, a 32 yd run from Lance Ball and a field goal from Prater, nullified only by a first TD reception by Chad Ochocinco of 33 yards for the Patriots first score.
In registering their sixth consecutive victory, the Patriots as they did on the road to the Eagles a few weeks back when they fall behind early they are confident enough in their gameplan and their weapons being managed by Tom Brady to comeback and outscore any team. Tellingly, the defence stepped up and forced some turnovers and the offense then scored off of them. A muffed punt return led to a Gostkowski 34 yard FG to give a 27-16 halftime lead which would have been unthinkable fifteen minutes earlier.
And once they were ahead the Patriots never looked backed, Rob Gronkowski has been gaining the headlines lately but it was the other tight end Aaron Hernandez who had a big day (9 recs for 129, 1 TD) and the little nugget Danny Woodhead who provided an alternative to the running game (7 car, 40 yds, 1TD).
The defence stepped up in the second quarter when it needed to stop the run and did so, unfortunately they have lost Andre Carter for the season after he twisted his knee it is suspected he requires surgery. This was another mental victory for this young defence who won another big game on the road in an hostile atmosphere and are slowly growing into roles.
Tebow did not play bad, 287 total yards (194 pass, 93 run) means they stuck to the gameplan but when they play against the elite QBs they come up short - against Rodgers, Brees, Brady and Rivers they have a 1-4 record. Tebow is 7-2 as a starter this season, they remain atop the AFC West with a 8-6 record due to the Raiders losing at home, but the Chargers are coming following their win over Baltimore.
The playoff future of the Broncos are in their own hands, one more win should do yet this will be the ultimate test of character to come back from. Yet they need to know their place, Tebow is not elite and with him you cannot see the Broncos winning a playoff game. And how ironic of the scheduling that they have to play at home to Kyle Orton/Kansas City in the last week, a game they may have to win to get into those playoffs. The truth is stranger than fiction.
Congratulations to the Colts who won their first game of the season (1-13) to defeat the Titans 27-13, the Colts oddly enough could miss out on the Andrew Luck/Peyton Manning farce with one more win as the St.Louis Rams are still 2-12 (they lost 20-13 to the playoff chasing Bengals), and the Colts have a winnable game at home to the Jaguars in Week 17. The Rams would appear a better ready fit for Luck if he is the No.1 draft pick, although following Robert Griffin III's Heisman winning performance that does not appear a foregone conclusion.
Baltimore did themselves no favours again, losing on the road again all four of their losses have been on the road - Tennessee, Jacksonsville, Seattle and now San Diego - calling into question whether they are a false team. Pittsburgh travel to San Francisco tonight for Monday Night Football, and if they win they will probably remain atop the AFC North and grab the 1 seed owing to their victory over New England. The Ravens are odd, as each loss comes with low output from Ray Rice who although he can change games as he did against the Cardinals, too often it is hot and cold from this team who search for dominance.
As for odd, go for the Giants who lost 23-10 at home to the Redskins dropping them back to 7-7, 4 losses have come at the MetLife stadium and seemingly every time they have a big week or performance they reply with a woeful display - Eli Manning so good at the moment and MVP quality supposedly (23-40, 257 yards, no TDs but 3 INTs). Following Dallas' Saturday night cakewalk over the Bucs, they sit at 8-6 meaning it will come down to the Week 17 showdown in New York between the Giants and Cowboys for the playoff spot at home to either the Falcons or Lions.
Such a crazy week of scores, headlines and storylines. The notion of the NFL is that on 'Any Given Sunday' something miraculous can happen, usually it does, but this Sunday was magical and amazing.
Friday, 7 October 2011
NFL - Week 5 Picks
Hey guys, here are my picks for this week in the NFL
Eagles @ BILLS
I take the Bills, at home, able to march down the field willingly, Bills offense more reliable whilst the inconsistencies of the 'Dream Team' are too apparent.
CHIEFS @ Colts
Two bad teams, but I think the Chiefs have woken up and right now have the better QB in Cassel, whilst the Colts are a mess.
CARDINALS @ Vikings
The Cardinals were unlucky last week against an under the radar Giants, they have a solid QB in Kolb, and the weapons of Larry Fitzgerald and Beanie Wells. The Vikings continue to throw games away and now are playing with added pressure at home. The dome will not put off the warm climate Cardinals.
Seahawks @ GIANTS
Come on really, i have to explain this pick. The lock of the weekend
Titans @STEELERS
The Titans are better than people think, the Steelers are struggling with injuries but the home-field advantage will be sufficient for Big Ben and co.
SAINTS @ Panthers
The Saints in a Division clash will make a statement, but expect it to be tight.
Bengals @ JAGS
Jags are doing good things, they have Jones-Drew doing his thing and controlling the clock which is what it might come down to here, time-management and the Bengals are prone to errors.
Raiders @ TEXANS
The Texans are at home and without Foster and Johnson still have enough weapons to dismiss the resurgent Raiders.
Bucs @ 49ERS
Possibly the matchup of the weekend, two good teams. The Bucs came back to win against the Colts but the short week and long journey across the country to face the 49ers who have talented players playing well - Gore, Crabtree and Davis
CHARGERS @ Broncos
Expect big numbers from Rivers for the first time this season, against a Broncos team who dont know what to do.
Jets @ PATRIOTS
The Pats are ready whilst the Jets are in a muddle whether to pass or run, expect the Jets to dictate the clock but with Brady flinging it everywhere points will be scored.
PACKERS @ Falcons
Good tussle, but the Packers are playing so well right now, dont expect them to mess up here even though it is on the road. As they return to where their play off run began.
Bears @ LIONS
National exposure for the Lions, a great MNF match but the Lions are hot they have won two games somehow from behind back to back. Now they are home and will be wanting to make a statement.
My picks are in capitals.
Will let you know how I do on Tuesday
Eagles @ BILLS
I take the Bills, at home, able to march down the field willingly, Bills offense more reliable whilst the inconsistencies of the 'Dream Team' are too apparent.
CHIEFS @ Colts
Two bad teams, but I think the Chiefs have woken up and right now have the better QB in Cassel, whilst the Colts are a mess.
CARDINALS @ Vikings
The Cardinals were unlucky last week against an under the radar Giants, they have a solid QB in Kolb, and the weapons of Larry Fitzgerald and Beanie Wells. The Vikings continue to throw games away and now are playing with added pressure at home. The dome will not put off the warm climate Cardinals.
Seahawks @ GIANTS
Come on really, i have to explain this pick. The lock of the weekend
Titans @STEELERS
The Titans are better than people think, the Steelers are struggling with injuries but the home-field advantage will be sufficient for Big Ben and co.
SAINTS @ Panthers
The Saints in a Division clash will make a statement, but expect it to be tight.
Bengals @ JAGS
Jags are doing good things, they have Jones-Drew doing his thing and controlling the clock which is what it might come down to here, time-management and the Bengals are prone to errors.
Raiders @ TEXANS
The Texans are at home and without Foster and Johnson still have enough weapons to dismiss the resurgent Raiders.
Bucs @ 49ERS
Possibly the matchup of the weekend, two good teams. The Bucs came back to win against the Colts but the short week and long journey across the country to face the 49ers who have talented players playing well - Gore, Crabtree and Davis
CHARGERS @ Broncos
Expect big numbers from Rivers for the first time this season, against a Broncos team who dont know what to do.
Jets @ PATRIOTS
The Pats are ready whilst the Jets are in a muddle whether to pass or run, expect the Jets to dictate the clock but with Brady flinging it everywhere points will be scored.
PACKERS @ Falcons
Good tussle, but the Packers are playing so well right now, dont expect them to mess up here even though it is on the road. As they return to where their play off run began.
Bears @ LIONS
National exposure for the Lions, a great MNF match but the Lions are hot they have won two games somehow from behind back to back. Now they are home and will be wanting to make a statement.
My picks are in capitals.
Will let you know how I do on Tuesday
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