The quarterback position is a key position to a teams success and may very well be the most important. Sunday tested this theory as several of the games showcased just how much the quarterback matters to a team. With the change in weather many quarterbacks begin to struggle with passes but then again, that's what separates the elite from the good and the good from the average. Tim Tebow may not be an NFL starting quarterback but he is a football player that plays with a lot of heart at the position. With teams inching closer to the playoffs, Sunday was full of excitement and upsets. This season is definitely beginning to take form.
Key Matchups
In the first key game on Sunday the San Francisco 49ers hosted the New York Giants in a tale of two quarterbacks. Before the start of the season, Alex Smith was considered to be a place holder for rookie coach Jim Harbaugh. On Sunday, Alex Smith entered the game with a passer rating of 97.3 which is 7th in the NFL this season. Giants quarterback Eli Manning labeled himself "elite" and everyone criticized him for it. On Sunday, Manning entered the game with a 98.8 passer rating which is 5th best in the NFL. This game was as good as advertised as both teams were lead by their quarterbacks. Through the first half both teams depended heavily on the legs of their kickers as the 49ers lead at the half 9-6. David Akers was 4 of 4 on the day and his kicks proved to be huge in the outcome. During the second half the Giants got the ball rolling and Eli connected with Mario Manningham for a 13 yard touchdown pass to take a 13-12 lead over the 49ers. Early in the fourth quarter, Alex Smith spotted a wide open Vernon Davis for a 31 yard touchdown and to make the game a 7 point game, the 49ers went for a 2-point conversion and hit Michael Crabtree on an outside slant to the right side of the endzone. On the following drive Manning threw his second interception on the day to Carlos Rogers, his second of the game also. The 49ers ran the ball with Kendal Hunter for the 27-13 lead but Manning wasn't done yet.
Manning followed up with an 80 yard drive that lead to a 32 yard touchdown throw to Hakeem Nicks to make it a 7 point game. After a defensive stand, the Giants had a chance to tie the game with a last drive. Manning made it into the redzone but had a difficult time against the 49ers defense. On a last effort, Manning attempted a throw on fourth down but the pass was batted down by Justin Smith. Manning finished with 311 yards, 2 touchdowns, and 2 interceptions. Alex Smith finished with 242 yards, 1 touchdown, and 1 interception. The 49ers are now 8-1 and in the drivers seat for a first round bye in the playoffs.
After dropping two losses in a row, the Patriots were looking to rebound against the New York Jets. New England jumped out of the gate with some nice drives but failed to line up touchdowns. They lined up the uprights for some field goals instead and Stephen Gostkowski was accurate and gave the Pats a 6-0 lead in the first quarter. With under 5:00 left in the second quarter the Jets got pressure to Brady and forced a safety and after the punt by the Pats, Mark Sanchez lead his squad to touchdown on a 65 yard drive as he called his own number on the 2 yard line for a rushing touchdown. Before the end of the first half, Brady put together an 80 yard drive and was sharp and hit Rob Gronkowski for an 18 yard touchdown. Gronkowski had another big game with 8 catches for 113 yards and 2 touchdowns. During the second half, the Patriots piled it on and began pulling away from the Jets. The jets were outscored 24-10 in the second half and they made it look easy. Mark Sanchez could not withstand the wrath of Andre Carter who had 4.5 sacks on the night. Sanchez finished the game with 306 yards, 2 touchdowns, and 2 interceptions. He could not last 60 minutes on the field with the Patriots. Tom Brady was stellar on the night going 23 of 39 for 329 yards and 3 touchdowns. The Jets were making strides to recovering after a slow start on the season but the Patriots knocked them into second place in the AFC East division. That was the last meeting between the two teams this season and they probably won't meet in the playoffs. It looks like only one team will makes it from that division.
Who Am I?
This weeks edition of "Who Am I?" will be an eye opener to many but not to all. Here's a hint for you, he's labeled as a bust.
Throughout my career I have a 75.3 passer rating, 11, 108 yards, 65 total touchdowns, and 56 interceptions over 7 seasons. This season I have 1, 709 yards, 12 total touchdowns, and 3 interceptions. So, who am I?
Quick Spin
What better than to kickoff Thursday Night football with an AFC West showdown for first place between the Raiders and Chargers. With the current struggles of Phillip Rivers, the Chargers have been very inconsistent this year. Thursday was no different as the offense was playing well but the defense was ripped by Carson Palmer and Michael Bush. Palmer had a perfect passer rating into the fourth quarter and finished with 299 yards and 2 touchdowns. Bush rushed for 157 yards and added 85 receiving yards with 1 touchdown. Rivers was 23 of 47 for 274 yards, 2 touchdowns, 1 interception and 1 fumble. With the 24-17 win, Oakland moves on to 5-4 in first place and the Chargers are 4-5 in second place. The Chargers have some big decisions to make in the offseason.
The Bengals are a perfect example of how a team can go from top to bottom with a good offseason. With both teams fighting for first place in the AFC North, the Bengals hosted the Steelers in Cincinnati. Andy Dalton continued to play big and posted 170 yards, 2 touchdowns, and 2 interceptions. A. J. Green was on his way to a nice day but was injured on a 36 yard touchdown catch; it was his only catch of the day. Roethlisberger was on the mark with 245 yards and 1 touchdown. Mendenhall has struggled this season but added 2 touchdowns on the day. With a chance to tie, Dalton threw an interception to William Gay and the Steelers sealed the 24-17 victory. These teams will definitely be in the playoff mix.
It is officially safe to say that the Eagles are just a football team and not the football "gods" that many thought they would be. With another bad outing on Sunday against the Arizona Cardinals, Michael Vick heard the boo birds calling for his head. With 128 passing yards, 79 rushing yards, and 2 interceptions, Vick fell victim to the Cards 21-17. Skelton looked good for the Cards and connected with Larry Fitzgerald all day long. Skelton had 315 yards, 3 touchdowns, and 2 interceptions. Fitzgerald hauled in 7 catches for 146 yards and 2 touchdowns. The Eagles are far from the playoffs and need to finish strong. It's not going to happen but they are the "dream team" aren't they?
The NFC South battle of the week was between the New Orleans Saints and the Atlanta Falcons. The Falcons certainly needed to beat the Saints if they wanted to push for the division title. Drew Brees was having none of that nonsense. Brees was sharp on the day going 30 of 43 with 322 yards and 2 touchdowns. Matt Ryan didn't go down without a fight as he lead his team to a comeback tie to send the game into overtime. On the Falcons second overtime possession, the Falcons went for a 4 and 1 on their own 30 yard line and fell short. What appeared to be a bad decision was and the Saints nailed a game winning field goal. Ryan ended the day with 351 yards, 2 touchdowns, and an interception. The Falcons need to get it together and fast if they want to push the Saints.
The Buffalo Bills have been a bad team playing good football. They also extended Ryan Fitzpatrick to a multi-year deal and may have jumped too soon. The Cowboys hosted the Bills in the slaughter of the day as they coasted by with a 44-7 victory. Tony Romo continued to play well going 23 of 26 for 270 yards and 3 touchdowns. DeMarco Murray continued to take Felix Jones' starting job with 135 yards and a touchdown on 20 carries. The real Bills have arrived and are now 5-4. Seems like some things never change.
The phenomenal rookie Cam Newton took a backseat to the savvy vet Matt Hasselbeck on Sunday. Newton and the Panthers struggled the entire day as they couldn't keep up with the Titans. Newton had 212 passing yards and 1 interception; he also added 55 rushing yards on the day. Chris Johnson finally arrived for the first time this season with 130 yards and a touchdown. Hasselbeck had 219 yards, 1 touchdown, and 1 interception. The Titans won all three phases of the game and sailed away with the 30-3 blowout. Cam Newton isn't as effective when he can't find Steve Smith. He really looked like a rookie on Sunday.
I'm not sure if Mike Shanahan knows it but the Redskins season is over. Sunday was the return of Rex Grossman... again. The 'Skins traveled to Miami to face the Dolphins and Grossman was just as bad as he is on any other Sunday. Grossman had 215 yards and 2 interceptions. Shanahan's running back gumbo of Torain and Helu combined for 61 yards on 16 carries. Matt Moore was solid with 209 yards and Reggie Bush ran for 2 scores on the day. Miami beat the 'Skins 20-9 and recorded their second win of the season. Miami may be 2-7 but they have certainly played better the past three weeks but then again, they haven't been playing elite team either.
The Buccaneers have problems and the list is growing longer each week. They are basic, vanilla, slow, methodical, and losing most of all. Sunday wasn't any different as they hosted the Houston Texans and succumbed to yet another blowout. Schaub and the Teaxans were on all day as they only allowed 12 first downs on the day. Schaub had 242 yards and 2 touchdowns on the day. His 2 touchdowns were for 80 and 78 yards. They moved on to 7-3 with the 37-6 win against the Bucs. Josh Freeman was horrible with 170 yards, a touchdown, and 3 interceptions. The Bucs appeared to be on the rise last season but they are an average team at best. I guess they won't sit on their hands during offseason like they did the past offseason.
In an imperfect world Tim Tebow is the perfect quarterback. I guess the Denver Broncos play in an imperfect world because somehow, someway, Tebow is finding ways to win. Taking on division rival Kansas City Chiefs, Tebow had one of the worst games of any starting quarterback on Sunday. Tebow was 2 of 8 for 69 yards and a touchdown. He also added 43 rushing yards and a rushing touchdown. Matt Cassel was just as bad with 93 yards and a touchdown. The Chiefs have been up and down this year but have played hard for head coach Todd Haley. Playing hard didn't get the job done on Sunday though as the Chiefs fell to the Broncos 17-10. The Broncos are now 4-5 and they are 3-1 since Tebow took over the starting quarterback job from Kyle Orton. He's still not a franchise quarterback but I guess he's fun... or funny to watch.
In one of two toilet bowl games the Jaguars faced off against the winless Colts. If any team knows how important the quarterback position is it's the Colts. Last season with Peyton Manning under center, the Colts were 10-6 and in the playoffs. This season they have 10 losses and counting. The Jaguars rookie quarterback continued to struggle and had 118 yards, 1 touchdown, and 1 interception. Maurice Jones-Drew was the focus, as always, and had 114 yards on 25 carries. Painter was awful too with 94 yards and 2 interceptions. He has not thrown a touchdown in three straight games. These are two of the NFL bottom feeder teams. Not much to talk about really but the Jags won 17-3.
In the second toilet bowl the Browns battled the Rams in game that has, not playoff impact, but draft impact. Sam Bradford had 155 yards and a touchdown on the day but the Rams were carried by Steven Jackson. Jackson had 128 rushing yards on the day. Colt McCoy had 218 yards on the day but was carried by Phil Dawson. Dawson connected on 4 of 5 field goals on the day but the missed attempt proved to be huge as the Browns lost to the Rams 13-12. Both of these teams need to improve their player personnel and the Browns need to add another quarterback to the roster.
Can anyone find the real Joe Flacco? Flacco has been as inconsistent as any quarterback this season. One week he is a hero and the next week he's a chump. The Ravens traveled to Seattle to tack on the Seahawks in a game that clearly favored the surging Ravens. Flacco wasn't terrible but he wasn't great either. Flacco was 29 of 52 for 255 yards, 1 touchdown, and 1interception. Ray Rice was quiet on the day with the exception of a 1 yard touchdown toss to Ed Dickson. This game belonged to Tavaris Jackson and Marshawn Lynch. Jackson was efficient with 217 yards and Lynch carried the team to victory with 109 yards and 1 touchdown on 32 carries. Steven Hauschka added 5 field goals to help the Seahawks beat the Ravens 22-17. The Ravens are unpredictable and I don't see them making the playoffs in a crowded division and conference.
Battling for second place in the NFC North is huge because first place is probably wrapped up by the Packers. The Bears and Lions faced off in a game that may be huge come payoff time and it was a blowout. The Lions started the season on fire but have come down to reality recently and the Bears saw to it that remained the case on Sunday. Matt Staford was 33-63 for 1 touchdown and 4 interceptions. The Bears were sharp at every phase of the game. They had a punt return touchdown from Devin Hester and 2 interception returns for touchdowns; 1 by Charles Tillman and 1 by Major Wright. Jay Cutler added 123 yards passing but he didn't have to do much on the day. With the teams settled in now, the Bears are 6-3 soaring and the Lions are 6-3 declining.
Monday Night Preview
The defending and undefeated Green Bay Packers will host the 2-6 Minnesota Vikings for an NFC North showdown. The Packers are as good as they come and Aaron Rodgers is having the best season of his career. The Vikings opened the season with veteran quarterback Donovan McNabb as their starter but was benched in favor of rookie Christian Ponder in week 7. The Last time these two teams met, Ponder debuted and with confidence as he battled the Packers to the wire in the 33-27 loss. This game should be just as exciting with a more confident Ponder and Vikings team.
Aaron Rodgers is clearly the best quarterback this season and he can give part of the credit to a good offensive line and arsenal of receivers. The Packers are fourth in total offensive yards this season and they appear to be getting better with each passing week. Their defense on the other hand is ranked 30th in yards allowed this season. They have been apart of their fair share of barn burners this season. However, their defense has made plays in big moments this season and have contributed to their 8-0 record. Rodgers and the Pack will strike and strike often to remain undefeated.
Before Christian Ponder took over the team they seemed lost and dazed but when he stepped in, he gave the team hope and they played with fire in their eyes. Ponder has been good as he has been competitive in each game and has played until the end also. The Vikings may have the 23rd ranked defense but they have Jared Allen and he makes the best quarterbacks work hard. Allen is currently second in sacks with 12.5 and he is eyeballing Michael Strahan's single season sack record; he is 10 sacks away. The Vikings record may not show it but they do have some good players on their roster. They will try to push Green Bay again and take the win.
Look for Rodgers to have a good game but he will be pressured by Allen throughout the night. James Starks should have some nice running lanes and could be effective. The Packers have given up points this season and expect the same on Monday. Ponder will post another solid game and will look for Pro Bowl running back Adrian Peterson to lead the way. Peterson will have a monster game. Jared Allen will get at least 1 sack on Rodgers and pressure him often. My prediction is that the undefeated Packers will remain just that and beat the Vikings 38-27.
Who Am I? (Answer)
Who am I with 1, 709 yards, 12 total touchdowns, and 3 interceptions throughout this season. I am Alex Smith of the San Francisco 49ers.
Alex Smith was drafted first overall by the 49ers in the 2005 draft. He will forever be linked with Aaron Rodgers because they were the top 2 quarterbacks in the draft and many thought the 49ers would take Rodgers because he was from California. Smith has been shaky throughout his first 6 seasons but Jim Harbaugh believed that Smith could be a top passer. So far, so good and Smith has the 49ers in first place in the NFC West and in position to make the playoffs with a first round bye. He may not be Rodgers but he is taking his own path and leading his team.
"Worst Luck" Race
Which teams are the top 5 teams in position to land the highly coveted Stanford quarterback Andrew Luck in the 2012 NFL Draft. Clearly the Colts are the favorites but things can change.
1.) Indianapolis Colts, 0-10
2.) St. Louis Rams, 2-7
3.) Miami Dolphins, 2-7
4.) Washington Redskins, 3-6
5.) Carolina Panthers, 2-7
Last Thoughts...
This season has been as unpredictable as any but one thing I know is that quarterbacks matter. The quarterback with the biggest impact on his team this season is by far Peyton Manning. The Colts are a terrible team and they have major concerns with Manning's future. Andy Dalton stepped in for the Bengals and they are thriving and Carson Palmer looks like the real deal for the Raiders. Cam Newton looks like the beginning of success for the Panthers. Tim Tebow won't be the quarterback for the Broncos but at least he is giving them a reason to be talked about... good or bad. Dallas has proved when Romo is on his "A" game, they are as good as any team but when he struggles, they lose. This years draft will be full of quarterback prospects. If a team is unsatisfied with their quarterback then they better draft one because that may make or break the team. Offensive rookie of the year took a turn this week also. Cam Newton is the fan favorite but Andy Dalton is good also, maybe even better. Newton has a passer rating of 84.0 with 2, 605 yards, 11 passing touchdowns, 10 interceptions. Dalton has a passer rating of 82.6 with 1, 866 yards, 14 passing touchdowns, and 9 interceptions. Now Newton also has 374 rushing yards and 7 rushing touchdowns. The selling point for me would be, the Bengals are 6-3 and the Panthers are 2-7. Dalton is offensive rookie of the year up to this point in the season for me.
Hope you have enjoyed reading. Please comment, share, and give feel free to give feedback.
Thank you!,
Byron T. Williams
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