Another exciting week of NFL play has come and several teams are beginning to go. With the level of play improving, teams such as the Philadelphia Eagles and Buffalo Bills have hit slumps and are seriously in jeopardy of not making the playoffs. Those teams are in search of heroes but the chances of that happening are looking like slim to none. Some of those hopeful teams stepped up during week 11 while others took yet another step backwards. Time is of the essence for many NFL franchises if they want a shot at the championship title.
Key Matchups
The Philadelphia Eagles are in much need of luck and good play the remainder of this season. On Sunday night the Eagles traveled to New York to face the division rival Giants without several of their key starters Michael Vick and Jeremy Maclin. Vince Young got the nod for the Eagles at quarterback and his performance was shaky but I wouldn't say it was all bad. The game got rolling in the second quarter and the Eagles, believe it or not, drew first blood with a field goal. Eli Manning was pressured most of the game and that led to several punts for the Giants, 9 punts to be exact. With their final drive of the first half, the Eagles started the drive at the 14 yard line after a 51 yard punt return by DeSean Jackson. Vince Young hit Steve Smith for a 14 yard touchdown to take a 10-0 lead. The Giants managed to get a field goal before halftime. In the second half, the pressure continued for Manning but during the fourth quarter Manning battled through and connected with Victor Cruz for a touchdown to tie the game at 10 points. Vince Young was in a situation where he had to lead his football team to victory and he did just that. Young jaw dropping 18 play, 80 yard drive that chewed away nearly 9 minutes of the game clock for the game winning touchdown pass to Riley Cooper. Young ended the night with 258 yards, 2 touchdowns, and 3 interceptions. Manning had 264 yards, 1 touchdown, and 1 interception. The Eagles have a long road ahead of them but they have to play more like they did on Sunday and less like they have so far.
The AFC North is the best division in the entire AFC and the Bengals and Ravens showcased their winning teams on Sunday. The Ravens have been very inconsistent this season but the Bengals have been solid through and through. Baltimore was on the mark Sunday despite the absence of All-Pro linebacker Ray Lewis. Joe Flacco, Ray Rice, Torrey Smith, and the Ravens defense all had great games, but the Ravens only won the game by 7 points. That was due to Andy Dalton for the most part. The rookie quarterback may have thrown 3 interceptions on the day but he also had 373 yards and a touchdown. He was without fellow rookie A. J. Green but he found his target for the day. That target was Jerome Simpson who hauled in 8 catches for 152 yards. It wasn't enough to win the game but the Bengals are definitely a good football team. However, the Ravens are vets at the game and Flacco had 270 yards, 2 touchdowns, and 1 interception. Rice hit the ground with 104 yards and 2 touchdowns. The AFC North could possibly put three teams into the playoffs this year.
Who Am I?
This weeks edition of "Who Am I?" will mind boggle many people. Here's a hint for you, he is really overlooked.
I have over 450 yards receiving, 34 receptions for an average of 46.2 yards. It's not amazing but I do have 8 touchdowns and I'm fourth among skill players in scoring this season. Who Am I?
Quick Spin
Only in a world where imperfect is perfect can Tim Tebow be a starting quarterback. I guess Denver is an imperfect world. Thursday night's game two of the NFL's worst quarterbacks. Mark Sanchez had 252 yards and an interception. Tebow had 104 yards on 9 completions. Tebow is the more athletic quarterback and that's what got him the victory. The Broncos beat the Jets 17-13 and are now 4-1 since making Tebow the starting quarterback.
The Buffalo Bills were once 5-2 and started off 3-0 with the lead in the AFC East. It's amazing how things can change in a few weeks. They were simply a bad football team that were playing good football. On Sunday they faced the Miami Dolphins in a game they could have competed better had it been Madden 12. The Dolphins ran away with the game as Matt Moore posted another good game with 160 yards and 3 touchdowns. Ryan Fitzpatrick was awful with 209 yards and 2 interceptions in the 35-8 loss to Miami. It's safe to say the Bills will not make the playoffs this year.
The Carolina Panthers have been the most entertaining losing team to watch this season and that's not a bad thing at all. They faced the Lions on Sunday and it was a barn burner. Cam Newton has been good but he also has been very turnover prone. He had 4 interceptions on Sunday to give him a total of 14 for the year. Despite that he still had 317 total yards and 3 touchdowns. Matthew Stafford on the other hand was a huge with 335 yards and 5 touchdowns but nobody was bigger than Kevin Smith. Smith rushed for 140 yards and 2 touchdowns and added 61 receiving yards and another touchdown. The Lions defeated the Panthers 49-35.
The San Diego Chargers are frustrating. One week they play well, the next week they play not so well, but they still can lose either of those type of games. Sunday was a not so well type as they faced the Chicago Bears. Philip Rivers had an average game with 280 yards, 2 touchdowns, and 2 interceptions and the Chargers running game was non-existent. Jay Cutler is having his best season since becoming a Bear and Sunday was bittersweet. Cutler had 286 yards and 2 touchdowns in the 31-20 win but suffered a possible season ending injury to his thumb on his throwing hand. The Bears may be in serious trouble if this is true.
The San Francisco 49ers are hot and are on the heels of the Green Bay Packers this year. They faced the Cardinals and they were lights out. The Cardinals had a total of 229 yards in the game and that was not enough to deflate the 49ers. Alex Smith was good... again with 267 yards and 2 touchdowns. They rolled pass the Cardinals 23-7 and at 9-1, they are a very serious championship contender.
Speaking of championship contenders, the Green Bay Packers are the defending champions and are pushing for another title with the best record in the league this season. The Buccaneers gave the Pack a scare on Sunday in a close game against the undefeated team. Aaron Rodgers was typical with 299 yards and 3 touchdowns. His leading wide receiver was Jordy Nelson with 123 yards; he's having a monster season for all the fantasy heads. Josh Freeman and the Bucs played their best game in quite some time. Freeman tossed for 342 yards and 2 touchdowns. The Packers remained undefeated after the 35-26 win over the Pack.
The Atlanta Falcons and the Tennessee Titans faced off and the most interesting note of this game was rookie quarterback Jake Locker. After suffering an injury, Locker came in and looked very good on the day. Locker had 140 yards, 2 touchdowns, and looked like he may be a better fit for the now .500 Titans. Matt Ryan and the Falcons had a nice lead and held Locker off to seal the 23-17 win. It will be interesting to see how the Titans handle Locker going forward.
Since being traded to Oakland, Carson Palmer has been sharp despite his first game blunder. Facing the Vikings on Sunday wasn't an easy task as Christian Ponder has been solid as the Vikings quarterback. He posted 211 yards, 2 touchdowns, and 3 interceptions. He also added 71 rushing yards on the day. It wasn't the best day but it was far from the worst. Palmer had 164 yards and 2 touchdowns on the day. Palmer is now 2-1 as the starter after the 27-21 win over the Vikings.
After starting the season off 3-1, the Washington Redskins have lost 6 consecutive games. The sixth loss came Sunday against the Cowboys but they played them tough. Rex Grossman is on his second stint as starting quarterback this season and he was good on the day. He had 289 yards and 1 touchdown but didn't get help from his backfield. Tony Romo continued his good play with 292 yards and 3 touchdowns. The Redskins pushed Dallas into overtime but fell short with the 27-24 loss. Having a rushing attack really has improved Romo's play and has given Dallas 3 consecutive wins.
The Seattle Seahawks went up against the St. Louis Rams in a game to avoid last place in the NFC West. The Rams need competition at quarterback because Sam Bradford looks average at best. Sunday was no exception as he had 181 yards, 1 touchdown, and 1 interception. The Seahawks have talent but they need some more on their roster. However, it was enough to blowout the Rams 24-7.
The Jacksonville Jaguars and Cleveland Browns played on Sunday. The Browns scored 14 points and the Jaguars scored 10. Browns won. The end.
Monday Night Preview
Monday night's game with the Kansas City Chiefs against the New England Patriots could very well be good. It also could easily be a blowout depending on which teams show up to play. The Patriots have a high powered offense but they have struggled several times this season on defense and some on offense. The Chiefs are a solid team but they have exceeded expectations at times and have looked really good. They both have their eyes on their division titles but they both need to play solid football the remainder of the season.
Look for the Patriots to roll pass the Chiefs easily in this game. The Gronkowski will be a challenge for the Chiefs and the Patriots knows it. They will use the tight ends to open up the game for Tom Brady and Wes Welker.With Tyler Palko making his first start of the season, look for the Patriots defense to attack the fresh quarterback often and early. My prediction is that the Patriots will win 38-13 and yes I know I may be reaching.
Who Am I? (Answer)
So who am I with 450 yards receiving, 34 receptions for an average of 46.2 yards, and 8 touchdowns? I'm Eric Decker of the Denver Broncos.
Decker proves that stats can be misleading and a bit one-sided. The Broncos have the 26 ranked offense and are 20 in points. Decker has been a bright spot on offense and special teams. He may not be the top ranked receiver but he is earning his keep. Keep an eye on Decker.
"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. Even though the Colts are on a bye this week, they are still the favorites but things can change.
1.) Indianapolis Colts, 0-10
2.) St. Louis Rams, 2-8
3.) Washington Redskins, 3-7
4.) Carolina Panthers, 2-8
5.) Jacksonville Jaguars, 3-7
Last Thoughts...
The NFL is in the third quarter of the season and injuries are taking a toll. This week, we saw Jay Cutler, Matt Hasselbeck, and Adrian Peterson get injured and Cutler's appears to be out for an extended period of time. It's only going to get tougher and teams are starting to prepare for the worst. Also, the Bills have fallen from the ranks of the high and mighty to bottom feeders. Since Fitzpatrick signed his extension, he has 2 touchdowns and 7 interceptions. The Bills were too excited and now they have an expensive backup quarterback. That never turns out well, just ask the Jaguars. Vince Young made his first start with the Eagles and got them the win over the Giants. I'm not sold on Young but I'm not sold on Vick either. Dallas have rebounded nice on the season and it's all thanks to DeMarco Murray. The kid can run and as long as he is, the Cowboys are dangerous. If the season ended today, the Ravens, Texans, Bengals, Steelers, Patriots, and Raiders would make the playoffs for the AFC. The NFC would be the Packers, 49ers, Bears, Saints, Lions, and Cowboys. That would be 6 new playoff teams since last post season. Then again, the season doesn't end today so that can all change. I know one thing, the last 6 weeks of this season will be exciting and I can't wait.
Hope you have enjoyed reading. Please comment, share, and give feel free to give feedback.
Thank you!,
Byron T. Williams
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