The final score for Week 3 came to 11-5 (me) and 12-4 (Mardi). Overall I'm holding a one game lead with the current tally at 32-16 (me) and 31-17 (Mardi). It's proving to be a close race between the 2 of us this season. Without further ado I present my predictions for Week 4:
Detroit @ Chicago (Chicago)
Cincinnati @ Cleveland (Cincinnati)
Oakland @ Houston (Houston)
Seattle @ Indianapolis (Indianapolis)
Tennessee @ Jacksonville (Tennessee)
New York Giants @ Kansas City (New York Giants)
Baltimore @ New England (Baltimore)
Tampa Bay @ Washington (Washington)
Buffalo @ Miami (Buffalo)
New York Jets @ New Orleans (New Orleans)
Dallas @ Denver (Denver)
St. Louis @ San Francisco (San Francisco)
San Diego @ Pittsburgh (Pittsburgh)
Monday Night:
Green Bay @ Minnesota (Minnesota 27 - 20)
Let's start with the Houston game. Houston is coming off a tough loss at home against the Jaguars. The worrisome run defense is going to have their hands full with Raider RB Darren McFadden. Houston needs to have a good day on run defense to force QB JeMarcus Russell to go to the air, where he has not been very good so far this season. Houston may also consider some press coverage in the secondary this week in order to disrupt the receivers. As noted before, the Texans were able to get pressure on David Garrard, but with the receivers being wide open all the hard work by the line was for naught. Even though Mario Williams has only one sack so far, I look for him to have a good day against Oakland as so far they have had a lot of trouble protecting JeMarcus Russell. Oakland does have decent run defense but I'm looking for Steve Slaton to build on his modest success against the Jaguars. The other key to a Texans victory will be for Matt Shaub (823 yards, 7 TD's and 1 INT through 3 games) and his receivers to continue their excellent play from Weeks 2 and 3.
The first Monday Night Football matchup in our little rivalry sees Minnesota hosting Green Bay in Minneapolis in a division game. Right away one can tell that this is going to be another close game for the Vikings as Green Bay has really pulled it together from last season. One glaring weakness is Green Bay's run defense, which is ranked 23rd in the league and is going up against the 7th ranked run offense. Green Bay is going to have to rely on turnovers and the quick release abilities of Aaron Rodgers to hold off Jared Allen and the Williams Brothers. Overall, both offenses are close, but with the better run game going against a lesser defense, not to mention home-field advantage, this game will go to the Vikings.
Bye weeks start this week with Philadelphia, Arizona, Carolina, and Atlanta all staying home. Detroit is coming off their first win of the season in Washington, but they won't be quite ready to handle Chicago. Tennessee's defense should be disruptive enough to the Jacksonville running game to help them pull out their first win of the season. Baltimore at New England was difficult to call so this one I have to play by the numbers. Joe Flacco is running a terrific offense and Ray Lewis is showing that he's still the man at MLB. New England is struggling in the red zone and their young defense still has some question marks. Edge: Baltimore. Miami has a lot of tricks but isn't playing fundamental football, which is why Buffalo will win on Sunday. New Orleans has both a running game and air attack that will be the biggest test so far of the New York Jets defense. Look for New Orleans to win and move to 4-0. Dallas has the number 1 ranked running offense so far this season but they are going up against the number 1 ranked defense in the league. Coupled with home field advantage, this game should go to Denver. San Diego is going into Pittsburgh with a lot of injuries. I'm looking for Pittsburgh to capitalize on this and win. Cleveland, Kansas City, Tampa Bay, Seattle, and St. Louis are just bad teams so far this year, which is why I'm looking for them to lose this Sunday (the Tampa Bay/Washington game was basically a coin-toss).
I'm going to start planning the menu for Sunday afternoon (I'm thinking a slow-cooked turkey chili spiced with chipotles). Let's see what Mardi has to say about this Sunday's matchups.
Wednesday, September 30, 2009
Monday, September 28, 2009
Almost Done with Week 3
First off, congratulations to Mardi for winning this week. It was another close week where it came down to the final Sunday game to decide the winner. So far the score of the week is 10-5 for me and 11-4 for her.
I stand by my earlier statement... who would have thought that after that poor showing against the Vikings in Week 1 of the preseason that the Colts would be 3-0, and in a dominant fashion? Or the Steelers would be looking weak at 1-2? Or the Jets with a rookie quarterback at 3-0? Let's not forget the fact that Brett Favre wasn't even a Viking in Week 1 of the preseason. I had my doubts but each game he's inspiring the team to greatness. I'll get to the Texans record in just a moment...
I attended today's game against the Jaguars. Everything started off ok, but the glaring weaknesses in our secondary were exposed today. The Jaguars, who were very weak in their first 2 games, came out and were able to score on the Texans defense almost seemingly at will. The line was getting decent pressure on David Garrard, but the receivers were getting open due to weak secondary coverage. That's not even mentioning the weak run defense shown for the 3rd week in a row. Add in the mix a couple of penalties and a late turnover (questionable, but the video evidence did not support overturning the call) and it became a recipe for a heartbreaking loss. The Texan offense had a good game, with 397 total yards. Matt Shaub put up good numbers as well, going 26 of 35 for 286 yards and 3 TD's. Steve Slaton even started to get things going by gaining 76 yards on 12 carries. But in the end, the defense lost this game for us. There is a grumbling going on about people wanting Gary Kubiak to leave town. That may be emotion from yesterday's loss, but we'll see maybe tomorrow what they're saying on the local sports shows. The Texans fall to 1-2 (there, Mardi, I am not afraid to admit my team's record) and in 3rd place in the AFC South behind Indianapolis (3-0) and Jacksonville (1-2 with better point differential).
Mardi pretty much summed up the rest of the Sunday. San Francisco had Minnesota on the ropes, and this one could have gone either way. To Minnesota I say congratulations for pulling out the win. As to the Detroit/Washington game, I had no doubt that Detroit would win due to the sorry play exhibited by Washington so far. For our third disagreement, that was definitely an ugly performance by Arizona. I guess I need to stop betting against Payton Manning. The play of the week goes to Brett Favre's last second game winning touchdown. The boneheaded play of the week goes to 2 different plays. The first goes to Antonio Smith of the Houston Texans for that nasty horse-collar tackle on Maurice Jones-Drew to end the Texans' chances of getting the ball back for one last play. The other goes to rookie OLB Brian Cushing of the Texans for letting David Garrard walk the ball into the end zone for 6 when he had a clear shot at him for the sack.
As I spent nearly an hour just trying to leave the stadium complex, along with another commitment on Sunday evening, I didn't get to watch all that much football. Right now I'm watching the Dallas/Carolina game, which is looking pretty ugly at this point. The full record along with the up-to-date tally will be posted on Wednesday when I post my predictions for Week 4.
As for now, I leave you with a shot of something I saw of lot of Sunday:
And it's good! Week 3 almost over.....
What an amazing day of football. As it stands right now I am 11 of 15 and Rick is 10 of 15. So, that means I get this week. A little sweet redemption after my stomping last week. Since Rick was live at the Texan game I am going to let him cover that one. Let's take a look at some other highlights from today.
Baltimore walked all over Cleveland, though who is surprised. Four turnovers certainly does not help win a game, and 34-3 is a stomping. Washington at Detroit was a bit more of a surprise. I really expected the Redskins to pull this one out and keep the Lions on their 19 game losing streak. Indianapolis did a nice job of stuffing the Cardinal's. The game was in the bag when Warner threw an interception on the first play of the fourth quarter. That brought the Colts up 31-10. Manning had 379 yards passing for four touchdowns.
Now on to the game that matters..... Minnesota pulled this off literally with 2 seconds to spare. And as shamed as I am to admit it, Favre earned a purple stripe today. His fourth quarter 32 yard perfect pass to Greg Lewis won the game. The Vikings made an amazing 80 yard drive in a minute twenty seven with no time outs. Favre passed for 301 yards today making him the first under Childress to go over 300 yards, which even I have to admit is amazing considering Childress is an ........ Percy Harvin made an impressive run with an 101 yard kick return for a TD. The calls on this game were certainly interesting to say the least. There were some unusual calls being made on both teams and calls being made on imaginary things.
This was a good week with some good games. Monday night we can wrap it up and move on. Next week we face the Packers! Cannot wait, woohoo!
By the way, I believe in post #1 Rick made mention that the first preseason game was no indication of week 1 of the regular season.... well hmm we are 3-0, how are the Texans doing?
Baltimore walked all over Cleveland, though who is surprised. Four turnovers certainly does not help win a game, and 34-3 is a stomping. Washington at Detroit was a bit more of a surprise. I really expected the Redskins to pull this one out and keep the Lions on their 19 game losing streak. Indianapolis did a nice job of stuffing the Cardinal's. The game was in the bag when Warner threw an interception on the first play of the fourth quarter. That brought the Colts up 31-10. Manning had 379 yards passing for four touchdowns.
Now on to the game that matters..... Minnesota pulled this off literally with 2 seconds to spare. And as shamed as I am to admit it, Favre earned a purple stripe today. His fourth quarter 32 yard perfect pass to Greg Lewis won the game. The Vikings made an amazing 80 yard drive in a minute twenty seven with no time outs. Favre passed for 301 yards today making him the first under Childress to go over 300 yards, which even I have to admit is amazing considering Childress is an ........ Percy Harvin made an impressive run with an 101 yard kick return for a TD. The calls on this game were certainly interesting to say the least. There were some unusual calls being made on both teams and calls being made on imaginary things.
This was a good week with some good games. Monday night we can wrap it up and move on. Next week we face the Packers! Cannot wait, woohoo!
By the way, I believe in post #1 Rick made mention that the first preseason game was no indication of week 1 of the regular season.... well hmm we are 3-0, how are the Texans doing?
Wednesday, September 23, 2009
Week 3 predictions - Mardi
Cleveland @ Baltimore (Baltimore)
Washington @ Detroit (Washington*)
Jacksonville @ Houston (Houston)
San Francisco @ Minnesota (Minnesota*)
Atlanta @ New England (New England)
Tennessee @ New York Jets (Tennessee)
Kansas City @ Philadelphia (Philadelphia)
Green Bay @ St. Louis (Green Bay)
New York Giants at Tampa Bay (New York Giants)
New Orleans @ Buffalo (New Orleans)
Chicago @ Seattle (Chicago)
Pittsburgh @ Cincinnati (Pittsburgh)
Denver @ Oakland (Denver)
Miami @ San Diego (San Diego)
Indianapolis @ Arizona (Indianapolis*)
Monday Night:
Carolina @ Dallas (Dallas 21 - 13)
*Games we disagree on
Well here we go. Let's hope this week proves better luck for me. I think we have a good matchup this week again. Some of these games should be pretty close. The last time the 49er's and Vikings met up the Vikings walked away with a 27-7 win. I would love to see a repeat. As long as Favre can land some long throws we should have a good chance at taking this game. The 49er's defense may be a challenge against the Vikings common running game but than with Adrian Peterson making his own blocks maybe it won't be an issue. I think the edge up in this game will be Minnesota's run-blocking defense line. Being the third in the NFL and having yet to allow a rushing touchdown this season if the Vikings can stop Gore they will force Hill to win the game with passes. Hill has been pretty good this year but he may find a challnege against the MN defense.
The Texans take on the Jags and I have to agree with Rick on this one, due to the young lineup on the Jags I expect the Texans to come out on top in this game. The Texans had a nice week 2 comeback which should help carry them into week 3. Provided Schaub can keep it together again, this game should be pretty one sided.
As for the other, some were hard to call, some were easy but time will tell if my instincts are correct.
Washington @ Detroit (Washington*)
Jacksonville @ Houston (Houston)
San Francisco @ Minnesota (Minnesota*)
Atlanta @ New England (New England)
Tennessee @ New York Jets (Tennessee)
Kansas City @ Philadelphia (Philadelphia)
Green Bay @ St. Louis (Green Bay)
New York Giants at Tampa Bay (New York Giants)
New Orleans @ Buffalo (New Orleans)
Chicago @ Seattle (Chicago)
Pittsburgh @ Cincinnati (Pittsburgh)
Denver @ Oakland (Denver)
Miami @ San Diego (San Diego)
Indianapolis @ Arizona (Indianapolis*)
Monday Night:
Carolina @ Dallas (Dallas 21 - 13)
*Games we disagree on
Well here we go. Let's hope this week proves better luck for me. I think we have a good matchup this week again. Some of these games should be pretty close. The last time the 49er's and Vikings met up the Vikings walked away with a 27-7 win. I would love to see a repeat. As long as Favre can land some long throws we should have a good chance at taking this game. The 49er's defense may be a challenge against the Vikings common running game but than with Adrian Peterson making his own blocks maybe it won't be an issue. I think the edge up in this game will be Minnesota's run-blocking defense line. Being the third in the NFL and having yet to allow a rushing touchdown this season if the Vikings can stop Gore they will force Hill to win the game with passes. Hill has been pretty good this year but he may find a challnege against the MN defense.
The Texans take on the Jags and I have to agree with Rick on this one, due to the young lineup on the Jags I expect the Texans to come out on top in this game. The Texans had a nice week 2 comeback which should help carry them into week 3. Provided Schaub can keep it together again, this game should be pretty one sided.
As for the other, some were hard to call, some were easy but time will tell if my instincts are correct.
Presenting Week 3
Week 2 was full of surprises and some damn good football. My prediction of more road wins came true as 9 of the 16 games played showed the visitor to be victorious. The final score for me was 10-6 and for Mardi 7-9. The current totals show to be 21-11 (me) and 19-13 (Mardi).
Without further ado, here is the Week 3 schedule and my predictions:
Cleveland @ Baltimore (Baltimore)
Washington @ Detroit (Detroit)
Jacksonville @ Houston (Houston)
San Francisco @ Minnesota (San Francisco)
Atlanta @ New England (New England)
Tennessee @ New York Jets (Tennessee)
Kansas City @ Philadelphia (Philadelphia)
Green Bay @ St. Louis (Green Bay)
New York Giants at Tampa Bay (New York Giants)
New Orleans @ Buffalo (New Orleans)
Chicago @ Seattle (Chicago)
Pittsburgh @ Cincinnati (Pittsburgh)
Denver @ Oakland (Denver)
Miami @ San Diego (San Diego)
Indianapolis @ Arizona (Arizona)
Monday Night:
Carolina @ Dallas (Dallas 27-17)
Houston is coming off a big win in Tennessee this week and hosting AFC South rival Jacksonville. Houston's offense bounced back and showed why they were the 3rd best ranked offense in 2008-2009. Jacksonville has gotten off to a very rough start this year, losing to Indianapolis and Arizona. Houston is expecting Kevin Walter to return this week, who will add another weapon to Matt Shaub's passing attack. Chester Pitts, the Texans iron-man, will miss his first game this Sunday due to a sprained MCL. Kasey Studdard is a capable backup though, and should handle the Left Gaurd position well in Pitts' absence. There are 2 things that worry me about the Texans - their running game (very anemic 2 weeks into the season) and the defense's tendency to give up big plays. If Steve Slaton can pick up the pieces on Sunday, it should keep Jacksonville on their toes. As much as Jack Del Rio won't comment, there is a youth movement going on in Jacksonville with 4 rookies projected to start on offense this Sunday. In fact, they just cut another veteran player this week after a poor performance against Arizona. While they do have another week to improve and gel as a team, I expect their struggles to continue.
Minnesota is hosting San Francisco this Sunday in a matchup of early division leaders. San Francisco has been the surprise team this season, even without the services of diva Michael Crabtree. The running game on both sides is going to be a feature of this game. While Frank Gore is no Adrian Peterson, he did gain 207 yards against Seattle on very effective play from his offensive line. San Francisco will need to work on its air attack, though, as Minnesota's defensive line won't let Gore put up those kinds of numbers again. Brett Favre has been a game manager thus far into the season. All of his passes thus far have been short passes, and more than a few teams have noticed this. I can't claim to know why Favre isn't taking more shots down the field (something to do with his shoulder, perhaps?), but look for San Francisco to try to shut down the short passing game. If they can succeed in this and Favre isn't able to connect down the field, I expect San Francisco to win the game.
Tennessee goes into NYC this Sunday to take on the Jets. This one was a little tough to call. After losing 2 close games, the Titans are going to be hungry. Mark Sanchez and company are coming off a nice, if not so-pretty, win against the Patriots. I'm going to have to go with Tennessee on this one as their defense should disrupt Mark Sanchez enough to keep the offense on the field. Another tough game to call is Atlanta at New England. In this one I'm going to have to go with experience and home field advantage in picking New England. Defense wins games and that's why I'm picking Baltimore, Green Bay, Philadelphia, and Pittsburgh in each of their matchups this week. Both New Orleans and Buffalo are sporting high powered offenses... in this case the edge goes to New Orleans. San Diego's high powered offense was kept at bay by the Baltimore defense, but not shut down completely. If they can keep their offense on the field, they will beat Miami. Peyton Manning was looking mortal on Monday despite the win, while Kurt Warner was looking like a 30-year-old in his prime. Edge: Arizona. Tampa Bay is not going to be able to handle the Giants offense. Carolina is a bad team since they seemed to have quit on Jake Delhomme. The Cowboys had some misfires late against the New York Giants, but it was still a close game, which is why they are picked to win on Monday. And as for Denver at Oakland, this game was basically a coin toss with the decision going to Denver.
Mardi has assured me her analysis of week 2 will be available soon as real-world work and family responsibilities have kept her busy this week. She has assured me that she is still paying attention
Without further ado, here is the Week 3 schedule and my predictions:
Cleveland @ Baltimore (Baltimore)
Washington @ Detroit (Detroit)
Jacksonville @ Houston (Houston)
San Francisco @ Minnesota (San Francisco)
Atlanta @ New England (New England)
Tennessee @ New York Jets (Tennessee)
Kansas City @ Philadelphia (Philadelphia)
Green Bay @ St. Louis (Green Bay)
New York Giants at Tampa Bay (New York Giants)
New Orleans @ Buffalo (New Orleans)
Chicago @ Seattle (Chicago)
Pittsburgh @ Cincinnati (Pittsburgh)
Denver @ Oakland (Denver)
Miami @ San Diego (San Diego)
Indianapolis @ Arizona (Arizona)
Monday Night:
Carolina @ Dallas (Dallas 27-17)
Houston is coming off a big win in Tennessee this week and hosting AFC South rival Jacksonville. Houston's offense bounced back and showed why they were the 3rd best ranked offense in 2008-2009. Jacksonville has gotten off to a very rough start this year, losing to Indianapolis and Arizona. Houston is expecting Kevin Walter to return this week, who will add another weapon to Matt Shaub's passing attack. Chester Pitts, the Texans iron-man, will miss his first game this Sunday due to a sprained MCL. Kasey Studdard is a capable backup though, and should handle the Left Gaurd position well in Pitts' absence. There are 2 things that worry me about the Texans - their running game (very anemic 2 weeks into the season) and the defense's tendency to give up big plays. If Steve Slaton can pick up the pieces on Sunday, it should keep Jacksonville on their toes. As much as Jack Del Rio won't comment, there is a youth movement going on in Jacksonville with 4 rookies projected to start on offense this Sunday. In fact, they just cut another veteran player this week after a poor performance against Arizona. While they do have another week to improve and gel as a team, I expect their struggles to continue.
Minnesota is hosting San Francisco this Sunday in a matchup of early division leaders. San Francisco has been the surprise team this season, even without the services of diva Michael Crabtree. The running game on both sides is going to be a feature of this game. While Frank Gore is no Adrian Peterson, he did gain 207 yards against Seattle on very effective play from his offensive line. San Francisco will need to work on its air attack, though, as Minnesota's defensive line won't let Gore put up those kinds of numbers again. Brett Favre has been a game manager thus far into the season. All of his passes thus far have been short passes, and more than a few teams have noticed this. I can't claim to know why Favre isn't taking more shots down the field (something to do with his shoulder, perhaps?), but look for San Francisco to try to shut down the short passing game. If they can succeed in this and Favre isn't able to connect down the field, I expect San Francisco to win the game.
Tennessee goes into NYC this Sunday to take on the Jets. This one was a little tough to call. After losing 2 close games, the Titans are going to be hungry. Mark Sanchez and company are coming off a nice, if not so-pretty, win against the Patriots. I'm going to have to go with Tennessee on this one as their defense should disrupt Mark Sanchez enough to keep the offense on the field. Another tough game to call is Atlanta at New England. In this one I'm going to have to go with experience and home field advantage in picking New England. Defense wins games and that's why I'm picking Baltimore, Green Bay, Philadelphia, and Pittsburgh in each of their matchups this week. Both New Orleans and Buffalo are sporting high powered offenses... in this case the edge goes to New Orleans. San Diego's high powered offense was kept at bay by the Baltimore defense, but not shut down completely. If they can keep their offense on the field, they will beat Miami. Peyton Manning was looking mortal on Monday despite the win, while Kurt Warner was looking like a 30-year-old in his prime. Edge: Arizona. Tampa Bay is not going to be able to handle the Giants offense. Carolina is a bad team since they seemed to have quit on Jake Delhomme. The Cowboys had some misfires late against the New York Giants, but it was still a close game, which is why they are picked to win on Monday. And as for Denver at Oakland, this game was basically a coin toss with the decision going to Denver.
Mardi has assured me her analysis of week 2 will be available soon as real-world work and family responsibilities have kept her busy this week. She has assured me that she is still paying attention
Phew! Glad thats over Week 2
Seven of sixteen is hardly a good record. Rick deserves a big congrats this week as he had a much better prediction record than mine. A lot of the games were very exciting this week and appeared they could have gone either way.
The Vikings game, though we won, was still a disapointment to me. The rocky start had me a little nervous. The game should have been a lot more one sided than it was. Favre did manage to pull some nice plays though nothing too impressive.
Quite a few of the other games were close as well. I have to say the Texans did put on a nice show. The game was very close and an exciting one to watch. The most shocking game to me was New England - Jets. I can honestly say I did not see that coming in any way. The eleven penalties for 89 yards did not help the Pats at all. Romo was rather disappointing in the Cowboys - Giants game. That was yet another game that surprised me greatly.
And so... on to week 3, I will rise again! Muahahaha (my best eveil laugh)
The Vikings game, though we won, was still a disapointment to me. The rocky start had me a little nervous. The game should have been a lot more one sided than it was. Favre did manage to pull some nice plays though nothing too impressive.
Quite a few of the other games were close as well. I have to say the Texans did put on a nice show. The game was very close and an exciting one to watch. The most shocking game to me was New England - Jets. I can honestly say I did not see that coming in any way. The eleven penalties for 89 yards did not help the Pats at all. Romo was rather disappointing in the Cowboys - Giants game. That was yet another game that surprised me greatly.
And so... on to week 3, I will rise again! Muahahaha (my best eveil laugh)
Sunday, September 20, 2009
Week 2 is Just About Done
This week Mardi suffered a setback as the score tonight stands at 10-5 for me and 6-9 for her. The disagreed games all went in my direction on this Week 2 Sunday. Of those games, 3 of them could have easily gone her way, and in 2 cases it was last minute heroics that pulled them in my favor. This Sunday 8 of the 15 games were won by the visiting team.
One of those road wins came in Tennesse as the Texans defeated the Titans by a score of 34-31. This game was definitely one that should be on NFL Rewind this week. The Titans scored on several big plays from scrimmage, which kept Houston behind most of the game. The Texans also had several big plays (the most notable being the Andre Johnson one-handed catch for a touchdown). Matt Shaub definitely redeemed himself from Week 1 by going 25 for 39 with 357 yards, 4 touchdowns, and 0 interceptions. Andre Johnson had 10 catches for 149 yards and 2 touchdowns (includng his 500th career reception). The concerns for me were the big plays, 3 of which led directly to touchdowns for the Titans, given up by the defense. While they were aggressive, mistakes were made that kept the Titans in the lead most of the game. The running game was also dismal this week. Unless the Texans can get the running game going, there will be struggles later in the season.
Again I wasn't able to watch the Minnesota game, but I did follow most of it on ESPN GameTrax. While I figured the Lions would keep it competitive for the Vikings, I was still surprised by the slow start and overall performance of the Vikings. Although the score (27-13) doesn't reflect this, the Lions kept it competitive in the passing and rushing categories, resulting in both teams gaining a net 265 total yards. The key to the game was capitalizing on mistakes, in this case 1 interception and 1 fumble by the Lions that resulted in scoring drives by the Vikings. Brett Favre was in game manager mode again, with efficient passing going 23 of 27 for 155 yards and 2 touchdowns. The 2 touchdowns came in handy as Adrian Peterson had a good day (92 yards on the ground and 1 touchdown) but not a great day. While it was enough to win the day, these numbers by the Vikings won't strike fear into the hearts of their opponents.
While I wasn't surprised the Cincinnati offense kicking into a higher gear, I was surprised that the defense for Green Bay didn't do a better job. The surprises came in the Pittsburgh game and the New England game (both of my picks lost there). Mark Sanchez performed more like a rookie in New York (14 of 22 for 163 yards), but the defense for the Jets proved to be the big winners as they held Tom Brady to 0 touchdowns (which hasn't happened since 2006). New Orleans scored 40+ for the second week in a row as they just lit up Philadelphia. I spotted 1 article already saying Drew Brees was the best quarterback this week (25 of 34 for 311 yards, 3 TD's, and 1 interception), although I think Matt Shaub's performance proves otherwise. And congratulations have to go to San Francisco for their big win over Seattle to take 1st place in the NFC West.
My play of the week has to go Andre Johnson's one-handed catch for 19 yards and 6 points in the 1st quarter against Tennessee. The boneheaded play of the week has to go also to the Texans for not covering Chris Johnson at the line of scrimmage, which led to a 75-yard catch and touchdown for Tennessee.
At this point the Texans are in 2nd place in the AFC south (as both Jacksonville and Tennessee are winless). Indianapolis will retain first place unless they lose by 17 against Miami on Monday night. The Vikings are currently in 1st place in the NFC North. While it is early to be looking at division play, the positions do begin to shake out in Week 2. Houston hosts a division game next week while the Vikings will host the NFC West.
The full record and the overall score for Mardi and me will be posted when I make my picks on Wednesday. Let's see what Mardi has to say about this week.
One of those road wins came in Tennesse as the Texans defeated the Titans by a score of 34-31. This game was definitely one that should be on NFL Rewind this week. The Titans scored on several big plays from scrimmage, which kept Houston behind most of the game. The Texans also had several big plays (the most notable being the Andre Johnson one-handed catch for a touchdown). Matt Shaub definitely redeemed himself from Week 1 by going 25 for 39 with 357 yards, 4 touchdowns, and 0 interceptions. Andre Johnson had 10 catches for 149 yards and 2 touchdowns (includng his 500th career reception). The concerns for me were the big plays, 3 of which led directly to touchdowns for the Titans, given up by the defense. While they were aggressive, mistakes were made that kept the Titans in the lead most of the game. The running game was also dismal this week. Unless the Texans can get the running game going, there will be struggles later in the season.
Again I wasn't able to watch the Minnesota game, but I did follow most of it on ESPN GameTrax. While I figured the Lions would keep it competitive for the Vikings, I was still surprised by the slow start and overall performance of the Vikings. Although the score (27-13) doesn't reflect this, the Lions kept it competitive in the passing and rushing categories, resulting in both teams gaining a net 265 total yards. The key to the game was capitalizing on mistakes, in this case 1 interception and 1 fumble by the Lions that resulted in scoring drives by the Vikings. Brett Favre was in game manager mode again, with efficient passing going 23 of 27 for 155 yards and 2 touchdowns. The 2 touchdowns came in handy as Adrian Peterson had a good day (92 yards on the ground and 1 touchdown) but not a great day. While it was enough to win the day, these numbers by the Vikings won't strike fear into the hearts of their opponents.
While I wasn't surprised the Cincinnati offense kicking into a higher gear, I was surprised that the defense for Green Bay didn't do a better job. The surprises came in the Pittsburgh game and the New England game (both of my picks lost there). Mark Sanchez performed more like a rookie in New York (14 of 22 for 163 yards), but the defense for the Jets proved to be the big winners as they held Tom Brady to 0 touchdowns (which hasn't happened since 2006). New Orleans scored 40+ for the second week in a row as they just lit up Philadelphia. I spotted 1 article already saying Drew Brees was the best quarterback this week (25 of 34 for 311 yards, 3 TD's, and 1 interception), although I think Matt Shaub's performance proves otherwise. And congratulations have to go to San Francisco for their big win over Seattle to take 1st place in the NFC West.
My play of the week has to go Andre Johnson's one-handed catch for 19 yards and 6 points in the 1st quarter against Tennessee. The boneheaded play of the week has to go also to the Texans for not covering Chris Johnson at the line of scrimmage, which led to a 75-yard catch and touchdown for Tennessee.
At this point the Texans are in 2nd place in the AFC south (as both Jacksonville and Tennessee are winless). Indianapolis will retain first place unless they lose by 17 against Miami on Monday night. The Vikings are currently in 1st place in the NFC North. While it is early to be looking at division play, the positions do begin to shake out in Week 2. Houston hosts a division game next week while the Vikings will host the NFC West.
The full record and the overall score for Mardi and me will be posted when I make my picks on Wednesday. Let's see what Mardi has to say about this week.
Thursday, September 17, 2009
Week 2 - Mardi
Carolina at Atlanta (Atlanta)
Minnesota at Detroit (Minnesota)
Cincinatti at Green Bay (Green Bay)
Arizona at Jacksonville (Jacksonville*)
Oakland at Kansas City (Kansas City*)
New England at New York Jets (New England)
New Orleans at Philadelphia (New Orleans)
Houston at Tennessee (Tennessee*)
St. Louis at Washington (Washington)
Tampa Bay at Buffalo (Buffalo)
Seattle at San Francisco (Seattle)
Pittsburgh at Chicago (Pittsburgh)
Cleveland at Denver (Denver)
Baltimore at San Diego (San Diego)
New York Giants at Dallas (Dallas*)
Monday Night:
Indianapolis at Miami (Indianapolis 17-10*)
* Games we disagree on
This should be a good week for football, I think alot of these games are going to be good matches.
Last week held some surprises as well so we will see if the trend continues.
I think Minnesota is going to handle Detroit well. As long as Favre can hold his own the Vikings offense should look pretty smooth out there this week. Let's also not forget Adrian Peterson will be on the field. These two teams do not have a friendly history, the Vikings have a 14-2 record against the Lions in the last nine years. The key of the game will come down to Favre as much as I hate to say it. Time for him to shine and show all of us in Minnesota what he is worth.
Unfortunately for the Houston - Tennessee game I have to go with the Titans. Matt Schaub has a lot of redeeming to do from week 1 and I am not sure he will be able to pull it off against the Titans.
Sunday will be a day of trash talking fun. Stay tuned.
Minnesota at Detroit (Minnesota)
Cincinatti at Green Bay (Green Bay)
Arizona at Jacksonville (Jacksonville*)
Oakland at Kansas City (Kansas City*)
New England at New York Jets (New England)
New Orleans at Philadelphia (New Orleans)
Houston at Tennessee (Tennessee*)
St. Louis at Washington (Washington)
Tampa Bay at Buffalo (Buffalo)
Seattle at San Francisco (Seattle)
Pittsburgh at Chicago (Pittsburgh)
Cleveland at Denver (Denver)
Baltimore at San Diego (San Diego)
New York Giants at Dallas (Dallas*)
Monday Night:
Indianapolis at Miami (Indianapolis 17-10*)
* Games we disagree on
This should be a good week for football, I think alot of these games are going to be good matches.
Last week held some surprises as well so we will see if the trend continues.
I think Minnesota is going to handle Detroit well. As long as Favre can hold his own the Vikings offense should look pretty smooth out there this week. Let's also not forget Adrian Peterson will be on the field. These two teams do not have a friendly history, the Vikings have a 14-2 record against the Lions in the last nine years. The key of the game will come down to Favre as much as I hate to say it. Time for him to shine and show all of us in Minnesota what he is worth.
Unfortunately for the Houston - Tennessee game I have to go with the Titans. Matt Schaub has a lot of redeeming to do from week 1 and I am not sure he will be able to pull it off against the Titans.
Sunday will be a day of trash talking fun. Stay tuned.
Wednesday, September 16, 2009
Week 2 Predictions by Rick
Mardi won Week 1 with a score of 12-4 vs 11-5 for me. One game screwed me over. But since Week 1 is officially in the books, let's push ahead to Week 2:
Carolina at Atlanta (Atlanta)
Minnesota at Detroit (Minnesota)
Cincinnati at Green Bay (Green Bay)
Arizona at Jacksonville (Arizona)
Oakland at Kansas City (Oakland)
New England at New York Jets (New England)
New Orleans at Philadelphia (New Orleans)
Houston at Tennessee (Houston)
St. Louis at Washington (Washington)
Tampa Bay at Buffalo (Buffalo)
Seattle at San Francisco (Seattle)
Pittsburgh at Chicago (Pittsburgh)
Cleveland at Denver (Denver)
Baltimore at San Diego (San Diego)
New York Giants at Dallas (New York Giants)
Monday Night:
Indianapolis at Miami (Miami 24-21)
There are a lot of closely matched games going on this week, which is why I am expecting more road wins this week that I did last. Also, some of the play from what appeared to be bad teams last week really surprised me. Oakland and Buffalo are 2 of the standouts who played very well against what could be considered elite teams in the NFL. What amazed me about Oakland was that they were playing sound fundamental football - it looks like there may be yet a method to their coach's madness. I'm hoping this good play carries over to Sunday.
After a very poor home opener this past Sunday, the Houston Texans are taking the fight to the team formerly known as the Houston Oilers. Both teams had tough-to-swallow losses in the first week, so both teams will be hungry. For Houston I expect an amped-up offense. If Houston's defense plays as well as it did last week, especially against the run, they definitely have a shot. It was reported also that Matt Shaub was feeling some lingering effects on Sunday from the ankle injury suffered in the preseason. While I'm not making excuses, it defintely had something to do with his inability to throw effectively. The keys for Tennessee will be to not miss opportunities, which is what cost them against Pittsburgh. I feel that Houston has a real shot at redeeming themselves from Week 1, which is why I'm picking them here for Week 2.
Minnesota is also taking it on the road against division rival Detroit. As lopsided as this may seem, I don't think the Vikings are going to have a very easy time at it this week. Detroit scored 27 points in Week 1 in spite of rookie QB Matt Stafford's poor NFL debut. I look for Stafford to have gotten over the butterflies of Game 1 and have a better game this Sunday. The key for Minnesota will be Brett Favre. His lackluster performance against Cleveland was enough to win the game because Adrian Peterson carried the team on his shoulders. I pick Minnesota to win this game, but if Detroit can carry some of that fire from Week 1 into Week 2, then it should be competitive.
The loss of Brian Urlacher is going to hurt Chicago when Pittsburgh comes to town. While San Francisco pulled off the surprise win against Arizona, I don't think they will be quite ready for Matt Hasselback and company when Seattle rolls into town. New England and New York were a little tough to call, but I think the New England offense should be able to carry it against the Jets (it's the young defense that causes some concern). Arizona is out to prove why they're the favorite in the NFC West again this year when they will bounce back from the tough loss at home in Week 1. Without Donovan McNabb, Philadelphia's offense won't be quite as effective as it was against Carolina. Kevin Kolb is a capable substitute, but look for New Orleans to let it fly again this week. As for Oakland and Kansas City, it won't matter if Matt Cassel plays or not. The Kansas City defense is not up to par. If Oakland's Week 1 performance was not a fluke, then Oakland should be able to handle Kansas City.
Let's see what Mardi has to say.
Carolina at Atlanta (Atlanta)
Minnesota at Detroit (Minnesota)
Cincinnati at Green Bay (Green Bay)
Arizona at Jacksonville (Arizona)
Oakland at Kansas City (Oakland)
New England at New York Jets (New England)
New Orleans at Philadelphia (New Orleans)
Houston at Tennessee (Houston)
St. Louis at Washington (Washington)
Tampa Bay at Buffalo (Buffalo)
Seattle at San Francisco (Seattle)
Pittsburgh at Chicago (Pittsburgh)
Cleveland at Denver (Denver)
Baltimore at San Diego (San Diego)
New York Giants at Dallas (New York Giants)
Monday Night:
Indianapolis at Miami (Miami 24-21)
There are a lot of closely matched games going on this week, which is why I am expecting more road wins this week that I did last. Also, some of the play from what appeared to be bad teams last week really surprised me. Oakland and Buffalo are 2 of the standouts who played very well against what could be considered elite teams in the NFL. What amazed me about Oakland was that they were playing sound fundamental football - it looks like there may be yet a method to their coach's madness. I'm hoping this good play carries over to Sunday.
After a very poor home opener this past Sunday, the Houston Texans are taking the fight to the team formerly known as the Houston Oilers. Both teams had tough-to-swallow losses in the first week, so both teams will be hungry. For Houston I expect an amped-up offense. If Houston's defense plays as well as it did last week, especially against the run, they definitely have a shot. It was reported also that Matt Shaub was feeling some lingering effects on Sunday from the ankle injury suffered in the preseason. While I'm not making excuses, it defintely had something to do with his inability to throw effectively. The keys for Tennessee will be to not miss opportunities, which is what cost them against Pittsburgh. I feel that Houston has a real shot at redeeming themselves from Week 1, which is why I'm picking them here for Week 2.
Minnesota is also taking it on the road against division rival Detroit. As lopsided as this may seem, I don't think the Vikings are going to have a very easy time at it this week. Detroit scored 27 points in Week 1 in spite of rookie QB Matt Stafford's poor NFL debut. I look for Stafford to have gotten over the butterflies of Game 1 and have a better game this Sunday. The key for Minnesota will be Brett Favre. His lackluster performance against Cleveland was enough to win the game because Adrian Peterson carried the team on his shoulders. I pick Minnesota to win this game, but if Detroit can carry some of that fire from Week 1 into Week 2, then it should be competitive.
The loss of Brian Urlacher is going to hurt Chicago when Pittsburgh comes to town. While San Francisco pulled off the surprise win against Arizona, I don't think they will be quite ready for Matt Hasselback and company when Seattle rolls into town. New England and New York were a little tough to call, but I think the New England offense should be able to carry it against the Jets (it's the young defense that causes some concern). Arizona is out to prove why they're the favorite in the NFC West again this year when they will bounce back from the tough loss at home in Week 1. Without Donovan McNabb, Philadelphia's offense won't be quite as effective as it was against Carolina. Kevin Kolb is a capable substitute, but look for New Orleans to let it fly again this week. As for Oakland and Kansas City, it won't matter if Matt Cassel plays or not. The Kansas City defense is not up to par. If Oakland's Week 1 performance was not a fluke, then Oakland should be able to handle Kansas City.
Let's see what Mardi has to say.
Tuesday, September 15, 2009
And so ends week 1....
What an interesting start to the season, I must say there was more than one game that left me scratching my head. It seems the games I figured to be easy calls were barely scraped by. Thank you to Rick for the congrats, get used to saying it.... :-)
Starting with the Minnesota game of course, I must say for a game that should have been easy in the bag there were a couple moments I was holding my breath. Adrain Peterson was definitely the MVP of that game. His straight arm shove block was simply an amazing play. To single handedly block two defenders and run the ball for 64 yards and score is why AP is the best runner in the NFL to most. Favre seemed to come together a bit better in this game though I am still not impressed with him.
The Jets rookie QB was looking mighty hopeful in their season opener. Comparing the stats one would think Schaub was the rookie. I have to say I am surprised at the total domination the Jets had. I would have thought it to be a closer game. The total yards says it all 462 - 183. I didn't watch the entire game but what I caught just seemed to show the Texans were not connecting, be this from the Jets great defense or not, they are going to have to get this together for next week. Time will tell, maybe it was just an off day for the offense.
I have to agree on the best play of the week going to Denver with the longest-ever game-winning TD from scrimmage in the final minute. For the "Oh duh" moment of the week I have to give it to the Rams, the one chance they had for a TD and they lose it by too many men on the field.... I mean really, who's not counting here?
Watch for Week 2 predictions coming soon!
Starting with the Minnesota game of course, I must say for a game that should have been easy in the bag there were a couple moments I was holding my breath. Adrain Peterson was definitely the MVP of that game. His straight arm shove block was simply an amazing play. To single handedly block two defenders and run the ball for 64 yards and score is why AP is the best runner in the NFL to most. Favre seemed to come together a bit better in this game though I am still not impressed with him.
The Jets rookie QB was looking mighty hopeful in their season opener. Comparing the stats one would think Schaub was the rookie. I have to say I am surprised at the total domination the Jets had. I would have thought it to be a closer game. The total yards says it all 462 - 183. I didn't watch the entire game but what I caught just seemed to show the Texans were not connecting, be this from the Jets great defense or not, they are going to have to get this together for next week. Time will tell, maybe it was just an off day for the offense.
I have to agree on the best play of the week going to Denver with the longest-ever game-winning TD from scrimmage in the final minute. For the "Oh duh" moment of the week I have to give it to the Rams, the one chance they had for a TD and they lose it by too many men on the field.... I mean really, who's not counting here?
Watch for Week 2 predictions coming soon!
Monday, September 14, 2009
Week 1 (almost) in the Books
Congratulations to Mardi for winning Week 1 of our challenge. For the first set of games she correctly called 10 of the 14 games played between Thursday and Sunday, compared to 9 of 14 for me. We disagreed on 3 of the games, with the Washington at New York Giants matchup being the tie-breaker.
Sunday was quite embarassing for the Texans. Not only did they lose big, but they lost big to a team led by a rookie quarterback. Mark Sanchez proved himself to be the real deal on Sunday, especially on 3rd down situations, where he seemed to transform into a wily veteran. The Texan defense did a pretty good job stuffing the run game. Don't let the 100 yard rushing game fool you as that was the result of 2 big runs. Unfortunately something had to give somewhere. The Jets defense was also very disruptive most of the game as it didn't allow the Texan offense to get in full sync. It brought back the bad memories of David Carr's last season with the Texans (although that was a team-wide bad effort that year). Hopefully the adjustments can be made for next Sunday when the Texans visit the Titans.
Congratulations to the Vikings for winning their season opener. While I didn't get to watch the game, I did follow it for a while on ESPN GameTrax. It would appear the Browns kept it competitive until the 2nd half when Adrian Peterson just opened up on them (180 yards!?). The talk on the post-game shows last night was of Brett Favre's lackluster performance (14 of 21 for 110 yards). While the percentage was efficient, the yardage was not. In fact, the leading receiver for the Vikings only gained 36 yards. I was talking to a relative in Duluth who told me that Favre managed the game well. Be that as it may, either Rosenfels or Jackson could have managed the game the same way. I told him that unless Favre can deliver bigger numbers, the Vikings will become one dimensional.
I didn't expect Philadelphia to pound the Panthers like they did. I regretted my pick as soon as I made it last week, but stuck by it just in case. My play of the week has to go to Denver and the should-have-been intercepted catch by Stokely for the score and win. The folly of the week goes to the Aaron Rogers safety in Green Bay's win over the Chicago.
Since we both agreed on Monday's games, the tie-breaker won't be necessary. The full record will be posted when I make my picks for this Sunday. I look forward to Mardi's comments about Week 1.
Sunday was quite embarassing for the Texans. Not only did they lose big, but they lost big to a team led by a rookie quarterback. Mark Sanchez proved himself to be the real deal on Sunday, especially on 3rd down situations, where he seemed to transform into a wily veteran. The Texan defense did a pretty good job stuffing the run game. Don't let the 100 yard rushing game fool you as that was the result of 2 big runs. Unfortunately something had to give somewhere. The Jets defense was also very disruptive most of the game as it didn't allow the Texan offense to get in full sync. It brought back the bad memories of David Carr's last season with the Texans (although that was a team-wide bad effort that year). Hopefully the adjustments can be made for next Sunday when the Texans visit the Titans.
Congratulations to the Vikings for winning their season opener. While I didn't get to watch the game, I did follow it for a while on ESPN GameTrax. It would appear the Browns kept it competitive until the 2nd half when Adrian Peterson just opened up on them (180 yards!?). The talk on the post-game shows last night was of Brett Favre's lackluster performance (14 of 21 for 110 yards). While the percentage was efficient, the yardage was not. In fact, the leading receiver for the Vikings only gained 36 yards. I was talking to a relative in Duluth who told me that Favre managed the game well. Be that as it may, either Rosenfels or Jackson could have managed the game the same way. I told him that unless Favre can deliver bigger numbers, the Vikings will become one dimensional.
I didn't expect Philadelphia to pound the Panthers like they did. I regretted my pick as soon as I made it last week, but stuck by it just in case. My play of the week has to go to Denver and the should-have-been intercepted catch by Stokely for the score and win. The folly of the week goes to the Aaron Rogers safety in Green Bay's win over the Chicago.
Since we both agreed on Monday's games, the tie-breaker won't be necessary. The full record will be posted when I make my picks for this Sunday. I look forward to Mardi's comments about Week 1.
Thursday, September 10, 2009
It's about time! Let's go....
Week 1
Tennessee at Pittsburgh (Pittsburgh)
Miami at Atlanta (Miami)
Kansas City at Baltimore (Baltimore)
Denver at Cincinnati (Cincinnati)
Minnesota at Cleveland (Minnesota)
New York Jets at Houston (Houston)
Jacksonville at Indianapolis (Indianapolis)
Detroit at New Orleans (New Orleans)
Dallas at Tampa Bay (Dallas)
Philadelphia at Carolina (Philadelphia)
San Francisco at Arizona (Arizona)
Washington at New York Giants (New York)
St. Louis at Seattle (Seattle)
Chicago at Green Bay (Green Bay)
Monday Night:
Buffalo at New England (New England 21-13)
San Diego at Oakland (San Diego 24-10)
So it stands, predictions are made. Let the games begin!
Tennessee at Pittsburgh (Pittsburgh)
Miami at Atlanta (Miami)
Kansas City at Baltimore (Baltimore)
Denver at Cincinnati (Cincinnati)
Minnesota at Cleveland (Minnesota)
New York Jets at Houston (Houston)
Jacksonville at Indianapolis (Indianapolis)
Detroit at New Orleans (New Orleans)
Dallas at Tampa Bay (Dallas)
Philadelphia at Carolina (Philadelphia)
San Francisco at Arizona (Arizona)
Washington at New York Giants (New York)
St. Louis at Seattle (Seattle)
Chicago at Green Bay (Green Bay)
Monday Night:
Buffalo at New England (New England 21-13)
San Diego at Oakland (San Diego 24-10)
So it stands, predictions are made. Let the games begin!
Wednesday, September 9, 2009
Let the Games Begin
Here we go... it is the eve of another NFL season. Now it's time to start getting serious. Without further ado, here are my predictions for week 1:
Tennessee at Pittsburgh (Pittsburgh)
Miami at Atlanta (Atlanta)
Kansas City at Baltimore (Baltimore)
Denver at Cincinnati (Cincinnati)
Minnesota at Cleveland (Minnesota)
NEW YORK JETS at HOUSTON (Houston)
Jacksonville at Indianapolis (Indianapolis)
Detroit at New Orleans (New Orleans)
Dallas at Tampa Bay (Dallas)
Philadelphia at Carolina (Carolina)
San Francisco at Arizona (Arizona)
Washington at New York Giants (Washington)
St. Louis at Seattle (Seattle)
Chicago at Green Bay (Green Bay)
Monday Night:
Buffalo at New England (New England 24-10)
San Diego at Oakland (San Diego 17-3)
For the Houston game, the one I'm concerned about, it all comes down to the starting quarterback. Mark Sanchez is slated to start for the Jets. Although Sanchez had a good preseason, he is still a rookie and the pressure is now on. Let's not forget, Jets fans were not exactly happy with his selection and he is going to have to find a way into their hearts. Even if Matt Shaub cannot start Rex Grossman will be ready to go. At this time there is no official word on Matt Shaub, but Coach Kubiak appears to be upbeat about Sunday's start.
Houston has the number 1 receiver in the game for 2008 (Andre Johnson) as well as well as a solid (but by no means elite) running game. Owen Daniels and Kevin Walter (questionable for Sunday) complete the core of the third ranked offense from 2008. The defense, anchored around Mario Williams and DaMeco Ryans, is much upgraded in terms of both personnel and coaching. I don't expect the Jets to roll over, but they won't pull out this win. In fact, there are a lot of people expecting the Jets to get off to a very slow start this season. Houston is going to be just the beginning of that slow start.
To make Mardi happy, I will make comments about the other game. Let's face it, Cleveland is a sorry team. I have a hard time seeing any of the positives about the Browns. It must be the Cleveland air because after the original Browns moved to Baltimore, they became good. Cleveland was given the new Browns, and they still haven't produced at good football team. According to Sports Illustrated, Brady Quinn will be starting. It doesnt' matter, he doesn't have the talent around him. I expect the Vikings to roll over on the Browns on Sunday and Mardi will probably be thinking of changing the channel by the middle of the third quarter.
I stuck mostly with home teams this week except in the cases of Minnesota, Washington, and San Diego. Washington has the number one defensive player last year (Albert Haynesworth) and the New York Giants have a mediocre quarterback and no number 1 receiver. As far as the land of fruits and nuts, from the little coverage I saw of Oakland over this preseason, they look to be even more sorry than the Browns.
I look forward to Mardi's predictions and GO TEXANS!
Tennessee at Pittsburgh (Pittsburgh)
Miami at Atlanta (Atlanta)
Kansas City at Baltimore (Baltimore)
Denver at Cincinnati (Cincinnati)
Minnesota at Cleveland (Minnesota)
NEW YORK JETS at HOUSTON (Houston)
Jacksonville at Indianapolis (Indianapolis)
Detroit at New Orleans (New Orleans)
Dallas at Tampa Bay (Dallas)
Philadelphia at Carolina (Carolina)
San Francisco at Arizona (Arizona)
Washington at New York Giants (Washington)
St. Louis at Seattle (Seattle)
Chicago at Green Bay (Green Bay)
Monday Night:
Buffalo at New England (New England 24-10)
San Diego at Oakland (San Diego 17-3)
For the Houston game, the one I'm concerned about, it all comes down to the starting quarterback. Mark Sanchez is slated to start for the Jets. Although Sanchez had a good preseason, he is still a rookie and the pressure is now on. Let's not forget, Jets fans were not exactly happy with his selection and he is going to have to find a way into their hearts. Even if Matt Shaub cannot start Rex Grossman will be ready to go. At this time there is no official word on Matt Shaub, but Coach Kubiak appears to be upbeat about Sunday's start.
Houston has the number 1 receiver in the game for 2008 (Andre Johnson) as well as well as a solid (but by no means elite) running game. Owen Daniels and Kevin Walter (questionable for Sunday) complete the core of the third ranked offense from 2008. The defense, anchored around Mario Williams and DaMeco Ryans, is much upgraded in terms of both personnel and coaching. I don't expect the Jets to roll over, but they won't pull out this win. In fact, there are a lot of people expecting the Jets to get off to a very slow start this season. Houston is going to be just the beginning of that slow start.
To make Mardi happy, I will make comments about the other game. Let's face it, Cleveland is a sorry team. I have a hard time seeing any of the positives about the Browns. It must be the Cleveland air because after the original Browns moved to Baltimore, they became good. Cleveland was given the new Browns, and they still haven't produced at good football team. According to Sports Illustrated, Brady Quinn will be starting. It doesnt' matter, he doesn't have the talent around him. I expect the Vikings to roll over on the Browns on Sunday and Mardi will probably be thinking of changing the channel by the middle of the third quarter.
I stuck mostly with home teams this week except in the cases of Minnesota, Washington, and San Diego. Washington has the number one defensive player last year (Albert Haynesworth) and the New York Giants have a mediocre quarterback and no number 1 receiver. As far as the land of fruits and nuts, from the little coverage I saw of Oakland over this preseason, they look to be even more sorry than the Browns.
I look forward to Mardi's predictions and GO TEXANS!
Tuesday, September 8, 2009
Another Preseason in the Books
The Texans won their preseason matchup against Tampa Bay by a score of 27-20. While I knew I wasn't going to be treated to some high caliber play, I must say I was quite bored until Rex Grossman came on the scene and connected with Andre Davis for 87 yards and 6 points. Grossman went on to 9 of 16 for 197 yards and 2 TD's. That's not a bad night at all for just over 2 quarters of play. While he showed some flashes of brilliance and quite possibly moved ahead of Dan Orlovsky on the depth chart, at times he did show why he was let go from the Bears. But then again, who can complain about getting a former Superbowl starting quarterback for the league veteran minimum?
I was hoping to see Brian Cushing play in this game as he did not play in the week 3 match against the Vikings. Coach Gary Kubiak says that Cushing will be ready for the Jets this Sunday, but we'll soon see. One man who is happy is Zac Diles. His play through 4 preseason games has earned him the starting slot as the other outside linebacker.
On another good note, Dunta Robinson has ended his holdout. This has earned the Texans a 2 week roster exception as he does have the franchise tage. If his conditioning is as promised, look for a much upgraded corner defense from the one we saw through these past 4 weeks.
As for the other game on September 4, I watched that in the PIP window of my television. I'm not going out on too much a limb here in saying it was even uglier than my game. For all the Vikings have in their starting lineups, the depth certainly does not appear to be there for them defensively. This season is going to be longer for them than a lot of the pundits seem to be predicting. Oh yeah, the Vikings have also been actively shopping Tarvaris Jackson.
I am a gracious opponent, so I will wish Mardi and her Vikings the best of luck over the next 17 weeks. I'm sure both of us will be continuing this blog into at least mid-January. I will have my predictions up soon, so let's see how things go.
I was hoping to see Brian Cushing play in this game as he did not play in the week 3 match against the Vikings. Coach Gary Kubiak says that Cushing will be ready for the Jets this Sunday, but we'll soon see. One man who is happy is Zac Diles. His play through 4 preseason games has earned him the starting slot as the other outside linebacker.
On another good note, Dunta Robinson has ended his holdout. This has earned the Texans a 2 week roster exception as he does have the franchise tage. If his conditioning is as promised, look for a much upgraded corner defense from the one we saw through these past 4 weeks.
As for the other game on September 4, I watched that in the PIP window of my television. I'm not going out on too much a limb here in saying it was even uglier than my game. For all the Vikings have in their starting lineups, the depth certainly does not appear to be there for them defensively. This season is going to be longer for them than a lot of the pundits seem to be predicting. Oh yeah, the Vikings have also been actively shopping Tarvaris Jackson.
I am a gracious opponent, so I will wish Mardi and her Vikings the best of luck over the next 17 weeks. I'm sure both of us will be continuing this blog into at least mid-January. I will have my predictions up soon, so let's see how things go.
The end of Preseason
And let's say WooHoo! Time to get down to business.
The Vikings end of the preseason was certainly less than pretty. Let's take a short look at the game and then move on. The second stringers certainly have work to do, none of the back up QB's were on top of their games this much is certain. Seeing this really has to make a Viking fan wonder. Favre doesn't seem to be our saving grace and between Jackson, Booty and Rosenfels well we may be in trouble. The game stats between the two teams were pretty close in almost all areas. I can't really say either team shined in any area.
The Cowboys certainly were able to take advantage of our QB mistakes and return interceptions for touchdowns. While it seemed we had the game, the fourth quarter was a disaster that left me cringing. But that's preseason right? Time to move on and move forward. I will be posting my predictions for the regular season games shortly and we will see if Rick and I can agree on anything.
............ Here we go!..............
The Vikings end of the preseason was certainly less than pretty. Let's take a short look at the game and then move on. The second stringers certainly have work to do, none of the back up QB's were on top of their games this much is certain. Seeing this really has to make a Viking fan wonder. Favre doesn't seem to be our saving grace and between Jackson, Booty and Rosenfels well we may be in trouble. The game stats between the two teams were pretty close in almost all areas. I can't really say either team shined in any area.
The Cowboys certainly were able to take advantage of our QB mistakes and return interceptions for touchdowns. While it seemed we had the game, the fourth quarter was a disaster that left me cringing. But that's preseason right? Time to move on and move forward. I will be posting my predictions for the regular season games shortly and we will see if Rick and I can agree on anything.
............ Here we go!..............
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