So after an interesting week of football, we progress to Week 8:
Seattle at Dallas (Dallas)
Houston at Buffalo (Houston)
St. Louis at Detroit (Detroit*)
Denver at Baltimore (Denver)
New York Giants at Philadelphia (New York Giants)
Miami at New York Jets (Miami*)
Cleveland at Chicago (Chicago)
San Francisco at Indianapolis (Indianapolis)
Jacksonville at Tennessee (Jacksonville*)
Oakland at San Diego (San Diego)
Minnesota at Green Bay (Green Bay*)
Carolina at Arizona (Arizona)
Monday Night
Atlanta at New Orleans (New Orleans 35 - 14)
Bye: Cincinnati, Kansas City, New England, Tampa Bay, Washington
Houston is coming off the big win at home against San Francisco. They should be able to take this momentum into Buffalo to go 2 games above .500 for the first time since 2007 (when they started the season 2-0). The question centers around a couple of starters. Andre Johnson suffered a chest contusion and as of today was limited in practice. Brian Cushing has also been limited in practice this week with a foot injury that's been going on for a while. These starters have been key on both sides of the ball so far this season. Buffalo's defense has been on a tear as of late, with 10 interceptions in the last 3 games. Houston's running game will have to step up in order to keep the Buffalo pass defense off balance. The hurry up offense employed by Buffalo helps keep defenses off balance, but is not very effective when you don't have the talent to effectively execute, which Buffalo does not have. Houston should come out with the win this week.
Brett Favre is returning to Lambeau for the first time in an opposing uniform. There has been a lot of hype surrounding this game just because of that. It plays like an old classic, the student facing the master in a battle to see who has the greater power. Green Bay has only allowed 3 points while scoring 57 since the loss at Minnesota in Week 4. It doesn't matter the perceived quality of the opponent... holding 2 teams to 3 points is a hell of an accomplishment for any defense. The Green Bay offense has also really started to click. I expect this to be a close game, but in the end it will be Green Bay as the winner.
It was announced today that Vince Young will start against Jacksonville this week. I'm sorry, but that's only going to make a bad situation worse as Vince Young is not all that. I expect Tennessee to go to 0-7 this week. The New York Giants/Philadelphia game should be an interesting one to watch. The pass protection for Philadelphia is suspect, but then again, the pass defense for the New York Giants is also suspect. I expect the New York Giants to win this in a shootout style game. One disagreement centers around Miami at the New York Jets. Miami won their last meeting by 4 because the Jets did not have an answer for their ground game. I don't expect much to have changed for this meeting. Alex Smith is set to start for San Francisco this week. He threw for 3 touchdowns against Houston (all to Veron Davis). I expect this to be a shootout, but Payton Manning is a better game manager, which is why Indianapolis will win. Bad team honors go to the following projected losers: Carolina (the team has quit on Jake Delhomme again), Cleveland, and Oakland. The St. Louis/Detroit game may be interesting, although that was a coin toss for me.
Since there are 4 games disagreed on, this could come down to the Monday tiebreaker (which I expect to be a little higher scoring). As for the menu this Sunday, I'm thinking grilled turkey kabobs marinated in Spiedie sauce (it's a New York thing). The side dish will probably consist of a spinach salad with a simple red wine vinaigrette.
Let the games begin!
Thursday, October 29, 2009
Wednesday, October 28, 2009
See ya Week 7 Hello Week 8
Ok so I really am not going to go into that BS Vikings/Steelers game except to say, where the heck was the tripping and what the crap is this defensive delay of game stuff? Are you serious?? Had the ref's actually used their eyes the penalty would not have been assessed resulting in a touchdown and not a turnover. Different outcome to the game? I think so. Everyone knew we had to lose one sometime so now we can hear the predictable "Oh the Vikings aren't immortal" crap and move on. Ok glad I didn't get going on that.
So the rest of week 7, I just don't know what happened there. Let's forget it and move on.....
Week 8
Seattle at Dallas (Dallas)
Houston at Buffalo (Houston)
St. Louis at Detroit (St. Louis)
Denver at Baltimore (Denver)
NY Giants at Philadelphia (NY Giants)
Miami at NY Jets (NY Jets)
Cleveland at Chicago (Chicago)
San Francisco at Indianapolis (Indianapolis)
Jacksonville at Tennessee (Tennessee)
Oakland at San Diego (San Diego)
Minnesota at Green Bay (Minnesota)
Carolina at Arizona (Arizona)
Monday Night
Atlanta at New Orleans (New Orleans 28 - 14)
And there it stands, week 8 predictions. Sunday being my daughter's birthday means I get to entertain ten 5-6 year olds for 3 hours, lucky for me the party is over only half hour into the game. Of course I have the TV all ready to play in the party room as well.
Here we go again....
So the rest of week 7, I just don't know what happened there. Let's forget it and move on.....
Week 8
Seattle at Dallas (Dallas)
Houston at Buffalo (Houston)
St. Louis at Detroit (St. Louis)
Denver at Baltimore (Denver)
NY Giants at Philadelphia (NY Giants)
Miami at NY Jets (NY Jets)
Cleveland at Chicago (Chicago)
San Francisco at Indianapolis (Indianapolis)
Jacksonville at Tennessee (Tennessee)
Oakland at San Diego (San Diego)
Minnesota at Green Bay (Minnesota)
Carolina at Arizona (Arizona)
Monday Night
Atlanta at New Orleans (New Orleans 28 - 14)
And there it stands, week 8 predictions. Sunday being my daughter's birthday means I get to entertain ten 5-6 year olds for 3 hours, lucky for me the party is over only half hour into the game. Of course I have the TV all ready to play in the party room as well.
Here we go again....
Tuesday, October 27, 2009
Closing Week 7
This week has officially come to a close. Everything looked good in the early games on Sunday, it was the late game surprises that brought our scores down this week. The score for the week was 8-5 (me) and 7-6 (Mardi). The current tally is 68-35 (me) and 65-38 (Mardi).
Houston got right down to business on Sunday following the Military Appreciation Day festivities. On San Francisco's opening play from scrimmage Mario Williams was able to get a sack on Shaun Hill. This helped to set the tone for the first half in which Houston limited San Francisco to 50 yards of total offense, the fewest ever allowed by a Houston Texans team in a half. Marr Shaub led another passing attack, throwing for 2 touchdowns in the first half. Alex Smith was put in the game to replace Shaun Hill to start the second half and got San Francisco on a roll. Smith led a passing attack, throwing for 3 touchdowns to Vernon Davis. San Francisco also made some defensive adjustments and allowed only 3 points in the second half. The defense for Houston made plays when they counted, however, and stopped a last stand drive by San Francisco by intercepting the ball with less than 1 minute to play. San Francisco is a good team this year, and I knew this was going to be a challenge, I just didn't think it would be that exciting in the second half. The run defense for Houston came up big again this week, limiting the rushing attack to 48 yards. Houston now moves to 4-3 and moves into 2nd place in the AFC South behind the undefeated Indianapolis Colts.
Since Mardi was able to watch the Minnesota game and I was unable to even follow it on ESPN Gametrax, I will let her comment on that one.
What a wild finish in Miami. New Orleans was on the verge of being blown out but managed to put together a 2nd straight 40+ point game to come from behind and win. I honestly thought it was going to be Miami getting blown out of this one. Another surprise was the way Cincinnati came out and just manhandled Chicago. The loss of Cincinnati's leading pass rusher should have given Jay Cutler room to work, but apparently the loss to Houston was a wake up call for Cincinnati. They built a huge lead and never looked back. The New York Giants are struggling a little bit as they couldn't seem to mount any consistent attacks against Arizona. Tony Romo and company surprised a lot of people by leading Dallas to a big win against an Atlanta team that sports tough play on both sides of the ball.
Just a quick thought on Monday's game, well, Washington in particular. It was good to see Washington finally score an offensive touchdown, but the playcalling had nothing to do with it. It doesn't matter how good the playcalling is, you still need players to execute the play. Missed assignments, poor route running, and dropped passes are how an offense loses a game for a team. I didn't see anything special in the plays run last night, I just saw better execution on key plays. Washington's management was wrong to publicly humiliate the coach the way they did, but unfortunately the result from last night's game is only going to make their actions look rosy.
Anyway, I'm interested to hear Mardi's thoughts on this week's football action and I'm looking forward to an exciting Week 8.
Houston got right down to business on Sunday following the Military Appreciation Day festivities. On San Francisco's opening play from scrimmage Mario Williams was able to get a sack on Shaun Hill. This helped to set the tone for the first half in which Houston limited San Francisco to 50 yards of total offense, the fewest ever allowed by a Houston Texans team in a half. Marr Shaub led another passing attack, throwing for 2 touchdowns in the first half. Alex Smith was put in the game to replace Shaun Hill to start the second half and got San Francisco on a roll. Smith led a passing attack, throwing for 3 touchdowns to Vernon Davis. San Francisco also made some defensive adjustments and allowed only 3 points in the second half. The defense for Houston made plays when they counted, however, and stopped a last stand drive by San Francisco by intercepting the ball with less than 1 minute to play. San Francisco is a good team this year, and I knew this was going to be a challenge, I just didn't think it would be that exciting in the second half. The run defense for Houston came up big again this week, limiting the rushing attack to 48 yards. Houston now moves to 4-3 and moves into 2nd place in the AFC South behind the undefeated Indianapolis Colts.
Since Mardi was able to watch the Minnesota game and I was unable to even follow it on ESPN Gametrax, I will let her comment on that one.
What a wild finish in Miami. New Orleans was on the verge of being blown out but managed to put together a 2nd straight 40+ point game to come from behind and win. I honestly thought it was going to be Miami getting blown out of this one. Another surprise was the way Cincinnati came out and just manhandled Chicago. The loss of Cincinnati's leading pass rusher should have given Jay Cutler room to work, but apparently the loss to Houston was a wake up call for Cincinnati. They built a huge lead and never looked back. The New York Giants are struggling a little bit as they couldn't seem to mount any consistent attacks against Arizona. Tony Romo and company surprised a lot of people by leading Dallas to a big win against an Atlanta team that sports tough play on both sides of the ball.
Just a quick thought on Monday's game, well, Washington in particular. It was good to see Washington finally score an offensive touchdown, but the playcalling had nothing to do with it. It doesn't matter how good the playcalling is, you still need players to execute the play. Missed assignments, poor route running, and dropped passes are how an offense loses a game for a team. I didn't see anything special in the plays run last night, I just saw better execution on key plays. Washington's management was wrong to publicly humiliate the coach the way they did, but unfortunately the result from last night's game is only going to make their actions look rosy.
Anyway, I'm interested to hear Mardi's thoughts on this week's football action and I'm looking forward to an exciting Week 8.
Thursday, October 22, 2009
Week 7
Green Bay at Cleveland (Green Bay)
San Francisco at Houston (Houston)
San Diego at Kansas City (San Diego)
Indianapolis at St. Louis (Indianapolis)
New England at Tampa Bay (New England)
Minnesota at Pittsburgh (Minnesota)
Buffalo at Carolina (Carolina)
New York Jets at Oakland (New York Jets)
Chicago at Cincinnati (Chicago)
Atlanta at Dallas (Atlanta)
New Orleans at Miami (New Orleans)
Arizona at New York Giants (New York Giants)
Monday Night:
Philadelphia at Washington (*Philadelphia 21-14*)
I expect Green Bay to take an easy win over Cleveland. The Browns have a slightly higher rushing yards per game average but the Packers passing yards per game average clearly stomps them. Houston should be able to hold off the 49er's as long as they come to the game the same as they did last week. Of course if history is to stand they would be up for a loss after coming home with a win last week. Let's hope Matt Schaub can continue his amazing streak. The Chargers need to pull this game off to keep their division title hopes alive. Both teams in this match up are pretty equally set in my opinion. I look for a low scoring good game. Indianapolis at St. Louis..... really? There is nothing to say. New England in Tampa Bay quite simply the Pats offense is going to stomp the Bucs. Tom Brady is having a very good season and with the Bucs giving up the third most passing touchdowns I don't see a lot of struggle here.
The Vikes in Pittsburgh, this should be interesting. I truly believe my Vikes are going to pull this one off but it will not be an easy game. The Vikings are going to have to make sure that their defense does not go on vacation as they seemed to do in the fourth quarter last week. Brett Favre is quickly earning his purple jersey and as much as I hate to admit it I may have to cheer for him this week. Ben Roethlisberger has slightly higher stats than Favre but the fact remains Favre has more TD's and that's what counts right? Looking at hard stats the Steelers seem to be above the Vikings however The deciding factor in this game will be the Vikings defense. I can't wait!
Buffalo at Carolina, with six interceptions given up last week the Bills are going to need a lot of help if they hope to beat the Panthers. Carolina is hungry for a win to even up their record. Jets at Oakland, this one I had to think about. Statistically speaking the Jets should be able to pull this one off. However Oakland is going to be hungry for the win, this could be a good game. Chicago in Cincinnatti... see Rick's comment. Atlanta at Dallas, it hurts me to go against the Cowboys but I just don't see them pulling it off against the Falcons. New Orleans in Miami should be another good show as they even each other out with the Saints taking the edge in passing yards and the Dolphins taking it in rushing yards. Look for the Giants to hand Arizona their third loss.
And this week will come down to the Monday night score. I don't see this as a high scoring game as both teams seem to have their troubles. We will have to see if Sherm Lewis can add any worth to the Redskins offense. Look for a low scoring, non-exciting game this Monday.
With that let the games begin....
San Francisco at Houston (Houston)
San Diego at Kansas City (San Diego)
Indianapolis at St. Louis (Indianapolis)
New England at Tampa Bay (New England)
Minnesota at Pittsburgh (Minnesota)
Buffalo at Carolina (Carolina)
New York Jets at Oakland (New York Jets)
Chicago at Cincinnati (Chicago)
Atlanta at Dallas (Atlanta)
New Orleans at Miami (New Orleans)
Arizona at New York Giants (New York Giants)
Monday Night:
Philadelphia at Washington (*Philadelphia 21-14*)
I expect Green Bay to take an easy win over Cleveland. The Browns have a slightly higher rushing yards per game average but the Packers passing yards per game average clearly stomps them. Houston should be able to hold off the 49er's as long as they come to the game the same as they did last week. Of course if history is to stand they would be up for a loss after coming home with a win last week. Let's hope Matt Schaub can continue his amazing streak. The Chargers need to pull this game off to keep their division title hopes alive. Both teams in this match up are pretty equally set in my opinion. I look for a low scoring good game. Indianapolis at St. Louis..... really? There is nothing to say. New England in Tampa Bay quite simply the Pats offense is going to stomp the Bucs. Tom Brady is having a very good season and with the Bucs giving up the third most passing touchdowns I don't see a lot of struggle here.
The Vikes in Pittsburgh, this should be interesting. I truly believe my Vikes are going to pull this one off but it will not be an easy game. The Vikings are going to have to make sure that their defense does not go on vacation as they seemed to do in the fourth quarter last week. Brett Favre is quickly earning his purple jersey and as much as I hate to admit it I may have to cheer for him this week. Ben Roethlisberger has slightly higher stats than Favre but the fact remains Favre has more TD's and that's what counts right? Looking at hard stats the Steelers seem to be above the Vikings however The deciding factor in this game will be the Vikings defense. I can't wait!
Buffalo at Carolina, with six interceptions given up last week the Bills are going to need a lot of help if they hope to beat the Panthers. Carolina is hungry for a win to even up their record. Jets at Oakland, this one I had to think about. Statistically speaking the Jets should be able to pull this one off. However Oakland is going to be hungry for the win, this could be a good game. Chicago in Cincinnatti... see Rick's comment. Atlanta at Dallas, it hurts me to go against the Cowboys but I just don't see them pulling it off against the Falcons. New Orleans in Miami should be another good show as they even each other out with the Saints taking the edge in passing yards and the Dolphins taking it in rushing yards. Look for the Giants to hand Arizona their third loss.
And this week will come down to the Monday night score. I don't see this as a high scoring game as both teams seem to have their troubles. We will have to see if Sherm Lewis can add any worth to the Redskins offense. Look for a low scoring, non-exciting game this Monday.
With that let the games begin....
Wednesday, October 21, 2009
On to Week 7
That was a heck of a game on Monday night. I knew it was going to be a high scoring affair, it's just too bad the wrong team won. At any rate, the score for the week was 9-5 (me) and 8-6 (Mardi). This brings our season totals to 60-30 (me) and 58-32 (Mardi). It's still a close one almost halfway into the season. Let's see how things go.
Presenting - the schedule and my predictions for Week 7
Chicago at Cincinnati (Chicago)
Green Bay at Cleveland (Green Bay)
San Francisco at Houston (Houston)
San Diego at Kansas City (San Diego)
Minnesota at Pittsburgh (Minnesota)
Indianapolis at St. Louis (Indianapolis)
New England at Tampa Bay (New England)
Buffalo at Carolina (Carolina)
New York Jets at Oakland (New York Jets)
Atlanta at Dallas (Atlanta)
New Orleans at Miami (New Orleans)
Arizona at New York Giants (New York Giants)
Monday Night:
Philadelphia at Washington (Philadelphia 28-14)
Bye: Jacksonville, Tennessee, Baltimore, Seattle, Denver, Detroit
Houston is coming off a big win in Cincinnati where the defense put the clamps down on Cedric Benson. This week they are going up against another feature back in Frank Gore. Even though Gore is returning from an injury and may not be 100%, he is still a very potent runner and the interior run defense is going to need to continue their good play. Since the poor showing in Week 1, the Houston air attack has been on a tear, only once since that week has Matt Shaub not reached the 300 yard mark in passing (and that was due to the clock eating strategy against Oakland in the 2nd half). San Francisco is currently ranked 20th in pass defense going up against a Houston team that is ranked 3rd in passing. Shaun Hill has no go-to man at wide receiver, where Houston has also stepped up defensively. Diva rookie Michael Crabtree is making his debut at Houston, but I don't expect him to be much a factor as he is starting from square one. Houston is facing a tough challenge in San Francisco this week, but I expect them to pull out this win and move into 2nd place in the AFC South.
Minnesota is taking their game on the road to Pittsburgh on Sunday. This one is honestly a little tougher to call. Of course home field belongs to Pittsburgh, where they have always been tough to beat. Troy Polamalu is back and will be thorn in Brett Favre's side, but the loss of Aaron Smith is definitely going to be felt in this game. Pittsburgh is sporting the number 2 rushing defense so far this season, only allowing 74.5 yards per game, but they have yet to face a player the likes of Adrian Peterson, who torched Baltimore for 143 yards. Where they suffer is in their pass defense, and this week they're going up against a fast receiving corps with a quarterback who is still on top of his game. This is going to be another close one, but I think Minnesota is once again going to find a way to win this game.
Cincinnati's loss of Antwan Odem will be felt against Chicago this week. Without his presence to provide pressure on Jay Cutler, Chicago will have a good day through the air. Another interesting matchup this week is New Orleans at Miami. After the pounding New Orleans gave the New York Giants, this could be a potential letdown situation. The key, as always, is how New Orleans handles Miami's rushing attack. All told, however, the New Orleans offense should be more than Miami's defense can handle. Dallas has been very subpar this season, thanks in no small part to the talent let go over the summer. Atlanta had an off-day offensively against Chicago, but the defense stepped up. Dallas may be rested, but momentum lies with Atlanta. Carolina has seemed to find a groove and it needs this win against Buffalo to have any sort of shot this season. Kansas City got their first win, but they're going against a San Diego team that scored 23 points against Denver. Look for San Diego to pull this one out. St. Louis, Cleveland, and Tampa Bay all earn 'bad team' honors this week as the reason why they will lose. Mark Sanchez has been looking more rookie like the past few games, but the New York Jets running attack is still potent and they sport a disruptive defense, which is why Oakland will lose this Sunday. If you had told me that Philadelphia and Washington were playing on Monday night last season, I would have been glued to the set as both teams were ascendent. This year, however, it should be a snoozer as Washington seems to have come undone. With Coach Jim Zorn no longer calling the offensive plays the level may pick up on the offensive side of the ball. The key to Washington pulling this out will be to take advantage of Philadelphia's questionable pass protection and hope they don't start showing how good Michael Westbrook is when given the ball.
All in all, this is shaping up to be a good week. The season has taken some interesting turns so far along with the fact that Mardi and I are very close in the prediction competition. As for this Sunday's menu, it will consist of whatever catches my fancy at the stadium as yours truly will be in attendance when San Francisco comes to town.
Now, let's see what Mardi has to say.
Presenting - the schedule and my predictions for Week 7
Chicago at Cincinnati (Chicago)
Green Bay at Cleveland (Green Bay)
San Francisco at Houston (Houston)
San Diego at Kansas City (San Diego)
Minnesota at Pittsburgh (Minnesota)
Indianapolis at St. Louis (Indianapolis)
New England at Tampa Bay (New England)
Buffalo at Carolina (Carolina)
New York Jets at Oakland (New York Jets)
Atlanta at Dallas (Atlanta)
New Orleans at Miami (New Orleans)
Arizona at New York Giants (New York Giants)
Monday Night:
Philadelphia at Washington (Philadelphia 28-14)
Bye: Jacksonville, Tennessee, Baltimore, Seattle, Denver, Detroit
Houston is coming off a big win in Cincinnati where the defense put the clamps down on Cedric Benson. This week they are going up against another feature back in Frank Gore. Even though Gore is returning from an injury and may not be 100%, he is still a very potent runner and the interior run defense is going to need to continue their good play. Since the poor showing in Week 1, the Houston air attack has been on a tear, only once since that week has Matt Shaub not reached the 300 yard mark in passing (and that was due to the clock eating strategy against Oakland in the 2nd half). San Francisco is currently ranked 20th in pass defense going up against a Houston team that is ranked 3rd in passing. Shaun Hill has no go-to man at wide receiver, where Houston has also stepped up defensively. Diva rookie Michael Crabtree is making his debut at Houston, but I don't expect him to be much a factor as he is starting from square one. Houston is facing a tough challenge in San Francisco this week, but I expect them to pull out this win and move into 2nd place in the AFC South.
Minnesota is taking their game on the road to Pittsburgh on Sunday. This one is honestly a little tougher to call. Of course home field belongs to Pittsburgh, where they have always been tough to beat. Troy Polamalu is back and will be thorn in Brett Favre's side, but the loss of Aaron Smith is definitely going to be felt in this game. Pittsburgh is sporting the number 2 rushing defense so far this season, only allowing 74.5 yards per game, but they have yet to face a player the likes of Adrian Peterson, who torched Baltimore for 143 yards. Where they suffer is in their pass defense, and this week they're going up against a fast receiving corps with a quarterback who is still on top of his game. This is going to be another close one, but I think Minnesota is once again going to find a way to win this game.
Cincinnati's loss of Antwan Odem will be felt against Chicago this week. Without his presence to provide pressure on Jay Cutler, Chicago will have a good day through the air. Another interesting matchup this week is New Orleans at Miami. After the pounding New Orleans gave the New York Giants, this could be a potential letdown situation. The key, as always, is how New Orleans handles Miami's rushing attack. All told, however, the New Orleans offense should be more than Miami's defense can handle. Dallas has been very subpar this season, thanks in no small part to the talent let go over the summer. Atlanta had an off-day offensively against Chicago, but the defense stepped up. Dallas may be rested, but momentum lies with Atlanta. Carolina has seemed to find a groove and it needs this win against Buffalo to have any sort of shot this season. Kansas City got their first win, but they're going against a San Diego team that scored 23 points against Denver. Look for San Diego to pull this one out. St. Louis, Cleveland, and Tampa Bay all earn 'bad team' honors this week as the reason why they will lose. Mark Sanchez has been looking more rookie like the past few games, but the New York Jets running attack is still potent and they sport a disruptive defense, which is why Oakland will lose this Sunday. If you had told me that Philadelphia and Washington were playing on Monday night last season, I would have been glued to the set as both teams were ascendent. This year, however, it should be a snoozer as Washington seems to have come undone. With Coach Jim Zorn no longer calling the offensive plays the level may pick up on the offensive side of the ball. The key to Washington pulling this out will be to take advantage of Philadelphia's questionable pass protection and hope they don't start showing how good Michael Westbrook is when given the ball.
All in all, this is shaping up to be a good week. The season has taken some interesting turns so far along with the fact that Mardi and I are very close in the prediction competition. As for this Sunday's menu, it will consist of whatever catches my fancy at the stadium as yours truly will be in attendance when San Francisco comes to town.
Now, let's see what Mardi has to say.
Monday, October 19, 2009
A Week 6 so Far Update
Through the miracle of poor reading comprehension, it appears that I missed a disagreement on one of the games on Sunday. For the Kansas City at Washington matchup, I picked Kansas City and Mardi picked Washington, which results in a loss for her. The score ending for Sunday night comes out to be 9-4 (me) and 8-5 (Mardi), which gives me the win this week. This discovery came about during a discussion on how to handle the Monday tiebreaker.
Speaking of the tiebreaker, we decided to go with a system I found on a sports book site. At the end of the Monday game we will add up, seperately, the total of the actual score along with the total of the predicted final score. Whichever total predicted is closest to total actual will be the winner.
Example: For the 19 Oct game I predicted the final score to be 28-21, Mardi predicted the score to be 21-14. The game is played and the final score comes to 30-10. Adding these up, we get 40 (actual score), 49 (my prediction), and 35 (Mardi's prediction). In this example Mardi is the winner as she was closer to the actual total score of the game.
This method will be used when there is a tie at the end of the Sunday night and we are both in agreement as to the predicted winner of the Monday game. If there is a disagreement on who will win Monday, then the predicted winner will be used. If the predicted winner is agreed, then that prediction will be disregarded and the only criteria used will be the score.
At any rate, her and I are glad we got this out of the way since neither of us has ever had to deal with it before. Now, let's get some popcorn ready for Monday Night Football!
Speaking of the tiebreaker, we decided to go with a system I found on a sports book site. At the end of the Monday game we will add up, seperately, the total of the actual score along with the total of the predicted final score. Whichever total predicted is closest to total actual will be the winner.
Example: For the 19 Oct game I predicted the final score to be 28-21, Mardi predicted the score to be 21-14. The game is played and the final score comes to 30-10. Adding these up, we get 40 (actual score), 49 (my prediction), and 35 (Mardi's prediction). In this example Mardi is the winner as she was closer to the actual total score of the game.
This method will be used when there is a tie at the end of the Sunday night and we are both in agreement as to the predicted winner of the Monday game. If there is a disagreement on who will win Monday, then the predicted winner will be used. If the predicted winner is agreed, then that prediction will be disregarded and the only criteria used will be the score.
At any rate, her and I are glad we got this out of the way since neither of us has ever had to deal with it before. Now, let's get some popcorn ready for Monday Night Football!
Sunday, October 18, 2009
Week 6 so Far
It took 6 weeks, but we finally have to use the tie-breaker on Monday night. We both split the disagreed games this week, which definitely makes life interesting. For Sunday we both finished with scores of 9-4. The winner will be revealed at the conclusion of Monday's game, along with a final weekly score and updated season score.
Houston won the game in convincing fashion against an ascendent Cincinnati Bengals. Both halves of the game saw Houston's offense light things up. The Houston defense played well in the first half, but in the second half all but shut Cincinnati down. Cedric Benson was limited to 44 yards on 16 carries, indicating the run defense for Houston showed up today. Matt Shaub had a phenomenal game going 28 of 40 for 392 yards, 4 touchdowns, and 1 interception. Steve Slaton started strong on the running game during the first half, but in the second half the Cincinnati defense keyed in on him. He did, however, have 6 catches for 102 yards and 1 touchdown. The Houston running game remains a problem. Chris Brown had some decent runs in the second half. Perhaps it's time to try something different at the running back position on the Houston offense. Cincinnati did provide some nice drama by scoring 10 points at the end of the first half, but after that it was all Houston.
I caught the bonus coverage of the last 2 minutes of the Minnesota game. I must say that was a pretty exciting finish. Brett Favre was able to lead the team down the field to score the final go ahead field goal to hold off Batlimore's rally. Joe Flacco was able to respond by marching his team down the field to get within field goal range to make the final attempt at a score. Unfortunately for Baltimore, the cosmic coin toss went in Minnesota's favor as Steven Hauschka's kick went wide. Adrian Peterson helped carry this team with 22 carries for 143 yards. Minnesota may not have the highest ranking in the categories tracked, they are playing as a team and are proving themselves a force with which to be reckoned.
The early games for the most part went in favor for both of us. I didn't expect the New York Giants to get rolled like they did at the hands of New Orleans. Carolina has the weapons, but for most of the season so far has not been able to execute. Even though I declared this game a coin toss, I figured the Tampa Bay defense led by Ronde Barber would at least hold Carolina at bay. The late games were where we both fell short. The offense for the New York Jets still seems out of synch as a bad Buffalo team was able to win in overtime. And what is up with Oakland beating a tough Philadelphia team? That one's going to have me scratching my head for some time. I'm guessing the exciting over Matt Hasselback's return to Seattle was very short-lived as they got pounded by a shaky-at-best Arizona team. The poor Tennessee Titans got beat 59-0 in New England. Nothing I can say could make them feel any worse than I'm sure they already do. Here in Houston that game was on our regional coverage. CBS turned the game off in the middle of the 3rd due to the lopsided nature of the game and showed us Buffalo at New York. I'm wondering if they turned it off in Tennessee's market as well.
Houston remains in 3rd place in the AFC South behind Jacksonville due to division play. Minnesota is one of the 4 undefeated teams left in the NFL and is on top of the NFC North.
All in all, it was a good day for football. I can't wait for Week 7 as their are some interesting mathcups. What do you think, my dear Mardi?
Houston won the game in convincing fashion against an ascendent Cincinnati Bengals. Both halves of the game saw Houston's offense light things up. The Houston defense played well in the first half, but in the second half all but shut Cincinnati down. Cedric Benson was limited to 44 yards on 16 carries, indicating the run defense for Houston showed up today. Matt Shaub had a phenomenal game going 28 of 40 for 392 yards, 4 touchdowns, and 1 interception. Steve Slaton started strong on the running game during the first half, but in the second half the Cincinnati defense keyed in on him. He did, however, have 6 catches for 102 yards and 1 touchdown. The Houston running game remains a problem. Chris Brown had some decent runs in the second half. Perhaps it's time to try something different at the running back position on the Houston offense. Cincinnati did provide some nice drama by scoring 10 points at the end of the first half, but after that it was all Houston.
I caught the bonus coverage of the last 2 minutes of the Minnesota game. I must say that was a pretty exciting finish. Brett Favre was able to lead the team down the field to score the final go ahead field goal to hold off Batlimore's rally. Joe Flacco was able to respond by marching his team down the field to get within field goal range to make the final attempt at a score. Unfortunately for Baltimore, the cosmic coin toss went in Minnesota's favor as Steven Hauschka's kick went wide. Adrian Peterson helped carry this team with 22 carries for 143 yards. Minnesota may not have the highest ranking in the categories tracked, they are playing as a team and are proving themselves a force with which to be reckoned.
The early games for the most part went in favor for both of us. I didn't expect the New York Giants to get rolled like they did at the hands of New Orleans. Carolina has the weapons, but for most of the season so far has not been able to execute. Even though I declared this game a coin toss, I figured the Tampa Bay defense led by Ronde Barber would at least hold Carolina at bay. The late games were where we both fell short. The offense for the New York Jets still seems out of synch as a bad Buffalo team was able to win in overtime. And what is up with Oakland beating a tough Philadelphia team? That one's going to have me scratching my head for some time. I'm guessing the exciting over Matt Hasselback's return to Seattle was very short-lived as they got pounded by a shaky-at-best Arizona team. The poor Tennessee Titans got beat 59-0 in New England. Nothing I can say could make them feel any worse than I'm sure they already do. Here in Houston that game was on our regional coverage. CBS turned the game off in the middle of the 3rd due to the lopsided nature of the game and showed us Buffalo at New York. I'm wondering if they turned it off in Tennessee's market as well.
Houston remains in 3rd place in the AFC South behind Jacksonville due to division play. Minnesota is one of the 4 undefeated teams left in the NFL and is on top of the NFC North.
All in all, it was a good day for football. I can't wait for Week 7 as their are some interesting mathcups. What do you think, my dear Mardi?
Thursday, October 15, 2009
On to Week 6!
Are you ready for some Football.....
Houston at Cincinnati (Cincinnati*)
Detroit at Green Bay (Green Bay)
St. Louis at Jacksonville (Jacksonville)
Baltimore at Minnesota (Minnesota)
New York Giants at New Orleans (New Orleans)
Cleveland at Pittsburgh (Pittsburgh)
Carolina at Tampa Bay (Carolina*)
Kansas City at Washington (Washington)
Philadelphia at Oakland (Philadelphia)
Arizona at Seattle (Seattle)
Tennessee at New England (New England)
Buffalo at New York Jets (New York Jets)
Chicago at Atlanta (Atlanta)
Monday Night:
Denver at San Diego (San Diego 21-14)
With 2 games disagreed on we may need the Monday night game so let's take a look at that one first. Had this game been in Denver I would have had to pick the Broncos. The Broncos have pulled off a decent record somehow this season so far. I think the Chargers are going to put the Broncos feet back on the ground. There are two games this week that I think are going to be key match ups, Chicago at Atlanta is one of them. Chicago is coming back well rested and hungry while the Falcons had quite an impressive game last week. Tennessee at New England, well really what can I say here? The Titans don't have a chance. Matt Hasselbeck had a decent week last week and I look for him to repeat that in his win against Arizona in Seattle this week. Another game that I think will be less than exciting is Philly and Oakland. I look for this game to be over in the second quarter.
This week I had to go with Cincinnati to pull out the rug from Houston. I think it is going to be a close game as both teams are hungry but the Bengals have an edge that will challenge the Houston defense. Of course if Houston can come out the way they did the second half of last week's game this could go a completely different way. Cedric Benson is the NFL's leading rusher, meaning the Texans defense cannot slip up. Can we count on this? History has shown this would be negative. This game could be an interesting one. The Texans have the edge on passing, the Bengals blow them away in rushing and they are about even in receiving. I look for a good challenge in this game.
Minnesota and Baltimore, the game of the week. This week could prove to be a challenge for Minnesota, one in which they truly have to step it up. With that said I still fully expect the Vikings to pull this off. Favre is earning his place and the Vikings are starting to look like a championship team. Baltimore is going to be hungry for a win, a loss this week would make this 3 in a row. The Vikings have home field advantage going for them this week as well. Not to mention Favre is ranked 4th in the NFL for passing efficiency. Joe Flacco on the other hand is not pulling it together yet. I look for this to be a good game yet tilted to the Vikings.
Houston at Cincinnati (Cincinnati*)
Detroit at Green Bay (Green Bay)
St. Louis at Jacksonville (Jacksonville)
Baltimore at Minnesota (Minnesota)
New York Giants at New Orleans (New Orleans)
Cleveland at Pittsburgh (Pittsburgh)
Carolina at Tampa Bay (Carolina*)
Kansas City at Washington (Washington)
Philadelphia at Oakland (Philadelphia)
Arizona at Seattle (Seattle)
Tennessee at New England (New England)
Buffalo at New York Jets (New York Jets)
Chicago at Atlanta (Atlanta)
Monday Night:
Denver at San Diego (San Diego 21-14)
With 2 games disagreed on we may need the Monday night game so let's take a look at that one first. Had this game been in Denver I would have had to pick the Broncos. The Broncos have pulled off a decent record somehow this season so far. I think the Chargers are going to put the Broncos feet back on the ground. There are two games this week that I think are going to be key match ups, Chicago at Atlanta is one of them. Chicago is coming back well rested and hungry while the Falcons had quite an impressive game last week. Tennessee at New England, well really what can I say here? The Titans don't have a chance. Matt Hasselbeck had a decent week last week and I look for him to repeat that in his win against Arizona in Seattle this week. Another game that I think will be less than exciting is Philly and Oakland. I look for this game to be over in the second quarter.
This week I had to go with Cincinnati to pull out the rug from Houston. I think it is going to be a close game as both teams are hungry but the Bengals have an edge that will challenge the Houston defense. Of course if Houston can come out the way they did the second half of last week's game this could go a completely different way. Cedric Benson is the NFL's leading rusher, meaning the Texans defense cannot slip up. Can we count on this? History has shown this would be negative. This game could be an interesting one. The Texans have the edge on passing, the Bengals blow them away in rushing and they are about even in receiving. I look for a good challenge in this game.
Minnesota and Baltimore, the game of the week. This week could prove to be a challenge for Minnesota, one in which they truly have to step it up. With that said I still fully expect the Vikings to pull this off. Favre is earning his place and the Vikings are starting to look like a championship team. Baltimore is going to be hungry for a win, a loss this week would make this 3 in a row. The Vikings have home field advantage going for them this week as well. Not to mention Favre is ranked 4th in the NFL for passing efficiency. Joe Flacco on the other hand is not pulling it together yet. I look for this to be a good game yet tilted to the Vikings.
Wednesday, October 14, 2009
Now Calling Week 6
As we get closer to the halfway point things are starting to look interesting in the NFL. There are some interesting matchups this week. Without further ado, here is this week's schedule and predictions:
Houston at Cincinnati (Houston)
Detroit at Green Bay (Green Bay)
St. Louis at Jacksonville (Jacksonville)
Baltimore at Minnesota (Minnesota)
New York Giants at New Orleans (New Orleans)
Cleveland at Pittsburgh (Pittsburgh)
Carolina at Tampa Bay (Tampa Bay)
Kansas City at Washington (Kansas City)
Philadelphia at Oakland (Philadelphia)
Arizona at Seattle (Seattle)
Tennessee at New England (New England)
Buffalo at New York Jets (New York Jets)
Chicago at Atlanta (Atlanta)
Monday Night:
Denver at San Diego (San Diego 28-21)
I'm really hoping that half-time at Arizona last week was the turning point for the Houston defense. They helped to nearly pull the game away from an Arizona team that was looking to run away with it early. We're going to need more of that 2nd half defense this week as Cincinnati has been showing a flair for the dramatic. Both teams feature a passing attack that rivals any of the league's elite teams, but here Houston has a better ranked pass defense. The front 4 should get good pressure on Carson Palmer. Houston has had 2 good games at run defense. Houston has even lifted themselves from the 32nd ranked run defense to the 26th ranked run defense. If Houston can slow Cedric Benson and force them to attack through the air, they should be able to pull out this win.
I'm really surprised that the bookmakers have Baltimore over Minnesota at +3. The Baltimore defense has been better than their record indicates. The unfortunate thing for Baltimore is that Minnesota has been expert in picking apart defenses. And when Minnesota has been faced with a worthy challenger, they found a way to win. Joe Flacco appears to be in a sophomore slump as his stats aren't quite as impressive as they were last year. They say defense wins games, but the potent offense still scores more points, and that's how the winner is determined. Adrian Peterson has not been running up to his billing, but he is still the explosive threat. Brett Favre is playing well beyond any expectations many had for him this season. Let's not forget about the Minnesota defensive line, which has been spectacular in disrupting offenses this season. Look for Minnesota to pull out the win and go to 6-0.
New Orleans is hosting the New York Giants this week at the Superdome. Both teams sport offenses that are just amazing. The question mark for New York will be their pass rush against Drew Brees, who is a very smart player. If anything, home field advantage goes to New Orleans. Detroit, whatever strides have been made, remains the NFC North whipping boy and goes up against a rested and hungry Green Bay that wants to blank that loss against Minnesota 2 weeks ago. Jacksonville will capitalize on home-field advantage against St. Louis. The loss of Aaron Smith shouldn't affect the Pittsburgh against Cleveland. Troy Polamalu participated fully in practice today, which is a welcome sign for Pittsburgh. Tennessee is imploding and chances are the players are starting to give up on 2009. I look for New England to pick apart a defense in total disarray. Kansas City at Washington and Carolina at Tampa Bay were coin tosses. Atlanta's offense is going to keep Chicago's defense busy all night on Sunday night. Philadelphia at Oakland - nothing more can be said about that one. I look for a rested and regrouped San Diego offense to hold off Denver, but given the injuries and weaknesses on the San Diego defense, I look for this to be a high scoring affair.
Bye weeks continue this week. Dallas, San Francisco, Miami, and the New York Jets are all resting after playing some hard football so far this season.
For Sunday's menu I'm looking at grilled New York Strip steaks marinated in rosemary-infused olive oil along with poblano roasted potatoes and a salad that remains as yet undecided.
What does Mardi think of all this football goodness?
Houston at Cincinnati (Houston)
Detroit at Green Bay (Green Bay)
St. Louis at Jacksonville (Jacksonville)
Baltimore at Minnesota (Minnesota)
New York Giants at New Orleans (New Orleans)
Cleveland at Pittsburgh (Pittsburgh)
Carolina at Tampa Bay (Tampa Bay)
Kansas City at Washington (Kansas City)
Philadelphia at Oakland (Philadelphia)
Arizona at Seattle (Seattle)
Tennessee at New England (New England)
Buffalo at New York Jets (New York Jets)
Chicago at Atlanta (Atlanta)
Monday Night:
Denver at San Diego (San Diego 28-21)
I'm really hoping that half-time at Arizona last week was the turning point for the Houston defense. They helped to nearly pull the game away from an Arizona team that was looking to run away with it early. We're going to need more of that 2nd half defense this week as Cincinnati has been showing a flair for the dramatic. Both teams feature a passing attack that rivals any of the league's elite teams, but here Houston has a better ranked pass defense. The front 4 should get good pressure on Carson Palmer. Houston has had 2 good games at run defense. Houston has even lifted themselves from the 32nd ranked run defense to the 26th ranked run defense. If Houston can slow Cedric Benson and force them to attack through the air, they should be able to pull out this win.
I'm really surprised that the bookmakers have Baltimore over Minnesota at +3. The Baltimore defense has been better than their record indicates. The unfortunate thing for Baltimore is that Minnesota has been expert in picking apart defenses. And when Minnesota has been faced with a worthy challenger, they found a way to win. Joe Flacco appears to be in a sophomore slump as his stats aren't quite as impressive as they were last year. They say defense wins games, but the potent offense still scores more points, and that's how the winner is determined. Adrian Peterson has not been running up to his billing, but he is still the explosive threat. Brett Favre is playing well beyond any expectations many had for him this season. Let's not forget about the Minnesota defensive line, which has been spectacular in disrupting offenses this season. Look for Minnesota to pull out the win and go to 6-0.
New Orleans is hosting the New York Giants this week at the Superdome. Both teams sport offenses that are just amazing. The question mark for New York will be their pass rush against Drew Brees, who is a very smart player. If anything, home field advantage goes to New Orleans. Detroit, whatever strides have been made, remains the NFC North whipping boy and goes up against a rested and hungry Green Bay that wants to blank that loss against Minnesota 2 weeks ago. Jacksonville will capitalize on home-field advantage against St. Louis. The loss of Aaron Smith shouldn't affect the Pittsburgh against Cleveland. Troy Polamalu participated fully in practice today, which is a welcome sign for Pittsburgh. Tennessee is imploding and chances are the players are starting to give up on 2009. I look for New England to pick apart a defense in total disarray. Kansas City at Washington and Carolina at Tampa Bay were coin tosses. Atlanta's offense is going to keep Chicago's defense busy all night on Sunday night. Philadelphia at Oakland - nothing more can be said about that one. I look for a rested and regrouped San Diego offense to hold off Denver, but given the injuries and weaknesses on the San Diego defense, I look for this to be a high scoring affair.
Bye weeks continue this week. Dallas, San Francisco, Miami, and the New York Jets are all resting after playing some hard football so far this season.
For Sunday's menu I'm looking at grilled New York Strip steaks marinated in rosemary-infused olive oil along with poblano roasted potatoes and a salad that remains as yet undecided.
What does Mardi think of all this football goodness?
Monday, October 12, 2009
And Week 5 of 2009 Closes
What a wild finish to the Monday Night game. Who would have thought Miami had it in them to pull out the victory against the New York Jets? The week finishes with a score of 8-6 (me) and 9-5 (Mardi). The season tally stands at 51-25 (me) and 50-26 (Mardi). Sorry, Mardi, still not yet tied.
The Houston/Arizona game was a tale of two halves. In the first half it looked like Arizona was going to run away with this game, going up 21-0 at the half. Kurt Warner was on fire with over 200 yards passing at the half. At the opening of the third, however, Houston came back with a vengeance on both sides of the football. The Houston defense allowed just over 50 total yards in the second half. This was the defense that was needed in the first half to win the game. Matt Shaub also lit it up offensively in the second half, leading to 3 touchdown drives. In the end, it was a poor decision to throw that allowed an interception return for a touchdown that put Arizona over the top. Short yardage situations have been a problem so far for Houston, but they've found other ways to overcome it. This time, however, when they needed to push the ball less than a yard, they came up short and were unable to tie the game with 40 seconds left. I see this game as possibly a turning point for Houston. It's true they let the first half get away (failure to convert a 4th down and a blocked field goal attempt were big against Houston). But the way I see it, they were able to shake off the problems and get their collective heads into the game. Let's hope this momentum rolls into next week against a very confident Cincinnati team.
Again Minnesota rolls another opponent. I expected it to be a little more competitive than it was, at least defensively. In no way did I expect the score to be so lopsided as St. Louis, with a decent defense, just couldn't get things to click. Adrian Peterson had another subpar week this week, but Brett Favre and the Minnesota defense both did their jobs as the blowout was taking shape before half time.
I thought San Francisco would be able to handle Atlanta. Instead, it was Atlanta who thoroughly embarassed San Francisco with a final score of 45-10. Derek Anderson has to be the official worst Quarterback ever to win a football game. He went 2-17 for 23 yards to lead Cleveland to their first win of the season. Mardi pretty much covered the other surprises for the week.
This wasn't a particularly good week for either of us, but she did get the win. Check back on Wednesday evening when my Week 6 picks will be available.
The Houston/Arizona game was a tale of two halves. In the first half it looked like Arizona was going to run away with this game, going up 21-0 at the half. Kurt Warner was on fire with over 200 yards passing at the half. At the opening of the third, however, Houston came back with a vengeance on both sides of the football. The Houston defense allowed just over 50 total yards in the second half. This was the defense that was needed in the first half to win the game. Matt Shaub also lit it up offensively in the second half, leading to 3 touchdown drives. In the end, it was a poor decision to throw that allowed an interception return for a touchdown that put Arizona over the top. Short yardage situations have been a problem so far for Houston, but they've found other ways to overcome it. This time, however, when they needed to push the ball less than a yard, they came up short and were unable to tie the game with 40 seconds left. I see this game as possibly a turning point for Houston. It's true they let the first half get away (failure to convert a 4th down and a blocked field goal attempt were big against Houston). But the way I see it, they were able to shake off the problems and get their collective heads into the game. Let's hope this momentum rolls into next week against a very confident Cincinnati team.
Again Minnesota rolls another opponent. I expected it to be a little more competitive than it was, at least defensively. In no way did I expect the score to be so lopsided as St. Louis, with a decent defense, just couldn't get things to click. Adrian Peterson had another subpar week this week, but Brett Favre and the Minnesota defense both did their jobs as the blowout was taking shape before half time.
I thought San Francisco would be able to handle Atlanta. Instead, it was Atlanta who thoroughly embarassed San Francisco with a final score of 45-10. Derek Anderson has to be the official worst Quarterback ever to win a football game. He went 2-17 for 23 yards to lead Cleveland to their first win of the season. Mardi pretty much covered the other surprises for the week.
This wasn't a particularly good week for either of us, but she did get the win. Check back on Wednesday evening when my Week 6 picks will be available.
5-0 Baby! Week 5 is all but in the books
Since we had a 3 game disagreement we do not need the tie breaker game. I do beleive we should now be tied on the season. Let's take a look at this week's Sunday games.
Cleveland at Buffalo was a disappointing game. A 6-3 ending score pretty much sums up the game. It was a close one with the Browns scoring a field goal with 26 seconds to go. Two lost fumbles on Parrish was the kicker to the game. Had he held on, I think this one would have went the other way. Then we have the Jags at the Seahawks, who saw this coming? A 41-0 shutout is crazy. Of course, you have to note they had Matt Hasslebeck back in the game which made all the difference in the world. Throwing 4 TD passes with 18/31 completions for 241 yards left the Jags shaking their heads. On the flipside, Jags QB David Garrard was sacked five time and gave up two fumbles. The Jags defensive line must have been sleeping.
The other surprise to Sunday was Denver over New England. I really thought the Pats had this one. Of course when you rely on Randy Moss and he is having an "off" day.... well why do you think Minnesota gave him up :-). Bottom line on this game, though it was close, Denver flat out outplayed the Pats. Houston in Arizona was a close game. The game started out with the Cardinals stomping on the Texans' 21-0 but the Cardinal's defense had to hold it together. The Texans' must have eaten their Wheaties at halftime because they came back out with a vengance quickly tying up the game. Both QB's in this game shined this week topping 300 yards passing. The kicker was Schaub's one turn over. With the Cardinal's holding the Texans' at the one yard line the game was over.
And then of course we come to Minnesota in St. Louis. I have to admit I was actually bored with this game. The Rams killed themselves by allowing three turnovers in the first half. Minnesota simply walked all over St. Louis. Jared Allen had an amazing 52 yard fumble recovery returned for a touchdown. The Vikings moving to 5-0 for the first time since 1993 may be a sign. I think this year we are going far. Favre earns more and more respect each week. I think he has now earned a purple stripe. Maybe by the end of the season he will have earned the purple jersey he proudly wears. With that I must say "Happy Birthday" as he turned a ripe 40 on Saturday becoming the 12th QB since 1966 to start a game at the age of 40.
Can't wait until next week!
Cleveland at Buffalo was a disappointing game. A 6-3 ending score pretty much sums up the game. It was a close one with the Browns scoring a field goal with 26 seconds to go. Two lost fumbles on Parrish was the kicker to the game. Had he held on, I think this one would have went the other way. Then we have the Jags at the Seahawks, who saw this coming? A 41-0 shutout is crazy. Of course, you have to note they had Matt Hasslebeck back in the game which made all the difference in the world. Throwing 4 TD passes with 18/31 completions for 241 yards left the Jags shaking their heads. On the flipside, Jags QB David Garrard was sacked five time and gave up two fumbles. The Jags defensive line must have been sleeping.
The other surprise to Sunday was Denver over New England. I really thought the Pats had this one. Of course when you rely on Randy Moss and he is having an "off" day.... well why do you think Minnesota gave him up :-). Bottom line on this game, though it was close, Denver flat out outplayed the Pats. Houston in Arizona was a close game. The game started out with the Cardinals stomping on the Texans' 21-0 but the Cardinal's defense had to hold it together. The Texans' must have eaten their Wheaties at halftime because they came back out with a vengance quickly tying up the game. Both QB's in this game shined this week topping 300 yards passing. The kicker was Schaub's one turn over. With the Cardinal's holding the Texans' at the one yard line the game was over.
And then of course we come to Minnesota in St. Louis. I have to admit I was actually bored with this game. The Rams killed themselves by allowing three turnovers in the first half. Minnesota simply walked all over St. Louis. Jared Allen had an amazing 52 yard fumble recovery returned for a touchdown. The Vikings moving to 5-0 for the first time since 1993 may be a sign. I think this year we are going far. Favre earns more and more respect each week. I think he has now earned a purple stripe. Maybe by the end of the season he will have earned the purple jersey he proudly wears. With that I must say "Happy Birthday" as he turned a ripe 40 on Saturday becoming the 12th QB since 1966 to start a game at the age of 40.
Can't wait until next week!
Saturday, October 10, 2009
Week 5.... I know I'm a slacker
Cincinnati at Baltimore (Baltimore)
Cleveland at Buffalo (Buffalo*)
Washington at Carolina (Carolina)
Pittsburgh at Detroit (Pittsburgh)
Dallas at Kansas City (Dallas)
Oakland at New York Giants (New York Giants)
Tampa Bay at Philadelphia (Philadelphia)
Minnesota at St. Louis (Minnesota)
Atlanta at San Francisco (Atlanta*)
Houston at Arizona (Arizona*)
New England at Denver (New England)
Jacksonville at Seattle (Jacksonville)
Indianapolis at Tennessee (Indianapolis)
Monday:
New York Jets at Miami (New York Jets 24-14)
Enough said :-)
Cleveland at Buffalo (Buffalo*)
Washington at Carolina (Carolina)
Pittsburgh at Detroit (Pittsburgh)
Dallas at Kansas City (Dallas)
Oakland at New York Giants (New York Giants)
Tampa Bay at Philadelphia (Philadelphia)
Minnesota at St. Louis (Minnesota)
Atlanta at San Francisco (Atlanta*)
Houston at Arizona (Arizona*)
New England at Denver (New England)
Jacksonville at Seattle (Jacksonville)
Indianapolis at Tennessee (Indianapolis)
Monday:
New York Jets at Miami (New York Jets 24-14)
Enough said :-)
Wednesday, October 7, 2009
Week 5
The final score for Week 5 was 11-3 (me) and 10-4 (Mardi). The updated season score is 43-19 (me) and 41-21 (Mardi). I'm proud to say that we're both keeping pretty close with the experts on Showtime's "Inside the NFL".
Now, without much in the way of fanfare, I present to you Week 5 of the NFL schedule:
Cincinnati at Baltimore (Baltimore)
Cleveland at Buffalo (Cleveland)
Washington at Carolina (Carolina)
Pittsburgh at Detroit (Pittsburgh)
Dallas at Kansas City (Dallas)
Oakland at New York Giants (New York Giants)
Tampa Bay at Philadelphia (Philadelphia)
Minnesota at St. Louis (Minnesota)
Atlanta at San Francisco (San Francisco)
Houston at Arizona (Houston)
New England at Denver (New England)
Jacksonville at Seattle (Jacksonville)
Indianapolis at Tennessee (Indianapolis)
Monday:
New York Jets at Miami (New York Jets 21-10)
This just in - Cleveland has traded away Braylon Edwards to the New York Jets and diva rookie Michael Crabtree has finally signed with San Francisco. The trade may benefit New York (provided he stays out of trouble off the field), but Crabtree's holdout has done nothing but waste his rookie season. From what I've heard, Michael Crabtree actually gained nothing more from the latest negotiations. As San Francisco started winning games without him, he lost his leverage. I'm glad this is over and hopefully it will help discourage some of this diva-like behavior we've been seeing over the past few seasons from these unproven rookies.
This week Houston goes to Phoenix to take on the NFC Champion Arizona Cardinals. Arizona is coming off their bye week, so they should be rested and relatively healed up for the match. Houston is coming off a win against Oakland where the defense played very well. Houston is going to need more of the same this week against one of the elite quarterbacks in the game. Tim Hightower is a good solid rusher who leads the team in rushing and receptions. Houston will need to stop him and not give up the big plays. Houston should also try to build on their modest rushing success over the last 2 games to keep the Arizona defense honest. Arizona is a pass heavy offense going up against a relatively even ranked pass defense in Houston. If Houston can get good pressure on Warner and force him into bad decisions, Houston should come away with this victory, although I predict this could be close. I just pray there isn't an emotional letdown after last week's win.
What is there to say about Minnesota's matchup with St. Louis? If anyone had any questions, let's just say that St. Louis is a bad team this year. Brett Favre, whatever may be left of his skills, is still a seasoned leader, and should lift Minnesota past this brewing letdown scenario. Adrian Peterson's last 2 games also have not been all that impressive, but now he's going up against the 24th ranked run defense. I would look for him to have a big day against St. Louis. I don't expect this to be a blowout by any means by Minnesota. After last week's pounding at the mercy of San Francisco, St. Louis is going to be hungry to prove themselves. With their weak offense, however, I don't think it's going to come against Minnesota.
Speaking of last week, that was some impressive football played by Minnesota against Green Bay. Everything seemed to click on defense and on the passing game on Monday night. Congratulations to Jared Allen for earning a Monday Night record 4.5 sacks. What I can't figure out is why Green Bay all of a sudden abandoned the run, when it was having some early success? I think if they had stuck with the run later in the game, the outcome would have been much different. I know a couple days ago I said I didn't see any boneheaded plays this week, but now I'm recanting that statement. It was either late 3rd or early 4th quarter and Minnesota had the ball. Green Bay rushed 4 players on Brett Favre. The Minnesota line did not let anyone through and kept the pocket intact for over 7 seconds! No one got through at all as Favre threw the ball down the field for a big gain. The boneheaded play of the week goes to the Green Bay pass rush for getting pushed around the way they did on that play
Bye weeks continue this week, with Chicago, Green Bay, New Orleans, and San Diego earning some much needed rest. Washington at Carolina is a coin toss, with this decision going to Carolina. Invesco Field is a tough place for any visiting team, but Denver has at this point not faced an offense the likes of New England. I'm looking for New England to hand Denver their first loss of the season. Tennessee seems to be in full meltdown mode at this point while Payton Manning is on his way to a career year. Bringing Vince Young in as the starter (as some are suggesting) is only going to make a bad situation worse. Look for Indianapolis to pull out the win to remain undefeated. Baltimore is going to be hungry after the close loss to New England. Cincinnati's offense is clicking, but I don't think they're quite ready to handle the Baltimore defense. Atlanta is going to San Francisco after a bye week. San Francisco's big win over St. Louis provides another letdown scenario for the week, but I'm looking for the San Francisco defense to keep the high-powered Atlanta offense at bay at Candlestick park. Matthew Stafford has shown improvement every week with Detroit, but at this point is listed as day-to-day. Even if he can play against Pittsburgh on Sunday, he will not be 100%, which is a big reason why I look for Pittsburgh to win. I'm sure the overtime loss to Cincinnati was heartbreaking for Cleveland, but Buffalo is also playing bad football over the past couple of games. Cleveland should be the first of the 0-fer teams to pull out a win this week. Kansas City and Oakland will continue their losing ways this week as they both go up against tough defenses. As for the Monday game, fundamental football is going to win more often than not. Miami is going up against a phenomenal defense this week along with an offense that is growing as a team.
What do you think, Mardi?
Now, without much in the way of fanfare, I present to you Week 5 of the NFL schedule:
Cincinnati at Baltimore (Baltimore)
Cleveland at Buffalo (Cleveland)
Washington at Carolina (Carolina)
Pittsburgh at Detroit (Pittsburgh)
Dallas at Kansas City (Dallas)
Oakland at New York Giants (New York Giants)
Tampa Bay at Philadelphia (Philadelphia)
Minnesota at St. Louis (Minnesota)
Atlanta at San Francisco (San Francisco)
Houston at Arizona (Houston)
New England at Denver (New England)
Jacksonville at Seattle (Jacksonville)
Indianapolis at Tennessee (Indianapolis)
Monday:
New York Jets at Miami (New York Jets 21-10)
This just in - Cleveland has traded away Braylon Edwards to the New York Jets and diva rookie Michael Crabtree has finally signed with San Francisco. The trade may benefit New York (provided he stays out of trouble off the field), but Crabtree's holdout has done nothing but waste his rookie season. From what I've heard, Michael Crabtree actually gained nothing more from the latest negotiations. As San Francisco started winning games without him, he lost his leverage. I'm glad this is over and hopefully it will help discourage some of this diva-like behavior we've been seeing over the past few seasons from these unproven rookies.
This week Houston goes to Phoenix to take on the NFC Champion Arizona Cardinals. Arizona is coming off their bye week, so they should be rested and relatively healed up for the match. Houston is coming off a win against Oakland where the defense played very well. Houston is going to need more of the same this week against one of the elite quarterbacks in the game. Tim Hightower is a good solid rusher who leads the team in rushing and receptions. Houston will need to stop him and not give up the big plays. Houston should also try to build on their modest rushing success over the last 2 games to keep the Arizona defense honest. Arizona is a pass heavy offense going up against a relatively even ranked pass defense in Houston. If Houston can get good pressure on Warner and force him into bad decisions, Houston should come away with this victory, although I predict this could be close. I just pray there isn't an emotional letdown after last week's win.
What is there to say about Minnesota's matchup with St. Louis? If anyone had any questions, let's just say that St. Louis is a bad team this year. Brett Favre, whatever may be left of his skills, is still a seasoned leader, and should lift Minnesota past this brewing letdown scenario. Adrian Peterson's last 2 games also have not been all that impressive, but now he's going up against the 24th ranked run defense. I would look for him to have a big day against St. Louis. I don't expect this to be a blowout by any means by Minnesota. After last week's pounding at the mercy of San Francisco, St. Louis is going to be hungry to prove themselves. With their weak offense, however, I don't think it's going to come against Minnesota.
Speaking of last week, that was some impressive football played by Minnesota against Green Bay. Everything seemed to click on defense and on the passing game on Monday night. Congratulations to Jared Allen for earning a Monday Night record 4.5 sacks. What I can't figure out is why Green Bay all of a sudden abandoned the run, when it was having some early success? I think if they had stuck with the run later in the game, the outcome would have been much different. I know a couple days ago I said I didn't see any boneheaded plays this week, but now I'm recanting that statement. It was either late 3rd or early 4th quarter and Minnesota had the ball. Green Bay rushed 4 players on Brett Favre. The Minnesota line did not let anyone through and kept the pocket intact for over 7 seconds! No one got through at all as Favre threw the ball down the field for a big gain. The boneheaded play of the week goes to the Green Bay pass rush for getting pushed around the way they did on that play
Bye weeks continue this week, with Chicago, Green Bay, New Orleans, and San Diego earning some much needed rest. Washington at Carolina is a coin toss, with this decision going to Carolina. Invesco Field is a tough place for any visiting team, but Denver has at this point not faced an offense the likes of New England. I'm looking for New England to hand Denver their first loss of the season. Tennessee seems to be in full meltdown mode at this point while Payton Manning is on his way to a career year. Bringing Vince Young in as the starter (as some are suggesting) is only going to make a bad situation worse. Look for Indianapolis to pull out the win to remain undefeated. Baltimore is going to be hungry after the close loss to New England. Cincinnati's offense is clicking, but I don't think they're quite ready to handle the Baltimore defense. Atlanta is going to San Francisco after a bye week. San Francisco's big win over St. Louis provides another letdown scenario for the week, but I'm looking for the San Francisco defense to keep the high-powered Atlanta offense at bay at Candlestick park. Matthew Stafford has shown improvement every week with Detroit, but at this point is listed as day-to-day. Even if he can play against Pittsburgh on Sunday, he will not be 100%, which is a big reason why I look for Pittsburgh to win. I'm sure the overtime loss to Cincinnati was heartbreaking for Cleveland, but Buffalo is also playing bad football over the past couple of games. Cleveland should be the first of the 0-fer teams to pull out a win this week. Kansas City and Oakland will continue their losing ways this week as they both go up against tough defenses. As for the Monday game, fundamental football is going to win more often than not. Miami is going up against a phenomenal defense this week along with an offense that is growing as a team.
What do you think, Mardi?
Monday, October 5, 2009
Week 4 is over and Vikings are 4-0!!
All I can say is WOW! What a week of football. I must say, there were a couple I was surprised on but we will get to that in a moment. First, let's focus on Monday Night Football which pitted Green Bay at Minnesota.....
Brett Favre has now officially earned his #4, we will see about the purple in another week or two. He put on a good show tonight going against his former team and is now the only quarterback in history to say he has beaten every NFL team, not to mention he is going to be 40 this week. Favre went 24 of 31 passes for 271 yards, 3 touchdowns and 0 interceptions. Let's also not forget there were 0 sacks on Favre. Aaron Rodgers was simply pulverized this game, though he still managed to put up some decent numbers. Rodgers went 26 of 37 for 384 yards and 2 touchdowns. Rodgers had 2 interceptions and was sacked a whopping 8 times, 4.5 of those going to Mr. Jared Allen. The other thing that nailed the Packers were there penalties, they managed 7 for 57 yards while Minnesota held it at 2 for 10 yards. As for the rest of the stats and technicals I will let you read that on your own if you so desire. I think Minnesota really shined and was able to show why they are a top contender this year.
Dallas was an upset this week though it was a close game. I thought for sure they had it yet Denver pulled it off at the end. Of course the five sacks on Romo didn't help much. It seemed Denver's defense was able to keep the Cowboys scrambling for the majority of the game. Tennessee at Jacksonville was a surprise as well, I really thought I would see the Titans pull this one off and surely not get stuffed the way they did. David Garrard had a nice connection with Marcedes Lewis for 33 yards and a touchdown. Then there is the Ravens, well all I can say about that is if Clayton hadn't dropped the ball... well you know.
There are in's and out's to all the games that everyone can here on the Sport's Wraps and read on sports sites. This week was a good week for football and I think it is only going to get better. I congratulate Rick for leading the challenge at this time, but we have a lot of football to go..... Can't wait to see what happens next!
Brett Favre has now officially earned his #4, we will see about the purple in another week or two. He put on a good show tonight going against his former team and is now the only quarterback in history to say he has beaten every NFL team, not to mention he is going to be 40 this week. Favre went 24 of 31 passes for 271 yards, 3 touchdowns and 0 interceptions. Let's also not forget there were 0 sacks on Favre. Aaron Rodgers was simply pulverized this game, though he still managed to put up some decent numbers. Rodgers went 26 of 37 for 384 yards and 2 touchdowns. Rodgers had 2 interceptions and was sacked a whopping 8 times, 4.5 of those going to Mr. Jared Allen. The other thing that nailed the Packers were there penalties, they managed 7 for 57 yards while Minnesota held it at 2 for 10 yards. As for the rest of the stats and technicals I will let you read that on your own if you so desire. I think Minnesota really shined and was able to show why they are a top contender this year.
Dallas was an upset this week though it was a close game. I thought for sure they had it yet Denver pulled it off at the end. Of course the five sacks on Romo didn't help much. It seemed Denver's defense was able to keep the Cowboys scrambling for the majority of the game. Tennessee at Jacksonville was a surprise as well, I really thought I would see the Titans pull this one off and surely not get stuffed the way they did. David Garrard had a nice connection with Marcedes Lewis for 33 yards and a touchdown. Then there is the Ravens, well all I can say about that is if Clayton hadn't dropped the ball... well you know.
There are in's and out's to all the games that everyone can here on the Sport's Wraps and read on sports sites. This week was a good week for football and I think it is only going to get better. I congratulate Rick for leading the challenge at this time, but we have a lot of football to go..... Can't wait to see what happens next!
Sunday, October 4, 2009
Week 4 has 1 Game Left
The score at the end of the Sunday games is 10-3 for me and 9-4 for Mardi. As there was only one disagreement this week, it all came down to that one game. And what an exciting finish that was. The full week score and season score will be posted when I make my predictions for Week 5.
Houston had a nice game at home against a weak (on offense at least) Oakland team. From the start Houston dominated the game defensively. Oakland was limited to 165 yards of total offense. Of that, Houston allowed only 45 yards rushing. JeMarcus Russell had another bad day going 12-33 for 120 yards. Oakland did managed to sack Matt Shaub (11/22 with 224 yards, 1 TD, 1 INT) a total 4 times. Houston also put together another 100+ yard rushing day between Steve Slaton (21 carries for 65 yards) and Ryan Moats (15 carries for 56 yards). While it didn't exactly build on last week, I'll take it. Defensively Houston keyed on the running game, holding Darren McFadden to -3 yards on 6 carries. It's been a long time since we saw Houston play with this much intensity on defense. This is going to be needed when Houston visits Arizona next week. Kudos this week go to the starting Linebackers for Houston, who were key in shutting down the Oakland running game. The Houston offense dominated the Oakland defense in the first half. In the 2nd half, however, Coach Gary Kubiak was more concerned with chewing up clock in the 2nd half than he was with scoring. Since Houston won, this line of thinking probably won't face too much scrutiny, but Houston may have been better off sticking with the first half game-plan for at least the entire 3rd quarter in order to give the offensive starters a rest for next Sunday.
Jacksonville just dominated Tennesse, winning 37-17. I honestly thought Tennessee would at least make this competitive. New England and Baltimore took it down to the wire, with New England coming out winning 27-21. Cleveland almost pulled out the upset in their loss to Cincinnati 23-20 in overtime (Cincinnati scored with only 4 seconds left in OT). Who would've thought that Miami would pull out the win on trick plays? The Dallas/Denver game came down to the wire. I know that Mardi wasn't the only one who was heartbroken over the final incomplete pass that sealed the game for Denver. Pittsburgh got off to an explosive start but San Diego kept it interesting in the 2nd half by getting within 1 touchdown late in the game. With their backs to the wall Pittsburgh was able to pull out the victory.
Houston remains in the 3rd place in the AFC South behind Jacksonville due to division play. Minnesota remains Number 1 in the NFC North pending the outcome of the Monday game (although I have picked them to win). The play of the day goes to New Orleans Safety Darren Sharper for the interception and 99-yard touchdown return against the New York Jets. I didn't see anything really boneheaded in today's highlights or any of the other games I watched.
I'll make my comments on the Minnesota game when my predictions are made for Week 5. What does Mardi think about Week 4 action?
Houston had a nice game at home against a weak (on offense at least) Oakland team. From the start Houston dominated the game defensively. Oakland was limited to 165 yards of total offense. Of that, Houston allowed only 45 yards rushing. JeMarcus Russell had another bad day going 12-33 for 120 yards. Oakland did managed to sack Matt Shaub (11/22 with 224 yards, 1 TD, 1 INT) a total 4 times. Houston also put together another 100+ yard rushing day between Steve Slaton (21 carries for 65 yards) and Ryan Moats (15 carries for 56 yards). While it didn't exactly build on last week, I'll take it. Defensively Houston keyed on the running game, holding Darren McFadden to -3 yards on 6 carries. It's been a long time since we saw Houston play with this much intensity on defense. This is going to be needed when Houston visits Arizona next week. Kudos this week go to the starting Linebackers for Houston, who were key in shutting down the Oakland running game. The Houston offense dominated the Oakland defense in the first half. In the 2nd half, however, Coach Gary Kubiak was more concerned with chewing up clock in the 2nd half than he was with scoring. Since Houston won, this line of thinking probably won't face too much scrutiny, but Houston may have been better off sticking with the first half game-plan for at least the entire 3rd quarter in order to give the offensive starters a rest for next Sunday.
Jacksonville just dominated Tennesse, winning 37-17. I honestly thought Tennessee would at least make this competitive. New England and Baltimore took it down to the wire, with New England coming out winning 27-21. Cleveland almost pulled out the upset in their loss to Cincinnati 23-20 in overtime (Cincinnati scored with only 4 seconds left in OT). Who would've thought that Miami would pull out the win on trick plays? The Dallas/Denver game came down to the wire. I know that Mardi wasn't the only one who was heartbroken over the final incomplete pass that sealed the game for Denver. Pittsburgh got off to an explosive start but San Diego kept it interesting in the 2nd half by getting within 1 touchdown late in the game. With their backs to the wall Pittsburgh was able to pull out the victory.
Houston remains in the 3rd place in the AFC South behind Jacksonville due to division play. Minnesota remains Number 1 in the NFC North pending the outcome of the Monday game (although I have picked them to win). The play of the day goes to New Orleans Safety Darren Sharper for the interception and 99-yard touchdown return against the New York Jets. I didn't see anything really boneheaded in today's highlights or any of the other games I watched.
I'll make my comments on the Minnesota game when my predictions are made for Week 5. What does Mardi think about Week 4 action?
Thursday, October 1, 2009
And so..... Week 4 here we go!
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 (Dallas*)
St. Louis @ San Francisco (San Francisco)
San Diego @ Pittsburgh (Pittsburgh)
Monday Night:
Green Bay @ Minnesota (Minnesota 21 - 17)
Well we only have a one game difference this week. I expect Dallas to pull it off over the Broncos. I think a lot of the games this week were easy picks. The Houston game was a toss up for me for one reason, if I pick them to win they don't, if I don't pick them to win they do...... so while I do think they have a good chance in winning this game you can't hold it against me if they lose.
As for the Minnesota and Green Bay game I think it will be a good game and of course being Monday night football at home makes it all the better. Minnesota is going to have to use the home field advantage and put that new quarterback of ours to the test. I am sure it will be an interesting day for Favre as well facing his former team for the first time as the bitter rival. I do believe our solid run game will help us through.
So here it sits, Sunday can't come fast enough!
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 (Dallas*)
St. Louis @ San Francisco (San Francisco)
San Diego @ Pittsburgh (Pittsburgh)
Monday Night:
Green Bay @ Minnesota (Minnesota 21 - 17)
Well we only have a one game difference this week. I expect Dallas to pull it off over the Broncos. I think a lot of the games this week were easy picks. The Houston game was a toss up for me for one reason, if I pick them to win they don't, if I don't pick them to win they do...... so while I do think they have a good chance in winning this game you can't hold it against me if they lose.
As for the Minnesota and Green Bay game I think it will be a good game and of course being Monday night football at home makes it all the better. Minnesota is going to have to use the home field advantage and put that new quarterback of ours to the test. I am sure it will be an interesting day for Favre as well facing his former team for the first time as the bitter rival. I do believe our solid run game will help us through.
So here it sits, Sunday can't come fast enough!
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