A wild week 6 in the NFL. We had two big upsets, Raiders and Bills, and one huge shellacking by the Pats. Now let’s get to my thoughts on the week in football.
A Giant Surprise
Another win for Brees and the Saints has them atop the NFC.
What was supposed to be the game of the week, and even the year, turned out to be a complete dud. The Saints dominated the game in every facet and made the Giants look pedestrian. The Giants couldn’t get any pressure on Brees and he made them pay carving them for 369 yards. It’s clear now the Saints are the class of the NFC but the jury is still out on the Giants.
Vikings Living Large
A wild game in Minnesota that came down to the final seconds. The Vikings looked like they had the game all but won but the Ravens came storming back in the fourth led by Ray Rice, who has been terrific this season. The loss is the third straight for the Ravens who are now 3-3 after starting 3-0 but the good news is they have a bye this week to recoup. The defense is not the same this year and looks old and misses Rex Ryan. The Vikings while 6-0, have started to make a habit of blowing leads and it hasn’t backfired yet but if they keep it up it will catch up to them.
Tom Terrific
The breakout game everyone was waiting for from Tom Brady finally came Sunday. Brady tore up the Titans, throwing 380 yards and 6 touchdowns in just over a half of play, in the 59-0 blowout. I wouldn’t expect Brady to revert to his 2007 form though. The Titans were without their top 3 cornerbacks and were starting young, inexperienced players.
The Titans were flat out embarrassed though. They have clearly given up on the season and have quit on Jeff Fisher. They have a number of flaws and several of the defensive stars, Keith Bullock, Jevon Kearse, and Kyle Vanden Bosch, are fading fast. It’s been the same story for weeks in a row for the Titans.
Bengals Tamed
The Bengals came crashing back to earth and there were no fourth quarter heroics this week for the Bengals. They were beaten bad in the trenches all day long. To make matters worse they lost defensive end Antwan Odom, who had 8 sacks, for the season. I’m also concerned about the offense. Carson Palmer has gotten a free pass this season because of the comebacks but after looking at his stats he has only one more touchdown than interception and has a completion percentage under 60 percent.
Zorn Stripped
The Redskins were again embarrassed on Sunday and have now given the Lions, Panthers, and Chiefs their first wins of the season. Zorn decided to bench Campbell in favor of 37 year old Todd Collins at halftime who was even worse than Campbell.
After the loss Zorn was forced to give up play calling duties in order to save his job for a few more weeks. Newly hired offensive assistant Sherman Lewis, who has been out of the league since 2004, will take over play calling. Zorn has been over his head since he took over the job, having never even been a coordinator in the league, and the Redskins should have realized that when they hired him.
Sanchize? Can we take that back?
Oh what a difference a few weeks makes. It only seemed like yesterday Sanchez was the toast of New York and now he’s the punching bag. That’s what you get playing in New York; it’s a double-edged sword. He was downright awful against the Bills but thankfully he gets the Raiders next week to rebound but that’s what he said a week ago about-facing the Bills.
Even more bad news for the Jets could come soon. Pro Bowl nose tackle and heart of the defense, Kris Jenkins, left the game yesterday and Rex Ryan classified his injury as “probably severe.” No Jenkins in the middle creates a huge gap in the middle of the Jets defense.
Game Balls
Jermon Bushrod
This could go to the entire Saints offensive line but especially Bushrod did a fantastic job keeping Osi Umenyiora in check, keeping Brees off his back and allowing him all day to throw in the pocket.
Sidney Rice
Rice caught 6 passes for a career high 176 yards in the win over Baltimore. His biggest play was his 58-yard bomb form Brett Favre with the Vikings trailing late in the fourth which led to the game winning score.
Lame Ducks
Mark Sanchez
The rookie turned in a performance that was bad even by JaMarcus Russell and Derek Anderson standards. His five interceptions crippled the Jets and leaves this team at a crossroads after such a promising start.
Dante Wesley
No excuse for his actions on Sunday. Just a downright dirty play that looks worse every time you watch it.
Stat of the Week:
The Redskins had more three and outs (7) than points (6).
Quote of the Week:
“We’re not trying to lose every time we go out here.” –Derek Anderson, QB, Browns
Wait, they’re not?
Pic of the Week:
