Week 4, 2019

We talked a lot about injuries last week, with Ben Roethlisberger, Drew Brees, and San Darnold in addition to Nick Foles out in Jacksonville.  Well of those four teams, two of them won.  Very impressive for those backup quarterbacks. 

Garden Minchew, who seems to have a huge fan base all of a sudden, lit up the Tennessee Titans last Thursday.  I feel bad for Foles since he was looking good at the start of the Kansas City game just before his injury.  But, maybe he will heal quick enough to get the Jaguars into the playoffs.

Mason Rudolph in Pittsburgh wasn't horrible, but his inexperience was obvious and the 49ers took advantage of that.  Teddy Bridgewater showed how he was able to be a starter in Minnesota for a couple of season, before a devastating injury. 

The Jets?  Well, they're the Jets.  They went up against Tom Brady and the Patriots and I'm sure hardly anyone gave them much of a chance to win that.  Patriots backup Jarrett Stidham got in a few reps in some mop up time at the end of the game.

The New York Giants benched Eli Manning in favor of rookie Daniel Jones.  Jones had a great game, leading Big Blue back over the Buccaneers and winning on a last second missed field goal by the Bucs.  All the headlines are now, "Ooooh here is the next franchise quarterback of the Giants," "This is the future of New York."  I was impressed by his performance, he even ran for two touchdowns.  Let's not forget this is one game.  The Giants were 0-2 coming into this contest and a good performance by a rookie, against a mediocre team, is not enough to start carving his bust for a spot in Canton.  Let's give him a few years and see how he does.  How many times have we seen a player have a great rookie season, or a few really good games, then we never hear about them again?  It happens a lot.  I hope the kid succeeds and I hope Eli is okay with the fact that he's older and it might be time to move on.

Results from last weeks games to watch

Minnesota pretty much manhandled Oakland the entire game.  The Raiders did their best but came up way short.  I'm curious if Raiders owner Mark Davis is starting to dread the 10-year contract they signed with Jon Gruden a couple years ago.  I've not seen any improvement in how they play or the results of the games, they are flat and play almost confused at times.  Great example of how blind one can be if they don't focus on what's really important.  I hope I'm wrong, I like Gruden, but I just don't really see him being successful with the Raiders (in Oakland or Las Vegas) this time around.

Kansas City with their young superstar Pat Mahomes and Baltimore with their young superstar Lamar Jackson.  I really thought this would be a game of the week and it didn't disappoint.  Mahomes just did what he does and gave Jackson a lesson in flight.  LeSean McCoy scored a touchdown on the ground and through the air.  The tools Mahomes has at his disposal are powerful...and he's getting another back in a few weeks, when Tyreek Hill gets healthy from a collarbone injury.

New Orleans and Seattle.  Teddy Bridgewater hadn't started an NFL game in a couple of years, but he came in, and in a hostile environment, and gave the Seahawks their first September loss at home under Pete Carroll.  Brees will be back in a month and a half or so, and Bridgewater will have earned himself a spot for next year to be a starter somewhere.

Los Angeles Rams are a really good team.  I don't think they are as good as they were last year, though.  Cleveland is a good team and I think they are better than they were last year.  A year ago the Browns would not have made this game as exciting as it was.  Just like everyone else I was very excited about Cleveland this year, but I think I'm a bit premature.  I don't think they're quite there yet, with the killer mentality of putting teams away down the stretch.  Maybe they can hit that later on this year, and if they do, watch out.

Games to watch:

Philadelphia @ Green Bay. Rarely do we get a good match up on Thursday nights.  But we do this week.  I think the Eagles will still be a bit thrown off by their loss to the Lions last week and won't be able to hold down the Packers offense, especially with what seems like a revitalized Aaron Rodgers behind center.  Also, this is the first game this season being broadcast on Amazon Prime, in addition to Fox and the NFL Network.  If you have access, watch via Prime and, using the language controls, listen to "Middle Earth" option (if it's still available).  The announcers are two guys that are undoubtedly very good at calling soccer games, but they are doing American football.  They are good and entertaining, just a different way to listen.

Kansas City @ Detroit.  Basically, we have two undefeated teams here (3-0 @ 2-0-1).  Matt Stafford has shown some guts and endurance this year so far, the Lions may give the Chiefs some trouble, but I don't think enough to keep the Chiefs from winning.

New England @ Buffalo.  Normally this wouldn't qualify for a "game of the week" type scenario.  But both teams are 3-0, for one that's not surprising.  For the other, this is a big deal.  I've always kind of liked the Bills and would love to see this fall their way...but I've learned the hard way, and many times, don't bet against the Patriots.

Dallas @ New Orleans.  Another great Sunday night matchup.  Initially when Brees went out I appreciated that Dallas would not have to face the Saints with Brees there.  But, as I stated earlier, Bridgewater has done a great job so far.  With that being said, Dallas is on a tear.  Yes, the first three opponents were not in the playoffs a year ago (Giants, Redskins, Dolphins) so do we really know what Dallas is made of?  This will be an exciting game to watch and see if the 'boys can hold onto the momentum they have.  This could also be a big game as the playoffs come around, playing away from home during the playoffs is daunting, so this could eventually affect a homefield advantage situation.

Things that happened...

Terrell Suggs, of the Cardinals, didn't get the 1 1/2 sacks he needed to surpass Jared Allen.

Frank Gore passed LaDanian Tomlinson and is now the #5 all-time scrimmage yard leader.  This is impressive, and Gore is showing there is still some life in his legs.

Adrian Peterson didn't get his 37-yards he needed Monday night, well, okay, yes, he got 37-yards rushing, but -3 receiving.  He also will have to wait until this Sunday against the Giants to see if he can get past Edgerrin James on the all-time scrimmage yards list.

Larry Fitzgerald did not get his 9 catches Sunday, but I'm positive he will this Sunday and he can pass up Tony Gonzalez on the all-time receptions list to #2

What to watch for this week...

Matt Bryant in Atlanta needs just 5-points to pass David Akers on the all-time points scored list.

Frank Gore needs just one touchdown to pass Lenny Moore and Antonio Gates on the all-time touchdowns list.

Terrell Suggs still needs his 1 1/2 sacks.

Adrian Peterson is hoping to get 4 scrimmage yards to get passed James.

Larry Fitzgerald needs 5 catches to pass Gonzalez.

Robbie Gould needs just 7-points to pass Norm Johnson on the all-time points scored list.

Week 3, 2019...a little more drama

Talk about how injuries can derail a season.  The Steelers Ben Roethlisberger is out the remainder of the season after injuring his throwing shoulder.  New Orleans Saints quarterback Drew Brees is out 6-7 weeks after tearing ligaments in his thumb.  The New York Jets have lost Sam Darnold for several weeks with mononucleosis, they are also without linebacker Jordan Jenkins.  But to lose a quarterback, the leader of your team, has got to be disheartening.  I never predicted the Steelers to have a lot of success this year, but losing their signal-caller is not what I had in mind.  The Saints I thought would do well...not sure about that now.  However, they are in a better position with Teddy Bridgewater under center than the 2nd year man Mason Rudolph will be calling plays.  We know about Nick Foles and Garden Minchew.  The Jaguars got a win this week with their new quarterback.

Okay, Antonio Brown spent 11-days with the New England Patriots and the team decided it was time to move on.  They are no nonsense and want to focus solely on football.  I'm convinced part of this decision came when the team had a recent press conference and head coach Bill Belichick kept getting asked about the sexual assault assertions by Brown.  The coach left after getting asked about Brown instead of football and what they are doing to prepare for the Jets this week.

Here are some of the games to look forward to this week:

Oakland @ Minnesota - These two teams are looking to rebound after having missed the playoffs last year.  The Raiders missed the year before, too, but Jon Gruden is looking to really put his stamp on the team and lead them to play late into January and, it is to be hoped, February.  The Vikings I think are realizing that Kirk Cousins isn't quite what they'd hoped he would be.  His record since playing is only 35-38-1, ranked 27th (based on winning percentage) among active quarterbacks.  I honestly doubt seeing Cousins in the backfield is going to do much to help the Vikes.

Baltimore @ Kansas City - The Ravens and Lamar Jackson have been on fire so far this season, against Miami and Arizona, teams that are not really that tough right now.  This I think will be his first real test of the season.  Patrick Mahomes, however, has already been lighting it up against some pretty good opponents, Jacksonville and the aforementioned Oakland Raiders.  Mahomes already looks like he's in midseason form and I honestly thing the Ravens will be more confused than anything trying to corral the Chiefs.

New Orleans @ Seattle - The long and short of this is...Seattle has their starting quarterback (Russell Wilson) and New Orleans is working with their backup quarterback (Teddy Bridgewater).  Seattle has surprised me, as they typically do, so having a backup quarterback, who used to be a starter for the Vikings, should not pose too much of a problem for them.  But, this is the NFL and Bridgewater is not a pushover.  Should be a really exciting game.

Los Angeles Rams @ Cleveland - I know, I know, this shouldn't be an exciting game.  But I am really looking forward to it.  The Browns opened up some last Monday, Baker Mayfield and Odell Beckham really hit it off and we should start getting used to seeing that with these two.  The only worry I have is that Cleveland had trouble getting into the end zone against the Jets, so that may help the Rams out some.  Speaking of the Rams, they're a very good football team, I don't think as good as last year, but they're good.  Their defense, led by Aaron Donald, could get all up in Mayfield's face and cause lots and lots of problems with the passing game, while also disrupting the running.

A few things to look for this week...

With 1 1/2 sacks Terrell Suggs can tie Jared Allen for 11th all-time in sacks in the NFL.
If Frank Gore can earn 80 scrimmage yards against the Cincinnati Bengals he will pass LaDanian Tomlinson and become #5 in all-time scrimmage yardage leaders.
Adrian Peterson can surpass Edgerrin James with just 37 scrimmage yards, that would place him 15th all-time.
And, Mr. Larry Fitzgerald can pass Tony Gonzalez with 9 catches, making him SECOND all-time for receptions.

Have a great rest of your weekend and happy football watching tomorrow.

Week 2, 2019...lots and lots of drama.

We made it through the first week of the season.

Some excitement the day before the season started was Antonio Brown being released by the team he begged to be traded to, the Oakland Raiders.  Within hours of his being released the New England Patriots signed him.  Before Brown ever had the chance to don the Patriots jersey, however, a civil suit was filed stating he sexually assaulted his trainer three times.  Again, that's a civil suit, not a criminal charge.  No police reports, no DNA samples, no interrogations at the police department.  Will be interesting to see how the NFL handles this.  They were really wanting a nice year to celebrate their 100th season, but AB has loused stuff up.  Has to be someone, I suppose.

Big surprise in Cleveland on Sunday.  The Browns, who many were picking to go to the Super Bowl (yes, the Cleveland Browns) were blindsided by the Tennessee Titans.  I've never played sports on any level other than in the backyard or via a computer game, but I do know that sometimes getting knocked back to reality can be a good thing, especially for a young cocky team like the Browns were starting to be.  The Titans were all over Baker Mayfield on Sunday, not allowing him to have any clean reads down field.  It'll be interesting to see how he does this week against a New York Jets team that let the Buffalo Bills score the final 17-points of the game and rally to win 17-16.

The Dallas Cowboys looked like they are the team to beat in the NFC, with the exception that they played a New York Giants team in transition.  The Giants couldn't get a pass rush together and their secondary was flat.  Dallas had receivers open all afternoon, including Jason Witten, who decided to hang up his headphones for a helmet.  Looks like he hadn't lost a step.

On Sunday night, the New England Patriots came out and completely dismantled the Pittsburgh Steelers.  Ben Roethlisberger couldn't get anything going, while it seemed like Tom Brady could hit whatever he wanted to.  All off-season I've talked about how I didn't think Pittsburgh would be productive this year.  Based on reports I've read and heard, their locker room is divided and no one is really getting along.  I hope Pittsburgh rebounds, but they host the Seattle Seahawks this week and they will not make this easy.

A barn burner in the first Monday night game with the Houston Texans visiting Bourbon Street and the New Orleans Saints.  One of the most exciting games I've watched in a long time.  Saints kicker Will Lutz nailed a field goal as the clock hit triple zero's, giving the Saints a 30-28 win.  A fun game during week 2 is New Orleans going West to visit the Los Angeles Rams, the team that interfered with the Saints making the Super Bowl last February.  This should be an interesting game.

Here are a few of the match ups to anticipate during week 2:

Dallas @ Washington - this is always a fun game, even when one of the teams is down.  One of the biggest rivalries in pro-sports.

Seattle @ Pittsburgh - This is a rematch of a Super Bowl a few years ago, though the majority of the players on either side are not the ones that participated in that championship.  I know Roethlisberger is...both coaches are different, with Pete Carroll in Seattle and Mike Tomlin in Pittsburgh.

New England @ Miami - I think what intrigues me the most on this game, is if the Dolphins can hold that high-octane offense of New England to under 50-points.

Jacksonville @ Houston - Nick Foles was injured early in the Jaguars game against Kansas City on Sunday, thus putting 6th round pick Gardner Minshew II, into the spot as starter until Foles is able to play again.  What I saw of Minshew on Sunday impressed me a lot and I will be interested to see how he handles himself against J.J. Watt and company.

Minnesota @ Green Bay - always a good game, much like the Dallas-Washington game.  It was last year playing against Minnesota that Aaron Rodgers broke his collarbone and missed a huge chunk of the season.

The Sunday Night game features Philadelphia @ Atlanta - The Eagles have a quarterback in Carson Wentz that has yet to complete a season, but he's good when he plays.  The Falcons have a Super Bowl quarterback that can light it up.  They're playing indoors, so, theoretically, that should work to the Falcons' advantage...though it didn't help much last week against Minnesota.

Have a great week #2 and may your team win...unless they're playing my team.