After a week full of mostly close games in week 2, there were blowouts galore in week 3. Some teams have more evidence that they are really good this year, whereas some are showing they are lacking in a lot of areas.
Surprises: Kansas City and Miami. Both of these teams are 3-0. Last year Kansas City didn't win 3-games all year, but they have shown strength and poise in their wins this year, against Jacksonville, Dallas and Philadelphia. True, only one of those three teams has a winning record, but big wins give teams confidence that they can carry through other games. The Dolphins last year were 7-9, but they are looking more focused this year in their quest to make the AFC East a more competitive division, plus their defense is stopping people in a big way.
Other surprises are the 0-3 Giants, just two-years removed from a Super Bowl championship. With the seeming lack of interest in playing a decent game one has to wonder if Coach Coughlin's days are numbered on the sideline in East Rutherford. This year is the first time the Giants have started a year 0-3 since 1996, the last year of the Dan Reeve's era.
Wha' happened to the 49ers? Kaepernick can't seem to throw and his supporting cast simply isn't there for him this year as they were last year. With Baltimore also faltering, with the exception of a thrashing of the Texans this past week, it will be interesting to see if both Super Bowl teams from last year will even make the playoffs.
Coach Mike Tomlin in Pittsburgh is having to face something for the first time in his career, an 0-3 start. The Steelers lost some weapons in the off-season and only now are they realizing what those players meant to the team.
INTERESTING STATS/GAMES FOR WEEK 4
San Francisco @ St. Louis: The Niners are trying to get back on track after starting the season 1-2, the Rams may be the best team to help them do that. The Rams, at times, look really good, but usually they are lackluster, despite having one of the best coaches in the NFL in Jeff Fisher.
Seattle @ Houston: Each time these teams have met, the home team has won. Seattle is a dominant, well-run team that seems to have few weak points. Perhaps the Texans, if they're wanting to prove last year was for real, are the team that can exploit those weaknesses.
Pittsburgh v. Minnesota: In the NFL's annual International Game in London, England, both of these teams look for their first victory. Pittsburgh has shown some signs of life, whereas the Vikings only decent player is Adrian Peterson.
New York Giants @ Kansas City: In April when the schedule was released, many no doubt thought this would be a blow-out by the Giants. Well, I've got news for you...if the past few weeks are an indication, it will be a blow out, but not by the Giants.
New York Jets @ Tennessee: Both teams are 2-1 and are fighting to stay alive and, by the end of the season to make some noises in the playoffs.
Philadelphia @ Denver: Can Payton Manning keep his pace for touchdowns? This team is a beast!! They're good on offense (both passing and running) and they can stop you. The Monday Night game against Oakland was not near as close as the score indicated, as the Raiders put a lot of those points up when Denver was just letting them run out the clock. Chip Kelley's experiment, I believe, is a failure.
Monday Night Football
Atlanta @ Miami: Both teams are 3-0. This is a premier game on a national stage. Should be a really good game.
PIX Shout-out to MJ who is still leading the pack...and to Emily to showed everyone how it's done by getting 75% of her PIX this week.
Tuesday, September 24, 2013
Tuesday, September 17, 2013
Week 2 recap, Week 3 preview
Before we pit the Chiefs against the Broncos in the AFC Title game, let's wait to see how the remainder of the season plays out. Granted, Denver looks as dominant as anyone right now and that without two of their defensive starters. Kansas City is 2-0...yes, the Chiefs. How impressive is that? Everyone thought they would improve from last year with the hiring of Any Reid, but they look solid, able to win the close games.
A couple of big surprises on the other end of the spectrum are the Redskins and the Giants. Washington is coming off an exciting playoff run last year that had everyone calling their rookie quarterback RGIII-sus. He tore up his knee in their playoff game and seems very rusty, if not hesitant to lead his team. The Giants are only a couple of years off a Super Bowl title and are threatening to not even make the playoffs...which they didn't do last year anyway. Eli is throwing interceptions to everyone and looks like he has no confidence in his teammates. Was discussing last night whether Coughlin will be able to keep his job if the G-Men fail to make the playoffs this year.
Some very interesting statistics for this weeks games:
One that shocks me the most is the Detroit-Washington game. Detroit is visiting the Redskins for a contest between the two mediocre teams. The Lions have never defeated Washington in Washington. In fact, the last time they won against that franchise in an away game was in 1935 when Washington was the Boston Redskins.
The Thursday night game pits Andy Reid against his team he coached for over a decade, leading them to the NFC Championship four-straight years and a Super Bowl appearance. The Chiefs are looking to slow down the high-flying Eagles in a game televised on the NFL Network. At 2-0 KC is hoping to start fast and ride momentum through at least early January.
St. Louis @ Dallas: So far, the Cowboys are 1-0 at home. Can they make this 2-0? Of course, if they keep up this trend of losing on the road and winning at home, they end up with a .500 record and no one in big D will be happy with that.
NY Giants @ Carolina: Both teams are 0-2. Giants have pretty much been manhandled the first two weeks of the season (see paragraph 2 about Eli and his interceptions). Panthers have been on the losing end of two very tight games, on against a very dominant Seattle Seahawks bunch that crushed San Francisco this past Sunday night.
Houston @ Baltimore. Last year the Texans manhandled the eventual Super Bowl champion Ravens 43-13. Two years ago, they met twice and the second time the Ravens knocked Houston out of the playoffs. If the Texans really want to prove they are a true contender, they will have to make it past their enemies up North.
Jacksonville @ Seattle. A television station in Orlando ran an banner across the bottom of their screen on Sunday apologizing to viewers for having to show the Jacksonville-Oakland game. The reasoning was that they realized most would have rather watched the Broncos-Giants game. The Jags are not good and have dropped steadily over the last several years, nearly hitting the bottom at this point. Which could make this a massive upset if the Seahawks were looking past this week to their game next week at Houston.
Oakland @ Denver. This is one of those rivalries where even if one team is no good this will be a good game. The Raiders are showing they aren't as bad as they have been. Their new qb Terrelle Pryor has shown he can lead a team and move the ball effectively. This, I think, will be his biggest obstacle so far in facing a very tough Bronco defense, and having to outscore the Score Machine, Payton Manning.
PIX Shoutout to MJ to being better than everyone else so far. Excellent job!!
A couple of big surprises on the other end of the spectrum are the Redskins and the Giants. Washington is coming off an exciting playoff run last year that had everyone calling their rookie quarterback RGIII-sus. He tore up his knee in their playoff game and seems very rusty, if not hesitant to lead his team. The Giants are only a couple of years off a Super Bowl title and are threatening to not even make the playoffs...which they didn't do last year anyway. Eli is throwing interceptions to everyone and looks like he has no confidence in his teammates. Was discussing last night whether Coughlin will be able to keep his job if the G-Men fail to make the playoffs this year.
Some very interesting statistics for this weeks games:
One that shocks me the most is the Detroit-Washington game. Detroit is visiting the Redskins for a contest between the two mediocre teams. The Lions have never defeated Washington in Washington. In fact, the last time they won against that franchise in an away game was in 1935 when Washington was the Boston Redskins.
The Thursday night game pits Andy Reid against his team he coached for over a decade, leading them to the NFC Championship four-straight years and a Super Bowl appearance. The Chiefs are looking to slow down the high-flying Eagles in a game televised on the NFL Network. At 2-0 KC is hoping to start fast and ride momentum through at least early January.
St. Louis @ Dallas: So far, the Cowboys are 1-0 at home. Can they make this 2-0? Of course, if they keep up this trend of losing on the road and winning at home, they end up with a .500 record and no one in big D will be happy with that.
NY Giants @ Carolina: Both teams are 0-2. Giants have pretty much been manhandled the first two weeks of the season (see paragraph 2 about Eli and his interceptions). Panthers have been on the losing end of two very tight games, on against a very dominant Seattle Seahawks bunch that crushed San Francisco this past Sunday night.
Houston @ Baltimore. Last year the Texans manhandled the eventual Super Bowl champion Ravens 43-13. Two years ago, they met twice and the second time the Ravens knocked Houston out of the playoffs. If the Texans really want to prove they are a true contender, they will have to make it past their enemies up North.
Jacksonville @ Seattle. A television station in Orlando ran an banner across the bottom of their screen on Sunday apologizing to viewers for having to show the Jacksonville-Oakland game. The reasoning was that they realized most would have rather watched the Broncos-Giants game. The Jags are not good and have dropped steadily over the last several years, nearly hitting the bottom at this point. Which could make this a massive upset if the Seahawks were looking past this week to their game next week at Houston.
Oakland @ Denver. This is one of those rivalries where even if one team is no good this will be a good game. The Raiders are showing they aren't as bad as they have been. Their new qb Terrelle Pryor has shown he can lead a team and move the ball effectively. This, I think, will be his biggest obstacle so far in facing a very tough Bronco defense, and having to outscore the Score Machine, Payton Manning.
PIX Shoutout to MJ to being better than everyone else so far. Excellent job!!
Tuesday, September 10, 2013
Week 1 Recap, Week 2 NFL Season
Before we crown the Broncos the next Super Bowl champions, let's remember they are facing a Giants team next week that was humiliated on national TV. Coughlin and his group are not happy about this and will want to redeem themselves.
However, Payton Manning was totally on fire with his 7 touchdown passes last Thursday, something that had not been done since 1969. Sid Luckman (Bears); Adrian Burk (Eagles); George Blanda (Oilers); Y.A. Tittle (Giants); and Joe Kapp (Vikings) are the only other players in the history of the NFL that have thrown for as many touchdowns in a single game.
Pittsburgh lost their starting all-star center Pouncey for the season with a torn knee ligament, which could show up the rest of the O-Line in the Steel City.
Are the Chargers really this porous? Can they not play for the full 60?
Dallas qb Romo bruised his ribs Sunday night; Dez Bryant sprained his foot. Both are saying they will play next Sunday at Kansas City.
Green Bay was unable to hold Colin Kaepernick, again, and allowed the 49ers to start off what could be another Super Bowl run, barring an injury to a main part of their team.
Now for a week 2 preview:
NY Jets visit New England on Thursday night. Both teams are undefeated, but the Patriots have won the last four meetings between these two teams.
Washington @ Green Bay on Sunday should show to be a real barn-burner. Both teams were in relatively close games in week 1 and fell short of their desired goal. The 2nd-year Griffin is facing an experienced Aaron Rodgers on what will be the frozen tundra at some point when the temps drop.
Tennessee @ Houston. Titans upset the Steelers in week 1 and no doubt have confidence from that victory, Houston has won the last two meetings between these two.
San Diego @ Philadelphia. If the Chargers D shows the lack of endurance they did on Monday night, this will be an Iggle blowout.
Denver @ NY Giants. These two teams don't meet often in New York, in fact they have only played there 5-times since 1972. The Broncos last win in New York against the Giants was in 1980. The Broncos rolled over Baltimore easily, while the Giants lost for the first time in Dallas' new stadium...this game could really go either way.
San Francisco @ Seattle. The new big rivalry in the NFL. San Francisco traveling 800-miles north to visit the beautiful Northwest, taking on their biggest nemesis from last year, and really the only challenge they have in their division.
Monday Night: Pittsburgh @ Cincinnati. This could prove to us the changing of the guard in the AFC Central. Baltimore is obviously struggling, Pittsburgh has some major injuries. Cincinnati is prime to take over. They're young, hungry, and healthy.
PIX: Shout-out to Darrell and Michael for leading the pack in PIX this week, with a 12-4 record.
However, Payton Manning was totally on fire with his 7 touchdown passes last Thursday, something that had not been done since 1969. Sid Luckman (Bears); Adrian Burk (Eagles); George Blanda (Oilers); Y.A. Tittle (Giants); and Joe Kapp (Vikings) are the only other players in the history of the NFL that have thrown for as many touchdowns in a single game.
Pittsburgh lost their starting all-star center Pouncey for the season with a torn knee ligament, which could show up the rest of the O-Line in the Steel City.
Are the Chargers really this porous? Can they not play for the full 60?
Dallas qb Romo bruised his ribs Sunday night; Dez Bryant sprained his foot. Both are saying they will play next Sunday at Kansas City.
Green Bay was unable to hold Colin Kaepernick, again, and allowed the 49ers to start off what could be another Super Bowl run, barring an injury to a main part of their team.
Now for a week 2 preview:
NY Jets visit New England on Thursday night. Both teams are undefeated, but the Patriots have won the last four meetings between these two teams.
Washington @ Green Bay on Sunday should show to be a real barn-burner. Both teams were in relatively close games in week 1 and fell short of their desired goal. The 2nd-year Griffin is facing an experienced Aaron Rodgers on what will be the frozen tundra at some point when the temps drop.
Tennessee @ Houston. Titans upset the Steelers in week 1 and no doubt have confidence from that victory, Houston has won the last two meetings between these two.
San Diego @ Philadelphia. If the Chargers D shows the lack of endurance they did on Monday night, this will be an Iggle blowout.
Denver @ NY Giants. These two teams don't meet often in New York, in fact they have only played there 5-times since 1972. The Broncos last win in New York against the Giants was in 1980. The Broncos rolled over Baltimore easily, while the Giants lost for the first time in Dallas' new stadium...this game could really go either way.
San Francisco @ Seattle. The new big rivalry in the NFL. San Francisco traveling 800-miles north to visit the beautiful Northwest, taking on their biggest nemesis from last year, and really the only challenge they have in their division.
Monday Night: Pittsburgh @ Cincinnati. This could prove to us the changing of the guard in the AFC Central. Baltimore is obviously struggling, Pittsburgh has some major injuries. Cincinnati is prime to take over. They're young, hungry, and healthy.
PIX: Shout-out to Darrell and Michael for leading the pack in PIX this week, with a 12-4 record.
Sunday, September 1, 2013
Week 1 NFL Season
Week one is upon us!! Just a few more days until we hear the hits, feel the excitement the NFL brings us. Perhaps you have enjoyed the pre-season, and had a good time watching the first week of college football. But this is the real thing, only 16 games to glory...then another 2 or 3 for a chance at the Super Bowl.
Some of the highlights this week:
Brenna starts her defense of last years' championship run with PIX, being the only girl to have ever done that.
Of course, Baltimore @ Denver on Thursday Night, September 5. Should be a very exciting game, a rematch of last years AFC Divisional playoff game that had Baltimore winning, then a victory in the Super Bowl in early February.
Cincinnati @ Chicago could be an intense game, with the Bengals pretty much being dominant over the Bears at Soldier Field.
Atlanta @ New Orleans will be interesting with Payton being back on the sidelines for the Saints, and the Falcons starting what many predict as a Super Bowl run.
Green Bay @ San Francisco pits together two teams that met twice last year, with the Niners coming out on top each time. The tide has turned in Northern California and San Francisco is back to being dominant.
New York Giants @ Dallas. Always a good game, however the Cowboys have not defeated the Giants the last four times they've played at Jerry World. Maybe a new name to the stadium will help a little.
As has been the case the last several years, the NFL has two Monday Night games, Philadelphia @ Washington, which we will see how RGIII will do with his restructured knee against a quickly moving Philadelphia team with rookie head coach Chip Kelly. And Houston @ San Diego. History tells us San Diego will win, since they've never lost to Houston in the four times they've played each other. This is a different year and, as they say, history is made to be re-written. San Diego also has a rookie coach in Mike McCoy and Houston is trying to show that last years' dominance was not a fluke.
Some of the highlights this week:
Brenna starts her defense of last years' championship run with PIX, being the only girl to have ever done that.
Of course, Baltimore @ Denver on Thursday Night, September 5. Should be a very exciting game, a rematch of last years AFC Divisional playoff game that had Baltimore winning, then a victory in the Super Bowl in early February.
Cincinnati @ Chicago could be an intense game, with the Bengals pretty much being dominant over the Bears at Soldier Field.
Atlanta @ New Orleans will be interesting with Payton being back on the sidelines for the Saints, and the Falcons starting what many predict as a Super Bowl run.
Green Bay @ San Francisco pits together two teams that met twice last year, with the Niners coming out on top each time. The tide has turned in Northern California and San Francisco is back to being dominant.
New York Giants @ Dallas. Always a good game, however the Cowboys have not defeated the Giants the last four times they've played at Jerry World. Maybe a new name to the stadium will help a little.
As has been the case the last several years, the NFL has two Monday Night games, Philadelphia @ Washington, which we will see how RGIII will do with his restructured knee against a quickly moving Philadelphia team with rookie head coach Chip Kelly. And Houston @ San Diego. History tells us San Diego will win, since they've never lost to Houston in the four times they've played each other. This is a different year and, as they say, history is made to be re-written. San Diego also has a rookie coach in Mike McCoy and Houston is trying to show that last years' dominance was not a fluke.
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