This isn't a full review ... because the game of the week is on Monday night in New Orleans.
Conventional wisdom says watch out for teams who close out the season on a roll. Well, we have five weeks left and three of the hottest teams reside in the AFC - Indianapolis, San Diego and Tennessee each has won five or more games in a row. The similarities end there.
The Colts are 11-0 and seemingly find a new way each week to come back and win. Their AFC South Division brethren, the Titans, have won five in a row ... after starting the season with six consecutive losses. The difference? Would you believe Vince Young, who is playing like the franchise quarterback he was projected to be when he was drafted four years ago.
How quickly things change. One season ago, it was Kerry Collins at the helm, replacing Young and leading the Titans to a 13-3 record. After Collins was unable to lead Tennessee to a victory through the end of October, the Titans made a change (strongly suggested by owner Bud Adams, by the way) after their bye week.
Meanwhile, out West the Chargers (8-3) have bolted to six consecutive victories to overtake the Denver Broncos - they of a 6-0 start - in the division. In the 50th anniversary season of the AFL, the Chargers are turning back the clock and scoring like an AFL team.
The NFC has just two teams on win streaks of four or longer, the 10-1 Vikings and the 10-0 Saints.
The coldest teams? In the NFC, the Bears - once considered an NFC North contender - have dropped four in a row, while the Browns (1-10) have dropped six consecutive in the AFC. Another team that has seen its fortunes go in reverse? Houston (5-6), which has lost three straight and now finds itself in a logjam two games out of the final AFC wild-card spot.
How wild is that?
I have a tough time remembering a season when all eight divisions might be decided before December, but that is what appears to be the case this season. Clearly the wild-card races will be the most competitive.
In the NFC, only the East - where the Cowboys have a one-game lead over the Eagles - is close at the moment. Minnesota has a three-game lead plus a tiebreaker over Green Bay in the North. The Saints have a five-game lead plus a tie-breaker on Atlanta in the South. And the Cardinals have a two-game lead over San Francisco in the West. The 49ers, however, could be in business if they keep winning because they face Arizona again and the Cardinals face the red-hot Vikings next week.
In the AFC, the Colts will clinch the South with one more victory. The Bengals swept their division and have a two-game lead plus all tiebreakers in the North. The Chargers are playing almost as well as anyone in the NFL and they hammered their closest pursuer - the Broncos - in Denver in Week 11. Win or lose Monday, the Patriots are in charge in the East, and a win Monday keeps their lead at three.
Top 5/Bottom 5 ... will appear after the Monday Night Game.
Sunday, November 29, 2009
Saturday, November 07, 2009
Week 9 Around the NFL
Do the owners' really know what they're doing?
This isn't what you think: I'm talking about picking quarterbacks. I'll leave the other stuff to someone else to determine.
You know by now the Cowboys' Jerry Jones (also the team's GM!) and the Redskins' Daniel Snyder are aggressive meddlers, and if you're a fan of either of those teams, you can thank the honchos for Tony Romo and Jason Campbell.
Now comes rumblings that the Glazers want to see first-round pick Josh Freeman start ... and so he will on Sunday vs. the Packers. Nothing against Freeman, who from all appearances is a physical marvel. But he's the team's third starter at the most important position in eight games. If the plan was to go with him, then why give Josh Johnson four games as starter? Or why sign Byron Leftwich and then banish him to the bench after three games? What's going on here?
Next up is Titans owner Bud Adams, who a few weeks back mentioned he'd like to see Vince Young start for the then 0-6 Titans after their bye week. Young's problems and personality quirks have been well-documented, but lo and behold Young played last week and the Titans got their first win of the season. Adams, the man who moved his franchise from Houston to Nashville (only to see the NFL place an expansion team in Houston, which now has a beautiful new stadium that Adams apparently couldn't get), must know something about QBs.
In the weeds
Take this to the bank. There will be some team in the middle of the pack right now that makes a move to not only earn a playoff spot and win at least one playoff game. A couple of AFC teams in that category can take big first steps in that direction in Week 9.
Some candidates:
Miami, which plays the Patriots. The Dolphins are 3-4, but have won three of their past four. All three wins came in the AFC East, including two vs. the New York Jets (4-4). A win at New England would position the Dolphins well to make a run at the AFC East. ...
Baltimore, which travels to Cincinnati. The Ravens (4-3) lost to the Bengals in the last minute of their Week 5 game at Baltimore. The next week, the Ravens missed a last-second field goal at the Metrodome that could have send Minnesota to its first loss. If Baltimore wins this game it will tie the Bengals for the AFC North lead. If Pittsburgh wins at Denver on Monday, there would be a three-way tie for first, and the Ravens and Steelers would have two meetings to come.
San Diego, which travels to New York to play the reeling Giants. The Bolts (4-3) are having a lot of problems on defense, due in large part to the season-ending injury to NT Jamal Williams and substandard play from their heralded group of linebackers. However, they're just two games behind the suddenly vulnerable Broncos, who could be 6-2 by the time Week 10 rolls around. Yes, Denver won at San Diego, but don't count the Chargers out just yet.
Top 5:
Bottom 5 (tough to limit it to five this season):
This isn't what you think: I'm talking about picking quarterbacks. I'll leave the other stuff to someone else to determine.
You know by now the Cowboys' Jerry Jones (also the team's GM!) and the Redskins' Daniel Snyder are aggressive meddlers, and if you're a fan of either of those teams, you can thank the honchos for Tony Romo and Jason Campbell.
Now comes rumblings that the Glazers want to see first-round pick Josh Freeman start ... and so he will on Sunday vs. the Packers. Nothing against Freeman, who from all appearances is a physical marvel. But he's the team's third starter at the most important position in eight games. If the plan was to go with him, then why give Josh Johnson four games as starter? Or why sign Byron Leftwich and then banish him to the bench after three games? What's going on here?
Next up is Titans owner Bud Adams, who a few weeks back mentioned he'd like to see Vince Young start for the then 0-6 Titans after their bye week. Young's problems and personality quirks have been well-documented, but lo and behold Young played last week and the Titans got their first win of the season. Adams, the man who moved his franchise from Houston to Nashville (only to see the NFL place an expansion team in Houston, which now has a beautiful new stadium that Adams apparently couldn't get), must know something about QBs.
In the weeds
Take this to the bank. There will be some team in the middle of the pack right now that makes a move to not only earn a playoff spot and win at least one playoff game. A couple of AFC teams in that category can take big first steps in that direction in Week 9.
Some candidates:
Miami, which plays the Patriots. The Dolphins are 3-4, but have won three of their past four. All three wins came in the AFC East, including two vs. the New York Jets (4-4). A win at New England would position the Dolphins well to make a run at the AFC East. ...
Baltimore, which travels to Cincinnati. The Ravens (4-3) lost to the Bengals in the last minute of their Week 5 game at Baltimore. The next week, the Ravens missed a last-second field goal at the Metrodome that could have send Minnesota to its first loss. If Baltimore wins this game it will tie the Bengals for the AFC North lead. If Pittsburgh wins at Denver on Monday, there would be a three-way tie for first, and the Ravens and Steelers would have two meetings to come.
San Diego, which travels to New York to play the reeling Giants. The Bolts (4-3) are having a lot of problems on defense, due in large part to the season-ending injury to NT Jamal Williams and substandard play from their heralded group of linebackers. However, they're just two games behind the suddenly vulnerable Broncos, who could be 6-2 by the time Week 10 rolls around. Yes, Denver won at San Diego, but don't count the Chargers out just yet.
Top 5:
- 1. New Orleans (7-0) - Trap game vs. somewhat resurgent Panthers on Sunday.
- 2. Minnesota (7-1) - Late bye week and a fairly easy schedule the rest of the way sets up the Vikings for a deep playoff run.
- 3. Indianapolis (7-0) - Injuries on defense are bound to catch up with them sooner than later, quite possibly vs. Houston this week.
- 4. Philadelphia (5-2) - Interesting game vs. Dallas this week. Eagles can establish themselves as the NFC East front-runner with consecutive victories over Giants and Cowboys.
- 5. New England (6-2) - Patriots show signs of dominance at times, and the late bye also helps them. Must beat Miami at home this weekend.
Bottom 5 (tough to limit it to five this season):
- 28. St. Louis (1-7) - The Rams get two weeks to enjoy their victory.
- 29. Oakland (2-6) - The Raiders appear to quit at times, yet they're capable of beating the Eagles? This team should have its own category.
- 30. Detroit (1-6) - You lose to the Rams at home, and you get a permanent 2009 spot in this category.
- 31. Cleveland (1-7) - Derek Anderson is playing as badly as any QB I've ever seen. Oh, and they don't have a GM for some reason now.
- 32. Tampa Bay (0-7) - As if things weren't bad enough, they're hauling out the Creamsicle uniforms this weekend.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)