AFC East 2012 Predictions

New England Patriots
The Patriots will win this division. I do not believe they will go on to win, or even necessarily play in, the Super Bowl this year. Their offense, full of Brady, Lloyd, Welker and Gronkowski will blow people out of the water. However, I’m concerned about the running game. The leading career rusher on the roster right now is Tom Brady. Who is not a running quarterback. The defense should be better, but not great. It ranked 31st last year—people tend to forget that. There haven’t been too many changes either. Just the additions of Dont’a Hightower (LB) and Steve Gregory (FS). Kyle Arrington is also around, but how much playing time he’ll see is up for debate. A soft schedule should be kind to this unit. Playoffs for sure.

Buffalo Bills
Ryan Fitspatrick needs to return to the form of his first half season last year. The talent around him needs to help him once again rise—they need to be coherent as a unit. However, if Fred Jackson can stay healthy, I believe they have a shot to do just that. I believe in the Bills. I just do, for some reason I can’t even really put into words. A revamped defense, including Mario Williams, should help take some pressure off the offense. Is Mario Williams the Reggie White of today? Can his arrival change the outlook of a whole franchise? He will certainly help them in the division, containing Sanchez, Tebow and Tannehill. It’s the third year in the system—look for the Bills as a whole to put together some more consistent performances.

New York Jets
Honestly, I wish I had the guts to put the Jets in the bottom of this division. I really do, but I won’t. The defense will keep them afloat, in a manner of speaking. Tebow and Sanchez cannot co-exist. That was the one move this off-season that made no sense to me (for the Broncos it did). Sanchez will play badly because he has no receivers and very little running game and then the whole of New York will cry Tebow. Ryan probably won’t cave, but it certainly won’t help Sanchez’s confidence. The defense remains the same, however, with the exceptions of Laron Landry (SS) and Yeremiah Bell (FS) in the secondary. The hope is that second year player Muhammad Wiklerson matures to put some pressure on the opposing QBs. This ship is sinking fast, however.

Miami Dolphins
Can Joe Philbin lead this team back to a place of prominence in a city where the Heat also reside? We’ll see. However, people forget that though he was in the background in Green Bay, the players loved him. And players that love their coach are more likely to put more effort into making him look good. Soft spoken doesn’t always mean poor leadership. Speaking of leadership, Ryan Tannehill must take control of this team. He must instill a sense of hope in the players around him. A revamped offensive line hopes to keep him upright and able to find targets such as Reggie Bush and Davone Bess. The defense is nothing to write home about, but is home to several noteable players, such as Cameron Wake and Karlos Dansby, who might surprise. People hate the term rebuilding year, but this is certainly one for Miami.

Tebow, Saints, Manning oh my!

So much has happened in the football world in the last few days that I've hardly have had time to catch my breath. But let's see if we can break this down.
Starting with the Saints. 
Punishment handed down by the NFL:

• Greg Williams suspended indefinitely. 
• Sean Payton suspended for a year. 
• Mickey Loomis (Saints GM) suspended for 8 games. 
• Joe Vitt (assistant Head Coach of the Saints) suspended for 6 games. 
• Fined $500,000.
• Lose second round picks for the next two years. 
• Players' punishments not released yet.

These punishments are deserved for the bounties. Let's start with Greg Williams. He was the mastermind of this, the instigator, and the source. Without him this probably wouldn't have happened, or would have at least stopped when the league warned them. He needed to rightfully bear the brunt of this and clearly will. He's probably feeling it right now, but even Jeff Fisher said the punishment was deserved. Williams is probably kicking himself for this, but it's not like no one saw this coming. Besides, his suspension doesn't affect the Saints currently -- he had left them at the end of the season regardless.
Sean Payton's suspension is a concern for the Saints. Not only does the team not have Drew Brees under contract, but these punishments won't help him come back. Sean Payton is the mastermind behind the whole team, the revival, the championship. He and Brees are on the same page and are one of the great head coach tandums in the league. This will hurt the Saints more than anything else, even the fine and the other suspensions. If I'm the Saints, I'm hating this right now and am concerned about next years' season.
Mickey Loomis and Joe Vitt are minor players in this. Though Loomis is high level management, which makes it a bigger deal, they are both still bit players. Their suspensions are to emphasize that no one in any way involved with this (as far as upper level management and coaches) will go unpunished. No one is immune.
The money and the draft picks would hurt more if the Saints were a franchise in a bad place, like Jacksonville or Carolina. But they should bounce back from those and continue to thrive. The Saints are a team much like New England was after spygate -- they are a good team at the core and have an identity and a strong fan base. What makes them different from the Spygate New England team is the fact that they will lose their head coach. We'll see if they can have a good year next year without Sean Payton. And if he comes back to the Saints after that.

Now, to Peyton. Manning that is. 
He signed with the Broncos, which I didn't think was the best choice (I was rooting for the 49ers), but I understand why he did it. A great young defense, John Elway over his shoulder and a team that made a playoff run with a bad (sorry) quarterback. There's a lot of hope in Denver and the coaching staff will give him plenty of room to be in charge of the offense. Their offense was structured around Tebow, though all that really amounts to is no structure at all. Peyton will bring that stability. As much as I hate to see him in orange, there are so many worse places he could have ended up. He'll hopefully do well in Denver and finally give that city what they haven't had since Elway. They deserve it and all the other teams in that division want to die. The Texans are jumping for joy. Tom Brady just wishes he could have gone out of the conference. Could you imagine a Peyton v. Brady Super Bowl?
Also, he didn't go to the Dolphins so he didn't have to play Brady twice a year. You can't tell me that wasn't part of it. Can you blame him?

Finally, to the ever continuing Tebow show. 
Listen. He's not a great quarterback. He's an icon. But as far as actually being a great quarterback, he's far from that. He could learn a lot sitting behind Manning. A lot. If I'm Tim Tebow, I don't necessarily want to be traded quite yet. This would be an invaluable experience for him. His trade value would be very high if he sat   behind Manning for a year.
Secondly, the Jets? Really? Really? You consented to go to the Jets? Though I'm pretty sure you had no choice in the matter. Mark Sanchez is about to run back off to California. He's tired of this. The last thing he wants is Tebow coming to his show. Not only do the fans already hate him, they would be shouting for Tebow right away. He's never had any real competition behind him, so this would be a change. Not sure he can handle the pressure, or that he wants it. So far he hasn't done a great job of performing under pressure.
But if you're Tebow, I can't see this being a good thing. The Jets are the biggest show in the NFL, and not in a good way. It's not the kind of atmosphere that you want to be around. After all that's been said about that locker room, it's hard to believe that Tebow would actively want to go there. However, rumor has it he picked them over the Jags, which I can understand. But he's not going to start -- he'll probably sit behind Sanchez. Why not just sit behind Peyton? It would be better, not worse, for him. Infinitely better. This trade makes little sense from either side to me -- unless the Jets think he can be a calming presence in their locker room. I could easily see the Jets dealing Tebow again.

Divisional Round 2011

So, here are the picks for this weekends playoff games.

Saints over 49ers. The spread is 3.5, in favor of the Saints and I would take the Saints.
Reasoning -- at the very least, the Saints will win by a touchdown. They say offense sells tickets and defense wins championships. That principle has had a lot of influence on the picks this week, because several of these match ups show a heavily offensive team with a heavily defensive one. Regardless, I think the Saints offense is too much for the 49ers defense in this case. Saints by a touchdown.

Patriots over Broncos. The spread is 13.5 in favor of the Patriots. I want to say Denver will beat the spread.
Reasoning -- Tim Tebow. If he can continue the upward trend, he has a chance to keep this game close. The defense will have to play better than they did in the last meeting. Remember, Denver owned the first quarter last time. They did fall apart, but they showed they have the potential. Don't be surprised if Denver wins this one -- the Patriots haven't won a playoff game since 2007.

SUNDAY GAMES
Ravens over Texans. The spread is 9, in favor of the Ravens. Take the Ravens. TJ Yates is going to have a long day.
Reasoning -- The Ravens are playing at home. They're strongest there. TJ Yates is a rookie quarterback, who has definitely impressed me, but he's still a rookie. He's got a lot of learning to do here, and it's not going to be pretty. With a week off, Baltimore is rested and prepared for this.

Giants over Packers. The spread is the Packers favored by 8. Take the Giants.
Reasoning -- Remember 2007. Please. This Giants team reminds me so much of that one. Yes, the Packers are an offensive powerhouse. But the Giants can bring the pressure like no one else in the NFC. I would not be surprised to see them win, as they almost did in week 13. So, I'm just going to go out on a limb and pick them. Sorry, Packers nation.

Week 16 wrap

Pleased to report that the WRAP is back! Week 16 tied up for your reading pleasure. 

Giants v. Jets (29-14)

This battle for New York was a lot closer than the score indicates. However, a few key mistakes by Mark Sanchez of the Jets killed them, putting the game completely out of range. These included a safety and an interception, as well as a fumble into the end zone – all of which were caplitzated on by the Giants. The Giants are fighting to keep their Coach in his job. This game showed that a team, even one which talks, needs to show up on game day to win, something the Giants know only too well from losses to the Seahawks and Redskins. And now Rex Ryan has thrown Sanchez under the bus. They say his players love him, but they won’t much longer if he keeps this up.

Chargers v. Lions (10-38)

Well, hello to you too, Detroit. You’ve finally clinched a playoff spot and are rocking into the last week of the regular season. This game was more about the Chargers than how Matt Stafford got snubbed for the Pro Bowl. The Chargers lost, throwing them out of the playoff race. Who are these Chargers? And will Norv Turner make it through the New Year? This team has consistently underperformed, but who is at fault for that? And now Drew Brees, Darren Sproles and Michael Turner (all former Chargers) have made a name for themselves ON OTHER TEAMS. Someone needs to right the ship here.

Broncos v. Bills (14-40)

Looks like Tim Tebow has been figured out by the AFC East. First the Patriots take them to town, then the Bills. I’d be worried about going into next week, Tebow fans, I mean Bronco fans. At the rate he’s turning the ball over, the Chiefs will have easy pickin’s this Sunday. Seriously, PICKS. Tebow needs to refocus and change his game – he’s now too predictable and the defense has fallen apart on him. Remember that Romeo Cranel comes from the same tree as Bellichik and that he’ll be watching the tape from the Bills and Patriots games. Sorry Tebow.

Dolphins v. Patriots (24-27)

If there had been anyone but Brady and the Hoodie on that sideline, the Dolphins would have won this game. Who are these Fins? They’ve really gotten it together in the second half of the season. Unfortunately, they couldn’t hold on to this game but the fact remains that they did play well. Considering they have nothing to play for, they’ve really put together a strong second half campaign. Yes, they will finish below .500. But good things have started to take hold in Miami.

Falcons v. Saints (16-45)

This game is notable for two reasons. The lesser one is that the Saints are NFC South champions. The bigger one is that Drew Brees finally broke Dan Marino’s single season passing record. I was heart broken when he didn’t achieve the feet in 2008, and honestly thought he’d never get another shot at it. But I am so glad he did, as is the whole city of New Orleans and his teammates. He’s a brilliant quarterback and a generally great guy. He is an example of the standard for NFL players. It has swung back from the loudmouths to the quiet, hardworking team players. And it’s a great change. 

Week 15 picks

Here are the week 15 picks! I'm sorry I didn't do a week 14 wrap -- I needed a bye week, so to speak. I had exams and such. But now I am fully rested for the playoffs! All you need to know about week 14 is two names -- TJ Yates and Tim Tebow. 

These are the picks for this week--I see Tebow magic overcome by the Hoodie and a few more teams fighting for their playoff spots. The clinching begins today. 

Bengals (7-6) v. Rams (2-11)

Pick: Bengals

Saints (10-3) v. Vikings (2-11)

Pick: Saints

Packers (13-0) v. Chiefs (5-8)

Pick: Packers

Seahawks (6-7) v. Bears (7-6)

Pick: Bears

Titans (7-6) v. Colts (0-13)

Pick: Titans

Redskins (4-9) v. Giants (7-6)

Pick: Giants

Panthers (4-9) v. Texans (10-3)

Pick: Texans

Dolphins (4-9) v. Bills (5-8)

Pick: Dolphins

Lions (8-5) v. Raiders (7-6)

Pick: Lions

Browns (4-9) v. Cardinals (6-7)

Pick: Cardinals

Jets (8-5) v. Eagles (5-8)

Pick: Eagles

Patriots (10-3) v. Broncos (8-5)

Pick: Patriots

Ravens (10-3) v. Chargers (6-7)

Pick: Ravens

Steelers (10-3) v. 49ers (10-3)

Pick: 49ers 

Week 12 Wrap

Here's the week 12 wrap! I was at the Ravens game, which was just as epic as advertised. I loved every second of it. What a great game to pick to go to. Oh, and they won. Speaking of winning, Tebow Time seems win everything. 'all he does is win... all he does is win' -- wasn't that a song somewhere? Tebow's theme song, as a matter of fact. Bills' fans, don't despair. Steelers' fans, panic? 

49ers v. Ravens (6-16)

The Baltimore Ravens have developed this incredible tendency of performing to the level of their competition. 3-3 against teams at .500 or below and 5-0 against teams with winning records. This baffles me. But they show in the big games. The 49ers are a good team. Except for the Packers, they would have the best record in the NFC. This game was about more than brother v. brother, though that was an important historical moment for the NFL and the Harbaughs. But it was about two good teams battling out on Thanksgiving Day. And the Ravens came out on top. Even without Ray Lewis.

Bills v. Jets (24-28)

The Bills may have fallen a little bit. But I have a feeling they are on the rise. This was a good game between the Bills and the Jets. The Bills played very well and fought until the end, losing on a last minute drive by the Jets. Their playoff hopes are on the fritz now, but if they win out they still have a shot. Don’t write them off yet—this game showed that when they play well, they can go with the best of them. The Jets have a mixed bag here. They should be proud of Sanchez, but worried about this defense. This is not really a Rex Ryan defense. Too many points given up, too many running yards given up. It’s is not fixed yet.

Broncos v. Chargers (16-13)

This game was almost a tie. Almost. Thirty seconds away from being one, one might say. However, besides the Chargers’ slide, we must once again talk about Tim Tebow. The Broncos at 5-1 with him leading the charge. Clearly all this kid does is win. I still have a feeling that it might be short lived. He still can’t throw as well as he should be able to and is still more of a single wing tail back than a true quarterback. But John Fox is known for developing young quarterbacks. We’ll see if he can be the one who fixes Tebow. Elway’s not sold yet, so no one else should be either. Someone please put the Chargers out of their misery. I wouldn’t be surprised if Norv Turner bit the dust at the end of this season, or before.

Panthers v. Colts (27-19)

This game was within the Colts’ reach, but once again they dropped the ball. Benching Painter will not solve this. These problems run so much deeper than a lack of quarterback. The defense is terrible, the pass rush in nonexistent and the whole thing has just gone completely to hell without Peyton. Yet I still hear trade rumors about Peyton Manning. That will never happen. They would have to be stupid. They need to draft Luck, and let him sit behind Peyton for a year or two or as many as it takes before he retired. They have a unique situation here, and they should take advantage of it to ensure that the Colts never seen another season like this.

Steelers v. Chiefs (13-9)

If the Chiefs hadn’t kicked field goals, but rather gotten touchdowns, they would have won this game. But their quarterback (what was his name again?) threw three interceptions and doomed them. But perhaps Chiefs fans can take solace from this. After all, with a real quarterback like Kyle Orton at the helm, there might be hope for this team. Steelers’ fans should be a little concerned. Where are the points this offense is capable of generating? They should have blown out the Chiefs, rather than taking the game down the wire. And if they lose Troy out of this, then they’re really in trouble. After all they have to keep up with those pesky Ravens, who own the tie break.

Week 10 Wrap

First off, a game pick for tonight's game. 

Game pick:

Jets (5-4) v. Broncos (4-5)

Pick: Broncos

Here are the biggest stories of week 10! We are proud to report that the single wing offense is now back in style, with everyone's favorite quarterback running it. The Dolphins got another win, but we're not talking about it because they beat the Redskins. The Chargers got completely thrown off by their fast start and now feel the need to make up for it. The Eagles are out of the playoffs. The Saints are back, capitalizing on their oppoents' mistakes. The only reason the 49ers are not the best team in the league is because the Packers are undefeated. Who'd have thought? 

Raiders v. Chargers (24-17)

What are these Chargers? They are skidding rapidly out of control. If they’re not careful, they will soon be out of the running entirely for the playoffs. One more loss and they may consider themselves done. They need to get it together. The Raiders, let by Carson Palmer, beat them? That shouldn’t be. I think it’s more that the Chargers beat themselves. They need to put more points on the board because their defense can’t hold a team to less than 17 points. They need to get out of this skid. But how, I couldn’t tell you. Oh here’s a thought—beat the teams you’re supposed to beat.

Cardinals v. Eagles (21-17)

The Eagles are done. Stick a fork in them, they’re done. It’s over for the dream team. These are big words, but I think after this, their sixth loss already of the season, it will be an unbelievable uphill climb. And I don’t think the Eagles are up to it. They have at least two more games (New England and New York Giants) that they have a very real chance of losing. And if they lose Vick, which it looks like they might, then it’s all over. Vince Young is not the answer. In fact, he’s the reason they’re in this ‘dream team’ hole. Sorry Philly. Try again next year.

Broncos v. Chiefs (17-10)

The single wing is back. And the Denver Broncos are running it, whether they know they are or not. It’s not a full traditional single week, but it is very similar. A strong, almost running back like, quarterback who gets the snap and can run, hand it off, or throw it. Tim Tebow had eight pass attempts and two completions. That’s it. And they won. Now, it was the Chiefs. But no one is prepared for this offense. It’s something that hasn’t been seen in the NFL. Vick was too much of a passer to be called a single wing tail back. But John Fox should dust off Pop Warner’s playbook, because it’s all the hope he had now.

Saints v. Falcons (26-23)

After the fluke at St. Louis, the Saints have been back on track. However, I would say that this game came down to two things—Mike Smith’s poor decision, brought on by his lack of faith in his defense to stop Drew Brees and the Atlanta Falcons’ offensive line’s inability to block anyone. A yard was all they needed. Couldn’t even come close to getting it. But New Orleans took the ball and won with a kicker who they called at back to school night to come kick for them. Imagine that.

Giants v. 49ers (20-27)

Who would have guessed that this would be a high powered, exciting match up? Oh and meaningful! But it lived up to expectations. Jim Harbaugh is becoming a daring coach, much like a Sean Payton. He’s shown faith in Alex Smith that no one has given him in a long time, probably since he was drafted. Harbaurgh seems to have figure out what got the last few 49ers coaches was what to do with him, how to get him to perform. With no off season and all! Alex Smith, you should give your Coach a big hug and an expensive watch—he just saved your career. 

Week 9 Wrap-up

Everything you needed to know about Week 9, all written out for your reading pleasure. If you read nothing else of this post, please read the bit about the Ravens Steelers game at the end. I've tried to let it go, but I'm tired of hearing it. Joe Flacco and the Ravens have earned some respect, and it's time to give it to them. 

Dolphins v. Chiefs (31-3)

The Dolphins finally won a game. I’m not going to brag too much about how I picked them to win this game, but there it is. At any rate, they finally won. Though it’s been coming for a while (many of their games have been close theses last few weeks, I don’t know how much positives can be taken from it. Yes, they beat the Chiefs, who have resurged and are fighting. However, I still don’t believe the chiefs are a true contender, so that’s that. Tony Sparano can’t breathe a sigh of relief yet. He’s got one monkey off his back, but he needs to prove this wasn’t a one-time deal. For now though, congratulations Miami, you earned it.

Broncos v. Raiders (38-24)

Tim Tebow, where do you come from? One week you stink so badly everyone is calling for your head, the next week you’re off the charts. Make up your mind. This kind of inconsistency can really hurt a team. However, there is the issue of who they were playing. The Lions and the Raiders are not the same two teams. The Lions are a power team, poised to make a run at the playoffs. The Raiders are also an inconsistent team with a struggling quarterback. All that being said, Tebow did play well. The debate isn’t over yet, and won’t be until the end of the season. Even then, it probably won’t be. Get ready for the rollercoaster Denver.

Giants v. Patriots (24-20)

A rematch of Super Bowl XLII, the Patriots have been itching for this game since. However, they once again let the Giants get them on the last drive. The Giants, after that strange loss to the Seahawks, have been playing quite well. They’ve got a tough schedule coming up, but it appears as if they are up to the task. Expect the Giants to come out swinging for the last remainder of the season and possibly win the NFC East. Is it finally time to take the Patriots off their pedestal as the best team in the AFC? Yes, it is. For the last few years the Patriots have been on the downslide, since that home playoff loss to the Ravens. Not in the regular season, but for sure in the playoffs. And now it seems to be occurring in the regular season as well. With the Bills and Jets coming up in the division behind them, New England needs to act fast to save their playoff hopes.

Packers v. Chargers (45-38)

The Packers are the only undefeated team left at the halfway point of the season. People are crowning them the Super Bowl champs again. But after seeing this game, I’m not quite ready to go that far. Where was the defense? The hallowed defense that kept them in and won them so many games last year. Where are they? Sure they created turnovers against the Chargers, but they let them come back and have a true chance to win. Fix it, Green Bay and maybe you can fulfill the dream of another perfect season. I’m still trying to create that bandwagon…but we’ll see how long it lasts. Be glad Aaron Rodgers can put up 50 points by himself.

Ravens v. Steelers  (23-20)

I’m going to go all over this one because it’s a big deal. A really big deal. Ravens Steelers, possibly the best rivalry of the NFL today. This game did not disappoint. It had everything –a close score, a last second drive and good defense. But this time, the RAVENS came out on top. Not the Steelers. It was Joe Flacco who led the last minute drive to win the game, threw the perfect pass and kept it all together. It is time for people, especially the Steelers players, to lay off Joe Flacco. I’m so tired of hearing that he’s a mediocre QB and that he can never win a Super Bowl. Newsflash, Pittsburgh players, he just beat you. Twice. AGAIN. Stop saying that he’s not good enough. Clearly, he is. Every QB has bad games and moments where things just don’t click. You trying to tell me Ben Roethlisberger hasn’t had those games? I know he has, because at least one came against the Ravens at the beginning of the season. Every QB, even the great ones, have games where things don’t work out. Where they look bad. But Joe Flacco has led his team to the playoffs in each of his first three seasons. Not too shabby. I know he hasn’t won a Super Bowl yet, but it took Peyton Manning, possibly the greatest QB of all time, if not certainly of our age, almost ten seasons to win a Super Bowl. Oh, and he lost one. Does that make him not an elite QB? Of course not. Long story short, lay off Flacco and start giving the Ravens the respect they’ve earned. 

Week 8 Wrap-up

Here are my week 8 wraps! Enjoy them --- and comment, if you so desire. Let the Tebow debate begin... or not. 

Vikings v. Panthers (24-21)

This was actually a good game. Despite the records of both teams, the game was close and well played. Both rookie quarterbacks played pretty well – Ponder and Newton continued to impress. However, I’m not sold on either. Ponder has time to convince me he is the answer, because he’s only played two games and won one of them. Newton, on the other hand, has played all of the games for his team and has only won two of them. He has put up flashy numbers, but if they don’t translate into wins, what does it matter in the long run? Look out for Ponder to continue to improve. Newton needs a little bit more of a running game and a defense before those flashy numbers can turn into wins.

Saints v. Rams (21-31)

What just happened? In all seriousness, what just happened? I have no idea what went down here. The Saints laid down for the Rams. Or were on such a high from last week’s utter beat down of the Colts. I have no idea what happened. The Saints need to take a long look at this tape and figure out how to avoid this in the future. First the Seahawks last year in the playoffs and now this. Good job, Rams. Save Spagnolo please!!

Lions v. Broncos (45-10)

The Lions are BACK. YAY. They got their swag back and are back on track. Stafford and the defense played well. However, there is  much to be said on the subject on Tim Tebow. The best Tebow related thing that happened was when one of the Lions’ defensive lineman ‘Tebowed’ on Tebow. I am not sold on Tebow. Really. Not at all. He’s a great human being, but that doesn’t mean he can play football. He looked great last week but now is questionable. He played terribly. Really badly. All of his problems came out in this one game – not going through his progressions, long delivery and poor accuracy. Welcome to Tebow time, Denver.

Patriots v. Steelers (17-25)

The Steelers are playing the best ball of their season right now. They’ve looked pretty good in all the recent games. Beat the Patriots is always an impressive feat. They’ve gotten their swag back and are ready to put up a fight against Baltimore. What was most impressive about this game, besides Ben’s accuracy, was the fact that they gave Tom Brady the ball with time left and stopped him. Not only stopped him, but scored points. However, this all being said, the Patriots mismanaged the clock when they had the ball down at the goal line in the 4^th. If they hadn’t done that, the outcome of this game might have been different.

Chargers v. Chiefs (20-23)

This was a good game. Newsflash – who are these Chiefs? They’ve won four in a row and are showing no signs of slowing down. They prevented the Chargers from getting in the end zone. That being said, the Chargers also didn’t capitalize on the chances they had. They let this one go away, but equal amount of credit should go to the Chiefs defense. These Chiefs have gotten their act together and really surprised me. I must admit I was ready to stick a fork in them so to speak when they were 0-3. Nice job, Haley and Cassel.

Cowboys v. Eagles (7-34)

The Eagles are back on track. Sorry Dallas, you ran right into the ACTUAL Eagles, rather than the turnover prone imitation that existed for the first few weeks. 

Week 7 Wrap-up

Sorry this is so late guys -- I just have had a lot of work recently and school does come first. But here's week 7, summarized for your enjoyment. From Tebow Magic, to London and back for Christian Ponder. 

Broncos v. Dolphins (18-15)

The Dolphins are on the hot seat. They’ve been losing games dating back to last season. And after this game the only thing I could think about them was that they’re finding new ways to lose games. Get it together Miami. Alright, to the topic everyone wants to hear about – Tim Tebow. Folks, let’s be honest here for the first 55 minutes of this game, he was horrible. Horrendous. No points scored, no offense. The Dolphins were winning, for Pete’s sake! But then during those last five minutes, he turned on the Tebow Magic. However, it was a little close for comfort. Before I see Tebow as the answer, I need to him to perform ‘Tebow Magic’ for a whole game against a team that hasn’t lost, what, it’s last ten games?

Chargers v. Jets  (21-27)

The Chargers were running away with this game and gave it back. After all the talk, they needed to come out and win it. The Chargers are rolling, but they really haven’t faced anyone really good yet and have the Raiders suddenly creeping up their backs. It worries me that the Chargers let the already down Jets jump back up into the fray. This is just a little too close to the Chargers teams of the past, who choke. Don’t be that team, San Diego. Push on. Also, could this be the spark that the Jets need to really get going? I hope not.

Bears v. Buccaneers (24-18)

I’m not actually that interested in what happened in this game –this game is only significant because it was played in London. The NFL insists on having a game in London every year. I have mixed feelings about this. I think it’s good for the game and a novelty, and quite honestly would love to attend one of these games. But if you look in the crowd you see a jersey from every team. Are these just displaced Americans, or are Londoners actually interested in this sport? Tough to tell. Rumors of a team in London are coming out--- that’s the stupidest thing I’ve ever heard. Don’t do it NFL; our type of football may be a novelty over there, but it will never replace, or even compete with their futbol.

Packers v. Vikings (33-27)

This was one of the closest games the Packers have played all season. Though I never really doubted they would win, it is impressive how the Vikings stuck with them through most of the game, only really letting it get away in the second half. Though the Packers were bound to overpower the Vikings, the real story here is how rookie QB Christian Ponder performed. It wasn’t bad, especially considering that he played the defending champs in his first start out of the gate. People shouted during the draft that he was taken too high – but he played okay. Better than okay, really. It’s too early to tell, but I have a hunch that this Ponder kid might have been picked in the right spot.

Colts v. Saints (7-62)

Holy Bleep! The Saints opened up a whole can of Brees-just-beat-you-down on the Colts. Indy has been playing games close this season, but this was just an embarrassment on national television. It also put an end to the Colts’ streak of 10 win season. And probably the playoffs too. Not probably, actually. The Saints looked incredibly ready for what some might have called a ‘trap-game’ and impressed. They also took back the division lead from the Buccs, who lost. The bottom line is the Colts are the worst team in the league.

Ravens v. Jaguars (7-12)

There are no words, really.