Another Week Of NFL Action In The Books, Another Week Of Things To Learn From All The Action That Was Week 7
Chicago Bears 10 @ Green Bay Packers 26
Time to start trading pieces and working toward the future- The Bears have movable parts that apparently aren’t working very well together, but might work out somewhere else. With this season all but over, why not see what you can get for pieces that won’t be a part of the future?
Being one dimensional isn’t going to work every week- The lack of a running game was real. Knile Davis wasn’t up to speed, but he better learn the playbook and fast because if they were playing someone other than the Bears this could have turned out ugly.
New York Giants 17 @ Los Angeles Rams 10
The Giants investment in defense is starting to pay off- The Giants defense stepped up big in London. They had four interceptions and forced two fumbles, and although they didn’t recover the fumbles, the defense did their job. Now if Eli could find his lost game….
The Rams are officially pretenders- After looking like a surprise team in 2016, the Rams have been brought back to reality. The same issue that has plagued them all season is the quarterback issue. how bad must Jared Goff look in practice that Jeff Fisher just refuses to start him?
Cleveland Browns 17 @ Cincinnati Bengals 31
The Browns only chance of winning is with Cody Kessler- Seriously Kevin Hogan now? The Browns revolving carousel of quarterbacks continued Sunday when Kessler went down with a concussion. If it proved one thing, Kessler is the only shot the Browns have at a victory, and they need him on the field to see if he can prevent the Browns from drafting another ‘quarterback of the future’.
If they can get anywhere near this type of running game, the defensive deficiencies can be ignored- Wow, this was very unexpected. Sure they have two backs with tremendous skill, but over 250 yards on the ground is impressive. So impressive it kind of makes you forget for a week that the Bengals defense just isn’t what it used to be. They need to ride the rushing attack if they want to catch the Ben Roethlisberger-less Steelers in the NFC North.
Washington Redskins 17 @ Detroit Lions 20
Without Josh Norman the pass defense was taken advantage of- Going to keep this one short and sweet. With Josh Norman defense gave up three points (3rd quarter).Without Josh Norman 17 points including giving up the game winning touchdown drive with under a minute left.
The Lions just refuse to quit- Most people counted them out when Calvin Johnson retired. No one seen them as having a winning record. They looked like they were heading for a loss after allowing Kirk Cousins score with just over four minutes left. That wasn’t the case as Matthew Stafford rallied the troops and brought the Lions back. 4-3 Lions who would of thought?
Oakland Raiders 33 @ Jacksonville Jaguars 16
The Raiders punter could have a secondary career as a running back- Jacksonville had just scored when their defense forced a 4th and 24 with just around four minutes left. The momentum seemed to be flowing towards Jacksonville’s sideline. The ball was snapped and the ball skipped across the ground before finding it’s way to Marquette King who felt he couldn’t get the punt off. He then took off with amazing speed and picked up the first down burying the Jags chances. Maybe the Packers should give them a call….
It’s time for a coaching overhaul in Jacksonville- 13 penalties, two ejections, and multiple players flapping their gums to the press, including rookies. This coaching regime has zero control over this team and doesn’t call that right plays to get the most out of their talent. To put it mildly they have worn out their welcome and it’s time for a change.
New Orleans Saints 21 @ Kansas City Chiefs 27
Drew Brees is one hell of a quarterback- Yeah it wasn’t this week that taught us this lesson, but this week is a healthy reminder. In this game, Brees broke the 300 yard mark for the 100th time in his career. Too bad the defense of that team is so bad because the offense with Brees is special.
The days of Jamaal Charles in Kansas City appear to be over- Jamaal Charles has been healthy for two weeks now, and he only gets one carry in this game? Looks like the Chiefs are moving on. There is such a thing as easing a player back into the mix, but this seems0 like they are moving on.
Buffalo Bills 25 @ Miami Dolphins 28
The Bills aren’t terrible, but the run defense sure is- Sure Ajayi is out of his mind right now, but giving up 256 yards on the ground is unacceptable. Rex Ryan must have trouble sleeping at night knowing that his rushing defense ranks 27th in the league.
Jay Ajayi joins an impressive list- After coming out of nearly nowhere to light the NFL on fire, Ajayi has joined a pretty impressive list. Ajayi rushed for over 200 yards in his second straight game, joining O.J. Simpson, Earl Campbell and Ricky Williams as the only players to do so. Not a bad list to be on.
Baltimore Ravens 16 @ New York Jets 24
It’s time for the Ravens to see what they have in Kenneth Dixion- Not that Terrance West has been bad, but the 11 yards on the ground in this game speaks volumes about how change is needed. The Ravens have lost four straight, so where is the harm in looking for a spark. Look what the two rookies have done in Dallas for them….
The Jets defense finally woke up in week 7- Overshadowed by the quarterback poor play and controversy has been the disappearance of the Jets defense. This week the Jets found themselves down 10-0 after the Ravens recovered a botched snap on a punt in the end zone. After that they got two picks off Joe Flacco and gave up two field goals. Where has this been all season?
Minnesota Vikings 10 @ Philadelphia Eagles 21
Sam Bradford looked like a liability more than an asset in this game- Bradford has been solid for the Vikings until this week. Bradford threw one interception and put the ball on the ground four times resulting in three turnovers. Bradford has to do a better job of holding on to the ball. He doesn’t have to do a whole lot for the Vikings to be successful, but holding on to the ball has to be one of them. This needs to improve immediately to avoid buyer’s remorse.
Carson Wentz might be outliving his hype- After being the toast of the town for the first few weeks of the season, Wentz has been less than stellar. In the three games since the bye week, Wentz has thrown for only 555 yards, three touchdowns and three interceptions. Not saying the guy is a bust, but eyebrows are beginning to raise.
Indianapolis Colts 34 @ Tennessee Titans 26
Andrew Luck just doesn’t lose to the Titans- The perfect remedy for reversing the Colts fortunes is the Tennessee Titans as long as Andrew Luck is behind center. Since joining the league, Luck has yet to lose to the Titans sporting a perfect 8-0 record against them. It may have taken a late touchdown pass to do so, but Luck got the job done to keep the Colts close in the AFC South.
San Diego Chargers 33 @ Atlanta Falcons 30 (OT)
After breaking the curse, the roles have been reversed- After finding seemingly impossible ways to lose in the beginning of the season, the Chargers held of the Colts last week and had an amazing comeback win over the Falcons this week. Even missing some of their top offensive producers because of season ending injuries, the league is on notice, this team is the real deal.
This isn’t Madden, you punt the football- In the world of video game football, a yard is a given, in the NFL, not so much. This is overtime where one score will end the game. On 4th and 1 in OT, Dan Quinn decided to go for it from their own 45. This proved to be a vital mistake as the Falcons would fail to convert, and give the Chargers the ball with great field position. They proceed to kick the game winning field goal. No nice way to put it, simply a dumb decision.
Tampa Bay Buccaneers 34 @ San Francisco 49ers 17
The Buccaneers played the most complete three quarters in their season- After a first quarter that found the Bucs down 14 and making fans say ‘here we go again’ a different Buccaneer team finished out the game. The defense looked good and forced turnovers. The ground game worked in full effect, and Jamesis Winston made plays and looked sharp. If this Buccaneers team shows up week after week, they will be competing for a division title.
With the first pick in the 2017 NFL draft, the San Francisco 49ers select….- Yes, the Browns are 0-7, but the 49ers are playing like the worst team in the league. Their defense allows team to move the ball at will, and their passing attack is an unfunny joke. The 49ers have a lot of holes to fill before they become relevant again.
New England Patriots 27 @ Pittsburgh Steelers 16
The Patriots are the best team in the league right now- Yes, it’s true. They have taken over the top spot from the Vikings. They have a ground game. They have a decent defense, and oh yeah, they have Tom Brady and Bill Belichick.
Antonio Brown silenced the critics- There were people who actually believed Antonio Brown was only the best receiver in the league because of Ben Roethlisberger. Well he proved that he could do it without Big Ben against a good defense with a seven reception 106 yard performance. Antonio Brown is the best receiver in the league. No buts and no asterisks.
Seattle Seahawks 6 @ Arizona Cardinals 6 (OT)
Russell Wilson needs to stick to the football game, not the rules committee- Following the 6-6 tie on Sunday night with the Cardinals, Wilson suggested ties have no place in football and something should be done about it. His suggestion? Flip a coin, and the team that wins the coin toss kicks attempts a long field goal. Make it they win, miss it they lose. How about just making a 29 yard field goal before the clock expires in OT Russell?
Cardinals dominated in every category except for the score- The Seahawks defense is good, yet Palmer threw for 342 yards, David Johnson rushed for 113 yards, and somehow the Cardinals only wind up with six points. As they say on Saturday Night Live, “What up with dat?”
Houston Texans 9 @ Denver Broncos 27
The Texans set the stage on how to waste 72 million dollars- Some may think this lesson is not one that is learned yet, but it’s true. This is what happens when you sign a player you’ve never even met to a massive deal. Not only has Brock stunk it up so far this season, he has all but caused us to forget about a player who was one of the best in the league last season, DeAndre Hopkins. At least have a sit down with the guy before spending that type of money….
The Broncos offense needs the running game to be successful- After multiple weeks in a row with poor showings on the offensive side of the ball, it doesn’t matter if your QB is ineffective as long as he doesn’t turn the ball over and your running game puts up 180 yards on the ground.
