Pittsburgh Steelers 30, Houston Texans 23 - When I tuned into this game, the Texans were winning 13-0, and seemed to own all of the momentum. But that changed in a hurry, as Pittsburgh scored 24 quick points, turning what seemed like a large deficit for halftime into a nice lead, with momentum, by halftime. The Steelers wore down the Texans from there, handing Houston their third loss in a row.
New England Patriots 27, New York Jets - This is how bad the season is getting for the Jets: I know a fan who spoke about that near miss against the Patriots, and said that this was almost like a win for the Jets. When you are so bad, that a close, heartbreaking loss in the final minute of the game feels like a win, you know the season is a disaster. With a six game losing streak right now, the Jets probably could not be doing much worse, with their only win a narrow decision at home on opening day against the NFL's only remaining winless team. They play Buffalo next, then go to KC, and then host the Steelers after that, before getting their bye week. This could get much uglier before too long!
Buffalo Bills 17, Minnesota Vikings 16 - The battle of the two 0-4 teams in Super Bowl history. Both teams are struggling to try and reverse years of losing and low expectations. But the Bills are doing a much better job of this so far this season than the Vikings are. This was a tough win for Buffalo, but at least it was a win. If they get another win like this coming up this weekend at the Jets, they can raise their record to 5-3. This should have been a lost, but Kyle Orton threw a heroic last second touchdown in the final seconds of the game to win.
Miami Dolphins 27, Chicago Bears 14 - I do not know what it is, but some teams seem to have the number of other teams. Such is the case with the Miami Dolphins and the Chicago Bears. Remember it was Miami that handed the legendary 1985 Bears their only loss on that epic Monday Night Football showdown, and 1-6 Miami that went up to Soldier Field and handed the 2006 Bears their first defeat after an undefeated 7-0 start. The Bears only made two Super Bowl appearances, and those two seasons, they lost to Miami each time. So, maybe this defeat by the Dolphins bodes well for them, although I doubt it. This loss did not snap an undefeated start but, rather, added to a growing pile of losses for the Bears. It was another game where it felt like a winnable game got away from Chicago.
Detroit Lions 24, New Orleans Saints 23 - This is the kind of game that would have eluded the Lions in recent seasons. Perhaps it is a sign of their increased toughness that they managed to win this contest. For that matter, perhaps it is an indicator that this season is beginning to slip away from the New Orleans Saints, who just look terrible on the road! In fairness, the Saints should have won, owning a 13-point lead with less than four minutes left in the game. But, they managed to lose, and that is just the way this season is going for a team that seemed very promising, but has delivered mostly disappointment so far. As for the 5-2 Detroit Lions, what an impressive comeback win!
Green Bay Packers 38, Carolina Panthers 17 - The Packers are really starting to find their groove this season, with a lopsided win that was not even as close as the score would indicate. Green Bay stormed out with a purpose, and scored three touchdowns in the first quarter, en route to a 28-3 halftime lead. It was 38-3 entering the fourth quarter before Carolina scored a pair of essentially meaningless touchdowns. Carolina got off to an impressive 2-0 start, but they have gone 1-3-1 since. The Packers got off to disappointing 1-2 start, but are looking awesome now, riding a four-game winning streak. Talk about two teams heading in opposite directions!
Indianapolis Colts 27, Cincinnati Bengals 0 - Talk about two teams heading in opposite directions! Just a few weeks ago, the Bengals were a team that had qualified for the last two playoffs, were the defending division champs, and sported an impressive 3-0 record. Now, they have gone winless in the last three games, getting shut out at Indy, a team not known for their defense. As for the Colts, they had two near misses, and some people worried, as they got off to an 0-2 start. But man, have they ever recovered nicely! This was their fifth straight win, and they are easily one of the hottest teams in the league right now!
St Louis Rams 28, Seattle Seahawks 26 - What on earth is going on with the Seattle Seahawks? I guess they are feeling the pressure of being the defending champs, because they have not been playing well at all! On the heels of a tough loss, they played a poor game when they needed to beat a weaker opponent. Yes, I know that there was a controversial call that may have helped to decide the game for the other team. But the Seahawks are good enough to take care of a 1-4 team, especially since they should have entered this game sober following a disappointing loss. Welcome surprise for the Rams, however!
Washington 19, Tennessee Titans 17 - A game between two teams that could have shown a lot more than they have thus far this season. Washington seems to be an up and down team (okay, mostly down), and the Titans, after a teaser in week one, seem to be one of the league's big, regular losers. They lost again Sunday in a back and forth game. Somebody had to win this game, right?
Jacksonville Jaguars 24, Cleveland Browns 6 - This is the reason it is dangerous to begin to believe in the Browns. They get hot, even red-hot, at times, and you begin to believe that this just might be their year to finally reverse years of losing. And then, they come up with a total flop. Handing the Jaguars not only their first win of the season, but a lopsided victory at that, is just unacceptable for a team that seemed to have a lot of momentum, and is aiming for the playoffs! They are not so good that they can overlook any opponents. Bad loss for them, solid win for the Jaguars, who now leave the winless Raiders as the only winless team left in the NFL.
Baltimore Ravens 29, Atlanta Falcons 7 - Weren't the Falcons supposed to be a lot tougher this season? Why can't they win a road game? Then again, Baltimore is a tough place to play. The Ravens have the toughest defense in the league so far, and their offense ranks among the highest in the league, as well. Plus, they appear to have taken control of the AFC North, although that will be clearer if they manage to beat the Bengals in Cincinnati this coming weekend. But a solid, sold win for the red-hot Ravens!
Kansas City Chiefs 23, San Diego Chargers 20 -I did not see this one coming! The Chargers were looking like world beaters, while Kansas City was just trying to recover from a poor start. This, too, was a back and forth game, but the Chiefs outlasted the Chargers towards the end. Have to say, Andy Reid is one hell of a football coach!
Dallas Cowboys 31, NY Giants 21 - The Giants had some momentum there for a while in the first half! But the Cowboys have been finding a way to get it done this season, and they managed to do that yet again, getting a huge divisional win, handing the G-Men their second straight loss. In the process, the Cowboys have earned for themselves the distinction of the best record in the National Football league right now, at 6-1!
Arizona Cardinals 24, Oakland Raiders 13 - This is the way that the better teams beat the lesser teams when they are not playing at their best. The Cardinals defense looked tough, and the offense found ways to score when they absolutely needed it, to keep Oakland winless. In the meantime, the Cardinals at 5-1 own a 1 1/2 game lead over the second place Niners!
Denver Broncos 42, San Francisco 49ers 17 - This was a game that seemed reminiscent of the Denver Broncos being crushed by the Seahawks in the Super Bowl. A huge, much anticipated, nationally televised game between two elite teams, and only one of them showed up! Peyton Manning's big night, as he set the all-time touchdown record, surpassing Brett Favre. Denver's defense roughed up Kaepernick, and they are looking like possibly not only the best team in the AFC right now, but perhaps even the entire NFL!
No comments:
Post a Comment