🏈🏈🏈🏈
London Game: Jacksonville 23, Miami 20 – The Jaguars ended the longest losing streak in NFL history dating back to the late seventies with a win across the pond in London, although it took literally until the final play of the game to secure that win. Both teams now fly back home with identical 1-5 records. But for Trevor Lawrence and the Jaguars, this has got to feel good, nonetheless, as they get their monkey of their back and finally snap a historic losing streak that stretched back to Week 2 of last season. It was 20 straight losses, the third longest losing streak in NFL history, and the longest losing streak in the history of the franchise. But all of that is over now. Ironically, the Dolphins held the advantage in most categories, hanging onto the ball slightly longer, and picking up a couple of more first downs (23 to 21). They also outgained the Jaguars, 431 yards to 396, But the Jaguars managed to keep it close, which game them the opportunity to pull even with a field goal late in the fourth quarter and then, before regulation ended, to get another field goal as time expired to earn their first win of the season. For Miami, they now are tied with the Texans for longest active losing streak in the AFC, which of course is not a desirable place for them to be. My pick: Inaccurate
LA Rams 38, NY Giants 11 – No losses are necessarily beautiful when you have a favorite team, but this one was particularly ugly for Giants fans like me. The team entered this game 1-4, and were coming off a divisional blowout loss where it felt that injuries were rampant. They were playing this game at home, yet this one was pretty much over before halftime, by which time the Rams already owned a 28-3 lead. The G-Men, who have had their issues on offense all season, were particularly ineffective in this game. The defense was not much better, for that matter. Granted, the Rams are one of the seeming elites in the league, but still, this was a depressing display on the part of Big Blue. When you look the way that the Giants looked today, and you are 1-5, it’s pretty much time to admit this season is already looking like a lost one. I don’t want to say that they should start thinking about the first pick in the draft after only six games, but this season appears like it will be a historically bad one for the Giants, and for NFL football in the New York metropolitan area more generally. Pathetic and forgettable game. As for the Rams, they improve to 5-1 on the season. My pick: Accurate
Cincinnati 34, Detroit 11 – Like the Giants, the Lions suffered an ugly, blowout home loss on Sunday. Admittedly, I had assumed that the Lions would prove much tougher than this. They had come so close to winning games this season, that it felt almost like a certainty that they would notch their first win before the Jaguars would. But while Jax earned that first win over in the United Kingdom, the Lions were pounded right in front of their home fans. The Bengals improve to 4-2 on the year with this win, while the winless Lions fall to 0-6, a bad start from which no team has ever recovered to qualify for the playoffs. Another lost season for Detroit, and there is still more than a month to go before they host a Thanksgiving game. My pick: Inaccurate
Green Bay 24, Chicago 14 – The Packers have seemed to own the Bears ever since the Brett Favre era began, and now, right through the Aaron Rodgers era. Now yes, those are two of the most elite quarterbacks in NFL, and not just Packer, history. Still, you would figure that the Bears would be a bit more competitive and win a few more big showdowns in this rivalry since Green Bay dominance began somewhere in the early to mid-nineties. The Bears got off to a very good start, scoring a touchdown in the first quarter. However, they scored one more time for the duration of the game, while the Packers enjoyed a 24-7 advantage after the early touchdown deficit. The Packers won the time of possession battle, gained almost 50 more yards than the Bears, and committed no turnovers, while Chicago had one. Most importantly, they scored when they absolutely had to, including late in the fourth quarter to clinch the win. The Packers stay hot with their fifth straight win, improving to 5-1 on the year, while the Bears fall to 3-3. Green Bay holds a two game lead over both Chicago and Minnesota, so they sure appear to be in good shape at the moment. My pick: Accurate
Arizona 37, Cleveland 14 – This had to be a dispiriting loss for the Browns, who looked incredible at 3-1 just a little over one week ago, but who now have dropped their second straight game to fall to a disappointing 3-3 mark. True, the Cardinals sure appear to be an elite team this season, at least to this point. This was a huge win for Arizona, who remain unbeaten and improve to 6-0 on the year. And they did it in blowout fashion, which is quite surprising. That they win is one thing. But that they did it so convincingly, and in Cleveland, no loss, is really an encouraging sign for them, but equally discouraging for the recently high-flying Browns. Cleveland, for their part, should get a chance to recover when Denver comes to town next weekend. But they had better get thing straightened out in a hurry, because they keep falling farther and farther behind both the Bengals and the Ravens in the division. My pick: Inaccurate
Dallas 35, New England 29 (OT) – Anyone with any objectivity, regardless of how they feel about Big D, would have to admit at this point that the Cowboys are looking like one of the elite teams in the league thus far. True, it is still relatively early in the season, but the Cowboys just got edged out in Tampa, against the defending champions, to start the season, and have since pulled together five straight wins. Some have been convincing, but they keep showing that they can win, even when the game proves tough and the environment is hostile, as it was on this day. They had a potentially rough one today up in New England against Belichick and the Pats, and they survived, even if it took overtime for them to do so. Dallas improve to 5-1 on the season, while New England falls to 2-4. My pick: Accurate
Kansas City 31, Washington 13 – The Chiefs struggled a bit in the first half of this game, but then really turned it on in the second half, pulling away with an avalanche of offensive might. KC piled together 499 yards and 29 first downs, overcoming three turnovers to win. They scored three touchdowns in the first half, and the defense shut Washington out in the second half to make the 21-0 run stand up. Patrick Mahomes did not have his greatest day ever, completing 32 of 47 passes, including two INT’s. However, he did throw for 397 yards and two touchdowns, which really helped the Chiefs. Darrel Williams added 62 yards and two touchdowns on the ground on 21 carries, helping KC achieve some balance on offense. With the win, the Chiefs improve to 3-3, and for the first time since week 2, they are no longer in sole possession of last place in the AFC West, as they are now tied with Denver, who dropped their third straight game. Not sure that they will recover enough to overtake everyone else, but they sure seem on their way to the beginning of a strong recovery. As for Washington, this loss drops them to 2-4 on the year, which is tied with Philadelphia for second in the NFC East, although both teams are falling behind the red hot Dallas Cowboys, who improved to 5-1 and appear to have the division just about locked up already as mid-season approaches, unless something radically changes. My pick: Accurate
Indianapolis 31, Houston 3 – The Colts have had a rough start to their season. Perhaps that is why they needed a real statement kind of win like this one. What is strange is that Houston and Indy were more or less even in most statistical categories, although there were a couple of glaring exceptions. One was turnovers, where the Texans committed three turnovers, to none for the Colts. The other, of course, had everything to do with converting opportunities and scoring points. The Colts scored 10 points by early in the second quarter before Houston got on the scoreboard with a field goal. It would prove to be the only points that the Texans managed all game long. Indianapolis scored 21 unanswered points in the second half, which accounts for the lopsided final score. But the Colts really left no doubts in this one. This win gives the Colts only their second win of the season, improving their overall record to 2-4, although it does some important things. Luckily, since they are in the AFC South, it puts them in decent position. They move ahead of the Texans and stay ahead of the Jaguars, two lowly teams who also are in this division. It also allows them to at least stay on the heels of the Titans, and depending on whether the Titans beat the Bills or not tomorrow night, it might draw them to within a game of Tennessee. Meanwhile, the Texans fall to 1-5 on the season, as they remain winless on the road. They have struggled on the road in particular in the past couple of seasons. My pick: Accurate
Baltimore 34, LA Chargers 6 – One week after the Chargers seemed to have proven that they should be taken seriously after an important win, they get pounded so badly in Baltimore, that it raises a ton of questions and concerns. This game was extremely one-sided, with the Ravens controlling the ball for over 36 minutes and gaining 327 yards, to just 208 for the Chargers. In addition, Baltimore nearly doubled Los Angeles in terms of first downs, 27 to 14. They took the lead early, and never looked back, en route to a 34-6 trashing of the Chargers, who suffered only their second loss of the season. The Ravens improve to 5-1, and will wait until the Bills game on Monday night to see if they now alone own the best record in the AFC. As for the Chargers, they drop to 4-2, tied with the Raiders for the lead in the AFC West, and with both Kansas City and Denver tied with second at 3-3. My pick: Accurate
Minnesota 34, Carolina 28 (OT) – The Vikings just had too much offense for Carolina in this one. They gained an astonishing 571 yards while holding onto the ball for well over 37 minutes. Plus, the Panthers did themselves no favors by committing three turnovers, to just one for Minnesota. Still, the Panthers kept the game close, and came back from 1 points down in the fourth quarter to force overtime. But once there, it was Minnesota who struck pay dirt when Cousins found KJ Osborn for a 27-yard touchdown to end the game. The Vikings improve to 3-3 on the season, while the Panthers, after an impressive 3-0 start, now fall to 3-3 on the season, giving more ground to both the Saints and the Bucs in the NFC South. My pick: Accurate
Las Vegas 34, Denver 24 – A battle with important stakes in the AFC West. With the win, coupled with the Chargers loss at Baltimore, the winning in this one would be tied for first in the AFC West. And both teams showed that they wanted this one, as each had well over 400 yards of offense. The Broncos held onto the ball for over 34 minutes, and produced 25 first downs, to just 16 for the Silver and Black. Yet, the Broncos also committed four turnovers, which really hurt them. The Raiders built a 17-7 lead by halftime, and then extended it to 24-7 in the third. The Broncos tried to keep up, but the defense was unable to hold the Raiders offense, so that Denver never did get too close again. Thus, the Raiders earn the important win to improve to 4-2 on the season, while the Broncos drop their third straight game to fall into a last place tie with Kansas City, despite Denver having started the season at 3-0. My pick: Accurate
SNF: Pittsburgh 23, Seattle 20 (OT) – Both teams have struggled to this point this season, and so neither of these two teams could really afford to lose still another game and fall even farther behind in their respective divisions. Indeed, both teams showed resolve. The Steelers scored two touchdown in the second quarter to build a 14-0 lead by halftime. But they were unable to find the end zone again, while the Seahawks rallied, closing the margin by the fourth quarter and forcing it into overtime. Once there, however, it was Pittsburgh that clinched the win with a field goal late, earning their second straight win to improve to 3-3, moving into a last place tie with Cleveland, while trailing Cincy by one game, and the Ravens by two. As for the Seahawks, they drop their fourth game in a five game stretch, and now find themselves three games behind the Rams and four behind the still undefeated Arizona Cardinals in the NFC West, which sure appears to be the best and most talented division in the NFL. My pick: Accurate
No comments:
Post a Comment