🏈🏈🏈🏈
NY Jets 13, NY Giants 10 (OT)- These games between the Giants and the Jets more often than not seem to be close, and seem to be ugly. Often, they seem to be very much like this one proved to be. The Giants were winning late in the game, and seemed to have it well in hand when the Jets turned the ball over on down deep in their own territory. It seemed that the G-Men should be able to bleed out most of the clock, get a chip shot field goal, and then ice the game. Instead, the field goal attempt was missed, and Gang Green produced a minor miracle, first getting a field goal for the tie to force overtime. Then, they stopped the G-Men offense in overtime, and got a good enough output on offense for a field goal attempt, which they successfully converted to steal the game. Was it more the Jets winning or the Giants losing? Not sure, because it felt very much like both. An ugly but welcome win for the Jets, and a very ugly and bitter loss for the Giants. My pick: Accurate
Tennessee 28, Atlanta 23- A difficult game to predict. Yet, home field advantage was the reason that I went with the Titans, and it felt like a large part of the reason why they ultimately won. A solid win for the Titans, who are now tied for second in the AFC South with the Texans, and remain at least in relevant in the race for the playoffs as we enter November. As for the Falcons, a tough loss, but at least are still tied atop the NFC South with the Saints. My pick: Accurate
Philadelphia 38, Washington 31 - The Eagles always seem to fare well against Washington (and my Giants). They took care of business in both meetings against the Commanders this season, even though both games were a struggle for them. It seemed that Washington could be well on their way to victory, as they owned a touchdown lead at halftime, and again early in the fourth quarter. But the Eagles offense is explosive and dangerous, as they proved in this one. They got hot and ultimately scored three touchdowns to put this one almost out of reach. Then they did enough to ice the win on the end. Right now, Philadelphia has the best overall record in the league at 7-1. My pick: Accurate
Jacksonville 20, Pittsburgh 10 - I made my pick for the Steelers, but was not exactly surprised to see the Jaguars win. It felt like a game which could have gone either way. To their credit, Jax outplayed the Steelers, playing particularly well on defense, holding Pittsburgh to just 10 points. They earn a hard win that keeps them well ahead in the AFC South, and on the verge of making the race in that division a laugher. As for the Steelers, a tough loss, yet they remain right in the thick of the tight race in the AFC North. My pick: Inaccurate
Minnesota 24, Green Bay 10 - This game, at least in terms of the score, went the way expected. The Vikings earned a solid road win, and secured their position as the clear second best in the NFC North. That's the good news. The bad news is that now, they are going to have to figure something out at the quarterback position, as Kirk Cousins suffered a season ending injury. Difficult to predict what they will do or where they will go with this one. Still, this was a solid win on the road at Lambeau Field, which is a place where traditionally, they have struggled. As for the Packers, they have now dropped four straight games and are sinking fast. My pick: Accurate
Carolina 15, Houston 13 - Carolina was going to earn their first win of the season somewhere. I expected this one to be it, because the Panthers are much better than their winless record entering this game would indicate. Indeed, the Texans have played tough often this season, and they proved to be quite tough in this one, too. In the end, the Panthers did just enough to edge the Texans for their first win of the season, on the final weekend in October. My pick: Accurate
Dallas 43, LA Rams 20 - The only thing surprising in this game was that the Cowboys played in their dark blue home jerseys, instead of their traditional white. Otherwise, they played precisely the way that most people, myself included, expected. That is to say, they beat up on a weaker opponent and earned another convincing win. It remains to be seen whether or not they could do that against, say San Francisco or Philadelphia. Still, a solid win for Big D. My pick: Accurate
Miami 31, New England 17 - The Pats had earned an impressive upset win over Buffalo the week before, and did not play terribly in this one. Still, the Dolphins offense is explosive and hard to contain. And in this game, they proved to be too much for New England, as they earn another win to retain their hold on sole possession of first place in the AFC East. My pick: Accurate
New Orleans 38, Indianapolis 27 - This was one I got wrong, although perhaps I should not have. After all, it sure seems as if the Saints own the Colts dating back to their Super Bowl meeting more than a decade ago now. This one was close for much of the game. But the Saints did just enough to pull off an impressive road win. My pick: Inaccurate
Seattle 24, Cleveland 20 - More or less what I would have expected. The Browns were tough, and gave themselves chances. They kept the game close. Yet the Seahawks are tough, particularly when playing at home in Seattle. They took care of business and earned a tough victory against a dangerous opponent. Now, almost shockingly, they find themselves atop the NFC West standings, after the 49ers rather surprising losing streak extended to three. As for the Browns, they did not win, but created enough positives in this loss that it should help them to keep playing well. My pick: Accurate
Denver 24, Kansas City 9 - It is doubtful that I was the only one shocked by this outcome. Even if this game was at Mile High, it sure felt that the Chiefs were red hot, and simply owned the Broncos. But to their credit, the Broncos were determined to end that dreadful streak, and not only managed to do so, but did it in dominating fashion. The defense played outrageously well, containing KC's dangerous offense a pedestrian 9 points. What an effort by the Broncos. And this surely serves as a reminder to the Chiefs not to simply expect victory merely by showing up. My pick: Inaccurate
Cincinnati 31, San Francisco 17 - Cincinnati proved me wrong. To their credit, they jumped ahead early and outplayed the 49ers on the road, in sunny California. It is frankly almost shocking to see a team as good as the 49ers now lose three in a row. I had expected them to bounce back in this game. But Cincy is red hot right now, and it seems safe to say that they sure look like they are right back among the elites in the AFC, with their third straight win. As for San Francisco, they now get a bye week to refocus, and try to get healthy again. Solid game for Cincy. My pick: Inaccurate
Baltimore 31, Arizona 24 - The Cardinals kept this game closer than I expected, and enjoyed more success against the Ravens defense than expected, as well. Still, the Ravens did enough to win, even if it was not as comfortable as it might have been. A solid road win out west for the Ravens, who continue to remain ahead of the pack in the AFC North. My pick: Accurate
SNF - LA Chargers 30, Chicago 13 - No miracles for the Bears in this one. Chicago's offense just looked flat, although the defense played fairly well and largely kept the Bears in this game for longer than they likely should have been in it. The Chargers looked good one offense, perhaps not scoring as often as they should, or settling for field goals when they could have put the game away much earlier with touchdowns. Still, a solid overall performance for them and an important win that, at least for now, establishes them as the second best team in the AFC West. My pick: Accurate
MNF - Detroit 26, LA Raiders 14 - The Lions offense was not spectacular or especially explosive. In fact, it seemed like they moved the ball well for most of the game, but then kept having to settle for field goals - or outright squandering the chances with turnovers - over and over again when they got deep into Raiders territory. Still, the Lions offense played well enough, and took advantage of scoring opportunities enough, to put the game out of reach. This was thanks in large part to the impressive effort of the Detroit defense, which really contained the Raiders offense almost the entire game, It should be noted that the Raiders defense played well under the circumstances, bending but not breaking, forcing turnovers and preventing touchdowns early in the game, and generally keeping Las Vegas in a game which, frankly, might have been out of reach before halftime under different circumstances. But the Raiders offense just looked lethargic and inept. A solid win for the Lions, who bounce back nicely from a bad loss to stay well ahead in the NFC North race. As for the Raiders, this was a second straight loss, but not unexpected. Still, they fall farther behind the Chiefs and the Chargers in the AFC West. My pick: Accurate
No comments:
Post a Comment