Sport-Blog.com
|
Sports News: ESPN | SI Leagues & Associations: NFL | NHL | MLB NBA | PGA | USTA Archives: Other: Resources |
<< Home
Week 10: Extra Points...and Opinions
Monday, November 13, 2006
By Tovash Hatcher
Just another Sunday of predictable NFL football, huh? The teams that were supposed to win got the job done and we saw nothing but exciting, fast paced, hard hitting football action, right? Sick of the sarcasm, eh? Well let's go to the action then!!
Let's be honest, there are not many good teams in this league. Many critics use the word "parity" and how any team can beat another team on any given Sunday. Besides the Bears, Colts, and Patriots, I dare you to name another team that wins on a consistent basis.
Yesterday I saw the World Champion Steelers look like the Steelers of the 2005 playoffs when they knocked off the New Orleans Saints 38-31. But did anyone realize that the Steelers are now 3-6? They are getting poor quarterback play, and now have issues in the defense. And to the Steelers faithful, I do know that Ben R. did have a stellar game by not turning the ball over and throwing 3 touchdown passes. But the inconsistency bug is going around and Pittsburgh has been bitten by it. A 3-6 record has players scratching their heads, hosting players' only meetings, and calling out other players. A woozy Troy Polamalu suffered a concussion on Sunday and left the Steelers' secondary in shambles. Drew Brees connected with his receivers with regularity. He torched the Steelers' banged up secondary by throwing for 398 yards and 1 TD pass. The Saints had the defending champs on the ropes late in the 4th quarter but let the game slip away. And what got into Willie Parker?? 213 yards on 22 carries is the best rushing performance in the league so far this season and the Saints had no answer for him. Parker also had runs for 76 yards and 72. The Steelers could not ask for anything better from Parker on that night. The Saints also committed a bunch of turnovers with 3. A pass from Brees to Terrance Copper was fumbled away in the Steelers' territory. The ball recovered by the Steelers and the game was over. The Saints played well in a hostile environment but fall to the Steelers by the score of 38-31. Can Pittsburgh use this win to save their season?
The Baltimore Ravens were always known for their intense defensive group. Ray Lewis and Ed Reed are just two players on defense that strike fear into offenses around the league. Everyone knew last season that the only thing that this team needed was decent quarterback that could lead the offense down the field on the regular. Enter QB Steve McNair. The Ravens quickly snatched up McNair in the off-season when they discovered that the veteran was leaving the Tennessee Titans, a team whom he's spent his whole career with. Sources around the NFL reported in the last year's off-season that the Titans ousted McNair by not allowing him to practice with the team, nor did they allow him to set foot in the practice facility as well. On Sunday afternoon, McNair got his chance to give the Titans his best Uma Thurman impression in Kill Bill 1 & 2...revenge, revenge, revenge.
McNair threw for 29/47 for 373 yards with 3 TDs to boot. McNair also tossed 2 INTs but the Titans let him off the hook. Mistakes came early and often for the Ravens' QB when McNair stepped out of bounds in the back of the end zone for a safety. The Titans took a huge lead early in the game by going up 26-7 in the second. By halftime Baltimore crept back into the game by narrowing the gap bringing the score to 26-17. In the third quarter both teams put on a punting clinic and showed each other how to turn the ball over. The 4th quarter picked back up with the Ravens scoring 10 more to put the game away. McNair was able to rally the Ravens putting together 20 straight points and edging the Titans on the road 27-26. The Ravens improve to 7-2.
And my take on the Cowboys and the Cardinals is, well I don't really know. But I do know that the Cowboys no longer have any quarterback problems. I saw a young Tony Romo work the field like a puppeteer. He directed traffic, threw the ball with accuracy, and led the offense to 27 points. The Cowboys took care of business and now look to a Week 11 home game against Peyton Manning and company (insert your own scream sound effect).
Oh, and speaking of the Colts, does anyone agree with me that they actually look beatable? After dodging another bullet, this time by the Buffalo Bills, Indianapolis will take its first trip to Dallas during the Peyton Manning regime with an unblemished record of 9-0. Manning is putting up MVP type numbers once again and leads the Colts offense. He threw for 236 yards and one TD pass. And since the Bills could not win the game on a late field miss by Ryan Lindell, they are definitely kicking themselves today and probably will for a long time. The Colts eek out a win over the Bills 17-16.
There were many games that ended with small margins of victory during Week 10. Exciting or confusing? The NFL is an interesting league and Week 11 should give you ample reason to tune in.
I'm Tovash Hatcher
4:47 PM
Comments:
Post a Comment
<< Home
