Week 2's Final Drive
Week 2 brought the return of the passing game to the NFL. After the weak offensive performances throughout the league in Week 1, we saw both of the Manning brothers light it up as well as Donovan McNabb, Drew Brees and the very surprising Rex Grossman perform well. I went down to Giants Stadium and watched a very strong effort by the New York Jets against the New England Patriots. The game turned out to be a much more competitive affair then I had expected.
First Down - Things I Liked
-Eli Manning showed an amazing amount of maturity in what could easily have been considered a must-win game for the New York Giants. He showed ability under pressure that his older brother seems to lack in big games. Manning threw for 371 yards and three touchdowns while helping the G-Men put up 23 unanswered points in the comeback win over Philadelphia.
-The whole offensive performance by the San Francisco 49ers was impressive. Alex Smith seems to have listened well to the teachings of Norv Turner. The big star in San Fran might turn out to be Frank Gore; his running is making a huge difference for the 49ers. He has now rushed for 214 yards and three touchdowns so far this season.
-The very balanced play of the Bengals offense is going to be a huge problem for teams throughout the league. Carson Palmer seems to be showing no fear after his brutal knee injury in last season’s playoffs. The Bengals also got a great running performance out of Rudi Johnson again.
-New England’s switch to a 4-3 defense was a great move on coach Belichick’s part. The Patriots’ talent and depth on the defensive line should be able to crush opposing run games. The Jets’ offensive line was getting pushed around throughout the day, which leads to a very predictable offensive game plan.
-While it is way too early to go by quarterback ranking in order to figure out the best signal callers in the league, I was very impressed by the performance of Rex Grossman. The Bears passing game has been terrific through two weeks with Grossman leading the league with a 128.3 passer rating, helped along by five touchdowns.
-The toughness of the Jacksonville Jaguars made for a great game to watch on Monday night. Jacksonville dominated the Steelers lines on both sides of the ball. The speed and power of the Jaguars defense completely overwhelmed the Steelers and the Jags look like they are going to prove all of their doubters very wrong.
-Fred Taylor might not have put up huge rushing numbers against the champs on Monday night, but he was extremely impressive. Taylor ran hard and fast through the Steelers line to the tune of 92 yards on 22 carries. I don’t know if Taylor can avoid the injury bug that has hampered him throughout his career, but he looks great so far.
-The Bills defense picked up right where is left off after Week 1. They sacked Daunte Culpepper seven times on Sunday and shocked a lot of the NFL with their big win in Miami. The Dolphins are not looking like the contender some experts predicted them to be.
-The Colts’ passing game was immense against the Texans in what proved to be a huge romp on Sunday. Peyton Manning threw for 400 yards and three touchdowns while spreading the ball around to nine different receivers.
-Minnesota has now played two solid games against playoff contenders. The defense has looked excellent against the run and Brad Johnson has continued with his steady, but not spectacular, play. I also liked the running game of Chester Taylor; he averaged a robust 4.7 yards a carry against a supposedly very tough run defense.
Second Down - Things I Did Not Like
-The lack of offense by the Carolina Panthers has got to be a major concern for John Fox. Even though Steve Smith is injured, there is no reason for the Panthers to continue to be completely shut down. I also wonder about the questionable lateral pass by Chris Gamble that led to the game-tying touchdown by Minnesota.
-Chris Simms has looked awful so far this season; while he passed for 313 yards on Sunday, it was still very unimpressive. His passes are getting tipped on a regular basis and he has now thrown six interceptions in two games, with no touchdown passes.
-Oakland looked completely overwhelmed for the second consecutive week. While I know they have played two tough defenses in a row, you just cannot be dominated as badly as they have.
-Al Saunders’ so called offensive genius is being questioned in Washington. The Redskins have all small receivers yet they are running slants and crossing routes. The ‘Skins should be going for the long passes down field, use your speed and quickness to out run your opponents.
-Green Bay’s defense has been ugly the first two weeks. After spending a lot of money this off-season upgrading the defense, they have already been lit up for 60 points. The Packers are also 0-2 at home; the prospects for this season are looking dismal at best.
-Houston’s decision to pass on Reggie Bush is looking worse and worse by the week. David Carr finally seems to have matured as a quarterback, yet they have almost zero running game. Wali Lundy leads the team with a grand total of 57 yards rushing through two games.
-Kerry Collins’ play has been ugly so far this season. Collins now has a 26.9 quarterback rating through two games and zero touchdowns to go with his four interceptions. The Titans might want to start using Vince Young for longer stretches throughout the game. Tennessee has more talent than their performances have shown and Collins has to accept some of this blame.
-The Rams’ inability to put the ball in the end zone is becoming an increasingly large problem. Eight field goals versus only one touchdown is not a winning formula; they are quickly taking the mold of the Arizona Cardinals of last season.
-The poor play of the Giants’ secondary is going to continue to be a huge issue in New York. The Giants are now giving up an average of 308 yards per game through the air; when your defense is only better than that of the Texans, you know you have some issues.
-Kellen Winslow’s mouth is looking like a problem in Cleveland. Romeo Crennel has got to put a stop to this before it gets out of hand. For Winslow to question the coaching staff after all of the stupid decisions he has made is a slap in face to such a respected man like Crennel.
Third Down - Top Games from Next Week
Jacksonville Jaguars at Indianapolis Colts
Chicago Bears at Minnesota Vikings
Cincinnati Bengals at Pittsburgh Steelers
New York Giants at Seattle Seahawks
New England Patriots at Denver Broncos
Fourth Down-Top Ten
Atlanta - The Falcons have dominated the two playoff teams from their division so far this season.
Jacksonville -Beating Dallas and Pittsburgh in back-to-back weeks is quite the accomplishment.
Chicago - If Rex Grossman can consistently put points on the board, the Bears will be extremely tough to beat.
San Diego - The Chargers continue to treat Philip Rivers with kid gloves, but when you have that defense and L.T. that is not a problem.
Indianapolis - You have to worry about the Colts defense, but Peyton is still lighting up the scoreboard.
Baltimore - It has to be such a relief for Ray Lewis and company to not need a shutout every week.
Cincinnati - The Bengals have dominated two consecutive opponents on both sides of the ball; however, their injuries are quickly mounting.
New England - The Patriots’ running game has looked great so far, and when you have the best game quarterback in the league, you have a great chance to win each week.
Minnesota - Minnesota has not looked spectacular in any area, yet they are 2-0 and have beaten two supposedly solid football teams.
Seattle - The defending NFC Champions get Deion Branch for the first time this week; this should lead to a few more points finally getting put on the board.
First Down - Things I Liked
-Eli Manning showed an amazing amount of maturity in what could easily have been considered a must-win game for the New York Giants. He showed ability under pressure that his older brother seems to lack in big games. Manning threw for 371 yards and three touchdowns while helping the G-Men put up 23 unanswered points in the comeback win over Philadelphia.
-The whole offensive performance by the San Francisco 49ers was impressive. Alex Smith seems to have listened well to the teachings of Norv Turner. The big star in San Fran might turn out to be Frank Gore; his running is making a huge difference for the 49ers. He has now rushed for 214 yards and three touchdowns so far this season.
-The very balanced play of the Bengals offense is going to be a huge problem for teams throughout the league. Carson Palmer seems to be showing no fear after his brutal knee injury in last season’s playoffs. The Bengals also got a great running performance out of Rudi Johnson again.
-New England’s switch to a 4-3 defense was a great move on coach Belichick’s part. The Patriots’ talent and depth on the defensive line should be able to crush opposing run games. The Jets’ offensive line was getting pushed around throughout the day, which leads to a very predictable offensive game plan.
-While it is way too early to go by quarterback ranking in order to figure out the best signal callers in the league, I was very impressed by the performance of Rex Grossman. The Bears passing game has been terrific through two weeks with Grossman leading the league with a 128.3 passer rating, helped along by five touchdowns.
-The toughness of the Jacksonville Jaguars made for a great game to watch on Monday night. Jacksonville dominated the Steelers lines on both sides of the ball. The speed and power of the Jaguars defense completely overwhelmed the Steelers and the Jags look like they are going to prove all of their doubters very wrong.
-Fred Taylor might not have put up huge rushing numbers against the champs on Monday night, but he was extremely impressive. Taylor ran hard and fast through the Steelers line to the tune of 92 yards on 22 carries. I don’t know if Taylor can avoid the injury bug that has hampered him throughout his career, but he looks great so far.
-The Bills defense picked up right where is left off after Week 1. They sacked Daunte Culpepper seven times on Sunday and shocked a lot of the NFL with their big win in Miami. The Dolphins are not looking like the contender some experts predicted them to be.
-The Colts’ passing game was immense against the Texans in what proved to be a huge romp on Sunday. Peyton Manning threw for 400 yards and three touchdowns while spreading the ball around to nine different receivers.
-Minnesota has now played two solid games against playoff contenders. The defense has looked excellent against the run and Brad Johnson has continued with his steady, but not spectacular, play. I also liked the running game of Chester Taylor; he averaged a robust 4.7 yards a carry against a supposedly very tough run defense.
Second Down - Things I Did Not Like
-The lack of offense by the Carolina Panthers has got to be a major concern for John Fox. Even though Steve Smith is injured, there is no reason for the Panthers to continue to be completely shut down. I also wonder about the questionable lateral pass by Chris Gamble that led to the game-tying touchdown by Minnesota.
-Chris Simms has looked awful so far this season; while he passed for 313 yards on Sunday, it was still very unimpressive. His passes are getting tipped on a regular basis and he has now thrown six interceptions in two games, with no touchdown passes.
-Oakland looked completely overwhelmed for the second consecutive week. While I know they have played two tough defenses in a row, you just cannot be dominated as badly as they have.
-Al Saunders’ so called offensive genius is being questioned in Washington. The Redskins have all small receivers yet they are running slants and crossing routes. The ‘Skins should be going for the long passes down field, use your speed and quickness to out run your opponents.
-Green Bay’s defense has been ugly the first two weeks. After spending a lot of money this off-season upgrading the defense, they have already been lit up for 60 points. The Packers are also 0-2 at home; the prospects for this season are looking dismal at best.
-Houston’s decision to pass on Reggie Bush is looking worse and worse by the week. David Carr finally seems to have matured as a quarterback, yet they have almost zero running game. Wali Lundy leads the team with a grand total of 57 yards rushing through two games.
-Kerry Collins’ play has been ugly so far this season. Collins now has a 26.9 quarterback rating through two games and zero touchdowns to go with his four interceptions. The Titans might want to start using Vince Young for longer stretches throughout the game. Tennessee has more talent than their performances have shown and Collins has to accept some of this blame.
-The Rams’ inability to put the ball in the end zone is becoming an increasingly large problem. Eight field goals versus only one touchdown is not a winning formula; they are quickly taking the mold of the Arizona Cardinals of last season.
-The poor play of the Giants’ secondary is going to continue to be a huge issue in New York. The Giants are now giving up an average of 308 yards per game through the air; when your defense is only better than that of the Texans, you know you have some issues.
-Kellen Winslow’s mouth is looking like a problem in Cleveland. Romeo Crennel has got to put a stop to this before it gets out of hand. For Winslow to question the coaching staff after all of the stupid decisions he has made is a slap in face to such a respected man like Crennel.
Third Down - Top Games from Next Week
Jacksonville Jaguars at Indianapolis Colts
Chicago Bears at Minnesota Vikings
Cincinnati Bengals at Pittsburgh Steelers
New York Giants at Seattle Seahawks
New England Patriots at Denver Broncos
Fourth Down-Top Ten
Atlanta - The Falcons have dominated the two playoff teams from their division so far this season.
Jacksonville -Beating Dallas and Pittsburgh in back-to-back weeks is quite the accomplishment.
Chicago - If Rex Grossman can consistently put points on the board, the Bears will be extremely tough to beat.
San Diego - The Chargers continue to treat Philip Rivers with kid gloves, but when you have that defense and L.T. that is not a problem.
Indianapolis - You have to worry about the Colts defense, but Peyton is still lighting up the scoreboard.
Baltimore - It has to be such a relief for Ray Lewis and company to not need a shutout every week.
Cincinnati - The Bengals have dominated two consecutive opponents on both sides of the ball; however, their injuries are quickly mounting.
New England - The Patriots’ running game has looked great so far, and when you have the best game quarterback in the league, you have a great chance to win each week.
Minnesota - Minnesota has not looked spectacular in any area, yet they are 2-0 and have beaten two supposedly solid football teams.
Seattle - The defending NFC Champions get Deion Branch for the first time this week; this should lead to a few more points finally getting put on the board.
posted by marinjos at 9:22 PM
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