Week 3's Final Drive
Monday night in New Orleans was as emotional and magical an evening as I could ever remember in sports. Watching the pride in all of those fans’ faces as their Saints ran onto the field was amazing. I literally had tears in my eyes. Everything about this evening showed the power that hope and love can bring, from U2 and “A Beautiful Day” to Tony Kornheiser and his incredibly eloquent speech to the incredible effort by the Saints. The Atlanta Falcons, while a much more talented than the Saints, honestly had no chance to win this game. The power of emotion is a force that sometimes cannot be beaten…and that is a great thing.
First Down - Things I Liked
-Jacksonville’s effort may not have given them a win over their division rival Colts, but their running game was awesome. Maurice Jones-Drew looks like a starter in the making. Combine him with Fred Taylor and the Jags’ running game is going to be a major problem for opponents.
-Seattle’s passing game was dominant for the first three quarters of their game with the Giants. Leading 42-7 over a team that many considered a Super Bowl contender is a pretty big statement to the rest of the NFC.
-The powerful Patriots running game was a virtual no show in their Sunday night match up with Denver due to the speed and quickness of the Broncos front seven. Denver held the Patriots to just 50 yards on 21 carries.
-The play of young quarterbacks Charlie Frye and J. P. Losman has to be making their coaches happy. Both quarterbacks are showing signs of being the leaders their organizations need.
-Rex Grossman’s continuing maturity is a great sign for Bears fans. After throwing a crucial late interception to Antonio Winfield that lead to a Vikings touchdown which gave them a late lead, you would expect a lot of young quarterbacks to crumble. Grossman, however, lead the Bears down the field twice to put the game away.
-Mark Brunell’s setting of an NFL record with 22 straight completions has to feel great for a quarterback whose job has definitely been on the line. While most of the passes were short screens and quick outs, he still marched the ‘Skins down the field on a regular basis and helped put the Texans away pretty early.
-Another formerly great quarterback enjoyed a glimpse back to his youth in Detroit. Brett Favre needed just one touchdown to become the second quarterback in NFL history with 400 touchdowns. Favre threw for 340 yards and 3 touchdowns in a stadium where he has had many horror stories come to life.
-The overall performance of the Cincinnati Bengals was tremendous in what had to be an emotional game for Marvin Lewis’ club. You know Carson Palmer and the Bengals have hard feelings towards the Steelers and they kept themselves under control to win a huge game in Pittsburgh.
-The effort put together by two teams struggling for their playoff lives in Tampa Bay was inspiring. The Panthers-Buccaneers game was not a thing of beauty, but it was a great game to watch.
-Chris Simms’ gutsy performance on the field Sunday deserves praise from everyone. While we do not know when Simms’ spleen ruptured, his effort was something extraordinary. Wide receiver Michael Clayton thinks it happened in the first quarter; if this is true, then Chris played with a pain that few of us will ever know.
Second Down - Things I Did Not Like
-The Giants’ slow starts have got stop. After last week’s come from behind win in Philadelphia, the Giants trailed 42-3 going into the fourth quarter in Seattle. You will not consistently win in this league with performances like this.
-Kurt Warner’s turnover problems are going to cost the Cardinals any chance they have a playoff spot. Warner had 4 turnovers of his own including a fumble in the red zone during the closing minutes that cost the Cards a chance at a game winning field goal by Neil Rackers.
-Dennis Green’s indecision with his quarterbacks is not good for his ball club. He initially named first round draft pick Matt Leinart his starter for week 4, then on Tuesday decided to stick with Warner. Kurt’s best days are behind him and it is time to let Leinart get on the field.
-New England has major kicking issues brewing. I, for one, was not completely upset with the decision to let Adam Vinatieri leave, but rookie Stephen Gostkowski has now had his last two kicks blocked. It seems likes coach Belichick is losing faith in his young kicker.
-Detroit’s defensive performance was brutal. Coach Marinelli was supposed to bring a much needed toughness to the Motor City. I have seen nothing different in Detroit this season and it is certainly looking like another long season for long suffering Lions fans.
-The continued mediocre play of the Ravens offense has got to be a concern. Steve McNair’s injuries may have taken too much away from his game. While the Ravens are playing solid football, I question whether McNair has enough left in him to lead the team throughout the entire season.
-Buffalo’s penalties and turnovers wasted a terrific game by their young playmakers. For the first time in NFL history, a home team had a running back rush for over 150 yards on the ground and a quarterback throw for over 300 yards and yet still lose.
-Houston’s poor defense is continuing to hamper their young offense. David Carr has finally seemed to catch on and his tremendous talents are really beginning to show. However, for the third straight game, the Texans got way behind and had to abandon their running game all together.
-The Patriots secondary does not seem to have made the improvements many experts thought they had. For the second straight week, the Pats were torched by two long touchdown passes and, unlike during the Jets game, they were unable to overcome their mistakes.
-Atlanta’s inability to match the effort made by the New Orleans Saints. While I really think the emotion of Saints fans was too much for any team to overcome, the Falcons got dominated on both sides of the ball and really seemed to be shell-shocked on Monday night.
Third Down - Top Games from Next Week
New Orleans Saints at Carolina Panthers
San Diego Chargers at Baltimore Ravens
Jacksonville Jaguars at Washington Redskins
Seattle Seahawks at Chicago Bears
New England Patriots at Cincinnati Bengals
Fourth Down - Top Ten
Chicago - Grossman came down to earth a little this week, but his game winning fourth quarter touchdown drive was a huge stepping stone in his career.
San Diego - The Chargers get their first real test this week when they face off with the Ravens in Baltimore.
Indianapolis - The Colts’ defense is getting worse by the week; however, they still beat an extremely tough team who was looking to knock them off their perch.
Cincinnati - The Bengals got some revenge this week by knocking off the team that eliminated them from the last postseason.
Baltimore - The Ravens struggled in beating Cleveland this past week, but you have to wonder if they were looking past the Browns.
Seattle - The Seahawks finally put it all together on offense versus the Giants, but the injury to reigning MVP Shaun Alexander could be a substantial problem.
Jacksonville - While a loss always hurts, the Jaguars have to feel pretty confident about the way they played.
Atlanta - The Falcons need to bounce back this weekend to show that Monday night’s performance was based more on the emotion in New Orleans than their own deficiencies.
Philadelphia - Take away that fourth quarter against the Giants and the Eagles could easily be undefeated.
Minnesota - The Vikings have played consistent ball for three games against a very tough schedule; I cannot see the Bears getting too far ahead of them.
First Down - Things I Liked
-Jacksonville’s effort may not have given them a win over their division rival Colts, but their running game was awesome. Maurice Jones-Drew looks like a starter in the making. Combine him with Fred Taylor and the Jags’ running game is going to be a major problem for opponents.
-Seattle’s passing game was dominant for the first three quarters of their game with the Giants. Leading 42-7 over a team that many considered a Super Bowl contender is a pretty big statement to the rest of the NFC.
-The powerful Patriots running game was a virtual no show in their Sunday night match up with Denver due to the speed and quickness of the Broncos front seven. Denver held the Patriots to just 50 yards on 21 carries.
-The play of young quarterbacks Charlie Frye and J. P. Losman has to be making their coaches happy. Both quarterbacks are showing signs of being the leaders their organizations need.
-Rex Grossman’s continuing maturity is a great sign for Bears fans. After throwing a crucial late interception to Antonio Winfield that lead to a Vikings touchdown which gave them a late lead, you would expect a lot of young quarterbacks to crumble. Grossman, however, lead the Bears down the field twice to put the game away.
-Mark Brunell’s setting of an NFL record with 22 straight completions has to feel great for a quarterback whose job has definitely been on the line. While most of the passes were short screens and quick outs, he still marched the ‘Skins down the field on a regular basis and helped put the Texans away pretty early.
-Another formerly great quarterback enjoyed a glimpse back to his youth in Detroit. Brett Favre needed just one touchdown to become the second quarterback in NFL history with 400 touchdowns. Favre threw for 340 yards and 3 touchdowns in a stadium where he has had many horror stories come to life.
-The overall performance of the Cincinnati Bengals was tremendous in what had to be an emotional game for Marvin Lewis’ club. You know Carson Palmer and the Bengals have hard feelings towards the Steelers and they kept themselves under control to win a huge game in Pittsburgh.
-The effort put together by two teams struggling for their playoff lives in Tampa Bay was inspiring. The Panthers-Buccaneers game was not a thing of beauty, but it was a great game to watch.
-Chris Simms’ gutsy performance on the field Sunday deserves praise from everyone. While we do not know when Simms’ spleen ruptured, his effort was something extraordinary. Wide receiver Michael Clayton thinks it happened in the first quarter; if this is true, then Chris played with a pain that few of us will ever know.
Second Down - Things I Did Not Like
-The Giants’ slow starts have got stop. After last week’s come from behind win in Philadelphia, the Giants trailed 42-3 going into the fourth quarter in Seattle. You will not consistently win in this league with performances like this.
-Kurt Warner’s turnover problems are going to cost the Cardinals any chance they have a playoff spot. Warner had 4 turnovers of his own including a fumble in the red zone during the closing minutes that cost the Cards a chance at a game winning field goal by Neil Rackers.
-Dennis Green’s indecision with his quarterbacks is not good for his ball club. He initially named first round draft pick Matt Leinart his starter for week 4, then on Tuesday decided to stick with Warner. Kurt’s best days are behind him and it is time to let Leinart get on the field.
-New England has major kicking issues brewing. I, for one, was not completely upset with the decision to let Adam Vinatieri leave, but rookie Stephen Gostkowski has now had his last two kicks blocked. It seems likes coach Belichick is losing faith in his young kicker.
-Detroit’s defensive performance was brutal. Coach Marinelli was supposed to bring a much needed toughness to the Motor City. I have seen nothing different in Detroit this season and it is certainly looking like another long season for long suffering Lions fans.
-The continued mediocre play of the Ravens offense has got to be a concern. Steve McNair’s injuries may have taken too much away from his game. While the Ravens are playing solid football, I question whether McNair has enough left in him to lead the team throughout the entire season.
-Buffalo’s penalties and turnovers wasted a terrific game by their young playmakers. For the first time in NFL history, a home team had a running back rush for over 150 yards on the ground and a quarterback throw for over 300 yards and yet still lose.
-Houston’s poor defense is continuing to hamper their young offense. David Carr has finally seemed to catch on and his tremendous talents are really beginning to show. However, for the third straight game, the Texans got way behind and had to abandon their running game all together.
-The Patriots secondary does not seem to have made the improvements many experts thought they had. For the second straight week, the Pats were torched by two long touchdown passes and, unlike during the Jets game, they were unable to overcome their mistakes.
-Atlanta’s inability to match the effort made by the New Orleans Saints. While I really think the emotion of Saints fans was too much for any team to overcome, the Falcons got dominated on both sides of the ball and really seemed to be shell-shocked on Monday night.
Third Down - Top Games from Next Week
New Orleans Saints at Carolina Panthers
San Diego Chargers at Baltimore Ravens
Jacksonville Jaguars at Washington Redskins
Seattle Seahawks at Chicago Bears
New England Patriots at Cincinnati Bengals
Fourth Down - Top Ten
Chicago - Grossman came down to earth a little this week, but his game winning fourth quarter touchdown drive was a huge stepping stone in his career.
San Diego - The Chargers get their first real test this week when they face off with the Ravens in Baltimore.
Indianapolis - The Colts’ defense is getting worse by the week; however, they still beat an extremely tough team who was looking to knock them off their perch.
Cincinnati - The Bengals got some revenge this week by knocking off the team that eliminated them from the last postseason.
Baltimore - The Ravens struggled in beating Cleveland this past week, but you have to wonder if they were looking past the Browns.
Seattle - The Seahawks finally put it all together on offense versus the Giants, but the injury to reigning MVP Shaun Alexander could be a substantial problem.
Jacksonville - While a loss always hurts, the Jaguars have to feel pretty confident about the way they played.
Atlanta - The Falcons need to bounce back this weekend to show that Monday night’s performance was based more on the emotion in New Orleans than their own deficiencies.
Philadelphia - Take away that fourth quarter against the Giants and the Eagles could easily be undefeated.
Minnesota - The Vikings have played consistent ball for three games against a very tough schedule; I cannot see the Bears getting too far ahead of them.
posted by marinjos at 2:10 PM
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