Who Rocked?
In a topsy-turvy week, the most dominant performance came from – amazingly – Oakland. Jason Campbell’s Raiders managed to put-together back to back wins for the first time in two seasons. They level their record at 4-4 and are well in contention for the achingly poor AFC West. Their mains contenders – the Chiefs and Chargers – both won this weekend, but San Diego are bleeding points like a stab-victim on warfrin and Kansas City only won by virtue of an overtime field goal against winless Buffalo. The Raiders could, if Campbell continues to produce as he did this week (310 yards and 2 TD tosses), win this division and make it into the playoffs, where they would become a doubly dangerous side due to the age old belief that a well-oiled running game is key to a deep playoff run. Darren McFadden has all but justified his high selection in the draft and now needs to shut the mouth of the very last detractor by keeping his legs moving week in, week out/
New Orleans have lost some stinkers so far this term, but this week, things were different. The Pittsburgh Steelers are not an easy team to beat, and having gotten out of the gates at light speed, they looked to have taken on the appearance of a steamroller. The Ravens pipped them first, but this week the Saints stuffed them 20-10. Now, although 20 points is the sort of total that last year we would’ve expected to see assigned to any one of New Orleans’ playmakers by halftime, it is a decent score if your defence can play good football throughout all phases of the game. It certainly isn’t a winning score (generally, if you score 28 points you deserve at least overtime), but it is better than relying on field goals to carry you home (Green Bay, I’m looking at you). The saints are currently third in their division – although both they, the Falcons and the Buccaneers have 5 wins apiece, the Dirty Birds and the Bucs are yet to have their bye week and have therefore lost one less than the defending World Champs.
Normality is in the process of being restored in NFC North. The Chicago Bears are sliding (as predicted) and the Green Bay Packers are on the up, having beaten their bitter rivals and fellow division-chasers, the Minnesota Vikings, and the highly-touted New York Jets who had the longest win-streak in the NFL coming into week 8. The Packers are now top of the North, but the Bears have a game in hand and are on 4-3 to the Pack’s 5-3. One thing is sure though; the Vikings’ chances of repeating their feats of last year are getting slimmer by the week.
Props to the stealthy Pats. No one is giving the Massachusetts men much attention this year and it seems to be doing them good. They stand at 6-1 – the best record in the NFL. Their only loss came to the Jets, who, after losing to the Packers this week, have fallen to second in the AFC East. Can Belichick and the Brady bunch do it again? Don’t bet against them in January.
Whose chances were knocked?
The Vikings suffered a double blow on Sunday. Not only did they lose a game to the New England Patriots that was, for much of the contest, there for the taking, but Brett Favre was knocked out of the clash with a nasty facial laceration. The Vikings are now at 2-5 and Favre is looking the age of New England’s current record (6-1). Tavaris Jackson may have to start next week and thus end Brett Favre’s consecutive start tally – the most impressive streak in all professional sport (yeah, I went there). Jackson’s first pass when stepping in for the beaten and bruised Favre went for a TD. His second? A 2pt conversion. After that, though, he looked as athletic, but ineffective as ever as the team capitulated in what was really a must win game.
The Cowboys are a shadow of what they intended to be. They are limp, ineffective in all phases of the game and only saved the embarrassment of finding themselves with next year’s provisional top pick by a Bills team with a -80 points differential. Cruelly for a team at 1-6, Dallas have only been outscored by a TOTAL of 33 points – less than Oakland’s winning margin over Denver in week 7 (45). They can play football, and they can score points (scoring more than Miami (4-3), Baltimore (5-2),Pittsburgh (5-2), Houston (4-2) and the Seahawks (4-3) amongst others). Hell, they can even play a bit of D (conceding less than Jacksonville (4-4), Arizona (3-4) and Denver (2-6)). What they can’t do is win games. Wade Phillips’ time is up unless they come back from this to win the Superbowl. Fat. Chance.
Every week as a football fan, you pray your team will catch the break they need; you pray their rivals will slip-up and open the door. And when that happens and your team fails to capitalise, you cry on the inside so very much. I am crying on the inside. While the Oakland bloody Raiders were dismantling the NFC West-leading Seahawks, The Cardinals lay down to the Buccaneers and slipped, in the process, below .500. This is not a good football team. The offseason beckons.
The Redskins lost to a feisty Detroit Lions outfit. Quite unbelievable given their credibility thus far, but then the Lions are an up-and-coming franchise with plenty to like about the way they play. Basically, it means the Redskins are going to miss the Wild Card spot they should be fighting for if they keep losing to teams so low on the pecking order.
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