Tuesday, October 1, 2013

NFL Week 4 Tuesday Whip-Around: Oldies beat the Goodies

The word "elite" has been thrown around a lot when referring to the quarterbacks in the NFL. Eli Manning put himself in that discussion and backed up his claim by winning a second Super Bowl. Joe Flacco repeated Manning's boast and proceeded to bring his team a Lombardi. Other quarterbacks don't have the hardware, but have been consistently good, like Tony Romo. There's also the young guys like Andrew Luck, Colin Kaepernick, Russel Wilson and RGIII who are trying to place themselves into this discussion. Three quarterbacks played this week though, whose names need no discussion in terms of being "elite." Peyton Manning, Tom Brady, and Drew Brees combined complete 75% of their passes, passing for ten touchdowns and 1,056 yards. Their teams scored a combined 120 points this week, and all three have led their team to a perfect 4-0 record despite all being over 30. 2012 was the year of the rookie quarterback. 2013 is all about the old men.

49ers 35, Rams 11
11.     Colin Kaepernick has a nice bounce back game and got his first win against the Rams, but Frank Gore showed he’s the one carrying this offense.
22.       The 49ers got back to winning at the line of scrimmage, totaling 219 rushing yards while surrendering just 18 on 17 attempts. That’s how the 49ers are supposed to play football.
33.       The Rams are treating Sam Bradford like he’s their answer, announcing they’re willing to extend his contract already, but he’s showed almost nothing this year (though offensive coordinator Brian Schottenheimer isn’t doing him any favors).

Bills 23, Ravens 20
11.       Joe Flacco was asked to do everything for this offense this week, throwing the ball 50 times while the Ravens ignored their run game (nine carries) and the result: 5 interceptions.
22.       Manuel must have read here that I was worried about his ability to stretch the field, because he responded by going over the top of the Ravens for a 42 yard touchdown pass to fellow rookie Robert Woods.
33.       Kiko Alonso has forced five turnovers in just his first four games in the NFL, he has been an absolute MONSTER in the middle for the Bills.
44.       Torrey Smith tried to carry the Ravens’ offense, catching five passes 166 yards, but beyond him the Ravens have no one stepping up in the passing game (which makes the decision to abandon the running game even more confusing).

Browns 17, Bengals 6
11.       Jordan Cameron is playing as well as any tight end in the league right now (outside of Jimmy Graham), and he’s doing it with Brian Hoyer at quarterback.
22.       The Browns are 2-0 since trading Trent Richardson and are in second place in their division. In other words, their season is far from over.
33.       Andy Dalton has all the pieces around him to succeed, which makes games like Sunday inexcusable. It would not be shocking if Dalton was a backup quarterback before Hoyer becomes one.

Lions 40, Bears 32
11.       Jay Cutler showed that old habits really do die hard, throwing three interceptions behind sloppy mechanics and decisions. Cutler’s line had its worse game of the year, but the turnovers were on him, and he even admitted after the game he cost the team the win.
22.       Reggie Bush loves playing in Detroit on that track of a field, because he ran all over the Bears, totaling 173 yards on just 22 touches. Bush is just as important to this offense now as Calvin Johnson.
33.       This was a weird day for both offenses, as they combined to go 3/23 on third downs, but somehow managed to put up 72 points.

Seahawks 23, Texans 20
11.      The Seahawks offense couldn’t get moving in the early part of this game, but that’s to be expected when your offensive line is missing several starters and you’re facing JJ Watt.
22.       This Seahawk team never quits and never stops believing in their ability to win a game, and that’s why they’re still the favorites to bring home the Lombardi this year.
33.       Matt Schaub has thrown a pick six in three straight games. Schaub is usually asked just to not mess up for this offense, but he can’t even handle that so far this season.

Colts 37, Jaguars 3
11.       Just like the Browns, the Colts are 2-0 after trading for Trent Richardson, and neither of their last two games have been close.
22.       The Colts are using Trent and the rest of their stable to pound their running game, and it’s opening up people downfield for Andrew Luck. That’s going to be hard to stop.
33.       Blaine Gabbert might not be on an NFL roster before the 2014 season. That’s a very safe bet.

Chiefs 31, Giants 7
11.       The Chiefs turned the ball over three times in this game (their first turnovers of the year), but they still didn’t lose the turnover battle, as their defense got the ball back three times as well. That’s good complimentary football coming straight from Andy Reid.
22.       Right tackle Eric Fisher has been a huge negative for the Chiefs so far this year, the number one overall pick from 2013 isn’t even playing a hand in this team’s rebound.
33.       The Giant’s offense has almost always been a top 10 unit each season since Eli Manning took over at quarterback, including last year, and it’s tough to figure out how it could all come crashing down so fast. The offensive line has collapsed and no receivers outside of Victor Cruz are winning on the outside.

Cardinals 13, Buccaneers 10
11.       Mike Glennon attempted 43 passes in his NFL debut, making it clear Greg Schiano does not exactly plan to ease the rookie in.
22.       Running back Andre Ellington needs to start seeing more carries in the Cardinals’ backfield, taking his four this week for 29 yards while starter Rashard Mendenhall gained less yards (21) with three times as many carries.
33.       The match-up between Larry Fitzgerald and Darelle Revis did not disappoint. Revis got an early interception over Fitz, but the receiver responded with a late touchdown grab on Revis that put the Cardinals back in the game.

Titans 38, Jets 10
11.       Jake Locker was having another solid day until an extremely unfortunate injury. Locker was providing evidence that he could be a long term starter for the Titans, and hopefully he will be back as soon as possible to keep showing that to his team.
22.       It was assumed coming into the season that the Titans were just going to pound the ball all year with their offense, but so far this year their wide receivers are out making plays for this team. And I mean all of their receivers (except for you, Kenny Britt).
33.       Geno Smith looked ugly again, and continues to alternate between good and bad starts. At least now he won’t be looking over his shoulder as much as Mark Sanchez plans to have season ending surgery.

Broncos 52, Eagles 20
11.       In his career, Peyton Manning typically gets better as the season goes on. Right now he’s on pace for over 6,000 yards and 64 touchdowns with no interceptions….and he’s supposed to get better.
22.       It’s extremely fair to start wondering whether 16-0 is possible for Denver at this point. Right now, the only match-ups that might be difficult on their schedule are their games facing the Patriots and Chiefs on the road.
33.       The Eagles scored 20 points on five trips to the red zone. Just like last year, this offense can’t finish drives, and this team’s one win against the Redskins is looking less impressive by the week (since we’ve seen how the Redskins’ defense has played since then).

Redskins 24, Raiders 14
11.       RGIII was held under 300 yards passing for the first time this year but his team got its first victory. That’s not a coincidence, this offense is built to run, not to pass.
22.       The Redskins’ defense had their first good outing of the year, even though the level of competition was very questionable. The defense actually scored as many points as they allowed Sunday.
33.       Coach Dennis Allen was very harsh when talking about starting quarterback Matt Flynn after the game. It’s likely that we’re not going to see Flynn again this year.

Chargers 30, Cowboys 21
11.       Philip Rivers had another great day, completing 35 of 42 passes for 401 yards. Rivers already seems like a lock to bounce back from two mediocre seasons and make his 5th Pro Bowl.
22.       Antonio Gates is riding shotgun with Rivers on his redemption tour, catching 10 passes for 136 yards to carry the Chargers’ thin receiving corps.
33.       Rookie Terrance Williams fumbled the ball near the goal line to ruin the Cowboy’s last chance to make the game close again. The Cowboys still like to lose close games with stupid mistakes, and it seems even their rookies learn that early on.

Patriots 30, Falcons 23
11.       The Patriots offense showed more improvement this week, and it’s fair to say Tom Brady and Kenbrell Thompkins are already forming a special bond on the field.
22.       Tony Gonzalez and Julio Jones had several highlight plays on the day, but Bill Bilichick was able to scheme them out of key spots, especially around the red zone. Of course, Bilichick was helped by the fact that his number one corner, Aquib Talib, was absolutely balling on the day.
33.       Matt Ryan almost led a late comeback drive, but Matty Ice was thoroughly outperformed by Tom Brady even though he has far superior weapons at his disposal. Ryan’s accuracy was very spotty at times, especially around the red zone, and a couple bad passes cost his team at least three chances at the end zone.

Saints 38, Dolphins 17
11.       Ryan Tannehill, who was off to a hot start in his second year, was severely humbled by Drew Brees in this battle of unbeatens, as Brees threw for over 400 yards with four touchdowns and no turnovers (Tannehill had four).
22.       Darren Sproles turned on the wheels at home, averaging over seven yards a carry and 16 yards a reception, while scoring both a rushing and receiving touchdown.
33.       Lamar Miller brought balance to the Dolphins’ attack, but sadly his impact had to be significantly dialed back because of the big Dolphin deficit.

44.       Ryan Tannehill’s protection is by far the biggest issue on this team, and something needs to change on this offense to prevent Tannehill getting rocked every time he drops back.

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