NFL 2010: Week 1 Recaps! (cont.)

Part II!!

Falcons 9 at Steelers 15 in OT
As I write up this blog, the more I realize that Week 1 was filled with low-scoring defensive struggled games. This was the only game to go into overtime and even then, no touchdowns were scored in regulation. With QB Ben Roethlisberger serving a four-game suspension, back-up Dennis Dixon performed well enough, throwing for 236 yards and 1 INT. Falcons QB Matt Ryan would perform similarly, throwing for 252 yards and 1 INT, with the INT going to recent insurer of $1 million worth of hair S Troy Polamalu. The two teams will head into overtime tied 9-9. The Falcons would stutter deep in the own territory and punt to the Steelers. One play in, RB Rashard Mendenhall would scamper down the sidelines for the game-winning 50 yard TD run. What a way to end the game.

Chargers 14 at Chiefs 21
The final game of Week 1 was another divisional game. The Chargers, as always the favorite to win the division, hit a stumbling block in Kansas City as the Chiefs hold on to win at home. QB Philip Rivers threw for 2 TDS but it wasn't enough to stop the Chiefs big plays. Even as the Chargers produced more yards and used up more time on the clock, their defense gave up a 56 yard TD run by RB Jamaal Charles and the special teams gave up a 94 yard punt return TD by rookie WR Dexter McCluster. I've always felt the Chargers were overrated, but then again, I am always biased towards Philip Rivers, dating back to his days at N.C. State.

Ravens 10 at Jets 9
In what was perhaps my second favorite match-up of the week, the Ravens narrowly beat the Jets in New York on Monday night. The Jets, if you are familiar with reality TV, had been on a show called Hard Knocks, chronicling one NFL team during the offseason. They had plenty of exposure as a tough and rugged team, led by the foul-mouth coach, Rex Ryan. Given their late run in the playoffs last year, the Jets were (self)anointed the presumed AFC champions this year. There had been a bit of trash-talking the last few days by both teams leading up to Monday night. But ultimately, the two teams who were tops on defense would have to "man up" on gameday. It was to be a defensive and physical struggle, and boy was it nothing but. The entire game was tight as can be with little room for any offense. The Ravens would best the Jets offensively as QB Joe Flacco was able to find newly acquired WR Anquan Boldin many times downfield. Boldin would catch for 110 yards in his debut. Flacco would test the Jets defense (number one last year) downfield and the Jets became the benefactors of many pass interference and defensive holding calls. An unprecedented amount of third down conversions were made by Jets penalties. The Jets offense, on the other hand, was mediocre as second year QB Mark Sanchez threw for a total of 76 yards and had only one pass completed for over 10 yards. Both teams needed this win, but I think the Jets had more at stake since they still have the Patriots to deal with in their division.

Packers 27 at Eagles 20
The era of QB Kevin Kolb in Philadelphia hit a premature hurdle in the first week of the season. He left the first half with a concussion and did not return. Michael Vick would replace him and provided a more than adequate performance as he threw for 175 and 1 TD AND ran for another 103 yards. He definitely showed signs of why he is dangerous as a running QB. However, his effort was not enough as Packers QB Aaron Rodgers led the Pack to three scores, himself throwing 2 TD passes. A top three fantasy pick at QB, Rodgers looked a bit pedestrian in the first half and finished with only 188 yards, the 2 TDs and 2 INTs. For the Pack, they need a bit of refinement on offense if they want to live up to expectations. For the Eagles, at the moment, Coach Andy Reid has stated Kolb will be the starter if healthy. After Sunday's game, how can you not at least give Vick a chance to prove himself?

Cardinals 17 at Rams 13
The St. Louis Rams have had some bad years as of late, and as such, been "rewarded" with high draft picks. This past year, the used the number one draft pick on Oklahoma QB standout Sam Bradford. Immediately, he was anointed the starter. As for his first game, hard to say how good or bad it was. On one hand, he threw up 255 yards on 32 of 55 passing, with 1 TD. He did have three costly INTs, but the way I see it, it was expected. It seemed the gameplan by the Rams was to throw, throw, throw and throw some more; way to be be thrown right into it. The Cards had recently adjusted to a new QB as well. With the dismissal of Matt Leinart, the team belonged to Derek Anderson. Anderson threw for 297 yards and his lone TD was to Pro Bowler WR Larry Fitzgerald. RB Tim Hightower, despite two fumbles, would rush for the other Cardinals TD.

Whoo.....that was a doozy. Realistically, I could write more, but not less. Hope I can keep this up all season. Onward to Week 2 we go!

NFL 2010: Week 1 Recaps!

Part one of the recaps....boy, these take long.

Colts 24 at Texans 34
The Texans were able to beat the Colts for only the second time in 17 tries. Matt Schaub, last year's leader in passing was limited to only 107 yards in the air, with 33 of those going to last year's leader in receiving Andre Johnson. The Texans played a little bit of role reversal and relied exclusively on the run, particularly on the shoulders of second year RB Arian Foster. Foster had a monster day, rushing for 231 yards and 3 TDs. Even with this amount of offense, the Texans defense could not quite contain Peyton Manning as he threw for over 400 yards and 3 TDs. The Texans exorcised their most significant demon as they beat their division rival at home.

Vikings 9 at Saints 14
In a rematch of last year's NFC Championship game, high expectations were set for both teams leading off the NFL Kickoff weekend. Even the return of Favre (as well as all the coverage baggage) could not outshine the storyline of the city of New Orleans and what a Super Bowl win meant to it. Drew Brees and the Saints marched down the field on the first drive with a TD pass to Devery Henderson. However, that was one of only three TDS all night. In what was expected to be a shootout, a low-scoring, defensive battle took place instead, where it appeared both teams played more conservatively, given the closeness of the game. Favre looked his age as because he held his comeback decision so late, appeared out of touch with his team. Brees played well enough, but it seems he played not to lose versus playing to win. Regardless, the Saints got the win.

Browns 14 at Buccaneers 17
Jake Delhomme's now the starter in Cleveland. He was able to throw for 227 yards and a 41 yard TD strike to WR Mohamed Massaquoi, but could not escape the INT bug that plagued him in Carolina, throwing for two picks. RB Peyton Hillis will score the other TD for Cleveland on a 10 yard TD run. Tampa Bay QB Josh Freeman will throw for two TDS of his own, one to rookie WR Mike Williams, and the game winner on a 33 yarder to WR Micheal Spurlock.

Dolphins 15 at Bills 10
Chan Gailey's debut as head coach of Buffalo is spoiled in the loss to Dolphins. Trent Edwards throws his lone TD pass to Roscoe Parrish in the fourth quarter as the Bills' offense sputters to 166 total yards. Rookie C.J. Spiller was insignificant as the Dolphins defense limited the rushing attack to only 50 yards. The Brandon Marshall era started rather quietly for Miami, as he only got 53 yards receiving. Ronnie Brown will score on a 1 yard TD run, the lone TD for the Dolphins.

Bengals 24 at Patriots 38
Late last week, QB Tom Brady signed a contract extension for $72 million for four years, with $48 guaranteed. On Sunday, he proved why he is worth it, as he throws for 3 TDs, two of which went to Wes Welker, the diminutive WR who just came back from a torn ACL last year. He clearly showed no indication that he lost a step or taking it easy. The Patriots defense would hold the Bengals to only 3 points in the first half, and then on the second half kickoff, WR Brandon Tate would take it back to the house for a 97 yard TD return. QB Carson Palmer would connect with WR Chad Ochocinco for a 28 yard TD pass, one of two for the day for Palmer. Unfortunately, it was too little too late as the Bengals would chip into the lead, but never really tested the Patriots defense.

Broncos 17 at Jaguars 24
QB David Garrard had a solid game, throwing for 170 yards and 3 TDs for the Jags. He had help with 98 rushing yards by RB Maurice Jones-Drew and the offense played mistake-free the entire game. The Broncos played solidly as well for the most part. QB Kyle Orton had 295 yards passing with 1 TD and 1 INT. RB Knowshon Moreno had 1 TD run and even rookie QB Tim Tebow made an appearance.

Lions 14 at Bears 19
In another divisional game, the Bears narrowly beat the Lions, with what was the most controversial play/ending of the week. More on that in a bit. QB Jay Cutler for the Bears would have some pretty good stats, throwing for over 370 yards a TD pass, but the offense was plagued with turnovers, including three fumbles lost. The Lions didn't fare any better with two fumbles of their own. What is more detrimental is another injury to their QB Mark Stafford, who left at the end of the first half. Shaun Hill took over and was able to lead the Lions to what would have been a score and lead late in the 4th quarter. The controversial play came on a WR Calvin Johnson TD catch in the end zone with about 30 seconds left. As Johnson came down with the ball, he fell into the endzone, dropped the left hand, but then appeared to have let the ball in his right hand hit the ground, resulting with it popping out. At first I thought that it was a TD, but according the rules, it was not. All the backlash after the game was primarily on not whether the referees made a mistake, as the enforced the rules correctly, but that it was a bad rule to begin with.

Raiders 13 at Titans 38
Titans RB Chris Johnson's goal of breaking the rushing record (2,100+ total yards in a season)started off on the right foot (pun intended) as he rushed for 142 yards and 2 TDs. Last year's rushing leader was helped by QB Vince Young who was effective with 2 TD passes. The Jason Campbell era didn't start as well as the Raiders had hoped. He was rather mediocre with 180 yards passing, 1 TD and 1 INT. Watching some of the highlights, his play sure looked rather the same as he did here in Washington. Nevertheless, he is still an upgrade from JaMarcus Russell.

49ers 6 at Seahawks 31
In what was the most surprising of outcomes to me, the Seahawks under new coach Pete Carroll, rolled right over the 49ers, a team many expected to win the division and contend for the NFC title. Niners QB Alex Smith threw 2 INTS and could not muster any TD drives. His counterpart for the Seahawks, Matt Hasselbeck, had a solid game, throwing for 2 TDs and rushing for another. If they're not careful, the Niners could easily fall quickly in their division. Smith had a poor game, and they could not establish a rushing attack, even with RB Frank Gore. The Seahawks, on the other hand, have lower expectations with the new regime, but could surprise many this year.

Panthers 18 at Giants 31
The New York Giants christened their new stadium with a sloppy win, but a win nevertheless. QB Eli Manning threw for 3 TDs, but also 3 INTs. All 3 TDs went to WR Hakeem Nicks, who caught four balls. RB Ahmad Bradshaw rushes for 76 yards and 1 TD. Panthers QB Matt Moore had 3 INTs of his own and 1 fumble loss. He connected with WR Steve Smith on 19 yard TD pass to end the first half. The Panthers had kept it close for the first half, but could not put up points in the second, less a safety on a blocked punt late in the fourth.

Braves on the Warpath Series: Week 1: We Want Dallas!

"#5 Donovan McNabb is now the leader of the Redskins." Image courtesy of Evan Vucci, AP

Woohoo! The first week is in the bag and the Skins come out with a win, and against the division rival Cowboys. The final score was 13-7, meager for two teams that are pretty heavily vested on the offense. But what lacked in scoring, made up for it in intensity and determination. This was a grueling match of defensive strategy, forcing both star QBs (Donovan McNabb and Tony Romo) to deliver mediocre performances. Romo had the better of his counterpart, throwing for more yards and had one TD pass; his TD pass on the final play of the game was negated by a holding call (more on that later). McNabb played respectably well in his first game as a Redskin, but could not muster up any TD drives. Two field goals by kicker Graham Gano, including a 49 yarder, and a strip-fumble TD recovery by CB DeAngelo Hall were all the Redskins could score. Romo had the lone offensive TD with his 4-yard strike to WR Miles Austin. The Skins only garnered 89 yards rushing, 63 by Clinton Portis, while the Cowboys fared a bit better at 103 yards total. In the end, the W on the column is all that matters and the Skins got theirs.

Here are some quick stats from the game, Skins in Bold.
Team Stats
Total Yards: 250, 380
Passing yards: 161, 277
Rushing yards: 89, 103
Sacks: 1 for 10 yards, 1 for 5 yards
Time of Possession: 25:57, 34:03

Player Stats
McNabb: 15/32, 171 yards
Romo: 31/46, 282 yards, 1 TD

Portis: 18 carries, 63 yards
Barber: 8 carries, 39 yards

Cooley: 6 catches, 80 yards
Moss: 6 catches, 77 yards
Austin: 10 catches, 146 yards, 1 TD
Bryant: 8 catches, 56 yards


"#19 Miles Austin on the lone offensive TD." Image courtesy of Evan Vucci, AP

The Skins under McNabb played with a lot of energy, but you can tell that they need some more time practicing together. Some of the schemes were confusing to others, resulting in the burning of time outs when not needed. McNabb had some great throws, and some poor ones as well. Portis was not as effective given all the hype of a rejuvenated reunion between him and Coach Shanahan. His son, Kyle the offensive coordinator, drew up more passing plays then rushing, but Portis did prove to us why he is one of the best blocking RBs in the league. He saved McNabb from many of the Cowboy defenders. As for the receiving corps, Without a solid number two receiver, McNabb could not establish any rhythm with any one not named Moss or Cooley. The offense sputtered off and on and showed glimpses of big play potential. Again, I think that the team just needs a bit more time together. As the season goes on, assuming everyone stays healthy, the gameplan should get results.

Now, to the end of the game. The Cowboys had sole control of the clock with two time outs under two minutes. Romo led the team down to the red zone with under 20 seconds and I imagine every Skins fan was up in their seats. Before I get to the final play, let's talk briefly about Brian Orakpo. Orakpo, who is my favorite player on the team, played throughout his high school and collegiate career at defensive end but was moved over to the outside linebacker position in the NFL. He's pretty stacked at 6-4, 255 with crazy speed for someone his size so putting him at linebacker isn't that far fetched of an idea. He's still learning to play that position, but with eleven sacks and a Pro Bowl appearance his rookie year, I'll say that he's learning very quickly and well. As for the game last night, he only had 1-1/2 tackles. But his presence was clearly felt throughout to contain Romo. On the final play of the game from the 13 yard line, Orakpo lined up on the left on a blitz package. Basically, he gravitated back to the defensive end position, on the line, right up to the tackle. Orakpo rushed in and was then held at the neck (like a chokehold) by tackle Alex Barron. Romo had just threw a TD pass to an open Roy Williams and the game appeared to be tied. The hold was caught by the referees, the flag was thrown, and since a game can end on an offensive penalty, game over, Skins win. Barron definitely lost the game for the Cowboys on that play. Side note, from footballoutsiders.com, they state that Barron has the most holding penalties from 2005 on....interesting.


"#98 Brian Orakpo held by Alex Barron that costs Dallas the game." Image courtesy of Rob Carr, AP


Next week, the Texans come into town, and I will be present in the stands for it. The Texans are rolling after their division win against the Colts at home, a much needed win for them. They are a team that had last years leaders in passing and receiving in Matt Schaub and Andre Johnson. Yesterday, neither did well at all. However, the running game, which was ranked 30th last year, breathed new life into the offense as 2nd year RB Arian Foster ran for 231 yards and three TDs. I'm a bit weary about how the Skins defense can contain the Texans offense. Committing to either the rush or pass, the Texans can pick you apart. The Skins offense must be able to respond if they are to have any chance. The offense has to score more than field goals. The Texans have a softer defense that allowed for over 400 yards passing by Peyton Manning so McNabb must be able to capitalize on that Texans secondary. Aside from Cooley and Moss, someone else must step up to stretch the offense.