NFL Week 11: Patriots Revenge, the Oakland Fly Trap Eats Again, and More…

By: dwil

Oakland (3-7) 20, Cincinnati (7-3) 17. Sunday showed the Bengals immaturity. After jumping out to a quick 14-0 lead, too many Bengals players took the reset of the game off thinking the Raiders would pack it in; some appeared mot to show up at all Sunday. What makes this effort even worse is that Cinci head coach Marvin Lewis warned his team all week that this is would be a dangerous game unless they took Oakland seriously. But like the teams that play on Saturdays, they believe the good press they receive from a big win the week previous. And for that immaturity, Cincinnati is back to square one.

And it takes the Oakland to win by only three when handed four turnovers.

Kansas City (3-7) 27, Pittsburgh (6-4) 24 (OT). Mike Tomlin took the blame for his team’s shoddy play in KC. There will be many shoe prints seen on the backsides of Steelers players from Tuesday to Friday. Matt Cassell (15-30, 248, 2 TDs) isn’t half bad for being a high school QB and Pete Carroll’s personal cheerleader for recently-famous USC QBs.

Indianapolis (10-0) 17 Baltimore (5-5) 15. In the third quarter Ravens kicker Billy Cundiff missed a 30-yard field goal that would have won the game for Baltimore. And in crunch time deep in Colts territory Joe Flacco swallowed hard and gagged when he eyed running back Ray Rice without glancing left. Indy linebacker Gary Brackett followed Flacco’s eyes into the path of Flacco’s pass to Rice, making a game-saving interception. Flacco’s boring down of Rice in that key situation and Brackett’s awareness of this had to be a key head coach and defensive coordinator guru Jim Caldwell had to have passed on to his linebackers and defensive backs during the week.

The one constant of the Colts from Tony Dungy’s years as head coach through to Sunday, and the one thing that separates them from every other team right now is an obsessive, collective understanding of the concept of “attention to detail.”

One matter from the game Sunday, on the play that led to Flacco throwing the game-sealing interception the officials, collectively missed an obvious illegal motion penalty by Ravens left tackle Jared Gaither. A full beat before the snap Gaither began to pull out of his stance. The side judge never flinched; and was never asked about his gaffe after the game. Had the call been made, chances are Flacco does not throw the interception, the Ravenc convert a short field goal attempt and Peyton Manning is forced to drive the Colts into field goal position against an, unlike the Patriots defense last week, not-tired Baltimore defense that, so far in the game, had surrendered only 17 points.

Green Bay (6-4) 30 San Francisco (4-6) 24.  Aaron Rodgers (32-45, 344, 2 TDs) played yet another incredible game. The Packers QB is the most under-appreciated player – at least by the press – in the NFL. Niners head coach Mike Singletary is going to have to open up his offense and allow QB Alex Smith to sling the ball around the yard more. Even if it means missing the playoffs this season because Sunday showed that there are more similarities between Smith and Rodgers than there are differences.

Jacksonville (6-4) 18, Buffalo (3-7) 15. Terrell Owens isn’t as slow as the haters in the press make him out to be as evidenced by his 98-yard catch-and-run with a Ryan Fitzpatrick pass. Too bad the rest of the Bills don’t possess Owens’ talent. The Jaguars squeak out of a victory was a Jack Del Rio special; keep the game close enough to cause heart palpitations, make just enough plays to walk away winners. “The Del Ro’s” teams win just enough for him to keep his J-O-B but never enough to go very far. This season’s version of the Jaguars is no different.

New York Giants (6-4) 34, Atlanta (5-5) 31 OT. Eli had a Peyton-like 25-39, 384, 3 TDs, 1 INT Sunday against the flagging Falcons. After the game Giants head coach Tom Coughlin said during his team’s four-game skid life in and around the Giants facilities had been miserable. Maybe the sun will shine Monday over the NYC skyline.

Meantime, the Atlanta “Matty Ice” Falcons miss injured running back Michael Turner already. Though reserve Jason Snelling (25 carries, 76 yards) filled in admirably for Turner, he lacks the “Burner’s” burst and power. Had Turner been in the lineup he would have gashed the Giants for  somewhere between 125 and 150 yards on the same rushing attempts Snelling had Sunday; the difference between the two is that stark. The Falcons, though, can still right their ship. Of their remaining six games they have three difficult teams left on their schedule and two of those games Philadelphia and New Orleans are at home. Atlanta plays the New York Jets in Week 15, and Rex Ryan’s crew will undoubtedly be fighting for their lives at that point. If they can win two of those games and win out against lesser opponents, Tampa Bay (twice) and Buffalo, they could well be playoff bound.

For New York, defensive back Aaron Ross, a key secondary player for the Giants made his first appearance of the year coming off a severe hamstring injury.

New Orleans (10-0) 38 Tampa Bay (1-9) 7. And this is supposed to be a division rivalry game? It speaks to the world of punitry that a few NFL  ”experts” had the nerve to pick the Bucs to upset the Saints.

Minnesota (9-1) 35, Seattle (3-7) 9. It speaks to my alleged expertise that I thought the Seahawks actually had a chance to be a playoff team this season!

Detroit (2-8) 38 Cleveland (1-9) 37. Two of the three worst teams in the NFL combined for  a 75-point shoot out that wasn’t decided until the final seconds of the game. Brady Quinn solidified his role as the present and future starter of the Cleveland Browns, while Matthew Stafford actually snuck back into the game to commandeer the Lions to their final score. This game was much less about the present and much more about the future.

Dallas (7-3) 7, Washington (3-7) 6. Free Jim Zorn —– of his position of head coach of the Redskins. And free Vinnie Cerrato, too. On Dallas’ side of the ledger, offensive coordinator Jason Garrett just presided over 117 minutes and 19 seconds of play-calling that rendered exactly zero points for Tony Romo and the Cowboys. Something had to give sunday, and, as usual, it was Washington that gave. Field goal kicker Shaun Suisham, was a perfect 12-12 coming into the Dallas game. He left Dallas 14-16 with the distinction of being somewhat of the game’s goat when he missed a 39-yard field goal attempt just before the half and a 50-yard attempt in the fourth quarter, just before the Cowboys embarked on their game-winning drive.

Still, the win cannot mask the fact that something is missing from the Dallas attack. After their Thanksgiving Day game at home against Oakland, Dallas must play at New York, San Diego, and at New Orleans. The Eagles then play at Washington before finishing the regular season as they did last against Philadelphia. Presuming wins over the Raiders and Redskins, Garrett is charged with the chore of finding enough offense to split the four remaining games if the Cowboys are to either win their division or slip into the payoffs as a wild-card team. From the look of things, it’s not going to be easy.

Arizona (7-3) 21, St. Louis (1-9) 13. Arizona’s win, coupled with San Francisco’s loss Sunday gives the Cardinals a nearly-insurmountable three-game lead in the NFC West. And the Rams? It is sad to watch Stephen Jackson waste good years of his running back career with St. Louis.

San Diego (7-3) 32, Denver (6-4) 3. The Broncos are what everyone said they are! Well, not the 3-13 Broncos, but maybe a tail-spinning 8-8 Denver Broncos team. San Diego? They are the best of the AFC West.

New England (7-3) 31, New York Jets (4-6) 13.  Oh no they di’in’t! Oh yes they did. The New England Patriots invited the Jets up to their crib and then ————— took their manhood. The Pats made Mark Sanchez (8-21, 136 1 TD, 4 INTs including a pick-six), aka, “Golden Boy,” just boy. Once big roller Rex Ryan and his hood-talkin’ defense -off to a 3-0 start this season – got rolled by the Hooded Master, Bill Belichick and his no-name crew. And Tom Brady (28-41, 320, 1 TD), Wes Welker (15 catches, 192 yards – Brady threw to him 17 times), and Randy Moss let the entire Jets organization know what it’s like to possess true superstars at a team’s core —– and the damage they can do to the opposition.

The final score wasn’t indicative of the ass-kicking the Jets took Sunday. But what remains to be seen is whether or not there will be a lingering effect from the game that will cast a pall over what, for the Jets, began as a season of promise.

Sunday Night

Philadelphia (6-4) 24 Chicago (4-6) 20. Jay Cutler found another unique way to lose a game, making the Chicago Bears courting of the quarterback look like the worst mistake the league has seen this season. Donovan McNabb fought through yet another game without a rushing attack to keep Andy Reid looking like a better head coach than, perhaps, he is.

Monday Night

Tennessee (3-6) at Houston (5-4). The Vince Young comeback tour lands back in his home state of Texas where is he is primed to remind the Lone Star State faithful what they are missing in H-town and at the same time drag his once 0-6 Tennessee Titans one step closer to the biggest in-season turnaround in NFL history. If the Titans can beat the Texans they then get a beatable Arizona Cardinals team at home. That would set up Tennessee at Indianapolis to get the Titans to even for the season and to stop the Colts’ 21-game regular-season winning streak and dream of an undefeated 2009 campaign.

But first, Houston. Stop Andre Johnson, stop the running game, and Houston is done.

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Oh, and Thursday the dreaded Miami Dolphins, the single-wing-like bane of an NFL that sells strong-jawed quarterbacks, diva wideouts, and tight ends that reflect the racial makeup of America, beat Carolina into dreams of next season, 25-17, in Charlotte. Ricky Williams continues to be the league’s best acting proponent for taking two years off, doing the puff-puff ——- puff, puff get your kush on in lands somewhere between the Himalayas and the Outback (or in both), finding your center through hatha to raja to kundalini yoga, only to come to understand you miss the violent pleasure of slamming your 230-pound body into and through a defensive back on your way to the end zone where, when the crowd of 80,000 erupts, you suddenly realize this deafening noise and the money you make for making that crowd cheer is as big a thrill as any act in the world.

Bill Parcells has always been a renegade in a Jesuit priest sort of way. The wildcat, Ricky-cat, Albacore-cat, or whatever it is must be Parcells’ way of saying thank you and screw you to the league all at once.

For the Panthers, Jake Delhomme looks like a pitcher that can no longer find the strike zone. Only problem is. there are no minor leagues in the NFL for Jake to go to so he can learn a new position and make an HGH and Nandrolone-fed triumphant return to the big team as, say, the best blocking fullback in the NFL.

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