Where's the Outrage?

Did you see the Thursday night game? The Chicago Bears versus San Francisco 49ers. That was bad football. I’m not sure whether that was the NFL at its worst, but it sure wasn’t the NFL at its best. The funny thing about that game is that I think everyone who would want to watch that game knew that Jay Cutler was going to throw an interception on the last drive. It was a given.

I’m just gonna talk about a few of the games this week.

The New England Patriots versus the Indianapolis Colts. This is the marquee matchup of the week. ESPN and the NFL Network have been hyping this game since Sunday night. There are two fabulous quarterbacks playing very well. In listing top five quarterbacks in the NFL, almost anyone would put both of these quarterbacks on that list. After listing the top receivers in the league, you have to include Reggie Wayne for the Indianapolis Colts and Randy Moss for the Patriots. Both teams have anemic rushing attacks. Wes Welker catches everything in his area. He runs fabulous routes. On the other side of the ball there’s Dallas Clark. The defensive side of the ball is a little up in the air for both the Patriots and Colts. The Patriots have lost several pro bowlers. The Indianapolis Colts are playing their best, but don’t break defense in the league. Their defense allows fewer points than any other defense in the league. Both defenses like to create turnovers. Although I really don’t like the New England Patriots, I just don’t think the defense of the Indianapolis Colts will hold up to the onslaught that Tom Brady is about to unleash on them. The only way for the Colts to win, in my opinion, will be to get a couple of easy turnovers early in the game. Tom Brady tends to hold onto the ball as his receivers work their way down the field and this opens up an opportunity for the fabulous defensive ends (Robert Mathis and Dwight Freeney). If they are able to pressure Brady, as they did in 2006, the Colts could be victorious. I just hope this game lives up to half of its hype.

The Dallas Cowboys versus the Green Bay Packers. The Dallas Cowboys were enjoying their first four-game winning streak since 2007. As I go back and look at the Philadelphia tape, I continue to be impressed that the Cowboys did not fold on a number of occasions. I am not impressed about all of these statistics about Tony Romo and November. Who cares about November? If you are a football fan you know it is important what you do in December and January. That’s what I need to see from Tony Romo before I jump on the bandwagon. Will he limit his turnovers in December and January? Will Miles Austin continue to be a go-to receiver? I need to give a high five to the running backs. They have done a magnificent job of picking up the blitz and giving Romo an extra second or two to find a receiver. The Dallas secondary has been playing very well, too, but they will be tested against Green Bay. Outside of New England and Indianapolis, the Green Bay Packers have the best corps of receivers in the league. Their problem is that their offensive line has been atrocious. They’ve given up a league-leading 36 sacks. Yet, in spite of this, Aaron Rodgers has been playing very well. He has continued to push the ball down the field. I look for the Packers to run some screens and draws to slow down the Dallas pass rush. Look for a double move against Michael Jenkins is in playing very well but he’s a second-year corner. If I had the ear of Dallas head coach, Wade Phillips, I would tell them that this is a trap game. This is a game that the Dallas Cowboys should win, easily. I would pull out some tape of the Dallas Cowboys versus the completely hapless Kansas City Chiefs from four weeks ago. The Cowboys had to go to overtime in order to beat the Chiefs! Dallas has to take care of business if they want to play for anything meaningful in late December. I truly look for the Cowboys to come out and get on top early. I look for the Packers to make a late charge to keep the game close. The Cowboys must take care of the football in order to win this game. (More of this match up here.)

The Philadelphia Eagles versus the San Diego Chargers. Now this should be an excellent football game. These teams are almost mirror images of each other. Solid defense. Both teams have offenses which have played extremely well, but they have also played some very pedestrian football. I look for the San Diego Chargers to really try and establish the run, again. If they’re able to pound the ball against Philadelphia, this will open a play action pass which Philip Rivers is very good at. The Eagles are in for a long day if they’re unable to stop the run. Unfortunately for the Chargers, they really have not been able to run against anybody terribly effectively. The same holds true for the Philadelphia Eagles. It is imperative for Donovan McNabb to get off to a good start. This will be Brian Westbrook’s first game back since his concussion. He’s an extremely dynamic player and Philadelphia need him healthy if they have any plans of going deep into the playoffs. In my opinion, both teams suffer from problems in their offensive and defensive lines. They just don’t seem to be a solid upfront as they used to be. I look for the Eagles to bounce back and win big against the Chargers.

Finally, the Cincinnati Bengals versus the Pittsburgh Steelers. It seems that every week I ask the question, are the Cincinnati Bengals for real? They have now beaten the Baltimore Ravens twice. Cedric Benson is running the ball like Chicago hoped he would. Carson Palmer is as good as any quarterback in the league.. if he has time. If the Bengals are able to pound the ball, then that opens up the play action pass, which Carson Palmer will use to perfection to dissect the Pittsburgh Steeler defense. I look for the Pittsburgh Steelers to continue their winning ways. Ben Roethlisberger will continue to find his receivers. Look for turnovers to decide this game. By the way, did Chad really, formally have his name changed to Ochocinco? Why? (In spite of that craziness, he is playing some outstanding football.)

The rest of the games — Atlanta will continue to roll. The Carolina Panthers will continue to scratch their heads. Can somebody find Miami a real quarterback? That’s all they need. Miami should find a way to beat Tampa Bay. Unless Brett Favre throws four or five interceptions, the Vikings are way too much for the Lions. This game should be over by halftime. I have no idea who’s going to win in the Jacksonville versus New York Jets game. All I can tell you is that Maurice Jones Drew is running the ball hard. The New Orleans Saints should destroy the St. Louis Rams. If Drew Brees sees more than one series in the second half, I will be surprised. This is a trap game for the New Orleans Saints. Let’s see how they respond. Buffalo and Tennessee should be called due to lack of interest. What happened to the Denver Broncos? Two weeks ago their undefeated then they lay to goose eggs. Just terrible performances by Kyle Orton. If the Denver Broncos believe that they belong in the playoffs, they have to beat the Washington Redskins. Back in the 1970s, ABC Sports had this type of the skier who fell off of the ski lift as he was getting ready to jump and he was labeled the “agony of defeat.” That label brings me to Kansas City versus the Oakland Raiders. Both teams need to start over from scratch. In a way, the NFL is not fair. The Arizona Cardinals are benefiting from being in an absolutely abysmal division. The Cardinals are allowed to use four or five games to find themselves. Look for them to be back in stride against the Seattle Seahawks. I think they will try and get the running game on track. Look for the Cardinals to dominate. Finally, the Baltimore Ravens will have an opportunity on Monday Night Football to absolutely destroy the Cleveland Browns. The Ravens have a talented offense. The Cleveland Browns have Joshua Cribbs.

Let me know what you think.

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