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Five Observations:
1. The Buffalo Bills coaching staff is possibly the worst in the NFL at making in-game adjustments. In the past four weeks the Bills have started with the football after the opening kickoff and have compiled touchdown drives of 60, 63, 82 and 75 yards and then found themselves in an offensive rut shortly after the opposing team makes some adjustments. Against New Orleans in week four, the Bills did not score again. In weeks five and six, after their opening drive it looked like Buffalo had two blowouts on their hands yet both the Dolphins and Jets were within one score late in the fourth quarter. As for last week’s contest against the Raiders, after their opening touchdown the Bills were unable to find the end zone again until the fourth quarter. Well, at least the coaching staff does a good job of preparing to find initial weaknesses.
2. Were you one of the many who laughed at the Detroit Lions for drafting another wide receiver in the first-round of the 2005 NFL draft? Last week rookie Mike Williams was virtually the only healthy receiver the Lions had available. Charles Rogers is still serving his four-game suspension, Roy Williams is battling a quadriceps injury, Kevin Johnson has a torn ACL and is done for the year and Eddie Drummond is slowed with a knee injury. Now that Mike Williams pick isn’t looking so bad now is it?
3. To echo the sentiments of Titans head coach Jeff Fisher, the Oakland Raiders are probably one of the better 2-4 teams we have seen in a while. Just look at how difficult their schedule has been so far: @New England (when they were healthy), Kansas City, @Philadelphia, Dallas, San Diego and Buffalo. Every single one of those teams is a post-season candidate and aside from Buffalo, the Raiders have not had an easy opponent. This week they are in Tennessee but it doesn’t get any easier after that with Kansas City, Denver and Washington on tap in the weeks to follow.
4. How bad is the Philadelphia Eagles running game? Put it this way, the Arizona Cardinals, whose quarterbacks and wide receivers account for nearly 40% of the team’s 31st-ranked total of 427 rushing yards, are averaging 13.7 more yards per game on the ground than the Eagles. Philly also ranks last in attempts per game and first downs by rushing which is a big red flag. Until this changes the Eagles will not be able to take control of any game and run the clock. Is Andy Reid related to Mike Martz?
5. With the Eagles really dropping down in the NFL food chain, the NFC is wide open for contention. Tampa Bay appeared to be the best unit until quarterback Brian Griese was lost for the year and Dallas was also up there but their image took a hit last week after giving up another late lead, this time in Seattle. Does that mean that the winner of the Giants and Redskins game is the top contender in the NFC? Seattle is growing but the jury is still out on them while the Falcons still can’t pass or play defense. Even the Chicago Bears have to be considered a hazard because they have the best defense in the NFC. Gotta love the parity.
Four Picks:
Jacksonville Jaguars @ St. Louis Rams
Talk about a complete mismatch. The Jaguars defense does not give up many big plays to begin with and now with Marc Bulger, Torry Holt and Isaac Bruce all likely to be out, the Rams will struggle moving the football. They will look to Steven Jackson, who runs more inside the tackles than outside, but he will get acquainted with Marcus Stroud and John Henderson, two of the best defensive tackles in the game. Offensively, the Jags will have a healthy Fred Taylor and although pass-protection is typically a week-to-week concern, the Rams best defensive lineman, Leonard Little, is expected to miss the game.
Jaguars -3
Chicago Bears @ Detroit Lions
Last time these two teams met Bears RB Thomas Jones used the Lions defense as a treadmill, racking up 139 yards on the ground. This week, the Lions defense is without its best playmaker in the secondary, Dre’ Bly, and likely without their Pro Bowl run-stuffer, Shaun Rogers. On offense, the Lions may get Roy Williams back but even if he does play, he and fellow wideout Mike Williams are both hampered by injuries that will keep them from full strength. The Bears are healthier, they have the better defense and they have the better coach.
Bears +3
Green Bay Packers @ Cincinnati Bengals
How many injuries can the Packers take? This week Antonio Chatman steps into the starting lineup for an injured Robert Ferguson but aside from Chatman and Donald Driver, the Packers have some very untested wide receivers. Running back will also be a concern without Ahman Green and Najeh Davenport. Even third-stringer Tony Fisher had eye surgery this week which will limit him somewhat on Sunday. Without a running game, the Packers won’t be able to take control of this game at any point. That shouldn’t really matter as the Bengals should be playing with a lead most of this game as their offense should cause a number of problems for the Packers pass defense.
Bengals -7
Buffalo Bills @ New England Patriots
Although the Pats do have as many as 12 players listed as questionable, considering Bill Belichick doesn’t like to disclose too much information about injuries, I’ll make the leap of faith to say that this team is healthier than they are letting on, especially since they are coming off of a bye week. If Tedy Bruschi is back, the Patriots will be able to play more 3-4 defense which should confuse Bills quarterback Kelly Holcomb. Defensively, the Bills simply can not stop the run which should be exploited by the Patriots since they have had an extra week to prepare.
Patriots -9.5
Three E-mails:
Send ‘em if you got ‘em to dgolokhov@hotmail.com
Dave,
Can you believe the Seattle Seahawks and the Philadelphia Eagles? Celebrating like that after a regular season victory? Tell them the Super Bowl is in January.
From,
The Minnesota Vikings
-Sammy
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Dear Mike Martz,
We too were blocked from calling in plays from home.
Dave Wannstedt, Butch Davis, Bill Calahan
-Jay A. from St. Louis
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Dear Jake Plummer,
You may think that you can hide from me but I’m going to get you sooner or later.
The Mistake Prone Jake Plummer
-C.J. in Richmond Hill
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Two Games to Watch:
Cleveland Browns @ Houston Texans
This is Houston’s last chance before week 15 (Arizona) to end their winless streak.
Kansas City Chiefs @ San Diego Chargers
If you like points, watch.
Golokhov Power Ranking:
The rating for each team combines: strength of schedule, offensive and defensive productiveness, turnover ratio and special teams all relative to the rest of the league’s performance. Official statistics that are used to calculate the ratings are provided by NFL.com.
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