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The Bengals were threatening to pull off a major upset of the Cowboys, down by less than a score. They had just recovered a surprise on-sides kick and had the Cowboys back on their heels. Then Chris Perry decided he'd carry the ball like it was made of paper, and promptly fumbled it away, killing the Bengals momentum. A few plays later, Romo hit Terrell Owens for a TD that broke the Bengals back. Perry has now killed his team several weeks in a row with fumbles at the worst possible moment.
Uh oh! If I were the following teams, I'd be really worried right now: Green Bay is 2-3 and has a pretty tough schedule for the rest of the year. This team could be a .500 team if they aren't careful. Dallas has looked shaky the past few weeks, particularly on defense. Indianapolis and San Diego both have major issues as well. And Jacksonville can't seem to finish a game, or really get their run game going on a regular basis.
Studs of the week. Clinton Portis was a beast running all over the Eagles for 145 yards and TD. I also loved the way that Chad Pennington (22/29, 1 TD, 228 yds, 0 INT) and Matt Ryan (16/26, 2 TD, 196 yds, 1 INT) played. Their numbers weren't sexy, but they did a great job making the throws when it mattered. Brandon Jacobs steamrolled the Seahawks for 136 yards and 2 TDs. And lastly, DeAngelo Williams had a huge week with 123 yards rushing, 2 TDs, and another TD receiving. I was going to put Kyle Orton (24/34, 334 yds, 2 TD, 0 INT) on the list, but you don't get points for stealing candy from babies, nor do you get points for building stats against the woeful Detroit Lions.
Teams I like this week. Think about this: if the Dolphins convert that last throw against the Jets in week 1, they would have been 3-1 to start the season. Bill Parcells and Tony Sparano have done a great job changing the attitude of that team into a group of players who believe they can win. It's not just the trick plays, with the direct snap to Ronnie Brown. It's evident in the way the defense has come alive the last two weeks (led by loud mouth Joey Porter, who is writing the book on how to put your money where your mouth is), the way that Chad Pennington has become the steady leader on offense. Again, this team may not be much better than .500 on the year, but they will need to be taken seriously as an opponent. I also like the Redskins, who are finished with all their divisional road games for the season and have the Browns, Rams and Lions coming up. This is a team that should be 7-1 at the halfway mark. Scary. Speaking of scary, don't look now, but the Titans are 5-0 and looking like a nasty team you don't want to get in front of. Lastly, I like the Giants, who have quietly been steam rolling their opponents. I won't be completely sold till they play the Steelers in week 8 though.
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2 comments:
I think the real problem with the Bills is their offensive line. The defense will occasionally have an off day (Arizona), but their offensive line especially in the running game has been horrendous in all 5 games. Aside from Peters, they are all average to mediocre, and even he is playing at that level now.
yeah, perhaps taking all of training camp off wasn't the smartest thing for Jason Peters to do. I will never understand these idiots who deprive themselves of valuable pre-season prep time.