Texans
This secondary is getting worse and worse. Right now, quite literally, they can?t cover anybody downfield. Opposing teams have seen a receiver gain at least 100 yards against Houston five times in six games. And when the defense allows more than 200 rushing yards again, like they did here, those problems in the secondary become magnified. Losing star LB DeMeco Ryans to a season ending injury isn?t going to help matters. Things are just as bad in the red zone, with 16 TD?s allowed on 20 possessions. The Texans ability to rally back and win this game, scoring four TD?s on their last four possessions, is truly a testament to their mental toughness as they head into their bye week. I love the offensive play calling here ? this team takes shots and executes extraordinarily well.
Broncos
This is a banged up football team right now. Their secondary is ravaged with injuries as is their running back corps and their offensive line. But we saw an inspired effort from their front seven on D, stuffing the Jets running game for extended stretches.
For the first time all season, the Broncos ran the football as much as they threw it. While the running game didn?t produce big gains in bunches, it gave the offense much needed balance on a day when Kyle Orton struggled to find open receivers. Out-gained by nearly 200 yards on the ground in Baltimore last week, head coach and offensive play caller Josh McDaniels made sure that didn?t happen again. Tim Tebow worked his way into the offense this week, scoring his first NFL TD and making Denver a much tougher team to stop in the red zone. They ran plays for Tebow behind center, and they lined him up in the backfield as a running back behind Orton. Lo and behold, they didn?t settle for a single red zone field goal try this week, while pounding in a pair of TD?s.
Browns
Rookie cornerback Joe Haden (7th overall pick) is paying dividends, with a wild 60 yard interception return that clearly showed his playmaking ability. There?s no question that this secondary has improved from where they were last year. They had one bad drive today, allowing a couple of long passes and a Steelers TD, but that was the exception, not the rule. Colt McCoy got several of his receivers absolutely crushed by defensive hits; leaving them exposed with poor throws into coverage. He did get better as the game progressed; not always the case with a young QB taking his first NFL beating. McCoy made some really nice plays on the Browns fourth quarter TD drive, including a scramble/end zone strike for six. On the next drive, they even let him throw on first down out of the end zone! Punter Reggie Hodges had a career day, downing four punts inside the ten yard line.
had a career day, downing four punts inside the ten yard line.
Chiefs
K.C. got to the line of scrimmage very quickly, going uptempo, something we hadn?t seen from this Chiefs offense before. Last week, they opened with a surprise onside kick, this week they came out in no-huddle ? there?s no question that Todd Haley isn?t afraid to take chances and try something new. And, for the second straight week, they went for it on fourth and short on their first drive, deep in their opponents? territory, unwilling to settle for a field goal in a game where they would need touchdowns to win. This team has the pieces to be successful offensively; and their efficiency improved once they started relying heavily on the run, grinding out first downs on the ground. But their fourth quarter defensive collapse was downright ugly ? K.C. showed that they are not ready to take that step up to ?contender? just yet.
Dolphins
Chad Henne is another young QB showing clear signs of improvement while WR Brandon Marshall is certainly helping his quarterback look good. With the beef of their backs ? both Ronnie Brown and Ricky Williams are listed at 230 pounds ? opposing defenses are forced to keep at least seven in the box, leaving plenty of opportunities downfield for the passing game. After the win here, the Dolphins are now 17-5 SU when that duo combines for 100 rushing yards. Henne looked very tentative early in the season, and the Dolphins braintrust didn?t seem to trust him enough to stretch the field. That no longer seems to be the case. He?s throwing strikes! But in the red zone, with the game tied, coordinator Dan Henning?s play calling ? a simple run on third and nine, setting for a field goal ? indicated that they still don?t trust Henne 100%. I?m quite impressed with slot receiver Devone Bess, the little guy who makes big third down and end zone catches every week. Cameron Wake had another amazing game rushing the passer today; single-handedly affecting the entire flow of the Packers offensive gameplan.
Patriots
No Randy Moss ? no big deal. Sure, Tom Brady didn?t throw many deep balls today, without a single completion longer than 30 yards. But New England certainly didn?t lack offensive weapons. Deion Branch was a difference maker, Aaron Hernandez made a handful of great catches and Wes Welker was his usual self. But it sure seemed like Brady took a lot of hits, holding the ball too long while waiting for his receivers to break free. The Pats are blitzing a lot, trying to generate a pass rush, but when they don?t reach the QB, their cornerbacks are struggling to maintain coverage. However they did an excellent job containing the run, a far cry from what this run defense looked like at the start of the season. It?s Week 6, and Bill Belichick just threw his first challenge flag of the season. Then he threw another one. And he won them both. That?s Belichick for ya!
Raiders
Oakland entered the game with three 100 yard rushing games from backs McFadden and Bush already this season, more than they had all of last year. But the run game was stifled, with the exception of Louis Murphy?s 40 yard dash on a well executed reverse. Michael Bush didn?t have a run longer than five yards with his 20 carries. QB Jason Campbell won the game against San Diego last week throwing nothing but dinks and dunks, and the Raiders had two extended scoring drives on their first two possessions using that same strategy. Campbell did an excellent job of evading pressure with his legs today, repeatedly creating time by scrambling around in the pocket, but he had absolutely no chemistry with his receiving corps in an ugly offensive performance. We don?t talk about punter Shane Lechler enough; a key factor in the Raiders ability to win the field position battle. Oakland was pinned deep on several occasions; every time, Lechler flipped the field with 50+ yard punts.
This secondary is getting worse and worse. Right now, quite literally, they can?t cover anybody downfield. Opposing teams have seen a receiver gain at least 100 yards against Houston five times in six games. And when the defense allows more than 200 rushing yards again, like they did here, those problems in the secondary become magnified. Losing star LB DeMeco Ryans to a season ending injury isn?t going to help matters. Things are just as bad in the red zone, with 16 TD?s allowed on 20 possessions. The Texans ability to rally back and win this game, scoring four TD?s on their last four possessions, is truly a testament to their mental toughness as they head into their bye week. I love the offensive play calling here ? this team takes shots and executes extraordinarily well.
Broncos
This is a banged up football team right now. Their secondary is ravaged with injuries as is their running back corps and their offensive line. But we saw an inspired effort from their front seven on D, stuffing the Jets running game for extended stretches.
For the first time all season, the Broncos ran the football as much as they threw it. While the running game didn?t produce big gains in bunches, it gave the offense much needed balance on a day when Kyle Orton struggled to find open receivers. Out-gained by nearly 200 yards on the ground in Baltimore last week, head coach and offensive play caller Josh McDaniels made sure that didn?t happen again. Tim Tebow worked his way into the offense this week, scoring his first NFL TD and making Denver a much tougher team to stop in the red zone. They ran plays for Tebow behind center, and they lined him up in the backfield as a running back behind Orton. Lo and behold, they didn?t settle for a single red zone field goal try this week, while pounding in a pair of TD?s.
Browns
Rookie cornerback Joe Haden (7th overall pick) is paying dividends, with a wild 60 yard interception return that clearly showed his playmaking ability. There?s no question that this secondary has improved from where they were last year. They had one bad drive today, allowing a couple of long passes and a Steelers TD, but that was the exception, not the rule. Colt McCoy got several of his receivers absolutely crushed by defensive hits; leaving them exposed with poor throws into coverage. He did get better as the game progressed; not always the case with a young QB taking his first NFL beating. McCoy made some really nice plays on the Browns fourth quarter TD drive, including a scramble/end zone strike for six. On the next drive, they even let him throw on first down out of the end zone! Punter Reggie Hodges had a career day, downing four punts inside the ten yard line.
had a career day, downing four punts inside the ten yard line.
Chiefs
K.C. got to the line of scrimmage very quickly, going uptempo, something we hadn?t seen from this Chiefs offense before. Last week, they opened with a surprise onside kick, this week they came out in no-huddle ? there?s no question that Todd Haley isn?t afraid to take chances and try something new. And, for the second straight week, they went for it on fourth and short on their first drive, deep in their opponents? territory, unwilling to settle for a field goal in a game where they would need touchdowns to win. This team has the pieces to be successful offensively; and their efficiency improved once they started relying heavily on the run, grinding out first downs on the ground. But their fourth quarter defensive collapse was downright ugly ? K.C. showed that they are not ready to take that step up to ?contender? just yet.
Dolphins
Chad Henne is another young QB showing clear signs of improvement while WR Brandon Marshall is certainly helping his quarterback look good. With the beef of their backs ? both Ronnie Brown and Ricky Williams are listed at 230 pounds ? opposing defenses are forced to keep at least seven in the box, leaving plenty of opportunities downfield for the passing game. After the win here, the Dolphins are now 17-5 SU when that duo combines for 100 rushing yards. Henne looked very tentative early in the season, and the Dolphins braintrust didn?t seem to trust him enough to stretch the field. That no longer seems to be the case. He?s throwing strikes! But in the red zone, with the game tied, coordinator Dan Henning?s play calling ? a simple run on third and nine, setting for a field goal ? indicated that they still don?t trust Henne 100%. I?m quite impressed with slot receiver Devone Bess, the little guy who makes big third down and end zone catches every week. Cameron Wake had another amazing game rushing the passer today; single-handedly affecting the entire flow of the Packers offensive gameplan.
Patriots
No Randy Moss ? no big deal. Sure, Tom Brady didn?t throw many deep balls today, without a single completion longer than 30 yards. But New England certainly didn?t lack offensive weapons. Deion Branch was a difference maker, Aaron Hernandez made a handful of great catches and Wes Welker was his usual self. But it sure seemed like Brady took a lot of hits, holding the ball too long while waiting for his receivers to break free. The Pats are blitzing a lot, trying to generate a pass rush, but when they don?t reach the QB, their cornerbacks are struggling to maintain coverage. However they did an excellent job containing the run, a far cry from what this run defense looked like at the start of the season. It?s Week 6, and Bill Belichick just threw his first challenge flag of the season. Then he threw another one. And he won them both. That?s Belichick for ya!
Raiders
Oakland entered the game with three 100 yard rushing games from backs McFadden and Bush already this season, more than they had all of last year. But the run game was stifled, with the exception of Louis Murphy?s 40 yard dash on a well executed reverse. Michael Bush didn?t have a run longer than five yards with his 20 carries. QB Jason Campbell won the game against San Diego last week throwing nothing but dinks and dunks, and the Raiders had two extended scoring drives on their first two possessions using that same strategy. Campbell did an excellent job of evading pressure with his legs today, repeatedly creating time by scrambling around in the pocket, but he had absolutely no chemistry with his receiving corps in an ugly offensive performance. We don?t talk about punter Shane Lechler enough; a key factor in the Raiders ability to win the field position battle. Oakland was pinned deep on several occasions; every time, Lechler flipped the field with 50+ yard punts.
