This week: AFC Tidbits from Week 8
Baltimore Ravens
Why are the Baltimore Ravens being ranked in the Top 5 in many NFL Power Ratings? I?m not seeing a Super Bowl contender here, on either side of the football. Joe Flacco doesn?t seem have much chemistry with his receivers. The offensive line isn?t giving Flacco time to throw downfield and the wide receivers are basically non-factors.
Anquan Boldin had a huge second half against his former team Arizona, but his big games have been the exception and not the rule. Defensively the pass rush is strong, but I?ve still got all kinds of questions about the Baltimore Ravens ability to cover receivers downfield when they don?t get to the opposing QB.
Why on earth is an aging plodder like Ricky Williams taking carries from Ray Rice? Why is this team so sloppy? Yes, the Baltimore Ravens rallied from down three touchdowns, but questions persist.
Buffalo Bills
The offense keeps getting better. The Bills are the 2011 shocker that isn?t coming back to earth. QB Ryan Fitzpatrick was a tired retread who didn?t cut the mustard for a bad Bengals team. Fred Jackson was undrafted out of college. This offensive line was bottom five on paper. Head coach Chan Gailey was another tired retread, as was assistant Dave Wannstedt.
Luck has certainly been a factor ? the Buffalo Bills had been the only NFL team not to lose a fumble (the streak ended against Washington). The no-name receiving corps is really stepping up, whether it?s Namaan Roosevelt, Stevie Johnson, David Nelson or tight end Scott Chandler, who caught a pair of TD?s here.
The Buffalo Bills are tough to get off the field on third downs, even third and longs. I didn?t think this defense was capable of pitching a shutout, but nine sacks (they had five all year) go a long way towards accomplishing that feat. If this ?D? can play like this weekly basis, the sky is the limit.
Denver Broncos
Tim Tebow wasn?t very good in his starting debut last week before the late rally, completing four passes for 40 yards through the first 55 minutes of game action. Again, Tebow wasn?t very good (7-21 for 80 yards) against Detroit with Denver Broncos trailing 38-3 at the start of the fourth quarter.
Denver Broncos went 0-10 on third down conversions to open the game, a stat that speaks volumes about bad quarterback play. Tebow has taken a whopping 13 sacks in his two starts. Even with Champ Bailey finally healthy, the secondary continues to blow coverages.
The Denver Broncos did a decent job at the line of scrimmage. They weren?t pushed around up front, while both Robert Ayers and Elvis Dumervil had modest success rushing the passer. But until the secondary improves, good passing teams are going to force the Broncos to play from behind.
Indianapolis Colts
It?s amazing to think that the Indianapolis Colts special teams ? an area of weakness dating back to the Tony Dungy era ? still haven?t been fixed. They had three special teams penalties and a blocked punt in the first half. That?s no way for a winless team to get off the schnied.
The offense is really regressing, perhaps due to a lack of effort from the veteran receivers. Three first downs in the first half against a mediocre Titans defense is simply not acceptable. Reggie Wayne and Dallas Clark look like they?d rather be anywhere but here.
When you can?t cross midfield in a full half of football, clearly there?s something wrong. When Indy finally reached the red zone, Curtis Painter was timid, settling for a field goal while trailing by 20 in the second half. This is a passionless team. Don?t be fooled by the box score numbers that say Indy was competitive against Tennessee.
Jacksonville Jaguars
Let?s start giving some credit to Jack Del Rio?s defense. This is a bottom-5 offense ? lots of three-and-outs. The Jacksonville Jaguars don?t have much explosive big play ability and ranked dead last in numerous categories including yards per play and trips to the red zone.
The defense keeps the Jags hanging around, holding half of their opponents to 17 points or less. It was more of the same against Houston ? stifling receivers, stuffing the run, getting pressure on the QB. The Jacksonville Jaguars had forced an NFL best 28 ?three-and-outs? through last week and produced five more against the Texans.
Jacksonville Jaguars has some point spread potential for the back half of the season. They won?t be on TV again, aren?t going to the playoffs, play in a small market and playing pretty good defense.
Miami Dolphins
Matt Moore did some very positive things against the Giants. Instead of taking sacks, Moore escaped pressure and had four positive gains with his feet in the first half alone. Moore was savvy enough to look for the Miami Dolphins three legitimate weapons ? Brandon Marshall, Davone Bess and Reggie Bush.
The Miami Dolphins cornerbacks simply aren?t serviceable at the NFL level. Even with a decent pass rush (Cameron Wake is a monster, Jason Taylor still has something in the tank) receivers are running uncovered on nearly every passing play. Jimmy Wilson, a seventh round draft pick out of Montana making his first career start, was exploited repeatedly. Veteran Will Allen on the other side wasn?t much better.
Things got worse every time the Miami Dolphins blitzed, never reaching the QB and the corners killed in single coverage. Big injury was center Mike Pouncey down with a neck injury. The offense stopped moving after he got hurt. Richie Incognito was inactive, leaving the OL without two key contributors.
New England Patriots
Leigh Boddin certainly wasn?t a top notch NFL cornerback, but I?m not sure how cutting him is going to improve this struggling defense. The New England Patriots secondary got torched at Pittsburgh, particularly over the middle. On a yards-per-play basis, this is the single worst defense in the NFL through the first eight games.
New England lacks a speedy downfield receiving threat. The passing game, while dynamic for sure, is still missing some big play ability and physicality. These receivers simply aren?t getting separation against tight, man-to-man coverage. Where?s Ocho Cinco?
Brady is forced to dink and dunk to his running backs and tight ends. Crazy as it sounds with all of their 30+ point efforts, the Patriots don?t have a single downfield playmaker. This offensive line isn?t what it was during the championship runs. Very discouraging to see them manhandled.
Pittsburgh Steelers
After scoring opening drive TD?s in each of the last three weeks, the Pittsburgh Steelers came out of the gate clicking on all cylinders offensively. They marched down the field into the end zone for the fourth consecutive game.
Big Ben (Roethlisberger) is really in tremendous rhythm with his receiving corps; every bit the QB that Tom Brady, Drew Brees or Aaron Rodgers are these days. The Pittsburgh Steelers opened the game 5-5 on third downs conversions and finished with 10.
The veteran coaching staff devised a great game plan, keeping Brady off the field with a ball control offense. All five scoring drives lasted at least 10 plays. It was a confidence inspiring performance for a team needing to shed that ?old and slow? label defensively.
Baltimore Ravens
Why are the Baltimore Ravens being ranked in the Top 5 in many NFL Power Ratings? I?m not seeing a Super Bowl contender here, on either side of the football. Joe Flacco doesn?t seem have much chemistry with his receivers. The offensive line isn?t giving Flacco time to throw downfield and the wide receivers are basically non-factors.
Anquan Boldin had a huge second half against his former team Arizona, but his big games have been the exception and not the rule. Defensively the pass rush is strong, but I?ve still got all kinds of questions about the Baltimore Ravens ability to cover receivers downfield when they don?t get to the opposing QB.
Why on earth is an aging plodder like Ricky Williams taking carries from Ray Rice? Why is this team so sloppy? Yes, the Baltimore Ravens rallied from down three touchdowns, but questions persist.
Buffalo Bills
The offense keeps getting better. The Bills are the 2011 shocker that isn?t coming back to earth. QB Ryan Fitzpatrick was a tired retread who didn?t cut the mustard for a bad Bengals team. Fred Jackson was undrafted out of college. This offensive line was bottom five on paper. Head coach Chan Gailey was another tired retread, as was assistant Dave Wannstedt.
Luck has certainly been a factor ? the Buffalo Bills had been the only NFL team not to lose a fumble (the streak ended against Washington). The no-name receiving corps is really stepping up, whether it?s Namaan Roosevelt, Stevie Johnson, David Nelson or tight end Scott Chandler, who caught a pair of TD?s here.
The Buffalo Bills are tough to get off the field on third downs, even third and longs. I didn?t think this defense was capable of pitching a shutout, but nine sacks (they had five all year) go a long way towards accomplishing that feat. If this ?D? can play like this weekly basis, the sky is the limit.
Denver Broncos
Tim Tebow wasn?t very good in his starting debut last week before the late rally, completing four passes for 40 yards through the first 55 minutes of game action. Again, Tebow wasn?t very good (7-21 for 80 yards) against Detroit with Denver Broncos trailing 38-3 at the start of the fourth quarter.
Denver Broncos went 0-10 on third down conversions to open the game, a stat that speaks volumes about bad quarterback play. Tebow has taken a whopping 13 sacks in his two starts. Even with Champ Bailey finally healthy, the secondary continues to blow coverages.
The Denver Broncos did a decent job at the line of scrimmage. They weren?t pushed around up front, while both Robert Ayers and Elvis Dumervil had modest success rushing the passer. But until the secondary improves, good passing teams are going to force the Broncos to play from behind.
Indianapolis Colts
It?s amazing to think that the Indianapolis Colts special teams ? an area of weakness dating back to the Tony Dungy era ? still haven?t been fixed. They had three special teams penalties and a blocked punt in the first half. That?s no way for a winless team to get off the schnied.
The offense is really regressing, perhaps due to a lack of effort from the veteran receivers. Three first downs in the first half against a mediocre Titans defense is simply not acceptable. Reggie Wayne and Dallas Clark look like they?d rather be anywhere but here.
When you can?t cross midfield in a full half of football, clearly there?s something wrong. When Indy finally reached the red zone, Curtis Painter was timid, settling for a field goal while trailing by 20 in the second half. This is a passionless team. Don?t be fooled by the box score numbers that say Indy was competitive against Tennessee.
Jacksonville Jaguars
Let?s start giving some credit to Jack Del Rio?s defense. This is a bottom-5 offense ? lots of three-and-outs. The Jacksonville Jaguars don?t have much explosive big play ability and ranked dead last in numerous categories including yards per play and trips to the red zone.
The defense keeps the Jags hanging around, holding half of their opponents to 17 points or less. It was more of the same against Houston ? stifling receivers, stuffing the run, getting pressure on the QB. The Jacksonville Jaguars had forced an NFL best 28 ?three-and-outs? through last week and produced five more against the Texans.
Jacksonville Jaguars has some point spread potential for the back half of the season. They won?t be on TV again, aren?t going to the playoffs, play in a small market and playing pretty good defense.
Miami Dolphins
Matt Moore did some very positive things against the Giants. Instead of taking sacks, Moore escaped pressure and had four positive gains with his feet in the first half alone. Moore was savvy enough to look for the Miami Dolphins three legitimate weapons ? Brandon Marshall, Davone Bess and Reggie Bush.
The Miami Dolphins cornerbacks simply aren?t serviceable at the NFL level. Even with a decent pass rush (Cameron Wake is a monster, Jason Taylor still has something in the tank) receivers are running uncovered on nearly every passing play. Jimmy Wilson, a seventh round draft pick out of Montana making his first career start, was exploited repeatedly. Veteran Will Allen on the other side wasn?t much better.
Things got worse every time the Miami Dolphins blitzed, never reaching the QB and the corners killed in single coverage. Big injury was center Mike Pouncey down with a neck injury. The offense stopped moving after he got hurt. Richie Incognito was inactive, leaving the OL without two key contributors.
New England Patriots
Leigh Boddin certainly wasn?t a top notch NFL cornerback, but I?m not sure how cutting him is going to improve this struggling defense. The New England Patriots secondary got torched at Pittsburgh, particularly over the middle. On a yards-per-play basis, this is the single worst defense in the NFL through the first eight games.
New England lacks a speedy downfield receiving threat. The passing game, while dynamic for sure, is still missing some big play ability and physicality. These receivers simply aren?t getting separation against tight, man-to-man coverage. Where?s Ocho Cinco?
Brady is forced to dink and dunk to his running backs and tight ends. Crazy as it sounds with all of their 30+ point efforts, the Patriots don?t have a single downfield playmaker. This offensive line isn?t what it was during the championship runs. Very discouraging to see them manhandled.
Pittsburgh Steelers
After scoring opening drive TD?s in each of the last three weeks, the Pittsburgh Steelers came out of the gate clicking on all cylinders offensively. They marched down the field into the end zone for the fourth consecutive game.
Big Ben (Roethlisberger) is really in tremendous rhythm with his receiving corps; every bit the QB that Tom Brady, Drew Brees or Aaron Rodgers are these days. The Pittsburgh Steelers opened the game 5-5 on third downs conversions and finished with 10.
The veteran coaching staff devised a great game plan, keeping Brady off the field with a ball control offense. All five scoring drives lasted at least 10 plays. It was a confidence inspiring performance for a team needing to shed that ?old and slow? label defensively.
