CHICAGO BEARS
Mike Martz has made a concerted effort to pound the running game between the tackles on first and second down, keeping struggling backup QB Caleb Hanie out of bad down and distance situations. That strategy didn?t work today, despite a steady diet of Marion Barber (the New Bartman) and Kahlil Bell carries.
Hanie got worse as the game progressed. His tipped pass INT in the end zone wasn?t a great throw, but it certainly wasn?t an awful one. I can?t say the same about his second INT (returned for a TD), where Hanie made an awful throw under duress. His second pick six was even uglier, a throw from a QB acting like he didn?t care very much.
Now Johnny Knox is hurt too, carted off the field on a stretcher. Devin Hester has a bad ankle, held without a catch. The Bears continue to lose valuable offensive weapons on a weekly basis. I?m not convinced they are capable of scoring enough points to win another game in 2011 ? a crushing finish after a 7-3 start. Might be a long, ugly offseason in Chi-town.
NEW YORK GIANTS
Is there a QB in the NFL this side of the big three (Brady, Brees and Rodgers) who is playing as well as Eli Manning these days? Despite playing behind a makeshift offensive line, with a banged up receiving corps, Manning has single handedly kept the G-men in playoff contention this year. His fourth quarter theatrics have been truly special, guiding the Giants to five come from behind wins.
But the Giants came out as flat as a pancake in this game, on both sides of the ball, putting Manning in a big hole before he could start to work his magic. What happened to Brandon Jacobs? The guy used to be an absolute monster running the football, but these days he?s tentative, doesn?t break tackles and can?t seem to hold onto the football ? a miserable trifecta. With Ahmad Bradshaw still ailing, this running game is not a strong complementary piece to the passing game right now.
At least this team plays with a sense of urgency trailing by multiple scores in the fourth quarter. New York switched to hurry up mode with more than 10 minutes remaining on the clock, the appropriate decision at the time. Of course, none of that mattered after Mario Manningham ran a wrong route in the end zone, leading to Manning?s third interception and dimming any comeback chances.
DETROIT LIONS
The Lions came within a yard of losing as double digit favorites last week despite a +6 turnover margin, something virtually unheard of in football at any level. The Lions lead the NFL in penalties over the last four weeks ? lots of mental miscues and the refs seem to be targeting Detroit as a ?dirty? team these days, never a good thing.
Meanwhile, this offense has declined since their explosive September. The running game is virtually non-existent these days, repeatedly unable to pick up first downs in short yardage situations. And for much of the Oakland game, QB Matthew Stafford, under heavy pressure, struggled to find open receivers downfield.
But with their season on the line late in the fourth quarter, Stafford and Calvin Johnson came through big time! Megatron had been silent for weeks ? only one TD catch and no 100 yard games since October. He made up for it in the fourth quarter.
WASHINGTON REDSKINS
Will Rex Grossman ever start another NFL game after this season? The sharp money says no. Grossman killed the ?Skins early momentum, following a dropped potential TD pass from the Giants with an ugly "chuck it up for grabs" interception on Washington?s first offensive play of the next series. That?s nine straight games with at least one INT for Sexy Rexy and a 12-16 TD-INT ratio for the full season.
I like the way the Redskins run the football these days, despite their offensive line injuries. Roy Helu and Evan Royster both get tough yards between the tackles with their high motor carries. Of course, with Grossman behind center, even favorable down and distance situations don?t ensure a positive turnover differential.
The defensive front is doing an excellent job blowing up the line of scrimmage, creating pressure on most passing downs. Despite all of those Grossman picks, the ?Skins have covered 4 of 5, an undervalued commodity down the stretch.
NEW ORLEANS SAINTS
The Saints can?t keep one feature running back healthy. They drafted Mark Ingram out of Alabama with their first round pick last year, but he hasn?t been healthy enough to play for the last month. If they play outdoors in January, an every down back and strong ground game is a must.
The passing game is virtually unstoppable in decent weather conditions, but a postseason trip to Green Bay or even San Francisco is not the same as winning in the Superdome or like Sunday in the Metrodome.
Drew Brees is really playing at a special level right now. He didn?t get sacked against Vikings, showing enough mobility in the pocket to escape Jared Allen?s pressure on more than one occasion. Even under duress, Brees? accuracy was truly top notch. That?s why he?s about to break Dan Marino?s all time most passing yards in a season record over the next two weeks.
SEATTLE SEAHAWKS
The Seahawks have the best defense in the NFL in one key statistical category ? first down runs. Opposing teams have gotten stuffed all year, giving the Seahawks defense great blitzing opportunities on later downs in passing situations. The Seahawks held Chicago?s two feature backs to less than 100 yards (under four per carry), despite the Bears looking to run at every opportunity.
Tavaris Jackson gave up an awful fumble in the end zone for a Bears TD, but he?s definitely looking like a legitimate NFL starting QB. Jackson makes quick decisions, tight throws into small windows and has the arm strength to chuck it up deep for big plays, like the Ben Obomanu 43 yard catch and run to set up the tying TD in the second half. If I?m Pete Carroll, I don?t go QB shopping in the offseason.
Whether Seattle makes a late season playoff push or not, keep your eye on this team in 2012. My hunch is that they might be pretty darn good.
MINNESOTA VIKINGS
The secondary is a disaster area. The Vikings lost four cornerbacks and three safeties to injury since the start of October. Asher Allen went out in the first half with another concussion issue, making a bad situation even worse. Minnesota?s back seven torched was by New Orleans.
The offense gained more than 90 yards and scored 60 points in Minnesota?s last two games heading into this contest. They lost both games. This week, the offense couldn?t muster up much, despite the return of Adrian Peterson to the lineup. Christian Ponder didn?t complete his fifth pass until after Brees threw his fifth TD pass.
At one point in the third quarter, Minnesota had been outgained by nearly 400 yards. Those are some ugly, ugly stats!
Mike Martz has made a concerted effort to pound the running game between the tackles on first and second down, keeping struggling backup QB Caleb Hanie out of bad down and distance situations. That strategy didn?t work today, despite a steady diet of Marion Barber (the New Bartman) and Kahlil Bell carries.
Hanie got worse as the game progressed. His tipped pass INT in the end zone wasn?t a great throw, but it certainly wasn?t an awful one. I can?t say the same about his second INT (returned for a TD), where Hanie made an awful throw under duress. His second pick six was even uglier, a throw from a QB acting like he didn?t care very much.
Now Johnny Knox is hurt too, carted off the field on a stretcher. Devin Hester has a bad ankle, held without a catch. The Bears continue to lose valuable offensive weapons on a weekly basis. I?m not convinced they are capable of scoring enough points to win another game in 2011 ? a crushing finish after a 7-3 start. Might be a long, ugly offseason in Chi-town.
NEW YORK GIANTS
Is there a QB in the NFL this side of the big three (Brady, Brees and Rodgers) who is playing as well as Eli Manning these days? Despite playing behind a makeshift offensive line, with a banged up receiving corps, Manning has single handedly kept the G-men in playoff contention this year. His fourth quarter theatrics have been truly special, guiding the Giants to five come from behind wins.
But the Giants came out as flat as a pancake in this game, on both sides of the ball, putting Manning in a big hole before he could start to work his magic. What happened to Brandon Jacobs? The guy used to be an absolute monster running the football, but these days he?s tentative, doesn?t break tackles and can?t seem to hold onto the football ? a miserable trifecta. With Ahmad Bradshaw still ailing, this running game is not a strong complementary piece to the passing game right now.
At least this team plays with a sense of urgency trailing by multiple scores in the fourth quarter. New York switched to hurry up mode with more than 10 minutes remaining on the clock, the appropriate decision at the time. Of course, none of that mattered after Mario Manningham ran a wrong route in the end zone, leading to Manning?s third interception and dimming any comeback chances.
DETROIT LIONS
The Lions came within a yard of losing as double digit favorites last week despite a +6 turnover margin, something virtually unheard of in football at any level. The Lions lead the NFL in penalties over the last four weeks ? lots of mental miscues and the refs seem to be targeting Detroit as a ?dirty? team these days, never a good thing.
Meanwhile, this offense has declined since their explosive September. The running game is virtually non-existent these days, repeatedly unable to pick up first downs in short yardage situations. And for much of the Oakland game, QB Matthew Stafford, under heavy pressure, struggled to find open receivers downfield.
But with their season on the line late in the fourth quarter, Stafford and Calvin Johnson came through big time! Megatron had been silent for weeks ? only one TD catch and no 100 yard games since October. He made up for it in the fourth quarter.
WASHINGTON REDSKINS
Will Rex Grossman ever start another NFL game after this season? The sharp money says no. Grossman killed the ?Skins early momentum, following a dropped potential TD pass from the Giants with an ugly "chuck it up for grabs" interception on Washington?s first offensive play of the next series. That?s nine straight games with at least one INT for Sexy Rexy and a 12-16 TD-INT ratio for the full season.
I like the way the Redskins run the football these days, despite their offensive line injuries. Roy Helu and Evan Royster both get tough yards between the tackles with their high motor carries. Of course, with Grossman behind center, even favorable down and distance situations don?t ensure a positive turnover differential.
The defensive front is doing an excellent job blowing up the line of scrimmage, creating pressure on most passing downs. Despite all of those Grossman picks, the ?Skins have covered 4 of 5, an undervalued commodity down the stretch.
NEW ORLEANS SAINTS
The Saints can?t keep one feature running back healthy. They drafted Mark Ingram out of Alabama with their first round pick last year, but he hasn?t been healthy enough to play for the last month. If they play outdoors in January, an every down back and strong ground game is a must.
The passing game is virtually unstoppable in decent weather conditions, but a postseason trip to Green Bay or even San Francisco is not the same as winning in the Superdome or like Sunday in the Metrodome.
Drew Brees is really playing at a special level right now. He didn?t get sacked against Vikings, showing enough mobility in the pocket to escape Jared Allen?s pressure on more than one occasion. Even under duress, Brees? accuracy was truly top notch. That?s why he?s about to break Dan Marino?s all time most passing yards in a season record over the next two weeks.
SEATTLE SEAHAWKS
The Seahawks have the best defense in the NFL in one key statistical category ? first down runs. Opposing teams have gotten stuffed all year, giving the Seahawks defense great blitzing opportunities on later downs in passing situations. The Seahawks held Chicago?s two feature backs to less than 100 yards (under four per carry), despite the Bears looking to run at every opportunity.
Tavaris Jackson gave up an awful fumble in the end zone for a Bears TD, but he?s definitely looking like a legitimate NFL starting QB. Jackson makes quick decisions, tight throws into small windows and has the arm strength to chuck it up deep for big plays, like the Ben Obomanu 43 yard catch and run to set up the tying TD in the second half. If I?m Pete Carroll, I don?t go QB shopping in the offseason.
Whether Seattle makes a late season playoff push or not, keep your eye on this team in 2012. My hunch is that they might be pretty darn good.
MINNESOTA VIKINGS
The secondary is a disaster area. The Vikings lost four cornerbacks and three safeties to injury since the start of October. Asher Allen went out in the first half with another concussion issue, making a bad situation even worse. Minnesota?s back seven torched was by New Orleans.
The offense gained more than 90 yards and scored 60 points in Minnesota?s last two games heading into this contest. They lost both games. This week, the offense couldn?t muster up much, despite the return of Adrian Peterson to the lineup. Christian Ponder didn?t complete his fifth pass until after Brees threw his fifth TD pass.
At one point in the third quarter, Minnesota had been outgained by nearly 400 yards. Those are some ugly, ugly stats!
