NFL Recap
Week six in the NFL was the week of hard-hitting games. There has never been a more anticipated game between two teams that were 1-3.
Overtime Thrillers
Two games went into overtime, between the Green Bay Packers and the Miami Dolphins, as well as the Baltimore Ravens visiting the New England Patriots. The Dolphins won with a 44-yard Dan Carpenter field goal, sending the Packers to a .500 record at 3-3.
The New England Patriots proved that they have a really good system in place. A week after trading away Randy Moss and picking up Deion Branch, they didn’t miss a step. Branch had nine catches in the game on Sunday, which is as many catches as Randy Moss had all year with the Patriots before being traded. New England won the game with 1:56 left in overtime when Stephen Gostkowski ended the game with a 35-yard field goal. But the competition didn’t end there, as the Baltimore Ravens had plenty to say after the game. Ravens linebacker Terrell Suggs and Patriots quarterback Tom Brady got into a war of words, wand mentioned to “better hope he don’t see us again”
Tom Brady then responded on the “The Dennis & Callahan Show,” saying, “He had his chance. Maybe if he gets another chance, he can try to back those words up. But he had a chance yesterday. You know, we’ve played (those) guys a lot, and they’ve beat us one time in all the times that I’ve played them. They talk a lot for beating us once in nine years.” If these those teams meet in the playoffs, it should be fun to watch.
Wild Wild West
Every team in the AFC west lost their game on Sunday. The San Diego Chargers lost to the St. Louis Rams 20-17, but the game wasn’t that close. The Rams jumped out to a 17 point lead by the second quarter and took a 17-3 lead going into half time. The Chargers came charged back in the second half only to come up short.
The Kansas City Chiefs went down to the Houston Texans 35-31. The Chiefs had the lead throughout most of the game until the Texans scored 21 points in the fourth quarter. Kansas City had a ten point lead with 7:05 to go in the game when Houston scored 14 unanswered points capped off with an 11-yard touchdown catch by Andre Johnson with :28 seconds left.
The San Francisco 49ers got their first win in the battle of the bay against the Oakland Raiders, 17-9. The 49ers won their first game behind some fine running of Frank Gore and solid play of quarterback Alex Smith. Gore ran for 149 yards in the game on 25 carries and Alex Smith threw for 196 yards and two touchdowns. But most importantly, the 49ers didn’t have any turnovers as the Raiders could only muster up three field goals in the game.
The Denver Broncos played the star studded New York Jets very tough although in a losing effort. The Broncos had a 20-17 lead with 3:55 left in the fourth quarter. The Jets were driving down the field when the Broncos were called for a pass interference call giving the Jets a first and goal at the two yard line allowing LaDainian Tomlinson to run in for the winning touchdown, giving the Jets a 24-20 win. Denver Broncos backup quarterback Tim Tebow scored his first NFL touchdown in the game.
The Kansas City Chiefs still lead the division with a 3-2 record and the three other teams tied at 2-3.
Desperation Bowl
The game deemed as the desperation bowl was between the Dallas Cowboys and the Minnesota Vikings, with the Vikings coming out victorious. Minnesota won the game in front of the home fans 24-21. The Cowboys shot themselves in the foot committing 11 penalties in the game and some were very costly, and one of the biggest was a offensive pass interference call on Cowboys wide receiver Miles Austin that erased a Austin 68-yard touchdown catch. The loss for the Cowboys sends them to a 1-4 record. Only five teams have made the playoffs after starting the season 1-4 since the NFL went to its current playoff format: the 1992 Chargers, 1993 Oilers, 2002 Titans, 2002 Jets and 2004 Packers. Cowboys owner Jerry Jones has said there will not be a coaching change made during the season.
Head-To-Head Hits
The NFL will announce that the league will have a new policy in place that they can hand out suspensions to players for hits that they find devastating or for head shots. This new policy will be effective immediately starting this Sunday. Players may also be ejected from the game for illegal hits. This new rule brings up all kind of debates, such as will the players have to pull up on tackles just to avoid that devastating hit. Will this mean that defensive players will begin to tackle low more causing potentially career threatening injuries due to tackling the legs and knees more? The NFL is a tough contact sport and all players involved know that, hard hitting is an occupational hazard that. This new rule is a step to try and take care of the health of the NFL players. As technology and awareness of concussions become more prevelant in the NFL, the league is trying to do what it can to minimize head injuries. But at the same time, the game has to be played.
Division Leaders
After week six, the division leaders in the NFC are the New York Giants, Chicago Bears, Atlanta Falcons and the Arizona Cardinals.
The division leaders in the AFC are the New York Jets, Pittsburgh Steelers and Kansas City Chiefs. In the AFC south, there is a two team tie for first place between the Tennessee Titans and the Houston Texans.
After week six, there are just two teams that remain winless; the Carolina Panthers and the Buffalo Bills. The Panthers have benched quarterback Jimmy Clausen and will give the offense back to Matt Moore this week.
The teams with a bye in week seven are the Detroit Lions, Indianapolis Colts, New York Jets and Houston Texans.
Game of the Week
The game to keep an eye on in week seven will be the Sunday night game when Brett Favre returns to his former long time kingdom when the Vikings visit Lambeau Field and the Green Bay Packers. The Vikings have been a disappointment so far this season, but they are coming off a win. The injury plagued Packers haven’t quite been playing up to their standards as well this year. But Favre likes to stick it to the team that let him go. Aaron Rodgers has to get some satisfaction beating his mentor for several years.
But neither quarterback is completely healthy this season. Favre has been dealing with tendinitis in his elbow while Rodgers has suffered from a concussion from two weeks ago.