Week 2

Week 2 Review

Thursday night game

Packers 23, Bears 10

Just in general: this game was ugly and sloppy. I am very much a guy who loves watching a game between these types of teams who are supposed to be playoff contenders. However, this game looked more akin to something you would see between two crap teams. Luckily I watched this game at Buffalo Wild Wings, so the tasty food and drinks helped me get through this “slugfest”

For Green Bay:

So who had Tim Masthay as the highest rated passer in this game? The first touchdown of this game came on an awesome fake field goal where they set up a sort of screen and punter/holder Masthay tossed it to backup tight end Tom Crabtree. That one was really the only nice piece of offense in the first half.
On offense, the best-looking player all night was Cedric Benson. Benson, playing against the team that drafted him all those years ago, ran very hard and looked like the stable running back that this team has needed the past two years. Aaron Rodgers does not look like the superhuman machine that we saw playing the position last year. I am sure he rebounds but he needs his weapons to step up as well. James Jones had an abysmal drop and showed everyone why the whole trading Greg Jennings thing from earlier this week was silly. There is not another guy of his caliber amongst the pass rushers.
You have to feel much better about the Green Bay defense. This is really the first time since the Super Bowl win that we have seen this unit play dominantly. They had a stunning seven sacks to go with four picks. It was great to see guys like B.J. Raji, Clay Matthews, and Tramon Williams play up to their vast potential after down years. They also did a nice job limiting the run game. If we see this defense from now on we are going to have to start taking the Packers more seriously, because right now, I am concerned.

For Chicago:

To start, most who know my analysis know that I have long been a Jay Cutler supporter. However, when he does things like this it makes it very hard to be in his corner. Before we even touch on his porous on the field performance, we have to discuss his behavior. There is no questioning anymore that Cutler is just not a very good leader. His team can defend him all he wants but times like this show who he his. There is just no reason at all to act like such a little bratty kid out there. He has always been known for pouty and negative body language, but this night he stepped it up by verbally assaulting his o-line and then on the sidelines going up to left tackle J’Marcus Webb and telling him to get his f***ing head in the game before giving him a little shoulder bump that made him look like a punk 15 year old trying to act tough. After the game he made a bunch of sarcastic comments to the reporters and really never took accountability for his own bad evening. He really made himself look nothing like a professional QB. I’m sorry do you ever see any of the elite guys do stuff like that? Jay Cutler rant over.
Almost. Before the game we all heard how Cutler told the Packers corners “good luck” in reference to playing press man coverage against his new receivers. “Challenge accepted,” said the Packers. Cutler was picked off four times and the Bears struggled to move the ball al night. Some picks were not entirely on Cutler, but he still made several dumb throws and in truth could have had about three more picks. The defense almost completely erased Brandon Marshall until he got free in the end zone, and promptly dropped the pass. The o-line probably deserved to be screamed at, as they were atrocious. Webb in particular stinks and its pretty embarrassing they keep having him in there with no alternate plans.
The Bears defense played a good game and you have to be very excited about Julius Peppers, Henry Melton, and Shea McClellin as an exciting pass rushing trio. However, worst of all was the news on the injury front as Matt Forte suffered a high ankle sprain and he could be shelved for a few weeks. His injury furthers the Bears troubles.

Sunday's games

 Bills 35, Chiefs 17  

For Buffalo:

This was a complete turn around from what we saw against the Jets a week ago. This time the Bills put on quite a show against a Chiefs team that is starting to tailspin. At one point Buffalo was up 35-3. Wow.
Ryan Fitzpatrick was not spectacular, but he was good enough and did not turn the ball over. He really is an inconsistent player and this was one of his “up weeks”. The real star of the game was Bills’ running back C.J. Spiller. He is now starting to live up to his very high draft slot of a few years ago. He shredded the defense for an incredible 123 yards and two touchdowns on a meager 15 carries. His o-line blew open huge holes for him and his elite speed took balls down the field.
The Bills got after Matt Cassel. They sacked him a total of five times and were pretty consistently disruptive. This was the pass rush we were supposed to see out of the Bills. Mario Williams did not collect a sack, but his presence no doubt frees up the other talented players on this front to make plays.

For Kansas City:

This team is really starting to make me look bad, and that is just inexcusable. This week there were no excuses. They had Tamba Hali and Brandon Flowers back and they still got worked on that side of the ball. How do you let a running back tear you up that bad? I really thought this was a talent-laden roster but it seems I may have misjudged them.
Matt Cassel was not terrible, but once again this is not his game. He can’t lead a team in a shoot out where his top running back, Jamal Charles 6 carries for 3 yards, is bogged down and his defense is getting worked every drive. Peyton Hillis was running well, but he coughed up the ball in the red zone. Almost all of Cassel and Dwayne Bowe’s yardage and scoring came when this contest was already decided.
You really have to wonder if Romeo Crennel can lead this team. He did not look close to a capable when he was the head guy in Cleveland, but the Chiefs really felt that he was the guy to lead this team after his impressive interim run last year. However, he has not looked up to it. He retained the roll of defensive coordinator and that side of the ball if falling apart. He looks in over his head once again.

 Panthers 35, Saints 27  

For Carolina:

So maybe that poor offensive showing from week 1 was an aberration? The important thing to note is that Carolina rediscovered their running game here. After forgetting he was allowed to call runs in week 1, offensive coordinator Rob Chudsinski, called a ton of very innovative runs to gash the Saints for 219 yards on the ground. They showed a ton of read option stuff for Newton in this game and it worked wonders.
Speaking of Cam Newton, he was back to the dynamic play we saw his rookie year. He lost one fumble in the red zone, but was otherwise very good. His stats were big time going 14 of 20 for 253 yards and a touchdown while also picking up 71 rushing yards) and another short score. Steve Smith had another 100-yard game but the bigger news was Brandon LaFell followed up his strong opening game with five catches for 90 yards. He could finally be the other option in the passing game they have long searched for.
Defensively, Carolina has been leaps and bounds better than last year. That was not hard to do, as they were just embarrassingly bad last season. They picked off Brees twice. The first was by Charles Godfrey and he took it back for a score. The second iced the game and was grabbed by Jon Beason in the final minute. Its great to see a player like him come back from a rough injury. Under the radar additions such as Dwan Edwards and fifth-rounder Josh Norman are paying off for this team.

For New Orleans:

This is getting bad. You just cannot call yourself an elite team if you’re going to start 0-2. The defense was torn up by RG3 in week 1 and was worked by the Panthers this week. This team will have no chance to compete if it continues to go this direction. The debate is whether the Saints do not have the players for Steve Spagnuolo’s scheme, or if Spagnuolo just unable to get it done. I tend to believe the former.
The other huge area of weakness is the tackles for the Saints offense. They put together another putrid effort against the Panthers. Jermon Bushrod is perennially overrated and Zach Strief has never been good. It is amazing they continue to trot these bums out to protect their $100 million quarterback.
Drew Brees played as well as you could expect. He was slowed by Carolina and the pick to Godfrey was pretty ugly, but as I mentioned he was under siege all day. What is really inexcusable is that Darren Sproles has not yet been given a carry this season. He caught 12 passes yesterday, but how is he just left out of the running game like this? This team looks totally disorganized and is officially reeling.

    Bengals 34, Browns 27  

For Cincinnati:

This was a nice rebound by a team that got whooped by Baltimore in week 1. Andy Dalton was far from perfect, but he did throw three touchdowns and played a nice overall game. He was going against a pass defense in Cleveland missing Joe Haden, their top corner. He got all of his top receivers involved with A.J. Green, Brandon Tate, and the surprising Andrew Hawkins all catching TDs.
The game started with an electric 81-yard punt return touchdown by the artist formerly known as Pacman Jones. Pacman has made a nice transition from thug4life king to solid contributor for the Bengals. BenJarvus Green-Ellis had a nice day and is the type of grinder this team wants, but in my opinion they need more from the running game.
On defense you have to be a bit concerned that the Browns team that was literally an offensive wasteland against the Eagles, looked pretty good against the Bengals. I think this unit may be a tad overrated at the moment. Geno Atkins looks like a potential top-5 type at his position, but outside of him, who are the other studs? Thomas Howard tore an ACL and he was very good player for them. Leon Hall is, also, still recovering from his own Achilles injury. I have questions about these guys.

For Cleveland:

You hear the term “moral victories” thrown around, and they are kind of a joke, but that is exactly what Cleveland should take this game as. This offense could really not have looked worse in week 1, but it rebounded nicely in this game. Trent Richardson really looked great in this contest. Richardson ran for 109 yards and a touchdown and also caught four passes for 36 yards and another touchdown. He lived up to the billing as a top 3 prospect in past year’s draft.
Brandon Weeden also rebounded nicely here. Weeden went 26 of 37 for 322 yards and two touchdowns in this game. Some of that yardage can be attributed to the fact that Cleveland was always playing from behind but at least he looked like a real quarterback in this game. His pass catchers once again were pretty blah.
The Browns defense was torn up through the air as I mentioned, but that is pretty understandable since top corner Joe Haden is suspended. However, the front seven still played well. They kept the running game to an average level and they sacked Dalton six times.

    Colts 23, Vikings 20  

For Indianapolis:

Andrew Luck looked like Andrew Luck in this contest. His stats (20 of 31 for 224 yards two TDs) do not even tell the whole story. He really read and diagnosed coverage extremely well in this game. He showed he could really be a top tier QB. The best thing you can say is that he is already making lesser players like Donnie Avery look like stars. Avery has been a scrub for a few years and he has not done anything for a few years. However, with Luck he turned nine catches for 111 yards.
The Colts still do not have much of a running game. At the present moment there just is not a back on this roster that scares defenses. The offensive line is not much help in run blocking either; though they held up pretty well in protection against a stud Minnesota d-line. They only gave up two sacks.
The defense put forth a nice effort in this game. They held Adrian Peterson to only 60 yards rushing and collected four sacks. This whole team made a nice turnaround from week 1.

For Minnesota:

I have been impressed with what I have seen from Christian Ponder so far this season. He is completing 75% of his passes and he has looked much more poised than we saw him last year. That can definitely be credited to the fact that he has a much better offensive line protecting him this year.
Percy Harvin had a dynamic game. He caught a whopping 12 passes for 104 yards. He did not score but he really showed that he could also be a consistent chain mover as well as a deep threat. He will also really be helped by the return of Jerome Simpson.
I am a little shocked that Minnesota could not get more pressure on Luck. His line stinks, but Jared Allen did nothing and no one else had a dominant performance. Minnesota has to find it ironic that, other than overtime, this was basically the same game they won last week.

    Texans 27, Jaguars 7  

For Houston:

Dominating effort by the Texans. Completely. For starters, Matt Schaub had essentially a “game manager” type of performance. This offense is just too good in the movement based play action type of scheme. None of the Texan receivers did much of anything, as the Texans just did not need to pass much.
The reason for that was their dominant performance on the ground. Arian Foster had 28 carries for 110 yards and a TD and Ben Tate chipped in with 12 for 74 and two scores. These two backs are quite exceptional and when they both get going like this, you cannot stop this team easily.
The Texans defense once again played at an elite level. The Jaguars’ offense basically had no chance to do anything in this game. They only had three sacks but they were constantly in the backfield. J.J. Watt is just unbelievable and is a handful for any team to deal with. He has to be in the conversation with the best defenders in the league.

For Jacksonville:

Unfortunately, Blaine Gabbert looked a lot like the old Gabbert from his rookie year. He had some ugly passing stats and once again cowered in the face of a relentless pass rush. An offensive line that was starting a guy who hasn’t seen the field since 2008 didn’t help him. Gabbert was actually pulled late because they did not want to expose him to further injury.
Maurice Jones-Drew had a decent day with 12 carries for 60 yards and a score in the passing game. However, the Jags weren’t able to run much since they trailed all game.
The Jaguars defense did nothing to help this team. Clearly they could not stop the run and did not sack Schaub. However, the offense couldn’t stay on the field consistently so you can’t fault the defense too much. Jacksonville basically was just way overmatched.

   Dolphins 35, Raiders 13  

For Miami:

This was an encouraging sign for Miami. A dominant win like this, and early in the season, is a great sign for a rebuilding team. Reggie Bush deserves a ton of credit for this win. He had a massive performance with 172 yards and two touchdowns and contributed in the passing game. He is finally the stud player many thought he would be when he went second overall so many years ago.
With Bush gashing the Raiders on the ground Ryan Tannehill was able to do some work in the passing game. He scored once through the air and once on the ground. In a matchup of two very untalented units, the Miami receivers came out ahead of Oakland’s corners. Led by Brian Hartline, the Miami receivers actually got open this afternoon.
The defense is clearly still adjusting to the new 4-3 scheme as they allowed Carson Palmer to have a pretty nice day through the air. However they did enough to let Miami come away with a win. This unit should continue to get better.

For Oakland:

Not good man. You just cannot let a young under talented team like Miami smack you around in this manner. I mentioned Carson Palmer earlier and he did have a pretty decent day. His receiving core is still not 100% so you have to feel for him. The real issue is his protection. He has no time back there and this has been a consistent problem in Oakland for years.
Mike Goodson scored the only TD for Oakland on a 64-yard pass from Palmer, but otherwise didn’t do much. The real problem is with Darren McFadden. He was not comfortable with being in a zone blocking scheme when Greg Knapp was in Oakland last time and it looks like that is still true these days. This has to be fixed.
Oakland couldn’t stop the run. Surprised? Not if you know anything about the Raiders the past ten years. They have not had a good run defense in years. Its so embarrassing that it still has not been fixed I am not even going to grace it with another word.

    Cardinals 20, Patriots 18  

For Arizona:

I cannot even say how shocking this outcome is. So many people locked this game in and rightfully so. How could the Cardinals possibly beat the Patriots? Well, it starts with defense. This unit is legit and everyone needs to know about it. It has a collection of unheralded players and it is time the nation knew about these guys.
It starts up front with a nasty set of ends in Calais Campbell and Darnell Dockett. They are easily the best set of 3-4 ends in the league. Daryl Washington is a stud at inside linebackers and the young edge rushers are coming into their own. The corner group is underrated as well. They held their own against Brady.
On offense, the two big concerns of this team, Kevin Kolb and the o-line, held up very well in this game. The crazy thing is that you would think Larry Fitzgerald would need to have a dominant game for this upset to happen, but he had one measly catch for four yards. Crazy.

For New England:

The Patriots should be disgusted with themselves. There is just so much wrong with the fact they lost this game. They are a way better team than Arizona and they also were at home. It is so sad they lost that writing about this game is making me laugh. The Cardinals did a nice job of limiting Brady, as he did not have a monstrous game and seemed disinterested in the first half.
Here is a question, what is going on with Wes Welker? Is he done or are the Patriots upset with him about wanting a new contract or what? I just cannot fathom why Julian Eldeman is starting ahead of him and why he had yet another middling statistical performance.
Also, another thing. I do not want to hear anymore whining about the Gronkowski hold call. For one, that is the type of call the regular officials would probably blow. Secondly, it should never have come to that, the Patriots did not play well all day and deserved to lose. Ryan Williams thought otherwise and even tried to hand the ball back when he fumbled as Arizona was trying to run the clock out. However, Steven Gostkowski missed a field goal he routinely makes and the Patriots went on to lose. Amazing, just amazing stuff.

    Giants 41, Buccaneers 34  

For New York:

The Giants fought back to avoid the dreaded 0-2 start. Eli Manning and the Giants played horrible in the first half. They looked like they were sleep walking as they came out with three interceptions very quickly. Tampa managed to capitalize off two of those for TDs.
Everything changed in the second half as Manning went crazy and constantly connected to his two stud receivers. Manning finished with 31 of 51 for 510 yards with three touchdowns and the three interceptions. It was an astonishing effort by the super bowl MVP. Hakeem Nicks (10 for 199 and one TD) and Victor Cruz (11 for 179 and one TD) took turns roasting Tampa Bay’s secondary with Martellus Bennett chipping in every once and awhile.
On defense, it has to be concerning that the Giants once again allowed this many points. They still do not have a full loaded secondary and you wonder if the pass rush took a step back and cannot pick up the slack. Concerning, yet unsurprising, is that Ahmad Bradshaw is out yet again with an injury.

For Tampa Bay:

The Bucs should be glad they played this game so tight. However, they should have easily won this contest after the first half they had. The offense was rolling and the defense was opportunistic. However, things unraveled in the second half.
Josh Freeman displayed good connection with Vincent Jackson for the first time as the big wideout caught five passes for 128 and a TD. The Giants corners were no match for him. However, in the second half, Freeman made two boneheaded plays that resulted in interceptions, including the one that ended the game (not according to Greg Schiano, see the new discussion blog for details).
I do not understand how the Tampa secondary could play so well in one half and so poor the next. All of the starters were completely man handled in the second half by the Giant’s weapons. This game showed Tampa is improved, but not big time just yet.

   Eagles 24, Ravens 23  

For Philadelphia:

Mike Vick just wins. It seems to be the Eagles thing thus far in the season. They play pretty poorly for the majority of the contest, but decide to turn it on in time to pull off the win. Vick threw a couple interceptions that were just inexcusable in this contest. He did finally lead his team on a game winning drive that he capped off with a rushing TD however, and no one can argue with 2-0. One thing I will say is Vick cannot run anymore, his skills are eroding.
LeSean McCoy decided to join Vick in the Eagles turn over party. They now have eight on the season and it is week 2. Andy Reid must know that is not a sustainable formula. I will say I was impressed Brent Celek (8 for 157) was finally involved in the passing game again. That must continue.
The Eagles defense turned it on in the second half as well they harassed Flacco and forced him into a ton of pretty poor throws. The acquisition of DeMeco Ryans sure looked good in this game. He was the leader all day and notched a sack and an interception.

For Baltimore:

This was disappointing for the Ravens. They looked like the clear better team for most of the day, but they let the game slip away in the second half. Ray Rice had a nice game for the Ravens, and continues to perform well in his role as second fiddle to Joe Flacco.
Flacco was the main culprit for the second half sputters. At one point he was 8 of 25 after the break; you can’t do that and expect to win. He was robbed of a touchdown thrown to Jacoby Jones when the refs called offensive pass interference, when it was really Nnamdi Asoughma who mugged Jones.
The Ravens had plenty of hits on Vick; however, you have to wonder if that was a product of two major linemen for the Eagles going down. If the Ravens cannot pressure the QB like they did on Sunday, they will not be a great defense anymore.

    Seahawks 27, Cowboys 7  

For Seattle:

This was a sweet upset win by the Seahawks. Lets start with Russell Wilson. He was once again forced into a conservative game plan, but he did a great job in it. He fired only five incompletions and made plays when needed.
He was able to manage the game so well because Marshawn Lynch was in beast mode. He pummeled the Dallas defense for 122 yards and a touchdown and consistently moved the Seahawks offense. It really amazes me that Lynch can do this with what, at best, is a makeshift offensive line.
The Seattle defense delivered the great performances they are capable of. Bruce Irvin and Jason Jones combined for their only sack, but they absolutely abused the Dallas interior o-line. This should not be a surprise. Players like Red Bryant, Jones, and Brandon Mebane are a strength and they are a handful for anyone. Much more so a rag-tag interior group like Dallas’.

For Dallas:

This is a very disappointing loss for the Boys. They had a chance to come out and show that they are a true contender, but instead they blew it. Romo was once again left to do it all on his own. He did throw a pretty dumb pick late across the middle, but that was his only real blemish.
Let me take this space to bash the rest of Dallas’ offense. Dez Bryant barely showed up, week 1 hero Kevin Ogletree received only one target, and DeMarco Murray had no where to run all day. Jason Witten really does not look right out there and you have to question his choice to play through this spleen thing. He dropped a ton of passes and is really robbing Romo of that reliable intermediate target. I will not even mention Felix Jones, who fumbled, as he showed again why he is totally useless to this team.
The Cowboy’s defense was a big disappointment too. They looked lights out in the opener against the Giants, but could not control the game against a rookie QB. You have to wonder if we overrated their week 1 win. They have something to prove again.

    Rams 31, Redskins 28  

For St. Louis:

Jeff Fisher has turned this into a legit team again. The Rams are playing smart, disciplined football and have been competitive in both of their games so far this season. I tweeted (@BackyardBanters) out that Steven Jackson is still a monster. He left the game in a weird circumstance, but it turned out he was injured. Either way, he is still a force even after being ridden hard by the Rams his whole career.
I was very impressed with Sam Bradford here. He hung tight in the pocket even when the Redskins’ talented pass rushers were all over him. He looks like the player we saw his rookie year, but better, under Fisher. He went 26 of 35 for 310 yards, three touchdowns and an interception. The interception was ugly, but it was literally his only mistake all day. It helped him that his favorite weapon, Danny Amendola, caught 15 passes for 160 and a TD.
On defense this is a completely different team. Up front, Robert Quinn and Chris Long are just a total nightmare for offenses. These two will terrorize teams for years to come. The defense also has an improved swagger thanks in large part to Cortland Finnegan.

For Washington:

There was a lot of annoying things that Redskins’ coaches and players did in this game, but lets start with the good. RG3 was not as perfect as he was against the Saints, but he was still very good. This time he showed off his impressive running skills as he scored twice on the ground. He also tossed a 68-yard bomb of a TD to Leonard Hankerson. Alfred Morris continues to look good as Mike Shannahan’s latest out of nowhere running back success.
The bad. After their week 1 beat down of the Saints I thought we might be looking at an elite defense in Washington. I was wrong. They let the formerly skittish Bradford and the Rams’ offense walk up and down the field all day. Even when the Redskins were ahead, the Rams still controlled the pace of the game.
Now for the nightmarish ending. Josh Morgan probably did one of the dumbest things I have ever seen when he lost the team 15 yards on a penalty when he tossed the ball at Cortland Finnegan. I am sure Finnegan said something, like he always does, to get under Morgan’s skin, but you have to be more mentally tough than that. Morgan should be benched next game to show that kind of stupid behavior will not be tolerated. I also have a problem with the call to have Billy Cundiff kick at 62-yard field goal. He wss never going to make that in 1,000 years. Why not let RG3 go for it on fourth and long? Long shot, but better chance of that working than Billy nailing that kick.

    Steelers 27, Jets 10  

For Pittsburgh:

The Steelers came out and got physical with a overmatched Jets team. The Steelers were never able to consistently run the ball against a good Jets’ front, but Big Ben put the game on his back. He seems to actually be getting better at eluding defenders and making improbable throws. That amazes me.
Antonio Brown and Mike Wallace both had their way with a Revis Island-less Jets secondary. Wallace got deep while Brown moved the chains. Heath Miller snagged a redzone TD as well. They were the prominent weapons but Ben really spread the ball around as a stunning ten different Steelers caught passes.
The Steelers were missing James Harrison and Troy Polomalu. Well kind of. They were not exactly needed this game as the rest of the Steelers defense picked up the slack against a weak Jets team.

For New York:

Ah, so there you are Mark Sanchez! I was wondering when the mediocre QB would rear his head. Sanchez completed an indefensible 37% of his passes. You will never win when your quarterback plays that poorly New York. The Jets actually moved the ball in the first quarter, but fell flat on their face after that.
The Jets had basically no running room against a stout Steelers front seven and their line was unable to make any holes. The longest run of the day was by you-know-who. Shonn Greene and Bilal Powell found no success whatsoever in this game.
I would like to take a moment to call out Antonio Cromartie for one of the worst pass defenses I have ever seen in my life. He actually had nice coverage on Mike Wallace on a deep shot, but he over ran the play and never turned around. This allowed Mike Wallace ot easily catch the TD. This was a bad showing by the Jets and you know what that means, Skip Bayless is drumming up the Tebow masses. Meaning I will have to find a train to jump in front of soon.

    Chargers 38, Titans 10  

For San Diego:

The Chargers won this game in convincing fashion. The hero was backup tight end Dante Rosario who was playing for an injured Antonio Gates. Rosario hauled in all three of Phillip Rivers’ three TD passes. Rosario has always been a talented receiver, but he struggles with consistency. So don’t expect a repeat.
Malcolm Floyd was the other impact player as he caught six passes for 109 yards. I do not know that his adequately replacing Vincent Jackson, but he is doing better than Robert Meachem, who produced zero catches; what a bad signing that was. Former Chief, Jackie Battle, led the team in rushing with 62 yards and two TDs.
I continue to be impressed with this Chargers defense. They did not record a sack, but ask Jake Locker if he felt a pass rush. They also totally shut down the running game for the Titans.

For Tennessee:

This was embarrassing. The Titans let a beat up Chargers team completely call the shots in this game. The Titans were beat before the opening kickoff. Jake Locker made a few throws that just make you want to scream. His accuracy is still a problem as he had a flat 50% completion percentage.
Chris Johnson is just pitiful. He followed up his “stellar” opener with eight carries for 17 yards. Yeah, “CJ2k” you were really worth all that money the Titans gave you. There will be much more on a player, who is quickly becoming one of my least favorites in the league, in the power rankings Tuesday.
The Titans defense had a nice day rushing the passer, but the good stops there. They allowed some pretty sad running backs to find success and were torn up by a backup tight end. Not a good day for this unit.

    49ers 27, Lions 19  

For San Francisco:

I love to watch this team play. They impress me more and more each time I do. I am hesitant to drink the Kool-Aid, but wow does Alex Smith look good. He we 20 of 31 for 226 yards and two scores. He is totally in control of this offense and also shows some nice mobility on occasion. His emergence has to rank among the league’s more pleasant surprises in recent memory.
Vernon Davis hauled in two scores against the Lions and made us all laugh when he shot the ball through the uprights instead of attempting a dunk after last week. Michael Crabtree also had some tough catches that move the chains toward the end of the game. It is nice to see but they still need more from him.
Two things you can always count on, the Niners will run the ball and play great defense. Frank Gore carried the team most of the night, but Kendall Hunter is more than capable back there. They do not even have LaMichael James yet, scary. I will also comment, as everyone was, how great this team tackles. So many teams just whiff on it these days, but not San Fran.

For Detroit:

I am not going to kill the Lions for this loss. They hung in there but the 49ers are just a better team. Overall Stafford played well against a great defense. However, he had one of the weirdest looking interceptions I have ever seen. The ball looked like it slipped out of his hands, but it traveled way down the field into Dashon Goldson’s hands.
The Lions tried to establish a run game, but found no room to run. I thought they tried too hard to force the issue with the running game as it was clear San Fran was having none of it. However, it is good they are showing a commitment as the get Mikel LeShoure back this week.
The Lions defense played all right, but overall was just physically outmatched. It is annoying to watch the Lions’ defensive tackles “play the run on the ay to the quarterback”. This just ends up in them over pursing and getting gashed in the running game. This is a scheme problem and the coaches would be wise to see that.