Week Two in Review (2013)
By: Matt Harmon
Reviewing my picks
My record: 11-5
New England Patriots- 13 New York Jets- 10
Reviewing the Game:
San Diego Chargers- 33 at Philadelphia Eagles- 30
Reviewing the Game:
Tennessee Titans- 24 at Houston Texans- 30
Reviewing the Game:
Cleveland Browns- 6 at Baltimore Ravens- 14
Reviewing the Game:
Miami Dolphins (1-0) at Indianapolis Colts (1-0)
Reviewing the Game:
St. Louis Rams- 24 at Atlanta Falcons- 34
Reviewing the Game:
Carolina Panthers- 23 at Buffalo Bills- 24
Reviewing the Game:
Washington Redskins- 20 at Green Bay Packers- 38
Reviewing the Game:
Minnesota Vikings- 30 at Chicago Bears- 31
Reviewing the Game:
Dallas Cowboys- 16 at Kansas City Chiefs- 17
Reviewing the Game:
New Orleans Saints- 16 at Tampa Bay Buccaneers- 14
Reviewing the Game:
Detroit Lions-21 at Arizona Cardinals- 25
Reviewing the Game:
Jacksonville Jaguars (0-1) at Oakland Raiders (0-1)
Reviewing the Game:
Denver Broncos- 41 at New York Giants- 23
Reviewing the Game:
San Francisco 49ers- 3 at Seattle Seahawks- 29
Reviewing the Game:
Pittsburgh Steelers- 10 at Cincinnati Bengals- 20
Reviewing the Game:
Reviewing my picks
My record: 11-5
- Same record as last week, friends. I got burned on my upset pick of the Rams, and I should have known better than to go against the Falcons at home. Picking in favor of the Jaguars was obviously a huge mistake, and I probably will not be doing that again this season. The Bills and Chargers had surprise wins, and they look much better than I thought they would headed into this season. For much of the early games, I thought I was actually going to come out much worse this week, but a few of my picks turned it around late in games. Still, I have to get better.
New England Patriots- 13 New York Jets- 10
Reviewing the Game:
- What a terrible game. Seriously, I have not been that miserable during a football game in years. The score would seem to indicate that this was a defensive battle, but unfortunately this was all the result of two very poor offenses. Tom Brady could not get in sync with his young group of receivers, and looked off his game as well. Geno Smith tossed three interceptions and was consistently throwing behind his intended receivers. The rookie has a ways to go, but he showed enough positive signs in this game to believe he will improve. In the end, the Patriots came away with the win, but man they cannot feel good about where they are as a team.
- Obviously the Patriots receivers were pretty terrible in this game. Julian Edelman had 13 catches, but those only went for 78 yards. Rookie Aaron Dobson caught a touchdown, but spent most of the evening dropping passes or running the wrong routes. On the Jets side, most of the Jets corners were playing well with the exception of Dee Milliner. The rookie is having a tough start to his first NFL season.
San Diego Chargers- 33 at Philadelphia Eagles- 30
Reviewing the Game:
- This game turned into a shootout pretty quickly. Both defenses played really poorly, and four skill position players went over 100 receiving yards. All the talk leading into this game was about Chip Kelly’s offense, but in this game it was hard not to notice how good San Diego’s new head coach Mike McCoy’s offense is looking. McCoy had a good history as a coordinator in Denver, and now he and Ken Whisenhunt seem to have installed a very good program with the Chargers. McCoy seems to have resurrected players many were ready to toss on the scrap heap like Phillip Rivers, Antonio Gates, and most spectacularly, Eddie Royal.
- The Chargers only let up one sack on the day, courtesy of Connor Barwin, but both defenses just played so poorly it is hard to tell who really won this matchup. This type of performance was much more accurate with the expectations for the Eagles defense coming into this season.
Tennessee Titans- 24 at Houston Texans- 30
Reviewing the Game:
- I really thought the Titans were going to pull out a second upset win in a row. However, much like their week one victory, the Texans put it all together in the end and snuck out a victory in overtime. The defense is markedly better in Tennessee, but I still just do not think they are good enough offensively to be a consistent winner. The Texans, however, look much better on offense, especially the passing game. Impressive rookie DeAndre Hopkins had himself a day, and capped it off by snagging the game winning touchdown. It had to be encouraging that Matt Schaub made the plays necessary to win the game at the end, despite an inconsistent outing.
- Yet another week the Texans could not really get their running game going. The team cannot seem to figure out what it wants to do with the split carries between Ben Tate and Arian Foster; Tate looks much better at this moment. As I mentioned the Titans defense is much better, and a lot of that is keyed by the work Casey does up front, occupying blockers and wreaking havoc.
Cleveland Browns- 6 at Baltimore Ravens- 14
Reviewing the Game:
- If you like offensive football, this probably was not the game for you. Both defenses stood strong, but mostly this was just poor offense as the score was 6-0, Browns, headed into half time. Joe Flacco’s lacking weapons were very apparent all day, and Brandon Weeden had another poor outing with pressure constantly in his face, and unsurprisingly eventually left with an injury. The Ravens won this game, but it is tough to gauge just how good they are based on this outing.
- Baltimore once again struggled to establish their ground game. Ray Rice and Bernard Pierce couldn’t even muster three yards per carry against this really good Browns front seven. Rookie, Barkevious Mingo, played his first NFL game and certainly made his presence felt as a pass rusher. In this matchup: advantage Browns.
Miami Dolphins (1-0) at Indianapolis Colts (1-0)
Reviewing the Game:
- In battle of second year quarterbacks, it was Ryan Tannehill who outdueled Andrew Luck. He is not brought up enough, but it is time we start looking at Ryan Tannehill as yet another rising young passer in this league. This game was close throughout, but just as I warned you about the Colts last week, if they are going to let every game come down to the end you are just bound to lose a few times. Luck is great, but he can’t save you literally every time. Also this has to be said. After calling out Mike Wallace last week for a pretty lame move, I have to say he had a great game this week. He makes a noticeable difference in this offense, both with his play, and the way he is freeing up other players like Brian Hartline and Charles Clay.
- Cameron Wake was surprisingly held in check this Sunday. I expected him to abuse the Colts tackles, but he was held without a sack. In general the pass protection was much better for the Colts after owner Jim Irsay demanded it via his Twitter page. The Dolphins defense still played well, particularly Brent Grimes.
St. Louis Rams- 24 at Atlanta Falcons- 34
Reviewing the Game:
- The Falcons had their way with the Rams early in this game jumping out to a quick 21-0 lead. Julio Jones really stood out in this game with 11 catches 182 yards and a long score. Jones is an incredible talent with plenty of room to grow. He is probably the only skill position player on this offense playing up to his potential, and he is not even 100 percent healthy himself. For now at least, he and Matt Ryan will have to carry this team. Give the Rams credit for fighting back in this game, but they just did not look ready to compete with Atlanta at home in this game.
- It did not show with a bunch of sacks, but the Falcons offensive line had another rough game. They could not open running lanes, and Matt Ryan had too many bodies around him in the pocket. Quinn gathered one of the Rams’ two sacks on the day, and stood out for the second week in a row.
Carolina Panthers- 23 at Buffalo Bills- 24
Reviewing the Game:
- Stop me if you have heard this headline before: Carolina Panthers blow a fourth quarter lead. It has been the story of the Ron Rivera/Cam Newton era for this team. It is honestly laughably pathetic how bad this team is at securing and holding a lead, and as the Bills were driving own the field to win the game, it just seemed inevitable it was going to happen once again. Give a ton of credit to E.J. Manuel. Many questioned the choice of Manuel in the first round, but he looks like he belongs so far. He did something Cam Newton has rarely done in his career; take his team down the field at the end of a game and make the plays necessary to win.
- Spiller got the better of this matchup. He had some nice runs where he gained yardage in chunks and showed he is still an explosive runner. Spiller is a transcendent talent and you can tell this offense is just that much better when he is going at full speed.
Washington Redskins- 20 at Green Bay Packers- 38
Reviewing the Game:
- If you did not watch this game, please completely ignore the final score, as it was never even this close. The Redskins were destroyed in every phase of the game, and at one point were down to the Packers 31-0. Aaron Rodgers probably had the best game of his career, and that is really saying something. If you simply looked at the Redskins stats you might think they had a nice day, but as I said, completely ignore that. This team did absolutely nothing until this game was already out of hand and the Packers took their foot off the gas. Robert Griffin is becoming this year’s “King of Garbage Time”; playing poorly until the game is over and the defense stops trying. It may get better for Washington, but with an atrocious defense and an out of sync offense, it looks really bad right now.
- One thing to take away from this matchup was how much the Packers abused and threw off RGIII with their blitz packages. This stands out because last year, Griffin made teams pay consistently when they blitzed him. Through the first two weeks he has looked terrible when teams send five our more rushers after him. Whether its health, rust, or his faulty mechanics, this needs to change.
Minnesota Vikings- 30 at Chicago Bears- 31
Reviewing the Game:
- This was a more competitive game than I believed it would be, but the Bears ultimately grabbed the victory in the end. Jay Cutler once again came through big at the end of the game when his team needed to score. His throw to Martellus Bennett to win the game in the final seconds was simply a perfect throw. It is huge to see Cutler play this way, despite a few mistakes, because of all the criticism he has taken in his career. This offense looks like it is legit. For the Vikings, well, they played better than I expected, but they have earned their 0-2 start.
- Not that Ponder played exceptionally well or anything, but he still played better than usual; that says something about him as a player. He made on crucial mistake on an interception that a Bears’ cornerback ran back for a score. It was not Charles Tillman however; instead it was his partner in crime, Tim Jennings, who is pretty good in his own right.
Dallas Cowboys- 16 at Kansas City Chiefs- 17
Reviewing the Game:
- The Chiefs pretty much stuck to their script. They played good defense, and efficient mistake free football on offense. That is pretty much how the Chiefs are going to win games this year. Alex Smith is not a dynamic passer, but he can get the job done, and they do not have a bunch of playmakers. For the Cowboys, they could not turn a stellar outing by star receiver Dez Bryant into a victory. Their rushing attack is pathetic, and they did not gather any turnovers on defense.
- Bowe managed to get into the end zone on this game, but Carr did not exactly shadow Bowe in man coverage all game or anything. With the Cowboys going to more zone coverage, that is probably how it is going to be for Carr from now on. A bit of a snoozer matchup.
New Orleans Saints- 16 at Tampa Bay Buccaneers- 14
Reviewing the Game:
- This game was pretty close, but the better team won in the end. Drew Brees, with no timeouts and a minute left to play, took his team down the field for the game winning field goal. It was honestly a thing of beauty. The Buccaneers are playing good defense, as this is the second opponent they have kept under twenty points in as many weeks. But how do you not cover Jimmy Graham? He was wide open several times in this game, and shredded the Buccaneers over and over again.
- Freeman once again had another poor outing, and did nothing to silence any of the criticism being heaped upon him. There were reports Sunday morning that he is going to seek a trade. Not sure I see the point of that for him. I cannot see many teams willing to give up much to take a chance on a struggling quarterback in the last year of his contract. How about you just play better Josh and you can leave at the end of this year in free agency?
Detroit Lions-21 at Arizona Cardinals- 25
Reviewing the Game:
- This one looked like it was going to be all Lions early on. Calvin Johnson was dominating with two first half touchdowns, and the offense was rolling. However, two things happened. Reggie Bush went down with a injury, and the Lions turned back into the Lions. In the second half they constantly shot themselves in the foot with mistakes, and penalties. Correctable mistakes seem like they are destined to be a problem with this team under Jim Schwartz. Carson Palmer threw his weekly stupid interception, and the Cardinals should probably feel pretty fortunate to have won this game. It did not feel like the better team won today.
- Well, Nick Fariley did not even play in this game, and Suh was pretty quite, both on the big play front and the cheap shot front. Arizona has to be encouraged by this strong performance against a good defensive line.
Jacksonville Jaguars (0-1) at Oakland Raiders (0-1)
Reviewing the Game:
- The Jaguars lost the “right to pick Teddy Bridgewater No.1” Bowl, or won depending on how you look at things. Their offense is really pathetic. MJD looked finished, before getting hurt again, and Chad Henne really only played well in garbage time. I have to give credit and apologize to the Raiders. Like most people, I trashed the Raiders at the beginning of the season, and said they had the potential to lose all of their games. Well, obviously that is not going to happen. They still are not a very good team, but with a Pryor and a defense that is exceeding expectations, they look much better.
- Henne was pretty much the guy we have always seen. The Raiders are so much better with Pryor under enter than they would have been with Matt Flynn. He is not perfect as a passer, but he looks pretty good out there and the threat of him running clearly opens things up for Darren McFadden. Give credit to the coaching staff for making the right call to go with him, but you have to chastise this front office for wasting a draft pick, and money, on Matt Flynn.
Denver Broncos- 41 at New York Giants- 23
Reviewing the Game:
- The much-hyped “Manning Bowl” turned out to be a blowout. Despite a close score at half time the Broncos pretty much annihilated the Giants in every phase of the game. Peyton Manning and his receivers were obviously fantastic, but the Giants pathetic linebackers let Knowshon Moreno turn the corner on them for two scores, and little Trindon Holiday took yet another punt back for a touchdown. With the Giants unable to run the ball at all, and El turning the ball over at an alarming rate, the Giants are in really bad shape.
- As expected, this was a mismatch. Manning got all his receivers involved to the tune of 307 yards and basically shredded the Giants all day. The Broncos are going to do that to just about everyone this year, but it was still an ugly performance by what is turning out to be a pretty terrible Giants defense.
San Francisco 49ers- 3 at Seattle Seahawks- 29
Reviewing the Game:
- This game did not really turn into the awesome game I was hoping. It was sloppy at times, but the Seahawks pretty much had their way with the 49ers. Their defensive front dominated the heralded Niners offensive line, and in general made Colin Kaepernick uncomfortable. After an elite level performance in week one, Kaepernick looked nothing short of terrible in this game. Russell Wilson did not have his best game, but he consistently made the plays to move the chains and keep his team in this game. I would not feel too bad about this loss if I am the 49ers. Yeah, you want to play better than that, but the Seahawks are going to do that to a lot of teams at home.
- All you have to do is look at the stat sheet to see who won this matchup. After a red hot start in the season opener, Boldin was held without a single catch while being covered by the great Richard Sherman. Say what you want about the guy’s personality, he is a joy to watch play the game, and outside of a healthy Revis playing at 100%, there is not a cornerback better in this league.
Pittsburgh Steelers- 10 at Cincinnati Bengals- 20
Reviewing the Game:
- The Steelers are a total mess on offense right now. They have no running game to speak off, and their little receivers are just not getting it done. Big Ben missed some throws, but he cannot be expected to run this show all alone. The Bengals were not really sharp early, but they took care of business. The rookies came to play for the Bengals as Giovanni Bernard scored two touchdowns, and Tyler Eifert made several big catches. The defense stifled the Steeler all night, just as they should have. I still have concerns after watching Andy Dalton in this game. He still misses open receivers and is just not gifted enough to make up for those types of silly errors.
- Brown pretty much did nothing in this game, and he does not look capable of being a passing games top option. Like I said, this Steelers offense is pretty much a train wreck. The better matchup was on the other side of this game, Ike Taylor really battled well against A.J. Green all night.
