The Week 10 recap is up here on PigskinBloggers.com.
Chargers 23 Colts 20:
Bolts Blog: “Uh…kickoff. Told ya Sproles would get one. Just a week late. For my call. It was a beauty. Do ya’ll realize I drink a bit? I don’t care what pansies say about my writings. A bite me is in order. So we got killed by MN last week…does it matter now? Is Adrian Petersen ok? Week to week.”
Bengals 21 Ravens 7:
Baltimore Ravens: “Finally, Steve McNair’s continuous poor efforts must lead this coach to make a change. His ineptitude is the leading reason that this team is playing for next year, and for the life of me I can’t imagine McNair being a part of next year’s plans. Therefore, give Boller the damn ball (how’s that, Keyshawn!?), and let him throw it downfield. Even in a last minute mop up relief roll, he almost surpassed McNair in total yards and threw a 47 yard completion, easily the longest this year for the Ravens.”
Bears 17 Raiders 6:
Goldfish and Clowns: “You know, when your defense gives up only seventeen points with the final seven coming from the other team recovering a fumble at your three yard line, you really ought to win.”
Da’ Bears Blog: “But then there he was. Rex Grossman. And the game changed. After a turn-your-head-from-the-screen-in-embarrassment fumbled snap, he came alive and the Bears started playing with fire (everyone except for our disgusting excuse for a starting running back). The bar seemed to come alive: part out of the humor of the situation and part out of Grossman’s own presence on the field. There’s no way of denying that Rex Grossman single-handedly woke the Chicago Bears offense from the mire of a two-game malaise.”
Packers 34 Vikings 0:
Vikings War Cry: “I might as well start with Bollinger. He had six passing yards in the first half. That’s right, six. Spergon Wynn would have been an upgrade at quarterback, today.”
Cardinals 31 Lions 21:
Arizona Cardinals Fan: “I’m typically quite polite to fans of opposing teams. I wish them well but, of course, hope they go home unhappy. Yesterday, the Lions fans were dishing big time. It’s curious, of course, since Detroit boasts a history every bit as inept as the Arizona Cardinals have provided. You would think that they would be more reserved.”
NFL bloggers have previews for another week of action.
Bears at Raiders
Goldfish and Clowns: “The Bears are going through the dreaded Super Bowl loser hangover scenario, something to which Raiders fans can relate as our team has been suffering from this for the past three and a half years. The defense has fallen apart, and the offense… um, yeah. Let’s just say it’s making the defense look good.”
Da’ Bears Blog: “But what can we do? We stay positive until the positives just don’t add up anymore. Look at the teams logically in the wild card race: Detroit, Giants, Redskins, Saints. The Bears won’t get another crack at Detroit but they get every other team. If the Bears want to make the playoffs, the playoffs are there to be made. You want to talk about playoffs (PLAYOFFS!?) - then let’s talk about playoffs. The playoffs start Sunday in Oakland. If the Chicago Bears don’t lose another football game this season, they’ll play in January.” Bears 29-16.
Lions at Cardinals:
Arizona Cardinals Fan: “This will be a matchup between two teams with very different trends ahead of them. I’m just glad the game is in Arizona where my Cardinals have been very formidable.”
Cowboys at Giants:
Big Blue Notes: “What’s great about this game is how similar the two teams are. Both teams are getting great quarterback play. Quit laughing, you Eli haters. Manning has shown a maturity as this season has progressed. He doesn’t always put up great numbers, but he has done what ’s been needed to win. He’s a deep thrower and will have one turnover a game. It does look as if he’s starting to come into his own. Romo has had a great season and is probably the Cowboys’ MVP.”
Bengals at Ravens:
Baltimore Ravens: “Cincinnati poses a big threat to Baltimore this week, as theRavens are still bruised and battered, both physically and emotionally from this past Monday night’s debacle in Pittsburgh. However, the Bengals are angry as well from their loss in Buffalo last weekend. The Ravens fans will be very impatient if the Ravens do not get off to a good start against the Bengals, with coach Brian Billick and QB Steve McNair sure to shoulder the majority of the fans’ wrath.”
Vikings at Packers:
Vikings War Cry: “Elsewhere, word is that T-Jack will get the start this week if he’s healthy enough to play. This is an issue I’ve struggled with…I believe that Bollinger gives us the better chance to win, but we need to have an opportunity to evaluate T-Jack before the season’s over.”
NFL Picks at:
Agganis Lives
The Belly Check
With another week of NFL action down, bloggers across the league are here to recap.
Sportz Assassin breaks down the Sunday that was.
Patriots 24 Colts 20:
Agganis Lives: “The mark of a great team is the ability to win on a day it didn’t play its best (well, the Colts had a little more influence on that than the Redskins did last week). Tom Brady actually threw two interceptions, and didn’t land the big shot downfield for more than three quarters. But when the Pats got down 20-10 with less than 10 minutes left, he was cool. So money. Sharp. GQ…stop me before I lay on the superlatives too heavy. The big plays on both sides of the ball that were missing all day arrived just in time.”
Buccaneers 17 Cardinals 10:
Arizona Cardinals Fan: “Yes, that’s what I’ll tell myself…yet again…it’s just one more game. And fortunately for me, the team looked bad while losing. The defense gave up entirely too many yards, the offensive line couldn’t open holes for anyone, Fitz inexplicably stepped out of bounds without being touched, and turnovers happened left and right.”
Vikings 35 Chargers 17:
Vikings War Cry: “The story of the game, though, was the freak that is Adrian Peterson. And I really, really hope that this can be the turning-point of the season…this was a great win, and it’s up to Childress to build off of it.”
Texans 24 Raiders 17:
Schaub Time in H-Town: “Houston’s first half was nothing short of a clinic on how to take control of a game. They ran the ball effectively with different personnel in the backfield, kept the offense on the field to get the defense long breaks between action, and finished drives with points. Defensively, the Texans came up with two interceptions and contained the Oakland rushing attack, which has been their best strength. All in all, it equated to a 17-0 lead at halftime. And in the second half.. well, they managed not to give the game away.”
Goldfish and Clowns: “Anyway, were I to follow my beloved mother’s oft-repeated edict about how if you don’t have something nice to say don’t say anything at all, this post would end right here. Because, frankly, there is nothing nice to say about how the Raiders played yesterday.”
Redskins 23 Jets 20:
Coztanza’s Jets Commentary: “We are officially at the point of the season where the team is so bad that moral victories exist.”
Bye Weeks:
Da’ Bears Blog laments all NFC North rivals winning.
The following Week 9 NFL previews are brought to you by bloggers everywhere.
Patriots at Colts:
Agganis Lives: “Before moving on to the other games, a word about this whole running-up-the-score controversy. It’s a lot of garbage. Bill Belichick is not a popular guy right now, so critics among the media, coaches and players are in full attack mode about the margin of victory all season, and in particular, the 52 points hung on Washington. I will grant the opposition its belief that Brady is kept in games too long (as a Pats fan, I tell my TV to get Brady out of the game - I feared the possibility of a cheap shot by a frustrated defender even before Michael Wilbon essentially sanctioned a kneecapping this week).” Patriots 30-27.
Bengals at Bills:
Bengal Stripes: “Rudi had a terrible start to the season. Watson is the better choice as the starter…Rudi better run with a purpose this Sunday if he wants to keep his job.”
Cardinals at Buccaneers:
Arizona Cardinals Fan: “It all starts this week with one of three remaining games against stiff opposition. Tampa Bay (and a road game at that) is not a pushover. That said, they just lost to a Jacksonville team that was minus all of their decent quarterbacks, either through cuts or injuries. The Bucs are without their best rushers, and while they have an outstanding quarterback, last week he revealed his humanity by being picked off for the first and second times this season. I see victory in the cards (pun entirely intentional…and now you can stop groaning).”
Chargers at Vikings:
Bolts Blog: “The Chargers go into Sunday’s game at Minnesota feeling alot better about themselves and the AFC West title that is theirs for the taking in a suddenly much weaker AFC West Division. I thought the Vikings would be using the #3 quarterback, but opening day starter Taveres Jackson is back with a bad finger on his throwing hand. Tavares, that was one of those 70’s bands that all wore like the same one piece bell bottomed stretchy suits with like sparkly stripes. Hits like ‘Heaven Must Be Missing An Angel’ and’It Only Takes a Minute’. Tavares, I hope you are not named after this band. That would suck for your coolness ratio.”
Vikings War Cry: “For Darren Sharper, it’s time to put up or shut up. He’s been yapping about how he should be fired if a tight end catches the ball on him- and yet, Dallas Clark and Tony Gonzalez have had huge games against this defense.”
Texans at Raiders:
Goldfish and Clowns: “After giving the impression in the beginning part of the season it was finally ready to join the NFL after having played in the league since 2002, Houston has lately slid back into near “oh, are they playing?” irrelevance. (Hey, I can relate.) While the Texans have one of the best passing games in the league, they can’t run the ball worth a cow’s salt lick and their defense is average in the extreme against both the run and the pass. The team has at least some positive direction going for a change, but at the same time gives every impression of being stuck at the “work in progress” phase of its existence.”
Ravens at Steelers:
Baltimore Ravens: “Baltimore had better be ready for some football! The Ravens are coming off their Bye week, in which they’ve gone 5-0 over the past five years. They also have defeated the Steelers three straight times, including two beatdowns last season by a combined score of 58-7. In the first game, Pittsburgh QB Ben Roethlisberger said Bart Scott’s sack was the hardest he’d ever been hit in his career. Scott agreed. This year, both teams are aware of last year’s games. The Steelers are looking to return the favor and the Ravens understand that their roles are reversed now. An upset win by the Ravens will vault them into first place and put them on target for another playoff appearance. However, a loss this weekend will drop them not only to a .500 record, but to 0-3 in the division.”
Da’ Bears Blog offers a few suggestions for dealing with a bye week.
Big Blue Notes takes a look at the entire NFL during the Giants’ bye week.
Agganis Lives offers predictions for every game this week.
The NFL’s Grand Central Station of blogs is back to recap Week 8 action.
Giants 13 Dolphins 10:
Big Blue Notes questions why the NFL played the game in London.
Chargers 35 Texans 10:
Bolts Blog: “God that Texans offense was like nails on the chalkboard. Rob Dayne is like having Jackie Gleason as RB. But Jackie Gleason was faster. Freakin’ sloths could catch that guy from behind! HOU QB Matt Schaub was knocked out of the game for foolishly taking two steps toward the play after he was intercepted and being cracked hard by Stephen Cooper I believe. Who was wrongly penalized I feel. Then we were treated to the back up QB who strikes fear into the hearts of men, SAGE! Sage Rosenthals came in to lend a hand in the INT fest.”
Lions 16 Bears 7:
Da Bears Blog: “The quarterback is still the number one question mark on the team. Most have said it was that way for quite some time now, dating back to Rex days but it still holds true. I look forward to hearing what everyone thinks was the main cause for our loss today. I know what I think it was. I’ll give you a hint….it involves a noodle for an arm. Take away the padding of stats with some passing yards late, Griese wasn’t very good.”
Bills 13 Jets 3:
Coztanza’s Jets Commentary: “Chad Pennington finally did enough poorly for Eric Mangini to pull him. Pennington was 13 for 20 throwing the ball with no touchdowns and no interceptions. He only threw for 106 yards, barely 5 yards per attempt. That is atrocious. The most disturbing part about this performance was not that Chad struggled to move the ball with any regularity against a bad defense. It is not the fact that he put up only 3 points. These certainly were bad, but the most troubling thing was the fear Chad displayed. He had absolutely no confidence. He looked scared to throw an interception. He hardly attempted any passes that carried even a small risk with them.”
Eagles 23 Vikings 16:
Vikings War Cry: “A great point by Jeff Dubay and Mike Morris on Vikings Fanline: All of their recap shows sound the same. And that’s because these Vikings games are pretty much following the same script.”
Titans 13 Raiders 9:
Goldfish and Clowns: “The Raiders, in-between shooting themselves in the foot via penalty after penalty, couldn’t run the ball to save their lives against the top-notch Titans run defense. Therefore, it was up to Daunte Culpepper to make things happen. He didn’t. Then again, considering his only available call at the line of scrimmage was “hut-hut-hike-watch me run for my life” — this happens when you get sacked five times — how could he?”
Ravens Blog uses his team’s bye week to take a look at the NFL landscape.
Finally, SportzAssassin suggests that all NFL teams should have a backup stadium in case of emergencies.
Pigskin Bloggers are back for another week’s worth of NFL previews.
Texans at Chargers
In a really classy move, Bolts Blog ignores the game to send out his best wishes to those affected by the fires in Southern California. I think all Pigskin Bloggers share his sentiments.
Raiders at Titans:
Goldfish and Clowns: “This doesn’t figure to be a shootout, which probably means it’ll be 38-35 at the half. With these two teams, no one knows what will happen.”
Eagles at Vikings:
Vikings War Cry: “I think it’s for the best that Tarvaris sits out. While I definitely don’t think it’s time to shut him down for the season, we need to take his health and confidence issues seriously. With increasing concerns that Jackson is injury-prone, it’s critical for the Vikings to keep Jackson sidelined until he’s truly healthy…and as I mentioned earlier this week, spending this Sunday in street clothes could help T-Jack recover from the psychological blows of the Dallas game.”
Cardinals:
Arizona Cardinals Fan: “I have a good feeling about the rest of this year. First, there’s the week to heal followed by the Bucs who are having an off year. Detroit is doing well, but the game is in Glendale. I like our chances. Cincinnati, San Francisco, Cleveland: the toughest test would be Cleveland, but again, we get that one at home. Seattle on the road is a tough spot, but finishing with New Orleans, Atlanta and St. Louis is certainly advantageous.”
Ravens:
Baltimore Ravens: “To see the same playcalling issues in week 7 that cost us the game in week 1 was extremely frustrating and underscores the big issue that has caused this team to rank among the bottom dwellers offensively for the majority of Brian Billick’s tenure as Ravens Head Coach. He has always deflected the “offensive guru” title that followed him from Minnesota. However, after firing friend and offensive coordinator Jim Fassel, who had replaced previous offensive coordinator Matt Cavanaugh, and taking over play calling repsonsibilities, there has been not only no improvement, but the errors in judgement seem even more obvious than ever.”
Week 8 Picks:
Agganis Lives: ” PATRIOTS 30, REDSKINS 20: The Skins are only six points away from being undefeated themselves, but haven’t made the sale as a playoff-caliber team. Don’t worry about the Pats not being focused. (I’ll be live-blogging this one on SI.com Sunday at 4:15 p.m.).”
Finally, Monponsett does Pigskin Bloggers proud on AOL Fanhouse.
The Pigskin Bloggers sum up Week 7 as only they can.
Lions 23 Buccaneers 16:
Lions Den: “To say that so far this season for the Lions is shocking would be an umderstatement, I was expecting much of the same for the Lions this season; 2 to 4 wins.”
Chiefs 12 Raiders 10:
Goldfish and Clowns: “I want to see my team win the close games, not give them away. I want to see divisional teams say uh-oh instead of oh boy whenever the Raiders appear on the schedule. I want my team to stop being the laughingstock of the NFL and start being a league force again.”
Cowboys 24 Vikings 14:
Vikings War Cry: “T-Jack went 6-19 for 72 yards. You don’t win football games when your starting quarterback puts up those numbers. You just don’t. Jackson had chances to make plays, but he couldn’t take advantage of those opportunities.”
Bills 19 Ravens 14:
Baltimore Ravens: “The Ravens 19-14 loss to the Bills just shows that this team is definitely a pretender, rather than a contender. The silly thing is, that if Baltimore had won the game yesterday, they would now be in first place in the AFC North, and even with the loss, is still only one game out of the lead. However, it is just a mirage. At 1-3 on the road, the Ravens just don’t have the defense it needs to support such a woeful offense.”
Bengals 38 Jets 31:
Coztanza’s Jets Commentary: “This was a microcosm of the season. Even when the opponent tries to hand this team a game, the Jets cannot win. The same problems that existed four weeks ago are still present. This team is getting no better. The next ten weeks cannot end soon enough. This is yet another long season in this franchise’s troubled history.”
As always, Agganis Lives offers an excellent breakdown of every NFL matchup.
The Belly Check is profiled at AOL Fanhouse.
49ers at Giants:
Big Blue Notes: “When the Giants have the ball, I think we’ve seen that we have to live with Eli Manning’s interceptions. The Niner defense is pretty strong and Manning does take chances. If Manning avoids the meltdown, the Giants should be fine on offense. The three headed running attack will probably have a tougher week this week than they did against Atlanta, but they should still be effective.” Giants 30-13.
Cardinals at Redskins:
Arizona Cardinals Fan: “Sure, the Redskins look better on paper. They have a quarterback who’s been with the team more than 10 days, they have a team with a winning record, they’re playing at home. Okay, this week has me worried.”
Chiefs at Raiders:
Goldfish and Clowns: “I’m trying to figure out why in certain quarters people are jumping on the Kansas City bandwagon. They’re not that good. Why people are paying a lick of attention to the whole Priest Holmes soap drama when you’re facing a team with Larry Johnson escapes me. Once you get past Johnson and Tony Gonzales, there’s not a whole lot of “there” there in the Chiefs offense. “
Ravens at Bills:
Baltimore Ravens: “Baltimore has its defensive swagger back, and facing a rookie QB in Trent Edwards will have them licking their chops. While it has been reported that starting Bills QB J.P. Losman is just not ready to reclaim his starting gig, give Bills management some credit. Why would they want to reinsert Losman behind center just to get mauled by this brutal defense?” Ravens 16-7.
Vikings at Cowboys:
Vikings War Cry offers the latest Vikings news.
Jets at Bengals:
Coztanza’s Jets Commentary: “(Carson) Palmer’s play will allow them to sustain momentum and keep the crowd rocking. Cincinnati will feed off this energy en route to an enormous win.” Bengals 27-6.
The Pigskin Bloggers recap Week 6 of the NFL’s 2007 season.
Ravens 22 Rams 3:
Baltimore Ravens: “As Coach Brian Billick has repeatedly said, I’ll take a 22-3 win every week. Who knows if this will be enough offense to do it against the Steelers, Pats and Colts. All I do know is the defense will be there and as long as Ray Lewis and his boys show up, they’ll be in the hunt.”
Vikings 34 Bears 31:
Vikings War Cry: “The Chicago Bears weren’t the only team that Adrian Peterson embarrassed today. He embarrassed a few other squads- six, to be exact. The six teams that passed him up in the draft.”
Chargers 28 Raiders 14:
Bolts Blog: “The Bolts broke out quick. One foolish play and most inappropriately timed at that, almost turned an entire 1st half of domination into a stalemate on the scoreboard only. But the DB’s saved the day and we didn’t head down the old Charger road of defeat and asking why? We overcame a momentum crushing, game changing play. Never blinked. The dee came out and did it when it counted.”
Goldfish and Clowns: “I won’t dwell on this game long. I’m running out of breakable objects to throw.”
We finish with a Monday Night Football preview at Big Blue Notes. He is not taking a win for granted against the lowly Falcons.
The Pigskin Bloggers offer terrific coverage of upcoming Week 6 NFL matchups.
Patriots at Cowboys:
The Belly Check: “Texas is well-known for football, with their high school games drawing crowds that would shame the Atlanta Hawks. New England is where football began, as well as the birthplace of the tremendous Thanksgiving game tradition. Dallas has always been good, while we are currently the Top Dog. It makes for a great matchup. Our coach is a genius, and is fully empowered under the Patriot Act to videotape the other coaches. Their coach is a rookie. Our QB knocks up actresses and dumps them for supermodels. Their QB is a Romo. The X and Os will decide it, but Abdullah is perfectly happy with me betting huge based on the knowledge shown in that last paragraph.” Patriots 38-31.
Raiders at Chargers:
Goldfish and Clowns: “This game could well turn into an old-fashioned Wild Wild AFL West shootout. Whether the action on the field will be as wild as the action in the stands remains to be seen, but regardless it should be entertaining. And, should the Raiders win, they’ll be the only team in the AFC West with a winning record. Now that would be sweet.”
Bolts Blog: “A brittle and unreliable Dante Culpepper at the helm with Jamarcus in the wings? Don’t roll out alot Mr Pepper. I have faith we’ll dominate. Like Slim Shady said, Will the real Slim Shady please stand up. Will the real Chargers please stand up? Alot of sports radio guys I heard this week were saying Denver is just that bad. Or are we coming out of our shell? A W over the Raiders (I think we are on 8 straight now) is always sweet but this means alot as we can get to the top, tied with everybody in the West with a W.”
Panthers at Cardinals:
Arizona Cardinals Fan: “So the Cardinals are at home, their opponent has major questions at the quarterback position, and Arizona has been playing quite well lately. So why does the latest line say 4.5 points? Go ahead, football pundits, dismiss this team. Tell us how bad we are in January.”
Rams at Ravens:
Baltimore Ravens: “St. Louis, without Marc Bulger, Steven Jackson, Isaac Bruce, Orlando Pace and most of its secondary, is limping into week six at 0-5, and it doesn’t look to get any better. Running the ball against the Ravens will be a waste of time, so expect Gus Ferrotte to put up well over 40 passes against an opportunistic secondary, led by Ed Reed’s three interceptions this season.” Ravens 30-10.
On a side note, congratulations to our Ravens blogger, Bruce, for getting a new writing gig at SB Nation. It is well-deserved.
Vikings at Bears:
Vikings War Cry takes a local writer to task for not doing his homework.
Eagles at Jets:
Coztanza’s Jets Commentary: “Philly hit rock bottom at Giants Stadium. They will begin their turnaround there as well. The Jets can take solace in knowing the throwback uniforms they will wear on Sunday will look better than the monstrosities the Eagles wore a few weeks back against the Lions.” Eagles 28-17.
Bye Weeks:
Lions Den: “Welcome to week number six and my Lions don’t play this coming Sunday, at least they cannot loose, again. See what happens when I try to be optimistic; the Lions get slammed by Washington. So I guess I will have to be much more realistic and predict many more losses for the Lions and I can relish any wins they can manage.”
Weekly Predictions can be found at:
Agganis Lives
The Belly Check
