Analysis of Week 7 in the NFL

Game Recaps

Colts 42 Rams 6

Peyton Manning continues to look strong as the weeks go by, and Indianapolis may be the most overlooked 6-0 team around. Yes, they faced the Rams, but the Colts looked good on both sides of the ball. It is officially scary to watch a quarterback with that much knowledge connect and feel comfortable with that many receivers, and have two running options to choose from.
Game Ball: Peyton Manning went 23 for 34 with 235 yards and three touchdowns.

Vikings 17 Steelers 27

Pittsburgh has played six weeks of ho-hum football, but Sunday they came in firing. That old Pittsburgh defense looked strong with the return of Troy Polamalu, and basically won this game. Once they shut down Adrian Peterson, they shifted to Percy Harvin and batted him around like a rag doll. Brett Favre can’t win them all, but he looked a little more like himself when he threw an interception that really lost them any chance to rally back.
Game Ball: James Farrior anchored the defense, with nine solo tackles, one sack, and one tackle for a loss.

Patriots 35 Buccaneers 7

They really couldn’t ship a more exciting game overseas? People will look at this and see a rout and a nice statistic-boosting game for the Pats, but there was just something that irked us. Tom Brady threw two interceptions, something that any other team would have capitalized on.
Game Ball: Wes Welker caught ten passes for 107 yards and a touchdown.

49ers 21 Texans 24

In the battle of the “yeah, buts…” the Texans escaped a comeback for the ages. San Francisco sank to 3-3 but that was not without its bright spots. Michael Crabtree had five catches for 56 yards in his first NFL start, while Alex Smith led a 21 point second half. Matt Schaub looked solid for Houston with two more touchdowns, but a potential injury to wide receiver Andre Johnson drew a dark cloud over the win. The Niners will have to regroup before they try to recover, but they have a very unforgiving schedule going into November.
Game Ball: Alex Smith went 15 for 22 with three touchdowns in only one half of football.

Packers 31 Browns 3

Aaron Rodgers was nearly perfect in Green Bay’s rout, a game that really served as practice for Minnesota next week. Every major player showed up, from Ryan Grant who had 148 yards and one touchdown to Donald Driver who only caught two passes, but took them for 84 yards and a touchdown. Regardless, the Browns are obviously throwing this season away. Keeping Derek Anderson in when he went just 12 for 29 with an interception just to save a couple million bucks is simply pathetic.
Game Ball: Aaron Rodgers went 15 for 20 with 246 yards and three touchdowns.

Chargers 37 Chiefs 7

We’ll say it every week if we have to: for an “offensive genius” Todd Hailey’s offense sure isn’t putting up any numbers. The Chargers needed this win to gel and get their feet on the ground, but it wasnt all good. The running game was still frustrated, even though LaDainian Tomlinson had 71 yards for his best showing of the season.
Game Ball: Phillip Rivers went 18 for 30 with 268 yards and three touchdowns.

Jets 38 Oakland 0

Three bad games usually signal something had to change, and the Jets excelled this week after their offense was jump started. Even without Leon Washington, who was injured in the first half, backup Shonn Greene filled in just fine. Mark Sanchez bounced back by going nine for 15 with 143 yards and one touchdown. Finally, coach Tom Cable took JaMarcus out, even if it took two interceptions and fumble, but we bet it won’t stay out.
Game Ball: Shonne Greene put up 144 yards, for about 7.6 yards a carry, and two touchdowns.

Bills 20 Panthers 9

Every week it becomes more apparent that Jake Delhomme is on his last legs, even after three more interceptions. Maybe the Panthers don’t even notice. When your running backs and defense have all the points, you know your quarterback is inefficient. This was a sloppy game by both sides, but Buffalo took their time and capitalized on Carolina’s mistakes. Ryan Fitzpatrick was definitely not an upgrade over Trent Edwards, but they got the win and that’s what really matters.
Game Ball: Lee Evans had his best game of the season, catching five passes for 75 yards and one touchdown.

Falcons 21 Cowboys 37

We definitely thought this game would be closer than it was, but Matt Ryan can’t afford to play this poorly when his defense is stagnant on a good day. The Cowboys really looked fantastic on all sides of the ball, but Tony Romo was the cream of the crop. Romo hooked up with Miles Austin, wo had another amazing week with 117 yards and tw touchdowns.
Game Ball: Tony Romo went 21 for 29 with 311 yards and three touchdowns.

Bears 10 Bengals 45

This game really shouldn’t have been this big of a rout, but when you allow the Bengals to score on almost every possession in the first half, that’s what happens. Even scarier than the defense was Jay Cutler, who completely lot it and threw three interceptions. Cincinnati on the other hand put on a clinic – Chad Ochocinco had 118 yards and two touchdowns, while Cedric Benson ran for 189 yards and one touchdown.
Game Ball: Carson Palmer went 20 for 24 with five touchdowns and 233 yards.

Saints 46 Dolphins 34

You want excitement? Try ten touchdowns and five interceptions. New Orleans won, even though Drew Brees didn’t put up his normal numbers. The Saints remained unbeaten by not allowing the ’Phins to control the ball and the game. Miami learned an important lesson – you can’t play three quarters and think your going to win.
Game Ball: Ricky Williams had nine carries for 89 yards and three touchdowns.

Cardinals 24 Giant 17

Last week, the defense was a question for New York. They never answered, and now the entire offense should be added to the list. Eli Manning  Manning threw three interceptions, but his receivers – with the exception of Hakeem Nicks – were dropping balls constantly. Brandon Jacobs wasn’t a force and Ahmad Bradshaw was shaky and fumbled. It was a debacle, and the Giants are falling fast.
Game Ball: Beanie Wells won his job back, going 67 yards on 14 carries with his first career touchdown.

Eagles 27 Redskins 17

There just isn’t enough time to write about where the Redskins go wrong each week. There were, however, some things that the ‘Skins could build on this week. Jason Campbell got  beat up, but looked a little more awake and alert. Washington’s defense was also in the mix, holding the Eagles to only 27 points (I know… only…). The Eagles bounced back from their loss to Oakland, but they did look a little sloppy. Donovan McNabb wasn’t on his game, and the pass rush was horrendous, allowing Jason Campbell to connect for 246 yards. Both teams need time to grow, and the game left a lot of things to work on for both sides.
Game Ball: DeSean Jackson was impressive, with both a rushing and a passing touchdown. He had one carry for 67 yards and only two receptions for 69.

Week 7 Wrap Up

- Injury Report: Jets running back Leon Washington broke his leg in the first half of the Jets win on Sunday. He had surgery immediately afterwards, but will be out for the rest of the season… Texans receiver Andre Johnson left the game early and was taken to the hospital with a “bruised chest”. Houston later released that he had a bruised rib and is day to day… Bills QB Trent Edwards will reportedly sit out another week with concussion symptoms. No word if the Bills are making this up so they can start Ryan Fitzpatrick or they really want Edwards to get better… Dolphins cornerback Will Allen will be sidelined for the rest of the season with a torn ACL, as will Rams CB Bradley Fletcher… Saints defensive tackle Sedrick Ellis was removed from Sundays game following a knee injury. He will undergo tests Tuesday to see the severity…  Brian Westbrook was taken out of the Eagles victory against Washington with an injury in the first half, then showed up in street clothes ten minutes later. The Eagles announced he had a concussion. No word yet on how long he will be out…
- After an exceptional second half of football, it seems that former No. 1 draft pick Alex Smith is going to get his starting job back as quarterback of the 49ers. Smith led a 21-point comeback after he replaced Shaun Hill, but the Niners still lost. On the flip side, a couple of discouragingly bad QBs still have their job. JaMarcus Russell and Derek Anderson were both given votes of confidence by their head coaches Monday. Panthers brass are still deciding on the fate of Jake Delhomme.
- The Dallas Cowboys extended DeMarcus Ware’s contract Monday morning, totaling $80 million for six years.
- After Sunday’s that left them winless, Kansas City running back Larry Johnson took to Twitter to bash his coaches and team. After grumpily swearing at reporters after the game, he apparently went home to tweet about  coach Todd Hailey. The tweets included criticism, and Johnson even said that his own father would be better.
- Newly aquired Jets reciever Braylon Edwards was officially charged with assault after a nightclub incident that ultimately got him traded. Edwards had only one reception in the Jets 38-0 win over Oakland Sunday.

And the UDU Game Ball Goes to…

Carson Palmer was the leader in the Bengals’ biggest win so far this season. After a couple of below-average starts, he came out and led the Cincinnati offense to scoring seven times on their first seven possessions. Palmer went 20 for 24 with 233 yards and five… yes we said five… touchdowns.