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Brian Falor's Game of the Week Recap
Blowouts and Upsets - by Brian Falor
Some of you may have noticed I did not post an article for week 9. It's time for me to come clean about one thing. While I always try to remain objective, like everyone else on planet NFL, I have a favorite team. You may have noticed that Pam (Pamsblog) has stated that hers is the New England Patriots. Mine is the Pittsburgh Steelers.
Unlike many, I did not jump on this train because they are a winning team. They have been my favs now for 40 years (for you math majors, that would be since 1971 and yes I am that old!). This was before they ever won their first Super Bowl and at that time were one of the worst teams in the league. I've been a fan ever since.
So I was in football mourning after having lost to the Ravens twice this season. With their last second loss to the Ravens last week, my thoughts were that the Steelers were unlikely to win the division this year. However, week 10 has restored my hope. With a win over the Bengals this week (who, incidentally, looked pretty good even though they lost) and the Ravens loss to the Seahawks, the Steelers are right back in the running for the AFC North Championship.
So what exactly IS going on with the Ravens? It was touted that their team was built to beat the Steelers. OK, they've done that this year with two wins against the Steelers, but how does that help you if you can't beat anyone else? They lost 3 weeks ago against the Jaguars (3-6), nearly lost 2 weeks ago to the Cardinals (3-6), barely squeaked out the win in the last 8 seconds against the Steelers who they are supposed to be built to beat and lost this week to the Seahawks (3-6).
They are trending in a negative direction while the Steelers, who took a very disappointing loss on the chin last week and came back strong with a win this week, are trending to the positive. The Steelers have a bye this coming week while the Ravens go head to head with the Bengals in Baltimore. This one will definitely be worth watching!
The Colts lose another one and are still winless while the Packers are still unbeaten, winning a total blowout game against the Vikings on the Monday night stage!
The Texans pound out another convincing win and right now are probably the favs to win the AFC South while the 49ers are far and away the favs for the NFC West with another great showing and a win against a strong Giants defense. The Niners put together 15 fourth-quarter points to win this one by 7 in San Francisco.
Congrats to the Cardinals who pulled off a come from behind win to upset the Eagles.
Congrats to the Bears who handed the Lions their 3rd loss in their last 5 games. The Lions are maybe not quite ready for post season play just yet. They may have gotten off to a great start, but seem to have returned to their old ways since then. It didn't help that Matthew Stafford was playing with broken bones in his throwing hand either. Seems to me the coaching staff should have pulled him from the game at that point!
Congrats to the Patriots who, by beating the Jets and with a Bills thrashing at the hands of the Cowboys, are now in sole possession of first place in the AFC East.
Congrats to the Steelers who, with their win over the Bengals and the Ravens loss to the Seahawks, now have a commanding ½ game lead in the AFC North.
Congrats to the Dolphins with their second win in a row over the hapless Redskins and to the Broncos for yet another win over the Chiefs under the direction of Tim Tebow. Don't expect wonders from Tebow through the rest of this season, but I think if the Broncos coaching staff gives this kid a real chance (and not just throw him to the wolves to try to prove the fans wrong), he can succeed in the NFL. They need to really coach this kid and get him prepared for next season. Getting his feet wet now is fine, but I don't expect too much from him through the rest of the 2011 season.
Blowouts for week 10 included:
Cowboys over Bills 44-7
Titans over Panthers 30-3
Texans over Buccaneers 37-9
Patriots over Jets 37-16
Packers over Vikings 45-7
Bears over Lions 37-13 (Lions last TD was pretty much a gimme at that point - game was over anyway and not nearly as close as the score indicates)
Upsets for week 10:
Seahawks over Ravens 22-17
I'm not doing a recap this week. There were some pretty good games, a few blowouts and an obvious upset. I would like to put a little focus on a few games though:
Saints vs Falcons - this NFC South game was a close one throughout and exciting right into OT with the Saints winning by a FG!
Broncos vs Chiefs - an AFC West matchup that found the Broncos under Tebow winning by a TD. Both teams now have identical records of 4-5 along with the Chargers who lost to the Raiders. The Raiders now hold the division lead with that win.
49ers vs Giants - a collision of two very good teams found the 49ers scratch out a victory by a TD. Excellent game. Exciting right to the end!
Patriots vs Jets - this AFC East battle was pretty close through halftime, but the Pats blew it open in the second half to take the game and the division lead.
Steelers vs Bengals - Great matchup between two AFC North division rivals vying for first place. Steelers win this one by a TD while the Ravens lost to the Seahawks to push the Steelers back into the division lead by ½ game.
There are a few contenders for biggest meltdown this week. The Bills and Lions get a dishonorable mention - the Bills for a blowout loss to the Cowboys and the Lions for getting mauled by Da Bears.
The Eagles for giving up yet another 4th quarter comeback win to the opposing team. The Chargers for another disappointing performance and a loss within their division. The Chiefs for a dismal performance against the Broncos.
And finally. I think you might actually EXPECT this one.
The Ravens for their completely unexpected loss to the Seahawks who just aren't that good yet. I think Pete Carroll was a great coach for USC and I think he is going to be a great coach for the Seahawks if given the time to create the team he wants to mold.
However, the Ravens are supposed to have that team NOW. They were the team who was built to beat the Steelers. Not much good if you can only barely beat them in the last seconds of the game and can't beat anyone else!
This week featured a pathetic performance by a team who came into this season ranked as one of the best in the league. With a record of 2-2 in the last 4 weeks with losses to teams with losing records (Jacksonville and Seattle), barely eking out a win against another team with a losing record (Arizona) and finally barely winning against a team who your team was BUILT TO BEAT (Pittsburgh), the Ravens are a poor and floundering excuse for a team who was expected to do MUCH more!
Just saying......
By Brian Falor
Previous Articles by Brian Falor
Brian Falor's Game of the Week Recap from 11-01-2011
Brian Falor's Game of the Week Recap from 10-24-2011
Brian Falor's Game of the Week Recap from 10-18-2011
Brian Falor's Game of the Week Recap from 10-11-2011
Brian Falor's Game of the Week Recap from 10-4-2011
Brian Falor's Game of the Week Recap from 9-27-2011
Brian Falor's Game of the Week Recap from 9-19-2011
Brian Falor's Game of the Week Recap from 9-13-2011
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