How do the Jets keep doing this?
They’re “good week, bad week” performances were originally thrown out there as joke, but it’s no joke.
They beat New England, then don’t even show up against Cincinnati, then beat New Orleans? What’s with the odd week dominance. Or, what’s with the even week ineptitude?
C’mon Jets, this isn’t a trend, it’s a crap shoot.
If you look a little closer at the Jets’ run to 5-4, however, a few trends do emerge. New York is much better at home, 4-1, than on the road, where they’re 1-3. The Jets are 2-1 in their division, and 3-0 against the NFC, but 0-3 against in conference teams outside the AFC East.
Of course, we’ll all have to wait to try out how these trends will play. Next week would be a Jets bad week, but instead, it’s a Jets bye week. They can’t lose that one.
Am I reading this right? The Dallas Cowboys won their game this week with 9 rushing attempts, one of them by the quarterback, so only eight hand-offs to running backs? The NFL really is a passing league.
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This Week’s Sucked And Won: Willis McGahee, RB (CLE). Good thing Jason Campbell was at the top of his game this week, because McGahee contributed nothing in the Browns’ win over Baltimore. 21 carries for 31 yards and a fumble. Bleh.
Think Tom Brady is happy to have Rob Gronkowski back? Brady had his best game of the season against Pittsburgh. But the whole New England offense is happy too. Besides Gronkowski, two other New England receivers capped 100 yards in the game, and running back Stevan Ridley added 115 yards and two touchdowns on the ground.
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Shocking realization of the week: Nick Foles now owns a share of the single game touchdown passing record tied earlier this season by Peyton Manning after standing untouched for 44 years.
I didn’t get too much right picking games this week, but one that I did was Indianapolis v. Houston. I quote: “Figure a late drive to win the game and cover for the Colts. Indianapolis Colts 27 Houston Texans 24.” The Colts scored with 4 minutes left in the game to put the final tally right where I called it.
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This Week’s Great But Lost: Zac Stacy, RB (STL). Stacy provided tons of offense, carrying 27 times for 127 yards and two touchdowns and also catching 6 passes for 51 more yards, giving him more total yards in the Rams’ loss to the Titans than player of the game Chris Johnson.
Carolina’s the hot team right now, winners of 4 in a row, 5 of their last 6, first in the NFC in point differential and just one game behind the Saints in the NFC South. But they’ll get their pretender or contender moment over the next two weeks. They play San Francisco and New England. To be taken seriously, they need at least a split.
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Thursday Pick: Washington (-2.5) @Minnesota (Las Vegas Hilton)
Call this a hunch, but I’m taking the Vikings in this match up. Washington’s defense still looks so shaky to me, and Adrian Peterson is coming off his best game of the season. So is Christian Ponder. I think Peterson shreds that Redskins defense and forces Robert Griffin to throw a lot. That will be bad news for Washington. I’m taking the points.
Minnesota Vikings 29 Washington Redskins 27
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NFYell
“They’re not the same team as they were last year.” – Browns DT Phil Taylor on Cleveland’s arch-rival, the Baltimore Ravens.
“We got our butts whipped. We got humbled.” – Raiders LB Sio Moore, on his defense giving up 49 points to the Eagles.
“The most disappointing thing is we’ve shown the ability to play really good defense, and yet we come out here and put this shit on the field. I mean, that’s what it was.” – Rams DE Chris Long, on his team’s performance vs. the Titans.
“Guys, how about that year? It’s not that it’s a given, but you think, ‘OK Folk Hero, knock it through. Let’s go!.’” – Jets coach Rex Ryan, on kicker Nick Folk’s perfect 23 for 23 season.
“I hadn’t heard that, but I heard we’re the ONLY 9-0 team.” – Chiefs WR Dwayne Bowe, asked if he had heard that the Chiefs were being called the worst 9-0 team in the history of the NFL. Goddamn right, Dwayne.
“Tonight was a rough night for me.” – Texans K Randy Bullock, who went 1-4 in field goal attempts in a game his team lost by 3.
“Hey, wassup, you half n***er piece of shit. I saw you on Twitter, you been training 10 weeks. I want to shit in your f**king mouth. I’m going to slap your f**king real mother across the face (laughter). F**k you, you’re still a rookie. I’ll kill you.” – Transcript of voice mail allegedly left by Dolphins G Richie Incognito for T Jonathan Martin. Martin left the team and is staying with his family and receiving treatment for emotional abuse. Incognito has been kicked off the team and will “never play for the Dolphins again” per a team spokesman.
