The Wednesday Walk Through
One of the best things about the National Football League is that even when your team starts 0-4 and their season ends before it starts most fans don’t find themselves any less interested in the league. Things like fantasy football, trips to Vegas, and Sunday get togethers with friends and family keep each week of league action interesting. When the Kansas City Royals started the season 6-15, most of their fans rolled their eyes and found something else to do all summer. The Kansas City Chiefs have started their season 1-3, but my guess is that Chiefs fans will continue to pack Arrowhead Stadium. Football works on so many levels even when your favorite team doesn’t.
Each Wednesday, readers of this column will sit in and enjoy exactly what you read the week before. The idea of the column is to present the information in sections that will run each week. It might sound a little confusing, but you will catch on. Let’s do this…
Without any further ado, let’t start the Wednesday Walk Through…
5 Things I wont Forget about Week 3
- Darren Sporles drop on 3rd and 4 from the Packers 25 yard line cost the Saints a chance to upset the Packers in Green Bay and jump start their season. Brees dropped the ball right in Sproles mitts and the usual sure handed running back dropped it when his team needed him most. From there, the Saints hit a go-ahead field goal, had it negated by a penalty, and then missed a second attempt at a go-ahead field goal. The Saints finally got some defense in the second half against the Packers, got some calls to go their way thanks to the “real officials,” and still couldn’t find a way to get their first victory of the season. Only the 1992 San Diego Chargers have started the season 0-4 and made the playoffs. If the Saints turn things around but fall short of the playoffs by one game that Sproles drop could prove to be the one mistake they couldn’t overcome.
- The real referees returned to a heroes welcome and then proved just how hard the NFL is to officiate. I am so glad the whole thing is behind the league. This is the last time it will be mentioned in this column as we go back to business as usual. There were still some blown calls, and this would have been a bigger story if the Packers lost to the Saints, but it was obvious to even the untrained eye that the real refs improved the quality of the game the second they stepped on the field. The average time of the games dropped by seven minutes, there were less scrums, and the behavior of the players and the coaches was also improved.
- The 49ers humbled the New York Jets on Sunday. The 49ers 34-0 victory has left the 2-2 Jets in disarray. The New York media is calling for Rex Ryan’s head and the fans want to see if Tim Tebow is a better choice than Mark Sanchez to lead their beleaguered offense. In this space last week we wrote about the devastating injury to Darelle Revis and this week it’s Santonio Holmes who has been lost to the Jets for the rest of the season. The Jets are 2-2 and tied for the lead in the AFC East, but does anyone think that they could win the division? The Jets are 31 in the league against the run on defense and on offense they rank 27 in passing yards and 24 in rushing yards. If the Jets season falls apart completely and ownership calls for the firing of Rex Ryan then General Manager Mike Tannenbaum should go with him. Where is the talent on this team?
- The Bills had the Patriots for a minute there on Sunday. The Bills took a 21-7 lead into the locker room with them at half time and should have just stayed in the locker room. The Patriots outscored the Bills 45-14 in the second half. The Patriots scored a touchdown on their first drive of the game and then struggled to get much done for the rest of the first half. On the Patriots second drive of the third quarter, Brady lead his team on an 8 play 80 yard drive that culminated in a Danny Woodhead touchdown to make it 21-14. The Bills offense took the field for their most important drive of the game and needed to give their defense a chance to get their feet back under them. The Bills went three and out in :51 seconds and three minutes later the game was tied. We all know the rest of the story. Like the Jets, the Bills are 2-2 and tied for the lead in the AFC East. Does anyone think the Bills have any chance to win the AFC East? The Bills next six opponents are a combined 14-6 and the Bills will probably be the underdog in five of those games. If the Bills are going to stay alive in the AFC playoff race they need to be as competitive as possible in these next six games.
- The Minnesota Vikings might be for real. The Vikings went into Detroit on Sunday and came out with an impressive victory and a 3-1 record after four games. Where did the Vikings come from? In the offseason, most people thought that the Lions and Packers would fight for the NFC North title and an improved Bears team would push them while the Vikings would bring up the rear. It hasn’t quite played out that way. The Vikings and Bears are atop the division with matching 3-1 records and the Packers look very beatable despite being 2-2. The Lions are fading from the picture fast. The maturation of Christian Ponder and the quick healing of Adrian Peterson are a big reason for the Vikings quick start. The bigger reason is the play of their defense. The Vikings are seventh against the run and fourteenth against the pass. Jared Allen is a beast and Chad Greenway leads the team in tackles. If the Vikings want to keep this up and play in the playoffs they need to get as many wins as they can before their week 11 bye. After the bye, the Vikings have 2 games against the Bears, 2 against the Packers, and game against the Texans.
Raking the Rookie QB’s
They say that this is a quarterback league and five team’s are playing with a rookie behind center this year. Each week, the WWT will rank the progress of the five rookie starters to see who develops quickest this season and who might be a draft day miss.
- Robert Griffin III (Washington Redskins) (Last Week: 2) Griffin passes the idle Luck with another dazzling performance this time in Tampa Bay. With his team tailing by a point and with only 1:42 left on the clock, Griffin calmly lead his team down the field and got them into position for a game winning field goal. On the day, Griffin was 24-35 with 323 yards passing and added 43 yards rushing and a touchdown. The Redskins are 2-2 and right in the thick of things for an NFC Wild Card.
- Andrew Luck (Indianapolis Colts) (LW: 1) Luck spend Sunday relaxing on his first NFL bye week. I didn’t want him to lose the top spot that way, but Griffin was just too good.
- Ryan Tannehill (Miami Dolphins) (LW:4) Tannehill played his best game as a pro Sunday on the road against the undefeated Cardinals. Tannehill threw for over 400 yards and seems to have a great chemistry with Brian Hartline. Tannehill has had two stinkers and two impressive games so far this season. My sense is that he season will be mostly like that. Sometimes Tannehill will play great and show why the Dolphins drafted him in the first round and then other times he won’t play as well. After Sunday, Dolphins fans have to be excited about their new quarterback. It will be interesting to see if they are as excited after their game against the Bengals this week.
- Brandon Weeden (Cleveland Browns) (LW:5) Weeden played his best game as a pro on Thursday against the Ravens. Weeden still doesn’t have a win but he and the Browns are getting closer. Joe Haden will return from his suspension after one more game and Tony Richardson runs better each week. I think Weeden and the Browns will break through soon.
- Russell Wilson (Seattle Seahawks) (LW:3) The WWT is getting worried for Russell Wilson. Wilson was bad again against the Rams and if it wasn’t for #FailMary Wilson and the Seahawks would be 1-3. Wilson has yet to throw for over 200 yards in a game and the Seahawks spent a lot of money on Matt Flynn this summer. If Wilson isn’t carful, Peter Carroll is going to want to give Flynn a chance.
Week 4 Playoff Projections
Instead of power rankings, each week in the WWT we will look at what the playoff situation would look like in each conference if the season ended today. It will be interesting to see this list evolve from week-to-week.
NFC
East- Philadelphia Eagles
North- Minnesota Vikings
South- Atlanta Falcons
West- Arizona Cardinals
Wild Card 1- Chicago Bears
Wild Cars 2- San Francisco 49ers
AFC
East- New England Patriots
North- Baltimore Ravens
South- Houston Texans
West- San Diego Chargers
Wild Card 1- Cincinnati Bengals
Wild Card 2- New York Jets
Must See TV- Week 4 Edition
Each week, the WWT will get you ready for the upcoming week of action in the NFL by ranking the five games every NFL fan must watch.
1. Philadelphia Eagles at Pittsburgh Steelers, Sunday, October 07 at 1:00 on Fox
The Steelers spent the bye week getting healthy and should have James Harrison, Troy Polamalu and Rashard Mendenhall in the lineup together for the first time since New Year’s Day. The Eagles played last Sunday night just barely defeating the Giants on Sunday Night Football. The battle of Pennsylvania only comes around once every few years and Fox will have Joe Buck, Troy Aikman and Pam Oliver on hand for the big game at Hines Field.
Prediction: Steelers 20 Eagles 17
2. Denver Broncos at New England Patriots, Sunday, October 07 at 4:25 on CBS
CBS has the National double header this week and they have a great 4:25 game that should air in most to most of the Country.The Broncos and Patriots are both 2-2 and the winner will get over .500 for the first time since Kickoff Weekend. The game will be billed as Manning vs. Brady just like all those times the two battled when Manning played for the Colts. The key matchup that the WWT will be looking at is Patriots rookie Chandler Jones against the Broncos offensive line. If the Broncos want to beat the Patriots in New England they will need to keep Manning on his feet. If they can’t, this will be an easy game for the Patriots.
Prediction: Patriots 42 Broncos 27
3. Atlanta Falcons at Washington Redskins, Sunday, October 07 at 1:00 on Fox
Matt Ryan made the play of the week last Sunday to get the Falcons out of the shadow of their goal posts with a bomb to Roddy White. White and Ryan are a big reason that the Falcons are 4-0. The Redskins are only 2-2 but they have gotten great production from rookies Robert Griffin III and Alfred Morris. Sam Rosen and John Lynch will call the game for Fox. Can the Falcons stay undefeated? Can the Redskins pull off the upset?
Prediction: Falcons 31 Redskins 20
4. Green Bay Packers at Indianapolis Colts, October 07 at 1:00 on Fox
The Packers seem really vulnerable to me. They are far from the team that finished 15-1 last season. The defense gives up a ton of yards through the air and the offense still cant run the ball much when they need to. The WWT is interested to see what Andrew Luck can do against the Packers with two weeks to get ready for the game. The Colts might not have enough talent to pull off the upset but they should be able to be competitive.
Prediction: Packers 31 Colts 30
5. Houston Texans at New York Jets, Monday, October 08 at 8:30 on ESPN
This isn’t the best week for night games. The NFL Network has the undefeated Cardinals but they should stomp Sam Bradford and the Rams. NBC has the 0-5 Saints on Sunday night. The Saints play the Chargers who are ironically the only team that has ever made the playoffs after starting 0-4. In 2007, the last time the Saints started 0-4, they got there season going with a victory against the Seahawks on Sunday Night Football. ESPN has a decent Monday Night game if you can stomach all of the Sanchez/Tebow talk. The Jets need a win against a quality opponent and right now there is no more quality of an opponent then the Texans. Can Mark Sanchez save his job? Will the Texans remain undefeated? Can the Jets be competitive without Revis and Holmes?
Prediction: Texans 24 Jets 13
Make Sure He is in your Lineup
Each week, the WWT will pick out a player that absolutely has to be in your fantasy lineup this week.
Victor Cruz, WR (New York Giants) Chances are, if you have Cruz, then you are starting him regardles. So like last week, this might seem a little obvious. I wanted to make a larger point about Cruz. Coach Tom Coughlin said that he is “concerned” with the swelling around Hakeem Nicks knee. If the Giants are without Nicks for any period of time, Cruz should continue to be one of the top wide receivers in fantasy football. If you can trade for Cruz, now might be a great time to do it. If you can pick up Domenik Hixon is your league it will be worth the waiver move.
Projected Total: 8 catches for 125 yards and 2 touchdowns.
Must Win Game of the Week
Each week, the WWT will tell you what team absolutely positively needs to win their upcoming game.
Forget the Saints, their season ended in Green Bay last week. The Steelers are my choice this week for the team that must win their game. The Steelers went into their early bye week with a 1-2 record and watched the Bengals and the Ravens win their week 4 games to both improve to 3-1. If the Steelers want to keep pace in the AFC North and alive in the AFC playoff race they are going to need to beat the Eagles at home this week. The Ravens should beat the Chiefs and the Bengals should beat the Dolphin so I expect both of them to finish the week at 4-1. If the Steelers are 1-3 and 2.5 games behind two teams after five weeks of the season then their chances to win the division will fall below 10 percent.
One Last Thing…
First, thanks for reading the fourth edition of The Wednesday Walk Through. I hope you enjoyed it and will be back here next Wednesday for more of the same. I will end the column each week with one last thing. It might be a prediction. It might be a statement. It might be a question. The only sure thing is that before I end this column each week there will be… One. Last. Thing.
Does anyone else love the baseball playoffs? After what seems like a never ending regular season, MLB will start their playoffs with the first ever 1-game wild card round on Friday. If you don’t have two televisions or the patience to spend the day at a sports bar you will have to decide if its football or baseball on Sunday and Monday. I have two televisions and a laptop and a tablet to watch games so the WWT will not need to make any tough calls. What about the Yankees and Jets fans in New York? Raiders and Athletics fans in the Bay area?
Email Me and tell me how you are going to solve your baseball vs. football conflicts. I will run some of the best answers in the Wednesday Walk Through next week.
