It’s getting to the point of the season where the good teams are really showing themselves.  Sure, you will get an occasional close game between a bottom feeder and a top dog.  However, people are mailing it in and a lot of coaches on the hot seat.

                                                                                                                            (Titans Put Brady on the Turf)

Week 10 Review

  • Titans Pummel Patriots – The Titans may have been winning games with smoke and mirrors earlier this year.  However, make no mistake, this is not the same ole Titans.  Coach Mike Vrabel has put his stamp on this team, and they are now at the top of most defensive categories.  The Titans held New England to 10 points.  That hasn’t happened to a Tom Brady team in [] years.  With he 34-10 win, the Titans are right in position for a Wild Card spot.
  • Cowboys Outmuscle Eagles in Philly – I’ve been documenting this for some time.  The Champs are not the same team as last year.  Maybe it is the absence of Frank Reich and John Difilippo, but this team scored a ton early in 2017.  Now, they are trailing in each and every game, it seems.  I think that is due to their lack of commitment to the run.  The Eagles have only rushed for over 100 yards in [] games, where last year it was [].  Give the Cowboys defense and RB Zeke Elliott credit, as they just manhandled the Eagles’s Defense and were able to hold off the late surge late.  Cowboys are now tied with the Eagles at 4-5 with the 27-20 win – both trail the Redskins by 2 full games.
  • Rams Win, but Barely – The Seahawks have been able to play the Rams tough twice now.  The Rams’ defense is just not that good.  Maybe it is the extra yardage they gave Seattle in penalties over and over again.  Yes, DE Fowler came up with the critical strip sack to get the lead out enough to win 36-31.  Still, the Rams cannot rely solely on that offense to win the conference with the likes of the Saints out there.  Let’s see how this week’s match up goes.
  • No Shows –
    • Bengals off a bye looked terrible at home getting blitzed by the Saints 51-14 (the Saints never punted).  Coach Lewis needs to be fired.  Now.  The DC gets the Ax, but come on.
    • Jets at home playing the lowly Bills made QB Matt Barkley who came in off the street to light up the defense en route to a 41-10 win.  Coach Bowles is a dead man walkin’.
    • Lions were atrocious against the Bears this week, and trailed 34-10 going into the 4th Quarter and got the game to 34-22, but really?  Coach Patricia may be safe, but still, I thought he was a defensive guy.
    • Tampa at home against a banged up Redskins team – QB FitzMagic threw for over 400 yards and 0 TDs?  They lost 16-3.  Coach Koetter stinks and so do the Bucs.
    • Raiders lose yet again, at home, the Black Hole deserves better – 20-6 to Chargers.
  • Steelers are Back – I’ve been seeing it for a while, but the Steelers have righted the ship, and their defense is back.  The offense has been there, but don’t forget about this team in January.

Week 11 Preview – NFL Prime Time Should Be Lit

  • Packers at Seahawks – What amounts to an elimination game, the loser will be hard pressed to make the post-season. The Pack have been hovering around .500 and their schedule has not let up. The Seahawks have played some great opponents in back to back weeks and will look to get back home to see if the 12th Man can rally them to another victory. Seattle is favored by -2.5 right now, but who can bet against Aaron Rodgers.  Thursday Night on Fox and NFL Network – 8:20 PM Eastern/7:20 PM Centrl.
  • Vikings at Bears – The Bears lead the division, but even as a Bears fan, I have to question the true strength of this team. The schedule has really helped the Bears. The Vikings are their first true test since the Patriots came to town. The Vikes off the bye will probably have something special for QB Mitchell Trubisky, but it should be a great game. Sunday Night on NBC at 8:20 PM Eastern/7:20 PM Central
  • Chiefs vs Rams – Monday Night on ESPN at 8:15 PM/7:15 PM – What a game?  These 2 teams have been on a collision course all season.  Yes, they both lost at tough conference opponents on the road.  However, the 2 best offenses face off Monday Night in Mexico City.  Now, there are reports that the field is in terrible condition.  However, that has not stopped the book makers in setting the Total for the game at 63.5 (the largest Total in NFL history).  This game should be more than entertaining.  Let’s take a deeper look at these teams:
    • Chiefs – QB Patrick Mahomes has already broken the KC team record of TD passes in a season with 31.  The Chiefs are averaging 35.3 PPG and putting up 423.1 Yards from Scrimmage per Game.  Besides the NE game, I don’t think we have seen this team pushed to produce.  So, against the Rams, they may be even better.  Now, defensively, the Chiefs are not great – 410.7 Yards per Game and 24 PPG.  However, the Defense is forcing TOs, so they haven’t needed to be great.
    • Rams – The Rams are right there with KC – 33.5 PPG and 448 Yards per Game.  So, that total makes sense.  The Rams have been metrically better on defense allowing 355.2 Yards per Game and giving up just 23.1 PPG and forcing +8 TOs.  However, against the Saints and Seahawks (2 match ups), the Rams have given up 30 points or more.  So, this looks like a total shootout for sure.

The schedule makers are really nailing it this year.

Byes:  Patriots, Browns, 49ers, Dolphins, Jets, and Buffalo (mega bye week)

NFL Index

NFL Index W11

Top 5 Teams:

  1. Bears – That’s right, the Bears homer has them at #1, but the numbers don’t lie.  The defense has been great, and the team is +13 in TO differential.
  2. Rams – Rams drop one, finally, and they may drop more with another poor defensive effort against the Chiefs this week.
  3. Chargers – The Bolts are just waiting for the KC rematch, as they are playing incredible football.
  4. Steelers – Are actually tied with Chargers at 3, and their defense is now Top 8 in Yards against to go along with that defense.
  5. Chiefs – KC is going up, as they actually are slowly improving on the defensive side of the ball, but mainly with +7 TO Differential.

(Saints are at 8 right now, yes, it is the 23rd rank in Yards and Points Against)

Bottom 6 Teams:

27.  Bengals – The Bengals have allowed back to back 500 yard efforts on defense dropping them into the Bottom 6 tied with the Giants.

27.  Giants – The Giants are a bit of mystery. They are in the 20s in all categories. Probably can beat inferior opponents, like SF, but they need to play better in the 4th Quarter against good teams.

29.  Bills – The Bills are not good, but maybe Barkley will make them more interesting.  Still 31st in Yards and 32nd in PPG, but who knows after the bye.

30.  Jets – The Jets have taken a nose dive after a decent run. The -7 TO Differential is really catching up to them. The Bye will tell a lot.

31.  Cardinals – They competed at Kansas City, and they decided to get the ball to RB David Johnson.  They are still 32nd in Yards and 31st in PPG.  They get to play the worst team this week.

32.  Raiders – Dumpster fire is a nice way of putting it.  Oakland has dipped in almost every category since the early season offensive numbers.  Just a bad football team.

Alright, enjoy another great week, and we are going to be in the playoff push before you know it.

Wegs

About the author

I'm a 49 year old, twice divorced guy with a 20 year old. The blog has morphed a bit lately. Not just sports or dating, social commentary and now some stories from my past experience.