This past Monday night Aaron Rodgers was knocked out of the game on the opening drive when he was sacked by Chicago defensive end Shea McClellin. Seneca Wallace came off the bench. Green Bay was effective on the ground but not through the air. Wallace gets even fewer reps in practice than most backups. The Bears won the game 27-20, dropping the Packers into a three-way tie in the NFC North with Chicago and Detroit. Rodgers is out for at least a month with a broken collarbone.
Prior to the loss Green Bay was probably playing the best football in the NFC with the exception of the 49ers. Despite their conference leading 8-1 record, the Seahawks continue to stumble along. Their OT win at home against the hapless Buccaneers was a gift from the gods. Tampa Bay dominated the game for the better part of three quarters. Rookie running back Mike James ran for 158 yards on 28 carries. The only thing that prevented him racking up even more yards was exhaustion. By the fourth quarter you could tell he was gassed. Seattle's run defense has disappeared. The week before in St. Louis another rookie running back, Zac Stacy, put up big numbers, 134 yards on 26 carries. James and Stacy didn't accumulate their yards by cracking off single runs of over 80 yards; no, they gobbled up turf five to eight to ten yards at a time, chewing up the clock and keeping Marshawn Lynch and Russell Wilson on the sideline. Unless the Seahawks solve this problem all their good fortune will come to naught.
I began Sunday watching the Chiefs-Bills game. Buffalo, playing at home, put up impressive numbers both on the ground and through the air. Turnovers on offense doomed them. At this point I can't say that I am believer in Kansas City being the pick of the AFC. Let's wait and see how they do against Denver.
I ended Sunday by turning off the Colts-Texans game in the third quarter thinking that Houston had the game in the bag. The Keenum-to-Johnson connection looked unstoppable and Ben Tate, cracked ribs and all, was running well. Imagine my surprise when I woke up Monday morning and saw that Luck had done it again. It is not often that I turn off a game before a comeback; I think it happens only once every other year. Kubiak's halftime collapse was an ill omen.
I'm not ruling the Texans out just yet. Case Keenum is a good QB. The defense is sound. A win in Arizona next week could be enough to spark a string of victories that, depending on how things go with Indianapolis, could keep Houston in the running.
The Seahawks fly to Georgia, the scene of their playoff elimination last season. A convincing win against a reeling Falcons franchise would augur well for a young squad with big games upcoming against conference powers New Orleans and San Francisco.
Showing posts with label Ben Tate. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Ben Tate. Show all posts
Thursday, November 7, 2013
Wednesday, October 2, 2013
NFL Week 4: "I Got a Feeling . . ."
That Seattle is going to the Super Bowl. The overtime win in Houston last Sunday was huge. It is the kind of win a team needs in a Super Bowl run. On the road, down by a large margin in the second half, nothing going your way, yet you hang tough, stay focused, get a few breaks, make a few big plays and take home the win.
The negatives. For the first three quarters Matt Schaub looked like Tom Brady. The Texans QB was able to find and connect with Andre Johnson and his tight ends whenever he wanted. The Seahawks were not able to generate a significant pass rush. Also, Seattle's run defense was shredded as Arian Foster and Ben Tate piled up yardage. Seattle does not have a good record of stopping the run on the road. Week 1 in Charlotte DeAngelo Williams had a good game (except for his fumble which led to the Seahawk comeback); now, Arian Foster.
The overwhelming positives were Russell Wilson and Richard Sherman. In those two guys you have the 21st Century Seahawks equivalents of Joe Montana and Ronnie Lott -- the insatiable appetite for victory. Shut down for most of the game, Russell Wilson jump-started the offense in the fourth quarter by his scrambles. He ended up accumulating 77 yards on the ground. Combined with Marshawn Lynch's 98 yards, Seattle had an impressive day rushing the ball. The game itself was actually salvaged by Richard Sherman's interception return for a touchdown of Schaub's ill-advised pass.
Based on net points the Broncos are the best of the five remaining unbeaten teams -- Denver, Seattle, Kansas City, New Orleans and New England -- after Week 4.
I watched the afternoon game between the Broncos and Philadelphia. Denver set a team record for points scored in a game by blowing out of the new Chip Kelly Eagles, who look just as lousy as last year's Andy Reid team. The Philadelphia offense is talented with Mike Vick at QB, LeSean McCoy at tailback and DeSean Jackson at wideout. But there is the same chronic lack of focus that plagued the club last year. At some point the conclusion has to be reached that Mike Vick is not a winner. The truth though is that it is the defense that is to blame for the Eagles' woes. At 138 points allowed in four games only the winless Giants are worse in the NFL.
The negatives. For the first three quarters Matt Schaub looked like Tom Brady. The Texans QB was able to find and connect with Andre Johnson and his tight ends whenever he wanted. The Seahawks were not able to generate a significant pass rush. Also, Seattle's run defense was shredded as Arian Foster and Ben Tate piled up yardage. Seattle does not have a good record of stopping the run on the road. Week 1 in Charlotte DeAngelo Williams had a good game (except for his fumble which led to the Seahawk comeback); now, Arian Foster.
The overwhelming positives were Russell Wilson and Richard Sherman. In those two guys you have the 21st Century Seahawks equivalents of Joe Montana and Ronnie Lott -- the insatiable appetite for victory. Shut down for most of the game, Russell Wilson jump-started the offense in the fourth quarter by his scrambles. He ended up accumulating 77 yards on the ground. Combined with Marshawn Lynch's 98 yards, Seattle had an impressive day rushing the ball. The game itself was actually salvaged by Richard Sherman's interception return for a touchdown of Schaub's ill-advised pass.
Based on net points the Broncos are the best of the five remaining unbeaten teams -- Denver, Seattle, Kansas City, New Orleans and New England -- after Week 4.
I watched the afternoon game between the Broncos and Philadelphia. Denver set a team record for points scored in a game by blowing out of the new Chip Kelly Eagles, who look just as lousy as last year's Andy Reid team. The Philadelphia offense is talented with Mike Vick at QB, LeSean McCoy at tailback and DeSean Jackson at wideout. But there is the same chronic lack of focus that plagued the club last year. At some point the conclusion has to be reached that Mike Vick is not a winner. The truth though is that it is the defense that is to blame for the Eagles' woes. At 138 points allowed in four games only the winless Giants are worse in the NFL.
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