The Tennessee Titans are halfway to a perfect regular season. They aren't getting nearly as much attention as the Patriots did last year. And I have feeling that they won't pursue perfection with as much zeal as the Pats did last year. When the Titans wrap up everything (if they're still undefeated), I expect them to shut it down.
But even without a perfect season, I still think they have the stuff to win the Super Bowl. They have a great aggressive defense, a bruising running game and a QB who won't make mistakes.
They beat a game Green Bay Packers team by doing just enough.
Off the Schneid
The Cincinnati Bengals finally won a game, beating the Jacksonville Jaguars. The nearly blew a 21-3 lead, but held on by breaking up a 2-point conversion with a little more than a minute left.
Quarterback Ryan Fitzpatrick who looked inept in his first Bengals start, actually looked pretty good completing 21 of 31 passes and throwing 2 touchdowns including one to Chad Ocho Cinco.
First Half MVP
Kurt Warner already has 2 MVP awards and he could be on his way to a third. With 16 TDs and only 6 INTs Warner is having a great statistical season, and he's leading the perennially disappointing Cardinals to a 5-3 record and a division lead.
Putrid
The Oakland Raiders turned in one of the worst offensive performances in history in a 24-0 loss to the Atlanta Falcons. 77 total yards is the fewest in the NFL in nearly 4 years. 3 first downs is the fewest since the merger in 1970. They punted 6 times, and turned it over twice. Their longest drive was 36 yards and it came late in the fourth quarter after the Falcons went to prevent defense. But that drive ended in an interception.
The Falcons first 3 drives resulted in touchdowns, their fourth a field goal. After that they basically shut it down and cruised to victory.
Brett Favre is Not To Be Trusted
The Jets unveiled a new game plan, and it led them to victory over the Buffalo Bills. I think it was called "Don't Let Favre Fuck It Up." After a series of games in which Favre's foolish mistakes, the Jets reined in the old gunslinger and got a huge division victory (on the road) out of it. Thanks to great defense, even though Favre threw one of his patented off the back foot interceptions for a touchdown, the Jets prevailed nonetheless.
Game of the Week
Tampa Bay Buccaneers 30 Kansas City Chiefs 27
The Chiefs jumped out to a big lead thanks to a long TD pass by their wide receiver Mark Bradley to their quarterback Tyler Thigpen. But they did what losing teams do, and they blew the lead. And other than some conservative play-calling (every time they called runs on first and second down they missed on third) it wasn't really Herman Edwards's fault. They just did what losing teams do. They committed a penalty on 3rd and 1 and came up short on another. But the big play was the fumble by Jamal Charles. It came deep in Bucs territory, set up a touchdown on the next play, and came the play right after the Chiefs defense got what should have been a game-clinching turnover.
Game of Next Week
Indianapolis at Pittsburgh
If the Pittsburgh defense plays the way they did against the Redskins, we're going to see Jim Sorgi in this one. If the Colts lose, they'll be nearly eliminated from division contention, and their wildcard hopes will be very slim as well.
Cheerleader of the Week
Aisha El-Amin of the Cincinnati Ben-Gals
Aisha has also cheered for the Miami Dolphins and Atlanta Hawks. She has a rottweiler, now that's a real cheerleader's dog. "The Notebook" is one of her favorite movies. And her personal quote is from the Koran.
A Brief Rant About the Redskins
One of the most disappointing games I can remember. That was one of the worst offensive displays I've ever seen. The game starting so promisingly and then Jim Zorn folded his tent and decided to play field position. When you have so many chances and fail to take advantage of them, eventually the other team hits back. I have no idea why an offensive line that had been so good, all of the sudden went so bad. But I think a lot of it had to do with the coverage. Every time Jason Campbell dropped back he looked downfield and had no one to throw to. This game really exposed the Redskins as a second-tier contender.
If The Super Bowl Were Played Today
Tennessee Titans 17 New York Giants 16
The Giants played great in dispatching the Cowboys, but the Titans have yet to have that letdown. Seeing how aggressive Tennessee is in pass coverage, I think this would make a great game if it were to happen down the road.
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