The NFL is Poop - Week 10

Not At All What We Expected
The knockdown dragout defensive battle promised by the Giants and Eagles never materialized. Instead we got an offensive shootout. But the Giants defense stiffened at the right time, stopping the Eagles on 3rd and 4th and 1 to seal the victory. Knowing they were going to go on 4th down anyway, I think the Eagles should have passed on third down.
But the Giants still continue to find ways to win, and they are now in great position to defend their NFC title at home.

One if By Land, Two if By Air
The Tennessee Titans showed a new versatility in defeating the Chicago Bears (and conventional wisdom) at Solider Field 21-14. The Bears shut down the Titans' vaunted rushing game, holding LenDale White and Chris Johnson to only 22 yards on 24 carries. They dared Kerry Collins to beat them, and he did. He threw 41 times, completed 30 passes for 289 yards and 2 touchdowns. And most importantly no interceptions. I've heard talk of Collins for MVP, which is preposterous because he only has 5 TD passes, but his skills in leading this go fat beyond his ability to not fuck it up.



Wow!
The Jets offense exploded once again beating the Rams 47-3, shutting it down in the second half after entering the locker room up 40-0. That topped their first half performance against Arizona when they led 34-0 at the break. Overall the Jets scored 103 points in those 2 games, and 142 in the other 7. They are explosive.

And We Let Em Off the Hook! No, We Let Em Off the Hook!
In a game no one wanted to win the Cardinals defeated the 49ers 29-24. The Cardinals cost themselves several times (one INT return for a TD) with a series of penalties, including several for lining up in the neutral zone. Thankfully for them the 49ers wanted to win this game even less. Mike Singletary is showing he is not ready to be an NFL coach. I don't care what you say about becoming a smashmouth team, 3 passing plays have a much better chance to score than 2 running plays, especially since one of them was a dive play from the 2-yard line.



You Play to Win the Game
Amazingly Herman Edwards, who doesn't want Mike Singletary to steal his title as worst coach in the NFL, is being defended for his ridiculous decision to go for 2 instead of tying his game against the Chargers. The thinking is, you play to win the game, so you try to win right there. That's absurd. He played not to win. The 2-point conversion has less than a 50% chance of succeeding (usually around 30%), whereas you have to feel your chances are good if you can win a coin toss in OT, so he cost his team its best chance to win the game. I don't know how he looks the players in the eye after that. And he said he didn't think his defense was good enough to stop them if they went to overtime. They may not have had to.
Just a horrible decision by one of the worst game coaches ever.

I Came Back For This Shit?
Daunte Culpepper spent the season on his couch, and probably wishes he were back there right about now. After enduring another loss, the Lions are now 0-9 and poised to make a serious run at the first 0-16 team in NFL history. Their next 5 games all come against teams with winning records (CAR, TB, TEN, MIN, IND) and they finish against New Orleans and Green Bay. I don't see a win out there for them.



Game of the Week
Indianapolis Colts 24 Pittsburgh Steelers 20
I chose this one over a couple of other more exciting games because it had the benefit of being well-played. Except maybe by Ben Roethlisberger who threw 3 interceptions. But those interceptions gave this game a certain amount of drama. The Steelers are going to be haunted by Mannings, 2 of their 3 losses came at the hands of them.

Game of Next Week
New York Jets at New England Patriots
A new contender the AFC could emerge in this one. The winner will be 7-3 and a serious threat for the number 2 spot now that Tennessee has run away and hidden from the rest of the conference. It will also be a contrast in styles as the Jets have gunslinging Brett Favre (though they toned him down the past 2 weeks) and the Patriots have game manager Matt Cassel. Plus, there's still a little grudge match at work here.

Brief Rant About the Redskins
I'm still smarting over the loss to the Steelers, but evidently the players are not. Chris Cooley and Jason Campbell spent the bye week visiting Magic Kingdom. Hopefully they're rested and ready to play as a loss to Dallas would throw the Redskins into very tenuous playoff position.



Cheerleader of the Week
Lauren of the San Francisco 49ers Cheerleaders
Lauren is a nutrition student and personal trainer at a Bay Area gym. She loves to travel, run, and watch "Deal or No Deal."





If the Super Bowl Were Played Today
Tennessee Titans 24 New York Giants 20
Both teams look excellent but that one loss gives the edge to the Titans. And each week they seem to give you a new reason to believe.