Tuesday's Reflections on the NFL - Jekyll & Hyde

As Week 7 in the NFL came and went, there was a cry of unison heard all around the league of "YOU'VE GOTTA BE KIDDIN' ME!!!"

The NFL has again proven in the 2008-09 season that its competitiveness is next to none. In Week 7, it was again proved that this is really anybody's league and not one team has really grabbed much, if any advantage over the pack.

We saw underdogs come out on top, certain questions were answered and the Brad Johnson experiment began in the Big D. Blowouts, shocking results, and 1 remains undefeated; just another week in the NFL.

Defensive Battle

In Chicago, two of the leagues top 10 defenses went head-to-head and the anticipated offensive struggles were proven correct as the bears came out on top 10-3...wait...what do you mean 48-41...there's no way....

OK, so upon quick consultation with nfl.com, I stand corrected, as the match up between the two Defensive stalwarts became a shootout, in an 89 point game. If it weren't for Gus Frerotte's 4ints, there would have been no resemblance of defense in this game at all.

So the defenses didn't show up, but it was still one helluva game. And, if this game proved anything, it's that Kyle Orton is the real deal as Chicago's starting QB. In the past 3 weeks, Orton has thrown for 903 yards and 5 tds, without and interception. After years of struggles in Chicago, the Bears appear to have found their man at the helm.

Highlights from Vikings vs Bears

The Mighty Mighty Titans

And then there was one. The Tennessee Titans remain the only team in the NFL without a loss. Off to a 6-0 start, the best in team history, even as the Houston Oilers, the Titans may be the only team one could consider to have a clear cut lead in any part of the NFL. Tennessee is lead by Keith Bulluck and the NFL's #3 defense and one of the leagues most solid rush attacks with Chris Johnson and LenDale White propelling the offense. Sure, they beat up on the lowly Kansas City Chiefs, who were without Larry Johnson, but still, they won decisively. The running game went for 332 yards and the Chiefs only touchdown came with 2 minutes left in the game, when it was already over.

The Titans biggest challenge will come in week 8, when they face the Indianapolis Colts. The Colts are huge underachievers this year and play in the same division as the Titans, so they will be tough to beat on Sunday.

While the Titans have been playing well, their big question remains at QB. Is 35 year-old Kerry Collins the man for the job? It seems that he is doing enough to win, and don't forget, this is a man who has taken a team to the Superbowl before, by basically just being mediocre. In 2001, Collins took the Giants to the championship before losing heavily to the Baltimore Ravens. But in that year, Collins only had and fumble-ridden Tiki Barber in the backfield and the leagues 14th ranked defense. A far cry from what he has now in the team around him. in any case, the Titans will most likely be in the playoffs this year, and lets hope for another Music City Miracle.

The Music City Miracle

The Brad Johnson Era

Almost exactly as I so fearlessly predicted last week, Brad Johnson still sucks. He wasn't able to complete much of anything and threw 3 picks en route to losing his first start in 2 years. Not only was Johnson inaccurate, he failed to complete a pass to new acquisition, and pro bowl WR Roy Williams. It will be interesting to see if the Cowboys stick with Johnson, or if they get Romo back in prematurely with a broken finger. In either case, I don't like the Cowboys' chances next week against the Bucs and the Tampa 2 Defense.

All Jekyll & Hyde-y

Does anyone know how to reach Nostradamus? Can he help us with next weeks predictions? Never has there been so much confusion as to who could beat who, and what version of each team was going to show up on any given week. In this week alone the story unraveled as follows:

Buffalo, who lost 41-17 to Arizona in their last outing, beat San Diego, who had defeated New England 30-10 in week 6.

St. Louis, the winner of two straight, to improve to 2-4, beat 4-2 Dallas.

Green Bay beat Indianapolis 34-14, after the Colts beat Baltimore last week 31-3.

Oakland beat the Jets in overtime, 16-13. A Jets team that managed 56 points just a couple of weeks ago.

New England beat-up on Denver 41-7, after losing 30-10 at San Diego in week 6.

All this proves to be confusing as to which team is actually able to beat the other, but if gets more fun in the NFC East division:

The Giants beat Washington in week 1, 16-7. The Redskins beat the Cowboys 26-24 in week 4. The Cowboys defeated the Eagles 41-37 in week 2. The Browns shocked the Giants 35-14 in week 6, while the Giants beat the Rams 41-13 in week 2, who in turn beat the Cowboys 34-14 this week. My head hurts....

With the Titans still undefeated, they are the leaders in the AFC, followed closely by the Bills & Steelers at 5-1, the Patriots at 4-2 and the Jets, Jags, Colts, Broncos and Ravens all a game back from them. The race is on.

As if that weren't close enough, the NFC is even more chaotic. The Giants lead at 5-1, in hot pursuit are Washington, Tampa Bay and Carolina, all at 5-2. The Falcons, Cardinals, Bears, Packers and Cowboys are following very closely behind them with 4 wins a piece. This one should be tight to the finish.

Jekyll & Hyde Performances of the Week

Hyde

Almost as quickly as I stopped calling Peyton, Eli, I have to begin again. The Manning of old looked to be back against the Ravens last week when he threw for 271 yards and 3 tds. This week proved those allegations incorrect as Manning failed to throw a touchdown, but did throw 2 interceptions in a big loss to Green Bay. The Colts, now 3-3, fall 3 games behind the division leading Titans, a difficult lead for even Peyton to overcome.

Jekyll

In a performance completely opposite to the rest of the his season, Stephen Jackson amped up the play and scored 3 touchdowns, while rushing for 160 yards in the upset victory over the Cowboys. Jackson's had only one other 100-yard game in the season and had rushed for just 1 touchdown, prior to Sunday's win. He sparked an offense and team that looks back on track after an 0-4 start to the '08-'09 season.

See you in London

For the second straight season the NFL will be playing a regular season game in jolly ol' England at Wembley Stadium. Last season the 81,176 seat Wembley sold-out to watch the Giants beat the Dolphins 13-10 in typical thick pea-soup weather. This year promises to be another sell out and a high-octane offensive shoot-out as the San Diego Chargers meet the New Orleans Saints.

This is just one of many exciting match-ups for week 8, the midway point in the NFL season, with games in store such as Pittsburgh vs New York Giants, Atlanta vs Philadelphia, and don' forget Indianapolis vs Tennessee on Monday night.

With another week down, nothing has been resolved, and I have a feeling it won't be next week either. Chances are this one's going down to Week 17, and that is making for some thrilling football.

Until next week, same rant time, same rant blogspot!!