Statement Week

Now that the baseball season is complete, we had our first weekend of football uninterrupted by anything else. Week 9 was full of matchups with teams in need of statement wins. Some missed.

1. Bengals vs. Ravens. For some reason, people still don't give the Bengals any respect. Coming into the weekend they were 3-0 in the division, including a win in Baltimore, and yet here they were 5-2 underdogs at home against 4-3 Ravens. Chad Ochocinco did the talking and his team backed him up. Cedric Benson racked up 117 yards against the once-proud defense, and the Bengals D held Flacco's team to 1 for 10 on third downs. That's two straight strong performances for the Bengals and four straight losses for the Ravens team that looked earlier in the year like one of the best.

2. Chargers vs. Giants. The GMen needed to make a statement not only for their own psyche but also to keep up with the rest of the division. After an interception returned to the 4 yard line with just a few minutes left the game seemed to be in the bag. Then the ugly Giants showed up: 1) Penalty yard #104. 2) Last in the league in red-zone scoring (they didn't even try for the endzone), 3) defense got lit up. If the Giants front office is paying Eli $100 million, how does he not even attempt a shot at the endzone on that last drive? Misstatement New York. Meanwhile, the Chargers came across the country, stayed in the game, and Philip Rivers runs a textbook two-minute-drill for the statement win.

3. Cardinals vs. Bears. Two 4-3 teams matched up following ugly losses last week, both in the fight for a playoff spot. The Bears' once-proud defense gave up 40+ points for the second time in three weeks. They simply could not stop Kurt Warner or the run. In the first half, the Cardinals ran 37 plays and gained 348 yards, about 9.5 per play (without any 75 yard bomb, too; slow and steady). Warner shrugged off a 6 turnover performance by throwing 5 TDs without a pick, and improved to 4-0 on the road and in control of the division. Big statement win for Arizona.

4. Cowboys vs. Eagles. Matchup for the division lead in Philly, and the Cowboys make the statement with their third big win in a row. Bad throws combined with dropped passes by the Eagles yielded a quick touchdown for the Cowboys. The defense did a good job containing DeSean Jackson (something that hasn't been done in a while). After Romo hit his new best friend Miles Austin, the Eagles, down by 7, opted to kick the field goal on fourth down. They never got the ball back. Whether Andy Reid made the right call or not, they lost by four instead of trying to tie. Kudos to the Cowboys defense for dropping McNabb on 3rd and 10 and to the Cowboys offense for not giving up the ball the last four and a half minutes.

5. Steelers vs. Broncos. After the Broncos opened the game with a field goal, they did nothing the rest of the game. Their last 10 drives including 7 punts and 3 interceptions. That's the Steelers defense that we are used to seeing. In the 4th quarter the Steelers actually relied on the run and it worked, as Mendenhall racked up 155 yards. There were as many Steeler fans in the crowd as those for the home team. Big statement win for the Steelers. The Denver honeymoon is over.

6. Colts vs. Texans. Many were calling this the most important game in the history of the Houston Texans franchise. With a respectable 5-3 record and Andre Johnson facing against a patch-up secondary, the opportunity to knock off the undefeated Colts was there. Despite falling behind early they took the lead to begin the 4th quarter and had two chances to win. Matt Schaub was intercepted with two minutes left, but the defense stopped the Colts three-and-out to give them another chance. But Kris Brown missed the 42-yard potential game-tying field goal at the buzzer as they missed making the statement. Colts are 8-0, but half of those wins (Jags, Dolphins, 49ers and Texans) are quite unimpressive. Their next five games will be much tougher.

7. Titans vs. 49ers. Another start for Vince Young brings another win for the Titans, this time with an impressive road win in San Francisco. VY is finally a true quarterback. Sitting on the bench watching the veteran Kerry Collins for a year and half was probably the best thing that could have happened to him. In his turnaround game last week he was effective but limited. This week he demonstrated progress with a couple of nice, deep throws. In his two starts this year he has completed 27 out of 37 passes. The other dimension he brings, which Kerry Collins did not, is his running threat; he scored the games first touchdown by himself. The good news is he is not the central figure in this offense. Chris Johnson is the star in town. Even with (another) 80 yard run reversed by replay, he finished with 135 yards rushing, now with 12 runs of 20+ yards (tops in the NFL). Along with DeSean Jackson and Maurice Jones-Drew, he's one of the most electrifying players in the league. The main reason the Titans have back-to-back wins after starting 0-6 is the defensive play. They gave up a ton of yards to the 49ers, as they did to the Jags, but the have forced 6 turnovers and given up none. This was a statement win showing that they are not as bad as their record shows.

8. Tampa Bay vs. Green Bay. Wow, do the Packers have issues. In the Battle of the Bays, the team from Wisconsin looked like the one without a win playing a rookie QB. Tampa is among the worst in the league in defense, yet they sacked Aaron Rodgers 6 times and forced 3 interceptions. That's not saying anything about Tampa but a lot about the Packers. Their quarterback protection is so bad it's becoming legendary. ARod has been sacked 37 times in 8 games, that's 10 more times than the next guy. Not only that, he has run for 214 yards (tops among quarterbacks). Those two stats combined mean he's always on the run! Tampa only had 11 sacks the first seven games and then 6 in game eight. Throw in a blocked punt return and the Bucs almost doubled their previous season high in points. For a team looking to make up ground in the division or fight for that last wild card spot, the Packers made a big misstatement.

Next week features some great matchups along with some dreadful ones.
Get Your Popcorn Ready
Patriots vs. Colts
Bengals vs. Steelers
Eagles vs. Chargers
Take a Nap Instead
Saints vs. Rams
Lions vs. Vikings
Chiefs vs. Raiders
Ravens vs. Browns