Sunday, November 8, 2009

Cardinals @ Bears Second Half & Recap: Late Bears Surge Shot Down By Arizona

The Cardinals scored enough points in the first half for an entire game, but weren't done. Worse news for the Bears: while Hunter Hillenmeyer returned to the game, cornerback Charles Tillman (who was victimized by Larry Fitzgerald in the first half of play) left the game with a shoulder injury late in the second quarter. Meanwhile the Chicago offense (who played reasonably well in the first half despite only calling four run plays) started the game off with a quick first down before sputtering. Swarmed by three Cardinals defenders, Cutler was sacked by Chike Okeafor for a loss of 11 yards, forcing the third Bears punt of the day.



Arizona didn't show any signs of a letdown at first as Fitzgerald made a miraculous diving catch off ato keep a drive alive. The Bears would rejoice, however, as they finally forced a Cardinals field goal (excluding the one in the closing seconds of the first half) after Arizona had gone eight for eight on third down through the first half and beginning of the second.



After burning their first time out of the half, the Bears sustained two straight false start penalties (on guard Josh Beekman and center Olin Kreutz), before Cutler gunned a pass to Earl Bennett for 29 yards and a first down. Four plays later, the Bears signal-caller was called for an unsportsmanlike conduct after an incomplete pass on fourth and four, which resulted in 15 yards for Arizona after the turnover (the first of the day for either team).



Three punts (by both teams) later, the Bears showed some life again as Cutler completed three straight passes (two to Hester, who appeared to be having his way with defensive back Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie) and then, after a single incomplete pass, two more before he found Greg Olsen on a 3-yard toss. Cutler hit four different receivers on the drive, including Matt Forte, who had a 28-yard gain after taking a short pass from Cutler.



Arizona put in backup quarterback and former Heisman Trophy winner Matt Leinart, whose first pass was ruled incomplete but negated due to a pass interference penalty on linebacker Nick Roach. After two runs by Beanie Wells to bring up third-and-short, the Cards committed their first turnover of the day when Leinart threw an interception to Bears cornerback Zack Bowman, who returned it 39 yards to the 33 yard line before being pushed out of bounds. With renewed vigor, Cutler promptly score another touchdown in three plays, finding Greg Olsen for a 20-yard score (the third of the day for both players).

Things kept looking up for Chicago as Hillenmeyer forced a Kurt Warner fumble, but offensive tackle Mike Gandy recovered it in a fortunate turn for Arizona. The glimmer of hope soon faded for the Windy City as the Cards punted and Cutler threw a pick to Matt Ware on the next drive, giving Warner a short field and, after four plays, his fifth TD of the day (a 4-yard pass to Steve Breaston).

Despite one more drive by Chicago, there was no epic comeback today. Chicago's home unbeaten streak has ended, and the score at the final whistle is 41-21.

Bears Verdict - Defense Reeling, Offense Struggles to Keep Up With Cards: Even as devastated as they are by injuries, there is no excuse to be made for the Bears defensive unit's poor play today. It seems to be a case of Murphy's law with them as the injuries mount, and Tommie Harris is almost definitely going to face further suspension by the league for punching Deuce Lutui. The Bears gave up seven yards per rush in the first quarter and 182 yards in all to the league's last-ranked rushing attack. Warner threw for 5 scores and no interceptions.

When a team is that deleted on defense, the offense needs to step up their game, but the Bears aren't yet polished enough to do that. The offensive line has played poorly, allowing 17 sacks of Jay Cutler; while they cannot take all the blame for this, they have not been consistent by any stretch of the imagination. The one interception aside, Cutler had a great game by the standards of most quarterbacks, completing 29 passes for 369 yards and three touchdowns.

How's this for inexperience on offense? Three of the Bears receivers (including Hester and Rashied Davis) came into the NFL as defensive backs, and their two top receivers (other than Hester), Earl Bennett and Johnny Knox, are a second year player and a rookie, respectively. Their best player today was tight end Greg Olsen, who caught 3 touchdowns. The gimmick plays are not working for the Bears, and the running game needs to get much better in order for them to have any hope of salvaging this season.

Cardinals Verdict - Boldin Sits Out, But Balance Prevails: The Cards didn't need Anquan Boldin to beat up on the Bears defense. Larry Fitzgerald caught 9 balls for 123 yards, and the 182 team rushing yards marked a season high. As mentioned before, Warner didn't turn the ball over (although he came perilously close when he fumbled the ball after being sackedby Hunter Hillenmeyer), making the Cards 5-0 when he doesn't turn the ball over. That being said, some problems still remain. Another fourth quarter collapse was just barely averted when Mike Gandy recovered Warner's fumble, which was the ending point in the game that essentially deflated the Bears. Like the Bears, however, Arizona needs to work on their consistency, expecially at home (where they are winless halfway through the season).

Cardinals @ Bears Halftime Report

In what was an unseasonably warm day at Soldier Field in Chicago (the gametime temperature was at least 60 degrees Fahrenheit), the opening action of the Bears-Cardinals game looked like more of what the Bears have seen this season. Bears defensive tackle Tommie Harris was ejected from the game early with a completely unnecessary punch to the helmet of the prone Deuce Lutui. Linebacker Hunter Hillenmeyer was injured two plays later and taken off the field, replaced by Nick Roach. The Cards capitalized on the 15-yard penalty on Harris (even though they had already been moving the ball effectively) with a short dump pass to Larry Fitzgerald byKurt Warner. Fitzgerald escaped the coverage by Charles Tillman and walked into the endzone for the opening score.

After a disappointing performance against lowly Cleveland last week, Jay Cutler and the Chicago offense came out fast. A 42-yard catch by Hester brought the Bears into Arizona territory, and a deep bomb to tight end Greg Olsen on 3rd and 9 on a deep post pattern finished a short drive for the Bears. While he appeared to be well-covered by safety Adrian Wilson, Olsen adjusted to the throw and opened up a yard of space across the field to catch Cutler's pass. Surprisingly, Chicago did not call one run play on their opening drive.

On Arizona's next possession, a diving catch by Fitzgerald looked suspect but was not challenged by Lovie Smith Two consecutive red zone runs with Hightower and Chris "Beanie" Wells softened up an already weakened Bears defence, and the 13th TD pass of season for Warner to Ben Patrick allowed Arizona to retake the lead. A Bears punt gave the ball back to Arizona, who gave the ball to Wells to break off their longest run of the season, an up-the-gut run that Wells took to the outside for a 26 yard gain. The Cardinals were clicking on all cylinders, and Kurt Warner's 11th straight completion found Larry Fitzgerald (again being covered alone by Tillman) for another touchdown.

The Cards surprised the usually solid Bears special team with a pop-up kick, but Chicago caught a break as referee Ed Hochuli ruled that possession did not belong to Arizona as it first appeared but in fact went to Jay Cutler and the Chicago offense. After a single first down, Cutler ran right into Darnell Docket and was sacked for a nine yard loss, which ended up forcing another punt by Brad Maynard. Once again, the Arizona offense was held to third down multiple times, but managed to convert two 3rd-and-5's as they moved the ball quickly and decisively. A 15-yard reception by Cardinals tight end Anthony Becht (his first of the season) marked Warner's fourth touchdown pass of the day.

Attempting to will his team back into the game, Cutler made more impressive throws. A laser between two defenders to second-year wideout Earl Bennet picked up a key first down, and was followed by a screen to running back Matt Forte. Set back by an offensive pass interference penalty on Greg Olsen, the Bears could only make up 10 yards out of the 20 that they needed. The Robbie Gould field goal was then blocked, and returned 59 yards by Antrell Rolle after falling short, allowing Arizona to tack on a last second field goal of their own to complete a dominant first half. The halftime score: 31-7 Arizona.

Sunday, November 1, 2009

Vikings @ Packers Second Half & Recap

Starting off with a 14-point lead (the result of a 17-3 halftime deficit which marked the lowest amount of first half points by a Packers team for a decade), Brett Favre and the Vikings recieved to kick-off to start the second half. The Minnesota momentum was halted by a hard hit on Bernard Berrian by Packers safety Atari Bigby, but Favre zinged a 30-yard pass over the middle to Harvin, who took advantage of a collision between two Packers to sprint into the endzone for a 51-yard score and extend the Vikings' lead to 21.

Aaron Rodgers responded with a long drive down the field, but after he was stopped by Pat Williams on a design quarterback draw, he was consitently stuffed by the Vikings defensive line, and Mason Crosby ended up being called on for another field goal, a chip shot from 26 yards which indicates just how close Green Bay came to scoring.

They would get the ball back on the next kickoff as Crosby hit a squib kick that was fumbled by reserve defensive end Brian Robison, who was probably touching a game ball for the first time in his NFL career. Nevertheless, Green Bay took advatage of his mistake and scored with a short field on a 16-yard toss to tight end and three-way player Spencer Havner.

Brian Robison got back into the game to replace an injured Ray Edwards, and could not get any pressure on Rodgers as the Packers marched downfield. Havner scored again on a 5-yard reception to cap off another drive by an inspired Packer offense, bringing the Vikings' leading down to only 4 points.

That didn't last long, as Harvin's long return was swiftly turned into six points by Favre, who dumped the ball off on a checkdown to fullback Jeff Dugan. In what was shaping up to be another frantic fourth quarter, Rodgers answered with a toss to Greg Jennings, who managed to catch the ball despite being the target of two Vikings penalties (defensive holding and pass interference).

Chris Kluwe's punt was downed inside the 20, but Green Bay's pass offense once again proved prolific enough to match. A bad snap resulted in a fantastic catch by Donald Driver (who was hurt on the play) that was extended by a questionable roughing-the-passer penalty on Ray Edwards. Without Driver, the Pack could not advance any further, and the resulting Crosby kick was wide right.

Favre made his former team pay with his fourth touchdown pass of the day, a quick pass to Bernard Berrian who sat in the hole between two defenders before being thrown into the endzone. The pass set another record for Brett Favre, but I'll get to that. In the end, th final score was 38-24 in favor of the Minnesota Vikings, as Favre continued his winning ways in Lambeau.

Packers Verdict - Favre Proves To Be Greatest Enemy: The man who is regarded by many as Green Bay's most iconic player since the Lombardi era is now also their nemesis. Favre is 2-0 against his former team, having thrown for seven touchdowns and no interceptions. There is little to criticize about Green Bay's play tonight; they fought hard against a powerful Vikings team and fell short, at one time being only four points down. They still need to improve their run game and pass protection, but it's difficult to do that without their starting left tackle. Chad Clifton was active today but did not play, and hopefully he will be available for their next contest.

Vikings Verdict - Favre's Career Day Masks Defensive Deficiencies: I'm frankly tired of saying this, but the Vikings defense needs to play with more consistency quarter-to-quarter. They give up lots of fourth quarter points, and while those nail-biting fourth quarter heroics are good for adding to the legend of #4 they are not the greatest recipe for winning games. Favre's excellence is covering for the weaknesses in the Vikings team. For all the sacks produced by their dominant defensive front, their pass defense is rather weak in the clutch, as evinced by the close margins of their last few games (particularly when it came back to bite them against Pittsburgh). Unless they improve, the defense will end up being Minnesota's undoing when they reach the playoffs and play in elements that may not be quite as conducive to Favre's air-it-out style of play.

Meanwhile, Favre set yet another record today. He passed for four touchdowns for the twenty-first time in his career, breaking the record held by Dan Marino. In the last game against the Packers, he became the first player in NFL history to defeat all 32 teams in the NFL. How's that for Hall of Fame credentials?

Vikings @ Packers Halfime Report

As tired as I am of covering Vikings games, the content of this blog is undeniably affected by what games are broadcast on primetime television, and the excessive drama and attention surrounding Brett Favre (particularly this week, with his homecoming to Green Bay) make for good ratings on the tube (the broadcast even included a "Favre-cam" to stay on the grizzled quarterback for the entire game). Brett has such a taste for drama that when he retires (or perhaps I should say "if" he retires), he should seriously consider appearing on a soap opera.

After the high standards set by the late-game thriller at the Metrodome, Favre's return to Lambeau Field started slowly, with no points coming through the first possessions for either team. A miscue by Vikings center John Sullivan caused a Minnesota fumble that was recovered by the Packers, but Aaron Rodgers could not capitalize on a short field and Green Bay took a Mason Crosby field goal. Rodgers had been criticized by head coach Mike McCarthy for holding onto the ball too long in the last game against Minnesota, and the trend continued today. While they have yet to adequately replace Chad Clifton on the offensive line (and have given up the most sacks in the league as a result), Rodgers still has to be able to distribute better for Green Bay to be successful.

Percy Harvin, who already returned two kickoffs for scores this season, nearly had another one as he brought the next kick 77 yards down to the 15, but it took a headbutt penalty on Johnny Jolly and four Adrian Peterson runs for the Packers to punch the ball into the endzone.

After a Packers punt, Favre passed methodically down the field and found Visanthe Shiancoe on a shallow crossing route for his first touchdown pass of the day. Shiancoe, along with receivers Sidney Rice and Harvin, have developed into solid targets for Favre to accompany running back Adrian Peterson.

A sack on Rodgers by Jared Allen forced the Packers to punt yet again, giving them great field position. But after Peterson broke off a long run to get the Vikings into the red zone, the Packers managed to stand Minnesota up and stuff another 4th-down conversion.

The half ended on a tired note, with the Packers totally unable to move the ball and the Vikings in no hurry to do so. The key stat at the two-minute warning was the yardage for both teams: 100 for Minnesota, 7 for Green Bay.

Week 8 Storylines

New Yorks's Giant Skid Extends To Three Losses Against Eagles (40-17 PHI): The Giants probably raised more questions than they answered with a poor performance against the Philidelphia Eagles. The 40-17 loss marked the Giants' third consecutive loss, and came at a bad time as the now have two weeks to rue their missed chances during a bye week. Most of the problems that have plagued them through the last few weeks persisted; the G-Men were consistently vulnerable to the big play on defense, and DeSean Jackson (who is making big plays left and right this season) took advantage with a 55-yard touchdown reception. Philly later sealed their victory with a 66-yard run by LeSean McCoy, filling in for the injured Brian Westbrook. In addition, the New York offense didn't look quite the same as it did the first five weeks of the year. That's an understatement, given Eli Manning's poor play against New Orleans, Arizona, and now the Eagles. Maybe he needs some more tips from big brother Peyton.

Ravens Hand Denver First Loss of Season (30-7 BAL): Kyle Orton has shown this season that he is efficient, but not explosive. Give him the small stuff and let him complete passes; you can still keep the Broncos out of the endzone. The Ravens defence allowed him to complete 23 of 37 passes, but only allowed 152 yards through the air and, more importantly, seven points. Linebacker Jarret Johnson set the tone early by sacking Orton on the first play of the game and the defence recovered a Knowshon Moreno fumble before Lardarius Webb returned a kickoff 95 yards for a score to essentially put the game out of reach for the Broncos. The Ravens snapped a three-game losing streak as well as putting an end to Denver's hopes of an undefeated season. This will probably end up being good for Josh McDaniel's team, though; talk of going undefeated usually only puts unnecessary pressure on a team, and despite suffering their first loss the Broncos still have their division well in hand.

Slaton Benched As Texans Roll Over Bills (31-10 HOU): Houston won handily in Buffalo despite a poor outing for most of the familiar offensive stars. Tight end Owen Daniels sustained a knee injury that will require season-ending surgery, quarterback Matt Schaub threw two interceptions and no touchdowns, and running back Steve Slaton was benched after a fumble early in the game (his fifth of the season). Despite all that, the Texans scored 31 points. How did they do it? Ryan Moats, a 5th year tailback out of LA Tech, rushed for 126 yards on 23 carries, scoring three times. Three Kris Brown field goals (and one gratuitous two-point conversion from Schaub to Andre Johnson) finished the Bills, who have fallen flat on their faces after two years of hype and promises of improvement. Terrell Owens has been surprisingly quiet as far as talking to the media is concerned, but don't expect that to last too long if Buffalo continues to struggle.

Miami Edges Jets After Frantic Third Quarter (30-25 MIA): The Dolphins hardly even needed an offense to beat the Jets. Wideout Ted Ginn Jr., benched by head coach Tony Sparano, settled into his duties as the returner, tying an NFL record held by seven other players by returning two kickoffs for touchdowns (he is the only player in history to run back two kicks in the same game of 100 yards or more). This came after a dreary first half that featured a scoreless first quarter, and the only players who scored were the kickers. The offenses, not wanting to be left out, turned it on late. Two touchdown passes from Mark Sanchez to Braylon Edwards and Dustin Keller brought the Jets close, but two failed two-point conversions and a Dolphins TD put the game out of reach. This game certainly lived up the its hype, but it will be interesting to see how Rex Ryan reacts to it over the course of the week.

Da Bears Bounce Back Against Browns (30-6 CHI): After an embarassing loss to the Cincinnati Bengals, Chicago needed a win to keep their morale going. They got it against the other Ohio team. Cleveland is quite possibly the worst team in the NFL right now (although I would put the Raiders in over them), and it was the perfect feel-good game for the Bears to come back from as the defence forced five turnovers and Matt Forte scored two touchdowns. I think Chicago will still feel aggravated, though, that they could not do more against a poor Browns team. Forte only rushed for 90 yards (3.5 average) while Cutler threw 1 interception and no touchdowns. Meanwhile, things are looking worse for the beleaguered Browns, who are looking for the lesser of two evils in their potential starting quarterbacks. After what is shaping up to be another down year for Cleveland, I fully expect Eric Mangini to be gone.

St. Louis No Longer Winless, Beats Detroit (17-10 STL): After seven weeks of misery, the Rams finally have escaped the ranks of the winless teams by beating another terrible team in the Detroit Lions, who were missing half of their offensive star power in injured wide receiver Calvin Johnson. Steven Jackson's hard work still paid off, though. Despite coming into the game second in the league in all-purpose yardage and third in rushing, Jackson had not yet scored a touchdown this season. He broke that drought (the longest of his career) with a score against the Lions to cap off a stellar, 149-yard performance. Even if it came against another yearly loser in Detroit, a win is a win, and the Rams and head coach Steve Spagnuolo will be happy to have their first.

Manning, Colts Edge Out San Francisco (18-14 IND): Peyton Manning didn't throw a touchdown in this game, but he won't mind. It was the arm of running back Joseph Addai that gave the Colts the go-ahead score over the 49'ers. Having recieved the ball on a stretch option play (in which the running back has the choice to either run or pass), Addai hit a wide open Reggie Wayne with a lofted left-handed effort that Wayne still had to stretch out for. While Manning did not throw for a score, he restarted the streak that was broken three weeks ago by passing for 347 yards. Were it not for the Saints, the Colts would be the hottest team in football, with Manning showing off his best play since 2003 (that includes the Colts' Super Bowl run in 2006) and the defense looking rejuvenated with safety Bob Sanders (the 2007 Defensive Player of the Year) back in the lineup. As they move to 7-0, they will have to stay on their guard to avoid an upset by their division rivals: the upstart Houston Texans.

Carolina Upsets Arizona In Surprise of the Week (34-21 CAR): Sure, the Panthers won convincingly over what most people had billed as a superior Cardinals team, but don't give the credit to Jake Delhomme. In a dominant performance from both DeAngelo Williams and Johnathan Stewart, Delhomme only attempted 14 passes, completing 7 of them for 90 yards. I should put an asterisk next to that yardage total, as 50 of them came on a long after-the-catch run by Steve Smith. Fortunately for Delhomme (who is essentially in a caretaker role in the Panther offense), Williams and Stewart carried the load with a combined 40 rushes for 245 yards (Stewart also scored two touchdowns). The Panthers D did the rest, forcing six turnovers from Kurt Warner (five of them interceptions), including a leaping pick-six from defensive end Julius Peppers.

Dallas Pounds Seattle, Secure First Place Tie In Divison (38-17 DAL): With the Giants having fallen to the Eagles, Dallas need a win to keep their first place tie with Philly, and they got it in a convincing win over the underachieving Seawhawks. QB Tony Romo looked sharp for the third week in a row, while Patrick Crayton regained the coaches' confidence in his punt return skills with his second punt return for a score in as many games. After a slow start, things are looking up in Big D. The same cannot be said for their opponents, however. Even with the return of veteran quarterback Matt Hasselbeck, the Seahawks are a shadow of the team they were in 2007 (when they were defeated by the Green Bay Packers in the NFC divisional playoffs), let alone the team that made the Super Bowl in 2005. They have one of the worst rush defenses in the league, and this last game made it painfully clear that their pass defense also needs work. Meanwhile, Hasselbeck is showing his wear-and-tear as he clutched his bad ribs after being sacked on Sunday. I think it's time Seattle started looking for another signal-caller, because it looks pretty cloudy as to how much gas Hasselbeck has left in the tank.

Chargers Beat Dismal Oakland For 13th Straight Win Over Raiders (24-17): It's just sad how awful the Oakland Raiders have been for the past four to five seasons. Between them and the equally lowly Kansas City Chiefs, they have a paltry three wins, and essentially make the AFC West the worst division in football (a title the Chargers and Broncos must unfortunately share by association). I think a telling stat is the difference in passing yardage between the Raiders' JaMarus Russel (109) and the Chargers' Philip Rivers (256), despite Rivers only completing two more passes (16 to 14). Oakland can't block, and as a result can't run or pass (the dreaded trifecta from hell). By the way, if the Chargers don't lose to Oakland for four more seasons (something I could definitely see happening) they will break the all time record for the most consecutive wins by one team over another (set at 20 by the Dolphins of the 60's and 70's, who had their way with the Buffalo Bills in that era).

Chris Johnson Drags Titans To First Win Over Jags (30-17 TEN): Despite the potential implications of the headline, Johnson was not the only player on the field for Tennessee, although he did rush for a franchise-record 228 yards on 24 carries (9.5 yards per rush). Quarterback Vince Young, who regained his starting spot after the benching of Kerry Collins, was efficient and mastake-free despite not putting up big numbers, completing 15 of only 18 passes for 125 yards and a score. With Johnson's performance, it's not like Young had to shine, but I think he did well enough to keep his job as the starter for another week (at least he won a game).

New Orleans Wins Again, But Falcons Keep It Close (35-27 NO): I know that the Saints defense can make plays when it counts (such as Jabari Greer's 48-yard interception return yesterday against the Falcons), but for all the talk about how much they have improved they have consistently given up lots of points. They are 20th in the league with 22 points per game scored against them; if it were not for their dominant offense, those numbers would be unforgivable and could be even worse. It has become a persistent problem for New Orleans over the past few years; the only difference is the Saints were losing games before and now they're winning. Despite their current win streak and the fact that they have the easiest remaining schedule in the NFL, I don't think New Orleans will go undefeated. Michael Turner (and Ricky Williams of the Dolphins) have shown that the Saints defense can be rattled if their opponent is effective at running the ball, and the strip-sack by Thomas Decoud (as well as the resulting score by defensive tackle Kroy Bierman) showed that Drew Brees is not as perfect as the Saints' record would suggest. If they don't fall to the New England Patriots (who they play in three weeks), they will likely at least receive a scare from one of the other teams like they did against Miami, and their seemingly blessed luck can't hold out forever.