I can't be unhappy with a Ravens win, and I especially can't complain when such a win comes on the road. I do, however, see serious flaws in Cam Cameron's offense and Dean Pees' defense that seem to be amplified away from M and T Bank Stadium. On the offensive side, I can't blame Joe Flacco as he was on target with his passes with the exception of an interception. Dropped passes kept the Ravens from sustaining drives, there's no way around that. Actually, let's back up a second. The sheer number of drives that the Ravens were able to attempt was limited by the defense's ability to stop the Chiefs from running the ball in the first half. It ate up clock and gave the Ravens poor field position when they ultimately DID get the ball back.
Rather than look at the ins and outs of why the passing offense sputtered and why the defense struggled for so much of the game, let's look on the bright side. The Ravens, on a bad, day went on the road in one of the toughest venues in the U.S. and won despite the fact that Joe Flacco didn't throw for many yards. Joe was averaging over 300 yards per game, and I worried that any team that could hold him well under that number would beat the birds because this season seemed to rest on his shoulders. Then the old Ravens team from years past popped up. They stuffed the run in the second half, Ray Rice ran for over 100 yards and dove for a game winning first down, two Raven corners had picks, Ed Reed returned a fumble out of the endzone, Courtney Upshaw recovered a fumble, Paul Kruger stopped Jamaal Charles way back behind the line of scrimmage in the end zone, the Ravens held the home team to 6 points, and they won with field goals...oh and Big Ray shot the gap and just obliterated a guy--whew that's a lot of stuff to list.
The point is, this team may not have last year's defense, and the Ravens OC might like to play a little too much with his new speedy offensive weapons, but when all else fails, they can win tough road games playing good, old fashioned Raven football! Moving on...
As for the games I predicted incorrectly. I think I spent waaaay too much time overthinking it. It's the NFL, games don't always go the way you thought they would, but at the end of the day, you learn from them and use what you learned in future predictions. Here is what I learned, and I'll be brief:
- This is not Cam Newton's year. The Seahawks have a defense and running game that reminds me of the Ravens in years past but they also lack a serious quarterback (also reminiscent of Raven days of yore). I grossly underestimated the Seahawks' ability to win on the road, and I overestimated a Panthers team that gave me zero reason to overestimate them with only one win through 5 weeks.
- The Packers have lost their edge and Andrew Luck is the real deal. Oh and Peyton Manning did not make Reggie Wayne what he is today--Reggie is simply one of the greatest receivers in the last couple of decades. Hats off to the old guy.
- The Bengals defense is poor. I need to stop giving them credit for being good last year. The Bengals have allowed more points than they've scored, and that is a sign that your defense is in trouble. The Dolphins are starting to build up some steam and I hope they are able to somehow give the Patriots a run for their money.
WEEK 6 PREDICTIONS
STEELERS AT TITANS- The Titans have not looked good yet this year. They're averaging 65 rushing yards per game which puts them close to dead last in the NFL. They've only NOT been blown out by one team, and that was an Lion's team that has absoltuely plummeted from their playoff status last year. The Steelers are also not as good as they were over the last few years, but they were good enough to beat the Eagles last week. Big Ben is still a great quarterback and the return of Rashard Mendenhall is the factor that will seal the deal in this game. It's a road game for the Steelers, but they get it done here. MY PREDICTION: STEELERS 28-10.
RAIDERS AT FALCONS- The Falcons looked shakey on the road against the Redskins, but they still came away with a win...on the road. The Falcons will beat the Raiders quite handedly in the Georgia Dome, 'nuff said. MY PREDICTION: FALCONS 31-17.
BENGALS AT BROWNS- Call me crazy, but I think this is the week the Browns get their first win. Brandon Weeden is getting more and more experience as the weeks pass by, and the Bengals appear to be getting worse. The Bengals only beat the Browns by a touchdown in Cincy, and now the scales will be tipped in favor of the Browns. MY PREDICTION: BROWNS 27-24.
RAMS AT DOLPHINS- The Rams have impressed me recently, but so have the Fins. The Dolphins can run the ball and stop the run as they have the best run defense in the NFL allowing only 61.4 yards per game. I'm gonna give it to the home team on this one, but I think this game is a total toss-up. MY PREDICTION: DOLPHINS 21-17.
COLTS AT JETS- The Colts really showed us they can come back and win against a rather daunting opponent last week. The Jets showed us that they could contend with the Texans without Santonion Holmes or Darelle Revis. I just found out that Robert Mathis will be out for 2-3 weeks. I think the Colts could pull this one out, but it'll be tougher for them to get the ball back with such a key defensive player out. I hope Andrew Luck proves me wrong on this one because I like the kid, but I gotta go with Gang Green at home here. MY PREDICTION: JETS 24-13.
LIONS AT EAGLES- I still hold a grudge after the Ravens-Eagles game, but I don't think there's any way the Eagles lose this game at home...even if Vick starts willfully throwing and handing the ball off to the other team. MY PREDICTION: EAGLES 20-13.
CHIEFS AT BUCCANEERS- The Bucs aren't a good team. They have one win against a very bad team, and they're poor from a statistically standpoing in almost every major catergory. The Chiefs can put up big yardage and stop the run rather well. The Chiefs simply turn the football over far too much. I, however, have a feeling the Chiefs won't turn the ball over enough times to lose this game. This is a game that almost no one should care about, but inevitably someone does. MY PREDICTION: CHIEFS 23-13.
COWBOYS AT RAVENS- This is a dangerous game for the Ravens. When Romo is on, he's on. The Cowboys have the weapons offensively to put up big points on just about anyone, but they also have the tendency to turn the ball over in big games. Ed Reed is playing out of his mind right now with big hits and a pair of picks, and the Ravens look best against teams when they know they can pin their ears back and rush the passer. The Cowboys are almost dead last in the league running the ball and their only wins came against a Giants team while the replacement refs were looking the other way on defensive holding, and a narrow win against the impotent Buccanneers. The Cowboys have a highly rated pass defense, but the Ravens can run the ball on just about anyone and that always sets up the pass...especially at home. The Ravens have never lost a home game against an NFC team under Harbaugh and they probably won't start now. MY PREDICTION: RAVENS 27-17.
PATRIOTS AT SEAHAWKS- The Patriots are going to have some trouble moving the ball in such hostile territory, but not THAT much trouble. The Pats have both the offensive firepower and now the defense to outgun and stop a team with a one-dimensional offense such as the Seahawks. MY PREDICTION: PATRIOTS 28-17
BILLS AT CARDINALS- The Bills have a poor record and the Cardinals have a great record. The Cardinals, however, are at the beginning of what I believe to be a downward slide. This is another game that will probably mean very little at the end of the season since neither team will likely see the playoffs. I'll give this one to the home team since the Bills can't really pass, they can't stop the pass, they can't really stop the run...pretty much all the bills can do is run the ball and that won't be enough to win on the road here. MY PREDICTION: CARDINALS 23-14.
GIANTS AT 49ERS- This will be an interesting matchup. It's a rematch of last season's AFC Championship game and each team has looked rather dominant at times this season. The 49ers have probably improved a lot more than the Giants have, but I wouldn't count the Giants out as they historically perform well on the road and their offense is truly picking up steam. The 49ers have looked downright dominant in the last two weeks, but I think this one will come right down to the wire. Defense and a good running game from the 49ers should limit Eli's opportunities to put up enough points to win. MY PREDICTION: 49ERS 34-31.
VIKINGS AT REDSKINS- Despite a losing records, the Redskins have shown an ability to stay in a game with just about any opponent thus far. This will, for that reason, be a big test for the Vikings. Assuming RG3 is good to play and not experiencing any lingering effects from that concussion, I think this is the game where the Redskins finally upset a good team. The Vikings have been picking up steam, but they're far better at home than away. MY PREDICTION: REDSKINS 31-27.
PACKERS AT TEXANS- The Texans lost a big part of their defense in Brian Cushing and the game against the Jets was far too close for comfort. That was against the Jets' defense, however, and the Packers won't be able to stop Matt Schaub. The Packers have not been able to pick up offensive steam yet this year, and they won't do it against a Texans defense that is just riddled with playmakers. Good luck Packers, you'll need it. MY PREDICTION: TEXANS 35-14.
BRONCOS AT CHARGERS- I still think the world of Peyton Manning, but the Broncos' defense simply isn't the same this year without 158 year old (that's football years) Brian Dawkins. He held the secondary down last year, and was a big reason that Tebow got a lot of credit for doing very little. The Chargers are having a good year and will beat the Broncos at home. MY PREDICTION: CHARGERS 38-31.
This week contains a lot of games that are far harder to predict than those of last week. Should be interesting to watch and I fully expect to get a handful of them wrong...I just don't know which ones. As always GO RAVENS!!!
No comments:
Post a Comment