After suffering a crushing 26-20 overtime loss to their in-state and Big 10 rival Michigan State last week in, the now unranked Michigan Wolverines face the undefeated and #12th ranked Iowa Hawkeyes in Iowa City this weekend.
Sadly, there are no true Midwest teams left in the NFL playoffs. The Colts were our last great hope, but their season fizzled in overtime against the Chargers. I’m not a Colts fan by any means, but at least covering their playoff run would have given us something to do here at Midwest Sports Fans.
As it is, we will have to adopt a team that is kind of in the Midwest…but not really: The Tennessee Titans.
As everyone knows, the Titans used the mustache voodoo of Jeff Fisher to jump out to a great start this season before falling back to the pack a bit. Led by a great game with rookie RB Chris Johnson and LenDale White, efficient QB play by Kerry Collins, and one of the most dominant defensive lines in the NFL, the Titans were able to secure the #1 seed in the AFC Playoffs.
And their reward?
The Baltimore Ravens, whose defense and running game are absolutely hitting on all cylinders right now. The Ravens and Titans will duke it out this weekend for the chance to go to the AFC Championship game, in what should be a physical, smash-mouth type of game that may make you sore just watching it from your couch.
Here are the particulars of the game, including TV schedule, announcer lineup, and point spreads. (As usual, point spread and over-under odds sponsored by the NFL Football Handicapping experts at DocSports.)
Baltimore Ravens at Tennessee Titans
(Follow the link to see the TV schedule, announcer pairings, and point spreads for the other NFL Divisional Round Playoff games this weekend.)
Before I give you mine, what is your prediction?
Loading ...
And some good links as you get ready for gameday:
Ravens-Titans GameCenter with stats, team, info, etc. – (NFL.com)
Don’t forget that the Titans have a great defense too – (Thomas George, NFL.com)
Ravens-Titans Scouting Report – Expect a physical game (Pat Kirwan, NFL.com)
Injury News: Haynesworth practices, but Ed Reed, Todd Heap, and Derrick Mason do not — (Pro Football Talk)
I am really excited for this game. While I hate the Ravens, of course, there is no denying that the star power and play-making ability of their defense makes them an intriguing team to watch. What has been surprising about Baltimore this season has been the proficiency of their offense.
I think people are going a little too overboard in their praise of Joe Flacco — he is managing games and not making critical mistakes, but is by no means winning games — but the consistency of their run game has been deadly in recent weeks. Le’Ron McClain and Willis McGahee have used huge 4th quarter bursts to salt games away against Dallas and Miami, and it will be imperative that Tennessee stop these two guys in the second half and give Kerry Collins and the offense a chance to win the game.
I do think that Tennessee will somewhat put the clamps on Baltimore’s run game, but they won’t stop it completely. And I’m not sure I totally trust Joe Flacco to stay out of trouble against a physical, ball-hawking D.
However, I just can’t pick against the Ravens D. Ed Reed is a one man wrecking crew in the secondary, Ray Lewis has been playing great, and Terrell Suggs has been a monster rushing the passer. Tennessee has a right to demand respect for their defense, but they don’t have the proven big-game playmakers that the Ravens do. If Chris Johnson can break some runs, and Kerry Collins can hit some passes downfield, Tennessee has a chance.
But I think Baltimore is coming out ahead in this one, and moving on to face Pittsburgh in the AFC Championship game.
And if that happens, at least the Browns can take some pride that they played in the division with the two best teams in the AFC. Unfortunately, they just couldn’t compete with them. This weekend will be another reminder of why.
Baltimore Ravens 20 | Tennessee Titans 13
I may be the only sportswriter, fan, or human being in the country who believes the Cleveland Browns can take it to the Philadelpia Eagles’ in their house tonight.
Well, if not demolish the Super Bowl wannabes, the Browns can at least sneak in a victory in Philly — plus get out of town in one piece. And that includes Cleveland’s last resort quarterback, Ken Dorsey, a well-spoken young man who looks good holding a clipboard.
Why do I believe? It’s not that I am a hopeless “homer” with all things Browns, but psychologically Cleveland has the edge simply because Philadelphia desperately needs this game to be a legitimate contender for the Super Bowl.
The Browns will play hard for their coach, Romeo Crennel, and for their own jobs next year if Crennel is not around.
But the biggest factor in the Browns favor is, it’s Monday Night Football, folks. And despite all odds, Cleveland is 2-0 this season in the must-see prime time game.
On Oct. 13, the Browns beat the reigning Super Bowl champs, the New York Football Giants at Cleveland Browns Stadium, 35-14, when no one (except for Midwest Sports Fans!) gave the struggling Browns a chance. And that was before Derek Anderson, Brady Quinn and Derek, again, got hurt.
In fact, Anderson played his best game of the season against Eli Manning’s team, earning a quarterback rating of 121.3 compared to his season average of 66.5 before going down with a leg injury.
And on Nov. 17, beneath the Monday Night lights in Buffalo, Quinn led the Browns to a 29-27 win against the play-off contending Bills, with a little help from field goal kicker Phil Dawson with less than two minutes to go.
The Browns Monday night magic stuck when the Buffalo kicker missed a field goal attempt with mere seconds to go. Buffalo never recovered its playoff form.
The Browns could win this game if:
1. Dorsey stays on his feet 50 percent of the time.
2. The Browns Good Defense shows up and Shaun Rogers plays like a beast and Brandon McDonald, D’Qwell Jackson and Mike Adams play the best games of their lives.
3. Donovan McNabb plays like he did when he was benched in the second half of the Baltimore game three weeks ago.
4. Braylon Edwards catches the long ball in the end zone (for the Browns first touchdown in four games.)
5. Joshua Cribbs plays a “wildcat” role and if is Josh runs wild the whole game.
6. Eagles running back Brian Westbrook sprains his ankle while running out on the field during pre-game introductions.
“If you count only (the Browns) Monday night games, they’re astonishingly good,” ESPN analyst Tony Kornheiser told The Plain Dealer. “I believe they could become only the second team ever to win three Monday night games — and not make the playoffs.”
OK, a back-handed compliment, perhaps, but with the Browns at 4-9, I’ll take it.
Who knows? If we beat up on the Eagles, the Browns might be invited to play in three Monday Night Football games next year.
I can hardly wait.
Go, Browns!
What can I say about the Packers’ upcoming visit to Jacksonville? Neither team is doing so hot this season, so it’s not really going to be that big of a nail-biter. Personally, I’m hoping that we can come out of this game with bits and pieces of our pride still intact. The Pack are sitting (not so) pretty at 5-8, third in the NFC North and Jacksonville is 4-9 and dead last in the AFC South.
So what’s a girl to write about when her beloved team is playing a game that matters very little in the race toward the playoffs? Last season this game probably would have been stellar, considering both the Pack and the Jags were in playoff contention. Then again, last season both teams were good. But now, not so much.
I’m always rooting for my Packers to win, but I think we have a decent shot at victory on Sunday. Then again, I thought we had a decent shot at victory for a number of the games this season that we lost, so we’ll see how things pan out.
The Jags lost 30-17 in a Monday night game against the Texans two weeks ago, who walked all over our defense last week. However, we only lost that game by a field goal and stuck with things reasonably well. Jacksonville, on the other hand, lost by 13 points. If we’re looking only at the numbers in this trio of teams, Green Bay is more likely to come out on top in this game.
I’ll be watching the game with bated breath, as always. My fingers will be crossed that our defensive line can get some penetration and put pressure on David Garrard, the Jags quarterback. I will be hoping for some beautiful passes from Aaron Rodgers and some spectacular receptions from Donald Driver and Greg Jennings (and maybe an interception from Charles Woodson?). Most of all I will be hoping that the moment of collapse that has happened in nearly every game this season doesn’t happen Sunday.
My prediction is a Green Bay victory. But just remember, if you are a gambling man (or gambling woman—we don’t discriminate here at Midwest Sports Fans), that I am merely a college student and not a professional psychic, much as I would like to be sometimes.
Sunday, November 30 features a huge AFC battle between two conference titans. Both teams have struggled somewhat of late, but I would still put good money on both of these teams still being alive come January.
Something tells me you already know I’m not talking about the Browns and Colts. Unfortunately, you would be right. (The matchup of titans is the afternoon game between the Patriots and Steelers.)
When the schedules came out, this late November game between the annual 12-game winning Indianapolis Colts an
d last year’s 10-win surprise Cleveland Browns looked like it could potentially have playoff (even homefield-type) implications.
Through 12 weeks of the 2008 season, it has become quite apparent that this is not the case. For a while, it looked like both the Browns and the Colts would fail to hold up their ends of the bargain. The Browns have been up-and-down all year; but mostly down, en route to a 4-7 record that leaves them as much for a playoff victory as Curtis Painter has for a Heisman Trophy.
The Colts came out of the gates sputtering, quite contrary to their typical modus operandi, but have gotten back on track lately. Peyton Manning is looking like his old self, injuries are starting to heal, and the rhythm of the Colts offense seems to be closer to normal — especially with Joseph Addai finally showing signs of life.
So who is going to win this game? Well, if you read this site you know that my predictions are always wrong and that I have picked the Browns to win all year long. Really, when viewed that way, the Browns poor season makes total sense
Loading ...Let’s run through some keys to the game, without putting too much deep thought into this (because I think
we all expect the Colts to win, and while I am holding out hope and will be cheering my ass for the Browns, what exactly is there in the last few weeks to make us legitimately feel like this is possible?).
Key #1: Will Bob Sanders play?
The answer is no. Not sure how severe the injury to Bob Sanders is, but from what I read this week it seems like the Colts are just being cautious with their superstar strong safety. And why shouldn’t they? I am sure they have total confidence that they can win without Bob Sanders, and they need to start thinking big picture. Without Bob Sanders to help try to stop Chris Johnson and LenDale White, Thomas Jones, Willie Parker, and the other RBs that will likely be in the playoffs, the Colts will be one-and-done. The Browns have done nothing to instill fear in the Colts that Bob Sanders’ presence is necessary for a win.
Advantage: Browns
Key #2: Where is the game being played?
In Cleveland. The Browns were 7-1 at home last year and nowhere near as hospitable as they have been this year. Collapses against Baltimore, Denver, and Houston have defined this season of errors for the Cleveland Browns. We’re at home again, where the term “home field advantage” means about as much as “steroid testing policy” in the Clemens house.
Advantage: Colts
Key #3: Who is playing Quarterback for Cleveland?
Earlier this week, we discussed nine options, in addition to Derek Anderson, who should be possibilities to start at QB for the Browns in the absence of Brady Quinn. As of 8:36 CT on Saturday night, Charlie Brown had a 20 vote edge over Sloth from Goonies, who was followed closely by Joshua Cribbs, LeBron James, and Zack Morris. Derek Anderson, the actual starter, was only 7th — sitting ignominiously behind Bill Cowher, who is old, mustachioed, and not a QB.
This can’t be a good sign for the Browns. Something tells me that if I had included Peyton Manning in the list of 10, he would have garnered more respect than to be behind a cartoon character, a freak from a Spielberg movie, an NBA player, a student from Bayside High School, and a studio analyst.
Read the article though, you’ll like it. Then come back here. I know you’re on the edge of your seat for my prediction.
Advantage: Colts
Key #4: Who is coaching for Cleveland?
Still Romeo Crennel. And Tony Dungy is still coaching for the Colts. This is not, in any way, shape, or form, advantageous for the Browns.
Now, I’ve heard some people whisper that the Browns will be “out for revenge” because Tony Dungy rested many of his best players in last season’s regular season finale against the Titans. The Titans beat the Colts in Week 17 last year and advanced to the playoffs. Had the Colts won, the Browns would have been in. Is it possible that the Browns players will be rabid with anger and revenge on their minds? Umm…I doubt it. It is still Romeo Crennel and Tony Dungy after all. I don’t think either one is giving a fire-and-brimstone speech in the pregame to stoke any such vendettas. Non story.
Advantage: Colts
Key #5: Who is JRod predicting to win?
Well, you all know that I want the Browns to win. And when I pick them to win, they lose. And logically speaking, if I had to bet $1,000,000 on this game, I would bet it on…the Browns. I know, I’m a fool, but what can I say? If someone put a gun to my head and said I had to place money on one team or the other, I’d rather suffer the gunshot wound than place money against the Browns.
But, in this post, I am predicting the Colts. And I am doing so for one very specific reason: my predictions are always wrong, meaning that if I go on record as saying the Colts will win, then perhaps my true desire will come true and the Browns will pull off the upset.
Advantage: Browns
This leaves the total score at 3-2, with the advantage in favor of the Colts. Excellent. (*diabolical, wicked laugh*) Exactly how I want it.
Colts 35 | Browns 31
Go Browns!
The next “Game of the Year†in the Big 12 is upon us, as Bob Stoops and the Oklahoma Sooners travel toStillwater to take on the 40-year old man (Mike Gundy) and the Oklahoma State Mothers…of Children in the latest installment of the Bedlam Series.
I know, I know — Mike Gundy is now 41 and his press conference rant is over a year old. Still, it does not make it any less funny. In fact, let’s take a quick trip down memory lane before we jump into the preview. But rather than listen to Mike Gundy rant about some “garbage†newspaper story, let’s watch him provide a weather report in the heart of a nasty storm.
And now, onto the serious stuff.
Here are the particulars for today’s Bedlam Series game between Oklahoma and Oklahoma State:
Matchup: #3 Oklahoma Sooners (10-1) at #12 Oklahoma State Cowboys (9-2)
Where: Stillwater, Oklahoma
Time: 8:00 ET
TV: ABC
Announcer Pairing: Brent Musberger, Kirk Herbstreit, Lisa Salters
Point Spread: Oklahoma -7 ½
Over-Under: 72
Loading ...What’s at stake: This game will help determine who goes to the Big 12 Championship Game from the Big 12 South division.
Texas took care of Texas A&M on Thursday night, as expected. This means that if the favorites hold serve, with Oklahoma beating OSU and Texas Tech beating Baylor, then there will be a three-way tie in the Big 12 South. By tiebreaker rule, whichever team is tanked higher in the BCS Standings would then go on to play Missouri in the Big 12 Championship Game. This scenario is the only possible way that Oklahoma could play in the Big 12 Championship.
If Oklahoma loses today and Texas Tech beats Baylor, then Texas Tech will play in the Big 12 Championship based on its victory over Texas. If Texas Tech loses to Baylor and Oklahoma beats Oklahoma State, Texas goes to the Big 12 Championship game because the Longhorns beat Oklahoma earlier this year.
So there’s just a little bit at stake tonight in Stillwater.
Let’s take a quick look at what some of the “experts†are predicting:
Dennis Dodd, Senior Writer at CBS Sportsline: Oklahoma State 31 | Oklahoma 23
“I had this vision Saturday night of Mike Gundy sitting on a trunk somewhere drawing up ball plays as he watched OU on TV out of the corner of his eye. People are just assuming that Oklahoma is going to cruise past the Cowboys. The reason it won’t is Kendall Hunter. Gundy will use its All-America-worthy back to control the clock. OSU’s defense is underrated. The fans will be out for blood.â€
For the record, the other four prognosticators at CBS Sportsline all picked Oklahoma to win.
John Tamanaha, Official Prognosticator at NBCSports.com: Oklahoma 48 | Oklahoma State 31
“With Mike Gundy calling the shots, Zac Robinson hooking up with Dez Bryant, and Kendall Hunter running the rock, Oklahoma State is more than capable of getting into a shootout with Oklahoma, especially at home in Stillwater. But the Cowboys won’t be able to come up with enough stops to stay within striking distance in the fourth quarter.â€
Stewart Mandel, College Football Oracle at SI.com: Oklahoma 48 | Oklahoma State 24
“Theoretically, the Sooners are walking into a “hostile” atmosphere — except there will be 15,000 empty seats due to OSU’s inane policy requiring fans to buy season tickets in order to attend this one.â€
And, for the record, 83% of the fans who had voted by 10:15 ET this morning had picked Oklahoma.
Sounds reasonable to me.
Here is why I think Oklahoma will win:
1 – Karma is a bitch
Oklahoma State instituted an insane policy this year that no single-game tickets would be sold for the Oklahoma-Oklahoma State game, instead forcing people to buy season tickets. Now, it is estimated that there will be 10,000-15,000 empty seats – for one of the biggest games of the season! Mike Gundy wants to talk about something being garbage? That’s garbage. No way the cosmic forces of college football allow Oklahoma State to win under such circumstances.
2 – Bob Stoops is better than Mike Gundy
It’s that simple. Look no further that the two team’s respective performances against Texas Tech. Graham Harrell made Oklahoma State look foolish, and Mike Gundy may as well have let T. Boone Pickens call the offensive plays. We all know what Stoops and the Sooners did to Texas Tech. Mike Gundy may be a man, but Bob Stoops is the man in the Big 12.
3 – The BCS is a bitch
If Oklahoma wins and Texas Tech wins, as explained earlier, all hell breaks loose. As any college football fan knows, the evil and diabolical BCS demon is not happy unless it has created as much carnage an
d controversy as possible. Texas Tech and Oklahoma will both win today, forcing the three-way tie in the Big 12 South that will be determined by politics and BS. And nothing says BCS better than politics and BS.
My prediction: Oklahoma 49 | Oklahoma State 31
And now, if you are a betting man, I’d run out an bet every last dollar on Oklahoma State pulling off the upset. I’m as accurate with my predictions as Lee Corso is sane. Just remember that I picked Texas Tech over Oklahoma as you click away from his prediction as fast as humanly possible.
With apologies to KVB, the college football Game of the Week is in Norman, Oklahoma, not in Columbus, Ohio. True, the Michigan-Ohio State game has more history and is a bigger game on a yearly basis; but the battle for Big 12 supremacy in Norman this weekend could very well be the Game of the Year when all is said and done.
Texas Tech comes into Saturday night’s matchup (at 8:00 ET on ABC) with an 10-0 record, a #2 ranking, and off of back-to-back wins over top 10 teams Texas and Oklahoma State. The Oklahoma Sooners will defend their home turf Saturday with a 9-1 record, a #5 ranking, and a loss to Texas (in Dallas at the Cotton Bowl) as their only blemish of the year.
Both teams have offenses that are pretty much ridiculous. Texas Tech, powered by the lethal combo of Graham Harrell and Michael Crabtree, is #1 in the nation in passing yards per game with 438.6, and they are #2 in overall offense. Oklahoma is led by superstar sophomore Sam Bradford and is #4 in total offense and #3 in passing offense. Holy crap I am getting excited for this game.
If the over-under is anything less 100, take the over.
What are the keys to victory? I’ll run down a few in the preview and then offer up a prediction. But first, chime in with your prediction:
Loading ...1 — Emotion and Mindset
For two straight weeks, Texas Tech has played “the biggest game in school history” and they have won both of them. The Texas game was a knock down, drag out fight that they were able to pull out by the skin of their teeth with an incredible touchdown pass from Graham Harrell to Michael Crabtree in the final seconds. It is the kind of play a team makes when they are that season’s “darling of destiny.” (Case in point: think about Tennessee in 1998 and how they won a game on a phantom pass interference and another when Clint
Stoerner fumbled while attempting to run out the clock. Some teams just get all the breaks for an entire season.)
Texas Tech needed no breaks against Oklahoma State, however. They thoroughly whooped the Cowboys, who failed to get Dez Bryant enough play-making opportunities. Now, the Red Raiders are 10-0 and have spent a two weeks since the Texas win listening to everyone tell them they are the greatest thing since sliced bread. Not to mention, they have played with a very high level of emotion and concentration for two consecutive weeks.
Can they maintain it? That is the key question. Norman will be a hostile environment and Oklahoma usually jumps out to early leads with their high-octane offense. If Texas Tech gets down, they can’t panic or lose their emotion. Emotion and mindset have been a strength of Texas Tech all year. It needs to be again.
2 — Pressure Sam Bradford to force turnovers
In Oklahoma’s lone loss this year, Sam Bradford was picked off twice by Texas. He has only been picked off four times in their other 9 games. Texas fell behind early but was able to come back because of timely special teams plays and turnovers. Sam Bradford has been spectacular through nearly two seasons, but has shown a propensity to lose his poise late in games or when Oklahoma is down. Texas Tech needs to capitalize on this and get to him every chance they can.
3 — Establish a ground game
Texas Tech is known for its aerial assault, but Texas won because they stayed committed to running the football. Colt McCoy threw 35 passes and as a team they ran it 35 times. Texas Tech doesn’t need such an even split (McCoy ran it 14 times himself, while Harrell won’t do that), but they do need to try to control the ball, especially late if they have a lead. The top two running backs for Texas Tech average over 5 yards per carry. The Red Raiders will rack up points behind the superb ability of Graham Harrell in leading the spread, but they can salt away a victory by pounding a struggling Oklahoma defense with the run.
1 — Special frieking teams
Oklahoma has been plagued by special teams breakdowns all season long. They had Texas dead to rights with a 14-3 lead and all of the momentum before Jordan Shipley gave the Longhorns a glimmer of hope with a kickoff return for a TD. Oklahoma scored on the very next possession and could have been up 21-3. Instead, it was 21-10, and Texas got it back to 21-20 before the half. The Sooners dominated the first half in every way, but led by only one at the break. Take away the special teams failure and the game could have had a drastically different outcome.
Oklahoma almost always jumps out and has their offense clicking early. Texas Tech’s D has played well this year, but the offenses in the Big 12 this year, and Oklahoma specifically, have proven they could rack up points with 15 defenders on the field. If Oklahoma gets up early at home, they need to maintain their lead. If a special teams play can spark a struggling Red Raiders team, it could be deja vu all over again for Oklahoma in a big game at home.
2 — Sam Bradford needs to be better than Graham Harrell
In each of the key Big 12 games this year, the quarterback who has played better has been on the winning team. Colt McCoy outdueled Sam Bradford in Dallas, and Texas won. Graham Harrell made one more play that Colt McCoy in Lubbock, and Texas Tech won. Graham Harrell was better than Zack Robinson, Colt McCoy was better than Chase Daniel, and so on it goes.
Sam Bradford’s statistics are incredible. But the one whisper I continuously hear from people who watch the Big 12 closely is that Sam Bradford, while he has the prototypical body and arm of an NFL quarterback, lacks the moxie a
nd winning ability of Colt McCoy and Graham Harrell. This game will be Sam Bradford’s chance to prove that he is a legit Heisman contender and that he can lead a team to victory in a hue game. He failed against Texas, but Oklahoma needs him to be better than the de facto Heisman front-runner right now, Graham Harrell. And part of Sam Bradford being able to do this will be the ability of his offensive line to protect him adequately.
3 — Bob Stoops needs to be better than Mike Leach
Last week, Texas Tech kicked the snot out of Oklahoma State because Mike Leach had his team mentally, emotionally, and tactically more prepared to play than Mike Gundy did. Oklahoma State inexplicably did not use Dez Bryant correctly, and their defense had no answer for Texas Tech. The defense part is not so egregious, because no defense can stop Texas Tech.
But no defense has been able to stop Oklahoma either. And while Texas Tech possesses one of the better defense’s Oklahoma has faced all year, they shouldn’t be able to contain Sam Bradford and the balanced attack of the Sooners — if Bob Stoops doesn’t screw it up, that is. His offense has been superb all year, but coaches sometimes outthink themselves and try to do “special” things in big games. I think this is what has made Mike Leach such a great coach: Texas Tech does what it does and it doesn’t seem to change from the preseason to regular season. They just execute and understand their identity.
Bob Stoops, however, does not have the reputation of a great big game coach; and I think part of the reason why is that he makes the same mistake other coaches make by not staying committed to doing the things they do well. Stoops and the Oklahoma coaches need to let Sam Bradford run the show and not outthink themselves. You know that Mike Leach will do so for Graham Harrell, which is why Graham Harrell has been so good in key spots.
I was really leaning towards picking Oklahoma when I began writing this. They are at home, Texas Tech has to be emotionally drained from the last two weeks, and Oklahoma’s offense is, overall, every bit as good as Texas Tech’s.
But there are two key differences between Texas Tech and Oklahoma: Graham Harrell-Mike Leach and Sam Bradford-Bob Stoops.
Graham Harrell has proven that he is clutch this season, and that he is the type of zone where he believes that he can make every play. Sam Bradford couldn’t do this in his biggest test of the season against Texas. And despite Bob Stoops longer and more decorated coaching resume, I actually trust Mike Leach more in a big game to have his team ready to play, and to not lose its identity. Bob Stoops and Sam Bradford can change my mind with a win Saturday night, but I’m not ready to bank my credibility as a prognosticator on it.
The Sooners are favored by somewhere around 6, but I’m taking the Red Raiders outright (and, like I said, the over if it’s anywhere under 100).
Texas Tech 56 – Oklahoma 52 in an another 2008 Big 12 instant classic.
[tags]texas tech red raiders, oklahoma sooners, college football, big 12[/tags]
(For the latest on Kellen Winslow’s current spat with Browns’ management, visit the Cleveland Browns news page or read the post specifically regarding Kellen Winslow being upset, and Romeo Crennel’s reaction.)
This Sunday, the Cleveland Browns (2-3) travel to the nation’s capital to take on the Washington Redskins (4-2). A week ago, with the Browns sitting at 1-3 and with little momentum and the Redskins coming off two straight division wins and sitting at 4-1, this game appeared to be little more than an afterthought in the NFL schedule.
However, after last weekend’s results, this game is now much more important; and much less obvious to predict.
Monday night, the Cleveland Browns shocked the NFL by defeating the previously undefeated New York Giants. The shock was not that the Browns won the game — we all know that anyone in the NFL can beat anyone else on any given Sunday (or Monday). What was shocking was the way the Browns won the game. Other than committing too many false start penalties, the Browns were quintessentially efficient as they became one of the only four teams since 1963 to complete an entire game without turning the ball over, punting, or taking a sack. Mind you, this was an offense coming in that appeared to not know its elbow from its a-hole (to borrow the famously used line in commercials uttered by Shannon Sharpe on NFL Films).
Furthermore, the Browns’ secondary dominated the game when the Giants had the ball. Eli Manning had been on a roll ever since the end of last season, while the Browns’ young secondary was much maligned in the offseason for being too unproven and inexperienced to be anything more than a liability. However, second-year cornerback Eric Wright was named AFC Defensive Player of the Week after sealing the victory with an INT return for a touchdown in the fourth quarter; and Brandon McDonald and Brodney Pool also each stole an errant pass of Manning’s.
NFL tickets are always hot, and with the Super Bowl looming, you'll be looking for Philly Eagles playoff tickets to go along with Panthers playoff tickets (or even Titans tickets). No matter who your team is, you'll want the best tickets, so get them from GoTickets!
Best of Midwest sports betting websites here, along with online casinos and games.
Find superb free sports betting information, including reviews on sportsbooks, vegas odds for sports betting, and NFL super bowl odds at NSAwins.com!
Free expert NFL picks, NBA picks and MLB picks. ATS Consultants' top-ranked handicappers make all selections using the most up to date NBA lines, NFL lines, and MLB lines.
