posted November 9, 2009 at 14:27 EST in NFL Articles
NFL Sunday Recap - Two Undefeated Teams Remain
The Dallas Cowboys won their 4 th straight game, 3 rd straight ATS, Tony Romo was once again ultra-impressive when throwing for 307 yards, a touchdown and only a single interception, and the ‘Boys held Donovan McNabb and the Eagles to 16 points on 300 total yards on Sunday night on their way to a 20 to 16 shocker.
The ‘Boys easily beat the 3 point spread to earn their victory. The big prize, of course, was that Dallas took control of the hardened NFC East. With the victory, the Cowboys are ahead of both the Eagles and Giants for the top spot in the east and have effectively turned the corner.
They’ve also saved the job of head coach Wade Phillips and Tony Romo has secured his future, for now. Phillips and Romo are not only secure but also playing and coaching their way into MVP and Coach of the Year status.
A lot of Dallas’s success has to do with the fact that they are incredibly healthy for it being the mid point of the season. They don’t have a serious injury on either offense or defense and wide receivers Patrick Crayton, Miles Austin and even Roy Williams to some extent, have really gelled as a unit. Romo and his receiving corp is starting to resemble Brees to Colston, Meachem and Henderson.
That’s a good thing for the Cowboys.
Philly? Maybe, the Eagles should have thought twice about making former Atlanta QB Michael Vick their star free agent pick-up during the off season. Vick has been ineffectual because it appears that there was never a real plan to incorporate him into the offense.
Not only that, but QB Donovan McNabb has been sorely missing a Wes Welker type guy that he can get the ball too. WR DeSean Jackson is great, but he’s an edge receiver, not a possession guy. RB Brian Westbrook’s absence was very evident and Coach Andy Reid hasn’t correctly developed rookie RB LeSean McCoy who has all of the talent in the world but isn’t getting the carries he deserves.
The Eagles’ offense has been stymied by Oakland, where they only produced 9 points, and the Cowboys. Philly has road games against San Diego, Chicago, Atlanta and the Giants left on their schedule. They have San Francisco and Denver visiting them in the near future.
That fork that was firmly entrenched in the Cowboy’s has found a new home in Philly.
Giants Lose Again
Of course, nobody would argue if someone wanted to stick that fork into the Eagles’ fellow NFC East rival, the New York Giants.
The Giants haven’t tasted victory since a 44 to 7 victory over the Oakland Raiders in Week 5. New York lost their fourth straight game of the year, this time at home as 5 point favorites against the spread versus the San Diego Chargers, and are perilously close of not making the playoffs in 2009.
The G-Men get to at least attempt at righting the ship this week during their bye week, but when they come back, they’ve got a tough four game stretch ahead against Atlanta, Denver, Dallas and Philadelphia.
QB Eli Manning at least hit the century mark with his QB rating, something he hadn’t done in three straight weeks. That’s little consolation after losing by a single point to San Diego. The Giants were one of the best teams ATS in 2008. This year, they are 4-4-1.
Houston Misses the Field Goal and Colts Stay Unbeaten
One of the key injuries going into this Sunday was Colts’ cornerback Marlin Jackson. Without Jackson, Indy’s Cover 2 defense just isn’t the same.
It showed as Houston QB Matt Schaub lit up the Colts’ secondary for 311 yards and a touchdown. Schaub put his team into position to tie the game but usual stalwart kicker Kris Brown, who had hit a 56 yarder earlier in the game, missed one from 42 as time expired.
It was a terrible blow to the Texans who appear talented enough to make it into the playoffs in 2009 but just can’t seem to seal the deal in close games.
For the Colts, it’s obvious that they’re going to need some work if they wish to be a force in the playoffs much less stay unbeaten. The Colts have had to sort of get lucky two weeks in a row and face a daunting schedule.
San Francisco and Houston are good teams, but Indy must face the top team in the AFC, the New England Patriots, next week before traveling to Baltimore and Houston and then hosting the much improved Tennessee Titans and the very talented Denver Broncos.
Indianapolis’s unbeaten days are numbered. As 7 ½ point favorites, the Colts didn’t come close to covering in their 20 to 17 victory over Houston.
Saints Play Lousy and Win Again
The Saints won 30 to 20 as 12 ½ point favorites, but they needed an Anthony Hagrove fumble return for a TD in the final two minutes in order to get that close to covering the football betting spread. The Saints have looked terrible in the past two weeks, but New Orleans’ fans will tell you that there is an excuse.
Both starting LB Scott Fujita and DL Sedrick Ellis have been out but figure to be back by Nov. 30 th when the Saints welcome the New England Patriots to the Superdome. Center Jonathan Goodwin, who is the signal caller for Drew Brees along the offensive line, figures to be healthier as well.
At that point, when the Saints face the Patriots, New Orleans should be 10 and 0 as they get the St. Louis Rams next week and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers the week after.
Can the Saints go undefeated? Get past the Patriots and the possibility becomes better. Dallas, Atlanta and Carolina again will be tough games for New Orleans, but they should be a healthier unit and this team has proven to be very, very resilient.
As far as wagering on the Saints is concerned, the honeymoon appears to be over as New Orleans has failed to cover the spread in two straight games.
Monday Night Pittsburgh vs. Denver Matchup Could Have AFC Playoff Implications
The Monday night game between the Pittsburgh Steelers and the Denver Broncos, the Steelers are currently 1 point favorites, could determine the winner of two conferences.
With San Diego upsetting the New York Giants this past Sunday, the Broncos have only a two game lead in the AFC West. Denver must keep that two game edge as they play the Chargers again in 2009.
Pittsburgh will be trying to keep pace with NFC North leading Cincinnati. The Bengals once again took it to the Baltimore Ravens this past Sunday, sweeping the Ravens in 2009, and are ahead of the Steelers in the north by half a game.
Pitt has lost to Cincinnati once already in 2009. A Pitt loss to Denver would seriously hamper their quest to overtake the Bengals in the north this season.
Both teams will have a lot on the line in tonight’s Monday nighter.
