We are halfway through the season and The Atlanta Falcons are the only team undefeated. While teams like: San Diego, Philadelphia, Dallas and the New York Jets are all in deep water.
First Down: “Flying South” The Atlanta Falcons had an extra week to prepare for Michael Vick and the Philadelphia Eagles and it sure showed. Even though the Eagles were also coming off a bye week where they had gone 12-0 under Andy Ried, it was Atlanta beating down on Philadelphia 30-17. Matt Ryan threw three first half touchdown passes including a 63-yard connection, to Julio Jones that put the game out of reach. Ryan continued to look like an MVP candidate completing 22 of 29 passes and has 17 touchdowns to just 6 interceptions. While their offense is top-5 in the league their defense still has some questions. Although they only gave up 270 yards and 17 points to the Eagles on their road, there are still holes in the defense that quarterbacks can carve up. At this rate they will surely make the playoffs but they still need to prove they can win a playoff game. Up next on Sunday Night a Dallas Cowboys team that has a history, of breaking up perfect seasons for teams.
Second Down: “Peyton Manning #Jesus Christ” Resurrected from a neck injury that saw him sit out all last year, Peyton Manning looked in prime form on Sunday night. The 1998 first overall pick had 3 touchdown passes and 300+ yards for a 4th straight week as his Broncos dominated Drew Brees and company 34-14. In a rematch of the Superbowl three years ago between the quarteebacks, number eighteen got some help on the ground, which is something he did not have back in the title game. Willis Mcgahee ran for 122-yards for Denver and and it looks like they are in the drivers seat in the AFC West. In a division where San Diego and Kansas City are having horrific years it is clear roads ahead for Manning and the Broncos. Not to mention that Manning finally has a defense that can force 3-and-outs and turnovers, to give him the ball more often.
Third Down: “Doug Martin and the Buccaneers” Doug Martin was selected 31st overall out of Boise State in this year’s past draft and now the Tampa Bay Buccaneers look like they have a future running back. Martin was expected to take over the reigns from LeGarrette Blount but no one could have predicted how good he has been so far. With Robert Griffin III and Andrew Luck
leading the Rookie of the Year award (ROY), but do not forget about feisty Doug Martin. After a loss against New Orleans, in which the Bucs played very well Martin and Company came in riding high and destroyed Christian Ponder and the Vikings 36-17. It was a battle between the running backs Adrian Peterson and Doug Martin and it was the rookie who came out on top. Martin had 135-yards rushing and 2 Touchdowns (1 caught). Along with Vincent Jackson and Mark Barron, Martin has been the lone standouts on a team in a clear rebuild mode. Josh Freeman has been decent as of late but don’t expect the same numbers when the Bucs head to Oakland and face the stingy Oakland Raiders defense this week.
Fourth Down: “Alex Smith” Perfection is rarely achieved in the NFL. The Miami Dolphins did it in 1972 while the New England Patriots came a Super Bowl away from doing it in 2010. Alex Smith nearly accomplished perfection on Monday night, throwing just one incompletion to 3 touchdowns against the Arizona Cardinals in a 24-3 laugher. The Cardinals defense was shredded through the air and Michael Crabtree outplayed Patrick Peterson to score two Touchdowns against him. The 49ers defense continued to lay a whole lot of pain even if it was against a weak offensive line in the league. The 49ers head to their bye week feeling good about themselves and perhaps trying to grab some magic from the World Champion San Francisco Giants.
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