| Contributing editor Joel
Buchsbaum discusses what jumped out at him during the Sunday games from Week 12. Arizona
vs. Philadelphia: "The Eagles outclassed them. This is a game that speaks to
their character. It’s the type of game where after the Pittsburgh game they
could’ve had a letdown. And they did for a while in the first half of the game, but
they came back very strong in the second half. They got back into their A-game in the
second half, and they crushed a team that they should crush on their home field."
Buffalo vs. Kansas City: "I was a little surprised Buffalo was
able to win. I have to tip my hat to Rob Johnson. He still has many of the flaws, but he
played well enough for them to win. He made a difference. He won against a team with a
good pass rush, and this was a very big win for the Bills. If they lose, their playoff
chances are quite slim and the Chiefs are still in the race. But by winning now, with Indy
and Miami losing, (the Bills are) just one game out of first place, and they’re in a
position to control their own destiny."
Carolina vs. Minnesota: "This was the expected result: a very
explosive Minnesota team against an average Carolina team that has had a lot of injuries,
a lot of age on defense and does not have the team speed to stay up with Minnesota."
Cincinnati vs. New England: "Two of the less talented teams in
the league. A good, competitive game. New England, which had the home field, (and) which
may be a little bit better-coached team overall, won the game. But it was close."
Cleveland vs. Tennessee: "Tennessee tried and tried and tried to
give Cleveland the game. The first nine times they had the ball, they turned it over seven
times. They gave them gift after gift, and Cleveland could do very little with it. They
cashed one interception: They brought it back. But their offense did nothing, really.
Tennessee’s defense played lights-out to bail out the offense. And in the end the
offense got it in gear and going."
Detroit vs. New York Giants: "A game not nearly as close as the
final score. Gary Moeller did a great job of getting (the Lions) prepared. They dominated
this game. It was 28-0 before the Giants could even breathe. And then when it got to 28-0,
(the Lions) sort of lost their aggressiveness on defense."
Indianapolis vs. Green Bay: "The factors here that played very
heavily were the weather and Brett Favre. I mean, Brett Favre had something to prove. All
of a sudden, he’s supposedly lost his throne as the top quarterback in the game to
Peyton Manning, and he wanted to show people who’s boss. The Packers played a very
inspired game. They were extremely well-coached. They took advantage of Indy’s
defense. This is where the fact that Rob Morris being out is really starting to catch up
with Indy. That was never more evident than today when Ahman Green ran for about 150
yards."
Oakland vs. New Orleans: "Give New Orleans credit for hanging in
the game after losing their quarterback as well as Ricky Williams. I think after (the
Saints) quarterback went out and (the Raiders) got the big lead, the Raiders relaxed and
let (New Orleans) get back in the game, which was a mistake on their part. But then —
give Gannon credit — he made the plays at the end that they had to make to stay
fairly comfortably ahead and to win the game."
Tampa Bay vs. Chicago: "The Bucs just do not handle cold weather.
They’re a warm-weather team. They have a horrible time in cold weather, and Shaun
King, who played in a dome in college, is basically a warm-weather quarterback. He just
didn’t look very good at all. He was giving the Bears gifts during the game, and I
really think that hurt the Bucs. The Bears were very well-prepared."
New York Jets vs. Miami: "Give the Jets credit: They came in very
high and well-prepared. To me the big difference was Smith, the top running back for the
Dolphins, was out, and then Fiedler went out the first play of the game, and they had no
weapons. Give the Jets credit though; they lost Curtis Martin in the game, and Bernie
Parmalee, who had been a Dolphin and was cut by the team, got his revenge and came in and
ran like a man possessed."
San Diego vs. Denver: "What can you say? The Chargers are so
snake-bitten this year. It’s Murphy’s Law. I mean, Ryan Leaf plays a whale of a
game, they have a big lead in the fourth quarter, there’s no way they can lose the
game and they make Gus Frerotte look like vintage Joe Namath and they manage to lose the
game at the very end."
Atlanta vs. San Francisco: "All of a sudden that young 49ers
defense seems to have come of age. Second week in a row they played a terrific defensive
game and won in large part because of their defense."
Dallas vs. Baltimore: "The Cowboys are a beaten-up, old team. The
Ravens are super-motivated now that they got through Tennessee, and they have a great
young runner in Jamal Lewis. Trent Dilfer’s given them the type of quarterbacking
they need to win. It’s an outstanding defense. I don’t think there’s a team
in the league that has more great young talent on defense than Baltimore has."
Jacksonville vs. Pittsburgh: "This was the Jaguar team we were
waiting to see most of the year. Fred Taylor ran like a man possessed. He had probably the
best running game of any back in the season if you consider how he ran and who he ran
against. I thought this was first game I saw Tony Boselli where he looked like the best
offensive lineman in the game again." |
