Titans@Packers
I like the way the Titans play. This is a team you don’t want to face in the playoffs. Also, imagine if the Titans were in Buffalo or Green Bay. Homefield advantage, with their style of play, would be formidable.
Oh, and while I’ve seen worst defenses (Seahawks earlier this season or in previous seasons), the Packers defense isn’t that good.
Vikings@Cowboys
I just watched the first half. The Cowboys ran well, and had a nice balanced attack. The result was they controlled the ball.
I also have to wonder if the Vikings were just spent after last week’s game against the Bills.
Browns@Bills
Speaking of the Bills, they too ran the ball well. To me, that was the key to this game.
Eagles@Colts
Eagles offense seem really good at ball control–they have long drives. I feel like that’s the key to their success. Still the Colts kept this close.
Jets@Patriots
Defensive battle, with two offenses that struggled.
I can’t remember the last game that was won by a punt or kick return at the end of regulation.
The Viking’s O-line and offensive in general really took a turn once Darrisaw went out with a concussion. I heard he is the highest or one of the highest PFF ranked o-linemen in the league this year.
I didn’t know when Darrisaw went out, so I really can’t comment. Did Darrisaw play in the Bills game? I ask because if he did play, the Vikings OL still looked kinda rickety at times, especially the interior OL.
On a related note, I’m curious to hear how you and Mitchell feel about the importance of ball control. To me, good ball control, which stemmed from effective running, was a big reason the Cowboys overwhelmed the Vikings. And I tend view games through this prism. That is, if team has long possessions, they have a distinct, and often decisive advantage over their opponent. A part of me feels this is truer now because many offenses have the capability to have really long drives (in terms of times and number of plays). So a team is likely to face an opponent with an offense that can do this. So if a team can’t really do this well, they’re at a big disadvantage. (I feel like this was a big reason the Hawks lost to the Bucs as well. In a way, you could say that if a team runs well they have a good chance of winning, and if they don’t run well, they don’t have a good chance of winning–which is a belief that is very old, obviously.)