NFL Week 14: Jim Harbaugh's first number

93Devil is Dr. Phil in disguise.

 

Will be interesting to see if Houston's defense can slow down New England on Monday night.

Houston gave up a lot of points to the Jaguars and Lions recently. Defense has struggled since linebacker Brian Cushing was lost for the season with an injury.

 

Good one to settle in with. Should be a fine ballgame.

 

Flacco led an offense yesterday that scored 28 points against Washington -- 3rd most compared with some of the other QBs bandied about in a post above.

Romo had 31 -- 28 in the second half -- in the Thanksgiving game.

Andy Dalton's 38 points is most in the season opener.

Eli 20-33-1-280 -- 16 points
Ryan 34-52-2-345 -- 24 points
Romo 441 yards and 3 TDs on 62 passes -- 31 points, 28 after halftime
Newton 13-23-1-201 -- 21 points
Big Ben 24-33-3-222 -- 27 points
Eli 26-40-1-2-337 -- 27 points
Dalton 19-27-3-1-328 -- 38 points
Brees 24-52-3-2-339 -- 25 points (special teams scored a TD for the 32)

 

This Flacco argument sounds remarkably similar to what the Eagles faced with Donovan McNabb from about 2007-09.
The team was still good, still competing for division titles and winning playoff games, and yet deep down you just knew that McNabb probably wasn't going to get them over the hump. And yet, he's still among the top 10 QBs in the league (albeit in the bottom half of the top 10) and there's no one available that you'd take over him. So you soldier on, make the most of it, and hope that one year everything clicks just right and it happens.
In the meantime, the rest of the team ages, as does the quarterback, and the window closes before anyone truly admits it. Instead of losing championship games, all of a sudden the team is losing first-round games and then they're struggling to make the playoffs -- but still doing well enough to convince everyone that they're a couple of breaks or a couple of players away from being great again.

It's a maddening state of advanced mediocrity that several teams (the Eagles, Chargers and Ravens are the most obvious examples) have turned into a way of life. It's better than going 5-11 every year, but you still know they're not living up to their potential and never will.

 

Well, maybe it won't be a fine game after all tonight.

 

True.

But it's not some fantasy league where you can just handpick a quarterback --- or some other position --- at a whim. The salary cap was sort of designed to prevent that. If you offer too much for the QB of your dreams you're probably going to suffer in other spots on the roster.

I've never judged an individual player or franchise solely on winning a championship. Too many things outside of your control have to fall right for that to happen. What you can control is to do enough to put yourself in the mix year-in, year-out. People used to knock the Buffalo Bills for losing four straight Super Bowls. Few gave them credit for getting to four straight Super Bowls, something no other NFL team ever has accomplished.

 

Houston has some issues in its defensive secondary. That is not new. Sometimes, the pass rush with JJ Watt and company covers it up. But when an opposing QB gets time to throw, Houston can be vulnerable.

 

Looks like a name the score situation already. Pats could wind up with AFC home field if they can beat the 49ers, an admittedly difficult assignment.

 

M Gee, I look at what the Pats did to Luck and their overall big-play defense and I think they'll be too much for Kaepernick, who has looked very much like a first-time starter the last two weeks.

 

NR, honest question. Are you a journalist still in the journalism industry?

 

Patriots look scarry good right now, and have for about 6 weeks.

Of course, they blew out the Jets the same week two years ago, then lost to them a month later in the playoffs. So nothing is guaranteed. But, barring an injury to Brady, I think they'd be favored against anyone in the AFC.

Wes Welker impresses me everytime I see him play. Reminds me of Steve Largent.