Another interesting weekend of football is over in the NFL and there were some intriguing match-ups. 3-0 teams, the Chicago Bears and Pittsburgh Steelers, both had some tough games ahead of them in the New York Giants and Baltimore Ravens respectively. Meanwhile, the AFC South and AFC East also had some pivotal games as well so let's see how everything went down.
TEAM OF THE WEEK
New York Jets - Okay so the Jets beat up the Buffalo Bills by a score of 38-14 this past Sunday afternoon. But in a day in which we saw the Cleveland Browns pick up their first victory by defeating the Cincinnati Bengals, the fact that the Jets had a blowout win is actually kind of odd. What hasn't been odd is that the Jets are now riding a three-game winning streak and are now 3-0 in their division. Mark Sanchez is starting to take that next step into elite quarterback status as he has thrown for 8 TD and 0 turnovers so far in the young season. In a year in which they had a holdout from their star CB Darrelle Revis (and he's missed the last two games with a hamstring injury) and the coon by the name of Braylon Edwards has always been in and out of trouble, the Jets are off to a great start.
PLAYER OF THE WEEK
Terrell Owens (CIN) - Even though the Bengals lost to the craptastic Browns on Sunday, T.O. had a monster game. 10 receptions for 222 yards and a score. He became the third wide receiver in NFL history to have a 200-yard receiving game for three different NFL teams and is also the oldest player (36) to ever have a 200-yard receiving game. This is the second time, McGreezy believes, that he has picked a player on a losing team for his player of the week. Stuff happens like that at times...it's a crazy game.
SCRUB OF THE WEEK
Jay Cutler (CHI) - Gosh man, the Chicago Bears were McGreezy's team of the week last week and they pretty much made McGreezy forget about that after their performance Sunday night against the New York Giants. McGreezy predicted that the Giants would bounce back at home with a victory, but in no way McGreezy thought that Cutler would get sacked 9 times. It was painful watching Cutler get creamed like that. And most of the sacks came from Cutler holding the ball too long and relying too much on his offensive line. If Mike Martz is going to have Cutler does the three-step drops, Cutler is going to have to get rid of the ball more quickly. Going against a defensive front like the Giants have, it was only a matter time before the Chicago QB got hurt (which we'll get to later). 17-3 is only a two touchdown loss but it felt like 41-14 (the score of the MNF game last night that pitted the New England Patriots on the road against the Miami Dolphins that the Pats dominated). By the way, CB Nate Clements of the San Francisco 49ers was almost McGreezy's scrub of the week (fumbling after returning an INT which cost them a 16-14 loss to the Falcons), but McGreezy picked on the Niners last week so he's giving them a break this week.
SURPRISE OF THE WEEK
Jacksonville Jaguars beating Indianapolis Colts - Granted, divisional games are always tough no matter what the records are, but the fact that the Colts are now 0-2 in the division after their heartbreaking 31-28 loss to the Jaguars on Sunday is a little surprising. David Garrard of the Jags must have heard McGreezy talking about him because he stepped up for his team in that victory. The Colts are 29th in the NFL rushing and is also 29th in the League in rushing defense. In a division where they have to face Maurice Jones-Drew, Chris Johnson, and the NFL's leading rusher so far Arian Foster; they're in bad shape. But didn't McGreezy say the Colts were going 9-7 this year and missing the playoffs? Pretty sure McGreezy did.
CLUTCH PERFORMER(S) OF THE WEEK
Joe Flacco (BAL) - Flacco's game winning TD against the Steelers in the fourth quarter easily wins this week. Usually in BAL/PIT games in Pittsburgh, the Steelers always find some way to beat the Ravens. And it was definitely heading that way in the fourth quarter after Flacco committed a turnover. But a TD toss to Houshmanzadeh exercised Baltimore's demons in Pittsburgh. Good job Flacco. The Ravens could've fell to 0-2 in the division with a loss so it was definitely a big win...and even though the Steelers lost, they still went 3-1 without Ben Roethlisberger who will return in week six.
SCRATCHING MCGREEZY'S HEAD MOMENT OF THE WEEK
The Officiating - There has been some really bad officiating going on in the NFL so far. In the Washington/Redskins/Philadelphia Eagles game, the Eagles called a timeout when they were in a red zone situation and the play clock started while they were still on the sideline. The officials did a bad job communicating to Andy Reid of when the clock started. This led to a delay of game penalty on PHI, and they were forced to kick a FG instead of going for it on 4th and goal. That should never happen. So many examples of that have happened so far this NFL season and it is something that needs to be addressed.
KEY INJURIES
QB Michael Vick (PHI) Ribs - Vick was injured in the first-half of the Eagles 17-12 loss to the Redskins on Sunday and did not return. First word was that Vick had three broken ribs, but it was confirmed yesterday that he had an injury to his rib cartilage. As dynamic as Vick is on offense, he was injured doing something that is usually frown upon on QBs in the NFL: running and not sliding. Michael Vick is a dangerous offensive player, but he is also susceptible to injuries with how he plays. And with Kevin Kolb quarterbacking the Eagles, the Eagles just aren't that enticing to watch. This is an injury to keep an eye on.
QB Jay Cutler (CHI) Head - Cutler suffered a concussion on Sunday due to all the sacks he took from the Giants. This one should not be as big a surprise. The Bears are definitely better off with their starter than their back up even though Cutler makes some questionable decisions with the throws he makes. McGreezy saw a lot of people jump off the Chicago bandwagon a lot like many people jumped off the Houston bandwagon after their loss to the Dallas Cowboys in week three. A fickle world we live in.
MCGREEZY'S THOUGHTS HEADING INTO WEEK FIVE
The Dallas Cowboys were able to sit back and watch their NFC East counterparts and probably realized that this is anyone's division. They have a big game against the Titans that visit Cowboys Stadium on Sunday. Also some key suspensions have ended like Roethlisberger, LB Brian Cushing of the Texans and WR Santonio Holmes of the Jets. Be sure to check back later in the week for some week five predictions and a preview of the MLB playoffs.
