NFL Week In Review

Vikins 30- Packers 23
On a positive note, it was a 7 point game. And like veterans Charles Woodson and Donald Driver said pregame, Aaron Rodgers may very well be the best QB in the game when he gets time. Now that that's out of the way let's look at this game for what it was.
1. The Packers are holding an open tryout for +300 lb. men in the greater Green Bay area. 8 sacks? Really? Packers left tackle Daryn Colledge was a broken record that Vikings defensive end Jared Allen abused all night. Allen continually speed rushed right past Colledge on his way to a 4.5 sack night. Colledge will be foreknown as the Window Shopper on this blog (just looking, not touching). The overweight T-Rex, a lineman formerly known as Allen Barbre, continued to look generally confused about the rules of football as he too struggled against the Vikings front. Let's take a look back at the breakout games pass rushers have had against the Pack's line:
Week 1 Adewale Ogunleye- 2 of the Bears 4 sacks
Week 2 Antwan Odom- 5 of the Bengals 6 sacks
Week 3- Leonard Little- both of the Rams sacks (only 2 sacks allowed!)
Week 4- Jared Allen- 4.5 of the Vikings 8 sacks (had to keep the 5 sacks a game average!)

I think it is safe to say the Packers O-line can be known collectively as the Contract Boosters. Every D-line with them on their schedule has that game circled with a message something like this underneath: "Call agent. Start contract renegotiation.)

But I digress.
What about the defensive game plan from Dom Capers. The aggressive attack was nowhere to be found. The Packers rarely blitzed Favre as they seemed soley focused on bottling up Peterson. Did they really think Favre couldn't win a game on his own anymore? Come on. Brett consistently hit his receivers in the Mack Truck hole between the linebackers seemingly paralyzed by every move Peterson made and the secondary playing too deep. Favre was hit only once the entire game. Meanwhile the Vikings recorded 9 QB hits. Pressure breaks pipes. Aaron Kampman dropping into hook zones doesn't.

The Vikings look to be on the level of the Ravens, Pats, Colts, Saints, Giants and, yes, the Broncos. With a healthy Favre they feature a balanced attack that leaves you damned if you do and damned if you don't make Peterson your D's number one focus. Look for the Week 6 match with Baltimore to be on the same level as this weeks game at Foxboro.

Broncos 17- Cowboys 10
Well, this blogger was wrong. On both sides of this game. It's not that the Cowboys can't stay out of their own way. Their way just isn't that good. TBG does not buy that Tony Romo is completely overrated, but he needs better weapons. It might also help to never challenge the best corner back in the league again. This team is bound for a third place finish in ESPN's favorite division.

Meanwhile, the Broncos D is for real. A TBG favorite for years, Brian Dawkins, along with this generation's Neon Deion, Champ Bailey and sackmaster Elvis Dumervil (8 already) lead a defense stricter than an Evangelical mother. Kyle (no longer The Neck) Orton is yet to throw a pick and has brought the same nothing-too-exciting game he had in Chicago to Denver. When he has a great defense he has shown he can be a Super Bowl quarterback. Still, TBG is only 75% sold on Brons. Next weeks New England showdown will be telling...

Bengals 23- Browns 20
The Bengals are one Bunglesque play away from being 4-0. While a 74:56 victory over the Browns is not impressive, a win is a win in the NFL. The Orange and Black defense brings the pain with TBG fav Rey Maualuga and Horse Collar Williams. Perhaps the Bengals were looking ahead to next week's game in Baltimore. Their performance there will stamp them as contenders or pretenders.

Notes:
The Twins and Tigers are just now kicking off their division determining tie-break. A certain blogger picked the Twins to catch the Tigers over a week ago.

TBG went 11-3 on his Week 4 NFL picks, moving him to 43-19 on the season.

TBG