The Sunday Seven: Seven Takeaways from Week 6 Sunday NFL Action

ONE

The Dallas Cowboys are for real, I was not sold on them before the season, their defense was suspect and their first game showed me that they were even more suspect, but since then they have turned it around.  They are now 5-1 and are tied atop their division for the lead with the Philadelphia Eagles, I did not see this coming.  Tony Romo did not throw one interception in Seattle and running back Demarco Murray has been a beast this season and is leading the league in rushing all while having six straight games of a 100 yards or more.  He has 785 rushing yards in six games, the second best in rushing yards to him is the Steelers Le'Veon Bell who has 542 yards which is 243 less than Murray.  Look out for the Cowboys this season, there is something special going on in Dallas.

TWO

The New York Jets are dead despite what Rex Ryan says, they are 1-5 and are riding a five game losing streak heading into Thursday night's match up with the New England Patriots.  I like that Rex has confidence, but they have no help around Geno Smith on the offense and their secondary is not very good which is the opposite of what a Rex Ryan defense is.  Oh and 2013 first round pick Dee Milliner is injured again, sorry Rex but the Jets are dead and the fault lays on the GM John Idzik.

THREE

Ladies and Gentlemen Tom Brady is back, as is the Patriot offense, Brandon LaFell caught two touchdowns from Brady who tossed four scores, the other two went to both Tim Wright and Brian Tyms.  Tom was back at it again in Buffalo, it seems like the offense is clicking now and the line is blocking well.

FOUR

Do not look at the Oakland Raiders record as an indication to how Derek Carr is playing because he IS getting better.  Despite the interception at the end of the game down the left sideline he played a great game, he threw for 282 yards and four scores on the day and kept Oakland in the game the whole time.  He will continue to improve and grow in this offense and gain confidence as well.

FIVE

Yes, the Cleveland Browns are better than the Pittsburgh Steelers and are looking pretty good right now with two big home wins over the Steelers (this past Sunday) and the Saints a few weeks ago.  Brian Hoyer is playing very well with just one interception on the season and this is without Josh Gordon at receiver.  The run game also seems to be doing well there in Cleveland along with the defense.  The Browns could be making a playoff run.

SIX
The Panthers continue to impress despite the tie, before the season started I was worried about their offensive capabilities but they have been playing well and Cam Newton continues to mature and grow in that Panther offense.  As long as they can continue to put up points they will be a tough team to play against.

SEVEN
The Chargers may have found a diamond in the rough in undrafted rookie Branden Oliver who stepped up when he was called to after both Ryan Matthews and Donald Brown went down with injuries.  He can get the tough yards, and he scored the late game touchdown with just under two minutes to go that won the game.  He will continue to be a factor for the Chargers as the season goes along.

*All Statistics from WWW.NFL.COM*

2014 NFL Season Monday Night Football Predictions Week 6

San Francisco 49ers at the St. Louis Rams
8:30 PM ESPN

The 49ers are coming off of back to back home wins over the Eagles and the Chiefs and now hit the road to face a division rival in a big game to better their record to 4-2.  They have been running the ball well as of late and are 4th best in the league on the ground, only downside to their run game is that they only have three rushing touchdowns on the season.  Their defense is top two in total yards and ninth in points allowed which is a must need in this league and also a factor to keep the team in games no matter the opponent.  The 49ers will continue to run the ball and will do it well on Monday night because that has been part of their winning recipe this season.

The Rams are eight in total offensive yards, seventh in passing yards and eighteenth in rushing yards and scores an average of 21 points a game. Those numbers are not bad especially because they are down to their third string quarterback who I feel played well last week against the Eagles last week.  The downside for the Rams heading into the game against their divisional opponent is that they are ranked 31st against the run which will hurt them against a run heavy team such as the 49ers.  If the Rams can turn their run defense around they will be better on Monday against the 49ers because they are first in passing yards allowed.

Prediction:
The 49ers will run the ball early and often and gain 225 yards on the ground with 4 touchdowns in a 35-14 victory on the road in St. Louis.

All statistics from: www.nfl.com

Jetting in the Wrong Direction: Time for John Idzik to go

The New York Jets have started the season at 1-4 and are currently on a four game losing streak and now have to face the Denver Broncos on Sunday then hit the road and play their division rival Patriots on Thursday night.  The Jets could be staring at a 1-6 start, and the reason for this is Jets General Manager John Idzik who failed to land anyone in free agency to help build the team and has instead decided to build via the draft.

I like building a team via the draft, but Geno Smith needs help on offense and Rex Ryan does not have the shutdown corner he needs to run his style of defense.  The Jets did not land big named players such as Darrelle Revis or Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie on the defensive side of the ball.  On the offensive side the inked receiver Eric Decker and running back Chris Johnson, again losing out on receivers such as Emmanuel Sanders, DeSean Jackson or Golden Tate.

It is time to get rid of Idzik and move on with a better GM and build with free agency as well, there is really no reason to be $20 million under the cap following the free agent market that featured many players the Jets could have signed to improve both sides of the ball.  Geno Smith would better off with DeSean Jackson or Emmanuel Sanders at receiver then Eric Decker who cannot seem to shake the injury bug.

Idzik's lack of helping land better players is hurting Geno Smith grow, the defense improve and the chances of Rex Ryan keeping his job as well.

It is time the Jets went out and got some better players on both sides of the ball, it is much needed.

2014 NFL Season Monday Night Football Predictions Week 5

Seattle Seahawks at the Washington Redskins
8:30 P.M. ESPN

The Seattle Seahawks are coming off a bye week which was right after an overtime victory over the Denver Broncos after the Broncos came back and tied it up with little time left on the clock.  The Seahawks have played very well this season, they are 5th in points per game on offense and 12th in points allowed on defense.  Overall the Seahawks are 6th in yards allowed on defense, and they are a force to be reckoned with.

The Redskins are coming off a Thursday Night Football loss in which they lost by the score of 45-14 and quarterback Kirk Cousins threw four interceptions in the game.  That was against the Giants secondary which is good but not as good as the Seahawks secondary.  The Redskins will have to play mistake free football in order to win this game and will have to posses the ball for a while as well.  That is how the Chargers beat the Seahawks.

Prediction:
Seahawks go to 3-1 on the season by winning 34-17, Russell Wilson will throw for two scores and Richard Sherman will have an interception.

Patriot Woes: What Should be done on Offense?

It is no secret that the New England Patriots offense is struggling this season especially after their loss in Kansas City on Monday night where they were shut out in the first half and had two second half touchdowns which were there first second half touchdowns this season.  The first was a Brady to LaFell connection and the second a Jimmy Garoppolo to Gronkowski connection when he came in following the benching of Tom Brady.

I keep hearing that Brady is done, that he is no longer a great quarterback.  Really?  This whole offensive issue does not solely fall on his shoulders.  The New England Patriots did not surround him with the proper talent this season and it is showing, Edelman and Gronkowski are his two main targets and Gronk is still coming back from an injury that he suffered last season.  The main issues are that they cannot protect Brady and that they have not given him the deep threat that is needed.  I do believe that Brady does take some blame, he does need to play better as well.

I still do not believe that it is time to hit the panic button just yet, the Patriots can attempt to make a trade before the deadline and help Brady out.  Here are some players the Patriots should trade for:

Brandy Lloyd, San Francisco 49ers- He is on a team with Anquan Boldin, Stevie Johnson and Michael Crabtree at the wide receiver position and he has already been in New England.  He can come back and be a help along with a familiar face to Tom Brady.

Stevie Johnson, San Francisco 49ers- Again he is on a team that has a ton of talent at the receiver spot, the Patriots know him from his days in Buffalo, and I think he would be a great fit for the Patriots.

Kenny Britt, St. Louis Rams- He is playing on a one year deal on a team that is down to its third string QB, the Rams could get some value for him and the Patriots could get a player that I feel still has a lot left in the tank.  He is only 26 so he is still young and if he plays well he could see a longer term contract.  He has baggage but the Patriots are no strangers to signing those types of players.

There is always the possibility of signing a free agent as well, here is a list of free agent receivers that should be looked at regardless of how they have played:
Nate Burleson
Mario Manningham
Jacoby Ford

Final thought: The New England Patriots need to run the ball more, it will help take pressure off of Tom Brady and will open up the passing game.  If Brady can play with a good running game it will be a benefit to the passing attack that has not shown up this season and if teams are looking for the run and Brady can throw it over the top they may be hesitant to rush the passer.  That helps because that offensive line has been leaky this season.