10 Things We Learned On The NFL’s Seventh Sunday

Added on Oct 25, 2010 by Scott in

NFL

It was an offensive extravaganza on Sunday. Eight teams scored over 30 points, led by Oakland’s inexplicable explosion for 59 against the woeful Broncos. Six signal callers tossed for 300-plus yards and ten wide receivers eclipsed 100, led by Kenny Britt’s incredible 225 versus the invisible Eagles secondary. Needless to say, defense of any kind was difficult to find. Per usual, there was much to be learned on the NFL’s seventh Sunday. Ten things to be exact.

10. The Bengals have lost their identity – Remember last year when the Bungals ran the ball and played defense? Well, apparently they forgot how to do both in 2010. If you’re relying on Carson Palmer to chuck it up 50 times a game, you’re asking for miracles. This team is headed nowhere, fast. Terrell Owens might be putting up gaudy stats, but it’s not resulting in wins.

9. Referees are still costing teams – The officiating crew from the Steelers-Dolphins game should be suspended for failing to pay attention to the Phins defense clearly recovering Ben Roethlisberger’s obvious fumble in the end zone. These guys get paid to watch the play until its conclusion. The fact that they didn’t prevented Miami from winning. Tony Sparano cannot be happy.

8. The no-name Bills are a curious bunch – Ryan Fiztpatrick? Steve Johnson? Fred Jackson? Who the hell are these guys? The Bills still have no clue how to beat anybody, but they have made things interesting the last couple games. Going on the road and pushing the Ravens to overtime is commendable. Now if they could just get CJ Spiller involved.

7. The Chiefs are legit – Not for destroying the hapless Jags, but more so because they have a great one-two running back combo and a pretty solid defense. Matt Cassel is still terrible, so back off on those Super Bowl plans. The good thing for KC is they play in the AFC West, which means ten or eleven victories is all but guaranteed.

6. The Saints are not legit – The defending champs look abysmal. Four interceptions, two for touchdowns against the Browns? C’mon, Drew Brees — you’re better than that! They can’t run the ball, are listless on defense and lack the killer instinct they displayed a year ago. It won’t get any easier next week as the boys from the ‘Burgh come to town for a Halloween night massacre.

5. Jay Cutler is dazed and confused – Four sacks, four picks. Bad-haired Jay has reverted back to his 2009 ways and with the worst offensive line in the history of football in front of him it’s only going to get uglier. The Bears are a tough team to watch. They don’t do anything well and are painfully inept.

4. Kenny Britt is pretty good – Britt has 23 catches on the year. Seven have gone for touchdowns. He’s still a bonehead off the field, but on the field he is quickly becoming a stud receiver, especially with Kerry Collins under center. Very few guys have his combination of size and speed.

3. The message has been received – Guess how many helmet-to-helmet penalties were called on Sunday? The answer is zero. Even James “I like to hurt guys” Harrison pulled up on a hit. At least for one week, the league’s head-hunters decided to play it close to the vest.

2. The Chargers are dumb and dumber – With less than a minute to go, the Bolts had a chance to tie the game after trailing 23-6 in the fourth quarter. As they lined up for a 45-yard field goal, the whistle blew and a yellow hankie went flying. False start, San Diego. What happened next? Kicker Kris Brown doinked the ball off the right upright. Game over. Chargers fall to 2-5.

1. Darren McFadden makes the Raiders competitive – The Raiders might not score 59 points combined over the next three games and McFadden might not score four touchdowns in his next three starts, but Run DMc has looked like a man possessed in 2010. Now all he has to do is stay healthy.