The settings were on the table for Week 13 to dine on a delicious dinner full of supposed, and seemingly possible upsets. Here at ROTB, we all had that feeling that at least one possible upset, was seen in the Cards! Each Wednesday I will provide a quick and final recap of the previous week's action before we officially move on to the upcoming game. So, without further adieux, let's dive into a quick review of Week 13.
Jets/Bills: Was there another game this week I was less excited about than this one? Oh, that's right, Rams/Bears. This game finished pretty much how I'd expected it to, and no I don't mean with an injury to Mark Sanchez. The Jets won a hard fought battle where the biggest story was the inability of Sanchez to slide "when necessary." Apparently, sliding is the way to avoid injury. Tell that to Trent Green who suffered multiple concussions, one when sliding, while the rest of us watch highlights of John Elway and Steve Young foregoing the slide in favor of creating an epic highlight diving head first into the end zone. Jets over Bills (19-13)
Bears/Rams: See Jets v Bills above, minus the interesting injury. I'm going to revise the titleof ths game: Steven Jakson v Bears - Bears over
Panthers/Bucs: The thankful yanking of Jake Delhomme from the starting line up finally allowed me to watch a Panthers game without seeing a dozen wounded ducks lobbed towards Panther receivers. Interestingly, the starting of Matt Moore made this a week where two quarterbacks started, both of whom are from Hart High School in
Jags/Texans: This is basically Bears/Rams part deux, only slightly more offense. Jags ove Texans (23-18)
Broncos/Chiefs: Wait! The Chiefs played this weekend? Hmm, here I though
Colts/Titans: This was difficult for me. As much as I wanted Vince to go down in flames after the 99-yard drive he executed against the Cardinals the previous week, I want Peyton and the Colts to lose even more. That didn't happen. This game was never as close as the score indicates as it felt to me as if the Colts were puppet masters moving Vince Young around as they saw fit. Colts over Titans (27-17)
Eagles/Falcons: Is anybody else tired of hearing about Michael Vick's return to
Saints/Skins: Really Shaun Suisham? A 23-yard field goal away from beating the unbeatable Saints? Wide Right! The Saints win this one in overtime after that stunning miss. Incidentally, Suisham was released the following morning. Does this remind anyone of Ray Finkle? Saints over Skins (33-30)
Raiders/Steelers: Two Names - Bruce Gradkowski and Louis Murphy. If Steeltown didn't know those names before, they do now. Gradkowsk to Murphy accounted for two of the three touchdowns, as well as another long completion, in the Raider's comeback win in the final 5 1/2 minutes of the game. Could this finally be the emergence of the Raiders back to greatness? Looks more like the dethroning of the Steelers. Raiders over Steelers (27-24)
Bengals/Lions: The only noteworthy play of this game came when "The Ocho" donned a sombrero and a poncho following a td reception. My favorite line of the day came courtesy of both Larry Fitzgerald and Darnell Dockett via Twitter - "Did Ochocinco just put on a Snuggie...?" Bengals over Lions (23-13)
Dolphins/Patriots: While the Colts didn't go down this week, at least we got to see the Patriots lose just an absolute heartbreaker to the Dolphins. Well, my heart didn't break as I've never been a Tom Brady fan but I'm sure someone shed a tear in Beantown. Incidentally, congratulations to Tom who's wife just gave birth to their son. No names have been disclosed yet but I'm sure we all know: Tom Brady Jr. Dolphins over Pats (22-21)
Chargers/Browns: Not much to say here but "Good Effort Cleveland!" No upsets here. Chargers over Browns (30-23)
Giants/Cowboys: I typically root for both of these teams to lose but, as one must win, I'm always happy when it isn't the Cowboys. The only thing I was rooting for here was lots of touchdown passes (my girlfriend has both Eli Manning and Tony Romo for fantasy football quarterbacks). Thankfully, Brandon Jacobs finally had a huge game and I'm ever so glad he did it during the first week I benched him in my fantasy league. I'm happy your team won, Brandon Jacobs, thanks for the losing fantasy season! Giants over Cowboys (31-24)
Seahawks/49ers: Any other week, I'd say this game was of no consequence. However, this was a HUGE game for the Cardinals. Regardless of the outcome from the Cardinals/Vikings game,
Packers/Ravens: Was I the only person bored out of my mind during this game? I felt as if I was watching the officials more than the players. Constant penalties and a smattering of turnovers littered this game. The Packers finally emerged victorious when Aaron Rodgers finally threw more touchdowns than interceptions. However, this victory felt a lot like taking third place in a second grade spelling bee: You may have won that ribbon, but you still can't spell. Packers over Ravens (27-14)
CARDINALS/vikings: That's right, my capitalization there was on purpose! Revenge is a dish best served cold! Stone cold! By birds! Red birds who are far more talented than the Vikings, or the league, gives them credit! The Cardinals confused the "un-confusable" Brett Favre. They stopped the "unstoppable" Adrian Peterson. The Arizona Cardinals even shredded the Vikings defense, both through air and on the ground. The Cardinals' offensive line, running backs, and tight ends all blocked masterfully. The Cardinal receivers were on the same page all night catching nearly everything thrown their direction. That dead sexy Cardinals defense put on a show! STILL, the Cardinals can't get any love from the rest of the league. Listening to ESPN Radio while here in Dallas, all I've heard all week is that the Minnesota Vikings "came out flat" and that the Vikings "just didn't come to play." Not one time have I heard that the Cardinals outplayed the Vikings. Nobody has said that the Cardinals played up to their potential and that we finally saw what they are capable of doing. Nope, it was all about how flat the Vikings were and how they handed the game to the Cardinals. Well, the Cardinals don't need any handouts, we'll snatch victory and grasp a division title while we're at it! See you soon Niners! Cardinals vs 49ers coverage
Obviously, I saved the best for last in this weekly recap. As we near the end of the season, there are several tight races for divisions, top seeds, and wild card spots. I expect the intensity to pick up even more in Week 14 and I'll be right here to bring you the "mildly opinionated" versions of each game. What are you thoughts about Week 13?