Monday, September 15, 2014

NFL Round-Up: Week 2

Welcome back to the Ultimate Football Blog's NFL round-up! I'm Dustin James and I'm back to recap all the action from Sunday's (and Thursday's) NFL games. I apologize for the quickness of the recaps this week (no I don't, this is my blog and I don't get paid for this....), but I was busy with school stuff (NFL Scouting Academy!), baby stuff, and trying to watch games all at the same time. Anyway, here's what happened yesterday in the NFL.....

(Just like last week, I don't recap the Sunday Night Football game because I have a job in the morning and I can't stay up that late. I'm old. Blame responsibilities.....)

Pittsburgh - 6 (1-1) @ Baltimore - 26 (1-1)


All the drama surrounding the Baltimore Ravens this past week and they still came out and got the job done. There's not much more you can ask for, especially as a Ravens fan. The quicker the team moves on from all the Ray Rice drama, the better it is for everyone involved and that's what they did. I have the Ravens winning the AFC North and I have to admit, I was a little worried about them following all the Rice drama, but they appear to have things figured out. As for the Steelers? This was an atrocious performance, but that's what's expected when Todd Haley is a prominent figure in constructing your offensive game plan.


Pittsburgh Offensive MVP: Le'Veon Bell (11 carries, 59 rushing yards, 5 receptions, 48 receiving yards)

Pittsburgh Defensive MVP: Lawrence Timmons (12 tackles)

Baltimore Offensive MVP: Joe Flacco (21 of 29 for 166 yards, 2 TD's)

Baltimore Defensive MVP: C.J. Mosley (9 tackles, 1 pass deflected, 1 fumble recovery)

Up next for Pittsburgh: vs. @ Carolina (2-0)

Up next for Baltimore: vs. @ Cleveland (1-1)




Miami - 10 (1-1) @ Buffalo - 29 (2-0)


"The best week ever" in Buffalo had to be topped off with a win, right? After Bills fans got fantastic news this past week that the Bills were staying in Buffalo for the foreseeable future, and with the (now cancer-free) Jim Kelly in attendance, the Bills had to come out and whoop AFC East divisional rival Miami, right?  Welp. That's exactly what they did. Buffalo continues to look impressive following their win last week against Chicago and they are in a great position to make a return to the playoffs for the first time in alllllllllooooong time. Congrats Bills fans, you deserve it. It's about time something good happened to you guys. Now don't do something stupid and let Bill Belichick and his band of merry men come back in and steal first-place from you guys. Make this year be the year that the AFC East title returns to upstate New York.



Buffalo Offensive MVP: Sammy Watkins (8 receptions, 117 yards, 1 TD)

Buffalo Defensive MVP: Corey Graham (10 tackles, 3 passes deflected)

Miami Offensive MVP: Ryan Tannehill (31 of 49 for 241 yards, 1 TD, 1 INT, 4 carries, 11 rushing yards)

Miami Defensive MVP: Jelani Jenkins (14 tackles, 1 tackle for loss)

Up next for Buffalo: vs. San Diego (1-1)

Up next for Miami: vs. Kansas City (0-2)



Atlanta - 10 (1-1) @ Cincinnati - 24 (2-0)


The Bengals are good, that is no surprise. The Falcons are not a good football team. That is also not a surprise. The Bengals are the "Rodney Dangerfield"s of the NFL. No one gives them any respect, but they continuously come out and beat teams up on a week-to-week basis. They have a good defense and an effective offense as long as Andy Dalton isn't turning the ball over. Of course, we will all get excited about the Bengals only to have Marvin Lewis and company come out and lay an egg once January rolls around. But hey, we'll worry about crossing that bridge when we get there. For now though, WHO DEY?!?!?!


Atlanta Offensive MVP: Julio Jones (7 receptions, 88 yards, 1 TD)

Atlanta Defensive MVP: Paul Worrilow (14 tackles)

Cincinnati Offensive MVP: Giovani Bernard (27 carries, 90 rushing yards, 1 TD, 5 receptions, 79 receiving yards)

Cincinnati Defensive MVP: George Iloka (1 tackle, 3 passes deflected, 2 interceptions)

Up next for Atlanta: vs. Tampa Bay (0-2)

Up next for Cincinnati: vs. Tennessee (1-1)




New Orleans - 24 (0-2) @ Cleveland - 26 (1-1)

Not only are the New Orleans Saints 0-2, but the Saints are 0-2 following a loss to the Cleveland Browns.


Exactly.



New Orleans Offensive MVP: Jimmy Graham (10 receptions, 118 yards, 2 TD's)

New Orleans Defensive MVP: Junior Galette (4 tackles, 1 sack)

Cleveland Offensive MVP: Brian Hoyer (24 of 40 for 204 yards, 1 TD, 81.7 rating)

Cleveland Defensive MVP: Tashaun Gipson (8 tackles, 1 interception, 1 TD)

Up next for New Orleans: vs. Minnesota (1-1)

Up next for Cleveland: vs. Baltimore (1-1)




Dallas - 26 (1-1) @ Tennessee - 10 (1-1)


Settle down Cowboys fans. The real Tennessee Titans were bound to show up, and it just so happens that it came in week 2. Last week's win over the Chiefs got Titans fans excited that they actually had a real football team, but this loss against the Cowboys went ahead and trampled any of those beliefs. The Cowboys are not a good football team, especially on the defensive side and to only put up 10 points against them at home is just disgusting. However, I may be a little too harsh on the Cowboys. It's probably because my master plan of the Cowboys tanking the season and getting Marcus Mariota now has a real chink in the armor if Rolando McClain and the defense keep playing like this. The Cowboys have another winnable game next week against the Rams, so they have a real chance of starting 2-1 and giving Dallas fans something to get excited about. The Titans on the other hand will likely get their asses kicked when they face the Bengals in Cincinnati.


Dallas Offensive MVP: DeMarco Murray (29 carries, 167 rushing yards, 1 TD)

Dallas Defensive MVP: Rolando McClain (7 tackles, 1 sack, 1 interception)

Tennessee Offensive MVP: Delanie Walker (10 receptions, 142 yards, 1 TD)

Tennessee Defensive MVP: Bernard Pollard (11 tackles, 1 sack)

Up next for Dallas: vs. @ St. Louis (1-1)

Up next for Tennessee: vs. @ Cincinnati (2-0)




New England - 30 (1-1) @ Minnesota - 7 (1-1)


OK, now this makes sense. After Minnesota won in dominating fashion last week and the Patriots lost, I was left questioning what I knew about the NFL. However, the stars re-aligned this week and the Patriots returned to their dominant form and the Vikings returned to sucking. Matt Cassel made sure to remind everyone that he's easily one of the worst starting quarterbacks in the NFL and that he never should have left the side of Tom Brady. Only this time, he wanted to remind the world in front of Tom Brady himself. I picked the New England Patriots to get to the Super Bowl out of the AFC, so I'm relieved to see that they picked their game back up. After the loss to the Dolphins last week, I was a little worried, but every thing looks to be back to normal in "Belichick-Land".


New England Offensive MVP: Stevan Ridley (25 carries, 101 rushing yards, 1 TD)

New England Defensive MVP: Chandler Jones (8 tackles, 2 sacks, 3 tackles for loss, 1 TD)

Minnesota Offensive MVP: Matt Asiata (13 carries, 36 rushing yards, 5 receptions, 48 receiving yards, 1 TD)

Minnesota Defensive MVP: Jasper Brinkley (11 tackles)

Up next for New England: vs. Oakland (0-2)

Up next for Minnesota: vs. @ New Orleans (0-2)




Arizona - 25 (2-0) @ New York Giants - 14 (0-2)


The Cardinals are a good team, that's not a shocker. They won 10 games last season and if it wasn't for the difficulty of the division they play in, they would probably be a favorite to win their division. As for the New York Giants.......





Something's just aren't in the cards. Eli Manning and Tom Coughlin both seem like dead men walking to me.


Arizona Offensive MVP: Andre Ellington (15 carries, 91 rushing yards)

Arizona Defensive MVP: Larry Foote (8 tackles, 1 interception)

New York Giants Offensive MVP: Rueben Randle (4 receptions, 39 receiving yards, 1 TD)

New York Giants Defensive MVP: Jean Pierre-Paul (4 tackles, 1.5 sacks, 2 tackles for loss, 2 passes deflected)

Up next for Arizona: vs. San Francisco

Up next for New York Giants: vs. Houston (2-0)




Jacksonville - 10 (0-2) @ Washington - 41 (1-1)


The Jaguars offensive game plan this week was apparently "let Chad Henne pass the ball". It's a damn wonder they even scored 10 points this week. Seriously though. The Jaguars attempted to run the ball SEVEN TIMES! It absolutely baffles my mind that NFL head coaches can't figure out that to win in the National Football League, you have to run the rock (see: Seattle Seahawks). On the other hand, Robert Griffin III got injured AGAIN and Kirk Cousins got to come in and show Redskins fans what an actual NFL QB can look like. Will Cousins continue to be the savior of the Redskins franchise, while RG III goes on to become one of the biggest busts in NFL history? STAY TUNED!!!!


Jacksonville Offensive MVP: Marcedes Lewis (2 receptions, 71 yards, 1 TD)

Jacksonville Defensive MVP: Josh Evans (14 tackles, 1 pass deflected)

Washington Offensive MVP: Kirk Cousins (22 of 33 for 250 yards, 2 TD's, 109.4 rating)

Washington Defensive MVP: Trenton Robinson (6 tackles, 1 interception)

Up next for Jacksonville: vs. Indianapolis (0-1)

Up next for Washington: vs. @ Philadelphia (1-0)




Detroit - 7 (1-1) @ Carolina - 24 (2-0)


The "team that no one believes in", keeps on rolling. It seems like the Carolina Panthers are one of those teams that actually like when people expect them to fail. When people expect the Panthers to fail, they come out and flip the switch. Before the season started, all the football "experts" were predicting a big fall for the Panthers and here we are two weeks into the season and the Panthers are 2-0 and the other NFC South teams look very questionable/craptastic. Carolina's defense is one of the most underrated units in the NFL and continues to be a work horse week-to-week even with one of their best players on the sideline due to a case of stupidity (Greg Hardy). Before the season started, I had Carolina finishing somewhere around 8-8, but something tells me this team is a lot better than anyone's giving it credit for.


Detroit Offensive MVP: Joique Bell (10 carries, 36 rushing yards, 6 receptions, 61 receiving yards)

Detroit Defensive MVP: Stephen Tulloch (10 tackles, 1 sack, 3 tackles for loss, )

Carolina Offensive MVP: Cam Newton (22 of 34 for 281 yards, 1 TD, 4 carries, 19 rushing yards)

Carolina Defensive MVP: Mario Addison (3 tackles, 2.5 sacks)

Up next for Detroit: vs. Green Bay (1-1)

Up next for Carolina: vs. Pittsburgh (1-1)




Seattle - 21 (1-1) @ San Diego - 30 (1-1)


"OMG! The Seattle Seahawks aren't going to go undefeated this year? Stop the presses everyone!"

First of all, everyone needs to just calm down. We all know the Seahawks aren't as good away from Seattle as they are at home. That's been proven time and time again and that's a big reason the Seahawks need home-field advantage when playoff time comes and that's why winning the division is so important. Plus, it's not like the Chargers are a bad team. They made the playoffs last year and Philip Rivers is one of the most underrated QBs in the league. The guy is always getting bashed by people, but he's proven that he can ball when it matters and it shows by his 3 TD performance against the "Legion of Boom". Seattle fans, calm down. You're still the best team in the league and since you are the reigning Super Bowl champions you should expect to get everyone's best shot. Defending your Super Bowl title is probably even harder than winning the first one. Now you have a target on your back. It's what you do when you have that target on your back that matters......


Seattle Offensive MVP: Russell Wilson (17 of 25 for 202 yards, 2 TD's, 2 carries, 18 rushing yards)

Seattle Defensive MVP: Michael Bennett (5 tackles, 1 sack, 3 QB hits)

San Diego Offensive MVP: Philip Rivers (28 of 37 for 284 yards, 3 TD's, 124.2 rating)

San Diego Defensive MVP: Melvin Ingram (5 tackles, 1 sack)

Up next for Seattle: vs. Denver (2-0)

Up next for San Diego: vs. @ Buffalo (2-0)




St. Louis - 19 (1-1) @ Tampa Bay - 17 (0-2)


Two teams that I was pretty high on before the season started and they've both come out and disappointed in big ways. Both teams have good head coaches and good rosters to work with, they just have issues at the QB position among other things. Let's hope these guys get things turned around because as of right now, they both look like contenders for the #1 overall draft pick next summer.


St. Louis Offensive MVP: Zac Stacy (19 carries, 71 yards, 1 TD's)

St. Louis Defensive MVP: Rodney McLeod (5 tackles, 1 interception)

Tampa Bay Offensive MVP: Bobby Rainey (22 carries, 144 yards)

Tampa Bay Defensive MVP: Dashon Goldson (11 tackles, 1 fumble recovery)

Up next for St. Louis: vs. Dallas (1-1)

Up next for Tampa Bay: vs. @ Atlanta (1-1)




Kansas City - 17 (0-2) @ Denver - 24 (2-0)


Well, I guess that wasn't as bad as we were expecting Chiefs fans. When Jamaal Charles went out with an injury when the game started, I figured the rout was on. Denver is a much better football team than Kansas City is and I'm surprised they let the Chiefs hang with them in this game. Kansas City was missing it's best offensive player and one of it's best defensive players (Derrick Johnson is out for the year with an injury) and they still managed to hang with the Broncos so there is some hope left for this season. Personally, I'm hoping that the wheels completely fall off and the Chiefs get a top draft pick in next year's draft. This squad isn't winning anything this season and I'm always happier with a top draft pick than a mediocre 8-8 season that places you with the 15th pick in the draft. Marcus Mariota to Kansas City is sounding good, especially with the QB play that Alex Smith's been demonstrating these last two weeks. Denver is the team to beat right now in the AFC, like that should come as a shocker to anyone reading this.


Kansas City Offensive MVP: Knile Davis (22 carries, 79 rushing yards, 2 TD's, 6 receptions, 26 receiving yards)

Kansas City Defensive MVP: Tamba Hali (4 tackles, 1 sack, 2 tackles for loss)

Denver Offensive MVP: Peyton Manning (21 of 26 for 242 yards, 3 TD's, 143.9 rating)

Denver Defensive MVP: Von Miller (7 tackles, 1 sack)

Up next for Kansas City: vs. @ Miami (1-1)

Up next for Denver: vs. @ Seattle (1-1)




New York Jets - 24 (1-1) @ Green Bay - 31 (1-1)


Geno Smith vs. Aaron Rodgers?





New York Jets Offensive MVP: Eric Decker (4 receptions, 63 yards, 1 TD)

New York Jets Defensive MVP: Demario Davis (6 tackles, 2 sacks, 3 QB hits)

Green Bay Offensive MVP: Jordy Nelson (9 receptions, 209 yards, 1 TD)

Green Bay Defensive MVP: Tramon Williams (5 tackles, 1 interception, 2 passes deflected)

Up next for New York Jets: vs. Chicago

Up next for Green Bay: vs. @ Detroit (1-1)




Houston - 30 (2-0) @ Oakland - 14 (0-2)


Houston might be a lot better than I originally gave them credit for. Defensively, they have been fantastic so far and their offense has been working smoothly enough. Hell, when this happens....





.....life is good. As for Oakland? The less I say about them. The happier everyone is.


Houston Offensive MVP: Arian Foster (28 carries, 138 rushing yards, 1 TD, 2 receptions, 12 receiving yards)

Houston Defensive MVP: Johnathan Joseph (5 tackles, 1 fumble recovery)

Oakland Offensive MVP: James Jones (9 receptions, 112 yards, 1 TD)

Oakland Defensive MVP: Tyvon Branch (12 tackles)

Up next for Houston: vs. New York Giants (0-2)

Up next for Oakland: vs. @ New England (1-1)



See you in week 3!

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