Written on Wednesday, 26 October 2011 08:22
62-7. 6-3. 28-0. 41-7. 34-7. 12-7.
Those were some of the Week Seven scores, and while there were a few well-played games, by and large this was not a great week for the NFL as a "product." Even most of the close games had a stink factor about them.
I don't want to incur the wrath of Jets fans or Packer backers, so I should mention that those were two of the weekend's better contests. The Jets showed resilience and toughness in coming back to beat San Diego 27-21 and keep their playoff hopes alive, while Green Bay remained unbeaten with a tougher-than-expected 33-27 win over a feisty Minnesota team led by rookie quarterback Christian Ponder.
And that, friends, is about it.
Pittsburgh sent Arizona to a fifth straight defeat. Washington's season is close to being over after a loss to Carolina that saw serious injuries to Tim Hightower and Santana Moss. Tennessee was blown out by Houston, and St Louis got hammered by Dallas. But those weren't the worst of the bunch.
Let's take a closer look at seven stinkers from Week Seven:
Stinker #1: Atlanta 23 Detroit 16
Unlike most of the Week Seven games, this one was very competitive, with Atlanta handing Detroit its second consecutive loss. But it was marred by fans booing the home team and accusations from Falcons' wide receiver Roddy White that Lions defenders Ndamukong Suh and Cliff Avril made derogatory comments to injured Falcon QB Matt Ryan. Suh has responded to the allegations by calling Ryan's injuries "karma," in response to what he says are Atlanta's dirty blocking tactics. Is this evidence of a potential meltdown in Detroit?
Stinker #2: Denver 18 Miami 15 (OT)
This was the game of the week in many people's eyes, but it depends what side you're on. Yes, Tim Tebow pulled off an amazing comeback, which has Broncos' fans ecstatic. But look at it from Miami's perspective: the Dolphins are now 0-6 and have lost for the 12th time in their last 13 games at home. Also consider that in the last two minutes, Miami gave up two touchdowns and a two-point conversion, and failed to recover an onside kick. And to top it off, the Dolphins lost a fumble in overtime that led to Denver's winning field goal. That is not only ugly, it's sad.
Stinker #3: Chicago 24 Tampa Bay 18
The Bucs fared about as well as the Glazer Family's other team, Manchester United. This wasn't the worst game of the week, but it wasn't exactly the showcase the NFL wanted to put on in front of 75,000 at Wembley. No truth to the rumour that Raymond James Stadium in Tampa will now be forced to host Wolves v Stoke.
Stinker #4: Jacksonville 12 Baltimore 7
The old cast of Saturday Night Live used to be called the "Not Ready For Prime Time Players." That just about describes the Jaguars and Ravens, who put on a desultory display on "Monday Night Football." Baltimore, who some saw as a Super Bowl team, gained just 146 yards on offense and lost to a team it had no business losing to.
Stinker #5: Kansas City 28 Oakland 0
It might not be a surprise that the QB combination of Kyle Boller and Carson Palmer couldn't lead the Raiders to victory. But I don't think anyone expected them to throw three interceptions each. Two of those were returned for touchdowns, as the Chiefs obliterated the Raiders in a game that was over by halftime.
Stinker #6: New Orleans 62 Indianapolis 7
36 first downs to 11; 321 yards passing to 97. Eight touchdowns to one. This was as bad a mismatch as I've seen in my years of watching the NFL. The Colts should be banned from any more national TV appearances.
Stinker #7: Cleveland 6 Seattle 3
Imagine spending the money for season tickets, then paying inflated prices for parking, food and drink. You take your seat, watch three and a half hours of football and see a grand total of three field goals. This was easily the ugliest game of the week, and one even perennially upbeat Seahawks coach Pete Carroll couldn't put a positive spin on. Seattle amassed only made 137 yards of total offense.
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Eeewww, thrashings stink up NFL


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