NFL Round-Up, Week 8

Miami Dolphins
Just when I had settled into the fact that this is the same old Dolphin team from last year they go and pull off a stunt like this. Not only did they win on the road against New Orleans, they one on the road at Baton Rouge, a location a lot closer to home for the Saints than the Alamo Dome in San Antonio.

The Dolphins snapped a three game losing streak with their 21 to 6 win over the Saints as the defense dominated the Saints throughout the day. Ricky Williams and Ronnie Brown showed that they could thrive in the same backfield as Williams ran for 82 yards and Brown ran for 106.

The Dolphins are now 3-4 and are in second place in the East. With the Patriots hosting the Colts Monday night, a win a home Sunday against the Falcons could put Miami in a tie for first place in the division. I’ll try not to get my hopes up.


Conference Rankings
NFC East 18-11
NFC South 17-12
AFC West 17-13
AFC North 15-14
AFC South 14-15
NFC West 13-16
AFC East 12-17
NFC North 10-18

Big Game
New York Giants 39, Washington Redskins 0
This game had big promise and little pay-off. The Giants dominated from the very start on the legs of Tiki Barber who ran for a career-high 206 yards and scored one touchdown. The Giants held Washington to 34 yards from scrimmage in the first half. The New York defense also recorded five sacks and forced four turnovers.

Big Upset
Houston Texans 19, Cleveland Browns 16
Whenever I think my Dolphins quarterback situation couldn’t be worse I think of the Cleveland Browns and Trent Dilfer. Suddenly my spirits are uplifted. The Browns lost to the worst team in the league this year on the foot of a kicker who has the last of Brown. Kris Brown kicked a 40 yard field goal with 2:45 left in the game to give Houston it’s first win of the season.
This was an upset that I predicted last week.

Worst Game
San Francisco 49ers 15/Tampa Bay Buccaneers 10
The 49ers lost Ken Dorsey and Alex Smith to injuries and had to rely on former fourth string quarterback Cody Pickett to lead the offense that scored on five field goals. San Francisco only managed 208 yards of total offense.

Looking Ahead to Week 9

Big Game
Indianapolis Colts @ New England Patriots
The Colts are the only undefeated team in the NFL but they are going up against the one team that seems to always have their number. Not this time! The Colts have made major improvements on defense and the Patriots, even with Bruschi back, are hurting on defense. This will be the year Manning gets that New England monkey off his back.
Prediction: Colts 27/Patriots 21

Possible Upset
Cincinnati Bengals @ Baltimore Ravens
The Ravens are 2-5 and quickly falling out of contention. The Bengals are 6-2 through the first half of the season and are quite possibly the most over-rated team in the NFL. Their two losses have come against the only two teams they have played with a winning record. Look for the Ravens to bring them back down to earth.
Prediction: Ravens 17/Bengals 13