Revisiting the Weekend

I told you I’d bounce back. San Diego kept me from going perfect at 4-0 but I’ll take a 3-1 record after a pathetic week 5. I’m a mediocre 6-7 now but I plan to blow past .500 with my next round of picks. If not for that fluke (I said it, FLUKE) weekend of two weeks ago, I’d have a respectable prediction record. I went 3-1 my first week and 3-1 last week which is pretty impressive but that O-for weekend really nailed me. Ah well. It’s a long season and I plan to go at least 3-1 on my next go round. If you were fortunate to catch any of the games last weekend, it was a great weekend. In case you miss anything, here’s your recap.

Baltimore Ravens vs. Minnesota Vikings

What I predicted …

Vikings 30-20

What I said would happen …

“The Ravens aren’t the same hardnosed stout defense that they used to be and teams have been having success against them through the air. Ironically, Minnesota is slowly shifting the focus from a strong running team to a very balanced attack that can beat you through land or air. On the road, no starting left tackle and playing one of the stronger teams in football could be too much for a young QB to handle.”

What actually happened …

Minnesota won 33-31 and the Vikings jumped out to a big lead before allowing Baltimore to come back from a 27-10 deficit. Brett Favre passed for 278 yards and Adrian Peterson ran for 143 yards on the afternoon. The Ravens mounted a serious comeback to take the lead briefly at 31-30 with 3:37 remaining in the fourth. Favre responded with a 58-yard heave to Sidney Rice that set the Vikings up for the winning field goal. Ravens QB Joe Flacco marched the team down for a 44-yard field goal but Baltimore kicker Steve Hauschka couldn’t convert.

My reactions …

The Minnesota Vikings are a good team but also a fortunate one. Games against the San Francisco 49ers and Ravens could’ve gone either way but the Vikings found a way to prevail. If Favre can keep up his superb play up and Peterson remain healthy, Minnesota is going to be a tough out in the playoffs. At 6-0, they’re in a deadlock race with the 5-0 Saints and 5-1 Giants for homefield advantage throughout the playoffs. Whichever team can secure homefield will be vital for each team’s Super Bowl aspirations. Before those aspirations grow any larger, they must first check the status of top cornerback Antoine Winfield, who was injured in Sunday’s game with the Ravens. Should Winfield miss any time , results could be disastrous. Baltimore scored 28 of their 31 points in Winfield’s absence in the second half. Stay tuned.

The Ravens are at a crossroads. Although they’ve shown they can score points when needed, their defense is surrendering too many yards and points. There’s still a lot of time for them to tighten up as the season goes on but even if they do, signal callers such as Tom Brady, Peyton Manning, Ben Roethlisberger, Carson Palmer and Phillip Rivers could be waiting for them in the postseason. Flacco continues to grow as a quarterback and is showing that no game is too big for him and Baltimore in return is showing no hesitation in putting the ball in Flacco’s hands should the running game stall.

The Ravens were rumored to be in talks with both Buffalo and Kansas City concerning trades for their top receivers. Terrell Owens and Dwayne Bowe were the topics of those trade discussions and the acquisition of either could put the offense on Super Bowl level.

New York Giants vs. New Orleans Saints

What I predicted …

Saints 28-25

What I said would happen …

“The Saints are clicking right now and may come out even fresher from their bye. New York usually doesn’t flinch in the eye of big-time matchups like these but the health of Manning is a serious concern. The Saints have been harassing passers all year and have had two weeks to scheme for what will undoubtedly be the biggest game of the year