Revisiting the Weekend

It was a pretty good weekend. Although I only went 2-2 in my predictions, I’ll take an even record over a losing one any day. My record stands at 12-7 so I feel pretty good about my smarts. I’m not sure what I’m going to do next week though because there’s at least six great games that should be focused on but before we get there, revisiting last weekend is a must. There were four five-star matchups including two blowouts and two great finishes. In case you missed anything, here it is:

Denver Broncos vs. Baltimore Ravens

What I predicted …

Ravens 24-21

What I said would happen …

“Baltimore’s defense is no longer elite but given two weeks to scheme around what isn’t working, they should be up for the challenge against a non-imposing offense in Denver’s. The Broncos have had two weeks to prepare also which makes this game a toss up. A fourth straight loss would be devastating for the Ravens while a loss for Denver would still equal first place in the AFC West. Expect Baltimore to play their best game of the season.”

What actually happened …
Baltimore won 30-7 and the Ravens’ defense came out fired up after a few subpar games and played their finest ball of the season. The Ravens limited Denver to 200 total yards and 66 rushing yards. Baltimore running back Ray Rice continued his breakout campaign with another fine performance: 84 rushing yards, 24 yards receiving and one touchdown. The return of left tackle Jared Gaither limited the Broncos to only two sacks and sophomore QB Joe Flacco posted a 109.2 passer rating.

My reactions …
The Ravens played outstanding defense. The Broncos came in undefeated but Baltimore took their offense apart piece by piece. The Ravens took away Denver’s short passing game and sat on their run game and Broncos’ QB Kyle Orton couldn’t beat them deep. Even though the Ravens’ offense scored 23 points against the Broncos’ stingy defense, Ray Lewis and company was much more impressive.

If Baltimore can continue to impress on the defensive side of the ball, they’ll be right there in the AFC’s final four just like they were last season.

Even with their smack down on Sunday, the Broncos (6-1) are still in first place of the AFC West but they must beware of the San Diego Chargers (4-3) who have won two straight. The Broncos’ schedule will get tougher with upcoming games against the Giants, Pittsburgh, Indianapolis, Philadelphia and another game against the Chargers so the margin of error is slim.

Sunday’s loss was a huge wakeup call for the Broncos because division leaders shouldn’t get dominated against third-placed teams. Denver is still a quality team but their upcoming schedule will be the telling card in predicting how far the Broncos will go. Stay tuned.

NY Giants vs. Philadelphia Eagles

What I predicted …

Giants 26-17

What I said would happen …

“The Giants defense could probably win this game singlehandedly as long as Eli Manning doesn’t turn the ball over and keeps the offense flowing. Philadelphia gets the game at home which will give them a boost but after watching their offensive line get destroyed by the Raiders and Redskins, it’s hard to pick them against what they’ll see against New York”

What actually happened …

Philadelphia won 40-17 and Manning turned the ball over twice and Philadelphia capitalized. The Eagles obliterated the Giants and gave them their second embarrassing loss in three weeks. Philadelphia jumped on the Giants from the start of the game and led 30-7 at the half. Eagles’ QB Donovan McNabb exposed the Giants’ secondary with three touchdown passes and posted an outstanding 146.7 passer rating.

My reactions …
Aside from their disappointing loss against Oakland, Philadelphia has played extremely well with McNabb at the controls this season. Sophomore wide receiver DeSean Jackson is clearly the best receiver of his ‘08 draft class and might be the best in the division. The scary thing is Philadelphia continues to play well with a