Week 8 Wrap

A respectable 8-5 week, bringing my season record to 55-45-1.

• Houston -3.5 at Buffalo - Texans 31, Bills 10 - WIN. I was right that the Bills would intercept Schaub, and I was right that the Texans would win anyway. Not bad.
  
• Cleveland at Chicago -14 - Bears 30, Browns 6 - WIN. I say it every week, but it bears repeating: Mangenius.
  
• Seattle at Dallas -10 - Cowboys 38, Seahawks 17 - WIN. The Seahawks have no horses on defense.
  
• St. Louis +4 at Detroit - Rams 17, Lions 10 - WIN.
  
• San Francisco +13 at Indianapolis - Colts 18, 49ers 14 - WIN.
  
• Miami +3.5 at NY Jets -3.5 - Dolphins 30, Jets 25 - LOSS. The Fins score 30 points with only 104 yards of offense, thanks to a couple kickoff returns for TDs.
  
• New York Giants +1 at Philadelphia - Eagles 40, Giants 17 - LOSS. Am I ever glad I got this one wrong.
  
• Denver +3 at Baltimore - Ravens 30, Broncos 7 - LOSS. This is the way I expected the Broncos to play all season. What took them so long?
  
• Jacksonville +3 at Tennessee - Titans 30, Jags 13 - LOSS. Another Lock of the Week loss, as the mysterious Jags get blown out by a winless team starting a terrible QB. I like Jack Del Rio, but someone in Jacksonville should lose their job after this season.
  
• Oakland +17 at San Diego - Chargers 24, Raiders 16 - WIN. The Raiders decided to show up this week, so I guess next week they lose by 40.
  
• Carolina at Arizona -10.5 - Panthers 34, Cardinals 21 - LOSS. This time, the other QB imploded. Six turnovers for Warner.
  
• Minnesota +3 at Green Bay - Vikings 38, Packers 26 - WIN. Favre is amazing. I killed him for coming back this year, but he's playing like one of the better QBs in the NFL, no question.
  
• Atlanta +10.5 at New Orleans - Saints 35, Falcons 27 - WIN. Crazy game, and the Falcons damn near pulled off the upset. The Saints are really, really good though.

Eagles-Giants Observations

Did you notice?

• How really, really bad Eli Manning looked? Plagued by inaccuracy, bad decision-making, and throwing off his back foot under pressure, the only thing about him that resembled a highly-paid QB was the name on the back of his jersey.
  
• On second-and-six, the Eagles stop the Giants run for a 1-yard loss. A five-yard penalty on the Giants is accepted by Andy Reid, giving the Giants second-and-11 instead of third-and-7. What's the point of this? NFL teams convert 3rd-and-7 less about 30% of the time; is four more yards worth an extra chance to get the first down? The Giants scored on the next play, so I suppose it's moot, but this is a mystifying decision.
  
• Leading 33-7 and running the ball effectively, Andy Reid continues to dial up the pass, leading to a sack-fumble.
  
• McNabb fumbled twice, both times failing to recognize the blitz pre-snap or feel the pocket collapsing around him. Yes, he passed the ball much better, but these mistakes will kill the Eagles in close games.
  
• Trailing 40-17 with 9 minutes in the fourth quarter, Tom Coughlin dials up a 47-yard FG attempt instead of going for it! If the Giants go for it and make, they have a small chance of winning (three TDs and two 2-point conversions tie the game.) But instead, they try to reduce the deficit to 20, effectively giving up any chance of winning. Naturally, they missed.