Joe's Final Drive: Week 9

The last two undefeated teams carried on their winning ways, the last winless team won, the Giants gave one away by kicking a field goal and the Broncos could not hang with the Super Bowl Champs. Let’s wrap up week nine with the Final Drive!

(6-2) Cincinnati Bengals 17
(4-4) Baltimore Ravens 7

So the Bengals are 4-0 in their division. Who saw that coming? Joe Flacco was less than his usual efficient self while Carson Palmer aired it out enough to win. The real difference maker was the running game. Baltimore’s Ray Rice only carried the ball 12 times for 48 yards while Cedric Benson garnered 117 yards on 34 carries. Benson definitely grinded it out, but he’s had two 100+ yard rushing days against the Ravens defense. That can’t be ignored. Also hard to miss is that Bengals defense. Yikes.

(8-0) Indianapolis Colts 20
(5-4) Houston Texans 17

With a blistering pace in the first half that saw Peyton Manning throw 40 passes, the Colts almost tired themselves out. Luckily Manning had enough left in the tank for a fourth quarter TD drive. A missed last-second 42-yard field goal by Kris Brown didn’t hurt either. Their last two games haven’t been pretty, but the Colts are still undefeated.

(1-7) Tampa Bay Buccaneers 38
(4-4) Green Bay Packers 28

Oh Green Bay, Aaron Rodgers won’t be able to finish the season at this rate. Rodgers was sacked six times and tossed three interceptions against the Bucs, who had a rookie quarterback making his first NFL start. Josh Freeman only completed 14 of his 31 pass attempts, but he certainly made them when they counted, putting it in the endzone three times. Head coach Raheem Morris finally gets his first win of the season, ensuring no team will go winless in 2009.

More like a Gatorada Tsunami.

(5-3) San Diego Chargers 21
(5-4) New York Giants 20

That’s how you lose a game by making a field goal. After a late interception put him in field goal range, Tom Coughlin seemed content with simply running the ball and the clock down to about two minutes, then kicking a field goal. He didn’t even ask the third-highest paid player in the league (Eli Manning) to make a throw that could put the game out of reach for the threatening Chargers. Instead of going for the win, Coughlin settled for three points. He then watched Philip Rivers march his squad down the field with ease with no timeouts or opposition. That’s how you run a 2-minute offense.

(6-2) Dallas Cowboys 20
(5-3) Philadelphia Eagles 16

There’s no way I saw this coming. The Cowboys played well enough to escape Philly with a win and first place in the NFC East. Tony Romo’s one pass to Miles Austin went for 49 yards and the last score the Cowboys needed. One thing still puzzles me though, why was everyone surprise when Roy Williams got out of line and said something worth of a douchebag? He was doing that in Detroit FOR YEARS. Did no one notice because no one was watching the Lions? To me, he was worse than T.O. Seriously. Anyways, Donovan McNabb had an off night, with some ugly ground balls and Andy Reid mismaaged his time-outs. The Eagles till can't make a 3rd and 1. Still, they have enough playmakers to snag a wildcard sport.

(6-2) Pittsburgh Steelers 28
(6-2) Denver Broncos 10

That’s what happens when you run into the champs. In spite of Denver’s playmakers on offense, Kyle “King of the Checkdown” Orton can’t put up enough points to hang with the better teams in the league, especially when he throws three interceptions. He’s not good enough to bring a team back from a steep deficit because his deep throw can’t be trusted. Also, Champ Bailey got straight-up abused by Santonio Holmes. The chinks in Denver’s armor are beginning to show. For the Steelers, this sets up an AFC North showdown with the also 6-2 Bengals next week at Heinz Field. You can bet that game will be in the Opening Drive. Their 173 rushing yards harkened back to their power running days, an aspect of their game that was lacking early this season.

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