Last week we had some SB Nation cross-blogged games go down to the wire in OT, and some others that were such complete blowouts it wasn't even funny (especially for Shrug). In the NFL, you never know what games are going to be competitive or blowouts. The whole "Any Given Sunday" theme is what makes the NFL the best sports league in America. Period.
Here are Week 8's SB Nation cross-blogging games:
- New England (Pats Pulpit) at Minnesota (Daily Norseman).
Gonzo is still GONZO from his Vikings winning the "Poison Pill Bowl." Their reward is the New England Patriots. As a Colts fan, I humbly ask Gonzo to do anything and everything to help his team DOMINATE THOSE F'ING PATRIOTS! And dominate them the Vikings should.
I know this is not a popular stance, but I'm one of those lonely, desperate NFL guru types that think the Patriots just aren't that good. The one quality team they have played (Denver) destroyed them at home in Foxboro. The Patriots have feasted on the bad teams that litter their division. They have already swept Buffalo, beaten the Jets, and knocked around the Dolphins. That's 4 of their 5 wins right there. The other win was against Cincinnati, a team that has not played consistently well all year. The Vikings have a veteran QB, a strong running game, and a very under-rated defense. They also play -strong special teams. The Patriots have still struggled to throw the football. How does a team with Tom Brady at QB only complete 56% of their passes (ranked 25th in the league)? Simple, Brady has no one to throw the ball to.
Tommasse at Pats Pulpit and Gonzo at Daily Norseman will handle this interesting Monday Night Football match-up.
- Seattle (Field Gulls) at Kansas City (Arrowhead Pride ).
That loud cry you heard that Sunday, bellowing down from the North, was not some great Norse God screaming down from the heavens. It was the faithful fans of the Seattle Seahawks groaning in unison as their QB Matt Hasselbeck was escorted off the field with a serious knee injury. That loud sigh you heard on Monday was not some Greek Goddess musing over the humans that worship her beauty. It was Seattle fans receiving news that Hasselbeck's knee injury was not season-ending. Now, the Hawks have to re-group and play without, arguably, their two best players: Shaun Alexander and Matt Hasselbeck. They travel to KC and play a Chiefs team that must win today's game to stay competitive in the volatile AFC West.
Shrug at Field Gulls and Chris at Arrowhead Pride get to work this game between former AFC West rivals.
- Atlanta (The Falcoholic) at Cincinnati (Cincy Jungle).
Michael Vick looked like the QB he is supposed to be last week. Can he continue to play at such a high level against the Benglas? History says no. Vick has never been a consistently good QB. His Falcons face off against a Bengals team that has been hot and cold all year. They finally get WR Chris Henry back from suspension this week. The real issue with Cincy is (drum roll please...) their defense. Like the Colts, it hasn't tackled well this season. If they whiff on tackles against the Falcons, Vick might run for more yards in one game than Bengals RB Rudi Johnson has all season. The Bengals' offense might be back in sync this week, which is good because it seems like Chad Johnson is ready to attack another assistant coach. He only has one touchdown. Carson Palmer can right this ship in part because he is so very good at playing cool under pressure even when the rest of his team is running around like idiots. Palmer is the glue that holds the entire Bengals organization together. He is a special QB.
Dave the Falconer (The Falcoholic) and Kirkendall (Cincy Jungle) get to cross-blog this beauty. I am very interested to see how Cincy's defense responds this week.
- Jacksonville (Big cat Country) at Philadelphia (Bleed Green Nation).
An Eagles fan after last week's loss to TB It just keeps getting better! The Jags find themselves in "must win" territory this week, traveling to Philadelphia who is also in "must win" territory; two desperate teams that must win in order to stay competitive in their respective divisions. They do not play each other often; have different styles of offense and defense; have two very different coaches. For the Eagles, you cannot help but feel a bit sorry for them. They have lost two heartbreakers this season: one to New Orleans and last week to Tampa Bay, who won the friggin' game on a 62 yard field goal by former-Giant (and Colt) Matt Bryant. Ouch!
Now, I've always been a blog fan of River City Rage, ever since he started blogging on Stampede Blue as our resident Jags fan. However, Jason is slowly but surely climbing the blog ranks as one of my favorites. The reason: he's got that... oh, how do I phrase this?... that Philly "charm" about him. I have several friends who are Eagles fans. I like the Eagles and I root for them sometimes. However, I have to say I get a little enjoyment out of them losing because of how Philly fans react to the losing. All fans flip out when their team loses. Philly fans seem like they are ready to commit ritual seppuku whenever the Eagles lose. And when they lose a heartbreaker like last week... oh brother!
River City Rage (Big Cat Country) and Jason (Bleed Green Nation) cross-blog what could be the game of the week. David Gerard starts at QB for the Jags, which means they have a chance.
All right, I think that's everyone. Hopefully, unlike last week, I didn't forget anyone (sorry TheSportsGuru and ChrisPokorny). There are several good games slated for today, and I'm actually excited about flipping through as many as possible. It's at this point in the season that the good teams begin to separate themselves, the pretenders start to slide, and the potential champions start to establish momentum.
It's late October. It's cold outside. Leaves are red, orange, and yellow. God, I love football!