NFL week 4 open thread
posted at 10:00 am on October 4, 2009 by Ed Morrissey
I’m leaving the nation’s capital as the NFL kicks off its slate of games for its fourth week, which is probably a good idea, considering how well the Redskins have played so far this year. After last week’s loss to the Lions, a loss that ended a 19-game losing streak for Detroit, the mood here is a mix between fatalistic acceptance of another lost season to anger over incompetence, amateurism, and bungling. However, since that’s how most of the rest of us feel about Washington DC during the week, I don’t think ‘Skins fans are going to get a lot of sympathy.
Looking back over the last three weeks, I’m doing pretty good on my picks. I’m 16-3, but unfortunately two of those three losses came from the Pittsburgh Steelers. They lost last week in their division and are now looking at the backs of the Bengals and and the Baltimore Ravens, both of whom have gotten off to a better start than I thought they would. The Steelers play the San Diego Chargers in the night game at home tonight, and they have to go without Willie Parker and Troy Polamalu. I’m still going to pick Pittsburgh, who always seems to do well in night games at home. It should be close, though, perhaps 28-24.
Other notable games:
- Green Bay at Minnesota – This is a Monday Night game, which means we all get to see what happens when Brett Favre meets his old team for the first time ever as the opposing quarterback. Should be a great game, full of drama, but the unbeaten Vikings should win it, 31-21.
- Baltimore at New England – A better-than-expected Ravens team faces a weaker-than-expected Patriots squad. I’m picking the Patriots to win this one at home, though, as Tom Brady settles down and their defense picks it up against Joe Flacco. It won’t be a shootout but the Pats should eke out a 17-14 win.
- Tampa Bay at Washington – Call this the Futility Bowl. I think the Redskins win in a game no one watches, 21-14.
- Tennessee at Jacksonville – The Titans are a better team than 0-3, but I’m not sure Jacksonville is better than 1-2. I think Tennessee gets off the schneid here with a 24-10 win.
- NY Jets at New Orleans – Mark Sanchez has proven himself in three straight games as a rookie who can handle the NFL. Can the Jets defense stop the Saints, though? One of these teams has to lose its first game today, and it won’t be the Saints at home. New Orleans’ offense will overwhelm the Jets, 31-24, but expect Sanchez to continue to shine.
Blowback
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Good fight, JetBoy, Del, et al.
Sanchez just got lit up for the first time and so now it’s all about his learning from his mistakes.
It won’t make you feel better, but there’ll be a lot of happy Cajuns hollering “Who Dat” at each other out on the road. I’d better stay off it because they drive like s*** already! The paper bag stays away for another game.
cane_loader on October 4, 2009 at 7:03 PM
Saints run out the clock-final 24-10.
Del Dolemonte on October 4, 2009 at 7:03 PM
Well, I have 50 minutes of daylight and need to go mount my new drill press to the workbench, so that I can say I got my day’s work done.
I’ll check back later.
WHO DAT!
(apologies to loyal Jets fans – again, tough fight)
cane_loader on October 4, 2009 at 7:07 PM
In the immortal words of Homer Simpson “D’oh”
gophergirl on October 4, 2009 at 7:14 PM
Just curious, are you in NO or out in Cajun land?
Del Dolemonte on October 4, 2009 at 7:15 PM
Who Dat, Who Dat, Who Dat say they are going to beat the Saints….Not the Jets! Saints 4-0 for the season.
Teleycoman on October 4, 2009 at 7:23 PM
damn…….can’t win them all.
A bump in the road, a rookie still learning…….but we going to the playoff for sure, baby !!!
J-E-T-S Jets Jets Jets
Jerome Horwitz on October 4, 2009 at 7:26 PM
Well, that Dallas-Denver finish was something! I was rooting for Dallas, but enjoyed that game.
Congrats to Denver.
(And why were we throwing at Bailey so much?)
WannabeAnglican on October 4, 2009 at 7:31 PM
[O/T]: A good freeware for fighting ‘pop-ups’ is SuperspywareBlaster, go to cnet for the download.
Been using it for years. Good stuff.
CPT. Charles on October 4, 2009 at 7:38 PM
OMG I hatebeing subjected to Keith Olbermann doing highlights on Sunday night….he is so unbelievably awful. It’s amazing that he ever got a job at ESPN….
LL
Lady Logician on October 4, 2009 at 7:42 PM
CPT. Charles on October 4, 2009 at 7:38 PM
I’ll check it out. I hate pop-ups almost as much as I hate the sound of KO’s voice…..
LL
Lady Logician on October 4, 2009 at 7:45 PM
Lady that is why I do not watch it!
Teleycoman on October 4, 2009 at 7:46 PM
Well, had to go there for a while…didn’t wanna get so angry and frustrated that I’d bust up my laptop.
Well put, and true. Of course tho, it’s MUCH better to win…all the time! heh.
Yep, it’s a wake up call not only for Sanchez, but for the whole team. Granted, it wasn’t going to be easy by a mile to beat Nawlins at their own stadium. But they certainly outplayed Gang Green for sure. Ryan better have been pounding his fists on the lockers after the game. Don’t let ‘em get soft.
Cheatriots won…(:P to Del) and as long as we stay out in front of them, it’s all good. Jints looked good too, it pains me to say.
Going to my first Jets game of the season in a couple weeks. I should bring enough bad luck with me…*sigh*
Cheers, football-heads. At least there’s nothing like this time of year to take our minds off politics, if even for a day or two out of the week.
JetBoy on October 4, 2009 at 7:48 PM
Not to defend him but Keef in fact spent several years years as a sportscaster before joining ESPN. He was in Boston in the 1980s followed by LA, both major markets.
Del Dolemonte on October 4, 2009 at 7:50 PM
Give it a rest, but only after telling us which indivudual Patriots team members were ever accused of cheating, or ever penalized by the NFL for doing so.
Del Dolemonte on October 4, 2009 at 7:52 PM
I have no idea why they do half the things they do offensively sometimes. The OC is a disaster. He gets away from what was working relatively well early in the game for some pathetic passing “attack” that was just not clicking.
The last few plays of the game, the biggest gainer, was a play Romo had to improvise on after things broke down, and mercifully managed to get them into scoring range. On the last throws it seemed like the WR’s were all crossing each other in the middle of the end zone. Where was a pass out to a RB? Where was Witten? They went to the Sam Hurd well one too many times. It’s like a stubborn hope that trying things enough (ie: throwing at Baily) it’ll eventually hit for something big.
All I know is this seems like it’s going to be a long season. We’re tied with the pathetic Redskins for God’s sake. Garrett needs help, big time. Or just is Jerry Jones just gonna hang on for another 12 bumpy games until we can sweep out the mess of a coaching staff and bring in a Shanahan, Holmgren, Cowher, or maybe (though I’ve not heard that he has a current interest in returning to coaching) a Dungy?
red winger on October 4, 2009 at 7:53 PM
Nah, sorry…but I don’t think I could ever “give it a rest” about that.
And fines levied speak volumes over guilt. You know full well what Belicheat did, and so did he. Funny how for a while there the Pats were doing really, really well…better than expected, and certainly better than the team looked on paper.
Coincidence? Maybe. And Mark Maguire was probably a record-breaker even without ‘roids. Mere coincidence. ???
JetBoy on October 4, 2009 at 8:00 PM
Hmm, the Chargers might as wear all pink unless they start playing some football and soon.
WannabeAnglican on October 4, 2009 at 8:42 PM
OK, I am back. Sorry I was banging my head against the wall.
Does anyone know where we can get a used coaching staff for Dallas. We can’t spend much cuz we are broke after building that new house.
conservnut on October 4, 2009 at 9:01 PM
It’s the Steelers Teley – I have no choice…..
LL
Lady Logician on October 4, 2009 at 9:18 PM
Translation:
“I can’t answer the question”.
Once again, please name the individual Patriots players who “cheated”.
Del Dolemonte on October 4, 2009 at 9:33 PM
BTW as I recall the Patriots coach was busted by the NFL for what happened in one game. How does that translate into the Patriots cheating in more than that?
Del Dolemonte on October 4, 2009 at 9:39 PM
Heath Miller is the best tight end ever. In a heterosexual, footbally sort of way!
But I’m a teabagger, so what do I know from tight ends?
▀▄▀▄▀▄
▀▄▀▄▀▄ Changing gears:
Doesn’t that latest Eli Manning commercial make you want to send a sympathy card to Archie and the Mizzez?– he’s a talented QB and all, but that’s awful.
hillbillyjim on October 4, 2009 at 9:39 PM
The Chargers are just letting the Steelers get way too overconfident. The Bolts will unleash their “A” and the Steelers will have no chance and will hang their heads in shame.
The Chargers are just toying with them right now. You’ll see. /s
Geochelone on October 4, 2009 at 9:43 PM
I dunno…some of us
are havinghad fun watchin that game.;)Your Jets lost, but the D did hold the #1 offence to
30 points off their average.
As a Saint fan, I was impressed with our D.
A question for WhoDat Nation. Could this finally be next year?
soundingboard on October 4, 2009 at 10:13 PM
Looks like Mendenhall has found his legs….
hillbillyjim on October 4, 2009 at 10:16 PM
See above.
hillbillyjim on October 4, 2009 at 10:20 PM
Yeah…this one does.
And usually longer than Reggie holds the ball!
soundingboard on October 4, 2009 at 10:23 PM
red winger on October 4, 2009 at 7:00 PM
Cowboy were confused. They thought it was the playoffs.
Maybe be back next week.
IlikedAUH2O on October 4, 2009 at 10:31 PM
good to see Mendenhall getting the ball. let’s get some strait up running back power back into the running game.
disillusioned on October 4, 2009 at 10:38 PM
Barry and His Congress are like that petulant child we have all seen in the big box store.
He keeps throwing things in the cart, and Mommy keeps saying “No.” to little effect.
Then Mommy sees that he has a really fragile, really expensive item aimed at the cart….
hillbillyjim on October 4, 2009 at 10:41 PM
is this comment in the anticipated thread?
disillusioned on October 4, 2009 at 10:45 PM
Apologies. I don’t know that last post ended up here on this thread.
Third night running with reload problems here…
Is anyone else experiencing this?
Apologies, again.
hillbillyjim on October 4, 2009 at 10:45 PM
By the way…it seems to me that if the Patriots were such big “cheaters”, they would have easily won all of those important playoff and Super Bowl games that in reality they ended up winning with last minute field goals.
Del Dolemonte on October 4, 2009 at 10:48 PM
the Cowboy game came down to the end. not that I’m complaining. Denver has shown a defense so far this year that will take them into the playoffs.
disillusioned on October 4, 2009 at 10:49 PM
For all you Jets fan… you got nothing to hang your head over. Yeah Sanchez had some problems but DAMN I don’t want to go against him in a few years. (or even months) The kid has potential. And your D showed up to play.
Of all the Saints games this year, you guys where the toughest.
Your only problem is that our D coordinator showed how to beat him… From the first play of the game he went after Sanchez hard to rattle him… and it payed this time. Look for the same next week.
Yeah, I miss the 300 yards throwing with 4 touchdowns but hell it was a good game.
As for Reggie… he’s overrated.
Diogenes of Sinope on October 4, 2009 at 10:49 PM
Sorry but the pink is a huge distraction. The ultimate is the new pink terrible towels in Pittsburgh – just doesn’t look right.
InTheBellyoftheBeast on October 4, 2009 at 10:53 PM
Giants won; Cowboys lost; no matter what else went on in real life, my weekend is completely good
Willie on October 4, 2009 at 11:07 PM
Awesome M. Moore td pass.
Quarterback rating: 1/1 for 6 yards with TD. Rating of 131.3. I’m always curious what these quarterback ratings mean. Ouch. SD td.
disillusioned on October 4, 2009 at 11:09 PM
uh oh Steelers, are you letting another one get away?
Willie on October 4, 2009 at 11:16 PM
what the hell!!! two td’s in less than a minute?
disillusioned on October 4, 2009 at 11:16 PM
Woooo hooooo! the kick is good!
disillusioned on October 4, 2009 at 11:33 PM
way to go James Harrison!!!!!!!!!! Steelers win, Steelers win.
disillusioned on October 4, 2009 at 11:37 PM
Lady,
All I can say better you than I, I would end up throwing something through my TV. LOL
Teleycoman on October 5, 2009 at 1:01 AM
Steelers need Troy Palomaulu back.
BillyGoatGruff on October 5, 2009 at 2:10 AM
For those who missed this last week-
http://sports.yahoo.com/nfl/news?slug=cr-jetsninerstampering092409&prov=yhoo&type=lgns
Del Dolemonte on October 5, 2009 at 2:18 PM
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