Week 12 Recap

Week 12 is in the books, and this was probably one of the better weeks of the year. We got to see the hearts of teams and the failure of others. The rise of some, the fall of others. Here are my thoughts.
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The Top 3 Games of the Week:
1) Indianapolis at Houston.
Predicted Winner: Indianapolis, 28-27
Actual Winner: Indianapolis, 35-27

So close to the actual score, but that's besides the point. The point is that the Texans just downright embarrassed the now 11-0 Colts in the first half. After shutting the Colts down in the first quarter and scoring 14, they were beating them 20-7 heading into the break. What did Indianapolis do? Score within the first 4 minutes of second half, and after a lousy first half, throwing two interceptions, Peyton Manning terrorized the Texans. The whole team was clicking on all cylinders, and it turned out to be a great overall team effort. Now, they are one win away from tying the NFL-record for consecutive wins in regular seasons, with 20 under their belt.

2) Pittsburgh at Baltimore.
Predicted Winner: Baltimore, 12-7
Actual Winner: Baltimore, 20-17

I was pretty wrong about the score, but at least the Ravens won. It was a thrilling game just because of what happened on the field, plus off the field. The widely talked about decision of Ben Roethlisberger to sit himself out because of a concussion was the subject of wide receiver Hines Ward's comments. He told ESPN that there was frustration in the locker room because of the fact that he shared half the snaps with third-string QB, Dennis Dixon throughout the week, and didn't end up playing. Later, he try to down talk the comments, posting that he was sorry for questioning Big Ben's toughness.

Going back to the game, I was intrigued by the level of play portrayed by Dennis Dixon. Even with the extreme lack of experience, he was able to play really well (until the overtime period) against a very well-respected Ravens defense. Then again, it was only until overtime, where he threw an interception that led to the game-winning field goal.

3) New England at New Orleans.
Predicted Winner: New Orleans, 42-41
Actual Winner: New Orleans, 38-17

For this one, it didn't matter that the predicted score for the Patriots wasn't even close. It was the fact that the New Orleans Saints sent a message across the nation that they are the team to beat in the NFL. The Colts relied on a risky call by Bill Belichek to go for it on 4th down at their own 30 yard line. The Saints were able to dismantle the Patriots from start to finish, jumping out to a 24-10 start heading into the locker room. Drew Brees threw for 371 yards- on only 18 completions. That's an average of 16.1 yards per attempt which is scary good. A perfect quarterback rating of 158.3 against a Patriots team that has been near the top, if not the top of the football world for about a decade? It seems like to me that the Saints are in it to go all the way.

Here's something else to look at. Drew Brees threw his 5 touchdown passes to 5 different men. One of those men were Darnell Dinkins, who got his first reception of the year with that TD, and has only 2 yards for the season. This is how good Drew Brees has played. He's distributing the ball to guys who are open.
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I think that since their Monday night dismantling of the New England Patriots, all of the eyes have shifted towards them. Everyone is going to be watching on how well they play to: a) reach closer to the second 16-0 season of all-time and b) stay in front of the 10-1 Minnesota Vikings who are right behind them, wanting to get home-field advantage.

Their upcoming schedule?

Washington (3-8), Atlanta (6-5), Dallas (8-3), Tampa Bay (1-10), Carolina (4-7).

As for the Colts, who are starting to come away with victories in the late-going; sort of similar to the middle of the Saints season.

Tennessee (5-6), Denver (7-4), Jacksonville (6-5), NY Jets (5-6), Buffalo (4-7).
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It is pretty safe to say the the Colts have the harder schedule, facing a very tough Tennessee team that has won 5 straight since starting 0-6, a cold Denver team that can very well turn it up, a Jaguars team that has a running game, but for some reason did not produce against the 49ers on Sunday, and a Buffalo team that is starting to look like they are developing more and more team chemistry.