The Dallas Cowboys (4-8) stunned the Indianapolis Colts (6-6),38-35, in OT at Indianapolis on Sunday. Jason Garrett has now won 3 of the 4 games at the helm of the Cowboys and has done it with a much-improved offense. Under Garrett, the Cowboys have scored an average of 33.3 points per game after scoring only 20.1 points per game in the first 8 games of the season under the leadership of Wade Phillips. The decision to fire Phillips and promote Garrett has paid off big-time as the Cowboys are on their way to salvaging the 2010 season. No, they aren't going to make the playoffs and they will most likely finish the season 6-10 or 7-9. That being said, it's a far cry from being 1-7. Up ahead for the Cowboys are the Eagles (twice), the Cardinals, and the Redskins. 2 wins is probable and 3 wins is possible. Jason Garrett should be given the reigns of the Cowboys as they go into the off-season as one of the biggest underachievers of the 2010 season.
The Washington Redskins (5-7) got torched by the Giants (8-4), 31-7, on Sunday. The game wasn't as close as the score would reveal since the Giants could have scored 40 or 50 points against the porous defense of the Redskins. The Giants' RBs Ahmad Bradshaw and Brandon Jacobs combined for 200 yards on the ground and scored 4 TDs. Jacobs broke off runs of 39 and 28 yards while Bradshaw ran untouched to the endzone on runs of 8 and 10 yards. Besides the Redskins defensive woes against a Giants' team decimated by key injuries to their top wide receivers, Steve Smith and Hakeem Nicks, the most troubling aspect of the Redskins' must be their inability to score points. The 'Skins have now lost 4 of their last 5 (their only win coming against a down Titans' team, 19-16 in OT), and find themselves 5-7 and out of the playoff race for good. The Redskins have only broken the 20-point mark 4 times and have yet to score more than 30 points in a game in 2010. The 'Skins are clearly the most inconsistent team in the NFL if you break down their season into 4-game increments. In the first four, they managed to beat Dallas and Philadelphia but lost to lackluster teams like St. Louis and Houston. In their next four games, they beat Green Bay (8-4), Chicago (9-3), lost a close one to Indianapolis (6-6), and lost to Detroit (2-10). Over their last four games, they have managed to lose to Philly in a 59-28 thrashing, beat Tennessee (5-7) in OT, and lost to Minnesota (5-7), and lost again today to the Giants (8-4). Since beating the Bears in Chicago, the 'Skins have given up 32 points per game. The Redskins are last in total defense in the NFL. Their offense is ranked 20th overall in the NFL. And...I thought Mike Shanahan was going to turn this team around. With their remaining games vs. TB, @ Dallas, @ Jacksonville, and vs. NYG, the 'Skins will most likely finish 6-10 in 2010. 6-10 is better than 4-12 in '09, but is a far cry from the Redskins' 8-8 in '08 and their 9-7 (and playoff appearance) in '07.
What the heck has happened to Peyton Manning? Yes, he is still considered the best quarterback in the game, but he has many of us questioning this fact over the last few weeks. After starting the season in a typical Peytonesque fashion with 15 TD's and only 2 INT's in his first 7 games, Manning has embarked on the worst 5-game stretch of his Hall of Fame career. The Colts began the season 5-2 and were well on their way to yet another stellar season when the nightmare began for the 2010 Colts. Over the last five games, the Colts have gone 1-4, and Manning has thrown 13 INT's. 3 of the 4 losses were close games in which the Colts typically win with relative ease. Unfortunately for the Colts, Manning has committed several key turnovers in critical times in each of the 4 losses and had one of his lowest QB ratings in the win over the lowly Bengals (2-10). Manning is currently on pace to throw 18-19 INTs in 2010, which would be his season-high since the 2002 season. The only way to salvage this nightmarish season is for the great Peyton Manning to lead his team into the playoffs as he has done for the past 8 seasons and for 10 of his first 12 seasons. You know what? I bet the Colts right the ship and make the playoffs. He's too darn good to think otherwise. Oh, by the way, the Colts face the Titans (5-7) twice, the Raiders (6-6), and the Jaguars (7-5) in their final four games. I predict a 10-6 record, another division title, and another respectable run in the playoffs.
The Phenom
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