Week 8 Game Review- Part 1

I went 8-4 on the Sunday games.  In this breakdown, the one game I missed was Denver and Baltimore.  I figured since both teams were coming off a bye, I could discount the home team advantage.  Boy, was I wrong!

Miami at New York Jets

If you told me that this would be another high-scoring game I would have laughed.  Both teams start inexperienced quarterbacks and tend to run the ball a lot.  Statistically, this was a strange game.  The numbers all slant in the Jets favor.  However, the return scores were the difference in the game.  In fact, Ted Ginn, Jr. gained more yards on his returns than the entire Miami offense.

New York Giants at Philadelphia

I thought the Eagles would win, but not in blowout fashion.  The Giants were actually effective in the red zone and held the ball 11 minutes longer, but the turnovers and the big play Philadelphia offense did them in.  Also, watching this game, Eli Manning looked shaky and uncomfortable, which led to many throws that should have been picked off, besides the two that were intercepted.  Two drops by Quinten Mikell come to mind.  All in all, it was consolation for Philly fans, as the World Series hasn't gone as planned.

Denver at Baltimore

As I mentioned at the top, this was the game I missed.  The number that stands out is the 200 yards of offense Denver generated.  Baltimore had nearly 100 more.  Add a +1 turnover differential, and its a recipe for a loss.

Houston at Buffalo

The numbers show that Houston dominated the Bills.  The Texans held the ball 18 minutes longer, gained 235 more yards, and had four red zone chances than their opponent.  If Houston does better than 60% in the red zone, it wins the game by a wider margin.  How about Ryan Moats coming off the bench and picking up this team.  Still, I'm a little worried about the hits Matt Schaub has been taking.  He took eight more yesterday, and he's had a history of injuries.  Hopefully, it's something they can fix to set up a playoff run.