Manning’s low-profile game hasn’t happened yet
Peyton Manning said during training camp he hoped the Colts would have a lower profile to take off the pressure that heightened with each win in a 2005 season that started 13-0. No such luck.
Two weeks after Peyton faced his brother in a much-hyped Sunday night opener, into Indy comes Jacksonville, fresh off stuffing Super Bowl champion Pittsburgh. And this is a lot more important in the standings than the Manning Bowl – off their 9-0 win over the Steelers on Monday night, the Jaguars are a legitimate challenger to Indy in the AFC South.
“When you look at it on paper and look at what we’ve done the last two games, we’re right there,” says Mike Peterson, the former Colt who is one of Jacksonville’s defensive leaders.
Indy has injury problems. End Dwight Freeney, its best defender, is questionable with a leg injury and kicker Adam Vinatieri might also miss the game with a groin problem.
This is part of a grueling early stretch for the Jaguars, but their first road game. They rattled Drew Bledsoe and beat the Cowboys in the opener, then shut down the Steelers, holding them to just 26 yards rushing. They also got two interceptions from Rashean Mathis, who beat Pittsburgh at Heinz Field last season with an overtime interception for a touchdown.
They’ve also played the Colts well the past two seasons.
In 2004, they won 27-24 in Indianapolis, and last year they lost 10-3, leading 3-0 into the fourth quarter in one of those games that got fantasy fans upset with Manning.
The fantasy folks were happy with Peyton last week, when he threw for 400 yards against Houston.
Jacksonville is hardly Houston and the Colts don’t have Edgerrin James to run anymore.
Bench Manning? Fantasy folks might.
Not Tony Dungy.
The Jaguars-Colts game is one of three between unbeatens this weekend.
The others are Chicago at Minnesota, an early NFC North showdown, and the Saints’ return to New Orleans on Monday night after a year in Katrina-imposed exile.
In other games Sunday, Green Bay is at Detroit; Tennessee at Miami; the New York Jets at Buffalo; Washington at Houston; Cincinnati at Pittsburgh; Carolina at Tampa Bay; Baltimore at Cleveland; the New York Giants at Seattle; St. Louis at Arizona; Philadelphia at San Francisco; and Denver at New England.
Kansas City, Oakland, San Diego, and Dallas are off, a good rest for the Cowboys after Terrell Owens broke his finger last week.
Atlanta at New Orleans
The Superdome, used as a shelter for refugees from Hurricane Katrina last year despite serious damage, is ready. The attraction is as much human interest as it is football – more than 500 media credentials have been issued for the game, including for Al-Jazeera.
The Saints’ record is impressive, but their victims are Cleveland and Green Bay, among the weakest teams in the NFL.
Atlanta is not in that category. The Falcons have a total of 558 yards rushing in two games, using a college-style option from which Michael Vick and Warrick Dunn have sliced up Carolina and Tampa Bay. That’s 70 percent of the offense and the Falcons have just 232 yards passing.
With all the celebration, the Saints are trying to concentrate on football.
“The evening’s only special if you win it,” coach Sean Payton said. “All the other stuff is stuff that we can’t control.”
Chicago at Minnesota
The Bears, with Rex Grossman healthy, have Chicagoans thinking back to 1985. That’s probably premature given Grossman’s injury history and the fact they’ve beaten up on Green Bay and Detroit, the division’s two weaklings.
The Vikings have won two games by a total of six points, but the opposition was several levels above the Packers and the Lions. Minnesota edged the Redskins in Washington, then won in overtime over Carolina last week, in large part because of a botched trick punt return by the Panthers and their own gadget: a TD pass by kicker Ryan Longwell on a fake field goal.
Cincinnati at Pittsburgh
Good news for the Bengals: Cincinnati is getting Pittsburgh off a short week.
Bad news for the Bengals: the Steelers will be riled after gaining just 26 yards rushing and 153 yards total in Jacksonville. “I forgot how this feeling is,” a rusty Ben Roethlisberger said after the loss, which ended a nine-game winning streak that included three playoff victories and the Super Bowl.
Bill Cowher may have been aiming for this division showdown by giving a rusty Roethlisberger a chance to get ready in Jacksonville.
The Bengals won in Pittsburgh last season, but lost the one that counted most – the first-round playoff game in Cincinnati, when Carson Palmer’s knee was badly hurt on his first pass. Palmer has made a quick comeback and the Bengals’ defense seems better.
Carolina at Tampa Bay
An early NFC South survival game. The loser will be 0-3 and the winner of Falcons-Saints will be 3-0, a big division margin to overcome.
Carolina is beset by injuries on the offensive line and to Steve Smith, its most important offensive weapon. But the defense help up last week in Minnesota, with Julius Peppers dominant. Tampa Bay’s problems are also on the offensive line, which has never been good and has injuries. Three points in two games is not acceptable.
Denver at New England
A Sunday night rematch of the Broncos’ 27-13 playoff win in Denver, their fourth win in the last five meetings with the Patriots.
The Broncos haven’t allowed a touchdown, but Denver fans seem focused on Jake Plummer’s slow start. But Jay Cutler won’t play any time soon, certainly not in this Sunday night game against Bill Belichick’s complex defense.
The Patriots haven’t impressed in wins over the Bills and Jets. But they’re still working in receivers to replace the departed Deion Branch and David Givens. Chad Jackson looked promising last week against the Jets, and another rookie, RB Laurence Maroney, has averaged 4.6 yards a carry and energized 31-year-old Corey Dillon.
NY Giants at Seattle
The Giants were high enough after last week’s comeback from a 24-7 fourth-quarter deficit in Philadelphia to fly 3,000 miles on their own. This week might indicate if Eli Manning’s brilliant fourth quarter and overtime (a total of 371 yards passing for the game) was a step up to stardom.
Manning was good in Seattle last year, when the Seahawks won 24-21 in overtime largely because Jay Feely missed three winning field goals. Seattle, which will have the newly obtained Branch for the first time, has been outstanding on defense, but an offensive disappointment against Detroit and Arizona.
Baltimore at Cleveland
The Ravens have outscored Tampa Bay and Oakland 55-6 and get what looks like another easy game here. Given the offenses Baltimore has faced, it’s hard to tell how scary the defense might be, but Ray Lewis and Ed Reed are healthy and rookie DT Haloti Ngata has been an early force.
Kellen Winslow, who has played all of four games in three seasons, wants the Browns to throw deep more often. Not here – Charlie Frye may be running for his life.
New York Jets at Buffalo
The Bills shocked Miami last week with a defense that might allow them to hang in the playoff race. With Willis McGahee to run, J.P. Losman can play conservatively and has yet to throw an interception.
Chad Pennington’s recovery from two shoulder operations (two straight 300-yard-plus games) has made the Jets respectable and Jerricho Cotchery is emerging as an athletic receiving sidekick to Laveranues Coles. But they desperately need a running game; with Curtis Martin out, they’ve averaged just 71 yards rushing.
Washington at Houston
The second trip to Texas in two weeks for the Redskins, who will be in a deep hole if they lose this. Clinton Portis should be back to help an offense in which Ladell Betts is the leading rusher with 62 yards in two games.
New coach, same team for Houston, which has gotten little from DE Mario Williams, the first overall pick in the draft. Normally, that wouldn’t be awful, but the Texans chose him over Reggie Bush, who has already been a force for the Saints.
Philadelphia at San Francisco
This could be a problem for the Eagles if they’re still shocked from blowing a 24-7 fourth-quarter lead to the Giants and losing Jevon Kearse for the season. One plus: Donovan McNabb is back as one of the NFL’s elite QBs.
The 49ers, much better at home the last few years, won there 20-13 over St. Louis. Alex Smith has two TD passes, double his total as a rookie, and Frank Gore, another second-year man, has been a productive running back.
St. Louis at Arizona
Kurt Warner needs 254 yards to become the second quickest QB to 20,000 yards – two more games than Dan Marino’s 74 – against the team with whom he had his best seasons. Warner and his outstanding receivers are still the offense for the Cardinals, and Edgerrin James is averaging just 3.1 yards a carry.
It’s hard to get a read on the Rams. After an upset win over Denver, they stunk in San Francisco against a team to whom they’ve now lost three straight.
Tennessee at Miami
The Dolphins, expected to challenge New England in the AFC East, are last after losing at home to Buffalo. Daunte Culpepper is recovered enough from his knee injury to play, but lacks the mobility that made him one of the game’s best in Minnesota.
Tennessee needs the mobility of Vince Young at QB, inexperienced as he may be. Kerry Collins, with the team for just over two weeks, had a passer rating of just 1.3 in the 40-7 loss in San Diego last week.
Green Bay at Detroit
Don’t expect much all season from either, although Brett Favre was close to his old self last week: 31-of-55 for 340 yards and three TDs in the loss to New Orleans.
Detroit may be a little better, because its losses are to Chicago and Seattle, two first-rank teams. But where’s the Mike Martz offensive magic? No, 84 yards rushing in two games doesn’t cut it and journeyman Mike Furrey is the leading receiver on a team that used three straight high first-round picks for wideouts.