One Injury Too Many Dooms New England
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In winning three of the last four Super Bowls, the New England Patriots have earned a reputation as a team capable of replacing any injured player without missing a beat.
Yesterday’s loss to the San Diego Chargers might have shown that the Patriots’ latest injury is too much to bear. New England clearly missed safety Rodney Harrison, who sustained a season-ending knee injury in last week’s 23-20 victory over the Pittsburgh Steelers, in a 41-17 drubbing.
Chargers quarterback Drew Brees picked apart the Patriots’ depleted secondary (which was also missing cornerbacks Randall Gay and Tyrone Poole), completing 19 of 24 passes for 248 yards and two touchdowns. His primary target, tight end Antonio Gates – the player Harrison would have covered – had six catches for 108 yards.
New England also missed Harrison in run support, as San Diego’s LaDainian Tomlinson had 25 carries for 134 yards and two touchdowns. With at least one touchdown in 16 consecutive games, Tomlinson is closing in on Lenny Moore’s record of 18, set in 1965 with the Baltimore Colts. Perhaps the most impressive stat for Tomlinson, though, was that his longest run on the day was only 11 yards. By racking up 134 yards without breaking any long ones, Tomlinson consistently gave the Chargers steady progress, allowing them to protect their second-half lead with clock-eating drives. Even when Tomlinson rested, the Patriots defense was unable to stop the run, and Chargers backup Michael Turner had 11 carries for 44 yards.
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In their first three games, the Indianapolis Colts played out of character, winning primarily with defense and scoring only 47 points. The Colts’ defense played well again yesterday, but the offense was back in business as Peyton Manning threw for four touchdowns.
Manning started the game looking like he wanted to show that the Colts are as explosive as ever, completing all four of his passes for 64 yards and a touchdown on the Colts’ first possession. He finished the game 20 of 27 for 264 yards, four touchdowns, and no interceptions.
Manning still hasn’t recorded a 300-yard game this year after doing it six times last year, but as long as they keep winning, there’s not much reason to expect the Colts to change.
Now 4-0, the Colts already have a two-game lead over second-place Jacksonville in the AFC South, and they beat the Jaguars head-to-head. It’s only October, but no team in the NFL is in better shape to win its division than the Colts.
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The Colts’ 4-0 start is no surprise, but no one could have predicted that the Washington Redskins, Cincinnati Bengals, and Tampa Bay Buccaneers would start the season a combined 11-0. But that’s exactly what has happened as all three teams were challenged, but ultimately won yesterday.
After beginning the season with three blowout wins, Cincinnati wasn’t quite as impressive yesterday in its win over the Houston Texans. The Bengals scratched out a 16-10 win, thanks in large part to their defense. The excellent pass rush easily outmanned the Texans’ pitiful protection schemes, and the Bengals sacked Texans quarterback David Carr seven times. Rookie linebackers David Pollack and Odell Thurman, each of whom had a sack, have been two of the NFL’s best defensive rookies and a major part of the revitalization of the Bengals.
On offense, T.J. Houshmandzadeh caught eight of quarterback Carson Palmer’s complete passes for 105 yards and the Bengals’ only touchdown. This is the first time the Bengals have started 4-0 since 1988, when they ended the year in the Super Bowl.
Washington has won games by one, two, and three points after improving to 3-0 yesterday with a 20-17 overtime win over the Seattle Seahawks. The big difference for the Redskins this year is that veteran quarterback Mark Brunell has shown an ability to do what he failed to do last year: Play just well enough to let the defense win the game.
Brunell, who completed 20 of 36 passes for 226 yards with two touchdowns and one interception, mostly dumps off short passes in Joe Gibbs’s offense, but he has also shown an ability to hit long passes when opposing safeties crowd the line of scrimmage.
The key to Brunell’s improvement this season has been the way he takes more time to allow plays to develop. Last year, he was forcing balls to his first option, but this year he looks more comfortable waiting to find an open man, which is the type of improvement quarterbacks frequently make in their second year in a new system. Improved offensive line play hasn’t hurt, either.
The Redskins’ defense didn’t need any improvement, but the addition of rookie cornerback Carlos Rogers has made a difference. Rogers, who had six tackles yesterday, is extremely aggressive when helping out in run support.
In Tampa Bay, the Bucs won even though much-celebrated rookie running back Carnell “Cadillac” Williams couldn’t get anything going. Williams looked fatigued a week after running the ball 37 times, and he finished with 11 carries for just 13 yards.
But Tampa Bay wide receiver Joey Galloway had a huge game, exploiting mismatches with the Lions’ secondary – which was without injured starter Fernando Bryant – and catching seven passes for 166 yards and a touchdown. Tampa Bay also got a great game from cornerback Ronde Barber, and the Lions’ passing game, with its much-heralded trio of young receivers – Roy Williams, Charles Rogers, and Mike Williams – gained only 137 yards.
Lions coach Steve Mariucci will no doubt feel heat for the 1-2 start in Detroit. Throughout the off-season, the Lions’ front office claimed it had built one of the most talented offenses in football. When a team has talent and doesn’t deliver, the coach has some explaining to do.
For Tampa Bay, it was a defensive win reminiscent of 2002, when the Bucs won the Super Bowl. 2002 was also the last time the Patriots missed the playoffs. No one should put Tampa in the title game or pencil the Patriots in to miss the postseason, but after four weeks, both of those outcomes seem possible.
Mr. Smith writes for FootballOutsiders.com.