NFL 2011: Still 3 winless teams left after Week 6

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Week 6 is over and the misery of the winless continues. All 3 winless teams played and suffered defeats this week. Here are the results:

St. Louis Rams (0-5) 3 – 24 Green Bay Packers (6-0)

The battle between the best and one of the worst was NFL teams had an expected outcome. The Packers practically toyed with the hapless Rams and limited them to just a field goal. QB Sam Bradford had a relatively good passing game finishing with 321 yards unfortunately he did not have a touchdown and was intercepted once. Steven Jackson had 96 yards in 18 carries.

Miami Dolphins (0-5) 6 – 24 New York Jets (3-3)

After a bye week, the Dolphins faced the Jets in a Monday Night Football game and got the short end of a 24-6 rout. The Dolphins actually scored first via a Dan Carpenter field goal after they failed to get a TD while advancing deep in the Jet’s zone. Matt Moore gave up 2 interceptions. One was in the red zone that was brought back to a 100 yards INT return touchdown by Darrelle Revis. The Jet’s D-Line did the rest sacking Moore 4 times and hitting him 11 other times.

Indianapolis Colts (0-6)  17 – 27 Cincinnati Bengals (4-2)

The Colts was the closest among the winless team to get the win as they rallied in the second half of their game against the Bengals. They were actually just down by 3 17-20 in the 4th Quarter. They had an opportunity to win or tie the score but Nate Clement blocked an Adam Vinatieri field goal attempt and Carlos Dunlap recovered the fumble and took it to the end zone for the decisive blow to Indianapolis Colt‘s upset bid.

So, what is next for the winless teams?

1. Indianapolis Colts – They will visit the NFC South leading New Orleans Saints (4-2). The NFL’s second best passing attack is reeling from a loss at Tampa Bay. It is expected that the Saints will pull all stops to prevent a losing streak. It is going to be another difficult game for the Colts. Would they draft Andrew Luck if ever they go 0-16?
2. Miami Dolpins – The Fins are hosting Tim Tebow and the Broncos (1-4) who are coming off a bye week. Tebow will have a sort of homecoming in Florida. The game is definitely winnable for Miami and they have to win this or risk going 0-16. A loss will definitely put Miami ahead in the Andrew Luck sweepstakes.
3. St. Louis Rams – The lone winless NFC team will visit the Dallas Cowboys (2-3) that is having a 2-game losing streak after being beaten by the Patriots. The game is very important for Dallas. A loss to the Rams will probably cause some riots in the Cowboys stadium. Dallas ranks well in passing and opponent rushing but it has not translated to victories on the field. The Rams are definitely big underdogs in their Week 7 match.

Miami has the “easiest” game of the bunch but nothing is guaranteed. There is a big possibility that the 3 will still be winless after Week 7. It is really going to be odd if the NFL will see 3 0-16 teams at the end of the 2011 season. So much for parity. Hopefully though these teams will somehow recover and get 2-4 wins before the end of the season.

Related articles

• NFL 2011: 3 winless teams left after Week 5 (caloysports.wordpress.com)
• NFL 2011: 4 Winless Teams after Week 4 (caloysports.wordpress.com)
• NFL Power Rankings: Dolphins and Top 5 Andrew Luck Suitors (bleacherreport.com)
• Andrew Luck Sweepstakes: Which Teams Are the Current Front-Runners? (bleacherreport.com)
• NFL Scores Week 6, Dolphins Vs. Jets: Darrelle Revis Shines As New York Wins 24-6 (sbnation.com)
• Jets looking to end slide against winless Dolphins (sportsillustrated.cnn.com)

Finally, the Detroit Lions win!!!!

 

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it was almost a year since my favorite NFL Franchise won a regular season game.  The big networks were branding them as the best 0-4 team in the league after losing heartbreakers in the past 4 weeks.  Playing without their No.1 QB Matthew Stafford and their standout LB DeAndre Levy, they lost 3 of their first four games with a margin less than 1TD. Who can forget that bum call on Calvin Johnson against the Chicago Bears in Week 1.

Week 5 pitted the Detroit Lions against the St. Louis Rams led by this year’s No.1 pick Sam Bradford. The Rams came to town with big confidence coming from a 2 game win streak.  Peter King of CNNSI even branded this game as the toughest one to call this week.  After a 3-3 first quarter, the Lions suddenly roared to a big lead. They were led by their new returner Stefan Logan who scored on a 105 kickoff return in front of his proud parents. The special team unit showed how truly special they are after acquiring a playmaking returner.  Suddenly it was 24-6 by halftime with long drives led by Shaun Hill led to TD passes to CJ and TE Brandon Pettigrew.

The second half was an all-Lions show. Nate Burleson made his first TD catch as a Lion and drew a penalty by celebrating by punting the football into stands.  Then the defense showed it’s teeth.  Ndamokung Suh, the No.2 pick in the 2010 draft intercepted the pass of Bradford and returned it for 20 yards.  It’s been years since the fans saw a rookie DT makes a play reminding them of the huffing and puffing Shaun Rogers a few years ago.  Then to cap the scoring, Alphonso Smith (a Bronco reject) had a pick (in his 3rd straight game) and returned it to a TD.

It is a good day at Detroit and with the help of some kindhearted fans, the game was televised in local TV. Some call this win a validation, some call it an aberration but no matter how you call it, the game was amazing. It’s been years since all units scored and hopefully the momentum can carry the Lions against the formidable Giants next week.

Related Articles

• Detroit Lions hope blowout victory a sign of better days ahead (reuters.com)
• Lions maul Rams for first win of season (reuters.com)
• St. Louis Rams vs. Detroit Lions: Lions All Over Rams (bleacherreport.com)
• Stefan Logan ties Detroit Lions record with 105-yard kick return (sports.espn.go.com)
• LIONS 44, RAMS 6 / Detroit ends streak with blowout win (sfgate.com)
• Lions finally win one, thanks to hapless Rams (cbssports.com)
• Detroit Lions’ Domination of Rams Validates Roster Moves, Team Improvement (bleacherreport.com)
• Detroit Lions Monday Morning Quarterback: Week 5 Vs. St. Louis Rams (bleacherreport.com)
• Detroit Lions-St. Louis Rams: Detroit’s First Win and 2010 Season by the Numbers (bleacherreport.com)