Another week of the NFL season is down as we near closer to the midway point of the season. This week, we were graised by two main story-lines: the arrival and abysmal showing by Carson Palmer as the new face (and potential playoff leader) of the Oakland Raiders, and the arrival and astonishing showing of the one they call Tim Tebow.
That, plus some rookie notes as well as fantasy pickups and notes from the week in today’s Weekly NFL Recap.
Raiders and Titans come out flat in key divisional games
Heading into week seven, two of the most surprising teams in the AFC were the Oakland Raiders and the Tennessee Titans. Both were exceeding expectations and were actually going to be playing for leads in their divisions on Sunday. There was plenty of media hype and fans of both teams were excited heading into their division matchups.
That’s not to say that there weren’t significant questions surrounding each team. The Raiders didn’t know who would be their starting quarterback. Tennessee had spent their bye week trying to figure out how to get Chris Johnson on track. In spite of those questions however, no one expected either team to crash and burn on Sunday. But that’s exactly what they did.
After their strong start, the Raiders suffered a big setback when Jason Campbell went down with a broken collarbone, and injury that will likely sideline him for the rest of the year. Oakland wasn’t about to let their playoff chances in a weak division slip away, and made a blockbuster trade with Cincinnati for Carson Palmer. Although they paid a high price (and 1st and 2nd round draft pick), the Raiders elected to hold off on starting Palmer against the Chiefs Sunday, and went with Kyle Boller instead.
It wasn’t a move Raider fans took kindly to, and Boller didn’t do anything to change their minds. Boller started out the game by the throwing a pick six on Oakland’s first possession. As the boos rained down, things only got worse for the Raiders offense, as Boller threw two more interceptions on the first half, the worst first half an Oakland quarterback has had in over a decade. He only managed 61 passing yards over the first two quarters, and coach Hue Jackson felt he had no other choice but to put Palmer in the game to start the second half.
Unfortunately for the Raiders, Palmer would do no better than his counterpart. His mechanics looked slow and rusty, resulting in accurate passes. Considering he hadn’t worked out with a team in months, and had only been with Oakland for less than a week, this wasn’t too surprising. What’s more concerning was the bad reads he made throughout the second half, which resulted in his throwing three interceptions. He only completed eight of twenty one passes, and failed to lead even a single scoring drive. To say the least, it was less than Raiders fans had hoped for in his debut, and by the end of the game he too got to listen to a chorus of boos being sung in his direction. By the time the game mercifully ended, the scoreboard read 28-0 in Kansas City’s favor, removing Oakland from the driver’s seat in the AFC West.
The quarterbacks weren’t the only people to blame for the Raiders loss Sunday. The running game, limited by the loss of Darren McFadden early in the game, did little to take the pressure of the passing game. The defense struggled to stop Chiefs’ running back Jackie Battle. Observers thought the team looked distracted and disinterested, perhaps because of the quarterback drama from earlier in the week. Jackson said he deserved the blame for the loss, but didn’t think the issues surrounding the quarterback spot were a factor in the game. No matter what the cause, the 4-3 Oakland squad will need to work hard over their bye week to get things turned around fast.
If Oakland’s performance on Sunday was bad, Tennessee’s performance was an absolute disaster. Their matchup with the Houston Texans was for first place in the AFC South, a division that was up for grabs after both Houston and Indianapolis were hit with key injuries. The Titans were coming off a bye week, and wanted to atone for an embarrassing week five performance in Pittsburgh. The game was in Nashville, and all signs pointed towards and inspired game from the Titans.
It appears the Titans never got that memo. After spending the week off working on fixing the running game, Chris Johnson had one of his worst games as a pro. He carried the ball 10 times for 18 yards, a far cry from his 2000 yard season which now feels like eons ago. Watching Johnson play on Sunday was nothing like the CJ2K we had seen in seasons past: he looks slow and indecisive, and shows none of the elusiveness we’ve seen in the past. Factor that in with an offensive line that is doing a poor job of run blocking, Johnson becomes just a guy out of the back field, and not a very good one at that.
The Titans would have been fortunate if the lack of a running game had been their only problem on Sunday. Their defense was abysmal: allowing Arian Foster to have 100 yard days through the air and on the ground, and Ben Tate had a strong game averaging over seven yards per carry. The entire team looked lifeless and uninspired. It was a far cry from the effort fans had hoped for, and it resulted in a 41-7 loss, the worst ever at LP Field.
Neither team should treat their week seven performances as a death sentence for the rest of the season. Oakland will have their bye week to try and get things sorted out with Palmer, and one loss shouldn’t be crippling in a weak division. For the Titans, the picture is a little bleaker. The loss against Houston marks their second loss in the division already, and it was their second blow out loss in as many weeks. For rookie head coach Mike Munchak, attempting to turn things around will be his first big test.
Surprise of the Week
It couldn’t have been scripted any better. A college hero, returning home to make his first start of the season. A 15 point deficit erased in the final three minutes, and a game winning drive in over time.
Should we have expected anything less from Tim Tebow?
His first start of the 2011 season certainly didn’t get off to the start that he had hoped for, but it was the start that many expected. He started the game completing only four of fourteen passes for forty yards, and the Broncos looked extremely reluctant to put the game in his hands. They tried to hide him, allowing him to just hand the ball off and occasionally run the ball himself. They were determined to keep him from throwing the ball unless it was absolutely necessary.
The game plan seemed justified. When Denver did go the air, it was ugly. Tebow showed little accuracy, and his slow release was a big factor in his being sacked five times. It looked like the Tebow experiment was finally over, and this time for good.
But of course, there was still some Tebow magic left. Down 15-0, the Broncos had no choice but to put the ball in Tebow’s hands, and he didn’t disappoint. Out of nowhere came a quarterback that went nine out of his like thirteen passes for two touchdowns, as well as a run for a successful two point conversion that would send the game to overtime.
What made the difference? It wasn’t just the stage, although that type of late game pressure is the type of situation Tebow thrives in. It was the wide open play calling: four and five wide receiver shotgun sets, allowing Tebow to make plays instead of thinking about making plays. It’s the kind of offense that made him a so good as a Florida Gator, and it’s what the Broncos will need to use in the future. It’s not a typical offense, but Tebow is not a typical quarterback. Then again, late game comebacks like the one we saw on Sunday aren’t too typical either.
Rookie Watch
Making your first start as a rookie quarterback is never an easy task. Facing off against a division rival makes it even more challenging. When your opponent in the defending world champion Green Bay Packers, well, you just don’t really have your hopes up for a great game.
Minnesota Vikings quarterback Christian Ponder had to have some butterflies before suiting up for his first start in that exact scenario, but they didn’t last too long. His first pass of the game was a 72 yard completion to Michael Jenkins. He showed poise and confidence throughout the game. He displayed impressive mobility and made the right decisions passing the ball more often than not. Even through a rough patch of six straight incompletions and two interceptions, he didn’t get bogged down or two frustrated. His teammates rallied around him, and it almost led to an upset of the Packers. They fell just short, falling 33-27, but the Vikings have to feel good about what they’ve seen out of their rookie quarterback so far.
Fantasy Notes
Dallas Cowboys’ running back Demarco Murray had a huge game on Sunday, running for 253 yards against the lowly St. Louis Rams. He’ll be a hot target on the waiver wire this week, but I wouldn’t be too eager to grab him. Sunday was the first time he’s shown any real promise at being a solid fantasy player, and he was playing against 
arguably the worst rushing defense in the league. He will still be a nice flex play against the Eagles next Sunday, but after what should be another good performance, I’d look to sell him high before his stock comes crashing back down to earth.
Another running back who’s on an upswing is Cleveland’s Monterio Hardesty. Whether it’s strep throat, an internal contract dispute, or a hamstring injury, Peyton Hillis has not been able to stay on the field this season. Even when Hillis has been healthy, Hardesty has been getting touches in crucial points of the game. As Hillis’s injury status is up in the air for their upcoming game, picking up Hardesty (especially in PPR leagues) would be a wise move.
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