The 2-Minute Warning Week Ten: Mid-Season Madness

By Ivette Ricco

November 14, 2006

Expect the unexpected, that's the NFL fan's mantra.

If you enjoy madness, trauma, and getting kicked in the gut, you my friend are amongst the walking-wounded fans of week ten and it's not a pretty picture!

On the other hand if you were on the "W" side of the madness, then it ain't nothing but a party!

 

Upsets Galore


Jets 17 Patriots 14
Wow, what a surprise. The Patriots have lost two in a row, at home! And this loss was a costly division loss. Eric Mangini the Jets rookie head coach was able to get the most out of his players and seemed to counter the coaching of his "mentor" Bill Belichick. Interesting how Belichick's protégés are quickly establishing themselves throughout the league. Bill Belichick was as fashionable as ever, but more than a little pissed off by the loss.

Dolphins 13 Chiefs 10
The fish have won back to back games and upset the favorites each time. Not bad for a team given up for dead and not bad for the much-maligned Joey Harington.

Texans 13 Jags 10
Hey don't look now, but the Texans have won 3 games! The Jags switched quarterbacks and although David Garrard played well last week, he was very erratic this week throwing 4 interceptions. Will Leftwich get his job back? Stay tuned.

Browns 17 Falcons 13
Ok, wasn't it just 2 weeks ago when NFL experts were touting the emergence of Michael Vick's quarterbacking skills? What happened? Two great games followed by two terrible games. The lowly Browns made the Falcons look bad in front of their Georgia Dome crowd. Meanwhile Charlie Frye connected with Kellen Winslow Jr. and Braylon Edwards, a good sign for the Brownies future.

49ers 19 Lions 13
Two wins in a row for the 49ers is significant enough, but a road win and a defensive effort that had been missing for most of this season is reason for raging optimism in the SF Bay Area.

 

Elsewhere Around the League

Chargers 49 Bengals 41
In a dramatic comeback the Chargers established themselves as real contenders in week ten.
Down at halftime 28-7 the Chargers let their main dog run wild as LT scored 4 touchdowns on the way to a 49-41 win over the Bengals.

Bears 38 NY Giants 20
The Bears have left their fans scratching their heads and wondering what the heck was happening to this seemingly unstoppable team. In the first half of this game at the Meadowlands it appeared as if the Bears were ready to notch get another L.
But in the second half the Bears offense came alive and soundly beat the NY Giants to make them the clear favorite on the NFC.

Packers 23 Vikings 17
Don't get that rocking chair out just yet, Brett can still sling the pigskin. Favre threw for 347 yards and 2 touchdowns in a sweet win over their division rivals.
Mike McCarthy, Packers coach gave Brett a vote of confidence and stated that Brett could easily play another 2 years in the league.

Colts 17 Bills 16
The Bills came close to a huge upset against the undefeated Colts, but close doesn't count.
The Bills 41 yard field goal attempt with 6:22 remaining would have given them the lead, but it was not to be. This Colts team has resiliency and that's what will get them into the post season.

Eagles 27 Redskins 3
Another day at the office for Donovan McNabb. Another loss for the NFL version of the Yankees for the Redskins. Joe Gibbs announced this week that he was benching Mark Brunell in favor of Jason Campbell and then they got the news that Clinton Portis broke his hand and will be out for four weeks. Something's gotta give, will it be Gibbs?

Seahawks 24 Rams 22
Playing without the 2005 MVP, Shaun Alexander and Pro Bowl quarterback Matt Hasselbeck, the Hawks needed this division win badly. They came close to losing it to the Rams but were bailed out by their special team play.
Next week they visit the 49ers and they may have both their star players on the field.

Steelers 38 Saints 31
The Steelers needed a win just to show some pride. They got a good performance from Big Ben and solid running from Willie Parker. They managed to avoid costly turnovers while the Saints had three fumbles.

Ravens 27 Titans 26
I had picked the Titans in an upset. As I watched the scores crawl along the bottom of the TV screen I was elated that the Titans were ahead by 19 points. But, in the end Steve McNair did what he does best, lead his team to victory.

Cowboys 27 Cardinals 10
Can the Cardinals be this bad? The answer is yes, they have the worst record in the league. Edgerrin James must be wondering why he rode his pony into the desert when he could be looking forward to the possibility of a Super Bowl with the Colts.

Broncos 17 Raiders 13
I don't usually have much compassion for the Raiders, but I did feel a tinge of empathy for Raider fans as I watched them implode in a game they led 13-0. The Broncos still have work to do and Jake has to be a more consistent.

Panther 24 Bucs 10
This game was virtually unwatchable for me. The Bucs scored first against what appeared to be a Panthers team without enthusiasm. At the half the score was 7-0 Bucs, zzzz.
Luckily for ESPN and football fans the Panthers came out of their slumber and took over the second half of the game as a "retching" Steve Smith did what he does best, find the end zone.

 

The Cream
Colts 9-0
Bears 8-1

 

Rising to the top
Ravens 7-2
Chargers 7-2
Broncos 7-2

 

The Muddled Middle
Seattle 6-3
Saints 6-3
NY Giants 6-3

 

The Crap
Cardinals 1-8

 

 

FINAL		Cleveland	17	ATLANTA	13
FINAL		San Diego	49	CINCINNATI	41
FINAL		San Francisco	19	DETROIT	13
FINAL		INDIANAPOLIS	17	Buffalo	16
FINAL		Houston	13	JACKSONVILLE	10
FINAL		MIAMI	13	Kansas City	10
FINAL		Green Bay	23	MINNESOTA	17
FINAL		NY Jets	17	NEW ENGLAND	14
FINAL		Chicago	38	NY GIANTS	20
FINAL		PHILADELPHIA	27	Washington	3
FINAL		PITTSBURGH	38	New Orleans	31
FINAL		Baltimore	27	TENNESSEE	26
FINAL		Denver	17	OAKLAND	13
FINAL		Dallas	27	ARIZONA	10
FINAL		SEATTLE	24	St. Louis	22
FINAL		Tampa Bay	10	CAROLINA	24

 

Fearless Pick Week Ten Record
7-9

Season Record
78-66

[Top] [Print this Page]