Week 9 Recap

I normally have my Recaps on Crimson Monkey but everything has been in a rush with the shortened week. Please check out the Crimson Monkey weekly update for Week 10's predictions.

I went 6-8 on my predictions.

New York Jets 27

Buffalo 11

I said Bills since the Jets have a bad run defense and I expected Fred Jackson to capitalize on that. That obviously didn't happen. This loss may be devastating for the Bills, as the play-off race is starting to tighten up and the Bills may find themselves on the outside looking in.

Seattle 13

Dallas 23

I said Cowboys. A little concerned that the Cowboys didn't crush the Seahawks like I had projected. For one, I sensed some problems with their red zone offense.

Tampa Bay 16

New Orleans 27

I said Saints. Even though the Bucs lost, Josh Freeman still threw for more yards than Drew Brees. I find that funny, even in their losses, Freeman still leads in passing yards. If only the Bucs would put up more points to go with those yards. The other issue that is killing Tampa Bay...the penalties.

Atlanta 31

Indianapolis 7

I said Falcons. This one was a no-brainer. Julio Jones looked great, way better than Roddy White.

Miami 31

Kansas City 3

I said Chiefs. I don't know what exactly happened...Matt Moore looked like Dan Marino, Reggie Bush returned back to his college form, Anthony Fasano became a one-game elite tight end...where has this Dolphins team been? Or does the Kansas City defense just make any offense look stellar?

San Francisco 19

Washington 11

I said 49ers. Things just don't look great for Washington. What is it with the Redskins? Are they the bog of the NFL? I've seen so much talent go into Washington...Clinton Portis, Brad Johnson, Bruce Smith, Deion Sanders, Mark Brunell, Jason Campbell...the list goes on...talent goes into the Washington facilities and come out looking like a shadow of their former selves. Once they leave (Campbell), they look great once more. Maybe that'll happen to John Beck should they release him after the season.

Cleveland 12

Houston 30

I said Texans. If the Browns ever find a consistent running back and bolster their run defense, they may be a contender. Until then, they will never be able to compete with teams like Houston.

Denver 38

Oakland 24

I said Raiders. So many things went wrong. For starters, why did I have the Raiders defense as my fantasy defense again? I didn't expect McGahee to play on such a level after his hand surgery. I didn't expect Tim Tebow to play football his way. I didn't expect Darrius Heyward-Bey to literally be benched in favor of Jacoby Ford, Denarius Moore and T.J. Houshmandzadeh. I didn't expect Hue Jackson to treat this game like a preseason game and experiment with his offense. I don't blame Carson Palmer for the 2 game skid. I don't think Heyward-Bey did anything wrong to merit being benched. I place this defeat entirely on Hue Jackson and his staff. If this is a sign of how things run in Oakland...it's time to look for a new head coach and staff. And release Heyward-Bey. He deserves better than to be treated like a #5 receiver.

Cincinnati 24

Tennessee 17

I said Bengals. The sad thing is, even without Kenny Britt, the Titans could be competing for a wild card spot if Chris Johnson would actually contribute! There has to be a more efficient way to deal with hold outs and their lack of production when a new deal is met because this is nearly inexcusable. If the Titans had any warning that this is what CJ would give, they would have went with Jevon Ringer from Game 1. And I say, why not give Ringer a shot? As for the Bengals, I know I was hard on Mike Brown months ago, but it appears that he has his team on track. They may not win a Super Bowl in his lifetime, but he may have paved the road for them to do so.

New York Giants 24

New England 20

I said Patriots. Tony Dungy said not long ago that the Patriots defense is what will keep them from succeeding in the postseason. Right now, the way the offense has slumped, the defense may keep them out of the postseason. A foot race with the Bills for the wild card seems like a reality if this slump continues. As for the Giants, I do believe we're seeing Victor Cruz solidify his place with New York while we might also be seeing Mario Manningham's exit.

St. Louis 13

Arizona 19 (OT)

I said Rams. Maybe Sam Bradford should have sat this game out, because I think A.J. Feely could have won this game. And things look ugly for the Cards without Kolb and a banged up Wells. At least Patrick Peterson looks like a fine addition to the Arizona special teams.

Green Bay 45

San Diego 38

I said Chargers. Had it not been for those crucial interceptions, I think the Chargers could have had the Packers down. It just takes one great offense that can play mistake free to beat the Packers. And even though San Diego lost, at least Philip Rivers proved that he can still be an elite quarterback.

Baltimore 23

Pittsburgh 20

I said Steelers. I didn't expect Joe Flacco and Torrey Smith to do so well against the Steelers pass defense. There's not much more I can here, as this was a great game.

Chicago 30

Philadelphia 24

I said Eagles. I did not expect the Bears to have the ability to play man-on-man defense against the Eagles, nor keep Vick from scoring a touchdown. They still had problems stopping McCoy, but if playing man-on-man means sacrificing the run defense, the Bears look like they can take that gamble. As for Reid and the Eagles, their next step...figure out how to beat the man-on-man defense. Step one: Get Brent Celek further involved.

So, that's how I did with Week 9.