Early NFL Sunday In Review: Rejoice or Tears?

In Philadelphia, it was all Atlanta. The Falcons scored early and often against the Eagles defense, as Michael Vick failed to respond with drives of his own. Matt Ryan is the name that stands out, as he ended a career day with 22 for 29 in his attempts, and 269 yards passing. That, to go along with his three touchdown tosses as well. “It was an embarrassing performance,” was Andy Reid’s analysis after the game, and looking back, it was a pretty accurate summation of the day in Philly. Eagles are now 3-4. Falcons? Still undefeated.

Who doesn’t like overtime? Well, perhaps the Titans fans. After holding a second half lead for almost the entire time, the Titans defense yielded a 1-yard touchdown run by Delone Carter. Matt Hasselback had a solid day through the air, but was unable to help the Titans put enough points on the board, and with the touchdown score in overtime, the surprising Colts pulled out a tough win in Tennessee.

I say Miami Dolphins, you say New England Patriots. Tom Brady led the Patriots to a 45-7 romping (And I mean romping) of the St. Louis Rams. The Rams were able to get on the board first in the beginning of the game, but the offense looked next to dead the rest of the game, as they failed to put up any points after that. Again and again, the Patriots found themselves in the red zone, and again and again, the points kept being added. It was all New England in Old London today.

And last but certainly not least, was the very strong showing by the Pittsburgh Steelers. They took control of the game with a 4th and goal from the Redskins’ 1-yard line that resulted in a touchdown pass. The Redskins simply didn’t have enough firepower to make up for the defensive mistakes. The Pittsburgh defense played very strong, but then again, they got a little help as well. Redskins receivers repeatedly dropped passes from RG3, and actually set a record for the year. However, I’m quite positive that’s a record they’ll want to correct before next week comes along. The final was Steelers 27, Skins 12. The Steelers come closer to the idle Ravens, as they move at just one game behind, with two games against them still to play.

Ah, Sunday. Why must you leave some to rejoice, while others (Panthers fans) find themselves narrowly avoiding tears? Because Sunday is football day. And that’s the way the game goes. Until next time, football fans!