Bleu Star
Bye Felicia!
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Let's face it. We've been here before and seen signs that were of a different flavor. Those signs are largely absent this year. We have managed to fight through a myriad of injuries and still sit atop the NFCE with a sterling 4-0 division record! I like our chances against any of our remaining division foes to round out the year.
Let's take a quick glance at the remainder of the regular season. I'm also going to overlay my preseason predictions in with how that may or may not have changed to date.
Back in July, I noted we would head into the bye week at 6-4. Not too far off.. Here are the rest.
Giants: L - The Giants avenge an early season loss on their home turf. This is pretty straight. We'll split with them. 6-5
Boy, was I ever wrong. That said, we were sitting at 6-5 at this point. lol
Raiders: W - LMBO.. Really? It's the Raiduhs and at home to boot... Nothing else needs to be said. 7-5
We showed up and did what we were supposed to do amidst an assortment of injuries and patchwork players in at several positions on defense. Something to be immensely proud of..
Bears: W - (intriguing game) Chicago has undergone wholesale changes at key positions incl the coaching ranks. I think we surprise the in the windy city. 8-5
I still truly believe we will go up there and take Chicago in their house. Jeremiah can't save them from the beating that will commence in their crib. We play so much more composed on the road. I know that sounds crazy given our current home record of 2-4 but if you take a closer look at those 4 road losses, minus the New Orleans game which I selectively choose to erase from memory, you see three very tightly contested losses that could have realistically gone either way. So we'll be 8-5.
Packers: L - Good: We don't have to play this on the frozen tundra. Bad: They still beat us in a game that surprises us in terms of team grit in a close one. 8-6
Without Aaron Rogers, I really like our chances to get out of here with a win at home against a team that just isn't the same without their field general. Even with him just returning from injury if, by some slim chance he plays, I still like our chances to get pressure on him with Ware regaining his health and Lee back in the mix. Our opportunistic Defense will end up having a say in this game with a turnover or two. 9-5 at the end of this contest.
Commanders: L - I'm calling this a loss simply b/c the Commanders are actually pretty good. That said, will RG3 still be upright this late in the season? If so, we lose. 8-7
No way we lose this game now given the amount of turmoil that RGme has created in Washington. Gotta love distractions... Shanny if fighting for his job with a QB that he is beginning to see in a different light. They both suck. The Skins will attempt to put up a good fight but once we get up by more than two scores they will fold like a lawn chair. 10-5 at the end of this one.
Eagles: W - The Eagles stink and we'll be looking to finish strong at home. Break out the brooms. I see 9-7 and a shot at the division or a wildcard.
I see this as a defining game for the current regime. You have players like Ware, Witten, and Romo that are slowly reaching the trailing edge of their twilights. You also have a head coach that is really trying to assert himself as the future talent that many thought he was several years ago when the move was made. There are lots of variables at play here. Will Romo show up in late December? I say yes. Will our defense get it together to become something more formidable and worthy of renewed confidence going into the playoffs? I say that onus rest largely on the offense's ability to keep our defense fresh and off the field.
We have had many a conversation about "balance" on offense over the last several weeks. What that simply means is that our offense needs to sustain drives. The only way to successfully do that is to mix it up so that the play action becomes a weapon. Keeping opposing defenses off balance will eat clock and keep our defense fresh enough to perform when necessary. Run the ball effectively and the rest will fall into place. Just because we run effectively, it doesn't mean we have become a 90s era run first retro snoozer of an offense. No... It means we are mixing in enough run to keep opposing defenses honest. Our numbers of passes should still obviously outweigh runs at the end of the day. However, the 3 & outs with three successive pass plays will kill us. If you want an early playoff exit, let that offense hit a few incomplete passes to take 20 seconds off of the clock and watch our defense crumble. Balance can be achieved while still maintaining a very formidable passing game!
Let's take a quick glance at the remainder of the regular season. I'm also going to overlay my preseason predictions in with how that may or may not have changed to date.
Back in July, I noted we would head into the bye week at 6-4. Not too far off.. Here are the rest.
Giants: L - The Giants avenge an early season loss on their home turf. This is pretty straight. We'll split with them. 6-5
Boy, was I ever wrong. That said, we were sitting at 6-5 at this point. lol
Raiders: W - LMBO.. Really? It's the Raiduhs and at home to boot... Nothing else needs to be said. 7-5
We showed up and did what we were supposed to do amidst an assortment of injuries and patchwork players in at several positions on defense. Something to be immensely proud of..
Bears: W - (intriguing game) Chicago has undergone wholesale changes at key positions incl the coaching ranks. I think we surprise the in the windy city. 8-5
I still truly believe we will go up there and take Chicago in their house. Jeremiah can't save them from the beating that will commence in their crib. We play so much more composed on the road. I know that sounds crazy given our current home record of 2-4 but if you take a closer look at those 4 road losses, minus the New Orleans game which I selectively choose to erase from memory, you see three very tightly contested losses that could have realistically gone either way. So we'll be 8-5.
Packers: L - Good: We don't have to play this on the frozen tundra. Bad: They still beat us in a game that surprises us in terms of team grit in a close one. 8-6
Without Aaron Rogers, I really like our chances to get out of here with a win at home against a team that just isn't the same without their field general. Even with him just returning from injury if, by some slim chance he plays, I still like our chances to get pressure on him with Ware regaining his health and Lee back in the mix. Our opportunistic Defense will end up having a say in this game with a turnover or two. 9-5 at the end of this contest.
Commanders: L - I'm calling this a loss simply b/c the Commanders are actually pretty good. That said, will RG3 still be upright this late in the season? If so, we lose. 8-7
No way we lose this game now given the amount of turmoil that RGme has created in Washington. Gotta love distractions... Shanny if fighting for his job with a QB that he is beginning to see in a different light. They both suck. The Skins will attempt to put up a good fight but once we get up by more than two scores they will fold like a lawn chair. 10-5 at the end of this one.
Eagles: W - The Eagles stink and we'll be looking to finish strong at home. Break out the brooms. I see 9-7 and a shot at the division or a wildcard.
I see this as a defining game for the current regime. You have players like Ware, Witten, and Romo that are slowly reaching the trailing edge of their twilights. You also have a head coach that is really trying to assert himself as the future talent that many thought he was several years ago when the move was made. There are lots of variables at play here. Will Romo show up in late December? I say yes. Will our defense get it together to become something more formidable and worthy of renewed confidence going into the playoffs? I say that onus rest largely on the offense's ability to keep our defense fresh and off the field.
We have had many a conversation about "balance" on offense over the last several weeks. What that simply means is that our offense needs to sustain drives. The only way to successfully do that is to mix it up so that the play action becomes a weapon. Keeping opposing defenses off balance will eat clock and keep our defense fresh enough to perform when necessary. Run the ball effectively and the rest will fall into place. Just because we run effectively, it doesn't mean we have become a 90s era run first retro snoozer of an offense. No... It means we are mixing in enough run to keep opposing defenses honest. Our numbers of passes should still obviously outweigh runs at the end of the day. However, the 3 & outs with three successive pass plays will kill us. If you want an early playoff exit, let that offense hit a few incomplete passes to take 20 seconds off of the clock and watch our defense crumble. Balance can be achieved while still maintaining a very formidable passing game!
