Seven From Sunday

by Bruce Raffel on Oct 17, 2011 7:00 AM EDT

A look at seven statistical highlights from games played at 1:00 p.m. ET and 4:00 p.m. ET on Sunday, October 16, the sixth week of the 2011 season.

1. The SAN FRANCISCO 49ERS overcame a 10-0 deficit to defeat the Detroit Lions 25-19. It marked the 19th time this season that a team trailed by at least 10 points and came back to win the game. That is the most through the first six weeks of any season in NFL history. San Francisco’s JIM HARBAUGH joins BUM PHILLIPS (1975 Houston Oilers), AL GROH (2000 New York Jets) and JIM MORA (2004 Atlanta Falcons) as the only rookie head coaches to lead their teams to a 5-1 or better record after the team started the previous season 1-5 or worse since 1970.

2. In New England’s 20-16 win over Dallas, the Patriots’ TOM BRADY and BILL BELICHICK tied Pro Football Hall of Famers DAN MARINO and DON SHULA of Miami for the most wins (116) by a quarterback-head coach duo in the Super Bowl era (since 1966).

3. The GREEN BAY PACKERS defeated the St. Louis Rams 24-3 and improved to 6-0. The Packers are the seventh defending Super Bowl champion to start the following season 6-0 (1986 Chicago Bears; 1990 San Francisco 49ers; 1998 Denver Broncos; 2000 St. Louis Rams; 2004 New England Patriots; 2007 Indianapolis Colts).

4. Green Bay quarterback AARON RODGERS passed for 310 yards with three touchdowns and a 119.6 passer rating in the Packers’ win. Rodgers is the first player in NFL history with a 110+ passer rating in each of his first six games to start a season. Rodgers also posted six games with a 110+ passer rating in both the 2009 and 2010 seasons. He joins Pro Football Hall of Famer STEVE YOUNG (1992-94) as the only quarterbacks since 1970 with at least six such games in three consecutive seasons.

5. New Orleans quarterback DREW BREES passed for 383 yards against Tampa Bay. Brees became the first player with 350+ passing yards in four consecutive games in NFL history

6. New York Giants quarterback ELI MANNING led the team to a 27-24 win over Buffalo. In his career, Manning is 22-5 (.815) as a starter in October, the best mark among quarterbacks who began their career in the Super Bowl era (minimum 20 starts).

7. Oakland kick returner-wide receiver JACOBY FORD had a 101-yard kickoff-return touchdown in the Raiders’ 24-17 win over Cleveland. Ford, who played in his 20th career game today, joins TRAVIS WILLIAMS (four KR-TDs) as the only players in NFL history with at least four kickoff-return touchdowns in the first 20 games of a career.

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Rodgers is looking ridiculously good this year. Its a shame to, as I’m sure he’ll win MVP, even though Calvin Johnson and even Ray Rice are tearing it up too.

"Is adult entertainment killing our children, or is killing children entertaining adults?"
-Marilyn Manson

by StuckInUtah on Oct 17, 2011 10:43 AM EDT via mobile reply actions

Rodgers so far this season doesn't lose in comparison to guys like Manning at their best.

He stays fit and you have to wonder what he could do, he is only 27 after all. Seems unstoppable and is playing with a very good supporting cast.

by Roa on Oct 17, 2011 6:35 PM EDT up reply actions

My 7 from Sunday

1. Ray Rice is the best RB in the NFL right now. No one has been more consistent week after week than this guy. He now has the most 100 yard rushing games since coming into the league, add on top of that being the best receiving threat at the RB position, no one is close to him right now. Adrian Peterson’s fumble troubles and nothing in the passing game? No thanks. Chris Johnson’s attitude and lack of ability to run between the tackles? No thanks.

2. This defense is a privilege to watch. We have elite players in their prime, veteran role players, and fiery young guys willing to go to battle with Ray Lewis. Even with our injuries, we are still dominating teams. Secondary is playing great right now without its two arguably most talented CB’s.

3. Joe Flacco shut some people up. He played poorly in the first half, but man was he good in the 2nd half. Those two deep balls were beautiful plays and the man was killed right when that ball left his hand. He had the bad fumble (O-Line needs to not let 3 guys come free) and the tipped pass to Dickson (a bit overthrown, but it also looked like it could have been to Pitta, no sure). Point is, Joe got us the win.

4. Torrey Smith and Anquan Boldin. These two are starting to look like a great combo. Boldin destroyed the one CB that has given Joe trouble the past few years in Joseph. Sure handed, caught balls all over the field, the man is Joe’s go to guy and they have great chemistry. Torrey Smith, man, it means so much to see this guy come into his own. The Terp is doing exactly what we asked him to do, stretch the field. He may only have 9 catches, but he is averaging 26 yards per catch. Some bust right?

5. Nelly McPhizzle. This guy is becoming the steal of the 2011 NFL draft. Two sacks on the year, and coming on 3rd down. That strip sack was beautiful. Just spend a few snaps watching him, and you will notice that once he perfects his technique, this guy is going to be unstoppable. McPhizzle is becoming a fan favorite for sure.

6. We have finally figured out how to deliver the knock out blow. The problem last year was that the offense went into a shell and the defense went into prevent defenses in the 4th quarter. Pagano is freaking psychotic, and I love it. Cam keeps the knife at the team’s throat and guts them late in the 4th with a heavy dose of Rice.

7. Onto Jacksonville. There is no reason why this team can’t be 6-1 heading into the Steelers game. Let’s get it done.

Flacco has to trust his receivers to make catches, but shouldn’t throw towards coverage. He needs to attack deep more often, but shouldn’t hold onto the ball so long. He needs to show more awareness in the pocket and move to extend plays, but nothing good comes of him leaving the pocket. He should run with the ball if nobody’s open, but he definitely can’t run with the ball.

Flacco should have the awareness of Roethlisberger, the elusiveness of Vick, the control of the offense of Manning, the leadership of Brady, the accuracy of Brees, and the arm strength of … Flacco? - Ampallang

by Mr MaLoR on Oct 17, 2011 10:51 AM EDT reply actions 4 recs

That sir deserves a rec.
I am in love with Mcphee. He’s rising fast up on my favorite player list. This guy is going to be a monster in this league and I can’t see this D declining anytime soon even when Ray hangs them up. Too much young talent and now we have the offense to match. It’s going to be a thing of beauty to watch this team develop.

On Ed Reed:
"I’ve told him to his face many times, ‘You’re the greatest safety ever to play the game,’"
"We all learn from each other, but we all learn most from him."
- Troy Polamalu

by AV23 on Oct 17, 2011 10:59 AM EDT up reply actions

Torrey is a beast, and he’ll only get better as he gains more confidence. Once we get Evans back, it’ll be nasty for opposing defenses. Can you imagine other teams #3 CB on Torrey?

"Is adult entertainment killing our children, or is killing children entertaining adults?"
-Marilyn Manson

by StuckInUtah on Oct 17, 2011 11:01 AM EDT via mobile up reply actions

or we may even have their 3 on Boldin since usually the main CB’s are the one with the speed.

On Ed Reed:
"I’ve told him to his face many times, ‘You’re the greatest safety ever to play the game,’"
"We all learn from each other, but we all learn most from him."
- Troy Polamalu

by AV23 on Oct 17, 2011 12:07 PM EDT up reply actions

One word:

mismatch.

You come at the king, you best not miss.

by organizedchaos52 on Oct 17, 2011 2:52 PM EDT up reply actions

Boldin spent most of his career destroying 2s with Fitz, imagine what he'd do to 3s with Torry and Evans drawing safety cover as well.

by Roa on Oct 17, 2011 6:37 PM EDT up reply actions

First, a couple nitpicks:

Does Rice have the most 100 yard rushing games, or most games with 100 yards from scrimmage, and is it from his entrance to the league in ’08 or from when he became the starter in ’09?

Also, Peterson seems to have fixed his fumbling troubles. 1 all of last year and 1 so far this year, after seasons of 4, 9, and 6. Doesn’t make him better than Rice though.

Boldin’s performance should certainly put an end to any questions about his ability or Joe’s confidence in him. Torrey’s doing much better than I expected (thankfully), and it wouldn’t surprise me if we finally develop a starting caliber WR.

I’m excited to watch this team lay a beatdown on Jacksonville, something the Steelers didn’t seem capable of doing. Don’t look now, but the AFC North is on its way to being one of the strongest divisions in football (ignoring the creampuff schedule).

You come at the king, you best not miss.

by organizedchaos52 on Oct 17, 2011 2:51 PM EDT up reply actions

It was 100 yards from scrimmage, my apologies. And I believe it was from 2009 when he became a starter. Still an amazing accomplishment.

by Mr MaLoR on Oct 17, 2011 3:28 PM EDT up reply actions

Agreed.

I just wanted to get my facts straight for when I go around bragging about Ray Rice. I may love him more than any other Raven, ever. The two Rays, first in my heart.

You come at the king, you best not miss.

by organizedchaos52 on Oct 17, 2011 3:37 PM EDT up reply actions

Brandon Lloyd is headed to the Rams

Kind of surprised. St Louis’ season is pretty much over already, and Lloyd is a free agent after this season. I though the Niners would’ve ended up getting him.

"Is adult entertainment killing our children, or is killing children entertaining adults?"
-Marilyn Manson

by StuckInUtah on Oct 17, 2011 11:50 AM EDT via mobile reply actions

I said the same thing. doesn’t make much sense for a young team who’s not in contention to go after Lloyd. By the time you get in contention he will probably be done.

On Ed Reed:
"I’ve told him to his face many times, ‘You’re the greatest safety ever to play the game,’"
"We all learn from each other, but we all learn most from him."
- Troy Polamalu

by AV23 on Oct 17, 2011 12:11 PM EDT up reply actions

doesn’t make much sense for a young team who’s not in contention to go after Lloyd. By the time you get in contention he will probably be done.

Bills did it with Shawne Merriman last year, and they’re playing well this year. With Bradford at QB, if they draft well and sign some key free agents, they could take that division next year, it is still a weak division. So I could see Lloyd re-signing and helping that team out.

by YeahDonnie on Oct 17, 2011 11:18 PM EDT up reply actions

7 quickies

1) Terrance Cody is quietly becoming one of our most important guys up front, with everyone playing so well he gets over-shadowed but he has been playing hard just like Ozzie predicted. And to think he hasn’t even scratched the surface of all his potential. Many guys in the past have benefitted from playing around the stars of our defense and they are sometimes a tad bit overrated when they sign their huge contracts with some sucker team, but Mt. Cody is actually allowing our stars to do their thing without the recognition. Its a thing of beauty.

2) Lardarius Webb is playing very well. Receivers may be catching a few balls on him, but I cant remember one play where allowed a receiver to gain any YAC, his tackling is as solid as it gets. And who’s Cary Williams? The guy is always on the field, but his name is hardly ever mentioned, unless he’s breaking up a pass or something. He must be a bumb since his name is never mentioned, just like that guy Nnamdi who used to be in Oakland. (Cary still has a ways to go, I know)

3) Joe Flacco dropping a 50 yard bomb directly into the arms of Anquan Boldin, there was zero room for error on that one and it was beautiful! Then Anquan fighting for a few extra yards, I dont think he was tackled by one single defender all day, it took at least 2 guys to get him down every catch, except the one he caught from his bum.

4) Ray Rice, cant say enough about the guy. Not even gonna waste anyones time. It’s all been said over and over, and it never gets old. It was pretty cool to see him out there telling the ref’s to do their damn job, unless their job was to miss the blatant ones and call the bogus ones. But none-the-less…

5) It’s great to have a team that doesn’t let officiating control the game. While I get frustrated with the referees all the time, I know they don’t have anything against us. Calls are missed in every game for every team, about 5 guys are responsible to make sure 22 players are keeping it clean, theyre gonna miss a few. But it’s just nice to win these games no matter what, compared to the old days when we’d drop a tough game like this and point to bad officiating. This team is the real deal!

6) Jarrett Johnson is the man. There was a third down run sometime in the second half when JJ was being blocked on the left edge and the run came his way. He manhandled the blocker, threw the guy to the ground, Im talking THREW THE GUY! and wrapped up Foster for no gain, it was just beastly. And right before the play the whole defense was out there dancing and jumping around as the crowd chanted the “7 Nation Army” chant, it was just electric, and when JJ jumped up afterwards he had a lot of swag in his step. That guy does it all.

7) Zero injuries reported thus far. Can’t get much better than that, this team is playing very well missing many key contributors and were only gonna get better upon their returns.

Scott Hines

by shines on Oct 17, 2011 2:33 PM EDT reply actions

Love it. I also agree Cody hasn’t got the credit he deserved. He’s having a great year this year and was clearly ready to take over that starting NT job. I consistently see him getting double teamed and he’s still getting some push in the pocket. Huge steal in the draft getting Mt. Cody.

On Ed Reed:
"I’ve told him to his face many times, ‘You’re the greatest safety ever to play the game,’"
"We all learn from each other, but we all learn most from him."
- Troy Polamalu

by AV23 on Oct 17, 2011 2:47 PM EDT up reply actions

So many times yesterday I saw Cody literally just moving an O-Lineman side to side in front of Foster while the O-Lineman was trying to move Cody away from Foster. That Houston O-Line is no joke, they are maybe the best group in the league, and Cody was a force up the middle.

We also forgot to give some love to Billy The Kid. 5 Field Goals is just as good as 2 touchdowns and those boomers on kickoffs were great. I get the feeling that Pagano is just telling Billy to kick it out the back of the endzone every time because he knows offenses aren’t scoring 7 on us having to drive 80 yards.

by Mr MaLoR on Oct 17, 2011 3:26 PM EDT up reply actions

That kickoff into the stands was ridiculous.

Did it go on the fly or did it bounce (my stream was not of particularly good quality)?

You come at the king, you best not miss.

by organizedchaos52 on Oct 17, 2011 3:38 PM EDT up reply actions

I think a couple went in the stands. He got his big boy boot on yesterday.

The writer formerly known as This White Man Can Jump; Powah Stached; Bear Killer; Da Dude; The Other Bambino; TJ Dropped The Season; Harbaugh Is My Co-Pilot; Billick's Alter Ego; Mr. Poopy Pants.

by El.Dude on Oct 17, 2011 3:47 PM EDT up reply actions

It was crazy.

I’ve never seen anything like that. Even considering the extra 5 yards, that’s still an 80+ (I’d guess 90, but my memory of the space behind the endzone may be off) yard kick. And the ball hadn’t come all the way down yet since the stands are above the field of play.

The only explanation I can come up with is that now that returns are less likely (i.e. it is easier to kick it to the back of the end zone), kickoff men are more worried about driving the ball further than getting a longer hangtime. I’d be interesting in seeing if that were actually true.

You come at the king, you best not miss.

by organizedchaos52 on Oct 17, 2011 3:57 PM EDT up reply actions

I think you’re right.

During the first four games, I think Cundiff was still trying to hit deep with some height. After the McKnight return, I think he’s just kicking for distance and saying eff the height.

The writer formerly known as This White Man Can Jump; Powah Stached; Bear Killer; Da Dude; The Other Bambino; TJ Dropped The Season; Harbaugh Is My Co-Pilot; Billick's Alter Ego; Mr. Poopy Pants.

by El.Dude on Oct 18, 2011 8:24 AM EDT up reply actions

It landed in the section right next to me. It flew in the 2nd row.

by Mr MaLoR on Oct 17, 2011 3:55 PM EDT up reply actions

Nice.

Did you know if he got to keep it?

Also, now I can come visit you. I’ll walk to the top of the section and scream out for Malor. Else, I’ll just look for the Torrey Smith jersey.

You come at the king, you best not miss.

by organizedchaos52 on Oct 17, 2011 3:58 PM EDT up reply actions

Cody looked like a little kid having fun out there. I remember after one play I saw Cody rolling over on the ground like 4 extra times.

Him and Ngata stop everything.

The writer formerly known as This White Man Can Jump; Powah Stached; Bear Killer; Da Dude; The Other Bambino; TJ Dropped The Season; Harbaugh Is My Co-Pilot; Billick's Alter Ego; Mr. Poopy Pants.

by El.Dude on Oct 17, 2011 3:50 PM EDT up reply actions

Redding ain’t no slouch either man.

by Mr MaLoR on Oct 17, 2011 3:55 PM EDT up reply actions

With 7 'starting caliber' lineman,

Redding can play better over a shorter number of plays. It’s a great idea and will likely extend his career a few extra years.

You come at the king, you best not miss.

by organizedchaos52 on Oct 17, 2011 3:59 PM EDT up reply actions

How often do teams use EVERY one of their D-Lineman on a consistant basis? Literally, each one of our D-Lineman (Ngata, Cody, Redding, Jones, McPhizzle, McKizzle, Kruger) all see significant times, almost as if they were all starters.

by Mr MaLoR on Oct 17, 2011 4:00 PM EDT up reply actions

I'm not sure.

I was wondering about that when responding to our Canadian friend. I can see why rotations on DL would be very good, but I don’t imagine most teams have the depth to do so. It wouldn’t surprise me if we were one of a few teams to have such a rotation, and if ours were the most balanced.

You come at the king, you best not miss.

by organizedchaos52 on Oct 17, 2011 4:15 PM EDT up reply actions

Agreed Redding is another who’s quietly having a solid season. I thought if Mcphee keeps playing the way he was in pre-season that he would take over for Redding possibly, but Redding is playing at a high level right now.

On Ed Reed:
"I’ve told him to his face many times, ‘You’re the greatest safety ever to play the game,’"
"We all learn from each other, but we all learn most from him."
- Troy Polamalu

by AV23 on Oct 18, 2011 7:54 AM EDT up reply actions

good call!

its easy to forget to give him his credit because hes become such a reliable guy, i forget just how spoiled we are sometimes as Ravens. there were some strong bursts of wind in the stadium yesterday and Billy was unphased by it.

Scott Hines

by shines on Oct 17, 2011 4:08 PM EDT up reply actions