The push has begun as the NFL season moves into the second half with two undefeated teams and twice as many trying to get their second win of the season. Here are the top gamers and lamers from the week 10 in the NFL.
Gamer – Cincinnati Bengals’ defense
When the offense could not get it going against the stout Pittsburgh Steelers defense, the Bengals defense stepped up. The front seven put pressure on quarterback Ben Roethlisberger, sacking him four times and forcing one interception. If this unit can keep it up, the Bengals are going to be trouble for the AFC when the playoffs start.
Lamer – Darrius Heyward-Bey
Darrius needs to go back to the wide receiver school if he wants to play in the NFL. Twice he tried to catch the ball against his body instead of in his hands. That will not work. Maybe Michael Crabtree was right about being paid more money than Darrius. Through 4 games, Crabtree has 18 receptions for 215 yards while Darrius has 6 receptions for 96 yards in 9 games.
Gamer – LaDainian Tomlinson
After recording 22 rushing yards last week, Tomlinson broke out against the Eagles defense, averaging 4 yards per carry while rushing for 96 yards with 2 touchdowns. Though it will be tough for Tomlinson to keep this up over the last seven weeks, we can be sure he will have a couple of solid games like the Eagle one.
Lamer – Jay Cutler
In a game that the Bears needed to win, Cutler went out and tossed five interceptions against the 49ers. This is something the Bears fans will need to get used to until they find a true number one wide receiver to help alleviate some of the pressure off of Cutler.
Gamer – Bill Belichick
There is no doubt that Belichick lands on the Gamer list this week. The coach went with the probabilities and made a gutsy call. Maybe he knew Peyton Manning would drive the ball down the field and score after the punt. As a thought, instead of letting his defense taking any heat from the media, he will shoulder the blame>
Lamer – Dallas Cowboys
What makes this lose especially disturbing for the Dallas Cowboys is that the team is starting to fall back into bad habits. On Sunday, they called 58 offensive plays; only 14 of them were running plays. Their stud running back, Marion Barber, carried the ball a total of five times in the loss to Green Bay. If the coaches keep this up, they will find themselves home for the playoffs.
Statistic of the Week
Buffalo Bills rookie safety, Jarius Byrd, recorded his eight interception of the season during the game versus the Titans. Over the last four games, Byrd has picked off 7 passes and is currently leading the NFL.
