Be glad you attend the "Harvard of the South," Wahoos. It's already snowing in Boston. And I'm not talking about a light snow. The Patriots game Sunday was the earliest snow game in New England history and, sans their bright red snow uniforms, it would've been impossible to see the Patriots nonchalantly eviscerate the Titans 59-0 in the tumultuous weather.
With this absurd score as a microcosm of this week's games, I'd like to talk about a few interesting statistics and records from week six.
The Titans - now 0-6 - have managed a pretty noticeable 180 from last year. Ten games into the 2008 season, Tennessee was 10-0, and they were the last undefeated team in the league. Now, six weeks into this season and less than a year later, the Titans have six losses and, as such, are one of only three winless teams in the NFL. The other teams without a win are St. Louis and Tampa Bay - not company with which I'd want to find myself associated.
It's kind of a wonder how such a huge turn-around has happened. Much talk surrounds the Titans' lack of success. Suggestions include the loss of Albert Haynesworth, the pitiful secondary, the bad turnover margin and the inability of Kerry Collins to throw straight. Some even begin to worry that Chris Johnson could hurt his back carrying the team's offensive effort.
While these are all valid reasons, I think it boils down to one major strategic point that the Titan's haven't implemented: Play the Redskins.
This season, Washington has been raising the bar of the term "underperforming" to a whole new level. But what interests me is a bizarre streak the Skins have going. Since the start of the season when they played the 0-0 Giants, the Redskins have played six consecutive games against winless teams. They have handed four of these teams their first win, including the Detroit Lions, which were on a 0-19 streak. At least for Washington fans, the Rams couldn't overcome the stratospheric nine-point offensive output the high-octane Redskin offense managed against them.
Washington is actually the holder of another unfortunate NFL record - the largest defeat margin in League history: a 73-0 defeat by the Chicago Bears in 1940. As a Washington fan, and with Tom Brady on both of my fantasy teams, I really wish the Hooded Sweatshirt had left Brady in to run up the score as much as possible against the lowly Titans. He threw a lights-out 29/34 game and set a record with five touchdown passes in one quarter. The Oakland Raiders have a total of five touchdowns the entire season. The Browns and Rams barely edge this mark with six on the season each.
Brian Hoyer, the Patriots' BACKUP quarterback, meanwhile, went 9/11 for 52 yards, shaming some starting quarterbacks in the league, including the aforementioned Collins, who went 2-for-12 for a net loss of negative seven yards and a pick. Mark Sanchez went 10 out of 29 and threw five picks. Take that, Jay Cutler and Jake Delhomme (who each threw four during week one).
Derek Anderson, though, took the cake for ineptitude in week five, when he went 2-for-17 for 23 yards - but won the game.
Looks like another New England backup quarterback trade might be in the works; I think we can all see there will be teams looking for one come next season.
And by the way, apparently the Falcons are actually good. Matt Ryan took them to another win Sunday Night - and provided journalists such as me with another reason to love the NFL: statistics. Matt Ryan, they tell me, has a passer rating of 128 when being rushed by five players. Why is this such an important statistic?\nIt's not. What is interesting is that it even exists.
And while you ponder that existential idea, make sure you read my column next week, in which I'll discuss the number of left-handed touchdown passes Brett Favre has thrown when the opposing defense lines up exactly seven defenders in the box.
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