NFC South Week 14 Wrap Up

Written by: admin on 16th December 2009

NFC South Week 14 Wrap Up

NEW ORLEANS - OCTOBER 04: Quarterback Drew Brees #9 of the New Orleans Saints warms up during pregame wearing pink shoes to support Breast Cancer Awareness before playing the New York Jets at the Louisana Superdome on October 4, 2009 in New Orleans, Louisiana. (Photo by Chris Graythen/Getty Images) | read this item

NFC South Week 14 wrap Up

By Rafael Garcia Sr. Contributing Writer Football Reporters Online

Southeast Region

New Orleans 26 Atlanta 23

It was another close call for the Saints as they were able to squeak past a Falcon team playing for its playoff life. They were without their injured stars Matt Ryan and Michael Turner and still came close to winning the game. QB Chris Redman was playing again in place of Ryan and was 23-34 for 303 yards and one interception. He had hit Michael Jenkins on a beauty of a 50-yarder that was followed by a Jason Snelling 4-yard plunge to make it 23-23. Before those two plays it looked like the Saints were going to breeze to 13-0. They have found a way to make the last two games close, and as I have mentioned before, they will have to tighten up on defense. They gave up 392 yards of offense to the Falcons and recorded only one sack. The running game was not as effective as usual as they gained just 95 yards on 26 carries. Drew Brees got his normal three touchdowns passes and threw for 296 yards. He was accurate in going 31-40 but was unable to put the pesky Falcons away. Each team punted only once and for New Orleans they will have to put more pressure on opposing offenses. If they do not they will run into a team that will score on them, and though they showed they can come back, it may come back to haunt them. Atlanta is looking at next year now and what they will need to do to improve this team. They failed to get 100 yards rushing for the fourth straight week and after starting 4-1 they have gone 2-6 since. The Saints set a franchise record for wins in a season and Brees tied Aaron Brooks with his 120th touchdown pass of his career.

New England 20 Carolina 10

It was a game where the Panthers had no turnovers, and the Pats had three, yet Carolina found a way to lose again. Matt Moore, playing for the injured Jake Delhomme, was 15-30 for 197 yards and one touchdown. DeAngelo Williams had a better game this week with 82 yards on 13 carries. One of the problems was the lack of getting into the red zone (0-1) and their third down efficiency (3-13). They had nine penalties for 92 yards and had the ball for almost 10 minutes less than the Pats. They managed just 14 first downs and when they had a chance to make a stand Pats wide receiver Wes Welker torched them down the stretch. They also had to punt seven times making it hard to mount any threat. They played a good first half when they were able to hold off any Patriot rally but folded in the second half while unable to move the ball themselves. This is the way things have gone this year for Carolina as they continue to struggle to find ways to score. If it’s not that they are turning the ball over at the most inopportune times. Their quarterback situation is muddled at best, as questions will start as to whether Delhomme will be welcomed back. Then there is the status of coach John Fox and whether he will be back next year as he has been unable to take this team to the next level. Either way there are still games to be played and the Panthers have got to find a way to generate some offense or they may not win another game.

New York Jets 26 Tampa Bay 3

It is going to take some time before rookie QB Josh Freeman can lead his Bucs to wins. It is now that he going through the growing pains in the NFL. He was educated some more Sunday as the Jets picked him off three times and sacked three more. The Jets came in with the second-ranked defense and held the Bucs to 124 total yards as well as just six first downs. Freeman was a woeful 14-33 for 93 yards and the running game managed just 43 yards on 20 attempts. The only thing they had going for them was a Connor Barth field goal that avoided the shutout. The ineptitude of this offense is beyond explanation. They cannot move the ball on offense and can stop no one on defense. Cadillac Williams has shown flashes but is he the long-term solution at running back? He was miserable with 11 carries for 14 yards and made no impact whatsoever. So they are now 1-12 and go to Seattle and then New Orleans. They finish out the year at home against the Falcons and look to lose all of these games. If they finish the year 1-15 are they going to get rid of head coach Raheem Morris? It has been a long years but the off season will be just as busy as Tampa Bay tries to right a ship gone awol.