Heroes
At age 37 and as less mobile than a streetlight, Kurt Warner has very quietly led the under-the-radar Arizona Cardinals to two easy wins. Sunday, Warner was nearly flawless going 19-24 for 361 yards and three touchdowns. His QBR was the maximum 158.3 and he has yet to commit a turnover. Kurt Warner for MVP ???
The Denver Bronco dynamic duo of Jay Cutler and Brandon Marshall. The third-year QB out Vanderbilt torched the Charger secondary for 350 yards and four touchdowns. Marshall in his first game back off a league mandated suspension caught 18 passes for 166 yards and a score, the second (Terrell Owens 20 catches in 2000) best day in NFL history. If Marshall doesn’t go Chris Henry, this could be the leagues best pitch/catch tandem for a decade.
Darren McFadden and the Oakland Raider offensive line deserve mention after stampeding over the Chiefs for 300 yards on the ground. McFadden had 164 yards on 21 carries in his breakout game. The Raiders rushed per 6.4 yards-per-carry while handing Kansas City their third worst defensive effort in that franchises storied history. JaMarcus Russell (5-17, 55) will be doing lots of handing off in the future.
Zeroes
Ed Hochuli, the referee of the Charger/Bronco game, is generally considered one of the best officials in the NFL. After Sunday’s performance, Hochuli’s name may go down as being associated with the worst officiated game in NFL history. Hochuli was responsible for THREE blunders that decided this game. In the second quarter, Hochuli refused Norv Turner’s challenge of a Chris Chambers non-fumble that led directly to a Bronco score. Late in the third quarter, Hochuli made a belated holding call 40 yards from the play 20 yards up field after Darren Sproles was run out on the Denver five. Hochuli’s “whistle” on the Jay Cutler “fumble” with less than 30 seconds to play was unforgiveable even with Hochuli owning the mistake after the game. Grade: F-
The Rams defense has now allowed 963 yards, 53 first-downs, and 79 points in just two games after being taken behind the woodshed by the Giants. Donovan McNabb and Eli Manning went a combined 46-68 for 655 yards and eight touchdowns without throwing a pick. The=2 0Eagles and Giants combined for 308 rushing yards at 4.9 per carry. After two games, the Rams are giving up 7.2 yards-per play. Ouch !!!
How bad has Carson Palmer been ??? The ex-USC/Heisman winner can be forgiven for being a little off after having his nasal cavity rearranged by the Saints in preseason but … he’s returned with a 10-25, 99, 0-2 performance vs. the Ravens and a 16-27, 134, 0-1 “effort” this week at home vs. the Titans. It’s going to be a long year in the Queen City this year. VERY long.
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