Scott Garceau: How To Survive Ravens Bye
Week 8 in the NFL finds the Ravens on the sidelines. John Harbaugh's "Mighty Men" relax and re-group after a rugged 3-4 start. So what does a Raven fan do on a Sunday when he can't watch his Ravens? Those leaves are piling up in the backyard and the garage hasn't been cleaned in months. Perhaps some bonding with the lady in your life with a Sunday afternoon spent shopping. Forget about it!
You know you'll be parked right where you are always parked on Sunday afternoon, yes right there in front of that big TV. It may not be the Purple and Black but there's plenty of NFL football to be watched and you will bear witness. As a public service to those of you without a Sunday plan I offer three games to keep an eye on.
Dallas at Detroit -- A pair of 4-3 teams who'll play chuck and duck. Tony Romo and Matthew Stafford both have 15 TD passes only Peyton Manning has more. Hey Raven fans you can't watch Torrey Smith, who leads the NFL in yards receiving, but Calvin Johnson and Dez Bryant should help fill the void. Football's will be flying at Ford Field.
According to the most recent poll the Cowboys are still America's favorite team. According to my latest poll Lions head coach Jim Schwartz is still Arbutus's favorite coach. The Cowboys are 4-0 against the NFC.
NY Jets at Cincinnati -- For at least a week Ravens fans will be pulling for Sexy Rexy, or is it NO sex Rexy. Did he really ask his players to refrain from acts of pleasure? The Jets are a legit 4-3 who saw that coming. And who thought the Jets would knock off Tom Brady and the Patriots last week, there's an act of pleasure! The Jets coming off a huge win and the Bengals after their 4th straight win.The 5-2 Bengals are looking to go 4-0 at home. Rex and Marvin Lewis a couple of former Ravens defensive coordinators having good seasons. The Jets have won 9 of the last 10 against the Bengals, Ravens fans are hoping the trend continues.
Pittsburgh at Oakland -- The days of Ken Stabler, Jack Tatum, Mean Joe Greene and Lynn Swann are long gone but it's worth keeping an eye on this game. Ravens fans usually have two favorite teams the Ravens and whoever is playing the Steelers. And with last Sunday's last second loss to Pittsburgh still on their minds the Purple and Black fans may go Silver and Black for a day. A match-up of a pair of 2-4 teams isn't exactly must see TV but consider this, a Steelers win would be their third straight and give them the same record as the Ravens. That 0-4 start would be history, Pittsburgh could be back in contention in the AFC North. Oakland has allowed 27 sacks the second most in the league, Dick LeBeau's guys should be adding to that.
