Patriots Avoid Being Written Off

After the Patriots were embarrassed by becoming victims of the largest margin of defeat by any team this season, they bounced back in convincing manner against the Titans. Many players had written off the Patriots after their blow-out loss to the Ravens in their first game of the year, and the Titans no less were predicting an even greater slaughter even though they wouldn't have their tardy captain for the first part of their contest! But to the Titans dismay, half way through the game it appeared like there indeed wouldn't be massacre. Despite their disappointment the Titans still had to be pretty happy in the position they were in, never relinquishing the with just a few more scores to go. Nemo also finally arrived to try to help the Titans close out the game, but things quickly turned sour on the Titans. Nemo threw a pair of touchdown passes, but he also threw two critical interceptions that would prove to be costly! The Patriots rallied strong in the final possessions of the game as Christian returned a kickoff for a touchdown. Even though Christian, last season's second ranked player in total catches per game, didn't make a single reception, he did throw for 6 touchdowns showing the fans in attendance their ain't nothing he cant do, except ride the bench! The Patriots defeated the Titans 50-36 on Sam's game winning TD reception, so now the Patriots will square off against the 3-1 Raiders in their well earned Sunday night prime-time slot under the lights and will hope to avoid going 0-2 against the two top teams in the league.

Most Prolific Passing Team Ever?

Last season the Titans realized almost 300 catches, averaging an incredible 21 catches a game and shattering the record they set in 2004 when they averaged just over 16 catches a game. This season, the Titans appear to be well on their way to breaking that record once more. They're averaging 24.5 total catches a game, and though we're only 2 games into the season, the Titans certainly have a good shot at making history again with what will probably be a shorter than usual 9-game regular season. After such a remarkable accomplishment and run since 2004, the Titans certainly have to be considered one of the most prolific passing teams in CFL history, if not ever. Just how have the Titans achieved such a dominant position in this area of the game? The obvious answer is by just passing the dang ball, and passing it often. But what else can their superiority in this category be attributed to? Is it the players or the system? Well, surprisingly, despite the fact that the Titans led the league in completions the past 4 seasons (including this one), they have never led the league in receiving percentage or touchdown percentage once in that same span. So while the Titans are definitely throwing more passes and getting them caught, one can argue that they're just not achieving them in superior ways. Just because you hit the target more times than someone else who shot fewer times doesn't mean you outdid them. Its no secret the Titans eat up yardage and catches by dinking and dunking the ball down the field, but when an opponent manages to put the clamps on their passing game, the Titans' heavy reliance on their aerial game could become a great weakness. Unlike the Titans, the Eagles have actually lead the league in fewest catches per game in 3 of the last 4 seasons since 2003 but with a little greater success in the post season than the Titans. The Eagles have appeared in every Superbowl since 2003 when the CFL eliminated the ridiculous 2-team division format, but while the Titans haven't made to the Big Game as much, these two teams still have the same amount of Championships in that span. This Saturday sets the stage for what will be an intriguing look into two very different styles of play. Will the passing game prevail over the running game? Well, that depends on how much of each these two teams plan to do, but the only true measure of either teams' success will perhaps be determined by whatever team is able to take this season's 2007 CFL Championship.

Raiders Capture Primetime Spotlight

Looking to build on their success last weekend against the Eagles, the Raiders sought to obtain sole possession of the top spot as they battled the Titans in CFL's Primetime slot under the lights. Early in the game, Nemo pulled one of the first blunders of the season by letting Tank recover the ball in the endzone on the kickoff. That mistake seemed to basically set the tone for the game as the Raiders easily piled on more points than the Titans winning the game 54-26. Two games into the season, the Raiders look to be well on their way to becoming one of the top teams in the league yet again, once more demonstrating a remarkable ability to consistently rank in the upper echelon of the CFL, year in and year out.