The Week That Was

I almost cried after Nebraska lost to Virginia Tech 16-15 on Saturday. The loss was that brutal to take. It was made even more brutal because Notre Dame had lost to Michigan the week before in similar fashion. The Huskers had the game won and pretty much choked it away. After shutting down the Hokies offense all afternoon, they decided to not play everyone back, despite the Hokies needing to go the length of the field, and were beat deep. Losing that way would have been bad enough, but then the Huskers actually pushed Tech back to the 11. Then they allowed Hokie QB Tyrod Taylor to have an eternity, as they had for most of the game, and he threw the TD pass to win the game. Even more befuddling was how 4 or 5 Huskers just sat there and looked at him for about 5 seconds. Nebraska had so many chances in the red zone but couldn't score touchdowns and it bit them in the ass. As a program the Huskers needed that win so badly and were so close.

The Huskers loss pretty much took all the joy out of Notre Dame ending their hex against Michigan State. I was counting on the Irish to blow it in some way but they luckily had Michigan State play stupidly in Irish territory and cost themselves the game. Despite the win, there was some real bad news for Notre Dame. WR Michael Floyd, their best player, broke his collarbone and will likely miss the rest of the season. The offense did play well in the second half without him, but that could potentially be a huge loss.

The San Francisco 49ers might be legit. They improved to not only 2-0 overall, but 2-0 in the division, manhandling the Seattle Seahawks 23-10. RB Frank Gore looked like 2006 and 2007 self, busting off two huge runs and rushing for over 200 yards. The defense knocked Seahawks QB Matt Hasselbeck out of the game. The 49ers go to Minnesota on Sunday and take on the 2-0 Vikings, going to be a great barometer for how good the 49ers really are.

The Washington Redskins barely survived the lowly St. Louis Rams at home, winning 9-7. The offense moved the ball well all game but bogged down each time in the red zone. The defense played well overall, with Albert Haynesworth and Brian Orakpo having strong games. The secondary looks to be an issue though, as the Rams converted way too many third down passes. It almost seems inevitable that the Skins will lose to the Lions on Sunday and be the team to break the Lions 20 game losing streak.