Groundhog Day

I’ll give you a winter prediction: It’s gonna be cold, it’s gonna be grey, and it’s gonna last you for the rest of your life.

Dolphins and Jets fans must be feeling like poor Phil, trapped in the same Sunday again and again and again. Both teams went into games on Sunday with great chances to win, and once again both teams came up short. Meanwhile, a much happier version of Groundhog Day is holding true up in New England as the Pats continued their winning ways.

Miami went into Houston with hopes of notching their first win of the season, but instead they fell to the Houston Texans 22-19. Houston kicker Kris Brown drilled a 57 yard field goal as time expired to drop the Dolphins to 0-5. Miami also lost starting QB Trent Green to a concussion after an ill-advised (and possibly dirty) block on a broken play. For the third straight week RB Ronnie Brown was the lone bright spot for the Phins, rushing for 114 yards on 23 carries, but it wasn’t enough for Miami.

Down in the Meadowlands the Battle for New York went to the Giants by a score of 35-24. The Jets looked very good early, taking a 17-7 lead into the half. If only football was a 30 minute game, as the second half was a nightmare for the Jets. Turnovers and penalties killed the Jets chances, as did a complete lack of any running game. Giants rookie CB Aaron Ross had 2 interceptions, including one that he ran back for a touchdown, while Jets’ RB Thomas Jones had another subpar week, rushing for only 36 yards on 13 carries. Expectations were high for the Jets coming into the season, but with a 1-4 record they are in serious need of any sort of spark they can get on offense.

The New England Patriots’ train keeps on rolling as they won yet again, 34-17 over the Cleveland Browns. The Patriots didn’t play their best game of the season, but it was still enough to beat a Browns team that gave the Patriots a very good challenge. QB Tom Brady wasn’t at his best but he still threw for 3 touchdowns, bringing his season total to an NFL-leading 16. The New England defense had their hands full with a surprisingly good Cleveland offense, but they were able to force 4 turnovers and return one for a touchdown. While their performance was good enough to win this Sunday, another showing like that next week against the 4-0 Cowboys could lead to the first loss on the year.