From the Minneapolis St. Paul International Airport -- where I am considering hopping a flight to the Caribbean instead of boarding the one to Nashville -- comes this week's installment of what I think they are thinking in the four team headquarters of the AFC South today.
For a half we did what we should have done. We poured it on a bad team and took control of a game we should have been in control of. But we let a 21-3 lead turn into a game we had to sweat in the second half. We need to show a better ability to finish things when we have the chance.
We've shown in two consecutive wins we're a capable team and our favorable schedule continues with Cincinnati at home this week, then a game at Minnesota and one against Baltimore. There is no reason we can't win those, and what would the league think of us if we went from 0-4 to 5-4? We'll be rooting for Tennessee against Indianapolis a week from tonight. (And for that matter, Cleveland at Jacksonville). The Titans are too far gone for us to think we can catch them. But at 2-4, we're hardly out of range of the 3-3 Colts and the 3-3 Jaguars.
We are maddeningly inconsistent and we've got to get to the bottom of it. Honestly, we played well late in Minnesota, we played well in the last five minutes in Houston and we played well for a full game against the Ravens. That was enough to get us our three wins. But how did we follow up the Baltimore game, our best of the season? With our worst game of the season and a blowout loss in Green Bay.
Oftentimes in the postgame locker room we don't say much because we don't want to. But Sunday it was more than that. We didn't provide many answers because we don't have many. Back to the drawing board, we have to do what we do, we have to clean up the penalties, we shot ourselves in the foot, yada, yada, yada. It's getting tiresome. Sure we can get things in order and rattle off six in a row. But that is starting to sound more like spin and less like belief. Yes, the season is still young. But we're running out of time to get our house in order.
We got half of what we wanted on our Sunday off -- the Colts lost but the Titans won. But we can't be worrying about either of them, because the next three weeks may determine our season. With Reggie Nelson due back and with more offensive line choices than we've had since training camp, we will be close to full strength as we prepare for Cleveland, then head for games at Cincinnati and Detroit.
In those three games, we need to continue to re-establish our identity by controlling flow with Fred Taylor and Maurice Jones-Drew. We need to be better defensively and find ways to rattle quarterbacks. Whichever way Titans-Colts goes, we feel like we can still contend for the division title. Our first game after this three-pack, after all, is against Tennessee at our place.
Our top two receivers go down, our top pass-rushing end plays only a series, and we march on. Those replacement receivers accounted for only two catches, and it wasn't a concern at all. We're deep and we're well-rounded. Those receivers blocked for two 100-yard rushers and Kerry Collins found tight ends Bo Scaife and Alge Crumpler in the passing game when he needed them.
We've calmed down with our no-respect theme, since we're the only undefeated team in the NFL and sit atop virtually every power poll there is. We know those are meaningless -- this ain't the BCS. Plenty of people haven't seen us yet, and 6-0 will sure seem hollow if it turns into 6-1 with a "Monday Night Football" loss to the Colts at LP Field in a week. Nobody's clinching a division in October, but if we get to 7-0 and have a 4½-game lead on Indy, the Colts are not going to be able to catch us.
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